Hockey fake-dates, Feywild heists, and a gothic mansion: New Release Radar for June 30, 2026
Fable
New romance and love stories
“Main Characters” by Bobby Palmer
For readers of David Nicholls and Sally Rooney comes a new love story that’s at once tender and electrifying — told by everyone but the main characters, across two decades, through the eyes of Clara and Seb’s friends, flatmates, rivals, and strangers.Fable reader Alexandra: “This airport is freezing but my heart is very warm. I’m not crying but I’m so close. What an interesting take on a love story, thinking about how many people we interact with and touch deeply throughout our lives. I was going to give this one away but I think I have to keep it.”
“The Shampoo Effect” by Jenny Jackson
A frothy novel of love, money, sex, and friendship: when Caroline Lash arrives in the small seaside town of Greenhead, Massachusetts, she falls for Van Whittaker — but when Bailey discovers she’s pregnant with Van’s baby, the delicate balance of their tight-knit friend group is thrown off, and what Caroline does next works the whole town into a lather.Fable reader Dawn: “Jenny Jackson’s second book is a winner — everyone should have it in their beach bag this summer. I loved the character development of these flawed and at times extremely immature characters. The novel didn’t grab me from the first pages, but 35–40 pages in I devoured this book. Highly recommend for fans of character-driven novels.”
“Big Stick Energy” by Sarina Bowen
When admin Darcy Kendrick accidentally DMs her very NSFW fantasy to hockey team captain Eric Tremaine, things get complicated — especially when a wedding invite puts them on a collision course with both their pasts and his plan: fake-date their way through the “Wedding Experience.”Fable reader Carly: “I loved this book! Darcy is the GM’s admin while Eric is the captain for the Legends hockey team. When they’re both stuck with the same invite to a mutual wedding, the two make a deal to go together, and from there their fake-dating scheme starts. The banter is great, there are some funny moments, and the spicy is great.”
“All We Have Left” by Emily Paxman
Thirty years after the end of the world, Kayla will do anything to get her sister access to Salt Spring Island’s functioning hospital — including marrying Sid, an aspiring politician who needs the optics of a wife, in an arrangement set to expire at citizenship.Fable reader Read_game_stitch: “All We Have Left is a cozy and heartwarming post-apocalyptic romance. It had me laughing out loud in places and tearing up in others, and I was just totally sucked in right from page one. I loved seeing Kayla and Sid’s emotional development, and their arc felt truly deserved.”
“Chasing a Second Chance” by Brenda Jackson
A daredevil lawyer meets a gorgeous single mom with a guarded heart in this sizzling second-chances romance. Believe in love. Overcome obstacles. Find happiness.Fable reader Laura: “Brenda Jackson swept me away with another heartfelt Westmoreland Legacy romance. Their love story is a true slow burn, filled with tenderness, emotional growth, and steam. Ron Butler is the voice of Brenda Jackson’s novels for me — his pacing is flawless, and his delivery is warm, expressive, and full of emotion.”
“Meet Me at Midnight” by Brianna Bourne
Every night at midnight, time stops and Aria wakes up somewhere new — under a waterfall in Bali, in the Italian countryside, on a moonlit path between towering sequoias — always with the same boy, until the connection becomes something more than a dream.Fable reader Janette: “Meet Me at Midnight is a charming YA romance with just the right touch of mystery, and it had me completely invested from start to finish. This story had me constantly questioning whether fantasy is really better than reality. The twists kept me turning pages, and the writing was both heartfelt and beautifully done.”
“Games” by Anna Maria Volkova
When Lili Marwan, a graduate student in economics, has an intense one-night stand with Aleksandr Petrov, a Wall Street CEO two decades her senior, her restless mind finally goes calm — but as their white-hot summer arrangement reaches a fever pitch, she’ll have to decide if the physical pleasure is worth the emotional pain.
“You Jump First” by Myah Ariel
A YA rom-com about a girl whose long-time crush shows up to the lake with a girlfriend — just as his brother arrives freshly dumped. Suddenly Andie and Tommy are weighed down by heartbreak instead of buoyed by romance, and the best person to help you weather a broken heart might be someone in the same boat.
“13 Little Love Stories” by Elise Bryant et al.
A YA anthology of thirteen original love stories inspired by Taylor Swift songs, featuring contributions from multiple authors.New fantasy and sci-fi releases
“The Feywild Job” by C. L. Polk
Sparks fly when bitter exes are forced to team up for an elaborate Feywild heist — Saeldian, a con artist bound by a magical oath never to fall in love, and Kell, the charming bard they once betrayed, reunited a decade later to steal a gem called “The Kiss of Enduring Love.”Fable reader Stina Marie: “I was not prepared for how much fun I was about to have. A heist fantasy with a ragtag crew, a stolen gem, and a journey into the Feywild that goes sideways in the most delightful ways imaginable. Two ex-partners, once in love, now forced back together after a decade of simmering resentment — spiky, salty, and absolutely combustible together. Do not sleep on this one.”
“The Winged Game” by Sophie Kim
Fantasy meets sports romance in this sizzling slow-burn novel: the disgraced star of a brutal magical sport must team up with the rival who destroyed her career — and fake-date him for the cameras — from the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The God and the Gumiho.Fable reader BookishKB: “I devoured this book — I was immediately obsessed, and I need at least ten more in this world. It is already one of my favorite reads of the year. The second I realized the main characters play a magical sport on winged beasts, I was locked in. This was a true enemies-to-lovers romance: both Taissa and Kion strongly hated each other, which made the fake dating even funnier.”
“The River She Became” by Emily Varga
Yaseema is a loyal servant of the Empire by day and a secret relic-hunter by night, hoping to restore magic to her dying land — until she finds the key to cross into the fae world and comes face to face with the cold-eyed captain who sees through her lies, and who is secretly working to overthrow the same cruel regime.Fable reader Tay: “I couldn’t put this fantasy debut down. On average it takes me about 4–5 days to listen to an audiobook of this size, and I could not walk away from this world — I spent an entire day doing chores glued to this story. This delivered everything I love in an epic fantasy: immersive world-building, political intrigue, emotional stakes, and a magic system rooted in Middle Eastern mythology and folklore.”
“Witch Season” by Julia Bianco
Katherine Barnes is an enforcer for a Los Angeles coven — charged with bringing unsettled witches into the fold — until the heir of the world’s most powerful coven arrives to take them to task and Katherine’s dislike for him reaches blistering levels, in more ways than one, as a threat rises that will drag them into all-out war.Fable reader Moonwolfhowl: “This was a really cool debut. I am very picky with urban fantasy and this checked all my boxes. It has the same sort of feel as Charmed or Buffy, and the magical system was unique. I cannot wait to see what Bianco writes next!”
“This Blade of Ours” by Shalini Abeysekara
Months after exposing government corruption in the Great Unravelling, Sarai and Kadra face a deadly new threat: a religious order led by a man whose very voice can kill, determined to seize power in the ensuing chaos.Fable reader peppers.library: “I have been completely captivated by this duology! This is my new favorite series to recommend to readers who are looking for a dark epic fantasy with a romance subplot. Sarai proved again she is one of the most cunning and formidable FMCs I’ve ever read. I did NOT see one of the twists at the end and my jaw was on the floor.”
“Moss’d in Space” by Rebecca Thorne
Torian finally bought a starship — abandoned for a century and covered in moss — only to discover the moss is an organic computer with a snarky attitude and serious abandonment issues, belonging to an immortal alien who has just tracked her down to accuse her of theft.Fable reader RavenReads: “Moss’d in Space made me realize that cozy sci-fi is something I absolutely needed in my life. The worldbuilding is solid right out of the gate, but what really stands out is the character work. His perspective was easily my favorite part: snarky, funny, and just the right amount of chaotic.”New thrillers, mysteries, and heist reads
“Thornbird” by E. Kennedy
Ten years after her father — the infamous serial killer Gabriel Thorn — was caught, Ryan Shipley returns to Starling, Tennessee, trying to lay low. But cryptic texts, eerie coincidences, and a chilling note leave everyone wondering: does Ryan know more than she’s letting on?Fable reader Hannah: “Wow — E. Kennedy is a genius. This was my first YA thriller and now I fear the bar may be set too high for any other that I read. I loved how the different letters and blog posts were layered in. My jaw dropped several times and I didn’t predict any of it.”
“The Neighbors Are Watching” by Aggie Blum Thompson
A year after an unsolved nanny murder in her perfect Bethesda suburb, Caren blacks out at a graduation party and suspects she was drugged — and as she teams up with a new neighbor obsessed with solving his best friend’s death, they uncover what Eastbrook has been desperate to forget.Fable reader Amanda: “Hello suburban nightmare! How far would you go for someone you love? The twists were twisting and I was shocked by the ending. The scariest part? I believed every horrific thing could happen in real life.”
“Keep Them Close” by David Ellis
Two siblings. One murder. So many lies — when Allison’s husband is found murdered, the investigation threatens to expose the darkest secrets she and her brother Luke have worked for decades to bury.Fable reader Nicole: “Murder, betrayal, affairs, family drama — impossible to know what is going to happen next! What could be a straightforward whodunit becomes so much more when past secrets come to light and betrayals are one after another. I love multiple points of view and timelines!”
“River Black” by Kristina Brune
Harper Chatham spends the summer at her aunt’s campground in backwoods Missouri planning to get clarity about her YouTube channel — until her cousin’s friend’s mysterious death, unexplained accidents, and a centuries-old secret no one wants to talk about sends her camera rolling.Fable reader Susan: “What a ride! This suspense/thriller had me feeling Stranger Things vibes. I can’t often picture books in my head, but this one was vivid. If you’re looking for a fast-paced good time, this book has you covered.”
“Sex on Murder Island” by Jo Firestone
Detective alter-ego Luella van Horn is broke and almost evicted when she’s hired to find evidence of an affair on Murder Island, a private enclave for the ultra-rich — just as the suspected paramour turns up murdered and Luella uncovers a den of iniquity that could shock the world.Dark fiction & literary debuts
“The Revelation of Dionne Daphne” by Mara Brock Akil
From the creator of Girlfriends and Being Mary Jane comes an emotionally enthralling debut novel: when Dionne’s ex-boyfriend appears at her Brooklyn doorstep with life-threatening news, a crack appears in her picture-perfect life that sends her on a road trip to confront the long-buried secret of her past.Fable reader Jessica: “This was beautifully written. Dionne is flawed but easy to empathize with — you feel her pain, you feel her confusion, you feel her joy and relief. She seems to lead the perfect life, but as usual, things can get dark the deeper you look. I highly recommend this book, especially if you’re looking to expand your worldview.”
“Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep” by Paul Tremblay
Philip K. Dick meets the Coen Brothers in this genre-bending near-future tech nightmare: Julia is hired to chaperone a comatose man with proprietary AI implanted in his brain across the country — or, as she puts it, “remote control this dead dude.”Fable reader emleave: “My first ARC and I loved it so much! If you hate AI, are a semi-online individual, and have seen a movie or two, then Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep is for you. This book even had me laughing out loud a few times despite the dark presence of AI.”
“Death Do Us” by Ruthy Mason
A haunting debut novel that charts the literal unraveling of a woman whose engagement is solidifying — her skin begins to flake, her hair falls out in clumps, and her ring gets tighter and tighter. Something is crawling under her skin.Fable reader Megan: “While intending to come off as a slow-paced feminist study of marriage by societal standards, I raced through this as if it were the most taut and heart-pounding action novel. I couldn’t wait to see what Bea thought next, or what she experienced at the hands of Millie. Death Do Us was so beyond what I initially expected.”
“Songbird in the Gallows” by Alta Hensley
A dark romance about a murder-sober retired serial killer and his murder-curious protégée, inspired by the Bluebeard folktale: when Saylor’s father is brutally murdered, she’s saved by Blue — a reformed assassin in a gothic mansion in the town of Grimlock, where most residents have a penchant for murder they’ve mostly managed to overcome.Fable reader RollTide.Reads: “She has this way of writing that is always essentially her but feels so distinctly different depending on the setting, on the characters, on the plot and on her way of weaving a story. I loved the way Alta made this feel like a graceful dance in a gothic castle. If you love fairy tale retellings with dark humor, nonstop action, and romance, this is for you.”
“Bad Things Happen Here” by Mark Morris
Twenty years after six university students were terrorized by supernatural forces in a fifth-floor dormitory room, those same events are seeping back into the present — this time targeting their children, their partners, and everyone they love.Keep reading on Everand!
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