Books Publishing This Week

Books Publishing This Week: October 6 - 12

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It’s an early October day, and the world outside is awash in the colors of fall. The trees are draped in rich hues of red, gold, and rust, and the crispness in the air signals that autumn has truly arrived. Today feels like the perfect day to start a new book. You’ve been waiting for a moment like this—quiet, still, and filled with the cozy warmth that only fall can bring.

You pull on your favorite pumpkin-orange sweater, soft and comforting against your skin. It’s the kind of sweater that feels like a hug, oversized with sleeves that just barely cover your hands, perfect for wrapping yourself up in. The color makes you feel connected to the season—like you’re embracing autumn itself, a little piece of the pumpkin patches, harvest festivals, and crisp air. It’s cozy and familiar, just like the feeling you get when you open the first page of a new book.

With your sweater snug around you, you make your way to your favorite spot in the house. It’s a nook by the window, where the soft light of the overcast day streams in, casting a warm, gentle glow over the room. You’ve placed a chair there, cushioned and inviting, with a throw blanket draped across the back, just in case the chill from outside creeps in. You settle into the chair, feeling the soft fabric beneath you, and curl your legs up underneath, tucking them close to your body.

The book sits on the side table, waiting for you. You’ve been saving it, holding off for a day just like this, when the world feels quieter, slower, and perfect for getting lost in a new story. You reach for it, the cover smooth and cool in your hands, and flip it over to read the back one more time. There’s something thrilling about the promise of a fresh narrative, about stepping into a world that you’ve yet to explore. You turn the book over again, trace the title with your finger, and feel the weight of anticipation settle in your chest.

Before opening the first page, you take a moment to breathe in the season. Through the window, you can see the leaves fluttering to the ground, a soft wind swirling them into delicate patterns. It’s the kind of day that begs for stillness, for quiet moments like this where the world outside seems almost suspended in time. You can hear the faint rustling of the trees and the occasional call of birds preparing for their journey south. It’s serene, and you’re exactly where you want to be.

Finally, you open the book. The first crack of the spine is satisfying, the rustle of the pages familiar and soothing. The smell of the paper is intoxicating, earthy and fresh, as though the story itself is ready to pull you in. You let your fingertips glide over the pages, tracing the words as your eyes follow the first few lines. Instantly, the story begins to unfold, and you’re transported, the world outside blurring as the narrative pulls you in deeper.

The sweater’s warmth wraps around you like the story itself, cozy and comforting, allowing you to fully sink into the moment. The soft pumpkin-orange hue catches your eye occasionally, reminding you of where you are, tucked away in your little corner, but it doesn’t distract from the world you’re now exploring within the pages.

Time begins to slip away. The hours are marked not by clocks or tasks, but by chapters and characters. Outside, the day slowly changes, the soft gray of morning giving way to the deepening hues of late afternoon, but you hardly notice. Every now and then, you shift in your chair, pulling the sweater’s sleeves down farther, cocooning yourself even more. The chill in the air makes the warmth of your sweater and the story you’re reading all the more comforting, as if you’ve built a small sanctuary within the day.

You glance up once, looking outside, seeing how the leaves have gathered into small piles at the base of the trees. It feels like the perfect reflection of the story building inside the book—quiet but full of layers, each one drawing you deeper. You smile to yourself, grateful for this moment, for the sweater wrapped around you like an embrace, and for the quiet joy of starting a new book on an October day.

In this moment, everything feels just right: the season, the sweater, and the story unfolding in your hands. You feel a sense of peace, of contentment, that only comes from finding the perfect balance between the world outside and the world within a book. And as you turn the page, you know this is exactly where you’re meant to be.

The Christmas Crush by Noelle Douglas

A small-town baker and a career woman working for a cookie conglomerate get all mixed up in this Christmas rom-com, perfect for fans of Tessa Bailey and Maggie Knox.

Marketing executive Elena Voss’s newest assignment for Sparkle Cookie, a large cookie conglomerate, was meant to be a much-needed break from her toxic boss and the stressful city. She never expected to get into a public—and embarrassing—argument with a sexy baker in New Hope, Pennsylvania. But the townsfolk aren’t exactly thrilled about a corporate chain bakery coming in to ruin their small-town feel.

Lawrence Higgins–and his dog Sugar–have been a beloved staple in New Hope for years. Their bakery specializes in cookies, but with Sparkle Cookie’s upcoming grand opening, he’s worried about rent spikes and stolen customers. Elena wants to write Lawrence off as an opponent she can crush, but his good looks and passion for baking make it difficult to stay professional.

Elena and Lawrence immediately butt heads at a town hall meeting. When a cookie competition makes them join forces, sparks fly, and they find first impressions are often wrong. Can their blossoming connection survive the ensuing cookie war?

Haunt Your Heart Out by Amber Roberts

A dashing ghost hunter and the bookseller who made up the ghosts he’s chasing wind up entangled in more ways than one in this steamy contemporary romance from the author of Text Appeal, perfect for fans of Ashley Poston and Chloe Liese.

Homebody Lex McCall loves her sleepy Vermont town and quiet bookstore job. After her family, friends, and exes all moved away to seek futures elsewhere, Lex set one rule: no dating tourists, newcomers, or anyone else who is bound to leave her behind. When the bookshop owner, eager to off-load the supposedly haunted building, offers to sell the store to Lex at an unbeatable price, Lex jumps at the chance to further put down roots.

Then handsome stranger James stops by the bookstore. Lex assumes he’s just another tourist passing through, but it turns out he’s part of a ghost-hunting documentary crew that’s looking into the many “verified” ghost stories in town. Lex can’t resist getting involved—especially because these so-called ghosts are actually made-up stories from Haunted Happenings, her hobby vlog from a decade prior. Worried her ghost-faking secret will get out and ruin her chance to buy the store, she tampers with the ghosthunters' research and skews the results. After all, James’s stay is only temporary, and her career dreams come first.

But as they spend more time together, Lex realizes she’s falling for James. Worse, there’s more at stake than her simply being found out and losing his affection: his mission isn’t as frivolous as it seems, and her interference may cost him much more than a spooky story.

This not-quite ghost story is sure to delight Gilmore Girls fans and anyone who loves flirty romances with a little extra spirit.

My Kind of Trouble by L. A. Schwartz

A slick conwoman meets her match in a hot and nerdy small-town librarian in this debut romance, perfect for fans of Spoiler Alert and Act Your Age, Eve Brown.

Conwoman Harmony Hale has sold lies up and down California for years, never looking back at her crafty scams or one-night stands. Now she’s come to Brookville, California, with her sights set on its wealthy mayor—the man who stole her father’s music-streaming algorithm and ruined his life. Harmony is finally ready to take him down, with her trusty con of selling a nonexistent music festival. All she needs is the cooperation of the man who owns the potential festival site.

Autistic librarian and piano teacher Preston Jones spends his days fighting book challengers trying to shut down his library programs. He’s responsible for raising his selectively nonspeaking little sister and needs to focus on keeping his job. He doesn’t have time for a romance like the ones in his books—and certainly none for the brassy festival promoter who wants to use his land for her “Coachella North.” Preston sees things in black and white, and he sees Harmony—amazing curves, flashy smile, and all—as nothing but trouble.

But when Harmony promises to help him win the public over and save his youth programs, Preston finds himself wondering if this hustler with a heart of gold might be the someone he’s been waiting for. Soon things are getting steamy in the stacks, and with her con coming to a crescendo, Harmony needs to choose: revenge and running again or the happy ending she never saw coming.

Romance readers and musical theater fans alike will adore this steamy, gender-swapped homage to The Music Man.

A Dark and Secret Magic by Wallis Kinney

A warm, spellbinding tale about a witch and the secrets her coven has been keeping from her, with echoes of the classic Hades and Persephone story, in the tradition of Practical Magic and Witch of Wild Things.

Hecate Goodwin, Kate to her friends, has curated the perfect life as a hedge witch, living in a secluded cottage with only a black cat for company. She spends her days foraging herbs from the Ipswich forest, gardening, and creating tinctures to sell at the apothecary she owns. Most evenings pass without her speaking to another human being, an arrangement she quite prefers.

Kate’s solitude is thrown into disarray when her older sister, Miranda, reaches out and asks her to host their coven’s annual Halloween gathering. The day marks the beginning of the new year for witches and is also Kate’s birthday. The pressure from her coven to make the evening memorable mounts as the event draws near. To complicate things further, a handsome man from Kate’s past turns up at her cottage, asking for sanctuary. It is Kate’s duty as a hedge witch to honor this request, much to her dismay. Matthew Cypher is no ordinary lost soul–he’s a practitioner of forbidden magic who’s tricked Kate once before, and her guard is up.

As she juggles Matthew’s arrival and the preparations for Halloween, Kate comes across an old tome shrouded in dark magic. She is horrified when she realizes the blood-red inscription is written in familiar handwriting: her recently deceased mother’s. Afraid to even touch the dark magic her mother secretly studied, Kate can turn only to Matthew for help. Her idealized memory of her mother begins to distort, and as she and Matthew grow closer, Kate has to reevaluate whom she can really trust.

A Dark and Secret Magic is a celebration of the Halloween season and a love letter to anyone who drinks pumpkin spice in August and carries the spirit of a witch inside their heart all year long.

The Sound of a Thousand Stars by Rachel Robbins

Oppenheimer meets Hidden Figures in this sweeping historical debut where two Jewish physicists form an inseverable bond amidst fear and uncertainty.

Sure to captivate readers of Kate Quinn and Bonnie Garmus, The Sound of a Thousand Stars eerily mirrors modern-day questions of wartime ethics and explores what it means to survive—at any cost.

Alice Katz is a young Jewish physicist, one of the only female doctoral students at her university, studying with the famed Dr. Oppenheimer. Her well-to-do family wants her to marry a man of her class and settle down. Instead, Alice answers her country’s call to come to an unnamed city in the desert to work on a government project shrouded in secrecy.

At Los Alamos, Alice meets Caleb Blum, a poor Orthodox Jew who has been assigned to the explosives division. Around them are other young scientists and engineers who have quietly left their university posts to come live in the desert.

No one seems to know exactly what they are working on—what they do know is that it is a race and that they must beat the Nazis in developing an unspeakable weapon. In this atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, and despite their many differences, Alice and Caleb find themselves drawn to one another.

Inspired by the author’s grandparents and sure to appeal to fans of Good Night, Irene, The Sound of a Thousand Stars is a propulsive novel about love in desperate times, the consequences of our decisions, and the roles we play in history.

The Accidental Sisterhood by Julie Edelman

“A must-read tale of female empowerment filled with doses of humor and Prosecco!”

-—Joanne LaMarca Mathiesen, Emmy Award Winner and Leadership Coach

Jules Malone has sworn off love after two failed relationships: one with an abusive fiancé whom she calls her white knight-mare, and the other with a nice-but-boring ex with whom she co-parents their son, Max. But then one fateful Christmas Eve, Jules meets Sean, a twinkly-eyed charmer with a captivating smile and an unexpected invitation. Despite Jules’s efforts to stay guarded, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to him.

As their relationship deepens, so does Sean’s unpredictable behavior. He misses Jules’s calls, changes plans abruptly, and hangs up quickly when she enters the room. One night after returning home from a charity meeting, she finds Sean missing and blood everywhere. Panicked, she’s about to call 911 when she hears a phone ringing on her patio. It is Sean’s. By the time she gets to it, the caller has hung up. Multiple texts follow—as does Jule’s journey of shocking discoveries. The first? That she is one of four women sharing full lives with Sean.

But it is the devastating secret these women uncover together that leads to a resolution none of them could ever have imagined… and to the power of sisterhood.

JULIE EDELMAN is the bestselling author of the how-to book, The Accidental Housewife. She is a well-known lifestyle expert and has appeared on The Today Show, The View, Rachael Ray, Fox & Friends, The Doctors, ABC Audio Networks and iHeart Radio. She lives in Florida, close to her son, who is her heart and testament to a blessed life lived fully.

Hate Follow by Erin Quinn-Kong

To her one million Instagram followers, influencer Whitney Golden’s life looks just about perfect. But her curated existence explodes when her teenage daughter Mia sues her for invasion of privacy. The monumental case throws their relationship into a tailspin and has mother and daughter grappling with what it truly means to be in the public eye.

Influencer Whitney Golden has it all: beautiful, photogenic children; a handsome new boyfriend; a gorgeous house; and designer clothes and beauty products that arrive on her doorstep every day. After spending years building her brand as a widowed mother of four (including twins!) to over a million followers, the thirty-seven-year-old is at the peak of her career.

But it all comes to a screeching halt when Mia, her teenaged daughter, announces she’s tired of the social media life. She wants nothing more to do with her mother’s online brand—and demands that not just she, but her siblings and their deceased father be removed from Whitney’s Instagram, blog, and just about everywhere else on the internet.

When Whitney doesn’t agree, Mia does the unthinkable: She sues her mother. What started as a family spat turns into a monumental case about child privacy, individual agency, and modern parenting that shatters Mia and Whitney’s relationship and wreaks havoc on both their lives. As the case ignites a media firestorm and unrelenting online bashing from a Greek chorus of internet snarkers, Whitney has to decide whether she’s willing to risk everything she’s built to win back her daughter.

Dear Eliza by Andrea J. Stein

Ten years after her mother’s death, Eliza Levinger never imagined she’d hear from her again. But then The Letter arrived.

Eliza’s world broke apart when she was sixteen and her mom died of cancer. Now, years later, she has rebuilt her life to include a director-of-development job at a nonprofit, a Manhattan apartment, and an easy-on-the-eyes bedroom buddy—just the kind of no-strings relationship she wants, even if it’s less than her best friend, Mo, thinks she deserves. But when Eliza’s dad dies unexpectedly, her beloved aunt Claude arrives at the shiva with a letter from her mom—to be opened only after her father’s death. Inside the letter? A bombshell.

Suddenly, all of Eliza’s relationships are upended. Her brother is angry, her stepmother is threatening to disinherit her, and Mo—who has always been her rock—doesn’t seem to understand what she’s going through. But as Eliza struggles to cope with the shocking news, she finds an unexpected ally—her brother’s best friend, Josh—her high school crush, whom she’s tried hard to forget. It’s not in Eliza’s nature to trust . . . but maybe it’s time for that to change.

Perfect for fans of Emily Giffin, Katherine Center, and Jennifer Weiner, Dear Eliza explores the meaning of family, the complexities of grief, and the beauty in finding your way again.

Double Apex by Josie Juniper

This first book in a spicy Formula 1 romance series pairs a STEM-inist engineer with a cocky racecar driver, perfect for fans of Drive to Survive on Netflix and readers of Hannah Grace or Sarah Adams.

Phaedra Morgan is one of the best race engineers in Formula 1. She’s a math prodigy with dazzling skill, cutting wit, and no patience for matters of the heart. Of course, her job would be a lot easier if she didn’t keep butting heads with their team’s cocky and infuriatingly hot new driver.

Cosmin Ardelean is intense and committed, but as famous for his off-track romantic exploits as his on-track wizardry. Yet his devil-may-care façade conceals a haunted past. When the pair strikes up a secret—and thrillingly forbidden—“arrangement” to improve their communication and bond of trust, the heat of their attraction turns to something more . . .

But no secret stays hidden for long in the racing world, and soon things are spinning out of control. With everything on the line, will they be able to strip away all their defenses and go full throttle for a chance at love?

Love You A Latke by Amanda Elliot

Snow is falling, holiday lights are twinkling, and Abby Cohen is pissed. For one thing, her most annoying customer, Seth, has been coming into her café every morning with his sunshiny attitude, determined to break down her carefully constructed emotional walls. And, as the only Jew on the tourism board of her Vermont town, Abby's been charged with planning their fledgling Hanukkah festival. Unfortunately, the local vendors don’t understand that the story of Hanukkah cannot be told with light-up plastic figures from the Nativity scene, even if the Three Wise Men wear yarmulkes.

Desperate for support, Abby puts out a call for help online and discovers she was wrong about being the only Jew within a hundred miles. There's one other: Seth.

As it turns out, Seth’s parents have been badgering him to bring a Nice Jewish Girlfriend home to New York City for Hanukkah, and if Abby can survive his incessant, irritatingly handsome smiles, he’ll introduce her to all the vendors she needs to make the festival a success. But over latkes, doughnuts, and winter adventures in Manhattan, Abby begins to realize that her fake boyfriend and his family might just be igniting a flame in her own guarded heart.

The Stone Witch of Florence by Anna Rasche

A spellbinding debut that follows a young woman who harnesses the strange, ancient magic of gemstones to investigate a series of shocking crimes in plague-stricken Florence, all the while proving she is more physician than witch, perfect for fans of The Lost Apothecary.

1348. As the Black Plague lays waste to Italy, Ginevra di Gasparo is summoned back to Florence after nearly a decade of lonely exile. Ginevra has a gift—using the ancient practices of alchemy she learned as a young girl, she can heal the sick. But when word traveled of her unusual craft, she was condemned as a witch and banished. Now, the same men who expelled Ginevra are begging for her return.

She obliges, assuming the city’s leaders are finally ready to accept her unorthodox cures amidst a pandemic. But upon arrival, she is tasked with a much different mission: she must use her collection of jewels to track down a ruthless thief who is ransacking Florence's churches for priceless relics, leaving mysterious vials of brightly colored liquids in their place. If she succeeds, she’ll be a recognized physician, never accused of witchcraft again.

But as her investigation progresses, Ginevra discovers she’s merely a pawn in a much larger scheme than the one she’s been hired to solve. And the dangerous men behind this conspiracy won’t think twice about killing a stone witch to get what they want…

The December Market by RaeAnne Thayne

Also featured in Novels Set During Christmas

Author Interview with RaeAnne Thayne

The magic of Christmas—and a second shot at romance—is in the air in Shelter Springs this holiday season…

Amanda Taylor isn’t a fan of Christmas, but as the owner of a local soap shop, ignoring the holiday season isn’t an option. To forget the pain of Christmases past, Amanda focuses on making the season bright for her customers at the Shelter Springs Holiday Giving Market. But when her beloved grandmother, Birdie, starts dating the dashing new resident of the Shelter Inn retirement community, Amanda smells trouble. Fortunately, Rafe Arredondo, the grandson of Birdie’s charming suitor, is equally dubious of the match. Unfortunately, he's just as fiery as his grandfather—and Amanda has zero interest in getting burned.

As a single father, paramedic and assistant fire chief, Rafe has more than enough on his plate. Sure, he and Amanda share a common goal in keeping their grandparents apart. Still, that doesn’t mean he should allow himself to feel as drawn to her as he does. Even if she is great with his young son. Even if she does help the burden of his own painful past feel a little lighter… But when their paths keep crossing at the holiday market, it starts to feel like fate, prompting them both to wonder if taking a chance on love might gift them everything they’ve been wishing for.

The Wedding Engagement by Zoe Allison

You might also like The Ex-Mas Holidays by Zoe Allison

Scottish schoolteacher Liv Holland has a secret. She’s been carrying a torch for Arran Adebayo, her brother’s best friend, for years. A blind date gone wrong cements in Liv’s mind that Arran has no romantic interest in her whatsoever. But then, with her brother set to marry her own best friend, she and Arran are enlisted to help plan the festivities…

After being left at the altar by his ex, single father Arran is having trouble managing his growing feelings towards the woman who is both his best friend’s sister and his son’s teacher: Liv. Then his mind is blown when fate thrusts them together for an unexpected blind date, but he messes up his chance to tell her how he feels.

As the big day approaches and Liv and Arran’s connection intensifies, their chemistry chafes against their checkered romantic histories. Risking everything for love could mean losing each other forever... or being the next ones to find their happy ever after.

The Puzzle Box by Danielle Trussoni

Two sisters. A lost imperial treasure. The world’s greatest puzzle master has twenty-four hours to solve the most dangerous mystery of his life . . . or die trying, in the new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Puzzle Master, hailed as “thrilling” by David Baldacci.

It is the Year of the Wood Dragon, and the ingenious Mike Brink has been invited to Tokyo, Japan, to open the legendary Dragon Box.

The box was constructed during one of Japan’s most tumultuous periods, when the samurai class was disbanded and the shogun lost power. In this moment of crisis, Emperor Meiji locked a priceless Imperial secret in the Dragon Box. Only two people knew how to open the box—Meiji and the box’s sadistic constructor—and both died without telling a soul what was inside or how to open it.

Every twelve years since then, in the Year of the Dragon, the Imperial family holds a clandestine contest to open the box. It is devilishly difficult, filled with tricks, booby traps, poisons, and mind-bending twists. Every puzzle master who has attempted to open it has died in the process.

But Brink is not just any puzzle master. He may be the only person alive who can crack it. His determination is matched only by that of two sisters, descendants of an illustrious samurai clan, who will stop at nothing to claim the treasure.

Brink’s quest launches him on a breakneck adventure across Japan, from the Imperial Palace in Tokyo to the pristine forests of Hakone to an ancient cave in Kyushu. In the process, he discovers the power of Meiji’s hidden treasure, and—more crucially—the true nature of his extraordinary talent.

Remember Me Tomorrow by Farah Heron

Author Interview with Farah Heron

A missing student. A singular investigation. A new romance. Every bit of it is a mystery in a delightful novel of cosmic twists by the author of How to Win a Breakup.

East House is the oldest and least desirable dorm on campus, but it has a draw for lonely university freshman Aleeza Kassam: Jay Hoque, the hot and broody student who vanished from East House five months ago without a trace. It’s irresistible to an aspiring investigative journalist like Aleeza.

But when she starts receiving texts from Jay, the mystery takes an unexpected turn. To put it mildly. His messages are coming not only from Aleeza’s own dorm room but from the past―only weeks before he disappeared. Sharing space, if not time, Aleeza and Jay are living the impossible, and they start working together to prevent his inevitable disappearance. Causing a temporal paradox that could blow up the universe is a risk they’re going to have to take.

Aleeza digs through Jay’s suspicious friends, enemies, and exes, determined to find out what happened to him. Or what will happen to him. But it’s becoming more than a mystery. Aleeza is catching feelings for her charming new roommate. Wherever, and whenever, he may be.

Daughter of Ruins by Yvette Manessis Corporon

A motherless daughter. An Italian prostitute. A mail-order bride. Are these women brave enough to change their fates?

Demitra's mother died in America in the 1930s when Demitra was three years old. Her father took her home to the Greek island of Cephalonia, where she endures a lonely childhood and dreams her dead mother watches over her, like the goddesses she reads about in her mythology books. When Demitra comes of age, she refuses to marry the man chosen for her. Instead, she defiantly begins an affair with a forbidden man who ignites her passion for painting the goddesses she once imagined protected her.

Elena is a beautiful Italian woman who dreamed of a life away from the brothels where she was raised. But opportunities are not meant for daughters of prostitutes and Elena has no choice but to become one herself. When Italy occupies Cephalonia, Elena finds work entertaining the soldiers. Her life on the island is happy and carefree--until the Germans arrive in 1943.

Maria lives in a poor mountain village in 1921 with a loving mother and sister. When her father grows desperate to feed his family, he sends her to America as a picture bride to marry a stranger. Only eighteen years old, Maria is terrified of the journey ahead.

Daughter of Ruins is an all-encompassing tale steeped in the rich history, culture, and myths of Greece. It is a deeply moving story that follows three women as they struggle to control their destinies, fighting to become the women they were meant to be.

Mistletoe Season by Sheila Roberts, Kathleen Fuller, and Pepper Basham

Also featured in Novels Set During Christmas

Author Interview with Kathleen Fuller

This Christmas, three couples find themselves under the mistletoe . . . whether they want to be there or not.

Say No to Mistletoe by Sheila Roberts--Mistletoe is Hailey Fairchild's kryptonite. Every time she's kissed someone under the mistletoe it's led to love disaster. Not a good thing for a romance writer! When she was a gawky high school girl, her hunky neighbor, Carwyn Davies, star of the basketball team (and her dreams) kissed her under the mistletoe on a dare. But the kiss wasn't a dream come true. It was a mortifying moment she's never forgotten, and now she's about to go home for the holidays, unengaged and . . . determined to say no to mistletoe. Especially if Carwyn is anywhere around.

Return to Mistletoe by Kathleen Fuller--Emmy Banks has always loved Christmas. How could she not when she lives in Mistletoe, Missouri? Kieran O'Neill has spent years abroad, renovating an old Irish castle, but returns to Mistletoe for his mother's seventieth birthday. He reconnects with Emmy, his sister's close friend, and spends time with her in her charming antique shop. When the weather turns colder, things start to warm up between Emmy and Kieran. But can Emmy risk her heart when she knows he'll never stay in Mistletoe, and she will never leave?

The Mistletoe Prince by Pepper Basham--Prince Arran St. Clare has lost his freedom and fairytale life in exchange for a three-month "punishment" in the small town of Ransom, North Carolina. To prove he is ready for the royal life for which he was born, Arran must engage in the Christmas charity fundraiser, The Mistletoe Wish. But when kindness, authenticity, and hard work prove more appreciated in Appalachia than a royal pedigree, Arran must face the mirror and find out who he is beyond the crown. Add a beautiful and intelligent woman who doesn't recognize her own worth, some mistletoe, and a little Christmas magic and it all might be enough to help the rebel-prince understand what truly matters most.

Echoes of Us by Joy Jordan-Lake

Author Interview with Joy Jordan-Lake

From the bestselling author of Under a Gilded Moon comes the soaring story of an unlikely friendship of three men and one extraordinary woman and the legacy they built―if their own secrets don’t destroy it.

In the midst of World War II, a Tennessee farm boy, a Jewish Cambridge student, and a German POW forge a connection that endures―against all odds.

But now everything that Will Dobbins, Dov Silverberg, and Hans Hessler fought for is at risk as their descendants clash for control of the corporation they founded together. In an attempt to remake its tattered corporate image, the firm hires event planner Hadley Jacks and her sister Kitzie to organize a reunion for the families on St. Simons Island, Georgia, the place that changed all three men’s lives forever.

As Hadley and her sister delve into the friends’ past, they uncover the life of the courageous young woman who links them all together…and the old wounds that could tear everything apart.

Told in dual timelines spanning World War II and the present, Echoes of Us follows the ripple effects of war, the bonds that outlast it, and the hope that ultimately carries us forward.

The Lost Portal by Lenore Borja

For fans of Kendare Blake’s Goddess War series comes this second installment in a gripping YA fantasy series that follows a band of huntresses taking on a world of demons and gods.

For years, Hadley Caldwell kept humanity safe by hunting demons. But that came to an end when the Mirror Realm disappeared. Now her life is filled with bridesmaid dresses, family pressures, and—oh yeah—hosting ancient deities in her sleep. It’s not world-saving work, but if dream-hosting is all it takes to keep the gods happy, she’s willing to play along and leave her huntress days behind her. That is, until the gods demand something more: the Portal of Osiris.

The Portal was part of the Realm. It shouldn’t exist anymore. But the gods believe it does, and claim it holds the key to their salvation. The quest for the Portal takes Hadley and her band of huntress sisters on an enigmatic adventure to the sands of Egypt and beyond. But chasing a portal isn’t as easy as outrunning your past, and soon the only things Hadley knows for certain are that the gods can’t be trusted . . . and some portals should never be found.

Join Hadley, Alice, Olivia, and Soxie in this electrifying second book of the Mirror Realm series as they traverse the globe on an ancient scavenger hunt full of mystery, magic, intrigue, and sisterhood.

Dark Space by Rob Hart and Alex Segura

Bestselling and acclaimed authors Rob Hart and Alex Segura join forces on Dark Space, a sweeping sci-fi spy thriller that blends the epic scope and character-driven spark of Star Trek with the intrigue of John le Carré’s Smiley novels.

If life were fair, ace pilot Jose Carriles should have ended up a desk jockey like his former friend Corin Timony, back on the lunar colony of New Destiny. Instead, he’s the pilot of the Mosaic—a massive ship taking the Interstellar Union’s first-ever mission to outside our solar system.

Timony should have been the best spy at the Bazaar, the lunar colony’s international intelligence arm. Instead, she’s been demoted to admin duties like monitoring long-range communications. She has no one to blame but herself—and maybe Carriles.

But when the Mosaic experiences a series of strange malfunctions and Carriles is forced to take a wild gamble to save the ship, he begins to suspect the reasons behind the exploratory mission weren’t exactly on the up and up.

At the same time, Timony’s old instincts kick in as she realizes the distress call she received from the Mosaic has been wiped without a trace.

As people start to end up dead and loyalties are tested, Timony and Carriles find themselves entangled in a star-spanning conspiracy that drags them through the darkest corners of their government—and their own personal failures—and face-to-face with a reckoning that could destroy humanity as we know it.

Love Is for the Birds by Diane Owens Prettyman

For fans of Mary Alice Monroe’s The Beach House comes a heartwarming story from women’s fiction author Diane Owens Prettyman about second chances as two people find a pathway out of their grief—directly in the aftermath of a hurricane.

The Texas Gulf: beautiful yet unpredictable.

A beach town destroyed. Her mother’s candy store swept away. This is what Teddy Wainsworth faces when she returns to Bird Isle. Meanwhile, Jack Shaughness, owner of a popular barbecue restaurant chain and widower still grieving the death of his wife, receives permission to cross over to the island with a smoker full of brisket to feed hurricane survivors. Soon after arriving, he meets Teddy and immediately finds himself drawn to her—which makes him feel he is betraying his wife. When the two find a lost dog, Jack convinces Teddy to take it home while they attempt to find the owner, creating a bond that brings them closer.

In the wake of the hurricane, Bird Isle residents fear the Aransas Wildlife Refuge will not be ready for the whooping cranes’ annual migration south. Seeing that Jack has important connections and a love for the island, they enlist him to help restore the habitat of the endangered cranes before they fly to Padre Island for the winter. With their rescued dog always nearby, Teddy and Jack work side by side to rebuild Bird Isle for the return of the whooping cranes. But Jack is harboring a secret that may ruin everything he and Teddy are creating—and he won’t be able to keep that secret forever.

I'll Be Gone For Christmas by Georgia K. Boone

Also featured in Novels Set During Christmas

For fans of The Holiday comes a heartwarming Christmas house-swap rom-com debut in which finding yourself and finding love come hand in hand.

Bee Tyler needs a break. In the bustling San Francisco tech community, no one ever seems to stand still—especially her perfect sister and business partner, Beth. So when her best friend suggests a getaway on the wildly popular house-swap app, Vacate, Bee decides a countryside retreat might be exactly what she needs.

Clover Mills has had a year. Between losing her mother and making the complicated decision to leave her fiancé, sticking around the idyllic Christmas obsessed town of Salem, Ohio, just doesn’t feel right. So when she hears about Vacate, she jumps at the chance to spend the holidays in the unfamiliar city of San Francisco.

Soon enough, Bee is living in Clover’s cozy Salem cottage, and Clover is living in Bee’s sleek San Francisco apartment. As Clover can’t seem to stop running into Bee’s frustratingly gorgeous sister, Beth, and Bee finds herself spending more and more time with Clover’s ultra charming ex-fiancé, Knox, the two women realize that this Christmas they may find just what they were looking for and more…

Realm United by Katie Keridan

This enemies-to-lovers YA romantacy is the last book in the popular Felserpent Chronicle series, bringing the story full circle with timely themes of sacrifice, war, and love.

Sebastian Sayre and Kyra Valorian, the former Felserpent King and Queen, thought they knew what reuniting the divided realms of Aeles and Nocens would require of them. But fulfilling their promises to stop Tallus and bring peace between those with silver and gold blood will require sacrifices they didn’t expect to make.

Furious over Kyra’s refusal to help him turn Daevals into Astrals, Tallus assumes control of Aeles and announces he’s developed a weapon capable of killing everyone with silver blood. Kyra discovers a way to defeat him, but it will require her to perform a terrible act she isn’t sure she can live with. Sebastian loathes becoming a recognized public figure, and given his dark past, there are those who don’t trust him to hold a position of power, even as he and Kyra race to reunite the realms.

Not Yours to Keep by Zelly Ruskin

Billie Campbell, a Massachusetts adoption specialist grappling with fertility issues, dreams of adopting a baby, but not just any baby—her pregnant client’s baby. While her longing threatens to send her down a dark path, her husband, Tyler, is keeping secrets: he’s full of doubts about becoming a father, and he’s also trying to figure out who is sending him upsetting anonymous texts and photos. On the other side of town, Anne, a woman scarred by childhood abuse, obsesses with a second chance at becoming a family with the two people she regrets ever having let go of: the baby she gave up for adoption twenty years ago, and the man of her dreams.

Their lives get tangled when the client’s newborn is abducted, and Billie becomes a prime suspect.

Amid the chaos unleashed by the abduction, Tyler uncovers a link between the person tormenting him and the abduction—but now Billie has disappeared too. The race to find both her and the baby is on; but will they find them before it’s too late?

A Reign of Rose by Kate Golden

Kane Ravenwood, King of Onyx Kingdom, would go to the ends of the continent for Arwen Valondale, but what if she’s beyond even that? Broken in ways he never imagined he could be, Kane must find a way to fulfill the prophecy and kill his father, Fae King Lazarus. After what he’s endured, Kane is willing to save Evendell by whatever means necessary – even if that spells his own death.

Little does Kane know, he’s not the only one desperate for revenge. Arwen is no longer afraid to fight – no sacrifice is too great, no enemy too daunting. Now, nothing will stop her from destroying Lazarus, because she knows if she falls, both realms will be doomed forever.

With the help of new allies and old friends, Kane and Arwen will see this battle through to the end. They must save the world – but can they also save each other?

The stakes have never been higher, and Kane and Arwen’s on-page chemistry in this thrilling conclusion is as hot as readers have come to expect from Golden. A REIGN OF ROSE will leave readers completely satisfied and yet begging for more books from this beloved author as soon as possible.

Side Quest by Samuel Sattin, illustrated by Steenz

For fans of dungeon crawls and dice rolls—and anyone wanting to know more about them—Side Quest is a stand-alone graphic novel history of roleplaying games (RPGs), from ancient games to those played today, with personal stories from creators throughout!

With a meld of history, fantasy, and memoir, Side Quest: A Visual History of Roleplaying Games gives existing fans of tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) insight into the history of the medium—and provides a gateway for anyone new to the phenomenon.

The creators, Steenz and Samuel Sattin, narrate the book, switching between personal stories about their RPG experiences and concrete information that reveals the fascinating and often little-known history of these games. (Did you know that H. G. Wells created an RPG in the early 1900s? You will soon, along with so much more!)

This is an inviting introduction to what TTRPGs are, why they matter, and how readers can get involved. And like any popular guide to arcana, this book is geared toward an audience of gamers, non-gamers, and general readers alike. Equal parts enlightening, adventurous, and approachable, this appealing graphic nonfiction book is one that everyone can enjoy!

What Does It Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella

Eve is a successful novelist who wakes up one day in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there. Her husband, never far from her side, explains that she has had an operation to remove the large, malignant tumor growing in her brain.

As Eve learns to walk, talk, and write again—and as she wrestles with her diagnosis, and how and when to explain it to her beloved children—she begins to recall what’s most important to her: long walks with her husband’s hand clasped firmly around her own, family game nights, and always buying that dress when she sees it.

Recounted in brief anecdotes, each one is an attempt to answer the type of impossible questions recognizable to anyone navigating the labyrinth of grief. This short, extraordinary novel is a celebration of life, shot through with warmth and humor—it will both break your heart and put it back together again.

What Was Lost by Melissa Connelly

Reminiscent of Hello Beautiful and The Lying Life of Adults, this powerful narrative delves into social changes from 1970 to 2000 and captures a woman’s journey in a pre-#MeToo era via the tale of a mother who returns to her hometown to face the perpetrator of her childhood abuse.

When a young girl feels complicit in her own abuse, how does that thwart her attempts to build a happy life as an adult woman?

When disturbing memories begin to surface, Marti returns to the small Vermont town she ran away from thirty years ago to face her demons. She drags her unwitting teenage daughter along on the journey—heightening already existing tension between mother and daughter. But Marti is determined to achieve what she’s returned home for: forgiveness for lies told, and revenge for secrets held.

Exploring the vast social changes that took place between 1970 and 2000 and turning a critical eye on times before language such as #MeToo helped give voice to these all-too-common occurrences, What Was Lost is a raw, powerful tale of one woman confronting the ghosts of her past.

Murder, She Wrote: A Killer Christmas

Christmas is not an easy time to sell a house, but in Boston tycoon John Bragdon, Cabot Cove Realtor Eve Simpson has found a buyer for the old Jarvis homestead. Unfortunately, Eve gets a lump of coal in her stocking in the form of Kenny Jarvis, who has been missing for years and presumed dead but has now come back to stop his sister from selling their childhood home.

Eve presses on, organizing a welcome dinner for Bragdon and his wife, Marlene, to meet the leading citizens of the town, including Jessica Fletcher. Dinner is interrupted by an uninvited guest—not Santa but Kenny, who threateningly promises Marlene she will never live in his house.

When Marlene is found dead a few days later, Kenny is the natural suspect. But Jessica isn′t so sure he′s on the naughty list . . .

A Merry Little Murder Plot by Jenn McKinlay

During the most wonderful time of the year, famous author Helen Monroe arrives in Briar Creek to be the writer in residence, but her “bah humbug” attitude excludes her from the many holiday celebrations the town residents enjoy. To try to spread some Christmas cheer, library director Lindsey Norris invites the new writer in residence to join her crafternoon club. Helen politely refuses and when an altercation happens between Helen and another patron, Lindsey begins to suspect the author has been keeping to herself for a reason.

Another newcomer, Jackie Lewis, reveals she’s visiting Briar Creek to be near Helen because she believes they are destined to meet. Having dealt with a stalker in the past, Lindsey feels compelled to tell Helen about Jackie, as she suspects that Helen is unaware her “number one” fan is in town.

When Jackie’s body is later discovered in the town park beneath the holiday-light display with a copy of Helen’s latest manuscript in her hand, the reclusive novelist becomes the prime suspect in the murder of her self-proclaimed mega-fan. Helen’s frosty demeanor melts when Lindsey offers her help, and now the librarian and her crafternoon pals must prove the author innocent before "The End" becomes Helen's final sentence.

The Paris Maid by Ella Carey

In this heart-shattering WWII novel set during the Nazi occupation of Paris, a brave young woman pays a terrible price to save those she holds most dear. It’s perfect for fans of Natasha Lester, Catherine Hokin, and Kelly Bowen.

Louise Bassett works as a housemaid at The Ritz Hotel, home to the most powerful Nazis in France. As she changes silk sheets and scrubs sumptuous marble bathtubs, she listens and watches, reporting all she can to the Resistance. The only secret she never tells is her own.

Everything changes for Louise when a young Allied pilot, hunted by the Nazis, is smuggled into the hotel. As he and Louise share a small carafe of red wine hidden amongst her cleaning bottles, she feels her heart being to open. But what might happen if Louise finally confides in someone.

Years later, her granddaughter Nicole looks up at the ornate façade of the infamous Paris hotel. She is reeling from her recent discovery: a black and white photograph of her grandmother as a young woman, head shaved, branded a traitor. Devastated by her new legacy just as she’s about to start a family of her own, Nicole beings to search for answers.

When a French historian reveals that Louise once went by a different name, Nicole realizes there is more to her grandmother’s story. Was the woman who taught Nicole so much about family and loyalty a resistance fighter, or will her grandmother have to live with the knowledge that she is descended from a traitor. And will Nicole be able to finally move forward with her life if she can uncover the truth?

Tales of a Pet Vet: Stories from the Clinic and House Calls by Dawn Filos

In stories tailor-made for pet lovers, a seasoned veterinarian shares her good, bad, and messy days on the job—and highlights the undeniable magic of the human-animal bond.

Dr. Dawn Filos has always had a passion for animals—and with a lot of hard work and perseverance, she turned that passion into a career. Here, with emotional honesty, Dr. Dawn shares her colorful, memorable journey from nervous novice to seasoned, self-assured doctor. This modern-day James Herriot ultimately finds her niche as a house-call vet, where she creates a way to practice on her own terms with the privilege of unique, intimate access into the homes and lives of her beloved patients and their human families.

Sometimes heartwarming, sometimes sad, and often hilarious, Tales of a Pet Vet will resonate deeply with pet lovers everywhere.

Hard Knocks by Ruby Lang

Neurologist Helen Chang Frobisher is on a mission to ban ice hockey from Portland to prevent the kind of concussive brain injury that plagues her father. Luckless professional player Adam Magnus is desperately trying to secure his career and his retirement despite his young team's dismal record. But while Adam and Helen spar over the future of the sports franchise in public, in private they find themselves battling an impossible attraction. What happens when winning means losing each other?

Two Good Men by S.E. Redfearn

From the internationally bestselling author of In an Instant and Hadley & Grace comes Two Good Men, a searing drama about two men on a quest for justice—from opposite sides of the law.

Dick Raynes feared this day would come. Otis Parsons, a violent felon, has been released from prison, and Dick’s sister, Dee, is the one who helped put him there. Dick’s marriage is over, and his career is in shambles, so with nothing to lose, he sets out to do whatever it takes to keep Dee and her son safe. But Otis is just the beginning. Using his knowledge as a scientist to develop a formula able to predict those offenders most likely to strike again, he sets out to protect future victims the law is powerless to defend.

FBI agent Steve Patterson investigates crimes against those who have paid their dues for past mistakes, running a department he created after his son was killed by a vigilante mother who targeted the wrong person. Recognizing a disturbing pattern of untimely deaths in recently released felons, he sets out to discover who’s behind it. What he doesn’t expect is to find another chance at love—with the sister of the man he is chasing.

Dick’s sense of right and wrong is tested as he pursues and neutralizes the most dangerous threats, while Steve makes it his mission to stop this vigilante serial killer before he is labeled a hero. Both men pursue a noble cause, but only one can prevail.

The Trade Off by Samantha Greene Woodruff

The Trade Off introduces Bea Abramowitz, a plucky and ambitious young woman with a talent for math and an uncanny understanding of the stock market, at a time when jobs on Wall Street were occupied by men, and women—especially poor Jewish ones—were left with few options. Her dreams of working as a broker, paired with her smarts and tenacity, land her an interview at the famous House of Morgan in the new Ladies Department, a division created to manage female clientele. She quickly learns that those jobs are reserved for well-to-do girls from society families, not poor immigrants from the Lower East Side, and instead takes the only job male-dominated Wall Street offers—working a clerical desk job in the wire department. When her twin brother Jake returns home after losing everything in a Ponzi scheme on the west coast, Bea sees her opportunity: Jake will get the job on Wall Street and she’ll pick the stocks. As Jake’s star rises with Bea’s help, his insatiable desire for success pushes her to find a bigger, flashier idea, leading to her first big mistake and driving her from Wall Street altogether. As the decade draws to a close and seemingly everyone is celebrating the country’s new state of “permanent prosperity,” Bea sees signs of the looming crash. Unable to convince her brother, or anyone else, she is forced to rely on herself to try to save her family before it is too late.