Mar 10

Mar 10 17 Books Publishing This Week

The afternoon in mid-March feels like a quiet turning point. The light is different now—longer, warmer, stretching confidently across the floor instead of slipping in shyly like it did in January. When you glance out the window, you notice the smallest signs of change: a patch of earth no longer frozen, tree branches tipped with the faintest hint of buds, the air moving with less bite and more promise.

You’ve been waiting for this kind of afternoon. Not dramatic. Not loud. Just gently hopeful.

You make yourself something to drink—not necessarily hot anymore, though it still could be. Maybe tea with lemon. Maybe sparkling water poured over ice because the day feels just warm enough to justify it. You carry your glass and your new book to a place where the light gathers best. A chair by the window. A spot on the porch if the breeze allows. A blanket spread across the grass if you’re feeling bold.

The book feels cool in your hands, untouched. There’s something about starting a new story in mid-March that feels symbolic, even if you don’t say it out loud. Winter is no longer the dominant narrative. Spring hasn’t fully taken over. You are in the in-between—a place of unfolding.

You open the cover slowly. The spine gives just slightly. The pages are crisp and patient. You begin to read.

The first paragraph settles you immediately. The world inside the book opens carefully, the way the season itself is opening—no rush, no spectacle, just steady revelation. You lean back into your chair, crossing your legs beneath you, letting the warmth of the afternoon touch your shoulders.

Outside, a breeze stirs. It smells different now. Damp earth instead of frost. Something green, even if you can’t quite see it yet. You pause to listen to a bird call—clearer and more confident than it was just weeks ago. It feels like a signal.

You turn another page.

The story begins to take shape, characters stepping forward with intention. You feel your body soften as your mind sharpens. There’s something invigorating about reading in March—the sense that both you and the narrative are emerging from something quieter, darker.

The light shifts again, catching the edge of the page, casting faint shadows between the lines. You sip your drink and notice it’s gone warm or watered down, but you don’t mind. Time feels elastic this afternoon. You’re not watching it.

A cloud passes overhead, briefly dimming the room. You glance up instinctively, then back down to the book. That’s March, you think—sun, then shadow, then sun again. Unpredictable. Alive.

You read on.

A line makes you pause. A detail catches your breath. You reread a sentence because it feels like it belongs to this moment—this soft, shifting threshold of a day. You tuck your hair behind your ear, adjust your seat, settle deeper.

The afternoon stretches. Somewhere in the distance, you hear a lawnmower start up for the first time this season. The sound feels almost celebratory. You smile without meaning to.

The book continues to open, and so do you. The heaviness of winter has slipped quietly away, replaced by something lighter, more curious. You feel it in your chest—the sense that new things are possible. Not because you’ve declared them so. But because the world itself is turning toward them.

When you finally close the book—only a few chapters in—you mark your place carefully. The light has softened toward early evening. The air is cooler now, but not cold.

You sit for a moment longer, book resting in your lap, feeling the quiet satisfaction of beginning.

Mid-March doesn’t demand transformation. It simply offers movement.

And this afternoon, with a new story unfolding in your hands, feels like the gentlest kind of forward.

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Books Publishing March 8 - 14

Zicky: Wrath of the Rat King by Darin S. Cape

Deep underground, Zicky plunges into the lair of the Rat King—a tyrant amassing an army of rodents to invade the real world. A mysterious supervillain lurks in the shadows, and the fate of both worlds hangs in the balance. But just as the battle begins, Zicky wakes up... back in his bedroom, surrounded by his siblings who tease him for believing his adventures are more than a dream.

The Sooner I Go by Heather Cumiskey

Seven months after her boyfriend and parents die tragically on the same night, eighteen-year-old Brynn—once an aspiring singer, now desperate for any paying gig that will keep her from ending up on the streets—sets out to rebuild her shattered world. At her new ad agency job, she’s distracted by enigmatic twenty-year-old Micah. Their enemies-to-lovers attraction ignites as both struggle with secrets that could jeopardize far more than just their budding relationship.

After things turn romantic with Brynn, Micah’s psychosis becomes harder to conceal. Living with his disorder has cost him relationships before, including with his estranged father; now he fears Brynn will become the next casualty.

Things are already complicated enough before a mystery girl from Brynn’s boyfriend’s past comes forward with threatening information and unfinished business of her own. Will she reveal Brynn’s secret—and steal Micah away from her in the process?

Brighter Than Nine by June CL Tan

Rui has her life back together—or so it seems. Hailed as a hero, she’s finally on her way to becoming an important member of the Exorcist Guild. But she knows the Hybrid Revenants are still out there, and they’re planning something big. Something evil.

Zizi is trapped in the underworld. As his mortal body deteriorates, he realizes he can access the Fourth King’s memories, which may be the key to keeping the mortal realm safe. To save the girl he loves, he must defy fate—and escape Hell.

Yiran watches from the shadows, magicless once more. When he discovers a dark family secret that changes everything he thought he knew, his hunger for power tempts him toward a possible betrayal. And he must decide what he truly stands for—before it’s too late.

As the consequences of the past wreak havoc on the present, three lives bound by the threads of fate must weave a new destiny for themselves—and the realms.

Witch of the Shadow Wood by Tori Anne Martin

A feminist cozy romantasy retelling of the classic fairy tale Hansel and Gretel, complete with a sapphic love story and a revenge tale, from USA Today bestselling author Tori Anne Martin, perfect for fans of The Spellshop.

Fifteen years ago, a little girl’s father bartered her away to the old witch in the woods for some magic. Abandoned by her brother, Hans, who promised to keep her safe, Greta learns to embrace her new life as an apprentice to the witch, and starts a new life as Miria.

Two years ago, she rescued a young woman who was lost in those woods, and she fell in love.

Just now, she learned that woman was engaged--against her will--to a man who once was complicit in trading his little sister, who'd used the magic her life had bought to give her former family wealth and power beyond measure, and then forgot all about her.

Soon, the young witch will leave the woods. Stop the wedding. Save the woman she loves. Get revenge.

But beyond the woods, nothing is ever that simple.

We Become Darkness by Grace Morrow

A human and a Vampyr forge an unsteady alliance in this marriage-of-convenience romantic fantasy, perfect for fans of The Serpent and the Wings of Night and One Dark Window.

Thalia, Princess of Agripa, has spent the last four years hunting her ex-lover, Cassius—the man who shattered her heart and betrayed her kingdom by becoming a Vampyr. Vampyrs and humans have had a tenuous past since Thalia’s father and sister were murdered thirteen years ago. But with Agripa’s ore supply—the lifeblood of human cities—running out, Thalia’s mother strikes a desperate and dangerous deal: Thalia will marry a Vampyr prince in exchange for their ore.

Thalia is blindsided by the arrangement—and horrified to find Cassius, now serving as the prince’s Hand, is the man tasked with bringing her to the Vampyr kingdom safely. To save her people, she agrees to the marriage but plans to dismantle the Vampyr kingdom from within
by killing the prince.

The Vampyr court is rife with danger and secrets, and Cassius is always watching. When a monstrous new threat emerges, Thalia realizes the safety and security of their world is far more fragile than she ever believed.

Caught between duty and desire, Thalia must grapple with her feelings for Cassius and decide if she will fulfill her duty to the human crown or embrace the darkness within herself to protect both realms.

We Become Darkness is an atmospheric romantasy, perfect for fans of Nosferatu to sink their teeth into.

Thirty Love by Tom Vellner

Things heat up on and off the court for two tennis rivals in this steamy debut gay sports rom-com, perfect for fans of TJ Alexander and Casey McQuiston.

American tennis star Leo Chambers is determined to win the US Open by thirty, the age when many players feel retirement looming. He’s just a year away from that dreaded birthday, but he can’t find his focus—considering he hasn’t told anyone he’s gay, he’s clashing with his strict coach (who also happens to be his dad), and he still can’t figure out how to beat his longtime nemesis on tour, Gabe Montoya, who, well, hits different. Gabe is playing better than ever, and Leo can’t seem to escape him—and maybe he doesn’t want to escape him.

Leo’s other obstacle is Sascha Volkov, a Russian legend who has such a powerful influence on the tennis world, he would destroy Leo’s career if he found out that he’s gay.

No distractions, Leo reminds himself. But when Gabe makes a shocking announcement, Leo is thrown off his game—in more ways than one. Ready? Play.

Thirty Love is a must-read for fans of queer sports romances.

Spellbound by Murder by Stacie Ramey

Gilmore Girls meets Charmed in this spellbinding cozy mystery featuring a magical bookshop run by three generations of women.

When her grandmother suffers a nasty fall and asks for help managing the family business, coffee-addicted single mother Veronica Blackthorne moves her sixteen-year-old rom-com-obsessed daughter to Mystic Hollow, Connecticut. Veronica is ecstatic to return to New England, but when she arrives, she quickly finds out that Mystic Hollow Books, her grandmother’s pride and joy, needs more than a little TLC.

Hoping to save the bookstore from a big-box rival, Veronica enlists her sometimes mentor and sometimes crush, Adam Whitford, a controversial but popular author, as the keynote speaker to kick off a literary festival that will hopefully bring in a new wave of customers. But when Adam turns up dead, all that romantic potential turns into a nightmare as Veronica becomes the prime suspect in his murder.

As the local sheriff investigates his murder, Veronica decides to take matters into her own hands to solve the case and clear her name. With the bookstore’s future on the line, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Until her gran reveals the biggest secret of all—the bookstore is magical, and it was a botched love spell that led to this entire mess.

Witty and heartfelt, this mystery explores the price of magic and how it might be more hefty than one can hope, perfect for fans of Amanda Flower and Nina Simon.

Served Him Right by Lisa Unger

A woman’s brunch with friends quickly turns dark in this gripping thriller from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger

Ana Blacksmith has gathered her closest friends and sister Vera for a brunch to celebrate her recent breakup from her boyfriend Paul. But when shocking news about Paul arrives, all eyes are on Ana, the angry ex with a bad reputation. Suspicions only intensify when Ana’s best friend falls deathly ill after the brunch.

But Ana is not the only one who had a score to settle with Paul. As the investigation unfolds, rumors of a secret network that uses ancient methods to obtain justice begin to emerge. Vengeance is sweet, but it can also be deadly. Ana and Vera are determined to find the truth before Ana takes the fall and their own long-buried history comes to light.

The Descendant by Linda Stasi

The story of an Italian immigrant family in the Wild West whose crazy, brave, and magical women overcame impossible odds to become bootleggers, brides—and Mafia bosses.

This based-on-real-events novel tells the story of the family that possibly inspired The Godfather—except this story doesn’t begin with a small robbery in New York. Instead, The Descendant begins with a big, blooming love in the tiny town of Lucca Sicula, Sicily. Told through the lives of the strong Italian women who fought against impossible odds, this historically inspired narrative introduces a whole cast of fascinating characters.

Mariano Barbera was a strong, powerfully built man who saw tiny fourteen-year-old Maria Ragusa at her family’s store and was struck dumb. He had to have her, and she wanted him just as badly. Their life together leads the couple and their children from earthquake-ravaged Sicily to bondage in the mines of Colorado, to cattle ranching in Pueblo, to Mafia life on the mean streets of Red Hook, Brooklyn.

This sweeping family saga centers around the Barberas’ ten children from their three cowboy gangster sons, Peter, Joe, and Austin to their seven wildly different cowgirl daughters. First there’s little Flo—born on the night of the wolves and whose own alpha wolf never left her side—as she navigates life alongside her best pal and younger sister, Clara. Then there’s Flo’s many older sisters: Carrie, who loved and lost; Angie, who loved and left; gorgeous Laura, who loved the wrong man; grouchy but brilliant Helen, who loved many times; and tough-as-nails wrangler Giulia, who loved a woman more than the husband she was forced to marry.

The Descendant is not just the story of how the Mountain Mafia began in the United States. This is the story of a family of scrappy, tough, smart folks who refused to let all the power in the world keep them down.

The Fox and the Devil by Kiersten White

An obsession with an immortal serial killer entangles a vampire hunter’s daughter in a sapphic romance in this enthralling gothic fantasy from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lucy Undying.

Anneke has a complicated relationship with her father, Abraham Van Helsing—doctor, scientist, and madman devoted to the study of vampires—until the night she comes home to find him murdered, with a surreally beautiful woman looming over his body. A woman who leaves no trace behind, other than the dreams and nightmares that now plague Anneke every night.

Spurred by her desire for vengeance and armed with the latest forensic and investigatory techniques, Anneke puts together a team of detectives to catch this mysterious serial killer. Because her father isn’t the only inexplicable dead body. There’s a trail of victims across Europe, and Anneke is certain they’re all connected.

But during the years spent relentlessly hunting the killer, Anneke keeps crucial evidence to herself: infuriatingly coy letters, addressed only to her, occasionally soaked in blood, and always signed Diavola.

The closer Anneke gets to her devil, though, the less sense the world makes. Maybe her father wasn’t a madman after all. Diavola might be something much worse than a serial killer . . . and much harder to destroy. Yet as Anneke unearths more of Diavola’s tragic past, she suspects there’s still a heart somewhere in that undead body.

A heart that beats for Anneke alone.

The A to Z of Everything by Debbie Johnson

“My darlings . . . Not to be too Hollywood about this, but if you’re watching this tape, that can mean only one thing: I have shuffled off this mortal coil . . . and you two are going to need each other more than ever. You need to set aside your differences and look out for each other—just like you always used to.”

Poppy and Rose used to be close as sisters could be—until everything went wrong. Now in their forties, they haven’t spoken in years. But when their vivacious, glamorous, powerhouse of a mother dies, they are both faced with the shock of grief. However, their mother was not one to go shrinking into the night. No, their mother, Andrea, has left them a project to work on together: a sort of scavenger hunt through their lives, which she calls the A to Z of Everything. Her final wish: to heal the fractured relationship between her daughters that broke her heart.

A is for Ashes. C is for champagne. D is for Daddy Issues. But when they get to F for Forgiveness, can they make a start, even when they can barely look at each other?

With Andrea’s wicked sense of humor and wild stories from her acting career, she has left the quest in a series of boxes filled with letters, recordings, videos, mementos, and instructions.

From Liverpool to London and even Paris, the sisters follow the trail toward a glimmer of hope: despite loss, there is room for laughter, love, and healing—and for second chances.

Coming Alive on the Ride by Michael Yang

Answering the call of the open road—from Seoul to Silicon Valley to riding 40,000 life-changing miles across America

When Michael Yang bought his first motorcycle, he was a teenager who’d just moved to America. He knew little English and had few friends. Still, whenever he rode that green Yamaha, he felt more in touch with life’s possibilities. The bike was stolen a few months later, but Yang never forgot the feeling.

It wasn’t until later in life that Yang got back on a motorcycle. By then, he’d settled into Silicon Valley amidst the technology revolution; and founded, scaled, and sold a half-billion-dollar tech startup. Then, during the upheaval of the dot-com bubble burst and a few failed attempts to get new companies off the ground, Yang felt a strong pull to reengage with himself. Sensing that this mid-life crisis was an opportunity to do something fun and exciting, he revved up his bike and began riding into unfamiliar landscapes. Coming Alive on the Ride narrates more than 40,000 miles of his travels, from California’s coast to the upper reaches of Alaska, Canada’s far eastern edge, and more.

One thing about long motorcycle trips is that there’s a lot of time to think. Yang describes the unique bliss of watching the miles pass beneath two wheels as he relives moments from his past—growing up in Korea during the turbulent years after the Korean War, and moving to America as a fourteen-year-old—all the while taking in North America’s astounding scenery, from the stillness of the desert to heart-racing glimpses of a bison herds and grand mountain ranges. Somewhere along the way, it happens: Past experiences and future aspirations converge into a present discovery. This inspiring memoir is a reminder that, if we slow down and tune in our senses, adventure inspires and instructs the way nothing else can.

Mistakes Were Made by Lucy Score

#1 New York Times bestselling author Lucy Score invites you back to Story Lake for a swoon-worthy new small town romcom. Literary agent Zoey is exiled from Manhattan’s publishing scene and trapped in a tiny Pennsylvania town with her BFF and only remaining client, Hazel. All she needs is for Hazel’s next novel to become a hit, and Zoey will be back in New York. Nothing will stand in her way…except her landlord, Gage. He’s smart, serious, and sexy. Worst of all, he’s ready to settle down. Mistakes Were Made is full of emotional twists, slow-burn tension, and Lucy Score’s trademark charm.

No Friend to This House by Natalie Haynes

No Friend to This House is an extraordinary reimagining of the myth of Medea from the New York Times bestselling author of Stone Blind, Natalie Haynes.

This is what no one tells you, in the songs sung about Jason and the Argo. This part of his quest has been forgotten, by everyone but me . . .
Jason and his Argonauts set sail to find the Golden Fleece. The journey is filled with danger, for him and everyone he meets. But if he ever reaches the distant land he seeks, he faces almost certain death.
Medea—priestess, witch, and daughter of a brutal king—has the power to save the life of a stranger. Will she betray her family and her home, and what will she demand in return?
Medea and Jason seize their one chance of a life together, as the gods intend. But their love is steeped in vengeance from the beginning, and no one—not even those closest to them—will be safe.
Based on the classic tragedy by Euripides, this is Medea as you've never seen her before . .

The Dark Time by Nick Petrie

At the suggestion of his girlfriend, June, Peter Ash rides to the aid of an investigative reporter who may have stumbled on a story more explosive than even he can handle in this propulsive new thriller from the bestselling and award-winning series.

Katelyn Thorsen, known as KT to her friends and enemies, is an independent journalist who receives a very specific death threat. Fortunately, Peter Ash has arrived in town to protect KT at the request of his girlfriend, June Cassidy. From the moment of his arrival, he’s thrown into a maelstrom of violence trying to protect KT and her daughter and discover the source of the death threat.

Even after June and Peter’s best friend Lewis arrive in Seattle to help, this challenge may be too much for them - with enormous consequences should they fail.

The Last Celebrity by Madeleine Henry

In front of a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden, a pop star is kidnapped by a mysterious vigilante group called the Nomen. They leave behind a chilling manifesto leveled against the cult of celebrity, and the names of forty-nine other rising stars about to disappear forever, including the bestselling author Fiona Hart.

In THE LAST CELEBRITY by Madeleine Henry (Little A; March 10, 2026), the Nomen’s targets begin to vanish one by one without a trace. Fiona can’t shake the feeling that her every

move—on a public street or even in the privacy of her own apartment—is being watched. Though the world may be gripped by fear, Fiona refuses to let it destroy her.

When Fiona and the other targeted celebrities are cryptically called together by horror writer Cole Harper, they expect to strategize a way forward. Instead, the Nomen infiltrate the gathering and take almost all of its attendees captive, leaving only Fiona. As she unravels the Nomen’s true and twisted motivations, the last celebrity in hiding will risk anything to save herself and those she loves.

In discussing her work, Henry writes, “I was fascinated by celebrity culture, specifically by celebrities who seem more hated than loved. Even the darlings of entertainment can still draw intense venom in the comments sections of any E! News or Entertainment Tonight Instagram post. It’s a place of polarity. So, I started thinking about how that hatred might manifest at the extreme.”

Challenging our thoughts on celebrity worship and culture, Henry has created a mind-bending exploration of cultlike mental manipulations. It is an edge-of-your seat thriller not to be missed.

Blood and Roses by Callie Hart

As one of Seattle’s most dangerous, feared men, Zeth Mayfair always carried out the jobs he’s sent on without a second thought. Drugs? Guns? Dirty money? They’re all fair game. But girls? Girls are another matter entirely. When Zeth’s employer decides buying and selling kidnapped women is a lucrative sideline, Zeth’s usually uncomplicated life suddenly becomes very complicated indeed. And his biggest complication goes by the name of Sloane Romera.

Sloane’s sister is missing, and she needs to find her, yet all doors leading into the seedy world of human trafficking are firmly closed in Sloane’s face. She’s a trauma doctor; she needs information. What she really needs is help…and help presents itself in a most unlikely form. Zeth is terrifying, scandalously hot, and comes fully loaded with a terrible attitude and wicked smile. He also looks like he’s Sloane’s only hope. Can she work with the guy without getting herself killed, losing her job, or falling head over heels in love?

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