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.

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.

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

Beastly Beauty by Jennifer Donnelly

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A great reminder to live life and write your own story!

19yo Beau rides with a group of thieves who saved his life and expects him to earn his way by stealing, even though he only wants to get away and retrieve his younger brother Matti from the orphanage. 18yo Arabella is a daughter of a Duke, living in a cursed castle with a dangerous beast that appears at midnight. When Beau and his group arrive at the castle, no one is around but the dining table is set for a feast. They eat until a beast arrives, then run, leaving Beau behind. What Beau finds, as he’s trapped in the castle, changes his life forever.

Likes/dislikes: The story contains good messages. The clever names of the court ladies were fun to figure out. The romance could have been more developed.
Mature Content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 83 swears and no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody fighting.
Ethnicity: Beau is Spanish and Arabella is white.

Wander in the Dark by Jumata Emill

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Sibling loyalty!

17yo Amir is accused of murder and his 16yo brother Marcel is determined to prove Amir’s innocence. One of their classmates was murdered in her home and Amir has been placed under house arrest under suspicious circumstances. Living in New Orleans, Amir and Marcel both attend a private school because their family wants the best for them. Being Black, they’re a minority in their mostly white, rich high school. When the girl is murdered, the white community immediately blames Amir but when horrible secrets are revealed, the tables turn.

Likes/dislikes: The bad grammar representing the local community in the book is annoying but necessary to setting the story. I like the strong loyalty between the brothers, Marcel and Amir. The mystery was enjoyable to read.
Mature Content: PG-13 for drugs, underage drinking, talk of hooking up.
Language: R for 154 swears and 64 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death and violence.
Ethnicity: White and Black community.

What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler

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Honest, heartbreaking realistic fiction!

17yo Kate and Ben have been friends since elementary school and now she wants more than that. They began dating and everything is going well until accusations of assault start happening to Ben’s teammates. Many people want to hide the evidence and pretend nothing happened but Kate can’t get the wrongdoing out of her head. Secrets come out after a video was shared. The aftermath will drastically change lives and the community of Coral Sands, Iowa.

Likes/dislikes: I’m frustrated with the situation the community is dealing with. I’m also frustrated with some of the main character’s actions. The author represents entitlement and community politics well.
Mature content: R for sexual assault
Language: R for 79 swears and 5 f-words.
Violence: R for rape.
Ethnicity: predominantly white, an African American deputy mentioned.

Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Deadly fantasy!
18yo Rune lost her only family to witch hunters two years earlier when Nan told Rune to betray her. Nan was a witch who knew her time was up and she wanted to save Rune. Nan made Rune promise to turn her into the witch hunters and denounce everything she grew up knowing and loving. After Nan’s capture and death, Rune became the Crimson Moth; a vigilante who rescues witches and helps get them to freedom. Rune attends social events to discover the witches who are next in line to be captured, so she can swoop in and save them. Her disguise seems to be working but one guard suspects her and will do everything he can to catch her.

Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the mystery and the reveals. The world building was done well. The danger makes the story even more interesting.
Mature Content: R for on page sex.
Language: R for 28 swears, 8 f-words.
Violence: R for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: The ethnicity consists of mostly white, with ocher and golden skin tones mentioned.