Settle in for the last Hide Your Wallet of September 2023!
There are quite a number of sci-fi and fantasy novels to cap off the month. Will the number of sci-fi and fantasy releases we’re excited for grow even higher in October? Only time will tell!
What books are you eager to read this week? Do any of you choices overlap with ours? Let us know below!
The Fragile Threads of Power
Author: V.E. Schwab
Released: September 26, 2023 by Tor Books
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Threads of Power #1From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and set in the world of A Darker Shade of Magic, V. E. Schwab opens a new door into perilous adventure and tangled schemes with The Fragile Threads of Power.
Once, there were four worlds, nestled like pages in a book, each pulsing with fantastical power, and connected by a single city: London. Until the magic grew too fast, and forced the worlds to seal the doors between them in a desperate gamble to protect their own. The few magicians who could still open the doors grew more rare as time passed and now, only three Antari are known in recent memory―Kell Maresh of Red London, Delilah Bard of Grey London, and Holland Vosijk, of White London.
But barely a glimpse of them have been seen in the last seven years―and a new Antari named Kosika has appeared in White London, taking the throne in Holland’s absence. The young queen is willing to feed her city with blood, including her own―but her growing religious fervor has the potential to drown them instead.
And back in Red London, King Rhy Maresh is threatened by a rising rebellion, one determined to correct the balance of power by razing the throne entirely.
Amidst this tapestry of old friends and new enemies, a girl with an unusual magical ability comes into possession of a device that could change the fate of all four worlds.
Her name is Tes, and she’s the only one who can bring them together―or unravel it all.
New V.E. Schwab! I believe it’s a spin-off series.
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Author: Josiah Bancroft
Released: September 26, 2023 by Orbit
Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: The Hexologists #1The first book in a wildly inventive and mesmerizing new fantasy series from acclaimed author Josiah Bancroft where magical mysteries abound and only one team can solve them: The Hexologists. “Bancroft is a magician.” — Madeline Miller, New York Times bestselling author of Circe
“Fantastic! The Hexologists fizzes eloquently with wit and elegance, but also has marvelous worldbuilding and an excellent plot – and a central pair of characters who I quite simply love. A cocktail of a book made with the very best champagne.” — Genevieve Cogman, author of The Invisible Library
The Hexologists, Iz and Warren Wilby, are quite accustomed to helping desperate clients with the bugbears of city life. Aided by hexes and a bag of charmed relics, the Wilbies have recovered children abducted by chimney-wraiths, removed infestations of barb-nosed incubi, and ventured into the Gray Plains of the Unmade to soothe a troubled ghost. Well-acquainted with the weird, they never shy away from a challenging case.
But when they are approached by the royal secretary and told the king pleads to be baked into a cake—going so far as to wedge himself inside a lit oven—the Wilbies soon find themselves embroiled in a mystery that could very well see the nation turned on its head. Their effort to expose a royal secret buried under forty years of lies brings them nose to nose with a violent anti-royalist gang, avaricious ghouls, alchemists who draw their power from a hell-like dimension, and a bookish dragon who only occasionally eats people.
Armed with a love toughened by adversity and a stick of chalk that can conjure light from the darkness, hope from the hopeless, Iz and Warren Wilby are ready for a case that will test every spell, skill, and odd magical artifact in their considerable bag of tricks.
Amanda: A married couple solving magical mysteries!
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As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks!The Navigating Fox
Author: Christopher Rowe
Released: September 26, 2023 by Tor.com
Genre: Novella, Science Fiction/FantasyQuintus Shu’al is the world’s only navigating fox. He’s also in disgrace after leading an expedition to its doom a year earlier, with dozens of lives lost. Now Quintus has a chance to redeem himself by leading a brand-new expedition to the gates of hell. In return, he is promised the eventual truth of his origins and his solitary existence.
Those who will accompany Quintus are the Holy Priest Scipio Aemilanus; scholar Octavia Delphina, whose sister was lost in the first expedition; the twin raccoon cartographers Loci and Foci; and the powerful bison ambassador Walks Along Woman.
As the journey grows more perilous and the agendas of its members more sinister, Quintus must make an impossible choice between obtaining the secret of his creation, or sacrificing that possibility forever in order to seize his destiny.
Amanda: Getting Hollow Kingdom vibes from this one! I’ve also heard it’s very weird.
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As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks!The Scarlet Veil
Author: Shelby Mahurin
Released: September 26, 2023 by HarperTeen
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: The Scarlet Veil #1This dark and thrilling vampire romance—set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Serpent & Dove series—is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas!
Célie Tremblay has always been a good girl: kind and beautiful, a daughter of whom every parent would be proud. She surprises the entire kingdom when she defies tradition to become the first huntswoman—including her new captain and fiancé, Jean Luc, who rules the huntsmen with an iron fist. He isn’t the only one concerned for Célie’s safety, however. Though her friends try to protect her from the horrors of her past, mysterious whispers still haunt her, and a new evil is rising in Belterra—leaving bodies in its wake, each one drained of blood.
Determined to prove herself in her new role, Célie tracks the killer to the lair of Les Éternels—ancient creatures only spoken about in nursery rhymes—and catches the attention of their king, a monster who hides his plans for her behind beautiful words and sharp smiles. Now Célie has new reason to fear the dark because the closer he gets, the more tempted she feels to give in to his dark hunger—and her own.
Amanda: I really liked Mahurin’s Serpent & Dove trilogy, so I’m excited to return to this world.
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Author: Rachel Reid
Released: September 26, 2023 by Carina Press
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, RomanceFor Landon Stackhouse, being called up from the Calgary farm team is exciting and terrifying, even if, as the backup goalie, he rarely leaves the bench. A quiet loner by nature, Landon knows he gives off strong “don’t talk to me” vibes. The only player who doesn’t seem to notice is Calgary’s superstar young winger, Casey Hicks.
Casey treats Landon like an old friend, even though they’ve only interacted briefly in the past. He’s endlessly charming and completely laid-back in a way that Landon absolutely can’t relate to. They couldn’t have less in common, but Landon needs a place to live that’s not a hotel room and Casey has just bought a massive house—and hates being alone.
As roommates, Casey refuses to be defeated by Landon’s one-word answers. As friends, Landon comes to notice a few things about Casey, like his wide, easy smile and sparkling green-blue eyes. Spending the holidays together only intensifies their bromance-turned-romance. But as the new year approaches, the countdown to the end of Landon’s time in Calgary is on.
Lara: I have never not loved a Rachel Reid book and I’m pretty sure that’ll be the case with this one too!
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We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks!The Undetectables
Author: Courtney Smyth
Released: September 26, 2023 by Titan Books
Genre: LGBTQIA, Mystery/Thriller, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Urban FantasyBe gay, solve crime, take naps—A witty and quirky fantasy murder mystery if a folkloric world of witches, faeires, vampires, trolls and ghosts, for fans of Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey and T. J. Klune’s Under the Whispering Door.
A magical serial killer is stalking the Occult town of Wrackton. Hypnotic whistling causes victims to chew their own tongues off, leading to the killer being dubbed the Whistler (original, right?). But outside the lack of taste buds and the strange magical carvings on the victims’ torsos, the murderer leaves no evidence. No obvious clues. No reason – or so it seems.
Enter the Undetectables, a detective agency run by three witches and a ghost in a cat costume (don’t ask). They are hired to investigate the murders, but with their only case so far left unsolved, will they be up to the task? Mallory, the forensic science expert, is struggling with pain and fatigue from her recently diagnosed fibromyalgia. Cornelia, the team member most likely to go rogue and punch a police officer, is suddenly stirring all sorts of feelings in Mallory. Diana, the social butterfly of the group, is hitting up all of her ex-girlfriends for information. And not forgetting ghostly Theodore – deceased, dramatic, and also the agency’s first dead body and unsolved murder case.
With bodies stacking up and the case leading them to mysteries at the very heart of magical society, can the Undetectables find the Whistler before they become the killer’s next victims?
Amanda: Look, the opening line on the jacket copy is – “Be gay, solve crime, take naps.”
Shana: Grabby hands!
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Author: Beth O'Leary
Released: September 26, 2023 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceTwo hotel receptionists—and arch-rivals—find a collection of old wedding rings and compete to return them to their owners, discovering their own love story along the way.
It’s the busiest season of the year, and Forest Manor Hotel is quite literally falling apart. So when Izzy and Lucas are given the same shift on the hotel’s front desk, they have no choice but to put their differences aside and see it through.
The hotel won’t stay afloat beyond Christmas without some sort of miracle. But when Izzy returns a guest’s lost wedding ring, the reward convinces management that this might be the way to fix everything. With four rings still sitting in the lost & found, the race is on for Izzy and Lucas to save their beloved hotel—and their jobs.
As their bitter rivalry turns into something much more complicated, Izzy and Lucas begin to wonder if there’s more at stake here than the hotel’s future. Can the two of them make it through the season with their hearts intact?
Sarah: Front desk workers trying to save hotel and reunite people with lost rings. O’Leary’s books are always extremely clever.
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I feel like there’s been a law of diminishing returns with me and Beth O’Leary. You can almost make a line sliding straight down. Loved the first book, second book cute but not a favorite, couldn’t finish third book, didn’t even try the fourth one (and glad of it after reading spoilers). But gosh darn it if the premise of this new one doesn’t sound very intriguing. I put it on hold at the library, we’ll see. . .
This is the week that broke my September book budget. Luckily, I can replenish on October 1. Here’s my tbr for this week—the first four books already delivered to my kindle this morning:
The aforementioned TIME TO SHINE by Rachel Reid. This one hits all the m/m hockey romance tropes: backup player/superstar, veteran-rookie, roommates, grumpy-sunshine, bi-awakening. I’m really excited to read a new book from one of my favorite writers, but the only drawback is that Rachel Reid’s post-Game Changers popularity means that TIME TO SHINE’s ebook is priced at $9.99. That’s a lot for an ebook, but how could I wait for a sale or for the library copy?
Three of my favorite Harlequin Presents writers are also dropping new HPs on September 26: PREGNANT WITH HER ROYAL BOSS’S BABY is the third and final book in Jackie Ashenden’s Three Ruthless Kings trilogy. I’m expecting plenty of angst, drama, and references to dysfunctional childhoods in this unplanned pregnancy romance. Caitlin Crews’s THE SPANIARD’S LAST-MINUTE WIFE is the second of Crews’s Innocent Stolen Brides series. In TSLMW, the heroine steps in when the hero is jilted at the altar, but there’s a lot to unpack because the heroine believes the hero is the father of her late-cousin’s baby. Maisey Yates’s A VIRGIN FOR THE DESERT KING is the second of her Royal Desert Legacy books of Sheikh romances. In this one, a king who was imprisoned for much of his life falls for the consultant hired to prepare him for his new royal position.
I was thrilled to discover that Julie Kriss (one of Romancelandia’s most underappreciated writers, imho) was writing one more book in her Road Kings series of rock romances: WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT (September 28) is the story of the guy who funded the Road Kings’ reunion tour and his assistant. There’s enforced proximity in a snowstorm, which is always one of my favorite tropes. And I can’t wait to catch up with what’s been happening to the members of the band and their partners.
Adriana Anders’s WE’LL NEVER HAVE PARIS (September 29) is the start of a new series called The French Kiss-Off. it’s a grumpy-sunshine/antagonists-to-lovers story with MCs stuck in an elevator in Paris.
Ovidia Yu has a new Su Lin story out today (in North America), The Yellow Rambutan Tree Mystery. It’s set after the second world war has ended and the brutal Japanese occupation of Singapore. I know it will be a difficult recovery for Su Lin and her family. I can’t wait to find out if she’s going to be back with the detective bureau, and to learn more about Singapore’s history.
I just picked up MURDER IN PROTOCOL, the 18th (!!) volume in Anne Cleeland’s Doyle & Acton series.
I’m breathlessly awaiting the release of Cate C Wells’ RETURN TO MONTE CARLO, which looks to be an homage to vintage Harlequin/Mills and Boon. No guarantee it will release this week; Goodreads informs us the “expected” publication date is this Friday. ::hyperventilates::
Skye Kilaen’s monthly list of new queer romances is out and there are some great looking books on it.
https://skyewritesromance.com/new-queer-romances-sep-2023/
The list covers indie authors and small pubs and books that tend to fly under the radar. Definitely read the samples but I’ve found some great reads from this list.
The Fall That Saved Us by Tamara Jerée is the one that’s caught my eye this month – the sample is really good. Sapphic paranormal romance between an ex-demon hunter (and current bookshop owner) and a succubus.
Very curious about THE NAVIGATING FOX. The tor.com announcement has blurbs from Holly Black and Alix Harrow. https://www.tor.com/2023/02/24/cover-reveal-the-navigating-fox-by-christopher-rowe/
I am leery about Beth O’Leary’s new one (It’s getting 4 star to B-level reviews, a relief after her last book, which as I broadcast here I just didn’t like) but I’ll get it from my local library. Undetectable, Time to Shine and Scarlet Veil are all on my TBR.
Thanks for the heads up on the Doyle/Acton! I started out not liking the series, but now I’m hopelessly devoted. I read one of her other romances (Death in Sheffield) and it’s basically the same characters in a different time frame.
@Deborah: a new Cate C. Wells? And it’s a homage to Harlequin/Mills & Boon? Here—take my money, right now!!
I really enjoyed The Hexologists and The Undetectables!
Already mentioned in WAYR… BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR by Joanna Chambers and Sally Malcolm – book 3 in their Homegrown Talent series. Both MCs have already made appearances in the previous two books and there was a hint that there may be something there. The first book in the series is one of my overall favourites and a total comfort read. The second was also good, but didn’t quite catch me in the feels as the first.
I’m excited for THE WAKE-UP CALL…for some reason the premise makes me think it’ll be more like THE FLATSHARE (less angsty, more romance-focused) than her last few novels have been. Here’s hoping!
I am also looking forward to Kerry Winfrey’s FAKING CHRISTMAS, which came out today. I’ve enjoyed Winfrey’s previous books, and I’m here for holiday romance + fake dating!
@DiscoDollyDeb, can’t wait to hear what you think of Time to Shine–I was fortunate enough to read an ARC and LOVED it, but $9.99 is so steep!
Other fantastic reads out today–Naima Simone’s Please Don’t Go, Girl; Samantha Chase’s Loving You; Laurel Greer’s A Hideaway Wharf Holiday (she is SUCH an underrated writer in my book); Karen Booth’s Their After Hours Playbook…
This morning, I was excited to find MRS. CLAUS AND THE TROUBLE WITH TURKEYS, book 4 of Liz Ireland’s Mrs. Claus mystery series, had been delivered to my kindle. I preordered this months ago. I love this series and its world building, characters, and names. I believe I discovered the first book here a few years ago. If you want to try the series out, book 3, MRS CLAUS AND THE EVIL ELVES, is on sale for 1.99 on Kindle. I think you could jump in there if you are not ready to commit to books 1 and 2 (which I thoroughly enjoyed and bought for several friends last year when they were on sale). In book 3, April (Mrs. Claus) has invited her best friend to visit to the North Pole, but the (talking) reindeer have gone rogue and there are cranky elves and, of course, murder.
Add me to the list that was delighted to learn of the new Acton/Doyle book. Happy reading, @Deborah and @MirandaB!
@DiscoDollyDeb Just got to say thanks for turning me on to Cate C Wells. Not at all what I would have looked at in the past but her shifter and Stonecutt County books are amazing. Looking forward to the new one, too.
@Vicky: the more I read of Wells’s work, the more I see her as a writer who uses the standard structure of certain tropes/sub-genres of romance (shifter, mafia, motorcycle club, secret baby, former high school bully, age-gap, etc.) to present some very strong feminist messages about the world we inhabit and how men & women (especially women) have to adjust to occupy space together. As I’ve said before, her heroes aren’t perfect, sometimes they’re downright obtuse, but they always want to do better, even if they lack the emotional bandwidth to do so without hurting others—at least initially. I think she’s one of the best romance writers publishing today.
Interested that people didn’t like O’Leary’s The No Show. It was a little hard to get into, but by the end I felt like I was watching this (somewhat sad) beautiful writing magic happen. Different strokes, eh?
Also, V. E. Schwab!! Yay!