The Academy Saga Book Review & Book Tour Giveaway

I love young adult series that the girls and I could read together as they hit their teen years! Having read so many young adult fantasy/mystery/dystopian style series (like The Hunger Games, Twighlight, Uglies, the Regina Shen novels)--we still occasionally find books that my older teens and I swap back and forth! Today, I have a new young adult, suspense series to share! Learn about The Academy Saga and author CJ Daly, read my thoughts on the book and enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.

Book Title: The Academy Saga by C.J. Daly
Category: Adult Fiction (18 yrs +), 500 pages
Genre: Suspense Romance
Publisher: BrandyLight Ink
Release date: September 2019
Content Rating: PG-13. My book has some adult themes, language, and a few slow-burn romance scenes.

"Unique, intense, and suspenseful. A story with compelling characters that pull you into the author's world and keep you reading from beginning to end. Intriguing start to a new series." --New York Times Best Selling Author Jami Brumfield

“CJ has created an unforgettable story about a young woman caught up in a world of lies and deception. The Academy Saga is a page-turning read with a twist you may not see coming.” —Tony Jones, Executive Producer of My All American

“Wow wow wow! This book has it all. It’s extremely well written, the characters are amazing and the story is so intriguing that it pulls you in from the very first page. There’s tension, mystery chemistry and of course romance. I loved it! I would highly recommend this page turner!” -- RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ @abbi_reads_xx

Many of our posts contain affiliate links.
Should you purchase an item via our links--we may receive slight compensation from an
affiliate partner.

About the Book

Readers’ Favorite Suspense Romance

Kate Connelly should be careful what she wishes for.

Just seventeen, she already feels like she’s suffocating. Since her mother’s death, her father’s basically checked out, so she’s stuck raising her brothers by herself out in the New Mexico scrub. All Kate wants is a little distraction from the same-ole, same-ole that is her life.

When two mysterious guys show up at the diner where she works, she thinks her wish has come true, until they start giving her a hard time. Like her life isn’t hard enough. Something about them niggles her, but she brushes it off. She’s never going to see them again anyway . . . right?

Then they appear in an alley one night to either rescue or kidnap her (she’s still not sure which) before disappearing like figments of her imagination.

Kate decides to put the bizarre encounters out of her mind. She has bigger problems to worry about: like that elite military academy that’s been pursuing her gifted little brother. When one of their cadets shows up at her high school, he creates instant pandemonium. And just happens to be one of those mysterious guys. Coincidence? Mama said there’s no such thing. And to always trust her instinct. But that might be kind of hard, because every time she’s around Cadet Peter Davenport, her gut starts flip-flopping on her. And her heart.

Can Kate keep it together long enough to stop Cadet Davenport’s mission? She’s about to find out. And—once again—how neatly life can be split into before and after.

My Review

Expect an in-depth launch of the series. While the novel begins a little slow--and focuses a lot on Kate and the romantic side of the story--it still introduces readers to the characters and the storyline and sets the stage for future novels in the series. Readers will especially get to know Kate as the book progresses. Being in tune with Kate's thoughts and character slow the book at times, but it really brings the story and characters visually to life in a reader's mind. This first novel builds the setting and character relationships--and builds some added suspense toward the next book as the author gets the action moving later in the story and leaves some things dangling to carry onto the second book.

More Romance than Mystery. I think I went into the story expecting more of an action/adventure mystery than a teen romance. The novel is heavy on the romantic angle--then picks up pace as we shifted toward building some of the suspense and mystery of the Academy and what underlies the day-to-day story.

Would I recommend The Academy Saga? I did enjoy the story once it picked up the pace midway through. I liked some of the characters--and certainly disliked others. At times the characters seemed unrealistic, or their actions didn't seem to fall in line with my expectations--but it appeared that the pieces slowly came together later in the book. The novel leaves readers hanging at the end, so you should expect to read more of the series to find a resolution! I would recommend it to fans of young adult romance novels who enjoy watching characters grow, mature and adapt to their worlds and storylines.

Buy the Book

Amazon ~ Walmart
add to Goodreads

Continue the Saga:

Book Details:

Book Title: The Academy Saga: Cadet-in-Training by C.J. Daly
Category: Adult Fiction (18 yrs +), 441 pages
Genre: Suspense Romance
Publisher: BrandyLight Ink
Content Rating: PG-13. My book has some adult themes, language, and a few slow-burn romance scenes.

“Absolutely ADDICTING! CJ Daly does it again and delivers a story YOU CAN’T PUT DOWN! Edge of your seat GREATNESS! I was completely hooked into this story. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. The Cadet in Training was such a phenomenal escape. With characters that fly off the pages, you become immersed! CJ Daly has stunning story telling skills! I’m still sitting here, like what did I just read and why is it over! Agh! I can’t wait for book 3!!! #theacademysaga is going down as one my absolute favorites! #TeamPete! All the stars! I’m ready to read this one again!” RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ @elizabeth.ness.56

About the Book

Another Readers' Favorite 5-STAR Suspense Romance. Begin the journey today.

Kate’s destiny has been determined for her.

Hidden out in the country for most her life, Kate Connelly suddenly wakes up, handcuffed to a hospital bed, in the psyche ward of The Academy. Her crime? Being “gifted.” And it’s Officer “Ranger” Nealson’s job to make her adhere to The Academy’s agenda for her. Even though he’s the one who drugged and dragged her in. Kate’s hate for Ranger, and his academy, is at an all-time high. Ranger has his work cut out for him . . . and Kate does too. She has to fight through the rigors of the Cadet-in-Training program, and quickly. If not, she’ll lose the one privilege she’s been given at The Academy—access to her precious little brother.

And until she graduates from the CIT program, Officer Nealson is banned from Missions. When General Weston finally offers a juicy recon to Ranger, he wants to jump at the chance to prove himself again. After all, catching bad guys is his thing. Almost all pros for doing it. One con—Cadet Connelly has to ride along.

The hardened officer finds he’s slowly been growing a soft spot for his mentee. But he’s determined not to end up like his father, and former Elite Cadet Pete Davenport—throwing away their career for a girl (not even a woman). And Kate has lingering feelings for Pete, who risked his life to warn her, and conflicting feelings for Ranger. She has to set both aside to focus on completing her first mission.

When the dust settles, old alliances are broken and new ones are formed. But one thing remains the same: Kate’s destiny has been determined for her by The Academy. Ready or not . . . she’s set for Missions. Will one of the former elite cadets step in to help change her fate, or will she be left to fight the Academy’s agenda alone?

Buy the Book

Amazon
B&N ~ Walmart
add to Goodreads

Meet the Author

CJ Daly grew up on the scrabbly plains of Eastern New Mexico. When she was supposed to be helping her six siblings with chores on the family ranch, she was really sneaking behind dusty haystacks to read. And dreaming about becoming a writer.

After graduating high school, CJ moved to Big D, where she quickly put herself through college while trying to rid herself of her country accent. She had better luck with college, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in English literature. After teaching a few years and pausing to have back-to-back boys, she began writing in earnest.

A few years later, "The Academy Saga" was born. It instantly earned a Readers' Favorite 5-STAR seal of approval and became an Amazon best seller.

connect with the author: website ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ pinterest ~ instagram ~ goodread