Must-Have Monday is a feature where I gather together the books I think you should know about from the coming week’s new releases. It is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all books being published that week; only those I want to highlight out of those I’m aware of! The focus is diverse SFF, but other stuff occasionally makes it in too. Corrections and suggestions are very welcome!

NINETEEN books this week!

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

Mist and Memory by Heather Salter-Purves
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: F/F
Published on: 20th April 2026
Goodreads

She's haunted Thornwood Forest for four hundred years. Then one woman walks in fearlessly—and the ghost witch can't look away.

Wren doesn't remember being human. She only knows the forest is hers to protect, and that she died here long ago—condemned as a witch for loving the wrong person. For centuries, she's existed as mist and light, leading dangerous travelers astray and keeping her forest safe.

Then Mara arrives: an anthropology student researching queer erasure in witch trial records. She walks into Thornwood without fear, sits down with her notebook, and says, "I know you're there. And I'm not afraid."

Wren can't stop watching her. Following her. Wanting her.

As Mara uncovers the truth of Wren's death, memories four centuries buried surface. Witch. Unnatural. Condemned. Wren died for loving a woman—alone in the winter forest, forgotten by history. But she doesn't have to be forgotten anymore.

Together, they'll find a way to exist in the space between living and dead. Where mist becomes memory. Where a ghost witch learns to want again. Where love means being truly seen—all of you, even the parts that hurt.

A standalone novella—Book 0 of the Dark Sapphic Multiverse.

Tropes: Ghost × Human
Stalker to Lover
Hurt/Comfort
Witch Trials
Historical Trauma
Memory Recovery
Medium Spice
Guaranteed HEA

Perfect for readers who crave: Possessive ghosts who've waited centuries
Fearless women who refuse to run
Witch trial justice and queer reclamation
British folklore with teeth Dark romance that makes you cry (happy tears)
Literary prose that feels like poetry
For fans of: S.T. Gibson, Ava Reid, T. Kingfisher

CONTENT NOTES

Content Notes: Past trauma (witch trials, death), grief, historical homophobia, intimate scenes (medium spice)

I keep being intrigued by human x ghost romances??? And this sounds like a genuinely fab set-up!

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

No Gods No Kings: a dark fantasy romance by Demetria Paxton
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romantic Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: M/NB
Published on: 20th April 2026
Goodreads

Obedience keeps the Beast asleep.

In the People's Kingdom, obedience means safety from the horrors of the Beast - a vicious dragon ensnared in magical slumber. But how can Torver obey when his very existence is illegal?

Inexplicably devoid of the magic that blesses everyone else in the Kingdom, Torver can’t get his papers - and will hang for it, if caught. Cornered, Torver lives in the shadow of his only friend, Bassen, whose powerful death magic makes survival a daily struggle.

But when the pair save the life of a genderless fae, a fugitive from across the forbidden border wall who brings a dire warning, their hard-won safety is shattered. Thrust into the midst of an oncoming war that only they can prevent, the unlikely trio must travel the length of the Kingdom to slay the terrible Beast of legend, robbing their invaders of their greatest weapon.

But along the way, as they uncover deadly secrets and shattering truths, Torver is forced to confront not only his growing feelings for their fae defector companion, but also the beasts inside himself.

Because in the People’s Kingdom, obedience is a heavy, deadly thing.

And the price may just be too high.

A romantasy…from the guy’s POV??? I mean. I distrust anything dubbed romantasy but this does sound different enough from the usual that I’m cautiously interested…

You can read a sample at the book’s Amazon page!

The Language of Liars by S.L. Huang
Genres: Adult, Sci Fi
Published on: 21st April 2026
Goodreads

Speak another people's language. Know them. Become them.

And discover you've destroyed them.

In his training as a spy, Ro was told: you will always be living a lie.Jumping into a Star Eater's mind in the first place requires a moment of perfect psychic connection, and he has studied all his life to comprehend their species. Admires them, respects them, is reverent at the idea of being one of them—the only species physiologically capable of mining the element needed for lightyear-spanning space travel. The species all others crave to know more of, but who have notoriously shared so very little. The species Ro's own small civilization, with its dwindling resources and withering reach, needs to know more about.

It will feel real, his elders impressed upon him. It will never be real.

But Ro's certainty runs he will be different. Ro will not be an imposter hiding the truth of his past, because his heart will be one of them. He will be one of them.

To understand is to become. It never occurs to him that the mere act of understanding can destroy.

A) It’s HUANG and B) everything about this sounds PHENOMENAL!

You can read an excerpt here!

Witch Queen Rising by Savannah Stephens
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Representation: Black MC
Published on: 21st April 2026
Goodreads

A reclusive witch who fled the burden of her bloodline rises to be the greatest among them in this lush and haunting fantasy debut.

For New Orleans witchkin, there is no greater honor than to become the Prime—chosen to rule. But the title is meant to pass between two rival Houses of magic. Not to the prodigal daughter of the former Prime who died under mysterious circumstances.

As a girl, Seraphine Barreau was dubbed the Tick Witch for her ability to feed on magic and make it her own. Even among those who alter fate and manipulate reality, she was a powerful outcast feared and misunderstood by her people. Now dragged back to continue the legacy that nearly destroyed her, Phine has her work cut out for her. She must earn the respect of her people, navigate the politics of the paranormal communities residing in her city, and heal a broken heart all the while battling a parasitic curse poisoning witchkin. Between her werewolf ex, power-hungry vampires, and the skeletons in her family’s closet, Phine must learn to make peace with her past to save her—and all of witchkin’s—future.

I’ve been obsessed with this since I learned the MC is called the Tick Witch!

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

Burn the Sea by Mona Tewari
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy
Representation: Portuguese cast and setting
Published on: 21st April 2026
Goodreads

To protect her homeland, one queen must fight her people’s historic enemy―once and for all.

Abbakka Chowta never expected to be queen. The youngest of Ullal’s two rajkumaris, Abbakka has spent years in rigorous combat training to become her sister’s blade. But when the monstrous Porcugi attempt to lay claim to Ullal, Abbakka’s world―and fate―are upended.

The Porcugi―giant half-men, half-snakes who attack from the sea―haven’t been seen in Ullal since their failed invasion more than fifty years ago. But now, they’re back with vengeance and a choice: pay their tithes or suffer total devastation. Soon, Abbakka’s definitions of strength, subterfuge, and statecraft are put to the test. Will marriage to a neighboring king give her the resources she needs to protect her people . . . or will she watch her homeland be crushed beneath the waves of would-be colonizers?

A lush historical fantasy that reimagines the Portuguese attacks on South India in the 1500s and the fierce real-life queen’s story, Burn the Sea is an electrifying exaltation of female power and the value of freedom.

Portuguese historical fantasy! Where the invaders are SNAKE-PEOPLE!

Rabbit Test and Other Stories by Samantha Mills
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Sci Fi
Published on: 21st April 2026
Goodreads

[STARRED REVIEW] “Brilliant.”
—Publishers Weekly

A subversive debut short-fiction collection from one of the hottest talents in speculative 2025 Compton Crook Award winner and Pushcart Prize nominee Samantha Mills (The Wings Upon Her Back). These riveting stories range effortlessly from fantasy and science fiction to literary fiction, from the here and now all the way into the farthest reaches of space. The central tale of the collection is Mills’ pivotal Nebula, Locus, and Sturgeon Award-winning story “Rabbit Test,” which interrogates the past, present, and future of abortion rights.

A time-traveling fisherwoman keeps landing on the right shore, but at the wrong time. A pair of witches fight over the gate between life and death. A new consciousness, intent upon seeing all the wonders of the universe, visits a floating library. A rock-and-roll legend squares off against a town full of devils. Humanity makes first contact, but falters when put in charge of selecting the world’s representatives.

In her strange and emotional worlds, with stakes ranging from the epic to the personal, Mills creates ample room for humor and hope amidst tragedy and struggle.

Introduction by Meg Elison (Find Layla)

DID YOU KNOW SAMANTHA MILLS WROTE SHORT STORIES? BECAUSE I DIDN’T! And after the glory that was The Wings Upon Her Back I am pouncing on this SO HARD!

You can read a sample at the book’s Amazon page!

The Unknown Before Us (The Arcadia Chronicles Book 1) by J.L. Butterworth
Genres: Adult, New Adult, Sci Fi, Cosy Sci Fi
Representation: Autistic MC, MC with ADHD
Published on: 21st April 2026
Goodreads

A brilliant scientist. A soldier out of time. And a very judgmental cat.

Arcadia Lyra is a world hopping xenobiologist who follows the beat of her own drum. Blaze Forsyth is a military popsicle until one adventurous, green haired scientist finds him in a smoldering stasis pod on an alien planet. Thrust together by the universe and bound to each other by consequence, this mismatched pair embark on an adventure of wild alien animals, sarcastic AI, butthole trashcans, mood enhancing mushroom trips, and a very insistent tuxedo ship cat.

Equal parts absurdity and heart, join these neurodivergent explorers as they learn to work together and come to terms with their newfound partnership while working through grief and parental trauma.

Because sometimes, the strangest worlds help us find what we’ve lost — and who we really are.

The Unknown Before Us is a cozy new adult sci-fi book that explores what it means to find your place in a universe teeming with life, full of wonder and discovery. Join autistic scientist Arcadia and ADHD soldier Blaze with a cavalcade of side characters as they explore the unknown, and find what matters amongst the stars.

Some quotes from readers:

“The Unknown Before Us is a sci-fi adventure full of heart and joy, and completely took me by surprise. Imaginative and yet rooted in reality, I lost myself amongst unique planets, fell in love with Arcadia's straitforwardness and related a little too much to Blaze's chaos. This is a must read for anyone who would love to journey beyond the stars.”

"A sweet and meaningful story... I absolutely want to live in this world and experience the clothes, the food, the medicine, and the non-dystopian AI."

“This is not just an adventure story about exploring the unknown in outer space; it's a deeply moving chapter about exploring the unknown depths of the human heart, finding self-worth, and forging emotional connections.”

This surrounds really fun, and I’m especially delighted with getting a pair of neurodivergent protagonists!

Tea & Treachery at the Infinite Pantry by Jo Miles
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Cosy Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: F/NB
Published on: 21st April 2026
Goodreads

A good cup of tea can fix any problem, she’s always said. For this one, she’s going to need more tea.

To Glendevyn, the Infinite Pantry is far more than a magical museum of the world’s most treasured foods. It’s the home she’s always longed for. As the new head curator, she expected to wrestle with ornery funders and too-tight budgets… but when rare items in the collection suddenly start decaying, reduced to dust despite their protection spells, she’s out of her depth.

The elven mage Irdruan would do anything for Glendevyn—even hide their feelings for her. She clearly doesn’t return those feelings, after all, and how can they risk their friendship when she’s relying on their support? But even with all Irdruan’s magic, they can’t find a way to do the one thing Glendevyn needs from to put a stop to the growing destruction.

Caught between an unknown magic threatening everything they’ve built and a wealthy funder pushing to take control, Glendevyn and Irdruan will do whatever it takes to save the Infinite Pantry. They’ll have to learn to trust each other—and themselves—as they fight for their home with the power of love, friendship, and delicious food.

The first book in a new series, this sweet cozy fantasy is steeped in magic and deliciousness, like curling up with a warm mug of tea.

EXCUSE ME?! ‘A MAGICAL MUSEUM OF THE WORLD’S MOST TREASURED FOODS’??? GIMME!

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

The Many by Sylvain Neuvel
Genres: Adult, Sci Fi
Published on: 21st April 2026
Goodreads

The minds of five normal people merge in a beautiful, unnerving first contact story where the strangest thing humanity has to face is each other, from the critically acclaimed author of Sleeping Giants.

“I’m you now. We all are.”

When advertising executive Carole Veilleux loses it at Booker’s donut shop and bites Booker on the arm, it’s about the most interesting thing to happen in the small city of Marquette, Michigan, in years.

But that’s only the beginning of the story. Carole and Booker find their minds merging, in a collective that extends to include Carole’s husband Shivansh and local doctor Evelyn Schlapp. The four of them become the beginning of something larger and stranger than they could ever have imagined.

Anyone else getting Sense8 vibes??? Apparently this is much more fun than it sounds, not all Grim and Serious^TM. I’ve heard that there’s queerness in it – honestly if you do a hivemind/mindmeld thing and there ISN’T queerness, what are you even doing – but haven’t been able to confirm details. With this premise, it might be quite complicated!

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

What the Dust Remembers by D.L. Branson
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi, Post-Apocalyptic
Representation: Queer MC
Published on: 21st April 2026
Goodreads

HE SPENT HIS LIFE DELIVERING THE PAST. HE DIDN'T KNOW HE WAS THE FUTURE.

In the ruined remains of Nevada, silence is the only luxury left. Callisto Warren is a Terra-Strider—a courier who navigates the irradiated wasteland between the buried bunker-cities known as Divs. Above him, the United Martian Republic rules from the safety of the Red Planet. Below him, the infected Hollows roam the dust, victims of the JOVA virus that broke the world.

Callisto survives by being invisible. He asks no questions. He delivers his cargo. He keeps moving.

But when he discovers his estranged mother has returned from Mars, the carefully constructed silence of his life shatters. She didn't just abandon him as a child; she hid him. And now, the corporations that own the sky are hunting him down.

As Callisto peels back the layers of his past, he uncovers a secret more terrifying than the monsters in the The virus wasn't an accident. It was a design.

For fans of the biological horror of Annihilation, Hell Followed With Us, and the emotional depth of The Last of Us, D.L. Branson’s debut is a visceral journey into corporate apocalypse and the things we bury in the dust.

The author said this is about discovering your mother isn’t protecting you from the world, she’s protecting the world from YOU, and hi yes I’ll take ten!

Odessa by Gabrielle Sher
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Horror
Representation: Jewish cast
Published on: 21st April 2026
Goodreads

In a powerfully imagined Russia at the height of the pogroms, a grief-stricken family turn to ancient magic to bring their daughter back from the grave.

Yetta is a bright, quick teenage girl with a wild, searching spirit. Stifled by her mother's anxiety, her father’s rules, and the path that’s been laid out for her, she craves the kind of freedom she doesn’t know the edges of. But her family has reason to be cautious and restrictive. Fear has wrapped itself around their shtetl. Jews are mysteriously disappearing, and there are whispers of an impending Gentile attack. When violence comes to their door, Yetta is killed.

Her father, in his grief, fumbles through his nascent knowledge of ancient texts and old magic to bring her back. By some miracle, Yetta is returned—but although she looks the same, Yetta is not the girl she once was. She knows there is a secret her family is keeping from her. The answer resides, in part, in the monstruous being stalking the villagers and their enemies, lurking in the woods beyond the shtetl, something that may be of her father’s making, and a being which has plans of its own.

Sounds very dark, but also fascinating! And the reviews I’ve seen have been GLOWING.

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

Thrall by Rebecca Mahoney
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Lesbian MC
Published on: 21st April 2026
Goodreads

In Thrall, a young woman looking for a transformative college experience is bitten by a vampire and must team up with his other living victims to hunt him down.

Lucy Easting has at last broken free from her grim home life and is ready to truly live. But her long-awaited new beginning at Rollins University isn’t what she expected. After attending the first campus party of the year, Lucy awakens the next day with a memory block…and two puncture marks on her neck.

She tries to piece together what happened that night, but every lead brings her to another dead end. Until she receives a handwritten note from the campus radio station, inviting her to call. When she does, the host’s soothing voice over the line confirms her worst fear, and the simplest explanation of what’s happening to her: she’s turning into a vampire.

Lucy teams up with the show’s host, who narrowly escaped an attack her sophomore year, and a beautiful archery champion who, while exactly Lucy’s type, is as likely to shoot her as kiss her. They believe their “friend with the cold hands” is responsible for the disappearance of several women in town, and they’ve been tracking him via the airwaves since long before Lucy arrived.

As the vampire’s sway over Lucy grows and his plans become clear, she realizes she must fight for a future of her own, or she may not have any future at all.

I have such a soft spot for a vampire’s victims teaming up – and here they’ve been tracking him over the airwaves? Somehow??? I want to hear more about that!

You can read an excerpt here!

Love Galaxy (The Imperial Broadcasts Book 1) by Sierra Branham
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Representation: Autistic-coded bisexual MC, sapphic MC, F/F, queernorm setting
Published on: 21st April 2026
Goodreads

A romantic science fiction thriller in which a young woman from a dead-end planet gets cast on a reality TV show to compete for the hand of the prince—or princess. But not everyone is there for the right reasons…

Smart, sexy, compulsively readable and fun, this is for fans of Everina Maxwell's Winter's Orbit and Arkady Martine's A Memory Called Empire

Temmi, a young trash collector stuck in a dead-end job on a garbage planet, finds herself with a golden ticket she never the oppor­tunity to be cast on an interstellar dating show starring the brother and sister heirs to the galactic empire. Through diplomatic challenges and dramatized dates, twenty-four women will compete to marry the prince and princess—and to win the dynasty’s favor for their home planet.

Temmi may have been hand-picked to date the quiet, bookish prince, who is immediately taken by her brash personality and their shared passion for the sciences. But she can’t seem to keep away from the princess—and even though she’s strictly off-limits, their chemistry is undeniable.

But when contestants start turning up dead, whispers begin to circulate that some competitors might be harboring anti-imperialist motivations—Temmi among them. And suddenly it’s clear that so much more than feelings are at stake. 

In fact, very few of the participants of Love Galaxy have come on the show to find love.

Sexy, snarky, and revolutionary, this fast-paced thrill ride will hook lovers of reality TV, fans of thoughtful sci-fi, and anyone who lives for drama.

I don’t think this worked, but many others have loved it!

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

My review!

Honor & Heresy by Max Francis
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Representation: M/M
Published on: 21st April 2026
Goodreads

Instagram sensation Max Francis makes his highly anticipated debut with this atmospheric, gothic, dark academic fantasy of two scholars racing each other to find answers to an invasion in a haunted library, perfect for fans of Katabasis and A Study in Drowning.

Roy Dawnseve cares more for philosophy than battle. But, in a society that shuns literature in favour of their ongoing war, Roy must face a difficult choice: brave the front lines or investigate the identity of their foes in the Orphic Basilica, an ancient, abandoned library.

When Roy chooses to unravel the mystery, it soon becomes clear that the Orphic Basilica isn’t without its own horrors. Strange voices echo down the halls, ghosts roam the bookshelves, and those who stepped foot in the library have either emerged insane or were driven to their own demise.

Roy’s partner in the investigation is Percival Atherton, a manipulative, enigmatic and distractingly charming scholar who has no qualms about belittling Roy. As a fierce snowstorm isolates them from civilisation, Roy and Percival must grapple with their tormented pasts, an unexpected romance, and an age-old conspiracy whose secrets are certain to wipe Northgard from history.

Filled with all the yearning of a rivals-to-lovers romance, the intrigue and fear of a dark academia, and the wonder and discovery of an epic fantasy, Honour & Heresy is ultimately a story of self-discovery amidst the chaos of war and a long, cold winter.

Reviews have been extremely mixed for this one – and my book bestie hated it – but I’d still like to give it a try myself.

All the Scattered Stars by Via Luino
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, YA
Representation: Asexual FMC, gay side characters, nonbinary side character, POC main & side characters (both fantasy culture and Romani)
Published on: 21st April 2026
Goodreads

The glitter of Venice's lights hides a dark truth: when the floodwaters rise, no one is safe.
Koru knows better than to trust anyone but her own. Hidden deep in the winding twists of Venice's narrow alleys, Koru and her found family must disguise themselves to survive. They are Rhunlokni, an ethnic minority gifted with the ability to channel the power of the Earth, their Goddess. They have long been vilified and prosecuted for their strange abilities—and Koru's gift is the strongest of her generation.
So when the police arrive in St. Mark's Square to arrest Koru for a crime she didn't commit, she does the only thing she can—she runs. Though Koru manages to escape the police, a larger threat is drawing near. Koru must figure out what the Goddess is trying to tell her, protect those she loves, and uncover the truth of her past before it's too late—because Venice is sinking. Tonight.

This is set in our world’s future! Which immediately made it MUCH more interesting to me; that potentially changes what this’ll look like quite a bit.

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

The Labyrinth of Waking Dreams by Michelle Kulwicki
Genres: Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy, Portal Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, YA
Representation: Queer MC/s
Published on: 21st April 2026
Goodreads

In this adventure-packed portal fantasy, three teens discover a gateway to a mythical Labyrinth in the Appalachian Mountains

Barren’s Peak, West Virginia, is not a place anyone would call magical, but Thea
LaGuerre calls it home. A high school drop-out whose mother died in an accident, Thea is stuck working part-time jobs just to make ends meet. The most she has to look forward to are barn parties where she can make out with Callum, the one interesting boy who moved to town six months ago.

Thea doesn’t know it yet, but Callum was sent to Barren’s Peak to watch her. He was raised within the magicians’ order, a shadowy organization meant to keep humanity safe from an underworld of monsters. Callum would sacrifice anyone, including himself, to help their cause, but he still can’t help falling into Thea’s orbit. She’s the first person he’s felt seen by since his childhood sweetheart, Oliver—who he hasn’t seen since Oliver’s banishment from the order.

But Oliver hasn’t given up on Callum or on magic. Following a magical creature’s trail to Barren’s Peak, Oliver happens upon Callum and Thea at a barn party that turns into a monster-overrun massacre. To save Callum and the girl he’s protecting from a wave of deadly fairies, Oliver opens a portal for the three of them to flee into the Labyrinth.

To get home again, Thea, Oliver, and Callum will have to work together to survive the Labyrinth’s trials and discover the threads that brought them there.

Crossing my fingers for poly!

You can read an excerpt here!

How About This? by Michael Morilla
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi, Speculative Fiction
Representation: F/F
Published on: 22nd April 2026
Goodreads

It’s a little after the middle of the 21st century. Loving couple Elspeth and Marybeth are both shocked and excited when a stroller with identical twins is left on their back deck with a recorded message that warns them not to try to return the babies or they could face arrest for kidnapping. Using false starts, footnotes, direct approaches to the reader, lists, questions about who the author(s) might be, and even a dose of self-criticism, the story unwinds from that point as El and Mar work hard to create a family under the circumstances. This becomes even more difficult when they discover the babies come with unusual features that perhaps might explain why they were left in the first place. And it all takes place in a disintegrating world that may leave humans incapable of telling their own stories.

Personally I’m hoping the baby is some kind of extraterrestrial, but I have no idea where I got that idea so I may be WILDLY off-base!

Man, Muse, Monster by Naomi Gibson
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy, Horror, Queer Protagonists
Representation: M/M
Published on: 23rd April 2026
Goodreads

Harry Alexander is a failing art student at a prestigious college who grew up walking past the portraits of his ancestors, the Great Alexanders, whose artistic, musical and literary achievements are celebrated around the world. Unfortunately, Harry's uncle and sole guardian has always been determined to keep Harry away from the limelight. When his uncle suddenly dies, Harry learns he's been cut from the family inheritance. His dream of joining his forebears on the portrait wall appears to be lost for ever.

But then Harry receives the key to a mysterious storage unit containing the secret to his family's fortune and success, wrapped in a beautiful smile: a muse.

The muse, a supernatural being trapped in oil and canvas, steps into Harry's life in the form of a handsome young man. For decades, his tutelage has caused the Great Alexanders' success. Now, he longs for freedom. Harry quickly discovers the muse is as dangerous as he is beautiful, as capricious as he is inspiring. But the closer the pair grow, the more Harry learns that muses are made, not born, and his has a dark and bloody origin.

What's more, he isn't the only one who knows of the muse's existence. Enemies lengthen the shadows as Harry's light grows brighter, hungry for greatness of their own...

Love the sound of this one, really hope it’s properly dark!

Skies of Fire and Smoke by Brian D. Hinson
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Gay MC
Published on: 24th April 2026
Goodreads

When Germania revolts against the dragons that rule Europe, Lt. Johann Fischer joins the attack on the Citadel in his Fokker. The fierce war begins on that day, but the dragons and their allied Papal States wield an overwhelming power. Johann battles for his life, his secret lover, Emil, and the freedom of his people.

Kendensei, a Scale Guard of the Citadel, is sent to Germania as a spy, where she infiltrates Johann’s family as Gretchen, their live-in maid and cook.

As the inept Pope pressures the Kaiser of Germania to abandon his vainglorious war, Cardinal Lanzo Cellucci seeks the throne of Saint Peter for himself, by whatever means at his disposal.

Skies of Fire and Smoke is an alternate historical fantasy of brutal warfare and savage aerial battles, which criticizes predatory and hypocritical religious power, threading broad emotional arcs of its characters consumed in war and resistance.

…all right, I’m listening.

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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