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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Back in a Spell
Author: Lana Harper
Released: January 3, 2023 by Berkley
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, LGBTQIA, Paranormal, Romance
Series: The Witches of Thistle Grove #3An awkward first date leads to a sparkling romance between one of the most powerful witches in town and a magical newbie in this rom-com by Lana Harper, New York Times bestselling author of Payback’s a Witch.
Even though she won’t deny her love for pretty (and pricey) things, Nineve Blackmoore is almost painfully down-to-earth and sensible by Blackmoore standards. But after a year of nursing a broken heart inflicted by the fiancée who all but ditched her at the altar, the powerful witch is sick of feeling low and is ready to try something drastically different: a dating app.
At her best friend’s urging, Nina goes on a date with Morty Gutierrez, the nonbinary, offbeat soul of spontaneity and co-owner of the Shamrock Cauldron. Their date goes about as well as can be expected of most online dates—awkward and terrible. To make matters worse, once Morty discovers Nina’s last name, he’s far from a fan; it turns out that the Blackmoores have been bullishly trying to buy the Shamrock out from under Morty and his family.
But when Morty begins developing magical powers—something that usually only happens to committed romantic partners once they officially join a founding family—at the same time that Nina’s own magic surges beyond her control, Nina must manage Morty’s rude awakening to the hidden magical world, uncover its cause, and face the intensity of their own burgeoning connection. But what happens when that connection is tied to Nina’s power surge, a power she’s finding nearly as addictive as Morty’s presence in her life?
Amanda: I’m really loving this series!
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The Bandit Queens
Author: Parini Shroff
Released: January 3, 2023 by Ballantine Books
Genre: Literary Fiction, Mystery/ThrillerA young Indian woman finds the false rumors that she killed her husband surprisingly useful—until other women in the village start asking for her help getting rid of their own husbands—in this razor-sharp debut.
“Shroff captures the complexity of female friendship with acuity, wit, and a certain kind of magic irreverence. . . . The Bandit Queens is tender, unpredictable, and brimming with laugh-out-loud moments.”—Téa Obreht, New York Times bestselling author of The Tiger’s Wife
Five years ago, Geeta lost her no-good husband. As in, she actually lost him—he walked out on her and she has no idea where he is. But in her remote village in India, rumor has it that Geeta killed him. And it’s a rumor that just won’t die.
It turns out that being known as a “self-made” widow comes with some perks. No one messes with her, harasses her, or tries to control (ahem, marry) her. It’s even been good for business; no one dares to not buy her jewelry.
Freedom must look good on Geeta, because now other women are asking for her“expertise,” making her an unwitting consultant for husband disposal.
And not all of them are asking nicely.
With Geeta’s dangerous reputation becoming a double-edged sword, she has to find a way to protect the life she’s built—but even the best-laid plans of would-be widows tend to go awry. What happens next sets in motion a chain of events that will change everything, not just for Geeta, but for all the women in their village.
Filled with clever criminals, second chances, and wry and witty women, Parini Shroff’s The Bandit Queens is a razor-sharp debut of humor and heart that readers won’t soon forget.
Amanda: This sounds fun with the right amount of dark humor.
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Hell Bent
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Released: January 10, 2023 by Flatiron Books
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Alex Stern #2“Readers will be wowed.” –Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Wealth. Power. Murder. Magic. The Ivy League is going straight to hell in the sequel to the smash New York Times bestseller Ninth House from #1 bestselling author Leigh Bardugo.
“Bardugo’s imaginative reach is brilliant.” –Stephen King
Find a gateway to the underworld. Steal a soul out of hell. A simple plan, except people who make this particular journey rarely come back. But Galaxy “Alex” Stern is determined to break Darlington out of purgatory—even if it costs her a future at Lethe and at Yale.
Forbidden from attempting a rescue, Alex and Dawes can’t call on the Ninth House for help, so they assemble a team of dubious allies to save the gentleman of Lethe. Together, they will have to navigate a maze of arcane texts and bizarre artifacts to uncover the societies’ most closely guarded secrets, and break every rule doing it. But when faculty members begin to die off, Alex knows these aren’t just accidents. Something deadly is at work in New Haven, and if she is going to survive, she’ll have to reckon with the monsters of her past and a darkness built into the university’s very walls.
Thick with history and packed with Bardugo’s signature twists, Hell Bent brings to life an intricate world full of magic, violence, and all too real monsters.
The highly anticipated sequel to Bardugo’s adult fantasy release.
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Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute
Author: Talia Hibbert
Released: January 3, 2023 by Joy Revolution
Genre: Romance, Young AdultFrom the New York Times bestselling author of the Brown Sisters trilogy, comes a laugh-out-loud story about a quirky content creator and a clean-cut athlete testing their abilities to survive the great outdoors—and each other.
Bradley Graeme is pretty much perfect. He’s a star football player, manages his OCD well (enough), and comes out on top in all his classes . . . except the ones he shares with his ex-best friend, Celine.
Celine Bangura is conspiracy-theory-obsessed. Social media followers eat up her takes on everything from UFOs to holiday overconsumption—yet, she’s still not cool enough for the popular kids’ table. Which is why Brad abandoned her for the in-crowd years ago. (At least, that’s how Celine sees it.)
These days, there’s nothing between them other than petty insults and academic rivalry. So when Celine signs up for a survival course in the woods, she’s surprised to find Brad right beside her.
Forced to work as a team for the chance to win a grand prize, these two teens must trudge through not just mud and dirt but their messy past. And as this adventure brings them closer together, they begin to remember the good bits of their history. But has too much time passed . . . or just enough to spark a whole new kind of relationship?
Aarya: I adore the title.
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The Villa
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Released: January 3, 2023 by St. Martin's Press
Genre: Mystery/ThrillerFrom New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins comes a deliciously wicked gothic suspense, set at an Italian villa with a dark history, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.
As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. So when Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend.
Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce’s girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. But he also sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composing a platinum album––and ends in Pierce’s brutal murder.
As Emily digs into the villa’s complicated history, she begins to think there might be more to the story of that fateful summer in 1974. That perhaps Pierce’s murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but that something more sinister might have occurred––and that there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Mari and Lara left behind.
Yet the closer that Emily gets to the truth, the more tension she feels developing between her and Chess. As secrets from the past come to light, equally dangerous betrayals from the present also emerge––and it begins to look like the villa will claim another victim before the summer ends.
Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at a Lake Geneva castle––the birthplace of Frankenstein––The Villa welcomes you into its deadly legacy.
Elyse: A gothic mystery set in an Italian villa.
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Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries
Author: Heather Fawcett
Released: January 10, 2023 by Del Rey
Genre: Historical: European, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Emily Wilde #1A curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town in the far north to study faerie folklore and discovers dark fae magic, friendship, and love in the start of a heartwarming and enchanting new fantasy series.
Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party–or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, Shadow, and the Fair Folk to other people.So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of Emily’s research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.
But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones–the most elusive of all faeries–lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she’ll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all–her own heart.
Aarya: Excellent epistolary fantasy with a light romantic arc; likely one of my 2023 favorites.
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Exes and O’s
Author: Amy Lea
Released: January 10, 2023 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: The Influencer #2A romance novel–obsessed social media influencer revisits her exes on her hunt for true love in this romantic comedy from the author of Set On You.
Romance-novel connoisseur Tara Chen has had her heart broken ten times by ten different men–all of whom dumped her because of her “stage-five clinger” tendencies. Nevertheless, Tara is determined to find The One. The only problem? Classic meet-cutes are dead thanks to modern dating apps. So Tara decides to revisit her exes in hopes of securing her very own trope-worthy second-chance romance.Boston firefighter Trevor Metcalfe will be the first to rush into a burning building but the last to rush into a relationship. Love just isn’t his thing. When his new roommate Tara enlists him to help her reconnect with her exes, he reluctantly agrees. But Tara’s journey is leading him to discover his own new chapter.
The more time they spend together, the more Tara realizes Trevor seems to be the only one who appreciates her authentic, dramatic self. To claim their happily-ever-after, can Tara and Trevor read between the lines of their growing connection?
Aarya: Love a firefighter main character.
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Lunar Love
Author: Lauren Kung Jessen
Released: January 10, 2023 by Forever
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceThis sweet, enemies-to-lovers debut rom-com filled with Chinese astrology will undoubtedly prove to be a perfect match with readers of Helen Hoang, Jasmine Guillory, and Helena Hunting.
Always a matchmaker, never a match…
Olivia Huang Christenson is excited-slash-terrified to be taking over her grandmother’s matchmaking business. But when she learns that a new dating app has made her Pó Po’s traditional Chinese zodiac approach all about “animal attraction,” her emotions skew more toward furious-slash-outraged. Especially when L.A.’s most-eligible bachelor Bennett O’Brien is behind the app that could destroy her family’s legacy . . .
Liv knows better than to fall for any guy, let alone an infuriatingly handsome one who believes that traditions are meant to be broken. As the two businesses go head to head, Bennett and Liv make a deal: they’ll find a match for each other—and whoever falls in love loses. But Liv is dealing with someone who’s already adept at stealing business ideas . . . so what’s stopping him from stealing her heart too?
Aarya: Enemies in the matchmaking industry!
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Midnight Duet
Author: Jen Comfort
Released: January 10, 2023 by Montlake
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceFrom The Astronaut and the Star author Jen Comfort comes a wildly electric romance about two musicians who collide on the stage of a Nevada opera house.
Self-professed diva Erika Greene has it all: a starring role on Broadway, legions of fans, spectacular natural talent. But after an accident on stage leaves her face scarred and her career in shambles, Erika retreats to Paris, Nevada, where she’s inherited a ramshackle opera house in desperate need of some TLC.
Erika pours her savings into the building, but it’s not enough to stave off casino developer Raoul Decomte’s avaricious gaze. With foreclosure imminent, she leases the space to some unexpected tenants: a German hair metal band, fronted by glam rock god Christof Daae.
Erika is tempted by Christof’s low-slung leather pants—and even more so by his ambitious drive to make Nacht Musik international superstars—but he’s off-limits. The rest of his band thinks he’s still dating their beloved keyboardist, who is conveniently not present on this jaunt to the American Southwest. When Erika finds out Christof’s been unceremoniously dumped and is trying to keep it under wraps, she makes a deal to keep his secret…for a price, of course.
Christof is desperate to hold the rest of the band together after his keyboardist’s departure, but he can’t maintain the charade forever. Nor can he resist the opera house’s mysterious proprietor, who tempts him with midnight singing lessons. It isn’t long before sensuous nighttime interludes turn into smoldering backstage encounters.
But can their newly ignited passion survive the searing light of day? Or will their beautiful duet turn into a brokenhearted power ballad for one?
Amanda: A modern retelling of Phantom of Opera!
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I loved Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute SO MUCH!
Thanks for the heads’-up about these. The Amazon link for Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries goes to a DVD of Girl on the Train for me (Amazon UK). Also, not to break the magic, but I think you have the wrong author listed for it.
A modern retelling of Phantom of Opera!
I am so very here for this!
Also, ahhhhh! Finally the next Alex Stern book! Can’t tell you how many times I’ve reread Ninth House while waiting. Of course I’m 10th in line for the library copy so I’ll be waiting more unless I get impatient and buy it….
So far, my January TBR consists of:
COERCION (January 10) is the third book in Amelia Wilde’s Controlling Interest trilogy. This is a romance on the darker side about a woman who embezzles money (to help her family, of course) from the company where she works and her boss who takes advantage of her vulnerable position.
THREE TO GET READY (January 17) is the third book in Skye Warren’s series about the Hughes family who are fabulously wealthy but cursed by a genetic condition that causes early dementia. The previous book, TWO FOR THE SHOW, ended on a cliffhanger with the hero’s father (who has been kept secluded for several years) having a public meltdown that revealed his condition.
COWBOY, PROMISE ME ALWAYS (January 19) is the sixth and final book in Genevieve Turner’s Cowboy Homecoming series. I’ve really enjoyed this entire series and am looking forward to the final story—a Beauty & the Beast retelling with enforced proximity.
ECHO (January 19) is the sixth book in Sybil Bartel’s romantic-suspense Alpha Elite series. Bartel’s books are written to a template (equal parts violence and D/s sex) and how much you like that template will determine how much you’ll like the books.
ONE NIGHT RANCHER (January 24) is the third book in Maisey Yates’s Carsons of Lone Rock series. This one features friends-to-lovers with enforced proximity and only one bed. Sounds like a trope-tastic ride!
Kati Wilde’s SHERIFF’S BAD BEAR (January 31) is a shifter romance connected to her TEACHER’S PET WOLF (the heroines are sisters and the heroes are brothers & shifters). It was obvious in PET WOLF (where the MCs of BAD BEAR were supporting characters) that something was going on between the sheriff and the former Army Ranger, so I’m very interested in seeing how it plays out. Plus, a new book from Kati Wilde is always an opportunity for me to squee!
So here I was with a modest list of new reads to watch for and you have blown it out of the water. So. Many. Books.
First and foremost on my list: JAK’s SLEEP NO MORE releases tomorrow, and there are few better ways to start a new year of reading than with a reliable old friend. FMC is a podcaster looking for answers about a night that she and her fellow casters cannot remember.
Simone St. James’ GHOST 19 releases tomorrow as well, and I am so intrigued. Main character moves to the burbs for a less stressful life and finds herself unable to leave her house. “Ginette finds it hard to sleep in her new house. There are strange and scary noises coming from the basement, and she is trapped, either by a ghost or her own madness.” I’m going with ghost.
It’s going to be an expensive month! Thanks for sharing.
You had me at ‘epistolary’. Thank you so much for noting that about the faeries book. Now can you convince my online boggle game that ‘fae’ is indeed a word?
THE VILLA was eh, LUNAR LOVE was terrific, I’m dying to read the Lea and the Hibbert, everything else is on my TBR.
Midnight Duet sounds amazing! I just saw POTO on Broadway for the first time and fell in love. (I’m a little nervous about Christof giving me Klavier Gavin vibes, though, ha!)
If anyone has any suggestions for other POTO retellings or books I may like because I like POTO, please share!
@Felicia: Phantom of the Opera was a great favorite of my daughter’s when she was a teen. It led her to reading a number of spinoffs. One she particularly enjoyed was The Phantom of Manhattan by Frederick Forsyth.
@Felicia – My sister is a huge fan of POTO and loved the novel Phantom by Susan Kay. I liked POTO but can’t get over the sad ending enough to love it. What I read of Phantom was well written, but I never finished it because expected it would be true to the ending. What can I say? I don’t do sad endings. I’d love a well done retelling that reworked the ending.
I’m interested in the Simone St James ghost story too. I’m very over the genre of novels where there seems to be something supernatural going on but it’s actually just the traumatized heroine’s neuroses. With St James, you get real ghosts, not just unreliable narrators.
Phantom of the Opera retelling – Maskerade by Terry Pratchett is a humorous fantasy version with witches, best read in order after Wyrd Sisters.