strange and random happenstance

Enchanting the Fae Queen by Stephanie Burgis
Published by: Bramble
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Stephanie Burgis delivers another irreverent, sparkling, and sexy installment in the Queens of Villainy series, where a seductive fae queen meets her unexpected match in the enemy empire's valiant general.

Queen Lorelei is a notorious fae seductress, with a trail of broken hearts in her wake. But behind her glamorous lifestyle and sparkling mask lurks a dangerously intelligent woman who'd do anything to keep her people safe, including kidnap the empire's most famous hero.

The virtuous high general Gerard de Moireul represents all that is moral and true. He has to, after his parents were executed for treason. The last thing he needs is the Queen of Balravia, who showers glitter and rainbow-colored sparkles everywhere she goes without the slightest regard for good taste, decorum, or royal dignity.

They're opposites in every way, but when they're swept up together in a grand - and deadly - fae tournament, they discover all of each other's most hidden truths - and how perfectly they might be suited for each other after all."

A day there's a new Stephanie Burgis book released into the world is a day filled with magic.

Ballad of the Bone Road by A.C. Wise
Published by: Titan Books
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the glittering city of Port Astor, where fae roads criss-cross human highways and ghosts whisper to the living, nothing is ever as it seems.

From Sunburst Award-winning author A.C. Wise, this utterly original dark fantasy tale of faith and fanaticism, doomed love and desperate bargains is perfect for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Ava Reid.

Port Astor is a city of ghosts. Once home to the beautiful, brutal courts of the fae, forty years ago they vanished without explanation - and Port Astor decided to forget.

Brix and Bellefeather are paranormal investigators, working to keep Port Astor's wraiths and spectres from consuming the city. Both have hauntings of their own: Belle shares her body with a demon, Belizial; Brix has trapped the soul of his dead fiancée in the world of the living, unwilling to let her go.

While investigating the glamorous and notoriously haunted Peony Hotel, Brix and Belle come across a young couple tangled up in one of the city's most infamous tales. Jimmy Valentine, silver screen idol and one-time favorite of a fae queen, has returned to haunt the Peony. But Jimmy is no mere ghost, and Brix and Belle soon realize his return is more intimately tied to their own hauntings than they could ever have imagined.

The fae have not forgotten that Port Astor once belonged to them. And their Hollow Queen won't give up her kingdom so easily."

Have we learned nothing from IT!?! You NEVER forget! It's dangerous to forget.

Silver and Blood by Jessie Mihalik
Published by: Avon
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"On a deadly mission to kill the mythical beast that has been haunting her woods, a desperate mage finds her fate intertwined with the handsome, powerful man who saves her in this dark and sexy romantasy - perfect for readers of Jennifer L. Armentrout, Callie Hart, and Holly Black.

There's something in the woods...

When a vicious beast begins attacking her fellow villagers, Riela reluctantly agrees to enter the forbidden forest and kill the monster as she's the only mage available - or so she thought.

Untrained and barely armed, Riela is quickly overwhelmed when one beast turns into two. She fears her death is at hand until the unexpected arrival of a scarred, strikingly handsome man with gleaming moonlit magic changes her fate - and provides a rare opportunity to learn more about her own fickle power.

After being rescued and healed from the beast's poison, Riela awakens in a magical castle complete with a gorgeous library, a strange wolf, and the surly man who saved her life. She soon learns Garrick is both more powerful and far deadlier than a mere mortal mage - but thanks to a century-long curse, his powers are weakening.

Trapped in his castle and surrounded by the treacherous woods, the spark of attraction between Riela and Garrick slowly ignites into fiery desire. But the more they discover about Riela's magic, the more suspicious Garrick grows of her identity. As they unravel the secrets and lies connecting Riela's past to Garrick's, the tenuous threads of trust between them start to fray.

Because Riela's life - or her death - might be the key to regaining everything Garrick has lost."

Oh, this sounds like sexy Beauty and the Beast time!

To Ride a Storm by Moniquill Blackgoose
Published by: Del Rey
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A young indigenous woman and her dragon fight for the independence of their homeland in this epic sequel to the bestselling and multi-award-winning To Shape a Dragon's Breath, "a remarkable novel that is bound to be a staple of fantasy shelves for years to come" (BuzzFeed).

Anequs has not only survived her first year at Kuiper's Academy but exceeded her professors' admittedly low expectations - and passed all her courses with honors. Now she and her dragon, Kasaqua, are headed home for the summer, along with Theod, the only other native student at the Academy.

But what should have been a relaxing break takes a darker turn. Thanks to Anequs's notoriety, there is an Anglish presence on Masquapaug for the first time ever: a presence that Anequs hates. Anequs will always fight for what she believes in, however, and what she believes in is her people's right to self-govern and live as they have for generations, without the restrictive yoke of Anglish rules and social customs. And fight she will - even if it means lighting a spark that may flare into civil war."

Always here for a dragon academy. If it has a good message about self and identity, all the better.

One Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah Yah Scholfield
Published by: S and S/Saga Press
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this sinister and surreal Southern Gothic debut, a woman escapes into the uncanny woods of southern Georgia and must contend with ghosts, haints, and most dangerous of all, the truth about herself.

When Judith Rice fled her childhood home, she thought she'd severed her abusive mother's hold on her. She didn't have a plan or destination, just a desperate need to escape. Drawn to the forests of southern Georgia, Jude finds shelter in a house as haunted by its violent history as she is by her own.

Jude embraces the eccentricities of the dilapidated house, soothing its ghosts and haints, honoring its blood-soaked land. And over the next thirteen years, Jude blossoms from her bitter beginnings into a wisewoman, a healer.

But her hard-won peace is threatened when an enigmatic woman shows up on her doorstep. The woman is beautiful but unsettling, captivating but uncanny. Ensnared by her desire for this stranger, Jude is caught off guard by brutal urges suddenly simmering beneath her skin. As the woman stirs up memories of her escape years ago, Jude must confront the calls of violence rooted in her bloodline.

Haunting and thought-provoking, On Sunday She Picked Flowers explores retribution, family trauma, and the power of building oneself back up after breaking down."

A haunted house and haints? I'm in.

This House Will Feed by Maria Tureaud
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Amidst the devastation of Ireland's Great Famine, a young woman is salvaged from certain death when offered a mysterious position at a remote manor house haunted by a strange power and the horror of her own memories in this chillingly evocative historical novel braided with gothic horror and supernatural suspense for readers of Katherine Arden's The Warm Hands of Ghosts and The Silence Factory by Bridget Collins.

County Clare, 1848: In the scant few years since the potato blight first cast its foul shadow over Ireland, Maggie O'Shaughnessy has lost everything - her entire family and the man she trusted with her heart. Toiling in the Ennis Workhouse for paltry rations, she can see no future either within or outside its walls - until the mysterious Lady Catherine arrives to whisk her away to an old mansion in the stark limestone landscape of the Burren.

Lady Catherine wants Maggie to impersonate her late daughter, Wilhelmina, and hoodwink solicitors into releasing Wilhelmina's widow pension so that Lady Catherine can continue to provide for the villagers in her care. In exchange, Maggie will receive freedom from the workhouse, land of her own, and the one thing she wants more than either: a chance to fulfill the promise she made to her brother on his deathbed - to live to spite them all.

Launching herself into the daunting task, Maggie plays the role of Wilhelmina as best she can while ignoring the villagers' tales of ghostly figures and curses. But more worrying are the whispers that come from within. Something in Lady Catherine's house is reawakening long-buried memories in Maggie - of a foe more terrifying than hunger or greed, of a power that calls for blood and vengeance, and of her own role in a nightmare that demands the darkest sacrifice..."

Brat Farrar but supernatural! 

The Green Baize Door by Eleanor Birney
Published by: Parlor and Dock
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Kindle, 305 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An atmospheric historical mystery where every character has their own agenda, and their own truth.

In the fashionable mansions on Chestnut Hill, a simple green baize door separates the masters' world from the servants'. That door is thrown wide when an elderly housekeeper is found brutally murdered on the first day of the new century. Marie Chevalier, the housekeeper's poor but ambitious granddaughter, and James Lett, the mansion owner's kind but indolent son, suspect the killer is connected to one of their families - but which one?

From drawing rooms to alleyways, their separate investigations lead them through the sometimes lavish, sometimes brutal, landscape of turn-of-the-century New England. When long-buried secrets begin to unravel the fragile threads that hold both households together, Marie and James must find a way to bridge the gulf between them - if only to prove that the murderer belongs not to their own world, but to that strange and foreign land on the other side of the green baize door.

Inspired by real-life events, The Green Baize Door is a richly layered historical mystery that explores themes of class identity, family loyalty, and the sometimes blurry line between virtue and vice."

Anyone else thinking the cover looks like the child of Eva Green and Blu Hunt?

The Case of the Murdered Muckraker by Rob Osler
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Harriet Morrow, a spunky, bike-riding, independent, lesbian P.I. in turn-of-the-20th century Chicago, is back on the case in this brilliant historical mystery inspired by a real-life Windy City detective - from the acclaimed author of the Anthony, Agatha, Macavity, and Lefty Award-nominated Devil's Chew Toy. For fans of Lev AC Rosen, Ashley Weaver, and Stephen Spotswood.

Chicago, 1898. In the midst of the Progressive Era, twenty-one-year-old junior detective Harriet Morrow is determined to prove she's more than a lucky hire as the Prescott Agency's first woman operative. But her latest challenge - a murder case steeped in scandal - could become a deadly setback...

As the Windy City thaws from a harsh winter, Harriet Morrow finds herself doubting her investigative skills when she's assigned to solve a high-stakes murder case well above her pay grade. And there's also a catch. Harriet must somehow blend in as an "unremarkable" young woman - one who feels confident in skirts, not men's clothing - on a quest to infiltrate the immigrant community at the center of the grisly crime...

The mystery has more twists and turns than her morning bike commute, with a muckraker found murdered in a southside tenement building after obtaining evidence of a powerful politician's corruption. While Harriet gains the trust of the tenement's women residents to gather clues, the undercover mission reveals an innocent mother might have been framed for the crime - and exposes ties to another violent death...

Harriet soon realizes she has few allies as new dangers explode around her. Enlisting the help of Matthew McCabe, her only true confidante at the agency, and growing more protective of her budding relationship with the lovely Barbara Wozniak, Harriet will need to survive rising threats to assert her place in a world that's quick to dismiss her - and out a killer who's always one step ahead..."

Thawing out from a harsh winter? So this is set in June right?

With Love from Harlem by ReShonda Tate
Published by: William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From The Queen of Sugar Hill author ReShonda Tate - a new novel inspired by beloved Harlem jazz performer Hazel Scott and the equal parts exhilarating and tumultuous relationship that changed the course of her life.

Harlem, 1943. At just twenty-three, Hazel Scott is a woman on fire. A jazz prodigy, a glamorous film star, and a fierce advocate for civil rights, she's breaking barriers and refusing to play by the rules. Then Adam Clayton Powell Jr. walks into her life. Harlem's most electrifying preacher-turned-politician, Adam is as bold and unyielding as Hazel - charismatic, powerful...and married.

This kicks off a decades-long relationship that propels them into the center of a political and cultural revolution. As Hazel's star rises, Adam takes the national stage in Congress and the couple becomes the toast of the country. But when their affair turns into a marriage, behind the glamorous façade is a battlefield of ego, ambition, and sacrifice. Forced to choose between her music and her family, Hazel must decide what she's willing to lose - and what she refuses to give up.

Set against the pulsing backdrop of twentieth-century Harlem and featuring icons like Billie Holiday, Langston Hughes, and James Baldwin, With Love from Harlem is a sweeping, emotionally charged romantic drama, rich with historical detail. ReShonda Tate delivers a powerful portrait of love, art, and the price of being unforgettable."

True love will understand who you refuse to give up.

Uma's Head by Kristin Kelly
Published by: Sticks on Fire Books
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 250 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the dangerous world of Southeast Asia's illicit antiquities trade, a curator's search for a missing colleague uncovers a decades-old conspiracy, and a stolen artifact that could unravel it all.

When art curator Sarah Burroughs glimpses a half-hidden Khmer sculpture in her mentor's Bangkok apartment, she doesn't yet realize she's staring at Uma's head, a stolen national treasure, and a clue to a dangerous secret. Across the border in Cambodia, fellow curator Sam Heng uncovers a shocking diary written at the start of the Khmer Rouge's brutal reign, by the father he never knew. Soon after, Heng vanishes without a trace.

Thrust into the criminal underworld of antiquities trafficking, Sarah must join forces with a mysterious government official to find her missing colleague. What begins as a research trip for a museum exhibition spirals into a harrowing rescue mission through Bangkok, Phnom Penh, and Angkor's ancient temples. Inspired by historical events, Uma's Head is a gripping mystery that explores the depths of friendship and betrayal, the long and lasting effects of war, and the devastating looting of irreplaceable material heritage."

Looting and black market antiquities trafficking! YES! The dark Indiana Jones!

Monster in the Moonlight by Annelise Ryan
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Under the light of the full moon, a quiet rural lane becomes the scene of a shocking crime that may be the work of a mythical monster in the latest entry of this USA Today bestselling mystery series.

When a dead body turns up along a lonely country byway in rural Wisconsin, rumors of The Beast of Bray Road, a werewolf-like creature that is said to inhabit the area are reinvigorated. For years locals have reported sightings of the terrifying creature, but this would be its first verified attack.

Marks on the dead woman's body indicate a mauling by some kind of large animal. The wounds plus deep scratches on the victim's car convince the community that the legendary beast is not only real but responsible for this brutal killing.

If the police have any hope of solving this crime, they're going to need an expert - enter cryptozoologist Morgan Carter. She's investigated sightings of eerie creatures throughout the upper Midwest. If anyone is going to track down the killer, it's Morgan, but she may find that the Beast is not the worst thing lurking on Bray Road."

Just saying, that in December 2025 there was a Wolverine sighting that could account for this. AKA Hugh Jackman.

The Witching Hours by Heather Graham
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A haunting murder and kidnapping on the outskirts of Salem, Massachusetts, sends two people with unique talents hunting for answers from both the past and present in internationally bestselling author Heather Graham's electrifying new Krewe of Hunters spin off for fans of Stephen King, Jayne Ann Krentz, Riley Sager, and Simone St. James.

Skye McMahon sees things. Good and bad, the past unreels in her mind's eye like a movie. Such is Skye's uncanny life. That's why she's been summoned by Special Supervisory paranormal investigators Jackson and Angela Crowe, to help solve a mystifying murder and kidnapping on the outskirts of historic Salem.

Alicia Bolton discovered her grandfather-in-law murdered, her nanny and her young son have both vanished without a trace, and her infant daughter was found terrified and crying in her playpen. Skye, partnered with the intriguing Zachary Erickson, a charmer with a psychic touch, is at first beset only by visions of Salem's witch trials and the tragic, paranoia-fueled executions. Then she sets foot in the Boltons' house.

What Skye sees is not another innocent from the 17th century swinging from a noose. What she sees is a bona fide crone, pointed hat and all, preying on the family like something from a children's nightmarish fairy tale. And when another local woman and her daughter inexplicably vanish, Skye has a second vision - that same wicked witch creeping up on her new victims on a lonely Salem road. It's impossible to believe. Yet Skye's visions never lie.

As Skye and Zachary put their otherworldly abilities to use, and grow closer with each revelation, they're lured into an ominous mystery enveloping Salem like a fog. Navigating suspects, whispers of a cult, and a sinister history that threatens to reignite in the present, with Zachary's help, only Skye can see the way to find the missing - but first, she may have to dance with the devil himself."

Is it wrong that my first thought is this would be an interesting PR campaign for the next Hocus Pocus movie?

In Bloom by Liz Allan
Published by: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A story of class and coming-of-age as a group of best friends investigates the allegations against their teacher.

It's the mid-nineties, and in the small, shitty coastal town of Vincent, Australia, four Nirvana-obsessed fourteen-year-old girls form a grunge band. The Bastards are "forgettable girls" - poor, not particularly clever, ridiculed by their better-off classmates, and desperate to escape the fates of their mothers, who seem locked into a life of minimum-wage jobs, surprise pregnancies, and drunk boyfriends. The Battle of the Bands is the girls' one ticket out.

As small-town rumors swirl, however, The Bastards are abandoned by their lead singer Lily Lucid, who accuses their beloved music teacher of assault. The three remaining girls are left with nothing. Nothing, that is, except their amateur detective skills, a conviction that Mr. P is innocent, and a readiness to sacrifice everything to keep their dream alive. Spinning with rage at the confines of their lives, they reach a precipice where there’s no turning back.

Brash and bold, grungy and propulsive, In Bloom is a coming-of-age novel about class, girlhood in precarious circumstances, and how to build a sense of self when the foundations of friendship fail."

Um, shouldn't the girls maybe trust their bandmate over their teacher? 

Lost Girls of Hollow Lake by Rebekah Faubion
Published by: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"After a group of teens visit a dangerous island where three are left behind, the surviving girls realize they must return to confront the sinister force hunting them. This dark YA thriller is perfect for fans of Yellowjackets.

Eight were lost. Five were found. None will ever be free.

For Evie Williams, life is about to get a lot more complicated. Haunted by the events of a school trip to Hollow Lake National Park that went disastrously wrong, Evie and her friends returned changed, their lives forever marked by the mysterious Island they encountered - and the three girls they left behind.

Now, someone is picking off those who were involved, one by one. Their families, friends, and even online investigators are all caught in a deadly game. The stakes are raised when Evie receives a chilling message: to save her loved ones, she must return to the Island.

As Evie and the other "Lost Girls" navigate the treacherous terrain of the Island once more, they must confront the secrets they've buried, the horrors they witnessed, and the person - or thing - that's hunting them. But some secrets refuse to stay hidden, and the Island demands a price for freedom."

Because we all need a little Yellowjackets-esque fix before the new and final season...

Black Dahlia by William J. Mann
Published by: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Illuminating and captivating, New York Times bestselling author of Tinseltown and Bogart offers the first definitive account of the Black Dahlia murder - the most famous unsolved true crime case in American history - which humanizes the victim and situates the notorious case within an anxious, postwar country grappling with new ideas, demographics, and technologies.

The brutal murder of Elizabeth Short - better known as the Black Dahlia - in 1947 has been in the public consciousness for nearly eighty years, yet no serious study of the crime has ever been published.

Short has been mischaracterized as a wayward sex worker or vagabond, and - like the seductive femme fatales of film noir - responsible for and perhaps deserving of her fate. William J. Mann, however, is interested in the truth. His extensive research reveals her as a young woman with curiosity and drive, who leveraged what little agency postwar society gave her to explore the world, defying draconian postwar gender expectations to settle down, marry, and have children. It's time to reexamine the woman who became known as the Black Dahlia.

Using a 21st-century lens, Mann connects Short's story to the anxious era after World War II, when the nation was grappling with new ideas, new demographics, new technologies, and old fears dressed up as new ones. Only by situating the Black Dahlia case within this changing world can we understand the tragedy of this young woman, whose life and death offer surprising mirrors on today.

Mann has strong opinions on who might've killed her, and even stronger ones on who did not. He spent five years sifting through the evidence and has found unknown connections by cross-referencing police reports, District Attorney investigations, FBI files, court documents, military records, and more, using the deep, intense research skills that have become his trademark. He also spoke with the families of the original detectives, of Short's friends, and even of suspects, and relied on advice from experienced physicians and homicide detectives.

Mann deftly sifts through the sensationalized journalism, preconceived notions, myths, and misunderstandings surrounding the case to uncover the truth about Elizabeth Short like no book before. The Black Dahlia promises to be the definitive study about the most famous unsolved case in American history."

Yes, yes, a more academic approach within the bigger context of the century, I approve.

Never Mind the Happy by Marc Shaiman
Published by: Regalo Press
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the award-winning composer/co-lyricist behind such iconic projects as Hairspray, Sister Act, Mary Poppins Returns, and Smash comes a wickedly funny, no-holds-barred memoir.

In Never Mind the Happy, musical dynamo Marc Shaiman looks back on five decades of Broadway triumphs, Hollywood hijinks, and unforgettable collaborations. Along the way, he charts the personal highs and heartbreaks that have shaped him - spending his teenage years in community theater, starting a decades-long collaboration with Bette Midler in the '70s, surviving the AIDS crisis of the '80s, his award-winning film music career in the Hollywood of the '90s, right up to the peaks (and valleys) of creating Broadway musicals from 2000 on.

Candid, hilarious, and deeply human, Shaiman's story is a tribute to the power of music, the pull of the spotlight, and the beat that never stops.

Part showbiz tell-all, part love letter to the melancholy that fuels creativity, told with perfect comic timing - along with a few wrong notes, and plenty of standing ovations."

I love that in 2026 someone went, can we give Marc Shaiman's autobiography the most nineties cover possible?

The Unwritten Rules of Magic by Harper Ross
Published by: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For fans of The Midnight Library and In Five Years, The Unwritten Rules of Magic is a spellbinding novel that blends magic and memory in an unforgettable journey through love, grief, and the hidden cost of perfection across three generations of women.

Emerson Clarke can't remember a time when she felt in control. Her father - a celebrated author - was a chaotic force until he got Alzheimer's. Her mother turned to gin. And recently, her teen daughter has shut her out without explanation. If only she could arrange reality the same way she controls the stories she ghostwrites, life could be perfect.

Or so she thinks.

After her father's funeral, Emerson steals his vintage typewriter - the one he'd forbidden anyone to touch - and tests its keys by typing out a frivolous wish. When it comes true the very next day, she tries another. Then, those words also spring to life. Suddenly, she becomes obsessed with using the typewriter to rewrite happiness for herself and her daughter.

But the more she shapes her real-life, the more she uncovers disturbing truths about her family's history and the unexpected cost of every story-come-true. She should destroy the typewriter, yet when her daughter's secret finally emerges, Emerson is torn between paying the price for bending fate and embracing the uncertainty of an unscripted life."

Hey blurb writers, stop comparing everything to The Midnight Library!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Annelise Ryan, Black Dahlia, Eleanor Birney, Harper Ross, Heather Graham, Kristin Kelly, Liz Allan, Marc Shaiman, Maria Tureaud, Moniquill Blackgoose, Rebekah Faubion, ReShonda Tate, Rob Osler, Stephanie Burgis, William J. Mann

Queen Charlotte by Julia Quinn and Shonda Rhimes
Published by: Avon Books
Publication Date: May 9th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 350 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn and television pioneer Shonda Rhimes comes a powerful and romantic novel of Bridgerton's Queen Charlotte and King George III's great love story and how it sparked a societal shift, inspired by the original series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, created by Shondaland for Netflix.

"We are one crown. His weight is mine, and mine is his..."

In 1761, on a sunny day in September, a King and Queen met for the very first time. They were married within hours.

Born a German Princess, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was beautiful, headstrong, and fiercely intelligent... not precisely the attributes the British Court had been seeking in a spouse for the young King George III. But her fire and independence were exactly what she needed, because George had secrets... secrets with the potential to shake the very foundations of the monarchy.

Thrust into her new role as a royal, Charlotte must learn to navigate the intricate politics of the court... all the while guarding her heart, because she is falling in love with the King, even as he pushes her away. Above all she must learn to rule, and to understand that she has been given the power to remake society. She must fight - for herself, for her husband, and for all her new subjects who look to her for guidance and grace. For she will never be just Charlotte again. She must instead fulfill her destiny... as Queen."

I am literally more excited for this book and the accompanying series than I am for the new season of Bridgerton.

The House on Prytania by Karen White
Published by: Berkley Books
Publication Date: May 9th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A woman is haunted - both literally and figuratively - by ghosts of the past in this second novel of the Royal Street series by New York Times bestselling author Karen White.

Nola Trenholm may not be psychic herself, but she's spent enough time around people who are to know when ghosts are present, and there are definitely a few lingering spirits in her recently purchased Creole cottage in New Orleans. Something, or someone, is keeping them tethered to this world. And not all of them are benign.

But with the sudden return of Sunny Ryan, Beau Ryan's long-lost sister, Nola has plenty to distract her from her ghostly housemates. Especially when the tempting - yet firmly unavailable - Beau, wanting to mete out justice to those he blames for Sunny's kidnapping, asks Nola for a favor that threatens to derail her hard-won recovery and send her hurtling backward. He asks her to welcome Michael Hebert back into her life, even though Michael is the reason for Nola's bruised heart. Beau is convinced that Michael's powerful family was behind Sunny's disappearance and that Michael is the key to getting information the police won't be able to ignore - if Nola is willing to risk everything for which she's worked so hard.

Torn between helping Beau and protecting herself, Nola doesn't realize until it's almost too late why the ghosts are haunting her house - a startling revelation that will throw her and Beau together to fight a common enemy. Assuming Nola can get Beau to listen to what the spirits are trying to tell him, because ignoring them could prove to be a fatal mistake..."

Always listen to the ghosts. Always.

The Prodigal Women by Nancy Hale
Published by: Library of America
Publication Date: May 9th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 875 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Rediscover the sensational 1942 bestseller that unveiled the Jazz Age as women lived it.

Ranging from posh Beacon Hill to go-go New York City to stately Virginia, a sweeping coming-of-age story of three women's lives, loves, and ambitions in the 1920s, '30s and '40s.

Set in Boston, New York, and Virginia, The Prodigal Women tells the intertwined stories of three young women who come of age in the Roaring Twenties, not flappers and golden girls but flesh-and-blood female protagonists looking wearily - and warily - at the paths open to women in a rapidly changing world.

Leda March, "frantic with self-consciousness and envy and desire," is the daughter of poorer relations of a prominent Boston family and an aspiring poet torn between an impulse to conformity and the pursuit of personal freedom. Betsy Jekyll, newly arrived with her family from Virginia, becomes Leda's closest childhood friend, bringing a beguiling new warmth and openness into the New Englander's life. But Betsy soon abandons Boston to land a job at a fashion magazine and enjoy life as a single woman in New York before falling in love with - and marrying - an abusive, controlling man. Betsy's older sister, Maizie, a Southern belle idolized by the two younger friends and pursued by numerous men, grows tired of "running around" and fatefully looks for happiness in marriage to a turbulent artist.

When The Prodigal Women was published in 1942, its uncompromising portrayal of women's shifting roles, open sexuality, and ambivalence toward motherhood made it a succèss de scandale, spending twenty-three weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers list. Now Library of America restores Nancy Hale's lost classic to print with a new introduction by Kate Bolick exploring how the novel measures "the gap between what liberation looks like, and what it actually is.""

A look at the truth of the Jazz Age as written at the time and restored to us by Library of America.

The Nightingale Affair by Tim Mason
Published by: Algonquin Books
Publication Date: May 9th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The New Victorian Detective Thriller from the Author of The Darwin Affair.

Tim Mason's gripping new novel finds Inspector Charles Field hunting a ruthless serial killer who is terrorizing Florence Nightingale and her nurses in Crimea in 1855. But when the main suspect turns up dead, Field determines the case is closed. Or is it? Twelve years later in London, amidst the turmoil surrounding the expansion of voting rights, Field discovers a woman's body, mouth covered by the killer's signature embroidered rose. Did Field suspect the wrong man before, or is he dealing with a copycat? Either way, with his own family now at risk, he must race against time to stop the killer before more bodies turn up.

Populated with real figures of the day, from Benjamin Disraeli to Florence Nightingale herself, The Nightingale Affair offers vivid details, surprising twists, and an unforgettably creepy villain. A stand-alone novel, perfect for fans of Charles Finch's Victorian detective stories."

A serial killer targeting Florence Nightingale? Yes please!

Sepulchre Street by Martin Edwards
Published by: Head of Zeus an Aries Book
Publication Date: May 9th, 2023
Format: Kindle, 380 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"How can you solve a murder before it's happened?

'This is my challenge for you,' the woman in white said. 'I want you to solve my murder.'

London, 1930s: Rachel Savernake is attending renowned artist Damaris Gethin's latest exhibition, featuring live models who pose as famous killers. But that's just the warm-up act...

Unsure why she was invited, Rachel is soon cornered by the artist who asks her a haunting favour: she wants Rachel to solve her murder. Damaris then takes to the stage set with a guillotine, the lights go out - and Damaris executes herself.

Why would Damaris take her own life? And, if she died by her own hand, what did she mean by 'solve my murder'?

There are many questions to answer, and the clues are there for those daring enough to solve them...

Rachel Savernake faces her most puzzling murder yet in this glamorous gothic mystery from the winner of the CWA Diamond Dagger. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Richard Osman."

I mean, armchair detectives that we are, our blood runs hot at the idea of being asked to solve a murder by the victim themselves right?

Playing It Safe by Ashley Weaver
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: May 9th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The third in the Electra McDonnell series from Edgar-nominated author Ashley Weaver, Playing It Safe is a delightful World War II mystery filled with spies, murder, romance, and wit.

As the Blitz continues to ravage London, Ellie McDonnell - formerly a safecracking thief, but currently determined to stay on the straight and narrow to help her country - is approached by British Intelligence officer Major Ramsey with a new assignment. She is to travel under an assumed identity to the port city of Sunderland and there await further instructions. In his usual infuriating way, the Major has left her task as vague and mysterious as possible.

Ellie, ever-ready to aid her country, heads north, her safecracking tools in tow. But before she can rendezvous with the major, she witnesses an unnatural death. A man falls dead in the street in front of her, with a note clutched in his hand. Ellie's instincts tell her that the man's death is connected in some way to her mission.

Soon, Ellie and the major are locked in a battle of wits and a race against time with an unknown and deadly adversary, and a case that leads them to a possible Nazi counterfeiting operation. With bombs dropping on the city and a would-be assassin shadowing their every move, it will take all of Ellie's resourcefulness and Major Ramsey's fortitude to unmask the spymaster and avert disastrous consequences - for England and for their own lives."

I don't generally read WWII books, Ashley Weaver is the exception.

No One Needs to Know by Lindsay Cameron
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: May 9th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When an anonymous neighborhood forum gets hacked, the darkest secrets of New York's wealthiest residents come to light - including some worth killing for - in this gripping suspense novel from the author of Just One Look.

It was all confidential. Right up to the moment when it wasn't.

UrbanMyth: It was lauded as an alternative to the performative, show-your-best-self platforms - an anonymous discussion board grouped by zip code. The residents of Manhattan's exclusive Upper East Side disclosed it all, things they would never share with their friends or their spouses: secret bank accounts, steamy affairs, tidbits of juicy gossip. The same people who, as parents, go to astonishing lengths to ensure that their children gain admission to the most prestigious boarding schools and universities. So when a "hacktivist" group breaks into the forum and exposes the real identity of each poster, the repercussions echo down Park Avenue with a force that none could have anticipated.

And someone ends up dead.

Is the murderer Heather, the outsider who would do anything to get her daughter into the elite's good graces and into their even better schools? Norah, the high-powered executive failing to balance work with the emotional responsibilities of motherhood? Or Poppy, whose perfect-on-the-outside façade conceals more than her share of secrets?

Each of them has something to hide.

Each of them will do anything to keep secrets hidden.

And each of them just might kill to protect their own."

Seeing as I live for the gossip and fighting on my neighborhood Facebook group, this book was written for me!

This Is the Way the World Ends by Jen Wilde
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: May 9th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Fans of One of Us Is Lying and The Hazel Wood are cordially invited to spend one fateful night surviving an elite private school's epic masquerade ball in Jen Wilde's debut thriller, This Is the Way the World Ends.

As an autistic scholarship student at the prestigious Webber Academy in New York City, Waverly is used to masking to fit in - in more ways than one. While her classmates are the children of the one percent, Waverly is getting by on tutoring gigs and the generosity of the school's charming and enigmatic dean. So when her tutoring student and resident "it girl" asks Waverly to attend the school's annual fundraising Masquerade disguised as her, Waverly jumps at the chance - especially once she finds out that Ash, the dean's daughter and her secret ex-girlfriend, will be there.

The Masquerade is everything Waverly dreamed of, complete with extravagant gowns, wealthy parents writing checks, and flowing champagne. Most importantly, there's Ash. All Waverly wants to do is shed her mask and be with her, but the evening takes a sinister turn when Waverly stumbles into a secret meeting between the dean and the school's top donors - and witnesses a brutal murder. This gala is harboring far more malevolent plots than just opening parents' pocketbooks. Before she can escape or contact the authorities, a mysterious global blackout puts the entire party on lockdown. Waverly's fairy tale has turned into a nightmare, and she, Ash, and her friends must navigate through a dizzying maze of freight elevators, secret passageways, and back rooms if they're going to survive the night.

And even if they manage to escape the Masquerade, with technology wiped out all over the planet, what kind of world will they find waiting for them beyond the doors?"

Gossip Girl goes Escape from L.A.! 

I'm Not Supposed to Be in the Dark by Riss M. Neilson
Published by: Henry Holt and Company
Publication Date: May 9th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the author of Deep in Providence comes a paranormal young adult romance that follows a teen convinced that her best friend-turned-enemy is possessed by a ghost, perfect for fans of White Smoke and Twilight.

Seventeen-year-old Aria Cayetano dreams of ghosts. She used to see them too, but thanks to a special tea brewed by her grandfather, Aria's connection to the spirit world has been severed. Until a decades old rosebush suddenly dies across the street, convincing Aria that something supernatural is happening in her neighborhood.

She aches to investigate it, but the rosebush sits on her ex-best friend Derek Johnson's front lawn, and she can't question him because he hates her now. Aria doesn't know what drove them apart years ago, but she does know Derek's been acting strange for weeks, sneaking out in the dead of night to who knows where.

Then, days after the rosebush dies, Derek begins speaking to her again. At least Aria thinks it's him. Until she discovers there's a ghost inside of Derek that will take his life if it doesn't find what it's searching for.

As Aria and Derek race to uncover the mystery, another kind of magic takes them by surprise: love. But Aria has to decide how far she's willing to go to save Derek, especially when helping the ghost means tapping into whatever the tea has buried inside of her.

Bone-chilling and spellbinding, I'm Not Supposed to Be in the Dark is an alluring ghost story that's about exorcising the past to find a future to believe in."

Always here for a good ghost story!

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
Published by: Del Rey Books
Publication Date: May 9th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 528 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A young Indigenous woman enters a colonizer-run dragon academy - and quickly finds herself at odds with the "approved" way of doing things - in the first book of this brilliant new fantasy series.

The remote island of Masquapaug has not seen a dragon in many generations - until fifteen-year-old Anequs finds a dragon's egg and bonds with its hatchling. Her people are delighted, for all remember the tales of the days when dragons lived among them and danced away the storms of autumn, enabling the people to thrive. To them, Anequs is revered as Nampeshiweisit - a person in a unique relationship with a dragon.

Unfortunately for Anequs, the Anglish conquerors of her land have different opinions. They have a very specific idea of how a dragon should be raised, and who should be doing the raising - and Anequs does not meet any of their requirements. Only with great reluctance do they allow Anequs to enroll in a proper Anglish dragon school on the mainland. If she cannot succeed there, her dragon will be killed.

For a girl with no formal schooling, a non-Anglish upbringing, and a very different understanding of the history of her land, challenges abound - both socially and academically. But Anequs is smart, determined, and resolved to learn what she needs to help her dragon, even if it means teaching herself. The one thing she refuses to do, however, is become the meek Anglish miss that everyone expects.

Anequs and her dragon may be coming of age, but they're also coming to power, and that brings an important realization: the world needs changing - and they might just be the ones to do it."

Indian boarding schools via Game of Thrones. 

Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill
Published by: Harper
Publication Date: May 9th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Historical fiction with a dark twist in the spirit of Circe, Ariadne, and Mexican Gothic, Our Hideous Progeny is a brilliant revisiting of Mary Shelley's classic Frankenstein that unfolds with a fresh, provocative, queer twist.

It's 1853 London, and former medical student Victor Frankenstein has been missing for years. Inspired by his brilliance and daring, his great niece Mary Saville and her husband, Henry, are determined to follow in Victor's scientific footsteps. Both are intelligent and determined, yet they lack the reputation necessary to be recognized among the British Empire's most renowned paleontologists. Though Mary is admired for her sharp mind, her fierce tongue and Henry's gambling addiction hinder endorsement by their peers.

But after uncovering clues to her great uncle's disappearance, Mary devises a plan to realize her ambitions. Like Victor Frankenstein did long ago, she and Henry will create life. No one will be able to ignore their achievement - the scientific community must accept them if they succeed.

When they construct their Creature, Henry's ambition soars, yet Mary finds herself contemplating disturbing questions - and unexpected feelings - she cannot ignore. As Henry's desire for fame grows, Mary must decide how far she will go to protect this Creature - the hideous progeny - she has grown to love."

A Mary Shelly twist worthy of Penny Dreadful!

The Department of Truth by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds
Published by: Image Comics
Publication Date: May 9th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 520 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Cole Turner has studied conspiracy theories all his life, but he isn't prepared for what happens when he discovers that all of them are true: the JFK Assassination, Flat Earth Theory, Bigfoot, Mothman, and so much worse. One organization has been covering them up for generations, controlling the narrative for what they claim is the greater good. What is the deep, dark secret behind the Department of Truth - and will learning it destroy Cole's life from the inside out? The first three arcs of the critically acclaimed series by Eisner Award-winning writer James Tynion IV (Something is Killing the Children, The Nice House on the Lake) and art Martin Simmonds (Dying is Easy) are collected here for the first time in deluxe hardcover format. Experience...The Complete Conspiracy. Collects The Department of Truth #1-#17."

Love James Tynion IV and quite enjoyed Martin Simmonds's art on Dying is Easy. So this is a must buy.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Ashley Weaver, Bridgerton, C.E. McGill, James Tynion IV, Jen Wilde, Julia Quinn, Karen White, Lindsay Cameron, Martin Edwards, Moniquill Blackgoose, Nancy Hale, Queen Charlotte, Riss M. Neilson, Tim Mason