Category: Highlights

Serena’s neighbors have the holiday light show up and running, and now she’s just waiting for the party busses to start rolling through. And Kate is planning for both Christmas and Hanukkah shenanigans for the month. But there are always books to keep us grounded during the nutty holiday times! Here are just some of the books we’re looking forward to this month!

Serena’s Picks

Book: “An Arcane Inheritance” by Kamilah Cole

Publication Date: December 30, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I’m always excited to check out more dark academic fantasy! What’s more, it’s all the more exciting to find an adult book in this genre, and a standalone to boot! It sounds like your fairly standard “girl at school discovers dark secrets and mysterious boy.” But it’s also being compared to “Babel” and “A Deadly Education,” so similarities are just a pro! I have high hopes for this one!

Book: “Tailored Realities” by Brandon Sanderson

Publication Date: December 9, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I mean, he’s a “must read” author for me, so of course I’m going to check this one out! I don’t always love short story collections, but I’ve had some good experiences reading collections from one favorite author, rather than collections of various authors. I think I’ve read a few of the stories included here, all of which I enjoyed, so I’m excited to see what else there is! I haven’t read all of his books at this point (I can’t keep up!), so hopefully I’ll be ok without prior knowledge of some of the worlds touched on in some of these stories.

Book: “Children of Fallen Gods” by Carissa Broadbent

Publication Date: December 9, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I’m so excited for this one! I really loved the first one and can’t wait to see where the story goes here in the second. But, oof! It’s over 600 pages long! On one hand, that means I must plan accordingly when scheduling out my reviews and reading for the next few weeks. But on the other hand, that means all the more page time to enjoy what I’m sure will be a fantastic sequel!

Kate’s Picks

Book: “Dark Sisters” by Kristi DeMeester

Publication Date: December 9, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I have enjoyed previous works by Kristi DeMeester (I have also enjoyed the candles that she makes at her Etsy Shop Scent From Hell!), and of course I had to have her newest horror novel “Dark Sisters” on this list. It sounds a bit like generational trauma metaphor, a bit like feminine rage, and all very spooky. After a descendent summoned a dark entity for protection and strength, the repercussions tumble down through the generations. Sounds a bit witchy too to boot, and a reviewer I enjoy had mentioned something about cults as well? I’m definitely on board.

Book: “Cape Fever” by Nadia Davids

Publication Date: December 9, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I actually hadn’t heard a lot of hype about this one until I stumbled upon it randomly, then it caught my attention a bit. I admittedly probably need to do some more research on it, but the passing info I saw had my interest piqued. In the 1920s in small colonialist town in South Africa a woman named Soraya takes on the job of maid for the oddball Mrs. Hattingh. As she assists her new boss in writing letters, the two women start to develop a strange relationship that teeters towards the unsettling. I like Gothic thrillers and this one is being marketed as such, and the setting of South Africa in the 1920s (and all the warts that comes with such a setting) sounds fascinating and unique.

Book: “Watch Us Fall” by Christina Kovac

Publication Date: December 2, 2025

Why I’m Interested: Sometimes I just want a good soapy mystery, and this one sounds like it’s going to fit the bill to a t. A group of friends are living in a eclectic old house after grad school, enjoying their friendship and their lives. Until one of their boyfriends, who also happens to be an investigative reporter, goes missing. As the friends try to figure out what could have happened to him, they have to contend with secrets and betrayals as well as the police focusing in on their group as suspects themselves. Definitely sounds juicy!

What books are you looking forward to this month? Let us know in the comments!

The holiday madness seems to start earlier and earlier each year (Serena lives across from a house that goes all out on the Christmas light display, and they were already out getting lights set up on Nov. 1!). But we are ready and able to hide from it all with our ever-growing TBR list! Here are some books we’re looking forward to checking out this month!

Serena’s Picks

Book: “Fallen City” by Adrienne Young

Publication Date: November 4, 2025

Why I’m Interested: While I’ve been enjoying Adrienne Young’s turn toward contemporary fantasy romance, I was incredibly excited to see that she was going to return to more traditional fantasy. This one looks to be a mix of a Roman setting and some sort of Romeo and Juliet retelling, from what I can glean, and I’m into it! I’ve never been led astray by this author, and I think she’s one of the better romantic fantasy writers (as opposed to romantasy) currently writing today. Can’t wait to see what she has in store next!

Book: “Murder at Donwell Abbey” by Vanessa Kelly

Publication Date: November 25, 2025

Why I’m Interested: Both of the historical mystery series I’ve been regularly reading over the last few years are Jane Austen retellings. It speaks to the strengths of Austen’s original characters that they can be picked up by so many different authors and used well! I wouldn’t have thought of it on my own, but Emma is the perfect Austen character to rewrite as an amateur sleuth. Indeed, who else would be as fully confident that she could do it so much better than the authorities—and be right, to boot! This second book moves the main mystery to Donwell Abbey, which I’m hopeful means we will get even more scenes between Emma and Knightley!

Book: “The House Saphir” by Marissa Meyer

Publication Date: November 4, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I really loved Marissa Meyer’s Rumpelstiltskin reimagining, so I was thrilled to see that she was returning to another fairytale. This time she’s tackling the less well-covered story of Bluebeard. Even better, from the book summary, it seems that the story will be more than a straight retelling, instead telling a new story that takes place many years after the events of the original fairytale. Given how creative her takes on previous fairytales have been, I’m super excited to see what she does with a lesser-known one like this!

Kate’s Picks

Book: “Death and Dinuguan” by Mia Manansala

Publication Date: November 25, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I love the “Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery” series, and I’m so happy that it’s still going strong six books in. Now we are going to join Lila with a Valentine’s Day themed mystery, a chocolatier in danger, and hopefully some delicious dessert recipes for readers to try and make! When Lila’s boyfriend’s cousin Hana moves to Shady Palms and opens her own chocolate store, Lila is excited to get to know her. Unfortunately, Hana is attacked by an unknown assailant, and left in a coma. Lila is surely on the case! I will have to decide if I showcase this close to the publication date, or save it for February. But I’m excited no matter when I eventually post my review!

Book: “Shiny Happy People” by Clay McLeod Chapman

Publication Date: November 11, 2025

Why I’m Interested: If Clay McLeod Chapman is involved I’m obviously going to be interested. But I’m even more interested because this is his first YA novel! I’m VERY curious to see what a YA Clay McLeod Chapman novel looks like. We follow Kyra, a teenager who is still dealing with the traumas of her mother’s drug addiction from years ago. When a new drug starts to circulate in her school community, she steers clear. But everyone starts to act differently, and she starts to feel like she doesn’t really know her loved ones anymore. And things just get stranger and worse. Congratulations, young adult demographic! You are about to embark into the warped mind of one of my favorite horror authors!

Book: “The Place Where They Buried Your Heart” by Christina Henry

Publication Date: November 4, 2025

Why I’m Interested: Even though October is over and Halloween is behind us, we all know that doesn’t stop me from getting my spooky on year round. And “The Place Where They Buried Your Heart” by Christina Henry sounds creepy and like the kind of haunted house story I absolutely adore. When Jessie was a kid there was a house on her street that everyone said was haunted. And when she dared her little brother to go inside, he never came back out. Now years later Jessie hasn’t left the street, and has a child of her own to take care of. But that house is still there, and it may still be hungry. Creepy stuff. Very interested to see where it goes.

What books are you looking forward to this month? Let us know in the comments!

Kate’s favorite month of the year has arrived! As well as our kids’ favorite time of year, the period of months where candy seems to be springing out of the woodwork every direction you look, starting with Halloween and not ending until, what, Valentine’s Day?? Of course, this just means we have to try to restrain ourselves from sneaking it all when they’re off to bed. But with the cooler weather, of course, comes plenty of opportunities to cozy up with some new books, so here are a few we’re looking forward to this month!

Serena’s Picks

Book: “Dealing with a Desperate Demon” by Charlotte Stein

Publication Date: October 7, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I leave the true spooky stuff to Kate most of the time (though I’ll make exceptions for Gothic books). So in place of any real Halloween stories, let’s check out a cozy romcom featuring, you guessed it, a demon! I read the first standalone book in this series last fall and thought it was mostly a cute, fun time. It was easy enough to guess who a few of future characters would be, so I was pleased to see that this one was going to follow the local bookstore owner we met in the first book. Excited to see how this one goes!

Book: “Daughter of No Worlds” by Carissa Broadbent

Publication Date: October 14, 2025

Why I’m Interested: Given how popular Carissa Broadbent’s “Nyaxia” series has been, I knew that my patience would eventually be rewarded and her other backlisted titles would make their way through a traditional publishing house. And lo and behold, here we are! While I have greatly enjoyed her vampire tales, I’m especially intrigued to see what she has to offer in a completely fresh world with completely fresh characters. I’m not too worried about being disappointed with this one, which is always a relief going into a new trilogy!

Book: “The Everlasting” by Alix E. Harrow

Publication Date: October 28, 2025

Why I’m Interested: Here’s another title that I’m looking forward to with very few worries of disappointment! Harrow has never lead me wrong, and she’s definitely an author who has pushed the boundaries of the genres and subjects about which she has written. You never quite know what you’re going to get, but you know it’s going to be good. This one seems to be tackling time travel, a particularly tricky topic, as it’s very easy for readers to get too bogged down in the “how” of it all to truly enjoy the story. However, Harrow has a knack for writing incredibly compelling characters, and if that holds true here, I’m sure I’ll be too caught up in their story to bother overly much with the ins and outs of time travel rules.

Kate’s Pick

Book: “King Sorrow” by Joe Hill

Publication Date: October 21, 2025

Why I’m Interested: It has been SO LONG since Joe Hill has come out with a full length novel, and the wait is finally over. And it’s a HONKER of a book, clocking in at almost 900 pages! That doesn’t intimidate me, as not only do I love Joe Hill, but his new horror novel has a FREAKIN’ DRAGON at its core. Oh how I love dragons. A group of friends are bound over the years to a vengeful dragon that they pulled out of a mysterious and magical book bound in human skin, having to pick a sacrifice to King Sorrow every year lest their misdeeds bounce back against them. It’s a stunning bit of power, and as we all know, power corrupts. I love Hill’s books, I was AMPED to get a copy of this at ALAAC25 (as well as getting to have him sign it), and the time is finally here to tackle it.

Book: “Girl Dinner” by Olivie Blake

Publication Date: October 21, 2025

Why I’m Interested: This one has been on my radar for a few months now, the pastel-y cover splashed with blood really catching my eye back when I first stumbled across it. I am a huge fan of thrillers and horror novels about femininity and the expectations that come with it, and if you add in some potentially vicious sorority sisters and maybe some cannibalism (maybe? I think?) and I’m almost assuredly raring to go. Sophomore Nina is hoping to put a dismal freshman year behind her, and joining the most elite sorority on campus will surely be the thing to help her maneuver herself into better social standing. On the other side of the coin, adjunct professor Sloane is trying to adjust to being a new mother and working mom, with not as much support as she needs. Both women are hoping to live up to expectations set before them no matter the cost. Very intriguing stuff.

Book: “The Bone Thief” by Vanessa Lillie

Publication Date: October 28, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I really enjoyed the first Syd Walker book “Blood Sisters” and had hoped that Vanessa Lillie would continue the series, and lo and behold she did! This time Sid Walker is investigating not only a missing girl connected to an elite summer camp, but also bones that have been going missing. And to make matters more sinister, there has been a pattern of missing Native girls that has been going back generations, with connections to a colonial historical society that has been butting heads with the tribal community for decades. I am thrilled that we have a new Syd Walker mystery on our hands, and can’t wait to read it.

What books are you looking forward to this month? Let us know in the comments!

School has at last started, though that has also highlighted once again all of the activities and scheduled events that also entails! But at least the weather has been beautiful recently, making State Fair trips a much more pleasant experience than they have been other years! Of course, we still must always make time for new books and here are a few we’re looking forward to this month!

Serena’s Picks

Book: “A Land So Wide” by Erin A. Craig

Publication Date: Sept. 2, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I loved “The Thirteenth Child” when I read it last year! I know that Craig has also written a number of other young adult fantasy novels, though I haven’t gotten around to them yet. That said, I’ve found myself clicking more with adult fantasy recently, so I was thrilled to see she was coming out with her debut adult title this fall! The story follows a young woman who must venture far into a dangerous woods to save the man she loves. One sentence, but pretty much everything I like, right there!

Book: “The Summer War” by Naomi Novik

Publication Date: September 16, 2025

Why I’m Interested: While I’m impatiently waiting for Novik’s next full-length novel, I have been enjoying the other books we’ve gotten from her in the meantime. I really liked the collection of short stories she put out last year, which included a shortened version of “Spinning Silver.” It was really interesting noting the differences between the shorten version and the novel itself. But seeing those big differences, I was curious to see how Novik would handle writing a novella, a book with a length somewhere between short story and novel. There’s room to do more, but still not tons of space, meaning every page and scene must be utilized to its fullest! However, this author has never let me down, so I fully expect to love this one!

Book: “Wild Reverence” by Rebecca Ross

Publication Date: September 2, 2025

Why I’m Interested: Here’s another “must read” author, so it’s really no surprise to find her latest book on this list. That said, while I enjoyed the “Divine Rivals” duology, it wasn’t my favorite of Ross’s books. Yes, she broke out onto the scene with those, but I think a lot of readers are sleeping on her earlier adult fantasy novels, which I loved even more! So this book sounds like a perfect fit for me! Set in the world of “Divine Rivals” (good) but an adult, stand-alone fantasy novel (great!).

Kate’s Pick

Book: “Fiend” by Alma Katsu

Publication Date: September 16

Why I’m Interested: I feel like it’s been awhile since we’ve had an Alma Katsu novel so I am VERY excited to see that she has a new one coming out! And not only that, it sounds like it’s going to be a story that pulls from the real life inspirations of the dreadful Sackler family and a family curse that until now has been working to their advantage. It sounds a bit like Mike Flanagan’s “Fall of the House of Usher”, which has me amped because I loved that mini series. I’m also interested to see what she does with a more modern setting!

Book: “Play Nice” by Rachel Harrison

Publication Date: September 9, 2025

Why I’m Interested: This sounds a bit like influencer gilded secrecy mixed with “The Amityville Horror”, and both of those things REALLY call to me. I have loved all of Rachel Harrison’s books as they do some really cool horror things while also bringing us complicated female protagonists, and now that she’s finally tackling a haunted house (I guess we got a haunted hotel from her before) AND the traumas of a childhood that spends some time there I am just chomping at the bit. This will probably be saved for Horrorpalooza, as it sounds like it will fit in perfectly.

Book: “Road Trip with a Vampire” by Jenna Levine

Publication Date: September 23, 2025

Why I’m Interested: YAY!! Another supernatural romance novel from Jenna Levine!! And not only that, it’s following the witch that she teased in her previous book! I so thoroughly enjoyed the two previous books in the series, and I love the fact that this time we are going to be following a witch named Zelda on a road trip with a new vampire love interest. I enjoy the humor that Levine brings to these rom coms involving blood suckers, and the fact that we now have a witch thrown into the mix makes it all the more tantalizing.

What books are you looking forward to this month? Let us know in the comments!

The mugginess continues! Serena luckily escaped back home to the West over much of July, and Kate performed her usual trick of avoiding the outdoors altogether, unless she’s poolside of course! And with the craziness of school schedules and busyness staring us down, we’re eager to bury our heads in some good books instead. Here are some titles we’re both looking forward to this month.

Serena’s Picks

Book: “Hemlock and Silver” by T. Kingfisher

Publication Date: August 19, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I love how prolific Kingfisher is! It’s always great to find another must-read author. It’s absolutely the best when that same author puts out not only one but often two or three books a year! You get so spoiled! And, while I always enjoy the horror novels that Kate and I co-review, my favorites remain her standalone fairytale stories. And here we have a re-telling of “Snow White!” The great thing about this author is that her re-tellings are often true re-tellings, with only limited call backs or the original story. Often featuring wholly new characters and an entirely new main plot. So excited to see what she does with this one!

Book: “The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk” by Carissa Broadbent

Publication Date: August 5, 2025

Why I’m Interested: Another favorite author, another highlighted title! Not only that, but this is the second book in the Shadowborn duet, and after that massive cliffhanger at the end of the first book, I’ve been on pins and needles waiting for this one. As it’s a romantasy, it’s pretty clear that some of the events at the end of that first book won’t stick, at least not in the way they usually do. But I’m incredibly curious to see how Broadbent resolves the very high stakes situation that has been set up! Not only for our two main characters, but for this world as a whole!

Book: “Katabasis” by R. F. Kuang

Publication Date: August 26, 2025

Why I’m Interested: Third time’s the charm! August is just a banger of a month with all of my favorite authors coming to play! But I’d also be interested in this one on its own. There have been a ton of dark academia titles recently, and even while they haven’t all been a hit, I find I still can’t resist a new entry into the subgenre. Still living off the high that was the “Scholomance” trilogy probably. Whatever it is, I’m incredibly excited to see what Kuang has to offer here. Plus, you know, the cover is incredibly cool.

Kate’s Pick

Book: “Lucky Day” by Chuck Tingle

Publication Date: August 12, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I just love Chuck Tingle, his previous two horror novels being hits for me, and therefore I was of course eager to see what he was going to come up with next! And it sounds really out there and like his most experimental novel yet! It sounds like it’s somewhat post-apocalyptic or dystopian, but mixed in with a Vegas based mystery and some kind of casino that may be leading up to ANOTHER apocalyptic event? It sounds weird, but that hasn’t ever stopped me in the past so why should it stop me now? Also I just love Tingle as an author and a person, so this one was clearly going to make my list!

Book: “What Hunger” by Catherine Dang

Publication Date: August 12, 2025

Why I’m Interested: This one caught my eye at ALA, because look at that cover!! So weird! So pretty but also unsettling! This is the second time that a book by Catherine Dang has caught my attention with a cover, and this one sounds like not only are we getting a coming of age tale with a Vietnamese American protagonist, but also perhaps something a little cannibalistic! After a horrible tragedy has thrown her family into turmoil, Ronny Nguyen now has to enter her Freshman year of high school with little guidance and lots of angst. After she is assaulted at a party and she fights back in a, shall we say ‘different’ way, she suddenly finds herself craving raw meat. And her hunger is becoming insatiable. It sounds creepy and also perhaps tinged with sadness. I’m into it.

Book: “A Game in Yellow” by Hailey Piper

Publication Date: August 12, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I discovered Hailey Piper last autumn and then I got to hear her speak at ALAAC25, and now I have her newest horror novel on my Highlights for this month because it sounds SO gripping and interesting and unique. Carmen and Blanca are in a relationship, but the passion has stalled out a bit, their usual kink filled love life feeling a bit stagnant. But when Blanca finds herself with access to the pages of a mysterious play that COULD drive the person reading it insane should they read its electrifying words for too long, the two begin to read it as ploy to spice up their love life with the danger of it. But things get strange as reality and fantasy starts to become interchangeable. Intriguing to be sure.

What books are you looking forward to this month? Let us know in the comments!

We’re back to good, old muggy Minnesota! Serena is anxiously looking forward to her escape to the dry heat of the West later this month and Kate is hunkering down either inside or poolside. And of course we both have piles of books to get through!

Serena’s Picks

Book: “Never the Roses” by Jennifer K. Lambert

Publication Date: July 8, 2025

Why I’m Interested: This book sounds right up my alley! Not only does it feature a mature hero and heroine, but they are warring sorcerers who have been pitted against one another by their respective nations for years. But when Oneira manages to finally retire, she becomes curious about the rival she never met. And, of course, romance ensues! While there have been a few misses here and there, Bramble has done pretty well as a new option for quality romantasy/romance reads, so I have high hopes for this one!

Book: “Red Tempest Brother” by H.M. Long

Publication Date: July 8, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I keep thinking this series is over when it isn’t! The first one I thought was a stand-alone. Nope! Then the second I thought was wrapping up a duology. Nope! And here we are with the actual conclusion to the trilogy. I’ve loved the heck out of this sea-faring fantasy story! It’s the perfect mix of high seas action, intricate fantasy world-building, and a lovely romance that is firmly a subplot but also given all the time and attention it needs to thrive. This entire series seems to be completely off so many readers’ radars, and it’s such a shame. Hopefully someone will pick it up for a special edition (looking at you “The Broken Binding”) or something else will propel it further into the public’s eye, because boy, does it deserve it! At this point, I’m not even concerned for the ending, just excited to see how it plays out!

Book: “The Jasad Crown” by Sara Hashem”

Publication Date: July 15, 2025

Why I’m Interested: It’s been two long, painful years, but the sequel to 2023’s “The Jasad Heir” is finally here! The first book took me completely by surprise with its excellent world-building and superb romance. Truly, that book was a masterclass in how to do enemies-to-lovers the right way! Of course, it left off with some major secrets being revealed and the stakes skyrocketing, so there’s a lot of ground to cover in this conclusion to the duology. Mostly, I’m worried how the romance will be managed with our two characters now separated not only geographically by ideologically. There are a lot of moving pieces, but if the first book taught me anything, it was not to doubt Hashem’s storytelling abilities!

Kate’s Pick

Book: “Everyone Is Lying To You” by Jo Piazza

Publication Date: July 15, 2025

Why I’m Interested: As someone who has always been very left wing, I am always so deeply fascinated/horrified by right wing propaganda disguising itself as life style tips, and the recent rise in ‘trad wife’ content has me OBSESSED because of how insidious it is. So OBVIOUSLY I’m interested in a thriller that is all about trad wife influencers, social media ambition, and MURDER! Bex and Lizzie were besties in college, but after graduation Bex fell off the face of the earth. Now she’s a picture perfect tradwife influencer, who reaches out to now journalist Lizzie with an offer for an interview and a trip to an influencer convention. But then Bex disappears, and her husband is found murdered. Can Lizzie figure out what happened? I guess I’m going to find out!

Book: “Not Quite Dead Yet” by Holly Jackson

Publication Date: July 22, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I have basically loved most of the books that I’ve read by Holly Jackson, and imagine how thrilled I was when I found out that she had a new thriller coming out… and that it was for adults! Don’t get me wrong, I love her YA stuff, but I feel like an adult story can open so many more doors for her thriller writing, and “Not Quite Dead Yet” sounds like a doozy. Jet is a somewhat aimless woman who is part of a wealthy, but somewhat damaged, family. When she is brutally attacked on Halloween, she has a head injury so complex that the doctors are predicting an aneurism in a few days time that will take her life, even though she is cognizant. So Jet decides that with the little time she has left she’s going to solve her own eventual murder, with the help of childhood friend Billy. Jackson hasn’t failed me yet and this one sounds amazing.

Book: “The Library at Hellebore” by Cassandra Khaw

Publication Date: July 22, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I’ve enjoyed Khaw’s work before, with their adept skill for writing stories that are incredibly gory and grotesque, but with the most beautiful language and descriptions. And now we aren’t getting a novella, but an actual novel! And it sounds like a gory and grotesque dark academia tale! The Hellebore Technical Institute for the Gifted is an elite school that has a very different kind of student. Namely, incredibly dangerous beings that can cause much violence and chaos, who may not want to be there in the first place. At least, that was Alessa’s experience, having been taken and enrolled against her will and told that Hellebore can offer a new start for hopeless cases. Until graduation night. Because on graduation night it becomes clear that Hellebore’s promises are filled with lies. Sounds like it could be some nasty fun.

We’re both getting excited for ALA 2025 in Philadelphia! And, while we’re there primarily for the convention itself, you know we both plan on getting in a good amount of personal reading time as well! Alone, in our separate hotel rooms, like true BFF introverts do! Here are a few titles we’re excited to check out this month!

Serena’s Picks

Book: “Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil” by V. E. Schwab

Publication Date: June 10, 2025

Why I’m Interested: V. E. Schwab is one of my favorite modern fantasy authors, so of course I’m looking forward to her new book! I’m particularly excited for this one to see how she tackles vampires. There are so many vampire books out there that I imagine it’s challenging to find a way to approach the topic from a new angle. On the other hand, I’m a bit concerned that this book might be a bit too similar to “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue,” both focusing on long-lived beings and the challenges of staying “in the world” when you’re so disconnected from time and death. That said, I did enjoy “Addie LaRue,” so it may all work out in the end anyways!

Book: “The Rushworth Family Plot” by Claudia Gray

Publication Date: June 17, 2025

Why I’m Interested: This is another obvious pick for the month! Claudia Gray has been hitting every one of these books out of the park, and at this point, I’d be foolish to expect anything different. It’s always such a relief to be able to go into a book know that it will be good, and that’s what we have here. Plus, I’m excited to see how she handles a plot that is more closely tied to the characters from “Mansfield Park.” Not only is Edmund and Fanny’s relationship one of the more challenging ones to depict for modern audiences, but there are also several challenging topics, such as slavery and plantation wealth, that will likely be covered. Beyond that, I’m itching to see how Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney’s fraught relationship progresses! The last book left off with their pesky fathers standing in the way of their happy union!

Book: “A Legionnaire’s Guide to Love and Peace” by Emily Strukskie

Publication Date: June 24, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I’ve heard next to no hype about this book up to this point, and even without having read it at this point, I feel like that’s a damn shame! The romantasy genre is desperately in need of fresh material and this book, with its focus on common soldiers with no special abilities (or dragons!) to speak of and their slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance, seems like the perfect fix! Of course, it also has to be good, but I have high hopes already! I, too, enjoy an enemies-to-lovers love story, but please, for the love of everything, can we have some variation in our fantasy romance stories??

Kate’s Picks

Book: “Bald-Faced Liar” by Victoria Helen Stone

Publication Date: June 17, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I don’t know why I insist on touching the hot stove of the huge triggering topic that is The Satanic Panic, but whenever a book about this ludicrous and highly maddening time comes out, I have to read it. So of course “Bald-Faced Liar” caught my eye! Elizabeth May is a traveling nurse who has been trying to run from her past as a witness to a high profile trial that involved the Satanic Panic, especially since she was revealed to be a liar who put innocent people in prison. Now she has settled down in Santa Cruz, still hiding, still planning to move on. But then someone starts stalking her, someone who may be eager to expose her identity, and to punish her for what she did. Sounds devilishly twisty.

Book: “Atmosphere” by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Publication Date: June 3, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I have loved every Taylor Jenkins Reid book that I have read, and while this may not end up being reviewed on the blog as it’s outside my genres (though if I love it enough I may make an exception), “Atmosphere” is high, high, HIGH on my anticipated titles for the year. Joan Goodwin is one of the women who has been selected to be a part of the NASA Shuttle Program of the 1980s, fulfilling a dream that seemed impossible until she was given the position. And when she meets Vanessa Ford, an aeronautical engineer who is a skilled pilot to boot, she realizes that not only could she potentially help make history, she could also perhaps find a kindred spirit. If Reid can do for space flight what she has done for 1970s rock bands, dysfunctional families, and tennis players, this will surely be a winner of a read.

Book: “With A Vengeance” by Riley Sager

Publication Date: June 10, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I haven’t missed a Riley Sager book yet and I don’t intend on doing it now! And besides, it wouldn’t be summer time if I didn’t have a Sager book at the ready. And this one sounds a little different. Anna has been plotting revenge against those who wronged her family for years, and her plan has all led to luring her targets onto a train in hopes of turning them all in after she makes them confess to their crimes. But then someone else commits a murder against one of her targets, and that just won’t do. Because SHE is the one who gets to get her revenge, not someone else! So now she has to figure out who wants them dead, and how she can save them… for now. Always nice to have Sager back in my reading rotation!