River Readers

Brilliant high school misfit Quentin Coldwater is leading an average life until he gets invited to sit for exams at a magical college. He is one of the few who passes the exam. Evenutually he learns that the Filori books (similar to Narnia) that he loved growing up are descriptions of a real place. Its been described as Harry Potter on Irish Whiskey.

Lady Evie Everly, 17th in line for the throne lacks the traditional magical capabilities that her family has. What her family doesn't realize is that Evie's special form of magic is being able to nullify other people's magic. Described as a cross between Gladiator and Game of Thrones.

Pacifist, Myranda has been shunned for not supporting the ongoing everlasting war by her country folk. As she is starving and freezing to death, she stumbles upon a sword that might change her marginal existence.

Feyre lives in a small village and hunts to support the rest of her family, her disabled father, and two lazy elder sisters. This novels plays on the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. Eventually Feyre has to go live with a fairy lord for slaying one of his court (who was in wolf form). Intrigue follows

While Felicity has escaped going to a finishing school she winds up working in a bakery with a sweet man who proposed to her - not what she wants to do with her life. She attempts to inveigle herself into her ex-best friends wedding, her old friend is marrying a scientist doctor and Felicity hopes to train under him. Sexism and piracy get in her way.

I liked the depiction of Felicity being asexual not into romance, neither girls nor guys. While the dialogue wasn't quite as good as in the prequel, the novel was a good adventurous romp.

I was desperate to read something. Its about a women shapeshifter part Hyena who cannot shift, and the group of Bear shifters who hunted down all the Hyena shifters and killed them all. A romance between a the two groups is fraught. There was a mystery, that was never resolved to my satisfaction. I wouldn't recommend this title. Its not bad, but neither is it good.

Lord Henry “Monty” Montague, young, handsome, and charming, has one last year of fun and freedom, before his father expects him to settle down and help run the family estate. Monty along with his best friend and secret crush Percy, are to have a Grand Tour of Europe. They are to drop Monty’s sister, Felicity, off at a finishing school along the way. Though bred to be a gentleman, Monty escapes these strictures by flinging himself into hedonistic pleasure, excessive drinking, bedding women and men, and flouting social expectations where he can.

Sil (short for Silver) is a runt among her pack as well as crippled. When her male partner Ronan is exiled from the pack, her position worsens as she becomes servant to the alpha pair in her troupe. Then, a dying stranger wanders into their territory. If she wants to pair with him, and then if the pack accepts him, she could raise her status, or she could be exiled if they reject the newcomer.

In book 2 of the Fair Folk series, Jude has placed Prince Cardan on the throne and has gotten him to promise to obey her for a year. Machinations ensue.

Warning! don't read this book until book 3 comes out. REALLY!

Jude and her twin sister Taryn have been raised in fairy land, after their father kills their parents and brings them to fairy land. Taryn tries to fit in by being nice and invisible. Jude on the other hand fights back when the haughty fairies demean her for being human. She wants to become a knight (or some such position) which her father refuses. Then one of the kings sons offers her a secret position as a spy....

I really enjoyed this book.

A mash-up of Jane Eyre & Beauty and the Beast in Steampunk mode. Entertaining enough, with a heroine a bit more agentic than Jane Eyre

The story of Ada continues. The storyline is composed more of vignettes and nothing as earth-shattering as getting locked in a cabinet nor uncovering a German spy. But the emotional growth that Ada and her circle go through is important in its own way.

Kate gets talked into taking a class on pod-casting and then to her dismay is chosen as one of the 2 talking hosts. Things get complicated when she falls for her best friend's crush and he calls in asking for advice.

This reminded me a bit of Twelfth Night, with all the confusion of who is in love with whom. Another ok book by Kasie West.

Protagonist Abby who has an unrequited crush on her best friend Cooper, has just has just had her paintings rejected for an Art Showing. The gatekeeper told her, that her paintings lacked depth and heart. So she creates a list of experiences to broaden herself, and drags best friend Cooper along.
Not as good as some of her other books, but I did like the family dynamics.

When Autumn finds herself locked in, at the library, she thinks her friends will notice her absence and come rescue her. Unfortunately, Autumn has a reputation for disappearing without letting others know. She does this because of panic attacks, but she hasn't clued her friends in. Then Autumn discovers another student, bad boy, Dax is also locked in, though he planned the weekend.
I'm surprised that I continue to enjoy West's titles. The few times I've read romances in the past, I've been annoyed with the stupidity of the characters.