"A Cruel Thirst" by Angela Montoya

Move over Twilight, there is a new vampire book in town!

And I LOVE the cover!

I also love that the vampires in this book are monsters! They aren't romantically tragic figures, they are the undead cursed by a trickster god and forced to feed off the souls of the living. 

This enemies-to-lovers vampire story was unique, engaging and had excellent world building. Carolina, the female main character, is no awkward, whimpering human girl. She is a kick butt Latina vampire hunter who is descended from a long line of hunters, and her only goal is to prove to her family that she has what it takes to continue the family tradition and rid the world of as many vampires as possible.

Lalo, the male main character, is NOT a dark brooding vampire. He in fact is a slightly awkward, although handsome, bookworm who has never been in a fight in his life. That is, until he tried to avenge his parents' death by killing the vampire that brutally murdered them. However, instead of getting revenge, Lalo finds himself turned into the one thing he hates most in the entire world: a vampire.

Desperate to find a way to turn him back, Lalo and his younger sister journey to a remote pueblo after following clues from their research in hopes of finding and killing the first vampire, which in turn may rid Lalo of his curse.

This puts him on a collision course with Carolina, who would gladly stake him before lifting a finger to help him. But in a twist of fate, Carolina finds she needs Lalo's help and that they have a common enemy. As they work together to put an end to the evil that has plagued their pueblo and their lives, they find their lives and their hearts become irrevocably intwined.

Carolina was a great spunky female character with a lot of strengths and character growth, while Lalo was a warm cinnamon roll of a male character who just melted my heart each time he fought to do the next right thing. 

I loved the setting and the Latinx cultural influence as well.  Overall, I highly enjoyed this one and any Twilight fans will be sure to enjoy it as well!

"A Door in the Dark" by Scott Reintgen

 Wow, I definitely have mixed feelings about some of the events in this one, but there is no denying that this was a great story. 

If "Harry Potter", "The Unfortunates" by Kim Liggett and the movie, "Knives Out" had a baby, it would be this book. It is a fantasy, psychological thriller.

To sum up: 

Six gifted students from an elite magical school find themselves in a survival situation when a simple travel spell goes wrong. Now, one of them is dead, the other five are stranded in deadly forest far from civilization and tensions are running high as no one knows who they can trust.  While two of the students come from powerful and magically wealthy families, the other four are gifted scholarship students and each one of them has their own secrets and personal vendettas against the wealthy families. But with a dangerous monster stalking their steps, they have no choice but to work together in order to get back home alive.  As the danger stalks closer and the bodies begin to pile up, the surviving students have to make hard choices about what they will do in order to survive, and who they are willing to let die to further their own agenda. 

The main character is has major Hermione vibes. Ren is a brilliant and gifted magical student, but she has very few options for her future since she was born into the lower classes. She is determined to do whatever it takes to rise to the top, and the dark memories from her past won't allow her to accept anything less.

Ren's best friend is also low-born, but her rare magic has secured her a spot in one of the most powerful houses in the city. Their two fellow low born classmates, a gifted medical student and a wrestler with a bright future, are stuck with them in the deadly forest along with the sons of two of the most prominent and powerful families in the city.  So how are these four outcasts going to work together with their spoiled and entitled classmates without wanting to kill each other?

Well, you'll have to read the book to get the answer to that question. 

If you are familiar with Harry Potter at all, then you will slide right into this magical world and hit the ground running. Once the action starts, it doesn't let up. This book will make your heart pound, break, and stop completely before the story is over. 

I highly recommend it if you enjoy fantasy, horror, or thrillers. 

"Bring Me Your Midnight" by Rachel Griffen

 Romeo and Juliet.... but with magic.... and a better ending. 

What if Romeo and Juliet were both witches but from rival covens? 

If that catches your interest, then you will enjoy "Bring Me Your Midnight".

Tana Fairchild has her whole life laid out before her. As the only daughter of the coven leader on their island, it is her job to help bring peace between the witches who live on their island and the humans who live on the mainland. She follows all the rules. She only practices "low magic" during the day at her parent's perfume shop, she never practices magic after dark, and she would never practice the "dark magic" that taught the mainlanders to fear witches in the first place. 

The job Tana's parents have given her is simple. Marry the human governor's son and bring peace and protection to her coven. 

Tana has never questioned the path her parents set her on when she was just a child, but all that changes when she meets a stranger on their beach. A stranger who practices "dark magic" and he will make Tana question everything she has ever known about magic, her coven, and herself.

This book had a bit of a slow start for me as the world building and magic system was established and the characters were introduced. However, I am glad I stuck with it because I flew through the second half of the book. The magic system with it's two different types of magic was very original and well thought out, and the sweet romance in the story set my heart aflutter. I was content with the ending but I do feel like there could be more to the story. Maybe from another character's point of view.

Overall, I gave this one 4 stars.

"Into the Sunken City" by Dinesh Thiru

 A great addition to the Dystopian genre!

In a world of constant rain and danger, only one thing is certain: the waters will continue to rise. 

Jin and her younger sister, Thara, are all that's left of their family. After their father died in an attempt to pull up lost treasure from the depths of the ever expanding ocean, Jin promised herself and her sister that they would never dive again. Instead, they will run the dilapidated inn their father left them and continue to scrimp and save so they can pay their taxes and avoid being conscripted by the navy. 

But surviving in this world of water isn't easy. So when a suspicious woman shows up at the inn offering gold in return for an indefinite stay, Jin knows the stranger is trouble and she should throw her out. But times are hard, and her younger sister is getting closer to conscription age with everyday that passes. Without the stanger's money, Jin may not be able to save herself or her sister from a life of forced service at sea.

However, this stranger wants more than just a warm bed and a meal. She is looking for a crew to help her retrieve the largest treasure ever to be discovered in the depths of what used to be Las Vegas, and she wants Jin and Thara to once again put on the diving suits their father left them and help her retrieve it in return for part of the treasure. 

Jin swore she would never go back in the water, but Thara is desperate to go in the hopes that the treasure will buy them a new life far from the coast and the inn. Jin is torn until one night the stranger's past catches up with her, and Thara, Jin, and her hot ex-boyfriend are drawn into the adventure of a lifetime. 

Sea beasts, pirates, deadly storms and much more. 

If you are looking for an exciting adventure story, then look no further! 

This book was fast paced with engaging characters, and engaging plot and intricate world building. Jin was a little hard to like at times, but with everything that had happened to her in her life, it is totally believable that she would be such a hardened character despite her young age. 

I give this book 4.5 stars!

"Dungeons & Drama" by Kristy Boyce

 Holy cuteness, that was adorable!!!

This book had me laughing out loud at the one liners between the main characters and then tearing up during the intense moments with the main character and her family. I was smiling throughout most of this book and getting weird looks when I would giggle out loud.

I honestly wasn't expecting much when I picked up this book. After reading two paranormal suspense novels followed by a thriller, I was just looking for a fluff novel to break up the intensity of the books I have been selecting lately. 

But I LOVED this book!

I loved the characters, their interactions, the friendships, the family discord and the resolutions, and I LOVED that the theater and gaming were such as integral part of this story.  There aren't many romances out there featuring an outside-of-the-box theater kid and a die hard Dungeons & Dragons gamer. 

THE PREMISE:

After borrowing her mother's car without permission (note: she doesn't have her driver's license) and driving across the state to see the Broadway Musical "Waitress" on tour, musical enthusiast Riley finds herself in deep trouble with her parents. As punishment, Riley is grounded for eight weeks, and to make matters worse, she is forced to take an after school job at her father's gaming store. Dreading spending countless afternoons with a father she hasn't been close to since the divorce, Riley can't help resent working in a store that she believes is part of the reason her parents split. Also, she knows next to nothing about gaming, so how the heck is she supposed to sell gaming products?

Riley would rather be spending her time trying to figure out a way to save their school's spring musical, which has just been cut due to budget reasons. To make matters worse, her ex-boyfriend, who dumped her for his co-star at the community theater, is constantly hanging around giving her pitying looks and showing off his new girlfriend.

However, Riley is not going to sit back and take it. She is going to find a way to save the musical and get back at her ex, but she is going to need the help of her father's supper annoying, if somewhat cute, classmate in order to accomplish her goal. Nathan is a die hard gamer and he has been working with Riley's father for years. After a misunderstanding upon their first meeting, Nathan quickly decides that the sooner Riley is gone, the better. 

But Riley offers him a deal he can't refuse. If Nathan agrees to be Riley's fake boyfriend for the next few weeks in order to wipe the condescending look off of her ex's face, then she will join his D & D group with the sole purpose of flirting with him in front of his crush, Sophia, in order to make her notice him. 

Let's just say that hilarity ensues and the second hand embarrassment is real in this book. And the slow turn from enemies, to friends, and then to Riley wanting more is just..."Chef's Kiss".

"That's Not My Name" by Megan Lally

 Wow!

This one had my heart racing!!! My anxiety went through the roof!

And I LOVED every minute of it!!!!

This might be my new favorite thriller!

If you liked any of the following books,

Then, you will LOVE "That's Not My Name".

A teen girl is found injured and bloody on the side of the road with no memory of who she is or what happened to her.  A police officer happens to stumble across her in the middle of the night and takes her back to the police station to try to figure out what happened. Not long after they arrive, a middle aged man shows up claiming the injured girl is his daughter, and he even has her birth certificate and pictures of her on his phone to prove it. After the police officer verifies the documents, "Mary" is released back into his care, hoping that her memories will return and she will remember this man. However, a series of odd incidents leads "Mary" to question if this man is who he says he is. And if he isn't her father, what does he want with her?

Drew, a teenage boy from a town about 2 hours away, is vilified by the entire town when his girlfriend, Lola, goes missing and he was the last person to see her alive. Most people in the town think Drew killed Lola, including the sheriff. Instead of actually looking for Lola, everyone just expects Drew to tell the police what he did to Lola so her family can have closure. But Drew isn't going to stop looking for Lola, no matter what it takes. With the help of his cousin, Max, and an unlikely ally, Drew finds a lead that proves Lola is still alive and he will do whatever it takes to bring her home. 

This short, fast paced thriller is told in alternating points of view between Drew and "Mary", which I loved but it also drove me nuts at times. I was so desperate to know what was going to happen next with the current character I was reading about that I didn't want to switch points of view.  

The suspense was intense and this is easily one of my favorite books that I have read in the past couple of months. Although it seems like the story is pretty straightforward, there were plenty of twists and turns in the plot that kept me constantly guessing and holding my breath.  I even had tears in my eyes by the end of the book. 

I can already tell I am going to have a Book Hangover after this one. 

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

"Holly Horror" by Michelle Jabes Corpora

 Please don't judge this one by it's title...

Or the pink and purple cover with a skull wearing a bonnet.

If you are looking for a ghost story with Annabel vibes, then you need to read this series!

This series has a haunted house, ghosts, creepy dolls that sing creepy songs, and an evil presence that is just waiting to claim it's next victim. 

Sign. Me. Up.

Sixteen-year-old Evie Archer is trying to pull her life together after her parents' messy divorce.  Her father has flown off to Paris to pursue his art career while Evie, her socially ambitious mother, and her younger brother are forced to sell their apartment in New York and move to Ravenglass, Massachusetts. 

Evie's new home is no posh, sleek apartment. It is a giant, creepy, manor house that has set empty for years and is known as the Hobby House. However, most of the citizens of Ravenglass don't refer to the manor as the Hobby House.

It is the "Horror House". 

Forty years ago, a 15 year old girl named Holly Hobby went missing from the house and despite an extensive search by her family and the police, she was never found. Some people believe she ran away, and others believe that she never left that house.

They were right. 

As Evie tries to settle into her new home and her new life, she feels another presence within the house. A series of disturbing experiences drives Evie to start looking into the dark history of the Hobby House, and she discovers that Holly Hobby wasn't the first girl lost to the Hobby House.

And she may not be the last.

This book has everything you need if you want a great creepy ghost story. The scenes where the hauntings took place were very well written and created the perfect vibe for the story. 

I did get a little frustrated with some of Evie's choices throughout the book. I was literally rolling my eyes at some of her decisions, but I guess there is no story or character grow to be had if the main character always makes the right decisions. 

When I started this book, I had no idea it was part of a series. While the main plot of the story is resolved in this book, there is one major reveal at the end that will have you running to pick up the 2nd book.

"The Longest Night" continues Evie's story and takes us even further back into the history of the Hobby House. This was a great sequel that took some inspiration from Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol". Once again, the main plot of the story wraps up in this one, but it is very obvious that there is going to be a third book in the series. 

This is definitely a solid choice for anyone looking for a new horror series. 

Enjoy!