Young adult

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    Dark Heart of Magic, Black Blade #2, up for pre-order …

    Dark Heart of Magic finalDark Heart of Magic, the second book in my Black Blade young adult urban fantasy series, will be released next Tuesday, Oct. 27. Woot!

    Dark Heart of Magic will be available in e-book, print book, and audiobook formats from all the usual retailers. It is available for pre-order at the following sites:

    Amazon Kindle / Amazon print / Barnes & Noble / Books-A-Million / iBooks / IndieBound / Google Play / Kobo

    The audiobook will be available through Audible and Amazon. Brittany Pressley is once again the narrator.

    And here is the book description. It doesn’t contain any real spoilers for Cold Burn of Magic, book #1, but if you absolutely want to remain spoiler-free, you might want to skip reading the description.

    SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES…

    As a thief, I stick to the shadows as much as possible. But when the head of the Sinclair Family picks me to compete in the Tournament of Blades, there’s no escaping the spotlight—or the danger.

    Even though he’s my competition, Devon Sinclair thinks I have the best shot of winning what’s supposed to be a friendly contest. But when the competitors start having mysterious “accidents”, it looks like someone will do anything to win—no matter who they hurt.

    As if I didn’t have enough to worry about, mobster Victor Draconi is plotting against Devon and the rest of my friends, and someone’s going around Cloudburst Falls murdering monsters. One thing’s for sure. Sometimes, humans can be more monstrous than anything else …

    You can read the first chapter of Dark Heart of Magic by clicking here. Scroll down, and click on the Read Excerpt tab.

    The heroine of Dark Heart of Magic is Lila Merriweather, a 17-year-old thief who lives in Cloudburst Falls, West Virginia, a town dubbed “the most magical place in America.” Tourists come from around the world to tour all the magic-themed shops and attractions, as well as see monsters like tree trolls, copper crushers, and more in their natural habitats.

    Lila does her best to stay off the grid and avoid the Families — or mobs — who control much of the town. But Lila finds herself caught in the middle of a brewing war between the Sinclairs and the Draconis, the two most powerful Families in town.

    I hope that everyone enjoys Dark Heart of Magic and Lila’s new adventure when the book is released next week. Happy reading!

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    Dark Heart of Magic, Black Blade #2, coming Oct. 27 …

    9 Comments

    Dark Heart of MagicCold Burn of Magic, Black Blade #1, will be out on April 28 (almost here!), but I wanted to go ahead and give everyone some information about the second book in the series.

    Dark Heart of Magic is the title of Black Blade #2, and it will be released on Oct. 27. Woot! I really like this title, and I’m happy to share the cover art.

    Dark Heart of Magic is up for pre-order at the following sites:

    Amazon Kindle / Amazon print / Barnes & Noble / Books-A-Million / iBooks / IndieBound / Google Play / Kobo

    And here is the book description. It doesn’t contain any real spoilers, but if you absolutely want to remain spoiler-free, you might want to skip reading the description.

    SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES…

    As a thief, I stick to the shadows as much as possible. But when the head of the Sinclair Family picks me to compete in the Tournament of Blades, there’s no escaping the spotlight—or the danger.

    Even though he’s my competition, Devon Sinclair thinks I have the best shot of winning what’s supposed to be a friendly contest. But when the competitors start having mysterious “accidents”, it looks like someone will do anything to win—no matter who they hurt.

    As if I didn’t have enough to worry about, mobster Victor Draconi is plotting against Devon and the rest of my friends, and someone’s going around Cloudburst Falls murdering monsters. One thing’s for sure. Sometimes, humans can be more monstrous than anything else …

    I hope that everyone enjoys the sneak peak at Dark Heart of Magic, and I hope that everyone enjoys Cold Burn of Magic when it is released at the end of the month.

    Happy reading!

  • Young adult epic fantasy books …

    One of my favorite things to read is young adult epic fantasy. I just really enjoy the genre. Plus, the books always seem to have the most gorgeous covers. Here are some YA epic fantasy books that I’m looking forward to this spring and summer.

    Note: The descriptions are from Goodreads.

    Hidden HuntressHidden Huntress by Danielle L. Jensen — out on June 2

    Amazon / Barnes & Noble

    Beneath the mountain, the king’s reign of tyranny is absolute; the one troll with the capacity to challenge him is imprisoned for treason. Cécile has escaped the darkness of Trollus, but she learns all too quickly that she is not beyond the reach of the king’s power. Or his manipulation.

    Recovered from her injuries, she now lives with her mother in Trianon and graces the opera stage every night. But by day she searches for the witch who has eluded the trolls for five hundred years. Whether she succeeds or fails, the costs to those she cares about will be high.

    To find Anushka, she must delve into magic that is both dark and deadly. But the witch is a clever creature. And Cécile might not just be the hunter. She might also be the hunted…

    A Court of Thorns and RosesA Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas — out on May 5

    Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iTunes

    A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

    When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

    As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

    The Orphan QueenThe Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows — out on March 10

    Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iTunes

    Wilhelmina has a hundred identities.

    She is a princess. When the Indigo Kingdom conquered her homeland, Wilhelmina and other orphaned children of nobility were taken to Skyvale, the Indigo Kingdom’s capital. Ten years later, they are the Ospreys, experts at stealth and theft. With them, Wilhelmina means to take back her throne.

    She is a spy. Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate Skyvale Palace to study their foes. They assume the identities of nobles from a wraith-fallen kingdom, but enemies fill the palace, and Melanie’s behavior grows suspicious. With Osprey missions becoming increasingly dangerous and their leader more unstable, Wil can’t trust anyone.

    She is a threat. Wraith is the toxic by-product of magic, and for a century using magic has been forbidden. Still the wraith pours across the continent, reshaping the land and animals into fresh horrors. Soon it will reach the Indigo Kingdom. Wilhelmina’s magic might be the key to stopping the wraith, but if the vigilante Black Knife discovers Wil’s magic, she will vanish like all the others.

    What about you guys? What books are you looking forward to this spring and summer?

  • New books for the TBR pile …

    14 Comments

    So what books did Santa bring everyone for Christmas? And is it sad that I still get excited about getting books as presents? 🙂

    Here are some of the books that I received over the holidays. Note that the descriptions are from Goodreads.

    The Demon KingThe Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

    Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iTunes

    My thoughts: I’ve been wanting to try Chima’s books for a while now, and this seemed like a good series to start with. Has anyone read it?

    Times are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch. Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for his family. The only thing of value he has is something he can’t sell—the thick silver cuffs he’s worn since birth. They’re clearly magicked—as he grows, they grow, and he’s never been able to get them off.

    One day, Han and his clan friend, Dancer, confront three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. Han takes an amulet from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to keep him from using it against them. Soon Han learns that the amulet has an evil history—it once belonged to the Demon King, the wizard who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece that powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.

    Meanwhile, Raisa ana’Marianna, princess heir of the Fells, has her own battles to fight. She’s just returned to court after three years of freedom in the mountains—riding, hunting, and working the famous clan markets. Raisa wants to be more than an ornament in a glittering cage. She aspires to be like Hanalea—the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But her mother has other plans for her—including marriage to a suitor who goes against everything the queendom stands for.

    The Seven Realms tremble when the lives of Hans and Raisa collide, fanning the flames of the smoldering war between clans and wizards.

    Make It CountMake It Count by Megan Erickson

    Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iTunes

    My thoughts: I’ve seen this book reviewed on several blogs, and it looks like a fun, new adult read. Why aren’t there more light-hearted new adult books out there?

    Kat Caruso wishes her brain had a return policy, or at least a complaint hot-line. The defective organ is constantly distracted, terrible at statistics, and absolutely flooded with inappropriate thoughts about her boyfriend’s gorgeous best friend, Alec…who just so happens to be her brand new math tutor. Who knew nerd was so hot?

    Kat usually goes through tutors like she does boyfriends—both always seem to bail when they realize how hopeless she is. It’s safer for her heart to keep everyone at arm’s reach. But Alec is always stepping just a little too close.

    Alec Stone should not be fantasizing about Kat. She’s adorable, unbelievably witty, and completely off limits. He’d never stab his best friend in the back…

    But when secrets are revealed, the lines of loyalty are blurred. To make it count, Alec must learn messy human emotions can’t be solved like a trigonometry function. And Kat has to trust Alec may be the first guy to want her for who she is, and not in spite of it.

    Little ElvisesLittle Elvises by Timothy Hallinan

    Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iTunes

    My thoughts: I love books about thieves, and a thief-turned-investigator-for-other-thieves sounded like a cool idea. So I picked up Crashed, the first book in this series, and enjoyed it. Little Elvises is the second book in the series.

    Junior Bender untangles one of the weirdest mysteries in Tinseltown.

    LA burglar Junior Bender has (unfortunately) developed a reputation as a competent private investigator for crooks. The unfortunate part about this is that regardless of whether he solves the crime or not, someone dangerous is going to be unhappy with him, either his suspect or his employer.
     
    Now Junior is being bullied into proving aging music industry mogul Vinnie DiGaudio is innocent of the murder of a nasty tabloid journalist he’d threatened to kill a couple times. It doesn’t help that the dead journalist’s widow is one pretty lady, and she’s trying to get Junior to mix pleasure with business. Just as the investigation is spiraling out of control, Junior’s hard-drinking landlady begs him to solve the disappearance of her daughter, who got involved with a very questionable character. And, worst news of all, both Junior’s ex-wife and his thirteen-year-old daughter, Rina, seem to have new boyfriends. What a mess.

    So these are some of the books I’ll be reading over the next few weeks. What are you guys reading right now?

  • Checking out the fall TBR pile …

    2 Comments

    Today, I’m sharing some books that are waiting in my TBR pile and another one that I am looking forward to that is being released this fall.

    Note: The descriptions are from Goodreads.

    In Your DreamsIn Your Dreams by Kristan Higgins — out now

    Amazon / iTunes

    Emmaline Neal needs a date. Just a date—someone to help her get through her ex-fiancé’s wedding without losing her mind. But pickings are slim in Manningsport, New York, population 715. In fact, there’s really only one option: local heartthrob Jack Holland. Everyone loves Jack, and he won’t get the wrong idea…. After all, Jack Holland would never actually be interested in a woman like Em. Especially not with his beautiful ex-wife creeping around, angling to reunite ever since he rescued a group of teens and became a local hero.

    But when the wedding festivities take an unexpectedly passionate turn, Em figures it was just one crazy night. Jack is too gorgeous, too popular, to ever end up with her. So why is she the one he can talk to about his deep, dark feelings? If Em is going to get her dream man, she’ll have to start by believing in him…

    Prince's FirePrince’s Fire by Amy Raby — out now

    Amazon / iTunes

    As the sister of the Kjallan emperor, Celeste cannot choose where to bestow her heart….

    The imperial princess has been offered in marriage to the Prince of Inya as part of an alliance needed to ensure Kjall’s military prowess. And despite having been hurt in the past by men using her to gain power, Celeste finds herself falling for the passionate fire mage.

    Prince Rayn has no intention of allying his country with the militaristic Kjallans. But his political enemies at home may be the greater threat. The princess’s beauty and intelligence catch him off guard, throwing an unexpected and dangerous hurdle in the way of his plans.

    As a deadly political plot threatens Rayn’s life, the attraction between Celeste and Rayn ignites into a sizzling affair. But to save her people and herself, Celeste will have to discover if Rayn’s intentions are true or risk having her love burn her yet again….

    Snow Like AshesSnow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch — Oct. 14

    Amazon / iTunes

    A heartbroken girl. A fierce warrior. A hero in the making.

    Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.

    Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.

    So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, and serving her kingdom just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own.

    What’s in your TBR pile right now? What books are you guys looking forward to this fall?