I loved Diana Quincy's historical romance The Duke Gets Desperate, and I've been excited to continue the series. The second Sirens in Silk book is The Earl That Got Away, a retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion. It turns out that Raya's sister and Strick's close friend knew each other years ago, and they've both been... Continue Reading →
Olesya Salnikova Gilmore is an author I've been wanting to read since her debut, The Witch and the Tsar. Now her third novel is out: The Fortune Tellers of Rue Daru takes place in 1924 Paris, where a Russian immigrant family is haunted (literally!) by the past. With a decades-old murder mystery or two, out-of-control... Continue Reading →
Jessica George's debut, Maame, was one of my favorite books of 2023, so I've been excited for her follow-up. Her second novel, Love by the Book, is out today, and though it's different in scope, it's equally compelling. It focuses on two seemingly opposite women who are both at a crossroads and just need a... Continue Reading →
Susanna Clarke's Piranesi has been on my shelf since it came out in 2020, and I don't know why it took me so long to finally read it, but now was the right time for me. It's told from the journals of Piranesi, one of only two living people in the world they inhabit. Their... Continue Reading →
Considering how much I loved TJ Alexander's 2025 novel, A Gentleman's Gentleman, it's no wonder that their followup has been high on my list of this year's releases. A Lady for All Seasons came out last week, and it's just as absorbing as the previous book. It starts with Verbena, a calculating woman intent on... Continue Reading →
The Encore by Juliet Izon wasn't initially on my radar, but when I saw it on NetGalley, I was instantly intrigued. It starts with Anna Buckley and Will Pendleton in 2003, when they're both students at a prestigious school studying music. They're friends, not lovers, but one hookup before they part ways leaves Anna pregnant.... Continue Reading →
Emma Denny's Barden Series has been a delight from the beginning, and the trilogy now ends with A Vow Made Twice. The eldest Barden sibling, Ash, has spent years haunted by the death of the love of his life, Oliver. But now Ash's father is gone, leaving him the earl and in need of a... Continue Reading →
I love books that shine a light on historical figures, perhaps especially so when it's someone I know little about. This led me to ReShonda Tate's new novel, With Love from Harlem, about the jazz and classical pianist, Hazel Scott. Between 1943 and 1960, we get to see the ups and downs in Hazel's music... Continue Reading →
This year, I find myself increasingly drawn to medieval stories, and this is what piqued my interest in Ryan Collett's new novel, George Falls Through Time. George is going through a rough time: recently broken up with, unemployed, and stressed about life's mundanities. Then a heightened moment of stress literally sends George falling through time,... Continue Reading →
I really enjoyed Emma R. Alban's debut novel a couple years ago, and I was excited to read her new romance, Like in Love with You. In 1817, both Rosalie and Catherine are spending the season in Bath trying to get a husband. Well, their respective mothers want them to find husbands, and both have... Continue Reading →
A thriller I've been looking forward to for months is finally out this week: Darkrooms by Rebecca Hannigan. This dual timeline thriller moves between summer 1999 and December 2019. In the former timeline, Caitlin and Roisin are children and, though not exactly friends, spend their summer playing together in the haunting Hanging Woods. But then... Continue Reading →
Over the last few years I've been enjoying Scotland-based romances. This made The Odds of You by Kate Dramis stand out among this week's new releases. Sage Collins quit her job to become an author, and though her first book was a bestseller, she has intense writer's block as she starts working on her sequel.... Continue Reading →
I've been loving Liana De la Rosa's books the past few years, so I've been eager to dive into her back catalogue. With Christmas upon us, it was the perfect time to read her holiday novella, The Captain's Midwinter Bride. Set in December 1852, we get to see newly retired navy captain Phillip Dalton connect... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated romances this year was Her Time Traveling Duke by Bryn Donovan. It's actually a sequel to Her Knight at the Museum, which I haven't yet read, but it still works on its own, too. Rose is just a regular woman who works at a Chicago art museum and dabbles in... Continue Reading →
Mimi Matthews is one of my favorite authors, and I'll always read anything she publishes. After enjoying Rules for Ruin, the first in her Crinoline Academy series, I was excited for the second installment: The Marriage Method is out now, and equally as enjoyable! Nell Trewlove was an orphan at the secluded Benevolent Academy for... Continue Reading →
C. J. Cooke is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors, and her latest book is my favorite one yet. The Last Witch takes readers back to 1485, where Helena Scheuberin is a young wife trying to finally conceive a child. But just when she discovers she's pregnant, she's arrested on charges of witchcraft. She... Continue Reading →
Last week KJ Charles released her new Gothic novel, All of Us Murderers. This is my first time reading her, but it will not be my last! This was such a fun and deliciously creepy book! Zebedee has been invited to spend a fortnight at his distant cousin Wynn's home, along with Zeb's brother, sister-in-law,... Continue Reading →
Happy release day to Kill the Beast, the debut novel by Serra Swift! This was one of my most anticipated books this fall, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! Thirteen years after a horrible beast killed her brother, Lyssa has made a career of slaying evil fairy creatures. But her ultimate goal... Continue Reading →
The Austen Affair by Madeline Bell came out earlier this month, and though I only found it by surprise, it's become one of my favorite reads of 2025. It starts out in modern times, where Tess Bright and Hugh Balfour are the leading actors in an adaptation of Northanger Abbey. They're opposites in every way,... Continue Reading →
Alexandra Vasti's Belvoir's Library trilogy comes to end with the newly released Ladies in Hating. Set seven years after the first book, it stars Lady Georgiana Cleeve (she was so funny in Ne'er Duke Well!) and Cat Lacey. Both are popular Gothic novelists who publish under pseudonyms (it is the 1820s, after all). Some strange... Continue Reading →
Last year I loved Emily Sullivan's novel, Duchess Material. That series continues with Is This Real or Just Pretend?, in which eldest sister Alexandra decides a fake courtship with Lucien, son of her family's coachman, will be necessary for business. Not only would it deter her younger sister, Freddie, from ruining a possible marriage to... Continue Reading →
Since reading A Dash of Salt and Pepper a few years ago, I've been wanting to read more from Kosoko Jackson. My second foray into his work is The Macabre, his debut fantasy/horror novel for adults. Lewis is a struggling artist who suddenly gets tasked with entering magical paintings to put a stop to their... Continue Reading →
Since my son was born last year, I've found myself increasingly drawn to books about family, especially when a young boy is central to the story. So when I was offered a chance to read Garrett Carr's debut adult novel, The Boy from the Sea, I was immediately hooked. Set in the 1970s and 1980s... Continue Reading →
I love reading books that reimagine fairy tales, so I was instantly drawn to The Book of Heartbreak by Ova Ceren. Set mainly in Istanbul, it follows 17-year-old Sare in the countdown to the end of her curse of heartbreak. All she must do is survive until her 18th birthday without having her heart broken... Continue Reading →
Amanda's Book Corner 