Mystery

(9)

$1.99 (Save $3.00)

When I first read Barbara Nickless’s latest mystery, I was blown away by the sharp prose, turbo-charged pace, and dynamic characters. At the forefront is Dr. Evan Wilding, an expert in semiotics, the study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation.

My background and passion have long been placed in mystery and thrillers, so I’ve been introduced to a lot of great fictional investigators—private eyes, police detectives, investigative journalists—but semiotics professor is new for me. With his charm, inquisitiveness, humor, and brilliance, Dr. Evan Wilding might be one of the most interesting characters I’ve come across yet.

When a murder victim is left with strange markings on his body at a ritualistic crime scene, Dr. Wilding is brought in to consult on the case. He soon finds himself delving into medieval languages, modern day Vikings, and cryptic messages from the killer. When another case follows, he realizes he is communicating in code with a serial killer.

With At First Light, bestselling and award-winning author Barbara Nickless has created a spellbinding mystery that will keep readers guessing until its final page.

—Liz Pearsons, Editor

Book Club Fiction

(2)

SHOP NOW

$1.99 (Save $3.00)

Imagine you were given the chance to spend more time with a loved one who had passed away. How would you make the most of your time together? It’s a question Chloe Howard finds herself facing after she loses her mother unexpectedly—only to wake up one day to discover Mabel is still alive.

Chloe can’t make sense of her mother being alive, and she can’t explain the fact that time has jumped backward—when she went to bed it was May, and now it’s March. But all that matters to Chloe, a workaholic who always chose her career over her mother, is she is able to make up for lost time. Chloe quits her job, spends every day with Mabel, and learns secrets about her family that change Chloe in profound ways. As her bond with Mabel deepens, Chloe realizes it wasn’t just her mother she’d been pushing aside; she’d been doing the same with her own happiness too.

Three More Months is a moving, memorable story that’s stayed with me in ways few books do. I’ve thought of Chloe’s situation often since first reading it and have asked myself what I would do if I were in her shoes. But what this story helped me realize is that I don’t need to wait for a second chance like Chloe’s to make the most of the relationships I hold dear. Because who knows what tomorrow might bring?

—Chris Werner, Editor

Domestic Suspense

(4)

SHOP NOW

$1.99 (Save $3.00)

I will never tire of reading dramatic stories about the bonds of siblings—sisters, especially. Into the Sound’s sisters, Holly and Vivian, forged their deep connection while being raised by an emotionally absent—and psychologically twisted—mother and a feckless father.

The night a hurricane is making landfall on Long Island, Vivian goes missing and is presumed dead. But after some initial investigating, Holly is certain that Vivian’s life was in danger long before the storm surge, and she won’t stop until she finds Vivian alive and well—or discovers who wanted to hurt her. Even if her own life is put in danger, Holly knows their sisterly bond must not be broken.

With this emotionally charged page-turner, Cara Reinard takes her place alongside bestselling authors like Lisa Jewell, Liane Moriarty, and Shari Lapena. You won’t want to miss this incandescent family drama brimming with twisty suspense and breathtaking thrills.

—Liz Pearsons, Editor

Historical Fiction

(4)

SHOP NOW

$1.99 (Save $3.00)

The Last Rose of Shanghai is unlike any WWII-era novel I’ve read before. Set in Japanese-occupied Shanghai, it brings to life the little-known history of Jewish refugees desperately seeking shelter in the city. Had Shanghai not taken in nearly twenty thousand Jews, an untold number of them may not have survived the war.

It’s against this backdrop that we see a heart-wrenching love story play out. Aiyi, a wealthy young Chinese woman, and Ernest, a Jewish jazz pianist, fall hopelessly in love. The stakes couldn’t be higher. From vastly different backgrounds, they must hide their relationship from their families and the authorities. As the horrors of war close in on them, they find themselves trapped—both by their respective cultures and by their enemies.

Desperate to survive, they have to make impossible choices. No matter what Aiyi and Ernest choose, there will be loss. But what I love most about The Last Rose of Shanghai is that we also see what they gain as they fight for survival. We see their hope—not just to reunite, but for a better world. As I watched Aiyi and Ernest withstand doubt and despair, I ached for them and for Shanghai, the city that opened its arms to refugees when they had nowhere else to go.

—Jodi Warshaw, Editor

Memoir

(3)

SHOP NOW

$1.99 (Save $3.00)

Flying on the Inside is the story of a truly astonishing life. Rachel Gotto has faced hardship and tragedy, but her journey to the other side is incredibly inspirational.

Rachel first lost her brother, then her husband—while she was pregnant—before being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. Anybody could be forgiven for letting that defeat them. But Rachel was determined not just to live but to thrive, and how she got to that point, from finding peace and purpose at sea, to practicing compassion in her community, to developing a new sense of adventure, is at the heart of this book.

Set on the vivid West Cork coast, the wild sea a backdrop to Rachel’s experience, Flying on the Inside made me discover a renewed sense of the beauty in my own life. I’m sure you will feel that too.

—Victoria Pepe, Editor

Literary Fiction

(2)

SHOP NOW

$1.99 (Save $3.00)

This captivating love story pulls you in with an immediately fated feel—two people whose lives are divided by a gulf of wealth, age, community, and education fall deeply for each other, ultimately drawn together by the crush of society’s expectations. It’s a modern take on a classic story, built on the foundation of tragic tales like Romeo and Juliet, The English Patient, and Call Me by Your Name.

The love between Rashid and Rachel will not disappoint—it burns hot and fast—but author Jerry McGill also takes time to build the vibrant worlds that surround the two lovers. Set in New York City in the early aughts, Bed Stuy follows the pair, who live just a handful of miles apart but might as well exist in different universes. McGill takes the reader from Rashid’s Bed Stuy, the Brooklyn neighborhood where his deep-rooted friends are like family and the community looks out for its own, to Rachel’s Upper East Side, where doormen are the keepers of the inhabitants’ deepest secrets and wealthy families tear apart at the slightest cracks.

Between those two worlds, Rashid and Rachel meet, fall in lust, then love, and then have to grapple with the trauma and outside forces that keep them apart. It’s unclear until the very end whose circumstances might overwhelm them. Expect an abundance of heartbreak and beauty in these pages.

—Laura Van der Veer, Editor

Contemporary Romance

(2)

SHOP NOW

$1.99 (Save $3.00)

Every time I talk about Read Between the Lines, I inevitably end up using the word “swoony” about a dozen times during the conversation. Now, granted, as a former New Yorker who works as a romance editor, there was zero chance I wasn’t going to fall head over heels for Rosie and Jane’s love story. But truly, who could resist the combination of New York in the fall, a bookshop that feels like home, the hijinks of mistaken identities, and, of course, two heroines who are absolutely meant to be together?

Exactly. Completely irresistible.

At their best, romance novels leave you a little breathless, a little starry-eyed, and a lot hopeful that love like this must exist somewhere in the real world. And that’s exactly what Rosie and Jane’s story did for me. Read Between the Lines absolutely stole my heart, and I hope it will find its way into yours too. Swoon!

—Lauren Plude, Editor

Historical Fantasy

(2)

SHOP NOW

$1.99 (Save $3.00)

Whenever I encounter a book that profoundly affects me, I remember the entire experience of reading: the weather at the time, the place where I was, sometimes even what I was eating. I read The Lord of the Rings in my NYC dorm room, for example. Dune: while studying abroad in Florence. Ready Player One: while walking to Amazon HQ in downtown Seattle each morning. I devoured Shannon Fay’s debut, Innate Magic, however, one rainy day in my kitchen in New Jersey. Fitting, considering the book is set in an enchanted 1950s London.

Fay’s novel reimagines this period in English history beautifully, sprinkling in a touch of fantasy to make it even more wonderous. But the atmosphere isn’t the only thing that made me fall in love with this book: it’s the precocious narrator, Paul Gallagher. A working-class mage in a world where magic is commonplace, Paul has ambitions reaching all the way to the Court Magician, the most powerful magician in the country, and his unique charm might just get him there—if only he isn’t so quick to trust the wrong people.

Paul loves everyone, and everyone loves him. The characters he encounters on his quest to gain the powers he thinks are necessary to improve his world either want to hug him or punch him for his naivete, often within the same moment. And as readers, we do too. But who doesn’t want to be friends with someone so genuine? Let your new friend Paul show you around—I hope you’ll have as much fun exploring as I did.

—Adrienne Procaccini, Editor

Children's Picture Book

(5)

SHOP NOW

$1.99 (Save $3.00)

I never went to a father-daughter dance, but I always thought they sounded magical. So when Elsie, the girl in this story, looks forward to dressing up and dancing with her dad, I could imagine her excitement. What was less familiar to me is the way Elsie dances—either in her wheelchair or when her father lifts her up. Throughout the story, we see how Elsie’s everyday life is both similar to and different from most people’s. She communicates about the dance using a book with pictures, and at dinnertime, her parents use a plastic device to give her a nutritious drink.

Inspired by the author’s own family, this is first and foremost a story about a dance, but it also gives readers a window into Elsie’s life and reminds them that even though she does things a little differently than most kids, she has the same hopes, dreams, and feelings they do.

I hope you and the little ones in your life enjoy this special story.

—Kelsey Skea, Editor

Oct	NOV	Dec
	03
2020	2021	2022