Noteworthy and Blogworthy

Nicole Williams, author of The Eternal Eden series, has a new book out focusing on my favorite Hayward brother, Patrick!! It's called Fissure, and I can't wait to read it!

Patrick Hayward’s never been a one woman type of guy, that’s why he never dates just one. However, still reeling the loss of the one woman he took a chance on falling in love with to his older brother, Patrick is enrolled—sequestered, if you asked him—at Stanford in hopes of breaking him out of his months long, beard growing, rootbeer chugging, hygiene impaired, funk. Something breaks when a certain Emma Scarlett storms into his life his first week on campus as he’s suntanning and cat calling when he should be in class. Emma sees through his act and calls him out like she’s seen his kind a million times before, but Patrick knows he isn’t one of a million, he’s one in a million. Intrigued by this fascinating creature that is ignorant to his charm, surrounded by four older brothers who look at Patrick like he’s a bug they could squish, and dating the same guy for the past six years who gives new meaning to the term territorial boyfriend, Patrick gravitates to her, knowing she’s everything he shouldn’t fall for. So, of course, he can’t help himself. Forcing the stars to realign and slapping fate in the face, Patrick takes matters into his own hands and finds a way to wrangle his way into Emma’s life at every chance. As Emma begins to open up to him, he’s about to discover she’s thwarted by as many secrets as he is. But hers are the kind that make you want to keep your light on at night. Patrick never could have imagined a more unhappy ever after for himself than the one he's about to face.

Another favorite author of mine, Liz Reinhardt, has also recently released a new book (one that I have been anxiously awaiting!). The third in the Brenna Blixen series, Slow Twitch! I absolutely LOVE this series, book one is Double Clutch and book two is Junk Miles. And make sure to  check out the gorgeous new covers!

Summer scatters three friends, ties them back together, and makes them question who they have been and who they want to be in the future. Brenna expected to soak up the knowledge of great Irish writers at her summer workshop in Dublin. But there are some things even the best books can't teach you, and a passionate new friend and an old familiar full of surprises challenge Brenna to follow her heart. By the time she's back in the States, she can't wait to throw herself back into Jake's arms and tell him exactly what he means to her. She puts the brakes on that plan when it becomes clear that Jake may not be ready to shoulder any more. He visits his family's palatial home in the mountains of New York, and is exposed to all the possibilities a life surrounded by his pampered relatives and washed in money would hold for him. But is it possible to accept so much and not change who you are? Jake has to face the reality that changing sometimes means losing things...but how much is he willing to put on the line? Saxon has been thrust into a life of drudgery and indentured service he never dreamed of after a brush with the law puts him on family-enforced probation. Who would have thought Sussex County's resident bad-ass layabout would fall head-over-heels in love with a girl, an elderly aunt, and a shot at a whole new life. The problem is, he's a Maclean to his marrow, and it's in his blood to be a selfish screw-up. Isn't it? Brenna, Jake, and Saxon spend one summer growing up, working things out, and doing their best to weather the changes that get thrown their way. But can the love and friendships of one amazing summer last through the ups and downs of the coming years?

Some Recent Books for Review

The Burn is full of nuclear fallout, roving gangs, anarchy, unreliable plumbing. That's what Terra's father tells her. She has lived her whole life in comfort in a colony at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. She hates it. And she would pay any price to leave. But when Terra finally escapes the colony, she finds out her father is right. She finds a group of survivors that quickly become friends, and every day with them is a race for survival. When she witnesses and commits unspeakable acts, she has to decide where her loyalty lies: with the colony she despises or The Burn, where every day is filled with nightmares.

After her mother dies, Elowyn Challis would do anything to bury the pain, but being shipped off to boarding school isn't what she had in mind. Things could be worse. Wyn finds a place for herself in the academy and living in the capital is just sparkling. But under it all, her mother's death still haunts her. Then Wyn discovers a secret that changes everything she believes: the bedtime stories her mother told her as a child are real, the faerie realm exists, and she is the Binder—the one mortal on earth with the power to seal the gate to Fae. It's a power Wyn's not sure she wants or can even wield. But she must confront her nightmares and her grief, or two worlds will be torn apart.

A timeless tale of young romance. Lorona Connelly is ready for a change from her carefully planned, bookish life. When sparks fly at a costume party, she embraces a chance for romance with the handsome Kestrin Feather. However, she quickly realizes that even love and destiny may not be enough to overcome the reality of an overprotective mother-in-law and Kestrin's long, tarnished history of relationships. When Lorona's curiosity leads her to Kestrin's journal, doubt plagues them both with insecurities and threatens the relationship. Can true love overcome the odds, or was their whirlwind romance just a frivolous crush? Author Elise Stephens shares a journey of young love, fate, and wounded trust in the story of Lorona and Kestrin, a couple who must learn to overcome their fears to share a life together.

Seventeen-year-old Ariceli Pisa is a senior at the prestigious Cambridge High School and has her sights set on Northwestern University. She's a cheerleader, a member of the National Honor Society, and a drug dealer. That’s the secret she has to keep from her best friend Naomi, in addition to the fact that she’s madly in love with Naomi’s ex-boyfriend. Trying to balance her life at Cambridge High with her new demanding job keeps her teetering on the edge of disaster.