What could a war with the gods, a magical typewriter, and a rival journalist have in common? Well, Iris… When her brother, Forest, is compelled to fight in the war the god, Dacre, started, Iris is left to fend for herself and her mother. She even dropped out of school, going to work in the city’s newspaper. But when there’s only one slot for a full-time columnist available, Iris is pitted against a rival employee, Roman. Iris copes with her brother's leaving by writing letters to him and slipping them under her closet door. Every time she opens the door they’re always missing and she doesn’t question the small wink of magic, hoping they could be getting to her brother, until someone responds. This isn’t Forest. Iris’s world begins to fall apart, taking her to the front in search of her brother. But the magic continues and Iris soon learns what the war really means and who might be her mysterious correspondent.
Read MoreHolland can’t stop listening to the subway performer. She’s even named him, floating down the steps every time that she knows he’ll be there, riding the subway when she doesn’t need to. Then her friend drags her to a bar and she sees the same man on stage. Could her actions be seen as stalking? Fate decides to bring them together anyway when she’s attacked in his subway station and then her uncle is desperate to find a replacement musician for his Broadway play. Holland wants to save the day more than anything, so when she finds out that the man in the station is actually undcumented, she offers a marriage proposal to help him and to save her uncle.
Read MorePainting may seem like the best career for an extremely talented artist like Isobel, but not when your clients are the dangerous faerie who will try anything to trick you. Still, they need humans to do craft. Isobel takes great care with each of her clients, making sure to use their payment to protect her family. That is, until she angers one of her most important clients, Rook, by painting him as she sees him. Rook will not have it. Kidnapping her in the middle of the night to stand trial for her crimes, they end up far from their intended destination, realizing that the very thing Isobel painted, is the truth that lies beneath Rook’s glamored skin.
Read MoreThe classic Little Women is retold in this contemporary version, bringing those timeless characters to the modern day and age. Which means that they also deal with the modern issues of our time. When her mother gets sick, Meg’s world flips on its head as she’s forced to balance motherhood, her sulking husband, and the need to take care of her mother. Especially as her father flits in and out of the picture, spending his time taking care of the local veterans. Jo, struggling to keep her head above water after getting laid off from her writing job, works long hours in a kitchen. Her time gains her insights to the world of food for her blog. But not everyone approves of food blogs. In the end, the two girls must find their way back to their roots to see the way home.
Read MoreMara Dyer is struggling to hold herself together after she wakes up in a hospital room, her closest friends now dead. Everyone tells her it was a tragic accident, old buildings do collapse, but nothing soothes Mara’s mind. Instead, she gets visions of her friends. She can’t look in a mirror. She can’t think about them too much. Forget about that night. It’s all a dark spot in her memory. Not even a move to South Florida rids her of the ghosts. They keep coming stronger and stronger until the very emotions and thoughts that she has begin to manifest into real life, leading her to a boy that might be a lot like her.
Read MoreCollege is a moment of change for us all, but when good girl Tessa shows up and sees her roommate, she knows she’s in for a lot more than she’s used to. Especially when her roommate's bad boy friend, Hardin, shows up. Caught in his radar, she’s forced to endure his attentions as she tries to manage her new life and long distance boyfriend. However, there’s a fire between them that no one can put out. Could Hardin’s attention be all for show as his past catches up to him, or does he really love this sweet girl.
Read MoreSo he called you out on your behavior outside the ladies’ restroom as you tried to get your friend to pull you out of your bad date. Then invited himself and his perfect date to your table. But you never expected the creative story he makes up on the fly about your childhood together. And you’ve never met him before. Reese doesn’t know what to do with the man flung into her life that one night. She didn’t expect him to get stuck in her head, or that she’d run into him at her boyfriend’s gym, or that she’d be working for him. Chase on the other hand, knew exactly what he wanted, and he didn't stop at making it very well known.
Read MoreKhai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny, but not big, important emotions—like grief. And love. He thinks he’s defective. His family knows better—that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother takes matters into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride.
As a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity arises to come to America and meet a potential husband, she can’t turn it down, thinking this could be the break her family needs. Seducing Khai, however, doesn’t go as planned. Esme’s lessons in love seem to be working…but only on herself. She’s hopelessly smitten with a man who’s convinced he can never return her affection. With Esme’s time in the United States dwindling, Khai is forced to understand he’s been wrong all along. And there’s more than one way to love. - Goodreads
Read MoreStella has heard it over and over from her mom, it’s time to get settled down and make some grandchildren. But with someone with Aaperger’s, that’s no easy feat. Stella has her routine, her system, and every encounter she’s had with a guy hasn’t been enjoyable. When she’s given the idea to try escorting, she jumps at the chance. This could be a way to be taught how to be a good girlfriend. What she never expected to find was a guy that fit her in every way. A guy that didn’t judge her for being different. A guy that made kissing enjoyable. Can they convince each other that this is more than a lesson on dating?
Read MoreIn a world where having the power to control storms means life or death, a princess born without that power to protect her people is a bit of a problem. All her life, Aurora has hid this though, using her upcoming marriage as a way to keep her kingdom safe. But as the marriage approaches and Aurora finally meets her groom, she learns that selling herself to save her kingdom might be the end of her own life. She’s giving up one chain for an overpowering, manipulative husband. However, there may be a chance that she can become what her kingdom needs. She meets a group of storm hunters that have learned to capture magic without being born with a lick of it themselves. Aurora works with a trusted friend to make it appear like she’s been kidnapped in hopes that when she leaves, her groom will stay and help protect her people. But it’s turned into something much worse when the truth behind her groom’s marriage contract becomes clear.
Read MorePenny has her ticket away from her mom - college. It’s far enough away to stop daily visits but close enough to keep an eye on her. Sam is trying to keep his head above water. He’s just thankful to have a roof over his head and a job. A job that won’t be able to support the baby his ex-girlfriend says is his. Thrown together through a weird family connection with Penny’s roommate, Penny finds Sam on the side of the road feeling like he’s dying. Unable to pay for an emergency room visit, Penny agrees to play his emergency contact. But their little phone messages become so much more as they navigate the rough world of adulthood.
Read MoreHave a trip on the horizon? If you’re like me, you don’t want to read anything too heavy. Here are three quick reviews of the books I got through on my trip this month.
Read MoreAlex’s life is the perfect blend of dreams come true and chaos - his mother is the first female President. With his life now on a stage and his mother up for re-election, nothing can go seriously wrong. Like an altercation with a Prince across the pond. After a horrifying tabloid scandal, Alex and Henry are forced to play nice and convince the world that they’re friends. But the more time they spend together, the more they learn that there’s something behind all the angst. The two set down a dangerous path that could ruin their lives and Alex’s mother’s re-election.
Read MoreShe didn’t eat the buffet. Thank God she didn’t eat the buffet. And because of that, there’s only two people who can go on the nonrefundable honeymoon, and they’re not the bride and groom - just their siblings. Olive begrudgingly accepts the dream vacation, dreading every minute she’ll be forced to spend with Ethan, her new brother-in-law, who’s hated her since the first day they met. Top it off with having to pretend to be her twin sister and Olive already feels like the trip is off to a rocky start. It’s made even rockier when the two have to actually pretend to be married.
Read MoreRilla is stuck spending the summer with her park ranger sister after her life falls apart back home. With a one way bus ticket and a pile of homework to keep her from failing out of school, she’s determined to show everyone. To show everyone that she’s really okay. And it seems like things could be okay after she stumbles into a rock climbing group in the park. They take her under their wings, showing her the literal ropes. However, she can’t let go of her haunting past and starts to see the new group judge her in the same way. Losing faith in them, in her sister, and in herself, she makes one wrong decision that could change her future again.
Read MoreJamie Watson wants nothing more than to be back in London, away from his estranged father and his new possible rival, Charlotte Holmes. That is, until the cases of their great-great-great-grandfathers’ start to be replicated on the students of Sherringford. All clues point to Holmes and Watson being the culprits, leaving Watson with no other choice but to trust the girl that has haunted his mind for years.
Read MoreRushed out of Boston at rumors of a family scandal, Lydia and her two sisters find themselves permanently living in their family’s intended summer home. A home built on the very ashes of the burned down house before it. Lydia immediately feels that the place is different. Starting with her father’s new business partner, Mr Barrett, who just learned that there’s a family attached to his partner. As summer passes, Lydia learns that the scandal may be more real than she thought, and that her own secrets may have more truth in them than she wants them to. She must pull on her family’s history to save herself and those she loves.
Read MoreSeven husbands in the course of one lifetime… Why did she do it? It’s the question everyone asks when the elusive Evelyn Hugo decides to donate gowns to a charity auction. Monique asks it when she arrives at Evelyn’s house to conduct an interview for Vivant magazine. She also questions why Hugo requested such a low rung staff writer. Evelyn promises to explains it all if Monique does one thing - writes her biography instead. Now, as the story of Evelyn’s life unfolds, Monique has to decide between the chance of a lifetime and keeping her job at the magazine.
Read MoreThree girls, the closest friends, are born in a town thought cursed because, since its creation, the girls born within the border have a gift; either making enough, finding what’s lost, fixing what needs mending, or healing those that are hurt. Rome lives in the town, and she doesn’t think her ability can save her or her mom from the landlord that wants to evict them, even trading her most prized possession for just a few more months. After a nasty tornado rocks the town, Rome and her two friends stumble upon a discovery that could either fix everything or tear them apart.
Read MoreIt’s time to flip the story of the damsel on its head. Who says every girl needs to be saved? Except that’s the way it’s been for generations - the prince goes to rescue his damsel, claiming her as his wife and future queen. And now it’s Emory’s turn. After scaling the wall he climbs inside the tower to kill the dragon. Hours later, with no memories of her own, Ama awakens besides Emory. She tries to piece together her past, finding no memories of her life before she awoke. The two return to Emory’s home where Ama is rushed to be married and feeling herself change as the wedding day draws near.
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