Welcome back!
This month is ending rather modestly, with only three books making it onto our TBR piles. Shockingly, though, there’s a historical romance in the mix!
Which releases are you excited for this week? Let us know in the comments!
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How to Ruin a Rake
Author: Kate Pearce
Released: September 29, 2026 by Kensington Books
Genre: Historical: European, Romance
Series: Rakes of London #2Turning the conventions of Regency London upside down, a single lady desires a carefree, no-strings-attached dalliance with a devilish rogue in this spicy, irresistibly sensual new romance from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kate Pearce.
But is her all-wrong scoundrel actually her Mr. Right?
Lady Allegra Musgrove has resigned herself to never marrying. Creating a scandal worked out well for her sister, Carenza, now happily wed after advertising for a no-strings-attached arrangement with a willing gentleman from the ton. But the fallout has landed squarely on poor Allegra, who is ordered to leave London for her family home in the countryside.
Sometimes, though, fate comes knocking—or, in Allegra’s case, a rake who abducts her as part of a men’s club drunken wager!
Furious, Allegra quickly takes charge when their speeding carriage overturns and her masked captor is revealed: Lord Max Devereux, a notorious ne’er-do-well who pays his way out of trouble and beds women with impunity.
Suddenly sober, Max wants to forget the whole debacle and return Allegra to the city. Obviously, Allegra is aware that there could be no one worse to be stuck with in the middle of nowhere than such a rake, especially one so . . . experienced. Or . . . could there be no one better?
I know many of you are on the hunt for new historical romance releases and Pearce is still cranking out spicy historicals!
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Spellstruck
Author: Martha Waters
Released: September 29, 2026 by Atria Books
Genre: Historical: European, Romance, Science Fiction/FantasyFrom beloved author Martha Waters, a lightly magical, enemies-to-lovers rom-com about the owner of a speakeasy supplying magical drinks and an enforcer of the ban on magic who must team up when potions begin to go awry, proving that chemistry isn’t just for cocktails.
In an alternate version of 1920s London, vestiges of England’s magical past exist, but the use of magic has been outlawed, leading families still with powers to operate illegal speakeasies for a public still hungry for magic. Vesper Holloway runs her family club, where a dash of spell powder or an enchanted cocktail can add a little extra intrigue to the evening. But one night a man drinking a Flotation Fizz that should allow him to levitate a few inches finds himself bumping his head on the ceiling. Word among the magical elite is that such accidents have been happening more frequently, and the club owners are worried that the danger will spread.
Enter Maxwell Ashbridge, a onetime friend of Vesper’s brother, who has joined the government agency tasked with enforcing the ban, and who has a personal vendetta against the magical elite. But he does not have a vendetta against Vesper; in fact, he finds her rather enticing. He promises her immunity for her club, if she teams up with him to help gain entry to other establishments and find out who is responsible for the contaminated magic threatening her family business. But their investigation does little to quell the chemistry they share. As accidents continue and the fight to repeal the ban gains ground in Parliament, Vesper and Max will have to decide—is the magic between them worth fighting for?
Lara: This author’s last book was GLORIOUS so this is an auto-buy for me.
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The Thief and the Traitor Bride
Author: V.L. Bovalino
Released: September 29, 2026 by Forever
Genre: Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: The Hand and the Heart #2A ruthless spy. A deadly mission. A thief who could ruin it all.
The Thief and the Traitor Bride is a standalone romantic fantasy set in the world of the Sunday Times and USA Today bestselling novel The Second Death of Locke.
Nore Gordon is a woman of many talents: she can speak a variety of languages, disguise herself in plain sight, and has made a name for herself as a successful wine merchant. But unbeknownst to those closest to her, it is all a front for Nore’s true role as the favoured spy of the Lindle crown.
Tasked with infiltrating enemy lands in search of a powerful relic, Nore is forced to engage the services of a great thief. Unfortunately, the only person for the job is her estranged husband Caspian. Both Nore and Caspian bear the scars of the disastrous end of their marriage, but if they are to survive their deadly new assignment, they must pose as a happily married couple to avoid detection.
As danger closes in, Nore finds herself tangled in a web of lies and deceit-and though Caspian is at the centre of it all, she may not hate him as much as she once did. But Caspian has betrayed her before, and trust can be far more deadly than deception.
Amanda: This might be my most anticipated release this month!
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Spellstuck is a delight! I was lucky enough to get an ARC, and it was so much fun – truly everything I wanted it to be. I only hope it’s the beginning of a series!!
I have never been able to get into Kate Pearce which is a shame given how few historicals there are, but I am too excited for the Bovalino to care about much else. Probably going to be a while before my hold comes in alas.
The politics of Spellstruck are making me nervous, although it’s exactly the sort of book I go for. And I know authors don’t necessarily write their own back cover copy, and the descriptions are often misleading. But like, it really sounds like he’s supposed to be a “good” cop, and she’s a rat? Maybe it’s just the way I grew up, I have a lot of it’s me problems in life/books, but cooperating with the cops against your own community is seriously not ok. Can anyone speak to how this is set up and handled?
Bel Banta’s The Court of Venus, which I undoubtedly heard about in a previous one of these roundups, will hopefully be newly released to my ereader this week, so I am counting that as my most anticipated new release although I think it’s a couple of months old.
Oooh SPELLSTRUCK sounds fun! I, too, loved
the author’s previous book, AND THEN THERE WAS THE ONE, which I had hoped would be the start of a series.
Speaking of series, Liz Ireland’s latest Mrs. Claus mystery, MRS. CLAUS AND THE FATAL FIGGY PUDDING, is out today! This series is so much fun. Youngish Santa and Mrs. Claus in a wonderfully detailed world, with lovable characters. I highly recommend this cozy mystery series. It looks like the earlier books are available via kindle unlimited now.
All are on my TBR!
My preorders for today are Threshing Day by Rebecca Yarros, Twelve Loves for Christmas Advent Book by Olivia Dade, Alexis Daria, Jessica Joyce & More! Also I have the trad release (with pretty sprayed edges and hardcover and all the deluxe-ness) of The Dawn of the Cursed Queen by Amber V Nicole.