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"After a lifetime of war, Alaric and Talasyn were thrust into an alliance between their homelands that was supposed to end the fighting; however, being married to their sworn foe feels far from peaceful. Now Talasyn must play the part of Alaric's willing empress while her allies secretly plot to overthrow his reign. But the longer the couple are forced together, the harder it becomes to deny the feelings crackling like lightning between them. When the time comes to act, can she trust him, or must she ignore her heart for the sake of somany others?"-- Provided by publisher.

Pablo Ortiz is an anxious sixth-grader who had absolutely no idea his locker was a portal to the monster realm, and absolutely no desire to be the hero called to defeat the Aztec goddess who has come through it. Good thing he has new friends schooled in fighting and an abuela who has the wisdom and weapons to give him in order to be successful.

When a powerful magical artifact is stolen from his carefully ordered home, The Inscrutable Dr. Baer, a collector and protector of arcane treasures, must embark on the first adventure of his life.--Publisher.

"In The Valley, best friends Haru and Yama both dream of leaving as they're bullied at school, frustrated at home, and struggling to figure out who they are. One day, a powerful artifact connects itself to Yama, and they discover that they'll have to journey to The Beacon in search of answers. Created by artist Joe Latham, this beautifully illustrated graphic novel series is a coming-of-age tale that spans the changing of seasons. Beginning in spring and ending in spring--the cycle complete. A story of heart, growing up, and the sacrifices we make for those we love, Haru is perfect for middle-grade readers."--Amazon.

Marco makes the BEST sandwiches in the entire world! When he wants to chow down after school, he's got all the ingredients he needs: Mom's fresh baked hoagie roll, three slices of bologna, cheddar cheese, crispy lettuce, and the most important ingredient of all: special sauce! But something super strange is afoot when--out of nowhere--Marco's sandwich begins to talk... Turns out, Marco's miraculous meal might be his best friend ever! The two quickly bond over sweet tunes and stinky cheese, but will a squad of breakdancing squirrels bring an end to this friendship before it truly begins?

As conceptual artist Sabine prepares for a critical photo exhibition, she spirals into her own neuroses, seeking validation from her rational husband, TikTok followers, and a mysterious stalker, while her eccentric alter egos and the ghost of Carolee Schneemann offer cryptic guidance.

"When Yojin moves with her husband and daughter into the Dream Future Pilot Communal Apartments, she's ready for a fresh start. Located on the outskirts of Seoul, the experimental community is a government initiative designed to boost the national birth rate. Like her neighbors, Yojin has agreed to have at least two more children over the next ten years. Yet, from the day she arrives, Yojin feels uneasy about the community spirit thrust upon her. Her concerns grow as communal child care begins and the other parents show their true colors. Apartment Women traces the lives of four women in the apartments, all with different aspirations and beliefs. Will they find a way to live peacefully? Or are the cultural expectations around parenthood stacked against them from the start? A trenchant social novel from an award-winning author, Apartment Women incisively illuminates the unspoken imbalance of women's parenting labor, challenging the age-old assumption that "it takes a village" to raise a child"-- Provided by publisher.

All Samantha Williams wants to do is to use her teaching degree to instruct a classroom of second graders. But, after a breast cancer diagnosis at the age of twenty-three, and failed reconstruction surgery, Sam finds herself without a job and temporarily living with her parents. This isn't the life Same expected. When a family friend dies and leaves Sam a house and land in Whispering Creek, Tennessee, Sam must decide if leaving Wisconsin for Southern living is in her lesson plans. Nashville native, Cole Donoven, left his family's electrical business to write country music. When Cole's song-writing partner and girlfriend dumps him for a country music star, Cole abandons Nashville to hole up in Whispering Creek and compose one more song. The last thing Cole expects to find in the sleepy small town is a deceased friend, estate squabbles, and a Northern beauty. Will the chaos in Whispering Creek help create a bestselling song for Cole and possibly help him find a life-long collaborator?--Back cover.

"Beauty has been nothing but a curse to Penelope Snow, so she hides her fairness when she becomes a personal maid for a famous actress. But when her beauty is discovered, her mistress arranges her disappearance and leaves her stranded. Rescued by a Texas Ranger, Penelope is prepared to build a new life for herself . . . except the handsome Ranger she fancies suspects her of being a conniving jewel thief"-- Provided by publisher.

"In this atmospheric southern cozy debut, Madeline Brimley returns to the bookstore she inherited, discovering that small towns hold deadly secrets. Madeline Brimley left small town Georgia many years ago to go to college and pursue her dreams on the stage. Her dramatic escapades are many but success has eluded her, leaving her at loose ends. But then she gets word that not only has her beloved, eccentric Aunt Rose passed, but she's left Madeline her equally eccentric bookstore housed in an old Victorian mansion in the small college town of Enigma. But when she arrives in her beat-up Fiat to claim The Old Juniper Bookstore, and restart her life, Madeline is faced with unexpected challenges. The gazebo in the back yard is set ablaze and a late night caller threatens to burn the whole store down if she doesn't leave immediately. But Madeline Brimley, not one to be intimidated, ignores the threats and soldiers on. Until there's another fire and a murder in the store itself. Now with a cloud of suspicion falling over her, it's up to Madeline to untangle the skein of secrets and find the killer before she herself is the next victim"-- Provided by publisher.

"Meg's sister-in-law, Delaney is pregnant. Since her due date is on or around Christmas Day, this is putting a bit of a damper on the usual holiday festivities. Meg and Michael are NOT hosting the usual house full of relatives and parties. Instead, Meg, along with her mother, her grandmother, her cousin Rose Noire, and her good friend Caroline, are militantly doing everything they can think of to keep Delaney quiet and healthy. All the relatives are farmed out to friends and neighbors; all the parties are being held somewhere else, and while Delaney is bored and mutinous, she's doing well, and they're managing to maintain a serene, peaceful environment for her ... until a body is found in Meg and Michael's yard. Can Meg still keep Delaney calm in the middle of a murder investigation, all while trying to catch the killer?"-- Provided by publisher.

"Charlie Webb is a third-rate lawyer who graduated from a third-rate law school and, because he couldn't get hired by any of the major law firms, he's opened his own law firm. Described as a leaky boat floating down the stream of life, Charlie has led an unremarkable life, personally and professionally. Until he's appointed to be the attorney for a decidedly crackpot artist who calls himself Guido Sabatini (born Lawrence Weiss). Sabatini has been arrested -- again -- for breaking into a restaurant and stealing back a painting he sold them because he was insulted by where it was displayed. But as Lawrence Weiss, he's also an accomplished card shark and burglar and while he was there, he stole a thumb drive from the owner's safe. Not knowing what else Sabatini has stolen, Webb negotiates the return of the painting and "other items" in exchange for the owner dropping charges against Sabatini. But the contents of the flash drive threaten very powerful figures, and there are others who have a violent grudge against Sabatini. When a minor theft case becomes a major double homicide and more, Charlie Webb -- an insignificant lawyer assigned to an insignificant case -- is faced with the most important, and deadliest, case of his life."-- Provided by publisher.

All her life, Vaasa Kòzr has been sharpened into a blade. After losing her mother--her only remaining parent--to a mysterious dark magic that has since awakened within her, Vaasa is certain death looms. So is her merciless brother, who aims to eliminate Vaasa as a threat to his crown. In one last political scheme, he marries her off to Reid of Mireh, a ruthless foreign ruler, in hopes that he can use her death as a rallying cry to finally invade Reid's nation. All Vaasa has to do is die. But she is desperate to live.

"Dovey Van Dalen has a gorgeous day planned for her 200th birthday: driving her new Porsche, admiring the cherry blossoms abloom in her adopted city of Washington, D.C., and a little pampering. But her boss has other ideas. A powerful artifact has been stolen, and he fears it's causing chaos in the unmagical world... The rich and connected Ariti family has suffered a string of suspicious deaths, with no signs of foul play. Yet each member has died in the way they feared most. As the enchanting agent most skilled at blending in with mere mortals, Dovey must find answers and retrieve the dangerous trinket. There's just one unexpected wrinkle: By the time Dovey arrives at the art gallery where the Ariti patriarch died, FBI agent Grant "Gib" Barlow has taken control of the scene. Dovey needs his cooperation to investigate--but she'll have to hide her abilities, and her true objective, from a man who uncovers deceptions every day. And as they inch nearer a deadly truth, both will face danger even the spellbound would be lucky to survive..."-- Provided by publisher.

"Tara Selter, the heroine of On the Calculation of Volume, has involuntarily stepped off the train of time: in her world, November 18th repeats itself endlessly. We meet Tara on her 122nd November 18th: she no longer experiences the changes of days, weeks, months, or seasons. She finds herself in a lonely new reality without being able to explain why: how is it that she wakes every morning into the same day, knowing to the exact second when the blackbird will burst into song and when the rain will begin? Will she ever be able to share her new life with her beloved and now chronically befuddled husband? And on top of her profound isolation and confusion, Tara takes in with pain how slight a difference she makes in the world. (As she puts it: "That's how little the activities of one person matter on the 18th of November.") Balle is hypnotic and masterful in her remixing of the endless recursive day, creating curious little folds of time and foreshadowings: her memories of the past light up inside the text like old-fashioned flash bulbs. The first volume's gravitational pull-a force inverse to its constriction- has the effect of a strong tranquilizer, but a drug under which your powers of observation only grow sharper and more acute. Give in to the book's logic (the thrilling shifts, the minute movements, the slant wit, the slowing of time), and its spell is utterly intoxicating. Solvej Balle's seven-volume novel wrings enthralling and magical new dimensions from time and its hapless, mortal subjects. As one Danish reviewer beautifully put it, Balle's fiction consists of writing that listens: "Reading her is like being caressed by language itself.""-- Provided by publisher.

Radiant Basket of Rainbow Shells, scholar of curses and magical history, has spent several years on a research expedition abroad in Quruscan, one of the four kingdoms of the Tetrarchia. When Tetrarchia and Radiant's home country of Loasht suddenly revoke their tenuous peace, Quruscan is no longer the safe haven for Radiant that it once was. He needs someone to help him escape: a bodyguard, perhaps, or someone with the sheer cunning to escort him to safety. The perfect candidate is Kalyna Aljosanova: a crafty, mysterious mercenary with an uncanny reputation. But the political situation in Loasht is far more volatile and dangerous than Radiant left it; it soon becomes clear that he may never be able to return home to his family. With a little of Kalyna's signature guile, she finds Radiant asylum in a utopian community on the border between Loasht and the Tetrarchia, and, for a moment, it seems like they might finally have a safe place to stay. But when the group's charismatic leader grows wary of the refugees flocking to his community--and suspicious of Kalyna in particular--that sense of safety begins to unravel once more. Kalyna the Cutthroat deftly imagines how the pressures of heroism can warp even the most unshakeable of survivors, asking what responsibilities human beings have to one another, and whether one good deed--of any magnitude--can absolve you of your past for the sake of a future.

Despite unspoken feelings and a dangerous secret, lifelong best friends Sydney and Kyler must navigate their undeniable attraction while stranded at a posh ski resort.

From the author of Mister Hockey comes a sizzling marriage of convenience romance between a pro hockey player who accidentally travels back in time to Regency Era England and the brazen contemporary of Jane Austen he just can't help but fall for.

"The mission of the Near-Earth Orbital Guard is to ensure the peace and security of the solar system. Commander Maxine Carmichael and Lieutenant Commander Saqib Vahid are at the Mars Orbital Station (MOS) to help facilitate the official handover from NeoG to Mars civilian control as part of the ongoing negotiations. Members of the extreme wings of the fight for Martian independence refuse to remain silent, and are willing to resort to violence to make their voices heard; Max and Saqib find themselves fighting for their lives. The attacks both on the MOS and the ground of Mars sets off a chain reaction that could destabilize the last few years of cautious peace. The leader of Free Mars, Sylvia Moroz, knows better than anyone how fragile harmony is, having seen for decades the Coalition of Human Nations' inability to negotiate for peace. Without any assurances--and knowing her splintered people all too well--anything less than complete liberation will only lead to more bloodshed. She's not opposed to fighting, but when there's an attempt on her life, she finds she must look for help from the NeoG and Commander D'Arcy Montaglione. The pair will have to overcome their past to figure out who they can trust and how to stop the attacks on the ground before more lives are lost. Trapped inside the station, Carmichael and Vahid are scrambling to not only get to the bottom of the attackers' motives, but also to simply survive. Because with the rest of the Zuma's Ghost crew stuck down on Mars, it's up to them to do what they can to keep the MOS from fully falling into the wrong hands...and keep Mars from descending into all-out war."-- Amazon.com.

"If Emily Edwards knows one thing, it's that you don't go to a remote island by yourself. Ever the type A personality, Emily doesn't want to hike around an unfamiliar island, but she's determined to fulfill her late father's national park bucket list, starting with Isle Royale National Park--home to wolves, bears, and hundred-year-old shipwrecks. She has no choice but to hire a tour guide, and there is only one that isn't booked solid. Ryder Fleet, co-owner of Fleet Outdoor Adventures, wouldn't call himself a wilderness expert, and he definitely doesn't know how to find true north. But when his dormant adventure guide business suddenly finds life again after a random inquiry, Ryder somehow finds himself on a ferry to Isle Royale with a very beautiful, no-nonsense woman. What this woman doesn't know is that his brother Caleb, who died two years ago, was the outdoorsman of their business, while Ryder just did the marketing. But how hard could it be to hike up a few mountains? Pretty difficult, actually, when murder is involved. Emily's perfectly planned trek turns disastrous when she and Ryder witness a brutal crime and are suddenly forced to evade a group of archaeologists on the hunt for a jewel. As they spend nights together too close for comfort, they realize their shoddily built fire isn't the only thing that's kindling, and that they must trust each other if they want to escape the island with their lives--and hearts--intact"-- Provided by publisher.

In 1942, America enters World War II. Maire, an Irish immigrant, marries Franklin, a young soldier deployed to Europe and into the North Africa campaign. Now pregnant and alone, she seeks refuge in her husband's small Montant town, disrupting the settled life of her widowed father-in-law, the local beekeeper and Methodist minister. When an estranged son returns home with a Blackfeet wife, the town splinters in racial tension, a scapegoat amid war-time pressure. While Montana boys are dying in faraway battles, a solitary figure stalks the countryside, threatening trauma and terror on the home front.

"In eleven stories, The World With Its Mouth Open follows the inner lives of people in Kashmir as they navigate the uncertain terrain of their days, fractured from years of war. From a shopkeeper's encounter with a mannequin, to an expectant mother walking on a precarious road, to a young boy wavering between dreams and reality, to two dogs wandering the city, these stories weave in larger, devastating themes of loss, grief, violence, longing, and injustice with the threads of smaller realities that confront the characters' lives in profound ways. Although the stories circle the darker aspects of everyday living, they are-at the same time-an attempt to run into life, into humor, into beauty, into another person who can offer refuge, if momentarily. Zahid Rafiq's The World With Its Mouth Open is an original and powerful debut collection announcing the arrival of an important voice that bears witness to the human condition with nuance, heart, and incredible insight"-- Provided by publisher.

1928, Japan-occupied Korea. Eleven-year-old Miyoung has dreams too big for her tiny farming village near Pyongyang: to become a teacher, to avoid an arranged marriage, to write her own future. When she is offered the chance to live with her older sister in Japan and continue her education, she is elated, even though it means leaving her sick mother--and her very name--behind. In Kyoto, anti-Korean sentiment is rising every day, and Miyoung quickly realizes she must pass as Japanese if she expects to survive. Her Japanese name, Miyoko, helps her find a new calling as a nurse, but as the years go by, she fears that her true self is slipping away. She seeks solace in a Korean church group and, within it, finds something she never expected: a romance with an activist that reignites her sense of purpose and gives her a cherished son. As war looms on a new front and Miyoung feels the constraints of her adopted home tighten, she is faced with a choice that will change her life--and the lives of those she loves--forever.

"King Arthur and his contemporaries are boldly reimagined in this series that resurrects the real historical figures who inspired one of our most enduring legends. After defeating the Angles at the Battle of the Caledonian Wood, Languoreth, her daughter Angharad, brother Lailoken, and the warrior Artúr mac Aedan are reunited. But all too soon, fate pulls each back to their own path"-- Provided by publisher.

"Before she mastered the art of French cooking in midlife, Julia Child found herself working in the secrets trade in Asia during World War II, a journey that will delight both historical fiction fans and lovers of America's most beloved chef, revealing how the war made her into the icon we know now. Single, 6 foot 2, and thirty years old, Julia McWilliams took a job working for America's first espionage agency, years before cooking or Paris entered the picture. The Secret War of Julia Child traces Julia's transformation from ambitious Pasadena blue blood to Washington, DC file clerk, to head of General "Wild Bill" Donovan's secret File Registry as part of the Office of Strategic Services. The wartime journey takes her to the Far East, to Asia's remote front lines of then-Ceylon, India, and China, where she finds purpose, adventure, self-knowledge - and love with mapmaker Paul Child. The spotlight has rarely shone on this fascinating period of time in the life of ("I'm not a spy") Julia Child, and this lyrical story allows us to explore the unlikely world of a woman in a World War II spy station who has no idea of the impact she'll eventually impart"-- Provided by publisher.

When Inji first accepted a job at Wedding & Life, the popular matchmaking service that's taken Korea by a storm, she never imagined her role would be with NM, their secret marriage division that rents out "husbands" and "wives" to their wealthiest clientele. Just like a real marriage, Inji's assignments involve a wedding, some sex and a bit of housework, all tailored exactly to the client's desires and length of time before they go their separate ways.

"Fledgling actress Amelia Grant is at rock bottom when offered the opportunity of a lifetime: to star in a biopic about the world-renowned romance author Gloria Diamond, who used her own tragic love story as inspiration for her bestselling books. To prepare for the role, she'll spend a week with Gloria at her secluded Washington estate. It's a chance to get out of LA, away from her cheating ex-boyfriend, and to make her recently deceased mother proud. Amelia's excitement is short-lived, however, once she actually meets Gloria, who is cold, verging on rude and mostly unavailable. If not for Gloria's frustratingly handsome son Will, the visit might be a complete waste of her time. But when Amelia stumbles upon a secret from Gloria's past, she realizes Gloria's life story is more fiction than fact. And as the movie's filming date draws nearer, Amelia must decide how much she's willing to sacrifice to uncover the truth"-- Provided by publisher.

"Lost between the timeless lines of Homer's epic, the women of Troy finally stand to be counted. Their story is one you've never encountered, and it will change the fate of Troy forever. Andromache has proven herself a capable leader, but can she maintain that hard-won status now that she is the mother to the city's long-awaited heir? With enemies closing in, Andromache must bring together a divided city in time to make a final stand. Rhea is a Trojan spy, but she never expected to find love in the enemy camp. When the final battle lines are drawn, Rhea must decide where her loyalties lie and how much she is willing to lose. Helen is no longer the same broken woman first brought to Troy as a captive. Given a second chance at life, she must cast off her shroud of grief and use her healing gifts to save Troy's greatest hope. Cassandra has seen Troy's fate. But she knows the truth is only as valuable as the person who tells it . . . and few in Troy value her. All that is about to change. One hero will rise, another will fall . . . and this time, Cassandra will have her say. From the highest tower to the most humble alley, the bloody beaches to the dusty plain, Daughters of Bronze is the thrilling conclusion to the duology that began with Horses of Fire, andbreathes life into the Troy of myth and history. It is an epic of a thousand invisible actions leading to a single moment, adding a refrain of unexpected light to the legend of Troy." -- Amazon.com.

"At 40, Lena Baker is at a steady and stable moment in life--between wine nights with her two best friends and her wedding just weeks away, she's happy in love and in friendship until a confession on her wedding day shifts her world. Unmoored and grieving a major loss, Lena finds herself trying to teach her daughter self-love while struggling to do so herself. Lena questions everything she's learned about dating, friendship, and motherhood, and through it all, she works tirelessly to bring the oft-forgotten Black history of Oregon to the masses, sidestepping her well-meaning co-workers that don't understand that their good intentions are often offensive and hurtful. Through Watson's poetic voice, skin & bones is a stirring exploration of who society makes space for and is ultimately a story of heartbreak and healing."--Amazon.com

"A fast-paced literary thriller for fans of The Bad Seed, set in a crumbling luxury hotel in Egypt, in which an elderly widow and an 8 year old boy find themselves rivals, locked in a gleefully criminal psychological game of cat-and-mouse"-- Provided by publisher.

"Ted Molloy has hit his stride with a foreclosure investment scheme that brings him into contact with a cast of shady characters across New York's most diverse borough, from Hollis to Howard Beach. On the side, he helps his activist girlfriend, Kenzie, with her work to halt construction on "the Spike"--a corporate-backed development project in Corona that would displace the largely immigrant communities surrounding it. Stop the Spike is heating up: Kenzie spends most of her waking hours fending off smear campaigns and touring community spaces in Queens to spread the word, which she can do thanks to Mohammed, Ted and Kenzie's close friend, a recent Yemeni immigrant and most expedient cab driver. But when Kenzie learns that Mohammed's immigration lawyer may be taking advantage of him financially, she decides to snoop around at the law offices--and comes face to face with a dead body and a shadowy figure, fleeing the scene. Now Kenzie is the sole witness to a potential murder. Can Ted and his team get to the bottom of the murder so they can stop the Spike once and for all? Explore every shady corner of Queens in this keen mystery, the second installment of award-winning author Michael Sears's critically acclaimed series"-- Provided by publisher.

"The Yarn Studio's Seaside Knitters have their hands full designing new classes for vacationers, as well as testing each other's originality by creating a single blanket together. Birdie's teenage granddaughter is also visiting for the season and has started a dog-walking business with her friend, Daisy. Meanwhile, the Lazy Lobster and Soup Cǎf's local fare is gaining newfound attention with the addition of a well-known chef. It's sure to be another beautiful, busy time in their tight-knit town... Until Birdie spots a huge blaze from her balcony one evening, frighteningly close to knitter Cass's lobster business. But the morning brings news that it was a house in small Fisherman's Cove, and a familiar fisherman is found dead inside. Not only did the teenagers walk his beloved sheepdog, Squid, they may have been the last people to see him alive. When questions surface about the actual timing of the man's death, it turns out something is more than fishy. As suspicion rocks usually placid Sea Harbor, knitters Izzy, Birdie, Cass, and Nell must pick apart tangled secrets and wrap up false accusations--before the killer hooks another victim..."-- Provided by publisher.

News of a missing Instagram celebrity brings Senior Investigator Shana Merchant to a frozen island community of just eight people. When the visit turns deadly, her hunt for a killer collides with a cold case she'll never forget.

"The daughters of a New Mexican rancher must help their father recover a stolen herd in this thrilling new novel in the bestselling Trail Drive series. In the early days of the Mexican Revolution guerrillas led by Francisco "Pancho" Villa raid a ranch in Dona Ana County, New Mexico Territory. They abscond with a herd of saddle horses earmarked for sale to the U.S. Army, wounding rancher Alejandro Aguirre and killing his only son, Eduardo, in the process. When the army commander and his superiors in Washington, D.C. refuse to violate Mexican sovereignty with a punitive raid, Alejandro's twin daughters, Dolores and Yolanda, must step up. Together they lead a crew of ranch hands and friendly members of the Mescalaro Apache tribe to recover the herd. A perilous road lies ahead, but the sisters will stop at nothing to find justice for their fallen brother and reclaim what was stolen"-- Provided by publisher.

As Zuma's Ghost gears up for a final run at the Boarding Games, ensign Sapphi Zika and her crew are under attack by something out beyond the asteroid belt, which has been taking their ships, but no one is prepared for the truth that is revealed, shaking the foundations of everything they believe.

"Twenty-eight-year-old Georgia Stanton has to start over after she gave up almost everything in a brutal divorce - the New York house, the friends, and her pride. Now back home at her late great-grandmother's estate in Colorado, she finds herself face-to-face with Noah Harrison, the bestselling author of a million books where the cover is always people nearly kissing. He's just as arrogant in person as in interviews, and she'll be damned if the good-looking writer of love stories thinks he's the one to finish her grandmother's final novel... even if the publisher swears he's the perfect fit. Noah is at the pinnacle of his career. With book and movie deals galore, there isn't much the "golden boy" of modern fiction hasn't accomplished. But he can't walk away from what might be the best book of the century - the one his idol, Scarlett Stanton, left unfinished. Coming up with a fitting ending for the legendary author is one thing, but dealing with her beautiful, stubborn, cynical great-granddaughter, Georgia, is quite another. But as they read Scarlett's words in both the manuscript and her box of letters, they start to realize why Scarlett never finished the book - it's based on her real-life romance with a World War II pilot, and the ending isn't a happy one. Georgia knows all too well that love never works out, and while the chemistry and connection between her and Noah is undeniable, she's as determined as ever to learn from her great-grandmother's mistakes - even if it means destroying Noah's career."--Amazon.

"A crime would bring them together, grief would bind them and love would make them famous. Parish "Pain" Wells is a man freshly reintroduced to society, after serving time in state prison. Prior to his fall, Pain had been a heist man who showed the promise of someone who could go on to be a legend. His trajectory changed on the night he had made the mistake of accepting a ride from a friend, and found himself behind bars for the one crime he hadn't committed. Several years later, Pain returns home to a world that wouldn't piss on him if he was on fire. The only one who still remains in his corner is his ailing grandmother. It's for her sake that Pain tries to stay on the straight and narrow. He's tired of breaking her heart and vows to be a good grandson, but when her medical bills start mounting he finds himself backed into a corner. He needs money, fast, and there's only one way he knows how to get it. Since her parents died and Passion Adams found herself a ward of her estranged uncle, a gangster who everyone calls Uncle Joe, her life has been on a constant downward spiral. She moves like a ghost from one day to the next, numbing her pain with drugs and alcohol, while seeking thrills in unsavory places. One morning Passion finds herself the victim of a robbery and the thieves snatch from her the only thing of value that she has left in the world, a locket containing the ashes of her deceased parents. Passion is devastated, fearing she would never see the locket again until it shows up later in the hands of a handsome stranger, who brings something into Passion's life that has eluded her since the death of her parents... hope. The two broken souls find themselves inescapably drawn into each other's orbits, and begin their journey of finding lives outside the ones of poverty and sorrow that their worlds had condemned them to. But when shadows from both their pasts threaten their happiness, Passion and Pain set out on an adventure that would make them hunted by law enforcement and celebrated by the underworld. What initially starts out as a mission of vindication quickly turns into a fight for survival"-- Provided by publisher.

Velma Frye is many things. A pilot, a former bootlegger, a well-seasoned traveler, a jazz pianist...and a wielder of celestial magic. She's also a member of the mystical Rhodes family as well as an investigator for arcane oddities for a magic rights organization, dealing with both simple and complicated cases. And when a pocket watch instigates a magical brawl after one of her flight shows, things become very complicated.

"Maggie Blount, divorced mother of two and California physician, puts her private practice on hold when disaster strikes. Doctors on Wheels takes her and Alex--Maggie's professional and romantic partner--wherever they're needed. After rolling into rural Louisiana in the wake of a category five hurricane, Maggie immediately bonds with two sisters and their puppy, all orphaned by the storm. It's enough to break Maggie's heart, and she's not leaving them behind. Feeling blessed and looking forward to their new foster home in affluent Vista del Mar--a world apart from the one they've known--Jean and Rose are polite, appreciative, and humble. Frankly, they're the polar opposite of Maggie's own self-involved teenage daughters, Willa and Gemma, who resist this intrusion by strangers into their privileged lives. Soon enough, Maggie's new blended family is in chaos. Teaching Willa and Gemma about gratitude and empathy will be hard enough. Maggie must also admit her own role in their entitled upbringing, undo the damage, and anticipate the needs of all four girls and a puppy, all amid faraway natural disasters and those closer to home"-- Provided by publisher.

"In this heartwarming story about second acts and second chances, a no-nonsense retiree, very much set in her ways, must learn to adapt and make peace with her past in order to build a fulfilling future. Ruth Winters is retired, widowed, and resigned to spending the rest of her life alone in her suburban home. She likes her routine and uses it to avoid having to spend time with other people. She probably wouldn't call herself fulfilled, but it's too late now to go chasing happiness. Then three things happen at once: a beloved niece makes a big announcement, an old flame reaches out, and her estranged sister receives life-changing news. Ruth finds herself reconnecting with people she thought were long gone from her world, as she is forced to reconsider her expectations for this phase of her life. None of this fits into Ruth's routine--in fact, the whole thing just blows to bits. But when Ruth starts to pick up the pieces, she discovers that maybe it's not too late to make something new after all."--Amazon.

When Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala investigate a mass stranding of aquatic life in the Indian Ocean, they accidentally uncover a much deeper mystery. A strange figure soon steals NUMA's findings, forcing a high-speed chase, someone really didn't want them examining those dead whales. But who, and why? A cryptic text through the NUMA satellite network makes things still stranger: these odd phrases and numbers look like NUMA codes. But who could be tantalizing the crew with such specific knowledge of their tech? Are they being helped by an old friend, or lured into a trap by a traitor who knows a little too much about NUMA's inner workings? Kurt, Joe, and even Max, the agency's supercomputer, will have to investigate like never before as they decrypt data, infiltrate a cult of cloned men, and prepare for a battle on two very different planes: one physical; one digital. The aquatic stranding was just the beginning of a sinister plan concocted by a mind more brilliant than any they've ever faced, the mind of a machine. A new, terrifying world order is being plotted. First marine ecosystems will be devastated, then the entire globe's. Unless the NUMA crew can stop this code of desolation.

Greg Abimbola is many things. He's Black, British and fluent in Russian. He's a snappy dresser, a reasonable teacher, and an unenthusiastic sports fan. But most of all, he's exceptional at keeping secrets. Like, who he really is, and the things he's done. Determined to keep his head down after helping solve a murder in the school basement, Greg fears a trap when Sergeant Rachel Lev of the Pittsburgh police corners him in his apartment. Because his refusal to take credit isn't modesty, it's a survival tactic.

"A gripping new novel inspired by a real place and events from the author's family, Trouble Island is the standalone suspense debut from historical mystery writer Sharon Short. Many miles from anywhere in the middle of Lake Erie, Trouble Island serves as a stop-off for gangsters as they run between America and Canada. The remote isle is also the permanent home to two women: Aurelia Escalante, who serves as a maid to Rosita, lady of the mansion and wife to the notorious prohibition gangster, Eddie McGee. In the freezing winter of 1932, the women anticipate the arrival of Eddie and his strange coterie: his right-hand man, a doctor, a cousin, a famous actor, and a rival gangster who Rosita believes murdered their only son. Aurelia wants nothing more than to escape Trouble Island, but she is hiding a secret of her own. She is in fact not a maid, but a gangster's wife in hiding, as she runs from the murder she committed five years ago. Her friend Rosita took her in under this guise, but it has become clear that Rosita wants to keep Aurelia right where she is. Shortly after the group of criminals, celebrities, and scoundrels arrive, Rosita suddenly disappears. Aurelia plans her getaway, going to the shore to retrieve her box of hidden treasures, but instead finds Rosita's body in the water. Someone has made sure Aurelia was the one to find her. An ice storm makes unexpected landfall, cutting Trouble Island off from both mainlands, and with more than one murderer among them. Both a gripping locked room mystery, and a transporting, evocative portrait of a woman in crisis, Trouble Island marks the enthralling standalone suspense debut from Sharon Short, promising to be her breakout novel, inspired by a real island in Lake Erie, and true events from her own rich family history"-- Provided by publisher.

"London, 19th Century. Harriet Hunt has a special relationship with the garden outside her house. A year after the mysterious disappearance of her father, a cruel man who left her buried in his debts, the garden is her only solace. But a woman alone is vulnerable and as debt collectors and law enforcement swoops in, ready to take advantage of her dire situation, Harriet has no choice but to marry for her own protection. Soon, she finds herself attached to a man worse than her father. Determined to find the truth behind her father's disappearance and finally free herself from the controlling men in her life, Harriet discovers that her garden is more than just a sanctuary. It contains a strange magic that responds to her emotions in ways she can't explain. And as she struggles to take back her power, it becomes clear there are dark things tangled in her garden's roots."-- Provided by publisher.

"A nonfiction narrative book about left-handedness"-- Provided by publisher.

"A graphic novel examining the fat body in contemporary Western culture through the experiential journey of the book's hero, who chooses to lose weight in a world that has dictated the medical and social dangers of being too fat"-- Provided by publisher.

"Join Dog Man and your favorite supa buddies as they save the city from a dastardly new wrongdoer!"-- Provided by publisher.

When Holly applies for a job at the Paradise - one of the city's oldest cinemas, squashed into the ground floor of a block of flats - she thinks it will be like any other shift work. She cleans toilets, sweeps popcorn, avoids the belligerent old owner, Iris, and is ignored by her aloof but tight-knit colleagues who seem as much a part of the building as its fraying carpets and endless dirt. Dreadful, lonely weeks pass while she longs for their approval, a silent voyeur. So when she finally gains the trust of this cryptic band of oddballs, Holly transforms from silent drudge to rebellious insider and gradually she too becomes part of the Paradise - unearthing its secrets, learning its history and haunting its corridors after hours with the other ushers. It is no surprise when violence strikes, tempers change and the group, eyes still affixed to the screen, starts to rapidly go awry-- Provided from Amazon.