When my best friend and I decide to open our dream bakery, Sugar & Spice, I expect endless nights of kneading dough and dusting sugar cookies with holiday magic. I’m prepared for the challenges of entrepreneurship—the long hours, the financial uncertainty, the constant pressure to perfect every recipe. What I don’t expect? My business-savvy bestie reaching out to Asher Mercer—Chicago’s most eligible bachelor and the same guy who starred in all my high school daydreams. 🎄
He’s everything I remember—devastatingly handsome, wickedly charming—with a gaze that makes my knees weak and my pulse race faster than an industrial mixer. The years have only made him more confident, more successful, more impossible to ignore. I’m not that quiet girl hiding behind textbooks anymore, but sitting across from him in a high-stakes business meeting, watching him study my proposal like he’s savoring the last bite of dessert, has my composure threatening to crack.
Between building our business and perfecting every recipe these last few years, I’ve convinced myself that love is just another ingredient I don’t have time to measure. My focus has been singular: make Sugar & Spice a success, prove to myself that I can create something lasting and meaningful. Romance was something I’d deal with later, once everything else fell into place.
But when Asher starts showing up more often with questions about dreams that have nothing to do with profit margins—when he remembers my favorite type of frosting and asks about the stories behind my grandmother’s recipes—I feel my carefully constructed walls beginning to crumble like an overbaked cookie. He’s not just interested in investing in the bakery; he’s interested in understanding what drives me, what keeps me up at night, what makes me laugh when flour covers every surface. 💕
As Christmas approaches and Sugar & Spice prepares for its biggest season yet, I’m faced with a choice: stick to my safe, predictable plan, or take a risk on the one ingredient I’ve been too afraid to add to my life—love.
What makes this irresistible: Winter serves up the perfect blend of sweet romance and holiday warmth, with a heroine you’ll root for and a second-chance love story that feels earned. The bakery setting adds delicious detail without overwhelming the emotional journey.
The classic Gothic novel that inspired the blockbuster musical and countless adaptations.
There is a ghost in the Paris Opera House. Singers, dancers, and stagehands have all seen him lurking in the shadows of the set, and each describes his face differently. Some say it is on fire, others that it is bare bone, and a terrified few say that he has no face at all. The phantom commands Box Five for every performance, drops chandeliers when displeased, and communicates through cryptic notes that demand obedience. Outsiders dismiss the stories as theatrical superstition, but soon the phantom will reveal himself—and the Opera will never be the same. 🎭
A crew member is found hanged, and every denizen of the theater is quick to blame the phantom. The managers receive threatening letters, demanding they follow his instructions precisely or face dire consequences. More deaths follow, unexplained accidents that grow increasingly sinister, until the phantom is forced to make himself known in the most spectacular manner possible—interrupting a performance to claim what he believes is rightfully his.
But when the mysterious ghost begins to admire a beautiful young singer named Christine Daaé, recognizing in her voice a talent worthy of his tutelage, it is the beginning of something magnificent: a love story as heartfelt and tragic as any opera ever staged. The phantom, disfigured and isolated from society, finds in Christine both his muse and his only connection to humanity. Yet his obsessive devotion leads him down increasingly dark paths as he schemes to make her his own, regardless of her feelings or the young man who loves her. 🎶
What begins as supernatural mystery transforms into a Gothic romance that explores the nature of beauty, the power of obsession, and whether love can exist without freedom. Leroux weaves together horror, romance, and tragedy into a story that has captivated readers for over a century.
Why this deserves to be rediscovered: The original novel is darker, stranger, and more psychologically complex than the famous musical, offering a portrait of obsession and isolation that goes far beyond the love triangle. Leroux’s phantom is simultaneously sympathetic and terrifying—a true Gothic creation.
Sally Guisepe never expected to see her husband sent off to war immediately after they got married. They’d had so little time together—just days of newlywed bliss before he was called away to fight. Unfortunately, her life falls to pieces once again when she receives news of her husband’s death, delivered by a grim-faced officer who offers condolences but no comfort. To make matters even worse, she also has to navigate her first pregnancy while nursing a broken heart, facing motherhood alone in a frontier town where widows struggle to survive. 💔
Unable to support herself with the few skills she possesses and no family nearby to help, she fears for her baby’s well-being and wonders how she’ll manage once the child arrives. But thankfully she is saved by the young new doctor in town, James Harper, who steps in to offer medical care without expectation of payment. When his calming presence and genuine concern offer her the chance for peace amid her grief, she grasps it tightly… but what happens when that offer is complicated by emotions that she never meant to develop? Can her heart survive another war—this time, one fought within herself? 🌟
James Harper has always dreamed of starting his own medical practice, establishing himself as the physician this growing frontier town desperately needs. Settling down or finding someone to love is the last thing on his mind—he’s focused entirely on building his career and reputation. When he steps in to help Sally Guisepe in her time of need though, providing care for both her pregnancy and her grieving heart, he finds himself drawn in by her kind nature, quiet strength, and the way she faces adversity with dignity. Despite his best intentions to maintain professional boundaries, he can’t seem to keep his professional demeanor in place when it comes to her.
Yet James is determined to set his feelings aside and do everything he can to ensure that Sally and her baby are taken care of, even as every visit makes it harder to pretend he doesn’t care for her as more than a patient. He knows she’s vulnerable, still mourning the husband she lost, and the last thing he wants is to take advantage of her situation. Will he be able to ignore the call of his heart forever or is he doomed to chase Sally away when everything comes to light and she realizes the depth of his feelings? ❤️
Why this touches the heart: Dunham crafts a tender, emotionally honest romance that deals with grief, second chances, and the courage it takes to love again. The frontier setting adds authenticity while the characters’ struggles feel timeless and deeply human.
Quest Academy: Silvers
Author: Brian J. Nordon
Regularly $4.99, Today $2.49
British & Irish Literature
A world infested by demons. An Academy designed to train Heroes to save humanity from annihilation. A new student’s power could make all the difference.
Humans have been pushed to the brink of extinction by an ever-evolving demonic threat. Portals are opening faster than ever, Towers bursting into the skies and Dungeons being mined below the last safe havens of society. The demons are winning, and humanity’s grip on survival grows more tenuous with each passing day.
Quest Academy stands defiantly against them, as a place to train the next generation of Heroes. The Guild Association is holding the line, but are in dire need of new blood and the powerful abilities they could bring to the battlefront. To be the saviors that humanity needs, they need to surpass the limits of those that came before them—because the old ways are no longer enough.
In a war with everything on the line, every power matters. With an adaptive enemy, comes the need for a constant shift in tactics. A new age of strategy is emerging, with even the unlikeliest of Heroes making an impact. The rules of combat are being rewritten, and those who can’t adapt won’t survive.
Salvatore Argento has never seen a demon. He has never aspired to become a Hero. Yet his power might be the one to tip the odds in humanity’s favor. As he enters Quest Academy, he’ll discover whether he has what it takes to join the fight—and whether humanity’s last hope rests on the shoulders of someone who never wanted to be a hero at all. 🗡️
Why this deserves your attention: Fresh take on the portal fantasy and academy training genres with compelling world-building, a protagonist who subverts the typical Hero archetype, and a magic system that rewards strategic thinking over raw power.
Author: Devney Perry
Regularly $6.99, Today $3.49
Small Town Romance
As Calamity’s newest resident, Everly Christian thought life in small-town Montana would be dull and tame—and she needs a little mundane after the last few chaotic years. She’s ready for peace, quiet, and a predictable routine that doesn’t involve any drama or complications.
But one night, boredom drives her to the local bar, where she finds herself sitting beside a handsome and mysterious artist. The man is anything but dull and tame, especially in the bedroom, and when she steps out of his shower and overhears his conversation, life gets interesting again—very interesting.
Reese Huxley needs a wife. And why shouldn’t Everly be the bride? It’s a practical arrangement, a solution to a problem, and they barely know each other anyway. What could possibly go wrong?
She’s got her reasons for agreeing to the hasty nuptials—reasons she’s keeping to herself. As long as she can stop herself from falling in love with her husband, she’ll make it out of this sham marriage in one piece. It’s just business, after all. Just a temporary arrangement that benefits them both.
But Everly has a weakness for wayward men, and the more Hux pushes her away, the more she realizes this bluff is anything but a lie. Real feelings are developing, walls are coming down, and what started as a convenient fiction is becoming the most genuine relationship either of them has ever had. The question is whether Hux can see it too—before Everly’s heart is broken beyond repair. 💍
What makes this unmissable: Perry crafts a marriage-of-convenience story with genuine emotional stakes, witty banter, and small-town charm that feels authentic rather than saccharine. The push-pull dynamic between Everly and Hux crackles with chemistry and heart.
Author: A. R. Torre
Regularly $4.99, Today $2.49
Domestic Thrillers
Welcome to the neighborhood. Watch your husband, watch your friends, and watch your back.
Cat Winthorpe has worked hard to get what she has: a gorgeous home; social standing; and William, her successful, handsome husband. She’s cultivated the perfect life in an exclusive neighborhood where everything gleams with prosperity and success. Then a friendly new couple moves into the estate next door.
While cautious, a good neighbor like Cat greets them with open arms and warm hospitality. After all, that’s what people do in neighborhoods like this—they maintain appearances, they play nice, they welcome newcomers into the fold.
Neena Ryder isn’t a fellow lady of leisure. A life coach with off-the-rack dresses, personal issues, and a husband who hasn’t delivered, she’s anxious to move up in the world. This beautiful new town is a step in the right direction. It’s also making Neena aware of what she doesn’t have. Namely, William.
When Neena’s infatuation escalates into obsession, it’s just a matter of eliminating a few obstacles to get the life she wants. The life next door. What starts as admiration curdles into something far more dangerous, and Neena begins to scheme, plot, and manipulate her way toward the prize she’s decided she deserves.
As Neena’s secret fixation grows, so does her friendship with Cat. But beneath their cordial interactions is a wealth of temptations, secrets, and toxic jealousy. For both women, the desire for a perfect life can turn perfectly dangerous. One wants to keep what she has, the other wants to take it—and only one of them can win. 🏡
Why you should grab this: Torre expertly ratchets up tension in this psychological thriller that explores how the pursuit of perfection can turn deadly, examining class envy, marital dynamics, and the dangerous territory where obsession meets opportunity.
… See the rest of today ‘s Book Picks here on page 3Page 3