6 New Releases Coming June 2024

Hi friends! Happy end of May and happy start to June and Pride Month! I've had lots of family busyness over the last couple of weeks, but summer is promising to be great already! This month is a little different for new releases because I've been given almost all of them as e-ARCs, so you'll see reviews for them sooner rather than later! I have six new books I wanted to share with you today. Let's dive in:

1. The Borrowed Hills - Scott Preston (June 4)

Synopsis: With foot and mouth disease spreading across the hills of Cumbria, emptying the valleys of sheep and filling the skies with smoke, two neighbouring shepherds lose everything and put aside their rivalry to join forces. They set their sights on a wealthy farm in the south with its flock of prize-winning animals. So begins the dark tale of Steve Elliman and William Herne.

Their sheep rustling leads to more and more difficult decisions, and Steve's only distraction is his growing fascination with William's enigmatic and independent wife, Helen. As their home comes under the sway of a lawless outsider, it is left to Steve to save himself and Helen in a savage conflict that threatens an ancient way of life.

Why I'm Excited: Scribner was kind enough to send me an e-ARC of this book, which I started reading and then stopped and will probably pick back up after my next book. One way or another, check back for my review at the end of the month.

2. Service Model - Adrian Tchaikovsky (June 4)

Synopsis: To fix the world they first must break it further.

Humanity is a dying breed, utterly reliant on artificial labor and service. When a domesticated robot gets a nasty little idea downloaded into their core programming, they murder their owner. The robot then discovers they can also do something else they never did before: run away. After fleeing the household, they enter a wider world they never knew existed, where the age-old hierarchy of humans at the top is disintegrating, and a robot ecosystem devoted to human wellbeing is finding a new purpose.

Why I'm Excited: My husband is a big Adrian Tchaikovsky fan, and I received this e-ARC from Tordotcom on his behalf. I don't think he's started it yet, but I'll be sure to post his review here when he reads it!

3. The Vixen Amber Halloway - Carol LaHines (June 11)

Synopsis: Ophelia, a professor of Dante, is stricken when she discovers that her husband Andy has been cheating on her with a winsome colleague. What follows is Ophelia’s figurative descent into hell as she obsessively tracks her subjects, performs surveillance in her beat-up Volvo, and moves into the property next door to Amber’s, which has gone into foreclosure. She spies on the lovers, growing more and more estranged from reality. Andy’s betrayal reawakens the earlier trauma of abandonment by her mother at the age of eight.

When Andy and Amber become engaged, Ophelia snaps. The story is a jailhouse confessional, a dark comedy, an oeuvre of women’s rage, a suspenseful revenge fantasy, and a moving portrait of one woman’ s psychological breakdown.

Why I'm Excited: Regal House Publishing was kind enough to send me an e-ARC of this book, which I just finished reading! Check back for my review at the end of the month.

4. Horror Movie - Paul Tremblay (June 11)

Synopsis: In June 1993, a group of young guerilla filmmakers spent four weeks making Horror Movie , a notorious, disturbing, art-house horror flick.

The weird part? Only three of the film’s scenes were ever released to the public, but Horror Movie has nevertheless grown a rabid fanbase. Three decades later, Hollywood is pushing for a big budget reboot.

The man who played “The Thin Kid” is the only surviving cast member. He remembers all too well the secrets buried within the original screenplay, the bizarre events of the filming, and the dangerous crossed lines on set that resulted in tragedy. As memories flood back in, the boundaries between reality and film, past and present start to blur. But he’s going to help remake the film, even if it means navigating a world of cynical producers, egomaniacal directors, and surreal fan conventions — demons of the past be damned.

But at what cost?

Why I'm Excited: William Morrow was kind enough to send me an e-ARC of this book, which I probably won't get to before the end of this month. Check back in for my June wrap-up, when I'll certainly have finished this one.

5. The Stardust Grail - Yume Kitasei (June 11)

Synopsis: Maya Hoshimoto was once the best art thief in the galaxy. For ten years, she returned stolen artifacts to alien civilizations—until a disastrous job forced her into hiding. Now she just wants to enjoy a quiet life as a graduate student of anthropology, but she’s haunted by persistent and disturbing visions of the future.

Then an old friend comes to her with a job she can’t refuse: find a powerful object that could save an alien species from extinction. Except no one has seen it in living memory, and they aren’t the only ones hunting for it.

Maya sets out on a breakneck quest through a universe teeming with strange life and ancient ruins. But the farther she goes, the more her visions cast a dark shadow over her team of friends new and old. Someone will betray her along the way. Worse yet, in choosing to save one species, she may condemn humanity and Earth itself.

Why I'm Excited: I won Kitasei's first book, THE DEEP SKY, in my first Goodreads giveaway win (no I haven't read it yet, I suck). But this space opera theme and bizarre cover have really pulled me in once again, so I'll probably end up snagging this one too.

6. The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands - Sarah Brooks (June 18)

Synopsis: It is said there is a price that every passenger must pay. A price beyond the cost of a ticket.

It is the end of the 19th Century and the world is awash with marvels. But there is nothing so marvellous as the Wastelands: a terrain of terrible miracles that lies between Beijing and Moscow.

Nothing touches this abandoned wilderness except the Great Trans-Siberian Express: an impenetrable train built to carry cargo across continents, but which now transports anyone who dares to cross the shadowy Wastelands.

On to the platform steps a curious cast of characters: a grieving woman with a borrowed name, a famous child born on the train and a disgraced naturalist, all heading for the Great Exhibition in Moscow.

But the old rules are changing, and there are whispers that the train isn't safe. As secrets and stories begin to unravel the passengers and crew must survive their journey through the Wastelands together, even as something uncontrollable seems to be breaking in . . .

Why I'm Excited: Flatiron Books was kind enough to send me an e-ARC of this book, which I'm reading right now! Check back for my review at the end of the month.

---------------------------------------------------

That's all for this month! Let me know if there are any books you're looking forward to in the comments!