Okay, we’ve established that I have no self-control. So, this haul is vastly huge just like previous months. Despite having a long weekend to work on this post – since once again I apparently have more money than brains, I chose to read a book instead…and reorganize my bookshelves. Honestly, my time management could use some work.
Since, I opted to stay up and finish reading For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten, I’m going to leave out the ARC’s I collected, and those will be in a NetGalley Update coming at you soon. I’m also going to do a separate eBook Haul, since I kind of went nuts in that regard too – so keep an eye out for both of those posts coming at you in the near future.
Let’s dive into this, quickly – because I technically have to be up for work in like, 4.5 hours. Don’t judge, I could not put that book down – 10/10 do recommend.
We Are the Fire – Sam Taylor
Hardcover / GR
As electrifying as it is heartbreaking, Sam Taylor’s explosive fantasy debut We Are the Fire is perfect for fans of An Ember in the Ashes and the legend of Spartacus.
In the cold, treacherous land of Vesimaa, children are stolen from their families by a cruel emperor, forced to undergo a horrific transformative procedure, and serve in the army as magical fire-wielding soldiers. Pran and Oksana―both taken from their homeland at a young age―only have each other to hold onto in this heartless place.
Luck of the Titanic – Stacey Lee
Hardcover / GR
Southampton, 1912: Seventeen-year-old British-Chinese Valora Luck has quit her job and smuggled herself aboard the Titanic with two goals in mind: to reunite with her twin brother Jamie–her only family now that both their parents are dead–and to convince a part-owner of the Ringling Brothers Circus to take the twins on as acrobats. Quick-thinking Val talks her way into opulent firstclass accommodations and finds Jamie with a group of fellow Chinese laborers in third class. But in the rigidly stratified world of the luxury liner, Val’s ruse can only last so long, and after two long years apart, it’s unclear if Jamie even wants the life Val proposes. Then, one moonless night in the North Atlantic, the unthinkable happens–the supposedly unsinkable ship is dealt a fatal blow–and Val and her companions suddenly find themselves in a race to survive.
What’s Not to Love – Emily Wibberley & Austin Seigmund-Borka
Hardcover / GR
Since high school began, Alison Sanger and Ethan Molloy have competed on almost everything. AP classes, the school paper, community service, it never ends. If Alison could avoid Ethan until graduation, she would. Except, naturally, for two over-achieving seniors with their sights on valedictorian and Harvard, they share all the same classes and extracurriculars. So when their school’s principal assigns them the task of co-planning a previous class’s ten-year reunion, with the promise of a recommendation for Harvard if they do, Ethan and Alison are willing to endure one more activity together if it means beating the other out of the lead.
We Hunt the Flame (Sands of Arawiya #1) – Hafsah Faizal
Hardcover / GR
Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the sultan. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways. Both Zafira and Nasir are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya–but neither wants to be.
War is brewing, and the Arz sweeps closer with each passing day, engulfing the land in shadow. When Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artifact that can restore magic to her suffering world and stop the Arz, Nasir is sent by the sultan on a similar mission: retrieve the artifact and kill the Hunter. But an ancient evil stirs as their journey unfolds–and the prize they seek may pose a threat greater than either can imagine.
We Free the Stars (Sands of Arawiya #2) – Hafsah Faizal
Hardcover / GR
The battle on Sharr is over. The dark forest has fallen. Altair may be captive, but Zafira, Nasir, and Kifah are bound for Sultan’s Keep, determined to finish the plan he set in motion: restoring the hearts of the Sisters of Old to the minarets of each caliphate, and finally returning magic to all of Arawiya. But they are low on resources and allies alike, and the kingdom teems with fear of the Lion of the Night’s return.
As the zumra plots to overthrow the kingdom’s darkest threat, Nasir fights to command the magic in his blood. He must learn to hone his power into a weapon, to wield not only against the Lion but against his father, trapped under the Lion’s control. Zafira battles a very different darkness festering in her through her bond with the Jawarat—a darkness that hums with voices, pushing her to the brink of her sanity and to the edge of a chaos she dare not unleash. In spite of the darkness enclosing ever faster, Nasir and Zafira find themselves falling into a love they can’t stand to lose…but time is running out to achieve their ends, and if order is to be restored, drastic sacrifices will have to be made.
The Prison Healer (The Prison Healer #1) – Lynette Noni
FairyLoot Exclusive Hardcover / GR
Seventeen-year-old Kiva Meridan has spent the last ten years fighting for survival in the notorious death prison, Zalindov, working as the prison healer.
When the Rebel Queen is captured, Kiva is charged with keeping the terminally ill woman alive long enough for her to undergo the Trial by Ordeal: a series of elemental challenges against the torments of air, fire, water, and earth, assigned to only the most dangerous of criminals.
Then a coded message from Kiva’s family arrives, containing a single order: “Don’t let her die. We are coming.” Aware that the Trials will kill the sickly queen, Kiva risks her own life to volunteer in her place. If she succeeds, both she and the queen will be granted their freedom.
But no one has ever survived.
With an incurable plague sweeping Zalindov, a mysterious new inmate fighting for Kiva’s heart, and a prison rebellion brewing, Kiva can’t escape the terrible feeling that her trials have only just begun.
Better Together – Christine Riccio
Hardcover / GR
Freaky Friday meets The Parent Trap in New York Times bestselling author Christine Riccio’s Better Together, a sparkling and heartfelt story about sisters, second chances, finding romance, and finding yourself.
Jamie’s an aspiring standup comic in Los Angeles with a growing case of stage anxiety.
Siri’s a stunning ballerina from New Jersey nursing a career-changing injury.
They’ve both signed up for the same session at an off the grid Re-Discover Yourself Retreat in Colorado. When they run into each other, their worlds turn upside down.
Made in Korea – Sarah Suk
Hardcover / GR
There’s nothing Valerie Kwon loves more than making a good sale. Together with her cousin Charlie, they run V&C K-BEAUTY, their school’s most successful student-run enterprise. With each sale, Valerie gets closer to taking her beloved and adventurous halmeoni to her dream city, Paris.
Enter the new kid in class, Wes Jung, who is determined to pursue music after graduation despite his parents’ major disapproval. When his classmates clamor to buy the K-pop branded beauty products his mom gave him to “make new friends,” he sees an opportunity—one that may be the key to help him pay for the music school tuition he knows his parents won’t cover…
What he doesn’t realize, though, is that he is now V&C K-BEAUTY’s biggest competitor.
Shipped – Meredith Tate
Hardcover / GR
Can two IRL enemies find their happily ever after online?
Stella Greene and Wesley Clarke are Gene Connolly Memorial High School’s biggest rivals. While the two have been battling it out for top student, it’s a race to the bottom when it comes to snide comments and pulling the dirtiest prank. For years, Stella and Wes have been the villain in each other’s story, and now it’s all-out war.
And there is no bigger battle than the one for valedictorian, and more specifically, the coveted valedictorian scholarship.
The Ones We’re Meant to Find – Joan He
Hardcover / GR
Cee has been trapped on an abandoned island for three years without any recollection of how she arrived, or memories from her life prior. All she knows is that somewhere out there, beyond the horizon, she has a sister named Kay, and it’s up to Cee to cross the ocean and find her.
In a world apart, 16-year-old STEM prodigy Kasey Mizuhara lives in an eco-city built for people who protected the planet―and now need protecting from it. With natural disasters on the rise due to climate change, eco-cities provide clean air, water, and shelter. Their residents, in exchange, must spend at least a third of their time in stasis pods, conducting business virtually whenever possible to reduce their environmental footprint. While Kasey, an introvert and loner, doesn’t mind the lifestyle, her sister Celia hated it. Popular and lovable, Celia much preferred the outside world. But no one could have predicted that Celia would take a boat out to sea, never to return.
Ember of Night (Ember of Night #1) – Molly E. Lee
Hardcover / GR
I am a weed.
Unloved by my abusive, alcoholic dad. Unwanted by my classmates. Unnoticed by everyone else.
But I’d suffer anything to give my kid sister a better life—the minute I turn eighteen, I’m getting us the hell out of here. And some hot stranger telling me I am the key to stopping a war between Heaven and Hell isn’t going to change that.
Let the world crumble and burn, for all I care.
Draven is relentless, though. And very much a liar. Every time his sexy lips are moving, I can see it—in the dip of his head, the grit of his jaw—even if my heart begs me to ignore the signs.
So what does he want?
I need to figure it out fast, because now everyone is gunning for me. And damn if I don’t want to show them what happens when you let weeds thrive in the cracks of the pavement…
We can grow powerful enough to shatter the whole foundation.
Realm Breaker (Realm Breaker #1) – Victoria Aveyard
Hardcover & Audiobook / GR
A strange darkness grows in Allward.
Even Corayne an-Amarat can feel it, tucked away in her small town at the edge of the sea.
She soon discovers the truth: She is the last of an ancient lineage—and the last hope to save the world from destruction. But she won’t be alone. Even as darkness falls, she is joined by a band of unlikely companions:
A squire, forced to choose between home and honor.
An immortal, avenging a broken promise.
An assassin, exiled and bloodthirsty.
An ancient sorceress, whose riddles hide an eerie foresight.
A forger with a secret past.
A bounty hunter with a score to settle.
Together they stand against a vicious opponent, invincible and determined to burn all kingdoms to ash, and an army unlike anything the realm has ever witnessed.
Blade of Secrets (Bladesmith #1) – Tricia Levenseller
Hardcover & Audiobook / GR
Eighteen-year-old Ziva prefers metal to people. She spends her days tucked away in her forge, safe from society and the anxiety it causes her, using her magical gift to craft unique weapons imbued with power.
Then Ziva receives a commission from a powerful warlord, and the result is a sword capable of stealing its victims’ secrets. A sword that can cut far deeper than the length of its blade. A sword with the strength to topple kingdoms. When Ziva learns of the warlord’s intentions to use the weapon to enslave all the world under her rule, she takes her sister and flees.
Joined by a distractingly handsome mercenary and a young scholar with extensive knowledge of the world’s known magics, Ziva and her sister set out on a quest to keep the sword safe until they can find a worthy wielder or a way to destroy it entirely.
Last Chance Books – Kelsey Rodkey
Hardcover & Audiobook / GR
Don’t you just love the smell of old books in the morning?
Madeline Moore does. Books & Moore, the musty bookstore her family has owned for generations, is where she feels most herself. Nothing is going to stop her from coming back after college to take over the store from her beloved aunt.
Nothing, that is—until a chain bookstore called Prologue opens across the street and threatens to shut them down.
Madeline sets out to demolish the competition, but Jasper, the guy who works over at Prologue, seems intent on ruining her life. Not only is he taking her customers, he has the unbelievable audacity to be… extremely cute.
But that doesn’t matter. Jasper is the enemy and he will be destroyed. After all—all’s fair in love and (book) wars.
Prom Theory – Ann LaBar
Hardcover & Audiobook / GR
In this heartwarming and whip-smart YA spin on The Rosie Project, a teen girl is determined to prove that love, like all things, should be scientifically quantified…right?
Iris Oxtabee has managed to navigate the tricky world of unspoken social interactions by reading everything from neuroscience journals to Wikipedia articles. Science has helped her fit the puzzle pieces into an understandable whole, and she’s sure there’s nothing it can’t explain. Love, for example, is just chemistry.
Her best friend Seth, however, believes love is one of life’s beautiful and chaotic mysteries, without need for explanation. Iris isn’t one to back down from a challenge; she’s determined to prove love is really nothing more than hormones and external stimuli. After all, science has allowed humanity to understand more complex mysteries than that, and Iris excels at science.
Crownchasers (Crownchasers #1) – Rebecca Coffindaffer
Hardcover & Audiobook / GR
A deadly competition for the throne will determine more than just the fate of the empire in this duology opener.
Alyssa Farshot has spent her whole life trying to outrun her family legacy. Her mother sacrificed everything to bring peace to the quadrant, and her uncle has successfully ruled as emperor for decades. But the last thing Alyssa wants is to follow in their footsteps as the next in line for the throne. Why would she choose to be trapped in a palace when she could be having wild adventures exploring a thousand-and-one planets in her own ship?
But when Alyssa’s uncle becomes gravely ill, his dying wish surprises the entire galaxy. Instead of naming her as his successor, he calls for a crownchase, the first in seven centuries. Representatives from each of the empire’s prime families—including Alyssa—are thrown into a race to find the royal seal, which has been hidden somewhere in the empire. The first to find the seal wins the throne.
Thorn (Dauntless Path #1) – Intisar Khanani
Hardcover & Audiobook / GR
A princess with two futures. A destiny all her own.
Between her cruel family and the contempt she faces at court, Princess Alyrra has always longed to escape the confines of her royal life. But when she’s betrothed to the powerful prince Kestrin, Alyrra embarks on a journey to his land with little hope for a better future.
When a mysterious and terrifying sorceress robs Alyrra of both her identity and her role as princess, Alyrra seizes the opportunity to start a new life for herself as a goose girl.
But Alyrra soon finds that Kestrin is not what she expected.
Between the Sea and Stars (Lena #1) – Chantal Gadoury
Paperback & Audiobook / GR
A Legend,
A Magical Shell
A Girl Who Dreamed Of Something More…
Lena, a Merrow girl, lives in the Skagerrak sea with her father, Carrick and her brother, Javelin who tells her of the legend of the Merrow Queen murdered by her human lover when greed takes over. But what’s worth spilling the queen’s blood? Gifted from Poseidon, himself, a magic shell gives any human the ability to control both land and sea.
When Javelin is called to join a clan of Merrow soldiers bent on protecting their waters from human invasion, Lena resists Merrow law and ventures to the shore with no choice but to swim to land.
Beyond the Shore and Shadows (Lena #2) – Chantal Gadoury
Paperback / GR
The Merrow Who Angered Poseidon
The Man Who Loves Her
And an Evil that could destroy them both
The Sea Is Calling. . .
Lena—who was born as a merrow but walks as a human—is now in possession of the Magiske Skal: the shell once owned by the queen of the merrows. With its power comes untold danger, and should it fall into the wrong hands, the Fosse-Søfolk will face an evil they cannot overcome. Lord Jarl knows what Lena has, and he wants it for himself.
Summer (Evermore Academy #3) – Audrey Grey
Paperback & Audiobook / GR
Welcome to Evermore Academy where the magic is dark, the immortals are beautiful, and being human SUCKS.
After Hellebore Narcissus exposed my secret, he claimed me as his, a pawn in a deadly Faerie game I’m only just beginning to understand.
Now, I’m caught in a complex web of bloodthirsty courts, ancient feuds, and the lust for ultimate power. To expose Hellebore and recover the Darken’s soulstone, I must become an expert at navigating the cunning world of the Fae and my new life at the academy—all the while resisting my true mate, the Winter Prince.
Win this game, and I regain my freedom while saving humanity—lose and the entire mortal world will fall to the Fae.
Gutter Girl (Twin River High #1) – Lynn Rush & Kelly Anne Blount
Paperback / GR
Star football player Jace Rovers has a secret. And not just any secret—a shocking secret… He writes romance. The kind with swords. And dresses. And kissing.
Nobody knows. Not the other kids at Twin River High. Not his overbearing parents. And certainly not the millions of fans who’ve read his book on the writing platform Scribbles. And that’s the way he plans to keep it.
Except suddenly one of the other football players grabs his notebook in jest and starts reading a kissing scene out loud…and Jace knows he’s busted.
But then McKenna Storm, resident goth girl who avoids the spotlight like a virus, snatches up the notebook and tells everyone she’s the author. And lucky for Jace, she later agrees to continue the ruse…for a price.
Project Personality (Twin River High #2) – Lynn Rush & Kelly Anne Blount
Paperback / GR
Hope Chambers has a major problem. She’s spent the entirety of her four years of high school focusing on being perfect—perfect grades, perfect extracurriculars, perfect essays—to the point that she forgot to get a life. And now she’s perfectly boring.
She’s got exactly two weeks before her admissions interview for MIT to spice up her life and get a personality, dammit. And she knows exactly who can help her: soccer star and Mr. Popularity himself, Landon Watkins. But how does a nerdy, socially awkward girl ask the most charismatic guy in school to help her become interesting?
Saving his life in the school cafeteria is a pretty good start.
A Wicked and Beautiful Garden (Witches of the Island #1) – Katie McGarry
Paperback / GR
Twenty-eight year-old Cassie Strega can’t escape fate.
All she wants is to live a normal, quiet life delivering the babies in her small town. But when she discovers she comes from a lineage of witches, her life becomes extraordinary—in the gravely dangerous type of way.
Then, she’s reunited with her first love.
Orion, the sultry Fae warrior who broke her heart years before, is searching for a baby. Not just any baby, but the queen of the Fae who will one day lead them in their final battle against the demons determined to rule the world. The same baby who has been calling to Cassie for help in her dreams.
Fighting the intense attraction of their former blood bond, Cassie and Orion work together to find the child. But when the heartbreak that nearly destroyed Cassie nine years before looms once more, she’ll have to decide whether getting involved in the supernatural war is worth losing everything, including her life.
Seasons of the Storm (Seasons of the Storm #1) – Elle Cosimano
Paperback / GR
One cold, crisp night, Jack Sommers was faced with a choice—live forever according to the ancient, magical rules of Gaia, or die.
Jack chose to live, and in exchange, he became a Winter—an immortal physical embodiment of the season on Earth. Every year, he must hunt the Season who comes before him. Summer kills Spring. Autumn kills Summer. Winter kills Autumn. And Spring kills Winter.
Jack and Fleur, a Winter and a Spring, fall for each other against all odds. To be together, they’ll have to escape the cycle that’s been forcing them apart. But their creator won’t let them go without a fight.
Protect the Prince (Crown of Shards #2) – Jennifer Estep
Paperback / GR
Magic, murder, adventure, and romance combine in this second novel in the exciting Crown of Shards saga from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Estep.
Everleigh Blair might be the new gladiator queen of Bellona, but her problems are far from over.
First, Evie has to deal with a court full of arrogant, demanding nobles, all of whom want to get their greedy hands on her crown. As if that wasn’t bad enough, an assassin tries to kill Evie in her own throne room.
Despite the dangers, Evie goes ahead with a scheduled trip to the neighboring kingdom of Andvari in order to secure a desperately needed alliance. But complicating matters is the stubborn Andvarian king, who wants to punish Evie for the deaths of his countrymen during the Seven Spire massacre.
Crush the King (Crown of Shards #3) – Jennifer Estep
Paperback / GR
A fierce gladiator queen must face off against her enemies in an epic battle in this next thrilling installment of New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Estep’s Crown of Shards series—an action-packed adventure full of magic, murderous machinations, courtly intrigue, and pulse-pounding romance.
Queen Everleigh Blair of Bellona has survived the mass murder of the royal family, become a fearsome warrior trained by an elite gladiator troupe, and unleashed her ability to destroy magic. After surviving yet another assassination attempt orchestrated by the conniving king of Morta, Evie has had enough. It’s time to turn the tables and take the fight to her enemies.
There is no better opportunity to strike than during the Regalia Games, a time when warriors, nobles, and royals from all the kingdoms come together to compete in various sporting events.
The Awakened (The Awakened Trilogy #1) – Amanda Carol
Exclusive Paperback / GR
Aria and her twin brother learned the hard way that some myths are very real. After a vampire takes their parents from them, they travel across the country, revenge their only thought. When their crusade brings them to New Orleans, they find out there are secrets that could change their lives. Forever.
Son to the Alpha of the NOLA Pack, Hunter has doubts about taking over from his father one day. While hunting a vampire in the St. Louis cemetery, he comes to the aid of what he believes to be two humans. Not everything is as it seems. As truths come to light, danger lurks in the shadows. When evil stalks the streets of New Orleans, can Hunter and his wolf pack help keep Aria and her brother safe, or will all be lost?
Rising Moon (The Awakened Trilogy #2) – Amanda Carol
Exclusive Paperback / GR
Finding out that she and her brother were demigods put Aria in the path of something dark and sinister. After coming face to face with evil, her world is shaken to its core. When new secrets are revealed, Aria will have to overcome her inner demons in order to protect the ones she loves.
When tragedy strikes the Compound, Hunter is put to the ultimate test to prove once and for all that he does have what it takes to be the next Alpha of the NOLA pack. After unexpected visitors shed some light on his future with the pack, will he be able to rise to the occasion or will he leave the prophecy unfulfilled?
Rising Sun (The Awakened Trilogy #3) – Amanda Carol
Exclusive Paperback / GR
The gods are testing Aria’s strength as a demigoddess to ensure that she’s ready to face her greatest trial. When Isabella appears to steal the weapon they’ve pinned their hopes on, she leaves behind a trail of destruction in her wake. Without the man she loves by her side, Aria is forced to navigate her way through the Underworld and come face-to-face with Hades, the devil himself, in a fight to preserve all that she holds dear to her heart.
The weight of the world rests on Hunter’s shoulders since he stepped up and became Alpha of the seven packs. All of the preparations, training, and hard work are about to be tested as they face their biggest battle yet. When a new god appears, putting the entire Compound at risk, Hunter finds himself facing death a lot sooner than he thought. Will they live to see the sun rise and stop their enemies once and for all, or will they succumb to the darkness unleashed upon them?
Straight on ‘til Morning – K.J. Sutton
Paperback / GR
In 1895, London is rife with secrets. The Davenport family hides their lost fortune. Lady Julie Bainbridge will go to any lengths to keep her past from becoming exposed. A boy watches everything from the shadows. And the island awaits.
Wendy Davenport can’t dodge the bank much longer, and her family’s dire circumstances aren’t improving. She knows change is on the horizon. It soon comes in the form of Peter, whose name is whispered in the streets by friends and enemies alike. They call him a wish granter. A miracle worker. A demon.
One of those enemies sees an opportunity. Lady Julie Bainbridge, a wealthy woman who knows the truth about the Davenport household. She presents Wendy with a choice—kill Peter and get paid handsomely for her troubles, or all of London will know about her family’s ruin.
With no other alternative, Wendy journeys to Neverland with the intention of ending Peter’s life. A task that may prove even more difficult as her attraction to him continues to grow.
Writing The Universe 