August books on my radar
09:00
Series: None
Author: Michelle Quach
August 1st 2023 by Katherine Tegen Books
Francine always has a plan. Ollie wants no part of it.
Francine loves her grandfather, but their time together is running out. He has one final wish: to see a male heir carry on the family traditions. Francine knows his ideas are outdated, but she would do anything for him. Her solution? Ask Ollie Tran, a family friend (and former crush, not that it matters), to pretend to be ceremonially adopted and act like the grandson A Gūng never had.
Ollie generally avoids the odd, too blunt (and fine, sort of cute) Francine, whose intensity makes him uncomfortable. So when she asks him to help deceive her dying grandpa, Ollie’s not down. He doesn’t get why anyone would go to such lengths, even for family. Especially with a backwards (and sexist, Ollie keeps stressing) scheme like this.
Francine, however, is determined to make it happen, and soon Ollie finds himself more invested in her plan—and in her—than he ever thought possible. But as the tangled lies and feelings pile up, Francine must discover what exactly she needs for herself—and from Ollie. Because sometimes the boy you always wanted isn’t what you expected.
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Rachel Griffin
August 1st 2023 by Sourcebooks Fire
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Nature of Witches and Wild is the Witch comes a lush romantic fantasy about forbidden love, the choices we make, and the pull between duty and desire.
Tana Fairchild’s fate has never been in question. Her life has been planned out since the moment she was born: she is to marry the governor’s son, Landon, and secure an unprecedented alliance between the witches of her island home and the mainlanders who see her very existence as a threat.
Tana’s coven has appeased those who fear their power for years by releasing most of their magic into the ocean during the full moon. But when Tana misses the midnight ritual—a fatal mistake—there is no one she can turn to for help…until she meets Wolfe.
Wolfe claims he is from a coven that practices dark magic, making him one of the only people who can help her. But he refuses to let Tana’s power rush into the sea, and instead teaches her his forbidden magic. A magic that makes her feel powerful. Alive.
As the sea grows more violent, her coven loses control of the currents, a danger that could destroy the alliance as well as her island. Tana will have to choose between love and duty, between loyalty to her people and loyalty to her heart. Marrying Landon would secure peace for her coven but losing Wolfe and his wild magic could cost her everything else.
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Beck Erixson
August 1st 2023
Elin Axelsson is unmistakably the worst goalie in her women’s indoor soccer league. Yet each week, she laces up her cleats, pumps up her teammates, and gives it her all. At least playing soccer means being able to spend more time with her all-star goalie boyfriend, Nate. And her best friend of fifteen years—who’s a total ladies’ man—Hawk. But when Elin catches Nate cheating, she dumps his ass, and finds herself thrust back into the weird world of online dating. At least she has Hawk to lean on. He has a new woman every week, and is a dating expert. But after a few awkward first dates with other people, Elin starts noticing Hawk in a different light. Except, that can’t happen. She can’t risk losing him, or their fifteen-year friendship if things go sour. That is, until they manage to fall tongue-first into each other’s mouths. The two form a pact to prevent diving hormones-first into more bad relationships. They’ll hook up with each other, and compartmentalize their friendship. But there are Elin sets the pace, no sex with others while the pact is in effect, and if either develop romantic feelings for the other, they must bail out to protect the friendship. It’s the perfect arrangement! Until it isn’t.
Goodreads
Series: A Very Fine Muddle #2
Author: Kate Archer
August 1st 2023 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
One Incautious Lady and One Incredulous Lord
Lady Rosalind Bennington, second daughter to the Earl of Westmont, has put a great deal of confidence in the fates. She is certain they will deliver her a man of the utmost courageous spirit, as she considers herself unusually courageous. Quite naturally, that gentleman’s courage and daring will be employed to prove his devotion by way of rescuing her from…something or other.
Her dear aunt, Miss Eloise Mayton, is a helpful sort of lady. As such, she schemes with Rosalind to provide opportunities for a certain gentleman to demonstrate his valor and devotion. After all, there are no lengths she will not travel to see her girls happily settled and her judgment is entirely unreliable—a combination that results in very little being out of bounds.
Balthazar Reardon, Duke of Conbatten, has no intention of marrying anytime soon. He is far too taken up with his service to the queen. As a member of the Queen’s Knights, he is often striding into dangerous situations between the balls and parties of the season. So far, he’s had no trouble eluding the various flutterings of eyelashes and winsome smiles from the ladies of the ton. Though, he is finding it more difficult when the interesting Lady Rosalind comes into his sphere.
As one incredible circumstance after another befalls Lady Rosalind, it slowly dawns on him that she is the author of them all. He is in some way charmed by it, but her latest escapade has gone terribly wrong and might spell the end of the lady.
Lady Rosalind requires courage from her gentleman, and the duke will need all the courage he’s got to keep this impulsive lady in the land of the living.
Goodreads
Series: Dukes in Danger #5
Author: Emily E.K. Murdoch
August 4th 2023 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Hugh Shardlow, Duke of Martock, is a Duke down on his luck, and determined not to get tangled into any other danger. That’s why he’s accosting this young woman in the middle of nowhere, France, in the middle of the night.
He’d only come to France to drink, gamble, and escape the terrors of England. Even with his father dead and buried, the place held nothing but darkness for him…until his money ran out.
Which is why the brightness of this mad Englishwoman, searching the French armies for her supposedly prisoner-of-war brother, is an absolute nonsense.
Nice young ladies don’t march into French encampments. They don’t meander into French inns and accost the locals asking after her brother. And they certainly don’t make bargains with strange penniless desperate Englishmen. But Beth Mead has never been one for Society’s expectations, nor keeping them.
And so a deal is Hugh will help Beth find her missing soldier brother, and she’ll pay his passage back to England.
Both think they’ve got the better bargain, but you can’t put a price on trust—and as secrets and lies intermingle with hopes and expectations, Beth and Hugh swiftly discover that to protect themselves, they may have to betray the other…
Goodreads
Series: The Byronic Book Club #3
Author: Amy Rose Bennett
August 8th 2023 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
A debauched duke and a lady with a secret band together in this fresh and sexy Regency romance series from award-winning author Amy Rose Bennett
Miss Jane Delaney is no stranger to receiving curious glances from strangers, though she wishes it were by virtue of her character and mind and less about the scar on her face. Since being jilted by her fiancé after the accident that left her with the scar, Jane divides her time between her beloved grandfather's antiquarian bookstore and writing newspaper columns. When Jane's reputation and the future of Delaney's Bookshop are threatened, she must act. She needs money, and fast. After an unexpected encounter with the debauched Duke of Roxby, an opportunity presents itself. The man might be London's most notorious scoundrel, but he also makes Jane an offer she can't refuse...
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Ally Carter
August 8th 2023 by Avon Books
A fast-paced, hilarious road trip rom-com about a woman with amnesia who discovers she's the identical twin sister of a rogue spy... and must team up with a rugged, grumpy operative to stay alive.
It's the middle of the night in the middle of Paris and a woman just woke up with no memory.
She only knows three things for certain:
1. She has a splitting headache.
2. The hottest guy she has (probably) ever seen is standing over her, telling her to run.
And oh yeah...
3. People keep trying to kill her.
She doesn't know who. Or why. But when she sees footage of herself fighting off a dozen men there's only one explanation: obviously. . . she's a spy!
Except, according to Mr. Hot Guy, she's not. She's a spy's identical twin sister.
Too bad the only person who knows she's not the woman they're looking for is this very grouchy, very sexy, very secret agent who (reluctantly) agrees to help her disappear.
That's easier said than done when a criminal organization wants you dead and every intelligence service in the world wants you caught. Luckily, no one is looking for a pair of lovesick newlyweds on their honeymoon. And soon they're lying their way across Europe--dodging bullets and faking kisses as they race to unravel a deadly conspiracy and clear her sister's name.
But with every secret they uncover, the truth shifts, until she no longer knows who to trust: the twin she can't remember or the mysterious man she can't let herself forget...
Goodreads
Series: Once Upon the East End #1
Author: Felicia Grossman
August 8th 2023 by Forever
Author Felicia Grossman—whose “books are powerful and passionate and swoon-inducing!” (Eva Leigh, USA Today bestselling author)—kicks off her new series with an enchanting twist on Cinderella: in which a charming heiress must marry to save her family’s business, but the one man she dreams of is the one man she can’t have.
Every love story begins with once upon a time.
London, 1832: Isabelle Lira may be in distress, but she's no damsel. Since her father’s death, his former partners have sought to oust her from their joint equity business. Her only choice is to marry—and fast —to a powerful ally outside the respected Berab family’s sphere of influence. Only finding the right spouse will require casting a wide net. So she’ll host a series of festivals, to which every eligible Jewish man is invited.
Once, Aaron Ellenberg longed to have a family of his own. But as the synagogue custodian, he is too poor for wishes and not foolish enough for dreams. Until the bold, beautiful Isabelle Lira presents him with an irresistible offer . . . if he ensures her favored suitors have no hidden loyalties to the Berabs, she will provide him with money for a new life.
Yet the transaction provides surprising temptation, as Aaron and Isabelle find caring and passion in the last person they each expected. Only a future for them is impossible—for heiresses don’t marry orphans, and love only conquers in children’s tales. But if Isabelle can find the courage to trust her heart, she'll discover anything is possible, if only she says yes.
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Nina Kenwood
August 8th 2023 by Flatiron Books
From the award-winning author of It Sounded Better in My Head comes a deliciously entertaining enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy about two high school nemeses who end up sharing a house together their first year of college
Eighteen-year-old Brooke is the kind of friend who not only remembers everyone’s birthdays, but also organizes the group present, pays for it, and politely chases others for their share. She’s the helper, the doer, the maker-of spreadsheets. She’s the responsible one who always follows the rules—and she plans to keep it that way during her first year of college.
Her student housing only has one rule: "no unnecessary drama." Which means no fights, tension, or romance between roommates. When one of them turns out to be Jesse, her high-school nemesis, Brooke is determined she can handle it. They’ll simply silently endure living together and stay out of each other’s way. But it turns out Jesse isn’t so easy to ignore.
With Unnecessary Drama, Nina Kenwood perfectly captures the experience of leaving home for the first time, dealing with the unexpected complications of life, and somehow finding exactly what you need.
Goodreads
Series: The Last Finestra #2
Author: Emily Thiede
August 15th 2023 by Hodder & Stoughton
The highly-anticipated sequel to the epic romance hailed as one of the best fantasies of the year!
When the gods make the rules, the players must choose: Sacrifice their love to save the world, or choose love and let it burn?
Six months after saving their island from destruction and almost losing Dante, Alessa is ready to live happily ever after with her former bodyguard. But Dante can't rest, haunted by a conviction that the gods aren't finished with them yet. And without his powers, the next kiss from Alessa could kill him.
Desperate for answers, Dante enlists Alessa and their friends to find the exiled ghiotte in hopes of restoring his powers and combining forces with them to create the only army powerful enough to save them all. But Alessa is hiding a deadly consequence of their last fight--a growing darkness that's consuming her mind--and their destination holds more dangers than anyone bargained for. In the mysterious city of the banished, Dante will uncover secrets, lies, and ghosts from his past that force him to ask himself: Which side is he on?
When the gods reveal their final test, Dante and Alessa will be the world's last defense. But if they are the keys to saving the world, will their love be the price of victory?
In This Cursed Light, Dante and Alessa face their most daunting challenge yet when the Gods demand they prove their worth by choosing the ultimate sacrifice to save humanity, once and for all.
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Mazey Eddings
August 15th 2023 by Headline Eternal
Recent high school graduate Tilly (who has masked her ADHD for years) is spending the summer touring Europe where she meets an attractive stranger on the plane in a series of opposites-attract in-flight disasters, in a story that celebrates neurodivergent love and making your own space in a world that wasn't built for you.
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Sophie H. Morgan
August 15th 2023 by Mills & Boon
…and she spells trouble Born a witch, Emmaline Bluewater’s days of trying to fit in are over—they ended seven years ago when the man she’d hoped to marry left town without a word. She’s much happier now, living a human life and running her own cocktail bar. Until Bastian Truenote walks through the door and announces that he wants her back! Bastian had his reasons for leaving Emma even if he can’t tell her what they are. But now a curse on his family dictates he must marry her. Yet Emma is not the meek witch he remembers, and not easily won over. Magical contracts are not easily broken but they do become even more complicated when you fall in love…
Goodreads
Series: Hell's Belles #3
Author: Sarah MacLean
August 22nd 2023 by Piatkus
With her headful of wild curls and wilder ideas, society has labelled Lady Imogen Loveless peculiar . . . and doesn't know she's one of the Hell's Belles - a group of vigilantes operating outside the notice of most of London.
Thomas Peck is not most of London. The brilliant detective has a keen ability to see things others miss, like the fact that Imogen isn't peculiar...she's pandemonium. If you ask him, she requires a keeper. When her powerful family discovers her late-night activities, they couldn't agree more . . . and they know just the man for the task.
Thomas wants nothing to do with guarding Imogen. He is a grown man with a proper job and no time for the lady's incendiary chaos, no matter how lushly it is packaged. Yet as the gruff detective becomes caught up in Imogen's world, they each discover an unexpected but fiery passion that threatens to consume them both.
Goodreads
Series: Belladonna #2
Author: Adalyn Grace
August 22nd 2023 by Hodderscape
The captivating sequel to the Gothic-infused Belladonna, in which Signa and Death face a supernatural foe determined to tear them apart.
A duke has been murdered. The lord of Thorn Grove has been framed. And Fate, the elusive brother of Death, has taken up residence in a sumptuous estate nearby. He's hellbent on revenge after Death took the life of the woman he loved many years ago...and now he's determined to have Signa for himself, no matter the cost.
Signa and her cousin Blythe are certain that Fate can save Elijah Hawthorne from prison if they will entertain his presence. But the more time the girls spend with Fate, the more frightening their reality becomes as Signa exhibits dramatic new powers that link her to Fate's past. With mysteries and danger around every corner, the cousins must decide if they can trust one another as they navigate their futures in high society, unravel the murders that haunt their family, and play Fate's unexpected games-all with their destinies hanging in the balance.
Dangerous, suspenseful, and seductive, this sequel to the story of Signa and Death is as utterly romantic as it is perfectly deadly.
Goodreads
Series: Love on Holiday #3
Author: Christy Carlyle
August 22nd 2023 by Avon
In the swoon-worthy finale of her Love on Holiday series, Christy Carlyle takes readers to the breathtaking coast of Ireland where a pretty, young duchess’s secretary agrees to impersonate her mistress to help a future duke appease his fortune-hunting family...until he falls for her, instead.
Miss Aurelia Graves has never had a holiday. She is much too busy as the personal secretary to the Duchess of Waverly. But the Duke of Ballycannon Castle in Connemara, Ireland, has invited the duchess to visit—and as the duchess cannot travel, she has insisted Aurelia go in her stead.
Except when Lia arrives, everyone mistakes her for the duchess—and it’s clear the family who owns crumbling Ballycannon were hoping to match the widowed duchess with Alexander Fennessy, future Duke of Pierpont. But when Alex learns the truth of Lia’s identity, he has an…unusual request. He’ll happily show her hospitality if she’ll agree to let others think she’s the duchess for a fortnight, while also making it clear she has absolutely no interest in marrying him.
There’s just one problem: as time runs out on their arrangement and Alex increasingly fears he must in fact marry an heiress to save his family’s fortunes, he finds that his heart now belongs to Miss Lia Graves…and he can’t bring himself to let her go.
Goodreads
Series: Clan Kendrick #6
Author: Vanessa Kelly
August 22nd 2023 by Zebra
The youngest brother in Clan Kendrick has become a charismatic force in his own right—especially when the perfect woman gallops into his life—in the latest novel in USA Today bestselling author Vanessa Kelly’s sparkling Scottish Regency series.
Charlotte “Charlie” Stewart would rather don a kilt and ride her horse than simper in a ballroom. But with her younger sister about to be wed, she can’t escape the pressure to be next. A husband has been chosen, and Charlie’s fate seems set. Until an afternoon gallop sends her horse colliding with Kade Kendrick, the broad-shouldered Highlander who was once her childhood pal . . .
As a youth, Kade felt overshadowed by his older siblings. Now he’s a renowned musician whose fame provides cover for his other work—as a spy. Home from his latest mission, he’s annoyed to be roped into attending the wedding of a family friend—until it reunites him with the fearless tomboy who has become a breathtaking beauty. And though his thoughts should be on a new concerto, Kade is soon distracted by rival suitors, a dangerous quest—and the unconventional woman who fills his soul with music and his body with desire . . .
Goodreads
Series: Unforgettable Love #2
Author: Stacy Reid
August 22nd 2023 by Entangled: Amara
Miss Georgianna Eleanor Heyford may be naught but a gentleman’s daughter, but even she’s heard the rumors about the Earl of Stannis’s exceptional charm and good looks. Surely she can cater his luxurious yacht party without getting swept away. But a terrible misunderstanding leaves Georgianna fired, furious, and with little recompense. Which is precisely when her opportunity for vengeance washes ashore…
Daniel Rutherford, the Earl of Stannis, has absolutely no memory of who he is. They tell him he must have fallen overboard, and the only person he seems to recognize is the lovely Georgianna—who strikes a chord of familiarity…and the faintest memory of heating his blood. Only now this inelegant, poorly dressed woman claims to be his wife!
But the truth is, Georgianna is finally getting her revenge. The dashing earl will work off the money he owes her and no one will be the wiser. Except the longer he stays with her and her younger sisters, the more it feels like he belongs there. And that perhaps he’d find a forever place in Georgianna’s heart…at least, until his memory returns...
Goodreads
Series: The Rake Chronicles #1
Author: Lydia Lloyd
August 28th 2023 by Tule Publishing
They are both pretending to be someone else for the night...
When Catherine Forster asks a handsome stranger to lead her out of the ballroom and into the Tremberley gardens, she hopes to glimpse its renowned Roman ruins…and maybe steal a kiss. But when she and her delectable escort are discovered in a scandalous embrace, Catherine is horrified to learn that she has been kissing John Breminster, heir to the man who ruined her family.
Given that the Forsters are his sworn enemies, John had no choice but to walk away from Catherine that night. But he has never been able to forget their close encounter—and, even years later, still longs for her touch. Worse, when his father dies, John, now the Duke of Edington, finds himself with a problem that only Catherine can help him solve.
Catherine agrees to aid him in his quest…for a price. On their journey, they soon begin to give into temptation, even as they uncover troubling revelations about the past. Will John and Catherine overcome this shared history? Or will its secrets tear them apart forever?
Goodreads
Series: Monsters #2
Author: Vanessa Len
August 29th 2023 by Hodder & Stoughton
This sequel to the contemporary fantasy Only a Monster will take Joan deeper into the monster world, where treacherous secrets and even more danger await.
Despite all of the odds, Joan achieved the impossible. She reset the timeline, saved her family – and destroyed the hero, Nick.
But her success has come at a terrible cost.
She alone remembers what happened. Now, Aaron, her hard-won friend – and maybe more – is an enemy, trying to kill her. And Nick, the boy she loved, is a stranger who doesn’t even know her name. Only Joan remembers that there is a ruthless and dangerous enemy still out there.
When a deadly attack forces Joan back into the monster world as a fugitive, she finds herself on the run with Nick – as Aaron closes in.
As the danger rises – and Nick gets perilously closer to discovering the truth of what Joan did to him – Joan discovers a secret of her own. One that threatens everyone she loves.
Torn between love and family and monstrous choices, Joan must find a way to re-gather her old allies to face down the deadliest of enemies, and to save the timeline itself.
Goodreads
Series: The Inheritance Games #4
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
August 29th 2023 by Penguin
FOUR BROTHERS. TWO MISSIONS. ONE EXPLOSIVE READ.
Jennifer Lynn Barnes returns to the world of her international #1 bestselling, thrilling Inheritance Games trilogy, and the stakes have never been higher.
Grayson Hawthorne was raised as the heir apparent to his billionaire grandfather, taught from the cradle to put family first. Now the great Tobias Hawthorne is dead and his family disinherited, but some lessons linger. When Grayson's half-sisters find themselves in trouble, he swoops in to do what he does best: take care of the problem - efficiently, effectively, mercilessly. And without getting bogged down in emotional entanglements.
Jameson Hawthorne is a risk-taker, a sensation-seeker, a player of games. When his mysterious father appears and asks for a favor, Jameson can't resist the challenge. Now he must infiltrate London's most exclusive underground gambling club, which caters to the rich, the powerful, and the aristocratic, and win an impossible game of greatest stakes. Luckily, Jameson Hawthorne lives for impossible.
Drawn into twisted games on opposite sides of the globe, Grayson and Jameson - with the help of their brothers and the girl who inherited their grandfather's fortune - must dig deep to decide who they want to be and what each of them will sacrifice to win.
AND THERE'S NOTHING MORE HAWTHORNE THAN WINNING . . .
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Elizabeth Lim
August 29th 2023 by Hodder & Stoughton
From the New York Times bestselling author of SIX CRIMSON CRANES comes a tale of two sisters—one as beautiful as the other is monstrous— who must fight to save each other when a betrothal contest gone wrong unleashes an evil that could sever their bond forever.
One sister must fall for the other to rise.
Channi was not born a monster. But when her own father offered her in sacrifice to the tiger witch, she was forever changed. Cursed with a serpent's face, Channi is the exact opposite of her beautiful sister Vanna—the only person in the village who looks at Channi and doesn’t see a monster. The only person she trusts.
Now seventeen, Vanna is to be auctioned off in a vulgar betrothal contest that will enrich the coffers of the village leaders. Only Channi, who’s had to rely on her strength and cunning all these years, can defend her sister against the cruelest of the suitors. But in doing so, she becomes the target of his wrath—launching a series of vicious gladiatorial fights, a quest over land and sea, romance between sworn enemies, and a choice that will strain Channi's heart to its breaking point.
Weaving together elements of The Selection and Ember in the Ashes with classic tales like Beauty and the Beast and Helen of Troy, Elizabeth Lim is at the absolute top of her game in this thrilling yet heart-wrenching fantasy that explores the dark side of beauty and the deepest bonds of sisterhood.
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Lydia Sharp
August 29th 2023 by Entangled: Teen
A playful and sexy contemporary rom-com perfect for fans of The Kissing Booth and Tweet Cute
If there was an award for Least Able To Function Around Cute Boys, Jess Webster would clean up. She can barely talk to a guy, let alone engage in naked things. But now that high school is over, Jess resolves to put her big girl pants on and at last bang bag the longtime object of her desire, Andrew. All she needs is someone to practice on first.
Enter Benjamin Oliver. Jock hot, nerd hot (which is just greedy, really), star quarterback, and all-around pain in Jess’s ass. While Jess would rather nap on a nest of fire ants than be his girlfriend, there’s still something about him that sends a jolt through her stomach, making him her best (and only) candidate for her guy game glow-up.
With summer in full swing and not one, but two, cute boys on the horizon, Jess is pretty sure she’s on the winning side of the bargain. But can her deal with Benjamin stay purely business-with-pleasure? And, the question that Jess soon can’t ignore: does she want it to?
Goodreads
Series: A Lady's Guide #2
Author: Sophie Irwin
August 31st 2023 by HarperCollins Publishers
When shy Miss Eliza Balfour married the austere Earl of Somerset, twenty years her senior, it was the match of the season--no matter that he was not the husband Eliza would have chosen.
But ten years later, Eliza is widowed. And at eight and twenty years, she is suddenly left titled, rich, and, for the first time in her life, utterly in control of her own future. Instead of living out her mourning quietly, Eliza heads to Bath with her cousin Margaret. After years of living according to everyone else’s rules, Eliza has resolved, at last, to do as she wants.
But when the ripples of the dowager Lady Somerset’s behavior reach the new Lord Somerset—whom Eliza knew, once, as a younger woman—Eliza is forced to confront the fact that freedom does not come without consequences, though it also brings unexpected opportunities . . .
Goodreads
What has caught your eye for August? Have you read any of these? Let me know :)
0 comments