Happy book birthday to these new releases this week!
Twelve Dark Hours by. Amber Hamilton
The New York Times bestselling author of Seven Deadly Thorns, Amber Hamilton returns with a dark academia romantasy inspired by Cinderella.
Vesper Fontaine and Lonan Duval have always been rivals. Competition for top student at Gossemort Academy, school of magic, is cutthroat. They both keep dangerous secrets, and tonight those secrets could get them killed.
It’s hours until The Ridding–a high-stakes, one-night-only test, in which students will be locked in the school and challenged to survive until dawn. Three trials will challenge them, and only the best (and most loyal) will survive.
Then an unexpected element enters The Ridding–a mysterious prince claiming to be Vesper’s bloodmate. But what happens when your fated mate is a fate worse than death? As the clock ticks closer to dawn, the trials grow darker, and hope wanes. To survive the night, Vesper and Lonan may have to put their trust in their worst enemy.
Dangerous Impulses by. Jennifer Lynn Barnes
The Naturals are BACK! #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Lynn Barnes delivers the highly anticipated new installment in her beloved Naturals series.
Cassie Hobbes joined the FBI’s Naturals program at seventeen because she had an incredible ability to read people. Since then, Cassie, fellow profiler Dean, emotion‑reader Michael, lie‑detector Lia, and statistical genius Sloane have caught serial killers, outsmarted masterminds, and saved countless lives.
Now, eight months after the most twisted, traumatizing case of their lives and still dealing with the psychological fall-out, the Naturals decide to take on a joyful mission for playing matchmaker. With Christmas fast approaching, how hard could it be for an emotion‑reader, a deception detector, two profilers, and a statistician armed with a wealth of data on romantic relationships to secure a happily ever after for two people who are already very obviously in love?
Turns out…very. Because to bring their FBI mentors back together, the Naturals will first have to solve the mystery of why Special Agent Veronica Sterling can’t let herself have the very thing she wants the most. Profiling a profiler is tricky business, and it soon becomes clear that to solve this mystery, the Naturals need to uncover the past. Add in a puzzling series of interconnected crime scenes, an UNSUB with a fondness for snow, and a cold case on the verge of heating up, and it’s shaping up to be a killer Christmas.
Alissa Paine has fled her home, the Kingdom of Daradon – forced to say goodbye to her old old life in order to escape the clutches of both the cruel, tyrannical King Erik to whom she was once betrothed, and the Hunters who persecute Wielders like Alissa.
But she has not left Daradon empty-handed, and Alissa has in her possession an object that Erik greatly desires – a mysterious and ancient spellmade compass which has the potential to reshape the world, if Alissa – or Erik – can unlock its secrets.
Seeking refuge in the Ansoran Empire, Alissa is able to demonstrate her Wielding powers openly for the first time in her life. But Ansora is not a safe haven, and Alissa is quickly forced to navigate the rules and customs of another dangerous ruler. And even with her former ally, Kiel Arcus, by her side, Alissa soon learns that, while she may have been raised in the kingdom of thorns, she is yet to enter the sharpest court….
Defy the Dusk by. Danielle L. Jensen
When darkness means certain death and survival depends on reaching the dawn, the woman whose magic broke the world will carve another path: defy the dusk. From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom comes the first book in a gritty post-apocalyptic fantasy duology.
In the Sundered world, there are two options: Ride the dawn, or face what rises in the night.
Twenty years ago, Lirien’s magic fractured the world and unleashed nocturnal creatures that brought civilization to its knees. Amidst the carnage came salvation: The most powerful survivors were invited to board Dawnrider, a high-speed rig that would deliver those aboard into a new era.
The rest of humanity was left to die.
Instead, a king rose from the darkness to lead them.
In the years since, Lirien has dedicated her magic to Dawnrider while secretly plotting to overthrow the tyrant who rules the rig with an iron fist. But just as Lirien is ready to strike against him, she is violently abducted by Vox—the king of the feralists.
The mercurial Vox gives her two choices: Fight the creatures that hunt the night or be fed to them. Lirien agrees to join his ranks, but embarks on a strategy of seduction that will return her to Dawnrider.
Yet as Vox pushes the limits of her magic, Lirien begins to question whether defying the dusk is the true path to salvation. Intoxicated by both Vox and his war against the night, Lirien must decide where her loyalties truly lie—and how far she’s willing to go for redemption.
A cursed sea king, a stolen bride, and a fate meant for another.
They say madness dwells in the ocean’s depths…and in the eyes of the Drowned King. Cursed to take a human bride and break her mind the moment she sees his face, the Drowned King spends his life in torment, watching. Waiting.
Lou was never meant to be chosen. Branded from birth as a saltwitch, she has always been seen as the cursed shadow of her moonblessed twin. Now, veiled and bound in marriage to a man she must never see, she’s thrust into a life of ancient gods and unraveling fate…and unspeakable desire.
Yet even as fear becomes tangled with a perilous longing for the Drowned King’s heated touch, the truth of her choosing looms over her like a siren’s song. It rages louder with every breath she takes as whispers travel through the kingdoms: rumblings of war, of ancient goddesses awakening, of a queen with saltwater on her lips who will change everything.
There is no stopping fate, for though she was never meant to be chosen, the moon has already summoned the tide.
In the Valta, no matter what month you were born, everyone is assigned the same birthday. November 1st. It’s the anniversary of the day when the government declared war on the Eastern Order. The day you turn seventeen, the Recruiters come to take you away. And no one ever hears from you again.
It’s October 31st. Today, Kress is sixteen years old. Tomorrow, she’ll be taken.
The good news? So will her best friend, Cardyn, and Brohn, the handsome, enigmatic boy she’s avoided all her life.
The bad news? Recruitment isn’t what any of them expected.
Weeks of training await. Military and psychological tests, escape rooms, hand-to-hand combat. The Recruits are told they’re the key to winning the war. But with each day that passes, things begin to make less sense.
If only Kress had been able to bring her trained raven, Render, with her.
If only none of them had ever had to come to this place.
Of Blades and Wings by. Eliza Raine (deluxe)
Fae fantasy meets Vikings in this enemies-to-lovers romance about a broken ice-fae princess who must earn her Valkyrie wings, a villainous fire-fae who will stop at nothing to get his revenge, and an ancient war that could see their whole world burn.
Princess Madivia is broken. Her fae magic doesn’t work, her illness will kill her, and nobody knows she exists.So when the gods select her to leave her tower in the Ice Court and train to be a Valkyrie at Featherblade, she is sure they’ve made a terrible mistake.So is every other fae at Featherblade. All except the disgraced fire-fae Valkyrie, Kain. His burning gaze never leaves her.
Nobody knows what he did to have his wings taken away, but he is as dangerous as the deadly world Maddy has been drawn into.And she has the key to his revenge.If he discovers her secret, it won’t just be Maddy’s life that is in danger. She knows she should avoid him.But, the only thing harder than becoming a Valkyrie? Conquering her searing fascination with the unhinged fire-fae.If she is to survive Featherblade, she must earn her wings. If she is to survive Kain, she must make a choice that could burn their world to ash.This is the first book in the Flame Cursed Fae romantasy series, and is inspired by Norse mythology and sexy fae Vikings. It has villain gets the girl and obsessive burn-the-world-down-for-her (literally) hero vibes. The romance is slow burn and builds in steam and delicious tension.
Souls in Ruin by. Jacqueline White (Deluxe)
A marriage forged in blood. A kingdom bathed in silence. And a princess whose soul refuses to shatter.
When Princess Mireille is wed to a foreign king with cold eyes and colder intentions, she expects distance, perhaps cruelty, not chains. Kept imprisoned within her own kingdom’s walls, she learns her father’s past sins are not easily buried, but neither is she.
As her world twists into something unrecognizable, Mireille finds herself caught between two powerful beings—one who wants her obedience, and one who wants what little soul she has left.
Yet, Mireille was not born to kneel.
Souls in Ruin is the first book in a dark fantasy series about survival, obsession, and the quiet fury of a woman who refuses to be forgotten. For readers who love myth-drenched romance, morally dark men, and heroines who rise from ruin.
This book ends on a cliffhanger. For CWs, please check the author’s website.
The Serpent’s Pet by. May Sage
Ophelia
I moved to Vliss to escape the barbaric forced marriage law my kingdom has implemented for all single magic users, only to land in the predatory claws of the monsters ruling Hemlock University.
In this empire, a person’s value is branded on their skin, constantly on display. I don’t have a mark and people like Titus Graves believe that means I ought to kiss their boots and beg for their mercy.
If they think I’m prey, they’re in for a hell of a surprise.
Titus
The only thing that ever mattered to me was survival. From the day I was born, I’ve had to fight for my position in life, earning every crumb through force, scheming, or hexes.
Then Ophelia crashed into my world. No mark, no rank, no wealth, no title, and unapologetically claiming what the rest of us would have killed for.
She fails to understand that by crushing the rest of Hemlock under her talons, she’ll end up attracting the wrong kind of attention. The imperial lords will either use or destroy her if she isn’t careful. Someone needs to show Ophelia her place in this world.
Either by my side or at my feet.
Imperial Games is a series of dark academia romantasy unsuitable for sensitive readers.
Captive Traitor King by. Brigid Kemmerer
CAPTIVE. Asher has always sworn loyalty to Jory, the princess he’s loved from afar—but now the King of Incendar has claimed a place in his heart too. Someone wants them both dead, and only Asher’s blade can keep them safe. Yet his past won’t let him go, and he must decide if he can break free—or remain prisoner to his old scars.
TRAITOR. Princess Jory of Astranza agreed to marry the King of Incendar to secure peace, but betrayal runs closer than she ever imagined. With her own brother unmasked as her enemy, two kingdoms teeter on the edge. To protect her people, she must take the throne. But there are still dark secrets to unravel that will force Jory to confront where her true allegiance lies.
KING. Maddox Kyronan has discovered trust—and something more—with his reluctant bride and her deadly protector, but the fragile alliance between their nations threatens to unravel. His people are starving. His enemies are circling in. Torn between the crown and his heart, Ky risks losing it all.
As buried truths surface and tensions reach a breaking point, Jory, Asher, and Ky must confront the desires that could save their kingdoms—or shatter them forever.
TROPES:
Why Choose/polyamorous romanceSecret MagicHidden IdentityHurt/ComfortRoyal-Political SchemingBetrayal/Redemption
Release Date: 11/5/26
Christmas in Caville by. Alix Nichols
An enemies-to-lovers Christmas romantic comedy set in a snowy Normandy village, with hijinks, a disdainful donkey, and enough spice to melt the snow.
He moved to Caville to hide.
She came home to sell up and leave.
Christmas had other plans.
Heritage consultant Vivie Falde has one Christmas wish: sell her late parents’ manor before the holidays make everything worse.
But Caville has seen better days, buyers have vanished, and Vivie’s realtor friend seems more concerned about her own imaginary asthma than about closing a sale.
Then there’s the neighbor. Greg is gorgeous and grumpy, and he swears he’s just a burned-out lawyer from Monaco looking for peace and quiet. Vivie has four other theories, each more sinister than the last.
And after one late-night “mistake,” staying away from him becomes considerably harder.
When the new mayor and the young priest of Saint Rita’s launch an ambitious Christmas revival, Vivie sees her chance to make Caville irresistible to buyers. Greg sees cameras, crowds, and nosy reporters. Worse, the one woman he can’t stop thinking about is also the one most likely to unwittingly expose him.
His solution? Sabotage the festivities and keep Vivie at arm’s length.
But the more they clash, the hotter the sparks, and the harder it gets to remember why she wanted to leave, or why he wanted to be alone…
Saint Rita is the patroness of impossible causes. This Christmas, she has three: a dying village, a woman who can’t go home, and a man who can’t be found.
Includes open-door love scenes and a guaranteed happily-ever-after.
Apprentice to the Villain by. Hannah Nicole Maehrer
NOTICE TO STAFF: There has been a disturbing increase in cheeriness, sprightly behavior, and overall optimism of late. Please resume your former dark, ominous terrors at your earliest convenience. ―Mgmt
Evie Sage has never been happier to be the assistant to The Villain. Who would have thought that working for an outrageously handsome (shhh, bad for his brand) evil overlord would be so rewarding? Still, the business of being bad is demanding, the forces of good are annoyingly persistent, and said forbidding boss is somewhat…er, out-of-evil-office.
But Rennedawn is in grave trouble, and all signs―Kingsley’s included―point to catastrophe. Something peculiar is happening with the kingdom’s magic, and it’s made The Villain’s manor vulnerable to their enemies…including their nemesis, the king.
Now it’s time for Evie to face her greatest challenge: protecting The Villain’s lair, all of his nefarious works, and maybe (provided no one finds out) the entire kingdom. No pressure, Evie.
It’s time to step out of her comfort zone and learn new skills. Like treason. Dagger work. Conspiring with the enemy. It’s all so…so…delightfully fun.
But what happens when the assistant to The Villain is ready to become his apprentice?
Experience Apprentice to the Villain like never before with the SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION―bonus content from the author, gorgeous full-color endpapers, a lux linen cloth hardcover with foiled treatment, and unique foiled edges. Available only in the US and Canada while supplies last.
Are you getting any new books this week?
Happy Reading!
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