Lisa’s Looking Forward To #98 – March 2nd, 2021

Posted February 24, 2021 by Lisa Mandina in LLFT / 28 Comments

Lisa’s Looking Forward To #98 – March 2nd, 2021

Once again I’ll be joining up with the Can’t Wait Wednesday posts hosted by Wishful Endings.  Usually the first week of the month has the most books to share, but there are only one or two more than last week.

I’ve been seeing a lot of good reviews for this one, and I’ve wanted to read this author for awhile.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Critically acclaimed author Trish Doller’s unforgettable and romantic adult debut about setting sail, starting over, and finding yourself…

Since the loss of her fiancé, Anna has been shipwrecked by grief—until a reminder goes off about a trip they were supposed to take together. Impulsively, Anna goes to sea in their sailboat, intending to complete the voyage alone.

But after a treacherous night’s sail, she realizes she can’t do it by herself and hires Keane, a professional sailor, to help. Much like Anna, Keane is struggling with a very different future than the one he had planned. As romance rises with the tide, they discover that it’s never too late to chart a new course.

In Trish Doller’s unforgettable Float Plan, starting over doesn’t mean letting go of your past, it means making room for your future.

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

Love the cover, and it sounds like a cute read!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

In the spirit of Ruth Hogan and Adriana Trigiani, bestselling British author Debbie Johnson brings us the ultimate in “happy tears”: a heartfelt story about a woman seizing the chance to reconnect with her lost love.

The truth changes everything.

For years Jess believed that Joe—the father of her child and the only man she ever loved—had abandoned her during her greatest time of need. That belief nearly destroyed her. Seventeen years later, when cleaning out her mother’s house, Jess unpacks a box of cards and letters hidden in the attic and makes a discovery that changes everything about life as she knows it.

Shaken but empowered, Jess—and her two stalwart best friends—set out on a remarkable journey to follow a set of faded postmarks around the world. Is Joe still alive? Does he know that Jess never forgot him? Maybe their love story isn’t over.

Maybe one day they’ll find each other again…

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

I wanted an ARC of this one really bad, but I don’t seem to get them from HarperTeen very often. But I’m still excited to read this one!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Jenny Han meets “Jane the Virgin” in this flashy and fun Own Voices romcom from debut author Monica Gomez-Hira.

Carmen Aguilar just wants to make her happily ever after come true. Except apparently “happily ever after” for Carmen involves being stuck in an unpaid summer internship! All she has to do is perform! In a ball gown! During the summer. In Miami. 

Fine. Except that Carmen’s company is hired for her spoiled cousin Ariana’s over the top quinceañera.

And of course, her new dance partner at work is none other than Mauro Reyes, Carmen’s most deeply regrettable ex.

If Carmen is going to move into the future she wants, she needs to leave the past behind. And if she can manage dancing in the blistering heat, fending off Mauro’s texts, and stopping Ariana from ruining her own quinceañera Carmen might just get that happily ever after after all. 

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

I like the cover, and it sounds like maybe a good fantasy or magical type of story.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Valeria is one of the only survivors of the freeze, a dark magical hold Knnot Mountain unleashed over her village. Everyone, including her family, is trapped in an unbreakable sheet of ice. Ever since, she’s been on the run from the Czar, who is determined to imprison any who managed to escape. Valeria finds refuge with the Thieves Guild, doing odd jobs with her best friend Alik, the only piece of home she has left.

That is, until he is brutally murdered.

A year later, she discovers Alik is alive and being held against his will. To buy his freedom, she must lead a group of cutthroats and thieves on a perilous expedition to the very mountain that claimed her family. Only something sinister slumbers in the heart of Knnot.

And it has waited years for release.

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

Beautiful cover and another good fantasy sounding story.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

For a hundred years, the once-prosperous kingdom of Perin Faye has suffered under the rule of the greedy and power-hungry Thungrave kings. 

Maralyth Graylaern, a cacao farmer’s daughter, has no idea her hidden magical power is proof of a secret bloodline and claim to the throne. 

Alac Thungrave, the king’s second son, has always been uncomfortable with his position as the spare heir—and the dark, stolen magic that comes with ruling.

When Maralyth becomes embroiled in a plot to murder the royal family and seize the throne, a cat-and-mouse chase ensues in an adventure of dark magic, court intrigue, and forbidden love.

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

Another one I’d hoped for an ARC of, but since I didn’t get one, it is still on my TBR. But I’ll be ordering it for my school library for sure!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Debut author Angeline Boulley crafts a groundbreaking YA thriller about a Native teen who must root out the corruption in her community, for readers of Angie Thomas and Tommy Orange. 

As a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. Daunis dreams of studying medicine, but when her family is struck by tragedy, she puts her future on hold to care for her fragile mother. 

The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team. Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, certain details don’t add up and she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into the heart of a criminal investigation. 

Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, but secretly pursues her own investigation, tracking down the criminals with her knowledge of chemistry and traditional medicine. But the deceptions—and deaths—keep piling up and soon the threat strikes too close to home. 

Now, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she’ll go to protect her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

I’m a sucker for stories set in New Orleans or with tarot cards.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Ten years ago, Cat’s volatile mother, Mary, left her at her grandmother’s house with nothing but a deck of tarot cards. Now seventeen, Cat is determined to make her life as different from Mary’s as possible. When Cat’s grandmother dies, she’s forced to move to New Orleans with her mother. There, she discovers a picture of Mary holding a baby that’s not her, leading her to unravel a dark family history and challenge her belief that Mary’s mental health issues are the root of all their problems. But as Cat explores the reasons for her mother’s breakdown, she fears she is experiencing her own. Ever since she arrived in New Orleans, she’s been haunted by strangely familiar visitors–in dreams and on the streets of the French Quarter–who know more than they should. Unsure if she can rebuild her relationship with her mother, Cat is realizing she must confront her past, her future, and herself in the fight to try.

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

The publishers actually sent me a copy of this book last week. I’ve finagled it into my review schedule and should be posting a review in a week or so.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

A harrowing yet hopeful account of a teen living with Tourette Syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder . . . and contemplating his own mortality.

Ten: three little letters, one ordinary number. No big deal, right? But for Troy Hayes, a 16-year-old suffering from Tourette Syndrome and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, the number ten dictates his life, forcing him to do everything by its exacting rhythm. Finally, fed up with the daily humiliation, loneliness, and physical pain he endures, Troy writes a list of ten things to do by the tenth anniversary of his diagnosis—culminating in suicide on the actual day. But the process of working his way through the list changes Troy’s life: he becomes friends with Khory, a smart, beautiful classmate who has her own troubled history. Khory unwittingly helps Troy cross off items on his list, moving him ever closer to his grand finale, even as she shows him that life may have more possibilities than he imagined. This is a dark, intense story, but it’s also realistic, hopeful, and deeply authentic.

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

A new entry into the SmartyPants Romance collection, and I’ve got an e-galley I should hopefully be reading soon!

Here is the blurb from Amazon:

What could go wrong-four words MBA student Marcos Oliveira ignored when he accepted a prestigious internship at Reedweather Media, a subsidiary of the legendary Sandeke Telecom empire. 

What did go wrong? Everything. 

And when Marcos stumbles upon incriminating documents that signal corporate espionage against Sandeke’s son Martin, he suspects his strange intern wormhole has just exploded into chaos. When his alluring boss Eva draws him in to thwart the plot, he knows it. 

After spending their lives overcoming adversity, can Marcos and Eva handle this latest threat? Even more perilous might be their losing battle against forbidden attraction. 

His Ivy League education didn’t prepare him for spy games and illicit flames. Good thing he has the street smarts to work for it. 

‘Street Smart’ is a full-length workplace romantic comedy and can be read as a standalone. Book #1 in the Work For It series, Educated Romance World, Penny Reid Book Universe.

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

In the same collection for the SmartyPants series as the book above, I also have an e-galley of this I hope to be reading soon!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Dr. Maximillian Ramsey has a problem…

I’m a jerk. Everyone I know or have ever worked with agrees. “Misanthropic asshole” is the term I hear most often.

I don’t care what other people think as long as they leave me alone to focus on my research on soil microbiology. Plus, I walk with a cane thanks to a childhood accident. I have scars on my face. And if that isn’t enough to scare people off, my bad attitude and general grumpiness seal the deal. Which is just the way I like it.

Except, I’ve been short listed for one of the most prestigious academic fellowships around. To win it, I’ll have to give a series of speeches. On a stage. With an audience. While being filmed.

Yeah. None of that is going to happen.

Unfortunately, my boss has a plan. He brings in one of the communications lecturers to give me a “make over,” help me write the speeches, and manage my social media.

But the last thing I need is some nosy, bossy, gorgeous woman meddling in my life.

And Holly is the solution…

I’m a mere communications lecturer at a prestigious research university. I’m used to being outclassed and under-educated compared to the PhDs who surround me.

But I’m good at what I do. Brilliant, actually.

When Max’s boss (who happens to be my ex-husband) begs me to help transform this beast of a man into someone worthy of the fellowship, I have my work cut out for me.

It’ll take a lot of badgering, blatant manipulation, and some outright thievery to get Max to cooperate. All of which I handle with the enough professionalism and restraint that should earn me a fancy grant.

What I can’t handle is how unexpectedly attractive I find the stubborn and brilliant man.

This is a battle of wills and wits, and neither is prepared to admit defeat …

‘Heart Smart’ is a full-length contemporary romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #2 in the Work For It series, Educated Romance World, Penny Reid Book Universe.

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

Final Thoughts:

Ten this 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 only open till Sunday, so last few days to get your entry in!

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28 responses to “Lisa’s Looking Forward To #98 – March 2nd, 2021

  1. These all sound so good, Lisa!! Maybe One Day–sounds so sweet and I hope she gets her happy ending. The Bright and Pale sounds amazing. The Salt in Our Blood really appeals to me as well. I love a New Orleans setting. Fire Keeper’s Daughter sounds like a must read. I hope you get a chance to read all of these at some point–and enjoy them!

  2. Oh my word! You have a lovely selection of all sorts of books here – many of them generally outside my comfort zone, but I do like the sound of The Stolen Kingdom! Thank you for sharing, Lisa:)

  3. Tammy V

    I know I am probably in the minority but I just haven’t been thrilled with most covers lately. Some of them seem so similar also. Is it just me? Stolen Kingdom and Bright and Pale ones I love on here. Guess it is more along the lines of the first three but so many seem to be done in this format lately.

    • Lisa Mandina

      It depends, there have been some I have loved, and others I haven’t. But I get what you’re saying! Thanks for stopping by!

    • Lisa Mandina

      I’ve got it ordered for my school library, so will probably wait till it comes in to check it out. Glad to hear all of these are good!

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