Welcome back!
It’s the last week in July and there are some really interesting releases out before the month is over.
Which new books are you looking forward to this week? Let us know in the comments!
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The Wildborn
Author: Perri Torani
Released: July 17, 2026
Genre: Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Starborn #1To walk the path of a morazir, I will exist in three states of being: Untouched. Untaken. Unconquered.
Airik, a battle-scarred warrior serving the cruel intergalactic empire of the Veynari, craves silence from the nightmares tormenting his mind. But while on post to decommission a failed experiment of a planet, a rogue human spacecraft crashes, and a reckless decision leaves him stranded—entangled with a woman he never should have saved.
Nora wakes light-years from Earth, broken in body and spirit, at the mercy of an alien soldier who refuses to let her die. Devastatingly beautiful, terrifyingly competent, and bound by a warrior’s oath that permits touch only to destroy, he’s the reluctant guardian angel she neither wants nor believes she deserves.
Trapped together, they’re forced to navigate a brutal landscape, vicious beasts, and the deadly remnants of an abandoned world. Duty demands Airik’s cold indifference. Yet Nora sparks something deliciously alive—and entirely forbidden—within him. What begins as necessity ignites a primal hunger: scorching, consuming, and impossible to resist.
But even if they survive, the Veynari—ever present and ruthless—won’t allow its warriors weakness like love. For Airik and Nora to be together, they must risk everything.
The Wildborn is a steamy, high-stakes sci-fi romance featuring forced proximity with an emotionally repressed alien protector who falls hard. Perfect for fans of Zoey Draven’s immersive world-building, the dark emotional complexities of Victoria Aveline’s Ruling Sikthand, and the lyrical storytelling of Grace Draven.
Amanda: Technically, this already came out, but I wrote the date wrong. Oops. Props to the author’s social media campaigns because they got me. I’ve had this one preordered for awhile and the hero is described as a touch-starved, sad alien boy.
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Fishbone Cinderella
Author: Elizabeth Lim
Released: July 28, 2026 by Del Rey
Genre: Historical: Other, Literary Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction/FantasyA bracelet. A curse. And golden fishbones to be returned to the sea …
Guangdong, 1940. When Ha Yut Ying narrowly escapes Japanese soldiers by turning invisible, she knows her new-found magic must be kept a secret. But her mother, whose dreams foretell the future, suspects her daughter has changed, and warns her of a curse upon their family. For her protection, she gives her a gold bracelet whose links are shaped like fishbones.
After the war, Ha Yut Ying is sent to live with her father and his second wife, who have become wealthy factory owners in Hong Kong. Her stepmother, jealous of her beauty, forces her to work in the family’s shoe factory.
But when Yut Ying collides with a boy on a bicycle on her way to work, she loses her bracelet. The boy is Tommy Yeung, scion of a local soymilk tycoon. And their encounter will change both of their destinies forever…
I believe this is Lim’s adult debut! As always, it has a gorgeous cover.
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Fossil Feud
Author: Maggie North
Released: July 28, 2026 by Dell
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceThe hunt for fossils—and love—is on in this steamy, STEMinist romance about two paleontologists who join forces to prevent a fraudulent dinosaur discovery, but accidentally dig up feelings for each other along the way.
Renegade paleontologist Ripley Adams is this close to digging up a fossil treasure and vindication. She’s spent the last three years in academic exile after her ex-boyfriend stole her work, betrayed her trust, and broke her heart in one fell swoop. If she can unearth a complete specimen of her newest discovery—a never-before-seen missing link between dinosaurs and birds—it will put her back on the map and finally restore her ruined reputation.
But when unfairly hot Oxford professor James Smithson crashes Ripley’s dig site, she realizes she’s not the only one searching for redemption in the Montana dirt. James is convinced a splashy new fossil is a fraud, and he needs Ripley’s help to prove it. She’d tell the buttoned-up Brit where to stick his suspicions, but the fake fossil is eerily similar to hers . . . and the fraudster is her ex.
The race is on to reveal a T-rex-sized discovery. Polar opposites Ripley and James will have to find common ground if they’re going to take down a hoax that could ruin them both. And as they dig deeper into their unlikely attraction, Ripley’s excavation boots won’t be the only things getting a little dirty. . . .
Lara: I had a brilliant time with Fossil Feud. I didn’t realise that archeology could be a) so compelling and b) very sexy.
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Harbour of Hungry Ghosts
Author: Eliza Chan
Released: July 28, 2026 by Orbit
Genre: Historical: Other, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Chronicles of the Yiugwai Hunters #1A family of demon hunters find their hands full when unfamiliar monsters start stalking the streets of Opium War-era Hong Kong, in this historical fantasy adventure from the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author Eliza Chan.
The Au family serve the people of Hong Kong as demon hunters and blessing shrines, honoring the dead and dealing with dangerous yiaoguai incursions. The expectations on eldest daughter Kiamling are high, which is not something her strict grandmother and mentor will let her forget.
However, when British colonists interrupt a hungry ghost ritual, and her grandmother disappears, Kiamling must step up and lead the search.
Her bumbling language pupil Archie and her youngest sister Jingling will offer aid, alongside Hoi Gor, Kiamling’s recently returned childhood crush from Canton.
But when British fables mingle with local Chinese monsters, how can Kiamling prove herself, when the old rules no longer seem to apply?
Amanda: This sounds so good.
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Maggie and Arthur’s Magic Moment
Author: Leslie René
Released: July 28, 2026 by Ace
Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction/FantasyA dangerous spell gone wrong forces the passionate professor of incantations to share tight quarters with her magical college’s leading—and most brooding—alchemist.
Despite the college’s budget cuts that slashed her syllabus, Linguistics and Incantation Translation professor Maggie Linden has almost made it to the end of the spring semester. To celebrate, Maggie attends a magical masquerade on Beltane. Maybe the end-of-year frenzy explains why she kissed a masked stranger at the festival, though her celebration may have come too soon….
An accident in the lab of famous (and famously broody) alchemist Arthur Taliesin sets loose a dangerous, haunting magic called a pall that renders the nicer parts of their academic building uninhabitable. Maggie is assigned to share her tiny basement office with none other than Taliesin himself. With his insufferable attitude and unfortunate good looks, Arthur makes it impossible for Maggie to concentrate on anything—her research, her students’ final exams, or tracking down her mysterious Beltane suitor.
She’ll do anything to get Arthur out of her office, including offering to help him reverse the magic that threatens the school. But Maggie is starting to realize her officemate may not be the conceited grump he pretends to be. In fact, much of what she thinks is true about Arthur is merely a mask…
Amanda: Very interested in magical academic settings with instructors as the main characters rather than students.
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Ravenous
Author: Kresley Cole
Released: July 28, 2026 by Bloom Books
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Immortals Untold #1From #1 New York Times bestseller Kresley Cole comes a darkly seductive new series where immortal passion collides with ruthless power.
Beyond the mortal world lies the Skein, a realm of mythic beauty and savage desire ruled by creatures of legend. Here, vampires, witches, demons, and wolves wage war—and hunt their pleasures just as fiercely.
Now, the Accession has begun, an ancient cycle of chaos and destiny that reignites old hostilities and forges fated bonds too hot to resist.
A witch queen on the rise defies the brutal wolf king who stands in her way. But when fate twists their battlefield into a bed of temptation, sworn enemies become something far more perilous. Lovers.
A vampire princess trades her crown for freedom, only to be bound to a scarred Berserker, a man whose possessive touch both terrifies and tempts her.
An incubus spy and a cunning vampiress strike a dangerous bargain for survival, and profit, but lust becomes the one gamble neither expected.
And when a wolf and an enchantress from opposing clans dare to make peace, their forbidden attraction could doom the Skein…or spark a love that defies the gods.
Brimming with intrigue, bloody mayhem, and scorching heat, Ravenous plunges readers into the world of Immortals Untold—where magic kills, surrender triumphs, and immortal hungers can never be sated…
Amanda: I’ve always been upfront about being a Cole fangirl. I talked about this one on a podcast episode with Sarah about our most anticipated reads.
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Sea of Charms
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Released: July 28, 2026 by Bramble
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, Romance
Series: The Spellshop #3Sarah Beth Durst brings cozy fantasy romance to the high seas in Sea of Charms, the third magical adventure in the New York Times bestselling Spellshop series!
Marin had always belonged on the great blue sea. When the man she thought was the love of her life schemed to ruin her parents’ business, she did what her heart knew she fled to the sea.
Now working as a supply runner on her own boat, Marin sails from island to island, delivering a varied array of letters, flour, stories, and even the occasional enchanted statue. It’s a lonely life, but it’s hers. Besides, she’s got the company of Perri the sea serpent and Ree the sailor shrub. They’re the best crew she could ask for.
On one of her routine trips to the capital of the Crescent Islands Empire, Alyssium, Marin finds the city on fire and a revolution underway—so she offers transportation to Dax, a composer friend who refuses to leave behind his instruments. What starts as a rescue evolves into a Marin will keep Dax on as a (temporary) member of her crew if he becomes her pretend boyfriend at the End-of-Harvest Festival back home.
Against her better judgment, Marin finds herself intrigued by his stubbornness, his passion for stories, his charming smile—and realizes that perhaps she isn’t saving him. Maybe it’s the other way around.
Sea of Charms is a cozy fantasy romance about finding your crew, your family, and moreover, finding yourself.
The latest in the cozy fantasy Spellshop series!
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Wild Goose Chase
Author: Sarah Adler
Released: July 28, 2026 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceAn antique dealer and his inconvenient(ly irresistible) new colleague must contend with an illicit stuffed goose and their sizzling attraction, from USA Today bestselling author Sarah Adler.
Antique store owner Callahan Leitner has an illegal taxidermy goose in his living room.
Why? It’s…complicated.
But it may end his career unless he finds a legitimate way to dispose of the bird ASAP. Unfortunately, there’s an unexpected wrench in his plans—the frustrating, effervescent Annie O’Neill.
Annie is happy to fill in for her uncle at his antique store; it’s the perfect opportunity to gain more experience before opening a shop of her own, and to finally meet his handsome young business partner. Unfortunately, Cal is nothing like the charming man she expected. She’s tempted to take his apparent dislike personally, until she stumbles upon the source of his the contraband waterfowl hiding upstairs.
When the goose goes missing, it puts both of their professional reputations on the line. As Cal and Annie attempt to track down the bird before it can be traced back to the store, their tentative alliance turns into something much deeper. Will the hunt for their felonious fowl lead to true love, or end in ruin?
Lara: Looking forward to this one. I’m a fan of Adler’s work and I’m sure this one won’t be an exception.
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Fervor
Author: Meg Smitherman
Released: July 30, 2026 by Rose & Moth Books
Genre: Horror, Romance, Science Fiction/FantasyHe has called to her all her life, but she could never reply…
Midonia, a freelance interplanetary transporter, is on thin ice after a fatal accident on the job. So she doesn’t argue when she’s given the tedious task of flying devout Sister Irena to a remote fringe planet, where a tiny religious colony worships an enigmatic deity called Anguish.
Until now.
When a solar flare grounds her ship, Midonia finds herself stuck with the cult-like sisters. Even worse, he comes to her in the night, his familiar voice louder than ever. He invades her mind with his hunger, sparking a ravenous obsession that will be near-impossible to escape.
Amanda: This is hitting so many buttons for me. My only complaint is that it’s a novella!
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