Winter Solstice is the first day of winter and the longest night of the year and the perfect opportunity to curl up with a moody read. From spicy romance to heat up cold nights to thrillers set in chilly weather, we have picked our favorite new releases for your sweater weather reads.
Spicy Romance: Her Soul To Take Deluxe Special Edition by Harley Laroux
Like Buffy or The Vampire Diaries but with tons more spice, a titillating fork-tongued demon, and a ritualistic monster cult, the edgy dark romance that set Tiktok on fire is now available as a special deluxe, extremely limited edition hardcover for fans of Scarlett St. Claire, Penelope Douglas, and Katee Robert.
Finnish Folklore: North is the Night by Emily Rath
Two bold young women defy the gods and mortals, living and dead, in this darkly mythical, Finnish folklore-inspired romantasy duology for readers of Katherine Arden, T. Kingfisher, and The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec.
In the Finnish wilderness, more than wolves roam the dark forests. For Siiri and Aina, summer’s fading light is a harbinger of unwelcome change. Land-hungry Swedes venture north, threatening the peace; a zealous Christian priest denounces the old ways; and young women have begun to disappear.
Chilling Thriller: You Can Kill by Rebecca Zanetti
A string of brutal murders is leaving a grisly trail across the Pacific Northwest—and drawing rising star FBI profiler Laurel Snow back into a treacherous case and a twisted personal drama she can’t escape . . .
The first body is torn apart, blood and flesh discovered across both state and federal lands. As the victims multiply, a pattern emerges—each is related to past cases investigated by Laurel Snow, with the assist of Huck Rivers, Washington Fish and Wildlife captain. When friends and loved ones are targeted, things become even more chillingly personal.
Moody Read: You Have Gone Too Far by Carlene O’Connor
With the haunting, moody prose of Tana French and the compulsive storytelling of Dervla McTiernan or Ann Cleeves, bestselling author Carlene O’Connor lures readers to a remote village on Ireland’s southwest coast, where winding windswept roads open to spectacular views of rugged cliffs against immense, lonely beaches…and some fear a mysterious cult could be connected to the disappearance of a young pregnant woman.
Secrets Come to Light: Some Choose Darkness by Charlie Donlea
From the #1 internationally bestselling author of Twenty Years Later, a twisting, impossible-to-put-down novel about the deadly secrets hiding in plain sight.
Forensic reconstructionist Rory Moore sheds light on cold-case homicides by piecing together crime scene details others fail to see. Cleaning out her late father’s law office after his burial, she receives a call that plunges her into a decades-old case.
Literal Cliffhanger: Summit’s Edge by Sara Driscoll
FBI handler Meg Jennings and her K-9 partner, Hawk, vie to rescue plane crash survivors from a Colorado mountain—and contend with a hijacker determined to stop them. For fans of harder-edged crime fiction by authors like Melinda Leigh, Kendra Elliot, Iris Johansen, and Robert Krais.
As long as there’s hope of finding life, no mission is too dangerous for Meg Jennings and her colleagues in the FBI K-9 unit. But locating the wreckage of a hijacked private plane high in the Elk Mountains of Colorado is treacherous in a multitude of ways—some of them impossible for even a seasoned team to predict.
Magical Mystery: A Trinket for the Taking by Victoria Laurie
Introducing the captivating Dovey Van Dalen, once the belle of 1840s Copenhagen, now charged with recovering magic property from mortals—whatever it takes. The first in a new magical mystery series from New York Times bestselling author Victoria Laurie.
Steamy Suspense: The Finish Line by Kate Stewart
Discover the thrilling conclusion to the TikTok phenom Kate Stewart’s internationally bestselling Ravenhood trilogy, a deliciously steamy, irresistibly edgy and suspenseful Robin Hood retelling that offers a thoroughly unique modern-day spin on the original brotherhood of morally gray bad boys—for fans of Lauren Asher and Ana Huang.
Adventure Awaits: Must-Read Books for Armchair Travelers