Briar U Series Book 3: The Play by Elle Kennedy

Briar U Book 3

A brand-new standalone novel in the New York Times bestselling Briar U series!

What I learned after last year’s distractions cost my hockey team our entire season? No more screwing up. No more screwing, period. As the new team captain, I need a new philosophy: hockey and school now, women later. Which means that I, Hunter Davenport, am officially going celibate…no matter how hard that makes things.

But there’s nothing in the rulebook that says I can’t be friends with a woman. And I won’t lie—my new classmate Demi Davis is one cool chick. Her smart mouth is hot as hell, and so is the rest of her, but the fact that she’s got a boyfriend eliminates the temptation to touch her.

Except three months into our friendship, Demi is single and looking for a rebound.

And she’s making a play for me.

Avoiding her is impossible. We’re paired up on a yearlong school project, but I’m confident I can resist her. We’d never work, anyway. Our backgrounds are too different, our goals aren’t aligned, and her parents hate my guts.

Hooking up is a very bad idea. Now I just have to convince my body—and my heart.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43877254-the-play

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

These books always take me by surprise. I knew I would love the book seeing as I loved them since I read the first one from the original series, Off-Campus, and then when Elle Kennedy did her spin-off, Briar U, I was ecstatic that we were still in that Briar U hockey world. But what always surprises me are our main characters in each one. I think I know what is going to happen and then...plot twists! Turns out we don't know these characters as well as we thought and truthfully that makes it better. I had a picture in my mind of how this story would go and I'm glad it wasn't predictable at all. Sure, there were some predictable things, but you can say that about a lot of books. Hunter and Demi took me by surprise. Hunter especially since we have met Hunter before and have been seeing him through the eyes of his friends. And finally we get his point of view and wow! So much we didn't know and I loved getting to know his character. And then there is Demi. New character and she was absolutely hilarious. Her and Hunter's interactions were golden. And she was just an overall awesome character to get to know. Another great addition to this series. As we know Hunter made a vow to avoid women this hockey season and let's say that Demi puts that to the test. They start off as friends and as their friendship shifts to best friends and then shifts into something more, it just ends up being really satisfying. It wasn't rushed. It was more real. I loved the cameos of some favorite characters and that ending had way more twists and turns than what I would have expected. Loved this book! 

I received an ARC for an honest review. 

The Trials of Apollo Book 4: The Tyrant's Tomb by Rick Riordan

Trials of Apollo Book 4

In his penultimate adventure, a devastated but determined Apollo travels to Camp Jupiter, where he must learn what it is to be a hero, or die trying.

It's not easy being Apollo, especially when you've been turned into a human and banished from Olympus. On his path to restoring five ancient oracles and reclaiming his godly powers, Apollo (aka Lester Papadopoulos) has faced both triumphs and tragedies. Now his journey takes him to Camp Jupiter in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the Roman demigods are preparing for a desperate last stand against the evil Triumvirate of Roman emperors. Hazel, Reyna, Frank, Tyson, Ella, and many other old friends will need Apollo's aid to survive the onslaught. Unfortunately, the answer to their salvation lies in the forgotten tomb of a Roman ruler . . . someone even worse than the emperors Apollo has already faced. 

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

The Burning Maze left us heartbroken and after waiting over a year and a half for The Tyrant's Tomb, well at least I can say it was worth the wait. A lot when down in the book. And I will say I was still emotional, especially in the beginning seeing as this book picked up where the last one left off, but there were plenty of fun and laughing moments. Apollo has changed a lot since The Hidden Oracle. He values the friends he has made along his journey and is willing to do whatever it takes to make sure he loses no one else. Now at Camp Jupiter, Apollo and Meg work with Frank, Hazel, and Reyna to prepare the legion for the emperors who will be arriving on the blood moon. The legion has lost a lot but their hope is gone just yet. There may be a way to turn the tides in the upcoming battle, Apollo just has to be ready for the sacrifice when it comes. Great, great book. Emotions were up and down and plenty of plot twists. And the surprises at the end? Just wow! One more book to go and I cannot wait to see how Riordan closes this series.

Echoes Between Us by Katie McGarry

Veronica sees ghosts. More specifically, her mother's ghost. The afterimages of blinding migraines caused by the brain tumor that keeps her on the fringes and consumes her whole life haunt her, even as she wonders if it's something more...

Golden boy Sawyer is handsome and popular, a state champion swimmer, but his adrenaline addiction draws him to Veronica.

A girl with nothing to live for and a boy with everything to lose--can they conquer their demons together?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45043529-echoes-between-us

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

I'm never disappointed in Katie McGarry's books and this one just proves that statement is even more true. Another fantastic book in her collection. And silly me, didn't realize before that Veronica is our V from Only a Breath Apart. As soon as I saw Jesse's and Scarlett's names it clicked. I was like duh, no wonder she is familiar! And it made me wish I re-read Only a Breath Apart so that I remembered everything about V. But it was okay, because as I read things started clicking. So Veronica and Sawyer's story, just wow! So many emotions with this one. Lot of difficult topics were tackled in this book and McGarry did it beautifully. Really, really fantastic. With Veronica's brain tumor and feeling like Death wherever she went and Sawyer's adrenaline addiction, you would think that throwing them together would immediately equal disaster. It didn't. And I was glad. I was glad to see that instead of their flaws and issues hurting one another and making a relationship between them impossible, it really had them acknowledging their issues and supporting one another. There wasn't hostility toward one another or throwing their issues in the other's face to harm them. It was, this is what is should be when two people love one another and only want to help the other, even when your own life is collapsing. And those two specific issues were just pieces of many others that are tackled in their stories. I was hooked from the moment I started it. I couldn't put this book down. I wanted to know how they would make it through their story, what their outcome would be, and how would they get there. If you love her other books, this one needs to be on your TBR list. It doesn't disappoint. I loved Veronica and Sawyer's story and like all good books, I'm sad to see it over. 

I received an ARC for an honest review.

Guild Hunter Series Book 12: Archangel's War by Nalini Singh

Guild Hunter Series Book 12

Wings of silver. Wings of blue. Mortal heart. Broken dreams. Shatter. Shatter. Shatter. A sundering. A grave. I see the end. I see. . .

The world is in chaos as the power surge of the Cascade rises to a devastating crescendo. In furiously resisting its attempts to turn Elena into a vessel for Raphael’s power, Elena and her archangel are irrevocably changed. . .far beyond the prophecy of a cursed Ancient.

At the same time, violent and eerie events around the world threaten to wipe out entire populations. And in the Archangel Lijuan’s former territory, an unnatural fog weaves through the land, leaving only a bone-chilling silence in its wake. Soon it becomes clear that even the archangels are not immune to this deadly evil. This time, even the combined power of the Cadre may not be enough. . .

This war could end them all.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42599859-archangel-s-war

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

Got super lucky and got my hands on this book a few days before the release date and it was insane!! The long wait after the craziest cliffhanger Singh has given us in this series, the book was well worth the wait. The book was everything we could have asked for and more. A simple summary of the book without any real spoilers is that war has finally come and it comes with more surprises than I would have predicted. Plot twist after plot twist. There was one in particular I was like oh man that's gotta be this and then bam! Nope. It was even crazier than what I originally had thought it was going to be. And that was just a side plot. There were so many fun surprises in this book. And the war was nothing below epic. I always hear Archangel's Legion was a favorite because of the epic battle, well just imagine that battle on steroids and higher stakes and a lot more players in the game and you have Archangel's War. Just wow! Definitely not a disappoint and with so many familiar faces (and new ones for that matter) it was a fantastic way to what I see ending one arc of this world, because we know Singh is contracted for more books in this series. There are plenty of stories left to tell and the world after this book has changed in many ways. Looking forward to what comes next but I'll still be processing what I just read. Great, great book!

The Fallen Isles Trilogy Book 3: When She Reigns by Jodi Meadows

The Fallen Isles Trilogy Book 3

The First Dragon

The Great Abandonment has begun. Panic has seized the Fallen Isles, where no one knows which god will rise next. Mira Minkoba believes her dreams hold the secret to bringing an end to the destruction, but in order to save her people, she’ll have to find a legendary treasure: the bones of the first dragon.

The Last Hope

Mira’s desperate search leads the Hopebearer and her friends on a dangerous journey into the heart of enemy territory: the Algotti Empire itself. The empress is more than willing to help—for an impossible price. And as tensions escalate beneath the shadows of the risen gods, Mira grapples with a terrifying question: What will she have to sacrifice to preserve what she loves?

The explosive finale to Jodi Meadows’s Fallen Isles trilogy is ablaze with sizzling romance and fiery magic as Mira’s fight to save dragons from extinction evolves into a mission to save her world from annihilation. 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43191345-when-she-reigns

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My Review: 4/5 Stars

We have finally reached the end of Fallen Isles Trilogy and I have to say this was the best of the series. I'll admit I had moments in this series where I wasn't sure how I was feeling about the book, but then I would hit a point in each book and my faith was restored and I was eager to see what would happen to Mira and the rest of her friends. In the final book, When She Reigns, The Great Abandonment has begun and chaos and panic spread to the people of the Fallen Isles. Mira and her friends are desperate to save their home. And when she begins to have dreams of the first dragon, she believes that this is the answer she has been seeking. The solution to stopping the gods from abandoning them. The journey takes her to her enemies doorstep and there she realizes just exactly what needs to be done to save her home. A great ending to this series. Lots of dragons and adventures and plot twists. If you stuck around, this last one is definitely worth it! 

The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett

The Last Magician meets A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue in this thrilling tale filled with magic and set in the mysterious Carpathian Mountains where a girl must hunt down Vlad the Impaler’s cursed ring in order to save her father.

Some legends never die…

Traveling with her treasure-hunting father has always been a dream for Theodora. She’s read every book in his library, has an impressive knowledge of the world’s most sought-after relics, and has all the ambition in the world. What she doesn’t have is her father’s permission. That honor goes to her father’s nineteen-year-old protégé—and once-upon-a-time love of Theodora’s life—Huck Gallagher, while Theodora is left to sit alone in her hotel in Istanbul.

Until Huck arrives from an expedition without her father and enlists Theodora’s help in rescuing him. Armed with her father’s travel journal, the reluctant duo learns that her father had been digging up information on a legendary and magical ring that once belonged to Vlad the Impaler—more widely known as Dracula—and that it just might be the key to finding him.

Journeying into Romania, Theodora and Huck embark on a captivating adventure through Gothic villages and dark castles in the misty Carpathian Mountains to recover the notorious ring. But they aren’t the only ones who are searching for it. A secretive and dangerous occult society with a powerful link to Vlad the Impaler himself is hunting for it, too. And they will go to any lengths—including murder—to possess it.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43822758-the-lady-rogue

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

I've loved all of Jenn Bennett's contemporary YA books. So I was very excited to hear she was doing some fantasy YA. And like her other books, she rocked it. I really loved reading The Lady Rogue. Our heroine, Theo, is one kickass girl. Intelligent, hilarious, and quite the adventurer. Used to traveling with her father only to be left behind, this time she finds herself alone in Istanbul when her father fails to return. Unsure what to do next, Huck Gallagher makes an appearance. The boy Theodora loved before he left, breaking her heart in the process. Huck explains that he was with her father until he went missing. Together, they decide to use Theo's father's journal to retrace his steps on his last quest to find the missing ring of Vlad the Impaler. Theo and Huck soon find themselves hunted by others who are after the ring. Their journey takes them to Romania where magic, witches, spells, and curses are found along the way. It was definitely fun to read their adventures and learn the Romanian myths. Plus the bonus of watching Theo learn the truth about Huck's departure the year before and them reigniting the strong love that is between them. An overall great story that had just a little bit of everything and definitely keeps you on your toes as you try to solve the puzzles along the way. Great book!

A Deadman's Cross Novel Book 3: At Death's Door by Sherrilyn Kenyon

A Deadman's Cross Novel Book 3

#1 New York Times bestseller Sherrilyn Kenyon brings us the final chapter in the Deadman's Cross saga with At Death's Door, an epic pirate fantasy perfect for her millions of Dark-Hunter fans

Welcome to the latest Deadmen's Quest...

Valynda Moore was born cursed. So when she dies as the result of a spell gone wrong and is trapped in the body of a voodoo doll, she expects nothing else from her messed up life. Until Thorn, leader of the Hellchasers, offers her a chance at redemption and a new life.

But nothing has ever gone her way, for the Malachai, the very beast she and her crew of Deadmen have sworn to keep locked away, has risen. And this time he's taken prisoners. Valynda must keep her wits about her or be denied her salvation and forced to watch as the entire world falls into the hands of absolute evil.

It's a demon-eat-demon world where the stakes have never been higher and either redemption or the ultimate betrayal waits for her At Death's Door.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41555957-at-death-s-door

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

Every time I read a new book from the Dark-Hunters Universe, I am reminded of how much I love the series. Another great book in the Deadman's Cross series. Gotta love our pirate crew. And with each new book we get another piece of the puzzle to this series. Our story here focuses on Valynda and Nibo. Valynda as we remember is our made of straw, basically a walking talking Voodoo Doll, woman. We get to dive into her past and find out exactly what happened to her. And was it a tale. And we learn about her love Nibo and how they were split apart. Loved their story. And I loved the cameos of some of my favorite characters. And like I said earlier we start to get more pieces of the puzzle that revolves around the Malachai. With each new book we get more information. And with this one set in 1717, going back into the past we realize a couple of whys in the future. The ending especially. Definitely need the next Dark-Hunter book ASAP. Great story! Looking forward to seeing how everyone and everything finally comes together. 

Stream Raiders Book 2: These Divided Shores by Sara Raasch

Stream Raiders Book 2

The thrilling sequel to These Rebel Waves—full of deadly magic, double crosses, and a revolution—from Sara Raasch, the bestselling author of the Snow Like Ashes series.

As a child, she committed unforgivable acts to free Grace Loray from King Elazar of Argrid. Now Elazar’s plan to retake the island has surpassed Lu’s darkest fears: he’s holding her and his son, Ben, captive in an endlessly shifting prison, forcing them to make a weapon that will guarantee Elazar’s success. Escape is impossible—unless Lu becomes the ruthless soldier she hoped never to be again.

Vex failed to save Lu and Ben—and that torments him as much as his Shaking Sickness. With the disease worsening, Vex throws himself into the rebellion against Argrid. The remaining free armies are allied with the stream raider syndicates—and getting them to cooperate will take a strength Vex thought burned on a pyre six years ago.

Imprisoned, betrayed, and heartbroken, Ben is determined to end his father’s rampage. Watching Elazar sway the minds of Grace Loray as he did those of Argrid, Ben knows he has to play his father’s game of devotion to win this war. But how can a heretic prince defeat the Pious God?

As armies clash and magic rises, Lu, Vex, and Ben will confront their pasts . . . or lose their futures forever.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40942588-these-divided-shores

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

Diving back into Grace Loray after book one, These Rebel Waves, left me with a mean cliffhanger and I will admit that cliffhanger was worth it after finishing These Divided Shores. I will admit that I wished I re-read These Rebel Waves before reading the sequel. As I was reading I was remembering more and more, but I know there were a couple of things that I was blanking on and wished I remembered better. But hey, I did remember the mean cliffhanger and the awesome characters Lu, Vex, and Ben. The book picks up a few weeks after the first book left off. Vex believes Lu is dead and as he fights his grief for losing her, he focuses his energy on finding and rescuing his cousin Ben. Little does Vex know that Lu is alive and Ben and her are prisoners. While Vex fights to break out Ben (and unknowing to him, Lu), Lu, Ben, and Gunnar are trying to survive the torture they are facing and the pressure to make permanent magic. The book has adventure, heartache, love, and loss. Enemies learn to come together, though not easily, to fight for a common goal. And Lu, Vex, and Ben are in the middle of it all. I really loved this sequel and the twists and turns it took. Nothing was predictable which made it all the better. And I loved getting to know these characters even more. Great finale!