Happy Thursday! October is upon us, and with the cooler weather and changing leaves, we also have 15 amazing-sounding books that I’m looking forward to. This month, there’s a wide variety of releases, including historical romance and fiction, paranormal and contemporary romance, YA fantasy, and a graphic novel. Let’s check them out!
Oct. 1st: Within These Gilded Halls by Abigail Wilson
Title: Within These Gilded Halls
Author: Abigail Wilson
Page Length: 320
Publication Date: Oct. 1, 2022
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Synopsis: After studying art for two years under Miss Drake, a renowned painter, Phoebe Radcliff is certain she can finally move beyond the childish mistake that’s kept her away from home. She is determined to carve a new, happier future and is thrilled when Miss Drake employs her to complete a complicated ballroom renovation—the first real test of her talent.
Everything changes, however, the moment Miss Drake is murdered. With her last breath she imparts the location of a clue to Phoebe. Can the biggest secret of Avonthorpe Hall be true—the rumored treasure real? Phoebe is tasked to finish the detailed trim work in the ballroom by Miss Drake’s infuriatingly regimented yet all-too-handsome nephew, Lt. Graham Burke. She finds herself in the perfect position to uncover the answers she craves about her beloved teacher’s death as well as fulfill the promise she made regarding the treasure. If only she can do so before Lt. Burke leases the house.
But dark shadows line the gilded halls of Avonthorpe. Soon enough, Phoebe realizes she’s not the only person with knowledge of the clues—and worse, she’ll need Lt. Burke’s help to stay ahead of whoever is hard on her heels. If only she wasn’t so attracted to the gentleman. And why is she exactly? She’s always had far greater plans for her life than an uncomfortable romance with a former military lieutenant.
Caught up in a deadly race for answers, Phoebe must find a way to breach the shroud of lies that surrounds every last resident in the house and, more importantly, face a past she’s been running away from for far too long.
Oct. 4th: A Cat Café Christmas by Codi Gary
Title: A Cat Cafe Christmas
Author: Codi Gary
Page Length: 384
Publication Date: Oct. 4, 2022
Publisher: Forever
Synopsis: Veterinarian and animal lover Kara Ingalls needs a Christmas miracle. Opening the Meow and Furrever Cat Café to find loving homes for adorable, adoptable cats was a dream come true—but with more cats than customers, it’s quickly turning into a nightmare. If Kara can’t figure out some way to get the café out of the red, it won’t last past the holidays.
Marketing guru Ben Reese may be annoyingly smart and frustratingly bossy, but when he hatches a plan to put the café in the “green” by Christmas, Kara realizes that she’d be a fool to turn down his help. And so what if he turns out to be an excellent problem solver and nerdy-hot—he can’t even handle fostering one little kitten. She needs to keep their relationship professional and focus on saving the cafe.
But if Ben and Kara can set aside their differences—and find homes for all the cats by Christmas—they might discover that, by risking their hearts, they’ll have their own purr-fect holiday . . . together.
Oct. 4th: The Melody and the Master by Sarah M. Cradit
Title: The Melody and the Master
Author: Sarah M. Cradit
Series: The Book of All Things
Publication Date: Oct. 4, 2022
Synopsis: Her song is death. His offer is life.
Disappear into this twisty tale of a ruthless heir and the sheltered, gifted orphan he chooses as both his wife and his greatest weapon against a growing list of enemies.
Siofra has lived her entire life in isolation, terrified her unrestrained dark magic will be the undoing of herself and others. She disappears inside books that promise a life she can never have.
Elsewhere in the kingdom, Desemir’s isolation is a matter of political expediency, as he holds court in the decadent estate that keeps a wall between himself and his enemies.
Desemir’s lack of heir ignites his rivals, but to marry within his peerage would invite the very coup he needs to avoid. Siofra cannot run from herself forever.
The unthinkable happens and Siofra is imprisoned, awaiting a predictable fate. Before the law can mete her punishment, she is rescued by Desemir and whisked away to his glamorous estate, like a princess in one of her stories.
Siofra and Desemir’s needs conveniently intersect, seemingly fixing their unsolvable problems.
If it all seems too good to be true, that’s because it is.
Because everyone knows darkness can only be soothed, not contained.
LINKS: Goodreads | Universal Link
Oct. 4th: The Corey Effect by Casey Dembowski
Title: The Corey Effect
Author: Casey Dembowski
Publication Date: Oct. 4, 2022
Publisher: Red Adept Pub.
Synopsis: A second chance ten years in the making.
When Andi Scott left her hometown ten years ago, she swore she’d never go back. But news of her estranged father’s death has her driving the all-too-familiar roads. Each turn brings another memory—of the girl she became there and the boy she loved and lost. The only saving grace is that there’s no way the former love of her life, Corey Johnson, is still in town. They both got out, even though it cost them everything.
Andi’s barely in town for a day before she discovers that not only is Corey still in Fairford, but he’s the cofounder of a successful local business—one he built with her father. The news shatters the walls Andi built around her past and forces her to reexamine everything she thought she knew.
When Corey asks Andi to stay in town, she can’t refuse his boyish grin or the way he still looks at her as if she’s the only person in the room—and finds she doesn’t want to. Corey’s still the same person that made the worst day of her life better with one crooked smile, but there’s more that he’s not telling her. Andi has to know what it is, even if it means opening her heart to the person who broke it in the first place.
Oct. 4th: Alpha by Kat Kinney
Title: Alpha
Author: Kat Kinney
Series: Blood Moon, Texas Shifters #4
Publication Date: Oct. 4, 2022
Synopsis: Brody Caldwell, deputy sheriff and alpha of the Blood Moon, Texas pack, receives a phone call on the eve of a crucial summit between humans, shapeshifters and vampires. An assassination attempt has been made against the leader of the werewolf council. One of his brothers claims responsibility. After a series of attacks and increasing hostility from the council, Brody seeks out a former source to get answers—London Blake, the fierce and beautiful former alpha of the Austin, Texas pack.
Two years ago, London was exiled by the werewolf council for a crime she didn’t commit. With her pack subject to human rights violations and the council refusing to listen, London turns to Brody to help her gather the intelligence needed to clear her name.
Someone wants them silenced. Together they will have to race against the clock to discover who is behind the attacks before they derail the paranormal peace summit.
Oct. 4th: The Invincible Miss Cust by Penny Haw
Title: The Invincible Miss Cust
Author: Penny Haw
Page Length: 416
Publication Date: Oct. 4, 2022
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Synopsis: Must-read historical fiction for fans of Marie Benedict and Tracey Enerson Wood, based on the real life of Britain and Ireland’s first woman veterinary surgeon.
Aleen Cust has big dreams and no one―not her family, society, or the law―will stop her.
Born in Ireland in 1868 to an aristocratic English family, Aleen knows she is destined to work with animals, even if her family is appalled by the idea of a woman pursuing a veterinary career. Going against their wishes but with the encouragement of the guardian assigned to her upon her father’s death, Aleen attends the New Veterinary College in Edinburgh, enrolling as A. I. Custance to spare her family the humiliation they fear. At last, she is on her way to becoming a veterinary surgeon! Little does she know her biggest obstacles lie ahead.
The Invincible Miss Cust is based on the real life of Aleen Isabel Cust, who defied her family and society to become Britain and Ireland’s first woman veterinary surgeon. Through Penny Haw’s meticulous research, riveting storytelling, and elegant prose, Aleen’s story of ambition, determination, family, friendship, and passion comes to life. It is a story that, even today, women will recognize, of battling patriarchy and an unequal society to realize one’s dreams and pave the way for other women in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
Oct. 11th: Blood Moon Prophecy by Dilani Kahawala
Title: Blood Moon Prophecy
Author: Dilani Kahawala
Series: Legend of the Nyx
Publication Date: Oct. 11, 222
Publisher: Cedar Street Press
Synopsis: Eleven years ago, Tilly Nyx did something she wasn’t supposed to. As a result, her mother was killed. Her village was destroyed. Her sister disappeared. An ancient horror sent her into hiding.
Now sixteen and undercover in New York City, she has waited eleven years to go home, even though she doesn’t know where home is or how to get there. All she has is the map that her mother made her swear to protect with her life. And the promise that a man called the Time Keeper is supposed to rescue her, if she can just hold on long enough for him to arrive.
But when the Time Keeper is found dead in his hotel room, with a message to contact Tilly inked on his skin, her world is upended once again. Now someone is hunting for her and the map, and if they find her, the consequences will be deadly.
Tilly soon finds herself plunged into the world where her story began—a world of oceans and sailing ships, of feuds between ancient magical families. She joins a fleet in search of the secret her map holds, which has been guarded by her family for four thousand years.
As Tilly learns how to cast sprites and make potions, she and her three friends must follow the trail of murky, disturbing clues left by her ancestors before time runs out. But the closer they get to their destination, the more Tilly discovers that nothing is what it seems…not even herself.
Oct. 11th: Lore Olympus Vol. 3 by Rachel Smythe
Title: Lore Olympus
Author: Rachel Smythe
Series: Lore Olympus Vol 3
Page Length: 384
Publication Date: Oct. 11, 2022
Publisher: Random House Worlds
Synopsis: Witness what the gods do after dark in the third volume of a stylish and contemporary reimagining of one of the best-known stories in Greek mythology, featuring a brand-new, exclusive short storyfrom creator Rachel Smythe.
“It is natural for a King to be curious about his future Queen. . . .”
All of Olympus–and the Underworld–are talking about the God of the Dead and the sprightly daughter of Demeter. But despite the rumors of their romance, Hades and Persephone have plenty to navigate on their own.
Since coming to Olympus, Persephone has struggled to be the perfect maiden goddess. Her attraction to Hades has only complicated the intense burden of the gods’ expectations. And after Apollo’s assault, Persephone fears she can no longer bury the intense feelings of hurt and love that she’s worked so hard to hide.
As Persephone contemplates her future, Hades struggles with his past, falling back into toxic habits in Minthe’s easy embrace. With all the mounting pressure and expectations–of their family, friends, and enemies–both Hades and Persephone tell themselves to deny their deepest desires, but the pull between them is too tempting, too magnetic. It’s fate.
This full-color edition of Smythe’s original Eisner-nominated webcomic Lore Olympus brings Greek mythology into the modern age in a sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel.
This volume collects episodes 50-75 of the #1 WEBTOON comic Lore Olympus.
Oct. 11th: The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Mathhews
Title: The Belle of Belgrave Square
Author: Mimi Matthews
Series: Belles of London #2
Page Length: 432
Publication Date: Oct. 11, 2022
Publisher: Berkley
Synopsis: A London heiress rides out to the wilds of the English countryside to honor a marriage of convenience with a mysterious and reclusive stranger.
Tall, dark, and dour, the notorious Captain Jasper Blunt was once hailed a military hero, but tales abound of his bastard children and his haunted estate in Yorkshire. What he requires now is a rich wife to ornament his isolated ruin, and he has his sights set on the enchanting Julia Wychwood.
For Julia, an incurable romantic cursed with a crippling social anxiety, navigating a London ballroom is absolute torture. The only time Julia feels any degree of confidence is when she’s on her horse. Unfortunately, a young lady can’t spend the whole of her life in the saddle, so Julia makes an impetuous decision to take her future by the reins—she proposes to Captain Blunt.
In exchange for her dowry and her hand, Jasper must promise to grant her freedom to do as she pleases. To ride—and to read—as much as she likes without masculine interference. He readily agrees to her conditions, with one provision of his own: Julia is forbidden from going into the tower rooms of his estate and snooping around his affairs. But the more she learns of the beastly former hero, the more intrigued she becomes…
Oct. 18th: A Duke Alone by Christi Caldwell
Title: The Duke Alone
Author: Christi Caldwell
Page Length: 319
Publication Date: Oct. 18, 2022
Publisher: Montlake
Synopsis: Lady Myrtle McQuoid has always felt a little forgotten, and this season is no exception. When her boisterous family vacates their London townhouse for the country, Myrtle finds she’s been left behind. But she just needs to stay warm, keep her belly full, and distract herself until her relatives realize their mistake and turn back to collect her. Surely that won’t take long.
Brooding widower Val Bancroft, the Duke of Aragon, has shut himself off from the world. He craves blessed solitude—a loyal dog, a silent house, and his own company are all he requires. Certainly not the nonstop chattering of the joyful, opinionated young woman next door.
But with a potential threat lurking in the winter shadows, Myrtle may need to pluck up the nerve to approach the reclusive duke. And Val is not one to turn his back on a vulnerable lady.
Amid the silent nights of London, beneath a blanket of snow, could the light of a new, warm love be kindling?
Oct. 18th: Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove by Rati Mehrotra
Title: Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove
Author: Rati Mehrotra
Page Length: 352
Publication Date: Oct. 18, 2022
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Synopsis: To learn what she can become, she must first discover who she is.
Katyani’s role in the kingdom of Chandela has always been clear: becoming an advisor and protector of the crown prince, Ayan, when he ascends to the throne. Bound to the Queen of Chandela through a forbidden soul bond that saved her when she was a child, Katyani has grown up in the royal family and become the best guardswoman the Garuda has ever seen. But when a series of assassination attempts threatens the royals, Katyani is shipped off to the gurukul of the famous Acharya Mahavir as an escort to Ayan and his cousin, Bhairav, to protect them as they hone the skills needed to be the next leaders of the kingdom. Nothing could annoy Katyani more than being stuck in a monastic school in the middle of a forest, except her run-ins with Daksh, the Acharya’s son, who can’t stop going on about the rules and whose gaze makes her feel like he can see into her soul.
But when Katyani and the princes are hurriedly summoned back to Chandela before their training is complete, tragedy strikes and Katyani is torn from the only life she has ever known. Alone and betrayed in a land infested by monsters, Katyani must find answers from her past to save all she loves and forge her own destiny. Bonds can be broken, but debts must be repaid.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Oct. 18th: Built to Last by Erin Hahn
Title: Built to Last
Author: Erin Hahn
Page Length: 336
Publication Date: Oct. 18, 2022
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Synopsis: Two childhood sweethearts find a second chance at love in this adult romance debut from a critically acclaimed young adult author.
Shelby Springfield has spent the last ten years trying to overcome her past, sanding it away like she does the rough spots on the vintage furniture finds she makes over. But as a former child star, it’s hard to forget a mediocre pop career, a meltdown widely documented by the paparazzi, and a huge public break with her former co-star Lyle Jessup. It’s also hard to forget her other co-star and childhood sweetheart, Cameron Riggs — the one who got away.
Anytime Shelby has called, Cameron has come running… And then he runs right off again to chase stories around the world by making documentaries, too scared to admit what he really wants. But when Lyle stirs the pot, getting the two back in the spotlight with a home renovation show, Cameron can’t help but come on board.
There’s something in it for everyone — almost. Cameron wants to come home and set down some roots. Shelby wants to prove to the world she’s not the messy party girl anymore. And Lyle wants to twist the screws on his two childhood friends who had more chemistry than he could dream of with anyone. Sparks and sawdust fly as Shelby and Cameron film the pilot for “Homemade” and battle Lyle’s shenanigans at every turn.
Erin Hahn’s sparkling rom com debut, Built to Last, is a second chance romance sure to have readers falling in love fast.
Oct. 25th: The Matchmaker and the Cowboy by Robin Bielman
Title: The Matchmaker and the Cowboy
Author: Robin Bielman
Series: Windsong
Page Length: 400
Publication Date: Oct. 25, 2022
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Synopsis: Callie Carmichael has a gift for making bridesmaid dresses—some even call them magical. Somehow, every person who’s worn one of her dresses has found love. Real love. And as long as that happily-ever-after is for someone else, Callie is happy. Because she’s fully over getting her heart broken…which is why her new roommate is definitely going to be a problem.
After being overseas for six months, Callie’s only choice is to stay with her best friend’s ridiculously hot brother, Hunter Owens. Cowboy, troublemaker, and right now, the town’s most coveted bachelor. Only, Hunter isn’t quite the player she thought. And if it weren’t for her whole “no more love” thing, their setup could get confusing really fast.
Now, Hunter wants Callie to make him a best man suit—a “lucky for love” kind of suit. But what happens if she makes the suit and he finds true love…and it isn’t her?
Oct. 25th: A Stolen Knight’s Kiss by Melissa Oliver
Title: A Stolen Knight’s Kiss
Author: Melissa Oliver
Series: Protectors of the Crown #2
Page Length: 288
Publication Date: Oct. 25, 2022
Publisher: Harlequin Historical
Synopsis: Captured by a knight…
Rescued by his kiss!
When orphan Eva loses the father figure who’d protected her on the streets of London, she suspects the Knights Fortitude. But when she steals information from them, she’s caught by brooding knight Nicholas. Learning he might not be the villain after all, she puts her distrust aside to work with him, yet Eva must stay focused—and not get distracted when they share a stolen kiss!
Oct. 25th: Imperfect Angel by Christi Barth
Title: Imperfect Angel
Author: Christi Barth
Page Length: 336
Publication Date: Oct. 25, 2022
Publisher: Entangled Pub.
Synopsis: Three days ago, all Maisy Norgate had was a stack of bills, about a gazillion jobs, and her sunny-as-hell outlook. Now, thanks to an uncle she never knew about, she’s inherited an ornate skeleton key with absolutely no idea what it’s for—or why she has it. Which is exactly when a ridiculously handsome guy claiming to be an angel shows up at her door and all hell breaks loose…
Nephilim Rhys Boyce cannot believe that Maisy is the new Keeper of the Key. Why would anyone bequeath this warm, bubbly redhead the key to Hell? And to make matters worse, she’s given the key to the first person who asked for it. A demon. Yep, Maisy is determined to make his job—not to mention some seriously inconvenient temptation—as hard as possible.
First a half angel with a very human chip on his shoulder must find a way to convince Maisy that angels and demons do exist. Then Rhys will have to break the really bad news…that she might have accidentally ended the world.
Which books are you most looking forward to? Comment below!
The one book I am looking forward to in October is Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow. That is the 4th Nevermoor book, but not going to get it till it comes to paperback
I’ve heard a lot of good things about that series. I hope you enjoy it when you get to it!
A Cat Café Christmas looks so cute.
Right! I need to go to a cat café stat! lol
It looks like October 4th is a reader’s delight. Lots of great looking and sounding books coming out this month.
I think October will be a busy reading month for all of us! lol
There are so many good books that released in September and October. It’s exciting and overwhelming all at once, hahaha.
omg, yes!! I feel the same way. lol
I am most excited about Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow. Of the books you shared I’ll probably have to go with Built to Last.
Nice! I haven’t read that series, but it sounds really good!
It’s such a good whimsical, heartwarming, middle-grade fantasy series. Strong on the found family trope.
I love these posts. SO many amazing books! I am so excited for Lore Olympus and hoping my pre-order doesn’t get delayed!!
Ugh – that’s the worst. I’m still upset about Foul Lady Fortune being delayed. lol
It’s such a bummer!! At least, you’ve already read it!! 🙂
Such a great list, Julie. I could read them all! I am excited for your thoughts on The Belle of Belgrave Square.
Thank you! I’m so happy to be on the tour!
Built to Last looks so good!