AUGUST TEXAS BOOK PREVIEW

Preview of Texas-connected books publishing in August, 2026

PREPARE TO BE AMAZED
Prepare your TBR to take you through the last weeks of summer and the run-up to a new school year with some fresh new Texas-connected books. Provide the little ones in your life with a touching new tale. Equip your beach bag with a new thriller. Stock your favorite reading spot with the perfect story to while away a slow afternoon.

Forgotten gods haunt her steps, and the cursed prince she left behind isn’t done fighting for her soul.

A war is about to begin between the forgotten people of Wylderland and the cruel might of Bitterhelm. Beings of prophecy and legend unite in the epic third chapter of the Wylder Tales Series, a romantic gothic re-telling of Beauty and the Beast.

In this charming picture book, Belle, a small but determined Yorkipoo, faces the excitement and spookiness of Halloween for the first time.

Her familiar world becomes filled with costumes, glowing pumpkins, and mysterious visitors, and she must decide what is truly a threat and what is simply part of the night’s magic.

Bloody Athon is marching on Bariq, the capital of Mose, to take their people back. Heloise, a courtesan and single mother, is just trying to get through the the day and take care of her family. Ronen, a spy from Athon, has infiltrated Mose with his closest friend and partner to find a weakness in the self-proclaimed impregnable ringed city of Mose.

The two threads of fate intertwined as Heloise’s family threatened by a powerful man in Mose and by invading spies who mistakenly broke into her apartments. Sides must be chosen and secrecy maintained if Heloise hopes to survive the oncoming siege with what family she can save.

The untold true story of Laura Bullion, the Wild Bunch’s only known female train robber, comes to life in this gripping Old West biography by New York Times bestselling author Chris Enss.

Drawing on rare prison letters, newspaper accounts, and long-hidden records, The Last Ride follows Bullion’s journey from notorious outlaw to an ordinary life carefully built in the shadows.

Blind former Houston homicide detective Steve Smiley and his partner take on what looks like a straightforward case: track down a missing husband so his estranged wife can finally file for divorce.

The simple case turns deadly when the body of the woman the husband has been living with is found in a Miami canal. When the investigation links the missing man and the victim to corruption and cartels, Smiley must sort through a growing list of suspects and a tangle of lies before whoever is cleaning up loose ends decides he’s next.

The manhunt begins for twins, Daniel and Drew Wright. Murder and violence inspired by true Texas crimes surround the brothers as they flee the deep east TX Piney Woods.

Framed by Daniel for murder, Drew decides to end the chase by diving into the crashing Gulf waves in the coastal town of Galveston, but is his instinct for survival stronger?

On the run in three counties, after terrorizing U.T. students in Austin, Daniel finds himself in a face-off with Billy Wayne, who managed to get off death row on appeal. In the end, it’s brother against brother. Only one will live to tell about their last meeting. Can Detective Jeff Walker untangle their web of crimes?

WHO SAID BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER.

TATAY’S TEAM is Book One of The Kindness Club series, a warm, funny, and deeply felt story about belonging, identity, and the courage it takes to cross the room for someone who needs it. Perfect for fans of Front Desk by Kelly Yang and Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga. For readers ages 8-12 / Grades 3-7.

A man who’s lost himself in work. A woman learning how to heal. A love that asks them both to trust again.

After her marriage ends in divorce and her toddler daughter dies, Kylie Mayfield returns to her hometown to heal, going to work for her family’s charter business. Zane Wagner comes Driftwood Bay, a place where he spent summers, to oversee the grand opening of Tidewater, a resort off the coast of the town, and enlists Kylie’s help in providing transportation for the resort’s guests.

The pair begin a brief, intense affair, with each chipping away at the ice surrounding the other’s heart.

Can Zane and Kylie learn to trust—and love—again?

What do you get when you ask 18 writers and 14 artists from West Texas to create work inspired by food? THIS BOOK REALLY COOKS, Volume 1: West Texas Writers and Artists Reflect on Food.

This curated collection of essays and artwork, spanning a variety of artistic mediums, will make you think, make you laugh, and definitely make you hungry. Discover treasured family recipes, nostalgic memories, unforgettable meals from close to home and around the world, and stories that celebrate the powerful role food plays in our lives. Along the way, you’ll discover new writers to add to your “to be read” list and artists whose work you’ll want to hang on your walls.

Lovingly curated by author and foodie Lauren Cassel Brownell.

Some secrets refuse to be buried. Some desires refuse to be denied.

Haunted by her shadowed past and desperate for peace, Julie Cromwell accelerates full-throttle on a cross-country escape to the sanctuary of Trenton, New Jersey—her childhood home. But this journey isn’t one of solace. Instead, it’s a roadmap of derangement and bone-chilling encounters, punctuated by unforeseen alliances and an unsparing litany of killings. A Twisted Crucible delves into the abyss of human depravity and the agonizing sacrifices made by a loving father when justice demands the ultimate price.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

There are so many Texas-connected books publishing this month that we couldn’t feature all of them. The following books also publish in August:

CHILDREN'S, MIDDLE GRADE, & YOUNG ADULT BOOKS

ABC’s of The Forty Acres by Kelsey Owen

The Alamo by Nel Yomtov

Ali the Great and the Big Rock Reveal by Saadia Faruqi

Ali the Great and the Brother Bother Beach Day by Saadia Faruqi

Ali the Great and the Lucky Baby Birds by Saadia Faruqi

Ali the Great and the Starry Sky Search by Saadia Faruqi

Betrayed by CC Robinson

Chupacabra Quest by Keith Wain

¿Dónde está Texas? (Where Is Texas? Spanish Edition) by Annette Whipple

Dusty Creek by Dustin Creek

Hybernation by Jolene Whitten

Life in Pixels by Gume Laurel III

Maggie the Dread by Austin Gilkeson

Paloma Joins the Circus by Lupe Ruiz-Flores

Patrick’s Pickle Plot by Amy Franklin & Carolyn Franklin

Shook by Julian Randall  (Author), Nathan Walker (Illustrator)

Tales from Cabin 23 by Darcie Little Badger

Tom and the Whirley Wickem Wackem by Gina Williams

Vintage Christmas Treasures: A Coloring Book by Cindy J. Vanous

Will You Accept This Ruse? by Cheryl Eager

FANTASY / SCI-FI

Black Sand by Myunique C. Green

Dark Coalition by Jaxon Reed

Dragon Slayer by Mase Evans

Knight of the Sword by Cynthia Breeding

Lunar Rendezvous by Vesper Black

Minding Earth by Russ Colson

Ravenglass by Angie Barton

The Saga of Nocturne IX – Pretio Victoria by JD Glasscock

The Saga of Nocturne VIII – Caecus Nox by JD Glasscock

Smoke and Fire by Jaime Castle & C J Valin

Steel Empress by Nikhil Prabala

These Vile Hearts by Melody Robinette

Timespace by Tim Bryant

United Vidden by Fern Brady

The Whispering Glade by Dalton Way

Young Blood by J. Lynn Carr

MYSTERY / HORROR

Anywhere But Home by Myunique C. Green

Burning Palms by Jess Hagemann

Cass by Claire Shaw

ClearPath London by Tom Lott

Color of the Prism by Thomas J. Nichols

The Confession Collector by Bluebell Mertz

Death of the Midway Mermaid by Bessie Barr

Drop Dead Gorgeous by Matilda Martel

The Final Gospel by Evan Whitten

Fur-Gotten Secrets by Erica J. Whelton

Ghostly Magic by Sarah Noffke

The Gray Lady of Galveston by Mary C. Gautreaux

The House on Forgotten Hill by Cheryl Bradshaw

If Elephants Could Rodeo by Russ Hall

Just Me & You by Myunique C. Green

Lost Truth by J.T. Bishop

The Missing Burn Book by Sandra Morris

Night Shift by Matilda Martel

Scruffy, Strays, and Skulduggery by Leanne Leeds

Seed of Fear by Patrick Seaman

Squeezed Out by Sandra Morris

Strange Attractors: Not Just Another One of Them Weird Texas Things by Nathan Klayman

The Strangers by Ryan David Jahn

Them Ol’ Tiger Blues by Russ Hall

A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett

The Weeping Wall by Eva Pohler

Wuthering Sprite by Nova Walsh

NONFICTION

Diversityland: Hiding Racial Inequality in an American Suburb by Kiara Wyndham

Don’t Take the Deal by Todd Wagner

Grace Finds Me Here by Stacy Saldivar-Lott 

Homeboys Forever: The Lifetime Consequences of Gang Membership by Avelardo Valdez

I’m Fine, Just Tired.: Why the Most Capable Women Are the Most Depleted — and the Way Back to Yourself by Megan Cerney

The Lady is a General by Cindy Jacobs

Love Conquers Fear: Humanity, AI, and the Age of Abundance for All by Brett A. Hurt

Momma Issues by Robert Lewis

Natural Settings: Creating Botanical Jewelry with Eco-resins by Sharon Wu

Nobody Broke Your Heart by Jamie Fisher

Poker Wars: Murder, Mayhem, and the Bloody History that Led to the World Series of Poker by Philip Guitar

The Protein Meal Prep by Cassy Joy Garcia

The Ridge Remembers by Michelle Ballard & James Jordan

Transcendence edited by Phillip A. Townsend

Transgressive Poetics in the Twenty-First-Century Classroom by Ronnie K. Stephens

Welcome to Paradox City by Mark Lamster

OTHER FICTION

The Baking Lady by Kirsten Osbourne

Blood of the Comancheria by W.D. Smith

The Book of Chuck by LaToya Watkins

Cobalt Comes to Town by Laura Smith

Concurrent by Tim Bryant

Daytona Teddy Riggs by Drew Buxton

The Dreaming Lady by Kirsten Osbourne

Jezebel’s Children by Lynne Tagawa

Joy by Tim Bryant

Land of Drought and Flood by T. Benjamin White

Offseason by Avigayl Sharp

Planting & Painting the Landscape by T.D. Motley

The Pulps: Where Crime Noir Began by K.C. Sivils

Rattler Venom by Mark Greathouse

Where the Line Runs by Tim Bryant

Whiskey Woods by William W. Johnstone & J.A. Johnstone

You’ll Be Dead Before Jesus Gets the News by Goldie Graham-Fleming

Zemesta by Kadius

POETRY

Of Granddaughters and Mars by Donald Mace Williams

ROMANCE

All Hale the Queen by Jade Dollston

August’s Cowboy Braxton by Eve London

Betrayed Alpha Mate by Mia Wolf

Between the Ice by Quinn Rose

Blood on the Rook by Vanessa Morris

Borrowed by Wayne Stroud

BOSS MAN: Mills & Boon Comics by Diana Palmer

Cava with My Colleague by Liz Alden

The CEO and the Mountain Man by Kelly Fox

The Cold Duke’s Hired Bride by Dorothy Sheldon

Colt by Jessica Peterson

The Cowboy Breed by Kimberly Smith

Cowboy Elite: Mike by Mindy Neff

A Cowboy to Remember by Melinda Curtis

Crossfire Creek Siege by Delores Fossen

Crushed by Victoria Arden

Delivered by Wilder by Macy West

Fallin’ Tides by Tori Ford

Forever Flustered by Ginny Sterling

Forged by Ashley Warren

Fortune’s Fake Fiancé by Allison Leigh

For You I Will by Myunique C. Green

Friend Zoned by Samantha Hastings

Grounded in Love by Kelly Cain

Haunted Heart by Anastasia Dean

If You Like It, I Love It by Indie Sparks

Inheriting a Rodeo Cowboy by Michele Dunaway

Kylie by Nicole Edwards

Lasso My Heart by Mary Karlik

Let Me Love You by Ashlee G. Rosales

Little Howl of Moon by Clio Evans

Little Music of Night by Clio Evans

The Pilot by Susan Stoker

A Place to Belong by Kathleen Ball

A Possessive Kiss by Alexa Aston

Promise Me a Forever Texas Love by Katie Lane

Property of Doc: Kings of Anarchy MC: West Texas by Darlene Tallman

Protecting Elizabeth by Ellie M. Hudson

Ransom for His Secret Son by Delores Fossen

Revival in Laurel Valley by Liliana Hart

Rite of Unity by Caz Andra

Safehouse Under Siege by Virginia Vaughn

Searching for the Stolen Son by Connie Queen

Sweet Courage by Chris Keniston

Tack’s Bounty by Nat Logan

Tar City by Blair M. Shadows

Texas by Elisa Leigh

Texas Cold Case Murder by Laura Scott

A Texas Hero by Heatherly Bell

Tortured Hero by Jo Grafford

A Very Grumpy Chef by Shaw Hart

What Death Made of Me by Sandra Morris

When the Silence Breaks by Elizabeth Goddard

Wilde Hearts by Kelly Elliott

Wrong Number, Right Grumpy Sheriff by Kat Baxter

The Wrong Reciprocation by Chencia C. Higgins

You Can Run by S.K. Muskat