2026 Release Archives - Page 2 of 3

Book Review:: Over and Over | Becky Hunter

So it turns out I’m a sucker for love stories through time (who knew there were so many of them?!), but this one has a twist on whatever standard there may be. It’s fully contemporary romance, there is no time travel — there are but the smallest hints of past lives, and they seem to be pointing Lissa toward a guy she recently met. A guy she really shouldn’t have any feelings for, but can’t seem to stop herself.

Lissa meets Ash through the guy she’s casually sleeping with at work. That is, after Ash saves her life on the street. She’s in a pretty dark place, being the anniversary of her sister’s death, and despite not getting off on the right foot, every time they run into one another, there’s this undeniable…something.

This book is mostly about grief, or more specifically, unprocessed grief. Lissa has a lot of healing to do with her family surrounding her sister’s death, and out of nowhere she starts getting these weird flashes of almost…memories. It gets bad enough that she searches out help for someone who specializes in past lives, even though she feels foolish for doing so.

I would call this a high concept novel, and the author stays true to her vision. I’m just not sure it entirely worked on me. It felt like a tall order, tying in the past life passages and trying to relate them to the current timeline. I would get more specific, but that feels like stepping into spoiler territory.

Don’t choose this book if you’re looking for a sweeping romance that covers generations. Don’t choose this book if you’re heavy into the metaphysics of it all. Do choose this book if you enjoy complex stories about grief and unlearning negative stories about yourself. There is a worthwhile journey in the pages of this book, it’s just not really the one that was promised.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Over and Over
Author:: Becky Hunter
Genre:: Speculative Romance
Publisher:: Forever
Length:: 400 pages
Published:: February 24th, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

The Book of Lost Hours | Hayley Gelfuso
PS I Hate You | Lauren Connolly
Work in Progress | Kat Mackenzie

Book Review:: Rules of the Heart | Janice Hadlow

Have you ever been swept up in an engrossing historical timepiece that runs on romance? If not, you need to pick up Rules of the Heart by Janice Hadlow. If you have, you’ll understand exactly why I’m telling you to pick up Rules of the Heart by Janice Hadlow. Lady Harriet Bessborough is a triumph and Hadlow structures her story in a way that keeps your heart in your throat the entire time.

Rules of the Heart by Janice Hadlow Book Cover

What can I say about this book? I certainly didn’t expect to be under its spell so quickly and entirely. I tend to enjoy an odd historical novel here and there, but rarely am I gripped by them the way this one gripped me.

There is passion, risk to reputation, promises and broken promises, jealousy, heartbreak, motherhood, friendship, protection, longing, betrayal, guilt, and love, so much genuine love it cannot be stopped, despite the risks and unconventionalities.

To be honest, I read this book months ago, and I still think about it. It is one of those haunting stories based on real-world characters and their lives that might seem flat if encountering them in a textbook format, but writers like Hadlow bring those often-flat biographies and paint them with vivid, exquisite detail in novels like this one.

Please don’t miss this. Even if you think you don’t like historical novels. This one is a straight banger.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title::Rules of the Heart
Author::Janice Hadlow
Genre::Historical Fiction
Publisher::Henry Holt & Company
Length:: 480 pages
Published::January 20th, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Daughter of Ruins | Yvette Manessis Corporon
The Cheesemaker’s Daughter | Kristin Vukovic
Babylonia | Costanza Casati
Buckeye | Patrick Ryan

Book Review:: The Storm | Rachel Hawkins

You can rely on Rachel Hawkins to deliver a compelling story replete with tension you can feel in your chest. This one is about murder in a tiny coastal town.

In 1984 there was a famous murder in St. Menard’s Bay. Well, probably. When a body turns up after a hurricane, probably someone murdered him and let the storm take care of the evidence. But no one can prove it. The accusation, though, follows around the girl everyone suspects. We get flashes of the timeline of events leading up to that supposed crime of the past, while the contemporary story takes place on top of it: a crime podcaster coming around to poke his nose into the case.

You can feel the tension in this book like you are there, waiting in the dense, still humidity, waiting on the hurricane to hit. The dual timeline structure isn’t new for Hawkins (The Villa felt fairly similar for structure), but boy, it’s effective. For me there was enough intrigue to pull me through both timelines without losing momentum, and the finale was surprising and also completely inevitable, the way the best ones always are.

I will read anything Rachel Hawkins publishes. She’s a wonder, and this story was no exception. Do with that what you will!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title::The Storm
Author::Rachel Hawkins
Genre::Mystery Suspense Thriller
Publisher::St. Martin’s Press
Length:: 258 pages
Published::January 6th, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

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Book Review:: Ship of Dreams | Donna Jones Alward

Sometimes I wonder how the next generations will remember the disaster that was The Titanic. Books like this one carry the story forward, to guard against letting it slip into the sands of time.

Ship of Dreams by Donna Jones Alward Book Cover

Hannah is traveling aboard the Titanic with her husband, who must go to America for business. Their marriage is at a breaking point, and she has a secret to tell him if they are ever to repair. For bravery, she invites her best friend Louisa to join her, who will do almost anything to get out from underneath the control of her parents, who want her to marry someone she does not love. Louisa, recklessly, writes to a triste of hers that she will be aboard, and he surprises her once she boards.

Between the marital drama, and Louisa’s reckless but passionate behavior, the early pages of this book are propelled with the need to know what happens next. But we all know what happens eventually in a story like this one.

While tragic, this is a story about survivorship, about confronting things even when they’re hard. About acceptance, and being accepted. About the friendships that sustain us through the most difficult times of our lives. And about love, how it moves through us, and the scars it leaves behind.

I personally feel like the feminist angle was forced maybe a little too hard, though of course this was a major issue being examined at the time. At times it just felt forced, if you know what I mean.

Overall, though, this was an emotional book, and I really enjoyed reading it.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Ship of Dreams
Author:: Donna Jones Alward
Genre:: Historical Fiction
Publisher:: One More Chapter
Length:: 384 pages
Published:: March 31st, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Rules of the Heart | Janice Hadlow
Buckeye | Patrick Ryan
The Cheesemaker’s Daughter | Kristin Vukovic

Book Review:: Undimmed | Cecily Mak

The best thing about this book is the framing that it is for everyone. You don’t have to declare your problems or label them as a disease or anything else. You can just look at your life, and try to objectively find the places that are dimming you, then deal with them.

Undimmed by Cecily Mak Book Cover, single golden feather floating down

A Dimmer is something we use as a crutch, to self-soothe, to hide from pain. It can be anything, social media, food, alcohol, maybe a certain friend that lets you exercise a part of yourself that doesn’t, ultimately, feel good.

Once they are identified, you can dig deeper and find the roots of why you behave this way, and work on that forgiveness…and release yourself from that vice.

Now back to that thing I like most about this. It’s a SELF-HELP book, as in, you can help yourself through this process. It’s a perpetual self-audit. A scan of your habits to see what is serving you and what really isn’t, and gives you new perspectives to make changes.

This is a book for people who don’t like labels. If you don’t want to be called an ‘addict’ for the rest of your life (and maybe you’re not), and that is your hesitancy toward a formal program, that’s okay, and this book is for you.

Work on ourselves is so important, and this book really gave me a lot to think about.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title::Undimmed: The Eight Awarenesses for Freedom from Unwanted Habits
Author::Cecily Mak
Genre::Personal Development
Publisher::Flatiron Books
Length:: 256 pages
Published::January 6th, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

Book Review:: Handle With Care | Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

This book is like, if locked-room mystery was a thriller, and the psychology of everyone in the room is the story. In other words: excellent.

Handle With Care by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen Book Cover

This is my second title by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen, and I already knew after Every Moment Since that I’d read everything she put out. This one is a very different vibe, but still under the same sort of suspense umbrella. (Also, LOOK at that cover! *drools*)

This is a story about an impromptu hostage situation at the united states postal service. It’s told by an omniscient, present-tense narrator that give the entire thing a very unique vibe, and it is organized into the parts of a letter.

If you read the ‘header’ you won’t be able to stop. It’s too good. It’s stunningly good. I’d even say an intro like that is a masterwork. It got me, hook, line, and sinker.

In a thriller, it’s especially important to avoid any spoilers. Discovering the story is the joy of it. So I won’t. Maybe I’ll just stop here, actually. The shortest review ever written! But if you do read it, and I really think you should, just don’t forget…

This is a story of hope.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Handle With Care
Author:: Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
Genre:: Suspense Thriller
Publisher:: Thomas Nelson
Length:: 288 pages
Published::April 14th, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Every Moment Since | Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
The Unraveling of Julia | Lisa Scottoline
The Night We Lost Him | Laura Dave

Book Review:: Caller Unknown | Gillian McAllister

Love makes fools of us all, and we all know nothing is stronger than a mother’s love. Simone and Lucy just wanted to have a nice mother-daughter holiday camping in the west Texas desert.

Note to self: never book a holiday in west Texas.

Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister Book Cover

Lucy is snatched from her bed in the middle of the night, with nothing but an outdated flip phone in her place. When it rings, it’s an unknown caller, and they’ve ransomed her daughter. Simone and Lucy are in a time of transition. Lucy is preparing to go off to college, and Simone is feeling the absence of her more than ever, making the ache of intense love only a mother can understand more tender than ever. Perhaps it is this specific texture of feeling that leads to what happens next.

What would you do, when pressed into a corner, to recover one you love?

Gillian McAllister is so good at what she does. Her thrillers have an atmosphere and a desperation and a logic that propels you through the pages relentlessly. It’s a story about familial love, it’s a story of desperation, it’s a story about having to move without knowing if it’s safe, where it’s safe, or who is safe.

Don’t miss it.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title::Caller Unknown
Author::Gillian McAllister
Genre:: Thriller
Publisher:: Willam Morrow
Length:: 336 pages
Published::May 5th, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Book Review:: Maybe It’s Fate | Heidi McLaughlin

Oh, how I adored every single minute of this book, with tears in my eyes the entire time. My heart was in my hands through the whole unfolding of this story, and it hurt so dang good.

Maybe It's Fate by Heidi McLaughlin Book Cover

Toni and Miri have been friends forever. Not just friends — sisters. Miri hasn’t had the easiest ride through life, and when she calls Toni with her latest crisis, she drops everything and goes to her, like any sister would.

Miri has two kids, great, wonderful, beautiful kids, and she has cancer. The bad kind (as if any could be good). As the entire family, including Toni and her mother, who also love Miri, and the community of the little town she lives in, adjusts to this new reality, emotions are flying all over the place. Well, they were for me.

I had to pause and set down this book, kind of frequently, because my heart just hurt too much. When I say I was on the edge of tears the whole time, I mean it. As a mother myself, this was hard to fathom…but I promise you, it’s worth all the heartache.

This is an uplifting, positive book. It’s about hope and the beauty of love as much as it is about loss and acceptance. It’s about finding your path, even when it looks entirely different than what you always imagined it to be. It’s about community and support and the most beautiful parts of humanity.

It’s really quite stunning.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Maybe It’s Fate
Author:: Heidi McLaughlin
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Montlake
Length:: 306 pages
Published:: April 1st, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Colton Gentry’s Third Act | Jeff Zentner
Promise Me Sunshine | Cara Bastone
32 Days in May | Betty Corrello
Swept Away | Beth O’Leary

Book Review:: If Only You Knew | Ellie K. Wilde

Man, sometimes you gotta go back to a genuine sports romance novel, and If Only You Knew by Ellie K. Wilde really fits the bill (also it’s part of a standalone series so if you like it, there’s more).

If Only You Knew by Ellie K Wilde Book Cover

Parker and Summer are the ultimate friends to lovers indulgence. They’ve been friends forever, but for their own reasons, have never really considered that they may just be exactly who they’re looking for.

Physical therapist and competitive surfer Summer is sick of dating, starting to think there was nothing but duds out there. Parker has a reputation and has never been one for a serious relationship.

Their story finding their way to one another is full of twists and turns and a little bit of heartbreak, and starts when the agree to help matchmake one another. Who knows them better than their best friend, after all?

Like the rest of the books in this series (and indeed the sports romance genre in general), this book is very spicy. Like, four cayenne peppers spicy. Very explicit! There, you’ve been warned.

Wilde is really good at matching up her heroes and heroines, and their backstories always play into unlocking them to love. It’s such a satisfying feeling for the reader.

So, do I recommend? Absolutely! Grab yourself a copy to bring some sunshine into your winter blues.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: If Only You Knew (Oakwood Bay #3)
Author:: Ellie K. Wilde
Genre:: Sports Romance
Publisher:: Atria Books
Length:: 400 pages
Published:: February 17th, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Checking it Twice | Kendall Ryan
Revolve | Bal Khabra
Pitcher Perfect | Tessa Bailey

Book Review:: Graceless Heart | Isabel Ibanez

Isabel Ibanez is on my watch list. I’ve truly loved some of her work in the past, so I wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to read her newest book, Graceless Heart.

Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibanez Book Cover

Moving from Egypt in her previous historical fantasy series, this one takes place in Italy, a setting replete with historical potential.

It took a hot minute for the story to grab me, and I still felt like I was sort of bashing my way through a jungle of vines in order to get to the good stuff.

But the good stuff was good. Saturnino was one of those characters where you weren’t entirely sure the entire time if he was someone you could trust. Ibanez is so good at this morally ambiguous love interests! And the finale at the end of the book was truly fascinating and memorable.

If you are new to Ibanez I would honestly recommend her previous duology, beginning with What the River Knows, over this. I found it more immersive and chalk full of adventure and mystery I was more interested in. This one just felt a little too heavy with extraneous world building/political details that, while they may pay off eventually, also had an adverse effect on the story this novel could have been. As a writer myself, I understand the impulse to show off the impeccable world you’ve crafted that the story fits inside of…there just wasn’t enough, as a reader, to grab onto and really care about all those tracks.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Graceless Heart (The Spellbound History Quartet #1)
Author:: Isabel Ibanez
Genre:: Historical Fantasy
Publisher:: Saturday Books
Length:: 488 pages
Published:: January 13th, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Tag: 2026 Release

Book Review:: Over and Over | Becky Hunter

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Book Review:: Rules of the Heart | Janice Hadlow

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Book Review:: The Storm | Rachel Hawkins

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Book Review:: Ship of Dreams | Donna Jones Alward

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Book Review:: Undimmed | Cecily Mak

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Book Review:: Handle With Care | Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

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Book Review:: Caller Unknown | Gillian McAllister

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Book Review:: Maybe It’s Fate | Heidi McLaughlin

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Book Review:: If Only You Knew | Ellie K. Wilde

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Book Review:: Graceless Heart | Isabel Ibanez

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