Happy book birthday to these new releases this week!
Sparks fly in this Gilded Age novel of mystery, magic, and romance by the author of the New York Times–bestselling Beasts of Prey.
Nineteen-year-old Vesper Evans has always resented Basalton’s high society, and the sorcery that provides them with a luxurious life unimaginable to most. Orphaned as a child and rescued by the editor of TheBasalton Globe, Vesper is now an ambitious reporter determined to keep her newspaper afloat.
While covering a lavish society gala, Vesper happens upon a shocking the murdered body of an inventor whose new machine promised to bring the benefits of sorcery to everyone. Several of the powerful magical elite may want the man dead, but the prime suspect is wealthy industrialist Maximilian Kite.
Max soon makes Vesper a tempting Find the culprit and restore his reputation in exchange for a substantial fee. Despite her distaste for Max’s world, Vesper agrees—the money would save the Globe, and the story would be the scoop of a lifetime. There’s only one In order for her to infiltrate society, the two must pose as a courting couple.
Their investigation takes them from the highest echelons of privilege to the seediest backstreets of Basalton. As they unearth the city’s secrets and scandals, Vesper finds herself in grave danger—while falling for one of the most infuriating, arrogant, handsome men she has ever met . . .
The Heart Trials by. J. Elle (#1)
Welcome to The Heart Trials.
The prize is love.
The cost is everything.
In Ethyria the highborn may love; the lowborn may only feel what the Benevolent allows.
Saltblood lowborn Axira Merreri survives the decaying districts by keeping her heart locked tight, couriering goods by day — and smuggling the ruler’s euphoric Heartfillers to the highborn by night. Until a drop goes wrong and her execution looms.
When she strikes a dangerous bargain to steal something from the Tournament of Hearts, a ruthless dating competition for highborn citizenship, she enters. Not for love. For freedom. But as the twisted allure of the competition turns deadly, an unexpected connection cracks her defenses, forcing her to confront a truth she In a regime built on engineered happiness, the most dangerous weapon she has is her heart.
Storm Caller by. Nisha J. Tuli (Storm Breaker, #2)
Poet Graves has only ever wanted to be free. But no matter where she turns, she’s held captive―by a power she doesn’t understand, a truth she no longer believes in, and a love she can’t deny.
As Poet is drawn further into Rook’s world, his secrets force her to question who she can trust. But when friends turn into enemies, enemies prove to be allies, and the place that was once a safe harbor is revealed as the eye of the storm, Poet’s only choice is to fight for what she believes in.
When New Manhattan’s darkest secrets refuse to stay hidden, the cause Poet and Rook fight for will be called into question. The answers are out there…and they could destroy everything.
The Knave and the Moon by. Rachel Gillig (The Stonewater Kingdom, #2)
Rachel Gillig, the queen of gothic romantasy, returns with higher stakes, darker mysteries, and deeper longings in this gorgeous sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling sensation The Knight and the Moth.
Aisling Cathedral is in ruins. Rodrick Myndacious, Bartholomew, and Maude Bauer are rumored to be dead—and the king has taken Sybil Delling as his bride. To show off their union and solidify his power over Traum, Benji proposes a series of tournaments throughout the hamlets. Captive and drugged, Sybil remains determined to vanquished him as she once did the Omens, even if she destroys the kingdom’s faith—and herself—in the process.
But then a mysterious knave rises to the top of the lists, a man with no name and no memory who may just be Sybil’s ticket to undoing Benji’s power. For in a land where stories repeat themselves, where a king can prove as cruel as a god, the only way to truly destroy the Stonewater Kingdom’s faith is to save it.
Stalker Anonymous by. Dana Leeann
Cole Matthews definitely isn’t a stalker. Probably.
Sure, he used company resources and crossed some lines to “have a conversation” with his sister’s abusive ex. But that was a one-time thing. Now, Cole has to attend a group therapy program with a long, clinical name…but the participants? They call it Stalkers Anonymous.
Hailey Brigham is definitely dating the perfect man. Probably.
She’d love to focus more attention on Cole, the smoking hot, ex-military sweetheart whose idea of a casual second date is tandem skydiving. But a drug-seeking patient at the ER where she’s a second-year resident knows too much about Hailey’s personal life, and his fixation on her is getting harder to ignore.
When threats against Hailey escalate, Cole’s protective instincts go into overdrive. To keep her safe, he would do anything—even if it means becoming the monster he’s kept so carefully locked up inside.
Stalkers Anonymous is a dark romance with a morally gray hero, a fierce heroine, and a found family of misfits you won’t see coming (unless they want you to).
The Gods WIll Sing Our Song by. Autumn Krause
In this sweeping WWII historical romance threaded with magic and myth, two star-crossed Japanese American teenagers find a love more powerful than the gods — inspired by the author’s true family history of internment and resilience.
A divine favor can change everything.
1942. War rumbles across the world, gods stir in the wind, and two lives are set on a collision course that will change them forever.
Seventeen-year-old Ren Hamada has always been defined by his troubled past, while Violet Aratani has only ever worried about keeping her straight-A grades and helping her parents run their beloved print shop. The two have little in common beyond the old magic that thrums in their worn family relics—and the fact that they’re Japanese American in a country determined to cast them as the enemy.
Forced out of their homes and into ramshackle wooden barracks in the California desert by the US government, Ren and Violet collide. In a barbed wire world where everything they thought they knew is upside-down, the magnetic pull between them is the only thing that makes sense.
But there’s more than just desert dust swirling in the air. A god walks among them, his mortal form tethered to the camp, and only Violet and Ren hold the key to freeing him—an act that would earn them an immeasurable reward. Yet with tensions rising and their lives on the line, is even a divine favor powerful enough to save them?
An Immaculate Deception by. Isabela Livino
A debut Gothic horror set in 1870s Brazil—a tale of creeping suspense in which a young pregnant woman finds herself unable to escape her lover’s isolated family home, and a family’s deal with the devil goes terribly wrong.
1877, Pernambuco, Brazil: Raised in a deeply religious household, Madalena knows Dante’s Inferno by heart and fears her mother’s reaction as much as she fears God. When she falls pregnant with a child conceived in sin, her mother issues a threat: marry or surrender the baby. Madalena is confident that the father, the dashing Leandro Neves, will do right by her and propose. But just as she is about to tell him about the baby, a violent storm sends their carriage careening off the road.
Madalena awakens in Leandro’s sprawling, secluded home, under the care of the mysterious and larger-than-life Doctor Lobo. Leandro is there . . . but he is no longer the charming poet she knew. He’s silent. Obsessed. Always watching.
Strange perfume haunts a locked room. Pages vanish from books. Jewels lie untouched in a forgotten wardrobe. And mirrors begin disappearing after Madalena sees something—or someone—ghastly in the reflection.
Leandro is unraveling. Doctor Lobo may be hiding something even darker. Trapped in a decaying house of secrets, Madalena must uncover the truth before the men around her destroy her, and before the hell she fears becomes the one she’s living in.
Cursebreaker by. R.M. Gray (Nightweaver, #3)
At last, pirate Aster Oberon is setting sail—but danger is on the horizon. Armed with her crew of family and friends, Aster is pursuing the evil queen Morana in order to save the world as she knows it. Her heart is desperately torn between Will and Titus, but she’ll have to put her feelings aside to destroy the Underling army once and for all.
Unfortunately, Aster isn’t the only one hunting. Morana is seeking three mythical treasures: a helm that reveals the entrance to Elysia, a key to unlock the gates, and a sword to vanquish the creature within. If Morana is successful in her search, she could destroy the barrier between the heavens and their realm. Now, Aster must race to find the relics first, if she has any hope of bringing peace to the Known World.
But some things would rather stay hidden. When the discovery of the treasures comes at a devastating price, Aster must push past her deepest fears and step into her true power, or else risk dooming the world to darkness.
Bound By Fate by. A.N. Caudle (Realms in Peril, #2)
Ryker
Lost without his mate, Ryker is driven to the point of madness. He won’t let her escape her shadow. Not this time, not ever. But now, his enemies are threatening what was once lost. Will he find Kya before it’s too late, or will he be forced to choose between his bond and the realm?
Kya
Having just evaded the clutches of death, Kya is now bound by the nightmare of her reality. Forced to bend until she breaks, she has to submit her will or face the wrath of dark forces. Can she make the choice to sacrifice more than just her own fate, or will she escape before she shatters?
Zalen
After the brutal murder of the King, Zalen’s plan is thrust into motion, allowing him to take the opportunity to claim the Kingdom. With his new-found supremacy, he can finally capture his worthy prey—Maera. But his greatest prize is now in peril. Can he discover the veiled threat to his power, or will his reign come to an untimely end before it’s even begun?
Malina
Malina struggles to bear the weight of what she’s done. Unable to cope, she turns to the one thing that will help her forget. She finds it’s the obstacle she must vanquish to complete the task that has been laid before her. Can she overcome the hold her new obsession has on her, or will she fall to her demise?
Full of heartache, morally gray-to-black characters, excruciating choices, and spine-chilling action that will have you on the edge of your seat, Bound by Fate is the second installment of the Realms In Peril series. This dark fantasy romance deals with themes that may be triggering to some. Please check the content information.
The Wolf Queen’s Curse by. Kaylee Archer (Witch of the Wolves, #2)
The previously quiet life of Cordelia Levine, half-werewolf, all witch, has been turned upside down. Both of her parents are now dead, and her grandmother’s vicious attack on Trevelyan, her pack’s home, has left the Albion Pack fleeing and severely reduced in number.
As they recover and strategize a path forward, Cordelia is navigating her role in the pack as well as her feelings for her new husband, the Alpha. But even as their love grows stronger, the fate of the pack lies in their hands, and they must focus on finding a way to survive.
The pack decides that the only way to defeat the cabal and forge a path back home is to rekindle old alliances. The journey proves complicated, however, as each Alpha they encounter has an agenda of his own. But Cordelia and Bishop will stop at nothing to protect their pack – and reclaim their rightful home.
White Raven by. Stacey Marie Brown
“Harbingers of enlightened, bringers of darkness. Givers of life, tellers of death…significance
flies on the backs of raven wings for those who dare to listen to its meaning. For we are the
Messengers of the Realm.”
The White Raven was born to bring magic to the dying realm.
One hundred and ninety-nine years ago the Blood War between the Ravens and the Leatherwings divided the land into Day, Night, and Dusk, cursing the land with the blood of the dead. Abandoned by Odin and his favored pets, Huginn and Muninn, the ravens were stripped of their wings, and their positions as Messengers of the Realm.
Her blood holds the power to heal the land and unite the kingdoms.
Wrennlyn Stallard, the King’s only daughter had lived a life of privilege, kept sheltered in the walls of Silvervale. But on the night of her betrothal, her world shattered when their enemy from the Night Realm kidnapped her, taking her across the snowy terrain into the treacherous land, called the Shadow Rift, the land between the Day and Night.
His mission is to take her to the Night King.
Onyx had waited months to seize her, purposely getting captured to work as a thrall for the Day King. Cold, ruthless, and burning with vengeance, he wasn’t prepared for the pampered, prophesized girl to be defiant, clever, and maddeningly impossible to break. Killing her would be easy, but her life is vital to a much bigger plan.
Because everyone knows…who has the White Raven holds the power.
Our Strange Duet by. Erin A. Craig
A reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, spotlighting Christine Daaé as she rises to fame while torn between love, ambition, and the haunting secrets of the opera house from #1 New York Times bestselling author Erin A. Craig.
She was never just the voice he shaped . . .
A rising soprano with a gift she is only just learning to embrace, Christine Daaé has moved through the glittering world of the Opera Populaire longing to find her purpose. Instead, she finds herself caught between two men who refuse to let her slip quietly into the chorus.
One is Raoul, her childhood friend turned devoted admirer, offering her a future filled with warmth, safety, and a love that feels like sunlight. The other is a mysterious masked figure who lurks beneath the Opera House: The Phantom. His brilliance, obsession, and dangerous devotion to nurturing Christine’s talents ignites a dark and complicated passion in her heart.
As Christine’s star ascends, so does the tension between Raoul and the Phantom. She must decide who she is when the curtain falls—and what she’s willing to risk for the life she wants.
Set against the sweeping, romantic world of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, Our Strange Duet allows Christine Daaé to take center stage to tell her own story: fierce, emotional, and unforgettable.
In this epic dystopian romantasy, one eldest daughter must fight for her survival in a world where birth order determines your fate—and defiance comes at a deadly cost.
The first children take up arms. The second children take up books. The third children are taken.
The Long Night is the final trial for Firstborn soldiers, and Bryn Ruelle must prove she can take a life—or face immediate exile. If she survives, she’ll graduate to defending the country’s borders against their magic-wielding neighbors. Bryn has never made a kill before tonight. By dawn, someone will be dead by her hands.
But when Bryn discovers a plot to kidnap the Lastborn, she must discern if the threat to her youngest sister is real, or merely a ruse to throw Bryn off her game. Her search for the truth forces her to work side-by-side with an alluring traitor-born enemy. As adrenaline and rage ignite a dangerous desire she refuses to name, Bryn must choose: her country, or her family? Her siblings, or herself?
A steamy paranormal YA romance with deadly stakes for a new generation of Twilight and Vampire Academy readers.
A year ago, Rose was in an accident that nearly claimed her life. In the chaos of that night, a mysterious boy pulled her from the brink of death, then vanished before anyone else could see him. No one believes he was there. But Rose knows the truth.
When Rose moves across the country for college, she’s expecting a fresh start, one that’s not haunted by the memory of this mysterious stranger. But then she sees Hayden. He’s cold and distant and claims he wasn’t there that night. Yet Rose can’t shake the pull she feels toward him. She pursues him, daring him to reject her. Daring him to explain himself.
That’s when she learns the truth about who—or what—Hayden really is, and that the bond between them goes deeper than the night he saved her life. Fate has woven their paths together, and no matter how hard they fight, it refuses to let them go. But loving Hayden may come at a cost . . . one that could destroy them both.
Us Defiant Few by. Alexis Patton
My pen won’t remember you.
But my blade certainly will.
All Khalani Kanes has ever known is survival. She escaped the world’s deadliest prison and is one of the few people alive to have ever walked beneath the sun. But now, death has her in his grasp, and her luck has finally run out.
The man she loves no longer remembers her, and he’s intent on one thing. Killing her.
To live another day, Khalani will need more than sharpened knives and sheer willpower. She must get close to her brutal enemy and find a way to save him before he destroys them both. But as dark forces close in and impossible truths come to light, Khalani begins to question whether she can even trust her own mind.
Their path will lead them back to where everything began. Apollo. To face what’s coming, she must create brutal alliances, undergo ruthless training, and hold onto a love forged through both blood and pain. But even if she reaches the underground city with her throat unscathed, Khalani will be left with one agonizing question.
After learning the truth… will she still want to survive?
Beneath the sun, only those who burn will remain.
The Cannibal (The Poisoner, #3)
The explosive final book in I.V. Ophelia’s darkly addictive, nationally bestselling Poisoner trilogy—about a botanist who kills unsavory men, and the one man who’s resistant to her poisons yet possesses his own deadly charms…
Alina Lis is plunged into a Manhattan mansion that’s equal parts gilded cage and war room, finding that she is no longer the woman she was…and in fact may no longer be human at all. It is here where Alina prepares for “The Appraisal”—an ancient, high-stakes trial where her vampiric lover Silas must answer for the mass murder of his father’s Nest—as old rivalries and new alliances threaten to splinter them. However, Alina’s only hope lies with Luka, a former enemy with a knack for keeping the peace. But something is festering inside of Alina, as a hunger she’s never felt before threatens to boil to the surface, imperiling both friends and enemies alike. Betrayals mount, uncovering chilling truths that have been brewing for years, plunging Alina, Silas, and Luka into a waking nightmare from which they must escape, lest they succumb to the darkness for good.
The Cannibal delivers the gut punch that longtime fans of The Poisoner series have been waiting for, that will leave readers sated like they’ve received their own vampiric kiss. The Cannibal is the rare trilogy-ender that doesn’t just raise the stakes—it detonates them, leaving readers shaken and deeply satisfied.
Are you getting any new books this week?
Happy Reading!
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