BP Note: Welcome to March. My apologies for this posting later than our usual first Friday of the month. My day job has been a bit tense and full of longer hours over the last few weeks. My heart hurts with what is going on in Europe and other places of the world right now. As some of you might know, I was able to live in Europe for two years, and in every town I saw monuments to World Wars, both of them. We don’t need to be in a situation where this becomes our reality, again. Please take every opportunity to do good in your piece of the world or your sphere of influence as I call it. Evil can’t win so long as good people do something to make the world better. Take care of yourself, take care of those around you, and take care of those you might not even know.
I hope you find some joy in our list.
Happy reading,
~E
- Contemporary Romance
- Fantasy
- Historical Fantasy
- Historical Mystery
- Paranormal Romance
- Romantic Suspense
- Science Fiction
- Science Fiction Romance
- Urban Fantasy
- Young Adult Fantasy
Contemporary Romance
The Love List (Rose Bend #2.5) by Naima Simone – 1 Mar (HQN)
Being a little bit bad never felt so good…
A wedding planner who gets jilted at the altar—it’s not a good look. Even worse, Korrie Noel’s ex-fiancé has finally shown up to a wedding, but it’s one she’s coordinating. Taking refuge outside, she finds her hiding place already occupied by an insanely hot, young, tattooed Viking look-alike who makes straitlaced Korrie wonder if maybe it’s time to try breaking loose.
Rose Bend’s resident bad boy has no business lusting after the pastor’s daughter. But Israel Ford can’t help it, even if he’s still bruised from a bitter divorce and a two-year writer’s block. When Korrie asks him to teach her how to start having fun, he’s more than willing. From zip-lining to motorcycle rides, Korrie’s learning how to take risks…and Israel wonders if he can convince her to take the biggest risk of all…
One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle – 1 Mar (Atria)
When Katy’s mother dies, she is left reeling. Carol wasn’t just Katy’s mom, but her best friend and first phone call. She had all the answers and now, when Katy needs her the most, she is gone. To make matters worse, their planned mother-daughter trip of a lifetime looms: two weeks in Positano, the magical town Carol spent the summer right before she met Katy’s father. Katy has been waiting years for Carol to take her, and now she is faced with embarking on the adventure alone.
But as soon as she steps foot on the Amalfi Coast, Katy begins to feel her mother’s spirit. Buoyed by the stunning waters, beautiful cliffsides, delightful residents, and, of course, delectable food, Katy feels herself coming back to life.
And then Carol appears—in the flesh, healthy, sun-tanned, and thirty years old. Katy doesn’t understand what is happening, or how—all she can focus on is that she has somehow, impossibly, gotten her mother back. Over the course of one Italian summer, Katy gets to know Carol, not as her mother, but as the young woman before her. She is not exactly who Katy imagined she might be, however, and soon Katy must reconcile the mother who knew everything with the young woman who does not yet have a clue.
Dirty Work (Dirty Deeds #1) by TA Moore – 4 Mar (Rogue Firebird Press)
Crime Scene Cleaner [kraɪm siːnˈkliːnə] – Cleans up crime scenes…before the cops know there is one.
People always say ‘you can’t go home again’. It turns out that doesn’t count as a guarantee…especially not during a global pandemic.
After the jobs in LA started to dry up, crime scene cleaner Grade Pulaski was forced to pack up and move home. He loves his family, but the last thing he ever wanted was to face the ghosts he’d left back in Sweeny, Kentucky.
Also, the place just sucks.
He certainly isn’t going to stay any longer than necessary. The plan is to save up enough money to move back to LA and give his business a kick-start. The problem is that, as previously mentioned, Sweeny’s a hole and the locals are anything but professional.
Now a body has gone missing, Grade’s reputation is being held hostage, and people keep asking whether his Dad really did run off with 100 grand of meth in the back of Dodge. Plus, even though you shouldn’t sleep with your employers, crime lord Clay Traynor is exactly the sort of bad idea that Grade can’t resist. Tattooed, bad news, and dangerous.
…oh, yeah. Grade’s job is to clean up the crime scene before the cops know someone’s dead. That’s why he needs to sort this out before he gets a bad review on dark net Yelp.
A Match Made in Lipa (The Laneways #2) by Carla Guzman – 8 Mar (Carina Press)
What’s written in the stars isn’t always the whole story…
Chocolate maker and shop owner Kira Luz isn’t looking for love, but if fate leads her that way, so be it. When she randomly runs into her childhood crush, Santi, on vacation, it feels like the stars are trying to tell her something. Memories of their time growing up in Lipa—not to mention the steamy kiss they share when they reconnect—get her heart pounding. But she has to go back to Lipa while he’s headed for Manila, and long distance is kind of an issue.
Until he moves back home…and distance becomes the least of their problems.
Estranged hotel heir Anton “Santi” Santillan is left adrift when his grandfather abruptly cuts him out of the family business. But he finds his footing again running a small niche hotel back in Lipa. The downside of living in his old hometown: it’s no Manila, that’s for sure. The upside: seeing Kira again. Kira, who loves food as much as he does. Kira, who loves kissing as much as he does.
Kira, whose family owns the property—including her shop—his grandfather wants him to buy out from underneath them.
Mixing love and chocolate and family just might get messy. And sometimes messy is exactly what fate had in mind.
New Girl in Play (New Girl #3) by Rebel Carter – 8 Mar (Self)
I’m a recent divorcee who hasn’t been on a first date in twenty-two years, I have no business having a crush on the mysterious Jamie S. from the dating app for the rich and beautiful of New York City. But his quote on his dating profile shakes me to the core and I can’t get him out of my head.
“If you’ve ever been in love with someone, you know it’s very rare to have someone know all of you. You protect that. All I want is to find my someone to protect. It’s a long life and I’m looking for someone to grow with.”
Doesn’t hurt that he’s also gorgeous, accomplished, a former NFL football player, now a tech guru and yeah, he’s a millionaire. He’s also twelve years younger than me.
But I’m moving to a small town in Colorado looking to start my life over, I don’t have time for a hot NY fling. At least that’s what I tell myself. Until I get to Colorado and see who’s waiting for me on my doorstep.
Jamie S.
Can I trust the instant connection between us, or is it doomed from the start? Especially when I find out the real reason he is here.
Her Favorite Rebound (Cidar Bar Sisters #4) by Jackie Lau – 29 Mar (Jackie Lau Books)
he’s got a billionaire boyfriend, but life is far from perfect…
Thirty-four and divorced, Sierra Wu is a constant disappointment to her family. They approved of her former career as an engineer but were horrified when she quit to run a small greeting card store.
So, the last thing she expected in her not-so-spectacular life was being swept off her feet by Colton Sanders. Yes, that Colton Sanders, the billionaire. They’ve been together for a year, and despite his reputation with women, it’s going well.
There’s only one tiny problem: Jake Tong.
A former friend and employee of Colton, the irritatingly handsome Jake tells Sierra to break up with Colton for her own good. She refuses, of course. Why should she trust Jake?
But as she continues to bump into Jake in awkward situations, the attraction between them grows, and she starts wondering if he’s right about Colton…
Going Public (Jade Harbour Capital #2) by Lin Hudson – 29 Mar (Carina Adores)
As an operating partner at Jade Harbour, Raymond Chao prides himself in fixing even the most disastrous of portfolio companies—no matter the cost. While his colleagues might not always like his methods, they love his results. But his latest business partner isn’t cooperating, and what’s worse, Raymond’s underhanded tactics have landed him in hot water with the law.
Elvin Goh has been Raymond’s assistant for years, and he’s been in love with the charming, ruthless playboy for just as long. There’s very little that Elvin won’t do—or hasn’t done—for Raymond. Impossible crush aside, it’s his job. But this time, even Elvin can’t see a way out.
When long nights in the office lead to whispered confessions and a newfound intimacy, it seems like a dream come true—for both of them. But with the prospect of failure on the horizon, can this dream team beat the odds and come out the victors in the office and in their hearts?
With Love from Rose Bend (Rose Bend #3) by Naima Simone – 29 Mar (HQN)
He came to Rose Bend to hide. But she’ll help him find everything he’s been missing.
Leontyne Dennison is on a love hiatus. And that’s just fine, because perfectionist Leo is hyperfocused on the success of her family’s southern Berkshires inn. Volunteering for Rose Bend’s annual spring festival is certain to boost business—and provide the perfect distraction from men—until Leo comes face-to-face with Owen Stafford, the hottest one-night stand of her life.
A retired professional football player, Owen came to Rose Bend to escape after a devastating car accident ended his career. Enter the woman he hasn’t forgotten in the year since their sizzling night together. When Owen’s parents arrive, threatening his low profile, Leo helps keep the peace by pretending to be Owen’s girlfriend. Rose Bend was never part of Owen’s long game, but Leo’s increasingly convincing TLC is starting to give Owen every reason to stay.
Fantasy
Crowbones (World of the Others #3) by Anne Bishop – 8 Mar (ACE)
Crowbones will gitcha if you don’t watch out!
Deep in the territory controlled by the Others-shape-shifters, vampires, and even deadlier paranormal beings-Vicki DeVine has made a new life for herself running The Jumble, a rustic resort. When she decides to host a gathering of friends and guests for Trickster Night, at first everything is going well between the humans and the Others.
But then someone arrives dressed as Crowbones, the Crowgard bogeyman. When the impostor is killed along with a shape-shifting Crow, and the deaths are clearly connected, everyone fears that the real Crowbones may have come to The Jumble-and that could mean serious trouble.
To “encourage” humans to help them find some answers, the Elders and Elementals close all the roads, locking in suspects and victims alike. Now Vicki, human police chief Grimshaw, vampire lawyer Ilya Sanguinati, and the rest of their friends have to figure out who is manipulating events designed to pit humans against Others-and who may have put Vicki DeVine in the crosshairs of a powerful hunter–
A Magic Steeped in Poison (The Book of Tea #1) by Judy I. Lin – 29 Mar (Feiwel and Friends)
I used to look at my hands with pride. Now all I can think is, “These are the hands that buried my mother.”
For Ning, the only thing worse than losing her mother is knowing that it’s her own fault. She was the one who unknowingly brewed the poison tea that killed her—the poison tea that now threatens to also take her sister, Shu.
When Ning hears of a competition to find the kingdom’s greatest shennong-shi—masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-making—she travels to the imperial city to compete. The winner will receive a favor from the princess, which may be Ning’s only chance to save her sister’s life.
But between the backstabbing competitors, bloody court politics, and a mysterious (and handsome) boy with a shocking secret, Ning might actually be the one in more danger.
Historical Fantasy
Westside Lights (Westside #3) by W.M. Akers – 8 Mar (Harper Voyager)
The Westside of Manhattan is desolate, overgrown, and dangerous–and Gilda Carr wouldn’t have it any other way. An eccentric detective whose pursuit of tiny mysteries has dragged her to the brink of madness, Gilda spends 1923 searching for something that’s eluded her for years: peace. On the revitalized waterfront of the Lower West, Gilda and the gregarious ex-gangster Cherub Stevens start a new life on a stolen yacht. But their old life isn’t done with them yet.
They dock their boat on the edge of the White Lights District, a new tenderloin where liquor, drugs, sex, and violence are shaken into a deadly cocktail. When her pet seagull vanishes into the District, Gilda throws herself into the search for the missing bird. Up late watching the river for her pet, Gilda has one drink too many and passes out in the cabin of her waterfront home.
She wakes to a massacre.
Eight people have been slaughtered on the deck of the Misery Queen, and Cherub is among the dead. Gilda, naturally, is the prime suspect. Hunted by the police, the mob, and everyone in between, she must stay free long enough to find the person who stained the Hudson with her beloved’s blood. She will discover that on her Westside, no lights are bright enough to drive away the darkness.
Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May – 29 Mar (Redhook)
On Crow Island, people whisper, real magic lurks just below the surface.
Neither real magic nor faux magic interests Annie Mason. Not after it stole her future. She’s only on the island to settle her late father’s estate and, hopefully, reconnect with her long-absent best friend, Beatrice, who fled their dreary lives for a more glamorous one.
Yet Crow Island is brimming with temptation, and the biggest one may be her enigmatic new neighbor.
Mysterious and alluring, Emmeline Delacroix is a figure shadowed by rumors of witchcraft. And when Annie witnesses a confrontation between Bea and Emmeline at one of the island’s extravagant parties, she is drawn into a glittering, haunted world. A world where the boundaries of wickedness are tested, and the cost of illicit magic might be death.
Historical Mystery
Sunlit Weapon (Maisie Dobbs #17) by Jacqueline Winspear – 22 Mar (Harper)
October 1942. Jo Hardy, a 22-year-old ferry pilot, is delivering a Supermarine Spitfire–the fastest fighter aircraft in the world–to Biggin Hill Aerodrome, when she realizes someone is shooting at her aircraft from the ground. Returning to the location on foot, she finds an American serviceman in a barn, bound and gagged. She rescues the man, who is handed over to the American military police; it quickly emerges that he is considered a suspect in the disappearance of a fellow soldier who is missing.
Tragedy strikes two days later, when another ferry pilot crashes in the same area where Jo’s plane was attacked. At the suggestion of one of her colleagues, Jo seeks the help of psychologist and investigator Maisie Dobbs. Meanwhile, Maisie’s husband, a high-ranking political attach� based at the American embassy, is in the thick of ensuring security is tight for the first lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt, during her visit to the Britain. There’s already evidence that German agents have been circling: the wife of a president represents a high value target. Mrs. Roosevelt is clearly in danger, and there may well be a direct connection to the death of the woman ferry pilot and the recent activities of two American servicemen.
To guarantee the safety of the First Lady–and of the soldier being held in police custody–Maisie must uncover that connection. At the same time, she faces difficulties of an entirely different nature with her young daughter, Anna, who is experiencing wartime struggles of her own.
Paranormal Romance
When He’s Sinful (Olympus Pack #3) by Suzanne Wright – 1 Mar (Self)
Aspen Montgomery was nine-years-old when she befriended Camden Priest—a boy with dead eyes and dark urges. Since that day, they’d been inseparable. She hadn’t expected to later develop a major crush on him. Or expected that the crush would fail to pass. Or ever thought that she’d grow to wish that she could one day claim him as her mate. It’s never going to happen. She knows that. To him, she’s a friend, nothing more. So it’s time to make some changes to establish some better boundaries. Which would be a hell of a lot easier if he didn’t fight her on it.
There is only one person in the world that Camden Priest gives a damn about—Aspen. She’s his best friend, his anchor, his conscience, the very reason he’s sane. There’s only secret he ever kept from her … he wants more than friendship. Knowing she doesn’t feel the same, he put a chokehold on his need for her. But when some asshole claims to be Aspen’s true mate and danger starts closing in on her, Camden’s control becomes precarious and platonic lines are crossed. He knows what he should do—leave it at a one-night stand to protect their friendship. He’s just not so sure he can.
Conjuring Moonlight (Tooth & Spell #2) by Jasmine Silvera – 22 Maar (No Inside Voice Books)
Evie Acaz turned her back on magic when it failed to save her family fourteen years ago. Now, it’s her ability to manipulate numbers and people that make her indispensable to a power-hungry businessman with ties to the mob. She may not want glimpses of tragic futures, but she knows better than to ignore them. All that remains for Evie in Prague is one final trick: vanishing into thin air.
Hooking up with an enchanting stranger in the woods and running into him again at the club was not part of the plan.
Born to lead the pack, Mark Vogel’s responsibility for his family has always come before the dreams of his business. But when a job for the owner of the city’s most prominent gentleman’s club comes his way, he leaps at the chance to get his fledgling construction company business off the ground. Keeping his eyes off the bevy of scantily clad women is easy. Overlooking corruption is harder. And pretending not to recognize the bookkeeper who makes his wolf’s nose twitch is impossible.
Evie is the first person who doesn’t want or need Mark’s help, but his wolf refuses to let her go. And she can’t pretend she isn’t intrigued that his is the one death she can’t see. As forbidden passion turns to something more, neither wolf nor witch divines the danger that awaits them. Will their combined powers be enough to evade those who would use or destroy them, or will escape require the ultimate gamble: trusting love to save them?
******
Conjuring Moonlight is the second book in the TOOTH & SPELL trilogy, a prequel to the GRACE BLOODS series. Set in the same universe and chronologically before Death’s Dancer, the Tooth & Spell trilogy is the story of three extraordinary brothers in a city where the price of revealing your magic is death.Each book has a HEA and can be read as a standalone—though you may enjoy it more if you’ve read the GRACE BLOODS books!
Romantic Suspense
The Detective (Norcross Security #7) by Anna Hackett – 1 Mar (Self)
She’s a woman on the run and desperate to avoid her hot, nosy detective neighbor.
Artist Savannah Cole has secrets. She can never stay anywhere too long or let anyone get too close. An obsessed stalker has her in his sights, and to protect her family, she can never go home, never share her art, and never fall in love.
But when she plays her music a little too loud, she collides with her good-looking, inquisitive, and far-too-hot neighbor, Detective Hunter Morgan. A man who makes her want things she can never have.
After an injury ended his military career with Delta Force, Hunt Morgan found his place at the San Francisco Police Department. He may not have been there for the men of his team, but now he does his bit to keep his city safe. But his mysterious, new neighbor is disturbing his peace. One look at the beautiful blonde and Hunt knows she has secrets…
When a spate of mysterious attacks threaten Savannah’s life, Hunt steps in. He’ll keep her safe and he’s not going to let her run again.
As Savannah’s stalker closes in, she finds herself with her own private protector. Even with his brothers and friends at Norcross Security at his back, she’s terrified he’ll become the next target. But Hunt isn’t afraid of her deadly stalker, because he knows the hardest challenge will be convincing Savannah to take the biggest risk and stay.
Science Fiction
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi – 15 Mar (Tor Books)
When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls “an animal rights organization.” Tom’s team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on.
What Tom doesn’t tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here on Earth. Not our Earth, at at least. In an alternate dimension, massive dinosaur-like creatures named Kaiju roam a warm and human-free world. They’re the universe’s largest and most dangerous panda and they’re in trouble.
It’s not just the Kaiju Preservation Society that’s found its way to the alternate world. Others have, too–and their carelessness could cause millions back on our Earth to die
Science Fiction Romance
Extent (Jekh Saga #7) by H.E. Trent – TBA Mar (Self)
Eileen Conroy has always embraced the concepts of DIY and self-help. As an acclaimed member of the Jekhan Service Corps, she’s well-known for her get-it-done demeanor and no-nonsense communication style. There isn’t a challenge she isn’t willing to take on, except one.
Edgar Salehi.
If Edgar knows how to do one thing at all after so many years on Jekh, though, it’s get to the bottom of a mystery. Eileen quitting him didn’t make sense. However, a chance run-in more than a year after their breakup reveals Eileen’s on the delivery end of a pregnancy. And he thinks he knows exactly who the father is. The evidence is written right on his daughter’s face.
His only shot at winning Eileen back is starting from scratch and trying friendship again, but he has to be careful. If Eileen discovers he’s been keeping secrets the same way she has, she’ll cut him off for good, and this time, he has far more at stake than the last.
While the Corps’ most infamous couple grapples with their intense collision of pride and passion, brazen brothel owner Zilkat wrestles with a status change of his own. He’s caught the eye of a sophisticated and bookish Terran who, strangely, wants his companionship above all else. But men like Stefan aren’t supposed to fall in love with men like Zilkat. If Zilkat finally lets down his guard and allows his long-repressed emotions to expand, he may land himself a romance. Or…he’ll get punished for wishing for more than he believes he deserves.
Urban Fantasy
Sweep in Peace (The Innkeeper Chronicles #2) by Ilona Andrews – 11 Mar (Graphic Audio)
BP Note: Original versions in print, digital, and single voice narration were published in 2015. This is the full cast version produced by Graphic Audio. E really enjoyed the Graphic Audio production of Clean Sweep.
Dina Demille doesn’t run your typical Bed and Breakfast. Her inn defies laws of physics, her fluffy dog is secretly a monster, and the only paying guest is a former Galactic tyrant with a price on her head. But the inn needs guests to thrive, and guests have been scarce, so when an Arbitrator shows up at Dina’s door and asks her to host a peace summit between three warring species, she jumps on the chance.
Unfortunately, for Dina, keeping the peace between Space Vampires, the Hope-Crushing Horde, and the devious Merchants of Baha-char is much easier said than done. On top of keeping her guests from murdering each other, she must find a chef, remodel the inn…and risk everything, even her life, to save the man she might fall in love with. But then it’s all in the day’s work for an Innkeeper…
Under Lock and Skeleton Key (Secret Staircase Mystery #1) by Gigi Pandian – 15 Mar (Minotaur)
After a disastrous accident derails Tempest Raj’s career, and life, she heads back to her childhood home in California to comfort herself with her grandfather’s Indian home-cooked meals. Though she resists, every day brings her closer to the inevitable: working for her father’s company. Secret Staircase Construction specializes in bringing the magic of childhood to all by transforming clients’ homes with sliding bookcases, intricate locks, backyard treehouses, and hidden reading nooks.
When Tempest visits her dad’s latest renovation project, her former stage double is discovered dead inside a wall that’s supposedly been sealed for more than a century. Fearing she was the intended victim, it’s up to Tempest to solve this seemingly impossible crime. But as she delves further into the mystery, Tempest can’t help but wonder if the Raj family curse that’s plagued her family for generations—something she used to swear didn’t exist—has finally come for her.
Comeuppance Served Cold by Marion Deeds – 22 Mar (Tordotcom)
A respected magus and city leader intent on criminalizing Seattle’s most vulnerable magickers hires a young woman as a lady’s companion to curb his rebellious daughter’s outrageous behavior.
The widowed owner of a speakeasy encounters an opportunity to make her husband’s murderer pay while she tries to keep her shapeshifter brother safe.
A notorious thief slips into the city to complete a delicate and dangerous job that will leave chaos in its wake.
One thing is for certain—comeuppance, eventually, waits for everyone.
Silent Stalker (Lowrance Vampires #2) by R.J. Blain – 22 Mar (Pen & Page Publishing)
Pepper Lowrance, formerly known as Penelope Francis, continues her search for the miscreant vampire who stole her life and her humanity, transforming her into a vampire. With the master of the Lowrance brood at her side, she takes the first steps towards toppling her father’s empire in order to protect her new kind and spare her mother from a fate worse than only death.
But when someone unleashes a horde of newly turned and hungry vampires on an unsuspecting Manhattan, Pepper pursues her role as a seeker of justice for the dead and a protector of the living. Taking to the streets as the Silent Stalker is only the beginning of the hunt for the culprits behind the deaths plaguing the city.
To find the answers she needs, she must embrace what it means to be Emerick’s partner in life and beyond death while also accepting everything she has become—including being a vampire.
Young Adult Fantasy
Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa by Julian Randall – 1 Mar (Henry Holt & Co)
Twelve-year-old Pilar Violeta “Purp” Ramirez’s world is changing, and she doesn’t care for it one bit. Her Chicago neighborhood is gentrifying and her chores have doubled since her sister, Lorena, left for college. The only constant is Abuela and Mami’s code of silence around her cousin Natasha—who vanished in the Dominican Republic fifty years ago during the Trujillo dictatorship.
When Pilar hears that Lorena’s professor studies such disappearances, she hops on the next train to take matters into her own hands. After snooping around the professor’s empty office, she discovers a folder with her cousin’s name on it . . . and gets sucked into the blank page within.
She lands on Zafa, an island swarming with coconut-shaped demons, butterfly shapeshifters, and a sinister magical prison where her cousin is being held captive. Pilar will have to go toe-to-toe with the fearsome Dominican boogeyman, El Cuco, if she has any hope of freeing Natasha and getting back home.
The monthly Must Have list is a compilation of the upcoming release titles that we, The Book Pushers, just can’t wait to get our hands on. Don’t see a title you’re excited about listed here? Add it to the comments section below. Let us know what you’re looking forward to!