Fresh New Books, March 20, 2026 | Kiss Your $ Goodbye
New Books Because 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.
Sorry so late but still in time for the weekend! These are the books that look pretty darn good that have released this week.
HORROR, HORROR-adjacent & THRILLERS
Cold Snap by Angela Sylvaine
The highly anticipated sequel to FROST BITE!
WORMS GONE WILD! It’s 1998, and the town of Demise, North Dakota, is recovering from the Meteor Murders, hundreds of deaths caused by alien worms but blamed on a mass poisoning by a doomsday cult. While nineteen-year-old Realene’s heroic actions saved the lives of many, she wants nothing more than to hide from the world and mourn the ones she couldn’t save. When a second half of the meteor is found north of the border where her best friend Nate is on a spring break trip, she’ll have to face her fears and venture into Canada to find him. The only thing standing in her way are rampant alien worms, a covert military op, and the cold snap of the century.
Learn more at Goodreads.
This is the sequel to Frost Bite. I read and reviewed it back in 2024. You can read about it here.
Innamorata by Ava Reid
“Gorgeously gruesome . . . reads like the gory bones of a forgotten folktale.”—Jacqueline Carey, New York Times bestselling author of the Kushiel’s Legacy series
Once there was an island where the dead walked the earth, and seven noble houses ruled by the arcane secrets of necromancy.
A conqueror’s blade brought them low, burning their libraries, killing their lords, and extinguishing their eldritch magic.
But defiant against the new order stands the House of Teeth and its last living members: beautiful Marozia, the heiress to the House, and her cousin, the uncanny Lady Agnes.
Though she has not spoken a word in seven years, Agnes is the true carrier of the House’s legacy. And she has her orders. She must recapture the secrets of death magic and avenge her family’s fallen honor. She must arrange the betrothal of her beloved cousin Marozia to Liuprand, heir to the conqueror’s throne, for access to the forbidden library in his grotesquely grand castle.
Revenge burns in Agnes’s heart but so do stranger passions—and it is Liuprand, the golden prince, who speaks to her soul. This passion is as treasonous as it is powerful, poisoning the kingdom’s roots and threatening to tear the already shattered realm in two.
For Agnes’s final order is the gravest: She must not fall in love.
Learn more at Goodreads.
I read and loved Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid. It is full to the brim with terrible things and there appears to be some people freaking out about this new book because it contains terrible and horrible things and they thought it was a romantasy. Yikes. I think those people may be new to Reid's writing because, hello, rough content is not new for this author.
Mother is Watching by Karma Brown
An internationally bestselling author’s chilling horror debut in which an art conservator’s obsession with a mysterious painting spirals into a nightmarish descent, where the line between reality and the supernatural shatters, threatening both her sanity and her life.
Mathilde “Tilly” Crewson, a thirty-nine-year-old mother and art conservator, is tasked with restoring The Mother. The painting, believed to be the work of a female surgeon-turned-artist after a personal tragedy, is the rumored fourth piece in a collection of only three known works. But this newly discovered painting, scarred by fire, holds more than meets the eye.
Soon after receiving the painting, Tilly discovers she’s unexpectedly pregnant. But almost immediately, strange, inexplicable things begin to terrifying insect swarms, eerie visits from her long-deceased mother, and sinister whispers that invade her mind. As these malevolent forces intensify, Tilly comes to a harrowing the only way to sever the perilous bond she shares with the painting is to destroy it. But The Mother has plans of her own—and they’re darker than Tilly could ever imagine…
Learn more at Goodreads.
This debut sounds a little terrifying.
You Did Nothing Wrong by CG Drews
A relentless, horror-inducing psychological suspense for fans of The Push and Baby Teeth by New York Times bestselling author CG Drews.
Single mother Elodie’s life has become a fairy tale. She’s met Bren, equal parts golden-retriever devoted and sinfully handsome. He’s whisked her and her autistic son, Jude, to the crumbling family house he’s renovating. She has a new husband, a new house, and a new baby on the way. Everything is perfect.
Then Jude claims he can hear voices in the walls. He says their renovations are “hurting” the house. Even Elodie can’t ignore it–something strange is going on. The question is, is it with the house, or with her son?
Then the one secret Elodie has been hiding is revealed, and no one is safe anymore.
A pulse-pounding, clever take on the haunted house novel, You Did Nothing Wrong examines the complexities of motherhood and the twisted bonds of family as it races to its shocking ending.
Learn more at Goodreads.
ROMANCE
A Latte Like Love by Michelle C. Harris
Love is brewing as a barista falls for a reclusive artist struggling with the tragic aftermath of an accident in this charming, epic romance.
Audrey Adams knows the exact routine for all her regular customers. That’s what happens when you work at the same Brooklyn coffee shop for years. So it’s completely normal that she notices Theo Sullivan, a shy new patron who comes in at exactly 8:17 a.m., right? And that this incredibly tall (and cute) man never drinks his coffee, always leaves a generous tip, only stays long enough to scribble in a notebook, and wears the same KN95 mask. Call it barista instincts or a reasonable reaction to Theo’s undeniable sweetness, but Audrey is crushing hard.
Eagerly anticipating Theo's visits, Audrey relishes the precious few minutes they chat every time he orders his large, extra-hot Americano. When an incident reveals the horrific facial scar he's hiding beneath his mask, Theo flees the café in shame, dropping his sketchbook and leaving a part of his broken heart behind.
Audrey decides to find Theo, return his book, and confess her feelings. Before long, they’re inseparable, talking nonstop and meeting up for dates at the coffee shop.
But Theo is reluctant to fully let Audrey into his heart. He continues to hide his scar and refuses to talk about his past. Their feelings are bubbling under the surface, but will Theo—and the truth behind his accident—keep him from finding the love they've both been longing for?
Learn more at Goodreads.
This sounds cute but some people are saying it's a reylo fanfic with very light rewrites. And much of the fanfic I've read is written with love but tends to run super long and is a love letter to the characters. I'm not sure how this'll play if only the names have been changed but I'm willing to give it a try.
MONSTER & FANTASY ROMANCE
Giddy for the Gargoyle by Settle Myer
Locheran
I'm drawn to the woman with golden-blonde hair, blue eyes, and plentiful curves. Farrah. She's best friends with the gargoyle king's wife. A human who's off-limits to a player like me. Whatever. It's not like I want to be a player. I just haven't found my mate yet. Most gargoyles don't, and after a thousand years of living, I've convinced myself I'll be alone for the rest of my life. So why can't I stay away from her? When we share a kiss one night, something ignites within my body. I can't explain it, but I need more. I need her. And the night we give in to our desires, the unexpected happens.We accidentally complete a mating bond.
Farrah
I've mated with a gargoyle. It was an accident, but now our souls are bound. My feelings for Locheran grow stronger every single day, but there's one I come from a long line of monster hunters. I'm destined to capture and kill innocent beings. I refuse. And if my family finds out I'm falling in love with one of the creatures they've deemed evil? They'll come for him. Capture him. End his life. And I won't let that happen.
Giddy for the Gargoyle is book 3 in the Manhattan Monsters series and includes characters from Gaga for the Gargoyle, which is part of the Fated Dates series. Both books are in the same interconnected world. While Giddy for the Gargoyle is a standalone, reading Guardians for the Vamp first will give more insight into the plan to reveal the supernatural world to humans. You're also introduced to Rorik, the first vampire, in Guardians, who is featured more in Giddy and will have his own book next.
Learn more at Goodreads.
Comments
Post a Comment