Recent Reads: 5-11 May 2019

It’s time for another reading update! See which 9 books I read below:

Sunday (5th May)

Addicted (Dark Road #1) by Krys Fenner

“Sixteen-year-old Bella Kynaston has been the victim of a brutal rape, by someone she can only describe as ‘the scar-faced man.’ With little recollection of what happened, she must somehow rebuild her life. Being the person she once was proves more difficult than she imagined.

To complicate matters, Bella has just met Jeremiah Detrone, the new guy in school. He’s attractive, funny, and smart. All things she’s ever wanted in a boyfriend. Too bad she’s conflicted over so many unexpected emotions. Without realizing it, she falls down a rabbit hole and begins walking a dangerous line between addiction and self-preservation.

As Bella works together with the police to bring her attackers to justice, will she be able to see it through to the end? And even if she does, will it only bring her more pain and misery? Or will she find an anchor in Jeremiah and figure out how to move forward?”

Published: 5 October 2017

Publisher: Self-Published

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Pages: 275

Love and Lingerie (Rockland Falls #2) by Lacey Black

“Everything is coming together for Harper Grayson. She has a family she adores, a quaint little house that’s all hers, and a puppy to keep her warm at night. Plus, her lingerie shop, Kiss Me Goodnight, is successful. With her eyes now set on an expansion the moment the empty building next door finally becomes available, things are finally aligning perfectly for Harper. Until Latham Douglas walks through her door…

Latham Douglas has been back from a long stint in the Army for mere days when he has his first run-in with a blast from his past. It’s a pleasant surprise to find Harper Grayson selling sexy lingerie just down the block from his family’s hardware store, but he won’t let the stunning woman he remembers from school derail his plans. His business needs the empty building next door, and he’s willing to do just about anything to secure it.

Harper and Latham have the same dream. What happens when they realize they can’t both have what they want? Who will give, especially after business turns to pleasure? Can they keep their hearts out of it, or will the winner actually be the biggest loser of all?”

Published: 7 May 2019

Publisher: Self-Published

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Pages: 330

Click HERE for the review!

A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire #2) by George R.R. Martin *Currently Reading*

“A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. Two great leaders—Lord Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon—who hold sway over an age of enforced peace are dead, victims of royal treachery. Now, from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns. Six factions struggle for control of a divided land and the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, preparing to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war.

It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside. Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel…and the coldest hearts. For when kings clash, the whole land trembles.

Here is the second volume in George R.R. Martin magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Game of Thrones and A Storm of Swords. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R.R. Martin stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.”

Published: 28 May 2002

Publisher: Bantam Books

Genre: Adult Fantasy

Pages: 969

Ask Me Anything by Molly E. Lee

“I should’ve kept my mouth shut.

But Wilmont Academy’s been living in the Dark Ages when it comes to sex ed, and someone had to take matters into her own hands. Well, I’m a kick-ass coder, so I created a totally anonymous, totally untraceable blog where teens can come to get real, honest, nothing-is-off-limits sex advice.

And holy hell, the site went viral—and we’re talking way beyond Wilmont—overnight. Who knew this town was so hard up?

Except now the school administration is trying to shut me down, and they’ve forced Dean—my coding crush, aka the hottest guy in school—to try to uncover who I am. If he discovers my secret, I’ll lose him forever. And thousands of teens who need real advice won’t have anyone to turn to.

Ask me anything…except how to make things right.”

Published: 7 May 2019

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary / Romance

Pages: 320

Click HERE for the review!

No Feelings Involved by Siobhan Davis

“Can this skeptical player let down his guard long enough to let love into his life, or is this forbidden romance a train wreck in the making?

Ryan James doesn’t believe in love.

It’s a truth he learned early in life. A truth he carried with him into adulthood. He broke his golden rule one time, but Myndi trampled all over his heart, cementing his belief that love is a lie and not worth the effort.

Now he’s returned to his cynical views and promiscuous lifestyle, racking up more notches on his bedpost than he can count.

Until Summer Petersen comes crashing into his world, threatening to knock down his walls with her tempting body and sunny, sweet personality.

Summer is determined to lose her V-card before she starts freshman year of college, and the hot, older guy with the cute dimples, dazzling smile, and rippling biceps is just the man for the job. Ryan doesn’t take much persuading, and he rocks her world, giving her a night to remember.

When they walk away, there’s an unspoken agreement it was a one-time thing. Ryan doesn’t do feelings, and Summer doesn’t want to be tied down at eighteen.

But when she moves into her brother Austin’s apartment, she’s shocked to discover her new roomie is the guy who recently popped her cherry.

Ryan can’t believe he slept with Austin’s baby sister, and if he finds out, he’ll literally kill him. Keeping their hook up a secret is nonnegotiable. Keeping his thoughts, and his hands, off Summer, less so. Because the longer he’s around her, the more he finds himself catching feelings for the gorgeous brunette.

Summer doesn’t want to care for her older brother’s best friend, but Ryan makes her feel things she’s never felt before, and she’s slowly falling under his spell.

Embarking on an illicit affair behind Austin’s back has train wreck written all over it, but provided they keep their feelings in check, they can end this before he ever finds out.

It’s not like either of them is in love.

Right?”

Published: May 2019

Publisher: Self-Published

Genre: New Adult Contemporary / Romance

Pages: 357

Click HERE for the review!

Tuesday (7th May)

Of Shadow and Light by Ebony Olson

“She will be the one to take his coldness,
She will unveil the Unseelie darkness and show them light.
She will unite what should never have broken.
The daughter of the moon will teach him love and the radiance of the sun.
Her inner light will purify the tainted ones,
And she will guide the fey by wisp-light.

‘Prophecy of the Dark Prince’

Messina Doe was just looking for a warm place to spend the night. What she discovers is a place the human race had long ago buried and forgotten.

The dark Fey haven’t forgotten humans. The throne room of the Unseelie court is the hottest underground nightclub around, but if you step through the wrong door, there is no going back.

No one ever escapes. Never.

Once, someone did.”

Published: 1 May 2019

Publisher: Eb & Muse Publishing

Genre: Adult Fantasy

Pages: 355

REVIEW COMING SOON!

Hazel & Holly by Sara C. Snider

“Nestled within an enchanted forest is the Grove, a community where witches and warlocks practice elemental magic, brew mystical potions, and lock their cellars against beer thieving gnomes. Life is quiet and uneventful. Well, except when Hazel’s long-lost father uses necromancy to trap her dead mother’s soul.

That simply won’t do. Necromancy is forbidden in the Grove, and for good reason too. Nobody wants filthy corpses shambling around, mussing up one’s garden. Hazel is determined to find her father and undo his treachery.

But despite Hazel’s plans of becoming a one-woman army, she can’t do everything alone. It’s not until wild sister Holly convinces her to leave the house for once and go to a party that Hazel finds a pair of unlikely allies in two bickering warlock brothers.

Together, the four of them go on a journey that takes them out of the Grove and into a world where necromancy reigns and the dead won’t respectfully stay in the grave. Hazel will do whatever it takes to stop her father and save her mother’s soul. Even if it means turning to necromancy. Even if it means losing her friends. Because they would never help a necromancer. Would they?”

Published: 16 May 2019

Publisher: Double Beast Publishing

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Pages: 452

REVIEW COMING SOON!

Saturday (11th May)

8 Souls by Rachel Rust

“All her life, seventeen-year-old Chessie has had recurring dreams about a little white farmhouse. Quaint? Not quite. The house is the site of the unsolved murders of Villisca, Iowa, where eight people were slaughtered in 1912. With her parents on the verge of divorce, Chessie is stuck spending the summer with her grandparents in Villisca—right across the street from the axe murder house.

She’s soon hearing voices calling out for help and begins unraveling a link between herself and the town’s bloody history. And when she falls for a cute boy harboring a big secret, the pieces fall into place as she at last discovers the truth of Villisca’s gruesome past…”

Published: 6 May 2019

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal / Romance

Pages: 253

REVIEW COMING SOON!

How to Make Friends with the Dark by Kathleen Glasgow *Currently Reading*

“Here is what happens when your mother dies.

It’s the brightest day of summer and it’s dark outside. It’s dark in your house, dark in your room, and dark in your heart. You feel like the darkness is going to split you apart.

That’s how it feels for Tiger. It’s always been Tiger and her mother against the world. Then, on a day like any other, Tiger’s mother dies. And now it’s Tiger, alone.

Here is how you learn to make friends with the dark.”