It’s that time again! The changing of the seasons means it’s time to talk about a new set of upcoming releases, and there are some books coming out in the next few months that I’m super excited about.

Also, what happened to spring? I have such nice spring coats, and I never get a chance to wear them here in New York because the weather goes straight from winter to boiling summer. I just want moderate temperatures, ok?!

Anyways, on to the books! This is another really romance-heavy list of anticipated books, but this is the time of year for some big authors to release their latest romances.

Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean (June 19)

I almost forgot to include this one because I’m somehow lucky enough to be an Avon Addict, and they sent me an arc of Wicked and the Wallflower! Which I of course devoured immediately, because how on earth can you let a new Sarah MacLean book wallow on your shelves?

This one is about the mysterious Devil’s offer to help Felicity get engaged to a duke and reenter the limelight of London high society. Only the more time Felicity spends with Devil, the more his plan goes awry and romance ensues.

I really struggled with the first half of this one because it was pretty slow for me, but the second half really picked up and was the classic MacLean that I know and love. So by the end I was totally in love with this book. Any Sarah MacLean fans won’t want to miss it!

Off the Grid by Monica McCarty (July 3)

I’m not much of a military romance reader, but I picked up the first book in this series, Going Dark, for my book club last year and became somewhat obsessed. So I’m really excited both to follow the larger mystery laid out in the first book, but also just to return to McCarty’s world and fall in love with a new set of characters. Off the Grid involves a journalist searching for her missing brother, which leads her to investigating top secret SEAL teams and a possible cover up, and the SEAL who’s sent to keep her quiet. It sounds like the start of another compelling romance!

A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole (July 31)

I cannot tell you how excited I am for A Duke by Default. I’ve been dying to read it ever since Alyssa Cole unveiled the beautiful cover (seriously, the Reluctant Royals series has some of the best covers I’ve seen in romance) and revealed that the hero is a silver fox duke in hiding and arms maker. That’s quite the combo! Oh, and he’s a Hufflegruff! Which makes him sounds like the best hero ever. I’ll admit, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the heroine when she was introduced in the first book, but with a hero like that, it doesn’t even matter in the least. Plus it’s Alyssa Cole, so you know it’s going to be good! Although now that I’m looking at the official description, it sounds like the heroine decides to make the hero her latest makeover project…yeah, this book is going to be good.

Born to be Wilde by Eloisa James (July 31)

I don’t know what’s wrong with me, because I’ve read Eloisa James’ books before and enjoyed them, but it’s only with her latest few releases that she’s really become one of my favorite romance authors. I just finished reading the first book in the Wilde series, and I’m so excited that I get the second one in May (next week!) and the third one already in July! Especially because these two characters were introduced in the first book, and I’m beyond excited for them to get a full novel. Apparently the hero agrees to play matchmaker for the heroine before realizing he wants her for himself. Given the events in the first book, I’m pretty sure Born to be Wilde is going to be a hate-to-love romance, which is possibly my favorite trope, so I can’t wait for this one.

I will note that I have some reservations about this book. The hero is part Indian, and some of James’ comments in an interview when the publication date (and later the cover) was announced make it sound like she didn’t fully appreciate the responsibility of writing a minority character as a white person. Honestly, it kind of sounded like she’s making him part-Indian for diversity bonus points, rather than because she genuinely wants to explore his background and add more diversity to a largely white genre. I’m hopeful she and Avon took the appropriate steps to have a sensitivity reader or ten look at this before it went to print and that her comments in the interview were taken out of context, but I definitely have some concerns.

Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas (August 7)

I’m a huge Sarah J. Maas fan, so of course Catwoman: Soulstealer had to be on this list. I’ll admit, when authors like Maas and Leigh Bardugo announced they were writing for the DC Icons series, I was a bit disappointed just because I love their fantasy books so much and I’d rather they focus on that. So I put off reading Bardugo’s Wonder Woman: Warbringer for a while after it came out. But I wound up absolutely loving it when I finally read it, so now I’m totally on board for Maas’ Catwoman book. I actually don’t really know much about Catwoman as a superhero (though I really enjoyed Anne Hathaway’s portrayal in Dark Knight Rises), so I’m excited to be introduced to her with this book.

The Governess Game by Tessa Dare (August 28)

Last but not least is Tessa Dare’s latest release, The Governess Game. I’m not sure I can say this definitively because I have so many favorites, but Dare has possibly been my absolute favorite romance author lately, so I’m beyond excited to get her latest release. Honestly, it doesn’t even matter what it’s about, I just need more Tessa Dare! This one is apparently a duke-and-the-governess romance, which isn’t necessarily my favorite trope, but I completely trust Dare to make it wonderful. She’s the master of putting a unique spin on a classic trope, and I can’t wait to see what she does with this one.

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Ok, so those are the books I’m probably going to buy and read immediately upon publication, but they’re definitely not the only ones coming out this summer that I’m interested in and will most likely read sooner rather than later.

For instance, I’m behind in the Ember in the Ashes series, but I’m still excited that the third book in this series is coming out this summer. A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir (June 12) continues following Elias, Helene, and Laia’s story in this Roman-inspired fantasy world. I really enjoyed the first book and am excited to continue reading this series.

I’m also pretty excited for Rebecca Roanhorse’s debut novel, Trail of Lightning (June 26). It’s a post-apocolyptic story in which the gods and monsters of Navajo legend walk the land. When monster hunter Maggie is enlisted to help find a missing girl, she uncovers a monster “much larger and more terrifying than anything she could imagine,” according to the jacket copy. It sounds super badass, and I can’t wait to check it out!

The long-anticipated sequel to My Favorite Thing Is Monsters by Emil Ferris (August 14) is also scheduled to come out this summer! It’s been pushed back a few times, so fingers crossed August is the actual release date. I was really impressed by the first book and am excited to see how Karen’s story concludes.

And of course I had to mention A Thousand Perfect Notes by C.G. Drews (June 7)! I have to admit I’m not much of a contemporary YA reader and this isn’t something I would normally gravitate towards—it’s about a pianist who can never live up to his mother’s expectations after illness ended her own musical career early, but whose life starts changing when he meets a girl full of energy and laughter. But I’m a huge fan of Cait’s blog, Paper Fury, and I’m beyond excited for her to publish her first book. Plus I really enjoy her writing style on her blog, so I’m interested to see what she does with a full novel.

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Have I mentioned yet how excited I am for all of these books to come out?! I mean, it’s not like I don’t already have a massive TBR to keep me busy, but I can’t wait to read new books by some of my favorite authors, plus those debuts look really good, too.

What books are you most excited to finally get your hands on this summer? Let me know in the comments!