All Books
Synopsis: As an ER nurse, Emma knows life can change in the blink of an eye. When fate comes knocking, she finds herself far away from the city and back on the mountain ranch where she grew up -with the intention to close up and sell the house so she can move on. But fate isn’t done with her yet, and that’s when she finds him, the one Two-Feathers calls ‘Star Brother’. Wounded and unconscious, Emma assumes he’s a military test pilot, until he opens his amethyst eyes and stares into the very essence of her being.
Publication Date: 03/20/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Synopsis: A lyrical and deeply moving portrait of grief, blame, and forgiveness, and of finding the courage to confront your ghosts — one truth at a time.
As soon as she was under, Maggie heard the quiet, though every sound was amplified in her ears and in her brain...Sound, like shame, travels four times faster under the water.
Though only a sophomore, Maggie Paris is a star on the varsity swim team, but she also has an uncanny, almost magical ability to draw out people’s deepest truths, even when they don’t intend to share them. It’s reached a point where most of her classmates, all but her steadfast best friend, now avoid her, and she’s taken to giving herself away every chance she gets to an unavailable — and ungrateful — popular boy from the wrestling team, just to prove she still exists. Even Maggie’s parents, who are busy avoiding each other and the secret deep at the heart of their devastated family, seem wary of her. Is there such a thing as too much truth?
As soon as she was under, Maggie heard the quiet, though every sound was amplified in her ears and in her brain...Sound, like shame, travels four times faster under the water.
Though only a sophomore, Maggie Paris is a star on the varsity swim team, but she also has an uncanny, almost magical ability to draw out people’s deepest truths, even when they don’t intend to share them. It’s reached a point where most of her classmates, all but her steadfast best friend, now avoid her, and she’s taken to giving herself away every chance she gets to an unavailable — and ungrateful — popular boy from the wrestling team, just to prove she still exists. Even Maggie’s parents, who are busy avoiding each other and the secret deep at the heart of their devastated family, seem wary of her. Is there such a thing as too much truth?
Publication Date: 03/12/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: Luminis Books presents this heart-breaking tale of innocence, abuse, and keeping secrets that are far too heavy to carry alone.
It's not about sex.
It's about how one secret act of violence changes everything--how best friends can desert you when you need them most, how nobody understands. It's about the drinking and stealing and lying and wondering who you can trust. It's about parents and teachers, police officers and counselors--all the people who are supposed to help you, but who may not even believe you.
It's about how suddenly all of your hopes and dreams can vanish, and you can find yourself all alone, with nothing and no one. Your only choice is to end it all or to start over... and all you can think is Maybe I Will.
Author Laurie Gray presents a compelling picture of the realities of sexual assault in Maybe I Will, drawing on her years of experience as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, dealing with crimes against children. The twist in the story is that we never know for sure if the victim is a boy or a girl, and we realize that it doesn't matter, because it's not about sex.
YOUNG ADULT / SOCIAL ISSUES / CHILD ABUSE / SEXUAL ABUSE / GENDER IDENTITY / BOOKS THAT MAKE YOU THINK
It's not about sex.
It's about how one secret act of violence changes everything--how best friends can desert you when you need them most, how nobody understands. It's about the drinking and stealing and lying and wondering who you can trust. It's about parents and teachers, police officers and counselors--all the people who are supposed to help you, but who may not even believe you.
It's about how suddenly all of your hopes and dreams can vanish, and you can find yourself all alone, with nothing and no one. Your only choice is to end it all or to start over... and all you can think is Maybe I Will.
Author Laurie Gray presents a compelling picture of the realities of sexual assault in Maybe I Will, drawing on her years of experience as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, dealing with crimes against children. The twist in the story is that we never know for sure if the victim is a boy or a girl, and we realize that it doesn't matter, because it's not about sex.
YOUNG ADULT / SOCIAL ISSUES / CHILD ABUSE / SEXUAL ABUSE / GENDER IDENTITY / BOOKS THAT MAKE YOU THINK
Publication Date: 03/01/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: Popular high school senior, Daniel Townsend, is dead – victim of a suspicious car crash. As classmates Marc and Angela investigate, a chance discovery pinpoints Daniel at a crumbling antebellum mansion – the old Jonas Barloff estate. The house looks uninhabitable. Haunted. Evil. While inspecting the Barloff family cemetery, Marc notices a towering grave marker with a perplexing inscription. What does the epitaph mean, and who is the old man claiming to be Jonas Barloff? To solve the mystery, Marc and Angela must comb through a phantom infested antebellum mansion. Witness a sordid grave exhumation. Attend a wicked, hair-raising séance. And learn the true identity of Jonas Barloff. Will any of these pieces of the puzzle help them lay the cozy mysteries to rest once and for all? Oh, no! Not hardly! Not until they come face-to-face with an evil no one could possibly imagine. Even if they live to tell the story, no one will believe them. Not in a million years.
Publication Date: 03/01/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Synopsis: An Amazon Best Book of the Month, March 2013: While Eleanor & Park is technically classified as YA lit and has a cutesy cover, don’t let the stigma of “books for teens” fool or deter you. It is written about teens, sure, but the themes are so universal that anyone who survived high school will relate to the lives of the two protagonists. Eleanor is the new girl in town and her wild red hair and patchwork outfits are not helping her blend in. She ends up sitting next to Park on the bus, whose tendencies towards comic books don’t jibe with the rest of his family’s love of sports. They sit in awkward silence every day until Park notices that Eleanor is reading his comics over his shoulder; he begins to slide them closer to her side of the seat and thus begins their love story. Their relationship grows gradually--making each other mixed tapes (it is 1986 after all) and discussing X-Men characters--until they both find themselves looking forward to the bus ride more than any other part of the day. Things aren’t easy: Eleanor is bullied at school and then goes home to a threatening family situation; Park’s parents do not approve of Eleanor’s awkward ways. Ultimately, though, this is a book about two people who just really, really like each other and who believe that they can overcome any obstacle standing in the way of their happiness. It’s a gem of a book. --Caley Anderson
Publication Date: 02/26/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Romance
Synopsis: "Peet’s subtle, literary play with narrative voice, style, and chronology make this a satisfyingly sophisticated teen novel." —The Horn Book (starred review)
Carnegie Medalist Mal Peet ignites an epic tale of young love against the dramatic backdrop of the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. This brilliant coming-of-age novel is a gripping family portrait that interweaves the stories of three generations and the terrifying crises that define them. With its urgent sense of history, sweeping emotion, and winning young narrator, Mal Peet’s latest is an unforgettable, timely exploration of life during wartime and the perennial question: Can love survive a lifetime?
Carnegie Medalist Mal Peet ignites an epic tale of young love against the dramatic backdrop of the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. This brilliant coming-of-age novel is a gripping family portrait that interweaves the stories of three generations and the terrifying crises that define them. With its urgent sense of history, sweeping emotion, and winning young narrator, Mal Peet’s latest is an unforgettable, timely exploration of life during wartime and the perennial question: Can love survive a lifetime?
Publication Date: 02/26/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction
Synopsis:
When Evelyn decided to piss off her parents with a bad reputation, she wasn't planning to ruin her valedictorian status. She also wasn't planning to fall for Todd-the guy she was just using for sex. And she definitely wasn't planning on getting pregnant. When Todd turns his back on her, Evelyn's not sure where to go. Can a distant mother, a cheating father, an angry best friend, and a (thankfully) loving aunt with adopted daughters of her own help Evelyn make the heart-wrenching decisions that follow?
With the popularity of Juno, Teen Mom, and The Secret Life of the American Teenager, this novel has a built-in audience. Gripping, heartfelt, and responsible, Me, Him, Them, and It is not to be missed!
Publication Date: 02/26/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: On the surface Emily Porter, aka Echo, has it all: plenty of money, a close-knit group of friends, permissive parents, a job in fashion. But what she really wants is less. Much less. Less food, less flesh, less fat, less of the body she sees as her captor and her cage. A chance to model in an upcoming Gothic fashion show is the perfect deadline, and Echo takes this opportunity as a challenge to achieve less -- a chance to reduce herself to nothing. At first the transformation is effortless. Echo loses weight, meets a new boy, hosts the social event of the holiday season. But soon there are problems: weakness, temptation, blackouts, freak-outs, trouble with family and friends. What begins as diet and exercise soon turns into blood, pain, obsession, and as Echo's mind and body begin to change so does her view of herself. She cannot see the woman in the mirror, nor the danger she is facing. Can she stop herself, see herself, before it's too late?
Publication Date: 02/20/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: In a society where “perpendiculars,” opposite-sex couples, are forbidden, persecuted, freakish…Chris Bryant, a preacher’s son, finds himself in love…with a girl. Chris has always been faithful to his Anglicant religion – even though he’s never felt like everyone else, never felt…parallel. And then it happens: he meets her. Carmen. Daughter of one of the leading Perpendicular prosecutors…the girl he knows he can’t live without. Carmen has always thought the treatment of Perps is barbaric – but to actually be one? To fall in love with Chris and openly admit to it is suicide. Their only chance to be together is the Underground, a secret society Chris’s sister introduces him to that is determined to mount an attack against the social restrictions of the Anglicant church. They want to make an example of Chris and Carmen, two Perps from high social families, to become the catalyst for an uprising that will threaten the traditions of their society’s families and church. But the cost of involvement just might be death for them both.
Publication Date: 02/13/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Synopsis: "I usually don't read many books in the Young Adult category, but I am glad I read this one - I seriously think this could / should zoom up the charts and be a huge bestseller and I could also see this one being made into a smash summer movie." ~Michael Gallagher
"I started and finished this book in about 2 days- something I only do when a book grabs me and refuses to let me go." ~Amazon reviewer
"Notes to Self is an emotional journey that any woman, teenager or otherwise, can relate to. It made me think about my own formative years and that connected me to the narrator on a deep level. I recommend Notes to Self to readers who appreciate honest contemporary fiction." ~Amazon reviewer
"I recommend NOTES TO SELF very highly. The story is both inspirational and real, which is a difficult combination to pull off. This is a very powerful novel." ~Top 500 Reviewer
Two climbed up.
Two fell down.
One woke up.
Robin Saunders is a high school sophomore with an awesome best friend, a hard-working single mom, and a complicated relationship with a sweet guy named Reno. She's coasting along, trying to get through yet another tedious year of high school, when Em suggests something daring. They live in Florida-- tourist central--and Emily wants to sneak into a theme park after midnight and see what they're made of.
When things get out of control, Robin wakes up in a hospital bed and Emily doesn't wake up at all. Just getting dressed becomes an ordeal as Robin tries to heal and piece together the details of that terrible night. Racing to remember everything in the hopes of saving Emily, Robin writes a series of notes to herself to discover the truth.
Gr. 8-12. Adult language.
"I started and finished this book in about 2 days- something I only do when a book grabs me and refuses to let me go." ~Amazon reviewer
"Notes to Self is an emotional journey that any woman, teenager or otherwise, can relate to. It made me think about my own formative years and that connected me to the narrator on a deep level. I recommend Notes to Self to readers who appreciate honest contemporary fiction." ~Amazon reviewer
"I recommend NOTES TO SELF very highly. The story is both inspirational and real, which is a difficult combination to pull off. This is a very powerful novel." ~Top 500 Reviewer
Two climbed up.
Two fell down.
One woke up.
Robin Saunders is a high school sophomore with an awesome best friend, a hard-working single mom, and a complicated relationship with a sweet guy named Reno. She's coasting along, trying to get through yet another tedious year of high school, when Em suggests something daring. They live in Florida-- tourist central--and Emily wants to sneak into a theme park after midnight and see what they're made of.
When things get out of control, Robin wakes up in a hospital bed and Emily doesn't wake up at all. Just getting dressed becomes an ordeal as Robin tries to heal and piece together the details of that terrible night. Racing to remember everything in the hopes of saving Emily, Robin writes a series of notes to herself to discover the truth.
Gr. 8-12. Adult language.
Publication Date: 02/05/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Romance
Synopsis: Magic, danger, and adventure abound for messenger Karigan G'ladheon in author Kristen Britain's New York Times-bestselling Green Rider fantasy series • "First-rate fantasy." —Library Journal
Over a millennium ago, Mornhavon the Black, heir to the Arcosian Empire, crossed the great sea hoping to conquer Sacoridia. Mornhavon and his armies were defeated—but not before their general had resorted to desperate, dark magic that rendered his twisted spirit immortal. Finally, Mornhavon was captured and imprisoned in Blackveil Forest, and the forest’s perimeter was sealed by the magical D’Yer Wall.
In the many centuries since, knowledge of magic has disappeared from Sacoridia due to the fear and prejudice of a people traumatized by the memory of Mornhavon’s terrifying sorceries. Even the protective magic that created and maintained the D’Yer Wall has been lost, and the once-impermaeable barrier has been breached, allowing Blackveil’s malignant influence to seep into the lands beyond once again.
Karigan G’ladheon is a Green Rider—a seasoned member of the elite messenger corps of King Zachary of Sacoridia. But Karigan is no ordinary Rider, for she can traverse the barriers of time and space. Because of this extraordinary ability, she was able to transport the spirit of Mornhavon into the future, buying precious time for her country. During the window of relative safety, King Zachary decides to send Karigan and a small contingent of scouts, accompanied by a small group of Eletians—a magical race who once lived in the lands now tainted by Mornhavon’s magic—into Blackveil Forest.
Though Mornhavon is gone, the forest is still a treacherous and unnatural place filled with monstrous creatures and deadly traps. Plus, no one knows how far in the future Mornhavon has been sent—Ten years? One? Maybe even less.
And unbeknownst to the band of Eletians and Sacoridians, another small group has entered the forest—Arcosian descendants who have kept Mornhavon’s dark magic alive in secret for centuries, and who now plan to avenge their long-ago defeat by bringing Sacoridia to its knees.
Over a millennium ago, Mornhavon the Black, heir to the Arcosian Empire, crossed the great sea hoping to conquer Sacoridia. Mornhavon and his armies were defeated—but not before their general had resorted to desperate, dark magic that rendered his twisted spirit immortal. Finally, Mornhavon was captured and imprisoned in Blackveil Forest, and the forest’s perimeter was sealed by the magical D’Yer Wall.
In the many centuries since, knowledge of magic has disappeared from Sacoridia due to the fear and prejudice of a people traumatized by the memory of Mornhavon’s terrifying sorceries. Even the protective magic that created and maintained the D’Yer Wall has been lost, and the once-impermaeable barrier has been breached, allowing Blackveil’s malignant influence to seep into the lands beyond once again.
Karigan G’ladheon is a Green Rider—a seasoned member of the elite messenger corps of King Zachary of Sacoridia. But Karigan is no ordinary Rider, for she can traverse the barriers of time and space. Because of this extraordinary ability, she was able to transport the spirit of Mornhavon into the future, buying precious time for her country. During the window of relative safety, King Zachary decides to send Karigan and a small contingent of scouts, accompanied by a small group of Eletians—a magical race who once lived in the lands now tainted by Mornhavon’s magic—into Blackveil Forest.
Though Mornhavon is gone, the forest is still a treacherous and unnatural place filled with monstrous creatures and deadly traps. Plus, no one knows how far in the future Mornhavon has been sent—Ten years? One? Maybe even less.
And unbeknownst to the band of Eletians and Sacoridians, another small group has entered the forest—Arcosian descendants who have kept Mornhavon’s dark magic alive in secret for centuries, and who now plan to avenge their long-ago defeat by bringing Sacoridia to its knees.
Publication Date: 02/05/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis:
Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, brining home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own―until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high―the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna's new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can't know.
Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose―and something to offer. Real, shocking, uplifting, and stunningly lyrical, Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt is a story of breaking down and growing up.
Publication Date: 01/15/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Romance
Synopsis: A son of the Erie Nation, ‘Calling Wren’ called the Niagara Frontier home until his capture at the hands of the Seneca and their Haudenosaunee brethren. In time, after rising from servant to adopted son of the Seneca’s Bear Clan, Calling Wren must make the ultimate decision: join the England-backed Haudenosaunee Confederacy in annihilating the Erie or die standing with the remnants of his Erie kin.
Publication Date: 01/10/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction
Synopsis: For fans of Philippa Gregory! The final book in The Lacey Chronicles offers another captivating tale of romance, deception and destiny.
England, 1586
Mercy Hart, daughter of one of London's wealthiest and most devout cloth merchants, is expected to marry her equal in rank and piety. Certainly not Kit Turner, a lowly actor and playboy, who also happens to be the late Earl of Dorset's illegitimate son. But when a chance encounter throws them together, Kit instantly falls for the beautiful Mercy's charms . . . and Mercy can't deny the passion that Kit stirs within her. She seems ready to defy her father's wishes--ready to renounce her family and her family name for true love.
Then Kit finds himself accused treason.
Will Mercy have the strength to stand by him? Or will she succumb to pressure and break his heart?
England, 1586
Mercy Hart, daughter of one of London's wealthiest and most devout cloth merchants, is expected to marry her equal in rank and piety. Certainly not Kit Turner, a lowly actor and playboy, who also happens to be the late Earl of Dorset's illegitimate son. But when a chance encounter throws them together, Kit instantly falls for the beautiful Mercy's charms . . . and Mercy can't deny the passion that Kit stirs within her. She seems ready to defy her father's wishes--ready to renounce her family and her family name for true love.
Then Kit finds himself accused treason.
Will Mercy have the strength to stand by him? Or will she succumb to pressure and break his heart?
Publication Date: 01/08/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis:
"Curious teens will find Snadowsky's honesty refreshing, and like [Judy Blume's] Forever before it, this [book] is sure to be passed from hand to hand."--Booklist
After everything that happened—my first boyfriend, my first time, my first breakup—jumping back into the dating game seemed like the least healthy thing I could do. It’s not that I didn’t want to fall in love again, since that’s about the best feeling ever. But as a busy college premed still raw from heartbreak, which is the worst feeling ever, I figured I’d lie low for a while. Of course, as soon as I stopped looking for someone, an impossibly amazing—and devastatingly cute—guy came along, and I learned that having a new boyfriend is the quickest way to recover from losing your old one.
The moment we got together, all my preconceptions about romance and sex were turned upside down. I discovered physical and emotional firsts I never knew existed. I learned to let go of my past by living in the present. It was thrilling. It was hot. It was just what the doctor ordered.
But I couldn’t avoid my future forever.
In Daria Snadowsky’s daring sequel to Anatomy of a Boyfriend, eighteen-year-old Dominique explores the relationship between love and lust, and the friendships that see us through.
"Dominique is a strong female character who makes informed decisions and demonstrates control over her own body and goals. . . . This book could be popular with girls who are curious and interested in reading about intimate young adult relationships."--VOYA
"Presents a multiplicity of opinions and stories about sex, intimacy and relationships and lets readers come to their own conclusions."--Kirkus Reviews
Publication Date: 01/08/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Chick Lit
Synopsis: "Was he . . . you know?" Bella doesn't know if Dominic was gay or not, but she knows he was bullied. And she knows the adults who could have helped didn't because of some stupid policy. Now Dominic's dead. And he's not the only one in the district. Somebody should do something, right? It's never been Bella's thing to stand up for a cause, but for some reason, this fight has become her fight.
Publication Date: 01/01/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction