Welcome back to Hide Your Wallet, where we discuss this week’s new releases!
There are lots of fantasy and witch-themed books on this list. There are also some contemporaries and an eerie anthology. Seems like the perfect lead up to October to me!
Which titles are on your list for this week? We want to hear all about what you’re excited to get into your hands, on your e-reader, or in your headphones!
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Fall of Ruin and Wrath
Author: Jennifer Armentrout
Released: September 12, 2023 by Bramble
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, New Adult, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Awakening #1Long ago, the world was destroyed by gods. Only nine cities were spared. Separated by vast wilderness teeming with monsters and unimaginable dangers, each city is now ruled by a guardian―royalty who feed on mortal pleasure.
Born with an intuition that never fails, Calista knows her talents are of great value to the power-hungry of the world, so she lives hidden as a courtesan of the Baron of Archwood. In exchange for his protection, she grants him information.
When her intuition leads her to save a travelling prince in dire trouble, the voice inside her blazes with warning―and promise. Today he’ll bring her joy. One day he’ll be her doom.
When the Baron takes an interest in the travelling prince and the prince takes an interest in Calista, she becomes the prince’s temporary companion. But the city simmers with rebellion, and with knights and monsters at her city gates and a hungry prince in her bed, intuition may not be enough to keep her safe.
Calista must choose: follow her intuition to safety or follow her heart to her downfall.
Amanda: I’ve always been curious about Armentrout’s fantasy romances and I figure that her Tor debut would be a good start.
Sarah: This was pitched as a “Touch her and die” plot and I am very curious!
Lara: I’m hankering for an epic fantasy romance and I hope this one scratches that itch.
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Hemlock Island
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Released: September 12, 2023 by St. Martin's Press
Genre: Horror, Mystery/ThrillerLaney Kilpatrick has been renting her vacation home to strangers. The invasion of privacy gives her panic attacks, but it’s the only way she can keep her beloved Hemlock Island, the only thing she owns after a pandemic-fueled divorce. But broken belongings and campfires that nearly burn down the house have escalated to bloody bones, hex circles, and now, terrified renters who’ve fled after finding blood and nail marks all over the guest room closet, as though someone tried to claw their way out…and failed.
When Laney shows up to investigate with her teenaged niece in tow, she discovers that her ex, Kit, has also been informed and is there with Jayla, his sister and her former best friend. Then Sadie, another old high school friend, charters over with her brother, who’s now a cop.
There are tensions and secrets, whispers in the woods, and before long, the discovery of a hand poking up from the earth. Then the body that goes with it… But by that time, someone has taken off with their one and only means off the island, and they’re trapped with someone—or something—that doesn’t want them leaving the island alive.
Armstrong’s mysteries have been highly recommend in the comments!
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Mammoths at the Gates
Author: Nghi Vo
Released: September 12, 2023 by Tor.com
Genre: LGBTQIA, Novella, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: The Singing Hills Cycle #4The Hugo and Crawford Award-Winning Series!
The wandering Cleric Chih returns home to the Singing Hills Abbey for the first time in almost three years, to be met with both joy and sorrow. Their mentor, Cleric Thien, has died, and rests among the archivists and storytellers of the storied abbey. But not everyone is prepared to leave them to their rest.
Because Cleric Thien was once the patriarch of Coh clan of Northern Bell Pass–and now their granddaughters have arrived on the backs of royal mammoths, demanding their grandfather’s body for burial. Chih must somehow balance honoring their mentor’s chosen life while keeping the sisters from the north from storming the gates and destroying the history the clerics have worked so hard to preserve.
But as Chih and their neixin Almost Brilliant navigate the looming crisis, Myriad Virtues, Cleric Thien’s own beloved hoopoe companion, grieves her loss as only a being with perfect memory can, and her sorrow may be more powerful than anyone could anticipate. . .
The novellas of The Singing Hills Cycle are linked by the cleric Chih, but may be read in any order, with each story serving as an entrypoint.
Aarya: I love this series; I hope Vo writes a hundred novellas.
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The Name Drop
Author: Susan Lee
Released: September 12, 2023 by Inkyard Press
Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult, RomanceWhen Elijah Ri arrives in New York City for an internship at his father’s massive tech company, Haneul Corporation, he expects the royal treatment that comes with being the future CEO—even if that’s the last thing he wants. But instead, he finds himself shuffled into a group of overworked, unpaid interns, all sharing a shoebox apartment for the summer.
When Jessica Lee arrives in New York City, she’s eager to make the most of her internship at Haneul Corporation, even if she’s at the bottom of the corporate ladder. But she’s shocked to be introduced as the new executive-in-training intern with a gorgeous brownstone all to herself.
It doesn’t take long for Elijah and Jessica to discover the source of the they share the same Korean name. But they decide to stay switched—so Elijah can have a relaxing summer away from his controlling dad while Jessica can make the connections she desperately needs for college recommendations.
As Elijah and Jessica work together to keep up the charade, a spark develops between them. Can they avoid discovery—and total disaster—with their feelings and futures on the line?
Amanda: Ever since Susan Lee’s big event at Meet Cute Bookshop, I’ve been eager to give her a try.
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Peach Pit
Author: Molly Llewellyn
Released: September 12, 2023 by Dzanc Books
Genre: Horror, LGBTQIA, Literary FictionA stunning anthology of fierce and dangerous women, featuring stories from Lauren Groff, Deesha Philyaw, K-Ming Chang, and thirteen other award-winning and bestselling authors
A middle-aged Black woman exacts revenge on the aggressively average men she meets on dating sites. A girl buries pieces of herself in a hole beneath an apple tree, hoping to escape her mother’s life of struggle and servitude. A group of teenage girls compete for the title of “Worst Girl in America.” A young woman in Taiwan becomes infatuated with a female scam caller, a fleeting ghost of a love that blossoms from strangeness. And a wealthy woman goes to unconventional, and perhaps not entirely ethical, lengths to find her dream man.
In these sixteen stories, we see women at their most monstrous—as con artists and murderers, cutthroats and scalpers, ruled by ambition and grief and spite. Characters for those tired of being told to play nice. Dressed to the nines in morally gray, the stories in this anthology comprise an envelope full of teeth: each one distinct, unsettling, and sharp enough to rip out a throat.
Amanda: An anthology of feminist surrealism and horror. Just my house of wheels!
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The Second Chance Hotel
Author: Sierra Godfrey
Released: September 12, 2023 by Sourcebooks Landmark
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceIt’s all fun and games until you accidentally marry a stranger in Greece and inherit a hotel.
Amelia Lang’s life is kind of a mess. She’s stuck living at home with her narcissistic mother. Her tech bro ex-boyfriend deliberately sabotages her at work, and she gets fired after throwing a mug at his head (it’s okay! She missed.) Then she has a major falling out with her best friend. So Amelia does what Amelia does best: She runs away.
After traveling around Europe for three months, she settles on a small Greek island to reset her life and figure out what’s next. But after too much retsina, she gets tricked into marrying James, another guest at the hotel, who is perfectly nice—but perfectly boring. To top it off, they are gifted the very hotel they’re staying in—a hotel they don’t want that is in desperate need of some TLC. They agree to keep the hotel open through the busy summer season for the sake of the island’s quirky but well-meaning residents, after which Amelia plans to return home to start rebuilding her disastrous life.
Amelia and James must work together to determine how to get out of their situation—easier said than done for Amelia, who’s started to feel a strong spark of attraction for James. But Amelia is sure her real life is waiting for her back in San Francisco. Is it time for Amelia to return home or could this be the second chance at a new life she didn’t know she wanted?
Lara: It’s rare that I decide to branch out into women’s fiction, but this premise has me intrigued.
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This Spells Disaster
Author: Tori Anne Martin
Released: September 12, 2023 by Berkley
Genre: LGBTQIA, Paranormal, RomanceQueer witches! But also we were mainly motivated to get more eyes on this gorgeous cover.
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Witch of Wild Things
Author: Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Released: September 12, 2023 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Science Fiction/FantasyLegend goes that long ago a Flores woman offended the old gods, and their family was cursed as a result. Now, every woman born to the family has a touch of magic.
Sage Flores has been running from her family—and their “gifts”—ever since her younger sister Sky died. Eight years later, Sage reluctantly returns to her hometown. Like slipping into an old, comforting sweater, Sage takes back her job at Cranberry Rose Company and uses her ability to communicate with plants to discover unusual heritage specimens in the surrounding lands.
What should be a simple task is complicated by her partner in botany sleuthing: Tennessee Reyes. He broke her heart in high school, and she never fully recovered. Working together is reminding her of all their past tender, genuine moments—and new feelings for this mature sexy man are starting to take root in her heart.
With rare plants to find, a dead sister who keeps bringing her coffee, and another sister whose anger fills the sky with lightning, Sage doesn’t have time for romance. But being with Tenn is like standing in the middle of a field on the cusp of a summer thunderstorm—supercharged and inevitable.
A magical, witchy romance with forced proximity elements, plant nerdery, and second chances.
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You, Again
Author: Kate Goldbeck
Released: September 12, 2023 by Dial Press
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, RomanceCan they stop hating each other long enough to fall in love?
A commitment-phobe and a hopeless romantic clash over and over again—until heartbreak and unexpected chemistry bring them together in this clever enemies-to-friends-to-lovers debut romance.
When Ari and Josh first meet, the wrong kind of sparks fly. They hate each other. Instantly.
A free-spirited, struggling comedian who likes to keep things casual, Ari sublets, takes gigs, and never sleeps over after hooking up. Born-and-bred Manhattanite Josh has ambitious plans: Take the culinary world by storm, find The One, and make her breakfast in his spotless kitchen. They have absolutely nothing in common…except that they happen to be sleeping with the same woman.
Ari and Josh never expect their paths to cross again. But years later, as they’re both reeling from ego-bruising breakups, a chance encounter leads to a surprising connection: friendship. Turns out, spending time with your former nemesis is fun when you’re too sad to hate each other—and too sad for hate sex.
As friends-without-benefits, they find comfort in late night Netflix binges, swiping through each other’s online dating profiles, and bickering across boroughs. It’s better than romance. Until one night, the unspoken boundaries of their platonic relationship begin to blur…
With sharp observations and sizzling chemistry, You, Again explores the dynamics of co-ed friendship in this sparkling romantic comedy of modern love in all its forms.
Amanda: This one is equal parts funny and sexy and I can’t wait for more people to get their hands on it. Definitely recommend.
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I have forgotten how Hide Your Wallet works now (is it twice a month?), but THE LAST DEVIL TO DIE (fourth book in the Thursday Murder Club) was out on the 8th and KJ Charles’s A NOBLEMAN’S GUIDE TO SEDUCING A SCOUNDREL (the follow up to THE SECRET LIVES OF COUNTRY GENTLEMEN which I know was a favorite around here) is out on the 19th.
(I just need it to be November—then it’s new Freya Marske and Rebecca Yaros’s sequel to THE FOURTH WING!)
The only book I have on my tbr this week arrived on my kindle first thing this morning: SALT KISS (September 12) by Sierra Simone is the first in her new Lyonesse series that is a modern retelling of the legend of Tristan & Isolde. (However, I did discover yesterday that a free “prequel”, SALT IN THE WOUND is available, so I’ll be reading that first.) in SALT KISS, former soldier Tristan works at an exclusive club owned by the wealthy and amoral Mark. When Tristan is tasked with bringing Mark’s fiancée, Isolde, from Ireland to America, we already know what’s going to happen between them. I’m expecting to be thoroughly engaged by Simone’s trademark lush eroticism.
Wow, multiple books this time are going on my wishlist, Susan Lee’s Name Drop is first in line. And I’m a sucker for Second Chance romances, so have The Second Chance Hotel earmarked and You, Again.
Illustrated covers are the epitome of meh for me and I normally hate You, Again’s color palette, but can I just say that I’m having an enemies to lovers moment with that cover It is gorgeous. I’d buy it on that basis alone.
You, Again looks really good.
And like @FashionablyEvil, I’m looking forward to the new KJ Charles coming out next Tues!
What a bounty of new books.
@FashionablyEvil: Hide Your Wallet is weekly now! Every Tuesday!
All of these are on my TBR pile.
“Peach Pit” is giving me major 90210 flashbacks from the 90s….(;
Emma Foxx (the excellent Erin McCarthy and Erin Nicholas teaming up) is kicking off a contemporary why-choose series with Puck One Night Stand Friday… It’s fun and funny and also brings the feels, if you’re in a why-choose mood…