**Charlotte Madsen’s whole world came crashing down six months ago with the words, “I met someone else.”** Thirty-seven, recently divorced, and childless—that’s Charlotte when she disembarks from the plane in Getaway Bay. She wants to get away, that’s for sure. She thought the best way to do that was to buy a run-down house overlooking the bay, knowing she’ll need all her fixer-upper skills to get it in shape. Which is just fine. She’s hoping as she overhauls the house, she’ll get a life makeover too. New paint, new floors, new Charlotte. 🏝️

She was not expecting a tall, handsome man to be under the kitchen sink when she arrives at the supposedly abandoned house. She wasn’t expecting to get drenched when the non-plumber twists something the wrong way. And she certainly wasn’t expecting **her heart to be well enough to feel anything for anyone.** But former Air Force pilot Dawson Dane has a charming devil-may-care personality, and Charlotte could use some carefree laughter in her life after six months of crying into her wine. 💕

But everything with Dawson isn’t sunshine and unicorns. **He’s estranged from his family,** though he does speak to one of his brothers. And he’s never committed to anything except his career, even choosing flying over an engagement years ago. Between renovating a house that has more problems than she expected, healing a heart that’s still raw from betrayal, and falling for a man who’s never stayed anywhere long enough to unpack, Charlotte discovers that sometimes the best fixer-upper projects are the ones that fix you back. The question is: can two broken people build something whole together? 🔧

What makes this heartwarming: Thirty-seven-year-old Charlotte’s world crashing down with “I met someone else,” buying run-down Getaway Bay house for life makeover, finding tall handsome former Air Force pilot under kitchen sink, Dawson Dane’s charming devil-may-care personality despite family estrangement, and heart unexpectedly well enough to feel again.

Victorian London is a city of contrasts—gaslit streets and shadowed alleys, medical progress and medieval superstition, scientific discovery and unspeakable crimes. Dr. Anton Kronberg, one of London’s most respected medical examiners, has seen death in all its forms. But when bodies start appearing with wounds that defy medical explanation, even he is disturbed. **The victims are London’s forgotten—prostitutes, beggars, the nameless poor who disappear without anyone noticing.** They’re killed with surgical precision, their bodies left as silent witnesses to horrors Anton can barely imagine. 🔬

Scotland Yard Inspector Sherlock Holmes enters the investigation, his legendary deductive methods clashing with Anton’s scientific approach. Holmes suspects a pattern, a killer with medical knowledge and a twisted purpose. But as they delve deeper into London’s underbelly—visiting workhouses, asylums, and the laboratories where medical research crosses ethical boundaries—they discover something far more sinister than a simple murderer. **Someone is conducting experiments on the living and the dead,** and the conspiracy reaches into the highest levels of society. 🕵️

Anton harbors secrets of his own, secrets that could destroy everything if discovered. Working alongside the brilliant but abrasive Holmes, navigating Victorian society’s rigid expectations, and racing to stop a killer who sees human lives as nothing more than research subjects, Anton must decide: how much truth is worth revealing when the cost could be everything? Between medical mysteries, gothic atmosphere, and a partnership forged in London’s darkest corners, some witnesses remain silent forever. 🌫️

What makes this atmospheric: Victorian London medical examiner Dr. Anton Kronberg finding bodies with wounds defying explanation, victims being London’s forgotten poor killed with surgical precision, Sherlock Holmes suspecting pattern with medical knowledge, discovering someone conducting experiments on living and dead, and conspiracy reaching highest society levels.

**A rogue government faction—AC10—is out for blood.** FIRE (Federal Investigations and Reconnaissance Enforcement) is the only thing standing in their way, and AC10 has spent years infiltrating, undermining, and destroying FIRE from the inside. Now they’re ready for the endgame, and the body count is rising. FIRE agent Isobel “Izzy” O’Keefe doesn’t back down from a fight. **Smart, deadly, and armed with a custom taser whip,** she lives to take down threats that regular law enforcement can’t handle. 🔫

But when her body begins showing signs of **a mysterious neurodegenerative illness**—tremors during combat, memory lapses, deteriorating motor control—and her partner is captured by AC10, Izzy’s mission turns personal fast. She’s running out of time in more ways than one. FBI profiler A.J. Cooper is sent undercover as Izzy’s new partner to expose the traitor leaking intel from inside FIRE. Working alongside her is part of the job. **Falling for her isn’t.** Especially when the enemy always seems to be one step ahead, suggesting the mole is closer than anyone wants to admit. 💔

As AC10 prepares to weaponize stolen biometric tech that could turn every smartphone into a surveillance device and every fitness tracker into a remote kill switch, Coop and Izzy must navigate deadly traps, shifting loyalties, and **the ticking time bomb of her failing health.** One misstep could cost them the mission—and each other. Between exposing a traitor who knows their every move, stopping biometric weaponization, and racing against Izzy’s degenerative illness, some battles can’t be won with a taser whip alone. ⚡

What makes this explosive: Rogue government faction AC10 out for blood with FIRE standing in their way, agent Izzy O’Keefe armed with custom taser whip showing signs of mysterious neurodegenerative illness, partner captured making mission personal, FBI profiler A.J. Cooper sent undercover falling for her, and AC10 weaponizing stolen biometric tech as her health fails.

A treasure lost to time, a string of stolen artifacts, and one archaeologist determined to expose the truth. **The year is 1521, and Tenochtitlán burns.** Wracked by plague and war, the majestic Aztec empire begins to crumble as Spanish conquistadors and hordes of vengeful tribes converge on their beloved capital. As their beloved capital city falls to the ruthless Spaniards, the Aztecs make a last-ditch attempt to secretly save their heritage before it’s lost to the sands of time forever. What they hide will remain undiscovered for five centuries. 🏛️

Meanwhile in the modern day, **a string of high-profile robberies lays waste to archaeological sites and museums across Mesoamerica,** overshadowed by a brewing nationalistic fervor which threatens to topple already fragile countries. Rumors say the artifacts hold the secret to a legendary myth—The Seven Cities of Cibola—which has concealed countless treasures for centuries. Someone is assembling pieces of a puzzle that was meant to stay buried. 💎

Faced with unraveling the mysteries of both the present and the past, aspiring archaeologist Nick LaBounty embarks on **a dangerous mission to solve a long-held family mystery** and discover the truth behind the stolen artifacts. He soon finds his fate irreversibly entangled with a civilization from over five hundred years ago. But time is running out, and the future of both a fabulous treasure—and all Central America—teeters precariously in the balance. Between decoding Aztec secrets, stopping artifact thieves with deadly intent, and uncovering family history that connects him to 1521, Nick discovers that some treasures are worth dying for—and someone is willing to kill for them. 🗿

What makes this thrilling: 1521 Tenochtitlán burning as Aztec empire crumbles with last-ditch attempt to save heritage, modern day high-profile robberies laying waste to Mesoamerican archaeological sites, rumors artifacts hold secret to Seven Cities of Cibola, archaeologist Nick LaBounty solving long-held family mystery, and fate entangled with civilization from five hundred years ago.

It’s a family tradition. **Every single Appleton sister has met her husband at their parents’ annual Christmas ball.** Every single sister except for Honora, that is. Determined to maintain her independence and avoid the matrimonial fate that’s befallen her siblings like dominoes, the last thing the youngest Appleton sister wants is to be caught kissing a marquess under the mistletoe. She’s quite happy sipping warm cider and watching everyone else fall in love, thank you very much. Besides, who needs a husband when you have sisters, nieces, nephews, and freedom? 🎄

Then **a handsome stranger arrives and suddenly the cider is no longer the hottest thing in the room.** As sparks begin to fly faster than snowflakes outside the ballroom windows, will Honora be the first in her family to break tradition… or follow in her sisters’ footsteps and run towards the nearest mistletoe? The mysterious marquess seems determined to spend the evening by her side, his dark eyes promising adventures her independent life has never offered. 💕

Between dodging well-meaning relatives, resisting a nobleman who makes her pulse race in very un-independent ways, and trying to figure out why the Christmas ball suddenly feels less like a family obligation and more like destiny, Honora discovers that sometimes the best traditions are the ones you didn’t plan on following. And sometimes the best Christmas presents come wrapped in a marquess’s smile under strategically placed mistletoe. The question is: will she kiss him before midnight, or will her independence win out over the magic of Christmas? 🌟

What makes this charming: Every Appleton sister meeting husband at parents’ annual Christmas ball except determined independent Honora, handsome stranger arriving making cider no longer hottest thing in room, sparks flying as she decides whether to break tradition, and discovering Christmas magic under mistletoe with mysterious marquess.

Updated with a brand-new selection of desserts and treats, the fully illustrated Sally’s Baking Addiction cookbook offers **more than 80 scrumptious recipes** for indulging your sweet tooth—featuring a chapter of healthier dessert options, including some vegan and gluten-free recipes. It’s no secret that Sally McKenney loves to bake, and her popular blog Sally’s Baking Addiction has become a trusted source for fellow dessert lovers eager to bake from scratch. 🍪

Sally’s famous recipes include **award-winning Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Cookies**, No-Bake Peanut Butter Banana Pie, delectable Dark Chocolate Butterscotch Cupcakes, and yummy Marshmallow Swirl S’mores Fudge. The blog-to-cookbook success story means these recipes have been tested by thousands of home bakers, ensuring they actually work in real kitchens with real ingredients and real ovens. 🧁

Find tried-and-true sweet recipes for all kinds of delicious categories: Breads & Muffins, Breakfasts, Brownies & Bars, Cakes, Pies & Crisps, Candy & Sweet Snacks, Cookies, Cupcakes, and Healthier Choices. The healthier options chapter acknowledges that sometimes you want dessert without complete caloric abandon—vegan and gluten-free alternatives mean more people can enjoy Sally’s creations. 🎂

With tons of simple, easy-to-follow recipes, you get **all of the sweet with none of the fuss**—no complicated techniques, obscure ingredients, or professional equipment required. Sally’s approachable style makes ambitious baking feel achievable for home bakers of all skill levels. The full illustrations help visualize each step, reducing anxiety about whether you’re doing it right. For anyone who wants bakery-quality results without culinary school. 🍰

Why I’m including this: Trusted blog-to-cookbook with 80+ tested recipes including award-winning cookies, no-bake pies, and healthier options—all the sweet with none of the fuss. 🌟

A sense of adventure and eagerness to savor life impel young, orphaned Elizabeth Fanshawe to escape her cold, unloving home and enlist in the British Army as a driver in 1944. Dispatched to Paris at the close of the Allies’ war against the Nazis, she finds herself swept up in the intoxicating celebratory glee of newly liberated France. But after she meets the charming, seductive Patrice Ambard, Elizabeth’s life takes a sharp turn down a very dark road. 🇫🇷

Her love for the dashing, hypnotic Frenchman draws Elizabeth (now called Lise) into Patrice’s world of **crime and high-class prostitution**, where she is broken, hardened, and transformed into the whore-turned-notorious-madam known as **La Balafrée, or the Scarred One**. Still, her great fall will not be complete until circumstances drive her to commit a shocking murder—and imprisonment ultimately sets her free. ⚖️

Rumer Godden crafts a devastating arc from innocent orphan seeking adventure to notorious madam to convicted murderer to—the title suggests—redemption. The “five for sorrow, ten for joy” references the rosary’s sorrowful and joyful mysteries, framing this as spiritual journey despite (or through) the degradation. Elizabeth’s transformation into “La Balafrée” represents complete identity loss, the scarring both literal and metaphorical. 💔

The post-WWII Paris setting captures a specific moment when liberation’s euphoria masked darker realities. Patrice as charming seducer who leads her into destruction is classic trajectory, but Godden’s treatment (categorized as Christian Classics & Allegories) suggests this isn’t exploitation but examination of fall and redemption. The murder as catalyst for ultimate freedom creates paradox—only by hitting absolute bottom does she find salvation. 🕊️

What makes this special: Powerful redemption story where a British Army driver in liberated Paris falls for a seductive Frenchman and descends into prostitution, becoming the notorious “Scarred One.” ✨

When Barbara Walters launched The View, network executives told her that hosting it would **tarnish her reputation**. Instead, within ten years, she’d revolutionized morning TV and made household names of her co-hosts: Joy Behar, Star Jones, Meredith Vieira, and Elisabeth Hasselbeck. But the daily chatfest didn’t just comment on the news—it became the news. And the headlines barely scratched the surface. 📺

Based on **unprecedented access**, including stunning interviews with nearly every host, award-winning journalist Ramin Setoodeh takes you backstage where the stars really spoke their minds. Here’s the full story of how Star, then Rosie, then Whoopi tried to take over the show, while Barbara struggled to maintain control—a modern-day Lear with her media-savvy daughters. You’ll read about how so many co-hosts had a tough time fitting in, suffered humiliations at the table, then pushed themselves away feeling betrayed—**one nearly quitting during a commercial**. 🎭

Setoodeh uncovers the truth about **Star’s weight loss and wedding madness. Rosie’s feud with Trump. Whoopi’s toxic relationship with Rosie.** Barbara’s difficulty stepping away. Plus, all the unseen hugs, snubs, tears—and one dead rodent. The director was being driven insane, especially by Rosie. The behind-the-scenes chaos makes the on-air drama look tame by comparison. 💥

The book reveals how a show designed to showcase women’s voices became a battleground for ego, control, and media manipulation. Barbara’s struggle to maintain authority while her co-hosts vie for dominance creates Shakespearean dynamics. For fans of television history, media analysis, or anyone who wants to know what really happens when the cameras stop rolling. The dead rodent detail is both horrifying and perfect metaphor. 🐭

Why I’m including this: Explosive behind-the-scenes exposé of The View based on unprecedented access—revealing feuds, power struggles, and the chaos Barbara Walters fought to control. 🌟

**1,000 curious solutions to life’s curious problems**, gathered from farmers, financiers, philosophers, teachers, salesmen, and people in all walks of life. A mix of folk wisdom, common sense, shared experience, the advice of experts, and the kind of group think that’s made websites like Wikipedia so vital, Rules of Thumb is the impulsive compendium of 1,000 general principles that apply to every facet of life. 📚

Collected by Tom Parker for **over 25 years**, these are rules that are practical, quirky, and as entertaining to read as they are relevant to the reader. There’s a rule of thumb for just about every subject imaginable—money, marriage, cooking, health, weather, cars, gardening, restaurants, travel. This is the priceless knowledge that’s accumulated not from reading but from living. 💡

Tempted by a string of pearls at a yard sale? **Rub them against your teeth**: the rule of thumb, as your grandmother might have told you, is that a genuine pearl will grate. Not sure how to choose a puppy? Pick one whose tail wags in sync with its walk—a sign of calmness. To win at blackjack, assume that any unseen card is an eight. And remember, **a rule of thumb works four out of five times** (including this one). 🎲

The beauty of this compendium is its randomness and practicality—these aren’t academic theories but actual shortcuts people use daily. Parker’s 25-year collection represents crowdsourced wisdom before crowdsourcing was a thing. The examples given (pearls against teeth, puppy tail synchronization, blackjack strategy) show the range from everyday decisions to specific situations, all grounded in accumulated experience rather than formal study. Perfect bathroom reading or conversation starter. ✨

What makes this essential: 1,000 practical, quirky rules of thumb collected over 25 years—from testing pearls with your teeth to choosing calm puppies to winning at blackjack. 🔍

Unlocking the Sky tells the extraordinary tale of the race to design, refine, and manufacture a manned flying machine—a race that took place **in the air, on the ground, and in the courtrooms of America**. While the Wright brothers threw a veil of secrecy over their flying machine, Glenn Hammond Curtiss—perhaps the greatest aviator and aeronautical inventor of all time—freely exchanged information with engineers in America and abroad, resulting in his famous airplane, **the June Bug, which made the first ever public flight in America**. ✈️

Fiercely jealous, the Wright brothers took to the courts to keep Curtiss and his airplane out of the sky and off the market. The legal battles became as intense as the technological innovation, with patents weaponized to stifle competition rather than encourage progress. Ultimately, however, **it was Curtiss’s innovations and designs, not the Wright brothers’, that served as the model for the modern airplane**. This challenges the standard narrative of aviation history. 🏛️

Seth Shulman reveals a forgotten pioneer whose open-source approach to aviation advancement contrasted sharply with the Wrights’ proprietary secrecy. The June Bug making America’s first public flight is significant—the Wrights flew first, but privately. Curtiss brought aviation to the public sphere, demonstrating that flight was achievable and sharable. His collaborative approach accelerated innovation while the Wrights’ litigation strategy slowed it. ⚖️

The courtroom drama adds compelling dimension to aviation history—this wasn’t just about who flew first but about patent law, intellectual property, and whether innovation thrives through openness or protection. That Curtiss’s designs became the template for modern aircraft vindicates his approach while complicating the Wright brothers’ heroic narrative. Essential reading for aviation enthusiasts and anyone interested in how innovation actually happens. 🔧

What makes this special: Forgotten aviation pioneer Glenn Hammond Curtiss freely shared innovations while the secretive Wright brothers sued him—but his designs became the model for modern airplanes. 🛩️