September 2026 Book Releases

December 2023 Book Releases - Header

It’s the end of the month, which means it’s once again time to look ahead to some great upcoming book releases. There are SO MANY books being published in September that I struggled to narrow this list down to 33 of them. I apologize to those that got left on the cutting room floor. Seriously, though. There’s lots of great stuff being released in the coming month, including new books from James Islington, Rachel Gillig, Aiden Thomas, R.F. Kuang, Freya Marske, Leigh Bardugo, and so many more. If you missed my list of August 2026 releases, you can find it HERE. Without further ado, here are 33 of my most anticipated September 2026 book releases (covers link to Goodreads):

Scion by James Islington

Release Date: September 1, 2026

John Wick meets Blade Runner in this fast-paced cyberpunk thriller by the #1 NYT bestselling author of The Will of the Many.

My job, when you think about it, isn’t so different from a lot of people’s. I have to deal with a ton of boring planning. Inconvenient hours. Some pretty awkward face-to-face interactions. And like most of us, I’m really only clocking in to try and crawl out from beneath my debts.

The more old-fashioned crowd do still get hung up on the ‘killing people’ part, I guess, but that’s a them problem: it’s been perfectly legal to take out lifers for ages. Besides, once ultrawealthy morons realised they had a way to live forever—limited resources be damned—there was only ever going to be one genuinely practical deterrent. So someone’s got to do it.

And luckily, my genetic compatibilities make me really, really good at it.

Still. This next job… I don’t know. It’s something I haven’t had to deal with in years. Kind of the opposite of my regular duties. Strange, that it got thrown my way.

I’m sure it’ll all go totally fine though.

The Chosen One Con by Trudie Skies

Release Date: September 1, 2026

Magic is a rich man’s game.

Archons control magic in the great city of Aefenhold. Brand-name spells, addictive potions, and celebrity TV keep the poor entertained while they toil in the factories manufacturing magic. That should have been the fate of Max and his childhood friend Lyle, until a violent workers’ strike tears their lives apart, condemning Lyle to the aetherstone mines and leaving Max orphaned with no choice but to sell his labour to a brothel.

Life under the Archon’s rule has given Max a taste for magical narcotics, and left Lyle with aether dust in his lungs and a deep resentment for magic. So when Aefenhold’s rulers announce a televised contest to find the chosen one—a prophesized distraction to unite the city against its detractors—both Max and Lyle see an opportunity to con their way into the contest.

Where Max seeks to steal magic for his freedom, Lyle views magic as a tool of oppression to be destroyed. Their old friendship will be tested as they’re forced to become adversaries against famous rival mages in a series of magical trials. Whoever becomes the chosen one will change the shape of magic forever.

But magic is a rich man’s game, and should Max or Lyle be discovered as frauds, their deaths will be televised next.

The Chosen One Con is the first book in the Lost in the Aether duology—a gaslamp fantasy of industrial magic in a world of designer enchantments and celebrity-branded potions. This is an adult book containing strong language and mature themes that some readers may find disturbing. For a full list of content warnings, visit Trudie Skies’s website.

The Knave and the Moon by Rachel Gillig

Release Date: September 1, 2026

Rachel Gillig, the queen of gothic romantasy, returns with higher stakes, darker mysteries, and deeper longings in this gorgeous sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling sensation The Knight and the Moth.

Aisling Cathedral is in ruins. Rodrick Myndacious, Bartholomew, and Maude Bauer are rumored to be dead—and the king has taken Sybil Delling as his bride. To show off their union and solidify his power over Traum, Benji proposes a series of tournaments throughout the hamlets. Captive and drugged, Sybil remains determined to vanquished him as she once did the Omens, even if she destroys the kingdom’s faith—and herself—in the process.

But then a mysterious knave rises to the top of the lists, a man with no name and no memory who may just be Sybil’s ticket to undoing Benji’s power. For in a land where stories repeat themselves, where a king can prove as cruel as a god, the only way to truly destroy the Stonewater Kingdom’s faith is to save it.

Wickhills by Premee Mohamed

Release Date: September 8, 2026

In the dangerous magical city of Wickhills, a streetwise secret agent is tasked with protecting a foreign defector from his pursuers… even at the threat of war.

Looking after a defecting scientist should have been Ferec’s easiest mission. But now he’s on the run from the intelligence agency she works for, dodging a handler who might have gone rogue, and relying on a secret patchwork of illicit resources and dodgy contacts. Turns out his defector might be carrying an apocalypse-level magical weapon ― and protecting it requires Ferec and his team to go underground, literally. Down here, the rules are very different… and the tense peace between every city in the world will shatter unless Ferec can drag their darkest secrets into the light.

By Any Means by E.M. Caro

Release Date: September 8, 2026

New York City, 1905.

Investigative journalist (and fierce anti-capitalist) Laurie Tulley is no stranger to the sins rich men commit in the name of profit. He’s made a front-page career out of unearthing the injustices of industry.

But when his editor turns his sights onto wealthy glass industrialist Charles “Chary” Wright, Laurie sees neither injustice nor sensationalism. All the openly queer and once-disowned Fifth Avenue businessman seems to have is a dead brother, a bizarre inheritance of a blueberry farm, and a lotta trauma.

Chary has his secrets, however: the big, life-ending kind. When Laurie comes snooping, he’s determined the reporter won’t find them out, no matter how handsome he is.

Then a worker from the glass factory is murdered. Chary himself is brutally attacked. As Laurie uncovers murder after past murder, he realizes there’s a story to be written after all… so long as he can keep a professional distance.

And when Chary finds himself in the arms of the very man meant to be his ruin, he must confront exactly how far he’ll go for love—and just which ghosts he’s willing to bring forth from the past.

Espíritu by Aiden Thomas

Release Date: September 8, 2026

New York Times-bestselling author Aiden Thomas returns to the beloved world of Cemetery Boys in Espiritu, this time following Julian, who is dealing with newfound powers, a new relationship with Yadriel, and the return of demons he had hoped were gone forever!

Julian used to be a ghost and now he can’t stop seeing them.

Ever since being sacrificed as part of a forbidden ritual, Julian has been able to see and communicate with the spirits of passed brujx. And that would be okay, if it allowed him to be part of his new boyfriend’s community. But Julian’s also seeing other shadows in the corner of his eyes, glowing eyes in the dark, and “dark spots” on people – gaping, black gashes that are somehow wrong. He did ask his new magical boyfriend about it, but Yadriel has never heard of anything like it either, and he’s so busy with his new Brujx responsibilities, trying to figure out where all the new malingos are coming from, that Julian hates for his problems to ruin what little time together they have.

Then, a strange new brujx shows up. Ángel, as a nonbinary brujx, can heal the living and release the dead, but more than that, they can also see the same dark spots as Julian. Despite Yadriel’s reservations, Julian eagerly accepts their help. But, Ángel’s ruthless methods feel wrong to Julian, who wants to move away from hurting others.

With the shadows growing darker, and the discovery of a gaping dark spot on his friend Luca, Julian has to decide who he wants to put his trust in, and just how far he’s willing to go to save what is his.

The Exorcism of Faeries by J.L. Vampa

Release Date: September 8, 2026

From the #1 bestselling author of Autumn of the Grimoire, J.L. Vampa, comes a brand new dark academia romance in the vein of Ninth House meets If We Were Villains and Nocticadia.

She is the daughter of morticians, studying Botany at Trinity College, Dublin. He is her Morbid Anatomy professor. And the Fae are possessing the good people of Dublin. Only Atta and Professor Murdoch can exorcize the fae, but can they fight their forbidden feelings for one another in the process?

Morfran, Dark Lord Reformed by S.B. West

Release Date: September 8, 2026

Abandoning his days of beheading to live out an undercover retirement as a goat farmer, Morfran finds himself accidentally leading a rebellion against the kingdom’s Dark Lord, who, inconveniently, is him.

Morfran the Beheader is done being the Dark Lord of the kingdom of Ruthven. He’s tired of managing minions, and his wife, Queen Ravana, has officially exceeded his personal comfort level of evil. Yet when he books it for the hills with the hopes to live out his days disguised as a goat farmer, his aspirations are tragically cut short when Morfran’s former soldiers catch up with plans to behead him.

Morfran’s only chance at safety is to seek refuge within a tiny forest dwelling where no one recognizes him. But he quickly learns the village is the base for a brewing rebellion against his rule. And after he reluctantly saves said village from an attack, he’s voted the one to lead the charge. Against himself.

Morfran helps the rebels while planning to desert them at the soonest moment. But as he fights by their side, he discovers that they’re actually quite pleasant—especially the lovely assassin who has been out for his blood for a decade. Too bad Ravana has sent Morfran’s best men to nip the revolt in the bud, and too bad his unlikely allies would burn him alive if they learned he’s no hero, but actually their Dark Lord in disguise. Because even Morfran knows that only a hero would stand up to Ravana and fight for friends, and he’s certainly no hero.

Right?

A Snake Among Swans by Hannah Kaner

Release Date: September 8, 2026

A dark and propulsive new epic fantasy from the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Fallen Gods trilogy. An intricate tale of warring kingdoms, female rage and a wild magic that refuses to be tamed.

“Death is come to take you home, death of blood and thorn and bone…”

Tilde has always heard the whispers of the kithwood, the voices of her ancestors speaking through the mysterious forest of her homeland.

But now both the kithwood and her kingdom are in danger.

For Tilde is the only surviving heir of a conquered land. To unite the people and finally stop the bloodshed, she marries the aging warlord, King Liran. Her duty is to bind their nations and bear him a son.

But the swan king’s court is dangerous. Tilde is a threat to the claim of Liran’s older sons, who will do whatever it takes to remove her, to the princess Elise who has only ever known loyalty to her family, and to the priests who own them all.

Yet none of them know that Tilde is a snake in their midst, with allies on her side and dark, forbidden power of her own. She wants her kingdom back, and she will sacrifice everything to claim it.

For the queen to rise, the swans must fall.

Taipei Story by R.F. Kuang

Release Date: September 8, 2026

From R.F. Kuang, the acclaimed #1 New York Times bestselling author of Katabasis and Yellowface, comes a wryly humorous and profoundly moving coming-of-age novel that grapples with grief, language, and culture shock—all set against the backdrop of an unforgettable summer in Taipei.

College freshman Lily Chen is off to spend the summer in Taipei at an intensive language program like so many Chinese American students before her, hoping to connect with the culture she inherited but never fully understood. But a promising start quickly unravels. Her classes are grueling, her roommate is driving her insane, and a reckless trip to the hot springs with a guy she barely knows soon has her classmates viciously gossiping. She feels adrift, a foreigner in a country she thought would feel like home.

Then shocking news Lily’s grandfather has passed away. The loss forces her to grapple with now-unanswerable questions about her family history. As Lily grieves, she’s drawn into a journey of self-discovery—piecing together memories, stories, and silences over a series of hilarious and devastating attempts at connection.

What if the diaspora fantasy of homecoming never comes true? What if learning a language can’t bring you any closer to the people you’re trying to reach? What if you search for your family’s history, but your family doesn’t want to share? What if you wait too long to ask the right questions? As Lily struggles for answers, her summer becomes a poignant search for understanding—of herself, her family, and the meaning of home.

Twig’s Traveling Tomes by Gryffin Murphy

Release Date: September 8, 2026

A plot is brewing between the adventure and romance aisles.

When visiting Twig’s Traveling Tomes, customers will get the exact book they need, even if it isn’t the one they want. As for the proprietor and renowned Book Witch, Louella Twig lives her life sequestered with her stories, just as she likes it.

When devilishly handsome rogue Everett Sharp stumbles in looking to remove some handcuffs—closely followed by Louella’s former tutor, whose prized grimoire has been stolen—her literary sanctuary is fully upended. Only Louella’s magic can locate the grimoire, and teaming up with Everett is her best chance at retrieving it . . . but how can she trust that the man behind the wolfish grin isn’t interested in stealing the book for himself?

With a host of friends old and new, Louella sets off on an adventure she never thought she’d take—and starts to realize that, just like her books, what matters most has always been what’s under the surface.

Tempest by Victoria Aveyard

Release Date: September 8, 2026

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Aveyard comes an epic adventure of love and betrayal, amid a brutal war for the high seas.

May the sea always sing for you

Cat Rose knows what it is to live in two worlds, in two times. Before—as Lady Catrine Rose of the Meridian Empire, chained to a loathsome lord with a dwindling fortune. And after—as the Widow Rose, queen of a pirate tavern in the Lyrian Sea, determined to be the master of her own fate.

But tides turn and winds change. The Meridian Empire looms on the horizon, the full weight of her navy falling on the Lyrian, bent on reclaiming the wealthy colonies and crushing the pirate republic once and for all. Ship after ship is captured, save for one, captained by a pirate who continually evades both noose and blade: the legendary Valerian Kane.

With his fearsome ship and uncanny connection to the song of the sea, Valerian is the only man who might rally the pirates who remain. The only man who threatens the Empire. And the only man Cat has ever loved, blazing in and out of her life like a star.

Desperate for victory, the Empire offers Cat a devastating choice: bring them Valerian or hang. In truth, no choice at all.

But Cat Rose is nothing if not a survivor.

A storm is rising on the Lyrian Sea—the question is, what will it leave in its wake?

Bodies of Magic by Freya Marske

Release Date: September 15, 2026

Grey’s Anatomy meets A Deadly Education in this dark academia fantasy from USA Today bestselling author Freya Marske.

At the Academie of the Grand Duchy of Sieuxerr, every mage with the healer’s gift has five years to master their power and to prepare for the infamous Grand Exam—a five-day trial whose results will determine their entire future.

The list of exam rules includes:
• You will perform five practical cases.
• Your exam group is chosen at random.
• You pass together, or fail together.

It does not include:
• On the first day, your exam group will find a classmate’s dead body in the exam hall.

And as they will soon discover, this particular group all have something to hide… and all have a connection with the dead girl, a brilliant scholar who would have been first in their class.

Five scholars. Five secrets. Five days in which to solve a murder, pass the most important exam of their lives, and uncover a secret larger than all of their own combined. One with the potential to change the world.

Are you ready?

Let’s begin.

Game On by Zarah Detand

Release Date: September 15, 2026

Flirt with a stranger. Get the photo. Walk away. The job should have been simple—if the stranger hadn’t turned out to be the most famous ice hockey star in the league…

Stellan is very good at being the right kind of irresistible to the wrong kind of man—it pays the rent, and that’s the deal. But when one Chicago hotel lounge job ends with a career-ending photo of NHL star Matt Harkins and Stellan is fired for trying to stop it, the whole disaster gets filed under the worst day of his life.

Seven months later, Matt walks into a Seattle suit fitting and finds Stellan holding out the next jacket. Matt is blindsided and absolutely not over it… but the chemistry between them is undeniable. He knows he should walk away, but one stolen night turns into two, then more—and a closeted ice hockey captain with everything to lose is about to find out exactly how much he’s willing to risk.

Locusta by Emily Dexter

Release Date: September 15, 2026

Circe meets The Lost Apothecary in the first book of this historical fantasy duology featuring Ancient Rome’s most infamous poisoner who changed the course of history to save the woman she loved.

Born in the ancient region of Gaul, Locusta is the last of her kind—a Druid whose communion with the spirit world grants her the dangerous gift of identifying and wielding deadly substances. When Roman soldiers attack her home and slaughter her mother, Locusta is captured and enslaved, taken to the heart of the empire where political plots abound and death commands a high price. Guided by Arawn, the god of death, she must learn to survive within the brutal, glittering world of ancient Rome.

Her strange talents soon catch the attention of the Roman elite, and she becomes ensnared in a double life—poisoner by night for the cunning Antonia Augusta, and lady-in-waiting by day to Livia, the Emperor’s ambitious cousin. As Locusta plants the seeds of revenge against those who destroyed her home, her connection with Livia deepens into a passionate, forbidden romance that threatens them both. Surrounded by danger and deceit, Locusta’s poisons become their only protection against the increasingly unstable Emperor Caligula and the enemies lurking in every shadow.

Locusta reimagines the rise of one of history’s most complex women through a lens of myth, power, and feminine rage. Rich with ruthless twists, deadly magic, and a sapphic love story that burns from sweet to spicy, this is a story of survival, defiance, and the dangerous alchemy of love and death in a world ruled by men.

Thoughts Be Bloody by Auden Patrick

Release Date: September 15, 2026

Exploring classism, identity, and the true meaning of revolution, this dark academia novel is perfect for fans of R. F. Kuang’s Babel and S. T. Gibson’s An Education in Malice

The summer before his sophomore year, Horatio Bithersea walks into the university library to find Carson Hamlett, resident golden boy and master magician, cradling his father’s dead body. Life at Elsinore, one of the most prestigious universities in the secretive magical world, simply goes on when the professor’s death is ruled an accident—despite the mysterious circumstances and the bloody scene.

 A year later, Horatio is keeping his head down, attempting to graduate without his out-of-control magic harming his classmates. That changes when the ghost of Hamlett’s father appears and places a curse on Horatio and avenge his death by destroying Elsinore and its heart, lest the ghost robs them of their minds, memories, and their very souls.

Elsinore has given Horatio everything—knowledge of his magical ability, an escape from his abusive family, and freedom to pursue his life as a transgender man—and now he’s to be its doom. As the two uncover more of Elsinore’s secrets Horatio finds himself becoming more and more ensnared in Hamlett’s dark but charismatic web. 

The question is not if Horatio will manage to destroy Elsinore. The question is if Hamlett will destroy him first.

Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo

Release Date: September 15, 2026

The highly anticipated, explosive conclusion to the Ninth House trilogy from #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo.

Hell is empty and all the devils are here…

Alex Stern made it to hell and back more than once, but this time she left the door open behind her. Demons are creeping through the streets of New Haven and the Yale campus, feeding on the souls of the living, terrifying the dead. Alex and her allies can hunt them, but it’s only a matter of time before the gates to the underworld open and they face a war they cannot win. To stop it, they’ll have to reach deep into the secrets of Yale and its societies, and discover the truth hidden in Alex’s own blood.

While she struggles to hold onto the dream of a future Yale once offered, Alex must contend with the machinations of a corrupt Lethe Board and a deadly vampire with his own connection to the societies. But for the first time in her life, she won’t have to face the fight alone. Dawes, Turner, Mercy, and even Tripp will have a role to play, none more so than Alex’s mentor Darlington, the golden boy who lived so long in her head, now back in the flesh and cursed with dangerous powers of his own. Hell itself is stalking the delegates of Lethe House, and they’re all about to learn that demons don’t play by human rules.

Grim Tidings by B.K. Borison

Release Date: September 15, 2026

From #1 New York Times bestselling author B.K. Borison comes a new whimsical, haunting romance. When a runaway grim reaper tries to save a life, she clashes with a skeptical Guardian, forcing them to form an unlikely partnership beyond the grave.

Darcy Moore is tired of death. Which would be fine and good … if she wasn’t a Grim Reaper. Determined to outrun her designation as the villain, Darcy decides she won’t be dragging her next assignment to the underworld. She’ll be saving him instead.

Unfortunately for Darcy, there’s a complication in her plan. Guardian Angel Gabriel Aetos doesn’t tolerate threats to his little corner of the world, and a Grim Reaper showing up at his bar is as deadly as it gets. But when he realizes Darcy is not as she seems, Gabriel must decide if he can trust his growing feelings or hold on to his long-standing grudge.

But magic doesn’t come without consequences. And the Department of Hauntings & Spirits will eventually come calling for their missing Reaper.

A spooky yet simmering enemies-to-lovers tale to keep you warm this fall.

Edge of the Abyss by Rebecca Roanhorse

Release Date: September 15, 2026

Set in the year before the first season of Andor, the sequel to The Mask of Fear.

The second installment in the Reign of the Empire series follows Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and Saw Gerrera (along with their allies and enemies) thirteen years after the events of The Mask of Fear as they navigate the Empire’s nigh-unbreakable chokehold over the galaxy.

Bright and Broken Things by Ryan Graudin

Release Date: September 22, 2026

Set among the glittering parties and Egyptology craze of 1920s London, a young scholar learns he may be the key to uncovering an ancient Egyptian artifact coveted by a powerful cabal of magicians in this enthralling adventure from the author of Enchanted Lies of Céleste Artois .

Ezra Bright has returned to London after serving in World War I but, like many surviving soldiers, he’s haunted—by the horrors of the front lines, the loss of his adoptive brother and the strange magic flickering at the edge of his vision. Desperate to outrun his past, Ezra falls into a dazzling new world of socialites known for their elaborate costume parties and spralling scavenger hunts.

But these Bright Young Things are hungry. And none more than Celia, a disgraced heiress, who warns Ezra that these parties are only a glittering façade for a secret society of magicians. For centuries, the Order, at the behest of its mysterious leader, has plundered magical relics. Their ultimate prize lies buried in Egypt, and unlocking it requires ancient magic—one Celia believes Ezra alone possesses.

When a note in his room is mistaken for the opening clue of a scavenger hunt, Ezra and his friends are launched into high stakes race across Egypt. As secrets are unearthed and the dead refuse to stay buried, Ezra must confront the truth of his heritage—and the full cost of his power—before the Order claims it first.

All the Way Home by Alex Ritany

Release Date: September 22, 2026

An effervescent holiday rom-com following two boys stranded at an airport who fall in love over one magical, snowy night.

’Twas the flight before Christmas . . .

Zach is heading home from his first semester at college with presents for his family, a voicemail from his ex, and about as much travel anxiety as can fit within the confines of the human body. After a series of humiliating events, including having his bags stolen, he meets the captivating, beautiful Kieran, who’s dreading his return home for Christmas and traveling with his sister, Rena, and her boyfriend, Lucas, who are dealing with some baggage of their own.

As the snow falls and sparks fly, Zach and Kieran must learn to trust in themselves and in each other if their love is ever going to leave the ground, while Rena and Lucas must decide if their turbulent relationship can withstand another storm.

Infused with Alex Ritany’s signature warmth and wit, All the Way Home is a story of first loves, flight delays, and finding home for the holidays—wherever or whoever it may be.

Damned If I Do by Alexandra Bellefleur

Release Date: September 22, 2026

The devil’s right-hand woman must convince her long-lost husband to renounce their vows so she can wed a prince from Hell.

Effie MacLeod is no stranger to making desperate decisions, but making a deal with Lucifer himself—sacrificing her soul to save a loved one—has got to be her most monumental. Several hundred years into her tenure as a demon, Effie’s found herself engaged to Belphegor, a handsome, seductive, and successful Prince of Hell. It’s not a love match, but it’ll do. There’s just one teensy-tiny little problem. She’s still bound to her sixteenth-century Scottish husband. While Effie has completely cast her human life aside, Finn has been reincarnated through several lifetimes.

Effie must convince Finn to renounce their age-old vows in order get the Office of Infernal Internal Affairs off her back. The kicker? When she finds him in this lifetime, Finn doesn’t remember anything, but he refuses her request for a divorce. 

Annoyed to be stuck with him in small-town Georgia until she can persuade Finn to renounce their marriage, Effie must convince him that yes, she does want to get on with her devilish shenanigans despite the physical pull she feels toward him. As they get closer in hopes of recovering his lost memories, Effie can’t help but notice murmurings of her deeply buried feelings resurfacing. But while all’s fair in love and war, that’s not the case in Hell—and Lucifer may have his own reasons for wanting to keep Finn and Effie apart for the rest of eternity.

Isn’t He Romantic by Adib Khorram

Release Date: September 22, 2026

To deter his ex, a lovelorn cellist starts a fake relationship with his one-night stand in this steamy, swoony fake dating romance from USA Today bestselling author Adib Khorram.

Arya’s always been a “one-and-done” man when it comes to romance—but with his friends all pairing up and the big 4-0 creeping ever closer, he’s starting to question his life choices. Especially when he discovers his latest hookup is the new committee chair for the charity ball Arya’s company is planning.

Ben’s plan to start over in Kansas City isn’t going so great. And having to spend lots of time with the one-night stand who ghosted him isn’t helping. Worse yet, when his ex-boyfriend shows up looking for a reunion, a panicked Ben claims he’s already moved on—with Arya.

Torn between staying professional and helping the man he can’t forget, Arya agrees to give Ben a hand, in exchange for Ben’s help landing a big client. But when the lines start to blur, they’ll have to decide if it’s time to change their tunes about love.

Empire by Sabaa Tahir

Release Date: September 22, 2026

The gripping conclusion to the action-packed, ruthless, and romantic fantasy duology that began with HEIR, from the #1 New York Times bestselling and National Book Award–winning author Sabaa Tahir.

A crumbling empire.
An ancient evil.
A lost homeland.
A lie that could destroy the world.

In the crumbling Martial Empire, crown prince Quil Aquilla and his Aunt Helene are losing a battle against the vicious Kegari horde. Quil’s armies dwindle, his faith falters, and the woman he loves vanished months ago, leaving him broken-hearted. Torn between his duty to his people and his desire to discover Sirsha’s fate, Quil embarks on a dangerous quest for aid—from the most treacherous of allies.

Sirsha Westering finds herself tethered to Div, an ancient evil unleashed by a terrible tragedy. Div delights in tormenting Sirsha, hungering for her magical heart. Even as Sirsha fights for control of her own fate, she is desperate to shield Quil from Div’s destructive power. But Div won’t release Sirsha without a fight. To earn her freedom, Sirsha must uncover Div’s past—and face horrors in her own.

Cero bet-Dafra, former right hand of the Kegari leader Aiz, now finds himself pitted against her. As Aiz slips further into violence and delusion, Cero must discover if his people have any hope of a future or if they’re condemned to an unending cycle of violence. His journey will force him to confront hidden truths, ancient secrets and a lie that could destroy the world.

In Empire, #1 New York Times bestselling author Sabaa Tahir returns to the expansive world of fury and vengeance of Heir, weaving a story of legacy and rebellion, of loyalty and freedom, and of what it means to confront the monsters that lurk within us all.

The Dreamless by Jen Williams

Release Date: September 29, 2026

Jen Williams stuns in a heartrending sequel to The Sleepless that is as romantic as it is deadly.

Will Lucian pursue chaos and power?
Will Artair choose isolation, or will he choose to walk out into the wider world?
And Elver, perhaps, has the hardest choice of all.

After being sacrificed yet again at the hands of Mother Maura, Elver has returned from the dead even more jih than human. A strange new power simmers beneath her skin alongside a warning from the Queen of Serpents: though she’s been granted another chance at life, someday soon, Elver will be called from the land of mortals.

Now that Artair knows the spirit with whom he shares a body, Lucian, is an ordinary human, the two have formed an uneasy truce. While they attempt to wield their shred of Maura’s stolen power—the only thing keeping her from ascending to full godhood—they’re also confronted with feelings for Elver that are impossible to deny.

But Maura is out for revenge. As dangerous new alliances brew among the Twelve, Elver, Artair, and Lucian must set out to find the only being in existence capable of killing a god. And Elver will need to decide once and for all with which of the Sleepless her poisoned heart lies.

The Darkness Bites Back by Laura R. Samotin & Ben Alderson

Release Date: September 29, 2026

Centuries ago, Tobias Osian had his mortality stolen from him when he was unwillingly turned into a vampire. Ever since, he’s been consumed by the need for revenge against the monster who took his humanity – Vladimir Damianos, the head of Britain’s most powerful vampire clan.

Now, Tobias is finally ready to enact his plan for vengeance, using Vladimir’s son Alexander to infiltrate the family and bring down the entire clan. But what he doesn’t expect is that Alexander has rebelled against his bloodthirsty father by protecting mortals instead of hunting them. When the two meet, Alexander is instantly enamoured with Tobias. And as a string of attacks rocks the city of Oxford, Alexander proves himself committed to protecting Tobias, not knowing that Tobias is just as much of a monster as he is.

With his attraction to Alexander growing, Tobias must decide what means more to him: vengeance, or a love growing from the most tragic of places.

Perfect for fans of Interview With the Vampire and Saltburn, this high-heat paranormal romance brings together blood and lust in an intoxicating combination.

Once a Golden Boy by J.R. Barker

Release Date: September 29, 2026

James will do whatever it takes to see his brother’s memoir-turned-movie succeed. Change his name and take a job as the lead producer’s dog-sitter? Done. Pretend to date the producer’s scandal-ridden son to get on set? Why not? But there’s a massive catch: William Chapman is nothing like the entitled brat the tabloids claim. He’s sweet, sexy, and the most talented actor James has ever seen. But making their romance real means admitting the relationship started as a lie. If James is caught, he’ll lose his job at the agency, and there is no way in hell he’s going back to stripping to pay the rent.

Will Chapman would rather be anywhere than trapped on set with the A-list actor he was falsely accused of assaulting. Well, probably falsely. Will can’t remember what happened that night. His father insists this is a necessary step in his comeback journey, but Will’s pretty sure it will just lead to more accusations that he’s dangerously obsessed. Lucky for him, his mother’s new dog-sitter, James, has a plan to dispel those rumors—pretend to be lovers.

But in Hollywood, fake relationships have a way of feeling all too real . . .

Once a Golden Boy is a witty, emotional, and irresistibly soapy M/M romance packed with secrets, second chances, and heart-stopping chemistry.

The Court of Venus by Bel Banta

Release Date: September 29, 2026

The Court of Venus is an ensnaring romantic fantasy in which a moon-blessed magician is summoned back to the deadly magical court she thought she had escaped; where power is determined by the stars—and the closer you are to the king, the more likely you are to die. Perfect for fans of The Knight and The MothThe Familiar, and A Darker Shade of Magic.

In Alvion, magicians have always ruled beside kings. Blessed at birth by one of the seven planets, their abilities are miraculous and extremely rare. Magicians born under Jupiter influence luck. Saturnborn can speak to the dead. Venusborn read the desires of the living.

At the moment of Bianca Mortlake’s birth, the stars and planets aligned just so, making her the first Moonborn magician in over a thousand years. A sorcery so rare that even the history books cannot say what she is capable of.

After a childhood training under the realm’s most powerful magician—and alongside a most insufferable Venusborn named Roland—Bianca lives a quiet life far from court. Until a chilling missive arrives in the night, summoning her back.

A mad and deadly court awaits. Two queens have met the executioner’s blade, and one wrong move could see any of them next beneath its steel. As power is pulled between ruthless royals and courtiers like the tides by the moon, Bianca must rely on the last person she would ever want to—the infuriatingly alluring Roland.

Because something is terribly wrong in Alvion. And only this moon-blessed magician and her oldest rival can save the court—and each other—from the dark fate they see written in the stars.

From Beijing, with Love by Bei Lin

Release Date: September 29, 2026

A candid exploration of identity and the love we deserve, this steamy rom-com will remind you that sometimes you have to get a little lost before you can find yourself.

Daniel Wu’s life in Amsterdam is far from spontaneous. When his boyfriend dumps him on the same day a work mishap lands him on leave, he breaks all his rules by impulsively escaping to Beijing to visit his best friend Poppy.

There’s just one hitch—Poppy isn’t there.

Alone in the foreign city his late father grew up in, Daniel wants nothing more than to fly home early. After all, running away is what he does best. But then Poppy signs him up for a tour of the Great Wall.

Enter Yang Li, the PhD student moonlighting as a tour guide. A transplant to Beijing, Yang has never felt at home in the bustling capital—or with himself. Cynical and disciplined, he isn’t the least impressed when Daniel shows up to their tour hours late. The tour is painful in more ways than one, but at least it’s a one-time ordeal.

Then life pushes them together again and again, until time spent together over stunning sights and mind-blowing eats feels less like vacation and more like finally finding home.

From Beijing, to Xi’an, to Tokyo, will they confront their own ghosts—past and present—to find their happily-ever-after?

Brimming with humor, wanderlust, and emotional vulnerability, this charming debut is perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston and Alexis Hall.

The Weight of Angels by John Boyne

Release Date: September 29, 2026

Can one rash decision prove the difference between a life well lived and a life destroyed?

When the Marquess of Queensberry left his calling card at the Albemarle Club in February 1895, it bore only his name and five words: “For Oscar Wilde, posing somdomite.” The most celebrated playwright of his day famously sued for libel, which led to his arrest, criminal prosecution, and ultimately prison. From then on, his gilded existence spiraled into public disgrace, humiliation, and an early death.

But what if he had simply ignored the insult? What direction might his life have taken? This is the premise of John Boyne’s extraordinary new novel, The Weight of Angels. Rather than dying in penury in Paris at age forty-six, what if Wilde had lived to bear witness to the momentous events and cataclysmic changes of the first part of the twentieth century, and even influence some of them? What if the second half of his life were as dramatic, tumultuous, and exhilarating as the first?

In imagining the life that Oscar Wilde never had, John Boyne has written one of the great what-if stories of modern literature, giving the iconic Anglo-Irish poet and playwright a fresh new voice and the opportunity to take an entirely different path.

Baldur’s Gate 3: Astarion by T. Kingfisher

Release Date: September 29, 2026

The roguish charlatan Astarion will free himself from a centuries-long fate of servitude or die (a second time) trying—in this decadently dark fantasy adventure by award-winning author T. Kingfisher.

You’re too pretty to die.

Astarion Ancunin was supposed to be a magistrate, not a vampire spawn. He was supposed to serve the law, not the vicious vampire lord Cazador Szarr. And he was supposed to drink fine wine, not rat blood. Alas—the city of Baldur’s Gate cares little for what’s supposed to happen.

Though he has been powerless to resist his master’s bidding, haunting the nighttime streets to fetch warm blood, Astarion has never surrendered his hope. One day, this nightmare must end. He just has to find out how.

When the vampire lord announces a twisted competition for his favor, an opportunity presents itself in the form of a rare prize . . . and an unlikely alliance. The blood of a dead god is buried deep beneath Baldur’s Gate, and, to get it, Astarion will need the help of a handsome Aasimar paladin named Hahn den Suriel.

There are just a few problems. Astarion is not supposed to trust his fellow spawn. He’s not supposed to go out into the city for his own ends rather than the vampire lord’s. And he’s certainly not supposed to strike a deal with a stranger whose golden eyes can snare even a blackened, undead heart.

But the city of Baldur’s Gate cares little for what’s supposed to happen.

The Invisible Roommate by Timothy Janovsky

Release Date: September 29, 2026

Gerard Wells loves music but hates fame ―not ideal when he’s the youngest member of the chart-topping band of brothers, We the Wells. Cracking under the spotlight, Gerard runs away to a small, remote island in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay. There, he goes by “James” and takes up residence in a crumbling Victorian house on the island’s shrinking shoreline. Little does he know, he’s not the studio apartment’s only inhabitant…

Mysterious and moody Emory Griffin never planned to be a test subject for his own groundbreaking invisibility research. He also never planned on sharing a room with a world-famous pop star, but needs must when you’re an unemployed graduate school drop-out who’s wanted by the local police.

With nowhere else to turn, the unlikely pair agree to be temporary roommates. Their forced proximity and vulnerability lead to an unexpected romantic spark. As Halloween approaches, their secrets and feelings grow harder to keep hidden, testing the strength of their newfound bond. Could this be a love that neither of them saw coming or an experiment set to go horribly wrong?

Threshing Day by Rebecca Yarros

Release Date: September 29, 2026

The next book in the blockbuster Empyrean series, Threshing Day contains thirteen stories starring your favorite characters and their dragons. The deluxe first edition includes sixteen beautiful original full-color illustrations by artist Joe Requeza. This breathtaking collectible is available only in the US and Canada while supplies last.

What September 2026 book releases are you most excited about finally reading? Let me know in the comments below or over on BlueSky!

One thought on “September 2026 Book Releases

  1. September is jam packed with romances that look excellent. I’m a bit leery about the Asterion book, but I will inevitably read it.

    Also this is a good reminder that I need to find at least one christmas themed romance still!

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