May 2026’s Most Unmissable Reads

The following are five great reads for May that are already making the rounds!

1. Our Perfect Storm — Carley Fortune

Published: May 5, 2026 | Publisher: Berkley | 420 pages

Some books are publicly launched; others are picked up by the public before they are on the shelves. Carley Fortune is establishing herself as a highly trusted title in contemporary romance. Thus, this most recent offering from Carley is in the second group. As in previous stories from her, it remains true to the themes of love, loss and reconnection. The most wonderful heartbreak is when the main character, Frankie Gardiner, realises she has gotten dumped at the altar with no real explanation. The only communication is through a note.

Refusing to give up her honeymoon that she has already paid for, Frankie travels to Tofino, British Columbia, the surfing capital of Canada, with her long-time friend George Saint James. The story is beautifully paced and explores the themes of friendship, timing and all of the feelings between the two characters that have never been voiced until this point.

Fortune’s use of dual timelines provides insight into the history of George and Frankie’s friendship over the last twenty years and how it has changed over the course of the week in Tofino. The settings are vibrant, the humour is brought to life off of the page, and the emotional satisfaction of the reader comes at just the right moment.

For anyone who enjoyed the emotional warmth of modern romance favourites, this is likely to become a permanent addition to the bedside table.

2. The Ballad of Falling Dragons — Sarah A. Parker

Published: May 19, 2026 | Publisher: HarperCollins | 576 pages

There is nothing quite like finishing a book that you love and counting down the days until you can read the next one. If you are a fantasy lover, then you know this feeling all too well. After the huge success of When the Moon Hatched, Sarah A. Parker has returned to the world of Moonfall with a follow-up to that book: The Ballad of Falling Dragons. Fans of her first book have very high expectations for this sequel.

The Ballad of Falling Dragons picks up where the first book left off with Raeve and Kaan Vaegor dealing with what they have done to their world through their choices. Old wounds have not healed, kingdoms are about to fall apart, and a catastrophic moonfall could wipe everything they love out of existence.

Tonnes of Dragons!

What you will have is an epic fantasy novel that does not lose sight of the personal relationships in the book. If you loved Raeve and Kaan in the first book, then this book will be yet another emotionally draining read.

3. His Other Woman — Valerie Keogh

Published: November 3, 2025 | Publisher: Boldwood Books | 306 pages

A thriller that engages readers with all of its characters making poor decisions is something most people find great gratification in.

His Other Woman, by Valerie Keogh, starts out with Fiona Carlton, a lady who is very successful in her own right, never having to rely on anyone else to get her through life. Then, she meets Rich; he is charming and attentive and appears to be everything a woman dreams about – or does he?

4. Take Me with You — Steven Rowley

Published: May 19, 2026 | Publisher: Putnam

An alien spacecraft has taken away a husband.

If that’s all you know about this book, you’ll probably want to read it.

The plot starts with the disappearance of Norman in the yard of Jesse’s Joshua Tree home by way of a flash of light from above and leaves Jesse with the burden of trying to make sense of an impossible circumstance. However, it is not a science fiction book, but rather a book about how people experience grief and loss and how people cope with these events.

Rowley has a unique talent for bringing humour to situations that might otherwise be painful, without downplaying their emotional significance. One second, you’ll be laughing out loud at an encounter with the conspiracy theorist who lives next door, and the next second, you’re going to reflect on long-term relationships and what it means to commit to another person for decades.

It’s funny, poignant and bizarre enough to be worthwhile.

5. A Perfect Hand — Ayelet Waldman
Published: May 19, 2026 | Publisher: Knopf | Penguin Random House

Historical novels frequently concentrate on rich and elaborate homes, upper-class life and social dramas. A Perfect Hand looks at the situations of the characters behind the scenes, rather than just those who lived in the lap of luxury.

Alice Lockey has accomplished a lot through her intelligence, cleverness and hard work to obtain her position as a lady’s maid at Alderwick Park. She has never wanted to get married; her primary focus has always been on being an independent woman.

The story is amusing and highly entertaining, often providing shocks, but presents the same type of ingredients used in typical period dramas while giving insight into characters that normally only appear in the background.

Overall, this book has an old-time feel but is very contemporary in thought process.

The Bottom Line

May 2026 has something for everyone, whether you enjoy a cute friend-to-lover romance, an emotionally wrecking fantasy epic, a domestic thriller that will keep you up all night long, an emotional sci-fi romance that makes you laugh-cry, or a comical historical romp in the English countryside.

Five books. Five authors who are at the top of their game. There are no reasons not to read.

Happy reading.