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.)

The Halls of the Dead by S. M. Hallow
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Horror, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Bi/pansexual MC with chronic pain, bi/pansexual MCs, F/F/M polyamory
Published on: 18th August 2026
Goodreads

A queer, gothic horror romance set in a necromancy-tinged London, sure to entrance fans of The Death of Jane Lawrence and Mexican Gothic.

London, December 1849­

Irene Shallcross Haley has dedicated her life to necromancy, a forbidden, reviled art that is passed along through sentient grimoires bound in human skin. With her undead husband St. John—a marriage of kindred spirits and platonic convenience—she has been protecting the knowledge of generations of witches that came before her. Like any magic, it has come at a cost: her reputation, her relationship with her sister, and her soul. But when Irene’s love, Agnes, is hanged for witchcraft, Irene refuses to let Agnes be one more thing that is taken from her.

A true resurrection has not been achieved in two thousand years, but Irene is determined. With the help of St. John, Irene bangs on the doors of the Halls of the Dead, demanding the third part of their triumverate back…or did she? Because the Agnes that awakens comes with both a hunger for raw flesh and a malignant ghost tied to her soul.

Necromancy is the art of saying no—no, I won't let you go; no, I won't let you be destroyed—and Irene’s work is not yet done. She must find a way to bring Agnes back to her true self, she must navigate her feelings for her resurrected lover as well as St. John, and she must do all of this without catching the attention of Sir Silas Underhill, the man who sentenced Agnes to death.

Death is not the end of love. But Irene may realize it can actually be the beginning. 

Words cannot express how much I ADORE this book! It’s everything my weird queer heart has ever wanted. Hallow already demonstrated they could write incredible novellas with How to Survive a Fairytale, and now they’ve gone and hit novel-ing out of the park as well!

You can read an excerpt here! (Where it says Read a free chapter beneath the book cover)

My review!

Vicious Miscreations by Jenn Neal
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Portal Fantasy, Horror, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Queer MC/s
Published on: 18th August 2026
Goodreads

One treacherous conspiracy.
Five reckless outcasts.
Survival will make monsters of them all.

On the surface, Topensi is a bustling hub of interworld trade, but a cesspool of crime and desperation boils underneath. Trapped by an indenture to the brutal Ripper Gang, Lux does whatever he must to claw his way free. When he discovers a monster controlled by the city guard, he plans to capture the creature and exchange it for his freedom.

Lux assembles a volatile team: a naïve Earthborn mage whose violent magic festers under his skin, a fugitive with a score to settle, a revolutionary who has lost his way, a criminal princess who leaves a trail of ruin in her wake, and a troublemaking tabby cat.

Lux and his crew may be the only ones who can defeat the terrifying power that threatens to devour their world, if they don’t betray each other first.

Six of Crows meets Arcane in this new adult botanical fantasy. In a world overtaken by sentient carnivorous plants and ruled by the worst of humankind, Lux and his crew of rival anti-heroes will drag you into their monster hunt and never let you go. This messy found family will weave themselves into your heartstrings, whisper their secrets in the dark, and make you question what makes a monster. With its glowing plants, volatile characters, and even more dangerous world, this high stakes, action packed fantasy has teeth.

The reviews I’ve seen have all raved about the worldbuilding, which as we know is my favourite thing! Definitely nabbing myself a copy of this one.

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

The Last Infinity by Alexis Ames
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Representation: Queer MC/s
Published on: 18th August 2026
Goodreads

Cal Hunter is a cryo, a person who was cryogenically frozen after his death in the 22nd century. Resurrected five hundred years later, he now lives in the 26th century and works as a time traveler for the Temporal Agency on Mars.

After a mission goes disastrously wrong, Cal returns to his present to find that he’s seriously altered the timeline. All life on Earth and the Moon has been wiped out, leaving only a failing settlement on Mars of fewer than two thousand people. Even worse, Cal can no longer time travel due to his injuries.

The only person who can fix the timeline is Renata Carr, a teenager from the 20th century. She’s brought out of cryogenic suspension, and a reluctant Cal is put in charge not only of her training, but also her wellbeing. Meanwhile, Renata grapples with the grief of waking up in a strange century on another world while also coming of age—and falling in love with the daughter of one of Cal’s friends.

When disaster strikes the settlement, the timeline for humanity’s demise rapidly speeds up. While Cal knows he must send Renata on a mission she isn’t ready for, and which will likely kill her, he is torn between saving humanity’s past, present, and future, or the girl he’s come to see as a daughter.

This will apparently involve many alternate timelines? Which could be really fun!

You can read an excerpt here! (Where it says Read a free chapter beneath the book cover)

Slow Burn by Amal Singh
Genres: Adult, Sci Fi
Representation: Indian MC
Published on: 18th August 2026
Goodreads

When Rishi Tripathi, a failed actor, falls through a mirror in an inverted Mumbai, he invites fame like he has never seen before. In this inverted city, he’s a superstar and a critically acclaimed darling. But he soon realizes that success bears a heavy cost. The cruel actions of his doppelganger catch up to him, and he’s forced to find an entity called the Maker of Mirrors to return to his actual city.

But fame is also a drug, and Rishi has become an addict.

Is he truly ready to return and embrace failure?

I keep hearing great things about this one, so I might take a peek at it.

You can read an excerpt here!

And the Sea Gave Up the Dead by William Friend
Genres: Adult, Horror
Representation: Queer MC/s
Published on: 18th August 2026
Goodreads

For fans of Jennifer Thorne's Diavola and We Have Always Lived in the Castle comes William Friend's latest stunning novel following a young woman's return to her family's crumbling chateau to stay with her aging aunt - but grief, mystery, and something undead haunts her family, and soon, a dark history will repeat itself.

"In the woods... between the trees..."

Morwenna knows she needs to visit Bethan. Her aunt is wasting away in the family's crumbling chateau by the French seaside, where she's lived alone since the mysterious disappearance of her husband. The locals claim Bethan is responsible, though Morwenna knows her aunt is simply declining and in desperate need of company. 

Grief lives in that house, and Morwenna has avoided it for years. Until a disturbing phone call from Bethan finally pushes her to act. So she packs up her children and new partner to stay for a week. 

But the chateau changes people. Old magic has seeped into the ground. The village remembers what happened at the grand old house, centuries ago. They remember who died, and what came back. Soon, this place will leave its mark on Morwenna's family. And she cannot escape the feeling that, unless she learns the truth about what happened to her uncle, something ancient and evil will rise, and a dark history will repeat itself at the chateau.

The reviews I’ve seen have been pretty mixed, but this sounds intriguing to me.

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

So Beats a Hollow Heart: A Novella by B.M. Briar
Genres: Adult, Horror, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Queer MC/s
Published on: 18th August 2026
Goodreads

In a crumbling village of ghosts and grief, an assassin and a necromancer are drawn into a dangerous, intimate experiment to defy death—and loneliness.

A gothic horror story about losing the love of your life, So Beats a Hollow Heart follows a nameless assassin—a member of the feared Bloodcloaks—sent to rid a village of the necromancer who has been stealing its young women.

What the assassin finds is not the monster she expects, but a woman deep in grief, desperate to find a new body for the soul of her dead lover.

After her third experiment ends in failure, the necromancer—Isolde—turns her attention to the assassin. Neither woman can anticipate how profoundly they will be changed by Isolde’s fourth and final experiment.

So Beats A Hollow Heart is the winner of the Cover Story Writing Contest, hosted by Nicole Frail Books, LLC

Promising!

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

Season of the Serpent (The Nameless Republic Book 3) by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, High Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: African-inspired setting and cast, bisexual MC
Published on: 18th August 2026
Goodreads

Award-winning author Suyi Davies Okungbowa returns in the final installment of the Nameless Republic trilogy with a tale of villains, allies, and a world on the brink of destruction, perfect for fans of Tasha Suri, Evan Winter, and James Islington.
 
The old world has fallen. Now is the time of serpents.
 
The continent is split. The islands have sunk. The empire of Bassa is no more. With the resistant Nameless Republic and the conquering Kangalaland on the brink of war, all must choose a ally, or fall. Oon’s heroes and villains must rise from their ashes and meet a Third Great War.

Peace won’t come easy. Long-lost family will fight to reach Danso before war erases him forever. Lilong has survived the island catastrophe but lost her power, and will do anything to get it back. And fate will find Esheme where it left her—will the dead queen rise again?

For Oon, the first season of the five states is a season of serpents. After the storms pass and winds blow, what will remain? And who will survive?

Praise for The Nameless

"A thrilling, fantastical adventure that introduces a beguiling new world . . . and then rips apart everything you think you know."—S. A. Chakraborty

"An original and fascinating epic fantasy full of bold characters, bloody action, and brutal politics.”―James Islington

The Nameless Republic
Son of the Storm
Warrior of the Wind
Season of the Serpent

IT’S THE FINALE! AHHHHHHHHHHH I AM NOT READY!

You can read an excerpt here! (Where it says Read a free chapter beneath the book cover)

Dragon's Liberty: An Epic Political Fantasy (The Republic of The Two Dragons Book 1) by K.B. Diaz
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, High Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: F/F
Published on: 18th August 2026
Goodreads

Princess Wanda was never meant to rule. After the violent death of her older brother, her father has forbidden her to leave the castle for the last seven years. Her only steadfast friend is her cousin Stach, who tells her tales of the sky on dragonback. When rumors spread of a sorcerer with the power to kill dragons, Wanda takes flight to capture them to prove to her father that she is worthy of being sovereign. But when she forges a friendship in the most unlikely of places, Wanda begins to see the cruelty in her father's love—and wonders if everything she knows is a lie.

Stach's satisfaction with the establishment is shaken when a diplomat is found dead under mysterious circumstances. He traverses the perilous world of court politics to investigate their death, forced to reckon with the corruption of the nobility in every coin embezzled and every law circumvented. As he uncovers a treasonous plot and a disaster brings him to his knees, he must come face-to-face with the restrictions of royal authority—and questions if there should be any limits at all.

Both cousins must grapple with decisions, loves, and betrayals that will unravel the Republic. When their land descends into war, Wanda and Stach must ask how to save their nation when its system is irredeemably broken.

I know nothing at all about the time period and geography that this draws inspiration from – which is exciting! And the reviews seem very positive; the dragons are apparently excellent. WE CAN ALWAYS USE MORE EXCELLENT DRAGONS!

Tapeworm by A.P. Thayer
Genres: Adult, Horror, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Bisexual MC
Published on: 18th August 2026
Goodreads

From Dusk till Dawn if the characters hooked up with The Thing in this twisted, gory horror debut, where a group of friends must confront questions of identity, aging, and desire during a vampire infestation in an isolated Californian desert.

It needs to feed.

After the recent separation from his wife Trish, Victor hopes his friends' annual weekend retreat to the Californian desert town of Superstition will loosen him up and reforge the group's fraying bonds. But something is waiting underneath Superstition, crawling its way into their group, and feeding into their desires.

Victor knows too well what it means to repress his desires. He's always attempted to be the perfect partner, yet often found himself lacking. With Trish skipping the trip, he begins falling into the wild underbelly of Superstition in new ways. When the leader of the town's Welcoming Committee approaches him with a romantic, sexually charged offer, Victor wonders if it's too good to be true.

But the Welcoming Committee expects a price to be paid for its services. One that cannot be fulfilled by willing bodies alone. By the end of the weekend, group bonding will have developed a whole new meaning.
Because something is hungry for Victor and his friends.

The reviews for this one are INCREDIBLY mixed, and this one convinced me that Tapeworm isn’t for me. But maybe it’s for you?

You can read an excerpt here!

The Salt King by Natasha Pulley
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Secondary World Fantasy
Representation: M/M
Published on: 18th August 2026
Goodreads

A novel about belief, religion, and the power of myth that blends the gripping, end-of-the-world storytelling of The Passage with Natasha Pulley’s biting wit and queer romance.

Jesuit priest Avelyn Brocken was born into a mining family in Hreodwater, a small, isolated salt town in England. At 16, after a mining disaster killed his family, he fled.
When a fellow priest is miraculously healed only to then be turned to salt after a visit to Hreodwater, Avelyn is sent to investigate. When he arrives, the town’s doctor, Jericho, tells him that the priest is not the only one experiencing strange cures—and may not be the only one in danger from a substance in the mine that the locals call “salt light.”

As Avelyn and Jericho team up to protect the Hreodwater from salt light, strange happenings occur at mines around the world. At an archaeological dig on the Dead Sea, electrical devices froth salt, while at a huge salt works in Poland, communication is lost, and rumors circulate of total annihilation.

As salt light devastates cities around the world, Avelyn must decide what to believe—and whether his faith is strong enough to withstand an apocalypse.

I have no idea what to expect from this one, but I’m very curious about it. Apparently it’s a fully secondary-world setting, which could be interesting!

You can read an excerpt here!

The Blue Moon Café & 24-Hour Occult Emporium by Lexie Sharabianlou
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Cosy Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: F/F
Published on: 18th August 2026
Goodreads

A magical witness protection program, a town in need of saving, and a sorceress-in-training . . . oh, and the human woman she’s not supposed to fall for. The Blue Moon Café has a little bit of everything (except, you know, decent coffee).

In the tiny town of Pine Hollow, barista and fledging sorceress Talula Smith runs The Blue Moon Café & 24-Hour Occult Emporium, aka the worst coffee shop in town. The café’s horrible reputation hides its true providing new identities and safe passage to at-risk magical beings while keeping humans far, far away. That is, except for town local Dahlia. Dahlia’s devastating dimples, addiction to Talula's cocoa recipe, and keen observation skills keeps the smitten barista scrambling to ensure that her magical abilities (or, lack thereof) stay a secret.

But when big game hunters start preying on magical beings, her powerful sorceress mother is called away to track them down, leaving Talula and her barely-there magic in charge of The Blue Moon. With the impending Samhain festival to organize, magical refugees to help, half of the town turning against her, and her ever-growing feelings for Dahlia, Talula’s magical destiny feels further away than ever. But as the hunters set their sights closer to home, it’ll be up to Talula to master her craft, trust her heart, and bring her magical and human communities together . . . before she loses everything she loves.

This one wasn’t quite for me, but I suspect a lot of other readers will love it.

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

Homeward for a Spell by Jamie Pacton, Rebecca Podos
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Cosy Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: F/F
Published on: 18th August 2026
Goodreads

In this cozy queer romantic fantasy from the award-winning authors of Homegrown Magic, two members in a motley crew of adventurers must confront monsters, hostile landscapes—and their growing attraction for each other.

Sage has made her living as a ranger, moving constantly between adventuring parties, but has never had the chance to lead one. So when she’s offered the chance to hire a crew of her own in pursuit of a rare magical artifact, it seems a dream come true—until she learns that they’re headed into the most inhospitable part of the kingdom with winter looming. Still, it’s a chance to finally put her name on the map… and how bad could it really be?

Araphi has always loved music, in defiance of her powerful family’s priorities. All she wants is one last chance to perform before she’s married to a man she does not love for the good of the family. So when she sees a poster seeking a bard for a party, she eagerly sneaks away to audition. Only to discover that the party in question is no festival, but an adventuring party, led by a woman she’s been fascinated with since she first laid eyes on her. It’s an unexpected twist, but if she takes the job, she’ll still be back in time for her own wedding… and how bad could it really be?

What follows is a life-altering journey for them both, filled with danger and misfortunes as their ragtag band of adventurers—most of whom have just met—must learn to work together to overcome the many obstacles before them. Not the least of which is the explosive chemistry between the rugged party leader used to watching her own back, and the pampered city-girl bard who may be far out of her element but is beginning to feel at home for the very first time.

This is a standalone sequel to last year’s Homegrown Magic, which I mostly enjoyed – enough that I’m interested in giving this one a try!

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

Crows at Dawn (Violet Cross Magical Mysteries, #2) by Sophie Victor
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Cosy Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Lesbian MC
Published on: 18th August 2026
Goodreads

A murder of crows, a magical Mediterranean village, and a very public false accusation...Oh how the mighty fall.

I was the hero of Sandos for the grand total of one week, though I can’t say I enjoyed it as much as I thought I would. There’s a lot more small talk when you’re well-known.
Then one morning on the way to investigate a simple theft, I noticed hundreds of crows in the branches above the shops on main street.

Crows only mean one thing: someone is going to die. Despite the dark magic that still lingered in Sandos, I hoped it would be a simple and quiet passing.

That is, until a bomb went off in the accountant’s office right next to where I was standing. Bravely, I rushed to the rescue, only to be driven back off the property by Miranda, a very angry goblin who screamed to the whole town that I was responsible for the explosion that missed.

Rather rude, considering I would never miss, but unfortunately the town believed her.
Now it was on me to figure out why Miranda was being targeted, who had set the bomb off, and how to clear my name.

Oh – and I suppose I should stop them before their next murderous attempt, though clearly that goblin had it coming.

Thankfully, the healer, Rose, at the apothecary next door was more than willing to help clear my name – especially while things were still complicated with Maggie.

A cosy, slightly chaotic, paranormal mystery filled with humour, flirting, and the existential, inescapable dread of being falsely blamed for something incompetent and poorly executed…

I think the main character is a zombie??? Which we don’t see too often!

Bound by Fury by Noelle Monét
Genres: Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy, YA
Representation: Black MC
Published on: 18th August 2026
Goodreads

Legendborn meets The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina in this captivating contemporary fantasy debut about a teen whose newly awakened magical abilities send her searching for answers at an elite boarding school that has a mysterious connection to her family’s history.

Harper grew up loving her grandma Gigi’s stories about pretty brown girls with magic from the stars, but they were just that—stories…until Gigi’s sudden death awakens a dangerous power building beneath Harper’s skin. Desperate for answers, Harper finds herself drawn to an elite boarding school in the Appalachian Mountains.

A school that Gigi herself attended, and one rumored to be haunted by the ghosts of witches past.

Harper arrives at Black Mountain Academy determined to learn about her burgeoning power, even if that means dealing with Kai, her grumpy ex-best friend now hellbent on getting her to leave campus, and his cousin, Lucas, who won’t let her forget the almost-kiss from last summer. But Black Mountain Academy was built on secrets, and the deeper Harper digs, the more sinister rot she finds lurking beneath.

When Harper unearths a chilling local legend about the gruesome deaths of twelve witches on campus, she feels an uncanny connection to the women. But someone doesn’t want her exposing the school’s dark past, and when it becomes clear they’ll kill to stop her, Harper has to decide whether to leave her history behind or risk everything for the truth of her own identity.

Been hearing good things, eager to try it for myself!

You can read an excerpt here!

Suhwa (Guardians of Dawn #4) by S. Jae-Jones
Genres: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, YA
Representation: East Asian-inspired setting and cast
Published on: 18th August 2026
Goodreads

The final entry in the Guardians of Dawn series.

Min Suhwa has always longed to see the greater world outside the small, cloistered convent in which she was raised. Hidden there for her safety when she was a small child, Suhwa has learned to keep her unusual illusion magic to herself, but when the Bangtan Brothers come to town to perform, she can't resist the chance to go see them for herself. But the world outside her convent is dangerous―the Morning Realms have fallen to civil war, and Huntsmen prowl the land in search of magicians and the fabled Guardians of Dawn, legendary elemental warriors with incredible powers. When Suhwa's illusion magic brings her afoul of one of the Huntsmen, she must flee for her life.

Meanwhile, the Guardians of Dawn and their allies are fighting a war on two fronts―against the northern insurrection seeking to claim the Sunburst Throne and destroy all magicians, and against the rising threat of the Mother of Ten Thousand Demons. Zhara, Ami, and Yuli must travel to the Azure Isles to seek the Guardian of Water and save the Morning Realms from annihilation, restoring balance to order and chaos once and for all.

Appalled to discover I somehow missed the previous two installments of this series?! That’s what I get for not paying better attention to YA spaces. But this is the finale, so if you haven’t given this series a try yet, now’s the perfect time!

You can read an excerpt here!

Back for Blood: Never Whistle at Night Part II by Shane Hawk, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.
Genres: Horror, YA
Representation: Indigenous American MCs
Published on: 18th August 2026
Goodreads

The bestselling Indigenous dark fiction anthology returns with a new selection of even more daring and sinister stories. From monsters to mutilation, Never Whistle at Night is back for revenge.

They’re baaaaaaaaaack!

As any savvy horror fan knows: the monster never truly dies. The team that brought you the bestselling dark fiction anthology Never Whistle at Night has risen, hungry, from the grave to summon more dark delicacies for your delectation. In these twenty-one brand-new, groundbreaking, gruesome stories—authored by both established and newly unearthed Indigenous talent and illustrated by renowned Cheyenne painter Brent Learned—the contributors are fully embracing both supernatural horrors and the everyday horror of living under colonialist rule.  

Featuring stories of unspeakable yet satisfying terror, from twisted psychological tales to gore-filled monster hunts, this new selection of sinister stories will sate your darkest appetites and leave you slavering for more. Never Whistle at Night, Part Back for Blood is a further celebration of Indigenous survival and the enduring tradition of transforming adversity into art.

Can’t articulate why it delights me so much that an anthology got a sequel anthology, but it does!

You can read one of the included stories here!

Dance of the Owl Woman: Patya's Journey by K.M. Huber
Genres: Fantasy, YA
Representation: Peruvian cast and setting
Published on: 18th August 2026
Goodreads

The stakes only get higher for Patya in this heart-stopping sequel to Call of the Owl Woman, which features a tenacious heroine and vivid villains who will mesmerize fans of the magical and keep armchair travelers at the edge of their seats.

In sixth-century Peru, Patya’s world is being torn apart by crisis, drought, and personal tragedy, yet she transforms from a shy teenager who doubts she’ll ever be loved into a mystical young leader willing to risk her life for what she believes. After facing down vicious high priest Achiq to defend her little brother, Patya herself becomes the focus of Achiq’s vengeance: He convinces the community that she is responsible for a devastating fire actually set by his followers and turns people against her.

Determined to prove her innocence, Patya sets out to find her grandmother’s allies. Drawing strength from her ancestral roots and the earth itself, she gradually discovers new strength and awakens to her own power—and begins to fulfill her grandmother’s dream of rekindling an ancient sisterhood. Despite danger, fear, and self-doubt, Patya summons the courage to step into a destiny larger than herself. Everything in her says it's the right thing to do, but can she do it without losing her new love—a love she never dreamed was possible before now?

This is the sequel to last year’s Call of the Owl Woman (which you can read an excerpt of here!) The first book got overwhelmingly positive reviews, so if you’re interested in Peruvian fantasy, this may be a series to check out!

A (Dead) Thing Like Me by E.G. Young
Genres: YA
Published on: 18th August 2026
Goodreads

A teenage ghost in love with life becomes bound to the house of the grieving artist who summoned her via Ouija board in this darkly funny YA paranormal.

One hot dog with banana peppers. That’s all Hot Dog wants. An invisible teenage ghost, she haunts a food cart outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Until one night, she’s accidentally summoned via Ouija board to a house party in Florida . . . where finally finally finally, people can see her.

All the party guests scatter, except for Logan: the cool artist girl who doesn’t just see Hot Dog, she actually wants to talk to her. Logan, who isn’t scared of Hot Dog’s stitched mouth or chattering dress. Logan, who’s grieving her own dead BFF—and called Hot Dog by mistake.

Hot Dog wants to prove it’s not a mistake.

She can be Logan’s new best friend. She can go to Logan’s Halloween party. She can eat snacks, have sleepovers, and hang out. She can definitely smile without scaring people. Exactly like a real, human girl.

There’s one problem: Hog Dog’s not a real, living human girl, and something in Logan’s sprawling house knows it. It scratches like rats in the walls. It opens a secret door in Logan’s attic. It wants to drag Hot Dog into the nothingness where dead things go. And unless Hot Dog can confront the dark truth of how she died, it will unmake Logan too.

Gorgeously strange and stunningly written, this YA paranormal masterfully melds camp and creep into a beyond-the-grave coming-of-age.

I’ve heard non-stop amazing things about this one, particularly with regard to how its written – which is my cat-nip! (Also I think it was out last week in the UK? Sorry for missing it!)

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

Rogue & Vagabond by Wendy Palmer
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: M/M
Published on: 21st August 2026
Goodreads

Tasked with the care of Liza, a young girl who must be protected from her own father, journalist Gabe Ward seizes on the opportunity to exchange London for the isolated Northamptonshire estate of a minor baronet.

He doesn't expect to come face to face with a man he spent a pleasant evening with at the Rogue and Vagabond eight months ago. A man who seemed to have a good time then...and who is none too thrilled to encounter Gabe again in the middle of an extended family gathering.

It's not exactly an unalloyed delight for Gabe, either, no matter how tempting he finds the prickly Highlander. Between watching over Liza, biting his very opinionated tongue amongst his gentry hosts, and wondering what on earth is scuttling through the undergrowth in Lamport Hall's gardens, he barely has a spare moment for Tor MacLeod's hot-and-cold flirtations.

Well, you can always find a spare moment or two, can't you?

As Gabe and Tor inch ever closer to an understanding, dangers both mundane and supernatural draw closer, too, threatening their chance of a future together - and Liza's safety. The bickering pair must learn to trust each other before it's too late for them, and too late for Liza.

But is putting his faith in a Scottish toff one bridge too far for an argisome workhouse bastard?

NEW WENDY PALMER! This one is technically historical fantasy, but it’s a lot more historical than it is fantasy – the magical elements really only come in at the very end. Doesn’t matter, because it’s still a great, compelling read packed full of fantastic characters. AS IS USUAL FOR A PALMER NOVEL!

You can download an excerpt here! (Scroll down a bit; where it says Sample beneath the book cover)

My review!

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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