It’s that time of the year again (thank God) and I literally cannot wait.
There are 5 workdays and a 7ish hour car ride between me and the beach and it honestly can’t pass by quickly enough.
Besides drowning at work, I just need a break. I need to unwind, destress, let it all go. I just need to sit on a beach, with the ocean in the background, reading a book undisturbed. I’m so tired of being around people every day. I feel like I never have a moment to be alone with my thoughts.
Not to mention I’m absolutely dying to read the books I’m planning on reading. They’re either ARCs or indie/self pubbed books that don’t have audio equivalents (yet) and I just haven’t had the time or energy to read them. But I’m going to have a whole week to do just that and I’m chomping at the bit.
I’m also seriously contemplating bring a “Do Not Disturb” sign. Since this is a family trip, there will still be people around, but I just don’t want to be disturbed until I’m done whatever book I’m reading LOL.
I already kind of know what order I’m reading them in, and it’s going to be so great.
I’m also taking my Kindle – because duh.
But let’s jump into this and check out what I’m planning on reading next week. I seriously cannot wait.
Defy the Night (Defy the Night #1) – Brigid Kemmerer
Pub. Date: September 14, 2021
Pages: 496
Pub: Bloomsbury YA
Genre: YA SFF
From New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer comes a blockbuster fantasy series about a kingdom divided by corruption, the prince desperately holding it together, and the girl who will risk everything to bring it crashing down.
The kingdom of Kandala is on the brink of disaster. Rifts between sectors have only worsened since a sickness began ravaging the land, and within the Royal Palace, the king holds a tenuous peace with a ruthless hand.
King Harristan was thrust into power after his parents’ shocking assassination, leaving the younger Prince Corrick to take on the brutal role of the King’s Justice. The brothers have learned to react mercilessly to any sign of rebellion–it’s the only way to maintain order when the sickness can strike anywhere, and the only known cure, an elixir made from delicate Moonflower petals, is severely limited.
Out in the Wilds, apothecary apprentice Tessa Cade is tired of seeing her neighbors die, their suffering ignored by the unyielding royals. Every night, she and her best friend Wes risk their lives to steal Moonflower petals and distribute the elixir to those who need it most–but it’s still not enough.
As rumors spread that the cure no longer works and sparks of rebellion begin to flare, a particularly cruel act from the King’s Justice makes Tessa desperate enough to try the impossible: sneaking into the palace. But what she finds upon her arrival makes her wonder if it’s even possible to fix Kandala without destroying it first.
Set in a richly imaginative world with striking similarities to our own, Brigid Kemmerer’s captivating new series is about those with power and those without . . . and what happens when someone is brave enough to imagine a new future.
Gild (The Plated Prisoner #1 – Raven Kennedy
Pub. Date: October 16, 2020
Pages: 375
Pub: Not Listed
Genre: NA Fantasy Romance Retelling
The fae abandoned this world to us. And the ones with power rule.
Gold.
Gold floors, gold walls, gold furniture, gold clothes. In Highbell, in the castle built into the frozen mountains, everything is made of gold.
Even me.
King Midas rescued me. Dug me out of the slums and placed me on a pedestal. I’m called his precious. His favored. I’m the woman he Gold-Touched to show everyone that I belong to him. To show how powerful he is. He gave me protection, and I gave him my heart. And even though I don’t leave the confines of the palace, I’m safe.
Until war comes to the kingdom and a deal is struck.
Suddenly, my trust is broken. My love is challenged. And I realize that everything I thought I knew about Midas might be wrong.
Because these bars I’m kept in, no matter how gilded, are still just a cage. But the monsters on the other side might make me wish I’d never left.
The myth of King Midas reimagined. This compelling adult fantasy series is as addictive as it is unexpected. With romance, intrigue, and danger, the gilded world of Orea will grip you from the very first page.
In the Same Boat – Holly Green
Pub. Date: July 20, 2021
Pages: 368
Pub: Scholastic Press
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
In the Same Boat is the hugely entertaining blend of romance and thrilling adventure that you never knew you needed.
Sadie Scofield is just a few days away from the race of a lifetime. The Texas River Odyssey may be 260 miles and multiple days of arduous canoeing where every turn of the river reveals new dangers-downed trees, alligators, pitch black night-but those dangers pale in comparison to going another year knowing that her father is ashamed of her.
Last year, Sadie caused a disastrous wreck that ended her father’s twenty year streak of finishes, and he’s never looked at her the same. Now, she knows that finishing the race with her brother, Tanner, is her one shot to redeem herself. She’s ready for anything…except Tanner ditching her for another team at the last minute.
Sadie grits her teeth and accepts that she has to team up with Cully, her former best friend turned worst enemy. It’s irritating enough that he grew up to be so attractive, but once they’re on the river it turns out he’s ill-prepared for such a dangerous race. But as the miles pass, the pain of the race builds, they uncover the truth about their feuding families, and Sadie’s feelings for Cully begin to shift. Could this race change her life more than she ever could have imagined?
With an unforgettable heroine and an immersive setting, Holly Green’s captivating debut promises heart-stopping action and a swoony romance that will leave you cheering.
The Maiden Ship (The Maiden Ship #1) – Micheline Ryckman
Pub. Date: February 7, 2020
Pages: 364
Pub: Whimsical Publishing
Genre: YA Fantasy Romance
Dain Alloway was only nine years old when he began a new life with his father, sailing aboard The Maiden. Eight years later, the aristocratic city-boy turned merchant-sailor feels like he lives with one foot on land, and one foot in the sea. Life floats smoothly by until the night he wakes to find a mysterious woman in his cabin.
The events that unfold after her appearance transform Dain’s world. Now, hunted by empty-faced demons, he finds himself thrown into a dangerous web of intrigue and magic. As the crisis grows, the young sailor discovers powerful gifts buried deep within, talents that might shift the tide of a centuries-old war. Whether or not he’s ready, Dain will have to risk it all for the salvation and freedom of those he loves.
Straight on ‘Til Morning – K.J. Sutton
Pub. Date: May 16, 2021
Pages: 393
Pub: Once Upon a Time Books, LLC
Genre: Fantasy Romance Retellings
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.
Will Wendy be able to strike when it matters most, or will the magic of Neverland—and the boy who holds its heart—jeopardize all she holds dear?
Born at Dawn (Da’Valia Trilogy #1) – Christina Davis
Pub. Date: November 15, 2020
Pages: 304
Pub: Christina Davis
Genre: YA Fantasy
In a world of secrets, the one she never expected is the one that will change her life forever.
When a heist goes terribly wrong and the binding spell holding 17-year-old Neva’s powers at bay is shattered, the half-human thief knows she’s in trouble.
Neva has always hidden her Da’Valian heritage while working risky jobs to make a name for herself and serving at her family’s tavern, but she won’t be able to hide much longer. She can either risk the safety of those she cares about or seek out her mother’s people to gain control over her emerging powers.
The Da’Valia are beautiful, brutal creatures created by the god of war, and the austere Da’Valian soldier Astiand reluctantly agrees to take Neva to his clan under his protection. She makes unexpected friends, including the handsome fighter Emiliand, and a new enemy in the clan’s ruthless leader.
Spying on her guardian, the sly heroine quickly discovers just how deep she has stumbled into a dangerous, developing clan feud.
Will she be able to embrace who she is in time to keep her loved ones safe?
I’m so damn excited to read these books. I’ll definitely end up reading them all, and I might even get to some kindle reads. There were more books I wanted to bring – so it’s a good thing that I have a second beach vacation planned at the end of August. It means I can get to the other books! And y’all that stack is gonna be just as good. I already have 4 of the books picked out – and it’s killing me that I can’t bring them all at once. I know I won’t get to all of them if I do, and then I will have just traveled with them for no reason.
I’m just thrilled that I can finally knock these books off my TBR – most of these have been sitting on my shelf since they came out and it’s been bugging me to no end that I haven’t had a chance to read them.
5 days and that all changes.
I have no doubts that I’m going to love all of these, and now that I’ve done this post, I’m questioning the order I’d planned to read them in. I just want to read them all at the same time…
Let me know if you’ve read any of these, and what you thought! If there is something you think I should definitely read on the second week, let me know in the comments!
Writing The Universe 
Ah have an amazing time at the beach!! I’m headed there today. Can’t wait to see your thoughts on all of these!
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Such good choices! I think I have almost all of these books on my TBR and wishlist, but I’m most excited for Defy – maybe we can buddy read it?!
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