Welcome to Book Beat! Think of Book Beat as Hide Your Wallet, Part Two!
In Hide Your Wallet, we talk about books coming out in a particular month that we really want to read. But there’s more to good books than just new releases!
Book Beat aims to highlight other books that we may hear about through friends, social media, or other sources. We could see a gorgeous ad! Or find a new-to-us author on a list of underrated romances! Think of Book Beat as Teen Beat or Tiger Beat, but for books. And no staples to open to get the fold-out poster.
We hope you find something new to read through Book Beat, and please let us know what books you’ve discovered recently!
Ariana
Author: Ash Dylan
Released: January 26, 2019
Genre: Erotica/Erotic Romance, RomancePrincess Ariana, stuck in a tower for fifteen years, can only inherit her kingdom if she cuts her hair and marries. She spends her days killing every suitor she meets and refusing to cut her hair for anyone.
Devin, a warrior king from a neighboring country, thinks he has what it takes to woo the princess. Though he has enjoyed a no-strings-attached relationship with his bodyguard, Devin wants to move on, worried that his deeper affection is not reciprocated.
But Tan, the king’s loyal bodyguard, has kept his true feelings a secret and will do anything to protect his love from a deadly princess. He lost another loved one fifteen years earlier, and he refuses to let the same fate befall his king.
When Devin and Tan spend a night in Ariana’s tower, they realize an unlikely arrangement could lead to them living happily ever after. But first, Ariana needs to learn to trust them. And Devin and Tan need to make it through the night alive.
This polyamorous MMF novella, set in a post-apocalyptic America, has 30,000 words, an unapologetic heroine, two bisexual heroes, three HEA’s, and several happy endings.
Source: @AshDylanLit on Twitter
A Rapunzel-inspired erotic romance with two bisexual heroes. Hello!
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As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks!Kingdom of Exiles
Author: Maxym Martineau
Released: June 25, 2019 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, LGBTQIA, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: The Beast Charmer #1Assassin’s Creed meets Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in this gripping, epic fantasy romance trilogy.
My heart wasn’t part of the deal when I bargained for my life,
But assassins so rarely keep their word.Exiled Charmer Leena Edenfrell is running out of time. Empty pockets forced her to sell her beloved magical beasts-an offense punishable by death-and now there’s a price on her head. With the realm’s most talented murderer-for-hire nipping at her heels, Leena makes Noc an offer he can’t refuse: powerful mythical creatures in exchange for her life.
Plagued by a curse that kills everyone he loves, Noc agrees to Leena’s terms in hopes of finding a cure. Never mind that the dark magic binding the assassin’s oath will eventually force him to choose between Leena’s continued survival…and his own.
In a game of trust and half-lies, only one thing can be certain: traps capture more than beasts and ensnared hearts are impossible to untangle.
Source: NetGalley newsletter
What I most remember is that the email subject like was Assassin’s Creed meets Fantastic Beasts, and that’s all I needed to know.
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As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks!The Lady of Royale Street
Author: Thea de Salle
Released: August 21, 2017 by Pocket Star
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: NOLA Nights #3From the New York Times bestselling author of the NOLA Nights series comes a rollicking, sexy tale of opposites attracting in the midst of wedding planning.
Alex DuMont is everything his brother Sol isn’t: regimented, serious, and devout. Between twelve-hour workdays, service to the church, punishing daily workouts, and bi-weekly therapy sessions, Alex is, as Sol once put it, “a kettle perpetually whistling as it boils itself to death.” So when Sol announces his marriage to Arianna Barrington, heiress and society sweetheart, Alex is the absolute worst choice to be his best man. Sol asks anyway and Alex reluctantly agrees. It’s only a week, after all, and Alex should be able to stop himself from throttling his big brother for a meager seven days. Probably. Maybe.
Theresa Ivarson is Arianna’s best friend and the maid of honor. A decorated photojournalist who interrupts her globetrotting to stand beside her friend, Theresa is beautiful, witty, and unafraid to speak her mind. So when she is faced with working with the best man from Hell, a Viking who doesn’t know how to smile, is bossy, and about as pleasant as a cactus, the sparks are bound to fly—and not in the good way. To make matters worse, Sol and Rain’s wedding planner was hit by a bus the week before their special day, and Alex and Theresa find themselves at the center of a list-ditch effort to pull the wedding together. But when you can’t decide if you want to kiss or kill someone, something’s bound to break.
Source: @TheaDeSalle on Twitter
Thea mentions this romance tackles the intersection of a smutty relationship and being a person of faith. Definitely interested.
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As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks!The Unhoneymooners
Author: Christina Lauren
Released: May 14, 2019 by Gallery Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceFor two sworn enemies, anything can happen during the Hawaiian trip of a lifetime—maybe even love—in this romantic comedy from the New York Times bestselling authors of Roomies.
Olive Torres is used to being the unlucky twin: from inexplicable mishaps to a recent layoff, her life seems to be almost comically jinxed. By contrast, her sister Ami is an eternal champion . . . she even managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a slew of contests. Unfortunately for Olive, the only thing worse than constant bad luck is having to spend the wedding day with the best man (and her nemesis), Ethan Thomas.
Olive braces herself for wedding hell, determined to put on a brave face, but when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. Suddenly there’s a free honeymoon up for grabs, and Olive will be damned if Ethan gets to enjoy paradise solo.
Agreeing to a temporary truce, the pair head for Maui. After all, ten days of bliss is worth having to assume the role of loving newlyweds, right? But the weird thing is . . . Olive doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, the more she pretends to be the luckiest woman alive, the more it feels like she might be.
With Christina Lauren’s “uniquely hilarious and touching voice” (Entertainment Weekly), The Unhoneymooners is a romance for anyone who has ever felt unlucky in love.
Source: Excerpt on Bustle
I adore Christina Lauren’s books. They’re such a bright spot for me. Add in one of my favorite tropes–enemies to lovers–and I’m there.
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As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks!
They really do use the weird neck guy art a lot! (See most recent cover snark post)
He may be part turtle when I take another look at the neck/shoulders area.
The Unhoneymooners sounds like my kind of catnip. Fake relationship and forced proximity in a tropical paradise? Yes please!
I tried to find ARIANA in the Kindle store and was unsuccessful (they did have a couple of other Ash Dylan titles). Is it just me?
Link to Ariana: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07N5KK341/ (I got there via the author’s page on Amazon; no joy from a title search across “All Departments” but when I restricted my search to the Kindle Store it — “Ariana Ash Dylan” — was the third non-sponsored result in the list.)
@Deborah: Thank you!
I really enjoyed the Thea de Salle series, NOLA Nights. The first entry was more erotica than romance with mild BDSM and some slightly suspect fat representation, but it was a lot of sexy fun. Book two continued with Sol’s ex-wife and a slightly edgier plot. And Lady of Royale Street, book three, is not erotica at all. Further, it features two devoutly Catholic protagonists trying to reconcile religious faith with extremely strong feels. While it’s certainly not closed door, the sexual content is decidedly less in quantity if not quality than in books one and two. There’s lots of intense UST though, always a delightful side bennie of Catholic guilt.
I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of Kingdom of Exiles and am in the middle of it now. It’s excellent so far with an intriguing premise, a very self sufficient heroine who knows her business and has no qualms with making a stand, and a fascinating hero whom I’m not quite sure yet is more hero and more villain (always a win for me).