Monday, September 9, 2024

Books & Brews @ Storybook Brewing Book Haul

 A little over a week ago, I was able to attend a book fair at a local brewery that I visit once a month for one of my book clubs. I had set myself a limit on books I could purchase (just two, I was only going to buy two books because that's what I had cash for) because I've also turned in my two weeks notice at my current job without having anything lined up yet (so that I can focus on job hunting a little more). I'm sure you all realize already that I didn't stick to my two book purchase limit because there were so many pretty covers that I just couldn't say no to. And really, I feel like it would be remiss of me to not share all my pretty new books with y'all. So here we go!

Title: Pacific Tails
Author: Michelle Sauer
Published: October 24, 2023
Genre: Fantasy

Blurb

An unsolved murder of a mermaid queen. A shattered stone pendant cursed and lost. A kingdom’s existence in peril.

All of it, dependent on a college student and gifted swimmer, Zoe Vaughn, who thinks her life is falling apart.

Jealous teammates have accused Zoe of using performance enhancing drugs, sinking her dreams of competing in the Olympics. Now, as their relentless bullying continues, she’s ready to uproot her life in California and move across the country.

But hours before Zoe’s flight, something happens that changes those plans forever. Sparks literally fly between her and Baxter, her mythology professor, who confronts Zoe with the truth that her incredible talent beneath the water has a supernatural explanation.

Baxter declares that Zoe is the living reincarnation of Melantha - Mermaid Queen of the Pacific Ocean - who was betrayed and murdered nearly a century earlier. He also claims to be Melantha’s guardian - an immortal tasked with reuniting five sacred stones that can restore Zoe as the rightful queen before her kingdom is lost forever.

But the time to do that is running out, as there are sinister forces who'll stop at nothing to prevent the Mermaid Queen's return. With her life on the line, Zoe must work with Baxter to find all five stones scattered between land and sea and fulfill her destiny - or condemn her mermaid kin to enslavement for all eternity.

Pacific Tails is a new adult, fast-paced urban fantasy adventure that is set in a world where myths intertwine with reality. Ride the wave of a thrilling mystery and quest-based novel, filled with mermaids and other unexpected creatures such as immortals, ghosts, demons, and werewolves. Pacific Tails is a slow-burn romance and a fantastical whodunit that will sure to captivate. It is the first book of a planned duology.


Title: The Design of Goodbye
Author: Kara Renee
Publish: August 28, 2023
Genre: YA Romance

Blurb

A choice can change everything.

Five lines and twenty-six words are all it takes for Madison Winter’s life to change forever.

No one knows her mother abandoned her the summer before senior year with only a letter as a goodbye, and she’s determined to keep it that way.

Every night, Madison hides in her mother’s sewing room and focuses on the one thing she has left: designing a four-piece collection for the Harbor Fashion Show.

The problem? Her ideas are just as absent as her mother.

To make matters worse, she’s assigned high school outcast, Liam Strom, as her math tutor: a boy trying to forget the demons of his past, a boy that leaves her with more questions than answers, and a boy she can’t help but fall for.

As their relationship grows, Madison discovers Liam is harboring secrets far more serious than she realized. Desperate to not lose him, and armed with his trust, she promises to keep his secrets safe.

But what happens when she’s forced to choose between saving Liam or keeping her promise?



Title: Blue Reflections
Author: Amanda Casey
Published: June 23, 2023
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy

Blurb

A sea nymph blind to her past. A watercolor artist who paints in one color. Should they trust the mysterious blue reflections appearing to each other?

Practicing the forbidden art of salt trance is the most excitement Selia has experienced in the past decade of her forgetful, introverted life. Her curiosity about the art’s salty secrets has landed the sea nymph in an ocean of trouble. Crimes against the fae are not easily forgiven by the Order—especially when Amphitrite's Ocean Apothecary is involved.

Selia is not the only one curious about the arts. She’s caught the eye of handsome watercolor artist Damien Malloch, whose moonlit paintings capture more than her heart.

When the Order steals a magical artifact from the Louvre, Selia begins experimenting with the unpredictable ingredients from Amphitrite's Ocean Apothecary. She quickly discovers that breath, memory, and salt are tied to a fae treasure the Order is trying to destroy. A dark secret from Damien’s past might be Selia's only hope for remembering what blue memory blindness has stolen from her. While navigating through Scotland’s fairy gardens, sleepy seaside pubs, and her growing feelings for Damien, Selia must choose—restore balance to the dying art, or save Damien’s life?

Or will the blue reflections reveal a truth that could tear Selia and Damien apart?



Title: A Sea of Unfortunate Souls
Author: Jay R. Wolf
Published: March 14, 2022
Genre: Romantic Fantasy

Blurb

A fairy tale retelling with a dark twist!

Monster hunter.

Pirate.

Orphan with a vendetta.

Aboard her vessel, Arie Lockwood sails the open seas in search of those responsible for the murder of her fathers. When one voyage takes an unfortunate turn, Arie finds herself at the mercy of King Roland who gives her an ultimatum:

Kill the Leviathan, or watch her sister die.

Determined to save her sister, Arie must partner with her rivals, Pascal and Captain Hook, to fulfill the king’s command. One is loyal to the malicious royal. The other gives her lingering glances that send shivers coursing through her. Together they seek out Ursa, the sea witch, for guidance on how to bring the legendary sea monster down.

What they find instead is a dark secret buried in the depths that causes Arie to question everything. Can she and her cohorts bring down the Leviathan and save her sister? Or will they become the next victims of the soul-eating monster?

A Sea of Unfortunate Souls is a Little Mermaid meets Peter Pan retelling containing elements of strong language and graphic violence. With 68k+ words of darkness and intrigue, it will have you coming back for more.


Title: Firian Rising
Author: Carly Stevens
Published: July 15, 2019
Genre: YA Dark Fantasy

Blurb

Few people can create reality from imagination.

Firian Kess is one of those few.

When Firian’s ability earns him a coveted spot in the mysterious Tanyuin Academy, he finally has a chance to prove his worth. Despite obstacles and rivals, he stays intensely focused, determined that nothing will stop him from becoming the world’s best warrior.

Kiria Arioc, the spirited heir to the throne of the war-torn Western Kingdom, has hidden abilities of her own. But even those don’t completely allay her fears that she doesn’t have what it takes to lead the nation she loves.

When Firian comes to the capital to protect her, his mission takes an unexpected turn. He begins to suspect the Academy might be using them both for its own darker purposes. When the two don’t know who to trust, will they be forced to turn on each other?


Title: The North Tower
Author: Michelle N. Hagood
Published: December 5, 2022
Genre: YA Dark Fantasy

Blurb

Nineteen-year-old Charlie's been dealt a bad hand from the day she was born. Found in a trash can as a baby, she's been shipped from one foster home to another, each one worse than the last. When she's offered an escape, she takes it. But fate isn't ready to be kind just yet. 

After a brutal car crash, Charlie is dragged into an unfamiliar world of magic with promises of a fresh start at the Magisterium of Magic, a prestigious school for the rich and entitled. Here, she's told that she's a Royal, a member of the highest tier of Magic Users, with the kind of power most people would do anything to steal or control.

When a student abruptly leaves and she catches the School Master lying about it, she starts to question if the motives of her rescuers are pure. Or do these devious liars have a darker reason for finding her?

With the help of a crew of troublemakers, Charlie dives into one of the magic world's oldest mysteries, the death in the North Tower and the cunning ghost who haunts it. The identity of the ghostly woman and truth about the student's departure could help Charlie decide who she can trust. Or it could prove that she should have trusted her instincts all along.


I also bought a blind date with a book from Carly Stevens, and I really should have picked a different blind date, not because the book was a bad pick for me, because because the book I got was All the Light We Cannot See, which I had literally started reading that morning and already had a physical copy of. I really should have known better than to pick "For the person who likes WWII fiction" since I own and have read so much of it. But I gave my copy to a friend that was also at the fair, and she brought me another book in exchange for me at our last book club meeting, so it worked out and the book I'll be reading was still ultimately a blind date, just not the one I bought there. 

I didn't take any pics with authors at the book fair because I left my ice breaker shenanigan sign in my car, but I will hopefully have more opportunities to make use of my shenanigan sign in the future, when Joood is less likely to expect it. 

Now I just need to figure out which book to read first? Which one do you think I should read first? - Katie 

1 comment:

  1. I've read Blue Reflections and that one is good. I'm interested though in hearing your thoughts on The Goodnye Design, it sounds like it could be heart breaking. Also Firian Rising sounds good. The whole list looks good tbh, there are some tropes in here I enjoy for fantasy.

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