strange and random happenstance

A Mother Always Knows by Sarah Strohmeyer
Published by: Harper Perennial
Publication Date: July 1st, 2025
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The beloved, award-winning author of Do I Know You? and We Love To Entertain returns with an electrifying novel of psychological suspense that explores the way our pasts shape our futures in so many unexpected ways.

Stella O'Neill is just your average millennial, working at a public library and worrying about making rent. No one would suspect she's been living under an assumed name or that she was raised in a Vermont commune of "diviners" where, and as a ten-year-old, she witnessed her mother's brutal murder - a crime that has gone unsolved for years.

But her quiet, anonymous existence is upended when a true-crime obsessive posts her current name and location on the internet. Now, Stella has to get out of Boston before her mother's killer can find her and finish the job he started all those years ago. Fed up with living in fear, she heads to the off-the-grid retreat of her childhood to confront her mother's unhinged guru who controlled their lives for so long - the infamous Radcliffe MacBeath.

Stella has two powerful assets: determination and a supernatural gift. Relying on her mother's beloved rose quartz pendulum, Stella will have to outwit the charismatic leader who's ruined so many lives and discover once and for all the true identity of her mother's killer - before becoming his next victim."

See, there is a downside to true crime, and that's if you're in hiding for your safety. Doxing is not cool.

Human Rights by Juno Dawson
Published by: Penguin Books
Publication Date: July 1st, 2025
Format: Paperback, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"With Her Majesty's Royal Coven in shambles and the fate of the world hanging in the balance, the sisterhood of friends and witches must find a new way of putting together the pieces if (wo)mankind is to stand a chance, in this final chapter to Juno's "irresistible" series (Lana Harper.)

Niamh, Ciara, Leonie, Elle and Theo. Five very different witches with one thing in common: they were unwittingly chosen by the dangerously charming Lucifer, the demon king of desire, to fulfil a dark prophecy: Satanis will rise and the daughters of Gaia will fall.

The coven is reunited - but broken. Niamh is back from the dead...but she hasn't come back alone. Elle mourns a son she never had. Ciara languishes in a prison for witches, and Leonie reels from a very unexpected surprise.

Meanwhile, Lucifer offers fledgling witch Theo a deal: if she helps him, her coven - her family - will be spared. But the magic he asks for will take her out of London - out of time, entirely.

The final confrontation between good and evil in the spectacular conclusion to the saga of Her Majesty's Royal Coven."

If, like me, you loved the Doctor Who episode this season "The Interstellar Song Contest" well did you know the writer of that episode writes awesome books too? Yeah, this is her!

My Ex, The Antichrist by Craig DiLouie
Published by: Run for It
Publication Date: July 1st, 2025
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From Bram Stoker award-nominated author Craig DiLouie comes a horror novel with a twisted tale of love, heartbreak, and the apocalypse. We all have bad exes. Lily Lawlor's just happens to be the antichrist. Sometimes, love can be hell...

1998: Lily Lawlor and Drake Morgan form a punk band. Drake inspires faith in some. Fear in others. Lily is a believer.

1999: A Battle of the Bands ends in a shocking death, and a riot that claims the lives of three teenagers.

2009: At the height of her stardom, Lily walks into a police station and confesses to murder.

Now: The band has refused to talk to the press about the night of the riot, Lily's confession, or anything else. It's been over a decade, but Lily has finally agreed to an interview. And the band is following her lead.

What follows is a story of prophecy, death, and apocalypse. A story about love and love lost. A story about the antichrist. Maybe it's all true. Maybe none if it is.

Either way, this is their story. And they're sticking to it."

A demonic Daisy Jones and the Six!

Tricks of Fortune by Lina Chern
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: July 1st, 2025
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Tarot card reader extraordinaire Katie True gets embroiled in another local murder when her best friend becomes the prime suspect in this exciting mystery from the Edgar Award-winning author of Play the Fool.

Katie True has gotten her crap together...sort of. Now that the sinister events of the past year have wound down, Katie has finally made her dream come true and opened her own tarot reading room - even if it's in her sister's old real estate office in an outdoor strip mall. It's a good start, but her momentum grinds to a halt when the murder of beloved veteran police officer, Matthew Peterson, shakes her and her small community to the core.

Katie is torn. Lieutenant Peterson had saved her life as a child and holds a special place in her past. Even worse, her closest friend Gina - who knows Katie better than she knows herself - is the primary suspect.

As the investigation unfolds, the details surrounding Peterson's death become increasingly murky, as does Gina's innocence. All Katie knows is that following her intuition has gotten her this far. But will her trusty tarot deck help her when the truth about the people she loves is too terrible to face?"

I mean, aren't all tarot readers in outdoor strip malls? Or maybe I just have a skewed view because of Mallrats...

Come Knocking by Mike Bockoven
Published by: Skyhorse
Publication Date: July 1st, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 264 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"WHEN A GROUNDBREAKING THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE GOES HORRIBLY WRONG, A DEADLY NIGHT REVEALS THE DARK CONSEQUENCES OF BLURRING THE LINES BETWEEN PERFORMANCE AND REALITY

When Come Knocking came to Los Angeles, the interactive theater production that took over six floors of an abandoned building was met with raves, lines for tickets, and reviews calling it the "must-see experience of a generation." But after dozens of people were killed and hundreds injured on a bloody night of chaos during the show's run, the nation was captured by one inescapable question: How could this happen?

As the dust settles, investigative reporter Adam Jakes is tasked with uncovering the truth behind the massacre. Through a series of gripping interviews with survivors, cast members, and witnesses, Jakes pieces together the chilling reality behind what was supposed to be the ultimate theatrical experience.

In Come Knocking, the enthralling and terrifying exploration of human nature under extreme conditions poses unsettling questions about the grotesque underbelly of immersive experiences and the true nature of reality."

I mean, I always thought that Sleep No More would lend itself to a murder mystery. 

Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: July 1st, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A lavish, Texas-sized Sweet Sixteen turns deadly in this twisty, pulse-pounding new novel - serving up a fresh take on a classic locked-room whodunnit. Let the festivities begin...

Today is Sophie Matthews's sixteenth birthday party, an exclusive black-tie bash in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, where secrets are as deep-rooted as the sprawling live oaks. Sophie's dad has spared no expense, and his renovated cliffside mansion - once thought haunted and shuttered for years from outsiders - is now hosting the event of the season. Then, just before the candles on the three-tiered red velvet cake are blown out, a body falls from the balcony onto the starlit dance floor below.

It's a killer guest list...

DANI: Sophie's new stepmother who's been plagued by self-doubt ever since the birth of her own baby girl

ÓRLAITH: the superstitious Irish nanny who senses a looming danger in this cavernous house

MIKAYLA: the birthday girl's best friend who is not nearly as meek as the popular kids assume

KIM: the cunning ex-wife who has a grudge she can’t let go of...

Everyone is invited in. Not everyone will get out alive."

But, let me be clear, the delicious red velvet cake wasn't damaged boy the falling body was it? Because if there's a good cake then I'm there.

Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson
Published by: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: July 1st, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Mega bestselling and award-winning author Tiffany D. Jackson (The Weight of Blood; White Smoke) makes her thrilling middle-grade debut with a can't-put-it-down murder mystery set on Martha's Vineyard. R.L. Stine, bestselling author of Goosebumps, says, "Don't miss this one!"

This summer, beware of sharks...

Brooklyn girl Kaylani McKinnon feels like a fish out of water. She's spending the summer with family friends in their huge house on Martha's Vineyard, and the vibe is definitely snooty. Still, there are beautiful beaches, lots of ice cream, and a town full of fascinating Black history. Plus a few kids her age who seem friendly.

Until the shocking death of a popular teenage boy rocks the community to its core. Was it a drowning? A shark attack? Or the unthinkable - murder?

Kaylani is determined to solve the mystery. But her investigation leads her to uncover shocking secrets that could change her own life as she knows it... if she survives.

New York Times bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson makes her thrilling middle-grade debut with this heart-pounding mystery packed with twists and turns that will keep readers guessing until the end."

Because it's never sharks now is it?

Murder on the Books by T.C. LoTempio
Published by: Severn House
Publication Date: July 1st, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Newly retired mystery writer Charley James returns to her small hometown only to find herself amidst a real-life murder mystery in this first book in the brand new Cozy Bookshop mystery series by award-winning and national bestselling author T.C. LoTempio.

Thirty-year-old Charlotte James, better known to her mystery fans as C.J. Barrett, decides to take a break from writing her popular Steve Sheppard mystery series. Leaving New York City, she moves back to her hometown of Austin to wind down, recuperate, and maybe come up with some new ideas for her books.

Settling into her new life, Charley reunites with her long-term friend and baker Zane who is about to open a charming double store front. But while Zane is ready to open her café, her business partner Sheila unexpectedly departs town, bailing on her bookshop and leaving nothing but a note behind.

Charley is more than happy to take over, but when she finds Sheila's body in a chest in the store's basement, things take a dramatic turn. Now Charley has to juggle the opening of her bookshop, a stoic but attractive Philadelphia detective, and a stray cat, all while solving Sheila's murder Sheppard-style before the killer can strike again!"

I mean, murder mystery authors do make great detectives, but also must make good investments to be able to contemplate retiring at thirty!

The Widows' Guide to Skulduggery by Amanda Ashby
Published by: Storm Publishing
Publication Date: July 1st, 2025
Format: Kindle, 280 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When a human skull gatecrashes her friends' big day, it officially becomes the worst wedding Ginny Cole has ever been to. But as the assembled guests await the police, the two families staring daggers at each other across the aisle, Ginny starts to suspect that these nuptials were deliberately sabotaged. Together with her fellow widows in crime-solving, JM, Tuppence and Hen, she decides to uncover who wanted this marriage dead on arrival.

The police have no interest in a twenty-year-old skull, so Ginny and her friends have free rein to investigate. But untangling a web of family feuds and ancient village rivalries soon escalates into much more when a new body turns up...

The widows have stumbled into a devious plot decades in the making, but can they find their way to the truth before one of them joins the village body count...?

An utterly delightful and gripping cozy mystery full of unconventional characters, fantastic twists and shadowy village secrets. The Widows' Detective Club is perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Sarah Yarwood-Lovett and Robert Thorogood."

Wait, the police really don't care about a twenty-year-old skull!?! That's a crime right there!

Etiquette for Lovers and Killers by Anna Fitzgerald Healy
Published by: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Publication Date: July 1st, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Set in 1960s Maine, a witty, twisty murder mystery following a young woman who just wishes something interesting would happen...until she stumbles across a crime of passion.

"What are the chances of receiving a love letter, engagement ring, and phone call for a stranger, only to see her murdered the next day?"

It's 1964 in the tiny town of Eastport, Maine, and Billie McCadie is bored to death. She's surrounded by dull people with more manners than sense, and no sign of the intrigue or romance that fills her beloved novels. That is, until an engagement ring and cryptic love letter turn up, addressed to 'Gertrude'. Until she meets yacht-club handsome Avery Webster. Until the unsettling phone calls and visits from a man in a fedora begin. Until she's one of the last people to see Gertrude alive...and the first to see her dead.

What follows is an intoxicating cocktail of stalking, blackmail, Jell-O salads, and champagne secrets, all served along the rocky Maine coastline. Everyone is a suspect. Everyone has a secret. And (strangely) everyone has a boat. But who is willing to kiss and tell? As the body count rises and the danger nears, why does Billie feel like she's more than just a side character? After yearning to be in the action for so long, would it be terribly unladylike to have some fun of her own?

A love letter to uncivilized behavior, Etiquette for Lovers and Killers blends mystery and romance into a witty, twisty, murderous delight that aches for better manners."

I mean, it's Maine, of course everyone has a boat. Why they all have Jell-O is the real mystery. And don't say the times demanded it, no one demanded Jell-O!

The Original by Nell Stevens
Published by: W. W. Norton and Company
Publication Date: July 1st, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Brought to her uncle's decaying Oxfordshire estate when she was a child, Grace has grown up on the periphery of a once-great household, an outsider in her own home. Now a self-possessed and secretive young woman, she has developed unusual predilections: for painting, particularly forgery; for deception; for other girls.

As Grace cultivates her talent as a copyist, she realizes that her uncanny ability to recreate paintings might offer her a means of escape. Secretly, she puts this skill to use as an art forger, creating fake masterpieces in candlelit corners of the estate. Saving the money she makes from her sales, she plans a new life far from the family that has never seemed to want her.

Then, a letter arrives from the South Atlantic. The writer claims to be her cousin Charles, long presumed dead at sea, who wishes to reconnect with his family. When Charles returns, Grace's aunt welcomes him with open arms; yet fractures appear in the household. Some believe he is who he says he is. Others are convinced he's an impostor. As a court date looms to determine his legitimacy - and his claim to the family fortune - Grace must decide what she believes, and what she's willing to risk.

Is Charles really her cousin? An interloper? A mirror of her own ambitions? And in a house built on illusions, what does authenticity truly mean - in art, in love, and in family?

Deftly plotted and shimmering with Nell Stevens's distinctive intelligence, style, and wit, The Original takes readers on an unforgettable adventure through a world of forgeries, family ties, and the fluctuations in fortune that can change our fate."

I mean, living on a decaying Oxfordshire estate while forging artwork is the dream! Why would Grave want to leave?

Wendy's Ever After by Julie Wright
Published by: Shadow Mountain
Publication Date: July 1st, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Wendy Darling is drawn back to Neverland, torn between childhood memories of Peter Pan and the mysterious young man who now stirs her heart.

Wendy Darling has grown into a stunning young woman. Her days are filled with social gatherings and elegant balls, but her nights are alive with memories of fighting pirates, soaring through the skies, and other wild escapades through Neverland with Peter Pan - the boy who never grew up.

When Wendy meets a handsome and mysterious stranger, there's something about him that feels familiar yet elusive. His eyes sparkle with a mischief that tugs at Wendy's heartstrings, reminding her of Peter. Intrigued and a bit unnerved, Wendy finds herself inexplicably drawn to this handsome young man and soon finds herself back in Neverland.

Caught between the allure of her past and the promise of the future, Wendy must navigate a perilous new journey, rediscovering the courage and wonder that once defined her youth. As she battles old foes and forges allies with new friends, Wendy is torn between her memories of a boy she once loved and the man who has stolen her heart."

Ever since I saw Hook I've been more than a little obsessed with Wendy growing up...

Tusk Love by Thea Guanzon
Published by: Random House Worlds
Publication Date: July 1st, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A merchant's daughter who yearns for adventure gets more than she bargained for when she falls for a broodingly handsome stranger in this saucy romantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of The Hurricane Wars.

As the daughter of an ambitious merchant, Guinevere's path has been predetermined: marry into a noble house of the Dwendalian Empire, raise her family's station, and live quietly as a lordling's obedient wife. But Guinevere longs for a life unbounded by expectations, for freedom and passion and adventure.

Those distant dreams become a sudden reality when her caravan is beset by bandits, leaving her guards slain and Guinevere stranded alone on the dangerous Amber Road. Her only chance of survival is to travel alongside Oskar, the aloof half-orc who saved her during the attack.

Unlike Guinevere, Oskar's path is not so set in stone. With his mother dead and his apprenticeship abandoned, all that's left is a long, lonely walk to a land he's never seen to find family he's never met. The last thing he needs is a spoiled waif like Guinevere slowing him down - even if the spark between them sizzles with promise.

Despite his cold exterior, Oskar is brave and thoughtful and unlike anyone Guinevere has ever met. And while Guinevere may be sheltered, she brings out a softness in him that he has never dared to feel before. As the flames of their passion grow, they realize that soon they'll need to choose between their expected destinations or their blossoming romance.

Written by New York Times bestselling author Thea Guanzon at the behest of Critical Role's Jester Lavorre, Tusk Love brings the most romantic story on Exandrian bookshelves to life."

I mean, beside being a Critical Role fan, I'm a huge romantasy fan and that cover is just a breath of fresh air. I want to live in it.

Den of Liars by Jessica S. Olson
Published by: Feiwel and Friends
Publication Date: July 1st, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A young thief attempting a daring casino heist during a high-stakes tournament is torn between two warring brothers in Den of Liars, a thrilling YA fantasy romance by acclaimed author Jessica S. Olson.

Lola St. James is the world's best kept secret. When her father's loss in the Liar's Dice Tournament - a high-stakes competition where players are forced to gamble with their deepest secrets - made her a target, she was rescued by the Thief, the notorious leader of the Tentacles. But the Thief's kindness came with a price: Lola's heart. In the years that followed, she and the Thief formed a bond like no other, able to feel each other's emotions because of their shared heart.

Now, living under the pseudonym Astra, she is determined to prove herself and become a full-fledged Tentacle. But when a critical heist goes sideways, the only way forward is for Lola to compete in the Liar's Dice Tournament herself. Lola is confident in her ability to pull off any heist, but the Thief's mysterious brother, the Liar, runs the game and he turns out to be more than she bargained for. As her attraction for him grows and illusions run wild, she will be forced to confront the secrets of her past, the truth of the brothers' shared history, and the lies she tells herself."

I mean, dice isn't a game I'd ever play. It's too risky. Reading about other people playing it though? Yes please.

The Secret Love of a Gentleman by Jane Lark
Published by: Boldwood Books
Publication Date: July 1st, 2025
Format: eBook, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An unputdownable Regency romance filled with passion, redemption and the healing power of love.

Can he convince her to risk her heart again?

A past scandal and a broken heart have left Lady Caroline Kilbride hiding away from the world, in the safety of her brother's home. But when a devilishly handsome newcomer arrives for the summer, she finds herself surprisingly drawn to him.

Rob Marlow, a man determined to carve his own path in life, never expected to be intrigued by his brother-in-law's dependent sister. Yet in Caro he sees courage, intelligence and a spark of the woman she once was.

Friendship blossoms into something more passionate, but when the truth of Caro's painful history resurfaces, will she retreat into the shadows or fight for her happy ever after? The third instalment in the addictively passionate Regency romance series The Marlow Family Secrets, for fans of Beverley Watts, Eloisa James and Bridgerton. Perfect for readers who love STEAMY, SPICY historical and regency romance."

Whomever hurt her Rob Marlow will destroy them!

Behind Frenemy Lines by Zen Cho
Published by: Bramble
Publication Date: July 1st, 2025
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Award-winning author Zen Cho delivers a sparkling and witty rivals-to-lovers romance reminiscent of Sally Thorne's The Hating Game and Sajni Patel's The Trouble with Hating You.

Sparks fly when an ambitious rules-bound lawyer clashes with a maverick new hire who threatens his chances of partnership - and the walls he's built around his heart.

Charles Goh has always played by the rules. It's how he survived his difficult childhood as the swotty foreigner at a posh English boarding school - and now, his high-pressure job at one of the biggest corporate law firms in London. His job is his life and he's happy that way...until she shows up.

Kriya Rajasekar's lost her way. Her longtime boyfriend's broken up with her and she feels trapped in her legal career. She knows she needs a fresh start - but it turns out her new job is at the same firm as her work nemesis. Charles Goh is like the bad luck charm she keeps running into, and their encounters lead to disaster every single time. And now he's her office mate.

But just as they're figuring out how to navigate this frenemy relationship, Kriya needs Charles' help: pretend they're dating so her boss will stop hitting on her. Soon, it becomes less clear whether they're enemies, friends - or something else."

I will read anything Zen Cho writes.

Infinite Archive by Mur Lafferty
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: July 1st, 2025
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Amateur sleuth Mallory Viridian has just about got her bearings aboard the space station she calls home, but now the physical embodiment of the Internet is on its way, and it's bringing murder with it.

Mallory Viridian has had a quiet few months. Even with the increased influx of humans visiting Station Eternity, she hasn't seen so much as a bar brawl. Used to people dying left and right around her, the lack of murders to solve has left her unexpectedly...bored.

But humanity's favorite way to waste time is on its way to her sector of the galaxy. A giant, one-of-a-kind data ship called Metis is bringing the entire Internet from Earth - as well as a mystery fan convention. On top of that, Mallory's literary agent is aboard, and he tells Mallory that she's the keynote speaker.

It's almost a relief when a killer decides to strike at the convention. When Mallory finds her agent dead, she knows she has to work fast to find the murderer. With a strange new alien with unknown motives, a ship with impossible abilities, a lonely living, comprehensive Internet, and a deadly crime to solve, Mallory has her work cut out for her...."

The most dangerous thing here isn't the killer, it's the Internet! 

The Ghost Who Was a Quilt by Riel Nason and Byron Eggenschwiler
Published by: Tundra Books
Publication Date: July 1st, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 48 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When you're a quilt instead of a sheet, being a ghost is hard! A contemporary picture book classic, now available in a stunning special gilded edition - a perfect gift for the little ghost lovers in your life.

Ghosts are supposed to be sheets, light as air and able to whirl and twirl and float and soar. But the little ghost who is a quilt can't whirl or twirl at all, and when he flies, he gets very hot.

He doesn't know why he's a quilt. His parents are both sheets, and so are all of his friends. (His great-grandmother was a lace curtain, but that doesn't really help cheer him up.) He feels sad and left out when his friends are zooming around and he can't keep up.

But one Halloween, everything changes. The little ghost who was a quilt has an experience that no other ghost could have, an experience that only happens because he's a quilt...and he realizes that it's OK to be different.

This special gift edition is unjacketed, with a newly designed cloth-like spine, a foil-stamped cover and beautiful gilded edges."

I mean, you NEED this beautiful gift edition on your shelves. You NEED IT!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Amanda Ashby, Anna Fitzgerald Healy, Craig DiLouie, Jane Lark, Julie Wright, Juno Dawson, Kelsey Cox, Lina Chern, Mike Bockoven, Mur Lafferty, Nell Stevens, Sarah Strohmeyer, T.C. LoTempio, Tiffany D. Jackson, Zen Cho

Murtagh by Christopher Paolini
Published by: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: November 7th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 704 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Master storyteller and internationally bestselling author Christopher Paolini returns to the World of Eragon in this stunning epic fantasy set a year after the events of the Inheritance Cycle. Join Dragon Rider - and fan favorite - Murtagh and his dragon as they confront a perilous new enemy!

The world is no longer safe for the Dragon Rider Murtagh and his dragon, Thorn. An evil king has been toppled, and they are left to face the consequences of the reluctant role they played in his reign of terror. Now they are hated and alone, exiled to the outskirts of society.

Throughout the land, hushed voices whisper of brittle ground and a faint scent of brimstone in the air - and Murtagh senses that something wicked lurks in the shadows of Alagaësia. So begins an epic journey into lands both familiar and untraveled, where Murtagh and Thorn must use every weapon in their arsenal, from brains to brawn, to find and outwit a mysterious witch. A witch who is much more than she seems.

In this gripping novel starring one of the most popular characters from Christopher Paolini's blockbuster Inheritance Cycle, a Dragon Rider must discover what he stands for in a world that has abandoned him. Murtagh is the perfect book to enter the World of Eragon for the first time...or to joyfully return."

Oh my. Paolini is finally returning to Alagaësia!

The Olympian Affair by Jim Butcher
Published by: Ace Books
Publication Date: November 7th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 624 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The fate of the Cinder Spires may be decided by crossed swords in the next exhilarating fantasy adventure from the author of the Dresden Files, in this New York Times bestselling series of noble families, swordplay, and airships.

For centuries the Cinder Spires have safeguarded humanity, rising far above the deadly surface world. Within their halls, aristocratic houses rule, developing scientific marvels and building fleets of airships for defense and trade.

Now, the Spires hover on the brink of open war. Everyone knows it's coming. The guns of the great airship fleets that control the skies between the last bastions of humanity will soon speak in anger, and Spire Albion stands alone against the overwhelming might of Spire Aurora's Armada and its new secret weapon - one capable of destroying the populations of entire Spires.

A trading summit at Spire Olympia provides an opportunity for the Spirearch, Lord Albion, to secure alliances that will shape the outcomes of the war, and to that end he dispatches privateer Captain Francis Madison Grimm and the crew of the AMS Predator to bolster the Spirearch's diplomatic agents.

It will take daring, skill, and no small amount of showmanship to convince the world to stand with Spire Albion - assuming that it is not already too late."

I will read whatever Jim Butcher writes.

Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: November 7th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When an injury throws a young, battle-hungry orc off her chosen path, she may find that what we need isn't always what we seek.

Set in the world of New York Times bestselling Legends and Lattes, Travis Baldree's Bookshops and Bonedust takes us on a journey of high fantasy, first loves, and second-hand books.

Viv's career with the notorious mercenary company Rackam's Ravens isn't going as planned.

Wounded during the hunt for a powerful necromancer, she's packed off against her will to recuperate in the sleepy beach town of Murk - so far from the action that she worries she'll never be able to return to it.

What's a thwarted soldier of fortune to do?

Spending her hours at a beleaguered bookshop in the company of its foul-mouthed proprietor is the last thing Viv would have predicted, but it may be both exactly what she needs and the seed of changes she couldn't possibly imagine.

Still, adventure isn't all that far away. A suspicious traveler in gray, a gnome with a chip on her shoulder, a summer fling, and an improbable number of skeletons prove Murk to be more eventful than Viv could have ever expected."

See! Books heal!

A Power Unbound by Freya Marske
Published by: Tordotcom
Publication Date: November 7th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A Power Unbound is the final entry in Freya Marske's beloved, award-winning Last Binding trilogy, the queer historical fantasy series that began with A Marvellous Light.

Secrets! Magic! Enemies to...something more?

Jack Alston, Lord Hawthorn, would love a nice, safe, comfortable life. After the death of his twin sister, he thought he was done with magic for good. But with the threat of a dangerous ritual hanging over every magician in Britain, he's drawn reluctantly back into that world.

Now Jack is living in a bizarre puzzle-box of a magical London townhouse, helping an unlikely group of friends track down the final piece of the Last Contract before their enemies can do the same. And to make matters worse, they need the help of writer and thief Alan Ross.

Cagey and argumentative, Alan is only in this for the money. The aristocratic Lord Hawthorn, with all his unearned power, is everything that Alan hates. And unfortunately, Alan happens to be everything that Jack wants in one gorgeous, infuriating package.

When a plot to seize unimaginable power comes to a head at Cheetham Hall - Jack's ancestral family estate, a land so old and bound in oaths that it's grown a personality as prickly as its owner - Jack, Alan and their allies will become entangled in a night of champagne, secrets, and bloody sacrifice...and the foundations of magic in Britain will be torn up by the roots before the end."

The fan favorite series comes to an end.

Loveboat Forever by Abigail Hing Wen
Published by: Harperteen
Publication Date: November 7th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Return to the sparkling world of Loveboat, this time with Pearl Wong, on an entirely new, romantic, whirlwind adventure from Abigail Hing Wen, New York Times bestselling author of Loveboat, Taipei, streaming now on Paramount+ (adaptation titled Love in Taipei).

Pearl was ready for a worldwide stage. Instead, she needs to stage a comeback.

Seventeen-year-old music prodigy Pearl Wong had the summer of her dreams planned - until a fall from grace leaves her in need of new plans...and a new image.

Where better to revamp her "brand" than at Chien Tan, the Taipei summer program for elite students that rocketed her older sister, Ever, on a path to romance and self-fulfillment years ago.

But as the alumni know, Chien Tan is actually Loveboat - the extravagant world where prodigies party till dawn - and there's more awaiting Pearl there than she could have ever imagined, like a scandalous party in the dark, a romantic entanglement with a mysterious suitor...and a summer that will change her forever.

Sweeping, glamorous, and deeply soulful, this companion to the New York Times bestselling novel Loveboat, Taipei and Loveboat Reunion will reunite readers with their favorite characters, in a thrilling new journey of romance, self-discovery, and empowerment. Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen."

But does she also have time to practice her music!?! Fun and games are all good, but you need some discipline occasionally...

Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park
Published by: Random House
Publication Date: November 7th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 544 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A wild, sweeping novel that imagines an alternate secret history of Korea and the traces it leaves on the present - loaded with assassins and mad poets, RPGs and slasher films, pop bands and the perils of social media

In 1919, far-flung patriots establish the Korean Provisional Government to protest the Japanese occupation of their country. This government-in-exile proves mostly symbolic, though, and after Japan's defeat in World War II, the KPG dissolves and civil war erupts, resulting in the tragic North-South split that remains today.

But what if the KPG still existed - now working toward a unified Korea, secretly pulling levers to further its aims? Same Bed Different Dreams weaves together three distinct narrative voices with an archive of mysterious images, and twists reality like a kaleidoscope. Korean history, American pop culture, and our tech-fraught lives come together in this extraordinary and unforgettable novel.

Soon Sheen, a former writer now employed by the tech behemoth GLOAT, comes into possession of an unfinished book seemingly authored by the KPG. The manuscript is a riveting revisionist history, connecting famous names and obscure bit players to the KPG's grand project - everyone from Syngman Rhee and architect-poet Yi Sang to Jack London and Marilyn Monroe. M*A*S*H is in here, too, as are the Moonies and a history of violence extending from the assassination of President McKinley to the Reagan-era downing of a passenger plane that puts the world on the brink of war.

From the acclaimed author of Personal Days, Same Bed Different Dreams is a raucously funny feat of imagination and a thrilling meld of history and fiction that pulls readers into another dimension - one in which utopia is possible."

Because who doesn't love alternative history?

Chaos Terminal by Mur Lafferty
Published by: Ace Books
Publication Date: November 7th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Mallory Viridian would rather not be an amateur detective, and fled to outer space to avoid it...but when one of the new human arrivals on a space shuttle is murdered, she's back in the game.

Mallory Viridian would rather not be an amateur detective, thank you very much. But no matter what she does, people persist in dying around her - and only she seems to be able to solve the crime. After fleeing to an alien space station in hopes that the lack of humans would stop the murders, a serial killer had the nerve to follow her to Station Eternity. (Mallory deduced who the true culprit was that time, too.)

Now the law enforcement agent who hounded Mallory on Earth has come to Station Eternity, along with her teenage crush and his sister, Mallory's best friend from high school. Mallory doesn't believe in coincidences, and so she's not at all surprised when someone in the latest shuttle from Earth is murdered. It's the story of her life, after all.

Only this time she has more than a killer to deal with. Between her fugitive friends, a new threat arising from the Sundry hivemind, and the alarmingly peculiar behavior of the sentient space station they all call home, even Mallory's deductive abilities are strained. If she can't find out what's going on (and fast), a disaster of intergalactic proportions may occur...."

The fact that this series is called The Midsolar Murders continues to entertain me to no end.

Where He Can't Find You by Darcy Coates
Published by: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: November 7th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From USA Today bestselling horror/thriller author Darcy Coates comes the chilling legend of a monster no one can escape.

DON'T WALK ALONE, OR THE STITCHER WILL FIND YOU.

Abby Ward lives in a town haunted by disappearances. People vanish, and when they're found, their bodies have been dismembered and sewn back together in unnatural ways. But is it the work of a human killer...or something far darker?

DON'T STAY OUT LATE, OR THE STITCHER WILL TAKE YOU.

She and her younger sister live by a strict set of rules designed to keep them safe - which is why it's such a shock when Hope is taken. Desperate to get her back, Abby tells the police everything she knows, but they claim their hands are tied.

DON'T CLOSE YOUR EYES, OR THE STITCHER WILL REMAKE YOU.

With every hour precious, Abby and her friends are caught in a desperate game of cat and mouse. They have to get Hope back. Quickly. Before too much of her is cut away. And before everything they care about is swallowed up by the darkness waiting in the tunnels beneath the home they thought they knew."

Yeah, I love reading about this town but I don't want to go there.

The Manor House by Gilly Macmillan
Published by: William Morrow and Company
Publication Date: November 7th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the New York Times bestselling author of The Nanny and What She Knew comes the terrifying story of what can happen after all your dreams come true.

Be careful what you wish for...

Childhood sweethearts Nicole and Tom are a normal, loving couple - until a massive lottery win changes their lives overnight.

Soon they've moved into a custom-built state-of-the-art Glass Barn on the stunning grounds of Lancaut Manor in Gloucestershire. They have fancy cars, expensive hobbies, and an exclusive lifestyle they never could have imagined.

But this dream world quickly turns into a nightmare when Tom is found dead in the swimming pool. Was Tom's death a tragic accident, or was it something worse?

Nicole is devastated. Tom was her rock. And their beautiful barn  - with all its smart features that never seem to work for her - is beginning to feel very lonely. But she's not entirely by herself out there in the country. There's a nice young couple who live in the Manor itself along with their middle-aged housekeeper who has the Coach House. And an old friend of Tom's from school has turned up to help her get through her grief.

But big money can bring big problems and big threats. And is Nicole's life in danger as well?

Nicole's beginning to feel like a little fish in a big glass bowl.

Surrounded by piranhas."

And that right there is the problem with winning the lottery.

The Manor House Governess by C.A. Castle
Published by: Alcove Press
Publication Date: November 7th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"With a genderfluid protagonist and 21st-century twist, this spirited debut pays homage to the British classics while joyfully centering an LGBTQ+ point of view, perfect for fans of Emily M. Danforth.

Orphaned young and raised with chilly indifference at an all-boys boarding school, Brontë Ellis has grown up stifled by rigid rules and social "norms," forbidden from expressing his gender identity. His beloved novels and period films lend an escape, until a position as a live-in tutor provides him with a chance to leave St. Mary's behind.

Greenwood Manor is the kind of elegant country house Bron has only read about, and amid lavish parties and cricket matches, the Edwards family welcomes him into the household with true warmth. Mr. Edwards and the young Ada, Bron's pupil, accept without question that Bron's gender presentation is not traditionally masculine. Only Darcy, the eldest son, seems uncomfortable with Bron - the two of them couldn't be more opposite.

When a tragic fire blazes through the estate's idyllic peace, Bron begins to sense dark secrets smoldering beneath Greenwood Manor's surface. Channeling the heroines of his cherished paperbacks, he begins to sift through the wreckage. Soon, he's not sure what to believe, especially with his increasing attraction to Darcy clouding his vision.

Drawing energy and inspiration from Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, E.M. Forster, and more while bowing to popular fiction such as Plain Bad Heroines, The Manor House Governess is destined to become a modern classic."

I mean a Bronte and a house fire? I have to read this!

A Dark Roux by Blaine Daigle
Published by: Wicked House Publishing
Publication Date: November 7th, 2023
Format: Kindle, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Beneath the black waters of the Louisiana bayou hides a world of dark mysticism. A world steeped in superstition and the decay of family legacies. A world Rhiannon LeBeau thought she'd left behind fifteen years ago after a summer of tragedy and horror.

But following the death of their mother, Rhiannon and her younger brother Rhett find themselves drawn back to their crumbling ancestral home deep in the sugarcane farms of Terrebonne Parish. A place full of family secrets and lost memories that will force both siblings to come face to face with the demons of their past...and present.

Because something has been waiting for their return. Something with a long memory and a debt to collect. Something tied to the bayou in blood. Something that intends to make sure Rhiannon and Rhett never leave again."

The dark magics of the Louisiana bayou always gets me.

Vamp by Loren D. Estleman
Published by: Forge
Publication Date: November 7th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Vamp is a hot new Valentino mystery by Loren D. Estleman, the master of the hard-boiled detective novel and recipient of the Private Eye Writers of America Lifetime Achievement Award.

Renowned film detective Valentino is on a quest to help restore The Comet, an extinct drive-in movie theater, and his trail leads him to Leo Kalishnikov, who requests a favor first - rid him of a blackmailer from his shady past, and he'll gladly hand over the money that The Comet needs.

With only an uncashed check for a clue, Valentino embarks on a treacherous path to save not only The Comet but the last remaining print of the 1917 film Cleopatra, which has been lost for over a century. The film is somewhere in Los Angeles, and Valentino is willing to risk it all to find it. He must navigate the shady underbelly of Hollywood once more, in a dangerous adventure that threatens not only his career - but his life."

I love hard-boiled detectives involved in the seedy underbelly of the film industry.

Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen by Sarah James
Published by: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date: November 7th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Perhaps the best place in 1943 Hollywood to see the stars is the Hollywood Canteen, a club for servicemen staffed exclusively by those in show business. Murder mystery playwright Annie Laurence, new in town after a devastating breakup, definitely hopes to rub elbows with the right stars. Maybe then she can get her movie made.

But Hollywood proves to be more than tinsel and glamour. When despised film critic Fiona Farris is found dead in the Canteen kitchen, Annie realizes any one of the Canteen's luminous volunteers could be guilty of the crime. To catch the killer, Annie falls in with Fiona's friends, a bitter and cynical group - each as uniquely unhappy in their life and career as Annie is in hers - that call themselves the Ambassador's Club.

Solving a murder in real life, it turns out, is a lot harder than writing one for the stage. And by involving herself in the secrets and lies of the Ambassador's Club, Annie just might have put a target on her own back."

A real showstopping Hollywood mystery!

Enchanted Hill by Emily Bain Murphy
Published by: Union Square and Co.
Publication Date: November 7th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Escape to Enchanted Hill in this historical mystery where two people with a dark, shared past collide while working undercover at a glittering mansion on the California coast.

The year is 1930 and Cora McCavanagh is posing as a maid at Hollywood magnate Truman Byrd's legendary estate. She's closing in on the damning evidence she needs for a high-profile client.

An aspiring PI, Cora was trained by her father, a former prison guard at the notorious Pelican Island, where Cora grew up surrounded by hardened criminals.

Which is why she recognizes Jack Yates as soon as he walks through the door. The last time she saw him was on an ill-fated night that changed the course of her life and still haunts her more than a decade later. Cora never expected to see Jack again - and now a single misstep could cause both their secret identities to come crashing down.

They strike a tentative truce to help each other during a week of parties overflowing with champagne and caviar. But there are puzzles hidden in every corner of Truman Byrd's labyrinthine estate, and if Cora is to finally learn the truth about Jack Yates, she must unravel a sinister history that the rich and powerful will do anything to keep concealed.

Filled with intrigue and Old Hollywood glamour, Enchanted Hill is an unforgettable historical romance set in a world you won't want to leave, and is perfect for fans of historical fiction books like the Molly Murphy Mysteries, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and Kate Morton books."

A labyrinthine Old Hollywood estate? Yes please!

The Proof of the Pudding by Rhys Bowen
Published by: Berkley Books
Publication Date: November 7th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Lady Georgiana Rannoch is looking forward to her first ever turn as hostess for her very own house party when the festivities lead to murder...

Georgie, back home at her estate in Eynsleigh, impatiently awaits the birth of her baby. But she has plenty to occupy her: her new chef, Pierre, has arrived from Paris, and Sir Hubert, who owns Eynsleigh, is back from his latest expedition. It's time for Georgie to throw her first house party to celebrate his return and show off her new chef. The dinner party is a smashing success. Sir Mortimer Mordred - famous author of creepy Gothic horror novels - is one of the guests. He recently purchased a nearby Elizabethan manor nearby because it has a famous poison garden. After the dinner, Sir Mortimer approaches Georgie and asks to borrow her new chef for his upcoming party, and Georgie and Darcy, her dashing husband, are invited!

The tour of the poison garden is fascinating, as is Sir Mortimer's laboratory. Shockingly, just after the banquet several of the guests become sick. And one dies, apparently poisoned by berries from the garden. But how could this be when they all ate the same meal and the same delectable dessert? Georgie has to find the culprit to save her new chef and her own reputation - all before her bundle of joy arrives!"

Rhys Bowen has said the magic words that are my catnip; poison garden.

Murder in Williamstown by Kerry Greenwood
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: November 7th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Honourable Miss Phryne Fisher is up to her elegant eyebrows in mystery once again!

Awakening unusually early one morning, Phryne Fisher finds herself with a rare stretch of free time to fill. After dropping her daughters off for their school-sponsored charity work at the Blind Institute, she visits a university professor whose acquaintance she'd made - and admired - on a prior case. At lunch, the smitten professor invites Phryne to dine at his home in Williamstown later that week.

Bookending her pleasant dinner with her new friend Jeoffrey, Phryne makes two disturbing discoveries: first, a discarded opium pipe in the park, and later the body of a Chinese man on the beach - cause of death not apparent, yet ultimately ruled a homicide. Shortly thereafter, the teenaged sister-in-law of Phryne's longtime lover Lin Chung disappears from her home. But when one of Jeoffrey's colleagues is murdered in front of a houseful of guests at a Chinese-themed party he is hosting, Phryne can't help but wonder - are the incidents all related somehow? And who on earth has been leaving notes in her letterbox, warning her to "REPENT" and that "THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH?"

In addition to the formidable and fashionable Phryne, this clever mystery once again features Phryne's three wards with their own mysteries to solve: Ruth and Jane, tracking an embezzler at the Institute, and Tinker, whose help Phryne enlists to uncover the author of the threatening missives."

I love the whole world of Miss Fisher, and after finishing the lamentably over Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries I need more Fishers in my life!

A Christmas Vanishing by Anne Perry
Published by: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: November 7th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 208 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Charlotte Pitt's clever grandmother investigates the sudden disappearance of her dear friend in this chilling holiday whodunit by New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry.

Mariah Ellison, Charlotte Pitt's grandmother, accepts her longtime friend Sadie's gracious invitation to spend Christmas with her and her husband, Barton, in their picturesque village. But upon arrival, Mariah discovers that Sadie has vanished without a trace, and Barton rudely rescinds the invitation. Once Mariah finds another acquaintance to stay with during the holiday season, she begins investigating Sadie's disappearance.

Mariah's uncanny knack for solving mysteries serves her well during her search, which is driven by gossip as icy as the December weather. Did Sadie run off with another man? Was she kidnapped? Has someone harmed her? Frustratingly, Mariah's questions reveal more about the villagers themselves than about her friend's whereabouts. Yet in the process of getting to know Sadie's neighbors, Mariah finds a kind of redemption, as she rediscovers her kinder side, and her ability to love.

It is up to Mariah to master her own feelings, drown out the noise, and get to the bottom of what occurred, all before Christmas day. With the holiday rapidly approaching, will she succeed in bringing Sadie home in time for them to celebrate it together - or is that too much to hope for?"

A must read this Christmas and perhaps our last Christmas story from Anne Perry who sadly passed this year.

The White Priory Murders by Carter Dickson
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: November 7th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"James Bennett has been invited to stay at White Priory for Christmas among the retinue of the glamorous Hollywood actress Marcia Tait. Her producer, her lover, the playwright for her next hit and her agent are all here, soon to become so many suspects when Tait is found murdered on a cold December morning in the lakeside pavilion. Only the footprints of her discoverer disturb the snow which fell overnight - and which stopped just shortly after Marcia was last seen alive. How did the murderer get in and out of the pavilion without leaving a trace?

When Bennett's uncle, the cantankerous amateur sleuth Sir Henry Merrivale arrives from London to make sense of this impossible crime, the reader is treated to a feast of the author's trademark twists, beguiling false answers and one of the most ingenious solutions in the history of the mystery genre."

Now THIS is what I need this holiday season. I think I might have to start my Christmas reading now to get it all in!

Grandiloquent Words: A Pictoric Lexicon of Ostrobogulous Locutions by Jason Travis Ott
Published by: Countryman Press
Publication Date: November 7th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Words confirm and deny, guarantee and deceive, elucidate and obfuscate.

The more words you know, the better you can express yourself and the more you can do in life. The founder of Grandiloquent Word of the Day accordingly presents a voluptuary of verbiage encompassing rare and obscure terms that confound or delight, antiquated argot from myriad epochs, and lexemes for venturesome bibliophiles.

Featuring a short, insightful introduction, Grandiloquent Words offers more than 250 preternatural terminologies for you to ingurgitate and brandish with aplomb for countless occasions. Bask in cataracts of mundane morphemes, bookish locutions, beef-witted blatteroons, corporeal catastrophes, playful patois, and jolly jubilations.

These always-extra expressions encompass timeless topics and modern phenomena, painting a group portrait of our foibles and joys. Replete with pronunciations, etymologies, examples, and whimsical illustrations, it will edify and entertain.

*This rare collection of definitions celebrates the marvels of our language."

I have been following them for years and Facebook and it's just as fascinating as it sounds.

Lamentation by Cullen Bunn, Arjuna Susini, and Hilary Jenkins
Published by: Oni Press
Publication Date: November 7th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 144 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the mind's eye of master storyteller Cullen Bunn (The Sixth Gun, Basilisk) and rising star Arjuna Susini (Made Men) comes a darkly glamorous tale of bone-splintering terror at the intersection of shadow and light...dream and nightmare...life, and the grim specter of Death himself.

After weeks of grueling rehearsals, a new production is set to begin at the famed Requiem theatre: Razide's Lament, three acts of Gothic horror set inside a haunted castle with a story that some say is more than mere fantasy. Under the stern rule of a dedicated but temperamental director, the script seems to be ever-changing, and, more mysterious still, our lead actress has found herself cast in the role of a lifetime without so much as an audition. Her opening night is coming fast-and, with it, a barrage of razors in the night that will terrorize audiences and actors alike. There is no exit, no escape, and when the curtain finally rises, Razide himself will take center stage to cross the threshold into the unholy darkness that lies just beyond..."

I will read ANYTHING by Cullen Bunn. But when he brings the Gothic, oh he brings it!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Abigail Hing Wen, Anne Perry, C.A. Castle, Carter Dickson, Christopher Paolini, Cullen Bunn, Darcy Coates, Freya Marske, Gilly Macmillan, Jim Butcher, Kerry Greenwood, Mur Lafferty, Rhys Bowen, Travis Baldree