Look, I'm sharing the July list in July! Turns out I'm capable of making links while I have COVID and can't do much else. It finally got me after 4.5 years. I resent it immensely.
Here's a list of promising-to-me books releasing in July 2024 and a couple short reviews of books I read a bit early.
Happy reading!
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July Releases I've Already Read:
Disclosure: I received copies of these books from the publisher for review.
July 9 - The Game Changer, by Lana Ferguson - Coming off of The Fake Mate, I had different expectations for this one. I think it's lower heat than the first two, even though it's still pretty high heat. I continue to be lukewarm on hockey romance, but I found this a pleasant way to spend a few hours. Bonus that it doesn't feel like fanfic with the serial numbers filed off. The best-friend's-little-sister plot was handled fine and while I didn't like the workplace pressure to fake a romance, I was mostly able to handwave the ethical concerns. Recommended if you like sports romance.
July 16 - The Bright Sword, by Lev Grossman - I was predisposed to dislike this book as I hated The Magicians, but I don't recommend it for anyone except those who love Arthurian tales. It's bloated, the AFAB characters all have r@pe/attempted r@pe as a key part of their character arc and the central narrative is chopped up by all the knights' individual tales. It just wasn't a good time. Everyone else seems to disagree with me, though. I'd say I recommend this as a library borrow rather than a purchase.
July 2 - The Undermining of Twyla and Frank, by Megan Bannen - Picking up where The Undertaking of Hart & Mercy left off, this fantasy romance follows middle-aged marshals Twyla and Frank. The external conflict here is less than I expected given the cover and the smuggling/mining set-up, but there are some delightful forced proximity elements that make Twyla realize that Frank is in love with her and she might just return the feelings. Her kids are grown and have their own lives, so where does that leave her? This was charming and restorative. And they switched audio narrators, so the aural experience was great!
July 9 - The Darkness Within Us, by Tricia Levenseller - The first in this series was one of my favorite books ever, so I was eager to see what Levenseller would do with the odious sister. I loved this! If you like morally questionable MCs, these two books are can't miss upper YA fantasy romance.
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I also tried reading Ne'er Duke Well (terrible Louisiana accent from the English narrator) and The Fiancé Dilemma but didn't finish.
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And the Longlist:
All titles in red are links to Amazon.
July 2 - Just Playing House, by Farah Heron
July 2 - The Gilded Crown, by Marianne Gordon
July 2 - The Villain Edit, by Laurie Devore
July 9 - The Sky on Fire, by Jenn Lyons
July 9 - These Deathless Shores, by P.H. Low
July 9 - The Spellshop, by Sarah Beth Durst
July 9 - The Next Best Fling, by Gabriella Gamez
July 16 - Beautiful Villain, by Rebecca Kenney
July 16 - Not Another Love Song, by Julie Soto
July 16 - A Rose by Any Other Name, by Mary McMyne
July 16 - The Lost Story, by Meg Shaffer
July 16 - Business Casual (Lovelight Farms #4), by B.K. Borison
July 16 - The Spice Gate, by Prashanth Srivatsa
July 16 - The Ex Vows, by Jessica Joyce
July 23 - Do Me a Favor, by Cathy Yardley
July 23 - Jewel Me Twice, by Charish Reid
July 23 - Cross the Line, by Simone Soltani
July 23 - Ne'er Duke Well, by Alexandra Vasti
July 30 - The Fiancé Dilemma, by Elena Armas
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Happy reading!
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