Books I'm Squeeing About in July

Every month I think that the next month will be less expensive and every month more awesome books keep being released. Not that I should be complaining, because we are being spoiled, spoiled I tell you with the sheer number of incredible titles hitting the shelves this year. It has been month after month of goodies and brilliance, and this month is no exception. SO without further ado, I present the books that I cannot wait to cripple my bank balance further with and get my sticky little mitts on!

2nd July - Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot
Royal Wedding follows Princess Mia and her Prince Charming as they plan their fairy tale wedding - but a few poisoned apples could turn this happily-ever-after into a royal nightmare.

For Princess Mia, the past five years since college graduation have been a whirlwind of activity, what with living in New York City, running her new teen community centre, being madly in love, and attending royal engagements. And speaking of engagements, Mia's gorgeous longtime boyfriend Michael managed to clear both their schedules just long enough for an exotic (and very private) Caribbean island interlude where he popped the question! Of course Mia didn't need to consult her diary to know that her answer was a royal oui.But now Mia has a scandal of majestic proportions to contend with: Her grandmother's leaked "fake" wedding plans to the press that could cause even normally calm Michael to become a runaway groom. Worse, a scheming politico is trying to force Mia's father from the throne, all because of a royal secret that could leave Genovia without a monarch. Can Mia prove to everyone - especially herself - that she's not only ready to wed, but ready to rule as well?

I adore Mia and Meg Cabot's brilliant Princess Diaries, and whilst I loved teenage Mia coming to grips with suddenly being a Princess when I was stuck in teenagerdom myself, I love twenty something Mia trying desperately to wedding plan even more, because oh boy, been there, done that, got the grey hairs. This book is hilarious, and if possible even better than its predecessors. Anyone who loved Mia growing up will love this book. Plus, no need to be put off if you haven't read the rest of the series, there's a handy little catch up right at the start of the book so if you're new to Mia you'll keep up just fine!
You can read my review here.
You can pre-order the book on Amazon here!

2nd July - The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle

It's the accident season, the same time every year. Bones break, skin tears, bruises bloom.

The accident season has been part of seventeen-year-old Cara's life for as long as she can remember. Towards the end of October, foreshadowed by the deaths of many relatives before them, Cara's family becomes inexplicably accident-prone. They banish knives to locked drawers, cover sharp table edges with padding, switch off electrical items - but injuries follow wherever they go, and the accident season becomes an ever-growing obsession and fear.

But why are they so cursed? And how can they break free?

The Accident Season is one of my favourite reads of the year. If you're a fan of Maggie Stiefvater's brand of slippery lilting magic, then you will love this book. I adore it, and I cannot wait to meet Moira at YALC 2015!
You can read my review here.

You can pre-order the book on Amazon here.

2nd July - Because You'll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas

Ollie and Moritz are two teenagers who will never meet. Each of them lives with a life-affecting illness. Contact with electricity sends Ollie into debilitating seizures, while Moritz has a heart defect and is kept alive by an electronic pacemaker. If they did meet, Ollie would seize, but turning off the pacemaker would kill Moritz.
Through an exchange of letters, the two boys develop a strong bond of friendship which becomes a lifeline during dark times - until Moritz reveals that he holds the key to their shared, sinister past, and has been keeping it from Ollie all along.

Unfortunately this one didn't live up to the expectations I'd had for it. It's an intriguing read and I know a lot of people are going to love this strange story that isn't quite sure if it's a contemporary or a sci-fi read. To find out more about my thoughts on this one you can read my review here.

You can order this book on Amazon here

2nd July - The Kiss by Lucy Courtenay

'Aphrodite kissed a mortal once by the light of this moon, many thousands of years ago. It drove him crazy. The next person that he kissed - boum. The craziness travelled like this from person to person. It travelled through time. Everywhere - boum! Tu comprends?''Where did it end up?' I whisper. His lips are on my cheek now.'It ended with me. And now I am going to pass it to you. You will like that, mermaid?'Imagine the perfect kiss. A legendary kiss that makes people crazy with love. Imagine a summer's night, on a moonlit beach in the South of France, as French boy Laurent kisses 16-year-old Delilah after the best chat-up line she's ever heard.BOOM!Delilah is pretty sure the Kiss is fiction, despite her head-spinning holiday fling. But with all the sudden crushes, break-ups and melt-downs happening back at home, the Kiss starts looking a little too real for comfort. If only Delilah could keep track of where it's gone...Who knew one kiss could cause this much trouble?

You see that blurb? Ok, ignore it, it's terrible and really doesn't do the book justice. I nearly gave up on this one a few chapters in and I am so glad that I persevered and carried on, because this is a gem of a book. Funny and surprisingly brilliant, this is the perfect romantic summer read filled with love, heartbreak, friendship, lies, secrets, magic and zombies. A contemporary romance with just a hint of magic flickering at the edges this is a surprisingly brilliant look at growing up and all the problems that comes with that.
You can read my review here.
And pre-order it on Amazon here.

7th July - The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

When sixteen-year-old Tess Kendrick is sent to live with her older sister, Ivy, she has no idea that the infamous Ivy Kendrick is Washington D.C.'s #1 “fixer,” known for making politicians' scandals go away for a price. No sooner does Tess enroll at Hardwicke Academy than she unwittingly follows in her sister's footsteps and becomes D.C.'s premier high school fixer, solving problems for elite teens.
Secrets pile up as each sister lives a double life... Until their worlds come crashing together and Tess finds herself in the middle of a conspiracy with one of her classmates and a client of Ivy's. Suddenly, there is much more on the line than good grades, money, or politics, and the price for this fix might be more than Tess is willing to pay.

I love Jenny's books, she has such a fantastic imagination and executes her ideas brilliantly. I've loved every book of hers that I've read, so it was a no-brainer when this one popped up on Netgalley - of course I wanted to read it. And luckily this one more than lived up to my very high expectations. Tense, brilliant and filled with fantastic twists, this is Jenny's best book to date.
Keep an eye out tomorrow for my review!

You can pre-order this book on Amazon here

7th July - A Study in Death by Anna Lee Huber

Scotland, 1831. After a tumultuous courtship complicated by three deadly inquiries, Lady Kiera Darby is thrilled to have found both an investigative partner and a fiancé in Sebastian Gage. But with her well-meaning—and very pregnant—sister planning on making their wedding the event of the season, Kiera could use a respite from the impending madness.
Commissioned to paint the portrait of Lady Drummond, Kiera is saddened when she recognizes the pain in the baroness’s eyes. Lord Drummond is a brute, and his brusque treatment of his wife forces Kiera to think of the torment caused by her own late husband.
Kiera isn’t sure how to help, but when she finds Lady Drummond prostrate on the floor, things take a fatal turn. The physician called to the house and Lord Drummond appear satisfied to rule her death natural, but Kiera is convinced that poison is the real culprit.
Now, armed only with her knowledge of the macabre and her convictions, Kiera intends to discover the truth behind the baroness’s death—no matter what, or who, stands in her way…

I read the first Lady Derby mystery at the very start of the year (it got my reading year off to a very good start) and now her fourth mystery is about to hit the shelves! Anna's writing is wonderful, quiet, raw and filled with such beauty and intensity, her novels are incredible to escape into and I am so excited to read where Kiera's journey will go next.
You can pre-order this book on Amazon here.

14th July - Rebel Mechanics by Shanna Swedenson
A sixteen-year-old governess becomes a spy in this alternative U.S. history where the British control with magic and the colonists rebel by inventing.
It’s 1888, and sixteen-year-old Verity Newton lands a job in New York as a governess to a wealthy leading family—but she quickly learns that the family has big secrets. Magisters have always ruled the colonies, but now an underground society of mechanics and engineers are developing non-magical sources of power via steam engines that they hope will help them gain freedom from British rule. The family Verity works for is magister—but it seems like the children's young guardian uncle is sympathetic to the rebel cause. As Verity falls for a charming rebel inventor and agrees to become a spy, she also becomes more and more enmeshed in the magister family’s life. She soon realizes she’s uniquely positioned to advance the cause—but to do so, she’ll have to reveal her own dangerous secret.

This book just looks amazing. Historical, steampunky, spies, magic and kick-ass heroines? Everything I could possibly want all rolled into one fantastic book. I can't wait to get my hands on this one!
You can pre-order this book on Amazon here.

16th July - The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

With each passing day, Kelsea Glynn is growing into her new responsibilities as Queen of the Tearling. By stopping the shipments of slaves to the neighbouring kingdom of Mortmesne, she crossed the Red Queen, a brutal ruler whose power derives from dark magic, who is sending her fearsome army into the Tearling to take what is hers. And nothing can stop the invasion.
But as the Mort army draws ever closer, Kelsea develops a mysterious connection to a time before the Crossing, and she finds herself relying on a strange and possibly dangerous ally: a woman named Lily, fighting for her life in a world where being female can feel like a crime. The fate of the Tearling – and that of Kelsea’s own soul – may rest with Lily and her story, but Kelsea may not have enough time to find out.

My excitement for this book has been well documented over the last few months and it is now so close! I want it, I need it, I cannot wait to read it.

You can pre-order this book on Amazon here

30th July - The Little Flower Shop by the Sea by Ali McNamara

The blossom is out in the little Cornish harbour town of St Felix
But Poppy Carmichael's spirits aren't lifted by the pretty West Country spring. Inheriting her grandmother's flower shop has forced her to return to Cornwall, a place that holds too many memories.Poppy is determined to do her best for the sake of her adored grandmother, but she struggles with the responsibility of the more-shabby-than-chic shop. And with the added complication of Jake, the gruff but gorgeous local flower grower, Poppy is very tempted to run away...The pretty little town has a few surprises in store for Poppy. With new friends to help her and romance blooming, it's time for Poppy to open her heart to St Felix and to the special magic of a little flower shop by the sea!

It's Ali McNamara. 'Nuff said really. Her first book is one of my favourite contemporary romances ever - fun, brilliantly written and with a great plot. Ali's books are an auto buy for me, no blurb reading necessary.
You can pre-order this book on Amazon here

So those are the books that I can't wait to be released this month. Are there any that have caught your eye? Or any that you think should be on my list that I need to add to my to read pile immediately? Let me know in the comments below!

Books I'm Squeeing About in July

I don't quite know how we managed it, but somehow we've made it to just over halfway through the year... Crazy I know! But the first half has flown by in a haze of fantastic books and I'm intending to do more of the same for the second half. So without further ado, here are my top picks for July - we have some highly anticipated reads finally gracing our shelves this month, and my pre-order basket is already full to bursting!

3^rd– Team Human by Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan
Just because Mel lives in New Whitby, a city founded by vampires, doesn't mean she knows any of the blood-drinking undead personally. They stay in their part of town; she says in hers. Until the day a vampire shows up at her high school. Worse yet, her best friend, Cathy, seems to be falling in love with him. It's up to Mel to save Cathy from a mistake she might regret for all eternity
On top of trying to help Cathy (whether she wants it or not), Mel is investigating a mysterious disappearance for another friend and discovering the attractions of a certain vampire wannabe. Combine all this with a cranky vampire cop, a number of unlikely romantic entanglements, and the occasional zombie, and soon Mel is hip-deep in an adventure that is equal parts hilarious and touching.
Acclaimed authors Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan team up to create a witty and poignant story of cool vampires, warm friendships, and the changes that test the bonds of love.


Yes guys, it is that time of year at last! Team Human is so close you can almost lick it. The dynamic duo of Labalestier and Rees Brennan have got comedy and poignant heart break down to a fine art with this fantastic new young adult book. If you love vampires you'll love it, and if you hate vampires you'll love it too! Everyone should buy a copy now!
And if you're as over excited about this book as I am, check back on July 2nd when I will be posting an awesome interview with the lovely Sarah Rees Brennan herself! *swoons*


You can read my non-spoiler review here!

5^th- Stolen Night by Rebecca Maizel

Lenah Beaudonte should be dead. But having sacrificed herself to save another, she finds herself awakening with strange powers that are neither vampire nor human - and a new enemy on her trail. In her vampire life, Lenah had thought that being human was all she ever wanted; but the human heart suffers pain, heartbreak and loss. With her new powers growing and the dark force of the Nex after her soul, Lenah faces a choice: between the mortal love of gorgeous Justin, whose passion fed her human soul, and taking a different path to become the mistress of her own destiny, wherever that may lead...


This book has been teasing me since the start of 2011 with the release date being pushed further and further back. But now at last, fingers crossed, I'm finally going to get my hands on it and see what happens next! 'Infinite Days' was such a fantastically fresh spin on the vampire tale that it shot straight into my favourite book pile, and I'm really hoping the sequel is going to live up to my high expectations.

5^th- Frostfire by Zoe Marriott
Frost is cursed - possessed by a wolf demon that brings death everywhere she goes. Desperate to find a cure, she flees her home, only to be captured by the Ruan Hill Guard. Trapped until she can prove she is not an enemy, Frost grows increasingly close to the Guard’s charismatic leader Luca and his second in command, the tortured Arian. Torn between two very different men, Frost fears that she may not be able to protect either of them ... from herself.


I adore Zoe Marriott's writing, so ever since this first was put on my radar at the end of last year by Walker Books, I have been desperate to see what she has in store for us next. Her writing improves with each book released, and her prose is utterly fantastic. A mistress of plot and characters that you want to pull out of the page, I am unbelievably excited for this next offering from her.

5^th- Witchstruck by Victoria Lamb

Meg Lytton has always known of her dark and powerful gift. Raised a student of the old magick by her Aunt Jane, casting the circle to see visions of the future and concocting spells from herbs and bones has always been as natural to Meg as breathing. But there has never been a more dangerous time to practise the craft, for it is 1554, and the sentence for any woman branded a witch is hanging, or burning at the stake.
Sent to the ruined, isolated palace of Woodstock to serve the disgraced Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII and half-sister of Queen Mary, Meg discovers her skills are of interest to the outcast princess, who is desperate to know if she will ever claim the throne. But Meg's existence becomes more dangerous every day, with the constant threat of exposure by the ruthless witchfinder Marcus Dent, and the arrival of a young Spanish priest, Alejandro de Castillo, to whom Meg is irresistibly drawn - despite their very different attitudes to her secret.


Witchcraft in Tudor times with Elizabeth as a young girl thrown in? Yes please! Random House Children's Books have done another sterling job of getting me hooked on a book months before I'm allowed to read it. This one looks to have loads of elements that I love, and I cannot wait to throw myself into the story.

5^th- The Flappers: Ingenue by Jillian Larkin
Power . . . love . . . scandal . . .
There’s never enough to go around.
In the city that never sleeps, Lorraine Dyer is wide awake. Ever since she exposed Clara Knowles for the tramp she was—and lost her closest confidante in the process—Lorraine has spent every second scheming to make her selfish, lovesick ex–best friend pay for what she did. No one crosses Lorraine. Not even Gloria. 
True love conquers everything—or so Gloria Carmody crazily believed. She and Jerome Johnson can barely scrape together cash for their rent, let alone have a moment to whisper sweet nothings in the dark. And if they thought escaping Chicago meant they’d get away with murder . . . they were dead wrong.
Clara was sure that once handsome, charming Marcus Eastman discovered her shameful secret, he’d drop her like a bad habit. Instead, he swept her off her feet and whisked her away to New York. Being with Marcus is a breath of fresh air—and a chance for Clara to leave her wild flapper ways firmly in the past. Except the dazzling parties and bright lights won’t stop whispering her name. . . . 


Oh I got so unbelievably excited about the first book in this series 'Vixen' that I have barely stopped chattering about it to anyone who'll stand still long enough. And now we finally get the second book in the series and I cannot wait. A deliciously guilty pleasure, the roaring twenties have taken on a new glitz and glamour for a fresh young adult trilogy.

6th - Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent
I died on a Thursday-killed by a monster intent on stealing my soul. The good news? He didn't get it. The bad news? Turns out not even death will get you out of high school...  Covering up her own murder was one thing, but faking life is much harder than Kaylee Cavanaugh expected. After weeks spent "recovering," she's back in school, fighting to stay visible to the human world, struggling to fit in with her friends and planning time alone with her new reaper boyfriend. But to earn her keep in the human world, Kaylee must reclaim stolen souls, and when her first assignment brings her face-to-face with an old foe, she knows the game has changed. Her immortal status won't keep her safe. And this time Kaylee isn't just gambling with her own life...


After the events of the last book I have been pining for more Tod, and now my wish is finally within reach. Vincent's soul screamers series is a fantastic urban fantasy with a fresh spin on the monsters lurking out there, and after the shocking events of the last book I can't wait to see where she's taking me next.

9^th- Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.
Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.
In her exquisitely written fantasy debut, Rachel Hartman creates a rich, complex, and utterly original world. Seraphina's tortuous journey to self-acceptance is one readers will remember long after they've turned the final page.


I'm in the middle of reading this one at the moment and it is utterly fantastic. Completely engrossing, a new world full of intrigue and politics where Dragons can take the shape of humans and live among us. It has an otherworld feeling to it and has completely swept me away.


You can enter to win an ARC copy of Seraphina here!


And read my review here!


So that's what I can't wait for this month, but what about you, are there are any excitements that you can't wait to get hold of?