Deadly Little Scandals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Posted on by lynndellwatson

43625537

Twisty mystery!
Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Book Groups for the opportunity to read and review Deadly Little Scandals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes!
The ending of Little White Lies isn’t the full story of who Sawyer’s father is. The story continues and causes more stress. In the meantime, the group of friends and their families have traveled to Regal Lake for the summer and Sawyer, Campbell, Lily and Sadie Grace have been secretly invited to the White Glove Society. The book alternates between Sawyer’s experiences and to the past, twenty-five years earlier to what Lily’s mom and Campbell’s mom we’re up to at that time. During the White Glove party at the lake, Sawyer and her friends see a skull that’s been washed ashore and an investigation ensues. I could have used a family tree, a timeline and even a pregnancy pact history to help with all the twists and turns in this story! The danger amps up in this sequel to Little White Lies with the mysteries of who’s related to who and the skull discovered at the lake. The character development includes maturity and clarifying priorities. A mystery that was hard to put down, 5 stars!

By a Charm and a Curse by Jaime Questell

Posted on by lynndellwatson

jaime-questellBy A Charm and a Curse _ 500EntTeen-01256-webbanner-ad1-STATIC(851x315)BlogTour-ByACharmAndACurseMaterials

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for the opportunity to read and review By a Charm and a Curse by Jaime Questell! Emmaline and her siblings are spending a year with their father in a small, uneventful town while their mom works in Guatemala, since she received a grant. Emma attends the carnival with her friend Juliet before it leaves town and takes the last bit of entertainment with it. Benjamin works for the traveling carnival but he wants to leave it to finally stay in one place and start a life there. Emma meets and takes a Ferris wheel ride with Sidney; a young man that runs the fortune teller box attraction. Emma unknowingly submits herself to the curse and charm that runs the carnival. Her friends and family believe that she’s run away and she is nothing but trapped until she can trick someone else into taking the curse. Emma and Benjamin form a bond and they’re determined to figure out a way to break the curse once and for all. A supernatural fantasy written for young adults, 4 stars!

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

Posted on by lynndellwatson

23197837

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Hyperion for the ARC and Bookish First for the hardcover copy of The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton! I absolutely loved every moment of this book! The Belles is a confection of a book with the beautifully descriptive writing of the author, Dhonielle Clayton. Based on Orleans mythology, a creation of the author, The Belles involves the world formed after the God of the Sky fell in love with the Goddess of Beauty. Together they had children. Sky became jealous of the time that Beauty spent with their children, so he cursed them with sadness and dreariness. Beauty sent the Belles to bring beauty back into the world. This tale is told with decadence and is a joy to read. Camellia becomes the Favorite and hears and sees strange things that no one will explain. Everyone wants her to ignore her pondering and just do her job as the favorite Belle; bring beauty to Orleans. The mysteries keep growing and Camellia struggles to understand Princess Sophia, what happened to her Belle sister Amber and why everyone is exceedingly secretive. Sophia’s madness becomes clear and Camellia is bound and determined to help the Queen keep Sophia from becoming the next queen of Orleans. Intriguing and suspenseful, The Belles is delightful and dangerous with characters that are good, evil and in between, 5 stars!