Happy Monday! Is it just me or did July pass in the blink of an eye? We had a super busy month with my daughter in a two week tournament out of state. She did really well, and I’m very proud of her. We also went to the movies a couple times, the most recent being Barbie last week. We all dressed in pink and had a lot of fun.
Now, with August upon us, it’s time to take a look at some upcoming book releases that I’m excited about. Let’s check them out!
Aug. 1st: Change of Plans
Author: Dylan Newton
Page Length: 368
Publication Date: Aug. 1, 2023
Publisher: Forever
Synopsis: When disaster strikes and chef Bryce Weatherford is given guardianship of her three young nieces, her life goes from cooking with fire…to controlling a dumpster fire. Five‑year‑old Addison refuses to remove her fairy wings, eight‑year‑old Cecily won’t bathe, and tween June is majoring in belligerence. With all this chaos, Bryce jettisons hope for a life outside of managing her family and her new job.
It’s been years since Ryker Matthews had his below‑the‑knee amputation, yet the phantom pain for his lost limb and Marine career haunts him. To cope, he focuses on his vehicle restoration business. He knows he’s lucky to be alive. Yet, “lucky” feels more like “cursed” to his lonely heart.
When Ryker literally sweeps Bryce off her feet in the grocery store’s baby aisle, they both feel sparks. But falling in love would be one more curveball neither is ready to deal with… or is it exactly the change of plans they need?
Aug. 1st: The Roommate Pact
Author: Allison Ashley
Page Length: 400
Publication Date: Aug. 1, 2023
Publisher: Mira
Synopsis: All of the fun, none of the heartache…as long as they stick to the agreement.
The proposition is simple: if ER nurse Claire Harper and her roommate, firefighter Graham Scott, are still single by the time they’re forty, they’ll take the proverbial plunge together…as friends with benefits. Maybe it’s the wine, but in the moment, Claire figures the pact is a safe-enough deal, considering she hasn’t had much luck in love and he’s in no rush to settle down. Like, at all. Besides, there’s no way she could ever really fall for Graham and his thrill-seeking ways. Not after what happened to her father…
Just as things begin to heat up way before the proposed deadline, Graham’s injured in a serious rock-climbing accident—and he needs Claire’s help to heal. She’ll do whatever it takes to nurse him back to health…even if it means moving into Graham’s bed and putting up with his little dog who hates her. But with this no-strings arrangement taking a complicated turn, keeping “for now” from turning into “forever” isn’t as easy as they’d planned.
Aug. 1st: The Art of Love and Lies
Author: Rebecca Anderson
Page Length: 288
Publication Date: Aug. 1, 2023
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Synopsis: Manchester, England, 1857
Rosanna Hawkins is one of Manchester’s finest artists, even though no one knows her name. She reproduces “parlor versions” of classic masterpieces with near-perfect precision, which her employer then sells to the emerging upper-middle class families of Manchester.
When the largest art exhibition ever to be held in Manchester opens, Rosanna attends, excited by the chance to sketch such famous works. When she meets the handsome Detective Martin Harrison, who is head of security for the exhibition, she is immediately intrigued by his charm, confidence, and canvas-worthy good looks. The two spend many a flirtatious afternoon exploring the exhibition hall, discussing art and sharing their secret hopes. Rosanna dreams of painting something original and meaningful, and Martin hopes to one day shed the shadow of his father’s notorious past.
The couple’s blossoming summer romance takes a strange turn when Rosanna recognizes her own works on display in the exhibition hall. Someone is stealing paintings and replacing them with her parlor version reproductions. When the evidence casts suspicion on her, Rosanna must convince Detective Harrison of her innocence and proposes a plan to capture the real art thief.
It is a daring race to catch the criminal before he disappears with the most priceless piece in the collection—Michelangelo’s Manchester Madonna. If Rosanna and Detective Harrison fail, not only will the painting be lost forever but so will their chance to rekindle their romance and paint their own happily ever after.
Aug. 1st: Bring Me Your Midnight
Author: Rachel Griffin
Page Length: 329
Publication Date: Aug. 1, 2023
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Synopsis: 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.
Aug. 22nd: Foxglove
Series: Belladonna #2
Page Length: 400
Publication Date: Aug. 22, 2023
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Synopsis: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 Signa and Death’s story is as utterly romantic as it is perfectly deadly.
Aug. 22nd: Duke Seeks Bride
Author: Christy Carlyle
Series: Love on Holiday #3
Page Length: 368
Publication Date: Aug. 22, 2023
Publisher: Avon
Synopsis: 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.
Aug. 22nd: The Highlander’s Kilted Bride
Author: Vanessa Kelly
Series: Clan Kendrick #6
Page Length: 352
Publication Date: Aug. 22, 2023
Publisher: Zebra
Synopsis: 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 . . .
Aug. 23rd: A Highland Rogue to Ruin
Author: E. Elizabeth Watson
Page Length: 400
Publication Date: Aug. 23, 2023
Publisher: Entangled Pub.
Synopsis: Known as the “Demon of the Seas,” Tormund MacLeod only wants vengeance for his brother’s murder. At this year’s Lughnasadh festival, the vicious and unyielding Laird of the powerful MacDonald clan will know the bite of his sword. But the festival offers many distractions—including a fair and bonny masked vixen whose touch disarms Tormund, body and soul. And och, like the cursed MacLeod he is, he wants what he shouldn’t have…Lady Brighde MacDonald might understand her brother’s overprotectiveness—but she doesn’t have to like it. What she needs is the reckless freedom in the arms of an imposing, rough, and sweet-talking Highlander. Only too late, they both recognize that they’re enemies. She’s the sister of the man Tormund wants dead. And he is the brutish blackguard of the clans…Now their tryst could mean war. Brighde would see a truce, but it means she must convince her brother and the man she loves to lay down their swords. But Tormund hides a long-buried secret that could destroy both clans.
Aug. 29th: A Multitude of Dreams
Author: Mara Rutherford
Page Length: 384
Publication Date: Aug. 29, 2023
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Synopsis: The bloody plague is finally past, but what fresh horror lies in its wake?
Princess Imogen of Goslind has lived a sheltered life for three years at the boarded-up castle—she and the rest of its inhabitants safe from the bloody mori roja plague that’s ravaged the kingdom. But Princess Imogen has a secret, and as King Stuart descends further into madness, it’s at great risk of being revealed. Rations dwindle each day, and unhappy murmurings threaten to crack the facade of the years-long charade being played within the castle walls.
Nico Mott once enjoyed a comfortable life of status, but the plague took everyone and everything from him. If not for the generosity of a nearby lord, Nico may not have survived the mori roja’s aftermath. But does owing Lord Crane his life mean he owes him his silence?
When Lord Crane sends Nico to search for more plague survivors in the castle, Nico collides with a princess who wants to break out. They will each have to navigate the web of lies they’ve woven if they’re going to survive the nightmares that lie ahead.
Aug. 31st: The Phoenix King
Author: Aparna Verma
Series: The Ravence Trilogy #1
Page Length: 601
Publication Date: Aug. 31, 2023
Publisher: Orbit
Synopsis: In a kingdom where flames hold magic and the desert hides secrets, an ancient prophecy comes for an assassin, a princess, and a king. But none are ready to face destiny—and the choices they make could burn the world.
“If we carry the burdens of our fathers, we’ll never know what it means to be free.”
For Elena Aadya Ravence, fire is yearning. She longs to feel worthy of her Phoenix god, of her ancestors who transformed the barren dunes of Sayon into a thriving kingdom. But though she knows the ways and wiles of the desert better than she knows her own skin, the secrets of the Eternal Flame elude her. And without them, she’ll never be accepted as queen.
For Leo Malhari Ravence, fire is control. He is not ready to give up his crown—there’s still too much work to be done to ensure his legacy remains untarnished, his family protected. But power comes with a price, and he’ll wage war with the heavens themselves to keep from paying it.
For Yassen Knight, fire is redemption. He dreams of shedding his past as one of Sayon’s most deadly assassins, of laying to rest the ghosts of those he has lost. If joining the court of flame and serving the royal Ravence family—the very people he once swore to eliminate—will earn him that, he’ll do it no matter what they ask of him.
But the Phoenix watches over all and the fire has a will of its own. It will come for all three, will come for Sayon itself….and they must either find a way to withstand the blaze or burn to ash.
Are you looking forward to any of these? What other books are on your radar? Comment below!
I can’t wait to get my copy of Foxglove!
Ahhhh – me too!!!
Not anticipating anything in August- still waiting for October for Silverborn
I’m so excited for Foxglove! This is the first time I’ve seen this cover though and it’s gorgeous. 😍 After reading your review I’m also looking forward to trying Change of Plans. I hope you enjoy all these books!
Thanks, Dini! I hope you love Change of Plans. It was one of my favorites last month.
I hope you love all of these! There are a lot of good books releasing in August!
Thanks! There are, and September has a bunch too!
Change of Plans was such a lovely story.
It really was. I love that author!
I agree, July went so fast! I’m so keen to read Bring Me Your Midnight 🙂
I hope you enjoy it!!
Lots of beautiful covers here. I am looking forward to the new Clan Kendrick book.
Yes! I love that series!