Showing posts with label Daniel G. Miller. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daniel G. Miller. Show all posts

Monday, August 31, 2026

Tuesday Tomorrow

The Knave and the Moon by Rachel Gillig
Published by: Orbit
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"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 vanquish 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 tournament 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."

Anyone else have the Barnes and Noble signed special edition on order for months? 

Hawk and Sparrow by Ayana Gray
Published by: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Sparks fly in this Gilded Age novel of mystery, magic, and romance by the author of the New York Times-bestselling Beasts of Prey.

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 The Basalton Globe, Vesper is now an ambitious reporter determined to keep her newspaper afloat.

While covering a lavish society gala, Vesper happens upon a shocking scene: the murdered body of a man she had spoken with just minutes before. 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 offer: 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 catch: 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..."

Just the right level of forced proximity crime solving I love.

The Wolf Queen's Curse by Kaylee Archer
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In The Wolf Queen's Curse, the much anticipated sequel to Witch of the Wolves, Cordelia and Bishop must seek alliances with other packs and confront their Alphas in order to restore their beloved Trevelyan, no matter the cost.

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."

Anyone who reads about werewolves knows, Alphas do not play nice with each other. Begrudgingly so when they have to.

Rider of Dragons by A.T. Qureshi
Published by: Avon Books
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Genevieve's family forbids her from joining the deadly dragon races. But she won't let them stop her.

He's the trainer she doesn't want, but needs.

Without her family's money, nobody will train her. Desperate for help, she agrees to a terrible deal: Qais, an alleged member of a dragon poaching gang, will train her to win the races, if she agrees to give him her prize money.

Every race could be their last.

The dragon races aren't just about being the fastest. There will be sabotage, attacks and all out violence. The devastatingly handsome Qais will teach her to be cunning and cruel, and Genevieve will be forced to answer a ruinous question: to win, is she willing to lose everything?"

Will the dragon help you stay safe? Because I think making an alliance with a dragon would be a deal breaker. 

An Immaculate Deception by Isabela Livino
Published by: Dutton
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"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."

Well this wants to be Silvia Moreno-Garcia meets Isabel Cañas. Perhaps skeewing towards Cañas with that cover...

The Other Life of Mary English by GD Harper
Published by: Ginger Cat
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Kindle, 386 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Two different women. One shared destiny.

Mary English, a dockworker's daughter from Faversham, England, travels to South America to escape a scandal from her past. She ends up running a cacao plantation in Colombia, at a time when women were not legally allowed to own businesses there.

Manuela Sáenz, tempestuous lover of Venezuelan revolutionary Simón Bolívar, serves as a colonel in his army. She joins him in battle to fight the Spanish and twice saves his life from assassination attempts.

This is the story of two remarkable real-life women, both fighting oppression, hardship and danger in 1820s Colombia, who come together to change the course of a nation's history."

Women changing history? Hells yes!

Pomegranate Seed and Other Ghostly Tales by Edith Wharton
Published by: Penguin
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Paperback, 208 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"PENGUIN HORROR: A celebration of the very best literary horror, a series of terrifying novels and tales that for generations have thrilled, captivated and kept readers wide awake at night.

Known for writing some of the most incisive and elegant novels of the early twentieth century, Edith Wharton was also a master practitioner of the ghost story, producing dozens of frightful fictions throughout her lifetime. Combining pristine prose with strange, suffocating atmospheres and a profound sense of the uncanny, Pomegranate Seed and Other Ghostly Tales, a collection of Wharton's very best haunting narratives, detail spectral handwriting, isolated houses in lonely landscapes, and a husband with a terrible secret..."

I need something uncanny for this time of year.

Paper Ghosts by Sarah Addison Allen
Published by: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Part ghost story, part love story and steeped in magical realism, Paper Ghosts will transport you to a place where old secrets echo through the years and love finds a way of bringing us home.

Every family has its secrets...The Wester women live inside theirs.

For decades, the women of Wester House have unsettled and fascinated their small, timeless North Carolina town. Their home is full of whispers, old griefs, and uncanny knowing. But when Willamena Wester reaches out to the granddaughter she once pushed away, long-buried truths begin to stir.

1976: Restless young Willamena falls for a stranded musician who brings freedom and the promise of another life to her carefully controlled world. Their brief, incandescent love story promises to escape the pull of the Wester legacy until Willamena makes a fateful choice that changes her life forever.

Present day: Returning home is the last thing Bailey Wester wants. Yet as she reconnects with Willamena, the grandmother she feared, Bailey begins to understand the love, heartbreak, and impossible choices that shaped the women in her family and realizes the past may not have been trying to haunt them after all. A luminous novel filled with Sarah Addison Allen's stunning prose and signature blend of romance, Southern charm, and wonder, Paper Ghosts reminds us that in order to have the future we really want, sometimes we need to live with the past, and not let go of it."

I find it beyond tragic that when we finally want to get answers and listen to our elders it's often too late. Perhaps that's why we're drawn to these types of stories.

Divine Oaths by Elizabeth Agyemang
Published by: Requited
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Ninth House meets Legendborn in this thrilling dark academia novel following a new student fueled by questions about her prestigious university and the haunting answers she uncovers as her heart pulls her in two different, dangerous directions.

Westfield University was supposed to be Sianna Adu's dream school. But just when she's on the cusp of attending the elite academic institution hidden in Virginia's swampland, an unexpected tragedy changes everything. In one day, Sianna loses her family and gains an extraordinary power - the ability to see lifelines and witness other people's pasts and futures.

With all she's lost, Sianna puts her college dreams on pause and spends her days navigating dead-end jobs and a not-so-secret crush on her coworker. But when Kasem Saint James, the undeniably handsome heir to Westfield, approaches her with a strange request, the future Sianna has long deferred becomes a dangerous new reality. Worried that her powers are now tied to Kasem, she has no choice. Fate has called her to Westfield.

At an academy where secret societies abound, connections are everything, and an ominous history - stretching back centuries - determines the future, Sianna and Kasem must piece together the past to undo a curse that binds them to each other.

With a swoony romance and jaw-dropping twists, this layered dark academia novel introduces a university where nothing is quite as it seems."

Centuries old? I'm intrigued. 

Goodnight Monsters by Suzanne Junered
Published by: She Writes Press
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For fans of Ariana Harwicz's Die, My Love and Ashley Audrain's The Push, a psychological horror novel that follows a woman obsessed with death who must decide if she's fit to bring new life into this world - especially after someone she's fantasized about killing turns up dead.

Southern suburban housewife Lia and her husband Evan have long dreamed of becoming parents - but when a pregnancy test shows positive, Lia questions whether she wants the child and keeps her pregnancy a secret.

As she's holding new life inside, she intentionally surrounds herself with death by blackmailing her way into a job at a forensic anthropology center endearingly called The Body Farm. At The Farm, monsters emerge from within Lia - the desire to kill - and she begins daydreaming about murder. Because fantasizing never hurt anyone. Or so she thinks.

Then a body donation to The Farm turns out to be someone she's imagined killing, and reality and fantasy begin to blur. As people around her begin to die, Lia loses trust in her loved ones and herself...and ultimately must put her monsters to bed."

Yes, put those monsters to bed before you put your baby to bed!

Tell the Ghosts I'm Gone by Kalynn Bayron
Published by: Bloomsbury YA
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From New York Times bestselling author Kalynn Bayron comes a new horror novel about a group of teens with unique - and potentially deadly - gifts.

Moll, Redd, Agnes, and Ossie are powerful - and dangerous. But they don't want people to fear them. They've spent their lives trying to understand and control their supernatural gifts, trying to help people instead of hurt them.

That's why they offer paranormal investigative services to anyone who needs them. But when the case of a missing young woman brings them to an old (and potentially haunted) Victorian mansion, soon it's the four teens who are in the greatest danger. The secrets they uncover about the paranormal forces inhabiting the house may shed light on the darkness that exists at the edge of their powers and finally help them gain control - if they can make it out alive."

I wonder if ghosts are like bees.

Cards on the Table by Lana Harper and Jilly Gagnon
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Two witchy sisters find themselves framed for the disappearance of millions of dollars in this atmospheric locked room mystery - from the New York Times bestselling author of Payback's a Witch and the critically acclaimed author of All Dressed Up.

As descendants of a Salem witch, sisters Tori and Cassie Bishop have the occult credentials - but their trickle of tarot readings isn't paying the bills. On the brink of eviction, they accept a too-good-to-be-true offer: play "witches in residence" for a dying, wealthy widow in her secluded Berkshires mansion for the Fall season.

But from the minute they arrive at the gothic estate, it's clear: they've been dropped into a far riskier game than their smoke and mirrors can save them from. Rose, the widow, is desperate. Her family is conniving. The staff is ominous. And some guests in the house are drawn to the sisters in ways that lean more...personal. But just as the sisters are starting to settle into the mysterious home and their role in it, Rose dies after a séance - and her millions vanish overnight.

Trapped in a viper's nest of competing motives and twisted secrets, Tori and Cassie must untangle a web of greed and deception using every trick they have - magical or not - to clear their names. Because someone else in Berwyn House is running their own con...and they've set up the sisters to take the fall."

Imagine being so wealthy that you could have a witch in residence?

Buried in the Woods Below by Daniel G. Miller
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Perfect for fans of Freida McFadden's The Housemaid, Riley Sager's The Only One Left and Alice Feeney's My Husband's Wife, this addictive psychological suspense-thriller is a must-read for anyone who loves dark secrets, isolated settings, and jaw-dropping twists.

SOME MEMORIES WERE NEVER MEANT TO STAY BURIED.

When Charlotte Hoffman's picture-perfect career implodes overnight, she retreats to the one place she swore she'd never return: Big Island, Minnesota. Home to her childhood best friend, Olivia Parker, and the place where her life first fell apart.

Eighteen years ago, tragedy struck, and Charlotte's blamed herself for that bloody night ever since. Now she's back, staying with the Parkers in their isolated lakeside home, surrounded by dark woods shrouded in mist and the decaying remains of a long-abandoned amusement park.

But something isn't right.

The Parkers' young twin girls whisper about ghosts in the trees. Threatening notes appear on doors. An old carousel screams in the wind. And every night the island claims another victim.

As Charlotte wades ever-deeper into danger, she can't shake the feeling that someone brought her back to the isolated island for a reason.

Someone who wants to finish what was started all those years ago."

Do. Not. Go. Near. Abandoned. Amusement. Parks. It's like rule number one in my book.

Untamed Coast by Kevin C. Morris
Published by: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A late-night mayday call drives a grieving man to embark on an unexpected journey along the wild Alaskan coast, unraveling a decades-old mystery of stolen gold, missing women, and murder in this atmospheric and propulsive debut novel, perfect for fans of William Kent Krueger and Peter Heller.

After the loss of his wife, Marconi Franco is content drifting alone on his boat through the isolated waters of Southeast Alaska with no real destination in mind. But when a mysterious distress signal cuts through the static on his radio one sleepless night, Marco feels an overwhelming pull to help the woman whose plea he heard - a pull he can't explain or ignore.

His search for the missing woman draws him to Radioville, an abandoned 1930s communication outpost now decaying on an uninhabited island off the coast of Alaska. There, Marco begins uncovering fragments of a story long forgotten: a Depression-era theft, a shattered marriage, and a disturbing pattern of disappearances. As he sifts through the past, his own grief starts to mirror the tragedies that echo across decades, and his search draws the attention of someone determined to keep the truth buried.

Told across three evocative timelines - a radio operator in 1938 collecting more than just telegrams, a young woman in the 1980s fighting to survive her abusive husband, and Marco in the present day searching for a voice in the static - Untamed Coast is a story of fierce determination, missed signals, loneliness and connection, and the unseen ripples that reverberate across generations, standing the test of time and the tides."

Alaska is all one big mystery to me, which is why I love reading about it.

The Filbert Steps by Lila Blake
Published by: Sutro House Press
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Kindle, 311 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A body on the steps. A neighborhood that saw nothing.

Vivian Salvatore came back to Telegraph Hill with a cat, a divorce settlement, and a book she cannot seem to write.

At fifty-two, newly single and trying to rebuild her life, she has settled into the rhythms of San Francisco's most beautiful staircase: coffee at the corner café, morning walks on the Filbert Steps, old neighbors on three corners, and the comforting illusion that everyone knows everyone.

Then, on a bright October morning, Vivian finds one of the city's most ambitious developers dead on the third landing.

The police are ready to call it a fall. But Vivian spent twenty-seven years reading teenagers' faces for a living, and she knows when a story does not fit. A coat buttoned wrong. A cigarette ground out where it should not be. Storefronts quietly sold to a post-office box in Delaware. And a neighborhood full of people who had reason to want one man gone.

As Vivian begins asking questions, she discovers that Telegraph Hill has been keeping secrets for years - about money, loyalty, grief, and who really gets to call a place home.

The Filbert Steps introduces Vivian Salvatore, a sharp-eyed, warm-hearted sleuth who notices everything and forgives almost as much.

Perfect for readers who love older women sleuths, atmospheric San Francisco mysteries, neighborhood secrets, found community, and fair-play cozy mysteries with literary depth."

I adore everything about San Francisco. But what I adore even more, is a mystery set in my favorite literary city. 

Muriel and the Mystery by Charlotte Parent
Published by: Tundra Books
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 56 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A little shrew encounters the unexpected in this charming picture book that explores change and the fear of the unknown. For fans of Little Witch Hazel and The Hidden World of Gnomes.

Muriel is having a perfectly ordinary day in the forest she knows by heart, when, while gathering snails in the underbrush, she encounters a mystery!

It's different from anything she's seen before, and it certainly doesn't belong in her well-ordered life. Though she tries to put it out of her mind, that becomes difficult when the mystery won't leave her alone...

Muriel will need to muster her courage to face the unknown and embrace the changes it brings to her forest. And maybe, just maybe, she will make a new friend along the way."

Even moles deal with mysteries! 

Goldie Vance Book One by Hope Larson and Brittney Williams
Published by: KaBOOM!
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Paperback, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Intrepid teen detective Goldie Vance is on the case in this acclaimed upper middle-grade graphic novel mystery that reads like Nancy Drew meets Only Murders in the Building.

Marigold "Goldie" Vance lives at a Florida resort with her dad and dreams of one day becoming the hotel's in-house detective. Armed with endless curiosity and unstoppable determination, she's ready to prove she has what it takes to solve any mystery, big or small!

When the current Crossed Palms Resort detective encounters a case he can't quite crack, he agrees to mentor Goldie in exchange for her help. Will this budding sleuth be the key to revealing the truth? Or is Goldie in over her head?

Uncover secrets and adventures around every corner with this double-length detective adventure full of retro flair from New York Times bestselling and Eisner Award-winning writer Hope Larson (All Summer Long) and fan-favorite artist Brittney Williams (Mixed-Up, Girl on Fire)!

Collects Goldie Vance #1-8."

This looks like it would be the perfect read for me. It sadly wasn't. Goldie Vance and her mid-century Florida conspiracies of Communists and cosmonauts left me cold.   

The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate Westbury
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Set against the backdrop of post-WWII Oxford University, The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies is the irresistible debut from Kate Westbury that seamlessly layers mystery, romance, and a dash of academia to introduce the Crown's newest undercover operatives.

Oxford, England, 1951 - The Honorable Ginevra Bishop likes red lipstick, clever retorts, and earning top marks in her tutorials. She's following her mother's footsteps by studying at Oxford, eager to prove she's more than a debutante.

Sidney Braithwaite likes brooding, Latin, and ignoring his nightmares. He's determined to forge a new life for himself at Oxford, far from his childhood mining village and free from memories of the war.

Though Gin and Sidney have little in common, the British Security Service is keen to unite her charm with his espionage experience: there's a Soviet spy at the university, and the agent tracking them down was poisoned. MI5 wants Gin and Sidney to pick up the trail and identify the informant before more sensitive information is compromised. As a team, the pair of undergraduates clash in personality, upbringing, and taste - but have a connection neither can deny. Gin and Sidney must unite their respective talents to follow the clues before they're caught in the traitor's crosshairs...if the sparks flying between them don't blow up the operation first."

I wonder if I should take up brooding as a pastime. I'd be willing to solve crimes against Britain in my spare time.

An A-List for Murder by Amy Patricia Meade
Published by: Severn House
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An irresistible historical cozy series featuring Evelyn Galloway, Hollywood script supervisor turned sleuth!

The list you'd die to be on...

March, 1940, and script supervisor Evelyn Galloway is enjoying being reunited with Alfred Hitchcock on his new film. Until twenty-three-year-old Phoebe Dillon, an aspiring actress hoping to be an extra in the movie, is found strangled in downtown L.A. Evelyn encountered Phoebe in the studio just hours before she died. Did she really have audition jitters as she claimed, or was she frightened of something - or someone?

When Evelyn learns that Phoebe attended a birthday party for film producer Monty Carpenter the previous weekend, rubbing shoulders with Hollywood's A-list, she quickly makes disturbing discoveries about some of the guests. It seems that powerful dark forces are at play in the film industry during war - and the reason for Phoebe's murder is more shocking than Evelyn could ever have imagined.

Effortlessly combining murder and glamour, the Evelyn Galloway mysteries are perfect for fans of Verity Bright and Nicola Upson's Shot With Crimson."

I love dark Hollywood and I love Hitchcock, so a perfect combo!

Murders in the Marquee by Dana Mentink
Published by: Love Inspired Trade
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Paperback, 336Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this witty historical murder mystery set in a San Francisco hotel, an unlikely trio of amateur sleuths must uncover a killer before another guest checks out for good. This first book in the Murder Most Fowl Mysteries is perfect for fans of Only Murders in the Building.

In 1905, the Grand Mallard Marquee is well known for its iconic style, as well as its daily duck parade. For Saul Niffler, a reformed jewel thief, working at the luxurious hotel offers a much-needed second chance. Staying out of trouble and in gainful employment is essential. Which makes seeing a body plummet from a penthouse window extra complicated.

Except...did he see it? There's no body to be found, and Saul knows he should concentrate on his new duties as "Duck Commandant" rather than meddle. If only Kitty Rossi, a persistent young guest yearning to be a Pinkerton detective, would leave well enough alone. Kitty has already roped in Henry, the elevator man, to investigate suspicious goings-on around the hotel. And against his better judgment, Saul feels compelled to join them.

Between the mystery of Saul's missing predecessor and a grisly discovery in a drain, all signs point to murder most fowl. And with a cold-blooded killer roaming the Marquee's lavish corridors, keeping his job may be the least of Saul's problems..."

A jewel thief named Niffler? I hope Dana Mentink has some good lawyers.

Murder in St. James's Park by Vanessa Riley
Published by: Severn House
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Perfect for readers who love Bridgerton with a dark twist - a vibrant historical mystery series that embraces the true diversity of the Regency era.

Confessions from beyond the grave throw Lady Worthing into turmoil...

London, 1807. Lady Abigail Worthing's marriage of convenience to James Monroe, the Lord Worthing, is over. But James is out of her life quicker than Abigail anticipated when she finds his body in St. James's Park.

Shocked by her husband's brutal murder, Abigail is determined to catch his killer. But when she discovers that James's transgressions ran far deeper and darker than she thought possible, Abigail questions her own judgment. Did she make a terrible mistake when solving a past crime, and does the key to James's death lie in the letters he was writing shortly before his demise?

With her neighbor and good friend Stapleton Henderson by her side, Abigail confronts jealousy, resentment, and stunning betrayal that will shake her to her core...

This sharply observed, captivating Regency mystery series featuring a smart and fearless mixed-race aristocrat heroine with a notorious family history is a must-read for historical mystery fans."

A touch of Tasha Alexander. 

The Case of Bingley's Missing Aphrodite by Emma Aubrey
Published by: Emma Aubrey
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Kindle, 374 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Pride and Prejudice meets Sherlock Holmes in this sharp-witted Regency mystery, featuring a crime-solving Bennet/Darcy team-up in a Jane Austen variation where the Bennet sisters lost their estate before marriage saved them.

Fitzwilliam Darcy believes his worst problem is the mistake he made a year and a half ago, when he snubbed Miss Elizabeth Bennet and separated his friend Bingley from her sister Jane. That is, until a corrupt viscount is found murdered, just after Bingley's antique Aphrodite statue vanishes during a ball. The crimes appear to be linked - and Darcy's oldest adversary, Mr Wickham, may be trying to frame him for both.

They enlist an investigator, coincidentally the Miss Bennets' cousin, who has entirely the wrong impression of Darcy and Wickham's history. When Elizabeth Bennet finally re-enters the picture, Darcy must open up to her about the blackguard's lies - for in the end, they will need both her keen character observations and the investigator's cutting-edge methods to prove Darcy's innocence.

In a tangle of secrets and deceit, Darcy and his friends must race to uncover the true culprit - before he pays the ultimate price."

Here for all Pride and Prejudice variations! 

The Heiress of Northanger Abbey by Nancy Bilyeau
Published by: Admiral Road Books
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Paperback, 260 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Steeped in the atmospheric charm of classic historical fiction, The Heiress of Northanger Abbey weaves a captivating Jane Austen sequel that breathes new life into Catherine Morland's world. Twenty-two years after her marriage to Henry Tilney, the imposing estate of Northanger Abbey passes to a new generation. When their spirited daughter Phoebe looks poised to inherit the grand estate, she inherits more than just wealth - she uncovers a web of long-buried secrets, hidden corridors, and a haunting legacy that refuses to stay buried. This spellbinding Gothic mystery masterfully balances Austen's signature wit and social commentary with the spine-tingling suspense of a classic Regency thriller.

Gloucestershire, 1820: Catherine Tilney receives a letter that resurrects her darkest fears. Her daughter Phoebe has fallen under the influence of the unscrupulous Thorpe family - the very figures who once nearly destroyed Catherine's happiness.

Determined to protect her child from dangerous fortune hunters, Catherine follows Phoebe to an isolated manor on Dartmoor. There, she finds a landscape of reckless passions, family secrets, and a dangerously charming aristocratic neighbor. It all feels eerily like the plot of the latest Gothic sensation, The Vampyre - but is Catherine once again letting her imagination run wild?

In this psychologically charged sequel to Jane Austen's classic, award-winning historical novelist Nancy Bilyeau transforms Catherine's youthful adventures into a mystery with the highest of stakes. The Heiress of Northanger Abbey is a story of mothers and daughters, deception and desire - and of a woman who must learn to trust her power of perception before it's too late.

For Austen fans who adore a high-spirited Regency tale, savor a hint of the Gothic - and long to be transported to the mist-shrouded moors."

But how would Catherine's daughter inherit? I have so many questions. I guess I just have to read the book!

Land of Oz edited by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane
Published by: Titan Books
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"13 original stories of dark fantasy inspired by the classic tales of L. Frank Baum and the land of Oz, from the masters of fantasy and science fiction, including M.R. Carey, Christina Henry and Adrian Tchaikovsky.

Journey beyond the yellow brick road, click your heels together and enter the dark heart of the tornado...if you dare.

Join the award-winning Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane as they bring together some of genre fiction's bestselling and acclaimed authors as they explore the wild imagination of L. Frank Baum and his wonderful Land of Oz.

Featuring stories by
Simon R. Green
Caitlin Rozakis
Louise Carey
Adrian Tchaikovsky
Ian Whates
M. R. Carey
Paul Magrs
Delilah S. Dawson
Robert Shearman
Stark Holborn
Christina Henry
Una McCormack
Jonathan Maberry"

My friend Paul has a story in this. I'm so excited for him! And me! And you! Because we all get to enjoy it!

The Snow Witch by Kirsty Ferry
Published by: Boldwood Books
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: eBook, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Discover the next enchanting, atmospheric read from Kirsty Ferry, perfect for fans of C.J. Cooke and Laura Purcell.

In the dead of winter, 1650...

As the Newcastle Witch Trials spread fear across the north, suspicion takes hold in Newbrough, near Hadrian's Wall. Meg Noble - healer, midwife, and the so-called 'Snow Witch' - finds solace at Coventina's Well. But when tragedy strikes, whispers of witchcraft begin to swirl, and something ancient is stirred - bound to a sacred dagger and a forgotten goddess.

Now, beneath the same well...

Historian Violet Marsh arrives at Hadrian's Wall to research the legend of the Snow Witch, but what begins as curiosity soon turns personal. As visions haunt her and the past bleeds into the present, Violet uncovers a story that was never laid to rest - and a presence that has been waiting centuries to reclaim what was taken.

The Snow Witch is a chilling, atmospheric tale of buried vengeance and unyielding female power - where the past doesn't die, it freezes and waits."

Because Witch Trials are nothing more than men trying to destroy powerful women, if they're witches or not...

A Time of Witches by Madeline Martin
Published by: Hanover Square Press
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Two women, bound by blood and betrayal, must break silence across centuries - or be silenced forever, in the dazzling new novel by New York Times bestselling author Madeline Martin.

Lilith Legare's life is unraveling. Since her mother's death, strange things have been happening - plants turn toward her touch, animals linger in her path, and the birthmark on her arm has started tingling. Worse still is her recurring nightmare of being burned alive at the stake.

Her search for answers brings her from Savannah to England, to the decaying Brackenmere Manor where the past blurs with the present. There, Lilith discovers a legacy she never asked for and along with it, the threat of peril. History must be rewritten, or she too will die.

In 1645 Suffolk, Sybil Brantham stands accused as a witch. An educated, wealthy widow, she is branded a threat by men who fear her independence. As arrests begin and suspicion abounds, Sybil must protect her younger sister, even as betrayal takes root within her household.

Across centuries, Lilith and Sybil are bound by blood and by danger. To save themselves, and each other, they must confront the silence that has stolen women's power for generations - and dare to claim their voices before it's too late."

Take back your voice! It is you power!

The Pumpkin Bride by Fiona Buttercup
Published by: Mira Books
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Paperback, 3652 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Shrek meets The Princess Bride in this cozy, low-stakes romantic fantasy. The Pumpkin Bride delivers all the autumnal feels, a dash of spice, and a guaranteed HEA!

Some curses just need a cozy fire, a little magic, and a second chance to break them.

A cursed knight.
Sir Bram Duncan was once a knight of legend in Harvest Hollow - until the whim of a jealous prince and the trickery of an autumn sprite turned him into the hulking orc Jask Bone-Cracker, and tethered him to Grimroot Farm. For three long, lonely years, he's hidden his monstrous form and the truth of what happened the night he lost everything, including his true love, Princess Marigold.

A runaway princess.
Fleeing an arranged marriage to the vain and intolerable Prince Crispin, Marigold finds a safe haven when she stumbles across Jask's charmed pumpkin farm deep in the forest. Sensing glimmers of gentleness - and a surprising talent for baking - beneath the grumpy orc's imposing exterior, she begins to feel a familiar longing she believed dead when her Bram disappeared.

One true love.
As magic stirs and pies are baked, truths about Jask's curse begin to surface. But curses don't break easily, and wronged princes don't capitulate. As their peace is threatened, Jask and Marigold must decide: cling to the lies that protect them, or risk everything for a love that could set them free."

I mean, who can resist an orc that can bake? Cursed true love or not.

The Hocus Pocus Handbook by Ann Aguirre
Published by: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From NYT bestselling author Ann Aguirre comes a cozy fae fantasy romance featuring a sunshine-shadow slow burn, a grumpy-but-secretly-tender love interest, an unforgettable found family, and a world lush with wildcraft magic. Perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher and Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries.

Thea Winter didn't choose to be a changeling - stolen from the mortal world as a baby, raised in the wildlands by a hobgoblin named Mudge who taught her everything worth knowing. How to read the weather in a crow's wing. How to barter with brownies. How to stay alive in a world of capricious fae courts. What Mudge couldn't teach her was how to stay out of trouble. Which is why she's entangled in a objectionable marriage of convenience.

Or would be, but her spouse bolted. Now she has to hunt down Devan J. Fenelon, but she's been saddled with a taciturn, humorless hunter known as Winter's Hound. He answers only to his cousin, and she's not looking forward to this quest at all.

Kerboros has survived the Winter Court by being exactly what they made him: relentless, invisible, and careful never to want anything at all. His life is an endless series of ceaseless commands from his reprehensible cousin, Lord Liskaal. Since his father's failed rebellion, Kerboros has been permitted to survive only as an example to others, an object lesson as to how far one may fall. But traveling with Thea - wild, warm, impossible Thea - is a glorious torment for an enforcer who has never known freedom.

She is sunshine. He is shadow.

Their love is forbidden, but when irresistible force sweeps up an immovable object, the resulting reaction might be magical..."

I mean, if the groom bolts it seems a shame to have to chase after him if you never wanted him in the first place...

Kiss Slay Replay by Rachel Harrison
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Every wedding guest's worst nightmare is on repeat in this wild and twisty new horror novel from the New York Times bestselling author of So Thirsty and Play Nice.

It's the picture-perfect wedding weekend: The venue is dreamy, the weather is beautiful, love is in the air - and Willa Sullivan is having a bad time. She's excited to celebrate her best friends' finally having the big wedding they've always wanted, but this is the first time she's seen her ex-fiancé in months, and he brought a date. Everything feels off, like she stumbled into an alternate universe. But things start to look up when Willa meets Danny, the groom's charming and single childhood best friend. When they sneak off together, their rendezvous is interrupted by a masked killer terrorizing the reception. Willa and Danny fight to save the ones they love and survive the night, but the killer is unrelenting. A final girl Willa is not.

Or is she? She wakes up and it's the morning of the wedding. She just had the most intense nightmare of her life. Only as the day unfolds, there are some uncanny coincidences that make her question whether it was really a dream, déjà vu, or something more sinister. After a horrifying turn of events, Willa comes to understand that she's stuck in a loop of carnage and terror that she must learn how to escape or else suffer a fate worse than death - being an eternal wedding guest."

I mean, as long as the cake is good and you can avoid the killer, things could be worse?

The Treasure House by Amy Matthews
Published by: Dell
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this tender-hearted novel, a single mom's fixer-upper may also open a new door to love - from the award-winning author of Someone Else's Bucket List.

Zoe Copeland and her daughter Florence need a new start. The only problem is, Zoe can't really afford one.

So when she stumbles across a listing for a charming cottage in Maine that is in her price range, she has no choice but to seize the opportunity. The catch? It's a treasure house - filled to the brim with junk, and being sold as is.

Eleven-year-old Florence, who's always longed for a room of her own, loves the old house full of cat figurines and other people's memories, but Zoe is daunted by the mess and the cost of fixing up the place. Their grumpy new neighbor, Jake, thinks Zoe's crazy for undertaking this task - though that doesn't stop him from lending a hand, and it's not long before Zoe starts daydreaming about the handsome handyman.

As the air turns crisp and fall sets in, Zoe becomes increasingly intrigued by the woman who lived in the house before them. Who was Marly, and how did her beloved home end up in such disrepair? As Zoe digs for more information, she can't help but draw parallels between herself and Marly...but what does it say about her future if she's still stuck in the past?

This was supposed to be a fresh start, a chance to give Florence the security she never had. But as Zoe uncovers Marly's secrets and her own past comes crashing into the present, Zoe's life is quickly becoming even messier than the coastal house she's renovating. With her heart and her home on the line, can Zoe put all of the broken pieces of her life back together?"

How can I get a treasure house? Yes, I get it's a lot of work, but I'm up to the challenge!

Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy
Published by: David R. Godine Publisher
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Format: Paperback, 250 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Sometimes a second chance comes in the most unexpected way....

Following the loss of her husband and son, Helen Cartwright returns to the village of her childhood after living abroad for six decades. Her only wish is to die quickly and without fuss. She retreats into her home on Westminster Crescent, becoming a creature of routine and habit: "Each day was an impersonation of the one before with only a slight shuffle - as though even for death there is a queue."

Then, one cold winter night, a chance encounter with a mouse sets Helen on a surprising journey. Over the course of two weeks in a small English town, this reclusive widow discovers an unexpected reason to live.

Sipsworth is a reminder that there is always reason for hope. No matter what we have planned for ourselves, sometimes life has plans of its own. With profound compassion, Simon Van Booy illuminates not only a deep friendship forged between two lonely creatures, but the reverberations of goodness that ripple out from that unique bond."

The littlest thing can literally change everything. 

Monday, July 21, 2025

Tuesday Tomorrow

Ink Ribbon Red by Alex Pavesi
Published by: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: July 22nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A wickedly plotted new thriller, in which a group of friends play a deadly game that unwraps a motive for murder, from Alex Pavesi, the author of The Eighth Detective.

Anatol invites five of his oldest friends to his family home in the Wiltshire countryside to celebrate his thirtieth birthday. At his request, they play a game of his invention called Motive Method Death. The rules are simple: Everyone chooses two players at random, then writes a short story in which one kills the other.

Points are awarded for making the murders feel real. Of course, it's only natural for each friend to use what they know. Secrets. Grudges. Affairs. But once they've put it in a story, each secret is out. It's not long before the game reawakens old resentments and brings private matters into the light of day. With each fictional crime, someone new gets a very real motive.

Can all six friends survive the weekend, or will truth turn out to be deadlier than fiction?"

Oh yes, bring on Motive Method Death! A decidedly literary thriller.

Dead of Summer by Jessa Maxwell
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: July 22nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Years after her best friend mysteriously disappeared from a remote New England island, a young woman returns in search of answers in this atmospheric and scintillating thriller from Jessa Maxwell, nationally bestselling author of the "deliciously entertaining" (Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author) The Golden Spoon.

Orla O'Connor hasn't been to the isolated New England enclave of Hadley Island since she graduated from high school a decade ago. As a teenager, her best friend Alice disappeared from its shores without a trace - but with plenty of rumors.

Now, Orla returns to her family's beachfront home to clean it out before her parents sell it. The island and her best friend's house next door, abandoned after her family left in grief, are stirring up memories she would like to avoid. Then there are the locals, always gossiping and watching Orla's every move. Worst of all, David, Orla's childhood crush and son of a wealthy Manhattan family, is back for the summer with his new, impossibly pretty girlfriend, Faith.

Faith suspects that David is going to propose but as soon as she settles into his family's sprawling Hadley Island estate, she feels out of place. She anticipated a luxurious summer of fun and romance, but David is never around - lured into business conversations with his entrepreneur father from dawn to dusk. With nothing else to do, Faith begins to investigate the island's dark past, curious about what really happened to Alice all those years ago.

Meanwhile, local Henry hasn't left his house since the young girl went missing, in an attempt to let the accusations against him die down. Except they never have. For years, Henry has had an endless supply of time to pursue his only hobby, watching the island from his telescope and recording the activities of its inhabitants. But Orla's return has shaken him and lately he's been seeing strange things: shadowy figures walking on the beach in the middle of the night and a light on in the upstairs window of the long-abandoned house of the missing girl.

When there's another disappearance on the island, all three find themselves pulled into an eerie and twisty mystery that will haunt them for the rest of their lives."

I mean, wasn't the mystery already haunting two of the trio?

The Red Letter by Daniel G. Miller
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: July 22nd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A spine-tingling new suspense-thriller from bestselling author Daniel G. Miller that will keep your heart racing to the last page.

A DEAD BODY. A MYSTERIOUS RED LETTER.

Hazel has everything she wants.

Business is booming at her boutique private investigation firm. She's dating the man of her dreams. Even her perpetually skeptical mother seems impressed. Then the NYPD finds a beloved neighborhood priest dead along with a mysterious red letter.

Hazel investigates the murder as a favor to an old friend and discovers that the priest wasn't the only recent murder victim to receive a red letter...and one victim has ties to a psychopath from a past life that Hazel thought she had buried. One by one, the red letters continue to appear, and with every letter, another killing, each more mysterious than the last.

As Hazel closes in on the killer, the killer closes in on her, and Hazel begins to question everything she thought she knew about herself and the people around her. Even worse, Hazel discovers that the only way to find the truth is to open one more...

RED LETTER."

I think tracking the killer through a stationary shop would be their best bet...

A Beautiful Way to Die by Eleni Kyriacou
Published by: Head of Zeus - An Aries Book
Publication Date: July 22nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Don't miss the new novel from Eleni Kyriacou, author of BBC Between the Covers pick The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou.

PLAY THEIR GAME
Hollywood, 1953. Young actress Ginny Watkins is turning heads. Even the legendary - and married - actor Max Whitman can't resist the allure of the hottest new starlet. He promises Ginny the world, in return for the right favour.

DO WHAT THEY SAY
London, 1954. Stella Hope, once the most famous actress in Hollywood, has been ousted to Ealing Studios after her divorce from the powerful Max. Just as she accepts her fate, she receives a letter, blackmailing her for a mistake she made many years ago.

OR THEY'LL BURY YOU
Two women on either side of stardom find themselves in the orbit of the same beguiling man. And one night, in the shadows of a glamorous Oscars afterparty, their lives are changed forever...

A Beautiful Way to Die delves into the decadence and depravity of the early film industry from Hollywood to London. Perfect for fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and films like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Babylon."

Wait, there were fans of Babylon!?! 

The One and Only Vivian Stone by Melissa O'Connor
Published by: Gallery Books
Publication Date: July 22nd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in this enchanting novel about estranged lovers reconnecting over mysterious tapes found in an attic and the old Hollywood secret hidden within them.

After her grandmother's death, thirty-something Margot DuBois prepares to sell the house quickly so she can go back to her predictable life in Santa Barbara. There, no one knows she used to write and how not succeeding wrecked her confidence. While cleaning out the attic, she comes across eight unlabeled cassette tapes. Unable to use the damaged tape player, she calls in a favor from Leo - her first love and first epic heartbreak - and they strike a deal: he'll fix the player if he can hear what's on the tapes. When they manage to listen, the two are shocked to hear the voice of comedic legend Vivian Stone. Why did she record these tapes and how did Margot's grandmother get them?

Between listening to Vivian recount everything from her forbidden love for Hollywood's leading actor, to working under a misogynistic exec, to her chemistry with her costar-turned-husband on TV, Margot and Leo fall down a memory lane of their own. Margot is inspired by Vivian's tenacity and courage to keep fighting for the life she wants, but everything changes when Vivian reveals a secret tied to her past in this moving exploration of how it's never too late to start over."

Or write a tell-all that makes your name as a writer?

Blood Caste by Shylashri Shankar
Published by: Canelo Crime
Publication Date: July 22nd, 2025
Format: Kindle, 379 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Is Jack the Ripper at large on the streets of Victorian India?

Hyderabad, India, 1895. When three bodies are discovered with mutilations bearing an eerie resemblance to the Ripper's Whitechapel victims, Chief Inspector Soobramania - known as Soob - is summoned to investigate.

Suspicion alights upon three powerful men: a Russian grand duke and an English earl visiting the city, and their friend, a Deccani noble, who is also the stepson of one of the victims.

Faced with the thorny imperial politics of accusing relatives of Queen Victoria, Soob must ally with his rival in the British Residency Police, Inspector Wilberforce, to hunt down the killer.

So begins a deadly game of cat and mouse played in the shadow of empire, where high birth protects foul deeds and where spilt blood counts for less than wealth.

A richly textured and utterly compelling historical crime thriller from a dazzling debut voice."

Ripperologist here who can't wait to read this!

Heart Marks the Spot by Libby Hubscher
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: July 22nd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A treasure hunter and the bestselling adventure novelist who broke her heart after one successful expedition reunite for a summer to search for lost riches.

Treasure hunter Stella Moore dreams of having it all - wealth, love, and a flourishing career - but knows she'll never be that lucky. Every summer she and her childhood friends travel to search for hidden treasure, but she can barely manage her bills, let alone a relationship. Then, a chance encounter with alluring novelist Huck Sullivan during an expedition in Iceland has Stella thinking maybe her fortune has changed.

After his last book bombed, Huck hasn't written a word. Joining Stella and her crew on an adventure seems like the perfect distraction from his problems, and when the crew finally uncovers hidden treasure, he is certain that he's found more than just inspiration for his next novel. Huck and Stella's undeniable connection gives way to an unforgettable night on a black sand beach.

After Huck disappears without a goodbye, Stella vows to put the heartbreak behind her - but that's easier said than done when, a year later, every bookstore has a life-size cutout of her ex-lover next to stacks of his latest record-breaking bestseller. Good thing it's time for another summer treasure hunt. Stella throws herself into mapping the path to a shipwreck off Key West, but the last thing she expects is an extra crew member showing up in search of material for a sequel and a second chance.

Stella and Huck are prepared for storms, sharks, sea sickness, even a tentative truce. But facing the feelings they buried and confronting the devastating truth about why Huck left is the only way to find what their hearts have been searching for all along."

You know, hunting for treasure sounds so fun until you get into all the legalities. Stick with romance.

How to Train Your Dragon School: Doom of the Darkwing by Cressida Cowell
Published by: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: July 22nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this exciting How to Train Your Dragon spin-off series perfect for developing readers and packed with beautiful illustrations and easy-to-read stories, follow Hiccup and his fellow Warriors-in-Training in their hilarious, hair-raising adventures.

Disastrous Lesson Number One: The Art of Battle.

It was supposed to be a quiet, sensible lesson. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third never meant to get into trouble.

But things take an unexpected turn along the way and Hiccup and his friends soon find themselves adrift on stormy seas in a sinking ship facing imminent doom.

Join Hiccup and his dragons, Toothless and Windwalker, in their hilarious adventures at the Isle of Berk's Training School for Vikings and Dragons, where they are at the bottom in pretty much everything.

Welcome to How to Train Your Dragon School, where Viking and Dragon Heroes are made!"

Because you can never have too many dragons.

Arcana Academy by Elise Kova
Published by: Del Rey
Publication Date: July 22nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 576 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A woman who wields magical tarot cards lands herself in a false engagement with the headmaster of a mysterious academy in this first installment of an enthralling fantasy romance series from the bestselling author of A Deal with the Elf King.

Clara Graysword has survived the underworld of Eclipse City through thievery, luck, and a whole lot of illegal magic. After a job gone awry, Clara is sentenced to a lifetime in prison for inking tarot cards - a rare power reserved for practitioners at the elite Arcana Academy.

Just when it seems her luck has run dry, the academy's enigmatic headmaster, Prince Kaelis, offers her an escape - for a price. Kaelis believes that Clara is the perfect tool to help him steal a tarot card from the king and use it to re-create an all-powerful card long lost to time.

In order to conceal her identity and keep her close, Kaelis brings Clara to Arcana Academy, introducing her as the newest first-year student and his bride-to-be.

Thrust into a world of arcane magic and royal intrigue, where one misstep will send her back to prison or worse, Clara finds that the prince she swore to hate may not be what he seems. But can she risk giving him power over the world - and her heart? Or will she take it for herself?"

So apparently they don't have a rule about staff and students dating.

The Last Wizards' Ball by Charlaine Harris
Published by: S and S/Saga Press
Publication Date: July 22nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"#1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Charlaine Harris returns with the sixth and final installment in the critically acclaimed Gunnie Rose series as sisters Lizbeth Rose and Felicia must face their fates at the last Wizards' Ball.

Lizbeth Rose's sister Felicia attends the Grand Wizards' Ball, and as one of the most powerful - and beautiful - death wizards in a generation, she is highly sought after as one of the belles of the ball.

However, war and violence are on the rise in Europe as German and Japanese wizards are also courting Felicia…and some are refusing to take no for an answer.

As the façade of genteel wizard society turns deadly, Lizbeth must learn to not only protect her sister, but also navigate the arcane world that is pulling her sister and husband into a dangerous dance with death that could change the world as they know it.

#1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Charlaine Harris has crafted a murderous and magical family drama in this sixth and final installment to the beloved and bestselling Gunnie Rose series."

If you've been waiting to binge this series now's the time!

The Twilight Magus by Tim Pratt
Published by: Aconyte Books
Publication Date: July 22nd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 322 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The enigmatic Carl Sanford is the master of all things occult in Arkham, until a charismatic newcomer threatens to take everything away from him in this dark mystery set in the world of Arkham Horror.

Carl Sanford's mastery of the Silver Twilight Lodge gives him unbridled power and influence, but unforeseen turmoil is coming to Arkham... A new occult curiosity shop in the city, opened by newcomer Randall Tillinghast, draws Sanford's ire, challenging his formerly unrivalled authority. Sanford expects to crush the newcomer like an ant and take what he wants from the wreckage, but Randall Tillinghast isn't quite as humble and harmless as he seems. In possession of an array of magical artifacts, Tillinghast begins to subvert Sanford's reputation in more ways than one, forcing Carl Sanford to call all the monsters and magic at his disposal to stop him. Will it be enough?"

I just can't get enough of Arkham Horror. Be sure to also check out the comics written by Cullen Bunn!

Ruthless Devotion by Rebecca Kenney
Published by: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication Date: July 22nd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"He was the other half of my soul - the mirror to my every dark desire. My destruction, my redemption, my salvation: my Heathcliff.

Cathy Earnshaw's got the devil inside her - or at least that's what the small, cultish community she's spent her whole life trapped inside would say. She can sense death coming, and every loss sends her spiraling into a violent, uncontrollable episode of grief, wailing like a banshee across the swampy forests of the Lowcountry. With a secret as dark as hers, there's no hope of relief, or escape, or finding someone with a chance of understanding.

Until she meets him.

Heathcliff's got his own trauma, and a secret just as dangerous as Cathy's. Stolen as a child, raised by necromancers, he's the most forbidden sin she could ever imagine...and the most desperately tempting. Violent in his passions, tender in his affection, he feels like the other half of her soul, but even as they claw desperately to be together, the world seems just as determined to keep them apart.

Because it turns out their little Southern community was built long ago on a graveyard of lies...and every cult needs its sacrificial lamb.

An addictive and truly original spicy New Adult retelling of Wuthering Heights with a magical twist."

I mean, Cathy and Heathcliff in a cultish community rings true.

Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez
Published by: Random House
Publication Date: July 22nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 3240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An eerie, hypnotic debut about friendship, desire, and memory set against the sultry backdrop of Florida's swamplands.

It's been years since Ingrid has heard from her childhood best friend, Mayra, a fearless rebel who fled their hometown of Hialeah, a Cuban neighborhood just west of Miami, for college in the Northeast. But when Mayra calls out of the blue to invite Ingrid to a weekend getaway at a house in the Everglades, she impulsively accepts.

From the moment Ingrid sets out, danger looms: The directions are difficult, she's out of reach of cell service, and as she drives deeper into the Everglades, the wet maw of the swamp threatens to swallow her whole. But once Ingrid arrives, Mayra is, in many ways, just as she remembers - with her sharp tongue and effortless, seductive beauty, still thumbing her nose at the world.

Before they can fully settle into the familiar intimacy of each other's company, their reunion is spoiled by the reemergence of past disagreements and the unexpected presence of Mayra's new boyfriend, Benji. The trio spend their hours eating lavish meals and exploring the labyrinthine house, which holds as much mystery as the swamp itself. Indoors and on the grounds, time itself seems to expand, and Ingrid begins to lose a sense of the outside world, and herself.

Against this disquieting setting, where lizards dart in and out of porches and alligators peek from dark waters, Gonzalez weaves a surreal, unforgettable story about the dizzying power of early friendship and the lengths we'll go to earn love and acceptance - even at the risk of losing ourselves entirely."

Oh so Southern Gothic!

Red Rabbit Ghost by Jen Julian
Published by: Run for It
Publication Date: July 22nd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An impulsive young outcast confronts his small town's dark secrets in this atmospheric and haunting debut horror novel from brilliant new voice Jen Julian.

The town of Blacknot is not what it appears, and a place on its desolate edge known only as The Night House is calling...

What remains of Jesse's mother can fit inside an old jerky tin. Photos, postcards, a single, worn-out bracelet. But nothing that can explain why she was found dead eighteen years earlier on the bank of a river, her infant son left wailing by her side. When Jesse starts to receive anonymous messages promising him answers, he returns home to the regressive town of Blacknot, North Carolina so that his lifelong obsession can finally be laid to rest.

But Jesse's investigation is stirring up trouble with the locals, including his well-armed ex-boyfriend and the mysterious daughter of a local businessman, each with their own inscrutable agendas. They will soon find that this backwater town holds a power more volatile than any of them could have imagined, and that the answers they seek might be better left buried."

Of course it's better to leave things buried. Just ignore me and my shovel. 

It Was Her House First by Cherie Priest
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: July 22nd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Ronnie doesn't know it yet, but her fate rests in the hands of the dead.

Silent film star Venita Rost's malevolent spirit lurks spider-like in her cliffside mansion, a once-beautiful home that's claimed countless unlucky souls. And she's not alone. Snared in her terrible web, Inspector Bartholomew Sloan - her eternal nemesis - watches her wreak havoc in helpless horror, shackled by his own guilt and Venita's unrelenting wrath.

Now the house has yet another new owner. This time it's Ronnie Mitchell, a grieving woman who buys the run-down place sight unseen. She arrives armed with an unexpected inheritance, a strong background in renovation, and a blissful ignorance regarding the house's blood-soaked history. But her arrival has stirred up more than just dust and decay. In the shadows, unseen eyes watch. Then, a man comes knocking. He brings wild stories and a thinly veiled jealousy, as well as a secret connection to the house that can only lead to violence.

Venita's fury awakens, and a deadly game unfolds.

Caught between a vengeful ghost and a ruthless living threat, Ronnie's skepticism crumbles. The line between living and dead isn't as sharp as it seems, and she realizes too late that in Venita's house, survival might be just an illusion."

I totally would be a vengeful ghost holding onto my house. But I don't think I could write that anywhere near as well as Cherie does.

Choose Your Own Adventure Cryptid Chronicles: Mothman by Cristin Bishara and Sofia Cavallari
Published by: Choose Your Own Adventure
Publication Date: July 22nd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 208 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Unknowable forces are lurking in the mountains of Appalachia in this interactive book where YOU decide what happens next! Packed with 17 possible endings!

Choose Your Own Adventure books - the 4th bestselling children's series of all time - are back and as much fun as you remember. Kids and adults agree, these are the books that get 9 to 12-year-olds reading.

YOU are a kid with mysteries to solve in the heart of the Appalachian mountains, where a timeless tension between ancient creatures and alien invaders is coming to a head! You've heard stories of when the Silver Bridge collapsed into the Ohio River, and sightings of a terrifying figure in the aftermath that led many to blame the Mothman for the tragedy. Now, as another disaster looms, it's up to you to stop it!

Will the mesmerizing glow of the Mothman's eyes lure you into joining him? Will a secret government agency recruit you to help them save the Earth? Or will you be kidnapped to an alien planet, never to see your home again?

Kids who love cryptids and UFOs will be swept away by this thrilling science fiction adventure, where their choices are literally the most important thing in the world!"

Seeing as everyone I know who loved Choose Your Own Adventure books are also cryptid freaks this is the smartest line extension EVER.

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