Welcome back to Hide Your Wallet!
We have a dozen selections this week. We’re approaching fall, so you know there is some horror, paranormal romance, and books with Gothic settings. But also, there’s plenty to enjoy if you aren’t a fan of spooky season.
What books are you excited for this week? Let us know in the comments!
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A Foolish Flirtation
Author: Alice Coldbreath
Released: September 14, 2024
Genre: Historical: European, Romance
Series: Victorian Reversal of Fortune #1At eighteen, Emmeline Ballentine’s father splashed out on one London season to introduce his daughter to polite society. Sadly, for Emmeline, polite society was not terribly receptive to a city trader’s daughter.
She only ever caught one gentleman’s fancy, the dishonorable Jeremy Vance who made her head spin as he singled her out for attention at the balls and assemblies. Her worldly chaperone warned her he was making a May game of her, but Emmeline had not heeded her warning. Consequently, her dreams were dashed, when at the close of the season, Jeremy announced his engagement to another.
Ten years later, their paths cross again in Bath. Emmeline is older and wiser, and a good deal poorer, and Jeremy is divorced. There is absolutely no chance of him making a fool of her again with his shocking offer of marriage. Is there?
Aarya: This is technically a new series, but we met Jeremy in another book years ago! Excited to see him find love after his divorce.
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A Dark and Drowning Tide
Author: Allison Saft
Released: September 17, 2024 by Del Rey
Genre: Gothic, LGBTQIA, Science Fiction/FantasyA sharp-tongued folklorist must pair up with her academic rival to solve their mentor’s murder in this lush and enthralling sapphic fantasy romance from the New York Times bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic.
Lorelei Kaskel, a folklorist with a quick temper and an even quicker wit, is on an expedition with six eccentric nobles in search of a fabled spring. The magical spring promises untold power, which the king wants to harness to secure his reign of the embattled country of Brunnestaad. Lorelei is determined to use this opportunity to prove herself and make her wildest, most impossible dream come to become a naturalist, able to travel freely to lands she’s only ever read about.
The expedition gets off to a harrowing start when its leader—Lorelei’s beloved mentor—is murdered in her quarters aboard their ship. The suspects are her five remaining expedition mates, each with their own motive. The only person Lorelei knows must be innocent is her longtime academic rival, the insufferably gallant and maddeningly beautiful Sylvia von Wolff. Now in charge of the expedition, Lorelei must find the spring before the murderer strikes again—and a coup begins in earnest.
But there are other dangers lurking in the forests that rearrange themselves at night, rivers with slumbering dragons waiting beneath the water, and shapeshifting beasts out for blood.
As Lorelei and Sylvia grudgingly work together to uncover the truth—and resist their growing feelings for one another—they discover that their professor had secrets of her own. Secrets that make Lorelei question whether justice is worth pursuing, or if this kingdom is worth saving at all.
Elyse: Saft is one of my favorite authors.
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An Academy for Liars
A student will find that the hardest lessons sometimes come outside the classroom in this stunning dark academia novel from the acclaimed author of The Year of the Witching and House of Hunger.
Lennon Carter’s life is falling apart.
Then she gets a mysterious phone call inviting her to take the entrance exam for Drayton College, a school of magic hidden in a secret pocket of Savannah. Lennon has been chosen because—like everyone else at the school—she has the innate gift of persuasion, the ability to wield her will like a weapon, using it to control others and, in rare cases, matter itself.
After passing the test, Lennon begins to learn how to master her devastating and unsettling power. But despite persuasion’s heavy toll on her body and mind, she is wholly captivated by her studies, by Drayton’s lush, moss-draped campus, and by her brilliant classmates. But even more captivating is her charismatic adviser, Dante, who both intimidates and enthralls her.
As Lennon continues in her studies her control grows, and she starts to uncover more about the secret world she has entered into, including the disquieting history of Drayton college, and the way her mentor’s tragic and violent past intertwines with it. She is increasingly disturbed by what she learns. For it seems that the ultimate test is to embrace absolute power without succumbing to corruption . . . and it’s a test she’s terrified she is going to fail.
Amanda: Henderson’s horror is so good!
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Buried Deep and Other Stories
Author: Naomi Novik
Released: September 17, 2024 by Del Rey
Genre: Science Fiction/FantasyA thrilling collection of thirteen short stories that span the worlds of the New York Times bestselling author of the Scholomance Trilogy, including a sneak peek at the land where her next novel will be set.
From the dragon-filled Temeraire series and the gothic, magical halls of the Scholomance trilogy to the fairy tale worlds of Spinning Silver and Uprooted, this stunning collection takes us from fairy tale to fantasy, myth to history, and mystery to science fiction as we travel through Naomi Novik’s most beloved stories.
In Buried Deep, we move from ancient Greece and Rome, through the Middle Ages and the Black Death, and into the modern era. We meet Mark Antony, Sherlock Holmes, and Elizabeth Bennet, in ways we have never seen them before. We visit exotic fantasy cities and alien civilizations among the stars.
Though the stories are vastly different, there is a unifying theme: the act of finding and seizing one’s destiny, and the lengths one will go to achieve that—be it turning pirate, captaining a fighting dragon, or shifting from marriage to seek your destiny with a sword.
And in the two tales original to this collection, we first reenter the remade Scholomance in the wake of El’s revolution and see what life is like for the new crop of students. Then, we get a glimpse at the world of Novik’s upcoming series, a deserted land, populated only by silent and enigmatic architectural behemoths whose secrets are yet to be unlocked.
A short story collection from Naomi Novik!
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Fear the Flames
Author: Olivia Rose Darling
Released: September 17, 2024 by Delacorte Press
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, Romance
Series: Fear the Flames #1An exiled princess teams up with the last man she thought she could trust in the start of a dazzling and unforgettable epic fantasy romance series.
As a child, Elowen Atarah was ripped away from her dragons and imprisoned by her father, King Garrick of Imirath. Years later, Elowen is now a woman determined to free her dragons. Having established a secret kingdom of her own called Aestilian, she’s ready to do what’s necessary to save her people and seek vengeance. Even if that means having to align herself with the Commander of Vareveth, Cayden Veles, the most feared and dangerous man in all the kingdoms of Ravaryn.
Cayden is ruthless, lethal, and secretive, promising to help Elowen if she will stand with him and all of Vareveth in the pending war against Imirath. Despite their contrasting motives, Elowen can’t ignore their undeniable attraction as they combine their efforts and plot to infiltrate the impenetrable castle of Imirath to steal back her dragons and seek revenge on their common enemy.
As the world tries to keep them apart, the pull between Elowen and Cayden becomes impossible to resist. Working together with their crew over clandestine schemes, the threat of war looms, making the imminent heist to free her dragons their most dangerous adventure yet. But for Elowen, her vengeance is a promise signed in blood, and she’ll stop at nothing to see that promise through.
An immersive fantasy filled with a sizzling reluctant-allies-to-lovers romance, a world to get lost in, dangerous quests, dragon bonds, and an entertaining band of characters to root for, Fear the Flames marks the stunning debut of Olivia Rose Darling.
New fantasy romance that gained popularity on BookTok!
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I’ll Get Back to You
Author: Becca Grischow
Released: September 17, 2024 by Penguin Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, New Adult, Romance“Full of humor and tenderness…a cozy, sexy romance.” –Ashley Herring Blake, author of Delilah Green Doesn’t Care
A charming home run of a queer holiday romance where two former classmates’ plan to fake-date their way to freedom goes immediately awry—but, perhaps, exactly the way they need it to.
Murphy was supposed to be settling into her junior year at the University of Illinois with her best friend, Kat. Instead, she’s stuck in a hellish suburban holding living with her parents, failing the same class that kept her from graduating the first time around, and making minimum wage at the same coffee shop she’s worked at since she was sixteen. It doesn’t help that the dating pool for a twenty-one-year-old lesbian in the tiny town of Geneva, Illinois, is anemic at best.
When her and Kat’s long-awaited reunion is plagued by stuttering conversation and uninvited guests, Murphy’s resentment threatens to boil over. That is, until a miracle appears in the form of Ellie Meyers, a former classmate who is way cuter and not nearly as straight as Murphy remembers. Their heavy flirting holds the promise of something more… until Murphy learns that Ellie’s mom is the very professor preparing to flunk Murphy for a second semester in a row. Talk about killing the vibe.
Romance might be off the table, but Ellie could be Murphy’s key to getting into Professor Meyers’ good graces and finally getting out of Geneva. And Murphy—well-versed in defying parental expectations—might be Ellie’s chance to get her mother onboard with her own dreams. Together, they hatch a fake a relationship for a holiday weekend at the Meyers’ house. If everything goes according to plan, Ellie will be living her dream halfway across the country, and Murphy will finally be able to graduate community college and start her life in earnest. So, the fact that Murphy can’t stop thinking about Ellie’s lips on hers isn’t relevant. It’s just a part played well.
Right?
A story about opening your heart to possibility, I’ll Get Back To You is a giddy love letter to anyone in need of a bit of bravery to step up to the plate—and to the unending process of finding yourself.
Dahlia: This queer holiday romance looks super cute and cozy, and I love books in that New Adult age range.
Shana: Holiday romance season is here…and queer!
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Karaoke Queen
Author: Dominic Lim
Released: September 17, 2024 by Forever
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, RomanceBooklist: Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Romances of 2024
A legal assistant by day becomes a karaoke queen by night to grab a second chance at love in this joyfully queer rom-com, perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston and Alexis Hall.
For Rex Araneta, his college sweetheart Aaron Berry was always the one who got away. So when he finds out that Aaron is now living in the same town and needs help saving his karaoke bar, it’s Rex to the rescue. Or more like Regina Moon Dee, Rex’s internet-famous drag queen alter ego. Even if no one can know the identity of the man behind the makeup.
As Regina’s popularity grows, Rex’s ruse becomes more difficult to keep under wraps. It even becomes a family affair with his mom and sister helping to keep his secret. It’s dawning on Rex that he’s hidden this side of himself away for far too long . . . and perhaps his real shot at love is to reveal his true self. And be loved for all that he is.
Tara: This sounds like a lot of fun.
Shana: Lim’s last book was AMAZING so this is already on my TBR list.
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My Vampire Plus-One
Author: Jenna Levine
Released: September 17, 2024 by Berkley
Genre: Paranormal, RomanceNothing sucks more than fake dating a vampire in this paranormal romantic comedy from the USA Today bestselling author of My Roommate Is a Vampire.
Amelia Collins is by definition successful. She would even go so far as to say successfully single. But not according to her family, and she’s tired of the constant questions about her nonexistent dating life. When an invitation to yet another family wedding arrives, she decides to get everyone off her back once and for all by finding someone–anyone–to pose as her date.
After a chance encounter with Reginald Cleaves, Amelia decides he’s perfect for her purposes. He’s a bit strange, but that’s fine; it’ll discourage tough questions from her family. (And it certainly doesn’t hurt that he’s very handsome.) For centuries-old vampire Reggie, posing as her plus-one sounds like the ultimate fun. And if it helps his ruse of pretending to be human, so much the better.
As Amelia and Reggie practice their fauxmance, it becomes clear that Reggie is as loyal to her as the day is long, and that Amelia’s first impressions could not have been more wrong. Suddenly, being in a real relationship with Reggie sounds pretty fang-tastic.
A paranormal romance with a vampire hero and a fake relationship.
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Rewitched
Author: Lucy Jane Wood
Released: September 17, 2024 by Ace
Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction/FantasyIn this spellbinding warm and cozy debut novel, a burned-out witch will need to turn to her friends and trust in herself to find the magic in her own life again.
Belladonna Blackthorn hasn’t lost her magical spark, precisely . . . but she hasn’t seen it in a while either.
With her witchcraft under wraps and a toxic boss making her days miserable, Belle is struggling to keep her beloved Lunar Books afloat and just make it through the day. The last thing she has time for is perfecting her magic.
So when her thirtieth birthday brings a summons from her coven and a trial that tests her worthiness as a witch, Belle fears the worst. With only the month of October left to prove herself or risk losing her magic forever, Belle will need all the help she can get—from the women in her life, from an unlikely mentor figure and even from an infuriating coven watchman who’s sworn to protect her…
Sarah: Witch has lost her magic, owns bookstore, and there might be a bodyguard involved. OK!
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The Seemingly Impossible Love Life of Amanda Dean
Author: Ann Rose
Released: September 17, 2024 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, RomanceIt’s her wedding day and it’ll be the happiest day of her life…won’t it?
Amanda Dean would say she’s an okay artist and a loyal friend, but what she’s best at is falling in love. A self-proclaimed bi disaster who has had her heart broken more times than she cares to count, Amanda can’t help opening herself up. As she gets ready on the day she’s waited a lifetime for, memories of her past loves run through her mind, with one glaring red sign blinking above them—is this “the one”?
Will it be:
the fit water polo player,
the fashionista,
the dependable hedge fund manager,
or the one where the timing was never quite right.Now, on the day of her wedding—a day where everything already seems to be going wrong—Mandy must decide if she’s willing to risk it all one last time or if she’ll escape while her whole heart is still intact.
Equal parts heartwarming and bittersweet, The Seemingly Impossible Love Life of Amanda Dean expertly weaves the wonder and terror of falling in love into a beautifully crafted story about the joy that can be found when you’re willing to dust yourself off and try again.
Dahlia: This seems like the perfect read for Bi Visibility Month!
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We Solve Murders
Author: Richard Osman
Released: September 17, 2024 by Pamela Dorman Books
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Series: We Solve Murders #1A brand new series. An iconic new detective duo. And a puzzling new murder to solve…
Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life. He does the odd bit of investigation work, but he prefers his familiar habits and routines: the pub quiz, his favorite bench, his cat waiting for him when he comes home. His days of adventure are over: adrenaline is daughter-in-law Amy’s business now.
Amy Wheeler thinks adrenaline is good for the soul. As a private security officer, she doesn’t stay still long enough for habits or routines. She’s currently on a remote island keeping world-famous author Rosie D’Antonio alive. Which was meant to be an easy job…
Then a dead body, a bag of money, and a killer with their sights on Amy have her sending an SOS to the only person she trusts. A breakneck race around the world begins, but can Amy and Steve stay one step ahead of a lethal enemy?
New series by Richard Osman alert!
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Almost Love
Author: Anna P.
Released: September 20, 2024
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: Love in Wildes #5He was only supposed to teach her pleasure. Until it turned into so much more.
Clementine Kinney isn’t good with people, but she is fantastic with dessert. With a successful bakery and a small group of friends, she’s thriving. And love? She’s not against it. But too many unrequited crushes have made her wary of her gut feelings.
Oakley West is looking for somewhere to belong. To numb his grief, he spent years under the influence of substances that altered his life. After traveling around the country, settling down in a small town wasn’t the plan. Neither was falling in love.
Brought together by donuts, they find themselves wanting more than just sprinkles. These feelings drive them to make a deal—sexual pleasure for a food guide. Rules are laid out and a mutually agreed upon friends with benefits relationship begins. The more time they spend exploring each other’s bodies, their histories and food, the more their relationship changes.
Until two words remind Clementine that crushes don’t end in happily ever after.
Shana: I love a grumpy heroine and sunshiny hero pairing. And it’s a bakery romance with food play during sex!
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LOVE STORY by Lindsey Kelk is out today. I love this author’s books and I’m excited about this one. Per the book description: “She is Este Cox, the mysterious romance author the entire world is desperate to unmask.” (Also, only one bed on a trip to the countryside!) Plus, Laura Dave has a new book out today, THE NIGHT WE LOST HIM, and I’m looking forward to the audiobook since it’s read by Julia Whelan!
Looking forward to Maryann Jordan’s LOGAN (first in a spinoff of her Lighthouse Security Investigations series), Melanie Moreland’s MY FAVORITE BOSS, Samantha Chase’s UNDENIABLE LOVE (third in her series about the Wylder brothers)…
ENCHANTED NET, the new book by CELIA LAKE, is coming out this week (Sept 20j. Looks like it is the first of a trilogy that follows one couple’s story.
Oooo I want to read A Foolish Flirtation but wonder if I’ll be ENRAGED at the hero the whole time. But the potential is high for a book-long grovel, which is one of my favorite themes in books (and done well infrequently)
New Alice Coldbreath!!! But like Sue C, I have questions about how enraging Jeremy is going to be. Worth the risk, though.
THE SEEMINGLY IMPOSSIBLE LOVE LIFE OF AMANDA DEAN sounded interesting but lost me at “dependable hedge fund manager”. I worked in finance for years and hedge fund managers may be dependably rich, but the business seems to attract those who are only in it for the money (which, admittedly, may be huge), so emotionally dependable is not how I’d describe most of them.