Waiting on Wednesday {31}

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, Hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that I'm eagerly anticipating. 

Title:

The Beautiful

Author:

Renée Ahdieh

Publication Date:

October 8th, 2019

Publisher:

                      G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Summary from Goodreads:

New York Times bestselling author Renée Ahdieh returns with a sumptuous, sultry and romantic new series set in 19th century New Orleans where vampires hide in plain sight.



In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city's glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group's leader, the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of La Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sébastien's guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.



When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.



At once a sultry romance and a thrilling murder mystery, master storyteller Renée Ahdieh embarks on her most potent fantasy series yet: The Beautiful.

                                                     

Review | Handle With Care by Helena Hunting

Handle With Care

by Helena Hunting

Published by St. Martin's Paperbacks on August 27th, 2019

Genres: Adult, Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Series: Shaking Up - Book Five

Format: eARC

Source: Kindly provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Summary from Goodreads: 

New York Times bestselling author of SHAKING UP and I FLIPPING LOVE YOU Helena Hunting mixes humour and heart in this scandal-filled romantic comedy.

HE WANTS TO LOSE CONTROL.

Between his parents’ messed up marriage and his narcissistic younger brother, Lincoln Moorehead has spent the majority of his life avoiding his family. After the death of his father, Lincoln finds himself in the middle of the drama. To top it all off, he’s been named CEO of Moorehead Media, much to his brother’s chagrin. But Lincoln’s bad attitude softens when he meets the no-nonsense, gorgeous woman who has been given the task of transforming him from the gruff, wilderness guy to a suave businessman



SHE’S TRYING TO HOLD IT TOGETHER.

Wren Sterling has been working double time to keep the indiscretions at Moorehead Media at bay, so when she’s presented with a new contract, with new responsibilities and additional incentives, she agrees. Working with the reclusive oldest son of a ridiculously entitled family is worth the hassle if it means she’s that much closer to pursuing her own dreams. What Wren doesn’t expect is to find herself attracted to him, or for it to be mutual. And she certainly doesn’t expect to fall for Lincoln. But when a shocking new Moorehead scandal comes to light, she’s forced to choose between her own family and the broody, cynical CEO.

Buy Links:

Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Indigo│Macmillan

Review

    Handle With Care is the fifth book in the Shaking Up Series, but can ultimately be read as a standalone. It mainly revolves around Lincoln, who was introduced to the series in Hooking Up, and Wren. One can already see the chemistry they have when they are first introduced to one another.Lincoln is irritated that he has to be there but then when his ill-mannered brother, Armstrong, acts out because he's not named CEO, it causes Wren to step in and put him in his place. From there, the story only gets better. 

In the first few chapters we see their introduction, and sparse communication, between brooding Lincoln and fierce Wren. As Lincoln and Wren work together at Morehead, their hilarious banter leads to some serious sexual tension that just begs for one of them to make a move on the other. Their fun interactions and amazing chemistry made me enjoy the characters and the story that much more.



Handle With Care is a delightful romantic comedy, and an excellent continuation of the Shaking Up series, that I can not recommend highly enough. Be sure to check it out today! 

Rating

★★★★

About the Author

Helena Hunting is the author of The USA Today and NYT bestselling PUCKED Series. She lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She writes everything from new adult angst to romantic sports comedy .

Author Links:

Author Website│Facebook│Twitter│Instagram│Goodreads

Review | The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young

The Girl the Sea Gave Back

by Adrienne Young

Published by Wednesday Books on September 3rd, 2019

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance

Format: ARC

Source: Kindly provided by Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Summary from Goodreads: 

The new gut-wrenching epic from the New York Times bestselling author of Sky in the Deep.



For as long as she can remember, Tova has lived among the Svell, the people who found her washed ashore as a child and use her for her gift as a Truthtongue. Her own home and clan are long-faded memories, but the sacred symbols and staves inked over every inch of her skin mark her as one who can cast the rune stones and see into the future. She has found a fragile place among those who fear her, but when two clans to the east bury their age-old blood feud and join together as one, her world is dangerously close to collapse.



For the first time in generations, the leaders of the Svell are divided. Should they maintain peace or go to war with the allied clans to protect their newfound power? And when their chieftain looks to Tova to cast the stones, she sets into motion a series of events that will not only change the landscape of the mainland forever but will give her something she believed she could never have again—a home.

Buy Links:

Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Indigo

Review

The Girl the Sea Gave Back is a spin-off of Adrienne Young's Sky in the Deep.


With an amazing setting and highly captivating plot, one could only anticipate the two lovers falling for each other and following their destiny. However, the romance never really took off and became diluted as the story continued to progress. This left the romance feeling unimportant to the overall scheme of things. It also seemed as if, in contrast to Young's previous work, it was more driven on the characters than the plot itself. While I enjoyed learning about the two main characters, Tova and Halvard, and reading scenes from both of their perspectives, I felt as if they were at times overly serious. As one gained a better understanding about the characters' past, one was also able to observe the lack of personality both characters had. This can makes the story less immersive as they are not able to relate to the characters and/or feel for the characters. I was a bit disappointed as I felt that the book had more potential than just what was on the pages. Though the viking folklore was engrossing, the 



Overall, it was an okay story that was interesting to read but had more potential.

Rating

★★★★

About the Author

New York Times bestselling author of SKY IN THE DEEP, THE GIRL THE SEA GAVE BACK & the upcoming FABLE duology from Wednesday Books. Agent: Barbara Poelle, IGLA



Adrienne Young is a born and bred Texan turned California girl. She is a foodie with a deep love of history and travel and a shameless addiction to coffee. When she’s not writing, you can find her on her yoga mat, scouring antique fairs for old books, sipping wine over long dinners, or disappearing into her favorite art museums. She lives with her documentary filmmaker husband and their four little wildlings beneath the West Coast sun.



For information on release, appearances, ARCs, giveaways, and exclusive content, sign up for the newsletter at https://adrienneyoungbooks.com/

Author Links:

Author Website│Twitter│Facebook│Instagram│Goodreads

Review | Frankly in Love by David Yoon

Frankly in Love

by David Yoon

Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: September 10th, 2019

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction, Coming-of-Age

Format: ARC

Source: Kindly provided by publisher in exchange for honest review. Thank you!

Summary from Goodreads: 

High school senior Frank Li is a Limbo–his term for Korean-American kids who find themselves caught between their parents’ traditional expectations and their own Southern California upbringing. His parents have one rule when it comes to romance–“Date Korean”–which proves complicated when Frank falls for Brit Means, who is smart, beautiful–and white. Fellow Limbo Joy Song is in a similar predicament, and so they make a pact: they’ll pretend to date each other in order to gain their freedom. Frank thinks it’s the perfect plan, but in the end, Frank and Joy’s fake-dating maneuver leaves him wondering if he ever really understood love–or himself–at all. 

Buy Links:

Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Indigo

Review

Frankly in Love is a romantic coming-of-age story centred around a young teenage boy growing up and accepting his family as well as his own identity. The author, David Yoon, adds from his Korean-American experience to this story and writes about the challenges Frank faces regarding identity and the feeling of not identifying fully with the Korean or American culture. 

The romantic aspect of this story centres around the parental disapproval of Frank and his sister's relationships with anyone that is not Korean. For instance, Frank's sister was disowned for dating a black man. When Frank himself falls for a non-Korean, he is scared of facing the possible ramifications it may cause with his parents that he creates a plan with a Korean girl friend of his to pretend to date her in front of their parents while secretly seeing his real white girlfriend. 



The romance in this story has to be one of the weakest points of the overall story. Frank doesn't treat either Brit, his white girlfriend, nor Joy, his Korean girl friend, quite justly. He falls for both without really knowing either of their characters, leading to a sudden and face-paced relationship that felt lacking at times. This fake-dating trope is entirely unnecessary to this story.

Nonetheless, if one simply forgets the romance aspect of this story in its entirety, Frankly in Love makes a spectacular coming-of-age telling of a young boy trying to find himself and accept his identity. The exploration of the Korean community was extremely enlightening and entertaining to read and learn more about. Especially Frank's journey in accepting both parts of his identity as well as his parents, no matter the obstacles faced. 

Rating

★★★

About the Author

David Yoon grow up in Orange County, California, and now lives in Los Angeles with his wife, novelist Nicola Yoon, and their daughter. He drew the illustrations for Nicola's #1 New York Times bestseller Everything, Everything. Frankly in Love is his first novel.

Author Links:

Author Website│Twitter│Instagram│Goodreads

Check out the trailer for Frankly in Love below!

Blog Tour | There Will Come A Darkness by Katy Rose Pool

There Will Come A Darkness

by Katy Rose Pool

Published by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers on September 3rd, 2019

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy

Series: The Age of Darkness - Book One

Format: ARC

Source: Kindly provided by Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review.

Summary from Goodreads: 

The Age of Darkness approaches.
Five lives stand in its way.
Who will stop it... or unleash it? 



For generations, the Seven Prophets guided humanity. Using their visions of the future, they ended wars and united nations―until the day, one hundred years ago, when the Prophets disappeared.



All they left behind was one final, secret prophecy, foretelling an Age of Darkness and the birth of a new Prophet who could be the world’s salvation . . . or the cause of its destruction. As chaos takes hold, five souls are set on a collision course:



A prince exiled from his kingdom.

A ruthless killer known as the Pale Hand.

A once-faithful leader torn between his duty and his heart. 

A reckless gambler with the power to find anything or anyone.

And a dying girl on the verge of giving up.



One of them―or all of them―could break the world. Will they be savior or destroyer?

Buy Links:

Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Book Depository│Indigo

Review

There Will Come A Darkness is the first book in what is promised to be an extraordinary fantasy series.

Set in an Ancient Greece inspired environment/background with influences from the Ancient World, the world building takes a life of its own. There Will Come A Darkness is centered around five individual characters, from all walks of life, who come together to stop an ancient evil from destroying the world. This includes: Hassan, the prince of Herat whose been exiled by his tyrant usurper who is set on wiping out his people; Jude, loyal member of the Order of the Last Light and trusted guardian,; Ephyra, a loyal sister and fierce assassin fighting for what she believes in; Beru, living on borrowed time till a cure can be found; and Anton, a gambler with a gift on the run.

With the feeling of a more mature and darker version of any typical YA fantasy, one can easily lose themselves in this story filled with intrigue. Appealing to both classic and epic fantasy readers, There Will Come A Darkness has carved a mark of its own and stands strongly amongst predecessors in the genre.

I am absolutely on board with the newest trend in YA fantasy, the group of characters that are destined to come together to accomplish something of great importance. In There Will Come A Darkness, it's to stop the apocalypse. The cast of characters were unique and extraordinary to read about. Their storylines were fun to see play out throughout the book, since they all had a different kind of personality that lit up the pages and made it seem that much more intriguing. Every single one of these characters had a distinctive voice, that made it easy to follow each of their important storylines without any sense of confusion over whose POV I was currently on. 

I absolutely enjoyed reading There Will Come A Darkness from beginning to end. With a richly interwoven story, a well-developed world filled with magic, and a diverse cast of unique characters, this book promises to leave you breathlessly anticipating the next book in the series. A definite must read for anyone who enjoys reading fantasy, prophecies, and multiple characters coming together as a unit to accomplish something. 

Rating

★★★★★

About the Author

Katy is a writer living in Berkeley, California. She grew up in Los Angeles, where her screenwriter father taught her about three act structure, characterization, and inciting incidents all before she could tie her shoes. Katy studied history and English at UC Berkeley. She enjoys breakfast sandwiches, fancy cocktails, rooting for the Golden State Warriors, and books that set her on fire.

Author Links:

Author Website│Twitter│Tumblr│Instagram│Goodreads