We took a few weeks off for time-sensitive house projects — not a habit we're starting. Rest assured, Brad made sure we were aware of his opinion on the matter. He has been sitting by the door since May. He has not said anything. He does not need to. Straight to it.
Accidental Alchemy Special Edition Omnibus
Brad does not do waitlists. This item agrees with him.
All three books in Heather Hildenbrand's Accidental Alchemy series, bound in one signed omnibus — foil dust jacket, foil endpapers, ribbon bookmark. Paranormal romantasy: a clumsy supernatural-library intern accidentally frees a fire-breathing dragon king, and things escalate from there. Hand signed by the author.
$79.99 USD (down from $89.99), shipping within 3 business days — no waitlist, no early-access gate, no subscriber cap. Order it and it's on its way. 18 reviews, 94% five-star.
Crate Expectations
The boxes you've been waiting on — themes confirmed, books revealed, waitlists noted. Your monthly crate check.
New source this week! Bite Me Box, a paranormal romance/romantasy box from the same team behind I Love Vampire Novels. July's pick is The Wicked Sea by Jordan Stephanie Gray — a New York Times and USA Today bestseller, dark mermaid-and-warlock romantasy, enemies-to-lovers with a heist plot. The deluxe edition features gilded edges, a full-colour printed case, and illustrated endpapers. It already got the FairyLoot exclusive-edition treatment once before, so this isn't an unknown gamble — it's a known quantity showing up in a smaller box.
No subscription required for this one: $54.99 as a one-time purchase for just the July box, or $49.99/mo if you want to subscribe going forward.
See the box
Illumicrate August: Bound to Kill / Bring Me to LifeIllumicrate's August themes just leaked a week early: Bound to Kill for the main fantasy box, Bring Me to Life for Afterlight romance. Nothing to act on yet — just a heads up for next month's radar.
Still on the shelf
The ones that stuck around. For now. Still out there. Still worth finding.
Scribbles Bookshop (@scribblesbookshop) is a queer-owned indie carrying 250+ signed titles, most with author swag — digitally signed, bookplate-signed, or signed in person. Their Fantasy & Romantasy collection is worth a standing bookmark if you collect signed copies and don't want to wait on a box cycle. No deadline here — just a good source to know about.
Infatuated Fae — Jeneane O'Riley / The Arcane Society
Infatuated Fae — Jeneane O'Riley / The Arcane Society Confirmed via Arcane's Instagram: O'Riley's Infatuated Fae box (Where Did You Go? and Can You Take It?) — $80 USD + shipping/taxes, estimated ship January 2027. No scarcity clock on this one: preorders run a full month, July 17 through August 17. Take your time.
Blink and You’ll Miss ‘Em
The Legacy Series by Melissa K. Roehrich / The Arcane Society. The Special Edition box for Roehrich's four-book Legacy Series (Rain of Shadows and Endings, Storm of Secrets and Sorrow, Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance, Dawn of Chaos and Fury) opens for preorder July 17 — $160 USD + shipping/taxes, signed and unsigned copies both available, on arcanesociety.com. Active subscribers get early-access passcodes at 4pm ET (1pm PT), early access opens 6pm ET (3pm PT), and if copies remain, the general public gets a shot at 7pm ET (4pm PT). Estimated ship January 2027 (subject to change). Public access depends on subscriber leftovers.
Spotted in the Wild
Brad has never been to Oxford. He assumes, now, that it is acceptable.
Bad Girl Books. A different kind of find this week: Bad Girl Books opened July 4 at 29 Walton St, Oxford — the UK's first bookshop dedicated entirely to romantasy. Founder Starlin Marot crowdfunded it over eight months, and it's real enough that The Bookseller covered the opening. Right now it's mid-way through a free "mini summer romantasy festival," running every Saturday and Sunday through the end of August: 50+ authors doing signing tables, a pop-up bakery, and the kind of crowd that will happily yap about ACOTAR with you for an hour. Free entry, but grab an Eventbrite ticket for weekend visits to skip the queue. Weekdays it's open as a regular shop, no ticket needed, noon–7pm.
If you're anywhere near Oxford this summer, this is worth the trip. Not local? They ship online, and the special editions section is genuinely worth a scroll — 60-plus in stock right now, mostly $24–25, from indie romantasy authors you won't see anywhere else.
If you're anywhere near Oxford this summer, this is worth the trip.
On Brad’s Radar
Brad already owns the Crowns of Nyaxia set. He does not need convincing.
The War of Lost Hearts by Carissa Broadbent / FairyLoot Exclusive Edition. FairyLoot's exclusive edition of Carissa Broadbent's War of Lost Hearts trilogy (Book One: Daughter of No Worlds, signed, with a bound author letter) opens for early access August 10 — 12pm BST for US/Canada subscribers, 10am BST for UK/INT subscribers. If sets remain, public sale follows the same day at 4pm BST US/CA, 2pm BST UK/INT. $102 USD / £75 GBP + shipping, expected to ship November/December. Not a subscription box — a standalone exclusive, open to anyone once the window hits. Worth a calendar note now; we'll flag it again closer to the date.
Mark those calendars
And if they aren't on your calendar yet, they should be. Brad has had these circled since the announcements dropped.
Sept 29, 2026 — new Empyrean novel from Rebecca Yarros
Oct 2026 — ACOTAR 6 from Sarah J. Maas
Special edition announcements for both will come fast and sell out faster. We'll be watching.
