Will the Time Come #734, June 26th

Every Thursday I am going to list a book which I really want to read/keep meaning to get to. These are mostly books which have been on my shelf for awhile now but don't have to be, maybe you got it two weeks ago and really want to read it! Thanks to Jodie from Books for Company for this meme!

Want to Join?

-Pick a book you have been meaning to read

-Do a post telling us about the book    

-Link the post up in the linky  

-Visit the other blogs

From Goodreads:

A compulsively readable debut with a narrator you just can't trust, perfect for fans of Natasha Preston.

As a child, Cassidy Pratt accidentally started a fire that killed her neighbor. At least, that's what she's been told. She can't remember anything from that day. She's pretty sure she didn't mean to do it. She's a victim too. But her town's bullies, particularly the cruel and beautiful Melody Davenport, have never let her live it down. In Melody's eyes, Cassidy is a murderer and always will be.

When Cassidy overhears what sounded like an abduction and Melody goes missing, Cassidy knows she should go to the cops, but... She recently joked about how much she'd like to get rid of Melody. She even planned out the perfect way to do it. It's up to Cassidy to figure out what really happened, because if she comes forward without a suspect, she knows people will point fingers at her. Again. And she can't let that happen.

But the truth behind Melody's disappearance will set the whole town ablaze.

Why the time hasn't come yet...

I don't know why I haven't, I've read a few of her books and loved them, and it is a stand alone, so it's easy to pick up, and I want to read it, so hopefully I do, and soon!What about you guys? Happy reading! 

Monthly ARC's Update 109

So I read my next book for Monthly ARC's and it was We Were Warned by Chelsea Ichaso, The Warbler by Sarah Beth Durst, and When the Bones Sing by Ginny Myers Sain from the March list, and All Fired Up by M. K. England from the April list.

Here's the link to this month's post with my journey.

How it Works: 

This is my monthly ARC accountability challenge, to list out the books that I have as ARC's that are being published in the coming month, rounding them up at the start of the month, and seeing how well I did at the end, as well as rounding up the next month's books.    

  

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #717, March 3rd

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week...and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well...you never know where that next "must read" book will come from!

What happened in the past week:

Weekly Memes:
It's Monday! What Are You Reading #716
Teaser Tuesday #724
WWW Wednesday #724
WOW #720
Will the Time Come #717
Third Sentence Thursday #707
Random Reads #693
First Lines Friday #720
Book Blogger Hop #386

Monthly ARC's April Round Up

Monthly Series March Round Up

Monthly ARC's Update 108
The Reward Challenge Update #702
Wheel of TBR #249
How Well I Stuck to It #554
Wrote that Review Update #551

Week 9 Reviews:

Uncharted 

Followed by Frost

A Crack in the Stone

Rule of the Aurora King

Fate of the Sun King 

Tale of the Heart Queen

The Dark Mirror 

Heavenbreaker

A Theory of Dreaming

A Not So Silent Night

Snow Place Like LA

A Holly Jolly Ever After 

O Come All Ye Newlyweds

Seas and Greetings 

A Jingle Bell Mingle

We Three Horndogs 

The Dragon Queen

Igniting Fate

Junkyard Roadhouse

We Were Warned

The Warbler

When the Bones Sing

Phase Out Your Seriesathon: 

Update 16

Magical Readathon: Orilium: 

Update 15

Polarthon Readathon: 

Update 13

Update 14

Update 15

Update 16 and Wrap Up

Random:

Olivia Dade Author Page

The Bookworm Revolution March 2025 TBR

Saara El-Arifi Author Page

Tracy Banghart Author Page

Amélie Wen Zhao Author Page

Daniel M. Ford Author Page

OK, so I got 41 posts in 7 days, and I had a good time on my vacation, and I'm still off today, but it always goes by so quickly, and doesn't feel like anything gets done, which isn't great, but yeah, I mainly slept in, which was needed. What about you guys? Happy reading!

So this week I want to read Queen of Shadows and Ruin and The Ragpicker King!

Zarya must become the darkness…

Soaring through the sky to the frozen mountains of Andhera, Zarya knows that only she can save her home from annihilation. Ruthless armies hunt her friends and toxic dark magic spreads through the land, consuming all it touches. To fight back, she and Rabin must find dangerous new allies.

In a palace of black marble, Zarya finally meets her father—the mysterious Raja Abishek. She approaches warily. For years she was told to fear this man, that he seeks to steal her power. But Abishek welcomes her with open arms, with gifts and lavish celebrations.

Rabin is sure the king can help them, turning the tide of war and decay. And when the magic binding Zarya's heart to Rabin begins to fail, only Abishek can offer a cure. Zarya dreads the thought of placing their lives in his hands… But can she hesitate, when Rabin might be torn from her forever?

As Zarya makes her choice, ancient magic breaks loose, and her world shatters. In a ruined and long forgotten city, her love for Rabin will be tested to its limits. An army of shadows marches against her, destroying all in its path, and everything Zarya loves will be lost, unless she can face the darkness inside her—and release its devastating power.

An absolutely gripping fantasy romance that's perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Rebecca Yarros, and Carissa Broadbent, Queen of Shadows and Ruin is the epic final volume in the Nightfire Quartet.

In the epic follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Sword Catcher, praised by George R. R. Martin as “everything I look for in fantasy,” Lin and Kel must chart a perilous course between love and lies.

Kel Saren, body double to Conor, crown prince of the dazzling city of Castellane, is caught between two worlds. In order to protect his beloved prince, Kel must find the culprits responsible for a massacre at the royal palace—and the only clues are held by the Ragpicker King, the notorious criminal who rules Castellane’s underworld. The trail Kel follows leads back to the Hill, where among decadent nobles and glittering parties a dark conspiracy to destroy the royal family has taken hold—a conspiracy headed up by the monstrous Artal Gremont, the man engaged to marry the woman Kel adores.

Meanwhile, Lin Caster must face the aftermath of the greatest risk she’s ever taken. To save the life of a dying friend, Lin has falsely claimed to be the Goddess Reborn, the legendary heroine destined to save her people. Now the terrifying—but strangely magnetic—leader of her people has arrived to test her powers. The price of failure is exile, and only through her alliance with the Ragpicker King can she continue to access the magic that may save her.

Then Prince Conor reappears in her life, demanding that she use her healing powers to cure the madness of his father, the King. Lin soon realizes the King is gripped by an ancient and terrible magic, one whose lure she cannot deny any more than she can deny her growing passion for Conor.

As the simmering tensions in Castellane reach a fever pitch, Lin and Kel must decide who to trust when any false move means death—or worse.

Week 9 Review: We Were Warned

From Goodreads:

Everyone knows the legend of Fairport twenty-five years ago, a shocking murder closed the place down. This year, the ruins will be bulldozed at last. But tonight, it's not too late to die.

All her life, Eden Stafford has heard the lore about the abandoned beach resort at the edge of ever since the notorious murder there, anyone who sets foot on the property is cursed to die, It's more than just a over the years, two high school students who dared to explore the ruins of Fairport Village were killed there.

Eden is no stranger to notoriety, having endured a family scandal that's made her a target at school. So when she reluctantly attends an overnight party at the ruins, she's on edge—not because of some legend, but because the clique that has made her life hell for years is there, too, including Caleb Durham, the worst of them all.

Yet out of all the things Eden expected to happen that night, finding another student dead at Fairport Village wasn't one of them.

Though the death is ruled an accident, Eden knows she saw something suspicious at the ruins—and Caleb and her other longtime tormentors did too. Now they're all being followed by a deadly stranger, and to save themselves, they must work together to uncover the truth about Fairport Village. But after all that's happened, can Eden really trust Caleb and his friends? Or will they leave her to face a killer alone?

My Review:


Author: Chelsea Ichaso
Read: February 28th, 2025 
Source: NetGalley  
Reason Why: Love her writing and it sounded really good, and it's a SAC 2025 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Expected Publication: March 4th 2025

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

First Lines Friday #720, February 28th

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. We encourage all of our fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

-Grab your current read(s)
-Share the first line(s)
-Include the title and author so that other FLF participants can add the book to their TBR Lists!

"The figure knelt over the body at the edge of the ruins. The coastal wind whipped against the figure's black hood as the ocean waves crashed. The figure glanced back to peer beyond the mist. A rock wall lined the front of what was left of Fairport Village, separating the clifftop property from the beach below. Among the other rocks, a long granite one stood out, smooth and flat as a tabletop, specks of mica gleaming beneath the moonlight. It formed a plank over the sandy beach below: the Founder’s Slab. Back in the 1800s, a horrible plague struck the first settlers, and it’s been said that in their desperation, the sick carved their prayers into that sacred rock."-We Were Warned by Chelsea Ichaso

That's pretty atmospheric! Must read more now! What about you guys? Happy reading! 

Waiting on Wednesday #713, January 8th

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating! 

I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang

Expected Publication: January 28th, 2025
From Goodreads:

Jenna Chen has spent her life in the shadow of her flawless cousin. Jessica Chen is so smart she gets the top score on every test. Jessica Chen is so beautiful people stop in the hallway to stare at her. Jessica Chen is so perfect she got into Harvard.

And Jenna Chen will only ever be a disappointment.

So when Jenna makes a desperate wish to become her cousin, the last thing she expects is for it to come true—literally. All of a sudden she gets to live the life she’s always dreamed of . . . but being the model student at cutthroat Havenwood Private Academy isn’t quite what she’d imagined. Worse, people seem to be forgetting that someone named Jenna Chen ever existed. But isn’t it worth trading it all away—her artistic talent, her childhood home, even the hope of golden boy Aaron Cai loving her back—to be Jessica Chen?

Carving Shadows Into Gold by Brigid Kemmerer

Expected Publication: January 28th, 2025
From Goodreads:

Dangerous magic. Fateful choices. Broken promises. The spellbinding series by New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer continues.

The King's Courier Tycho has made a treacherous bargain. Now beholden to the magical scraver who saved King Gray's life, one false move could end everything.

Jax escaped his life in Briarlock and traveled with Tycho to Emberfall. But life outside his small village brings unexpected challenges--and unlikely adversaries.

After years of hating the royal family and their magic, Callyn never expected to be at the Queen's side, with magic on her fingertips. But at the royal court, she can't trust anyone--including the man she thought she loved.

Cast apart, Tycho, Jax, and Callyn must learn to wield the magic that is dividing their kingdom. As the magical scravers attack from the north and the king's rivals gain strength, time is running out.

War is looming. Love is tested. And magic could be the only answer. . .

Order of Swans by Jude Deveraux

Expected Publication: January 28th, 2025
From Goodreads:

In this spellbinding, fantasy-rich novel, a woman is swept into a world where she has the power to alter fairy tales, and change a kingdom’s destiny…

To Kaley Arens, a PhD student and expert in folklore, fairy stories have always had a power and an allure beyond mere entertainment.

It’s only when Kaley accompanies her lifelong friend Jobi on a visit to his home that she realizes how much she still has to learn. Bellis isn’t the remote island that she believed it to be. It’s another world—a stunningly beautiful and seductive one, with its own royalty, its own rules, and inhabitants who breathe life into the tales she was taught were fiction.

Kaley’s presence is no simple holiday. She has a mysterious connection with Jobi and with Bellis, and abilities that may help determine this world’s fate. Tasked with locating a lost prince, Kaley and her companions—the enigmatic Tanek, a member of the Order of Swans, and Sojee, Kaley's colossal bodyguard—journey through a land both thrilling and terrifying, where the uncanny and the familiar go hand in hand.

But in fairy tales, heroes and villains are easy to discern. Here, nothing is quite as it seems. And though Kaley is discovering that she can change the outcome of the fairy tales she knows so well, her own story is unfolding in ways impossible to predict, with a destiny she could never have foretold…

The Scorpion Queen by Mina Fears

Expected Publication: January 28th, 2025
From Goodreads:

Uprooted meets Children of Blood and Bone in this dark fantasy inspired by a Malian fairy tale about a princess whose suitors are challenged to gruesome trials.

Deep within the imperial palace at Timbuktu, Amie has suffered a devastating loss. Once the daughter of a prosperous salt merchant Amie’s life was cruelly overturned in a matter of months. At sixteen, Amie now finds herself disinherited, framed for a scandalous crime, and forced to serve Princess Mariama of Mali . Her father, Emperor Sulyeman, has created a series of impossible trials for his daughter's suitors. When they fail, he publicly boils them alive, littering Mariama’s path to marriage with ninety-nine corpses.

At first, Amie’s life at court is drudgery—the chores are difficult, the servants despise her, and Princess Mariama is prone to mood swings—but the more she learns about the princess's circumstances, the closer the two girls become. Amie and her intended, Kader, plan to escape Timbuktu and make a new life far away from the shadow of death that has fallen upon the emperor’s court, but she finds herself increasingly drawn to the princess in ways she doesn’t understand.

When a mysterious discovery forces her hand, she must choose between fleeing with the boy she loves or helping the princess to end the trials forever. Amie will need to draw on all of her strength and courage to make the perilous journey through the desert to seek the aid of an exiled god in a final, desperate attempt to take charge of her own destiny.

So I Lied by Chelsea Ichaso

Expected Publication: January 28th, 2025

From Goodreads:

In this foreboding journey into the depths of friendship, three women spend a trip together covering up the secrets between them—but when one lie unravels, there’s no going back.

Jocelyn is ready to get married—and more ready to have fun. She plans a bachelorette trip to North Wales, where she can forget about her strained relationship and focus on the tension among friends instead. It’s a welcome distraction.

Her friend Rowan used to be the wild child. But after having a kid of her own and losing the father in a tragic accident, she’s now the ever-responsible single mother, cautious in every way. Except one.

Cadence doesn’t want to be there. For as long as she’s known her friends, she’s always felt disparate. Maybe it’s because those two share a special Jocelyn’s brother was Rowan’s boyfriend, and they still feel his loss. Or maybe it’s because Cadence has secrets they can never know.

As the trip goes on, their friendship begins to crack under the pressure of all the things they leave unsaid…but those might be the only things that can save them.

The first month of the year is wrapping things up with some really fantastic books! I can't wait for all these books to be out in the world! What about you guys? Happy reading! 

Monthly ARC's Update 103

So I read my next book for Monthly ARC's and it was So I Lied by Chelsea Ichaso and The Afterdark by E. Latimer from the January list, Cursebound by Saara El-Arifi from the February list, and Wheel of the Infinite by Martha Wells from the November list.

Here's the link to this month's post with my journey.

How it Works: 

This is my monthly ARC accountability challenge, to list out the books that I have as ARC's that are being published in the coming month, rounding them up at the start of the month, and seeing how well I did at the end, as well as rounding up the next month's books.    

   

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #708, December 30th

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week...and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well...you never know where that next "must read" book will come from!

What happened in the past week:

Weekly Memes:
It's Monday! What Are You Reading #707
Teaser Tuesday #715
WWW Wednesday #715
WOW #711
Will the Time Come #708
Third Sentence Thursday #698
Random Reads #684
First Lines Friday #711
Book Blogger Hop #377

Monthly ARC's February Round Up

Monthly Series January Round Up

Monthly ARC's Update 102
The Reward Challenge Update #693
Wheel of TBR #240
How Well I Stuck to It #545
Wrote that Review Update #542

Week 52 Reviews:
Juniper & Thorn

Seasick

Breath of the Dragon

Class Act

A Rift in the Soul

The Dollmakers

Titan of the Stars

The Bitter End

The Dark Becomes Her

Paladin's Grace

Paladin's Strength

Paladin's Hope

Paladin's Faith

Heavenly Tyrant

First Encounter: The Shinigami Detective and the Royal Mage

This Ends in Embers

So I Lied

Clear Your S**t Readathon: 

Update 27 and Wrap Up

Merry Bookmas Readathon: 

Update 10 

Update 11

Update 12 and Wrap Up

Random:

Xiran Jay Zhao Author Page

The Bookworm Revolution January 2025 TBR

OK, so I got 36 posts in 7 days, and it was a pretty good week, I had decent holidays, and I'm glad that we're getting Wednesday off this week, too, because I've already starting working on my end of year/start of year posts that haven't been ones that I've been working on as the year goes by. Because they're always a time consuming project. What about you guys? Happy reading!

So this week I want to read whatever I want! 

Week 52 Review: So I Lied

From Goodreads:

In this foreboding journey into the depths of friendship, three women spend a trip together covering up the secrets between them—but when one lie unravels, there’s no going back.

Jocelyn is ready to get married—and more ready to have fun. She plans a bachelorette trip to North Wales, where she can forget about her strained relationship and focus on the tension among friends instead. It’s a welcome distraction.

Her friend Rowan used to be the wild child. But after having a kid of her own and losing the father in a tragic accident, she’s now the ever-responsible single mother, cautious in every way. Except one.

Cadence doesn’t want to be there. For as long as she’s known her friends, she’s always felt disparate. Maybe it’s because those two share a special Jocelyn’s brother was Rowan’s boyfriend, and they still feel his loss. Or maybe it’s because Cadence has secrets they can never know.

As the trip goes on, their friendship begins to crack under the pressure of all the things they leave unsaid…but those might be the only things that can save them.

My Review:


Author: Chelsea Ichaso
Read: December 27th, 2024 
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Love her writing and it sounded really good, and it's a SAC 2024 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Expected Publication: January 28th 2025

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

First Lines Friday #711, December 27th

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. We encourage all of our fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

-Grab your current read(s)
-Share the first line(s)
-Include the title and author so that other FLF participants can add the book to their TBR Lists!

"The scream rings out beside me, piercing my ears, tearing through the whistling wind. I feel my friend’s arms on me, her face buried in my neck. Even as her fingertips dig through the fabric of my coat and her tears wet my cheek, I can’t console her. The leather boots I purchased just for this trip are frozen in place, as if nailed to the moss-laden forest floor. My lips are paralyzed in their parted half-moon state. I want to shut my eyes, but it’s as if my lids have been pried open with forceps."-So I Lied by Chelsea Ichaso

That does not sound good! Must read more now! What about you guys? Happy reading! 

Chelsea Ichaso Author Page

The Story: I saw Little Creeping Things on NetGalley, and it sounded good and I got it, and I've gotten every subsequent release of hers from there, and I can't wait to read more of her books! 

Website

Stand Alone's: Little Creeping Things and her site, my review, Dead Girl's Can't Tell Secrets and her site, my review, They're Watching You and her site, my review, The Summer She Went Missing and her site, my review, So I Lied and her site, my review, We Were Warned and her site, my review.

Waiting on Wednesday #665, February 7th

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!

Aftermarket Afterlife by Seanan McGuire

Expected Publication: March 5th, 2024
From Goodreads:

Seanan McGuire's New York Times -bestselling and Hugo Award-nominated urban fantasy InCryptid series continues with the thirteenth book following the Price family, cryptozoologists who study and protect the creatures living in secret all around us

Mary Dunlavy didn't intend to become a professional babysitter. Of course, she didn't intend to die, either, or to become a crossroads ghost. As a babysitting ghost, she's been caring for the Price family for four generations, and she's planning to keep doing the job for the better part of forever.

With her first charge finally back from her decades-long cross-dimensional field trip, with a long-lost husband and adopted daughter in tow, it's time for Mary to oversee the world's most chaotic family reunion. And that's before the Covenant of St. George launches a full scale strike against the cryptids of Manhattan, followed quickly by an attack on the Campbell Family Carnival.

It's going to take every advantage and every ally they have for the Prices to survive what's coming—and for Mary, to avoid finding out the answer to a question she's never wanted to where does a babysitting ghost go when she runs out of people to take care of?

What Monstrous Gods by Rosamund Hodge

Expected Publication: March 5th, 2024
From Goodreads:

Centuries ago, the heretic sorcerer Ruven raised a deadly briar around Runakhia's palace, casting the royal family into an enchanted sleep - and silencing the kingdom's gods.

Born with a miraculous gift, Lia's destiny is to kill Ruven and wake the royals. But when she succeeds, she finds her duty is not yet complete, for now she must marry into the royal family and forge a pact with a god - or die.

To make matters even worse, Ruven's spirit is haunting her.

As discord grows between the old and new guards, the queen sends Lia and Prince Araunn, her betrothed, on a pilgrimage to awaken the gods. But the old gods are more dangerous than Lia ever knew - and Ruven may offer her only hope of survival.

As the two work together, Lia learns that they're more alike than she expected. And with tensions rising, Lia must choose between what she was raised to believe and what she knows is right - and between the prince she is bound to by duty...and the boy she killed.

Endless by Josephine Angelini

Expected Publication: March 5th, 2024
From Goodreads:
The highly anticipated conclusion to the international bestselling Starcrossed saga.  This Greek mythology series is ideal for fans of Alexandra Bracken and Chloe Gong.  T he dice have always been loaded against her.  Helen was always fated to start a war. Even after defeating the Olympians and taking up the mantle as the most powerful of all the Scions, Helen still wasn’t able to save her father. Bereft and betrayed by Lucas, Helen falls into a downward spiral… but the Fates aren’t done with her yet.   Star-crossed in love, she was destined for destruction.  The cycle was never meant to be broken. Helen learns that her final purpose is to be the spark that sets the whole world on fire. To prevent this from happening, she must do the impossible, and defeat the Moirae. If she fails, she risks ending up like Oedipus, meeting her fate on the road she has taken to escape it.   Will love be the key that finally trumps fate?

Rift in the Soul by Faith Hunter

Expected Publication: March 5th, 2024
From Goodreads:

Nell Ingram and her team face a dire, supernatural evil in this newest thrilling paranormal procedural in the New York Times bestselling Soulwood series.

Nell Ingram draws her powers from deep in the earth, and uses them to help Psy-LED, the Psychometric Law Enforcement Division, which solves paranormal crimes. When a local vampire calls to report a dead body on her compound, Nell knows she and her team have to be ready for anything.

But the dead body is just the beginning of a mystery that involves supernaturals of all kinds, including some of the most powerful vampires in the country. As Nell gets closer to the truth, she begins to understand that the perpetrator is tracking her too—and that there is something personal about this crime. Something with roots that go almost as deep as those in Soulwood.

The Prisoner's Throne by Holly Black

Expected Publication: March 5th, 2024
From Goodreads:

An imprisoned prince. A vengeful queen. And a battle that will determine the future of Elfhame.

Prince Oak is paying for his betrayal. Imprisoned in the icy north and bound to the will of a monstrous new queen, he must rely on charm and calculation to survive. With High King Cardan and High Queen Jude ready to use any means necessary to retrieve their stolen heir, should Oak attempt to regain the trust of the girl he's always loved, or remain loyal to Elfhame and hand over the means to end her reign-even if it means ending Wren, too...

With war looming and treachery lurking in every corner, neither Oak's guile nor his wit will be enough to keep everyone he loves alive. He will have some terrible choices to make.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black comes the stunning blood-soaked conclusion to the Stolen Heir duology.

Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano

Expected Publication: March 5th, 2024
From Goodreads:

Finlay Donovan and her nanny/partner-in-crime Vero are in sore need of a girls’ weekend away. They plan a trip to Atlantic City, but odds are―seeing as it’s actually a cover story to negotiate a deal with a dangerous loan shark, save Vero’s childhood crush Javi, and hunt down a stolen car―it won’t be all fun and games. When Finlay’s ex-husband Steven and her mother insist on tagging along too, Finlay and Vero suddenly have a few too many meddlesome passengers along for the ride.

Within hours of arriving in their seedy casino hotel, it becomes clear their rescue mission is going to be a bust. Javi’s kidnapper, Marco, refuses to negotiate, demanding payment in full in exchange for Javi’s life. But that’s not all―he insists on knowing the whereabouts of his missing nephew, Ike, who mysteriously disappeared. Unable to confess what really happened to Ike, Finlay and Vero are forced to come up with a new plan: sleuth out the location of Javi and the Aston Martin, then steal them both back.

But when they sneak into the loan shark’s suite to search for clues, they find more than they bargained for―Marco's already dead. They don’t have a clue who murdered him, only that they themselves have a very convincing motive. Then four members of the police department unexpectedly show up in town, also looking for Ike―and after Finlay's night with hot cop Nick at the police academy, he’s a little too eager to keep her close to his side.

If Finlay can juggle a jealous ex-husband, two precocious kids, her mother’s marital issues, a decomposing loan shark, and find Vero’s missing boyfriend, she might get out of Atlantic City in one piece. But will she fold under the pressure and come clean about the things she’s done, or be forced to double down?

Three Kinds of Lucy by Kim Harrison

Expected Publication: March 5th, 2024
From Goodreads:

Luck is its own kind of magic, in this first book in an electrifying new contemporary fantasy series from the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Hollows novels.

Petra Grady has known since adolescence that she has no talent for magic—and that’s never going to change. But as a sweeper first-class, she’s parlayed her rare ability to handle dross—the damaging, magical waste generated by her more talented kin’s spellwork—into a decent life working at the mages’ university.

Except Grady’s relatively predictable life is about to be upended. When the oblivious, sexy, and oh-so-out-of-reach Benedict Strom needs someone with her abilities for a research project studying dross and how to render it harmless, she’s stuck working on his team—whether she wants to or not.

Only Benedict doesn’t understand the characteristics of dross like Grady does. After an unthinkable accident, she and Benedict are forced to go on the run to seek out the one person who might be able to help: an outcast exiled ten years ago for the crime of using dross to cast spells. Now Grady must decide whether to stick with the magical status quo or embrace her own hidden talents . . . and risk shattering their entire world.

Four Letter Word by Gretchen McNeil

Expected Publication: March 5th, 2024
From Goodreads:

In this pulse-pounding thriller, Izzy and her family welcome an exchange student into their home. But after a series of mishaps and coincidences, and with a serial killer on the loose, Izzy begins to suspect the young man is not who he seems.

For most of her life, Izzy has been looking forward to fulfilling her mother’s dream of studying abroad in Italy. Going into her senior year, Izzy is counting down the days until she can leave her humdrum life behind, until Alberto, a handsome and mysterious Italian exchange student shows up for his stay with her family. Now life in her hometown doesn’t seem so drab, as Izzy, and everyone else, is immediately charmed by Alberto and his irresistible accent.

But something about Alberto isn’t quite…right. As an avid true crime fan, Izzy has been following a serial killer case in San Francisco and the murderer, whose description bears a passing resemblance to the Italian exchange student living in her house, seems to have made his way north. As Izzy pays closer attention to Alberto—his actions, his temper—she finds more and more holes in his story that he has trouble explaining away.

When a local girl is murdered, Izzy thinks Alberto might not be who he seems. Worse, a series of “accidents” seem to target Izzy herself. In a race against the clock, Izzy must convince anyone that Alberto could be a notorious killer before another girl ends up dead.

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

Expected Publication: March 5th, 2024
From Goodreads:

What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn't matter?

After Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer. Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all, and if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. It’s been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy can’t remember anything about, and she has since moved to LA and started a new life.

But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast "Listen for the Lie," and its too-good looking host Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the show’s second season. Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend’s murder, even if she is the one that did it.

The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist by Sophie Gonzales

Expected Publication: March 5th, 2024
From Goodreads:

A fanfic writer brings her favorite TV character to life in this friends-to-enemies-to-lovers novel full of humor and heart.

Ivy Winslow has the house to herself for a week while her parents are away. She’s planning to use this newfound freedom to binge-watch her favorite fantasy TV show, H-MAD, and hang out with her best friend, Henry. She’ll also have to avoid her former best friend-turned enemy (and neighbor), Mack. But things quickly go awry when Ivy wakes up to find Weston, the gorgeous, very fictional main character of H-MAD in her bedroom, claiming to be her soul mate.

Ivy realizes that her fanfic writing has somehow brought Weston as she’s imagined him to life. But it turns out that the tropes she swoons over in her stories are slightly less romantic in reality, and her not-so-fictional crush is causing some real-world problems. To figure out why Weston is here and what to do with him, Ivy decides to team up with Henry and (against her better judgment) Mack. But with Mack back in her life, Ivy starts to wonder if Weston, her “perfect guy”, is the one who’s truly perfect for her . . . or if that was someone else all along.

The Summer She Went Missing by Chelsea Ichaso

Expected Publication: March 5th, 2024
From Goodreads:

From the author of Dead Girls Can't Tell Secrets and They're Watching You, a compelling new thriller!

Last summer, they searched for Audrey Covington.

This summer, they'll search for the truth.

Paige Redmond has always felt lucky to spend her summers in Clearwater Ridge, with lazy days sunning at the waterfalls and nights partying at the sprawling houses of the rich families who vacation there. The Covingtons are one of these families, and beautiful, brilliant Audrey Covington is Paige's best friend. And last year, when Audrey's crush-worthy brother Dylan finally started noticing Paige, she was sure it would be the best summer ever.

Except Audrey didn't seem quite like herself. Then one night, she didn't come home. Though Audrey wasn't the first girl to disappear in Clearwater Ridge, she left behind more lies than clues. Now, one summer later, her case has gone cold, and nobody, least of all Paige, can make sense of what happened.

When Paige stumbles across a secret hidden in Audrey's room, however, it changes everything she thought she knew about last summer. She and Dylan set out on their own investigation, discovering things even the police don't know about the people of Clearwater Ridge. But tracking down missing girls—girls who might be beyond saving by now—means entering a world far darker than Paige has ever imagined. And if she isn't careful, she'll become the next girl to vanish.

Bad Like Us by Gabriella Lepore

Expected Publication: March 5th, 2024
From Goodreads:

Two friend groups collide when someone turns up dead over spring break in this heart-thumping YA thriller for fans of One of Us Is Lying and We Were Liars

Spring break is a vibe—until someone gets murdered

Partying with popular classmates they barely know is not what Eva and her BFFs had in mind for their spring break. But things have been off ever since Miles' academic career took a turn for the worse (they don't talk about it), so a trip to a private beach lodge might be exactly what they need. And Eva won’t admit it, but the chance to reconnect with Colton is worth putting up with Piper’s constant livestreams to her thousands of “besties.”

At first, it’s all sand and waves, but tensions run high when an anonymous letter shakes up an already-flailing love triangle.

When someone turns up dead, Eva can’t even trust her closest friends—but she thinks she can trust Colton. As they get closer to the truth, they uncover secrets that upend everything they thought they knew about their fellow spring breakers.

March is kicking things off with a bang, I love these authors and series, I'm so excited for these installments, I've read a few, they were so fantastic, and I can't wait for them to be out! What about you guys? Happy reading! 

Monthly ARC's Update 53

So I read my next book for Monthly ARC's and it was Loveboat Forever by Abigail Hing Wen from the November list and They're Watching You by Chelsea Ichaso from the January list.

Here's the link to this month's post with my journey.

How it Works: 

This is my monthly ARC accountability challenge, to list out the books that I have as ARC's that are being published in the coming month, rounding them up at the start of the month, and seeing how well I did at the end, as well as rounding up the next month's books.    

   

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #648, November 6th

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week...and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well...you never know where that next "must read" book will come from!

What happened in the past week:

Weekly Memes:
It's Monday! What Are You Reading #647
Teaser Tuesday #655
WWW Wednesday #655
WOW #651
Will the Time Come #648
Third Sentence Thursday #638
Random Reads #624
First Lines Friday #651
Book Blogger Hop #317

Monthly ARC's December Round Up

Monthly Series November Round Up

23 Books to Read in 2023 Update 9

Monthly ARC's Update 52

The Reward Challenge Update #633

Wheel of TBR #180

How Well I Stuck to It #485
Wrote that Review Update #482

Week 44 Reviews:
The Chess Queen Enigma

Beast Behaving Badly

Big Bad Beast

Bear Meets Girl

Wolf With Benefits

Bite Me

The Voice Upstairs

Three to Get Deadly

Four to Score

The Case for Jamie

A Question of Holmes

A Fire in the Flesh

Fire Falling

Tales from the Front

Good Girls Don't Die

Loveboat Forever

They're Watching You

  

Magical Readathon: Orilium: 

Update 57

Becca's BookoplAthon: 

Update 41

Update 42

Update 43 and Wrap Up

Clear Your S**t Readathon: 

Update 1 

Update 2

Next to be Published November: 

2023 Sign Up

Update 1

Update 2

Update 3

Update 4

Update 5

Phase Out Your TBR: 

Phase One November 2023 Sign Up

Update 1

Update 2

Random:

Book Battle November 2023 TBR

Abigail Hing Wen Author Page

OK, so I got 44 posts in 7 days, and it was a pretty decent week, I read some really good books, and it was a pretty nice week, and this coming week has some really great releases that I can't wait for! What about you guys? Happy reading!

So this week I want to read Iron Flame!

"The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity." —Xaden Riorson

Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.

Now the real training begins, and Violet's already wondering how she'll get through. It's not just that it's grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it's designed to stretch the riders' capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who's made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.

Although Violet's body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else's, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.

But a determination to survive won't be enough this year.

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.

Week 44 Review: They're Watching You

From Goodreads:

When a secret society has you in their sights, it can lead to power, privilege... or death.

It's been two weeks since Polly St. James went missing. The police, the headmistress of Torrey-Wells Academy, and even her parents have ruled her a runaway. But not Maren, her best friend and roommate. She knows Polly had a secret that she was about to share with Maren before she disappeared― something to do with the elite, ultra-rich crowd at Torrey-Wells.

Then Maren finds an envelope hidden among Polly's things: an invitation to the Gamemaster's Society. Do not tell anyone, it says. Maren is certain her classmates in the Society know the truth about what happened to Polly, though it's no easy feat to join. Once Maren's made it through the treacherous initiation, she discovers a world she never knew existed within her school, where Society members compete in high-stakes games for unheard-of rewards―Ivy League connections, privileges, favors.

But Maren's been drawn into a different game: for every win, she'll receive a clue about Polly. And as Maren keeps winning, she begins to see just how powerful the Society's game is―bigger and deadlier than she ever imagined. They see, they know, they control. And they kill. 

My Review:
I had such a fantastic time reading this book! Secret society stories are always interesting, and I've enjoyed her other book, and all of her books have sounded great, so I was looking forward to picking this one up. And boy, was it a great read! 

Watching as Maren infiltrates the Gamemaster's Society, trying to find out what had happened to her friend, it was so thrilling to read! I cared about her and Polly, and the burning need for answers kept the pages turning!

Honestly, I don't know if it was good or bad to have an additional game on top of the main one with the favours and rewards of the original, that to win that, would win clues about Polly. Because while that gets her new information, that's a lot of pressure to be under.

I loved this kinda of dual story of finding out more about the society and what happened to Polly, and competing to win with the society. The mystery kept me on tenterhooks, and I couldn't get enough! That resolution, man, it was so good! 

Loved reading this book and I can't wait to read more by Chelsea Ichaso! 

Author: Chelsea Ichaso
Read: November 3rd, 2023
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: I enjoy her writing, and it's a SAC 2023 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Published: January 3rd 2023

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars