As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
When life gives you a second chance in a quirky Southern town, you might discover you’re a witch, your high school sweetheart is a wolf-shifter police chief, and someone’s murdering witches. After her divorce, our protagonist returns to Grimm Cove to find the supernatural world is very real—complete with meddlesome ghosts, revelations about fated mates, and her ex-husband’s barely legal girlfriend taking fatal attraction to terrifying new levels. She’s determined to embrace her magical heritage while navigating romance with the Chief of Police who happens to be her destined mate. 🔮
With her best friends by her side, she’s ready to tackle everything from magical mishaps to murder investigations. The small-town charm of Grimm Cove comes alive with paranormal residents, ghostly interference, and a cast of characters who prove the supernatural community has its own brand of Southern hospitality. As she learns to harness her witchy powers, she must also stay one step ahead of a killer targeting witches throughout the region. 🌙
The romance between our newly awakened witch and her wolf-shifter lawman combines second-chance love with supernatural destiny. Their shared history adds depth to their rekindled connection, while the danger surrounding them creates urgency and heat. Between solving murders and managing magical emergencies, they’re rediscovering what brought them together in the first place—and why fate chose them for each other. 💕
Grimm Cove itself becomes a character in this story, with its odd residents, supernatural secrets, and Southern quirks providing endless entertainment. From nosy ghosts offering unsolicited advice to the complications of living in a town where magic and mundane intersect, every page delivers charm and surprises. The blend of mystery, magic, and romance creates an irresistible mix for readers who love their fantasy grounded in relatable small-town dynamics. ✨
What makes this essential: A delightful romantasy debut that combines witchy awakenings, fated mate romance, murder mystery, and Southern charm in a supernatural town where second chances come with magical revelations and your ex’s new girlfriend might literally be hellish. 🌟
Ten years after Daphne Tolliver’s brutal murder in Lowden Woods, retired Detective Inspector Gus Freeman is pulled back into service to lead a new Crime Review Team tasked with solving what others couldn’t. The cold case still haunts Wiltshire Police, and Gus senses vital leads where past detectives saw nothing—puzzling inconsistencies and suppressed details that could finally unlock the truth behind this motiveless killing. But cracking the case is only part of his challenge as he navigates personal loss and professional resurrection. 🔍
Still reeling from the sudden death of his wife Tess, Gus finds solace in his allotment while grappling with the possibility of new companionship. His fledgling Crime Review Team brings their own struggles and strengths to the investigation—particularly DS Alex Hardy, confined to a wheelchair after a devastating crash but determined to prove his sharp mind is as valuable as ever. Together they must balance modern forensic methods with Gus’s instinctive old-school detective approach. 💼
The team delves deep into case files that previous investigators either missed or deliberately ignored, uncovering a web of connections that challenges everything the original investigation concluded. Each member contributes unique perspectives and skills, creating a dynamic that transforms cold case work into compelling detective drama. As they peel back layers of evidence, they discover that solving a decade-old murder requires not just forensic skill but understanding the human motivations buried beneath. 🕵️
The Freeman Files box set delivers classic British detective fiction with heart, combining procedural authenticity with deeply human characters facing their own battles while seeking justice for the forgotten. Gus Freeman emerges as a detective who never stopped caring about the victims, even in retirement, and whose return to the force proves that experience and intuition remain invaluable tools in modern policing. 📚
What makes this essential: A compelling cold case collection featuring a retired detective inspector who returns to crack unsolved murders with a diverse team that proves disability doesn’t diminish capability, grief doesn’t erase purpose, and old-school instincts paired with modern methods can finally deliver justice. ⚖️
After wasting ten years on a man who never proposed, Gina Hall is done with commitment-phobes and ready for someone serious. When her friend dares her to date Ethan—kind, steady, and totally husband material—she agrees, convinced he’s everything she needs. But while planning a farewell party for office charmer Chris Bradley, an unexpected game of Truth or Dare leads Gina into fake-dating the very guy she once wrote off as unserious, and suddenly her carefully laid plans are unraveling. 💕
Chris Bradley seems like the last person Gina should fall for—flirty, playful, and exactly the type she’s sworn off. Yet beneath the charm, he’s thoughtful, fiercely loyal, and unexpectedly easy to open up to in ways that surprise her. What begins as a joke arrangement starts feeling like the realest relationship Gina’s ever experienced, complete with genuine connection and emotional honesty that her “safe” choice with Ethan never quite achieved. 🎭
The fake relationship trope gets a sweet, contemporary twist as Gina discovers that what looks perfect on paper doesn’t always translate to real chemistry and compatibility. Chris challenges her assumptions about what she actually wants versus what she thinks she should want. Their banter crackles with genuine affection, and the “pretend” dates reveal depths to both characters that neither expected to share. 💫
Gina faces an authentic dilemma that many readers will recognize—choosing between the sensible option that checks all the boxes and the unexpected connection that makes her heart race. The office setting adds workplace romance dynamics without overwhelming the central relationship, while the supporting cast of friends provides both comic relief and genuine support as Gina navigates this emotional crossroads. ✨
What makes this essential: A sweet fake-dating romance that asks whether playing it safe with Mr. Right-on-Paper beats taking a chance on Mr. Unexpected-but-Real, proving that sometimes the person who wasn’t part of the plan is exactly who you’ve been looking for all along. 🌟
Manchester, 1940—the minute war was declared, best friends Sally and Deborah volunteered for the home guard, determined to support their boys fighting overseas any way they could. Sally ends up as an Auxiliary Fire Service girl by night and stationed at the salvage depot by day, working amidst scrap metal and waste paper in the unglamorous but essential work of turning saucepans into Spitfires. It’s not the uniform she imagined, but she’s committed to doing her part in the war effort and proving that home front work matters. 🇬🇧
When Sally meets Andrew, a quiet carpenter with a heartbreaking smile who genuinely understands the importance of her salvage work, she finally feels seen and appreciated. Love blossoms in the midst of wartime uncertainty as Andrew recognizes that her efforts to keep calm and carry on are making a real difference. Sally opens up to him in ways she never imagined possible, finding hope and connection even as air raid sirens wail and danger lurks constantly overhead. 💕
But just as Sally allows herself to feel hopeful about the future, a devastating air raid threatens everything she holds dear. Bombs rain down across Manchester, deadly fires destroy homes and lives, and Andrew rushes out to rescue families trapped in the rubble. Sally races toward the plumes of smoke filling the night sky, her heart pounding with dread as she realizes the hardest-hit area has her salvage yard right at its center. ⚡
The novel captures the courage and resilience of ordinary women who kept Britain running while their men fought abroad. Sally’s journey from eager volunteer to battle-tested home front warrior illustrates the real sacrifices made by those who stayed behind—the constant fear, the backbreaking work, the loss, and the determination to carry on no matter what. The romance grounds the wartime drama in human emotion, reminding readers that even in history’s darkest hours, people found reasons to hope. 🌟
What makes this essential: A powerful WWII home front story about a salvage depot worker and her carpenter love who discover that courage comes in many forms—from turning household scrap into Spitfires to racing toward fires instead of away from them when everything you love hangs in the balance. 🔥
Once, Master Commander Carter Rose was humanity’s secret weapon—an augmented, bio-engineered officer commanding the most powerful warship ever created, leading the Union to victory against the post-human Aternien Empire. Then they cast him aside, leaving him essentially immortal but exiled on a forest moon, feared and forgotten for a century. When Major Carina Larsen seeks him out with news that the Aterniens are rising again hell-bent on revenge, Rose initially refuses to help—until he realizes the Union has forgotten how to fight. 🚀
Living bitter and isolated, Rose has watched generations pass while he remains unchanged, a relic of a war the Union would rather forget. His augmented abilities and combat expertise made him invaluable during the conflict, but peacetime had no use for a living weapon. Now the enemy has returned, and the very people who spurned him desperately need the commander they abandoned—but Rose must decide if humanity deserves his loyalty after how they treated him. ⚔️
To save humanity from extinction, Rose must recover his legendary warship, reunite his scattered old crew, and determine where his true allegiance lies. The mission forces him to confront not just external enemies but internal questions about duty, forgiveness, and whether being humanity’s savior means accepting their failures. His crew, if he can find them, may be as reluctant as he is to answer the call after being similarly cast aside. 💫
The novel explores the classic military sci-fi tension between soldier and state, examining what happens when the weapon grows a conscience and the protected show ingratitude. Rose’s journey from bitter exile to reluctant hero tackles themes of redemption, the cost of being engineered for war, and whether immortality is gift or curse when you’re forced to watch everyone you love age and die while you remain frozen in time. 🌌
What makes this essential: A gripping military space opera about humanity’s abandoned super-soldier who must choose between letting an ungrateful civilization fall or becoming their savior one more time—because a secret weapon is only as dangerous as those who dare to wield it. ⚡
Unfaithful
When I arrive unannounced at my husband’s studio in need of a shoulder to cry on after hearing that my best student, Alex, has died, I see a pair of wine glasses drying by the sink and my deepest fear is confirmed: my husband is having an affair. Most women would fall to their knees in tears and throw him out of the house—but I just can’t bring myself to do it. 😱Instead, I go home and cook a healthy dinner for our children, walk the dog and unload the dishwasher without complaint. I will make him see that I’m still the woman he married; attractive, successful, the glue that holds our perfect family together. I need this marriage to work to protect a terrible secret of my own, something that would destroy everything I’ve already sacrificed so much for. But when the police arrive at my door asking questions about Alex’s death that I can’t answer, and threatening text messages start appearing on my phone, I know that someone close has been watching me very carefully. The truth is, there are three people in my marriage, but only one of them is deadly. 💔
Why I’m including this: When I see wine glasses drying at my husband’s studio, my deepest fear is confirmed: he’s having an affair. But I can’t throw him out because I need this marriage to work to protect a terrible secret of my own. When police arrive asking questions about my student Alex’s death and threatening texts appear, I know someone close has been watching me carefully. There are three people in my marriage, but only one of them is deadly.
What happens when a twenty-first-century woman falls for a nineteenth-century man? It’s up to destiny in a witty, captivating, and totally unexpected time-travel romance. Daphne Griffin is a first-year Minnesota resident in emergency medicine when she rides her bike into a man who appears out of thin air. Physically, he’s fine. Confused? Very. He claims he’s Henry MacDonald, from Edinburgh, Scotland, 1885. ⏰The closer Daphne gets to Henry, the more probable the impossible notion of a time traveler looks. The how and why are vitally important to Henry, who needs to return home before his widowed mother and two sisters lose the family business. In the meantime, he’s adjusting to the marvels of twenty-first-century life and his feelings for the irresistible Daphne. As for her? She’s never met a man so charming, or one who makes her so deliriously happy. It has the makings of a perfect romance, if not for the century and a half separating his time from hers. Time is running out to get Henry back home—and for him to decide once and for all where his heart belongs. 💕
Why I’m including this: Emergency medicine resident Daphne Griffin rides her bike into a man who appears out of thin air claiming he’s Henry MacDonald from Edinburgh, Scotland, 1885. Henry needs to return home before his widowed mother and sisters lose the family business, but he’s falling for the irresistible Daphne. It has the makings of a perfect romance, if not for the century and a half separating them.
When a body of a woman is discovered at a lighthouse in the Icelandic town of Akranes, it soon becomes clear that she’s no stranger to the area. Chief Investigating Officer Elma, who has returned to Akranes following a failed relationship, and her colleagues Sævar and Hörður, commence an uneasy investigation, which uncovers a shocking secret in the dead woman’s past that continues to reverberate in the present day. 🔍But as Elma and her team make a series of discoveries, they bring to light a host of long-hidden crimes that shake the entire community. Sifting through the rubble of the townspeople’s shattered memories, they have to dodge increasingly serious threats, and find justice before it’s too late. Eva Bjorg Aegisdóttir delivers international mystery where Icelandic lighthouse bodies uncover shocking secrets reverberating from past to present day as Chief Investigating Officers dodge increasingly serious threats finding justice before too late. 😱
Why I’m including this: A woman’s body discovered at a lighthouse in Akranes proves she’s no stranger to the area. Chief Investigating Officer Elma, who returned following a failed relationship, and her colleagues uncover a shocking secret in the woman’s past that reverberates in the present. As they make discoveries, they bring to light long-hidden crimes that shake the entire community.
Amid the chaos of war, will a new chapter begin? September 1942. Esme Donaldson is still grieving the devastating loss of her husband, Anthony, when she’s forced out of her dream job by wartime budget cuts. Left with few options, Esme faces an uncertain future—until a chance encounter sends her to Redcliffe Manor, a grand estate deep in the Somerset countryside, and an unexpected role as the manor’s librarian. 📚As Esme settles in, she discovers the house is no ordinary country estate. The grounds have been requisitioned by an American military hospital, while the house is sheltering a displaced girls’ boarding school. And as the halls echo with the feet of giggling schoolgirls, the grounds bustle with convalescing soldiers. When she meets a handsome American colonel, the attraction between them is instant. But Esme holds a secret that may ruin everything. Will she find the strength to face her past or be kept from the happiness she deserves? 💕
Why I’m including this: September 1942. Esme Donaldson grieves her husband Anthony while forced from her dream job by wartime budget cuts. A chance encounter sends her to Redcliffe Manor as the librarian where grounds are requisitioned by an American military hospital and the house shelters a displaced girls’ school. When she meets a handsome American colonel, attraction is instant, but Esme holds a secret that may ruin everything.
When I wake up with the sun in my eyes the morning after my daughter’s birthday party, I know something is very wrong. I go straight to her room but feel a surge of panic when I see an empty bed. Who took our little girl? My husband says I’ve been struggling since Skylar was born and that sometimes I forget things. But I remember every moment of my daughter’s party—including him locking the door after our family and friends left. 😱My therapist says I need to stand up for myself. She wants me to confront my husband about the woman I heard him talking to the other night when he thought I was asleep. And about the child’s toy that I found that does not belong to Skylar. Is he hiding something? But as the hours race by I soon realize I was totally wrong about everything that happened that night. I thought I’d put my past behind me long ago but I was wrong. All I know is this: I’ll do whatever it takes to save my child. 💔
Why I’m including this: The morning after my daughter’s birthday party, I wake to an empty bed and surge of panic. My husband says I’ve been struggling and sometimes forget things, but I remember every moment including him locking the door after guests left. My therapist says to confront him about the woman he was talking to and the child’s toy that doesn’t belong to Skylar. I’ll do whatever it takes to save my child.
… See the rest of today ‘s Book Picks here on page 2Page 2