Our Books to Binge On feature is pretty simple in its purpose. Every month, we put together a monthly new releases list of books that we’re all looking forward to. These are the books that we can’t wait to read and want everyone to add to their monthly binge-reading lists. Here are the books that we plan to binge on in May of 2023.
Queen Charlotte by Julia Quinn and Shonda Rhimes
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn and television pioneer Shonda Rhimes comes a powerful and romantic novel of Bridgerton’s Queen Charlotte and King George III’s great love story and how it sparked a societal shift, inspired by the original series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, created by Shondaland for Netflix.
“We are one crown. His weight is mine, and mine is his…”
In 1761, on a sunny day in September, a King and Queen met for the very first time. They were married within hours.
Born a German Princess, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was beautiful, headstrong, and fiercely intelligent… not precisely the attributes the British Court had been seeking in a spouse for the young King George III. But her fire and independence were exactly what she needed, because George had secrets… secrets with the potential to shake the very foundations of the monarchy.
Thrust into her new role as a royal, Charlotte must learn to navigate the intricate politics of the court… all the while guarding her heart, because she is falling in love with the King, even as he pushes her away. Above all she must learn to rule, and to understand that she has been given the power to remake society. She must fight—for herself, for her husband, and for all her new subjects who look to her for guidance and grace. For she will never be just Charlotte again. She must instead fulfill her destiny… as Queen.
Holly: If you watched Bridgerton on Netflix, you know Queen Charlotte was struggling with the King’s illness. I love that we’re getting a look at where their story began. I believe this will also be released as a mini-series on Netflix, but I’m glad we get to read about it first.
Grim and Bear It by Juliette Cross
Not even Death can take her from him.
Clara Savoie is so confused. She is absolutely positive that Henry Blackwater is practically in love with her. But for some strange reason, he won’t even ask her on a single date. Time to take matters into her own hands.
When Clara shows up on his doorstep with an unusual invitation, tempting cupcakes, and naughty innuendo, Henry has no choice but to say yes. Now he’s the newest member of the High Tea Romance Book Club. While Clara learns the haunting secrets of her broody grim, Henry shows her what commitment from a necromancer truly means.
But when his father is arrested for murder, Henry is dragged back into the nightmare he’s been avoiding all his life. When he steps back into his father’s world, he isn’t just endangering himself but also the bright, beautiful woman he can no longer live without. But he just might have to.
Holly: This series is light and fun. I’m looking forward to Henry and Clara’s story.
A Dance of Smoke and Steel by Milla Vane
As Anumith the Destroyer’s army draws nearer to the western realms, an alliance is forming to stand against him. The heir to the throne of Krimathe embarks upon a quest for the goddess Vela–a quest that the goddess has promised will give her strength enough to defeat the Destroyer.
All that Laina must do is to stay silent…and serve a man she has sworn to kill. A man who helped destroy her family.
The son of a demon warlord and only recently freed from years of torture, Saxen seeks to make amends to his people before facing the justice of the Krimathean queen’s blade. When a mysterious, silent woman who wears a questing cloak joins his small band of warriors, he only wishes to rid himself of her.
But she isn’t so easy to get rid of–and fulfilling her quest might come at a far higher cost than Laina could imagine. For she might gain the strength to defeat the Destroyer…but what she needs from Saxen will destroy him first.
Holly: I didn’t realize this book was coming out in May. I’m excited to return to this world of Barbarians.
The bulk of the books on my May TBR are scheduled for publication on May 23…good thing school will be out by then and I’ll have a summer of reading ahead of me!
REVERB (May 1) is the fourth and final book in Julie Kriss’s Road Kings series of rock star romances. This is one of my most anticipated books of 2023—the story of the Road Kings’ drummer and the journalist hired to document their reunion tour. Their story has been threading through the background of the previous three books, so I’m looking forward to these characters finally getting to be front-and-center in their own story.
HERO WORSHIP (May 9, postponed from April) by Amelia Wilde appears to be a “next generation” book about the now-adult children of characters from an earlier Wilde series where characters & storylines were loosely inspired by Greek mythology. The MCs of HERO WORSHIP are cousins—but the hero was adopted later in life, so they’re not technically related and didn’t grow up together; still, I’ll be interested to see how Wilde handles that aspect of the storyline. HERO WORSHIP was originally scheduled for April, but—seeing as Wilde is working on no fewer than three different series right now—I will not be surprised if the book is postponed yet again.
REBEL AT HEART (May 23, postponed from April) by Zoe York is, after DIAMOND RING, my second-most anticipated book of 2023. It’s the fifth and final installment of York’s Kinkaid Brothers series and features one of my favorite (and, in my opinion, most underutilized) tropes: a couple, long divorced, discover their divorce was never finalized and “Ooops, we’re still married!” Is the spark still there? You know it!
CINDERELLA AND THE OUTBACK BILLIONAIRE (May 23) is the latest HP from the always reliable Kelly Hunter. In this story, a billionaire crashes in the Australian outback and is nursed back to health by a young woman. But when the billionaire recovers and returns to the city, he cannot find the woman who rescued him.
Another HP due May 23 is Caitlin Crews’s WHAT HER SICILIAN HUSBAND DESIRES. This is a marriage-of-convenience where the MCs have lived apart. When they reunite, sparks fly!
CLAIM (May 23) by Sienna Snow is part of the multi-author Midnight Dynasty series of dark romances about the warring Morelli and Constantine families, who love and hate each other in equal measure. I haven’t read anything by Snow before, but I’ve enjoyed many of the Midnight Dynasty books, so I’m giving this one (featuring Sophia Morelli) a try.