Lisa’s Looking Forward To #86 – November 10th, 2020

Posted November 4, 2020 by Lisa Mandina in LLFT / 20 Comments

Once again I’ll be joining up with the Can’t Wait Wednesday posts hosted by Wishful Endings.  Usually the beginning of the month means a ton of new books. I don’t know if it has to do with all the pandemic chaos, but there are only a few for me to share with you for next Tuesday.

From my ARC list for November 10th, 2020:

Normally I love all things by this author, but the first book in this series, The Guinevere Deception, was only okay for me. However, it was good enough I kind of wish I’d gotten an ARC to read this one. But because I didn’t, I don’t know when I’ll get around to reading on in this series.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

The second book in a new fantasy trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White, exploring the nature of self, the inevitable cost of progress, and, of course, magic and romance and betrayal so epic Queen Guinevere remains the most famous queen who never lived.

EVERYTHING IS AS IT SHOULD BE IN CAMELOT: King Arthur is expanding his kingdom’s influence with Queen Guinevere at his side. Yet every night, dreams of darkness and unknowable power plague her.

Guinevere might have accepted her role, but she still cannot find a place for herself in all of it. The closer she gets to Brangien, pining for her lost love Isolde, Lancelot, fighting to prove her worth as Queen’s knight, and Arthur, everything to everyone and thus never quite enough for Guinevere–the more she realizes how empty she is. She has no sense of who she truly was before she was Guinevere. The more she tries to claim herself as queen, the more she wonders if Mordred was right: she doesn’t belong. She never will.

When a rescue goes awry and results in the death of something precious, a devastated Guinevere returns to Camelot to find the greatest threat yet has arrived. Not in the form of the Dark Queen or an invading army, but in the form of the real Guinevere’s younger sister. Is her deception at an end? And who is she really deceiving–Camelot, or herself?

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

So much about this one sounds so good! I just wish I’d been able to get an early reading copy and had time to read it. Plus, it is written by a book blogger, so I always want to throw support behind them!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Lark Espinoza could get lost in her music—and she’s not so sure anyone in her family would even care to find her. Her trendy, party-loving twin sister and her mother-come-lately Beth, who’s suddenly sworn off men and onto homemaking, don’t understand her love of cassette tapes, her loathing of the pop scene, or her standoffish personality. For outcast Lark, nothing feels as much like a real home as working at Bubble’s Oddities store and trying to attract the attention of the cute guy who works at the Vinyl shop next door—the same one she traded lyrical notes with in class.

Auden Ellis silences the incessant questions in his own head with a steady stream of beats. Despite the unconditional love of his aunt-turned-mother, he can’t quit thinking about the loss of his parents—or the possibility he might end up afflicted with his father’s issues. Despite his connection with lyric-loving Lark, Auden keeps her at arm’s length because letting her in might mean giving her a peek into something dangerous.

When two strangers arrive in town, one carrying a mysterious, dark object and the other playing an eerie flute tune, Lark and Auden find that their painful pasts have enmeshed them in a cursed future. Now, they must come to terms with their budding attraction while helping each other challenge the reflection they see in the mirror. If they fail, they’ll be trapped for eternity in a place beyond reality.

*Set in 1985 and full of nostalgia! Perfect for fans of Stranger Things and Pretty in Pink!

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

Another really cute sounding rom-com that I think I’d like to read!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before meets The Farewell in this incisive romantic comedy about a college student who hires a fake boyfriend to appease her traditional Taiwanese parents, to disastrous results, from the acclaimed author of American Panda.

Chloe Wang is nervous to introduce her parents to her boyfriend, because the truth is, she hasn’t met him yet either. She hired him from Rent for Your ’Rents, a company specializing in providing fake boyfriends trained to impress even the most traditional Asian parents.

Drew Chan’s passion is art, but after his parents cut him off for dropping out of college to pursue his dreams, he became a Rent for Your ’Rents employee to keep a roof over his head. Luckily, learning protocols like “Type C parents prefer quiet, kind, zero-PDA gestures” comes naturally to him.

When Chloe rents Drew, the mission is simple: convince her parents fake Drew is worthy of their approval so they’ll stop pressuring her to accept a proposal from Hongbo, the wealthiest (and slimiest) young bachelor in their tight-knit Asian American community.

But when Chloe starts to fall for the real Drew—who, unlike his fake persona, is definitely not ’rent-worthy—her carefully curated life begins to unravel. Can she figure out what she wants before she loses everything?

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

Beautiful cover and I love the idea of it being like Riverdale, which I enjoyed at least the first season of.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Riverdale meets Kara Thomas’s The Cheerleaders in this electrifying, twisted thriller about estranged friends who reunite when someone commits the murder they’d planned—but didn’t go through with—and leaves one of their own to take the fall.

Poppy, Lily, and Belladonna would do anything to protect their best friend, Raven. So when they discovered he was suffering abuse at the hands of his stepmother, they came up with a lethal plan: petals of poppy, belladonna, and lily in her evening tea so she’d never be able to hurt Raven again. But someone got cold feet, the plot faded to a secret of the past, and the group fell apart.

Three years later, on the eve of Raven’s seventeenth birthday, his stepmother turns up dead. But it’s only belladonna found in her tea, and it’s only Belladonna who’s carted off to jail. Desperate for help, Belle reaches out to her estranged friends to prove her innocence. They answer the call, but no one is prepared for what comes next.

Now, everyone has something to lose and something equally dangerous to hide. And when the tangled web of secrets and betrayal is finally unwound, what lies at its heart will change the group forever. 

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

I am really digging all these new books with the covers that are reminiscent of the horror books I used to read back in the 80s. And I always love the secret santa things at work, so how much fun could this one be? Plus, they mention The Office, which I love that show.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

The Office meets Stephen King, dressed up in holiday tinsel, in this fun, festive, and frightening horror-comedy set during the horror publishing boom of the ’80s, by New York Times best-selling satirist Andrew Shaffer.

Out of work for months, Lussi Meyer is desperate to work anywhere in publishing. Prestigious Blackwood-Patterson isn’t the perfect fit, but a bizarre set of circumstances leads to her hire and a firm mandate: Lussi must find the next horror superstar to compete with Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Peter Straub. It’s the ’80s, after all, and horror is the hottest genre.

But as soon as she arrives, Lussi finds herself the target of her co-workers’ mean-spirited pranks. The hazing reaches its peak during the company’s annual Secret Santa gift exchange, when Lussi receives a demonic-looking object that she recognizes but doesn’t understand. Suddenly, her coworkers begin falling victim to a series of horrific accidents akin to a George Romero movie, and Lussi suspects that her gift is involved. With the help of her former author, the flamboyant Fabien Nightingale, Lussi must track down her anonymous Secret Santa and figure out the true meaning of the cursed object in her possession before it destroys the company—and her soul.

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

First off, that cover is gorgeous! Second it is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, which I love both that story and retellings. And it has historical aspects with the French Revolution as well.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Happily ever after is only the beginning as Belle takes on the responsibility of becoming queen and learns to balance duty, love, and sacrifice, all while navigating dark political intrigue—and a touch of magic.

It’s 1789 and France is on the brink of revolution. Belle has finally broken the Enchantress’s curse, restoring the Beast to his human form and bringing life back to their castle in the province of Aveyon. But in Paris, the fires of change are burning, and it’s only a matter of time before the rebellion arrives on their doorstep.

Not so very long ago, Belle dreamed of leaving her provincial home for a life of adventure. But now she finds herself living in a palace, torn between her past as a commoner, and her future as royalty. While Belle grapples with her newfound position, there are those who would do anything to keep her from power.

When she stumbles across a magic mirror that holds a dire warning, Belle wants nothing more than to ignore the mysterious voice calling her to accept a crown she never desired. But violent factions of the revolution may already be lurking within her own castle, and doing nothing would endanger everything she holds dear. With the fate of her country, her love, and her life at stake, Belle must decide if she is ready to embrace her own strength–and the magic that ties her to so many female rulers before her–to become the queen she is meant to be.

Rebel Rose is the first in the Queen’s Council series, an empowering fairy tale reimagining of the Disney Princesses-and the real history behind their stories-like you’ve never seen before.

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

Final Thoughts:

Six this week, and while that’s less than usual for the second week of a month, it is a couple more than 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. It’s a brand new month so you’ve got lots of time to rack up your entries!

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20 responses to “Lisa’s Looking Forward To #86 – November 10th, 2020

  1. You have a lovely list of books here, Lisa! I like the sound of the Beauty and Beast retelling – but the ones that really caught my eye, is the Rent a Boyfriend and Lyrics & Curses, which I particularly love the sound of! Thank you for sharing:).

  2. I love Chao! Her last book was such a huge hit for me, and I think Rent-a-Boyfriend will be even bigger. You know, when I looked at the cover for Secret Santa, I immediately thought of Gremlins. So, I getting that 80s vibe there.

  3. Sometimes I like to give a series another try even if the first book wasn’t a real winner for me, especially if something about it hooked me enough to want to continue. Hopefully when you get to The Camelot Betrayal, you will enjoy it so much more than the first book! Lyrics and Chases does sound good. I hadn’t heard of that one before. I love the cover of Likes Like Poison. So pretty! I’ve seen three seasons of Riverdale, I think? My memory is fuzzy. I liked the first season quite a bit, but wasn’t as impressed with the next two. I kept watching though because I wanted to see how they were going to handle Luke Perry’s death. I am not sure if I’ll watch anymore. Rebel Rose really interests me too. I love Beauty and the Beast re-tellings. And I agree, that cover is lovely! I hope you enjoy all of these when you get a chance to read them, Lisa!

    • Lisa Mandina

      Yeah, I was definitely interested in knowing about Luke Perry’s death for the show, but just can’t seem to keep going. It could be because I kept getting on my phone during the show instead of watching so I wasn’t keeping up with what was actually going on. Thanks for stopping by!

    • Lisa Mandina

      yes! She is a blogger! I’ve been following her for awhile so it is exciting to see her book come out. Thanks for stopping by!

  4. Several good books to add to my TBR list. Thanks for sharing them. I loved the covers for Lies like Poison and Rebel Rose. Hope you enjoy your picks!

    • Lisa Mandina

      Yeah, I usually love everything that Kiersten White writes, but that one just didn’t grab me as much. It was still good enough that I want to read on and see where she’ll take it, because I love her retellings! Thanks for stopping by!

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