Unboxing My Latest Book Haul
Book Mail: A Roundup of the Book Mail I Received Last Week
There’s something wonderfully poetic about book mail arriving in late December—as if the year itself wanted to end on the perfect note. My TBR pile has grown into a cozy monument to possibility, thanks to a book haul brimming with new book releases just begging to be read before the clock strikes midnight. Each package carried thoughtful book recommendations, reminders from fellow readers that the best stories always find you when you need them most. With so many titles that could easily become the best books of 2025, it feels like the universe is wrapping up the year in paper and ink, tied neatly with a ribbon of anticipation for everything still to come.
Where to Buy These Books:
I want to note that I do not get paid to do these posts, I just love authors and the book industry. However, they do take time and energy to create. If you want to donate a few dollars to my coffee fund, which keeps this blog going, you can do so here: https://venmo.com/AshleyHasty or here: http://paypal.me/hastybooklist.
This Week’s Book Mail Includes:
Society Women by Adriane Leigh – A razor-sharp psychological thriller where privilege masks cruelty, and buried family secrets ignite a dangerous game of power, betrayal, and revenge.
Daughter of Genoa by Kat Devereaux – Inspired by true events, this sweeping WWII story follows a brave young woman who risks her life forging identities, smuggling refugees, and falling in love inside a daring underground rescue network.
The Good Girl Effect by Sara Cate – A forbidden, high-heat romance about grief, desire, and temptation, where a live-in nanny and a broken single father discover that surrender might be the most dangerous risk of all.
Happy Habits by Tal Ben-Shahar – An approachable guide to lasting happiness and change, showing how small, intentional habits can quietly transform your life without overwhelm.
Bed Chemistry by Elizabeth McKenzie – A fake-relationship, only-one-bed romance full of sizzling tension, awkward proximity, and the very real danger of catching feelings.
The Curse of the Cole Women by Marielle Thompson – A haunting gothic novel of magic and fate, where three generations of women confront a deadly legacy tied to love, the sea, and the stories society tells about them.
Dead Set on You by Lexi Alexander – Enemies-to-lovers meets the paranormal when a workaholic wakes up as a ghost—and her only hope is the rival she can’t decide whether to strangle or kiss.
The Fire by Cecilia Sala – An urgent, intimate portrait of young people risking everything for freedom, told through immersive reporting from the world’s most volatile conflicts.
Where the Wildflowers Grow by Terah Shelton Harris – A powerful story of trauma, found family, and redemption, as a survivor on the run discovers healing in an unexpected rural sanctuary.
Small Town Girls by Jayne Anne Phillips – A tender, luminous memoir reflecting on girlhood, motherhood, and memory, rooted in the people and landscapes that shaped a Pulitzer Prize–winning voice.
The World Is My Mirror by Riza Rasco – A brave, soul-searching memoir of grief and reinvention, tracing one woman’s journey across the globe as she rebuilds herself piece by piece.
A Ghastly Catastrophe by Deanna Raybourn – Veronica Speedwell returns in a delightfully dangerous mystery involving secret societies, immortality seekers, and a crime-solving duo suddenly hunted themselves.
The Below by Scott T. Miller – A high-stakes science-fiction thriller set in a towering future Hawai‘i, where buried conspiracies, forbidden technology, and one impossible friendship threaten humanity’s last refuge.
Love and Other Monsters by Emily Franklin – A bold feminist reimagining of Frankenstein’s origins, giving voice to the brilliant, overlooked woman whose story history erased.
Murder by Muffin by Rosie A. Point – A cozy, clue-filled mystery where a bookstore owner must solve a deliciously dangerous crime before her baker friend takes the fall.
Artifacts by Natalie Lemle – A gripping debut that dives behind museum glass, unraveling love, loss, and looted treasures across timelines—and asking who truly owns the past.
The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton by Jennifer N. Brown – A chilling dual-timeline mystery where an ancient manuscript, academic ambition, and murder collide inside a haunted English manor.
Caput Mundi by B.R. Kang – A thrilling fantasy adventure about identity and courage, where a young shapeshaper must choose between belonging and standing up to the person he loves most.
Watch Us Fall by Christina Kovac – A dark, propulsive mystery that exposes the dangerous secrets and quiet cruelty hidden inside an elite circle of female friendship.
Illusions of Trust by Jeffrey S. Stephens – A layered legal thriller where a glamorous divorce case pulls an attorney into a deadly maze of corruption, murder, and power at the highest levels.

