Books Publishing June 22

Jun 24

Jun 24 Books Publishing This Week

It’s late June, and the sky is melting into evening—soft layers of peach, lavender, and rose gold stretching out over the ocean. You’re lying back on a towel in the sand, the last warmth of the day still clinging to the earth beneath you. The sea breeze is gentle now, cooler than it was an hour ago, brushing against your skin like a whisper. Waves lap rhythmically at the shore, a steady, soothing background to the unfolding night.

You’ve waited all day for this moment. There’s something about the stillness of sunset that feels sacred, like a breath being held. You reach into your beach bag, your fingertips brushing against the smooth cover of a book you’ve been saving—something new, something you’ve been looking forward to. This is the perfect time to begin it. The beach is quieter now, the day’s energy giving way to something slower, softer.

You sit up slightly, the sand cool beneath your elbows, and crack open the book. The spine gives that satisfying little creak of something untouched, waiting. You let your eyes settle on the first page and begin. The words draw you in immediately—not with drama or flash, but with a quiet pull, like the tide inching closer to your toes. You read slowly at first, tasting each sentence, letting the story root itself in this moment.

Above you, the sky shifts again, the colors deepening. The sun hangs just above the horizon, casting a golden glow across the water. You pause to look up, watching it sink lower, the waves catching the light and scattering it like glitter. The book rests open on your chest for a moment. This is why you chose to bring it to the beach—not just for the story itself, but for the experience of starting something new under a sky like this.

The breeze picks up slightly, and you pull your towel tighter around your shoulders. Somewhere nearby, someone laughs softly. A guitar plays in the distance. The world is still here, but it’s faded slightly, just like the sun. You’re half in the book now, half in the golden space between day and night.

You read on, more quickly now. The characters are beginning to unfold, their motivations slipping into focus, their flaws and hopes revealed in quiet gestures and dialogue that makes you smile to yourself. The sand shifts under your legs as you adjust, propping yourself on one elbow so you can keep reading as the light grows dimmer.

Soon, the sun dips below the horizon, and the sky begins to cool into twilight. The first stars blink awake above you, shy at first, then bolder. You pause again, just to look—really look—at the vast stretch of sky overhead. It’s breathtaking, and somehow it fits perfectly with the story taking shape in your hands.

You turn another page. The air smells like salt and warm seaweed, and the ocean’s hush is the only sound left. You feel calm. Grounded. Full. Like everything you needed from this day has arrived exactly on time.

Eventually, you close the book—not because you’re done, but because you want to savor it. This story is just beginning, and so is summer. The towel is still warm beneath you, the stars brighter now, the beach nearly empty. But you stay a while longer, holding the book close, your thumb still tucked between the pages.

You’ve begun a new story under a sunset sky, and that alone feels like something worth remembering.

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Eliza and the Duke by Harper St. George

All hopeless romantic Eliza Dove asked for was one night of adventure. One glorious evening of freedom to explore the dark corners of London with a mysterious stranger before a lifetime trapped in a quiet, respectable marriage of convenience. Except now she wants more. Now she wants him.

Simon Cavell is no gentleman. Known only as ‘the Duke,’ Whitechapel’s prize boxer is one fight away from achieving his goal: to safeguard his late sister’s only treasure and leave the streets for good. He cannot allow some pretty young heiress to spill his secrets, no matter how tempting she might be. In return for her silence, Simon will give Eliza a taste of the darkness…and hope he doesn’t lose his heart in the process.

But one night together could never be enough. And now Eliza has a new plan—an even more scandalous bargain that will either land the heiress her duke or ruin them both.

The Whyte Python World Tour by Travis Kennedy

Rikki Thunder, drummer for hot new ‘80s metal band Whyte Python, is about to get it all: global fame… a dream girlfriend—and an unwitting role as an international spy.

About The Whyte Python World Tour
Rikki Thunder, drummer for hot new ‘80s metal band Whyte Python, is about to get it all: global fame… a dream girlfriend—and an unwitting role as an international spy.

“A rock-n-roll thrill ride… Heavy Metal icon Rikki Thunder’s satirical memoir is sweeter than Cherry Pie and better than a prescription from Dr. Feelgood! You need to read it.”—Ernest Cline

It’s Los Angeles, 1986, and metal rules the world. For aspiring drummer Rikki Thunder, life is good—even if he is sleeping in a condemned paint store and playing with a band that’s going nowhere. But when he gets a shot to join L.A.’s hottest up-and-coming band, Whyte Python, Rikki’s young life turns up to 11. Soon he has a hit single scorching up the charts, and the new love of his life in the audience. Rikki couldn’t ask for anything more.

But good fortune can be deceiving. With the Cold War breathing its last gasps and American music blasting through the Iron Curtain, a youth revolution is taking hold – and a hair band is unknowingly playing host to the final battle for the hearts and minds of the Eastern Bloc. Rikki Thunder soon realizes there is a deeper web of influence propelling Whyte Python, and the stakes for his mission—to spread peace, love, and epic shredding across the globe—are far more dangerous than he could ever imagine.

Raucously funny and refreshing, The Whyte Python World Tour is a head-banger of a debut, steeped in ‘80s music culture nostalgia and international suspense.

Finders Keepers by Sarah Adler

Two estranged best friends find that their long-abandoned treasure hunt might be the key to a fresh start—for both their futures and their feelings, from USA Today bestselling author Sarah Adler.

Last week, Nina Hunnicutt was a professor about to move into a gorgeous new apartment with her long-term boyfriend. Now, she’s single, unemployed, and living with her parents. Even more surprising is the fact that Quentin Bell, her childhood neighbor (and okay, fine, crush), is also back in town—and wants to resume the treasure hunt that ended their friendship almost two decades ago.

Hoping the reward promised to whoever finds the rumored riches left behind by the town’s eccentric turn-of-the-century seltzer magnate will help her get her life back on track, Nina agrees. Granted, last time the search resulted in a broken heart and seventeen years of silence. But Nina’s older and wiser now. Surely things will be different?

Except, Quentin is also older and wiser…not to mention distractingly handsome. As they resume their hunt, Nina and Quentin begin to rediscover all the things they once loved best about each other. But unlike the treasure, the secrets that left them empty-handed the first time refuse to stay buried. If there’s any hope of finding what they’re looking for—and for a future together—Nina and Quentin will have to be brave enough to excavate their past as well.

Embrace the Serpent by Sunya Mara

The Serpent King is the most eligible bachelor in the land: a monster with dark and terrible magic and the ruler of the last free kingdom. Riches and power await his future bride — but also a life forever trapped in the games of court.

That fate is eighteen-year-old Saphira's worst nightmare. Ever since the Empire made her an orphan, she’s found freedom in being invisible. So, despite her rare gift for harnessing the magic in gemstones, she lets an unscrupulous jewelsmith take credit for her increasingly sought-after work.

But when the king sends his most clever huntsman to find the best jewelsmith of all, the spotlight lands on Saphira. Faced with choosing between falling into the Empire’s grasp or marrying a monster, she chooses the latter — even if it means getting increasingly caught between her cold, serpentine husband and his cunning, handsome huntsman.

Tempest by K. Ibura

After Veronique’s parents died, her grandmother raised her on a farm in rural Louisiana. For sixteen years, it’s just been Veronique, MawMaw, and an ocean of trees. That’s because Veronique has a secret—one MawMaw has warned her she must always keep safe.

Veronique has the power to control the wind.

But when MawMaw falls ill, Veronique is forced to move to New Orleans to live with family she never knew she had. New Orleans is a far cry from her old quiet life, but Veronique finally gets her chance for a normal life—one with school, friends, and even love. But when her new life threatens her ability to control her powers, she quickly learns that the world is bigger and more dangerous than she’d ever imagined. Veronique must uncover what MawMaw was trying to protect her from before it’s too late.

The Medusa Protocol by Rob Hart

Welcome back to Assassins Anonymous, the only twelve-step group where joining can be deadly.

When Astrid, known in her assassin days as Azrael, stopped showing up to Assassins Anonymous, the group assumed her past had caught up with her. Only her sponsor Mark, formerly the deadliest killer in the world, holds out hope that she’s okay. Then, during a meeting, the group gets a sign, or rather, a pizza delivery. Is there another psychopath out there who actually likes olives on their pizza, or is Astrid trying to send Mark a message?

Meanwhile, Astrid wakes up in the cell of a black site prison, on a remote island. A doctor subjects her to mysterious experiments, plumbing the depths of her memory and looking for a vital clue from her past. She’ll do anything to escape, except…killing anyone. Hmm. Turns out it’s not easy to blow this joint without blowing anything, or anyone up.

Smoke on the Wind by Kelli Estes

In the magnificent Scottish Highlands, two devoted mothers separated by centuries discover a haunting connection in a gripping novel by the USA Today bestselling author of The Girl Who Wrote in Silk.

Struggling with the tragic end of her marriage, Keaka Denney is on a bittersweet adventure in Scotland with her son, Colin. She’s joining him on a weeklong hike along the West Highland Way before he enters university in Glasgow. Soon into the journey, Keaka’s disquieting visions begin―a woman from ages past reaching for Colin, a burning cottage, violence.

Scotland, 1801. After Sorcha Chisholm and her son are wrenched from their home in a brutal eviction, they face an arduous trek toward a new beginning. When Sorcha learns she’s wanted for a murder she didn’t commit, she and her son run for their lives. Then help arrives from the strangest woman in the most unexpected ways.

Centuries apart, Keaka and Sorcha walk the same path―devoted mothers in circumstances beyond their control who will do anything to keep their sons safe. Defying logic, they find strength in each other. But what does their connection mean? And how far will it go?

Forget the Fairytale and Find Your Happiness

Once upon a time, women were sold the idea that love and fulfillment came in the form of the perfect partner, marriage, and having kids. . But what happens when the fairy tale doesn’t deliver? Debut author Deb Miller’s bold and empowering memoir “Forget the Fairy Tale and Find Your Happiness” (She Writes Press, June 24, 2025) flips the script on outdated princess narratives and proves that real-life happiness is not about waiting—it’s about doing.

Television For Women by Danit Brown

For fans of Nightbitch, a darkly humorous debut novel asks what happens when motherhood isn’t all it’s cracked up to be . . .

Estie isn’t sure she likes being eight months pregnant. She isn’t even sure she likes her husband anymore, especially after he hid that he’s been fired from his job. Hello parenthood! Goodbye life as Estie imagined it! Now, she’s stranded and bloated and alone. Her cat is not a people person, and on top of it all, her best friend has been ignoring her calls ever since Estie told her about the baby.

After Estie gives birth, she begins to suspect that all the stories she’s been told about motherhood might not be true. Having a child does not “complete” her. And that mythical connection with her baby? Well, she’s still waiting. In fact, Estie fears she is destined to end up like her own mother—divorced and crying in the bathroom while her daughter stands outside the door and wonders if she’s okay.

Startlingly honest and unsentimental, Television for Women explores the realities of life postpartum, the demands children make on women’s identities and relationships—and the desperate lengths someone might go to in order to reclaim the person she once was.

The Final Episode by Lori Roy

When a true crime series chronicles the tragic childhood summer that changed her life forever, a young woman must grapple with the truth about her father…and herself.

Jennifer Jones and her best friends spend every summer at Big Cypress Swamp, and this summer, Jennifer will finally turn eleven. She hopes to gain the “second sight” foretold by family legend and fulfill her destiny. Instead, the swamp serves up dangers greater than the gators lurking on Halfway Creek. Little Francie Farrow vanishes―and Jennifer’s father goes to prison.

Twenty years later, Jennifer has almost shed the label of Paul Jones’s daughter when her past comes barreling back. Inspired by True Events, a TV series that solves the unsolvable, is recreating that fateful summer. As the series plays out, Jennifer wonders: Did the show finally find Francie Farrow? And is Jennifer’s father truly guilty?

Someone else wants answers even more than Jennifer does, and they won’t let her forget it.

As the series nears its finale and the long-awaited truth, Jennifer must come to terms with who her family is…and what that makes her.

Agents of Change:The Women Who Transformed the CIA by Christina Hillsberg

Years after her successful and impactful career at the CIA, Christina Hillsberg became enthralled with the stories of the trailblazing women who forged new paths within the Agency long before she began her career there in the aughts. These were women who sacrificed their personal lives, risked their safety, defied expectations, and boldly navigated the male-dominated spy organization.

Through exclusive interviews with current and former female CIA officers, many of whom have never spoken publicly, Agents of Change tells an enthralling and, at times, disturbing story set against the backdrop of the evolving women’s movement. It was in the 1960s, a “secretarial” era, when women first gained a foothold and pushed against the one-dimensional, pop-culture trope of the sexy Cold War Bond Girl. Underestimated but undaunted, they fought their way, decade by decade, through adversity to the top of the spy game.

Seamlessly weaving together the individual stories of these exceptional women, Hillsberg deftly tackles not just the fight for gender equality at the CIA but also the current dilemma the Agency faces when dealing with the culmination of a decades-long culture of sexual harassment and assault. Each chapter sheds a light on women’s issues during a different decade before bringing to life the stories of female CIA operations officers whose experiences were emblematic of that given era. In this fascinating and empowering chronicle, Hillsberg takes readers inside the Agency in a way that’s never been done before, paying long-overdue tribute to the survivors and thrivers, the indispensable groundbreakers, and the defiant rabble-rousers who made the choice to change their lives and, in turn, changed history.

As You Wish by Leesa Cross-Smith

They say be careful what you wish for…

For Lydia, Jenny, and Selene, au pairing in Seoul is the opportunity of a lifetime. Lydia wants nothing more than to transform into a leading lady; Jenny is determined to swear off love for good 5,955 miles away from her ex; and Selene is convinced working in Korea will finally lead her to her biological mother.

During a combined family vacation with their host families, the women visit an enchanted waterfall on Jeju Island and make a wish under a full moon. Overnight, everything changes. Suddenly, Lydia is the girl everyone wants—except, strangely, her mysterious art class partner from Spain. Jenny is having secret, no-strings-attached fun with her host mom’s irresistible younger brother. And Selene is finally getting somewhere in her search for her mother thanks to a research-savvy photographer.

But when Jenny’s romantic feelings begin to deepen, she realizes her wish is standing in the way of true, lasting love. Her decision to return to the waterfall will have unexpected consequences and force the au pairs to confront the hardest question of all. Could it be that their friendship was the real magic all along?

Threat of the Spider by Michael P. Spradlin

A twelve-year-old boy searches for his father and fights for free press amid the chilling rise of Hitler’s Germany in this second book in the action-packed middle grade series Web of the Spider for fans of I Survived and A Night Divided.

Ansel has never been afraid to say what’s on his mind. He’s always the first among his friends to speak up when something doesn’t feel right. When the Hitler Youth first set up shop in Heroldsberg the year before, Ansel quickly made enemies of the chapter’s arrogant leader, Hans. Of course, Ansel is also twelve years old, so he spends much of his time reading his favorite Dirk Goodly, Boy Detective novels and trying to make his friends laugh.

But more and more of his classmates have been swayed by Hans’s tactics and the Youth organization is growing throughout the city. Ansel knows that Hans and his group are spreading false information—after all, Ansel’s father is a journalist for the local paper and has been going toe to toe with Nazi propaganda for a long time.

Then Ansel’s father goes missing right before a prominent Nazi leader comes to town. With the local police in the Nazi’s pocket, can Ansel and his friends use their detective skills to find his father and thwart the Nazi’s plans to suppress the truth?

The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club by Gloria Chao

In this laugh-out-loud murder mystery, three women dating the same man band together to get revenge, but when they discover his body, they'll need to solve his murder before they go down for it.

The body in the closet was going to be a problem. Kathryn Hu knew it. Yes, Tucker Jones was a cheating scumbag, and yes, she’d agreed to meet Olivia and Elle—Tucker’s other girlfriends—to exact revenge for all he’d put them through… But then they found him. Dead.

Do they look guilty? Yes.

Do they feel guilty for having wished him dead just hours before? Maybe a little.

But—solid motive and a crime scene covered in their DNA aside—they’re innocent. They swear.

To clear their names, Kat, Olivia, and Elle team up to find the real killer. But as they go undercover and lie to everyone, including the hot detective working the case, they realize that every person in their ex's life had a reason to want him dead. Will they uncover the truth before they go down for a murder they didn't commit?

Filled with humor and shenanigans, The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club is a romp of an adventure by award-winning author Gloria Chao, perfect for fans of Dial A for Aunties, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It and John Tucker Must Die.

The Master Jeweler by Weina Dai Randel

Fifteen-year-old Anyu Zhang discovers a priceless Fabergé egg in the snow and returns it to the owner, Isaac Mandelburg, a fugitive and former master jeweler for Russia’s imperial palace. In gratitude, he leaves her his address in Shanghai and a promise of hospitality, forever altering her fate. A dazzling world of jewelry shrouded in secrecy and greed awaits, when later Anyu arrives at Mandelburg’s jewelry shop as an orphan. Single-minded and relentless, Anyu will stop at nothing until she masters the craft of jewelry making. But she soon finds herself entangled in the treacherous underbelly of the city, where violent gangsters stalk the streets, vicious rivals seek to exploit her, and obsessive collectors conspire to destroy the people she loves. From snow-crowned land to diamond-sparkling showrooms to a pristine island on the brink of war, The Master Jeweler chronicles an exciting journey of a bold prodigy artisan—including her losses and triumphs—in a glamorous yet perilous world of treasure.

Lessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism by Stewart "Brittlestar" Reynolds

Like On Tyranny, but with cats, this is the ultimate guide to channeling feline wisdom in the face of authoritarian nonsense.

Cats, the original masters of stealth, sass, and strategic chaos, have been teaching us survival tactics for centuries—they just haven’t been this explicit about it. Until now.

Through humor, sharp insights, and unapologetic defiance, LESSONS FROM CATS FOR SURVIVING FASCISM lays out eleven essential cat-inspired strategies for resisting control and reclaiming power. From staying nimble and unpredictable to demanding what you need with the confidence of a hungry tabby, each chapter is packed with lessons that are as subversive as they are practical.

Whether you’re facing off against a system that thrives on control or just trying to make sense of a chaotic world, these lessons will arm you with the tools—and the attitude—you need to fight back. Cats don’t ask for permission, and neither should you.

Plus-Sized Misadventures in Love, Vol. 1 by mamakari

In the vein of A Silent Voice and Perfect World, Plus-Sized Misadventures in Love is poised to be a breakout manga series! Meet Yumeko, an introverted young woman who suffers amnesia after a car accident and suddenly becomes a new person—outgoing, self-confident, and ready to take on the world.

All Yumeko ever saw were her flaws. Her unhappy outlook infected not just her, but everyone around her, too. It’s only after a car accident that leaves Yumeko with amnesia that she wakes up with a brand-new lease on life, one that attracts all kinds of adventures and maybe even love.

The Divorcetante by Mia Heintzelman

Ebony Grace Livingston was raised to be flawless. A debutante-turned-elite event planner, she built a life around breathtaking galas, whispered exclusives, and the kind of connections money can’t buy. But when her husband’s betrayal turns her into high society’s juiciest scandal, Ebony decides she’s done curating perfection for everyone but herself.

With a high-profile wedding to pull off, a social media following obsessed with her every move, and a no-nonsense life coach reminding her that the real glow-up starts from within, Ebony is ready to write her next chapter — on her own terms. The only thing standing in her way? Lincoln Bridges, the maddeningly meticulous architect overseeing the historic venue she needs to transform. He’s stubborn, insufferably charming, and worst of all, the one man who saw through her marriage before she did.

Their creative clashes reignite old wounds, unfinished business, and the kind of chemistry that once felt inevitable. But in a world where power is played in private lounges, loyalty is measured in invitations, and champagne flows as freely as the gossip, Ebony will have to decide if rewriting her future means making room for something real.

Set in an exclusive world where wealth whispers, bottomless brunches double as battleground boardrooms, and reputation is the ultimate currency, Ebony is about to prove that reinvention isn’t just an option — it’s a luxury she’s finally ready to afford.

Nightswimming: A Jamie Palmieri Mystery by Melanie Anagnos

Paterson, New Jersey, 1979: Jamie Palmieri is an up-and-coming patrol officer, frustrated with his slow rise to detective. That all changes one frigid night in January, when a double homicide at a local bar leaves the owner and a young woman dead. In the wake of the Rubin “Hurricane” Carter proceedings and the city’s distrust of police, Jamie expects a “no one saw a thing” investigation. But as Jamie traces leads, the killer stalks Jamie through the dark streets of Paterson and beyond. Nobody is safe.

First volume in a series of three.

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