Countdown: September 2013 (3)

Fall is officially (almost) here, and it's my favorite time of year! No matter where I live or where I get the chance to visit, the Fall months are always the best wherever you land. I love pulling out a favorite pair of jeans and a super comfortable and slimming black turtleneck sweater with a pair of great boots. That's my idea of a perfect outfit, and a great book always goes great with that. And now that Summer is wrapping up, I'm winding down on the quick and fun reads that I feel goes hand in hand with the weather, and instead will venture into reading just about anything that comes across my path and sounds intriguing. Here are a few that fit that bill.

 

Countdown Pick #1:  The Woken Gods by Gwenda Bond (09/03/2013)

 

The more things change…

Five years ago, the gods of ancient mythology awoke all around the world.

The more things stay the same…

This morning, Kyra Locke is late for school because of an argument with her father.

Seventeen-year-old Kyra lives in a transformed Washington, D.C., dominated by the embassies of divine pantheons and watched over by the mysterious Society of the Sun that governs mankind’s relations with the gods. But when rebellious Kyra encounters two trickster gods on her way home, one offering a threat and the other a warning, it turns out her life isn't what it seems. She escapes with the aid of Osborne "Oz" Spencer, a young Society field operative, only to discover that her scholar father has disappeared with a dangerous Egyptian relic. The Society needs the item back, and they aren’t interested in her protests that she knows nothing about it or her father's secrets.

Now Kyra must depend on her wits and the suspect help of scary Sumerian gods, her estranged oracle mother, and, of course, Oz--whose first allegiance is to the Society. She has no choice if she’s going to recover the missing relic and save her father. And if she doesn't? Well, that may just mean the end of the world as she knows it. From the author of Blackwood comes a fresh, thrilling urban fantasy that will appeal to fans of Neil Gaiman, Cassandra Clare, and Rick Riordan.

 

The way I see it I get not only a book that centers around ancient mythology (one of my favorites) and takes place in modern times all in one package!  If what the synopsis says is true and it's anything like Clare's work, with the added bonus of this high powered action adventure featuring the ancient and mythical gods, I'm totally on board.

 

Countdown Pick #2:  The Truth About You and Me by Amanda Grace (a.k.a. Mandy Hubbard) (09/08/2013)

 

Smart girls aren't supposed to do stupid things.

Madelyn Hawkins is super smart. At sixteen, she's so gifted that she can attend college through a special program at her high school. On her first day, she meets Bennet. He's cute, funny, and kind. He understands Madelyn and what she's endured - and missed out on - in order to excel academically and please her parents. Now, for the first time in her life, she's falling in love.

 

There's only one problem. Bennet is Madelyn's college professor, and he thinks she's eighteen - because she hasn't told him the truth.

 

The story of their forbidden romance is told in letters that Madelyn writes to Bennet - both a heart-searing ode to their ill-fated love and an apology.

 

The synopsis alone would have been enough to make me want to pick up a copy of this future release for my collection, but then I found out that author Amanda Grace is actually just a pen name for Mandy Hubbard and it was a done deal.

 

Countdown Pick #3:  Antigoddess (Goddess War, #1) by Kendare Blake (09/10/2013)

 

The Goddess War begins in Antigoddess, the first installment of the new series by acclaimed author of Anna Dressed in Blood, Kendare Blake.

Old Gods never die…

Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.

Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god.

These days, Cassandra doesn’t involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn’t even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning.

Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don’t just flicker out.

Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath.

The Goddess War is about to begin.

Super excited for yet another future release centering around ancient mythology.  I realize this one might not be playing too close to the textbooks we're giving in school on these legends, but I like the idea around each god or goddess dying in different ways, and I'm eager to see who forms which side of this war.

 

Countdown Pick #4:  The Red Queen Dies: A Mystery by Frankie Y. Bailey (09/10/2013)

 

Frankie Bailey introduces readers to a fabulous new protagonist and an Alice in Wonderland-infused crime in this stunning mystery, which kicks off an exciting new series set in the near future.

The year is 2019, and a drug used to treat soldiers for post-traumatic stress disorder, nicknamed "Lullaby," has hit the streets. Swallowing a little pill erases traumatic memories, but what happens to a criminal trial when the star witness takes a pill and can't remember the crime? When two women are murdered in quick succession, biracial police detective Hannah McCabe is charged with solving the case. In spite of the advanced technology, including a city-wide surveillance program, a third woman is soon killed, and the police begin to suspect that a serial killer is on the loose. But the third victim, a Broadway actress known as “The Red Queen,” doesn’t fit the pattern set by the first two murders.

With the late September heat sizzling, Detective Hannah McCabe and her colleagues on the police force have to race to find the killer in a tangled web of clues that involve Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Fast-paced and original, this is a one-of-a-kind mystery from an extremely talented crime writer.

What a combination huh?  I love all things Lewis Carroll and Alice in Wonderland related so I was on board from the start.

 

Countdown Pick #5:  Relativity by Cristin Bishara (09/10/2013)

 

If Ruby Wright could have her way, her dad would never have met and married her stepmother Willow, her best friend George would be more than a friend, and her mom would still be alive. Ruby knows wishes can't come true; some things just can't be undone. Then she discovers a tree in the middle of an Ohio cornfield with a wormhole to nine alternative realities.

Suddenly, Ruby can access completely different realities, each containing variations of her life—if things had gone differently at key moments. The windshield wiper missing her mother’s throat…her big brother surviving his ill-fated birth…her father never having met Willow. Her ideal world—one with everything and everyone she wants most—could be within reach. But is there such a thing as a perfect world? What is Ruby willing to give up to find out?

Much like Kasie West's Pivot Point, I like exploring the idea of seeing what other realities could have been and characters facing choices of what if?  It's an idea that's always intrigued me, and while I understand that sometimes the saying 'careful what you wish for' proves to be a very wise one, it never hurts to read about it, right?

Countdown: Romance Edition

I may sound like a cliche, but what girl doesn't love a good romance every once in a while. I love them, the triangles, first loves, flirting, the drama, basically all of it. Some of these I've chosen have already been released, but I've been excited for them to hit the shelves and might not have gotten to them just yet. Overall I just found myself looking at my TBR list and a good majority of them were falling into this category and as I started to take a closer look at a few of these titles, it was like I was hearing about them for the first time all over again. Instant excitement and anticipation. So here's a few to start...

Countdown Pick #1: Love Story by Jennifer Echols


SHE’S WRITING ABOUT HIM. HE’S WRITING ABOUT HER. AND EVERYBODY IS READING BETWEEN THE LINES.

For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfill her ambitions—it’s her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family’s racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin’s college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a local coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter . . . so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment?

Then, on the day she’s sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He’s joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin’s heart with longing. Now she’s not just imagining what might have been. She’s writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter . . . except this story could come true.

After being introduced to Echols' writing with Forget You, I was an instant fan. She draws out a reader's emotions and definitely knows how to make you break out the tissues. Her couples always have obstacles to overcome, and they're usually not minor, but I've got to say, this one sounds like a doozy. I'm totally ready to dive into this one and while I'm crossing my fingers for swoon-worthy romance, I've got the tissues near by just in case.

Countdown Pick #2: Ripple by Mandy Hubbard

Lexi is cursed with a dark secret. Each day she goes to school like a normal teenager, and each night she must swim, or the pain will be unbearable. She is a siren - a deadly mermaid destined to lure men to their watery deaths. After a terrible tragedy, Lexi shut herself off from the world, vowing to protect the ones she loves. But she soon finds herself caught between a new boy at school who may have the power to melt her icy exterior, and a handsome water spirit who says he can break Lexi's curse if she gives up everything else. Lexi is faced with the hardest decision she's ever had to make: the life she's always longed for - or the love she can't live without?

Although this sounds like it could be considered more fantasy than romance, for my purpose it falls into the romance category. Our heroine Lexi eventually finds herself in a love triangle and what kind of reader doesn't enjoy those? All that suspense that comes with them, I love it. Strong emotions, high stakes, and me in the background crossing my fingers that Lexi will choose whichever guy I think is best for her. I may be alone, but I haven't read any of Hubbard's work before but I've heard nothing but good things. Hopefully this will be the first of many of her books that I come to love.

Countdown Pick #3: Juliet Immortal (Juliet Immortal, #1) by Stacey Jay

"These violent delights have violent ends And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,Which as they kiss consume."—Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

The most tragic love story in history . . .

Juliet Capulet didn't take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, a sacrifice made to ensure his own immortality. But what Romeo didn't anticipate was that Juliet would be granted eternity, as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light. For 700 years, she's fought Romeo for the souls of true lovers, struggling to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent. Until the day she meets someone she's forbidden to love, and Romeo, oh Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy that love.

I'm always intrigued by retellings and unique twists of classic works but this really got me excited. While the romance may not be centered around the two characters you would assume, the main theme seems to be the fight to keep true love alive. Definitely a fight worth fighting. While I'm not sure how this will all flow and jive with the original opinions we all have for these well known characters, it should be entertaining to say the least.

Countdown Pick #4: Glow (Sky Chasers, #1) by Amy Kathleen Ryan (9/13/11)

What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you'd been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival—not love—the issue?

Out in the murky nebula lurks an unseen enemy: the New Horizon. On its way to populate a distant planet in the wake of Earth's collapse, the ship's crew has been unable to conceive a generation to continue its mission. They need young girls desperately, or their zealous leader's efforts will fail. Onboard their sister ship, the Empyrean, the unsuspecting families don't know an attack is being mounted that could claim the most important among them...

Fifteen-year-old Waverly is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space; she was born on the Empyrean, and the large farming vessel is all she knows. Her concerns are those of any teenager—until Kieran Alden proposes to her. The handsome captain-to-be has everything Waverly could ever want in a husband, and with the pressure to start having children, everyone is sure he's the best choice. Except for Waverly, who wants more from life than marriage—and is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.

But when the Empyrean faces sudden attack by their assumed allies, they quickly find out that the enemies aren't all from the outside.

While Ryan may have meant for this series' debt to fall into the dystopian/suspense categories, I saw the hints of a romance and I'm focusing on those elements. Waverly and Kieran have been tasked as two of the few young adults to re-populate the new Earth. While chemistry is apparent, Waverly has her eye on another as well. The plot shows potential and the character descriptions leave me with no doubt that I'll be pulled into this love triangle. The reviewers have begun comparing it to The Hunger Games, and hey, a girl can hope it turns out to be just as great, right?