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Most Anticipated Book Releases July 2025

From swoony romantasy debuts to pulse-pounding thrillers, July 2025 is packed with exciting new book releases. Here are 9 titles I’m dying to read!

It’s that time of the month again when I put together a list of the upcoming book releases I’m most excited about. I love compiling anticipated book releases, and July 2025 looks like a fantastic month for readers, especially if you’re into fantasy romance (like me!). There’s also a much-anticipated mystery thriller in the mix. Whether you’re looking for a swoony slow-burn, a dark magical academy, or a gripping YA mystery, this month has something for every reader.

Here are 9 highly anticipated books coming out in July 2025 that should be on your TBR list:

A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan
The Nightblood Prince by Molly X. Chang
Rose in Chains by Julie Soto
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley
Time of Your Life by Jessa Hastings
Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson
Arcana Academy by Elise Kova
Immortal Consequences by I.V. Marie
Furybound by Sable Sorensen

1) A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Adult

Release Date: July 1, 2025

In this slow-burn romantasy, two childhood friends, Nina and Patrick, are chosen from struggling mining towns to train in a city of magic and power. But when they uncover a secret about who truly becomes an Artisan, their paths diverge. Years later, they find themselves on opposite sides of a rising class war. Reunited by fate and a dangerous mission, Nina must choose between loyalty, love, and the truth that could change everything.

2) The Nightblood Prince by Molly X. Chang

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Young Adult, Asian Literature

Release Date: July 1, 2025

If you’re a fan of prophecies, rival princes, and vampire armies, this young adult fantasy romance is for you. In a land on the brink of war, Fei has been raised to marry the crown prince and fulfill a prophecy that foretells her rise as Empress of All Empresses. But when she seizes a chance to shape her own fate, her journey leads her to Yexue, a runaway prince with dark magic and command over a deadly vampire army. As tensions rise and loyalties are tested, Fei must decide between love, power, and the future of two kingdoms in this sweeping romantasy from the bestselling author of To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods.

3) Rose in Chains by Julie Soto (The Evermore Trilogy #1)

Genre: Fantasy, Dark Romance, Fantasy Romance, Adult

Release Date: July 3, 2025

Your next romantasy obsession begins where most stories end - with the hero dead and the villains victorious.

Briony Rosewood, sister to a fallen heir and stripped of her magic, is captured and sold to the enemy after her kingdom falls. Bought by Toven Hearst, a powerful figure from the ruthless family she’s long harbored feelings for, Briony must navigate a world ruled by dark magic and dangerous ambition. But in the heart of her captivity, unexpected allies and buried hope may offer the spark she needs to rise again.

4) The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Adult, Fan Fiction

Release Date: July 8, 2025

In the first book of this slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romantasy duology, a principled healer and a charming assassin are forced to work together. Aurienne needs funding for her research, and Osric needs a cure only she can provide. As they uncover the cause of a deadly pox, their reluctant partnership turns into something far more complicated and harder to resist.

5) Time of Your Life by Jessa Hastings

Genre: Romance, Contemporary Romance

Release Date: July 15, 2025

In 1995, rock star Joah Harrigan meets Ysolde, the iconic muse of a generation. Their connection is instant and all-consuming. But as fame and desire collide, love turns toxic. Joah can’t control Ysolde, and she won’t be tamed. Some loves don’t fade - they unravel everything.

6) Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Contemporary, Young Adult

Release Date: July 17, 2025

From the author of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder comes a gripping adult debut about a woman racing to solve her own murder.

After a violent attack on Halloween night, Jet Mason is left with a fatal head injury and just seven days to live. As time runs out, she must uncover who wanted her dead, with only her childhood friend Billy by her side. Everyone is a suspect and Jet is determined to find the truth before it’s too late.

7) Arcana Academy by Elise Kova

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Adult, Dark Academia, Magic

Release Date: July 22, 2025

In this romantasy series opener, a tarot-wielding thief escapes a life sentence by entering a fake engagement with the powerful headmaster of a magical academy. Posing as his fiancée and student, Clara must help Prince Kaelis steal a legendary tarot card, while navigating deadly secrets, dangerous magic, and a growing attraction that could change everything.

8) Immortal Consequences by I.V. Marie

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Dark Academia, Young Adult

Release Date: July 29, 2025

At Blackwood Academy, a supernatural school between life and death, six students compete for a second chance at life. Only one can escape purgatory. But when emotions, rivalries, and forbidden feelings enter the mix, the competition turns deadly. Perfect for fans of dark academia fantasy with stakes that feel eternal.

9) Furybound by Sable Sorensen (The Wolves of Ruin #2)

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Magic, Vampires

Release Date: July 30, 2025

The second book in The Wolves of Ruin series promises more high fantasy, forbidden love, and powerful magic. While avoiding spoilers, just know that if you loved book one, this sequel dives deeper into the mythos, the conflict, and the characters you’ve been rooting for.

Whether you’re into fantasy romance, mystery thrillers, or contemporary love stories, July 2025 is shaping up to be an unforgettable month in books.