Hi and welcome to the reading world!
Today’s post is another Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week is all about new releases coming out in the second half of 2022. The first half of the year had some incredible new releases, and I’m excited for the upcoming ones! I also share most anticipated new releases posts for each month, so if you enjoy these lists feel free to check out those (here’s July’s list!).
Lore Olympus: Volume 2, The Oleander Sword, and Astrid Parker are both sequels or companion novels, so I won’t be sharing the synopsis for those two to potential avoid book 1 spoilers in the summaries.
Let’s get into the Top Ten!
Miri thinks she has got her wife back, when Leah finally returns after a deep sea mission that ended in catastrophe. It soon becomes clear, though, that Leah may have come back wrong. Whatever happened in that vessel, whatever it was they were supposed to be studying before they were stranded on the ocean floor, Leah has carried part of it with her, onto dry land and into their home. To have the woman she loves back should mean a return to normal life, but Miri can feel Leah slipping from her grasp. Memories of what they had before – the jokes they shared, the films they watched, all the small things that made Leah hers – only remind Miri of what she stands to lose. Living in the same space but suddenly separate, Miri comes to realize that the life that they had might be gone. Our Wives Under The Sea is the debut novel from the critically acclaimed author of salt slow. It’s a story of falling in love, loss, grief, and what life there is in the deep, deep sea.
Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield
Published by Pan Macmillan UK on March 8, 2022
Genres: Fiction / General, Fiction / Women
Pages: 400
Sequel to Lore Olympus: Volume 1
Lore Olympus: Volume Two by Rachel Smythe
Published by Random House Publishing Group on July 5, 2022
Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels / Fantasy
Pages: 368
“Ruby Barrett’s writing leaves me breathless.” —Rosie Danan A fiery restaurant owner falls for her enigmatic head chef in this charming, emotional romance Amy Chambers: restaurant owner, micromanager, control freak. Amy will do anything to revive her ailing restaurant, including hiring a former reality-show finalist with good connections and a lot to prove. But her hopes that Sophie’s skills and celebrity status would bring her restaurant back from the brink of failure are beginning to wane… Sophie Brunet: grump in the kitchen/sunshine in the streets, took thirty years to figure out she was queer. Sophie just wants to cook. She doesn’t want to constantly post on social media for her dead-in-the-water reality TV career, she doesn’t want to deal with Amy’s take-charge personality and she doesn’t want to think about what her attraction to her boss might mean… Then, an opportunity: a new foodie TV show might provide the exposure they need. An uneasy truce is fine for starters, but making their dreams come true means making some personal and painful sacrifices and soon, there’s more than just the restaurant at stake. Carina Adores is home to romantic love stories where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters. Book 1: Hot Copy
The Romance Recipe by Ruby Barrett
Published by Harlequin on July 12, 2022
Genres: Fiction / LGBTQ+ / Bisexual, Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Romance / LGBTQ+ / General, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy
Pages: 316
Book 2: The Romance Recipe
The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri
Published by Orbit on August 16, 2022
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / Action & Adventure, Fiction / Fantasy / Epic, Fiction / Fantasy / Historical, Fiction / LGBTQ+ / Lesbian
Pages: 512
Cat Sebastian returns to Georgian London with a stunning tale of a reluctant criminal and the thief who cannot help but love her. Marian Hayes, the Duchess of Clare, just shot her husband. Of course, the evil, murderous man deserved what was coming to him, but now she must flee to the countryside. Unfortunately, the only person she can ask for help is the charismatic criminal who is blackmailing her—and who she may have left tied up a few hours before… A highwayman, con artist, and all-around cheerful villain, Rob Brooks is no stranger to the wrong side of the law or the right side of anybody’s bed. He never meant to fall for the woman whose secrets he promised to keep for the low price of five hundred pounds, but how could he resist someone who led him on a merry chase all over London, left him tied up in a seedy inn, and then arrived covered in her husband’s blood and in desperate need of his help? As they flee across the country—stopping to pick pockets, drink to excess, and rescue invalid cats—they discover more true joy and peace than either has felt in ages. But when the truth of Rob’s past catches up to him, they must decide if they are willing to reshape their lives in order to forge a future together.
The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian
Published by HarperCollins on June 7, 2022
Genres: Fiction / Crime, Fiction / LGBTQ+ / Bisexual, Fiction / Romance / Historical / Regency, Fiction / Romance / LGBTQ+ / Bisexual
Pages: 352
For fans of Alexandria Bellefleur and Casey McQuiston comes a charming, hilarious, and heartwarming LGBTQIA+ romcom about two separate couples finding love over the holidays from acclaimed author Roan Parrish! FROM A COZY NEW ENGLAND HAVEN Greta Russakoff loves her tight-knit family and tiny Maine hometown, but they can't seem to understand what it's like to be a lesbian living in such a small world. When an act of familial meddling goes way too far, she realizes just how desperately she needs space to figure out who she is. TO THE HEART OF NEW ORLEANS Truman Belvedere's heart is crushed when he learns that his boyfriend has a secret life including a husband and daughter. Reeling, all he wants is a place to lick his wounds far, far away from Louisiana. COMES ONE HOLIDAY THAT'LL CHANGE THEIR LIVES Enter a mutual friend with a life-altering idea: swap homes for the holidays. For one perfect month, Greta and Truman will have a chance to experience a whole new world...and maybe fall in love with the partner of their dreams. But all holidays must come to an end, and eventually these two transplants will have to decide whether the love (and found family) they each discovered so far from home is worth fighting for.
The Holiday Trap by Roan Parrish
on September 6, 2022
Genres: Fiction / Holidays, Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Romance / Holiday, Fiction / Romance / LGBTQ+ / Gay, Fiction / Romance / LGBTQ+ / Lesbian, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy
Pages: 448
An "effervescent" (Rachel Lynn Solomon) Christmas LGBTQIA+ New Adult RomCom, perfect for fans of Schitt's Creek and Red White & Royal Blue. Bring a little joy to the world? Not today, Santa. Matthew Prince is young, rich, and thoroughly spoiled. So what if his parents barely remember he exists and the press is totally obsessed with him? He's on top of the world. But one major PR misstep later, and Matthew is cut off and shipped away to spend the holidays in his grandparents' charming small town hellscape. Population: who cares? It's bad enough he's stuck in some festive winter wonderland—it's even worse that he has to share space with Hector Martinez, an obnoxiously attractive local who's unimpressed with anything and everything Matthew does. Just when it looks like the holiday season is bringing nothing but heated squabbles, the charity gala loses its coordinator and Matthew steps in as a saintly act to get home early on good behavior...with Hector as his maddening plus-one. But even a Grinch can't resist the unexpected joy of found family, and in the end, the forced proximity and infectious holiday cheer might be enough to make a lonely Prince's heart grow three sizes this year. People Are Raving About Timothy Janovsky: "This book made my queer heart so very full and deeply happy."—Anita Kelly "A cinematic daydream guaranteed to steal your heart."—Julian Winters "Wonderfully upbeat and sweet."—Suzanne Park "Full of hope and heart."—Alexandria Bellefleur "[A] fresh, sweet, and swoony love story that blends coming-of-age comedy with the nuances of exploring sexual identity."—Alison Cochrun
You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky
on October 4, 2022
Genres: Fiction / Coming of Age, Fiction / Humorous / General, Fiction / LGBTQ+ / Gay, Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Romance / Holiday, Fiction / Romance / LGBTQ+ / Gay, Fiction / Romance / New Adult, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy
Pages: 320
Offering a steamy, queer spin on the feel-good tropes of a Hallmark movie, this sweet, funny #OwnVoices rom-com is perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston and Alexandria Bellefleur! A BUZZFEED MOST ANTICIPATED LGBTQ ROMANCE "[The] second-chance, friends-to-lovers romance I was craving. Treat yourself to the beautiful magic of Courtney Kae's writing!" - Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis Morgan Ross can plan world-class events, but she didn't plan on returning to the hometown that broke her heart seven years ago--and re-discovering the girl of her dreams . . . "Perfect for the holidays!" --Helen Hoang, New York Times bestselling author of The Kiss Quotient "Wintry perfection, a cozy flannel blanket of a book that wraps its reader in the warmest hug, full of wish-they-were-real characters and off-the-charts sexual tension. [In The Event of Love] made me laugh, weep, and believe in the fairy-lit magic of second chances." - Rachel Lynn Solomon, bestselling author of The Ex Talk "In the Event of Love is ultra cozy, heart-meltingly sweet, and full of warm wit. Courtney Kae shines with a fresh, bright voice and supremely relatable characters including a dreamy lumberjane who instantly stole my heart!" - Rosie Danan, author of The Roommate
In the Event of Love by Courtney Kae
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation on August 30, 2022
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy
Pages: 320
"The small-town winter romance of my dreams...The sapphic slow-burn love story is both gorgeously soft and steamy, the feelings will wreck you, and the laugh-out-loud moments will make you want to text entire paragraphs to your best friend." - Lana Harper, New York Times bestselling author of Payback's a Witch
With her career as a Los Angeles event planner imploding after a tabloid blowup, Morgan Ross isn't headed home for the holidays so much as in strategic retreat. Breathtaking mountain vistas, quirky townsfolk, and charming small businesses aside, her hometown of Fern Falls is built of one heartbreak on top of another . . .
Take her one-time best friend turned crush, Rachel Reed. The memory of their perfect, doomed first kiss is still fresh as new-fallen snow. Way fresher than the freezing mud Morgan ends up sprawled in on her very first day back, only to be hauled out via Rachel's sexy new lumberjane muscles acquired from running her family tree farm.
When Morgan discovers that the Reeds' struggling tree farm is the only thing standing between Fern Falls and corporate greed destroying the whole town's livelihood, she decides she can put heartbreak aside to save the farm by planning her best fundraiser yet. She has all the inspiration for a spectacular event: delicious vanilla lattes, acoustic guitars under majestic pines, a cozy barn surrounded by brilliant stars. But she and Rachel will ABSOLUTELY NOT have a heartwarming holiday happy ending. That would be as unprofessional as it is unlikely. Right?
Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail by Ashley Herring Blake
Published by Penguin Publishing Group on June 8, 2022
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy
Pages: 400
A new dark academic fantasy by the New York Times bestselling author of The Poppy War Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal. Oxford, 1836. The city of dreaming spires. It is the centre of all knowledge and progress in the world. And at its centre is Babel, the Royal Institute of Translation. The tower from which all the power of the Empire flows. Orphaned in Canton and brought to England by a mysterious guardian, Babel seemed like paradise to Robin Swift. Until it became a prison... But can a student stand against an empire? An incendiary new novel from award-winning author R.F. Kuang about the power of language, the violence of colonialism, and the sacrifices of resistance. 
Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution by R.F. Kuang
Published by HarperCollins Publishers on September 1, 2022
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy, Fiction / Fantasy / Gaslamp, Fiction / Fantasy / General, Fiction / Fantasy / Historical, Fiction / Fantasy / Urban, Fiction / Historical / General
Pages: 560
What are some of the new releases you’re excited for in the next half of 2022?
Thanks for stopping by!
Rae