9 Summer Book Releases on My Radar
adding to my TBR!
I’m currently nose-deep in both Seek The Traitor’s Son (Veronica Roth) and A Game of Cat and Witch (Ruby Rune), but I won’t let that stop me from scouring for the season’s newest releases—and we have some promising ones! Fourth Wing but with tigers. 1984 but it’s in space. Misery but it’s an evil husband.1 Deals with the devil. Deals with sexy gods. Missing pop stars. There’s really something for everyone!
There are dozens (hundreds?) of books being published this summer, and that’s just from the trad publishing houses, so I’ve compiled a list of my favorites here. These books look promising to me, and if I read any of them, you can expect a review right here on Kyrie Reads.
Will I get to all of these? Will I even get to half? Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z!
All book descriptions have been pulled from either the publisher’s website or the official synopsis!
Retro by Jessica M. Goldstein
June 23rd - Science Fiction / Drama
When Ash spots an ad for Retro during a depressing Instagram scroll—she’s in debt and unemployed; everyone else is, evidently, thriving—she’s surprised the algorithm sent it her way. She’s heard of recreational time travel, but it’s way out of her budget. Then she sees the Come away with us! We’re hiring.
So begins Ash’s life as a Time Travel Agent, leading wealthy tourists on vacations to historical hotspots. She takes bachelorette parties to live out their cowboy-romance fantasies in the Old West and throws “'20s for your twenties” birthday bashes at speakeasies; she smiles politely as rich Wall Street guys give prospecting a shot in the Gold Rush. It's all thrilling, outrageous, and totally surreal. Bygone America is just a Retro Metro ride away.
Despite Ash’s tendency toward cynicism, she finds herself swept up in her dazzling new job. Sure, Ash isn’t the actress she always dreamed she’d be. But isn’t this so much better? It’s like Ash’s lifeis a movie, complete with an impossible love triangle. How is she supposed to choose between her mysterious office crush and the handsome private eye pursuing her in 1937?
For the first time in years, Ash’s life feels enviable—so she’d really rather not pay attention to the strange things happening to her memory and relationships outside Retro. But as her trips threaten to unravel her real life, she confronts an unsettling “escaping” into the past was never really an escape at all.
Why I’m interested: This premise is fascinating! I’m always hesitant to approach time travel and multi-timeline stories because they, somehow, make the stakes feel nonexistent—if you can hop to a new reality, why should I care about anything that happens in this one? But this story looks promising.
These Immortal Truths by Rachelle Raeta
June 30th - Historical Romance / Romantasy
Anna is used to hunger and hardship. Ever since the pale shadows on her skin were mistaken for leprosy, she has lived alone in exile, each day focused only on survival. Then a single act of kindness towards a beautiful stranger changes her life forever.
Suddenly, neither time nor harm can touch her, and Anna strives to embrace a life with boundless potential, one that isn’t only about survival. But as decades and centuries pass, she is continually forced to abandon each new life before it has the chance to feel like home. The only constant in her eternal existence is Khiran—the shapeshifting god who gave her immortality. No matter the years or distance, he always finds her when she most needs him.
But there is more to immortality than Anna knows, and as she travels the ages, she will discover the beauty—and cost—of a life without end.
Why I’m interested: I usually prefer romance when the characters have had time to build trust and connection. The modern ‘insta-lust’ romance dynamic just doesn’t work for me, but what is more compelling than two souls who’ve known each other for centuries?
The Inn at The Foot of Mount Vengeance by Chiara Bullen
July 7th - Cozy Fantasy
Ainsworth Gladsly, ambitious young scholar, research fellow and up-and-coming historian is finally ready to make his mark on the world. When his supervisor learns of a rustic inn at the foot of the legendary Mount Vengeance, she send him to be the first to to document the exploits of the bold adventurers who face the perils of the mountain – and the dragon said to inhabit it.
But the inn is far from the sophisticated city life he’s grown to love, and even as he grudgingly warms to its rustic charm – and its lovely innkeeper, Honey – the mystery of the mountain refuses to reveal itself. Worse, Ainsworth can’t find evidence that anyone has ever undertaken the climb – every adventurer comes to the inn, stays for a single night, and then returns home.
And with Ainsworth’s reputation as an academic on the line, it’s a mystery he can’t allow to remain unsolved – even if he has to push the adventurers up the mountain himself.
Why I’m interested: I didn’t expect to like cozy fantasy, but the genre has taken me by surprise. This one sounds really cute—a researcher interviewing adventurers with a little mystery and romance?? Sign me up!
Dominion by Jean Kwok
July 14th - Romantasy
In a world divided into four rival Dominions, power is everything—and Rubi Morningtail has almost none. Three years after the Annihilation destroyed her homeland and shattered her memories, she lives as an Azure refugee in the Dominion of the Silver Tyger, scraping by as a ribbon dancer and hiding her little bit of singing magic. When she wounds a massive battle tyger on her doorstep, she draws the notice of Blake Axefire—supreme metal mage, leader of the royal tyger warriors, and the last man an Azure should trust. His sentence? Cast her into the Bonding, a brutal trial where tygers choose their riders and slaughter the rest. Surviving is unthinkable.
But survive she does. Now she’s stuck on Blake’s elite team racing to reseal the Anchors to the demon realm. With rebels striking, demons rising, and the Dominions at each other’s throats, Rubi must unlock the truth of her magic and her past…while resisting her dangerous attraction to the ruthless warrior who could be her redemption—or her ruin.
Why I’m interested: The cover art is what drew me in initially, and the premise sold me. I love unique, complex fantasy worlds with powerful female protagonists, and I’ve never read this author before, so I’m diving in without any expectations.
Gentle Things by Danielle Giles
July 23rd - Horror
London, 1668. Though the streets hum with promise following the restoration of the crown, Lucy North is trapped. Her father's recent death has left her mother saddled with debts she cannot pay. Lucy must marry the first man willing to take her without a dowry. She has no choice.
Then she meets Thomas Ashwell, a young and charming apothecary, who offers her a route out. Lucy is quick to fall in love, and when Thomas proposes she has no hesitation in accepting him.
But, on the eve of her wedding, Lucy falls and injures her head. Confined to her bedroom while surrendering to the care of her concerned fiancée, Lucy's world soon starts to take on a warped, dreamlike – or nightmarish – quality. Can she really trust this man?
Why I’m interested: I know what it’s like to find out the person you love is actually a completely different person, and though I expect this book to be rather heavy, I absolutely love these kinds of simple plots—someone is trapped and the audience is biting their nails, waiting for them to escape.
Indie Darling by Lauren Nossett
July 28th - Mystery / Thriller
Kelly Williams helps women. Sisters in search of lost siblings. Wives determined to uncover affairs. Daughters haunted by men lingering outside their windows. Clients trust her because she listens, she believes them, and over the years she’s honed a specialized skill set.
Kelly is a Dolly Parton–loving, sports-car-driving private investigator in Nashville, Tennessee. Her latest client, Sarah-Faith Owens, comes to her after receiving threatening messages. Something about the woman feels familiar, and Kelly realizes she’s Seraph, the magnetic, polarizing lead singer of the indie music sensation The Garden Snakes. With feminist anthems, cryptic lyric easter eggs, and an electrifying stage presence, Seraph has built a fiercely loyal following—and attracted a number of critics. At that level of fame, her stalker could be anyone.
Then, in the middle of a Nashville performance, Seraph is shot on stage—and the ambulance carrying her disappears. As the city reels and conspiracy theories swirl, Kelly is pulled into a dangerous web of secrets involving Seraph’s bandmates, her troubled past, and the high cost of stardom.
Why I’m interested: I’m not usually drawn to mysteries and thrillers, especially detective stories. But I’ve been thinking about celebrity culture lately, and the idea of a pop star completely disappearing has me invested. Hoping to like this one!
The Infinite State by Richard Swan
August 4th - Science Fiction / Dystopian
WHO GIVES YOU LIFE?
PATER AETERNUS.
Katherine Fuller’s husband is dead. As an esteemed member of Pater Aeternus—governing party of the fascist, galaxy-spanning Decurion Empire—he has left behind an estate of immeasurable wealth. And Katherine is going to inherit it.
WHO GIVES YOU PURPOSE?
PATER AETERNUS.
Life under the Eternal Father is rigidly stratified, surveilled, and controlled—each new day to be endured, not lived. But with Katherine’s newfound fortune, she is presented with a rare and dangerous opportunity: purchase a virgin world, and create a better, fairer society.
WHO GIVES YOU JOY?
PATER AETERNUS.
But the Empire cannot allow its wayward daughter to succeed. And as Katherine works in secret, recruiting allies she's not even sure she can trust, she will discover exactly how far Pater Aeternus is willing to go to stop her. Because Katherine is going to create something nobody has seen for many years.
Why I’m interested: It’s 1984 in space!!!
Fawn by C.N. Vair
August 27th - Horror
In the isolated Appalachian town of Burrsville, Tess Wynne lives in precious quiet. Having been left for dead a century earlier, Tess made a deal with the devil to stay in the only home she’s known. Tending to her wildlife sanctuary, she keeps the land and its people safe – pulling on spidering threads of ancient magic, trying to preserve the balance of nature against the encroaching ravages of human influence. But, every autumn, the devil returns, offering Tess more power in exchange for a foothold into the human world. And, every autumn, Tess refuses.
As Tess prepares her wildlife sanctuary for the winter, an unexpected addition to Burrsville catches the local’s attention. Freshly arrived Zeke Abdee, the town’s new pastor, begins to sinisterly mould the townspeople to his will.
With everyone slowly turning on Tess, Pastor Zeke is determined to stake his claim on the very land where Tess keeps her sanctuary. Cornered, a desperate Tess pushes her magic to the darkest edges. All the while, the devil bides his time, waiting for Tess to decide if she will be prey - or predator...
Why I’m interested: This book scratches two itches for me: religious imagery in horror, and deals with a devil. I’m fascinated by stories involving immortality and the struggles that come with it, too, so I have high hopes for this one!
The Mirror of Infinite Endings by Stephanie Garber
September 22nd - Romantasy
Jacks and Evangeline Fox have finally found their happily ever after. Everything here in the Hollow is wonderful and perfect. Nothing is going to go wrong.
No one is keeping a secret . . . except for maybe one.
But don’t worry, it’s not going to rewrite reality or alter history or change the ending of Jacks and Evangeline’s story.
Definitely not.
Why I’m interested: I reviewed this series (which you can find here), and though I really enjoyed it, the quality hit a nosedive midway through book 2. Still, I really liked Jacks and Evangeline’s romance and I’m interested to see if this epilogue-novella ties up any loose ends.
That’s it for this summer’s upcoming releases! I think I’ll make another post for the autumn season, since I’m already excited for quite a few of those.
Have you heard of any of these books? Did any spark some interest for you? Let me know in the comments below!
obviously these books are more than just “[popular book] but it’s different!”, I’m just using this as a fun way to gather interest :P
Need to read Gentle Things! and the one about the Inn, Great recs!