August is here and it begins on a Tuesday!
It’s a pretty sparse week for us in terms of books we’re looking forward to. When peeping at our New Release spreadsheet, it feels like our weeks alternate between slow and heavy for new books.
What’s your own new release list looking like? The same? Or is it slow/busy all month?
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Guardians of Dawn: Zhara
Author: S. Jae-Jones
Released: August 1, 2023 by Wednesday Books
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: Guardians of Dawn #1Sailor Moon meets Cinder in Guardians of Zhara , the start of a new, richly imagined fantasy series from S. Jae-Jones, the New York Times bestselling author of Wintersong.
Magic flickers.
Love flames.
Chaos reigns.Magic is forbidden throughout the Morning Realms. Magicians are called an abomination, and blamed for the plague of monsters that razed the land twenty years before.
Jin Zhara already had enough to worry about—appeasing her stepmother’s cruel whims, looking after her blind younger sister, and keeping her own magical gifts under control—without having to deal with rumors of monsters re-emerging in the marsh. But when a chance encounter with an easily flustered young man named Han brings her into contact with a secret magical liberation organization called the Guardians of Dawn, Zhara realizes there may be more to these rumors than she thought. A mysterious plague is corrupting the magicians of Zanhei and transforming them into monsters, and the Guardians of Dawn believe a demon is responsible.
In order to restore harmony and bring peace to the world, Zhara must discover the elemental warrior within, lest the balance between order and chaos is lost forever.
Amanda: I’ve been eagerly anticipating this one since Jae mentioned she had a magical girl fantasy in the works!
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Kiss the Girl
Author: Zoraida Cordova
Released: August 1, 2023 by Hyperion Avenue
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: Meant to Be #3Ariel del Mar is one of the most famous singers in the world. She and her sisters—together, known as the band Siren Seven—have been a pop culture phenomenon since they were kids. On stage, wearing her iconic red wig and sequined costumes, staring out at a sea of fans, is where she shines. Anyone would think she’s the girl who has everything.
But lately, she wants more . Siren Seven is wrapping up their farewell tour, and Ariel can’t wait to spend the summer just living a normal life—part of a world she’s only ever seen from the outside. But her father, the head of Atlantica Records, has other begin her breakout solo career immediately, starting with a splashy announcement on a morning talk show.
The night before, Ariel and her sisters sneak out of their Manhattan penthouse for a night of incognito fun at a rock concert in Brooklyn. It’s there that Ariel crosses paths with Eric Reyes, dreamy lead singer of an up-and-coming band. Unaware of her true identity, Eric spontaneously invites her on the road for the summer. And for the first time in her life, Ariel disobeys her father—and goes with him.
Caught between the world she longs for and the one she’s left behind, can Ariel follow her dreams, fall in love, and, somehow, find her own voice?
The next book in the Disney princess romance retellings! This one is The Little Mermaid.
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With Love, from Cold World
Author: Alicia Thompson
Released: August 1, 2023 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, RomanceShe has a to-do list a mile long and falling for her coworker isn’t on it–yet somehow he’s become her top priority in this romantic comedy from the national bestselling author of Love in the Time of Serial Killers.
Lauren Fox is the bookkeeper for Cold World, a tourist destination that’s always a winter wonderland despite being located in humid Orlando, Florida. Sure, it’s ranked way below any of the trademarked amusement parks and maybe foot traffic could be better. But it’s a fun place to work, even if “fun” isn’t exactly Lauren’s middle name.
Her coworker Asa Williamson, on the other hand, is all about finding ways to enliven his days at Cold World–whether that means organizing the Secret Santa or teasing Lauren. When the owner asks Lauren and Asa to propose something (anything, really) to raise more revenue, their rivalry heats up as they compete to come up with the best idea. But the situation is more dire than they thought, and it might take these polar opposites working together to save the day. If Asa thought Lauren didn’t know how to enjoy herself, he’s surprised by how much he enjoys spending time together. And if Lauren thought Asa wasn’t serious about anything, she’s surprised by how seriously he seems to take her.
As Lauren and Asa work to save their beloved wintery spot, they realize the real attraction might be the heat generating between them.
Amanda: I’m always a sucker for books set in my home state. I just want to know if they get the details right!
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The August best books of the month are out on Amazon and I’ve added so many to my wish list! I thought the Cold World one was a graphic novel so good to know it’s not.
THE ROOMMATE PACT by Allison Ashley releases today. It features two of the secondary characters from Ashley’s previous book, WOULD YOU RATHER, and I remember thinking they had some interesting chemistry!
The Sleeping Soldier by Aster Glenn Gray comes out the 7th. M/M re-imagining of Sleeping Beauty – the sleeping beauty is a Civil War soldier who wakes up after 100 years, in 1965, in a midwestern college town where he’s discovered by a closeted history major.
I’m not a big Sleeping Beauty fan, but if anyone can pull off an interesting Sleeping Beauty retelling, it’s AGG. I loved her previous queer fairy tale retellings -Briarly (mm Beauty and the Beast) and The Wolf and the Girl (ff Little Red Riding Hood).
Having grabbed Kati Wilde’s THE MIDSUMMER BRIDE yesterday, I had nothing left on my tbr for this week until I discovered this morning that the amazingly-prolific-while-still-managing-to-produce-quality-work Maisey Yates has dropped a new novella in her Four Corners Ranch series of cowboy romances. WILD NIGHT COWBOY comes on the heels of the just released THE ROUGH RIDER (which I just finished and was very good). It features a preacher’s daughter who feels trapped by her circumstances and the “bad boy” cowboy ten years her senior who suddenly shows back up in the area years after leaving years ago under a cloud. I can always rely on Maisey to bring the angst while keeping the melodrama firmly in check. Since I’m home from work for the week (despite being fully vaxxed & boostered, Covid caught me), I can spend some quality time reading.
DDD the Kati Wilde book wasnt properly uploaded on Kindle!!!
I’m excited for With Love, from Cold World. I really enjoyed Thompson’s Love In the Time of Serial Killers, so this one has been on my radar.
@Panda: I know! Kati says on her website that she’s working with Amazon to straighten it out. I thought it was odd at first that the link to the map in the book wasn’t working (whenever I start a new Dead Lands book, I like to go to the map and orient myself to the characters location), then I thought the book looked kinda skimpy (121 pages), then I got to the end of the chapter about MCs’ wedding, and the rest of the chapters were blank. Poor Kati—I don’t think she’s had a clean publication day from Amazon in a while. Anyway, I’ll be finishing the book as soon as the correct file is uploaded & available.
Christina Lauren has a new audiobook (an audio original) with a full cast out today. It’s called THE HONEYMOON CRASHERS. I was so excited to place a hold at the library AND get a copy checked out on the same day. I laughed out loud a few times while listening and driving to pick up dinner. Excited to listen to the rest.
All on my TBR pile!
@DDD Phew i cant wait. It really ended on a cliffhanger