Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
Today’s topic is Books On My Spring TBR, and I have wayyyyyy more than ten books in mind for the spring. I already have a bunch lined up, and all but the last two on my list are ARCs I’ve received and am excited to start. The last two have already been released, and I’m buddy-reading both of them. So excited!
1. The Bone Shard War by Andrea Stewart
Series: The Drowning Empire #3
Page Length: 624
Publication Date: April 18, 2023
Publisher: Orbit Books
Synopsis: Lin Sukai has won her first victory as Emperor, but the future of the Phoenix Empire hangs in the balance – and Lin is dangerously short of allies.
As her own governors plot treason, the Shardless Few renew hostilities. Worse still, Lin discovers her old nemesis Nisong has joined forces with the rogue Alanga, Ragan. Both seek her death.
Yet hopes lies in history. Legend tells of seven mythic swords, forged in centuries past. If Lin can find them before her enemies, she may yet be able to turn the tide.
If she fails, the Sukai dynasty – and the entire empire – will fall.
2. Ana María and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa
Series: The Luna Sisters #1
Page Length: 352
Publication Date: April 4, 2023
Publisher: Berkley Books
Synopsis: Ana María Luna Valdés has strived to be the perfect daughter, the perfect niece, and the perfect representative of the powerful Luna familia. So, when Ana María is secretly sent to London with her sisters to seek refuge during the French occupation of Mexico, she experiences her first taste of freedom far from the judgmental eyes of her domineering father. If only she could ignore the piercing looks she receives across ballroom floors from the austere Mr. Fox.
Gideon Fox elevated himself from the London gutters by chasing his burning desire for more: more opportunities, more choices. For everyone. Now as a member of Parliament, Gideon’s on the cusp of securing the votes he needs to put forth a measure to abolish the Atlantic slave trade once and for all–a cause that is close to his heart as the grandson of a formerly enslaved woman. The charmingly vexing Ana María is a distraction he must ignore.
But when Ana María finds herself in the crosshairs of a nefarious nobleman with his own political agenda, Gideon knows he must offer his hand as protection…but will this Mexican heiress win his heart as well?
3. Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens
Page Length: 336
Publication Date: April 4, 2023
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Synopsis: Two rival apprentice sorcerers must team up to save their teachers and protect their own magic in this lively young adult romantic adventure from the New York Times bestselling author of In Deeper Waters and So This Is Ever After.
Edison Rooker isn’t sure what to expect when he enters the office of Antonia Hex, the powerful sorceress who runs a call center for magical emergencies. He doesn’t have much experience with hexes or curses. Heck, he doesn’t even have magic. But he does have a plan—to regain the access to the magical world he lost when his grandmother passed.
Antonia is…intimidating, but she gives him a job and a new name—Rook—both of which he’s happy to accept. Now all Rook has to do is keep his Spell Binder, an illegal magical detection device, hidden from the Magical Consortium. And contend with Sun, the grumpy and annoyingly cute apprentice to Antonia’s rival colleague, Fable. But dealing with competition isn’t so bad; as Sun seems to pop up more and more, and Rook minds less and less.
But when the Consortium gets wind of Rook’s Spell Binder, they come for Antonia. All alone, Rook runs to the only other magical person he knows: Sun. Except Fable has also been attacked, and now Rook and Sun have no choice but to work together to get their mentors back…or face losing their magic forever.
4. Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
Page Length: 400
Publication Date: April 11, 2023
Publisher: Forever
Synopsis: Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin’-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass” scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter.
And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet,” and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable—a kidney for her brother—she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor . . . especially when he calls in a favor she can’t refuse.
5. The Stolen Throne by Abigail Owen
Series: Dominions #2
Page Length: 460
Publication Date: May 2, 2023
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Synopsis: My twin sister is the true queen of Aryd. She survives, hiding and clinging to life in the desert, while I reign as the false queen alongside the monstrous King Eidolon. There’s only one escape from this gilded prison: Reven. My Shadowraith. My heart. Only the shadows that he struggles to control are growing more sinister, more powerful.
It’s just a matter of time before they turn on him…and on me.
Even escape doesn’t mean true freedom, though, when we’re still on the run from Eidolon’s unstoppable armies. And when we discover there’s a traitor among us, I have no choice…I must become the queen I was never meant to be.
Because as one evil hunts me, the other loves me more than himself.
And my fate lies with both.
6. Love and Other Flight Delays by Denise Williams
Page Length: 432
Publication Date: March 14, 2023
Publisher: Berkley Books
Synopsis: Love takes flight in a collection of sexy, fun novellas all set at the airport from the acclaimed author of The Fastest Way to Fall.
The Love Connection
An airport pet groomer meets her frequent-flier crush and finds herself in a fake-dating situation with a professional risk assessor who moonlights as a romance author.
The Missed Connection
Two strangers share a romantic night only to discover months later that they’re professional rivals about to embark on an extended business trip together in this grumpy-meets-sunshine romance.
The Sweetest Connection
Two best friends have one week to return a lost love letter found in a candy store at the airport–and work up the courage to confess the deep feelings between them–before one of them leaves the country.
7. Murder in Postscript by Mary Winters
Page Length: 320
Publication Date: March 28, 2023
Publisher: Berkley Books
Synopsis: When one of her readers asks for advice following a suspected murder, Victorian countess Amelia Amesbury, who secretly pens the popular Lady Agony column, has no choice but to investigate in this first book in a charming new historical mystery series.
Amelia Amesbury–widow, mother, and countess–has a secret. Amelia writes for a London penny paper, doling out advice on fashion, relationships, and manners under the pen name Lady Agony. But when a lady’s maid writes Amelia to ask for advice when she believes her mistress has been murdered–and then ends up a victim herself–Amelia is determined to solve the case.
With the help of her best friend and a handsome marquis, Amelia begins to piece together the puzzle, but as each new thread of inquiry ends with a different suspect, the investigation grows ever more daunting. From London’s docks and ballrooms to grand country houses, Amelia tracks a killer, putting her reputation–and her life–on the line.
8. Royal Rebel by Heather Frost
Series: Fate of Eryinthia #4
Publication Date: April 21, 2023
Synopsis: A PRINCE fighting to save a princess
A SERJAH torn between duty and desire
A PRINCESS willing to sacrifice everything
A DECOY with nothing to lose
A WORLD about to be torn apart
After his father’s latest punishment, Grayson isn’t at his full strength. Trapped in Ryden and surrounded by enemies, he knows escaping with Mia will be more complicated than anticipated. Tyrell is determined to claim Mia for himself, and Henri’s plans for the rest of Eyrinthia are more horrific than Grayson ever imagined. Despite the increased danger, he and Mia must return to Mortise and warn Desfan of what’s coming—even though it may already be too late.
In Mortise, the palace is still reeling from the brutal attack that left many dead and even more wounded. Regardless of the chaos, Desfan is determined to continue with his coronation. As serjan, he hopes to bring stability to his country and solidify the peace with Devendra. But things in Eyrinthia are always complicated. When Prince Liam reveals they may be facing dangers from old enemies, Desfan will have to decide what kind of ruler he will be.
Devastating news from home has left Clare broken. Despite her heartache, she must once again be Serene’s decoy when a terrifying report sends the princess on an unexpected mission to Zennor. Left at the palace, Clare helps Desfan build trust with the elite in Mortise while guarding a treasonous secret. Because as her grief transforms into a burning desire for vengeance, she is finally ready to embrace a new role—rebel.
Eyrinthia is consumed by uncertainty. Duty. Desire. Sacrifice. Every rebellion has its cost.
9. Saint by Adrienne Young
Series: Fable #0
Page Length: 336
Publication Date: Nov. 29, 2022
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Synopsis: As a boy, Elias learned the hard way what happens when you don’t heed the old tales.
Nine years after his lack of superstition got his father killed, he’s grown into a young man of piety, with a deep reverence for the hallowed sea and her fickle favor. As stories of the fisherman’s son who has managed to escape the most deadly of storms spreads from port to port, his devotion to the myths and creeds has given him the reputation of the luckiest bastard to sail the Narrows.
Now, he’s mere days away from getting everything his father ever dreamed for him: a ship of his own, a crew, and a license that names him as one of the first Narrows-born traders. But when a young dredger from the Unnamed Sea with more than one secret crosses his path, Elias’ faith will be tested like never before. The greater the pull he feels toward her, the farther he drifts from the things he’s spent the last three years working for.
He is dangerously close to repeating his mistakes and he’s seen first hand how vicious the jealous sea can be. If he’s going to survive her retribution, he will have to decide which he wants more, the love of the girl who could change their shifting world, or the sacred beliefs that earned him the name that he’s known for―Saint.
10. Last Violent Call by Chloe Gong
Page Length: 240
Publication Date: Feb. 28, 2023
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Synopsis: From #1 New York Times bestselling author Chloe Gong comes two captivating new novellas surrounding the events of Foul Lady Fortune and following a familiar cast of characters from the These Violent Delights Duet!
In A Foul Thing, Roma and Juliette have established themselves as the heads of an underground weapons ring in Zhouzhuang, making a living the way they do best while remaining anonymous in their peaceful, quiet life. But when they hear about several Russian girls showing up dead in nearby towns, they decide to investigate—and ultimately discover that this mystery is much closer to home than they ever imagined.
In This Foul Murder, Benedikt and Marshall have been summoned by Roma to find the elusive scientist, Lourens, and bring him to Zhouzhuang. Time is of the essence aboard the week-long Trans-Siberian Express, but when someone is murdered on board, Benedikt and Marshall convince the officer in charge not to stop the train so that they aren’t thrown off-schedule. Instead, they pretend that they are investigators and promise they can solve the murder, but as they dig deeper, they realize that the murder might having surprising ties to their own mission…
Are any of these on your spring TBR? What do you plan on reading? Comment below!
Happy reading!
My TTT: https://laurieisreading.com/2023/03/14/top-ten-tuesday-books-i-hope-to-read-in-spring-2023/
I have Saint too and I really want to find time to read it. Hope we both enjoy it!
Me too. It sounds great!
I haven’t read any of these, but The Stolen Throne look super interesting! Good luck!
Thanks, Jordyn! 🙂
Ana María and the Fox is definitely on mine! I hope you enjoy these.
Thanks, Joanna! It sonds like a good one!
I am really looking forward to picking up a lot of these. Hope you love them all!
Thanks, Ali. You too!
#4 is on my list today, too. I hope we both love it.
This is a great list and several are on m TBR too. Hope we both love The Bone Shard War 😃
Ahhh – It sounds amazing!!
Yay, for Saint! You’ll be able to knock that off the list soon!! I am so excited for Bone Shard War!! Great list.
Thanks, Leslie! Excited for our buddy reads!
me too!!!
These look great! Hope you get to read all of these!
Thanks, Yolanda!
I really like the sound of Spell Bound and I love the cover of it!
Isn’t it gorgeous? I just started the book today, but I didn’t get too far yet.
Great list!! I have The Bone Shard War on my tbr too! And im so excited for Last Violent call!!
they both sound amazing! I hope you enjoy them 🙂
They do! Thank you! 😀
Can’t believe I forgot to add our buddy reads to my list! I’m so excited for Saint and Royal Rebel (I also love that cover)! 😍 So many others on here look great, too. I hope you enjoy all these books, Julie!
Thanks, Dini! I’m looking forward to our buddy reads! 🙂
Ooooh I’ve recently finished Bone Shard War and it was such a good ending to the series, so I hope you love it. Also intrigued to see what you think of Saint, I’ve been debating picking it up for a while.
Ahhhhh! I’m a little over 100 pages into BSW, and I’m loving it! The whole series is brilliant. 🙂
Definitely excited to read more of F.T. Lukens!
Yes!! Me too 🙂
Oh my goodness! What a great list of books! I have added Last Violent Call, Saint and Murder in Postscript to my TBR pile. So happy I found your blog. I am on a mystery/thriller binge after reading “On the Sly: A Sylvia Wilson Mystery” by Wendy Koenig (have you heard of her?). The next book in the series isn’t out yet so I am on the hunt for other books with a similar feel to help me “wait patiently.” lol. On The Sly was a fast-paced whodunnit and I can confidently say it’s a must read for any mystery or thriller fan (and it has a strong female lead which is a win-win-win for me!). Sylvia is the owner of the bar, Smugglers, and the book starts with her discovery of a dead body blocking the front door. After calling her brother, a detective, and the police, she wants this to be taken care of as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, with little evidence and no signs of a break-in or anything being stolen the focus is on her as she is the only person who knows the alarm code. Sylvia decides to take on the case herself and the killer makes it clear that she needs to stop before someone she cares about gets hurt. Loved this book very much and Sylvia’s snarky attitude made her a fun and likable character.
Here is the author’s website if you decide you need a new book for the spring or summer – https://wendylkoenig.com/
Thanks again for the recommendations!