New Releases Tuesday: The Best Books Out This Week

After a night of magic turns deadly, Iris Gray vows to never let another person learn she’s a witch. It doesn’t matter that the Witches’ Council found her innocent or that her magic was once viewed as a marvel ― that night on the lake changed everything. Now settled in Washington, Iris hides who she really is and vents her frustrations by writing curses she never intends to cast. And while she loves working at the wildlife refuge she runs with her mother, she loathes Pike Alder, the witch-hating aspiring ornithologist who interns with them.

When Pike makes a particularly hurtful comment, Iris concocts a cruel curse for him. But just as she’s about to dispel it, an owl swoops down and steals the curse before flying far away from the refuge. The owl is a powerful amplifier, and if it dies, Iris’s dark spell will be unleashed not only on Pike but on everyone in the region.

Forced to work together, Iris and Pike trek through the wilderness in search of the bird that could cost Pike his life. But Pike doesn’t know the truth, and as more dangers arise in the woods, Iris must decide how far she’s willing to go to keep her secrets safe.

Reasons to read it: Griffin’s beautiful portrayal of the Pacific Northwest will immerse readers in this young witch’s tale. The banter between Iris and Pike progresses their frenemies-to-lovers romance along well, and readers will be able to identify with the themes of forgiveness. This is a fast-paced, refreshing magical story with well-written characters.

In the seaside town of Nautilus, Minerva Gutiérrez absolutely hates her job at the local ice cream stand, where her sexist boss makes each day worse than the last. But she needs the money: kicked out of school and stranded by her mom’s most recent hospitalization, she dreams of escaping her dead-end hometown. When an armed robbery at the ice cream stand stirs up rumors about money hidden on the property, Min teams up with her neighbor CeCe, also desperate for cash, to find it. The bonus? Getting revenge on her boss in the process.

If Minerva can do things right for once — without dirty cops, suspicious co-workers, and an ill-timed work crush getting in her way — she might have a way out . . . as long as the painful truths she’s been running from don’t catch up to her first.

Reasons to read it: Lovers of flawed and morally gray characters to the front! This genre-blending heist/coming-of-age novel is trauma-informed and shows how the pressures of systemic inequalities can manifest into self-sabotage. Still, despite the heaviness of some topics, there are moments of fun and humor.

Wanted:

One (very real) husband

Nowhere near perfect but desperately trying his best

In Boyfriend Material, Luc and Oliver met, pretended to fall in love, fell in love for real, dealt with heartbreak and disappointment and family and friends…and somehow figured out a way to make it work. Now it seems like everyone around them is getting married, and Luc’s feeling the social pressure to propose. But it’ll take more than four weddings, a funeral, and a bowl full of special curry to get these two from “I don’t know what I’m doing” to “I do.”

Good thing Oliver is such perfect HUSBAND MATERIAL.

Reasons to read it: Those who read and loved Boyfriend Material should definitely pick up this sequel. Two years after the events of the first book, we find our lovers still trying to figure things out. Luckily, there is still the appeal of opposites-attract romance for fans of that trope, but Luc and Oliver have found a way to mature it, giving each other balance. This is a great way to revisit characters that make us feel all warm and cozy while showing a still satisfying HEA. Plus, Talia Hibbert, author of the Brown Sisters trilogy, had this to say about it: “Our favourite chaos demon and stern brunch daddy return in this delicious, ridiculous, and often poignant romcom about all the ways love can grow.” Which is just…the best endorsement for anything I’ve ever read.

Successful pediatric surgeon London Kelley just needs to find some balance and de-stress. According to her friends Samiah and Taylor, what London really needs is a casual hookup. A night of fun with no strings. But no one — least of all London — expected it to go down at her high school reunion with Drew Sullivan, millionaire, owner of delicious abs, and oh yes, her archnemesis.

Now London is certain the road to hell is paved with good sex. Because she’s found out the real reason Drew’s back in Austin: to decide whether her beloved hospital remains open. Worse, Drew is doing everything he can to show her that he’s a decent guy who actually cares. But London’s not falling for it. Because while sleeping with the enemy is one thing, falling for him is definitely not part of the plan.

Reasons to read it: Delicious aspects of the rivals-to-lovers trope abound in Rochon’s third book in the Boyfriend Project series. Drew gives a great, goofy counterbalance to London’s stressed out variety of snark. The hospital setting, side characters, and problems that arise are all pretty realistic, making London and Drew’s romance all the more relatable. The two characters’ exploration of their own internal struggles also really add to their romance, giving readers a nice balance of salty and sweet without falling prey to some romance novels’ unnecessary conflict.

One morning, a man wakes up to find himself transformed. Overnight, Anders’s skin has turned dark, and the reflection in the mirror seems a stranger to him. At first he shares his secret only with Oona, an old friend turned new lover. Soon, reports of similar events begin to surface. Across the land, people are awakening in new incarnations, uncertain how their neighbors, friends, and family will greet them. Some see the transformations as the long-dreaded overturning of the established order that must be resisted to a bitter end. In many, like Anders’s father and Oona’s mother, a sense of profound loss and unease wars with profound love. As the bond between Anders and Oona deepens, change takes on a different shading: a chance at a kind of rebirth — an opportunity to see ourselves, face to face, anew.

Reasons to read it: After the multi-award nominated Exit West, which explored immigration, Hamid is coming for necks in this scathing critique of race. This allegorical tale shows a very believable series of events that might follow the white people of the world gaining brown skin, and the panic that would ensue as a result of having lost the privilege of whiteness.