March and April New Releases: Your Spring Book Guide

0:00 Welcome back to Such a Fun Read. I am your host and resident reader Sheree. And here we will be diving in each week to chat about the books we love, the books people just can't stop talking about, and how we deal with being book-a-mucks. I'm excited for today's episode. Today we are going to be talking about some new releases that are coming out in the months of March and April. And I have quite a few books to talk about today. Fifty to be exact. From thrillers to fantasy to heartwarming romances, there is something here for every kind of reader. Plus, this might help you know what books you might want to pre-order or put a hold on at the library. And if there are any books that I don't mention today and you are very excited about them, please let me know. So grab a drink and some snacks and let's talk about books.

1:00 So we'll start with the fantasy releases first. First up we have The Stricken by Morgan Shammy. And this releases on March 5th. Every day in Clara's world, a dark cloud descends upon her town. The storm comes like clockwork erasing everyone's memories. Everyone except Clara. But after Clara's father mysteriously disappears, things change. The Diviners, captives souls who feed off memories come for her. With the help of a mysterious figure, Clara escapes the Diviners and flees to Calum, a city in a parallel world where she hopes to find refuge.

1:45 There Clara discovers that she is a noble, one of the few people to have knowledge of both worlds along with the ability to venture between the two. Forced to live the noble life, Clara goes to school with peers who want her dead. Meanwhile, a rare and dangerous power begins to stir inside of her. The power of death. And it grows until she's not sure if she can control it. When the Diviners break through the city's defense and students begin to turn up brain dead, Clara must find a way to harness her newfound power in order to stop the attacks before the city and her mind is wiped clean. So this is like fantasy meets dark academia and it sounds intriguing. Next we have the Enchantress Daughter by Melissa de la Cruz and that also releases on March 5th. MJ Rodriguez has spent her life hiding in the human world, keeping a heavy secret. She's a half Encanto, as the only child of King Vivencio of this Serena court. She's also next in line for the throne and now upon her estranged father's sudden death, MJ must claim her place as rightful heir. In wondrous Berenjen, the road to the throne is paved with thorns. Without a reigning monarch, the realm has spiraled into disarray. MJ has to win over a backstabbing council that objects to a half human ruler. And when it looks like her father's passing wasn't natural, but

3:17 possibly infected by a curse, she must hunt down the sorceress behind this merciless magic. In a bind, MJ forges an unlikely alliance with the striking Ser Lucas of the feared Sigmund court and soon she loses her heart to mysterious night. But with peril looming over Berenjen, the princess must decide if she can both open herself to love and carry the weight of the crown. So this is a young adult romantic fantasy and it's inspired by Filipino mythology. Next we have Song of the Huntress by Lucy Holland and this releases on March 19th. Britain 60 AD, hoping to save her lover, her land and her people from the Romans, Herla makes a desperate pact with the king of the other world. But years pass unheeded in his realm and she escapes to find everyone she loved long dead. Cursed to wield his blade, she becomes Lord of the Hunt and for centuries she rides leading her immortal warriors and reaping wanderer's souls. Until the night she meets a woman on a bloody battlefield, a Saxon queen with ice blue eyes. Queen Ethelberg of Wexus is a proven fighter, but when she leads her forces to a disaster in battle, her husband's court turns against her. Yet

4:48 King Aine needs Ethel more than ever. Something dark and dangerous is at work in the West Hicks court. His own brother seeks to usurp him and their only hope is the magic in Aine's bloodline that Selene dormant since ancient days. The moment she and Ethel meet, Herla knows it's no coincidence. The dead kings are waking. The other world seeks to rise to bring the people of Britain under its dominion. And as Herla and Ethel grow closer, Herla must find her humanity and a way to break the curse before it's too late. So this author has put the story of Herla and the Wild Hunt into a rich feminist fantasy, telling a story of two great warriors, a war-torn land, and an ancient magic that is slowly awakening. Next we have The Woods All Black by Lee Mandela, and this releases on March 19th. Leslie Bruin is assigned to the Backwoods township of Sparr Creek by the Frontier Nursing Service under its usual mandate. Vaccinate the flock, birth babies, and weather the judgments of churchy locals who look at him and see a failed woman. Forged in the fires of the Western Front and reborn in the cafes of Paris, Leslie believes he can handle whatever is thrown at him. But Sparr Creek holds a darkness beyond his nightmares. Something ugly festers

6:18 within the local congregation, and as malice is focused on a young person they insist is an unruly tomboy who must be brought to heel. Violence is bubbling when Leslie arrives, ready to spill over, and he'll have to act fast if he intends to be of use. But the hills in folding Sparr Creek have a mind of their own, and the woods are haunted in ways Leslie does not understand. So The Woods All Black is equal parts historical horror, trans romance, and a blood soaked revenge, and it's set in the 1920s Appalachia. It explores reproductive justice and bodily autonomy, the terrors of small town religiosity, and the necessity to fighting tooth and claw to live as you truly are.

7:06 Next we have The Revenant Games by Margie Fuston. Blood is survival for 17-year-old Bly, who lives in the poverty stricken human villages caught between enemy vampire and witch kingdoms. Most of the time vampires and witches live in uneasy truths, buying human blood for their food and spells. But for two weeks a year the ceasefire dissolves and they hold The Revenant Games. Any human can play in the games for either the witches or the vampires. Alongside life changing riches, the witches will raise one person from the dead for whoever captures the highest ranking vampire. In turn, the vampires offer immortality to whoever captures the most powerful witch. For most humans, the games are a ticket out of poverty.

7:55 For Bly, it's a chance to get back her dead sister Elise and save the life of her dying best friend Emerson. Together she and Emerson forge a dangerous plan to play both sides and win both prizes. Resurrection for Elise and immortality for Emerson. But when the vampire they capture stirs a passion in Bly that she hasn't felt in a long time, she'll have to make a choice. Her sister or the boy who's shown her there's more to life than just survival. Next we have The Blood Carver by Vanessa Lee. And this also releases on March 19th. Nika is a blood carver. A cold hearted, ruthless being who can alter human biology with just a touch. In the harsh industrial city of Thumus, she is seen not as a healer as she was meant to, but a monster that kills for pleasure. And in the city's criminal underbelly, the rares and monsters are traded for gold. When Nika is finally caught by the infamous butchers, she's auctioned off to the highest bidder. A mysterious girl garbed in white. But this strange buyer doesn't want to use Nika as an assassin or a trophy piece. She intends to use Nika's blood carving to heal the last person who saw her father's killer. As Nika delves into the investigation amid Thumus' wealthiest and most powerful, all signs point to Vin Kochen. An alluring yet entitled physician's aide, intent on casting her out of his opulent

9:28 world. But despite his relentless attempts to push her away, something inescapable draws Nika to him. When she discovers Kochen is not who he claims to be, Nika must face a greater more terrifying evil, turning her quest for justice into a fight for her life. Her only chance to survive lies in a terrible choice, become the dreaded monster the city fears or risk destroying herself and the future of her kind. This is set in a Vietnam inspired fantasy world and it also has a medical magic system, which intrigues me. Next we have the Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Wan. In 4 BCE, playboy administrator Dong Xian catches the eye of Emperor. In 1740, innkeeper He Shishan is seduced by strange visitor Wan Julan. And at a circuit party in modern day LA, pre-med student River ends up in the arms of aspiring artist Joey. Though seemingly disconnected, the couples are actually living one epic romance constantly repeated across two millennia. Soulmates in a sense, their romances are nevertheless doomed, rooted in one of the greatest historically true love stories never told. Their curse began with Emperor Ai and his male lover Dong Xian's

10:58 obsessive and destructive relationship that led to their deaths in the fall of the Han dynasty. As the romance reincarnates, the couple begins to remember and has the opportunity to recover one powerful artifact that might be able to break their tragic cycle. A sweeping supernatural romance, Endless Palace is a story of folklore and tradition, of danger and betrayal, of lust and ultimately eternal love. From ancient China to modern Los Angeles, it takes us on three distinct timelines that weave together into one shocking climax. Next we have The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste and this releases on March 26. In a country divided by humans and witchers, Venus Stoneheart hustles as a brewer making illegal love potions to support her family. Love potions is a dangerous business. Brewing has painful debilitating side effects and getting caught means death or a prison sentence. But what Venus is most afraid of is the dark sentient magic within her. Then an enemy's iron bullet kills her mother. Venus's life implodes, keeping her reckless little sister Janice safe is now her responsibility. When the powerful Grand Witcher, the ruthless head of her coven, offers Venus the chance to punish her mother's killer, she has to pay a steep price for revenge.

12:30 The cause brew poisonous potions to enslave DC's most influential politician. As Venus crawls deeper into the corrupt underbelly of her city, the line between magic and power blurs and it's hard to tell who to trust, herself included. So The Poisons We Drink is set in a world where love potions are weaponized against hate and prejudice, sisterhood is unbreakable and self love is life and death. Next we have Book, Beasts and Crow by Elizabeth Byrne. And this releases on March 12. In a small New Jersey town, a group of teens face catastrophic world bending consequences after their friend gets bitten by the town's most feared creature. Anna Kellogg has always felt different. Growing up in Hartwood, New Jersey, her frequent disappearances are attributed to an urban legend like Beast that dwells in the Walden swamp at the center of town. Since she was a child, she's been plagued by episodes where she sees things others can't. Feeling different is one thing, but actually being different is another. If it weren't for her best friend Olivia, Anna's not sure where she'd fit in. But any hopes of having a normal senior year come to a halt when Olivia is attacked in the woods, bitten and left for dead by a whirling cyclone of claws, fur and teeth. Though Olivia survives, a sinister entity makes it clear and the myth is set

14:04 in motion, a catastrophic shift that would change Anna and her friends lives forever. And this one has dashes of mythology, fantasy and suspense. Next up we have The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo and this releases on April 9th. In a shabby house on a shabby street in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Catado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a school yet. But when her scheming mistress discovers a lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles. She demands Luzia use those gifts to improve the family's social position. What begins as simple amusement for the ability takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Perez, the disgraced secretary to Spain's king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England's heretic queen and Perez will stop at nothing to regain the king's favor. Determined to seize the one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the lines between magic, science and fraud are never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so is the danger that her Jewish blood will do more to the Inquisition's wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive, even if that means

15:37 enlisting the help of Gullian Santangelo, an embittered and mortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both. And I'm pretty sure this one is very highly anticipated by a lot of people since Leigh Bardugo is a very popular author. I'm pretty sure I'll pick it up at some point as well. And next up we have the smoke that thunders by Aru Kome. In this mesmerizing fantasy rooted in Harobo and West African folklore, 16 year old Nibari longs for a life away from her small traditional clan in Kokore. But as a rite of passage approaches and she is betrothed to an arrogant young man, Nibari feels her dreams slipping away from her. Then Nibari becomes bonded to a mysterious animal and begins having harrowing visions of a kidnapped boy. She soon meets Atai, the son of an oracle from a rival queendom and learns that she is being guided by the gods. She and Atai, along with Nibari's eager for adventure cousin, Tumunor set off across the continent to rescue the mysterious boy. But when they find him and find out his true identity, Nibari realizes there is more than just her freedom at stake. She must stop a war that has already been set in motion. With lush unique world building and a dynamic cast of characters, the smoke that thunders is a gripping story of political intrigue, fierce love and what it means to be free. Next up we have to gaze upon wicked gods by Molly X Chan and this

17:14 releases on April 16. Heroes die, cowards live. Daughter of a conquered world, Ruin hates the invaders who descended from the heavens long before she was born and defeated the magic of her people with technologies unlike anything her world has ever seen. Blessed by death, born with the ability to pull the life right out of mortal bodies, Ruin shouldn't have to fear these foreign invaders, but she does, especially because she wants to keep herself and her family safe. When Ruin's gift is discovered by an enemy prince, he offers her an impossible deal. If she becomes his private assassin and eliminates his political rivals whose deaths he swore would be for the good of both the worlds and would protect our people from further brutalization, her family will never starve or suffer harm again.

18:10 But to accept this bargain, she must use the powers she has always feared, powers that will shave years off of her own existence. Can Ruin trust his prince, whose promises of a better world make her heart ache and whose smiles make her heart beat faster? Are the evils of this agreement really in the service of a much greater good or will she betray her entire nation by protecting those she loves the most? Next up we have Dragon Rider by Taron Mathereau, and this releases on April 23rd. Can an orphan captain learn the secrets of the Dragon Riders to stand up and avenge his people? Jai lives as a royal hostage in the Sabine court, ever since his father Ruin, leader of the Stepfolk, led a failed rebellion and was executed by the very emperor Jai now serves. When the emperor's son and heir is betrothed to Princess Erika of the neighboring Danse Kingdom, she brings with her a dowry, dragons. Endemic to the northern nation, these powerful beasts come in several forms, but mystery surrounds them. Only Danse royalty know the secret to soul bonding with these dangerous beasts to draw on their power and strength. This marriage and the alliance that forms will change them, but conspirators lurk in the shadows and soon the Sabine court is in chaos. With his life in danger, Jai uses the opportunity to

19:45 escape with a Danse handmaiden, Frieda, in a stolen hatchling. Hunted at every turn, he must learn to cultivate magic and become a soul bound warrior if he has any chance of finding safety, seizing his destiny and seeking his revenge. It is the first in a new trilogy and it's all about dragons, so I'll probably pick it up. And the last one in fantasy we have is a letter to the Lumines Deep by Sylvie Cathrill. And this releases on April 23rd. A beautiful discovery outside the window of her underwater home prompts the reclusive E to begin a correspondence with renowned scholar Henry Seale. The letters they share are filled with passion at first for her mutual interests and then inevitably for each other. Together they uncover a mystery from the unknown depths destined to transform the underwater world they both equally fear and love. But by no mere coincidence, a sea quake destroys E's home and she and Henry vanish. A year later, E's sister Sophie and Henry's brother Viren are left to solve the mystery piecing together the letters, sketches and field notes left behind and learn what their siblings disappearance might mean for life as they know it. This is a fantasy with underwater world. There's magical academia,

21:18 a pen pal romance. Definitely sounds like something I like to read in the springtime. Okay, now let's move on to some romance releases. You might be surprised I'm adding some romance releases here because romance isn't typically a genre. But lately I've been in the mood to read some romance. So I figured I might as well look up to see what romances are coming out. So let's get into some romances releasing in the months of March and April. First one we have is kilt trip by Alexandra Kylie. And this releases on March 5. Addie McCray has always followed her wonderlust. As a travel consultant, she turned struggling businesses into world class tour groups. Her job comes with a perk of jet setting around the globe, which means never being in one place for too long. Just the way she likes it. Since her mom passed away 10 years ago, and her father never stopped grieving. No place is felt like home anyway. But when she sent on assignments to help a family run tour group in Scotland, the one place she swore she'd never go. Addie has to shed her emotional baggage and turn on the professional charm. Logan Sutherland's family business is operating just fine. Thank you very much. The heart of the Highlands was never meant to make the family rich. Rather to teach sightseers to appreciate the beauty of Scotland's hidden gem, which are more captivating than any tourist trap. The last thing Logan wants is some American expert

22:50 pushing outlander themed tours and perpetrating myths about the Loch Ness Monster. And for a travel consultant, Addie oddly doesn't seem interested in learning about the land Logan loves. Equally put off by each other, the new colleagues clash on every company decision. Then Logan discovers Addie does have a personal connection to Scotland. It was her late mother's favorite place. One that now lives on in a handful of faded Polaroids Addie kept from her parents honeymoon. She wants to seek out the places in the pictures, but is worried that she's too late to capture the wonder of following in her mother's footsteps. Logan is convinced he can help Addie get some closure. And the two realize when they agree, they actually work pretty well together. But Addie's contract with the heart is almost up. And the business is still losing money. They can't afford distractions. There's no denying the intense chemistry between Addie and Logan. Besides, how can Addie do her job properly if she hasn't explored all Scotland has to offer? Next up we have This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan. This also releases on March 5. Soledad Barnes has her life all planned out. Because of course she does. She plans, she designs everything. She fixes everything.

24:16 She's a domestic goddess who's never met a party she couldn't host or a charge she couldn't eat. The one with all the answers and the perfect vinaigrette for that summer salad. But none of her very talents can save her when catastrophe strikes. And a life she built with a man who was supposed to be her forever goes poof in the cloud of betrayal and disillusion. But there is no time to pout or sulk or even grieve the life she lost. She's too busy keeping a roof over her daughter's heads and food on the table. And in the process of saving them all, Soledad rediscovers herself. From the ashes of a life burned to the ground, something bold and new can rise. But then an unlikely man enters the picture, the Forbidden One. The one she shouldn't want but can't seem to resist. She's lost it all before and refuses to repeat her mistakes. Can she trust him? Can she trust herself? After all she's lost and found. Can she be brave enough to make room for what could be? Next up we have Lady Charlotte Always Gets Her Man by Violet Marsh. And this also releases on March 5th.

25:29 Lady Charlotte Lovett should have never run away upon discovering her betrothal. But when one has been promised to a man who rumor has it killed his previous two wives, one does what one must. The only thing that can get her out of this engagement is proving that Viscount Holly is as sincere as she thinks he is. And the person who would know best is his very own brother. In many ways, Dr. Matthew Talbot is the exact opposite of his sibling, scholarly shy and shunned by society. But like his brother, he has secrets and he doesn't need Charlotte exposing them in her quest to take down the Viscount. It only seems prudent to help her while keeping her from poking her nose in all of the wrong places.

26:18 But as they put their hearts at risk to grow closer to each other, they are also getting closer to a dangerous confrontation with Holly. Next up we have Happily Never After with Lynn Painter, and this releases on March 12th. Their name, the objectors. Their job, to break off weddings as hired. Their dilemma, they might just be in love with each other. When Sophie Steinbeck finds out just before her wedding that her fiance is cheated yet again, she desperately wants to call it off. But because her future father-in-law is her dad's cutthroat boss, she doesn't want to be the one to do it. Her savior comes in the form of a professional objector whose purpose is to show up at weddings and proclaim the words no couple usually wants to hear at their wedding. I object. During anti-wedding festivities at night, Sophie learns more about Max the objector's job. It makes perfect sense to her. He saves people from wasting their lives from hurting each other. He's a modern day hero, and Sophie wants in. Max and Sophie start working together. The two love cynics going from wedding to wedding and she's having more fun than she's had in ages. Sophie looks forward to every nerve-racking ceremony where she gets to say the lost six souls of the betrothed masses. As they spend more time together, however, they realize their physical chemistry

27:50 is off the charts, leading them to dabble in a little hookup session or two. But it's totally fine because they definitely do not have feelings for each other. Love doesn't exist after all. And then everything changes. A girl in a B hires Sophie to object, but his fiance is a woman who broke Max's heart. As Max wrestles with whether he can be a party to her getting hurt, Sophie grapples with the sudden realization that she may have fallen hard for her partner in crime. Next up we have Flirty Little Secrets by Jessica Lappé and this releases on March 19th. School counselor Lucy Galindo has a secret. Two of her coworkers friends and even family, she's shy, sweet and constantly struggling to hold off disaster, read, manage her anxiety and depression. But online, she's bold, confident and always knows what to say. It's how she's become the wildly popular, the misguided counselor.

28:59 It's also why she keeps her identity anonymous. Her followers would never trust a real Lucy with their problems. History teacher Aldrich Fletcher thought a new job would give him some relief from his drama filled family. Instead, he's dodging his ex girlfriend and pining over his new coworker who only ever seems to see him at his worst. Thankfully, he can count on his online confidence for advice until he discovers the misguided counselor is Lucy. Now Fletcher has a secret too. And while Lucy can't deny there's something between them, she's not sure she can trust him. Can they both find the courage to share the truth and step out from behind their screens? This is being billed as a You've Got Mail meets Abbott Elementary and I love both of those. So gonna have to pick this one up. Next up we have The Wedding Issues by Elle Evans and that is being released on April 2nd. Olivia Liv Fitzgerald's life is on ambition autopilot. The soon to be lawyer has her life plan set and can talk anyone into anything. Well, almost anything. When her scheming aunt throws her cousin Callie into a competition for Southern Charms cover alongside Liv's best friend, Leighton, all hell breaks loose. To save the day, Liv only has to a secure the Southern Charms cover for Leighton, B keep on Charlotte happy and keep Callie's wedding running smoothly.

30:36 C finish her final year of law school and nab a coveted NYC big law job and D went over the guy of her dreams. Easy right? From engagement parties to rehearsal dinners, Liv will be balancing her schemes, dreams and double made of honor duties. Next up we have Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez and this releases on April 2nd. Justin has a curse and thanks to a Reddit thread, it's now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on the find their soulmate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan. They'll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other's outs and they'll both go on to find the love of their lives. It's a bonkers idea and it just might work. Emma had a plan that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota. But she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up. Especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka. It's supposed to be a quick fling just for the summer. But when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they're suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected, including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time fate has actually brought the perfect

32:09 pair together? Actually read one of Abby and Minna's books this year. I believe it was part of your world. I do own yours truly as well. And I'm curious if this is set in the same world as those two. Next up we have Bloodlines by Jen Alexander. And this releases on April 9th. Still reeling from the unexpected loss of her parents, Edie McLean doesn't have time to grieve. She's a fourth generation owner of the McLean Family Coffee Shop, her family's legacy. Unfortunately, this legacy is littered with decades worth of bad business, regrettable purchases and massive debt. The McLean Family motto was always that good coffee is in our blood. But the shop has become an eyesore and a small little customer base isn't enough to keep it afloat. And if Edie doesn't find a way to turn business around quickly, the family's legacy will end with her. As Edie tries to pull all the pieces of her life together, she finds herself drawn to an alluring night shift nurse who stops by for coffee every evening after sunset, while contending with a quirky new roommate who sleeps in an honest to God coffin. When all three worlds collide spectacularly, Edie's eyes are open to a new and untapped market that just may be the key to saving her family's coffee shop. However, when her Dracula days and cold blood cold brews begin to raise more alarm

33:43 than sales, suddenly the stakes involved appear to be of the wooden variety. So this sounds like a cozy vampire story. I am very much here for it. Next up we have the kiss countdown by at the East End and this releases on April 9. Risk averse event planner, Amory Price is jobless, newly single and about to lose her apartment. With no choice but to gamble on her shaky startup. The last thing she needed was to run into her smug ex and his new less complicated girlfriend and Amory's favorite coffee shop panicked she pretends to be dating the annoyingly sexy man she met by spilling Americano all over his apps. He plays along for a price. Half the single men in Houston claim to be astronauts, but Vincent Rogers turns out to be the real deal. What started as a one off lie morph into a plan for the three months leading up to his mission. Amory will play Vincent's doting partner in front of his loving but overly invested family. In exchange, she gets a rent free room in his house and could put every penny toward her struggling business. What Amory doesn't plan for is Vincent's gravitational pull. While her mind tells her a future with this astronaut is too unpredictable. Her heart says he's exactly what she needs. As our time together counts down Amory must decide if she'll settle for the safe life or shoot

35:17 for the stars. And the last one in the romance category is funny story by Emily Henry and that releases on April 23. Daphne always loved the way her fiance Peter told their story. How they met on a blustery day fell in love over an errant hat and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra. Which is how Daphne begins her new story stranded in beautiful waning Bay Michigan without friends or family, but with a dream job as a children's librarian that barely pays the bills and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament. Petra's ex Miles Nowak scruffy and chaotic with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heartbreak love ballads. Miles is exactly opposite practical button up Daphne whose coworkers know so little about her. They have a running bet that she's either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another until one day while drowning their sorrows they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventure together. Well, who could blame them but it's all just for show of course because there's no way Daphne would actually

36:48 start her new chapter by falling in love with their ex fiance's new fiance's ex right for some reason that is reminding me of the two news anchors that were on like Good Morning America and how they have like an affair but they were with other people and then I think those other people started dating each other. I think that happened anyway at some point I really need to get into reading Emily Henry. Maybe it'll be this one. I do own Beach Read. Maybe I'll start there but at some point I'm going to start reading her books. Okay in this section I have some contemporary literary I think some historical releases here and let's just go ahead and get started. The first one I have is fruit of the dead by Rachel Lyon and that releases on March 5th. This seems to be a contemporary reimagining of the myth of Persephone and Demeter set over the course of one summer on a lush private island. Camp counselor Corey Ansel 18 and aimless afraid to face her high strung single mother in New York is no longer sure where home is when the father of one of her campers offers an alternative. The CEO of a fortune 500 pharmaceutical company, Rolo Picasso is a middle-aged divorce magnetic. He is also intoxicated by Corey when Rolo proffers a child care job and an NDA Corey quites an internal warning and allows herself to be fairy to his private island

38:23 plied with luxury and obvious manufacturer by his company. She continues to tell herself she's in charge. Her mother, Emer, head of a teetering agricultural NGO senses otherwise with her daughter seemingly advantage. Amor crosses land and sea to help a cry for help. She alone is convinced she hears alternating between the two women's perspectives fruit of the dead incorporates is mythic inspiration with a light touch and devastating precision. Next up I have ellipses by Vanessa Lawrence and this also releases on March 5th when cosmetics mogul Billy rolls down her town car window and offers the Lily a ride back from a glitzy champagne soaked Manhattan Gala. Lily figures there could be a useful work connection in the works. She's heard the legends of Billy's rise as a business Titan who was an out lesbian long before it was fashionable. Lily feels stalled in the fashion magazine world and in her relationship with her girlfriend, Alison. As a biracial and bisexual woman, Lily feels Billy spent her life negotiating other people's sliding perceptions of her charming and self assured. Billy seems invested in mentoring Lily out of her slump, but their text exchanges quickly begin to consume Lily's life. She's always trapped in an ellipses waiting for three gray dots to bloom into a new message from Billy as she navigates high society gallows,

39:57 hokey cocktail lounges and conference rooms rife with microaggressions all with one eye on her phone. Lily must ultimately work out not only what it is she really wants, but also how to take it for herself. Next up we have great expectations by Vincent Cunningham and this releases on March 12th. A historic presidential campaign changes the trajectory of a young black man's life. I seen the senators speak a few times before my life got caught up. However, distantly with his but the first time I can remember paying real attention was when he delivered the speech announcing his run for the presidency. When David first hears the senator from Illinois speak, he feels deep ambivalence and trade by the senators idealistic rhetoric. David also wonders how he'll balance the fervent belief and inevitable compromises it will take to become the United States first black president. Great expectations is about Davis 18 months working for the senators presidential campaign. Along the way, David meets a myriad of people who raise a set of questions, questions of history, art, race, religion and fatherhood that forced David to look at his own life anew and come to terms with his identity as

41:29 a young black man and father in America. Meditating on politics and politicians, religion and preachers, fathers and family. Great expectations is both an emotional resonant coming of age story and a rich novel of ideas marking the arrival of a major new writer. Next we have Domino's by Phoebe McIntosh and this releases on March 12. Domino's opens in London 29 days before the wedding of a young couple. Layla is a mixed race woman with a black Jamaican mother and a white father she's never met. And Andy is a white man of Scottish descent.

42:10 When they first meet at a party, they can't believe how innocent their chemistry is. Layla's best friend Sarah isn't so sure about Andy or the fact that her best friend is engaged to marry a white man. As Layla's wedding day approaches, Sarah prompts her friend to research her heritage more. And in the process Layla makes a shocking discovery. It's not just possible, but extremely likely that Andy's ancestors enslaved Layla's in Jamaica and that the money from that enslavement helped build his family's wealth. What seemed like a fairy tale romance is suddenly derailed as Layla begins to uncover parts of her history and identity that she never could have imagined or had simply learned to ignore. The process takes her to Jamaica for the first time where she uncovers truths about her family's history that will change the way she thinks about herself and her future. As the clock ticks down to her wedding, four days, three days, two days, Layla must make a decision, commit to the man she loves or expose a shameful history that has gone unspoken for far too long. Next up we have Mother Doll by Katya Apakina and this releases on March 12th. Zinnia is adrift in Los Angeles, pregnant with a baby her husband doesn't want while her Russian grandmother and favorite person in the world is dying on the opposite coast. She's deeply

43:42 disconnected from herself and her desires when she gets a strange call from Paul, a psychic medium who usually specializes in channeling dead pets, a psychic medium who usually specializes in channeling dead pets with a message from the other side. Zinnia's great grandmother Irina, a Russian revolutionary, has approached him from a cloud of ancestral grief desperate to tell her story and receive absolution from Zinnia. As Irina begins her confession with the help of a purgatorial chorus of grieving Russian ghosts, Zinnia awakens to aspects of herself she hasn't been willing to confront. But does either woman have what the other needs understand their predicament? Or will Irina be second limbo with Zinnia plagued by her sexual trauma and her children after her? Next up we have The Day Tripper by James Goodhand and this releases on March 19th.

44:40 It's 1995 and Alex Dean has it all. A spot at Cambridge University next year, the love of an amazing woman and all the time in the world ahead of him. That is until a run-in with a former childhood bully sees him bruised and bloody and almost drowning in the tames. He wakes the next day only to find he's in a room he's never seen before. In clothes he doesn't recognize with no idea of how he got here. A glimpse in the mirror tells him he's older, much older, and has been living a rather hard life, his features ravaged by time and poor decisions. He snatches a newspaper and finds it's 2010, 15 years since that night by the river. After finally drifting off to sleep that night, Alex wakes the following morning to find it's now 2019, another nine years later, but the next day is 1999. Never knowing which day is coming, he begins to piece together what happens in his life after that fateful night by the river. But what exactly is going on? Why does his life look nothing like he thought it would? And can he change it? Alex must push against a heavy headwind of fate, however impossible that might feel and learn that small actions have untold impact and might be all he needs to save himself and the people he loves most.

46:05 Next up we have Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrash and this releases on March 19th. Lacey Bond is a 13 year old girl in New Hampshire growing up in the tranquility of her hippie parents' rural daycare center. Then the satanic panic hits. It's the summer of 1990 when Lacey's parents are handcuffed, flung into the county jail and faced with a torn of jaw dropping accusations as part of a mass hysteria sweeping the nation. When a horrific murder brings Lacey to the breaking point, she makes a ruthless choice that will haunt her for decades. As an adult, Lacey mimes a normal life as the law clerk of an illustrious judge. She has a beautiful girlfriend, a measure of security, and the world has mostly forgotten about her.

46:59 But after a tiny misstep spirals into an uncontrolled legal disaster, the hysteria threatens to begin all over again. Next up we have Andy Bott by Ciara Greer and that releases on March 19th. Andy Bott was created to be the perfect girlfriend for her human owner, Doug. Designed to satisfy his emotional and physical needs, she has dinner ready for him every night, wears the sleek outfits he orders for her and adjusts her libido to suit his moods. True she's not the greatest at keeping Doug's place spotless, but she's trying to please him. She's trying hard. She's learning too. Doug says he loves that Annie's AI makes her seem more like a real woman. So Annie explores human traits such as curiosity, secrecy, and longing. But becoming more human also means becoming less perfect. And as Annie's relationship with Doug grows more intricate and difficult, she starts to wonder, does Doug really desire what he says he wants? And in such an impossible paradox, what does Annie owe herself? Interesting. Next up we have Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon and this comes out on March 26. The Syracusians have figured out what to do with the surviving

48:34 Athenians, who have the gall to invade their city. They've heard of the sorry prisoners of war into a rock quarry and left them to rot. Looking for a way to pass the time, Lampe and Gellin, two unemployed potters with a soft spot poetry and drink, head down into the quarry to feed the Athenians. If and only if they can manage a few choice lines from their great playwright, Euripides. Before long, the two mates hatch a plan to direct a full blown production of Medea. After all, you can hate the people but love their art. But as opening night approaches, what started as a lark quickly sets in motion a series of extraordinary events and our wayward heroes begin to realize that staging a play can be as dangerous as fighting a war with all sorts of risks to life, limb and friendship. And the last one in this category is A Great Country by Shopee-Samaia Gowda and this one releases on March 26. Pacific Hills, California, gated communities, ocean views, well attended, serene pools, and now the new home of the Shaw family. For the Shaw parents who came to America 20 years earlier with little more than education and their new marriage, this move represents a combination of years of hard work and dreaming. For their children born and raised in America

50:08 success is not so simple. For the most part, these differences among the five members of the Shaw family are minor irritants. Arguments between parents and children, older and younger siblings, but one Saturday night, the 12 year old son is arrested. The follow up from that event will shake each family member's perception of themselves as individuals, as community members, as Americans, and will lead each to consider how do we define success? At what cost comes ambition? And what is our role and responsibility in the cultural mosaic of modern America? Okay, hope you're still with me. We are going on to the category of thrillers and horror. The first one I have is Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Farida Abiki Iyamadi. And this releases on March 19th. It's like I keep stumbling into a dark room, searching for the swish to make things bright again. Shade Hussein is starting her third year of high school, this time at the prestigious Alfred Noble Academy boarding school. After being homeschooled all her life. Miss Fortune has been a constant companion all her life.

51:32 But even Shade doesn't expect her new roommate Elizabeth to disappear after Shade's first night, or for people to think she has something to do with it. Of the girls collectively known as the unholy trinity, and they bring her into their fold. Between learning more about them, especially for Stephanie, who Shade is inexplicably drawn to, and playing catch up in class. Shade already has so much on her plate. But when it seems people don't care enough about what happened to Elizabeth to really investigate, it's up to she and Elizabeth's best friend to solve it. And then a student is found dead. As they keep trying to figure out what's going on. Shade realizes there's more to Alfred Noble Academy, and the students and she thought. Secrets lurk around every corner and beneath every surface, secrets that rival even her own. Next up we have Murder Road by Simone St. James, and this releases on March 5. July 1995, April and Eddie have taken a wrong turn. They're looking for a small resort town where they plan to spend their honeymoon. When they spot what appears to be a lone hitchhiker along the deserted road, they stop to help. But not long after the hitchhiker gets into their car, they see the blood seeping from her jacket and a truck barreling down Atticus Line after them. When the hitchhiker dies at the local

53:04 hospital, April and Eddie find themselves in the crosshairs of the Cold Lake Falls police. Unexplained murders have been happening along Atticus Line for years and the cops finally have two witnesses who easily become their only suspects. As April and Eddie start to dig into the history of the town and that horrible stretch of road to clear their names, they soon learn that there is something supernatural at work. Something that can not only tear the town and its dark secrets apart, but take April and Eddie down with it all. Next up we have Panic by Luke Jennings and this releases on March 12th. Escaping online is easy. In real life, it won't be so simple. Jaleesa, Kai, Ilya and Danny are online best friends and super fans of the hit TV show City of Night. Fantasizing about the show in their chat room, they find an escape from their troubled small town lives. Everything changes when Chloe, makeup artist to show star Alice Temple, enters the chat. When Chloe tells them Alice is in danger, the four resolve to save her and make their way to California, but fantasy is quickly overtaken by reality. Alice's troubles, they discover, will shine the spotlight on all of them and not in a good way. On the run across the American South with one of the most famous actresses in the world, the fans must evade the police, the

54:39 Russian mafia and the Legion, an absurd, but terrifying new far right movement. Can they keep running for long enough to uncover the truth about Alice and discover themselves in the process? Next up we have Kill for Me, Kill for You by Steve Kavanaugh and that is being released on March 19th. One dark evening in New York City's Upper West Side, two strangers meet by chance. Over drinks, Amanda and Wendy realize they have much in common, especially loneliness and an intense desire for revenge against the men who destroyed their families.

55:19 As they talk into the night, they come up with a perfect plan. If you kill for me, I'll kill for you. In another part of the city, Ruth is home alone with the beautiful brownstone she shares with her husband Scott is invaded. She's attacked by a man with piercing blue eyes who disappears into the night. Will she ever be able to feel safe again when the blue eyed stranger is out there? It says that this one is for fans of the silent patient and gone girl. It's a razor sharp and Hitchcock inspired psychological thriller about two ordinary women who make a dangerous pact to take revenge for each other after being pushed to the brink. Looks like there might be another one kind of similar to that one also releasing on March 19th. And that is the best way to bury your husband by Alexia Cassell, which releases on March 19th. It is a dark comedy about four women coming together to heal the damage their husbands have done and hide their bodies once they've killed them. What is going on? When Sally kills her husband with a cast iron skillet, she's more fearful of losing her kids than of disposing of a fresh corpse. That just wouldn't be fair. Not after 20 years of marriage to a truly terrible man. But Sally isn't the only woman in town reaching the brink. Soon, Sally finds herself leading an extremely unusual self help group. And

56:55 among them, there are four bodies to hide. Can they all figure out the perfect way to bury their husbands and get away with it? First to join is former nurse Ruth, who met her husband as a single mom. Now her son is grown and her husband's violence builds by the day until an attack on the stairs leads to a fatal accident for him. A few doors down Samira's last straw comes when she discovers her husband is planning a campaign of violence against her eldest daughter who has just come out. Janie Sally's best friend has just had her first child at 42. Sleep deprived Janie needs a hero to slay the monster in the fairy tales she whispers to her daughter each night. And as her husband's violence escalates, it might just be her together fueled by righteous anger, but tempered by a moral core. The four women must help each other work out a plan to get rid of their husbands for good. Along the way, Sally, Ruth, Samira and Janie rediscover old joys and embark on new passions in work, education and life. friendship and laughter really are the best medicine. And so is getting away with murder. Next up we have dead girls walking by Sam Ellis, and this releases on

58:28 March 26. Temple Baker knows that evil runs in her blood. Her father is a North Point killer, an infamous serial killer, known for how he marked each of his victims with a brand. He was convicted for murdering 20 people and was the talk of countless true crime blogs for years. Some say he was possessed by a demon. Some say that they never found all of his victims. Some say that even though he's now behind bars, people are still dying in the woods. Despite everything though, temple never believed that her dad killed her mom. But when he confesses to that crime while on death row, she has no choice but to return to his old hunting grounds to try to see if she can find a body and prove it. Turns out the farm that was once her father's hunting grounds in her home has been turned into an overnight camp for queer, whore obsessed girls. So temple poses as a camp counselor to go digging in the woods. While she's not used to hanging out with girls her own age and feels ambivalent at best about these true crime enthusiasts, she tries her best to fit in and keep her true identity hidden. But when a girl turns up dead in the woods, she fears that one of her father's fans might be mimicking his crimes. As simple tries to uncover the truth and keep the campers safe, she comes to realize that there may be something

59:58 stranger and more sinister at work and that her father may not have been the only monster in these woods. Next up we have You Look Better as a Ghosts by Joanna Wallace and this releases on March 26. A comic thriller following the trials and tribulations of Claire, a part time serial killer who is keen to keep her favorite hobby a secret despite the efforts of a determined blackmailer. The night after her father's funeral, Claire meets Lucas in a bar. Lucas doesn't know it, but it's not a chance meeting. One thoughtless mistype email has put him in the crosshairs of an extremely put out serial killer. But before they make eye contact before Claire lets him buy her a drink, even before she takes him home and carves him up into little pieces, something about that night is very wrong because someone is watching Claire. Someone who is about to discover her murderous little hobby.

1:01:04 The thing is, it's not sensible to tangle with a part time serial killer. Even one who is distracted by attending a weekly bereavement support group and trying to get her art career off the ground. Will Claire finish off her blackmailer before her pursuer reveals all? Let the games begin. Next one I have is the Black Girl Survives this one and that is edited by Desiree S. Evans. It releases on April 2. This is a young adult anthology of horror stories centering black girls who battle monsters, both human and supernatural and who survive to the end.

1:01:50 Be warned dear reader, the black girls survive in this one. Celebrating a new generation of bestselling and acclaimed black writers, the Black Girl Survives in this one makes space for black girls in horror. 15 chilling and thought provoking stories place black girls front and center as heroes and survivors who slay monsters, battle spirits and face down death. Prepare to be terrified and left breathless by the pieces in this anthology. The bestselling and acclaimed authors include Aaron E. Adams, Monica Breshears, Charlotte Nicole Davis, Desiree S. Evans, Sauracha J. Fennell, Zakaya Daya Harris, Dhaka Herman, Justina Ireland, L. L. McKinney, Brittany Morris, Maritza and Micah Malate, Eden Royce and Vincent Tirado. And the forward is by Tana Narive Dew. I don't normally read anthologies or short stories but that might be something I pick up and I'll probably hold off and read it like later in the summertime or closer to Halloween.

1:03:03 Next up I have Blush Your Heart by Linda Ryan and this releases on April 9th. It's 1999 in southeast Texas and the Evans women owners of the only funeral parlor in town are keeping steady with normal business. The dead die you bury them. End of story. That's how Ducey Evans has done it for the last 80 years. And her progeny, Lenore the Experimenter and Grace, Lenore's soft hearted daughter, have run Evans funeral parlor for the last 15 years without drama. Ever since that got off a mess that left two bodies in the ground and Grace raising her infant daughter Luna alone. But when town gossip Mina Jean Murphy's body is brought in for a regular burial and she rises from the dead instead, it's clear that the Strigoi, the original vampire, are back and the Evans women are the ones who need to fight back to protect their town. As more folks in town turn up dead and Deputy Roger Taylor begins asking way too many questions, Ducey, Lenore, Grace and now Luna must take up their blades and figure out who is behind the Strigoi's return. As the saying goes, what rises up must go back down. But as unspoken secrets and revelations spill from the past into the present, the Evans family must face that sometimes the dead aren't the only things

1:04:37 you want to keep buried. And next up we have While We Were Burning by Sarah Kofe. And this releases on April 16th. After her best friend's mysterious death, Elizabeth Smith's picture-perfect life in the Memphis suburbs has spiraled out of control. So much so that she hires a personal assistant to keep her on track. Composed and elegant, Brianna is exactly who she needs and slides so neatly into Elizabeth's life, almost like she belonged there from the start. Soon the assistant Elizabeth hired to distract her from her obsession with her friend's death is the same person working for her to uncover the truth behind it. Because Brianna has questions too. She wants to know why the police killed her young black son, why someone in Elizabeth's neighborhood called the cops on him that day, who took that first step that stole her child away from her. And the only way she's ever going to be able to find out is to entwine herself deep into Elizabeth's life. Where the answers to her questions lie as a two-woman hurdle towards an electrifying final showdown and a lines between employer and friends blur. It becomes clear that neither of them is what they first appear. And next up is Home is Where the Bodies Are by Geneva Rose. And this releases on April 30th. After

1:06:11 their mother passes, three estranged siblings reunite to sort out her estate. Beth, the oldest, never left home. She stayed with her mom, caring for her until the very end. Nicole, the middle child, has been kept at arm's length due to her ongoing battle with a serious drug addiction. Michael, the youngest, lives out of state and has been back to their small Wisconsin town since her father ran out on them seven years before. While going through their parents' belongings, the siblings stumble upon a collection of home videos and decide to revisit those happier memories. However, the nostalgia is cut short when one of the VHS tapes reveals a night back in 1999 that none of them have any recollection of. On screen their father appears covered in blood. What follows is a dead body and a pact between their parents to get rid of it before the video abruptly ends. Beth, Nicole and Michael must now decide whether to leave the past in the past or uncover the dark secret their mother took to her grave. And this one has a pretty cool cover. It's a VHS tape. And the last one in this section is Missing White Woman by Kelly Garrett. And this one releases on April 30th. The truth is never skin deep. It was supposed to be a romantic getaway weekend

1:07:41 in New York City. Brianna's new boyfriend Ty took care of everything. The train tickets, the dinner reservations, the rented four story luxury row house in Jersey City with a beautiful view of the Manhattan skyline. But when Bri comes downstairs the final morning, she's shocked. There's a stranger laying dead in the foyer and Ty is nowhere to be found. A black woman alone in a new city, Bri is stranded and out of her depth. Especially when it becomes clear the dead woman is none other than Janelle Beckett, the missing woman the entire internet has become obsessed with. There's only one person Bri can turn to her ex best friend, a lawyer with whom she shares a very complicated past. As the police and social media mob close in all looking for hashtag justice for Janelle, Bri realizes that the only way she can help Ty or herself is to figure out what really happened that last night. But when people only see what they want to see, can she uncover the truth hiding in plain sight?

1:08:54 And the last section is science fiction. And first up is floating hotel by Grace Curtis. And this releases on March 19th. Welcome to the Grand Abina Hotel, home of the finest food, the sweetest service and the very best views the galaxy has to offer. All year round it moves from planet to planet system to system pampering guests across the furthest reaches of the Milky Way. The last word and suborbital luxury and an absolute magnet for intrigue. Intrigue such as why are there love poems in the lobby inbox? How many Imperial spies are currently on board? What is the true purpose of the problem solvers conference? And perhaps most pertinently, who is driving the ship? Each guest has a secret, every member of staff, a universe unto themselves. At the center of these interweaving lines and interlocking mysteries Dan's Carl, one time stowaway, longtime manager, devoted caretaker to the hotel. It's the love of his life and the only place he's ever called home. But as forces beyond Carl's comprehension converge on the Abina, he has to face one final question.

1:10:13 When is the time to let go? Next up is the Mars House by Natasha Pooley. And this releases on March 19. In the wake of an environmental catastrophe, January once a principal in London's Royal Ballet has become a refugee in Tharsis, the terraformed colony on Mars. There January's life is dictated by a status as as an earth stronger, a person whose body is not adjusted to lower gravity, and so poses a danger to those born on or naturalized to Mars. January's job choices, housing and even transportation are dictated by the second class status. And now a xenophobic politician named Aubrey Gale is running on a platform that would make it all worse. Gale wants all our stronger naturalized a process that is always disabling and sometimes deadly. When Gale chooses January for an on the spot press junket interview that goes horribly awry, January's life is thrown into chaos. The Gales political fortunes are damaged to Gale proposes a solution to both their problems. A five year may for the press marriage that was secure January's future without naturalization and ensure Gale's political success. But when January accepts the offer, he discovers that Gale is not at all like they appear in the press. They're kind, compassionate and much more difficult to hate than January

1:11:48 would prefer. As a romantic relationship develops, the political situation worsens. And January discovers Gale has an enemy, someone willing to destroy all of Darcy's to make them pay. And January may be the only person standing in the way. And next up we have Those Beyond the Wall by Micah Johnson. And this one releases on March 12th. Scales is the best at what she does. She is an enforcer who keeps the peace in Ashtown, a rough climate ravaged desert town. But that fragile piece is fractured when a woman is mangled and killed within Ashes borders. Right in front of Scales eyes, even more incomprehensible is that there was seemingly no murder. When more mutilated bodies start to turn up, both in Ashton and in the wealthier walled off Wally City, Scales is tasked with finding the cause and putting an end to it. She teams up with a frustratingly better books partner and a brisk but brilliant scientist in order to uncover the truth, delving into both worlds to track down the invisible killer. But what they find points to something bigger and more corrupt than they could have ever foreseen. And they could spell doom for the entire world.

1:13:15 And the last one I have is Mal Goes to War by Edward Ashton. And this releases on April 9th. The humans are fighting again. Go figure. As a free AI, Mal finds a war between the modded and augmented Federals and the puritanical humanists about as interesting as a battle between rival anthills. He's none above scouting the battlefield for salvage though. And when the humanists abruptly cut off access to InfoSpace, he finds himself trapped in the body of a cyborg mercenary and responsible for the safety of the modded girl she died protecting.

1:14:02 And that's all I have for today. I hope you were able to hear about some books you're now excited to read. I know there are quite a few that I didn't know about and I am more excited to take a look at at some point this year. But thank you so much for tuning into this week's episode of such a fun read. I really hope you enjoyed our talk about all of these new releases and definitely let me know your thoughts. Let me know what books you're excited about that I talked about or what books you're excited about that I didn't talk about because I know there were quite a few. Also, don't forget to rate us five stars on your favorite podcast app. It really does help the show. And if you're watching this on YouTube, don't forget to like and subscribe to the channel so that you don't miss a future episode. Thanks again and I will talk to you all again next week. Happy reading.