#BookReview: Madame (Salacious Player's Club, #6) by Sara Cate

Synopsis: They think they know me, but they have no idea. 
As a professional Domme, I see men and women come and go. But no one ever sticks around, and I like it that way. 
I have a secret to protect—at all costs. 
So when the cocky, handsome, and submissive Clay Bradley weasels his way into my heart, I do the one thing I’ve always excelled at. I push him away—forever. And like a good boy, he listens. 
But a few months later, during a chance encounter, he shows up again, but this time he isn’t alone. He has the stunning Jade on his arm. And she has a request of her own. 
She wants me to teach her. 
I should say no. Training a woman who makes my knees weak is bad enough. But this particular woman is dating the man who still has my heart. It’s a recipe for disaster. 
Made worse by one simple fact—they know my secret. 
And they won’t let go. 
But how can I protect what’s mine if I’m holding onto them too? 
Jade and Clay are the only ones who truly see me and the only ones who know… I’m so much more than Madame.

#BookReview: Unleashing Chaos by @CAndFBooks Crystal J. Johnson & Felicity Vaughn @WattpadBooks

Synopsis: Desideria is looking for true love…
When your father, the king of demons, tells you to find an eternal partner in ninety days, you do it―because the alternative is worse.

Jace’s heart is shattered and guarded…
All I asked for was a quiet roommate to help with the bills instead I got a sassy demon princess.

Cannon wants everyone to be happy, but …
Sure, I want to help my friends, but I’ve got ambitions too.


Infernis help them.

A visit to the human realm is Desi’s last-ditch effort to find the partner of her dreams―she wants to marry for love―but with only three months to fall head over heels and take someone home to her chaotic family in Infernis, it seems impossible.

When every date Desi goes on ends in disaster, she enlists the help of her two handsome roommates. While one is friendly and fun, willing to help in any way he can, the other is stern and impenetrable, resolute in his theory that everlasting love isn’t possible. But as much as she’d like to deny it, Desideria is an agent of chaos, and she quickly starts knocking down walls and crossing boundaries–in every aspect of her romantic life..

Maybe it was kismet that landed Desi in Denver, but the choice she and her new friends have to make will define not only their futures, but that of an entire realm.

#BookReview: Liar (Madison Kate, #2) @TateJamesAuthor @Read_Bloom

Synopsis: "Liar, liar, pants on fire."

The words scrawled on the back of my newest stalker mail make my blood run cold. I have no idea if the lie is one I know I'm telling…or one that I don't.

Since arriving back to Shadow Grove, I've been stalked, tormented, chased, and almost killed. I've been lied to, repeatedly, by the boys I was finally growing to trust―and more.

Liar.

That word haunts all four of us, but it haunts me the most. Someone knows more about my life than I do. Someone is taunting me with answers and teasing me with secrets. Am I desperate enough to fall for more deception? To fall deeper into this tangle of danger and heat?

One thing is for sure: Archer and his boys made a huge mistake when they decided to keep me from the truth. They thought they could play me, but they're about to learn that they've met their match.

#BookReview: The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska

Synopsis: A gripping, dark enemies-to-lovers LGBTQ+ YA fantasy about two girls who must choose between saving themselves, each other, or their sinking island home.

Every year on St. Walpurga's Eve, Caldella’s Witch Queen lures a boy back to her palace. An innocent life to be sacrificed on the full moon to keep the island city from sinking.

Lina Kirk is convinced her brother is going to be taken this year. To save him, she enlists the help of Thomas Lin, the boy she secretly loves, and the only person to ever escape from the palace. But they draw the queen’s attention, and Thomas is chosen as the sacrifice.

Queen Eva watched her sister die to save the boy she loved. Now as queen, she won't make the same mistake. She's willing to sacrifice anyone if it means saving herself and her city.

When Lina offers herself to the queen in exchange for Thomas’s freedom, the two girls await the full moon together. But Lina is not at all what Eva expected, and the queen is nothing like Lina envisioned. Against their will, they find themselves falling for each other as water floods Caldella’s streets and the dark tide demands its sacrifice.

#BookReview: Kate (Madison Kate #4) by @TateJamesAuthor @Read_Bloom

Synopsis: "I never miss."

Riot Night changed my life.

Coming back to Shadow Grove turned it on its head.

I've been hunted, stabbed, stalked, tormented, and used. Hate fueled me, lies tore me apart, and in the end, everything I thought I knew turned out to be fake.

Except…Riot Night also brought Archer, Kody, and Steele back into my life. No matter how much I've fought my feelings for them, no matter how much I've hated them or how many of their deceptions I've uncovered―I want them in my life. I want to fight for them. All three of them.

No one owns me.

No one is taking them away.

This is my life, damn it, and these guys are mine to keep.

If a war is what it takes, then a war is what our enemies will get.
 

#BookReview: Hopeless (Chestnut Springs, #5) by @AuthorElsie @Read_Bloom

Synopsis: From beloved TikTok author Elsie Silver comes the fifth in her TikTok smash-hit Chestnut Springs series of contemporary cowboy romances, featuring fan-favorite character Beau.

#BookReview: Highest Bidder (Salacious Player's Club, #5) by @SaraCate3 @SourcebooksCasa

Synopsis: "Punchy, unputdownable, and unabashedly sex-positive."―Sierra Simone, USA Today bestselling author, for Praise He's not just rich…he's filthy rich. When Daisy Bennett started working at Salacious Players' Club, she never expected to end up on the auction block ready to grant a date to the highest bidder. She only took the waitressing job to learn more about a mysterious man from her mother's past―Ronan Kade. So when Ronan, the richest man at the club, wins the date, Daisy can't say no. But he's too old. Too rich. Too cocky. And, oh yeah…he once dated Daisy's mother. Ronan knows there's something about Daisy he can't get enough of, but he has no idea who she is or why they seem to have an undeniable connection. All he can say for sure is that he loves the way she calls him Daddy. One date inevitably leads to more, and Ronan is ready to put his heart on the line, but both he and Daisy will have to be honest about the secrets they've been keeping if they want their chance at something real…

#BookReview: Hate (Madison Kate, #1) @TateJamesAuthor @Read_Bloom

Synopsis: "Madison Kate Danvers was murdered tonight." Those words changed my life, and not for the better. They were wrong, of course. I wasn't dead. But I was set up. After being framed for a deadly riot, charged with a string of offences, and being made into an example by my politically minded father, I'm eventually released back into Shadow Grove. I could keep my head down, but I only have one thing on my mind. Hate. The boys who framed me are going to pay for derailing my carefully laid-out future. They're going to catch the full force of my revenge. Except when I arrive back in town, thanks to my father's shiny new girlfriend, I find all three of them living in my house, right down the hall. Archer, Kodiak, and Steele are secretive. Untrustworthy. Dangerous―and dangerously magnetic, too. But I'm not falling for their games. Not after what they did to me. Archer D'Ath and his boys messed with the wrong chick, and they're about to learn just how cold Madison Kate's hatred can run.

#BookReview: Give Me More (Salacious Players' Club, #3) by Sara Cate @SaraCate3 @SourcebooksCasa

Synopsis: They call him a scoundrel. A playboy. Drake Nielson gets around, and he's not afraid to admit it. So when his best friend, Hunter, opens the Salacious Players' Club and asks him to head the construction, he jumps at the opportunity. Now he's traveling the country with Hunter and his wife, Isabel, touring other clubs to network and get inspiration. But when a demonstration at a new club involves Isabel and Drake, it comes with something Drake never saw coming―an invitation. Hunter wants Drake to sleep with his wife…while he watches. Drake would do anything for Hunter and Isabel, but this is one request he should turn down. Isabel is the woman of his dreams, but she belongs to someone else. And the exact reason he should say no is the one reason he says yes . Because it's not only Isabel he wants… Maybe it's time Drake shows his best friend exactly how much he's willing to do for him―and why.

#BookReview: Fake (Madison Kate #3) by @TateJamesAuthor @Read_Bloom

Synopsis: "You'll always be mine."

The latest taunt from my stalker reminded me I was nothing more than a possession to my father, to the Reapers, to Archer D'Ath. Even to Kody and Steele. Princess Danvers―the prize.

His wife.

Archer D'Ath's wife.

I hate them. They lied to me. Over and over again. I knew they were lying, too, and I hate myself for letting it get this far. For falling for them despite what they did to me. For believing in the relationships I wanted so desperately to be real.

Fake.

It's all fake. And none of them will let me go. Archer and his boys think they control me. My stalker wants to possess me. I'm not an idiot―I know my newest allies are using me, too.

That's fine.

I'll use all of them. I'll use them to take back what's mine.

My life. My freedom. My name.

No one owns Madison Kate Danvers.

#BookReview: The Sacrifice by Rin Chupeco @SourcebooksFire

Synopsis: An island oasis turns deadly when a terrifying legend threatens to kill off visitors one by one in this haunting novel from the highly acclaimed author of The Girl from the Well and the Bone Witch trilogy.

Pristine beaches, lush greenery, and perfect weather, the island of Kisapmata would be the vacation destination...if not for the curse. The Philippine locals speak of it in hushed voices and refuse to step foot on the island. They know the lives it has claimed. They won't be next.

A Hollywood film crew won't be dissuaded. Legend claims a Dreamer god sleeps, waiting to grant unimaginable powers in exchange for eight sacrifices. The producers are determined to document the evidence. And they convince Alon, a local teen, to be their guide.

Within minutes of their arrival, a giant sinkhole appears, revealing a giant balete tree with a mummified corpse entwined in its gnarled branches. And the crew start seeing strange visions. Alon knows they are falling victim to the island's curse. If Alon can't convince them to leave, there is no telling who will survive. Or how much the Dreamer god will destroy...

Creepy and suspenseful, The Sacrifice is perfect for readers looking for:
* Spooky, scary books for young adults
* Horror novels
* Ghost story books for teens
* East Asian folklore

#BookReview: House of Yesterday by Deeba Zargarpur

Synopsis: Taking inspiration from the author's own Afghan-Uzbek heritage, this contemporary YA debut is a breathtaking journey into the grief that lingers through generations of immigrant families, and what it means to confront the ghosts of your past.

Struggling to deal with the pain of her parents' impending divorce, fifteen-year-old Sara is facing a world of unknowns and uncertainties. Unfortunately, the one person she could always lean on when things got hard, her beloved Bibi Jan, has become a mere echo of the grandmother she once was. And so Sara retreats into the family business, hoping a summer working on her mom's latest home renovation project will provide a distraction from her fracturing world.

But the house holds more than plaster and stone. It holds secrets that have her clinging desperately to the memories of her old life. Secrets that only her Bibi Jan could have untangled. Secrets Sara is powerless to ignore as the dark truths of her family's history rise in ghostly apparitions -- and with it, the realization that as much as she wants to hold onto her old life, nothing will ever be the same.

Told in lush, sweeping prose, this story of secrets, summer, and family sacrifice will chill you to the bone as the house that wraps Sara in warmth of her past becomes the one thing she cannot escape...

#BookReview: Lumara by @Melissa_Landers

Synopsis: The answers lie within.
Boarding school student Talia Morris has no idea her boyfriend, Nathaniel, is a Mystic, let alone second in line to the throne of a secretive, aspirational magical community―one no mortal has ever been allowed to step inside. Until now. Nathanial’s cousin is about to be married in the biggest wedding the magical world has ever seen, and Nathaniel is allowed to bring a date. Talia is the lucky recipient of the golden ticket every Mystic wannabe in the world would kill for―only she doesn’t want it. Talia thinks Mystic worship is lame and stupid and unnecessarily aggrandizes people for being born a certain way. When she finds out Nathaniel is “one of them,” she almost jumps ship. But Nathaniel loves her, and she loves him. So when he begs her to give his family and their community a shot, she reluctantly agrees.
Enter the most fantastical world any mortal has ever seen, and the coolest magical wedding ever. After a few days of bonding with Nathaniel’s family on the island, of seeing how beautiful their magic is and how peaceful their community, Talia’s about to be won over―until the entire wedding party suddenly falls into an unexplainable coma and the community goes on lockdown. Talia, the outsider, is pegged as the culprit and has to do everything in her meager non-power to prove her innocence. As she embarks on a journey to find the truth, Talia soon discovers reality is not all it seems, and her past may put her in more danger than she ever imagined.
In this captivating YA fantasy, Talia must solve a multigenerational mystery and break a curse, all the while being torn between making her family proud and regaining the trust of the boy she loves.

#BookReview: Riven by Mindee Arnett

Synopsis: An epic, adventurous story of a young mercenary magic-user trying to escape the oppressive island of Riven—and a young noblewoman trying to change it forever.

Mars Darksvane wants out. Out from under the thumb of Una, the crime boss who pulled him off the streets as a child and trained him as an assassin; out from the island country of Riven, where magic, in the form of a dangerous material called Ice, allows the rich to live in luxury and keeps the poor in thrall. Mars is a secret adept—a person born with the ability to channel the magic that flows beneath Riven—and while his power gives him abilities useful to an assassin, it also makes him a target. And when his last mission ends in tragedy, Mars finally decides it’s time to escape to the mainland. No magic, no history, a new life on his own.

But Una has other ideas. If Mars wants his freedom, he’s going to have to perform a final job: protecting Fura Torvald—the heiress of the rich and powerful Torvald kith, and the daughter of the last man Mars was sent to kill—and stealing from her a mysterious object known only as the Primer.

Mars has no interest in Fura or whatever the Primer is, nor in Riven’s corrupt and oppressive politics; he just wants to do his job and get out. But as Mars comes to know more about Fura, the Primer, and the true nature of the power in Riven, he realizes that he will soon have to take a side in a fight he has avoided his entire life. Which side, however, he does not yet know.

#BookReview: You Were Always Mine by Christine Pride & @jopiazza @AtriaBooks

Synopsis: The acclaimed authors of the “emotional literary roller coaster” ( The Washington Post ) and Good Morning America book club pick We Are Not Like Them return with this moving and provocative novel about a Black woman who finds an abandoned white baby, sending her on a collision course with her past, her family, and a birth mother who doesn’t want to be found.

Cinnamon Haynes has fought hard for a life she never thought was possible—a good man by her side, a steady job as a career counselor at a local community college, and a cozy house in a quaint little beach town. It may not look like much, but it’s more than she ever dreamed of or what her difficult childhood promised. Her life’s mantra is to be good, quiet, grateful. Until something shifts and Cinnamon is suddenly haunted by a terrifying “Is this all there is?”

Daisy Dunlap has had her own share of problems in her nineteen years on earth—she also has her own big dreams for a life that’s barely begun. Her hopes for her future are threatened when she gets unexpectedly pregnant. Desperate, broke, and alone, she hides this development from everyone close to her and then makes a drastic decision with devastating consequences.

Daisy isn’t the only one with something to hide. When Cinnamon finds an abandoned baby in a park and takes the blonde-haired, blue-eyed newborn into her home, the ripple effects of this decision risk exposing the truth about Cinnamon’s own past, which she’s gone to great pains to portray as idyllic to everyone…even herself.

As Cinnamon struggles to contain old demons, navigate the fault lines that erupt in her marriage, and deal with the shocking judgments from friends and strangers alike about why a woman like her has a baby like this, her one goal is to do right by the child she grows more attached to with each passing day. It’s the exact same conviction that drives Daisy as she tries to outrun her heartache and reckon with her choices.

These two women, unlikely friends and kindred spirits must face down their secrets and trauma and unite for the sake of the baby they both love in their own unique way when Daisy’s grandparents, who would rather die than see one of their own raised by a Black woman, threaten to take custody.

Once again, these authors bring their “empathetic, riveting, and authentic” (Laura Dave, New York Times bestselling author) storytelling to an unforgettable novel that revolves around provocative and timely questions about race, class, and motherhood. Is being a mother a right, an obligation, or a privilege? Who gets to be a mother? And to whom? And what are we willing to sacrifice for the sake of marriage, friendship, and our dreams?

#BookReview: Daughter of a Promise by @JeanneBlasberg @BookSparks

Synopsis: Days after graduating from college, Betsabé Ruiz begins her first job on Wall Street, where she plans to save enough money to eventually pursue her dreams of becoming a theatre actress. What she didn’t anticipate was that this job would allow her barely enough free time to sleep or hang out with friends, let alone take acting classes. She didn’t apprehend the magnitude of the wealth that would be swirling about her, either, or how the long hours and close quarters would infuse her professional relationships with intimacy. Still, she does her best to navigate this uncharted territory at work, where she makes an unlikely best friend and develops an unexpected attraction to her boss.

Told in the retrospective as a letter to her unborn son, Daughter of a Promise is a coming-of-age tale in which a naïve Betsabé assumed leaving her past behind was the prerequisite for succeeding as an adult. The wisdom she ultimately passes on to her child, however, is steeped in the very traditions within which her grandmother raised her back in Miami.

A modern retelling of the legend of Bathsheba and David, this novel is a reminder that the biological forces of desire and love are timeless and complicated.

#BookReview: Immortality (The Anatomy Duology #2) by Dana Schwartz @DanaSchwartzzz

Synopsis: Hazel Sinnett is alone and half convinced the events of the year before—the immortality, Beecham’s vial—were a figment of her imagination. She doesn’t even know if Jack is alive or dead. All she can really do now is treat patients and maintain Hawthornden Castle as it starts to decay around her.

When saving a life leads to her arrest, Hazel seems doomed to rot in prison until a message intervenes: Hazel has been specifically requested to be the personal physician of Princess Charlotte, the sickly granddaughter of King George III. Soon Hazel is dragged into the glamour and romance of a court where everyone has something to hide, especially the enigmatic, brilliant members of a social club known as the Companions to the Death. 

As Hazel’s work entangles her more and more with the British court, she realizes that her own future as a surgeon isn't the only thing at stake for her. Malicious forces are at work in the monarchy, and Hazel may be the only one capable of setting things right.

#BookReview: Lies We Sing to the Sea by Sarah Underwood @s_e_c_underwood

Synopsis: Each spring, Ithaca condemns twelve maidens to the noose. This is the price vengeful Poseidon demands for the lives of Queen Penelope’s twelve maids, hanged and cast into the depths centuries ago.

But when that fate comes for Leto, death is not what she thought it would be. Instead, she wakes on a mysterious island and meets a girl with green eyes and the power to command the sea. A girl named Melantho, who says one more death can stop a thousand.

The prince of Ithaca must die—or the tides of fate will drown them all.

Sarah Underwood weaves an epic tapestry of lies, love, and tragedy, perfect for fans of Madeline Miller, Alexandra Bracken, and Renée Ahdieh.

#BookReview: Revelations (Belle Morte, #2) by @Bella_Higgin @wattpad

Synopsis: Truth comes at a cost.

Ever since Renie Mayfield survived the merciless attack on Belle Morte that killed donors and vampires alike, she is forever changed. Now a vampire, the agonizing transformation of her body and mind is rivaled only by uncovering the horrific truth about her sister, June, who has escaped the mansion in her rabid form, adding even more chaos to Renie’s reality.

As the vampire responsible for Renie’s change, and now her distress, Edmond Dantes remains in his own desperate place. He’s confined in the secret cells of Belle Morte, awaiting the arrival of the council and the subsequent punishment for his actions. Edmond questions if what he did was right and deeply regrets what has become of his home. 

Desperate to free Edmond, find June, and bring justice to whoever is behind the recent violence, Renie is out for blood in more ways than one. The smell of corruption is embedded in the walls of Belle More, but behind the walls are even more secrets that may lead to the truth and to justice.

#BookReview: Magic and Medicine (Amber Legends #1) by @olena_nikitin

Synopsis: Danger doesn’t lurk in the shadows. It barges in and smacks you in the face. After years of working in the Emergency Department, Sara thought nothing could surprise her, but when the deceased victim of a stabbing opened his eyes and demanded his knife back, she knew her life had taken a bizarre turn.

Leszek had guarded the magic of the Nether before the first human set foot in his lands. His power was absolute, his authority unchallenged. The world might change, but even ruling from the shadow, no one, not even hardened criminals, dared to question his judgment.

When he was called to clean up the mess an unruly vampire caused in the hospital, Leszek barely contained his irritation when his power couldn’t make the stubborn doctor forget his existence. Instead, she looked him in the eye, challenging him to leave, and he listened.

Sara’s courage and audacity were intriguing, but her magic captivated him with its beauty. The magic she was unaware of. She may be human, but even humans have their uses, and Sara will soon learn there are consequences to capturing the undivided attention of the Tricity Mafia’s boss.

This fascinating woman might haunt his dreams, but Sara’s magic made her a target for a dangerous, emerging power, and Leszek has to decide if he will sacrifice her to save his domain.