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.
-
Briarley
Author: Aster Glenn Gray
Released: May 5, 2018
Genre: Historical: European, LGBTQIA, Romance, Science Fiction/FantasyAn m/m World War II-era retelling of Beauty and the Beast.
During a chance summer shower, an English country parson takes refuge in a country house. The house seems deserted, yet the table is laid with a sumptuous banquet such as the parson has not seen since before war rationing.
Unnerved by the uncanny house, he flees, but stops to pluck a single perfect rose from the garden for his daughter – only for the master of the house to appear, breathing fire with rage. Literally.
At first, the parson can’t stand this dragon-man. But slowly, he begins to feel the injustice of the curse that holds the dragon captive. What can break this vengeful curse?
Source: @normajeansays on Twitter
Beauty and the Beast retelling. But the beast is a dragon and the beauty is Belle’s dad.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks! -
The Nocturnal Brain
Author: Dr. Guy Leschziner
Released: July 23, 2019 by St. Martin's Press
Genre: NonfictionFor Dr. Guy Leschziner’s patients, there is no rest for the weary in mind and body. Insomnia, narcolepsy, night terrors, sleep apnea, and sleepwalking are just a sampling of conditions afflicting sufferers who cannot sleep–and their experiences in trying are the stuff of nightmares. Demoniac hallucinations frighten people into paralysis. Restless legs rock both the sleepless and their sleeping partners with unpredictable and uncontrollable kicking. Out-of-sync circadian rhythms confuse the natural body clock’s days and nights.
Then there are the extreme cases. A woman in a state of deep sleep who gets dressed, unlocks her car, and drives for several miles before returning to bed. The man who has spent decades cleaning out kitchens while “sleep-eating.” The teenager prone to the serious, yet unfortunately nicknamed “Sleeping Beauty Syndrome” stuck in a cycle of excessive unconsciousness, binge eating, and uncharacteristic displays of aggression and hyper-sexuality while awake.
With compassionate stories of his patients and their conditions, Dr. Leschziner illustrates the neuroscience behind our sleeping minds, revealing the many biological and psychological factors necessary in getting the rest that will not only maintain our physical and mental health, but improve our cognitive abilities and overall happiness.
Source: @StMartinsPress on Instagram
This came across my personal feed and, as someone who deals with a variety of sleep issues, I’m really curious about this book.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks! -
Tarnished Are the Stars
Author: Rosiee Thor
Released: October 15, 2019 by Scholastic Press
Genre: LGBTQIA, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young AdultA secret beats inside Anna Thatcher’s chest: An illegal clockwork heart. Anna works cog by cog — donning the moniker Technician — to supply black market medical technology to the sick and injured, against the Commissioner’s tyrannical laws.
Nathaniel Fremont, the Commissioner’s son, has never had to fear the law. Determined to earn his father’s respect, Nathaniel sets out to capture the Technician. But the more he learns about the outlaw, the more he questions whether his father’s elusive affection is worth chasing at all.
Their game of cat and mouse takes an abrupt turn when Eliza, a skilled assassin and spy, arrives. Her mission is to learn the Commissioner’s secrets at any cost — even if it means betraying her own heart.
When these uneasy allies discover the most dangerous secret of all, they must work together despite their differences and put an end to a deadly epidemic — before the Commissioner ends them first.
Source: @RosieeThor on Twitter
“Tall sapphic energy.”
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks! -
Your Heart Only
Author: Elysabeth Grace
Released: July 30, 2019
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: Midsummer Sisters #1It was meant to be a one-night stand, a one and done. However, as Marisa Price and Aidan Graywolf discover, life never plays fair.
Marisa’s academic career is about to soar with the discovery of secret letters handed down through her family telling of a love affair between Shakespeare and his black mistress. A divorce has left Marisa with trust issues and her personal life void of romantic entanglements, which suits her just fine. At least that’s what she believes until the day Aidan knocks on her door.
When Aidan arrives at Marisa’s doorstep to claim his daughter he realizes she isn’t the only reason he’s there. He’s come to claim her mother’s heart as well. Marisa’s proposal of a marriage of convenience with a surprise celibacy clause is unexpected, and gives him an opening he needs to begin his campaign. For Aidan, nothing short of winning Marisa’s love will do.
Can proximity and an unforgettable passion help this pair overcome the past to find true love? Or, did Shakespeare get it all wrong?
CW: sensuous, domestic abuse survivor, some physical violence
Source: @Elysabethgrace on Twitter
Main character is a Black Shakespearean scholar!
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks!
BRIARLEY is one of the best books I’ve read all year – now currently a permanent fixture on my keeper/comfort read shelf.
Briarley is also a KU option. Yay.
“Tarnished Are the Stars” looks amazing, why is October so far away?
Your Heart Only looks great to me, but I was surprised to see not single review on Amazon or Goodreads. I downloaded an excerpt, but if anyone actually reads the book, please come back and let the rest of us know what you think.
What Margaret says….
No reviews on my local library’s page for Your Heart Only but that may be tied to Amazon with Overdrive.
I also liked Briarley!