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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The Accidental Pinup
Author: Danielle Jackson
Released: July 19, 2022 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceRival photographers are forced to collaborate on a body-positive lingerie campaign, but they might have to readjust their focus when sparks fly.
Photographer Cassie Harris loves her job—her company Buxom Boudoir makes people look beautiful and feel empowered with her modern twist on classic pinup photography. Cassie’s best friend, Dana, is about to launch her own dangerously dreamy lingerie line and wants Cassie to shoot and direct the career-changing national campaign. But company politics and Dana’s complicated pregnancy interfere, and Cassie finds herself—a proud plus size Black woman—not behind the camera but in front of it.
Though she’s never modeled herself, Cassie’s pretty sure she can handle the sheer underwear and caution tape bralettes. She’s not sure she can work so intimately with the chosen photographer, her long-time competitor in the Chicago photography scene, Reid Montgomery. Their chemistry is undeniable on set, however, and feelings can develop faster than film…
Aarya: Love this cover!
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The Bodyguard
Author: Katherine Center
Released: July 19, 2022 by St. Martin's Press
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceShe’s got his back.
Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindgerten teacher than somebody who could kill you with a wine bottle opener. Or a ballpoint pen. Or a dinner napkin. But the truth is, she’s an Executive Protection Agent (aka “bodyguard”), and she just got hired to protect superstar actor Jack Stapleton from his middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker.He’s got her heart.
Jack Stapleton’s a household name—captured by paparazzi on beaches the world over, famous for, among other things, rising out of the waves in all manner of clingy board shorts and glistening like a Roman deity. But a few years back, in the wake of a family tragedy, he dropped from the public eye and went off the grid.They’ve got a secret.
When Jack’s mom gets sick, he comes home to the family’s Texas ranch to help out. Only one catch: He doesn’t want his family to know about his stalker. Or the bodyguard thing. And so Hannah—against her will and her better judgment—finds herself pretending to be Jack’s girlfriend as a cover. Even though her ex, like a jerk, says no one will believe it.What could possibly go wrong???
Hannah hardly believes it, herself. But the more time she spends with Jack, the more real it all starts to seem. And there lies the heartbreak. Because it’s easy for Hannah to protect Jack. But protecting her own, long-neglected heart? That’s the hardest thing she’s ever done.Amanda: More bodyguard heroines!!
Elyse: A female bodyguard/celebrity/fake dating story? YES PLEASE!
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Can’t Resist Her
Author: Kiana Alexander
Released: July 19, 2022 by Montlake
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, RomanceTwo very determined women—in love, at odds, and risking a lot on a second chance.
After years away from home, Summer Graves is back in Austin, Texas, to accept a new teaching position. Of all the changes to the old neighborhood, the most dispiriting one is the slated demolition of the high school her grandmother founded. There’s no way she can let developers destroy her memories and her family legacy. But the challenge stirs memories of another kind.
On the architectural team revitalizing the neighborhood, hometown girl Aiko Holt is all about progress. Then she sees Summer again. Some things never change.
Neither can forget the kiss they shared at their senior-year dance. Neither can back down from her unwavering beliefs about what’s right for the neighborhood.
For now, the only thing Summer and Aiko are willing to give in to is a heat that still burns. But can two women with so much passion—for what once was and what could be—agree to disagree long enough to fall in love?
Shana: Again, with the beautiful covers! And I love a second chance romance.
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The Daughter of Doctor Moreau
Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Released: July 19, 2022 by Del Rey
Genre: Historical: American, HorrorFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic and Velvet Was the Night comes a dreamy reimagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century Mexico.
Carlota Moreau: a young woman, growing up in a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula. The only daughter of either a genius, or a madman.
Montgomery Laughton: a melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol. An outcast who assists Dr. Moreau with his scientific experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes, owners of magnificent haciendas and plentiful coffers.
The hybrids: the fruits of the Doctor’s labor, destined to blindly obey their creator and remain in the shadows. A motley group of part human, part animal monstrosities.
All of them living in a perfectly balanced and static world, which is jolted by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Doctor Moreau’s patron, who will unwittingly begin a dangerous chain reaction.
For Moreau keeps secrets, Carlota has questions, and in the sweltering heat of the jungle, passions may ignite.
Aarya: I don’t have knowledge of the source material, but hopefully I’ll be able to enjoy this anyway.
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Some of It Was Real
Author: Nan Fischer
Released: July 26, 2022 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceA psychic on the verge of stardom who isn’t sure she believes in herself and a cynical journalist with one last chance at redemption are brought together by secrets from the past that also threaten to tear them apart.
Psychic-medium Sylvie Young starts every show with her origin story, telling the audience how she discovered her abilities. But she leaves out a lot—the plane crash that killed her parents, an estranged adoptive family who tend orchards in rainy Oregon, panic attacks, and the fact that her agent insists she research some clients to ensure success.
After a catastrophic reporting error, Thomas Holmes’s next story at the L.A. Times may be his last, but he’s got a great personal pitch. “Grief vampires” like Sylvie who prey upon the loved ones of the deceased have bankrupted his mother. He’s dead set on using his last-chance article to expose Sylvie as a conniving fraud and resurrect his career.
When Sylvie and Thomas collide, a game of cat and mouse ensues, but the secrets they’re keeping from each other are nothing compared to the mysteries and lies they unearth about Sylvie’s past. Searching for the truth might destroy them both—but it’s the only way to find out what’s real.
Amanda: I’m cautiously optimistic.
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After Hours on Milagro Street
Author: Angelina Lopez
Released: July 26, 2022 by Carina Press
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceGuapo pobrecito her grandmother calls him. The “poor handsome man.”
Professor Jeremiah Post, the poor handsome man, is in fact standing in the way of Alejandra “Alex” Torres turning Loretta’s, her grandmother’s bar, into a viable business. The hot brainiac who sleeps in one of the upstairs tenant rooms already has all of her Mexican American family’s admiration; she won’t let him have the bar and building she needs to resurrect her career, too.
Alex blowing into town has rocked Jeremiah to his mild-mannered core, but the large, boisterous Torres clan is everything he never had. He doesn’t believe Alex has the best interest of her family, their community or the bar’s legacy in mind. To protect all three, he’ll stand up to the tough and tattooed bartender with whom he now shares a bedroom wall—and resist the insta-lust they both feel.
But when an old enemy threatens Loretta’s and the surrounding neighborhood, Alex and Jeremiah must combine forces. It will take her might and his mind to save the home they both desperately need.
Aarya: Very into mild-mannered, glasses-wearing heroes.
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Compromised into a Scandalous Marriage
Author: Lydia San Andres
Released: July 26, 2022 by Harlequin Historical
Genre: Historical: Other, RomanceEscape to the Caribbean in this tension-filled compromised-into-marriage story!
From island scandal
To dutiful vows!
When heiress Paulina Despradel is banished from the family quinta in a storm, she seeks shelter with her dashing new neighbor, Sebastian Linares. Their attraction may be as electrifying as the lightning outside, but the night they spend together is totally innocent. Barely more than strangers, they must now marry. But left alone with their simmering chemistry, can they build a true union from the ashes of scandal?
Aarya: Excellent; would recommend for historical fans seeking to broaden horizons past Europe or the US.
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For Butter or Worse
Author: Erin La Rosa
Released: July 26, 2022 by HQN Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceAn enemies-to-lovers mash-up of THE HATING GAME and THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE-OFF, in which two rival hosts of a massively popular cooking show have to fake a relationship to save their careers after an explosive on-air fallout, only to find their feelings for each other becoming real.
Their feelings are about to boil over…
Chef Nina Lyon dreams of cooking her way to culinary stardom and becoming a household name. She thought hosting The Next Cooking Champ! was her golden ticket, but she and her co-host/arch-nemesis Leo O’Donnell go together like water and oil and he undercuts her at every turn.
So when Nina unexpectedly quits the show–on live TV, no less–to focus on her restaurant, she doesn’t anticipate the he-devil himself showing up at her door begging her to come back. Nor does she expect the paparazzi to catch them in what looks like a passionate kiss, but is actually Leo tripping into her. When the fans go crazy over Nina and Leo’s “secret romance”, keeping the ruse going might be the only way to save both their careers. That is, if they don’t kill each other first…
Amanda: I will always be down for an enemies to lovers romance with baking.
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Knot Again
Author: Kwana Jackson
Released: July 26, 2022 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: Real Men Knit #2Sometimes local fireman Lucas Strong feels like he can only find any peace and quiet at the local laundromat, where every day is rinse and repeat — until a fateful run-in with his high school crush.
Hoping to attract more customers to his family’s knitting shop, Lucas Strong participated in an FDNY charity calendar and accidentally became a local celebrity. The only place he can find solace is Scrubs—a 24/7 laundromat where he can disappear for a couple of hours. But Lucas’s soapy sanctuary is shaken by an inquisitive little girl with a late-night interest in knitting whose mother is his old school crush.
Sidney Harris-Hughes knows that Harlem is like any other small town, and everyone is probably whispering about how she left such a good man—and a good life—behind to wash and fold laundry by the pound. If only they knew the truth. But Sidney will always put her daughter’s happiness first, even if that means moving back to Harlem and facing her past.
What Sidney never expected was to see Lucas Strong again. A long-forgotten attraction kicks into high gear as Lucas and Sidney start to spend time together at the laundromat, and they must decide if this is true love or just an infatuation, thin and as fragile as a soap bubble.
Elyse: The heroes of this series own a knitting store.
Shana: The hero of this book was my biggest crush from the first story in the series.
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Nobody’s Princess
Author: Erica Ridley
Released: July 26, 2022 by Forever
Genre: Historical: European, Romance
Series: The Wild Wynchesters #3A fun and feminist Regency romp from a master of the genre hailed as “a delight” by Bridgerton author Julia Quinn.
Nothing happens in London without Graham Wynchester knowing. His massive collection of intelligence is invaluable to his family’s mission of aiding those most in need. So when he deciphers a series of coded messages in the scandal sheets, Graham’s convinced he must come to a royal’s rescue. But his quarry turns out not to be a princess at all… The captivating Kunigunde de Heusch is anything but a damsel in distress, and the last thing she wants is Graham’s help.
All her life, Kuni trained alongside the fiercest Royal Guardsmen in her family, secretly planning to become her country’s first Royal Guardswoman. This mission in London is a chance to prove herself worthy without help from a man, not even one as devilishly handsome as Graham. To her surprise, Graham believes in her dream as much as she does, which makes it harder to resist kissing him…and falling in love. But how can she risk her heart if her future lies an ocean away?
Shana: I’m obsessed with this cover, and it makes me want to read the book.
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Twice a Quinceañera
Author: Yamile Saied Méndez
Released: July 26, 2022 by Kensington Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceAcclaimed author of the Reese Witherspoon YA Book Club Pick Furia, Yamile Saied Méndez makes her adult fiction debut with this sparkling, whimsical novel of an accomplished young woman who discovers what it really means to come into her own . . .
One month short of her wedding day—and her thirtieth birthday—Nadia Palacio finds herself standing up to her infuriating, cheating fiancé for the first time in . . . well, ever. But that same courage doesn’t translate to breaking the news to her Argentinian family. She’s hyperventilating before facing them when she glimpses a magazine piece about a Latina woman celebrating herself—with a second quinceañera, aka Sweet 15! And that gives Nadia a brilliant idea . . .
With a wedding venue already paid for, and family from all over the world with plane tickets, Nadia is determined to create her own happily-ever-after. Since the math adds up perfectly, she’ll celebrate her treintañera, her double quinces. As the first professional in her family, raising a glass to her achievements is the best plan she’s had in years. Until she discovers that the man in charge of the venue is none other than her college fling that became far more than a fling. And he looks even more delicious than a three-tiered cake . . .
Full of exuberant heart, Twice a Quinceañera is a pure delight for every woman who needs to be her own biggest fan—and who dreams of a second chance at first love.
Aarya: Loved this author’s YA debut Furia.
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Violet Made of Thorns
Author: Gina Chen
Released: July 26, 2022 by Delacorte Press
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: Violet Made of Thorns #1A darkly enchanting fantasy debut about a morally gray witch, a cursed prince, and a prophecy that ignites their fate-twisted destinies—perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince and Serpent & Dove.
Violet is a prophet and a liar, influencing the royal court with her cleverly phrased—and not always true—divinations. Honesty is for suckers, like the oh-so-not charming Prince Cyrus, who plans to strip Violet of her official role once he’s crowned at the end of the summer—unless Violet does something about it.
But when the king asks her to falsely prophesy Cyrus’s love story for an upcoming ball, Violet awakens a dreaded curse, one that will end in either damnation or salvation for the kingdom—all depending on the prince’s choice of future bride. Violet faces her own choice: Seize an opportunity to gain control of her own destiny, no matter the cost, or give in to the ill-fated attraction that’s growing between her and Cyrus.
Violet’s wits may protect her in the cutthroat court, but they can’t change her fate. And as the boundary between hatred and love grows ever thinner with the prince, Violet must untangle a wicked web of deceit in order to save herself and the kingdom—or doom them all.
Amanda: A “morally gray witch” you say?!
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Nightmare Fuel: The Science of Horror Films by Nina Nesseth: “In Nightmare Fuel, Nesseth explores the strange and often unexpected science of fear through the lenses of psychology and physiology. How do horror films get under our skin? What about them keeps us up at night, even days later? And why do we keep coming back for more?” Sounds interesting.
Desperate Undertaking by Lindsey Davis: The latest Flavia Albia mystery. I love this series to pieces.
@Amanda: the headline says June New Releases, but alas it is July (which means, among other things, that there’s only three weeks left before schools reopen here and I return to work).
The book I’m most looking forward to this month is Serena Bell’s A LITTLE WILDER (July 19). It’s the fourth in her Wilder Adventures series. This one features an unplanned pregnancy–the result of a Vegas one-night-stand between a Wilder brother and a woman who is later hired by Wilder Adventures to redesign the company’s RVs. Bell can always be relied on to write smart, sexy romances and I’m expecting A LITTLE WILDER to be a great read. However, I’m sure Bell had no idea her “unplanned pregnancy” romance would drop just after Roe v. Wade was overturned. I’m sure that going forward writers will be using that trope less frequently or at least adjusting it in new ways: when continuing a pregnancy is a choice, the heroine is empowered; when continuing a pregnancy is a mandate, even the brightest “unplanned pregnancy” romance is going to take on Handmaid’s Tale vibes.
@DDD: I’ve been making the June/July mix-up for the past week or so. Clearly my mind is elsewhere.
Gotta confess that I was kinda hoping that “For Butter or Worse” involved someone trying to win the butter sculpting contest at the PA state fair — but I guess I’ll add that idea to the list of book ideas I will try to write someday….
@Carol: Have you seen the movie Butter?!
I am very intrigued by Violet Made of Thorns (gimme all the dark twisted fairytales) as well as Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s take on Dr Moreau.
@Amanda — no! never heard of it but I just read the description and I may have to watch it!
I am SO impatient for Lydia San Andres’s new book! I loved her earlier ones a LOT.
Accidental Pin-Up, After Hours on Milagro Street (which is going to be somewhere in my Top 10 of the year), Some of It was Real, Island of Dr. Marceau, are all amazing; I thought The Bodyguard kinda failed to distinguish itself. Violet Made of Thorns, Twice a Quinceañera, the Ridley, Knot Again, For Butter or For Worse, Compromised into a Scandalous Marriage and Can’t Resist Her are on my TBR!
This has never happened to me before, but I think I want all the books this month.
And @Carol S., I will read your butter sculpting competition book when it’s published!
@Amanda-I just watched Butter, and loved it! I had never heard of it before, so thanks for mentioning it.
Turns out there are two movies named butter. The 2011 version is about a butter carving competition. This sounds interesting.
The 2020 version is unrelated to butter carving and needs TW/CW.
@lils-I should have mentioned that-the one I watched was about a butter carving competition in Iowa, which has Jennifer Gardner in it.
I was fortunate enough to read an ARC of Angelina M Lopez’s After Hours on Milagro Street, and it blew me away. Ms Lopez truly brings the brash, chip-on-her-shoulder Alex and the quiet but not at all wimpy Jeremiah to life, along with her loving, stubborn family and others in this pocket of Mexican Americans in Kansas.
And @DiscoDollyDeb, I loved A Little Wilder. Serena Bell outdoes herself as usual, our current anxiety inducing landscape not withstanding :/
One daughter of one horror-fiction villain is fun, but with Theodora Goss’ series on the adventures of the Athena Club, you get the daughters of Jekyll and Hyde, Dr Frankenstein, Van Helsing, Dr Moreau and others, plus Holmes and Watson. There are three books and I love them all.
The latest instalment of Julie Anne Long’s Palace of Rogues is out! I don’t love all of the books equally, but even the less-than-great stories are still pretty satisfying. Yay!