Waiting to Read Wednesday: Half Sick of Shadows / Men Are Frogs / Much Ado About Nauticaling / Settled Blood

The New

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by the marvelous Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss upcoming release we are excited about that we have yet to read.

Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian
Release Date: July 20, 2021 by Ace

The Lady of Shalott reclaims her story in this bold feminist reimagining of the Arthurian myth from the New York Times bestselling author of Ash Princess.

Everyone knows the legend. Of Arthur, destined to be a king. Of the beautiful Guinevere, who will betray him with his most loyal knight, Lancelot. Of the bitter sorceress, Morgana, who will turn against them all. But Elaine alone carries the burden of knowing what is to come--for Elaine of Shalott is cursed to see the future.

On the mystical isle of Avalon, Elaine runs free and learns of the ancient prophecies surrounding her and her friends--countless possibilities, almost all of them tragic.

When their future comes to claim them, Elaine, Guinevere, Lancelot, and Morgana accompany Arthur to take his throne in stifling Camelot, where magic is outlawed, the rules of society chain them, and enemies are everywhere. Yet the most dangerous threats may come from within their own circle.

As visions are fulfilled and an inevitable fate closes in, Elaine must decide how far she will go to change fate--and what she is willing to sacrifice along the way. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: I generally avoid Arthurian stories but occasionally one will catch my eye and I cannot resist. I do not think I will be able to resist this one. 

Men Are Frogs (Fairy Godmothers, Inc. #2) by Saranna DeWylde
Release Date: July 27, 2021 by Zebra

Armed with her trademark mix of quirky charm, witty comedy, and swoon-worthy romance, Saranna DeWylde takes readers on a rollicking ride through twisted fairy tales and towards the ultimate HEA with her second novel set in the magical town of Ever After, Missouri.

Ever After, Missouri, is the unlikely source of the world's magic, but without love--magic's secret ingredient--the well is running dry. Resident fairy godmothers Petunia, Jonquil, and Bluebonnet are on the job! Nudging couples toward romance might do the trick, unless their fairy dust is on the fritz...

SOMETIMES YOU'RE THE CURSE . . .

Disgraced wedding planner Zuri Davis is so relieved to be offered a job with Fairy Godmothers, Inc., she's willing to trade the high-rise excitement of Chicago for the small-town charm of Ever After. Falling for one of her grooms, even unintentionally, was enough to destroy her career--and also to prove that all men are indeed frogs. But when she meets gorgeous B&B owner Phillip Charming, who definitely lives up to his name, even she is tempted to test that theory . . .

AND SOMETIMES YOU'RE THE CURE

Three hundred years as a frog by day and himself by night, is enough to test any man's patience--even if Phillip knows he deserved Petunia's curse. It certainly taught him not to mess around when it comes to making promises. And stubborn, proud Zuri is a woman he'd like to promise his heart and everything else to--if only he weren't a sometimes-frog. Can he hope for True Love's Kiss from a woman whose trust has been so thoroughly broken?[Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: I have not yet read the first in the series although it is on my wish list. This second book only makes me want to read the series even more. 

Much Ado about Nauticaling (Whit and Whiskers Mystery #1) by Gabby Allan
Release Date: July 27, 2021

Whitney Dagner is your tour guide to a Pacific paradise that's to die for--only to find it's a place people are also willing to kill for--in Gabby Allan's Much Ado About Nauticaling, first in the Whit and Whiskers Mystery series.

After far too many years in the Los Angeles corporate world, Whitney Dagner has come home to Santa Catalina Island off the California coast to help her brother Nick run Nautically Yours, the family tourism business. Between gift shop shifts selling all manner of T-shirts and tchotchkes and keeping her feline Whiskers in fine fettle, she pilots the Sea Bounder, a glass bottom boat showing tourists the underwater sights of aquatic plants, marine life--and a murder victim?

The self-proclaimed Master of the Island, Jules Tisdale was a wealthy man with business interests throughout Catalina who was about to be honored as Person of the Year before someone strangled him with his own tie and tossed his body into the water. That someone appears to be Nick, who had a raw deal from Jules and no alibi the night of his murder. To clear her brother's name, Whit will have to investigate Jules' shady associates and not exactly grief-stricken family members--with the unwelcome help of Felix Ramirez, police diver and Whit's ex-boyfriend who's looking to rekindle their relationship. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: A new cozy mystery series is hard to resist. The Catalina Island setting makes this a must read for me. It's such a beautiful and cozy place, even if extremely touristy--too much so to some degree.  I look forward to revisiting the island--even if only this time in a book. 

Do any of these books interest you? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to reading?

 

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The Old(er) 

I have an embarrassing number of unread books sitting on the shelves in my personal library. Carole of Carole's Random Life in Books has given me the perfect excuse to spotlight and discuss those neglected books in her Books from the Backlog feature. After all, even those older books need a bit of love! Not to mention it is reminding me what great books I have waiting for me under my own roof still to read!

Settled Blood (DCI Kate Daniels #2) by Mari Hannah (Witness Impulse, 2012)

When a young girl is found dead at the base of Hadrian's Wall, it's not long before Detective Chief Inspector Kate Daniels realises her death was no ordinary homicide. She was thrown from a great height and was probably alive before she hit the ground. Then a local businessmen reports his daughter missing, has Daniels found the identity of her victim, or is a killer playing a sickening game? As the murder investigation team delve deeper into the case, half truths are told, secrets exposed, and while Daniels makes her way through a mountain of obstacles time is running out for one terrified girl. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: I read the first book in this series years ago and really liked it. Kate Daniels is a great character. I added this to my TBR pile soon after reading the first one but just haven't gotten to it yet. 

Have you read Settled Blood?  Does this book sound like something you would like to read? 

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