Late 2025 Releases to Add to Your TBR

Surprise! I have returned, and I’ve brought all you adorable little bookwyrms a present: some shiny, new releases to add to your TBRs! Oh, sure, I bet you’re thinking, “Thanks, that’s just what I needed,” in that sarcastic tone you do so well. And you’re welcome. I’m choosing to ignore the sarcasm for now.

Okay, sure, I know that all of our TBRs runneth over at this point. If you’re like me, you’re likely already woefully behind since life has just jumped right up and given you a high five straight to the face. And that’s okay. TBRs are aspirational, not merely a to-do list. So consider this your permission to go ahead and add all the books you want to it. (Pssst . . . I don’t know who needs to hear this . . . but it’s also totally okay to remove books from your TBR, too! Thank you for coming to my TEDx Talk.)

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is late 2025 releases that you definitely should add to your already egregiously large TBR. Because it’s good to have goals. Heck, aim big. No, bigger. Eh, you can squeeze a few more books in there still!

I’ll be very frank: I’ve been an absolutely lousy blogger this year. At the end of the day, I don’t always feel like I have bandwidth left for one more thing. But something I always have bandwidth for is staying on top of all the wonderful books that are coming out! So if you get to any of these books before I do, think of me . . . and then come back and yell at me to read them!

The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy

Osric Mordaunt, member of the Fyren Order of assassins, is in dire need of healing. Naturally – such is the grim comedy of fate – the only healer who can help is Aurienne Fairhrim, preeminent scientist, bastion of moral good, and member of an enemy Order.

Aurienne is desperate for funding to heal the sick – so desperate that, when Osric bribes her to help him, she accepts, even if she detests him and everything he stands for.

A forced collaboration ensues: the brilliant Woman in STEM is coerced into working with the PhD in Murders, much to Aurienne’s disgust. As Osric and Aurienne work together to heal his illness and investigate the mysterious reoccurrence of a deadly pox, they find themselves ardently denying their attraction, which only fuels the heat between them.

Why you should add it to your TBR:

• Ummm . . . that title, for starters?! Duh!
• Slow burn enemies-to-lovers romantasy (y’know, the best romance tropes)
• Includes the evisceration as a love language trope (because sometimes love hurts!)
• Hypercompetent idiots! (Our favorite type of idiot, right?)
• Badass women in STEM

Accomplice to the Villain

REWARD OFFERED: Apprentice to The Villain wanted for treason (light), magical property damage (alleged), and one incident involving a weaponized scone (accurate). Frequently seen with a grumpy frog (crowned, judgmental). Answers to “Evie” or “Stop that.”

Evie Sage didn’t mean to become the right-hand woman to the kingdom’s most terrifying villain. One minute, she was applying for an entry-level position that promised “light paperwork and occasional beheadings,” and the next, she was knee-deep in magical mayhem, murder plots, and an entirely inappropriate crush on her brooding, sharp-jawed, walking disaster of a boss.

Now, with a magical prophecy unraveling, assassins showing up in the break room, and a suspicious amount of frogs wearing crowns, Evie has to figure out how to survive her job without setting the kingdom on fire—or her dignity, which is hanging by a very sarcastic thread.

Being evil-adjacent was never part of the five-year plan. But then again…neither was falling for The Villain.

Why you should add it to your TBR:

• The final book in one of my all-time favorite series!
• Do it for me! (If not for me . . . do it for Evie. Because she deserves it.)
• The Office style humor and hijinks
• Totally lovable (and slightly incompetent, though well-meaning) squad
• Utterly adorable frog sidekick
• Slow burn romance
• Snarkiness and banter

The Bone Raiders

You don’t mess with the Rakada. The people living in the Great Grass call them the Bone Raiders, from their charming habit of displaying the bones of those they kill on their horses and armor.

But being a raider is tough these days. There’s a new High Chieftain ruling the Grass. He’s had it with the raider clans, and plans to use his sizeable military to do something about it. And then there are the fire-breathing lizards the size of elephants – one of which happens to turn up in a cute little settlement the Rakada are in the middle of raiding.

Sayana is a Rakada scout, and in the chaos of the raid-gone-wrong, she finds herself on the back of a rampaging araatan. Whoops. In a panic, she discovers she can steer it, like you would a horse. It’s frankly amazing she survives any of this. Once Sayana gets an idea into her head, it’s awful hard to dislodge. And now she has a what if the Rakada could swap their horses for araatan? Train the lizards to act as mounts? That would even the odds against the High Chieftain, no?

Why you should add it to your TBR:

• Badass, fierce women right there on the cover
• From one of my favorite authors! (Seriously, I’d read a grocery list if he wrote it.)
• Also, the author of the Frost Files series.
• Displaying the bones of the enemies you’ve slain is an absolutely inspired fashion choice
• Fire-breathing lizards sounds a lot like dragons (please let them be dragons)
• Call it what you want, but that’s definitely a dragon on the cover

Cat Dragon

Welcome to the whimsical world of Tangleroot Valley, where magic thrives in every corner, and witch Aloysia Papplewick tends to her Prattling Pumpkin patch. But there’s one thing Aloysia doesn’t have – her familiar. The magical folk of the valley take flight astride and depend upon their majestic yet adorable companions – cat-dragons. Fluffy yet fierce, playful but protective, each cat-dragon is a unique blend – which is rumoured to say something about the witch or wizard it bonds with, and perhaps even predict their future. Aloysia has failed thirteen times already to bond with her own – until now – and no sooner has she done so than the two of them are whisked away on a quest to protect the valley…

Why you should add it to your TBR:

• Combines two of the best things: cats and dragons
• Also two of the most stubborn, opinionated creatures, so . . . I’m sure nothing could possibly go wrong there
• Look how utterly cute, cozy, and enchantingly fall-ish that cover is!
• Pitched as for fans of Studio Ghibli
• Cottagecore!

Fallen Gods

The legends of the past are never truly dead and buried . . .

Liv Olson has been drawn to Norse Mythology her entire life. After earning her degree and working as a curator at one of New York’s most prestigious museums, she gets an unexpected offer for her dream job in Norway – the same place her brother disappeared months ago – after a cryptic message about finding their long-lost father.

She finds herself surrounded by superstitious townspeople who refuse to even look at the water. Liv soon realizes that the small town of Vonn is nothing like it seems. Shops close before dark, and things she’s only read about seem to suddenly exist. To top it off , her new boss, Tristan, is insultingly mean and engagingly beautiful – and, as part of the job, she must live with him in his mansion.

As her life quickly unravels into chaos, she’s left wondering who’s pulling the strings in this mysterious place where nothing makes sense, yet everything feels familiar.

Her studies have always told her the gods are who you trust. But what happens when the man who’s destined to kill you – is your savior?

Why you should add it to your TBR:

• THAT COVER. *chef’s kiss*
• Norse Mythology (which, y’know, is always a good time)
• Steamy romantasy (if you’re into that sort of thing)
• Why are people who work at museums so good at getting themselves in trouble?!
• (Also, if you take anything away from Norse studies and myths, it’s to never trust the gods. I would like to see this woman’s credentials!)

The Good Vampire’s Guide to Blood and Boyfriends

Heartstopper meets Buffy in this queer paranormal rom-com where a college sophomore must survive becoming a vampire—and the cute boy who discovers his secret.

It’s only natural nineteen-year-old Brennan’s life would be upended by something as ridiculous and unexpected as turning into a vampire. But if there’s one thing Brennan can do, it’s pretend everything’s fine when he’s close to losing his mind. Brennan is nineteen and just clawed his way back to Sturbridge University after recovering from a suicide attempt, and this is not the new life he was hoping for.

Brennan’s newly bloodthirsty existence gets way more complicated when Cole, the super cute librarian and everyone’s campus crush, stumbles on Brennan drinking from a stolen blood bag. Luckily, adorable Cole is happy to keep Brennan’s secret, and even seems to maybe like him? Navigating a new relationship is hard enough without the added struggles of vampire puberty, an eclectic clan of self-proclaimed “good” vampires, and growing feelings for the one person who makes Brennan feel normal. With swirling rumors of a missing student and a rise in strange “animal attacks” near campus, Brennan must uncover the secrets of the clan and figure out how to balance vampirism and humanity, or risk losing the first real friends he’s ever had.

Why you should add it to your TBR:

• Pitched as Heartstopper meets Buffy
• Cute queer paranormal rom com
• Cute librarians! (Aren’t we all?!)

The Entanglement of Rival Wizards

Will they conjure love, or evoke chaos? Two rival wizards are about to find out.

Sebastian Walsh: twenty-four. Grad student at Lesiara University in the Mageus of Evocation program. Human. The first of his family to go to college rather than the military (and it goes over at family get-togethers about as well as you’d think).

Elethior Tourael: also twenty-four. Also a grad student, but in the far more inferior Mageus of Conjuration program. Half-elf. The latest in a long line of Touraels to grace the hallowed halls of Lesiara U (what would the world do if the Touraels ran out of rich douches to lead their magical weapons manufacturing empire?).

―and the other finalist for the Mageus Research Grant.

Sebastian needs that grant to fund the last few months of research for his degree, after which he’ll get a job that actually helps people. He isn’t about to let anyone snatch this from him, least of all a snob who doesn’t even need the money because his family is loaded thanks to war profiteering.

But there’s something worse than having a conceited academic nemesis steal grant money from you: you could be forced to work with him. Thio is secretive, broody, and his stunning biceps take up far too much shared lab space―but even as volatile as their partnership is, Sebastian just might find himself falling for his rival―and it could blow up his whole future.

Why you should add it to your TBR:

• Queer enemies-to-lovers romantasy
• New series by the author who wrote the Royals and Romance series
• Academic rivalry . . . the nerdiest of rivalries!
• Snark and banter

No Rest for the Wicked

In one Halloween obsessed Midwestern town, everyone’s on red alert after a local politician goes missing. Little do they know it’s only the beginning.

It’s been close to twenty years since forensic pathologist Dolores Hawthorne left her hometown of Little Horton, Wisconsin. The town is famous for its Halloween celebrations, but also its history of violent deaths linked to the holiday. To Dolores, it’s the place she fled, family, bad memories, and all. Until the FBI calls to tell her that her father–the former mayor turned US Senator–is missing under mysterious circumstances.

Some people count to ten to wake up from a nightmare. Dolores always counts the bones of her head sphenoid, frontal, lacrimal. But no matter how many times she counts them, it doesn’t change the fact that her father is missing, that his final words of warning to her were to trust no one, and that now, the rest of her family is giving Dolores a chilling welcome. With Halloween fast approaching, Dolores must face the past she left behind before it’s too late.

Why you should add it to your TBR:

• Perfect for people who always wanted to live in an adultier version of Halloween Town from The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Halloween is an excellent holiday to center a book around
• I’ve had to do the skull-bone-reciting thing for an anthropology class before . . . it’s riveting
• Fun fictional things always happen to forensic pathologists (Pro tip: if you’re ever Isekai’d, make friends with one)
• Horror meets creepy mystery (aka the perfect fall read!)

Witchlore

At Demdike College of Witchcraft, Orlando is an outcast. Not just for being the only shapeshifter in a college of witches. Not just for being a really bad shapeshifter, with no control over their magic or when their body switches between male and female forms. But because their girlfriend Elizabeth died – and it was Lando’s fault.

Then charming new boy Bastian arrives with a proposition: he knows a spell that can raise Elizabeth from the dead. It’s dangerous but Lando will try anything. But as Lando’s attraction to Bastian grows, questions start to arise. Who is Bastian? What does he really want? And who will survive the resurrection spell?

Why you should add it to your TBR:

• Comped to Lex Croucher’s work
• Shapeshifters! (Untalented ones, at that)
• Necromancy!
• Queer romance
• Just look at that gorgeous cover!

Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore

Guy Shadowfade is dead, and after a lifetime as the dark sorcerer’s right-hand, Violet Thistlewaite is determined to start over—not as the fearsome Thornwitch, but as someone kind. Someone better. Someone good.

The quaint town of Dragon’s Rest, Violet decides, will be her second chance—she’ll set down roots, open a flower shop, keep her sentient (mildly homicidal) houseplant in check, and prune dark magic from the twisted boughs of her life.

Violet’s vibrant bouquets and cheerful enchantments soon charm the welcoming townsfolk, though nothing seems to impress the prickly yet dashingly handsome Nathaniel Marsh, an alchemist sharing her greenhouse. With a struggling business and his own second chance seemingly out of reach, Nathaniel has no time for flowers or frippery—and certainly none for the intriguing witch next door.

When a mysterious blight threatens every living plant in Dragon’s Rest, Violet and Nathaniel must work together through their fears, pasts, and growing feelings for one another to save their community. But with a figure from her past knocking at her door and her secrets threatening to uproot everything she’s worked so hard to grow, Violet can’t help but wonder…does a former villain truly deserve a happily-ever-after?

Why you should add it to your TBR:

• Villains are fun, so I’m assuming reformed villains are, too
• Cozy romantasy with sunshine and grumpy trope
• I want to live in a town called Dragon’s Rest. (The dragons better not be a lie!)
• Mildly homicidal house plants (probably avenging all their comrades I’ve killed)
• Dragon on the cover!
• Also, that cover is too freaking cute and utterly cozy

The Library of Fates

The Library of Fates was designed to show you who you are—and who you could become. Its rarest book, The Book of Dark Nights, holds a when you write an intimate confession on its pages, you’ll receive a prediction for your future, penned in your own handwriting.

For Eleanor, whose childhood was defined by a senseless tragedy, the library offers a world where everything makes sense. She’s spent most of her life there as an apprentice to the brilliant librarian, showing other people how to find the meaning of their lives in stories.

But when her mentor dies in a freak accident and The Book of Dark Nights goes missing—along with the secrets written inside—Eleanor is pulled out of the library and into a quest to locate it with the last person she the librarian’s estranged son, Daniel, who Eleanor once loved.

Together, as they hunt down clues from Harvard to Paris, Eleanor and Daniel grow closer again, regaining each other’s trust. But little do they know that they’re entangled in a much larger web. Someone else wants the book, and they’ll go to dark lengths to get it…

Why you should add it to your TBR:

• Libraries and librarians! (I’m slightly biased here.)
• The nerdiest quest ever (and I’m so here for it)
• Badass librarians (and aren’t we all?!)
• The Book of Dark Nights is in irresistible title. We all know no harm ever came from reading a book, right?!

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