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Most Anticipated Books of 2023, Part 2

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I’m back with Part 2 of my most anticipated books of 2023! This one took me awhile, because it is LONG, and of course I keep finding more and more books to add. Again, these are listed in order of release date (or tentative release date) and span a range of genres, but this list is certainly not exhaustive!

Magic Tides by Ilona Andrews (release date 1/17/23) – I’m not including a synopsis of this one, because no spoilers for the Kate Daniels series (my all-time favorite UF series). This is actually the first novella in a new spin-off series set after its finale, and all of us Kate fans are incredibly excited. I’ve been saving this one in my “break glass in case of emergency” category for books.

 

VenCo by Cherie Dimaline (release date 2/7/23) – I received a free copy of VenCo from the publisher, but I haven’t dived into it quite yet. I loved Dimaline’s use of Metis mythology in her previous novel, but the witchy premise of her newest sounds more up my alley.

From Goodreads: Lucky St. James, a Métis millennial living with her cantankerous but loving grandmother Stella, is barely hanging on when she discovers she will be evicted from their tiny Toronto apartment. Then, one night, something strange and irresistible calls out to Lucky. Burrowing through a wall, she finds a silver spoon etched with a crooked-nosed witch and the word SALEM, humming with otherworldly energy.

Hundreds of miles away in Salem, Myrna Good has been looking for Lucky. Myrna works for VenCo, a front company fueled by vast resources of dark money.

Lucky is familiar with the magic of her indigenous ancestors, but she has no idea that the spoon links her to VenCo’s network of witches throughout North America. Generations of witches have been waiting for centuries for the seven spoons to come together, igniting a new era, and restoring women to their rightful power.

But as reckoning approaches, a very powerful adversary is stalking their every move. He’s Jay Christos, a roguish and deadly witch-hunter as old as witchcraft itself.

To find the last spoon, Lucky and Stella embark on a rollicking and dangerous road trip to the darkly magical city of New Orleans, where the final showdown will determine whether VenCo will usher in a new beginning…or remain underground forever.

 

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton (release date 3/7/23) – I mean, guerilla gardening group? Say no more.

From Goodreads: Five years ago, Mira Bunting founded a guerrilla gardening group: Birnam Wood. An undeclared, unregulated, sometimes-criminal, sometimes-philanthropic gathering of friends, this activist collective plants crops wherever no one will notice: on the sides of roads, in forgotten parks, and neglected backyards. For years, the group has struggled to break even. Then Mira stumbles on an answer, a way to finally set the group up for the long term: a landslide has closed the Korowai Pass, cutting off the town of Thorndike. Natural disaster has created an opportunity, a sizable farm seemingly abandoned.

But Mira is not the only one interested in Thorndike. Robert Lemoine, the enigmatic American billionaire, has snatched it up to build his end-times bunker–or so he tells Mira when he catches her on the property. Intrigued by Mira, Birnam Wood, and their entrepreneurial spirit, he suggests they work this land. But can they trust him? And, as their ideals and ideologies are tested, can they trust each other?

A gripping psychological thriller from the Booker Prize-winning author of The Luminaries, Birnam Wood is Shakespearean in its wit, drama, and immersion in character. A brilliantly constructed consideration of intentions, actions, and consequences, it is an unflinching examination of the human impulse to ensure our own survival.

 

American Mermaid by Julia Langbein (release date 3/21/23) – I’ve always been a fan of mermaids, so any book that deals heavily with this myth automatically goes on my TBR. I was actually hoping this one would be a Book of the Month pick, but it doesn’t look like that’s happening.

From Goodreads: Penelope Schleeman, a consistently broke Connecticut high school teacher, is as surprised as anyone when her sensitive debut novel, “American Mermaid”—the story of a wheelchair-bound scientist named Sylvia who discovers that her withered legs are the vestiges of a powerful tail—becomes a bestseller. Penelope soon finds herself lured to LA by promises of easy money to co-write the “American Mermaid” screenplay for a major studio with a pair of male hacks.

As the studio pressures Penelope to change “American Mermaid” from the story of a fierce, androgynous eco-warrior to a teen sex object in a clam bra, strange things start to happen. Threats appear in the screenplay draft; siren calls lure people into danger. When Penelope’s screenwriting partners try to kill Sylvia off entirely in a bitterly false but cinematic end, matters off the page escalate. Is Penelope losing her mind, or is Sylvia among us?

American Mermaid follows a young woman braving a world of casual smiles and ruthless calculation, where she discovers a beating heart in her own fiction–a creature she’ll do anything to protect. By turns both a comic and fabulously insightful tale of two female characters in search of truth, love, and self-acceptance as they move between worlds without giving up their voices.

 

White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link (anticipated release 3/28/23) – Kelly Link is one of my all-time favorite short story writers; her stories are extremely unique and often unsettling, as well as unfailingly creative. Her most recent collection Get in Trouble is my favorite of hers so far, and I’d be shocked if I didn’t love her upcoming release.

From Goodreads: Seven ingeniously reinvented fairy tales that play out with astonishing consequences in the modern world, from one of today’s finest short story writers–MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellow Kelly Link, bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Get in Trouble

Finding seeds of inspiration in the Brothers Grimm, seventeenth-century French lore, and Scottish ballads, Kelly Link spins classic fairy tales into utterly original stories of seekers–characters on the hunt for love, connection, revenge, or their own sense of purpose.

In “The White Cat’s Divorce,” an aging billionaire sends his three sons on a series of absurd goose chases to decide which will become his heir. In “The Girl Who Did Not Know Fear,” a professor with a delicate health condition becomes stranded for days in an airport hotel after a conference, desperate to get home to her wife and young daughter, and in acute danger of being late for an appointment that cannot be missed. In “Skinder’s Veil,” a young man agrees to take over a remote house-sitting gig for a friend. But what should be a chance to focus on his long-avoided dissertation instead becomes a wildly unexpected journey, as the house seems to be a portal for otherworldly travelers–or perhaps a door into his own mysterious psyche.

 

A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher (anticipated release 3/28/23) – T. Kingfisher was one of the new favorite authors I discovered in 2022, and her new horror release sounds creepily promising.

From Goodreads: A haunting Southern Gothic from an award-winning master of suspense, A House With Good Bones explores the dark, twisted roots lurking just beneath the veneer of a perfect home and family.

“Mom seems off.”

Her brother’s words echo in Sam Montgomery’s ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone.

She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam’s excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out.

But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn’t what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she’s the only person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden beneath the magazine-worthy rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above.

To find out what’s got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some secrets are better left buried.

 

A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire LeGrand (anticipated release 5/9/23) – I’m on a romantasy (romance/fantasy) kick right now and on the lookout for new books that fit this subgenre. I enjoyed LeGrand’s Furyborn quite a lot when I read it several years ago, but sadly never finished the trilogy.

From Goodreads: Lady Gemma Ashbourne seemingly has it all. She’s young, gorgeous, and rich. Her family was Anointed by the gods, blessed with incredible abilities. But underneath her glittering façade, Gemma is deeply sad. Years ago, her sister Mara was taken to the Middlemist to guard against treacherous magic. Her mother abandoned the family. Her father and eldest sister, Farrin—embroiled in a deadly blood feud with the mysterious Bask family—often forget Gemma exists.

Worst of all, Gemma is the only Ashbourne to possess no magic. Instead, her body fights it like poison. Constantly ill, aching with loneliness, Gemma craves love and yearns to belong.

Then she meets the devastatingly handsome Talan d’Astier. His family destroyed themselves, seduced by a demon, and Talan, the only survivor, is determined to redeem their honor. Intrigued and enchanted, Gemma proposes a bargain: She’ll help Talan navigate high society if he helps her destroy the Basks. According to popular legend, a demon called The Man With the Three-Eyed Crown is behind the families’ blood feud—slay the demon, end the feud.

But attacks on the Middlemist are increasing. The plot against the Basks quickly spirals out of control. And something immense and terrifying is awakening in Gemma, drawing her inexorably toward Talan and an all-consuming passion that could destroy her—or show her the true strength of her power at last.

 

Yellowface by R. F. Kuang (anticipated release 5/16/23) – I’m about 1/3 of the way into R.F. Kuang’s Babel right now, and LOVING it. Her newest release sounds very topical and like it has the potential to be a huge title in 2023.

From Goodreads: Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars: same year at Yale, same debut year in publishing. But Athena’s a cross-genre literary darling, and June didn’t even get a paperback release. Nobody wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.

So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers to the British and French war efforts during World War I.

So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song–complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That’s what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree.

But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

With its totally immersive first-person voice, Yellowface takes on questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation not only in the publishing industry but the persistent erasure of Asian-American voices and history by Western white society. R. F. Kuang’s novel is timely, razor-sharp, and eminently readable.

 

The Grimoire of Grave Fates, edited by Hanna Alkaf and Margaret Owen (anticipated release 6/6/23) – I actually don’t know whether I’ll end up liking this one, but I’m very curious about it. It’s set at a magical school, but it’s actually an anthology written by 18 different (presumably YA?) authors and follows a murder mystery.

From Goodreads: Crack open your spell book and enter the world of the illustrious Galileo Academy for the Extraordinary. There’s been a murder on campus, and it’s up to the students of Galileo to solve it. Follow 18 authors and 18 students as they puzzle out the clues and find the guilty party.

Professor of Magical History Septimius Dropwort has just been murdered, and now everyone at the Galileo Academy for the Extraordinary is a suspect.

A prestigious school for young magicians, the Galileo Academy has recently undergone a comprehensive overhaul, reinventing itself as a roaming academy in which students of all cultures and identities are celebrated. In this new Galileo, every pupil is welcome—but there are some who aren’t so happy with the recent changes. That includes everyone’s least favorite professor, Septimius Dropwort, a stodgy old man known for his harsh rules and harsher punishments. But when the professor’s body is discovered on school grounds with a mysterious note clenched in his lifeless hand, the Academy’s students must solve the murder themselves, because everyone’s a suspect.

Told from more than a dozen alternating and diverse perspectives, The Grimoire of Grave Fates follows Galileo’s best and brightest young magicians as they race to discover the truth behind Dropwort’s mysterious death. Each one of them is confident that only they have the skills needed to unravel the web of secrets hidden within Galileo’s halls. But they’re about to discover that even for straight-A students, magic doesn’t always play by the rules. . . .

 

Night Will Find You by Julia Heaberlin (anticipated release 6/8/23) – I really enjoyed Julia Heaberlin’s previous mystery release, We Are All the Same in the Dark, and since mystery is a genre where I struggle to find authors that work for me, I’m looking forward to her newest release as well. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

From Goodreads: A scientist with a special gift riles a wasp’s nest of conspiracy theories while investigating a cold case in this riveting novel from the acclaimed and bestselling author of Black-Eyed Susans and We Are All the Same in the Dark.

When she was ten, Vivvy Bouchet saved a boy’s life by making an impossible prediction. Ever since, she has been in a life-long battle between the urgent voices in her head and the science she loves. Now a brilliant young astrophysicist, she wants nothing more than to be left alone with the stars in the Big Bend country of Texas.

But the boy she saved, now a Fort Worth cop, has always believed she is psychic—even though she won’t say that word out loud. He is begging her to help solve the high-profile cold case of a little girl who disappeared in broad daylight from the kitchen of her old Victorian house. A body was never found, and her mother sits in prison still loudly proclaiming her innocence. Vivvy reluctantly agrees to try.

When a popular Texas conspiracy theorist podcaster named Bubba Guns finds out about her involvement, he spews conspiracy theories about the case and muddled truths about Vivvy’s murky past. As his listeners spin dangerously out of control, and with her career and the people she loves on the line, Vivvy decides to fight back.

 

Magic Claims by Ilona Andrews (anticipated release 6/13/23) – Again, I’m not including the synopsis for this one because it’s the second book in a spinoff series, but I’m just so excited to get not 1 but 2 books from Ilona Andrews this year, and in the Kate Daniels series to boot.

 

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston (anticipated release 6/27/23) – The Dead Romantics was an unexpected hit last year with its combination of ghosts and contemporary romance, and although I’m not so sure how I feel about the premise of this follow-up, I enjoyed Ashley Poston’s writing enough to check it out.

From Goodreads: An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate…only to discover he lives seven years in the past, in this witty and wise new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.

Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it.

So Clementine forms a plan to keep her heart safe: work hard, find someone decent to love, and try to remember to chase the moon. The last one is silly and obviously metaphorical, but her aunt always told her that you needed at least one big dream to keep going. And for the last year, that plan has gone off without a hitch. Mostly. The love part is hard because she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone–she isn’t sure her heart can take it.

And then she finds a strange man standing in the kitchen of her late aunt’s apartment. A man with kind eyes and a Southern drawl and a taste for lemon pies. The kind of man that, before it all, she would’ve fallen head-over-heels for. And she might again.

Except, he exists in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact. And she, quite literally, lives seven years in his future.

Her aunt always said the apartment was a pinch in time, a place where moments blended together like watercolors. And Clementine knows that if she lets her heart fall, she’ll be doomed.

After all, love is never a matter of time–but a matter of timing.

 

At the End of Every Day by Arianna Reiche (anticipated release 7/4/23) – I love an extremely weird book, and the Disney-inspired setting makes this one even more appealing.

From Goodreads: In this haunting debut novel—perfect for fans of Iain Reid, Jeff VanderMeer, and Julia Armfield—a loyal employee at a collapsing theme park questions the recent death of a celebrity visitor, the arrival of strange new guests, her boyfriend’s erratic behavior, and ultimately her own sanity.

Delphi has spent years working at a vast and iconic theme park in California after fleeing her childhood trauma in her rural hometown. But after the disturbing death of a beloved Hollywood starlet on the park grounds, Delphi is tasked with shuttering The Park for good.

Meanwhile, two siblings with ties to The Park exchange letters, trying to understand why people who work there have been disappearing. Before long, they learn that there’s a reason no one is meant to see behind The Park’s curtain.

What happens when The Park empties out? And what happens when Delphi, who seems remarkably at one with The Park, is finally forced to leave?

At once a novel about the uncanny valley, death cults, optical illusions, and the enduring power of fantasy, Reiche’s debut is a mind-bending teacup ride through an eerily familiar landscape, where the key to it all is what happens At the End of Every Day.

 

Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall (anticipated release 7/11/23) – Alexis Hall wrote two of my favorite contemporary romances (Boyfriend Material and Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake) but the more recent books I’ve picked up from him haven’t been as successful for me. But! This one is F/F historical romance with magic, so I’m obviously going to read it.

From Goodreads: A young noblewoman must pair up with a rumoured witch to ward off a curse in this irresistible sapphic romance from the bestselling author of Boyfriend Material.

It is the year 1814 and life for a young lady of good breeding has many difficulties. There are balls to attend, fashions to follow, marriages to consider and, of course, the tiny complication of existing in a world swarming with fairy spirits, interfering deities, and actual straight-up sorcerers.

Miss Maelys Mitchelmore finds her entry into high society hindered by an irritating curse. It begins innocuously enough with her dress slowly unmaking itself over the course of an evening at a high-profile ball, a scandal she narrowly manages to escape.

However, as the curse progresses to more fatal proportions, Miss Mitchelmore must seek out aid, even if it means mixing with undesirable company. And there are few less desirable than Lady Georgianna Landrake—a brooding, alluring young woman sardonically nicknamed “the Duke of Annadale”—who may or may not have murdered her own father and brothers to inherit their fortune. If one is to believe the gossip, she might be some kind of malign enchantress. Then again, a malign enchantress might be exactly what Miss Mitchelmore needs.

With the Duke’s help, Miss Mitchelmore delves into a world of angry gods and vindictive magic, keen to unmask the perpetrator of these otherworldly attacks. But Miss Mitchelmore’s reputation is not the only thing at risk in spending time with her new ally. For the rumoured witch has her own secrets that may prove dangerous to Miss Mitchelmore’s heart—not to mention her life.

 

The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei (anticipated release 7/18/23) – I’ve been having a lot of luck with my science fiction picks this year, and both the cover and premise of this debut really draw me in.

From Goodreads: To save humanity, they left everything behind—except their differences.

It is the eve of Earth’s environmental collapse. A single ship carries humanity’s last hope: eighty elite graduates of a competitive program, who will give birth to a generation of children in deep space. But halfway to a distant but livable planet, a lethal bomb kills three of the crew and knocks The Phoenix off course. Asuka, the only surviving witness, is an immediate suspect.

Asuka already felt like an impostor before the explosion. She was the last picked for the mission, she struggled during training back on Earth, and she was chosen to represent Japan, a country she only partly knows as a half-Japanese girl raised in America. But estranged from her mother back home, The Phoenix is all she has left.

With the crew turning on each other, Asuka is determined to find the culprit before they all lose faith in the mission—or worse, the bomber strikes again. Now, in order to survive, she must burn brighter than the stars that surround her.

 

Masters of Death by Olivie Blake (anticipated release 8/8/23) – Yes, another Olivie Blake book! These just keep piling up much faster than I can read them (the author already had a substantial backlist before she was picked up by a traditional publisher), but my love for The Atlas Six is strong enough to see me through infinite Olive Blake releases.

From Goodreads: Viola Marek is a struggling real estate agent, and a vampire. But her biggest problem currently is that the house she needs to sell is haunted. The ghost haunting the house has been murdered, and until he can solve the mystery of how he died, he refuses to move on.

Fox D’Mora is a medium, and though he is also most-definitely a shameless fraud, he isn’t entirely without his uses—seeing as he’s actually the godson of Death.

When Viola seeks out Fox to help her with her ghost-infested mansion, he becomes inextricably involved in a quest that neither he nor Vi expects (or wants). But with the help of an unruly poltergeist, a demonic personal trainer, a sharp-voiced angel, a love-stricken reaper, and a few mindfulness-practicing creatures, Vi and Fox soon discover the difference between a mysterious lost love and an annoying dead body isn’t nearly as distinct as they thought.

 

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher (anticipated release 8/15/23) – 2022 was the first time I was introduced to T. Kingfisher, and I enjoyed both books of hers I picked up, Nettle & Bone and The Hollow Places. This sounds more in the vein of Nettle & Bone, where fairy tales twist in unexpected ways.

From Goodreads: Meet Toadling. On the day of her birth, she was stolen from her family by the fairies, but she grew up safe and loved in the warm waters of faerieland. Once an adult though, the fae ask a favor of Toadling: return to the human world and offer a blessing of protection to a newborn child. Simple, right?

But nothing with fairies is ever simple.

Centuries later, a knight approaches a towering wall of brambles, where the thorns are as thick as your arm and as sharp as swords. He’s heard there’s a curse here that needs breaking, but it’s a curse Toadling will do anything to uphold…

 

The Long Game by Elena Armas (anticipated release 9/5/23) – Elena Armas’s third adult contemporary romance sounds cute, even if it is sports-centric (not my favorite contemporary subgenre).

From Goodreads: Adalyn Reyes has spent years perfecting her daily routine: wake up at dawn, drive to the Miami Flames FC offices, try her hardest to leave a mark, go home, and repeat.

But her routine is disrupted when a video of her in an altercation with the team’s mascot goes viral. Rather than fire her, the team’s owner—who happens to be her father—sends Adalyn to middle-of-nowhere North Carolina, where she’s tasked with turning around the struggling local soccer team, the Green Warriors, as a way to redeem herself. Her plans crumble upon discovering that the players wear tutus to practice (impractical), keep pet goats (messy), and are terrified of Adalyn (counterproductive), and are nine-year-old kids.

To make things worse, also in town is Cameron Caldani, goalkeeping prodigy whose presence is somewhat of a mystery. Cam is the perfect candidate to help Adalyn, but after one very unfortunate first encounter involving a rooster, Cam’s leg, and Adalyn’s bumper, he’s also set on running her out of town. But banishment is not an option for Adalyn. Not again. Helping this ragtag children’s team is her road to redemption, and she is playing the long game. With or without Cam’s help.

 

Rouge by Mona Awad (anticipated release 9/12/23) – If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you’ll know that Mona Awad wrote my FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME, Bunny, meaning that I will read absolutely anything she comes out with. I also absolutely loved All’s Well, which was one of my favorite reads of 2022, so my hopes for Rouge are sky-high.

From Goodreads: For as long as she can remember, Belle has been insidiously obsessed with her skin and skincare videos. When her estranged mother Noelle mysteriously dies, Belle finds herself back in Southern California, dealing with her mother’s considerable debts and grappling with lingering questions about her death. The stakes escalate when a strange woman in red appears at the funeral, offering a tantalizing clue about her mother’s demise, followed by a cryptic video about a transformative spa experience. With the help of a pair of red shoes, Belle is lured into the barbed embrace of La Maison de Méduse, the same lavish, culty spa to which her mother was devoted. There, Belle discovers the frightening secret behind her (and her mother’s) obsession with the mirror—and the great shimmering depths (and demons) that lurk on the other side of the glass.

Snow White meets Eyes Wide Shut in this surreal descent into the dark side of beauty, envy, grief, and the complicated love between mothers and daughters. With black humor and seductive horror, Rouge explores the cult-like nature of the beauty industry—as well as the danger of internalizing its pitiless gaze. Brimming with California sunshine and blood-red rose petals, Rouge holds up a warped mirror to our relationship with mortality, our collective fixation with the surface, and the wondrous, deep longing that might lie beneath.

 

In These Hallowed Halls: A Dark Academia Anthology edited by Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane (anticipated release 9/12/23) – I can’t remember the last time I actually read an anthology, but dark academia is one of my favorite subgenres and this collection features two past favorite authors (Olivie Blake and M.L. Rio).

From Goodreads: A beguiling, sinister collection of 12 dark academia short stories from masters of the genre, including Olivie Blake, M.L. Rio, Susie Yang and more!

Darkened libraries at elite schools, looming Gothic towers, charismatic professors, the tang of autumn in the air… and the rivalries and obsessions that lead to murder. Within these Hallowed Halls is a chilling, compulsive collection of dark academia short stories.

Better Hate Than Never by Chloe Liese (anticipated release 10/10/23) – I really loved Chloe Liese’s first contemporary romance Shakespeare retelling, Two Wrongs Make a Right, and I love how she writes well-rounded characters who are often dealing with mental health issues. This next book is a retelling of The Taming of the Shrew, which I hate in its original play form but do tend to like when adapted through a more modern and feminist lens.

From Goodreads: Childhood enemies discover the fine line between love and loathing in this heartfelt reimagining of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.

Katerina Wilmot and Christopher Petruchio shared backyards as kids, but as adults they won’t even share the same hemisphere. That is, until Kate makes a rare visit home, and their fiery animosity rekindles into a raging inferno.

Despite their friends’ and families’ pleas for peace, Christopher is unconvinced Kate would willingly douse the flames of their enmity. But when a drunken Kate confesses she’s only been hostile because she thought he hated her, Christopher vows to make peace with Kate once and for all. Tempting as it is to be swept away by her nemesis-turned-gentleman, Kate isn’t sure she can trust his charming good-guy act.

When Christopher’s persistence and Kate’s curiosity lead to an impassioned kiss, they realize “peace” is the last thing that will ever be possible between them. As desire gives way to deeper feelings, Kate and Christopher must decide if it’s truly better to hate than to never risk their hearts—or if they already gave them away long ago.

 

Death Valley by Melissa Broder (anticipated release 10/24/23) – I finally read and really enjoyed a Melissa Broder book last year (Milk Fed) that made me want to read more from her. This newest sounds very weird, which is always a plus for me.

From Goodreads: In Melissa Broder’s astounding new novel, a woman arrives alone at a Best Western seeking respite from an emptiness that plagues her. She has fled to the California high desert to escape a cloud of sorrow—for both her father in the ICU and a husband whose illness is worsening. What the motel provides, however, is not peace but a path, thanks to a receptionist who recommends a nearby hike.

Out on the sun-scorched trail, the woman encounters a towering cactus whose size and shape mean it should not exist in California. Yet the cactus is there, with a gash through its side that beckons like a familiar door. So she enters it. What awaits her inside this mystical succulent sets her on a journey at once desolate and rich, hilarious and poignant.

This is Melissa Broder at her most imaginative, most universal, and finest. This is Death Valley.

 

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood (anticipated release 11/7/23) – In addition to her third adult contemporary romance novel, Ali Hazelwood also has a nerdy YA romance coming out this year. It sounds very similar to her other work, which for me is generally a good thing; I’m hoping I enjoy this one like I’ve enjoyed her novels and unlike her novellas, which I wasn’t huge fans of.

From Goodreads: Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Every move counts nowadays; after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory’s focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious “Kingkiller” Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess.

Nolan’s loss to an unknown rook-ie shocks everyone. What’s even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory’s victory opens the door to sorely needed cash-prizes and despite everything, she can’t help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist….

As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren’t only on the board, the spotlight is brighter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce (-ly attractive. And intelligent…and infuriating…)

 

Space Oddity by Catherynne M. Valente (anticipated release 11/21/23) – Space Opera is one of the books that got me hooked on Catherynne M. Valente, who is now one of my all-time favorite authors. It’s such a wonderful book that is 90% silly and 10% so emotional that it punches you in the stomach. I can’t imagine that the sequel will let me down.

From Goodreads: The Metagalactic Grand Prix—part gladiatorial contest, part beauty pageant, part concert extravaganza, and part continuation of the wars of the past returns and the fate of the Earth is once again threatened. The civilizations opposed to humanity have been plotting and want to take down the upstarts. Can humanity rise again in this sequel to the beloved Hugo­ Award–nominated national bestselling Space Opera by New York Times bestselling author Catherynne M. Valente?

 

The Gentleman’s Gambit by Evie Dunmore (anticipated release 12/5/23) – This will be Evie Dunmore’s fourth book in her League of Extraordinary Women series, and I’ve enjoyed all three of its predecessors. It’s the only historical romance series that I’m currently following, and I’m sad that this will presumably be its last installment.

From Goodreads: Bookish suffragist Catriona Campbell is busy: An ailing estate, academic writer’s block, a tense time for England’s women’s rights campaign–the last thing she needs is to be stuck playing host to her father’s distractingly attractive young colleague.

Deeply introverted Catriona lives for her work at Oxford and her fight for women’s suffrage. She dreams of romance, too, but since all her attempts at love have ended badly, she now keeps her desires firmly locked inside her head–until she climbs out of a Scottish loch after a good swim and finds herself rather exposed to her new colleague.

Elias Khoury has wheedled his way into Professor Campbell’s circle under false pretenses: he did not come to Oxford to classify ancient artefacts, he is determined to take them back to his homeland in the Middle East. Winning Catriona’s favor could be the key to his success. Unfortunately, seducing the coolly intense lady scholar quickly becomes a mission in itself and his well-laid plans are in danger of derailing…

Forced into close proximity in Oxford’s hallowed halls, two very different people have to face the fact that they might just be a perfect match. Soon, a risky new game begins that asks Catriona one more time to put her heart and wildest dreams at stake.

TBR

Most Anticipated Releases of 2023, Part 1

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It’s that time of year again, the time where it’s socially acceptable for me to start posting about my most anticipated releases of the year to come. This won’t be my only list (I think I was up to 3 or 4 last year), but it’s definitely time I got started.

As usual, these books are organized in order of anticipated release date, and vary by genre from romance to fantasy and everything in between. Please comment below with any of your most anticipated new books of 2023!

 

Hell Bent (Alex Stern, #2)

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo (anticipated release 1/10/23) – I’ve been excited about this sequel ever since Ninth House, one of my favorite books of 2019, came out. Dark academia is probably my favorite subgenre, and this sequel is quite a long time coming.

From Goodreads: Galaxy “Alex” Stern is determined to break Darlington out of hell—even if it costs her a future at Lethe and at Yale. But Alex is playing with forces far beyond her control, and when faculty members begin to die off, she knows these aren’t just accidents. Something deadly is at work in New Haven, and if Alex is going to survive, she’ll have to reckon with the monsters of her past and a darkness built into the university’s very walls.

 

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawlett (anticipated release 1/10/23)

From Goodreads: Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party–or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, Shadow, and the Fair Folk to other people.

So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of Emily’s research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.

But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones–the most elusive of all faeries–lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she’ll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all–her own heart.

 

“You Just Need to Lose Weight” and 19 Other Myths About Fat People by Aubrey Gordon (anticipated release 1/10/23) – Aubrey co-hosts my favorite podcast, and I learned a lot from her first nonfiction book What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat. She actually narrates the audio of this one!

From Goodreads: The co-host of the Maintenance Phase podcast and creator of Your Fat Friend equips you with the facts to debunk common anti-fat myths and with tools to take action for fat justice

The pushback that shows up in conversations about fat justice takes exceedingly predicable form. Losing weight is easy—calories in, calories out. Fat people are unhealthy. We’re in the midst of an obesity epidemic. Fat acceptance “glorifies obesity.” The BMI is an objective measure of size and health. Yet, these myths are as readily debunked as they are pervasive.

In “You Just Need to Lose Weight,” Aubrey Gordon equips readers with the facts and figures to reframe myths about fatness in order to dismantle the anti-fat bias ingrained in how we think about and treat fat people. Bringing her dozen years of community organizing and training to bear, Gordon shares the rhetorical approaches she and other organizers employ to not only counter these pernicious myths, but to dismantle the anti-fat bias that so often underpin them.

As conversations about fat acceptance and fat justice continue to grow, “You Just Need to Lose Weight” will be essential to ensure that those conversations are informed, effective, and grounded in both research and history.

 

Behind the Scenes by Karelia Stetz-Waters (anticipated release 1/31/23) – After really enjoying Satisfaction Guaranteed, this author’s previous F/F contemporary romance, I was excited to be approved for the eARC of this follow-up.

From Goodreads: Business consultant Rose Josten might not have officially reached “pug lady” middle age, but she’s already got the pugs—along with their little Gucci coats and trash-lovin’ appetites. Still, life is good, with her work, her sisters, and a secret hobby creating incredibly tactile (if surprisingly sexy) mindfulness videos. So why does it feel like it’s not quite enough? Which is exactly when former filmmaker Ash Stewart enters camera left, and Rose’s world suddenly goes full technicolor . . .

Ash never looks at anyone. Not since her ex ripped her heart from her chest in Spielberg-esque style, crushing Ash’s reputation, dreams, and directorial career in one brutal blow. But Rose is altogether different. She’s curvy, beautiful, and just so damn put together. And her business expertise might be Ash’s best bet for getting her last film—and her last chance—financed. Now if they can just keep their attraction under wraps, Ash’s lost dream could finally come true. But are they creating movie magic . . . or setting the stage for disaster?

 

The Disenchantment by Celia Bell (anticipated release 2/2/23) – This F/F historical fiction might help me get over my aversion to historical fiction.

From Goodreads: Everyone connected to the court of Louis XIV has something to hide. The noblemen and women consort with fortune tellers in the dark confines of their salons, servants practice witchcraft and black magic, and the titled must brave accusations of poisoning family members to obtain inheritance. But for the Baroness Marie Catherine, the only thing she wishes to hide is how unhappy she is in her marriage, and the pleasures she seeks outside of it. When her husband is present, the Baroness spends her days tending to her children and telling them elaborate fairytales, but when he’s gone, Marie Catherine indulges in a more liberated existence, one of decadent salons at grand houses, forward-thinking discussions with writers and scholars, and at the centre of her freedom: Victoire Rose de Bourbon, Mademoiselle de Conti, the androgynous, self-assured countess who steals Marie Catherine’s heart and becomes her lover.

Victoire possesses everything Marie Catherine does not, confidence in her love, and a brazen fearlessness in all that she’s willing to do for it. But when Victoire’s passion results in a shocking act of murder to save Marie Catherine, the pair must escape from the tight clutches of Paris’ overzealous chief of police. As they attempt to outwit him, they are led to the darkest corners of Paris and Versailles. What they discover is a city full of lies, mysticism, and people who have secrets they too would kill to keep.

 

Radiant Sin (Dark Olympus, #4)

Radiant Sin by Katee Robert (anticipated release 2/7/23) – I continue to love Katee Robert’s loosely Greek Mythology-inspired Dark Olympus romance series, and I pre-order every installment.

From Goodreads: There’s nowhere more dangerous than Olympus…and no one more captivating than its golden god: Apollo. Keeper of secrets, master of his shining realm…and the only man I am powerless to deny.

*A scorchingly hot modern retelling of Apollo and Cassandra that’s as sinful as it is sweet.*

As a disgraced member of a fallen house, Cassandra Gataki has seen firsthand what comes from trusting the venomous Thirteen. But when the maddeningly gorgeous and kind Apollo asks her to go undercover as his plus-one at a week-long party hosted by a dangerous new power player…Cassandra reluctantly agrees to have his back.

On one condition: when it’s all over, and Apollo has the ammunition he needs to protect Olympus, she and her sister will be allowed to leave. For good.

Apollo may be the city’s official spymaster, but it’s his ability to inspire others that keeps him at the top. Despite what the rest of Olympus says, there’s no one he trusts more than Cassandra. Yet even as their fake relationship takes a wicked turn for the scaldingly hot, a very real danger surfaces… threatening not only Cassandra and Apollo, but the very heart of Olympus itself.

 

Best Served Hot

Best Served Hot by Amanda Elliot (anticipated release 2/21/23) – My goal to read all of the chef/food-inspired contemporary romances continues with this new release from the author of Sadie on a Plate, which I really enjoyed reading earlier in the year.

From Goodreads: By day, Julie Zimmerman works as an executive assistant. After hours, she’s @JulieZeeEatsNYC, a social media restaurant reviewer with over fifty thousand followers. As much as she loves her self-employed side gig, what Julie really wants is to be a critic at a major newspaper, like the New York Scroll. The only thing worse than the Scroll’s rejection of her application is the fact that smarmy, social-media-averse society boy Bennett Richard Macalester Wright snagged her dream job.

While at the Central Park Food Festival, Julie confronts the annoyingly handsome Bennett about his outdated opinions on social media and posts the resulting video footage. Julie’s follower count soars—and so does the Scroll’s. Julie and Bennett grudgingly agree to partner up for a few reviews to further their buzz. Online buzz, obviously.

Over tapas, burgers, and more, Julie and Bennett connect over their shared love of food. But when the competitive fire between them turns extra spicy, they’ll have to decide how much heat their relationship can take.

 

Something Wild & Wonderful

Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly (anticipated release 3/7/23) – Another contemporary romance follow-up from a new-to-me favorite author; I was also approved for the eARC of this one.

From Goodreads: When Alexei Lebedev finally comes out to his conservative community, it does not go well. That’s how he ended up on the rugged Pacific Crest Trail, hoping he can figure out a new life plan in the thousands of miles it’ll take to walk the famed hike. He’s prepared for rattlesnakes, blisters, and months of solitude. What he’s not prepared for is the ray of sunshine named Ben Caravalho.

Charismatic and outgoing, Ben’s personality and infectious laughter is a stark opposite to Alexei’s quiet, reserved demeanor. But no matter how determined Alexei is to hike the trail alone, it seems he and Ben can’t avoid being drawn to each other. Through snow crossings and close calls with coyotes, Alexei inches closer to letting Ben in. As Alexei learns of Ben’s loving family and supportive friends, he begins to get a taste of what found family and belonging could truly feel like. But just as Alexei starts to let down his defenses, a sudden change in plans reawakens his fears—and he must discover if he has the courage to face something even scarier than the trail less traveled: letting himself fall.

 

One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake (anticipated release 4/4/23) – Everything Olivie Blake writes will continue to make my most anticipated lists. Because she is amazing.

From Goodreads: In modern-day Manhattan where we lay our scene, two rival witch families fight to maintain control of their respective criminal ventures.

On one side of the conflict are the Antonova sisters — each one beautiful, cunning, and ruthless — and their mother, the elusive supplier of premium intoxicants, known only as Baba Yaga. On the other side, the influential Fedorov brothers serve their father, the crime boss known as Koschei the Deathless, whose community extortion ventures dominate the shadows of magical Manhattan.

After twelve years of tenuous co-existence, a change in one family’s interests causes a rift in the existing stalemate. When bad blood brings both families to the precipice of disaster, fate intervenes with a chance encounter, and in the aftershocks of a resurrected conflict, everyone must choose a side. As each of the siblings struggles to stake their claim, fraying loyalties threaten to rot each side from the inside out.

If, that is, the enmity between empires doesn’t destroy them first.

 

The Fiancée Farce

The Fiancee Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur (anticipated release 4/18/23) – LOOK AT THIS COVER. Also, LOOK AT THIS SYNOPSIS.

From Goodreads: Tansy Adams’ greatest love is her family’s bookstore, passed down from her late father. But when it comes to actual romance… Tansy can’t get past the first chapter. Tired of her stepfamily’s questions about her love life, Tansy invents Gemma, a fake girlfriend inspired by the stunning cover model on a bestselling book. They’ll never actually meet, so what’s the harm in a little fib? Yet when real-life Gemma crosses Tansy’s path, her white lie nearly implodes.

Gemma van Dalen is a wild child, the outcast of her wealthy family, and now the latest heir to Van Dalen Publishing. But the title comes with one tiny condition: she must be married in order to inherit. When Gemma discovers a beautiful stranger has been pretending to date her for months, she decides to take the charade one step further—and announces their engagement.

Gemma needs a wife to meet the terms of her grandfather’s will and Tansy needs money to save her struggling bookstore. A marriage could be mutually beneficial, if they can fool everyone into thinking it’s a love match. Unexpected sparks fly as Tansy and Gemma play the role of affectionate fiancées, and suddenly the line between convenient arrangement and real feelings begins to blur. But the scheming Van Dalen family won’t give up the company without a fight, and Gemma and Tansy’s newfound happiness might get caught in the fallout…

 

The Thick and the Lean by Chana Porter (anticipated release 4/18/23)

From Goodreads: In the quaint religious town of Seagate, abstaining from food brings one closer to God.

But Beatrice Bolano is hungry. She craves the forbidden: butter, flambé, marzipan. As Seagate takes increasingly extreme measures to regulate every calorie its citizens consume, Beatrice must make a choice: give up her secret passion for cooking or leave the only community she has known.

Elsewhere, Reiko Rimando has left her modest roots for a college tech scholarship in the big city. A flawless student, she is set up for success…until her school pulls her funding, leaving her to face either a mountain of debt or a humiliating return home. But Reiko is done being at the mercy of the system. She forges a third path—outside of the law.

With the guidance of a mysterious cookbook written by a kitchen maid centuries ago, Beatrice and Reiko each grasp for a life of freedom—something more easily imagined than achieved in a world dominated by catastrophic corporate greed.

A startling fable of the entwined perils of capitalism, body politics, and the stigmas women face for appetites of every kind, Chana Porter’s profound new novel explores the reclamation of pleasure as a revolutionary act.

 

Happy Place by Emily Henry (anticipated release 4/25/23) – Henry’s fourth adult contemporary romance is guaranteed to be a hit–but will it live up to her previous 3? I’ve always said previously that I don’t like second chance romance, but after reading a few in 2022 that worked for me, I’m less skeptical of this one.

From Goodreads: Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t.

They broke up six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.

Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.

Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week…in front of those who know you best?

 

Just As You Are by Camille Kellogg (anticipated release 4/25/23) – Sapphic Price & Prejudice retelling!!!

From Goodreads: Equal parts witty and steamy, this debut rom-com brings a healthy dose of queerness and a whole lot of heart to a Pride and Prejudice-inspired enemies to lovers romance.

The only thing worse for Liz than hating her unpleasant, standoffish new boss? Being incurably attracted to her.

Liz Baker and her three roommates work at The Nether Fields, a queer magazine in New York that’s on the verge of shutting down—until it’s bought at the last minute by two wealthy lesbians. Even though Liz is eager to leave listicles behind for more meaningful writing, she knows that she’s lucky to still have a paycheck. But it’s hard to feel grateful with minority investor Daria Fitzgerald slashing budgets, cancelling bagel Fridays, and password protecting the color printer to prevent “frivolous use.” When Liz overhears Daria scoffing at her articles, she knows that it’s only a matter of her time before her impulsive mouth tells Daria off and gets herself fired.

But as Liz and Daria get thrown together more and more, Liz starts to see a softer side to Daria—she’s funny, surprisingly helpful, and actually seems to like that Liz’s gender presentation varies between butch and femme. Even as the evidence that Liz can’t trust Daria piles up, it starts getting harder and harder to keep hating Daria—and harder and harder to resist her.

This page-turning, sexy, and delightfully funny rom-com celebrates queer culture, chosen family, coming of age, and falling in love against your better judgment.

 

A Sleight of Shadows by Kat Howard (anticipated release 4/25/23) – An Unkindness of Magicians is a really underrated and great fantasy book, and I’m very interested to see where Kat Howard goes in this sequel.

From Goodreads: After taking down the source of the corruption of the Unseen World, Sydney is left with almost no magical ability. Feeling estranged from herself, she is determined to find a way back to her status as one of the world’s most dangerous magicians. Unfortunately, she needs to do this quickly: the House of Shadows, the hell on earth that shaped her into who she was, the place she sacrificed everything to destroy, is rebuilding itself.

“The House of shadows sits on bones. All of the sacrifices, all of the magicians who died in Shadows, they’re buried beneath the foundations. Bones hold magic.”

The magic of the Unseen World is acting strangely, faltering, bleeding out from the edges. Determined to keep the House of Shadows from returning to power and to defeat the magicians who want nothing more than to have it back, Sydney turns to extremes in a desperate attempt to regain her sacrificed magic. She is forced to decide what she will give up and what she will lose and whether what must be destroyed is not only the House of Shadows, but the Unseen World itself.

World Fantasy Award finalist Kat Howard has written a sequel that asks how you have a happily ever in a world that doesn’t want it, where the cost of that happiness may be too much to bear.

 

Grim and Bear It by Juliette Cross (anticipated release 5/9/23) – Tragically, the last book in the Stay a Spell series, but I still can’t wait to read it. A pre-order for sure.

From Goodreads: Clara Savoie is so confused. She is absolutely positive that Henry Blackwater is practically in love with her. But for some strange reason, he won’t even ask her on a single date. Time to take matters into her own hands.

When Clara shows up on his doorstep with an unusual invitation, tempting cupcakes, and naughty innuendo, Henry has no choice but to say yes. Now he’s the newest member of the High Tea Romance Book Club. While Clara learns the haunting secrets of her broody grim, Henry shows her what commitment from a necromancer truly means.

But when his father is arrested for murder, Henry is dragged back into the nightmare he’s been avoiding all his life. When he steps back into his father’s world, he isn’t just endangering himself but also the bright, beautiful woman he can no longer live without. But he just might have to.

 

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood (anticipated release 6/13/23) – I loved both of Hazelwood’s full-length contemporary romances (and disliked her novellas) so hopefully this one continues the streak.

From Goodreads: The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs.

Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and broody older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And that same Jack who now sits on the hiring committee at MIT, right between Elsie and her dream job.

Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage but…those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she’s with him? Will falling into an experimentalist’s orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?

Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong (anticipated release 7/25/23)

From Goodreads: #1 New York Times bestselling YA author Chloe Gong’s adult epic fantasy debut, inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, is a fiery collision of power plays, spilled blood, and romance amidst a set of deadly games.

Every year, thousands in the kingdom of Talin will flock to its capital twin cities, San-Er, where the palace hosts a set of games. For those confident enough in their ability to jump between bodies, competitors across San-Er fight to the death to win unimaginable riches.

Princess Calla Tuoleimi lurks in hiding. Five years ago, a massacre killed her parents and left the palace of Er empty…and she was the one who did it. Before King Kasa’s forces in San can catch her, she plans to finish the job and bring down the monarchy. Her reclusive uncle always greets the victor of the games, so if she wins, she gets her opportunity at last to kill him.

Enter Anton Makusa, an exiled aristocrat. His childhood love has lain in a coma since they were both ousted from the palace, and he’s deep in debt trying to keep her alive. Thankfully, he’s one of the best jumpers in the kingdom, flitting from body to body at will. His last chance at saving her is entering the games and winning.

Calla finds both an unexpected alliance with Anton and help from King Kasa’s adopted son, August, who wants to mend Talin’s ills. But the three of them have very different goals, even as Calla and Anton’s partnership spirals into something all-consuming. Before the games close, Calla must decide what she’s playing for—her lover or her kingdom.

 

Codename Charming by Lucy Parker (anticipated release 8/15/23) – This second installment in Parker’s Palace Insiders series promises her signature delightful style (and one of my favorite audio narrators).

From Goodreads: Petunia De Vere enjoys being the personal assistant to lovable, bumbling Johnny Marchmont. But the job has its share of challenges, including the royal’s giant, intimidating bodyguard, Matthias. Pet and Matthias are polar opposites—she’s spontaneous and enthusiastic, he’s rigid and stoic—but she can sense there’s something softer underneath that tough exterior…

For Matthias Vaughn, protecting others is the name of the game. But keeping his royal charge out of trouble is more difficult than he imagined because everywhere Johnny goes, calamity ensues, and his petite, bubbly assistant is often caught in the fray. Matthias hates the idea of Pet getting hurt and he’s determined to keep everyone safe, even if it means clashing with his adorable new coworker.

When a clumsy moment leads to a questionable tabloid photo, the press begins to speculate that Pet is romantically involved with Johnny. To put an end to the rumors, the royal PR team asks Pet and Matthias to stage a fake relationship and the two reluctantly agree. But as they spend more time together outside of work, they begin to wonder what real emotions this pretend connection might uncover. Especially when a passionate kiss leaves both of their heads spinning…

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Bout of Books TBR!

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The Bout of Books readathon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It’s a weeklong readathon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 15th and runs through Sunday, August 21st in YOUR time zone. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are reading sprints, Twitter chats, and exclusive Instagram challenges, but they’re all completely optional. For all Bout of Books 35 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

Tomorrow is the start of a new round of Bout of Books, a low-key, week-long readathon that occurs several times per year and always helps give my reading a boost. I’m planning on tracking my reading this week for extra motivation, and although I’m not making myself stick to a firm TBR, I have some books I’m considering for the week. I’m also participating in month-long reading challenges involving picking up ARCs and 2022 releases in general, so my Bout of Books reading will likely reflect that.

Possible physical TBR books:

Yerba BuenaHigh Times in the Low ParliamentIn the Shadow GardenBliss Montage

Possible audio TBR:

Lessons in ChemistryThe Romance RecipeMy Mechanical Romance

 

 

 

TBR

Most Anticipated Books of 2022, Part 4

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Because I don’t already have enough 2022 releases on my TBR, I’m here with Part 4 of my most anticipated releases of the year!

If you’ve missed any of my previous posts, here are Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

As always, I’m listing them in order of planned release date, and am linking to their Goodreads pages so that you can easily add them to your TBR as well if they sound interesting.

Since we’ve already done this 3 times this year alone, let’s just get into it!

 

The Stardust Thief

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah (release date 5/17/22) – This book actually came onto my radar through Book of the Month, and I ended up picking it as my choice for June because it sounded like a great new start to a fantasy series.

From Goodreads: Loulie al-Nazari is the Midnight Merchant: a criminal who, with the help of her jinn bodyguard, hunts and sells illegal magic. When she saves the life of a cowardly prince, she draws the attention of his powerful father, the sultan, who blackmails her into finding an ancient lamp that has the power to revive the barren land—at the cost of sacrificing all jinn.

With no choice but to obey or be executed, Loulie journeys with the sultan’s oldest son to find the artifact. Aided by her bodyguard, who has secrets of his own, they must survive ghoul attacks, outwit a vengeful jinn queen, and confront a malicious killer from Loulie’s past. And, in a world where story is reality and illusion is truth, Loulie will discover that everything—her enemy, her magic, even her own past—is not what it seems, and she must decide who she will become in this new reality.

 

A Lady for a Duke

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall (release date 5/24/22) – I can tell it’s been a long time since I started making this list when I’m already reading the books on it, which is the case currently for A Lady for a Duke. It’s SO GOOD so far, with little funny moments but an overall undercurrent of very strong emotion.

From Goodreads: When Viola Caroll was presumed dead at Waterloo she took the opportunity to live, at last, as herself. But freedom does not come without a price, and Viola paid for hers with the loss of her wealth, her title, and her closest companion, Justin de Vere, the Duke of Gracewood.

Only when their families reconnect, years after the war, does Viola learn how deep that loss truly was. Shattered without her, Gracewood has retreated so far into grief that Viola barely recognises her old friend in the lonely, brooding man he has become.

As Viola strives to bring Gracewood back to himself, fresh desires give new names to old feelings. Feelings that would have been impossible once and may be impossible still, but which Viola cannot deny. Even if they cost her everything, all over again.

 

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows (anticipated release 7/26/22) – I continue to generally be interested in a lot of releases from Tor, and this fantasy romance sounds really intriguing.

From Goodreads: Velasin vin Aaron ever planned to marry at all, let alone a girl from neighboring Tithena. When an ugly confrontation reveals his preference for men, Vel fears he’s ruined the diplomatic union before it can even begin. But while his family is ready to disown him, the Tithenai envoy has a different solution: for Vel to marry his former intended’s brother instead.

Caethari Aeduria always knew he might end up in a political marriage, but his sudden betrothal to a man from Ralia, where such relationships are forbidden, comes as a shock.

With an unknown faction willing to kill to end their new alliance, Vel and Cae have no choice but to trust each other. Survival is one thing, but love—as both will learn—is quite another.

Byzantine politics, lush sexual energy, and a queer love story that is by turns sweet and sultry. A Strange and Stubborn Endurance is an exploration of gender, identity, and self-worth. It is a book that will live in your heart long after you turn the last page.

 

Booked on a Feeling: A Novel

Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee (anticipated release 7/26/22) – I keep searching for more new-to-me contemporary romance authors, and realized I have yet to pick up anything from Jayci Lee. Her newest release appeals to me the most, and I can’t wait to pick it up.

From Goodreads: Lizzy “Overachiever” Chung, Esq. has her life mapped out neatly:
* Become a lawyer. Check.
* Join a prestigious law firm. Check.
* Make partner. In progress.

If all goes to plan, she will check off that last box in a couple years, make her parents proud, and live a successful, fulfilled life in L.A. What was not in her plans was passing out from a panic attack during a pivotal moment in her career. A few deep breaths and a four hour drive later, Lizzy is in Weldon for three weeks to shed the burnout and figure out what went wrong. And what better place to recharge than the small California town where she spent her childhood summers with her best friend, Jack Park.

Jack Park didn’t expect to see Lizzy back in Weldon, but now he’s got three weeks to spend with the girl of his dreams. Except she doesn’t know of his decades-long crush on her–and he intends to keep it that way. She’s a high-powered attorney who lives in L.A. and he’s a bookkeeper at his family’s brewery who never left his hometown. He can’t risk their friendship on a long shot. Can he? When Lizzy decides that the local bookstore needs a little revamp, of course, Jack is going to help her bring it back to life. But the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to ignore there might be more than just friendship among the dusty shelves and books…

 

The Monsters We Defy

The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope (anticipated release 8/9/22) – an historical fantasy heist? Yes please!

From Goodreads: Clara Johnson talks to spirits, a gift that saved her during her darkest moments in a Washington D. C. jail. Now a curse that’s left her indebted to the cunning spirit world. So, when the Empress, the powerful spirit who holds her debt, offers her an opportunity to gain her freedom, a desperate Clara seizes the chance. The task: steal a magical ring from the wealthiest woman in the District.

Clara can’t pull off this daring heist alone. She’ll need help from an unlikely team, from a jazz musician capable of hypnotizing with a melody to an aging vaudeville actor who can change his face, to pull off the impossible. But as they encounter increasingly difficult obstacles, a dangerous spirit interferes at every turn. Conflict in the spirit world is leaking into the human one and along D.C’.s legendary Black Broadway, a mystery unfolds—one that not only has repercussions for Clara but all of the city’s residents.

 

Heartbreaker (Hell's Belles #2)

Heartbreaker by Sarah MacLean (anticipated release 8/23/22) – I read Bombshell, the first book in the Hell’s Belles series, earlier this year and really enjoyed the writing style and romance, so I’m really excited to see the stories of the other members of the friend group play out.

From Goodreads: Raised among London’s most notorious criminals, a twist of fate landed Adelaide Frampton in the bright ballrooms of Mayfair, where she masquerades as a quiet wallflower—so plain and unassuming that no one realizes she’s the Matchbreaker…using her superior skills as a thief to help brides avoid the altar.

Henry, Duke of Clayborn, has spent a lifetime living in perfection. He has no time for the salacious gossip that arises every time the Matchbreaker ends another groom. His own reputation is impeccable—and the last thing he needs is a frustrating, fascinating woman discovering the truth of his past, or the secrets he holds close.

When the two find themselves on a breakneck journey across Britain to stop a wedding, it’s impossible for Clayborn to resist this woman who both frustrates and fascinates him. But late-night carriage rides make for delicious danger…and soon Adelaide is uncovering Clayborn’s truths, throwing his well-laid plans into chaos…and threatening to steal his heavily guarded heart.

 

All of Our Demise (All of Us Villains, #2)

All of Our Demise by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman (anticipated release 8/30/22) – All of Us Villains was a surprise YA fantasy hit for me earlier this year, and it ended on a surprising note; I honestly have no idea where the plot will go in its sequel.

From Goodreads: For the first time in this ancient, bloodstained story, the tournament is breaking. The boundaries between the city of Ilvernath and the arena have fallen. Reporters swarm the historic battlegrounds. A dead boy now lives again. And a new champion has entered the fray, one who seeks to break the curse for good… no matter how many lives are sacrificed in the process.

As the curse teeters closer and closer to collapse, the surviving champions each face a choice: dismantle the tournament piece by piece, or fight to the death as this story was always intended.

Long-held alliances will be severed. Hearts will break. Lives will end. Because a tale as wicked as this one was never destined for happily ever after.

 

Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match

Angelika Frankenstin Makes Her Match by Sally Thorne (anticipated release 9/6/22) – I really did not expect Sally Thorne to dive into genre fiction, but I can’t say I’m mad about it now that it’s happening.

From Goodreads: For generations, every Frankenstein has found their true love and equal, unlocking lifetimes of blissful wedded adventure. Clever, pretty (and odd) Angelika Frankenstein has run out of suitors and fears she may become the exception to this family rule. When assisting in her brother Victor’s ground-breaking experiment to bring a reassembled man back to life, she realizes that having an agreeable gentleman convalescing in the guest suite might be a chance to let a man get to know the real her. For the first time, Angelika embarks upon a project that is all her own.

When her handsome scientific miracle sits up on the lab table, her hopes for an instant romantic connection are thrown into disarray. Her resurrected beau (named Will for the moment) has total amnesia and is solely focused on uncovering his true identity. Trying to ignore their heart-pounding chemistry, Angelika reluctantly joins the investigation into his past, hoping it will bring them closer. But when a second suitor emerges to aid their quest, Angelika wonders if she was too hasty inventing a solution. Perhaps fate is not something that can be influenced in a laboratory? Or is Will (or whatever his name is!) her dream man, tailored for her in every way? And can he survive what was done to him in the name of science, and love?

 

Thistlefoot

Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott (anticipated release 9/13/22)

From Goodreads: The Yaga siblings–Bellatine, a young woodworker, and Isaac, a wayfaring street performer and con artist–have been estranged since childhood, separated both by resentment and by wide miles of American highway. But when they learn that they are to receive a mysterious inheritance, the siblings are reunited–only to discover that their bequest isn’t land or money, but something far stranger: a sentient house on chicken legs.

Thistlefoot, as the house is called, has arrived from the Yagas’ ancestral home in Russia–but not alone. A sinister figure known only as the Longshadow Man has tracked it to American shores, bearing with him violent secrets from the past: fiery memories that have hidden in Isaac and Bellatine’s blood for generations. As the Yaga siblings embark with Thistlefoot on a final cross-country tour of their family’s traveling theater show, the Longshadow Man follows in relentless pursuit, seeding destruction in his wake. Ultimately, time, magic, and legacy must collide–erupting in a powerful conflagration to determine who gets to remember the past and craft a new future.

An enchanted adventure illuminated by Jewish myth and adorned with lyrical prose as tantalizing and sweet as briar berries, Thistlefoot is an immersive modern fantasy saga by a bold new talent.

 

House of Hunger

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson (anticipated release 9/27/22) – I love books featuring vampires, and have been hearing great buzz about this author.

From Goodreads: Marion Shaw has been raised in the slums, where want and deprivation is all she knows. Despite longing to leave the city and its miseries, she has no real hope of escape until the day she spots a peculiar listing in the newspaper, seeking a bloodmaid.

Though she knows little about the far north—where wealthy nobles live in luxury and drink the blood of those in their service—Marion applies to the position. In a matter of days, she finds herself the newest bloodmaid at the notorious House of Hunger. There, Marion is swept into a world of dark debauchery—and at the center of it all is her.

Countess Lisavet, who presides over this hedonistic court, is loved and feared in equal measure. She takes a special interest in Marion. Lisavet is magnetic, and Marion is eager to please her new mistress. But when her fellow bloodmaids begin to go missing in the night, Marion is thrust into a vicious game of cat and mouse. She’ll need to learn the rules of her new home—and fast—or its halls will soon become her grave.

 

Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble (Winner Bakes All, #2)

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble by Alexis Hall (anticipated release 10/15/22) – I can’t wait for this follow-up to Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake! I have so many Alexis Hall books on my most anticipated reads lists, but this one might just be the one I’m looking forward to the most.

From Goodreads: Paris Daillencourt is a recipe for disaster. Despite his passion for baking, his cat, and his classics degree, constant self-doubt and second-guessing have left him a curdled, directionless mess. So when his roommate enters him in Bake Expectations, the nation’s favourite baking show, Paris is sure he’ll be the first one sent home.

But not only does he win week one’s challenge—he meets fellow contestant Tariq Hassan. Sure, he’s the competition, but he’s also cute and kind, with more confidence than Paris could ever hope to have. Still, neither his growing romance with Tariq nor his own impressive bakes can keep Paris’s fear of failure from spoiling his happiness. And when the show’s vicious fanbase confirms his worst anxieties, Paris’s confidence is torn apart quicker than tear-and-share bread.

But if Paris can find the strength to face his past, his future, and the chorus of hecklers that live in his brain, he’ll realize it’s the sweet things in life that he really deserves.

 

The Atlas Paradox (The Atlas, #2)

The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake (anticipated release 10/25/22) – I needed the sequel the instant I finished The Atlas Six; I can’t wait to return to these characters.

From Goodreads: The Atlas Paradox is the long-awaited sequel to dark academic sensation The Atlas Six—guaranteed to have even more yearning, backstabbing, betrayal, and chaos.

Six magicians. Two rivalries. One researcher. And a man who can walk through dreams. All must pick a side: do they wish to preserve the world—or destroy it? In this electric sequel to the viral sensation, The Atlas Six, the society of Alexandrians is revealed for what it is: a secret society with raw, world-changing power, headed by a man whose plans to change life as we know it are already under way. But the cost of knowledge is steep, and as the price of power demands each character choose a side, which alliances will hold and which will see their enmity deepen?

 

The World We Make (Great Cities #2)

The World We Make by N.K. Jemisin (anticipated release 11/1/22) – Although I love Jemisin’s writing, I didn’t love The City We Became as much her other books, but I’m still really looking forward to its sequel.

From Goodreads: Every great city has a soul. A human avatar that embodies their city’s heart and wields its magic. New York? She’s got six.

But all is not well in the city that never sleeps. Though Brooklyn, Manny, Bronca, Venezia, Padmini, and Neek have temporarily managed to stop the Woman in White from invading–and destroying the entire universe in the process–the mysterious capital “E” Enemy has more subtle powers at her disposal. A new candidate for mayor wielding the populist rhetoric of gentrification, xenophobia, and “law and order” may have what it takes to change the very nature of New York itself and take it down from the inside. In order to defeat him, and the Enemy who holds his purse strings, the avatars will have to join together with the other Great Cities of the world in order to bring her down for good and protect their world from complete destruction.

 

Ocean's Echo

Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell (anticipated release 11/1/22) – Winter’s Orbit was a surprise favorite for me in 2021; science fiction romance in general isn’t a genre I gravitate towards, but I now implicitly trust Everina Maxwell.

From Goodreads: Rich socialite, inveterate flirt, and walking disaster Tennalhin Halkana can read minds. Tennal, like all neuromodified “readers,” is a security threat on his own. But when controlled, readers are a rare asset. Not only can they read minds, but they can navigate chaotic space, the maelstroms surrounding the gateway to the wider universe.

Conscripted into the military under dubious circumstances, Tennal is placed into the care of Lieutenant Surit Yeni, a duty-bound soldier, principled leader, and the son of a notorious traitor general. Whereas Tennal can read minds, Surit can influence them. Like all other neuromodified “architects,” he can impose his will onto others, and he’s under orders to control Tennal by merging their minds.

Surit accepted a suspicious promotion-track request out of desperation, but he refuses to go through with his illegal orders to sync and control an unconsenting Tennal. So they lie: They fake a sync bond and plan Tennal’s escape.

Their best chance arrives with a salvage-retrieval mission into chaotic space—to the very neuromodifcation lab that Surit’s traitor mother destroyed twenty years ago. And among the rubble is a treasure both terrible and unimaginably powerful, one that upends a decades-old power struggle, and begins a war.

Tennal and Surit can no longer abandon their unit or their world. The only way to avoid life under full military control is to complete the very sync they’ve been faking.

Can two unwilling weapons of war bring about peace?

 

Even Though I Knew the End

Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk (anticipated release 11/8/22) – I always keep an eye on upcoming Tor.com novellas, and this queer historical fantasy has really caught my attention.

From Goodreads: A magical detective dives into the affairs of Chicago’s divine monsters to secure a future with the love of her life. This sapphic period piece will dazzle anyone looking for mystery, intrigue, romance, magic, or all of the above.

An exiled augur who sold her soul to save her brother’s life is offered one last job before serving an eternity in hell. When she turns it down, her client sweetens the pot by offering up the one payment she can’t resist―the chance to have a future where she grows old with the woman she loves.

To succeed, she is given three days to track down the White City Vampire, Chicago’s most notorious serial killer. If she fails, only hell and heartbreak await.

 

Ship Wrecked (Spoiler Alert, #3)

Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade (anticipated release 11/15/22) – After enjoying both Spoiler Alert and All the Feels, I have high hopes for the third romance in Dade’s geeky contemporary romance series.

From Goodreads: Maria’s one-night-stand—the thick-thighed, sexy Viking of a man she left without a word or a note—just reappeared. Apparently, Peter’s her surly Gods of the Gates co-star, and they’re about to spend the next six years filming on a desolate Irish island together. She still wants him…but he now wants nothing to do with her.

Peter knows this role could finally transform him from a forgettable character actor into a leading man. He also knows a failed relationship with Maria could poison the set, and he won’t sabotage his career for a woman who’s already walked away from him once. Given time, maybe they can be cooperative colleagues or friends—possibly even best friends—but not lovers again. No matter how much he aches for her.

For years, they don’t touch off-camera. But on their last night of filming, their mutual restraint finally shatters, and all their pent-up desire explodes into renewed passion. Too bad they still don’t have a future together, since Peter’s going back to Hollywood, while Maria’s returning to her native Sweden. She thinks she needs more than he can give her, but he’s determined to change her mind, and he’s spent the last six years waiting. Watching. Wanting.

His shipwrecked Swede doesn’t stand a chance.

 

Two Wrongs Make a Right

Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese (anticipated release 11/22/22) – I think I’ve now read 2 of Chloe Liese’s contemporary romances, which I liked but didn’t love, and the Shakespeare inspiration behind her newest release makes me think that this could become my favorite of hers.

From Goodreads: Opposites become allies to fool their matchmaking friends in this swoony reimagining of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy, Much Ado About Nothing.

Jamie Westenberg and Bea Wilmot have nothing in common except a meet-disaster and the mutual understanding that they couldn’t be more wrong for each other. But when the people closest to them play Cupid and trick them into going on a date, Jamie and Bea realize they have something else in common after all—an undeniable need for revenge.

Soon their plan is in place: Fake date obnoxiously and convince the meddlers they’re madly in love. Then, break up spectacularly and dash their hopes, putting an end to the matchmaking madness once and for all.

To convince everyone that they’ve fallen for each other, Jamie and Bea will have to nail the performance of their lives. But as their final act nears and playing lovers becomes easier than not, they begin to wonder, what if Cupid’s arrow wasn’t so off the mark? And what if two wrongs do make a right?

 

The Two Doctors Górski

The Two Doctors Gorski by Isaac Fellman (anticipated release 11/29/22) –

From Goodreads: Annae, a brilliant graduate student in psychiatric magic and survivor of academic abuse, can’t stop reading people’s minds. This is how she protects herself, by using her abilities to give her colleagues what they each want out of their relationship with her.

When Annae moves to the UK to rebuild her life and finds herself studying under the infamous, misanthropic magician Marec Górski, she sees inside his head a dangerous path to her redemption. Annae now faces two choices—follow in Dr. Górski’s lead, or break free of a lifetime of conditioning to follow her own path.

 

Alone With You in the Ether

Alone With You in the Ether: A Love Story by Olivie Blake (anticipated re-release 12/6/22) – The Atlas Six introduced me to the lovely, emotional writing of Olivie Blake, and now I want to read everything she writes. Luckily, Tor is re-releasing one of her earlier indie releases, which sounds like it will be gorgeous.

From Goodreads:

CHICAGO, SOMETIME —
Two people meet in the armory of the Art Institute by chance. Prior to their encounter, he is a doctoral student who manages his destructive thoughts with compulsive calculations about time travel; she is a bipolar counterfeit artist undergoing court-ordered psychotherapy.
After their meeting, those things do not change. Everything else, however, is slightly different.
Both obsessive, eccentric personalities, Aldo Damiani and Charlotte Regan struggle to be without each other from the moment they meet. The truth—that he is a clinically depressed, anti-social theoretician and she is a manipulative liar with a history of self-sabotage—means the deeper they fall in love, the more troubling their reliance on each other becomes.
An intimate study of time and space, ALONE WITH YOU IN THE ETHER is a fantasy writer’s magicless glimpse into the nature of love, what it means to be unwell, and how to face the fractures of yourself and still love as if you’re not broken

 

Never Ever Getting Back Together

Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales (anticipated release 12/6/22) – I discovered this book somewhat accidentally when it was available to download from NetGalley, and then wondered how I hadn’t already heard about it. It’s set on a reality TV show, which is somewhat of a trend in contemporary romance, and features an F/F romance. I feel like I’m likely to read this one long before its December release date because it sounds very fun (and is named after a Tswift song, which I can’t be mad about).

From Goodreads: It’s been two years since Maya dumped her cheating ex-boyfriend Jordy, and she still can’t escape him: his sister married the crown prince of a minor European country, and in the lead up to the wedding he captured hearts globally as the eligible younger brother. So, when Maya receives an invitation to be a contestant on Second Chance Romance, a new reality show in which the now-famous Jordy will re-date his ex-girlfriends in an effort to find “the one that got away,” she isn’t interested…that is, until she realizes she can use this opportunity to exact her revenge. If she can make it to the finale, she can reject Jordy and publicly break his heart. As far as Maya’s concerned, it’s payback with interest: just what a guy like Jordy deserves.

But when she gets to the set, she’s confronted with the one person she hasn’t accounted for: Skye, the beautiful, charismatic girl Jordy cheated on Maya with. How is she supposed to live with this girl for six weeks? Sharing bunkbeds, for crying out loud?

Except, of course, there’s more to Skye than she lets most people see. Skye has her own reasons for being careful with her heart, and might be more willing to take Maya’s side than it initially seems. If they can sustain their reluctant alliance—and keep their unexpected chemistry from interfering—they might just have a chance to take Jordy down.

 

Witcha Gonna Do

Witcha Gonna Do? by Avery Flynn (anticipated release 12/6/22) – I can’t help but be intrigued by any cute-sounding witchy romance, and I find the cover really appealing.

From Goodreads: Could it possibly get any worse than having absolutely no magical abilities when you’re a member of the most powerful family of witches ever? It used to be that I’d say no, but then I keep getting set up on dates with Gil Connolly whose hotness is only matched by his ego. Seriously. I can’t stand him. Even if I also can’t stop thinking about him (specifically kissing him) but we’re going to pretend I never told you that part.

So yeah, my life isn’t the greatest right now, but then it goes straight to the absolute worst hell when I accidentally make my sister’s spell glitch and curse my whole family. And the only person who can help non-magical me break the spell? You guessed it. Gil the super hot jerk.

Now we have to work together to save my family and outmaneuver some evil-minded nefarious forces bent on world domination. Oh yeah, and we have to do all that while fighting against the attraction building between us because I may not be magical, but what’s happening between Gil and I sure feels like it.

readathon

Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon TBR

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It’s time for another round of Dewey’s 24-hour readathon, one of my favorite bookish events of the year. I particularly like the October readathon, because it combines my love of fall/spooky season books with readathon-ing. Dewey’s is a fun, social, low-pressure readathon where the premise is to read as much as possible during a 24-hour period, which begins at 8am Saturday morning my time. I’ve never read for the full 24 hours (not even close!) but I do tend to find a lot of fun and stress relief in challenging myself to read as much as I can during one specific day.

It feels like it’s been so long since I’ve done a Dewey’s readathon; I have no idea what to expect in terms of how much reading I’ll get done, but I’m definitely looking forward to the mental health break. Here are some of the books I’m considering picking up during the readathon:

Novellas:

A Spindle Splintered (Fractured Fables, #1)This Is How You Lose the Time WarThe Monster of Elendhaven

I love reading novellas, and since they’re short, I tend to save them for readathons. I’m actually thinking of starting and ending the readathon with novellas, depending on my mood. I’m hoping to kick off the readathon with Sleeping Beauty retelling A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow, and might try winding down later in the night with spooky-sounding dark fantasy The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht. I’ve also heard great things about futuristic F/F romance This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, which I’m thinking I have a good chance of getting to during the readathon.

Novels (short-ish and all happen to be 2021 releases):

Once There Were WolvesThe Heart Principle (The Kiss Quotient, #3)The Memory Theater

My typical readathon plan usually involves 1-2 novels that I’ve been really looking forward to; this year I’m thinking about environmental mystery Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy, contemporary romance by a past favorite author The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang, and a book I’ve already started, dark fantasy The Memory Theater by Karin Tidbeck.

Audiobook

The Anthropocene Reviewed

I always need an audiobook option for readathons, and audiobooks have become a much larger portion of my reading in general in recent years. I started John Green’s new essay collection The Anthropocene Reviewed this week and plan to continue it during Dewey’s; I also have access to the audiobook for The Monster of Elendhaven via Scribd, so that’s a possibility as well.

Short story and poetry collections:

Of This New WorldLife on Mars

I don’t think I’ve ever actually picked up a short story or poetry collection during Dewey’s, but I think it would be a smart choice if my energy or attention starts lagging, so I’ve added a few options to my TBR.

 

TBR

June TBR

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Since it’s June, aka Pride Month, I’ve decided to focus on reading books featuring LGBTQIA+ authors and/or main characters. I’m really happy with the TBR stack that I’ve put together, but with my mood-reading tendencies and the many great books to choose from, who knows what will happen!

Books from my physical TBR shelf I’d love to get to:

The Weight of the StarsOne Last StopWhen the Moon Was OursPlain Bad HeroinesThe Galaxy, and the Ground Within (Wayfarers, #4)Olympia Knife

2 of these are from my Top 10 2021 TBR (When the Moon was Ours and Plain Bad Heroines); 2 are highly anticipated 2021 releases (One Last Stop and the Becky Chambers).

Audiobooks/ebooks:

Detransition, BabySomebody's DaughterThe Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics (Feminine Pursuits, #1)

 

Are any of these on your list for June?

TBR

May TBR

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My TBR for May is looking like it’s going to mainly consist of my current reads, carried over from April. I’m not yet sure exactly where I want my reading to go after I finish those, but I do have a few ideas.

Current reads I need to finish:

Writers & LoversAct Your Age, Eve Brown (The Brown Sisters, #3)Thin GirlsBroken (in the best possible way)

Writers & Lovers and Thin Girls (both contemporary literary fiction) were two of my most anticipated 2020 releases; Act Your Age, Eve Brown (contemporary romance) and Broken (memoir/essay collection) are two of my most anticipated releases of 2021.

Re-reads:

Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)

I absolutely loved the Netflix adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse, Shadow & Bone, and after I finished watching it I found myself really wanting to reread Six of Crows. I’ve barely started my re-read, and I love remembering how much I love this book.

New-to-me reads:

Writing into the Wound: Understanding trauma, truth, and languageHow the Blessed LiveLikes

I temporarily got a Scribd subscription so that I could listen to the audio of Roxane Gay’s essay Writing Into the Wound, which is only about an hour long but I’m sure is just as fantastic as Gay’s other work. And I also want to pick up a book from my Top 10 2021 TBR; I think I’m leaning towards short indie novel Where the Blessed Live. I’d like to pick up a short story collection as well; I’m leaning towards Likes by Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum.

TBR

March TBR

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I keep telling myself I’m going to step away from making TBRs, since I’m a mood reader at heart, but then I somehow end up setting a TBR anyways because at the start of the month I’ll be just beginning a whole new set of books and want to talk about them. My TBR for March has unintentionally become very fantasy-heavy, which is interesting because in Feb I gravitated the most towards nonfiction and in January mainly contemporary fiction and romance. Am I somehow accidentally focusing on certain genres every month? That would have been a really cool yearly reading goal if I’d actually planned on doing that.

Anyways, here’s what I’m thinking for March! I’ve sort of loosely organized the books into categories that they sort of fit.

Books from reading challenges (Top 10 TBR for 2021 and/or TBR shelf poll): I’m trying to pick up at least 1 book per month from my Top 10 TBR for 2021 list (so that I don’t fall behind and have to read them all in November/December like last year) and hope to continue that streak with Black Sun. Black Sun also won a TBR shelf poll I did over on my Bookstagram account where I had people vote for the book from my shelf they thought I should pick up next; that also turned into a whole other TBR challenge where I decided to try to read as many of the recommended books as possible before the end of the year. One of those is And Again by Jessica Chiarella, which I’ve actually already started and am enjoying so far. I’m also really glad to be picking it up finally, since I think it’s been on my shelf for about 5 years now.

Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky, #1)And Again

2021 releases (new releases and/or eARC): One of my most anticipated books of 2021, A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas, came out in Feb and I’m kind of surprised I haven’t finished it already. I’m about 70 pages in and definitely enjoying returning to the world, but haven’t yet been in the mood to sit down and really immerse myself in the book; I assume I’ll do that in March. I also want to get to a NetGalley eARC, Malice, which is a Sleeping Beauty retelling.

A ​Court of Silver Flames (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #4)Malice

Other books I really want to read: I wanted to start a new short story collection immediately after I finished What is Not Yours is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi last month, and I chose Tender by Sofia Samatar, an SFF collection that was nominated for several awards. I also want to pick up one of my Book of the Month selections this month (I’m trying to do the Book of the Month challenge, and to win you need to read at least 12 2020 or 2021 picks over the course of a year), and I’m leaning towards Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi, which I keep hearing great things about.

TenderTranscendent Kingdom

TBR

Most Anticipated 2021 Book Releases, Part 2

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As expected, almost immediately after I posted Part 1 of my most anticipated books of 2021, I started finding out about more and more amazing new book releases that are coming this year. Like my last post, these are from a variety of genres and they encompass both authors I’ve loved in the past and new-to-me authors, books I know a lot about and books I know almost nothing about. Hopefully you find some intriguing new reads on this list; I can’t wait until they are released and I can actually pick them up!

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within (Wayfarers, #4)

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers (anticipated release 2/16/21) – the fourth (and I think final) book in Chambers’s Wayfarers series, this was an automatic pre-order for me. The first book in this series, A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, is one of my all-time favorite science fiction reads, so even though I was a bit underwhelmed by the third book in the series, I can’t wait to return to this universe.

Goodreads synopsis: With no water, no air, and no native life, the planet Gora is unremarkable. The only thing it has going for it is a chance proximity to more popular worlds, making it a decent stopover for ships traveling between the wormholes that keep the Galactic Commons connected. If deep space is a highway, Gora is just your average truck stop. At the Five-Hop One-Stop, long-haul spacers can stretch their legs (if they have legs, that is), and get fuel, transit permits, and assorted supplies. The Five-Hop is run by an enterprising alien and her sometimes helpful child, who work hard to provide a little piece of home to everyone passing through. When a freak technological failure halts all traffic to and from Gora, three strangers—all different species with different aims—are thrown together at the Five-Hop. Grounded, with nothing to do but wait, the trio—an exiled artist with an appointment to keep, a cargo runner at a personal crossroads, and a mysterious individual doing her best to help those on the fringes—are compelled to confront where they’ve been, where they might go, and what they are, or could be, to each other

 

The Memory Theater

The Memory Theater by Karin Tidbeck (anticipated release 2/16/21) – This book sounds really strange, fantastical, and unique; I haven’t heard very much about it, but I’m intrigued.

Goodreads synopsis: In a world just parallel to ours exists a mystical realm known only as the Gardens. It is a place where feasts never end, games of croquet have devastating consequences, and teenagers are punished for growing up. For a select group of Masters, it’s a decadent paradise where time stands still. For those who serve them, however, it’s a slow torture where their lives can be ended in a blink. In a bid to escape before their youth betrays them, Dora and Thistle–best friends and confidants–set out on a remarkable journey through time and space. Traveling between their world and ours, they hunt the one person who can grant them freedom. Along the way they encounter a mysterious traveler who trades in favors and never forgets debts, a crossroads at the center of the universe, our own world on the brink of war, and a traveling troupe of actors with the ability to unlock the fabric of reality.

 

Honey Girl

Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers (anticipated release 2/23/21) – This contemporary romance debut has been getting a lot of buzz (so much so that I ended up pre-ordering it), and I’m always looking for new romance authors to pick up.

Goodreads synopsis: With her newly completed PhD in astronomy in hand, twenty-eight-year-old Grace Porter goes on a girls’ trip to Vegas to celebrate. She’s a straight A, work-through-the-summer certified high achiever. She is not the kind of person who goes to Vegas and gets drunkenly married to a woman whose name she doesn’t know…until she does exactly that. This one moment of departure from her stern ex-military father’s plans for her life has Grace wondering why she doesn’t feel more fulfilled from completing her degree. Staggering under the weight of her father’s expectations, a struggling job market and feelings of burnout, Grace flees her home in Portland for a summer in New York with the wife she barely knows. In New York, she’s able to ignore all the annoying questions about her future plans and falls hard for her creative and beautiful wife, Yuki Yamamoto. But when reality comes crashing in, Grace must face what she’s been running from all along—the fears that make us human, the family scars that need to heal and the longing for connection, especially when navigating the messiness of adulthood.

Klara and the Sun

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (anticipated release 3/2/21) – Ishiguro wrote one of my favorite books of a few years ago, Never Let Me Go, and his lyrical writing style never disappoints. I still have several of his backlist titles on my TBR, but this new release sounds like it returns to the themes of Never Let Me Go and I’m thinking I’ll need to prioritize it.

Goodreads synopsis: Klara and the Sun, the first novel by Kazuo Ishiguro since he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, tells the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her. Klara and the Sun is a thrilling book that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator, and one that explores the fundamental question: what does it mean to love?

 

Just Last Night

Just Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane (anticipated release 5/4/21) – I’ve rapidly become a huge fan of McFarlane after loving If I Never Met You, and I’m currently reading another one of hers, Don’t You Forget About Me. I love her writing style and well-developed, lovable protagonists, and I’m really interested in the somewhat vague synopsis of this one because it sounds like it could go in a lot of different directions.

Goodreads synopsis: Eve, Justin, Susie, and Ed have been friends since they were teenagers. Now in their thirties, the four are as close as ever, Thursday night bar trivia is sacred, and Eve is still secretly in love with Ed. Maybe she should have moved on by now, but she can’t stop thinking about what could have been. And she knows Ed still thinks about it, too. But then, in an instant, their lives are changed forever. In the aftermath, Eve’s world is upended. As stunning secrets are revealed, she begins to wonder if she really knew her friends as well as she thought. And when someone from the past comes back into her life, Eve’s future veers in a surprising new direction… They say every love story starts with a single moment. What if it was just last night?

Sorrowland

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon (anticipated release 5/4/21) – I was really blown away by the resonance of Solomon’s The Deep and An Unkindness of Ghosts, and I’m very interested to pick up anything from fae moving forward.

Goodreads synopsis: Vern – seven months pregnant and desperate to escape the strict religious compound where she was raised – flees for the shelter of the woods. There, she gives birth to twins, and plans to raise them far from the influence of the outside world. But even in the forest, Vern is a hunted woman. Forced to fight back against the community that refuses to let her go, she unleashes incredible brutality far beyond what a person should be capable of, her body wracked by inexplicable and uncanny changes. To understand her metamorphosis and to protect her small family, Vern has to face the past, and more troublingly, the future – outside the woods. Finding the truth will mean uncovering the secrets of the compound she fled but also the violent history in America that produced it.

 

The Ones We're Meant to Find

The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He (anticipated release 5/4/21) – This book sounds absolutely fascinating. Very cool premise and a gorgeous cover.

Goodreads synopsis: Cee awoke on an abandoned island three years ago. With no idea of how she was marooned, she only has a rickety house, an old android, and a single memory: she has a sister, and Cee needs to find her. STEM prodigy Kasey wants escape from the science and home she once trusted. The eco-city—Earth’s last unpolluted place—is meant to be sanctuary for those commited to planetary protection, but it’s populated by people willing to do anything for refuge, even lie. Now, she’ll have to decide if she’s ready to use science to help humanity, even though it failed the people who mattered most.

 

Switch

Switch by A.S. King (anticipated release 5/11/21) – King wrote one of my all-time favorite YA books, I Crawl Through It, and I’ve been kicking myself for not picking up more from her yet. I love how weird this book sounds, particularly as the surrealism of I Crawl Through It was one of my favorite parts.

Goodreads synopsis: Tru Beck is a teenage girl from Pennsylvania who lives in a world that has become trapped in a fold in time and space, where “real” time has stopped but humanity continues to mark artificial time based on a website called N3WCLOCK.com. Tru lives in a house that has a switch at its center. No one knows what the switch controls, but her father continually builds larger and larger boxes around the switch (Tru lives in Box #7). Tru leaves the box through a Tru-shaped hole to go to school, where she pays no attention to the new “Solution Time” curriculum. In fact, the only interesting thing that’s ever happened to Tru at school is when she discovers (on her first try) that she can throw a javelin farther than any human has ever thrown anything before in human history.

 

Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake

Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall (anticipated release 5/18/21) – I’m so happy to see that Alexis Hall has a new book coming out, since Boyfriend Material was my favorite romance of 2020. This sounds really cute, and is one of many baking contest-related contemporary romances coming out in 2021 for some reason (I guess because of the popularity of The Great British Baking Show?).

Goodreads synopsis: Following the recipe is the key to a successful bake. Rosaline Palmer has always lived by those rules—well, except for when she dropped out of college to raise her daughter, Amelie. Now, with a paycheck as useful as greaseproof paper and a house crumbling faster than biscuits in tea, she’s teetering on the edge of financial disaster. But where there’s a whisk there’s a way . . . and Rosaline has just landed a spot on the nation’s most beloved baking show. Winning the prize money would give her daughter the life she deserves—and Rosaline is determined to stick to the instructions. However, more than collapsing trifles stand between Rosaline and sweet, sweet victory.  Suave, well-educated, and parent-approved Alain Pope knows all the right moves to sweep her off her feet, but it’s shy electrician Harry Dobson who makes Rosaline question her long-held beliefs—about herself, her family, and her desires. Rosaline fears falling for Harry is a guaranteed recipe for disaster. Yet as the competition—and the ovens—heat up, Rosaline starts to realize the most delicious bakes come from the heart.

 

Talk Bookish to Me: A Novel

Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromley (anticipated release 5/25/21) – I love that there’s a book coming out with a bookstagrammer main character. I can’t not read this one.

Goodreads synopsis: Kara Sullivan’s life is full of love—albeit fictional. As a bestselling romance novelist and influential Bookstagrammer, she’s fine with getting her happily-ever-after fix between the covers of a book. But right now? Not only is Kara’s best friend getting married next week—which means big wedding stress—but the deadline for her next novel is looming, and she hasn’t written a single word. The last thing she needs is for her infuriating first love, Ryan Thompson, to suddenly appear in the wedding party. But Ryan’s unexpected arrival sparks a creative awakening in Kara that inspires the steamy historical romance she desperately needs to deliver. With her wedding duties intensifying, her deadline getting closer by the second and her bills not paying themselves, Kara knows there’s only one way for her to finish her book and to give her characters the ever-after they deserve. But can she embrace the unlikely, ruggedly handsome muse—who pushes every one of her buttons—to save the wedding, her career and, just maybe, write her own happy ending?

The Chosen and the Beautiful

The Chosen and the Beautiful by (anticipated release 6/1/21) – Super interested to see how this take on The Great Gatsby plays out; it sounds really fantastic.

Goodreads synopsis: Jordan Baker grows up in the most rarefied circles of 1920s American society—she has money, education, a killer golf handicap, and invitations to some of the most exclusive parties of the Jazz Age. She’s also queer, Asian, adopted, and treated as an exotic attraction by her peers, while the most important doors remain closed to her. But the world is full of wonders: infernal pacts and dazzling illusions, lost ghosts and elemental mysteries. In all paper is fire, and Jordan can burn the cut paper heart out of a man. She just has to learn how.

 

Witches Get Stitches (Stay a Spell, #3)

Witches Get Stitches by Juliette Cross (anticipated release 7/20/21) – This is the third book in Cross’s newest paranormal romance series that focuses on witch sisters charged with protecting New Orleans, and returns to the witch/werewolf dynamic after the last book featured a witch and a vampire.

Goodreads synopsis: Violet Savoie has a plan. A dream, rather. To open her own tattoo shop, which caters to supernaturals in need of permanent charms. As a powerful Seer, she has the potent magic to cast every kind of spell. Except the kind to give werewolves control over their beastly side. And her business partner Nico needs help in the worst kind of way. Nico Cruz has a secret. A motive, rather. To subtly stalk and seduce Violet until she finally recognizes they are fated to be together. Ever since their heated encounter in Austin on New Year’s Eve two years earlier, he’s been dying to get his hands—and his tongue—back on her body. He knows a woman like Violet can’t be courted in the usual way. Luckily, Nico has no scruples about misbehaving to get what he wants. But when his former pack roams into town, and an old friend is far too interested in Violet, his focus shifts to the threat venturing into his territory. Nico may come across as the quiet, broody one, but the intruders are about to regret stepping foot in New Orleans. And when Violet goes missing, no charm or spell can keep Nico’s wolf at bay.

 

Half Sick of Shadows

Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian (anticipated release 7/20/21) – Not exactly my typical genre, but this feminist retelling of Arthurian mythology sounds really appealing.

Goodreads synopsis: Everyone knows the legend. Of Arthur, destined to be a king. Of the beautiful Guinevere, who will betray him with his most loyal knight, Lancelot. Of the bitter sorceress, Morgana, who will turn against them all. But Elaine alone carries the burden of knowing what is to come–for Elaine of Shalott is cursed to see the future. On the mystical isle of Avalon, Elaine runs free and learns of the ancient prophecies surrounding her and her friends–countless possibilities, almost all of them tragic. When their future comes to claim them, Elaine, Guinevere, Lancelot, and Morgana accompany Arthur to take his throne in stifling Camelot, where magic is outlawed, the rules of society chain them, and enemies are everywhere. Yet the most dangerous threats may come from within their own circle. As visions are fulfilled and an inevitable fate closes in, Elaine must decide how far she will go to change fate–and what she is willing to sacrifice along the way

 

All's Well

All’s Well by Mona Awad (anticipated release 8/3/21) – Since Awad’s Bunny is my NEW FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME, I’m obviously going to pick up anything she comes out with in the future. I think I’ll need to do a Shakespeare refresher before picking this one up, though, as I hate missing references.

Goodreads synopsis: Miranda Fitch’s life is a waking nightmare. The accident that ended her burgeoning acting career left her with excruciating, chronic back pain, a failed marriage, and a deepening dependence on painkillers. And now she’s on the verge of losing her job as a college theater director. Determined to put on Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well, the play that promised, and cost, her everything, she faces a mutinous cast hellbent on staging Macbeth instead. Miranda sees her chance at redemption slip through her fingers. That’s when she meets three strange benefactors who have an eerie knowledge of Miranda’s past and a tantalizing promise for her future: one where the show goes on, her rebellious students get what’s coming to them, and the invisible, doubted pain that’s kept her from the spotlight is made known. With prose Margaret Atwood has described as “no punches pulled, no hilarities dodged…genius,” Mona Awad has concocted her most potent, subversive novel yet. All’s Well is the story of a woman at her breaking point and a formidable, piercingly funny indictment of our collective refusal to witness and believe female pain.

 

Battle Royal

Battle Royal by Lucy Parker (anticipated release 8/17/21) – Lucy Parker is one of the great romance authors i discovered in 2020, and I’ve really been enjoying her London Celebrities series. But now she’s starting a new series, and this one also focuses on a baking competition (again, apparently a theme in 2021) and sounds really fun.

Goodreads synopsis: Four years ago, Sylvie Fairchild charmed the world as a contestant on the hit baking show, Operation Cake. Her ingenious, colorful creations captivated viewers and intrigued all but one of the judges, Dominic De Vere, the hottest pastry chef in London. When her glittery unicorn cake went spectacularly sideways, Dominic was quick to vote her off the show. Since then, Sylvie has managed to use her fame to help fulfill her dream of opening a bakery, Sugar Fair. The toast of Instagram, Sugar Fair has captured the attention of the Operation Cake producers…and a princess. Dominic is His Majesty the King’s favorite baker, the go-to for sweet-toothed A-List celebrities, and a veritable British institution. He’s brilliant, talented, hard-working. And an icy, starchy grouch. Learning that the irksome Sylvie will be joining him on the Operation Cake judging panel is enough to make the famously dour baker even more grim. Her fantastical baking is only slightly more troublesome than the fact that he can’t stop thinking about her pink-streaked hair and irrepressible dimple. When Dominic and Sylvie learn they will be fighting for the once in a lifetime opportunity to bake a cake for the upcoming wedding of Princess Rose, the flour begins to fly as they’re both determined to come out on top. The bride adores Sylvie’s quirky style. The palace wants Dominic’s classic perfection. In this royal battle, can there be room for two?

 

Portrait of a Scotsman (A League of Extraordinary Women, #3)

Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore (anticipated release 9/2/21) – Dunmore is one of my favorite historical romance writers; I love her almost Austen-esque style. I’ve read the first two books in this series that focuses on a group of women fighting for the right to vote in England, and I cannot wait for the third.

Goodreads synopsis: London banking heiress Hattie Greenfield wanted “just” three things in life:

1. Acclaim as an artist.
2. A noble cause.
3. Marriage to a young lord who puts the gentle in gentleman.

Why then does this Oxford scholar find herself at the altar with the darkly attractive financier Lucian Blackstone, whose murky past and ruthless business practices strike fear in the hearts of Britain’s peerage? Trust Hattie to take an invigorating little adventure too far. Now she’s stuck with a churlish Scot who just might be the end of her ambitions….When the daughter of his business rival all but falls into his lap, Lucian sees opportunity. As a self-made man, he has vast wealth but holds little power, and Hattie might be the key to finally setting long-harbored political plans in motion. Driven by an old revenge, he has no room for his new wife’s apprehensions or romantic notions, bewitching as he finds her. But a sudden journey to Scotland paints everything in a different light. Hattie slowly sees the real Lucian and realizes she could win everything—as long as she is prepared to lose her heart.

 

Did any of these books make your TBR for 2021? Let me know in the comments!

TBR

Romance Reads on my 2021 TBR!

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In 2020, I read more romance than I think I ever have in previous years; the promise of an HEA (happily ever after) was something that was much-needed last year for me and for many readers who found ourselves turning to the romance genre. As I’ve been thinking about my reading going into 2021, I’ve been thinking a lot about what romance books I’m interested in picking up and focusing on this year, particularly since I discovered so many great new-to-me books and authors in 2020. To help myself keep track of all the awesome-sounding romance books on my radar to pick up this year, I figured I’d go ahead and organize them for myself here. It’s a mixture of 2021 releases and backlist titles, because as I discover more new-to-me romance authors I generally also start looking into their backlists.

Romance authors I can’t wait to read more from:

Mhairi McFarlane (I loved If I Never Met You)

Don't You Forget About MeJust Last Night

Lucy Parker (after I read The Austen Playbook, I want to read all of the books in her London Celebrities series)

Act Like It (London Celebrities, #1)Headliners (London Celebrities, #5)

Tessa Dare (tied for my most-read author of 2020!)

The Bride Bet (Girl Meets Duke, #4)Do You Want to Start a Scandal (Spindle Cove, #5; Castles Ever After, #4)A Week to Be Wicked (Spindle Cove, #2)

Evie Dunmore (Bringing Down the Duke was the first historical romance I really liked, and got me on board with the subgenre)

A Rogue of One's Own (A League of Extraordinary Women, #2)Portrait of a Scotsman (A League of Extraordinary Women, #3)

Previously read and loved romance authors who have new books coming out in 2021:

Alisha Rai (Modern Love and Forbidden Hearts series), Sally Thorne (The Hating Game), Casey McQuiston (Red, White, and Royal Blue), Emily Henry (Beach Read), Talia Hibbert (Take a Hint, Dani Brown), Juliette Cross (Wolf Gone Wild)

First Comes Like (Modern Love, #3)Second First ImpressionsOne Last StopPeople We Meet on VacationAct Your Age, Eve Brown (The Brown Sisters, #3)Witches Get Stitches (Stay a Spell, #3)

Historical romance authors I really want to get into in 2021:

I’ve heard really good things about Courtney Milan, Sarah MacLean, and Stacy Reid.

The Duchess War (Brothers Sinister, #1)Wicked and the Wallflower (The Bareknuckle Bastards, #1)My Darling Duke (Sinful Wallflowers, #1)

Backlist romance reads I’m intrigued by:

The Simple Wild (Wild, #1)Fables & Other Lies

2021 releases from new-to-me authors:

Talk Bookish to Me: A NovelSweethand (Island Bites, #1)Honey Girl

 

What romance reads are on your TBR for 2021?