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, the topic is Book Covers with Fall Vibes, which makes me think of covers with oranges, reds, browns, or maybe some Halloween elements. Let’s see what I found!
1. The Forest King’s Daughter
Author: Elly Blake
Series: Thistlewood #1
Page Length: 384
Pub. Date: Feb. 11, 2025
Synopsis: Once upon a time, among the bloodred trees of Thirstwood, a young forest princess became friends with a lonely demon boy. He gifted her an amber ring, a worthless trinket…or so he thought…because no sooner did he slide it onto her finger than the demon queen and forest king declared war.
Years later, Cassia is a crucial force in her father’s army, wielding her ring of light that can blind and disorient hundreds of demons at a time. Then battle-hardened Zeru abducts her, planning to steal the ring back to fix his costly childhood mistake. Exhausted, terrified, and more than a little mistrusting, Cassia is forced to travel with Zeru to a place they both believed only existed in storybooks, one where their childhood friendship slowly rekindles into something much more. But it’s only a matter of time before the war they’ve escaped comes for them, and a hidden threat to forest folk and demons alike grows in the shadows.
From the author of the Frostblood Saga comes the first book in an enchanting, adventure-filled fantasy series about the daughters of the powerful forest king, sure to leave readers breathless and desperate for more.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
2. How to Fall for a Scoundrel
Author: Kate Bateman
Series: Her Majesty’s Rebels #2
Page Length: 304
Publication Date: Aug. 20, 2024
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Synopsis: Two unlikely allies team up to solve a case in this novel filled with Kate Bateman’s signature sparkling voice, exciting adventures, and steamy chemistry.
As a founding member of King & Co., London’s most successful private investigation firm, studious Eleanor Law delights in secretly proving that women can solve crimes just as well as men. When a charming con man pretends to be her fictional boss, “Charles King,” Ellie knows he’s lying, but accepting the scoundrel’s offer of help might just be the key to cracking her new case and recovering a priceless manuscript.
“Henri Bonheur”—or “Harry” as he asks to be called—claims his criminal past is behind him, but a man who steals and seduces with such consummate ease can never be trusted. As the investigation draws them deeper into danger and desire, Ellie’s infuriated to realize she’s developed feelings for her law-breaking accomplice. How can she love the scoundrel when she doesn’t even know his real name? And what will happen when Harry’s past finally catches up with him?
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
3. A Governess Should Never… Lure a Spy
Author: Emily Windsor
Series: The Governess Chronicles
Page Length: 300
Publication Date: April 11, 2024
Synopsis: “So tell me, Miss Jones, why should I employ you as governess?”
A question to rouse fear within the breast of any prospective governess, unless…she wasn’t a governess at all.
Yet Amelia must gain this position by whatever means necessary, for this gentleman, dubbed The Scandalous Hugh Cadwalader by fashionable society, is not all he seems. Behind the elegant finery and azure eyes is a dangerous warrior of a man, a tenacious spy for the Crown.
One who might just have turned traitor…
“Just one more question, if I may…”
With her perfect references and perfect demureness, Miss Jones appears…perfect.
Feminine guidance and distraction are required for his inquisitive ward while Hugh Cadwalader is on the trail of a traitor in the alleys of London’s Rookery.
But can such perfection be all it seems? And was that a glimpse of golden fire within those amber eyes?
The Dangerous Spy and… The More Dangerous Governess.
One should never judge a governess by her perfectly forged references or a spy by his unblemished Hessian boots, for behind both facades lay passion untamed, subterfuge unbound and a quest for justice.
A battle of wits with only one winner… Love.
With theatres of glister and glamour, nights of shadow and menace, hairpins of poison, and being pressed to a desk by a shirtless masculine chest, the vocation of governess has never been so perilous…to the heart.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
4. The Duke’s Dark Secret
Author: Courtney McCaskill
Series: The Astley Chronicles
Page Length: 340
Publication Date: Nov. 9, 2023
Publisher: Hazel Grove Books
Synopsis: Secrets, Lies, and a Lock Ever since her father’s unexpected death, Cecilia Chenoweth has felt like the heroine of a bad Gothic novel. In addition to leaving her alone and destitute, her father made a deathbed confession that it was no mere fever that took her mother’s life some twenty years ago. Then he pressed a sinister key into her hands, bidding her to go forth and uncover the truth. If only she knew where to find the lock that will open to the mysterious key…
Cold, Bold, and Dangerous to Know There is one man who recognizes the black key bearing the emblem of a Marcus Latimer, the newly minted Duke of Trevissick. Now that his abusive father is rotting in hell where he belongs, Marcus is eager for his life to stop resembling a bad Gothic novel. No one would ever have thought to pair the dangerously handsome duke with the meek little rector’s daughter. But as he helps Cecilia on her quest, Marcus discovers a well of passion hiding behind her sloe eyes that may just be a match for his own.
Two Hearts on a Perilous Path But Cecilia’s search for the truth about her mother’s death unearths dark secrets from Marcus’s past, secrets that will destroy the new life he has built for his beloved sister and condemn one of the few people he cares about to death. What will he do when he is forced to choose between loyalty… and love?
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
5. Haunted Ever After
Author: Jen Deluca
Series: Boneyard Key #1
Page Length: 352
Publication Date: Aug. 13, ,2024
Publisher: Berkley
Synopsis: It’s love at first haunting in a seaside town that raises everyone’s spirits.
Small Florida coastal towns often find themselves scrambling for the tourism dollars that the Orlando theme parks leave behind. And within the town limits of Boneyard Key, the residents decided long ago to lean into its ghostliness. Nick Royer, owner of the Hallowed Grounds coffee shop, embraces the ghost tourism that keeps the local economy afloat, as well as his spectral roommate. At least he doesn’t have to run air-conditioning.
Cassie Rutherford possibly overreacted to all her friends getting married and having kids by leaving Orlando and buying a flipped historic cottage in Boneyard Key. Though there’s something unusual with her new home (her laptop won’t charge in any outlets, and the poetry magnets on her fridge definitely didn’t read “WRONG” and “MY HOUSE” when she put them up), she’s charmed by the colorful history surrounding her. And she’s catching a certain vibe from the grumpy coffee shop owner whenever he slips her a free slice of banana bread along with her coffee order.
As Nick takes her on a ghost tour, sharing town gossip that tourists don’t get to hear, and they spend nights side-by-side looking into the former owners of her haunted cottage, their connection solidifies into something very real and enticing. But Cassie’s worried she’s in too deep with this whole (haunted) home ownership thing…and Nick’s afraid to get too close in case Cassie gets scared away for good.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
6. The Unmaking of June Farrow
Author: Adrienne Young
Page Length: 336
Publication Date: Oct. 17, 2023
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Synopsis: A woman risks everything to end her family’s centuries-old curse, solve her mother’s disappearance, and find love in this mesmerizing novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Spells for Forgetting.
In the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, June Farrow is waiting for fate to find her. The Farrow women are known for their thriving flower farm—and the mysterious curse that has plagued their family line. The whole town remembers the madness that led to Susanna Farrow’s disappearance, leaving June to be raised by her grandmother and haunted by rumors.
It’s been a year since June started seeing and hearing things that weren’t there. Faint wind chimes, a voice calling her name, and a mysterious door appearing out of nowhere—the signs of what June always knew was coming. But June is determined to end the curse once and for all, even if she must sacrifice finding love and having a family of her own.
After her grandmother’s death, June discovers a series of cryptic clues regarding her mother’s decades-old disappearance, except they only lead to more questions. But could the door she once assumed was a hallucination be the answer she’s been searching for? The next time it appears, June realizes she can touch it and walk past the threshold. And when she does, she embarks on a journey that will not only change both the past and the future, but also uncover the lingering mysteries of her small town and entangle her heart in an epic star-crossed love.
With The Unmaking of June Farrow, Adrienne Young delivers a brilliant novel of romance, mystery, and a touch of the impossible—a story you will never forget.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
7. Witchful Thinking
Author: Celestine Martin
Page Length: 352
Publication Date: Sept. 27, 2022
Publisher: Forever
Synopsis: What does a witch do when life’s a bore? You wish for something more.
If wishes were fish, homebody witch Lucy Caraway could open an aquarium and gift shop. When she isn’t grading papers over homemade tea blends, Lucy’s leafing through spellbooks to protect her familial magic from complete mayhem. On the eve of her ten year high school reunion, Lucy yearns for more—the soul mate she’s searching for, the cute cottage she’s coveting, and to be the best version of herself. Fueled by nostalgia and spiced rum, Lucy casts a spell that brings trouble in the form of a big lie and reunites her with her high school crush merman Alex Dwyer.
Like all merfolk, Alex saw the world and all its splendors, destined never to make a home on land. When he’s unexpectedly given a jinxed cottage, he returns to his small hometown of Freya Grove, NJ, determined to get his life on track after a string of bitter disappointments. Alex believes a merman needs a house like a fish needs a bicycle. He plans on flipping it and getting as far away from the Grove as his tail can take him. But once he discovers that his new neighbor is the witch who got away, Alex starts to rethink his plan.
As the spell unfolds, baking disasters, flirtatious tea readings, and midnight meetups spark their decade old chemistry, Lucy and Alex wonder whether their newfound love is strong enough to outlast the fleeting power of a wish.
8. At Home on Marigold Lane
Author: Debbie Mason
Series: Highland Falls #5
Page Length: 351
Publication Date: Sept. 27, 2022
Publisher: Forever
Synopsis: True love deserves a second chance.
For family and marriage therapist Brianna MacLeod, moving back home to Highland Falls after a disastrous divorce feels downright embarrassing. Bri blames herself for missing the red flags in her relationship and worries she’s no longer qualified to do the job she loves. But helping others is second nature to Bri, and she soon finds herself counseling her roommate and her neighbor’s daughter. Bri just wasn’t expecting them to reunite her with her first love . . .
Caleb Scott knows his failed marriage has been tough on his stepdaughter, so he’s grateful she’s found someone to confide in . . . even if it’s Bri MacLeod. Seeing Bri brings up feelings he’d thought were long buried. He knows it’s not the right time for either of them to be rekindling a relationship, but being with Bri feels right—like coming home. He’ll just have to convince her that risking her heart again might give them exactly what they both need . . . a second chance.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
9. Red Velvet
Author: Carla Luna
Series: Blackwood Cellars #2
Synopsis: Faking it has never been so much fun…
In her ultra-competitive family, April Beckett is used to taking last place. For years, she’s put up with jabs about her modest job and her pathetic love life. Especially after she tried to impress her older sisters with a fake boyfriend in college and failed miserably. But now she has a smoking-hot date for her brother’s wedding, guaranteed to wow them.
Until he bails. Cue total desperation.
Without April’s friendship, Brody Blackwood wouldn’t have survived his last breakup. So, if she needs a plus-one for a family wedding, he’s all in. Even if it means pretending to be her boyfriend. And committing to six days of activities at a wooded resort in Wisconsin. But how hard could a relaxing getaway with your best friend be?
Too bad there’s a grueling 10K race and a cutthroat trivia night to endure. Not to mention a massive secret to protect. But will the biggest secret of all turn out to be that this fake relationship feels more real than April or Brody ever imagined?
10. At Midnight
Author: Various
Page Length: 496
Publication Date: Nov. 22, 2022
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Synopsis: Fairy tales have been spun for thousands of years and remain among our most treasured stories. Weaving fresh tales with unexpected reimaginings, At Midnight brings together a diverse group of acclaimed YA writers to breathe new life into a storied tradition.
Fifteen celebrated authors reclaim classic fairy tales for a new generation:
Dahlia Adler, “Rumplestiltskin”
Tracy Deonn, “The Nightingale”
H.E. Edgmon, “Snow White”
Hafsah Faizal, “Little Red Riding Hood”
Stacey Lee, “The Little Matchstick Girl”
Roselle Lim, “Hansel and Gretel”
Darcie Little Badger, “Puss in Boots”
Malinda Lo, “Frau Trude”
Alex London, “Cinderella”
Anna-Marie McLemore, “The Nutcracker”
Rebecca Podos, “The Robber Bridegroom”
Rory Power, “Sleeping Beauty”
Meredith Russo, “The Little Mermaid”
Gita Trelease, “Fitcher’s Bird”
and an all-new fairy tale by Melissa Albert
Can you think of any book covers with fall vibes? Comment below!
I need to read Haunted Ever After
Great picks! I totally forgot about Forest King’s Daughter and Haunted Ever After but those really scream autumn (especially the former)! 😍🍂
Nice picks!
Great choices! Love the autumn colors and leaves!
All of these scream Autumn/Fall to me. Great choices, Julie.