**When a silver fox biker encounters a quirky, small-town librarian, these opposites might have more in common than one suspects and a long overdue second chance at love.** Naomi Winters will be forty—soon-ish, she reminds herself every birthday—and she’s only been with one man. One night. One time. Long ago when she was young and reckless and believed in signs from the universe. **She believes everything happens for a reason, and the universe spoke about him.** But eighteen years is a long time to carry a torch for someone who roared out of town on a motorcycle and never looked back. 📚
**Nathan Ryder isn’t the same man who hightailed his bike out of Green Valley eighteen years ago.** Coming home goes against everything he should do—every instinct that’s kept him safe, every rule he’s followed, every wall he’s built. However, he’s always been a rule breaker when it mattered, and women are one area he acts a fool. Case in point—the local librarian who smells like old books and possibility. When he encounters her between the stacks where she’s reorganizing the mystery section (again), **it doesn’t matter that he can’t get a read on her,** he just knows he’s not willing to risk losing her. Again. One mistake eighteen years ago was enough. 🏍️
**Despite little in common, the stars align in mysterious ways and the due date on their love might not be expired after all.** Between Nathan’s return to the town that holds too many memories, Naomi’s determination to believe the universe sent him back for a reason, their combustible chemistry that never faded, and the truth about why he left all those years ago finally coming to light, they discover that second chances don’t come with late fees. Sometimes you get to check out the same book twice. And sometimes, the ending is even better the second time around. 💕
What makes this swoon-worthy: Silver fox biker encountering quirky small-town librarian with opposites having more in common than suspected, Naomi Winters will be forty having only been with one man one night one time long ago, believing everything happens for reason and universe spoke about him, Nathan Ryder not same man who hightailed bike out of Green Valley eighteen years ago, encountering her between stacks not getting read on her but not willing to risk losing her again, and despite little in common stars aligning mysteriously with due date on love not expired after all.
**He’s hot. Rich. Domineering. And grumpy.** Hedley Decker is used to people obeying his every command—CEOs bend to his will, subordinates jump when he speaks, and his word is law in boardrooms across London. But **the unconscious stray dog on his doorstep isn’t impressed,** and nor is the pretty veterinarian who saves it with competent hands and zero deference to his wealth. Overhearing that she needs a date for her ex-boyfriend’s wedding, he proposes a deal that’s pure business: she’ll help him find the real owner before the puppies arrive (because apparently the unconscious dog was pregnant, because of course it was), **he’ll be her fake date.** But one evening isn’t enough. She’s a temptation he can’t resist even when he should. 🐕
**She’s kind, trapped, and soon to be broke.** Her dad’s illness means Clara Rowe desperately needs to keep her job at the only veterinary clinic in town, owned by her ex’s father who’d love any excuse to fire her. If that means overtime, weekend shifts, and going to the wedding solo while her ex flaunts his new fiancée, so be it. She’s survived worse. Then **gorgeous and arrogant Hedley Decker storms into her life** with an offer of one night of pretense and pleasure that’s too good to be true (and probably is, given that men like him don’t date women like her without ulterior motives). 💼
**They join forces to search for the lost dog’s owner, and their spark of attraction flares** into something neither expected. He’s returning to his city life where billion-dollar deals await and responsibilities don’t include pregnant strays. She knows better than to risk her heart on a man whose world is too different from hers. **How can they have forever love when they’re faking it, and time is running out?** Between finding the dog’s owner before puppies arrive, attending the wedding where she’ll face her ex, falling for a billionaire who’s supposed to be temporary, and discovering that Hedley’s wealth can’t solve the one problem that matters most—whether he’ll stay—Clara learns that some fake dates feel dangerously real. ⏰
What makes this charming: He’s hot rich domineering and grumpy with Hedley Decker used to people obeying every command, unconscious stray dog on doorstep not impressed and pretty veterinarian saving it overhearing she needs date for ex-boyfriend’s wedding, proposing deal she’ll help find real owner before puppies arrive and he’ll be fake date, she’s kind trapped and soon broke with Clara Rowe desperately needing to keep job at only clinic, gorgeous arrogant Hedley storming into life with one night pretense and pleasure offer, joining forces searching for lost dog’s owner with spark of attraction flaring, and how can they have forever love when faking it with time running out.
In the shadowy world of espionage, **the U.S. government has a secret weapon: Penumbra Division**—a covert bureau that doesn’t officially exist, where the line between right and wrong blurs in the name of national security and operatives do what traditional agencies can’t or won’t. At the forefront is Adam Knight, its most skilled contractor who specializes in making problems disappear (and sometimes making people disappear with them). After returning from a mission with a bullet in his leg and doubts in his head, **the question looms: Can he still be the fixer the government so desperately needs?** 🕵️
**When a renowned genetic scientist is killed during a vacation in Greece,** the death initially looks like a random robbery—wrong place, wrong time, tourist in a bad neighborhood. Knight is called up to pursue the murderer, who himself was thought dead two years earlier in a black ops operation that Knight executed personally. Dead men don’t kill scientists, which means either Knight’s aim was off (unlikely) or something far more sinister is at play. **Knight’s pursuit for truth across the globe turns perilous,** facing ruthless forces determined to bury their secrets at any cost. Among them, a deadly assassin fixated on stopping him, someone who knows Knight’s methods because they were trained the same way. ⚡
**The investigation turns into a race against time** as Knight uncovers a clandestine weapons program that threatens global security and could shift the balance of power into dangerous hands—the kind of program that uses genetic science for purposes no international treaty anticipated. Between tracking a ghost across three continents, staying one step ahead of an assassin with a personal vendetta, operating without official backup because Penumbra Division can’t acknowledge his existence, and stopping a weapons program that could reshape warfare forever, Knight discovers that the bullet in his leg might be the least of his problems. Some secrets are worth killing for. Others are worth dying to expose. 🌍
What makes this explosive: U.S. government’s secret weapon Penumbra Division covert bureau where right and wrong line blurs, Adam Knight as most skilled contractor returning from mission with bullet in leg questioning if he can still be fixer government needs, renowned genetic scientist killed during Greece vacation with murderer thought dead two years earlier, Knight’s pursuit for truth across globe turning perilous facing ruthless forces, deadly assassin fixated on stopping him, and investigation racing against time uncovering clandestine weapons program threatening global security.
Don’t Think About Dinner: Save Time and Money with 125+ Easy, Nourishing, Delicious Recipes for Every Meal
**Save time, money, and energy with strategic meal planning, grocery lists, and kitchen prep.** With over 125 recipes, *Don’t Think About Dinner* eliminates decision fatigue—that 5 PM panic when you realize you have no idea what to make—and makes healthy living effortless, delicious, and even fun. Whether you want to improve your health without spending hours meal prepping, cut down food waste (and spending) by actually using what you buy, reduce your mental load so dinner isn’t a daily crisis, or build new kitchen skills without culinary school, *Don’t Think About Dinner* provides everything you need. 🍽️
**As a college student, Jenn was struggling with health problems** and tired of quick-fix “healthy” recipes that relied on obscure, expensive ingredients that often spoiled before she could finish them (looking at you, tahini that cost $12 and got used once). She needed recipes that worked with real life: limited budgets, small kitchens, ingredient overlap so nothing goes to waste, and meals that don’t require a culinary degree to execute. So she developed a system that actually works for normal people living normal lives. 🥗
Between strategic meal planning that prevents both waste and weeknight panic, grocery lists organized by store section, kitchen prep that sets you up for success, recipes for every meal from breakfast through dinner, and storage/reheating guidance so leftovers are actually appealing, Jenn Lueke proves that **healthy eating isn’t about perfection or expensive superfoods—it’s about systems that work.** No more standing in front of the fridge at 6 PM wondering what to make. No more throwing away spoiled produce you meant to use. No more takeout because cooking feels too overwhelming. Just practical, delicious solutions that make dinner (and breakfast and lunch) something you don’t have to think about. ✨
What makes this practical: Saving time money and energy with strategic meal planning and grocery lists, over 125 recipes eliminating decision fatigue making healthy living effortless, Jenn as college student struggling with health tired of quick-fix recipes with obscure expensive ingredients spoiling, and system proving healthy eating isn’t about perfection but systems that work.
**Still buying the starving artist myth? Burn it—and get paid.** The gatekeepers told you poverty was noble so that you’d shut up and stay cheap, grateful for “exposure” and “opportunities” that somehow never pay rent. Ready to write your way out of the lie designed to keep you small, obedient, and broke while they profit from your desperation? If you’ve ever felt trapped in a writing career that pays in “exposure” or pocket change, where agents and editors treat you like you should be grateful they’re even reading your work, this is your permission slip to demand more. Much more. 💰
**Amy Suto went from broke in the Hollywood trenches to becoming booked out as a seven-figure writer,** bestselling author, and creator of a top 30 Substack newsletter that actually makes money. In *Write for Money and Power*, she shows you exactly how she did it—and how you can too, even if you’ve never made a dollar from your writing before, even if you’ve been rejected a thousand times, even if you’re convinced “real” writers don’t care about money (spoiler: they do, and they’re lying if they say otherwise). 📝
**Whether you’re a freelancer, a ghostwriter, a novelist, or any kind of writer with bills to pay and a vision to realize,** this isn’t another “believe in yourself” pep talk that leaves you inspired but still broke. It’s a real, grown-up plan to make money and grow your personal power with your writing—negotiating rates that actually reflect your value, building multiple income streams, escaping the feast-famine cycle, positioning yourself as the writer clients beg to work with, and understanding that art and money aren’t enemies. If you’d rather make history than excuses—keep reading. The starving artist myth dies here. 🔥
What makes this essential: Still buying starving artist myth and gatekeepers telling you poverty noble to keep you cheap, Amy Suto going from broke Hollywood trenches to booked-out seven-figure writer, showing exactly how even if never made dollar from writing before, real grown-up plan to make money and grow personal power, and understanding art and money aren’t enemies if you’d rather make history than excuses.
In 1925, the Indianapolis-born **Janet Flanner took an assignment to write a regular “Letter from Paris” for a lighthearted humor magazine called *The New Yorker*.** She’d come to Paris with dreams of writing about “Beauty with a Capital B”—art galleries, fashion shows, literary salons, all the glamorous surface of 1920s Paris that Americans romanticized from across the Atlantic. Her employer, self-consciously apolitical and determined to stay that way, sought only breezy reports on French art and culture that wouldn’t disturb anyone’s cocktail hour. But as she woke to the frightening signs of rising extremism, economic turmoil, and widespread discontent in Europe, Flanner ignored her editor’s directives, reinventing herself, her assignment, and *The New Yorker* in the process. 📰
While working tirelessly to alert American readers to the dangers of the Third Reich before most Americans cared or even believed fascism was a real threat, Flanner became gripped by the disturbing crimes of **a man who embodied all of the darkness she was being forced to confront. Eugen Weidmann, a German con-man and murderer, and the last man to be publicly executed in France—mere weeks before the outbreak of WWII.** Flanner covered his crimes, capture, and highly politicized trial, seeing the case as a metaphor for understanding the tumultuous years through which she’d just passed and to prepare herself for the dangers to come. Weidmann’s violence was personal and brutal. The Nazis’ violence would be industrial and systematic. But both represented the darkness rising across Europe. ⚖️
Between documenting Weidmann’s brutal murders across France, witnessing the spectacle of his public guillotining in June 1939 (where crowds gathered as if for entertainment), covering the rise of fascism her editors didn’t want to acknowledge, and transforming from society columnist to serious political journalist who refused to look away, Flanner’s parallel coverage of a serial killer and a continent descending into war revealed uncomfortable truths about human nature and the fragility of civilization. **Mark Braude weaves together true crime, journalistic history, and the gathering storm of WWII** in this gripping account of how one woman’s determination to tell the truth changed American journalism forever. The typewriter and the guillotine—tools of truth and tools of death—defined an era on the brink. 🗼
What makes this fascinating: Janet Flanner taking 1925 assignment writing “Letter from Paris” for lighthearted *New Yorker*, ignoring editor’s directives to alert Americans about Third Reich dangers, becoming gripped by German serial killer Eugen Weidmann’s crimes, last man publicly executed in France weeks before WWII, and Mark Braude weaving true crime with journalistic history and gathering war storm.