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I’ve seen a lot of content creators do these predictions lists and recently I saw Megan (megwithbooks) do a reaction to her last 5⭐ predictions list going through the actual ratings she gave the books, which inspired me to do my own! So for this post, this is my TBR.
I have decided to do 10 books as it’s a nice round number and I have categorised the books into their genre – Historical Romance || Mystery/Horror || Fantasy – as these are the main genres that I have been enjoying the most recently (not including non-fiction as I don’t tend to rate those considering the content etc.).
For context, I have given ratings to 24 books so far this year and my average rating is 4.14⭐
5⭐ reads so far this year:
HISTORICAL ROMANCE
The Secret Service of Tea and Treason; India Holton
“When rumours of an assassination plot against the Queen begin to circulate, Alice is immediately assigned to the case. However, she won’t be working alone.
Enter Daniel Bixby. Unflappable master spy and Alice’s greatest rival. Together they must assume the identity of husband and wife in order to gain access to the traitor party. Alice is determined to remain professional.
But when an attraction starts to grow there may be more at stake than just the throne…”
storygraph
This is the third (and final?) book in the Dangerous Damsel’s series and I love them so much! Holton has such a great fun writing style and she uses classic book references in such a charming way. I laughed out loud reading the previous two books and I have no doubt that I will do the same with this one.
The previous romances have been great and I love a fake relationship and they’ve all been unlikely pairings (*soft* enemies to lovers if you will)! I am 100% sure I will rate The Secret Service of Tea and Treason 5⭐.
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Brazen and the Beast; Sarah MacLean
“When Lady Henrietta Sedley declares her twenty-ninth year her own, she has plans to inherit her father’s business, to make her own fortune, and to live her own life. But first, she intends to experience a taste of the pleasure she’ll forgo as a confirmed spinster. Everything is going perfectly… until she discovers the most beautiful man she’s ever seen tied up in her carriage and threatening to ruin the Year of Hattie before it’s even begun.
He is more than happy to offer Hattie all she desires… for a price. Soon, Hattie and Whit find themselves rivals in business and pleasure. She won’t give up her plans; he won’t give up his power… and neither of them sees that if they’re not careful, they’ll have no choice but to give up everything… including their hearts.”
Storygraph
I read the first book in the Bareknuckle Bastard’s series – Wicked and the Wallflower – last year and I loved it! I do find that the historical romance genre is pretty wild and dramatic, but that first book was on a different level and I ate it up.
I liked Whit in the first book and I’m excited to see him develop and have more personality as he felt rather closed off for the most part. And considering the plot in the first book, I’m looking forward to seeing the other characters again as I’m sure they will be involved ♥ I think it will also be fun to read about a female protagonist who is the same age as me!
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To Have and to Hoax; Martha Waters
“Five years ago, Lady Violet Grey and Lord James Audley met, fell in love, and got married. Four years ago, they had a fight to end all fights, and have barely spoken since.
But when Violet receives a letter that James has been thrown from his horse and rendered unconscious at their country estate, she races to be by his side—only to discover him alive and well…
Wanting to teach her estranged husband a lesson, Violet decides to feign an illness of her own. James quickly sees through it, but he decides to play along in an ever-escalating game of manipulation… —and a lot of flirtation between a husband and wife who might not hate each other as much as they thought.”
Storygraph
Tell me that you read the above and now don’t immediately want to read this!
You have no idea how excited I am as this plot sounds absolutely ridiculous. Am I a little concerned that I may find Violet a bit unsufferable? Possibly… but do I also think her pettiness will endear her to me? Yes 😂
MYSTERY/HORROR
The Red Palace; June Hur
“To enter the palace means to walk a path stained in blood…
Joseon (Korea), 1758. There are few options available to illegitimate daughters in the capital city, but through hard work and study, eighteen-year-old Hyeon has earned a position as a palace nurse. All she wants is to keep her head down, do a good job, and perhaps finally win her estranged father’s approval.
But Hyeon is suddenly thrust into the dark and dangerous world of court politics when someone murders four women in a single night, and the prime suspect is Hyeon’s closest friend and mentor. Determined to prove her beloved teacher’s innocence, Hyeon launches her own secret investigation.”
Storygraph
The Red Palace has been on my tbr since it came out in 2022 and I have been really excited to read it, but for for some reason I’m so intimidated…
This book is inspired by the real life figure of Crown Prince Sado and I’m hoping this will give me the same emotions I have while watching a sageuk drama. And by the “same emotions” I mean all the emotions!
Super excited to get to this one and June Hur makes a public playlist for all her books which I’m also excited about exploring.
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Slewfoot: A Tale of Witchery; Brom
“Connecticut, 1666.
An ancient spirit awakens in a dark wood. The wildfolk call him Father, slayer, protector. The colonists call him Slewfoot, demon, devil.To Abitha, a recently widowed outcast, alone and vulnerable in her pious village, he is the only one she can turn to for help.
Together, they ignite a battle between pagan and Puritan – one that threatens to destroy the entire village, leaving nothing but ashes and bloodshed in their wake.”
Storygraph
Having really enjoyed The Child Thief and Lost Gods, I’m rather certain that I will love this.
Brom does such a fantastic job of creating an unsettling and dark atmosphere, that you both hate to be in, but need to keep experiencing! I also find that folklore and “organised” religion (generally the Abrahamic religions) being at odds with each other is a fascinating and complex look at humanity.
This has the potential of being a definite favourite!
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Firekeeper’s Daughter; Angeline Boulley
“Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie…
Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug.
Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover… as the deceptions—and deaths—keep growing, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she’ll go for her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.”
Storygraph
This is another book that has been on my shelves for several years now and is one I’m intimidated by! It’s somewhat a long one (over 400 pages), but it’s more the subject material that’s daunting as I think the themes will be rather heavy.
The book sound very interesting, intense and is an important read that I can already envision me giving 5⭐.
FANTASY
Yumi and the Nightmare Painter; Brandon Sanderson
“Yumi has spent her entire life in strict obedience, granting her the power to summon the spirits that bestow vital aid upon her society – but she longs for even a single day as a normal person. Painter patrols the dark streets dreaming of being a hero – a goal that has led to nothing but heartache and isolation, leaving him always on the outside looking in.
Suddenly flung together, Yumi and Painter must strive to right the wrongs in both their lives, reconciling their past and present while maintaining the precarious balance of each of their worlds. If they cannot unravel the mystery of what brought them together before it’s too late, they risk forever losing not only the bond growing between them, but the very worlds they’ve always struggled to protect.”
Storygraph
I have read some Brandy Sandy before and loved them (Warbreaker is in my heart always) and this is one of the “Secret Projects” that sounds absolutely fantastic! I know everyone raves about Sanderson’s world building, but I also find his romances to be really compelling and if this synopsis is anything to go by, this may be a new favourite book of mine.
Also, the cover art is stunning 💖 Tran Nguyen is so incredibly talented! I especially adore her covers for Elizabeth Lim’s books.
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Dark Rise; C.S. Pacat
“Sixteen-year-old dock boy Will is on the run, pursued by the men who killed his mother. Then an old servant tells him of his destiny to fight beside the Stewards, who have sworn to protect humanity if the Dark King ever returns. Will is thrust into a world of magic, where he starts training for a vital role in the oncoming battle against the Dark.
As London is threatened and old enmities are awakened, Will must stand with the last heroes of the Light to prevent the fate that destroyed their world from returning to destroy his own.”
Storygraph
This book sounds like something I would have devoured as a pre-teen and I think it has a strong potential for being 5⭐
It’s been a long time since I’ve read a young adult/teen book with a male protagonist and I think this will be quite nostalgic (Darren Shan was a fave of mine growing up). I’ve also seen people market this as including villain origin stories and a villain romance and I am here for those things!!
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Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries; Heather Fawcett
“Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people…
So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby…
But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones—the most elusive of all faeries—lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she’ll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all—her own heart.”
Storygraph
I have heard nothing but praise for this book and I am so excited! It sounds cute, charming and I adore the dynamic of “Person A hates people, but has to spend a lot of time with Person B who is super handsome” as they always have such great dialogue.
And, while faeries aren’t my favourite, I loved the Regency Faeries Tales Trilogy by Olivia Atwater and I get the impression that they might be somewhat similar in vibe.
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Divine Rivals; Rebecca Ross
“After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.
To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish—into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.”
Storygraph
I am ready to go into this book without the pressure of social media hanging above me.
I also didn’t realise that I basically didn’t know anything about the plot of this duology apart from the fact that they send letters. Having since read the synopsis, I’m very excited to finally get to Divine Rivals as I do love a rivals to lovers romance and World War I + II settings/inspired worlds can be done so beautifully to create a very powerful and emotional narrative.
Thanks for reading!
I hope you’re having a lovely day and staying safe ♥
DramaRambles 🌸 
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