Christian Harper is the CEO of a private security business, he’s ruthless, cold, and the perfect monster dressed in the tailored suits of a gentlemen. He doesn’t believe in love and he’s as morally grey as they come... and yet he has one obsession, one weakness, and one soft spot, and that is for the enchanting, sweet, shy, and introverted influencer and aspiring fashion designer Stella Alonso. Stella is stuck in an impasse, she’s between jobs, her career isn’t taking off as much as she wished and she’s still trying to make her dreams of becoming a fashion designer become true. She’s the family disappointment since her job is vastly different from her family. All Stella wants to do is start her career and help care for the woman who was a mother figure for her. Stella is hiding a deep dark secret though, and that is that she’s had a stalker that’s been following her for years, sending letters and photographs of her. When she moved into Christian’s apartment building that he owns, she thinks she’s finally found a place that is safe but then the letters and photographs start up again... When Stella is fired from her job and she needs a way to help grow her career, Christian strikes up a bargain with her, they’ll pretend to be dating each other so that she can spark more interest in her followers and he can have a companion for company parties and dinners that would help me secure more potential clients, but what is really the truth of the matter is that Christian can’t stay away from her. Christian is captivated by her light, by her passion, and wants nothing more than to protect her, so when the letters start showing up and she confides in him, he’ll move heaven and earth to protect her and catch her stalker... but there is more going on then they both think. Someone has betrayed Christian and is destroying his company while the Stella’s stalker has gotten bolder and bolder. Christian and Stella start bonding and realizing that having a fake relationship doesn’t make the feelings between them any less real, they are both falling for one another but each of them are hiding secrets, and in Christian’s case his secrets could destroy the very relationship between them, I adored this book, I have loved this series snd getting to see all the other characters interact and how their relationships have grown was so sweet, and Christian and Stella were just amazing. The chemistry between them was perfect and I honestly can’t wait to read the next series by Ana!!!

A woman who has been stuck in her tight knit family in a tiny hometown is finally making a change after her family crosses too many boundaries and a man who has had his heart crushed by a recent boyfriend in a horrific way decides it’s time to recover, both of them share one thing in common, or rather one friend in common, and said friend has offered them the solution to their problems: trade homes for a month! Greta Russakoff loves her family and her small Maine hometown, but they don’t understand what its like to be a lesbian living in such a small community, and they really don’t understand space. So when her family puts her into a auction for a date without her consent its the last straw. Greta needs a break away from it all and when she tells her friend Ramona, she tells her to do it, finally take the leap and leave...but Greta needs someone to look after her houseplants, they’re the only thing she truly loves. Truman Belvedere has just found out that his boyfriend of almost a year has a secret, the fact that he already has a husband and child. Reeling from this Truman needs to get far far away from New Orleans, so when he confesses to his friend Ramona, she offers a solution, Truman and Greta house swap for a month, both of them will get to experience a new place and change. Over the winter holidays each of them will get a chance to meet new people. fall in love, and discover new things about themselves and the places they are staying at. Greta finds herself falling for a tour guide of haunted places named Carys and really falling in love with New Orleans as she finally has breathing space away from her family. Truman finds himself falling and befriending a florist who also happens to be Greta’s friend named Ash. Both of them will have to decide if this new place is the perfect place for them and if they’ve finally made a home for themselves. This was a super cute LGBTQ read with a touch of holiday magic and romance!

*Thanks Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca, Sourcebooks Casablanca for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Merry Winters is in for a Christmas like no other. After a horrible relationship Merry has sworn off relationships. She is determined to not get into one unless she knows its going to be a real one. Too bad the only guy that has caught her eye is the one stoic foreman at her family’s Christmas tree farm that she has a history with. Cue, single dad Clark Griffin. Clark isn’t looking for romance but is open to friends with benefits or one night stands. After his relationship with the mother of his son ended horrible the only thing Clark has time for is looking after his son, yet he can’t seem to keep away from the one girl he had a crush on in high school who broke his heart... and he just happens to work for her family. Merry has a history of dating jerks... but she fell fork Clark when they were in highschool, too bad he immediately gave her the cold shoulder and made it clear that he wants to keep a 39 and a half foot pole between them. In fact, years later and they’ve barely spoken or interacted despite the fact that he works for her family. Clark had a crush on Merry in highschool, while he was the introverted bookish and definitely not the type she usually went for, he asked her out only to be turned down... except both of them might have misunderstood. Clark has started online dating and finds himself connecting with a sassy, crafty woman named Knottygirl25, and yet he also finds himself falling for Merry again as they start to interact more. He soon discovers that Merry is his blind internet date and he ruins it... but maybe this Christmas magic will work and maybe they’ll finally have a second chance at first impressions. This was a cute holiday read and I loved that you got to read form both Merry and Clark’s POV. Their romance was sweet and cute.

*Thanks Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca, Sourcebooks Casablanca for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A young girl goes on an advenrture with animal friends in order to stop the evil spirits that are inhabiting her home and impersonating her parents. Lily is used to hospitals, especially since her recent health issues. When her mother goes into labor and her parents drop her off at her grandmother’s house she forget to bring her important stuffed animal whale, Willo. Lily decides to sneak off to get her stuffed animal, and expecting to find an empty house is surprised to see her parents are home... except they aren’t her parents and they refuse to let her inside. With the help of some new friends, Lily is determined to stop these shadow replacements of her parents... but the question is, is she strong and brave enough to defeat them. This is the perfect book for fans of Coraline! It definitely reminded me of Coraline and the artwork was really cute. I had a fun time reading it and I think it would make a great read for young readers!

*Thanks Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A shénnóng-shi on the run and a commander forced to decide his loyalties between family and what is right will both have to come together to stop the evil that will destroy everything they hold dear. Picking up where the first book left off, Ning has escaped with the Princess Zhen, the princess’ loyal bodyguard and love Ruyi, and Ning’s newly healed sister Shu. The four young women must travel throughout the kingdom in search of allies to help oust the invaders and help Zhen take back her throne. Ning is still reeling from the betrayal from the one person she loved and thought she could trust, the son of the Banished Prince and commander, Kang. Ning is labeled as a murderer, a thief, and has to evade capture as she faces off against the golden serpent that haunts her nightmares with visions of war and bloodshed. Ning knows something much darker is going on and if she does not stop it, the entire world could be consumed in the evil. Kang has finally helped his father achieve revenge, but he notices something is not right... there is something much darker going on in the palace and the violence has only escalated. Kang’s loyalties will be divided between the want to please his father and doing what is right for the people. Both Ning and Kang find themselves once again coming together, but can they really trust one another and will they be able to stop the evil before it’s too late? This is the ending to the duology and wraps up everything pretty neatly, I guess I just felt like it was missing something. I loved the first book and the cliffhanger on the first book made my excitement going into this book pretty high. While the stakes were high the overall journey wasn’t as compelling as the shénnóng-shi competition and court politics of the first book were. The romance has definitely definitely toned itself down in this one. Overall, it was a sweet ending to the overall duology and I did have a lot of fun reading the books (It definitely made me want to start brewing up another pot of tea for myself). This was a magical and lush series, filled with court politics, intrigue, and just a touch of romance.

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

An anthology of 9 stories of ghosts, spirits, creatures, friendship, grief, romance, and everything in between all set for the holidays! This was such a wonderful read! Each short story was so well done and just overall a wonderful read for the Christmas time! I would definitely recommend this for anyone looking for sweet short stories for the month of December!

A missing girl, three people she kissed, and a scavenger hunt to find her. Shara Wheeler is the girl. Daughter of the principal, prom queen, beautiful, and everyone loves her... and she is the only thing standing in the way of Chloe Green being Valedictorian. Chloe Green is freshly moved from SoCal to Alabama for high school, with her moms and herself being part of the LGBTQ community she definitely does not fit into the Willogrove Christian Academy. A month before graduation Shara kisses Chloe and then vanishes. Chloe and Shara have been stuck together since the beginning of high school, competing for roles, for academic recognition, and playing games against each other, but this new game that Shara has created for Chloe will definitely test here in ways she never knew. Demanding answers Chloe sneaks into Shara’s room where she runs into Shara’s hot bad boy neighbor Rory who has always had a crush on Shara and they discover a clue, and thus begins the scavenger hunt. Along for the journey is Shara’s football player boyfriend Smith, who surprisingly has history with Rory. Soon Smith, Rory, and Chloe all begin searching for clues as to where Shara is and why she has sent them on this scavenger hunt, and maybe just maybe all becoming friends as well. Soon all three of them find themselves sneaking into school offices, parties, and creating chaos as they try and solve Shara’s mystery as well as uncovering secrets about themselves as well. But when Chloe finally discovers the meaning behind everything she’ll have to decide whether she wants to continue to play games with Shara or if she’s had enough. This was an adorable and hilarious story about friendship, romance, acceptance, and how far you will go to get what you want. The friendships in this book was just absolutely amazing, I loved getting to know the side characters as well as seeing all the romance subplots unfold. AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT SHARA AND CHLOE?!?!?! I LOVE IT, I LOVE THEM, I LOVE THIS ENTIRE STORY. So yes, please pick up this amazing book about two people who are rivals in everything. who want to play games, and who, without knowing it are playing the biggest game of all, the game of love.

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A Edgar Allan Poe inspired story filled with revenge, betrayal, death, and secrets. In the town of Amontillado, Ohio, your last name dictates what your worth and who you are. Tress Montor knows her family used to mean something... until her parents disappearance and suddenly she is left with nothing and everyone has turned their back on her, but the biggest betrayal came in the form of her former best friend, Felicity Turnado, the last person seen with her parents before their disappearance. Felicity claims that she doesn’t remember anything from that night by Tress knows she’s hiding something. Tress’s life now revolves around the animals that her grandfather keeps at their wild animal attraction, her grandfather who is a drunk and doesn’t even care for her, and as long as she doesn’t die taking care of the animals he doesn’t care what happens to her. Tress has lost everything, and someone who has lost everything has nothing to lose. After her dog, the last thing she loves, is killed, thats the last straw. She makes a plan, a plan to finally confront Felicity and get the answers she wants, and if she doesn’t well... Felicity will be too walled up to do anything about it, literally. Felicity Turnado has it all, she’s popular, beautiful, rich, and has a deep dark secret. She has seizures that she’s been hiding and her “fake” boyfriend has been helping her through them. she also knows more than she is letting on about what happened to Tress’s parents. After years of hurt, betrayal, and secrets, all of that comes to a head as these two former best friends face each other, to finally let all the secrets out. This book was the perfect read for fans of Edgar Allan Poe, there were so many little things inspired and even the story itself was a unique and thrilling take on his classic story of The Cask of Amontillado! I was at the edge of my seat throughout this book and cant wait to see how the next book ends.

A girl missing, a boy who will do anything to get what he wants, a panther on the loose, and death looming in the town of Aontillado. Picking up where the first book left off Tress Monter has murdered Felicity Turnado and in the frey of it all her panther has gotten loose and clawed her... leaving her injured and delirious. The whole town is now searching for Felicity and Tress’s injuries are getting worse and worse, to the point where she believes she is being haunted by the growing sound of Felicity’s heartbeat pulsing from the “beast friend” charm around her neck. Ribbit Usher, Tress’s cousin, and the guy who will do anything to please his mom, to please any girl to the point where its gotten out of hand is obsessed with Felicity and believes if he saves her he can finally have everything he wants. Ribbit also has come up with a revenge plan to finally get revenge against all those who have wronged him, including Tress. But in the small town of Amontillado there are deeper darker secrets that are threatening to get loose. Tress is dealing with the fact that she might have killed Felicity and that the town might discover her body, but also that her own family secrets are beginning to come to light, horrible secrets that will forever change the way she sees her family. It doesn’t help that Ribbit has made a pack with his mother that involves a death that must be delivered in four days. Tress will have to navigate who she can trust and who is out to get her as well as the consequences of her own actions because Felicity might not be as dead as she thought. This was a fantastic ending to the duology and pays a lot of homage to the classic works of Edgar Allan Poe. This one amped it UP, the stakes were high, the chaos was amazing, and oh gosh, I loved every second of it.

An unsolved murder of a teacher, an ex best friend who was there when the body was discovered, and a true crime intern who is hell bent on solving the case. Brynn left Saint Ambrose School four years ago after the murder of her favorite teacher, who was found by her ex-best friend Tripp and two other popular students Shane and Charlotte. When applying for her dream internship for a true-crime show she pitches the case, and to her surprise she gets it. Now that Brynn is moving back to her old school she’s determined to find out what really happened. The facts of the case are this: Tripp, Shane, and Charlotte found Mr. Larkin’s body in the woods while they were working on a science project, Shane had found the bloodied rock thus why his fingerprints were on it, they heard yelling and found the body, and the police summed it up as being a drifter who had killed him. Brynn knows thats not the truth and in order to get the truth she’ll have to reconnect with the one person who humiliated and hurt her, her ex best-friend Tripp who has suddenly become best friends with Shane and Charlotte. The more time Brynn spends with Tripp the more she realizes that he is hiding something and covering for someone, and that there was more to the events that lead to the end of their friendship and despite how popular he might seem and how cold he is, Tripp actually does still care about her. Tripp has been reeling from the events of finding Mr. Larkins body and he is crumbling, under the pressure of his family situation, of his crush and ex-best friend Brynn who is suddenly back in town and spending time with her, and the fact that she is looking into the murder of Mr. Larkin. The more Brynn digs into the case the more she is starting to realize that Mr. Larkin wasn’t as good and innocent as he seems and someone out there is determined to keep the case shut. Family secrets, romance, mystery, and friendship all come together in this book ( as well as a little name drop of our favorite Bayview Four group). I absolutely had a blast reading this, I’ve always enjoyed Karen M. McManus’s books and this one really focuses on the mystery aspect and friendship between Tripp and Brynn. I would definitely recommend this for fans of mystery and true crime shows, it’s fun and its got a little hint of romance too!

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*