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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Jasmine and Jake Rocks the Boat
Author: Sonya Lalli
Released: April 18, 2023 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceAn impulsive decision to join an Alaskan cruise getaway brings the chance for an onboard romance in this new enemies-to-lovers romance from the author of A Holly Jolly Diwali.
Jasmine Randhawa likes everyone to think she has it all—great job, perfect Seattle apartment, and a handsome boyfriend. But she’s not as confident or successful as she seems, and her relationship is at a breaking point.
When Jasmine finds herself single and tagging along on her parents’ vacation, she’s not sure her life can get any farther off course. It’s a nightmare for someone who’s been so fiercely independent to find herself on a cruise full of family friends who’ve judged her since childhood. Things only get worse once the ship leaves the harbor and she realizes that this is a seniors’ cruise, and the only other person under fifty on the entire boat is her childhood acquaintance, cocky and successful Jake Dhillon.
Jasmine and Jake clash right away, with Jasmine smarting over how their South Asian community puts him on a pedestal as the perfect Indian son, whereas her reputation as a troublemaker precedes her. Except they can’t avoid each other forever during the ten-day cruise, and they soon recognize a surprising number of similarities, especially in how many secrets they’re keeping hidden from their families. Their restlessness seems to disappear whenever they’re together, but is this relationship strong enough to last on land?
Amanda: I took an early peek at this one and it’s so sweet and smart.
Shana: I really like this author!
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The Secret Service of Tea and Treason
Author: India Holton
Released: April 18, 2023 by Berkley
Genre: Historical: European, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Dangerous Damsels #3Two rival spies must brave pirates, witches, and fake matrimony to save the Queen.
Known as Agent A, Alice is the top operative within the Agency of Undercover Note Takers, a secret government intelligence group that is fortunately better at espionage than at naming itself. From managing deceptive witches to bored aristocratic ladies, nothing is beyond Alice’s capabilities. She has a steely composure and a plan always up her sleeve (alongside a dagger and an embroidered handkerchief). So when rumors of an assassination plot begin to circulate, she’s immediately assigned to the case.
But she’s not working alone. Daniel Bixby, otherwise known as Agent B and Alice’s greatest rival, is given the most challenging undercover assignment of his life— pretending to be Alice’s husband. Together they will assume the identity of a married couple, infiltrate a pirate house party, and foil their unpatriotic plans.
Determined to remain consummate professionals, Alice and Daniel must ignore the growing attraction between them, especially since acting on it might prove more dangerous than their target.
Book three in a very popular series!
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The Thick and the Lean
Author: Chana Porter
Released: April 18, 2023 by Gallery / Saga Press
Genre: Horror, LGBTQIA, Science Fiction/FantasyIn Lambda Award finalist Chana Porter’s highly anticipated new novel, an aspiring chef, a cyberthief, and a kitchen maid each break free of a society that wants to constrain them.
In the quaint religious town of Seagate, abstaining from food brings one closer to God.
But Beatrice Bolano is hungry. She craves the forbidden: butter, flambé, marzipan. As Seagate takes increasingly extreme measures to regulate every calorie its citizens consume, Beatrice must make a choice: give up her secret passion for cooking or leave the only community she has known.
Elsewhere, Reiko Rimando has left her modest roots for a college tech scholarship in the big city. A flawless student, she is set up for success…until her school pulls her funding, leaving her to face either a mountain of debt or a humiliating return home. But Reiko is done being at the mercy of the system. She forges a third path—outside of the law.
With the guidance of a mysterious cookbook written by a kitchen maid centuries ago, Beatrice and Reiko each grasp for a life of freedom—something more easily imagined than achieved in a world dominated by catastrophic corporate greed.
A startling fable of the entwined perils of capitalism, body politics, and the stigmas women face for appetites of every kind, Chana Porter’s profound new novel explores the reclamation of pleasure as a revolutionary act.
Amanda: This sounds bizarro with its food dystopia, but I loved Porter’s The Seep. Definitely foresee some disordered eating issues with this one, if anyone is sensitive to those things.
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Alliance with His Stolen Heiress
Author: Lydia San Andres
Released: April 25, 2023 by Harlequin Historical
Genre: Historical: Other, Romance“A sweet, satisfying, utterly intoxicating historical romance.” – Olivia Waite, New York Times, on Compromised into a Scandalous Marriage
A high-stakes romantic Caribbean escape
He must earn her trust
before he wins her heart!
In distancing himself from his nefarious wealthy family, Julian Fuentes has gained a rebellious reputation. Still, he’s shocked when heiress Amalia Troncoso hires him to stage her kidnapping! Julian doesn’t mind masquerading as a bandit to help Amalia get her inheritance from her tyrannical uncle, or spending time with the bold heiress who’s captured his imagination. But will the truth that ties their families together prevent their alliance from becoming more?
From Harlequin Historical: Your romantic escape to the past.
Aarya: Adored her last historical.
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Bear with Me Now
Author: Katie Shepard
Released: April 25, 2023 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceLove makes life a little wilder in this romantic comedy by debut author Katie Shepard.
After a panic attack puts him in the hospital, charity executive Teagan Van Zijl is dragged by his sister to a wilderness therapy retreat in Montana. Lost in the woods while absconding from midafternoon meditation, Teagan is nearly eaten by a bear before his rescue by a furious angel in muddy hiking boots: the program’s handywoman, Darcy Albano, who was mostly worried for the bear.
Darcy thought she was going to work as a trail guide when she was hired onto the camp staff but ended up cleaning and hauling instead—merely the latest screwing-over she’s endured since her ex stole her car and her parents ruined her credit score. Teagan becomes the silver lining she didn’t expect, a man clearly going through something yet willing to commit to Darcy’s unique brand of wilderness education as the cure for what ails him.
After weeks in the mountains with Darcy, Teagan doesn’t want to return to New York without her. He hires Darcy as his sober companion—a position he doesn’t actually need filled and for which Darcy is completely unqualified—hoping she can help him figure out a way to move forward. But once they get to the city, all Teagan can think of is how to confess the truth without losing her. Together, they begin to imagine what their lives might look like if they could depend on each other for help—even in outrunning a bear.
Amanda: Am I motivated by the silly cover? Yes!
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Happy Place
Author: Emily Henry
Released: April 25, 2023 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceNamed a Most Anticipated Book of 2023 by BuzzFeed ∙ Paste Magazine ∙ Elle ∙ Southern Living ∙ SheReads ∙ Culturess ∙ Medium ∙ Her Campus ∙ Readers Digest ∙ Zibby Mag and more!
A couple who broke up months ago pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.
Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t.
They broke up five months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.
Which is how they find themselves sharing a bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blissful week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.
Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week…in front of those who know you best?
Aarya: Interesting take on a fake relationship.
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In the Lives of Puppets
Author: T.J. Klune
Released: April 25, 2023 by Tor Books
Genre: LGBTQIA, Science Fiction/FantasyNew York Times bestselling author TJ Klune invites you deep into the heart of a peculiar forest and on the extraordinary journey of a family assembled from spare parts.
In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots–fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They’re a family, hidden and safe.
The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled “HAP,” he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio-a past spent hunting humans.
When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio’s former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic’s assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming.
Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached?
Inspired by Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio, and like Swiss Family Robinson meets Wall-E, In the Lives of Puppets is a masterful stand-alone fantasy adventure from the beloved author who brought you The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door.
I know Klune is an auto-buy for some of you!
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Moorewood Family Rules
Author: HelenKay Dimon
Released: April 25, 2023 by Avon
Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Romance, Women's FictionKnives Out and Ocean’s 8 meets The Nest in this hilariously twisty novel by award-winning author HelenKay Dimon, about a woman who returns home from prison to her dysfunctional con artist family and tries to get them to go legit.
One day a con man met an heiress, wooed her, married her, had two kids…and kept on conning. Jillian Moorewood is the oldest child from that meet-cute-gone-wrong marriage. The stable one. The sensible and dependable one. The one who protects and fixes. The one who went to prison to save their sorry butts. Now, thirty-nine months later, she’s out and she’s more than a little pissed.
Finally home she finds the scheming clan in full family fleecing mode. They all claim they didn’t really agree to Jillian’s previous go-legit-or-else ultimatum before she went away. They viewed it as a “suggestion” then ignored it. So, business as usual. But Jillian is done with the lies and fakery. She demands the whole messed-up crew clean up its act, and this time she’s not kidding–she has the leverage to make it happen.
Problem is, her life is in shambles, but with the help of a great aunt (crooked but loveable), a bodyguard (who is a nice surprise after three years in prison), and a few allies (all working undercover), Jillian starts to put her life back together. She kicks out a few mooching relatives living under her roof, sets limits on everyone’s access to the money, ducks from their various attacks, and sees if that bodyguard is maybe interested in sticking around for a while. For the first time, she’s Jillian Moorewood, her own woman, and she’s ready to figure out who she is.
New release from HelenKay Dimon!
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Zora Books Her Happy Ever After
Author: Taj McCoy
Released: April 25, 2023 by MIRA
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceZora has committed every inch of her life to establishing her thriving DC bookstore, making it into a pillar of the community, and she just hasn’t had time for romance. But when a mystery author she’s been crushing on for years agrees to have an event at her store, she starts to rethink her priorities. Lawrence is every bit as charming as she imagined, even if his understanding of his own books seems just a bit shallow. When he asks her out after his reading, she’s almost elated enough to forget about the grumpy guy who sat next to her making snide comments all evening. Apparently the grouch is Lawrence’s best friend, Reid, but she can’t imagine what kind of friendship that must be. They couldn’t be more different.
But as she starts seeing Lawrence, and spending more and more time with Reid, Zora finds first impressions can be deceiving. Reid is smart and thoughtful—he’s also interested. After years of avoiding dating, she suddenly has two handsome men competing for her affection. But even as she struggles to choose between them, she can’t shake the feeling that they’re both hiding something—a mystery she’s determined to solve before she can find her HEA.
Shana’s pick!
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His Curvy Rejected Mate
Author: Cate Wells
Released: April 27, 2023
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Series: Five Packs #4He had his chance. He blew it, and I’m out of here.
Flora
I’m at the bottom of the pack. I’m female, I have no family left, and everywhere a shifter is supposed to be hard, I’m soft and round. There’s one bright spot in my days—Alec Cameron.He’s hard in every way—so distant that he’s ice cold—but once in a while, he gives me a nod, and we sneak off to the woods. He’s not cold then. Not at all.
I used to dream that Fate would make it official, but after so many years, I’ve given up hope. Then, at a pack run, heat strikes. Alec Cameron is my mate.
In front of everyone, he turns his back on me.
I didn’t know how cold he could be, but I do now, and I’ve got a choice to make. Do I hang around and deal with this messed up pack like I always do? Or do I take my new wolf, break free, and forge a new path of our own?
Alec
This pack is falling apart. Literally. I spend my days patching together buildings that are inches from sliding down the mountain. In my free time, I have to compete with the other two males vying for Salt Mountain alpha, the world’s worst job.I’m constantly holding everything together, and until the night of the last full moon run, there was at least one bright spot in my days.
Then Flora Ritchie goes into heat at the worst possible time and place, and in all the chaos and revelations, I lose my grip. And my temper.
In the blink of an eye, my mate is gone.
I know how to fix things, not feelings, but if I don’t figure it out, and quickly, I’m going to lose it all.
His Curvy Rejected Mate is the fourth novel in The Five Packs series, but it can be read as a standalone. No cheating. HEA guaranteed. Intended for adult readers only.
Aarya: This is the type of series where I have a bunch of caveats, but devour the book on release day anyway.
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Who Cries for the Lost by C. S. Harris: Next St. Cyr mystery.
The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths: Next Ruth Galloway mystery, completing the series.
As already remarked on the other thread, A THIEF IN THE NIGHT by KJ Charles came out today. This is a novella that has already been published in audio last year, now the print version is out. Available as e-book on it’s own, in print it will be combined into compilation together with other short stories.
This novella is set in the same world as The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting, and it’s the story of Toby, the brother that Robin mentions who left without a trace one night. According to Charles’ newsletter there will be a short story available online soon that connects the book and the novella.
Other than the new Cate C. Wells (mentioned above), I’m really looking forward to Zoe York’s REBEL AT HEART (April 203), the fifth and final book in her Kinkaid Brothers series. This one features one of my favorite (and least-utilized) tropes: a long-divorced couple suddenly discover their divorced was never finalized, and “Ooops—we’re still married!” Can’t wait.
That’s April 23 for REBEL AT HEART.
Emily Henry, T.J. Klune, Cate C. Wells, yes, yes, very nice, but OMG! How did I miss this?
SUSANNA HOFFS HAS WRITTEN A ROMANCE NOVEL!!
There I was last Sunday drinking copffee, doing a crossword and half listening to NPR. I catch the host’s mention of the Bangles and tuned in
enough to realize he was interviewing Susanna about her book that released on April 4. And that book, THIS BIRD HAS FLOWN, is a contemporary romance.
“Jane Start is thirty-three, broke, and recently single. Ten years prior, she had a hit song—written by world-famous superstar Jonesy—but Jane hasn’t had a breakout since. Now she’s living out of four garbage bags at her parents’ house, reduced to performing to Karaoke tracks in Las Vegas. Rock bottom.
But when her longtime manager Pippa sends Jane to London to regroup, she’s seated next to an intriguing stranger on the flight—the other Tom Hardy, an elegantly handsome Oxford professor of literature. Jane is instantly smitten by Tom, and soon, truly inspired. But it’s not Jane’s past alone that haunts her second chance at stardom, and at love. Is Tom all that he seems? And can Jane emerge from the shadow of Jonesy’s earlier hit, and into the light of her own?”
Are the reviews mixed? I DON’T CARE!!!
Do I hope future titles also reference song lyrics? Yes, I do.
So far His Curvy Rejected Mate is still showing as Kindle/ebook only – no print version?!?!?! I have the print versions of the first 3 books in the series so fingers crossed…
I preordered E.M. Anderson’s The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher based on the blurb. It’s from a new-to-me author and small press, but I figured if I’m going to take a flyer, this is a great premise.
When you’re a geriatric armed with nothing but gumption and knitting needles, stopping a sorcerer from wiping out an entire dragon-fighting organization is a tall order. No one understands why 83-year-old Edna Fisher is the Chosen One, destined to save the Knights from a dragon-riding sorcerer bent on their destruction. After all, Edna has never handled a magical weapon, faced down a dragon, or cast a spell. And everyone knows the Council of Wizards always chooses a teenager…
@Lace, thank you! I think I’ve been searching for that book for most of my life.
I really enjoyed Sonya Lalli’s Holly Jolly Diwali, and I’m happy to see our library has Jasmine and Jake on pre-order.
I think I will also need to read about Edna Fisher and her quest!
@Katie C. Amazon doesn’t allow print pre-orders (at least for self-published books), so it’s almost certain that the author will still make it available even though it doesn’t show up yet. Often they will make the print release date about a week earlier than the ebook release date to allow for printing and shipping so you’ll still get it on time. I’d check back again next week!
Secret Service and Jasmine and Jake were both solid A-to-B levelers for me. All the rest are on my TBR!
Also I am boggling at the title “his curvy rejected mate,” though the book sounds good.
@DonnaMarie – I LOVED This Bird, I gave it a B+.
Moorewood Family Rules was really fun. Perfect beach reading material.
I have Bear With Me Now on preorder. It was originally a Reylo fic!
I recommend checking out FRENCH HOLIDAY by Sarah Ready. I got to read an advance copy and it’s so much fun. Merry jumps at the chance to spend three months in a French castle after her sister marries her best friend/unrequited love. But it’s a dilapidated mess without electricity — and she has to share the one dusty bed with the best man from the wedding. Of course there’s a dashing French neighbor with a vineyard… I enjoyed it so much that I’ve preordered a copy.
Reverb by Julie Kriss is available on the 1st!
Whoops! I’m ahead of schedule.
@LML: I am counting down to REVERB.
@D3, I haven’t looked forward to a book this much since the [very] early days of Stephanie Plum.
@Erin – that is fascinating and obviously I had no idea – I will keep checking!
@LML: I’ve been asserting for years that Julie Kriss is one of Romancelandia’s most underrated writers. Her work is consistently strong with believable characters and solid plotting. I wish she were better known.
I enjoyed A HOLLY JOLLY DIWALI and so will possibly pick up JASMINE AND JAKE ROCK THE BOAT when my library gets it (cos we ain’t got no buy-a-book budget here). Honestly, though, I’d like to see more Asian rep with names like, say, Niranjan, or Bhagyasri, which are maybe harder to say if you’re not familiar with them, but which are also “Indian names”.