Waiting on Wednesday (149)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights future releases that we are excitedly anticipating.


By Susan Ee
Publication Date: May 12, 2015

End of Days is the explosive conclusion to Susan Ee’s bestselling Penryn & the End of Days trilogy.

After a daring escape from the angels, Penryn and Raffe are on the run. They’re both desperate to find a doctor who can reverse the twisted changes inflicted by the angels on Raffe and Penryn’s sister. As they set off in search of answers, a startling revelation about Raffe’s past unleashes dark forces that threaten them all.

When the angels release an apocalyptic nightmare onto humans, both sides are set on a path toward war. As unlikely alliances form and strategies shift, who will emerge victorious? Forced to pick sides in the fight for control of the earthly realm, Raffe and Penryn must choose: Their own kind, or each other.










By Chanel Cleeton
Publication Date: May 19, 2015

The author of I See London sets her sights on Washington, D. C., with a sexy new series about three sisters, the secrets they keep, and a powerful blog with a knack for exposing scandals...

Jackie Gardner knows all about dirty little secrets. The illegitimate daughter of one of the most influential senators in Washington, D.C., she grew up surrounded by the scandals and shadows of politics. Now that she's landed an internship with a powerful political consulting firm, she's determined to launch her career and take this city by storm.

William Andrew Clayton was born for politics. He knows the drill: work hard, play discreetly, and at all costs, avoid scandal. At twenty-six, his campaign for the Virginia State Senate is the first step to cementing his future. It's time for him to settle down, to find the perfect political spouse. He needs a Jackie Kennedy, not a Marilyn... 

When Jackie meets Will in the bar of the Hay-Adams Hotel, sparks fly. But the last thing Will needs is to be caught in a compromising position, and an affair with a political candidate could cost Jackie her career. When what began as one steamy night, becomes a passion neither one of them can walk way from, they must decide if what they have is really love, or just another dirty little secret...


By Brian Katcher
Publication Date: May 19, 2015

The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak is Stonewall Book Award-winning author Brian Katcher’s hilarious he said/she said romance about two teens recovering from heartbreak and discovering themselves on an out-of-this-world accidental first date.

It all begins when Ana Watson's little brother, Clayton, secretly ditches the quiz bowl semifinals to go to the Washingcon sci-fi convention on what should have been a normal, résumé-building school trip.

If slacker Zak Duquette hadn't talked up the geek fan fest so much, maybe Clayton wouldn't have broken nearly every school rule or jeopardized Ana’s last shot at freedom from her uptight parents.

Now, teaming up with Duquette is the only way for Ana to chase down Clayton in the sea of orcs, zombies, bikini-clad princesses, Trekkies, and Smurfs. After all, one does not simply walk into Washingcon.

But in spite of Zak's devil-may-care attitude, he has his own reasons for being as lost as Ana-and Ana may have more in common with him than she thinks. Ana and Zak certainly don’t expect the long crazy night, which begins as a nerdfighter manhunt, to transform into so much more… 

Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher

* * * *

You only hurt the ones you love.

Logan Witherspoon recently discovered that his girlfriend of three years cheated on him. But things start to look up when a new student breezes through the halls of his small-town high school. Sage Hendricks befriends Logan at a time when he no longer trusts or believes in people. Sage has been homeschooled for a number of years and her parents have forbidden her to date anyone, but she won’t tell Logan why. One day, Logan acts on his growing feelings for Sage. Moments later, he wishes he never had. Sage finally discloses her big secret: she’s actually a boy. Enraged, frightened, and feeling betrayed, Logan lashes out at Sage and disowns her. But once Logan comes to terms with what happened, he reaches out to Sage in an attempt to understand her situation. But Logan has no idea how rocky the road back to friendship will be.





Review:

It’s been months and Logan is still nursing a broken heart thanks to his 3 year girlfriend that cheated on him.  That is until Sage walks into his first hour Biology class.  Logan and Sage immediately hit it off.  Their mutual attraction is unmistakable; which makes it all the more confusing when Sage continuously fends off Logan’s quiet advances.  Then on New Year’s Day they unexpectedly share their first kiss. Sage is forced to share her secret…the fact that she was born a boy.  Logan is disgusted and runs away.  But their connection is too strong for him to stay away.  Before long they renew their friendship which sends them both on an emotional ride that neither of them are prepared for.

This story is a great lesson in showing us how it’s never easy to read from the POV of a character that hurts someone.  It’s even more difficult when that character is confused and hurting as well.  The entire story is told in the first person from Logan’s POV.  Be prepared for an uncomfortably honest portrayal of a straight young man raised in a small rural town.  A teenage boy whose experiences are too narrow and whose insecurities are too deep to give the total acceptance and celebration that Sage needs.  Logan messes up spectacularly.  Multiple times.  His desire to be friends with Sage makes her feel like she can be accepted for the girl that she truly his.   But the discomfort he feels in his attraction to Sage and his subsequent selfish and cruel actions make Sage truly comprehend the giant hurdles she has ahead of her and makes her wonder if she can even face them.

The only complaint I had with this novel was that Sage’s voice was rather wooden.  When I SAW her through Logan’s eyes, I saw a young vibrant woman full of fear and hope.  But when I heard her speak, it felt as if the author didn’t (or maybe couldn’t) fully encompass the voice of Sage.  I can understand this dilemma though.   Five years after this book was published and we are still fighting to hear the voices of transgender men and women.  I can only imagine how difficult it would be to portray their voice.   In the end, though, that did not stop Sage from being a completely beautiful and engaging character.

It also didn’t diminish the power of the message contained in this story.  That our actions have the power to both negatively and positively impact those around us. We can use the power of our actions to show acceptance and celebrate the diversity around us.  To give others the freedom to be who they are without fear.

Nat