1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:09,240
Welcome back to Such a Fun Read. I am your host and resident reader Sheree. And here

2
00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:13,840
we will be diving in each week to chat about the books we love, the books people just can't

3
00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:20,640
stop talking about, and how we deal with being book-a-mucks. I'm excited for today's episode.

4
00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:25,160
Today we are going to be talking about some new releases that are coming out in the months

5
00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:31,820
of March and April. And I have quite a few books to talk about today. Fifty to be exact.

6
00:00:31,820 --> 00:00:37,800
From thrillers to fantasy to heartwarming romances, there is something here for every kind of

7
00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:43,000
reader. Plus, this might help you know what books you might want to pre-order or put a

8
00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:47,960
hold on at the library. And if there are any books that I don't mention today and you are

9
00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:53,600
very excited about them, please let me know. So grab a drink and some snacks and let's

10
00:00:53,600 --> 00:01:00,640
talk about books.

11
00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:08,080
So we'll start with the fantasy releases first. First up we have The Stricken by Morgan Shammy.

12
00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:14,960
And this releases on March 5th. Every day in Clara's world, a dark cloud descends upon

13
00:01:14,960 --> 00:01:23,560
her town. The storm comes like clockwork erasing everyone's memories. Everyone except Clara.

14
00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:31,760
But after Clara's father mysteriously disappears, things change. The Diviners, captives souls

15
00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:37,480
who feed off memories come for her. With the help of a mysterious figure, Clara escapes

16
00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:45,480
the Diviners and flees to Calum, a city in a parallel world where she hopes to find refuge.

17
00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:49,900
There Clara discovers that she is a noble, one of the few people to have knowledge of

18
00:01:49,900 --> 00:01:55,520
both worlds along with the ability to venture between the two. Forced to live the noble

19
00:01:55,520 --> 00:02:01,520
life, Clara goes to school with peers who want her dead. Meanwhile, a rare and dangerous

20
00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:08,760
power begins to stir inside of her. The power of death. And it grows until she's not sure

21
00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:15,200
if she can control it. When the Diviners break through the city's defense and students begin

22
00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:21,060
to turn up brain dead, Clara must find a way to harness her newfound power in order to

23
00:02:21,060 --> 00:02:27,560
stop the attacks before the city and her mind is wiped clean. So this is like fantasy meets

24
00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:32,900
dark academia and it sounds intriguing. Next we have the Enchantress Daughter by Melissa

25
00:02:32,900 --> 00:02:40,960
de la Cruz and that also releases on March 5th. MJ Rodriguez has spent her life hiding

26
00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:47,440
in the human world, keeping a heavy secret. She's a half Encanto, as the only child of

27
00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:53,520
King Vivencio of this Serena court. She's also next in line for the throne and now upon

28
00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:59,200
her estranged father's sudden death, MJ must claim her place as rightful heir. In wondrous

29
00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:04,880
Berenjen, the road to the throne is paved with thorns. Without a reigning monarch, the

30
00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:11,400
realm has spiraled into disarray. MJ has to win over a backstabbing council that objects

31
00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:17,120
to a half human ruler. And when it looks like her father's passing wasn't natural, but

32
00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:25,240
possibly infected by a curse, she must hunt down the sorceress behind this merciless magic.

33
00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:31,720
In a bind, MJ forges an unlikely alliance with the striking Ser Lucas of the feared Sigmund

34
00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:38,840
court and soon she loses her heart to mysterious night. But with peril looming over Berenjen,

35
00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:45,320
the princess must decide if she can both open herself to love and carry the weight of the

36
00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:53,260
crown. So this is a young adult romantic fantasy and it's inspired by Filipino mythology.

37
00:03:53,260 --> 00:04:00,880
Next we have Song of the Huntress by Lucy Holland and this releases on March 19th. Britain

38
00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:08,880
60 AD, hoping to save her lover, her land and her people from the Romans, Herla makes

39
00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:16,040
a desperate pact with the king of the other world. But years pass unheeded in his realm

40
00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:22,640
and she escapes to find everyone she loved long dead. Cursed to wield his blade, she

41
00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:29,000
becomes Lord of the Hunt and for centuries she rides leading her immortal warriors and

42
00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:35,080
reaping wanderer's souls. Until the night she meets a woman on a bloody battlefield,

43
00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:42,600
a Saxon queen with ice blue eyes. Queen Ethelberg of Wexus is a proven fighter, but when she

44
00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:48,160
leads her forces to a disaster in battle, her husband's court turns against her. Yet

45
00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:54,400
King Aine needs Ethel more than ever. Something dark and dangerous is at work in the West

46
00:04:54,400 --> 00:05:01,560
Hicks court. His own brother seeks to usurp him and their only hope is the magic in Aine's

47
00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:06,880
bloodline that Selene dormant since ancient days. The moment she and Ethel meet, Herla

48
00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:12,240
knows it's no coincidence. The dead kings are waking. The other world seeks to rise

49
00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:18,520
to bring the people of Britain under its dominion. And as Herla and Ethel grow closer, Herla

50
00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:23,960
must find her humanity and a way to break the curse before it's too late.

51
00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:30,840
So this author has put the story of Herla and the Wild Hunt into a rich feminist fantasy,

52
00:05:30,840 --> 00:05:37,400
telling a story of two great warriors, a war-torn land, and an ancient magic that is slowly

53
00:05:37,400 --> 00:05:45,520
awakening. Next we have The Woods All Black by Lee Mandela, and this releases on March

54
00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:53,200
19th. Leslie Bruin is assigned to the Backwoods township of Sparr Creek by the Frontier Nursing

55
00:05:53,200 --> 00:06:00,080
Service under its usual mandate. Vaccinate the flock, birth babies, and weather the judgments

56
00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:05,760
of churchy locals who look at him and see a failed woman. Forged in the fires of the

57
00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:12,000
Western Front and reborn in the cafes of Paris, Leslie believes he can handle whatever is

58
00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:18,480
thrown at him. But Sparr Creek holds a darkness beyond his nightmares. Something ugly festers

59
00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:24,280
within the local congregation, and as malice is focused on a young person they insist is

60
00:06:24,280 --> 00:06:30,400
an unruly tomboy who must be brought to heel. Violence is bubbling when Leslie arrives,

61
00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:36,240
ready to spill over, and he'll have to act fast if he intends to be of use. But the hills

62
00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:42,160
in folding Sparr Creek have a mind of their own, and the woods are haunted in ways Leslie

63
00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:46,640
does not understand. So The Woods All Black is equal parts historical

64
00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:54,000
horror, trans romance, and a blood soaked revenge, and it's set in the 1920s Appalachia.

65
00:06:54,000 --> 00:07:00,880
It explores reproductive justice and bodily autonomy, the terrors of small town religiosity,

66
00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:06,920
and the necessity to fighting tooth and claw to live as you truly are.

67
00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:13,920
Next we have The Revenant Games by Margie Fuston. Blood is survival for 17-year-old Bly, who

68
00:07:13,920 --> 00:07:20,680
lives in the poverty stricken human villages caught between enemy vampire and witch kingdoms.

69
00:07:20,680 --> 00:07:25,680
Most of the time vampires and witches live in uneasy truths, buying human blood for their

70
00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:30,880
food and spells. But for two weeks a year the ceasefire dissolves and they hold The

71
00:07:30,880 --> 00:07:36,800
Revenant Games. Any human can play in the games for either the witches or the vampires.

72
00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:42,380
Alongside life changing riches, the witches will raise one person from the dead for whoever

73
00:07:42,380 --> 00:07:48,440
captures the highest ranking vampire. In turn, the vampires offer immortality to whoever

74
00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:55,920
captures the most powerful witch. For most humans, the games are a ticket out of poverty.

75
00:07:55,920 --> 00:08:00,960
For Bly, it's a chance to get back her dead sister Elise and save the life of her dying

76
00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:07,340
best friend Emerson. Together she and Emerson forge a dangerous plan to play both sides

77
00:08:07,340 --> 00:08:13,880
and win both prizes. Resurrection for Elise and immortality for Emerson. But when the

78
00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:19,600
vampire they capture stirs a passion in Bly that she hasn't felt in a long time, she'll

79
00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:24,980
have to make a choice. Her sister or the boy who's shown her there's more to life than

80
00:08:24,980 --> 00:08:26,820
just survival.

81
00:08:26,820 --> 00:08:33,480
Next we have The Blood Carver by Vanessa Lee. And this also releases on March 19th. Nika

82
00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:39,840
is a blood carver. A cold hearted, ruthless being who can alter human biology with just

83
00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:46,560
a touch. In the harsh industrial city of Thumus, she is seen not as a healer as she was meant

84
00:08:46,560 --> 00:08:51,960
to, but a monster that kills for pleasure. And in the city's criminal underbelly, the

85
00:08:51,960 --> 00:08:58,840
rares and monsters are traded for gold. When Nika is finally caught by the infamous butchers,

86
00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:04,120
she's auctioned off to the highest bidder. A mysterious girl garbed in white. But this

87
00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:09,900
strange buyer doesn't want to use Nika as an assassin or a trophy piece. She intends

88
00:09:09,900 --> 00:09:15,540
to use Nika's blood carving to heal the last person who saw her father's killer. As Nika

89
00:09:15,540 --> 00:09:21,600
delves into the investigation amid Thumus' wealthiest and most powerful, all signs point

90
00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:28,280
to Vin Kochen. An alluring yet entitled physician's aide, intent on casting her out of his opulent

91
00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:34,520
world. But despite his relentless attempts to push her away, something inescapable draws

92
00:09:34,520 --> 00:09:40,680
Nika to him. When she discovers Kochen is not who he claims to be, Nika must face a

93
00:09:40,680 --> 00:09:47,000
greater more terrifying evil, turning her quest for justice into a fight for her life.

94
00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:51,720
Her only chance to survive lies in a terrible choice, become the dreaded monster the city

95
00:09:51,720 --> 00:09:58,920
fears or risk destroying herself and the future of her kind. This is set in a Vietnam inspired

96
00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:06,560
fantasy world and it also has a medical magic system, which intrigues me. Next we have the

97
00:10:06,560 --> 00:10:15,800
Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Wan. In 4 BCE, playboy administrator Dong

98
00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:24,040
Xian catches the eye of Emperor. In 1740, innkeeper He Shishan is seduced by strange

99
00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:31,740
visitor Wan Julan. And at a circuit party in modern day LA, pre-med student River ends

100
00:10:31,740 --> 00:10:38,200
up in the arms of aspiring artist Joey. Though seemingly disconnected, the couples are actually

101
00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:45,620
living one epic romance constantly repeated across two millennia. Soulmates in a sense,

102
00:10:45,620 --> 00:10:51,920
their romances are nevertheless doomed, rooted in one of the greatest historically true love

103
00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:58,400
stories never told. Their curse began with Emperor Ai and his male lover Dong Xian's

104
00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:04,080
obsessive and destructive relationship that led to their deaths in the fall of the Han

105
00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:10,280
dynasty. As the romance reincarnates, the couple begins to remember and has the opportunity

106
00:11:10,280 --> 00:11:17,000
to recover one powerful artifact that might be able to break their tragic cycle. A sweeping

107
00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:23,600
supernatural romance, Endless Palace is a story of folklore and tradition, of danger

108
00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:32,760
and betrayal, of lust and ultimately eternal love. From ancient China to modern Los Angeles,

109
00:11:32,760 --> 00:11:39,800
it takes us on three distinct timelines that weave together into one shocking climax. Next

110
00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:47,040
we have The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste and this releases on March 26. In a country

111
00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:53,440
divided by humans and witchers, Venus Stoneheart hustles as a brewer making illegal love potions

112
00:11:53,440 --> 00:12:00,240
to support her family. Love potions is a dangerous business. Brewing has painful debilitating

113
00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:05,860
side effects and getting caught means death or a prison sentence. But what Venus is most

114
00:12:05,860 --> 00:12:12,040
afraid of is the dark sentient magic within her. Then an enemy's iron bullet kills her

115
00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:18,280
mother. Venus's life implodes, keeping her reckless little sister Janice safe is now her

116
00:12:18,280 --> 00:12:24,480
responsibility. When the powerful Grand Witcher, the ruthless head of her coven, offers Venus

117
00:12:24,480 --> 00:12:30,560
the chance to punish her mother's killer, she has to pay a steep price for revenge.

118
00:12:30,560 --> 00:12:38,320
The cause brew poisonous potions to enslave DC's most influential politician. As Venus

119
00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:43,740
crawls deeper into the corrupt underbelly of her city, the line between magic and power

120
00:12:43,740 --> 00:12:50,480
blurs and it's hard to tell who to trust, herself included. So The Poisons We Drink

121
00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:56,980
is set in a world where love potions are weaponized against hate and prejudice, sisterhood is

122
00:12:56,980 --> 00:13:04,520
unbreakable and self love is life and death. Next we have Book, Beasts and Crow by Elizabeth

123
00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:12,560
Byrne. And this releases on March 12. In a small New Jersey town, a group of teens face

124
00:13:12,560 --> 00:13:18,000
catastrophic world bending consequences after their friend gets bitten by the town's most

125
00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:24,600
feared creature. Anna Kellogg has always felt different. Growing up in Hartwood, New Jersey,

126
00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:29,680
her frequent disappearances are attributed to an urban legend like Beast that dwells

127
00:13:29,680 --> 00:13:35,400
in the Walden swamp at the center of town. Since she was a child, she's been plagued

128
00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:41,400
by episodes where she sees things others can't. Feeling different is one thing, but actually

129
00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:46,680
being different is another. If it weren't for her best friend Olivia, Anna's not sure

130
00:13:46,680 --> 00:13:52,760
where she'd fit in. But any hopes of having a normal senior year come to a halt when Olivia

131
00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:58,960
is attacked in the woods, bitten and left for dead by a whirling cyclone of claws, fur

132
00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:04,600
and teeth. Though Olivia survives, a sinister entity makes it clear and the myth is set

133
00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:10,720
in motion, a catastrophic shift that would change Anna and her friends lives forever.

134
00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:17,600
And this one has dashes of mythology, fantasy and suspense. Next up we have The Familiar

135
00:14:17,600 --> 00:14:25,400
by Leigh Bardugo and this releases on April 9th. In a shabby house on a shabby street

136
00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:31,560
in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Catado uses scraps of magic to get through her days

137
00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:36,440
of endless toil as a school yet. But when her scheming mistress discovers a lump of a

138
00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:42,040
servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles. She demands

139
00:14:42,040 --> 00:14:49,140
Luzia use those gifts to improve the family's social position. What begins as simple amusement

140
00:14:49,140 --> 00:14:56,000
for the ability takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Perez,

141
00:14:56,000 --> 00:15:02,040
the disgraced secretary to Spain's king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada,

142
00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:07,360
the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England's heretic queen and

143
00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:12,560
Perez will stop at nothing to regain the king's favor. Determined to seize the one chance

144
00:15:12,560 --> 00:15:18,880
to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men

145
00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:25,840
and hucksters, where the lines between magic, science and fraud are never certain. But as

146
00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:31,960
her notoriety grows, so is the danger that her Jewish blood will do more to the Inquisition's

147
00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:37,940
wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive, even if that means

148
00:15:37,940 --> 00:15:44,500
enlisting the help of Gullian Santangelo, an embittered and mortal familiar whose own secrets

149
00:15:44,500 --> 00:15:48,940
could prove deadly for them both. And I'm pretty sure this one is very highly anticipated

150
00:15:48,940 --> 00:15:53,640
by a lot of people since Leigh Bardugo is a very popular author. I'm pretty sure I'll

151
00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:59,400
pick it up at some point as well. And next up we have the smoke that thunders by Aru

152
00:15:59,400 --> 00:16:06,680
Kome. In this mesmerizing fantasy rooted in Harobo and West African folklore, 16 year

153
00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:13,400
old Nibari longs for a life away from her small traditional clan in Kokore. But as a

154
00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:19,560
rite of passage approaches and she is betrothed to an arrogant young man, Nibari feels her

155
00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:25,280
dreams slipping away from her. Then Nibari becomes bonded to a mysterious animal and

156
00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:32,320
begins having harrowing visions of a kidnapped boy. She soon meets Atai, the son of an oracle

157
00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:38,800
from a rival queendom and learns that she is being guided by the gods. She and Atai,

158
00:16:38,800 --> 00:16:43,920
along with Nibari's eager for adventure cousin, Tumunor set off across the continent

159
00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:50,280
to rescue the mysterious boy. But when they find him and find out his true identity, Nibari

160
00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:56,000
realizes there is more than just her freedom at stake. She must stop a war that has already

161
00:16:56,000 --> 00:17:02,200
been set in motion. With lush unique world building and a dynamic cast of characters,

162
00:17:02,200 --> 00:17:07,400
the smoke that thunders is a gripping story of political intrigue, fierce love and what

163
00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:14,700
it means to be free. Next up we have to gaze upon wicked gods by Molly X Chan and this

164
00:17:14,700 --> 00:17:23,480
releases on April 16. Heroes die, cowards live. Daughter of a conquered world, Ruin

165
00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:28,680
hates the invaders who descended from the heavens long before she was born and defeated

166
00:17:28,680 --> 00:17:34,920
the magic of her people with technologies unlike anything her world has ever seen. Blessed

167
00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:40,400
by death, born with the ability to pull the life right out of mortal bodies, Ruin shouldn't

168
00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:45,840
have to fear these foreign invaders, but she does, especially because she wants to keep

169
00:17:45,840 --> 00:17:52,240
herself and her family safe. When Ruin's gift is discovered by an enemy prince, he

170
00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:59,200
offers her an impossible deal. If she becomes his private assassin and eliminates his political

171
00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:04,080
rivals whose deaths he swore would be for the good of both the worlds and would protect

172
00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:10,120
our people from further brutalization, her family will never starve or suffer harm again.

173
00:18:10,120 --> 00:18:15,480
But to accept this bargain, she must use the powers she has always feared, powers that

174
00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:21,680
will shave years off of her own existence. Can Ruin trust his prince, whose promises

175
00:18:21,680 --> 00:18:27,120
of a better world make her heart ache and whose smiles make her heart beat faster? Are

176
00:18:27,120 --> 00:18:31,460
the evils of this agreement really in the service of a much greater good or will she

177
00:18:31,460 --> 00:18:38,080
betray her entire nation by protecting those she loves the most? Next up we have Dragon

178
00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:46,120
Rider by Taron Mathereau, and this releases on April 23rd. Can an orphan captain learn

179
00:18:46,120 --> 00:18:52,280
the secrets of the Dragon Riders to stand up and avenge his people? Jai lives as a royal

180
00:18:52,280 --> 00:18:58,920
hostage in the Sabine court, ever since his father Ruin, leader of the Stepfolk, led a

181
00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:04,680
failed rebellion and was executed by the very emperor Jai now serves. When the emperor's

182
00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:11,260
son and heir is betrothed to Princess Erika of the neighboring Danse Kingdom, she brings

183
00:19:11,260 --> 00:19:19,880
with her a dowry, dragons. Endemic to the northern nation, these powerful beasts come

184
00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:27,780
in several forms, but mystery surrounds them. Only Danse royalty know the secret to soul

185
00:19:27,780 --> 00:19:33,520
bonding with these dangerous beasts to draw on their power and strength. This marriage

186
00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:38,640
and the alliance that forms will change them, but conspirators lurk in the shadows and

187
00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:45,480
soon the Sabine court is in chaos. With his life in danger, Jai uses the opportunity to

188
00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:53,200
escape with a Danse handmaiden, Frieda, in a stolen hatchling. Hunted at every turn,

189
00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:58,000
he must learn to cultivate magic and become a soul bound warrior if he has any chance

190
00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:04,680
of finding safety, seizing his destiny and seeking his revenge. It is the first in a

191
00:20:04,680 --> 00:20:10,800
new trilogy and it's all about dragons, so I'll probably pick it up. And the last one

192
00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:17,840
in fantasy we have is a letter to the Lumines Deep by Sylvie Cathrill. And this releases

193
00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:25,080
on April 23rd. A beautiful discovery outside the window of her underwater home prompts

194
00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:32,320
the reclusive E to begin a correspondence with renowned scholar Henry Seale. The letters

195
00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:38,600
they share are filled with passion at first for her mutual interests and then inevitably

196
00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:44,640
for each other. Together they uncover a mystery from the unknown depths destined to transform

197
00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:51,440
the underwater world they both equally fear and love. But by no mere coincidence, a sea

198
00:20:51,440 --> 00:21:00,080
quake destroys E's home and she and Henry vanish. A year later, E's sister Sophie and

199
00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:06,120
Henry's brother Viren are left to solve the mystery piecing together the letters, sketches

200
00:21:06,120 --> 00:21:12,080
and field notes left behind and learn what their siblings disappearance might mean for

201
00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:18,920
life as they know it. This is a fantasy with underwater world. There's magical academia,

202
00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:23,800
a pen pal romance. Definitely sounds like something I like to read in the springtime.

203
00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:29,320
Okay, now let's move on to some romance releases. You might be surprised I'm adding some romance

204
00:21:29,320 --> 00:21:34,680
releases here because romance isn't typically a genre. But lately I've been in the mood

205
00:21:34,680 --> 00:21:39,840
to read some romance. So I figured I might as well look up to see what romances are coming

206
00:21:39,840 --> 00:21:45,280
out. So let's get into some romances releasing in the months of March and April. First one

207
00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:53,880
we have is kilt trip by Alexandra Kylie. And this releases on March 5. Addie McCray has

208
00:21:53,880 --> 00:22:00,360
always followed her wonderlust. As a travel consultant, she turned struggling businesses

209
00:22:00,360 --> 00:22:06,040
into world class tour groups. Her job comes with a perk of jet setting around the globe,

210
00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:11,160
which means never being in one place for too long. Just the way she likes it. Since her

211
00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:17,160
mom passed away 10 years ago, and her father never stopped grieving. No place is felt like

212
00:22:17,160 --> 00:22:22,720
home anyway. But when she sent on assignments to help a family run tour group in Scotland,

213
00:22:22,720 --> 00:22:28,440
the one place she swore she'd never go. Addie has to shed her emotional baggage and turn

214
00:22:28,440 --> 00:22:33,640
on the professional charm. Logan Sutherland's family business is operating just fine. Thank

215
00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:38,840
you very much. The heart of the Highlands was never meant to make the family rich. Rather

216
00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:43,920
to teach sightseers to appreciate the beauty of Scotland's hidden gem, which are more

217
00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:50,720
captivating than any tourist trap. The last thing Logan wants is some American expert

218
00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:56,760
pushing outlander themed tours and perpetrating myths about the Loch Ness Monster. And for

219
00:22:56,760 --> 00:23:01,680
a travel consultant, Addie oddly doesn't seem interested in learning about the land

220
00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:10,040
Logan loves. Equally put off by each other, the new colleagues clash on every company decision.

221
00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:15,560
Then Logan discovers Addie does have a personal connection to Scotland. It was her late mother's

222
00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:21,200
favorite place. One that now lives on in a handful of faded Polaroids Addie kept from

223
00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:25,880
her parents honeymoon. She wants to seek out the places in the pictures, but is worried

224
00:23:25,880 --> 00:23:31,760
that she's too late to capture the wonder of following in her mother's footsteps. Logan

225
00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:37,080
is convinced he can help Addie get some closure. And the two realize when they agree, they

226
00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:43,200
actually work pretty well together. But Addie's contract with the heart is almost up. And

227
00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:48,260
the business is still losing money. They can't afford distractions. There's no denying the

228
00:23:48,260 --> 00:23:54,840
intense chemistry between Addie and Logan. Besides, how can Addie do her job properly

229
00:23:54,840 --> 00:24:00,880
if she hasn't explored all Scotland has to offer? Next up we have This Could Be Us by

230
00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:08,360
Kennedy Ryan. This also releases on March 5. Soledad Barnes has her life all planned

231
00:24:08,360 --> 00:24:16,240
out. Because of course she does. She plans, she designs everything. She fixes everything.

232
00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:21,840
She's a domestic goddess who's never met a party she couldn't host or a charge she couldn't

233
00:24:21,840 --> 00:24:27,600
eat. The one with all the answers and the perfect vinaigrette for that summer salad.

234
00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:32,400
But none of her very talents can save her when catastrophe strikes. And a life she built

235
00:24:32,400 --> 00:24:39,000
with a man who was supposed to be her forever goes poof in the cloud of betrayal and disillusion.

236
00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:44,560
But there is no time to pout or sulk or even grieve the life she lost. She's too busy keeping

237
00:24:44,560 --> 00:24:49,680
a roof over her daughter's heads and food on the table. And in the process of saving

238
00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:55,800
them all, Soledad rediscovers herself. From the ashes of a life burned to the ground,

239
00:24:55,800 --> 00:25:02,320
something bold and new can rise. But then an unlikely man enters the picture, the Forbidden

240
00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:08,420
One. The one she shouldn't want but can't seem to resist. She's lost it all before and

241
00:25:08,420 --> 00:25:15,280
refuses to repeat her mistakes. Can she trust him? Can she trust herself? After all she's

242
00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:21,600
lost and found. Can she be brave enough to make room for what could be? Next up we have

243
00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:29,960
Lady Charlotte Always Gets Her Man by Violet Marsh. And this also releases on March 5th.

244
00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:35,240
Lady Charlotte Lovett should have never run away upon discovering her betrothal. But when

245
00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:41,840
one has been promised to a man who rumor has it killed his previous two wives, one does

246
00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:47,240
what one must. The only thing that can get her out of this engagement is proving that

247
00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:53,440
Viscount Holly is as sincere as she thinks he is. And the person who would know best

248
00:25:53,440 --> 00:26:00,520
is his very own brother. In many ways, Dr. Matthew Talbot is the exact opposite of his

249
00:26:00,520 --> 00:26:07,600
sibling, scholarly shy and shunned by society. But like his brother, he has secrets and he

250
00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:12,680
doesn't need Charlotte exposing them in her quest to take down the Viscount. It only seems

251
00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:18,160
prudent to help her while keeping her from poking her nose in all of the wrong places.

252
00:26:18,160 --> 00:26:22,600
But as they put their hearts at risk to grow closer to each other, they are also getting

253
00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:31,000
closer to a dangerous confrontation with Holly. Next up we have Happily Never After with Lynn

254
00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:39,120
Painter, and this releases on March 12th. Their name, the objectors. Their job, to break

255
00:26:39,120 --> 00:26:44,640
off weddings as hired. Their dilemma, they might just be in love with each other. When

256
00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:50,600
Sophie Steinbeck finds out just before her wedding that her fiance is cheated yet again,

257
00:26:50,600 --> 00:26:55,560
she desperately wants to call it off. But because her future father-in-law is her dad's

258
00:26:55,560 --> 00:27:01,040
cutthroat boss, she doesn't want to be the one to do it. Her savior comes in the form

259
00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:06,880
of a professional objector whose purpose is to show up at weddings and proclaim the words

260
00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:13,760
no couple usually wants to hear at their wedding. I object. During anti-wedding festivities

261
00:27:13,760 --> 00:27:20,120
at night, Sophie learns more about Max the objector's job. It makes perfect sense to

262
00:27:20,120 --> 00:27:25,680
her. He saves people from wasting their lives from hurting each other. He's a modern day

263
00:27:25,680 --> 00:27:32,080
hero, and Sophie wants in. Max and Sophie start working together. The two love cynics

264
00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:38,280
going from wedding to wedding and she's having more fun than she's had in ages. Sophie looks

265
00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:43,120
forward to every nerve-racking ceremony where she gets to say the lost six souls of the

266
00:27:43,120 --> 00:27:50,080
betrothed masses. As they spend more time together, however, they realize their physical chemistry

267
00:27:50,080 --> 00:27:56,520
is off the charts, leading them to dabble in a little hookup session or two. But it's

268
00:27:56,520 --> 00:28:01,360
totally fine because they definitely do not have feelings for each other. Love doesn't

269
00:28:01,360 --> 00:28:08,080
exist after all. And then everything changes. A girl in a B hires Sophie to object, but

270
00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:15,320
his fiance is a woman who broke Max's heart. As Max wrestles with whether he can be a party

271
00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:21,040
to her getting hurt, Sophie grapples with the sudden realization that she may have fallen

272
00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:29,360
hard for her partner in crime. Next up we have Flirty Little Secrets by Jessica Lappé

273
00:28:29,360 --> 00:28:38,060
and this releases on March 19th. School counselor Lucy Galindo has a secret. Two of her coworkers

274
00:28:38,060 --> 00:28:44,680
friends and even family, she's shy, sweet and constantly struggling to hold off disaster,

275
00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:52,680
read, manage her anxiety and depression. But online, she's bold, confident and always

276
00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:59,800
knows what to say. It's how she's become the wildly popular, the misguided counselor.

277
00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:05,000
It's also why she keeps her identity anonymous. Her followers would never trust a real Lucy

278
00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:10,320
with their problems. History teacher Aldrich Fletcher thought a new job would give him

279
00:29:10,320 --> 00:29:16,680
some relief from his drama filled family. Instead, he's dodging his ex girlfriend and

280
00:29:16,680 --> 00:29:23,080
pining over his new coworker who only ever seems to see him at his worst. Thankfully,

281
00:29:23,080 --> 00:29:29,680
he can count on his online confidence for advice until he discovers the misguided counselor

282
00:29:29,680 --> 00:29:36,600
is Lucy. Now Fletcher has a secret too. And while Lucy can't deny there's something between

283
00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:42,180
them, she's not sure she can trust him. Can they both find the courage to share the truth

284
00:29:42,180 --> 00:29:47,320
and step out from behind their screens? This is being billed as a You've Got Mail meets

285
00:29:47,320 --> 00:29:54,560
Abbott Elementary and I love both of those. So gonna have to pick this one up. Next up

286
00:29:54,560 --> 00:30:02,640
we have The Wedding Issues by Elle Evans and that is being released on April 2nd. Olivia

287
00:30:02,640 --> 00:30:09,080
Liv Fitzgerald's life is on ambition autopilot. The soon to be lawyer has her life plan set

288
00:30:09,080 --> 00:30:15,840
and can talk anyone into anything. Well, almost anything. When her scheming aunt throws her

289
00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:22,120
cousin Callie into a competition for Southern Charms cover alongside Liv's best friend,

290
00:30:22,120 --> 00:30:29,160
Leighton, all hell breaks loose. To save the day, Liv only has to a secure the Southern

291
00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:36,160
Charms cover for Leighton, B keep on Charlotte happy and keep Callie's wedding running smoothly.

292
00:30:36,160 --> 00:30:43,720
C finish her final year of law school and nab a coveted NYC big law job and D went over

293
00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:49,980
the guy of her dreams. Easy right? From engagement parties to rehearsal dinners, Liv will be

294
00:30:49,980 --> 00:30:58,320
balancing her schemes, dreams and double made of honor duties. Next up we have Just for

295
00:30:58,320 --> 00:31:07,200
the Summer by Abby Jimenez and this releases on April 2nd. Justin has a curse and thanks

296
00:31:07,200 --> 00:31:13,400
to a Reddit thread, it's now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on the

297
00:31:13,400 --> 00:31:18,520
find their soulmate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with

298
00:31:18,520 --> 00:31:23,600
the same problem, they come up with a plan. They'll date each other and break up. Their

299
00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:27,520
curses will cancel each other's outs and they'll both go on to find the love of their

300
00:31:27,520 --> 00:31:34,080
lives. It's a bonkers idea and it just might work. Emma had a plan that her next assignment

301
00:31:34,080 --> 00:31:39,480
as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota. But she and her best friend agree that dating

302
00:31:39,480 --> 00:31:45,760
Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up. Especially when they get to rent an adorable

303
00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:51,200
cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka. It's supposed to be a quick fling just for

304
00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:57,320
the summer. But when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship

305
00:31:57,320 --> 00:32:04,400
of his three siblings, they're suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected, including catching

306
00:32:04,400 --> 00:32:09,680
real feelings for each other. What if this time fate has actually brought the perfect

307
00:32:09,680 --> 00:32:15,760
pair together? Actually read one of Abby and Minna's books this year. I believe it was

308
00:32:15,760 --> 00:32:20,320
part of your world. I do own yours truly as well. And I'm curious if this is set in the

309
00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:30,280
same world as those two. Next up we have Bloodlines by Jen Alexander. And this releases on April

310
00:32:30,280 --> 00:32:37,600
9th. Still reeling from the unexpected loss of her parents, Edie McLean doesn't have

311
00:32:37,600 --> 00:32:42,560
time to grieve. She's a fourth generation owner of the McLean Family Coffee Shop, her

312
00:32:42,560 --> 00:32:49,040
family's legacy. Unfortunately, this legacy is littered with decades worth of bad business,

313
00:32:49,040 --> 00:32:56,240
regrettable purchases and massive debt. The McLean Family motto was always that good coffee

314
00:32:56,240 --> 00:33:02,080
is in our blood. But the shop has become an eyesore and a small little customer base isn't

315
00:33:02,080 --> 00:33:07,800
enough to keep it afloat. And if Edie doesn't find a way to turn business around quickly,

316
00:33:07,800 --> 00:33:13,000
the family's legacy will end with her. As Edie tries to pull all the pieces of her life

317
00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:19,020
together, she finds herself drawn to an alluring night shift nurse who stops by for coffee

318
00:33:19,020 --> 00:33:24,240
every evening after sunset, while contending with a quirky new roommate who sleeps in an

319
00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:31,320
honest to God coffin. When all three worlds collide spectacularly, Edie's eyes are open

320
00:33:31,320 --> 00:33:36,560
to a new and untapped market that just may be the key to saving her family's coffee

321
00:33:36,560 --> 00:33:43,560
shop. However, when her Dracula days and cold blood cold brews begin to raise more alarm

322
00:33:43,560 --> 00:33:50,040
than sales, suddenly the stakes involved appear to be of the wooden variety. So this sounds

323
00:33:50,040 --> 00:33:58,240
like a cozy vampire story. I am very much here for it. Next up we have the kiss countdown

324
00:33:58,240 --> 00:34:06,160
by at the East End and this releases on April 9. Risk averse event planner, Amory Price

325
00:34:06,160 --> 00:34:12,000
is jobless, newly single and about to lose her apartment. With no choice but to gamble

326
00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:18,600
on her shaky startup. The last thing she needed was to run into her smug ex and his new less

327
00:34:18,600 --> 00:34:24,200
complicated girlfriend and Amory's favorite coffee shop panicked she pretends to be dating

328
00:34:24,200 --> 00:34:31,680
the annoyingly sexy man she met by spilling Americano all over his apps. He plays along

329
00:34:31,680 --> 00:34:38,200
for a price. Half the single men in Houston claim to be astronauts, but Vincent Rogers

330
00:34:38,200 --> 00:34:43,880
turns out to be the real deal. What started as a one off lie morph into a plan for the

331
00:34:43,880 --> 00:34:49,480
three months leading up to his mission. Amory will play Vincent's doting partner in front

332
00:34:49,480 --> 00:34:54,920
of his loving but overly invested family. In exchange, she gets a rent free room in

333
00:34:54,920 --> 00:35:00,680
his house and could put every penny toward her struggling business. What Amory doesn't

334
00:35:00,680 --> 00:35:05,880
plan for is Vincent's gravitational pull. While her mind tells her a future with this

335
00:35:05,880 --> 00:35:12,240
astronaut is too unpredictable. Her heart says he's exactly what she needs. As our

336
00:35:12,240 --> 00:35:17,840
time together counts down Amory must decide if she'll settle for the safe life or shoot

337
00:35:17,840 --> 00:35:25,560
for the stars. And the last one in the romance category is funny story by Emily Henry and

338
00:35:25,560 --> 00:35:34,420
that releases on April 23. Daphne always loved the way her fiance Peter told their story.

339
00:35:34,420 --> 00:35:40,920
How they met on a blustery day fell in love over an errant hat and moved back to his lakeside

340
00:35:40,920 --> 00:35:45,800
hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it right up until

341
00:35:45,800 --> 00:35:50,600
the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

342
00:35:50,600 --> 00:35:56,620
Which is how Daphne begins her new story stranded in beautiful waning Bay Michigan without friends

343
00:35:56,620 --> 00:36:03,400
or family, but with a dream job as a children's librarian that barely pays the bills and proposing

344
00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:09,000
to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament. Petra's

345
00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:14,280
ex Miles Nowak scruffy and chaotic with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of

346
00:36:14,280 --> 00:36:20,160
heartbreak love ballads. Miles is exactly opposite practical button up Daphne whose

347
00:36:20,160 --> 00:36:25,920
coworkers know so little about her. They have a running bet that she's either FBI or in

348
00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:32,480
witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another until one day while drowning their

349
00:36:32,480 --> 00:36:37,960
sorrows they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting

350
00:36:37,960 --> 00:36:43,360
deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventure together. Well, who could blame

351
00:36:43,360 --> 00:36:48,560
them but it's all just for show of course because there's no way Daphne would actually

352
00:36:48,560 --> 00:36:54,440
start her new chapter by falling in love with their ex fiance's new fiance's ex right for

353
00:36:54,440 --> 00:36:59,600
some reason that is reminding me of the two news anchors that were on like Good Morning

354
00:36:59,600 --> 00:37:06,880
America and how they have like an affair but they were with other people and then I think

355
00:37:06,880 --> 00:37:11,720
those other people started dating each other. I think that happened anyway at some point

356
00:37:11,720 --> 00:37:17,280
I really need to get into reading Emily Henry. Maybe it'll be this one. I do own Beach Read.

357
00:37:17,280 --> 00:37:22,720
Maybe I'll start there but at some point I'm going to start reading her books. Okay in

358
00:37:22,720 --> 00:37:28,840
this section I have some contemporary literary I think some historical releases here and

359
00:37:28,840 --> 00:37:32,920
let's just go ahead and get started. The first one I have is fruit of the dead by Rachel

360
00:37:32,920 --> 00:37:40,160
Lyon and that releases on March 5th. This seems to be a contemporary reimagining of

361
00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:47,360
the myth of Persephone and Demeter set over the course of one summer on a lush private

362
00:37:47,360 --> 00:37:54,360
island. Camp counselor Corey Ansel 18 and aimless afraid to face her high strung single mother

363
00:37:54,360 --> 00:38:00,680
in New York is no longer sure where home is when the father of one of her campers offers

364
00:38:00,680 --> 00:38:08,320
an alternative. The CEO of a fortune 500 pharmaceutical company, Rolo Picasso is a middle-aged divorce

365
00:38:08,320 --> 00:38:15,440
magnetic. He is also intoxicated by Corey when Rolo proffers a child care job and an

366
00:38:15,440 --> 00:38:23,080
NDA Corey quites an internal warning and allows herself to be fairy to his private island

367
00:38:23,080 --> 00:38:27,880
plied with luxury and obvious manufacturer by his company. She continues to tell herself

368
00:38:27,880 --> 00:38:35,400
she's in charge. Her mother, Emer, head of a teetering agricultural NGO senses otherwise

369
00:38:35,400 --> 00:38:40,780
with her daughter seemingly advantage. Amor crosses land and sea to help a cry for help.

370
00:38:40,780 --> 00:38:46,080
She alone is convinced she hears alternating between the two women's perspectives fruit

371
00:38:46,080 --> 00:38:53,760
of the dead incorporates is mythic inspiration with a light touch and devastating precision.

372
00:38:53,760 --> 00:39:02,320
Next up I have ellipses by Vanessa Lawrence and this also releases on March 5th when cosmetics

373
00:39:02,320 --> 00:39:07,720
mogul Billy rolls down her town car window and offers the Lily a ride back from a glitzy

374
00:39:07,720 --> 00:39:13,920
champagne soaked Manhattan Gala. Lily figures there could be a useful work connection in

375
00:39:13,920 --> 00:39:20,920
the works. She's heard the legends of Billy's rise as a business Titan who was an out lesbian

376
00:39:20,920 --> 00:39:26,240
long before it was fashionable. Lily feels stalled in the fashion magazine world and

377
00:39:26,240 --> 00:39:32,240
in her relationship with her girlfriend, Alison. As a biracial and bisexual woman, Lily feels

378
00:39:32,240 --> 00:39:37,920
Billy spent her life negotiating other people's sliding perceptions of her charming and self

379
00:39:37,920 --> 00:39:44,240
assured. Billy seems invested in mentoring Lily out of her slump, but their text exchanges

380
00:39:44,240 --> 00:39:50,400
quickly begin to consume Lily's life. She's always trapped in an ellipses waiting for

381
00:39:50,400 --> 00:39:57,280
three gray dots to bloom into a new message from Billy as she navigates high society gallows,

382
00:39:57,280 --> 00:40:03,120
hokey cocktail lounges and conference rooms rife with microaggressions all with one eye

383
00:40:03,120 --> 00:40:09,280
on her phone. Lily must ultimately work out not only what it is she really wants, but

384
00:40:09,280 --> 00:40:16,440
also how to take it for herself.

385
00:40:16,440 --> 00:40:25,280
Next up we have great expectations by Vincent Cunningham and this releases on March 12th.

386
00:40:25,280 --> 00:40:34,720
A historic presidential campaign changes the trajectory of a young black man's life. I

387
00:40:34,720 --> 00:40:40,240
seen the senators speak a few times before my life got caught up. However, distantly

388
00:40:40,240 --> 00:40:45,640
with his but the first time I can remember paying real attention was when he delivered

389
00:40:45,640 --> 00:40:51,440
the speech announcing his run for the presidency. When David first hears the senator from Illinois

390
00:40:51,440 --> 00:40:58,120
speak, he feels deep ambivalence and trade by the senators idealistic rhetoric. David

391
00:40:58,120 --> 00:41:03,720
also wonders how he'll balance the fervent belief and inevitable compromises it will

392
00:41:03,720 --> 00:41:10,560
take to become the United States first black president. Great expectations is about Davis

393
00:41:10,560 --> 00:41:16,840
18 months working for the senators presidential campaign. Along the way, David meets a myriad

394
00:41:16,840 --> 00:41:23,880
of people who raise a set of questions, questions of history, art, race, religion and fatherhood

395
00:41:23,880 --> 00:41:29,340
that forced David to look at his own life anew and come to terms with his identity as

396
00:41:29,340 --> 00:41:36,040
a young black man and father in America. Meditating on politics and politicians, religion and

397
00:41:36,040 --> 00:41:41,820
preachers, fathers and family. Great expectations is both an emotional resonant coming of age

398
00:41:41,820 --> 00:41:49,480
story and a rich novel of ideas marking the arrival of a major new writer. Next we have

399
00:41:49,480 --> 00:41:58,220
Domino's by Phoebe McIntosh and this releases on March 12. Domino's opens in London 29 days

400
00:41:58,220 --> 00:42:03,980
before the wedding of a young couple. Layla is a mixed race woman with a black Jamaican

401
00:42:03,980 --> 00:42:10,280
mother and a white father she's never met. And Andy is a white man of Scottish descent.

402
00:42:10,280 --> 00:42:15,280
When they first meet at a party, they can't believe how innocent their chemistry is. Layla's

403
00:42:15,280 --> 00:42:21,120
best friend Sarah isn't so sure about Andy or the fact that her best friend is engaged

404
00:42:21,120 --> 00:42:26,760
to marry a white man. As Layla's wedding day approaches, Sarah prompts her friend to

405
00:42:26,760 --> 00:42:32,680
research her heritage more. And in the process Layla makes a shocking discovery. It's not

406
00:42:32,680 --> 00:42:39,800
just possible, but extremely likely that Andy's ancestors enslaved Layla's in Jamaica and

407
00:42:39,800 --> 00:42:44,860
that the money from that enslavement helped build his family's wealth. What seemed like

408
00:42:44,860 --> 00:42:50,300
a fairy tale romance is suddenly derailed as Layla begins to uncover parts of her history

409
00:42:50,300 --> 00:42:57,100
and identity that she never could have imagined or had simply learned to ignore. The process

410
00:42:57,100 --> 00:43:02,240
takes her to Jamaica for the first time where she uncovers truths about her family's history

411
00:43:02,240 --> 00:43:07,480
that will change the way she thinks about herself and her future. As the clock ticks

412
00:43:07,480 --> 00:43:13,880
down to her wedding, four days, three days, two days, Layla must make a decision, commit

413
00:43:13,880 --> 00:43:19,520
to the man she loves or expose a shameful history that has gone unspoken for far too

414
00:43:19,520 --> 00:43:30,240
long. Next up we have Mother Doll by Katya Apakina and this releases on March 12th. Zinnia

415
00:43:30,240 --> 00:43:36,260
is adrift in Los Angeles, pregnant with a baby her husband doesn't want while her Russian

416
00:43:36,260 --> 00:43:42,040
grandmother and favorite person in the world is dying on the opposite coast. She's deeply

417
00:43:42,040 --> 00:43:47,480
disconnected from herself and her desires when she gets a strange call from Paul, a

418
00:43:47,480 --> 00:43:53,280
psychic medium who usually specializes in channeling dead pets, a psychic medium who

419
00:43:53,280 --> 00:43:59,440
usually specializes in channeling dead pets with a message from the other side. Zinnia's

420
00:43:59,440 --> 00:44:04,760
great grandmother Irina, a Russian revolutionary, has approached him from a cloud of ancestral

421
00:44:04,760 --> 00:44:11,200
grief desperate to tell her story and receive absolution from Zinnia. As Irina begins her

422
00:44:11,200 --> 00:44:16,200
confession with the help of a purgatorial chorus of grieving Russian ghosts, Zinnia

423
00:44:16,200 --> 00:44:20,700
awakens to aspects of herself she hasn't been willing to confront. But does either

424
00:44:20,700 --> 00:44:26,000
woman have what the other needs understand their predicament? Or will Irina be second

425
00:44:26,000 --> 00:44:32,640
limbo with Zinnia plagued by her sexual trauma and her children after her? Next up we have

426
00:44:32,640 --> 00:44:40,440
The Day Tripper by James Goodhand and this releases on March 19th.

427
00:44:40,440 --> 00:44:46,520
It's 1995 and Alex Dean has it all. A spot at Cambridge University next year, the love

428
00:44:46,520 --> 00:44:51,700
of an amazing woman and all the time in the world ahead of him. That is until a run-in

429
00:44:51,700 --> 00:44:57,420
with a former childhood bully sees him bruised and bloody and almost drowning in the tames.

430
00:44:57,420 --> 00:45:02,080
He wakes the next day only to find he's in a room he's never seen before. In clothes

431
00:45:02,080 --> 00:45:07,160
he doesn't recognize with no idea of how he got here. A glimpse in the mirror tells

432
00:45:07,160 --> 00:45:12,720
him he's older, much older, and has been living a rather hard life, his features ravaged

433
00:45:12,720 --> 00:45:19,760
by time and poor decisions. He snatches a newspaper and finds it's 2010, 15 years since

434
00:45:19,760 --> 00:45:25,340
that night by the river. After finally drifting off to sleep that night, Alex wakes the following

435
00:45:25,340 --> 00:45:33,800
morning to find it's now 2019, another nine years later, but the next day is 1999. Never

436
00:45:33,800 --> 00:45:38,840
knowing which day is coming, he begins to piece together what happens in his life after

437
00:45:38,840 --> 00:45:44,720
that fateful night by the river. But what exactly is going on? Why does his life look

438
00:45:44,720 --> 00:45:50,800
nothing like he thought it would? And can he change it? Alex must push against a heavy

439
00:45:50,800 --> 00:45:56,720
headwind of fate, however impossible that might feel and learn that small actions have

440
00:45:56,720 --> 00:46:05,600
untold impact and might be all he needs to save himself and the people he loves most.

441
00:46:05,600 --> 00:46:15,680
Next up we have Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrash and this releases on March 19th. Lacey Bond

442
00:46:15,680 --> 00:46:21,880
is a 13 year old girl in New Hampshire growing up in the tranquility of her hippie parents'

443
00:46:21,880 --> 00:46:29,320
rural daycare center. Then the satanic panic hits. It's the summer of 1990 when Lacey's

444
00:46:29,320 --> 00:46:34,600
parents are handcuffed, flung into the county jail and faced with a torn of jaw dropping

445
00:46:34,600 --> 00:46:42,040
accusations as part of a mass hysteria sweeping the nation. When a horrific murder brings

446
00:46:42,040 --> 00:46:47,780
Lacey to the breaking point, she makes a ruthless choice that will haunt her for decades. As

447
00:46:47,780 --> 00:46:53,840
an adult, Lacey mimes a normal life as the law clerk of an illustrious judge. She has

448
00:46:53,840 --> 00:46:59,760
a beautiful girlfriend, a measure of security, and the world has mostly forgotten about her.

449
00:46:59,760 --> 00:47:05,540
But after a tiny misstep spirals into an uncontrolled legal disaster, the hysteria threatens to

450
00:47:05,540 --> 00:47:13,760
begin all over again. Next up we have Andy Bott by Ciara Greer and that releases on March

451
00:47:13,760 --> 00:47:22,120
19th. Andy Bott was created to be the perfect girlfriend for her human owner, Doug. Designed

452
00:47:22,120 --> 00:47:28,440
to satisfy his emotional and physical needs, she has dinner ready for him every night,

453
00:47:28,440 --> 00:47:35,400
wears the sleek outfits he orders for her and adjusts her libido to suit his moods.

454
00:47:35,400 --> 00:47:40,480
True she's not the greatest at keeping Doug's place spotless, but she's trying to please

455
00:47:40,480 --> 00:47:47,560
him. She's trying hard. She's learning too. Doug says he loves that Annie's AI makes

456
00:47:47,560 --> 00:47:57,120
her seem more like a real woman. So Annie explores human traits such as curiosity, secrecy,

457
00:47:57,120 --> 00:48:03,320
and longing. But becoming more human also means becoming less perfect. And as Annie's

458
00:48:03,320 --> 00:48:09,440
relationship with Doug grows more intricate and difficult, she starts to wonder, does

459
00:48:09,440 --> 00:48:15,400
Doug really desire what he says he wants? And in such an impossible paradox, what does

460
00:48:15,400 --> 00:48:25,680
Annie owe herself? Interesting. Next up we have Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon and

461
00:48:25,680 --> 00:48:34,280
this comes out on March 26. The Syracusians have figured out what to do with the surviving

462
00:48:34,280 --> 00:48:39,360
Athenians, who have the gall to invade their city. They've heard of the sorry prisoners

463
00:48:39,360 --> 00:48:45,920
of war into a rock quarry and left them to rot. Looking for a way to pass the time, Lampe

464
00:48:45,920 --> 00:48:51,920
and Gellin, two unemployed potters with a soft spot poetry and drink, head down into

465
00:48:51,920 --> 00:48:57,640
the quarry to feed the Athenians. If and only if they can manage a few choice lines from

466
00:48:57,640 --> 00:49:03,480
their great playwright, Euripides. Before long, the two mates hatch a plan to direct

467
00:49:03,480 --> 00:49:11,200
a full blown production of Medea. After all, you can hate the people but love their art.

468
00:49:11,200 --> 00:49:16,200
But as opening night approaches, what started as a lark quickly sets in motion a series

469
00:49:16,200 --> 00:49:22,120
of extraordinary events and our wayward heroes begin to realize that staging a play can be

470
00:49:22,120 --> 00:49:31,200
as dangerous as fighting a war with all sorts of risks to life, limb and friendship. And

471
00:49:31,200 --> 00:49:38,940
the last one in this category is A Great Country by Shopee-Samaia Gowda and this one releases

472
00:49:38,940 --> 00:49:48,720
on March 26. Pacific Hills, California, gated communities, ocean views, well attended, serene

473
00:49:48,720 --> 00:49:56,160
pools, and now the new home of the Shaw family. For the Shaw parents who came to America 20

474
00:49:56,160 --> 00:50:02,640
years earlier with little more than education and their new marriage, this move represents

475
00:50:02,640 --> 00:50:08,920
a combination of years of hard work and dreaming. For their children born and raised in America

476
00:50:08,920 --> 00:50:15,400
success is not so simple. For the most part, these differences among the five members of

477
00:50:15,400 --> 00:50:22,840
the Shaw family are minor irritants. Arguments between parents and children, older and younger

478
00:50:22,840 --> 00:50:29,040
siblings, but one Saturday night, the 12 year old son is arrested. The follow up from that

479
00:50:29,040 --> 00:50:34,960
event will shake each family member's perception of themselves as individuals, as community

480
00:50:34,960 --> 00:50:42,840
members, as Americans, and will lead each to consider how do we define success? At what

481
00:50:42,840 --> 00:50:49,260
cost comes ambition? And what is our role and responsibility in the cultural mosaic

482
00:50:49,260 --> 00:50:57,720
of modern America? Okay, hope you're still with me. We are going on to the category of

483
00:50:57,720 --> 00:51:05,400
thrillers and horror. The first one I have is Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Farida Abiki

484
00:51:05,400 --> 00:51:14,720
Iyamadi. And this releases on March 19th. It's like I keep stumbling into a dark room,

485
00:51:14,720 --> 00:51:20,040
searching for the swish to make things bright again. Shade Hussein is starting her third

486
00:51:20,040 --> 00:51:26,600
year of high school, this time at the prestigious Alfred Noble Academy boarding school. After

487
00:51:26,600 --> 00:51:32,840
being homeschooled all her life. Miss Fortune has been a constant companion all her life.

488
00:51:32,840 --> 00:51:38,600
But even Shade doesn't expect her new roommate Elizabeth to disappear after Shade's first

489
00:51:38,600 --> 00:51:45,760
night, or for people to think she has something to do with it. Of the girls collectively known

490
00:51:45,760 --> 00:51:51,640
as the unholy trinity, and they bring her into their fold. Between learning more about

491
00:51:51,640 --> 00:51:56,840
them, especially for Stephanie, who Shade is inexplicably drawn to, and playing catch

492
00:51:56,840 --> 00:52:02,760
up in class. Shade already has so much on her plate. But when it seems people don't

493
00:52:02,760 --> 00:52:07,760
care enough about what happened to Elizabeth to really investigate, it's up to she and

494
00:52:07,760 --> 00:52:14,120
Elizabeth's best friend to solve it. And then a student is found dead. As they keep trying

495
00:52:14,120 --> 00:52:20,080
to figure out what's going on. Shade realizes there's more to Alfred Noble Academy, and

496
00:52:20,080 --> 00:52:26,240
the students and she thought. Secrets lurk around every corner and beneath every surface,

497
00:52:26,240 --> 00:52:33,520
secrets that rival even her own. Next up we have Murder Road by Simone St. James, and

498
00:52:33,520 --> 00:52:42,720
this releases on March 5. July 1995, April and Eddie have taken a wrong turn. They're

499
00:52:42,720 --> 00:52:47,920
looking for a small resort town where they plan to spend their honeymoon. When they spot

500
00:52:47,920 --> 00:52:54,000
what appears to be a lone hitchhiker along the deserted road, they stop to help. But

501
00:52:54,000 --> 00:52:59,200
not long after the hitchhiker gets into their car, they see the blood seeping from her jacket

502
00:52:59,200 --> 00:53:04,720
and a truck barreling down Atticus Line after them. When the hitchhiker dies at the local

503
00:53:04,720 --> 00:53:11,560
hospital, April and Eddie find themselves in the crosshairs of the Cold Lake Falls police.

504
00:53:11,560 --> 00:53:16,160
Unexplained murders have been happening along Atticus Line for years and the cops finally

505
00:53:16,160 --> 00:53:23,200
have two witnesses who easily become their only suspects. As April and Eddie start to

506
00:53:23,200 --> 00:53:28,680
dig into the history of the town and that horrible stretch of road to clear their names,

507
00:53:28,680 --> 00:53:33,520
they soon learn that there is something supernatural at work. Something that can not only tear the

508
00:53:33,520 --> 00:53:40,960
town and its dark secrets apart, but take April and Eddie down with it all. Next up

509
00:53:40,960 --> 00:53:51,000
we have Panic by Luke Jennings and this releases on March 12th. Escaping online is easy. In

510
00:53:51,000 --> 00:53:57,240
real life, it won't be so simple. Jaleesa, Kai, Ilya and Danny are online best friends

511
00:53:57,240 --> 00:54:03,040
and super fans of the hit TV show City of Night. Fantasizing about the show in their

512
00:54:03,040 --> 00:54:08,440
chat room, they find an escape from their troubled small town lives. Everything changes

513
00:54:08,440 --> 00:54:14,760
when Chloe, makeup artist to show star Alice Temple, enters the chat. When Chloe tells

514
00:54:14,760 --> 00:54:20,200
them Alice is in danger, the four resolve to save her and make their way to California,

515
00:54:20,200 --> 00:54:25,800
but fantasy is quickly overtaken by reality. Alice's troubles, they discover, will shine

516
00:54:25,800 --> 00:54:32,880
the spotlight on all of them and not in a good way. On the run across the American South

517
00:54:32,880 --> 00:54:39,040
with one of the most famous actresses in the world, the fans must evade the police, the

518
00:54:39,040 --> 00:54:46,040
Russian mafia and the Legion, an absurd, but terrifying new far right movement. Can they

519
00:54:46,040 --> 00:54:50,880
keep running for long enough to uncover the truth about Alice and discover themselves

520
00:54:50,880 --> 00:54:58,560
in the process? Next up we have Kill for Me, Kill for You by Steve Kavanaugh and that is

521
00:54:58,560 --> 00:55:06,080
being released on March 19th. One dark evening in New York City's Upper West Side, two strangers

522
00:55:06,080 --> 00:55:12,600
meet by chance. Over drinks, Amanda and Wendy realize they have much in common, especially

523
00:55:12,600 --> 00:55:19,240
loneliness and an intense desire for revenge against the men who destroyed their families.

524
00:55:19,240 --> 00:55:25,840
As they talk into the night, they come up with a perfect plan. If you kill for me, I'll

525
00:55:25,840 --> 00:55:31,720
kill for you. In another part of the city, Ruth is home alone with the beautiful brownstone

526
00:55:31,720 --> 00:55:37,880
she shares with her husband Scott is invaded. She's attacked by a man with piercing blue

527
00:55:37,880 --> 00:55:43,560
eyes who disappears into the night. Will she ever be able to feel safe again when the blue

528
00:55:43,560 --> 00:55:49,160
eyed stranger is out there? It says that this one is for fans of the silent patient and

529
00:55:49,160 --> 00:55:55,920
gone girl. It's a razor sharp and Hitchcock inspired psychological thriller about two

530
00:55:55,920 --> 00:56:01,940
ordinary women who make a dangerous pact to take revenge for each other after being pushed

531
00:56:01,940 --> 00:56:07,960
to the brink. Looks like there might be another one kind of similar to that one also releasing

532
00:56:07,960 --> 00:56:14,520
on March 19th. And that is the best way to bury your husband by Alexia Cassell, which

533
00:56:14,520 --> 00:56:22,040
releases on March 19th. It is a dark comedy about four women coming together to heal the

534
00:56:22,040 --> 00:56:28,640
damage their husbands have done and hide their bodies once they've killed them. What is going

535
00:56:28,640 --> 00:56:35,660
on? When Sally kills her husband with a cast iron skillet, she's more fearful of losing

536
00:56:35,660 --> 00:56:42,560
her kids than of disposing of a fresh corpse. That just wouldn't be fair. Not after 20

537
00:56:42,560 --> 00:56:48,800
years of marriage to a truly terrible man. But Sally isn't the only woman in town reaching

538
00:56:48,800 --> 00:56:55,880
the brink. Soon, Sally finds herself leading an extremely unusual self help group. And

539
00:56:55,880 --> 00:57:00,660
among them, there are four bodies to hide. Can they all figure out the perfect way to

540
00:57:00,660 --> 00:57:07,840
bury their husbands and get away with it? First to join is former nurse Ruth, who met

541
00:57:07,840 --> 00:57:14,200
her husband as a single mom. Now her son is grown and her husband's violence builds by

542
00:57:14,200 --> 00:57:21,240
the day until an attack on the stairs leads to a fatal accident for him. A few doors down

543
00:57:21,240 --> 00:57:27,500
Samira's last straw comes when she discovers her husband is planning a campaign of violence

544
00:57:27,500 --> 00:57:34,840
against her eldest daughter who has just come out. Janie Sally's best friend has just had

545
00:57:34,840 --> 00:57:42,080
her first child at 42. Sleep deprived Janie needs a hero to slay the monster in the fairy

546
00:57:42,080 --> 00:57:48,560
tales she whispers to her daughter each night. And as her husband's violence escalates, it

547
00:57:48,560 --> 00:57:54,960
might just be her together fueled by righteous anger, but tempered by a moral core. The four

548
00:57:54,960 --> 00:58:00,260
women must help each other work out a plan to get rid of their husbands for good. Along

549
00:58:00,260 --> 00:58:08,720
the way, Sally, Ruth, Samira and Janie rediscover old joys and embark on new passions in work,

550
00:58:08,720 --> 00:58:15,880
education and life. friendship and laughter really are the best medicine. And so is getting

551
00:58:15,880 --> 00:58:28,200
away with murder. Next up we have dead girls walking by Sam Ellis, and this releases on

552
00:58:28,200 --> 00:58:36,240
March 26. Temple Baker knows that evil runs in her blood. Her father is a North Point

553
00:58:36,240 --> 00:58:43,260
killer, an infamous serial killer, known for how he marked each of his victims with a brand.

554
00:58:43,260 --> 00:58:49,160
He was convicted for murdering 20 people and was the talk of countless true crime blogs

555
00:58:49,160 --> 00:58:55,360
for years. Some say he was possessed by a demon. Some say that they never found all

556
00:58:55,360 --> 00:59:01,100
of his victims. Some say that even though he's now behind bars, people are still dying

557
00:59:01,100 --> 00:59:07,120
in the woods. Despite everything though, temple never believed that her dad killed her mom.

558
00:59:07,120 --> 00:59:13,080
But when he confesses to that crime while on death row, she has no choice but to return

559
00:59:13,080 --> 00:59:19,640
to his old hunting grounds to try to see if she can find a body and prove it. Turns out

560
00:59:19,640 --> 00:59:24,120
the farm that was once her father's hunting grounds in her home has been turned into an

561
00:59:24,120 --> 00:59:30,700
overnight camp for queer, whore obsessed girls. So temple poses as a camp counselor to go

562
00:59:30,700 --> 00:59:35,880
digging in the woods. While she's not used to hanging out with girls her own age and

563
00:59:35,880 --> 00:59:41,640
feels ambivalent at best about these true crime enthusiasts, she tries her best to fit

564
00:59:41,640 --> 00:59:46,880
in and keep her true identity hidden. But when a girl turns up dead in the woods, she

565
00:59:46,880 --> 00:59:52,880
fears that one of her father's fans might be mimicking his crimes. As simple tries to

566
00:59:52,880 --> 00:59:58,200
uncover the truth and keep the campers safe, she comes to realize that there may be something

567
00:59:58,200 --> 01:00:04,560
stranger and more sinister at work and that her father may not have been the only monster

568
01:00:04,560 --> 01:00:13,360
in these woods. Next up we have You Look Better as a Ghosts by Joanna Wallace and this releases

569
01:00:13,360 --> 01:00:21,080
on March 26. A comic thriller following the trials and tribulations of Claire, a part

570
01:00:21,080 --> 01:00:27,160
time serial killer who is keen to keep her favorite hobby a secret despite the efforts

571
01:00:27,160 --> 01:00:32,960
of a determined blackmailer. The night after her father's funeral, Claire meets Lucas in

572
01:00:32,960 --> 01:00:39,640
a bar. Lucas doesn't know it, but it's not a chance meeting. One thoughtless mistype

573
01:00:39,640 --> 01:00:45,560
email has put him in the crosshairs of an extremely put out serial killer. But before

574
01:00:45,560 --> 01:00:50,840
they make eye contact before Claire lets him buy her a drink, even before she takes him

575
01:00:50,840 --> 01:00:57,100
home and carves him up into little pieces, something about that night is very wrong because

576
01:00:57,100 --> 01:01:04,200
someone is watching Claire. Someone who is about to discover her murderous little hobby.

577
01:01:04,200 --> 01:01:10,080
The thing is, it's not sensible to tangle with a part time serial killer. Even one who

578
01:01:10,080 --> 01:01:16,320
is distracted by attending a weekly bereavement support group and trying to get her art career

579
01:01:16,320 --> 01:01:22,840
off the ground. Will Claire finish off her blackmailer before her pursuer reveals all?

580
01:01:22,840 --> 01:01:26,680
Let the games begin.

581
01:01:26,680 --> 01:01:32,880
Next one I have is the Black Girl Survives this one and that is edited by Desiree S.

582
01:01:32,880 --> 01:01:42,640
Evans. It releases on April 2. This is a young adult anthology of horror stories centering

583
01:01:42,640 --> 01:01:50,120
black girls who battle monsters, both human and supernatural and who survive to the end.

584
01:01:50,120 --> 01:01:56,960
Be warned dear reader, the black girls survive in this one. Celebrating a new generation

585
01:01:56,960 --> 01:02:02,320
of bestselling and acclaimed black writers, the Black Girl Survives in this one makes

586
01:02:02,320 --> 01:02:08,320
space for black girls in horror. 15 chilling and thought provoking stories place black

587
01:02:08,320 --> 01:02:15,320
girls front and center as heroes and survivors who slay monsters, battle spirits and face

588
01:02:15,320 --> 01:02:22,480
down death. Prepare to be terrified and left breathless by the pieces in this anthology.

589
01:02:22,480 --> 01:02:29,240
The bestselling and acclaimed authors include Aaron E. Adams, Monica Breshears, Charlotte

590
01:02:29,240 --> 01:02:36,240
Nicole Davis, Desiree S. Evans, Sauracha J. Fennell, Zakaya Daya Harris, Dhaka Herman,

591
01:02:36,240 --> 01:02:44,960
Justina Ireland, L. L. McKinney, Brittany Morris, Maritza and Micah Malate, Eden Royce

592
01:02:44,960 --> 01:02:52,640
and Vincent Tirado. And the forward is by Tana Narive Dew. I don't normally read anthologies

593
01:02:52,640 --> 01:02:57,480
or short stories but that might be something I pick up and I'll probably hold off and read

594
01:02:57,480 --> 01:03:03,560
it like later in the summertime or closer to Halloween.

595
01:03:03,560 --> 01:03:12,640
Next up I have Blush Your Heart by Linda Ryan and this releases on April 9th. It's 1999

596
01:03:12,640 --> 01:03:19,440
in southeast Texas and the Evans women owners of the only funeral parlor in town are keeping

597
01:03:19,440 --> 01:03:26,680
steady with normal business. The dead die you bury them. End of story. That's how

598
01:03:26,680 --> 01:03:33,880
Ducey Evans has done it for the last 80 years. And her progeny, Lenore the Experimenter and

599
01:03:33,880 --> 01:03:40,600
Grace, Lenore's soft hearted daughter, have run Evans funeral parlor for the last 15 years

600
01:03:40,600 --> 01:03:47,440
without drama. Ever since that got off a mess that left two bodies in the ground and Grace

601
01:03:47,440 --> 01:03:53,140
raising her infant daughter Luna alone. But when town gossip Mina Jean Murphy's body

602
01:03:53,140 --> 01:03:59,240
is brought in for a regular burial and she rises from the dead instead, it's clear that

603
01:03:59,240 --> 01:04:05,320
the Strigoi, the original vampire, are back and the Evans women are the ones who need

604
01:04:05,320 --> 01:04:12,440
to fight back to protect their town. As more folks in town turn up dead and Deputy Roger

605
01:04:12,440 --> 01:04:19,440
Taylor begins asking way too many questions, Ducey, Lenore, Grace and now Luna must take

606
01:04:19,440 --> 01:04:25,400
up their blades and figure out who is behind the Strigoi's return. As the saying goes,

607
01:04:25,400 --> 01:04:31,600
what rises up must go back down. But as unspoken secrets and revelations spill from the past

608
01:04:31,600 --> 01:04:37,760
into the present, the Evans family must face that sometimes the dead aren't the only things

609
01:04:37,760 --> 01:04:47,480
you want to keep buried. And next up we have While We Were Burning by Sarah Kofe. And

610
01:04:47,480 --> 01:04:55,360
this releases on April 16th. After her best friend's mysterious death, Elizabeth Smith's

611
01:04:55,360 --> 01:05:01,480
picture-perfect life in the Memphis suburbs has spiraled out of control. So much so that

612
01:05:01,480 --> 01:05:07,360
she hires a personal assistant to keep her on track. Composed and elegant, Brianna is

613
01:05:07,360 --> 01:05:13,760
exactly who she needs and slides so neatly into Elizabeth's life, almost like she belonged

614
01:05:13,760 --> 01:05:19,660
there from the start. Soon the assistant Elizabeth hired to distract her from her obsession with

615
01:05:19,660 --> 01:05:25,440
her friend's death is the same person working for her to uncover the truth behind it. Because

616
01:05:25,440 --> 01:05:31,040
Brianna has questions too. She wants to know why the police killed her young black son,

617
01:05:31,040 --> 01:05:36,120
why someone in Elizabeth's neighborhood called the cops on him that day, who took that first

618
01:05:36,120 --> 01:05:40,920
step that stole her child away from her. And the only way she's ever going to be able to

619
01:05:40,920 --> 01:05:47,720
find out is to entwine herself deep into Elizabeth's life. Where the answers to her questions lie

620
01:05:47,720 --> 01:05:54,080
as a two-woman hurdle towards an electrifying final showdown and a lines between employer

621
01:05:54,080 --> 01:06:01,760
and friends blur. It becomes clear that neither of them is what they first appear. And next

622
01:06:01,760 --> 01:06:11,280
up is Home is Where the Bodies Are by Geneva Rose. And this releases on April 30th. After

623
01:06:11,280 --> 01:06:18,840
their mother passes, three estranged siblings reunite to sort out her estate. Beth, the

624
01:06:18,840 --> 01:06:25,820
oldest, never left home. She stayed with her mom, caring for her until the very end. Nicole,

625
01:06:25,820 --> 01:06:31,280
the middle child, has been kept at arm's length due to her ongoing battle with a serious drug

626
01:06:31,280 --> 01:06:36,840
addiction. Michael, the youngest, lives out of state and has been back to their small

627
01:06:36,840 --> 01:06:42,340
Wisconsin town since her father ran out on them seven years before. While going through

628
01:06:42,340 --> 01:06:47,760
their parents' belongings, the siblings stumble upon a collection of home videos and decide

629
01:06:47,760 --> 01:06:53,320
to revisit those happier memories. However, the nostalgia is cut short when one of the

630
01:06:53,320 --> 01:07:00,880
VHS tapes reveals a night back in 1999 that none of them have any recollection of. On

631
01:07:00,880 --> 01:07:07,500
screen their father appears covered in blood. What follows is a dead body and a pact between

632
01:07:07,500 --> 01:07:15,000
their parents to get rid of it before the video abruptly ends. Beth, Nicole and Michael

633
01:07:15,000 --> 01:07:20,280
must now decide whether to leave the past in the past or uncover the dark secret their

634
01:07:20,280 --> 01:07:26,600
mother took to her grave. And this one has a pretty cool cover. It's a VHS tape. And

635
01:07:26,600 --> 01:07:32,760
the last one in this section is Missing White Woman by Kelly Garrett. And this one releases

636
01:07:32,760 --> 01:07:41,540
on April 30th. The truth is never skin deep. It was supposed to be a romantic getaway weekend

637
01:07:41,540 --> 01:07:47,960
in New York City. Brianna's new boyfriend Ty took care of everything. The train tickets,

638
01:07:47,960 --> 01:07:54,000
the dinner reservations, the rented four story luxury row house in Jersey City with a beautiful

639
01:07:54,000 --> 01:08:00,240
view of the Manhattan skyline. But when Bri comes downstairs the final morning, she's

640
01:08:00,240 --> 01:08:05,960
shocked. There's a stranger laying dead in the foyer and Ty is nowhere to be found. A

641
01:08:05,960 --> 01:08:12,320
black woman alone in a new city, Bri is stranded and out of her depth. Especially when it becomes

642
01:08:12,320 --> 01:08:19,040
clear the dead woman is none other than Janelle Beckett, the missing woman the entire internet

643
01:08:19,040 --> 01:08:25,840
has become obsessed with. There's only one person Bri can turn to her ex best friend,

644
01:08:25,840 --> 01:08:32,760
a lawyer with whom she shares a very complicated past. As the police and social media mob close

645
01:08:32,760 --> 01:08:39,880
in all looking for hashtag justice for Janelle, Bri realizes that the only way she can help

646
01:08:39,880 --> 01:08:46,160
Ty or herself is to figure out what really happened that last night. But when people

647
01:08:46,160 --> 01:08:54,160
only see what they want to see, can she uncover the truth hiding in plain sight?

648
01:08:54,160 --> 01:09:02,160
And the last section is science fiction. And first up is floating hotel by Grace Curtis.

649
01:09:02,160 --> 01:09:10,080
And this releases on March 19th. Welcome to the Grand Abina Hotel, home of the finest

650
01:09:10,080 --> 01:09:16,800
food, the sweetest service and the very best views the galaxy has to offer. All year round

651
01:09:16,800 --> 01:09:23,080
it moves from planet to planet system to system pampering guests across the furthest reaches

652
01:09:23,080 --> 01:09:30,920
of the Milky Way. The last word and suborbital luxury and an absolute magnet for intrigue.

653
01:09:30,920 --> 01:09:36,560
Intrigue such as why are there love poems in the lobby inbox? How many Imperial spies

654
01:09:36,560 --> 01:09:42,440
are currently on board? What is the true purpose of the problem solvers conference? And perhaps

655
01:09:42,440 --> 01:09:48,640
most pertinently, who is driving the ship? Each guest has a secret, every member of staff,

656
01:09:48,640 --> 01:09:53,680
a universe unto themselves. At the center of these interweaving lines and interlocking

657
01:09:53,680 --> 01:10:00,240
mysteries Dan's Carl, one time stowaway, longtime manager, devoted caretaker to the

658
01:10:00,240 --> 01:10:07,000
hotel. It's the love of his life and the only place he's ever called home. But as forces

659
01:10:07,000 --> 01:10:13,960
beyond Carl's comprehension converge on the Abina, he has to face one final question.

660
01:10:13,960 --> 01:10:23,040
When is the time to let go? Next up is the Mars House by Natasha Pooley. And this releases

661
01:10:23,040 --> 01:10:31,680
on March 19. In the wake of an environmental catastrophe, January once a principal in London's

662
01:10:31,680 --> 01:10:39,280
Royal Ballet has become a refugee in Tharsis, the terraformed colony on Mars. There January's

663
01:10:39,280 --> 01:10:45,040
life is dictated by a status as as an earth stronger, a person whose body is not adjusted

664
01:10:45,040 --> 01:10:52,800
to lower gravity, and so poses a danger to those born on or naturalized to Mars. January's

665
01:10:52,800 --> 01:10:59,520
job choices, housing and even transportation are dictated by the second class status. And

666
01:10:59,520 --> 01:11:04,820
now a xenophobic politician named Aubrey Gale is running on a platform that would make it

667
01:11:04,820 --> 01:11:12,080
all worse. Gale wants all our stronger naturalized a process that is always disabling and sometimes

668
01:11:12,080 --> 01:11:17,600
deadly. When Gale chooses January for an on the spot press junket interview that goes

669
01:11:17,600 --> 01:11:24,120
horribly awry, January's life is thrown into chaos. The Gales political fortunes are damaged

670
01:11:24,120 --> 01:11:30,800
to Gale proposes a solution to both their problems. A five year may for the press marriage

671
01:11:30,800 --> 01:11:36,280
that was secure January's future without naturalization and ensure Gale's political

672
01:11:36,280 --> 01:11:41,960
success. But when January accepts the offer, he discovers that Gale is not at all like

673
01:11:41,960 --> 01:11:48,240
they appear in the press. They're kind, compassionate and much more difficult to hate than January

674
01:11:48,240 --> 01:11:54,600
would prefer. As a romantic relationship develops, the political situation worsens. And January

675
01:11:54,600 --> 01:12:01,640
discovers Gale has an enemy, someone willing to destroy all of Darcy's to make them pay.

676
01:12:01,640 --> 01:12:07,880
And January may be the only person standing in the way.

677
01:12:07,880 --> 01:12:13,580
And next up we have Those Beyond the Wall by Micah Johnson. And this one releases on

678
01:12:13,580 --> 01:12:18,560
March 12th.

679
01:12:18,560 --> 01:12:23,760
Scales is the best at what she does. She is an enforcer who keeps the peace in Ashtown,

680
01:12:23,760 --> 01:12:29,840
a rough climate ravaged desert town. But that fragile piece is fractured when a woman is

681
01:12:29,840 --> 01:12:37,740
mangled and killed within Ashes borders. Right in front of Scales eyes, even more incomprehensible

682
01:12:37,740 --> 01:12:44,280
is that there was seemingly no murder. When more mutilated bodies start to turn up, both

683
01:12:44,280 --> 01:12:49,720
in Ashton and in the wealthier walled off Wally City, Scales is tasked with finding

684
01:12:49,720 --> 01:12:56,400
the cause and putting an end to it. She teams up with a frustratingly better books partner

685
01:12:56,400 --> 01:13:01,740
and a brisk but brilliant scientist in order to uncover the truth, delving into both worlds

686
01:13:01,740 --> 01:13:06,320
to track down the invisible killer. But what they find points to something bigger and more

687
01:13:06,320 --> 01:13:15,280
corrupt than they could have ever foreseen. And they could spell doom for the entire world.

688
01:13:15,280 --> 01:13:22,840
And the last one I have is Mal Goes to War by Edward Ashton. And this releases on April

689
01:13:22,840 --> 01:13:26,720
9th.

690
01:13:26,720 --> 01:13:33,760
The humans are fighting again. Go figure. As a free AI, Mal finds a war between the

691
01:13:33,760 --> 01:13:40,440
modded and augmented Federals and the puritanical humanists about as interesting as a battle

692
01:13:40,440 --> 01:13:46,920
between rival anthills. He's none above scouting the battlefield for salvage though. And when

693
01:13:46,920 --> 01:13:52,760
the humanists abruptly cut off access to InfoSpace, he finds himself trapped in the body of a

694
01:13:52,760 --> 01:14:02,260
cyborg mercenary and responsible for the safety of the modded girl she died protecting.

695
01:14:02,260 --> 01:14:06,120
And that's all I have for today. I hope you were able to hear about some books you're

696
01:14:06,120 --> 01:14:11,180
now excited to read. I know there are quite a few that I didn't know about and I am more

697
01:14:11,180 --> 01:14:16,840
excited to take a look at at some point this year. But thank you so much for tuning into

698
01:14:16,840 --> 01:14:21,720
this week's episode of such a fun read. I really hope you enjoyed our talk about all

699
01:14:21,720 --> 01:14:25,980
of these new releases and definitely let me know your thoughts. Let me know what books

700
01:14:25,980 --> 01:14:30,560
you're excited about that I talked about or what books you're excited about that I didn't

701
01:14:30,560 --> 01:14:35,480
talk about because I know there were quite a few. Also, don't forget to rate us five

702
01:14:35,480 --> 01:14:41,080
stars on your favorite podcast app. It really does help the show. And if you're watching

703
01:14:41,080 --> 01:14:45,280
this on YouTube, don't forget to like and subscribe to the channel so that you don't

704
01:14:45,280 --> 01:14:50,040
miss a future episode. Thanks again and I will talk to you all again next week. Happy

705
01:14:50,040 --> 01:15:07,760
reading.