Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
This week’s topic is:
My 10 Most Recent Reads
I’ve read some pretty fabulous books lately, so this is an exciting post to share with you! The genres vary from ya fantasy to contemporary romance to historical romance to a Greek myth retelling. Let’s check them out!!
1. Ember of Night by Molly E. Lee
Series: Ember of Night #1
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Release Date: May 4, 2021
Book Description: I’ve been told I was as useless as a weed most of my life. Mainly by my worthless father.
But I’d suffer anything to give my kid sister a better life—the minute I turn eighteen, I’m getting us the hell out of here. And some hot stranger telling me I am the key to stopping a war between Heaven and Hell isn’t going to change that.
Let the world crumble and burn, for all I care.
Draven is relentless, though. And very much a liar. Every time his sexy lips are moving, I can see it—in the dip of his head, the grit of his jaw—even if my heart begs me to ignore the signs.
So what does he want?
I need to figure it out fast, because now everyone is gunning for me. And damn if I don’t want to show them what happens when you let weeds thrive in the cracks of the pavement…
We can grow powerful enough to shatter the whole foundation.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
2. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
Page Length: 320
Publication Date: May 4, 2021
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Synopsis: A mesmerising retelling of the ancient Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. Perfect for fans of CIRCE, A SONG OF ACHILLES, and THE SILENCE OF THE GIRLS.
As Princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grow up hearing the hoofbeats and bellows of the Minotaur echo from the Labyrinth beneath the palace. The Minotaur – Minos’s greatest shame and Ariadne’s brother – demands blood every year.
When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives in Crete as a sacrifice to the beast, Ariadne falls in love with him. But helping Theseus kill the monster means betraying her family and country, and Ariadne knows only too well that in a world ruled by mercurial gods – drawing their attention can cost you everything.
In a world where women are nothing more than the pawns of powerful men, will Ariadne’s decision to betray Crete for Theseus ensure her happy ending? Or will she find herself sacrificed for her lover’s ambition?
Ariadne gives a voice to the forgotten women of one of the most famous Greek myths, and speaks to their strength in the face of angry, petulant Gods. Beautifully written and completely immersive, this is an exceptional debut novel.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
3. Crown of Bitter Thorn by Kay L. Moody
Series: The Fae of Bitter Thorn #3
Page Length: 350
Publication Date: May 11, 2021
Publisher: Marten Press
Synopsis: Faerie is forever changed.
Prince Brannick is still determined to become High King of Faerie but doing so will require support from the other courts. Many fae are still hesitant to back him because of the sins of his mother. He will have to offer favors and bargains that put him in danger.
He wants to fight for his rightful place as High King. He wants to end his conflict with the queen of Fairfrost for good. But his heart might be too broken to do anything.
Mortals in Faerie always bring trouble.
The cost this time might be too high to pay.
4. Wish Hunter byJordan Riley Swan and Hero Bowen
Series: The Savannah River Series #1
Page Length: 350
Publication Date: June 1, 2021
Publisher:
Synopsis: Explore the dark underworld of wish hunting in the compelling first installment of this urban fantasy trilogy set in Savannah, Georgia—perfect for fans of Laini Taylor and V. E. Schwab.
Nadia Kaminski’s family has stolen wishes for generations, auctioning them off to skeevy business tycoons and politicians in back-alley deals. Their operation is simple enough. Find someone who gained a wish after saving a life. Trick the wisher into sharing a deep secret. Steal the wish.
And as a marriage counselor, Nadia has more access to people’s secrets than most.
But when Nadia comes across the perfect opportunity to steal a wish for herself, she takes it—and the rock star she’s stolen it from desperately wants his wish back.
As Nadia tries to figure out how to get rid of the cocky thorn in her side, she must face off against vengeful wish hunters, her all-too-powerful family, and the consequences of her own desires—because stealing wishes can be a deadly affair.
5. The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He
Published by: Roaring Brook Press
Publication Date: May 4th 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Perfect for fans of Rick Yancey and Marie Lu, The Ones We’re Meant to Find is a sci-fi fantasy with mind-blowing twists, ready to burst onto the YA scene, from the critically-acclaimed Descendant of the Crane author, Joan He.
Cee awoke on an abandoned island three years ago. With no idea of how she was marooned, she only has a rickety house, an old android, and a single memory: she has a sister, and Cee needs to find her.
STEM prodigy Kasey wants escape from the science and home she once trusted. The eco-city—Earth’s last unpolluted place—is meant to be sanctuary for those commited to planetary protection, but it’s populated by people willing to do anything for refuge, even lie. Now, she’ll have to decide if she’s ready to use science to help humanity, even though it failed the people who mattered most.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
5. Tempting Fate by Kerrigan Byrne
Series: Goode Girls #4
Publication Date: May 11, 2021
Publisher: Gnarly Wool Publishing
Synopsis: Disfigured in fighting pits as a lad, Gabriel Sauvageau has lived his entire life without the touch of a woman. As the brains and brawn behind London’s most ferocious smuggling syndicate, he knows he doesn’t deserve shy, bespectacled Felicity Goode. But that doesn’t stop him from watching her. Guarding her.
Wondering if her gentle touch would soothe his savage soul.
Though she wiles away hours immersed in the pages of romance novels, shy and anxious Felicity Goode has vowed never to become a bride. How can she share a life—not to mention a bed—with a man, if she can’t bring herself to share a simple conversation without trembling and stuttering? Once news of her obscene inheritance circulates through the ton, she is barraged, not only by a slew of suitors, but also several distressing threats against her life.
What she needs is a bodyguard.
The large, scarred ruffian she finds on her stoop is exactly what she has been looking for.
So, why does his presence make her tremble in ways that have nothing to do with fear?
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
6. The Bachelor Bargain by Maddison Michaels
Series: Secrets, Scandals, and Spies #1
Page Length: 400
Publication Date: May 17, 2021
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Synopsis: Bachelors, beware. For those who keep secrets and prey on the innocent, you will be exposed, with all your dirty little secrets laid bare to one and all. You have been warned…
Lady Olivia Haliford has had enough. Tired of seeing women lose their reputations, futures, and sometimes even their lives to scandal while the men walk free, she is ready to take back power and stand up for women everywhere. Along with her two closest friends, she plans to start an anonymous publication dedicated to dishing the dirt and exposing the secrets of society’s most eligible bachelors. But in order to do so, she will have to make a deal with the devil…
Sebastian Colver, known as the Bastard of Baker Street, is feared throughout London as the city’s most notorious gambling den owner and undisputed king of the underground. His life is nothing but darkness and danger, so he is shocked when the petite lady gracing his doorstep seems anything but frightened of him. He agrees to be a silent partner in the publishing of the Gazette if she will use her connections to sponsor his sister and launch her into Society and away from his dark world.
But exposing the secrets of the rich and powerful can be dangerous. Almost as dangerous as a lady falling in love with the king of the underground.
7. Daughter of Sparta by Claire M. Andrews
Series: Daughter of Sparta #1
Page Length: 400
Publication Date: June 8, 2021
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson Books
Synopsis: Sparta forged her into a deadly weapon. Now the Gods need her to save the world!
Seventeen-year-old Daphne has spent her entire life honing her body and mind into that of a warrior, hoping to be accepted by the unyielding people of ancient Sparta. But an unexpected encounter with the goddess Artemis—who holds Daphne’s brother’s fate in her hands—upends the life she’s worked so hard to build. Nine mysterious items have been stolen from Mount Olympus and if Daphne cannot find them, the gods’ waning powers will fade away, the mortal world will descend into chaos, and her brother’s life will be forfeit.
Guided by Artemis’s twin-the handsome and entirely-too-self-assured god Apollo-Daphne’s journey will take her from the labyrinth of the Minotaur to the riddle-spinning Sphinx of Thebes, team her up with mythological legends such as Theseus and Hippolyta of the Amazons, and pit her against the gods themselves.
A reinterpretation of the classic Greek myth of Daphne and Apollo, Daughter of Sparta by debut author Claire Andrews turns the traditionally male-dominated mythology we know into a heart-pounding and empowering female-led adventure.
8. Forever Winter by Amber Daulton
Page Length: 112
Publication Date: March 26, 2013
Publisher: Books to Go Now
Synopsis: Just imagine the perfect wedding… and then everything that could go wrong.
Viscount Camden Beckinworth had lived the life of a devil-may-care rake until his parents’ untimely death. He cast aside his personal life, returned home to save the crumbling family business and decided to re-enter Society five years later. By then, the pesky little sister of his two best childhood friends had grown into a lovely woman.
After two disastrous London seasons, Susanna Lorican accepted a marriage proposal from a neighborhood friend and, while she had adored him since childhood, she never expected the man of her dreams to reciprocate her feelings. She planned the perfect Christmas Eve wedding but she didn’t expect a snowstorm to barrel through the English countryside on the morning of.
Does social peril and uncontrollable weather keep the lovebirds from the altar or do they find their happily ever after in the midst of a disastrous wedding day?
9. Tempting the Scoundrel by Tracy Sumner
Series: House of Devon #3
Page Length: 98
Publication Date: Sept. 23, 2020
Synopsis: Love at first sight.
Steamy second chance.
Regency splendor.
As the most distinguished watchmaker in England, Christian Bainbridge believes in accurate timepieces, not love. He secretly offered his heart years ago, and he’s never gotten it back. When Raine Mowbray stumbles into his life again, Christian realizes the woman he’s worshiped from afar is still the woman he desires above all others.
Raine Mowbray needs solitude and employment, not love. A housemaid forced to flee a loathsome earl’s grasp, the last thing she’s seeking is a man’s attention. When she finds herself unexpectantly paired with a gorgeous watchmaker in need of an assistant, she’s unnerved by his wit, kindness—and clandestine devotion to her.
If you like spirited heroines who fight falling in love and charmingly arrogant heroes who think they know best, then this is the book for you! Snuggle up with Tempting the Scoundrel, a steamy second chance, love-at-first-sight Regency Romance!
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
10. The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews
Page Length: 448
Publication Date: May 4, 2021
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Synopsis: IN TROUBLE AND ON THE RUN . . .
After she discovers her sister Tanya dead on the floor of her fashionable New York City townhouse, Letty Carnahan is certain she knows who did it: Tanya’s ex; sleazy real estate entrepreneur Evan Wingfield. Even in the grip of grief and panic Letty heeds her late sister’s warnings: “If anything bad happens to me–it’s Evan. Promise me you’ll take Maya and run. Promise me.” So Letty grabs her sister’s Mercedes and hits the road . . .
WITH A TRUNKFUL OF EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE . . .
. . . and her wailing four-year-old niece Maya. Letty is determined to out-run Evan and the law, but run to where? Tanya, a woman with a past shrouded in secrets, left behind a “go-bag” of cash and a big honking diamond ring–but only one clue: a faded magazine story about a sleepy mom-and-pop motel in a Florida beach town with the improbable name of Treasure Island. She sheds her old life and checks into an uncertain future at The Murmuring Surf Motel.
THE NO VACANCY SIGN IS FLASHING, & THE SHARKS ARE CIRCLING . . .
And that’s the good news. Because The Surf, as the regulars call it, is the winter home of a
close-knit flock of retirees and snowbirds who regard this odd-duck newcomer with suspicion and down-right hostility. As Letty settles into the motel’s former storage room, she tries to heal Maya’s heartache and unravel the key to her sister’s shady past, all while dodging the attention of the owner’s dangerously attractive son Joe, who just happens to be a local police detective. Can Letty find romance as well as a room at the inn–or will Joe betray her secrets and put her behind bars? With danger closing in, it’s a race to find the truth and and right the wrongs of the past.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Have you read any of these, or are any on your TBR? What books have you recently read? Comment below!!
Great list! Ember of Night looks so good!
OMG – It is soooo good!!!
I haven’t read any, but so many are on my TBR!
That doesn’t surprise me – we have such similar tastes! lol
LOL! So true!
Did you enjoy The Newcomer?
I did! If you generally like MKA’s books, you’ll definitely enjoy it!
Recently read–as in my last five
1. Peter Pan
2. Hard Times
3. Song of Achilles
4. Starless Sea
5. Yellow-Lighted Bookshop
Nice!! I have The Starless Sea on my TBR. It sounds really good! What did you think of The Song of Achilles?
I loved Song of Achilles. Interesting seeing The Iliad told from Patroclus’ POV
Definitely! I loved it too. Now I want to read Circe by the same author. 🙂
Had no idea Song of Achilles and Circe were by the same author. I actually am interested in reading Circe
Yeah, I love Madeline Miller’s writing style and am looking forward to that one. I also just picked up A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes, which is the Trojan War told from all of the women’s perspectives.
I have copies of Ariadne and Wish Hunters to read, but I’m seeing that there are others I need to add to my TBR from your list haha.
Haha – well, I can’t wait to see what you think of Ariadne and Wish Hunter! 🙂
Oh wow, this whole line up sounds amazing. I may have pre-ordered one or two books because of this list lol
Nice! I’m such a bad influence! lol
Lmao not even, this is why they keep sending us books… to make each other buy them lol. It’s genius actually!
Totally! lol
I just finished The Newcomers today, otherwise I have not read any of these.
What did you think of it? I love MKA!
I really liked it. It was so much more than I was expecting. I hope to get my review posted tonight or tomorrow. I don’t have my granddaughter today, so have some time.
I keep seeing Crown of Bitter Thorn on my Kindle Unlimited suggestions and am temped to try it. Would you recommend it? Great list!
I’m enjoying the series. It’s definitely a good one if you like YA fantasy – good characters, interesting world, not too heavy, light on the romance. 🙂
Great list! I’d really like to give Ariadne a try.
Thanks! It’s really good. I hope you like it if you decide to read it!
oooh this is a great list! I’ve also recently read (and loved) The Ones We’re Meant to Find, and am gonna go and stalk your reviews for Ariadne & Daughter of Sparta cause both sound amazing 😀
I really liked Ariadne! I’ve been enjoying the Greek myth retellings lately and just bought A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes, It sounds so good!! Daughter of Sparta was good too, though not my fave. My review isn’t up yet but will be soon. 🙂
I honestly need to get on my game with these Greek retelling because I just know I will love them, but I haven’t read one yet lol. I have Circe and Song of Achilles, but will definitely have to add Ariadne to my TBR 😀
If I had to choose, I would absolutely go with The Song of Achilles. That was my favorite read of 2020. I literally hugged the book when I finished (after I stopped sobbing lol). I feel like a lot of the Greek myth retellings I’ve read since pale in comparison.
Ahh that’s good to know! I’ve read a lot of amazing reviews for it, and I’m 99% sure it’s gonna break my heart, but I’m hoping to get to it soon.
I recently discovered The Bachelor Bargain and ohmigoodness it sounds so GOOD that I instantly put it on my wish list 😊
I really liked it! Great romance and characters, and a lot of action. 🙂 Definitely worth the read!
Wish Hunter looks interesting! I have Daughter of Sparta on my tbr!
The premise of Wish Hunter is really interesting. Definitely makes you think! Daughter of Sparta was good. I didn’t love it it, but I didn’t dislike it either. Curious to see what happens in the next book. 🙂