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There are plenty of new releases coming out this month. From thrillers, romance, mysteries, nonfiction, historical fiction, and everything in between. Here are my top May Book Releases on my TBR.
May Book Releases on TBR
Lying in the Deep by Diana Urban
Genre – mystery, thriller, contemporary fiction
After being jilted by her ex-boyfriend and best friend, Jade couldn’t be more ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. 11 countries in 4 months, all from the luxurious Campus on Board ship. And to wedge an entire globe between her and the people who broke her heart.
But when Jade discovers the backstabbing couple is also setting sail, her obsession with them grows and festers, leading to a shocking murder. And as their friends begin to drop like flies, Jade, and her new crush must race to clear her name and find the killer they’re trapped at sea with. Before anyone else winds up in body bags.
Cherish by Tracy Wolff
Genre – fantasy, romance, young adult
It’s been over three months since my friends and I took down Cyrus. Three months where my biggest fear was what paper was due next… But I should have known it was too good to last. Now everything is falling apart.
The Vampire Court has no king, the Dragon Court has no heart, and the Gargoyle Court has me—a teenager in way over her head. And it’s the worst possible timing because a threat is brewing just as the Circle is collapsing. I have no choice but to return to the Shadow Realm and face the terrifying queen who nearly ended us and make a deal with her to save Mekhi. But this time, I’m bringing my powerful friends with me—and Hudson. Except something is wrong with him, too. He’s keeping a secret—even from me.
All I know is that everyone’s life hangs in the balance. And it’s my fault—because I still owe the Crone a favor…and now she’s come to collect.
Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune
Genre – romance, fiction, chick lit
Fern Brookbanks has wasted far too much of her adult life thinking about Will Baxter. She spent just twenty-four hours in her early twenties with the aggravatingly attractive, idealistic artist. A chance encounter that spiraled into a daylong adventure in Toronto. The timing was wrong, but their connection was undeniable. They shared every secret, and every dream, and made a pact to meet one year later. Fern showed up. Will didn’t.
At thirty-two, Fern’s life doesn’t look at all how she once imagined it would. Instead of living in the city, Fern’s back home, running her mother’s Muskoka lakeside resort–something she vowed never to do. The place is in disarray, her ex-boyfriend’s the manager, and Fern doesn’t know where to begin.
She needs a plan–a lifeline. To her surprise, it comes in the form of Will, who arrives nine years too late, with a suitcase in tow and an offer to help on his lips. Will may be the only person who understands what Fern’s going through. But how could she possibly trust this expensive suit-wearing mirage who seems nothing like the young man she met all those years ago? Will is hiding something, and Fern’s not sure she wants to know what it is. But ten years ago, Will Baxter rescued Fern. Can she do the same for him?
The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren
Genre – romance, contemporary, chick lit
Felicity “Fizzy” Chen is lost. Sure, she’s got an incredible career as a beloved romance novelist with a slew of bestsellers under her belt. When she’s asked to give a commencement address, it hits her. She hasn’t been practicing what she’s preached.
Fizzy hasn’t ever really been in love. Lust? Definitely. But that swoon-worthy, can’t-stop-thinking-about-him, all-encompassing feeling? Nope. Nothing. What happens when the optimism she’s spent her career encouraging in readers starts to feel like a lie?
Connor Prince, documentary filmmaker, and single father, loves his work in large part because it allows him to live near his daughter. But when his profit-minded boss orders him to create a reality TV show, putting his job on the line, Connor is out of his element. Desperate to find his romantic lead, a chance run-in with an exasperated Fizzy offers Connor the perfect solution. What if he could show the queen of romance herself falling head-over-heels for all the world to see? Fizzy gives him a hard pass—unless he agrees to her list of demands. When he says yes, production on The True Love Experiment begins. Connor wonders if that perfect match will ever be in the cue cards for him, too.
The True Love Experiment is the book fans have been waiting for ever since Fizzy’s debut in The Soulmate Equation. But when the lights come on and all eyes are on her, it turns out the happily ever after Fizzy had all but given up on might lie just behind the camera.
Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams
Genre – romance, contemporary fiction, chick lit
Annie Walker is on a quest to find her perfect match-someone who nicely compliments her happy, quiet life running her flower shop in Rome, Kentucky. Unfortunately, she worries her goal might be too far out of reach when she overhears her date saying she is “sounbelievably boring.” Is it too late to become flirtatious and fun like the leading ladies in her favorite romance movies? Maybe she only needs a little practice…and Annie has the perfect person in mind to become her tutor: Will Griffin.
Will is the flirtatious, tattooed, and absolutely gorgeous bodyguard. Temporarily back in Rome, providing security for Amelia Rose as the excitement grows for her upcoming marriage to Noah Walker. He has one personal objective during his time in town: to stay away from Annie Walker. But no sooner than he gets settled, Will soon finds himself not only breaking his rule but tasked with far more than simply providing security.
Will wants no part in changing the sweet and lovely Annie, but he can’t bring himself to say no to her request. So he officially agrees to teach her how to be the next leading lady of Rome, Kentucky, and find the love of her life. Even if he doesn’t believe in love himself. Between faking a relationship so the meddling town doesn’t catch on to what’s really happening on their practice dates, and tutoring lessons that convince Annie to add passion to her list of must-haves in a mate, it doesn’t take long for the lines of their friendship to blur…
Planes, Trains, and All the Feels by Livy Hart
Genre – road trip romance, contemporary romance,
As the black sheep of the family, choreographer Cassidy Bliss vowed she’d do anything to get home in time to help with her sister’s wedding and avoid family disappointment, again. She just never expected “anything” would involve sharing the last rental car with the jerk who cut her off in line at the airport this morning. But horrible times apparently call for here-goes-nothing measures.
Driving across the country with Luke “life can be solved with a spreadsheet”. Carlisle must be a penance for some crime she committed. Because the second he opens his mouth, it’s all she can do to not maim him with her carry-on. But somewhere between his surprisingly thoughtful snack sharing and his uncanny ability to see straight to the core of her. Her feelings go unchecked.
Suddenly, their crackling chemistry is just one more thing they have to navigate―and it couldn’t come at a worse time. But after a lifetime of letting the expectations and needs of others drive her life. Cassidy must decide if she’s ready to take the wheel once and for all.
More May Book Releases on TBR
The Celebrants by Steven Rowley
Genre – romance, LGBT, contemporary fiction
A decades-old pact offers a group of college friends the chance to throw each other “living funerals,” in the next poignant and humorous novel by the bestselling author of The Guncle.
The night after one of their own is tragically taken away from them, a group of seven college friends forms a pact. A promise to reunite every few years to throw each other “living funerals,” constant reminders that life is worth living, if not for them then for their late friend. Now, twenty-eight years into the hard-worn lines of adulthood, their “funerals” only remind them of all the opportunities they missed. But when one member of the old gang receives an unexpected diagnosis, the pact takes on new meaning, and each friend is forced to confront old secrets, and weigh their now-middle-age lives against the idealistic dreams of their youth.
A deeply honest tribute to selfhood and the people who keep us going The Celebrants, coupled with Steven Rowley’s signature humor and heart, is a moving tale about the false invincibility of youth, and all the beautiful ways in which friendship can transcend our deepest losses.
The Ferryman by Justin Cronin
Genre – science fiction, fantasy, thriller mystery
Founded by the mysterious genius known as the Designer, the archipelago of Prospera lies hidden from the horrors of a deteriorating outside world. In this island paradise, Prospera’s lucky citizens enjoy long, fulfilling lives until the monitors embedded in their forearms, meant to measure their physical health and psychological well-being, fall below 10 percent. Then they retire themselves, embarking on a ferry ride to the island known as the Nursery, where their failing bodies are renewed, their memories are wiped clean, and they are readied to restart life afresh.
Proctor Bennett, of the Department of Social Contracts, has a satisfying career as a ferryman, gently shepherding people through the retirement process–and, when necessary, enforcing it. But all is not well with Proctor. For one thing, he’s been dreaming–which is supposed to be impossible in Prospera. For another, his monitor percentage has begun to drop alarmingly fast. And then comes the day he is summoned to retire his own father, who gives him a disturbing and cryptic message before being wrestled onto the ferry.
Meanwhile, something is stirring. The Support Staff, ordinary men, and women who provide the labor to keep Prospera running, have begun to question their place in the social order. Unrest is building, and there are rumors spreading of a resistance group–known as “Arrivalists”–who may be fomenting revolution. Soon Proctor finds himself questioning everything he once believed. Entangled with a much bigger cause than he realized–and on a desperate mission to uncover the truth.
Witch King by Martha Wells
Genre – fantasy, paranormal, magic
A story of power and friendship, of trust and betrayal, and of the families we choose.
“I didn’t know you were a… demon.”
“You idiot. I’m the demon.”
Kai’s having a long day in Martha Wells’ Witch King…
After being murdered, his consciousness dormant and unaware of the passing of time while confined in an elaborate water trap. Kai wakes to find a lesser mage attempting to harness Kai’s magic to his advantage. That was never going to go well. But why was Kai imprisoned in the first place? What has changed in the world since his assassination? And why does the Rising World Coalition appear to be growing in influence?
Kai will need to pull his allies close and draw on all his pain magic if he is to answer even the least of these questions. He’s not going to like the answers.
The Senator’s Wife by Liv Constantine
Genre – thriller, mystery, suspense fiction
In this town, anyone is replaceable. . . .
After a tragic chain of events led to the deaths of their spouses two years ago, D.C. philanthropist Sloane Chase and Senator Whit Montgomery are finally starting to move on. The horrifying ordeal drew them together, and now they’re ready to settle down again—with each other.
As Sloane returns to the world of White House dinners and political small talk, this time with her new husband. She’s also preparing for an upcoming hip replacement—the latest reminder of the lupus diagnosis she’s managed since her twenties. With both of their hectic schedules, they decide that hiring a home health aide will give Sloane the support and independence she needs post-surgery. And they find the perfect fit in Athena Karras.
Seemingly a godsend, Athena tends to Sloane, and even helps her run her charitable foundation. But Sloane slowly begins to deteriorate—a complication, Athena explains, of Sloane’s lupus. As weeks go by, Sloane becomes sicker, and her uncertainty quickly turns to paranoia as she begins to suspect the worst. Why is Athena asking her so many probing questions about her foundation—about her past? And could Sloane be imagining the sultry looks between Athena and her new husband?
Riveting, fast-paced, and full of unbelievable twists, The Senator’s Wife is a psychological thriller that upends the private homes of those who walk the halls of power. Because when you have it all, you have everything to lose.
What do you think of my May Book Releases on TBR? Have you added these? Here’s to another month of amazing new releases!
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