BP Note: Once more I am writing this as I sit in a medical facility with my mom watching her nap. She is recovering well and will be back home with me soon but until then my time at attention will be focused on her. Treasure your moments with your loved ones and make sure you tell them they matter. We can never take them for granted. We have an interesting line up for you today. Almost every title has has something of the speculative nature about it. This includes some long awaited sequels of autobuy series and some new-to-me authors. Let us know what you have discovered this month. Technically I am posting this a week early but given we have a long weekend…you might appreciate the extra time to compile your reading lists.
Happy reading!
~E
- Fantasy
- Fantasy Romance
- Literary Fiction
- Fantasy Mystery
- Hystorical Mystery
- Mystery
- Paranormal Romance
- Romantic Suspense
- Science Fiction
- Urban Fantasy
Fantasy
Library System Reset: Damaged (Magic Library LitRPG #2) by K.T. Hanna – 10 Sep (Amaranthine Press)
The Library is Open
But nothing is working as intended.
Quinn may have retrieved the necessary power and books for the Library to open, but her to-do list is still three miles long.
Armed with Librarian assistants, Quinn must replenish the Library’s catalogue, open the other six branches of the Library, and figure out what the hell is going on with the Library and its manifestation.
Not only do there seem to be more missing books than originally listed, but there are also missing chunks of time and information. With so many holes in the Library’s recollections, it’s a wonder Quinn hasn’t tripped and fallen yet.
It’s up to Quinn and her crew figure out how to refill the holes before the entire magic system collapses.
And to collect the books.
Even if she has to use force.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles #2) by T.J. Klune – 10 Sep (Tor Books)
A magical house. A secret past. A summons that could change everything.
Arthur Parnassus lives a good life built on the ashes of a bad one.
He’s the master of a strange orphanage on a distant and peculiar island, and he hopes to soon be the adoptive father to the six dangerous and magical children who live there.
Arthur works hard and loves with his whole heart so none of the children ever feel the neglect and pain that he once felt as an orphan on that very same island so long ago. He is not alone: joining him is the love of his life, Linus Baker, a former caseworker in the Department In Charge of Magical Youth. And there’s the island’s sprite, Zoe Chapelwhite, and her girlfriend, Mayor Helen Webb. Together, they will do anything to protect the children.
But when Arthur is summoned to make a public statement about his dark past, he finds himself at the helm of a fight for the future that his family, and all magical people, deserve.
And when a new magical child hopes to join them on their island home—one who finds power in calling himself monster, a name that Arthur worked so hard to protect his children from—Arthur knows they’re at a breaking point: their family will either grow stronger than ever or fall apart.
Welcome back to Marsyas Island. This is Arthur’s story.
A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft – 17 Sep (Del Rey)
Lorelei Kaskel, a folklorist with a quick temper and an even quicker wit, is on an expedition with six eccentric nobles in search of a fabled spring. The magical spring promises untold power, which the king wants to harness to secure his reign of the embattled country of Brunnestaad. Lorelei is determined to use this opportunity to prove herself and make her wildest, most impossible dream come to become a naturalist, able to travel freely to lands she’s only ever read about.
The expedition gets off to a harrowing start when its leader—Lorelei’s beloved mentor—is murdered in her quarters aboard their ship. The suspects are her five remaining expedition mates, each with their own motive. The only person Lorelei knows must be innocent is her longtime academic rival, the insufferably gallant and maddeningly beautiful Sylvia von Wolff. Now in charge of the expedition, Lorelei must find the spring before the murderer strikes again—and a coup begins in earnest.
But there are other dangers lurking in the forests that rearrange themselves at night, rivers with slumbering dragons waiting beneath the water, and shapeshifting beasts out for blood.
As Lorelei and Sylvia grudgingly work together to uncover the truth—and resist their growing feelings for one another—they discover that their professor had secrets of her own. Secrets that make Lorelei question whether justice is worth pursuing, or if this kingdom is worth saving at all.
Fantasy Romance
Fear the Flames by Olivia Rose Darling – 17 Sep (Delacorte)
Princess. Prisoner. Runaway. Queen.
Elowen Atarah, Princess of Imirath, came into the world like a firestorm made flesh. A princess with a link to five dragons should have been a blessing to her kingdom, but her blessing became her curse. The little girl in shackles became a knife wielding woman with a thirst for retaliation.Now, Queen of Aestilian, a secret kingdom she forged through strength and survival, Elowen needs a way to feed her rising population. She never thought she would have the force to take on Imirath, but when the snarky Commander Cayden Veles of Vareveth, her father’s enemy kingdom, offers her a deal she’s been dreaming of for years, how can she not take it? Even if he ignites her temper like no other, nothing unites two begrudging allies more than a common enemy.
The pair of them, along with three accomplices, will navigate their partnership, politics, and attempt to pull off the greatest heist their world has ever known. Five people, all united through revenge, will have to transcend the odds stacked against them and infiltrate the impenetrable castle if they want to reap their rewards before someone reaps their souls. Putting aside their differences to accomplish a common goal because everyone knows…vengeance is a promise signed in blood.
Literary Fiction
We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida – 3 Sep (Berkley)
A cat a day keeps the doctor away…
Discover the award-winning, bestselling Japanese novel that has become an international sensation in this utterly charming, vibrant celebration of the healing power of cats.Tucked away in an old building at the end of a narrow alley in Kyoto, the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul can only be found by people who are struggling in their lives and genuinely need help. The mysterious clinic offers a unique treatment to those who find their way it prescribes cats as medication. Patients are often puzzled by this unconventional prescription, but when they “take” their cat for the recommended duration, they witness profound transformations in their lives, guided by the playful, empathetic, occasionally challenging yet endearing cats.
Throughout the pages, the power of the human-animal bond is revealed as a disheartened businessman finds unexpected joy in physical labor, a young girl navigates the complexities of elementary school cliques, a middle-aged man struggles to stay relevant at work and home, a hardened bag designer seeks emotional balance, and a geisha finds herself unable to move on from the memory of her lost cat. As the clinic’s patients navigate their inner turmoil and seek resolution, their feline companions lead them toward healing, self-discovery, and newfound hope.
Fantasy Mystery
The Village Library Demon Hunting Society by C.M. Waggoner – 24 Sep (Ace)
A librarian with a knack for solving murders realizes there is something decidedly supernatural afoot in her little town in this cozy fantasy mystery.
Librarian Sherry Pinkwhistle keeps finding bodies—and solving murders. But she’s concerned by just how many killers she’s had to track down in her quaint village. None of her neighbors seem surprised by the rising body count…but Sherry is becoming convinced that whatever has been causing these deaths is unnatural. But when someone close to Sherry ends up dead, and her cat, Lord Thomas Crowell, becomes possessed by what seems to be an ancient demon, Sherry begins to think she’s going to need to become an exorcist as well as an amateur sleuth. With the help of her town’s new priest, and an assortment of friends who dub themselves the “Demon-Hunting Society,” Sherry will have to solve the murder and get rid of a demon. This riotous mix of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Murder, She Wrote is a lesson for demons and murderers.
Never mess with a librarian.
Historical Mystery
Murder at King’s Crossing (Wrexford & Sloane #8) by Andrea Penrose – 24 Sep (Kensington)
Celebration is in the air at Wrexford and Charlotte’s country estate as they host the nuptials of their friends, Christopher Sheffield and Lady Cordelia Mansfield. But on the afternoon of the wedding, the festivities are interrupted when the local authorities arrive with news that a murdered man has been discovered at the bridge over King’s Crossing, his only identification an invitation to the wedding. Lady Cordelia is horrified when the victim is identified as Jasper Milton, her childhood friend and a brilliant engineer who is rumored to have discovered a revolutionary technological innovation in bridge design. That he had the invitation meant for her cousin Oliver, who never showed up for the wedding, stirs a number of unsettling questions.
Both men were involved in the Revolutions-Per-Minute Society, a scientific group dedicated to making radical improvements in the speed and cost of transportation throughout Britain. Is someone plotting to steal Milton’s designs? And why has her cousin disappeared?
Wrexford and Charlotte were looking forward to spending a peaceful interlude in the country, but when Lady Cordelia resolves to solve the mystery, they offer their help, along with that of the Weasels and their unconventional inner circle of friends. The investigation turns tangled and soon all of them are caught up in a treacherous web of greed, ambition, and dangerous secrets. And when the trail takes a shocking turn, Wrexford and Charlotte must decide what risks they are willing to take with their family to bring the villains to justice . . .
Mystery
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman – 17 Sep (Penguin Books)
Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life. He does the odd bit of investigation work, but he prefers his familiar habits and routines: the pub quiz, his favorite bench, his cat waiting for him when he comes home. His days of adventure are over: adrenaline is daughter-in-law Amy’s business now.
Amy Wheeler thinks adrenaline is good for the soul. As a private security officer, she doesn’t stay still long enough for habits or routines. She’s currently on a remote island keeping world-famous author Rosie D’Antonio alive. Which was meant to be an easy job…
Then a dead body, a bag of money, and a killer with their sights on Amy have her sending an SOS to the only person she trusts. A breakneck race around the world begins, but can Amy and Steve stay one step ahead of a lethal enemy?
Paranormal Romance
Fangs for Nothing (The Nevermore Murder Club and Smutty Book Coven #1) by Steffani Holmes – 10 Sep (Bacchanalia House)
He’s a hot, grumpy, reclusive vampire, and the last thing he wants is an interfering human tidying his castle…until her.
Lord Alaric Valerian has a problem. His mother is visiting his castle for the first time, but she doesn’t know that Alaric has filled every room with his centuries of artistic passions and creative pursuits.
Desperate, he hires professional organiser Winnie Preston to help him tame the mess. But Alaric isn’t prepared for bubbly, passionate Winnie to show up at his castle and ram a metaphorical stake through his cold, vampire heart. Winnie sets his fangs on edge, but the more closely he works with her, the more he wishes she could be his.
So when Alaric’s mother arrives with a new bride-to-be in tow, Alaric convinces Winnie to pretend to be his fiance. He may be causing all kinds of scandal in the vampire court by being engaged to a human, but at least he doesn’t have to give up his reclusive life.
But Winnie still doesn’t know Alaric’s a vampire, and Alaric didn’t count on Winnie’s meddling book club pinning him for a mysterious murder in the village. Will their maybe-not-so-fake-marriage survive once Winnie discovers the monster that lurks beneath his fangs?
Enchanted Net (Mysterious Fields #1) by Celia Lake – 20 Sep (Celia Lake)
Thessaly’s life is laid out before her, a sparkling path toward the goals any young woman of Albion should aspire to. Her own magic is strong, she’s a gifted duellist mastering the enchantments of illusion work. Now she’s betrothed to the shining son of one of the greatest families in the country. All she has to do is tread the steps of the proper dance.
Vitus has just returned from a grand tour, learning all he can about stones and mines to cap off his apprenticeship as a talisman maker. Now it’s time to establish himself, build his business, and craft his own future.
When Thessaly and Vitus meet at a costume ball, there’s an immediate spark between them. Thessaly’s marriage agreements specifically permit that, so long as she’s discreet. Certainly, there’s no barrier to a friendship or magical collaboration. Vitus, for his part, is charmed by her intelligence, creativity, and eye for crafting magic.
They’ve barely begun to get to know each other – or figure out how to handle their growing mutual interest properly – when Thessaly’s world collapses. The sudden change in her life throws everything she’d expected into chaos. Vitus has no idea how to help, not without risking his future as well.
The first book in the Mysterious Fields trilogy begins Thessaly and Vitus’s story and romance – but their happily ever after won’t come until book three. Join them for a toast in honour of recognising each other as kindred spirits, navigating the politics of Albion’s Great Families, and figuring out how to live their own lives. Set in 1889, this book about the magical community of Victorian Britain is a wonderful entry point to Celia Lake’s Albion books.
Romantic Suspense
Passions in Death (In Death #59) by J.D. Robb – 3 Sep (St. Martin’s Press)
On a hot August night, Lt. Eve Dallas and her husband, Roarke, speed through the streets of Manhattan to the Down and Dirty club, where a joyful, boisterous pre-wedding girls’ night out has turned into a murder scene. One of the brides lies in a pool of blood, garroted in a private room where she was preparing a surprise for her fiancée—two scrimped and saved-for tickets to Hawaii.
Despite the dozens of people present, useful witnesses are hard to come by. It all brings back some bad memories for Eve. In her uniform days, she’d suffered an assault in the very same room—but she’d been able to fight back and survive. She’d gotten justice. And now she needs to provide some for poor young Erin.
Eve knows that the level of violence and the apparent premeditation involved suggest a volatile mix of hidden, heated passion and ice-cold calculation. This is a crime that can be countered only by hard detective work and relentless dedication—and Eve will not stop until she finds the killer who destroyed this couple’s dreams before the honeymoon even began…
Science Fiction
Darkside (Planetside #4) by Michael Mammay – 24 Sep (Harper Voyager)
Colonel Butler has paid his dues and just wants to enjoy his retirement on a remote planet. But the galaxy has had other plans. He has been roped into searching for a politician’s missing son and an industry magnate’s missing daughter. He has been kidnapped, violated numerous laws, and caused the destruction of colonial facilities. He’s famous—or infamous, depending on who you ask—praised and reviled in equal measure across the galaxy for his exploits.
And he is determined to never let the government drag him into another investigation.
But when a runaway twelve-year-old girl whose father has gone missing asks him for help, well…it’s a lot harder to say no.
The girl’s father, Jorge Ramiro, was supposed to have been on Taug, a moon orbiting the gas giant Ridia 5, working on a dig with a famous archaeologist. But now there’s no sign of him and no record of him being there. Mining operations on the moon are run by two different consortiums, Caliber and Omicron—both of which have tried to kill Butler in the past. Butler doesn’t believe in coincidence.
Landing on Taug with his right-hand man Mac, computer genius Ganos, and an elite security squad, Butler soon finds that they’ve charged back into the crosshairs—because Ramiro is not the only who has disappeared, and the perpetual darkside of this moon is hiding more than the truth about a missing archeologist…
Rumor Has It (Disco Space Opera #3) by Cat Rambo – 24 Sep (Tor Books)
The crew of the You Sexy Thing have laid a course for Coralind Station, hoping the station’s famed gardens will provide an opportunity to regroup, recoup, and mourn their losses while while finding a way to track down their enemy, pirate king Tubal Last.
All Niko wants to do is pry their insurance money from the bank and see if an old friend might be able to help them find Last. Unfortunately, old friends and enemies aren’t the only unreliable elements awaiting her and the crew at Coralind.
Each will have to face themselves—the good and the bad—in order to come together before they lose everything.
Urban Fantasy
Secondhand Skin (Soulbound Universe) by Hailey Turner – 4 Sep (Self)
Nothing says you can’t steal a heart. Keeping it though? That’s another problem.
Wade Espinoza knows a thing or two about hoards. As a dragon, he’s got plenty. What he doesn’t have is a relationship, and he swears he’s not looking for one. But when he’s sent to Boston to answer a cry for help from another pack, he’s drawn into a mess of fae bargains centered around a selkie who Wade instantly becomes obsessed with.
Riordan Maguire is struggling to keep his selkie clan out of the clutches of a fae lord who will do anything to take over their territory. Partnering with the Boston god pack means coming face-to-face with the first person he’s ever wanted to willingly give his sealskin. Too bad Wade isn’t local and is something altogether strange that Riordan isn’t sure he can trust.
Amidst a growing danger in the streets and Boston Harbor, Wade and Riordan are desperate to find a way to keep everyone safe. For bargains are dangerous things to break, but so are hearts. Wade isn’t willing to shatter either of theirs in a race against time that could see Riordan torn from him forever.
Secondhand Skin is an exciting new standalone novel set in Hailey Turner’s best-selling Soulbound Universe focusing on Wade Espinoza.
Pixie Problems (An Accidental Fairy Tale #2) by A.H. Hadley – 13 Sep (Spotted Horse Productions)
Being human, my life at Silver Oaks isn’t quite a fairytale. This is a school for fae refugees, and I’m not one. Instead, I’m going to be a knight in shining armor – wielding the one thing none of them want to be iron.
I’m just not very good at being a hero. My magic is dangerous to the fae. My cool new powers include doing all the things they can’t, and yet somehow I’m supposed to be their champion? Sadly, this whole thing doesn’t come with a manual. But that’s ok. I’m not good at following directions anyway.
So I’m making it up as I go, which basically means protecting my friends. It doesn’t matter if that’s from rumors which cut deep, magical malfunctions, or the nuances of seasonal politics. I’m going to figure this stuff out, because I finally found where I belong – the one place where being all wrong makes me just right.
I may have started out in the ashes of burned bridges, but love is driving me. The kind I have for my new-found family, my friends, and the pretty pixie who is so much more than my best friend. The best part is that instead of some fairy godmother, I ended up with a kick-ass crow.
Together, we will make monsters into Prince Charmings.
And when the spell wears off, I might actually find my own happily ever after – or die trying.
Blood and Magic (Goddess With a Blade #8) by Lauren Dane – 24 Sep (Carina Press)
Rowan Summerwaite is many things. She knows how to land a punch but has learned there’s more than one way to solve a problem. She was once a loner, but the family she’s made over the years—including her husband, Clive,the Vampire Scion of North America—mean more to her than she could have ever imagined.
And, with the gifts bestowed upon her from the Goddess Brigid growing stronger with every passing moment, she’s more powerful than ever before.
It’s a good thing, too, because she’ll need every bit of her wits, her family, and her emerging powers as she confronts a new threat facing the Conclave of witches and the Vampire Nation. A threat that will pit Rowan and her friends against the most powerful—and dangerous—families within the magical Senate.
While Rowan Summerwaite may be many things, trusting is not usually one of them. But that’s exactly what she’ll need to do—trust others and, most of all, trust herself—to keep those she loves safe from harm one more time.
Fangs So Bright and Deadly (Mythwoven #2) by Piper J. Drake – 24 Sep (Sourcebooks Casablanca)
A Kitsune, a Kumiho, a Witch, and a danger not even their combined magic is strong enough to defy.
Marie Xiao lives a double life, moonlighting as a freelance consultant in corporate Seattle even as she dedicates herself—and her powers as a witch—to chasing down objects of myth and magic before they can be used to harm humankind. She carefully guards the bridges between worlds and has never once been tempted to stray.
Until she catches the eye of a pair-bonded kitsune and kumiho and her whole world is thrown into chaos.
Japanese and Korean fox spirits Yamamoto Kuro and Joseph Choe have been hoping to cross paths with Marie since their first chance meeting at an artifact retrieval gone decidedly wrong. They may work for Marie’s enemy, but they don’t see any reason why they can’t mingle a little work and play…especially when a (literal) dead man waltzes into their impromptu reunion, raising intriguing questions about a deeper magic that may be afoot. Temporarily teaming up, the trio investigate the unusual unrest…but as loyalties begin to shift and lines blur, Kuro, Joe, and Marie may find themselves at the precipice of something none of them are prepared to face…or deny.
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!