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Author: K.A. Tucker
Genre: Alpha Male Romance
One prison visit. One powerful enemy. One ruthless bargain that will change everything. 💎🔥
From internationally bestselling author K.A. Tucker comes the dark and steamy Empire Nightclub series.
One visit to my father in prison—convicted for a murder he didn’t commit—and I’ve attracted the attention of the last man I’d ever want knowing that I exist.
Gabriel Easton.
Son of an infamous crime boss. Deplorable womanizer. Scoundrel to the core.
Worse, he has figured out how desperate I am to protect my father from brutality behind bars. He has the power to grant that protection, and he has offered it … for a price. Me. I am to become a “guest” in his mansion, to live with him until he tires of having me around, to share his bedroom at night while he dangles my father’s safety in front of me like a carrot I can never quite reach. 😤
I’ll do anything for my father, including agree to Gabriel’s cruel game. But I won’t comply with his every whim and wish. Not when he taunts me with that ruthless spark in his cold blue eyes. Not when every moment in his presence feels like playing with fire.
Unfortunately for me, I think my loathing for him is what he’s enjoying most.
That’s fine. By the time I’m through with him, he’ll be crying my name.
Mercy. 🔥
Please note: This series is intended for mature audiences
What makes this special: USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author K.A. Tucker—known for beloved contemporary romances like The Simple Wild and Ten Tiny Breaths—goes deliciously dark with this TikTok-famous series that originally released under the pen name Nina West. This is Tucker writing with her gloves off: morally gray anti-heroes, forced proximity that crackles with tension, and enemies-to-lovers banter that cuts like a knife. Gabriel Easton isn’t your typical romance hero—he’s ruthless, manipulative, and utterly captivating. Mercy Wheeler is his perfect match: smart, sassy, and strong enough to give as good as she gets in their battle of wills. While the setup sounds like a hostage situation, this is an entertaining cat-and-mouse game between two people who are both more complex than they first appear. Perfect for readers who loved Penelope Douglas’s Corrupt series, Danielle Lori’s Made series, or Sara Cate’s darker romances. This is Book 1 in a four-book series (Sweet Mercy, Gabriel Fallen, Dirty Empire, Fallen Empire), and it absolutely ends on a cliffhanger, so clear your schedule. The steam level is high, the moral compass is questionable, and you’ll be hooked from page one. Fair warning: this isn’t the sweet K.A. Tucker of her mainstream romances—this is the version that wants to make you sweat. 😈🖤
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Author: Grace J. Croy
Genre: Contemporary Holiday Romance
He’s a struggling single father. She doesn’t want to spend Christmas alone. Trapped together for the holidays may give them what they both need: somewhere to belong. 🎄❤️
When Livy Brown makes an impulsive decision to visit her sister for Christmas, she can’t predict her car will end up half-submerged in a river in the middle of a blizzard. Also impossible to predict is what happens next: she’s rescued by a bearded knight in shining armor driving a white Ford Ranger. 🚙
Too bad his grumpy personality doesn’t match his heroic deed. Oh well, his lack of Christmas spirit is not her problem. As soon as he drops her off at a hotel, she’ll never see him again. Easy. Simple. Goodbye, grumpy rescuer! 👋
Jay Yates is in desperate need of a peaceful Christmas with his parents and daughter. Finding Livy by the side of the road freezing is not part of his plan. Neither is the attraction he feels toward her—this clumsy, sweet, relentlessly optimistic woman who somehow manages to find herself in one hysterical situation after another. The last thing he wants is a relationship, and he’ll do what he has to in order to keep his distance. He’s still healing from losing his wife, his sullen pre-teen daughter needs him, and he doesn’t have room in his life for complications. 💔
When the hotels in Casper, Wyoming are full-up with all the other stranded travelers, there’s only one thing to do: take her home for the holidays. What could possibly go wrong?
What pulled me in: This is a librarian-turned-author writing the kind of clean, wholesome Christmas romance that feels like coming home. Grace J. Croy crafts a perfect grumpy/sunshine romance with characters that feel refreshingly real—Livy is genuinely kind and caring without being a doormat, Jay is grieving and guarded without being cruel, and his daughter’s struggles feel authentic rather than contrived. Readers consistently compare this to Hallmark movies (high praise in the clean romance world!), noting the strong character development across all the supporting cast, including Jay’s welcoming family at their B&B. It’s sweet without being saccharine, emotional without being manipulative, and full of those small, tender moments that make you believe in second chances. Perfect for fans of Debbie Macomber, Jenny Colgan, and anyone who loves forced proximity, snowed-in romances, single-parent stories, and that warm fuzzy feeling when everything comes together just right. Bonus points: Livy is a middle-school teacher, which helps her connect with Jay’s daughter in ways that feel earned and genuine. If you want a Christmas story that will leave you happy, satisfied, and believing in the magic of the season, grab this one! ☕✨
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Author: Ali Brady
Genre: Holiday Romance
A romantic and heartwarming holiday novella from USA Today Bestselling author Ali Brady. 🕎🎄
This year, Christmas and Hanukkah come together–and for two neighbors stranded in a snowstorm, one magical night could change everything.
Jack had big plans for Christmas: fly home to see the family he misses like crazy, eat his weight in holiday cookies and enjoy plenty of forced-family fun in matching pajamas. You know, the usual wholesome chaos. Instead, a record-breaking snowstorm leaves him stranded alone in Chicago. ❄️
Meanwhile, Nessa’s Hanukkah plans were…nonexistent. With her roommates off on their own adventures and her family busy elsewhere, she was ready to spend the holiday binge-watching TV alone. Not ideal, but at least there wouldn’t be any pressure to pretend everything’s fine when it’s not. 📺
When a power outage takes things from bad to worse, the two neighbors join forces to help each other find the holiday cheer they’ve both lost. As they attempt to make latkes out of whatever ingredients they can scrounge up, and stuff each other’s stockings with improvised gifts (truly one of the most adorable scenes ever), the two stumble upon the unexpected joy of blending their own holiday traditions into something entirely new. 🥔🎁
While the storm rages outside, sparks begin to fly between Jack and Nessa. But will the magic they found last beyond this one special night?
What makes this special: USA Today bestselling author Ali Brady (the writing duo of Alison Hammer and Bradeigh Godfrey) delivers a timely, inclusive holiday romance that celebrates interfaith relationships and the beauty of sharing traditions. This novella is sweet, steamy, and surprisingly emotional for its length—there’s genuine depth here despite the cozy, low-stakes setup. Perfect for this moment when Christmas and Hanukkah actually do coincide, making it feel especially relevant. The forced proximity is charming rather than contrived, and watching these two strangers open up to each other while creating new hybrid traditions together is absolutely heartwarming. Great for fans of Christina Lauren’s holiday novellas, Jasmine Guillory, and anyone looking for representation of Jewish characters in romance. The story works beautifully as a standalone and delivers exactly what you want from a holiday romance: hope, connection, and the reminder that sometimes the best celebrations are the ones we never planned. Available through Substack, Kindle Unlimited, and various audiobook platforms. Quick, cozy, and guaranteed to warm your heart! 💕✨
Billionaire Bad Boy Auction
Regularly $4.99, Today $2.49
Author: Weston Parker
Genre: Billionaires & Millionaires Romance
I thought I’d be the grump on stage no one wanted. Arms crossed. Scowl in place. A charity auction disaster waiting to happen.
Then she raised her paddle. 💰
The girl from my past with a big smile and bigger heart.
She left town to chase dreams in a city that chewed her up and spit her out.
Now she’s back here.
And thanks to an accidental disaster of a bid, we’re stuck playing nice.
She wants a second chance at her life.
I just want to keep my reckless brother out of handcuffs and this town out of my way.
But Portia doesn’t play by my rules.
She talks back. She pushes in. And when she smiles?
The storm inside me quiets. 🌪️❤️
This was supposed to be nothing.
But the more she’s in my space, the more I remember what it’s like to feel.
She thinks she’s just bidding on a grumpy billionaire.
She doesn’t know I’m about to give her everything—
Except my heart. 💔
What makes this special: Weston Parker delivers exactly what billionaire romance fans crave: a brooding hero with a hidden soft side, a sunshine heroine who won’t take his gruff attitude lying down, and sparks that fly from the moment they’re thrown together. The accidental auction bid creates the perfect forced proximity setup, and watching Portia chip away at the hero’s carefully constructed walls is deeply satisfying. This hits all the tropes: grumpy/sunshine, second-chance romance (they have history!), small-town setting, and the billionaire who insists he won’t fall in love but is already halfway gone. Perfect for fans of Vi Keeland, Penelope Ward, Lauren Landish, or anyone who loves alpha heroes who growl a lot but melt for the right woman. Parker writes banter that crackles, chemistry that sizzles, and happily-ever-afters that feel earned. If you want escapist romance with heart, heat, and a hero you’ll want to both shake and swoon over, this delivers! 💕✨
Regularly $15.99, Today $3.99
Author: Susan Abulhawa
Genre: Historical Literary Fiction
Mornings in Jenin is a heart-wrenching multi-generational account of one family’s struggle and survival through the decades before and after Zionist colonization and theft of Palestine. Carrying us from Ein Hod to Jenin to Jerusalem, to Lebanon, then to the anonymity of America and finally back to Occupied Palestine, it is a novel of vital importance, “affirming all that is enduring and valuable in the undefeated human spirit” (Hanan Ashrawi).
Mornings in Jenin is the first mainstream novel in English to explore life in post-1948 Palestine. The novel was partially inspired by the Ghassan Kanafani novel Return to Haifa.
Filmworks Dubai bought the film rights to Mornings in Jenin, planning to begin production in late 2013. Anna Soler-Pont, head of the Pontas agency, which sold the film rights to the novel, said: “This is going to be a special project. There aren’t any epic films on Palestine yet.” However, the producer died shortly after and the rights reverted to her.
What makes this special: Susan Abulhawa’s Mornings in Jenin is a powerful, deeply moving novel that brings the Palestinian experience to life through one family’s journey across generations and continents. This is literary fiction that doesn’t shy away from political reality while remaining fundamentally a story about family, resilience, and the human cost of displacement. Abulhawa writes with both beauty and unflinching honesty about loss, identity, exile, and the meaning of home. The novel spans from the Nakba through decades of occupation, following characters from Ein Hod to refugee camps to America and back, showing how trauma ripples through generations but so does hope. Perfect for readers who loved Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid Suns, Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing, or Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko—sweeping multi-generational epics that explore the impact of historical events on individual lives. This is essential reading for anyone wanting to understand Palestinian history through a human lens, told with literary skill and emotional depth. Be prepared for heartbreak, but also for beauty and the indomitable strength of the human spirit. This is a novel of vital importance. 🕊️📖
Regularly $9.99, Today $2.99
Author: Scott Turow
Genre: Legal Thrillers
Two formidable men collide in this “first-class legal thriller” and New York Times bestseller about a celebrated criminal defense lawyer and the prosecution of his lifelong friend — a doctor accused of murder (David Baldacci).
At eighty-five years old, Alejandro “Sandy” Stern, a brilliant defense lawyer with his health failing but spirit intact, is on the brink of retirement. But when his old friend Dr. Kiril Pafko, a former Nobel Prize winner in Medicine, is faced with charges of insider trading, fraud, and murder, his entire life’s work is put in jeopardy, and Stern decides to take on one last trial.
In a case that will be the defining coda to both men’s accomplished lives, Stern probes beneath the surface of his friend’s dazzling veneer as a distinguished cancer researcher. As the trial progresses, he will question everything he thought he knew about his friend. Despite Pafko’s many failings, is he innocent of the terrible charges laid against him? How far will Stern go to save his friend, and — no matter the trial’s outcome — will he ever know the truth?
Stern’s duty to defend his client and his belief in the power of the judicial system both face a final, terrible test in the courtroom, where the evidence and reality are sometimes worlds apart. Full of the deep insights into the spaces where the fragility of human nature and the justice system collide, Scott Turow’s The Last Trial is a masterful legal thriller that unfolds in page-turning suspense — and questions how we measure a life. ⚖️
Why I’m including this: Scott Turow—the master of the legal thriller who started it all with Presumed Innocent—returns to his beloved Kindle County for a poignant meditation on friendship, aging, justice, and truth. The Last Trial features Sandy Stern, one of the most compelling characters in legal fiction, facing his final case at 85 with his health declining but his mind still sharp. Turow brings decades of experience as both a lawyer and novelist to this courtroom drama, and it shows in every perfectly crafted scene. This isn’t just about legal maneuvering (though Turow excels at that)—it’s about what we owe our friends, how well we can ever truly know another person, and what justice means when the evidence is murky and motivations are complex. Perfect for fans of John Grisham, Michael Connelly’s Lincoln Lawyer series, or anyone who appreciates intelligent, character-driven legal thrillers that don’t insult your intelligence. David Baldacci called it “first-class,” and he’s right. This is mature, sophisticated storytelling from a genre legend at the height of his powers. Even if you haven’t read the previous Kindle County books, this works beautifully as a standalone—though longtime fans will appreciate the echoes of earlier novels. Essential reading for legal thriller fans! 📚
… See the rest of today ‘s Book Picks here on page 3Page 3