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Week of April 26, 2026

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RITES OF THE STARLING
Devney Perry
Cover of RITES OF THE STARLING

RITES OF THE STARLING

by Devney Perry · Red Tower

1 wks at #1 · 1 on list

PRE-ORDER the epic, heart-pounding sequel to Devney Perry’s #1 New York Times bestselling SHIELD OF SPARROWS. A princess journeys across a cursed realm to find the truth about her family, only to discover her quest intertwines with the fate of a lost warrior. Love, danger, and magic collide in a captivating romantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros. 🖤 🗡 -- Calandra’s five kingdoms are on the verge of destruction. The crux migration is coming. And in the wake of a devastating attack, I’ve been separated from the man who owns my heart. I’m lost. Terrified. Homesick. Hunted by monsters, driven to exhaustion, and kidnapped by a powerful priest, the only thing keeping me going is the little girl counting on me to keep her safe. It’s my turn to become the Guardian. Our lives change one fateful night. A night of death. A night of monsters. A night of truths. That night, I learn the real meaning of fear and the depth of my own strength. Everyone wants me to be something I’m not a queen, a spy, a sacrifice. But what if I embrace my crown? What if the secrets I uncover save our realm? What if my sacrifice means salvation for the man I love? For too long, I’ve feared the monsters we make. It’s time to discover the monster within. -- Tropes: 🗡 Enemies to Lovers 🗡 Magic, Myths, and Monsters 🗡 Slow-Burn 🗡 Hidden Identity 🗡 High Stakes Praise for the series: Critics are RAVING ‘The best fantasy romance I’ve read in years. This story is unlike anything I’ve read before’ Giana Darling, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author ‘A riveting world, a twisty plot, and a smoldering romance. I burned through this epic romantasy’ K.A. Tucker, USA Today and international bestselling author of the Fate & Flame series ‘Devney Perry made me want to quit my job and reread this book every day until the next one releases, it’s that addictive!’ CE Ricci, USA Today bestselling author ‘This book is everything! The world-building and main characters were so refreshing and empowering, and that simmering slow burn was so worth the wait’ Shanora Williams, New York Times bestselling author Readers are OBSESSED ‘Shield of Sparrows is a must read!’ 5 — Reader Review ‘My favorite book of the year. maybe even my favorite romantasy EVER’ 5 — Reader Review ‘My favorite book of 2025 so far, the Romantasy I’ve been waiting for to get me out of my fantasy slump!!’ 5 — Reader Review ‘I freaking LOVED this book’ 5 — Reader Review ‘It’s my new favorite read this year’ 5 — Reader Review ‘This book was F*CKING AMAZING’ 5 — Reader Review ‘This book was absolutely perfect in so many ways’ 5 — Reader Review ‘The ending of this book truly shook me’ 5 — Reader Review ‘Devney Perry’s foray into the fantasy genre was a FABULOUS FIVE STARS filled with unique world-building, action-packed plot, and my new favorite characters!’ 5 — Reader Review ‘If I could bottle the feeling this book gave me and carry it around forever, I would. From page one, I was hooked and I devoured this story like my life depended on it’ 5 — Reader Review The Shield of Sparrows series is best enjoyed in order. Reading Order: Book #1 Shield of Sparrows Book #2 Rites of the Starling

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YESTERYEAR
Caro Claire Burke
Cover of YESTERYEAR

YESTERYEAR

by Caro Claire Burke · Knopf

1 wks on list

A GMA BOOK CLUB PICK • A traditional American woman, a beautiful wife and mother who sells her pioneer lifestyle of raw milk and farm-fresh eggs to her millions of social media followers, suddenly awakens cold, filthy, and terrified in the brutal reality of 1855—where she must unravel whether this living nightmare is an elaborate hoax, a twisted reality show, or something far more sinister in this sensational debut novel. "A bold and biting satire, Yesteryear…will have you cackling and gasping right to the final page." —Nita Prose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid series My name was Natalie Heller Mills, and I was perfect at being alive. Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle. Her charming farmhouse is rustic, her husband a handsome cowboy, her six children each more delightful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers behind the scenes, her kitchen hiding industrial-grade fridges and ovens, her husband the heir to a political dynasty? What Natalie’s followers—all 8 million of them—don’t know won’t hurt them. And The Angry Women? The privileged, Ivy League, coastal elite haters who call her an antifeminist iconoclast? They’re sick with jealousy. Because Natalie isn’t simply living the good life, she’s living the ideal—and just so happens to be building an empire from it. Until one morning she wakes up in a life that isn’t hers. Her home, her husband, her children—they’re all familiar, but something’s off. Her kitchen is warmed by a sputtering fire rather than electricity, her children are dirty and strange, and her soft-handed husband is suddenly a competent farmer. Just yesterday Natalie was curating photos of homemade jam for her Instagram, and now she’s expected to haul firewood and handwash clothes until her fingers bleed. Has she become the unwitting star of a ruthless reality show? Could it really be time travel? Is she being tested by God? By Satan? When Natalie suffers a brutal injury in the woods, she realizes two things: This is not her beautiful life, and she must escape by any means possible. A gripping, electrifying novel that is as darkly funny as it is frightening, Yesteryear is a gimlet-eyed look at tradition, fame, faith, and the grand performance of womanhood.

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REVENGE PREY
John Sandford
Cover of REVENGE PREY

REVENGE PREY

by John Sandford · Putnam

1 wks on list

Lucas Davenport must track down a ruthless Russian hit team, in this latest thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author John Sandford. Leonard Summers—not his real name—is on the run. A former high-ranking Russian intelligence officer who defected to the U.S. after providing critical information about Russian spies in U.S. government service, Leonard, his wife Martha, and son Bernard have spent the past year holed up in a CIA facility near Washington. After the CIA makes a deal with the U.S. Marshal Service’s Witness Protection Program (WPP), Leonard’s family is transported to Minneapolis. The plan is to hide them in a wooded Minneapolis suburb that resembles their former home and dacha near Moscow. The Summers are received at their destination by Lucas Davenport and fellow marshal Shelly White. Unbeknownst to them, the WPP group has been tracked by a Russian hit team. And while nobody in the WPP has ever been attacked…Leonard might be the first victim. As shots are fired and enemies dodged, Lucas must move quickly to uncover where the leak is coming from, before the hit team can strike again.

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STARSIDE
Alex Aster
Cover of STARSIDE

STARSIDE

by Alex Aster · Avon

2 wks on list

From Alex Aster, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Lightlark series, comes her first adult romantasy. Enter the world of Starside, where swords wield magic and power is not inherited...but claimed. Hundreds of years ago, a brutal war split a land in two. Starside is the realm of magic and immortals--the descendants of the gods, living in a power-rich paradise. Stormside is where mortals fight for scraps of that magic. Every fifty years, the gates between them open, and fifty challengers are allowed to journey across Starside on a deadly quest to access a pool of magic that can heal, grant wealth, or extend life. Everyone has their reasons for entering, but Aris has only one: vengeance. As a child, a goddess set fire to her village, killing her family. Aris isn't after the gods' magic--she's going to kill them. First, she must survive the Culling, the king's deadly competition to choose his fifty challengers. An orphaned blacksmith's apprentice, Aris doesn't have the superior weapons of the heirs from the Great Houses. But the greatest swords--ones that contain power--are not inherited or bought, they are claimed, by both sides. And when Aris claims a great sword, it makes her not just a real competitor--but a target. Getting past the gates is only the beginning. Starside is deadlier than it seems. If the ancient creatures, magic-wielding beasts, and bloodthirsty immortals weren't dangerous enough, a new peril has even immortals fearing what rises from the ground at night. With a blade most would kill to claim, Aris can't trust anyone. Especially not Harlan Raker, the merciless and mysterious king's guard who betrayed her years ago--and who may now be the key to her survival. But Aris is hiding a secret tied to her family's death. And when it's revealed, not even the gods will be able to stop what's coming...

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BLOODSINGER
Juliette Cross
Cover of BLOODSINGER

BLOODSINGER

by Juliette Cross · Bramble

1 wks on list

Sunday Times bestselling author Juliette Cross returns with a scorching dark romantasy in her The Fire That Binds trilogy. In an alternate Ancient Rome, a powerful witch can control men with one taste of their blood – and her fate will collide with a fierce, rebellious dragon. A spellbinding gift . . . A plea answered by the gods . . . An unforgiving world where dragons rule Rome. Lela Bihari’s village was invaded on her wedding night, her betrothed murdered right in front of her. While her sisters were either dragged away or escaped, Lela was sold to Valerius, a consul of Rome. When she tried to kill Valerius her first night as his slave, her bloodsinger gift manifested . . . and she was punished for it. Now she’s paraded in front of the other senators for their amusement. But the dragon Trajan Tiberius, newly elected tribune to the senate, is different. He has no love for the brutality around him. When he frees Lela from enslavement and hides her, Lela is set on a path of vengeance, and using her gift puts her in more danger than ever before. Now trapped inside the walls of Rome while deathriders circle the skies, how can she possibly trust a Roman dragon? Especially when it is clear Trajan has ulterior schemes of his own? As her powers grow stronger, danger draws closer, and Lela realizes it isn’t just her life at stake, but also her heart. Discover the second deliciously dark tale of forbidden romance in the Fire That Binds trilogy, following Firebird. Perfect for fans of Fourth Wing. Bloodsinger is an adult romantasy novel that contains dark themes, including slavery in Ancient Rome and self-injury, which may be uncomfortable for some readers.

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JUDGE STONE
Viola Davis and James Patterson
Cover of JUDGE STONE

JUDGE STONE

by Viola Davis and James Patterson · Little, Brown and JVL

5 wks on list

An extraordinary new courtroom drama from Sunday Times bestselling thriller author James Patterson and Academy Award winner Viola Davis. Get ready to meet the most unforgettable character in years. All rise...for Judge Stone. The most respected citizen in Union Springs, Alabama (population 3,314), is Judge Mary Stone. She holds two responsibilities sacred: running her family farm and presiding over her courtroom. Everything changes when she draws the most controversial case in the history of the South. Criminally, it’s open-and-shut. Ethically, there is no middle ground. Essentially, it’s a choice between life and death. No judge can satisfy everyone. It would be dangerous to try. But Judge Stone is willing to fight to bring justice to the people and place she loves. An explosive legal thriller that will keep you turning the pages until the stunning conclusion. ------------------------------------------- 'A stunning, powerful and incendiary courtroom thriller. Impossible to put down' - CHRIS WHITAKER 'Gripping, tense, heart-wrenching, timely and so, so important. I read it in one sitting. This is a story that everyone will be talking about in 2026.' - RUTH MANCINI

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THE NIGHT WE MET
Abby Jimenez
Cover of THE NIGHT WE MET

THE NIGHT WE MET

by Abby Jimenez · Forever

3 wks on list

This book is also available as a limited edition Deluxe HB with designed endpapers and sprayed edges In everyone's life, there's a split-second decision that can change everything . . . For Larissa, it came when choosing which guy to ride home with after a concert. That night, she had no idea she'd met the perfect man. She and Chris are great together, co-parenting a slightly unhinged rescue Yorkie, sharing their favourite books, and judging bread (pumpernickel for the win!). For the first time amid all her side hustles to scrape by, things finally feel easy. But Chris isn't the one who drove Larissa home all those months ago - Chris is her boyfriend's best friend. All Chris wants is for Larissa to be happy. Standing by on the sidelines is slowly killing him, but making a move would destroy someone else. And he's just not that guy. 🎆With her dazzling acumen for knowing the human heart, Abby Jimenez delivers a gripping read that revels in laughter, friendship, and the messy choices life can throw our way.🎆

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STRIXHAVEN: OMENS OF CHAOS
Seanan McGuire
Cover of STRIXHAVEN: OMENS OF CHAOS

STRIXHAVEN: OMENS OF CHAOS

by Seanan McGuire · Random House Worlds

1 wks on list

Strixhaven University welcomes you. Begin your magical studies on a faraway plane, encountering new friends, mysteries, and dangers, in this fantastical dark academia. Eula Blue was supposed to be a mage. That was before the war came—before the fight for the Multiverse devastated Eula’s home, and with it her hopes for a magical education. But the destruction of the war also brought something new: the ability to travel to other planes. And when Eula receives an invitation to study magic at a distant school called Strixhaven, she leaps to take it. Eula’s journey brings her closer than she ever thought possible to her fellow students, including the mysterious Segante, a boy whose secrets Eula longs to share. But not everyone is thrilled by the arrival of the new class, and Eula and her new friends quickly become targets. To make it through their first semester, they’ll have to fight for their place in this new world—or else they’ll be dead before their final exams.

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THE ENDING WRITES ITSELF
Evelyn Clarke
Cover of THE ENDING WRITES ITSELF

THE ENDING WRITES ITSELF

by Evelyn Clarke · Harper

1 wks on list

Large Print Edition "Smart, original and completely addictive. . . . The Ending Writes Itself is both a great locked-room thriller and a brilliant satire on the publishing industry. An absolute must-read."--Karin Slaughter Six authors. One private island. Seventy-two hours to write the ending that will change their lives. Arthur Fletch, one of the world's bestselling novelists, is a reclusive genius known for his iconic protagonists and fiendish twists. When six struggling authors are invited to spend a weekend on his private Scottish island, they arrive to discover a shocking secret: Arthur Fletch is dead . . . and his last book is unfinished. Desperate to publish the novel, Fletch's agent and editor have summoned these writers in the hope that one of them will imagine a worthy ending for this final book. To sweeten the deal, they are offering an irresistible prize: in addition to ghost-writing the last chapter--for a mind-boggling sum--they will also help the lucky writer successfully re-launch their own career, guaranteeing future bestsellers. The catch: the writers have just seventy-two hours to finish Fletch's magnum opus. Starting is often the hardest part. But getting to the end could be murder.

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AMERICAN FANTASY
Emma Straub
Cover of AMERICAN FANTASY

AMERICAN FANTASY

by Emma Straub · Riverhead

1 wks on list

Annie is: On a cruise with her one-time favourite boyband and a thousand female super-fans Still reeling from her divorce Being replaced at work by her intern Keith is: Fifty years old and in a band that performs dance routines with hip thrusts Suffering from sea sickness Certain his wife doesn’t love him anymore When a meet-and-greet throws them together, Annie develops a crush on Keith, and Keith starts to wonder if life might have a few surprises in store for him. But are Keith and Annie just living a fantasy? And what happens when they get back to shore?

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CARL'S DOOMSDAY SCENARIO
Matt Dinniman
Cover of CARL'S DOOMSDAY SCENARIO

CARL'S DOOMSDAY SCENARIO

by Matt Dinniman · Ace

13 wks on list

¡EL ENTRENAMIENTO HA TERMINADO! Bienvenidos, mazmorreros, al volumen 2 de la saga más adictiva y meteórica: de autoeditado a superventas con más de 3 millones de lectores. Un nuevo piso con nuevos desafíos. Y Carl sigue sin pantalones. Empieza la nueva temporada del concurso más visto de la galaxia: Planeta mazmorrero. En el tercer piso, Carl y la Princesa Dónut deberán esforzarse más que nunca. Ya han demostrado que un veterano de la Guardia Costera y una integrante de la realeza felina pueden formar un equipo casi imparable. Y aunque tienen una audiencia bestial, los espectadores son insaciables y la mazmorra es cada vez más peligrosa. Tendrán que darlo todo si quieren sobrevivir a esa picadora de carne diseñada para destrozar y luego escupir a los mazmorreros. Un circo de muertos vivientes deambula por las ruinas de la Ciudad Epígea, una próspera metrópolis que fue devastada por una misteriosa desgracia. Mujeres asesinadas caen del cielo. Un antiguo conjuro está a punto de desvelar su aciago propósito. ¿Podrán Carl y la Princesa Dónut resolver el misterio a tiempo? ENGLISH DESCRIPTION NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Join Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, as they fight fantastical creatures and deadly mobs to make it to the next level and build the kind of fan following the dungeon masters can't ignore in the second book in the smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl series--now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition. "Greetings, Crawlers! The training levels have concluded. Now the games may truly begin." The aliens have come, and they've transformed Earth into a multilevel, video game-like dungeon. It's the newest season of the galaxy's most watched game show, Dungeon Crawler World. Now on the third floor, Carl and Donut have to fight harder than ever. They've already proven that a Coast Guard vet and once-and-forever feline royalty are an almost unstoppable team. Their ratings are off the charts. Viewers can't get enough. But the dungeon gets more dangerous each day, and now there's a whole new problem to deal with: Quests. They call it the Over City. A sprawling, once-thriving metropolis devastated by a mysterious calamity. But these streets are far from abandoned. An undead circus trawls the ruins. Murdered women rain from the sky. An ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose. Can Carl and Donut solve the mystery in time? And can Carl finally find some pants?

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THE WICKED SEA
Jordan Stephanie Gray
Cover of THE WICKED SEA

THE WICKED SEA

by Jordan Stephanie Gray · Requited

1 wks on list

In this dark and sultry enemies-to-lovers romantasy, a mermaid battles hatred and lust for the wretched warlock who once bargained her life away - now he must be the one to save it. Mermaid Zephyra dreams of freedom. On the run from a dangerous captor, she's shed her tail and hidden herself on land, her only option to steal and barter on the dirty streets. But her freedom is short-lived when she's caught and sentenced to death by the beautiful yet brutal warlock Arion Stone. Arion is the strongest warlock alive, but his strength has come at a cost. His only salvation is the God of Death's heart, lost to a fabled kingdom beneath the ocean's depths that only the merrow can reach. Arion offers Zephyra a deal: help him find the mystical heart, and he'll spare her life. But Zephyra's past is catching up, and as the two enter a dangerous magical bargain, they must learn to trust each other or find that there are worse things awaiting them than death . . . TROPES 🌶️ Forbidden romance 💗 Enemies-to-lovers 🩸 Supernatural romance 💗 Close proximity ⚔️ Rebel x Quest

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INTO THE BLUE
Emma Brodie
Cover of INTO THE BLUE

INTO THE BLUE

by Emma Brodie · Ballantine

1 wks on list

REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK • An epic, decades-spanning love story that blazes through the worlds of acting and comedy and charts a connection unlike any other. “INTOXICATING.”—TAYLOR JENKINS REID, author of Atmosphere “SMART AND ROMANTIC.”—GABRIELLE ZEVIN, author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow “DEEPLY MOVING.”—KEVIN WILSON, author of Nothing to See Here “The truth is there’s no such thing as a normal life. There’s just the time you get and how you spend it.” In the summer of 2000, AJ Graves dreams of writing for Saturday Night Live; instead, she’s stuck working in a video rental store, with slim odds of escaping her small Massachusetts town. Then in walks Noah Drew, the enigmatic and intense scion of the Drew acting dynasty, and her life changes forever. Despite wildly different upbringings, the two forge a deep, cosmic bond, first as friends, then as acting partners—until one day, Noah disappears without a word. Seven years later, in New York City, AJ is shocked to find herself cast in the same intergalactic TV production as Noah, by then a well-known Hollywood heartthrob. As their on-screen characters grow closer every day, the lines between reality and acting begin to blur. Unable to stay away from each other, AJ and Noah are forced to confront the truth of what happened years ago—and the devastating secret that will send their lives careening apart, even as fate continues to draw them together. Blending unforgettable characters, explosive chemistry and yearning, and profound emotion, Into the Blue is a journey unlike any other—one that asks: What does it mean to diverge from the script to forge your own story?

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THE KEEPER
Tana French
Cover of THE KEEPER

THE KEEPER

by Tana French · Viking Press

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2026 by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, Oprah Daily, Today, BookPage, Goodreads, and more From the iconic crime writer who “inspires cultic devotion in readers” (The New Yorker) and has been called “incandescent” by Stephen King, comes the third and final book in the million-copy-bestselling Cal Hooper trilogy. On a cold night in the remote Irish village of Ardnakelty, a girl goes missing. Sweet, loving Rachel Holohan was about to be engaged to the son of the local big shot. Instead, she’s dead in the river. In a close-knit small town, a death like this isn’t simple. It comes wrapped in generations-old grudges and power struggles, and it splits the townland in two. Retired Chicago detective Cal Hooper has friends here now, and he owes them loyalty, but his fiancée Lena wants nothing to do with Ardnakelty’s tangles. As the feud becomes more vicious, their settled peace starts to crack apart. And when they uncover a scheme that casts a new light on Rachel’s death and threatens the whole village, they find themselves in the firing line. “One of the greatest crime novelists writing today” (Vox) crafts a masterwork of atmospheric suspense that brings the story of one of her most beloved characters to a spellbinding conclusion.

Historical bestseller data sourced from the New York Times Book Review, archived by Hawes Publications.