Fresh New Books February 3, 2026 | Kiss Your $ Goodbye!
New Books Because You Know You Deserve Them!
This is where I spotlight the sparkling new weekly releases that are tempting me so you can succumb to temptation too. The focus will be on dark fiction and romance with the occasional thriller tossed in that catches my eye.
Every week there seems to be more and more book releases and this week is no exception. I've found 12 of them that I want to read. Now I just have to find time!
First the HORROR and HORRORish because it'll always be my first love.
We Should Not Have Come Here by J. D. Mills
The host of paranormal reality show Phantom Files, Ash built their massive following on fake hauntings, possessions, and passing off special effects as honest-to-god spirit activity. When the team arrives at Crenshaw Castle to shoot the first episode of their new season, the dilapidated former reform school turns out to be more than they bargained for. The team’s exploration of the grounds leads to the discovery of horrific documentation detailing medical and psychological experiments performed on the institution’s wards.
The action begins to unfold violently as the crew clamors for a way out—only to find they’ve been sealed inside. Over the course of one harrowing investigation turned survival mission, Ash reckons with his own queer rage as he sees himself mirrored in the institution’s wards. Coming face to face with things he never thought possible—deadly spirits, an end to his own skepticism, and an ex-boyfriend he’d thought to be long-dead—Ash must overcome the past in order to ensure he has a future.
I tired of those paranormal ghost hunting shows about a decade ago because I was tired of them getting all excited over a little dark spot in a corner but a book about might be fun because something might actually happen.
Learn more at Goodreads.
The Bone Queen by Will Shindler
A chilling horror-thriller debut where a mother's search for her missing daughter battles against the shadows of a historic, dangerous legend.
Single mother Jenna arrives on the tranquil shores of Athelsea fueled by the desperate hope to find Chloe, her teenage daughter who’s disappeared from their London home. She has no idea why–all she knows is that Chloe had changed in the previous two weeks, haunted by something, or someone, and the ferry ticket here is the only clue she has.
As she explores the village and interacts with the locals, Jenna soon realizes a macabre secret is being hidden in plain sight. A dark legend of a vengeful woman called the Bone Queen is spoken of in hushed tones amongst the villagers, some of whom are frantically trying to suppress the tale that has long terrorized their lives.
As Jenna starts to learn more about the Bone Queen and her previous victims, the village’s grip on reality begins to loosen and no one can say for sure who, or what, is responsible for the deaths and disappearances on Athelsea. Suffering from what she can no longer distinguish between paranoid hallucinations or real manifestations, Jenna must act quickly before Chloe is next…
The Bone Queen has left her mark, and one day she’ll collect.
Reviews say this contains multiple timelines and that isn't always my favorite but it might be for you?
Learn more at Goodreads.
Midnight Covenant by Amelie West
A slow-burning gothic reimagining of Dracula for fans of Jane Eyre and A Dowry of Blood. In the autumn of 1893, a young bride is delivered to a Transylvanian castle where secrets fester in the walls, and she must rely on herself if she hopes to survive.
Sold into marriage by her father’s reckless gamble, Mina Murray travels across Europe to wed a Transylvanian nobleman cloaked in mystery.
The castle towers above the mountains, a fortress of stone and silence that seems to watch her every step. Once inside, she feels trapped within a gilded cage—every door locked, every corridor alive with listening shadows.
The Count is charming, yet secretive, and Mina soon realizes the truth her new husband conceals may be far more monstrous than she dares imagine. Silenced and far from home, she must trust her instincts if she hopes to survive the castle—and the master who rules it.
Midnight Covenant is the first book of the Cursed in Crimson duology.
A gothic reimagining of Dracula? Yes, I want.
Learn more at Goodreads.
Cruelty Free by Caroline Glenn
For fans of Monika Kim and Rachel Yoder, a twisted debut horror novel in which a disgraced movie star returns to Hollywood 10 years after the kidnapping of her young daughter, intent on seeking revenge.
NOTHING FEELS BETTER THAN REVENGE.
Ten years ago, Lila Devlin was an A-list actress with a movie star husband and a beautiful baby girl, Josie. When Josie was kidnapped out of her home and never seen again, Lila’s previously pristine public image twisted into that of an Unfit Mother. Driven mad by the hungry press, incompetent cops, and relentless true crime–obsessed “fans,” she disappeared into anonymity.
Now, Lila Devlin returns to LA with a grand vision for a radical new skincare brand to reinvent herself and honor Josie’s legacy. She's prepared to move into the next chapter of her life with forgiveness in her heart, when an encounter with a parasitic blogger ends with him dead. Lila suddenly discovers forgiveness isn’t nearly as satisfying as a body hitting the floor.
With the help of her devoted publicist Sylvie, Lila begins a relentless, blood-soaked hunt through LA. Giving her skincare the edge it needs, they introduce a secret ingredient—revenge-sourced—from the bodies piling up. But as the company’s success skyrockets and Lila begins unraveling the truth behind her daughter’s kidnapping, her murderous side hustle threatens the life she’s painstakingly rebuilt.
Both a striking portrayal of grief and womanhood, and a twisting, cynical satire on celebrity and toxic beauty standards, Cruelty Free is an ambitious debut from a talented star on the rise. .
I'm listening to this now on audio, thanks Netgalley!
Learn more at Goodreads.
The Darkness Greeted Her by Christina Ferko
In this atmospheric sapphic horror, a troubled teen is sent to a remote therapy camp in the Appalachian wilderness, where she must unravel a mystery of deadly occurrences as she battles harmful visions of her abusive father, sinister motives, and a lurking monster.
The Darkness Greeted Her is a perfect Gothic horror, where trauma has a physical form and it's hunting girls. Rich with queer and mental health rep, Ferko's love letter to survivors is beautifully written from start to finish, and I can't recommend it enough! — Jamison Shea, author of Roar of the Lambs
Penny's abusive father is dead…but she still hears his voice in her head, encouraging her to hurt those around her. She can't go to school or be around her friends or even draw with a sharp pencil without her intrusive thoughts urging her toward violence. Desperate to get a handle on her OCD, she agrees to spend the summer at Camp Whitewood—an exclusive therapy retreat in the woods.
She feels optimistic when she arrives. The other girls all have their reasons for being there, which makes Penny feel a little less alone. But then she starts seeing things that can't possibly be there: the gold watch her father was buried with, his favorite whiskey spilled on her cabin floor...a terrifying figure she calls the Shadow Man looming at the foot of her bed. Penny thinks she is losing her mind, but when a girl goes missing, and is later found dead, it's clear that whatever is happening at Camp Whitewood isn't all in her head.
As the hallucinations become increasingly intense and more girls wind up dead, Penny must work with whoever is left standing to figure out what is real before the Shadow Man uses their traumas against them and claims their lives.
This sounds like an intense gothic novel.
Learn more at Goodreads.
The Glowing Hours by Leila Siddiqui
A mind-bending, revisionist gothic horror story about the fabled summer Mary Shelley began work on Frankenstein, as told by her Indian housemaid, Mehrunissa “Mehr” Begum. For fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Isabel Cañas, and Kathe Koja.
“Strange how one can find they are an interruption in another person’s story . . .”
Summer 1816: London is a hostile place for the newly disembarked Mehrunissa Begum, who’s come to deliver her brother’s letter of inheritance before returning to her comfortable life in Lucknow, India. Only, she can’t find her brother anywhere and has no money for the return trip. With nowhere else to go, Mehr finds refuge in a boardinghouse for Indian maids. If she can’t find her brother, she reasons, she will get a job and start saving.
Mehr is soon hired at the English estate of Mary and Percy Shelley, young artists of burgeoning fame who are on the run from secrets of their own. Mary is brooding and quiet, but takes a curious liking to her new maid, asking her to accompany the Shelleys and her stepsister, Claire—as well as the eccentric Lord Byron and his physician, John Polidori—to Lake Geneva for the summer.
Almost immediately, Mehr notices strange, ghostly events at the villa. The walls breathe, portraits shift, and phantoms appear like unbidden guests who refuse to leave. The weather is fierce and foreboding, showing no signs of softening its relentless pall. And as Mary Shelley begins work on what will become her earth-shattering literary phenomenon, Mehr finds herself trapped in the villa as the rest of its inhabitants descend into madness.
More gothic horror!
Learn more at Goodreads.
Greedy by Callie Kazumi
What would you do for a seat at the table? In this deliciously dark thriller set in remote Japan, a desperate gambling addict masquerades as the private chef to a reclusive billionaire with deadly taste—from the twisted mind behind Claire, Darling.
They will kill me soon, Edward Cook thinks. When the Yakuza are unable to collect what he owes, Ed realizes that they'll go after his wife and child next. Broke, desperate, and unemployed, he stumbles upon an unusual Chef wanted! Private chef needed for a high-profile businesswoman. One million yen per day.
Ed accepts the job. He hasn't earned any Michelin stars, but he knows his way around a kitchen. Leaving his life in Tokyo behind, he departs for an opulent estate in the mountains owned by Hazeline Yamamoto, his enigmatic and reclusive benefactor, a disgraced socialite with a predator's smile and exacting palette. Hazeline's world is one of taste, connoisseurship, and experimentation—she is a certified gourmand. But when you can afford filet mignon for every meal, you begin to seek out the strange and forbidden.
The closer Ed gets to Hazeline and a brighter future that she promises—if only he remains loyal—the closer he is to realizing the chilling truth about her altruism. In this shadow world of unimaginable wealth, there are worse monsters than two-bit gangsters. The wind blowing through Hazeline’s home carries the sound of screaming, and Ed finds himself feeding all kinds of beasts.
Perfect for fans of Parasite and The Menu—enticing as a starter, meaty as a main dish, and full of satisfying just-desserts—Greedy is a suspenseful poison-pen note to classism and an ode to Japanese cuisine, a horror-tinged thriller unsuitable for vegetarians but full of shocking delights for every reader.
This one sounds fantastic, doesn't it?
Learn more at Goodreads.
In This City Where It Rains by Lyndsey Croal
In This City, Where it Rains is a gothic horror novella set in an alternative version of Edinburgh.
Maggie is haunted by ghosts that only appear in the rain - and it always rains in this city.
At the edge of town, stands Tair House - a house that remembers, in a city that forgets. The mansion is so damned, it scares the clouds themselves from breaking, and the man of the house, Xavier Logan, and his wife Lucia, are harbouring a dark secret there - something that connects to Maggie and her ghosts.
Soon all roads lead to Tair House, where Maggie hopes only to uncover more about her family's past and her muddled memories.
But the house is hungry, and something is waking deep within its roots...something that has been waiting a long time for Maggie.
Another gothic?! Yes, we are so blessed.
Learn more at Goodreads.
Julia Roseingrave by Marjorie Bowen
"I hear from Mrs Barlow, who is a good gossip, that your mother and your sister are both ill. You must, then, have very little company." "Very little human company," she replied.
On a moonlit night, a man dressed as the Devil arrives at the door of the ill-omened Holcot Grange the hereditary owner of the manor which has been uninhabited for two generations, he has come to escape his past and proceeds to reclaim his seat. But the tenants are not passive to his new tenure. As he is enthralled by the aura of one of the current denizens, the otherworldly Julia Roseingrave, a sultry romance begins to bubble, overlooked always by the shadow of conflict and the spectre of death.
A deliciously atmospheric novella blending witchcraft and superstition with the Gothic trappings of a cursed love, this edition will also be complete with a number of companion short stories by Marjorie Bowen.
And a lovely novella with some promised trappings.
Learn more at Goodreads.
How To Kill a Guy in Ten Dates by Shailee Thompson
A humorous, swoony, and downright terrifying horror romance in which a young woman gets caught in the middle of a murder spree at a speed-dating event and must use her encyclopedic knowledge of the horror genre to make it as a real-life Final Girl.
When Jamie Prescott and her best friend Laurie attend a speed-dating event, Jamie expects to meet a roster of mediocre men and indulge in some street food afterwards. She doesn’t expect one of her dates to have his throat slit at their table during a blackout. When the lights come back on and there are more bodies on the floor, it becomes clear that speed dating can be a very dangerous pastime.
Armed with makeshift weapons and Jamie’s extensive knowledge of what NOT to do in a horror movie, the remaining speed daters try to find an exit while the killer adds to their body count. As the night progresses and Jamie comes face-to-mask with the murderer, she begins to suspect he is committing the slayings to woo one of the daters and turn her into his real-life Final Girl. But Jamie has a different love story in mind, and as she fights for her life, she can’t help but find herself ensconced in a love triangle with two of the other speed-daters. Will she survive the bloodshed to find her happily ever after? Or does this machete-wielding psychopath have another Final Girl in mind?
For fans of Love in the Time of Serial Killers and Butcher & Blackbird, How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates is one killer love story.
Horror + romance - ooh, my two favorite things!
Learn more at Goodreads.
Witches With Benefits by Amanda M. Lee
Freya Holmes is unique in an already eccentric city.
New Orleans may be a paranormal mecca but even in a world where every type of shifter and witch is commonplace, a vampire-witch hybrid is something to worship … and fear.
Freya has never been interested in her parents’ opulent world. She finds her power in magic, which is why she formed Nightshade Detective Agency in the first place. She’s interested in helping people … even when that help might come at the cost of her life.
Knox Cullen grew up on the poor side of New Orleans. His shifter genes allowed him to climb out of poverty and embrace a certain lifestyle as a paranormal bounty hunter. He can take a punch and throw one. He’s not ready for Freya, though.
When a local mobster ends up dead and the culprit appears to be a supernatural assassin, both Freya and Knox are on the case. Unfortunately, they have no intention of working together and two hard heads don’t make for a soft landing.
Freya has her hands full. In addition to Knox, who is hiding something big, there’s a paranormal investigation unit seeking a partnership that takes advantage of her hard work and their impressive reach. The Legacy Foundation has quite the reputation, as do the two people—Charlie and Jack—who approach her with an offer she might not be able to refuse. Can she trust them? Can she trust anybody?
The clock is ticking. Freya needs to save the French Quarter. Sadly, she might lose herself in the process.
For fans of Love in the Time of Serial Killers and Butcher & Blackbird, How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates is one killer love story.
This sounds cute!
Learn more at Goodreads.
I will not make you wait any longer. Here's the latest MONSTER-ROMANCES!
Oops! I Summoned A Night Demon by Tiffany Roberts
COVER REVEAL COMING SOON!
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When she wished upon a star, she never thought the universe would manifest him.
Ember has always worked hard to achieve her goals. Move to the city? Check. Start her own boutique? Check. Buy a Victorian house? Check. Find love?
Absolute failure, and it’s not for lack of trying.
So she does something she hasn’t tried yet—she makes a wish upon a star. It’s just a silly, hopeful gesture. What can it hurt?
With a literal bump in the night, Nyte appears. He’s ethereally gorgeous, with dark skin that glitters like the starry sky, wings formed of otherworldly shadow, and eyes that glow with all the beauty, depth, and mystery of the universe. The moment Ember sees him, she can’t help but think her wish has come true.
What does it matter that he’s not human? He’s her monster-loving fantasy brought to life.
The problem? He had his heart stolen by his freaking ex.
Thanks to the spell that inadvertently summoned him, she has a month to prove that she’s the one for him. That she’s worthy of his love.
But is his wounded heart able to give it?
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Witches Love Monsters features short, fun romps from some of your favorite Regine Abel, Opal Reyne, Naomi Lucas, and Tiffany Roberts. Each book reads as a standalone.
This whole series sounds amazing.
Learn more at Goodreads.
Going Batty for You by E.K. Darnell
Robin Leclair has had enough of Earth. From obnoxiously in love roommates to misogynistic coworkers, everything seems to remind her of how lonely she is. But when she signs up for the Human-Extraterrestrial Liaisons Program on a whim, maybe it’s time for her luck to turn.
“You have matched with Phyllorak!”
Phyllorak’s life changed forever when the Andromeda Galaxy was destroyed. His homeworld? Gone. His species? Almost extinct save for the few other males on the mining planet that is both his haven and his prison. As the months tick by, his ruts grow more extreme, until he signs up for H.E.L.P. in the desperate hope of winning the affection of a human female.
After months of late-night messages (what exactly does helping with a rut entail?) and flirtatious exchanges (she teaches him how to write spicy texts), Robin is ready to take a leap of faith with a sweet bat-like alien she has never met. And Phyllorak is no less eager for a chance to woo the intriguing woman he has come to know.
Will Phyllorak’s ruts be too much for Robin? Or is an acrobatic love ritual exactly what she needs?
Why you’ll love this spicy alien
The a seven-foot tall bat-like alien with wings, a tail, and an extra-long tongue.
The dating app, instalove, and Mars Needs Women (with a childfree HEA).
The Multiple explicit open-door scenes, including ruts, unique alien appendages, and long-distance play.
Planet WLN269 Needs Women is a new shared world series that imagines what it would be like if human women decided to leave behind one male loneliness epidemic to solve another on a planet in the Andromeda Galaxy. All stories feature low-stakes alien-human romance stories, lots of steam, and a guaranteed Happily Ever After.
Bat aliens?! Bat aliens!!
Learn more at Goodreads.
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