New Edelweiss E-galleys (9/13/23)

Hello e-galley readers! Check out some of the exciting e-galleys that were recently added to Edelweiss for your downloading pleasure:

A MIDNIGHT PUZZLE by Gigi Pandian
9781250880208 | 3/19/24

In heroine Tempest Raj, modern-day queen of the locked room mystery Gigi Pandian has created a brilliant homage to the greats of classic detective fiction.

Secret Staircase Construction is under attack, and Tempest Raj feels helpless. After former client Julian Rhodes tried to kill his wife, he blamed her “accident” on the home renovation company’s craftsmanship. Now the family business—known for bringing magic into homes through hidden doors, floating staircases, and architectural puzzle walls—is at a breaking point. No amount of Scottish and Indian meals from her grandfather can distract Tempest from the truth: they’re being framed.

When Tempest receives an urgent midnight phone call from Julian, she decides to meet him at the historic Whispering Creek Theater—only to find his dead body, a sword through his chest. After a blade appears from thin air to claim another victim, Tempest is certain they’re dealing with a booby trap… something Secret Staircase Construction could easily build. Tempest refuses to wait for the investigation to turn to her or her loved ones. She knows the pieces of the puzzle are right in front of her, she just has to put them together correctly before more disaster strikes.

Multiple award-winning author Gigi Pandian and her sleuth Tempest Raj return in A MIDNIGHT PUZZLE, where an old theater reveals a deadly booby trap, secrets, and one puzzle of a mystery.

THE EXPECTANT DETECTIVES by Kate Ailes
9781250322722 | 6/4/24

THE EXPECTANT DETECTIVE is first in a delightful new mystery series following a group of pregnant women who meet at a prenatal class and team up to solve the murder of someone in their village.

Can she solve the mother of all murders?

For Alice and her partner Joe, moving to the sleepy village of Penton is a chance to embrace country life and prepare for the birth of their unplanned but welcome first child. He can take up woodwork; maybe she’ll learn to make jam? But the rural idyll they’d hoped for doesn’t quite pan out when a dead body is discovered at their local prenatal class, and they find themselves suspects in a murder investigation.

With a cloud of suspicion hanging over the heads of the whole group, Alice and her new-found friends, set out to solve the mystery and clear her name, with the help of her troublesome dog, Helen. However, there are more secrets and tensions in the heart of Penton than first meet the eye. Between the discovery of a shady commune up in the woods, the unearthing of a mysterious death years earlier and the near-tragic poisoning of Helen, Alice is soon in way over her head.

THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB meets MIDSOMER MURDERS in this fresh, funny mystery about a group of soon-to-be-moms-turned-detectives.

FAKING IT by Beth Reekles
9781998854219 | 1/16/24

Lifelong singleton Sophie is facing a year of events celebrating her friends and family settling down: bachelorette and engagement parties, weddings, and baby showers. With a string of failed dates behind her and a wildly successful (albeit anonymous) column exaggerating her love life, Sophie can’t take it anymore.

When she needs a plus-one to her sister’s wedding and lies that she has a guy on the scene, she enlists the sexy and charming Harry as her fake boyfriend. He helps her save face in front of her own family, and she helps him look good to his friends after his marriage failed spectacularly.

Their chemistry is undeniable, but Sophie starts to realize that it’s not all rosy when you’re a couple either – and even if she has sparks with Harry, they’re both just using their fake relationship to hide from their own problems.

KINNING by Nisi Shawl
9781250212696 | 1/23/24

KINNING, the sequel to Nisi Shawl’s acclaimed debut novel EVERFAIR, continues the stunning alternate history where barkcloth airships soar through the sky, varied peoples build a new society together, and colonies claim their freedom from imperialist tyrants.
The Great War is over. Everfair has found peace within its borders. But our heroes’ stories are far from done.

Tink and his sister Bee-Lung are traveling the world via aircanoe, spreading the spores of a mysterious empathy-generating fungus. Through these spores, they seek to build bonds between people and help spread revolutionary sentiments of socialism and equality—the very ideals that led to Everfair’s founding.

Meanwhile, Everfair’s Princess Mwadi and Prince Ilunga return home from a sojourn in Egypt to vie for their country’s rule following the abdication of their father King Mwenda. But their mother, Queen Josina, manipulates them both from behind the scenes, while also pitting Europe’s influenza-weakened political powers against one another as these countries fight to regain control of their rebellious colonies.

Will Everfair continue to serve as a symbol of hope, freedom, and equality to anticolonial movements around the world, or will it fall to forces inside and out?

HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE FUNGI: Collected Quirks of Science, Tech, Engineering, and Math from Nerd Nite by Chris Balakrishnan and Matt Wasowski
9781250330055 | 2/20/24

In the vein of popular-science bestsellers such as ATLAS OBSCURA and WHAT IF?, the co-founders of the global science organization Nerd Nite bring readers a collection of fascinating STEM topics.

For 20 years, Nerd Nite has delivered to live audiences the most interesting, fun, and informative presentations about science, history, the arts, pop culture, you name it. There hasn’t been a rabbit hole that their army of presenters hasn’t been afraid to explore. Finally, after countless requests to bring Nerd Nite to more fans across the globe, co-founders and college pals Matt Wasowski and Chris Balakrishnan are bringing readers the quirky and accessible science content that they crave in bookform, focused on STEM and paired with detailed illustrations that make the content pop. The resulting range of topics is quirky and vast, from kinky, spring-loaded spiders to the Webb telescope’s influence on movie special effects.

Hilariously named after Dale Carnegie’s iconic book, HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE FUNGI features narratives, bursts, and infographics on all things STEM from scientists around the world. Chapters are sure to make you laugh-out-loud, with titles such as “The Importance of Talking Sh*t: How Microbes From Your Poop Can Save Lives” and “Be Annoying When it’s GOOD to be irritating!”.

With fascinating details, facts, and illustrations, combined with Chris and Matt’s incredible connections to organizations such as the Discovery Network, HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE FUNGI is sure to reach joyful STEM enthusiasts of all ages around the world.

ONE LAST SHOT by Betty Cayouette
9781250291103 | 5/7/24

From the creator of viral TikTok account Betty’s Book List, a debut romance about a supermodel and a photographer with a past marriage pact who meet again ten years later on a photoshoot in Cinque Terre, Italy.

From the moment Emerson and Theo met as teenagers, they were inseparable. But just when they finally expressed their feelings to one another, they were torn apart.

Now, supermodel Emerson is nearing her twenty-eighth birthday, and she’s tired of looking for love in all the wrong places. When the calendar reminder for the marriage pact she and Theo made as teens goes off on her phone, she realizes this is it—her chance to rekindle the only romance that ever really made sense. Emerson convinces her grumpy agent to book her as the face of the fashion campaign that Theo, now a fashion photographer, is shooting. The good news: the campaign is being shot in ridiculously romantic Cinque Terre, Italy. The bad news? Theo might not be as happy to see her as she’d hoped.

The two embark on a four-day campaign that tests not only their feelings, but their ability to keep their hands off one another. But as roadblock after roadblock keeps them apart, Emerson starts to wonder: will this photoshoot be the key to getting one last shot at love, or will it be a final goodbye?

OF HOAXES AND HOMICIDES by Anastasia Hastings
9781250848581 | 1/30/24

In the second Dear Miss Hermione mystery, fielding questions from irate housekeepers and heartbroken mothers is just par for the course for the best-loved Agony Aunt in Britain.

“Dear Miss Hermione—what is a mother to do?”

Sensible Violet Manville and her very ladylike half-sister Sephora are absolutely bored, thank you very much. Though neither of them would ever admit it aloud, they’re missing the thrill of playing detective.

So when Violet receives a letter from “A Heartbroken Mother” sent to her alter-ego, the Agony Aunt known to the world only as Miss Hermione, her pulse can’t help but quicken. The daughter in question has gotten caught up in a cult: the Hermetic Order of the Children of Aed. Rumors of human sacrifices, mystical doings, and a ghost in the ruined Alburn Abbey where the Children pray have gripped the public consciousness, helped along by a series of novels about the group, written by the mysterious Count Orlando, and clearly this girl has fallen prey.

Miss Hermione’s investigation soon collides with very real life when Violet discovers a surprising connection to the cult. With the dashing-but-frustrating Eli Marsh turning up and a member of the Children poisoned, Violet and Sephora—along with their ever-trusty housekeeper Bunty—may have more intrigue than they can manage.

HEARTSONG by TJ Klune
9781250890405 | 1/30/24

The beloved fantasy romance sensation by New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune, about love, loyalty, betrayal, and joy. The Bennett family has a secret: They’re not just a family, they’re a pack. HEARTSONG is Robbie Fontaine’s story.

All Robbie Fontaine ever wanted was a place to belong. After the death of his mother, he bounces around from pack to pack, forming temporary bonds to keep from turning feral. It’s enough—until he receives a summons from the wolf stronghold in Caswell, Maine. Life as the trusted second to Michelle Hughes—the Alpha of all—and the cherished friend of a gentle old witch teaches Robbie what it means to be pack, to have a home. But when a mission from Michelle sends Robbie into the field, he finds himself questioning where he belongs and everything he’s been told.

Whispers of traitorous wolves and wild magic abound—but who are the traitors and who the betrayed? More than anything, Robbie hungers for answers, because one of those alleged traitors is Kelly Bennett—the wolf who may be his mate.

The truth has a way of coming out. And when it does, everything will shatter.

EVERYONE I KISSED SINCE YOU GOT FAMOUS by Mae Marvel
9781250894687 | 6/11/24

Hollywood glamor meets Tis the Damn Season in this irresistibly buzzy sapphic romance.

An actress home for the holidays makes a bet with her former best friend-turned-online sensation.

Katie Price is known in every living room in America. A small-town Wisconsin girl who became an A-list star, she rarely makes it home, but this year is different . . . Little does she know it will lead her straight into the piercing blue-eyed gaze of Wil Greene.

A lot has happened in the decade since those cold Wisconsin nights when Wil and Katie drove around in Wil’s Bronco senior year. Since then, Wil’s law career hasn’t taken off. Her father passed away. And what started as a personal challenge—kissing a new person twice a week, every week—has made her a growing sensation, but her life is still stuck in phase one. Through the years, the two have never left each other’s thoughts and desires, but now suddenly, they are back in each others’ lives. Their reconnection is instantaneous and the passion is palpable…but can it stand the test of time?”

Witty, tender, and searingly sexy, EVERYONE I KISSED SINCE YOU GOT FAMOUS is an unforgettable romantic read for everyone who almost kissed their best friend. And then finally did.

JUST SOME STUPID LOVE STORY by Katelyn Doyle
9781250328090 | 6/4/24

For fans of Emily Henry, a debut about a rom-com screenwriter who doesn’t believe in love and a divorce attorney who does, forced together at their high school reunion fifteen years after their breakup.

Molly Marks writes Hollywood rom-coms for a living—which is how she knows “romance” is a racket. The one and only time she was naive enough to fall in love was with her high school boyfriend, Seth—who she ghosted on the eve of graduation and hasn’t seen in fifteen years.

Seth Rubinstein believes in love, the grand, fated kind, despite his job as, well…one of Chicago’s most successful divorce attorneys. Over the last decade, he’s sought “the one” in countless bad dates and rushed relationships. He knows his soulmate is out there. But so far, no one can compare to Molly Marks, the first girl who broke his heart.

When Molly’s friends drag her to Florida for their fifteenth high school reunion, it is poetic justice that she’s forced to sit with Seth. Too many martinis and a drunken hookup later, they decide to make a bet: whoever can predict the fate of five couples before the next reunion must declare that the other is right about true love. The catch? The fifth couple is the two of them.

Molly assures Seth they are a tale of timeless heartbreak. Seth promises she’ll end up hopelessly in love with him. She thinks he’s delusional. He has five years to prove her wrong.

Wickedly funny, sexy, and brimming with laughs and heart like the best romantic comedies, JUST SOME STUPID LOVE STORY is for everyone who believes in soulmates—even if they would never admit it.