Another Tuesday and so another chance to introduce you to new books! These new releases are hitting shelves today, and should probably land on your TBR too.

Let us know in the comments which book release you are most excited for!

I’m switching it up a bit this week. There are a lot of new titles out today, so I focused on romances that you may not have seen on your Instagram feed. If I’ve omitted a title you feel passionate about and think this community will enjoy, please do share it in the comments!

Reminder that I haven't read any of these titles yet, so this isn't an official endorsement unless noted. Click through to read the post on Bindery for my full commentary.

Doomsdate by Laura Piper Lee (Dell) — I am biased because I beta-read this book and make a cameo appearance. It is very funny, sexy and inventive. I would love it even if I didn’t know Laura, but I do and you should listen to our podcast episodes here and here!

10 Things I Hate About Zombies by Hazel Graves (Avon) — Hell yeah, a zombie double feature. In this rom-com our heroes accidentally cause a zombie outbreak with some mishandled mushrooms at a smoothie shop, so that’s a fun twist. 

A Study In Sparkling by Jodi McAlister (Atria) — Jodi is one of those people I feel like I know because we’ve been mutuals on social media forever. She has very good takes, and her latest romance features a heroine falling for a younger man! You may know her from her other novels An Academic Affair and Not Here to Make Friends. 

Love Like No One’s Watching by Alyssa Jarrett (indie) — The finale of Alyssa’s Glam Fam series is here! Following a humiliating breakup, a social media influencer stars in a Bachelor-esque reality dating show. Instead of crushing on any of the cast members, she falls for the CEO of the company sponsoring the program. Oopsie! I’m a big fan of Alyssa’s newsletter about the romance genre, Grumpy + Sunshine. 

A Spell of Heart & Havoc by Kristen Vale (Forever) — Sapphic/queer romantasy about a half-dwarf who infiltrates a wealthy family and falls for their spoiled daughter with a magical secret. LOOK at that beautiful cover.

Keepsakes and Kismet by Farrah Colson (indie) — Reviewers are praising this book’s representation of PTSD and touch-aversion, which I so rarely see in romance and I’m excited to read! 

Thank You for Remembering by Emily Harding (Gallery) — Amnesia romances have fallen out of fashion, but this contemporary romance looks sweet and well-executed. 

Captured By The Werewolf Highwaymen by Eva Leigh (indie) — Look, I'm not going to say no to a historical omegaverse why choose romance written by one of my favorite authors. I started reading this series on the subway and clutched my metaphorical pearls. These highwaymen fuck. I interviewed Eva about blending hist-rom and romantasy last year!

Upcoming Events:

9/30: Launching Happily Ever Afterlife with Emma R. Alban at the Ripped Bodice BK. Tickets here.

10/5: I'm hosting another Romance Read-In to benefit Authors Against Book Bans at Book Club Bar in Manhattan on October 5th at 7:30pm! Tickets just went on sale here. We sold out last time, so don't hesitate. Featured authors include Shelly Jay Shore, Blair Fell, Zakiya N. Jamal, and the one and only Joanna Shupe!

Welcome back to another Read This If You Like That Series. I'm bringing you three more sets of book recs that compliment each other.

If you liked...

The Haar by David Sodergren, you should read Not Like Other Girls by A.L. Goldfuss.

Why? Both feature creatures that come from the sea and form a type of romantic relationship with a character. While The Haar features more of a positive relationship, Not Like Other Girls is more of a toxic relationship.

The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy, you should read A Veritable Household Pet by Viggy Parr Hampton

Why? Both feature women who face challenges with their autonomy with threats of lobotomies.

What Hunger by Catherine Dang, you should read The Eyes Are The Best Part by Monika Kim.

Why? Both feature young women discovering their likes for the taste of "special meat" and experiencing a type of coming of rage.

HAPPY START OF LATINX HERITAGE MONTH, MIS INTERNET AMIGXS!!!

I first want to begin by wishing a Feliz Dia de la Independencia to my Costa Rican, El Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Honduran and Nicaraguense friends! Today, I also want to send solidarity to ALL our Latine countries, many of which are experiencing a 21st century version of the imperialism that has long subjugated our countries.

Our existence IS resistance, even when the sound of celebration is only our own.

This administration has unleashed a coordinated and immoral attack on our communities here in the US, rooted in the racism and enslavement this country was founded on. In the past year, I’ve been called slurs, “reported to ICE”, and taunted more than I have in the previous 11 years I've been online combined and that was just for recommending books by Latinx authors and history. I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I've been hesitant to wear my Latinx t-shirts out and about. I've whispered my Spanish while in public. I've questioned my commitment online to Latinx books. They want our fear and complicity, but I'll be damned if I'll give them mine.

Our joy IS weapon. Never forget that and never stop being proud of who WE are.

I’m so excited for the beginning of the celebrations, but I’ll be honest, you’re not going to see much different on this page. We already read Latinx 365 days of the year here on Bien Leidos.

Speaking of which, have YOU started The Grand Paloma Resort by Cleyvis Natera, our September fiction pick? Our nonfiction sidequest pick goes through October and it's The Latinx Guide to Liberation by Vanessa Pezo. Drop by Discord this month and chat these Latine books with us.

LET'S CLOSE THE PUBLISHING GAP TOGETHER!

Can you upgrade and support me at $5 a month or increase to $12 per month? I’m SOCLOSE to having my own imprint with Bindery and I’d love for that to become a reality this Latinx Heritage Month. I can only do that with your help and support. If you’ve been thinking of supporting Bien Leidos, today is the perfect day to start!

If you can't financially support today, then please SHARE Bien Leidos with your friends, colleagues and loved ones. Whether it be this newsletter or one of my social media posts today. It's through our shared community and vision that we grow and spread the word about Latinx literature!

BIEN LEIDOS BOOK CLUB T-SHIRTS

In case you missed it, WE HAVE T-SHIRTS (Lectores and Libritos members, you have a 15% off coupon code here) and they are SOOOOOO cute! These shirts are LIMITED EDITION. Sale end on September 30th.

Don't let the pink shirt I selected as a sample keep you from picking one up for yourself! I've made sure they are available in an array of colors, styles and sizes to fit all your tastes. 10% of net proceeds go towards the ILRC and all the work they're doing to support immigrants during this time.

AND THE WINNER IS...

Thank you all for voting in yesterday's poll to select which photo to use for Latinx Heritage Month. Things may look a little different when I post on socials in a bit, but just know you impacted my post with your vote and comments! ALSO....

NEW AND IMPROVED BINGO CARD!

I'll be posting more about the bingo card later this week, but here is our NEW AND IMPROVED card for you to download and use the remainder of the year.

AND NOW ON TO TODAY'S RELEASES!!!

We've got a book we missed last week plus THREE that were entered incorrectly for my spreadsheet that I missed for Lectores and Libritos members earlier this month, so LET'S GET STARTED!

Young Adult Novel In Verse

Evamar by Margarita Engle

Anger is Only A Shadow by Elizabeth Acevedo (Audiobook--Elizabeth narrates the audiobook) My gushing review

NONFICITON

Storytelling: A Writing Life by Isabel Allende (Audiobook)

COOKBOOK

Foods of La Frontera: Recipes and New Taste Frontiers from Both Sides of the Border by Pati Jinich

Comemos: Plant-Forward Recipes Celebrating Contemporary Mexican Cuisine by Alejandra Graf

TRANSLATED

Terrestrial by Cristina Rivera Garza and translated by Christina MacSweeney (Audiobook)

Silencio by Clyo Mendoza and translated by Christina McSweeney

FANTASY

Daughter of the Dark by R.J. Valdeperas (Audiobook)

HORROR

Rooted by Leopoldo Gout (Audiobook)

MIDDLE GRADE

Julieta and the Cryptic Rose by Luisana Duarte Armendariz (Audiobook)

MEMOIR

The Flowers Along The Way by Claudia Castro Luna

Bilingual Picture Book

Antonio's New Tacos by Veronica Benavides and Andres Acosta and illustrated by Addy Sonda

Young Adult Fantasy

Wolves of No World: Lobizona and Casadora Romina Garber (Audiobook Lobizona and Cazadora)

xoxo,

Carmen

Book Review

Book Info:

• Book #2 in the silvercloak saga

• Genre: Dark Fantasy (With Romantasy subplot)

• Pages: 522 pages

Ratings:

• Emotional Damage Rating 2/5

• Unputdownable/Binglable rating 3/5

• Mind Bender rating: 3,75/5

• Shock Factor Rating: 3/5

• Pacing Rating: 3/5

• Worlc Building rating: 4/5

• Spice rating 2/5

Remember that famous quote from Friends: "They don't know that we know"
That is the best way I can explain how the plot in this book was! There were secrets and plotting and scheming.

Turncloak picks up right where the first book (Silvercloak) left us. Though L.K. Steven revises what happened and who is who in the book, my little brain struggled to remember who everyone was and what happened in detail in the previous book. So with that said. I highly recommend you re-read the first book, Silvercloak, before tackling Turncloak.

My overall experience reading this book was very enjoyable and it was mostly due to Levan. This, to me, was Levan's book. I thoroughly enjoyed that we got more plot in his POV, and my heart feels a lot for him and how he desperately wants to find comfort and trust in people, and how utterly alone he feels. Every journey and choice each character makes in this book is never crystal clear or morally right (well not everyone) and it makes you think that there is always a bigger picture behind each person's actions.

L.K Steven's world-building is very intricate and detailed, so if you love world-building, this is a perfect read for you. The prose, I would like to describe was very grandiloquent (yes, I had to look up this word), which to me made me disconnect with the writing and storytelling from time to time. Pacing and plot progression-wise, compared to Silvercloak it felt a bit less progressive... I did find myself wishing things would evolve at a larger scale, but I have a feeling that in the third book, things will really kick off, it has not made me lose faith in the series

Would I recommend reading Turncloak? yes I would! The first book introduces the world and characters and the second books has us deep dive into our characters and their journeys. It's not as great as Silvercloak, but I have a feeling this second book is setting us up for something even better in the third book.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!