On the Shelf: July 2026

July was really a reread month for me, which means I needed comfort and familiarity. When I'm struggling with my mental health "meeting" new characters is a lot of work. Luckily, the latest installment of the Veronica Speedwell series was a welcome visit with old friends, Veronica and Stoker. (I'm actually not cool enough to be their friend. Veronica would hate me.) And I eventually did rally and get to know several intriguing fictional strangers. Some of whom the general reading audience won't meet for a while—like the denizens of Beth Revis's Dragons of the Deep. OMG. I don't want to say too much this far in advance. Remind me to squee in late September or October. I will, however, rave now about Namrata Patel's The Truth About Isha. I've known Namrata for years and enjoyed every book of hers that I've read. This one hit close to home, because Alya is a protagonist who lives in her head. Insular, self-protective, prone to fantasy over reality. (Just tag me directly next time, Nam. lol.) The titular truth about Isha forces her out of her shell, but it's not all "Hooray, she's an extrovert now!" It's a rough ride for Alya, painful and poignant, but I'm glad I accompanied her on it.

The Reading Rundown
The Trouble With Anna by Rachel Griffiths (historical romance)
[Redacted] by TK (out 9/10, suspense, for professional review purposes) Shadows & Light by C.M. Nascosta (paranormal romance, novella)
The Truth About Isha by Namrata Patel (out 11/17, mainstream/women's fiction)
A Ghastly Catastrophe by Deanna Raybourn (historical mystery)
Dragons of the Deep by Beth Revis (out 1/26/27, romantasy, fantasy romance)
The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer (contemporary fantasy, magical realism)
Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward (suspense, horror)

Backlist titles & rereads: Claiming the Courtesan by Anna Campbell was first up, and I wrote 75 percent of a thinky newsletter about it. I may not get to 100. I did keep going with historical romances, of course. Like Yours Until Dawn by Teresa Medeiros, His Forgotten Bride by Aydra Richards, and three of The Game of Dukes books by Grace Callaway. I didn't get to four because I had a hankering for paranormal high jinks. So I tore through all six of the Blue Blood Conspiracy books by Bec McMaster and Desire in the Blood by Zoey Draven. All of those titles were rereads! The only new-to-me book was Amanda Quick's Dangerous from 1993. (Quick's Surrender was one of the first historical romances I ever read.)

Currently reading: Heir by Sabaa Tahir and A Curse of Beasts and Magic by Jeaniene Frost.

On the TBR/wish list
Well Versed by Jen DeLuca
One For the Road by Eliot Fletcher
Captive Traitor King by Brigid Kemmerer
The Lines We Cross by Ausma Zehanat Khan
Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher
Empire by Sabaa Tahir
Nobody's Baby by Olivia Waite