Waiting For Wentworth

Waiting On Wednesday (738) Into the Midnight Wood by Alexandra McCollum

Into the Midnight Wood
by Alexandra McCollum

Expected Publication: January 13, 2026

Genre: MM, Cozy, Romance, Fantasy

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings
that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.
(WoW was previously hosted by Breaking The Spine.)

This is my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
There are at least 100 things wrong with Meredith Schwarzwelder. In fact, keeping track of these things is the only way David Carew has managed to remain living with him for as long as he has. Meredith is an irredeemable eccentric who flirts with everyone in his path (#3 on the list), cries at anything (#35), makes the worst coffee in the world (#70), and talks to mice, or imagines he does (#50).

It’s bad enough living with such a person on the edge of the Midnight Wood, but when magic starts to seep from the wood and a dark being emerges with a sinister plan involving Meredith, David decides that it’s time to leave the cottage, and his roommate, behind. Then Meredith’s brother gets engaged to the daughter of David’s boss, and David sees an opportunity: If he can insert himself into the festivities, maybe he can advance his career and get himself out of a personal rut.

With wedding bells sounding and the dangers of the Midnight Wood encroaching, David realizes there’s much more hiding beneath the surface of his roommate’s seemingly carefree charm, and that perhaps his own exasperation carries more fondness than he’d like to admit.

Debut author, so I'm definitely taking a leap of faith on my pick this week. It just sounds so good! I'll at least give it a try.

What are you waiting on this week?

Stuck With Me
by Annabeth Albert

Expected Publication: January 8, 2026

Genre: MM, Romance

This is my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

As a receptionist at a legal aid organization, I’m used to hot attorneys in suits. But Marshall Wilson is different.
I’ve had a crush on our newest hire for months now. When I’m finally ready to make my move, we end up trapped in an elevator together. Talk about bad timing!
A medical emergency adds to the tension as we await rescue. However, we’re also bonding, and there’s a glimmer of hope that my crush might be mutual.
Can Marshall and I stumble our way to forever, or are the doors closing on our chance?

Hot Dish
by Annabeth Albert

Expected Publication: January 15, 2026

Genre: MM, Romance

Synopsis from Goodreads:
The hottest silver fox EMT happens to live on my street. When he rescues me, I bring him a casserole as a thank you. Seems like the neighborly thing to do.

However, I don’t anticipate my thank you turning into a steamy afternoon delight. Now Percy and I are heating up the sheets and finding more in common than I ever could have expected.

Both Percy and I have been burned by love before. Are we ready to take a chance on love or is this fling just a flash in the pan?

This author is releasing these 2 short stories as part of a series that I really need to get caught up on!

What are you waiting on this week?

Kismet
by Nicky James

Expected Publication: December 22, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

This is my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
My name is Dominique Chevalier, and I am broken. Two years ago, a beloved part of me died. Angelique was everything, but she left me alone.
Alone with an infant, a broken heart, unimaginable pain, and a promise that I’ll never forget.
After relocating and taking a job as Ottawa’s chief forensic pathologist, I find purpose.
I find escape from the anguish that threatens to drown me.
I find him.
Detective Kobe Haven is everything I can’t have but everything I want.
Our paths cross when we are called to investigate a murder. Kobe is charming, smart, and relentless, but I can’t move on. I’m not ready. Before I know what’s happening, he’s under my skin, inside my veins, warming a special place in my heart.
I can’t turn him off.
He’s all I think about.
But do I really know him?
Does he really know me?
As the case unravels and the bodies pile up, true feelings surface.
Winter storms rage. Spring is nothing more than a feverish wish on a cold night. Eternally out of reach.
Or is it?
Is Kobe someone I can trust?
Is he someone I can love?

Oh no. I love this author, but she's starting a new series without finishing her last series, so murder and mayhem are left dangling until she gets back to it. Frustrating. But I'm still excited to start a new series!

What are you waiting on this week?

The Skin Game
(Subtle Deceptions #3)
by Elle Keaton

Expected Publication: December 18, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

This is my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Gabriel Karne is cautiously optimistic. Life seems to be settling down into a nice even keel.

It’s a new year and the former con artist has a permanent-for-now address. Even Keith the cat seems to like it there. No more rickety sailboats and living out of go-bags for Gabriel Karne. No surprises. No dead bodies.

Romance wise, he and Ranger Man are easing into being a couple. A lifetime of habits is hard to break for both of them but they’re getting there.

Gabe even has a job. Will he regret agreeing to it? Probably. But it’s almost legal, so... baby steps.

Then a strange young woman claiming to be his long-lost daughter appears on his new doorstep, and she has some sketchy documentation to prove it. It’s not impossible, but Gabe wasn’t born yesterday, and Heidi Karne was his mother, after all. And another damn letter—this one from a stranger—shows up. The author claims to be a friend of Heidi’s and to have some of his late mother’s belongings. Just great.

It's pretty clear that the past isn't done with him yet.

It will be fine. Everything will be fine.

I've read the last few series from this author and really enjoyed them, especially the Pacific Northwest setting. I like the dark mystery in this series, and the low steam romance between the 2 MCs. Can't wait to see more secrets revealed.

What are you waiting on this week?

300 New Year's Eves
by K.C. Carmichael

Expected Publication: December 16, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

This is my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Sergio Durand, renowned photographer and playboy extraordinaire, plans to welcome the New Year in style. Along with his brother Adrien, they're off to the winter wonderland of Lake Placid, ready for a holiday filled with skiing, laughter, and good company. Their group includes best friend Holden, his wife Rose, and their charming son Henry—a perfect celebration... until it isn't.

The festive spirit turns sour when Sergio crosses paths with Jeremy Owens, the one who got away. After a series of blunders leaves everyone around him fuming, Sergio finds himself caught in a bizarre twist of a time loop forcing him to relive New Year's Eve repeatedly. With each reset, Sergio scrambles to mend broken bonds with his brother, pacify a disgruntled Rose, and perhaps, rekindle a lost love with Jeremy.

Can Sergio navigate through his mistakes and salvage the relationships most important to him, or is he doomed to spend eternity making the same missteps on the last night of the year?

I'm actually not a fan of timeloop stories because I find them... repetative. I know, I know. But reading the same scenes over and over with little character growth will kill this for me. So, fingers crossed. Also, this is only this author's 3rd book, and I haven't read the others, so I really don't know if I will enjoy this or not.

What are you waiting on this week?

On Dancer
by Annabeth Albert

Expected Publication: December 4, 2025

Genre: MM, Holiday, Romance

This is my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Rudy:
I’ve had a crush on Alexander Dasher, the legendary ballet star, since I was fifteen years old. A decade of pining from a distance.
This holiday season, I’m assisting my mother with our small-town production of The Nutcracker, and guess who’s agreed to take the leading role?
Alexander is rehabbing a knee injury and looking for distraction. I teach him my favorite nerdy game, and soon, we’re talking and playing late into the evening.
One kiss is all it takes to nearly derail our growing friendship. Alexander is reluctant to step into the starring role for my first time. Even if our time together is short, I’m ready to turn my crush into reality if Alexander will give us a chance.
Alexander:
I’ve returned to my hometown after traveling the globe and establishing my reputation among the very best in the world of ballet.
My recent injury threatens all I’ve worked for, but I’m not ready to retire, even as the clock ticks louder.
Gaming with Rudy is the perfect diversion. With him, I’m seen as more than simply Alexander the famous dancer. Developing feelings for Rudy is all too easy, but he deserves far more than a holiday fling.
Our connection burns brighter than a yule log, but I worry we’ll both end up with broken hearts. The whole town, including our mothers, is rooting for us, but a future seems impossible. Can we pirouette our way into a happy ending?

Annabeth Albert is an another author whose Christmas books I always add to my tbr, even though I don't always read everything else she writes during the rest of the year.

Merry and Bright
(Hartbridge Christmas #6)
by N.R. Walker

Expected Publication: December 4, 2025

Genre: MM, Holiday, Romance

Synopsis from Goodreads:
When given the opportunity to make his dream of owning his own bookstore come true, Winter Atkins couldn’t say yes quick enough. Moving to Hartbridge, Montana, with his favorite aunt is the adventure he needs to start over. And leaving behind a string of unhappy boyfriends because of his asexuality, Winter is all too happy to shelve the idea of dating forever.

Deacon Clark has never fit in. Autistic and neurodivergent, he excels in his studies and at his father’s veterinary clinic, but his social skills are lacking. He’s attracted to men, but his bluntness and aversion to physical touch have made dating impossible.

When Winter brings an injured cat into Deacon’s clinic, it sparks an unlikely friendship; something both men need more than they realize. Hartbridge’s Christmas Cupid has his work cut out for him this year. But with the help of two newly orphaned kittens, from friendship, the strongest bond forms.

This is the 6th year for a Hartbridge Christmas book, and I have really enjoyed reading all of them!

Christmas on Cosmic Avenue
by Garrett Leigh

Expected Publication: December 3, 2025

Genre: MM, Holiday, Romance

Synopsis from Goodreads:
When single dad Sab Dubois downloads a dating app, it’s meant to be a bit of harmless curiosity—until his gorgeous neighbour catches him in the act and makes him an offer he can’t refuse.

Galen McCarthy, the firefighter over the back fence, doesn’t do love or relationships—and he certainly doesn’t do forever. Coaching his flustered neighbour through some first-time exploration seems easy enough.

No strings. No expectations. No hearts on the line.

But when fate has Galen fighting for his life for the third Christmas running, everything he didn’t know he wanted comes rushing into focus—the man who fed and healed him, the little lady he adores, and the family he never knew he needed.
Because love doesn’t ask permission. It steals your heart and wraps it in fairy lights. It forgives your fears and guides you home…

This is a series, even though Goodreads and Amazon don't have it listed that way. I've read the previous years books, so this was an automatic add to my tbr. This author loves to write angsty and emotional stories, so I always have to prepare myself before diving in.

What are you waiting on this week?

John Wilder Gets Schooled
(Goose Run #2)
by Lisa Henry and Sarah Honey

Expected Publication: December 2, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

This is my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
John Wilder is a full time roofer, a part time stripper, and the world’s greatest dad. Okay, so that last one is a work in progress, but Wilder is doing his best—it’s just that between working two jobs and parenting, he’s struggling, and Gracie’s grandparents are just waiting for him to fail. Getting off on the wrong foot with Gracie’s disapproving kindergarten teacher is the last thing he needs. But Wilder is determined to ace this parenting thing and wipe the judgemental look off Avery Smith’s cute, kissable face—wait, what?
Avery Smith is in his first year teaching, and he’s already got a problem parent. Exhibit A, John Wilder. He turns up late, forgets to bring his daughter snacks, and Avery’s sure he spotted him at the bar the next town over wearing glitter and a G-string. But Avery soon discovers that there’s more to Wilder’s situation than meets the eye, and he finds himself drawn to the attractive single dad. Except Avery has one hard and fast rule—no crushing on the straight dads, no matter how tempting. And Wilder is straight, right?
Turns out Wilder is about to learn a lot of things about himself, and Avery is the perfect teacher.

I had not read either of these authors before I picked up the first book in this series. I really enjoyed reading it, so I want to continue the series.

What are you waiting on this week?

Burning for Alexander
(Made Marian Legacy #2)
by Lucy Lennox

Expected Publication: November 18, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

This is my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
I came to Legacy for a fresh start—to outrun my past and forget the anonymous man I fell for online.
But now all I see is Alex Marian.
The bane of my existence. Firebug. Reckless bar owner. Walking disaster.
It doesn’t matter that he’s the sexiest man alive. Or charming. Or kind.
He’s entitled, spoiled, rich, naive—everything I hate.
The townspeople say he’s the sunshine to my grump.
What they don’t know is that worrying about him keeps me up at night.
He's the match, and I'm the gasoline—and the way he looks at me says he knows exactly what kind of fire we'd make together.
Alex Marian might just be worth the burn.

I read the first book in this series and it was just okay. I've read a lot of this author's books, but they are becoming a bit repetative. Depending on how much I enjoy this book, I may give up on the rest of this series.

What are you waiting on this week?