Reckless by Lauren Roberts

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The ending!!!

Paedyn is on the run after killing the king. She’s hiding in the home of the resistance when Kai shows up with his guards. He sets the house on fire, throws a dagger and cuts Paedyn’s leg as she’s scrambling across the rooftops to escape. She heads to the desert and walks for days. Kai chases her even though he’s thoroughly conflicted about what he’s going to do if he catches her.

He finds her, disguised as a man, fighting to earn money and as the two of them fight each other, Paedyn rips Kai’s bandana off of his face so the crowd sees he’s the prince. They travel far to return Paedyn to the palace per King Kitt’s orders, facing danger the whole way while an unknown future looms over them.

Likes/dislikes: Typos were here and there throughout the book. A large chunk of the book was spent on highlighting banter between Kai and Paedyn. Finally, on page 152, more characters arrived to help move the story along. The prose is nice, for example: “Wind combs its cool fingers across my scalp, and I almost sigh at the feeling. The open air is freeing, tempting me to stretch out my arms and embrace it.” The ending was a good cliffhanger.
Language: R for 111 swears, no f-words.
Mature Content: PG-13 for kiss.
Violence: R for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: Paedyn and Kai have fair skin. Residents of Dor have dark skin.

Tangled Up in You by Christina Lauren

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Cute romance with suspense!

22yo Ren has dreamed of going to college since she was little and now she’s finally going! She’s leaving parents that treat her like a slave and they’ve manipulated her into believing she should feel guilty about leaving and living her dream. Fitz attends the same college and he has secret plans for his future and he works hard to be at the top of the class. They attend a class together and when the students are given an assignment to take a genetics test, Ren is surprised at her results. She discovers that a man on the eastern side of the country is her real father, not the man she’s been living with for decades. Ren bums a ride with Fitz when he drives to see his loved ones but he has no clue that Ren has no money, hasn’t contacted her unknown father and has no way of returning to Spokane.

Likes/dislikes: I love Ren’s gentle heart and high intelligence. She’s genuine in all she does. Fitz is somewhat of a mystery and his story is interesting. I enjoyed reading this story and getting to know the characters and their backgrounds.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 54 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for kidnapping and abuse.
Ethnicity: falls to white.

Two Sides to Every Murder by Danielle Valentine

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Whoa! That ending!!!

Olivia is curious about who her biological father is after she finds out her parents have been keeping secrets from her. Reagan continues to move with her mother who is a suspect in the Camp Lost Lake murders of 2008. Olivia and Reagan both end up at Camp Lost Lake looking for answers and meet by accident. Little do they know that they’re walking into another murdering rampage as the Witch of Camp Lost Lake returns. They will get answers but will they survive?

Likes/dislikes: Creepy, twisty, mysterious fun! I couldn’t put the book down after chapter 5! The ending was intense and a shocker and left me wanting more to read!
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 75 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: The ethnicity is predominantly white and Jack is Asian. Hazel is a Jewish Jamaican. Sawyer has tan skin.

Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Characters swapping lives!

Jasalyn is scarred inside and out by the torture and imprisonment she endured from Mordeus. Felicity is an Echo who has been prophesied as the killer of her birth father, Erith. Jasalyn needs to heal but also move forward with her princess duties so she’s sent to the Wild Fae King Misha to learn to protect herself. Felicity needs to find a portal to defeat Erith before he kills her. Jasalyn trades places with Felicity. Jasalyn will stay with Hale Kendrick, Felicity’s adopted brother while Felicity stays with King Misha and looks for the portal and pretending to be Jasalyn the entire time with her Echo abilities. Lives become even more complicated when romantic feelings arise.

Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the fact that this book is the beginning of a new series but set a few years later in the same realm as These Hollow Vows duology by Lexi Ryan. The complexity of the two characters of Jasalyn and Felicity taking each other’s places is written well. The ending made me want the next book immediately.
Mature content: PG-13 for fondling.
Language: R for 29 swears, one f-word.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody stabbing.
Ethnicity: Ethnicity includes fair, olive, brown, ebony, pale, dark, golden, ivory, and light brown skin tones.

Our Deadly Designs by Kalyn Josephson

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Spellbinding fantasy meets Jewish Mythology!

Mikira, Damien, Reid, and Ari have growing problems in Enderlain. The community is searching for the lost heir while Damien seems to be pushing his friends away. Mikira is interested in joining the rebels, Reid keeps scientifically investigating enchanted cells, and Ari struggles to control her building power that’s becoming even more dangerous. The friends seem to be going their separate ways while they try to find their own paths. A darker force is growing in Enderlain. Will the group pull together and fight or be defeated separately?

Likes/dislikes: The dynamics of the relationships are so different from the first book of this series. Even with their struggles, the characters learn to appreciate each other more. The story takes a different turn from what the series originally had but character development is still good.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: PG-13 for 17 swears, no f-words.
Violence: R for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: The mixed ethnicity includes olive, golden brown, white, and bronze skin tones.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

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“Ghosts have warm hands.” World War I historical fiction!

Laura receives her brother’s dog tags and uniform in the mail. This means that Freddie has died in World War I. She’s devastated but has a feeling that he isn’t dead. She leaves her Canadian home and travels back to World War I and takes up her mantle as a war nurse again to search for any information she can find about Freddie. What she discovers will change her life forever.

Likes/dislikes: Laura’s strength, perseverance, and love for her brother makes her a great character. My heart warmed as Freddie and the German soldier helped each other and became like brothers. I appreciated the World War I setting and learned quite a bit about its history. I didn’t know about the Halifax explosion before I read this book.
Language: R for 93 swears and 3 f-words.
Mature Content: PG-13 for adults drinking.
Violence: R for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: falls to white.

Flawless Girls by Anna-Marie McLemore 

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Magical imagery!

17yo Isla and her 19yo older sister Renata are sent to the well known Alarie House finishing school by their grandmother, who insists that the school’s reputation will set them up for life. Isla leaves after a day but Renata stays and when she returns home, Isla notices how different she is acting and it frightens her. Renata runs away, so Isla decides she’s going back to Alarie House to find her. When Isla arrives at the finishing school, everyone raves about Renata to her but she’s nowhere to be found. What Isla does find is haunting.

Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the analogy between jewels and people where flaws make us better and more beautiful. The author handled gender situations with tact and compassion and from personal experience. I liked Isla’s determination and intelligence.
Mature content: PG-13
Language: PG for 6 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody stabbing.
Ethnicity: mixed with Latina main characters.

I Wish You Would by Eva Des Lauriers

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Second chances…

Natalia and Ethan are getting ready for the senior sunrise event that welcomes the class back to their last year of high school. They’re both dealing with family issues and their confusing almost-hookup after Junior Prom. The two have always been best friends; it possibly turned into something more, but neither Ethan or Natalia are willing to talk to each other about it at all. When each senior writes a letter that’s meant for their eyes only and the letters accidentally get loose, secrets start coming out about classmates. The chaos will make or break Natalia’s and Ethan’s chances to build a relationship.

Likes/dislikes: I like the romance in the story. I had fun getting to know Natalia and Ethan. A fun, sweet story.
Mature Content: PG-13 for implied sex, off page.
Language: R for 169 swears and 51 f-words.
Violence: PG for fight.
Ethnicity: mostly white with Latina main character.

Thirsty by Jas Hammonds

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Love who you are, even when you make mistakes.

18yo Blake is poor compared to her rich friends and she works at a country club full of entitled people. Blake wants to fit in more than anything and she realizes that she relaxes when she drinks. Alcohol becomes Blake’s crutch in all social situations because she believes that she’s worthless which stems from years of bullying. Blake’s girlfriend Ella ensures her that her drinking isn’t a problem but when their best friend Annetta and Blake’s brother keep trying to help her stop her drinking because of the consequences she’s dealing with, Blake gets angry. Blake spirals into alcoholism and she’s faced with some very tough choices.

Likes/dislikes: Strong character development. Realistic fiction that packs a punch. I appreciated how the author portrayed Blake, her problems, and her family in such a true manner.
Mature Content: R for on page sex.
Language: R for 165 swears and 79 f-words.
Violence: PG for vandalism.
Ethnicity: mostly white with a mix of Blacks, biracial, and Filipino characters.

A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

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“It is imperative to confront history because it repeats itself when ignored.” -June Hur

A young woman in 1504 Korea, 17yo Iseul, and her older sister are orphaned by soldiers who killed their parents on orders from the king. They live with their grandmother until 1506 when the king collects the eldest for one of his own concubines. Iseul will do anything to save her sister but she has to learn patience and observation skills to do it wisely and as safely as possible. An investigator for the soldiers is helping her gain these skills, even though it will mark him as a traitor. Iseul unexpectedly meets Prince Daehyun and eventually they help each other as the Prince plans a coup to take down the tyrant king. Full of intrigue and determination!

Likes/dislikes: I appreciate the research the author took the time to do for this book about a dark part of Korean history. Magnificent character development and world building. I fell in love with Iseul and the prince.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 31 swears and 1 f-word.
Violence: R for repeated bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: Korean