Q2 2026’s Anticipated Releases for April, May, & June
Hello, fellow readers! Can you believe we’re already into the second quarter of the year? That means it’s time for another roundup of books releasing in the next few months—and there are some excellent finds on this list! (And absolutely some I can’t wait to pick up and read some of these books by fabulous authors!)
Click on the cover or title to learn more, preorder, or purchase!
**Please note that I do not vet the books listed here, so not all books are considered clean and some may include explicit content. Read at your own discretion.
For the Fantasy Fans:
The Welcomed Runaway (Grand Reflection Series | Book 1)
What would you do if you just needed to escape for a while?
Where would you run?
The Welcomed Runaway is a Young Adult fantasy story that follows 17 year-old Cecil as he seeks to escape his home life. He leaves his family in Williams, Arizona and finds himself in the Grand Canyon. When he suddenly encounters a bear and her cub on the trail, though, Cecil is magically whisked away to another world filled with talking wolves, foxes, unicorns and dragons as well as other mythical creatures straight out of fairytales. There, he is tasked by the Creator to discover his gift, rescue endangered animals, and unlock his true potential. Who can Cecil trust? Will Cecil and his friends be able to stay alive and overcome the dragons and their leader, Gragus? Or will the friendships crumble under the weight of deception?
The path is treacherous. The foes are many. The water is powerful.
Welcome, young one, we've been waiting for you.
📜 Young Adult Fantasy releasing April 3, 2026
Wilderoot
"Paz, m'ija," Abuelita says. Peace, my child.
Forbidden to live openly as what she is, Valora has been running from a normal life, from the trappers who would steal her magic, and from the anger growing inside her.
When her family of shapeshifters is taken, she follows their captors south into trapper country where mysterious machines roam and trappers hunt magic with advanced technologies. Deep inside California's yellow hills, she opens old family wounds and an ancient choice resurfaces.
Guided by her stag magic, her family's buried past, and her abuelita's final plea for peace, Valora begins to understand the true nature of her journey-not just to rescue her family, but to tame the darkness taking root in her soul. Peace feels out of reach, but it could be the unlikely power that stitches her family back together.
📜 Young Adult Historical Fantasy releasing May 28, 2026
Trickster in the Palace & Other Tales (Instanolde Chronicles)
Three tales, one story.
Trickster in the Palace: For Razhar, life in the palace of Instanolde came with an extensive list of perks. Endless opportunity to pull pranks on the soldiers, to use his wit and charms to secure dessert, and to come and go as he pleased. Not to mention having a prince as a best friend to get him out of trouble.
Daughter of the Desert: Lystra, a young noble daughter with an unmatched love of the desert and her cardants, would do anything to take part in the yearly races. She has trained her reptiles and assembled her team, but she is untested, and the races are not for the faint of heart. From the dangerous desert canyons to the gilded palace of the new king, Lystra must learn to navigate race politics and treacherous alliances as well as the hopes of her own heart.
Royals of Instanolde: King Cormek, still growing accustomed to his new crown, dreams of a new dawn for his kingdom. But there’s one haunting shadow that remains in Instanolde, the cursed Prince Elerek. And Cormek wants nothing more than to bring his brother into the light with him, but is such a task even possible?
Step into the desert world of Instanolde, in a time before a queen rose from the fires of tragedy and a prince wielded a curse to save his kingdom. This tapestry of foundational tales weaves together a story of destiny, of ferocity, of loyalty, and seeking hope’s shining thread.
📜 Desert Fantasy releasing June 15, 2026 from Whimsical Publishing
For Middle Grade Fans:
The Snot Strikes Back (Iggy & Oz | Book 5)
📜 Cover, details, and links coming soon! Kickstarter launching in May
Surviving the Midnight Hurl at Camp Whurl (The Ember Society Files | Book 1)
Four days into church camp, Buzz and his friends are finally settling in—until kids all over Camp Whurl start puking like extras in a zombie movie. It’s fast. It’s gross. And it’s spreading. Buzz has one goal now: survive the night.
At first, it seems like a stomach bug. Nasty, sure—but normal. Until Buzz starts noticing things. Like the creepy lunch lady who never blinks. Or the way she smiles when the chaos gets worse.
This isn’t food poisoning. It’s a plan.
Now, with campers dropping like flies, Buzz must uncover the truth behind the mystery meat—and prove that what’s wearing the lunch lady’s apron isn’t human.
Because whatever it is, it wants the camp shut down... for good.
📜 Releasing June 2, 2026 from Descendent Publishing
For Romantasy Fans:
The Seller of Secrets
On the mystical island of Bardia, Bell Asbury’s sister is dying. A girl with an extraordinary but volatile gift for fusing magical elixirs, Bell was eleven when she accidentally struck her sister, Roza, with a magic that left her with an incurable illness. Six years later, she overhears her sister’s fiancé buying illicit ingredients for a brainwashing elixir. Alarmed and infuriated, Bell tries to end the engagement, but Roza's fiancé is from a noble house, the sisters’ father is in debt, and their mother is eager to have a connection to a powerful family.
Desperate to find a cure for Roza’s disease and an antidote to the brainwashing elixir, Bell uncovers a tangled web of secrets that leads to a man called the Seller of Secrets and his plot to use the brainwashing elixir to force the entire island to obey him. Bell alone can create an antidote, but her experiments risk the sanity of those she loves.
Rian, an infuriatingly handsome spy, offers to help her defeat the Seller of Secrets. Although she knows Rian is a master of deception, Bell can’t stop herself from falling for him. But with so many things changing in her life, Bell doesn’t know who she can trust and who is working to control her gift.
📜 YA Romantasy releasing April 21, 2026 from Turner Publishing.
The Second Choice (Love Hunters | Book 3)
His only serious relationship was built on a lie of his own doing. Now that it’s over, he feels more lost than ever.
Since Aaron Barnes left his fiancée at the altar, his life has turned upside down. But he couldn’t marry the woman his brother loves. He’d already taken too much time from them.
Which brings him to a new challenge: He hasn’t been single since he was sixteen, and he hates being alone. So, when his best friend, Lars, calls him to come play house while his co-parenting ex-wife is out of town, Aaron can’t say no.
They took him in when he had nowhere else to go, and he’s more at home with Lars and his daughters than his own apartment. Together, they feel like a family, but both are holding secrets that could tear them apart.
And despite realizing he might have feelings for this man he has a hidden past with, Aaron refuses to put his heart on the line.
He can’t handle being someone’s second choice again.
📜 New Adult MM Steamy Romance releasing June 16, 2026
For the Paranormal Fans:
Fangs, Fate, & Mondays (The AzRIO Files | Book 1)
In Azalea Springs, a family curse just means more paperwork.
After her best friend was murdered, Dessa Blue McKinney swore she’d never return to the paranormal town of Azalea Springs. But after she walks in on her fiancé cheating with her business partner, she has nowhere else to go but home. Desperate for a distraction, she agrees to fill in at her uncle’s Paranormal Intermediary Office until she decides what to do with her life. But when the new intern is the handsome golden boy of the most notorious family in town and her dead friend’s sister goes missing, old secrets bubble to the surface, and the past may not be so willing to let her go.
Meanwhile, perpetual screw-up, Jamison Kane, is reeling from his role as the primary suspect in a triple homicide and the brand-new bearer of a family curse. When Dessa’s uncle offers him an internship to search for a cure, he reluctantly agrees—and totally not because Dessa was his high school crush. The job description? Keep the werewolves and vampires from tearing each other’s throats out, solve the missing persons case, and don’t fall in love with Dessa McKinney.
It definitely sounds like a Monday, but at least in this office, the coffee really is magical.
📜 Young Adult Paranormal Mystery releasing May 26, 2026 from Whimsical Publishing
For Writers and Authors:
The Dubious Joy of Editing (The Write Boost Writer Series)
You’ve written your book. Now it’s time to revise and self-edit your manuscript.
The (Dubious) Joy of Editing is a practical guide to editing and revising your book for clarity, structure, and impact. Designed for both fiction and nonfiction writers, this book shows you how to self-edit your manuscript without losing your voice or getting stuck in endless revisions.
Inside, you’ll learn how to:
- Identify and fix common writing problems
- Strengthen clarity, flow, and readability
- Revise your manuscript with confidence
- Edit your book without overediting
- Prepare your work for publication
If you want to turn your draft into a polished, publishable manuscript, this guide gives you the tools to do it. It’s not always fun. But it’s often surprisingly satisfying.
📜 Writing Craft released April 7, 2026 from Laser Cow Press
Are you excited about any of these books? Did I miss one you’re super excited for? Leave a comment, and let’s talk bookish things!