Aug 11

Aug 11 Books Publishing This Week

Early August has a way of making you want to hold onto every hour. Summer is still very much alive—the afternoons warm and bright, the trees impossibly green, the gardens overflowing with flowers—but something about the season has begun to feel more precious. The days are still long, yet you notice the evening light arriving a little earlier. The sun has taken on a deeper golden hue, and even the breeze seems to carry the faintest reminder that summer, like every good story, will eventually come to an end. For now, though, there is plenty of time left, and you intend to savor it.

It feels like exactly the right moment to begin a new book. Perhaps it has been sitting on your nightstand for a few days, waiting beneath a stack of other possibilities, or maybe you picked it up recently and immediately knew it belonged to August. There are books that seem made for certain seasons, and this one feels suited to these warm, languid days when afternoons stretch out before you and the only real decision is where you would most like to read.

You gather the book and something cold to drink before finding a comfortable place to settle. Maybe you choose a shaded chair on the porch, a chaise beside the pool, or a quiet corner near an open window where you can still feel the warm breeze. You bring along a bowl of blueberries or slices of watermelon, something cool and fresh that tastes unmistakably of summer. Around you, cicadas hum steadily in the trees, occasionally interrupted by birdsong or the distant sound of a lawn mower. The soundtrack of August is familiar now, so woven into your days that you barely notice it until you stop and listen.

Before opening the book, you give yourself a few moments to simply take in the afternoon. Hydrangeas droop heavily beneath enormous blooms, while coneflowers and black-eyed Susans add bursts of color to the garden. Bees move purposefully among the flowers, and butterflies appear without warning before floating away again. The air smells like warm grass and sunbaked earth, perhaps with the faint trace of sunscreen still lingering on your skin. Everything feels full, lush, and wonderfully alive.

You finally open the cover and turn to the first page. There is something delicious about knowing absolutely nothing about what lies ahead. The characters haven't become friends or enemies yet. You don't know which seemingly insignificant detail will matter later or which sentence you'll find yourself thinking about days after you've read it. The story exists entirely as possibility, waiting for you to step inside.

You begin slowly, allowing yourself to become acquainted with the world on the page. A setting emerges, then a character, then the first hint of whatever will propel you forward. You read without urgency, lingering over the writing and occasionally looking up to watch the sunlight move through the trees. A breeze catches the corner of a page, and you hold it down with one hand while reaching for your drink with the other. The ice has begun to melt, leaving droplets of condensation on the table beside you.

Soon, you find yourself absorbed. The sounds around you soften as the story grows louder in your imagination. Pages turn more quickly now, and characters who were strangers half an hour ago begin to feel familiar. Still, you don't rush. There is something about reading in August that encourages you to linger. Maybe it's the knowledge that seasons pass too quickly, or perhaps you've simply grown accustomed to summer's slower rhythm.

Eventually, you look up and realize the afternoon has begun its transformation into evening. The sunlight is honey-colored now, casting long shadows across the lawn. Somewhere nearby, someone is preparing dinner, and the scent of a grill drifts faintly through the air. You slide your bookmark between the pages and close the book, resisting the temptation to read just one more chapter.

The story will be there tomorrow. So will another August day, warm and golden and filled with possibilities. For now, you sit a little longer, the book resting in your lap, and appreciate the simple pleasure of having something wonderful ahead of you.

A new story has begun, summer isn't over yet, and there are still so many pages—and so many beautiful August days—left to savor.

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Books Publishing August 9 - 15

Lucky 22 by Ashley Eckstein and Samantha Chase

Twenty-two was just a lucky number.

Until it wasn’t.

Ella Rose Holt believes in magic. Not always the fairy-tale kind, but the quiet kind that shows up when you least expect it. On the brink of her golden birthday, chasing acting dreams in Los Angeles, Ella’s life feels full of possibility…and just a little unfinished.

Christian Lucas has built his world on discipline, dedication, and the game he loves. As a professional baseball player, his life is carefully scheduled, a bit guarded, and rarely spontaneous.

When a chance encounter, a lucky number, and a not-so-blind blind date bring them together, neither is prepared for the connection that follows.

What starts as an unexpected meeting quickly becomes something deeper—an easy friendship, a steady trust, and a romance that grows quietly but undeniably. As their worlds collide under bright stadium lights and red-carpet flashes, Ella and Christian must decide whether love has a place in lives already full of ambition, sacrifice, and dreams in motion.

Because sometimes, the most extraordinary love stories aren’t loud or dramatic.

They’re built on faith.

On timing.

On believing that when the moment comes, you’ll be brave enough to say yes.

And a little bit of luck.

The Nobody Code

One fateful night in the 1990s, Dinah, a small-town Vermont teen, sneaks out on a mission to jump on the neighbor’s forbidden trampoline. There she comes upon a handsome, seductive boy named Rex, who leads a group of underground vigilante teenagers who call themselves “Nobody.” Dinah falls under Rex’s sway and joins the group. She’ll do anything to impress him, even when it’s dangerous. After an incident orchestrated by Rex results in steep repercussions for herself and others, Dinah leaves the town and her adolescent years behind.

Now, twenty years later, Rex has long vanished. Dinah is married with a baby and a job at the local zoo. But she is not at peace, and it seems as if someone from the past won’t let her go quietly. When mysterious clues start appearing, animals at the zoo go missing, and an old conspirator barely survives a suspicious fire, Dinah’s paranoia gets the best of her, and she takes the baby and drives back to her hometown to investigate. Although Dinah reunites with old friends, the forces out to get her make it painfully clear: Dinah must repent and face her enemies alone.

The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter

Welcome back to North Falls — a small town with big secrets.

Sheriff Emmy Clifton and her sister, ex-federal agent Jude Archer, investigate a brutal attack that shatters their town's fragile peace.

But the deeper Emmy digs, the more dangerous it gets...

In What World by Bridget Morrissey

Two high school rivals begrudgingly reunite as adults to investigate the disappearance of their beloved former teacher, only to wind up traveling through a series of alternate realities together.

Total opposites, Marlowe Jenkins and Priscilla Covington-French hated each other in high school. Now in their thirties, Marlowe is barely scraping by while Priscilla is wildly successful. Their rivalry should be long dead, yet both women remain connected through their mutual mentor, drama teacher Dallas Winthrop. Their unending tension has nothing to do with the fact that they’ve kissed. More than once.

When Dallas goes missing, each woman believes she can figure out where he is. Except this is no ordinary disappearance. Dallas has found a way to explore alternate versions of reality. While trying to follow him, Marlowe and Priscilla find other versions of themselves instead, surprised to learn not all Marlowes and Priscillas are fueled by hate. In fact, some Marlowes and Priscillas have very different strong feelings for one another. . .

She Haunts Me Still by De Elizabeth

These violent delights have violent ends.

After surviving a shadowed childhood marked by ghost stories and loss, Mallory Webb is ready to start fresh as a theater major at her mother’s alma mater, a sanitarium turned liberal arts university in Rhode Island. Landing the lead role in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet feels like a dream—until the blood-soaked spirit she suspects caused her mother’s death resurfaces after years of quiet. With nothing to go on but cryptic symbols in an old college notebook, Mallory hopes the reason behind her mother’s haunting lies somewhere on campus, and resolves to find answers before she meets the same fate.

She’s surprised to make an unexpected ally in Ezra Pierce, the magnetic fourth year directing the play, and takes solace in their undeniable chemistry. But Ezra is a master secret-keeper, and it’s clear he knows more than he’s letting on about Saskia Garin, Mallory’s elusive understudy whose past eerily mirrors her own.

When an ancient, bloodthirsty evil calls to collect on a bargain that dates back to the New England vampire panic, Mallory, Ezra, and Saskia will have to untangle the tragic ways in which their histories are linked—and face the devastating consequences of their own star-crossed love story.

Big & Lily by Lisa Roe

A sharply funny, deeply heartfelt novel about two sisters who discover the best way to find yourself is by getting lost.

For her entire life, Bridget “Big” Ackerman Petty has struggled to hold everything together—her kids, her husband, her demanding mother, all in dizzying orbit around her. While the kids are grown and her husband is retired, every day still feels like a to-do list she can never quite finish. Why is everything so effortless and easy for her sister Lily—a woman blessed with a magnetic personality, a thriving business, and a husband who adores her.

But when Lily discovers her husband’s been cheating, her “perfect” life implodes. Devastated and overwhelmed, she decides to run as far away as possible: to Alaska to lose herself on a hardcore survival trek—and she’s dragged her reluctant sister Big along.

No cell service, no easy exits—just grizzlies, outdoor plumbing, and a group of strangers who know how to read a compass. As the sisters navigate freezing rivers, unmarked trails, and more than one near-death experience, the defenses they’ve used to protect themselves begin to crumble, and they’re forced to face everything they’ve spent decades avoiding: resentment, regret, envy, and the terrifying possibility that the other one’s life might not be as easy as it looks.

Big & Lily is a laugh-out-loud, emotionally rich novel about second acts, sisterhood, and the unexpected ways we find ourselves when we’re truly lost.

The One Who Walked Away by Karen Rose

A new thrilling stand-alone tale of romantic suspense from New York Times bestelling author Karen Rose

Bounty hunter Elle Randolph takes on every case she can, in an effort to outrun herself. Three years ago, she was the only one who walked away from a car crash that killed her husband and two others. Although she was cleared of any wrongdoing, she is fueled by guilt and dedicated to solving other people’s problems. But her running is over when she’s identified as a person of interest in a murder investigation.

Detective Ronan Clarke, a single dad for fifteen years, has been laser-focused on raising his daughter and serving the people of Mendocino County, California. He’s got everything under control—until a bounty hunter enters his jurisdiction, keeping secrets and bringing murder to his quiet town. The hunter is definitely involved in his current case, but exactly how is his question. Could she be his killer? As he unravels her secrets, he becomes increasingly troubled by what he finds. While Elle is forced to reexamine every painful memory of the life she left behind, Ronan grows more and more sure of her innocence. But can he trust himself to uncover the truth amid their growing attraction?

Let's Kiss and Tell by Joss Richard

A sex columnist and a news reporter realize a fake relationship can help them both professionally and personally—but they aren’t prepared for the real feelings that start to develop beyond the headlines—from the bestselling author of It’s Different This Time.

Lucy Reid is a sex columnist whose views on relationships aren’t exactly optimistic. She empowers readers to embrace their sexuality and challenge the idea that you need a partner to be happy—until her editor points out their audience is mostly coupled up . . . and maybe it’s time for something (or someone) new. To buy herself time, Lucy impulsively claims she’s started a new relationship she can write about. Enter Marshall Oakley.

Marshall is the new senior news writer at Lucy’s company. When they meet at a work event, he reveals his ex of nine years is getting married, and he needs a plus-one to keep his family off his back. They agree to fake date until the wedding—Lucy can write about finding “the one” before proving relationships don’t solve everything when they “break up”, and Marshall gets a no-strings date to convince his friends, family, and ex he’s moved on.

But as they spend more time together, the lines blur and each begins to reevaluate their views on love. As fear gives way to misunderstandings, can they find the courage to rewrite their story with a happily ever after?

Poker Wars by Philip Guitar and Jim Martyka

The World Series of Poker, the sport’s most popular and lucrative event, had its inaugural event in 1970 and has since grown well beyond anything its founders ever imagined.

Especially considering where it came from.

Poker Wars chronicles the history of the dangerous key players and the violent conflicts that brought the game from the dark Dallas underbelly to the bright lights of Las Vegas and turned it into the billion-dollar industry it is today.

Offering an in-depth exploration of the nearly inconceivable life stories of the sport’s pioneers—especially those of “The Cowboy,” Benny Binion, an illiterate horse trader turned gambling boss who was as quick tempered as he was business savvy—Poker Wars is a thorough breakdown of the remarkable sequence of events that brought the card game into the national spotlight.

With new insights, Guitar and Martyka offer a behind-the-scenes look into some of the most well-known conflicts in poker history, including Binion’s feud with Herbert Noble, an ambitious gambler who earned the nickname “The Cat” by surviving several assassination attempts. They also present a comprehensive look at poker forefathers like Titanic Thompson and Nick the Greek, as well as the colorful personalities of the Texas Circuit like Johnny Moss and Doyle Brunson, who upped the ante by introducing a brand-new variant of the game.

At once an exposé of the darker side of the tournament’s early legacy and its consequences and a wild, colorful, outlandish tale, Poker Wars is a true crime joyride.

Death at a Scottish Halloween by Lucy Connelly

It’s the week of Halloween—or as they say in Scotland, All Hallows' Eve—and the town of Sea Isle is full of spooky celebrations. Dr. Emilia McRoy loves being part of her new community and is eager to help out in any way she can. But the festivities are interrupted when she and her assistant, Abigail, find a dead body in a haunted house. A real one. They’re too late to save the victim, but they’ll do whatever it takes to find his killer.

There’s just one problem: There are too many suspects.

Constable Ewan would prefer the good doctor and her friends stay out of the investigations, but that isn’t how Dr. Em rolls. As she and her gang investigate, they realize the killer is searching for something—and has no problem murdering anyone who gets in the way of finding it.

Dr. Em must stay one step ahead if she’s to survive this Halloween season alive—either that or she might just end up the next victim.

Killing in the Countryside by Maria Malone

It’s just another day in the small town of Heft when Ali follows up on reports of an escaped pride of peacocks stirring up trouble in a once quiet cul-de-sac. A routine call, a case of fuss and feathers, Ali suspects. But what she discovers inside the house the birds have invaded is far from routine. The couple who live there have been receiving anonymous hate letters.

Letters that are at once threatening and suspiciously personal.

As Ali and Wilson investigate, they dig up long-buried secrets at the heart of the community. Every detail they uncover brings them closer to the truth, that someone in Heft will stop at nothing to keep their past hidden…

For the Love of the Quest by Alexandra Ammon Parthun

Lady Edith Darling is supposed to live a quiet life in her family’s manor. She is not supposed to go unchaperoned on a quest to find Excalibur. But Edith won’t let that stand in her way, especially not when she's on this mission to honor her beloved grandmother’s dying wish. Determined to prove her grandmother right, Edith packs her satchel with Arthurian legends, pastries, and her grandmother’s ashes and runs off to hire a mercenary.

Thomasin Shaw leads the most feared gang in London. For years, she had the constabulary safely in her pocket, until a scandal involving the chief inspector’s wife was brought to light. Now he’s demanding an enormous sum of money—without which Thomasin will lose the protection of the police along with her criminal empire. But when the rich Lady Edith waltzes into her life seeking an escort for a treasure hunt, Thomasin sees a willing kidnapping victim and a massive ransom.

As Edith’s clues lead them to underground chambers booby-trapped with arrows, doors locked with arcane puzzles, and even Arthur’s fabled round table, Thomasin finds herself swept up in the quest—and in Edith herself. Edith is also drawn to Thomasin, despite the ruthless mask she wears. But the chief inspector won’t let Thomasin forget her crimes, and Edith’s father is intent on bringing her home. Every legendary quest has an ending, but finding Excalibur might not be enough to make this a happy one.

It's a Business Doing Pleasure With You by Lindsay Lewis

Buttoned-up Lauren Hart excels at her job as a bespoke life coach. But her own life is a bit of a mess. Ever since her best friend Ally died six years ago, she’s put everything on hold to help Ally’s husband, Casey, raise the daughters Ally left behind. Now she’s secretly in love with him and too scared to say anything.

Then Lauren is blindsided when Casey introduces his new girlfriend and announces that he and his daughters are moving to LA with her for the summer. But there’s hope: A promotion at work would allow Lauren to build out the LA office, and more importantly, see if her feelings for Casey are truly one-sided. All she has to do is keep her new client, troubled UFC fighter Danny Kekoa, in line until a critical fight. How hard could life coaching one UFC fighter be?

Unfortunately, Danny doesn’t want a babysitter, and he’s intent on making Lauren’s life hell. That is, until they come to a business agreement: She can coach him on living a disciplined life if he can coach her on the art of hedonism. From morning yoga to midnight bread baking, the chemistry between Lauren and Danny grows, until they both learn that sometimes finding the right balance brings the most pleasure.

The Ladies Hall by Vanessa Miller

The lives of real heroes prove this truth: equality is won when we rise together.

1880s, Ohio. When Mary and Anna enter the Bachelor of Arts program, also known as the “gentlemen’s course” of study, at Oberlin College, they have little in common other than the color of their skin and their passion for education.

While Mary was raised in luxury, attending presidential inaugurations with her wealthy father, Anna is a schoolteacher, likely the daughter of her enslaved mother’s former owner, and works a second job to pay for her room and board. But despite their differences, both women share strength, ambition, and a deep yearning for change. If they can bridge the gaps between them, they just might build a lasting legacy.

From its earliest days in the 1830s, Oberlin College admitted men and women, white and Black students. Though the doors are officially open, school policy cannot change the hearts of classmates who refuse to see a woman, and especially a Black woman, excel. Despite constantly being forced to prove themselves, the women triumphantly overcome every obstacle and push through their pain. And as the world evolves around them, Mary and Anna persevere to build a legacy of success and excellence.

Based on the real lives of Mary Church Terrell, Anna Julia Cooper, and Ida Gibbs Hunt, The Ladies Hall is a mirror into times of great change–where progress and new possibilities are met with violence and resistance . . . but hope always rises. And it rises still.

The Ladies Hall is an ideal choice for book clubs eager to explore the intersections of race, gender, and resilience in American history. Miller’s richly researched narrative sparks meaningful conversation about equality, allyship, and the personal cost of progress–themes that resonate just as powerfully today as they did in the 1880s. An included discussion guide helps groups dig deeper into the legacy these remarkable women left behind.

Joan of the Arcane by Alexandra Fleder

Perfect for fans of Mona Awad and Maria Semple, this gripping, offbeat journey through modern-day Los Angeles is a genre-blending, darkly humorous exploration of suburban life, conspiracy theories, and spiritual awakening.

A page-turning psychological trip for anyone who’s ever wondered if all their crazy ideas . . . might actually be right.

Joan is a middle-aged punk rocker turned housewife who’s seen too many TikToks to trust the official narrative. The moon landing? Faked. Weather? Controlled. Food? Poisoned. Her suspicions ignite when a strange new neighbor—possibly a dead astronaut with ties to secret ops—arrives on her block.

As Joan spirals deeper into the rabbit hole, she begins to question everything: her marriage, her sanity, and her soul’s purpose. Armed with a mystical book and a fading voice that once shook LA punk clubs, she sets out on a spiritual journey through canyon trails, desert portals, and shadow realms to expose the truth—and reclaim her power.

Devil Inside by Clay McLeod Chapman

A man who’s back from the dead meets a woman who’s from somewhere even worse in Clay McLeod Chapman’s new horrormance about love, possession, and just a little murder.

After a traumatic accident that almost cost Jordan his life, he’s finally starting to feel normal again. Well, maybe not normal. Everything tastes like ash, and when he looks at the people around him, their faces start to melt. At least he’s not dead, right? His friends are doing their best to get him back on his feet, maybe find someone to talk to, perhaps even find someone to take his mind off his last failed relationship.

Then he meets Lilith. The two share an instant connection but after a wild and passionate night together, she ghosts him. Jordan searches the city for Lilith, desperate to see her again. But when a woman claiming to be Lilith shows up, wearing a different face but knowing intimate details about Jordan, he worries he’s losing his grip on reality. As he grows closer to this mysterious woman, he discovers that happily ever afters sometimes come at a cost. How far will Lilith take him, and how much darkness will he embrace to find love?

The Inevitable Undoing of Zahara Douglass by Leslye Penelope

For four years, Zahara Douglass has been haunted by her sister’s impossible disappearance. Now, in December 1999, with the world on the brink of chaos, Zahara sets out to find her sister no matter the cost in this twisty and compelling modern fantasy from Leslye Penelope.

In April 1995, Zahara watched her twin sister, Annica, get hustled into a stranger’s car and disappear—only to return to a world where no one remembers Annica ever existed. Not her mother. Not the police. No one.

Now, as the world braces for the looming Y2K crisis, Zahara finds evidence that proves her sister was real. Determined to uncover the truth, she hires a private investigator and begins digging into her family’s shadowed past. When the investigation leads to two charismatic men who once served with her father in Vietnam, Zahara realizes she and her sister may be pawns in a dangerous power struggle with unthinkable consequences.

To find her sister, Zahara must face the truth about her family, her memories, and the power lurking within her. But the sisters’ reunion comes at a price—one that could unravel reality and bring about the end of the world.

The Scallop Plot by Judy Foreman

In this thriller, star investigative reporter Samantha Fuller joins a feisty Cape Cod fisherwoman to foil a wind farm developer’s evil plot to poison precious ocean scallop beds—and finds herself facing off against right-wing climate deniers.

In Provincetown, MA, feisty scallop fisherwoman Isabella Ferreira goes up against a sleazy wind farm developer, Olaf Svensson, who wants to install wind turbines in the ocean right off the coast of Cape Cod.

At a nearby scallop hatchery, marine biologists Leif and Astrid Borgen are already using the new gene editing technique CRISPR to insert a growth hormone gene into scallop embryos to make them bigger and thus more profitable—all of which is legal. But unbeknownst to the hatchery owner, Svensson is also paying the pair to insert another gene—one that causes PSP, paralytic shellfish poisoning. If this works, no one will ever eat scallops from this site again, thus freeing it up for Svensson’s turbines.

Enter Pulitzer Prize–winning Boston Times reporter Samantha Fuller. Together with Isabella, she slowly uncovers Svensson’s deadly plot—but not before hundreds of people die. Along the way, love blossoms, tragedies occur, and the subtleties of the pro- and anti-wind power groups are exposed.

The Missionary by Greg Hudson

A funny, poignant, and big-hearted memoir about the challenges of coming of age—within the strictures of the Mormon church.

Growing up in 1980s Edmonton, Greg Hudson loved pop music, comic books, and hanging out at the mall. But unlike most of his friends, Greg and his family were devout members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Yes, Greg Hudson was a Mormon.

As a boy, Greg wrestles with life’s big questions and Heavenly Father’s plan for him. As a teenager, he finds himself caught between the purity his church expects and the inner conflicts that puberty brings. On the one hand, Greg wants to be good and live his life pure of thought and deed, while on the other, he is consumed by his love of R-rated action films, Marvel and DC characters, Robbie Williams records, and, most troubling of all, thoughts about girls and sex. How is a young Mormon lad to stay righteous with so many temptations in his path?

When it’s time for his mission—a two-year rite of passage meant to strengthen faith and spread the gospel—Greg hopes the experience will set him on the right path. Because of his diabetes, instead of being sent abroad, as most young Mormons are, he’s assigned to smaller communities across Ontario—Barrie, Sarnia, and Niagara Falls—where his encounters with the people he hopes to save end up transforming him in unexpected ways.

With sharp wit and unflinching honesty, The Missionary chronicles Hudson’s time in the field and the quirky, searching souls he meets along the way. Ultimately, in trying to lead others to salvation, he finds something even more profound: his true self.

My Killer Family Reunion by Dinesh Thiru

Knives Out meets Never Have I Ever in this hilarious and twisty young adult mystery-comedy about an Indian American teen whose family reunion at a lavish manor falls into chaos after her grandma is attacked.

Nothings brings family together like attempted murder.

There are three things Jayshree Devi can count on happening at her annual family reunion: 1) her cousins will forget she exists, 2) her aunts will try to set her up, and 3) her uncles will get into a fight. What she doesn’t expect? An accident that lands her grandmother in a coma, throwing the family—and their matriarch’s sizeable fortune—into chaos.

When Jay discovers Grand Mom’s “accident” might not have been so accidental after all, she’ll have to dig through decades of secrets to find the truth. With the help of her (annoyingly perky) cousins and one of their (annoyingly hot) friends, Jay finds herself knee-deep in a mystery that’s even more tangled than her family tree.

But the closer Jay gets to answers, the closer she gets to finding her place amongst the relatives who once felt so distant. With Grand Mom’s life and fortune hanging in the balance, can Jay save her family and maybe hook up with a hottie while she’s at it?

A Hard Habit to Break by Siera London

A small town wedding brings firefighter Noah and architect Rachel together for the first time since their tragic break up, forcing them to learn to work together to save their town—perfect for fans of Farah Heron and Sajni Patel.

At age eighteen, Rachel Johnson left Service, West Virginia with a college acceptance letter, a broken heart, and a blueprint for a new life. Now the star architect is back, for two weeks, and not a second more, for her dad’s wedding—and zero intention of rekindling old flames. But when she’s roped into the town’s redevelopment committee to bring much needed resources for the community, she finds herself face-to-face with the committee chair … her ex, Noah Calvary.

Firefighter Noah volunteered for this assignment to further his career, not to work with Rachel. A born competitor, Noah isn’t thrilled to share the spotlight with the woman who once left him in the dust, but to help the town, he figures he can play nice. And his success could clinch the promotion he’s been angling for.

Rachel’s got vision and a partnership at her firm on the line. Noah’s got a promotion to protect. And every decision is a battle of wills. Their history is messy, but their chemistry is explosive. Between small-town politics, big-time rivalries, and sizzling glances, Noah and Rachel must decide if they’re laying the foundation for professional disaster or finally building something real.

These Vile Hearts by Melody Robinette

A delightfully wicked, fizzy debut romantasy--an enemies to lovers tale about a desperate mortal woman and a cursed fae prince.

Maddox Sinclair has run out of options. No job means no health insurance —a death sentence for a type one diabetic like herself. She flees to the forest to make a desperate deal with a dryad queen: kill the Redwood King and be cured of the illness that threatens her life.

In the redwood treetops, Prince Castor, is cursed-- anyone who loves him is doomed to die. Like Maddox, he has made an equally unwise pact with his brother, the Redwood King: get a mortal to fall in love with him by solstice and be free of his curse forever.

When Maddox mistakes Castor for the king, sparks fly and troubles ensue. Each must decide what is more important—survival and freedom, or the love they (kind of, almost) feel in their traitorous, vile hearts.

Darkly funny and brimming with magic, These Vile Hearts by Melody Robinette manages to be both wicked and warm, beguiling and moving—a richly woven story of survival and fate.

The Boy with the Butterfly Mind by Lorelei Brush

For fans of Jodi Picoult and Bonnie Garmus, an illuminating novel about a mother struggling to raise a healthy neurodivergent child with a husband worn down by depression.

When Julie Crawford’s whirlwind four-year-old is kicked out of preschool, suspected of having ADHD—likely genetic—her husband moans from his recliner that “even my genes are failures.” At work, Julie is a high school math teacher who requires her students to solve complex problems. But faced with an unsafe daycare home and no other daycare openings, a husband who hates the idea of labeling their son as a “problem,” and a supervisor who’s angry at the amount of time she’s taking off school, she’s at a loss for how to come up with a solution to this particular dilemma.

Julie’s struggle to help her son ultimately demands a number of mindset shifts: a willingness to become a student and ask for help, a humble acceptance of her errors, a burgeoning strength to reckon with a dominant father and retreating husband—and the self-confidence to trust her instincts when it comes to deciding on the best next steps for her son.

Medicine for All People: Science and Ancient Wisdom for Revolutionary Healing

Dr. Geeta Maker-Clark—integrative medicine physician, thought leader, and activist—describes a profound reimagining of what medicine can be: a vision where ancestral wisdom, scientific evidence, and a commitment to equity come together in service of healing. She reveals how extractive food and health care systems have co-opted our awareness of our natural, deep intelligence and connectedness—contributing to the disproportionate burden of chronic disease in communities that have been historically excluded from resources and power. These conditions are not simply the result of individual choices, but of structural forces that shape access to nourishment, safety, and care.

In response, Medicine for All People guides readers back to medicines that are both ancient and urgently relevant: culturally rooted foods, nature-based and gratitude practices that regulate the nervous system, dance and embodied movement that supports neuroplasticity and joy, and meaningful connection that restores a sense of belonging. Integrating these powerful, freely available medicines into our daily lives creates a path for individuals and communities to move toward sustainable health and radical social change.

Gentle: Hope and Healing at an Animal Sanctuary by Ellie Laks

A gorgeous picture book from one of the largest, most popular animal-rescue sanctuaries in America, Gentle Barn, about a baby animal healing and gaining confidence as he's welcomed to the farm.

Gentle beginnings.

A sick baby cow is welcomed to a sanctuary by a tender young girl.

Gentle healing.

Day by day, the young calf grows stronger because of the care of new friends.

Gentle joy.

Gentle is a sweet picture book about the transformative power that quiet love and kindness can have on any creature, based on the real-life animal sanctuary the Gentle Barn.

My Best French Wedding by Amanda Sellet

Will it be l’amour the merrier or too haute to handle when rival reporters with a tangled history compete to tell the story of the year at a ritzy destination wedding?

Once upon a time, Walter was Hildy’s favorite person—until he crushed her teenage dreams. A decade later, she has a new beloved: the magazine she built from the ground up. Unfortunately, getting rid of Walter isn’t as easy as shedding her romantic illusions. He’s always around, vying for the juiciest scoops on the elite wedding circuit and provoking her into public displays that don’t scream “mature and sophisticated media maven.”

When Hildy scores exclusive access to the wedding of the season—a week-long parade of luxury in southern France—it’s a chance for her magazine to finally make its mark. Except Walter isn’t sitting at home crying; he’s right there in France, trying to steal Hildy’s story. Again.

Now it’s a head-to-head battle to see whose coverage will make it to print. The problem? Between the champagne and the chateaux, it’s easy to lose sight of the prize. Hildy knows better than to believe in fairy tales, but Walter is doing his best to convince her they could have a part deux.

In this gender-flipped twist on His Girl Friday, Hildy has seven days to prove she is totally over it, living her best life, and definitely not hung up on the past . . . or Walter.

The Unlikely Leader: Breaking the Bias that Keeps Great Leaders Invisible by Michael Dowling

For too long, historical, cultural, and organizational systems have perpetuated a narrow stereotype of leadership. The result? Countless capable people disqualify themselves. Michael Dowling knows this firsthand. For years, he believed he didn't fit the mold, forcing himself to be someone he wasn't. His journey as a Hollywood talent agent, serial start-up founder, and CEO eventually revealed a deeper truth: the very qualities once dismissed as weaknesses can become a leader's greatest strengths. Leadership isn't reserved for the loudest voice in the room—it lives in the quiet strength of those who rarely see themselves as leaders at all.

In The Unlikely Leader, Michael challenges outdated ideas of leadership and shows why, in a world being reshaped by AI and constant disruption, these overlooked leaders are needed now more than ever. Whether you're early in your career, navigating imposter syndrome, or rising into leadership despite feeling unseen, this book helps you identify the misunderstood qualities that are actually your competitive edge.

Empowering, deeply relatable, and urgently relevant for a world in need of emotionally intelligent leaders, The Unlikely Leader is a guide for anyone who's ever wondered: What if I'm more capable than I realize?

This book is your invitation to stop waiting for permission—and start leading on your own terms.

Smoke Rings by R. Scott West

Based on a true story.

Deep in the hills of East Tennessee, Huck and Tommy West were raised on moonshine and family loyalty. But bootlegging isn’t enough anymore.

When they step into the world of drug smuggling, the stakes turn deadly fast. One bad deal, one wrong move, and everything unravels.

Then there’s Clementine Wynn. Brilliant, rebellious, and impossible to ignore. She doesn’t just join them, she pushes them further, faster, deeper into a life they can’t outrun.

From backwoods stills to the streets of Knoxville, their lives collide with crime, ambition, and love. Loyalties fracture. Lines blur. And every choice comes with a cost.

Because in this world, nobody gets out clean. Based on a true story, Smoke Rings is a gritty Southern crime novel packed with outlaw family drama, high-risk deals, and reckless decisions that refuse to stay buried.

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