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It is way too hot. I had to buy a new AC recently, and they had to open the windows while installing it. Now, I’m fighting mosquitoes while I sleep, and they feast on my blood. How’s your summer going?
Jump to: Fantasy | Romance | Sci-Fi | LGBTQ+
Fantasy
July 9th, 2024: The Dallergut Dream Department Store: A Novel by Miye Lee
What if there was a store that sold dreams? Which would you buy? And who might you become when you wake up?
In a mysterious town hidden in our collective subconscious there’s a department store that sells dreams. Day and night, visitors both human and animal shuffle in to purchase their latest adventure. Each floor specializes in a specific type of dream: childhood memories, food dreams, ice skating, dreams of stardom. Flying dreams are almost always sold out. Some seek dreams of loved ones who have died.
For Penny, an enthusiastic new hire, working at Dallergut is the opportunity of a lifetime. As she uncovers the workings of this whimsical world, she bonds with a cast of unforgettable characters, including Dallergut, the flamboyant and wise owner, Babynap Rockabye, a famous dream designer, Maxim, a nightmare producer, and the many customers who dream to heal, dream to grow, and dream to flourish.
A captivating story that will leave a lingering magical feeling in readers’ minds, this is the first book in a bestselling duology for anyone exhausted from the reality of their daily life.
July 9th, 2024: The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons
Anahrod lives only for survival, forging her own way through the harsh jungles of the Deep with her titan drake by her side. Even when an adventuring party saves her from capture by a local warlord, she is eager to return to her solitary life.
But this is no ordinary rescue. It’s Anahrod’s past catching up with her. These cunning misfits—and their frustratingly appealing dragonrider ringleader—intend to spirit her away to the dragon-ruled sky cities, where they need her help to steal from a dragon’s hoard.
There’s only one problem: the hoard in question belongs to the current regent, Neveranimas—and she wants Anahrod dead.
From Jenn Lyons, the acclaimed author of the Chorus of Dragons series, this soaring standalone fantasy combines conniving dragons, lightning banter, high-stakes intrigue, and a little bit of heat.
July 9th, 2024: The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
The Spellshop is Sarah Beth Durst’s romantasy debut–a lush cottagecore tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams, and even sweeter love.
Join Kiela the librarian and her assistant, Caz the sentient spider plant, as they navigate the low stakes market of illegal spellmaking and the high risk business of starting over.
“Sarah Beth Durst is the hidden gem of the fantasy world.” —Book Riot
Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn’t had to.
She and her assistant, Caz, a magically sentient spider plant, have spent the last eleven years sequestered among the empire’s most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city’s elite. But when a revolution begins and the library goes up in flames, she and Caz save as many books as they can carry and flee to a faraway island Kiela was sure she’d never return to: her childhood home. Kiela hopes to lay low in the overgrown and rundown cottage her late parents left her and figure out a way to survive without drawing the attention of either the empire or the revolutionaries. Much to her dismay, in addition to a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor, she finds the town neglected and in a state of disrepair.
July 16th, 2024: The West Passage by Jared Pechacek
When the Guardian of the West Passage died in her bed, the women of Grey Tower fed her to the crows and went back to their chores. No successor was named as Guardian, no one took up the fallen blade; the West Passage went unguarded.
Now, snow blankets Grey in the height of summer, foretelling the coming of the Beast. The too-young Mother of Grey House and the Guardian’s unnamed squire set out to save their people.
Their narrow shoulders bear a heavy burden. Before them lies the West Passage, home to horrors and delights that defy imagining. None can say if they’ll reach their destinations, but one thing is for sure: the world is about to change.
July 23rd, 2024: In the Shadow of the Fall by Tobi Ogundiran
Ashâke is an acolyte in the temple of Ifa, yearning for the day she is made a priestess and sent out into the world to serve the orisha. But of all the acolytes, she is the only one the orisha refuse to speak to. For years she has watched from the sidelines as peer after peer passes her by and ascends to full priesthood.
Desperate, Ashâke attempts to summon and trap an orisha—any orisha. Instead, she experiences a vision so terrible it draws the attention of a powerful enemy sect and thrusts Ashâke into the center of a centuries-old war that will shatter the very foundations of her world.
July 26th, 2024: Beautiful Serpent, Restless Embers by Ynes Freeman
Sensitive, soft-spoken Laurel Aleandri wakes at age eight to discover the world around her has changed—deepened. The rug under her feet feels softer, her father’s freshly-baked bread steams with joy, and his hymns carry a life of their own. A descendent of the Damica—women both praised and feared for their gifts—Laurel’s power is unlike her mother’s. Instead of reading fortunes, she feels into hearts and minds with a light brush of her fingertips.
As is the tradition of the Damica, she is whisked away to the Accademia Marl, only to be swallowed by a darker side of her gift. Litha, her headmistress calls it—a madness that sweeps through the Damica with her empathic ability. Shuttered away, devoid of warmth and light, Laurel finds herself enraptured by flowers and drawn to the moon. . . gentle, beautiful things that keep the darkness within from stirring.
But thrust into a world of politics and deceit, Laurel’s headmistress warns that deep empathy is more dangerous and valuable than she knows. She is sold to a general as a bride—and a weapon that could reverse the tides of her kingdom’s war, which sits on a knife’s edge of defeat.
Pressed like a flower between the pages of fate and chance, Laurel flees, placing her faith in a shattered swordsman with a quick blade and a biting cynicism, while the general she runs from pursues her relentlessly. Haunted by shadow demons, violent visions, and omens of death, Laurel must chance her dark depths to determine not only her own fate, but that of every person she encounters.
Romance
July 2nd, 2024: The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood
A recently deceased woman meets “the one” in the afterlife waiting room, scoring a second chance at life (and love!) if she can find him on earth before ten days are up…
If she wasn’t dead already, Delphie would be dying of embarrassment. Not only did she just die by choking on a microwaveable burger, but now she’s standing in her ‘shine like a star’ nightie in front of the hottest man she’s ever seen. And he’s smiling at her.
As they start to chat, everything else becomes background noise. That is until someone comes running out of a door, yelling something about a huge mistake, and sends the dreamy stranger back down to earth. And here Delphie was thinking her luck might be different in the afterlife.
When Delphie is offered a deal in which she can return to earth and reconnect with the mysterious man, she jumps at the opportunity to find her possible soulmate and a fresh start. But in a city of millions, Delphie is going to have to listen to her heart, learn to ask for help, and perhaps even see the magic in the life she’s leaving behind…
July 2nd, 2024: The Undermining of Twyla and Frank by Megan Bannen
The entire town of Eternity was shocked when widowed, middle-aged Twyla Banneker partnered up with her neighbor and best friend, Frank Ellis, to join the Tanrian Marshals. Eight years later, Twyla’s rewarding career patrolling the strange land of Tanria remains a welcome change from the domestic grind of mom life, despite the misgivings of her grown children.
Fortunately (or unfortunately) a recent decrease in on-the-job peril has made Twyla and Frank’s job a lot safer … and a lot less exciting. So when they discover the body of one of their fellow marshals near an enormous footprint—and Frank finds himself the inadvertent foster dad to a baby dragon—they are grateful to be back in action.
Soon, the friends wind up ensnared in a nefarious plot that goes far deeper than any lucrative Tanrian mineshaft. But as danger closes in and Twyla and Frank’s investigation becomes more complicated, so does their easy friendship. And Twyla starts to realize that her true soul mate might be the person who has lived next door all along…
July 2nd, 2024: Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto
When professional—and self-taught—violinist Gwen Jackson plays, she disappears into the peaks and valleys of each song, a quiet passion that never quite explodes into pure emotion. Xander Thorne is the exact opposite. A cellist and a rock star, he’s all about big emotion, but not even his six-foot-four frame can contain his skill, his genius . . . and an attitude that borders on jerkitude.
Not only did it take Xander a year to notice that he and Gwen both play in the Manhattan Pops, but he also always seems to have the perfect cutting criticism about her technique. When Gwen is offered the role of first chair of the orchestra, something Xander has secretly coveted for years, their existing hostility goes up a notch. Yet, despite her best efforts, Gwen can’t ignore the sizzling chemistry between them.
Forced to work more closely with each other, they can’t help exploring their attraction. As they begin to compose and play songs together, it’s clear that their powerful connection could make for a performance that would blow everyone’s minds. Suddenly, they’re box office dynamite, and the fragile romance growing between them is in danger of being crushed beneath a publicity stunt.
July 16th, 2024: Business Casual by B.K. Borison
Two opposites decide to test their chemistry with one steamy night together. But will once be enough?
Nova Porter isn’t looking for love, and she certainly has no explanation for her attraction to buttoned-up, three-piece-suit-wearing investment banker Charlie Milford. Maybe it’s his charm? Or maybe it’s his determination to help her fledgling business however he can. Either way, she’s distracted every time he’s around. With her new tattoo studio set to open in her hometown of Inglewild, she doesn’t have time for frivolous flirtations.
In an effort to get Charlie out of her system once and for all, Nova offers a proposition. One night. No strings. They’ll kick their uncomfortable attraction to the curb and return to their respective responsibilities. But their explosive night together scatters their expectations like fallen leaves. And with Charlie in town as the temporary head of Lovelight Farms, Nova can’t quite avoid him.
And Charlie? Well, Charlie knows a good investment when he sees one. He’s hoping he can convince Nova he’s worth some of her time.
July 16th, 2024: The Au Pair Affair: A Novel (Big Shots Book 2) by Tessa Bailey
#1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey returns with an all-new sports rom-com about a burly, surly, single dad who falls head-over-hockey-stick for his quirky live-in nanny…
Tallulah is smart, vivacious, and studying to be a marine biologist. She’s also twenty-six and broke. So when Burgess, a battle-scarred hockey veteran and newly single dad, offers her a job as his live-in nanny, she jumps at the opportunity to get paid while living in a super fancy neighborhood and being around Lissa, his cool but introverted tween.
Her tween charge isn’t the only one who could use some help fitting in, though. According to…well, everyone except Burgess, he needs to get back on the dating scene, and adventurous Tallulah is just the girl to show him how. But as boundaries are slowly crossed and Burgess finds himself pulled between his daughter, who wants her parents back together, and his insane chemistry with Tallulah, a huge rift is formed, and Tallulah does the “right” thing—breaks her own heart and walks away.
Though Burgess knows it’s for the best—he’s too jaded, with too much baggage—a chance meeting, and a new push from his daughter, forces him to put everything on the line and fight to prove he learned his lessons well and is worthy of a happily ever after with Tallulah.
July 30th, 2024: Slow Dance: A Novel by Rainbow Rowell
Back in high school, everybody thought Shiloh and Cary would end up together . . . everybody but Shiloh and Cary.
They were just friends. Best friends. Allies. They spent entire summers sitting on Shiloh’s porch steps, dreaming about the future. They were both going to get out of north Omaha—Shiloh would go to go to college and become an actress, and Cary would join the Navy. They promised each other that their friendship would never change.
Well, Shiloh did go to college, and Cary did join the Navy. And yet, somehow, everything changed.
Now Shiloh’s thirty-three, and it’s been fourteen years since she talked to Cary. She’s been married and divorced. She has two kids. And she’s back living in the same house she grew up in. Her life is nothing like she planned.
When she’s invited to an old friend’s wedding, all Shiloh can think about is whether Cary will be there—and whether she hopes he will be. Would Cary even want to talk to her? After everything?
The answer is yes. And yes. And yes.
Slow Dance is the story of two kids who fell in love before they knew enough about love to recognize it. Two friends who lost everything. Two adults who just feel lost.
It’s the story of Shiloh and Cary, who everyone thought would end up together, trying to find their way back to the start.
Sci-Fi
July 9th, 2024: Toward Eternity: A Novel by Anton Hur
In a near-future world, a new technological therapy is quickly eradicating cancer. The body’s cells are entirely replaced with nanites—robot or android cells which not only cure those afflicted but leaves them virtually immortal.
Literary researcher Yonghun teaches an AI how to understand poetry and creates a living, thinking machine he names Panit, meaning Beloved, in honor of his husband. When Yonghun—himself a recipient of nanotherapy—mysteriously vanishes into thin air and then just as suddenly reappears, the event raises disturbing questions. What happened to Yonghun, and though he’s returned, is he really himself anymore?
When Dr. Beeko, the scientist who holds the patent to the nanotherapy technology, learns of Panit, he transfers its consciousness from the machine into an android body, giving it freedom and life. As Yonghun, Panit, and other nano humans thrive—and begin to replicate—their development will lead them to a crossroads and a choice with existential consequences.
Exploring the nature of intelligence and the unexpected consequences of progress, the meaning of personhood and life, and what we really have to fear from technology and the future, Toward Eternity is a gorgeous, thought-provoking novel that challenges the notion of what makes us human—and how love survives even the end of that humanity.
July 16th, 2024: In the Belly of the Whale by Michael Flynn
Experience a truly extraordinary journey aboard a colossal generation ship, where Earth’s brightest minds have forged a strict regime to ensure survival of the human race. The unintentionally-oppressive rules form uniquely distinct societies as the years pass, until differences in ideology, class, and cultural identity stirs up rebellion among the beleaguered crew, igniting the first whispers of revolution.
A masterful exploration of humanity’s relentless quest for freedom, In the Belly of the Whale pushes the boundaries of the genre, offering a deeply insightful examination of societal evolution and personal resilience. Each character is so set in their convictions it will make you continuously reevaluate what is right and wrong as you dive into the depths of the human spirit and space.A gripping epic that will take readers on a profound voyage of the mind and space.
July 23rd 2024: Gravity Lost: A Novel (Ambit’s Run Book 2) by L.M. Sagas
L. M. Sagas follows her fast-paced sci-fi adventure Cascade Failure with an equally explosive sequel, Gravity Lost. Everyone’s favorite fierce, messy, chaotic space fam is back with more vibrant worlds, and the wildest crew since Guardians of the Galaxy.
After thwarting a space station disaster and planetary destruction, the Ambit crew thought turning Isaiah Drestyn over to the Union would be the end of their troubles. Turns out, it’s only the start.
Drestyn is a walking encyclopedia of dirty secrets, and everyone wants a piece of him—the Trust, the Union, even the Guild. Someone wants him bad enough to kill, and with the life of one of their own on the line, the Ambit crew must jail-break the very man they helped capture and expose some of the secrets he’s been keeping before it’s too late.
In the Spiral, everything has a price. In their fight to protect what they love, Eoan, Nash, Saint, and Jal will confront some ugly truths about their enemies, and even uglier truths about their friends. But nothing will come close to the truths they’ll learn about themselves.
You can’t always fix what’s broken … and sometimes, it’s better that way.
LGBTQ+
July 1st, 2024: Earth to Alis by Lex Carlow
Alistair Woodson is a loner by choice. Since the traumatic night that ended his only friendship, he’s isolated himself by letting his classmates believe he’s a criminal and an arsonist, best to be avoided at all costs.
But on his graduation trip across Paris, Switzerland, and Italy, Alis discovers that isolation isn’t so easy to maintain in hostel rooms and cross-country trains. Soon he finds himself growing closer to classmates who were once strangers to him—namely the class clown, Craig Miltenberg, whose frustratingly good hair and cheerful disposition don’t irritate Alis nearly as much as they should.
Yet, as his deepening connections stir up painful reminders of his last doomed friendship, Alis continues to cope the only way he knows how: drowning out the pain on the inside by hurting himself on the outside. When his self-destructive behaviours intensify and put him and his new relationships in jeopardy, Alis must find the courage to confront his spiralling mental health—even if it means letting someone in.
July 9th, 2024: Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle
Misha knows that chasing success in Hollywood can be hell.
But finally, after years of trying to make it, his big moment is here: an Oscar nomination. And the executives at the studio for his long-running streaming series know just the thing to kick his career to the next level: kill off the gay characters, “for the algorithm,” in the upcoming season finale.
Misha refuses, but he soon realizes that he’s just put a target on his back. And what’s worse, monsters from his horror movie days are stalking him and his friends through the hills above Los Angeles.
Haunted by his past, Misha must risk his entire future—before the horrors from the silver screen find a way to bury him for good.
July 16th, 2024: Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts by Adam Sass
A swoony contemporary romance from Adam Sass following a boy who is cursed to doom any romantic relationship—and the summer that changes everything.
Grant Rossi is never getting a happily-ever-after.
Ever since he was a kid and made a wish on his family’s iconic Wishing Rose, his romantic relationships have been cursed to end. Following his most recent (and extremely public) dumping, Grant is languishing in a hot Chicago summer, abandoning his beloved design projects to sink back into depression. But when his family suggests spending the summer helping his aunt and uncle refurbish their beautiful but rundown B&B and vineyard—the home of the Wishing Rose that changed everything for him—Grant decides to accept. Maybe he can finally find a way to recover his creative spark…and break his curse.
July 19th, 2024: About Last Night by Laura Henry
New job. New start. But you’re staring at your one-night stand.
Audrey Adams is starting over. Three days ago, she left her cheating ex. And Audrey did not walk out quietly: she sang the best break-up song of all time at her in a packed-out bar and dropped the mic. Then she had an unforgettable night with the most drop-dead gorgeous woman she’s ever seen in her life, a hiking guide with perfectly toned arms and sparkling sky-blue eyes… who she’s been trying not to think about ever since. Audrey is done with romance.
But then on her first morning at her new job at an outdoors store, she walks into someone. Literally headfirst into her, and as coffee begins to stain her shirt, Audrey looks up into a pair of very familiar beautiful blue eyes. It’s Toni. The woman she last saw in her bed, her wild curls thrown across the pillow. Who is now technically her boss.
Every time Toni comes into work in another incredibly sexy plaid shirt, talking about the next Rocky Mountain she’s planning to climb, Audrey daydreams about that amazing night they had together. But dating someone she works with is a line she has never crossed, especially when as she needs this job to go well.
But rules are made to be broken… right?
July 23rd, 2024: No Road Home by John Fram
In this “whip-smart, horror-tinged whodunnit in the style of early Stephen King” (Julia Bartz, New York Times bestselling author), a young father must clear his name and protect his queer son when his wealthy new wife’s televangelist grandfather is found murdered.
For years, single father Toby Tucker has done his best to keep his sensitive young son, Luca, safe from the bigotry of the world. But when Toby marries Alyssa Wright—the granddaughter of a famed televangelist known for his grandiose Old Testament preaching—he can’t imagine the world of religion, wealth, and hate that he and Luca are about to enter.
A trip to the Wright family’s compound in sun-scorched Texas soon turns hellish when Toby realizes that Alyssa and the rest of her brood have dangerous plans for him and his son. The situation only grows worse when a freak storm cuts off the roads and the family patriarch is found murdered, stabbed in the chest on the roof of their sprawling mansion.
Suspicion immediately turns to Toby, but when his son starts describing a spectral figure in a black suit lurking around the house with unfinished business in mind, Toby realizes this family has more than murderer to conceal—and to fear.
July 30th, 2024: Twisted Magic (Knights of the Twisted Tree, Book 1) by Barbara J. Webb
His magic could heal anything, except a broken heart.
Fleeing losses he can’t bear to face and a war he doesn’t want to remember, Korin has come to Triome, the greatest city in the world, for a fresh start. But Triome holds its own dark secrets, and Korin may not have left all his enemies behind.
A disease stalks the city, a disease made of magic that only a wizard like Korin can cure. But he can’t fight it alone, and his new allies may not be as friendly as they seem. Especially handsome Ádan, who awakens feelings and memories that Korin would rather have left behind, and whose smiling face may be hiding the darkest secret of all.
review coming soon
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