Welcome back to Hide Your Wallet, where we discuss the current week’s upcoming book releases that we can’t wait to read!
There are lots of horror, sci-fi, and fantasy this week and I’m sensing a trend for the rest of October. For me, personally, my TBR pile is pretty packed this month.
Which books are you excited for this week? Let us know in the comments!
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The Dead Take the A Train
Author: Cassandra Khaw
Released: October 3, 2023 by Tor Nightfire
Genre: Horror, Urban Fantasy
Series: Carrion City #1Bestselling authors Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey have teamed up to deliver a dark new story with magic, monsters, and mayhem, perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and Joe Hill.
Julie Crews is a coked-up, burnt-out thirty-something who packs a lot of magic into her small body. She’s been trying to establish herself in the NYC magic scene, and she’ll work the most gruesome gigs to claw her way to the top.
Julie is desperate for a quick career boost to break the dead-end grind, but her pleas draw the attention of an eldritch god who is hungry for revenge. Her power grab sets off a deadly chain of events that puts her closest friends – and the entire world – directly in the path of annihilation.
The first explosive adventure in the Carrion City Duology, The Dead Take the A Train fuses Khaw’s cosmic horror and Kadrey’s gritty fantasy into a full-throttle thrill ride straight into New York’s magical underbelly.
Cassandra Khaw’s newest blend of horror and fantasy! Keep your eyes peeled for a review.
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The Forest Demands Its Due
Author: Kosoko Jackson
Released: October 3, 2023 by Quill Tree Books
Genre: Horror, LGBTQIA, Young AdultRegent Academy has a long and storied history in Winslow, Vermont, as does the forest that surrounds it. The school is known for molding teens into leaders, but its history is far more nefarious.
Seventeen-year-old Douglas Jones wants nothing to do with Regent’s king-making; he’s just trying to survive. But then a student is murdered and, for some reason, by the next day no one remembers him having ever existed, except for Douglas and the groundskeeper’s son, Everett Everley. In his determination to uncover the truth, Douglas awakens a horror hidden within the forest, unearthing secrets that have been buried for centuries. A vengeful creature wants blood as payment for a debt 400 years in the making—or it will swallow all of Winslow in darkness.
And for the first time in his life, Douglas might have a chance to grasp the one thing he’s always felt was missing: power. But if he’s not careful, he will find out that power has a tendency to corrupt absolutely everything.
Sarah: YA horror set in a boarding school with a queer Black student who discovers the “sinister history” of the school. This might be too scary for me and my brains, but I am very intrigued!
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The Hurricane Wars
Author: Thea Guanzon
Released: October 3, 2023 by Harper Voyager
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: The Hurricane Wars #1A land ravaged by storms and conquerors…
A refuge across the sea that comes at a price…
A volatile alliance between two bitter enemies…
A growing attraction as dangerous as it is irresistible…
On opposite sides of a vicious war, a soldier who can channel light magic and a prince who summons shadows find themselves locked in a deadly dance that neither can seem to truly win. As the Continent falls to howling winds and violent lightning brought on by a ruthless emperor’s fleet of stormships, the only way for Talasyn to save countless lives is to reclaim her birthright in a mysterious archipelago over the Eversea—and to enter into a fraught political marriage with Prince Alaric, the very man she had sworn to destroy.
Like Talasyn, Alaric makes no secret of his displeasure with such an arrangement. But, when a new threat emerges to shatter a fragile peace, necessity forces the reluctant couple to work together while wrestling with the inconvenient but undeniable bloom of desire amidst a backdrop of secrets and cutthroat political intrigue.
What would you do to win a war? What would you do to save all that you hold dear? And what do you do when the person you hate finds their way into your heart, beneath the rising tempests?
Amanda: This is coated in Amanda catnip.
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The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport
Author: Samit Basu
Released: October 3, 2023 by Tor.com
Genre: Science Fiction/FantasyFrom international bestseller Samit Basu, The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport is an exuberant new sci-fi adventure with heart that reads like a mash-up of “ Aladdin ” and Murderbot — with gloriously chaotic results
Shantiport was supposed to be a gateway to the stars. But the city is sinking, and its colonist rulers aren’t helping anyone but themselves.
Lina, a daughter of failed revolutionaries, has no desire to escape Shantiport. She loves her city and would do anything to save its people. This is, in fact, the plan for her life, made before she was even born.
Her brother, Bador, is a small monkey bot with a big attitude and bigger ambitions. He wants a chance to leave this dead-end planet and explore the universe on his own terms. But that would mean abandoning the family he loves—even if they do take him for granted.
When Shantiport’s resident tech billionaire coerces Lina into retrieving a powerful artifact rumored to be able to reshape reality, forces from before their time begin coalescing around the siblings. And when you throw in a piece of sentient, off-world tech with the ability to grant three wishes into the mix… None of the city’s powers will know what hit them.
Sarah: A sentient wish-granting AI is unleashed in a failing city. It was recommended as “If you like Murderbot…” and indeed I DO!
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Starling House
Author: Alix Harrow
Released: October 3, 2023 by Tor Books
Genre: Gothic, Science Fiction/FantasyA grim and gothic new tale from New York Times bestselling author Alix E. Harrow about a small town haunted by secrets that can’t stay buried and the sinister house that sits at the crossroads of it all.
Eden, Kentucky, is just another dying, bad-luck town, known only for the legend of E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth-century author and illustrator who wrote The Underland–and disappeared. Before she vanished, Starling House appeared. But everyone agrees that it’s best to let the uncanny house―and its last lonely heir, Arthur Starling―go to rot.
Opal knows better than to mess with haunted houses or brooding men, but an unexpected job offer might be a chance to get her brother out of Eden. Too quickly, though, Starling House starts to feel dangerously like something she’s never had: a home.
As sinister forces converge on Starling House, Opal and Arthur are going to have to make a dire to dig up the buried secrets of the past and confront their own fears, or let Eden be taken over by literal nightmares.
If Opal wants a home, she’ll have to fight for it.
Amanda: I’ve really liked Harrow’s books and I’ve heard good things about this one.
Sarah: A haunted house, a legend about a reclusive author who disappeared, and a legend – I love haunted house stories where one character is trying to defend or create a home for themselves.
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The Takedown
Author: Carlie Walker
Released: October 3, 2023 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Romance“I can’t remember the last time I smiled so much while reading a book.”—Annabel Monaghan, author of Nora Goes Off Script and Same Time Next Summer
An undercover CIA agent is sent home to investigate her sister’s criminal fiancé but the last thing she expects is to fall in love with his bodyguard along the way in this sexy romantic comedy.
It’s been a long time since Sydney Swift has gone home. An unrelentingly successful CIA field officer, she has spent the last three years pretending to be someone — anyone — other than herself.
But this year, the festive season is coming with some added surprises. Sydney’s beloved little sister has just announced that she’s engaged to Johnny Jones, the heir of an organized crime dynasty. With her built-in cover and her best-in-class reputation, Sydney is approached by the FBI as their way to infiltrate the Jones family at last.
Sydney has until Christmas to gather enough evidence on Johnny to take him down before he pulls off his most dangerous heist yet, all without losing her sister forever. But she hasn’t counted on the challenge of pulling this off right under her family’s nose or the complications of a romantic entanglement with Johnny’s handsome friend and bodyguard, Nick. Sydney always gets her man — but this time love is a target she can’t afford to miss.
Amanda: This sounds very fun and gives me Crusie vibes.
Sarah: So you know when a friend or sibling is marrying someone you just KNOW is bad news? in this book, the heroine is a CIA agent sent home to investigate her sister’s shady fiance, and said fiance has a hot bodyguard. HOT BODYGUARD ALERT.
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Throne of the Fallen
Author: Kerri Maniscalco
Released: October 3, 2023 by Little, Brown and Company
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, Romance, Science Fiction/FantasyThe adult debut of #1 New York Times bestselling author Kerri Maniscalco, Throne of the Fallen is a seductive new standalone novel set within her fan-favorite Kingdom of the Wicked world, perfect for readers of fantasy, romance, and mystery alike.
Sinner. Villain. Ruthless.
These are wicked names the Prince of Envy welcomes. They remind him what he isn’t: a saint. And when a cryptic note arrives, signaling the beginning of a deadly game, he knows he’ll be called much worse before it ends. Riddles, hexed objects, anonymous players, nothing will stand in his way. With a powerful artifact and his own future at stake, Envy is determined to win, though none of his meticulous plans prepare him for her, the frustrating artist who ignites his sin—and passion—like no other…
Talented. Darling. Liar.
The trouble with scoundrels and blackguards is that they haven’t a modicum of honor, a fact Miss Camilla Antonius learns after one desperate mistake allows notorious rake—and satire sheet legend—Lord Phillip Vexley to blackmail her. And now it seems Vexley isn’t the only scoundrel interested in securing her unique talents as a painter. To avoid Vexley’s clutches and a ruinous scandal, Camilla is forced to enter a devil’s bargain with Waverly Green’s newest arrival, enigmatic Lord Ashford ‘Syn’ Synton, little expecting his game will awaken her true nature . . .
Together, Envy and Camilla must embark on a perilous journey through the Shifting Isles—from glittering demon courts to the sultry vampire realm, and encounters with exiled Fae—while trying to avoid the most dangerous trap of all: falling in love.
Amanda: One of my most anticipated 2023 reads. I’ve enjoyed Maniscalco’s New Adult and Young Adult romances, so I’m thrilled to see her adult debut.
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Just two books on my tbr this week:
Willow Dixon’s FAKERS WITH BENEFITS (October 4) is the second book in her Club Crimson series of m/m romances featuring characters who work at the title club. Dixon is a recent discovery for me, but I’ve enjoyed the books of hers I’ve read so far—especially because she manages to avoid the big third-act misunderstanding. FAKERS WITH BENEFITS involves a fake relationship between a dancer at Club Crimson and one of the club’s wealthy clients.
Winter Renshaw’s DEAR STRANGER (October 5) is the third book in her Paper Cuts series featuring love springing up unexpectedly. DEAR STRANGER features the “you’ve got mail” trope as a woman discovers that the man she’s been enthusiastically texting on a dating app is her workplace rival.
I’ve been waiting for THE JINN-BOT OF SHANTIPORT. Didn’t know about THE TAKEDOWN, so two wins. ‘Bye, wallet.
I’m looking forward to the new Josie Silver A WINTER IN NEW YORK–I love her angsty romances. Also read a couple of good reviews of Hannah Grace’s WILDFIRE, though I’m a little over NA romances.
All on my TBR!
I’m excited that CHASING HOLIDAY TAIL is on my e-reader–it’s the annual holiday anthology that includes the newest installment from Serena Bell’s Hott series, plus stories from Kameron Claire · Melonie Johnson · Tracey Pedersen · Amy Award · Dylann Crush · Christina Hovland · Hope Ellis · MK Meredith · Brenda St John Brown · Sylvie Stewart · Kilby Blades · Tawdra Kandle · Stina Lindenblatt · Arell Rivers
I was scrolling by and glanced at the cover for HURRICANE WARS sideways. Now I can’t unsee a very silly golden retriever’s face in there. (One of the moons is the doggie’s eyeball.)
Is a CIA field officer really going to work on behalf of the FBI? That doesn’t sound quite “right” to me.
The Takedown looks soooo tempting. Hide my wallet, indeed!!