The Gilded, Fifth Format of Books

A deluxe edition of HEATED RIVALRY, Margo's Got Money Troubles, and picture books to introduce literary legends.

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The Gilded, Fifth Format of Books

A deluxe edition of HEATED RIVALRY, Margo's Got Money Troubles, and picture books to introduce literary legends.

Erica Ezeifedi

May 15, 2026

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Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.

Deluxe Editions of HEATED RIVALRY Series Plus a New Cover

First things first: let me just say that the series isn’t technically called "Heated Rivalry," it’s actually called Game Changers— Heated Rivalry is the second book in the series. With that said, I understand keeping the fans salivating in between seasons of the show (season two isn’t out until 2027) with a little something extra, but this new cover feels kind of lackluster. I’m supremely over the illustrated covers of adult romance books, and though this limited edition one switches it up from the norm a bit, it’s still not serving real. I want to see real people on romance covers again ( I have had a beef with the domination of illustrated adult romances for a while), and I have to say that they missed an opportunity to have a clinch Heat Rivalry cover. You can’t tell me you wouldn’t have liked seeing a little bare thigh betwixt all that hockey gear...

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Have Book Subscription Boxes Ushered in an Era of a "Fifth Format" of Books?

Speaking of glittering special editions, Publishers Weekly explains how this age of deluxe editions we’re living in came about. Essentially, it started with subscription boxes, like Eternal Embers, OwlCrate, FairyLoot, Midnight Whispers, and others, redesigning backlist titles and shipping them out on a seasonal or monthly cadence . Well, now, the focus on romance and fantasy titles for pretty redesigns has broken containtment. I’ve been seeing special editions of all sorts of books—some of which are a little surprising . The pretty edges satisfy the collector of books in me (which is distinctly separate from the reader in me), but I do wonder if designed edges and special editions are here to stay, or if they are the book equvalent of fast fashion, as some have said.

Second Season of Margo’s Got Money Troubles Confirmed

Get ready for more OnlyFans, wrestling, and one of the best casts on an ongoing show (there’s Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nick Offerman, Nicole Kidman, Rico Nasty, and others!). The show is adapted from Rufi Thorpe’s book of the same name, and follows a college student who finds herself pregnant and must drum up some money for her and her baby. Her estranged father ends up giving her advice for how to run her OnlyFans that comes courtesy of his former days as a pro wrestler. If you’re windering what the general vibe of the show is, it’s produced by A24 and one of the character’s names is "WangMangler99."

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Picture Books Introducing Literary Legends to Young Readers

I actually love to read nonfiction kids’ books at my big age. They offer concise summaries of their topics, and the art is always on point, which is why I am very much into this list of picture books on literary legends. Subscribe to All Access and learn all about Toni Morrison, Judy Blume, and others.

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