Please enable JavaScript
All Books | Page 12 | LitPick Book Reviews
All Books
Night Owl: The Night Owl Trilogy
Synopsis:

"Tautly written, complex, and vibrating with a dark sensuality that will have you at once blushing and anxious. You'll think you have this book pegged . . . but you'll be wrong."―Christina Lauren, New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling authors of The Beautiful Bastard series

From bestselling ebook author M. Pierce comes Night Owl, the first novel in a provocative erotic trilogy where an anonymous online writing partnership turns into an uncontrollable, passionate obsession

At twenty-eight, Matt Sky has the perfect life. He has a beautiful girlfriend, a massive inheritance, and four national bestsellers -- all penned under his airtight alias, M. Pierce.

At twenty-seven, Hannah Catalano is a train wreck. Her boyfriend is a deadbeat and her job is abysmal.

Matt and Hannah meet online as writing partners. Their relationship is safe, anonymous, and innocent...

Until Matt sees a picture of Hannah. Hannah's picture sparks an attraction Matt is powerless to ignore. When circumstance brings Matt and Hannah together, the strangers begin a love story that's passionate, poignant, unforgettable, and unstoppable.

Publication Date: 07/01/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Romance
Rebellion
Karen Sandler
Synopsis: "In this final installment of the Tankborn series, Kayla has been kidnapped by the group that has been bombing GEN warehouses, and she must pretend to sympathize with them in order to escape"--
Publication Date: 06/15/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Played
Liz Fichera
Synopsis: This Game Is Getting All Too Real 

Sam Tracy likes to stay under the radar and hang out with his friends from the Rez. But when he saves rich suburban princess Riley Berenger from falling off a mountain, she decides to try to save him. Riley promises to help Sam win the heart of the girl he can't get over, and suddenly Sam is mad popular and on everyone's hot list. Except now Riley's trying out some brand-new bad-girl moves and turning both of their lives upside down.
Publication Date: 05/27/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
We Are The Goldens
Dana Reinhardt
Synopsis:

"Reinhardt writes wonderfully about delicate, precarious human relationships, articulating dynamics I never noticed but which ring brilliantly true. The Goldens radiate charm, but beneath their charm is heartbreak, ambition, and delusion. There is so much to dissect and discuss here: this book will leave crowds of people eager to talk about the ending."--E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars and The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

Nell worships her older sister, Layla. They're one unit, intertwined: Nellayla. As Nell and her best friend, Felix, start their freshman year in high school, on Layla's turf, there's so much Nell looks forward to: Joining Layla on the varsity soccer team. Parties. Boys. Adventures.
   But the year takes a very different turn.
   Layla is changing, withdrawing. She's hiding something, and when Nell discovers what it is, and the consequences it might have, she struggles. She wants to support Layla, to be her confidante, to be the good sister she's always been. But with so much at stake, what secrets should she keep? What lies should she tell?
   Award-winning young adult author Dana Reinhardt explores questions of loyalty, love, and betrayal in this provocative and intimate novel.

Publication Date: 05/27/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
The Sorcerer's Apprentice: The Merlin Chronicles (Book Two)
Synopsis: After being accidentally thrown into the modern world of the 21st century, the wizard, Merlin teamed up with archaeology student, Jason Carpenter to aid him in his battle against the evil sorcerous, Morgana le Fay. In this second book of The Merlin Chronicles, Merlin braves the mysterious depths of Morgana's underground lair in search of the alien device with which she communicates with the Dragon Lords. Meanwhile, Jason is forced to battle his way across war-torn Central Africa in search of a legendary gem that holds the key to closing the dragon gate forever. When Merlin is captured by Morgana's thugs, Jason and Beverley, must risk their lives and the future of mankind in a desperate effort to save their friend.
Publication Date: 05/22/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Drift
M. K. Hutchins
Synopsis:

Tenjat lives on the shores of Hell, an ocean filled with ravenous naga monsters. His island, a massive Turtle, is slowed by the people living on its back. Tenjat is poor as poor gets: poor enough, even, to condescend to the shame of marriage, so his children can help support him one day.

But Tenjat has a plan to avoid this fate. He will join the Handlers, those who defend and rule the island. Handlers never marry, and they can even provide for an additional family member. Against his sister's wishes, Tenjat joins the Handlers. And just in time: the Handlers are ramping up for a dangerous battle against the naga monsters, and they need every fighter they can get.

As the naga battle approaches, Tenjat's training intensifies, but a long-hidden family secret not to mention his own growing feelings for Avi put his plans in jeopardy, and might threaten the very survival of his island."

Publication Date: 05/16/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Subway Love
Kate Rudd, Todd Haberkorn, Nora Raleigh Baskin
Synopsis:

What if destiny leads you to your soul mate, but the laws of time conspire to keep you apart?

If her parents had never divorced, Laura wouldn't have to live in the shadow of Bruce, her mom's unpredictable boyfriend. Her mom wouldn't say things like "Be groovy," and Laura wouldn't panic every weekend on the way to Dad's Manhattan apartment. But when Laura spots a boy on a facing platform, lifting a camera to his face, looking right at her, Laura feels anything but afraid, and she can't forget him. Jonas, meanwhile, thinks nonstop about the pretty hippie girl he glimpsed on the platform—trying to comprehend how she vanished, but mostly wondering whether he will see her again in a city of millions—and whether if he searches, he would have any chance of finding her. In a lyrical meditation on love, Nora Raleigh Baskin explores the soul's ability to connect, and heal, outside the bounds of time and reason.

Publication Date: 05/13/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Running Through A Dark Place (The Lance Chronicles - 2)
Synopsis: Bronze Award in the 2014 Wishing Shelf Book Awards

In Children of the Knight, Lance and Arthur created a New Camelot of Knights in Los Angeles by using might for right. They rallied the populace to take charge of their communities, while simultaneously putting the detached politicians in check. Now, despite what appears to be the loss of their First Knight, the young activists--joined by a significant new recruit named Ricky--must find a way to move forward. 

Their new goal is lofty: give adult rights to kids fourteen and older who are only considered "adults" when they break the law. The crusade seeks to provide teenagers with rights that make a difference in the real world: voting, driving, trading high school for work, and sitting as jurors for peers charged with criminal behavior. 

The adults of California balk at giving such power to youth, and the road ahead is anything but clear. However, before Arthur can fully contemplate these matters, he finds himself face-to-face with an ally from the past--one who proves that things aren't always what they seem, especially for the fallen Lance. 

The Lance Chronicles continue... 

The Lance Chronicles: 
Children of the Knight (The Lance Chronicles Book 1) 
Running Through A Dark Place (The Lance Chronicles Book 2) 
There Is No Fear (The Lance Chronicles Book 3) 
And The Children Shall Lead (The Lance Chronicles Book 4) 
Once Upon A Time In America (The Lance Chronicles Book 5) 
Warrior Kids (standalone set within The Lance Chronicles universe)
Publication Date: 05/12/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Running
Mr Michael D Holder, S. C. Bryce
Synopsis: "A GRITTY, COMPELLING GHOST MYSTERY..."

Kate Settles Into a Life with Her New Family: a Murderer, an Alcoholic, a Thief, a Teenage Runaway…and a Wolf.

Abandoned by their mother, sixteen-year-old Kate, and her younger brother and sister find themselves on the streets.

Alone and homeless, they seek refuge in a haunted derelict bungalow in the English countryside where they meet their new family: a robber, a convict, an alcoholic and a troubled teenage runaway.

Struck by the tragedy of her sister's death and terrorized by a new arrival, Kate yearns for an end to their brutal and squalid existence. She asks herself whether she should keep running or ask someone for help, someone like the woodcutter.
Publication Date: 05/10/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Lick
Kylie Scott
Synopsis:

Waking up in Vegas was never meant to be like this.

Evelyn Thomas's plans for celebrating her twenty-first birthday in Las Vegas were big. Huge. But she sure never meant to wake up on the bathroom floor with a hangover to rival the black plague, a very attractive half-naked tattooed man in her room, and a diamond on her finger large enough to scare King Kong. Now if she could just remember how it all happened.

In Kylie Scott's Lick, one thing is certain: being married to one of the hottest rock stars on the planet is sure to be a wild ride.

Publication Date: 05/06/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Romance
Aachen
Gary Ludlam
Synopsis: The life of an 8th century peasant is, as they say, “nasty, brutish, and short”. Stephen of Orlans wants none of that. Peasant or not, he dreams of studying at Charlemagne’s famed Palace School at Aachen. But the sins of war have left him stained with blood, guilt, and despair, and the sadistic step-son of a local count wants him dead. Most importantly, he is beginning to think he would rather spend his life with the beautiful milkmaid Bertrada than in the confines of a monastery. Stephen’s road to Aachen leaves him entangled in the conspiracies of nobility, fighting for his freedom and his life. But it is the struggle between love and ambition, between responsibility and desire that threatens to destroy him. To find his redemption Stephen must confront the secrets and betrayals that have shaped his life, and he will find that some decisions can never be undone.
Publication Date: 05/04/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Populatti
Jackie Nastri Bardenwerper
Synopsis: Getting in is hard. Staying in is harder...

Joining social network Populatti.com let sixteen-year-old Livi Stanley trade her awkward middle school past for the social life of her dreams. Because Populatti isn't just a social network. It's a club, providing access to friends. Parties. And Livi's crush, star baseball player Brandon Dash. Yet lately, online rumors have been threatening Livi's place in the group. And not even her friends are doing much to stop them. Leaving Livi to prove them wrong, and fast.

Before her life as a popster is over.

For more, visit populatti.com
Publication Date: 05/02/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
The Break-Up Artist
Philip Siegel
Synopsis: Some sixteen-year-olds babysit for extra cash. 

Some work at the mall. 

Becca Williamson breaks up couples.  

Becca knows from experience the damage that love can do. After all, it was so-called love that turned Huxley from her childhood best friend into a social-world dictator, and love that left Becca's older sister devastated at the altar. Instead of sitting on the sidelines, Becca strikes back—for just one hundred dollars via PayPal, she will trick and manipulate any couple's relationship into smithereens. And with relationship zombies overrunning her school and treating single girls as if they're second-class citizens, business is unfortunately booming. Even Becca's best friend, Val, has resorted to outright lies to snag a boyfriend. 

One night, Becca receives a mysterious offer to break up the most popular couple in school: Huxley and the football team's star player, Steve. To succeed, she'll have to plan her most elaborate scheme to date—starting rumors, sabotaging cell phones, breaking into cars…not to mention sneaking back into Huxley's good graces. All while fending off the inappropriate feelings she may or may not be having for Val's new boyfriend. 

No one said being the Break-Up Artist would be easy.
Publication Date: 04/29/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Romance
The Chance You Won't Return
Synopsis: When your mom thinks she’s Amelia Earhart, navigating high school, first love, and family secrets is like flying solo without a map.

Driver’s ed and a first crush should be what Alex Winchester is stressed out about in high school — and she is. But what’s really on her mind is her mother. Why is she dressing in Dad’s baggy khaki pants with a silk scarf around her neck? What is she planning when she pores over maps in the middle of the night? When did she stop being Mom and start being Amelia Earhart? Alex tries to keep her budding love life apart from the growing disaster at home as her mother sinks further into her delusions. But there are those nights, when everyone else is asleep, when it’s easier to confide in Amelia than it ever was to Mom. Now, as Amelia’s flight plans become more intense, Alex is increasingly worried that Amelia is planning her final flight — the flight from which she never returns. What could possibly be driving Mom’s delusions, and how far will they take her?
Publication Date: 04/22/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Paper Hearts
S R Savell
Synopsis: A pushy counselor, school bullies, a neglectful mother, and a dead father have ruined seventeen-year-old high school senior Michelle Pearce’s perspective on life. A social reject living in self-imposed exile, Michelle has little use for anything or anyone—until Nathaniel comes along. A high school dropout who works three jobs to care for his dying grandmother, he’s all but convinced Michelle that there is some good left in humanity.

And then humanity proves him wrong. The unforgivable happens, destroying Michelle’s newfound faith in life and threatening to unravel a love in the making.
Publication Date: 04/15/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
There Will Come A Time
Carrie Arcos
Synopsis: Mark grapples with the loss of his twin sister in this heart-wrenching novel of grief and resilience from National Book Award finalist Carrie Arcos.

Mark knows grief. Ever since the accident that killed his twin sister, Grace, the only time he feels at peace is when he visits the bridge on which she died. Comfort is fleeting, but it’s almost within reach when he’s standing on the wrong side of the suicide bars. Almost.

Grace’s best friend, Hanna, says she understands what he’s going through. But she doesn’t. She can’t. It’s not just the enormity of his loss. As her twin, Mark should have known Grace as well as he knows himself. Yet when he reads her journal, it’s as if he didn’t know her at all.

As a way to remember Grace, Hanna convinces Mark to complete Grace’s bucket list from her journal. Mark’s sadness, anger, and his growing feelings for Hanna threaten to overwhelm him. But Mark can’t back out. He made a promise to honor Grace—and it’s his one chance to set things right.
Publication Date: 04/15/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction

Pages



RECENT BOOK REVIEWS