Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Marlene of Reading Reality. It’s all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books (directly from their authors or Netgalley and Edelweiss, books you’re given as gifts, physical copies, ebooks and audiobooks.
NetGalley/Edelweiss/ Blog Tours:
Purchased:
Fingers crossed none of these will spend long time on my gigantic tbr and will quietly move to the read shelf very soon! Here is to wishful thinking 🙂
Happy Reading to all of us!
What did you add to your shelves this week? Do any of these books appeal to you?
The Viking Mist Ariella Moon (The Two Realms Trilogy, #2) Publication date: March 2nd 2022 Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
When a fairy kills a fairy, they forfeit immortality.
Never over three centuries, since the Last Fairy King was assassinated, has a noble fay been murdered in Fairy…until now.
The mysterious murder leads to an astounding discovery. Mab, Queen of Fairy, accuses Talfryn’s parents of stealing an elixir that restores immortality. She holds his fay father hostage, forcing the Halfling to enter the Viking realm to retrieve the potion.
Talfryn has five days to navigate the world of lethal Cold Iron, locate the human mother he has never known, and recover the elixir that could mask the murderer — a quest he cannot survive without aid from Fenella. Will the Thaness of Thorburn honor their alliance, knowing the venture would jeopardize her freedom and second chance at love?
In 16th century Scotland, Fenella believes Talfryn is dead. Her covert plan to regain her thanedom and safeguard her life hinges on marrying her kidnapper’s son…for love. With weeks until their wedding, she can ill afford to break Edward’s trust, or his heart…again.
Will love be lost…or found?
In this sequel to The Beltane Escape, shape-shifters and secrets abound, time bends, fates interweave, friendships fray, and no one is safe.
Ariella Moon draws upon her experiences as a shaman to create magical Young Adult fiction. Her series include The Two Realms Trilogy, a medieval Scotland and Fairy fantasy romance, Two Realms Novellas, origin stories of characters and magic in the Two Realms, and The Teen Wytche Saga, a series of sweet contemporary paranormal romances. Ariella’s “Covert Hearts” appears in Second Chances: A Romance Writers of America Collection. She lives a nearly normal life doting on her extraordinary daughter, two shamelessly spoiled dogs, and a media-shy dragon.
Alter H.R. Truelove (Alter, #1) Publication date: January 26th 2022 Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult
Who do you trust when you can’t trust yourself?
Lennox, Erris, Wisdom… There are many voices in Laura’s mind but no one, not even her family, will believe her.
Laura’s life is far from normal. After spending years in a medical center for seeing visions no one else can, Laura is transferred to the Tomlinson Institute of Research. There, she’s promised, lies the truth she’s been after her entire life.
But as her eighteenth birthday looms closer, Laura’s already complicated life takes a sudden turn. When she discovers what hides behind her unusual abilities, Laura’s reality is blown to pieces, and she must learn to make sense of her super-natural gifts. With a little help from the voices in her head, Laura needs to fight to save herself, the world she lives in–and every other world in the multiverse.
Alter is a gripping and intricate tale of conspiracy, mad scientists, and broken lives. A multiverse of blurry lines, lies, and deceit where we come face-to-face with the best of humankind… And it’s very worst.
My eyes were weak, but I heard every heartbeat in the Hollow. Every thud had a signature as unique as each of the countless snowflakes piled outside.
The chilly air stung my eyes and lips. My ears curled from the cold and the tips of my fingers were burned black.
We didn’t even have a word for frostbite in the Dark World. Many Shadows who slept in the Hollow had missing fingers, hands, or entire arms and legs. Some limbs were taken in battle, others lost to the cold, but not one of them was a lesser fighter for it. We were born fighting, thrashing our way into the frosted wasteland of the Dark World with nothing but the voice in our heads.
I’d named mine Wisdom.
My conscience. The angel on my shoulder. The Devil. An imaginary friend—who wasn’t imaginary.
A visitor in my head, whose thoughts were a plague on my mind.
Do it now, Lennox. While Helectra’s sleeping. Her death will be quick and easy. You’ll be out of the Hollow before anyone knows you’re responsible.
What if you’re wrong? I asked, my words heard by Wisdom alone.
Helectra’s a spy! I went through the Crawlers’ records myself. Would you like to see them? Wisdom’s tone was far more threatening than helpful.
No. I trust you. It was a two-week hike to the closest computer I’d be able to verify the information on, anyway.
You should trust me. I’ve never been wrong. About anything. Wisdom’s irritation was so strong, a bitter taste settled on my tongue. We need to deal with Helectra before the Crawlers come after her. End her, Lennox. And don’t hurt anyone else this time.
Wisdom’s memories threatened to pierce my mind. I focused my thoughts, pitting my will against hers like a shield. I only wanted her words. I couldn’t handle her feelings.
Helectra wouldn’t end my life quietly. Crawler or not, I owe her a fight. I can do this. The pain will stay with me.
Wisdom’s doubt broke my shield and tore through my body.
Of course, Lennox. As always, you’ll do what you think is best.
No matter what happens.
Wisdom slipped from my mind, nothing but the jerk at my scalp to remind me a visitor was here. There was no time to celebrate the relief her quiet brought because once my visitor left, her voice was replaced with a new sound.
Thump, thump, thump.
Even a heartbeat sounded different when it belonged to a traitor. I followed the traitorous beat through the series of caves I’d sought refuge in with nearly thirty others. The children born during the Evernight were called Shadows, and the Crawlers hunted them mercilessly.
Author Bio:
H. R. Truelove lives with her family in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
She developed a thirst for reading during her long bus rides to school, and has been writing poetry, song lyrics, and short stories most of her life.
Truelove’s debut trilogy, Alter, will release in 2022, with book one ready to launch in January.
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at 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. It’s based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. If you’re continuing with WOW, feel free to link those up as well! Find out more here.
And the book I am waiting for is…
From the blurb:
Things We Do in the Dark is a brilliant new thriller from Jennifer Hillier, the award-winning author of the breakout novels Little Secrets and Jar of Hearts. Paris Peralta is suspected of killing her celebrity husband, and her long-hidden past now threatens to destroy her future.
When Paris Peralta is arrested in her own bathroom—covered in blood, holding a straight razor, her celebrity husband dead in the bathtub behind her—she knows she’ll be charged with murder. But as bad as this looks, it’s not what worries her the most. With the unwanted media attention now surrounding her, it’s only a matter of time before someone from her long hidden past recognizes her and destroys the new life she’s worked so hard to build, along with any chance of a future.
Twenty-five years earlier, Ruby Reyes, known as the Ice Queen, was convicted of a similar murder in a trial that riveted Canada in the early nineties. Reyes knows who Paris really is, and when she’s unexpectedly released from prison, she threatens to expose all of Paris’s secrets. Left with no other choice, Paris must finally confront the dark past she escaped, once and for all.
Because the only thing worse than a murder charge are two murder charges.
**************
Expected Publication Date: July 19th, 2022
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ISBN 9781250763167, 1250763169
Fiction / Thriller / Psychological Thriller
352 pages
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Jennifer Hillier imagines the worst about people and then writes about it. Born and raised in Toronto, she spent eight years in the Seattle area, which is where all her books are set.
She’s the author of seven psychological thrillers, including the bestselling LITTLE SECRETS, which was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Anthony Award, and JAR OF HEARTS, which won the ITW Thriller Award for Best Hardcover Novel and was shortlisted for the Anthony and Macavity Awards.
Her earlier novels are CREEP, FREAK, THE BUTCHER, and WONDERLAND from Gallery Books.THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK, is coming July 19, 2022 from Minotaur Books.
Mermaid of Venice Jincey Lumpkin (Mermaid of Venice, #1) Publication date: March 15th 2021 Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
IndieReader Approved with 4.8 of 5 stars: “MERMAID OF VENICE is an electrifying series starter that immerses readers in a world filled with glamor, sex, murder, and mermaids.”
Dive into the extremely glamorous life of Gia Acquaviva, an ultra-rich Venetian mogul with a portfolio of clubs and casinos around the globe. Gia harbors dark secrets––and an underwater graveyard filled with the bones of her former lovers.
Her family’s roots descend from the mythological sirens of ancient Greece, but she’s taken every precaution to protect her anonymity and the existence of other mermaids. Gia lures in men with a beguiling façade, but inside lurks a deeply troubled soul, severely damaged by a mysterious past.
Despite her sinister desires, she longs for true intimacy and believes she may have found her match in Cameron Langley, a successful London-based banker and dead ringer for Chris Hemsworth. He offers Gia her first real opportunity for lasting love. They share an intensely passionate, deeply sensual connection… but is her growing affection for new lover enough to lull the murderous cravings she feels building within?
Fans of Killing Eve and Big Little Lies will love Mermaid of Venice, a sexy psychological thriller with lush fantasy elements. The setting is modern day Europe with all the chic locales, hot spots and vistas of Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley and a juicy splash of the lavish lifestyle in E. L. James’s 50 Shades series. This is not the Little Mermaid you grew up with. Gia’s out for blood.
Mermaid of Venice is the first installment in a series of 6 books about Gia Acquaviva.
JINCEY LUMPKIN is a writer and creative director in Luxury Beauty. She is the author of the Mermaid of Venice fantasy thriller series. Recognized as a thought leader on women and culture, Jincey has written more than 50 columns for the Huffington Post and Playboy. She headlined Sex Week at Harvard and gave an infamous TEDx talk, “Are Robots the Future of Sex?” She has been profiled by Dateline NBC, Vice, and GQ, among others. Out Magazine listed her in its “OUT 100”, naming her as one of the world’s most influential LGBTQ+ people, alongside celebrities like Laverne Cox and Ricky Martin.
Forever You Leah Busboom (Connor Brothers, #12) Publication date: January 12th 2022 Genres: Adult, Romance, Time-Travel
Can love transcend the bounds of time?
Laci V’s star is bright. The up-and-coming singer just released her new single and it’s climbing the country music charts. Her concerts are filling stadiums, and she’s soon to be nominated for a Grammy award. Laci’s quickly becoming a big-time celebrity. But after a storm rolls through one of her outdoor concerts, Laci wakes up in 1855.
Matthew finds a woman from the future in a field near his homestead. He helps her and takes her home with him, and she fascinates him with stories of inventions that haven’t happened yet. Her determination and grit eventually capture his heart. But this rugged, handsome frontiersman isn’t quite sure what to do with this beautiful time traveler.
As Laci gets to know Matthew, she falls in love with his kind and gentle ways, his fierce love for the land, and his indomitable pioneer spirit. While Matthew may be her perfect man, he doesn’t live in the century she wants to live in. Laci longs for the modern conveniences of the time period she came from, for the friends and family she left behind, and for her blossoming career. Matthew realizes that to show his love for Laci, he must let her go back to the time that she came from. Even though it will break his heart.
Will one man’s love span generations? Can love transcend the limits of time, of past and present—turning what seems impossible into something extraordinary?
Book 12 in the Connor Brothers series of small-town, clean, and wholesome romances. You’ll visit Connor’s Grove before it became a town and Minnesota before it became a state.
This book is a unique blend of historical and contemporary romance, and a story about finding love and never letting it go despite the constraints of time. A clean and wholesome take on Outlander. Fans of The Time Traveler’s Wife or the Little House on the Prairie TV series will love this poignant, powerful twelfth book in the Connor Brothers series. This novel may be read as a stand-alone.
Leah Busboom wanted to become an author since the day she learned how to read! She specializes in the romance genre because she loves a great story with a happy ending. Her books are known for their heart warming stories, intriguing characters and hilarious real life situations that make you want to laugh out loud.
Leah currently lives in Colorado with her wonderful husband, her “Blue Bomber” bicycle and a hundred bunny rabbits that roam free in the neighborhood.
Leah has published several full length romance novel series: Chance on Love series (3 books) and Unlikely Catches series (3 books), which also includes her two holiday novellas – Unwrapping Sam’s Heart and Melting Nick’s Heart. She just published The Connor Brother series – a new Clean & Wholesome small town romance series. Books 1-12 are now available.
It’s Monday! What are you Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn from Book Date, a place to share and discuss what we’ve read in the past week and what we’re in the middle of or are planning to read this week.
What I read / listened to last week:
The Lost Dreamer by Lizz Huerta
Home For Christmas by Camilla Isley
Confetti Over Bluebell Cliff by Della Garlton
What I am reading/listening to now:
A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham
What I’m reading /listening to next:
Gemina ( The Illuminae Files #2) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff -a buddy read with Yesha. We both enjoyed the fast pace and the unusual format of the first book and now can’t wait to start the sequel.
How did your last week go and what are you reading this week?
Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for Home for Christmas by Camilla Isley, one of my favourite authors.
Home for Christmas
Would you share a bed with your enemy to save Christmas?
Down with a bad case of writer’s block, Riven has escaped to a mountain cabin for a prolonged writing retreat. The last thing he needs this Christmas is for his family to invade his sanctuary away from LA. What he needs even less is for a family of strangers as large and boisterous as his own to also be stuck in the same house after a double-booking disaster. Especially when he ends up having to share a bunk bed with Wendy—a gorgeous, feisty New Yorker who quickly learns how to get under his skin. Sharing a room with her is sweet torture and Riven isn’t even sure what he dreads more: that every passing day brings them closer to saying goodbye or that they have yet another night to spend together…
My thoughts: It’s never too late or too early for a good Christmas romcom, especially when it comes from one of my favourite authors- Camilla Isley! Sweet and sassy protagonists, great, easy-to-read writing style, and plenty of lovely Christmas spirit, what’s more can a girl ask for? If you’re a fan of forced cloze proximity and enemies-to-lovers tropes, you’ll love this one. Riven Clark is going through a messy divorce, but, no, no, he isn’t hiding from his family in a snow cabin in a ski resort in Utah. He is desperately trying to meet a deadline for his latest adventure book. Alas! words don’t come easy… Wendy Nichols is a successful playwright who just can’t get it right with any of her relationships. She is gorgeous, smart, loyal, and yet, her investment banker boyfriend wouldn’t even call her back, let alone agree to spend the Christmas week with her family…in a cabin in a ski resort in Utah. Which just happens to be doublebooked. If you’ve read In a Holidaze, you know there will be snow angels and mistletoe kisses, but this time the families sharing the cabin aren’t lifelong friends, they are total strangers. So can you blame Riven for being a bit put out about having to share his sanctuary with fifteen other people? Can you blame Wendy for playing a few pranks on him? oh, wait a second, pranks come from both sides… I love Camilla’s sense of humour and romantic spirit. Yes, sometimes love surprises you, but more often than not, you have to be ready for it, ready to appreciate the other person beyond their good looks or fame, ready for commitment beyond a few days’ fun. I have to say I was on the side of one of the characters, if only they communicated their reasons a bit better. Looking for a quick, entertaining, clean romance? Home for Christmas is waiting for you….
Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources and the author for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
Author Bio – Camilla is an engineer turned writer after she quit her job to follow her husband on an adventure abroad. She’s a cat lover, coffee addict, and shoe hoarder. Besides writing, she loves reading—duh!—cooking, watching bad TV, and going to the movies—popcorn, please. She’s a bit of a foodie, nothing too serious. A keen traveler, Camilla knows mosquitoes play a role in the ecosystem, and she doesn’t want to starve all those frog princes out there, but she could really live without them.
Giveaway to Win 5 ebook copies of Fool Me Twice at Christmas (Open INT)
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
From the blurb: In this stunning YA fantasy debut, first in a duology, Lizz Huerta introduces us to a fantastical version of an ancient Mesoamerican world and a lineage of women seers defiantly resisting the shifting patriarchal state that would see them destroyed.Indir is a Dreamer, able to enter the Dreaming and see beyond reality. But when a new king takes the throne, he plans to end the time-honored tradition of Dreamers—and he’ll have the opportunity if he discovers the two secrets Indir keeps.
Saya is a seer without training. Her mother exploits Saya’s talent, passing it off as her own. When Saya discovers she has more gifts, she begins to suspect that her life is a carefully-constructed lie. She will risk it all in search of answers.
With a detailed, supernaturally-charged setting and topical themes of patriarchal power, female strength, and the horrors of family separation, The Lost Dreamer brings an ancient world to life, mirroring the challenges of our modern one.
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) Publication Date: March 1st, 2022 384 pages Purchase
My thoughts:
Delicate, dream-like, powerful, full of songs and stories- one of a kind!
When the blurb promises you stunning, it doesn’t lie- the Lost Dreamer is as beautiful as it is unique in the genre of YA Fantasy which is overcrowded with strong, ‘sassy’ heroines and battle magic.
The two protagonists/narrators of this gorgeous epic, inspired by Mesoamerican tradition, are Indir and Saya. Both have to undertake a journey – both a physical journey and that of self-discovery and sacrifice in order to save their world which is about to succumb to chaos.
Indir’s mother, her aunts and her sisters are all Dreamers- women who enter and communicate with a special magical realm (think a parallel world full of spirits) called the Dream. The temple is the only life Indir has ever known. She is asked by the dying king to keep the last dream she entered in on his behalf secret. Now the old king’s heir Alcan, sent away to enemy tribe to cement the peace talks, arrives in their secret city Alcanzeh and is threatening the traditions and the whole tapestry of their society, the Dream itself. Indir must flee her secret city and face the wider world she knows so little about in order to find the legendary Lost Dreamer.
Kind and selfless Saya is used to being controlled and punished for a slightest mistake by her mother Celay. Their life is harsh and they are always on the move to escape an unknown and unmentioned threat. The only safe place for Saya is… the Dream, which she can enter and where she used to roam and play as a child. Changes are coming into her life too. Saya’s mother has been passing Saya’s gift to Dream as her own and has been profiting from it. Now it’s time for Saya to discover the freedom of making her own choices.
Indir and Saya are both young and inexperienced. They have been leading ‘protected’ lives and both of them need strength and courage to face the changes. Indir’s strength comes from her family and their love, while Saya is much more curious and trusting- she isn’t following any script or any tradition, just her instincts and what she perceives to be true, she is writing her own story.
To tell you more is to give away the plot which deserves being discovered step by step, chapter by chapter, image by image.
The worldbuilding is gorgeous and so well-thought-through. Among different kinds of gifts that belong to these people are shapeshifting, wielding Fire and using Songs for healing and as a means of connection to all the living world. The Dreamers themselves are also different- Indir dreams in truths, while her sister sees possibilities. Lizz Huerta creates a beautiful, magical world with stunning, rich imagery.
Fabulous debut from Lizz Huerta! Can’t wait to read her next book!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
Fire of the Forebears L.A. Buck (Heritor’s Helm, #1) Publication date: February 22nd 2022 Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pitted against one another, with the people and country they love in jeopardy, the daughter of a deserter and the son of the king have a chance to fulfill their forebears’ legacy—or destroy it entirely.
Twisted monsters called saja lurk in the shadows of the mountains. Rumors say the Fidelis, human wielders of an ancient elemental magic, again walk the plains. Not all in Avaron believe, and not all welcome the return of legend.
Kura’s a skeptic. But, she’ll cross and befriend centaurs, talking animals, and worse to save her family after the rebellion mistakes her for the land’s prophesied savior. And, while he’d rather negotiate with rebels than fight them, Triston can’t ignore prophecy. That was the sham his father used to steal the crown in the first place.
Over a century ago, their ancestors sailed the oceans in search of peace and died as heroes fighting for it. But heroes—and villains—aren’t always what they seem to be.
Inspired by Brandon Sanderson’s grounded characters and JRR Tolkien’s sense of wonder, Fire of the Forebears is a fantasy for fans who think a dual perspective adventure about the fate of one nation might still be pretty epic.
The woman smiled. She almost seemed friendly; she was the only one in this forsaken place to understand it. Pain shot through Kura’s arm and she cried out, grasping her saja wound. Her own pulse beat beneath her hand.
“The more you resist, the more it will hurt.”
Kura locked eyes with the woman, her voice a whispered breath. “What?”
The woman’s blood-red lips twisted into a wide grin. “Have they really taught you nothing? There was a time when men quaked in fear at the sight of me.”
Kura grit her teeth against the pain. “Am I dead?”
“Oh no, pet, you are very much alive.” The woman lifted a slender hand, and the campfire fell to mere coals; the searing heat leapt into Kura’s veins. She screamed.
“Give me the sword, girl.” The woman seemed so calm, but her simple command carried the force of a storm.
Kura shook her head, limbs trembling.
“The sword!” the woman repeated, flinging up her hand.
Fire surged through Kura’s veins, fracturing her natural wall of stubbornness, and she clamped down on another scream. What did she care about the sword?
The pain vanished. Kura fell onto her hands and knees in the dirt, coughing as she drew in ragged breaths. A bird called overhead.
Just a bird? Of all things? She almost laughed.
The fog swirling among the spires receded to reveal a scraggly dead tree a short distance away, with a bird perched on the top branch. It was the size and color of a raven, except for the spots of white—like stars in a dark sky—scattered across its chest. The bird gave another call, the sound a harsh chatter, and flapped its wings to reveal the golden feathers on its underside. It was a flicker.
The woman hissed. “Out of so many, you come for her?”
Kura struggled to her knees, but her limbs didn’t support her own weight. The woman turned back to her, brushing aside her displeasure with a grin. “Go on. Fight.”
Kura tried to stand, but her feet slid on the dry dirt.
“Fight with all the strength you have.”
Kura fell back, chest heaving for air. The woman held a staff, a long wooden pole that held a single-edged blade—one straight and the other curved—at each end.
“That way my victory will be all the more sweet.”
With a shout, Kura ripped her sword from its scabbard and met the woman’s advance. That rusted blade clashed with the sharpened staff, the impact reverberating through the stone spires as a flash of white sparks lit up the darkness. For just that moment the woman’s face was illuminated, and for just that moment her smile faltered.
Author Bio:
A goat farmer, engineering graduate, first degree black belt, and medical student, the one thing Lauren Buck always knew she wanted to be was an author. The first stories she ever wrote, as a grade-schooler, were about super heroes. But, raised on a steady diet of Lewis, Tolkien, and Sanderson, it was only a matter of time before she set her sights on epic fantasy.
When not writing, working, or studying, she enjoys drawing, playing the guitar, traveling, as well as outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, and kayaking. Sometimes you can find her hanging out on Twitter, probably with a German shepherd or two sleeping at her side.
According to Myers-Briggs Lauren is an INTJ, and country roads will always take her home to wild and wonderful West Virginia.
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