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BOOK REVIEW: Tangled Like Us (Like Us #4) by Krista and Becca Ritchie

January 21, 2019 / Arielle / 2 Comments

Tangled Like Us (Like Us #4)
by Krista and Becca Ritchie
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
How to protect your heart:
Let your bodyguard have it.

Jane Cobalt is an American princess. The loyal and painfully curious twenty-three-year-old has inherited immense pressure to preserve the Cobalt legacy. But for Jane — sex, love, and life have been a series of royal failures.

After a friends-with-benefits ended in disaster, she's sworn to a “no sex” hiatus for, well, eternity — and she has no intention of letting anyone in her bed and definitely not her heart.

Twenty-eight-year-old Thatcher Moretti is painfully professional. As the stern 24/7 bodyguard to Jane, thinking about unbridled sex with his sweet client is a sin. One that he keeps committing.

But the real act is a hard line he’d never cross.

When a family member betrays Jane's trust, the media becomes obsessed with matchmaking the perpetually “single” Jane Cobalt and unwanted attention suddenly compromises her safety.

Thatcher would do anything to protect her, and one solution may level the threats:

Become the fake boyfriend to an American princess.

Entwined together with boiling chemistry, new “professional” parameters, and an oath, unsaid feelings threaten to rise and change everything.

The Like Us series is a true series, one continuous timeline, that follows a family of wealthy celebrities and the people that protect them.

Review:

“I like to believe in family first,” I tell Jane. “And there’s something about a generational tradition that seems fucking powerful to me.”

Lololol I’m in so deep with this family it’s not even funny at this point. This book was everything I wanted it to be and more, to say the least. I have been wanting Jane and Thatcher’s story since the time Thatcher made sure all of Jane’s cats were safe when they escaped the townhouse. We never truly saw much from him other than a tough and stoic exterior so you better believe I was dying to dive into his POV.

“It’s not checkmate yet,” I say to myself. I’m not a sad little cub about to be eaten. I’m a motherfucking lion.

Their relationship in this book was LITERAL PERFECTION. First of all, who doesn’t love a “fake” relationship that will guarantee turn into a real one? I honestly thought it was hilarious how fast they both said, screw the rules. Especially Thatcher. UGH. Seriously. They were so hot together I can barely stand it. Also, I was slightly worried that at some point one of them would try to hide feelings or that there would be some kind of miscommunication because nine times out of ten there ALWAYS is one. Nope, not here. These two were straightforward with each other right out of the gate. There were no hidden feelings, no beating around the bush. I freaking loved every second of it. Honestly I think these two have the most wholesome relationship out of all the pairings?? Maybe??? These Ritchie girls have time and time again written my favorite relationships of all times (family, romantic, AND friend oriented). I need their second book so badly it hurts.

“I want to know all about you, but I can’t ask fast enough—and when I think about you, I wonder what your hands have held. What your eyes have seen.”My pulse has skyrocketed, but I keep speaking. “What your ears have heard and where your feet have landed.”

There were just two..maybe three small things that I noticed while reading this that gave me pause. One, I realized how frustrating Moffy and Farrow’s back and forth is so me. Love them together, don’t love their particular brand of banter. Oh well. Two, in the very back of my mind I kept thinking about how I couldn’t comprehend how these families are STILL dealing with this batshit crazy level of stalker/hater fans and paparazzi. Nuts, but what do I know about famous people and their crazy followers? Not much. Third (and this one actually just gave me a good laugh) how freaking hilarious is it going to be when two more Omega body guards get paired off with two more of the famous ones bhahahaha. I want to know how much Price is going to flip his lid (and what the parents will think bhahaha). These things are all VERY minor though and I am ride or die for these characters. Super nervous about Tony and I’m sure he’ll be a threat of some kind in their next book but I trust Thatcher to take him out if need be, lol. BTW IF YOU COULDN’T TELL I LOVE THATCHER MORETTI. He may have pushed his way into top three guys from their books…Connor and Ryke are my one and two obviously…I’m obsessed.

I approach my grandma at the table. Short gray hair, petite, wrinkles and age spots blemishing her frail skin—her eyes already fill with tears seeing that I’m about to go. I take a knee in front of her chair and kiss her cheek. Whispering, “I wish we could stay longer with you.”
My grandma places a loving hand against my jaw, cradling my face.“You put too much on yourself, you hear? There’s only one thing you need to remember. Just one.” She brings my face closer to hers. “Be happy.”

^Ummmm not going to lie that quote made me cry because I’ll bet they added it for their grandma that just recently passed away and I lost my grandma (really the only grandparent living while I was growing up) over eight years ago and I still miss her every single day. So sorry for your loss, girls. I’m sure she was so proud of your writing.♥

BOOK REVIEW: Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

January 18, 2019 / Chelsea / 8 Comments

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
From the New York Times bestselling author of An Enchantment of Ravens comes an imaginative fantasy about an apprentice at a magical library who must battle a powerful sorcerer to save her kingdom.

All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.

Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.

As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.

**ARC provided by Publisher-I have SO MANY QUOTES I WANT TO SHARE-but I love getting ARCs more. SO hopefully I’ll have the time to come back and add quotes in the future when it releases! 😊 **

You have no idea-no idea-what it means to me to have received this ARC. An Enchantment of Ravens was my favorite book of 2017 after Rook stole my heart completely and Isobel fought her way through my crusty exterior, as well. It would belittle my love for this author to say her writing and stories are anything less than extraordinary as she has proved not once, but twice, that she is an amazingly fierce story-teller. No, it wasn’t just a fluke, her first book-It’s clear she has much to say and will continue to do so with her hauntingly beautiful YA fantasies.

I’ll admit that the first bit of this book scared me a little because it didn’t start out in a way that appealed to me as quickly as her first work did…but those apprehensive thoughts were quickly shattered when the first grimoire burst onto the scene and put our MC into an absolutely irredeemable situation. And perhaps the most charming thing about this book is the vulnerability and innocence of our main character-bound by duty, but without the slightest clue as to what she was up against-and the unbending will she has to remain loyal, even as everything is spiraling into madness around her.

She knows what she saw, but what she doesn’t know is who to trust. She has a deadly secret, one that may get her killed, or worse, forgotten-sent to an insane asylum where no one ever remembers the inhabitants that reside there. But there is someone who seems to at least care about her well-being a teensy bit, for the most part, and that’s the sorcerer (sorcerers-with which she grew up being told not to trust) who she met when he visited the library before an unlikely chain of events made her the most wanted girl by the most powerful man.

And this is where I just…fell in love. Yes, the danger-of course-but the bond between Silas and Nathaniel, and then with Nathaniel and Elisabeth. And, even, Silas with Elisabeth. I think, in some part, Silas is what makes this book possible. You’ll see what I mean if you read, naturally, but it shows from the beginning just how powerful his bond is with Nathaniel, what he’d do to make him happy, how he helps unflinchingly when most other demon servants don’t care one way or another what happens to their masters. And I understand that this sounds like dribble if you haven’t read the book, but just know that Nathaniel trusts Silas while no one else trusts the demons in their household…because Silas cared for him when there was no one else.

It might come as shocking, as well, that Nathaniel is actually a supremely tortured hero-during the day he’s witty, funny, snarky, protective, and he keeps Eliasabeth at arm’s length, though we have no clue why. Being naïve, she REALLY has no idea-we as readers know he’s just trying to protect her. But, besides the imminent danger she’s in, from what is he protecting her from? And this is a layer in the story that truly seized my soul, because we all know I love a hero who hides scars beneath, who has a story we don’t know or understand that makes them feel inadequate or dangerous. I love these story-lines, and adding Silas’s snark on the matter only adds more heart to the story.

And, naturally, this is a wonderfully addictive slow-burn romance, though it never once took the spotlight in the story. The author warned that, while AEOR was a Fairy-Tale Fantasy, this would only be a YA fantasy, with a-wait for it-smidgen of romance.

Yes…just. Yes. And, even with all of that warning, I still felt like the romance soared onto the pages like a raging inferno…and straight into my heart. That’s TWICE this author has written a romance that knocked me on my feels out of nowhere, and, it’s a gift, really, a talent. I love romance, I really do, but I truly only fall for the fantasies that have a spattering of it in the story, hidden behind a compelling plot and dangerous, high-stakes moments. Which, obviously, that was the case here, so I need not look any further.

And, even more than that…this book made me sob, at the end. I really don’t cry often in books, even though I always seem like an emotional mess, it’s truly not the case. I rarely cry. But, for some reason (just GUESS, UGH, Shoot me in my HEART already), the end hit me harder than I thought possible. The friendship between these three, the loyalty, the unrequited love (so they think) between Nathaniel and Elisabeth, the vulnerability, the humor, and the sense of a girl (and, really, a boy) never quite being able to find a home or a place they feel like they belong, misfits of a sort, until they found each other-it all just built up into a crashing crescendo of feels and the end finally knocked me out. I was depleted. I was hopeful. My soul was pieced together then ripped apart violently…and then there was hope. Again.

I can’t even begin to explain all the feelings I experienced while reading this coveted ARC, but I can try. And I hope that this review shed a positive light on how wonderful this book made me feel after becoming depleted and depressed after a totally random appendix ER situation (which, in turn, is why this review is JUST NOW being written) where I wasn’t able to do anything I normally do, rendering me lazy, without exercise, and somewhat helpless and at other’s will…so, yes. This book was a saving grace, and I will abso-lutely be pre-ordering the hardback so it can sit next to my other favorite, featuring a stubborn fae and another fierce and inspiring heroine. I just cannot wait until I can read it again. I hope you’ll read it, too.

*************************

My God did this book make me bawl like a baby-I was an utter mess. That hasn’t happened in FOREVER!

RTC.

***

MY LIFE IS MADE. I will be starting this, oh, immediately!!!! Who needs an appendix when you get early Christmas presents like these! *heart eyes emoji*

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BOOK REVIEW: The Red Scrolls of Magic (The Eldest Curses #1) by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu

January 17, 2019 / Arielle / 8 Comments

The Red Scrolls of Magic (The Eldest Curses #1)
by Cassandra Clare, Wesley Chu
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
From #1 New York Times bestseller Cassandra Clare and award-winner Wesley Chu comes the first book in a new series that follows High Warlock Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood as they tour the world after the Mortal War. The Red Scrolls of Magic is a Shadowhunters novel.

All Magnus Bane wanted was a vacation—a lavish trip across Europe with Alec Lightwood, the Shadowhunter who against all odds is finally his boyfriend. But as soon as the pair settles in Paris, an old friend arrives with news about a demon-worshipping cult called the Crimson Hand that is bent on causing chaos around the world. A cult that was apparently founded by Magnus himself. Years ago. As a joke.

Now Magnus and Alec must race across Europe to track down the Crimson Hand and its elusive new leader before the cult can cause any more damage. As if it wasn’t bad enough that their romantic getaway has been sidetracked, demons are now dogging their every step, and it is becoming harder to tell friend from foe. As their quest for answers becomes increasingly dire, Magnus and Alec will have to trust each other more than ever—even if it means revealing the secrets they’ve both been keeping.

WHAT THE WHAT?! That ending….???!?!?!

It literally pains me that I can’t add quotes to this review but hey, I get it, it’s an ARC and things are subject to change. Just know that I was highlighting like crazy the last 25%.
—
I can’t lie, when I first found out that Cassie was writing ANOTHER series based in the Shadowhunter world, I was a little peeved. I mean I love Magnus, I really do, but I was just like “how much longer can all this be drug out?!”…I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way, too. Even throughout this book, I was enjoying it but kept thinking okayyyyy was this really necessary?! What is this story adding to the bigger picture besides just basically being fanfiction for Magnus x Alec shippers??

Yes. Yes it was necessary. For numerous reasons but DEFINITELY because of what happened in the epilogue. But really, no, even though *you know who* was found *you know where* that isn’t why I will devour the rest of this series, no no no. I will soak up every single page of the next two books because finally being able to see Magnus and Alec’s love front and center was a beautiful thing. Like literally I’m tearing up just thinking about it.

There are so many times when Magnus can be TOO MUCH…like, basically all the time. I find myself wondering often, how can he be so glib and joke-y about everything?! It’s almost exhausting to read. Aaaand then you catch a small glimpse of who he really is, and why his facade is like that, and you understand. Magnus has been alive for a VERY long time. He has seen a lot of terrible things and lost a lot of people he had truly loved. He was almost killed as a child because of who he is and I’m sure since then there have been many more attempts on his life. He has lost friends, and he has seen the deep prejudices of the Clave play out against his fellow Downworlders. It’s no wonder that he doesn’t like to be serious. I think that is 100% his coping mechanism for dealing with the pure shittiness of the world. But there is so much more to him than that and it is really explored here. Magnus is so good it hurts. He is one of the best characters Clare has ever written.

And Alec, oh Alec. You sweet, strong, kind, and caring man. Guys, I LOVED getting Alec’s POV in this book. I literally can’t wait to see him in action View Spoiler »as Consul « Hide Spoiler in The Wicked Powers. He has grown SO MUCH from the boy in City of Bones who was the epitome of a rule follower. He has learned that while the most Shadowhunters abide by the saying “The Law is hard, but it is the Law” that things can’t always be taken care of properly and fairly by the stupid “Law.” Watching him in love with Magnus was like watching the most beautiful flower bloom (AND I DON’T CARE HOW CHEESY THAT SOUNDS). They are one of my favorites OTPs of all time.

Also, we get to see Aline and Helen meet and see the very beginnings of their relationship too which was great. Even though they are a big part of TDA overall, we don’t get much time with them at all. Getting to know their personalities a little more was great. Also Raphael. I feel like I took him for granted during TMI. He’s funny and snarky AF and cares so much more than you will ever know. Any who has entered and even just liked the world of the Shadowhunters will fall in love with this book and like I said, after that epilogue I am dying to get my hands on the next book!

This eARC was provided by Edelwiess and the publisher in exchange for an honest review! ♥

BOOK REVIEW: The Wicked King (Folk of the Air #2) by Holly Black

January 16, 2019 / Chelsea / 7 Comments

The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air #2)
by Holly Black
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.

The first lesson is to make yourself strong.

After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her younger brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished.

When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world.

I wonder if there’s a limit to what I will let them do, if there is something that would make me fight back, even if it dooms me.
If there is, that makes me a fool.
But maybe if there isn’t, that makes me a monster.

I guess that’s the thing about being in love with a series. You love the first, you anticipate the second, and then wonder what’s to come with the third-but you can’t ever really know if that author is going to do what you want. Do things that make sense to you while also coming off as exciting and better than you possibly could have anticipated. If that author will make you happy while also crushing your soul, like the best possible twist of the knife and manipulation of your heart. This never happens. Yes, I have MANY favorites. YES, lots of things happen that I like and that placate me. But rarely-VERY RARELY-does an author do every maniacal thing I could possibly imagine-and even take it farther than I could even fathom. And this is what Black did. She came. She wrote. She F****** conquered.

“Power,” he said. “Power is the ability to get what you want. Power is the ability to be the one making the decisions. And how do we get power?”
“We learn how to fight well?”
“We get power by taking it.”

I just…this NEVER HAPPENS. Yeah, there might be one little thing I wish wasn’t a part of the end. But, like, that is nothing in the way of how excellent, how thorough, how utterly magnificent she wrote this book. The scheming. The lies. The betrayals. The heat. The ROMANCE. There was not one thing that I love about a fantasy book that was not in this story. There really and truly wasn’t. In fact, this book taught me far more about myself than I’ve learned in a long time.

“It seems I have a singular taste for women who threaten me.”

If you recall, or care at all, I read Outlander and The Diviners (how could you forget?) last year and they were so far out of my comfort zone that I read them YEARS after I was told to. A big mistake, I’ll admit. And they consumed me-I’ll just say it. Especially the prior, making the month of October a big waste of a TBR because all I read was the three books available in that series. But Outlander did something to my being, too, that possessed me for quite some time around the holidays. To say I was possessed in body, mind, and soul a few times last year would be an understatement. I even found Mariana Zapata and was a big ‘ol mess when I read her books, too. Let’s just say that 2018 was interesting, to say the least.

“The three of you have one solution to every problem. Murder. No key fits every lock.” Cardan gives us all a stern look, holding up a long-fingered hand with my stolen ruby ring still on one finger. “Someone tries to betray the High King, murder. Someone gives you a harsh look, murder. Someone disrespects you, murder. Someone ruins your laundry, murder.

But then this. THIS masterpiece. The thing is, I’ll be frank, that I hate middle books. I LOATHE THEM. They never go right. Ever. And I actually have started to hate final books, too, because authors just don’t have what it takes to end things right, to wrap them up nicely, and, I’ll say it again, rarely do they meet the expectations I’ve upheld through the series and give me what I am craving, needing, wanting to put the series down wholly satisfied. And-I always try not to have any expectations, to not fangirl too much before a release, and to not expect much. Sadly, I still always fail. My entire being always wants more, whether I try to keep it chill or not, and I end up with a broken heart. Always.

He smelled like smoke and dried blood, and Jude let herself sag against him. It was good to be hugged. Even by a monster.

But here’s the thing, and my entire point: I didn’t, not once, doubt Holly Black or her writing before the release, so I anticipated and fangirled freely. I’ve read her White Cat series, and it was nothing short of all consuming, even if not many talk about it. I loved it. Cassel was my first thief and conman, and he lead me to Kaz from SOC. So, to say Holly Black can finish a series with a bang, wrap things up neatly and how I love and expect is, again, an understatement. I legitimately, for the first time in as long as I can remember, wasn’t the least bit worried that I would be bored, unhappy, or underwhelmed. I had that much confidence in this author. I had no worries at all. Well…except for what was to come. But that’s a different beast entirely.

“Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold on to.”

What came with this story wasn’t a fairy tale romance, nor an underhanded, leisurely stroll in politics (following the first book’s end). No, it wasn’t action every minute…but there wasn’t a chapter that didn’t steal my breath away. This book was pulse-pounding, heart-stopping, butterfly inducing panic and mayhem, wrapped in sexual tension and explosive….erm….developments. It was underhanded, dirty, and altogether a total mind bender that never let you have your guard down, your mind not spinning, and your soul not entirely invested. It was a home run, triple play, and home base stealing ride-you could never take your eyes off the page for reality and day to day activities because you couldn’t ever possibly get enough.

“For a moment,” he says, “I wondered if it wasn’t you shooting bolts at me.”
I make a face at him. “And what made you decide it wasn’t?”
He grins up at me. “They missed.”

I read both too fast and too slow, a perfect symphony of chaos and calm, and I never wanted it to end-But I had to know what was coming next. Where it was going…and what predicament my darlings would inevitably get themselves into, in the end. And I couldn’t be happier with the absolutely soul-crushing finish.

My body has acclimated, and now it craves what it should revile.
An apt metaphor for other things.

And, before I can wrap this up, I have to embark on the journey that is Cardan and Jude. I can’t say much, and I promise I won’t (though it kills me slowly not to), but you must know that any feels that overcame you, possessed you, enraptured you in TCP…they are tenfold…and you just cannot be prepared. I don’t believe in overhyping-in fact, I discourage it. But here, I am confident that even if you don’t love this, you will feel something when it comes to the sexual tension between these two. I am THAT confident. And I would never do that to you, unless I believed it with my very being.

…and the single last thing in my head: that I like him better than I’ve ever liked anyone and that of all the things he’s ever done to me, making me like him so much is by far the worst.

The heat, the tension, the pure and utter HATE they have for one another…it’s so intoxicating. Sick. Depraved. Wrong. Yet you can’t not ship them. You can’t not love them. And, inevitably, you can’t not hope for them to just do it already. He loves her. I know it. And she loves him. I know that, too. THEY HAVE TO. I just….I can’t say anything. But, I will say this: I got everything I could ever want and more-without getting everything I want….and more.

It occurs to me that maybe desire isn’t something overindulging helps. Maybe it is not unlike mithridatism; maybe I took a killing dose when I should have been poisoning myself slowly, one kiss at a time.

So, to say I didn’t love this and that another book will pass by my love for it this year would be a lie-so I just won’t say it. What I will say is this: If you didn’t love the first, I don’t know that you will love the second. But maybe you will. It has even more lies. Deceit. Chaos. Heartbreak. Longing. If you dig that, this is for you. It has it all. And it doesn’t just come from the human in a faerie world. Just. F’in. Sayin’.

********************

I am angry editing my Instagram pictures right now. My nerves are shot, my stomach is a mass of nervous butterflies. When, only moments before, they were butterflies of hope and romance and so much more. So, I guess what I’m saying in a nutshell is: Holly Black got me. She got me fucking GOOD. I am not alright. I am not okay. And I just don’t know if I can pick up the pieces of my fractured heart off the floor for this one-And I don’t think I’ve ever said that. Well played, Black-You own my soul.

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OMG JUST GOT MY EXCLUSIVE OWLCRATE VERSION BOX EARLY SO GUESS WHO IS STARTING THIS OMG THIS IS THE FIRST OWLCRATE BOOK IVE TAKEN OUT OF THE PROTECTIVE PLASTIC TO READ OMGGGG I CANT EVEN

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TOP TEN TUESDAY: New-to-Us Authors We Read In 2018

January 15, 2019 / Jen / 9 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday.13

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl
Today we’re sharing New-to-Us Authors We Read In 2018. And they are….

(Jen’s Review)

1. Shari L. Tapscott
Amazon * Book Depository * Goodreads

Shari easily became one of my favorite ya romance authors ever! She writes these stories that are beyond adorable! Each time I pickup one of her books I always find myself laughing so hard I can’t catch my breath, and I can’t ever get that smile off of my face. Not to mention all the butterflies. I absolutely love her books and I’m looking forward to branching out and trying some of her fantasy books this year!

2. Kimberly Bell
Amazon * Book Depository * Goodreads

I don’t know why I was so nervous to pickup Historical Romance, but Kimberly Bell made it so effortless to fall in love with her writing and characters. You know that feeling when you click with a book and the whole world around you fades away? That’s exactly what happened to me. I found myself addicted to the story and completely obsessed with these characters. I’m excited to read the rest of the books she has released!

(Jen’s Review)

(Arielle’s Review)

3. Danielle Lori
Amazon * Book Depository * Goodreads

This book had some of the best sexual tension I’ve ever read. The story was forbidden and I found myself completely caught up in this mafia tale. Addicting doesn’t even begin to describe what I felt while reading The Sweetest Oblivion. Now I can’t wait to read any future books written by Danielle Lori!

4. Brigid Kemmerer
Amazon * Book Depository * Goodreads

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of A Curse So Dark and Lonely and fell in love with her writing! I remember seeing a lot of hype for her other books on Goodreads as they came out but for some reason I never picked them up. I will definitely be doing so in the future and I cannot wait for everyone to get their hands on A Curse So Dark and Lonely!!!

(Arielle’s Review)

5. Kendare Blake
Amazon * Book Depository * Goodreads

OMG….why did it take me so long to pick up Blake’s books??!?!?! WHYYYYY? Once I started Three Dark Crowns I was HOOKED. The characters, the premise, the writing–each so unique and addicting. Highly recommend.

6. Claire Legrand
Amazon * Book Depository * Goodreads

If you haven’t read Furyborn yet YOU HAVEN’T LIVED. I am literally dying to get my hands on Kingsbane. The entire first book was so action packed I consumed the book in a matter of days. I’ve also heard a lot of great things about Sawkill Girls, too, so you better believe I’m going to be picking that up sometime soon.

(Cassie’s Review)

(Cassie’s Choice)

7. Katie Cotugno
Amazon * Book Depository * Goodreads

I can’t even remember how I stumbled onto Katie Cotugno’s books, but I am so very glad I did. Last year, I read four of her books and I seriously loved every single one them. She writes messy and imperfect protagonists, but I absolutely adore how real they are. I also adore the way she writes her romances – they are complicated but so sweet. She provides a lot of representation and in addition to the great romances, there’s also a lot of wonderful friendships and self-growth for her main characters.

8. Brittany Cavallaro
Amazon * Book Depository * Goodreads

To say I devoured the Charlotte Holmes series from Brittany Cavallaro would be an understatement. There are currently three Charlotte Holmes books out, with a fourth one coming in 2019. The Charlotte Holmes series follows the adventures of Charlotte Holmes and Jaime Watson, descendants of THE Holmes and Watson. There’s a lot to love from these books – the slow burn relationship, the mystery, the side characters – but I love Charlotte and Jamie most of all. Even though they are solving crimes, at heart they are teenagers just trying to figure out life and how they fit in each other lives.

(Cassie’s Review)

(Chelsea’s Review)

9. Sabaa Tahir
Amazon * Book Depository * Goodreads

After hearing Chelsea talk about her BBF Elias for a while, I decided to finally give the Ember in the Ashes series a try. Oh boy, did I not regret this. I LOVED THIS SERIES and understood why Chelsea kept talking about Elias. He was as amazing as described, but I also loved Laia and Helene as well. But be prepared if you’re going to get into this series: a lot of people are going to get hurt/die, and there’s a lot of dark and heavy stuff. But there’s enough romantic and even some light scenes sprinkled throughout to lighten it up. Whenever the final chapter comes around (which hopefully will be 2020?) I will have to emotionally prepare myself to say goodbye to these amazing characters (whichever ones live I guess. Please be kind Sabaa.).

10. Mariana Zapata
Amazon * Book Depository * Goodreads

Literally my saving grace when I am depressed. My saving grace when the sky isn’t blue, and I need a full body pick me up. My saving grace when the world just isn’t right-I found this beautiful cinnamon roll of a writer and I adore every little thing about her-I am so beyond grateful she does what she does and I will ALWAYS go to her books when I just need to laugh, smile, or swoon. (Aiden and Ivan and Dex and need I go on?)

(Chelsea’s Choice)

(Chelsea’s Review)

11. Diana Gabaldon
Amazon * Book Depository * Goodreads

I’ll admit I was harsh on this woman-not her, really, but the idea of reading anything historical and anything with such a strong accent that wasn’t British. Shame on me-I almost missed out on one of my favorite books of 2018 because I was stubborn and totally misguided on just how wonderful this deep, heartfelt, addicting story was. And Jamie. My God. Always Jamie.

12. Libba Bray
Amazon * Book Depository * Goodreads

And this absolutely fantastic woman-talk about a writer that I never even thought of giving a chance!!! The heart, soul, and literal lightheartedness among terror, doom, and devastating circumstances is astounding and without a doubt the most baffling contradiction. The romance??? PIE FACE. You don’t even know until you’ve tried it!!! I’m a GONER-I’m so addicted I couldn’t see anything else around me for a month..A MONTH! (SAM AND EVIE ARE. MY. LIFE.)

So these are our New-to-Us Authors We Read In 2018. Have you read any of these authors already? Or do you have any of their books on your tbr? If not, then who was a new-to-you author you read last year?