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.
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[Caitlyn’s Review:] Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye
Blood Scion is a dark-as-they-come YA fantasy novel filled with detailed and developed world building and a similarly complex heroine, Sloan. Sloan is 15 years old with magic running through her veins. As a Scion, Sloan is a gifted with magic from the Orisha gods and has the power to call forth fire and flame. […]
[Elizabeth’s Review]: Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter
This book was so much fun to read, and I found myself unable to put it down. When reading the synopsis, I could tell that this book would be fun, witty and full of romance. Olivia—our main character—caught me by surprise. There have been several times when I have read a book with a quirky […]
[Emily’s Review]: Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey (Bellinger Sisters #2)
King crab fisherman Fox Thornton has a reputation as a sexy, carefree flirt. Everyone knows he’s a guaranteed good time–in bed and out–and that’s exactly how he prefers it. Until he meets Hannah Bellinger. She’s immune to his charm and looks, but she seems to enjoy his… personality? And wants to be friends? Bizarre. But he likes her too much to risk a fling, so platonic pals it is.
Now, Hannah’s in town for work, crashing in Fox’s spare bedroom. She knows he’s a notorious ladies’ man, but they’re definitely just friends. In fact, she’s nursing a hopeless crush on a colleague and Fox is just the person to help with her lackluster love life. Armed with a few tips from Westport’s resident Casanova, Hannah sets out to catch her coworker’s eye… yet the more time she spends with Fox, the more she wants him instead. As the line between friendship and flirtation begins to blur, Hannah can’t deny she loves everything about Fox, but she refuses to be another notch on his bedpost.
Living with his best friend should have been easy. Except now she’s walking around in a towel, sleeping right across the hall, and Fox is fantasizing about waking up next to her for the rest of his life and… and… man overboard! He’s fallen for her, hook, line, and sinker. Helping her flirt with another guy is pure torture, but maybe if Fox can tackle his inner demons and show Hannah he’s all in, she’ll choose him instead?
In the follow-up to It Happened One Summer, Tessa Bailey delivers another deliciously fun rom-com about a former player who accidentally falls for his best friend while trying to help her land a different man…
[Emily’s Review]: Gallant by V.E. Schwab
#1 New York Times–bestselling author Victoria Schwab weaves a dark and original tale about the place where the world meets its shadow, and the young woman beckoned by both sides. The Secret Garden meets Crimson Peak in this stand-alone novel perfect for readers of Holly Black and Neil Gaiman.
Olivia Prior has grown up in Merilance School for girls, and all she has of her past is her mother’s journal—which seems to unravel into madness. Then, a letter invites Olivia to come home—to Gallant. Yet when Olivia arrives, no one is expecting her. But Olivia is not about to leave the first place that feels like home, it doesn’t matter if her cousin Matthew is hostile or if she sees half-formed ghouls haunting the hallways.
Olivia knows that Gallant is hiding secrets, and she is determined to uncover them. When she crosses a ruined wall at just the right moment, Olivia finds herself in a place that is Gallant—but not. The manor is crumbling, the ghouls are solid, and a mysterious figure rules over all. Now Olivia sees what has unraveled generations of her family, and where her father may have come from.
Olivia has always wanted to belong somewhere, but will she take her place as a Prior, protecting our world against the Master of the House? Or will she take her place beside him?
[Emily’s Review]: The Difference Between Somehow and Someway by Aly Martinez
WELL WELL WELL. That was not an ending that I saw coming… AT. ALL. I am a big Aly Martinez fan and I have really been enjoying her series.The books are short, and being released one month apart and they are easy to read.And, as usual, they throw a ton of little twisty twists at […]
[Caitlyn’s Review]: From Dust, a Flame by Rebecca Podos
What I truly love about fantasy at any level is its ability to invite readers into various cultures, seeped in ethnic and religious symbolism. I love books that introduce me to the pagan rituals of medieval Russia and the godly war of ancient Greece; they invite a new perspective, a new nuance to a tried-and-true […]
[Elizabeth’s Review]: Count Your Lucky Stars (Written in the Stars #3) by Alexandria Bellefleur
Starting this book, I had not read Bellefleur’s other works. After finishing, Count Your Lucky Stars, however, I am going to change that. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this read and seeing Margot and Olivia overcome their past miscommunication and ingrained fears regarding their history. While romance books are usually catnip for me […]