Waiting to Read Wednesday: The Kindest Lie / The Iron Raven / Fearless Fourteen

The New

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by the marvelous Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss upcoming release we are excited about that we have yet to read.

The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson
Release Date: February 9, 2021 by William Morrow

It’s 2008, and the rise of Barack Obama ushers in a new kind of hope. In Chicago, Ruth Tuttle, an Ivy-League educated black engineer, is married to a kind and successful man. He’s eager to start a family, but Ruth is uncertain. She has never gotten over the baby she gave birth to—and abandoned—when she was a teenager. She had promised her family she’d never look back, but Ruth knows that to move forward, she must make peace with the past.

Returning home, Ruth discovers the Indiana factory town of her youth is plagued by unemployment, racism, and despair. While her family is happy to see her, they remind her of the painful sacrifices to give Ruth a shot at a better future—like the comfortable middle-class life she now enjoys.

Determined, Ruth begins digging into the past. As she uncovers burning secrets her family desperately wants to hide, she unexpectedly befriends Midnight, a young white boy who is also adrift and looking for connection. When a traumatic incident strains the town’s already searing racial tensions, Ruth and Midnight find themselves on a collision course that could upend both their lives.

The Kindest Lie examines the heartbreaking divide between black and white communities and plumbs the emotional depths of the struggles faced by ordinary Americans in the wake of the financial crisis. Capturing the profound racial injustices and class inequalities roiling society, Nancy Johnson’s debut novel offers an unflinching view of motherhood in contemporary America and the never-ending quest to achieve the American Dream. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: This popped up on a list of must read 2021 books, and I was immediately intrigued. Digging into the past can be dangerous as well as cathartic. Sometimes to move forward, we must face our pasts. This novel appeals to me for that basic reason, but also for the more cultural and social issues the author takes on. 

The Iron Raven (The Iron Fey: Evenfall #1) by Julie Kagawa
Release Date: February 9, 2021 by Inkyard Press

You may have heard of me...

Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Prankster, joker, raven, fool… King Oberon’s right-hand jester from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The legends are many, but the truth will now be known as never before, as Puck finally tells his own story and faces a threat to the lands of Faery and the human world unlike any before.

With the Iron Queen Meghan Chase and her prince consort, Puck’s longtime rival Ash, and allies old and new by his side, Puck begins a fantastical and dangerous adventure not to be missed or forgotten. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: I do not know if reading this would be best after reading the Kagawa's original Iron Fey series (which I haven't yet done), but it captured my attention the first I heard about it. I enjoy stories about the fey and like Kagawa's writing, and so this goes straight onto my wish list.

Do The Kindest Lie and The Iron Raven interest you? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to reading?

 

The Old(er) 

I have an embarrassing number of unread books sitting on the shelves in my personal library. Carole of Carole's Random Life in Books has given me the perfect excuse to spotlight and discuss those neglected books in her Books from the Backlog feature. After all, even those older books need a bit of love! Not to mention it is reminding me what great books I have waiting for me under my own roof still to read!

Fearless Fourteen (Stephanie Plum #14) by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin's Press, 2008) 

Personal vendettas, hidden treasure, and a monkey named Carl will send bounty hunter Stephanie Plum on her most explosive adventure yet. 

The Crime: Armed robbery to the tune of nine million dollars.
Dom Rizzi robbed a bank, stashed the money, and did the time. His family couldn't be more proud. He always was the smart one. 

The Cousin: Joe Morelli
Joe Morelli, Dom Rizzi, and Dom's sister, Loretta, are cousins. Morelli is a cop, Rizzi robs banks, and Loretta is a single mother waiting tables at the firehouse. The all-American family. 

The Complications: Murder, kidnapping, destruction of personal property, and acid reflux
Less than a week after Dom's release from prison, Joe Morelli has shadowy figures breaking into his house and dying in his basement. He's getting threatening messages, Loretta is kidnapped, and Dom is missing. 

The Catastrophe: Moonman
Morelli hires Walter Mooner Dunphy, stoner and inventor turned crime fighter, to protect his house. Morelli can't afford a lot on a cop's salary, and Mooner will work for potatoes. 

The Cupcake: Stephanie Plum
Stephanie and Morelli have a long-standing relationship that involves sex, affection, and driving each other nuts. She's a bond enforcement agent with more luck than talent, and she's involved in this bank-robbery-gone-bad disaster from day one. 

The Crisis: A favor for Ranger
Security expert Carlos Manoso, street name Ranger, has a job for Stephanie that will involve night work. Morelli has his own ideas regarding Stephanie's evening activities. 

The Conclusion: Only the fearless should read Fourteen.
Thrills, chills, and incontinence may result. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: I used to rush to the bookstore as soon as I could on release day to buy copies of books in this series, but I burnt out. Stephanie's hijinks and her constant indecision about Joe and Ranger just wore on me after awhile. Along with this one, I have the next two books in the series too and number 19 (not sure why I skipped to 19), all sitting unread on my shelf. I always assumed I would go back to the series. It's been twelve or so years. I keep the books around, so perhaps . . .

Have you read the Stephanie Plum series? Does this book sound like something you would like to read? 

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