Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a lovely day. Today I am bringing you some of the August releases. As always this is not an exhaustive list, it is a few of the books I have seen and some that I am interested in.
A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett – 4th August
An unthinkable crime. A fatal conspiracy. A suspect without a trace.
The heir to one of the Empire’s most powerful families sits in jail, accused of murder. His hands are covered in his victim’s blood, and he can neither deny his guilt nor explain his actions.
If the great detective Ana Dolabra – along with her assistant Dinios Kol – cannot save him, the farming canton of Sapirdad will explode into war, plunging the Empire into famine and chaos.
But this murder is only the latest in a subtle web of death, woven by a mastermind with an ancient weapon at his disposal.
Ana and Din have faced terrible crimes before. But as they pursue their adversary through wild ranges, sprawling ranches, and reeking slaughterhouses, even they are not prepared for the horrifying secret behind their opponent’s powers . . .
Eccentric yet brilliant detective Ana Dolabra must prove a man’s innocence to stop a civil war in the third book of the series that began with the award-winning The Tainted Cup.
The Unknown by Riley Sager – 4th August
A hundred years ago, five women disappeared. Now, it’s happening again . . .
Struggling actress Marin Keane is shocked when she lands a role in a major film about the unsolved mystery of New Avalon, an island on sprawling Lake Faraday in Vermont.
New Avalon isn’t an ordinary island. A century ago, it was a commune for spiritual mediums – until, in 1926, they vanished. The only trace of them left was five dresses hanging from the branches of an old oak tree. One for each missing woman.
The stories say that when a séance went wrong, something supernatural took them all.
One by one . . .
When Marin and her castmates visit the island, they begin to realise that even now all is not right with New Avalon. Strange noises are heard in the night, and mysterious symbols are found, left by the island’s previous occupants.
And then the disappearances begin again.
One by one . . .
As panic and superstition rise, Marin must uncover the island’s terrifying secret to prevent its dark history from repeating itself . . . and escape the island alive.
Adversary to the Villain – 6th August
HR Update: The position of “adversary to the villain” has been filled. Evie Sage does not recall applying.
Evie has always tried to be helpful, loyal, and only mildly involved in treason. But with a dangerous prophecy threatening the very magic of Rennedawn – not to mention the race to claim its necessary artifacts before King Benedict does – things are starting to feel… less like a career path and more like a serious problem.
The prophecy won’t stop pointing in Evie’s direction. The Villain’s magic keeps choosing her. And honestly, if you’re going to be accused of evil anyway, you might as well commit.
Unfortunately, the more Evie leans into her alleged villain era, the more her boss starts acting like the hero of a completely different story. Trystan is getting closer – closer than is wise, advisable, or even remotely professional – and looking at her like she’s already chosen a side. His.
Which is deeply inconvenient, because if Evie can’t save the kingdom’s magic, she might just become its greatest threat.
Cross Check by Chelsea Curto – 26th August
Amelia Green is making a name for herself as an assistant coach in the NHL. A woman who isn’t intimidated by the people who try to pull her down, she handles the attention on her without batting an eye. What she didn’t account for was the hockey player who keeps showing up in her life.
Grant Everett is the newest player on the DC Stars roster and adjusting to life in the NHL. A guy who loves his teammates, he’s never one to break the rules. But after an accidental run-in with the league’s most talked about coach, Grant can’t stop thinking about Amelia no matter how off-limits she is.
He should stay away from her. He’s supposed to stay away—she’s older. She’s not looking to date, and he’s someone who wants to settle down.
Years of friendship and fighting their feelings turns to something more after one night together, and they never look back.
Except… hiding a relationship from the league isn’t easy.
Between secret meetups and Amelia landing a new job as the head coach of the league’s newest expansion team, she and Grant are forced to confront their future. Is there a chance their relationship can withstand the scrutiny from those on the outside, or are they a quick cross check away from disaster?
Immortal Rose by Alexandra Bracken – 22nd August
From Alexandra Bracken, the New York Times bestselling author of Lore, comes a stunningly original adult fantasy. Set in a sumptuous world ruled by magical perfume, this achingly romantic, slow-burn love story will shatter your heart and leave you breathless.
Members of the ancient Rosebourne family have a strange gift born of a fairy ancestor: the ability to infuse fragrance with magic capable of manipulating mind, body, and emotion.
When a shocking murder leaves the kingdom of Albion vulnerable to a coup, royal spymaster Hugh Thornton seeks the one person who can help: Viola Lockwood, the last living Rosebourne and secret heir to a fraught legacy.
Livid at the silver-eyed aristocrat who had her thrown in jail to force her compliance, Viola nevertheless comes to an agreement with him. In exchange for crafting Immortal Rose, the singular perfume capable of saving Albion, illegitimate Viola can seize the life – and fortune – that should have been hers.
As Hugh and Viola race to find the perfume’s lost fairy ingredient, hidden deep in Albion’s dark underbelly, neither can deny the scorching attraction building between them – especially as the attempts on Viola’s life grow increasingly brazen.
But a terrible truth lurks in the heart notes of their kingdom – and while every bargain has a cost, Immortal Rose may demand more than Hugh and Viola can ever pay.
Bedeviled by Laura Thalassa – 18th August
the Bewitched series, a deliciously witchy romantasy.
“My queen, my wife, my lovely Selene… You who saved me, died for me. Waited eons for me so we could exist in this moment… I am yours forever.”
It’s been two thousand years since Selene Bowers first fell in love with Memnon Uvagukis, the sorcerer king of the Sarmatians. So when, at present, an unbreakable vow forces Selene to marry this soul mate she once died for, it is in many ways a dream made real.
Unfortunately for her, neither she nor Memnon are able to bask in the moment for long. Not when demons keep ambushing her, and her husband’s magic appears to slowly be consuming him. And not when, despite eliminating the prior threats to Henbane, the coven still teeters on the brink of shutting down.
And then of course there’s Eislyn, an age-old menace who lurks somewhere in the shadows. She led to Selene and Memnon’s demise long ago, and now she threatens their existence once more. It seems she wants something from them, something she’s been waiting millennia for, and if Memnon and Selene don’t figure out what that is and stop her for good, she just might get it―and destroy them in the process.
Wings of Reverie by Anna Bright – 4th August
Centuries after the events of the TikTok sensation and #1 New York Times bestseller Wings of Starlight, comes a new lush romantasy, where two fairies must battle a dangerous magic – and their growing feelings for each other – in order to save their home in the Winter Woods.
One day when Pixie Hollow frost-fairy Periwinkle travels too close to the forbidden border where Spring meets the Winter Woods, she unknowingly discovers a thread of a lost magic and, for the first time, begins to dream. While Periwinkle’s dreams start sweet, they slowly morph into more disastrous visions of the Pixie Dust Tree destroyed.
One night, deep in the Winter Woods, after waking from sleepwalking, Periwinkle is confronted by a sparrow man who says he knows two secrets: one that Peri has been dreaming and two that the Winter Woods is in terrible danger. Weaver claims to be a dream-talent, the last of his kind in Pixie Hollow, and with Periwinkle’s help he says he can spin her dreams into dream-thread which can save the dying Pixie Dust Tree. In order to do so, the two will need to embark on a quest to find a magic spindle and scissors in the legendary lost fairy workshops of dream-talents past.
Peri begins a reluctant journey with Weaver, the infuriatingly handsome stranger. Together they will face obstacles, monsters, and an unspeakable danger deep within the Winter Woods. Along the way, Peri will begin to question everything she thought she knew. But in Winter even beautiful things can hurt you, and Weaver is no exception.
Murder in a Yorkshire Village by Helena Dixon – 18th August
A stream of bikes speeding along the road in the annual cycle race. And one in a ditch upside down, wheels still spinning… with a body lying next to it. Can Kitty Underhay get to the bottom of this?
England, 1938. Kitty Underhay is enjoying a stroll in the Yorkshire town where she and her husband Matt are visiting his family. As she stops to take in the rolling hills, she suddenly sees a most unexpected sight. There’s a bike in the ditch just along the road… and the cyclist is dead.
Abandoning her plans for a picnic with Matt, the pair start to piece together what happened. But there’s more than meets the eye to the man now pushing up daisies. The victim is no stranger; it appears he has unexpected Devon connections. Why is he here? And who is behind his murder? Has his ex-girlfriend hit the brakes? Or could it be the woman he was courting in secret? And the other cyclists aren’t faultless either…
But just as Kitty and Matt set the wheels in motion and the investigation picks up speed, there’s another murder, shaking up the quiet country town further. Then Kitty and Matt realise that they too have been marked by the killer, and the duo need to unearth the connection between the two murders immediately…
Can Kitty and Matt catch the killer before they get to the finish line? Or will it be game over for both of them by the end of the race…?
A Deadly Scandal by Felicity Epps – 27th August
Sisterhood, séances and solving murder, perfect for fans of Bridgerton and Laura Wood!
An occult device leaving threatening messages. A dinner party featuring a fatal main course. Was it a tragic accident, or is something foul at play? The Society of Free Spirits invites you to investigate, in this YA crime series with a supernatural twist.
17-year-old Ada Hawthorne would much rather be hunting for ghosts than for a husband. So when the Society of Free Spirits is invited to host a séance investigating the Spirit Hand – an occult device haunting its owner with threatening messages – Ada can’t wait to show off her spiritualist talents to London’s elite.
But then a guest is fatally stabbed with a hatpin during the séance, and Ada ends up with more on her plate than a fancy dinner!
The society’s reputation is hanging on by a thread, and Ada can’t afford her family name being dragged through another scandalous gossip column. But when visions of the ghost appear and demand that the murder be solved, Ada and her friends have no choice but to engage in some less-than-ladylike behaviour to uncover the mystery. They’ll soon learn that in high society, everyone’s watching – including the ghosts.
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