Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2026

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Artsy Reader where each week they post a new top ten list and ask fellow bookish folk to share their lists on that topic.

This week the theme is: Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2026

I tried to keep it to ten books but it somehow turned into fifteen! 

(Click on cover for Goodreads link)

Inside Man (Head Cases #2) by John McMahon

Release Date: 1/13/26

(I'm listening to this one now!)

The Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews

Release Date: 3/31/26

Whisper Creek by Allison Brennan

Release Date: 6/23/26

Wolvers by Taylor Brown

Release Date: 4/7/26

Storm Tide (Mike Bowditch #16) by Paul Doiron

Release Date: 6/30/26

Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman

Release Date: 2/10/26

Family Lies (San Diego #4) by Karen Rose

Release Date: 3/31/26

Make it Out Alive (Quinn & Costa #7) by Allison Brennan

Release Date: 1/27/26

Antihero (Orphan X #11) by Gregg Hurwitz

Release Date: 2/10/26

An Ordinary Sort of Evil (A Rip Through Time #5) by Kelley Armstrong

Release Date: 5/19/26

First Sign of Danger (Haven's Rock #4) by Kelley Armstrong

Release Date: 2/17/26

Bloodlust by Sandra Brown

Release Date: 3/17/26

Five-Star Summer by Sarah Morgan

Release Date: 5/5/26

The Name Game by Beth O'Leary

Release Date: 4/7/26

The Shippers by Katherine Center

Release Date: 5/19/26

What are your most anticipated reads for the first half of 2026?

Review: Wreck Your Heart by Lori Rader-Day

 

Wreck Your Heart by Lori Rader-Day

Publication Date: January 6th 2026 by Minotaur Books & Macmillan Audio

Pages: 352

Audio Book Length: 12hrs 9min

Narrator: Lauren Ezzo

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Dahlia Devine, a country singer scraping by on the small stage at McPhee’s Tavern, finds herself back living in the apartment above the bar after her boyfriend disappears with the rent money. As if that blow weren’t enough, her estranged mother, Marisa, suddenly reappears after twenty years. Dahlia wants nothing to do with the woman who abandoned her at six years old, leaving Alex, the tavern’s owner, to raise her. But when Marisa vanishes just as abruptly as she arrived and a younger sister Dahlia never knew existed shows up looking for her Dahlia is pulled into a mystery she can’t ignore.

Wreck Your Heart blends a compelling mystery with Dahlia’s deeply personal journey toward understanding her past. Her abandonment issues and resentment toward Marisa felt painfully real, especially as the truth about Marisa’s relationship with her younger daughter comes to light.

There was a lot to unpack here, but it was an engrossing story. Dahlia was a flawed but likable character, and I cheered her on as she tried to untangle what happened to her mother, what was going on at the bar, and where her missing boyfriend fit into it all. I correctly guessed one twist, but another reveal genuinely surprised me. The finale was a wild, thrilling conclusion that tied everything together in a satisfying ending.

I alternated between an audio and e-copy and can recommend either version. While it took me a bit to get used to her pace, Loren Ezzo captured the essence of Dahlia’s character perfectly!

4 Stars

Book Description:

Dahlia “Doll” Devine had the kind of hardscrabble beginning that could launch a thousand broken-hearted country songs, but now she’s the star of her own stage at McPhee’s Tavern. As part of Chicago’s—yes, Chicago’s—country music scene, Dahlia is an up-and-coming singer in spangles and boots of classic country tunes. Up and coming, that is, until her boyfriend Joey up and went, taking the rent money with him.

So Dahlia is back to square one, relying on Alex McPhee—again. Alex helped her out of a bad situation when she was a kid living rough with her mother. Now he’s part landlord, part band booster, all-around rescuer. It’s just that Dahlia wishes she didn’t keep giving him reasons to have to do it.

Just as Dahlia suspects she’s scraped rock bottom, the mother she hasn’t spoken to in twenty years shows up with something to say. The next morning, a distraught young woman arrives at the bar, asking after her missing mother—Dahlia's mother, too, even if the missing suburban PTA mom the girl describes sounds pretty different from the one who let Dahlia down all those years ago.

Though no one is using the word sister any time soon, Dahlia lets herself be drawn into reuniting the family that might have been hers. But when a body is discovered outside McPhee’s Tavern, the crime threatens not just the place Dahlia has made into a home, but everything she’s believed about her past, her dreams for the future, and the people she was just, maybe, beginning to let into her heart.

Sunday Post #322

 

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated reviewer book blog, and is a post to recap my bookish and non-bookish things from the last week. I'm also linking up to The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb Nance @Readerbuzz.

Happy Sunday!

We got back from Montana early Tuesday night, like 1:30 in the morning! My week is completely thrown off. We had a good time with family and friends. It was busy. We had friends over for dinner, went snow skiing, sledding, went to a New Year's Eve party complete with fireworks and lighting of Chinese lanterns. We did Mingo (Bingo done with music trivia) at the lodge, puzzles and games at home and more. I had Tuesday off, thankfully, but worked Wednesday, Friday and Saturday (today). We met my sister and her husband for dinner out tonight after work and had fun catching up. I hope to sleep in Sunday. 

Came home to my camellia bush blooming. I've had a hard time getting this bush to bloom here so this was exciting to me. 

Debutante camellia 

Debutante Camellia in the garden

500 Piece Puzzle Completed: American Road Trip by Rifle Paper Co.

Pepper kitty (my daughter's cat) puzzling.

I wish I had more photos from Montana but I just didn't take that many. 

Read:

(This is two weeks worth of reading)

Seeing Other People by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka-4 Stars

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry-5 Stars

The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook by Matt Dinniman-5 Stars

Remember That Day (Ravenswood #5) by Mary Balogh-4.5 Stars

The Shop on Hidden Lane by Jayne Ann Krentz-4 Stars

Great Big Beautiful Life was my last read of 2025 and it was excellent! A romance wrapped in a mystery I wasn't expecting with some surprising revelations! Bravo, Emily Henry! I almost didn't pick up Seeing Other People because their last book was underwhelming, but the premise sounded good and I ended up enjoying it. I’m loving the Dungeon Crawler Carl books! I listened with my earbuds every chance I got in Montana! I had to put the series on hold because I've had a bunch of review books due, but I'll be starting book four as soon as I have a minute. I told my daughter about the series as soon as I finished the first book. She started listening and has now finished the series! I think she was on book six when we were in Montana.

Received:

Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston

It's Not Her by Mary Kubica

Thank you to Penguin and Harlequin Audio!

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How was your week?

Favorites of 2025: Fantasy/Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction & Horror

 Favorites of 2025:

Fantasy/Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction & Horror

Most are new releases but a few are older and the last two (Ilona Andrews books) are re-reads for a read-along.

Blind Date with a Werewolf by Patricia Briggs

Turns of Fate (Isle of Wyrd #1) by Anne Bishop

A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan #2) by Robert Jackson Bennett

A Judgement of Powers (Inheritance of Magic #3) by Benedict Jacka

Mate (Bride #2) by Ali Hazelwood

Atonement Sky (Psy-Changeling Trinity #9) by Nalini Singh

Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl #1) by Matt Dinniman

Lies on the Serpent's Tongue (Bittersweet in the Hollow #2) by Kate Pearsall

Fugitive Telemetry (The Murderbot Diaries #6) by Martha Wells

The Haunting of Paynes Hollow by Kelley Armstrong

The Inheritance by Ilona Andrews

Hot for Slayer by Ali Hazelwood

The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy (Dearly Beloathed #2) by Brigitte Knightley

One Fell Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles #3) by Ilona Andrews

Steel's Edge (The Edge #4) by Ilona Andrews

Have you read any of these books? If not, what were some of your Fantasy, Sci-Fi or Horror favorites from 2025?

Review: The Shop on Hidden Lane by Jayne Ann Krentz

 

The Shop on Hidden Lane by Jayne Ann Krentz

Publication Date: January 6th 2026 by Berkley

Pages: 336

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

The Harper and Wells families have been locked in a generations‑long feud but are bound together by one dangerous secret: the existence of a powerful psychic weapon.

 

When Sophy Harper’s aunt and Luke Wells’ uncle vanish, along with sensitive documents and a prototype of that weapon, Sophy and Luke are reluctantly paired up to track them down. Each brings a unique psychic talent to the hunt: Sophy can read echoes of past crimes, while Luke excels at piecing together scattered clues. And they have Luke’s dog, Bruce, along for backup. Loved Bruce!

 

The clues lead them to what’s supposed to be a peaceful artist retreat, but the moment they arrive, it’s clear something is wrong and the place hums with psychic energy. As danger closes in, Sophy and Luke must rely on their abilities, and each other before catastrophe strikes. Despite coming from rival families, Sophy and Luke quickly became a compelling team. Their wary partnership evolves with growing trust, and a wonderfully slow‑burn romance that adds warmth to the high‑stakes mystery.

 

Fans of Jayne Ann Krentz will find familiar supernatural elements: Fogg Lake, the Bluestone Project, the Arcane Society, but with a new cast of characters. It was an engaging blend of action, danger and romantic tension. The central mystery wraps up satisfyingly, but the last chapter hinted at more stories to come.

4 Stars

Book Description:

New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz dives into an enthralling new romantic suspense novel filled with deeply entrenched grudges, psychic dangers, and a conspiracy that threatens not only two families but also the entire paranormal community.

The Harper and the Wells families have regarded each other with deep suspicion for four generations. The Harpers have been known to offer their psychic talents for less-than-legal purposes, and the powerful Wells clan has a reputation for playing both sides of the street. But for all the years of history and distrust between them, there is a mysterious pact binding the two. They share the responsibility for protecting a long-buried and very dangerous secret.

Sophy Harper and Luke Wells are shocked to learn that her aunt and his uncle have been sleeping together—and now they are both missing. Not only that, but the last traces of them are at the scene of a murder soaked in negative paranormal energy. Clearly, someone is willing to kill to obtain the secret their families have been charged with protecting. Despite their mutual distrust, which, as far as Sophy is concerned extends to Luke’s hellhound of a dog, they both know that the terms of the pact must be honored.

Their investigation uncovers a psychic trail leading to a bizarre desert art colony where nothing is as it seems. But Luke and Sophy are concealing a few secrets, too. By a strange twist of fate, a Harper and a Wells have no choice but to trust each other and the fierce attraction that is binding them as surely as the pact between the families.

Photo Credit: Marc von Borstel

About the Author

Jayne Ann Krentz is the author of more than fifty New York Times bestsellers. She has written contemporary romantic suspense novels under that name and futuristic and historical romance novels under the pseudonyms Jayne Castle and Amanda Quick, respectively. www.jayneannkrentz.com.