Category: NetGalley

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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Naked We Came (Jake Travis: Book 5) by Robert Lane

Naked We Came (Jake Travis, #5)

4 Stars

Publisher: Mason Alley Publishing

Date of publication: September 25th, 2017

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Number of pages: 355

POV: 1st person

Series: Jake Travis

The Second Letter – Book 1

Cooler Than Blood – Book 2

The Cardinal’s Sin – Book 3

The Gail Force – Book 4

Naked We Came – Book 5

Where you can find Naked We Came: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Jake Travis searches for the man who abducted and killed his sister and only sibling over 30 years ago, while on a family vacation in Florida. She went to their motel room to get the book “Matilda.” She was never seen again.

Now, the man suspected of killing her has washed up on a beach near Jake’s house. He penned a confession just days before his mysterious death. Jake believes that the confession was forced and that DNA was tainted.

His vengeful quest tangles him in a web of murky and powerful figures. As Jake forges ahead, seeking both justice for his sister and personal closure, he questions if he will ever spring free of his past, or whether the past will forever shackle him in its chains.

Foreword Clarion Reviews calls, “Naked We Came” “An emotionally austere and endlessly surprising thriller. Jake remains a character who shines among other genre leads. His dialogue is snappy, his appetites are insatiable. A thriller with heart.”

Trigger Warning: None

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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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Faithless by Graham Austin-King

Faithless

4 Stars

Publisher: Fallen Leaf Press

Date of publication: June 30th, 2017

Genre: General Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Number of pages: 404

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find Faithless: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

The temples of the Forgefather have fallen. The clerics and defenders that could once be found across the nine lands are no more. Priests huddle in the great temple, clinging to the echoes of their lost religion. But the Father has fallen silent. There are none who still hear his voice.

The mines of Aspiration lie far below the temple’s marble halls. Slaves toil in the blackness, striving to earn their way into the church and the light. Wynn has been sold into this fate, traded for a handful of silver. In the depths of the mines, where none dare carry flame, he must meet his tally or die. But there are things that lurk in that darkness, and still darker things within the hearts of men.

When the souls bound to the great forge are released in a failed ritual, one novice flees down into the darkness of the mines. The soulwraiths know only hunger, the risen know only hate. In the blackest depths, Kharios must seek a light to combat the darkness which descends.

Trigger Warning: sexual abuse of children

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The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co. : Book 1) by Jonathan Stroud

Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase by [Stroud, Jonathan]

3 Stars

Publisher: Disney Book Group, Disney-Hyperion

Date of publication: August 26th, 2014

Genre: Children’s Fiction, Middle Grade, paranormal

Number of pages: 401

POV: 1st person

Series: Lockwood & Co.

The Screaming Staircase – Book 1

The Dagger in the Desk – Book 1.5

The Whispering Skull – Book 2

The Hollow Boy – Book 3

The Creeping Shadow – Book 4

The Empty Grave – Book 5

Where you can find The Screaming Staircase: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

When the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in . . .

For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions.

Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead, she finds herself joining the smallest, most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately, this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive.

Set in a city stalked by specters, The Screaming Staircase is the first in a chilling new series full of suspense, humor and truly terrifying ghosts. Your nights will never be the same again . . .

Trigger Warning: Suicide after the fact, Murder after the fact

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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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Slap Shot (Aces Hockey: Book 5) by Kelly Jamieson

Slap Shot (Aces Hockey #5)

Title: Slap Shot

Author: Kelly Jamieson

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept

Date of publication: October 17, 2017

Genre: Romance, Sports

Number of pages: 276

POV: 1st person

Series: Aces Hockey

Major Misconduct – Book 1

Off Limits – Book 1.5

Icing – Book 2

Top Shelf – Book 3

Back Check – Book 4

Slap Shot – Book 5

Where you can find Slap Shot: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

My name’s Max Hall, and I need to f***. As a pro hockey player who’s been away from the game for over a year, my libido has picked one hell of an inconvenient time to come roaring back to life.
 
After my wife died from a rare form of cancer, sex was the last thing on my mind. Same with hockey, the other love of my life. Now, after fifteen months of eating too much, drinking too much, and generally just feeling sorry for myself, I’m facing a steep uphill battle to get my ass in shape and play my way back onto the Chicago Aces.
 
So I’m not looking for a relationship. Just sex. Yeah, I know how that makes me sound. But the truth is, I’ll never love another woman the way I loved my wife. When I meet a sexy bridesmaid at my teammate’s wedding, I decide to scratch that itch. A fling with Kendra Armstrong in her posh hotel room could be just what the trainer ordered.
 
Not only is Kendra smokin’ hot, but she’s also dynamite in bed—one of the perks of being a sex toy designer. Since she lives in New York anyway, we agree to keep things casual, no strings attached. The arrangement is perfect . . . until one of us falls in love. And it’s not me.

Trigger Warning: None

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House of Shadows by Nicola Cornick

House of Shadows

Title: House of Shadows

Author: Nicola Cornick

Publisher: Harlequin, Graydon House

Date of publication: October 17th, 2017 (original publication date: December 5th, 2015)

Genre: Historical Fiction, Women’s Fiction

Number of pages: 464

POV: 3rd person (Elizabeth and Holly) and 1st person (Lavinia’s journal entry)

Where you can find House of Shadows: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

The wooded hills of Oxfordshire conceal the remains of the aptly named Ashdown House—a wasted pile of cinders and regret. Once home to the daughter of a king, Ashdown and its secrets will unite three women across four centuries in a tangle of romance, deceit, and destiny…

In the winter of 1662, Elizabeth Stuart, the Winter Queen, is on her deathbed. She entrusts an ancient pearl, rumored to have magic power, to her faithful cavalier William Craven for safe keeping. In his grief, William orders the construction of Ashdown Estate in her memory and places the pearl at its center.

One hundred and fifty years later, notorious courtesan Lavinia Flyte hears the maids at Ashdown House whisper of a hidden treasure, and bears witness as her protector Lord Evershot—desperate to find it—burns the building to the ground.

Now, a battered mirror and the diary of a Regency courtesan are the only clues Holly Ansell has to find her brother, who has gone missing researching the mystery of Elizabeth Stuart and her alleged affair with Lord Craven. As she retraces his footsteps, Holly’s quest will soon reveal the truth about Lavinia and compel her to confront the stunning revelation about the legacy of the Winter Queen.

Trigger Warning: Domestic violence (Lavinia)

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