This month was in like a lion and out like the lamb. We had so many new releases in the first half of the month and then things trickled off. March is looking a bit more steady with more at the beginning and end of the month.
Fantasy and contemporary romance reign supreme this week.
How is your TBR celebrating the end of February? Anything on your list you’re really anticipating?
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A Fate Inked in Blood
Author: Danielle Jensen
Released: February 27, 2024 by Del Rey
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Saga of the Unfated #1A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king—while also fighting her growing desire for his fiery son—in this Norse-inspired fantasy romance from the bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom series.
Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.
Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.
Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.
Amanda: A shield maiden you say?
Elyse: I would read this for the cover alone.
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Fathomfolk
Author: Eliza Chan
Released: February 27, 2024 by Orbit
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Drowned World #1Revolution is brewing in the semi-submerged city of Tiankawi, between humans and the fathomfolk who live in its waters. This gloriously imaginative debut fantasy, inspired by East Asian mythology and ocean folk tales, is a novel of magic, rebellion and change.
Welcome to Tiankawi – shining pearl of human civilization and a safe haven for those fleeing civil unrest. Or at least, that’s how it first appears. But in the semi-flooded city, humans are, quite literally, on top: peering down from shining towers and aerial walkways on the fathomfolk – sirens, seawitches, kelpies and kappas – who live in the polluted waters below.
For half-siren Mira, promotion to captain of the border guard means an opportunity to help her downtrodden people. But if earning the trust and respect of her human colleagues wasn’t hard enough, everything Mira has worked towards is put in jeopardy when Nami, a know-it-all water dragon and fathomfolk princess – is exiled to the city, under Mira’s watch. When extremists sabotage a city festival, violence erupts, as does the clampdown on fathomfolk rights. Both Nami and Mira must decide if the cost of change is worth paying, or if Tiankawi should be left to drown.
I feel like this fantasy novel is getting some buzz!
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Kindling
Author: Traci Chee
Released: February 27, 2024 by HarperCollins
Genre: Historical: Other, LGBTQIA, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young AdultFrom bestselling and award-winning author Traci Chee comes a standalone fantasy set against a war-ravaged world where kindling warfare—the use of elite, magic-wielding teenage soldiers—has been outlawed. In this rich and evocative novel, seven kindlings search for purpose and identity as they prepare for one final battle. For fans of the classic films Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven.
Once, the war was fought with kindlings—elite, magic-wielding warriors whose devastating power comes at the cost of their own young lives.
Now, the war is over, and kindlings have been cast adrift—their magic outlawed, their skills outdated, their formidable balar weapons prized only as relics and souvenirs.
Violence still plagues the countryside, and memories haunt those who remain. When a village comes under threat of siege, it offers an opportunity for seven kindlings to fight one last time. But war changed these warriors. And to reclaim who they once were, they will have to battle their pasts, their trauma, and their grim fates to come together again—or none of them will make it out alive.
Amanda: Growing up, I would look forward to Samurai Saturdays on the Independent Film Channel, so seeing this reference Seven Samurai has be interested.
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Once Persuaded, Twice Shy
Author: Melodie Edwards
Released: February 27, 2024 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceThis modern reimagining of Persuasion is full of witty banter, romantic angst, and compelling characters as it captures the heart of the classic Jane Austen novel.
When Anne Elliott broke up with Ben Wentworth it seemed like the right thing to do . . . but now, eight years later, she’s not so sure.
In her scenic hometown of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Anne is comfortable focusing on her successful career, filling her late mother’s shoes as town councilor and executive director of her theater company. She certainly keeps busy as the all-around wrangler of eccentric locals, self-centered family members, elaborate festivals, and the occasional goose attack. But the more she tries to convince herself that her life is fine as-is, the more it all feels like a show—and not nearly as good as the ones put on by her theater company. She’s the always responsible Anne, always taken for granted and cleaning up after other people, and the memories of happier times with Ben Wentworth still haunt her.
So when the nearby Kellynch Winery is bought by Ben’s aunt and uncle, Anne’s life is set ablaze as her old flame crashes back into her life—and it’s clear he hasn’t forgotten or forgiven her for breaking his heart. A joint project between the winery and Anne’s theater forces both Ben and Anne to confront their complicated history, and as they spend more time together Anne can’t help but wonder if there might be hope for their future after all.
Aarya: Enjoyed the debut (old-fashioned in a 90s category way) so I’ll definitely be picking this up.
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The Partner Plot
Author: Kristina Forest
Released: February 27, 2024 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceTwo former high school sweethearts get a second chance in this marriage of convenience romance by Kristina Forest, author of The Neighbor Favor.
To Violet Greene, fashion is everything. As a successful celebrity stylist, she travels all over the world, living out her dreams. Professionally, she’s thriving, but her personal life is in shambles. After surviving a very public breakup with her ex-fiancé six months ago, Violet is now determined to focus on her career. But life hands her something—or rather, someone—that might derail everything…
Xavier Wright did not expect to run into his high school girlfriend Violet—the girl he once thought he’d marry—on a birthday trip to Vegas. As a high school teacher and basketball coach, he rarely leaves his New Jersey hometown, so what were the chances? But when the initial shock wears off, they decide to celebrate together. They feel young and reckless as they party the night away—and reckless they clearly were when the following morning, they wake up beside each other with rings on their fingers.
Their impulsive nuptials might be a blessing in disguise, though, when they realize that both of their careers could benefit from the marriage. So they play the part of a blissfully wedded couple. Yet when their passion comes hurling back, they realize their feelings are just as real as they were back when they were teens. But are their lives too different to stick it through or will they finally get a happy ending?
Dahlia: All of Forest’s romances are super cute, so this was an easy preorder after adoring The Neighbor Favor!
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Excited for The Waiting Game, the third in Brigham Vaughn’s #Relationship Goals series–I’ve loved the others in this series, and am especially thrilled to see a Korean-Canadian hero.
I’m really looking forward to Martha Wells’ The Book of Ile-Rien, which (per her website) is “a compilation of author’s preferred editions of The Element of Fire and The Death of the Necromancer.” I’ve read good things about both books, and after reading her re-issued City of Bones last year, I hope she keeps re-issuing her pre-Murderbot books. As much as I love Murderbot, I find her fantasy worlds beautiful and compelling.
I liked The Partner Plot! The rest is on my TBR!
Love that cover for ONCE PERSUADED, TWICE SHY. Has a real 70s/80s vibe…I dig it 🙂
I gotta say, the tag line of witty banter on a Persuasion retelling is not convincing me that justice was done to the characters…..
Not all of Austen’s characters were Elizabeth or Emma, and they shouldn’t have to be forced into that mold.
Once Persuaded Twice Shy is at the top of my list!
Long time reader, some time commenter – and now debut author. So I hope this is okay to post.
My first book, a sci-fin romance, Midnight’s Pawn is out on Thursday the 29th
In a future where corporations rule the world, a woman desperate to be free must escape a powerful company. Her only ally? A man whose quest for vengeance sets her firmly in his sights.
Available at Amazon, Kobo, Google, Apple Books, and Barnes and Noble
https://books2read.com/b/b5YqXp
Tempted by A Fate Inked In Blood, just because seeing the word “Jarl” thrown around in that blurb sets off all my inner Skyrim player alarms, LOL.