#BookReview: Runaway Train (Runaway Train #1) by @LeeMatthewG

Synopsis: They told me I was an out-of-control train about to crash…

Everything changed when the police officer knocked on the door to tell me – a 16-year-old – that my older sister Kristen had died of a brain aneurysm. Cue the start of my parents neglecting me and my whole life spiraling out of control.

I decided now was the perfect time to skip town. It’s the early 90’s, Kurt Cobain runs the grunge music scene and I just experienced some serious trauma. What’s a girl supposed to do? I didn’t want to end up like Kristen, so I grabbed my bucket list, turned up my mixtape of the greatest 90’s hits and fled L.A.. The goal was to end up at Kurt Cobain’s house in Seattle, but I never could have guessed what would happen along the way.

At turns heartbreaking, inspiring, and laugh out loud funny, Runaway Train is a wild journey of a bygone era and a portrait of a one-of-a-kind teenage girl trying to find herself again the only way she knows how.

#BookReview: Leda and the Swan by Anna Caritj

Synopsis: Anna Caritj's LEDA AND THE SWAN, about a female college student who wakes after a wild Halloween frat party to find she isn't exactly sure what happened with the guy she went home with, and can't recall the last words she spoke to the classmate who now seems to be missing; pitched as having elements of "Prep," "Cat Person," and "The Secret History," a novel about infatuation, sex, consent, risk, regret, power, and one woman's search for answers about her future.

#BookReview: Malice (Malice Duology #1) by @heatherrwalter5

Synopsis: A princess isn’t supposed to fall for an evil sorceress. But in this darkly magical retelling of “Sleeping Beauty,” true love is more than a simple fairy tale. 

Once upon a time, there was a wicked fairy who, in an act of vengeance, cursed a line of princesses to die. A curse that could only be broken by true love’s kiss.

You’ve heard this before, haven’t you? The handsome prince. The happily-ever-after. 

Utter nonsense. 

Let me tell you, no one in Briar actually cares about what happens to its princesses. Not the way they care about their jewels and elaborate parties and charm-granting elixirs. I thought I didn’t care, either. 

Until I met her. 

Princess Aurora. The last heir to Briar’s throne. Kind. Gracious. The future queen her realm needs. One who isn’t bothered that I am Alyce, the Dark Grace, abhorred and feared for the mysterious dark magic that runs in my veins. Humiliated and shamed by the same nobles who pay me to bottle hexes and then brand me a monster. Aurora says I should be proud of my gifts. That she . . . cares for me. Even though it was a power like mine that was responsible for her curse. 

But with less than a year until that curse will kill her, any future I might see with Aurora is swiftly disintegrating—and she can’t stand to kiss yet another insipid prince. I want to help her. If my power began her curse, perhaps it’s what can lift it. Perhaps, together, we could forge a new world. 

Nonsense again. 

Because we all know how this story ends, don’t we? Aurora is the beautiful princess. And I—

I am the villain. 

#BookReview: Bodies: A Romantic Bloodbath by Moses Yuriyvich Mikheyev

Synopsis: High school genius and sociopath Vince Nilsson is obsessed with Melissa Price. So when she rejects him after a few dates, he devises the perfect plan—manipulate her genes to make an even better version of her . . . one who’s more receptive to him. Of course, he’ll have to kill the real Melissa first. But is it really murder if the person still exists? 

As he continues to “perfect” Melissa, he realizes he can change the world, one gene at a time. Before long, Vince is an underground celebrity, and his company, Emergence, Inc., is in high demand with spouses wishing to replace their better halves with improved clones and parents desiring healthy children.

But the pursuit of perfection has ramifications. Now, decades later, when a body mysteriously shows up at young Leo Oaks’ door, it’s up to him and his girlfriend, Sara Hawking, to unravel the enigmas of a new world where authenticity is ambiguous and no one is who they seem. As the two grow closer, they begin to discover secrets about their own pasts. And just how entwined their lives are with Emergence, Inc. . . . 

A thought-provoking and vividly imagined techno-thriller set in the not-so-distant future, Bodies examines the price of idealism in this riveting page-turner.

For fans of Quentin Tarantino, Stephen King, and the film American Psycho.

“A thrilling and gruesome slice of techno fiction. From a twisted high school experiment to a globe-spanning crisis that threatens to topple royal empires, this futuristic thriller is unforgettable. Bodies: A Romantic Bloodbath is a provocative and potentially controversial read that shines a disturbing light on the dangers of superficiality, gender dynamics, and our modern obsession with perfection, in a twisted techno tale of lust and power.”—SPR

“Original.”—IndieReader

*****

WARNING: This novel isn’t for everyone. It contains graphic content, gruesome scenes, explicit language, violence, and other mature themes. If you are a sensitive reader, please do NOT read this novel. Only read at your own discretion.

#BookReview: Yes, Daddy by Jonathan Parks-Ramage

Synopsis: A propulsive, scorching modern gothic, Yes, Daddy follows an ambitious young man who is lured by an older, successful playwright into a dizzying world of wealth and an idyllic Hamptons home where things take a nightmarish turn.

Jonah Keller moved to New York City with dreams of becoming a successful playwright, but, for the time being, lives in a rundown sublet in Bushwick, working extra hours at a restaurant only to barely make rent. When he stumbles upon a photo of Richard Shriver—the glamorous Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright and quite possibly the stepping stone to the fame he craves—Jonah orchestrates their meeting. The two begin a hungry, passionate affair.

When summer arrives, Richard invites his young lover for a spell at his sprawling estate in the Hamptons. A tall iron fence surrounds the idyllic compound where Richard and a few of his close artist friends entertain, have lavish dinners, and—Jonah can’t help but notice—employ a waitstaff of young, attractive gay men, many of whom sport ugly bruises. Soon, Jonah is cast out of Richard’s good graces and a sinister underlay begins to emerge. As a series of transgressions lead inexorably to a violent climax, Jonah hurtles toward a decisive revenge that will shape the rest of his life.

Riveting, unpredictable, and compulsively readable, Yes, Daddy is an exploration of class, power dynamics, and the nuances of victimhood and complicity. It burns with weight and clarity—and offers hope that stories may hold the key to our healing.

#BookReview: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by @veschwab

Synopsis:  A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name. 

This title will be released on October 6, 2020. 

#BookReview: Tarot Deciphered: Decoding Esoteric Symbolism in Modern Tarot by T Susan Chang, M.M. Meleen

Synopsis: Unlock the Symbols, Meanings & Magic of the Cards

Discover the esoteric roots underlying the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot, the Thoth Tarot, and contemporary decks that share their symbols. This illustrated, card-by-card analysis reveals detailed insights drawn from the multi-layered traditions of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the magical order that most strongly influenced modern tarot, helping you give better readings informed by the history of spiritual practice.

For each card, you will discover how astrology, mythology, alchemy, the elements, and Qabalah contribute to the card's overall meaning. Authors T. Susan Chang and M. M. Meleen, co-hosts of the popular Fortune's Wheelhouse podcast, decipher the symbols and stories of tarot. Their carefully researched synthesis of esoteric ideas is designed to foster a deeper connection with the wisdom of the cards.

#BookReview: The Ivies by @alexadonne

Synopsis: Everyone knows the Ivies: the most coveted universities in the United States. Far more important are the Ivies. The Ivies at Claflin Academy, that is. Five girls with the same mission: to get into the Ivy League by any means necessary. I would know. I’m one of them. We disrupt class ranks, club leaderships, and academic competitions…among other things. We improve our own odds by decreasing the fortunes of others. Because hyper-elite competitive college admissions is serious business. And in some cases, it’s deadly.

Alexa Donne delivers a nail-biting and timely thriller about teens who will stop at nothing to get into the college of their dreams. Too bad no one told them murder isn’t an extracurricular. 

#BookReview: To Love and to Loathe (The Regency Vows #2) by Martha Waters

Synopsis: The widowed Diana, Lady Templeton and Jeremy, Marquess of Willingham are infamous among English high society as much for their sharp-tongued bickering as their flirtation. One evening, an argument at a ball turns into a serious wager: Jeremy will marry within the year or Diana will forfeit one hundred pounds. So shortly after, just before a fortnight-long house party at Elderwild, Jeremy’s country estate, Diana is shocked when Jeremy appears at her home with a very different kind of proposition.

After his latest mistress unfavorably criticized his skills in the bedroom, Jeremy is looking for reassurance, so he has gone to the only woman he trusts to be totally truthful. He suggests that they embark on a brief affair while at the house party—Jeremy can receive an honest critique of his bedroom skills and widowed Diana can use the gossip to signal to other gentlemen that she is interested in taking a lover.

Diana thinks taking him up on his counter-proposal can only help her win her wager. With her in the bedroom and Jeremy’s marriage-minded grandmother, the formidable Dowager Marchioness of Willingham, helping to find suitable matches among the eligible ladies at Elderwild, Diana is confident her victory is assured. But while they’re focused on winning wagers, they stand to lose their own hearts.

With Martha Waters’s signature “cheeky charm and wonderfully wry wit” (Booklist, starred review), To Love and to Loathe is another clever and delightful historical rom-com that is perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Evie Dunmore.

#BookReview: Back in the Burbs by @TracyWolff @averyflynn

Synopsis: Ever have one of those days where life just plain sucks? Welcome to my last three months—ever since I caught my can’t-be-soon-enough ex-husband cheating with his paralegal. I’m thirty-five years old, and I’ve lost my NYC apartment, my job, my money, and frankly, my dignity.

But the final heartache in the suck sandwich of my life? My great-aunt Maggie died. The only family member who’s ever gotten me.
Even after death, though, she’s helping me get back up. She’s willed me the keys to a house in the burbs, of all places, and dared me to grab life by the family jewels. Well, I’ve got the vise grips already in hand (my ex should take note) and I’m ready to fight for my life again.

Too bad that bravado only lasts as long as it takes to drive into Huckleberry Hills. And see the house.
There are forty-seven separate HOA violations, and I feel them all in my bones. Honestly, I’m surprised no one’s “accidentally” torched the house yet. I want to, and I’ve only been standing in front of it for five minutes. But then my hot, grumpy neighbor tells me to mow the lawn first and I’m just...done. Done with men too sexy for their own good and done with anyone telling me what to do ever again. 

First rule of surviving the burbs? There is nothing that YouTube and a glass of wine can’t conquer. 

#BookReview: Wisdom of the Natural World by Granddaughter Crow

Synopsis: Connect to the Earth and Embrace Its Teachings

From animals and plants to landscapes and seasons, the natural world is a phenomenal teacher. It guides and supports you in improving your relationships, finances, health, and much more. Packed with practical exercises, meditations, and new perspectives, Wisdom of the Natural World empowers you to find balance in life and realize your importance to the planet.

Join Granddaughter Crow on an illuminating journey to become your most authentic self. Explore how the seasons and weather cycles affect your four bodies--physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Discover how to create your own medicine wheel and work with your shadow side. This enlightening book helps you communicate with nature and apply its concepts to your day-to-day life, giving you a deep sense of purpose and understanding. Wisdom of the Natural World is your key to finding connection and feeling like you belong.

Foreword by Michael Smith, PhD, author of The Complete Empath Toolkit 

#BookReview: Urban Faery Magick: Connecting to the Fae in the Modern World by Tara Sanchez

Synopsis: Develop Relationships with the Fae for a Lifelong Journey of Magick

Meet dozens of faeries that have adapted to the modern world and can be found in the most unexpected places. Urban Faery Magick introduces you to these mystical beings, providing tips and techniques for interacting with them as you travel your own spiritual path. Author Tara Sanchez explores dozens of case studies and shares her own personal stories of fae encounters, uniquely associating each faery with one of the elements from Eastern or Western traditions. You will learn about the Zaragoza goblin, Jon the Rust Spirit, Jenny Green-teeth, the Santiago Park Pixie, and many more. This book also includes dozens of hands-on exercises, including traditional Celtic practices, chants, invocations, breath work, dowsing, scrying, and interpreting signs as you discover the important lessons the fae can teach us.

Faeries are no strangers to the cities of the world. They walk the streets and live their lives in the forlorn alleys, waterways, nooks, and crannies that are often overlooked. Urban Faery Magick shows you how to connect with these misunderstood creatures and experience their energy.

#BookReview: Pumpkin (Dumplin' #3) by @andimjulie

Synopsis: Waylon Russell Brewer is a fat, openly gay boy stuck in the small West Texas town of Clover City. His plan is to bide his time until he can graduate, move to Austin with his twin sister, Clementine, and finally go Full Waylon, so that he can live his Julie-the-hills-are-alive-with-the-sound-of-music-Andrews truth. 

So when Clementine deviates from their master plan right after Waylon gets dumped, he throws caution to the wind and creates an audition tape for his favorite TV drag show, Fiercest of Them All. What he doesn’t count on is the tape accidentally getting shared with the entire school. . . . As a result, Waylon is nominated for prom queen as a joke. Clem’s girlfriend, Hannah Perez, also receives a joke nomination for prom king. 

Waylon and Hannah decide there’s only one thing to do: run—and leave high school with a bang. A very glittery bang. Along the way, Waylon discovers that there is a lot more to running for prom court than campaign posters and plastic crowns, especially when he has to spend so much time with the very cute and infuriating prom king nominee Tucker Watson. 

Waylon will need to learn that the best plan for tomorrow is living for today . . . especially with the help of some fellow queens. . . .

#BookTour: The Dawn and the Prince (Kingdom of Curses and Shadows #3) by @Day_Leitao @favouritepages

Synopsis: Darkness has taken over her land, and Zora has to find a solution before her world and the Shadow Kingdom merge once and for all—and before Griffin is lost to her forever. 

Joined by unlikely allies and facing enemies at every turn, she journeys to a dangerous island where dark secretes are kept, from where nobody gets out alive.

Griffin is in enemy territory and has to play a dangerous game and race against time if he wants to save the people he loves, even if it might mean losing them forever. 

The Dawn and the Prince is the action packed, emotional finale to the series Kingdom of Curses and Shadows. Get ready for adventure, romance, creepy magic, and girls kicking ass.

#BookReview: Canadian West Collection (Canadian West #1-6) by Janette Oke

Synopsis: A beloved series from Janette Oke! Nothing in her cultured upbringing prepared Elizabeth for life in the West. The frontier will test this teacher's faith but also stir her heart.

Includes:
1 When Calls the Heart
2 When Comes the Spring
3 When Breaks the Dawn
4 When Hope Springs New
5 Beyond the Gathering Storm
6 When Tomorrow Comes

#BookReview: The Pleasure Contract (Summer Seductions #1) by Caitlin Crews

Synopsis: It’s a contract that promises unbelievably sinful pleasures. But will she survive the dangerous fine print? Find out in USA TODAY bestselling author Caitlin Crews’s deliciously hot novel about signing on the dotted line…for sex!

It was like a reality show—one that academic Bristol March would never watch. “Tune in as mind-numbingly hot New York glitterati billionaire Lachlan Drummond hires his next new girlfriend.” What woman in her right mind would sign up to be a man’s sex object? Which is exactly when Bristol learns that her sister has submitted her as one of Lachlan Drummond’s girlfriend candidates…and he wants her.

She never intended to consider it. But one glimpse of those gleaming predatory blue eyes and that rangy athletic body, and the truth is achingly clear—Bristol wants Lachlan Drummond with the same voraciously hungry need.

Now Bristol’s been thrust into Lachlan’s world of luxurious travel, high society and unimaginable wealth. It’s a deal with a deliriously sexy devil who kisses her the way she’s always wanted to be kissed. Who consumes her. And all Bristol has to do is abide by the contract—and keep her heart locked down.

But what Lachlan Drummond wants, Lachlan Drummond gets. Has Bristol signed away her body…or her soul?

Take control. Feel the rush. Explore your fantasies—Harlequin DARE publishes sexy romances featuring powerful alpha males and bold, fearless heroines exploring their deepest fantasies.

Summer Seductions

#BookReview: The Bookstore on the Beach by Brenda Novak

Synopsis: "A page-turner with a deep heart."--Nancy Thayer, New York Times bestselling author of Girls of Summer 

How do you start a new chapter of your life when you haven't closed the book on the previous one?

Eighteen months ago, Autumn Divac's husband went missing. Her desperate search has yielded no answers, and she can't imagine moving forward without him. But for the sake of their two teenage children, she has to try.

Autumn takes her kids home for the summer to the charming beachside town where she was raised. She seeks comfort working alongside her mother and aunt at their bookshop, only to learn that her daughter is facing a huge life change and her mother has been hiding a terrible secret for years. And when she runs into the boy who stole her heart in high school, old feelings start to bubble up again. Is she free to love him, or should she hold out hope for her husband's return? She can only trust her heart...and hope it won't lead her astray.

"A heart-tugging romance. Readers are sure to be sucked in."--Publishers Weekly, starred review 

#BookReview: To Sir, with Love by Lauren Layne

Synopsis: Love Is Blind meets You’ve Got Mail in this laugh-out-loud romantic comedy following two thirty-somethings who meet on a blind dating app—only to realize that their online chemistry is nothing compared to their offline rivalry.

Perpetually cheerful and eager to please, Gracie Cooper strives to make the best out of every situation. So when her father dies just months after a lung cancer diagnosis, she sets aside her dreams of pursuing her passion for art to take over his Midtown Manhattan champagne shop. She soon finds out that the store’s profit margins are being squeezed perilously tight, and complicating matters further, a giant corporation headed by the impossibly handsome, but irritatingly arrogant Sebastian Andrews is proposing a buyout. But Gracie can’t bear the thought of throwing away her father’s dream like she did her own.

Overwhelmed and not wanting to admit to her friends or family that she’s having second thoughts about the shop, Gracie seeks advice and solace from someone she’s never met—the faceless “Sir”, with whom she connected on a blind dating app where matches get to know each other through messages and common interests before exchanging real names or photos.

But although Gracie finds herself slowly falling for Sir online, she has no idea she’s already met him in real life…and they can’t stand each other.

#BookReview: An Earl, the Girl, and a Toddler (Rogues and Remarkable Women #2) by Vanessa Riley

Synopsis: An OMag.com & Bibliolifestyle Most Anticipated Romance of 2021
A PopSugar Best Romance of April
A Publishers Weekly Top 10 Romance of Spring 2021

A witty and moving story from the acclaimed author of A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby, about the lengths to which a woman will go for the love of her child…and the love of a man who knows her worth. Breaking with traditional Regency rules and customs, Vanessa Riley pens an unforgettable story perfect for fans of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton, Evie Dunmore, and Eloisa James looking for something fresh and stirring!

Masterminded by the ton's most clever countess, the secret society The Widow's Grace helps ill-treated widows regain their reputations, their families, and even find true love again--or perhaps for the very first time...

Surviving a shipwreck en route to London from Jamaica was just the start of personal maid Jemina St. Maur's nightmare. Suffering from amnesia, she was separated from anyone who might know her and imprisoned in Bedlam. She was freed only because barrister Daniel Thackery, Lord Ashbrook, was convinced to betray the one thing he holds dear: the law. Desperate to unearth her true identity, Jemina's only option is to work outside the law--which means staying steps ahead of the formidable Daniel, no matter how strongly she is drawn to him...

Married only by proxy, now widowed by shipwreck, Daniel is determined to protect his little stepdaughter, Charlotte, from his family's scandalous reputation. That's why he has dedicated himself not just to the law, but to remaining as proper and upstanding--and boring--as can be. But the closer he becomes to the mysterious, alluring Jemina, the more Daniel is tempted to break the very rules to which he's dedicated his life. As ruthless adversaries close in, will the truth require him and Jemina to sacrifice their one chance at happiness?

#BookReview: Knit, Purl, a Baby and a Girl by Hettie Bell, Heidi Belleau

Synopsis: Some people can’t wait to have babies. They’re ready for it—with their perfect lives and their pregnancy glow…

Poppy Adams doesn’t have a perfect life, and she wasn’t ready for the positive test. An unexpected baby—Poppy’s unexpected baby—won’t exactly have her family doing cartwheels. But she’s making the right choice.

Right?

Poppy’s totally got this. She just needs a little encouragement, and a knitting group is the perfect place to start. Baby blankets, booties, tiny little hats—small steps toward her new life. But she feels like she’s already dropped a stitch when she discovers the knitting group is led by the charismatic Rhiannon.

It’s not exactly a great time to meet the woman who might just be the love of her life. While the group easily shuffles around to make room for Poppy, it’s not so easy fitting her life and Rhiannon’s together. With the weeks counting down until her baby arrives, Poppy’s going to have to decide for herself what truly makes a family.