My Most Anticipated 2021 Releases (January - June)

Happy Tuesday and welcome to another TTT! This meme is hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. I hope you've been enjoying the new year so far! 2021 has only just begun and I've already read a five-star book. Granted, it was a re-read, but it still counts :) This week's TTT theme is Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2021 and I had to dig in the crates as it were to find books that I would not only actually read, but that I hadn't covered already. I'm obviously going to have some repeats, but trying to limit this list to only 10 is hard AF. I have about 50 books I have to read by the end of the year and I'm going to do everything possible to make it so.

Here's my list, in no particular order:

Just As I Am by Cicely Tyson

Non-fiction/Autobiography/Memoir
Releasing January 26, 2021

“In her long and extraordinary career, Cicely Tyson has not only exceeded as an actor, she has shaped the course of history.” –President Barack Obama, 2016 Presidential Medal of Honor ceremony

"Just As I Am is my truth. It is me, plain and unvarnished, with the glitter and garland set aside. In these pages, I am indeed Cicely, the actress who has been blessed to grace the stage and screen for six decades. Yet I am also the church girl who once rarely spoke a word. I am the teenager who sought solace in the verses of the old hymn for which this book is named. I am a daughter and mother, a sister, and a friend. I am an observer of human nature and the dreamer of audacious dreams. I am a woman who has hurt as immeasurably as I have loved, a child of God divinely guided by His hand. And here in my ninth decade, I am a woman who, at long last, has something meaningful to say.” –Cicely Tyson

Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas

Young Adult Fiction/humanitarian
Releasing January 12, 2021

If there’s one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it’s that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad’s in prison.

Life’s not perfect, but with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mav’s got everything under control.

Until, that is, Maverick finds out he’s a father.

Suddenly he has a baby, Seven, who depends on him for everything. But it’s not so easy to sling dope, finish school, and raise a child. So when he’s offered the chance to go straight, he takes it. In a world where he’s expected to amount to nothing, maybe Mav can prove he’s different.

When King Lord blood runs through your veins, though, you can't just walk away. Loyalty, revenge, and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. He’ll have to figure out for himself what it really means to be a man.

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

Young Adult Fantasy
Releasing February 9, 2021

Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs.

But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity--and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.

Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki--near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire's greatest threat.

Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she's ever known. But as she journeys to the capital to train for the biggest battle of her life, she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be--not even Deka herself.

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

Contemporary Romance
Releasing March 9, 2021

In Act Your Age, Eve Brown the flightiest Brown sister crashes into the life of an uptight B&B owner and has him falling hard—literally.

Eve Brown is a certified hot mess. No matter how hard she strives to do right, her life always goes horribly wrong—so she’s given up trying. But when her personal brand of chaos ruins an expensive wedding (someone had to liberate those poor doves), her parents draw the line. It's time for Eve to grow up and prove herself—even though she's not entirely sure how…

Jacob Wayne is in control. Always. The bed and breakfast owner’s on a mission to dominate the hospitality industry—and he expects nothing less than perfection. So when a purple-haired tornado of a woman turns up out of the blue to interview for his open chef position, he tells her the brutal truth: not a chance in hell. Then she hits him with her car—supposedly by accident. Yeah, right.

Now his arm is broken, his B&B is understaffed, and the dangerously unpredictable Eve is fluttering around, trying to help. Before long, she’s infiltrated his work, his kitchen—and his spare bedroom. Jacob hates everything about it. Or rather, he should. Sunny, chaotic Eve is his natural-born nemesis, but the longer these two enemies spend in close quarters, the more their animosity turns into something else. Like Eve, the heat between them is impossible to ignore—and it’s melting Jacob’s frosty exterior.

The Revelation of Light and Dark by Sawyer Bennett

Chronicles of the Stone Veil #1
Urban Fantasy
Releasing February 9, 2021

I always knew I was different.

From a young age, my mind has been plagued with things only I could see. Some hauntingly beautiful, others completely terrifying. Never knowing if these visions were real or just hallucinations, I learned how to lock them down and ignore them. I learned to take solace in the relative anonymity of city life and find peace in the rainy days my city of Seattle is known for. But just when I think my life is getting on track and my dreams are achievable, a moment of weakness causes me to learn a hard and fast lesson.

My entire existence has been a lie.

Now I’m faced with a new reality that’s as implausible as it is fantastical. Filled with realms and veils, light and dark, fae and daemons, gods and angels—things I don’t understand but am forced to acknowledge. It doesn’t help that the man teaching me about my unique gifts is the gorgeously handsome Carrick Byrne, one of Seattle’s richest and most powerful men. He intimidates, annoys, and intrigues me all at the same time. I don’t trust him and yet there’s no one else to help me. No longer certain who to put my faith in, what to believe, or how I fit into it all, one revelation is clear…

The world as I know it will never be the same again.

Vampire by Rebecca Zanetti

Dark Protectors #12.5/1001 Dark Nights
Paranormal Romance
Releasing April 13, 2021

Dr. Mariana Lopez has finally stopped bailing friends out of difficult situations. Well, except for substituting as the leader for another anger management group, pitching in as a campaign strategist for a prospective sheriff, and babysitting three dogs. Even with such a full life, she can feel the danger around her—a sense that something isn’t right. Nightmares harass her, until the real thing comes to life, and only the dark and sexy male sitting in her group can save her. However, with safety comes a price she might not be willing to pay.

Raine Maxwell is one of the Maxwells out of Montana, which means he's not only one of the most deadly vampires alive, but his path is set and his mate has been chosen for him. To save him—to continue his line. Unfortunately, his mate is an enhanced human female who has no idea of her abilities, of his species, or of her future. He’d like to lead her gently into this new world, but his people aren’t the only ones who’ve found her, which puts her into more danger than she can imagine. Plus, in order to follow his laws, he only has one week to convince her that immortality with him is what she wants—and needs.

Repeat Offender by Lani Lynn Vale

Souls Chapel Revenants MC #1
Romance
Releasing January 12, 2021

Lynnwood Thatcher Windsor has lived a lot of lies. Seen a lot of good men go down.

But he will not stand by and watch as the world he’s built from the ground up burns to ashes before his eyes. Even if he has to build an army to combat the problem he sees brewing around him.

One step at a time, he carefully lays out his plan, building layer after careful layer until everything is where he wants it to be.

Every part is impeccably played, his pawns are in the perfect place, and then she barrels into his life, totally scattering every single piece he’s set in motion.

The bad thing is, she doesn’t even realize how badly she’s messed up until she’s roused the beast.

***
The day that Six Ines Broussard met Lynnwood Thatcher Windsor was the worst day of her life.

First, she has a public breakup with a man she’s not even dating. Second, she has to deal with a black-tie event that she’d rather gouge her eyes out than to go to. Third, she then has to sit at a table for hours on end with the one man she despises.

Just wanting a break, she thinks she’ll lose herself for a few hours and do what she loves to do best—spend time by herself and go for a walk in the middle of nowhere, spot some birds, and get a little sun. Only, her day doesn’t go nearly as planned.

She walks right into the middle of hell. And at the center of it? Lynnwood Thatcher. The mayor. The man that she took one glance at on the night of his inauguration and dismissed as boring. A total stick in the mud.

Only, he’s not so boring shirtless, in the middle of nowhere, doing things that are very illegal.

At first, she’s appalled. Then her interest gets piqued. Stuck-up suit is hot! And he has tattoos. Oh, and let’s not forget one hell of a mouth on him!

Then he goes and kidnaps her, and she realizes that nobody is quite as hot as you thought they were when they’re now holding you hostage.

Stalkers: a Dark Romance Anthology

Dark Romance
Releasing February 16, 2021

You should never fall for the bad guy…

Over thirty of your favorite USA Today and bestselling authors have come together to create an epic collection of forbidden, dark romance stories.

Get lost in this unputdownable mixture of short stories. From heroes to bad guys, there’s something for everyone.

stalk·er

A person who stalks: a person who pursues someone obsessively.

Stalkers is a taboo romance collection jam-packed with captivating stories.

Authors Included:

Abigail Davies · Yolanda Olson · Ally Vance · Jessica Ames · N. Isabelle Blanco · D.S. Wrights · Faith Ryan · Sam Destiny · S. Firecox · Cole Denton · Ker Dukey · Petra J. Knox · Kara Dawson · Brianna Hale · Alice La Roux · Emery LeeAnn · Raven Amor · Claire C. Riley · Shannon Youngblood · Kat T.Masen · Logan Fox · Cassia Brightmore · Leaona Luxx · William Joseph · A.K. MacBride · K.I. Lynn · Ryleigh Sloan · Erin Trejo · C. Firecox · B.L. Olson · Michelle Pace · M.A. Foster

Make It Sweet by Kristen Callihan

Contemporary Romance
Releasing February 23, 2021

Life for Emma isn’t good. The world knows her as Princess Anya on Dark Castle, but then her character gets the axe—literally. The cherry on top is finding her boyfriend in bed with another woman. She needs a break, and sanctuary comes in the form of Rosemont, a gorgeous estate in California promising rest and relaxation.

Then she meets the owner’s equally gorgeous grandson, ex–hockey player and current recluse Lucian Osmond, and she sees her own pain and yearning reflected in his eyes.

He’s charming when he wants to be but also secretive and gruff, with protective walls as thick as Emma’s own. Despite a growing attraction, they avoid each other.

But then there’s an impromptu nighttime skinny-dip, and Lucian’s luscious homemade tarts and cream cakes start arriving at Emma’s door, tempting her to taste life again…

In trying to stay apart, they only grow closer—and their broken pieces just might fit together and make them whole.

The Warlord by Gena Showalter

Rise of the Warlords #1
Paranormal Romance
Releasing April 20, 2021

For centuries, Taliyah Skyhawk has prepared to become Harpy General, leader of the deadliest female army in existence. One of the requirements? Remain a virgin. But, for a chance to save her people, she must wed the fearless leader of the Astra Planeta, Alaroc Phaethon.

The time has come for Roc to sacrifice another virgin bride to his god. There has never been a woman alluring enough to tempt him from his path. No warrioress powerful enough to overcome his incredible strength. No enchantress desirable enough to make him burn beyond reason. Until now.

With the clock ticking, war between husband and wife ignites. Except Taliyah never expected the merciless king to challenge the future she once envisioned. She certainly never anticipated the thrill of their battles turning into games… The problem is, only one spouse can survive.

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What books are you looking forward to reading? Have any of these made your list? If you've got your own TTT, leave me a link to it so I can come and check it out.

Happy reading!

xo, Natalie