Books Publishing This Week
Books Publishing This Week: July 9 - 15
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Those Who Would Be King: The People's Prince by Brent J. Ludwig
An 11-year old African boy swears upon the soul of his dying pregnant mother that he would look after her soon-to-be-born baby. He seizes an opportunity to fulfill his mother’s wish by switching his brother with the heir to the throne of the country Maleziland. When the switch is discovered 14 years later, those who would be king begin their campaigns to seize the throne and the riches that go with it.
Alchemy of a Blackbird by Claire McMillan
Desperate to escape the Nazis, painter Remedios Varo and her lover, poet Benjamin Peret, flee Paris for Villa Air Bel, a safe house for artists on the Riviera. Along with Max Ernst, Peggy Guggenheim, and others, the two anxiously wait for exit papers. As the months pass, Remedios begins to sense that the others don’t see her as a fellow artist; they have cast her in the stifling role of a surrealist ideal: the beautiful innocent. She finds refuge in a mysterious bookshop, where she stumbles into a world of occult learning and intensifies an esoteric practice in the tarot that helps her light the bright fire of her creative genius.
When travel documents come through, Remedios and Benjamin flee to Mexico where she is reunited with friend and fellow painter Leonora Carrington. Together, the women tap into their creativity, stake their independence, and each find their true loves. But it is the tarot that enables them to access the transcendent that lies on the other side of consciousness, to become the truest Surrealists of all.
My Week With Him by Joya Goffney
From Joya Goffney of Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry, comes a stirring YA coming-of-age, best friends-to-lovers romance about a girl named Nikki who plans to run away from small-town Texas, but ultimately finds that her oldest friend, Mal, just might be the one who’s been there for her all along. Filled with heart and humor, this novel captures complex family drama, friendship, and love. For fans of I Wanna Be Where You Are by Kristina Forest and Counting Down with You by Tashie Bhuiyan.
Nikki can’t wait to leave Texas and follow her dreams of a music career . . . After a painful betrayal by her sister and a heated argument with their mother, Nikki is kicked out and finds herself homeless. She decides to go to California to pursue her singing career. When her best friend, Malachai, discovers her plan to flee Texas, he begs her to spend the remainder of spring break with him. He believes that over the course of a week, he can convince her to stay in Texas, or to at least graduate high school. But their plans are interrupted when Nikki’s little sister Vae goes missing.
Nikki is forced to work alongside her difficult mother as they set off in search of Vae, with Malachai’s support. Will Nikki find a reason to stay in Texas, or will this spring break be the last time she sees them? Through her emotional journey, Nikki ultimately finds the love she’s always been missing and discovers the power of her own voice.
The Language of Kin by Lynne Hugo
From Lynne Hugo, the award-winning author of The Testament of Harold’s Wife, Where The Trail Grows Faint, A Matter of Mercy, and Remember My Beauties, comes a beautifully written exploration of how the language of healing can transcend seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The Language of Kin (On sale: July 11; Blank Slate Press, an imprint of Amphorae Publishing Group; paperback original; 1943075778) is an immersive, moving, and wholly unique story about the various ways humans communicate and fail to communicate, and what we ultimately come to understand and forgive in ourselves and each other. Through meticulous research, Hugo carefully explores the ethical issues and connections between humans and animals.
Eve, a chimpanzee orphaned by poachers and used for experiments in a medical lab, can finally lead a new life at the Dayton Ohio Zoo, but co-workers Kate and Marc must overcome serious professional differences to build a relationship with her. Forced to work together, Kate and Marc find common ground when they discover they both are the sole caregivers for their mothers, one who has been deaf her entire life and the other who recently lost her ability to process words. After a life-threatening crisis occurs, can they find the courage—and the shared language—to reach across these silent divides to heal the ones they love?
Worldwide Crush by Kristin Nilsen
Rory Calhoun is a teen popstar with perfect teeth and messy hair who’s inspiring first crushes all over the globe. Millie Jackson is just one of the millions of fans who love him—but that doesn't mean her heart doesn't break for him every single day in this laugh-out-loud coming-of-age story.
How many of Rory’s fans collect “data” about him in a special notebook hidden in their underwear drawer? Or have faked a fascination with whale migration for a chance to visit his hometown? Millie may not be Rory’s only fan at Susan B. Anthony Middle School, but she's convinced she's the biggest—and the best.
Rory’s new song “Worldwide Crush” is climbing the charts, and his lyrics are clear: he’s looking for love—and he’s looking in the audience. Meaning Millie’s secret fantasies of running in the surf and eating waffles with him may not be crazy after all . . . she could be that girl! But first she has to get to his concert—his completely sold-out concert in a city nowhere near her home for which she does not have tickets or a ride. She just has to figure out how.
The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Nearly thirty years ago, in the wake of a personal tragedy, June Moore bought Camp Holly Springs and turned it into a thriving summer haven for girls. But now, June is in danger of losing the place she has sacrificed everything for.
Her niece, Daphne, a lawyer who’s now in her thirties, met her two best friends at the camp and they are still as close as ever. When Daphne finds out her best friend Lanier’s husband has done something illegal, she’ll have to make a choice between her job and her friendship. Lanier also has secrets that may change things completely, but the girls put their problems aside to help June save their childhood oasis.
When these women learn their childhood oasis is in danger of closing, they band together to save it, sending them on a journey that promises to open the next chapters in their lives.
The Forger of Marseille by Linda Joy Myers
In her debut novel, THE FORGER OF MARSEILLE, Linda Joy Myers tells the engrossing and poignant story of Sarah, a nineteen-year-old Jewish art student who, in 1938, escapes Nazi Germany for Paris. Her guide is Mr. Lieb, a dear family friend who also needs to flee. Briefly, Paris is an idyll for them both. Sarah even begins to fall in love, her heart won over by César, a former doctor who fought the fascists in Spain and now works in the underground. But as the Nazi threat engulfs Europe, Sarah decides to use her artistic talents for a higher purpose. She becomes a master forger, creating new identity papers for those in danger.
When the Nazis near Paris, Sarah, César, and Mr. Lieb are forced to make a grim and frightening journey to Marseille. There, they join the Resistance, partnering with Donald
Caskie and later, even Varian Fry. But the Gestapo is hunting for them, and suddenly they face their greatest, and most personal, challenge yet. In this powerful novel of war, love, and courage, Myers explores identity, ingenuity, and the power of art to save lives.
Thicker Than Water by Megan Collins
Two sisters-in-law find themselves at painful odds when the man who connects them—the brother of one, the husband of the other—is accused of a brutal crime in this twisty thriller from the author of the “exceedingly entertaining” (The New York Times) The Family Plot.
A Likeable Woman by May Cobb
“Real Housewives” meets “Billions” by way of Jackie Collins in this glamorous and dark women’s fiction about a woman who returns to her affluent hometown to unravel the secrets of her mother’s death and finds her own life in danger the closer she gets to the horrifying truth.
Queen of Exiles by Vanessa Riley
Acclaimed historical novelist Vanessa Riley is back with another novel based on the life of an extraordinary Black woman from history: Haiti’s Queen Marie-Louise Coidavid, who escaped a coup in Haiti to set up her own royal court in Italy during the Regency era, where she became a popular member of royal European society.
You, With a View by Jessica Joyce
Two high school enemies must reunite for a road trip inspired by their grandparents’ broken engagement in this electric debut romance.
Noelle Shepard is unemployed, living with her parents, and grieving the loss of her beloved grandmother when she discovers decades-old photos of Gram and a smitten man, tucked alongside a love letter. She creates a TikTok to search for the mystery man, which goes viral, and she’s shocked when his grandson responds—a man who happens to be her high school nemesis, Theo Spencer.
Noelle refuses to let Theo’s annoying accomplishments in adulthood—or his sexy smirk—stand in the way of meeting his grandfather and unlocking the secrets he knew about her gram as a young woman. When she learns that their plans to elope were thwarted, Noelle decides to take the honeymoon road trip they planned but never got to carry out. There’s a catch, though: Paul, Theo's grandfather, asks to come with her, and he insists that Theo join them.
It’ll be a miracle if they make it through the trip without Noelle throwing Theo out of the moving car—or the bed they end up sharing. As the miles tick by, the tension simmers hotter between them...until she discovers that Theo’s hiding a secret that could cause their tenuous relationship to end before it can restart.
Star Bringer
Firefly meets The Breakfast Club in this snarky, new adult romance.
The sun is dying…and it’s happening way too damn fast.
With the clock ticking, the Nine Planets’ only hope of survival rests on a fancy space station and the alien artifact it’s carrying. Which is why it really sucks when some jackass doesn’t want the universe saved and blows that station up―while you’re still on it.
So if your only choices are flaming death or stealing a flying hunk of space junk―you pick that busted-ass spaceship. Even if it leaves seven strangers with deadly secrets trapped together: a princess, a prisoner, a con artist, a warrior, a priestess, a mercenary, and an asshole in charge of us all.
Now every faction in the galaxy is hunting this ship―from the Sisterhood to the Corporation, and the rebellion’s joining in on the fun, too. We just need to stop drinking, fighting, and screwing long enough to evade them all and save the freaking universe...somehow.
Because apparently the only thing standing between a dying sun and ultimate salvation is seven unlikely misfits…ahem, heroes.
Forget Me Not by Julie Soto
A wedding planner and her grumpy ex must work together to plan a celebrity event in this deliciously spicy and funny novel from the creator of Generation Me.
Ama Torres is an optimistic wedding planner who doesn’t believe in marriage. But weddings? They’re amazing. Elliot Bloom is a brooding florist who hates owning a flower shop…until a certain bright-eyed, donut-loving workaholic shows up at his door.
Once upon a time, they collaborated on events by day, and by night, Ama traced the intricate flower tattoos etched along his body. Then Ama shattered his heart and never spoke to Elliot again.
Now they’re working on an event that could make or break both of their careers—except neither of them has gotten over what happened two years ago. Things are not helped by the two brides, who see the obvious chemistry between Ama and Elliot and are determined to set them up, not knowing their complicated history. But as the wedding takes on a life of its own, Ama and Elliot are about to discover that some things can survive a complete catastrophe . . .
Smart and hilarious, Forget Me Not is about two people giving themselves—and love!—a second chance.
The Paris Agent by Kelly Rimmer
Twenty-five years after the end of the war, an aging Marcel Augustin is reflecting on his life during those perilous, exhilarating years as a British SOE operative in occupied France—in particular the agent who saved his life during a mission gone wrong, whose real name he never knew, nor whether she survived the war. Marcel’s daughter Charlotte begins a search for answers— What follows is the story of Eloise, Josie and Virginia, three otherwise ordinary, average women whose lives intersect in 1943 when they’re called up by the SOE for deployment in France. Taking enormous risks to support the allied troops with very little information or resources, the three women have no idea they’re at the mercy of a double agent within their ranks who's causing chaos within the French circuits, whose efforts will affect the outcome of their lives.
As Charlotte’s search for answers continues, new suspicions are raised about the identity of the double agent, with unsettling clues pointing to her father, and more mysteries are unearthed from the last days of the war about the eventual fates of Eloise, Josie and Virginia.
The Bridge on Beer River by Terry Tierney
THE BRIDGE ON BEER RIVER follows the ups-and-downs in the life of ex-Marine Curt, back from his service and trying to stay afloat in a rust belt city in decline. Binghamton is a struggling town full of struggling inhabitants, and here the Reagan economy has taken its toll. Curt lives paycheck to paycheck, working construction until he gets a job operating a forklift in a local dairy. At night, he hangs out at his local watering hole, My Mother’s Place, bonding with his blue-collar buddies over too many pitchers of local Genesee Ale and nurturing an unhealthy infatuation with one of the waitresses.
Curt is a man with ideas, a wry perspective and an unflappable determination. He wants to fix everything for everyone, a friend to all the union workers, day laborers, crooked contractors, homeless vets in the town’s growing encampment, and even reporters for the local paper. But as he begins to work his way up at the dairy, nurturing a burgeoning talent for computers, he never seems to completely escape the down-and-out ethos that permeates his hometown, and his troubles with alcohol, work, and romantic relationships always keep him from getting too far ahead. When his latest love interest Angie, a coworker from the dairy, gets an exciting job opportunity in California, Curt must decide if he’s brave enough to leave the gritty comfort of his fading town behind to finally pursue the promise of a brighter future.
Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates
"The plot is squarely in the tradition of locked-room mysteries...Coates is also a horror author, and there’s a good dollop of that genre woven through this novel of high suspense. Keep a cat or two on your lap when reading this one." —First Clue
When Christa joins a tour group heading deep into the snowy expanse of the Rocky Mountains, she's hopeful this will be her chance to put the ghosts of her past to rest. But when a bitterly cold snowstorm sweeps the region, the small group is forced to take shelter in an abandoned hunting cabin. Despite the uncomfortably claustrophobic quarters and rapidly dropping temperature, Christa believes they'll be safe as they wait out the storm.
She couldn't be more wrong.
Deep in the night, their tour guide goes missing...only to be discovered the following morning, his severed head impaled on a tree outside the cabin. Eight drops to seven and it becomes clear that someone in the group is killing for sport.
The queen of the haunted house steps outside—no ghosts this time, no slow burn. USA Today bestselling horror author Darcy Coates takes off running through the snow and ice at a thriller’s pace with DEAD OF WINTER.
Two to Tango by Kathleen Fuller
When career-driven Olivia Farnsworth and Kingston Bedford refuse to act on their obvious chemistry, the town of Maple Falls schemes to pair the two up—and dance their way to another happy ending.
Olivia Farnsworth always has a plan and knows just what she likes. She likes her job as head librarian. She likes spending time with her aunt Bea and with her close-knit group of friends. She likes attending the cinema’s monthly Vintage Movie Night. What she does not like is stepping outside her comfort zone. But when Kingston Bedford, her best friend’s older brother, runs into her at the movies, that’s exactly what she does. She takes a chance on the gorgeous pediatrician she’s known her whole life—only to crash land her way into heartache. Twice. One year later, she’s determined to avoid him forever. Aunt Bea and her Bosom Buddies, however, have other ideas. Plans that begin with ballroom dancing lessons . . . and end with one of the Bosom Buddies getting a taste of her own matchmaking medicine.
Kingston never thought he’d be utterly alone—as his mother puts it—in his thirties. But somehow, he’s let his life spiral out of control. His career has taken over, leaving no time for romance. That is, until his clinic forces him to take a two-month sabbatical. But is it too late to start over with the girl he can’t get off his mind?
Luckily, the scheming town of Maple Falls is once again ready to help make sparks fly.
In the Shelter of Hollythorne House by Sarah E. Ladd
A young widow faces an uncertain future . . . until an unexpected encounter with her first love gives her heart a second chance in this Regency romance set on the Yorkshire Moors.
England, 1817—Charlotte Grey thought she had seen the last of Anthony Welbourne. Knowing her father would never consent to his only daughter marrying a man he deemed beneath their family’s station, Charlotte bid her final farewell to Anthony and vowed never to turn back. Instead, she honored her father’s wishes by marrying the wealthy Roland Prior.
Determined to put his love for Charlotte in the past, Anthony chose to immerse himself in a life full of meaning—first as a soldier fighting a war overseas, then as a member of William Walstead’s watchmen, a rugged band of men dispatched to deal with perilous situations. Fearless and persistent, he makes it his life’s focus to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.
When Charlotte’s husband dies unexpectedly, she quickly realizes how blind she’d been to his nefarious ambitions and how many people he’d angered on his relentless quest for wealth. To protect her infant son, Henry, from those who wish him harm, she and the baby flee to Hollythorne House, her childhood home. There Charlotte comes face-to-face with her former love, who has been sent as one of the hired watchman to protect her and Henry until the details of her late husband’s estate are settled.
Anthony’s presence brings back feelings she never expected to have again, and she struggles to trust his intentions. Are the watchmen really looking after Charlotte as they claim—or are they looking to make trouble for Roland’s estate and heir? Despite the constant reminders of their past, Anthony must remain focused on the task he was hired to do. But when new threats emerge and the past collides with the present, both must decide what they are willing to risk for the chance to right old wrongs and carve out a new future . . . together.
Lexington by Kim Wickens
Kim Wickens’ absorbing debut, Lexington: The Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of America’s Legendary Racehorse, is an inspiring story of perseverance, courage, & overcoming the odds. LEXINGTON is the dramatic true story of the raucous beginning of American horse racing and the champion Thoroughbred at its heart.
