Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Waiting on Wednesday #781, April 29th

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!

A Curse of Beasts and Magic by Jeaniene Frost
Expected Publication: May 26th, 2026
From Goodreads:
New York Times bestselling author of The Night Huntress series Jeaniene Frost returns with a brand-new series! It’s Beauty and the Beast meets The Witcher in this dark fantastical retelling, except Beauty IS the Beast, and he’s the Warden keeping mythical beings in check in our world and beyond.

Raine Stone was the sole survivor of a horrific creature while camping. Her account of the attack was attributed to shock, but Raine knows all too well that her story is true because now she carries that same Beast inside her!

She’s been restraining its violent urges by letting it 'feed' on the pain and chaos she’s exposed to as an ER nurse, and by playing vigilante against would-be muggers at night. But when Raine uses the Beast’s energy to heal a frail elderly gentleman from a seemingly random attack, she opens herself to a new world of danger—literally.

Remington “Remy” Byrne knows that the wall between a realm of deadly mythic creatures and our own world is very thin; he’s the Warden who guards the gateways between them. He also rules the supernatural creatures living in secret among us. Raine’s Beast makes her an intruder on Remy’s territory, but the elderly gentleman she saved is Remy’s grandfather, and her Beast contains power that could tip the scales in a sinister plot against Remy’s rule—if Raine allies with him.

Will they be friends or foes…or will the dangerous attraction between them turn into something else? And can our world be saved by their explosive alliance?


Behind Five Willows by June Hur
Expected Publication: May 26th, 2026
From Goodreads:
From the New York Times-bestselling author of A Crane Among Wolves comes a warm and romantic homage to Jane Austen set in historical Korea, about a reader and a writer who secretly fight against government book banning and find themselves irresistibly drawn together.

As the dutiful second-eldest daughter of a poor family, society would have Haewon believe that her only hope of a decent life is to marry well. But during a time of rampant government censorship and book banning, she instead works as an illegal book transcriber in order to make a little extra money. It’s dangerous work, but she loves it―especially when she gets to transcribe the work of her favorite author, known as Black Lotus.

When her older sister becomes smitten with a wealthy young gentleman, Haewon is roped into chaperoning them during their courtship. Which wouldn’t be so terrible... if it weren’t for the young man’s uptight and annoying best friend who also accompanies them.

As the only son of a noble, Seojun has a lot expected of him. Wealth. Status. Respectability. Certainly not frivolous and often illicit activities such as reading fiction. But Seojun loves to do something even more scandalous: writing. He’s kept his work secret from his father and friends, but with each passing day, the pressure of being his father’s son and the dispiriting actions of the government make Seojun question the purpose of it all. The only thing keeping him going are the encouraging letters he receives from his transcriber, known only as Magpie.

When his best friend falls hard for a girl of lower social status, Seojun finds himself forced to act as chaperone to the infatuated couple―along with the girl's younger sister, who is as irritating as she is judgmental. But as Haewon and Seojun spend more time together, they begin to suspect they may have judged each other too quickly...

Jin Young In Between by Ellen Oh
Expected Publication: May 26th, 2026
From Goodreads:
In this follow-up to The Colliding Worlds Of Mine Lee, a boy discovers he can travel into parallel worlds to be with his girlfriend. But each time their paths collide, the fabric of their universes frays a little more. Is their love worth the unraveling of reality?

"Sincere, smart, and meta…."-Soman Chainani, author of THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL series

Jin’s whole world been turned upside down. Since meeting Mina inside her webcomic, Jin has discovered unbelievable things about his

1. He’s been living in a parallel universe.
2. His birth mother didn't abandon him.
3. He'll never be able to see Mina again. 

But then the impossible happens—Jin teleports to Mina’s world. But with every visit, cataclysmic weather threatens Jin’s world. And a mysterious lab seems way too interested in testing Jin’s new teleporting ability. Is Jin ready to risk it all for the girl he loves?

Ellen Oh, the award-winning author and a founding member of We Need Diverse Books delivers a grounded speculative fiction adventure that'll have readers swooning for the star-crossed romance.

The Last Best Quest Ever by F.T. Lukens
Expected Publication: May 26th, 2026
From Goodreads:
A fraudulent teen quester must team up with a brooding, royal rival on a perilous adventure to save her brother’s life in this cozy young adult romantasy full of mythical creatures by the New York Times bestselling author of Spell Bound and So This is Ever After.

Seventeen-year-old Ellinore has the best questing record of anyone in the kingdom’s history. She also has a secret: her fame is built entirely on lies. Tired of the charade, she shocks the kingdom by retiring at a royal feast. But her plans for a quiet life are disrupted when her twin brother Zig bets his life that Ellinore can retrieve the horn of the mythical Elder Beast. To save Zig, she reluctantly sets out on one last, perilous quest.

Accompanying her are Zig, determined to help despite his recklessness; Aven, her envious rival eager to prove their superiority; an ambitious bar maiden turned adventurer; and a young, magic-wielding bard. Together, they face an arduous journey fraught with mythical challenges and shifting alliances. As they search for the Elder Beast, Ellinore grapples with her growing feelings for Aven, her fear of losing Zig, and her identity as a reluctant hero.

With time running out, Ellinore must confront not only the legendary creature but also her own truths. Can she save her brother, embrace her potential, and finally decide her path?

The Divorce by Frieda McFadden
Expected Publication: May 26th, 2026
From Goodreads:
What is a happily ever after really worth?

Naomi was living the quintessential love story. Boy meets girl. They fall in love, get married, buy a dream house, start a family…

Then―he kicks her out, hires the city’s best divorce lawyers, drains their accounts, and takes up with a 20-something.

It’s a brutal end to the story. Naomi should accept defeat: move into a dingy apartment, get back into the workforce, and piece together the shattered remains of her life.

Except, why should she?

Instead, Naomi fixates on her husband’s new girlfriend. What begins as cynical curiosity soon twists into obsession―and then into something far darker. As Naomi uncovers secrets she never imagined, she realizes her own life may be in danger.

But if it keeps her perfect family intact, isn’t it worth it?

In The Divorce, #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author Freida McFadden delivers a razor-sharp, subversive thriller where love curdles into vengeance, and survival becomes the most dangerous game of all.

Fortune by Kristin Cast
Expected Publication: May 26th, 2026
From Goodreads:
They matched on a dating app. Then the universe dropped them into a magickal fire kingdom.

Amanda Ward has a five-step manifestation routine, a ritual kit in every purse, and a dating profile designed to reflect the version of herself she wishes she could be: grounded, glowing, and in total alignment. In reality, she's overwhelmed, under-satisfied, and one passive-aggressive email away from a full-blown meltdown.

When a sext thread with her in-app temptation, Declan Thorne, leads to an invitation she can't resist, Amanda finds herself face-to-face with the man behind the messages—a devastatingly hot, emotionally constipated venture capitalist. And the moment she tries bringing a bit of magick into their night, a tarot-triggered portal yanks them both into another realm entirely.

Now stranded in the Kingdom of Wands with an aggravating, broody CEO-turned-reluctant-bodyguard and zero clue how to get home, Amanda's facing nightly on-stage performances, suspicious queens, and magick that refuses to cooperate.

What's worse is that her biggest issue might not be the kingdom—it might be catching real feelings for the one man who makes her want to drop the act.

To survive and find their way back home, she'll have to ditch the affirmations and the carefully controlled persona she's been clinging to and learn how to wield something way more powerful—her truth.

The Summer of Lost Things by Jenn Bennett
Expected Publication: May 26th, 2026
From Goodreads:
Star pupil Paige Malone just finished her first year at Harvard. Dropout Seb Jansen spent that time pumping gas for wealthy yacht owners at a Lake Michigan marina. They haven’t seen each other since high school. A shame, considering that they were once inseparable childhood friends who combed their coastal hometown’s sun-kissed beaches along with a couple of other middle-school pals—hunting the Golden Venus, a legendary local treasure that’s distantly connected to Paige’s family.

A treasure rumored to be worth millions of dollars. If it even exists.

These days, however, the former BFFs have traded adventure for reality. Paige is home for the summer and is spiraling after losing her college financial aid. While across town, Seb fell in with a bad crowd and now regrets his life choices, big time. Both feel colossally stuck. And alone.

But when Paige stumbles upon a hidden secret in her grandmother’s beach cottage, she must get their old treasure-hunting gang back together to finally unravel the mystery that has eluded her family for generations. Who knows: the thrill of the hunt might help Paige and Seb find a path back to their lost friendship… or something more.

We Could Be Anyone by Anna-Marie McLemore
Expected Publication: May 26th, 2026
From Goodreads:
True deception is a work of art.

Lola and Lisandro are actors during Hollywood’s Golden Age, but you won’t see them on any silver screen. Instead, these siblings use their talents to scam the rich and famous out of their ill-begotten cash. They have their act down to a science: Lola plays the tragic ghost who haunts the mansions of the wealthy, and Lisandro plays the brave spiritualist who will help her soul find peace. For a small fee, of course.

The siblings have their sights set on their next target: The Coterie, the opulent estate of newspaper tycoon Bixby Fairfax and his famous mistress Blythe Bell. A score this big will allow them to move… well, anywhere but here. But this job requires them to do something they’ve never done before: switch roles. And as strange things keep happening at The Coterie… things that even Lola and Lisandro can’t explain.

As they are drawn deeper into The Coterie’s gleaming façade and tensions rise between brother and sister, one question looms over them. Will they be able to pull off their act? Or will this be their last performance?

May is wrapping up with some more really fantastic releases, I'm so excited for all of these books! What about you guys? Happy reading! 

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