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May's Recommendations
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Romance
Fantasy
Thriller
Sci-Fi
Horror
Young Adult
Gay Romantic Suspense
When Charlie Rideout’s best friend David vanishes from Denver’s vibrant drag bar scene, he turns to the last person who should take the case. Max Evans is a jaded private detective still haunted by the murder of his husband at the hands of a serial killer he helped put behind bars. But the deeper Max and Charlie dig into David’s disappearance, the more the shadows of Max’s past close in around them. A taunting business card smeared with blood. A killer who was supposed to be locked away. And the terrifying realization that David’s abduction was never about David at all. It was a trap designed to lure Max back into a nightmare he never escaped. As the clock ticks down on David’s life, Max and Charlie are drawn together by more than the case. Charlie’s relentless optimism cracks open something in Max he thought died with his husband, while Max’s fierce protectiveness awakens feelings Charlie never expected to find in the middle of a crisis. But forces beyond them despise nothing more than the happiness of others, and falling for each other might be the most dangerous thing they can do.
Solange doesn't have time for love. She's too busy working her way up in the Parisian millinery trade. Her goal: to become rich and lift her family out of poverty. So when a beautiful aristo whirls into the millinery fascinated by hat making, Solange isn't interested. Or so she tells herself.
Louise-Marie hates the fancy parties she's dragged to at Versailles and never wanted to marry. She just wanted to be left alone, making hats. Running away from home to become a milliner seemed like a good idea but the life of a working-class shop girl is harder than she imagined. And her new coworker doesn't seem to like her much.
When they're thrown together in the cramped backroom of a millinery shop and a shared garret room, tensions fray.
Seth Moore knew that Nina Mendez had the biggest crush on him in high school, one that lasted 5 years. While they never quite became friends, Seth was fascinated with her in a way no one would ever understand. Yet, amidst peer pressures and qualms about love caused by his parents’ separation, Seth always maintained that he didn’t care for her. That Nina was just a girl in his class and a heart he broke.
Now
Four years after their high school graduation, Seth & Nina unexpectedly cross paths at a train station; they keep crossing paths even when they are convinced they’ll never see each other again. Soon, the past catches up and they get caught in a cycle of train rides, late-night walks, city dates and midnight phone calls. Before he knows it, the tables have turned and Seth finds himself falling for her.
Yet…
Just when he thought he’d win the easiest of happy endings, Seth is faced with unresolved emotions, learning that this is beyond old crushes and high school puppy love. Especially when the one he’s fallen for, is looking at someone else, the way she once looked at him.
Ten years ago, they were the stars of the most popular teen show in the nation.
Until it all fell apart.
The Shallows was an overnight sensation. Viewers tuned in to follow and fall in love with a group of six friends as they navigated the highs and lows of their turbulent teenage years.
Over the course of four seasons, the coastal town of Avalon, NJ, served as the filming location for the fictional enclave of Duffy Beach, CA, until the show was suddenly canceled, stunning their fanbase and forcing the actors to drift apart.
A decade later, the crew is back for a three-day reunion. Will former lovers Josie and Tate get their real-life happy ever after? Can Valerie find out who’s been blackmailing her? Is Paige finally going to reveal the truth behind her biggest regret?
Natalie has spent her life protecting her family—raising her sister and caring for her ailing father in a world ruled by vampires. But when a brutal raid destroys her village, she strikes a desperate bargain: her freedom in exchange for their lives.
Taken by Rayhan, a powerful vampire warrior, Natalie is forced to use her unstable magic to solve the murder of his father. If she fails, she may never see her family again. But if she succeeds, the truth could be more dangerous than the killer himself.
Rayhan never meant to take a prisoner—but Natalie is no ordinary human. When she inadvertently unlocks memories he buried long ago, he realizes she may be the key to justice—and vengeance. What he didn’t expect was the fire between them. Now, the woman who could destroy him might also be the only one who can save him.
As deadly secrets unravel and the killer turns their sights on Natalie, desire collides with betrayal, and trust becomes the ultimate risk.
Every subject serves Rome. Only a few can save it. An aristocrat. A slave. A pair of disgraced soldiers. And a legendary general. Five strangers. One secret war.
When an elite gladiator defies death in the arena, his shocking victory earns him more than glory—it draws him into the heart of a secret mission that could change the fate of the Empire. Hardened by brutality and betrayal, Jason is recruited into a covert task force to stop an insidious coup from toppling Rome from within.
Joining him are Mallia, a senator's daughter suffocating in privilege; Argus and Tacitus, ex-legionnaires cast out by the very army they swore to serve; and Severus, a retired general and the Emperor's most trusted ally. Together, they are reborn as the Septem Fideles-seven loyal ones-and sworn to protect Rome from the shadows.
As rebellion stirs and enemies close in, loyalties are tested, forbidden love ignites, and ancient powers threaten to awaken. The Empire's fate rests on the shoulders of five outcasts who must fight as one—or fall divided.
Hidden from the mortal world lies Emberglow Falls Academy, a prestigious school on a secret plane where students learn to command elemental magic. When a newly awakened power leads one student there, she is thrust into a world of fae politics, ancient bloodlines, and classmates whose centuries of magic leave her feeling like an outsider.
But a rare power begins to surface—one not seen in hundreds of years. As she searches for answers with her new friends, long-buried secrets and looming chaos begin to unravel around them.
In a world where passion runs hot, fated mates are common, and polyamorous bonds shape relationships, the journey becomes more than a search for truth—it becomes a test of loyalty, desire, and the power of magic itself.
Raya Merritt has no control over her chaotic shifting. Rabbit ears? Check. Mouse whiskers? Yep. Cheetah spots? Sure, why not? After a year of randomly transforming body parts–and with another full moon approaching–Raya is quickly losing hope of figuring out how to prevent these unwelcome changes, let alone live in harmony with her inner animal.
Asher Sullivan is perfectly content on his own. He has a semi-friendly cat, a blood bank down the street, and a steady income. His life is boring and predictable, just the way he designed it.
Until a relentlessly optimistic shifter shows up one day and upends it all. She invades his work space, transfixes his thoughts, and blinds him with cheerful smiles.
When they're forced to share a room on a work trip, Raya and Asher are thrown into each other's orbit in a way that can't be undone. Asher's fangs ache to taste her, and Raya's inner shifter responds differently to him than anyone else. It may be easy to ignore the dangers of their budding relationship while on a trip, but reality comes crashing back in when they return home to Portland, Oregon.
Little do they know that their lives are on the line, and they'll need each other to make it through.
All Claire and Daniel Mercer wanted was to get their daughter into the right school. All it took was one small favor.
Then another. Then another.
When a fellow board member turns up dead, Claire realizes the co-op's favor system was never about getting them to do things. It was about getting them to confess — one reasonable compromise at a time — until the board owned them completely.
Now they know too much. And someone is making sure that's not a problem for long.
All the Right Favors — because in Manhattan, nothing is ever free.
In the endless expanse of the Andromeda Galaxy, the Alectrona have forged a matriarchal empire that has long since cast off the need for male counterparts. Within the gleaming spires of Solmyra, an all-female society thrives by channeling elements into their very soul, weaving a world where hard sci-fi technology moves in rhythm with elemental high fantasy.
This sapphic space opera follows Princess Selene, a royal heir who must prove her worthiness before the throne by embarking on a high-stakes mission through the Eventide Gate, an ancient alloy portal capable of folding time and space to connect five galaxies in a heartbeat. As a galactic energy crisis looms, the Alectrona must secure Luminite, a grain of matter powerful enough to sustain entire planets, while facing the shadow of the Vorx, a predatory race of shapeshifters who have declared an intergalactic war. Amidst the high-tech, bloodless combat of the IonStorm arena, the connection between Selene and the fierce warrior Xynira ignites a slow-burn lesbian romance that crackles with raw, uncontained power.
From taming the massive, thought-extinct Starlynx to navigating the diverse pairings and found-family bonds of heroes like Liara, Emily, Mirelia, Rax, Kora, and Cyra.
Cancer was the start of Jasmine’s life falling apart. Her body betrayed her, her husband left, and as she lay dying, the only one remaining at her side was her orange tabby, Otto.
Then something uncanny occurred.
At a fishing lake in the Oregon Coast Range, Jasmine is ready to reassess her priorities when a stranger catnaps Otto. One transgression leads to another, and Jasmine has never believed in turning the other cheek.
Jasmine is transforming, but whether the cancer still has anything to do with her mutating cells is beyond her. Otto has given her something, and anything from her sweet boy can only be a boon.
Jasmine may have died, but she came back.
And when a cat’s around, no one is surprised by a body count.
It's the summer of 1986, and the Crestfield Galleria is the place to be. Tiffany Carter works at Tendance, the trendiest boutique in the mall, and dreams of escaping her small town to study fashion in New York. When strange incidents begin to ripple through the Galleria after hours, her part-time job turns into a full-time nightmare.
Tiffany assumed rumors of a Phantom stalking the Galleria were just an urban legend meant to scare new employees. Now she feels it too.
Someone is watching... following... waiting.
When the body count begins to rise, Tiffany realizes the Galleria isn't just a hangout. It's a hunting ground.
She must uncover the truth before she becomes the Phantom's next victim.
You're receiving this newsletter because you either promoted a book with us in the past or you're subscribed to one of our newsletters. We're back! The June edition of the SNTW Showcase Magazine has arrived, and this month, we are celebrating LGBTQIA+ stories by LGBTQIA+ authors. Inside the issue, you’ll find 30 incredible indie titles spanning everything from high-stakes fantasy and dark romance to cozy reads and moving poetry. No matter what you're looking for, there is something special...
Welcome to Something Novel This Way! Here are this month's ARCs. Want to share the love? Forward this email to a friend. Are you that friend? Subscribe Here. May's ARCs On the menu... Romance Fantasy Sci-Fi Thriller Sports Romance I’m one bad decision away from losing the career I love — and his name is Max Callahan. He’s got a surly attitude, survives on takeout, and has absolutely no desire to be in Colorado playing for one of the worst teams in the league. As the team’s nutritionist, I...
Welcome to Something Novel This Way! Here are this month's recs. Want to share the love? Forward this email to a friend. Are you that friend? Subscribe Here. As an Amazon Associate, we earn commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost from you. April's Recommendations On the menu... Romance Fantasy Thriller Fake Dating Romance Jordan “Bougie” Boucher has a reputation – one he didn’t earn. The star NHL defenseman plays the part of a rich young playboy who doesn’t take anything...
