#dragonascending

[month9books]

Vacation Between the Pages with These Ten Summer Reads

recommended by Jo Schaffer, author of Stanley & Hazel

One of the best things about summer is that there’s time for books! Whether reading in a hammock, on a car trip, by the pool, or curled up in your favorite nook with the AC blasting, slipping into the pages of a book can be the best kind of vacation. Here are ten great summer reads—some are new and others are favorites from times past. Each one is a wonderful escape into a different world that is sure to enrich your summer travels—even if you stay home!

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson ( @maureenjohnsonbooks )

This book delighted me! I enjoyed how it bounced back and forth between the present day and the 1930s—which is one of my favorite eras and the setting of my series Stanley & Hazel. Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest and most talented teens. The wife and daughter of the founder, Albert Willingham, is kidnapped from the school grounds and a dead body is discovered, becoming one of America’s most famous unsolved crimes. Decades later, Stevie Bell is accepted into the prestigious Academy for her particular skill at solving mysteries. Following the old clues and riddles left by “Truly, Devious” she sets out to solve the cold case. Meanwhile, she is adjusting to life at the boarding school with an array of eccentric and genius fellow housemates, a really cute boy she can’t stand and an unexpected murder by an apparent mimic of the original crime. This book will keep you entertained and on your toes!

The Diviners by Libba Bray ( @libbabraysactualblog ) I enjoyed the character development and heart pounding action of this book! So fun to jump into the 1920s era an effervescent time in American history just before the big stock market crash that led to the Great Depression. In the roaring 20s New York is alive with jazz, speakeasies and conmen. Evie has a supernatural power she has learned to fear and is living with her uncle who is an obsessed expert on the occult. When the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol her Uncle Will is called in. Evie soon realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer!

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie An OG classic murder mystery! Reading these kinds of books fostered a love of the whodunit. My appreciation of the genre led me to write Stanley & Hazel. Strangers are invited by an eccentric millionaire for a weekend stay. But the host is nowhere to be found! The guests each have a wicked secret in their past. One by one they are murdered. Before the weekend is out, there will be none.

Not In the Script by Amy Finnegan  This is a great summer read for Hollywood lovers! Ever wonder what it’s like to be famous? Hang out on the set with Emma Taylor as she deals with the drama and publicity of being a mega star trying to stay out of the tabloids. But, just her luck, her costar, Brett, is a known womanizer and the press is just dying to make up a story about an onset romance! But it’s her other costar, Jake, a male model in his first TV role, who intrigues her. The problem is, Emma’s best friend has been crushing on Jake for years and calls him “The Bod.” How can she stay out of a scandal, not betray her best friend, and still follow her heart?

Nameless by Jennifer Jenkins ( @authorjenkins ) If you want to be transported into a “histopian” world of tribal warfare, romance and adventure, this book series is for you! Zo is a healer from the Wolf Clan who volunteers to infiltrate the Ram Clan and spy for the allied clans. Acting as a Ram slave, she joins the “Nameless” who belong to no clan. Her dangerous mission is also personal… she wants to avenge the death of her parents. Things become complicated when Zo’s little sister follows her into Rams Gate. Now she must keep her sister alive while she carries out the mission with the help from some unlikely allies. Amidst the perils of her undercover intrigues she begins to develop feelings for a sworn enemy, a handsome Ram soldier!

Jack Be Quick by Benjamin Thomas ( @jigsawkid7 ) This book is gritty and action packed. It may also give you the creeps at night if you stay up late reading it—and who doesn’t love that!? Noah McKeen is a paramedic whose life is shattered when an accident leaves him addicted to pain pills, leading to the loss of the love of his life. A series of emergency calls drags him onto the scene of several murders. It soon becomes apparent that there is a pattern…someone is mimicking the infamous Jack the Ripper killings! Soon he is embroiled in a dangerous game with a psychopath who won’t stop until Noah has nothing left to lose!

Dragon Ascending by Amy Beatty ( @AmyBeattyAuthor ) This is a summer read with adventure, romance and magic! It isn’t every day one comes across a book that has immersive world building, a plot that moves swiftly and has mythical characters who also feel like real people! This book is a wonderful twist on what you may expect from a story about dragons. Edrik, son of the murdered Drake regent, cannot shapeshift into his dragon form like the other dragons his age. This makes him unfit to marry his beloved Princess Lissara. To prove himself worthy, Edrik embarks on a dangerous mission to save the missing Dragon King before the throne is taken by a sinister interloper. Once in human territory, Edrik discovers the King in imprisoned in an impenetrable dungeon. A grubby young dungeon keeper may be his only hope to free the king. But the dungeon keeper has a secret identity that will change everything!

Austenland by Shannon Hale ( @shannonhale ) If you are a Jane Austen fan then you will love this book! Jane Hayes is obsessed with Mr. Darcy, and it is ruining her dating life! But when a wealthy relative gifts her with a trip to an English resort that is an immersive reenactment experience for Jane Austen fans, her fantasy of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman seems attainable. While she struggles with the etiquette and wardrobe of a Regency era lady, the other guests and actors at the manor take her on a romp of hilarious subplots and intrigues. Perhaps she will learn a thing or two about herself and meet her own Mr. Darcy!

All The Stars in the Heavens by Adriana Trigiani ( @AdrianaTrigiani ) As a huge fan of the silver screen era of Hollywood (as reflected in my Stanley & Hazel series), I loved this peek behind the glitter and glow of Hollywood at its zenith! The book follows the true story of some iconic stars from the most exciting age in Hollywood history. In the middle of the Great Depression the movie business is booming. In 1935 when young starlet, Loretta Young, meets superstar leading man, Clark Gable, on the set of The Call of the Wild he's already married. But the two glamorous stars fall for each other hard and fast! Over the course of decades, Loretta encounters scandal, romance and adventure. Her close friend and assistant, a former Catholic nun, supports and aids her through some of the most difficult decisions of her life!

Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery

This series may be one of my all-time favorites! If you loved Anne of Green Gables, you will appreciate this series by the same author. This is a magical read that will transport you to a simpler and more beautiful time! Emily Starr is an orphan sent to live with her stern Aunt Elizabeth at New Moon Farm. A sensitive and imaginative, child, she soon finds beauty, friends and adventure in an idyllic setting where not all is what is seems!

If you want to escape into the past with a book, try Jo Schaffer’s Stanley & Hazel series!

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((I'm gonna put up a relationship page. LIke this if you'd want to be included. I'll tag those who're already gonna be a part of it.))

[englarflug-blog]

dragonascending flew in

Mikkael, who had been simply resting in his own little hideaway, woke upon hearing footsteps. Paniking slightly, he quickly hid his wings and stuck his head out of his resting place, only to see Wing. he exited and brushed some ash off his clothes. "What're you doin' here?" he asked, curious as to why the other would journey so far up north.