While I might be a bit later posting this than intended, I still wanted to share with you all the books on my radar that are coming out this month. There are some very exciting books coming out in March, and I wish I could gallop through bookstores and collect them all. And I must say, necromancy is so IN this month.
JUMP TO
- Fantasy 🪄
- Her Hidden Fire
- The Ascension of Souls
- The Library of Amorlin
- The Debtor’s Game
- Lady Tremaine
- The Last Starborn Seer
- Sing the Night
- The Fox and the Devil
- Innamorata
- Mayhem and the Mortal
- The Book of Fallen Leaves
- The Somewhat Wicked Witch of Brigandale
- No Man’s Land
- Daughter of Crows
- Aicha
- Starside
- The Geomagician
- This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me
- A Widow’s Charm
- Sci-Fi 🛸
- General Fiction 📖
- Historical Fiction 📚
- Mysteries 🔍
Fantasy 🪄
Her Hidden Fire
Cliodhna O’Sullivan
This had me at ‘dragons roam the sky’. It is a romantasy and seems to be heavily leaning on key words like ‘sizzling’ and ‘searing’, but as long as there’s a strong plot, I think we’re in for a good time (honestly, it’s hard to tell these days). It looks like the main character is an underdog who manifests magical powers she isn’t expected to have. And we all love that trope, don’t we?
Blurb
If he has the ability to wield magical powers, everyone will rejoice – especially the girl who loves him.
But what happens when they realize she has the gift?In a world where dragons stalk the skies and magical abilities are an elite privilege, the ruling family of Ailm’s Keep is on a knife can Ionain, the heir apparent, channel magic, or will the family be cast out and replaced by a cruel master from a neighbouring land?
So when Éadha, a servant girl who loves Ionain, discovers that she can draw power, she finds herself in grave danger. It’s extremely rare for a girl to have this talent, and certainly never outside the great families. At Ionain’s moment of truth, Éadha makes a desperate gamble to save him, Ailm’s Keep, and ultimately herself.
As Éadha and Ionain enter a whirlwind of patriarchy, class, heartache and jealousy, they learn about power’s terrible cost – a price others willingly pay to maintain theirs.
How far would you go to empower the one you love?
The Ascension of Souls
Bronte-Marie Wesson
This cover is a vibe. So it starts off sounding epic, with a broken prophecy that it supposed to be renewed every generation. And this it pivots – then we have a palace servant sneaking into a birthday party and I’m SO there based on that alone, tbh.
Blurb
A broken prophecy
In a land where an ancient prophecy is renewed every generation, two countries are trapped in a repeating cycle of war. But the cycle is broken, and destiny is beginning to unravel.
Two people bound by fate
Luminara, a palace servant, sneaks into the birthday party of the newly anointed ruler, Rianthran, where the two form a forbidden bond.
As Rianthran prepares for the sacred ritual of Ascension, Luminara’s secret powers start to make themselves known. Haunted by visions of the past and terrified of what it means for her country’s future, Luminara must choose a side.
One chance to right the world
As war looms, the Empire teeters on the edge of upheaval. Can the cycle be mended, the shared destiny of its people restored? Or will they forge a new future, free from the chains of prophecy?
The first in the Broken Cycle trilogy, The Ascension of Souls is an epic fantasy with intricate worldbuilding, complex characters, political schemes and a unique magic system.
The Library of Amorlin
Kalyn Josephson
I very nearly didn’t come across this one, but excuse me, library in the title = I need this (plus wow! Love this cover).
This has a con artist and a secretive librarian as the two main characters (uhhh, WIN) and it starts with one of them working off her prison sentence by hunting down magical creatures. And then she’s recruited to infiltrate the Library which is at the heart of all the kingdoms in this world – except she quite likes the Library and its vibe once she’s there, and also the Librarian. Yes, please!!!
Blurb
A brilliant con artist and a secretive librarian collide in New York Times bestselling author Kalyn Josephson’s enchanting adult fantasy debut packed with twists, tricks, slowburn romantic tension, and magical creatures — perfect for fans of S.A. MacLean, Mai Corland, and K.A. Linde.
Former con artist Kasira expected to spend her life as a soldier, miserably working off her prison sentence by hunting down magical creatures for the fanatical kingdom of Kalthos. But when the Kalish ambassador arrives with a non-negotiable assignment, Kasira finds herself swept into the biggest con of her life: infiltrating the Library of Amorlin.
As the heart of all magic and the protector of magical creatures throughout the six kingdoms, the Library is historically politically neutral. Kasira is meant to pose as the new Assistant to spy for the ambassador and destabilize the Library from the inside, clearing the way to dethrone its Librarian.
But when she arrives, Kasira learns that the Library is not all she was told it would be. Neither is the prickly, handsome Librarian, Allaster, whose own monstrous secrets are about to catch up with him.
Swept into the enchanting world of the Library, Kasira’s reluctant con is jeopardized by her growing affection for the wondrous life the Library promises…and by her complicated, burgeoning attraction to Allaster. As the ambassador’s game closes in, Kasira must decide where her loyalties lie: to her newfound home, or to her own survival?The Debtor’s Game
Isabelle Mongeau
Hello faeries! This is pitched as dark fantasy and it’s a world where all faeries are born with tattoos of debt to the High Fae. This sounds very intriguing, with one of the main characters working so hard to pay off her debts but lots of things keep happening and preventing her from doing so.
Blurb
In a world where faeries are born with tattoos of debt to the High Fae, one servant must navigate a game of dangerous, sensual court politics between her mistress and the king—the first installment in a dark fantasy series.
As a palace faerie, Avery is busy preparing Lady Kassandra, a High Fae of the House of Illusions, for the upcoming coronation. Both of their freedoms rely on Kassandra, to escape her violent brother, and Avery, to pay off rings of debt tattoos she has inherited from her family, which force her to serve the High Fae.
After a series of tragic events, Avery is forced to split her loyalties between Lady Kassandra and the newly crowned King Maxian, an alluring High Fae of staggering power. Avery agrees to spy on the King in exchange for liberating her family from debt, forming a triangle that proves more dangerous by the minute—further complicated by Avery’s warring desire and resentment for both Maxian and Kassandra.
But freedom from her debt grows further out of reach when she’s forced to test her loyalties, leading her to uncover secrets about the High Fae with earth-shattering implications. Soon, Avery must find out whether the faeries—and herself—are really as powerless against the High Fae as they seem…or whether she just might hold the key to freeing them all.
Lady Tremaine
Rachel Hochhauser
This is a seriously unique type of Cinderella retelling, and I will absolutely be getting my hands on this at some point. It is told from the perspective of the evil step-mother, but spun as an outcry on the power of a mother’s love. I’m very excited to read this – I love nothing more than a fairytale retelling that makes you question if the evil character actually had evil intentions.
Blurb
A breathtaking reimagining of Cinderella, as told through the eyes of its iconic “evil” stepmother, revealing a propulsive love story about the lengths a mother will go to for her children
A widow twice-over, Etheldreda is now saddled with the care of her two children, a priggish stepdaughter, and a razor-taloned peregrine falcon. Her entire life has become a ruse, just like the manor hall they live grand and ornate on the exterior, but crumbling, brick by brick, inside. Fierce in the face of her misfortune, Ethel clings to her family’s respectability, the lifeboat that will float her daughters straight into the secure banks of marriage.
When a royal ball offers the chance to secure the future she desperately desires, Etheldreda must risk her secrets, pride, and limited resources in pursuit of an invitation for her daughters—only to see her hopes fulfilled by the wrong one. As an engagement to the heir of the kingdom unfolds with unnerving speed, she discovers a sordid secret hidden in the depths of the royal family, forcing her to choose between the security she’s sought for years and the wellbeing of the feckless stepdaughter who has rebuffed her at every turn.
As if Bridgerton met Circe, and exhilarating to its core, Lady Tremaine reimagines the myth of the evil stepmother at the heart of the world’s most famous fairytale. It is a battle cry for a mother’s love for her daughters, and a celebration of women everywhere who make their own fortunes.
The Last Starborn Seer
Venetia Constantine
This one sounds like a fun time. We’ve got the last surviving member of an ancient bloodline with some suss magic that’s caused her to be shunned by her own people. And of course, an opportunity to going to arise to give her the chance to prove that her suss magic might not be the cause of everyone’s problems after all.
Blurb
Leilani Stellarion is cursed.
The last surviving member of an ancient bloodline, she’s shunned for the volatile Starborn magic that grants her prophetic visions – and is slowly corrupting her mind. Branded a pariah, Leilani bears the legacy of the Sistertouched, who unleashed the Sickening: a deadly curse that’s dragged the four realms of Arcelia into war and ruin.
Heir to a tainted throne, Leilani’s father brokers an arranged marriage with her childhood rival to wrest the line of succession away from her. And to make matters worse, her mother’s health is failing by the day, and Leilani believes her magic is to blame.
When a prophecy reveals the existence of a relic that could end the Sickening, Leilani seizes her chance to escape the court and reclaim her fate. To recover the lost sceptre, she must survive the perilous journey to the Astral Mountain and perform an ancient blood rite – one that demands unity between the feuding realms.
If she’s to succeed, Leilani must forge an uneasy alliance with sworn enemies, outwit rebel forces, and hide her growing feelings for a rival envoy, all under the gaze of her watchful fiancé. But something sinister hunts them through the mountains: a faceless spectre with a centuries-old grudge, determined to claim the lost sceptre for herself.
As darkness poisons her mind, Leilani must confront the truth of her magic – before it consumes her, and everything she loves.
Sing the Night
Megan Jauregui Eccles
Open your purse strings, ladies, we’ve got a Phantom of the Opera retelling to hand. Described as perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Erin Morgenstern, that twisty, dark combination has me thrilled. In this story, musical magicians compete for to be chosen as the King’s Mage – and the competition sounds rather cut-throat.
Blurb
Discover a fantastical story inspired by The Phantom of the Opera, as musical magicians compete for the once-in-a-lifetime role as the King’s Mage, but only if their magic—or fellow contestants—don’t destroy them first—perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Erin Morgenstern.
For as long as Selene remembers, she’s only wanted one thing: to sing the boldest, brightest magic into existence and win L′Opéra du Magician. To the winner goes the spoils of being declared King′s Mage, a position her father held years ago, before he lost control of his magic and spiraled into madness, leaving Selene an orphan. But when the competition turns cutthroat and a competitor steals Selene′s song, the chance to redeem her father’s legacy begins to slip through her fingers.
Until, in the depths of the opera house, she discovers a mysterious and beautiful man trapped within a mirror. He offers not only the magic of music, but a darker sorcery of shadow, blood, and want. He can help Selene if she helps him in return—but his forbidden magic may not be worth the cost.
As the competition continues and mages are driven to ruin competing for the king′s favor, Selene must navigate betrayal, the return of childhood love, and the price of ambition.
The Fox and the Devil
Kiersten White
Umm, a new Kiersten White, people?! This is so exciting!! I don’t know how I didn’t know about this until I stumbled across it right now. This is a gothic vampire fantasy where a vampire hunter’s daughter is obsessed with a serial killer (unsure if she’s in love (hopefully not) or trying to catch them). I’m always so excited for anything by White, though I do have a backlog of her books at this point that I really must get through.
Blurb
An obsession with a beautiful serial killer entangles a vampire hunter’s daughter in an immortal sapphic romance in this enthralling gothic fantasy from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lucy Undying.
Anneke has a complicated relationship with her father, Abraham Van Helsing—doctor, scientist, and madman devoted to studying vampires—up until the night she comes home to find him murdered, with a surreally beautiful woman looming over his body. A woman who leaves no trace behind, other than the dreams and nightmares that plague Anneke every night.
Spurred by her desire for vengeance and armed with the latest in forensic and investigatory techniques, Anneke puts together a team of detectives to catch her mysterious serial killer. Because her father isn’t the only inexplicably dead body. There’s a trail of victims across Europe and Anneke is certain they’re all connected.
But during the years spent relentlessly hunting the killer, Anneke keeps some crucial evidence to infuriatingly coy letters, addressed only to Anneke, occasionally soaked in blood, and always signed Diavola. Devil. The obsession is mutual, and all the more dangerous for it.
The closer Anneke gets to her devil, though, the less sense the world makes. Maybe her father wasn’t a madman, after all. Diavola might be something much worse than a serial killer . . . and much harder to destroy. Because as Anneke unearths more of Diavola’s tragic past, she suspects there’s still a heart somewhere in that undead body.
A heart that beats for Anneke alone.
Innamorata
Ava Reid
I think I really need to actually read a book by Ava Reid. I’m become completely dedicated to buying her books, but I admit that I’m yet to actually pluck one from the shelf. Tsk. So anyway, here’s the next beautiful book of hers destined to make its way onto my shelves: a gothic fantasy about necromancy. #sold
Blurb
A visionary and atmospheric gothic fantasy about necromancy, vengeance, and soul-consuming love, the first in a duology from the Sunday Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning and Lady Macbeth.
Once there was an island where the dead walked the earth, and seven noble houses ruled by the arcane secrets of necromancy.
A conqueror’s blade brought them low, burning their libraries, killing their lords, and extinguishing their eldritch magic.
But defiant against the new order stands the House of Teeth and its last living beautiful Marozia, the heiress to the House, and her cousin, the uncanny Lady Agnes.
Though she has not spoken a word in seven years, Agnes is the true carrier of the House’s legacy. And she has her orders. She must recapture the secrets of death magic and avenge her family’s fallen honour. She must arrange the betrothal of her beloved cousin Marozia to Liuprand, heir to the conqueror’s throne, for access to the forbidden library in his grotesquely grand castle.
Revenge burns in Agnes’s heart, but so do stranger passions – and it is Liuprand, the golden prince, who speaks to her soul. This passion is as treasonous as it is powerful, poisoning the kingdom’s roots and threatening to tear the already shattered realm in two.
For Agnes’s final order is the She must not fall in love.
Mayhem and the Mortal
Shanora Williams
This sounds like everything we need from a fantasy novel. Read the first two lines of the blurb below and you’ll get the vibe. We’re looking at a strong, independent woman in a world where the Shallows exist – a nightmarish landscape of icky magic and bad things that want to eat you. Oh, and there’s a sorcerer assassin (also dubbed a ‘walking red flag’) who’s going to help the MC out, much to her disgust. Yes, yes, yes. This never gets old.
Did I mentioned the book is being pitched as Dungeons and Dragons meets The Wizard of Oz? Yeah. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Blurb
One mission. One curse. No escape.
Zaira doesn’t want a hero. She needs a weapon.
To save her sister from a soul-devouring curse, she has to cross The Shallows—a nightmare landscape of ruined magic, shifting paths, and vicious creatures that eat people alive.
Her guide? Thane Valkor: sorcerer, assassin, walking red flag. His name clears rooms. His magic kills quietly. And whatever he’s really after, it’s not salvation.
He promises to help. He might even mean it.
But Zaira knows better than to trust a liar with a blade and ice in his veins.
She just doesn’t have a choice.
The Book of Fallen Leaves
A.S. Tamaki
Ain’t that a lurvly cover? Would buy for that alone, won’t lie. This is pitched as Shogun (am unfamiliar) meets Game of Thrones (v familiar) and is meant to be a “blockbuster” epic fantasy *rubs hands together gleefully*.
We’re looking at an exiled prince of a clan that’s lost everything following a failed rebellion (tick); he’s determined to restore honour to his family (Mulan-ish tick); and there’s a peasant girl who sounds preee-tty badass (tick, tick).
Blurb
Shogun meets Game of Thrones in the blockbuster epic fantasy event of the year. A. S. Tamaki weaves a powerful tale of ambition, vengeance and sacrifice in this masterful fantasy retelling of an ancient Samurai saga, packed with memorable characters, stunning worldbuilding and epic adventure.
Sen Hoshiakari is an exiled prince of a clan that lost everything in his father’s failed rebellion. Deprived of his birthright, Sen is determined to restore his family’s lands and honor at any cost. Rui is a peasant girl who saved Sen’s life on the night his family were put to the sword. But now, she is adrift and unsure of her place in the world, not knowing that the gods themselves have plans for her …
As civil war throws the empire into chaos, and demons seek vengeance on the living, Sen and Rui must fight for both their clan and their shared future … But vengeance demands a bloody price.
The Somewhat Wicked Witch of Brigandale
C.M. Waggoner
Did someone say cosy fantasy? This is about a witch who is trying to sabotage her son’s ascension to the throne to avoid the kingdom going to ruin (I’m sold already). I think one of the funniest things about this is that the witch finds her son on her doorstep as a baby and calls him Bradley. So we’ve got a Brad, in a cosy fantasy novel. Love this! And then of course, the woodland creatures start rumours that he’s a lost prince, which he believes, despite the witch telling him that’s ridiculous. Enter: the plot.
Blurb
A practical witch must sabotage her beloved son’s ascension to the throne in order to keep the kingdom from ruin, in this delightful cozy fantasy from the author of The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry.
Once upon a time, a somewhat wicked witch named Gretsella lived in a cozy little cottage in the Dark Forest of Brigandale. She dispensed herbs and tinctures at reasonable prices, met with her slightly oddball coven on a regular basis, and had absolutely no need of any further company whatsoever, thank you very much. But then one afternoon, Gretsella came home to find a screaming infant on her doorstep.
Against all her better judgement, she took the baby in. She named him Bradley.
Eighteen years later, Bradley has grown into a bafflingly likable young man under Gretsella’s extremely tolerant—one might even say doting—eye. But the witch’s hopes for an unremarkable yet fulfilling life for her son are shattered when small woodland animals start prophesying that he is the lost prince and should ascend to the throne. Bradley ignores Gretsella’s advice that prophecies and talking chipmunks are to be avoided at all costs, and sets off for the capital. But soon confusion and chaos are reigning, and scheming courtiers are using Bradley for their own ends. Sometimes a witch has to roll up her sleeves and take matters into her own cauldron. So Gretsella sets off to bring about the downfall of her darling son…
No Man’s Land
Richard K. Morgan
This sort of fantasy is so my sort of thing. It’s a reimagining of WWI, but with fae. Wild times.
The concept goes, that WWI wasn’t the war to end all wars because of an otherworldly foe that rose up in the midst of it. There seems to be a forest that appears and consumes much land – villages disappearing and so on. And so, we have an unlikely hero ready to stand up against this race and prove that the world isn’t just for their taking. I think this could be an extremely interesting read.
Blurb
The Great War was supposed to be the war to end all wars-and maybe it would have been, had an even greater, otherworldly foe not arisen to extinguish the conflict. Overnight, as guns blazed away in France and Flanders, village after village in the quiet British countryside were swallowed by the Forest. And within the Forest lurk the Huldu-an ancient fae race, monstrous in their inhumanity, who have decided that mankind’s ascendency over the world can endure no longer.
Enter Duncan Silver. Scarred by the war, fueled by a rage deeper than the trenches in which he once fought, Duncan is determined to show the Huldu that the world is not theirs for the taking. Armed with a cut-down trench gun filled with iron shot and a deadly iron knife, Duncan will stop at nothing to return the children the Huldu have stolen from the arms of their families. No matter how many Huldu he may have to slaughter along the way.
But when he is hired by a mother to return her four-year-old daughter, Miriam-taken by the Huldu six months past and replaced with a Changeling-all hell breaks loose. Miriam is a pawn in a much bigger game for dominance than Duncan ever expected, and several long-buried secrets from his past are about to be violently resurrected.
Daughter of Crows
Mark Lawrence
Doesn’t Mark Lawrence just get the best covers now? I’m so there for that. This sounds beyond incredible. It’s a world where 100 girls are sold to the Academy of Kindness each year, and only 3 emerge from each cohort 10 years later. The Academy creates agents of retribution and everything about this sounds bloody, hardcore and epic. And the main character? She sold herself to the Academy. So I have a lot of questions that need answering.
Blurb
The survivor of a brutal academy must exhume her own past in the first book in a new series from the international bestselling author of the Library Trilogy and the Broken Empire series.
Set a thief to catch a thief. Set a monster to punish monsters.
The Academy of Kindness exists to create agents of retribution, cast in the image of the Furies—known as the kindly ones—against whom even the gods hesitate to stand. Each year a hundred girls are sold to the Academy. Ten years later only three will emerge.
The Academy’s halls run with blood. The few that survive its decade-long nightmare have been forged on the sands of the Wound Garden. They have learned ancient secrets amid the necrotic fumes of the Bone Garden. They leave its gates as avatars of vengeance, bound to uphold the oldest of laws.
Only the most desperate would sell their child to the Kindnesses. But Rue … she sold herself. And now, a lifetime later, a long and bloody lifetime later, just as she has discovered peace, war has been brought to an old woman’s doorstep.
That was a mistake.
Aicha
Soraya Bouazzaoui
Hello lovely cover! Described as the “ultimate female rage fantasy”, I am intrigued. This is set in a time when Portugal was establishing its empire in Morocco. Exciting setting! The main character is a Moroccan freedom-fighter and she’s ready to stand for her country. This just sounds so exciting and I can’t wait to read it.
Blurb
TEMPTRESS. MONSTER. WARRIOR.
The ultimate female rage fantasy, Aicha is a fierce and devastatingly powerful romantic epic fantasy perfect for fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree and She Who Became the Sun.
The Portuguese flag has been planted across Morocco, its empire ruling with an iron fist. But eventually, all empires must fall.
Aicha, the daughter of a Moroccan freedom-fighter, was born for battle. She has witnessed the death of her people, their starvation and torture at the hands of the occupiers, and it has awakened an anger within her. An anger that burns hot and bright, and speaks to Aicha’s soul.
Only Aicha’s secret lover Rachid, a rebellion leader, knows how to soothe her. But as the fight for Morocco’s freedom reaches it violent climax, the creature that simmers beneath Aicha’s skin begs to be unleashed. It hungers for the screams of those who have caused her pain, and it will not be ignored.
Starside
Alex Aster
I’ve not read Lightlark, the book that thrust this author to fame, but I do like the sound of her books. This one is about a world split in two, with gods and magic on one side, and mortals scrabbling for scraps of magic on the other. And then there’s a competition every 50 years where the winner is granted access to a special pool of magic. Love that trope so much! I’m keen for this.
Blurb
From Alex Aster, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Lightlark series, comes her first adult romantasy. Enter the world of Starside, where swords wield magic and power is not inherited…but claimed.
Hundreds of years ago, a brutal war split a land in two. Starside is the realm of magic and immortals—the descendants of the gods, living in a power-rich paradise. Stormside is where mortals fight for scraps of that magic.
Every fifty years, the gates between them open, and fifty challengers are allowed to journey across Starside on a deadly quest to access a pool of magic that can heal, grant wealth, or extend life. Everyone has their reasons for entering, but Aris has only vengeance. As a child, a goddess set fire to her village, killing her family. Aris isn’t after the gods’ magic—she’s going to kill them.
First, she must survive the Culling, the king’s deadly competition to choose his fifty challengers. An orphaned blacksmith’s apprentice, Aris doesn’t have the superior weapons of the heirs from the Great Houses. But the greatest swords—ones that contain power—are not inherited or bought, they are claimed, by both sides. And when Aris claims a great sword, it makes her not just a real competitor—but a target.
Getting past the gates is only the beginning. Starside is deadlier than it seems. If the ancient creatures, magic-wielding beasts, and bloodthirsty immortals weren’t dangerous enough, a new peril has even immortals fearing what rises from the ground at night. With a blade most would kill to claim, Aris can’t trust anyone. Especially not Harlan Raker, the merciless and mysterious king’s guard who betrayed her years ago—and who may now be the key to her survival.
But Aris is hiding a secret tied to her family’s death. And when it’s revealed, not even the gods will be able to stop what’s coming…
The Geomagician
Jennifer Mandula
How’s this for unique? A fossil hunter, who uses fossils to wield magic, discovers a baby pterodactyl – and omg, say no more, we need more dinosaur fantasy novels. PLUS, she’s going to protect the pterodactyl with the help of her former fiancé, and if that doesn’t sound like trouble, I don’t know what does. Did I mention the main character is called Mary Anning?
Blurb
When a Victorian fossil hunter discovers a baby pterodactyl, she vows to protect him with the help of a fellow scholar—her former fiancé—in this enchanting and transporting historical fantasy.
Mary Anning wants to be a geomagician—a paleontologist who uses fossils to wield magic—but since the Geomagical Society of London refuses to admit women, she’s stuck selling her discoveries to tourists instead. When an ancient egg hatches in her hands, revealing a loveable baby pterodactyl Mary names Ajax, she knows this is the kind of scientific find that could make her career—if she’s strategic.
Mary contacts the Society about her discovery, and they demand to take possession of Ajax. Their emissary is none other than Henry Stanton, a distinguished (and infuriatingly handsome) scholar… and the man who once broke Mary’s heart.
Henry claims he believes in the brilliant Mary, and that he only wants to help her obtain the respect she deserves. She knows she can’t trust her fellow scholars, who want to discredit her and claim Ajax for their own—but can she even trust Henry, who seems intent on winning Mary back?
Now Mary has a new mystery to solve that’s buried deeper than any dinosaur She must uncover the secrets behind the Society and the truth about Henry. As her conscience begins to chafe against her ambition, Mary must decide what lengths she’s willing to go to finally belong—and what her heart really wants.
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me
Ilona Andrews
I feel like this book is a lump of bundled frustration at both George RR Martin and Patrick Ruthfuss for not finishing their damn books. It follows a girl who wakes up in her favourite fantasy novel – a world she’s very familiar with, having reread it obsessively while waiting for the final novel (*cough cough*). And basically, the main things she’s got going for her to survive in the world isn’t something cool like magic, but her intimate knowledge of the plot. I think this sounds hilarious and fantastic.
Blurb
A page-turning, unforgettable fantasy set in a city peopled with ruffians, spies, malcontents and murderers. Experience out-of-this world adventure and dangerous politics as Maggie tries to survive waking up in her favourite fictional world.
A heart-pounding epic from No. 1 New York Times bestselling author duo Ilona Andrews.When Maggie wakes up cold, filthy and naked in a gutter, it doesn’t take her long to recognize Kair Toren. It’s a city she knows intimately from the pages of a famously unfinished dark fantasy series – one she’s been obsessively reading and re-reading, while waiting years for the final novel.
Her only tools for navigating this gritty world of rival warlords, magic and mayhem? Her encyclopaedic knowledge of the plot, the setting and the characters’ ambitions and fates. But while she quickly discovers she cannot be killed (though many will try!), the same cannot be said for the living, breathing characters she’s coming to love – a motley band that includes a former lady’s maid, a deadly assassin, various outrageous magical creatures and a dangerously appealing soldier. Soon, instead of trying to return home, she finds herself enmeshed in the schemes – and attentions – of duelling princes, dukes and villains. This all while trying to save them and the kingdom of Rellas from the ending she’s seen on the a cataclysmic war.
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is the beginning of the most epic adventure yet from genre powerhouse writing duo Ilona Andrews. For fans of Samantha Shannon, Sarah J. Maas, Danielle L. Jensen and isekai portal fantasy.
A Widow’s Charm
Caitlyn Paxson
The general premise of this book reminds me vaguely of A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping – what with the widow seeking a necromancer to bring her husband back from the dead to save the estate. They have similar vibes. But of course, in this story, the widow starts to fall for the necromancer whose help she’s seeking. #complicated
Blurb
Caitlyn Paxson’s A WIDOW’S CHARM, pitched for readers of Freya Marske and India Holton, a comedy of errors-esque fantasy romance in which a clever widow blackmails her rakish necromancer neighbor to bring her husband back to life and save her home—only to find herself falling for him.
Sci-Fi 🛸
Ruins
Lily Brooks-Dalton
I’m not entirely sure what makes this science-fiction, but regardless, it sounds good. It follows a female archaeologist searching for an ancient artefact that would hint at a forgotten world “lying beneath history’s tidy surface”. I love the idea of archaeology and sci-fi together, so I do hope this delivers!
Blurb
From the critically-acclaimed, bestselling author of The Light Pirate, comes a sweeping, deeply resonant novel about an archeologist in search of an ancient artifact that could not only change her life, but upend the story of civilization itself.
Professor Ember Agni is a rising star in archeology, trying to balance an unfulfilling career in academia and a crumbling marriage, all while pursuing her true passion: unearthing a lost empire that no one else believes existed. Just as she’s about to give up on the ambitious expedition she spent a decade trying to fund, a message arrives from overseas. A former student claims to have found something extraordinary—an artifact that hints at the forgotten world lying beneath history’s tidy surface.
With vindication finally within reach, Ember risks everything for the sake of discovery and undertakes an odyssey that will either make her name or ruin her. Driven by unwavering faith in her vision of the past, she challenges the limits of her nation, her colleagues, and herself in order to exhume the missing pieces of how humanity began. But as she journeys deep into an untouched wilderness, in dogged pursuit of a dead civilization, she collides with the wreckage of her own life. On the brink of either discovery or destruction, Ember must choose who she wants to be, and to what kind of world she wants to belong.
General Fiction 📖
That’s What Friends Are For
Wade Rouse
This sounds quaint, funny and wholesome. It’s really giving me The Guncle vibes, and that was such a good book. Following an upheaval of 3 male friends’ peaceful life in their fading spotlight, it should be a laugh-out-loud sort of read.
Blurb
In this poignant and hilarious story inspired by TV’s beloved The Golden Girls, bestselling author Wade Rouse celebrates love, aging, finding your people, and the art of impeccably timed one-liners.
Theodore Copeland has created a fabulous life in the desert oasis of Palm Springs, where he shares a fabulous pink mid-century home with three fabulous friends: Barry, a former actor still clinging to his youth, his hair, and the memory of the dream role that killed his career; Ron, an uprooted Christian from the Midwest with a big heart but no one to give it to; Sid, who, after coming out late in life, has never found love. Teddy is the caustic, unspoken leader of “The Golden Gays”—the foursome’s monthly drag tribute to The Golden Girls. Despite their foibles and bickering, they have turned their golden years into a golden era.
But the harmony of their desert enclave becomes a carousel of emotional baggage when Teddy’s estranged sister, Trudy, shows up on their doorstep, her dramatic teenage granddaughter in tow. While Teddy keeps Trudy at arm’s length, she manages to wheedle her way into the lives of the Golden Gays, until the real reason for her visit is revealed and the secrets they’ve all been keeping from each other unravel faster than a hastily stitched hemline.
A novel that gives thanks to “old” friends, That’s What Friends Are For proves that while family may be the tie that binds, it’s the chosen family that truly keeps us together.
Just Friends
Haley Pham
Okay, we’re talking reunited highschool sweethearts and second chances. Sounds adorable, right? I like to keep these sorts of books on my radar for some cute, easy reading, though I admit it’s not high up my priority list.
Blurb
This heartwarming and swoon-worthy second chance romance about childhood friends reconnecting as adults is the highly anticipated debut novel from BookTok icon Haley Pham.
Blair and Declan were inseparable growing up—best friends who knew each other better than anyone else. But when an impulsive kiss took them from friends to something more, everything changed. Just as quickly as their romance started, one moment shattered it all, leaving them with nothing but heartbreak and silence.
Now, four years later, Blair is back in their coastal hometown of Seabrook to support her mom and care for her great-aunt Lottie as her health declines. To make ends meet, Blair applies to work at a coffee shop—only to discover it’s managed by none other than Declan. The boy she loved. The boy she lost. The boy who still makes her heart race.
As Blair’s path keeps crossing with Declan’s, old wounds resurface, secrets are revealed, and sparks reignite. But could their future ever be free of their past?
Told in dual timelines that unravel the magic and pain of first love, Just Friends is a moving, romantic story about second chances, the weight of dreams, and finding your way back to the people who feel like home.
Paradiso 17
Hannah Lillith Assadi
I don’t usually have too much literary fiction on my lists, but Paradiso 17 seems particularly profound, and I suspect will be a very engrossing and emotional story. It’s the tale of a man born in Palestine in 1948 who is always on the move – thanks to exile. It follows him as he goes from his homeland to places like Kuwait, Italy and the USA. There’s something about the tone of the cover and the blurb has has me wanting to pick this up.
Blurb
The intimate, sweeping tale of one man’s restless search for home the world over, as the pendulum of fate swings between loss and life, grief and euphoria, regret and hope
All his life, exile has been the shadow stitched to the sole of Sufien’s shoe.
Born in Palestine on the precipice of 1948’s Nakba, Sufien is forced to leave the only home he’s ever known, the one on the hill with a beautiful blue door. This is the precise moment when time stops making sense. He spends the rest of his life propelled forward, always on the way—although in search of what, he is never quite sure. In the dusty, oil-rich desert of Kuwait, he meets his first love and decides he must leave his family. In a small Italian university town, he spends his youth wrapped up in the sweet promise of the West and the forgetful assurance of wine. When life takes him to a gritty New York, he discovers his true vocation and falls for a Jewish woman born into a wholly different world. Finally, he finds himself recalled to the wild, vast open skies of the desert, in Arizona.
Sufien’s life spans friendships lost and maintained, a stint selling leathers at a tanner’s stall, the ineffable company of cats, and the freedom of the open road, the glowing pride of fatherhood, Sufi myths, prophetic dreams, and visions of the afterlife—and always, always, no matter how far he chases joy, the sweet, treacherous song of a balcony urging him to fly, to fall, to fall. The lyrical pages of Paradiso 17 weave in and out of time and space, beginning at the end and ending at the beginning. They are haunting, haunted with grief, struck through, as Dante once wrote, with “the arrow that the bow of exile / shoots first,” and yet they throb with light—not just the light that Sufien sees as he approaches his own end, but the brilliant light of a life lived.
Like all of our dead, Sufien still speaks, the book begins. Listen, this is his story.
Historical Fiction 📚
A Far-Flung Life
M.L. Stedman
A new book from Stedman! This is exciting indeed. Having read her previous (very much so bestselling) book The Light Between Oceans, I’m looking forward to this. Originally from Western Australia (where I live), Stedman always writes such interesting historical fiction that’s much closer to home than usual for me, and this is set in WA and it’s in 1958.
A very family/human-orientated tale, this isn’t pinning the plot on a particular historic event, but capturing the messiness of being human is what Stedman does best.
Blurb
Western Australia, 1958. A truck rumbles along a lonely outback road. A moment’s inattention, and in a few muddled seconds the lives of the MacBride family are shattered.
Instead of leaving them to heal, fate comes back for them in a twist of consequences that will cause one of them to lose their life, and another to sacrifice theirs for the sake of an innocent child.
Set in the expanse of a vast and flat landscape, where the weather is a capricious god and a million-acre sheep station is barely a dot on the map, A Far-flung Life explores the hearts of a handful of isolated souls and the secrets they shield in order to survive.
Capturing a family, a community, A FAR-FLUNG LIFE tells of the many ways humans can do each other wrong and how we move on when things can’t be put right. With shimmering prose and a delicious wit, the mysteries of being human are laid bare in this hopeful meditation on time and resilience and the lengths we go to to protect what we love.
Nonesuch
Francis Spufford
Technically, this could fall into the sci-fi category because it’s about time-travelling and WWII, but I’m putting it in historical fiction.
Starting in 1939, it follows a woman who not only is navigating the London Blitz, but time portals to the past and future. There’s a fascist time-travelling fanatic on the loose, and Iris finds herself in pursuit of them to prevent them from altering the course of history forever.
Blurb
It’s the summer of 1939, and the air in London is thick with the tension of impending war. Iris Hawkins, a fiery young financial secretary, has a chance encounter with Geoff, a genius engineer from the new technology of television. What was supposed to be one night of abandon draws her instead into a nightmare of otherworldly pursuit—into a reality where time bends, spirits can be summoned, and history hangs by a thread.
Soon there are Nazi planes droning overhead. In a time when death falls randomly from above each night, when the streets are darker than the wildest forest and all the men are away in uniform, the defense of the city is in the hands of its women. But Iris has more to contend with than just the terrors of the Blitz. Over the rooftops of burning London, in the twisted passages between past and present, through the vast night sky and across the tiny screens of early television, a fascist fanatic is travelling with a gun in her hand, and only Iris can stop her from altering the course of history forever.
Both a thrilling page-turner and a profound exploration of ambition, love, and the fight against tyranny, Nonesuch is a story that is as enchanting as it is urgent. Packed with twists, tension, and wonder, it is a triumph of storytelling.
The Complex
Karan Mahajan
This sounds very thought-provoking and profound. Following a couple who leave Dehli for a new life in the USA shortly after they are married, they battle the forces of family and country as they find it hard to truly leave their old lives behind when the pull is so strong. I recommend reading the blurb below to really understand the vibe of this one.
Also, dang! Ain’t that cover just lovely?!
Blurb
A brilliant, sweeping tour de force moving between the US and modern India, following the illicit liaisons, real estate dramas, political ambitions, and mortal betrayals of one prominent Delhi family — from the author of the National Book Award finalist The Association of Small Bombs
In a sprawling complex in Delhi, the sons and daughters of SP Chopra, one of India’s political architects, live together vying for influence in a family shaped by the great man’s legacy. By the late 1970s, his descendants are scrambling to define their own futures in a still-young nation on the brink of transformation.
Sachin Chopra leaves for America, with his bride Gita following not long after, as the newlyweds are eager to forge their own lives beyond the pressures of the family compound. Yet Delhi remains an inescapable force, one that keeps pulling them back, even as Gita is menaced by Sachin’s predatory uncle, Laxman. A man of restless ambition, Laxman ascends through the ranks of a rising Hindu nationalist movement, caught between his political aspirations and his personal transgressions. Meanwhile, Vibha, his sister, tries to keep the peace and the reputation of the family intact even as she wrestles with her own exile.
As India erupts in violence and long-buried secrets come to light, the embattled Chopras must reckon with the cost of power, the weight of tradition, and the shifting nature of love and allegiance. Equal parts brilliant family saga and piercing political drama, The Complex is a virtuosic novel of revenge and redemption, ambition and undoing, loyalty and love, by one of the most lauded voices in contemporary fiction.
Daughter of Egypt
Marie Benedict
History + Egypt? I’m so there. Whether it’s ancient or more recent, Egypt is always a fascinating setting for historical fiction.
And this time, we’re following a female protagonist inspired by the story of the woman who helped uncover Tutankhamun’s tomb. Thus, it’s set in the 1920s and is so going to be feminist up to its eyeballs. The blurb gives us what mostly sounds like a historical context rather than a blurb for the book itself, so I’d be fascinated to read this one and find out more!
Blurb
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Marie Benedict comes an extraordinary story of the woman who helped uncover Tutankhamun’s tomb and the mystery behind Egypt’s first woman Pharaoh.
1920’s London was enthralled by the discovery of the treasure-filled tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. Filled with priceless statues, jewels, and the gold-encased mummy of the boy Pharaoh himself, the burial site unleashed a fascination with the ancient world and revolutionized the world of archeology.
The discovery was made by Lord Carnarvon of Highclere Castle and his associate, famed archeologist Howard Carter. What no one knows is that without the pioneering spirit of Lady Evelyn Herbert, Carnarvon’s daughter, the tomb might never have been found. As a young woman, Evelyn was fascinated by the story of Hatshepsut, a woman who had to assume the guise of a man in order to rule Egypt. Although she brought peace and prosperity to Egypt, her male successors ruthlessly and thoroughly erased her name from history.
Lady Evelyn’s ambition to find the tomb of Egypt’s first woman ruler exposes her to life-threatening danger and pits her against archeologists who refuse to believe the tomb can be found―and certainly not by a woman. Refusing to give up, Evelyn is on the verge of success when she is suddenly forced to make an agonizing choice between loyalty to her beloved father and Carter and realizing the dream of a lifetime.
The Beheading Game
Rebecca Lehmann
This is possibly the weirdest book I’ve come across for March. It’s an Anne Boleyn reimagining, but with a vein of horror.
It’s asking the question of what if Anne woke up the day after her execution, miffed to see she’d been beheaded for poor reasons, sewed her head back on, and took off to seek justice for herself. I am both horrified and laughing out loud at that premise, and deeply unsure as to whether I want to read this or whether reading it will fill my dreams with nightmares. But points for originality, no?
Blurb
Disgraced. Beheaded. And out for revenge . . .
We all know what happened to Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn. But what if she woke up the day after her execution and took it upon herself to seek justice?
“Nobody was surprised at Anne’s conviction. The world loves to put a woman in her place.”The Beheading Game begins in the hours after Anne Boleyn’s beheading, when she wakes to find herself unceremoniously in an arrow chest, her head wrapped in linen at her knees. Discarded by King Henry VIII for not being able to give him a male heir, reviled by Cromwell for being too smart for her own good, and executed based on trumped-up charges, Anne escapes the tower, sews her head back on, and sets out on a quest for vengeance.
Traveling in the guise of a commoner, with the help of a prostitute, Anne navigates the London streets she never before walked and soon realizes how little she knew about life in the real world. If Kelly Link had teamed up with Hilary Mantel, the result might be The Beheading Game. An epic journey through the wilds of British royal history and a prescient reminder that “mouthy” women have always been punished, The Beheading Game finally allows one of history’s most maligned women a chance to tell her side of the story.
Mysteries 🔍
The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives
Elizabeth Arnott
I’m slightly on the fence for this one. It sounds very intriguing, following 3 wives whose husbands are convicted murderers, all trying to put their own lives back together again following their husband’s incarceration (or death).
Set in 1966, it will have a glorious 60s setting. All signs point to a good read, but I’m personally going to wait for the reviews to come in to see how the balance of mystery/thriller to home-life novel sits.
Blurb
A remarkable trio whose lives were cracked wide open by their husbands’ crimes unite to catch a serial killer in this dazzlingly captivating novel.
Beverley, Elsie, and Margot are not your average housewives. They are all wives of convicted killers. During the sun-drenched summer of 1966, the three women form an unlikely friendship after the discoveries of their husbands’ brutal crimes. With their exes—some of California’s most infamous serial killers—dead or behind bars, they are attempting to forge a new future for themselves.
Headstrong Beverley compulsively tries to maintain control of everything around her, all while raising two children. Bookish Elsie fights day in and day out for the chance to make a name for herself in the newsroom, working among men who sneer at her career goals. Glamorous Margot refuses to take anything seriously and devotes all her energy to upholding the appearance that everything is fine—anything to quell the shame from her husband’s deceit.
They know people look at them and think only one How could they not have known, when their husbands were right under their noses, committing horrific crimes? How much guilt is theirs to carry? And yet when a string of killings hits the news, the three women—underestimated, overlooked, shrewd—decide to get to work. After all, who better to catch a killer than those who have shared their lives and homes with one?
At once a riveting portrayal of shattered trust and a story of gripping suspense, The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives is a testament to the intricacies of women’s lives and how the deep bonds of female friendship can empower, uplift, and lead us to endure.
The Antique Hunter’s Murder at the Castle
C.L. Miller
I did you warn you in my last of these posts that I’d taken to adding mysteries to my radar, even if they’re not number one in the series. So, I present to you book #3 in the Antique Hunter’s series, set in a Scottish castle, rocking an exquisite cover, and about a missing colleague. I also dearly love that this series is touted as perfect for fans of Antiques Roadshow – it speaks to me.
Blurb
The third novel in the “delightful, page-turning” (Tom Ryan, USA TODAY bestselling author) Antique Hunter Series finds Freya, Aunt Carole, and friends searching for a missing colleague in picturesque Scotland.
Hot on the heels of an art forger, a member of the Lockwood Antique Hunter’s Agency disappears while investigating an isolated castle deep in Scottish countryside. Freya and Aunt Carole race to her last known location and arrive in the wintry, snow-covered Scottish Borders.
At the castle, they discover that a murdered laird in the vegetable garden and his priceless collection of silverware has been stolen. Local police believe Freya’s missing team member was involved with the robbery and murder…but where is she now?
As a snowstorm descends on the castle, Freya and Carole call in back-up to help uncover what happened that fateful night. As each question is met with more mystery, the clock is ticking to find their friend and the murderer before they are cut off from the outside world.
Ruby Falls
Gin Phillips
This sounds absolutely fascinating. I implore you to read the blurb below to truly get a sense of the mystery. But essentially, this is about a group of people underground in the dark in a cave system at a tourist attraction (during the Great Depression, of course) and someone gets killed. The plot sounds highly unique and I’m completely obsessed with the cover.
Blurb
One body. Five suspects. Total darkness.
A tense, claustrophobic historical mystery set almost entirely underground at the onset of the Great Depression about the discovery of a 150-foot waterfall in the middle of a mountain, the unthinkable crime that happens in its caves, and a woman who’s never felt more alive.
In 1928, a Chattanooga man disappears down a hole in the ground and discovers a 150-foot waterfall in the middle of a mountain that he names after his Ruby Falls. Within months, visitors can buy tickets to see the falls for themselves. Ada Smith has been sneaking into the caves at night, entranced by the natural wonders around her and the freedom granted by this new underground world.
But it’s tough timing for a natural wonder. As the country flounders in the Great Depression, a shrewd public relations ploy seems like the only way to save Ruby Falls. A famous mind reader and mystic agrees to launch himself into the Ruby Falls caverns where he will attempt to locate a hidden hatpin using only his psychic abilities. He’ll be joined by five his manager, his wife, a guide, a Chattanooga businessman, and a reporter from the Chicago Times. But they’re not alone in the caverns. Ada and another guide, Quinton, have been asked to follow the mind reader’s party at a distance, staying out of sight. They are a safety net, in case of a broken leg or busted flashlights.
One of them will be dead before the end of the day.
Faced with a corpse and the stark reality that one of the people in her midst is a killer, Ada needs to get everyone—the murderer and the innocents—back aboveground before their light runs out.
Ruby Falls is both a unique twist on the locked-room mystery and an exploration of loss and what it means to start over. It’s a heart-racing story of survival and a testament to the threads that bind strangers together. Set against the true story of the discovery of Ruby Falls, the novel also draws on the memoirs of Katie Stabler, a female guide at Wind Caves in South Dakota.
The Gardeners’ Club
Marnie Riches
This is a new edition from a release that came out last year, but dang, that was definitely worth it! Huge improvement on the cover. We’ve got rival gardening clubs and a dead body turning up in a greenhouse. What more could you want?
Blurb
Gardening is dirty work—but should it be deadly?
When Gill Swanley decides to take up gardening to fight a bad case of midlife malaise, she never expected it to become quite such a dangerous hobby.
Pushing herself to “get out there,” Gill picks herself up the secateurs and joins the Bromley Botanists. Here she finds a seven-strong group whose main agenda is how to win the coveted Golden Trowel for best community club of the year.
But when a dead body turns up in the community greenhouse, they suddenly have more serious matters to consider than victory. They must uncover whether their arch-rivals, Croydon, are taking things to another level or whether someone more dangerous is targeting their rag tag group.
Can they dig up the truth before someone else is left pushing up the daisies?
Jane and Dan at the End of the World
Colleen Oakley
This sounds super funny. We’ve got a midlife crisis and a couple on the verge of a divorce. Except, at the restaurant where Jane plans to end things, an underground climate activist group burst into the room, and everything starts to pan out eerily similar to Jane’s flopped novel. Which means Jane and Dan are the only ones who know what’s about to happen next. How exciting!
Blurb
Date night goes off the rails in this hilariously insightful take on midlife and marriage when one unhappy couple find themselves at the heart of a crime in progress, from the USA Today bestselling author of The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise.
Jane and Dan have been married for nineteen years, but Jane isn’t sure they’re going to make it to twenty. The mother of two feels unneeded by her teenagers, and her writing career has screeched to an unsuccessful halt. Her one published novel sold under five hundred copies. Worse? She’s pretty sure Dan is cheating on her. When the couple goes to the renowned upscale restaurant La Fin du Monde to celebrate their anniversary, Jane thinks it’s as good a place as any to tell Dan she wants a divorce.
But before they even get to the second course, an underground climate activist group bursts into the dining room. Jane is shocked—and not just because she’s in a hostage situation the likes of which she’s only seen in the movies. Nearly everything the disorganized and bumbling activists say and do is right out of the pages of her failed book. Even Dan (who Jane wasn’t sure even read her book) admits it’s eerily familiar.
Which means Dan and Jane are the only ones who know what’s going to happen next. And they’re the only ones who can stop it. This wasn’t what Jane was thinking of when she said “’til death do us part” all those years ago, but if they can survive this, maybe they can survive anything—even marriage.
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