I Can't Wait for... Cruel Illusions!

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

This might actually be my most anticipated for the rest of 2022... 

Cruel Illusions

Standalone

by Margie Fuston
eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook 448 Pages
November 1, 2022 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

Blurb:

Caraval meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this deliciously dark young adult fantasy about a girl who makes a deal with a magical secret society to enter a potentially deadly competition for the chance to avenge her mother’s death.

Ever since a vampire murdered her mother, Ava has been determined to get revenge. This all-encompassing drive has given her the fuel she needed to survive foster home after foster home.

But it’s been ten years since anyone’s seen a vampire, and Ava has lost hope that she’ll ever find one…until she stumbles across a hidden magic show where she witnesses impossible illusions. The magicians may not be the bloodsuckers she’s hunting, but Ava is convinced something supernatural is at play, so she sneaks backstage and catches them in acts they can’t explain.

But they’ve been waiting for her.

The magicians reveal they’re part of an ancient secret society with true magic, and Ava has the same power in her blood that they do. If she joins them, they promise to teach her the skills she needs to hunt vampires and avenge her mother. But there’s a catch: if she wants to keep the power they offer, she needs to prove she’s worthy of it. And to do so, she must put on the performance of her life in a sinister and dangerous competition where illusion and reality blur, and the stakes are deadly.

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Why I Want To Read Cruel Illusions:

Caraval meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Do I really need to say any more? The cover is gorgeous as well. I'm curious to see if any of the book boxes will have this one as an exclusive edition. That would be awesome! 

***

Will you be checking this book out? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

I Can't Wait for... The Kiss Curse!

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

I'm looking forward to this one to kick of the Spooky Season... 

The Kiss Curse

The Ex Hex #2

by Erin Sterling
eBook, Paperback, Hardcover, Audiobook 320 Pages
September 20, 2022 by Avon Books

Blurb:

Welcome to Spooky Season!! The follow-up to Erin Sterling’s New York Times bestselling hit The Ex Hex features fan favorite Gwyn and the spine-tinglingly handsome Wells Penhallow as they battle a new band of witches and their own magical chemistry.

Gwyn Jones is perfectly happy with her life in Graves Glen. She, her mom, and her cousin have formed a new and powerful coven; she’s running a successful witchcraft shop, Something Wicked; and she’s started mentoring some of the younger witches in town. As Halloween approaches, there’s only one problem—Llewellyn “Wells” Penhallow.

Wells has come to Graves Glen to re-establish his family’s connection to the town they founded as well as to make a new life for himself after years of being the dutiful son in Wales. When he opens up a shop of his own, Penhallow’s, just across the street from Something Wicked, he quickly learns he’s gotten more than he bargained for in going up against Gwyn.

When their professional competition leads to a very personal—and very hot—kiss, both Wells and Gwyn are determined to stay away from each other, convinced the kiss was just a magical fluke. But when a mysterious new coven of witches come to town and Gwyn’s powers begin fading, she and Wells must work together to figure out just what these new witches want and how to restore Gwyn’s magic before it’s too late.

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Why I Want To Read The Kiss Curse:

I enjoyed The Ex Hex earlier this year and I was really excited to hear that there would be a second book centering around Gwyn and Wells. I hope it's as humorous and addictive as the first book!  

***

Will you be checking this book out? Have you read The Ex Hex? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

I Can't Wait for... The Ballad of Never After!

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

I may already have 2-3 editions of this book preordered... 😂 

The Ballad of Never After

Once Upon A Broken Heart #2

by Stephanie Garber
eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook 384 Pages
September 13, 2022 by Flatiron Books

Blurb:

The fiercely-anticipated sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller Once Upon a Broken Heart, starring Evangeline Fox and the Prince of Hearts on a new journey of magic, mystery, and heartbreak.

Not every love is meant to be.

After Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, betrays her, Evangeline Fox swears she'll never trust him again. Now that she’s discovered her own magic, Evangeline believes she can use it to restore the chance at happily ever after that Jacks stole away.

But when a new terrifying curse is revealed, Evangeline finds herself entering into a tenuous partnership with the Prince of Hearts again. Only this time, the rules have changed. Jacks isn’t the only force Evangeline needs to be wary of. In fact, he might be the only one she can trust, despite her desire to despise him.

Instead of a love spell wreaking havoc on Evangeline’s life, a murderous spell has been cast. To break it, Evangeline and Jacks will have to do battle with old friends, new foes, and a magic that plays with heads and hearts. Evangeline has always trusted her heart, but this time she’s not sure she can. . . .

Add to Goodreads | Amazon | Bookshop.org

Why I Want To Read The Ballad of Never After:

I devoured the audiobook of Once Upon A Broken Heart in February. I was afraid I wouldn't love it as much as the Caraval books but boy can Stephanie Garber deliver! I'm so excited to find out what happens next and if The Ballad Of Never After is the ending of a duology (which I'm hoping it is).  

***

Will you be checking this book out? Have you read Once Upon A Broken Heart or the Caraval Trilogy? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

I Can't Wait for... Green Monsters!

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

I met Nicky Shearsby through the Twitter #WritingCommunity and she is such a wonderful writer to interact with! 

Green Monsters

Standalone

by Nicky Shearsby
eBook, Hardcover, Paperback 372 Pages
September 6, 2022 by SRL Publishing

Blurb:

I knew what love was. Love was sex. And I was most definitely going to make Jason love me today. Love me as if his life depended on it.

Green Monsters is told completely from the viewpoint of the antagonist, delving deep into the mind of a narcissistic psychopath.

Stacey Adams had not set out with the intention of hating her sister, Emma. In fact, she was convinced, at some point, she must have loved her once. Over the years, however, Emma had taken that love, twisting it into something bitter, until Stacey had no choice but to act on her impulsive instincts. After seemingly finding it easy to steal her sister's husband, Jason, Stacey's life appeared complete. All she needed now was her sister gone, out of the way. Forever freeing the man she believed had been drawn into Emma's control for too long.

Green Monsters tells the tale of a sister's jealousy for a life that was not her own. She only wanted to be happy, of course. And Jason would become her happiness. He was her one true love. She would save him and save herself in the process.

Little did she know what her actions were about to uncover.

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Why I Want To Read Green Monsters:

It's been a long time since I read a book in the antagonist's sole perspective and this one sounds really good! I'm sensing that Stacey might learn something dark about either her sister Emma or Emma's husband in her quest and I'm dying to find out what it is.  

***

Will you be checking this book out? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

I Can't Wait For... Their Vicious Darling!

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

Continuation of this spicy retelling of Peter Pan? Yes, please!  

Their Vicious Darling

Vicious Lost Boys #3

by Nikki St. Crowe
eBook, Paperback 
September 1, 2022 by Blackwell House LLC

Blurb:

Book Three in the Vicious Lost Boys Series.

** Full summary coming soon **

Add to Goodreads | Amazon 

Why I Want To Read Their Vicious Darling:

I read the first book in this series, The Never King, in June and loved this spicy, reverse harem reimagining of Peter Pan. Book 2, The Dark One, is on my TBR for August and I hear there is quite the cliff-hanger so I'm going to be dying for this book by the time the beginning of September hits! 

***

Will you be checking this book out? Have you read the previous two books in the series? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

I Can't Wait for... Daisy Darker!

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

I'm a sucker for anything comped to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, so I'm excited to see how this book spins it.  

Daisy Darker

Standalone

by Alice Feeney
eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook 352 Pages
August 30, 2022 by Flatiron Books

Blurb:

The New York Times bestselling Queen of Twists returns…with a family reunion that leads to murder.

After years of avoiding each other, Daisy Darker’s entire family is assembling for Nana’s 80th birthday party in Nana’s crumbling gothic house on a tiny tidal island. Finally back together one last time, when the tide comes in, they will be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours.

The family arrives, each of them harboring secrets. Then at the stroke of midnight, as a storm rages, Nana is found dead. And an hour later, the next family member follows…

Trapped on an island where someone is killing them one by one, the Darkers must reckon with their present mystery as well as their past secrets, before the tide comes in and all is revealed.

With a wicked wink to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, Daisy Darker’s unforgettable twists will leave readers reeling.

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Why I Want To Read Daisy Darker:

Like I said above, I'm here for all the And Then There Were None reimaginings / comped books. I like that this one is set with a family, instead of a group of strangers. It should make for an interesting twist. 

***

Will you be checking this book out? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

I Can't Wait for... Lightlark!

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

I read about this one a couple weeks ago (yes, late to the game, as usual) and it sounds fantastic. 

Lightlark

Lightlark, Book 1

by Alex Aster
eBook, Hardcover, 416 Pages
August 23, 2022 by Amulet Books

Blurb:

Welcome to the Centennial.

Every 100 years, the island of Lightlark appears to host the Centennial, a deadly game that only the rulers of six realms are invited to play. The invitation is a summons—a call to embrace victory and ruin, baubles and blood. The Centennial offers the six rulers one final chance to break the curses that have plagued their realms for centuries. Each ruler has something to hide. Each realm’s curse is uniquely wicked. To destroy the curses, one ruler must die.

Isla Crown is the young ruler of Wildling—a realm of temptresses cursed to kill anyone they fall in love with. They are feared and despised, and are counting on Isla to end their suffering by succeeding at the Centennial.

To survive, Isla must lie, cheat, and betray…even as love complicates everything. 

Add to Goodreads | Amazon | Bookshop.org

Why I Want To Read Lightlark:

I'm loving the trope of deadly games lately. Not to mention that Isla sounds like a character I'll absolutely love. Just everything about the blurb, and the cover, sounds so good!

***

Will you be checking this book out? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

I Can't Wait For... Ledge!

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

This one sounds fantastic, I hope it's as good as I'm anticipating...

Ledge

The Glacial Trilogy Book 1

by Stacey McEwan
eBook, Hardcover, 400 Pages
September 13, 2022 by Angry Robot

Blurb:

After being randomly selected as a human sacrifice, instead of death, Dawsyn finds herself on a quest to save her people from their icy prison...
---

In a place known as The Ledge, a civilization is trapped by a vast chasm and sheer mountain face. There is no way for anyone to escape the frozen wasteland without befalling a deathly drop. They know nothing of the outside world except that it is where The Glacians reside – mystical winged creatures who bring them meagre rations to survive, in exchange for a periodic human sacrifice. Dawsyn, axe wielder and only remaining member of her family, has so far avoided the annual culling, but her luck has run out. She is chosen and ripped from her icy home, the only world she knows. No one knows what will happen to her on the other side, least of all Dawsyn. Murdered? Enslaved? Worse?Thankfully, the fates align and Dawsyn manages to escape their clutches with the help of a half-Glacian called Ryon. But trust does not come easily, and she keeps a trained axe to his throat while they journey together down the slopes. But who’s to say that the life below will be any better than the one she has run from?

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Why I Want To Read LEDGE:

Aside from the gorgeous cover drawing my immediate attention when I saw it online, the book just sounds so interesting. Whenever I hear “isolated communities” and “sacrifices” I get reminded of The Village and lately A History of Wild Places. I love journeying with the main characters to uncover what lays beyond the tiny part of world they know and hopefully finding out they’ve been lied to. The fantasy elements also sound really intriguing! 

***

Will you be checking this book out? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

I Can't Wait For... 22 September, 2021

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

These are a couple books releasing in the next couple weeks that I can't wait to pick up...

The Wish

Standalone

by Nicholas Sparks
eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 400 Pages
September 28, 2021 by Grand Central Publishing

Blurb:

1996 was the year that changed everything for Maggie Dawes. Sent away at sixteen to live with an aunt she barely knew in Ocracoke, a remote village on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, she could think only of the friends and family she left behind . . . until she meets Bryce Trickett, one of the few teenagers on the island. Handsome, genuine, and newly admitted to West Point, Bryce gradually shows her how much there is to love about the wind-swept beach town—and introduces her to photography, a passion that will define the rest of her life.

By 2019, Maggie is a renowned travel photographer. She splits her time between running a successful gallery in New York and photographing remote locations around the world. But this year she is unexpectedly grounded over Christmas, struggling to come to terms with a sobering medical diagnosis. Increasingly dependent on a young assistant, she finds herself becoming close to him.

As they count down the last days of the season together, she begins to tell him the story of another Christmas, decades earlier—and the love that set her on a course she never could have imagined.

Add to Goodreads | Amazon | Snowbound Books (Help Support My Favorite Indie Bookstore)

Why I Want To Read The Wish:

It's been ages since I read or enjoyed a Nicholas Sparks book but this one really sounds like something I would like. 

***

Lakesedge

World at the Lake's Edge #1

Lyndall Clipstone

ebook, Hardcover, 384 Pages

September 28, 2021

Blurb:

A lush gothic fantasy about monsters and magic, set on the banks of a cursed lake. Perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and Brigid Kemmerer.

There are monsters in the world.

When Violeta Graceling arrives at haunted Lakesedge estate, she expects to find a monster. She knows the terrifying rumors about Rowan Sylvanan, who drowned his entire family when he was a boy. But neither the estate nor the monster are what they seem.

There are monsters in the woods.

As Leta falls for Rowan, she discovers he is bound to the Lord Under, the sinister death god lurking in the black waters of the lake. A creature to whom Leta is inexplicably drawn…

There’s a monster in the shadows, and now it knows my name.

Now, to save Rowan—and herself—Leta must confront the darkness in her past, including unraveling the mystery of her connection to the Lord Under.

Add to Goodreads | Amazon | Snowbound Books 

Why I Want to Read Lakesedge:

I fell in love first with the cover, but the description - from the haunted estate and the boy with the dark past to the death god bound to the lake all sound so fantastic to me. 

***

The Violent Season

Standalone

Sara Walters

ebook, Paperback, 320 Pages

October 5, 2021 by Sourcebooks Fire

Blurb:

There is something terribly wrong in Wolf Ridge. Every November, every teen is overwhelmed with a hunger for violence…at least, that’s the urban legend.

After Wyatt Green’s mother was brutally murdered last Fall, she’s convinced that the November sickness plaguing Wolf Ridge isn’t just a town rumor that everyone ignores…it’s a palpable force infecting her neighbors. Wyatt is going to prove it, and find her mother’s murderer in the process. She digs up every past brutal act she can find from Wolf Ridge’s past – from car wrecks, suicides, and unnamed victims turning up in rivers—and even reaches out to an out-of-state journalist that seems to believe her. But all of her digging leads to nowhere. Everyone in Wolf Ridge accepts that the November sickness is real, and absolutely no one will talk about it.

As Wyatt’s best friend Cash turns on her, and her friend is almost killed in a tragic accident, Wyatt panics – how can she keep her friends safe, and find her mother’s murderer, when no one believes her?

As the evidence stars to disappear, Wyatt wonders: is she just imagining everything? Is the sickness real, or are the people of Wolf Ridge just naturally prone to doing bad things?

Can Wyatt and her friends come out of the Violent Season unscathed, or is one of them going to be the next victim?

Add to Goodreads | Amazon | Snowbound Books

Why I Want to Read The Violent Season:

I read an excerpt of The Violent Season in an email newsletter about a month ago and it grabbed me right away. I can't wait to read more. 

***

Will you be checking any of these books out? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

I Can't Wait For... All of Us Villains

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

I saw this one in a publisher's newsletter and added it to my TBR...

All of Us Villains

All of Us Villains Book 1

by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman
eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 400 Pages
November 9, 2021 by Tor Teen

Blurb:

The Blood Moon rises. The Blood Veil falls. The Tournament begins.

Every generation, at the coming of the Blood Moon, seven families in the remote city of Ilvernath each name a champion to compete in a tournament to the death.

The prize? Exclusive control over a secret wellspring of high magick, the most powerful resource in the world--one thought long depleted.

This year, thanks to a salacious tell-all book, the seven champions are thrust into worldwide spotlight, granting each of them new information, new means to win, and most importantly: a choice - accept their fate or rewrite their story.

But this is a story that must be penned in blood.

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***

Will you be checking this book out? 

I Can't Wait For... Resurrection Road

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

I met Hannah through some of my instagram author friends and this book, perfect for fans of Supernatural, sounds amazing...

Resurrection Road

Series?

by Hannah Marae
eBook, Paperback
July 26, 2021 by Somewhere Press

Blurb:

For as long as she can remember, Eden has been on the run.
The open road is the only freedom she’s ever known, the only life she’s ever had. But when the road ends in a backwater town, a mysterious phone call sends her on a new journey.

Lazarus is no stranger to ghosts.
Shades and spirits are his constant companions, it’s the living that set him on edge. The decision to help a troubled mage will find him taking on more than he bargained for.

Becoming a hunter was never part of Zeke’s plan.
He finds himself stepping into all the dark places where horrors lurk and spirits roam free—until a job gone wrong shows him there’s more than one way to deal with a monster.

A missing friend.
A chance to prove himself.
A desire to keep the darkness inside at bay.
Together, the three set out on the long road east, each pulled by a secret.
But a powerful presence lurks in the shadows, eager to make a deal that will change their lives forever.

Add to Goodreads 

***

Will you be checking this book out? 

I Can't Wait For... FALLEN!

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

Confession: When books in a series can be read as a standalone I sometimes read out of order. Which means that even though this is the 13th book in this series and I've only read the first one... I'm aiming to read this one next...

Fallen

Kate Burkholder Book 13

by Linda Castillo
Thriller
eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 320 Pages
July 6, 2021 by Minotaur Books

Blurb:

In New York Times bestselling author Linda Castillo’s new thriller Fallen, a rebellious Amish woman leaves the Plain life, but the secrets she takes with her will lead Chief of Police Kate Burkholder down a dark path to danger and death.

When a young woman is found murdered in a Painters Mill motel, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is shocked to discover she once knew the victim. Rachael Schwartz was a charming but troubled Amish girl who left the fold years ago and fled Painters Mill. Why was she back in town? And who would kill her so brutally?

Kate remembers Rachael as the only girl who was as bad at being Amish as Kate was—and those parallels dog her. But the more Kate learns about Rachael's life, the more she's convinced that her dubious reputation was deserved. As a child, Rachael was a rowdy rulebreaker whose decision to leave devastated her parents and best friend. As an adult, she was charismatic and beautiful, a rabble-rouser with a keen eye for opportunity no matter who got in her way. Her no-holds-barred lifestyle earned her a lot of love and enemies aplenty—both English and Amish.

As the case heats to a fever pitch and long-buried secrets resurface, a killer haunts Painters Mill. Someone doesn’t want Rachael’s past—or the mysteries she took with her to the grave—coming to light. As Kate digs deeper, violence strikes again, this time hitting close to home. Will Kate uncover the truth and bring a murderer to justice? Or will a killer bent on protecting a terrible past stop her once and for all—and let the fallen be forgotten?

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Will you be checking this book out? 

I Can't Wait For... THE GOSSIP!

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

I've been a fan of this author's sister for years and last year I read the first book in this series and loved it. I can't wait to see what else will shake up River Glen in...

The Gossip

River Glen Book 2

by Nancy Bush
Thriller
eBook, Paperback, 416 Pages
June 29, 2021 by Zebra

Blurb:

From New York Times bestselling author Nancy Bush, a gripping page-turner that explores the dark side of popularity, when harmless high school gossip turns deadly...

Every word you whisper
In high school, rumors can make or destroy a reputation. A thoughtless nickname can turn each day into a living hell. Gossip is irresistible--and contagious. But sometimes, gossip can kill...

Every secret you share
Mackenzie Laughlin, formerly with Oregon's River Glen police department, has reluctantly agreed to investigate a local woman's disappearance. The case reconnects her with Jesse James Taft, a P.I. gifted at getting under Mac's skin. But when the body is found tangled in river weeds, Mac and Taft realize that the case has changed, from one missing woman to a hunt for a terrifying and relentless killer...

Could be your last
In his old school yearbooks, they were the pretty, popular ones, confident and callous. Back then, they held the power. But now, it's all his. He's been waiting to teach them the lessons they should have learned long ago: that gossip and popularity have a price, and it's time to pay...

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***

Will you be checking this book out? 

I Can't Wait For... IT HAPPENED ONE SUMMER!

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

I read this author's book Reborn Yesterday last year and enjoyed it, now I'm interested in checking out this standalone rom-com...

It Happened One Summer

Standalone

by Tessa Bailey
Rom-Com
eBook, Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, 416 Pages
July 13, 2021 by Avon Books

Blurb:

Tessa Bailey is back with a Schitt’s Creek-inspired rom-com about a Hollywood “It Girl” who is cut off from her wealthy family and exiled to a small Pacific Northwest beach town... where she butts heads with a surly, sexy local who thinks she doesn’t belong.

Piper Bellinger is fashionable, influential, and her reputation as a wild child means the paparazzi are constantly on her heels. When too much champagne and an out-of-control rooftop party lands Piper in the slammer, her stepfather decides enough is enough. So he cuts her off, and sends Piper and her sister to learn some responsibility running their late father’s dive bar... in Washington.

Piper hasn’t even been in Westport for five minutes when she meets big, bearded sea captain Brendan, who thinks she won’t last a week outside of Beverly Hills. So what if Piper can’t do math, and the idea of sleeping in a shabby apartment with bunk beds gives her hives. How bad could it really be? She’s determined to show her stepfather—and the hot, grumpy local—that she’s more than a pretty face.

Except it’s a small town and everywhere she turns, she bumps into Brendan. The fun-loving socialite and the gruff fisherman are polar opposites, but there’s an undeniable attraction simmering between them. Piper doesn’t want any distractions, especially feelings for a man who sails off into the sunset for weeks at a time. Yet as she reconnects with her past and begins to feel at home in Westport, Piper starts to wonder if the cold, glamorous life she knew is what she truly wants. LA is calling her name, but Brendan—and this town full of memories—may have already caught her heart.

Add to Goodreads | Amazon| Snowbound Books (Help Support My Favorite Indie Bookstore)

***

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I Can't Wait For... MY CONTRARY MARY!

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

I loved the Janies books and I can't wait to read the first "Mary" book...

My Contrary Mary

Mary, Book 1

by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
YA Historical Fantasy Retelling
eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 512 Pages
June 22, 2021 by HarperTeen

Blurb:

Welcome to Renaissance France, a place of poison and plots, of beauties and beasts, of mice and . . . queens?⠀
⠀
Mary is the queen of Scotland and the jewel of the French court. Except when she's a mouse. Yes, reader, Mary is an Eðian (shapeshifter) in a kingdom where Verities rule. It's a secret that could cost her a head—or a tail.⠀
⠀
Luckily, Mary has a confidant in her betrothed, Francis. But after the king meets a suspicious end, things at the gilded court take a treacherous turn. Thrust onto the throne, Mary and Francis are forced to navigate a viper's nest of conspiracies, traps, and treason. And if Mary's secret is revealed, heads are bound to roll.

Add to Goodreads | Amazon | Snowbound Books (Help Support My Favorite Indie Bookstore)

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I Can't Wait For... LONG LOST!

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

I don't read a lot of middle grade books, but I read and enjoyed a YA book by this author a year or two back and this one sounds really good... 

Long Lost

by Jacqueline West
Middle Grade Fantasy Mystery
eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 288 Pages
May 11, 2021 by Greenwillow Books

Blurb:

Eleven-year-old Fiona has just read a book that doesn’t exist.

When Fiona’s family moves to be closer to her older sister’s figure skating club—and far from Fiona’s close-knit group of friends—nobody seems to notice Fiona’s unhappiness. Alone and out of place, Fiona ventures to the town’s library, a rambling mansion donated to the town by the long-dead heiress. And there she finds a gripping mystery novel about a small town, family secrets, and a tragic disappearance.

Soon Fiona begins to notice strange similarities that blur the lines between the novel and her new town. And when she looks for the book again, it’s gone. Almost like it never existed. With stubbornness and a little help from a few odd Lost Lake locals, Fiona uncovers the book’s strange history. It’s not a novel, but the true story of an unsolved century-old crime filled with clues to the mystery. Lost Lake is a town of restless spirits, and Fiona will learn that both help and danger come from unexpected places—maybe even the sister she thinks doesn’t care about her anymore.

Add to Goodreads | Amazon | Snowbound Books (Help Support My Favorite Indie Bookstore)

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I Can't Wait For... SAY I'M THE ONE

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

I have several of this author's books on my kindle that I haven't had a chance to read yet but when I saw this one in her latest newsletter I had to add it to the top of my TBR... 

Say I'm the One

All of Me Duet, Book 1
by Siobhan Davis
Contemporary Romance
eBook, Paperback (presumably)
April 30, 2021 by Siobhan Davis

Blurb:

From the USA Today bestselling author of Inseparable and When Forever Changes comes another emotional, angsty, new adult romance that will rip your heart apart before mending it again.

I’m head over heels in love with my best friend. Although, I can’t pinpoint exactly when Reeve Lancaster became my entire world.

Was it when we were little kids, practically brought up together, after Reeve’s mom died during childbirth and his dad subsequently fell apart? Or when I doodled his name in my school journal at age ten? Maybe it was when we became boyfriend and girlfriend at fourteen or when we shed our virginity at sixteen, pledging our forever?

I was there as his star ascended—like I’d always known it would—and there wasn’t a prouder person on the planet. As the only child of Hollywood’s golden couple, I’ve lived my life in the spotlight enough to know it wasn’t what I wanted for my future. But I sacrificed my own desires, because Reeve’s happiness meant everything to me.

Until he crushed my heart into itty-bitty pieces, forcing me to fly halfway around the world just to escape the gut-wrenching pain.

The opportunity to study at Trinity College Dublin came at the perfect moment, and I jumped at the chance without hesitation. If I’d known fate was meddling in my life, perhaps I would have chosen differently, but my future was cemented the instant I laid eyes on him.

Dillon O’Donoghue was Reeve’s polar opposite in every way, and perhaps, that’s why I felt drawn to him. He was the dark to my light. The thorn in my side, irritating me with his cold disdain, wild recklessness, and a burning rage hidden deep inside him that spoke to a silent part within me. Yet Dillon showed me what it was like to truly live, opening my eyes to endless possibilities.

What happened next was inevitable, and I only have myself to blame. He warned me, and I knew my reprieve was temporary, because there is only so far I can run.

Especially when fate hasn’t finished messing with me yet.

This is a full-length 168K-word second-chance romance novel that is book one of two. It cannot be read as a stand-alone, and it ends on a cliff-hanger. Recommended to readers aged eighteen and older.

Add to Goodreads 

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I Can't Wait For... My Heart is A Chainsaw!

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

I keep seeing an ad for this one on the website of my favorite independent bookstore... 

My Heart is A Chainsaw

Standalone
by Stephen Graham Jones
Horror/Thriller
eBook, Paperback, 416 Pages
August 31, 2021 by Gallery/Saga Press

Blurb:

In her quickly gentrifying rural lake town Jade sees recent events only her encyclopedic knowledge of horror films could have prepared her for in this latest novel from the Jordan Peele of horror literature, Stephen Graham Jones.

“Some girls just don’t know how to die…”

Shirley Jackson meets Friday the 13th in My Heart Is a Chainsaw, written by the New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians Stephen Graham Jones, called “a literary master” by National Book Award winner Tananarive Due and “one of our most talented living writers” by Tommy Orange.

Alma Katsu calls My Heart Is a Chainsaw “a homage to slasher films that also manages to defy and transcend genre.” On the surface is a story of murder in small-town America. But beneath is its beating heart: a biting critique of American colonialism, Indigenous displacement, and gentrification, and a heartbreaking portrait of a broken young girl who uses horror movies to cope with the horror of her own life.

Jade Daniels is an angry, half-Indian outcast with an abusive father, an absent mother, and an entire town that wants nothing to do with her. She lives in her own world, a world in which protection comes from an unusual source: horror movies…especially the ones where a masked killer seeks revenge on a world that wronged them. And Jade narrates the quirky history of Proofrock as if it is one of those movies. But when blood actually starts to spill into the waters of Indian Lake, she pulls us into her dizzying, encyclopedic mind of blood and masked murderers, and predicts exactly how the plot will unfold.

Yet, even as Jade drags us into her dark fever dream, a surprising and intimate portrait emerges…a portrait of the scared and traumatized little girl beneath the Jason Voorhees mask: angry, yes, but also a girl who easily cries, fiercely loves, and desperately wants a home. A girl whose feelings are too big for her body. My Heart Is a Chainsaw is her story, her homage to horror and revenge and triumph.

Add to Goodreads | Amazon | Snowbound Books (Support my favorite indie bookstore and get a preorder gift)

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