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Melanie Shawn
FREE
Contemporary Romance
As legal guardian of her nephews for a year and a half now, you’d think Allison would have this kid-raising thing figured out. 💕 Nope. She’s yet to gain access to the secret internal lie detector other parents seem to have, and is still losing the battle against the mysterious teen boy odors marinating in their room. Did she mention they’re twins? As in double the trouble (thank goodness for forgiving town sheriff). Really, she’s just out of her depth here.
To be fair though, this wasn’t meant to be a solo mission. 😍 Nooo. She was supposed to have had a co-pilot to help out from day one. Kade McKnight, real life action hero hunk extraordinaire, would’ve been the perfect male authority figure for the boys…had he not vanished off the face of the planet.
Well, it appears his holy-hotness has returneth. 🔥 And now that Kade’s on her doorstep here to stay, Ali isn’t sure whether to hug him or slug him. She’s leaning toward both…
After a year and a half away from the beautiful honey-colored eyes he’d always loved having stare up at him, Kade finds himself smiling for the first time in months. 💔 Sweet Allison Walsh. Still a sight for sore eyes.
Leaving town the way he did had been for the best then, truly. ✨ Having survived a childhood he wouldn’t wish on his meanest MMA opponent, there’s no way he could’ve been a good co-legal guardian. So, he’d set up financial support to help Ali the only way he could while he got his life in order. But, judging by her spitting mad glare, clearly, that had been far from enough.
What you’re getting: Melanie Shawn has built a devoted following with her emotionally rich small-town romances, and this Whisper Lake series opener delivers everything readers love about her work: second chances, found family dynamics, and heroes who fight their way back to the women they’ve never stopped loving. If guardian romances with swoony reunions are your weakness, grab this one now!
Melanie Shawn
FREE
Contemporary Romance
Lately, Jessa Myers has been batting a thousand in the dating game. 😅 No exaggeration, it’s brutal out there. But, she’s not giving up. Doesn’t matter how much she loves Elvis Pawsley and Marilyn Purroe, Jessa’s determined not to become the spinster town cat lady.
Only one problem: No guy has yet to live up to her childhood crush/teenage infatuation/adult obsession, Ethan Steele. 💕 The big, bad, brooding U.S. Marshal is yes, ridiculously hot, but also way too overprotective. It’s that way with everyone who knew her before her long-awaited heart transplant. They all get the same hyper-worried look when she so much as sneezes still. Sure, intense hulk-growl concern is swoony and all, but she wants a man to see her as more than that girl she once was.
So, if that means she needs to settle for someone not nearly as knee-wobbling as Ethan, then that’s just what she needs to do… 😔
Lately, Ethan’s been at his wits’ end. 💔 No exaggeration, loving Jessa for as long as he can remember hasn’t been easy. But, she’s worth it. Doesn’t matter how much she insists that his mere existence in her past means zero possibility of a future for them, he’s not giving up.
Only one problem: Jessa’s been dating loser after loser to try and find her Mr. Perfect to one day marry, probably have more cats with, and a long happy future. 🔥 She just refuses to believe Ethan doesn’t see her as the girl he once worried over. No, the only thing worrying him now is the stubborn beauty he’s crazy in love with continuing to let her head overrule her heart and slipping out of his life for good.
Here’s why this matters: The second installment in Melanie Shawn’s Whisper Lake series tackles the friends-to-lovers trope with heart-tugging depth, exploring how healing from the past sometimes means risking everything with the person who’s been there all along. Perfect for fans of protective heroes who’ve been pining for years!
Melanie Shawn
FREE
Contemporary Romance
He keeps to himself, but she can’t stop thinking about him. 💭
She’s off-limits, but he can’t stay away from her. 🔥
Things in Whisper Lake are about to get complicated. 😍
Single mom Brynn Daniels has her hands full with her teenage son, working full time, and getting ambushed periodically when her mom rents out the backyard garage apartment on Airbnb without letting her know. 💼 She doesn’t have time for romance. She certainly doesn’t have time to deal with an absentee father who is in witness protection with his “real” family or the sexy, mysterious stranger who shows up on her front door.
Former Marine Axel Vaughn learned at a young age that the only person he can depend on is himself. 💪 He never allows emotions to interfere in his life; professionally or personally. But that all changes when he shows up to his newest assignment and a gorgeous, redhead answers the door.
What drew me in: Melanie Shawn continues her beloved Whisper Lake series with a romance that pairs emotional vulnerability with sizzling chemistry, proving that sometimes the person you least expect becomes exactly what you need. This one’s calling your name if you love wounded warriors and single mom romances!
Melanie Shawn
FREE
Contemporary Romance
Sign divorce papers…check ✅ Road trip to Whisper Lake…check Fall in love… 💕
Sara Kellan was ready to start the next chapter in her life. With two little ones depending on her, the blue-eyed beauty knew she had no choice but to find her way again. 💪 What she didn’t know was that she might find something more than she bargained for in Whisper Lake.
Break off engagement…check ✅ Return to Whisper Lake to settle B&B business…check Meet the love of his life… 😍
Austin Stone was finally ready to step up as the owner of his late grandparents B&B. After serving his country, the sexy Marine sniper knew that he had to face his past in Whisper Lake. 🏡 What he didn’t know was that he just might come face to face with his future as well.
After putting everyone else’s needs in front of her own, will Sara finally be able to let someone else take the wheel? 💭
After losing so many people he’s loved, will Austin be able to let someone else in? ❤️
Discover the magic of Whisper Lake in Made for You. 🌟
What you’re getting: The fourth book in Melanie Shawn’s Whisper Lake series brings together two wounded souls learning to trust again, set against the cozy backdrop of a charming B&B where healing and hope bloom alongside unexpected love. Grab this if you’re craving fresh starts and swoon-worthy Marines!
Jordan Vezina
FREE
Conspiracy Thrillers
Jack Bonafide thought being a founding member of Delta Force would be the most important thing he ever did – but he was dead wrong. 💣
Now the Soviets have a gun to America’s head and only he can stop them from pulling the trigger! 🎯
Even within the intelligence community, the Black Tsar was considered to be a myth – the most powerful hydrogen bomb in human history, secretly constructed by the Soviets and capable of near-Biblical levels of human destruction. ☢️
Only, the Black Tsar was never a myth – and twenty years after the weapon went missing from a darkened warehouse in Sarov, Russia, it’s now been tracked to somewhere within the United States. 🔥
The Black Tsar is the first full-length novel featuring Jack Bonafide, written by the critically acclaimed talent behind the Jericho Black and Jacob Mitzak series of taut, historical thrillers. 📚
Here’s the deal: Jordan Vezina brings his signature blend of historical authenticity and pulse-pounding suspense to this Cold War thriller, drawing on his acclaimed track record with the Jericho Black and Jacob Mitzak series to deliver a debut that hits like a tactical strike. If you love high-stakes espionage and ticking-clock tension, this one’s a must-read!
Murder in Miniature at Honeychurch Hall
Author: Hannah Dennison
Regularly $3.99, Today $0.99
Amateur Sleuth Mysteries
When a body found on the Honeychurch Hall estate proves to be that of a villager who had supposedly moved to Ireland years earlier, tongues start wagging and theories abound. Charlie Green had always been a rogue.
Although Charlie’s demise happened well before the arrival of Kat Stanford, antiques dealer and amateur sleuth; Kat is drawn into the mystery when she finds two rare miniature portraits hidden inside a custom-made dollhouse of Honeychurch Hall.
When Charlie’s aunt suffers a mysterious fatal fall, suspicion lands on a stranger who is holidaying in the newly installed shepherd’s hut in the walled garden-one of Lady Lavinia’s latest hare-brained moneymaking schemes. Although there is indeed something suspicious about the tourist, Kat believes the real murderer is lurking in the world of antiques . . .
With tales of blackmail, infidelity and greed gripping the Devonshire countryside, the past and present collide and Kat realises that the miniatures harbour secrets that someone is willing to kill for . . . 🏰
Why I’m including this: The miniature portraits hidden in a dollhouse add a charming, visual hook to this English countryside mystery. Dennison weaves antiques expertise into the plot organically, and the Honeychurch Hall setting promises cozy British atmosphere with dark secrets. Under a dollar for a full-length mystery with multiple murders and period charm.
Author: Oren Harman
Regularly $17.99, Today $2.99
Science History & Philosophy
We no longer think, like the ancient Chinese did, that the world was hatched from an egg, or, like the Maori, that it came from the tearing-apart of a love embrace. The Greeks told of a tempestuous Hera and a cunning Zeus, but we now use genes and natural selection to explain fear and desire, and physics to demystify the workings of the universe.
Science is an astounding achievement, but are we really any wiser than the ancients? Has science revealed the secrets of fate and immortality? Has it provided protection from jealousy or love? There are those who believe that science has replaced faith, but must it also be a death knell for mythology?
Evolutions brings to life the latest scientific thinking on the birth of the universe and the solar system, the journey from a single cell all the way to our human minds. Reawakening our sense of wonder, Oren Harman uses modern science to create new and original mythologies. Here are the earth and the moon presenting a cosmological view of motherhood, a panicking mitochondrion introducing sex and death to the world. Science may not solve our existential puzzles, but like the age-old legends, its magical discoveries can help us continue the never-ending search.
“Breathtaking . . . The processes of evolution are at times so huge and ungraspable for the mind—so magical—that they can perhaps only be fathomed through the language of myth . . . Brilliant.” —Karin Altenberg, Wall Street Journal ✨
What makes this special: Harman bridges the gap between scientific explanation and mythological wonder, treating cosmic and evolutionary events as new creation stories. Instead of seeing science as mythology’s replacement, he shows how both serve our need for meaning. The Wall Street Journal’s praise and the dramatic price drop make this a steal for anyone fascinated by where science and storytelling meet.
Author: Evandro Caregnato
Regularly $17.99, Today $3.99
Latin American Cooking
The gaucho chef shares the secrets of traditional Brazilian grilling with more than 70 recipes plus stories and photos of rustic outdoor gaucho cooking.
Join Chef Evandro Caregnato on a culinary journey to discover the authentic Gaucho style of grilling meats called Churrasco. A native gaucho—or South American cowboy—Caregnato grew up in the birthplace of churrasco, Rio Grande do Sul. Now he is the culinary director for the award-winning churrascaria, Texas de Brazil.
In Churrasco, Caregnato explains how the gauchos from southern Brazil prepare and cook meats over an open fire and shares more than seventy recipes from both his hometown and Texas de Brazil’s restaurants. Featuring stories of gaucho life and over 100 mouth-watering photographs, this book teaches readers how to master the art of churrasco and shows why so many people are falling in love with picanha, chimichurri and caipirinhas! 🥩
Why I’m including this: Authentic gaucho grilling techniques from a chef who grew up in the tradition and now runs award-winning churrascarias. The combination of 70+ recipes, cultural stories, and 100+ photos makes this both a cookbook and a cultural experience. At $3.99, it’s a fraction of the original price for restaurant-quality Brazilian barbecue at home.
Author: The Williams-Sonoma Test Kitchen
Regularly $14.99, Today $3.99
Cake Baking
Bake something beautiful with this incomparable, photo-filled collection of classic and creative cakes.
Simple, easy-to-follow directions, ideas for customizing, decorating tips and techniques, and common baking-mistake solutions will help bakers of every level make the most of this book. Organized by basic, modern, and specialty cakes, and including forty recipes and full-color photography, there’s a cake for every occasion.
You’ll find essential frostings, meringue, and other cake toppers. Discover reinvented classics, such as Champagne and Raspberry Mini Layer Cake, Rose and Vanilla Bean Mini Tea Cakes, Coconut and Lime Curd Layer Cake, Blood Orange Chiffon Cake, Dulce de Leche Crepe Cake, and Brown Butter and Plum Upside Down Cake. And when it comes to celebrations and parties, this book has you covered with recipes like Vanilla and Berry Ombre Layer Cake, Chocolate, Coconut and Caramel Sheet Cake, and 8-Layer Honey Pistachio Cake. This beautiful collection of classic and new favorites, developed by the Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen, is fit for occasions year-round. 🍰
What makes this special: Williams-Sonoma’s test kitchen expertise means these recipes are foolproof, and the baking-mistake solutions are invaluable for home bakers. The range from simple to showstopping (8-layer honey pistachio!) means there’s something for every skill level. Full-color photos throughout and 40 recipes at this price make it exceptional value.
Author: Erin Nicholas
Regularly $9.99, Today $1.99
Romantic Comedy
Kiera Connelly leads a quiet life, and that’s just how she likes it. She’s built a name as a graphic designer and meets up with her friends online, all from the comfort of her living room couch. But when a rare outing turns disastrous, Kiera finds herself up close and way too personal with an unbelievably hot real-life hero.
Zach Ashley doesn’t see himself as a hero. He’s just a regular guy who gets to help people every day as an EMT. But when he’s called to a scene and has to treat his most gorgeous patient ever, he finds himself mixing work with pleasure. He never hesitates to put his life on the line…but will he ever risk his heart? 🚑
Why I’m including this: The homebody graphic designer meets outgoing EMT setup delivers classic opposites-attract tension, and the “treating his patient then falling for her” premise is romantically charged. Nicholas specializes in small-town romance with heart and humor. Under $2 for a full-length romantic comedy.
Author: J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Regularly $6.99, Today $1.99
Horror Fiction Classics
Before Dracula, there was Carmilla—the first seductive vampire to haunt readers’ imaginations
This classic of Gothic horror follows Laura, a woman haunted by a girlhood dream of a beautiful visitor to her bedroom. Now, a decade later, Laura finds Carmilla, who appears to be her own age, on the side of the road after a carriage accident. The two recognize each other from the same childhood dream and become fast friends. Soon after, Laura begins to experience mysterious feelings and is once again haunted by nightmares. She finds Carmilla strangely irresistible and longs to be with her.
But as the two friends grow closer, Laura’s health begins to fail. It becomes apparent that her enchanting companion is harboring a sinister secret. To free herself from Carmilla’s grasp, Laura and her family must fight for their lives.
This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices. 🌙
What makes this special: Published in 1872, twenty-five years before Dracula, this introduced the seductive female vampire archetype that influenced everything from Anne Rice to Buffy. The homoerotic subtext was groundbreaking for Victorian literature, and the slow-burn horror still unsettles. Essential reading for vampire literature fans at under $2.
… See the rest of today ‘s Book Picks here on page 2Page 2