Lisa’s Looking Forward To #70 – July 21st, 2020

Posted July 15, 2020 by Lisa Mandina in LLFT / 16 Comments

Once again I’ll be joining up with the Can’t Wait Wednesday posts hosted by Wishful Endings.  Third week of the month means a few less than last week coming out.

From my ARC list for July 21st, 2020:

Sounds like a really good book about witches, spooky and deep.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

The Handmaid’s Tale for a new generation . . . 

In the lands of Bethel, where the Prophet’s word is law, Immanuelle Moore’s very existence is blasphemy. 

The daughter of a union with an outsider that cast her once-proud family into disgrace, Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol and lead a life of submission, devotion and absolute conformity, like all the women in the settlement.

But a chance mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood that surrounds Bethel – a place where the first prophet once pursued and killed four powerful witches. Their spirits are still walking there, and they bestow a gift on Immanuelle: the diary of her dead mother, who Immanuelle is shocked to learn once sought sanctuary in the wood.

Fascinated by secrets in the diary, Immanuelle finds herself struggling to understand how her mother could have consorted with the witches. But when she begins to learn grim truths about the Church and its history, she realises the true threat to Bethel is its own darkness. And if Bethel is to change, it must begin with her . . .

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

A beautiful cover, and also sounds like another magical type of story.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Draped in themes of first love and family, secrets and malevolence, and swirling through an exhilarating dream world full of danger, violence, and love, this exciting debut is a high-stakes adventure full of suspense, romance, and magic. 

Finn Driscoll is counting down the days until she can leave for college. With her beloved brother, Noah, in a coma and her high school social life sinking every day, she’s ready for a fresh start.

Until the night she sees Noah in a dream. He begs for her help. At first, she shakes it off as just a nightmare. Then it happens again. And again. Frightened, Finn confides in her grandmother, only to learn the shocking truth about her family. They’re Dreamwalkers–heroes who step into the River of Dreams and fight the monsters in other people’s nightmares, freeing them to face the problems in their real lives.

Awake or asleep, Finn has never thought of herself as any kind of hero, and walking through other people’s dreams seems much worse than just hiding at school. But as hard as facing this challenge might be, Finn knows she has no choice: she will do anything she can to save her brother.

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

Once again, how gorgeous is that cover? Another magical type of story coming out next week. And the two things it is compared to in the blurb really grabbed me!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Enchantée meets Downton Abbey in this atmospheric YA historical fantasy set in nineteenth-century Denmark, where secrets can kill and magic is a deadly gift.

For Marit Olsen, magic is all about strategy: it flows freely through her blood, but every use leaves behind a deadly, ice-like build-up within her veins called the Firn. Marit knows how dangerous it is to let too much Firn build up—after all, it killed her sister—and she has vowed never to use her thread magic. But when Eve, a fellow orphan whom Marit views like a little sister, is adopted by the wealthy Helene Vestergaard, Marit will do anything to stay by Eve’s side. She decides to risk the Firn and uses magic to secure a job as a seamstress in the Vestergaard household.

But Marit has a second, hidden agenda: her father died while working in the Vestergaards’ jewel mines—and it might not have been an accident. The closer Marit gets to the truth about the Vestergaard family, the more she realizes she and everyone she’s come to love are in danger. When she finds herself in the middle of a treacherous deception that goes all the way up to the king of Denmark, magic may be the only thing that can save her—if it doesn’t kill her first. 

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

This one sounds right up my alley for my favorite kind of romances.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

It’s been seven years since Chelsea Martin embarked on her yearlong post-college European adventure. Since then, she’s lost her mother to cancer and watched her sister marry twice, while Chelsea’s thrown herself into work, becoming one of the most talented fundraisers for the American Cancer Coalition, and with the exception of one annoyingly competent coworker, Jason Knightley, her status as most talented fundraiser is unquestioned.

When her introverted mathematician father announces he’s getting remarried, Chelsea is forced to acknowledge that her life stopped after her mother died, and that the last time she can remember being happy, in love, or enjoying her life was on her gap year. Inspired to retrace her steps–to find Colin in Ireland, Jean Claude in France, and Marcelino in Italy–Chelsea hopes that one of these three men who stole her heart so many years ago, can help her find it again.

From the start of her journey nothing goes as planned, but as Chelsea reconnects with her old self, she also finds love in the very last place she expected.

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

Of course yet another cover I adore. And again another romantic story that calls to me.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Growing up under his punk rocker dad’s spotlight, eighteen-year-old Luke Greenly knows fame and wants nothing to do with it. His real love isn’t in front of a crowd, it’s on the page. Hiding his gift and secretly hoarding songs in his bedroom at night, he prefers the anonymous comfort of the locally popular podcast he co-hosts with his outgoing and meddling, far-too-jealousy-inspiringly-happy-with-his-long-term-boyfriend twin brother, Cullen. But that’s not Luke’s only secret. He also has a major un-requited crush on music blogger, Vada Carsewell.

Vada’s got a five year plan: secure a job at the Loud Lizard to learn from local legend (and her mom’s boyfriend) Phil Josephs (check), take over Phil’s music blog (double check), get accepted into Berkeley’s prestigious music journalism program (check, check, check), manage Ann Arbor’s summer concert series and secure a Rolling Stone internship. Luke Greenly is most definitely NOT on the list. So what if his self-deprecating charm and out-of-this-world music knowledge makes her dizzy? Or his brother just released a bootleg recording of Luke singing about some mystery girl on their podcast and she really, really wishes it was her?

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

First off, the title makes me feel really old, because that is a nostalgic title for a time when I was actually out of college and teaching, not to mention is the teenage story of the parents of another story about teenagers. But otherwise, it sounds good, and I love seeing Wattpad stories get published!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Before Drayton and Dallas, there was Ellie and Leroy . . .

With the prequel to her smash hit The QB Bad Boy and Me, rising star Tay Marley returns to tell the story of Drayton’s parents and the summer that changed everything . . .

Sometimes home isn’t a place, it’s a person. From the moment their eyes met, Ellie knew he would be her destiny. Handsome and ripped, there’s just something about Leroy Lehay, Baylor University’s soon-to-be star quarterback, that makes him impossible to resist.

Consumed by a passion neither one of them can quite understand, Leroy and Ellie spend the summer together. Left senseless and overwhelmed by his touch, Ellie experiences a world of desire she could never have imagined.

Safe in Leroy’s arms, Ellie begins to see a life beyond high school: going to college, starting her own business, having a family. But when life-altering news shakes them to their cores, Leroy and Ellie must discover if their passion is enough to help them get through what might possibly be the greatest challenge of their lives.

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

Final Thoughts:

Six this week, one less than last week. Had three date changes, and one was actually moved to last week, so I missed it. Are any of these on your TBR, or have you already read them? If so, which do you recommend? Leave me a link to your post in your comment and I’ll be sure to return the visit!

Also, while you’re here, make sure to go enter my monthly giveaway HERE.

Please follow and like us:
0
fb-share-icon0
Tweet 0
Pin Share20

Tags: , , , , ,


16 responses to “Lisa’s Looking Forward To #70 – July 21st, 2020

  1. What a great list of books – I’m especially drawn to Splinters of Scarlet. Isn’t that an awesome cover? But you have some great reads here, Lisa – I hope they are as good as they sound:)

  2. I see two of my most recent 5-star books in your queue (More Than Maybe, Paris). I hope they are good for you too. I had featured River of Dreams and will eagerly await your thoughts.

    • Lisa Mandina

      I love hearing they got 5 stars! Makes me even more excited to read them. Thanks for stopping by!

    • Lisa Mandina

      There are so many out there to be excited for! I know I’ll never get to most of them at the rate I keep adding new books either. I’m excited for the new header too! Thanks for visiting!

Leave a Reply

(Enter your URL then click here to include a link to one of your blog posts.)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.