Congratulations to Alta Hensley as THEY KNOW IF YOU’VE BEEN BAD OR GOOD hits #74 on the USA Today bestseller list!
There’s no escaping the holiday spirit in this dark, forced-proximity, why choose, Christmas stalker romance, the sequel to Alta Hensley’s New York Times bestselling He Knows When You’re Awake!
She is the life of the party. He is the villain you never wish to meet alone. Tait Heartwalker may be the cousin of the Ever King, but royally good company he is not. He’s ill-tempered and unapproachable, sharpened by the hard responsibilities of life and loyalty. But to the dismay of Mira Sekundär, princess of the glamour fae, he’s also intoxicating to look at.
Despite doing their best to avoid each other, fate has other plans when an otherworldly storm shipwrecks Tait and Mira far beyond the boundaries of the Ever Kingdom. They are forced to break through the thorny barriers between them and work together to find their way home. One wrong step and they’ll never return alive…
Yet as their feelings deepen, a new threat rises from the waters. And this enemy is so dangerous, even the history books tried to forget their existence.
Library Journal: Lawyer Gwen Bailey’s nearly inhuman ability to consistently turn in perfect work in practically no time has elevated her to the status of legend at her firm. No one else in the office knows that Gwen uses time travel to get her work done and fix her mistakes. Jumping in the back of any New York City yellow cab, Gwen tells the driver where and when she wants to go, and poof, she’s there. She has never told anyone about her ability and didn’t realize anyone else could do it until she meets a man in a café who is wearing merch from a concert that hasn’t happened yet. Cardiac nurse Ian Knox realized he could time travel the day his father and brother nearly died; he has used this ability ever since to make sure that his loved ones are safe and happy. As they continue to run into each other, Gwen and Ian start to see alarming anomalies in their abilities and have to consider if an imperfect future together could be enough.
VERDICT: Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka follow up Seeing Other People with this unique take on a time travel romance that will appeal to readers who enjoy magical realism, opposites-attract romances, and stories that make one wonder “what if?”
Audio rights to Molly Tanzer’s FERRY-LOUPERS, to Brian Sweany at Recorded Books, by Katie Shea Boutillier at Donald Maass Literary Agency, on behalf of Cameron McClure (World English).
Audio rights to Elle Madison’s A Legacy of Broken Thrones series, to Julie Constantine at Podium Audio, in a four-book deal, by Katie Shea Boutillier at Donald Maass Literary Agency (NA).
French rights to Rachel Reiss’s SECONDS TO SPARE, to Larousse Jeunesse, by Sarah Dray at Anna Jarota Agency, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier at Donald Maass Literary Agency.
German rights to New York Times bestselling author Martha Wells’ WITCH KING and QUEEN DEMON, the first two books in the Rising World trilogy, to Cross Cult, by Sarah Knofius at the Thomas Schlueck Agency in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.
Ukrainian rights to British Fantasy Award winner Simon Jimenez’s THE VANISHED BIRDS, to Publishing Company Lobster LLC, by Tamara Vukićević at Prava i Prevodi in association with Michael Curry.
Hungarian rights to LJ Andrews’ THE STOLEN CROWN, to Kossuth, by Nada Popovic at Prava i Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.
Hungarian rights to Aggie Blum Thompson’s YOU DESERVE TO KNOW, to Kossuth, by Nada Popovic at Prava i Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier at Donald Maass Literary Agency.
Portuguese rights to Aggie Blum Thompson’s YOU DESERVE TO KNOW, to Porto, by Estel Margenat at International Editors & Yanez, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier at Donald Maass Literary Agency.
Spanish rights to Jo Walton’s EVERYBODY’S PERFECT, by Estel Margenat at International Editors & Yanez, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier at Donald Maass Literary Agency, for Cameron McClure.
Thai rights to Robert Jackson Bennett’s THE FOUNDERS TRILOGY, to Jamsai, by Thansinee Jittamanonkul at The Grayhawk Agency, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier at Donald Maass Literary Agency, for Cameron McClure.
Ukrainian rights Micaiah Johnson’s THE SPACE BETWEEN WORLDS, to Lobster, by Tamara Vukicevic at Prava i Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier at Donald Maass Literary Agency, for Cameron McClure.
Ukrainian rights to Aggie Blum Thompson’s SUCH A LOVELY FAMILY, YOU DESERVE TO KNOW, and THE NEIGHBORS ARE WATCHING, to Family Leisure Club, by Nada Popovic at Prava i Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier at Donald Maass Literary Agency.
There’s no escaping the holiday spirit in this dark, forced-proximity, why choose, Christmas stalker romance, the sequel to Alta Hensley’s New York Times bestselling He Knows When You’re Awake!
Stalkin’ around the Christmas tree…
Hailey Parker thought she had outrun her past. As the assistant to a successful jewelry designer, she’s started a new life in New York City, and may even have a new boyfriend to cozy up with this holiday. Her boss’s security guard, Knox, is a man of few words, but his obvious obsession calls to the darkest parts of Hailey’s imagination.
Then, her ex-boyfriend—and ex-partner-in-crime—shows up outside Hailey’s Brooklyn apartment. Liam explains that their past has caught up with them: the mobster they robbed five years ago has tracked them down. If they hope to escape with their lives, they must return to the remote Canadian wilderness where Hailey hid the priceless stolen diamond.
But a very different fate is awaiting them in the frigid landscape. Someone else entirely is pulling the strings, an unhinged billionaire who has a dark fascination with Hailey and Liam—and with the protective, ex-military boyfriend who has tracked Hailey all the way to the Northwest Territories.
Imprisoned together in a luxurious cabin and with a lethal ticking time bomb, Hailey, Liam, and Knox have no choice but to work together to outwit their captor. As a winter storm approaches—and simmering tensions between them reach a breaking point—escape starts to seem impossible…but what if everything they need is right there in the cabin?
Library Journal: Haven has been shutting down all strong emotions and blending into the scenery for years. When she lets herself feel anger at her boss, he turns up dead, and she knows she caused it. News of her dying father drags her back to her hometown and the family she left behind. Only being perfect is acceptable there, and Haven breaks the rules just by existing. As her emotions get stronger while the town celebrates the harvest festival, she worries that those around her might not survive it. Faubion’s (The Sun and the Moon) deftly paced horror is a slow drip of information that urges readers forward. The tying of deadly power to strong feelings is a genius way to hold back context until the emotional stakes are high enough to warrant using it. The abuse of power, both interpersonally and institutionally, fuels the storyline, and the reactions to it are naturally messy and personal. Side characters are complicated, and morality is deeply gray. VERDICT: A brutally drawn and chilling examination of misogyny, power, abuse, and what happens when the powerless suddenly aren’t. Recommended for every horror collection.
Mattie French has always known how to tell a good story. It’s why she stopped at nothing to land her dream career as a copywriter at a scrappy independent advertising agency. In fact, if it weren’t for one person, Mattie would probably be the most-talked-about rising star in town.
Campbell Porter is a senior copywriter at Chicago’s slickest agency. Absurdly talented, incredibly aware of it, and the bane of Mattie’s existence since they were interns together, Campbell is always just…there, with his golden-boy smirk and the familiar gaze that never fails to taunt her across a crowded room.
Mattie would love nothing more than to avoid Campbell forever. But when their agencies are pitted against each other to compete for a luxury resort account, it’s her chance to prove she can beat him—and earn the promotion she covets.
During the month of travel required for the pitch, Mattie and Campbell are thrown together as fierce competitors and, slowly, as unexpected witnesses to each other’s hidden wounds and softest parts. As their trip barrels toward its final pitch, Mattie is forced to confront the increasingly obvious truth: the story she’s crafted for her and Campbell over the years might need a new ending.
School Library Journal: Parker feels hemmed in by his conservative Tennessee hometown, where his bisexuality and unapologetic LGBTQIA+ activism garner derision from his peers. When he discovers that there is no rule against males competing in the Miss Spirit beauty pageant, he enters to get material for his college admissions essay. Realizing that Parker’s in over his head, student council president and pageant liaison Dean comes to the rescue. Nerdy, cute Dean promises to coach Parker if Parker helps him with a fundraiser for a local LGBTQIA+ charity. Danger stalks the pageant as Parker receives anonymous threats and escalating attempts at sabotage. The boys team up to uncover the culprit while their romance blossoms. The interactions between Dean and Parker are sweet and sincere, and the payoff of their first kiss is well-earned. Despite his reputation as an attention seeker, Parker’s bluster is a facade, and he struggles to gain the confidence to express himself authentically. He receives support from others, including his sister Marley and a handful of his fellow pageant contestants. The dialogue becomes repetitive at times, and some characters come across as two-dimensional. The mystery element is entertaining, however, the perpetrator may be obvious to seasoned readers. References to the film Miss Congeniality tie the narrative together. Principal characters read white; pageant contestants are from ethnically diverse backgrounds. VERDICT A sweet story of queer love in the South, with elements of mystery and plenty of pageant shenanigans.
Audio rights to Ada Palmer’s AND LOKI IN HIS PRISON and AND ODIN IN HIS TREE, the Norse duology, to Brian Sweany at Recorded Books, in a two-book deal, by Katie Shea Boutillier for Cameron McClure.