We’re changing things up with Hide Your Wallet!
To better parse through releases, spotlight titles in a more digestible format, and include more books overall, we’re shifting Hide Your Wallet to a weekly basis. Every Tuesday, we’ll be featuring weekly releases we’re excited for and definitely invite you to include your own!
We have quite the variety this time! What’s on your list?
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The Accidental Bride
Author: Jane Walsh
Released: May 16, 2023 by Bold Strokes Books
Genre: Historical: European, LGBTQIA, Romance
Series: The Spinsters of Inverley #2Miss Grace Linfield has resigned herself to life as a lady’s companion as the only path to respectable security. At least it allows her to visit the beautiful seaside town of Inverley with her charge, Lady Edith. Passions flare when botanist Miss Thea Martin whirls into town—and into Grace’s bed for a scandalous night of passion.
Disaster looms when Lady Edith elopes with Thea’s brother. Prim-and-proper Grace and wildly outrageous Thea each wish it was anyone else by their side as they race after them to Gretna Green. In the midst of attempting to stop a wedding that will incur the wrath of both their families, they discover their passion for each other is too strong to resist.
A chance at a real relationship was the last thing either of them expected. When Grace and Thea return from Scotland, will the honeymoon be over? Or will love finally be in full bloom?
Shana: The plot sounds bonkers, but I love the idea of lesbian love blooming in the forced proximity of a long carriage ride
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The Enchanted Hacienda
Author: J.C. Cervantes
Released: May 16, 2023 by Park Row
Genre: Literary Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction/FantasyFrom the New York Times bestselling author, J.C. Cervantes, THE ENCHANTED HACIENDA introduces us to the magical Estrada family
“The warmth and humor of The Enchanted Hacienda immediately cast a spell over me.”
— Katy Hays, New York Times bestselling author of The CloistersWhen Harlow Estrada is abruptly fired from her dream job and her boyfriend proves to be a jerk, her world turns upside down. She flees New York City to the one place she can always call home—the enchanted Hacienda Estrada.
The Estrada family farm in Mexico houses an abundance of charmed flowers cultivated by Harlow’s mother, sisters, aunt, and cousins. By harnessing the magic in these flowers, they can heal hearts, erase memories, interpret dreams—but not Harlow. So when her mother and aunt give her a special task involving the family’s magic, she panics. How can she rise to the occasion when she is magicless ? But maybe it’s not magic she’s missing, but belief in herself. When she finally embraces her unique gifts and opens her heart to a handsome stranger, she discovers she’s far more powerful than she imagined.
With unforeseen twists, romance, and a heavy sprinkle of magic, The Enchanted Hacienda is a captivating coming-of-age debut exploring identity, unconditional family love, and uncovering the magic within us all.
Sarah: I’m ringing the reading bell for Amanda!
Amanda: There have been a lot of light fantasy and magical realism titles coming out and I’m just basking in it.
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Funny Guy
Author: Emma Barry
Released: May 16, 2023 by Montlake
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceFrom the author of Chick Magnet comes a heartfelt friends-to-lovers story about what can happen when a funny guy and his childhood best friend are stuck together in a small New York City apartment.
Sam can’t escape the smash hit “Lost Boy” because, well, he is the lost boy. His pop-singer ex immortalized him in a song about his childish ways, and now his comedy career is on the line.
At least he still has Bree, his best friend and confidante. Bree has always been there for Sam, but she’s never revealed her biggest secret: she’s in love with him. To help herself move on, Bree applies for her dream job across the country―and doesn’t say a thing to Sam.
But as Sam tries to resuscitate his career, he turns to Bree for support―and maybe more. In the confines of her tiny apartment, they share a different dynamic. A charged dynamic. But she’s his friend. He can’t be falling for her.
Except he is.
Are his feelings for Bree just funny business? Or is their smoldering attraction the real deal?
Aarya: Comedian protagonists aren’t my favorite but I really love Emma Barry’s writing.
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The Late Mrs. Willoughby
Author: Claudia Gray
Released: May 16, 2023 by Vintage
Genre: Historical: European, Literary Fiction, Mystery/Thriller
Series: Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney #2The suspenseful sequel to The Murder of Mr. Wickham, which sees Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney reunited, and with another mystery to solve: the dreadful poisoning of the scoundrel Willoughby’s new wife.
Catherine and Henry Tilney of Northanger Abbey are not entirely pleased to be sending their eligible young daughter Juliet out into the world again: the last house party she attended, at the home of the Knightleys, involved a murder—which Juliet helped solve. Particularly concerning is that she intends to visit her new friend Marianne Brandon, who’s returned home to Devonshire shrouded in fresh scandal—made more potent by the news that her former suitor, the rakish Mr. Willoughby, intends to take up residence at his local estate with his new bride.
Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley are thrilled that their eldest son, Jonathan—who, like his father, has not always been the most socially adept—has been invited to stay with his former schoolmate, John Willoughby. Jonathan himself is decidedly less taken with the notion of having to spend extended time under the roof of his old bully, but that all changes when he finds himself reunited with his fellow amateur sleuth, the radiant Miss Tilney. And when shortly thereafter, Willoughby’s new wife—whom he married for her fortune—dies horribly at the party meant to welcome her to town.
With rumors flying and Marianne—known to be both unstable and previously jilted by the dead woman’s newly made widower—under increased suspicion, Jonathan and Juliet must team up once more to uncover the murderer. But as they collect clues and close in on suspects, eerie incidents suggest that the killer may strike again, and that the pair are in far graver danger than they or their families could imagine.
Sarah: This is the sequel to The Murder of Mr. Wickham which I know many folks here enjoyed. I’m interested in the sequel because I love relationships that build across a series.
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Quietly Hostile
Author: Samantha Irby
Released: May 16, 2023
Genre: LGBTQIA, NonfictionA hilarious new essay collection from #1 New York Times bestselling unabashed fan-favorite Samantha Irby invites us to share in the gory particulars of her real life, all that festers behind the glitter and glam.
“Irby is back with a new and hilariously relatable essay collection…. [She] will have you crying and laughing.” —TODAY
Samantha Irby’s career has taken her to new heights. She dodges calls from Hollywood and flop sweats on the red carpet at premieres (well, one premiere). But nothing is ever as it seems online, where she can crop out all the ugly parts.
Irby got a lot of weird emails about Carrie Bradshaw, and not only is there diarrhea to avoid, but now—anaphylactic shock. She is turned away from restaurants for being inappropriately dressed and looks for the best ways to cope, i.e., reveling in the offerings of QVC and adopting a deranged pandemic dog. Quietly Hostile makes light as Irby takes us on another outrageously funny tour of all the gory details that make up the true portrait of a life behind the screenshotted depression memes. Relatable, poignant, and uproarious, once again, Irby is the tonic we all need to get by.
Shana: I need a laugh, and Irby is guaranteed to give me one.
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The True Love Experiment
Author: Christina Lauren
Released: May 16, 2023 by Gallery Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceSparks fly when a romance novelist and a documentary filmmaker join forces to craft the perfect Hollywood love story and take both of their careers to the next level—but only if they can keep the chemistry between them from taking the whole thing off script.
Felicity “Fizzy” Chen is lost. Sure, she’s got an incredible career as a beloved romance novelist with a slew of bestsellers under her belt, but when she’s asked to give a commencement address, it hits her: she hasn’t been practicing what she’s preached.
Fizzy hasn’t ever really been in love. Lust? Definitely. But that swoon-worthy, can’t-stop-thinking-about-him, all-encompassing feeling? Nope. Nothing. What happens when the optimism she’s spent her career encouraging in readers starts to feel like a lie?
Connor Prince, documentary filmmaker and single father, loves his work in large part because it allows him to live near his daughter. But when his profit-minded boss orders him to create a reality TV show, putting his job on the line, Connor is out of his element. Desperate to find his romantic lead, a chance run-in with an exasperated Fizzy offers Connor the perfect solution. What if he could show the queen of romance herself falling head-over-heels for all the world to see? Fizzy gives him a hard pass—unless he agrees to her list of demands. When he says yes, and production on The True Love Experiment begins, Connor wonders if that perfect match will ever be in the cue cards for him, too.
The True Love Experiment is the book fans have been waiting for ever since Fizzy’s debut in The Soulmate Equation. But when the lights come on and all eyes are on her, it turns out the happily ever after Fizzy had all but given up on might lie just behind the camera.
New Christina Lauren hits shelves!
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I’m super excited for Painted Devils by Margaret Owen, the sequel to the absolutely wonderful Little Thieves (learned about it via SBTB and it was one of my favorite reads of last year). And I will definitely have to check out The Enchanted Hacienda.
I had nothing on my TBR for this week, but then @flchen1 recommended Ari Baran’s GAME MISCONDUCT in this week’s WAYR, and it was so obviously all my catnip (m/m hockey romance with age-gap, veteran-rookie, and rivals/antagonists-to-lovers tropes), I immediately added it to my list. GAME MISCONDUCT (the first in Baran’s Penalty Box series) drops today, so I’ll be grabbing it as soon as I get home from work.
@DiscoDollyDeb, I was very excited to wake up and see Game Misconduct on my ereader this morning! Can’t wait for you to get off work so you can get your copy!
Maryann Jordan’s newest in her Baytown Heroes series is out today too—NEEDING A HERO is a really good light romantic suspense. The hero was honestly a jerk to the heroine in high school, but has since recognized and dealt with his issues, and immediately realizes how much he needs to apologize. They talk through that like grownups, and I ended up enjoying their story very much.
@flchen1: I’m about a third of the way through GAME MISCONDUCT and I’m loving it! It’s like a grittier version of HEATED RIVALRY with elements of THROWN OFF THE ICE (especially the veteran-rookie dynamic) and SEASON’S CHANGE (especially the concern about being outed), but with a tone and set-up that is specific to the story and characters. Thank you so much for the recommendation as this book would have probably flown under my radar.
Speaking of flying under the radar, I discovered that Karla Sorensen released a new book yesterday, ONE AND ONLY. It’s a marriage-of-convenience/fake-relationship romance. Naturally, I grabbed it from KU the minute I saw it. My TBR will remain a mountain for eternity!
@flchen1 Ooh, does the Jordan book need to be read as part of the series, or can it stand alone? I don’t usually like the way authors approach the “hero was a jerk to the heroine in school” plots, but this one sounds like something I might like.
@Star, I think it stands alone reasonably well. I think the characters have friends/coworkers who feature in some of the other books, but each book’s plot works on its own. I’ve read one other book in the series, and don’t feel as if I needed to have read all of them by any means. And I agree that I generally don’t like this type of plot, but I do think Ms Jordan handled it pretty well. Hope you enjoy it if you pick it up!
@DiscoDollyDeb, I am thrilled to hear you’re enjoying GAME MISCONDUCT! I know I’ve really enjoyed some of your recommendations in the past, and am more than happy to return the favor! I was happy I took a chance on this new-to-me author, and am very excited that the next in the series is due out later this year!
@flchen1 Awesome, thank you!