Blindsided

Blindsided by Karis Walsh is romance between a television news host and a trainer of guide dogs.

Cara Bradley is the host of the television show Around the Sound which highlights people around Puget Sound who do good for other people or the environment. Cara loves her job, but her family thinks she needs to climb up the ladder to a more prestigious position as a news host. Cara just likes meeting people who care about others and not just their own fame.

Lenae McIntyre has just opened her own center to train guide dogs for the blind. She left a life in television news writing to do some good in the world and give others the freedom a guide dog provides. She has matched a few people with dogs and her center is starting with her first batch of puppies.

Cara and her crew show up at the McIntyre Training Center to interview Lenae. After a rocky start to their meeting, Cara and Lenae reluctantly agree to work together to promote the training center. As they learn to trust each other, they realize there is an attraction they cannot ignore.

Walsh has written a sweet romance with two great characters - plus puppies!

Walsh, Karis (2014). Blindsided. New York: Bold Strokes Books.

Glory O'Brien's History of the Future

Glory O'Brien's History of the Future by AS King is the story of one girl who can see the future - or is losing it.

Glory is about to graduation from high school. She has no immediate plans for her future except to take pictures. She wants to find her place in the world - a place she is not sure is secure since her own mother committed suicide.

Then, after drinking a disgusting concoction, Glory is able to see the past and future of people. Each time she looks into someone's eyes, Glory has visions of his/her great-great grandmother on the Underground Railroad or escaping from Nazis. She can also see future generations - and the next US Civil War.

In order to keep track of what she is learning, Glory starts to write a history of the future. She is also dealing with her mother's death, her father's sadness, and a best friend she doesn't really like.

King is a masterful storyteller. Her characters are either more advanced than average or they are crazy. Readers will have to decide. Read any of her books!


King, AS. (2014). Glory O'Brien's History of the Future. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Personal (Jack Reacher #19)

Personal by Lee Child is the nineteenth book in his Jack Reacher series - Reacher is a retired Army MP who wanders the United States and steps in to solve crimes or inflict justice when he feels necessary.

Though Reacher has been out of the Army for years, you are never really out of the Army. On a bus near Seattle, Reacher finds a copy of the Army Times and sees his name in a personal ad. It says to call General Shoemaker - he is calling in a favor.

Reacher calls from Seattle and is put through to General Shoemaker. He is told to wait in the coffee shop across the street. A half hour later Reacher is on his way to a base to be flown across the country to North Carolina.

There has been an attempt on the President of France. The shot was from almost three quarters of a mile. As there are only a couple dozen people in the world who could make that shot, Shoemaker has brought Reacher in because one of the potential suspects is someone he arrested sixteen years before.

Reacher will be partnered with Casey Nice of the State Department to investigate the few Americans on the suspect list. They will travel to the mid-West, France and England before the case is solved - and the time limit put on the case is running out. They have to find the sniper before the G8 meeting in London.

Child has created a great character in Jack Reacher. Fans will continue to follow his through his travels and adventures.

Child, Lee. (2014). Personal. New York: Delacourte Press.

The Job (Fox and O'Hare #3)

The Job by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg is the third book in their Fox and O'Hare series. Nick Fox is an thief who is known for the elaborate cons he uses to steal. Kate O'Hare is an FBI agent who chased Fox for years before catching him. Now they are secretly working together to take down international bad guys.

Fox and O'Hare are getting the team back together to go after a ruthless criminal who disappeared years ago. Rumor has it that when he disappeared, he had plastic surgery but Fox has an idea to lure him out.

Evanovich and Goldberg have created a series that is a cross between the TV shows White Collar and Leverage - the bait set to catch the bad guys is creative and fun, a giant con that only works because of the greed of the mark.

This is a great series. Read it from the beginning!

Evanovich, Janet and Lee Goldberg. (2014). The Job. New York: Bantam Books.

Gathering Darkness (Falling Kingdoms #3)

Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes is the third book in her Falling Kingdoms fantasy series.

Mytica has been united through war. Now the king's goal is to find four ancient / mythical stones that contain magic that used to be free in the land. Anyone who controls even one of the Kindred will have access to almost limitless power. But the king is not the only one looking for the stones.

Princess Cleo, married to the conquering king's son Magnus also seek the stones to reclaim her throne. Magnus also wants the stones to overthrow his father. And his sister, Lucia, the most powerful sorceress born in one thousand years seeks the stones to restore the land that has been dying since the magic was trapped long ago.

For reasons of love, greed and vengeance the land of Mythica people are racing against each other to claim a magic that until recently was thought to exist only in bedtime stories - but if they are real, the one who controls them will rule the land.

Rhodes has created a great fantasy series filled with compelling characters. This series is worth reading.

Rhodes, Morgan. (2014). Gathering Darkness. New York: Razor Bill.

Cauldron (Priscilla Hutchins #6)

Cauldron by Jack McDevitt is the sixth book in his science fiction series featuring Priscilla Hutchins.

In 2255 the age of space travel is winding down. Though there are faster than light ships, it still takes a while to arrive anywhere far away and the programs have slowly been cut. The Prometheus Foundation is one of the few privately funded agencies who still has a couple of active ships.

Priscilla Hutchins, former star pilot, is a fundraiser for Prometheus. After an event she is approached by a man who says he has a new engine that will make the current Hazeltine seem slow. He claims that space travel can be so much faster than humans could reach the center of the Universe.

If the tests work, a new age of space exploration will be underway. But if it fails, the Prometheus Foundation will only have one remaining ship and little hope of staying in business.

McDevitt has created a great science fiction series featuring an awesome character in Hutch.

McDevitt, Jack. (2007). Cauldron. New York: Ace Books.

Gracefully Grayson

Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky is the story of a  girl who is trapped in the body of a boy. I believe it is the first middle grade novel to deal with a transgender protagonist.

Grayson Sender lives with his aunt, uncle and two cousins in Chicago. He is in sixth grade and does well in school - at least as far as grades go. He does not have any friends. He has isolated himself from others because he has a secret.

Each morning after Grayson gets dressed he imagines himself wearing other clothes. His pants become a shirt or a dress. It used to be that the image lasted longer, but now it fades by mid-morning and he is wearing boy clothes again.

Grayson is sure that if his classmates knew how he feels they would make fun of him. But his true self is trying to break through. When a notice goes up to audition for the school play, Grayson signs up - and tries for the lead of Persephone.

Polonsky has written a beautiful book exploring what makes a person one gender or the other.  Grayson is a wonderful character readers will love. Read this book today.

Polonsky, Ami. (2014). Gracefully Grayson. New York: Hyperion.

The Raft

The Raft by SA Bodeen is a survival story in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Robie lives on Midway Atoll, a 2.4 square mile island northwest of Hawaii. When she gets stir crazy on the small island mostly filled with researchers, she visits her aunt in Hawaii.

After staying with her aunt for a few days, her aunt has to fly to the mainland for work. Robie, at sixteen, is too young to stay on her own in the city. A friend of her aunt promises to check on her each day, but on her first night alone Robie walks to get food after dark and is attacked by a crazy man. After she escapes she decides to fly home.

Residents of Midway can catch a ride on any of the supply planes with no ticket or reservation. As long as there is room (or something can be taken off for the next flight to keep under the weight limit) they can fly home. Robie show up at the small airport about an hour before the flight is to leave. At the last minute she is put on the plane and they take off - a few hours behind schedule. Neither her aunt or her parents know she is going home.

A couple of hours into the flight they hit a storm. After a while of turbulence, one engine dies. Max, the copilot, tells Robie to put on a life vest and get ready to open a life raft once she is outside of the plane. Then he throws her out the door.

Max and Robie make it into the life raft but have no way to know where they are, no way to steer even if they knew which way to go, no fresh water, and one bag of Skittles for food.

Bodeen has written a harrowing tale of survival against the odds. Readers will enjoy the story while being glad they are not in Robie's shoes.

Bodeen, S.A. (2012). The Raft. New York: Feiwel and Friends.

Mortal Heart (His Fair Assassin #3)

Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers is the third book in the His Fair Assassin trilogy - an historical series set in 1400s Brittany when Duchess Anne, at twelve years old, inherits the throne.

The Convent of Saint Mortain, the god of Death, trains young women to be assassins. They are educated in combat, espionage, poisons and seduction. When they are ready they are sent out to do Mortain's will - as seen by the Seer.

Annith has been at the convent since a couple of days after she was born. She has seen friends be sent on missions, but she has not been sent out. She knows she is ready - she is better at most lessons than the teachers at this point. With Brittany on the brink of war she needs to be out there helping.

When Annith finds out she will become the next Seer - a skill she has never been shown to have - she fears being trapped in the convent for live. She decides to escape and track down the Abbess to prove she can function as an assassin.

Annith will meet up with both the feared Hellequin who hunt souls in the night and the Arduinna, followers of a goddess wronged by Mortain and therefore enemies of hers. She will make her way to the court of Brittany and do what she can to keep the country from falling to France.

LaFevers has created a wonderful series set in a fascinating time in history. Read them!

LaFevers, Robin. (2014). Mortal Heart. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Endsinger (Lotus War #3)

Endsinger by Jay Kristoff is the third book in his Lotus War trilogy a fantasy / science fiction blend about a world based on Japanese mythology.

There is civil war across the Shima Imperium. What is left of the ruling Kazumitsu Shogunate and the Lotus Guild are fighting the Kage rebels and other dissidents lead by a young woman who has tamed a Thunder Tiger.


The four clans have always pledged allegiance to the Shogun. But with his death, two clans have not committed to his successor - a man the Lotus Guild is using as a puppet to take over total control of Shima. 

The Lotus Guild has been keeping people in line with the growth of the blood lotus - a drug to which much of the population is addicted and has taken over so much crop land there is not enough food. The Guild is mechanized and the resulting pollution have gone too far.

In this third volume, war will decide who is to rule the land of Shima - who will be in charge of the final destruction or the slow healing of that land. Kristoff has created a fascinating world combining fantasy / mythology with science fiction machines.

Kristoff, Jay. (2014). Endsinger. New York: St. Martin's Press.

Wildlife

Wildlife by Fiona Wood is the story of a semester spent in the woods.

Crowthrone Grammar high school in Melbourne, Australia sends kids to live in the woods for one semester, the equivalent their sophomore year. They still have to take classes, but the focus is on getting in shape and learning to survive outdoors. Each student has to complete overnight hikes and one solo overnight.

Sibylla Quinn will be joining classmates, a couple she has known since kindergarten, living in the woods for nine weeks. She has never been overly popular, but due to a new ad campaign that put her picture on billboards around town, she will come to the attention of the most popular guy in school.

Louisa is new to Crowthorne and is hoping the setting and group of people will help her move on from the death of her best friend. She is not looking forward to meeting new people, but her therapist is hopeful.

Wood has written a well-crafted novel of coming of age and the meaning of friendship. Readers will alternately like and loath characters as Sib and Lou find their place in the world. Wildlife has been short-listed for a few Australian teen book awards.

Wood, Fiona. (2013). Wildlife. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Boxers and Saints

Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang is his two book series about the Boxer Rebellion in China - each from a different point of view.


Boxers is told from the point of view of Little Bao. Bao is from a traditional Chinese village. His first encounter with a foreigner is when a group of men come to "get justice" for someone by stealing vegetables. While they are there they smash a deity who protects the village.

This leads Little Bao to train to fight and eventually form the Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fist - traveling from village to village defending people. They call upon the spirits of the gods to save China.

Saints is from the point of view of  Four-girl. She never fit in with her family and decides to become a devil. Since she doesn't know how to become a devil, she talks to a man called a foreign devil, who is a priest. When she hears of a group of men roaming the countryside killing missionaries, priests and Chinese Christians she knows she is destined to be a warrior woman like Joan of Arc.

Bao and Four-girl meet twice in the books which tell their stories in parallels. Yang is a master of the graphic novel - capturing so much with so few words and beautiful illustrations. For a study guide visit goodokbad.

Yang, Gene Luen. (2013). Boxers. New York: First Second.

Yang, Gene Luen. (2013). Saints. New York: First Second.

No One Needs to Know

No One Needs to Know by Amanda Grace is love triangle with a twist.

Zoey is on scholarship to a private girls school in Tacoma, Washington. She was hoping to use the school as a way to change her life - allow her to go to college and make life better for her little sister. But the first week of school freshman year, she made a mistake at a party. Now, three years later, her reputation is still in ruins. She has few friends and she is biding her time to graduation - when she will work full-time to help get her sister out of their neighborhood school.

Olivia is one of the most popular girls in school. She has been best friends with her twin brother their whole life. But he has been pulling away lately. They go to different schools and he doesn't want to spend their eighteenth birthday together.

Zoey and Olivia are put together in history class to work on a project. They have never been friends and have ideas about each other. Reluctantly, they plan a paper they will write. Then, coincidentally, Zoey meets Olivia's brother Liam.

Grace has written a story of friendship, family, first love and getting to know people beyond the image they project to strangers. Great, fast read.

Grace, Amanda. (2014). No One Needs to Know. MN: Flux.

Wild Rover No More (Bloody Jack #12)

Wild Rover No More: Being the Last Recorded Account of the Life and Times of Jacky Faber by L.A. Meyer is the twelfth book in his Bloody Jack series - featuring a main character who readers gladly follow from disaster to adventure.

Jacky is now a free adult. She is nineteen and based in Boston but still spend much of her time on one of her sailing ships. When returning from the south, Jacky brings a diplomatic pouch - as required by law when asked. But this is not an official pouch, but a forgery that contains evidence to frame Jacky for traitorous acts.

When Jacky finds out about the plot against her, she flees Boston to hide until her friends can clear her name. She will play a governess to a monster of a child, and as fans have been waiting for, she will join the circus.

Meyer has written a wonderful character who gets herself into and out of trouble with the grace of a ballerina. Mary Jacky Faber is a delight to follow through an exciting time in history. Start the series at the beginning with Blood Jack.

Meyer, L.A. (2014). Wild Rover No More. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Looking for Trouble (Girls Night Out #2)

Looking for Trouble by Victoria Dahl is the fourth book in her Jackson Hole, Wyoming series and the second book in the Girls Night Out.

Sophie has lived in Jackson Hole her entire life. She is a librarian and has a group of friends who get together every week for dinner. There is a firefighter who works next door to the library who is always asking her out. But Sophie is waiting for someone - someone who sees past her quiet, conservative clothing to the person she truly is underneath.

Alex Bishop is back in town after sixteen years. He left the second he graduated from high school has not looked back. His childhood was overshadowed by the disappearance of his father. His mother repeatedly pulled Alex and his brother Shane out of school to follow rumors of where their father went.

Now Alex is back for a memorial service for his father, but the first night he is in town he runs into a beautiful woman who he would like to see again. While Sophie knows who Alex is - the family resemblance is strong between the brothers - Alex doesn't know that Sophie is the daughter of the woman his father left with.

Dahl is a master storyteller. Her characters are wonderfully flawed. Her stories are steamy and always have laugh-out-loud moments. Victoria Dahl is the place to start if you have never read a romance novel.

Dahl, Victoria. (2014). Looking for Trouble. New York: HQN.

Show of Force

Show of Force by AJ Quinn is the story an a Navy pilot and a foreign correspondent who fall in love.

Tate McKenna is a US journalist living in Bahrain. She is currently covering the Secretary of State's tour of the Middle East.

Commander Evan Kane, US Navy pilot of the F-18A is stationed on the USS Nimitz currently in the Middle East. She will be attending a US Embassy event scheduled for the Secretary of State's visit.

When Tate sees Evan across the room she is instantly intrigued. When she sees her ask the Secretary of State to dance and they waltz like dance instructors, she is amazed. What woman would have chutzpah to ask the highest ranking woman in the US to dance - and in a region not known for its gay rights.

It isn't until she is completely hooked that Tate finds out that Evan is the Secretary's daughter. And while it could make her job uncomfortable, she has to take a chance.

Quinn has written a suspense novel with military action, two great characters, a homicidal terrorist in a fast-paced read that fans will devour.

Quinn, A.J. (2013). Show of Force. New York: Bold Strokes Books.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson is the story of one young woman making a difference.

Princess Elisa of Orovalle is being married today on her sixteenth birthday. She will be marrying the king of the neighboring land of Joya D'Arena - a man she has never met.

Once married they will travel to his land. Elisa will be accompanied by the two people she trust most in her life - her nurse and her maid. She will move to a land where she knows no one else.

There is something about Princess Elisa that makes her a target in her own country and by moving she may be safer. She has been blessed with possession of the godstone - a jewel that appeared in her belly on her naming day. Once every fourth generation one person is chosen to become a hero or accomplish a great feat. Elisa cannot imagine what she will do to complete hers.

Carson has written an enjoyable novel with an unlikely hero who is forged by her journey into the savior for her people.

Carson, Rae (2011). The Girl of Fire and Thorns. New York: Greenwillow Books.

Rebel Spring (Falling Kingdoms #2)

Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes is the second book in her Falling Kingdoms fantasy series.

The three kingdoms of the land of Mytica have been united by King Giaus through trickery and war. Now to cement his rule, he has promise a marriage between his son Magnus and Princess Cleo of the conquered Auranos.

The two conquered lands are not settled. While many of the upper classes of Auranos have let themselves be brought in my Giaus's smooth words and promised, the citizens of Paelsia have been forced into labor camps to build a road linking Auranos, Paelsia and Limeros and continuing into the Forbidden Mountains. The road is not merely a path, but a way to connect the dying land to they mythical land of the Watchers - to regain magic that has been lost for a thousand years.

Four young people will determine the fate of humanity and even that of the Watchers. Princess Cleo vows to regain her father's kingdom and help the people. Jonas Agallon, leader of the rebels, will try to free his people from slavery and avenge his brother. Prince Magnus will attempt to seize power from his father with a lost artifact that will give him power. And Princess Lucia, Magnus's sister, is the sorceress who has been prophesized for generations. 

Rhodes has created a great YA fantasy series with espionage, war, politics, and magic.

Rhodes, Morgan. (2013). Rebel Spring. New York: Razorbill.

Secret Lies

Secret Lies by Amy Dunne is the story of a new friendship that changes the lives of both young women.

Jenny O'Connor is popular. She and her three best friends are known for their rude comments toward other students. But the truth is that she is never the one saying rude things and she doesn't really like two of her three friends. She doesn't feel like she can be herself around them.

Nicola Jackson does not really have any friends. Her life consists of high school and trying to avoid her mother's boyfriend. Since she was twelve, he has been beating her and threatening to kill her.

After a particularly rough morning Nicola is fleeing her home when she literally runs into Jenny. She knows who Jenny is but doesn't believe that Jenny knows who she is - but Jenny has noticed her before. Jenny offers to take Nicola home and clean up her hand that was hurt when they crashed to the ground.

Nicola is suspicious, but Jenny seems to genuinely want to help. After spending the day together, Jenny convinces Nic to spend the night - and when she accidentally walks in on Nic changing into her pajamas and sees the scars on her back, she makes up a lie to convince her parents to allow Nic to move in for a while.

Dunne has written a steamy teen romance novel with an underlying story of overcoming abuse. Both of her characters have secrets that they have never felt comfortable talking about and together they begin to heal. This is a great YA lesbian novel.

Dunne, Amy. (2013). Secret Lies. New York: Bold Strokes Books.

Odyssey (Priscilla Hutchins #5)

Odyssey by Jack McDevitt is the fifth book in his science fiction series featuring Priscilla Hutchins.

Humans have been exploring outer space for decades. Life has been found on a handful of planets - but no other technologically advanced race has been seen. UFO sightings of the 1960s have been replaced by the idea of moonriders - aliens or ships that are out there but the government is not admitting it.

More moonriders have been spotted over the last few months than any other time - to the point where the Academy has scheduled a flight to leave monitors where they were seen. A team of four will be sent on a one month flight to place monitors in a few locations to hopefully capture proof of technology from another race.

The Academy is in the midst of political termoil after an asteroid narrowly misses Earth. While it is not the prevue of the Academy to watch for them (Congress cut funding to the program that was tasked with watching) they are bearing the brunt of the political upheaval. The combination of the asteroid and a flight to search for moonriders may leave the Academy open for attack by its enemies - unless the moonriders prove to be real.

McDevitt's wonderful series continues with this novel. His characters are great, his world building impeccable, and his weaving of many stories and personalities makes for great reading.

McDevitt, Jack. (2006). Odyssey. New York: Ace Books.

Conservative Affairs

Conservative Affairs by Riley Scott is the story about a speech writer for the Mayor of Oklahoma City.

Jo Carson is the mayor's speech writer. And her current assignment is to write a speech supporting traditional marriage and the defense of marriage act. While the mayor ran on a platform of fixing corruption, but as a southern republican, she is expected to take a stand against gay marriage. Jo respects Mayor Stratton, but as a closeted lesbian, doesn't love all aspects of her job.

When a staff member hears that the mayor's husband was caught leading a woman-not-his-wife into a hotel, Jo is the one who volunteers to tell Stratton. While their marriage has not been good for years, Madeline Stratton is shocked to hear the news. In an effort to provide for the mayor's well-being, Jo whisks the mayor away from the office. With the media circling, Jo takes her to her own apartment to hide out and regroup.

When Madeline discovers that Jo is likely a lesbian, her reaction is not what Jo expects. Scott has written a fast moving political novel with two hot main characters who feel an attraction they cannot control and placed them in the middle of one of the most controversial civil rights battle going on today.

Scott, Riley. (2014). Conservative Affairs. Tallahassee: Bella Books.

Timeless

Timeless by Rachel Spangler is the story of Stevie Geller going back to her hometown to accept an award that will change her life.

Stevie Geller is a successful novelist and playwright. She lives in New York and has since she left high school and headed to NYU. She hasn't looked back in ten years.

When her manager tells her that she is getting an award from an arts committee in the town where she grew up, Darlington, Illinois, she tells him she is not going to the ceremony. Stevie likes to write from the comfort of her loft and does not feel the need to mingle with her readers. If there is a cause she feels strongly about, she writes a check. She is an author not a gay-rights activist. After some arguing, Stevie agrees to go to Darlington, but only for 34 hours.

At dinner with her hosts, and her manager, Stevie sees her high school English and theater teacher, Jody, the woman who made Stevie admit to herself that she is lesbian. And who still takes her breath away.

Then at the award assembly, in front of the entire student body, Stevie's anxiety about public speaking and being noticed kicks in. She has no idea what has happened, but when she wakes up it appears to be 2002 again. And she has to go to school - with all of the knowledge of a 28 year-old. Stevie must confront a few things in her life before she will be sent back to the present day - but first she has to figure out what they are - while trying to ignore her strong feelings for her teacher.

Spangler has written a enjoyable book that allows her character to change the course of her life. The story is sweet and the premise horrifying - then again, having the knowledge and maturity of a twenty-eight year old could make high school less painful, right?

Spangler, Rachel. (2014). Timeless. New York: Bold Strokes.

Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms #1)

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes is the first book in her fantasy series of the same name.

The three lands of Auranos, Paelsia and Limeros used to be one land back when elemental magic was free in the world. Now the three kingdoms have little to do with each other. Limeros in the north is frozen for all but a couple of months a year. Paelsia is becoming a desert where little will grow. Auranos in the south is the most prosperous.

Four young people from the three lands will determine the future. Princess Cleiona Bellos of Auranos is about to begin a journey through enemy territory in search of a magic legend. Jonas is enraged at the death of his brother at the hands of a royal from the south and will fight to the death to avenge him. Lucia discovers she is adopted as strange things begin to happen around her. And Prince Magnus of Limeros will be changed forever when he reveals his heart to the one he loves.

Rhodes has created a great fantasy series. This first installment will entice readers to follow the four characters through the misery and hope of love, loss, espionage, and war.

Rhodes, Morgan. (2012). Falling Kingdoms. New York:Razor Bill.