December 9th Book Releases

December 9th Book Releases: Dante, Tailored Realities, Dark Sisters and more!
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Travis Williamson

Editor in chief

Published

December 4, 2025

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The December 9th Book Releases are absolutely stacked, and two titles are already dominating reader attention before they even hit shelves. Dante by Sadie Kincaid is storming in with a massive 81,287 want to reads on Goodreads, proving that dark romance fans are ready to dive back into the brutal world of the Moretti family. On the fantasy side, Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson is pulling serious momentum of its own with 29,463 readers eager for a fresh collection packed with sci-fi, superheroes, and epic what-if scenarios.

If you want more book content this week, we have two new posts worth checking out. Take a look at What We Read in November post and our latest guide on Elle Kennedy Briar U Universe Reading Order. Alright, let’s get into the new books this week.

Dante cover

Dante

Author Sadie Kincaid
Genres Dark Romance, Romance, Mafia Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Dark, Forced Proximity, Smut
Publication Date December 09, 2025
I hate Dante Moretti. He is cold, calculating and vicious. It’s no secret that he wiped out his former fiancée and her entire family on the eve of their wedding. He’s the kind of evil that makes even devils cry.

But that’s not why I hate him.

I hate him because he has taken the only thing I have left in this miserable world – my freedom. He has chained me to him because of a debt that I don’t owe. I just have the misfortune to share the bloodline of the man who does.

And now I’m trapped in his gilded cage and the only thing I have left to do is run. And I try. I really do. But he is everywhere.

Suffocating. All consuming. Intoxicating.

He is a paradox. A man with a heart as cold as ice, whose passion rages like an inferno.

Why does he see into my soul in a way that nobody else ever has? Why does the slightest brush of his skin make my pulse race?

My mom always warned me never to play with matches. But if Dante Moretti is fire, then I want to burn.

Dante is the first book in the Chicago Ruthless series, featuring the Moretti siblings. Each book is a standalone with a HEA. This is a spicy Dark Mafia, enemies to lovers, forced proximity romance, which features scenes of a violent nature as well as those of an explicit sexual nature.
Tailored Realities cover

Tailored Realities

Author Brandon Sanderson
Genres Fantasy, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Adult, Anthologies, Science Fiction Fantasy
Publication Date December 09, 2025
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson-creator of the Stormlight Archive, the Mistborn saga, and countless bestselling works of science fiction and fantasy-comes Tailored Realities, a new short fiction collection including the never-before-published novella Moment Zero.

Spanning the genres of fantasy and science fiction, this collection features stories from beyond the bounds of Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere universe.
Along with the never-before-seen novella “Moment Zero,” Tailored Realities will include “Snapshot,” “Perfect State,” “Defending Elysium” (a novella set within the world of Skyward), and five other stories that were originally published individually elsewhere-never before collected into one volume, and many never before available in print.

The collection will also include a stunning black and white illustration for each story.
Dark Sisters cover

Dark Sisters

Author Kristi DeMeester
Genres Horror, Historical Fiction, Witches, Fiction, Gothic, Historical, Fantasy
Publication Date December 09, 2025
Three women. Three centuries. One legacy of fury, love, and a power that refuses to die

In this fiercely captivating novel, horror meets historical fiction when a curse bridges generations, binding the fates of three women. Anne Bolton, a healer facing persecution for witchcraft, bargains with a dark entity for protection—but the fire she unleashes will reverberate for centuries. Mary Shephard, a picture perfect wife in a suffocating community, falls for Sharon and begins a forbidden affair that could destroy them both. And Camilla Burson, the rebellious daughter of a preacher, defies conformist expectations to uncover an ancient power as her father’s flock spirals into crisis.
Secrets Like Ours cover

Secrets Like Ours

Author S.T. Ashman
Genres Mystery, Thriller
Publication Date December 09, 2025
A gripping new novel of suspense about a woman drawn into a world of wealth and privilege like she’s never dreamed, but comes to realize that the family behind it all is hiding terrifying secrets.


Some families bury more than the past.

Emily grew up in a broken home and did everything she could to leave the chaos behind. She built something steady. Something quiet. Then she caught the attention of Daniel Winthrop, heir to one of New England’s most powerful dynasties.

He swept Emily off her feet, married her, and gave her a mansion on the cliffs.
But the secrets that could bury her came with it.

Do not wander at night.

Do not ask about the west wing.

Do not open the door to the basement.

What should have been a new beginning quickly became a new nightmare. Emily wanted a fresh start. What she found was a family legacy soaked in dark secrets.

But Emily learned long ago how to survive storms. Whatever the Winthrops are hiding, she will drag it into the light.
Including the cruelest secret of all: why Daniel married her in the first place.


A tense, addictive thriller for fans of Freida McFadden, Lisa Jewell, Noelle West Ihli, and John Mars.

Release day is December 9th! (Included in Kindle Unlimited!)
Seeing Other People cover

Seeing Other People

Author Emily Wibberley
Genres Romance, Paranormal, Fantasy, Contemporary, Magical Realism, Ghosts, Fiction
Publication Date December 09, 2025
Two people haunted by their exes find that love isn’t dead in this heartfelt romance from the beloved authors of The Roughest Draft.

Morgan is being ghosted by her ex. No, really. It’s sad Zach died and became a ghost. But Morgan and Zach only ever went on the one date, and now she’s being haunted by him. Zach has no desire to spend eternity with Morgan, but he can’t recall his past and doesn’t know how to move on.

At a support group for humans and their haunters, Morgan and Zach run into Sawyer, whose fiancée-turned-ghost has started to fade. Unlike Morgan, Sawyer isn’t ready to part ways with his ghost. Although they face opposite issues, Morgan and Sawyer decide to work together to solve their problems.

As Morgan and Sawyer try to solve their paranormal conundrums together, they find something even more surprising—a tender, growing affection between them that threatens any unfinished business they’re seeking to close. The ghosts of their past might be there in spirit, but the connection between Morgan and Sawyer is as alive as anything they’ve ever felt.
Cape Fever cover

Cape Fever

Author Nadia Davids
Genres Historical Fiction, Gothic, Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Suspense, South Africa
Publication Date December 09, 2025
From award-winning South African author Nadia Davids comes a gothic psychological thriller set in the 1920s, where a young maid finds herself entangled with the spirits of a decaying manor and the secrets of its enigmatic owner.

I come highly recommended to Mrs. Hattingh through sentences I tell her I cannot read.

The year is 1920, in a small, unnamed city in a colonial empire. Soraya Matas believes she has found the ideal job as a personal maid to the eccentric Mrs. Hattingh, whose beautiful, decaying home is not far from The Muslim Quarter where Soraya lives with her parents. As Soraya settles into her new role, she discovers that the house is alive with spirits.

While Mrs. Hattingh eagerly awaits her son’s visit from London, she offers to help Soraya stay in touch with her fiancé Nour by writing him letters on her behalf. So begins a strange weekly meeting where Soraya dictates and Mrs. Hattingh writes—a ritual that binds the two women to one another and eventually threatens the sanity of both.

Cape Fever is a masterful blend of gothic themes, folk-tales, and psychological suspense, reminiscent of works by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Daphne du Maurier, and Soraya Matas is an unforgettable narrator, whose story of love and grief, is also a chilling exploration of class and the long reach of history.
Her Time Traveling Duke cover

Her Time Traveling Duke

Author Bryn Donovan
Genres Romance, Time Travel, Contemporary, Fantasy, Fiction, Adult, Science Fiction
Publication Date December 09, 2025
Magic meets science and sunshine meets grumpy when a love spell whisks a Regency-era duke to modern times.

Rose Novak, a free-spirited museum employee who dabbles in magic, has had her share of disappointments. So when she tries a little spell for a romance with an “old-fashioned gentleman,” she doesn’t really expect it to work…especially literally. And yet, the duke from a painting she admired at the museum is now standing in her apartment, demanding to know who abducted him.

A man of science and truth, Henry Leighton-Lyons, the Duke of Beresford, has searched tirelessly for a way to turn back time and be with his late wife again. Instead, just as he’s about to pose for his portrait, he’s ripped centuries forward by a feckless, scantily dressed—and utterly bewitching—woman who believes in nonsense like crystals and astrology.

Unable to immediately reverse her spell, Rose vows to help Henry return to his own century, even though disguises and high jinks are required to get their hands on an enchanted astrolabe and master the art of time travel. But it’s hard not to fall for the irritable yet honorable duke.

Little does she know that he’s starting to wonder: did a reckless love spell get it right, after all?
Daughter of Genoa cover

Daughter of Genoa

Author Kat Devereaux
Genres Historical Fiction, Fiction, Italy
Publication Date December 09, 2025
The author of Escape to Florence returns with a thrilling adventure set in the war-torn 1940s and inspired by true events, about a young woman who risks everything to help Jewish Italians flee the fascists, and falls in love with the brave aviator behind a daring secret rescue operation.

Anna’s family fled to America years ago, to escape the Fascist regime, but Anna had stayed behind. Alone and terrified of discovery, Anna meets Father Vittorio, a Jesuit priest who takes her to shopkeepers Bernardo and Silvia, an older couple who offer shelter and safety without question. But when Anna discovers that this kind, quiet couple is part of a network of ordinary people daring to help Father Vittorio smuggle Jewish citizens, stripped of their status and rights, out of Italy, she is determined to help.

Anna offers skills essential to the cause: she has a deft hand at ledgers and forgery, talents she learned at the high-powered job she held before the Racial Laws were passed—a past she conceals. Working in secrecy, not knowing others’ real names or sharing her own, Anna begins producing fake identity cards and soon meets another member of the operation: a man known as Mr. X., whom she recognizes instantly as the wealthy aviator Massimo Teglio. And suddenly, without warning—despite the threat of imprisonment, torture, and death—Anna finds herself taking the most dangerous of risk of all: falling in love. And she’s not the only one.

Based on the true story of the DELASEM—the Delegation for the Assistance of Jewish Emigrants, an organization of brave volunteers working tirelessly to save innocent lives from the concentration camps—Daughter of Genoa is a poignant look at those who loved and lost yet continued to risk everything to create a better world.
My Blade, Your Back cover

My Blade, Your Back

Author K.M. Moronova
Genres Dark Romance, Romance, Fantasy, Adult, Romantasy, Dark, Contemporary
Publication Date December 09, 2025
Broken. Lost. Unforgiven.

One month after surviving the Under Trials, Emery Maves finds herself in a world she doesn’t recognize―with a man whose cold eyes are haunted by secrets she can’t remember. Stripped of her memories, Emery is tormented by dreams of danger, death, and deceit. The only constant is the lure of the experimental drug that shatters her mind but leaves her almost invincible―and the dangerous pull of the man called Mori.

Cameron Mortem is fighting a battle he thought he’d already lost. He knows letting Emery in could destroy them both, but her amnesia is a curse neither of them can outrun. Forced together on a high-stakes level black mission that goes disastrously wrong, they find themselves thrust deeply into the underworld of the black market with an unexpected foe.

But as old scars are torn open and hidden plots unravel, Emery discovers she’s more tangled in this world than she ever imagined. And Cameron will have to face the one person he fears most: himself.

Loyalties will be tested. Secrets will be weaponized. Their bond―once forged in blood―may be the only thing that can save them. If they don’t lose themselves first.
Why Do I Keep Doing This?: Unlearn the Habits Keeping You Stuck and Unhappy cover

Why Do I Keep Doing This?: Unlearn the Habits Keeping You Stuck and Unhappy

Author Kati Morton
Genres Nonfiction, Self Help, Mental Health, Psychology
Publication Date December 09, 2025
Leading mental health advocate and licensed marriage and family therapist, Kati Morton, explores our common struggle and contradiction with control in ourselves and relationships, giving listeners the ability to not only ask themselves why do I keep doing this , but have the insight to find a real answer.

Many of us were told to stuff our feelings down when we were younger. We were taught that that our emotional reactions and responses should be controlled so we didn’t embarrass or upset our parents and those around us. However, if that control oozes over into our relationships it’s considered a bad thing. Controlling our friends or romantic partners is seen as toxic. Control is a precarious thing. Some sides of control are meant to keep us safe, while others harm connections. So, what are we supposed to do?

In Why Do I Keep Doing This? licensed family and marriage therapist, Kati Morton, explores this common struggle and contradiction with control. Kati shows how our upbringing and anxiety are often connected to our struggle to take up space. We can feel like we are too much by just existing in the same place as someone else, or that we are less deserving of their time and care. This struggle with asserting ourselves, or taking what we require can harm our development. We sometimes think the only way to feel okay and get what we need is to please everyone else first. Why Do I Keep Doing This? is a vital tool in helping us understand why control can be so attractive, but if left unmonitored can become detrimental to our lives. We all go through tough times and face uncertain futures, and we do what we can to cope, but as we get older and in an attempt to get wiser, we have to notice what behaviors are holding us back and change them.

Why Do I Keep Doing This? will shed light on shared struggles as readers follow Kati through some key points of growth in her own life while incorporating what she has learned as a therapist and content creator who knows how to create lasting healthy change. This book will give readers the ability to not only ask themselves why do I keep doing this? but also have the insight to find a real answer.
Bed Chemistry cover

Bed Chemistry

Author Elizabeth McKenzie
Genres Romance, Fake Dating, Second Chance, Rom Com
Publication Date December 09, 2025
With a fun and steamy twist on the only-one-bed trope, this debut contemporary romance will delight fans of THE PARADISE PROBLEM and THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS

Chemistry teacher Ashleigh Hutchinson knows better than anyone that love and lust don’t mix. The feelings come from different hormones, they trigger different responses, and they demand different reactions. Which is why she doesn’t date. She hooks up. No catching feelings required.

When Ashleigh is fired from her job without notice, she signs up to participate in a month-long sleep study, which will pay her enough to cover rent while she job hunts. It seems easy enough—until she walks into the clinic and finds herself staring right into the gorgeous eyes of Xander Miller, the only man to have ever tempted her to abandon her no-relationships rule.

When Xander and Ashleigh realize the study is only looking for couples, they agree to pretend to be together—which means sleeping in the same bed every night for the next few weeks. How hard can it be to keep their cool under the covers?

You can expect…
– Fake dating (for science)
– Only one bed (every night)
– No feelings (allegedly)
– Second chance romance
– Golden retriever MMC
– Hot mess FMC
– Banter as a love language
– Undeniable chemistry!
The Sea Captain’s Wife: A True Story of Mutiny, Love, and Adventure at the Bottom of the World cover

The Sea Captain’s Wife: A True Story of Mutiny, Love, and Adventure at the Bottom of the World

Author Tilar J. Mazzeo
Genres History, Nonfiction, Biography, Travel
Publication Date December 09, 2025
The true story of the first female captain of a merchant ship and her treacherous navigation of Antarctica’s deadly waters, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Widow Clicquot

The true story of the first female captain of a merchant ship and her treacherous navigation of Antarctica’s deadly waters, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Widow Clicquot

Summer, 1856


Nineteen-year-old Mary Ann Patten and her husband, Joshua, were young and ambitious. Both from New England seafaring families, they had already completed their first clipper-ship voyage around the world with Joshua as captain. If they could win the race to San Francisco that year, their dream of building a farm and a family might be within reach. It would mean freedom. And the price of that freedom was one last dangerous transit—into the most treacherous waters in the world.

As their ship, Neptune’s Car, left New York Harbor and sailed down the jagged coast of South America, Joshua fell deathly ill and was confined to his bunk, delirious. The treacherous first mate, confined to the brig for insubordination, was agitating for mutiny. With no obvious option for a new captain and heartbroken about her husband, Mary Ann stepped into the breach and convinced the crew to support her, just as they slammed into a gale that would last 18 days. Determined to save the ship, the crew, and their future, she faces down the deadly waters of Drake’s Passage.

Set against the backdrop of the California Gold Rush and taking us to the brink of Antarctica, The Sea Captain’s Wife finally gives Mary Ann Patten—the first woman to command a merchant vessel as captain — her due. Mazzeo draws on new archival research from nineteenth-century women’s maritime journals and on her own expedition to the Southern Ocean and Antarctica in search of Mary Ann’s route. Thrilling, harrowing, and heroic, The Sea Captain’s Wife is the story of one woman who, for love, would do what was necessary to survive.
Consistency is the key to drawing success! This encouraging step-by-step guide provides the advice, exercises, and tracking tools you need to keep it up.

The Drawing Habit by Daria Bogdanova (@daribodrawing) is more than a drawing reference—it’s a systematic approach to building a consistent, daily drawing practice that builds skills and confidence over time. With just 25 minutes of daily drawing, you can see remarkable improvement—whatever your starting point.

This inspiring book offers practical, easy-to-follow exercises, from drawing basic lines and shapes to exploring more detailed subjects like plants, trees, architecture, people, and more. Ideal for beginners and intermediate artists, The Drawing Habit encourages creativity, builds hand-eye coordination, and promotes mindful, consistent practice.

Inside, you will

Step-by-step exercises across popular subjects, covering everything from simple lines to more complex subjects and scenes.Tools for progress tracking, including downloadable practice sheets and a habit tracker template to help you stay motivated and see your improvement.Tips for integrating drawing into daily life, with advice and techniques for making drawing a regular, fulfilling part of each day.
The Drawing Habit
will help you develop the skills and confidence to draw anything, one small, consistent step at a time—it’s the Atomic Habits for transforming your creative life.
A Danger to the Minds of Young Girls: Margaret C. Anderson, Book Bans, and the Fight to Modernize Literature cover

A Danger to the Minds of Young Girls: Margaret C. Anderson, Book Bans, and the Fight to Modernize Literature

Author Adam Morgan
Genres History, Nonfiction, Books About Books, LGBT, Biography Memoir
Publication Date December 09, 2025
The definitive biography of overlooked queer icon Margaret C. Anderson, whose fight to publish James Joyce’s Ulysses led to her arrest and trial for obscenity. Perfect for fans of The Editor and The Book-Makers.

Already under fire for publishing the literary avant-garde into a world not ready for it, Margaret C. Anderson’s cutting-edge magazine The Little Review was a bastion of progressive politics and boundary-pushing writing from then-unknowns like T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, William Butler Yeats, and Djuna Barnes. And as its publisher, Anderson was a target. From Chicago to New York and Paris, this fearless agitator helmed a woman-led publication that pushed American culture forward and challenged the sensibilities of early twentieth century Americans dismayed by its salacious writing and advocacy for supposed extremism like women’s suffrage, access to birth control, and LBGTQ rights.

But then it went too far. In 1921, Anderson found herself on trial and labeled “a danger to the minds of young girls” by a government seeking to shut her down. Guilty of having serialized James Joyce’s masterpiece Ulysses in her magazine, Anderson was now not just a publisher but also a scapegoat for regressives seeking to impose their will on a world on the brink of modernization.

Author, journalist, and literary critic Adam Morgan brings Anderson and her journal to life anew in A Danger to the Minds of Young Girls, capturing a moment of cultural acceleration and backlash all too familiar today while shining light on an unsung heroine of American arts and letters. Bringing a fresh eye to a woman and a movement misunderstood in their time, this biography highlights a feminist counterculture that audaciously pushed for more during a time of extreme social conservatism and changed the face of American literature and culture forever.
Secrets, Spells, and Chocolate cover

Secrets, Spells, and Chocolate

Author Marisa Churchill
Genres Young Adult, Fantasy, Cozy Fantasy
Publication Date December 09, 2025
The culinary world is full of secrets. For one, recipes can become powerful spells. Of course, fourteen-year-old Sylvie Jones knows this. Sylvie has been dreaming of attending her mom’s alma mater, Brindille School of Culinary Arts and Magic, since she was old enough to reach the stove. Unfortunately, the last name Jones has a horrible stain on it—something that could destroy her dream. So, when Sylvie is given the opportunity to prove that she’s got the skills to be a great chef and put an end to the rumors that her famous chef mother cheated her way to victory at the world’s greatest magical cooking competition, The Golden Whisk, she takes it.


But the opportunity she’s been given may not be all that it’s cracked up to be. If Sylvie truly wants to make her own mark and earn a place at Brindille, she needs to uncover the truth about what happened all those years ago. But some will go to great lengths to ensure Sylvie fails, and she soon finds herself tangled in a web of deceit.

With the unlikely help of frenemy Georgia Shaw and rising-star-student Flora Jackson, Sylvie must find a way to get to The Golden Whisk All-Star competition and uncover the past before time runs out. Will she be able to redeem her family’s name and save her future, or will it all end in burned butter and broken dreams?
Love Letters for Other People cover

Love Letters for Other People

Author Shaylin Gandhi
Genres Romance, Contemporary Romance, Second Chance Romance, Second Chance
Publication Date December 09, 2025
“Beautifully written with a twist you won’t see coming.”
HELEN HARDT, #1 New York Times bestselling author on When We Had Forever

An emotionally gripping page-turner about heartbreak, old secrets, and second chances—with an unexpected Cyrano twist. For fans of Lucy Score and Mia Sheridan.

When mathematician Aubrey MacLean’s career implodes, she has no choice but to return to her rural Indiana hometown, at least temporarily. But small towns have long memories, and so does she, especially when it comes to Nick Thacker, the boy who broke her heart.

Nick’s life is long shifts at the steel mill, plus a side business writing love letters for other people. It’s enough to numb his regrets—until his first love returns, stirring up a past he thought he’d buried.

Aubrey is focused on rebuilding her career, until she falls for a new man whose love letters feel achingly familiar. But as their connection deepens, so does her sense that she’s been here before. The similarities must be a coincidence, right? Because if not, Aubrey may have to choose between the life she’s built and the love she left behind…

The Birdwatcher cover

The Birdwatcher

Author Jacquelyn Mitchard
Genres Thriller
Publication Date December 09, 2025
A Zibby’s Most Anticipated Book of Fall 2025!

From New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Mitchard comes a page-turning drama that explores the beauty of female friendship; the relationship between money, power, and sex; and the very human desire to protect the ones we love most.


When she is convicted of a double murder, Felicity Wild, a brilliant grad student turned high-priced escort, declares, “I may not be innocent, but I’m innocent of this.”

Reenie Bigelow never doubted it. A jury may have given Felicity a life sentence, but Reenie knows that her childhood best friend is not capable of murder. And so Reenie, a journalist, decides to use her deep connections to Felicity’s past to unravel the truth.

The more she uncovers, the more Reenie is convinced that the story the prosecution told is wrong, despite the puzzling fact that Felicity said not one single word in her own defense. But there’s one thing Reenie knows for certain: Felicity would never lie.
Awkward on the Rocks cover

Awkward on the Rocks

Author Marcel Feldmar
Genres Mystery
Publication Date December 09, 2025
“Awkward Thom is a bartender you wish was real—pouring drinks, slinging spells, and stumbling into a mystery that could scorch the whole city. It’s witty, fast-paced, and packed with the kind of wild invention only Feldmar can conjure.” —Kirk Hammett, Metallica
When a missing book of dark magic recipes threatens a city, a Fire Elementalist bartender might be the only hope to serve an antidote or a hex on the rocks.
Thomas “Awkward Thom” Dante is not your typical bartender. He’s a DarkWaver—a Fire Elemental sworn to ancient laws and even older sins, hiding behind the counter of The Lost & Found, a mystixology bar built on the crossroads of a city where magic and mortal danger mingle.
But when a dark magic book of recipes vanishes and a fellow DarkWaver is murdered within the bar’s smokey walls, Awkward Thom is contacted by his ex-girlfriend—a Detective with the Agentia Obscura.
Since the culprit could have used a curse or a cocktail to commit the crimes, Awkward Thom finds himself involved as both a suspect and a consultant. One mysterious murder, one missing book, and all Awkward Thom wants is to hide behind the bar and mix drinks. Unfortunately, he can’t. If evil forces gain control of The Lost & Found, the entire city could suffer the unthinkable.
Now Thom must navigate a treacherous underbelly of immortals, shapeshifters, demons, a Voudou Queen, and the detective who once held his heart. To prove his innocence and help solve the crime, Thom must use his abilities without violating any DarkWaver laws. The only problem is in order to save his city, Awkward Thom might have to sacrifice his soul.
For readers who enjoy gritty fantasy, supernatural thrillers, occult magic, a dark tavern, and characters who struggle with power, guilt, and secrets—you’ll knock back this novel. Dive in now and follow Thom behind the bar… if you dare.
How to Grieve Like a Victorian: A funny, heartwarming love story cover

How to Grieve Like a Victorian: A funny, heartwarming love story

Author Amy Carol Reeves
Genres Romance
Publication Date December 09, 2025
Even in the wake of loss, there’s still love, life, snark, and burlesque to be had…

Dr. Lizzie Wells, a professor of British literature and bestselling author, is grieving her husband the Victorian way. She keeps a lock of his hair in a choker around her neck and dons widow’s weeds—and notifies her colleagues and students that she will accept only paper letters instead of email.

But then she’s offered a trip to London for escape and healing, where she befriends fellow bestselling novelist AD Hemmings. Rakish and handsome, Hemmings pushes her out of her comfort zone. She attends a Victorian-style séance, gets pulled onstage at a burlesque bar, and sightsees with her young son.

All the while, back in South Carolina, her late husband’s best friend and lawyer, Henry, peels back the layers of a family secret her mother-in-law is desperate to keep hidden. Cross-Atlantic “family business” updates turn into regular FaceTime hangouts and their friendship evolves into something more. Lizzie fears she’s falling in love with him…

Struggling with conflicting feelings, Lizzie travels to Brontë country, where in the windswept moors, she comes to peace with grief, joy, and all the in-betweens.

Secrets You Can’t Keep cover

Secrets You Can’t Keep

Author Debra Webb
Genres Mystery
Publication Date December 09, 2025
From USA Today bestselling author Debra Webb comes crime analyst Vera Boyett’s next case—a triple homicide that tears a small town apart…and an accident that could do worse to her family.

A cabin in the woods. Three dead, one in critical condition. Property owned by not just any Tennessee local, but one of the richest men in the country.

Vera Boyett isn’t quite sure what it means. But that’s why Sheriff Gray “Bent” Benton called to figure it out. Criminal analysis is what she does best. Even when the town is in panicked shambles, even when the case is more delicate than most…and even when it’s not the only case on her plate.

Vera’s family is caught in a deadly mess of its own. And while her pregnant sister seems an unlikely culprit, each new detail seems to point to her guilt. Desperate to protect her, Vera vows to find out what really happened.

As evidence emerges in both cases, Vera and Bent work to unravel a dangerous web of secrets to get to the truth. But their investigations reveal more than they ever expected…
Kind Karl: A Little Crocodile with Big Feelings cover

Kind Karl: A Little Crocodile with Big Feelings

Author Jason Gruhl
Publication Date December 09, 2025
A grumpy crocodile learns what good can come when he chooses kindness in this adorable picture book for kids ages 4–8.

With everyday examples, approachable language, and adorable illustrations, adults will love introducing kids to mindfulness and meditation, inspiring them to look inward with curiosity and kindness.



Karl is a crocodile who lives in Orlando. He loves cardigans, crepes, and combing his hair. And . . . he has a terrible temper! Full of lovable animal characters, this playful story is a children’s adaptation of Sharon Salzberg’s beloved book The Revolutionary Art of Happiness. Like the original, it asks the question, “Why does what we do, say, and care about make a difference?” The book explores how generosity and mindfulness contribute to a life of happiness and connection.

In today’s divisive society, lovingkindness asks us to stop, find quiet, and look within; and in that honest reflection, answers appear. With relatable everyday examples, approachable language, and adorable illustrations, the book will inspire children to look inward with curiosity and kindness. By understanding what happiness feels like for themselves, they can realize how all people desire happiness.

The book includes accessible activities at the end to help kids and parents start a lovingkindness practice in their own lives.
Broken Trail cover

Broken Trail

Author Amanda Casile
Genres Horror
Publication Date December 09, 2025
This trail will break you . . .

After criminal psychologist Clara’s divorce shatters her family, she retreats into her work. But, instead of finding comfort there, Clara develops a growing obsession with one patient, a young woman accused of murdering her boyfriend on a remote hiking trail. Desperate to discover what happened and to mend the bonds between her and her estranged daughters, Clara makes an ill-fated decision to hike that very same trail, with her family in tow. Once they hit the trail, however, violent visions plague her dreams, and when a close encounter with a mysterious presence splits them apart, what began as a family bonding trip becomes a battle for survival. Clara must confront her own demons and the thing that prowls the forest to find her family and get them out alive before the forest claims them all, for good.

For readers who enjoy Wonderland by Zoje Stage, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King, and Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough.
The Wild Card: A Novel cover

The Wild Card: A Novel

Author Carolyn Brown
Genres Romance
Publication Date December 09, 2025
When Lady Luck deals her a roadside diner in small-town Texas, a professional poker player discovers home may be the best win of all in this heartfelt romance by New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Brown.

Professional poker player Carla Wilson’s luck runs dry in Tucson, leaving her with nothing but an SUV running on fumes and a deed to the Tumbleweed Bus Stop and Diner in small-town Texas. Her plan to sell the café and move on seems simple enough—until she meets the motherly cook who rules the kitchen with an iron skillet and the sunny waitress who treats her like a sister.

Then there’s Jackson Armstrong. The ex-military heir of a wealthy oil family has green eyes that make Carla forget her cards and a smile that suggests he’s playing for keeps. With a pair of matchmaking senior citizens and the café’s morning regulars cheering from the sidelines, Carla’s wandering soul begins to feel at home.

Now she’s discovering everything she never knew she needed—true friendship, a place to belong, and a love worth going all in for. Maybe Lady Luck knew exactly what she was doing from the start.
Cross-Check: A Dark Enemies-to-Lovers Hockey Romance cover

Cross-Check: A Dark Enemies-to-Lovers Hockey Romance

Author Isla Vaughn
Publication Date December 11, 2025
Teaming up was the smart move. Falling for him again wasn’t.

Luke King isn’t just the captain of Blackwood’s hockey team—he’s the guy who made it his mission to break me the second I came back. But the truth we uncovered changed everything, and now we’re on the same side. At least, that’s what we tell ourselves.

In public, we’re distant. Guarded. Careful. Behind closed doors, it’s a different story—charged looks, stolen moments, and a connection neither of us can shake.

But this town runs on secrets. And we’re sitting on a powder keg.

If anyone finds out we’re working together—worse, that we’re not just allies but something deeper—we won’t survive the fallout. Not with enemies watching. Not with his family pulling the strings.

We can’t afford to fall for each other. But the harder we try to play it smart, the more dangerous this game becomes.

And I’m starting to wonder if the real risk… is not falling at all.

Cross-Check is a steamy, angst-filled, second chance, enemies-to-lovers hockey romance tangled in power plays, forbidden desire, and dangerous truths. Perfect for fans of elite academy romance with dark twists and ruthless hockey captains.
Where You Belong cover

Where You Belong

Author Kristen Proby
Genres Romance, Small Town Romance
Publication Date December 11, 2025
From New York Times bestselling author Kristen Proby comes the final installment of the Blackwells of Montana series, Where You Belong, a small-town, second-chance romance set in Bitterroot Valley!

Brooks


Fifteen years ago, I’d planned a romantic proposal, but that was the day Juliet walked out of my life and never looked back. I never wanted to see her again and decided that love wasn’t for me. But now, Juliet has returned to Bitterroot Valley and opened a restaurant. Catching glimpses of her around town makes my heart ache. I want to hate her. I wish she’d do what she does best and go away.

Instead, I find myself wanting to be near her. Helping her. Touching her perfect skin. I don’t want to love her. I don’t want to need her.

Juliet

Coming home to Bitterroot Valley might have been a mistake. Just because I grew up here doesn’t mean I belong here. Honestly, I’ve never felt like I belong anywhere. But once I was finally free from the man who lied and controlled me, I knew I needed to be in Montana. My new restaurant, Sage & Citrus, is a big hit, and I’m making friends. But more importantly, Brooks is here.

I know he doesn’t want me, but having him nearby is a balm to my jagged heart. The more I see him, the more I’m reminded that Brooks Blackwell is my soulmate. But has too much time passed? Or will we finally get our happily ever after?
Experience vibrant health and balance through a unique, seasonal self-care approach that intertwines the earth-based wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine with yoga and meditation.

In this practical exploration, experienced Chinese medicine practitioner and yoga teacher Jennifer Raye guides you through movement, mindfulness, and healing practices align with the natural rhythm of the seasons.

Drawing on these time-tested systems, Raye offers modern insights into using yoga postures, healing foods, herbal medicine, meditation, and other practices to balance the body and mind in an accessible and holistic way. This book includes:

• A unique way to understand your body, mind, and spirit based on the natural rhythm of the seasons.
• An easy-to-understand exploration of five-element theory and how it manifests in your life.
• Suggestions on what foods and lifestyle practices to implement at different times of the year.
• Yoga practices and postures that target the organs and meridians according to the Chinese medicine model.
• Numerous meditations, breathing techniques, inquiry suggestions, and journal exercises to maintain health and balance your energy.
• Inspiration to heal your spiritual self and transform your heart to benefit the world we share.
• And much more!
Audrey Lane Stirs the Pot cover

Audrey Lane Stirs the Pot

Author Alexis Hall
Genres Romance, Contemporary, LGBT, Queer, Adult, Fiction, Lesbian
Publication Date December 09, 2025
Bestselling author Alexis Hall brings all the cozy charm of The Great British Bake Off to life in this quirky LGBTQIA+ romcom.

Audrey Lane is perfectly fine. Really. So what if she left her high-powered job as a Very Important Journalist—and her even higher-powered long-term girlfriend—to live a quiet life as a reporter for the second-biggest newspaper in Shropshire? And so what if she keeps hearing the voice of that same higher-powered long-term now-ex-girlfriend in her head night and day, constantly judging just how small Audrey’s allowed her life to become?

She’s fine. She’s happy. She’s perfectly within her groove. Do not-in-their-groove people get weekday drunk and impulsively apply for the UK’s most beloved baking show?

All right, so maybe she’s not completely fine, but being on Bake Expectations is opening her world again in ways she never anticipated. First through fellow contestant Doris, whose personal story of queer love during WW2 captures Audrey’s heart, imagination, and journalistic interest like nothing has in ages. Then through Jennifer Hallet, the most foul-tempered (and fouler-mouthed) producer, woman, and menace Audrey has ever met. Jennifer should be off-limits, but her fire lights something unexpected inside of Audrey, making her want to burn back a million times brighter. A million times hotter. A million times more herself than she’s been in a long, long time.
The Sun Sets in the Sea cover

The Sun Sets in the Sea

Author Ursula C. Rance
Publication Date December 09, 2025
Every afternoon, Jubi gazes out her window, eyes fixed on the glowing horizon. Does the sun really dive into the ocean to sleep? she wonders. Where does it hide when night takes its place?

With a heart full of questions and a mind ready to explore, Jubi sets off on a dreamy adventure to uncover the sun’s secrets. Come along on this whimsical journey that celebrates wonder, imagination, and the magic of asking what if?

Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments down below.

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