Mar 17

Mar 17 18 Books Publishing This Week

The evening in mid-March arrives with a softness that feels almost surprising. The days are longer now, and you notice it immediately—the light lingering past dinnertime, stretching pale gold across the walls before slowly fading into lavender and blue. Winter hasn’t fully released its grip, but something is shifting. The air feels lighter. The darkness less heavy.

You move through your evening with a quiet awareness of this change. A window is cracked open just slightly, enough to let in the faint scent of damp earth and cool air. It’s not warm yet, but it isn’t biting either. You breathe it in like something new.

You dim the lights and turn on a lamp instead, letting its warm glow gather around your favorite chair. The room feels intimate but no longer closed in. You make yourself something to drink—tea, maybe with a hint of citrus, or sparkling water poured into a proper glass because the season feels just bright enough to justify it. You carry it with you as you settle in, blanket draped loosely across your legs.

The book you’ve been meaning to start rests nearby. You’ve waited for the right moment—not consciously, but instinctively. An evening like this feels fitting. Mid-March is a threshold. You’re not buried in winter anymore, but you’re not fully in bloom either. You’re in that delicate space where possibility hums quietly beneath the surface.

You pick up the book and turn it in your hands, noticing the smoothness of the cover, the promise of untouched pages. There’s always something hopeful about starting a new story, but tonight it feels particularly aligned. You open it slowly, the spine giving gently as if it, too, understands this is the beginning of something.

The first lines draw you in without urgency. The story unfolds carefully, just as the season is unfolding—no sudden drama, just steady emergence. You sink back into the chair, letting your shoulders relax. Outside, a breeze moves through bare branches that will soon bud. Somewhere, a bird calls into the twilight.

You read.

The words settle around you, layering themselves over the soft hum of the house. The heater clicks on briefly, then off again. A car passes in the distance. The sky outside deepens to navy, then indigo. You glance up once, watching the last strip of light fade at the horizon, and then return to the page.

The characters begin to take shape, stepping forward tentatively at first. You feel yourself leaning in—not because you need escape, but because you’re ready for expansion. March evenings carry a subtle energy, a reminder that the world is stretching open again. The book mirrors that feeling. Each chapter feels like a small door opening.

You pause to sip your drink. It tastes brighter than winter drinks did. Lighter. You notice how the air feels different against your skin—cool but not harsh. The window lets in the faintest whisper of spring, even if you can’t quite name it yet.

You turn another page.

Time becomes elastic. You don’t check the clock. The room grows darker, but the lamplight holds steady. You adjust the blanket around your legs, more out of habit than necessity. The story has found its rhythm now, and so have you.

Mid-March evenings don’t demand reinvention. They don’t ask for dramatic declarations. They simply offer forward movement—gentle, steady, inevitable.

When you finally close the book—marking your place carefully—you feel a quiet satisfaction. The night has fully settled. Outside, the air is still. Inside, you feel warmed not by winter’s heaviness, but by the soft anticipation of what’s next.

A new book. A shifting season. An evening suspended between what was and what is coming.

And you, right in the middle of it.

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Books Publishing March 15 - 21

The Plans I Have For You by Lai Sanders

Feminine rage, cancel culture, and suffocating societal pressure—a cutting and brazen thriller about two Asian American women on a quest for revenge after a public shaming pushes them to the limit, for fans of Yellowface and Counterfeit.

When a conflict with a fellow passenger on the subway spirals into a humiliating breakdown, Shelley Hu’s life is over. The incident goes viral, costing Shelley her prestigious Manhattan law firm internship, her spot at Columbia Law, and her plan to build a better life for herself and her mother.

Months later, Shelley is back in Kissimmee, Florida, working the night shift at a kitschy motel near Disney World—the very same job she held in high school. Shelley’s life is a black hole until, one night, the beautiful, enigmatic Sophia Moon checks in with her husband and young son. But Sophia’s appearance is far from random.

It turns out that, once upon a time, Sophia suffered her own episode of public shaming. Since then, Sophia has rebuilt a new life, and she promises to help Shelley do the same. More importantly, Sophia vows to help Shelley enact revenge on the three people responsible for the worst day of her life with a precise set of plans.

Shelley returns to New York with a new identity and plans that start off well. But when the situation soon spirals out of control, Shelley is forced to reckon with Sophia’s unspeakably dark side—though it may be too late.

Only Spell Deep by Ava Morgyn

Rebecca meets The Craft in this dark, atmospheric novel of one witch rediscovering her power while on the run from another willing to kill her for it.

From the USA Today bestselling author of The Bane Witch!

Judeth Cole has always had certain uncanny abilities. But when she arrived at Solidago - her grandfather’s estate by the sea - she was forced to keep them secret. There she lived a harsh life under his rule and the haunting legacy of her late grandmother, Aurelia. Until the fateful day she ignited a fire with her magic. It was the last time she saw her family alive.

Seventeen years later, she’s living in Seattle as Jude Clark, and failing at life, when she makes a last detour through her favorite bookstore, selecting a book to read as she waits to die. But when she pulls it from the shelf, an invitation to her for a clandestine midnight meeting slips out.

Jude is quickly swept up into a world of secrets and magic, discovering a circle of powerful new companions led by the mysterious, enigmatic Arla. The source of their magic, Arla tells her, is an entity, trapped and bound, that they call The Fathom. But Jude swiftly realizes Arla wants this power all to herself, and that she’s willing to kill for it.

Terrified, Jude turns to Levi Orman, the handsome bookseller who’s seen her at her worst. With his help, she begins a research journey that leads her from the crystal waters of the Mediterranean to the icy waves of the Greenland Sea and back to Solidago, the house she swore to never return to. With the Fathom threatening to break free and Arla on the hunt, Jude must finally face her past to save her future.

Ava Morgyn's Only Spell Deep is a novel that takes readers on a journey into a dark, glittering world of magic, a place where power should never be caged and misplaced trust can have deadly consequences.

The House of Hidden Letters by Izzy Broom

For sale: Greek cottage. One euro.

Skye MacKinnon is desperate for an escape. When she wins a lottery to buy a run-down cottage on a Greek island for only one euro, Skye jumps at the chance to get out of England and start over. As she unlocks the tattered blue door of her whitewashed new cottage, the sun-kissed sea glinting in the bay outside her windows, Skye immediately feels like she’s found her true home.

Skye and the other lottery winners—the first residents in these houses since the 1940s—form a tight-knit group, finding in one another the strong relationships they’d been missing in their own lives. When Skye and local contractor Andreas find a set of mysterious letters, they begin to unravel the history of the prior residents, and the truth about life on Folegandros during World War II.

Sweeping, escapist, and full of heart, The House of Hidden Letters reminds us of the importance of human connection. Izzy Broom has written a poignant and hopeful novel for those who have found love and family in unexpected places.

A Latte Like Love by Michelle C. Harris

Audrey Adams knows the exact routine for all her regular customers. That’s what happens when you work at the same Brooklyn coffee shop for years. So it’s completely normal that she notices Theo Sullivan, a shy new patron who comes in at exactly 8:17 a.m., right? And that this incredibly tall (and cute) man never drinks his coffee, always leaves a generous tip, only stays long enough to scribble in a notebook, and wears the same KN95 mask. Call it barista instincts or a reasonable reaction to Theo’s undeniable sweetness, but Audrey is crushing hard.

Eagerly anticipating Theo's visits, Audrey relishes the precious few minutes they chat every time he orders his large, extra-hot Americano. When an incident reveals the horrific facial scar he's hiding beneath his mask, Theo flees the café in shame, dropping his sketchbook and leaving a part of his broken heart behind.

Audrey decides to find Theo, return his book, and confess her feelings. Before long, they’re inseparable, talking nonstop and meeting up for dates at the coffee shop.

But Theo is reluctant to fully let Audrey into his heart. He continues to hide his scar and refuses to talk about his past. Their feelings are bubbling under the surface, but will Theo—and the truth behind his accident—keep him from finding the love they've both been longing for?

The Fortune Flip by Lauren Kung Jessen

A STROKE OF LUCK
Hazel Yen would love to be that person who doesn’t believe in bad luck. But having lost her job, her mom, her optimism, and even her dim-sum leftovers, she’s sitting in a fortune teller’s booth, desperate for a sign—any sign—that her luck might change. Which is when fate crashes into her, disguised as Logan Wells and his utterly chaotic cat.

Except after one spontaneous and mind-melting kiss, Hazel’s terrible misfortune starts taking a turn for the miraculous. Money problems vanish. A new job lands in her lap. And she’s crushing—hard—on the guy who started it all. Only there’s a problem: Logan’s luck has taken a turn for the worse. A shared lottery ticket could be just the answer they’re seeking or a disaster waiting to happen. Has Hazel’s fortune truly changed? And if so, could winning at life mean losing at love?

Your Child Is Not Their Weight: Parenting in a Size-Obsessed World by Joey Skelton, MD, MS, FAAP

If you’ve been told your child needs to lose weight, you know how hard it can be. You love your child just as they are and want them to feel good about themselves and their body. But, you may also have very legitimate concerns about weight-related bullying, anti-fat bias, and possible long-term health issues.

While there are no easy answers, Your Child Is Not Their Weight offers compassionate and realistic parenting advice to help improve your child’s overall health without compromising their happiness or self-esteem. Leading pediatric obesity medicine specialists, Joey Skelton, MD, MS, MD, and his team, Dara Garner-Edwards, MSW, LCSW, and Melissa Moses, MS, RDN, LDN, have in-depth medical expertise as well as decades of practical, hands-on experience working with families like yours in their clinic.

Their family-focused approach acknowledges that body weight is a complex issue, that diets almost always fail, and that eating disorders are a real risk—even, and maybe especially, for children in bigger bodies. But, they also share exactly how you can make a big difference for your child by focusing on healthy habits, outdoor play, and your own unconditional love for your child. You will be empowered to address weight concerns while making sure your child never doubts that they are loved and wonderful, regardless of the unrealistic body images and weight bias that the world so often perpetuates.

Caput Mundi the Head of the World: Book 1: Enarii by B.R. Kang

When Niil Terra sets off to find his missing parents, he ends up in Caput Mundi, a dazzling world filled with flourishing innovation and alchemic wonders. It is also the home of enarii, a shape-shifting metal that can be willed into any form, whether it be swords, forks, or fly swatters. There, Niil’s talent for enarii shaping emerges, and for the first time, he feels like he truly belongs.

But when he discovers that his mother is the leader of the Doubleyes, who is out to eliminate enarii, he is faced with an impossible choice: to stop her or watch hundreds suffer at the hands of someone he'd do anything to reunite.

A richly imagined world coupled with fast-paced action, mystery, and a bit of butt-kicking. Caput Mundi will enthrall young readers with a powerful central message about finding your voice, taking your power back, and holding onto who you are.

No matter what the world throws at you.

Innamorata by Ava Reid

On an island where the dead walk the earth and seven noble houses once ruled by necromancy, the silent Lady Agnes of the House of Teeth has not spoken in seven years. Her sole mission: reclaim forbidden death magic and avenge her family’s fallen honor. To do so, she must secure a marriage between her beloved cousin Marozia and Liuprand, heir to the conquering throne, gaining access to the forbidden library in his grotesquely grand castle. But as revenge burns in Agnes’s heart, stranger passions take root, and it is Liuprand, the golden prince, who speaks to her soul. In Book One of The House of Teeth Duology, desire is treason, and love may be what finally tears a shattered realm in two.

Life: A Love Story by Elizabeth Berg

A warm, intimate novel that reminds us of the richness that can be found all throughout our lives—by the New York Times bestselling author of The Story of Arthur Truluv and Open House

As ninety-two-year-old Florence "Flo" Greene nears the end of her life, she writes a letter to Ruthie, the woman who grew up next door to her, describing the items Flo is leaving Ruthie in her will. But as it goes on, telling surprising stories about those “little” things Flo will leave behind (What could possibly be the worth of a rubber band kept in a matchbox tied up in red ribbon?), an unforgettable portrait of the life she has lived emerges.

The letter starts off as an autobiography in things, but it turns out to do much more than that: ultimately, it will transform Flo and those around her. In the time she has left, Flo decides to take herself up on tiny dares. She encourages Ruthie to reconsider her impending divorce by sharing a startling, long-buried secret about her own perfect-seeming marriage. Flo has never had a pedicure before now, and as long as she's going to a beauty parlor, she arranges to have a blue streak put in her hair, too. And as these adventures lead her to make new friends, Flo helps them, too, find the fulfillment that living a full life has led her to understand.

Full of Elizabeth Berg's characteristic mix of warmth, humor, and poignancy, Life: A Love Story is a reminder that whatever your circumstances, as long as you're alive, you can keep on investing in life. The joy will inevitably follow.

Drummer Girl by Sally Dukes

In the search for her truth, Sally Dukes takes the reader on a difficult yet compelling pursuit, the unfolding of life into death and back again. Plagued by near death, drummer girl’s experience at the edge propelled her to seek understanding, to look for words when there were none, and to find solace through life’s many turns.

"Drummer Girl" gives language to an archetypal unfolding. By taking the fear out of death, Sally Dukes awakens the soul and spirit of those who fear the dark. Heartwarming and honest, this book can give those facing death at any stage of life comfort in knowing what lies beyond the veil.

Death does not come cloaked in darkness.
Death is light. Death is love.
Death is the wholeness of the return.

Love Song by Elle Kennedy

New York Times bestselling author Elle Kennedy returns with her signature heat and humor for a Briar universe standalone romance featuring the next generation Off-Campus characters. After a brutal breakup, Blake escapes to her family’s lake house in Tahoe. Her plan is simple: no men, no drama. With his music career stalled, Wyatt has come to Tahoe for inspiration. Just as they finally give in to the pull of each other, tragedy tears them apart. But forgetting that one, nearly perfect summer? Not a chance. And when fate brings them together again, Blake and Wyatt must decide if this is a second chance…or the final verse.

Queen of the Night Sky by Amalie Howard

The sequel to The Starlight Heir and the epic conclusion to the romantasy duology that Rebecca Yarros calls, “a breathtaking, sexy romantasy full of twists and adventure.”

The Kingdom of Oryndhr has been saved by the will of the Royal Stars. But King Roshan, once Sura’s best friend and chosen love, has changed. She can sense corruption growing in him, and her own magic is being twisted by his command to dangerous ends. As dreams of her strange shadow guardian return in force, she is left unsure of her path—and of her heart.

When an attempt on her life leads to her rescue on the back of an azdaha, the dragon-like creature she once thought a myth, Sura truly finds herself in uncharted territory—in a land far beyond Oryndhyr’s borders. Everlea is full of magic, ruled by the deadly and enigmatic Night King, Darrius. And to Sura’s shock, Darrius is none other than the man in her dreams…and possibly her soul fated mate.

As a prophecy unfolds, the old gods awaken, and a war between kingdoms looms, Sura has no choice: she must fully embrace her destiny as Starkeeper and the entirety of her power before it’s too late. But all power comes at a cost…and darkness has a way of slithering into the smallest spaces.

Where Dreams Fall by R.L. Caulder

Set in a world where dreams are guarded and nightmares are forbidden, Where Dreams Fall follows Elysia, a young woman whose once-protected mind begins to fracture when forbidden visions invade her sleep--visions of ancient creatures, death, and a dangerous, unnamed figure who visits her dreams with whispered promises and lingering touch. When the elven queen dies and a brutal selection begins to crown her successor, Elysia is thrust into a deadly trial where women are offered up as candidates for a throne built on blood, secrets, and sacrifice.

As Elysia ascends into the elven world, she discovers the man who has haunted her dreams is real--and far more powerful and perilous than she imagined. Choosing him would mean betraying the empire she’s meant to save. Refusing him may cost her everything she is.

The Burn List: A Memoir of Abuse from Home to Higher Education

The Burn List follows Julie Cruse from an abusive childhood into two decades of escalating academic exploitation, where her vulnerability made her a target.

Across seven universities, male faculty groomed, harassed, and ultimately retaliated against her, beginning in undergrad and ending with her forced exit from a PhD program—and her career.

Based on documented communications, The Burn List reveals how unchecked power in academia can enable abuse and create conditions that resemble human trafficking.

The Burn List is not just one story. It’s a lightning rod, and it arrives at a pivotal cultural moment, as Title VII and Title IX failures dominate headlines. In a time when survivors demand accountability, The Burn List sets fire to silence—and hands readers the match.

Visit AcademicAbuse.com, where Cruse extends this survivor-led movement and tracks misconduct in higher education.

Mayhem and the Mortal by Shanora Williams

Dungeons & Dragons meets The Wizard of Oz in this darkly hilarious romantasy adventure in which a young woman who will do anything to rescue her sister from an evil sorcerer's curse hires a ruthless assassin. They embark on a quest with a band of misfits, one of whom harbors a devastating secret that could ruin her fairy-tale ending.

Sweetbitter Song by Rosie Hewlett

Perfect for fans of The Song of Achilles and from the award—winning author of The Witch of Colchis comes a profoundly moving story of two women on the shores of Ithaca, in the shadows of a legendary war, who must face their own battle – one of sisterhood, survival, and a forbidden love that could destroy them both.

One summer night, within the palace of Sparta, a young slave girl stumbles across a grey—eyed princess. Despite living worlds apart, Melantho and Penelope are instantly drawn to one another, and a powerful friendship blossoms. But the Spartan royals do not approve of this bond, and soon Melantho and Penelope find themselves viciously torn apart, their trust irreparably shattered.

Years later, their paths cross once again upon the rocky shores of Ithaca, where Melantho is sent to serve Princess Penelope and her new husband, Prince Odysseus. Embittered by life as a slave, Melantho is determined to keep her distance. But, once again, the two women find themselves drawn to one other, pulled by the echo of their friendship, and something far stronger they are too afraid to name.

When war blazes across Greece, Odysseus and the men of Ithaca are driven to foreign lands. In their absence, Melantho finds a new world opening up before her – one where women rule, where family can be found, and where a forbidden love is finally given the space to bloom.

A profound tale of love, identity and defiance, Sweetbitter Song tells a story forgotten by history. One of bravery and hope, celebrating two women who fought to protect their love from a world that tried to deny its very existence.

Dirty Red by Tarryn Fisher

You thought you could take him from me, but you lost. Now that he's mine I'll do anything to keep him. Do you doubt me? I have everything that was supposed to be yours. In case you were wondering; he doesn't ever think about you anymore. I won't let him go....ever.

Spoiled, selfish and self-centered Leah Smith finally has everything she has ever wanted. Except she doesn't. She "won" Caleb from her rival Olivia, but these days her marriage feels more like a loan than a lifelong commitment, and the image she has worked so hard to build is fraying before her eyes. With a new role and a past full of secrets, Leah must decide how far she is willing to go to keep what she has stolen.

Heiress of Nowhere by Stacey Lee

An orphan races to uncover a killer—who may have come from the sea—when she and her beloved orcas fall under suspicion in this “atmospheric…beguiling” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) historical gothic mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Girl, Stacey Lee.

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