This November, readers are in for a treat! We have some exceptionally wonderful releases to enjoy. The best new books of the November include some of the most anticipated this year. Get cozy in your favorite reading spot and be sure to add the below to your TBR lists with the best new books of November.
Check + Mate by Ali Hazelwood
One of my top anticipated releases, Ali Hazelwood’s YA debut, definitely deserves a spot on our best new books of November list. Rival chess players drawn together by the competition and the fierce desire to beat one another? I’m intrigued!
Synopsis: Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Every move counts nowadays; after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory’s focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious “Kingkiller” Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess.
Nolan’s loss to an unknown rook-ie shocks everyone. What’s even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory’s victory opens the door to sorely needed cash-prizes and despite everything, she can’t help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist….
As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren’t only on the board, the spotlight is brighter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce (-ly attractive. And intelligent…and infuriating…)
On Sale: November 7, 2023, via G.P. Putnam Books For Young Readers. Order here.
A Power Unbound by Freya Marske
Freya Marske’s The Last Binding series is magical and unique. If you like your fantasy with a bit of adventure, mystery, and romance, you’ll love these books. Book three promises to be as charming and fantastic as the previous two.
Synopsis: Secrets! Magic! Enemies to. . .something more? Jack Alston, Lord Hawthorn, would love a nice, safe, comfortable life. After the death of his twin sister, he thought he was done with magic for good. But with the threat of a dangerous ritual hanging over every magician in Britain, he’s drawn reluctantly back into that world. Now Jack is living in a bizarre puzzle-box of a magical London townhouse, helping an unlikely group of friends track down the final piece of the Last Contract before their enemies can do the same. And to make matters worse, they need the help of writer and thief Alan Ross. Cagey and argumentative, Alan is only in this for the money. The aristocratic Lord Hawthorn, with all his unearned power, is everything that Alan hates. And unfortunately, Alan happens to be everything that Jack wants in one gorgeous, infuriating package.
When a plot to seize unimaginable power comes to a head at Cheetham Hall–Jack’s ancestral family estate, a land so old and bound in oaths that it’s grown a personality as prickly as its owner–Jack, Alan ,and their allies will become entangled in a night of champagne, secrets, and bloody sacrifice . . . and the foundations of magic in Britain will be torn up by the roots before the end.
On Sale: November 7, 2023, via Tordotcom. Order here.
Hunt On Dark Waters by Katee Robert
The best book of November list wouldn’t be complete without this pirate fantasy romance. And Our Flag Means Death fans, you should definitely add it to your TBR.
Synopsis: Evelyn is a witch with a perfect storm of impulses: terrible taste in bed partners, sticky fingers, and a lust for danger. After she steals from her vampire ex and falls through a portal to another realm, she’s fished out of the waters by a band of seafarers and their telekinetic captain. She’s immediately given a choice–join their ship’s crew or die.
Bowen has no memory of his life before he became one of the Cŵn Annwn. He and his band of pirates are bound by vow to patrol through Threshold, the magical sea in between realms, keeping the portals to other worlds safe. When he rescues Evelyn, he doesn’t expect to be attracted to the unflappably brassy pickpocket. The longer he spends in her presence, the more he begins to question if his heart is the next thing she’ll steal. But as tension heats up between Bowen and Evelyn, the danger at sea escalates as well. Because Evelyn has no intention of keeping her vows to the Cŵn Annwn, and if she betrays the crew, both she and Bowen will pay the ultimate price….
On Sale: November 7, 2023, via Penguin Publishing Group. Order here.
With Or Without You by Eric Smith
Eric Smith’s novel makes our list of best books of November because foodie rom-coms are delightful. Just like Tweet Cute, I’m sure this book will make you swoon and eager for a delicious snack soon after reading.
Synopsis: Everyone knows Jordan Plazas and Cindy Ortiz hate each other.
According to many viral videos of their public shouting matches, the Plazas and Ortiz families have a well-known food truck rivalry. Jordan and Cindy have spent all of high school making cheesesteaks and slinging insults at each other across their shared Philadelphia street.
But the truth? They’re in love, and it’s all just an act for the tourists.
When the fake feud lands them a reality tv show pilot, Jordan and Cindy find themselves having to lie on a much bigger scale. Trapped between pursuing their dreams or their love, can they find a way to have their cheesesteak and eat it too?
On Sale: November 7, 2023, via Inkyard Press. Order here.
Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan
Any book that gives me The Mummy vibes deserves to be at the top of our list. Extend spooky season with Rosie Danan’s incredibly sexy and adventurous rom com.
Synopsis: Riley Rhodes finally has the chance to turn her family’s knack for the supernatural into a legitimate business when she’s hired to break the curse on an infamous Scottish castle. Used to working alone in her alienating occupation, she’s pleasantly surprised to meet a handsome stranger upon arrival. That is, until he tries to get her fired.
Fresh off a professional scandal, Clark Edgeware can’t allow a self-proclaimed “curse breaker” to threaten his last chance for redemption. After he fails to get Riley kicked off his survey site, he vows to avoid her. Unfortunately for him, she vows to get even. Riley expects the curse to do her dirty work by driving Clark away, but instead, they keep finding themselves in close proximity. Too close. Turns out, the only thing they do better than fight is fool around. If they’re not careful, by the end of all this, more than the castle will end up in ruins.
On Sale: November 14, 2023, via Berkley. Order here.
Godly Heathens by H.E. Edgmon
When Rebecca Roanhorse, author of many incredible indigenous fantasy novels, recommends a book, its time to listen. Godly Heathens deserves to be on our best new books of November list for being chaotic, dark and unique. If you like morally grey characters, you need to check this one out.
Synopsis: Maybe I have always just been bad at being human because I’m not one.
Gem Echols is a nonbinary Seminole teen living in the tiny town of Gracie, Georgia. Known for being their peers’ queer awakening, Gem leans hard on charm to disguise the anxious mess they are beneath. The only person privy to their authentic self is another trans kid, Enzo, who’s a thousand long, painful miles away in Brooklyn. But even Enzo doesn’t know about Gem’s dreams, haunting visions of magic and violence that have always felt too real. So how the hell does Willa Mae Hardy? The strange new girl in town acts like she and Gem are old companions, and seems to know things about them they’ve never told anyone else.
When Gem is attacked by a stranger claiming to be the Goddess of Death, Willa Mae saves their life and finally offers some answers. She and Gem are reincarnated gods who’ve known and loved each other across lifetimes. But Gem – or at least who Gem used to be – hasn’t always been the most benevolent deity. They’ve made a lot of enemies in the pantheon–enemies who, like the Goddess of Death, will keep coming. It’s a good thing they’ve still got Enzo. But as worlds collide and the past catches up with the present, Gem will discover that everyone has something to hide.
On Sale: November 28, 2023, via Wednesday Books. Order here.
Ruined by Sarah Vaughn, illustrated by Sarah Winifred Serle and Nikki Smith
A regency-romance graphic novel? I need it now. If you’re a fan of any historical romances or the marriage of convenience trope, be sure to check this one out.
Synopsis: The whole town is whispering about how Catherine Benson lost her virtue, though they can never agree on the details. Was it in the public garden? Or a moving carriage? Only a truly desperate man would want her now–and that’s exactly what Andrew Davener is. His family’s estate is in disrepair, but Catherine’s sizeable dowry could set it to rights. After the two wed, Catherine finds herself inexplicably drawn to Andrew. But could falling in love with her husband tear her marriage apart? In this richly detailed Regency romance, duty and passion collide in a slow-burn tale of intertwined fates.
On Sale: November 28, 2023, via First Second. Order here.
Gwen & Art Are Not In Love by Lex Croucher
A humorous and charming ode to found family and true love, this queer YA novel is a perfect find for fans of Merlin and Alice Oseman novels.
Synopsis: It’s been hundreds of years since King Arthur’s reign. His descendant, Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other. They’re forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run up to their nuptials. But within 24 hours, Gwen has discovered Arthur kissing a boy and Arthur has gone digging for Gwen’s childhood diary and found confessions about her crush on the kingdom’s only lady knight, Bridget Leclair.
Realizing they might make better allies than enemies, they make a reluctant pact to cover for each other. As things heat up at the annual royal tournament, Gwen is swept off her feet by her knight and Arthur takes an interest in Gwen’s royal brother. Lex Croucher’s Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is chock full of sword-fighting, found family, and romantic shenanigans destined to make readers fall in love.
On Sale: November 28, 2023, via Wednesday Books. Order here.
