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PREMIUM
Firebird
Cross (“Stay a Spell” series) mixes royal debauchery, political machinations, and hot sex in her new epic romantasy, a sort of mash-up of TV’s Rome and House of the Dragon. For fans of Carissa Broadbent, Rebecca Yarros, and Sarah J. Maas.
PREMIUM
Casualties of Truth
Francis-Sharma (Book of the Little Axe) has written a timely and compelling story that will please discerning readers.
PREMIUM
Welcome to the Honey B&B
Equally hilarious and heart-rending, Carlson’s (The Christmas Tree Farm) novel draws on her own experience as a caregiver to provide a devastatingly real novel of deep, quiet faith in the face of a family’s worst fear. Pat Simmons and Katie Powner explore similar themes in Lean on Me and A Flicker of Light.
PREMIUM
The City Beneath Her
A fiercely feminist take on noir for readers enamored with Dorothy B. Hughes and Patricia Highsmith.
PREMIUM
Story of My Life
The excellent writing Score’s (“Knockemout” series) latest small-town romance pulls readers into Hazel’s new life, featuring snarky humor, lots of banter, and hot chemistry between the well-developed protagonists. Highly recommended.
PREMIUM
Skin
While not as well-known as Koja’s The Cipher, this title’s return to print will be welcomed at libraries looking to fulfill the high demand for extreme horror that spotlights depravity in order to reveal human truths, such as in the works of LaRocca, Alison Rumfitt, and CJ Leede.
There isn’t space enough to highlight each of Sittenfeld’s stories, all of which are compelling, relatable, and worthy.
PREMIUM
Emberclaw
Lam concludes the duology that began with Dragonfall in this action-filled novel with the highest of stakes. A delightful dragon story.
PREMIUM
She’s a Lamb!
For readers who enjoy dark, uncomfortable humor and tales of mental spiraling.
PREMIUM
Black Woods, Blue Sky
Ivey takes readers on an emotional literary journey that includes touches of magic woven throughout and the question of whether love is enough to change someone. Recommended for book discussion picks.
A sharply written novel with surprise comedic twists. Readers will enjoy this tale of two ex-lovers who are reunited by espionage and who ultimately find true love as they race through the beautiful streets of Italy, trying to stay alive.
PREMIUM
A Poisoner’s Tale
Kemp’s deeply researched story pulls in readers, but its narrator stretches the bounds of sympathy and credulity.
PREMIUM
Death at the Sign of the Rook
A treat for audio mystery listeners, with just the right amount of suspense, humor, and intrigue. Atkinson’s many fans will be pleased.
PREMIUM
The Mercy of Gods
A somber, steady tale of alien empire and resistance from within that sets up a promising trilogy.
PREMIUM
Once Was Willem
An original and expertly written medieval fantasy that’s perfect for fans of RJ Barker, Sebastien de Castell, and Katherine Kurtz and also touches upon the emotional and heartbreaking themes found in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
Ruggle’s sequel to The Scenic Route (and her fourth novel featuring the Pax sisters) is a delight for fans of romantic suspense who also appreciate a sprinkle of humor. The epilogue, featuring an unexpected discovery by the fifth Pax sister, is sure to keep readers anxious for the next book.
PREMIUM
Just Our Luck
Williams (Technically Yours) writes a sexy fake-dating romance with charm, featuring a protagonist navigating the challenges of family expectations and love.
PREMIUM
Elegy, Southwest
Metaphors abound in Watts’s fiction, but this work solemnly ponders whether accepting negation opens up alternative paths toward the future. Her novel movingly covers multitudinous forms of grief: ecological, political, and familial.
Fans of Mary Robinette Kowal’s The Spare Man and Grace Curtis’s Floating Hotel will love this opening entry in a new space-cruise SF mystery series from Waite (The Hellion’s Waltz).
PREMIUM
The Sirens
Hart’s second novel (after Weyward) weaves a lyrical story, intricately blending family dynamics with the magic of folklore. For fans of family relationship stories with elements of magical realism, such as the novels of Sarah Addison Allen.
Multi-published Mallery is at her best here. This is a fast read that’s sure to delight her fans and provoke discussion for book clubs.
Osworth (We Are Watching Eliza Bright) offers a joyously queer urban fantasy about finding power, identity, and family at any age. Perfect for fans of Shaun Hamill’s The Dissonance or Annalee Newitz’s The Future of Another Timeline.
PREMIUM
Name Your Price
While listeners seeking a more layered story may be disappointed, this rom-com should appeal to those who enjoy lighthearted romances in the vein of Maggie Knox’s All I Want for Christmas.
PREMIUM
Listen to Your Sister
For fans of character-centered, emotional, and thought-provoking horror, such as Ghost Eaters by Clay McLeod Chapman and A Light Most Hateful by Hailey Piper. Viel’s novel also has some serious Dark Matter by Blake Crouch vibes that will draw in a wider pool of readers.
PREMIUM
Every Deadly Suspicion
Cantore (One Final Target) draws on her real-life experience as a police officer to write compelling thrillers that accurately portray cop life and also offer a deep thread of faith, along with interesting characters. Cantore fans will also enjoy DiAnn Mills, Elizabeth Goddard, and Cara Putman.
Qin’s delightful debut is full of witty, snarky characters in a fantastical Calgary; a good pick for urban fantasy readers.
PREMIUM
Scot and Bothered
Kiley’s fans will enjoy the return to a captivating Scottish landscape, but this second-chance romance is less successful than her debut, Kilt Trip.
PREMIUM
My Mother Cursed My Name
An absorbing story of generational trauma and family love, full of gentle humor and just the right amount of magical realism.
Beck and Connie are wonderful, delightful characters, and their romance will keep readers turning the pages of the latest from Stein (When Grumpy Met Sunshine).
This delightfully magical historical fantasy combines creatures out of folklore (including the lake-dwelling monster Jenny) with a desperate quest, a sad tale of magic leaving the world, and a soul-quaking battle between quiet good and vast evil, all set in a beautiful story of sisterhood and found family among the most disparate of creatures. Readers who love the creatures, magic, and mythic settings of T. Kingfisher’s Thornhedge and Nicola Griffith’s Spear will find something similar and beautiful in O’Neill’s debut.
PREMIUM
To Catch a Thief
Dodge’s 1952 novel, the basis for the Alfred Hitchcock film starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, gets a Library of Congress Crime Classics reissue, with a new introduction and notes by Edgar Award winner Klinger (editor of The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes). Fans of the movie and classic crime fiction will enjoy this story of honor among thieves.
PREMIUM
The Au Pair Affair
This is not to be missed for fans of sports romances and authors like Elle Kennedy or Meghan Quinn.
PREMIUM
Their Monstrous Hearts
A solid debut to offer enthusiastically to fans of horror framed by dangerous family secrets, such as Midnight Rooms by Donyae Coles, Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Now You’re One of Us by Asa Nonami.
The second in James’s “Accidental Bride” series will be an instant favorite of friends-to-lovers romance fans, and readers of the first book, Viscount in Love, will delight in this sequel.
PREMIUM
A Simple Twist of Fate
Asher (Not Your Crush’s Cauldron) writes a sexy paranormal rom-com set in a cozy, magical world; perfect for fans of Juliette Cross, Sarah Hawley, and Erin Sterling.
PREMIUM
A Constant Love
Peterson (“Heart of Cheyenne” series) always finds something new to highlight about the western United States, even with her prolific repertoire. She pens excellent villains who serve as foils for her romantic heroes, and each book is like a deep dive into the human psyche. Suggest read-alikes by Amanda Cabot and Sandra Dallas.
PREMIUM
There Are Rivers in the Sky
A complex and moving novel, connecting past with present through stories, culture, and the magic of a single raindrop.
Misogyny, sexism, and gossip run rampant in Paul’s retelling of this celebrated history, taking listeners back to a time when friendship trumped competition. The audiobook is fast-paced and lively, engaging and delightfully racy. Nancy and the Jackies reach for the brass ring with dignity, zest, and sublime humor.
PREMIUM
The Perfect Rom-Com
Ferguson’s (How To Plot a Payback) charming slow-burn rom-com is full of fun banter, lovable characters, community and family connections, and heart.
Full of humor, heart, and hope, this novel is a delight for anyone looking for a Western with a little less grit and a little more gentleness. Readers who like happy endings to their adventures will be drawn in by evocative period details, engaging characters, and strong narrative voice.
PREMIUM
While the Duke Was Sleeping
Romance readers will have fun with this Regency series launch from Parish.
PREMIUM
Can’t Help Faking in Love
The vibrant Bangalore setting is an appealing backdrop for this thoroughly enjoyable closed-door, fake-dating romance from Hegde (Match Me If You Can).
Kennington’s gripping debut romantasy starts with the risky, disobedient act of a princess, follows with an abduction, and keeps the action going until the blood-soaked end, leaving readers eager for more from the novel’s pair of doomed lovers.
PREMIUM
On Her Terms
This is a delightful read for fans of contemporary sapphic romance, especially those who appreciate stories of personal growth alongside romantic development..
PREMIUM
Happy Land
This is a lyrical and unique work of historical fiction. The Kingdom is based on a real place about which readers will want to know more after reading Perkins-Valdez’s novel. Fans of hidden-history narratives will enjoy her hopeful, empowering tale.
PREMIUM
Betrothal or Breakaway
A heartwarming addition to contemporary sports romance collections, perfect for listeners who enjoy low-steam stories and authors such as Jenny Proctor or Allison Ashley.
PREMIUM
Loca
With themes of relationships, love, and family, this tale will resonate with readers who have faced hardships and who have had to search for and embrace their identity. A welcome addition to collections.
PREMIUM
Dead Writers: Stories
This deeply unsettling and insidious psychological horror collection evokes feelings that will linger with readers, similar to Ananda Lima’s Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil or the work of Samanta Schweblin.
PREMIUM
The Examiner
This audio will appeal to listeners seeking a stylistically complex crime novel about creativity, conspiracy, and competition. Recommended for fans of Paula Hawkins, A.J. Finn, and Claire Douglas.
PREMIUM
Bad Publicity
A slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers debut to suggest to fans of Katherine Center and Rebecca Serle.
A stellar collection for fans of horror that creates connected mythos centered around the horror of a place (see the work of Josh Malerman), as well as for readers who appreciate illicitly alluring, biting short stories that smack them over the head, of the kind written by Sarah Read and Cassandra Khaw.
PREMIUM
The Tides of Time
Eden (The Best of Friends) serves readers a sweet and modest romance that has an added spark of fun thanks to time-travel twists between Revolutionary France and Victorian England.
This often less-read novel, here with annotations by Wells (English, Goucher Coll.), holds many of the strong pleasures of Austen, most centrally her keen characterizations and social observations.
PREMIUM
Midnight Rooms
This gothic novel will have listeners on tenterhooks, wondering if Orabella is losing her grip on reality or if she really is trapped in a living nightmare.
PREMIUM
Murder at Vinland
An engagingly narrated historical mystery that provides a fascinating window into Gilded Age Newport high-society and the work of conservation-minded individuals.
Book clubs will enjoy this wonderful novel about family, friendship and inner strength. It is a must-read for those who like the work of Kristin Hannah and Jojo Moyes.
The author of Where They Last Saw Her brings back Cash Blackbear (who last appeared in 2022’s Sinister Graves) in a tragic, unforgiving crime novel that emphasizes the perils of the foster care system for Indigenous children.
With shifting loyalties, a global geopolitical stage, family feuds, the legend of the Scottish selkie, and a forbidden romantic attraction, this novel has many of the best elements of historical fiction. Readers will also notice a few cameos from Sundin’s previous novels. For read-alikes, try the sweeping historical dramas of Amanda Dykes and Cathy Gohlke.
A heartfelt story that is sure to make an excellent addition to libraries looking to expand their contemporary queer romance collections. (Both Kit and Theo are bisexual.) Highly recommended for fans of Timothy Janovski and Steven Rowley.
PREMIUM
Old Soul
Barker’s (The Incarnations) novel offers both sinister ancient evil, such as in Devils Kill Devils by Johnny Compton, and an emotionally resonant, supernatural thriller asking readers to grapple with mortality, akin to Forgotten Sisters by Cynthia Pelayo.
PREMIUM
Audition
This sleek, provocative novel is sure to confound readers; a must for literary collections and for book club discussions.
Cassidy’s original and thought-provoking take on the werewolf trope will appeal to fans of fast-paced horror featuring strong characterization, such as classic Dean Koontz, the books documented in Grady Hendrix’s Paperbacks from Hell, and anything by Brian Keene.
PREMIUM
Hot Air
In her latest, Dermansky (Hurricane Girl) distills a potent brew from the sad consequences of power disparities among people. No arena of domestic human emotions is safe from her biting wit and analysis. Mother-daughter, employer-worker, husband-wife, rich-poor conflicts: all get their moment in the spotlight. It’s a laugh-till-you cry experience that will send readers to Dermansky’s backlist for more.
Fans of Dennis Lehane’s Mystic River, as well as readers who appreciate their crime fiction served straight up with no chaser, will be mesmerized by Currie’s latest.
PREMIUM
Persuasion
Redemptive, heartrending, and emotionally powerful, this finely crafted, deeply observant novel is among the treasures of 19th-century British fiction.
Based upon a little-known true event, this haunting and emotional story from pseudonymous Anthony, who has published women’s fiction under another name, could not be timelier. Women in the United States are not the only ones who must fight to protect personal rights, and this powerful novel will remind readers of the fragility of those freedoms.
PREMIUM
Big Name Fan
Readers who enjoy cozy sapphic mysteries will find a lot to love in Sam and Bex. Half cozy mystery, half romance, this read is entirely fun.
PREMIUM
Teddy
A tantalizing escape for listeners who enjoy decadent historical fiction with unexpected twists.
This debut is a beautiful, if sometimes harrowing exploration of one woman’s journey, not only from one country to another but through the pain and trauma of unimaginable childhood abuse to a life built by her own grit and determination.
PREMIUM
The Burning Heart of the World
This is a fast-moving, relatable story that would be a good addition to a historical fiction section or fiction of special interest to women. Fans of Lisa Wingate and Chris Bohjalian will also enjoy.
El-Mohtar’s solo debut (after cowriting This Is How You Lose the Time War with Max Gladstone) is a heart-wrenching fairy tale about the bonds of love and family. It’s a murder ballad in book form that will linger long after the final page is turned.
PREMIUM
Anywhere You Go
Fans of Roan Parrish’s The Holiday Trap will enjoy Morrissey’s (That Summer Feeling) latest.
This novella has even wider appeal than Bazterrica’s successful debut, Tender Is the Flesh, and it is even more immersive and disquieting, as the apocalyptic climate it describes hits closer to home. Suggest to fans of works as varied as Matrix by Lauren Groff, Pink Slime by Fernanda Trías, and anything by Gwendolyn Kiste.
PREMIUM
One Death at a Time
Full of the witty banter and laugh-out-loud scenarios readers have come to expect from Waxman, this raucous romp around Tinseltown with an odd couple of sleuths will delight readers.
PREMIUM
It All Comes Back to You
Wiesner (Wish I Were Here) skillfully builds the protagonists’ narrative in an emotional story about love and found families, keeping readers eagerly turning the page.
PREMIUM
The Launch Date
Slator, a former marketing manager for real-life dating app Bumble, debuts with a slow-burn romance that will satisfy readers who enjoyed Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game.
Readers who are enthralled with the new cozy fantasy trend or love a cozy mystery will be delighted with Celehar and his latest investigation.
PREMIUM
Frenemies with Benefits
The sequel to Waiting for Friday Night is highly recommended for all romance collections.
Thielman’s novel offers something for nearly every reader: art history, the French Revolution, the United States’ westward expansion, a treasure hunt, and of course, murder and a good police procedural set in beautiful Yellowstone National Park. May appeal to fans of Dan Brown, Meg Gardiner, and Ace Atkins.
In the end, the plot does not matter, really; what makes Rudnick’s book so memorable are the well-drawn friendships among characters, their allegiance to one another, and a surprisingly touching reflection on love, trust, and the passage of time.
McCluskey’s gripping debut features an isolated island with a brooding, storm-tossed atmosphere, reminiscent of Ann Cleeves’s “Shetland Island” mysteries. The violence and collusion lead to a shocking conclusion.
This audio will appeal to listeners seeking a short but cinematic story of witchcraft and womanhood. Recommended for fans of Deborah Harkness and Freya Marske.
PREMIUM
Flashpoint
A fast-paced and intriguing thriller, perfect for Coulter’s many fans or anyone seeking an intricate and suspenseful listen.
PREMIUM
The Singer Sisters
For fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones and the Six and intergenerational family stories.
PREMIUM
Cat Got Your Killer
The 12th “Second Chance Cat Mystery,” following Fur Love or Money, might have a few too many characters, but fans of the series, the author’s “Magical Cats” novels (written under the name Sofie Kelly), or Miranda James’s “Cat in the Stacks” mysteries will enjoy the book.
PREMIUM
Peggy
Godfrey paints a magnificent portrait of the woman who transformed the Guggenheim name and fostered a brilliant cultural legacy. Listeners will be enthralled.
PREMIUM
Pride and Prejudice
Quick-moving, clever, and interrogative, Austen’s popular love story, edited by the late literary scholar Kinsley and with a new introduction by Christina Lupton (English, Univ. of Warwick), is far more than a quest for a happily-ever-after.
PREMIUM
Let the Games Begin
This swoony and heartfelt debut would be a great addition to any library’s contemporary sports romance collection. Guaranteed to appeal to fans of authors such as Jasmine Guillory, Denise Williams, or Talia Hibbert.
Aster’s (“Lightlark” series) excellent adult debut, full of angst, steamy scenes, laugh-out-loud banter, absorbing storylines, and relatable characters, will be devoured by fans of Emily Henry.
PREMIUM
An Overdue Match
Lovingly poking fun at a variety of romance tropes, Monzon (All’s Fair in Love and Christmas) delivers all the swoony feels, along with a message about true beauty and God’s pursuing love, timely in an age of toxic social media comparison traps. Readers will be eager for more books about Little Creek’s side characters and appreciate the zany situations similar to those in the work of Melissa Ferguson and Becca Kinzer.
Lavine turns many of the common romance novel tropes on their heads in this stunning debut. Top-notch banter will have readers laughing out loud as they root for Margot to finally achieve her own happily-ever-after.
Between the cheeky humor of TV’s Only Murders in the Building and the grim, psychological recasting of facts through fiction and memory (as exemplified by Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl), Winstead’s novel breathes life into stories that, the narrator hints, might be better off dead and buried.
Though the set-up is stronger than the landing, getting there is tons of fun in this fast-paced novel.
PREMIUM
The Nude
Lindley’s debut novel is a thorny story about human connections, art, desire, and greed. Share with those who enjoyed Thomas Van Essen’s The Center of the World: A Novel of J. M. W. Turner and His Lost Painting.
PREMIUM
The Prince Without Sorrow
A taut, character-focused first installment in an epic fantasy series that promises a refreshing look at survival and empire.
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