This Week at the Tavern: Books Looking for Readers (September 14)
Welcome back to our weekly look at books that need readers now. Pull up a chair by the fire, because this batch has quite a range, from feral protectors and witchy small towns to gentle fairy tales and island survival. Every one of these authors is offering an early copy in exchange for your honest thoughts.
⏳ Last call: closing soon
These calls wrap up within days. If one of them is your kind of book, this is the week to raise your hand.
The Ashes of Summer by Rebecca Dale
ARC · Dark Romance
This is dark romance with the dial turned all the way up. Summer is taken and pushed past her limits while Jacob, a lawless protector turned possessive anti-hero, tears through everything to reach her. Expect touch-her-and-die fury, fractured alliances, and buried family secrets that reshape her whole past. Love like this comes with a body count, so bring your steel.
⏳ 3 days left, due September 17 · See the call and apply →
The Midnight Chapter by Ariel McBride
ARC · Paranormal Romance
Come to Moon Hollow, a strange little New England town hiding centuries of secrets, where Raven arrives for a fresh start and discovers she is a witch. Flickering lights, unsettling dreams, and a crow that will not leave her alone all point toward a family history she never knew. Add Rune, the charming and infuriating bookstore owner who knows more than he admits, and you have cozy paranormal romance with a slow reveal.
⏳ 8 days left, due September 22 · See the call and apply →
🎲 From the shelves
A few picks with a little more runway, pulled from the open calls around the Tavern.
Undone by my BROTHER'S BEST FRIEND by diabeckett_author
ARC · Contemporary Romance
Second-chance readers, this one is for you. She loved Joshua for years before he called it a fling and walked away. Now they are law partners, she is a divorced mom, and a snowstorm traps them together long enough for all his restraint to crumble. It is a contemporary romance built on longing and forbidden pull, complicated by an ex ready to use their history as a weapon.
Open through October 5 · See the call and apply →
Forever and a Game by Jason J Herne
ARC · Contemporary Fiction
A quiet, heartfelt piece of contemporary fiction about an unlikely friendship. Sam sees what everyone else has missed in Felicity, his boss's lonely eleven-year-old daughter, and the two bond over a whimsical trading card game that lets them both feel like kids again. But a strange problem at work and a danger closer to home threaten the fragile good thing they have found. Tender and quietly tense.
Open through October 9 · See the call and apply →
The Guiding Lantern by Mary W. Jensen
ARC · Fantasy
A mythic fairy tale for readers who love sibling bonds and forests full of wonder and warning. After losing their home, Soren and Elia follow their mother's lantern through winding woods toward a rumored refuge for children with nowhere to go. Hunger, fear, and strange beauty wait beneath the trees, and not every light can be trusted. A standalone fantasy set in the world of Tales of Tessagonia.
Open through October 25 · See the call and apply →
Given to the Warrior by Violet Star
ARC · Romantasy
If you love the classic pairing of a shy, virginal heroine and a gruff warrior thrown together against their wills, settle in. Set on a far distant world with rich world-building and memorable side characters, this romantasy leans into forced proximity, fish out of water, and love after loss. The slow burn carries gentle spice, and the hero values consent every step of the way.
Open through October 31 · See the call and apply →
🆕 Fresh this week
Hot off the press: the newest calls to reach the Tavern.
Crashed Into My Kismet by sathomasauthor
ARC · Romance
A plane goes down, and Maya, the senior surviving crew member, has to hold the remaining passengers together on an island with no way home. Among them is Ryan, the infuriating man she pulled from the wreckage who sees through every wall she raises. She loves her husband and knows where she belongs, which makes this survival romance ache all the more. High stakes and a heart torn in two.
Just posted! · See the call and apply →
Betrayed by the Stars by authordinayen
ARC · Fantasy
Pitched as Game of Thrones meets Hunger Games with less death and no spice, this dystopian romantasy is set far in the future where worlds collide. Fans of Asian folklore, healer magic, and dual-world adventure will find slow-burn romance, dragon and phoenix legends, ancient relics, and celestial destiny woven together. A good fit if you like your fantasy sweeping and your romance patient.
Just posted! · See the call and apply →
Take your pick and grab one before the week slips away, then come back and tell us what you thought. Honest reviews keep our little tavern lively.
Readers: browse every open call, free to join, and being active enters you in our reader drawings.
Authors: post your reader call free at The Story Tavern and your book gets featured in this weekly roundup, which we also share with our Facebook community of 5,000 readers and authors.