Ellie Dwyer, 61, is convinced bad luck comes in threes, and not just garden-variety oh-well bad luck. She’s had to flee a wildfire and a hurricane, and in between the two natural disasters, her husband of nearly forty years suddenly left her for no reason she could fathom, disappearing without a clue to his whereabouts. You’re never too old to run away from home, apparently. 🚐

Diane Winger writes women’s fiction with a heroine determined to reinvent her life after everything falls apart. Ellie sets out on a journey across the country to nowhere in particular, buying a camper along the way and becoming friends with a remarkable octogenarian. She starts to believe that good luck might also come in threes—or does it? That depends on how she defines good luck. 🌟

Winger captures the specific exhaustion and exhilaration of starting over in your sixties with warmth and wit. Ellie’s journey is less about finding herself and more about deciding who she wants to be now that all the old anchors are gone. The road trip structure gives the story momentum and possibility. ✨

What makes this special: A 61-year-old woman who survived two natural disasters and her husband abandoning her hits the road in a camper—women’s adventure fiction with a heroine reinventing herself, a remarkable octogenarian friend, and the question of whether good luck comes in threes too.

Anna Henderson is guilty of one thing: trusting the wrong man. Now she’s running for her life from an ex-boyfriend who will stop at nothing to find her. The little town of Quintin, Texas seems like the perfect place to lay low, and its quaint diner may just give her the new start she’s looking for. The more she gets to know the diner’s handsome owner, the more of a connection she feels—but she can’t put her heart or his safety at risk. 💔

Melanie D. Snitker writes romantic suspense with genuine stakes and a heroine who knows the danger she’s bringing with her. Joel Ash knows all about second chances—he pulled himself out of a rough past and became a successful restaurant owner. When a nervous woman walks into his diner looking for a job, he can’t say no even though he’s convinced she’s hiding something. He soon finds himself falling for the beautiful stranger. 💕

But when Anna’s past catches up with her, both their lives are thrown into turmoil. Joel’s only thought is to protect Anna and their possible future together at any cost. Snitker balances the romance with the suspense beautifully—the threat is real, the feelings are genuine, and the question of whether they can survive together keeps the pages turning. 😰

Why this grips from page one: A woman running from her dangerous ex takes a job at a small-town Texas diner and falls for the owner—romantic suspense with secret identity, a hero who knows about second chances, genuine stakes, and the question of whether love is worth the risk when it puts both their lives in danger.

Oakland P.I. Jeri Howard finds herself investigating a puzzling missing persons case involving a porn star, a murderer, and a disappearing wife—just a few of the family members sprawling throughout Northern California’s grittier sections. For a woman who told her husband she had no relatives, Renee Foster is actually well-stocked with them, and doozies at that. 🔍

Janet Dawson writes private investigator fiction with genuine complexity and a heroine the New York Times hailed as “a welcome addition to this tough genre.” There’s clearly more here than a simple matter of a wife disappearing with the grocery money. The red-haired detective smells rats from the beginning, following twisty trails as Dawson weaves an equally twisty tale that keeps winding back on itself, revealing brand new secrets as fast as ancient skeletons fall out of closets. 💀

This anthology collects the first five books in the series, giving excellent value for readers ready to commit to Jeri Howard’s Oakland investigations. Dawson populates her mysteries with criminals, abusers, and kindly aunts alike, all coming vividly alive as the complexity builds. 📚

Why I’m including this: Oakland PI Jeri Howard investigates a missing wife with no relatives who turns out to have plenty—anthology collecting the first five books in Janet Dawson’s series, with twisty cases, Northern California grit, secrets upon secrets, and a red-haired detective the New York Times welcomed to the genre.

After her ex announces his wedding to someone else, she’s eager to leave town. A new life and a new job are exactly what she needs to restore her mojo. On the way to her destination, she overnights at a hotel where edible unmentionables and a tattooed orc construction worker rock her world. She sneaks out the next morning, figuring she’ll never see him again. Until she walks into her new job. That hot orc construction worker? He’s her boss. 😱

Ava Ross writes paranormal romance with humor and heat, and the setup here is deliciously awkward. He’s eager to continue where they left off, which would be complicated enough. But those symbols on his wrists? According to orc tradition, they mean they’re married. A new life, a new job, a new orc husband—wait, isn’t he supposed to be her boss? 💚

Ross handles the culture clash and the workplace dynamics with wit, and the chemistry between the heroine and her accidental orc husband is genuinely fun. The “married by orc tradition” twist adds complications neither of them saw coming, and watching them navigate what it means is half the appeal. 🔥

What makes this irresistible: A woman fleeing her ex’s wedding announcement has a one-night stand with a tattooed orc—then discovers he’s her new boss and the symbols on his wrists mean they’re married by orc tradition. Paranormal romance with humor, heat, workplace awkwardness, and accidental marriage complications.

Autumn Buchanan has been in love with Judd Hamilton since the day he saved her on the playground at age six. Twenty-five years of friendship built on loyalty, shared trauma, and unspoken feelings have kept them dancing around the truth. But when her father is released from prison and her house burns to the ground, Autumn realizes she can’t keep running from what she wants. She’s ready to risk everything and tell Judd how she feels. 💕

Kait Nolan writes small-town romantic suspense with genuine emotional stakes and protagonists whose history matters. Judd became a cop for one reason: to protect Autumn when her abusive father got out of prison. He’s spent years keeping his feelings locked down, convinced that staying friends is the only way to keep her safe. But when a stalker begins terrorizing the woman he’d die for, Judd can’t hold back anymore. 🔥

The line between friendship and forever is about to shatter, and the secrets threatening to destroy them both are coming to light. Nolan balances the romance with the suspense beautifully—twenty-five years of friendship can’t be rushed, but it also can’t wait any longer. 😰

Why this touches the heart: A woman in love with her best friend since age six is ready to finally tell him—but her abusive father’s prison release and a stalker force everything into the open. Small-town romantic suspense with twenty-five years of friendship, shared trauma, unspoken feelings, and a cop who became one just to protect her.

Serenity Adams is the newly elected young sheriff in the rural town of Blood Rock, and besides dealing with threatening behavior from her predecessor, she now has a dead Amish girl on her plate. At first glance, the case seems obvious—probably accidentally shot during hunting season. But when the Amish elders and even the girl’s parents react with uncaring, subdued behavior, Serenity becomes suspicious. 🕵️

Karen Ann Hopkins writes crime thriller with attention to the specific tensions between the Amish community and law enforcement. As Serenity delves deeper into the secretive community she grew up beside, she discovers a gruesome crime from the past that may be related to the girl’s shooting. She enlists help from Daniel Bachman, a handsome bad-boy building contractor who left the Amish at nineteen and has his own dark reasons to help. 🔍

Serenity’s persistence leads her to a stunning discovery that threatens to destroy her blossoming romance with Daniel and may even take her life. Hopkins balances the thriller mechanics with the cultural investigation—understanding the Amish community becomes essential to solving the crime. 😰

What makes this a must-read: A young sheriff investigating a dead Amish girl discovers the community’s uncaring reaction hides a gruesome secret—crime thriller with Amish community secrets, a bad-boy ex-Amish contractor, a stunning discovery threatening everything, and a case that may cost the sheriff her life.

2017, London: Aurelia Leclaire inherits an opulent Paris apartment and discovers her grandmother’s hidden secrets—a treasure trove of famous art and couture gowns. One obscure painting leads her to Gabriel Seymour, a highly respected art restorer with his own mysterious past. Together they attempt to uncover the truths concealed within the apartment’s walls, seventy-five years after those secrets were buried. 🎨

Kelly Bowen writes dual-timeline historical fiction with genuine emotional stakes and meticulous period detail. Paris, 1942: Estelle Allard flourishes in glamorous circles even as the Germans occupy the City of Lights, existing in a world separate from the war’s hardships. When the Nazis come for her friends, Estelle doesn’t hesitate to help those she holds dear, no matter the cost. Her actions will have ramifications for generations. 🌹

Bowen sets the timelines seventy-five years apart—a perilous Paris and a prosperous one—and both Estelle and Lia must unearth hidden courage as they navigate the dangers of changing worlds. The novel asks what we’re willing to risk for the people we love, and what secrets we carry forward without knowing their weight. 💎

Why this grips from page one: A woman inherits a Paris apartment filled with famous art and her grandmother’s WWII secrets—dual-timeline historical fiction spanning 1942 occupied Paris and 2017 London, with a heroine who risked everything to save her friends and a descendant uncovering the truth seventy-five years later.

Winter 1939. Britain has been defeated on mainland Europe, and Winston Churchill knows the nation must strike back hard. His solution: recruit a band of eccentric, free-thinking warriors to become the first “deniable” secret operatives behind enemy lines. He offers these volunteers nothing but the potential for glory and all-but-certain death. Some take the deal anyway. 💣

Damien Lewis tells the true story of Churchill’s ungentlemanly warfare—the birth of modern special operations and the men who invented it. These weren’t polished soldiers following protocol; they were mavericks willing to break every rule of “civilized” combat to hit the enemy where it hurt. The operations were deniable, the tactics were brutal, and the survival rate was abysmal. ⚔️

Now a major Guy Ritchie film, the book reveals how desperate times called for desperate measures, and how a group of unconventional fighters changed the course of the war by doing things the British military would never officially sanction. Lewis writes military history with narrative drive and attention to the human cost. 🎖️

What makes this a must-read: The true story of Churchill’s eccentric secret operatives—the first “deniable” warriors behind enemy lines in WWII. Military special forces history with nothing offered but potential glory and certain death, now a major Guy Ritchie film, revealing how ungentlemanly warfare changed the war.

Perfect. Privileged. Strong. Spoiled. Uptight. Useless. If Pierre and Logan have anything in common, it’s their ability to invite snap judgments based on shallow views of who they are. Logan is the privileged only daughter of a respected family whose legacy runs long and deep. Pierre is the moody, orphaned son of big screen royalty who couldn’t possibly live up to the prestige of his pedigree. Or maybe not. 💫

Christina C. Jones writes contemporary romance with emotional intelligence and protagonists who refuse to be flattened into stereotypes. Perhaps Pierre and Logan are just two people trying to navigate the pressures of a world hellbent on telling them what they should be, and eschewing the limits of other people’s expectations. Maybe what they need most is somebody who can see beyond the shallow first impressions. 💕

Jones sets up the premise with precision: two people trapped by their reputations, desperate for one person they can allow to see behind the scenes of who they are. The romance becomes a refuge from performing for everyone else, and the question of whether they have more in common than it seems gives the book its emotional center. ✨

What makes this special: A privileged legacy daughter and a moody son of Hollywood royalty discover they both need someone who can see past snap judgments—contemporary romance with depth, two people escaping the limits of expectations, and the refuge of being seen for who you actually are.

London, 1654. In the teeming warren of spies, exiles, and assassins that is Cromwell’s London, the Lord Protector’s most feared agent is Damian Seeker. No one knows where he comes from or even his real name. But one thing is certain—nothing remains hidden from him for long. He’s the man you call when you need the truth, no matter how ugly. 🕵️

S.G. MacLean writes historical mystery with atmosphere and a protagonist who’s genuinely compelling. When a popular captain and hero of Cromwell’s army is murdered, Elias Ellingworth—an outspoken critic of the regime—is found standing over the bleeding body clutching a knife. His guilt seems without question. Seeker isn’t convinced. He knows better than any man where to search for the real killer. 🔍

MacLean captures the paranoia and intrigue of Cromwell’s London beautifully, and Seeker is the perfect guide through its dangers—a man whose job requires him to understand every shadow and secret in a city full of both. The first in a captivating spy thriller series set in 17th century London. 🗡️

Why this grips from page one: Cromwell’s most feared agent investigates when an army hero is murdered and a regime critic is found with the bloody knife—historical mystery set in 1654 London’s warren of spies and assassins, with a protagonist who knows nothing stays hidden for long. First in a captivating series.