August is somehow upon us and, no different than normal, there are number of different books that are releasing this month. This is healthy mix of fantasy romance and contemporary romance, looking to highlight books that are most on my radar in some way shape or form.
Here are the books I’m most excited about this in August 2024.
Nine Tailed by Jayci Lee
Series: Realm of Four Kingdoms #1
Published by Montlake on August 1, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / Romance, Fiction / Romance / Fantasy
Pages: 350
GoodreadsAn enemy on her tails, an innocent at her side, and a dangerous power within her that could destroy them all. Jayci Lee melds Korean folklore with modern Americana in this fiery new series.
Sunny Cho aspires to be the dullest, least interesting person in any given room, which can be challenging for a nine-tailed fox spirit. So she drifts from city to city--staying clear of any and all attachment--and keeps her fox buried deep inside her. It is better this way. She would rather live as half of herself than risk losing control of her terrible powers.
Ethan Lee, a friend she left behind eight years ago, is a brilliant and distractingly hot PI. When he tracks her down and asks her to help him find his brother's murderer, Sunny knows her uneventful life is about to be turned upside down.
Traversing the mortal realm and the world of gods, Sunny and Ethan discover their quest is much more dire than mere vengeance, and their friendship might be...more. An ancient evil is stirring, and Sunny is faced with an impossible choice: save the worlds from annihilation or claim the love fated by the heavens.
Dark Restraint by Katee Robert
Series: Dark Olympus #7
on August 6, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Romance / Fantasy, Fiction / Romance / New Adult
Pages: 320
Goodreads
Also by this author: An Indecent ProposalHe was my savior. My monster. My obsession. My destruction.
*A scorchingly hot modern retelling of Ariadne and her Minotaur.*
Ariadne Vitalis is in trouble. She's betrayed her father--and his dangerous benefactor--and now she's left to rely on Olympus' questionable mercy. But in this city, mercy comes with a price. For Ariadne, that means a sham marriage to Dionysus. She has no choice but to agree, even if there's only one man she's ever wanted--a man she fears just as much as she desires.
The Minotaur never had any illusions about Minos's plans. He was willing to get his hands dirty as long as the old man kept his word--at the end of their bloody work, the Minotaur would be given Ariadne as a reward. She's meant for him, and he intends to have her, no matter the cost.
Ariadne knows better than to encourage the Minotaur--she's all too aware of how hot a passion like theirs can burn. Besides, she can never forgive him for the terrible things he's done, and he can never change. But when his hands are on her body and his wicked words are whispered in her ear, she might just be willing to let all of Olympus burn...
Dark Olympus:
Neon Gods: Hades & Persephone
Electric Idol: Eros & Psyche
Wicked Beauty: Helen & Achilles & Patroclus
Radiant Sin: Apollo & Cassandra
Cruel Seduction: Aphrodite & Hephaestus & Pandora & Adonis
Midnight Ruin: Charon & Orpheus & Eurydice
Dark Restraint: Ariadne & the Minotaur
The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava
Published by Penguin on August 6, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Indigenous, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy, Fiction / Romance / Workplace
Pages: 384
GoodreadsA Chickasaw woman who can’t catch a break serves up a little white lie that snowballs into much more in this witty and irresistible rom-com by debut author Danica Nava.
Ember Lee Cardinal has not always been a liar—well, not for anything that counted at least. But her job search is not going well and when her resumé is rejected for the thirty-seventh time, she takes matters into her own hands. She gets “creative” listing her qualifications and answers the ethnicity question on applications with a lie—a half-lie, technically. No one wanted Native American Ember, but white Ember has just landed her dream accounting job on Park Avenue (Oklahoma City, that is).
Accountant Ember thrives in corporate life—and her love life seems to be looking up too: Danuwoa Colson, the IT guy and fellow Native who caught her eye on her first day, seems to actually be interested in her too. Despite her unease over the no-dating policy at work, they start to see each other secretly, which somehow makes it even hotter? But when they're caught in a compromising position on a work trip, a scheming colleague blackmails Ember, threatening to expose their relationship. As the manipulation continues to grow, so do Ember’s lies. She must make the hard decision to either stay silent or finally tell the truth, which could cost her everything.
Mistress of Lies by K. M. Enright
Series: The Age of Blood #1
Published by Orbit on August 13, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy, Fiction / Fantasy / Epic, Fiction / Fantasy / Romance
Pages: 464
GoodreadsA villainous, bloodthirsty heroine finds herself plunged into the dangerous world of power, politics and murder in the court of the vampire king in this dark romantic fantasy debut.
Fate is a cruel mistress.
The daughter of a powerful but disgraced Blood Worker, Shan LeC laire has spent her entire life perfecting her blood magic, building her network of spies, and gathering every scrap of power she could. Now, to protect her brother, she assassinates their father and takes her place at the head of the family. And that is only the start of her revenge.
Samuel Hutchinson is a bastard with a terrible gift. When he stumbles upon the first victim of a magical serial killer, he's drawn into the world of magic and intrigue he's worked so hard to avoid - and is pulled deeply into the ravenous and bloodthirsty court of the vampire king.
Tasked by the Eternal King to discover the identity of the killer cutting a bloody swath through the city, Samuel, Shan and mysterious Royal Blood Worker Isaac find themselves growing ever closer to each other. But Shan's plans are treacherous, and as she lures Samuel into her complicated web of desire, treason and vengeance, he must decide if the good of their nation is worth the cost of his soul.
Fans of From Blood and Ash and Kingdom of the Wicked will devour this decadent, bloodthirsty debut.
The Phoenix Keeper by S. A. MacLean
Published by Orbit on August 13, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / Dragons & Mythical Creatures, Fiction / Fantasy / Romance, Fiction / Romance / Fantasy
Pages: 496
GoodreadsSet in a magical zoo teeming with mythical beasts from dragons and unicorns to kelpies and krakens, The Phoenix Keeper is a fierce joy of a cozy fantasy novel with a soul-restoring queer romance at its heart, for fans ofThe House in the Cerulean Sea and Legends and Lattes.
As head phoenix keeper at a world-renowned zoo for magical creatures, Aila's childhood dream of conserving critically endangered firebirds seems closer than ever. There's just one glaring caveat: her zoo's breeding program hasn't functioned for a decade. When a tragic phoenix heist sabotages the flagship initiative at a neighboring zoo, Aila must prove her derelict facilities are fit to take the reins.
But saving an entire species from extinction requires more than stellar animal handling skills. Carnivorous water horses, tempestuous thunderhawks, mischievous dragons... Aila has no problem wrangling beasts. But mustering the courage to ask for help from the hotshot griffin keeper at the zoo's most popular exhibit? Virtually impossible.
Especially when that hotshot griffin keeper happens to be her arch-rival from college: Luciana, an annoyingly brooding and insufferable know-it-all with the face of a goddess who's convinced that Aila's beloved phoenix would serve their cause better as an active performer rather than as a passive conservation exhibit. With the world watching and the threat of poachers looming, Aila's success is no longer merely a matter of keeping her job...
She is the keeper of the phoenix, and the future of a species– and her love life– now rests on her shoulders.
Marriage & Masti by Nisha Sharma
Series: If Shakespeare was an Auntie #3
Published by HarperCollins on August 27, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Adaptations & Pastiche, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy
Pages: 384
GoodreadsThe third and final installment in Nisha Sharma's beloved Shakespeare-inspired rom-com trilogy--an ode to Twelfth Night--is the perfect friends to lovers romp featuring an accidental wedding, meddling families, and plenty of sizzling chemistry.
Veera Mathur has been through a lot in the past year. Both of her friends found soul mates, the man she fell in love with got engaged to another woman, and her father fired her before selling the family company. When her twin sister, Sana, tells her there is no way of getting her old life back, Veera feels lost at sea: a single, unemployed mess with a bad tattoo and tons of talent, but nowhere to go.
Deepak Datta hasn't had the best luck either. To secure enough board votes for the CEO position at his family's company, Illyria Media, he's ready to marry board member and famous beauty influencer, Olivia Gupta. That is until he wakes up to a get ready with me video announcing their separation. Despite his immediate relief, Deepak needs to do something fast to repair his image.
After a series of convenient mishaps bring them together again--including a literal shipwreck, way too many drinks, and a sunset elopement on the beach--Deepak and Veera realize their accidental wedding might be the solution to their career aspirations. Together, they plot against the very company that ruined their lives in the first place.
As they try to convince the world their friendship was a ruse for romance they've felt all along, the line between fake and real begins to blur. Now Veera and Deepak must ask themselves the terrifying question that has haunted them since the first time they met: will love ruin everything?
With her signature humor and heartfelt storytelling, Nisha Sharma writes a messy, spicy romance about identity, family honor, and love. In Marriage & Masti, readers are sure to love the highly anticipated finale of this beloved trilogy.
