End of the Summer Reads
By Charlotte Barber, Georgia Wells and Alfie Kimmins
The Hookup Plan by Farrah Rochon
2 August, Forever
London Kelley is a successful paediatric surgeon, attempting to find the balance between her social life and her hectic work schedule. Although according to her friends, Samiah and Taylor, what she really needs is a casual hook-up. A night to unwind and de-stress.
However, what they didn’t foresee was London hooking up with her gorgeous, millionaire archnemesis Drew Sullivan.
Now Drew is doing everything he can in order to prove to London that he does actually care. Even though being back in Austin also means that Drew must decide whether London’s beloved hospital should remain open. Torn between choices, London realises that she might just be on the road to hell. But one thing is for certain, while sleeping with the enemy is one thing, falling for him was definitely not part of the plan.
Farrah Rochon, the USA Today bestselling author, is back with another highly anticipated summer read with The Hookup Plan. With strong female friendships and snappy enemies to lovers this book is the perfect summer read.
Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
30 August, Cornerstone
Carrie Soto is a fighter, willing to do anything to protect her tennis titles. She is determined to win, regardless of the cost. A ruthless player with no concern about her personal relationships just as long as she is the best at her sport.
Carrie settles into retirement, comfortably at rest knowing that she is the best player that the world has even seen. That is until beautiful British Nicki Chan comes along to smash her record at the US Open 1994.
Scorned and seeking revenge, Carrie gets back in contact with her father, her old coach. And despite resistance from the media, she returns to the court. Her body isn’t at the prime it once was but she is determined to prove to the world, and to herself, that Carrie Soto is a name that won’t be forgotten.
The Dragon’s Promise by Elizabeth Lim
30 August, Hodder & Stoughton
The thrilling sequel to the bestselling young adult fantasy novel Six Crimson Cranes finds Princess Shiori in a more perilous situation than she could have imagined when she promised on her deathbed to return the dragon's gem to its rightful owner.
She must travel to the kingdom of dragons, deal with political intrigue involving both humans and dragons, thwart thieves desperate for the pearl, and keep the appearance of a perfect princess to deter those who want to burn her at the stake for the magic that runs in her family.
Shiori's family could be destroyed, and the thread of fate that connects her to her true love, Takkan; could be severed by the pearl itself, which throbs with evil power, leaping to her aid one minute and betraying her the next. Shiori will need all of her strength to defend the life and love she has fought so hard for.
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
30 August, Headline Publishing Group
Following the roaring success of O’Farrell’s recent novel Hamnet, she returns with another enthralling piece of historical fiction.
Lucrezia de’ Medici is content in life. Free to relax in her estate in Florence, devoting herself to artistic pursuits whilst lounging in the palazzo. But her life is suddenly interrupted on the eve of her sister’s marriage, when her sister dies unexpectedly. Now she must take her sister’s place in the limelight, having been thrust into an engagement with her late sister’s fiancé at her father’s request.
Barely moments into womanhood, Lucrezia’s life of peace is no more. She is left to deal with the confusions of the troubled court, and those who are unwilling to accept her. Further still is the mystery of her new husband. Is he the sophisticated, artistic young man who he portrays himself to be, or just another heartless, unforgiving politician?
Mina and the Slayers by Amy McCaw
1 September, UCLan Publishing
Set three months after the events of McCaw’s Mina and the Undead, we return to New Orleans in 1995, but this time the spooky stakes are even higher – it’s Halloween.
Although her relationship with Jared has become significantly more complicated since he became a vampire, Mina has her sister back, new friends, and a dream part-time job. Mina and the gang have arranged a fearsome week of Gothic eateries, horror films, eerie tours, spooky carnivals, and a costume dance for Halloween. But the fun ends quickly.
When Mina starts working with Detective Cafferty to explore a career working for the police, a rash of inexplicable 'animal attacks' begin and the police are getting reports of a brutal masked killer.
During her own investigations, Mina comes upon a strange band of slayers who are engaged in a conflict about how to contain the rebellious vampires. As Mina spends her days working with the police and her nights with the slayers, the threats grow more frequent. Will she and her companions make it through Halloween without getting bit, staked, or stabbed?