Hello everyone! I can’t believe it’s already September and I’m back with a new month’s list of most anticipated releases. September is filled with gorgeous covers and some of my top must read of the year.
We have series coming to an end this September with Daughters of the Dawn by Sasha and Sarena Nanua, Forestfall by Lyndall Clipstone, and Kingdom of the Feared by Kerri Maniscalco. Some authors are starting new series such as Aiden Thomas with The Sunbearer Trials, Jesse Q. Sutanto with Well, That Was Unexpected, and Chloe Gong with Foul Lady Fortune. The only debut author in this list is Sophie Kim with Last of the Talons. We will get the continuation of series with The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas, Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore, The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber, and Heaven Official’s Blessing Volume 4 by Moxiang Tongxiu. There’s also a collection of mysteries inspired by Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple, Marple.
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the american roommate experiment
– elena armas
duology: spanish love deception #2
September 6, 2022 by Simon & Schuster UK
age range: adult
genre: contemporary, romance
Rosie Graham has a problem. A few, actually. She just quit her well paid job to focus on her secret career as a romance writer. She hasn’t told her family and now has terrible writer’s block. Then, the ceiling of her New York apartment literally crumbles on her. Luckily she has her best friend Lina’s spare key while she’s out of town. But Rosie doesn’t know that Lina has already lent her apartment to her cousin Lucas, who Rosie has been stalking—for lack of a better word—on Instagram for the last few months. Lucas seems intent on coming to her rescue like a Spanish knight in shining armor. Only this one strolls around the place in a towel, has a distracting grin, and an irresistible accent. Oh, and he cooks.
Lucas offers to let Rosie stay with him, at least until she can find some affordable temporary housing. And then he proposes an outrageous experiment to bring back her literary muse and meet her deadline: He’ll take her on a series of experimental dates meant to jump-start her romantic inspiration. Rosie has nothing to lose. Her silly, online crush is totally under control—but Lucas’s time in New York has an expiration date, and six weeks may not be enough, for either her or her deadline.
🌵 I already know that I’ll be picking The American Roommate Experiment as soon as it’s out, especially with how much I loved The Spanish Love Deception.
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the sunbearer trials
– aiden thomas
duology: the sunbearer #1
September 6, 2022 by Feiwel & Friends
age range: young adult
genre: fantasy
rep: LGBT
As each new decade begins, the Sun’s power must be replenished so that Sol can keep traveling along the sky and keep the evil Obsidian gods at bay. Ten semidioses between the ages of thirteen and eighteen are selected by Sol himself as the most worthy to compete in The Sunbearer Trials. The winner carries light and life to all the temples of Reino del Sol, but the loser has the greatest honor of all―they will be sacrificed to Sol, their body used to fuel the Sun Stones that will protect the people of Reino del Sol for the next ten years.
Teo, a 17-year-old Jade semidiós and the trans son of Quetzal, goddess of birds, has never worried about the Trials…or rather, he’s only worried for others. His best friend Niya―daughter of Tierra, the god of earth―is one of the strongest heroes of their generation and is much too likely to be chosen this year. He also can’t help but worry (reluctantly, and under protest) for Aurelio, a powerful Gold semidiós and Teo’s friend-turned-rival who is a shoo-in for the Trials. Teo wouldn’t mind taking Aurelio down a notch or two, but a one-in-ten chance of death is a bit too close for Teo’s taste.
But then, for the first time in over a century, Sol chooses a semidiós who isn’t a Gold. In fact, he chooses two: Xio, the 13-year-old child of Mala Suerte, god of bad luck, and…Teo. Now they must compete in five mysterious trials, against opponents who are both more powerful and better trained, for fame, glory, and their own survival.
🌵 Honestly, after reading Cemetery Boys and Lost in the Never Woods, I’ll pick up any Aiden Thomas book that they will releasing in the future. I have no clue what The Sunbearer Trials will be about but I’m here for it.
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daughters of the dawn
– sasha nanua & sarena nanua
duology: ria & rani #2
September 6, 2022 by Harperteen
age range: young adult
genre: fantasy, romance
rep: Asian
Ria and Rani have barely settled into their new lives at the palace–as princesses, as sisters–when a sinister prophecy uproots them once more.
The Blood Moon will rise in one month’s time, and with it their enemy Amara’s opportunity to destroy everything Ria and Rani hold dear.
The twin princesses must find Amara–a deadly search that separates Ria and Rani once more and takes them to wintry kingdoms and scorching deserts, pitting them against ancient mysteries and trap-ridden labyrinths, lethal sea monsters and an elusive enemy that steals into their very dreams.
🌵 Daughters of the Dawn is the finale for the story of Ria and Rani, the twin princesses who were brought up differently since young. After their reunion in Sisters of the Snake, I’m excited to see what adventures they will go on in this conclusion.
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self-made boys: a great gatsby remix
– anna-marie mclemore
series: remix classics #5
September 6, 2022 by Feiwel Friends
age range: young adult
genre: historical fiction, romance, retelling
rep: LGBT
New York City, 1922. Nicolás Caraveo, a 17-year-old transgender boy from Minnesota, has no interest in the city’s glamor. Going to New York is all about establishing himself as a young professional, which could set up his future—and his life as a man—and benefit his family.
Nick rents a small house in West Egg from his 18-year-old cousin, Daisy Fabrega, who lives in fashionable East Egg near her wealthy fiancé, Tom—and Nick is shocked to find that his cousin now goes by Daisy Fay, has erased all signs of her Latina heritage, and now passes seamlessly as white.
Nick’s neighbor in West Egg is a mysterious young man named Jay Gatsby, whose castle-like mansion is the stage for parties so extravagant that they both dazzle and terrify Nick. At one of these parties, Nick learns that the spectacle is all for the benefit of impressing a girl from Jay’s past—Daisy. And he learns something else: Jay is also transgender.
As Nick is pulled deeper into the glittery culture of decadence, he spends more time with Jay, aiming to help his new friend reconnect with his lost love. But Nick’s feelings grow more complicated when he finds himself falling hard for Jay’s openness, idealism, and unfounded faith in the American Dream.
🌵 Anna-Marie McLemore is one of my favorite, must read authors. Knowing that they are releasing another book in 2022 is a blessing.
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marple: twelve new mysteries
– various authors
anthology
September 13, 2022 by William Morrow & Company
age range: adult
genre: mystery
This collection of a dozen original short stories, all featuring Jane Marple, will introduce the character to a whole new generation. Each author reimagines Agatha Christie’s Marple through their own unique perspective while staying true to the hallmarks of a traditional mystery.
🌵 Among the authors participating in this anthology, I’ve only read Leigh Bardugo, Lucy Foley, Alyssa Cole, and Karen M. McManus. The rest will be a first time for me.
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the ballad of never after
– stephanie garber
trilogy: once upon a broken heart #2
September 13, 2022 by Flatiron Books
age range: young adult
genre: fantasy, romance
Not every love is meant to be.
After Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, betrays her, Evangeline Fox swears she’ll never trust him again. Now that she’s discovered her own magic, Evangeline believes she can use it to restore the chance at happily ever after that Jacks stole away.
But when a new terrifying curse is revealed, Evangeline finds herself entering into a tenuous partnership with the Prince of Hearts again. Only this time, the rules have changed. Jacks isn’t the only force Evangeline needs to be wary of. In fact, he might be the only one she can trust, despite her desire to despise him.
Instead of a love spell wreaking havoc on Evangeline’s life, a murderous spell has been cast. To break it, Evangeline and Jacks will have to do battle with old friends, new foes, and a magic that plays with heads and hearts. Evangeline has always trusted her heart, but this time she’s not sure she can…
🌵 Evangeline and Jacks aren’t on good terms after how things ended between them in Once Upon a Broken Heart. I feel like Stephanie Garber is going to break my heart again.
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heaven official’s blessing volume 4
– moxiang tongxiu
series: heaven official’s blessing #4
September 20, 2022 by Seven Seas
age range: adult
genre: fantasy, romance
rep: LGBT, Asian
FATES ALIGNED, BODIES INTERTWINED
The Venerable of Empty Words, a monster that feeds off the fears of the fortunate, is hunting Xie Lian’s friend, the Wind Master Shi Qingxuan. Knowing that his abysmal luck inoculates him from the creature’s power, Xie Lian doesn’t hesitate to throw himself into harm’s way—to Hua Cheng’s horror and panic. But another one of the Four Calamities may be closer than anyone knows, and even a ghost as powerful as Hua Cheng can lose control under the right circumstances. With his inhibitions gone, will desire overtake him?
🌵 As usual, just cause it’s Heaven Official’s Blessing.
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forestfall
– lyndall clipstone
duology: world at the lake’s edge #2
September 27, 2022 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
age range: young adult
genre: fantasy, romance, gothic
The curse that haunted Lakesedge Estate has been broken, but at great cost. Violeta Graceling has sacrificed herself to end the Corruption. To escape death, Leta makes a desperate bargain with the Lord Under, one that sees her living at his side in the land of the dead.
But this world of souls and mist hides many secrets. And when Leta realizes she is still connected to Rowan by a tethering spell, she will risk everything—even her soul—to try and reach him.
Torn between power and love, life and death, Leta struggles to keep hold of her humanity as she falls further and further under the spell of the world Below… and the Lord Under.
🌵 Another duology that is ending in 2022. This story surrounding Leta will be interesting. I have no idea how this will end but Lyndall Clipstone’s great at writing the gothic atmosphere.
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kingdom of the feared
– kerri maniscalco
trilogy: kingdom of the wicked #3
September 27, 2022 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
age range: young adult
genre: fantasy, romance
rep: Black
Two curses.
One prophecy.
A reckoning all have feared.
And a love more powerful than fate. All hail the king and queen of Hell.
Emilia is reeling from the shocking discovery that her twin sister, Vittoria, is alive. But before she faces the demons of her past, Emilia yearns to claim her king, the seductive Prince of Wrath, in the flesh. Emilia doesn’t simply desire his body, she wants his heart and soul—but that’s something the enigmatic demon can’t promise her.
When a high-ranking member of House Greed is assassinated, Emilia and Wrath are drawn to the rival demon court. Damning evidence points to Vittoria as the murderer and she’s quickly declared an enemy of the Seven Circles. Despite her betrayal, Emilia will do anything to solve this new mystery and find out who her sister really is.
Together Emilia and Wrath play a sin-fueled game of deception as they work to stop the unrest that’s brewing between witches, demons, shape-shifters and the most treacherous foes of all: the Feared.
Emilia was warned that when it came to the Wicked nothing was as it seemed. But, have the true villains been much closer all along? When the truth is finally revealed, it just might end up costing Emilia her heart.
🌵 I needed this ever since I finished Kingdom of the Cursed. Emilia and Wrath’s steamy back-and-forth in that book got my head spinning. It was everything I wanted. I wonder what they’ll be up to in this final instalment. Kerri Maniscalco’s romance development is something I looked forward to. Her debut series, Stalking Jack the Ripper, has a couple that left a deep impression in me. Emilia and Wrath in this trilogy is no different.
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well, that was unexpected
– jesse q. sutanto
series: well, that was unexpected #1
September 27, 2022 by Delacorte Press
age range: young adult
genre: contemporary, romance
rep: Asian
After Sharlot Citra’s mother catches her in a compromising position, she finds herself whisked away from LA to her mother’s native Indonesia. It’ll be exactly what they both need. Or so her mother thinks.
When George Clooney Tanuwijaya’s father (who is obsessed with American celebrities) fears he no longer understands how to get through to his son, he decides to take matters into his own hands.
To ensure that their children find the right kind of romantic partner, Sharlot’s mother and George’s father do what any good parent would do: they strike up a conversation online, pretending to be their children.
When the kids find out about their parents’ actions, they’re horrified. Not even a trip to one of the most romantic places on earth could possibly make Sharlot and George fall for each other. But as the layers peel back and the person they thought they knew from online is revealed, the truth becomes more complicated. As unlikely as it may seem, did their parents manage to find their true match after all?
🌵 I’ll read anything Jesse Q. Sutanto writes. I haven’t read the synopsis for Well, That Was Unexpected, but I already know I’ll get multiple belly laughs out of it. BTW, the author has released THREE books in the year. Well, That Was Unexpected is her fourth and final book of 2022. How insane is that?!
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last of the talons
– sophie kim
series: talon #1
September 27, 2022 by Entangled: Teen
age range: young adult
genre: fantasy, romance, retelling
After the destruction of her entire Talon gang, eighteen-year-old Shin Lina—the Reaper of Sunpo—is forced to become a living, breathing weapon for the kingdom’s most-feared crime lord. All that keeps her from turning on her ruthless master is the life of her beloved little sister hanging in the balance. But the order to steal a priceless tapestry from a Dokkaebi temple incites not only the wrath of a legendary immortal, but the beginning of an unwinnable game…
Suddenly Lina finds herself in the dreamlike realm of the Dokkaebi, her fate in the hands of its cruel and captivating emperor. But she can win her life—if she kills him first.
Now a terrible game of life and death has begun, and even Lina’s swift, precise blade is no match for the magnetic Haneul Rui. Lina will have to use every weapon in her arsenal if she wants to outplay this cunning king and save her sister…all before the final grain of sand leaks out of the hourglass.
Because one way or another, she’ll take Rui’s heart.
Even if it means giving up her own.
🌵 It was only recently that I found out about Last of the Talons, went to request an ARC, and got rejected… Regardless, this is a release that I don’t want to miss out on. It sounds epic and fun and a whole lot of adventure.
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foul lady fortune
– chloe gong
duology: foul lady fortune #1
September 27, 2022 by Margaret K. McElderry Books
age range: young adult
genre: historical fiction, romance, retelling
rep: Asian
It’s 1931 in Shanghai, and the stage is set for a new decade of intrigue.
Four years ago, Rosalind Lang was brought back from the brink of death, but the strange experiment that saved her also stopped her from sleeping and aging—and allows her to heal from any wound. In short, Rosalind cannot die. Now, desperate for redemption from her traitorous past, she uses her abilities as an assassin for her country.
Code name: Fortune.
But when the Japanese Imperial Army begins its invasion march, Rosalind’s mission pivots. A series of murders is causing unrest in Shanghai, and the Japanese are under suspicion. Rosalind’s new orders are to infiltrate foreign society and identify the culprits behind the terror plot before more of her people are killed.
To reduce suspicion, however, she must pose as the wife of another Nationalist spy, Orion Hong, and though Rosalind finds Orion’s cavalier attitude and playboy demeanor infuriating, she is willing to work with him for the greater good. But Orion has an agenda of his own, and Rosalind has secrets that she wants to keep buried. As they both attempt to unravel the conspiracy, the two spies soon find that there are deeper and more horrifying layers to this mystery than they ever imagined.
🌵 We are finally getting Rosalind’s story!! As many readers would say, “I will read Chloe Gong’s grocery list.” Foul Lady Fortune will be epic.
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i can’t wait for all these releases. so many beautiful, epic stories to devour.
thisbellereadstoo.wordpress.com 
such a sucker for a good cover
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yes. if only i can get all of them on my shelves. 😔
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ooooh I love these
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