Standalones You’ll Want More Of (8/12/24)

There are so many upcoming standalones we’re excited about–from romance, to sci-fi, to mystery, and more!

THE CO-OP BY TARAH DEWITT
9781250329387 | 11/12/24

LaRynn Lavigne and Deacon Leeds had one short and contentious summer fling when they were teens—certainly nothing to build a foundation on. But a decade later, when their grandmothers have left them with shared ownership of their dilapidated Santa Cruz building, they’re thrust back together. LaRynn has the money, but in order to access her trust, she has to be married. Deacon has the construction expertise, but lacks the funds. A deal is struck: marry for however long it takes to fix up the property, collect a profit, and cut ties. But LaRynn and Deacon quickly realize that it’s easy to hide behind emotional walls, even in a marriage, and they’ll have to learn what it means to truly cooperate as a team if they want to succeed.

THE BONES BENEATH MY SKIN BY TJ KLUNE
9781250890436 | 2/4/25

In the spring of 1995, Nate Cartwright has lost everything: his parents are dead, his only brother wants nothing to do with him, and he’s been fired from his job. With nothing left to lose, he returns to his family’s summer cabin to try and find some sense of direction. The cabin should be empty but it’s not. Inside is a man named Alex and an extraordinary ten-year-old girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader. Artemis, who isn’t exactly as she appears. Soon it becomes clear that Nate must make a choice: let himself drown in the memories of his past, or fight for a future he never thought possible. Because the girl is special. And forces are descending upon them who want nothing more than to control her.

THE FOURTH CONSORT BY EDWARD ASHTON
9781250286338 | 2/25/25

Dalton Greaves is one of humankind’s first representatives to Unity, a pan-species confederation working to bring all sentient life into a benevolent brotherhood. Funny thing, though—turns out there’s a benevolent confederation already out there. They’re called the Assembly, and they really don’t like Unity. When an encounter between Unity’s scout ship and an Assembly cruiser ends badly, Dalton finds himself marooned on an unfamiliar planet, caught between one of the Assembly’s nightmarish shock troops and the planet’s less-than-friendly natives. To survive, he’ll need to navigate palace intrigue, alien morality, and a proposal he literally cannot refuse.

WHEN THE MOON HITS YOUR EYE BY JOHN SCALZI
9780765389091 | 3/25/25

One day soon, suddenly and without explanation, the moon as we know it is replaced with an orb of cheese with the exact same mass. Through the length of an entire lunar cycle, we follow multiple characters–schoolkids and scientists, billionaires and workers, preachers and politicians–as they confront the strange new world they live in, and the absurd, impossible moon that now hangs above all their lives.

SLAYING THE VAMPIRE CONQUEROR BY CARISSA BROADBENT
9781250368928 | 3/25/25

Life in service to the Arachessen, a cult of the Goddess of Fate, has turned Sylina from orphaned street-rat to disciplined killer, determined to overthrow Glaea’s tyrannical king. But when a brutal vampire conqueror arrives on their shores, Sylina faces an even deadlier adversary. She’s tasked with a crucial mission: infiltrate Atrius’ army, earn his trust… and kill him. Yet when Sylina becomes his seer, she glimpses a dark and shocking past. Sylina’s orders are clear. The conqueror cannot live. But as the blood spilled by Glaea’s tyrant king runs thicker, her connection with Atrius only grows stronger.

GIFTED & TALENTED BY OLIVIE BLAKE
9781250883407 | 4/1/25

Thayer Wren, the brilliant CEO of Wrenfare Magitech and so-called father of modern technology, is dead. Any one of his three telepathically and electrokinetically gifted children would be a plausible inheritor to the Wrenfare throne. Or at least, so they like to think. On the pipeline of gifted kid to clinically depressed adult, nobody wins—but which Wren will come out on top?

SUCH A GOOD MOM BY JULIA SPIRO
9781250324177 | 4/29/25

Brynn Nelson’s life with a newborn baby, a handsome husband, and a successful career on Martha’s Vineyard seems picture-perfect. But when a family friend’s dead body washes ashore, Brynn’s husband is arrested for the crime. Not sure of anything anymore, Brynn’s only path forward is to find out who really killed this woman, even if it means it was her husband.

ENIGMA BY RUNYX
9781250334237 | 4/29/25

Salem Salazar comes to Mortimer University to get to the bottom of her sister’s mysterious death. There, obsessed with forensics, she discovers there have been a lot more unexplained deaths on the campus. Her search leads her down a dark and dangerous path to a powerful, secret society and to Caz. Cazimir van der Waal is in her way and another mystery to unravel. Is he just an art student, a man living a double life, or a murderer? While also at the university seeking answers for another death, Caz has a lot more to him than meets the eye. Dangerous forces are at play in Mortimer and no one is safe. As Salem tries to go under the radar and Caz tries to block her path, somehow, they both end up in the crossfire of a secret society.

HARMATTAN SEASON BY TOCHI ONYEBUCHI
9781250782977 | 5/27/25

Trouble always seems to find veteran and private eye Boubacar. He’d like to be left alone to deal with his bills as the Harmattan rolls in to coat the city in dust, but when a bleeding woman stumbles onto his doorway, Bouba reluctantly finds himself enmeshed in the secrets of a city boiling on the brink of violence. As he learns horrifying new truths, Bouba may have to carve out parts of himself he’s long kept hidden, and decide what he’s willing to offer next.