Frostbite Lynn Rush (Touch of Frost, #1) Publication date: September 11th 2013 Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
Amanda gives a whole new meaning to cool…
Amanda Smith is sick of getting chased from town-to-town. So when she lands in tiny Trifle, Arizona, she hopes it’s her last move for a long time. Despite hating the smallness of the town, she settles in and finds a best friend, and even a boyfriend. Normality at its finest.
But for a girl who can shoot snow from her hands and lift a two-ton truck over her head like a bag of feathers—normal is not an option.
The scientists who murdered her mother come barreling into Amanda’s quiet life. She must decide if she’ll run again or stay and fight. The price of either choice might be her life or the lives of those she’s come to love…
New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author, Lynn Rush, is a full-time writer, wife, and trail runner living in the Sonoran Desert, despite her fear of rattlesnakes. Known as #TheRunningWriter, Lynn can’t resist posting epic sunrise pictures while running in the desert with her trail sisters, even if she has to occasionally hop a scorpion.
When she’s not running or writing, she’s watching movies that fuel her everlasting love of superheroes, vampires, and all things Supernatural. The books she reads usually carry the same theme, but this former college athlete loves reading sweet sports romances as well.
She’s madly in love with her Ironman husband of 20+ years who is the inspiration for what true love is. You can find her on social media as @LynnRushWrites and her website is: http://www.lynnrush.com
For this challenge, use the first letter of each book title to spell the current month (skipping articles such as A or The). You can either use titles from your tbr or books that you have read/reviewed.
Jana has created a formal linkup which she posts on the second Saturday of the current month. She also has a theme for each of these lists, although you are absolutely free not to follow it at all.
The theme challenge for July 2021 was book covers that are patriotic/in the colors of your country’s flag. For August, the theme challenge is to use books you want to read in the latter half of 2021.
After the publication of a salacious tell-all book, the remote city of Ilvernath is thrust into the spotlight. Tourists, protesters, and reporters alike flock to its spellshops and historic ruins to witness an ancient curse unfold: every generation, seven families name a champion among them to compete in a tournament to the death. The winner awards their family exclusive control over the city’s high magick supply, the most powerful resource in the world.
In the past, the villainous Lowes have won nearly every tournament, and their champion is prepared to continue his family’s reign. But this year, thanks to the influence of their newfound notoriety, each of the champions has a means to win. Or better yet–a chance to rewrite their story.
Under the Whispering Door is a contemporary fantasy with TJ Klune’s signature “quirk and charm” (PW) about a ghost who refuses to cross over and the ferryman he falls in love with.
By turns heartwarming and heartbreaking, this absorbing tale of grief and hope is told with TJ Klune’s signature warmth, humor, and extraordinary empathy.
Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times-bestselling author, returns to the fairytale world with this haunting retelling of Rumpelstiltskin.
Long ago cursed by the god of lies, a poor miller’s daughter has developed a talent for spinning stories that are fantastical and spellbinding and entirely untrue.
Or so everyone believes.
When one of Serilda’s outlandish tales draws the attention of the sinister Erlking and his undead hunters, she finds herself swept away into a grim world where ghouls and phantoms prowl the earth and hollow-eyed ravens track her every move. The king orders Serilda to complete the impossible task of spinning straw into gold, or be killed for telling falsehoods. In her desperation, Serilda unwittingly summons a mysterious boy to her aid. He agrees to help her… for a price. Love isn’t meant to be part of the bargain.
Soon Serilda realizes that there is more than one secret hidden in the castle walls, including an ancient curse that must be broken if she hopes to end the tyranny of the king and his wild hunt forever.
Jacqueline “Jax” Simon knows how to expose secrets: she’s a skilled operative with MacBain Security and Solutions. When Jax hears her parents are divorcing, she races to London to find out why. She’s determined to learn the truth, especially when her investigation uncovers why her parents sent her to Richter, the German military school that made her a fighter.
Andrew Craig collects Jax at Heathrow Airport as a favor. He’s heard she’s a handful, but he didn’t know she’s dangerously gorgeous too. His instant attraction could change his life…or end it.
Jax doesn’t want to fall for Andrew, but soon he’s worming his way into her life. Together, they infiltrate Richter to discover if it has returned to its covert purpose: training children to be spies and assassins and blackmailing parents to look the other way. As the attraction between the two intensifies, so do the secrets exploding all around them. How deadly are those secrets—and who will survive?
It’s Zinnia Gray’s twenty-first birthday, which is extra-special because it’s the last birthday she’ll ever have. When she was young, an industrial accident left Zinnia with a rare condition. Not much is known about her illness, just that no one has lived past twenty-one.
Her best friend Charm is intent on making Zinnia’s last birthday special with a full sleeping beauty experience, complete with a tower and a spinning wheel. But when Zinnia pricks her finger, something strange and unexpected happens, and she finds herself falling through worlds, with another sleeping beauty, just as desperate to escape her fate.
What really happened in the forest? Hidden crimes and secrets of the past converge in a riveting thriller by Anne Frasier, the New York Times bestselling author of Find Me.
No strangers to evil, criminal profiler Reni Fisher and detective Daniel Ellis both still grapple with traumatizing pasts. It unites them. So has a crime they must solve before someone else dies.
At a campsite on California’s Pacific Crest Trail, a guide is murdered and three young hikers vanish without a trace. The only lead is a puzzle in itself: a video of the crime scene, looking eerily staged, uploaded to social media. The girl who posted it can’t be found. Is it a viral hoax gone unspeakably wrong, or is there something more sinister at play in the forest?
Are these books on your tbr as well? If yes, why did you pick them?
Or perhaps you have already read them? If yes, did you like them?
Book & Author Details: To Hold A Rancher’s Hand by Kadi James Publication date: July 27th 2021 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance Synopsis:
Rafe is a volunteer fireman who is sworn to protect his ranch and town. Gail has just lost everything to the devastating fire that destroyed her home. Will these two be able to heal their scars and find new love and happiness?
After the trauma of war, rancher Rafe comes home to help his community as a volunteer fireman while trying to find balance in civilian life. He must carry the mantle of his family, who have been Guardians of Coyote Valley for generations. Now its up to Gabe to protect the town from the fires that ravage the national forests around Coyote Valley. But as he gives his all to the community, he often forgets to take care of his own heart.
Loner Gail has just lost everything to the devastating fire that destroyed her home. When the handsome rancher who saved her offers to let her stay at his place, it seems like the perfect solution. Until she remembers she doesn’t really like living with people. It’s why she was living up on top of the mountain in the first place.
“You’ve been back a couple years.” Javier sipped his coffee as he gazed pensively at his former ward. “I think you’ve got a better handle on it than you let on. But it’s alright. I’d rather you take it at your pace and maybe think about settling down.”
“Settle down?” Rafe couldn’t stifle his laughter. “With what? All I ever see are the sheep and dogs.”
“Well, you’re always pent up in this house.” Javier motioned to encompass the kitchen and the rest of Rafe’s home.
“I spend fifteen hours a day working out on the ranch.” Rafe chided, sliding his breakfast onto the plate. “I’d hardly call that pent up in the house. You know I’ve never had much luck with women.”
“It’s only because you don’t actually ask any of them out,” Javier said with a chuckle.
“I just haven’t met a woman who, well, a woman who made sense to me.” Gabriel took a big bite of his toast and egg.
“Maybe you need to rethink how you make sense to other people.” Javier stood up to wash out his coffee mug. “Maybe it’s the way you’re looking at it.”
“I’ve never even had a girlfriend,” Rafe said. “That is as awkward as they come.”
“Well, it’s hard to have a girlfriend when you’re in the military. But I was married when I was 21. You know you need a support system to get you through some of these things in life that you’re going to face.” Javier placed his cup in the drying rack.
“I can’t imagine facing worse than I have.” Rafe took another bite.
“I pray you don’t,” Javier said. “But whatever you face, a wife sure helps with that. Martha is the only reason I was able to make it through when your parents died. Here I was all of a sudden responsible for a whole ranch and a small, grieving child.”
“Well, I don’t have a child to take care of.” Rafe shrugged as he finished his breakfast.
“No. You’re going to have a hundred children to take care of as soon as these ewes start lambing.” Javier laughed and drained his coffee.
Rafe was just rinsing his plate when a loud static sound filled the air. A dispatcher’s voice called out over the radio. “Report of a half-acre in the grass, moderate rate of spread. Coyote Valley vegetation fire…Cow Mountain Road near mile post 12.38. Command 8. Tactical 2. First at scene will establish roadway IC. Stand by for check back on command 8.”
Gabriel and Javier exchanged a look. “That’s on North Ridge.” Gabriel left his plate in the sink and headed to the entry hall to grab his gear.
“All volunteers report to base,” the dispatcher continued. “Fire house 13 we have a report of a blaze starting up on Cow Mountain we need all hands to the fire department please including the volunteers we need as much help as we possibly can get. There’s a fire on Cow Mountain heading south.”
Javier squinted out the window and the trees swaying in the wind. “There are a few houses up on North Ridge. It’ll get to those first.”
“People living up there, still?” Rafe hoisted his web gear onto his shoulder and slung his boots and helmet up in his other hand.
“Yeah, I think there are about five houses up there,” Javier said, pulling out his phone and preparing a group text. “I’ll get the guys together.”
“I’ll head to the houses. It’s probably near where the fire started.” Rafe nodded to Javier who pulled the door open for him. “It’s not like there was a lightning storm going on.”
“You get what you need to get done,” Javier said. “I’ll send the boys up the mountain as soon as I can.”
“We’re going to need all the hands we can get,” Rafe threw his gear in the back of the truck and tipped his hat to Javier. “If the wind is blowing south, the fire will be headed straight to us.”
Kadi James was raised on a ranch in Northern California riding horses, writing stories, and waiting for true love to happen. Her passion for storytelling took her around the world to experience global cultures, history, and mythology, always looking for the similarities rather than the differences. After years overseas, country roads brought her back home again and she returned to California, her family, and the ranch where she grew up. Today she writes Sweet Ranch Romance that touches reader’s hearts by reminding them of the simple things that really matter in life; family, kindness, and always…love.
Book & Author Details: On Mission by Aileen Erin (Off Planet, #3) Published by: Ink Monster LLC Publication date: July 27th 2021 Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult Synopsis:
“Action adventure, space drama, political schemes, and just the right hit of romance has this series turning into an absolute must-read. Whether you think you’re a fan of sci-fi or not I’d urge you to give this series a try….” – Angela, Pooled Ink Reviews
From USA Today Bestselling Author Aileen Erin comes the fourth book in the Aunare Chronicles
Amihanna di Aetes has finally accepted her place in the Aunare world. In a matter of weeks, she’ll be their High Queen, but no matter how hard she tries, she finds that she’s always doing the wrong thing. At least that’s what the High Council keeps telling her…
There’s only so much rejection a girl can take, which means she’s spending her afternoons trying to get out of High Council meetings. And yet, every time she leaves the council room, she sees the disappointment on her father’s face, and worse, on Lorne’s face. It pains her, but she can’t say what they want her to say.
The council is refusing to see the truth. War isn’t just upon the Aunare – they’re about to lose.
Training her guards to invade Earth is a much better use of her days. She spent too much time hiding, obeying, forcing herself to do what she had to do to survive.
She’s used up all her pretending and can only be who she is. A fighter. A leader. A warrior.
When SpaceTech attacks the Aunare colonies, she’ll do what needs to be done –she’ll fight to defend the Aunare alone if she has to. Because Amihanna is a di Aetes. She’ll never give up. Not until SpaceTech is dismantled and Jason Murtagh is dead.
Amihanna isn’t the queen the Aunare want. But she is the queen the Aunare need.
Aileen Erin is half-Irish, half-Mexican, and 100% nerd–from Star Wars (prequels don’t count) to Star Trek (TNG FTW), she reads Quenya and some Sindarin, and has a severe fascination with the supernatural. Aileen has a BS in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She lives with her husband in Los Angeles, and spends her days doing her favorite things: reading books, creating worlds, and kicking ass.
Noah Bodine is paying the price for missing his sister’s wedding by temporarily running his family’s Kansas ranch. But the corporate cowboy is way out of his element. Thankfully, neighbor Kate Lancaster is there to help, though the pretty single mom isn’t pleased to spend time with Noah. She still blames Noah for her husband’s death. That is, until Kate’s little boy decides to make Noah his new best friend…and changes both Kate’s and Noah’s meaning of home.
Kansas Cowboys
Book 1: The Reluctant Rancher Book 2: Last Chance Cowboy Book 3: Cowboy on Call Book 4: Her Cowboy Sheriff Book 5: The Rancher’s Second Chance Book 6: Twins Under the Tree Book 7: The Cowboy’s Secret Baby Book 8: Mistletoe Cowboy Book 9: A Cowboy’s Homecoming
My thoughts:
A Cowboy’s Homecoming is a sweet, heartwarming love story which deals with family and relationship dynamics, grief, raising a gifted child, finding a balance between family expectations and one’s own desires and many others.
When we first meet Noah Bodine, he is coming back home after having missed his sister Willow’s wedding, while Kate is anxious to get home to her four year old son Teddie. An unexpected blizzard blocks roads and there isn’t anyone to meet Kate. Noah offers to give Kate a lift knowing that Kate holds him indirectly responsible for her husband’s death. If you love enemies-to-lovers trope, you are going to enjoy the way these two characters manage to find their way to open up to each other. Kate is still grieving and cannot imagine ever leaving her family ranch, something Noah did many years ago after a particularly heated argument with his strong-willed father. He has built a successful business from scratch and doesn’t see himself as a cowboy any more. Yet, when he has to step in and take care of the ranch until his siblings come back, Noah doesn’t hesitate-he’ll whatever is necessary to help his family. Kate is his neighbour, so it is clear that these two are going to run into each other sooner or later. Teddie, Kate’s adorable little boy, and Noah immediately take to each other, although Kate is much more guarded. Will Noah stay for a longer time or will his presence in Kate and Teddie’s lives be a transient moment?
I got drawn into the story straightaway and was very involved, especially in the first half (the second half was a bit too long and repetitive). There were interesting secondary characters and plotlines e.g. the story of Meg, Kate’s aunt. Some characters from the previous books make their appearance adding to the atmosphere of a small town. Noah, Kate, Meg are all well-written and we learn not ony their backstory, but also what dilemmas they grapple with and what decisions they have to make, e.g. Kate knowsthat sooner or later she will have to decide whether to homeschool her gifted son or enter him into a special program, which would mean spending a lot of time driving him to the school in a different town.
This was my first book from Leigh Riker’s Kansas Cowboys series, but I enjoyed it so much that I would love to go back and read the previous story Mistletoe Cowboy, which is about Noah’s sister Willow.
An enjoyable book, recommended to any reader who appreciates clean, wholesome romance, enemies-to-lovers and single mother/father-finds-a new-life-partner tropes.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Harlequin for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
Book & Author Details: The Stolen Husband by Loretta Lost(Marriage Mistake Thrillers, #2) Publication date: July 22nd 2021 Genres: Adult, Thriller Synopsis: My husband was stolen. While I was in a coma.
But I’m okay. I swear. Am I a little salty? Sure. Have I fantasized about revenge? Absolutely. Made plans to get him back? Naturally. Have I stabbed a voodoo doll while crying my eyes out? Just a little bit.
But I am a strong, independent badass, and I am choosing to let go and move on. I got attached to my new guy a little too fast to soothe my wounds, but Lukas is amazing. Younger, hotter, obsessed with the gym, and his body shows it. He’s all I need to forget about my stupid ex-husband.
But when I start getting cryptic messages on social media to stay away from him… and creepy letters shoved under my front door? Cars following me late at night? I am starting to regret diving in so fast…
I may have bitten off more than I can chew. But I would rather be the predator than the prey…
Loretta Lost is a USA Today bestselling author who writes stories about survivors. She is the author of the CLARITY series and Sophie Shields novels. She lives in Toronto, Canada with adorable cats, and she hopes to find a good boyfriend who isn’t fictional before all her hair turns grey.
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about which we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. It’s based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.
I can’t quite believe it, but I’ve already started waiting for books that are due to be published next year!
The book I’m waiting for this Wednesday is…
The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
The next electrifying novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author duo behind You Are Not Alone, An Anonymous Girl, and The Wife Between Us.
If Avery Chambers can’t fix you in 10 sessions, she won’t take you on as a client. Her successes are phenomenal—she helps people overcome everything from domineering parents to assault—and almost absorb the emptiness she sometimes feels since her husband’s death.
Marissa and Mathew Bishop seem like the golden couple—until Marissa cheats. She wants to repair things, both because she loves her husband and for the sake of their 8-year-old son. After a friend forwards an article about Avery, Marissa takes a chance on this maverick therapist, who lost her license due to controversial methods.
When the Bishops glide through Avery’s door and Marissa reveals her infidelity, all three are set on a collision course. Because the biggest secrets in the room are still hidden, and it’s no longer simply a marriage that’s in danger.
Publisher:St. Martin’s Press
Expected Publication Date:March 8, 2022
GREER HENDRICKS spent over two decades as an editor. Her writing has been published in The New York Times and Publishers Weekly.
SARAH PEKKANEN is the internationally and USA Today bestselling author of seven previous novels. A former investigative journalist and feature writer, her work has been published in The Washington Post, USA Today, and many others.
Together, they have written the New York Times bestselling novels The Wife Between Us, An Anonymous Girl, and You Are Not Alone.
Today I’m delighted to participate in the book birthday blitz for Tessa Buckley’s Middle Grade mystery Haunted, the second instalment in The Eye Spy Series.
Haunted
Alex doesn’t believe in ghosts, but he is about to have his beliefs challenged… When Jimmy Devlin asks the twins to investigate the strange things that have been happening at The Priory, Alex seizes the opportunity to prove to his sister that there is no such thing as ghosts. However, it soon becomes clear that unquiet spirits are not the only problem facing the Devlin family. Are the family servants hiding secrets? Has a valuable ring been stolen, or just mislaid? And what has happened to Jimmy’s missing elder brother, Harry? As the twins and Jimmy try to solve the many mysteries of The Priory, they discover they are dealing with a very dangerous enemy… Purchase Link
Happy Re-Release Day to the second instalment in Tessa Buckley’s award-winning middle grade series of mysteries! First of all, I’d like to say that I love the new cover art which captures the essence of the book and is more age appropriate. The book can definitely be read as a standaone, although there are references to the case solved by the main characters in Book 1.
The protagonists of the series are twins Donna and Alex and the author manages to capture a typical sibling relationship really well- they argue, compete, try to outsmart each other, but, ultimately, they know they can always rely on their sibling. This time the case is ….almost paranormal. A boy comes back to their school after a long perieod of absence. It turns out Jimmy Devlin’s parents won a lottery and bought an enormous house with plenty of history. Jimmy thinks it might be haunted. Well, Alex doesn’tbelieve in ghosts- there’s got tobe a rational explanation! Donna is more open to the idea, but would like to investigate the issue. Off they go to solve their new case!
The book is well-structured with short, snappy chapters. It is very easy to read this mystery and follow the events. The characters are interesting and have their own unique personality. There is a cast of secondary characters, because managing this large medieval house, which used to be a Priory, requires employing a housekeeper, a chauffer and several other servants. The setting is also very appropriate for a fascinating mystery!
I really enjoyed the spirit of adventure that permeates this book and would definitely recommend it to my 10-11 year old students!
Author Bio –
Tessa Buckley was an inveterate scribbler as a child, and spent much of her time writing and illustrating stories. After studying Interior Design, she spent fifteen years working for architects and designers. She took up writing again after her young daughter complained that she couldn’t find enough adventure stories to read. This led, in 2016, to the publication of Eye Spy, the first in a series of detective stories for 9-12 year olds, designed to encourage reluctant readers. The second book in the series, Haunted, was a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards 2017.
Tessa lives with her husband and a large white cat called Pippa. in a town on the Thames estuary, which inspired the seaside setting for the novels. She also writes about health and nutrition, and family history, which has been her passion for many years.
Running a small-town police force in the mountains of New Mexico should be a smooth, carefree kind of job. Sadly, full-time Sheriff–and even fuller-time coffee guzzler–Sunshine Vicram, didn’t get that memo.
All Sunshine really wants is one easy-going day. You know, the kind that starts with coffee and a donut (or three) and ends with take-out pizza and a glass of chardonnay (or seven). Turns out, that’s about as easy as switching to decaf. (What kind of people do that? And who hurt them?)
Before she can say iced mocha latte, Sunny’s got a bar fight gone bad, a teenage daughter hunting a serial killer and, oh yes, the still unresolved mystery of her own abduction years prior. All evidence points to a local distiller, a dangerous bad boy named Levi Ravinder, but Sun knows he’s not the villain of her story. Still, perhaps beneath it all, he possesses the keys to her disappearance. At the very least, beneath it all, he possesses a serious set of abs. She’s seen it. Once. Accidentally.
Between policing a town her hunky chief deputy calls four cents short of a nickel, that pesky crush she has on Levi which seems to grow exponentially every day, and an irascible raccoon that just doesn’t know when to quit, Sunny’s life is about to rocket to a whole new level of crazy.
Yep, definitely a good day for chardonnay.
Publisher: St.Martin’s
Genre: Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Women Sleuths
The new domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door and Someone We Know who has sold more than 7 million copies of her books worldwide
In this family, everyone is keeping secrets–especially the dead. Brecken Hill in upstate New York is an expensive place to live. You have to be rich to have a house there. And they don’t come much richer than Fred and Sheila Mercer. But even all their money can’t protect them when a killer comes to call. The Mercers are brutally murdered the night after an Easter Dinner with their three adult kids. Who, of course, are devastated.
Or are they? They each stand to inherit millions. They were never a happy family, thanks to their capricious father and neglectful mother, but perhaps one of them is more disturbed than anyone knew. Did one of them snap after that dreadful evening? Or was it someone else that night who crept in with the worst of intentions? It must be. After all, if one of your siblings was a psychopath, you’d know.
What really happened in the forest? Hidden crimes and secrets of the past converge in a riveting thriller by Anne Frasier, the New York Times bestselling author of Find Me.
No strangers to evil, criminal profiler Reni Fisher and detective Daniel Ellis both still grapple with traumatizing pasts. It unites them. So has a crime they must solve before someone else dies.
At a campsite on California’s Pacific Crest Trail, a guide is murdered and three young hikers vanish without a trace. The only lead is a puzzle in itself: a video of the crime scene, looking eerily staged, uploaded to social media. The girl who posted it can’t be found. Is it a viral hoax gone unspeakably wrong, or is there something more sinister at play in the forest?
The case intensifies when one of the missing is found wandering down a dirt road, confused and afraid. As Reni and Daniel struggle to sort fact from fiction, a secret past collides with the present, threatening to sever their relationship. Are some truths too much to bear? Will this be the case that finally breaks them?
Book & Author Details: The Shadow Queen by K. Rea (The Wolfrik Trilogy, #2) Publication date: July 22nd 2021 Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy Synopsis:
A SMOLDERING COURT. A DIVIDED PEOPLE. A WARNING FROM THE GODDESS.
With the Court of Shadows in ruins, Evelyn Wolfrik has one goal – to rebuild.
After an encounter with the God of the Forest himself and a summons from the Court of Light, Evelyn’s future seems anything but certain.
Leaving the forests, her pack, and fledgling Court behind, Evelyn travels to the white mountains of the Court of Light. Deep in the mountains, navigating not only a frigid court but also challenges and trials she never could have foreseen, she risks losing more than just her crown.
K. Rea is a part-time romance writer and full-time mom. When she isn’t writing or playing with her daughter, she’s reading and crafting. She lives with her husband and family in Florida.
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