Sharon Wray's Blog, page 76

The Hungry {Romance} Writer: Bread Pudding & Whiskey Sauce

It’s March! One of my favorite months of the year! While technically still winter, I can see the first signs of spring especially when we get those randomly warm days. It’s also the month of St. Patrick’s Day and Spring Break trips. So fun all around!

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This month on the Hungry {Romance} Writer, the men in my Deadly Force series have decided to take a break from searching for their enemies to accepting an even bigger challenge thrown down by Zack Tremaine. Zack, one of the ex-Green Berets who lives at Iron Rack’s Gym in Savannah, is also the hero of IN SEARCH OF TRUTH (book 3 in the series).

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, Zack has come up with the Iron Rack’s Whiskey Challenge. It’s not a taste test, but a cooking contest. Zack has challenged his buddies to come up with the best recipes where whiskey (bourbon) is the main ingredient. Since Zack set down the contest, he’s going first. And today’s recipe is Bread Pudding and Whiskey Sauce.

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Published on March 06, 2020 03:30

Sarah Munro’s Herbal Throat Gargle

This recipe for an apple cider-based throat gargle dates back centuries. And it’s one of the many recipes that Sarah Munro, the heroine in ONE DARK WISH (the second book in the Deadly Force series), has updated in her collection of herbal remedies.

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This throat gargle is effective and soothing due to the acidity of the apple cider vinegar and the antiviral properties of the honey.

Homemade Throat Gargle

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar (preferably with mother)

1 teaspoon salt

Drop of honey

8 ounces of warm water

Directions:

Fill a cup with 8 ounces of warm water. Stir in the apple cider vinegar, salt and honey. Gargle with the mixture, using only a bit at a time, until the glass is empty.

Use the warm gargle throughout the day, as needed. But don’t save the gargle. If you don’t finish the 8 ounces, pour it down the drain. Always make a new gargle mixture every time you use it.

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Sharon Wray is a librarian who once studied dress design in the couture houses of Paris and now writes about the men in her Amazon bestselling Deadly Force romantic suspense series where ex-Green Berets meet their match in smart, sexy heroines who teach these alpha males that Grace always defeats Reckoning .

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Published on March 03, 2020 03:30

The Hungry {Romance} Writer: Ham & Potato Hash

It’s been such a busy week with the release of IN SEARCH OF TRUTH, the third book in the Deadly Force series. Now I’m looking forward to weekend. And if it’s warm enough, I may plant some hosta and peony bulbs.

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Published on February 28, 2020 03:30

Release Day for In Search of Truth

I’m so excited to announce that IN SEARCH OF TRUTH, the third book in the Deadly Force series, comes out today!

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“This breathless romantic suspense novel provides equal amounts of heat and intrigue.” – PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY

“Twisty plots, fantastic characters, and pitch perfect pacing. Fabulous!”—ALLISON BRENNAN, New York Times Bestselling Author

“Sexy Green Berets, dark secrets, and sizzling chemistry!” ~ CHERRY ADAIR, New York Times Bestselling Author

“Fast-paced…intriguing, with steamy romance and forbidden love.” ~ FRESH FICTION

The Deadly Force series is about a team of ex-Special Forces soldiers, accused of vicious war crimes and determined to prove their innocence, who are desperate to find the enemy who wants to destroy them. Before time runs out and the enemy attacks again.

As these men struggle to rebuild their lives and redeem their honor, it’s the women they love who teach these alpha males that Grace always defeats Reckoning.

So far the stories have taken place in Savannah, Georgia and a fictional outlying sea island known as the Isle of Grace. But this story takes our hero Zack Tremaine from Iron Rack’s, the run-down, pirate-themed gym in the not-so-nice part of Savannah, to historic Charleston and then on to sultry New Orleans.

IN SEARCH OF TRUTH is about a widowed anthropologist named Allison Pinckney who inherits a key to a seventeenth-century pirate cipher that makes her the target of two brutal arms dealers. Now, to save those she loves and discover who murdered her husband, she must solve the cipher. But as this mission becomes more and more dangerous, she reluctantly seeks help from a handsome man from her past. A man who’d once been her best friend, ex-Green Beret Zack Tremaine. The problem is that if she admits the secret life she’s been living, and gives into her long-buried feelings for Zack, it could cost them their lives.

Years ago Zack Tremaine betrayed his men and lost Allison, the only woman he ever loved. Today, those regrets are destroying him. And now that his men are caught in a fierce rivalry between two deadly enemies, his only hope to fix what he did wrong is to help Allison find her husband’s murderer. When he discovers Allison holds the secret to a pirate treasure, a treasure that may help him save his men, he ignores orders and gives up everything to help her search for an infamous pirate–and the woman who’d been accused of witchcraft in 1704–who both died three hundred years ago. Despite the deadly risks, Zack has one last chance to save his men and redeem his honor. Even if the woman he loves breaks his heart…again.

This book is titled IN SEARCH OF TRUTH for a reason. It’s not just about two people who are searching for the truth about the death of Allison’s husband and the reason Zack’s Green Beret unit was dishonorably discharged. It’s also about the destructive nature of fear. Throughout the book, Allison and Zack must face the realization that the choices they made because they were afraid brought them to this place of desolation. They learn that decisions based on fear never work out. In fact, decisions based on fear make everything worse.

In this book, Zack and Allison have made terrible choices based on fear. But they’re not the only ones. And the cumulative effects of people acting out of fear almost costs them their lives. It’s only when they accept the truth of your their past choices, and then forgive themselves and others, can they find their Happily Ever After.

There is a preview button below. I hope you love this book as much as I loved writing it!

Some treasure is buried in plain sight….

Anthropologist Allison Pinckney is stunned when she inherits the key to a seventeenth century pirate cipher that makes her the target of two brutal arms dealers. Now, to save those she loves, she must solve the cipher. With this perilous mission growing ever more dangerous, she reluctantly seeks help from ex-Green Beret Zack Tremaine, the one man she’s been avoiding. Because if she gives into her long-buried feelings for him, it could cost them their lives.

Zack Tremaine is haunted by regrets. Years ago, he betrayed his men and lost the only woman he ever loved. Now that his men are caught in a fierce rivalry between two deadly enemies, his only hope is to team up with Allison. She holds the secret to a pirate treasure, and he must take the chance to save his men and redeem his honor. Even if she breaks his heart…again.

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Sharon Wray is a librarian who once studied dress design in the couture houses of Paris and now writes about the men in her Amazon bestselling Deadly Force romantic suspense series where ex-Green Berets meet their match in smart, sexy heroines who teach these alpha males that Grace always defeats Reckoning .

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Published on February 25, 2020 03:30

Sarah Munro’s Hot Ginger Cold Remedy

It’s cold season and everyone in my family has been affected. While I have a lot of herbal resources for fighting the common cold, one of my favorites is what my grandmother used to call Hot Ginger.

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A combination of fresh ginger juice, fresh citrus, and honey, it’s a perfect drink to soothe a stuffy head and sore throat. It’s also a recipe that Sarah Munro (the heroine of ONE DARK WISH, the second book in my Deadly Force series) discovered while studying herbal remedies of the 17th century. Although those older recipes included a few other herbs, this updated recipe is much more palatable.

Sarah Munro’s Hot Ginger Cold Remedy

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh ginger, peeled and juiced (you need 3 fluid ounces per mug)

1 Tablespoon local honey

Dash of cayenne pepper

Juice from 1/4 fresh lime

6 fluid ounces hot water (not boiling)

1 thin slice of a fresh lemon.

Directions:

In a large mug, add 3 fluid ounces of the ginger juice. Stir in the honey, cayenne, lime juice, and 6 fluid ounces of hot (not boiling) water. Top with the fresh lemon slice.

Drink this hot ginger three to six times per day until you feel better. This drink can help shorten the time of a cold and also opens up the sinuses.

Put the remaining ginger juice in a glass jar and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

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Sharon Wray is a librarian who once studied dress design in the couture houses of Paris and now writes about the men in her Amazon bestselling Deadly Force romantic suspense series where ex-Green Berets meet their match in smart, sexy heroines who teach these alpha males that Grace always defeats Reckoning .

Her third book, IN SEARCH OF TRUTH, is about an ex-Green Beret desperate to win back the woman he loves and save the men he betrayed, even if he must make the greatest sacrifice. It’s available for preorder now and comes out February 25, 2020.

You can preorder IN SEARCH OF TRUTH here: Amazon

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Published on February 24, 2020 03:30

The Hungry {Romance} Writer: Mardi Gras King Cake

This coming Tuesday I’m going to celebrate two things: the release of IN SEARCH OF TRUTH, the third book in my Deadly Force series, and Mardi Gras.

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It’s serendipitous that IN SEARCH OF TRUTH takes place not just in Savannah, like the other books in the Deadly Force series, but also in New Orleans including a sexy scene in a romantic hidden-away restaurant, a hunt through the French Quarter, and a chase through Lafayette Cemetery #1.

But besides crazy partying down in New Orleans, what is Mardi Gras? In French, Mardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday.” Technically, Mardi Gras is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, the day before the Christian season of Lent begins. Mardi Gras Day always falls 46 days before Easter which means it can occur on any Tuesday from February 3rd to March 9th. Mardi Gras Day is also a transition day, dividing Church time between the end of the Christmas season and the beginning of the Easter season.

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To add to the confusion, Mardi Gras isn’t just a day. It’s a season that begins on January 6th, also known as Twelfth Night since it’s the twelfth night after Christmas. January 6th is also the Epiphany, the night that Jesus showed himself to the three wise men. While many people eat King Cake only on Mardi Gras Day, others start eating King Cake on January 6th, to celebrate the Epiphany, and eat it through the entire season.

Rumors say that the King Cake tradition appeared in New Orleans, a traditionally Catholic city, in 1870. It’s an oval-shaped cake that tastes more like a French pastry filled with cinnamon and pecans. Some people add in dried fruit like raisins or currants, and the oval shape represents the unity of faiths. The cake is decorated with a white frosting and three different colors of sprinkles. These three colors are known as the Royal Colors:

Purple signifies Justice. Green signifies Faith. Gold signifies Power.

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These colors represent the colors in a royal jeweled crown honoring the Three Wise Men who came to the Christ Child on Epiphany. To symbolize this event, a small plastic baby (or a piece of orange or a walnut) is baked into the King Cake. Although you want to make sure it’s not so small it could be swallowed or too large to break teeth. When the King Cake is served, everyone looks to see if they received the baby. The one who does is named “King” for a day. That King is then required to host next year’s party and provide the King Cake.

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Whether you eat your King Cake all winter long, or just on Mardi Gras Day, you need to prepare ahead of time if you want to make your own. As a yeast bread, you need time to proof the yeast and let the dough rise–multiple times. Even you don’t celebrate these holidays, it’s worth the time and effort to make this French delicacy. And when you serve it with your favorite hot coffee, you can laissez les bon temps rouler!

Sharon Wray

Yields 2 King Cakes

Serves 24 (12 servings per cake)

277The Hungry {Romance} Writer: Mardi Gras King Cake

This cake looks hard and tedious to make, but as long as your yeast works properly it's really not hard to make. Most of the 4 1/2 hours is spent waiting for the dough to rise. If it happens to be really cold in the house when you're making this, (because it's the middle of winter) turn the oven on low while you make the dough. When it comes time to let the dough rise the first time, turn off the oven and place the baking sheets in the warm oven. And if you don't want to add a plastic baby, you can use a small walnut or a piece of orange or even a quarter that's been well washed. Serve it with coffee and you'll never eat stale bagels again!

4 hr, 30 Prep Time

4 hr, 30 Total Time

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Ingredients

CAKE1 cup whole milk1/4 cup butter, room temperature2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast2/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F)1/2 cup white sugar (separate out 1 Tablespoon to proof yeast)2 eggs, lightly beaten1 1/2 teaspoons salt1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg5 1/2 cups all-purpose flourFILLING1 cup packed brown sugar1 tablespoon ground cinnamon2/3 cup pecans, chopped1/2 cup all-purpose flour1/2 cup melted butterFROSTING1 cup confectioners' sugar1-2 Tablespoons cold watergreen sprinklespurple sprinklesyellow sprinkles2 plastic babies for good luck!

Instructions

CAKEOn low heat in a small saucepan, scald the milk.Remove from heat and stir in the butter.Allow mixture to cool to room temperature.In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water. Add 1 Tablespoon of the white sugar. Let stand until creamy, 8-10 minutes. If yeast mixture doesn't bubble and look creamy, toss it and start again.When yeast mixture is bubbling, gently whisk in the cooled milk mixture. Whisk in the eggs. Stir in the remaining white sugar, salt and nutmeg.With an electric mixer, slowly beat the flour into the milk/egg mixture 1 cup at a time.When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.Lightly oil a large, room temperature bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil.Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.After 2 hours, punch the dough down and divide in half.Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.FILLINGIn a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, ground cinnamon, chopped pecans, and flour.Pour the melted butter over the cinnamon mixture and mix with a fork until crumbly.On a lightly-floured surface, roll dough halves out into large rectangles (approximately 10x16 inches).Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough rectangles. Beginning with the wide side, roll up each half tightly.Transfer the dough rolls to the two baking sheets.Bring the ends of each roll together to form oval shaped rings.With a sharp knife, make cuts 1/3 of the way through the rings at 1 inch intervals.Let the dough ovals rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees.Push the plastic babies into the cakes and back for 30 minutes.FROSTINGWhile baking, blend confectioners' sugar and the water in a small bowl.Once the cakes come out of the oven, and while they're still warm, drizzle the frosting over top of the cakes. Decorate with the green, purple, and yellow sprinkles.7.8.1.2130http://sharonwray.com/the-hungry-writer/the-hungry-romance-writer-mardi-gras-king-cake/

And just for fun, here’s one of my favorite Mardi Gras songs to dance to while you’re waiting for the bread to rise!

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Sharon Wray is a librarian who once studied dress design in the couture houses of Paris and now writes about the men in her Amazon bestselling Deadly Force romantic suspense series where ex-Green Berets meet their match in smart, sexy heroines who teach these alpha males that Grace always defeats Reckoning .

Her third book, IN SEARCH OF TRUTH, is about an ex-Green Beret desperate to win back the woman he loves and save the men he betrayed, even if he must make the greatest sacrifice. It’s available for preorder now and comes out February 25, 2020.

You can preorder IN SEARCH OF TRUTH here: Amazon

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Published on February 22, 2020 15:30

The Hungry {Romance} Writer: Egg and Crabmeat Scramble

It’s Friday and I’m looking forward to the weekend where I’ll be planning all sorts of things for my new book release next Tuesday. It’s so hard to believe IN SEARCH OF TRUTH, the third book in the Deadly Force series, comes out in a few days. But I’m excited and ready to move on to the next book in the series.

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Published on February 21, 2020 03:30

One Dark Wish on Sale Now!!

I’m so excited because I just heard that ONE DARK WISH, the second book in my Deadly Force series, is on sale for $1.99 or less at the following retailers:

Amazon: http://bit.ly/OneDarkWishAMZ

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/OneDarkWishBN

Books A Million: http://bit.ly/OneDarkWishBAM

iBooks: http://bit.ly/OneDarkWishiBook

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Here’s a short blurb and link to a preview:

“Twisty plots, fantastic characters, and pitch-perfect pacing. Fabulous!” —ALLISON BRENNAN, New York Times bestselling author

Her life must be forfeit for his to be redeemed

Historian Sarah Munro is not used to being shot at, but that’s just what happens while she’s poking around cemeteries on Georgia’s Isle of Grace, searching for the key to a centuries-old cipher. Her quest has unwittingly drawn the attention of two deadly enemies intent on destroying each other—and anyone who gets in their way.

Ex–Green Beret Major Nate Walker is on a mission of his own: to restore the honor of his men. To do that, he is required to stop Sarah—or one of his own men will die. Caught in the middle of a deadly rivalry, Nate can’t afford to trust the woman standing in his way. But his heart says he can’t afford not to…

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Sharon Wray is a librarian who once studied dress design in the couture houses of Paris and now writes about the men in her Amazon bestselling Deadly Force romantic suspense series where ex-Green Berets meet their match in smart, sexy heroines who teach these alpha males that Grace always defeats Reckoning .

Her third book, IN SEARCH OF TRUTH, is about an ex-Green Beret desperate to win back the woman he loves and save the men he betrayed, even if he must make the greatest sacrifice. It’s available for preorder now and comes out February 25, 2020.

You can preorder IN SEARCH OF TRUTH here: Amazon

The post One Dark Wish on Sale Now!! appeared first on Sharon Wray.

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Published on February 18, 2020 06:53

Sarah Munro’s Clay Facial Mask

I’m not a huge fan of going to spas, but I do love doing my own facials. And people in the 18th century used them as well. As I work through Sarah Munro’s (the heroine of ONE DARK WISH) updated 17th and 18th century herbal recipes, I came across this one for a clay-based facial mask.

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There are more ingredients in this recipe than most DIY facial masks, but all of the ingredients are available online and in local health food stores. The nice thing about this recipe is that it makes a lot. As long as it’s stored in its dry form in an air-tight container, it lasts for as long as you need it to.

Sarah Munro’s Clay Facial Mask

Ingredients:

2 tsp. of bentonite clay2 tsp. of French green clay1 pinch of dried rose petals1 pinch of dried calendula petals1/4 tsp. sea salt1/4 tsp. cocoa powder1/4 tsp. ground ginger1/4 tsp. ground turmeric1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg1/4 tsp. ground ceylon cinnamon1/4 tsp. ground clovesCoffee grinderAir-tight container

Directions:

In a medium glass bowl, combine clays, stirring gently. Add the next eight ingredients, stirring well after each herb or spice. Transfer mixture to a coffee grinder used specifically for this project. Grind until powdered. Store in a air-tight jar. It will last indefinitely as look as it’s kept dry and cool.

To use: In a small bowl combine 2 teaspoons of the clay powder. Add enough water to make a paste and spread over your face. Let sit on your face until dry. Rinse well with warm water.

*Note: All of these ingredients can be found on Amazon or at most health food stores.

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Sharon Wray is a librarian who once studied dress design in the couture houses of Paris and now writes about the men in her Amazon bestselling Deadly Force romantic suspense series where ex-Green Berets meet their match in smart, sexy heroines who teach these alpha males that Grace always defeats Reckoning .

Her third book, IN SEARCH OF TRUTH, is about an ex-Green Beret desperate to win back the woman he loves and save the men he betrayed, even if he must make the greatest sacrifice. It’s available for preorder now and comes out February 25, 2020.

You can preorder IN SEARCH OF TRUTH here: Amazon

The post Sarah Munro’s Clay Facial Mask appeared first on Sharon Wray.

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Published on February 18, 2020 03:30

2020 Mid-Winter Middle Grade and Young Adult Book List

It’s snowing around Valentine’s Day so that must mean it’s time for the 2020 Mid-Winter Middle Grade & Young Adult Book List!

This is not a best-seller or new release list. In fact, some of the books were published more than five years ago but just recently discovered. This is an ongoing, cumulative list of books the kids in my reading army have read that is updated twice a year. I want to thank my teen readers for their help and suggestions, as well as my blog readers who’ve made this list such a popular download. You are all awesome!

Click Here to Download the 2020 Mid-Winter Mg/YA Book List

Thank you to Amazon for embed links and blurbs.

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This bi-annual compilation offers a good cross-section of genres for teens and tweens. There were a lot of new YA Fantasy books released the past few months. I’ve also added some new Middle Grade Action/Adventure and non-fiction stories. There are books on the list for all readers just in time for the second half of winter!

Below are a few highlights (in no particular order), but for the entire printable list, click here: 2020 Mid-Winter MG/YA Book List.

Young Adult Fiction

Respect the Legend. Idolize the Prodigy. Celebrate the Champion. But never underestimate the Rebel.
With unmatched suspense and her signature cinematic storytelling, #1 New York Times–bestselling author Marie Lu plunges readers back into the unforgettable world of Legend for a truly grand finale.

Eden Wing has been living in his brother’s shadow for years. Even though he’s a top student at his academy in Ross City, Antarctica, and a brilliant inventor, most people know him only as Daniel Wing’s little brother.

A decade ago, Daniel was known as Day, the boy from the streets who led a revolution that saved the Republic of America. But Day is no longer the same young man who was once a national hero. These days he’d rather hide out from the world and leave his past behind. All that matters to him now is keeping Eden safe—even if that also means giving up June, the great love of Daniel’s life.

As the two brothers struggle to accept who they’ve each become since their time in the Republic, a new danger creeps into the distance that’s grown between them. Eden soon finds himself drawn so far into Ross City’s dark side, even his legendary brother can’t save him. At least not on his own . . .

Tristan Lopez is loyal to his brothers. He doesn’t really have a choice, born into a gang that has a chokehold on every kid that roams its streets. He gave his life to them willingly, knowing if he did then one day this kingdom, led by boys drunk with power and ruled by fear, would all be his.

He was loyal through it all. Loyal when prison took his dad away. Loyal when his face was touched by the cold metal of the rival gang’s gun. Loyal even though his mom begged him to run the moment she returned home from rehab.

He thought about becoming someone else. It was hard not to crave the life of a regular 17-year-old. It’s the only reason he stayed in school—to pretend. But he always fell back in line.

Loyal.

Riley Rojas didn’t belong in Tristan’s real world. She should have only been part of the fantasy, one of the many faces he got to pretend with amidst rows of metal chairs and desks and whiteboards with assignments. But there she was, moving boxes from the back of an old pick-up into a house Tristan had shot up on a dare with his friends only a few months before.

Tall enough to look him in the eyes and strong enough to fill his shadow, Riley took up space on his streets, her loud mouth fearless in the face of the gang leaders who terrified everyone else. She pushed Tristan around on the hard court, and she balled better than his friends—better than him sometimes. She challenged him. She needed him. He liked it. And when her pale blue eyes stared into his, he quit wanting to pretend.

He couldn’t ask her to leave because she’d only dig her heels in deeper. He couldn’t ask because he didn’t want her to go. She was blurring his lines. She was testing his loyalty.

He was falling in love.

And it was going to tear him apart.

What I know: a boy in my class will one day wipe out two-thirds of the population with a virus.

What I don’t know: who he is.

In a race against the clock, I not only have to figure out his identity, but I’ll have to outwit a voice from the future telling me to kill him. Because I’m starting to realize no one is telling the truth. But how can I play chess with someone who already knows the outcome of my every move? Someone so filled with malice they’ve lost all hope in humanity? Well, I’ll just have to find a way—because now they’ve drawn a target on the only boy I’ve ever loved…

The dreamers walk among us . . . and so do the dreamed. Those who dream cannot stop dreaming – they can only try to control it. Those who are dreamed cannot have their own lives – they will sleep forever if their dreamers die.

And then there are those who are drawn to the dreamers. To use them. To trap them. To kill them before their dreams destroy us all.

Ronan Lynch is a dreamer. He can pull both curiosities and catastrophes out of his dreams and into his compromised reality.

Jordan Hennessy is a thief. The closer she comes to the dream object she is after, the more inextricably she becomes tied to it.

Carmen Farooq-Lane is a hunter. Her brother was a dreamer . . . and a killer. She has seen what dreaming can do to a person. And she has seen the damage that dreamers can do. But that is nothing compared to the destruction that is about to be unleashed. . . .

You are alone in the woods, seen only by the unblinking yellow moon. Your hands are empty. You are nearly naked. And the wolf is angry.

Since her grandmother became her caretaker when she was four years old, Bisou Martel has lived a quiet life in a little house in Seattle. She’s kept mostly to herself. She’s been good.

But then comes the night of homecoming, when she finds herself running for her life over roots and between trees, a fury of claws and teeth behind her.

A wolf attacks. Bisou fights back. A new moon rises. And with it, questions.

About the blood in Bisou’s past, and on her hands as she stumbles home.

About broken boys and vicious wolves.

About girls lost in the woods—frightened, but not alone.

Emilie des Marais is more at home holding scalpels than embroidery needles and is desperate to escape her noble roots to serve her country as a physician. But society dictates a noble lady cannot perform such gruesome work.

Annette Boucher, overlooked and overworked by her family, wants more from life than her humble beginnings and is desperate to be trained in magic. So when a strange noble girl offers Annette the chance of a lifetime, she accepts.

Emilie and Annette swap lives—Annette attends finishing school as a noble lady to be trained in the ways of divination, while Emilie enrolls to be a physician’s assistant, using her natural magical talent to save lives.

But when their nation instigates a terrible war, Emilie and Annette come together to help the rebellion unearth the truth before it’s too late.

When Evelyn Dasher crossed paths with Luc, she was thrown headfirst into the world of the Lux—only to discover that she was already far more involved in their world than she ever suspected.

Because the Luxen aren’t the only ones with a hidden past. There’s a gap in Evie’s memory, lost months of her life and a lingering sense that something happened, something she can’t remember and nobody is willing to tell her. She needs to find out the truth about who she is—and who she was. But every answer she finds only brings up more questions.

Her search for the truth brings her ever closer to Luc, the Origin at the center of it all. He’s powerful, arrogant, inhumanly beautiful, extremely dangerous…and possibly in love with her. But even as Evie falls for him, she can’t help but wonder if his attraction is to her, or to the memory of a girl who no longer exists.

And all the while, a new threat looms: reports of a flu-like, fatal virus that the government insists is being spread by Luxen. A horrifying illness that changes whoever it touches, spreading panic across a country already at its breaking point.

Can being from two different worlds keep them apart?

Noah Wells has been the “it” movie star of teen rom-coms for the past two years — he’s successful, talented, but is ready to take on more serious roles. When his latest flick The Kissing Tower brings him to Cedar Oaks, he never intends to meet Addie, let alone fall for her.

Addie Schrader claims she has no time for fun. When she’s not at school, she’s teaching dance at a local studio or serving food at her Uncle Mike’s diner. But when the famed and gorgeous Noah Wells shows up, Addie wonders if it’s time to start really living.

Addie falls hard for Noah, but will that be enough to overcome his celebrity, the paparazzi, and her loyalty to her small home-town?

Juliette Ferrars. Ella Sommers. Which is the truth and which is the lie?

Now that Ella knows who Juliette is and what she was created for, things have only become more complicated. As she struggles to understand the past that haunts her and looks to a future more uncertain than ever, the lines between right and wrong—between Ella and Juliette—blur. And with old enemies looming, her destiny may not be her own to control.

The day of reckoning for the Reestablishment is coming. But she may not get to choose what side she fights on.

Winnie Mehta was never really convinced that Raj was her soul mate, but their love was written in the stars. Literally, a pandit predicted Winnie would find the love of her life before her eighteenth birthday, and Raj meets all the qualifications. Which is why Winnie is shocked when she returns from her summer at film camp to find her boyfriend of three years hooking up with Jenny Dickens. As a self-proclaimed Bollywood expert, Winnie knows this is not how her perfect ending is scripted.

Then there’s Dev, a fellow film geek and one of the few people Winnie can count on. Dev is smart and charming, and he challenges Winnie to look beyond her horoscope and find someone she’d pick for herself. But does falling for Dev mean giving up on her prophecy and her chance to live happily ever after? To find her perfect ending, Winnie will need a little bit of help from fate, family, and of course, a Bollywood movie star.

Caleb Becker left Paradise eight months ago, taking with him the secret he promised to take to his grave. If the truth got out, it would ruin everything. Maggie Armstrong tried to be strong after Caleb broke her heart and disappeared. Somehow, she managed to move on. She’s determined to make a new life for herself. But then Caleb and Maggie are forced together on a summer trip. They try ignoring their passion for each other, but buried feelings resurface. Caleb must face the truth about the night of Maggie’s accident, or the secret that destroyed their relationship will forever stand between them.

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans is a safe haven after she’s forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent in the middle of the carnival season, Celine is quickly enraptured by the vibrant city, from its music to its fancy soirées and even its danger. She becomes embroiled in the city’s glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group’s enigmatic leader, Sébastien Saint Germain.

When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in Sébastien’s own lair–the second dead girl to turn up in recent weeks–Celine battles her attraction to Sébastien and suspicions about his guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.

After a third murder, New Orleans becomes gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose–one who has now set Celine in his sights. As the murderer stalks her, Celine finally takes matters into her own hands, only to find herself caught in the midst of an age-old feud between the darkest creatures of the night, where the price of forbidden love is her life.

At once a sultry romance and a decadent, thrilling mystery, master storyteller Renée Ahdieh embarks on her most potent fantasy series yet.

Imogen lives at the Playa Grande Resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. She spends her days working out in the hotel gym and telling other guests how she was forced out of Stanford.

But Imogen isn’t really Imogen. She’s Jule. And she’s on the run from something. Or someone. Which means . . . where is the real Imogen?

Rewind: Jule and Imogen are the closest of friends. Obsessed with each other, even. Imogen is an orphan, an heiress; she and Jule spend a summer together in a house on Martha’s Vineyard, sharing secrets they’d never reveal to another soul.

But that was months ago. Where is Immie now? And why is Jule using her name?

After battling the impossible, Zélie and Amari have finally succeeded in bringing magic back to the land of Orïsha. But the ritual was more powerful than they could’ve imagined, reigniting the powers of not only the maji, but of nobles with magic ancestry, too.

Now, Zélie struggles to unite the maji in an Orïsha where the enemy is just as powerful as they are. But when the monarchy and military unite to keep control of Orïsha, Zélie must fight to secure Amari’s right to the throne and protect the new maji from the monarchy’s wrath.

With civil war looming on the horizon, Zélie finds herself at a breaking point: she must discover a way to bring the kingdom together or watch as Orïsha tears itself apart.

Will love break the spell? After cruelly rejecting Bao, the poor physician’s apprentice who loves her, Lan, a wealthy nobleman’s daughter, regrets her actions. So when she finds Bao’s prized flute floating in his boat near her house, she takes it into her care, not knowing that his soul has been trapped inside it by an evil witch, who cursed Bao, telling him that only love will set him free. Though Bao now despises her, Lan vows to make amends and help break the spell.

Together, the two travel across the continent, finding themselves in the presence of greatness in the forms of the Great Forest’s Empress Jade and Commander Wei. They journey with Wei, getting tangled in the webs of war, blood magic, and romance along the way. Will Lan and Bao begin to break the spell that’s been placed upon them? Or will they be doomed to live out their lives with black magic running through their veins?

In this fantastical tale of darkness and love, some magical bonds are stronger than blood.

Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life-working hard all day and partying all night-until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.

Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose-to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion-one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.

Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years ago, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family. Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who’s owned her heart as long as she can remember–even if he doesn’t know it–her childhood friend, Lucas. But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever.

“They’ve never found the body of the first and only boy who broke my heart. And they never will.”

Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power:
1) Woo the Shadow King.
2) Marry him.
3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.

No one knows the extent of the freshly crowned Shadow King’s power. Some say he can command the shadows that swirl around him to do his bidding. Others say they speak to him, whispering the thoughts of his enemies. Regardless, Alessandra knows what she deserves, and she’s going to do everything within her power to get it.

But Alessandra’s not the only one trying to kill the king. As attempts on his life are made, she finds herself trying to keep him alive long enough for him to make her his queen—all while struggling not to lose her heart. After all, who better for a Shadow King than a cunning, villainous queen?

Middle Grade Fiction

What would happen to a fairy if she lost her wings and could no longer fly? Flory, a young night fairy no taller than an acorn and still becoming accustomed to her wings — wings as beautiful as those of a luna moth — is about to find out. What she discovers is that the world is very big and very dangerous. But Flory is fierce and willing to do whatever it takes to survive. If that means telling others what to do — like Skuggle, a squirrel ruled by his stomach — so be it. Not every creature, however, is as willing to bend to Flory’s demands. Newbery Medal winner Laura Amy Schlitz and world-renowned illustrator and miniaturist Angela Barrett venture into the realm of the illustrated classic — a classic entirely and exquisitely of their making, and a magnificent adventure.

The Herons are home in Skandia, but the usually peaceful country is in danger. The Temujai–ruthless warriors from the Eastern Steppes–have never given up on their ambition to claim Skandia for their own…and now they’re on the move. Hal and his crew will have to brave the treacherous icy river and rapids to stop them, no matter the cost.

Climb aboard with the Herons in Return of the Temujai the exciting eighth installment of the Brotherband Chronicles!

It’s not easy being Apollo, especially when you’ve been turned into a human and banished from Olympus. On his path to restoring five ancient oracles and reclaiming his godly powers, Apollo (aka Lester Papadopoulos) has faced both triumphs and tragedies. Now his journey takes him to Camp Jupiter in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the Roman demigods are preparing for a desperate last stand against the evil Triumvirate of Roman emperors. Hazel, Reyna, Frank, Tyson, Ella, and many other old friends will need Apollo’s aid to survive the onslaught. Unfortunately, the answer to their salvation lies in the forgotten tomb of a Roman ruler . . . someone even worse than the emperors Apollo has already faced.

One week after their eleventh birthday, the Fowl twins–scientist Myles, and Beckett, the force of nature–are left in the care of house security (NANNI) for a single night. In that time they befriend a troll who has clawed his way through the earth’s crust to the surface. Unfortunately for the troll, he is being chased by a nefarious nobleman and an interrogating nun, who both need the magical creature for their own gain, as well as a fairy-in-training who has been assigned to protect him. The boys and their new troll best friend escape and go on the run. Along the way they get shot at, kidnapped, buried, arrested, threatened, killed (temporarily), and discover that the strongest bond in the world is not the one forged by covalent electrons in adjacent atoms, but the one that exists between a pair of twins.

For Bixby Alexander Tam (nicknamed Bat), life tends to be full of surprises—some of them good, some not so good. Today, though, is a good-surprise day. Bat’s mom, a veterinarian, has brought home a baby skunk, which she needs to take care of until she can hand him over to a wild-animal shelter.

But the minute Bat meets the kit, he knows they belong together. And he’s got one month to show his mom that a baby skunk might just make a pretty terrific pet.

Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn’t . . . then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday.

With exquisite illustrations by acclaimed artist Ana Juan, Fairyland lives up to the sensation it created when author Catherynne M. Valente first posted it online. For readers of all ages who love the charm of Alice in Wonderland and the soul of The Golden Compass, here is a reading experience unto itself: unforgettable, and so very beautiful.

Middle Grade Non-Fiction

A Delayed Life is the breathtaking memoir that tells the story of Dita Kraus, the real-life Librarian of Auschwitz.

Dita Kraus grew up in Prague in an intellectual, middle-class Jewish family. She went to school, played with her friends, and never thought of herself as being different—until the advent of the Holocaust. Torn from her home, Dita was sent to Auschwitz with her family.

From her time in the children’s block of Auschwitz to her liberation from the camps and on into her adulthood, Dita’s powerful memoir sheds light on an incredible life—one that is delayed no longer.

Disclaimer: Some of these books are (or once were) controversial. Some older YAs have closed-door or open-door adult situations, and others (YA & MG) deal with harsh issues such as suicide, bullying, war, poverty, and loss of a parent. As a librarian, reader’s advisor, and mother, I’ve learned that tweens and teens tend to read within their comfort zone, both emotionally and reading-level wise. All of these books offer a chance for parents and kids to discuss which topics are appropriate now and which books are best left for another time. But I hope you all find books that will give your family new adventures and imaginary friends.

See you in July for the 2020 Mid-Summer Young Adult and Middle Grade Book List!

*The books listed in this blog post are in no particular order.

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Sharon Wray is a librarian who once studied dress design in the couture houses of Paris and now writes about the men in her Amazon bestselling Deadly Force romantic suspense series where ex-Green Berets meet their match in smart, sexy heroines who teach these alpha males that Grace always defeats Reckoning .

Her third book, IN SEARCH OF TRUTH, is about an ex-Green Beret desperate to win back the woman he loves and save the men he betrayed, even if he must make the greatest sacrifice. It’s available for preorder now and comes out February 25, 2020.

You can preorder IN SEARCH OF TRUTH here: Amazon

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Published on February 17, 2020 03:30