Happy New Year! 2026 will bring new novels from a number of our Paper Lantern Writers. Watch for Ana Brazil’s The Magnolia Voodoo Brawler sometime this year, and Jonathan Posner’s The Assassin’s Revenge toward the end of the year. Edie Cay plans The Feast for the Senses for August, and Vanitha Sankaran will release The Preservationist Book 1 (co-authored with M Biaggio). Watch, too, for announcements of Paper Lantern Writer’s 2026 anthology!

BEST COVER

The Queen’s Maid by Rozsa Gaston (1514n France, January 16)

“Wonderfully detailed and entirely enjoyable. This is a young Anne in whom I absolutely believe, and who does much to explain the woman she’d become.” – Sarah Gristwood, author of Game of Queens

I love the colors in three of these, and the other three have rich subtlety. The gold border and subtle details (like pearls in her hair), however, set The Queen’s Maid apart. This is the second book in Gaston’s Anne Boleyn series.

Adélaïde: Painter of the Revolution by Janelle Strube (18th century France, January 13)

Sea Child by Linda Wilgas (England, early 1800s, January 20)

The Inn at Penglas Cove by Lauren Westwood (Cornish mystery, January 27)

Anneke Jans in the New World by Sandra Freels (New Netherland, 1630, January 6)

Flight to Freedom by Anthony Palmiotti (Philippines, 1941, January 9)

BEST TITLE

Dancing on the Brink of the World by Marianne T. Rafter (San Francisco Bay, 1822, January 13)

“An illuminating look at an adventurous life in colonial Alta California, Dancing on the Brink of the World is the imagined account of real-life British sailor Captain William A. Richardson after he is marooned in the San Francisco Bay.” ~book description

All of these titles grabbed my attention, and A Beast Slinks Toward Beijing nearly took the top spot. The notion of dancing on the brink of the world enticed me most, though. Several of these could also be on my Most Intriguing list…keep reading.

A Beast Slinks Toward Beijing by Alice Evelyn Yang (20th century Manchuria, January 27)

Murder at the World’s End by Ross Montgomery (1910 Cornwall, January 6)

When We Were Brilliant by Lynn Cullen (1952 Hollywood, January 20)

Butterfly Games by Kelly Scarborough (19th century Sweden, January 20) 

Fission by Leslie R. Schover (1951 Tennesee, January 20)

MOST INTRIGUING

The Midnight Carousel by Fiza Saeed McLynn (1920 Chicago, January 13)

“A stunning and magical debut from a talented new voice in fiction, The Midnight Carousel shimmers with the charm of an early 20th century carnival, the grief of unexplained loss, and the glimmering hope of unexpected new beginnings.” —Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau

I’m intrigued by bookbinding and sewing, and Vanessa Riley is a favorite author. Anytime a classic tale is retold, my curiosity is piqued, and this Ishmaelle is a woman. Interesting. The cover of A Lion’s Ransom drew me at first, then I found out it’s about a stolen golden lion. But the one that wins this title is The Midnight Carousel. The title had me. When I discovered that it’s a dual timeline novel about a carousel whose riders disappeared, I was hooked. 

The Bookbinder’s Secret by A. D. Bell (1901 Oxford, January 13)

Call Me Ishmaelle by Xiaolu Guo (1843 Kent, January 6)

A Lion’s Ransom by Candace Robb (1377 York, January 6)

Fire Sword and Sea by Vanessa Riley (1675 Caribbean, January 13)

The Secret Sewing Society by Siobhan Curham (occupied Ukraine, 1941, January 26)

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Need more historical fiction on your TBR? See Paper Lantern Writers’ weekly round up in the Facebook group Paper Lantern Readers. See even more new release titles at Historical Novel Society.

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