Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #544: The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

From the publisher: The perfect summer read, full of charm and heart, written in the vein of The Thursday Murder Club or Only Murders in the Building but with a southern California twist.

Mrs. B, the landlady of The Marigold Cottages is a stubborn idealist who only rents to people she cares about: Sophie, an anxious young playwright with a dark past; Hamilton, an agoraphobe who likes to overshare; Ocean, a queer sculptor raising two kids alone; the perfectionist Lily-Ann; and Nicholas, a finance bro who’s hiding secrets.

The tenants live contentedly in their doll-house bungalows in Santa Barbara, just minutes from the beach, until their peace is shattered when Anthony, a quiet, hulking, but potentially violent ex-con moves in. Three weeks later, a dead body is discovered on the streets of the peaceful neighborhood. Anthony is arrested, and the tenants heave sighs of relief. Until Mrs. B, convinced that he's innocent, marches down to the police station and confesses to the crime herself. The tenants band together and form “The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective” to save their beloved landlady. As clues are unearthed and secrets are revealed, the community of misfits only grows more tight-knit...until a second body is found. Full of eccentricity, humor, community, The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective will keep you hooked until the last page.

The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols is expected out August 19th, 2025 from Minotaur Books.

Why am I waiting on this book? I like that it is supposed to be "full of eccentricity, humor, and community." And I like that in the description it refers to Only Murders in the Building. It sounds to me like it will be a light, fun read.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #543: The Burning Stones by Antti Tuomainen

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

From the publisher:

Saunas, love and a ladleful of murder…

A cold-blooded killer strikes at the hottest moment: the new head of a sauna-stove company is murdered … in the sauna. Who has turned up the temperature and burned him to death?

The evidence points in the direction of Anni Korpinen – top salesperson and the victim’s successor at Steam Devil.

And as if hitting middle-age, being in a marriage that has lost its purpose, and struggling with work weren’t enough, Anni realizes that she must be quicker than both the police and the murderer to uncover who is behind it all – before it’s too late…

From the international bestselling author of The Man Who Died and The Rabbit Factor, comes a darkly funny, delightfully tense new thriller that showcases humanity at its most bare – in middle age, suspected of murder and, of course, in a sauna…

'Finnish criminal chucklemeister Tuomainen is channelling Carl Hiassen’ Sunday Times

The Burning Stones by Antti Tuomainen is expected out April 29th, 2025 from Orenda Books.

Why am I waiting on this book? I've not read this author before. I'm interested because of the combination of humor and thriller. Also I find the comparison to Carl Hiassen intriguing. 

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #542: Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me by Django Wexler

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

From the publisher: Dark Lord Davi rules the kingdom, but she must now break the time loop that binds her in this hilariously bloody conclusion to the Dark Lord Davi duology.

 
After countless failures (let’s not dwell on it), Davi has finally saved the kingdom from evil–by becoming the Dark Lord herself. But now, the hordes of wilders are at her command, and they still want blood. Human blood. And Davi’s not sure she can commit to the total extermination of humanity.  
 
With restless armies at her doorstep, a treasonous duke scheming for power, and the legend of an ancient magician looming over her shoulder, Davi must find a way towards peace and uncover the truth behind her time loop if she is to bring harmony to the kingdom. Also, her girlfriend is mad at her. So, there’s that too.

Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me by Django Wexler is expected out May 27th, 2025 from Orbit Books. This is the second in the Dark Lord Davi duology. The first one was entitled How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying.

Why am I waiting on this book? I'm hoping to read both the first book that came out last year and this book. I feel like these books will have some interesting viewpoints. I expect that it will have some humorous moments. I'd like to know if she is able to achieve peace without destroying the human race. And I'm hoping she will be able to break the time loop and reunite with her girlfriend.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Happy Book Birthday to Wizard of Most Wicked Ways by Charlie N. Holmberg

 

Through Raspberry Colored Glasses wants to wish Wizard of Most Wicked Ways by Charlie N. Holmberg a Happy Book Birthday!

When dead enemies rise, grave matters of the heart, mind, and body clash in the fantastical fourth Whimbrel House novel by Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Charlie N. Holmberg.

Whimbrel House is changing. Merritt and Hulda are raising a family. Owein has signed a marriage contract with the magically compatible Lady Cora, a heavyweight of British nobility who’s an ocean away. And the lovely shape-shifting druid Fallon makes a distractingly fetching friend for Owein. But another change is in the air, and this time it’s something wicked.

The greatest wizard of the millennium, Silas Hogwood, is back—after five years dead. New body, same foul scent, and driven by madness and revenge. Owein, fearing he isn’t strong enough to fend off Silas, seeks Cora’s help and influence in England. Alarms ringing, Queen Victoria dispatches her League of Magicians, including her personal necromancer, to aid in Owein’s defense.

As magic, both good and evil, converges on Blaugdone Island, Owein realizes how harrowing the forces against them are. Combating them will require some digging—literally—for half-formed secrets of magic Hulda doesn’t want him to have. But no promise, lock, or government red tape will keep Owein from doing what’s necessary to protect those he loves. One way or another, Silas will only take Whimbrel House over Owein’s third dead body.

Wizard of Most Wicked Ways by Charlie N. Holmberg is released today from 47North.

I've been eagerly awaiting this one. I started reading it and already I find myself engaged. If you enjoy historical fantasy, this would be a good book/series for you. Honestly I would have to recommend reading the series in order so as not to miss a thing. Silas Hogwood was a villain in earlier books as well. And then Owein wasn't quite the same as he is now either.

Check it out!

Book Review: Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett

 

From the publisher:

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The third installment in the heartwarming and enchanting Emily Wilde series, about a curmudgeonly scholar of folklore and the fae prince she loves

Emily Wilde has spent her life studying faeries. A renowned dryadologist, she has documented hundreds of species of Folk in her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Now she is about to embark on her most dangerous academic project yet: studying the inner workings of a faerie realm—as its queen.

Along with her former academic rival—now fiancé—the dashing and mercurial Wendell Bambleby, Emily is immediately thrust into the deadly intrigues of Faerie as the two of them seize the throne of Wendell’s long-lost kingdom, which Emily finds a beautiful nightmare filled with scholarly treasures.

Emily has been obsessed with faerie stories her entire life, but at first she feels as ill-suited to Faerie as she did to the mortal world: How can an unassuming scholar such as herself pass for a queen? Yet there is little time to settle in, for Wendell’s murderous stepmother has placed a deadly curse upon the land before vanishing without a trace. It will take all of Wendell’s magic—and Emily’s knowledge of stories—to unravel the mystery before they lose everything they hold dear.

Emily Wlde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett was released February 11th, 2025 from Del Rey.

My Thoughts: In this third book in the series, the story is told from Emily's point of view. We see her worries and her joys as she and Wendell claim his throne in Faerie. This is the perfect point of view for the book considering it is pretty much Emily and her adventures for a good portion of the book. Nothing wrong with that. 

Former Queen Arna has put a curse on the land. It's harming groves of trees and killing both plants and Folk that happen to be within the area it strikes. Together Wendell and Emily must find a cure for the blight and a suitable punishment for the former Queen.

Wendell's assuming the throne and having to deal with such problems allows us to see how far he's grown since meeting Emily. And Emily consults her books to find the best path forward that will yield the best results.

There is some travelling around the kingdom with Emily and Wendell. Once the problem escalates though, it's mostly Emily and ever-faithful Shadow on the road together. I think she shows great bravery and strength of character.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a little slow in places, but it didn't stop me from wanting to know what was going to happen next. I would recommend reading the books in the series in order to get the most out of this one. There are previous characters who have parts in this book. And there are some references to previous adventures. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy a good fantasy based on the Folk. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my review. All opinions therein are my own.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #541: I Bet You’d Look Good in a Coffin by Katy Brent

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

From the publisher:

Your favourite anti-heroine, Kitty Collins, is back! Expect more wit, sass, and, of course, murder…

My name is Kitty Collins and I’m a serial killer.

I don’t want to kill. It’s just so hard to resist. Some men really, really deserve it.

Men like Blaze Bundy, an anonymous influencer spreading misogyny online. He’s making it very hard for me to control my murderous urges.

Meanwhile I’m in the South of France to watch my mother marry a man I’ve never met. I should be drinking cocktails and focusing on my tan, not plotting a murder.

But a woman’s work is never done. Surely one more teensy little kill wouldn’t hurt, would it?

Darkly hilarious… Come for the sharp-tongue prose and pitch-black comedy, stay for the careful dismantling of toxic masculinity' Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

I Bet You'd Look Good in a Coffin by Katy Brent is due out June 10th, 2025 from Harper 360.

Why am I waiting on this book? It's different from most of the other mysteries I've read. A female serial killer story told with dark humor sounds interesting. I want to know more about what motivates her. And I look forward to the humor in the book, even if it is dark humor.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #540: The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club by Gloria Chao

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

From the publisher: In this laugh-out-loud murder mystery, three women dating the same man band together to get revenge, but when they discover his body, they'll need to solve his murder before they go down for it.

The body in the closet was going to be a problem. Kathryn Hu knew it. Yes, Tucker Jones was a cheating scumbag, and yes, she’d agreed to meet Olivia and Elle—Tucker’s other girlfriends—to exact revenge for all he’d put them through… But then they found him. Dead.  

Do they look guilty? Yes.

Do they feel guilty for having wished him dead just hours before? Maybe a little.

But—solid motive and a crime scene covered in their DNA aside—they’re innocent. They swear.

To clear their names, Kat, Olivia, and Elle team up to find the real killer. But as they go undercover and lie to everyone, including the hot detective working the case, they realize that every person in their ex's life had a reason to want him dead. Will they uncover the truth before they go down for a murder they didn't commit?

Filled with humor and shenanigans, The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club is a romp of an adventure by award-winning author Gloria Chao, perfect for fans of Dial A for Aunties, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It and John Tucker Must Die.

The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club by Gloria Chao is expected out June 24, 2025 from MIRA.

Why am I waiting on this book? It sounds like it will be a fun read. I loved both Dial A for Aunties and Finlay Donovan Is Killing it. This book is suggested for fans of those two books. I think there's a high probability I will enjoy it. I want to know what happens to these ladies and how they go about solving the mystery.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!