Character Madness and Musings

In the Double Agent's Service   Annals of Alasia Book 6  by Annie Douglas Lima  Genre: YA Fantasy Adventure Erik would give his life to protect King Jaymin. However, when an old enemy shows up with new schemes, that may not be enough.  Anya longs to be noticed by the king’s handsome bodyguard. But as she finally gains Erik’s attention, the notorious spy and double agent Dannel blackmails her into fulfilling a favor she has owed him for years. Anya is forced into a terrible choice: save Erik’s life, or protect her homeland.  Can Erik and Anya thwart an assassin and prevent a war before Dannel destroys everything that matters to them and to the kingdom?  Goodreads * Amazon King of Malorn  Annals of Alasia Book 5  Life as the king’s younger sister should be exciting. Not for Princess Kalendria. She’s sick of the dissent and of constantly having her family undermined by those who think they could rule...

By Sea & Sky   The Sky Pirate Chronicles Book 1  by Antoine Bandele  Genre: Fantasy Adventure, Pirates  With no magic, no brawn, and no pirate crew, Zala seeks to steal back the one treasure that matters to her most: her husband.  To succeed she needs a ship—and not just any ship, but the latest, secret invention by the Vaaji Empire. An airship.  Zala will have to use her wits to overcome scoundrels and nobles alike on her journey through the clouds.  But if she's smart enough, she may just have what it takes to save her husband—and go down in history as the first sky pirate.  Delve into a pirate fantasy inspired by the West Indies, The Swahili Coast, and Arabia, where Zala will encounter ruthless raiders, arrogant aristocrats, and imperial secrets.  By Sea & Sky is Antoine Bandele’s sophomore novel, the first in the Sky Pirate Chronicles trilogy, a pirate fantasy.  Goodreads * Amazon ...

The American Holocaust by Brady Cruze Genre: Coming of Age Fiction (May contain adult content) Is the Holocaust really over? That is the question Jacob Rossner has asked himself every day since his family fled Nazi Germany for the United States. Jacob soon discovers that the so-called Promised Land is far from perfect as he journeys from New York to Raleigh. This coming of age tale examines racism and prejudice through the eyes of a child who was forced to grow up too soon, but who finds love and acceptance in unexpected places. Goodreads * Amazon About the Author Brady Cruze was born in Uruguay. At the age of 12 arrived to the US and quickly enrolled in school. While in the 10th grade, Brady wrote a four page story on racism for an English class assignment. That four page story was the basis for The American Holocaust. After fourteen years of working on the book, Brady was able to publish it in 2018. Brady has experienced first hand the d...

Why Can’t Freshman Summer Be Like Pizza? by Andy V. Roamer (The Pizza Chronicles #2) Publication date: June 1st 2020 Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult RV, having successfully completed his freshman year at the demanding Boston Latin School, is hoping for a great summer. He’s now fifteen years old and looking forward to sharing many languid summer days with his friend Bobby, who’s told him he has gay feelings too. But life and family and duties for a son of immigrant parents makes it difficult to steal time away with Bobby. Bobby, too, has pressures. He spends part of the summer away at football camp, and his father pushes him to work a summer job at a friend’s accounting firm. Bobby takes the job grudgingly, wanting to spend any extra time practicing the necessary skills to make Latin’s varsity football team. On top of everything, RV’s best friend Carole goes away for the summer, jumping at an opportunity to spend it with her father in Paris. Luckily, there is always Mr. Aniso, ...

To Heal a Heart   The Masonville Series Book 2  by Jana Richards  Genre: Contemporary Western Romance  May contain adult content Two souls in pain, two hearts in need of rescue.  Garrett Saunders' world changed two years ago on a road in Afghanistan. Back home, he feels like a stranger. As he struggles to find his place in the world, he meets a horse destined for the slaughterhouse and a woman bent on rescuing the strays of the world, including him.  Blair Greyson moves to Masonville to look after her ailing grandfather and give her rescue horses a home. Right away she butts heads with a surly former Marine. Despite a rocky start, they come to an agreement: Blair will board Garrett's rescue horse and he'll help with repairs around her farm.  Garrett finds purpose working with Blair—and falls in love with her. But she's hiding a secret. Can she forgive herself and accept Garrett's love, or will she let guilt and regret con...

Out of My League by Sarah Sutton Publication date: June 16th 2020 Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult It’s all fun and games until someone catches feelings. Sophia Wallace is convinced her life is over when her high school cuts the journalism program. Without the elective, she loses her chance to intern with the biggest newspaper company in the county, and why? All because the baseball team needs more funding. To make matters worse, her boyfriend publicly dumps her at a party, which is mortifying. But the icing on the cake is when the captain of the baseball team and the most popular guy at Bayview High, Walsh Hunter, decides to be chivalrous. He jumps in, throws his arm around Sophia, and declares his undying love for her. In front of everyone. Suddenly, Sophia is thrown into a world of fake relationships and undercover journalism, and she realizes she’s way, way out of her league. Good thing she’s got the team captain to teach her how to play. But faced with choosing be...