10 Most Anticipated Books Releasing July-December 2022

July 5, 2022 Top Ten Tuesday 26

Top Ten Tuesday graphic

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature/meme now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. The meme was originally the brainchild of The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Most Anticipated Books Releasing In the Second Half of 2022.

10 Most Anticipated Books Releasing July-December 2022

(OK, there are 11, not 10. But I couldn’t bear to leave any of these off.)

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (Becky Chambers) – 7/12/2022. Gentle, hopeful sci-fi; #2 in the Monk and Robot series. I adored the first novella, A Psalm for the Wild-Built, and can’t wait to listen to the sequel! I already preordered it.

The Secret of Bow Lane (Jennifer Ashley) – 08/02/2022. Historical mystery; #6 in the Kat Holloway series (reviews). The wife of the man whom Victorian cook Kat Holloway once believed herself married to asks Kat to investigate his murder… though Kat believed he had died 12 years earlier. I love this series; they are always on my to-read list.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches (Sangu Mandanna) – 8/23/2022. Contemporary fantasy romance “about an isolated witch whose opportunity to embrace a quirky new family—and a new love—changes the course of her life.” Sounds irresistible!

Murder in Westminster (Vanessa Riley) – 8/30/2022. Historical mystery. “The first in a vibrant, inclusive new historical mystery series…portrays the true diversity of the Regency-era, as a widow whose skin color and notorious family history have left her with few friends she can rely on – just as the local vicar names her the prime suspect in a murder case…” This checks a lot of my boxes: historical mystery, diverse, Regency era, and there might be a faint whiff of romance, especially given the author’s previous books. Though since it’s a mystery series, any potential romance will probably be a slow burn across multiple books.

Marple: Twelve New Mysteries (various authors) – 9/13/2022. Mystery. “A brand new collection of short stories featuring the Queen of Crime’s legendary detective Jane Marple, penned by twelve remarkable bestselling and acclaimed authors” including Alyssa Cole, Val McDermid, Leigh Bardugo, Elly Griffiths, Kate Mosse, and Ruth Ware.

Sweetwater and the Witch (Jayne Castle) – 9/20/2022. SFF paranormal romantic suspense. Castle’s Ghost Hunters/Harmony series is fast-paced, sexy, and fun, if you can suspend your disbelief enough to swallow the world-building. And there are dust bunnies. This is the 15th in the series. (And no, not a real witch, but all the MCs do have very strong psychic powers.)

The Belle of Belgrave Square (Mimi Matthews) – 10/11/2022. Historical romance; book #2 in Matthews’s Belles of London series. “A London heiress rides out to the wilds of the English countryside to honor a marriage of convenience with a mysterious and reclusive stranger.” I loved the first book, The Siren of Sussex.

The Spare Man (Mary Robinette Kowal) – 10/11/2022. Sci-fi mystery; basically The Thin Man in space, with the wife attempting to clear her husband after he is accused of murder aboard a space yacht. I will read anything Kowal writes, and this sounds delightful.

Ship Wrecked (Olivia Dade) – 11/15/2022. Contemporary romance, and the third in Dade’s delightful Spoiler Alert series.

Into the West (Mercedes Lackey) – 11/22/2022. Second in the Founding of Valdemar series, following Beyond (review.) I have been reading the Valdemar series since it came out in the late 1980s, and I enjoyed Beyond (review), so it has been hard to wait for Into the West, especially after several postponements (due to a variety of factors) pushed it from a June release to a projected November release.

The Choice (Nora Roberts) – 11/22/2022. Third in the Dragon Heart Legacy series, which I have been loving; I can’t wait to read it! Basically a “chosen one” narrative featuring a heroine raised in our world, whose unknown heritage makes her both a wielder of magic and the foretold savior of her father’s world, Talamh. And there are dragons!

Honorable Mention

These books only barely missed the cut, and on another day, any of them might have replaced one of the titles above. The Celia Lake books absolutely would have been on the list above, if they had covers and links at this point. (Her books generally don’t show up on Goodreads until they are actually published.)

  • Mistress of Birds (Celia Lake) – August 2022. Thoughtful, gentle historical fantasy romance
  • A Dreadful Splendor (B. R. Myers) – 8/23/2022. “Imaginative and ghoulishly fun Gothic murder mystery brimming with romance, betrayals, and chills”
  • The Librarian of Crooked Lane (C. J. Archer) – 9/6/2022. Gaslight fantasy mystery/romance about “a librarian with a mysterious past, a war hero with a secret, and the heist of a magic painting”
  • The Kiss Curse (Erin Sterling) – 9/20/2022. Contemporary fantasy romance; sequel to The Ex Hex (review)
  • Because I Could Not Stop For Death (Amanda Flower) – 9/20/2022. Historical mystery featuring Emily Dickinson
  • Station Eternity (Mur Lafferty) – 10/04/2022. Science fiction mystery
  • Best Foot Forward (Celia Lake) – November 2022. Thoughtful, gentle historical fantasy romance
  • The Reluctant Countess (Eloisa James) – 11/29/2022. Historical romance; #2 in the Would-Be Wallflowers series

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26 Responses to “10 Most Anticipated Books Releasing July-December 2022”

  1. Angela

    Marple looks interesting – I’ve enjoyed Ruth Ware’s books, so a short story from her could be good!

  10. Jenni Elyse

    I didn’t realize that other authors were writing stories with Agatha Christie’s characters. That sounds really interesting. I wonder if they’ll be as good? I hope you enjoy all of these. 😀
    Jenni Elyse recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday #25My Profile

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      I’m interested to see how well the various authors do with the character, and whether they try to write in Christie’s style or their own.

  11. Jaime

    I’m curious about the Marple book since Leigh Bardugo is one of the authors, even though I’m not familiar with the original character/books.

    I hope you get to read all of these 🙂

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      I suspect the Miss Marple collection will work best for people who are already familiar with the character through Agatha Christie’s books, but who knows? Maybe it will introduce some new readers to her!

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      I know, me too! I will probably go back and reread the first two books before The Choice comes out, so I have all the relevant details in my head.

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      You read more UF than I do; I find some of it a bit dark for me, especially these days. But there are some series I love, and should get back to (Iron Druid, Innkeeper, a couple of others), and I’m open to trying new series if they aren’t too dark. And I’m definitely interested to see what other mysteries you have on your tbr!

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      I have loved both the Becky Chambers books I have read so far. I can’t wait for the second Monk & Robot book, and I want to read the second and third books in her Wayfarers trilogy as well.

  16. Berls

    YES to Ship Wrecked! I think I have it pre-ordered? Oh I better double check. Really looking forward to it!

  18. Katherine

    I’m so excited about The Choice! I’m not sure about the Miss Marple stories. I’ve gone back and forth on getting them vs not and finally decided to just wait for reviews. I like Sophie Hannah’s Poirot books but Miss Marple just feels more special. Good luck with your reading!

  19. CurlyGeek

    I’m excited to read A Prayer for the Crown Shy, I loved the first one. I also want to read the Belles of London series. Witchy romances seem to be a thing now and I won’t complain about that (I really liked Not The Witch You Wed). Also need to read Olivia Dade.