Must-Have Monday is a feature highlighting which of the coming week’s new releases I’m excited for. It is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all books being published that week; only those I’m interested in out of those I’m aware of! The focus is diverse SFF, but other stuff sneaks in occasionally too.

TWENTY-FOUR books this week!

(Books are listed in order of pub date, then Adult SFF, Adult Other, YA SFF, YA Other, MG SFF.)

Acts of Deicide by L. E. Garrison
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Sapphic MC
Published on: 16th March 2026
Goodreads

300 years ago, a god was murdered.

Blue, once the deity's most faithful general, made immortal through her service, has wandered the fractured land ever since.

Her inability to die is a curse she strives to end.

Chance has her collide with Sarai, a guard captain who possesses an ancient memoir detailing the events of the god's death. If Blue can find the weapon used in that divine assassination, perhaps it can end her life, too.

Fuelled by a death drive developed over centuries, Blue seeks out the blade with Sarai at her side. Their hunt will take them across the blood-soaked extents of the broken empire, where the violently faithful battle for the right to name themselves the next God-Emperor.

But a blade that can kill one god can also make another, and Blue isn't the only one who desires that weapon.

Acts of Deicide is a dark, visceral fantasy that explores immortality, the unreliability of memory, and the nature of faith and godliness in a world destroyed by the death of its divine ruler.

This sounds epic and I’m looking forward to giving it a try!

You can read an excerpt here (where it says Preview Now)!

Achilles's Wife: A Novel of Greek Myth Retelling (Trojan Threads) by Judith Starkston
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Temporarily trans MC
Published on: 16th March 2026
Goodreads

In an ancient kingdom, a princess takes inspiration from a visiting young woman to challenge her father’s views and reach for leadership—and then discovers her muse is a man.

The goddess mother of Greek mythology’s most famous warrior, Achilles, will do anything to prevent her son’s fated early death. In a desperate move, she hides Achilles, against his will, on an island—disguised in a girl’s body.

Tormented by inner discord, the miscast “girl” befriends Mia, the eldest daughter of the island’s king, launching a transformation of Mia’s own. Armed with a new vision she believes comes from a girl, Mia contends with family secrets, a controlling father, her destiny to rule, and the wrath of a goddess.

When fate reveals Achilles’s identity, a divine mother’s fury drives Mia and Achilles into marriage. Mia must navigate her love for a man with a divided heart and a dangerous measure of immortality. Balancing governance and motherhood, Mia will face an unbearable choice.

A stand-alone novel in the Trojan Threads Series.

"What was it like to be married to Achilles? Deidamia, princess of the small island of Skyros, his wife before he took his fated journey to Troy, was the mother of his only child, his son Neoptolemus. Here at last she tells her own story, speaking of how they met, married, and then parted. She knew Achilles the man rather than the warrior. She lets us see a side of him that Homer doesn’t. Unique, fascinating, and restores a long lost voice to the story the Trojan War.” –Margaret George, NYT bestselling author of The Memoirs of Cleopatra & The Splendor Before the Dark

I think this is a standalone within the author’s series of Greek myth retellings. I admit to not seeing a retelling of this part of Achilles’ story before!

A Portal to Suleihaerin (Princess and Potion Book 1) by RAQUEL RAELYNN
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, YA
Representation: Black sapphic MCs, F/F
Published on: 16th March 2026
Goodreads

Sapphira is a sword-wielding ice princess who has never known love. Isabel is a healer who thinks she can fix anything.

When Sapphira falls through a portal and into Isabel’s life, can the timid healer melt the ice princess’ heart…

Or will Sapphira’s past catch up with her?

-
After her parents died, Sapphira was locked away in her castle by her wicked aunt. On her 18th birthday, the castle gates finally open, and a party is thrown to find Sapphira a husband. But Sapphira doesn't want marriage, she wants to escape; and when a pirate king comes to take her throne, she gets her wish. She flees the kingdom to keep herself from the king’s dangerous hands and stumbles down a portal and into a new world. She lands in the magical land of Suleihaerin... and into the arms of the healer Isabel.

Haven’t been able to learn much about this one – there MIGHT be a dragon???

Cyberscion by Thomas Bulen Jacobs
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Representation: Queer Japanese MC, secondary sapphic Nigerian character, secondary queer characters
Published on: 17th March 2026
Goodreads

"...a fast-paced, action-packed romp..." -Publishers Weekly

In a far future New York City, Benjiro Ibn Benjiro Ayad Nakamura is about to ascend to leadership of the Nakamura Cybersinecure, a tech monopoly-government.

But his family's prized katana has been stolen.

So Benjiro recruits a team of thieves, led by the Nigerian refugee Amina and her girlfriend, Kiral, to recover the blade.

Part of the Neon Hemlock Novella Series.

A new Neon Hemlock novella! They always publish wonderfully oddball and original stuff, and Cyberscion definitely looks promising!

Sleep Alone by J.A.W. McCarthy
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: F/ F
Published on: 17th March 2026
Goodreads

Finalist for both the Shirley Jackson Award and the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction

Includes a new bonus short story, "With Animals"!

"Instantly intoxicating. Sleep Alone thrives in a lustful, hungry ballad... A classic trinity of sex, blood, and rock and roll." —Hailey Piper, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Queen of Teeth

For the past six years, Ronnie has worked selling merch for a perpetually touring band. Late nights, sweaty clubs, dingy motel rooms, endless roads—as rough as it's been, there is no other way of life for this band of hungry succubi leaving bodies in their wake.

Until she meets the enigmatic Helene.

Helene is just as restless, just as lonely, and just as full of secrets. With Helene in tow, Ronnie and the band make their way across the Pacific Northwest, trying to outrun not only their mistakes, but the mysterious disease stalking the band, a disease that devours succubi from the inside out.

The hunger is as endless as the road, but maybe Ronnie doesn't always want to sleep alone.

I think this is a new edition of a previously published novella? One I haven’t read, but I like the sound of it!

You can read an excerpt here (scroll down to ‘Nicole D. Sconiers recommends’)!

Masquerade (Micah Grey) by L.R. Lam
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Bisexual intersex MC
Published on: 17th March 2026
Goodreads

In the high-stakes conclusion to the Micah Grey Trilogy from the USA Today-bestselling author of Dragonfall, Micah faces his own magical power, nebulous alliances, and a conspiracy that unravels all the way to the Royal Palace.

The gifted can’t hide their talents forever. But monsters await when they step into the light...

Micah's Chimaera powers are growing, just as dark visions threaten to overwhelm him. Drystan is forced to take him to the Royal Physician, but can they really trust the doctor? Especially when he gets Micah hooked on a mysterious medicine, and a close friend is revealed to be his spy…

Meanwhile, violent unrest is sweeping the country as anti-royalist factions fight to be heard. When a royal secret and an attack on Chimaera brings Micah into the heart of the conflict, he and his friends must fight an ancient sect that aims to spread terror once more. The fate of all Chimaera—and the world—hangs in the balance.

In this satisfying and thrilling conclusion to their inventive fantasy trilogy, L.R. Lam raises the stakes like never before.

The conclusion of the (rewritten) Micah Grey trilogy!

You can read an excerpt here (where it says Free Preview beneath the book cover)!

The Book of Fallen Leaves by A.S. Tamaki
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, High Fantasy, Historical Fantasy
Representation: Japanese cast and setting
Published on: 17th March 2026
Goodreads

Shogun meets Game of Thrones in the blockbuster epic fantasy event of the year. A. S. Tamaki weaves a powerful tale of ambition, vengeance and sacrifice in this masterful fantasy retelling of an ancient Samurai saga, packed with memorable characters, stunning worldbuilding and epic adventure.

"A sprawling, complex fantasy epic... An impressive debut." —Fonda Lee, author of NYT bestselling and award-winning author of the Green Bone Saga

Sen Hoshiakari is an exiled prince of a clan that lost everything in his father's failed rebellion. Deprived of his birthright, Sen is determined to restore his family's lands and honor at any cost.  Rui is a peasant girl who saved Sen's life on the night his family were put to the sword. But now, she is adrift and unsure of her place in the world, not knowing that the gods themselves have plans for her …

As civil war throws the empire into chaos, and demons seek vengeance on the living, Sen and Rui must fight for both their clan and their shared future … But vengeance demands a bloody price.

"I loved it, and I think that readers in search of family feuds, political savagery, and complex characters on both sides of an epic, unfolding war will love it too." —Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld

"The Book of Fallen Leaves is lyrically told, rife with history and political intrigue. This is the rare book that is somehow both vast and intimate—with battles that leap off the page and characters who yearn to do what’s right." —Andrea Stewart, author of The Bone Shard Daughter

 

I’ve heard very little chatter about this one, but it sounds promising!

You can read an excerpt here!

The Orc and Her Spy (The Sapphic Orcs of Torden Book 2) by Lila Gwynn
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: F/F
Published on: 17th March 2026
Goodreads

An orc queen. Her human bodyguard. Ten years of trust, tension, and yearning.

ASTRID KARRSDAUGHTER, orc queen of Torden, has dealt with threats from the west since before she was elected to her throne. When the southern kingdom sends an ambassador to Torden's royal court, Astrid needs the help of her beloved spymaster—even knowing she relies on her too heavily.

FREYA WEDD is the queen’s human bodyguard, spymaster, and handmaid all in one. When she receives divine prophecy that something bad will happen to her queen, she will do whatever she can to protect the woman to whom she's sworn her life.

Tension between the two has been simmering for years, and their feelings are about to boil over.

A masc human bodyguard protects her dutiful, emotionally distant orc queen in this sapphic fantasy romance. This novel is second in The Sapphic Orcs of Torden series but can be read as a standalone.

I’ve only heard great things about book one in this series! I think this can be read as a standalone if you’ve not read the first book.

This Splintered Sea by Haley J. Munroe
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: F/F
Published on: 17th March 2026
Goodreads

“I used to be the warning in the chorus of a sea shanty. Men feared me. Now, I’m a petty thief.”

Killing her betrothed and fleeing an arranged marriage was meant to free Briar, the Princess of the Sea, from a life trapped on land and chained to a throne. Powerful, ruthless, and wild, she once sailed the seas under her queen mother’s rule as the feared captain of The Twelfth Night.

A decade later, she’s a pickpocket and the king’s favorite courtesan in a foreign, enemy court, working as an undercover spy while having a secret affair with the queen. As punishment for her murderous revenge, she’s stuck on land—cursed, forgotten to history, and stripped of her ruthless power that once made her so formidable. One spray of the sea against her skin will kill her.

She’s trapped, hiding in plain sight, until the King announces a competition in which the winner will be granted a single wish—a wish that could undo her curse. Determined, she conceals herself as a pirate, and magically seals herself to The Gales and its trials.

Only, the pirate identity she stole is being hunted by notorious bounty hunter and fellow trials competitor, Kressa—the same bounty hunter Briar is supposed to seduce and spy on as a courtesan.

The same woman whose kiss ignited Briar’s dormant magic, breaking all the rules of her curse.

Fifty competitors, three trials, two stolen identities, and one princess desperate enough to risk it all.Let the games begin.

The adventure in Pirates of the Caribbean meets the romance of The Serpent of the Wings of Night in This Splintered Sea, a heart-wrenching sapphic romance full of adventure, intrigue, and betrayal.

We stan stabby queer princesses in this house!

Shake Out the Ghosts by Al Hess
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Speculative Fiction
Representation: M/M
Published on: 17th March 2026
Goodreads

Left with PTSD and facial scars after an attack 9 months ago, eccentric portrait artist Micah finds the sanctuary of his home disrupted by signs of a haunting. Between 80’s synth pop and motivational messages scrawled on his bathroom mirror, Micah is more charmed than frightened by Cosmo, the deceased previous resident of his apartment. But when Cosmo’s ghost suddenly disappears, Micah’s determined to lure him back.

Dramatic, unconventional and very much alive, sculpture artist Cosmo mourns his old self. His boyfriend’s a serial cheater, he’s continually passed over for a promotion at work, and he’s lost his best friend. To make matters worse, his apartment’s being haunted by a bespectacled man with an eye socket of scars. Seeking a new start, Cosmo moves out.

In a chance meeting, Cosmo and Micah’s paths cross again, and tentative sparks fly. But the phantoms of their pasts still linger. To find a future where they can be happy together, they must confront their trauma once and for all.

I think this is much closer to Contemporary than it is SFF? Still, sorta-ghosts!

You can read an excerpt here (where it says Free Preview beneath the book cover)!

The Somewhat Wicked Witch of Brigandale by C.M. Waggoner
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Published on: 17th March 2026
Goodreads

A practical witch must sabotage her beloved son's ascension to the throne in order to keep the kingdom from ruin, in this delightful cozy fantasy from the author of The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry.

Once upon a time, a somewhat wicked witch named Gretsella lived in a cozy little cottage in the Dark Forest of Brigandale. She dispensed herbs and tinctures at reasonable prices, met with her slightly oddball coven on a regular basis, and had absolutely no need of any further company whatsoever, thank you very much. But then one afternoon, Gretsella came home to find a screaming infant on her doorstep.

Against all her better judgement, she took the baby in. She named him Bradley.

Eighteen years later, Bradley has grown into a bafflingly likable young man under Gretsella’s extremely tolerant—one might even say doting—eye. But the witch’s hopes for an unremarkable yet fulfilling life for her son are shattered when small woodland animals start prophesying that he is the lost prince and should ascend to the throne. Bradley ignores Gretsella’s advice that prophecies and talking chipmunks are to be avoided at all costs, and sets off for the capital. But soon confusion and chaos are reigning, and scheming courtiers are using Bradley for their own ends. Sometimes a witch has to roll up her sleeves and take matters into her own cauldron. So Gretsella sets off to bring about the downfall of her darling son…

I’ve massively enjoyed all of this author’s books and don’t expect this one to break the streak!

You can read an excerpt here (where it says Preview Now)!

Transmentation | Transgression: Or, a Spark on the Eve of the Five Hundred Year Burn (The Formation Saga Book 2) by Darkly Lem
Genres: Adult, Sci Fi
Published on: 17th March 2026
Goodreads

From bestselling authors Darkly Lem comes Transmentation | Transgression, the second installment in the Formation Saga, a sweeping epic of adventure, mystery, and intrigue.

In this vast multiverse in which people can travel between universes—entering new bodies with entire in-universe identities gifted to them by a mysterious entity known as the Simulacrum—universe-spanning societies of interdimensional travelers have arisen over thousands of years. Some travel to make the universe a better place for all, some seek power and glory, some covet knowledge, some simply want to create wonderful stories.

But this unchecked expansion has been curtailed in recent centuries as these societies encounter each other with greater frequency … and friction. Now they vie for power, knowledge, wealth, and control within their many worlds while the ever-expanding multiverse faces threats of destruction.

If you’re looking for wildly original hard sci fi, you ought to be reading this series already!

You can read an excerpt here (where it says Preview Now)!

Children of Strife (Children of Time, #4) by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Genres: Adult, Sci Fi
Published on: 17th March 2026
Goodreads

From the award-winning master of sci-fi Adrian Tchaikovsky, Children of Strife is the unmissable follow-up space opera to the highly acclaimed Children of Time, Children of Ruin and Children of Memory.
In this epic adventure, we visit a far-future after earth fell, where ark ships had hunted for a new home. They sought lost worlds terraformed in earth’s forgotten past. We follow a ship crewed by maverick humans, spiders and a spectacularly punchy mantis shrimp captain as they rediscover one such world, and an ark.
Then human crewmate Alis wakes to discover that she, her captain and the ship’s intelligence are the only ones left on their ship. But what happened to those who left to explore the ark . . . and the world below?
Children of Strife is the extraordinary next volume set in the Children of Time universe, featuring epic adventure, first contact and the nature of intelligence among the stars.

As I write this I just finished book two in this series this morning, so I have another book to get to before I can jump into Children of Strife! Meaning I have very carefully not read the blurb of CoS, to avoid spoilers. But this is a super readable series with magnificent wouldbuilding, and I recommend it! So glad Strife will be waiting for me by the time I finish book three!

Sweetbitter Song: A Novel by Rosie Hewlett
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Speculative Fiction
Representation: F/F
Published on: 17th March 2026
Goodreads

Sweetbitter Song is a story of two women on the shores of Ithaca, in the shadows of a legendary war, who must face their own battle – one of sisterhood, survival, and a forbidden love that could destroy them both.

One summer night, within the palace of Sparta, a young slave girl stumbles across a grey-eyed princess. Despite living worlds apart, Melantho and Penelope are instantly drawn to one another, and a powerful friendship blossoms. But the Spartan royals do not approve of this bond, and soon Melantho and Penelope find themselves viciously torn apart, their trust irreparably shattered.

Years later, their paths cross once again upon the rocky shores of Ithaca, where Melantho is sent to serve Princess Penelope and her new husband, Prince Odysseus. Embittered by life as a slave, Melantho is determined to keep her distance. But, once again, the two women find themselves drawn to one other, pulled by the echo of their friendship, and something far stronger they are too afraid to name.

When war blazes across Greece, Odysseus and the men of Ithaca are driven to foreign lands. In their absence, Melantho finds a new world opening up before her – one where women rule, where family can be found, and where a forbidden love is finally given the space to bloom.

A profound tale of love, identity and defiance, Sweetbitter Song tells a story forgotten by history. One of bravery and hope, celebrating two women who fought to protect their love from a world that tried to deny its very existence.

Technically fantasy, but I’m not expecting much magic in this one. It’s supposed to be beautifully written, though!

You can read an excerpt here!

Castle Swimmer: Volume 3 by Wendy Martin
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, YA
Representation: M/M
Published on: 17th March 2026
Goodreads

Kappa and Siren’s adventurous journey into the vast ocean begins in this exciting third installment of the hit Webtoon series Castle Swimmer.

After leaving Siren to recover from his wounds in the shark castle, Kappa finds himself out in the big wide ocean once more. Minutes into his newfound freedom, another prophecy intervenes, pulling him towards a giant demigod crab scuttling along the ocean floor. As Kappa tries to figure out why he is drawn towards this crab, he comes across three magic-wielding octopi with tragic pasts and uncovers more about his greater purpose as the Beacon.

When Siren finally leaves the shark castle a month later, Kappa is long gone. Alone in the greater ocean that he’s only ever heard about, Siren quickly finds that he’s unequipped to fend for himself. After having his supplies stolen by thieves, Siren finds himself by luck in the company of a young fish and his mother and joins them on their travels. As they teach him to fight and tough it out in the wild, Siren begins searching for a cure to his curse.

This beautiful graphic novel collects episodes 42-65 of Webtoon’s Castle Swimmer and includes three new mini-episodes plus exclusive bonus content.

Someday. Someday I will sit down and read this series, I swear!

SideQuested: Book 1 by K.B. Spangler, Alexandra Presser
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, YA
Representation: Queer brown MC
Published on: 17th March 2026
Goodreads

The course of true love never did run straight…For fans of The Owl House and Critical Role comes the first volume in the lighthearted and epic adventure SideQuested!

Magic makes the world go ’round, but no one in Charlie Goldskin’s world knows precisely where magic comes from. This isn’t Charlie’s problem. She’s the adopted daughter of a woodcarver and is training to be a librarian. It’ll be a quiet life, but that’s fine with Charlie as magic is summoned through conflict and she would like to avoid that, thank you very much!

Then her birth father shows up to take her from her village and bring her to the King’s court.

Prince Leopold is gifted in the noble arts of diplomacy and combat, but he’s never met anyone like Charlie. Falling in love with her wouldn’t be an issue, except he’s already engaged, and his fiancée is the daughter of a very powerful evil witch. Charlie, panicking, decides to break the news to Princess Robin...but then she finds love at first sight, too. To resolve this love triangle, the teens are sent on a quest to discover the source of magic! So much for Charlie’s plans for a quiet life...

I’ve only heard good things about this one; by all accounts it should be a lot of fun!

Prodigal Tiger by Samantha Chong
Genres: Fantasy, YA
Representation: Malaysian MC
Published on: 17th March 2026
Goodreads

An action-packed YA contemporary fantasy debut that brings vibrant Malaysian folklore to life.

For five years, Caroline Chua has lived in exile from her home and family in Malaysia at a magical academy in New York City--far enough away that she can’t hurt the people she loves. That is until she is abruptly summoned home in an emergency—her beloved older brother, Aaron, who is next in line to become the Protector of the Island, has vanished. And now back in Penang, she can’t help but notice that things don’t feel the same as they once did and it’s unclear if she’s changed, or the island.

Despite her family’s desire to keep her close and the Council’s explicit instructions to stay out of trouble, stubborn, self-sufficient Caroline is hell-bent on saving her brother with or without anyone’s help. But when it turns out that Aaron has been kidnapped by vengeful ghosts with a centuries-old grudge, even Caroline must admit she’s in over her head and will need the help of the friends she had abandoned, including her first love, J.J.

The ghosts’ goals are simple: break the barriers between the ghost and mortal realms during the Hungry Ghost Festival using Aaron to take the island’s magic, and cement their rightful place as the true—albeit dead—rulers of the island. With only seven days before the barrier weakens, Caroline is in a race against time to save her brother. But as enemies stack up, always one step ahead, Caroline can’t help but wonder if she’s strong enough for this battle. Or is she doomed to repeat the mistakes that sent her away all those years ago?

PRODIGAL TIGER is a rich, cinematic celebration of Malaysian magic and folklore, as well as an emotional exploration of never quite feeling like your whole self after living in the diaspora.

I adore EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS! *GRABBY HANDS*

You can read an excerpt here!

Clementine H. Hopeful Is Not a Hero (Better School Book 1) by Noah Corey
Genres: Fantasy, MG, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Genderqueer MC
Published on: 17th March 2026
Goodreads

Amid magic and monsters, a queer seventh-grader discovers a world where he can be himself but has to decide if he will fight for it…even if it means becoming the villain.

"Clementine’s story is part Peter Pan, part Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, part Coraline, and at the same time wholly unique."
—Kirkus Reviews

Clementine has always felt like the villain of his story. Most of the time, he’s a socially anxious kid who knows it’s not “normal” for a boy to wear pink shoes to school. While he’s there, his teachers won’t call him by the right name (even though Clementine is a boy’s name, if a boy has it), his classmates tease him about his obsessive love for spiders (even though they’re beautiful), and he’s the only one who can see the floating faces that haunt the surrounding woods.

But all that changes when a boy named Beetle breaks through his bedroom window and warns him about monsters. Soon, Clementine is drawn into a world of magic and imagination. Every night in the woods, everything he and his new friends Beetle, Cricket, and Anise spend hours in a play-pretend world that seems to be seeping into reality. Clementine has never had a friend like Beetle—a boy who teaches him to howl at the moon, who dreams of being a hero and says the whole sky is beautiful while looking right at Clementine and not at the sky at all.

But Clementine wants to use the power fueling their adventures to make things better outside the forest—not later, when he’s grown up, but now. And when he discovers the source of the magic, Clementine has to decide: Does he become a hero with Beetle and protect a world that hates him? Or does he finally become the villain, ready to build a new world whatever the cost? In this joyful and uninhibited celebration of imagination, empathy and all things monstrous, debut author Noah Corey tells the story of a queer kid who is exactly and exquisitely himself. This book is a love letter to villains and heroes, and all the ways they make us brave.

Sounds sweet and very fun!

You can read an excerpt here (where it says Look Inside beneath the book cover)!

Learning To Bleed (Vampires of Coal Dust #2) by Cat Rector
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Queer MCs
Published on: 18th March 2026
Goodreads

You can take the girl out of Penny Harbour, but you can’t take the monster out of the girl.

When Spencer and Laurel left Penny Harbour after her death, he promised she could learn to control her hunger. Once she stops being a danger to the people she loves, he can bring her home. His centuries as a vampire should have prepared him to guide her, but every night, he cleans the blood from her hands and hides the corpses she’s made. No amount of careful planning stops the inevitable, and Spencer can’t figure out why.

Laurel is lying. The monster that took root in her veins never left. It whispers to her, robs her of reason, and twists the truth. Out in the big, broad world for the first time, she’s overwhelmed by cities, her own queer reckoning, and the monsters waging war inside her. Terrified of what will happen if she tells Spencer, Laurel has decided to push through in isolation. Things were supposed to get easier, after all. With practice, she should have been in control by now.

Will Laurel be able to overcome the rage long enough to take advantage of her new freedom, or will the violence destroy everything she’s fought so hard to get?
---
This book is the second part of a queer gothic horror series with romantic themes and handles heavy, complicated topics such as generational trauma, spousal abuse, and grief. A full list of trigger warnings can be found on Cat’s website.

Angsty vampires!

You can read an excerpt here (where it says Free Preview beneath the book cover)!

Opal and Oestre by Liza Olson
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Science Fantasy
Representation: Trans MC
Published on: 19th March 2026
Goodreads

In the far future, a newly out trans technowitch named Opal finds a phial of estradiol in a dusty old drawer while scavenging for relics.

After meeting the Pagan goddess Oestre who's the namesake for this wonderful elixir, she and her robot cat Remee set out on a quest to synthesize more, share it with other trans magech girls, and find the community she's always wanted.

I’m reading an early copy of this one now and there’s so many cool ideas here!

You can read an excerpt here (where it says Free Preview beneath the book cover)!

The Brides by Charlotte Cross
Genres: Adult, Horror, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Sapphic MCs
Published on: 19th March 2026
Goodreads

Before Dracula, there were The Brides. . .

1903. Sir John Seward, survivor of Count Dracula’s murderous campaign ten years before, takes up a post as a psychiatric doctor at an Oxford public asylum. There, a new patient arrives whose traumatic experiences resurrect horrors John has spent a decade trying to forget.

1884. Mafalda Lowell journeys from London to Budapest to care for her recently widowed aunt Reka. She uncovers the chilling truth about her uncle’s death, and writes to her secret love Lucy North for comfort. Chaperoned by former schoolfriend Eliza and lady’s maid Alice, Lucy travels across the continent to be with her beloved.

Only Alice, beset by nightmares and terrifying visions, notices the strange black-clad man who seems to follow them wherever they go. When Eliza is struck down with a mysterious wasting illness, her doctor orders her to take the healing waters of Transylvania, a journey with devastating consequences.

There was meant to be four . . .

A dual timeline novel, told through letters, diary entries, psychiatric reports, that places women at the centre of literature's most famous vampire story.

This is coming to the US this summer, I think, but the UK gets it this week! I’ve heard only amazing things and I’m VERY eager to get my paws on a copy!

You can read an excerpt here (where it says Preview Now)!

The Legend of Lady Byeoksa by Esther Park, Gene Png
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy
Representation: Korean cast and setting
Published on: 19th March 2026
Goodreads

'Bound to tug at your heart strings' ELIZA CHANA tale of star-crossed lovers, political intrigue and mysticism inspired by Korean mythology and set in the Joseon dynasty.

'Whether I remember or not, it seems I am destined to love you.'

Lady Seomun Bin has a she is a cross-dressing byeoksa, or ghost-stalker. Born with the unenviable ability to see spirits, she is forced to disguise herself as a man to perform exorcisms in order to break this curse which puts those around her in danger.

One night, Bin sneaks into a lavish party at Sagokjeong, the chief state councillor's country home. There, she bumps into Hyun Eun-ho, a loyal servant to the King sent to investigate the chief state councillor's suspected treason and one of the most eligible bachelors of the Joseon court. Eun-ho feels an inexplicable attraction towards Bin and tries to get closer to her, while Bin, for reasons of her own, attempts to avoid him. However, they keep crossing paths, becoming increasingly entangled by the inescapable threads of fate.

Meanwhile, a darker presence is growing in power in the Underworld and the boundaries between the physical world and the one beyond continue to grow thinner. As evil forces seek to exert their influence over the court, Bin and Eunho must work together to overthrow them.

Where will their destined connection lead? Will they finally be able to break the curse?

This might be another UK-only release?

The Boy in the Painting (Meadowbrook Duet Book 1) by G.B. Bancroft
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Portal Fantasy
Representation: M/F/F/M polyamory
Published on: 19th March 2026
Goodreads

When home becomes a person, and you lose them, where are you supposed to go?

Since the sudden and tragic death of her husband two years ago, painter Alice Raine has asked herself that question a thousand times. The only answer she's come up with is an old blue Victorian house three-thousand miles away, situated in the small, coastal town of Meadowbrook.

But grief is not so easily swayed by changes of scenery, though Alice finds that new friends help some. Like Jessa, the extroverted cafe owner who's got a smirk like sin and forces Alice out of her shell. Or Harley, the local librarian with eyes the color of nostalgia, who has Alice picking up her paintbrush again. Even Ori, the grouchy tailor, who also happens to be Jessa and Harley's housemate, has Alice wondering if the door to her heart will stay closed forever like she once thought.

It's fortunate that Alice is desperate for an other-worldly escape, because once whispered thoughts of more fill her head, Alice is pushed down a rabbit hole of secrets that any sane person would try to escape. But Alice discovers that there comes a point in life where you have to make a choice to let go and fall. Not in a bad way, but hopefully into something good.

The Boy in the Painting is the first in a MFFM why choose/polyamorous portal fantasy romance duology about a grieving painter, the realm she’s fated to save, and the three shifters who breathe life back into her muse. This means that there are three love interests and the main character will end up with all of them by the end of the series. Book one ends on a cliffhanger. HEA guaranteed in book two.

We do need more Adult portal fantasies actually, please and thank you.

Indigent by Briana N. Cox
Genres: Adult, Horror
Representation: Black MC
Published on: 20th March 2026
Goodreads

"Eat. They twisted in deeper. Eat. Still so simple. An impulse. Repeated again and again. Eat..."

LEIGH PIERCE ESTATES is home to a diverse array of families, immigrants, students, the forgotten elderly. All working poor, and all in danger.

Because the tenants of Leigh Pierce are disappearing.

Live-in handyman Xavier seems to be the only one who notices. Or cares. After a chance encounter with the culprit leaves him infected with something horrifying, Xavier is thrust into a surreal nightmare of starvation and consumption all too familiar to his gentrifying Atlanta neighborhood.

Succumbing to his infection, Xavier is drawn into the cobbled-together family squatting in Leigh Pierce's basement. People who, through a myriad of doomed roads, fell into the same self-destructive cycle of indigency, harboring dark secrets... and darker appetites. Trapped in a dynamic of codependency and complicity, Xavier and his family- new and old- are forced to confront the cost of survival in a world that has disregarded them.

I have been promised a vampire worm hivemind, so naturally I’m interested! Concerned I’ll wimp out, but interested!

You can read an excerpt here (where it says Free Preview beneath the book cover)!

Will you be reading any of these? Did I miss any releases you think I should know about? Let me know!

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