In the shadows of a relentless pursuit for justice, renegade ex-FBI agent, Justice “Grey” Greystone, finds himself back in the fold of the very organization that once dismissed him. The FBI needs his unique skills to bring down The Lion, a cunning and ruthless serial killer operating above the law 🦁
To trap this elusive predator, Grey knows he requires the perfect undercover agent. Enter Sydney Banfield, a sexy and fearless woman running a women’s shelter. Syd isn’t afraid to bend the rules to save lives. She’s been protecting vulnerable women for years, developing instincts about predators and how they operate. Her experience makes her perfect for the role—and potentially perfect for Grey 💕
With Syd as the alluring bait, Grey and his team set a dangerous trap, venturing into a perilous cat-and-mouse game with The Lion. But the stakes skyrocket as they discover the twisted agenda of their adversary. The Lion isn’t just killing randomly—there’s a pattern, a purpose, and a terrifying endgame that Grey and Syd are only beginning to understand 🎯
Time becomes their nemesis, and as the clock relentlessly ticks, Grey races against it to catch the malevolent killer. Every move they make is anticipated, every trap they set seems to fail. The Lion is always one step ahead, turning the hunters into the hunted. And Syd’s role as bait becomes increasingly dangerous as The Lion fixates on her specifically ⚡
Misty Evans and Adrienne Giordano launch The Justice Team series with romantic suspense that balances procedural thriller elements with developing attraction between Grey and Sydney. The undercover operation creates forced proximity and high stakes—pretending to be lovers while actually falling for each other, all while trying not to get killed by a serial killer 🔥
What makes this compelling: Evans and Giordano deliver romantic suspense where renegade ex-FBI agent Grey Greystone recruits shelter director Sydney as bait to catch The Lion, a serial killer above the law. The cat-and-mouse game intensifies as attraction develops and The Lion’s twisted agenda becomes clear—perfect series launch for readers who want equal parts romance and danger.
Meet your next favourite Scottish detectives: DI Colin Anderson and DS Winifred ‘Freddie’ Costello.
A serial killer is stalking Glasgow. A woman is found dead in her own home. No sign of forced entry. But she is posed as though on the cross. Ripped open and bled to death. With a blistering of chloroform round her mouth and nose. The religious staging suggests this isn’t just murder—it’s ritual, performance, message 🏴
She’s not the first victim found like this. Detectives Anderson and Costello are on the case. But their boss, DCI Alan McAlpine, is unravelling before their eyes. The normally composed superior officer is showing cracks—distracted during briefings, making uncharacteristic mistakes, disappearing for hours without explanation. Something about this case is breaking him from the inside 🔍
The past holds horrific memories for McAlpine. He last worked this beat some twenty years earlier, when he was assigned to guard a woman, faceless after a sadistic acid attack. He couldn’t protect her. The guilt has haunted him for two decades, and now these new murders are triggering every failure, every nightmare he’s tried to bury 💔
The past is resurfacing. The MO is eerily similar to cases from twenty years ago. McAlpine recognizes patterns that Anderson and Costello can’t see because they weren’t there. But his knowledge comes with paralysis—he knows what’s coming, knows how this killer operates, and fears he’ll fail again ⚠️
Caro Ramsay writes Scottish noir with atmospheric Glasgow settings and psychological depth. The religious imagery of the crucifixion pose adds layers of meaning—is the killer religious? Making a statement? Or using the iconography to mock faith itself? Meanwhile, McAlpine’s unraveling provides a secondary mystery as Anderson and Costello try to solve murders while managing their boss’s psychological collapse 🌧️
What makes this haunting: Caro Ramsay introduces Scottish detectives Anderson and Costello investigating Glasgow murders where victims are posed like crucifixions, while their boss McAlpine unravels from twenty-year-old trauma connected to the case. The Scottish noir atmosphere and the past-meets-present mystery create dark procedural fiction with genuine psychological horror.
Welcome to The Tusk & Tail Tavern where the fire is always crackling, the meat pies are rich and savory, the air is filled with laughter and bard-song, and friends are like family. At least, it used to be… 🍺
Half-elf Lira is eager to return to The Tusk & Tail Tavern, where she and her companions set off on their adventures many years ago. But the rundown tavern is no longer the bustling hub where dwarf mercenaries and halfling farmers shared pints over a friendly game of dice. The place that holds her fondest memories is now shabby, empty, and forgotten 🏚️
More crucially, what Lira came back for—what she buried in the tavern’s basement—is now bricked over. Whatever treasure or secret she hid years ago is sealed behind new construction. Breaking through would raise questions she can’t answer. She needs time, access, and a legitimate reason to be there 💎
What better way to stay close to her hidden treasure—and figure out a way to retrieve it—than to offer to restore the tavern? After all, her grandmother taught her to bake, and she still remembers the recipes—for the most part. Becoming the tavern’s baker gives her cover for constant presence and access to the basement. Perfect plan, except she’s rusty on the baking 🥧
She doesn’t count on having to partner with a dwarf warrior named Sassy or have a surprisingly clever, winged ermine take up residence in her kitchen. And she’s grateful for the shy orc soldier who offers to fix her stove and everything else that keeps breaking in the tavern, but why does he seem afraid to talk to her? Suddenly Lira’s simple retrieval mission becomes complicated by found family, slow-burn romance, and a magical ermine who definitely knows more than it’s letting on 🐿️
T.L. Stone writes cozy fantasy that combines D&D vibes with Great British Bake Off energy. The tavern setting is warm and inviting, the cast diverse and charming, and the romance develops naturally as Lira reconnects with old adventure buddies while trying not to reveal why she’s really there 🌟
Why this delights: T.L. Stone delivers cozy fantasy where half-elf Lira returns to her old adventuring tavern to retrieve hidden treasure, only to find herself baking teacakes, partnering with a dwarf named Sassy, befriending a winged ermine, and falling for a shy orc. Perfect for readers who want D&D-flavored romance with found family and magical creatures.
The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop
Welcome to The Cherry Blossom Bookshop, a haven for book lovers that only appears during the fleeting cherry blossom season. Nestled amidst the bloom of delicate petals, you’ll find a sanctuary for those burdened by regrets and past sorrows 🌸
Here, Sakura, the mysterious young owner, and her wise calico cat, Kobako, patiently await the arrival of souls in need of solace and healing. The bookshop exists in that liminal space between seasons, appearing only when the cherry blossoms bloom and vanishing when the petals fall. Those who find it are meant to be there 📚
Told over four seasons, each visitor to the bookshop holds a book that bridges their past and present, guiding them towards understanding and acceptance. Within the antique charm of the shop and the soothing aroma of freshly brewed coffee, Sakura and Kobako help their guests confront their lingering sadness through the power of stories, enabling them to move forward with renewed hope ☕
Takuya Asakura writes gentle magical realism in the tradition of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and The Midnight Library. Each visitor’s story is self-contained yet part of the larger seasonal narrative. The books they carry aren’t random—they’re exactly what each person needs to process their grief, regret, or unfinished business 💕
The calico cat Kobako adds whimsy and wisdom, observing human nature with feline detachment while occasionally offering comfort. Sakura acts as guide rather than therapist, understanding that sometimes people need the right story at the right moment to unlock their own healing 🐱
Why this enchants: Takuya Asakura creates a bookshop that appears only during cherry blossom season, where mysterious owner Sakura and wise cat Kobako help visitors heal through the power of stories. Told across four seasons with gentle magical realism, this is perfect for readers who loved Before the Coffee Gets Cold and want healing fiction with Japanese charm.
High school guidance counselor Nora Jenkins has her hands full. Her new student, Ivy Ryman, has been wreaking havoc at Oakland High and has occupied all of Nora’s work hours. With his busy schedule, music producer Blaze Ryman can’t get a handle on his daughter 🎸
But Nora has a soft spot for the girl who’s lost her mother and is now living with her mega-famous father. Ivy’s acting out is clearly grief and adjustment, not malice, but Blaze’s parenting style—when he’s present at all—isn’t helping. Nora finds herself advocating for Ivy more than any other student 💕
When summer break finally arrives, Nora packs up and heads for the turquoise Gulf Coast to soak in the sparkling surf and sip on cocktails until she falls asleep, wrapped in sunlight on the warm beach. She’s just about to get her wish. Until Ivy and her father unexpectedly show up at her beachfront doorstep 🌊
Jenny Hale writes Southern fiction with heart and humor. The beach setting provides the perfect backdrop for Nora to see Blaze and Ivy outside the formal guidance counselor-parent dynamic. What seemed like impossible parenting in the school context becomes more understandable when Nora witnesses Blaze’s genuine struggle to connect with his grieving daughter ☀️
The forced proximity of the beach vacation breaks down professional boundaries. Nora can’t maintain counselor mode while sharing sunsets and seafood dinners. Blaze can’t hide behind his music producer persona when his daughter needs real parenting. And Ivy gets to see the adults in her life as actual people rather than authority figures 💔
What makes this delightful: Jenny Hale delivers Southern beach fiction where guidance counselor Nora escapes to the Gulf Coast for vacation—only to have troubled student Ivy and her mega-famous music producer father Blaze show up at her door. The beach setting, grief, and growing attraction create sweet romance with genuine family dynamics and Gulf Coast charm.
In a cabin in a wood, A woman by the window stood.
Glancing out, she thought she heard Footsteps, whistling, something stirred 🌲
Hiding here, she fears the night, For what’s done in the dark will come to light.
She must run fast to escape her lie Or she’ll be the next to die… 💀
Sarah Alderson writes the description as a children’s rhyme gone sinister, immediately establishing the horror-fairy-tale atmosphere. The cabin in the woods is both refuge and trap—the woman is hiding there, but from what? And is she hiding from external danger or from consequences of her own actions? 🏚️
The nursery rhyme structure suggests innocence corrupted, childhood games turned deadly. “What’s done in the dark will come to light” promises revelation—the woman’s secrets won’t stay buried just because she’s isolated herself in the woods. The past is coming for her ⚡
The threat is both psychological and physical. She’s running from something she did (“her lie”), but there’s also genuine danger stalking her. The footsteps and whistling suggest a pursuer who’s toying with her, letting her know they’re coming without attacking immediately 💔
Alderson creates claustrophobic tension through the isolated cabin setting. No neighbors, no phone service, no easy escape. Just a woman, her secrets, and whatever’s outside in the dark waiting for her. The woods that should provide hiding instead become a hunting ground 🌙
What makes this haunting: Sarah Alderson delivers psychological thriller told through sinister nursery rhyme—a woman hiding in a cabin must run from her lies before she becomes the next victim. The horror-fairy-tale atmosphere, isolated woods setting, and promise that secrets will surface create compact psychological terror perfect for a single sitting.
… See the rest of today ‘s Book Picks here on page 3Page 3