ARCs were something I told myself I would take a step back from this year. I did not listen to myself. Once again I have gotten swept up in the excitement of advanced copies but currently, I have it under control. 

I wasn’t taking on too many ARCs until a couple of weeks ago when I was lucky enough to be approached by multiple publishers. Before that point, I only had three or four to read but now I’m sitting on eleven. I have a problem, I know. Huge shoutout to Clarion/HarperCollins and Sparkpoint for providing me with most of these books. 

As I have so many on my list I will only talk about a few here as I don’t want this post to be ridiculously long. Also, I’ve about Love On The Brain in my latest to be read post so you don’t need to hear about it again. 

Belittled Women by Amanda Sellet – Available 29th November 2022

As soon as I saw this in my inbox I just knew I needed to read it. Firstly I love a modern take on a classic and secondly, the cover is lovely. I’ve never read Little Women as I’ve quite famously never read a classic, but I know the story and I’m excited to see where Belittled Women takes it. 

Synopsis: Lit’s about to hit the fan. Jo Porter has had enough Little Women to last a lifetime. As if being named after the sappiest family in literature wasn’t sufficiently humiliating, Jo’s mom, ahem Marmee, leveled up her Alcott obsession by turning their rambling old house into a sad-sack tourist attraction.

Now Jo, along with her siblings, Meg and Bethany (yes, that’s two March sisters in one), spends all summer acting out sentimental moments at Little Women Live!, where she can feel her soul slowly dying.

So when a famed photojournalist arrives to document the show, Jo seizes on the glimpse of another life: artsy, worldly, and fast-paced. It doesn’t hurt that the reporter’s teenage son is also eager to get up close and personal with Jo—to the annoyance of her best friend, aka the boy next door (who is definitely not called Laurie). All Jo wants is for someone to see the person behind the prickliness and pinafores.

But when she gets a little too real about her frustration with the family biz, Jo will have to make peace with kitsch and kin before their livelihood suffers a fate worse than Beth.

Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong – Available 27th September 2022

I will admit that I haven’t read Our Violet Ends yet so this may be a bit spoilery for me? I’m not sure how connected they are, but I really loved Rosalind’s character ad I can’t wait to see her be the centre of attention. 

Also, I don’t think I’ve ever read an assassin-style book so I’m interested to see how this plays out. I’m always happy to get an ARC from Chloe Gong.

Synopsis: It’s 1931 in Shanghai, and the stage is set for a new decade of intrigue.

Four years ago, Rosalind Lang was brought back from the brink of death, but the strange experiment that saved her also stopped her from sleeping and aging – and allows her to heal from any wound. In short, Rosalind cannot die. Now, desperate for redemption for her traitorous past, she uses her abilities as an assassin for her country.

Code name: Fortune.

But when the Japanese Imperial Army begins its invasion march, Rosalind’s mission pivots. A series of murders is causing unrest in Shanghai, and the Japanese are under suspicion. Rosalind’s new orders are to infiltrate foreign society and identify the culprits behind the terror plot before more of her people are killed.

To reduce suspicion, she must pose as the wife of another Nationalist spy, Orion Hong. Although Rosalind finds Orion’s cavalier attitude and playboy demeanour infuriating, she is willing to work with him for the greater good. But Orion has an agenda of his own, and Rosalind has secrets that she wants to keep buried. As they both attempt to unravel the conspiracy, the two spies soon find that there are deeper and more horrifying layers to this mystery than they ever imagined.

The Drowned Wood by Emily Lloyd-Jones – Available 16th August 2022

This will be my first book from Emily Lloyd-Jones, I hadn’t heard of her prior to getting this arc, but the synopsis sounds fun and I’m due to a good fantasy read.

I haven’t had an audio arc in quite some and I’m actually quite the lover of audiobooks these days so I can’t wait to get stuck into this. 

Synopsis: The right cause can topple a kingdom . . .

Once upon a time, the kingdoms of Wales were rife with magic and conflict – and eighteen-year-old Mererid ‘Mer’ is well-acquainted with both. As the last living water diviner, she can manipulate water with magic – a unique elemental power many would kill to possess.

For years, Mer has been running from the prince who bound her into his service – and forced her to kill thousands with her magic. Now, all Mer truly wants is a safe, quiet life, far from power and politics.

But then Mer’s old handler – the king’s spymaster – returns with a proposition: use her powers to bring down the very prince that abused them both.

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Like this post? Why not read this one too: ARC Review: The Not So Chosen One by Kate Emery