A Body on the Doorstep (London Ladies’ Murder Club Book 1) (affiliate link)
London, 1921: Mabel Canning loves her new job assisting the great and good of London town. But as she welcomes guests into the Belgravia mansion of Rosalind Despard, a body falls down dead on the doorstep. Now that was a calamity she was not expecting!
Glasses of sherry are abandoned, and the glamorous guests begin to run around like headless chickens while Gladys the terrier steals sandwiches from under their noses. Ever-practical Mabel takes charge, and she can’t help but notice something mysterious peeking out from under the stranger’s coat. A letter from Rosalind’s husband Guy, dated seven years ago… the same day he disappeared. But before she can take a proper look it’s snatched away by the police.
Scotland Yard are focussed on the body’s identity, but Mabel thinks solving Guy’s disappearance is the key. And she knows all too well that if you need to get a job done, it’s best you do it yourself! So with Gladys by her side, Mabel decides to sniff out the killer… Could the Despards’ maid, Bridget, be as skilled at cooking up murder as she is at baking fruit cake? Or would Guy’s stuffy solicitor Thomas kill to cover up his accounting mistake?
Knight from the Ashes (Crown and Crest Book 1) (affiliate link)
With single-minded determination, Henrik has worked toward gaining his knighthood so he may rise above the lowly station in which he was born. But just when the coveted position is within his grasp, he’s tasked with a mission that proves to be far more difficult than expected—secretly keeping a watchful eye on Lady Clover, a nobleman’s daughter with a sharp tongue and a knack for starting fights.
Clover, too, has one goal in life, and it has nothing to do with joining dull and dry Henrik on his supply run to the northern guard post. Why the blacksmith’s son is so determined to keep her close, she has no idea. They bicker and fight, and if Clover were to find a troll pit, she would certainly dump Henrik into it.
By the time they reach their destination, they are more than ready to be rid of each other. Unfortunately, something is amiss in the northern mountains. The usually quiet aynauths are on the move, with a bloodthirsty agenda of killing the peaceful Woodmoor elves.
The Proposal (affiliate link)
Is a single day worth changing the course of your entire life?
Marley Royce has just two goals for her seventy-two-hour stay in London: land a career-making business deal and finally meet the woman of her dreams face to face.
Fate has something else in mind.
The mega conglomerate Marley works for wants to acquire the venerable but struggling Braithwaite Books. The centuries-old shop is owned by Cleo Braithwaite, a woman with a fierce and frightening reputation. Cleo turns out to be nothing like the rumors but refuses to sit still long enough to be dazzled by the meticulous spreadsheets and slides Marley has prepared to seal the deal. Instead of making her proposal, Marley soon finds herself on an impromptu walking tour of London with the charming Cleo.
Even though Marley has a dinner date that night with the woman she’s been chatting with online and was convinced was her soulmate, she can’t ignore the feelings her bewitching guide stirs up inside as they explore the historic city on foot. What’s more, the longer she’s with Cleo, the more Marley begins to question the business deal she’s been sent to make.
New Daemon (Maddy Deeds Book 1) (affiliate link)
What does divorcing Hollywood’s most powerful jerk get you? In my case, blacklisted and a ticket to rock bottom.
A one-time studio executive, I’m now scrabbling as a newly licensed P.I. in the city that popularized noir. And I’ve just landed a job at a shabby downtown agency. Watch out, LA!
But that was before I discovered the agency’s specialty—hunting monsters. The actual kind. Suddenly, I’m learning about a side of the city that makes horror seem like a documentary: vampires, werewolves, hostile spirits, and all manner of magic. This is probably where I should run screaming, but I need the money. I’m also intrigued by my mentor—a strong, silent throwback in a Members Only jacket.
Couple of problems. One, I conned my way into the position. And two, the agency forbids supernatural hires … and I’ve sort of been shooting fire from my hands lately. Oh, and there are factions in LA who seem to want me dead.
Which has me worried. Am I the city’s newest hero, or its latest monster?
Air Awakens (Air Awakens Series Book 1) (affiliate link)
The Solaris Empire is one conquest away from uniting the continent, and the rare elemental magic hidden in the unassuming library apprentice Vhalla Yarl could shift the tides of war.
Vhalla has always been taught to fear the Tower of Sorcerers, a mysterious magic society, and has been happy in her quiet world of books. But after she unknowingly saves the life of one of the most powerful sorcerers of them all — the Crown Prince Aldrik — she finds herself pulled into his world of magic and secrets.
As a forbidden royal romance blooms, she must decide her future: Embrace her sorcery and leave the life she’s known, or eradicate her magic and remain as she’s always been. With powerful forces lurking in the shadows, Vhalla’s indecision could cost her more than she ever imagined.
Courtroom Drama: A Novel (affiliate link)
Sydney Parks thinks she might be the first person in the world to look forward to serving jury duty. When Margot Kitsch, an OG cast member of the hit reality show Authentic Moms of Malibu is arrested after the untimely death of her cast member husband, Joe, Sydney knows being selected for the jury is the most interesting thing that ever happened to her.
However, it doesn’t take long for Sydney to realize that being part of a sequestered jury in a high-profile case is not at all what legal dramas had led her to expect—especially when she learns that her childhood best friend, Damon, whom she hasn’t seen in ten years, is also a jury member.
As the trial wears on, Sydney realizes there’s a lot more to the case than she first thought. And there’s also a lot more to Damon—she soon finds herself falling under his spell despite the court’s instructions not to fraternize. His tendency to break the rules and find adventure is hard to resist in their otherwise dull juror’s world. But getting close to Damon also means having to face the complicated reasons their friendship abruptly ended just when they were on the precipice of something more.
… See the rest of today ‘s Book Picks here on page 3Page 3