Ruling Destiny by Alyson Noel

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Time travel to Italy’s Bonfire of the Vanities, 1497!

Natasha has been planning on visiting Renaissance Italy with Braxton but when she gets to the portal, Arthur shows her she’ll be tripping with Killian; Natasha is angry but Killian is thrilled. Braxton seems to be keeping something from Natasha and Killian keeps making remarks alluding that Braxton is hiding a terrible secret from her. She has strong feelings for Braxton but she doesn’t know if she can trust anyone. When Mason is recruited to Gray Wolf, she’s happy to see him, her trusted best friend, but worried that he’s blaming her for taking him away from his life. She’s struggling to understand her new life but now she’s even more worried on Mason’s behalf.

Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed learning about the true history mixed in with the time traveling events, like the Italian Bonfire of the Vanities in 1497. The quotes from Shakespeare and other intellectuals and historical figures are awesome. The author notes at the beginning of the book that all artwork and ancient artifacts mentioned in the novel are real piqued my interest.
Mature content: PG-13 for implied sex, off page, and underage drinking.
Language: R for 83 swears, 25 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody fight.
Ethnicity: mostly white. Mason, Natasha’s best friend, is Black.

Stealing Infinity by Alyson Noel

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Mystery-filled fantasy!

Natasha is slowly giving up on herself, her life and her future. Mason, her best friend, tries to keep her afloat by always being there for her. Mason tells Natasha to steer clear of Elodie because she’s shallow and doesn’t care about anyone but herself. Elodie talks Natasha into skipping school to go to a club. This choice is going to change Natasha’s life forever.

Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed Stealing Infinity because it’s a fantasy that has several mysteries hidden within. I also liked the book because it encompasses many genres including fantasy, mystery, science fiction and historical fiction. Natasha is a dynamic character as are Braxton and Elodie.
Mature content: PG-13 kiss.
Language: R for 87 swears and 2 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death and attempted rape.
Ethnicity: Mason is Black, Natasha and Elodie are white, Keane has dark skin, Javon has golden brown skin, Hawke has bronze skin , Oliver has white skin, Song is oriental, Braxton has a European accent and is white.

The Glass Girl by Kathleen Glasgow

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Reality can be harsh…

Bella is fifteen and she tells herself she needs alcohol to handle her arguing, demanding parents, school stress and her recent breakup. Her friends see her going downhill and her best friend Amber tries everything she can think of to help Bella. Bella has a job, works hard in school and helps her parents with pretty much everything and the breakup has pushed her over the edge. She tells herself that she just needs this drink to get through the day but one drink ends up being many and when Bella is dropped off and left for dead (overdosed) at 2 AM by people she was at a party with, the addiction comes out in the open. The nurse tells her she’s damaged her liver and that she fell on her porch cracking her cheekbone. Bella is in pain, on an IV and being prepared for rehab. She has a struggle ahead of her and she has to deal with it on her own.

Likes/dislikes: The author’s note and resources, at the end of the book, are insightful and helpful. This story helped me to understand what addicts go through, especially when they’re truly trying to recover and make a better life for themselves. I grew to love Bella and my heart broke for her and opened up to her as the story was told. Other characters’ experiences broadened the scope of addiction and included how their caregivers treated them which helped Bella realize that she can ask for help because we can’t get through struggles all alone. She also learned that she has to protect herself because no one else will be there to do it for her, as we all need to know.
Mature content: PG-13 for drug use and underage drinking.
Language: R for 190 swears and 28 f-words.
Violence: PG for fighting.
Ethnicity: falls to white.

The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg

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Unique and intriguing mystery in this YA fantasy!

Ana is a Fantasist living in the Kingdom with seven of her princess sisters. The Fantasists’ jobs are to blend into the Kingdom park, please the guests and do as they’re instructed. Their purpose is to make dreams come true. When Nia tries to drown a child, the sisters are scrutinized and evaluated and Ana becomes heartbroken but adamant to understand what happened to make sweet Nia commit such a horrible act. When Eve, the first sister, disappears, the park becomes strict and Ana becomes scared. Ana has found a friend in a maintenance worker, Owen, and he seems to be understanding of Ana’s confusion and wants to help, but Owen has a secret of his own.

Likes/dislikes: Snippets of wisdom can be found throughout the book, such as, “Neutral is best. Neutral is safe.” I thought the book would be a fluff story and I’m pleased with how much more interesting it turned out to be than I expected! I enjoyed the alternating timelines and how they revealed the mystery.
Mature Content: G for innocent kiss.
Language: PG for 9 swears and no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: mixed.

Ruin Road by Lamar Giles

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Clever imagery in this intense YA horror!

Cade is a smart, kind young man who’s working towards an NFL career. He has received a scholarship to a prep school that will help him with his goals. He’s tall, muscled and Black and people seem to always be afraid of him even when he’s just trying to help. One night he gets off of the subway after being accused of trying to steal a lady’s purse when he was only trying to keep her from falling over when the subway lurched. He ends up in a random neighborhood where he’s watched with suspicion by a couple walking their dog and police officers driving by. He enters a pawn shop to get off the street, purchases a $5 Superbowl ring replica and as he’s leaving, he states that he wishes people weren’t scared of him. Little does he know, he made a wish that will come true that will cause tragic consequences.

Likes/dislikes: Cade and his family have integrity and humility even though they’ve done well. The family unit is represented as an important part of life throughout the book. The nuggets of wisdom from Cade’s father were refreshing. The struggle through Cade’s father’s terminal cancer is handled respectfully, honestly and tactfully. I enjoyed this mysterious and interesting YA horror story.
Mature content: G for parents kissing.
Language: PG for 5 swears, no f-words.
Violence: R for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: Black and white.

Masquerade of the Heart by Katy Rose Pool

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Will love prevail?

Marlow watches as Adrius announces his engagement and her heart breaks. She knows that Adrius has to marry someone from a rich and powerful family to appease his own family but it hurts all the same. Marlow wants to stop the person who cursed Adrius because that person is wanting to control everyone and everything in Caraza, just as Adrius was controlled by the curse. Marlow gets help from Adrius and a few of their most trusted and clever acquaintances. Together they work together to hopefully put a stop to the tyrant before he takes over.

Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the intensity of the conflict between good and evil. The curse and the story behind it are so interesting. I love the ending!
Mature content: PG-13 for kissing.
Language: R for 39 swears and 8 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: falls to white. Adrius has warm brown skin. Corrine has dark skin.

Lie Until It’s True by Jessie Weaver

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Haunting or homicide?

Two separate murder suspects are on Amanda’s mind, her exonerated sister Cora and her art teacher from kid camp. Cora was a suspect in the murder of a social media influencer. The art teacher is the suspect in the murder of a very rich man at the Summit hotel. Amanda visits her friends in Summit. She wants to be a better sister to Cora and spend more time with her best friends, Cole, Mallory, and Vince. Cole and Mal are dating and Vince is dealing with the fact that his mother, the art teacher, has been arrested as a suspect in the murder of an art dealer.
Cole shows his true colors by manipulating his friends to go ahead with approving the haunted or homicide show for the hotel that will televise the investigation and publicize everything about their lives, which turns the situation into a disaster.

Likes/dislikes: I liked the double mystery storyline that grew into a possible haunting. The dynamic characters were interesting. The buildup and unraveling of the mysteries were fun to read.
Mature content: PG for kiss.
Language: R for 98 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: Vince has brown skin. Amanda, Cole and Mallory fall to white.

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.

Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan

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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.