The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedy

The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedy -- 498 pages

Gigi Graham has exactly three goals: qualify for the women’s national hockey team, win Olympic gold, and step out of her famous father’s shadow. So far, so good, except for two little things. Fine–a little thing and a big, grumpy thing. She needs to improve her game behind the net, and she needs help from Luke Ryder. Ryder is six-foot five, built, opinionated, rude…and sexy as hell. But he’s still the enemy.

Briar’s new hockey co-captain has his reasons, though. The men’s team just merged with a rival program, leaving Ryder with an angry roster where everyone hates one another’s guts. To make matters worse, the summer coaching spot he’s angling for with the legendary Garrett Graham is out of reach after he makes the worst possible first impression on his hero. So, really, this compromise with Gigi is win-win. He helps her make the national team, she puts in a good word with her dad. The only potential snag? This bone-deep, body-numbing, mind-spinning chemistry they’re trying to ignore. It’s a dangerous game they’re playing, but the risks just might be worth it.

Caught Up by Liz Tomforde

Caught Up by Liz Tomforde -- 508 pages

Kai

I’m a single dad and starting pitcher for Chicago’s MLB team. I’m stretched too thin, but I don’t want help raising my son. Each of his previous nannies only lasted a few weeks before I let them go. Now, my coach is putting his foot down by hiring the one person I can’t fire—his daughter. Miller Montgomery is the last woman I should fall for. Too wild, too young, and too unattached. Chicago is just a quick stop for her. I thought I’d be counting down the days until she left, but summer feels too short when I start thinking about forever.

Miller

As a high-end pastry chef who recently won the most prestigious award in my industry, I’m desperate to prove I deserve it. But with a new title comes new pressure, and I can’t create a fresh and inspiring dessert to save my life. With only two months to get back on track, I should be focusing in the kitchen, but instead, I let my dad talk me into using my time off to nanny for his star player’s kid. Kai Rhodes forgot how to have fun, and I’m eager to jog his memory. But when he and his son start to feel like home, I have to remind us both that my time in Chicago ends with the summer. Besides, I’ve always been a runner, and the last thing I want is to get caught.

That Kind of Guy by Stephanie Archer

That Kind of Guy by Stephanie Archer -- 312 pages

My arrogant fake fiancé? I can't stand him. Cocky and charismatic Emmett Rhodes isn’t the relationship kind of guy, but now that he’s running for mayor of our small town, his bachelor past is hurting the campaign. Thankfully, I'm the last woman who would ever fall for him.

We're total opposites—he's a golden retriever and I'm sharp and snarky, but he’ll cosign on my restaurant loan if I play his devoted fiancée. Between romantic dates, a prom night re-do, and visits to a secret beach, things heat up, and the line between real and ruse is lit on fire. I see another side of Mr. Popular, and now I wonder if I was all wrong. We can’t keep our hands off each other, but it’s all for show… right?

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Fourth Wing (The Empyrean #1) by Rebecca Yarros

"Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them. With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant. She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret. Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die."--Goodreads

This seemed to be the "it book" of the summer, and it was right up my ally, so I dove right in. I feel like it deserved the hype. It was well-written, with great world building and a great female lead. Can't wait for the next book in the series!

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang -- 339 pages 

A woman struggling with burnout learns to embrace the unexpected—and the man she enlists to help her—in this new New York Times bestselling romance by Helen Hoang.

When violinist Anna Sun accidentally achieves career success with a viral YouTube video, she finds herself incapacitated and burned out from her attempts to replicate that moment. And when her longtime boyfriend announces he wants an open relationship before making a final commitment, a hurt and angry Anna decides that if he wants an open relationship, then she does, too. Translation: She’s going to embark on a string of one-night stands. The more unacceptable the men, the better.

That’s where tattooed, motorcycle-riding Quan Diep comes in. Their first attempt at a one-night stand fails, as does their second, and their third, because Quan accepts Anna on an unconditional level that she herself has just started to understand. However, when tragedy strikes Anna’s family she takes on a role that she is ill-suited for, until the burden of expectations threatens to destroy her. Anna and Quan have to fight for their chance at love, but to do that, they also have to fight for themselves.

Tyed by L.J. Shen

Tyed by L.J. Shen -- 214 pages

Rock bottom has built way more champions than privilege ever has.

Blaire, an underachieving college student with zero prospects and a ton of issues (hey, being the less-successful twin of a gorgeous supermodel would totally do that to you) needs something from Ty.

Mixed Martial artist Ty, a soon-to-be Welterweight champion of the Xtreme Warrior League and the hottest guy in the Bay Area, wants something from Blaire.

But Ty has a secret. And Blaire can barely even handle his truths. Life is about to throw a few knockout punches at both of them. Can they handle the pain?

The Day He Came Back by Penelope Ward

The Day He Came Back by Penelope Ward -- 336 pages

It was the summer of my life. I’d met the guy of my dreams. Unfortunately, he was the son of my uppity employer—and very much off-limits. But Gavin was a rebel. He knew his mother would disown him if she found out about us; in his eyes, we just had to be careful. He never treated me as his mother did—like hired help. Instead, Gavin put me on a pedestal and loved me harder than I’d ever been loved in my life.

What a summer it was. Until it all ended—badly.

I was never supposed to see Gavin again. That didn’t stop me from thinking about him every day for ten years. I knew little about his life now, just that he was an entrepreneur living an ocean away.

When a twist of fate had me working again in the very place our love affair started a decade earlier, I knew it was only a matter of time before I might see him again. But I wasn’t prepared. What if he hated me? What if he loved someone else now? I wasn’t prepared for all the unknowns. And most of all, I wasn’t prepared for today to be the day he came back. 

The Rivals by Vi Keeland

 The Rivals by Vi Keeland -- 300 pages

The feud between Weston Lockwood and me started at the altar. Only neither of us attended the wedding, and the nuptials happened decades before either of us was born. 

Our grandfathers had been best friends and business partners, at least up until my grandfather’s wedding day—when his bride-to-be blurted out she couldn’t marry him because she was also in love with Weston‘s grandfather. 

The two men spent years fighting over Grace Copeland, who also happened to be their third business partner.  But in the end, neither man could steal half of her heart away from the other. Eventually, they all went their separate ways. Our grandfathers married other women, and the two men became one of the biggest business rivals in history.

Our fathers continued the family tradition of feuding. And then Weston and I did, too. For the most part, we kept as much distance as possible. Until the day the woman who started the feud died—and unexpectedly left one of the most valuable hotels in the world to our grandfathers to share.

Now I’m stuck in a hotel with the man I was born to hate, trying to unravel the mess our families inherited. As usual, it didn’t take long for us to be at each other’s throats. Weston Lockwood was everything I hated: tall, smart, cocky, and too gorgeous for his own good.  We were fire and ice.  But that shouldn’t be an issue. Our families were used to being at war. There was just one minor problem, though. Every time Weston and I fought, we somehow wound up in bed.

Dying For Rain (Rain Trilogy #3) by B.B. Easton

Dying For Rain (Rain Trilogy #3) by B.B. Easton -- 196 pages

What could be worse than knowing the exact day the world is going to end?

Waking up to find out that it didn’t.

The post-April 23 world is a lawless, senseless, ruthless place, but it’s not loveless. At least, not for Rain and Wes.

But when the government begins holding daily televised executions as a demonstration of their power, that love is put to the ultimate test: Sacrifice one life to save the others? Or sacrifice the others to save the one?

Fighting For Rain (Rain Trilogy #2) B.B. Easton

Fighting For Rain (Rain Trilogy #2) B.B. Easton -- 232 pages

The world was supposed to end on April 23, but Rainbow Williams’s world ended days before that.

The mass hysteria caused by the impending apocalypse claimed everything she’d ever loved. Her family. Her city. Her will to live. Until she met him.

Wes Parker didn’t have anything left for the apocalypse to take…he’d already lost it all by the time he was nine-years-old. His family. His home. His hope of ever being loved. Until he met her.

Brought together by fate and bound by a love that would last lifetimes, Rain and Wes were prepared to die together on April 23. They were not prepared for what would happen on April 24.

Zero Repeat Forever by Gabrielle S. Prendergast

Zero Repeat Forever by G.S. Prendergast, The Nahx Invasions #1, 496 pages

"He has no voice, or name, only a rank, Eighth. He doesn’t know the details of the mission, only the directives that hum in his mind. Dart the humans. Leave them where they fall. His job is to protect his Offside. Let her do the shooting. 
Until a human kills her…

Sixteen year-old Raven is at summer camp when the terrifying armored Nahx invade, annihilating entire cities, taking control of the Earth. Isolated in the wilderness, Raven and her friends have only a fragment of instruction from the human resistance.
Shelter in place.
Which seems like good advice at first. Stay put. Await rescue. Raven doesn’t like feeling helpless but what choice does she have? Then a Nahx kills her boyfriend. Thrown together in a violent, unfamiliar world, Eighth and Raven should feel only hate and fear. But when Raven is injured, and Eighth deserts his unit, their survival depends on trusting each other…" --Amazon blurb

This was a fast-paced and exciting read. Great character development and a slow burn to the realization of what's going on. Really looking forward to the second book in this series, though I've heard that the third book in the series was put on hold by the publisher. The renewed buzz around this series will hopefully prompt them to pick up the pace.
 

Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa

 

Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa - 423 pages

Callie is a siren with a dark secret. When she was fifteen, she killed her stepfather. In order to wash away this crime, she called upon the Bargainer to clean her slate. Soon enough, she finds herself more and more in debt to the Bargainer - so in debt that she begins to give him her heart. But when the Bargainer leaves with no notice, she is left to deal with the heartbreak for seven years until the Bargainer shows up in her house to collect on her debts. 

I've heard great things about The Bargainer series, especially as a big fan of New Adult fantasy. I was definitely not disappointed by the first book! In fact, I couldn't put it down and finished it in one day. It was funny, dramatic, and crafted very well. 5/5 stars.

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett, 416 pages

CW: Described violence

"In Garner County, girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, to drive women mad with jealousy. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why they’re banished for their sixteenth year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive.

Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life—a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for a chance to grab one of the girls in order to make a fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other.

With sharp prose and gritty realism, The Grace Year examines the complex and sometimes twisted relationships between girls, the women they eventually become, and the difficult decisions they make in-between."--Amazon blurb

This was a great standalone book. Had some very hard scenes and graphic violence, but was an interesting storyline. This is a wild combination of The Hunger Games and A Handmaid's Tale. 

Lightbringer by Claire Legrand

Lightbringer by Claire Legrand, Empirium #3, 592 pages

CW: Descriptive violence

"In this epic finale to the Empirium Trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Claire Legrand, two queens, separated by a thousand years must face their ultimate destinies.

Queen Rielle, pushed away from everything she loves, turns to Corien and his promises of glory. Meanwhile, whispers from the empirium slowly drive her mad, urging her to open the Gate. Separated from Audric and Ludivine, she embraces the role of Blood Queen and her place by Corien’s side, determined to become the monster the world believes her to be.

In the future, Eliana arrives in the Empire’s capital as a broken shell of herself. Betrayed and abandoned, she fights to keep her power at bay—and away from Corien, who will stop at nothing to travel back in time to Rielle, even if that means destroying her daughter. But when the mysterious Prophet reveals themselves at last, everything changes, giving Rielle and Eliana a second chance for salvation—or the destruction their world has been dreading."Amazon  blurb

Great conclusion to a really entertaining and encompassing series. This book had some very hard scenes with violence and gore. The relationships in this series are hard, but reading this book was easy.

Kingsbane by Claire Legrand

 Kingsbane by Claire Legrand, Empirium #2, 608 pages

"Rielle Dardenne has been anointed Sun Queen, but her trials are far from over. The Gate keeping the angels at bay is falling. To repair it, Rielle must collect the seven hidden castings of the saints. Meanwhile, to help her prince and love Audric protect Celdaria, Rielle must spy on the angel Corien—but his promises of freedom and power may prove too tempting to resist.

Centuries later, Eliana Ferracora grapples with her new reality: She is the Sun Queen, humanity's long-awaited savior. But fear of corruption—fear of becoming another Rielle—keeps Eliana's power dangerous and unpredictable. Hunted by all, racing against time to save her dying friend Navi, Eliana must decide how to wear a crown she never wanted—by embracing her mother's power, or rejecting it forever."

Great second act in this series. This book, the differences between the two main characters becomes glaringly obvious, and each emerges as one to hate and one to love. 

Furyborn by Claire Legrant

 

Furyborn by Claire Legrand,  Empirium #1, 501 pages

"When assassins ambush her best friend, Rielle Dardenne risks everything to save him, exposing herself as one of a pair of prophesied queens: a queen of light, and a queen of blood. To prove she is the Sun Queen, Rielle must endure seven elemental magic trials. If she fails, she will be executed...unless the trials kill her first.

One thousand years later, the legend of Queen Rielle is a fairy tale to Eliana Ferracora. A bounty hunter for the Undying Empire, Eliana believes herself untouchable--until her mother vanishes. To find her, Eliana joins a rebel captain and discovers that the evil at the empire's heart is more terrible than she ever imagined.

As Rielle and Eliana fight in a cosmic war that spans millennia, their stories intersect, and the shocking connections between them ultimately determine the fate of their world--and of each other."--Amazon blurb

While this book started out kind of slow, it soon became a great fantasy novel. Great world with interesting characters. Looking forward to finishing this series.

Praying For Rain (Rain Trilogy #1) by B.B. Easton

 Praying For Rain (Rain Trilogy #1) by B.B. Easton -- 224 pages

“None of this matters, and we’re all going to die.”

With only three days left until the predicted apocalypse, the small town of Franklin Springs, Georgia, has become a wasteland of abandoned cars, abandoned homes, abandoned businesses, and abandoned people. People like Rainbow Williams.

Rain isn’t afraid of dying. In fact, she’s looking forward to it. If she can just outrun her pain until April 23, she’ll never have to feel it at all.

“Supplies. Shelter. Self-defense.”

Wes Parker has survived every horrible thing this life has thrown at him with nothing more than his resourcefulness and disarming good looks. Why should the end of the world be any different? All he needs are some basic supplies, shelter, and a sucker willing to help him out, which is exactly what he finds when he returns to his hometown of Franklin Springs.

As society crumbles, dangers mount, and secrets refuse to stay buried, two lost souls are thrust together in a twist of fate—one who will do anything to survive and one who can’t wait to die. Perhaps, together, they can learn how to live. Before their time runs out.

Playing With Fire by L.J. Shen

Playing With Fire by L.J. Shen -- 436 pages

A broken boy on the path to destruction. 

A scarred girl without direction. 

A love story carved in secrets, inked with pain and sealed with a lie. 

Grace Shaw and West St. Claire are arctic opposites. She is the strange girl from the food truck. He is the mysterious underground fighter who stormed into her sleepy Texan college town on his motorcycle one day, and has been wreaking havoc since. She is invisible to the world. He is the town’s beloved bad boy. She is a reject. He is trouble.

When West thrusts himself into Grace’s quiet life, she scrambles to figure out if he is her happily-ever-after or tragic ending. But the harder she pushes him away, the more he pulls her out of her shell. Grace doesn’t know much about anything beyond her town’s limits, but she does know this: She is falling in love with the hottest guy in Sheridan U. And when you play with fire—you ought to get burned.

Bad Influence by Charleigh Rose

 Bad Influence by Charleigh Rose -- 276 pages

Allie 

When I moved to River’s Edge, dating was the last thing on my mind. I definitely didn’t expect to fall for him. Jesse Shepherd. Popular. Star athlete. Cocky as hell. You know the type. But as time passed, I realized there was more lurking beneath that gorgeous exterior. Secretive. Angry. A little bit broken. The more I peeled back his layers, the deeper I fell. Until I slammed headfirst into his sea of lies. 

Jess 

I blew my shot. Pissed everything away—college, lacrosse, my future—only to end up right back where I started in River’s Edge. I was content to revel in my misery, spending my days drowning in a bottomless pit of booze and girls. Until I saw her. Allison Parrish. Beautiful. Sarcastic. Perpetual bad attitude. The pretty little distraction from the shit show that was my life. But the sins of my past were closing in on me, and I learned the hard way that nothing gold can stay

Bad Intentions by Charleigh Rose

Bad Intentions by Charleigh Rose -- 282 pages

Lo
Moving to River’s Edge was supposed to be a fresh start.
Away from chaos.
Away from bad influences and worse relationships.
All I wanted was to give my little brother more of a chance than I ever had.
It should’ve been simple.
I didn’t count on my transgressions following me.
And I definitely didn’t count on meeting Dare.
Tall, tortured, and tattooed.
A Lost Boy through and through.
Falling for someone like him was asking for heartache.
But I was a sucker for punishment.

Dare
I had a routine.
Eat, work, sleep, repeat, only ever doing the bare minimum to keep up appearances.
I kept my circle small and my guard high.
I spent years making sure I didn’t repeat the mistakes of my past, forming an impenetrable layer of ice around my heart.
Then Logan showed up in my town, in my tattoo shop, testing my patience along with my self-control.
She was fire and I was ice.
I should’ve stayed away.
But I had been cold for far too long.