Hot Key Books for 2014!

A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to attend the Hot Key Books/Templar/Piccadilly brunch, where I was completely dazzled by all the books each of them were bringing out over the next couple of months. Rather than giving you information overload in one post, I’ve broken down it down into three posts, so that you can see individually what each publisher will be bringing us in 2014.

January

Diamonds and Deceit by Leila Rasheed is the second book in the series, which is being compared to the teens version of Downton Abbey. The year is 1913, and the London season is in full swing. Rose, feels uncomfortable, now that she is part of the family rather than a servant. She meet  a young Scottish duke, who she trusts completely…

More historical scandal and romance coming our way.

Ben from Boys Don’t Knit by T.S. Easton is being dubbed as the new Adrian Mole, with a bit of the Inbetweeners thrown in.

Ben has to get to grips with his feminine side, when he nearly misses Young Offenders unit, by giving something back to the community. By default, he ends up joining the knitting group with the hot teacher, but must try and keep his new pastime a secret from his mates. This sounds like it will keep my laughing from start to finish.

 Blindsided by Natalie Whipple is the second book in the Transparent series. If you are looking for a book busting with superpowers then this is the one for you. Fiona is invisible and is now happily ensconced in the arms of Seth; even if she does freak out every time she sees photos of them both, with her unable to be seen. There is rumour that a cure for the mutations is about to hit town; it could make life very difficult for everyone, but it might just let Fiona lead a normal life for once.

Now I haven’t read the first book in this series yet, but I have seen such fabulous reviews of Transparent, that I’m keen to read it soon.

Leopold Blue is a beautifully written debut by author, Rosie Rowell. Set in South Africa, during the 1990’s, Meg is fifteen and fed up. Living in a small town where racial tension runs high, Meg has no friends. This isn’t helped but her mother’s insistence on educating the farm workers about Aids. Meg’s life begins to changed when Xanthe arrives on the scene.

A strong coming of age story that concentrates on family, friendship and first romance.

February

Burn by Monica Hesse is the sequel to the action packed sci-fi drama Stray, which was published last year. I haven’t read the sequel and if I’m honest I am completely confused by the plot. It seems it is finally time for Lona to live her own life, rather than the reality of someone else’s, but she is struggling to move on when she can’t recall her past.

Finding Jennifer Jones by Anne Cassidy  is the long awaited sequel to critically acclaimed Looking for JJ, which was first published in 2004 and has also been republished to coincide with this book. The story returns to Jennifer Jones under her new identity, Kate Rickman. She is now at university and working part time, but she is struggling to move on from her past. She decides on a drastic course of action, which involves contacting the only other person who might understand what she is going through. I haven’t read the first book, but now that I have both, I intend to read them before publication in February.

The Mortal Knife by D.J. McCune is the second part in the compelling Death and Co series. After breaking the Lumen laws, while trying to stop a  terrorist attack in London, Adam can’t wait to get back to normality. Unfortunately Morta isn’t about to make his life easy. An epic adventure that deals heavily with death and teenage angst.

March

 

The Madness by Alison Rattle - I loved Alison’s first teenage book, The Quietness, so I honestly can’t wait for this one. Set during Victorian times again, this is about a sixteen year old, crippled by polio, living in  a coastal village. She  becomes a ‘dipper’ where she escorts fragile female bathers into the sea. Her life is simple until she meets Noah, whom she quickly becomes obsessed with. Her obsession gets out of hand, during a time, when propriety and modesty didn’t allow girls to break down emotionally.

(COVER YET TO BE REVEALED)

Tribute by Ellen Renner - Another book I’m really excited about. Especially after hearing Ellen’s beautiful speech at Hot Key Books. This is an epic fantasy book. Where Zara is a mage. She lives in  a world where magic is power, technology is banned and reading can get you killed.

What if your greatest enemy was yourself?

 The End of the World as we Know It by Iva Marie Palmer. I am intrigued by this one. After being at a party, Sarabeth and her friends are surprised to emerge from a locked basement to discover the world has ended. They soon discover they are survivors of an alien invasion and must work together to save the world. Described as The Breakfast Club meets The War of the Worlds! I am almost positive that Iva-Marie is a debut author too.

 

Little Celeste by Dawn McNiff - This is for the slightly younger audience. A heart-warming tale about magic, responsibility, and the relationship between mothers and daughters. Eleven year old Shelley only leaves her bedroom for two minutes, but when she returns she finds a real, live baby on her bed. Shelley isn’t sure where she came from, but ends up looking after the baby, embarking on some rather messy adventures.

So some fabulous books to look forward to over the first few months of 2014.

Which books have caught your eye?

Which ones are you desperate to read?