Books from New Zealand

Gideon Nav, a foul-mouthed swordswoman indentured to the Ninth House, is drafted into her lifelong rival Harrowhark Nonagesimus's bid to become a Lyctor, one of the Emperor's immortal elite. Summoned with heirs and cavaliers from across the Nine Houses to a crumbling ancestral ruin, they must solve the trials laid before them - while, one by one, the other entrants begin to die.

• rivals
• locked room
• mystery box

An assassin for a rebel network, Raeve is captured and turned into a political pawn by the fae nobility who rule her world. A grief-hardened king chasing a nameless ache is drawn to the same prison — and to her. In a land where dead dragons rise as moons, their meeting feels like a memory neither can explain. The lush, high-heat first book of the Moonfall series.

• second chance
• dual timeline
• multiple povs
• enemies to lovers

Harrowhark Nonagesimus has become a Lyctor, but her ascension was imperfect. Drafted by the Emperor into an unwinnable war, she must master necromantic powers she can barely control while her body and mind threaten to fail her. Alternating with chapters that directly contradict the events of the previous book, the novel unravels what really happened - and whether Harrow's own account of it can be trusted.

• unreliable narrator
• mystery box

Rival gang heirs with a shared romantic past must team up against a mysterious madness devouring 1926 Shanghai, in this Romeo and Juliet retelling.

• enemies to lovers
• second chance
• forbidden love

Framed for crimes she didn't commit, Madison Kate returns to Shadow Grove bent on revenge — only to find the men she blames, Archer D'Ath and his friends, living in her house. Forced under one roof, hatred and furious attraction collide as she hunts the truth about who set her up. The first book in Tate James's Madison Kate series: a dark, high-heat enemies-to-lovers reverse-harem romance.

• enemies to lovers
• revenge

Elara, a witch with forbidden powers, lives under the oppressive rule of a tyrannical king. When her unique abilities draw the attention of a dangerous, powerful figure, she finds herself entangled in a world of dark magic and political intrigue. As she navigates treacherous court politics and a simmering rebellion, Elara must decide where her loyalties lie and if she can trust the very person who could be her undoing.

• enemies to lovers
• forbidden love
• court intrigue
• morally grey

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels takes place in a magical alternate Victorian England where a small society of women has learned to fly their houses. Cecilia Bassingthwaite is one of them: outwardly a demure young lady, she is in fact a talented thief who flies around England drinking tea and stealing treasure for the Wisteria Society. Ned Lightbourne is a sometime assassin who is instantly smitten with Cecilia, an inconvenient problem since he has been sent to kill her. When Cecilia's pirate father, Captain Morvath, moves to destroy the Wisteria Society and its rebellious sisterhood in favor of a strict patriarchal order, Cecilia and Ned are forced into an uneasy alliance against him. India Holton's series opener is a whimsical, tongue-in-cheek romantic fantasy about flying houses, dangerous women, and a very reluctant assassin falling in love with his target.

• enemies to lovers
• heist

In the city of Talin, a deadly game of skill and strategy unfolds, where contestants battle to the death for a chance at immortality. Two rivals, bound by a shared past and a dangerous attraction, find themselves pitted against each other. As the competition intensifies, they must navigate treacherous alliances and their own complicated feelings, knowing that only one can survive.

• rivals

After returning to Shadow Grove, Madison Kate finds herself targeted by a relentless stalker who seems to know her deepest secrets. To make matters worse, the boys she was starting to trust have been keeping her in the dark. Refusing to be a victim, she decides to take matters into her own hands and uncover the truth, no matter the cost. But playing their game might pull her into a dangerous web of lies and desire.

• enemies to lovers
• betrayal
• morally grey
• forced proximity

Rival ornithology professors Beth Pickering and Devon Lockley compete for tenure and a cash prize by hunting the same rare, healing bird across an alternate 1890s England. Their professional feud turns into something else along the way.

• enemies to lovers
• grumpy sunshine

Inspector Roderick Alleyn is called to a remote English village to investigate the murder of a young woman, and the case draws in his circle of friends and acquaintances. As he uncovers the truth, the investigation reveals a betrayal among those closest to him.

• betrayal
• morally grey
• multiple povs

In this chilling thriller from New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh, a remote estate in New Zealand’s Southern Alps hosts a reunion no one will ever forget. Seven friends. One last weekend. A mansion half in ruins. No room for lies. Someone is going to confess. Because there should have been eight. . . . They met when they were teenagers. Now they’re adults, and time has been kind to some and unkind to others—none more so than to Bea, the one they lost nine long years ago.   They’ve gathered to reminisce at Bea’s family’s estate, a once-glorious mansion straight out of a gothic novel. Best friends, old flames, secret enemies, and new lovers are all under one roof. But when the weather turns and they’re snowed in at the edge of eternity, there’s nowhere left to hide from their shared history.   As the walls close in, the pretense of normality gives way to long-buried grief, bitterness, and rage. Underneath it all, there’s the nagging feeling that Bea’s shocking death wasn’t what it was claimed to be. And before the weekend is through, the truth will be unleashed—no matter the cost. . . .

Winner of the 2013 Booker Prize, this astrologically structured mystery follows twelve men in the New Zealand gold-rush town of Hokitika as they piece together a tangle of disappearance, fortune, and murder on a single night in 1866.

• multiple povs
• mystery box

In a future where the psychic Psy race has scrubbed all emotion from their lives, Sascha Duncan hides the forbidden feelings that would lead to her mental erasure. She is forced into a business partnership with Lucas Hunter, a shapeshifting Changeling alpha hunting a serial killer he believes is Psy. As they work together to stop a war, the heat between them threatens to shatter Sascha's icy facade and destroy the fragile peace of their world.

• forbidden love
• enemies to lovers
• secret identity
• revenge

A wealthy family in New Zealand plans an extravagant garden party even as their impoverished neighbor dies just across the road, forcing a reckoning between privilege and empathy. Told through the eyes of young Laura Sheridan, the story traces her gradual awakening to the divide between her sheltered world and that of those around her.

Makenna Lewis swore off relationships after an abusive first love taught her that feelings are a dangerous path — so she has kept things simple with a rotation of friends with benefits instead. Then a late-night encounter with Daniel Winters turns her no-commitment rule on its head, and Makenna has to decide whether she can risk trusting someone with more than just tonight. The first book in B.J. Harvey's Bliss series, a fast-paced, funny contemporary romance.

A widower rebuilding cottages on Anchor Lane finds unexpected love with the woman who moved to town to keep a promise to her brother.

Sarah Doyle is devoted to Linnet, but her father, Justin, has a possessive and chilling plan to keep Linnet close. He intends to prevent Linnet from ever leaving Sarah's side, though not through marriage. Linnet finds herself unexpectedly drawn to Justin's intense magnetism, struggling against his powerful allure.

• morally grey
• forbidden love

Four years after a whirlwind marriage ended in heartbreak and infidelity, Gianna is confronted by her past when Raúl Velez-Saldaña returns. He wants his wife back, claiming their marriage was merely postponed. As they navigate public appearances as a perfect couple, the private secrets and undeniable desire between them resurface, threatening to either rekindle their love or tear them apart for good.

• second chance
• forced proximity

A woman finds herself in a surprising predicament when circumstances lead her to a marriage of convenience. What starts as a practical arrangement soon challenges her perceptions of love and commitment. She must navigate the complexities of her new life and the unexpected feelings that begin to develop.

• marriage of convenience

Rosamond arrives in New Zealand with high hopes for a new job, only to be met with immediate disdain from Matthieu, her host's grandson. He's convinced she's after his grandfather's money, creating an instant rift between them. Can Rosamond overcome Matthieu's harsh judgment and prove her true intentions?

• fish out of water
• enemies to lovers

Clary Grey thought she knew what she wanted until she met the charming Morgan Caird in England. She didn't believe in love at first sight, especially not with someone as experienced as Morgan. Back in New Zealand, she tried to forget him, but Morgan's pursuit was relentless. It took Clary a long time to realize she was fighting herself, not him, and that their connection was real.

• reluctant hero

Luenda faces overwhelming debt and three children after her stepfather's death, finding a potential lifeline in a friend's will: a year on an isolated farm with a chance to inherit half. However, the other half belongs to Gwillym Vaughan, a man determined to gain full control, even if it means marrying Luenda. She refuses to marry for profit, but resisting Gwillym's persistent attempts to sway her proves to be a significant challenge.

• forced proximity
• marriage of convenience