Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Truly Madly Royally by Debbie Rigaud

June 18, 2019 ~ Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense ~ 1 Comment

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings where bloggers share which upcoming releases they’re most looking forward to. Join us every Wednesday and watch your TBR list multiply.

I feel like I’ve been neglecting the contemporary genre as of late, so today I’m featuring Debbie Rigaud’s Truly Madly Royally. This one sounds so cute and it’s giving me major Hallmark-movie vibes. I can’t way to be utterly charmed by this one. Cover is linked to Goodreads. Also I just saw the price drop on Amazon if anyone was thinking about preordering.

Title: Truly Madly Royally
Author: Debbie Rigaud
Series: N/A
Pages: 304
Publisher: Point
Release Date: July 30, 2019

“Fiercely independent and smart, Zora Emerson wants to change the world. She’s excited to be attending a prestigious summer program, even if she feels out of place among her privileged, mostly white classmates. So she’s definitely not expecting to feel a connection to Owen, who’s an actual prince of an island off the coast of England. But Owen is funny, charming…and undeniably cute. Zora can’t ignore the chemistry between them. When Owen invites Zora to be his date at his big brother’s big royal wedding, Zora is suddenly thrust into the spotlight, along with her family and friends. Everyone is talking about her, in real life and online, and while Owen is used to the scrutiny, Zora’s not sure it’s something she can live with. Can she maintain her sense of self while moving between two very different worlds? And can her feelings for Owen survive and thrive in the midst of the crazy? Find out in this charming romantic comedy that’s like The Princess Diaries for a new generation.”

Are you participating in Can’t-Wait Wednesday or Waiting on Wednesday? Is this book on your TBR? Be sure to leave a link to your post in the comments and I’ll visit!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

June 11, 2019 ~ Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense ~ 20 Comments

So technically I just started an eARC of this, but this post has been sitting in my drafts for a while. I meant to post it before I started it (the publication date was moved up unexpectedly), but it didn’t work out and I still really want to showcase this novel, so here it is. I am a big fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s work and have really been looking forward to her newest novel, Gods of Jade and Shadow. This fantasy is rooted in Mayan mythology and takes place in 1920s Mexico. The cover is stunning and I can’t wait to hold the finished copy in my hands. Cover is linked to Goodreads.

Title: Gods of Jade and Shadow
Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Series: N/A
Pages: 352
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: July 23, 2019

“The Mayan God of Death sends a young woman on a harrowing, life-changing journey in this dark fairy tale inspired by Mexican folklore, for readers of The Song of Achilles and Uprooted
The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather’s house to listen to any fast tunes. Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own.
Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather’s room. She opens it—and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother. Failure will mean Casiopea’s demise, but success could make her dreams come true.
In the company of the strangely alluring god and armed with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her on a cross-country odyssey, from the jungles of Yucatán to the bright lights of Mexico City—and deep into the darkness of the Mayan underworld.”

Are you participating in Can’t-Wait Wednesday or Waiting on Wednesday? Is this book on your TBR? Be sure to leave a link to your post in the comments and I’ll visit!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante

May 28, 2019 ~ Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense ~ 16 Comments

Alexandra Villasante’s debut novel The Grief Keeper has one of the most unique premises I’ve come across. I’m really intrigued by the idea of being able to take on another person’s pain. I feel like this one is really going to be extremely heartbreaking yet hopeful. Cover is linked to Goodreads.

Title: The Grief Keeper
Author: Alexandra Villasante
Series: N/A
Pages: 320
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Release Date: June 11, 2019

“Seventeen-year-old Marisol Morales and her little sister Gabi are detainees of the United States government. They were caught crossing the U.S. border, to escape the gang violence in their country after their brother was murdered. When Marisol learns that the old family friend who had offered them refuge in America has died and they are going to be sent home, they flee.
They hitchhike, snagging a ride with an unassuming woman who agrees to drive them to New Jersey, but when Marisol wakes up in D.C. she learns the woman is actually a government agent. Indranie Patel has a proposal for Marisol: she wants Marisol to be a Grief Keeper, someone who will take another’s grief into their body. It’s a dangerous experimental study, but if Marisol agrees she and Gabi will be allowed to stay in the United States. If the experiment fails the girls will be sent home, which is a death sentence. Things become more complicated when Marisol meets Rey, the wealthy daughter of a D.C. Senator, and the girl she’s helping to heal. Marisol likes Rey’s short hair and sarcastic attitude. But she didn’t expect the connection from their shared grief to erupt into a powerful love.
Suddenly being forced from the United States isn’t just a matter of life and death, but a matter of the heart.”

Are you participating in Can’t-Wait Wednesday or Waiting on Wednesday? Is this book on your TBR? Be sure to leave a link to your post in the comments and I’ll visit!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin

May 14, 2019 ~ Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense ~ 17 Comments

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings where bloggers share which upcoming releases they’re most looking forward to. I will be participating in this meme every couple of weeks. Join in every Wednesday and watch your TBR list multiply.

I have been dreaming of Uzma Jalaluddin’s Ayesha at Last since last year when I first heard about it, but then I discovered it didn’t have a U.S. release date until 2019. I feel like I’ve been waiting forever. Ayesha at Last is another diverse Pride and Prejudice retelling that I am excited for and all the reviews I’ve come across have been positive. Cover linked to Goodreads.

Title: Ayesha at Last
Author: Uzma Jalaluddin
Series: N/A
Pages: 368
Publisher: Berkley Books
Release Date: June 4, 2019

“A modern-day Muslim Pride and Prejudice for a new generation of love.
Ayesha Shamsi has a lot going on. Her dreams of being a poet have been set aside for a teaching job so she can pay off her debts to her wealthy uncle. She lives with her boisterous Muslim family and is always being reminded that her flighty younger cousin, Hafsa, is close to rejecting her one hundredth marriage proposal. Though Ayesha is lonely, she doesn’t want an arranged marriage. Then she meets Khalid who is just as smart and handsome as he is conservative and judgmental. She is irritatingly attracted to someone who looks down on her choices and dresses like he belongs in the seventh century.
When a surprise engagement is announced between Khalid and Hafsa, Ayesha is torn between how she feels about the straightforward Khalid and the unsettling new gossip she hears about his family. Looking into the rumors, she finds she has to deal with not only what she discovers about Khalid, but also the truth she realizes about herself.”

Are you participating in Can’t-Wait Wednesday or Waiting on Wednesday? Is this book on your TBR? Be sure to leave a link to your post in the comments and I’ll visit!