Lisa’s Looking Forward To #75 – August 25th, 2020

Posted August 19, 2020 by Lisa Mandina in LLFT / 18 Comments

Once again I’ll be joining up with the Can’t Wait Wednesday posts hosted by Wishful Endings.  For the last week of the month it is a bit unusual that we have quite a few!

From my ARC list for August 18th, 2020:

Of course the cover is what drew me in first, but it is compared to a Romeo and Juliet fantasy retelling, so that is intriguing as well!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Aissa’s life is a web of carefully constructed lies. She and her twin sister, Zandria, are Magi spies, magic users most believe to be extinct. And they’re on a mission for revenge. 

This action & adventure spy thriller–a fantasy spin on Romeo and Juliet from New York Times bestselling author MarcyKate Connolly–is perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer and Elly Blake and is about to become your new obsession!

By day, Aissa and Zandria play the role of normal young Technocrats eager to fulfill the duties of their new apprenticeships. By night, they plot their revenge to retake their city from the Technocrats. But then Aissa is given a new mission: find the heir to the Technocrat throne, who is rumored to be one of the Heartless, and kidnap her. Born without a working heart, the Heartless survive with a mechanical replacement.

Aissa is more likely to be caught than to be successful, but she’s never been one to turn down an assignment, even if the hunt is complicated by a kind Technocrat researcher who is determined to find a cure for the Heartless. But when Zandria is captured by the Technocrats, Aissa will do anything to get her sister back. Even if it means abandoning all other loyalties–and missions–and deciding whether or not it’s worth risking everything on getting help from her sworn enemies.

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

Because I love scary movies and books, and I mean it is all right there in the title, clowns, cornfields, and that cover!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Quinn Maybrook just wants to make it until graduation. She might not make it to morning.

Quinn and her father moved to tiny, boring Kettle Springs to find a fresh start. But ever since the Baypen Corn Syrup Factory shut down, Kettle Springs has cracked in half. On one side are the adults, who are desperate to make Kettle Springs great again, and on the other are the kids, who want to have fun, make prank videos, and get out of Kettle Springs as quick as they can.

Kettle Springs is caught in a battle between old and new, tradition and progress. It’s a fight that looks like it will destroy the town. Until Frendo, the Baypen mascot, a creepy clown in a pork-pie hat, goes homicidal and decides that the only way for Kettle Springs to grow back is to cull the rotten crop of kids who live there now.

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

Well immediately when I read this, I thought of the Todd Strasser book, The Wave, which also was made into an After School TV Special movie back when it came out. Definitely want to read and will have this one in my school library.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

In the vein of the classic The Wave and inspired by a real-life incident, this riveting novel explores discrimination and antisemitism and reveals their dangerous impact.

SENIOR YEAR. When an assignment given by a favorite teacher instructs a group of students to argue for the Final Solution, a euphemism used to describe the Nazi plan for the genocide of the Jewish people, Logan March and Cade Crawford are horrified. Their teacher cannot seriously expect anyone to complete an assignment that fuels intolerance and discrimination. Logan and Cade decide they must take a stand.
As the school administration addressed the teens’ refusal to participate in the appalling debate, the student body, their parents, and the larger community are forced to face the issue as well. The situation explodes, and acrimony and anger result. What does it take for tolerance, justice, and love to prevail?

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

Another creepy sounding book! Shouldn’t those be coming out in October? But definitely one I’m looking forward to.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

A can’t-put-down, creepy thriller about the daughter of a horror film director who’s not afraid of anything–until she gets to Harrow Lake.

Things I know about Harrow Lake: 
1.It’s where my father shot his most disturbing slasher film.
2.There’s something not right about this town.

Lola Nox is the daughter of a celebrated horror filmmaker–she thinks nothing can scare her.

But when her father is brutally attacked in their New York apartment, she’s quickly packed off to live with a grandmother she’s never met in Harrow Lake, the eerie town where her father’s most iconic horror movie was shot. The locals are weirdly obsessed with the film that put their town on the map–and there are strange disappearances, which the police seem determined to explain away.

And there’s someone–or something–stalking her every move.

The more Lola discovers about the town, the more terrifying it becomes. Because Lola’s got secrets of her own. And if she can’t find a way out of Harrow Lake, they might just be the death of her.

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

So I mostly seem to think of Julia London as a historical romance author, but this contemporary sounds like it could be fun and sweet. Plus, I love dogs!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

An accidental dog swap unleashes an unexpected love match in this new romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Julia London.

Carly Kennedy’s life is in a spiral. She is drowning in work, her divorced parents are going through their midlife crises, and somehow Carly’s sister convinces her to foster Baxter–a basset hound rescue with a bad case of the blues. When Carly comes home late from work one day to discover that the dog walker has accidentally switched out Baxter for another perkier, friendlier basset hound, she has reached the end of her leash.

When Max Sheffington finds a depressed male basset hound in place of his cheerful Hazel, he is bewildered. But when cute, fiery Carly arrives on his doorstep, he is intrigued. He was expecting the dog walker, not a pretty woman with firm ideas about dog discipline. And Carly was not expecting a handsome, bespectacled man to be feeding her dog mac and cheese. Baxter is besotted with Hazel, and Carly realizes she may have found the key to her puppy’s happiness. For his sake, she starts to spend more time with Hazel and Max, until she begins to understand the appeal of falling for your polar opposite. 

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

I believe this was originally slated to be released in June, but like many other titles during this pandemic it was postponed. It sounds like a very interesting fantasy type of story.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

In a city covered in ice and ruin, a group of magicians face off in a daring game of magical feats to find the next headliner of the Conquering Circus, only to find themselves under the threat of an unseen danger striking behind the scenes.

As each act becomes more and more risky and the number of missing magicians piles up, three are forced to reckon with their secrets before the darkness comes for them next.

The Star: Kallia, a powerful showgirl out to prove she’s the best no matter the cost

The Master: Jack, the enigmatic keeper of the club, and more than one lie told

The Magician: Demarco, the brooding judge with a dark past he can no longer hide

Where Dreams Descend is the startling and romantic first book in Janella Angeles’ debut Kingdom of Cards fantasy duology where magic is both celebrated and feared, and no heart is left unscathed.

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

This one sounds really good! Reminds me a little bit of the book duet that Jodi Picoult wrote with her daughter, Between the Lines and Off the Page. I also enjoyed the book called Austenland by Shannon Hale, so this might be right up my alley!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

From bestselling author Shannon Hale comes a hilarious, deliciously readable YA novel that will suck you in—literally.

Josie Pie was born to be a star. So she dropped out of high school to pursue her Broadway dreams, but after months of failed auditions, she finds herself broke, beaten-down . . . and nannying in Missoula, Montana. Lonely and directionless, Josie checks out the local bookstore, looking for the ultimate escape.

And escape she does. Literally. She falls into the plots of her books, including a bodice ripper, a dystopian thriller, a YA romance, and more, all filled with swoony co-stars who just make her yearn to repair things with the boyfriend she left behind in NYC.

As her reality begins to unravel, what starts as a welcome break from her lackluster life soon begins to feel like a stifling nightmare—but is it too late for Josie to get back to the real world?

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE. There is also a giveaway going on for about another week there too!

The more books I read by Avery Flynn, the more I want to read by her! And when I saw this on Edelweiss it was no exception.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Hadley Donavan can’t believe she has to go home to Nebraska for her sister’s wedding. She’s gonna need a wingman and a whole lot of vodka for this level of family interaction. At least her bestie agreed he’d man up and help. But then instead of her best friend, his evil twin strolls out of the airport.

If you looked up doesn’t-deserve-to-be-that-confident, way-too-hot-for-his-own-good billionaire in the dictionary, you’d find a picture of Will Holt. He’s awful. Horrible. The worst―even if his butt looks phenomenal in those jeans.

Ten times worse? Hadley’s buffer was supposed to be there to keep her away from the million and one family events. But Satan’s spawn just grins and signs them up for every. Single. Thing.

Fine. “Cutthroat” Scrabble? She’s in. She can’t wait to take this guy down a notch. But somewhere between Pictionary and the teasing glint in his eyes, their bickering starts to feel like more than just a game… 

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

Final Thoughts:

Eight this week! That’s over twice as many as last week! 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.

And we’re celebrating my 11th blogoversary this month with another giveaway HERE.

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18 responses to “Lisa’s Looking Forward To #75 – August 25th, 2020

  1. I set two of these aside, so I am interested in seeing what you think of them. The Assignment looks really good. I loved Wiemer’s book, Hello?, and am looking forward to reading more from her.

  2. You always feature the best books. I have Harrow Lake already because I ordered it from Book Depository. I’ve also preordered Clown in a Cornfield. You reminded me I need to preorder Lucky Dog too because I wasn’t able to nab an arc. Great bunch of books as always!

    • Lisa Mandina

      So many books to read! I’ll be interested to see what you think of those! Thanks for stopping by!

    • Lisa Mandina

      Yeah, that one definitely is one I’ll wait till October when I’m ready for lots of scary stuff! Thanks for stopping by!

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