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Not to name names, but someone (definitely not me) thought they scheduled this post before they left to visit family. So, it’s a bit late, but here are the May book releases I’ve got my eye on!
Jump to: Fantasy | Romance | Sci-Fi | LGBTQ+
Fantasy
May 7th, 2024: The Deer and the Dragon (No Other Gods Book 1) by Piper CJ
“How does a human girl lose the Prince of Hell?”
Marlow needs to believe she’s crazy. The alternative would mean embracing the gift—or curse—shared by her mother and grandmother: she can see angels and demons, including a dark and haunting entity who’s been with Marlow her entire life. At least, she believes that’s all he is until a fae from the Nordic pantheon strolls into her life and informs her that she’s been sharing a bed with the Prince of Hell.
A Prince who’s now gone missing.
Before she knows it, Marlow is deeply entangled in a centuries-old war, stumbling straight into a battleground between mighty beings of myth and legend from powerful pantheons around the world. And who will come out on top may just depend on her and the love she never dared to believe in.
May 7th, 2024: An Intrigue of Witches (A Secret Society Mystery) by Esme Addison
Thirty-year-old Black woman Sidney Taylor is a talented early American history professor, working in fast-paced Washington DC, with her eyes on promotion. She’s also currently persona non grata. Who knew that making an inconvenient historical discovery would see her stuck at her desk, shuffling paper?
So when she receives an anonymous and very cryptic invitation to visit historic small-town Robbinsville, North Carolina and hunt for a missing archaeological treasure – with a million-dollar pay out at stake – it’s one she can’t refuse. Besides, her beloved grandmother lives in Robbinsville, and it’s been too long since she’s paid her a visit.
Soon, Sidney’s on an exciting treasure hunt, following two-hundred-year-old clues that lead her ever closer to the artefact she’s searching for. But what is the artefact? And why is Sidney starting to feel like she’s at the heart of a terrifying conspiracy she doesn’t understand?
The answer blows Sidney’s world apart, plunging her into a dark, glittering world of secret societies, ancient bloodlines, witches and magic, linked to an ages-old conspiracy that could destroy the very principles upon which America was founded.
This delicious genre-blend of cozy thriller, contemporary fantasy and mystery is National Treasure meets the supernatural treasure hunts of Indiana Jones, with a dash of A Discovery of Witches.
May 7th, 2024: Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams
A teenager on the run from his past finds the family he never knew existed and the community he never knew he needed at an HBCU for the young, Black, and magical. Enroll in this fresh fantasy debut unlike anything you’ve seen before.
Ten years ago, Malik’s life changed forever the night his mother mysteriously vanished and he discovered he had uncontrollable powers. Since then, he has kept his abilities hidden, looking out for himself and his younger foster brother, Taye. Now, at 17, Malik is finally ready to start a new life for both of them, far from the trauma of his past. However, a daring act to rescue Taye reveals an unexpected connection with his long-lost grandmother: a legendary conjurer with ties to a hidden magical university that Malik’s mother attended.
At Caiman University, Malik’s eyes are opened to a future he never could have envisioned for himself— one that includes the reappearance of his first love, Alexis. His search for answers about his heritage, his powers, and what really happened to his mother exposes the cracks in their magical community as it faces a reawakened evil dating back to the Haitian Revolution. Together with Alexis, Malik discovers a lot beneath the surface at Caiman: feuding covens and magical politics, forbidden knowledge and buried mysteries.
In a wholly unique saga of family, history and community, Malik must embrace his legacy to save what’s left of his old family as well as his new one. Exploring the roots and secrets that connect us in an unforgettable contemporary setting, this heart-pounding fantasy series opener is a rich tapestry of atmosphere, intrigue, and emotion.
May 28th, 2024: Evocation: Book I in The Summoner’s Circle by S.T. Gibson
From The Sunday Times bestselling author of B&N’s best books of 2022 A Dowry of Blood, comes a spellbinding and vibrant new series.
The Devil knows your name, David Aristarkhov.
As a teen, David Aristarkhov was a psychic prodigy, operating under the shadow of his oppressive occultist father. Now, years after his father’s death and rapidly approaching his thirtieth birthday, he is content with the high-powered life he’s curated as a Boston attorney, moonlighting as a powerful medium for his secret society.
But with power comes a price, and the Devil has come to collect on an ancestral deal. David’s days are numbered, and death looms at his door.
Reluctantly, he reaches out to the only person he’s ever trusted, his ex-boyfriend and secret Society rival Rhys, for help. However, the only way to get to Rhys is through his wife, Moira. Thrust into each other’s care, emotions once buried deep resurface, and the trio race to figure out their feelings for one another before the Devil steals David away for good…
May 28th, 2024: Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis
A sharp-witted, debut high fantasy farce featuring killer moat squid, toxic masculinity, evil wizards and a garlic festival – all at once. Perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher, K. J. Parker and Travis Baldree.
It’s bad enough waking up in a half-destroyed evil wizard’s workshop with no eyebrows, no memories, and no idea how long you have before the Dread Lord Whomever shows up to murder you horribly and then turn your skull into a goblet or something.
It’s a lot worse when you realize that Dread Lord Whomever is… you.
Gav isn’t really sure how he ended up with a castle full of goblins, or why he has a princess locked in a cell. All he can do is play along with his own evil plan in hopes of getting his memories back before he gets himself killed.
But as he realizes that nothing – from the incredibly tasteless cloak adorned with flames to the aforementioned princess – is quite what it seems, Gav must face up to all the things the Dread Lord Gavrax has done. And he’ll have to answer the hardest question of all – who does he want to be?
Romance
May 7th, 2024: Mistakes We Never Made by Hannah Brown
Emma Townsend can sum up her situationship with hot-as-hell romantic red flag Finn Hughes in one word: almost. They almost dated in high school. They almost hooked up after college. They almost took things too far one magical night. Their whole story is one series of “almosts” and “nearlys,” and now they just kind of can’t stand each other. Like, at all.
But this weekend, one of their mutuals is getting married . . . and Emma and Finn will have to pretend they don’t remember how disastrous it was the last time they were in a room together.
Emma’s doing a stellar job of playing it cool—until the bride goes missing. Now, with two days before the wedding, Emma and Finn are hitting the road in a sweet vintage sports car in hopes of salvaging someone else’s happily-ever-after.
Yet somewhere between Emma’s breakfast burrito throw down, a high-stakes kayak chase (it can happen), and an outrageous Vegas detour, these sworn enemies are crossing more than just state lines. As old feelings spark once more, Emma begins to question whether risking your heart is ever really a mistake.
May 21st, 2024: I Wish You Would by Eva Des Lauriers
It’s Senior Sunrise, the epic overnight at the beach that kicks off senior year. But for Natalia and Ethan, it’s the first time seeing each other after what happened at junior prom―when they almost crossed the line from best friends to something more and ruined everything. After ghosting each other all summer, Natalia is desperate to pretend she doesn’t care and Ethan is desperate to fix his mistake.
When the senior class carries out their tradition of writing private letters to themselves―what they wish they would do this year if they were braver―Natalia pours her heart out. So does Ethan. So does everyone in their entire class. But in Natalia’s panicked attempt to retrieve her heartfelt confession, the wind scatters seven of the notes across the beach. Now, Ethan and Natalia are forced to work together to find the lost letters before any secrets are revealed―especially their own.
Seven private confessions. Seven time bombs loose for anyone to find. And one last chance before the sun rises for these two to fall in love.
May 24th, 2024: The Life-Changing Magic of Falling in Love
Everything in Ashleigh’s life is completely fine. Sure, she avoids conversations with her mother at all costs, but doesn’t everyone? And yes, she did turn down that promotion at work, but she loves her job just as it is, right? Oh, and she has had to ask her friends to set up dates for her, but New York dating is awful for everyone, isn’t it?
George is not ok. The beating in his chest isn’t normal, is it? If he could just secure that promotion at work moving to New York would all be worth it, wouldn’t it?
Ashleigh and George haven’t met yet, but Ashleigh knows a lot of things about George. She knows he loves soccer, that he likes his house to smell of the ocean breeze and that he’s a whizz at crosswords. All George knows about Ashleigh is that since she became his cleaner everything in his life is a little better.
Neither of them knows that their worlds are about to collide. Could they be just what the other one needs?
Steamy Romance
May 7th, 2024: The Revenant’s Heart Monster Research Facility: Book 2 by Skyla Gray
Can a dead heart learn to beat again?
After dropping out of med school, Lucy Sullivan thought her skill with a scalpel would only be useful for her hobbyist taxidermy. But life takes another unexpected turn when she becomes the doctor for a most unusual patient: one who’s already dead. Or undead, rather.
Subject X-14, “The Revenant” – aka Victor – may be a collection of stitched-together corpses with a hunger for human flesh, yet Lucy soon finds herself grappling with unexpected fondness for her patient. In spite of her general fear of getting close to people, she wants to make him happy just as badly as she wants to cut him open and figure out what makes him tick.
But when Victor uses her as a hostage and kidnaps her, Lucy becomes a pawn in his plot to take out his cruel creator. They say if you seek revenge, you should dig two graves – and with Lucy caught up in this scheme, it might just be three. Can she save Victor before he loses himself to his desire for vengeance, or will he drag her down with him?
May 25th, 2024: Blade of the Sun by J.L. Cres
She can communicate with animals and heal herself. But… can she navigate her complicated love life while discovering the truth about herself?
Solveig Andraevian has survived and struggled for years under the abuse of her father and his conniving advisor. No one would deny that she’s an unconventional princess to the Kingdom of Laevaris. Outspoken and defiant, she’s made many enemies in the castle. Yet her injuries heal at rapid speed, her pointed ears continue to draw comments and when, eventually, mysterious runes begin to form on her body, she can no longer deny that there is something very strange about her indeed.
Meanwhile, in the capital city of Falal, a revolution is stirring. After King Batair orders a purge on innocent civilians, the fierce princess decides to take action and joins the Rebellion leaders who seek to overthrow her father’s rule to establish a fair and just kingdom for all. Catapulted into a new double life, Solveig must now act as both princess and revolutionary, all the while navigating the romantic pursuits of a variety of eligible young men who all desire her.
Join Solveig as she embarks on a journey to liberation and freedom, while unearthing secrets that will forever change how she sees her kingdom, her family and even herself.
reverse harem romantasy
May 31st, 2024: Protected by the Alien Mercenary: A Steamy Sci-fi Monster Romance
Trapped in a terrible situation, I decide to hire a mercenary to help me escape. Pay him? I’m sure we’ll figure that out…
Rikki
I’ve been kidnapped and auctioned off. I’m not waiting around for my new ‘owner’ to do whatever he wants with me. When he leaves me with his guard in a sleazy bar, I see my chance.
There’s this even more terrifying looking male, horns, glowing blue lines on his skin, and a freaking tail! The glances he gives me leave no room for interpretation. He wants me. I can work with that…
When I hear he’s a mercenary, I take a gamble, and offer him the sweetest of payment if he helps me escape. Once he has me alone, I soon discover that the price is much steeper than just my body. He might just demand my heart.
Thar’oc
When I see her, I’m not the only one who stares, but I am the only one who cares. A tiny little human, trapped in a terrible situation. She’s all fire, bravado, pale skin, and wild curls.
Then she offers me a deal I simply can’t refuse. Against the wishes of my friends, the advice of my mentor, and my sanity, I take her. Once I’ve taken her, I won’t let her go. Ever. She’ll soon discover that she’s mine to protect, to spoil, and to pleasure.
Those that seek to steal her from me will learn that nothing gets past a Kertinal in mating rut.
This is a standalone novella and part of the My Monster, My Protector series. This steamy sci-fi romance features one stoic, pistol-wielding mercenary, a plucky, desperate heroine, and a steamy HEA.
Sci-Fi
May 21st, 2024: In Our Stars by Jack Campbell
Lieutenant Selene Genji has one last chance to save the Earth from destruction in this pulse-pounding science fiction adventure, from the author of the New York Times bestselling Lost Fleet series.
Earth, 2180
Genetically engineered with partly alien DNA, Lieutenant Selene Genji is different from ordinary humans. And they hate her for it. Still, she’s spent her life trying to overcome society’s prejudice by serving in the Unified Fleet while Earth’s international order collapses into war.
Genji is stationed on a ship in orbit when humanity’s factional extremism on the planet reaches a boiling point, and she witnesses the utter annihilation of Earth. When the massive forces unleashed by Earth’s death warp space and time to hurl her forty years into the past, Genji is given a chance to try to change the future and save Earth—starting with the alien first contact only she knows will soon occur.
Earth, 2140
Lieutenant Kayl Owen’s ship is on a routine patrol when a piece of spacecraft wreckage appears out of nowhere. To his shock, there is a survivor on board: Selene Genji. Once her strange heritage is discovered, though, it becomes clear that Genji is a problem Earth Guard command wants to dispose of—quietly. After learning the horrifying truth, Owen helps her escape and joins her mission.
Together, they have a chance to change the fate of an Earth doomed to die in 2180. But altering history could put Genji’s very existence in danger, and Owen wonders if a world without her is one worth saving. . . .
LGBTQ+
May 7th, 2024: The Sins on Their Bones by Laura R. Samotin
Set in a Jewish folklore-inspired reimagining of 19th century Eastern Europe, this queer dark fantasy debut pits two estranged husbands and a daring spymaster on opposite sides of a civil war. Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, C.S. Pacat, and Katherine Arden.
Dimitri Alexeyev used to be the Tzar of Novo-Svitsevo. Now, he is merely a broken man, languishing in exile after losing a devastating civil war instigated by his estranged husband, Alexey Balakin. In hiding with what remains of his court, Dimitri and his spymaster, Vasily Sokolov, engineer a dangerous ruse. Vasily will sneak into Alexey’s court under a false identity to gather information, paving the way for the usurper’s downfall, while Dimitri finds a way to kill him for good.
But stopping Alexey is not so easy as plotting to kill an ordinary man. Through a perversion of the Ludayzim religion that he terms the Holy Science, Alexey has died and resurrected himself in an immortal, indestructible body—and now claims he is guided by the voice of God Himself. Able to summon forth creatures from the realm of demons, he seeks to build an army, turning Novo-Svitsevo into the greatest empire that history has ever seen.
Dimitri is determined not to let Alexey corrupt his country, but saving Novo-Svitsevo and its people will mean forfeiting the soul of the husband he can’t bring himself to forsake—or the spymaster he’s come to love.
May 7th, 2024: You Should Be So Lucky: A Novel by Cat Sebastian
An emotional, slow-burn, grumpy/sunshine, queer mid-century romance for fans of Evvie Drake Starts Over, about grief and found family, between the new star shortstop stuck in a batting slump and the reporter assigned to (reluctantly) cover his first season—set in the same universe as We Could Be So Good.
The 1960 baseball season is shaping up to be the worst year of Eddie O’Leary’s life. He can’t manage to hit the ball, his new teammates hate him, he’s living out of a suitcase, and he’s homesick. When the team’s owner orders him to give a bunch of interviews to some snobby reporter, he’s ready to call it quits. He can barely manage to behave himself for the length of a game, let alone an entire season. But he’s already on thin ice, so he has no choice but to agree.
Mark Bailey is not a sports reporter. He writes for the arts page, and these days he’s barely even managing to do that much. He’s had a rough year and just wants to be left alone in his too-empty apartment, mourning a partner he’d never been able to be public about. The last thing he needs is to spend a season writing about New York’s obnoxious new shortstop in a stunt to get the struggling newspaper more readers.
Isolated together within the crush of an anonymous city, these two lonely souls orbit each other as they slowly give in to the inevitable gravity of their attraction. But Mark has vowed that he’ll never be someone’s secret ever again, and Eddie can’t be out as a professional athlete. It’s just them against the world, and they’ll both have to decide if that’s enough.
May 14th, 2024: Thirsty: A Novel by Jas Hammonds
From Jas Hammonds, award-winning author of We Deserve Monuments, comes a gripping read about a queer teen risking it all to pledge an underground sorority with her best friends the summer before college—perfect for fans of Euphoria and Girl in Pieces.
It’s the summer before college and eighteen-year-old Blake Brenner and her girlfriend, Ella, have one goal: join the mysterious and exclusive Serena Society. The sorority promises status and lifelong connections to a network of powerful, trailblazing women of color. Ella’s acceptance is a sure thing—she’s the daughter of a Serena alum. Blake, however, has a lot more to prove.
As a former loner from a working-class background, Blake lacks Ella’s pedigree and confidence. Luckily, she finds courage at the bottom of a liquor bottle. When she drinks, she’s bold, funny, and unstoppable—and the Serenas love it. But as pledging intensifies, so does Blake’s drinking, until it’s seeping into every corner of her life. Ella assures Blake that she’s fine; partying hard is what it takes to make the cut . . .
But success has never felt so much like drowning. With her future hanging in the balance and her past dragging her down, Blake must decide how far she’s willing to go to achieve her glittering dreams of success—and how much of herself she’s willing to lose in the process.
May 15th, 2024: Meet Me in Berlin A contemporary sapphic romance by Samantha L. Valentine
‘If we lose each other, then we’ll come back to this spot, on this day, at this time, every year until we find each other.’
Casey Miller-James works hard, plays hard and loves hard. She has her dream job in a London art gallery and is busy planning a wedding to her influencer girlfriend who’s determined to have the best lesbian wedding anyone has ever seen. Life is good. So why does Casey feel like her heart belongs to that woman from Melbourne she met in Berlin eleven years ago and never saw again?
Holly Craddock feels like life is passing her by. Her career is going nowhere, and her spare time is spent running around after her unappreciative partner and worrying about her mum’s illness. She longs to rediscover her passion for photography, and she dreams of finding that woman from London who broke her heart in Berlin so long ago. She doesn’t care how brief their romance was, if she’s ever going to move on, she needs closure.
When a work opportunity gives Casey time alone and an unexpected event gives Holly the chance to shape her future, they both find themselves asking, ‘what if?’ After all, the intense chemistry they once shared must mean something. But how do you find someone from the other side of the world when you only know their first name, and the only plan to reunite was to meet in a Berlin park in late August at 6 pm, eleven years ago? Even if they do manage to find each other, can they make something work in the real world?
Meet Me in Berlin is a second-chance sapphic romance with heart, humour and heat.
May 24th, 2024: Shots on Net (SCU Hockey Book 1) by J.J. Mulder
Carter Morgan III hates everything about South Carolina University except for one thing: hockey. As the starting netminder for the team, he lives for those moments when he can step onto the ice and between the pipes. Unfortunately, his time at school and on the team is slowly coming to an end; although he’d love nothing more than to pursue a career in the NHL, he knows better than to get his hopes up.
Zeke Cassidy needs a place to live. When he answers an advertisement for a roommate, he’s not sure what he is expecting except that it isn’t Carter Morgan III. Carter is unfriendly, aloof, and they have nothing in common; even so, the pair hit it off immediately and become friends.
Carter knows Zeke isn’t interested in being anything beyond friends and roommates. Unfortunately, knowing this doesn’t stop him from hoping for more, no matter how much he tries to convince himself it’s impossible.
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