December is here! And our list this month is surprisingly light. Normally, the end of the year is the time to go HAM on some new releases. Is it just us? Or are you feeling underwhelmed too? Here’s another release that didn’t make any of our personal TBR piles, but you might be excited for it:
- Olivia Drake begins her Unlikely Duchesses series with The Duke I Once Knew ( A | BN | K | G | AB ).
What releases are you waiting for this month? Let us know!
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The Frame-Up
Author: Meghan Scott Molin
Released: December 1, 2018 by 47North
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Series: The Golden Arrow Mysteries #1By day she writes comic books. By night, she lives them.
MG Martin lives and breathes geek culture. She even works as a writer for the comic book company she idolized as a kid. But despite her love of hooded vigilantes, MG prefers her comics stay on the page.
But when someone in LA starts recreating crime scenes from her favorite comic book, MG is the LAPD’s best—and only—lead. She recognizes the golden arrow left at the scene as the calling card of her favorite comic book hero. The thing is…superheroes aren’t real. Are they?
When the too-handsome-for-his-own-good Detective Kildaire asks for her comic book expertise, MG is more than up for the adventure. Unfortunately, MG has a teeny little tendency to not follow rules. And her off-the-books sleuthing may land her in a world of trouble.
Because for every superhero, there is a supervillain. And the villain of her story may be closer than she thinks…
Amanda says: I love how colorful the cover is. It also gives me Castle vibes, but with the roles reversed.
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The Accidental Beauty Queen
Author: Teri Wilson
Released: December 4, 2018 by Gallery Books
Genre: Chick LitIn this charming romantic comedy perfect for fans of Meg Cabot and Sophie Kinsella, critically acclaimed author Teri Wilson shows us that sometimes being pushed out of your comfort zone leads you to the ultimate prize.
Charlotte Gorman loves her job as an elementary school librarian, and is content to experience life through the pages of her books. Which couldn’t be more opposite from her identical twin sister. Ginny, an Instagram-famous beauty pageant contestant, has been chasing a crown since she was old enough to enunciate the words world peace, and she’s not giving up until she gets the title of Miss American Treasure. And Ginny’s refusing to do it alone this time.
She drags Charlotte to the pageant as a good luck charm, but the winning plan quickly goes awry when Ginny has a terrible, face-altering allergic reaction the night before the pageant, and Charlotte suddenly finds herself in a switcheroo the twins haven’t successfully pulled off in decades.
Woefully unprepared for the glittery world of hair extensions, false eyelashes, and push-up bras, Charlotte is mortified at every unstable step in her sky-high stilettos. But as she discovers there’s more to her fellow contestants than just wanting a sparkly crown, Charlotte realizes she has a whole new motivation for winning.
Amanda says: This sounds hilarious and bubbly and just want I need for the stressful holiday season.
Sarah says: What Amanda said. All of that.
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My Favorite Half-Night Stand
Author: Christina Lauren
Released: December 4, 2018 by Gallery Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceBy the New York Times bestselling author who “hilariously depicts modern dating” (Us Weekly), My Favorite Half-Night Standis a laugh-out-loud romp through online dating and its many, many fails.
Millie Morris has always been one of the guys. A UC Santa Barbara professor, she’s a female-serial-killer expert who’s quick with a deflection joke and terrible at getting personal. And she, just like her four best guy friends and fellow professors, is perma-single.
So when a routine university function turns into a black tie gala, Mille and her circle make a pact that they’ll join an online dating service to find plus-ones for the event. There’s only one hitch: after making the pact, Millie and one of the guys, Reid Campbell, secretly spend the sexiest half-night of their lives together, but mutually decide the friendship would be better off strictly platonic.
But online dating isn’t for the faint of heart. While the guys are inundated with quality matches and potential dates, Millie’s first profile attempt garners nothing but dick pics and creepers. Enter “Catherine”—Millie’s fictional profile persona, in whose make-believe shoes she can be more vulnerable than she’s ever been in person. Soon “Catherine” and Reid strike up a digital pen-pal-ship…but Millie can’t resist temptation in real life, either. Soon, Millie will have to face her worst fear—intimacy—or risk losing her best friend, forever.
Perfect for fans of Roxanne and She’s the Man, Christina Lauren’s latest romantic comedy is full of mistaken identities, hijinks, and a classic love story with a modern twist. Funny and fresh, you’ll want to swipe right on My Favorite Half-Night Stand.
Amanda says: Christina Lauren is on my auto-buy list!
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Of Blood and Bone
Author: Nora Roberts
Released: December 4, 2018 by St. Martin's Press
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Chronicles of The One #2The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the epic Year One returns with a new tale of terror and magic in a brand new world.
They look like an everyday family living an ordinary life. But beyond the edges of this peaceful farm, unimaginable forces of light and dark have been unleashed.
Fallon Swift, approaching her thirteenth birthday, barely knows the world that existed before—the city where her parents lived, now in ruins and reclaimed by nature since the Doom sickened and killed billions. Traveling anywhere is a danger, as vicious gangs of Raiders and fanatics called Purity Warriors search for their next victim. Those like Fallon, in possession of gifts, are hunted—and the time is coming when her true nature, her identity as The One, can no longer be hidden.
In a mysterious shelter in the forest, her training is about to begin under the guidance of Mallick, whose skills have been honed over centuries. She will learn the old ways of healing; study and spar; encounter faeries and elves and shifters; and find powers within herself she never imagined. And when the time is right, she will take up the sword, and fight. For until she grows into the woman she was born to be, the world outside will never be whole again.
Elyse says: I was iffy on the first book in this series, but I’m curious to see how the story progresses
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The Earl I Ruined
Author: Scarlett Peckham
Released: December 11, 2018 by NYLA
Genre: Historical: European, Romance
Series: The Secrets of Charlotte Street #2She’s beautiful, rich, and reckless…
When Lady Constance Stonewell accidentally ruins the Earl of Apthorp’s entire future with her gossip column, she does what any honorable young lady must: offer her hand in marriage. Or, at the very least, stage a whirlwind fake engagement to repair his reputation. Never mind that it means spending a month with the dullest man in England. Or the fact that he disapproves of everything she holds dear.
He’s supposedly the most boring politician in the House of Lords…
Julian Haywood, the Earl of Apthorp, is on the cusp of finally proving himself to be the man he’s always wanted to be when his future is destroyed in a single afternoon. When the woman he’s secretly in love confesses she’s at fault, it isn’t just his life that is shattered: it’s his heart.
They have a month to clear his name and convince society they are madly in love…
But when Constance discovers her faux-intended is decidedly more than meets the eye—not to mention adept at shocking forms of wickedness—she finds herself falling for him.
There’s only one problem: he can’t forgive her for breaking his heart.
Elyse’s pick!
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His Dark Magic
Author: Pat Esden
Released: December 11, 2018 by Lyrical Press
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Series: Northern Circle Coven #1Its power is legendary. It can fulfill every impossible magical desire. But for one young witch seeking redemption, the Northern Circle coven will challenge her skills—and her heart—beyond measure.
One tragic impulsive mistake made Chloe Winslow an outcast to her influential magic family. As a medical student, she wants to combine science with sorcery to heal those she hurt and right her wrongs. But brilliant, charismatic Devlin Marsh re-routes her plans with a once-in-eternity offer: membership in the exclusive Northern Circle, a mysterious Vermont coven known for pushing the limits.
Enthralled by Devlin and their mesmerizing mutual attraction, Chloe makes a dangerous sacrifice to help the Circle’s high priestess awaken Merlin himself—and learn his timeless cures. But a foreshadowing soon causes Chloe to doubt the Circle’s real motives, as well as Devlin’s . . .
Now Merlin’s demonic shade is loose in the human world, while Chloe and Devlin’s uneasy alliance will pit them against ancient enemies, malevolent illusions, and shattering betrayal. And with the fate of two realms in the balance, Chloe must risk her untried power against a force she can’t defeat—and a passion that could destroy her.
Amanda says: Aw yeah, witches in New England!
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Not the Duke’s Darling
Author: Elizabeth Hoyt
Released: December 18, 2018 by Forever
Genre: Historical: European, Romance
Series: The Greycourt #1New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Hoyt brings us the first book in her sexy and sensual Greycourt Series!
Freya de Moray is many things: a member of the secret order of Wise Women, the daughter of disgraced nobility, and a chaperone living under an assumed name. What she is not is forgiving. So when the Duke of Harlowe–the man who destroyed her brother and led to the downfall of her family–appears at the country house party she’s attending, she does what any Wise Woman would do: she starts planning her revenge.
Christopher Renshaw, the Duke of Harlowe, is being blackmailed. Intent on keeping his secrets safe, he agrees to attend a house party where he will put an end to this coercion once and for all. Until he recognizes Freya, masquerading amongst the party revelers, and realizes his troubles have just begun. Freya knows all about his sins. Sins he’d much rather forget. But she’s also fiery, bold, and sensuous-a temptation he can’t resist. When it becomes clear Freya is in grave danger, he’ll risk everything to keep her safe. But first, Harlowe will have to earn Freya’s trust-by whatever means necessary.
Features a bonus novella from New York Times bestselling author Grace Burrowes!
Sarah says: I am very curious about the Society of Wise Women, especially after interviewing Elizabeth Hoyt for the podcast.
Elyse says: I loved the Maiden Lane series so I’m VERY excited for this.
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What a Widow Wants
Author: Jenna Jaxon
Released: December 18, 2018 by Lyrical Press
Genre: Historical: European, Romance
Series: The Widows' Club #3Widowed by the Battle of Waterloo, the ladies of Lyttlefield Park are returning to London society—with their futures in their own hands…
Fanny, the widowed Lady Tarkington, has finished mourning her cad of a husband and is ready to enjoy her freedom. The kind of freedom neither a gently bred miss nor a close-watched wife is permitted: dressing up as Aphrodite for a masquerade, drawing gentlemen away from the party, and hinting at late-night assignations with her dance partners. All is going pleasurably according to plan—until the Roman warrior Fanny kisses during a masque turns out to be Matthew, Lord Lathbury, whose proposal she refused years ago.
Lathbury is charming, passionate, inventive, everything Fanny wants in a lover—but unfortunately, he’s on the hunt for a wife. He’s more than willing to use all his wicked skills to persuade her back to the altar, but he can’t wait forever. And now Fanny’s position is more precarious than she once thought. If the tongues of the ton set to wagging, it’s possible no offer in the world will save her from ruin. But does she want to be saved?
Elyse says: This second chance romance features a masquerade ball, and I’m always down for that.
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Watching You
Author: Lisa Jewell
Released: December 26, 2018 by Atria Books
Genre: Mystery/ThrillerMelville Heights is one of the nicest neighborhoods in Bristol, England; home to doctors and lawyers and old-money academics. It’s not the sort of place where people are brutally murdered in their own kitchens. But it is the sort of place where everyone has a secret. And everyone is watching you.
As the headmaster credited with turning around the local school, Tom Fitzwilliam is beloved by one and all—including Joey Mullen, his new neighbor, who quickly develops an intense infatuation with this thoroughly charming yet unavailable man. Joey thinks her crush is a secret, but Tom’s teenaged son Freddie—a prodigy with aspirations of becoming a spy for MI5—excels in observing people and has witnessed Joey behaving strangely around his father.
One of Tom’s students, Jenna Tripp, also lives on the same street, and she’s not convinced her teacher is as squeaky clean as he seems. For one thing, he has taken a particular liking to her best friend and fellow classmate, and Jenna’s mother—whose mental health has admittedly been deteriorating in recent years—is convinced that Mr. Fitzwilliam is stalking her.
Meanwhile, twenty years earlier, a schoolgirl writes in her diary, charting her doomed obsession with a handsome young English teacher named Mr. Fitzwilliam…
Elyse says: This book sounds deliciously creepy and has a Rear Window sort of vibe.
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The Gown
Author: Jennifer Robson
Released: December 31, 2018 by William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: Historical: European, Literary Fiction“The Gown is marvelous and moving, a vivid portrait of female self-reliance in a world racked by the cost of war.”–Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network
From the internationally bestselling author of Somewhere in France comes an enthralling historical novel about one of the most famous wedding dresses of the twentieth century—Queen Elizabeth’s wedding gown—and the fascinating women who made it.
“Millions will welcome this joyous event as a flash of color on the long road we have to travel.”
—Sir Winston Churchill on the news of Princess Elizabeth’s forthcoming wedding
London, 1947: Besieged by the harshest winter in living memory, burdened by onerous shortages and rationing, the people of postwar Britain are enduring lives of quiet desperation despite their nation’s recent victory. Among them are Ann Hughes and Miriam Dassin, embroiderers at the famed Mayfair fashion house of Norman Hartnell. Together they forge an unlikely friendship, but their nascent hopes for a brighter future are tested when they are chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime honor: taking part in the creation of Princess Elizabeth’s wedding gown.Toronto, 2016: More than half a century later, Heather Mackenzie seeks to unravel the mystery of a set of embroidered flowers, a legacy from her late grandmother. How did her beloved Nan, a woman who never spoke of her old life in Britain, come to possess the priceless embroideries that so closely resemble the motifs on the stunning gown worn by Queen Elizabeth II at her wedding almost seventy years before? And what was her Nan’s connection to the celebrated textile artist and holocaust survivor Miriam Dassin?
With The Gown, Jennifer Robson takes us inside the workrooms where one of the most famous wedding gowns in history was created. Balancing behind-the-scenes details with a sweeping portrait of a society left reeling by the calamitous costs of victory, she introduces readers to three unforgettable heroines, their points of view alternating and intersecting throughout its pages, whose lives are woven together by the pain of survival, the bonds of friendship, and the redemptive power of love.
Sarah says: I love behind the scenes history stories. this sounds exquisite.
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So excited for THE EARL I RUINED. Other than that, yeah, nothing else preordered or on library holds.
I want to read The Earl I Ruined now just for the flipped trope of oh-I-compromised-this-innocent-miss! Hit me with an independent woman in the lead.
December is always a slow month for new releases (You’d think the opposite because, Christmas presents) so, I opened todays post with a hopeful heart as the Cristina Lauren and Nora Roberts books were the only ones I had on my watch list. Happily you have come through for me and expanded my reading possibilties, especially The Gown. Post war England, woman doing hand work, textiles, exploring your family history. Oh, yes, you are on my list.
Also, I always open the New Releases post along with tabs for the GBPL, Amazon and GoodReads New Releases. Gotta cover all the bases, right? So, in searching for a book on my new releases list, the GBPL comes up with a no results alternate: Unholy Vulva Holocaust.
Toxic male scree? Feminist essays? I’m a little afraid to click the link. Stay with me….
It appears to be an album.
Holy Mother of God!!
I can’t… You’ll have to do your own Google search with EVERY kind of content warning. Let’s just say Unholy Vulva Holocaust may be the least vulgar title.
Today when I opened my kindle, REINDEER GAMES downloaded—an anthology of snowed-in/enforced proximity romances including some by my favorites (Ainsley Booth, Eve Dangerfield, Charlotte Stein, Ariana Anders, among others)—all for 99-cents with some of the proceeds going to a charity that helps feed hungry kids. Yes, please!
Both budgetary considerations and the busyness of the season (I’ve had boxes of Christmas decorations sitting in my dining room since the day after Thanksgiving; have I started decorating yet? Alas, no) mean I may not get to purchase or read any other books until later, but I am looking forward to:
Melanie Harlow’s ONLY LOVE, which was published this past week. Harlow writes sweet love stories that aren’t afraid to handle big issues—like having or loving someone who has a mental illness. In this book, a therapist visiting her grandmother falls in love with her neighbor—a veteran with PTSD.
Caitlin Crews’s next Hotel Temptation book, UNDONE, was released today. I really liked the earlier book, UNLEASHED, and have high hopes for this one.
Katee Robert’s THEIRS EVER AFTER, the final book in her m/m/f Thalanian Dynasty series about a woman who gets involved with a prince and his bodyguard/lover, is scheduled to be released December 3.
Julie Kriss’s MAKE ME BEG, the fourth and final book in her Riggs Brothers series, is scheduled to be released December 4. It’s the book I’m most looking forward this month. We get the story of the most mysterious—and most messed-up—Riggs brother.
The Earl I Ruined, Not the Duke’s Darling, and What a Widow Wants have all been on my after-the-holidays TBR list.
I am looking forward to Monica McCarty’s next Lost Platoon book, Out of Time, at the end of the month.
Thanks for listing The Gown, The Frame-Up and Watching You as these were not on my radar. And Hoyt is always welcome. I waver regarding La Nora. On one hand, definitely want to read her and OTOH, overwhelmed at the prospect of her backlist.
The Earl I Ruined sounds interesting and I’ll probably read it, but really, Apthorp? Not sure if I should be rejoicing that despite sounding similar to an incredibly well-known, long-established English title/estate, the story itself seems new or despairing the lack of originality and lackadaisical naming.
This will place me firmly in the minority, I’m sure, but could we please get over Diana already? She was a lovely woman, a by all accounts fantastic mother, and a complicated individual who was only human (for good or ill, just like the rest of us!). And far too many others seem determined to milk her and her legacy for all they can get. Enough.
I don’t know, it’s probably just the recent wedding and baby news, but the number of articles popping up in my feed referencing/comparing Diana & her DsIL have evidently bothered me more than I realized… Sorry.
A bookstore owner I know has said that publishers want most of their releases out before December, that not much new in any genre comes out after Thanksgiving. My guess is they’re afraid a new release will get lost in the Christmas rush and then ignored after. That said I’m really looking forward to The Gown, which I probably won’t pick up until January anyway, but it has lots of my personal catnip starting with embroidery.
I just saw THE FRAME-UP on another blog earlier this week and added it to my TBR pile. A female comic book writer who solves a mystery? Yes, please!
THE ACCIDENTAL BEAUTY QUEEN sounds really fun too. Thanks for the recommendations.
@kitkat9000 – don’t be afraid of Nora! She’s your friend. All of her series are very well organized together, so you don’t have to read her entire backlist. I’ve been reading her books for almost 20 years and there are a ton I’ve never read! Just pick and choose what interests you. I recommend the Gallaghers of Ardmore, Three Sisters, Bridal Quartet, and Inn Boonsboro as good series to start with.
My library’s Overdrive subscription just listed Helen Hoang’s new book, “The Bride Test”. I’m only 5th in line for a hold, but I have to wait until MAY 2019!!!! Not sure I’m going to make it – I’m so interested in learning more about Khai. Other than that, I’m looking forward to The Earl I Ruined – I really liked the first book in the series.
Back in my trad pub days, “your release date is in December” was almost as much of a bad-news email as “your series has been canceled,” since they had about the same results. Publicists are on light duty, at most, for the month. Retailers are consumed with seasonal priorities (lots of focus on “gift” books, which include genre fiction only if it’s bestselling and hardcover). So it’s not unusual to be a slow month for new books.
I’m sorry to post this here, since there may be a “general questions” thread that I’m unaware of, but I’ve been puzzling over this for a while and have finally worked up the courage to ask. I’ve seen many references to the “GBPL,” and I have no idea what that is! I googled it and came up with names of libraries (Georgian Bay, Great Bend, George Bush…), but I am dubious those are what are being referenced. Can you help a bitch out?
And maybe this site could start a glossary page, like the Go Fug Yourself site has! That could be very fun 🙂
Many thanks for your patience!
IS being referenced! Not are …
Proofreading fail!!
🙁
@Wait, what? You’ll that reference is
specific to my posts. GBPL are initials for my public library.
I’ve heard that Mariana Zapata has a new book coming out soon: Luna and the Lie.
I have preorders sitting out there on Of Blood and Bone (and oof, was there ever a Twitter kerfuffle about that in the last few days) and Not The Duke’s Darling (Hoyt rocks). I think those are the only two preorders sitting out there in the ether, but given how I am, I could be wrong.
@DonnaMarie Thanks! I guess I never paid attention to the fact that you’re the only one who uses that acronym. Now I can stop driving myself crazy thinking I should know what it is, and then trying to figure it out
Two of my auto-buy authors have books out this month so I’ll have great stuff to read on my vacation at the end of the month–Josh Lanyon’s The Ghost Had an Early Check Out is out on the 18th and Harper Fox has a new release, Kip’s Monster, on the 21st.
I’m cautiously optimistic about the new Elizabeth Hoyt. To me, the last couple of Maiden Lane books needed trigger warnings for child abuse, and read almost like torture porn. 🙁
December is a slow month for new releases, but there is so much else going on I tend to get behind on my reading anyway!
I am sooooo excited for “Forever & Ever” by Tere Michaels! It will be out Christmas Day. I can’t wait to read about Matt and Evan’s wedding!
Speaking of authors who lots of people like who I haven’t read and am not sure where to start, any recommendations on where to start with Christina Lauren?
Sally Malcolm has another book out in her m/m retelling series of Austen. It’s released on the 10th of December and from the excerpt, I think it’s based on Pride and Prejudice. It’s called Between the Lines.
I bought the first one after it was mentionned in a “Books on sale” post and it was really sweet and comforting so I have high hopes for this one because you can never have enough sweet and comforting, right?
@dreamingintrees, her last few books like, Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating and Dating You/Hating You as well as the one coming this month are stand alones, so they may be a good way to dip your toe in the water. If you start with the Beautiful books, and you should, you may never come up for air. And you will need air, because you will laugh A LOT. And you will never meet Max and Niall Stella, my tag team book boy friends.
You should go start now.
@dreamingintrees: What DonnaMarie said! Their standalones are a great place to start and my personal favorite is Dating You/Hating You, which I reviewed on the site.
@DonnaMarie and @Amanda Thank you both very much! It turns out I apparently bought Dating You/Hating You on sale at one point and haven’t read it yet. I’m starting it now!
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