Review: Seafire by Natalie C. Parker

Rating: 4 stars

Release Date: August 28, 2018

Publisher: Razorbill

Genre: young adult fantasy/sci-fi

Format/Source: ARC, ALA annual conference

Status: book 1 of the Seafire trilogy

Summary:

After her family is killed by corrupt warlord Aric Athair and his bloodthirsty army of Bullets, Caledonia Styx is left to chart her own course on the dangerous and deadly seas. She captains her ship, the Mors Navis, with a crew of girls and women just like her, whose lives have been turned upside down by Aric and his men. The crew has one mission: stay alive, and take down Aric's armed and armored fleet.

But when Caledonia's best friend and second-in-command just barely survives an attack thanks to help from a Bullet looking to defect, Caledonia finds herself questioning whether or not to let him join their crew. Is this boy the key to taking down Aric Athair once and for all...or will he threaten everything the women of the Mors Navis have worked for?

Review: Josh & Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

Rating: 5 stars

Release Date: September 4, 2018

Publisher: Gallery Books

Genre: adult contemporary romance

Format/Source: DRC, Edelweiss

Status: standalone

Summary:

Hazel Camille Bradford knows she’s a lot to take—and frankly, most men aren’t up to the challenge. If her army of pets and thrill for the absurd don’t send them running, her lack of filter means she’ll say exactly the wrong thing in a delicate moment. Their loss. She’s a good soul in search of honest fun.

Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. From the first night they met—when she gracelessly threw up on his shoes—to when she sent him an unintelligible email while in a post-surgical haze, Josh has always thought of Hazel more as a spectacle than a peer. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air.

Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other. Because setting each other up on progressively terrible double blind dates means there’s nothing between them...right?

Review: Check, Please!: #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu

Rating: 3 stars

Release Date: September 18, 2018

Publisher: First Second

Genre: young adult contemporary graphic novel

Format/Source: ARC, from the publisher

Status: book 1 of the Check, Please! series

Summary:

Helloooo, Internet Land. Bitty here!

Y’all... I might not be ready for this. I may be a former junior figure skating champion, vlogger extraordinaire, and very talented amateur pâtissier, but being a freshman on the Samwell University hockey team is a whole new challenge. It’s nothing like co-ed club hockey back in Georgia! First of all? There’s checking. And then, there is Jack—our very attractive but moody captain.


A collection of the first half of the megapopular webcomic series of the same name, Check, Please!: #Hockey is the first book of a hilarious and stirring two-volume coming-of-age story about hockey, bros, and trying to find yourself during the best four years of your life.

Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher. This does not affect the content of my review.

Tour Recap + Review: Wildcard by Marie Lu

Rating: 5 stars

Release Date: September 18, 2018

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Genre: young adult science fiction

Format/Source: ARC, ALA annual conference

Status: book 2 of the Warcross duology
Links: Warcross review

Summary:

Emika Chen barely made it out of the Warcross Championships alive. Now that she knows the truth behind Hideo's new NeuroLink algorithm, she can no longer trust the one person she's always looked up to, who she once thought was on her side.

Determined to put a stop to Hideo's grim plans, Emika and the Phoenix Riders band together, only to find a new threat lurking on the neon-lit streets of Tokyo. Someone's put a bounty on Emika's head, and her sole chance for survival lies with Zero and the Blackcoats, his ruthless crew. But Emika soon learns that Zero isn't all that he seems--and his protection comes at a price.


Caught in a web of betrayal, with the future of free will at risk, just how far will Emika go to take down the man she loves?

Blog Tour: Romance Review: Strong by Kylie Scott: Muscley men with tiny swearing children. What more can you ask for?

Rating: 3 stars

Release Date: September 25, 2018

Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Inc

Genre: adult contemporary romance

Format/Source: DRC, from the publisher

Status: Book 4.5 of the Stage Dive companion series
Links: Wait For You review (also 4 stars)

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of the blog tour. This does not affect the content of my review.

Summary:

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kylie Scott comes a new story in her Stage Dive series…

When the girl of your dreams is kind of a nightmare.

As head of security to Stage Dive, one of the biggest rock bands in the world, Sam Knowles has plenty of experience dealing with trouble. But spoilt brat Martha Nicholson just might be the worst thing he’s ever encountered. The beautiful troublemaker claims to have reformed, but Sam knows better than to think with what’s in his pants. Unfortunately, it’s not so easy to make his heart fall into line.

Martha’s had her sights on the seriously built bodyguard for years. Quiet and conservative, he’s not even remotely her type. So why the hell can’t she get him out of her mind? There’s more to her than the Louboutin wearing party-girl of previous years, however. Maybe it’s time to let him in on that fact and deal with this thing between them.