If you’re new to Hide Your Wallet, this is where we list new releases we’re pretty excited for in the coming month.
Each reviewer has a book maximum (five per person), but we’ve separated HYW into two parts. The first HYW of the month will cover books that release from the 1st to the 14th. The second HYW will cover books released from the 15th to the end of the month.
We also think this will help us feature books from smaller publishers who don’t have buy links up as early as the bigger trade houses.
As always, if we missed any books that you’re particularly looking forward to, tell us all about them in the comments. Let’s nerd out about language, especially when it comes to cults and brainwashing.
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Battle Royal
Author: Lucy Parker
Released: August 17, 2021 by Avon
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: Palace Insiders #1Beloved author Lucy Parker pens a delicious new romantic comedy that is a battle of whisks and wits.
Ready…
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.
Set…
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.
Match…
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?
Amanda: I read this early and it’s such a comforting read. I loved it.
Claudia: Baking and romance, what’s not to like!
Catherine: Lucy Parker writing about rival chefs? GET IT INTO MY EYEBALLS.
Sneezy: I absolutely loved this book! I can’t wait for everyone to read it!
Sarah: I attempted to transcribe the noise my brain made when this book was announced but I ran out of vowels.
Susan: Rivals to lovers on the set Can’t Believe It’s Not Bake-Off sounds perfect!
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The Dating Playbook
Author: Farrah Rochon
Released: August 17, 2021 by Forever
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: The Boyfriend Project #2When a personal trainer agrees to fake date her client, all rules are out the window in this delightful romantic comedy from the USA Today bestselling author of The Boyfriend Project!
When it comes to personal training, Taylor Powell kicks serious butt. Unfortunately, her bills are piling up, rent is due, and the money situation is dire. Taylor needs more than the support of her new best friends, Samiah and London. She needs a miracle.
And Jamar Dixon might just be it. The oh-so-fine former footballer wants back into the NFL, and he wants Taylor to train him. There’s just one catch — no one can know what they’re doing. But when they’re accidentally outed as a couple, Taylor’s game plan is turned completely upside down. Is Jamar just playing to win . . . or is he playing for keeps?
Sneezy: MOAR competence porn!
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Sometimes I Trip On How Happy We Could Be
Author: Nichole Perkins
Released: August 17, 2021 by Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Memoir, NonfictionPop culture is the Pandora’s Box of our lives. Racism, wealth, poverty, beauty, inclusion, exclusion, and hope — all of these intractable and unavoidable features course through the media we consume. Examining pop culture’s impact on her life, Nichole Perkins takes readers on a rollicking trip through the last twenty years of music, media and the internet from the perspective of one southern Black woman. She explores her experience with mental illness and how the TV series Frasier served as a crutch, how her role as mistress led her to certain internet message boards that prepared her for current day social media, and what it means to figure out desire and sexuality and Prince in a world where marriage is the only acceptable goal for women.
Combining her sharp wit, stellar pop culture sensibility, and trademark spirited storytelling, Nichole boldly tackles the damage done to women, especially Black women, by society’s failure to confront the myths and misogyny at its heart, and her efforts to stop the various cycles that limit confidence within herself. By using her own life and loves as a unique vantage point, Nichole humorously and powerfully illuminates how to take the best pop culture has to offer and discard the harmful bits, offering a mirror into our own lives.
Aarya: I loved Nichole’s old podcast Thirst Aid Kit and have been excited for her essay collection since the announcement.
Maya: The only thing I want is this world is for Nichole to write a romance novel (and then another and another), but until then this book will do!
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Velvet Was the Night
Author: Silvia Moren-Garcia
Released: August 17, 2021 by Del Rey
Genre: Mystery/ThrillerFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic comes a “delicious, twisted treat for lovers of noir” about a daydreaming secretary, a lonesome enforcer, and the mystery of a missing woman they’re both desperate to find.
1970s, Mexico City. Maite is a secretary who lives for one thing: the latest issue of Secret Romance. While student protests and political unrest consume the city, Maite escapes into stories of passion and danger.
Her next-door neighbor, Leonora, a beautiful art student, seems to live a life of intrigue and romance that Maite envies. When Leonora disappears under suspicious circumstances, Maite finds herself searching for the missing woman—and journeying deeper into Leonora’s secret life of student radicals and dissidents.
Meanwhile, someone else is also looking for Leonora at the behest of his boss, a shadowy figure who commands goon squads dedicated to squashing political activists. Elvis is an eccentric criminal who longs to escape his own life: He loathes violence and loves old movies and rock ’n’ roll. But as Elvis searches for the missing woman, he comes to observe Maite from a distance—and grows more and more obsessed with this woman who shares his love of music and the unspoken loneliness of his heart.
Now as Maite and Elvis come closer to discovering the truth behind Leonora’s disappearance, they can no longer escape the danger that threatens to consume their lives, with hitmen, government agents, and Russian spies all aiming to protect Leonora’s secrets—at gunpoint.
Amanda: Is there anything I won’t read by Silvia Moreno Garcia?
Maya: Always excited about new Silvia Moreno Garcia!!
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Wildwood Whispers
Author: Willa Reece
Released: August 17, 2021 by Redhook
Genre: Literary Fiction, Science Fiction/FantasyA heartwarming novel of hope, fate, and folk magic unfolds when a young woman travels to a sleepy southern town in the Appalachian Mountains to bury her best friend.
“Dark, tender, and thought-provoking, Wildwood Whispers is a beautifully woven tale of fantasy, feminism, and mystery set in rural Appalachia.” —Constance Sayers, author of A Witch in Time
At the age of eleven, Mel Smith’s life found its purpose when she met Sarah Ross. Ten years later, Sarah’s sudden death threatens to break her. To fulfill a final promise to her best friend, Mel travels to an idyllic small town nestled in the shadows of the Appalachian Mountains. Yet Morgan’s Gap is more than a land of morning mists and deep forest shadows.
There are secrets that call to Mel, in the gaze of the gnarled and knowing woman everyone calls Granny, in a salvaged remedy book filled with the magic of simple mountain traditions, and in the connection, she feels to the Ross homestead and the wilderness around it.
With every taste of sweet honey and tart blackberries, the wildwood twines further into Mel’s broken heart. But a threat lingers in the woods—one that may have something to do with Sarah’s untimely death and that has now set its sight on Mel.
The wildwood is whispering. It has secrets to reveal—if you’re willing to listen…
Amanda: Forever chasing that Garden Spells vibe!
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A Dance with the Fae Prince
Author: Elise Kova
Released: August 19, 2021 by Silver Wing Press
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, New Adult, Romance
Series: Married to Magic #2Cinderella meets The Cruel Prince in this stand-alone fantasy romance about a human girl and her marriage to the prince of the fae.
She knew her hand in marriage would be sold. She had no idea a fae prince was the buyer.
Katria swore she’d never fall in love. She’s seen what “love” means through the cruelty of her family. So when she’s married off to the mysterious Lord Fenwood for a handsome price, all Katria wants is a better life than the one she’s leaving. Feelings are off the table.
But her new husband makes not falling in love difficult.
As their attraction begins to grow, so too do the oddities within her new life: strange rules, screams in the night, and attacks by fae that Katria never thought were real. When she witnesses a ritual not meant for human eyes, Katria finds herself spirited away to the land of Midscape.
Surviving the fae wilds as a human is hard enough. Katria must survive as a human who accidently pilfered the magic of ancient kings – magic a bloodthirsty king is ready to kill her for in order to keep his stolen throne – and her new husband is the rightful heir in hiding.
The power to save the fae is in her hands. But who will save her from a love she vowed never to feel?
A Dance with the Fae Prince is a complete, *stand-alone novel*, inspired by the tales of Psyche and Eros, as well as Cinderella, with a “happily ever after” ending. It’s perfect for romantic fantasy readers who enjoyed of A Court of Silver Flames and An Enchantment of Ravens. A Dance with the Fae Prince features a slow-burn romance, swoon-worthy couple, and steaminess that ranges from simmering to sizzling.
Elyse: They described this as “Cinderella meets a Cruel Prince” so I’m here for it.
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Bombshell
Author: Sarah MacLean
Released: August 24, 2021 by Avon
Genre: Historical: European, Romance
Series: Hell's Belles #1New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean returns with a blazingly sexy, unapologetically feminist new series, Hell’s Belles, beginning with a bold, bombshell of a heroine, able to dispose of a scoundrel—or seduce one—in a single night.
After years of living as London’s brightest scandal, Lady Sesily Talbot has embraced the reputation and the freedom that comes with the title. No one looks twice when she lures a gentleman into the dark gardens beyond a Mayfair ballroom…and no one realizes those trysts are not what they seem.
No one, that is, but Caleb Calhoun, who has spent years trying not to notice his best friend’s beautiful, brash, brilliant sister. If you ask him, he’s been a saint about it, considering the way she looks at him…and the way she talks to him…and the way she’d felt in his arms during their one ill-advised kiss.
Except someone has to keep Sesily from tumbling into trouble during her dangerous late-night escapades, and maybe close proximity is exactly what Caleb needs to get this infuriating, outrageous woman out of his system. But now Caleb is the one in trouble, because he’s fast realizing that Sesily isn’t for forgetting…she’s forever. And forever isn’t something he can risk.
Elyse: I typically really enjoy MacLean’s historicals, and this heroine sounds fierce.
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Foolish Hearts
Author: Synithia Williams
Released: August 24, 2021 by HQN Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: Jackson Falls #4All they need is a second chance…
It’s been three years since Ashiya Waters walked away from Russell—and made the biggest mistake of her life. She knows she shouldn’t dwell on the past. Love isn’t meant to last…and nobody taught her that better than her own family. But when her grandmother unexpectedly dies, leaving Ashiya in charge of a multimillion-dollar company, Russell is the only one who can help her…and things get complicated fast.
Russell Gilchrist would do anything to be named COO of Robidoux Holdings—with all of the power and money that comes along with it. He’s been desperate to solve the disappearance of his brother, Roderick, for years, and the Robidoux influence could finally turn this cold case hot—and give his family some much-needed closure. The job is his…if he helps Ashiya manage her new business. He’ll just do his work and get out—that’s the plan. But being so close to the woman who broke his heart is dangerous. Seeing her smile and feeling her touch makes him want to forget the past. But will this second chance at love burn them both?
Aarya: This series has sooo much angsty melodrama (in a good way).
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I’m Only Wicked with You
Author: Julie Anne Long
Released: August 24, 2021 by Avon
Genre: Historical: European, Romance
Series: The Palace of Rogues #3USA Today bestselling author Julie Anne Long continues her Palace of Rogues series with a brand-new romance about an ambitious American and a headstrong British heiress.
He’s the battle-hardened son of a bastard, raised in the wilds of New York. She’s the sheltered, blue-blooded darling of the London broadsheets, destined to marry a duke. Their worlds could only collide in a boardinghouse by the London docks…and when they do, the sparks would ignite all of England.
Nothing can stop Hugh Cassidy’s drive to build an American empire…unless it’s his new nemesis, the arrogant, beautiful, too-clever-by-half Lady Lillias Vaughn. The fascination is mutual. The temptation is merciless. And the inevitable indiscretion? Soul-searing—and the ruination of them both. Hugh’s proposal salvages Lillias’ honor but kills their dreams for their futures…until they arrive at a plan that could honorably set them free.
But unraveling their entanglement inadvertently uncovers enthralling truths: about Lillias’ wounded, tender heart and fierce spirit. About Hugh’s stunning gentleness, depth, and courage. Soon, Hugh knows that as surely as he’d fight a thousand battles to win her…the best way to love Lillias means breaking his own heart.
Aarya: JAL is a hit or a miss (What I Did for a Duke is one of my forever faves) but that blurb is pure Aarya catnip.
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The Scoundrel’s Daughter
Author: Anne Gracie
Released: August 24, 2021 by Berkley
Genre: Historical: European, Romance
Series: The Brides of Bellaire Gardens #1When Lady Charlton is forced into becoming London’s most reluctant matchmaker, sparks fly and romance ensues, from the national bestselling author of Marry in Scarlet.
Alice, Lady Charlton, is finally free of her dominating husband, but on the verge of her new life, she is trapped when a blackmailer threatens to publish letters that could ruin her. To protect the secrets of her past Alice must find a lord for his daughter, Lucy, to marry.
Alice reluctantly agrees to find the girl a noble husband but when Lucy arrives, she’s difficult and uncooperative and has no interest in her father’s scheme. A lord, she says, will only look down his nose at her—and she’s having none of that!
Desperate to retrieve the letters, Alice enlists the aid of her handsome young nephew, Gerald, who in turn seeks the help of his former commanding officer, James, Lord Tarrant. James is soon beguiled by the marriage-averse widow and sets out to change her mind. And each time they meet, Gerald and Lucy strike sparks off each other.
To find happiness, Alice and Lucy will have to be brave and trust in each other and the men who are attempting to win their hearts.
Catherine: I’ve enjoyed Anne Gracie’s books before but haven’t’ delved into her works too deeply, this is definitely on my TBR list
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Seeing Ghosts
Author: Kat Chow
Released: August 24, 2021 by Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Memoir, NonfictionFor readers of Helen Macdonald and Elizabeth Alexander, an intimate and haunting portrait of grief and the search for meaning from a singular new talent as told through the prism of three generations of her Chinese American family.
Born two years after the only son in her family died just hours after his birth, Kat Chow became unusually fixated with death. She worried constantly about her parents dying-especially her mother, a vivacious and mischievous woman. One morning when Kat was nine, her mother casually made a morbid joke: When she eventually dies, she says laughing, she’d like to be stuffed and displayed in Kat’s future apartment in order to always watch over her.Four years later when her mother died unexpectedly from cancer, Kat, her two older sisters and their father are plunged into a debilitating, lonely grief. With a distinct voice that is wry and heartfelt, Kat weaves together what is part ghost story and part excavation of her family’s history of loss spanning three generations and their immigration from China and Hong Kong to America and Cuba. This redemptive coming-of-age story uncovers the uncanny parallels in Kat’s lineage, including the strength of sisterhood and the complicated duty of looking after parents, even after death.
Seeing Ghosts asks what it means to claim and tell your family’s story: Is writing an exorcism or is it its own form of preservation? What do we owe in our grief, and how does it shape us? In order to answer these questions and to understand her family’s ghosts, Kat unearths their loss and challenges the power structures of race, class and gender. The result is an extraordinary new contribution to the literature of grief and the American family, and a provocative and transformative meditation on who we become under the specter of loss.
Aarya: Kat Chow formerly worked for NPR’s Code Switch and still guests on Pop Culture Happy Hour — another memoir/essay collection that I’m looking forward to!
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Uncharted
Author: Adriana Anders
Released: August 24, 2021 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Romantic Suspense, Romance
Series: Survival Instincts #2Hotshot pilot Leo Eddowes is afraid of nothing and no one. So when she’s asked to evacuate a man from the wilds of Alaska, she doesn’t hesitate. But with enemies in close pursuit and the weather turning sour, what should have been a simple mission quickly shifts to disaster.
And there’s only one way out.
When Elias Thorne disappeared, he was America’s most wanted. Now he’s spent more than a decade in one of the most remote places on earth, guarding a dangerous secret. Leo’s arrival, quickly followed by a team of expert hunters, leaves him no choice but to join forces with her—and run. Neither is prepared for their reluctant partnership to flare into something as wild and untamed as the frozen world around them…but as desperately cold days melt into scorchingly hot nights, Leo and Elias must learn to dig deep, trust in each other, and forge a bond as strong as the forces of nature.
Stranded together in a frozen wilderness,
There’s nowhere left to run…Elyse: I loved the first book in this series.
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Breaking Badger
Author: Shelly Laurenston
Released: August 31, 2021 by Kensington Books
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Series: Honey Badger Chronicles #4Fans of Thea Harrison and Nalini Singh won’t want to miss this exciting, funny, and sexy novel in the mega-popular series.
It’s instinct that drives Finn Malone to rescue a bunch of hard battling honey badgers. The Siberian tiger shifter just can’t bear to see his fellow shifters harmed. But no way can Finn have a houseful of honey badgers when he also has two brothers with no patience. Things just go from bad to worse when the badgers rudely ejected from his home turn out to be the only ones who can help him solve a family tragedy. He’s just not sure he can even get back into the badgers’ good graces. Since badgers lack graces of any kind . . .
Mads knows her teammates aren’t about to forgive the cats that were so rude to them, but moody Finn isn’t so bad. And he’s cute! The badger part of her understands Finn’s burning need to avenge his father’s death—after all, vengeance is her favorite pastime. So Mads sets about helping Finn settle his family’s score, which has its perks, since she gets to avoid her own family drama. Besides, fighting side by side with Finn is her kind of fun—especially when she can get in a hot and heavy snuggle with her very own growling, eye-rolling, and utterly irresistible kitty-cat . . .
Maya: Love Shelly Laurenston! Love honey badgers!
Susan: I am always going to pick up Shelly Laurenston’s books for the honey badgers and the excellent titles!
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The Devil You Know
Author: Kit Rocha
Released: August 31, 2021 by Tor Books
Genre: Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Mercenary Librarians #2Maya has had a price on her head from the day she escaped the TechCorps. Genetically engineered for genius and trained for revolution, there’s only one thing she can’t do—forget.
Gray has finally broken free of the Protectorate, but he can’t escape the time bomb in his head. His body is rejecting his modifications, and his months are numbered.
When Maya’s team uncovers an operation trading in genetically enhanced children, she’ll do anything to stop them. Even risk falling back into the hands of the TechCorps.
And Gray has found a purpose for his final days: keeping Maya safe.
Sneezy: Maya was one of my favourite characters from the first book, and I can’t WAIT to read her story!!!
Maya: Yayyyyyyy new Kit Rocha!!!
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For the Love of April French
Author: Penny Aimes
Released: August 31, 2021 by Carina Adores
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, RomanceApril French doesn’t do relationships and she never asks for more.
A long-standing regular at kink club Frankie’s, she’s kind of seen it all. As a trans woman, she’s used to being the scenic rest stop for others on their way to a happily-ever-after. She knows how desire works, and she keeps hers carefully boxed up to take out on weekends only.
After all, you can’t be let down if you never ask.
Then Dennis Martin walks into Frankie’s, fresh from Seattle and looking a little lost. April just meant to be friendly, but one flirtatious drink turns into one hot night.
When Dennis asks for her number, she gives it to him.
When he asks for her trust, well…that’s a little harder.
And when the desire she thought she had such a firm grip on comes alive with Dennis, April finds herself wanting passion, purpose and commitment.
But when their relationship moves from complicated to impossible, April will have to decide how much she’s willing to want.
Aarya: “This was a casual one-night-stand but oops, I have feelings now” books are always so much fun to read.
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The Heart Principle
Author: Helen Hoang
Released: August 31, 2021 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: The Kiss Quotient #3A woman struggling with burnout learns to embrace the unexpected—and the man she enlists to help her—in this heartfelt new romance by USA Today bestselling author Helen Hoang.
When violinist Anna Sun accidentally achieves career success with a viral YouTube video, she finds herself incapacitated and burned out from her attempts to replicate that moment. And when her longtime boyfriend announces he wants an open relationship before making a final commitment, a hurt and angry Anna decides that if he wants an open relationship, then she does, too. Translation: She’s going to embark on a string of one-night stands. The more unacceptable the men, the better.
That’s where tattooed, motorcycle-riding Quan Diep comes in. Their first attempt at a one-night stand fails, as does their second, and their third, because being with Quan is more than sex—he accepts Anna on an unconditional level that she has just started to understand herself. However, when tragedy strikes Anna’s family she takes on a role that she is ill-suited for, until the burden of expectations threatens to destroy her. Anna and Quan have to fight for their chance at love, but to do that, they also have to fight for themselves.
Amanda: Quan’s book is finally here!!!
Catherine: Quan was/is my favorite character in the whole series, he tied everyone together, and I’m so glad his book is finally here!
Sneezy: YAAAAAAY! More Helen Hoang!
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My Heart Is a Chainsaw
Author: Stephen Graham Jones
Released: August 31, 2021 by Gallery / Saga Press
Genre: HorrorIn her quickly gentrifying rural lake town Jade sees recent events only her encyclopedic knowledge of horror films could have prepared her for in this latest novel from the Jordan Peele of horror literature, Stephen Graham Jones.
Jade feels like she’s trapped in a slasher film as tourists go missing and the tension between her community and the celebrity newcomers to the Indian Lake shore heads towards a tipping point, when she feels the killer will rise. Jade watches as the small town she knows and loves begins to head towards catastrophe as yachts compete with canoes and the celebrity rich change the landscape of what was designated park lands to develop what they call Terra Nova.
This new novel from the acclaimed author of The Only Good Indians and “literary master” (Tananarive Due, author of The Good House) Stephen Graham Jones, is a must-read, exploring the changing landscape of the West through his particular voice of sharp humor and prophetic violence that will have you cheering for the American heroine we need.
Maya: Gentrification horror is one of my favorite subgenres! I can talk for hours about the built environment and how it records and reveals oppression. Take a walk today and really look at how the buildings around you reflect intentional (dis)investment in communities! You can’t miss it if you are looking for it!
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The Royals Next Door
Author: Karina Halle
Released: August 31, 2021 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceAn ordinary summer goes royally awry when a prince and princess move next door, bringing their handsome bodyguard with them, from New York Times bestselling author Karina Halle.
Piper Evans: elementary school teacher by day–avid romance reader and anonymous podcaster by night. She lives a quiet, reclusive life, taking care of her mother, who struggles with mental illness, avoiding her regrettable ex, who bartends in town, and trying to make inroads in the tight-knit island community that still sees her, five years in, as an outsider.
And she’s happy with how things are–really–until British royals rent the property next to hers and their brooding bodyguard decides she’s a security threat. Piper quickly realizes that one person’s fairy tale is an ordinary woman’s nightmare as a media frenzy takes over the island and each run-in with Harrison Cole is hotter and more confusing than the last. But beneath Harrison’s no-nonsense exterior lies a soft heart, one that could tempt a woman who’s sworn off attachments into believing in white knights.
But when Piper finds herself smack in the middle of a royal scandal that rocks the island she’ll need more than Harrison’s strong arms to shield her–she’ll have to do a little rescuing herself. With careers, hearts, and friendships on the line, Piper and Harrison will have to decide what they’re willing to give up for a chance at their own happily ever after.
Elyse: This book has a brooding bodyguard hero!
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BAD WITCH BURNING by Jessica Lewis on August 24. “For fans of Lovecraft Country and Candyman comes a witchy story full of Black girl magic as one girl’s dark ability to summon the dead offers her a chance at a new life, while revealing to her an even darker future.”
High-pitched “eeeeeeeeee” for the Hoang and the Rocha.
This is the first MacLean in a while that I haven’t pre-ordered months in advance. I’m more fickle nowadays, I guess? My tastes have changed?
The Mystery of the Sorrowful Maiden by Kate Saunders: Yay for Laetitia Rodd! A middle-aged crime-solving widow who has great family relationships!
MASTER OF TOMES by Honor Raconteur (last book in The Tomes of Kaleria trilogy) releases on 20 August. I can’t wait!
(SB Sarah should totally take a look at book 1 of the trilogy, it’s $1 on kindle right now. Dragons! Quest! Camaraderie! Out-of-the-box problem solving!)
Celebratory booty shake for honey badgers, Lucy Parker, Farrah Rochon, and Kit Rocha also. Woo hoo!
“The Jordan Peele of horror literature.” That’s an interesting description!
Looking forward to Layla Reyne’s WHAT WE MAY BE (August 17). Reyne is hit-or-miss for me, but this one looks interesting (MMF, second-chance). Ella James’s dark m/m stepbrother romance, WRATH, arrives August 27. As James did in her WORSHIP & ADORE duet, WRATH makes reference to conversion therapy, so cw/tw. And Kati Wilde’s shifter romance, SHERIFF’S BAD BEAR, is scheduled for August 31. I’m optimistic that this one will arrive on its scheduled pub date because EVIL TWIN arrived as scheduled last month. Happy dance time!
Jackie Lau’s latest book “Bidding for the Bachelor” is scheduled for August 17.
I am curious about about that Lucy Parker book. I assume since it mentions a King, the author (wisely) steered clear of the current British Royal family and has invented a completely fictional group for her book? Looking forward to it as I like Parker’s work.
I’m not into horror, but I like Stephen Graham Jones’ writing enough to read it. If you’re interested in horror, I highly recommend his work.
Badgers!!!! Shelly Laurenston is the best!!
@TinaNoir, I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advance copy of Battle Royal. Although the politics and paparazzi issues are similar, the royal family in the book is wholly fictional, which I think was a smart move on the author’s part. Oh,. and the book itself was just a joy to read. Lucy Parker is an absolute master at grumpy/sunshiny pairings.
@Neile: I can’t wait for MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW! I have been pushing THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS at everybody I know; it’s the best book -horror or otherwise- that I’ve read this yr. (I read a book every day, so that’s saying a lot.) I also recommend an earlier book I really liked, MONSTERS.
The Parker and the Hoang are the BIG ones for me, but I was pissed to discover that Deal with the Devil was an ongoing series and I would have to wait for number 2 so I am glad it is finally arriving.
Really hoping Dangerous Ground (Fiona Carver #1) by Rachel Grant returns to the magic of Flashpoint, although I am not quite greedy enough to hope for another heroine as magnificent as Freya Lange.
Oh my, the cover for “A Dance with the Fae Prince” is beautiful. I’ve pre-ordered the paperback to match with my copy of “A Deal with the Elf King”. The synopsis gives me strong “An Enchantment of Ravens” vibes and I am here for it. I’m also glad to hear it is a standalone which is somewhat rare for fantasy romance.
Most of my anticipated releases come out in September and October but I’m still waiting for my copy of Katherine Arden’s “Dark Waters” which is the third book in a cosy middlegrade horror series. The release date was postponed to August 10th and international shipping is a mess right now.
I’ve read “My Heart is a Chainsaw” and um. Read it. Climb mountains to read it. It’s the best horror novel I’ve read in years.
On the TBR pile: The Royals Next Door, The Heart Principle, For the Love of April French, Uncharted, The Scoundrel’s Daughter, Battle Royal, The Dating Playbook, Velvet was the Night, I’m Only Wicked with You, Foolish Hearts (the previous volume I read in the series was fun); Bombshells and A Dance with the Fae Prince.
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Ummmmm can you please cover snark that McLean cover? It’s gorgeous but I cannot make sense of where that knee is and have now spent far too long trying to figure it out.