Coming Soon – The Books We’re Most Looking Forward to Reading in October 2023
Hard as it is to believe, another month has flown past and it’s time for a look at the upcoming romance releases we’re most looking forward to reading in the next one! The Coming Soon post looks a little bit different this month – if you’ve been back to look at any of the previous posts, you’ll have noticed that the formatting has gone a bit haywire and all the covers are aligned vertically! Unfortunately, this is due to the site update and different layouts and templates, so I had to find a workaround until we can get something else sorted out. Unlike before, the images are no longer click-throughs, but the links to Amazon are beneath each one, so you’ll still be able to support AAR by purchasing books from this page. Whatever the layout, we hope you’ll find something to take your fancy among October’s new titles – and don’t forget to drop by to let us know what they are!
Releasing week of 2nd October 2023
Releasing week of 9th October 2023
Releasing week of 16th October 2023
Releasing week of 23rd October 2023
October 19 – Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King, #2) by Rachel Gillig (M/F). Enjoyed the worldbuilding and gothic elements in One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, #1). Seems to be categorized as Fantasy YA but I would not say so. Maybe I’m not the best judge of what is/is not YA though (17 yrs or less?).
Resurrection Reprise: A Soulbound Universe Novel by Hailey Turner (M/M), released September 7, is a great read if you like urban fantasy/paranormal. Thanks to Caz for recommending the Soulbound series.
Caz, I know that you have so kindly told us more than once that if we wish to add a book to Coming Soon then let you know. However, I feel kind of shy about this. I figure that you and the other AAR staffers are so much more knowledgeable about the cream of the crop or promising new authors than I am. I buy a good amount of e-books each month but many are authors that I don’t see reviewed at this site and the books may not be that complex in storyline. I often like to read a book that’s not too long and is a comfortable read, especially on a weeknight, and I don’t tend to mention these in the Coming Soon comments section. I also think I am unlikely to remember to contact you before the blog post goes out, lol. I just wanted you to know why I may not take you up on your offer and instead just add to the comments.
P.S. I actually have followed this website since it’s inception in the 1990s but never posted until the pandemic began in early 2020. I guess I was feeling the isolation and needed my romance community!
I also read a lot of short and easy books just to relax for an evening – so I would like it to have recs for them. I understand shyness, so I do not want to stress you at all, just to say I appreciate you, Manjari, when you mention books, I check them out, at least to read a blurb on amazon, or download a sample, quite often.
DDD likes them too dark for me, I cannot read as many mafia romances and biker clubs – I just do not buy into the romance/HEA of that lifestyle enough – but whenever I feel like this is a good time for some intense I look up her posts.
I only have R.Cooper – Trevor Takes Care – on preorder for October, I love this author a lot, her books are sweet m/m with a lot of feels that make me feel that vulnerability and weakness is fine, too.
I mostly read older books right now, urban fantasy / fantasy based on recs, LJ Breedlove Alpha Female series, Tea Princess by Casey Blair, Andrea K. Host – Hunting – these are my current new discoveries, but they are not new – so they do not quite fit here. Also, they always have romance, but are “with romance”, not romances.
Thank you for your kind words, Lieselotte. It makes me so happy when I hear someone liked a book that I recommended. I observe that you are like me in that you don’t necessarily post often. However, I always enjoy reading your posts because they are so thoughtful. I like that in the AAR community, readers recommend all types of romance novels. Like you, I don’t have interest in mafia/biker romances but I enjoy reading DDD’s posts because she is so enthusiastic! It’s wonderful that we can identify reviewers and readers who like the same types of books as we do and discover new books/authors through them.
Since I think we like the same types of books, I checked out R. Cooper on Amazon. I don’t read a lot of paranormal books but she has many contemporary M/M books and even a lot of short stories/novellas – perfect for a work weeknight! I will try out a few – thanks for the recommendation!
P.S. I really love your name. Liesel makes me think of The Sound of Music (one of my favorite movies of all time) and Lieselotte is so unique (at least where I live – maybe it is quite common in your area!).
It is a mashup version of Elisabeth (Which is also in Liesel) and Charlotte. It is oldfashioned so rare around here too.
It is my grandmother’s name :-)
Thank you back, I hope you like Cooper. Yes, I tried her novellas first and liked them, too! Her Montgomery Firefighters are short and very sweet.
My list is short, but I’m sure I’ll add to it eventually:
Thank you so much for the heads-up about the new Claire Kingsley and the Cate C. Wells serialized novella. And I can’t wait for RETURN TO MONTE CARLO—one of my favorite romance writers penning an homage to classic Harlequin/Mills & Boon? Take my money—right now!
Return to Monte Carlo is now available! Obviously I got it IMMEDIATELY.
I did too! It has an Anne Stuart vibe to it which I love.
I forgot about the new Claire Kingsley book in my post! She doesn’t have a pre-order up on Amazon yet so it wasn’t on my Wishlist. What I am interested in with Obsession Falls is that she labels it romantic suspense. I don’t think she has done that subgenre yet and I’m excited to see how she treats it. I think it will nicely differentiate the Haven Brothers from the Bailey Brothers if she continues in that vein for the entire series.
Can I just say I miss Manjari’s comments on these monthly Coming Soon posts? She (he? they?) always has a couple of m/m books that are not on my radar.
She posted three days ago–hopefully she’ll show up here too!
Edna, you are such a sweetheart! I’m a she/her. I typically only post in Coming Soon if there is a book that I am really excited about but which is not on the list. I do have a recommendation that you might like. It’s an author that is new to me and I think self publishes. Her name is Zarah Detand. She hasn’t written a lot of books – maybe 8-9 – and I haven’t read them all yet. She has a new release coming out on Sept 29, so doesn’t quite fit this Coming Soon post but pretty close! For her previous books, I have really liked Pull Me Under and Wear It Like A Crown. Pull Me Under is about a young closeted, virgin British soccer player who accidentally outs himself. To save face with the media, he enters into a fake dating relationship with a music student who is friends with his sports agent. Wear It Like A Crown is about English Prince Joshua, who is 2nd in line for the throne. He is closeted and someone tries to blackmail/out him with photos of him and another guy. The palace hires a PR specialist team to deal with the blackmailer and help Joshua come out on his own terms. One of the team members (Leo) is initially disdainful of the royals but as they get to know each other, they fall in love. Except Leo has a lot of secrets in his past… I like the books for their language and the sense of connection that the characters build. They are more on the slow burn side but definitely a “warm” sensuality rating by AAR guidelines. The book coming out on Sept 29 is Be My Endgame and is another British soccer romance but this time enemies-to-lovers (one of my favorite tropes). She has also written a few M/F books under the name Zarah Bentley but I haven’t read any of those. All of her books have these really striking blue covers with figures on them representing the main characters – I really like the covers.
From the list above, I most look forward to the books by Sarina Bowen, Jay Hogan and Elle Kennedy. Sarina Bowen doesn’t write M/M as much as M/F but I have loved some of her previous M/M books a lot (Him/Us, Roommate, Top Secret). Jay Hogan is always stellar. Elle Kennedy’s latest starts the daughter of one of the couples in her Off Campus series so I’m really excited about that. Her recent books haven’t been that well reviewed and I’m hoping this one is much better.
Oh, and if you didn’t see the conversation Caz and I had in her Sept 2023 TBR Challenge post, I definitely recommend the M/M romance Beautiful Hearts by Jax Calder. I liked her latest book The Unlikely Heir and also recommend her Sporting Secrets series (3 books so far, about rugby players).
Fantastic! These sound like books I’d check out. Off I go!
Jax Calder was one your recs I really liked!
Sorry, I did not see these posts before writing above to your comment.
I just picked up Detand’s You’re My Beat in audio for review at AudioGals. She has a good narrator, so fingers crossed I’ll enjoy the story and will want to pick up more of her books.
I haven’t read that one yet but it’s on my TBR. I hope that if you don’t like it, you might give the author one more chance. I’m really enjoying her style.
I’ll probably do the Bowen in audio. I recently reviewed The New Guy for AG – the narration is fabulous – so I’ll hope it’ll be two for two with I’m Your Guy.
I would have included the new Detand if I’d known about it, but self-publishing authors work to much tighter deadlines and their books often don’t show up at Amazon until a few days before they go live, so unless I’m on their mailing list or in their FB group, or someone tells me X has a new book coming out, it’s hard to include them. But as I’ve said to others here, please do feel free to email me with details of new releases you’d like to see included in these posts and I’ll do what I can.
The two books I’m most looking forward in October are: I’M YOUR GUY, by Sarina Bowen and CAUGHT UP, by Liz Tomforde.
The only book I know I’m going to read is The Mechanics of Lust by Jay Hogan. The Alexis Hall book looks promising, but he’s been a bit more miss than hit with me lately, so I’m not sure. I’m interested in A World Apart by Carole Cummings/Andy Gallo, but I need to read the first book in the series first. I’m not sure about anything else.
You absolutely do need to read A World Away first – I’m going to review it for the October TBR Challenge. It’s very imaginative and very good.
The Unmaking of June Farrow–a review will be up on the pub day–is the book I looked forward to the most. I also adored Alix Harrow’s Starling House, which also a DIK for me.
I am looking forward to Caught Up by Liz Tomforde and Hopeless by Elsie Silver (Beau’s story)
I also am looking forward to Hopeless! The Chestnut Springs series has been so good. I especially loved Theo and Winter in Reckless. I felt Beau, the hero of Hopeless, wasn’t particularly likable in the previous books. However, I thought Theo seemed too brash until his book came along and then I just loved him. I’m sure Elsie Silver will work her magic and I will wind up loving Beau too!
I’ve got the first 2 books in Liz Tomforde’s Windy City series but haven’t read them yet – they are both so long! The first is almost 500 pages! I’m intimidated…
I’ve been looking forward to Beau’s story since I read Reckless, and he brought Jasper to the ranch to stay when he realized he was homeless (when they were teens)
I didn’t realize Mile High was that long. I hope Caught Up is shorter.
I can’t remember what exactly turned me a bit off Beau. I think maybe he seemed closed off to his siblings and dad but that might be due to the secretive nature of his work. I am perfectly prepared to change my mind and love him!
Willow Dixon’s FAKERS WITH BENEFITS (October 4) is the second book in her Club Crimson series of m/m romances featuring characters who work at the title club. Dixon is a recent discovery for me, but I’ve enjoyed the books of hers I’ve read so far—especially because she manages to avoid the big third-act misunderstanding. FAKERS WITH BENEFITS involves a fake relationship between a dancer at Club Crimson and one of the club’s wealthy clients.
Winter Renshaw’s DEAR STRANGER (October 5) is the third book in her Paper Cuts series featuring love springing up unexpectedly. DEAR STRANGER features the “you’ve got mail” trope as a woman discovers that the man she’s been enthusiastically texting on a dating app is her workplace rival.
A HOLLY JOLLY EVER AFTER (October 10) is the third book in the Christmas Notch series of sexy rom-coms from Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone. The MCs are a former child star and a former boy-band member who are starring in a Christmas movie that’s on the “steamy” side. I expect the book to equally steamy.
The extremely prolific Alexis Hall starts a new series, Material World, with TEN THINGS THAT NEVER HAPPENED (October 17). It’s a boss-employee romance where the employee fakes having amnesia to avoid getting fired. Hall is hit-or-miss for me, so I’m hoping this one will be hit.
Amelia Wilde’s CLOSE CALL (October 17) is the second book in her Risk trilogy about a revenge kidnapping that resulted in a the victim falling for her captor—or was it just Stockholm Syndrome? Wilde writes on the dark side, so be prepared for triggers galore as the MCs embark on a fake engagement to placate their families.
Skye Warren’s WHITE LIES (October 17) is the second book in her Cirque des Miroirs series about a woman who runs away from her abusive home and literally joins the circus (and falls for the circus’s enigmatic owner). The first book—RED FLAGS—ended on a anxiety-inducing cliff-hanger, so I’m eager to see how that gets resolved in WHITE LIES.
Ana Huang’s KING OF GREED (October 24) is the third book in her Kings of Sin series. KING OF GREED is a marriage-in-trouble/second-chance story of a woman who is tired of being a “trophy wife” to a man who—in his quest to accumulate riches—has changed from the man she once loved. It is only when she leaves her the marriage that her husband realizes what he has lost and how he must work to repair the damage.
I liked the Hall. It’s one of those books that kinda creeps up on you, but it’s a good read. I haven’t tried Willow Dixon yet – some of her books are in audio (which is how I normally try out new authors these days, as my TBR is so huge) and I was thinking about trying one, but while one if the narrators is fantastic, the other is one I really don’t like, so I think they’ll have to wait until I get a gap!
If you ever want me to include any of your choices in the post, drop me an email anytime.