Happy Saturday! It’s a bit dismal here today – rainy and cold. So, we’re spending the day inside pumpkin carving, painting, reading, and doing a few other craft projects. Super fun! I finished my most recent read last night, and I’m debating which of these books to read next. Which would you choose?
1. Bound by Firelight by Dana Swift
Title: Bound by Firelight
Author: Dana Swift
Series: Wickery #2
Page Length: 448
Publication Date: Jan. 18, 2022
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Synopsis: After a magical eruption devastates the kingdom of Belwar, royal heir Adraa is falsely accused of masterminding the destruction and forced to stand trial in front of her people, who see her as a monster. Adraa’s punishment? Imprisonment in the Dome, an impenetrable, magic-infused fortress filled with Belwar’s nastiest criminals—many of whom Adraa put there herself. And they want her to pay.
Jatin, the royal heir to Naupure, has been Adraa’s betrothed, nemesis, and fellow masked vigilante . . . but now he’s just a boy waiting to ask her the biggest question of their lives. First, though, he’s going to have to do the impossible: break Adraa out of the Dome. And he won’t be able to do it without help from the unlikeliest of sources—a girl from his past with a secret that could put them all at risk.
Time is running out, and the horrors Adraa faces in the Dome are second only to the plot to destabilize and destroy their kingdoms. But Adraa and Jatin have saved the world once already. . . . Now, can they save themselves?
2. Kamila Knows Best by Farah Heron
Title: Kamila Knows Best
Author: Farah Heron
Page Length: 368
Publication Date: March 8, 2022
Publisher: Forever
Synopsis: Kamila Hussain’s life might not be perfect, but, whew, it’s close. She lives a life of comfort, filled with her elaborate Bollywood movie parties, a dog with more Instagram followers than most reality stars, a job she loves, and an endless array of friends who clearly need her help finding love. In fact, Kamila is so busy with her friends’ love lives, she’s hardly given any thought to her own . . .
Fortunately, Kamila has Rohan Nasser. A longtime friend of the family, he’s hugely successful, with the deliciously lean, firm body of a rock climber. Only lately, Kamila’s “harmless flirting” with Rohan is making her insides do a little bhangra dance.
But between planning the local shelter’s puppy prom, throwing a huge work event, and proving to everyone that she’s got it all figured out, Kamila isn’t letting herself get distracted—until her secret nemesis returns to town with an eye for Rohan. Suddenly, it seems like the more Kamila tries to plan, the more things are starting to unravel—and her perfectly ordered life is about to be turned upside down.
3. Faye and the Kingdom of Ice by Nicole Bailey
Title: Faye and the Kingdom of Ice
Author: Nicole Bailey
Series: Faye and the Ether #5
Publication Date: Nov. 23, 2021
Synopsis: Time is running out for Faye to break the curse and unbind the dragons’ powers.
But after months of searching, she’s no closer to uncovering how. Just as hope begins to fade, messengers arrive stating that the answers she seeks can be found in the Kingdom of Ice.
With Alec and their team by her side, they embark on one final journey where they have to decide who to trust and what risks to take as they tumble through a frozen world full of new races and unexpected magic.
Romance and tragedy intertwine as everything Faye has fought for builds to an epic conclusion of the gripping Faye and the Ether series.
4. Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
Title: Part of Your World
Author: Abby Jimenez
Page Length: 400
Publication Date: April 19, 2022
Publisher: Forever
Synopsis: After a wild bet, gourmet grilled-cheese sandwich, and cuddle with a baby goat, Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down. The cause: Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who’s ten years younger than her and as casual as they come—the complete opposite of sophisticated city-girl Alexis. And yet their chemistry is undeniable.
While her ultra-wealthy parents want her to carry on the family legacy of world-renowned surgeons, Alexis doesn’t need glory or fame. She’s fine with being a “mere” ER doctor. And every minute she spends with Daniel and the tight-knit town where he lives, she’s discovering just what’s really important. Yet letting their relationship become anything more than a short-term fling would mean turning her back on her family and giving up the opportunity to help thousands of people.
Bringing Daniel into her world is impossible, and yet she can’t just give up the joy she’s found with him either. With so many differences between them, how can Alexis possibly choose between her world and his?
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon
5. The Gardener Kings by Monica Boothe
Title: The Gardener Kings
Author: Monica Boothe
Series: The Gardener Kings #1
Page Length: 317
Publication Date: Jan. 3, 2022
Publisher: Peniel Press
Synopsis: All her life she’s lived in exile, hiding from the traitor who usurped her father’s throne. But now she must return to the very kingdom she’s always feared.
Iníon is the daughter of the last Gardener King, or so she thought. When the king reveals to her that she is not his blood daughter but that he found her in a tree the night that he fled Gàrradh, she begins to wonder what other secrets he’s been hiding.
She falls for Rían, the king’s wild son with Gardener blood in his veins who not only lives in the trees but speaks to them. But Rían is forbidden to marry any woman without kings’ blood.
Together Rían and Iníon concoct a plan to return to Gàrradh and solve the mystery of Iníon’s birth. But what they find when they arrive in the land of their birth turns everything upside down. After what she’s learned about the Gardener Kings, will Iníon still want to be a part of this family?
This young adult fantasy novel inspired by Celtic myth and fairylore is the first in The Gardener Kings trilogy.
6. In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer
Title: In a New York Minute
Author: Kate Spencer
Page Length: 304
Publication Date: March 15, 2022
Publisher: Forever
Synopsis: A clever, tender, and romantic novel for readers of Christina Lauren, Jasmine Guillory, and Sophie Cousens, this laugh-out-loud debut is a perceptive reminder that fate can have a sense of humor, and that love can happen…In a New York Minute.
Franny Doyle is having the worst day. She’s been laid off from her (admittedly mediocre) job, the subway doors ripped her favorite silk dress to ruins, and now she’s flashed her unmentionables to half of lower Manhattan. On the plus side, a dashing stranger came to her rescue with his (Gucci!) suit jacket. On the not-so-plus side, he can’t get away from her fast enough.
Worse yet? Someone posted their (entirely not) meet-cute online. Suddenly Franny and her knight-in-couture, Hayes Montgomery III, are the newest social media sensation, and all of New York is shipping #SubwayQTs.
Only Franny and Hayes couldn’t be a more disastrous match. She’s fanciful, talkative, and creative. He’s serious, shy, and all about numbers. Luckily, in a city of eight million people, they never have to meet again. Yet somehow, Hayes and Franny keep running into each other—and much to their surprise, they enjoy each other’s company. A lot. But when Franny’s whole world is turned upside down (again!), can she find the courage to trust in herself and finally have the life—and love—she’s always wanted?
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon
7. A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson
Title: A Forgery of Roses
Author: Jessica S. Olson
Page Length: 368
Publication Date: March 1, 2021
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Synopsis: Myra Whitlock has a gift. One many would kill for.
She’s an artist whose portraits alter people’s real-life bodies, a talent she must hide from those who would kidnap, blackmail, and worse in order to control it. Guarding that secret is the only way to keep her younger sister safe now that their parents are gone.
But one frigid night, the governor’s wife discovers the truth and threatens to expose Myra if she does not complete a special portrait that would resurrect the governor’s dead son. Desperate, Myra ventures to his legendary stone mansion.
Once she arrives, however, it becomes clear the boy’s death was no accident. Someone dangerous lurks within these glittering halls. Someone harboring a disturbing obsession with portrait magic.
Myra cannot do the painting until she knows what really happened, so she turns to the governor’s older son, a captivating redheaded poet. Together, they delve into the family’s most shadowed affairs, racing to uncover the truth before the secret Myra spent her life concealing makes her the killer’s next victim.
8. Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson
Title: Meet Me in the Margins
Author: Melissa Ferguson
Page Length: 320
Publication Date: Feb. 15, 2022
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Synopsis: Savannah Cade is a low-level editor at Pennington Publishing, a prestigious publisher producing only the highest of highbrow titles. And while editing the latest edition of The Anthology of Medieval Didactic Poetry may be her day job, she has two secrets she’s hiding.
One: She’s writing a romance novel.
Two: She’s discovered the Book Nook—a secret room in the publishing house where she finds inspiration for her “lowbrow” hobby.
After leaving her manuscript behind one afternoon, she returns to the nook only to discover someone has written notes in the margins. Savannah’s first response to the criticism is defensive, but events transpire that force her to admit that she needs the help of this shadowy editor after all. As the notes take a turn for the romantic, and as Savannah’s madcap life gets more complicated than ever, she uses the process of elimination to identify her mysterious editor—only to discover that what she truly wants and what she should want just might not be the same. Melissa Ferguson’s latest—a love letter to books, readers, and romance—will leave fans laughing out loud and swooning in the same breath.
9. Castles in Their Bones by Laura Sebastian
Title: Castles in Their Bones
Author: Laura Sebastian
Series: Castles in Their Bones #1
Page Length: 528
Publication Date: Feb. 1, 2022
Synopsis: Empress Margaraux has had plans for her daughters since the day they were born. Princesses Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz will be queens. And now, age sixteen, they each must leave their homeland and marry their princes.
Beautiful, smart, and demure, the triplets appear to be the perfect brides—because Margaraux knows there is one common truth: everyone underestimates a girl. Which is a grave mistake. Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz are no innocents. They have been trained since birth in the arts of deception, seduction, and violence with a singular goal—to bring down monarchies— and their marriages are merely the first stage of their mother’s grand vision: to one day reign over the entire continent of Vesteria.
The princesses have spent their lives preparing, and now they are ready, each with her own secret skill, and each with a single wish, pulled from the stars. Only, the stars have their own plans—and their mother hasn’t told them all of hers.
Life abroad is a test. Will their loyalties stay true? Or will they learn that they can’t trust anyone—not even each other?
10. The Good Girl’s Guide to Rakes by Eva Leigh
Title: The Good Girl’s Guide to Rakes
Author: Eva Leigh
Series: Last Chance Scoundrels #1
Page Length:384
Publication Date: Feb. 22, 2022
Publisher: Avon
Synopsis: In USA TODAY bestselling author Eva Leigh’s new novel a notorious rake and an innocent debutante strike a scandalous bargain…
When Kieran Ransome’s latest antics result in a massive scandal, his father issues an ultimatum: find a respectable wife or inherit nothing. But as one of London’s most inveterate scoundrels, Kieran doesn’t know any ladies who fit the bill. Or does he?
Celeste Kilburn is a society darling, beloved by influential members of the ton. But keeping a spotless reputation leaves little room for adventure and she longs to escape her gilded cage, especially with her impending engagement to a stuffy earl. When Kieran—her older brother’s best friend and an irresistibly attractive rogue—begs for her help, Celeste makes a deal: she’ll introduce him to the right social circles if he’ll show her the scandalous side of London.
In between proper teas and garden parties, Kieran escorts Celeste—disguised as “Salome”—to rowdy gaming hells, wild fêtes, and sensual art salons. As they spend more time together, their initial attraction builds to a desperate desire that neither can ignore. But when someone discovers their midnight exploits, Celeste’s freedom and reputation are endangered, and Kieran must save the woman he loves… respectable or not.
They all sound so good!! Which one would you read first? Comment below!
These all look so fun!
Thanks!
I hope you will enjoy all of these! Can’t recommend where to start, haven’t read any haha
Thanks, Evelyn! 🙂
I am excited to read meet me in the margins.
It sounds really good!
Oof, so many great looking books, how on earth will you choose?! 😂 I think I’d go for Bound by Firelight only because I can’t wait to know what happens in the story. I haven’t read any of the authors yet either but am very keen to check them out. Happy reading, Julie!
That’s the one I went with! lol I finished it today -soooo good!!
I hope you enjoy these! I am reading Castle in Their Bones now!
Oooh, nice! What do you think!!
I’m only 11% in but I like all of the talk around stars!
I’m really excited for Bound by Firelight and I also added it to TBR. I hope we both enjoy it.
It is sooo good!! I finished it last night and really enjoyed it!