Happy book birthday to The House of Now and Then by Edward Underhill! This is my first time reading this author, and what an impactful book to start with. Harlowe is a 31-year-old trans man who has just ended a long relationship with his boyfriend. To regroup, he rents a (shockingly cheap) cottage in Cape... Continue Reading →
I really enjoyed Julian Winters's adult debut, I Think They Love You, early last year, and I've been excited for more from him. The 24 Carter Gold series continues with Last First Kiss, in which Jordan and Jamie find their way to each other. Both were introduced in the previous book, and here we get... Continue Reading →
I loved Katie Holt's debut novel, Not in My Book, and I've been looking forward to her next book. It's out this week: The Last Page, about a NYC bookstore that must carry on after the beloved owner has passed away. Ella has been a manager there for years, and Leo had told her he'd... Continue Reading →
This week, Davin Malasarn released his debut novel, The Outer Country. Two sisters leave their home in Phet Buri, Thailand to make a new life in Los Angeles, all the way in the "Outer Country," the United States. First Siripon arrives, developing her career as a nurse, marrying fellow Thai immigrant Kamron, and having a... Continue Reading →
I often like my books to come with a side of darkness. This led me to Death's Daughter by S.A. Barnes, the first in her Children of the Old Ones series. This dark academia romantasy is set in a college town in Massachusetts, where Jocasta is trying to live a normal life, despite secretly being... Continue Reading →
I've read and enjoyed two historical romances by Diana Quincy. Now she is publishing suspenseful women's fiction as Diana Awad. Her first novel in this genre is As Far as She Knew, which came out at the beginning of April. Amira Abadi has been in a happy marriage with Ali for over twenty years, and... Continue Reading →
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 →
Happy book birthday to Linda Hamilton's The Fourth Wife! This debut gothic novel takes readers to 1880s Utah and a polygamous Mormon family. Hazel and her childhood friend Elijah have long planned to marry only each other, but when she's pushed into a marriage to another man, Hazel reluctantly accepts. She's now Jacob's fourth wife,... Continue Reading →
CG Drews recently released their adult debut novel, You Did Nothing Wrong. This psychological horror follows Elodie, the 22-year-old mother to her six-year-old son, Jude. She spent years with her neglectful parents in Australia, but upon meeting Bren, she packed up her life to live with him in the United States. Bren has a large... Continue Reading →
For a couple of years, I've been anticipating Ana Holguin's novel, Second Chance Duet. So much so that, while I was waiting for it, I read her first book, Up Close & Personal! At long last it is here, and what a treat it is. Celia García is a composer whose goal is to score... Continue Reading →
Last year, I adored Mia Sosa's romance, When Javi Dumped Mari, so I've been ready to jump into more of her books. Today sees the rerelease of The Starter Ex: It first came out as an audiobook in 2024, and now it's available in print and ebook editions as well. In a nod to How... 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 →
This week, Sofia Robleda released her second novel, The Other Moctezuma Girls, and I've so been looking forward to it. Set in Mexico in 1551, this is part family drama and part unexpected adventure. Isabel Moctezuma, the last Aztec princess, has just passed away, leaving behind several adult children, a shocking will, and an even... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated books of the year was Clay Cane's Burn Down Master's House. Though I don't read much fiction about slavery these days, the title of this one was impossible to ignore. Inspired by real people, including some of the author's own ancestors who were enslaved, this novel plays out like four... Continue Reading →
Last May, Nisha J. Tuli released her first contemporary romance, Not Safe for Work. I had never read her before, but was excited for this workplace romance set at a resort in Hawaii. Trishara and Rafe have been rivals for the past five years that they've worked at his dad's company in Chicago. Now they're... Continue Reading →
Lately I've been getting into mysteries again, and I was excited for this week's new release, The Midnight Taxi by Yosha Gunasekera. This debut novel follows Siriwathi, a Sri Lankan immigrant and taxicab driver in New York City. While working late one night, she picks up a man on his way to the airport, but... 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 →
Earlier this week, Brenda Navarro's novel Eating Ashes was made available in English for the first time. It was translated from Spanish by Megan McDowell. It follows a Mexican family to Spain, where they experience xenophobia and a worsening sense of belonging. The unnamed narrator's younger brother, Diego, ultimately takes his own life, further fracturing... Continue Reading →
Happy release week to Our Ex's Wedding by Taleen Voskuni! I loved her previous book, Lavash at First Sight, and still need to read her debut, Sorry, Bro. This third novel is set in the same universe, especially bringing in characters from the first book, including a redemption for Raffi Garabedian. Ani Avakian is a... Continue Reading →
I loved Jessica James's first Glitter Bats romance, For One Night Only, and I've been so excited to continue the series. Now the second installment is here: For Our Next Song, starring drummer Keeley Cunningham and keyboardist Jane Mercer. Now that the band is back together and they've released a new album, they're finally free... 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 →
Happy book birthday to The Storm by Rachel Hawkins! I read her first thriller, The Wife Upstairs, three years ago, and I'm excited to be getting back into her books. The Storm is set between 1984 and 2025 at a seaside town in Alabama. A hurricane in 1984 claimed the life of the rising politician,... Continue Reading →
Years ago I loved The Broken Girls by Simone St. James, and I've been wanting to read more from her ever since. The Sun Down Motel has been on my list the longest, and now that a new book set in the same universe is about to come out, it was high time I finally... 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 →
Amanda's Book Corner 