How the hell is it July already? It’s not a bad month for new books, though the bulk of these releases comes from Elyse. Obviously, she’s going to have a fantastic month. Here are a few other books that might be on your radar:
- Kiersten White continues her Conqueror’s Saga with Bright We Burn ( A | BN | K | G | AB ).
- Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) is out this month and is part of a highly recommended space opera series.
- Penny Reid has a new release – Dr. Strange Beard ( A | BN | K | G | AB ).
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The Calculating Stars
Author: Mary Robinette Kowal
Released: July 3, 2018 by Tor Books
Genre: Historical: American, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: A Lady Astronaut Novel #1A meteor decimates the U.S. government and paves the way for a climate cataclysm that will eventually render the earth inhospitable to humanity. This looming threat calls for a radically accelerated timeline in the earth’s efforts to colonize space, as well as an unprecedented opportunity for a much larger share of humanity to take part.
One of these new entrants in the space race is Elma York, whose experience as a WASP pilot and mathematician earns her a place in the International Aerospace Coalition’s attempts to put man on the moon. But with so many skilled and experienced women pilots and scientists involved with the program, it doesn’t take long before Elma begins to wonder why they can’t go into space, too—aside from some pesky barriers like thousands of years of history and a host of expectations about the proper place of the fairer sex. And yet, Elma’s drive to become the first Lady Astronaut is so strong that even the most dearly held conventions may not stand a chance.
Amanda says: Alternate history scifi with women in space exploration!
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The King’s Witch
Author: Tracy Borman
Released: July 3, 2018 by Atlantic Monthly Press
Genre: Historical: European, Literary Fiction
Series: Frances Gorges Trilogy #1In March of 1603, as she helps to nurse the dying Queen Elizabeth of England, Frances Gorges dreams of her parents’ country estate, where she has learned to use flowers and herbs to become a much-loved healer. She is happy to stay at home when King James of Scotland succeeds to the throne. His court may be shockingly decadent, but his intolerant Puritanism sees witchcraft in many of the old customs—punishable by death.
But when her ambitious uncle forcibly brings Frances to the royal palace, she is a ready target for the twisted scheming of the Privy Seal, Lord Cecil. As a dark campaign to destroy both King and Parliament gathers pace, culminating in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, Frances is surrounded by danger, finding happiness only with the King’s precocious young daughter, and with Tom Wintour, the one courtier she feels she can trust. But is he all that he seems?
Acclaimed as a brilliant historian, Tracy Borman proves with this thrilling debut novel that she is also a born storyteller.
Redheadedgirl says: Historical novel about a woman in the court of James I. I’m not as well versed in Stuart era history, so I’m very interested in this.
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Kiss of the Royal
Author: Lindsey Duga
Released: July 3, 2018 by Entangled: Teen
Genre: Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young AdultIn the war against the Forces of Darkness, the Royals are losing. Princess Ivy is determined to end this centuries-long conflict once and for all, so her new battle partner must succeed where the others failed. Prince Zach’s unparalleled skill with a sword, enhanced by Ivy’s magic Kiss, should make them an unstoppable pair—but try convincing Zach of that.
Prince Zach has spent his life preparing for battle, but he would rather be branded a heretic than use his lips as nothing more than a way to transfer magic. A kiss is a symbol of love, and love is the most powerful weapon they have—but try convincing Ivy of that.
With the fate of their world on the line, the battlefield has become a testing ground, and only one of them can be right. Falling for each other wasn’t part of the plan—but try convincing their hearts of that.
Amanda says: This blends kissing and magic, which are two of my favorite things.
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The Ruin
Author: Dervla McTiernan
Released: July 3, 2018 by Penguin Books
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Series: Cormac Reilly #1It’s been twenty years since Cormac Reilly discovered the body of Hilaria Blake in her crumbling Georgian home. But he’s never forgotten the two children she left behind…
When Aisling Conroy’s boyfriend Jack is found in the freezing black waters of the river Corrib, the police tell her it was suicide. A surgical resident, she throws herself into study and work, trying to forget–until Jack’s sister Maude shows up. Maude suspects foul play, and she is determined to prove it.
Cormac Reilly is the detective assigned with the re-investigation of a seemingly accidental overdose twenty years ago–the overdose of Jack and Maude’s drug and alcohol addled mother. Detective Reilly is under increasing pressure to charge Maude for murder when his colleague Danny uncovers a piece of evidence that will change everything…
This unsettling small-town noir draws us deep into the dark heart of Ireland, where corruption, desperation, and crime run rife. A gritty look at trust and betrayal where the written law isn’t the only one, The Ruin asks who will protect you when the authorities can’t–or won’t.
Elyse says: This thriller looks really promising and very noir.
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Scandal Above Stairs
Author: Jennifer Ashley
Released: July 3, 2018 by Berkley
Genre: Historical: European, Mystery/Thriller
Series: Kat Holloway Mysteries #2Priceless artwork has gone missing from the home of a wealthy baronet, and his wife stands to take the blame. When Kat’s employer asks for help in clearing her friend’s name, Kat trades her kitchen for the homes of Mayfair’s wealthiest families.
Soon antiques are disappearing not only from the extravagant households of connoisseurs and collectors, but from the illustrious British Museum. As the thefts increase in frequency, Kat calls upon her friend Daniel McAdam, who has already set himself up in a pawnshop on the Strand as a seedy receiver of stolen goods. When a man is murdered in the shop, Kat must use all of her wits to see that the thieves are caught and justice is done.
Sarah says: I am so excited to read this. I’ve been saving it because I was afraid if I read it too early, I’d suffer the isolation of wanting to talk about it, but not being able to find anyone else who had read it yet. I’m seriously so very, very excited for this series.
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From the Corner of the Oval
Author: Becky Dorey-Stein
Released: July 10, 2018 by Spiegel & Grau
Genre: Memoir, NonfictionThe compulsively readable, behind-the-scenes memoir that takes readers inside the Obama White House, through the eyes of a young staffer learning the ropes, falling in love, and finding her place in the world.
In 2012, Beck Dorey-Stein was just scraping by in DC when a posting on Craigslist landed her, improbably, in the Oval Office as one of Barack Obama’s stenographers. The ultimate DC outsider, she joined the elite team who accompanied the president wherever he went, recorder and mic in hand. On whirlwind trips across time zones, Beck forged friendships with a tight group of fellow travelers–young men and women who, like her, left their real lives behind to hop aboard Air Force One in service of the president. But as she learned the ropes of protocol, Beck became romantically entangled with a consummate DC insider, and suddenly, the political became all too personal. Set against the backdrop of a White House full of glamour, drama, and intrigue, this is the story of a young woman making unlikely friendships, getting her heart broken, learning what truly matters, and discovering her voice in the process.
Sarah says: This is a memoir, but a memoir of romance and behind the scenes in the Obama Oval Office. This is going to give me the worst Obama-stalgia. But I’ve been enjoying a lot of romantic memoirs lately and this one is next.
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Mr. Hotshot CEO
Author: Jackie Lau
Released: July 10, 2018 by Jackie Lau Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: Kwan Sisters #2As CEO of Fong Investments, I’m a busy man. In fact, my family claims I’m an obsessive workaholic, and when they force me to take two weeks off, I have no idea what to do with myself.
While brooding over an espresso, I meet Courtney Kwan, a biomedical researcher who savors the little things in life. And, suddenly, an idea strikes me—I will pay this woman to teach me how to enjoy my vacation from work.
Soon, I find myself doing crazy things like baking cookies, reading for pleasure, buying a phallic cactus, and falling in love. But Courtney is dealing with some serious issues of her own, and I fear that when I return to work, I won’t be able to give her what she needs, and I’ll lose her forever…
Elyse says: This contemporary feature a biomedical researcher heroine!
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Murder at the Flamingo
Author: Rachel McMillan
Released: July 10, 2018 by Thomas Nelson
Genre: Historical: American, Mystery/Thriller
Series: Van Buren and DeLuca Mystery #1If Hamish DeLuca spent less time with his nose in a history book or studying for the bar exam, he might finally have the courage to ask a girl to dance at the Palais Royale. But despite his romantic nature, Hamish has always been shy and lacking the confidence of his friend and cousin, Luca Valari, who has invited Hamish to join him in Boston for the summer. Luca has just purchased a new dance club, The Flamingo, and could use Hamish’s math and accounting skills to keep the books alongside Luca’s “right hand man” Reggie Van Buren.
Regina “Reggie” Van Buren, daughter of a wealthy pastor and heir to a New Haven fortune, is determined to make a life as the self-sufficient city girl she sees in her favorite Jean Arthur and Katharine Hepburn pictures. After a humiliating tea party, Reggie bids goodbye to fine china and the man her parents expect her to marry and escapes to Boston. Finding an easy secretarial job with the suave Luca Valari and a room at Miss Clara’s Boarding house in the North End, Reggie soon adapts to a world beyond servants and ironed linens. Her romantic prospects alight, too, when she sets eyes on Luca’s cousin Hamish.
When a corpse is discovered at The Flamingo, Hamish and Reggie trade ledgers and book-keeping for sleuthing skills. But the truth comes at a high price for Hamish who discovers a dark side to his beloved cousin and is forced to choose between loyalty and his conscience.
Elyse says: I love historical mysteries and this one gives me a Thin Man vibe. Plus the hero suffers from anxiety.
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The Romanov Empress
Author: C.W. Gortner
Released: July 10, 2018 by Ballantine Books
Genre: Historical: Other, Literary FictionFor readers of Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir comes a dramatic novel of the beloved Empress Maria, the Danish girl who became the mother of the last Russian tsar.
Even from behind the throne, a woman can rule.
Narrated by the mother of Russia’s last tsar, this vivid, historically authentic novel brings to life the courageous story of Maria Feodorovna, one of Imperial Russia’s most compelling women who witnessed the splendor and tragic downfall of the Romanovs as she fought to save her dynasty in the final years of its long reign.
Barely nineteen, Minnie knows that her station in life as a Danish princess is to leave her family and enter into a royal marriage—as her older sister Alix has done, moving to England to wed Queen Victoria’s eldest son. The winds of fortune bring Minnie to Russia, where she marries the Romanov heir and becomes empress once he ascends the throne. When resistance to his reign strikes at the heart of her family and the tsar sets out to crush all who oppose him, Minnie—now called Maria—must tread a perilous path of compromise in a country she has come to love.
Her husband’s death leaves their son Nicholas as the inexperienced ruler of a deeply divided and crumbling empire. Determined to guide him to reforms that will bring Russia into the modern age, Maria faces implacable opposition from Nicholas’s strong-willed wife, Alexandra, whose fervor has lead her into a disturbing relationship with a mystic named Rasputin. As the unstoppable wave of revolution rises anew to engulf Russia, Maria will face her most dangerous challenge and her greatest heartache.
From the opulent palaces of St. Petersburg and the intrigue-laced salons of the aristocracy to the World War I battlefields and the bloodied countryside occupied by the Bolsheviks, C. W. Gortner sweeps us into the anarchic fall of an empire and the complex, bold heart of the woman who tried to save it.
Redheadedgirl says: I’ve become curious about the history of the Russian Empire lately, especially the end of the empire era. This is about Empress Maria, the mother of the last Tsar.
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Spinning Silver
Author: Naomi Novik
Released: July 10, 2018 by Del Rey
Genre: Science Fiction/FantasyMiryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders… but her father isn’t a very good one. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has loaned out most of his wife’s dowry and left the family on the edge of poverty–until Miryem steps in. Hardening her heart against her fellow villagers’ pleas, she sets out to collect what is owed–and finds herself more than up to the task. When her grandfather loans her a pouch of silver pennies, she brings it back full of gold.
But having the reputation of being able to change silver to gold can be more trouble than it’s worth–especially when her fate becomes tangled with the cold creatures that haunt the wood, and whose king has learned of her reputation and wants to exploit it for reasons Miryem cannot understand.
Sarah says: I AM SO CURIOUS about this book. July is going to be incredibly good.
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Siren’s Serenity
Author: Stacia Kelly
Released: July 13, 2018
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Series: The Sea King's Daughters #2Loire Destan is being hunted. When a new land developer moves in next door to her spa in Rosarito, Mexico, she thinks she only has to worry about keeping the Nexus portal safe. Then, her artifacts around the spa start to go missing, the portal stops functioning, and she feels she’s being watched all the time.
Resort developer Viktor Kieran is used to getting his way. But his new neighbor, Loire is having none of his charm or good looks, and he’s finding he’s constantly losing his grasp of reality when she’s around. He’s starting to see lights in the shadows of the waters he shouldn’t and wonder if the uneasy energy around Loire should better be left alone. He can’t keep his footing around her.
When the accidents stop being accidents, Loire’s not sure who’s saving who and whether they’re both out of their depth. She’s got to protect the Nexus.
But who’s going to protect her?
Elyse says: This series has mermaid heroines!
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Hullmetal Girls
Author: Emily Skrutskie
Released: July 17, 2018 by Delacorte Press
Genre: LGBTQIA, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young AdultFor fans of Pierce Brown and Rhoda Belleza, here is epic space adventure full of action, heart and two kick-butt heroines.
Aisha Un-Haad would do anything for her family. When her brother contracts a plague, she knows her janitor’s salary isn’t enough to fund his treatment. So she volunteers to become a Scela, a mechanically enhanced soldier sworn to protect and serve the governing body of the Fleet, the collective of starships they call home. If Aisha can survive the harrowing modifications and earn an elite place in the Scela ranks, she may be able to save her brother.
Key Tanaka awakens in a Scela body with only hazy memories of her life before. She knows she’s from the privileged end of the Fleet, but she has no recollection of why she chose to give up a life of luxury to become a hulking cyborg soldier. If she can make it through the training, she might have a shot at recovering her missing past.
In a unit of new recruits vying for top placement, Aisha’s and Key’s paths collide, and the two must learn to work together–a tall order for girls from opposite ends of the Fleet. But a rebellion is stirring, pitting those who yearn for independence from the Fleet against a government struggling to maintian unity.
With violence brewing and dark secrets surfacing, Aisha and Key find themselves questioning their loyalties. They will have to put aside their differences, though, if they want to keep humanity from tearing itself apart.
Elyse says: Women mech soldiers. Put it in my eyeballs right now.
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Kill the Farm Boy
Author: Delilah Dawson
Released: July 17, 2018 by Del Rey
Genre: Humor, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: The Tales of Pell #1In an irreverent new series in the tradition of Terry Pratchett novels and The Princess Bride, the New York Times bestselling authors of the Iron Druid Chronicles and Star Wars: Phasmareinvent fantasy, fairy tales, and floridly written feast scenes.
Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, a hero, the Chosen One, was born . . . and so begins every fairy tale ever told.
This is not that fairy tale.
There is a Chosen One, but he is unlike any One who has ever been Chosened.
And there is a faraway kingdom, but you have never been to a magical world quite like the land of Pell.
There, a plucky farm boy will find more than he’s bargained for on his quest to awaken the sleeping princess in her cursed tower. First there’s the Dark Lord who wishes for the boy’s untimely death . . . and also very fine cheese. Then there’s a bard without a song in her heart but with a very adorable and fuzzy tail, an assassin who fears not the night but is terrified of chickens, and a mighty fighter more frightened of her sword than of her chain-mail bikini. This journey will lead to sinister umlauts, a trash-talking goat, the Dread Necromancer Steve, and a strange and wondrous journey to the most peculiar “happily ever after” that ever once-upon-a-timed.
Amanda says: Compared to the writing of Terry Pratchett, it looks like a very tongue in cheek fantasy.
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Imperial Stout
Author: Layla Reyne
Released: July 23, 2018 by Carina Press
Genre: LGBTQIA, Romantic Suspense, Romance
Series: Trouble Brewing #1Layla Reyne spins off from her pulse-pounding Agents Irish and Whiskey books with Imperial Stout , the first installment in the Trouble Brewing series
It’s a good thing assistant US attorney Dominic Price co-owns a brewery. He could use a cold one. Nic’s star witness has just been kidnapped, his joint operation with the FBI is in jeopardy, his father’s shady past is catching up with him and the hot new special agent in San Francisco is the kind of distraction best handled with a stiff drink.
Kidnap and rescue expert Cameron Byrne has his own ideas about how to handle Nic, but his skills are currently needed elsewhere. The by-the-book FBI agent goes deep undercover as a member of an infamous heist crew in order to save Nic’s witness, break up the crew and close the case before anyone else gets hurt. Nic in particular.
Things heat up when Cam falls for Nic, and the witness falls for Cam. As the crew’s suspicions grow, Cam must decide how far he’s willing to go—and how far into his own dark past he’s willing to dive—to get everyone out alive.
Elyse says: I enjoyed Reyne’s Whiskey books so I’m looking forward to this new series.
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America for Beginners
Author: Leah Franqui
Released: July 24, 2018 by William Morrow
Genre: Literary FictionRecalling contemporary classics such as Americanah, Behold the Dreamers, and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, a funny, poignant, and insightful debut novel that explores the complexities of family, immigration, prejudice, and the American Dream through meaningful and unlikely friendships forged in unusual circumstances.
Pival Sengupta has done something she never expected: she has booked a trip with the First Class India USA Destination Vacation Tour Company. But unlike other upper-class Indians on a foreign holiday, the recently widowed Pival is not interested in sightseeing. She is traveling thousands of miles from Kolkota to New York on a cross-country journey to California, where she hopes to uncover the truth about her beloved son, Rahi. A year ago Rahi devastated his very traditional parents when he told them he was gay. Then, Pival’s husband, Ram, told her that their son had died suddenly—heartbreaking news she still refuses to accept. Now, with Ram gone, she is going to America to find Rahi, alive and whole or dead and gone, and come to terms with her own life.
Arriving in New York, the tour proves to be more complicated than anticipated. Planned by the company’s indefatigable owner, Ronnie Munshi—a hard-working immigrant and entrepreneur hungry for his own taste of the American dream—it is a work of haphazard improvisation. Pavil’s guide is the company’s new hire, the guileless and wonderfully resourceful Satya, who has been in America for one year—and has never actually left the five boroughs. For modesty’s sake Pival and Satya will be accompanied by Rebecca Elliot, an aspiring young actress. Eager for a paying gig, she’s along for the ride, because how hard can a two-week “working” vacation traveling across America be?
Slowly making her way from coast to coast with her unlikely companions, Pival finds that her understanding of her son—and her hopes of a reunion with him—are challenged by her growing knowledge of his adoptive country. As the bonds between this odd trio deepens, Pival, Satya, and Rebecca learn to see America—and themselves—in different and profound new ways.
A bittersweet and bighearted tale of forgiveness, hope, and acceptance, America for Beginners illuminates the unexpected enchantments life can hold, and reminds us that our most precious connections aren’t always the ones we seek.
Redheadedgirl says: I heard about this book from someone months ago, but I don’t remember who or where. It’s about a woman from India who goes on cross country trip across the US to find out what happened to her son.
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Contagion
Author: Erin Bowman
Released: July 24, 2018 by HarperTeen
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: Contagion #1IT GOT IN US
After receiving an urgent SOS from a work detail on a distant planet, a skeleton crew is dispatched to perform a standard search-and-rescue mission.
MOST ARE DEAD
But when the crew arrives, they find an abandoned site, littered with rotten food, discarded weapons…and dead bodies.
DON’T SET FOOT HERE AGAIN
As they try to piece together who—or what—could have decimated an entire operation, they discover that some things are best left buried—and some monsters are only too ready to awaken.
Elyse says: I love sci-fi horror and this book looks creepy AF.
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The Serpent
Author: Sarah Fine
Released: July 24, 2018 by 47North
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: The Immortal Dealers #1One woman is in a world of otherworldly trouble—and she’s going to have to bet her life to save humankind.
Ernestine “Ernie” Terwilliger has put her dreams aside to look after her eccentric mother. Case in point: saving her from a mysterious stranger who’s just stormed the terrified woman’s antique store wearing a rattlesnake tattoo, leveling threats, and brandishing the weirdest deck of cards Ernie’s ever seen.
When Ernie grabs some of the cards and runs, she’s launched into a world she never knew existed—one her mother may know more about than she’s revealing. With a handful of stolen cards, Ernie has just been made an unwilling player in a game of good versus evil. But she’s not even playing with a full deck, and its original owner is more than happy to kill to get his cards back.
Suddenly Ernie’s matching wits and plays with the supernatural Immortal Dealers, who can raise empires, damn souls, and shape the world’s destiny. It’s up to Ernie to defeat the most brutal member of their order. And if her roguish new ally isn’t bluffing, he can help. The mystery is all in the cards, and to save her life—and humanity—Ernie had better learn how to deal.
Amanda says: New urban fantasy series!
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Women of the Dunes
Author: Sarah Maine
Released: July 24, 2018 by Atria Books
Genre: Literary Fiction, Mystery/ThrillerFrom the author of the acclaimed novels The House Between Tides and Beyond the Wild River, a rich, atmospheric tale set on the sea-lashed coast of west Scotland, in which the lives of a ninth-century Norsewoman, a nineteenth-century woman, and a twenty-first-century archeologist weave together after a body is discovered in the dunes.
Libby Snow has always felt the pull of Ullanessm a lush Scottish island enshrouded in myth and deeply important to her family. Her great-great-grandmother Ellen was obsessed with the strange legend of Ulla, a Viking maiden who washed up on shore with the nearly lifeless body of her husband—and who inspired countless epic poems and the island’s name.
Central to the mystery is an ornate chalice and Libby, an archaeologist, finally has permission to excavate the site where Ulla is believed to have lived. But what Libby finds in the ancient dunes is a body from the Victorian era, clearly murdered…and potentially connected to Ellen.
What unfolds is an epic story that spans centuries, with Libby mining Ellen and Ulla’s stories for clues about the body, and in doing so, discovering the darker threads that bind all three women together across history.
Infused with Sarah Maine’s signature “meticulous research and descriptive passages of lush, beautiful landscapes” (Publishers Weekly), Women of the Dunes is a beautifully told and compelling mystery for fans of Kate Morton and Beatriz Williams.
Elyse says: This time travel mystery with gothic elements is all of my catnip.
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The Duke I Tempted
Author: Scarlett Peckham
Released: July 31, 2018 by NYLA
Genre: Erotica/Erotic Romance, Historical: European, Romance
Series: Secrets of Charlotte Street #1He’s controlled. Meticulous. Immaculate. No one would expect the proper Duke of Westmead to be a member of London’s most illicit secret club. Least of all: his future wife.
Having overcome financial ruin and redeemed his family name to become the most legendary investor in London, the Duke of Westmead needs to secure his holdings by producing an heir. Which means he must find a wife who won’t discover his secret craving to spend his nights on his knees – or make demands on his long scarred-over heart.
Poppy Cavendish is not that type of woman. An ambitious self-taught botanist designing the garden ballroom in which Westmead plans to woo a bride, Poppy has struggled against convention all her life to secure her hard-won independence. She wants the capital to expand her exotic nursery business – not a husband.
But there is something so compelling about Westmead, with his starchy bearing and impossibly kind eyes — that when an accidental scandal makes marriage to the duke the only means to save her nursery, Poppy worries she wants more than the title he is offering. The arrangement is meant to be just business. A greenhouse for an heir. But Poppy yearns to unravel her husband’s secrets – and to tempt the duke to risk his heart.
Elyse says: This historical has a submissive hero.
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The Locksmith’s Daughter
Author: Karen Brooks
Released: July 31, 2018 by William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: Historical: European, Mystery/ThrillerFrom acclaimed author Karen Brooks comes this intriguing novel rich in historical detail and drama as it tells the unforgettable story of Queen Elizabeth’s daring, ruthless spymaster and his female protégée.
In Queen Elizabeth’s England, where no one can be trusted and secrets are currency, one woman stands without fear.
Mallory Bright is the only daughter of London’s most ingenious locksmith. She has apprenticed with her father since childhood, and there is no lock too elaborate for her to crack. After scandal destroys her reputation, Mallory has returned to her father’s home and lives almost as a recluse, ignoring the whispers and gossip of their neighbors. But Sir Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth’s spymaster and a frequent client of Mallory’s father, draws her into his world of danger and deception. For the locksmith’s daughter is not only good at cracking locks, she also has a talent for codes, spycraft, and intrigue. With Mallory by Sir Francis’s side, no scheme in England or abroad is safe from discovery.
But Mallory’s loyalty wavers when she witnesses the brutal and bloody public execution of three Jesuit priests and realizes the human cost of her espionage. And later, when she discovers the identity of a Catholic spy and a conspiracy that threatens the kingdom, she is forced to choose between her country and her heart.
Once Sir Francis’s greatest asset, Mallory is fast becoming his worst threat—and there is only one way the Queen’s master spy deals with his enemies…
Sarah says: There’s an Elizabethan spymaster and his protege, the daughter of a locksmith. I love that arrangement of words so very much, and Karen Brooks’ books have been recommended to me several times recently. I’ve read a review that indicates there are some depictions of violence in this one, but being forewarned is good for me.
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Room Service
Author: Rochelle Alers
Released: July 31, 2018 by Dafina
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: Innkeepers #3Bestselling author Rochelle Alers’ heartwarming and seductive series follows four very different women risking second chances deep in the sultry heart of New Orleans . . .
New Yorker Jasmine Washington had a successful interior design business, a high-powered marriage, and a chance at motherhood—until her perfect husband betrayed her big-time. Now starting from scratch, the Asian and African-American stunner is tackling a lifetime opportunity: co-managing her friend’s new luxury inn about to open in the Garden District. The last thing Jasmine needs is romance. New Orleans’ most eligible bachelor, investment banker Cameron Singleton, begs to differ.
Cameron challenges Jasmine’s cautious ways, teases her back into having real fun—and makes one sexy, utterly irresistible Mr. Right Now. But their passionate nights soon result in a surprise bonus. . . . Even though Cameron insists on being there for Jasmine, can she really believe his love is the real thing? Can she shake the past and design a completely new life? And is there really only one way to find out?
Elyse says: This contemporary is about a heroine starting over running an inn in New Orleans and it looks delightful.
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Lots of sequels this month!
The Wild Dead by Carrie Vaughn: Sequel to Bannerless, which I call ‘post-Apocalyptic Midsomer Murders’. I loved it!
The Girl in the Green Silk Gown by Seanan McGuire: Sequel to Sparrow Hill Road!
European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss: Sequel to The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter!
Marked by Benedict Jacka: Newest in the Alex Verus series!
Latchkey by Nicole Komher-Stace: Sequel to Archivist Wasp!
I am excited about The Fourth Summer by Kathleen Gilles Seidel, which is out on July 24th. She has always been one of my go-to authors.
Woohooo!
I have so many books preordered/on hold at the library! These include the aforementioned SPINNING SILVER, THE GIRL IN THE GREEN SILK GOWN, EUROPIAN TRAVEL FOR THE MONSTEROUS GENTLEWOMAN, THE CALCULATING STARS, and RECORD OF A SPACEBORN FEW (I have an arc, am very excited).
Other books I have preordered or on hold include:
– UNFIT TO PRINT by KJ Charles (July 10)
– A GENTLEMAN NEVER KEEPS SCORE by Cat Sebastian (July 10)
– COMPETENCE by Gail Carriger (July 17) – I plan to do a reread of the whole Parasol Protectorate universe before reading this, though
– THE ADVENTURE ZONE: HERE BE GERBLINS by Clint McElroy & Carey Pietsch (July 17) – graphic novel based on the The Adventure Zone podcast by the McElroys
– A STUDY IN HONOR by Claire O’Dell (July 31) – a gender-flipped, queer, black Holmes & Watson story set in a speculative future!!!
SO MANY BOOKS!
Oh I immediately added The Duke I Tempted to my buy list!!
I’m so excited for A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole!!!
Don’t forget THE SUMMER WIVES by Beatriz Williams. It’s a woman’s fiction book set on a fictional harbor town in Connecticut. There are three alternating story lines set in 1930, 1951 and 1969. The premise is that the island has two classes : the rich families that only goes to the island in the summer and The Portuguese fishing community that lives there full time. A young teenager steps into this clash of classes and toes the line between the them as a newcomer and airs everyone’s dirty laundry in the process. This results in banishment from the island at the end of her first summer there, only for her to return in 1969, a successful actress in order to clear her first love’s name. While the story can get a little melodramatic at times there are dynamic characters to enjoy and an intriguing mystery that kept me reading long into the night
So basically everybody should read it . THE SUMMER WIVES will be released July 10.
I like the cover of “The Serpent.” Lady looks competent.
I’m so excited to see Rachel McMillan’s book featured! I’ve been looking forward to this one.
Looking forward to a couple of “darker” romances—both presumably finishing their respective trilogies: Anna Zaires’s TORMENTOR MINE and Callie Hart’s FREAKS. I’m also waiting for CD Reiss’s entire Edge series to be published before I read them (probably in a massive one-day binge). Hopefully, they’ll all be out by the end of July.
@susank YES! I preordered A Duke By Default the minute I finished reading a Princess in Theory and have been counting down the days ever since. Meanwhile I am looking for the dresses on those covers…
I need to take all of July off to keep up with all the new books coming out. I have so many pre-orders!
They include many listed above as well as Dreadful Company (A Dr. Greta Helsing Novel) by Vivian Shaw. I just loved Strange Practice.
You’ve hit all the high marks on my list for this month. Thanks for adding The Duke I Tempted. It may be everything I didn’t know I was looking for.
I’ll add Carrie Vaughn’s The Wild Dead, which is a follow up to Bannerless. I don’t read a lot of Dystopian fiction, but this appealed to me on so many levels.
@Kate Yes to Dreadful Company! I was surprised by how much I loved Strange Practice and cannot wait for the follow-up.
Omg! And! HOPE NEVER DIES: AN OBAMA/BIDEN MYSTERY by Andrew Shaffer is out July 10.
I’m pretty sure that I have preorders sitting out there on Contagion by Erin Bowman and A Duke By Default by Alyssa Cole. I don’t know how many of you have read Erin Bowman’s YA Westerns (yes, you read that right), but after Retribution Rails, I’ll probably be throwing my money at her for awhile. Woman can write. There’s a lot of “looks good” going on in this month, but I’ve put myself on a book moratorium. I do these a couple times a year to tame my itchy one-click finger and try to get my TBR a little bit less out of control (LOL psyche, like that’s ever actually happening). I do allow myself one caveat, though. Preorders don’t count, as I technically ordered those months ago.
If people are falling into the river Corrib in The Ruin, that means it’s set in Galway (where I live) and we’re a city. It’s no sprawling metropolis but it’s no small town either, blurb writer person! I suppose they want to define it as being different from the Dublin set crime stories.
Submissive hero and scientist heroine? HALLELUJAH BROTHERS AND SISTERS!!!
@batman – the designer of the dresses on Cole’s covers has a shop on Etsy called Adorned by Nicole!
I just put nearly every single one of these books on my to-read list. So much good stuff to read!
The Duke I Tempted was added to my Wish List. I’ll be reading it for the exotic flowers. 😉
I’m looking forward to Off the Grid from Monica McCarty on July 3. I liked the first in the series and am looking forward to the next SEAL in the Lost Platoon series.
July is basically ALL THE BOOKS in my wheelhouse and I am so, so excited! I have The Girl in the Green Silk Gown, Dreadful Company and Record of a Spaceborn Few in my To Buy list. European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman has been pre-ordered, thanks to a very reasonable price on Nook books.
Weird but possibly not related — I’ve been transitioning a lot of my electronic book purchases to Barnes and Noble rather than Amazon, thanks to Amazon’s bad faith negotiating with publishers. I have enough money at this point to pay people for their ART and dammit, I’d like them to get some of that money! However, I’m peeved that Barnes and Noble makes it hard to see release dates for pre-order books. Is this a common problem or is there some Nook hack I’m missing that would make it easy to find out when a book will be released?
LOVED Uprooted. Dying for the new one from Novik.
@KateB – I am SO EXCITED for the new books by KJ Charles and Cat Sebastian!!!
I’m also looking forward to Tight Quarters by Annabeth Albert – #6 in her SEALs series. The series has been a bit hit or miss for me, but this set up looks like my catnip.
I’m so excited for The Duke I Tempted! As a crazy plantlady, I can definitely get behind the sentiment of “a greenhouse for an heir” 🙂
@BrandiD – I remember that problem back when I using Barnes and Noble more. If there’s a hack, I never figured it out.
I now use Kobo to buy most of my ebooks and read on a tablet.
I’m reading Uprooted by Naomi Novik right now and absolutely loving it, so I’m super excited to read her next one as well!
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