Alka Joshi
Vivid and compelling in its portrait of one woman’s struggle for fulfillment in a society pivoting between the traditional and the modern, The Henna Artist opens a door into a world that is at once lush and fascinating, stark and cruel.
Escaping from an abusive marriage, 17-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone to the vibrant 1950s pink city of Jaipur. There, she becomes the most highly requested henna artist - and confidante - to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own....
Known for her original designs and sage advice, Lakshmi must tread carefully to avoid the jealous gossips who could ruin her reputation and her livelihood. As she pursues her dream of an independent life, she is startled one day when she is confronted by her husband, who has tracked her down these many years later with a high-spirited young girl in tow - a sister Lakshmi never knew she had. Suddenly the caution that she has carefully cultivated as protection is threatened. Still she perseveres, applying her talents and lifting up those that surround her as she does.
The Forgotten Ones
Steena Holmes
A spellbinding novel about an unspeakable secret that could destroy a family, from the New York Times bestselling author of Finding Emma.
Elle is a survivor. She’s managed to piece together a solid life from a childhood of broken memories and fairy tales her mom told her to explain away bad dreams. But weekly visits to her mother still fill Elle with a paralyzing fear she can’t explain. It’s just another of so many unanswered questions she grew up with in a family estranged by silence and secrets.
Elle’s world turns upside down when she receives a deathbed request from her grandfather, a man she was told had died years ago. Racked by grief, regrets, and a haunted conscience, he has a tale of his own to tell Elle: about her mother, an imaginary friend, and two strangers who came to the house one night and never left.
As Elle’s past unfolds, so does the truth - if she can believe it. She must face the reasons for her inexplicable dread. As dark as they are, Elle must listen…before her grandfather’s death buries the family’s secrets forever.
Samantha Hayes
Did he leave me? Or did something terrible happen? I’m scared someone finally found out about what happened on the drive home that night…
I lie awake at night trawling the internet for rental properties, desperate for an escape. Until I see my husband’s gorgeous face smiling back at me from a photograph on the fireplace in someone else’s home, and something inside of me snaps.
At the house, I find no trace of him and the woman who lives there has no idea who I am. But I’m certain she’s hiding something behind the locked door upstairs. I know that if I want answers, I have to stay.
You might think that what’s inside that room is the answer to all my questions and the end of all my pain. But it’s only the beginning…
Colleen Hoover
Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of the night their family was forever altered.
Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen's feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.
Due to graphic scenes and mature content, this book is recommended for readers 18+.
My Review
★★★★/5
It’s no secret that I’m a huge Colleen Hoover fan, and Verity certainly doesn’t disappoint, even though it was NOTHING like I expected it would be. Verity was a dark and, at times, creepy thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat and my headphones firmly planted to my ears. I really related to Lowen Ashleigh and felt a kinship with her…at first. (Like Lowen, I’m also an introvert who really only ventures out of the house when I have to.) However, the deeper into the book I got, the further I began to distance myself from Lowen and her choices. You see, around three-quarters to the very end of the book, things take a drastic turn, and I found myself feeling sorry for Verity Crawford, who was basically the antagonist throughout the entire book. It was at this point that a five-star read became a four-star read for me. I can’t get into too much detail without basically spoiling the book for you, but I will say that I HATED the decision that Lowen and Jeremy made at the end. I believe a completely different choice could have been made (and should have been made) to handle the situation, especially given what Lowen finds later. Lowen and Jeremy’s relationship was also an issue for me. In the beginning, after Lowen finds Verity’s secret manuscript, I was all for it, but as the relationship progressed, it kind of weirded me out a little, especially with Verity being under the same roof.
Still, Verity is a psychological thriller that really did a number on me, and I honestly still don’t know what to believe when it comes to Verity Crawford, which is a true testament to Colleen Hoover’s gifted storytelling abilities.
Abby Jimenez
Two years after losing her fiancé, Sloan Monroe still can't seem to get her life back on track. But one trouble-making pup with a "take me home" look in his eyes is about to change everything. With her new pet by her side, Sloan finally starts to feel more like herself. Then, after weeks of unanswered texts, Tucker's owner reaches out. He's a musician on tour in Australia. And bottom line: He wants Tucker back.
Well, Sloan's not about to give up her dog without a fight. But what if this Jason guy really loves Tucker? As their flirty texts turn into long calls, Sloan can't deny a connection. Jason is hot and nice and funny. There's no telling what could happen when they meet in person. The question is: With his music career on the rise, how long will Jason really stick around? And is it possible for Sloan to survive another heartbreak?
My Review
★★★★★/5
What a sweet, delightful, well-written romp this was! The story starts out with one of the MCs, Sloan Monroe, on her way to visit the grave of her fiancé, who was killed in a tragic motorcycle accident. While on her way, a dog runs out in front of her. Believing the dog to be dead, she’s shocked when he climbs onto her car and crawls inside her broken sunroof. Sloan is eventually able to locate and contact the dog’s owner, Jason (aka rising music star Jackson Waters), who is presently working outside the country, and the two engage in witty banter via phone calls and texts as Sloan makes Jason prove his love for Tucker (aka the dog). What follows is a brilliant romance surrounding the trials and tribulations of a blossoming love and the complexities presented with falling for someone in the music industry. The story is both beautiful, heartbreaking, and, at times, extremely frustrating (there’s something Jason tells Sloan to protect her, but of which I thought was completely unnecessary), but the ending (OMG, that ending!) makes up for it.
Elizabeth Wetmore
Mercy is hard in a place like this....
It’s February 1976, and Odessa, Texas, stands on the cusp of the next great oil boom. While the town’s men embrace the coming prosperity, its women intimately know and fear the violence that always seems to follow.
In the early hours of the morning after Valentine’s Day, 14-year-old Gloria Ramírez appears on the front porch of Mary Rose Whitehead’s ranch house, broken and barely alive. The teenager had been viciously attacked in a nearby oil field - an act of brutality that is tried in the churches and barrooms of Odessa before it can reach a court of law. When justice is evasive, the stage is set for a showdown with potentially devastating consequences.
Valentine is a haunting exploration of the intersections of violence and race, class, and region in a story that plumbs the depths of darkness and fear, yet offers a window into beauty and hope. Told through the alternating points of view of indelible characters who burrow deep in the listener’s heart, this fierce, unflinching, and surprisingly tender novel illuminates women’s strength and vulnerability, and reminds us that it is the stories we tell ourselves that keep us alive.
My Review
★★★★★/5
Elizabeth Wetmore’s Valentine is a poignant, beautifully descriptive look into 1970s West Texas, where the oil industry is booming as much as the misogyny. It’s the story of the brutal rape and beating of a teenage Hispanic girl at the hands of a white, well-liked local man, and the resulting fallout throughout a town gripped by its own racist beliefs. The story is told through the perspective of five women of varying classes and beliefs and contains just as much hope as it does despair.
I loved the female-driven storyline, especially the characters of Mary Rose Whitehead and Corrine Shepard. Mary Rose is a take charge, take no crap kind of woman who understands that a woman’s place isn’t in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant. She stands up for her convictions, despite facing threats and ostracization from the rest of the town. She’s the kind of woman I hope to be. Corrine is a lot like Mary Rose, except she adds slightly more humor to the mix. A retired schoolteacher, Corrine is a recent widower who needed the permission of her husband to return to work after their daughter is born. When I reached this point in the audiobook, I had to remind myself of the year this story is set. To think that only 40 years ago, this kind of thing was taking place is absolutely mind-blowing.
As much as I loved the beautiful flow of the author’s writing and many of her characters, I felt that the five different character perspectives were a bit too much and made the story hard to follow at times. It also felt like some of the weaker character’s voices were lost among the voices of the stronger ones. Still, it’s a brilliant story and a breathtaking debut by Ms. Wetmore. I highly, highly recommend this read.
Alex Michaelides
The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman’s act of violence against her husband - and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive.
Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening, her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face and then never speaks another word.
Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.
Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations - a search for the truth that threatens to consume him....
Michelle Obama
In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same.
J. K. Rowling
Performed by talented actors from across the Wizarding World, this is the first ever audiobook edition of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which was originally written in 2007 by J.K. Rowling and has raised money for her children's charity Lumos ever since.
As familiar to Hogwarts students as "Cinderella" and "Sleeping Beauty" are to Muggle children, Beedle's stories are a collection of popular fairy tales written for young witches and wizards. So, if you're wondering what's in store in this brand-new audio edition...well, your ears are in for a treat.
Once you've checked this fabulous Hogwarts Library book out, you'll start by hearing the author's introduction, read by Sally Mortemore (librarian Madam Pince from the Harry Potter films). Then it's time for the tales to begin....
You'll laugh along to "The Wizard and the Hopping Pot" as you listen to the havoc wreaked by a father's impish gift to his son, read by Warwick Davis (Professor Flitwick - Harry Potter films).
"The Fountain of Fair Fortune" will take you on a quest through an enchanted garden, alongside three witches and a luckless knight, read by Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood - Harry Potter films).
In "The Warlock's Hairy Heart", you'll be warned about a young warlock who is fearful of love, and turns to dark magic to avoid it at all costs, read by Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy - Harry Potter films).
The calamitous meeting of a foolish king, a cunning charlatan and a mischievous washerwoman unravels in "Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump", read by Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley - Harry Potter).
And finally, the most iconic of Beedle's stories. "The Tale of the Three Brothers" - with its message of humility and wisdom - will introduce you, dear listener, to the Deathly Hallows, read by Noma Dumezweni (Hermione Granger - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, London's West End and New York's Broadway).
Each of the tales is accompanied by wise and whimsical notes from a certain Albus Dumbledore, surely everyone's favourite headmaster, read by Jude Law (Albus Dumbledore - Fantastic Beasts films).
We're told these five fables have been firm favorites in wizarding households for centuries, and now it's your turn to experience these tales from the Wizarding World, as you've never heard them before.
Amy Sue Nathan
A former beauty queen faces the secrets of her past—for herself and the sake of her family’s future—in a heartfelt novel about fate, choices, and second chances.
Everything seemed possible in the summer of 1951. Back then Betty Stern was an eighteen-year-old knockout working at her grandparents’ lakeside resort. The “Catskills of the Midwest” was the perfect place for Betty to prepare for bigger things. She’d head to college in New York City. Her career as a fashion editor would flourish. But first, she’d enjoy a wondrous last summer at the beach falling deeply in love with an irresistible college boy and competing in the annual Miss South Haven pageant. On the precipice of a well-planned life, Betty’s future was limitless.
Decades later, the choices of that long-ago season still reverberate for Betty, now known as Boop. Especially when her granddaughter comes to her with a dilemma that echoes Boop’s memories of first love, broken hearts, and faraway dreams. It’s time to finally face the past—for the sake of her family and her own happiness. Maybe in reconciling the life she once imagined with the life she’s lived, Boop will discover it’s never too late for a second chance.
Aziz Ansari
At some point every one of us embarks on a journey to find love. We meet people, date, get into and out of relationships, all with the hope of finding someone with whom we share a deep connection. This seems standard now, but it's wildly different from what people did even just decades ago. Single people today have more romantic options than at any point in human history. With technology, our abilities to connect with and sort through these options are staggering. So why are so many people frustrated?
Some of our problems are unique to our time. "Why did this guy just text me an emoji of a pizza?" "Should I go out with this girl even though she listed Combos as one of her favorite snack foods? Combos?!" "My girlfriend just got a message from some dude named Nathan. Who's Nathan? Did he just send her a photo of his penis? Should I check just to be sure?"
But the transformation of our romantic lives can't be explained by technology alone. In a short period of time, the whole culture of finding love has changed dramatically. A few decades ago, people would find a decent person who lived in their neighborhood. Their families would meet, and, after deciding neither party seemed like a murderer, they would get married and soon have a kid, all by the time they were 24. Today people marry later than ever and spend years of their lives on a quest to find the perfect person, a soul mate.
For years Aziz Ansari has been aiming his comic insight at modern romance, but for Modern Romance, the audiobook, he decided he needed to take things to another level. He teamed up with NYU sociologist Eric Klinenberg and designed a massive research project, including hundreds of interviews and focus groups conducted everywhere from Tokyo to Buenos Aires to Wichita.
Jaymin Eve
Jane Washington
Willa Knight: Dweller. Slave. Non-magical being.
In Minatsol, being a dweller means that you are literally no better than dirt. In fact, dirt might actually be more useful than Willa. Her life will be one of servitude to the sols, the magic-blessed beings who could one day be chosen to become gods.
At least her outer village is far removed from the cities of the sols, and she won't ever be forced to present herself to them... Until one small mistake changes everything, and Willa is awarded a position to serve at Blesswood, the top sol academy in the world - a position that she definitely did not earn.
Under the sudden, watchful eye of the gods, she will be tasked to serve the Abcurse brothers, five sols built of arrogance, perfection, and power. They are almost gods themselves, and under their service, she is either going to end up sentenced to death, or else they are going to ruin her so badly that she will wish for it.
Either way, she is in trouble.
Celeste NG
In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned - from the layout of the winding roads to the colors of the houses to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.
Enter Mia Warren - an enigmatic artist and single mother - who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenage daughter, Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants - all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.
When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town - and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.
Mhairi McFarlane
You always remember your first love... don’t you?
If there’s anything worse than being fired from the worst restaurant in town, it’s coming home early to find your boyfriend in bed with someone else. Reeling from the humiliation of a double dumping in one day, Georgina takes the next job that comes her way—bartender in a newly opened pub. There’s only one problem: it’s run by the guy she fell in love with years ago. And—make that two problems—he doesn’t remember her. At all. But she has fabulous friends and her signature hot pink fur coat... what more could a girl really need?
Lucas McCarthy has not only grown into a broodingly handsome man, but he’s also turned into an actual grown-up, with a thriving business and a dog along the way. Crossing paths with him again throws Georgina’s rocky present into sharp relief—and brings a secret from her past bubbling to the surface. Only she knows what happened twelve years ago, and why she’s allowed the memories to chase her ever since. But maybe it’s not too late for the truth... or a second chance with the one that got away?
Jen DeLuca
The faire is Simon's family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn't have time for Emily's lighthearted approach to life, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she's in her revealing wench's costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they're portraying?
This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can't seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek.
My Review
★★★★/5
“I didn’t choose the wench life. The wench life chose me.”
This is one of the best first lines in any book I’ve ever read. It seriously sets the tone for this delightful romcom that can only be summed up in one word: cute.
After her douchebag ex leaves her high and dry and suddenly homeless, Emily is forced to leave her life behind to begin anew in the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland. Emily moves into the home of her sister, April, who was in a terrible car accident, which left her with a shattered leg and an inability to properly take care of her teenage daughter. Emily assumes somewhat of a motherly role, taking care of her niece, Caitlin, basically shuttling her to wherever she needs to go. So, when Caitlin tries out for the town’s annual Renaissance Faire, Emily tags along and “volunteers” to take part in the Ren Faire so that Caitlin can participate in it.
And that’s where we meet Simon Graham.
Simon Graham is uptight and, for some reason that’s not apparent, really seems to dislike Emily. That’s one of the few problems I had with this book. It’s an enemies to lovers romance, but the reason why the two characters are enemies is never fully fleshed out. Simon is rude to Emily and Emily can’t stand Simon because he’s rude, but that’s about it. I think one of the reasons for the animosity may have been because Simon didn’t feel like Emily was taking the Ren Faire seriously. The Ren Faire means everything to Simon, as it was started by his late brother who tragically passed away from cancer three years prior. Since his brother’s passing, Simon has made it his mission to keep his brother’s legacy alive, almost obsessively so.
Unqualified for many of the positions with the Ren Faire, Emily is designated as a tavern wench, a role she takes to naturally having been a bartender. Over the course of the summer, Emily becomes acquainted with the residents of the small town she was forced to move to and actually begins to enjoy her role at the Ren Faire, even finding herself hopelessly drawn to Simon, who takes on the confident, flirtatious persona of the pirate character he portrays at the Faire.
Simon and Emily’s romance is a slow burn, which I enjoyed. The buildup was handled well and kept me listening (I listened to the whole book in one day). I loved peeling back Simon’s layers and getting to know him better. Simon is clearly damaged, as is Emily, and together they heal each other’s wounds. Like I said above, all in all, this was a cute read, with some pretty funny moments interlaced within. The audiobook was well-narrated, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a sweet romcom to pass the time.
Louise Bay
I want the fairy tale and Luke is my Prince Charming. He’s tall, with shoulders so broad he blocks out the sun. He's kind with a smile so dazzling he makes me forget everything that’s wrong in the world. And he's the only man that can make me laugh until my cheeks hurt and my stomach cramp.
But he’ll never be mine.
So I’ve decided to get on with my life and find the next best thing.
Until a Wonder Woman costume, a bottle of tequila and a game of truth or dare happened.
Then Luke's licking salt from my wrist and telling me I’m beautiful.
Then he’s peeling off my clothes and pressing his lips against mine.
Then what? Is this the start of my happily ever after or the beginning of a tragedy?
Max Monroe
Cause of death: a text message.
Okay. So, I didn't die.
But I may as well have.
One minute, I'm a woman trying to find her way in the world, and the next, I'm the sender of six of the most embarrassing text messages that have ever been sent in the history of time--or the cell phone. Whatever.
We're talking code red, send a flipping mayday, the apocalypse is coming kind of texts.
And I didn't just send them to some random person I'll never see again.
No. That would be too easy.
I sent them to Milo Ives.
The man who played a starring role in all of my teenage fantasies--and my brother's lifelong best friend.
And, boy oh boy, has he grown up.
He's hard-bodied, blue-eyed, jawline-of-stone handsome, crazy successful, and has more money in his bank account than my brain can fathom.
Deflower me, please? I said.
Yeah. Send help.
Loretta Nyan
With a dissolving marriage, strained finances, and her life in flux, Ally Anderson longs for normal. Her greatest concerns, though, are the health problems of her young daughter, Kylie. Symptoms point to a compromised immune system, but every doctor they’ve seen has a different theory. Then comes hope for some clarity.
It’s possible that Kylie’s illness is genetic, but Ally is adopted. A DNA test opens up an entirely new path. And where it leads is a surprise: to an aunt Ally never knew existed. She’s a little wild, very welcoming, and ready to share more of the family history than Ally ever imagined.
Coping with a skeptical soon-to-be-ex husband, weathering the cautions of her own resistant mother, and getting maddeningly close to the healing Kylie needs, Ally is determined to regain control of her life. This is her chance to embrace uncertainty and the beauty of family—both the one she was born into and the one she chose.
Susan Stoker
Walker “Trigger” Nelson and his Delta Force team have spent years training for close-quarter hostage rescue. When they get called to South America to attempt to save an airplane full of hostages, he doesn’t expect to meet a woman who rocks his world in the middle of the op. Gillian’s cool head and bravery in the face of certain terror—and possible death—blows him away. Any outcome that doesn’t include Gillian leaving that plane alive and well is not an option.
After their safe return to Texas, both Trigger and Gillian are excited to find out if their instant chemistry can survive the real world. Neither realizing that someone isn’t happy with the outcome of the hijacking, and is watching, waiting, for a second chance to strike.
Mia Sosa
What's it about?
A wedding planner left at the altar? Yeah, the irony isn't lost on Carolina Santos, either. But despite that embarrassing blip from her past, Lina's offered an opportunity that could change her life. There's just one hitch...she has to collaborate with the best (make that worst) man from her own failed nuptials.
Marketing expert Max Hartley is determined to make his mark with a coveted hotel client looking to expand its brand. Then he learns he'll be working with his brother's whip-smart, stunning - absolutely off-limits - ex-fiancée. And she loathes him.
If they can nail their presentation without killing each other, they'll both come out ahead. Except Max has been public enemy number one ever since he encouraged his brother to jilt the bride, and Lina's ready to dish out a little payback of her own.
Soon Lina and Max discover animosity may not be the only emotion creating sparks between them. Still, this star-crossed couple can never be more than temporary playmates because Lina isn't interested in falling in love and Max refuses to play runner-up to his brother ever again...
My Review
★★★★/5
The Worst Best Man took me a bit to get into, but once I did, I was hooked, and I finished the audiobook in two days. I don't know what it was about Lina, the MC, but I couldn't warm up to her at first. I think she was just too abrasive for my taste. However, like the story, I eventually began to relate to her, especially when she finally started to let her guard down and revealed that she had formerly been a paralegal who was fired after making a mistake. As a paralegal, I know all about the anxiety associated with that scenario.
Max, on the other hand, I took to right away. He was everything I adore in a LI. Funny, smart, with a rough exterior that easily melts away to reveal a soft, marshmallowesque interior. Yet, beneath the cockiness he projected, he was full of self-doubt brought on by feelings of inferiority when comparing himself to his brother, Andrew.
Andrew was a spineless weasel who left Lina at the altar after making Max deliver the news. Instead of Andrew, however, Lina blamed Max for her fiancé’s cold feet due to a text message sent by Andrew the night before.
Years later, Max, Andrew, and Lina find themselves brought together again when the three of them vie for a coveted position working with a popular hotel.
And that's where the story really takes off.
A relationship characterized by sheer loathing (more by Lina than Max) gradually turns into a slow burn romance, peppered with numerous laugh out loud moments and plenty of steam.
But can Lina and Max move beyond their past to a well-deserved HEA? I guess you'll have to read/listen to find out.
In Five Years
Rebecca Serle
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Dannie Kohan lives her life by the numbers.
But when she awakens, she’s suddenly in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, and
She is nothing like her lifelong best friend—the wild, whimsical, believes-in-fate Bella. Her meticulous planning seems to have paid off after she nails the most important job interview of her career and accepts her boyfriend’s marriage proposal in one fell swoop, falling asleep completely content.
beside a very different man. Dannie spends one hour exactly five years in the future before she wakes again in her own home on the brink of midnight—but it is one hour she cannot shake. In Five Years is an unforgettable love story, but it is not the one you’re expecting.
Lost Girls
Jon Mills
A serial killer is terrorizing a coastal town....
When renowned FBI Agent Benjamin Forrester suffers a devastating loss while trying to catch an elusive serial killer, he quits the bureau. Years later, after a similar series of gruesome murders trigger an investigation in the coastal town of Eden Falls, Maine, Ben is called upon to assist the rookie police detective, Dakota Woods.
He soon learns he's being lured into a deadly game of cat and mouse where the only way to stop the murders is to confront his past and face his worst fear.
Oona Out of Order
Margarita Montimore
Just because life may be out of order, doesn't mean it's broken.
It's New Year's Eve 1982, and Oona Lockhart has her whole life before her. At the stroke of midnight, she will turn 19, and the year ahead promises to be one of consequence. Should she go to London to study economics or remain at home in Brooklyn to pursue her passion for music and be with her boyfriend? As the countdown to the New Year begins, Oona faints and awakens 32 years in the future in her 51-year-old body. Greeted by a friendly stranger in a beautiful house she's told is her own, Oona learns that with each passing year she will leap to another age at random. And so begins Oona Out of Order....
Hopping through decades, pop culture fads, and much-needed stock tips, Oona is still a young woman on the inside but ever changing on the outside. Who will she be next year? Philanthropist? Club Kid? World traveler? Wife to a man she's never met?
The Wives
Tarryn Fisher
Thursday's husband, Seth, has two other wives. She's never met them, and she doesn't know anything about them. She agreed to this unusual arrangement because she's so crazy about him.
But one day, she finds something. Something that tells a very different - and horrifying - story about the man she married.
The Murmur of Bees
Sofia Segovia
From the day that old Nana Reja found a baby abandoned under a bridge, the life of a small Mexican town forever changed. Disfigured and covered in a blanket of bees, little Simonopio is for some locals the stuff of superstition, a child kissed by the devil. But he is welcomed by landowners Francisco and Beatriz Morales, who adopt him and care for him as if he were their own. As he grows up, Simonopio becomes a cause for wonder to the Morales family, because when the uncannily gifted child closes his eyes, he can see what no one else can - visions of all that's yet to come, both beautiful and dangerous. Followed by his protective swarm of bees and living to deliver his adoptive family from threats - both human and those of nature - Simonopio's purpose in Linares will, in time, be divined.
Set against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution and the devastating influenza of 1918, The Murmur of Bees captures both the fate of a country in flux and the destiny of one family that has put their love, faith, and future in the unbelievable.
Then She Was Gone
Lisa Jewell
Fifteen-year-old Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter. She was beloved by her parents, friends, and teachers. She and her boyfriend made a teenage golden couple. She was days away from an idyllic summer vacation, with her whole life ahead of her. And then she was gone.
Now her mother, Laurel Mack, is trying to put her life back together. It's been 10 years since her daughter disappeared, seven years since her marriage ended, and only months since the last clue in Ellie's case was unearthed. So when she meets an unexpectedly charming man in a cafe, she is surprised at how quickly their flirtation develops into something deeper. Before she knows it, she's meeting Floyd's daughters - and his youngest, Poppy, takes her breath away. Looking at her is like looking at Ellie. And now the unanswered questions she has tried so hard to put to rest haunt her anew...as well as some new ones about Floyd and Poppy....
The Scent Keeper
Erica Bauermeister
Emmeline lives an enchanted childhood on a remote island with her father, who teaches her about the natural world through her senses. What he won't explain are the mysterious scents stored in the drawers that line the walls of their cabin, or the origin of the machine that creates them. As Emmeline grows, however, so too does her curiosity, until one day the unforeseen happens, and Emmeline is vaulted out into the real world - a place of love, betrayal, ambition, and revenge. To understand her past, Emmeline must unlock the clues to her identity, a quest that challenges the limits of her heart and imagination.
Lyrical and immersive, The Scent Keeper explores the provocative beauty of scent, the way it can reveal hidden truths, lead us to the person we seek, and even help us find our way back home.
Before We Were Yours
Lisa Wingate
Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family's Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge - until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children's Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents - but they quickly realize the dark truth. At the mercy of the facility's cruel director, Rill fights to keep her sisters and brother together in a world of danger and uncertainty.
Aiken, South Carolina, present day. Born into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career as a federal prosecutor, a handsome fiancé, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions and compels her to take a journey through her family's long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation or to redemption.
The Sinner
J.R. Ward
Syn has kept his side hustle as a mercenary a secret from the Black Dagger Brotherhood. When he takes another hit job, he not only crosses the path of the vampire race's new enemy, but also that of a half-breed in danger of dying during her transition. Jo Early has no idea what her true nature is, and when a mysterious man appears out of the darkness, she is torn between their erotic connection and the sense that something is very wrong.
Fate anointed Butch O'Neal as the Dhestroyer, the fulfiller of the prophecy that foresees the end of the Omega. As the war with the Lessening Society comes to a head, Butch gets an unexpected ally in Syn. But can he trust the male - or is the warrior with the bad past a deadly complication?
With time running out, Jo gets swept up in the fighting and must join with Syn and the Brotherhood against true evil. In the end, will love true prevail...or was the prophecy wrong all along?
Every Breath
Nicholas Sparks
Hope Anderson is at a crossroads. At 36, she's been dating her boyfriend, an orthopedic surgeon, for six years. With no wedding plans in sight, and her father recently diagnosed with ALS, she decides to use a week at her family's cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to ready the house for sale and mull over some difficult decisions about her future.
Tru Walls has never visited North Carolina but is summoned to Sunset Beach by a letter from a man claiming to be his father. A safari guide, born and raised in Zimbabwe, Tru hopes to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his mother's early life and recapture memories lost with her death. When the two strangers cross paths, their connection is as electric as it is unfathomable...but in the immersive days that follow, their feelings for each other will give way to choices that pit family duty against personal happiness in devastating ways.
Illuminating life's heartbreaking regrets and enduring hope, Every Breath explores the many facets of love that lay claim to our deepest loyalties - and asks the question, How long can a dream survive?
The Honey-Don't List
Christina Lauren
Carey Douglas has worked for home remodeling and design gurus Melissa and Rusty Tripp for nearly a decade. A country girl at heart, Carey started in their first store at 16, and - more than anyone would suspect - has helped them build an empire. With a new show and a book about to launch, the Tripps are on the verge of superstardom. There's only one problem: America's favorite couple can't stand each other.
James McCann, MIT graduate and engineering genius, was originally hired as a structural engineer, but the job isn't all he thought it'd be. The last straw? Both he and Carey must go on book tour with the Tripps and keep the wheels from falling off the proverbial bus.
Unfortunately, neither of them is in any position to quit. Carey needs health insurance, and James has been promised the role of a lifetime if he can just keep the couple on track for a few more weeks. While road-tripping with the Tripps up the West Coast, Carey and James vow to work together to keep their bosses' secrets hidden, and their own jobs secure. But if they stop playing along - and start playing for keeps - they may have the chance to build something beautiful together.
Kiss the Stars
A.L. Jackson
A single mother.
An up-and-coming drummer with a sordid past.
Their paths never should have crossed.
But when a senseless crime rocks Mia West's entire world, she agrees to spend the summer hiding out at her rock-star brother's mansion in Savannah until the storm blows over.
What she never expected was the gorgeous, brooding drummer living in the guest house.
His darkness a lure.
His gaze a trap.
She knows better than to go after what will hurt her most.
Leif Godwin has two focuses in his life: his band, Carolina George, and seeking retribution for what was stolen from him.
Mia was never supposed to be a part of the equation.
Her eyes an appeal.
Her body a temptation.
Touching her is nothing but a sin.
But will loving her destroy them all....
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird
Josie Silver
Lydia and Freddie. Freddie and Lydia. They'd been together for more than a decade and Lydia thought their love was indestructible. But she was wrong. On Lydia's 28th birthday, Freddie died in a car accident.
So now it's just Lydia, and all she wants is to hide indoors and sob until her eyes fall out. But Lydia knows that Freddie would want her to try to live fully, happily, even without him. So, enlisting the help of his best friend, Jonah, and her sister, Elle, she takes her first tentative steps into the world, open to life - and perhaps even love - again.
But then something inexplicable happens that gives her another chance at her old life with Freddie. A life where none of the tragic events of the past few months have happened.
Lydia is pulled again and again through the doorway to her past, living two lives, impossibly, at once. But there's an emotional toll to returning to a world where Freddie, alive, still owns her heart. Because there's someone in her new life, her real life, who wants her to stay.
Just One Year
Penelope Ward
The beginning of my sophomore year in college was off to a rough start.
On the first day of orientation, I had an altercation with an infuriating British dude in a campus bathroom.
(The ladies' room was out of order. So, I used the men's room. Don't judge.)
I got home later that night and realized that the foreign student we were expecting to rent a room in my parents' house was allergic to our cat.
So, the spare room went to someone else: Caleb - the British guy from the men's room.
And so it began...my love-hate story with Caleb Yates. Or was it hate-love in that order?
The guy knew how to push every one of my buttons.
Sometimes I'd email him to express my aggravation and disdain.
He'd actually rewrite my own words and send them back to me.
That was the type of infuriating person Caleb was.
So frustrating.
And...
Sometimes incredibly funny and endearingly sweet.
And hot.
He eventually grew on me, and Caleb soon became one of my best friends that year.
Too bad he was headed back to England soon, so nothing could happen between us - for so many reasons.
I definitely couldn't fall in love with him, especially since all we had was just one year.
One Day in December
Josie Silver
Two people. Ten chances. One unforgettable love story.
Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn't exist anywhere but the movies. But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there's a moment of pure magic...and then her bus drives away.
Certain they're fated to find each other again, Laurie spends a year scanning every bus stop and cafe in London for him. But she doesn't find him, not when it matters anyway. Instead they "reunite" at a Christmas party, when her best friend, Sarah, giddily introduces her new boyfriend to Laurie. It's Jack, the man from the bus. It would be.
What follows for Laurie, Sarah, and Jack is 10 years of friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered. One Day in December is a joyous, heartwarming, and immensely moving love story to escape into and a reminder that fate takes inexplicable turns along the route to happiness.
If I Never Met You
Mhairi McFarlane
If faking love is this easy...how do you know when it's real?
When her partner of over a decade suddenly ends things, Laurie is left reeling - not only because they work at the same law firm and she has to see him every day. Her once perfect life is in shambles, and the thought of dating again in the age of Tinder is nothing short of horrifying. When news of her ex's pregnant girlfriend hits the office grapevine, taking the humiliation lying down is not an option. Then, a chance encounter in a broken-down elevator with the office playboy opens up a new possibility.
Jamie Carter doesn't believe in love, but he needs a respectable, steady girlfriend to impress their bosses. Laurie wants a hot new man to give the rumor mill something else to talk about. It's the perfect proposition: a fauxmance played out on social media, with strategically staged photographs and a specific end date in mind. With the plan hatched, Laurie and Jamie begin to flaunt their new couple status, to the astonishment - and jealousy - of their friends and colleagues. But there's a fine line between pretending to be in love and actually falling for your charming, handsome, fake boyfriend....
Easy to Fall
W. Winters
With her I was always on the highest high. That's why it was so easy to fall.
I never stood a chance without her. The two of us were made for one another. It's as simple as that. The world could try to rip us apart, but it would fail. Until this.
She told me once, love isn't enough. I never would have believed it...until now. Neither of us could have prepared for this.
I won't stop fighting. Not until the very end.
All I Ask
Corinne Michaels
Teagan Berkeley is trying her best. A single mom raising a precocious teen, she may have given up on her dreams, but she's accepted her life in her small beachside hometown. Now the one person who abandoned her when she needed him the most has returned, bringing back memories of what might have been.
Derek Hartz arrives in town with a teenage daughter - and he's full of guilt over his failed marriage and the way he ended his friendship with Teagan. He's determined to set things right with her, but first he needs to gain her trust, something he's not convinced he deserves.
As Teagan and Derek open up to each other - and confess their deepest secrets-it's impossible for them to deny what's always been between them. But just when their happily ever after is within reach, their complicated history surfaces again and threatens to keep them apart. Forever.
Things You Save in a Fire
Katherine Center
From the New York Times best-selling author of How to Walk Away comes a stunning new audiobook about courage, hope, and learning to love against all odds.
Cassie Hanwell was born for emergencies. As one of the only female firefighters in her Texas firehouse, she's seen her fair share of them, and she's a total pro at other people's tragedies. But when her estranged and ailing mother asks her to give up her whole life and move to Boston, Cassie suddenly has an emergency of her own.
The tough, old-school Boston firehouse is as different from Cassie's old job as it could possibly be. Hazing, a lack of funding, and poor facilities mean that the firemen aren't exactly thrilled to have a "lady" on the crew - even one as competent and smart as Cassie. Except for the infatuation-inspiring rookie, who doesn't seem to mind having Cassie around. But she can't think about that. Because love is girly, and it's not her thing. And don't forget the advice her old captain gave her: Never date firefighters. Cassie can feel her resolve slipping...and it means risking it all - the only job she's ever loved, and the hero she's worked like hell to become.
Lauren Blakely
I was only trying to help a friend. I swear. I was legit asking for a friend who was finally ready to date again. I knew what she wanted in a man - smart, funny, ambitious, well-read (no, the sports section doesn't count), and plays a wicked game of badminton. So I did what any good friend would do. Posted it for her. It seemed like a good idea at the time - I'd weed through the candidates, and bring her my top picks. But then he responded. Is it wrong to date the guy I screened for my bestie? Not asking for a friend.
