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In this exciting historical romantasy in the spirit of The Hurricane Wars and The Time Traveler’s Wife—Outlander set in Japan—a young Scottish woman is magically transported to the last Samurai era, where she encounters ghosts from the past, her own Japanese ancestry, and a love that transcends time.

GATE TO KAGOSHIMA

Gate to Kagoshima by Poppy Kuroki

While in Japan researching her family’s history, a vicious typhoon sends Isla Mackenzie 128 years back in time, to the dawn of the Satsuma Rebellion. There she meets her ancestors, and a charismatic samurai, Kei, with whom she unexpectedly finds romance.

But, unlike her Beloved, Isla knows about the looming Samurai rebellion—and Kai’s fate. Should she attempt to change history or somehow make her way back to the life she’d had before?

Compulsively readable, historically grounded, and irresistibly immersive, Gate to Kagoshima is an unforgettable tale of duty, and of timeless love.

The book is beautifully designed and features colored and illustrated sprayed edges—purple with stenciled moonscape and cherry blossoms.

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From USA Today bestselling author Sonali Dev comes the heartfelt story of a woman determined to reunite a lost ring with its owner, who ends up finding herself along the way.

THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MIRA

There’s Something About Mira by Sonali Dev

Mira Salvi has the perfect life?a job she loves, a fiancé everyone adores, and the secure future she’s always imagined for herself. Really, she hasn’t a thing to complain about, not even when she has to go on her engagement trip to New York alone.

While playing tourist in the city, Mira chances upon a lost ring, and her social media post to locate its owner goes viral. With everyone trying to claim the ring, only one person seems to want to find its owner as badly as Mira does: journalist Krish Hale. Brooding and arrogant, he will do anything to get to write this story.

As Krish and Mira reluctantly join forces and jump into the adventure of tracing the ring back to where it belongs, Mira begins to wonder if she is in the right place in her own life. She had to have found this ring for a reason…right? Maybe, like the owner of the lost ring, her happy ending hasn’t been written yet either.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org

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Sweet Magnolias meets Fixer Upper in this delightfully refreshing debut about a woman bravely chasing her dreams, building a life on her own terms, and maybe even discovering a second chance at love.

SOUTHERN BY DESIGN

Southern By Design by Grace Helena Walz

“With this Charleston-set debut novel . . . Grace Helena Walz has taken her place among such treasured Southern novelists as Dorothea Benton and Anne Rivers Siddons.” –Mary Kay Andrews, New York Times bestselling author of Summers at the Saint

“A story of second chances and long-lost love as atmospheric as the Lowcountry itself, this is a positively charming debut from a stand-out new voice. Add it to your TBR list immediately!” –Kristy Woodson Harvey, New York Times bestselling author of A Happier Life

Magnolia “Mack” Bishop is staring down the barrel at single motherhood–thanks to an unsolicited personal picture her husband texted another woman that quickly went viral among every mom group in town. But she’s determined to not let it distract her from the professional victory she’s inches away from: securing Charleston’s prestigious Historic Preservation Design Fellowship, the apple of every local designer’s eye.

But when the final house tour is undone by a host of calamities, Mack’s shot at the fellowship goes up in flames. Smelling blood in the water, Mack’s mother, the original Magnolia Bishop, breezes in with a project lead–strings attached. If there’s one thing Magnolia lives for, aside from maintaining her station atop the Southern social ladder, it’s to control Mack’s life . . . and that includes keeping the identity of the absentee father Mack never knew in the shadows.

While working for her mother is the professional equivalent of moving into one’s parent’s basement, Mack spots an opportunity to make it her own when a television network puts a call out for local designers. Pitching the home renovation TV pilot of her dreams–one with a historic preservation twist–might just be the way to finally prove herself. Still, she’ll have to do it covertly to avoid her mother’s interference.

Just when Mack finds her professional footing, at home she spots an impossibly familiar figure unloading his moving truck into the newly sold house next door. She is furious, floored, and regrettably flustered because Lincoln Kelly is the one who got away. Fifteen years earlier he was a summer romance she inadvertently fell in love with, and when he left, following his dreams to New York, Mack was broken-hearted.

Filled with characters who could step off the page and a reminder that nothing worth saving is beyond repair, this charming and delightful debut novel will resonate with readers of Southern women’s fiction by Mary Kay Andrews and Kristy Woodson Harvey.

 

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“A charming cast of characters, a twisty mystery, and a diabolical killer make Nothing Ever Happens Here impossible to put down. A riveting page-turner with a sly sense of humor.” —Robyn Harding, internationally bestselling author of The Haters

NOTHING EVER HAPPENS HERE

Nothing Ever Happens Here by Seraphina Glass

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CODENAME: BLACKJACK

Codename: Blackjack by Rusty McClure and David Stern

They have been with us since our nation’s founding. A secret society composed of patriots of all creeds and colors, drawn from all walks of life. Hidden in plain sight, hidden beneath the banner of a Revolutionary War organization formed by our country’s founding fathers, they come together when America’s need is greatest to fight the forces of evil our government cannot.

Esperanza Harper is a high-powered attorney for the United States Department of Justice—the head of a multi-national, multi-agency task force charged with investigating economic terrorism. But she is also a member of the secret Cincinnati—a chapter of which is based out of Washington D.C. Weeks ago, the head of that chapter—United States Senator Garrett Crandall–died in a freak car accident. Now a mysterious phone call brings Espy to a secret rendezvous where she learns that accident was in fact, murder. A murder that sets in motion a chain of events that lead Espy and her team to a secret cache of decades-old documents. Documents that contain clues not to just the murder of Senator Crandall, but to the truth behind the events that took place over sixty years ago in Dallas, Texas.

Clues to who really committed the most shocking murder in our country’s history. Clues that send Espy and her team racing across the country—racing against time—before the deadly killers can strike again.

In Blackjack, NYT Bestselling Authors Rusty McClure ( Two Brothers And A Business Empire That Transformed The Nation) and David Stern (The Blair Witch Project Dossier) have teamed up to craft a page-turner of the highest order—a thriller with elements ripped from today’s headlines.

Purchase Link

 Amazon

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From USA TODAY bestselling author Victoria Purman comes an engaging, clever story about women’s work—often unseen—during Australia’s golden years of radio broadcasting.

THE RADIO HOUR

The Radio Hour by Victoria Purman

Martha Berry is on the brink of fifty years old, unmarried, and one of an army of polite, invisible women who go to work each day at the country’s national broadcaster and get things done without fuss, fanfare, or reward.

When the network prepares to launch a new radio serial in the style of their longest running and most successful show, Martha is transferred to assist the newly hired Quentin Quinn, the man who will write and produce the drama. But Mr. Quinn is wholly unprepared and ill-equipped for the role, clueless about radio and work in general. He’d rather enjoy his cigarettes and imbibe over lengthy lunch breaks and cannot be bothered to call his secretary by her correct name.

Rather than see the new show canceled, Martha steps in to hire a cast and write the scripts for the new show. Her authentic, women-focused storyline snags an ever-growing audience of loyal fans—and causes a stir with management. And Quentin Quinn is more than happy to accept the credit. But Martha’s secret cannot remain hidden. All too soon she faces exposure and must decide if she will politely remain in the shadows—or boldly step into the spotlight.

The Radio Hour is at once a sharp satire exposing the lengths men once employed to keep women out of the workplace and a hopeful tale about how one woman proves her worth and unwittingly outsmarts them all.

“Bestselling Australian author Victoria Purman is one of our nation’s most valued storytellers . . . ” —Mrs. B’s Book Reviews

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Justice has been served . . . unless the accused is innocent.

GUILTY UNTIL INNOCENT

Guilty Until Innocent by Robert Whitlow

Life in prison is often a nightmare, but Joe Moore believes he is just where God intends him to be. Twenty-five years ago, while high on meth, he makes one terrible mistake after another, culminating in the brutal murder of a young, influential couple. Today, Joe is a radically different person, thriving in his role as a ministry leader and role model to his fellow inmates.

After being fired from two previous law firms, young lawyer Ryan Clark and his wife, Paige, have settled into a small North Carolina town. Hired by a distant relative, Ryan is committed to connecting with the right clients and handling the mundane tasks while his cousin Tom takes on the high-profile cases.

But when critical health issues land Tom in the hospital, Ryan is forced to take the helm at the law firm–just in time for the town’s biggest case in history to be reopened. Joe Moore’s niece has been doing some digging and, convinced that her incarcerated uncle is innocent, insists that Ryan relaunch the investigation immediately.

After Ryan meets with Joe, both men receive threats that put their own lives–as well as the lives of those around them–in danger. It appears that together they’ve pulled back a dark curtain that hides a deeper evil than anyone in town suspects exists. Now they must determine if continuing with the case is worth the risk–and if the cost of proving one man’s innocence is too great when the lives of so many others would be placed in mortal danger.

Dive into a world where faith meets the law in this heart-pounding legal drama that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Pick up Guilty Until Innocent and find out if the cost of justice is worth risking everything. You won’t want miss out on this thrilling story of grace, redemption, and the relentless pursuit of truth.

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Experience lasting healing and real hope as you learn to break free of destructive patterns in your life.

BREAKING THE PATTERNS THAT BREAK YOU

Breaking the Patterns That Break You: Healing from the  Pain of the Past and Finding Real Hope That Lasts by Tori Hope Petersen

At some point everyone finds themselves wondering…
Why do I keep falling into the same patterns that leave me feeling broken?
Will I ever move past the pain and experience healing?
Is there something wrong with me?

In Breaking the Patterns That Break You, bestselling author Tori Hope Petersen shares the profound ways she finally found relief and healing from the pain of her past, and how you can too. Tori gently shows you why it’s important to recognize the destructive personal, relational, and generational patterns in your life so you can finally find freedom. As Tori weaves together vulnerable storytelling, therapeutic insights, and biblical teaching, you will feel as though she’s sitting across from you, holding your hands, and inviting you into a journey that changed her life and can change yours. You will learn how to:

• Identify and disempower destructive cycles
• Dismantle codependent tendencies in order to gain and maintain healthy relationships
• Feel less alone in your inevitable human brokenness
• Rebuild a truer perspective of self

Breaking the Patterns That Break You will give you the hope and tools you need to get unstuck and find healing that lasts. If you are willing to do the hard work, it’s possible to break the patterns that have broken you and see yourself for who you truly are—good, safe, and loved.

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Booker’s stunning and heartfelt debut memoir, Magic in the Mess, is a reflective account of her life as she navigates perfectionism, societal pressures, and personal trauma.

MAGIC IN THE MESS

Magic in the Mess: Unraveling the Lies I Told Myself to Discover Who I’ve Been All Along by Molly Booker

From an early age, Molly Booker was taught to follow rules, please others, and meet high standards. This drive for perfection became her most significant asset and heaviest burden, manifesting as academic success as well as emotional isolation and feelings of inadequacy. Booker’s stunning and heartfelt debut memoir, Magic in the Mess, is a reflective account of her life as she navigates perfectionism, societal pressures, and personal trauma.

In a culture that constantly demands perfection-whether through social media, career achievements, or personal appearance-Magic in the Mess delivers a much-needed reminder that imperfection is not a flaw but a powerful force for growth and authenticity. Booker’s experiences echo the struggles of countless people, especially women who feel pressured to live up to impossible ideals. Her memoir offers a message of hope for those struggling with self-worth, identity, and mental health challenges. Come along for Booker’s story of redemptive hope and walk away changed.

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Forest Walk on a Friday is an exquisite wander through one woman’s life, offering universal lessons about how to be happy with what you have, how to cherish the identity you inherit and how to be open to possibility as one walks through life.

FOREST WALK ON A FRIDAY: Essays on love, home and finding my voice at midlife

Forest Walk on a Friday by Lynne Golodner

Since she was six years old, Lynne (Cohn, Schreiber) Golodner has turned to writing to make sense of the world, figure out her feelings and process experiences. In this riveting, heart-spilling collection of personal essays, Lynne takes the reader on a journey with her through travel, religious exploration, parenting, relationships and intimate encounters with the natural world.

Forest Walk on a Friday contains 28 essays—20 of which have been previously published in literary journals and magazines—articulating the ache of lost love, embarking on a soul journey to find happiness alone on a mountaintop, making peace with the loss of a father and examining what work is.

The Detroit-based author of award-winning novels, poetry collections and nonfiction books, Lynne opens her heart to readers in a daring and brave way, inviting them to contemplate how humans find happiness and what makes life worth living. As with all of her books, Lynne shares the beauty of her Jewish identity and the ancestry she inherited, through food, visits with beloved relatives and quiet walks in the cemetery to visit those she’s lost.

She details her two marriages, showcasing the courage it took to leave one that didn’t work and sharing the gratitude she found in discovering new love at midlife. As a parent of four children, Lynne is candid about the joys and challenges of being an attentive parent and the emotions that come with letting go of her grown children as they prepare to leave home.

And Lynne writes about connecting with the earth, finding herself in the soil and on the river, and discovering the happiness of coming home to oneself. Readers will salivate over descriptions of oysters fresh from the ocean, just-picked strawberries staining mouths with their sweetness, blueberries bursting off the bush and the familiarity of a grandmother’s chicken soup, fragrant and flavorful.

Forest Walk on a Friday is an exquisite wander through one woman’s life, offering universal lessons about how to be happy with what you have, how to cherish the identity you inherit and how to be open to possibility as one walks through life.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org

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A heart-pounding thriller that blurs the lines between technology and morality.

PARALLEL MINDS

Parallel Minds by Marc Scheinbaum

Three years ago, Dan Barry’s high-tech life in Silicon Valley was shattered when he learned his lover, Nicole Ryder, was a Russian hacker named Alina Petrova. Now, after taking a job in New York so he could care for his ailing father, Dan is ensnared in “Operation Turncoat”, a high-stakes game of cat and mouse orchestrated by the FBI.

Special Agent Lucas Foley is so repulsed by the bureau’s gut-churning tactics against Dan, he provides confidential documents to Dr. Josh Brodsky’s latest CHERL recreation, hoping AI can short-circuit the FBI’s mission by tracking down Alina.

But with his father’s life hanging in the balance, Dan must navigate a labyrinth of deceit and high-tech counter espionage to unravel the truth. Has his own AI effort been manipulated by a powerful CEO? Or are unknown forces behind the fraudulent scheme? When the FBI finally offers a way out, Dan must choose between a dangerous mission or spending the rest of his life behind bars.

Will Dan Barry uncover the real mastermind behind the conspiracy, or will he become the ultimate pawn in a deadly game?

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org

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Please fill out our super short registration form (click the “Enter Now” button above) by February 28th for a chance to win a set of up to ten copies of one of these great books for your book club! We will randomly choose a winner at the end of the month. This giveaway is open to clubs in the US only (our apologies to friends in other countries). 

Best of luck!

We LOVE Book Clubs!