Showing posts with label Emily Hourican. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emily Hourican. Show all posts

Monday, August 18, 2025

Tuesday Tomorrow

The Possession of Alba Díazby Isabel Cañas
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When a demonic presence awakens deep in a Mexican silver mine, the young woman it seizes must turn to the one man she shouldn't trust…from bestselling author Isabel Cañas.

In 1765, plague sweeps through Zacatecas. Alba flees with her wealthy merchant parents and fiancé, Carlos, to his family's isolated mine for refuge. But safety proves fleeting as other dangers soon bare their teeth: Alba begins suffering from strange hallucinations, sleepwalking, and violent convulsions. She senses something cold lurking beneath her skin. Something angry. Something wrong.

Elías, haunted by a troubled past, came to the New World to make his fortune and escape his family's legacy of greed. Alba, as his cousin's betrothed, is none of his business. Which is of course why he can't help but notice the growing tension between them every time she enters the room…and why he notices her deteriorate when the demon's thirst for blood gets stronger.

In the fight for her life, Alba and Elías become entangled with the occult, the Church, long-kept secrets, and each other… not knowing that one of these things will spell their doom."

Oh, this sounds like peak Isabel Cañas Gothic goodness!

The Secrets of Blackthorn House by Marie McWilliams
Published by: Quill and Crow Publishing House
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"After a whirlwind romance, Evelyn is excited to start her new life with her husband, Peter. But when the sudden passing of Peter's uncle gives him the title Lord Black, along with the family's remote manor, Blackthorn House, she finds herself in the middle of the wild Yorkshire Moors, separated from the only life she has ever known. She quickly realizes something is wrong with Blackthorn House: children's laughter can be heard throughout the halls, the constant fog is full of wailing specters, and her dreams are haunted by an entity wearing her mother's corpse like a suit. Furthermore, her new husband has become a stranger to her, treating her with barely veiled disdain. Under the constant surveillance of the staff of Blackthorn House, Evelyn struggles to find answers. Unable to gain any insight from the frightened locals in the nearby village, Evelyn and her trusted servant, Lilly, must seek answers from the dead. They learn that the Black family has long kept a dark and terrible secret. A secret that threatens both of their lives and, now, the life of Evelyn's unborn baby. A secret involving a bargain paid in blood."

Like, well, everything here, everything is what I love about this book.

Daughter of the Tarot by Claire Marchant
Published by: Boldwood Books
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: eBook, 311 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Brand new from the bestselling author of The House of the Witch. Perfect for fans of The Midnight House and The Square of Sevens.

Two women, linked by the cards, unravel a secret spanning the decades...

1644: Portia is living in London, having escaped an abusive man in Italy, with just baby Vittoria and the clothes on their backs. Making her living reading tarot cards, she starts to realise there are other women like her - who need help. As she delivers the Devil card to their door, each has the chance to escape... But to what future? Because Portia is a woman with secrets. And they are about to come back to haunt her.

Now: After her mother's death and father's hasty plans to remarry, Beatrice has left home to open a tarot shop in London. But when she's unpacking, she finds a set of cards she's never seen before, one that's evidently been handed down through generations of her family. It's a set that is missing a card though… the Devil's Card. She begins to search for the lost card, but she also starts to hear rumours of that very card being linked to a series of murders of women in 17th century London...

Will she find the truth… or will she only see the illusions the cards are suggesting?"

Murders or rescues? I'm a sucker for anything with the tarot. 

Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the vein of Alice Hoffman and Charlie Jane Anders's own All the Birds in the Sky comes a novel full of love, disaster, and magic.

A young witch teaches her mother how to do magic - with very unexpected results - in this relatable, resonant novel about family, identity, and the power of love.

Jamie is basically your average New England academic in-training - she has a strong queer relationship, an esoteric dissertation proposal, and inherited generational trauma. But she has one extraordinary secret: she's also a powerful witch.

Serena, Jamie's mother, has been hiding from the world in an old one-room schoolhouse for several years, grieving the death of her wife and the simultaneous explosion in her professional life. All she has left are memories.

Jamie's busy digging into a three-hundred-year-old magical book, but she still finds time to teach Serena to cast spells and help her come out of her shell. But Jamie doesn't know the whole story of what happened to her mom years ago, and those secrets are leading Serena down a destructive path.

Now it's up to this grad student and literature nerd to understand the secrets behind this mysterious novel from 1749, unearth a long-buried scandal hinted therein, and learn the true nature of magic, before her mother ruins both of their lives."

When did hunky type over some sort of color ground become synonymous with books about witches?

The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland by Rachael Herron
Published by: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A "warm, witchy, and wonderful" family story that is the queer love-child of Practical Magic and The Parent Trap as one woman is about to discover that she's a witch (Sarah Beth Durst).

Beatrice Barnard doesn't believe in magic. She definitely doesn't believe the predictions of the celebrity psychic who claims that she will experience seven miracles and that she will die. And as it turns out, her husband is cheating on her. Bea, now in desperate need of solitude, flees to Skerry Island, off the Pacific Northwest coast. Immediately upon arrival, she finds her life on the line as a rogue woodchopper blade almost kills her. Her survival is almost like a miracle.

And then things get more miraculous when she discovers her twin sister, Cordelia, and her mother, Astrid, who supposedly died when Beatrice was two years old. Astrid and Cordelia reveal that Beatrice (given name Beatrix) is an immensely powerful witch who can commune with the dead. When Cordelia and Beatrice's twin magic is joined, it shines like a beacon on the malevolent spirits who are locked in an age-old struggle for magical dominance over the Hollands.

Beatrice doesn't know what to believe, but she begins to fear that the seven predicted miracles may occur and that her death is near. But when her niece, Minna, goes missing, Bea's own life suddenly seems much less important. Beatrice must join her mother and her sister to save Minna even if she dies in the process."

Twin magic? Really!?!

The Late-Night Witches by Auralee Wallace
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An enchantingly warm and funny novel about family, love lost and found, discovering who you are, and how difficult it is to slay a vampire from the beloved national bestselling author of the TikTok sensation In the Company of Witches.

Cassie Beckett's life is anything but magical. With a wild younger sister, three unruly kids, and an absent husband, she's really not looking forward to the witching month of October. At least the gorgeous, foggy Prince Edward Island is always quiet.

That is, until the vampires arrive.

As the creatures sink their teeth into Cassie's tenuous grip on normalcy, she's forced to come face-to-face with long - disregarded family secrets. The legacy gifts her with power, but also a lofty responsibility: rid the island of vampires, or let them win. (Both options suck, in more ways than one.)

Armed with her family, newfound friends, and a baby in a spectacularly garlicky onesie, Cassie must learn what it is to be a witch and how to fight for what she loves before time runs out. Because on Halloween night, the stakes will be higher than ever before... and it's up to Cassie to finish what the witches that came generations before her started."

Witches and PEI!?! Sold!

Feral and Hysterical by Sadie Hartmann
Published by: Page Street Publishing
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 208 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Discover the Scream Queens of Must-Read Horror.

Bram Stoker Awards® winning author Sadie "Mother Horror" Hartmann has curated the ultimate collection of recommendations from the leading ladies of horror! From classic authors such as Mary Shelley, Shirley Jackson, and Daphne du Maurier to the modern wave of indie names and all the underrated voices waiting to be discovered, there's enough deadly damsels in here to leave you feeling distressed long after you've run out of shelf space.

Each recommendation includes a spoiler-free synopsis and has been carefully catalogued and organized into thematic reading lists making it easier than ever to sate your darkest desires. Are you in your Gothic Era? Love watching a marriage gruesomely fall apart? Just finished Mexican Gothic and need more Sporror in your life? Whatever you're vibing with, there's a list for that.

Featuring a foreword by prolific horror author Ania Ahlborn and five essays from Alma Katsu, Alexis Henderson, Christina Henry, Rae Wilde, and Laura Purcell, this fully illustrated reader's guide is a must-have for any horror fanatic looking to get out of a reading slump or diversify their TBR pile."

I mean, I don't have more shelf space, but I'll make room for this book if just for Laura Purcell's essay.

The End of the World As We Know It edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene
Published by: Gallery Books
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 800 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An original short story anthology based on master storyteller Stephen King's #1 New York Times bestselling classic The Stand!

Since its initial publication in 1978, The Stand has been considered Stephen King's seminal masterpiece of apocalyptic fiction, with millions of copies sold and adapted twice for television. Although there are other extraordinary works exploring the unraveling of human society, none have been as influential as this iconic novel - generations of writers have been impacted by its dark yet ultimately hopeful vision of the end and new beginning of civilization, and its stunning array of characters.

Now for the first time, Stephen King has fully authorized a return to the harrowing world of The Stand through this original short story anthology as presented by award-winning authors and editors Christopher Golden and Brian Keene. Bringing together some of today's greatest and most visionary writers, The End of the World As We Know It features unforgettable, all-new stories set during and after (and some perhaps long after) the events of The Stand - brilliant, terrifying, and painfully human tales that will resonate with readers everywhere as an essential companion to the classic, bestselling novel.

Featuring an introduction by Stephen King, a foreword by Christopher Golden, and an afterword by Brian Keene. Contributors include Wayne Brady and Maurice Broaddus, Poppy Z. Brite, Somer Canon, C. Robert Cargill, Nat Cassidy, V. Castro, Richard Chizmar, S.A. Cosby, Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes, Meg Gardiner, Gabino Iglesias, Jonathan Janz, Alma Katsu, Caroline Kepnes, Michael Koryta, Sarah Langan, Joe R. Lansdale, Tim Lebbon, Josh Malerman, Ronald Malfi, Usman T. Malik, Premee Mohamed, Cynthia Pelayo, Hailey Piper, David J. Schow, Alex Segura, Bryan Smith, Paul Tremblay, Catherynne M. Valente, Bev Vincent, Catriona Ward, Chuck Wendig, Wrath James White, and Rio Youers."

I mean, I was in this just because Christopher Golden edited it, and then I saw the author list, and damn. Must buy.

Hatchet Girls by Joe R. Lansdale
Published by: Mulholland Books
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Your next dose of pitch-black comedy, mystery, and mayhem has arrived as Hap and Leonard find themselves in a vicious and ridiculous situation - just as the best friends may finally be calling it quits.

When Hap and Leonard are called in on a strange request (subduing a meth-hopped hog) by a desperate young lady, they quickly learn this woman is part of a fringe group: The Hatchet Girls, who have pledged their allegiance to a crazed and grudge-bearing leader bent on bloody societal revenge. The timing couldn't be worse to be caught in such a vile, sticky wicket of a case: both boys are wrapped up in their domestic lives: Leonard is in the midst of wedding planning with fiancee, Pookie. And meanwhile, Hap and Brett are hard at work on their new home. Homemaking bliss will have to wait as Hap and Leonard are driven to stop the danger in its tracks and better understand the group's mission and the plans they have already set in place for helter-skelter esque mayhem.

Life changes, midnight sneaks, and dark encounters with misguided dames who yell "Chop, Chop," lead Hap and Leonard into one of their darkest adventures yet."

Damn, I can never get enough Hap and Leonard. I still wish we had gotten a longer run of the show as well. Thankfully we have the books. And this one looks murderously fun.

One Dark Night by Hannah Richell
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When a body is found the day after Halloween, a small British community must reckon with its past and the dangers lurking in its present in this spine-tingling novel from "not to be missed" (Hayley Scrivener, author of Dirt Creek) author Hannah Richell.

On Halloween, a group of teenage students meet in the woods near Sally in the Wood, a road steeped in local lore and rumored to be haunted by the ghost of a murdered girl. By the end of the night, one student will be dead.

Rachel, the school guidance counselor, is trying to keep a handle on her increasingly distant teenaged daughter, Ellie, while students and parents panic and mourn. Her ex-husband and detective Ben, dealing with a personal crisis of his own, has concerns about his daughter's safety as he investigates the death. Meanwhile, Ellie is keeping secrets from both her parents, including one about where she was that night.

Told from multiple perspectives and with Hannah Richell's distinct "atmospheric and ever-twisting" (Emylia Hall, author of the Shell House Detective Mysteries) prose, One Dark Night is a white-knuckled and suspenseful thriller about urban legends, privilege, and how the past continues to haunt us."

Halloween and urban legends always are the sweet spot for me.

The Story That Wouldn't Die by Christina Estes
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Emmy Award-winning reporter Christina Estes uses her twenty-year career for inspiration for her mysteries. In The Story That Wouldn't Die, Jolene Garcia refuses to stop investigating, but someone is determined to kill the story - and maybe her.

Phoenix, Arizona TV reporter Jolene Garcia is fresh off winning her first Emmy and committed to covering stories that matter to her community. But Jolene's managers want stories that grab immediate attention and generate clicks, not ones that take time to develop.

When a beloved small business owner dies in a car crash, Jolene isn't convinced it was an accident. He'd been raising questions about who keeps getting lucrative deals at city hall - questions that powerful people don't want answered. The deeper Jolene digs, the more suspicious things she uncovers.

Exposing greed, ambition, and deception could become the biggest story of Jolene's career. Her bosses tell her to drop it. But there's a story here, and Jolene's going to find it."

Could her bosses be in on it? Claiming "clicks" when it's really them that's up to no good?

The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The perfect summer read, full of charm and heart, written in the vein of The Thursday Murder Club or Only Murders in the Building but with a southern California twist.

Mrs. B, the landlady of The Marigold Cottages is a stubborn idealist who only rents to people she cares about: Sophie, an anxious young playwright with a dark past; Hamilton, an agoraphobe who likes to overshare; Ocean, a queer sculptor raising two kids alone; the perfectionist Lily-Ann; and Nicholas, a finance bro who's hiding secrets.

The tenants live contentedly in their doll-house bungalows in Santa Barbara, just minutes from the beach, until their peace is shattered when Anthony, a quiet, hulking, but potentially violent ex-con moves in. Three weeks later, a dead body is discovered on the streets of the peaceful neighborhood. Anthony is arrested, and the tenants heave sighs of relief. Until Mrs. B, convinced that he's innocent, marches down to the police station and confesses to the crime herself. The tenants band together and form "The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective" to save their beloved landlady. As clues are unearthed and secrets are revealed, the community of misfits only grows more tight-knit... until a second body is found. Full of eccentricity, humor, community, The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective will keep you hooked until the last page."

Though I will point out that Only Murders in the Building was in California this past season...

Joy Moody Is Out of Time by Kerryn Mayne
Published by: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the author of the beloved novel Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder comes another quirky and irresistible crime novel.

Strange things are happening behind the bright pink facade of Bayside's premier laundromat, Joyful Suds, home to Joy Moody and her twin daughters.

For much of their lives, Joy has been lying to Cassie and Andie. What started as a colorful tale to explain how the twins came to live with her grew over the years and was always something she meant to set straight. Joy really did think she had more time. Worse still, Joy is struggling to define the truth from the lies.

The girls have long believed they are vital to the future and must stay hidden to stay safe. Joy has told them that their impending twenty-first birthday is significant; they will step into their roles as leaders of a revolution and life as they know it will change. Joy was right - everything will change, just not in the way they expected. On Andie and Cassie's birthday, Joy Moody is found dead and her girls face a world they are not prepared for without their mother. Joy Moody is out of time... in more ways than one."

Unless she helps her children from beyond the grave...

Beattie Cavendish and the White Pearl Club by Mary-Jane Riley
Published by: Allison and Busby
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"1948. The shadow of war still lingers over Britain and Beattie Cavendish, former Secret Operations Executive agent, refuses to settle into civilian life. When offered an undercover role at the newly formed GCHQ, the nerve centre of Britain's intelligence network, she doesn't hesitate. Her first mission is to infiltrate the powerful Bowen family and find out what she can about politician Ralph Bowen, who is suspected of being a communist sympathiser.

Her mission takes a deadly turn when the Bowen's housekeeper, Sofia, has her throat cut. As the investigation spirals, Beattie teams up with war-weary detective Patrick Corrigan to expose a dangerous web of spies and secrets all leading back to The White Pearl Club, a Soho establishment that caters to gentlemen with dangerous appetites.

As powerful forces attempt to bury the truth, Beattie must survive a ruthless game of deception and the dark underbelly of 1940s Soho at the dawn of the Cold War."

You know, Britain after the war had a lot of sketchy and dangerous gentlemen's clubs... Definitely more than dukes in romance novels. 

Lessons in Crime edited by Martin Edwards
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Delving into the stacks and tomes of the British Library collections, Martin Edwards invites you to a course on the darker side of scholarly ambition with an essential reading list of fifteen masterful short stories.

With a cohort of writers including Dorothy L. Sayers, Ethel Lina White, Jacqueline Wilson, Michael Innes, and Edmund Crispin, this new anthology offers a selection of classics and rarities to provide a rewarding education in the beguiling art of mystery writing.

"The Master? Dr. Greeby? You don't say so! Murdered? Dear me! Poor Greeby! This will upset my whole day's work."

An Oxford Master is slain on campus during Pentecost. A headmaster faces off in a deadly battle of wits with a disgruntled parent. A sixth-form public school prank courts a murderous consequence.

Theft, blackmail, murder, and mystery run amok through the hush of the university library, the cacophonies of school corridors, and the simmering tensions of the staff room."

I mean, for me, this summer has been all about the darker side of academia... 

A Kennedy Affair by Emily Hourican
Published by: Mobius
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When Kathleen 'Kick' Kennedy left London four years ago, Europe was facing war and Billy Cavendish, the man she loved, had told her he could never marry her. Now, as London stands a shell of its former self, Kick returns to volunteer with the Red Cross, determined to do what she can for the city that holds a part of her heart, and to reconnect with Billy - despite what London society thinks of her. For Lady Brigid Guinness, life is unrecognisable. She has swapped dinner parties, social engagements and high fashion for long shifts as a nurse helping wounded soldiers. And the only person she can really talk to is a man shunned by her inner circle.

When Sissy, a young Irish girl, arrives from Wicklow under the care of the Guinness family, she brings her own secrets and all three women begin to realise that in a time of war, friendship might be the only thing they can rely on.

A Kennedy Affair is a story of forbidden love, family discord, and how in the worst of times, we can discover the best of ourselves, and each other."

If anyone doubts that the Kennedys are cursed, read up about Kick Kennedy's life sometime.

Murder in Hollywood by Millicent Binks
Published by: Bookouture
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Kindle, 269 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Lights, camera, action and... murder?

1934. Opal Laplume's star is on the rise when she gets a job making costumes for Hollywood's biggest talkie star, Jane Margeaux. But when Jane is fatally shot on set by a prop gun, and security guard Augusto finds a bullet missing from his pistol, it falls to Opal to save her favourite new friend from a wrongful murder accusation.

Opal soon discovers that Jane had a list of enemies as long as the train on her designer gown. Jane's co-star Betty envied her rise to fame, but did her jealousy take a deadly turn? Jane's loyal assistant Virginia was overworked and underpaid. Did she get Jane out of the way to get ahead at the studio? Or did Jane's fortune-hunting husband Carey see an opportunity to inherit his wife's jaw-dropping Sunset Boulevard mansion?

Just when Opal thinks she's found her prime suspect, a crew member is found dead in the California desert with a briefcase stuffed full of movie scripts. And a close look at the director's cut of Jane's latest picture reveals a secret message hidden in plain sight. Soon, Opal will find that Jane was hiding the biggest secret in Hollywood - one truly worth killing for.

Can Opal keep her English cool among the Tinseltown drama and crack the case before it's a wrap for the entire crew?

Grab a first-row seat to this fabulous and utterly charming Golden Age whodunnit full of glamour, intrigue and murder set in 1930s Hollywood. Fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Verity Bright won’t be able to put this down!"

Even in the past prop guns are dangerous.

Guardians of Dawn: Yuli by S. Jae-Jones
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The third book in the sweeping, richly imagined Guardians of Dawn fantasy series from S. Jae-Jones, the New York Times bestselling author of Wintersong.

Princess Yulana has a few problems. Her late grandfather has died without naming an heir, civil war threatens to tear the Morning Realms apart, a strange waking dreamer sickness is sweeping through the land, and a plague of hungry ghosts roam the steppes. On top of all of that, Kho, her former best friend turned rival, is getting under her skin. A struggle for power divides the north, and the outcome rests on the winner of the Grand Game - a competition that will determine not just the future of her people, but the course of the entire empire.

When the world is out of balance, the Guardians of Dawn are reborn.

As the Guardian of Wind, it is Yuli's responsibility to bring order to chaos, along with the Guardian of Fire and the Guardian of Wood. But can she restore balance to the Morning Realms when she can't even win the political games being played at home? The fate of the Morning Realms depends on the Guardians of Dawn, and whether Yuli can manage both the demonic and political chaos at once.

Guardian of Wind, there you are."

Hungry ghosts are the scariest thing to me.

The Dragon Wakes with Thunder by K.X. Song
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A young woman who wields the unimaginable power of a dragon spirit must decide where her loyalties lie - and where her heart belongs - in this enthralling fantasy that reimagines the legend of Mulan.

The explosive sequel to The Night Ends with Fire!

The war may be over, but Hai Meilin is still paying a heavy toll. In spite of securing victory for the kingdom of Anlai, she is imprisoned upon her return. Her crime? Wielding a sword as a woman.

In the palace, Meilin is an outcast and a social pariah. But beyond the imperial walls, the legend of the woman warrior has taken on a life of its own. To the east, a new rebel leader needs Meilin to helm his people's revolution. In the south, a former enemy prince, now a prisoner of war, seeks Meilin's aid in restoring balance to the Three Kingdoms. And back home in Anlai, Liu Sky, Meilin's commander and first love, requires Meilin by his side in his bid for the throne.

Pulled in all directions by those who seek to use her for their own ends, Meilin vows that this time, she will not be so quick to trust. Yet there is one she cannot help but listen to - for he dwells within her.

Beyond any human machinations, the sea dragon Qinglong has his own plans for the spirit realm. During the last war, Meilin wielded his power to cheat death and attain victory for Anlai; now the dragon has come to collect his dues. Meilin's mother warned her long ago: The spirits demand blood. And Qinglong is ravenous."

Specifically for my friend Huyen who is addicted to anything Mulan.

Hemlock and Silver by T. Kingfisher
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes Hemlock and Silver, a dark reimagining of "Snow White" steeped in poison, intrigue, and treason of the most magical kind.

Healer Anja regularly drinks poison.

Not to die, but to save - seeking cures for those everyone else has given up on.

But a summons from the King interrupts her quiet, herb-obsessed life. His daughter, Snow, is dying, and he hopes Anja's unorthodox methods can save her.

Aided by a taciturn guard, a narcissistic cat, and a passion for the scientific method, Anja rushes to treat Snow, but nothing seems to work. That is, until she finds a secret world, hidden inside a magic mirror. This dark realm may hold the key to what is making Snow sick.

Or it might be the thing that kills them all."

I mean, I'll read anything T. Kingfisher writes, but a narcissistic cat? I'm SO there.

Monday, April 17, 2023

Tuesday Tomorrow

Mummy Darlings by Emily Hourican
Published by: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: April 18th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 512 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"This stunning novel the from author of The Glorious Guinness Girls follows the three enigmatic Guinness sisters as they take on married life and motherhood at the beginning of the 1930s.

It's the dawn of the 1930s and the three privileged Guinness sisters, Aileen, Maureen and Oonagh, settle into becoming wives and mothers: Aileen in Luttrellstown Castle outside Dublin, Maureen in Clandeboye in Northern Ireland, and Oonagh in Rutland Place in London.

But while Britain becomes increasingly politically polarized, Aileen, Maureen and Oonagh discover conflict within their own marriages.

Oonagh's dream of romantic love is countered by her husband's lies; the intense nature of Maureen's marriage means passion, but also rows; while Aileen begins to discover that, for her, being married offers far less than she had expected.

Meanwhile, Kathleen, a housemaid from their childhood home in Glenmaroon, travels between the three sisters, helping, listening, watching - even as her own life brings her into conflict with the clash between fascism and communism.

As affairs are uncovered and secrets exposed, the three women begin to realize that their gilded upbringing could not have prepared them for the realities of married life, nor for the scandals that seem to follow them around."

If you've read all there is about the Mitfords, might I suggest the Guinnesses?

The Audrey Hepburn Estate by Brenda Janowitz
Published by: Graydon House,
Publication Date: April 18th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"One woman. Two childhood loves. The dazzling place where it all began.

When Emma Jansen discovers that the grand Long Island estate where she grew up is set to be demolished, she can't help but return for one last visit. After all, it was a place filled with firsts: learning to ride a bike, sneaking a glass of champagne, falling in love.

But once Emma arrives at the storied mansion, she can't ignore the more complicated memories. Because that's not exactly where Emma grew up. Her mother and father worked for the family that owned the estate, and they lived over the garage like Audrey Hepburn's character in the film Sabrina. Emma never felt fully accepted, except by the family's grandson, Henry - a former love - and by the driver's son, Leo - her best friend.

As plans for the property are put into motion and the three are together for the first time in over a decade, Emma finds herself caught between two worlds and two loves. And when the house reveals a shattering secret about her own family, she'll have to decide what kind of life she really wants for herself now and who she wants to be in it."

Here for the Sabrina of it all!

The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: April 18th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"One of Buzzfeed's Romance Books To Look Out For In 2023!

Two rival spies must brave pirates, witches, and fake matrimony to save the Queen.

Known as Agent A, Alice is the top operative within the Agency of Undercover Note Takers, a secret government intelligence group that is fortunately better at espionage than at naming itself. From managing deceptive witches to bored aristocratic ladies, nothing is beyond Alice's capabilities. She has a steely composure and a plan always up her sleeve (alongside a dagger and an embroidered handkerchief). So when rumors of an assassination plot begin to circulate, she's immediately assigned to the case.

But she's not working alone. Daniel Bixby, otherwise known as Agent B and Alice's greatest rival, is given the most challenging undercover assignment of his life - pretending to be Alice's husband. Together they will assume the identity of a married couple, infiltrate a pirate house party, and foil their unpatriotic plans.

Determined to remain consummate professionals, Alice and Daniel must ignore the growing attraction between them, especially since acting on it might prove more dangerous than their target."

A pirate house party!?! 

The Cherished by Patricia Ward
Published by: HarperTeen
Publication Date: April 18th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For fans of White Smoke, The Hazel Wood, and Wilder Girls comes an original, hypnotizing horror thriller in the vein of Midsommar, as one girl inherits a mysterious house from her estranged grandmother - and a letter with sinister instructions.

Jo never expected to be placed in her absent grandmother's will - let alone be left her house, her land, and a letter with mysterious demands.

Upon arriving at the inherited property, things are even more strange.

The tenants mentioned in the letter are odd, just slightly…off. Jo feels something dark and decrepit in the old shack behind the house. And the things that her father used to talk about, his delusions… Why is Jo starting to believe they might be real?

But what Jo fears most is the letter from her grandmother. Because if it's true, then Jo belongs here, in this strange place. And she has no choice but to stay."

I love menacing inheritances, I hate Midsommar.

Stranger Things: Heroes and Monsters by Rana Tahir
Published by: Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 18th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A thrilling Choose Your Own Adventure® book based on Netflix's Stranger Things!

Are YOU ready to journey to the dark side of Hawkins, Indiana? Join Eleven, Dustin, Max, Lucas, and their friends as they explore Pennhurst Asylum, the creepy old Creel house, and possibly even the Upside Down. The decisions YOU make will decide the fates of the characters and lead to unexpected, thrilling, and even deadly outcomes. Fans of Netflix's hit show Stranger Things will love this exciting addition to the Choose Your Own Adventure® series.

In Netflix's Stranger Things, a group of young friends explore supernatural forces and secret government exploits in Hawkins, Indiana, in the 1980s. As they search for answers, the children embark on incredible adventures and unravel extraordinary mysteries."

OK, I couldn't think of a better partnership if I tried.

Games for Dead Girls by Jen Williams
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: April 18th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Exploring the fine line where supernatural ends and real human monstrosity begins, Games for Dead Girls is a haunting, dark read from award-winning author Jen Williams.

In the vein of Jennifer Hillier and Alex North, and told in alternating timelines, a ritualistic game turns deadly for two young girls, but it will be years before they must face the true horrors of their past.

When Charlie was eleven, she created a monster...

For Charlie and her niece Katie, it's supposed to be a quiet holiday in the peaceful, out-of-the-way seaside town of Hithechurch, England. Charlie is researching a book on the folklore of the area, and the gloomy sea and dangerous caves seem to offer up plenty of material, while Katie is just there to run wild and get some fresh air.

But Charlie's research reveals a deeper, darker secret, one that uncovers her own, carefully hidden past. Because young women are going missing again: a teenage girl snatched from the beach in broad daylight, and before that, other girls through the decades have vanished from the area, their families left with no answers and no bodies to bury.

Charlie's creation was a thing of felt, straw, fury, and a rusty pair of scissors in the dark. It couldn't be her monster. Could it? Charlie is set on discovering the truth about the girls' disappearances, but she's about to encounter a force of pure, obsessive malevolence that threatens to destroy anything in its path."

Folklore and monsters made real, YES!

Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: April 18th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A young Native girl's hunt for answers about the women mysteriously disappearing from her tribe's reservation leads her to delve into the myths and stories of her people, all while being haunted herself, in this atmospheric and stunningly poignant debut.

Anna Horn is always looking over her shoulder. For the bullies who torment her, for the entitled visitors at the reservation's casino…and for the nameless, disembodied entity that stalks her every step - an ancient tribal myth come-to-life, one that's intent on devouring her whole.

With strange and sinister happenings occurring around the casino, Anna starts to suspect that not all the horrors on the reservation are old. As girls begin to go missing and the tribe scrambles to find answers, Anna struggles with her place on the rez, desperately searching for the key she’s sure lies in the legends of her tribe's past.

When Anna's own little sister also disappears, she'll do anything to bring Grace home. But the demons plaguing the reservation - both ancient and new - are strong, and sometimes, it's the stories that never get told that are the most important.

Part gripping thriller and part mythological horror, author Nick Medina spins an incisive and timely novel of life as an outcast, the cost of forgetting tradition, and the courage it takes to become who you were always meant to be."

Oh, I love the phrase mythological horror! I have to use that more often because that is my jam.

Trejo's Cantina by Danny Trejo
Published by: Clarkson Potter
Publication Date: April 18th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A cantina-style celebration of Mexican food and drink, entertaining, and Hollywood culture in 100 recipes for nachos, tacos, and Danger Dogs plus cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks from the legendary actor, restaurateur, and author of the acclaimed Trejo's Tacos.

The cantina is the place where families, friends, and colleagues gather to celebrate. In Trejo's Cantina, beloved actor and restaurateur Danny Trejo shares recipes for snacks and drinks that celebrate his traditions and spirit. Along with mouthwatering recipes that make all people feel welcome, from plant-based (Vegan Tamales) and vegetarian (Fight Night Nachos; Mexican Grilled Caesar) to meaty faves (Chorizo Smash Burgers; Tijuana-Style Birria), there are also dozens of inventive takes on classic cocktails including spicy Margaritas and Oaxacan "Moscow" Mules as well as dozens of thirst-quenching non-alcoholic drinks such as Agua Frescas (Pineapple, Guava Lime, Mango), a Tamarind Fizz, and a Cacao Chile Smoothie.

Danny includes helpful tips like how to build a booze-free bar, how to master the tamale, how to mix-and-match salsas, and much more. He also reminisces about his upbringing in Los Angeles, from barhopping with uncles on Olvera Street to his memories of sneaking into movie theaters to cool off and watching films wide-eyed and inspired.

Danny's approach to entertaining is accessible, celebratory, and empowering to cooks of all skill levels. Trejo's Cantina, at its heart, is about living to the fullest, and about how no matter what happens, you need to eat well, drink with gratitude, and celebrate life."

I love Danny Trejo and I love that he has non-alcoholic drinks in this book as a non-drinker.

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