In the fortified city-state of New Torwood, machinery and arcane magic intertwine. Princess Rowan has no interest in royal court balls or political marriages; her passion lies in her workshop, where she communicates directly with clockwork engines and brass gears through an enchanted prosthetic mechanical arm. When contact is lost with an expedition of top researchers in the untamed, monster-infested wilderness beyond the city walls, Rowan seizes the chance to serve her people on her own terms and volunteers for the rescue mission.
To survive the savage frontier, Rowan is assigned to Squad 54, a ragtag unit of disgraced rangers led by Conall, a brooding wolf shifter fighting to restore his tarnished military reputation. As the squad journeys into toxic marshes and battles monstrous clockwork chimeras, Rowan’s mechanical affinity and Conall’s raw tactical instincts prove to be an unstoppable combination. But when they discover evidence that the expedition was sabotaged by corrupt leaders within New Torwood itself, Rowan and Conall must lead their makeshift squad in an all-out battle to prevent a catastrophic coup from toppling the kingdom.
McDougall crafts a marvelous, inventive steampunk universe brimming with clockwork wonders, magical bio-mechanics, and rich camaraderie. The found-family dynamic among the members of Squad 54 is heartwarming and funny, perfectly balancing the high-stakes military action.
Why this is fantastic: Kim McDougall serves up an exhilarating, richly detailed steampunk epic fantasy loaded with clockwork magic, rugged shifter heroes, and thrilling tactical action. An unmissable adventure for fans of Lindsay Buroker, Patricia Briggs, and Gail Carriger.
Barely eighteen-year-old Valentine Shapiro got a raw deal in the parent lottery. Her father was an incubus demon, and her human mother never forgave her for inheriting his demonic bloodline. Kicked out onto the streets of San Antonio with nothing to her name, Val relies on her Texas grit, a pet part-hellhound mutt named Fang, and a supernatural bounty-hunting license to survive. Her specialty: staking rogue vampires who prey on innocent mortals in the neon-lit alleyways of the city.
Balancing high school graduation with monster hunting is challenging enough, but Val also has to constantly wrestle with Lola—the snarky, bloodthirsty inner demon living inside her psyche. When a series of vicious vampire disappearances triggers a brutal turf war between bloodsuckers and the hidden supernatural syndicate known as the Demon Underground, Val is hired to track down the culprit. Sifting through underground night clubs, blood bars, and arcane sanctuaries, Val discovers a sinister conspiracy designed to harvest demon essences—and she is next on the butcher’s menu.
Parker Blue delivers a snappy, irreverent urban fantasy loaded with dark humor, fast-paced supernatural combat, and a fiercely unique heroine. Val Shapiro is sassy, vulnerable, and wonderfully tough, making her demon-battling adventures an absolute blast from start to finish.
What makes this a blast: Parker Blue crafts a snappy, razor-sharp urban fantasy packed with witty banter, terrifying monster combat, and an unforgettable kick-butt heroine. Pure gold for devotees of Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, and Faith Hunter.
Former British Special Air Service (SAS) operator Jase Wallace thought he had permanently walked away from the Regiment and the shadowy world of deniable operations. Burned out by years of brutal desert combat and scarred by the loss of his comrades, Wallace seeks quiet anonymity in the civilian world. But you never truly leave the shadows behind. When a covert MI6 safehouse in central London is blown to pieces and Wallace’s closest former squadmate is assassinated in cold blood, Jase realizes that someone is systematically exterminating his old black-ops unit.
Refusing to sit back while his mates are hunted down, Wallace reactivates his lethal military training to hunt the assassins. Following a trail of encrypted financial ledgers and forensic evidence, he unearths the existence of “The Architect”—a shadowy, high-level traitor operating inside Western intelligence who is orchestrating private military coups and selling state secrets to foreign adversaries. Outnumbered and cut off from official support, Wallace must utilize relentless close-quarters combat and evasion tactics to wage a one-man war across Europe before the mastermind detonates his next catastrophic target.
Written with raw military authenticity, tactical precision, and blistering pacing, Dunn captures the gritty tradecraft of British special operations. Jase Wallace is a lethal, stoic protagonist whose fierce loyalty to his brotherhood makes him a formidable weapon of retribution.
Why this hits hard: ‘Foxtrot’ Oscar Dunn delivers an explosive, relentlessly authentic British SAS military thriller packed with brutal tactical combat, jaw-dropping betrayals, and non-stop adrenaline. Mandatory reading for admirers of Andy McNab, Chris Ryan, and Mark Greaney.
The New Psycho-Cybernetics
Originally pioneered by plastic surgeon Dr. Maxwell Maltz in 1960, the concept of Psycho-Cybernetics revolutionized the personal growth landscape by revealing that outer physical transformation means nothing without an internal rewrite of the self-image. Dr. Maltz observed that patients who underwent cosmetic surgery often remained trapped in self-doubt because their subconscious minds were still running outdated self-limiting programming. In this updated and expanded modern edition, peak performance coach Matthew Furey revitalizes Maltz’s timeless principles for today’s fast-paced, high-distraction world.
The core premise treats the human subconscious mind not as an untamable enigma, but as a goal-striving servo-mechanism that automatically steers toward the targets you feed it. Readers learn systematic mental visualization exercises, emotional dehypnotization techniques, and behavioral adjustments designed to dissolve imposter syndrome, eliminate chronic anxiety, and build unshakeable self-confidence. Furey provides actionable modern drills to apply these strategies to public speaking, entrepreneurial leadership, athletic performance, and emotional resilience in the digital age.
Grounded in practical psychology rather than empty motivational platitudes, this comprehensive guide offers clear, step-by-step blueprints for personal reinvention. It bridges classic behavioral wisdom with contemporary performance coaching, showing how anyone can systematically reprogram their internal compass for enduring success.
Why this empowers: Maxwell Maltz and Matthew Furey deliver the definitive modern masterclass on subconscious reprogramming, providing practical mental drills to unlock peak confidence and performance. Mandatory reading for devotees of Napoleon Hill, James Clear, and Tony Robbins.
Despite being more digitally connected than at any point in human history, modern society is engulfed in an unprecedented epidemic of loneliness, superficial networking, and social exhaustion. In this groundbreaking, deeply researched investigation, celebrated organizational psychologist and bestselling author Adam Grant explores the elusive chemistry of interpersonal resonance—what popular culture casually calls the “vibe”—and decodes the exact behavioral mechanics that allow people to form deep, meaningful connections in an alienated world.
Drawing on cutting-edge neuroscience, behavioral economics, and counterintuitive case studies spanning boardroom negotiations, artistic collectives, and everyday friendships, Grant dismantles common myths about charisma and extroversion. He demonstrates that authentic connection is not an inborn personality trait, but a learnable psychological skill built upon reciprocal vulnerability, active listening, psychological safety, and emotional attunement. Readers discover practical frameworks for breaking through conversational scripts, transforming awkward small talk into meaningful dialogue, and cultivating enduring bonds across cultural and ideological divides.
Grant writes with his trademark lucidity, warmth, and evidence-based rigor, illustrating complex scientific findings through vivid, memorable human storytelling. The book provides an essential, optimistic antidote to modern social disconnection, offering actionable tools to enrich both professional collaborations and personal relationships.
Why this is essential: Adam Grant delivers a masterly, science-backed roadmap to rebuilding authentic human connection, packed with illuminating research, sharp insights, and practical strategies for a disconnected era. An urgent read for fans of Brené Brown, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink.
As artificial intelligence transitions from experimental novelties to ubiquitous cognitive infrastructure, humanity has crossed a permanent threshold. Moving past the initial shockwaves of generative language models and automated productivity tools, Wharton professor and leading AI scholar Ethan Mollick presents an indispensable, pragmatic roadmap for the next chapter of human-machine interaction: the era of genuine, everyday co-existence.
Rejecting both paralyzing doom-laden prophecies and uncritical corporate boosterism, Mollick analyzes how agentic AI systems, autonomous digital colleagues, and synthetic partners are fundamentally reshaping the workplace, education, creative industries, and civic institutions. Through real-world experiments and organizational data, Co-Existence outlines how professionals can navigate the shifting boundary between human intuition and machine intelligence, avoid cognitive atrophy, and leverage AI to amplify human ingenuity rather than replace it. Mollick provides concrete guidelines for leaders, educators, and knowledge workers looking to build resilient careers alongside increasingly capable machines.
Mollick’s analysis is distinguished by hands-on experimentation, academic rigor, and lucid, accessible prose. It serves as both a strategic handbook and a philosophical inquiry into how we can preserve human agency, ethical integrity, and creative joy in an automated world.
What makes this urgent: Ethan Mollick delivers the definitive, clear-eyed strategic guide to thriving in the next era of artificial intelligence, offering indispensable insights for workers, educators, and leaders alike. Essential reading for admirers of Kai-Fu Lee, Mustafa Suleyman, and Cal Newport.