There are quite a lot of books coming out in July that I’m eager to get my hands on. I didn’t fully realize this until I put together my anticipated third quarter book releases in 2025 list. There are a handful in August I’m interested in before September bulldozes through with another onslaught of books. If you missed my lists for first and second quarter book releases in 2025, feel free to check those out for inspiration. Now, let’s jump into my anticipated third quarter book releases in 2025 roundup.
- July 2025 Book Releases
- Tusk Love by Thea Guanzon*
- Ascension by S.T. Gibson*
- Mailman by Stephen Grant*
- The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley
- Rose in Chains by Julie Soto**
- Get It Out by Andréa Becker*
- One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford
- The Nightshade God by Hannah Whitten*
- Roll For Romance by Lenora Woods*
- Between These Broken Hearts by Lexi Ryan
- August 2025 Book Releases
- September 2025 Book Releases
* = I have an ARC of this book.
** = I preordered this book.
July 2025 Book Releases
Tusk Love by Thea Guanzon*
Series: None
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Random House Worlds
Publish Date: July 1, 2025
Print Length: 288
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
This gorgeous hardcover edition features beautiful designed endpapers and a reversible jacket with in-world fan art by Jester Lavorre.
As the daughter of an ambitious merchant, Guinevere’s path has been predetermined: marry into a noble house of the Dwendalian Empire, raise her family’s station, and live quietly as a lordling’s obedient wife. But Guinevere longs for a life unbounded by expectations, for freedom and passion and adventure.
Those distant dreams become a sudden reality when her caravan is beset by bandits, leaving her guards slain and Guinevere stranded alone on the dangerous Amber Road. Her only chance of survival is to travel alongside Oskar, the aloof half-orc who saved her during the attack.
Unlike Guinevere, Oskar’s path is not so set in stone. With his mother dead and his apprenticeship abandoned, all that’s left is a long, lonely walk to a land he’s never seen to find family he’s never met. The last thing he needs is a spoiled waif like Guinevere slowing him down—even if the spark between them sizzles with promise.
Despite his cold exterior, Oskar is brave and thoughtful and unlike anyone Guinevere has ever met. And while Guinevere may be sheltered, she brings out a softness in him that he has never dared to feel before. As the flames of their passion grow, they realize that soon they’ll need to choose between their expected destinations or their blossoming romance.
Written by New York Times bestselling author Thea Guanzon at the behest of Critical Role’s Jester Lavorre, Tusk Love brings the most romantic story on Exandrian bookshelves to life.
Ascension by S.T. Gibson*
Series: The Summoner’s Circle, #2
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, LGBTQ+
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Angry Robot
Publish Date: July 8, 2025
Print Length: 400
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
From the international bestselling author of Evocation comes it’s hotly anticipated and spellbinding sequel, where Rhys steps into his new role as High Priest. A magical read for lovers of traditional urban fantasy.
Ever since Rhys McGowan was a boy, he’s only wanted two things: power and love.
Now, as High Priest of Boston’s premiere Secret Society, husband to his adoring witch wife Moira, and partner to David – his psychic rival-turned-boyfriend, Rhys is finally at peace. But when a strange ritual rocks Boston’s occult community, and opens the Society up to sabotage, Rhys delves even deeper into the dark world of demon-summoning. He’s used to carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, but the strain of managing so many spirits (not to mention the stress of his loved ones exploring other people) will push him to the brink.
As heaven and hell play tug of war for Rhys’ soul, he’ll have to face the greatest demon of all: his own insatiable ambition.
The second book in the bestselling Summoner’s Circle series sees beloved characters return for an all new dark and enthralling adventure.
Mailman by Stephen Grant*
Series: None
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, Current Affairs
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publish Date: July 8, 2025
Print Length: 304
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
An exuberant, hilarious, and profound memoir by a mailman in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, who found that working for the post office saved his life, taught him who he was, gave him purpose, and educated him deeply about a country he loves but had lost touch with.
Steve Grant was laid off in March of 2020. He was fifty and had cancer, so he needed health insurance, fast. Which is how he found himself a rural letter carrier in Appalachia, back in his old hometown.
Suddenly, he was the guy with the goods, delivering dog food and respirators and lube and heirloom tomato seeds and Lord of the Rings replica swords. He transported chicken feed to grandmothers living alone in the mountains and forded a creek with a refrigerator on his back. But while he carried the mail, he also carried a whole lot more than just the mail, including a family legacy of rage and the anxiety of having lost his identity along with his corporate job.
And yet, slowly, surrounded by a ragtag but devoted band of letter carriers, working this different kind of job, Grant found himself becoming a different kind of person. He became a lifeline for lonely people, providing fleeting moments of human contact and the assurance that our government still cares. He embraced the thrill of tackling new challenges, the pride of contributing to something greater than himself, the joy of camaraderie, and the purpose found in working hard for his family and doing a small, good thing for his community. He even kindled a newfound faith.
A brash and loving portrait of an all-American institution, Mailman offers a deeply felt portrait of both rural America and the dedicated (and eccentric) letter carriers who keep our lives running smoothly day to day. One hell of a raconteur, Steve Grant has written an irreverent, heartfelt, and often hilarious tribute to the simple heroism of daily service, the dignity and struggle of blue-collar work, the challenge and pleasure of coming home again after twenty-five years away, and the delight of going the extra mile for your neighbors, every day.
The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley
Series: Dearly Beloathed, #1
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Ace
Publish Date: July 8, 2025
Print Length: 384
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
This stunning hardcover features a cover with foil, beautifully designed endpapers, and a black-and-white interior map!
Loyalties are tested in this slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romantasy following an assassin and a healer forced to work together to cure a fatal disease, all while resisting the urge to kill each other—or, worse, fall in love.
When Osric Mordaunt, member of the Fyren Order of assassins, falls ill, he realizes he needs the expertise of a very specific healer. As fate would have it, that healer belongs to an enemy faction, the Haelan Order.
Aurienne Fairhrim and her fellow Haelan are inundated by sick children suffering from an outbreak of a long-forgotten Pox. Unable to get the funding needed to launch an immunization program, the Haelan Order is desperate for money – so desperate that when Osric breaks into their headquarters to bribe Aurienne to heal him, she is forced to accept.
As Osric and Aurienne work together to solve not only his illness but the mysterious reoccurrence of the Pox, they find themselves ardently denying their attraction which only fuels the tension between them.
Rose in Chains by Julie Soto**
Series: The Evermore Trilogy, #1
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Forever
Publish Date: July 8, 2025
Print Length: 464
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
USA Today bestselling author Julie Soto crafts a lush romantic fantasy that’s filled with intrigue, magic, and an irresistible enemies-to-lovers romance.
The war is over, the dark forces have won, and the hero who was supposed to save them is dead.
Captured as her castle is overrun by the enemy, the world as Briony Rosewood knows it is changed forever. Evil has won, and her people face imminent servitude, imprisonment, or death.
Stripped of her Magic and her freedom, Briony and the other survivors are quickly sold off to the highest bidders in an auction–and as Evermore’s princess, she fetches the highest price. After a fierce bidding war, she’s sold to none other than Toven Hearst, scion of a family known for their cruelty.
Yet despite the horrors of her new world and the role she must learn to play within it, all is not lost. Help–and hope–may yet arise in the most unlikely of places…
Get It Out by Andréa Becker*
Series: None
Genre: Nonfiction, Health, Politics
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: NYU Press
Publish Date: July 15, 2025
Print Length: 208
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
An examination of hysterectomy and the struggle for bodily and reproductive autonomy
At least one hysterectomy is performed every minute of the year, making it the most common gynecological surgery worldwide. By the age of sixty-five, one out of five people born with a uterus will have it removed. So, why do we seldom talk about this surgery? Highly performed yet overlooked, examining the paradox of hysterectomy begins to unravel the various problems with how we medically treat uteruses and the people who have them.
Get It Out weaves centuries of medical history with rich qualitative data from 100 women, trans men, and nonbinary people who had, want, or are considering hysterectomy. In compelling detail, Andréa Becker reveals how America’s healthcare system routinely deprives people of the ability to control their own bodies along race and gender lines. When people ask for a hysterectomy, they are often met with pushback: Are you sick enough? Old enough? Have you had enough babies? Will you regret this? How will your future husband feel about this? Yet this pushback is not equally experienced. While some people are barred access, others are ushered toward a hysterectomy. These contradictory recommendations reveal the persistent biases entrenched within healthcare.
Get It Out interrogates how little choice people with uteruses ultimately have over their reproductive health, and explores what these “choices” signify amid interlocking systems of inequality.
One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford
Series: None
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thrillers & Crime
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publish Date: July 15, 2025
Print Length: 352
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
In this heart-wrenching and unique spin on the zombie mythos, a brilliant scientist desperately searches for a cure after a devastating epidemic while also hiding a monumental secret—her undead husband.
How far would you go to save your marriage? For British scientist Kesta Shelley, there is no limit.
Having always preferred the company of microbes, Kesta has spent her life looking down the barrel of a microscope rather than cultivating personal relationships. But that changed when Kesta met Tim—her cheerleader, her best friend, her absolute everything. So, when he was one of the last people in London to be infected with a perplexing virus that left the city ravaged, Kesta went into triage mode.
Though the government has rounded up and disposed of all the infected, Kesta is able to keep her husband (un)alive—and hidden—with resources from the hospital where she works. She spends her days reviewing biopsy slides and her evenings caring for him, but he’s clearly declining. The sedatives aren’t working like they used to, and his violent outbursts are becoming more frequent. As Kesta races against the clock, her colleagues start noticing changes in her behavior and appearance. She is withering away, self-medicating with alcohol, and has stopped attending her mandated ZARG (Zombie Apocalypse Recovery Group) meetings. Her care for Tim has spiraled into absolute obsession.
There are whispers of a top-secret lab working on a cure, and Kesta clings to the possibility of being recruited like a lifeline. But can she save her husband before he is discovered? Or worse…will they trigger another outbreak?
The Nightshade God by Hannah Whitten*
Series: The Nightshade Crown, #3
Genre: Fantasy, LGBTQ+
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Orbit
Publish Date: July 15, 2025
Print Length: 480
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
The Nightshade Crown is in the hands of a ruthless god and Lore will stop at nothing to defeat him in the final installment of this lush, romantic, New York Times bestselling fantasy series from breakout star Hannah Whitten.
Lore has failed. She couldn’t save King Bastian from the rotten god speaking voices in his mind. She couldn’t save her allies from being scattered across the continent–their own lesser gods whispering to them in their dreams. She couldn’t save her beautiful, corrupt city from the dark power beneath the catacombs. And she couldn’t save herself.
Banished to the Burnt Isles, Lore must use every skill she earned on the streets of Dellaire to survive the prison colony and figure out a way to defeat the power that’s captured everything and everyone she holds dear. When a surprise ally joins her on the Burnt Isles she realizes the way forward may lie on the island itself. Somehow, her friends must help her collect the far-scattered pieces of the broken Fount–the source of all the god’s powers–and bring them back together on the Burnt Isles, returning all magic to its source and destroying, once and for all, the gods corrupting the land.
But as Lore gets closer to her goal, her magic grows stronger… and to a woman who’s always had to fight for survival, that kind of power may be hard to give up.
Roll For Romance by Lenora Woods*
Series: None
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Dell
Publish Date: July 15, 2025
Print Length: 368
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
Two fledgling tabletop gamers find themselves falling for each other—both in and out of their weekly D&D sessions—in this charming, fantasy-tinged romance.
When Sadie Brooks unexpectedly loses her marketing job, she flees New York City to spend the summer with her best friend in small-town Texas, where joining his Dungeons & Dragons campaign is the perfect distraction while she plans her next steps.
In the game, she becomes Jaylie, a powerful human cleric blessed by the Goddess of Luck. But in real life, Sadie believes her luck has run out—until she meets Noah Walker, the outgoing bartender roped into joining their party as Loren, an adventurous and charismatic lute-strumming elf. Just as Jaylie finds herself succumbing to the bard’s charms over the course of their party’s travels, Sadie also begins to fall under Noah’s spell.
As their relationship progresses in both worlds, Sadie wonders if what they have might last beyond the game. But like his traveling bard character, Noah never stays in one place for long. When a new opportunity arises in New York, Sadie must face the truth about why she lost her job in the first place—and whether she and Noah have found something in Texas worth staying for. Torn between her career dreams in the city and the exciting uncertainty of a new adventure, she will have no choice but to roll the dice.
Between These Broken Hearts by Lexi Ryan
Series: Cursed Stars, #2
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Age Category: Young Adult
Publisher: Storytide
Publish Date: July 22, 2025
Print Length: 464
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
Forbidden romance, mysterious prophecies, and the battle to save the fae realm come to a captivating conclusion in the #1 New York Times bestselling saga begun with Abriella in the These Hollow Vows duology and continued with Jas and Felicity in Beneath These Cursed Stars.
Princess Jasalyn has eleven days to live.
Jasalyn is facing the repercussions of a deadly bargain. Her life, and the future of the shadow court, are forfeit on her birthday unless she can stop the evil fae king Mordeus. She needs to face her greatest fears and find him before she runs out of time, but even after everything, Kendrick won’t let her face this alone.
Shape-shifter Felicity has vanished.
Felicity disappeared from King Misha’s dungeons, and her friends have been searching for her to no avail. But even if she’s found, Felicity will never be able to escape the oracle’s tragic prophecy for her and her family. In her lonely battle with fate, Misha is the last person she can ask to stand by her side, but the first one she’ll need.
August 2025 Book Releases
The Island of Last Things by Emma Sloley
Series: None
Genre: Mystery, Thrillers & Crime
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Publish Date: August 12, 2025
Print Length: 272
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
A SOARING, PROPULSIVE, AND UNFORGETTABLE novel about two zookeepers at the last zoo in the world
Camille has always preferred animals to people. The wild has nearly disappeared, but as a zookeeper at the last zoo in the world, on Alcatraz Island, she spends her days caring for playful chimpanzees, gentle tree frogs, and a restless jaguar. Outside, resistance groups and brutal cartels fight to shape the world’s future, but Camille is safe within her routines. That is, until a new zookeeper, Sailor, arrives from Paris.
From their first meeting, Camille is drawn to Sailor, who seems to see something in Camille that no one has before. They bond over their shared passions and dream up ways to improve their lives. When Sailor whispers the story of an idyllic, secret sanctuary where wild animals roam free, Camille begins to imagine a new kind of life with Sailor by her side.
Sailor knows all too well the dangers beyond Alcatraz, but she increasingly chafes at the zoo’s rigid rules. She hatches a reckless plan to smuggle one of the most prized animals off the island to freedom, and invites Camille to join her. The consequences if they fail would be catastrophic, and Sailor’s contacts at the sanctuary go dark just as the threats from the cartels grow more extreme. Camille must decide if she’s ready to risk everything for the promise of a better world.
Propulsive and fiercely hopeful, with a heart-stopping final twist, The Island of Last Things is an elegy for a disappearing world and a gorgeous vision for the future.
Voidwalker by S.A. Maclean
Series: Beasts of the Void, #1
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, LGBTQ+
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Orbit
Publish Date: August 19, 2025
Print Length: 592
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
From the author of The Phoenix Keeper comes an era-defining new fantasy universe where spicy romantasy meets the Cosmere, unmissable for fans of the world-building scale of Sarah J. Maas and the world-shifting stakes of Rebecca Yarros. Voidwalker will be your next romantasy obsession, a deliciously feral story that starts with just two words: “bite me.”
Fionamara is a smuggler. Antal is the reason her people fear the dark. Fi ferries contraband between worlds, stockpiling funds and stolen magic to keep her village self-sufficient – free from the blood sacrifices humans have paid to Antal’s immortal species for centuries.
Only legends whispered through the pine forests recall a time when things were different, before one world shattered into many, and the flesh-devouring beasts crept from the cracks between realities, with their sable antlers and slender tails, lethal claws and gleaming fangs. Now, mortal lives are food to pacify their carnivorous overlords, exchanged for feudal protection, and the precious silver energy that fuels everything from transport to weaponry.
When Fi gets planted with a stash of smuggled energy, a long-lost flame recruits her for a reckless heist that escalates into a terrorist bombing – and a coup against the reigning immortals, with Fi’s home caught in the crossfire.
She’s always known the dangers of her trade – and of the power she’s wielded since childhood, allowing her to see the secret doors between dimensions, to walk the Void itself. But nothing could have prepared her for crossing paths with Antal. For the deal she’ll have to make with him, a forced partnership to reclaim his city that begins as a desperate bid for survival, only to grow into something far more dangerous.
A revolution. And a temptation – for how sweet the monster’s fangs might feel.
The Entanglement of Rival Wizards by Sara Raasch
Series: None
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, LGBTQ+
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Bramble
Publish Date: August 26, 2025
Print Length: 336
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
Ali Hazelwood meets Dungeons & Dragons in this enemies-to-lovers fantasy academia romcom where rival grad student wizards are forced to work together without killing—or falling for—each other.
Will they conjure love, or evoke chaos? Two rival wizards are about to find out.
Sebastian Walsh: Evocation Department. Human. The first of his family to pick college over the military.
Elethior Tourael: Conjuration Department. Half-elf. Pretentious asshole. The latest legacy Tourael at Lesiara U.
Both: Mageus Research Grant finalists.
Sebastian refuses to let anyone snatch this away, least of all a snob riding on old money. But what’s worse than a nemesis stealing your grant? You could both get it. Under the condition you work together.
Sebastian is in hell. Thio’s broody. Takes up their shared lab space with his projects . . . and biceps. Brings treats for Sebastian’s familiar . . .
. . . and is nothing like Sebastian thought.
When Sebastian’s past with the Touraels forces him to choose his research or Thio, the decision should be simple. But while working with his rival is volatile . . . falling for his rival might blow up Sebastian’s future.
September 2025 Book Releases
Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross**
Series: None
Genre: Fantasy
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Saturday Books
Publish Date: September 2, 2025
Print Length: 544
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
Set in the world of the gods first introduced in Divine Rivals, #1 New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Ross delivers a sweeping, beautiful adult novel filled with tension, romance, and dark secrets.
True love is more divine, than any ruthless god.
Born in the firelit domain of the under realm, Matilda is the youngest goddess of her clan, blessed with humble messenger magic. But in a land where gods often kill each other to steal power and alliances break as quickly as they are forged, Matilda must come of age sooner than most. She may be known to carry words and letters through the realms, but she holds a secret she must hide from even her dearest of allies to ensure her survival. And to complicate matters . . . there is a mortal boy who dreams of her, despite the fact they have never met in the waking world.
Ten years ago, Vincent of Beckett wrote to Matilda on the darkest night of his life—begging the goddess he befriended in dreams to help him. When his request went unanswered, Vincent moved on, becoming the hardened, irreverent lord of the river who has long forgotten Matilda. That is, until she comes tumbling into his bedroom window with a letter for him.
As Fate would have it, Matilda and Vincent were destined to find each other beyond dreams. There may be a chance for Matilda to rewrite the blood-soaked ways of the gods, but at immense sacrifice. She will have to face something she fears even more than losing her magic: to be vulnerable, and to allow herself to finally be loved.
The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez
Series: None
Genre: Fantasy, LGBTQ+
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Tor Books
Publish Date: September 9, 2025
Print Length: 352
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
The Maiden and Her Monster is a gorgeous, atmospheric debut fantasy rooted in history, folklore, and sapphic romance—perfect for fans of Katherine Arden, Ava Reid, Hannah Whitten, and Naomi Novik.
The forest eats the girls who wander out after dark.
As the healer’s daughter, Malka has seen how the wood’s curse has plagued her village, but the Ozmini Church only comes to collect its tithe, not to protect heretics with false stories of monsters in the trees. So when a clergy girl wanders too close to the forest and Malka’s mother is accused of her murder, Malka strikes an impossible bargain with a zealot Ozmini priest. If she brings the monster out, he will spare her mother from execution.
When she ventures into the shadowed woods, Malka finds a monster, though not the one she expects: an inscrutable, disgraced golem who agrees to implicate herself, but only if Malka helps her fulfill a promise first and free the imprisoned rabbi who created her.
But a deal easily made is not easily kept. And as their bargain begins to unravel a much more sinister threat, protecting her people may force Malka to endanger the one person she left home to save—and face her growing feelings for the very creature she was taught to fear.
The Faerie Morgana by Louisa Morgan
Series: None
Genre: Fantasy
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Redhook
Publish Date: September 16, 2025
Print Length: 528
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
In this atmospheric and bewitching novel, Louisa Morgan reimagines the story of Morgan Le Fay, one of the most enigmatic and powerful women in Arthurian legend.
To the other priestesses of the Nine, a powerful council at the Lady’s Temple, Morgana is haughty and arrogant as she performs feats of magic no human should be capable of. Rumors start that she must be a fearsome fae.
To King Arthur, Morgana is a trusted and devoted advisor, but his court is wary of her and her prodigious talent at divination. But his wife sees Morgana as a rival and a malevolent witch.
To Braithe, Morgana’s faithful acolyte, she is simply the most powerful priestess Camelot has seen.
Morgana doesn’t know why she’s so different from everyone else, and she doesn’t much care. But when she aids Arthur to ascend the throne before his time, she sets off a series of events that will change everything Morgana believes about her power.
The Summer War by Naomi Novik
Series: None
Genre: Fantasy
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Del Rey
Publish Date: September 16, 2025
Print Length: 144
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
In this poignant, heartfelt novella from the New York Times bestselling author of Spinning Silver and the Scholomance trilogy, a young witch who has inadvertently cursed her brother to live a life without love must find a way to undo her spell.
Celia discovered her talent for magic on the day her beloved oldest brother, Argent, left home. Furious at him for abandoning her in a war-torn land, she lashed out, not realizing her childish, angry words would become imbued with the power of prophecy, dooming him to a life without love.
While Argent wanders the world, forced to seek only fame and glory instead of the love and belonging he truly desires, Celia attempts to undo the curse she placed on him. Yet even as she grows from a girl to a woman, she cannot find the solution—until she learns the truth about the centuries-old war between her own people and the summerlings, immortal beings who hold a relentless grudge against their mortal neighbors.
Now, with the aid of her unwanted middle brother, Celia may be able to both undo her eldest brother’s curse and heal the lands so long torn apart by the Summer War.
Fate’s Bane by C.L. Clark
Series: None
Genre: Fantasy, LGBTQ+
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Tordotcom
Publish Date: September 30, 2025
Print Length: 176
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
Ignyte Award-winning author C. L. Clark brings fantasy to the fens with Fate’s Bane, a tragic sapphic adventure.
Warring clans. Burning hearts. Deadly fate.
The clans of the fens enjoy a tenuous peace, and it is all thanks to Agnir, ward and hostage. For as long as she can remember she has lived among the enemy, learning their ways, growing strong alongside their children. When a burgeoning love for the chieftain’s daughter lures them both to a hidden spring, a magic awakens in them that could bind the clans under one banner at last—or destroy any hope of peace. By working their intentions into leather, they can weave misfortune for their enemies… just like the Fate’s Bane that haunts the legends of the clans.
Ambitions grow in their fathers’ hearts, grudges threaten a return to violence, and greedy enemies wait outside the borders, seeking a foothold to claim the fens for themselves. And though their Makings may save their families, the legend that gave them this power always exacts its price.
Princess of Blood by Sarah Hawley
Series: The Shards of Magic, #2
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Ace
Publish Date: September 30, 2025
Print Length: 512
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
Once a servant, now a princess, a young woman thrust into power challenges everything about the underground Fae realm in the spellbinding sequel to Sarah Hawley’s USA Today bestseller Servant of Earth.
Kenna Heron is still reeling from her lover’s betrayal and the threat of an impending civil war. With only a sentient dagger and her two closest—and most powerless—friends by her side, she must navigate the treacherous politics of Mistei while coming to terms with her new identity as not just Fae, but princess of the reborn Blood House.
With the corrupt king dead at last, three candidates are vying for the crown: a princess who claims the throne as her birthright and two rebel princes, both of whom are courting Kenna’s support to break the stalemate between them. Old loyalties fray as new, volatile alliances form, and Kenna finds herself caught in a web of violence and deceit—and swept up in a forbidden romance as passionate as it is dangerous.
Kenna has the power to shape Mistei’s future… but someone’s willing to kill to make sure she never gets the chance.
The Sleepless by Jen Williams
Series: Sleepless Duology #1
Genre: Fantasy
Age Category: Young Adult
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publish Date: September 30, 2025
Print Length: 336
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
Godkiller meets Powerless in this epic gods-and-monsters romantic fantasy from British Fantasy Award-winning author Jen Williams. DELUXE EDITION – featuring beautiful sprayed edges and a custom foil case stamp. Order your copy while supplies last!
Welcome to a world where gods and monsters roam the earth . . .
Elver is the guardian of the wild and dangerous monster forest. Saved from the brink of death by a god, her skin will poison anyone she touches.
Artair is on a mission – one that takes him face-to-face with Elver at her most ruthless. But her defenses are useless when she discovers he’s the only human impervious to her deadly gift. For Artair isn’t human: he’s one of the Sleepless, cursed to share his body with an evil spirit.
Lucian inhabits their body while Artair sleeps, and he is hell-bent on manipulating Elver for his dark purposes. But Elver is harbouring secrets too, and she has her own reasons for feigning an alliance with these two souls.
Caught in the crossfire of gods, monsters, and a dangerous magic they can barely understand, it is only a matter of time before the paths the three of them choose to take will set alight the very foundations of their world.
With a love triangle like you’ve never seen it, incredible world-building, brilliant writing, and a dangerous quest, The Sleepless will have you spellbound.
And that’s a wrap for my list of anticipated third quarter book releases in 2025! Are any of these on your TBR?


Omg, so many of these weren’t even on my radar but I’ve just now added almost all of them to my list!? Help. Thank you? 😂🤭 I love the sound of so many of these titles. I hope you love them all too!
Hahaha you’re welcome!! 😈
I’ll keep an eye on Rose in Chains as I see this book SO often!
My Lit: https://laurieisreading.com/2025/06/24/top-ten-tuesday-books-i-look-forward-to-releasing-in-the-second-half-of-2025/
I hope it’s good. I really liked her last book, NOT ANOTHER LOVE SONG!
TUSK LOOOOOOOVE!! I’m so excited for this one 🤩
There are so many great picks on this list! I’m really looking forward to the new Sara Raasch and Naomi Novik books, in particular.
Yessss those both look good! I’m toying with requesting the Novik one since it’s a novella & not a huge commitment.
Me too!!!! I’m going to read it next.
There are so many releases!!! I had such a hard time picking my list. haha. I have many overlapping and others that I still want to read. I’ve seen Tusk Love all over socials!! I hope you enjoy all of these.
Yes there’s no way I’ll be able to read all of these, but it’s nice to dream!
So many fantastic sounding books due out 😍😍 besides the ones on my list I’m incredibly excited for The Maiden & Her Monster and The Faerie Morgana. I’m also potentially intrigued for Wild Reverence. I haven’t read the blurb yet as I still haven’t read Divine Rivals but I’m starting that either tonight or tomorrow (based on how long my comments take to answer) so that I can decide if I’m interested in that one too. Plus I’ve added two others to my TBR. I hope you enjoy all of these, especially the few you’re preordered.
I am so excited for THE FAERIE MORGANA! That’s absolutely one I will make time for this year. I haven’t read DIVINE RIVALS yet either, but I figured I’d preorder the upcoming book anyway haha.
Have you read any of the authors witch books? I’ve been meaning to for ages now and haven’t managed to yet 🙈 but between the Camelot ties and the word Faerie there’s absolutely no way I can resist that one if I don’t manage to try one of her others (as planned) before then. Oh lol well I’m glad it’s not just me and really hope it works out wonderfully for you 🥰 I haven’t read the blurb in case it was spoilerish for the duology but I saw a Goddess mention when glancing at it and that alone made it a must read for me 😂
I’ve not read any of her other books…now I’ll have to see what she’s written!
I hope you enjoy them if you end up trying any.
I haven’t read any Julie Soto but I know people really liked her other contemporary fantasy. Will be watching for your thoughts on her fantasy romance!
I’ve read both of Soto’s contemporary romances and have to say NOT ANOTHER LOVE SONG is my favorite of the two. It’s why I’m so excited for her fantasy debut!
Lots of great books are coming soon!
It’s going to be a great quarter, I think! I’m so excited for the new Louisa Morgan book, although its very different from her other books.
It really is! If I like this new book by Louisa Morgan, then I guess I’ll have to look up her other stuff!