The Impact Zone by: Jordan Ford

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Where to start. This is book two in the Ryder Bay series and follows Savannah a.k.a. Savvy and Griffin. May contain spoilers.

Savannah has had a lot on her plate the last couple of days, starting with her breaking up with Aiden, to her best friend Sklyar falling into the water, ultimately ending with Sklyar suffering a head injury leading to her coma. Griffin is a nomad surfer running from his past. He starts to have feelings for Savannah but keeps telling himself he is not allowed to because by the end of the summer he will be gone again off to somewhere new.

Savannah’s dad, Dr. Kevin, tells her she needs a summer hobby that will get her out of the house and away from being “mom” to her two younger siblings and that she’s not allowed to sit at the hospital everyday waiting on Skylar to wake up. After debating about what she would enjoy, she lands on surfing. Harley is the only surfer she knows, Savannah finally get the courage and asks her to teach her.

Griffin spots Savannah about to go surfing by herself one evening and stops to explain why it’s not safe to go surfing alone-especially at night. He offers to join her and they surf and hang out for a while, ending their night with a steamy kiss. Griffin follows this kiss by giving her the cold shoulder. He finally gets the nerve to call and apologize to her, only to find out something has happened to Harley and she had broken up with Aiden via text with no warning whatsoever. While at the hospital, Savannah runs into Jed and fills him in on what’s going on. He tells her Harley’s mom’s boyfriend must be back in the picture and that he has tried to touch her inappropriately, that she probably took off. The last time it happened, she left and hitchhiked her way to San Diego. They all go in a different direction looking for her, Griffin finally finding her and convincing her to get in his truck and go to Savannah’s.

They finally get to go on that first date, and what better date than grabbing burgers and going to an overlook of the beach while sitting in the back of his truck watching the sun set.

The next day, while Savannah is out buying groceries, she runs into Craig, who is Skylar’s on-again off-again. He tells her that his dad thinks she was pushed and a witness even came by and told him it was a man with dreads. Thinking of Griffin, Savannah tries to find him and after driving around forever she gives up. When she gets home, she finds him sitting on the curb by her mailbox. Since her dad is gone for the evening, she invites him inside and they fall asleep on the couch. They’re woken by her dad coming in, slamming doors and yelling at them. After Griffin leaves, Savannah and her dad get into a fight. The next day, she stays in bed all day and when her dad gets home they go on a walk to talk and work through things. While walking along the beach, they spot a body they believe is dead, but upon further inspection they discover it’s Griffin and he’s been beaten badly. Once they get him back to their house and Kevin doctors him up, he confesses all his dark past. And after that, well let’s just say all kinds of shit hits the fan, and things come to light

The ending left me speechless. Oh how I can’t wait for April 12 to come and book 3 to come out so we get Skylar’s story. I love how they all get along. Normally ex’s and new girlfriends are enemies but in this story they are all friends.

Publication: March 1, 2019 Pages: 354 YA Romance

Under Your Influence by: Jaxson Kidman writing as J.L. Caid

In this quick and insta-love. What happens when you are dumped the day before Valentines? And a cop saves you from spending time in jail, you marry the cop.

When your friend spies your ex out to eat with someone else the same evening he dumps you. What else do you do but go with your best friends to the restaurant to confront him, only to find out that they had been with each other for a while and had just gotten engaged.

After confronting him, Harper, heads over to the Brownstone he lives in and while standing on the sidewalk staring at it, Tyler, a cop on patrol spots her. When he gets out of the car to talk with her he notices she has a rock in her hand and is looking at the windows like she wants to throw it through one. He stops her from making a huge mistake that will cause her to spend the evening in jail. After a little flirting he sends her on her way with a warning to not let him see her around while he was out on patrol. She gets cheeky with him and brings up the bar the he ”invited” her to.

Harper decides it’s time for a drink so she goes to McMilly’s, the bar that Tyler told her about. While Tyler is at the bar getting a drink she steals his table and he is about to say something when he notices it’s Harper who stole his spot. They end up talking and drinking together all night and come morning they wake up in bed together; married. Of course, Harper starts freaking out but Tyler is all calm and cool about it. Harper starts following Tyler around while he is on patrol and sees the good in him and starts to realize she is having real feelings for him.

As they get to know one another and meet each others friends they discover they have more than just a physical attraction to each other. They are the perfect mate for each other. The back and forth banter between them is hilarious. Definitely a must read.

Kindle Edition Pages:198 Publication Date: February 14, 2019 Romance 18+

Everless by: Sara Holland

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In a world where time and currency is bound by draining your blood, 17 year old Jules Ember wants to sell her time to stop her Papa from selling what little remains of his time. After an evening of hunting and only managing to get one fish, Jules heads to the market to sell it and see the time lender. Amma who works at the market and is her best friend, tells her she is planning on going to Everless to work as a servant in preparation for the Queen’s arrival and wedding of Lord Roan Gerling and Lady Ina Gold. They will get paid a whole years worth of time for a months worth of work. Amma is so excited and tries to talk Jules into going with her, but no one knows she grew up there or that her Papa tells her she needs to stay far away. Having been banned from Everless ten years ago, for witnessing something she should haven’t seen, she has seen the Gerlings cruelty up close.

While waiting in line to see Duade, the time lender, he is collected from the store by two of Everless’ men. Still struggling to get away, he stops as a young man on a horse rounds the corner. Jules, thinking its Roan, believes things will stop and he will be released but when the young man removes his hood she realizes it’s Liam, which petrified her due to what she seen when she was younger. Her Papa always told her if she ever saw Liam again to run. So what does she do when she unfreezes but run back home to her Papa.

When she gets home, a rent collector is there talking with her father trying to collect rent. If you don’t have enough goods for them to take you give rent by blood. Not wanting to lose her Papa, after he goes to bed she sneaks out of the house to meet up with Amma to go to Everless. While waiting in line, the Gerling men went down the line choosing who would go to be a servant. Amma is not chosen due to having a scar on her face, she is told she’s too ugly. Her younger sister is chosen along with Jules, who promises she will look out for her.

Her papa told her to never let the queen see her. So as any teenager will do once you tell them not to do something, she tries everything in her limited power to get closer to the queen. While working as a servant, she runs into Roan, who remembers her from when they were little kids running around together. Roan offers her the chance to serve Lady Gold, which makes her happy as she is one step closer to the queen.

There are many secrets to be uncovered including why her Papa always warned her away from the queen. As time goes on, she starts to unravel some truths to her past and the stories she used to tell as a kid about the Fox and the Snake. Liam is the one who lets her in on her past but with everything that happened between them when they were younger she is hesitant to believe him.

Publication Date: January 2, 2018 Pages: 362 Book 1 of 2 Fantasy, Legends, Myths 2019 Lonestar List Age: 13+

My Kind of Forever by: Tracy Brogan

In a small town called Trillium Bay, when the mayoral election takes place and the longtime Blackwell patriarch has been booted out by a female who is the youngest mayor ever and not a Blackwell at all. You would think times are a changin’ and guess what, things do change and long buried secrets are revealed.

Brooke, the new mayor, goes into the office to talk with Henry Blackwell, but he has other plans and hands the keys over to her. He tells her that Gertie, his longtime assistant, will tell her everything she needs to know about the who and what of the town. Gertie being worried about her job, becomes extremely relieved when Brooke tells her she’s not firing her, that she is the backbone of the office and was probably running things anyways, not to mention she could use the help.

Leo is a newcomer working as a bartender at the Palomino Pub until he can figure out what venture his life will take after the security company he worked at went under. We also learn that he wants to write a book and is liking the solitude and quietness of the island.

Where else would a small town hold city council meetings but at a Pub. Once all the members arrive, Brooke calls the meeting to order and tells everyone that she emailed them the agenda so it should be on their phones. One of the ladies says, “How on earth am I supposed to bring my phone? It’s attached to the wall of my kitchen, and the cord isn’t that long.” Brooke thought that her time as a teacher would prepare her for this but she soon discovers that there is a major difference, all the members of the council are old. Gertie comes to the rescue with printed copies of the agenda. Since the meeting are held at the pub afterwards Brooke and Leo get to talking and he asks her out to dinner and if she would show him around.

Let’s not forget the long hidden secrets that the PI, Bill Smith, is trying to uncover. After all, a jewel thief has been on the island! With everyone telling a different tale regarding the jewels and who it could be there seems to be no concrete evidence as to what or who it is.

How will the newfound mayor and townspeople react to the uncovering of secrets new and old?

Publication: January 22, 2019 Pages: 261 clean Rom Com, Political aspects

Over the Falls by: Jordan Ford

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In this story you have the north vs the south; the rich vs the poor; the elites vs the hippies, along with love and friendship from an unlikely person.

Aiden, being down and depressed after losing his last swim meet on top of being dumped by his girlfriend of over a year, takes a ride down to the southside bay. While standing there watching the ocean and thinking, he spots a blonde beauty walking out of the water with a surfboard under her arm. They get to talking and she notices a sadness in his eyes and ask him “who dumped who.” At first he was just gonna walk off until he looked into her eyes and saw she was being sincere and that she knows what it feels like. She tells him he needs to change up things and needs to learn how to surf . A few days later they run into each other again and she offers to teach him how to surf. With his background already involving water, he catches on fast.

One evening after surfing they decide to go out to dinner. While they were there Skylar, his cousin, shows up and starts saying all kinds of mean thing to Harley and ends up causing Harley to throw money on the table and walk out. The next morning after ignoring Aiden’s texts she shows up at the beach and spots him talking to Griffin, who is offering him a summer job working at Ryder Rentals, which on top of what happened at dinner causes them to fight. He has never needed to work and she needs to, therefore it would be the perfect job for her.

After apologizing to each other the next morning, they meet up at their normal spot for surfing but the waves are too strong for him, so Harley decides to take him to a locals only spot since Axel and his crew are out tearing up the big waves she thinks they will be safe. They end up having too much fun at the cove and don’t leave in time before Axel and his crew show up. She tells Aiden to stay back and let her handle it, but as soon as Axel put his hands on her he goes to help, only making things worse and he ends up having his car keyed. With him trying to stick up for her and not listening to what she has to say it causes yet another fight between them.

After a long week, they make up and go back to Aiden’s place to research boards for him to buy his own. While they are laughing and having a good time his parents get home and Harley takes off. After a heart to heart with his parents he goes after Harley. When he finds her he invites her to watch the sunset or go out to eat. They decide to watch the sunset over the ocean. While they are walking and splashing along the beach they hear a scream and a splash. They both take off in the direction of the splash and discover a female body. They get her to the sand and discovers it is Skylar. He performs CPR until the paramedics arrive. On the way to the hospital they call his family to let them know what happened. Feeling like an outsider in the hospital Harley offers to go get everyone something to drink. When she returns, she sees Aiden kissing his ex girlfriend. After everything they have been through, she takes off and tries to retreat into herself and starts pushing everyone away, including her BMF.

After a few more twist and turns, Aiden finally discovers himself and what he wants, along with why Harley is acting the way she is.

Publication: January 14, 2019 Pages: 299 YA Romance

This is Book 1 of a series. Book 2 is scheduled to be released March 1, 2019

Invisible Ghosts by: Robyn Schneider

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Siblings, Rose and Logan who are best of friends who share a connection to each other that is usually only shared between twins, are told by their parents to watch out for each other.

Rose and her friends were doing junior rep at the Harbor Playhouse. She had tried out for a lead role but did not get cast, instead getting her name on the backstage helpers list. When she got home, Logan was watching tv and asked her if she wanted him to start it over. When he looked at her he knew something was wrong. When he asked, Rose told him that all her friends were cast and not her. Leaving out the part where the teacher told Rose that she didn’t see any potential in her. He tried to tell her it was okay that they could just hang and watch Doctor Who. Being a stubborn teen she didn’t listen.

After getting into a fight with him, she runs out the door heading to a tree fort that Sam’s dad had built for the neighborhood kids. Thinking Logan would come after her, she sat there reading, waiting for him to show up. After awhile she realizes that Logan would have shown up already if he was going to, so she decides to head home. On the trail back home by the honeysuckle bush, she finds Logan on the ground. Thinking he is playing a trick on her, she yells at him until she gets close enough to discover that he has been stung in the arm and leg and has died from his bee allergy.

After his death, Rose distanced herself from her theater friends. Rose has been seeing Logan’s ghost for 4 years and when Jamie, an old friend, moves back to school they rekindle their friendship. Rose and Logan go to Blitz after school one day and she spots her theater friends sitting in a corner booth. Jamie goes up to talk to her and sees Logan, going pale. Later, he goes over to her house and confirms that he too can see Logan along with other ghosts. He asks if Rose has seen any other ghost besides Logan and she figures out that she has seen one before. At first, Logan is excited to have someone else to talk to.

As Rose grows up and starts to fall in love with Jamie, Logan starts acting out. Jamie wants to exorcise him and it causes problems between him and Rose. Logan is happy to hear that cause it means Rose is all his again. When Logan realizes that Rose is planning on leaving for college in two years he gets upset and causes her alarm clock to fly and hit her in the cheek. Feeling bad for hurting his sister, Logan stays away for a couple of days and in that time Rose realizes that the reason Logan is acting out is because she is growing up and not needing him to look out for her. After talking with Logan, and then with Jamie, they decide it would be best for Logan to cross over.

Having a close relationship with a sibling then losing them would be hard for anyone, but when your brother comes back as a ghost you never really get say goodbye and have the closure that is needed. When the time comes for them to say goodbye, Rose knows it’s the right thing to do for Logan and herself.

13+ Publication Date: June 5, 2018 Pages 308 YA Fiction-Romance, Family, Death

The Wicked King by: Holly Black

As much as I loved The Cruel Prince, I found this one lacking in the interest department for me. I tried for days to get into it and read it but found myself skipping around in it. Although, I do love the banter between Carden and Jude and their love/hate relationship. So this review will short and sweet.

At the end of The Cruel Prince, Jude had done what needed to be done and got Carden named High King and under her control for a year and a day. So ultimately it is her calling the shots but to all the people she is just his mortal seneschal. During this book she spends a lot of the time plotting/fighting to keep a step ahead of everyone else all while trying to figure out her feelings for Carden.

Jude is betrayed by someone close to her. There are many plot twist sprinkled throughout this story. The ending leaves you definitely wanting to read the next one, as Jude, the Queen of Elfhame, was exiled and sent to the mortal world and with Carden creating a new island.

I wish I could’ve gotten into it like The Cruel Prince but no such luck. Hopefully The Queen of Nothing will turn me around. Now for a long wait.

Publication January 8, 2019 Pages: 336 Fantasy

Not If I Save You First by: Ally Carter

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I was a little leary going into this after reading her Embassy Row Series, which left me feeling like there should be another book. I still can’t even sum up those books without feeling lost.

This, however, was a short and sweet read. This story is about survival, adventure, friendship and a budding romance.

Find the boy.

Save the boy.

~~Kiss Kill~~ Make the boy pay

For what he did to you.

Being the daughter of a secret service agent attached to the President has some perks. Especially when the President has a son your age and you become best friends, and you go running around the White House together. Suddenly, tragedy strikes at the White House, causing Maddie and her father take off to Alaska to live in the middle of nowhere with no internet, phones, tv or other people. Maddie writes daily letters to Logan and has her dad send them when he goes to town for supplies. After two years of Logan not responding she stops writing him letters.

Logan, after getting into trouble along with slipping away from his secret service agents numerous times, is sent to join Maddie and her dad. With a fierce storm on the way, Maddie’s father is sent out to give supplies to some people who will be in need. Her dad tells her to make Logan chop wood and help with her chores. While they are out looking for wood they are attacked and Maddie is pushed off a cliff, presumed dead by both the Russian kidnapper and Logan, while Logan is kidnapped.

When Maddie finally comes to she realizes it’s up to her to save Logan. Having lived in these woods for the past six years, Maddie has an advantage over the kidnapper. She catches up to them and allows herself to get “captured”. Trying to survive the Alaskan wilderness and a Russian kidnapper proves to almost be too much for the pair. Using the survival instincts her father has taught her, after escaping from the kidnapper she is able to get herself and Logan to safety for the night . After some rest and food, they head out to try to retrieve the sat phone their Russian capturer had. And that’s where things get interesting, when a simple rescue mission turns into a much larger problem.

Publication March 27, 2018 Pages 293 YA-chosen for the 2019 Lonestar List so it is good for middle grade

Lighthouse Beach by: Shelley Noble

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Who else would borrow a van and a dress from her local consignment shop to attend a friend’s wedding, whom she meet at fat camp and hasn’t seen in 15 years, but Lillo? When a wedding invitation shows up in the mail, Lillo feels pressured to attend. She hasn’t seen Jess in such a long time that when she shows up she does not know anyone there. She soon makes friends with Diana and Allie, who are Jess’s college friends. Jess does not know if she really wants to go through with the wedding, which is why she invited Lillo in the first place. Jess is a weak-minded person when it comes to her father and sticking up for herself and Lillo is the strength she never had. After finding her fiance with another woman, Lillo and the gang kidnaps the bride to be. With nowhere to go and Lillo having the only car between them, they load up in her borrowed van and head to Lighthouse Beach. On the way there they end up with a flat tire, stuck on the side of the road. A biker gang eventually happens by and stops to help. Not realizing that she and Lillo know them, Jess jumps out of the van to attack the bikers before they get Lillo. Lillo clears the misunderstanding and gets everyone calmed down, then they get the tire changed. They end up going to Lillo’s cottage to rest and recoup before heading on a girls road trip. As the day goes they end up deciding to just stay at Lillo’s for the week. Lillo has had something traumatic happen to her in the past and since then has shoved that past in boxes into a spare room and prefers to be alone than in the company of anyone.

Diana is CEO of her own app company. Needing to call her assistant, she has to go walk along the beach for reception and while out there spots a “prince on a white horse, well maybe gray horse,” to quote her. When she gets back to the cottage and tells Lillo about him, she confirms it is Ian a vet who lives down the road. Ian has some past issues of his own that cause him to be more of an animal person than a human person. Diana loves horses and actually has some of her own she has to have in boarding but never has the time to ride them. Willing to do anything to ride the horses, she convinces Ian to let her muck the stalls and even pays him to let her ride with him.

The biker gang that came to the tire rescue is made up of Doctor Ned Hartley and a group of doctors, mechanics, CPA’s, etc. They travel around to towns that are in need of help. They stay a week at each place before moving on to the next town. Lillo had went to college to become a doctor and after her traumatic experience, she quit and became a landscaper. Doc is short-handed at the clinic and ask Lillo to come in and assist him. She turns him down at first but slowly gives in and goes to help stock shelves and rooms in between patients.

Jess’s dad and goons arrive and try to take Jess back and things end up going astray and Mac gets shot and with Lillo being the only “doctor” around she springs into action to save her. Their week together is coming to an end and now Lillo is feeling lost all over again, knowing the girls are leaving and the bikers are about to head to the next town. Finding out what happened in Lillo’s past I can say I never seen coming. I was starting to feel a little lost like I missed something but then bam everything is revealed and it all gets explained.

I have to say that, yes, this was a good book but the ending left me thinking “Wait, that’s it?” as it is a little cliffhangy with no other books to follow. This story is told from three POV’s Lillo, Mac and Diana.

Publication May 29, 2018, 398 pages, Contemporary Romance

Next in Line by: Amy Daws

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Get ready for fun and laughs. Next in Line had me laughing from the beginning to the end. It brought back a lot of fond memories from when I was little and would go fishing with my dad and we would go to the bait store for minnows. Never been ice fishing but fishing is fishing, right?

Maggie, having been dumped by her college boyfriend, Sterling, on Christmas morning decides to road trip it to Boulder to see her brother. Sterling called her basic and said he needed someone more adventurous. Along the way she spots a sign for a BnB and stops. While there she hears about Marv and his history of ice fishing. While at Marv’s Bait and Tackle, she runs into some trouble and Sam comes to her rescue. Finding out that this is her first time and the fact she is not prepared for the cold, he offers to take her. After taking her shopping for the correct supplies and clothing for ice fishing, cause let’s face it leggings are a no go. They ride out to the lake and get all set up. In their little fishing hut sparks fly-with or without their heater.

On her last morning at the BnB, she meets a group of guys from a magazine who are there to do a story on climbing an ice silo. Ezekiel tells her anyone can do it and that she should go with them. Feeling like a pro after only ice fishing one time, she attempts to go by herself and luckily for her, Sam shows up and takes her. While fishing Maggie tells Sam of her plans to climb the ice silo and he blackmailed her into letting him go with her. When they show up Ezekiel’s ego is hurt that she came with someone and challenges Sam to a climb, that the first one to the top gets to belay Maggie. Come to find out, there is a tradition that if they let them film it live on their social media page, the winner gets a free weekend stay at their ski chalet.

During their weekend getaway, they discover that Maggie is a horrible skier but she never gives up. While there, Sam and Maggie have ice ball fights, naked hot tub time and glorious time in the hot springs.

All during her adventures, she is taking pictures to send to Sterling to prove she is not basic in hopes to win him back. Her pictures end up doing the job she set out for, but somewhere along the way she discovered she didn’t want them to work. Sterling shows up ready to take her back, but Sam gets him to confess he’s not adventurous and was wrong in telling Maggie she was not.

I had so many laugh out loud moments reading this and I forgot how much I like Miles and Kate from Wait with Me. Adding Kate, a romance writer to the mix and well what can I say but you must read.

18+ Romantic Comedy, Publication: November 27, 2018, 246 pages