February 2025 Book Releases: Your Ultimate Guide For Week 3’s Must-Reads
17th-23rd February: The third week of February features some exciting new stories as a part of the 2025 book releases.
This week’s lineup features interesting fantasies that thread historical fiction with famous fairy tales and magical realism that uses a magical curse as a metaphor for themes of love, self-love, and regret, creating exciting ways to explore the human condition. Additionally, for readers who enjoy spicy romance with their fantasy, we have the conclusion novel to an epic romantasy duology to the second instalment in a trilogy. From witches, fae, enemies-to-lovers, political intrigue and action-packed adventures, fantasy readers wouldn’t want to miss out on this week’s 2025 book releases.
For the more avid readers or for those who prefer a bit more of reality than magic, we have two captivating historical fictions that centre around the relationship of sisters. From sisters who find themselves separated during WWII and inherit their family shop to rival sisters competing for a better life away from Soviet Cold War Russia. Both explore themes of love and survival and the impact that the time period had on the sisters’ relationship with one another.
For readers who like more of a mystery or suspense to their stories, we have a whodunit murder mystery with the return of a detective who must hunt down a killer during a deadly bizzard to an evil that comes back to haunt a survivor who thought her dark past was behind her. With plenty of twists, suspense, a chilling atmosphere, and complex characters, this week’s releases are sure to keep readers engaged.
As we conclude the third week of the February 2025 book releases, we have some witty second-chance romance with relatable and quirky characters and an addictive faek-dating romance with some spicy chemistry between neighbours. Ideal for readers who enjoy witty banter and exciting romances.
Fantasy
Title: Upon a Starlit Tide
Author: Kell Woods
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication Date: 18th Feb 25
Pages: 432
Author Woods releases her latest novel ‘Upon a Starlit Tide’, a dark and enchanting fairy tale-inspired historical fantasy. Retelling and combining elements of famous fairy tales like “Cinderella” and “The Little Mermaid”, the author delivers an original tale that explores themes of love, power, and betrayal. An ideal read for fans of fantasy, especially fairy tales, threaded together with historical fiction to create strong characters, beautiful settings, and a compelling dark tale.
The book’s synopsis;
Saint-Malo, Brittany, 1758.
For Lucinde Leon, the youngest daughter of one of Saint-Malo’s wealthiest ship-owners, the high walls of the city are more hindrance than haven. While her sisters are interested in securing advantageous marriages, Luce dreams of escaping her elegant but stifling home and joining a ship’s crew. Only Samuel—Luce’s best friend and an English smuggler—understands her longing for the sea, secretly teaching her to sail whenever she can sneak away. For Luce, the stolen time on the water with Samuel is precious.
One stormy morning, Luce’s plans are blown off course when she rescues Morgan de Chatelaine, the youngest son of the most powerful ship-owner in Saint-Malo, from the sea. Immediately drawn to his charm and sense of adventure, she longs to attend the glittering ball held in honour of his safe return and begins to contemplate a different kind of future for herself.
But it is not only Luce’s hopes at stake—the local fae are leaving Brittany and taking their magic with them, while the long-standing war with the English means Saint-Malo is always at risk of attack. As Luce is plunged into a world of magic, brutality, and seduction, secrets that have long been lost in the shadowy depths of the ocean begin to rise to the surface. The truth of her own power is growing brighter and brighter, shining like a sea-glass slipper.
Or the scales of a sea-maid’s tail.
Title: A Curse for the Homesick
Author: Laura Brooke Robson
Publisher: Mira Books
Publication Date: 18th Feb 25
Pages: 352
From New York author Laura Brooke Robson is her latest novel, ‘A Curse for the Homesick’, a magical realism story that uses allegorical elements to explore the human condition. An ideal read for fans who enjoy fantasies or, in this case, a curse as a metaphor for friendship, self-love, and love to create a fascinating story about the choices we make, the responsibilities we carry and the ambiguities of regret.
The book’s synopsis;
On Stenland, there comes a time known as skeld season: one day, any woman on the island can wake with three black lines on her forehead, the mark of a skeld. Skeld season comes around without warning, and while each window of time lasts only three months, anyone a skeld turns to stone is very much dead.
That’s how Tess’s mother killed Soren’s parents. Maybe for this reason alone, Tess and Soren should not have fallen in love. Since the time her mother was a skeld, Tess has wanted to leave Stenland, to run from the windswept island, from her family and friends. She is unwilling to bear the responsibility of one day killing anyone, let alone someone she loves. Soren has been determined to stay, to live out his life in the place he knows as home, even if that life could be cut short during the latest skeld season. They cannot see eye to eye—and yet, they cannot stay apart. She tries to come back for him. He tries to leave for her. But can your love for one person outweigh everything else combined? And how do you decide how much you’re willing to risk, if it might mean destroying someone else in the process?
Fantasy Romance
Title: Rebel Witch
Author: Kirsten Cicacarelli
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: 18th Feb 25
Pages: 464
New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author Kirsten Cicacarelli’s latest novel, Rebel Witch, is the conclusion to her epic, romantic ‘Crimson Moth’ duology. It is an ideal read for fans of witches, enemies-to-lovers tropes, political intrigues, and an action-packed plot.
The book’s synopsis;
A WITCH…
Rune Winters is on the run. Ever since the boy she loved, Gideon Sharpe, revealed who she was and delivered her into enemy hands, everyone wants her dead. If Rune hopes to survive, she must ally herself with the cruel and dangerous Cressida Roseblood, who’s planning to take back the Republic and reinstate a Reign of Witches—something Cressida needs Rune to accomplish.
A WITCH HUNTER…
Apparently it wasn’t enough for Rune to deceive Gideon; she’s now betrayed him by allying herself with the witch who made his life a living hell. Gideon won’t allow the Republic to fall to the witches and be plunged back into the nightmares of the past. In order to protect this new world he fought for, every last witch must die—especially Rune Winters.
AN IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE…
When Rune makes Gideon an offer he can’t refuse, the two must pair up to accomplish dangerous goals. The more they’re forced into each other’s company, the more Gideon realizes the feelings he had for Rune aren’t as dead and buried as he thought. Now he’s faced with a terrible choice: sacrifice the girl he loves to stop a monster taking back power, or let Rune live and watch the world he fought so hard for burn.
Title: Cursebound
Author: Saara El-Arifi
Publisher: Del Rey
Publication Date: 18th Feb 25
Pages: 352
Sunday Times bestselling author of The Ending Fire Trilogy, Saara El-Arifi, releases her second novel in her Faebound trilogy ‘Cursebound’. A refreshing and welcoming take on elves and fae with fantastic world-building, compelling characters, queer romance and representation, and cleverly constructed plot twists that is sure to keep readers engaged.
The book’s synopsis;
Cursed by love.
Bound by hope.
Yeeran and Lettle are no longer prisoners to the fae court, but now they’re bound by the shackles of their hearts …
Yeeran was born for war but is unprepared for love. She has left her new lover, the Queen of the fae, to return to her homeland, only to find that her former lover now threatens war against the fae.
Left behind, her sister Lettle is determined to break the curse that binds the fae to their realm. When a stranger appears in the city, Lettle is convinced he’s the key. But the Fates that once spoke to her have fallen silent.
Can Lettle and Yeeran discover the secret behind the curse – and unite these two worlds before they destroy each other?
Historical Fiction
Title: The Dressmakers of London
Author: Julia Kelly
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication Date: 18th Feb 25
Pages: 432
International bestselling author of historical fiction and ‘The Lost English Girl’ Julia Kelly returns with her latest heartfelt novel, ‘The Dressmakers of London’. With its relatable characters, various settings, and the loving bond between two sisters at its centre, it is an ideal read for fans looking for a well-written and researched historical fiction with an inspirational story.
The book’s synopsis;
In 1940s Great Britain, plain and awkward Izzie finds comfort in retreating into the safety of the backroom of her mother’s dressmaking shop. The predictable world of stitches, patterns, and fabric has been a sanctuary from the cruel, chaotic world that took her father in a tragic accident years ago.
Her beautiful sister Sylvia was old enough to watch her father’s tragic death force her mother to give up their respectable middle-class home and open a shop to support their family. That’s why, when she meets the sophisticated, wealthy Martin Pearsall, Sylvia isn’t surprised at her mother’s encouragement to seize her chance for a better life, even if it means distancing herself from her family at Martin’s insistence.
When their mother unexpectedly dies, the two sisters are surprised to discover that her will stipulates that they both inherit the dress shop, stirring up old resentments and hurt feelings. However, when conscription forces Izzie to join the Auxiliary Territorial Service in another part of the country, she realizes that Sylvia is the only person who can save the shop from closure. As the sisters begin an ongoing correspondence, they must confront old emotions to forge new beginnings.
Title: Maya & Natasha
Author: Elyse Durham
Publisher: Mariner Books
Publication Date: 18th Feb 25
Pages: 384
Author Elyse Durham releases her compelling debut novel set during the Soviet Cold War and follows the lives of abandoned twin sisters who, despite being very close growing up together, will find their relationship being tested. A captivating novel that highlights the Soviet Union and its relationship with America during the Cold War, Russia’s history of ballet, and a heartwrenching story of sisters’ love and betrayal.
The book’s synopsis;
Maya and Natasha are twin sisters born in the midst of the Siege of Leningrad in 1941 and immediately abandoned by their mother, a prima ballerina at the Kirov Ballet who would rather die than not dance. Taken in by their mother’s best friend at the Kirov, the girls are raised to be dancers themselves. The Vaganova Ballet Academy—and the totalitarian Soviet regime—is the only world they know.
In 1958, now seniors at the Vaganova at the height of the Cold War, all Maya and Natasha and their classmates want is to dance with the Kirov, and to join the company on its tour to America next year. But a new law from the Kremlin upends Maya and Natasha’s due to fears of defection, family members may no longer travel abroad together. The Kirov can only accept one of them.
Maya, long accustomed to living in her sister’s shadow, accepts her bitter fate, until a new dance partner inspires her to dream bigger and practice harder. For the first time—and at the cruelest possible moment—the sisters are equally matched. And then one sister betrays the other, altering their lives forever and splitting them in two, though neither will stray far from the other’s orbit.
As one of the twins pursues her ballet career and experiences a world outside Russia for the first time, the other is cast in an epic film adaptation of War and Peace, produced and financed by the Soviet State. As the Cold War heats up, Maya and Natasha must confront their to East versus West; to the government that saved them versus their dreams of freedom; and, always, to each other.
Mystery Thriller
Title: Cold as Hell
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: 18th Feb 25
Pages: 352
New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong returns with her spine-chilling novel ‘Cold as Hell’, the third addition to her Haven’s Rock series and the return of detective Casey Duncan and her sheriff husband Eric Dalton, who must hunt down a dangerous killer during a deadly blizzard. With plenty of suspense and atmosphere, the latest instalment, with its unique setting, complex characters and engaging plot, is sure to entertain readers of murder mysteries.
The book’s synopsis;
Haven’s Rock is a sanctuary town hidden deep in the Yukon for those who need to disappear from the regular world. Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, are starting a family now that they’ve settled into their life here. As Casey nears the end of her pregnancy, she lets nothing, including her worried husband, stop her from investigating what happens in the forbidden forest outside the town of Haven’s Rock.
When one of the town’s residents is drugged and wanders too close to the edge of town, she’s dragged into the woods kicking and screaming. She’s saved in the nick of time, but the women of the town are alarmed. Casey and Eric investigate the assault just as a snowstorm hits Haven’s Rock, covering the forest. It’s there they find a frozen body, naked in the snow. With mixed accounts of the woman’s last movements, the two begin to question who they can trust—and who they can’t—in their seemingly safe haven.
Title: The Quiet Librarian
Author: Allen Eskens
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Publication Date: 18th Feb 25
Pages: 320
Award-winning author Allen Eskens returns with a captivating novel about a woman transformed by war, family, love, and vengeance. Shifting from past to present, it is an extraordinary story with a fascinating female lead, highlighting the effect on survivors of horrific war crimes to tell a gut-wrenching tale of survival. Eskens’s latest novel, The Quiet Librarian, is a profoundly devastating and powerful read!
The book’s synopsis;
Hana Babic is a quiet, middle-aged librarian in Minnesota who wants nothing more than to be left alone. But when a detective arrives with the news that her best friend has been murdered, Hana knows that something evil has come for her, a dark remnant of the past she and her friend had shared.
Thirty years before, Hana was someone Nura Divjak, a teenager growing up in the mountains of war-torn Bosnia—until Serbian soldiers arrived to slaughter her entire family before her eyes. The events of that day thrust Nura into the war, leading her to join a band of militia fighters, where she became not only a fierce warrior but a legend—the deadly Night Mora. But a shattering final act forced Nura to flee to the United States with a bounty on her head.
Now, someone is hunting Hana, and her friend has paid the price, leaving her eight-year-old grandson in Hana’s care. To protect the child without revealing her secret, Hana must again become the Night Mora—and hope she can find the killer before the past comes for them, too.
Romance
Title: Never Planned on You
Author: Lindsay Hameroff
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Publication Date: 18th Feb 25
Pages: 304
Author Lindsay Hameroff returns with another second-chance romance with her latest novel, ‘Never Planned on You’; with plenty of humour and pop culture references, this workplace romance, with its quirky and relatable characters, is a fun, lighthearted read with much heart and depth that is sure to excite readers of any spicy romance.
The book’s synopsis;
Ali Rubin has a reputation for spontaneity. Like that time she made a drunken bet in London that led to matching tattoos with a stranger. Her joie de vivre is one of her best qualities; she lives every day to the fullest and follows her dreams wherever they take her. And now, they’re taking her from her career as a chef in New York City back home to Baltimore, where she’s interning as a wedding planner.
Despite the occasional fantasy about her British tattoo twin, Ali never expected to see Graham again. So no one is more surprised than she is when he turns up in Baltimore, ordering a latte at her favorite cafe. When they reconnect during an enchanting evening together, Ali can’t help but wonder if Graham might be someone special.
At the same time, she’s desperate to succeed in her new career and prove that she isn’t the family flake. When she gets a job planning a high profile wedding at a historic hotel, it seems like things are finally falling into place. That is, until Graham turns out to be the groom.
Graham’s family owns the once-grand, now struggling Black-Eyed Susan, and he’s returned to Baltimore to help his grandmother get it back on its feet. He’s certain that hosting a wedding at the hotel is just the publicity boost it needs. Ali’s boss agrees, and promises Ali a full-time gig if the affair goes off without a hitch. Unfortunately, Ali and Graham can’t seem to ignore their rekindled chemistry, especially when it’s revealed that Graham and his fiancée are planning a marriage of convenience. Still, staying away from each other is the best thing they can do, since giving in to their growing feelings might cost them everything.
Because when it comes to love, all bets are off.
Title: On Loverose Lane
Author: Samantha Young
Publisher: Samantha Young
Publication Date: 20th Feb 25
Pages: 440
International bestselling author of ‘On Dublin Street’ Samantha Young returns with her latest witty, addictive and steamy fake-dating romance novel ‘On Loverose Lane’ in which ambitious entrepreneur Beth Carmichael meets her match in the grumpy football captain who moves into the apartment above hers. This spicy and emotional second chance, enemies-to-lovers romance will fully engage its readers in the sexy and electrifying chemistry between its two lead characters.
The book’s synopsis;
Imagine my surprise when my new neighbor turns out to be one of Scotland’s most famous (and hottest) professional footballers, Callan Keen. I’m even more shocked to discover that the brooding player is still holding a grudge for something that happened (or didn’t happen) between us years ago.
Too busy trying to take my social media management company to the next level, I don’t have time for this gorgeous blast from the past. Or at least I shouldn’t. Yet whenever I see him, I can’t help but engage in a battle of wits with the grump upstairs.
When a huge client opportunity arises, circumstances force me to enlist Callan’s help. I require a fake date and Callan needs me to facilitate a meeting with my dad to further his own business interests.
The deal between us should be simple. Except, of course, the blazing chemistry we’ve shared since the moment we met. We can’t deny it, we can’t control it, and soon we’re agreeing to six weeks of no-strings-attached, mind-blowing, steamy shenanigans.
I told myself I was too smart to catch feelings. But when Callan finally finds out the truth about our past, he becomes the guy I used to know. And that man is way too easy to fall for.
The problem is that Callan has vowed to never let another person close enough to break his heart again.
It just might prove impossible to show my stubborn Scotsman I’m worth the risk, especially when old wounds are re-opened and threaten to wreck any chance of a future together…
Conclusion
Featuring 10 new book releases with exciting new stories ranging from spicy, witty romances, enemies-to-lovers tropes, dark fairy tales, murder mysteries to sisterly bonds, this week of February’s 2025 book releases explore themes of love, self-love, regret, betrayal, and survival.
Stay tuned, as I will be posting my next article next week to bring you the latest new book releases for the final week of February’s monthly line-up. Additionally, if you are interested in more book-related articles, check out my book section page for reviews, recommendations, details, and discussions.
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