All she wanted was a normal life without supernatural complications. When an unexpected destiny appears, can this high school girl and her hunky new friends rise to the challenge? Jess Bailey hates pretending to be a “good girl” under her abusive father’s watchful eye and oppressive control. With an abusive father keeping a tight leash on her behavior and appearance, she dare not reveal the secret scar on her hand that kills anyone it touches—a power she doesn’t understand and can’t control. But when her drop-dead gorgeous stepbrother moves into the house offering potential escape, she sees the perfect route into some thrilling shenanigans: befriend him and use his social status as cover. 💀
Yet the handsome ones travel in packs as she discovers, and her stepbrother is no different—except that he likes having her around despite her reputation and rough edges, introducing her to his equally attractive friends. Enjoying the lingering attention of her overly-attractive new group of friends who treat her like she matters, Jess can’t believe these bad boys have accepted her into their crew when everyone else has kept their distance. But one drunken night out ignites a dangerous chain of events that will lead to the fateful purpose behind her lethal touch, revealing that her power isn’t random curse but part of a larger destiny. ⚡
Now she has to choose between her dream of having friends, family, and maybe even love—the normal life she’s desperately wanted—or the power to save the world from threats she’s only beginning to understand. Cerise Cole launches The Abominations Saga with paranormal fantasy examining whether chosen ones can have normal teenage experiences or if destiny always demands sacrifice of the things we want most. 🌙
What makes this essential: A paranormal fantasy launching End of Days where high school girl Jess Bailey hates pretending to be good under her abusive father’s control, hiding a secret scar that kills anyone it touches—befriending her drop-dead gorgeous stepbrother and his bad boy crew who accept her, until one drunken night ignites events revealing her lethal touch’s fateful purpose, forcing her to choose between friends, family, love or the power to save the world.
Not if… But when… A wounded, widowed, former Marine still grieving his wife’s death from cancer. A volcano triggered by the 9.0 earthquake they always said would happen but nobody really prepared for. How long until society—the just, the criminals, everyone in between—realize that government just became inoperable for months or possibly years when all infrastructure collapses simultaneously? Phil Walker was already nearing his rope’s end emotionally and physically. After losing his wife to cancer that took her too young and his leg to a tragic incident that ended his military career, he spends his days wondering how to improve his relationship with his adult kids who’ve drifted away and running his local gun club where at least people still respect him. 🌋
But when the largest unfathomable disasters in recorded history slam the Pacific Northwest like an apocalyptic hammer—the Cascadia earthquake triggering Mount Rainier’s eruption in a catastrophic one-two punch—he is thrust into a role he has never prepared for despite all his Marine training. Worried not just for his small family but for his larger collection of friends and community members who suddenly have nowhere to go, he establishes an impromptu refugee camp at the gun range using his military experience and the resources available. Shelter, food, water, security—what was once almost a given in modern America is now in critically short supply. 🏕️
While Phil struggles to keep his group organized and alive through the chaos of volcanic ash, earthquakes, and societal collapse, his kids face their own challenges in the new, dark and desperate world—and those with no morals see those same challenges as opportunities to take what they want through violence. Austin Chambers delivers war and military action fiction examining how quickly civilization crumbles when nature unleashes its full fury and whether a wounded Marine’s leadership can protect his community when government becomes inoperable and survival depends on the choices people make when there are no consequences. ⚔️
What makes this essential: War and military action fiction where wounded, widowed former Marine Phil Walker—already at his rope’s end after losing his wife to cancer and his leg to tragedy—faces the largest disasters in recorded history when a 9.0 Cascadia earthquake triggers Mount Rainier’s eruption, establishing an impromptu refugee camp at his gun range while society realizes government just became inoperable and those with no morals see opportunities.
Prince Kostya has his life planned out with the precision of someone who’s never been allowed to make his own choices: obey his father the king without question, marry an appropriate woman from the approved list of aristocratic families, and ascend the throne to continue the dynasty. After decades of political turmoil in his tiny country that nearly destroyed the monarchy, the least he can do is serve his people well by being the perfect prince. That means doing what’s expected of him, no matter what his heart wants. 👑
Enter Hazel Sung, American hot mess—emphasis on hot. Hazel’s in Kostya’s tiny country for a good time, not a long time, having spent the past month backpacking Europe after dropping out of medical school in a quarter-life crisis. She’s ending her tour by spending a month with her ambassador mom, and she has no interest in politics, propriety, or princes. It’s unfortunate that at their first formal meeting she’s in sweats and hasn’t showered in two days after a grueling travel day. It’s bad that at her welcome banquet she accidentally drinks too much wine and has to leave early to avoid embarrassing her mother further. 🍷
And when he catches her up on the ramparts one night stargazing and talking to herself, it’s completely terrible how much she makes the serious, strait-laced prince laugh in ways he hasn’t laughed since childhood. Kostya shouldn’t even be looking at the ambassador’s daughter given the diplomatic complications, let alone sneaking out of the castle to show her the city like a commoner. Kissing her goes against every rule he knows about duty and propriety, but Hazel makes it so easy to forget why those rules exist. And scaling the castle wall to her bedroom Romeo-style? That could cause an international incident. But when the crown is at stake, who will Kostya choose—his country, or the woman he loves? Roxie Noir delivers royal romance with duty versus desire. 💕
What makes this essential: A contemporary royal romance where Prince Kostya has his life planned—obey his father, marry appropriately, ascend the throne after decades of political turmoil—until American hot mess Hazel Sung arrives backpacking Europe after dropping out of medical school, meeting him in sweats and accidentally drunk at her welcome banquet, making the strait-laced prince laugh and forget every rule as he chooses between his country or the woman he loves.
Allegiance (Benson First Responders Book 1)
Big city crime. Small town heroes. A dead man discovered in circumstances that don’t add up. EMT Freya Olson has lost her faith after tragedies she couldn’t prevent, but not her drive to save those who need her help in Benson’s small-town emergency medical system. When the past that her family left behind after her mother’s death shows up in Benson bringing danger with it, Freya lands on the target list as well because of connections she doesn’t fully understand. But things aren’t what they seem beneath the surface, and Freya’s loyalty will be pushed to the limit between family obligations and doing what’s right. 🚑
A disgraced cop hiding a dangerous secret that could destroy his career. Police Detective Lucas Westbrook has served his whole career under the shadow of his mother’s betrayal—a corruption scandal that tainted his reputation before he even started, making every colleague wonder if the apple fell close to the tree. Only his faith keeps him from crossing the line or becoming the cop everyone assumes he is based on his mother’s crimes. This time there’s no escaping the connection between his deepest pain and the case on his desk when the victim has ties to his mother’s past. ⚖️
Caught in a tangled web between friend and foe where trust is the rarest commodity, Lucas will protect Freya for as long as it takes to close the case—and find out what could be between them if they survive. Lisa Phillips launches the Benson First Responders series with Christian mystery examining how faith sustains people carrying the weight of others’ sins, and whether love can develop when both parties are defined by the betrayals in their pasts. 🙏
What makes this essential: A Christian mystery launching Benson First Responders where EMT Freya Olson—who lost her faith but not her drive to save lives—lands on a target list when her family’s past resurfaces, while disgraced Detective Lucas Westbrook serves under his mother’s betrayal shadow, his faith keeping him from becoming the corrupt cop everyone assumes, protecting Freya as he closes the case and discovers what could be between them.
In this funny and engaging memoir, one of the best raconteurs on the planet recalls his life in show business through short comic takes that capture both the absurdity and magic of entertainment. Reiner tells of how, after answering an ad for free acting classes on his brother Charlie’s advice when he was working as a machinist, he forsakes a budding career in metalwork for an acting career that would eventually span seven decades. He also recalls the highlights of the succeeding decades in stories that are both hilarious and revealing about the golden age of television. 🎭
The memoir includes his first sweaty audition where he impersonated a dog impersonating movie stars (yes, really), his forays into theater that taught him timing and presence, his work on *Your Show of Shows* and *The Dick Van Dyke Show* during TV’s golden days when everything was live and mistakes were immortalized, and his long friendship and collaboration with Mel Brooks which gave birth to the Two Thousand Year Old Man routine that became comedy legend. Mary Tyler Moore, Sid Caesar, Mickey Rooney, Johnny Carson, Cary Grant, Dinah Shore, Anne Bancroft, Jean Renoir—the list of luminaries goes on and on. 📺
The list goes on and on as they appear in what Reiner calls the “literary variety show” that captures the highs and lows of his extraordinary life, from struggling actor to comedy icon. Through it all, Reiner displays the wit and warmth that have made him one of the most beloved figures in the entertainment business, never taking himself too seriously while taking his craft very seriously. This charming memoir will delight anyone who wants a behind-the-scenes look at five decades of Hollywood and television history told by someone who was there for all the best moments. 🌟
What makes this essential: Carl Reiner’s comedian biography recalling his life in show business through short comic takes—from answering free acting class ads as a machinist to impersonating dogs impersonating movie stars, creating *The Dick Van Dyke Show* during TV’s golden age, and collaborating with Mel Brooks on the Two Thousand Year Old Man, capturing five decades of Hollywood history with wit and warmth in a literary variety show.
Is the powerful McQuaid legacy of love only a thing of the past? Or can such a love still happen today? Tyler McQuaid has been too busy managing his family’s luxury ranch resort to think about love after his first marriage failed, throwing himself into making Healing Springs Ranch a success. But when his dad gets sick and may not have long to live, Tyler begins to question what is truly important—the business he’s built or the relationships he’s neglected. He’s already failed once at love and marriage, so how can he say no to his dad’s sickbed wish that he try again when refusing might be the last conversation they ever have? 🤠
Kinsey Wingrove, a traveling nurse who specializes in end-of-life care, prefers to keep her relationships short and sweet, and yes, even shallow because it’s just easier that way. With the losses she’s already experienced in life—patients who became friends, family members she couldn’t save—emotional distance is her survival mechanism. When she arrives at Healing Springs Ranch to care for Mr. McQuaid, she clashes with her new patient’s son, the handsome cowboy who runs the place and doesn’t think she’s the right nurse for his dad because she’s too young and too pretty to be competent. 💔
As sparks fly between Tyler and Kinsey through their arguments about his father’s care, the meddling, matchmaking McQuaid family sees that more can exist between the two than they will acknowledge to themselves or each other. Can Tyler accept and move beyond the mistakes of his past to allow for the McQuaid legacy of love—a fast, furious, and forever kind of love that his parents embodied? Or will he let Kinsey’s fears push him away forever before he can show her that some relationships are worth the risk? Jody Hedlund launches Healing Springs Ranch with sweet contemporary romance about second chances and legacy. 💕
What makes this essential: A sweet contemporary romance launching Healing Springs Ranch where Tyler McQuaid manages his family’s luxury resort too busy for love after failed marriage—until his dying dad’s sickbed wish that he try again collides with traveling nurse Kinsey Wingrove who keeps relationships shallow after losses, clashing over his father’s care while the meddling McQuaid family sees sparks flying and the legacy of fast, furious, forever love.
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