
I am constantly adding books to my Goodreads TBR and I love sharing them with you! Every book on this list has been released and is available to read now! Who knows if I will ever get to these, but I am intrigued by them and wanted to put them on your radar as well.

The ancient world of magic is no more. Its heroes are dead, its halls are ruins, and its great battles between Light and Dark are forgotten. Only the Stewards remember, and they keep their centuries-long vigil, sworn to protect humanity if the Dark King ever returns.
Sixteen-year-old dock boy Will is on the run, pursued by the men who killed his mother. When an old servant tells him of his destiny to fight beside the Stewards, Will is ushered into a world of magic, where he must train to play a vital role in the oncoming battle against the Dark.
As London is threatened by the Dark King’s return, the reborn heroes and villains of a long-forgotten war begin to draw battle lines. But as the young descendants of Light and Dark step into their destined roles, old allegiances, old enmities and old flames are awakened. Will must stand with the last heroes of the Light to prevent the fate that destroyed their world from returning to destroy his own.
I have never read anything by C. S. Pacat, though I know that the Captive Prince was popular for a while. Dark Rise wasn’t on my radar until I attended a virtual HCC Frenzy event and was lucky enough to be sent a physical ARC! I have since heard so many amazing things and this book is a high priority for me!

A dysfunctional royal family, a generation’s old secret, and a strange book with the names of those closest to the Crown written within its pages all serve as the backdrop for Fynn’s surreal adventure through life, death, and the strange place that lies in between.
Following a disastrous summer punctuated by mysteries and deaths, Fynneas and Hollyn are sent from the comfort of their lives in Estheria to spend the next ten months at the Morancy Academy of Military Arts, located on a tropical archipelago. There, the boys will have to come to terms with their quirky instructors, volatile classmates, and their own tumultuous relationship if they have any hope of surviving the monsters, nightmares, and magic that await them on their quest to not only survive their first year, but to emerge as the Champion of the end of year Games.
I am kicking myself because I forget which booktuber I saw haul Nine of Swords! I was instantly intrigued by the cover and the premise and was surprised to see that, despite coming out earlier this year, it only has 20 reviews on Goodreads. That said, those who have read it seem to love it!

In spring of 2011, a young Australian man travels to the USA.
It is a quest of sorts, a quest as old as narrative itself: a young man striking out from home in search of experience and culture, which he associates with that talismanic word, America.
Beginning in the excessive, uncanny-familiar glamour and plenitude of New York City, Will crashes with expat chef and former nemesis Paul, and his girlfriend Justine, a rising star in the art scene. From here, he embarks on a doomed road trip into the American heartland, where he meets Wayne Gage. This charismatic, fast-living and deeply damaged Vietnam veteran, collector of exotic animals and would-be spirit guide, draws Will towards the dark conclusion of his journey.
Wild Abandon is a headlong tumble through the falling world of end-days capitalism, a haunting, hyperreal snapshot of our own strange times and what it means to be a tourist, or indeed a human, within them.
I will be honest with you, it was the tiger on the cover of Wild Abandon that first caught my eye! This book seems to be getting mixed reviews, but the synopsis has so many of my buzzwords, so I am still hopeful that it will work for me.

In West Adams, a rapidly changing part of South Los Angeles, they’re referred to as “these women.” These women on the corner … These women in the club … These women who won’t stop asking questions … These women who got what they deserved …
Ivy Pochoda creates a kaleidoscope of loss, power, and hope featuring five very different women whose lives are steeped in danger and anguish. They’re connected by one man and his deadly obsession, though not all of them know that yet. There’s Dorian, still adrift after her daughter’s murder remains unsolved; Julianna, a young dancer nicknamed Jujubee, who lives hard and fast, resisting anyone trying to slow her down; Essie, a brilliant vice cop who sees a crime pattern emerging where no one else does; Marella, a daring performance artist whose work has long pushed boundaries but now puts her in peril; and Anneke, a quiet woman who has turned a willfully blind eye to those around her for far too long. The careful existence they have built for themselves starts to crumble when two murders rock their neighborhood.
When you read the description, you realize how powerful the title of this book really is. I love these kinds of character studies and the fact that These Women is also a thriller makes it that much more compelling.

Sold by her mother. Enslaved in Pompeii’s brothel. Determined to survive. Her name is Amara. Welcome to the Wolf Den…
Amara was once a beloved daughter, until her father’s death plunged her family into penury. Now she is a slave in Pompeii’s infamous brothel, owned by a man she despises. Sharp, clever and resourceful, Amara is forced to hide her talents. For as a she-wolf, her only value lies in the desire she can stir in others.
But Amara’s spirit is far from broken.
By day, she walks the streets with her fellow she-wolves, finding comfort in the laughter and dreams they share. For the streets of Pompeii are alive with opportunity. Out here, even the lowest slave can secure a reversal in fortune. Amara has learnt that everything in this city has its price. But how much is her freedom going to cost her?
Set in Pompeii’s lupanar, The Wolf Den reimagines the lives of women who have long been overlooked.
I don’t think I have ever read a book set in Pompeii, and I am drawn to books that give a voice to women from history. Something tells me that I am really going to love The Wolf Den.

They say we’ll never know what happened to those men.
They say the sea keeps its secrets…
Cornwall, 1972. Three keepers vanish from a remote lighthouse, miles from the shore. The entrance door is locked from the inside. The clocks have stopped. The Principal Keeper’s weather log describes a mighty storm, but the skies have been clear all week.
What happened to those three men, out on the tower? The heavy sea whispers their names. The tide shifts beneath the swell, drowning ghosts. Can their secrets ever be recovered from the waves?
Twenty years later, the women they left behind are still struggling to move on. Helen, Jenny and Michelle should have been united by the tragedy, but instead it drove them apart. And then a writer approaches them. He wants to give them a chance to tell their side of the story. But only in confronting their darkest fears can the truth begin to surface . . .
I tend to love books set on islands, especially if there is a lighthouse involved! That is why I knew I have to add The Lamplighters to my TBR. Look at that cover! I am also here for a good locked-room mystery.
What is the last book you added to your tbr?
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I’ve added The wolf den too! It’s unusual a story set in Pompeii, and I’m really interested!
That’s the one I am most interested in! It sounds so original.
Great list, happy reading 😊
Thank you!
The Wolf Den does sound exciting. Great list of books Kristin. Happy Reading
I cannot wait to read that one!!
Ooooo all of these sounds sooo good 🤩🤩
I’m excited about them all!
The Wolf Den was a good addition to the rewritten historical stories genre, I think, and different from what I’ve read previously. I keep seeing that Nine of Swords cover everywhere…maybe this is a hint 😂
Love hearing that!
The cover for Nine of Swords is so good!
Dark Rise is really good!
I’m am excited to read it!