Waiting on Wednesday #797, August 19th

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

The Fires of December by Brandon Sanderson

Expected Publication: September 15th, 2026

From Goodreads:

In the next Cosmere standalone novel, Hoid has an epic tale to share: In a forgotten land sustained by colorful rivers of demon blood, a young woman named December learns a devastating plague is on its way. But who will believe her? Against impossible odds, she sets sail up the River Violet to warn the king's court, determination—and wisdom beyond her years—burning in her eyes. Along the way she’ll navigate incredulous royal officials, twisted court intrigue, and a roguish count with only her wits and her new friends: a talkative priestess and a fledgling fashion designer.

Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo

Expected Publication: September 15th, 2026
From Goodreads:

Hell is empty and all the devils are here…

Alex Stern made it to hell and back more than once, but this time she left the door open behind her. Demons are creeping through the streets of New Haven and the Yale campus, feeding on the souls of the living, terrifying the dead. Alex and her allies can hunt them, but it’s only a matter of time before the gates to the underworld open and they face a war they cannot win. To stop it, they’ll have to reach deep into the secrets of Yale and its societies, and discover the truth hidden in Alex’s own blood.

While she struggles to hold onto the dream of a future Yale once offered, Alex must contend with the machinations of a corrupt Lethe Board and a deadly vampire with his own connection to the societies. But for the first time in her life, she won’t have to face the fight alone. Dawes, Turner, Mercy, and even Tripp will have a role to play, none more so than Alex’s mentor Darlington, the golden boy who lived so long in her head, now back in the flesh and cursed with dangerous powers of his own. Hell itself is stalking the delegates of Lethe House, and they’re all about to learn that demons don’t play by human rules.

Bodies of Magic by Freya Marske

Expected Publication: September 15th, 2026
From Goodreads:

Grey’s Anatomy meets A Deadly Education in this dark academia fantasy from USA Today bestselling author Freya Marske.

At the Academie of the Grand Duchy of Sieuxerr, every mage with the healer’s gift has five years to master their power and to prepare for the infamous Grand Exam—a five-day trial whose results will determine their entire future.

The list of exam rules includes:

• You will perform five practical cases.

• Your exam group is chosen at random.

• You pass together, or fail together.

It does not include:

• On the first day, your exam group will find a classmate's dead body in the exam hall.

And as they will soon discover, this particular group all have something to hide... and all have a connection with the dead girl, a brilliant scholar who would have been first in their class.

Five scholars. Five secrets. Five days in which to solve a murder, pass the most important exam of their lives, and uncover a secret larger than all of their own combined. One with the potential to change the world.

Are you ready?

Let’s begin.

We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman

Expected Publication: September 15th, 2026
From Goodreads:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Richard Osman’s globe-trotting series “We Solve Murders” returns with the thrilling new mystery, We Chase Shadows.

Back together.

Back on the case.

And back to solving murders . . .

At sunrise, high in the Italian hills, a body is found on the steps of a beautiful private villa. On the body is a threatening note, signed by a mystery man.

Back at We Solve Murders HQ, Amy, Rosie, and Steve leap at the chance to take on their first proper case. So what if their new client seems to have his own reasons for avoiding the police? All they need to do is uncover who left the note, and then find them. Simple.

But once they start digging, the suspects keep piling up: there’s Sweden’s most-wanted criminal, a canny ex-wife and a fierce business rival – yet the murderer keeps evading them. And as the trio chase a villain through the shadows, danger travels closer to home . . .

Between Italy and Palm Springs, via Barcelona and Steve’s village pub, can the team catch an elusive killer who knows EXACTLY where to hide?

Winterveil by Ava Reid

Expected Publication: September 15th, 2026
From Goodreads:

The Secret History meets The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in #1 bestselling author Ava Reid’s brand new, thrilling, dystopian YA novel.

There is no application process for Valeran Academy, but it boasts the brightest – and precociously criminal – students in the nation.

A disgraced politician from a powerful American dynasty.

A coldly brilliant strategist who will sacrifice anything to win.

A former pageant queen with a talent that could change the world.

A prodigious female soldier with an enigmatic past – and a dangerous secret.

With eerie war simulations, cutthroat competitions and foreboding new technology, Valeran trains its students to be elite assets in a Cold War that has dragged on for nearly a century. But as a sinister conspiracy takes shape and these four are drawn together for a mysterious mission, their loyalties are tested, their convictions shaken and they all begin to are they ushering in a new era of freedom, or tyranny?

Love Antidote by Brynne Weaver

Expected Publication: September 15th, 2026
From Goodreads:

Love, murder, and dessert bring two hired assassins together in a darkly romantic novella by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Butcher & Blackbird and Tourist Season.

If anyone can poison a weapons dealer in plain sight, it’s assassin and pastry chef Isla Castillon. Regrettably, it’s competitive contract killer Mateo Rocha who’s accidentally served the delicious but lethal karpatka. Defying professional logic, Isla saves him. Mateo is too hot to die. With off-the-charts chemistry and an undeniable connection, they agree to go after their target together. Unfortunately, he’s guarded by the most terrifyingly sadistic hit man in the business. Isla and Mateo will have to be twice as ruthless and twice as clever to get to their happy ending alive.

Grim Tidings by B.K. Borison

Expected Publication: September 15th, 2026
From Goodreads:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author B.K. Borison comes a new whimsical, haunting romance. When a runaway grim reaper tries to save a life, she clashes with a skeptical Guardian, forcing them to form an unlikely partnership beyond the grave.

Darcy Moore is tired of death. Which would be fine and good ... if she wasn’t a Grim Reaper. Determined to outrun her designation as the villain, Darcy decides she won’t be dragging her next assignment to the underworld. She’ll be saving him instead.

Unfortunately for Darcy, there’s a complication in her plan. Guardian Angel Gabriel Aetos doesn’t tolerate threats to his little corner of the world, and a Grim Reaper showing up at his bar is as deadly as it gets. But when he realizes Darcy is not as she seems, Gabriel must decide if he can trust his growing feelings or hold on to his long-standing grudge.

But magic doesn’t come without consequences. And the Department of Hauntings & Spirits will eventually come calling for their missing Reaper.

A spooky yet simmering enemies-to-lovers tale to keep you warm this fall.

Tropes:

• Enemies to Lovers

• Angel x Reaper

• Grumpy x grumpy

• Guy who likes everyone except her

• Death but make it corporate

• Star-crossed lovers

• Changing your fate

Another week of September being so good, I'm so excited for all of these books! What about you guys? Happy reading! 

Waiting on Wednesday #795, August 5th

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

Blightflall by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson

Expected Publication: September 1st, 2026
From Goodreads:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson comes the first book in a new, high-flying trilogy featuring the legendary Skyward Flight as they undertake a deadly intergalactic mission to explore a mysterious alien world.

After decades of war against alien oppressors, the humans of the Defiant Defense Force are finally free. Yet for Arturo Mendez, leader of Skyward Flight, freedom isn’t what he thought it would be.

His first postwar assignment seems simple: The DDF has found evidence of other settlements of humans who were isolated during their long war against the aliens, and Arturo and his flight of pilots are to escort a team of diplomats as they attempt to make contact. It’s an easy mission—get in, guard the diplomats, and get out.

But no element of this mission turns out to be simple. Blightfall is inhospitable, surrounded by mysterious debris and covered in giant, invasive forests that have swallowed most of the planet. Upon arrival, Arturo’s team is attacked, and it quickly becomes clear that this human settlement isn’t what it appears to be.

Now trapped in an unfamiliar world and unsure who to trust, Arturo and his team must find allies and uncover long-buried secrets if they hope to escape and return home.

Frost and Venom by Christine Feehan

Expected Publication: September 1st, 2026
From Goodreads:

Deception and danger lay in wait in the beautiful, harrowing California backcountry in this gripping suspense novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan.

Surgical and trauma nurse Harlow Frye loves the small town of Knightly, where breathtaking views of the Sierra and a tight circle of female friends provides a refuge from her professional life. But lately, it's Harlow's personal life that's causing all the chaos.

First, a series of anonymous threatening letters are left in her mailbox. Then, Harlow is dealt a blow when her friend Lawyer dies after reacting to some sort of toxin. And to top it off, Harlow finds her secret obsession, CIA operative Hawkin Wilder, bleeding out on a mountain trail.

As Harlow turns her home into a makeshift hospital, her infuriating, attractive patient insists on distracting her. But even in the face of their increasing connection, there's no way Harlow can ignore the escalating storm, when someone else close to her is struck down by the mysterious toxin.

With little more than intuition to go on, Harlow turns to the five friends who have proved themselves to be a better family than her own flesh and blood. As the women attempt to unravel the killings, they will need to rely on their instincts and their connection to each other--or else they'll lose everything they've come to hold dear.

The Hocus Pocus Handbook by Ann Aguirre

Expected Publication: September 1st, 2026
From Goodreads:

For readers of The House in the Cerulean Sea comes a fantastical story of found family, love, and acceptance from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Ann Aguirre.

Thea Winter has been stolen. She's the other side of the changeling story, and she's been raised by a hobgoblin named Mudge, who taught her wildcraft, how to know when the coin-sith would attack and how to get one to show its belly. Unfortunately, Mudge didn't teach Thea how to stay out of trouble. Which is why she's facing an unwanted marriage of convenience.

Or would be, but her spouse bolted. Now she has to hunt down Devan J. Fenelon, but she's been saddled with a taciturn, humorless hunter known as Winter's Hound. He answers only to his cousin, and she's not looking forward to this quest at all.

Kerboros has never known freedom. His life is an endless series of ceaseless commands from his reprehensible cousin, Lord Liskaal. Since his father's failed rebellion, Kerboros has been permitted to survive only as an example to others, an object lesson as to how far one may fall. Certainly, he has his own hidden dreams and secret schemes, but they're not what anyone would expect. What he wants most, he will most likely never attain.

But then, he receives his next assignment. Escort Thea Winter, protect her during the search. And it's a glorious torment to travel with her. 

She is sunshine. He is shadow.

Their love is forbidden, but when irresistible force sweeps up an immovable object, the resulting reaction might be magical…

Demon in the Sand by E.K. Johnston

Expected Publication: September 1st, 2026
From Goodreads:

Mad Max: Fury Road meets Alien in this exciting follow-up to the YA novel Titan of the Stars by #1 New York Times bestselling author E.K. Johnston.

After the horrific events on the Titan, where ancient aliens were released on the ship and massacred or possessed most of the travelers, Dominic finds himself on the surface of Mars amidst the wreckage of the ruined vessel.

He made it out alive, along with a small number of other survivors — including Ren, a smart and determined ship mechanic. Against all odds, Celeste also survived the crash . . . but that should be impossible, given she sacrificed herself to save the others . . .

Dominic and Ren attempt to start a new life on the Mars colony, but the horrors follow them there. What starts out as a mild sickness among the colonists turns into a full-on outbreak — and then, half-eaten bodies are found around the base.

Could Celeste have been taken over by the aliens, and is she behind these mysterious deaths? Despite their differences, Dominic and Ren must work together once again to combat an alien menance in this thrilling sequel to Titan of the Stars!

The Knave and the Moon by Rachel Gillig

Expected Publication: September 1st, 2026
From Goodreads:

Rachel Gillig, the queen of gothic romantasy, returns with higher stakes, darker mysteries and deeper longings in this gorgeous sequel to the No. 1 international bestselling sensation The Knight and the Moth.

Aisling Cathedral is in ruins. Rodrick Myndacious, Bartholomew and Maude Bauer are rumored to be dead - and the king has taken Sybil Delling as his bride. To show off their union and solidify his power over Traum, Benji proposes a series of tournaments throughout the hamlets. Captive and drugged, Sybil remains determined to vanquished him as she once did the Omens, even if she destroys the kingdom's faith - and herself - in the process.

But then a mysterious knave rises to the top of the lists, a man with no name and no memory who may just be Sybil's ticket to undoing Benji's power. For in a land where stories repeat themselves, where a king can prove as cruel as a god, the only way to truly destroy the Stonewater Kingdom's faith is to save it.

Scion by James Islington

Expected Publication: September 1st, 2026
From Goodreads:

John Wick meets Blade Runner in this fast-paced cyberpunk thriller by the #1 NYT bestselling author of The Will of the Many.

My job, when you think about it, isn’t so different from a lot of people’s.

The more old-fashioned crowd do still get hung up on the "killing people" part of it, I guess, but that’s a them problem: it’s been perfectly legal to take out lifers for ages. Besides, once ultrawealthy morons realised they had a way to live forever—limited resources be damned—there was only ever going to be one genuinely practical deterrent.

So, sure, I have to deal with a ton of boring planning. Inconvenient hours. Some pretty awkward face-to-face interactions. And like most of us, I’m really only clocking in to try and crawl out from beneath my debts. But someone’s got to do it.

Luckily, my genetic compatibilities make me really, really good at doing it.

Still. This next job . . . I don’t know. It’s something I haven’t had to deal with in years. Kind of the opposite of my regular duties. Strange, that it got thrown my way.

I’m sure it’ll all go totally fine though.

I Hope This Emily Finds You in Hell by Mackenzie Reed

Expected Publication: September 1st, 2026
From Goodreads:

When staying late at the office leads to witnessing an exorcism, Brie Benson's mundane life takes a hellish turn…literally.

After her parents' death, twenty-seven-year-old Brie has mastered the art of compartmentalization to survive her mind-numbing routine as a receptionist at a life insurance company. But when she accidentally catches her hot, uptight boss, Luke, performing an exorcism on Debra from accounting, her carefully ordered world implodes.

Swearing Brie to secrecy, Luke reveals he's from a line of demon hunters and that demonic activity is spiking. But when her emotional support coworker vanishes, Brie is determined to find her. With nothing left to lose, she convinces Luke to let her join his rescue mission.

The problem? Their destination is hell. And the entrance is in Times Square.

Now Brie and Luke must navigate a corporate underworld of monsters and bureaucratic nightmares while racing to save their colleague and repair a tearing veil between worlds. All before their growing feelings become irrelevant and hell claims them forever.

We Are for the Dark by Gretchen McNeil

Expected Publication: September 1st, 2026
From Goodreads:

What starts as a missing person investigation morphs into something much darker when an FBI-agent-turned-Catholic-priest and a junior constable arrive on a remote Newfoundland island

This murder-mystery-turned-nail-biting-horror is perfect for fans of religious horror like The Possession of Alba Díaz and the cult-classic movie The Wicker Man

An isolated town. A missing priest. An ancient, hungry darkness.

When Father Shane Ryan is summoned to a meeting with His Eminence Cardinal Jacobs, he’s confused. A recently ordained priest at a small Maryland parish, Father Ryan has no idea why His Eminence would want to meet him. When he arrives, the Cardinal opens by laying out Father Ryan’s past as an FBI analyst. It seems a priest has gone missing, and the case is…unusual. 

Weeks ago, Constable Miriam Rideout from the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary fielded a frantic call from a priest on a remote Newfoundland island. He begged for help, but then the line went dead, and no one has since been reported missing. When permission to perform a wellness check is denied by her superiors, Miriam takes some vacation time and books a ticket on the ferry. 

Thrown together with friendly but cagey locals, Miriam and Father Ryan soon learn that something about the island isn’t right. There’s a fishing port without boats, a town with no stores and no cars, and strange, bulbous purple wildflowers are growing everywhere. The two don’t trust each other, but they begin to learn that an alliance, however uneasy, is a necessity. Because something evil lurks beneath the island—something ancient, eternal, hungry—and neither it nor the uncanny islanders have any intention of letting these newcomers leave.

A growing sense of dread intensifies until it explodes in this pulse-pounding supernatural horror.

Storm Caller by Nisha J. Tuli

Expected Publication: September 1st, 2026
From Goodreads:

THE HEART-POUNDING SEQUEL TO THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Poet Graves has only ever wanted to be free. But no matter where she turns, she’s held captive―by a power she doesn’t understand, a truth she no longer believes in, and a love she can’t deny.

As Poet is drawn further into Rook's world, his secrets force her to question who she can trust. But when friends turn into enemies, enemies prove to be allies, and the place that was once a safe harbor is revealed as the eye of the storm, Poet's only choice is to fight for what she believes in.

When New Manhattan's darkest secrets refuse to stay hidden, the cause Poet and Rook fight for will be called into question. The answers are out there…and they could destroy everything.

Don't miss out on the stunning DELUXE LIMITED EDITION while supplies last. This breathtaking collectible is only available on a limited first print run in the U.S. and Canada only, a must-have for any book lover.

Don’t miss the thrilling continuation to a thrilling upper YA romantasy by Nisha J. Tuli, where Divergent meets The Cruel Prince in a glittering, storm-wrecked Manhattan where the elite rule through legacy―and one forbidden romance could tear it all apart.

Our Strange Duet by Erin A. Craig

Expected Publication: September 1st, 2026
From Goodreads:

Our Strange Duet is a reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera, told through the eyes of Christine Daaé as she rises to fame while torn between love, ambition, and the haunting secrets of the opera house, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Erin A. Craig.

She was never just the voice he shaped . . .

A rising soprano with a gift she is only just learning to embrace, Christine Daaé has moved through the glittering world of the Opera Populaire longing to find her purpose. Instead, she finds herself caught between two men who refuse to let her slip quietly into the chorus.

One is Raoul, her childhood friend turned devoted admirer, offering her a future filled with warmth, safety, and a love that feels like sunlight. The other is a mysterious masked figure who lurks beneath the opera The Phantom. His brilliance, obsession, and dangerous devotion to nurturing Christine’s talents ignites a dark and complicated passion in her heart. As Christine’s star ascends, so does the tension between Raoul and the Phantom. She must decide who she is when the curtain falls – and what she’s willing to risk for the life she wants.

Set against the haunting, romantic world of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, Our Strange Duet allows Christine Daaé to take centre stage to tell her own story.

Before You Were Anne by Emiko Jean

Expected Publication: September 1st, 2026
From Goodreads:

After a woman is killed and her daughter vanishes, detective Chelsey Calhoun uncovers a legacy of violence and survival that spans from Japan to Seattle in the new novel by the author of The Return of Ellie Black.

A murdered woman. A missing daughter. A truth buried across two continents.

Married, pregnant, and thriving in her career, Detective Chelsey Calhoun's life finally feels whole, until an explosive new case shatters everything. A mother is dead. Her sixteen-year-old daughter, Naomi, has disappeared. And the search will awaken questions about Chelsey's own origins—questions she's spent a lifetime afraid to ask.

The victim called herself Anne Walker. But she was born Rika Takahashi, and her journey from a remote Japanese farm to suburban Seattle conceals decades of deception. Across Tokyo's shadowed underworld, an isolated Idaho town, and years of carefully constructed lies, Rika reinvented herself at every turn. But she was always running—from someone, or something.

Now, Chelsey must find Naomi before she becomes the next victim. But the deeper she delves into Rika's hidden life, the more she discovers: some secrets are worth killing for. And the most dangerous truths may be the ones closest to home.

Told in three interwoven voices, Before You Were Anne is a gripping suspense novel about the lies that bind families and the sins that echo across generations.

 

The Getaway by Kieran Scott

Expected Publication: September 1st, 2026
From Goodreads:

In a taut locked-room mystery from New York Times bestselling author Kieran Scott, a group of longtime friends confronts their darkest secrets—and deadliest impulses—on the brink of a hurricane.

For years, three couples have gathered at The Villa—billionaire Lincoln Foster’s Hamptons estate—for lavish weekends among friends. But this year, mysterious blue cards appear in each bedroom, exposing their host’s betrayals and the guests’ own dark deeds.

Everyone has something to hide. Marley and Marshall Foster. Suzy and Sean McTeague. Juliet and Josh Jacoby. Lincoln and his new wife, Hazel. Even uninvited guests hoping to be accepted among the elite.

With a hurricane bearing down, no one is getting out. When the revelations turn deadly, the trapped friends must confront what their lies have cost them—possibly their lives.

Kiss Slay Replay by Rachel Harrison

Expected Publication: September 1st, 2026
From Goodreads:

Every wedding guest’s worst nightmare is on repeat in this wild and twisty new horror novel from the New York Times bestselling author of So Thirsty and Play Nice.

It’s the picture-perfect wedding The venue is dreamy, the weather is beautiful, love is in the air—and Willa Sullivan is having a bad time. She’s excited to celebrate her best friends’ finally having the big wedding they’ve always wanted, but this is the first time she’s seen her ex-fiancé in months, and he brought a date. Everything feels off, like she stumbled into an alternate universe. But things start to look up when Willa meets Danny, the groom’s charming and single childhood best friend. When they sneak off together, their rendezvous is interrupted by a masked killer terrorizing the reception. Willa and Danny fight to save the ones they love and survive the night, but the killer is unrelenting. A final girl Willa is not.

Or is she? She wakes up and it’s the morning of the wedding. She just had the most intense nightmare of her life. Only as the day unfolds, there are some uncanny coincidences that make her question whether it was really a dream, déjà vu, or something more sinister. After a horrifying turn of events, Willa comes to understand that she’s stuck in a loop of carnage and terror that she must learn how to escape or else suffer a fate worse than death—being an eternal wedding guest.

The Siren's Kiss by Leslie Vedder

Expected Publication: September 1st, 2026
From Goodreads:

Pirates of the Caribbean meets The Little Mermaid in this swashbuckling Sapphic fantasy!

Three years ago, Dead Shot Rayleigh laid hands on the legendary ruby the Siren’s Kiss andsuffered the wrath of the sea god, Red-Handed Roger.

Now bound as captain of his cursed ship, The Revenant, eighteen-year-old Rayleigh hatches a plan to win her freedom. Everyone knows that Red-Handed Roger’s heart was stolen by the Sea Witch. If she can get it back, she can barter her release.

But Rayleigh isn’t the only one with a score to settle. Fiery mermaid Maren lost her brother to the Sea Witch, and she’s come to the surface to get him back and save the last remaining mermaids at all costs.

When Maren runs afoul of the infuriating cursed pirate Rayleigh, sparks fly, and all her plans go up in flames. Now the only chance they have is each other.

Swashbuckling, sea monsters, pirate kings, siren songs, and stolen hearts!

Red-Handed Roger and the Sea Witch were once friends, before they both fell for the same mermaid and almost destroyed the world. Will Rayleigh and Maren’s love set things right, or just finish what the old gods started?​​​

Some hearts are meant to be stolen...

Tell the Ghosts I'm Gone by Kalynn Bayron

Expected Publication: September 1st, 2026
From Goodreads:

From New York Times bestselling author Kalynn Bayron comes a new horror novel about a group of teens with unique-and potentially deadly-gifts.

Moll, Redd, Agnes, and Ossie are powerful-and dangerous. But they don't want people to fear them. They've spent their lives trying to understand and control their supernatural gifts, trying to help people instead of hurt them.

That's why they offer paranormal investigative services to anyone who needs them. But when the case of a missing young woman brings them to an old (and potentially haunted) Victorian mansion, soon it's the four teens who are in the greatest danger. The secrets they uncover about the paranormal forces inhabiting the house may shed light on the darkness that exists at the edge of their powers and finally help them gain control-if they can make it out alive.

The Gods Will Sing Our Song by Autumn Krause

Expected Publication: September 1st, 2026
From Goodreads:

In this sweeping WWII historical romance threaded with magic and myth, two star-crossed Japanese American teenagers find a love more powerful than the gods — inspired by the author's true family history of internment and resilience.

A divine favor can change everything.

1942. War rumbles across the world, gods stir in the wind, and two lives are set on a collision course that will change them forever.

Seventeen-year-old Ren Hamada has always been defined by his troubled past, while Violet Aratani has only ever worried about keeping her straight-A grades and helping her parents run their beloved print shop. The two have little in common beyond the old magic that thrums in their worn family relics—and the fact that they’re Japanese American in a country determined to cast them as the enemy.

Forced out of their homes and into ramshackle wooden barracks in the California desert by the US government, Ren and Violet collide. In a barbed wire world where everything they thought they knew is upside-down, the magnetic pull between them is the only thing that makes sense.

But there’s more than just desert dust swirling in the air. A god walks among them, his mortal form tethered to the camp, and only Violet and Ren hold the key to freeing him—an act that would earn them an immeasurable reward. Yet with tensions rising and their lives on the line, is even a divine favor powerful enough to save them?

Oh wow, there's so many fantastic books starting off September, so many authors that I love, series that I enjoy so much, and new books that I need to read now! What about you guys? Happy reading! 

Waiting on Wednesday #784, May 20th

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

Songs of the Dead by Brandon Sanderson and Peter Orullian

Expected Publication: June 16th, 2026
From Goodreads:

A London rocker is faced with a life-or-death choice when he realizes that a powerful society of magic wielders are the only ones keeping London safe in this deft contemporary fantasy cowritten by #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson with author and musician Peter Orullian.

When Jack Solomon, a struggling musician who works in London’s West End, is killed, he awakens to a new reality in which light and music are used to create magic and where living eras of the past sprawl beneath modern London, layer upon layer, all the way back to recorded history.

Jack also soon discovers that many of those who reside in the stratums of London’s past have grown angry with the present world, and that their anger is being channeled by a powerful society of light-and-music-based magic wielders who can cross the realms between life and death, between the present and the past. A past where the dead are sowing revolution against the living, and all of history is at stake.

Welcome to the Strata Wars.

The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston

Expected Publication: June 16th, 2026
From Goodreads:

The new head gardener at the enchanting Lilymoor House stumbles upon a secret garden . . . with a mysterious man trapped inside, in the next magical novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Sounds Like Love and The Seven Year Slip.

When Sophie Drear plans her escape to coastal Maine for the summer—for a temporary job revitalizing the storied grounds at Lilymoor House—she doesn’t expect to fall in love.

But she does: With the beguiling land, the fragrant flowers, and the towering hedge maze. With the quirky staff and the enigmatic woman who owns the place.

And then, the door appears. Never in the same place twice, it leads her to a secret, and unfinished, garden with a frustrated thundercloud of a man trapped inside.

This mysterious garden is not the only sign that the future of Lilymoor is unstable: the foliage resists Sophie’s careful nurturing, vines threaten to strangle the hedges, and the manor’s owner has wild ideas about who will take over when she retires—including her inconveniently attractive nephew who is also there just for the summer.

Despite herself, Sophie has come to care for the residents of Lilymoor just as much as she cares for its grounds. With the help of one man on the outside of the secret garden, and one man on the inside, she might be the only person who can figure out exactly what Lilymoor needs to bloom once more.

The Raven at the Ash Door by K.A. Linde

Expected Publication: June 16th, 2026
From Goodreads:

Can love survive an unbreakable curse?

Kierse McKenna’s magic is bound to a man she hates―one who has spent lifetimes fighting the man she loves.

To end this binding, Graves―her winter god, her monster―will stop at nothing. He discovers that the only hope of freeing Kierse is to locate a stone relic of legend, rumored to lift any curse.

The only problem? The stone has been missing for a century.

And the Oak King is on their trail.

Now Kierse is trapped at the heart of a centuries-long battle while the rest of the world comes unraveled. The Fae Killer is hunting. The peace with monsters is fracturing. And as the very rules of their myth start to shift, escaping the Oak King’s hold may demand more than stolen artifacts and clever heists.

For Kierse and Graves, it may mean risking the only thing they have left to lose.

The Fatal Unpleasantness of Netherfield by Claudia Gray

Expected Publication: June 16th, 2026
From Goodreads:

The fifth book in New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray’s mystery series set in Jane Austen's world finds Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney thrown together again by a murder at stately Netherfield Park.

After a disastrous London Season and a (somewhat) successful investigation, Jonathan Darcy has recovered from the wound he received in his most recent investigations. But his parents aren’t over the shock, and insist that Jonathan must stop these dangerous adventures with Miss Juliet Tilney—particularly now that she is a young lady of ruined reputation.

Jonathan still hopes for some opportunity to be with her again, and then it comes—unfortunately, in the form of his uncle Charles Bingley’s brother-in-law, Mr. Hurst, being found murdered at Netherfield Park. His Aunt Jane is desperate for answers, and in the end, Jonathan’s family must ask Miss Tilney to Netherfield to help solve the mystery!

Juliet, still reeling from her ruination, is happy to be back in the thick of an investigation—and in the company of Jonathan. But the scheming Caroline Bingley Allerdyce and her daughter Priscilla feel the same, leaving the young pair to not only look for clues but also dodge their machinations. When Mr. Hurst proves to be only the first victim, casting a pall of danger—and worse, scandal—over the Bingleys' household, Jonathan and Juliet are under fierce pressure to find the culprit—and perhaps even more momentously, to make a final choice between respectability...and love.

The Shape of Monsters by Tessa Gratton

Expected Publication: June 16th, 2026
From Goodreads:

A talented heretic and the emperor she both loathes and loves will learn what monsters are really made of in the second installment of the Moon Heresies trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Tessa Gratton.

 

Iriset—prodigy, outlaw, now sunderer—has broken the Moon-Eater god’s prison at the heart of the empire. But the consequences of her actions land her in a city of monsters where the heretical magic of human architecture is freely practiced, and the only person she knows—and can trust—is Lyric, the emperor she’s lied to and loved in equal measure. As scheming kings and capricious gods drive them towards different extremes, they soon realize that to find their way home, they must remake the world…at the risk of breaking it forever.

Royal Vengeance by Aimee Carter

Expected Publication: June 16th, 2026
From Goodreads:

The media believes they have uncovered all the royal scandals about the "killer princess," but there is one game-changing secret remaining that will take the crown in the final book of the Royal Blood series, which Jennifer Lynn Barnes calls "a darker Princess Diaries."

Evangeline Bright has only one shot to prove she isn’t a traitor: by finding the real mastermind behind the plot that almost killed her father, the King of England.

With the help of Kit, her steadfast boyfriend, Evan must find a way to outsmart the real threat to the throne no matter the cost, because the deadliest enemy the monarchy has faced in over a century is back with a vicious vengeance. And Evan soon uncovers the reason why.

A scandal so huge that if it ever becomes public, it will tear the monarchy apart.

To protect her loved ones, Evan must silence her enemies for good—because if the truth gets out, it won’t just shatter the monarchy. It’ll shatter Evan’s entire family.

Someone Else's Husband by Kimberly McCreight

Expected Publication: June 16th, 2026
From Goodreads:

New York Times bestselling author Kimberly McCreight delivers a tour de force of character-driven the story of two women whose secrets and desires entrap them in a deadly love triangle.

You had to rely on the power of love. That he loved you enough not to do the thing that would break your heart.

It was paper-thin ice on which to stake your survival.

Gretchen Falk, a Park Avenue sophisticate born into great wealth and blessed with a storybook marriage, knows she lives a charmed life, and she’s not about to risk losing any part of it. That’s why she tried to convince Richard, her devoted husband and father to their three children, not to join his old college friends on an expedition almost eight thousand miles away, to the imposing peak of Mount Kilimanjaro. Little did she know the beautiful artist climbing alongside him might prove the far greater danger. 

Frankie Callahan’s dream of artistic success is within reach, with her career-making exhibition at a celebrated New York gallery only weeks away.  If all goes well, the show will leave her financially independent, free of the tainted money that ties her to a past—and a man—she’s desperate to escape. To mark the end of this chapter, she is going to climb Kilimanjaro. But when she learns she’s the sole female accompanying a group of male friends, Frankie realizes that nothing about the trip will be as she expected. She certainly hasn’t counted on meeting anyone like the very charismatic, very rich, very married Richard Falk. By the time the group descends—with one fewer than when they began—they have lost more than they ever could have imagined.  

Now, just two weeks after returning to New York, Frankie is dead, her East Village loft a blood-soaked crime scene. When Richard is charged in Frankie’s death, it falls to Gretchen to piece together how the life she so carefully constructed could have imploded so completely. There are only two things Gretchen knows for she’s the only woman Richard has ever loved, and he would never hurt anyone.

Someone Else’s Husband is the sweeping and suspenseful story of two women on a collision course with love—and with each other—in which no one is right and everyone is very, very wrong.

Romantic Hero by Kirsty Greenwood

Expected Publication: June 16th, 2026
From Goodreads:

A heartbroken romance novelist is forced to address her writer's block when the villainous cowboy character from her books shows up in the real world, desperately in need of his own Happily Ever After. . . from the bestselling author of GMA book club pick The Love of My Afterlife.

Gertie Bickerstaff writes happily-ever-afters for a living. . . . Or she did, until her own love life fell apart. Now her ex is thriving, her deadline is looming, and she can’t write a single word.

The last thing Gertie needs is more drama—like waking up to find a confused and rugged cowboy on her sofa. And not just any cowboy, but River Oakley, the villain from her unfinished novel. Somehow very real . . . and very shirtless.

River wants to go home. Gertie wants her life back. So they strike a deal; he’ll use his cunning ways to help her win back her ex, she’ll finish the novel, and, surely, he’ll return to whatever world he rode in from.

But as River Oakley proves to be so much more than just the bad guy, Gertie has to the ending she thought she wanted . . . or the plot twist she never saw coming.

This week of June has some pretty great reads, I love these authors and series, and I'm looking forward to new installments! What about you guys? Happy reading! 

Waiting on Wednesday #758, November 19th

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

Kingdom of Tomorrow by Gena Showalter

Expected Publication: December 1st, 2025
From Goodreads:

From New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter comes a hauntingly beautiful dystopian fantasy, where ancient powers rise and a fearless young woman must choose between the ruthless prince who tempts her heart—and a destiny that could cost her soul.

When Arden Roosa returns to Fort Bala Royal Academy, nothing is as it was. No longer just a lady-in-training, she’s now the infamous girlfriend of High Prince Cyrus Dolion—and the woman who brought down a king. Her reward? Round-the-clock guards and the attention of a royal executioner with secrets. But Arden has secrets too. As a double agent slipping between worlds to decode forbidden prophecy, she knows what’s coming. Sleeping gods are stirring, and a war igniting. With only a spark, everyone will burn.

But nothing goes according to plan. Grueling trials consume her days, and dangerous questions stalk her nights. Worse, Cyrus—the fierce, unshakable warrior she might love—is unraveling, losing pieces of himself, becoming a stranger right before her eyes. Desperate to save him, Arden strikes a life-altering alliance…and everything spirals. Now the gods are no longer dreaming. They’re hunting. Time is running out, the end closer than anyone dares to admit. Unless Arden can stop what’s coming, Cyrus will open the door to true evil—and she’ll lose him forever.

Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher

Expected Publication: December 1st, 2025
From Goodreads:

From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award–winning author T. Kingfisher comes an enthralling contemporary fantasy seeped in horror about a woman trying to escape her past by moving to the remote US desert—only to find herself beholden to the wrath of a vengeful god.

With only a few dollars to her name and her beloved dog Copper by her side, Selena flees her past in the city to claim her late aunt’s house in the desert town of Quartz Creek. The scorpions and spiders are better than what she left behind.

Because in Quartz Creek, there’s a strange beauty to everything, from the landscape to new friends, and more blue sky than Selena’s ever seen. But something lurks beneath the surface. Like the desert gods and spirits lingering outside Selena’s house at night, keeping watch. Mostly benevolent, says her neighbor Grandma Billy. That doesn’t ease the prickly sense that one of them watches too closely and wants something from Selena she can’t begin to imagine. And when Selena’s search for answers leads her to journal entries that her aunt left behind, she discovers a sinister truth about her new It’s the haunting grounds of an ancient god known simply as “Snake-Eater,” who her late aunt made a promise to that remains unfulfilled.

Snake-Eater has taken a liking to Selena, an obsession of sorts that turns sinister. And now that Selena is the new owner of his home, he’s hell-bent on collecting everything he’s owed.

Kirkyards & Kindness by Kelley Armstrong

Expected Publication: December 2nd, 2025
From Goodreads:

Mallory Mitchell and Dr. Duncan Gray take a break from investigating murder to find the most famous dog in Victorian Scotland.

A year ago, twenty-first-century detective Mallory found herself in 1869 Edinburgh, in the body of Catriona Mitchell, a housemade working for Dr. Duncan Gray, pioneer in forensic science. Shortly after she arrived, she made the unfortunate acquaintence of Catriona’s former criminal mentor, Davina, an entanglement that nearly got Mallory killed. Now she’s about to meet Davina again.

Greyfriars Bobby has disappeared. The little terrier is already a legend, and Davina has made a tidy living showing him off on graveyard tours…while picking the pockets of her guests. When the elderly dog vanishes, Davina calls in a favor from her old student. Mallory agrees to help find Bobby in return for the one thing she’s been unable to get from Davina—the mysterious Catriona’s life story.

Note this is not a full-length novel. It's a novella set after Death at a Highland Wedding.

Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson

Expected Publication: December 2nd, 2025
From Goodreads:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson―creator of the Stormlight Archive, the Mistborn saga, and numerous smash-hit works of science fiction and fantasy―comes Tailored Realities, a new short fiction collection including the never-before-published novella “Moment Zero.”

Spanning the genres of fantasy and science fiction, Tailored Realities includes ten works of short fiction from the ingenious mind of one of the genre’s most beloved bestselling authors.

From futuristic detective thrillers to inventive space opera, superhero action, high-tech fantasy, and beyond, these gripping standalone reads have never before been gathered into one volume, with many available here in print for the first time.

Along with the thrilling new science fiction novella "Moment Zero," this collection

• “Snapshot”

• “Perfect State”

• “Defending Elysium” (from the world of Skyward)

• “Firstborn”

• “Mitosis” (from the world of the Reckoners)

• and four other stories

Also including author’s notes and stunning interior illustrations for each story, this visionary collection is a must-read whether you’re new to Sanderson or a longtime fan.

Better in Black by Cassandra Clare

Expected Publication: December 2nd, 2025
From Goodreads:

Ten original love stories by the reigning queen of romantasy, featuring fan-favorite couples from her #1 New York Times bestselling Shadowhunter Chronicles—one of the most popular series of all time, with more than 50 million copies in print worldwide!

Ten couples. United by love. Divided by danger.

Jace and Clary, seeking out an exiled Shadowhunter and learning that love can save the world—or destroy it. Will and Tessa, honeymooning in Paris when a séance sends them down an unexpected path. Simon and Izzy, observing increased demonic activity around New York, on a hilarious urban romp.

These are just a few of the beloved couples whose romantic escapades will have you on the edge of your seat across time and storylines from Cassandra Clare’s expansive Shadowhunters series. Don’t miss a chance to reunite with:

• Anna and Ari

• Emma and Julian

• Kieran, Mark, and Cristina

• James and Cordelia

• Thomas and Alastair

• Sebastian and the Seelie Queen

• Jocelyn and Luke

A love letter to every fan of the Shadowhunter Chronicles, this riveting story collection also includes a sneak peek at The Wicked Powers, the majestic trilogy that will be the grand finale of the entire series!

Tender Cruelty by Katee Robert

Expected Publication: December 2nd, 2025
From Goodreads:

I was his wife. His lover. His sworn enemy. The ice queen to Olympus’s most hated king.

*A scorchingly hot modern retelling of Hera and Zeus.*

The barrier that’s protected Olympus for generations has fallen. The enemy’s breached the gates and the Thirteen are scrambling to protect themselves, their loved ones, and the city they’ve sworn to protect. At least they would be if they weren’t at each others’ throats instead.

Hera has no intention of letting her husband, Zeus, survive the oncoming storm. But despite the white-hot hatred burning between them, when Hera and Zeus are forced to work together, enmity crystalizes into something brighter. Hotter. Too powerful to deny or destroy.

Hera never bartered on falling in love with the man she married―the man she once swore to kill. But now, standing back-to-back in the ruins of Olympus, she may be forced to admit that she’s been wrong about Zeus all these years…and there may be something about their marriage worth saving if they can survive long enough to turn sworn enemies into something more.

Hollow Gods by Marjorie Liu, Illustrated by Sana Takada

Expected Publication: December 2nd, 2025
From Goodreads:

The Defiled, a group of Monstra long confined to the prison planet Golga, have slipped through a rift between worlds and possessed anyone who has ever held the Mask of the Shaman-Empress--including Maika, Kippa, and Maika's father, the Lord Doctor. Without Zinn at her side, Maika will need to partner with the most unlikely of allies to fight this invasion--or risk losing everything and everyone she loves.

Collects MONSTRESS #55-60

The Dark is Descending by Chloe C. Peñaranda

Expected Publication: December 2nd, 2025
From Goodreads:

The explosive conclusion to New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Chloe C. Peñaranda's Nytefall trilogy.

The strongest light needs the deepest shadows.

Reeling from shocking betrayal, the Star Maiden Astraea must now race against time to break the curse imprisoning her lover, Nyte. She will have to decide if the hand of darkness, or that of her enemy, is an alliance that could bring him back.

But with the loss of daylight and the realm on the brink of ruin, Astraea and her companions must set off on their quests to retrieve the Maiden’s broken key, the only weapon that can kill the wrathful gods determined to rule the mortal world.

Dragons will fly and their bonds may choose friend or foe. Gods will face gods, fathers will face sons, and all will face the end of the world. Because when the blood that binds them becomes a weapon to end them, two star-crossed lovers must yield to fate or pay their greatest sacrifice yet.

A Grim Reaper's Guide to Cheating Death by Maxie Dara

Expected Publication: December 2nd, 2025
From Goodreads:

When a determined killer targets her brother, a grim reaper risks everything to save him in this delightful cozy mystery.

Nora Bird works for S.C.Y.T.H.E., which might seem odd for someone as terrified of death as she is. But ever since her parents died in an accident when she was six, she's been obsessed with avoiding risk, and what better place to learn how to cheat death than the company that employs the nation's grim reapers?

The work enables Nora to learn all about the myriad ways you can kick the bucket, which is comforting...until one day, a file crosses her desk with a name she recognizes. Her twin brother’s.

The twins haven’t spoken in six months, but Charlie is all Nora has left. Completely against her cautious nature, Nora steals the file and flees, racing to her brother’s house. She begs him to trust her that his death is imminent, and they hit the road (with his parrot, Jessica, who has plenty to say) in an attempt to evade both death and S.C.Y.T.H.E., whose sole mission of collecting souls has been disrupted by Charlie’s continued existence.

Alas, every time Nora saves him, a new cause of death appears in his file. Someone is determined to take Charlie out, and Nora will have to use everything she's ever learned about death to discover the culprit.d

Crowntide by Alex Aster

Expected Publication: December 2nd, 2025
From Goodreads:

The highly anticipated fourth novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Lightlark Saga, by acclaimed author and #BookTok sensation Alex Aster

Some worlds deserve to be destroyed . . .

Isla Crown has charted a new destiny and leapt into the unknown, determined to defeat her insidious ancestor, Lark, no matter the cost. But Skyshade is nothing like she anticipated, and she’ll have to use all of her skills just to survive, let alone end Lark for good.

Meanwhile, Grim and Oro would sooner set fire to their own kingdoms than leave Isla stranded on a path toward certain death. But getting her back will involve forging an alliance—if they can find a way to forgive their long history of betrayals.

The key to Isla’s return—and the fate of the realms—lies close to her heart. But in the face of her most powerful enemy yet, will Isla be able to reconcile her past in order to carve a future of her own making?

The Obsession by Natasha Preston

Expected Publication: December 2nd, 2025
From Goodreads:

What if being famous was the most dangerous thing you ever did?#1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Natasha Preston is back with a twisted tale of social media, secrets, and survival.

SOMEONE IS ALWAYS WATCHING. 

Connie never asked to be famous—but thanks to her mother’s relentless vlogging, she and her sister Isla have spent their lives under a virtual microscope. Every smile, every moment curated for clicks. Every stranger online thinking they know them. 

Then local girls—girls who look just like Connie—start dying. One by one. As the bodies pile up and the spotlight turns sinister, Connie is forced to confront the terrifying someone isn’t just watching. They’re planning.

The Last Vampire by Romina Garber

Expected Publication: December 2nd, 2025
From Goodreads:

Pride & Prejudice meets Crave when Austen-loving Lorena Navarro attends a new boarding school expecting to find her own Mr. Darcy, but accidentally finds the world’s last vampire instead!

Pride comes before the fall.

When a boarding school opens in a once-condemned Victorian manor buried in the woods of New Hampshire, Austen-loving Lorena Navarro enrolls in hopes of finding her own Mr. Darcy. Instead, she stumbles across a coffin and accidentally awakens the world’s last vampire.

After hibernating for nearly three centuries, William Pride is desperate to find his family—and clueless about the modern world. Relying on Lorena for more than just blood, he enrolls at the school to catch up on all he’s missed.

Soon, William uncovers a chilling truth: He is the last hope for his kind’s return to power. Torn between protecting the humans around him and fulfilling his fate, William must make a choice that could change everything. Will he sacrifice his species for love . . . or will he embrace his dark destiny at last?

Seven All Alone by Kirsty McKay 

Expected Publication: December 2nd, 2025
From Goodreads:

From the author of The Assassin Game and Have You Seen My Sister? comes another gripping thriller that follows seven teens stranded together on a trip in the mountains, cut off from civilization, and hunted by an unknown killer who wants them dead. 

Maggie Atkins will never forget what happened in that cave ten years ago when she and six other elementary school kids were kidnapped by their bus driver and kept captive. She will never forget that her friends left her alone to escape, or the image of her kidnapper falling to his death, but she has done her best to put the ordeal behind her and move on.  

Her past catches up with her when she's forced to go on a school trip to the mountains with the very same people who abandoned her, and only a stone's throw away from the scene of her kidnapping. She's determined to suck it up and get through it though since it's only one night of her life. But then a brutal storm changes everything and separates her group from their chaperone. With no phones and a limited food supply, the group strategizes how they can survive the elements and make it back to safety.  

Then they realize there is someone else on the mountain. Someone who knows what really happened all those years ago. Someone who wants them dead and is willing to take them out one by one. Maggie thought she'd already survived the worst thing she would ever go through—she was wrong.

Friends and Liars by Kit Frick

Expected Publication: December 2nd, 2025
From Goodreads:

From “edge-of-your-seat suspense” (Booklist) author Kit Frick comes an insidious thriller about four estranged friends trapped in a powerful family’s deadly games at a luxe estate in the Italian countryside.

It’s been five years since heiress Clare Monroe tragically died on New Year’s Eve at her family’s opulent Italian palazzo. Since that time, her college friends have harbored a dark secret—their lies and betrayals led to Clare’s untimely death.

What happened that fateful night was a horrible accident, but Luca, Harper, Sirina, and David are guilty, nonetheless. And their desperate decision to conceal the truth destroyed their once-close bond.

Now, the estranged friends are each the recipient of an invitation from the Monroes to return to the lakeside palazzo for a long-overdue memorial for Clare. Accepting the Monroes’ invitation means playing with fire, but they can hardly refuse.

Luca, Harper, Sirina, and David have barely settled into their idyllic accommodations on Lake Como before someone at the memorial party begins targeting them. Haunted by little “gifts” left in their rooms, taunting notes, and the unshakable sense of being watched, it soon becomes clear that someone on the guest list knows the whole truth about the night Clare died—and the secrets her friends have been keeping. Nothing is as it seems at the palazzo on the lake, and under their tormentor’s vengeful gaze, their secrets—and their lives—are in danger.

December starts off with some really amazing books, I need to read them, and I need them to be out so I can do so! What about you guys? Happy reading!