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), and 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.
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Crash Site
Author: Rachel Grant
Released: January 4, 2022 by Montlake Romance
Genre: Romantic Suspense, Romance
Series: Fiona Carver #2Fiona Carver has landed a dream assignment: conducting an archaeological inventory of Ruby Island, a privately owned, pristine gem in the Caribbean. Two months in paradise exploring and mapping a lush rain forest, vast caves, and a seventeenth-century star fort and following up on legends of hidden Spanish gold. Add a simmering reunion with wildlife photographer Dean Slater and it’s enough to take Fiona’s breath away. But the sparkle fades when Dean’s arrival is met with sudden, terrifying danger.
Reunited and determined to see the project through, Fiona and Dean find themselves in a swirl of intrigue as they delve into the complex history of the unspoiled refuge, now a tropical haven for billionaires and their secrets. But the work isn’t easy, as someone appears determined to kill the project—by any means necessary.
As betrayal casts tropical storm clouds over Ruby Island and treasured friendships dissolve into distrust, one thing becomes clear: Fiona and Dean are trapped in a dangerous paradise.
Elyse’s pick!
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The Maid
Author: Nita Prose
Released: January 4, 2022 by Ballatine Books
Genre: Mystery/ThrillerA charmingly eccentric hotel maid discovers a guest murdered in his bed. Solving the mystery will turn her once orderly world upside down in this utterly original debut.
Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misinterprets the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.
Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has had to navigate life’s complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.
But Molly’s orderly life is turned on its head the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself very dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?
A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.
Sarah: I’m very curious because “a hotel maid discovers a body” is a twist on the locked room mystery trope.
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Olga Dies Dreaming
Author: Xochitl Gonzalez
Released: January 4, 2022 by Flatiron Books
Genre: Literary FictionA blazing talent debuts with the tale of a status-driven wedding planner grappling with her social ambitions, absent mother, and Puerto Rican roots—all in the wake of Hurricane Maria
It’s 2017, and Olga and her brother, Pedro “Prieto” Acevedo, are boldfaced names in their hometown of New York. Prieto is a popular congressman representing their gentrifying Latinx neighborhood in Brooklyn, while Olga is the tony wedding planner for Manhattan’s power brokers.
Despite their alluring public lives, behind closed doors things are far less rosy. Sure, Olga can orchestrate the love stories of the 1 percent but she can’t seem to find her own. . . until she meets Matteo, who forces her to confront the effects of long-held family secrets.
Olga and Prieto’s mother, Blanca, a Young Lord turned radical, abandoned her children to advance a militant political cause, leaving them to be raised by their grandmother. Now, with the winds of hurricane season, Blanca has come barreling back into their lives.
Set against the backdrop of New York City in the months surrounding the most devastating hurricane in Puerto Rico’s history, Xochitl Gonzalez’s Olga Dies Dreaming is a story that examines political corruption, familial strife, and the very notion of the American dream—all while asking what it really means to weather a storm.
Shana: So much catnip here! A wedding planner, Puerto Rican history, the Young Lords, and a romance too.
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The Storyteller
Author: Kathryn Williams
Released: January 11, 2022 by HarperTeen
Genre: Historical: Other, Mystery/Thriller, Young AdultWith the mystery of Maureen Johnson and Brittany Cavallo and the historical intrigue of Romanov, this enthralling story follows a teenage girl’s quest to uncover the truth behind her secretive great aunt Anna, who just might be the long lost Russian princess Anastasia.
It’s not every day you discover you might be related to Anastasia…or that the tragic princess actually survived her assassination attempt and has been living as the woman you know as Aunt Anna.
For Jess Morgan, who is growing tired of living her life to please everyone else, discovering her late aunt’s diaries shows her she’s not the only one struggling to hide who she really is. But was her aunt truly a Romanov princess? Or is this some elaborate hoax?
With the help of a supremely dorky, but undeniably cute, local college student named Evan, Jess digs into the century-old mystery.
But soon Jess realizes there’s another, bigger truth waiting to be revealed: Jess Morgan. Because if she’s learned anything from Aunt Anna, it’s that only you can write your own story.
Part mystery, romance, and historical fiction, this genre-bending YA will pull readers into one girl’s journey of discovering the impossible tale of a long-lost aunt—and through her, the importance of being true to yourself.
Sarah: A YA in which the heroine’s aunt might have been Princess Anastasia? Neat!
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Wahala
Author: Nikki May
Released: January 11, 2022 by Custom House
Genre: Women's FictionAn incisive and exhilarating debut novel following three Anglo-Nigerian best friends and the lethally glamorous fourth woman who infiltrates their group—the most unforgettable girls since Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha.
Ronke wants happily ever after and 2.2. kids. She’s dating Kayode and wants him to be “the one” (perfect, like her dead father). Her friends think he’s just another in a long line of dodgy Nigerian boyfriends.
Boo has everything Ronke wants—a kind husband, gorgeous child. But she’s frustrated, unfulfilled, plagued by guilt, and desperate to remember who she used to be.
Simi is the golden one with the perfect lifestyle. No one knows she’s crippled by impostor syndrome and tempted to pack it all in each time her boss mentions her “urban vibe.” Her husband thinks they’re trying for a baby. She’s not.
When the high-flying, charismatic Isobel explodes into the group, it seems at first she’s bringing out the best in each woman. (She gets Simi an interview in Shanghai! Goes jogging with Boo!) But the more Isobel intervenes, the more chaos she sows, and Ronke, Simi, and Boo’s close friendship begins to crack.
A sharp, modern take on friendship, ambition, culture, and betrayal, Wahala (trouble) is an unforgettable novel from a brilliant new voice.
Shana: I never get tired of stories about four messy friends.
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Weather Girl
Author: Rachel Lynn Solomon
Released: January 11, 2022 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceA TV meteorologist and a sports reporter scheme to reunite their divorced bosses with unforecasted results in this charming romantic comedy from the author of The Ex Talk.
Ari Abrams has always been fascinated by the weather, and she loves almost everything about her job as a TV meteorologist. Her boss, legendary Seattle weatherwoman Torrance Hale, is too distracted by her tempestuous relationship with her ex-husband, the station’s news director, to give Ari the mentorship she wants. Ari, who runs on sunshine and optimism, is at her wits’ end. The only person who seems to understand how she feels is sweet but reserved sports reporter Russell Barringer.
In the aftermath of a disastrous holiday party, Ari and Russell decide to team up to solve their bosses’ relationship issues. Between secret gifts and double dates, they start nudging their bosses back together. But their well-meaning meddling backfires when the real chemistry builds between Ari and Russell.
Working closely with Russell means allowing him to get to know parts of herself that Ari keeps hidden from everyone. Will he be able to embrace her dark clouds as well as her clear skies?
Amanda: This looks so cute!
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The Wedding Setup
Author: Charlotte Greene
Released: January 11, 2022 by Bold Strokes Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, RomanceRyann is thrilled when her friend Stuart asks her to help him plan his last-minute wedding. He moved across the country over a year ago, and she misses him like crazy. As an executive with event planning experience, Ryann’s the best person to help him fulfill his wildest wedding dreams.
However, things in Colorado are not what she expects, especially Maddie, the maid of honor for the other groom. Maddie is attractive, and while she’s certainly Ryann’s type, she has some different ideas about the wedding. Also, flirting with her is incredibly distracting, especially when Ryann just wants to keep things professional. With just two weeks to the big event on Valentine’s Day, can Ryann help Stuart to wedded bliss, and avoid his well-intentioned attempts to set her up with Maddie?
Tara: I love wedding planner/bridesmaid romances.
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No Strings
Author: Lucy Bexley
Released: January 13, 2022
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, RomanceFun is the one thing Elsie Webb takes seriously. Though she’d be having a lot more of it if Haelstrom Media paid her enough to actually get out of debt. She’s determined to hold out on contract negotiations for her kids’ television show Fangley Heights until she gets what she deserves. There’s only one problem, the head of the network just died and left her future more uncertain than ever.
Forty-eight hours and one funeral–that’s all Jones Haelstrom has to get through before she can return to her life in LA that’s as ordered and sparse as an IKEA showroom. When she steps in as CEO of her father’s media company, Elsie Webb is her first problem to deal with. Elsie ends up challenging Jones in ways she never could have predicted, starting with an attraction neither can avoid.
As their attraction teeters on the edge of something more both agree to keep it casual. A no-strings agreement and disclosure to HR should be enough to keep things between Jones and Elsie from getting tangled, right?
Tara: I’m pretty sure I’ve never read a romance involving a kids’ TV show, so I’m intrigued to see if it works.
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Happy New Year, Bitches! May 2022 be a year of caring, consideration, kindness, and sanity from and toward all. (I’ll refrain from being cynical and sharing how unlikely that prospect seems on the social/national level.) Meanwhile, there are always books—
Two Harlequin Presents start January: Jackie Ashenden’s PREGNANT BY THE WRONG PRINCE and Clare Connelly’s VOWS ON THE VIRGIN’S TERMS. The titles (and the fact that these are HPs) tell you everything you need to know.
DESIRE AFTER DARK, an anthology, will be released on January 11. I’m not familiar with many of the writers represented, but for 99-cents, it’s worth a look.
Also dropping on January 11, K. Webster’s dark romance, TRIPLE THREAT. Unfortunately, it’s a book with one of those tells-you-very-little-emo-blurbs, so I don’t know much about it beyond there’s an element of “sheltered heroine sacrifices herself to enigmatic villain/hero to save her family from ruin.”
Giana Darling’s BEAUTIFUL NIGHTMARE, the second book of her Dark Dream duet, arrives January 13. This is a guardian-ward romance and part of the multi-author Midnight Dynasty universe.
Amelia Wilde’s SWEET MERCY, the second book in her dark romance series about an artist and an art collector, arrives January 18. This is also part of Midnight Dynasty.
Ana Huang’s TWISTED HATE, the next in her Twisted series, arrives January 27. I liked the first two books in the series—TWISTED GAMES and TWISTED LOVE—and am looking forward to the third.
I’m looking forward to Cat Sebastian’s next book in her Page and Sommers series, THE MISSING PAGE. I think at this point I’ve read Sebastian’s entire backlist, so always happy to get a new book from her!
Along with the Cat Sebastian book already mentioned, I’m looking forward to Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall later this month. I’m also a fan of Annette Marie’s Guild Codex series and the second book of the Guild Codex: Unveiled, The Long-Forgotten Winter King comes out on the 22nd. She writes entertaining urban fantasy with some romantic elements.
Put me third on the list for the new Cat Sebastian. Do I still have like 4 books by her to read? Yes. Will I buy this one immediately anyway? Also yes. I’m putting myself on an actual book buying limit this year, but Cat is a auto-buy for me.
Weather Girl – the mentor figure is named Torrance Hale? That’s her real name?
Okay….
“Weather Girl” is very cute – I think I gave it about a B+. The Greene, Gonzalez and May are on my TBR. I’m intrigued by the Williams but I want to read a few reviews about it first because I am rather Le Tired of Anastasia Lives AUs. A fresh twist might be what the subject needs but I’m not 100 percent convinced yet.
The Wedding Setup was my first book of the year thanks to this post. It was pretty cute but really drags in the latter half. Could have cut quite a lot of the faffing around imo. I’m also always sad when an open-door book goes closed-door after the first time.
I too am waiting for the new Cat Sebastian and the one by Alexis Hall (sooo much catnip for me!). Keira Andrews’ KISS AND CRY drops tomorrow. Enemies to lovers m/m figure skaters – should be good!
Nita Prose’ The Maid is on my list of top picks of the January 2022 releases also… love quirky under-dog characters. I am also very intrigued by Sequoia Nagamatsu’s debut How High We Go in the Dark.
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