Category: ARC

Dreams Manifest (The Depths of Memory: Book 2) by Candice Bundy

Dreams Manifest (The Depths of Memory Book 2) by [Bundy, Candice]

4 Stars

Publisher: Lusios Publishing

Date of publication: November 1st, 2017

Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction

Number of pages: 412

POV: 3rd person

Series: The Depths of Memory

The Dream Sifter – Book 1 (review here)

Dreams Manifest – Book 2

Where you can find Dreams Manifest: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Reeling from the revelations of who she is or was, before her memories were ripped from her, Rai Durmah is faced with a new and more frightening threat. While scouting Az’Unda for potential Juggernaut settlement, Selector Brague of the Hegemony, who can end the human colony on a whim, encounters Rai Durmah and is shocked by her unusual abilities. Rai and her new family flee the scene, but Brague will not rest until he understands how Rai, a human colonist, developed her unique gifts. As she flees, Rai stumbles upon an ancient power that could change the face of Az’Unda and perhaps save the humans that live there. 

Caught between her adoptive family who doubts her loyalties, the alien Juggernaut, and a Guardian protector she fears, Rai desperately attempts to escape her pain and unwittingly unearths the answers to solve or destroy Az’Unda’s future.

*****

A distant human colony races to prove themselves before the powerful Hegemonic races declare their attempt a failure. Although they’ve been on Az’Unda for a little over 600 years and have used aggressive breeding practices, a horrible plague has reduced their life spans, left many women sterile, and created heartbreaking husks of the people they once knew and loved, known as Terrors. Little do they know they are about to face their greatest threat from one of their own–causing attention to focus on the ordinary and unremarkable Durmah Sept.

The Depths of Memory Trilogy in a set in a future where humans have fled Earth and struggle to colonize new worlds and prove their worth to the alien consortium known as the Hegemony. Beyond the colonist’s day-to-day struggles, they face a devastating plague which requires extreme and constant vigilance. Faced with internal and external threats, how far will the colonists be willing to go to save not just their colony, but humanity itself?

Trigger Warning: None

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Bound to a Spy (All the Queen’s Spies: Book 2) by Sharon Cullen

Bound to a Spy (All the Queen's Spies, #2)

4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept

Date of publication: October 24th, 2017

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

Number of pages: 258

POV: 3rd person

Series: All the Queen’s Spies

Wed to a Spy – Book 1 (review here)

Bound to a Spy – Book 2

Lost to a Spy – Book 3 (expected publication date March 13th, 2018)

Where you can find Bound to a Spy: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

A fierce Highland lass puts her life—and her heart—in the hands of a dashing British spy in this exhilarating romance from the USA Today bestselling author of Wed to a Spy.

Rose Turner’s mother sent her to the court of Mary, Queen of Scots, to give her a better life. Raised with rowdy brothers in a notorious border clan, Rose has plenty of experience fighting and thieving—and practically none when it comes to matters of decorum and discretion. Without a single ally, she has little hope of making a good marriage to salvage her family’s reputation. But after overhearing several influential lords plotting to murder the King of Scotland, Rose meets a man after all: a handsome spy trying to shield her from danger.
 
As one of the Queen Elizabeth’s top agents, Will Sheffield has come up north to keep a close eye on the goings-on at Mary’s court. A consummate professional, Will notices Rose’s presence at the secret meeting . . . and he’s not the only one. The wild, naïve beauty has made a fearsome enemy—and only Will can keep her safe. But after an attempt on Rose’s life pulls them tantalizingly close, Will faces an agonizing choice between professional loyalty or powerful passion.

Trigger Warning: None

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The Midnight Dance by Nikki Katz

The Midnight Dance

2 Stars

Publisher: MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group, Swoon Reads

Date of publication: October 17th, 2017

Genre: Young Adult, Steampunk

Number of pages: 320

POV: Alternating between 1st and 3rd person

Where you can find The Midnight Dance: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

When the music stops, the dance begins.

Seventeen-year-old Penny is a lead dancer at the Grande Teatro, a finishing school where she and eleven other young women are training to become the finest ballerinas in Italy. Tucked deep into the woods, the school is overseen by the mysterious and handsome young Master who keeps the girls ensconced in the estate – and in the only life Penny has never known.

But when flashes of memories, memories of a life very different from the one she thinks she’s been leading, start to appear, Penny begins to question the Grand Teatro and the motivations of the Master. With a kind and attractive kitchen boy, Cricket, at her side, Penny vows to escape the confines of her school and the strict rules that dictate every step she takes. But at every turn, the Master finds a way to stop her, and Penny must find a way to escape the school and uncover the secrets of her past before it’s too late.

Trigger Warning: None

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Sun Warrior (Tales of a New World: Book 2) by P. C. Cast

Sun Warrior (Tales of a New World #2)

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: October 17th, 2017

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Number of pages: 551

POV: 3rd person

Series: Tales of a New World

Moon Chosen – Book 1 (review here)

Sun Warrior – Book 2

Where you can find Sun Warrior: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

The battle lines have been drawn and Mari, an Earth Walker, and Nik, a Companion, who were once from rival clans now find themselves fighting to save each other and their people from destruction.

Thaddeus betrayed his own people, killing Nik’s father and destroying their entire clan. But he wants more. He wants the power he believes Mari has stolen from him and his people and he will do anything he must to get them back, even if it means destroying everything in his path. There is only way to stop Thaddeus, but it means a harrowing journey for Mari and Nik into the heart of darkness. But if they hope to survive the coming fight, they have no choice but to believe in each other.

Trigger Warning: Talk of past rape, abuse of animals

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Berserker by Emmy Laybourne

Berserker (Berserker #1)

4 Stars

Publisher: Macmillian Children’s Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends

Date of publication: October 10th, 2017

Genre: YA, historical fiction

Number of pages: 352

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find Berserker: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Are Hanne’s powers a gift from the old Norse gods, or a curse?

Her brother Stieg swears their powers are a gift from the old gods, but Hanne Hemstad knows she is truly cursed. It’s not Stieg’s fault that their father is dead, their mother has left, and their brother Knut has been accused of a crime he didn’t commit.

No, the fault lies with Hanne and her inability to control her murderous “gift”–she is a Berserker. When someone she loves is threatened, she flies into a killing state. The siblings must leave Norway for the American frontier or risk being brought to justice.

Aided by a young cowboy who agrees to be their guide, Hanne and her siblings use their powers to survive the perilous trail, where blizzards, wild animals, and vicious bounty hunters await.

Will they be able to reach their uncle, the one man Hanne believes may be able to teach her how to control her drive to kill? With Berserker, Emmy Laybourne, the author of Monument 14, presents her vision of an American west studded with Viking glory.

Trigger Warning: None

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Rafe, the Maverick (The Shamrock Trinity: Book 1) by Kay Hooper

Rafe, the Maverick (The Shamrock Trinity)

4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept

Date of publication: October 10th, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: 256

POV: 3rd person

Series: The Shamrock Trinity

Rafe the Maverick – Book 1

York, the Renegade – Book 2

Burke, the Kingpin – Book 3

Where you can find Rafe, the Maverick: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Heirs to a great dynasty, the Delaney brothers were united by blood, united by devotion to their rugged land … and known far and wide as THE SHAMROCK TRINITY. Powerful men… rakes and charmers… they needed only love to make their lives complete.

Rafe Delaney was a heartbreaker whose ebony eyes held laughing devils and whose lilting voice could charm any lady — or any horse — until a stallion named Diablo left him in the dust. It took Maggie O’Riley to work her magic on the impossible horse…and on his bold owner. No woman had jolted Rafe Delaney’s heart until this tiny dynamo had come to Shamrock Ranch; now her grace and strength made him yearn to share the raw beauty of his land, to teach her the exquisite pleasure of yielding to the heat inside her. Maggie was stirred by Rafe’s passion, but would his reputation and her ambition keep their kindred spirits apart?

Trigger Warning: None

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The After War: The Complete Novel (The After War: Books 1-2) by Brandon Zenner

The After War Box Set: Books 1 and 2 of the Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopian Series by [Zenner, Brandon]

4 Stars

Publisher: Brandon Zenner

Date of publication: June 30th, 2017

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Science Fiction, Dystopia

Number of pages: 445

POV: 3rd person

Series: The After War

To Alice – Book 1

Fire Horizons – Book 2

The After War: The Complete Novel – Books 1 & 2

Where you can find The After War: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Two years have passed since mankind faced extinction: Brain Rhodes and his cousin, Steven, are leaving the protection of their underground bunker for the first time after a cataclysmic war and unrelenting disease ravaged the earth. On the other side of North America, young Simon Kalispell is leaving the safety and seclusion of his cabin deep in the woods, traveling with his aging canine companion, Winston. For individual reasons, these men are traveling east, where the fragmented lives of a small number of survivors will soon be decided by the choices of a corrupt few. 

Simon Kalispell and Brian Rhodes are not yet aware, but the strength that resides inside them will soon be tested, and destiny will call for their fates to be forever intertwined.

Trigger Warning: Attempted rape

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7th Grade Revolution by Liana Gardner

7th Grade Revolution

Title: 7th Grade Revolution

Author: Liana Gardner

Publisher: Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Member’s Titles

Date of publication: October 24th, 2017

Genre: History, Middle Grade

Number of pages: 301

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find 7th Grade Revolution: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

WHEN UNEARTHING A NATIONAL TREASURE BECOMES A NATIONAL INCIDENT.

Inspired by True Events

Dennis Alexander: Washington Academy Middle School promises to be another in the long line of boring schools he has been expelled from. 

Rhonda Snodgrass: Although trained from childhood in survival tactics, she tries to stay off the radar of the “cool” kids who think she’s weird. 

7th grade turns out to be anything but normal when teachers announce the students’ bloodless revolution succeeded and they are now in charge. After conducting a secret-ballot vote on policy, the 7th graders emerge to find the school evacuated and the FBI lurking outside with the task of unearthing a treasure of national importance. 

The students’ mission is clear—discover the treasure before the FBI locks down the building. Dennis and Rhonda lead the revolt and must work together to follow century-old clues left by a crazy Revolutionary War buff. 

To stay one step ahead of the FBI, they must delve into history and amass an arsenal to defend their school … because this is WAR! 

Trigger Warning: None

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Loving Lakyn by Charlotte Reagan

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4 Stars

Publisher: Inkitt

Date of publication: October 18th, 2017

Genre: Romance, LBGTQIA

Number of pages: 

POV: 1st person

Where you can find Loving Lakyn: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Lakyn James is sixteen years old and hating every second of it. He was supposed to be done, he’d tapped out. End of story, unsubscribe here. Suicide “attempt”, they said. His intentions had no “attempt” in them. 

Re-entering normal life after ‘trying’ to take his own is weird. Especially when the world keeps going like it never happened. He still has to eat breakfast, go to school, and somehow convince a cute boy that he’s too damaged to date.

Scott White comes with his own problems, namely a habit of drinking too much and being indecisive about rather he wants in the closet, or out of it. Lakyn can’t stand him; he also can’t help smiling when Scott’s around.

Unfortunately – or fortunately – for Lakyn, life has decided to give him a second chance. He’s not happy about it, but maybe, with a lot of hard work and a good therapist, he can learn to be. And maybe he can hold Scott’s hand at the same time.

No promises though.

Trigger Warning (from the author’s Goodreads blog pages): Suicidal Ideation, Self Depreciating Thoughts, Descriptions of an Attempted Suicide Scene (after the fact), Mentions of Past Child Abuse (neglectful & physical),  Underage Substance Abuse (marijuana, alcohol, & pills that induce euphoria), Descriptions of Self Harm (cutting) and Blood, Mentions of a Deceased Parent, Brief uses of Homophobic Language, Descriptions of Disassociation, Descriptions of Anxiety, Brief Allusions of Bullying

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An American Cage by Ted Galdi

An American Cage

4 stars

Publisher: Precipice Books

Date of publication: October 16th, 2017

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Number of pages: 297

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find An American Cage: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Three inmates break out of a maximum-security prison in Texas, one of them Danny Marsh, a suburban kid in his twenties who landed in jail because of a crime he never intended to commit. 

An American Cage follows Danny and his two escape partners over a twenty-four-hour period as they struggle to cross Texas to freedom in Mexico. On this dangerous journey, Danny has to evade the rabid Texas authorities, and even worse, the schemes of one of his closest allies, who isn’t who he seems.

The second novel by Amazon #1 bestselling author and multi-award winner Ted Galdi, this psychological thriller is packed with suspense, twists, and grit, all while having heart. The story follows its young male protagonist on a journey of self-discovery and redemption as he weaves through a rocky landscape of family issues, guilt, betrayal, and questions about the nature of good and evil.

Along the way, he encounters an eclectic supporting cast, including a renowned psychology professor, a car thief, a young female hitchhiker, the leader of a biker gang, and a small-town Texas police officer with big ambitions. 

Featuring vivid descriptions of East Texas’s Piney Woods, Austin, and El Paso, a cinematic unfolding of action, and an examination of existential philosophical concepts, An American Cage would be a pleasing read for fans of literary thrillers as well as commercial thrillers.

The book has echoes of Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men, in addition to the crime fiction of upmarket writers like Dennis Lehane and George Pelecanos.

Trigger Warning: None

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