New Book Releases This Week | 6/30/26 – Past Midnight Book Reviews & More

Happy book birthday to these new releases this week!

Betrayed the man I loved. Married my enemy. Used as a pawn.
But I carry the powers of Death. And I’m just getting started.

I was sent to bring down an empire. Instead, I helped my ex gain a crown. Now I’m married to the new emperor. And the man I love wants nothing to do with me. But if there’s no rules, I’ll make some of my own.

With Anya as Caiden’s captive and my newfound magic barely under control, every move I make is a risk. But that doesn’t mean I’m not plotting death for those who deserve it.

I know I need to stay away from Brevan. But as his secrets spill, I can’t. If I succumb to my feelings for him, it could cost us everything.

But then again, I’ve always been willing to burn it all down to see this empire fall.

This is book 2 in the Vow of Death Trilogy. It contains violence, spice, and dark themes, Mind the Cliff.

The Winged Game by. Sophie Kim

Fantasy meets sports romance in this sizzling slow-burn novel from the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The God and the Gumiho, in which the disgraced star of a brutal magical sport must team up with the rival who destroyed her career.

Carriwitchet, the violent, rugby-esque game played atop winged beasts, was once Taissa Cho’s whole life, and she was once the United Kingdom’s most promising player. Until her nemesis, rival player Kion Locke, destroyed her career in a single moment. Expelled from the sport in disgrace, Taissa has spent the last two years dreaming of nothing but revenge and relishing watching Kion’s team plummet to the bottom of the league.

So when Taissa is offered the chance to redeem herself and her career, she can’t refuse—even if the offer is coming from the very man who ruined everything in the first place. It’s close to a dream come true . . . except for that pesky clause in her contract that demands she and Kion enter a fake relationship in order to garner some much-needed positive PR for the team. This could not be a worse match. Taissa and Kion only have two things in their love of the game, and their undying hatred for each other.

Yet as a mysterious illness befalls the winged creatures of the entire league—putting both the beasts’ lives and the very sport itself at stake—the athletes find themselves partnering up in other ways, determined to crack the case of the eerie sickness. As their investigation takes them on a whirlwind adventure, Kion and Taissa are prepared for anything . . .

Anything, that is, but their fake-for-the-cameras relationship to maybe, just maybe, become something real after all.

When Dealing with Dragons by. Dana Swift

Bonding with dragons gave humans magic to craft metal―now, two school rivals have to work together to protect a priceless secret, all while fighting their growing attraction to each other, from Dana Swift, author of Cast in Firelight.

Copper-crafter Farren Walsh is set on following in her father’s footsteps to become a dragon veterinarian. The only thing more powerful than her love for these magnificent creatures is her hate for those who exploit them for their precious metal. That includes her classmate, an arrogant dragon racer named James Murphy, whose silver-crafting family represents the worst of human greed and dragon abuse―plus, he’s the biggest competition for the college scholarship she desperately needs.

When James strongarms his way into interning at her family’s dragon sanctuary for the summer, it puts everything at risk. Farren isn’t just the plain copper-crafter she seems. She’s hiding a secret that could not only change her life, but their society as a whole. And James, trying to find refuge from his controlling father, harbors his own secret, years-long crush on Farren. Hating James might be harder than she thought, but Farren can’t risk getting too close: the fate of an endangered species is at stake.

When Dealing with Dragons is a delightful young adult dual-POV romantasy about cross-class romance, finding family, and creating a better world for creatures big and small.

The Anatomy of Magic by. Alexis L. Menard

Enter a world of forbidden magic . . . where falling in love could be the last mistake you ever make.

Nina Veyr has a dangerous secret—illegal magical abilities she cannot explain. If the city of Valveron’s enforcers found her, she would be executed . . . or worse. For years, Nina has stayed in the shadows, picking pockets and smuggling enchanted relics to get by. Then she steals from the wrong man.

Max Antonin is the most powerful crime boss in the city. Cold, deadly, and breathtakingly attractive, Max has his sights set on Nina, and nothing will stand in his way. But when Nina is framed for a shocking murder, Max offers to help her find the true killers. She knows she can’t trust him—that deals with a devil always come at a cost. But there’s no way she can survive on her own.

As they follow a trail of bodies into the city’s underworld, Nina feels a dangerous attraction pulling her ever closer to him. But can she trust her life and her heart to the city’s most ruthless criminal?

The Housewife by. Natalie Barelli

From bestselling indie thriller writer Natalie Barelli comes a new deliciously dark novel about a woman who married the man of her dreams, only for him to become her worst nightmare.

Jodie always dreamed of being a housewife. And after a whirlwind romance, she marries renowned psychologist Dr. Roy Davies and moves into his perfect Beverly Hills home. But the fairy tale fades fast. Roy is distant, his friends view her as a gold-digger, and the house still reveres his late wife, Deborah, whose presence still looms over everyone and everything.

When Jodie learns Deborah became a recluse before death, she begins to suspect Roy was behind it. And the deeper she digs, the darker Roy’s past appears―obsessive, controlling, unfaithful. Increasingly convinced he had something to do with Deborah’s death, Jodie knows she should go to the police, but that would require revealing her own secret. A secret that could destroy her.

But Jodie won’t be silenced. Because the truth about Roy is worse than she imagined―and now, trapped in a house built on lies, she must find a way out before she becomes the next perfect wife to vanish.

The River She Became by. Emily Varga

A high stakes, action-packed romantasy from bestselling author Emily Varga where a relic-hunter searches for an ancient fae object to restore the magic to her world, but must learn to trust her own powers—and her heart.

This limited luxe edition features gorgeous foil design on the cover and case, a dazzling edge and interior page design and an exclusive map—available while supplies last!

I’m going across the River. And I’m going to save us all.

Yaseema is a brilliant scholar and loyal servant of the Empire—or so they think. By day, she catalogs the fae relics of her conquered kingdom. But by night, she reclaims the artefacts in secret to restore magic to her dying land.

Until she finds the long lost key to cross the River into the fae world and save her people. But a ruthless realm awaits her there, ruled by monsters wearing beautiful skin—especially the cold-eyed captain who sees through her lies. But even he isn’t what he seems—under the guise of upholding a cruel regime, he works to overthrow it from the inside. To succeed, he needs the same lost relic Yaseema the crown of an ancient Fae Queen.

With magic that is a mystery even to her, Yaseema can help him find the crown and save his family from a fate worse than death. Unless she steals it first to help her own.

To survive, they must work together to outwit ancient curses, battle creatures born of nightmares, and find a power that could resurrect their worlds. But as secrets unravel and loyalties blur, they face the greatest danger of losing their heart to each other.

Perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince and The Mummy, this thrilling start to a new fantasy duology bursts with dangerous romance, heart-stopping twists, and a heroine who dares to steal back her future.