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The Awakening: The Dragon Heart Legacy, Book 1 (affiliate link)
In the realm of Talamh, a teenage warrior named Keegan emerges from a lake holding a sword—representing both power and the terrifying responsibility to protect the Fey. In another realm known as Philadelphia, a young woman has just discovered she possesses a treasure of her own…
When Breen Kelly was a girl, her father would tell her stories of magical places. Now she’s an anxious twentysomething mired in student debt and working a job she hates. But one day she stumbles upon a shocking discovery: her mother has been hiding an investment account in her name. It has been funded by her long-lost father—and it’s worth nearly four million dollars.
This newfound fortune would be life-changing for anyone. But little does Breen know that when she uses some of the money to journey to Ireland, it will unlock mysteries she couldn’t have imagined. Here, she will begin to understand why she kept seeing that silver-haired, elusive man, why she imagined his voice in her head saying Come home, Breen Siobhan.
Paper, Scissors, Death (Kiki Lowenstein Book 1 (Standalone) (affiliate link)
JUST BECAUSE HER HUSBAND’S NAKED, DEAD, AND IN A HOTEL BED…
…it might not be what it seems. But there’s that scarf in his mouth. Of course it is.
Given the situation, Kiki Lowenstein can’t help remembering that her (late) husband got her pregnant while cheating on his girlfriend.
True, he did the right thing at the time, and their much-loved daughter Anya is now eleven years old. But suddenly he’s dead, and Kiki’s financially embarrassed—that jerk disinherited his own family!
Time for the timid to toughen up. Passive Kiki transforms herself into a fighter, walking right out of her luxurious life and into a scrapbooking store, where she deftly turns a hobby into a moneymaker. Her new gig goes slightly awry when her late husband’s not-so-ex-girlfriend insults her in public, but that’s just the beginning. The hurts keep piling up. How much can one woman stand?
As her husband’s secret life explodes before her eyes, Kiki discovers that their daughter has a shocking secret of her own. Then the cops come for Kiki. And Family Services comes for Anya. No more Mrs. Nice Guy. Kiki has to fight for all she holds dear, and her quest must start with tracking down her late husband’s killer. Hope arrives for Kiki in the twin forms of a hot, homicide detective and her own newfound ability to cope.
Pumpkin Everything (Autumnboro Sweet Romance Book 1) (affiliate link)
After calling off her fall wedding, horror novelist Amy Fox is left with a broken heart, a mega case of writer’s block, and a serious aversion to all things pumpkin spice. When she receives news that her grandfather has broken his wrist driving through a Dunkin Donuts—literally straight through the front windows—five hundred miles away, in her hometown of Autumnboro, New Hampshire, Amy has no choice but to return to check on him. If she doesn’t make sure that he’s back on his feet, Grandpa may be moved into assisted living, and Amy’s beloved childhood home will be put on the market.
Knowing she must return, Amy worries about the only thing worse than pumpkin spice—a reunion with Kit Parker—her childhood best friend, first love, and entire reason for skipping town in the first place. As the two reconnect, a second chance seems possible…if only Kit weren’t holding on to a secret that just might unravel everything.
Grimm Cove Books 1-3: (affiliate link)
This enchanting bundle of full-length paranormal women’s fiction romance novels promises to whisk you away to a Southern town where supernatural beings are the norm and love always finds a way. Each tale follows a new couple on their journey to a happily-ever-after, wrapped in dark humor and nods to gothic literature fan favorites.
Book One: Cloudy with a Chance of Witchcraft
Meet a witch who’s just discovered her powers, her fated wolf-shifter mate, and the small matter of a serial killer targeting her kind. With ghosts offering unsolicited advice and a town full of eccentrics, she’ll need to navigate her newfound abilities and solve the murders before she becomes the next victim.
Book Two: Hexing with a Chance of Tornadoes
The storm isn’t the only thing brewing in Grimm Cove. As our heroine grapples with her lineage of witches and demon slayers, she finds herself torn between a tantalizing alpha wolf-shifter and the real monsters who are out for her blood. Will she heed her heart or her head as she fights to survive?
The Hex Files Box Set: Books 1-3 (Mysteries from the Sixth Borough) (affiliate link)
Welcome to Wicked, the paranormal sixth borough of New York.
Wicked is home to witches and goblins, werewolves and necromancers, elves and vampires…and former Detective Dani DeMarco. Dani’s busy with the grand opening of her family’s pizza parlor, when a knock on the door leaves her face to face with the stunning, yet lethal vampire in charge of the NYPD’s supernatural branch—Captain Matthew King.
There’s been a high profile double homicide in the Sixth Borough, and Dani’s peculiar ability to see spells is the only hope to untangle the web of lies and magic connecting the dead victims. As the case spirals into a pulse-pounding chase, Dani’s not sure what’s worse: the fact that a ruthless killer has his sights set on her, or that her feelings for New York’s most infamous vampire have returned…
The Hex Files is fast-paced paranormal mystery series with a kickass heroine, hilarious sidekicks, and an immersive world that will pull you in faster than you can say pizza.
I Kill Monsters: (Nowak Brothers 1) (affiliate link)
Mikkel and Szandor kill monsters.
So what if they’re making it up as they’re going along? How much do you need to know to bash in a zombie’s head with a lead pipe or slice a ghoul with an internet-bought katana?
They may in fact have no clue what they’re doing.
But if you need someone to go down into the sewers to clear out some monsters, figure out why everyone in your neighborhood is getting bitten, or if you swear you really saw a zombie and you don’t know who to call, then call them. They’ll show up in their van of makeshift weapons, gear, and cleaning supplies to investigate your problem. They may be twenty-somethings with their own issues, but when it comes to monsters they know what they’re doing.
They probably have no clue what they’re doing.
That has never stopped them before.
Hired by a woman from the rich side of town who believes she’s being stalked by monsters, the two brothers think they’ve finally gotten an easy job that will pay well. But as they follow the clues, nothing adds up. Kidnappings, jackbooted commandos, and mysterious emails are just the beginning. Soon they find themselves involved in something bigger than monsters. It’s anybody’s guess whether they’ll come through it alive, much less get paid.
The King and Vi (Misfortunes Favorites Book 1) (affiliate link)
The bored and snobbish Marquess of Kingston—King to his friends—doesn’t believe in witches. Granted, he was cursed by a witch when he was thirteen, but King doesn’t believe in curses either. So surely it must be an aftereffect of too much drink and debauchery when, on the eve of his thirtieth birthday, the witch from his youth reappears to watch her curse on him take effect. And, whether King believes it or not, the next morning he’s gone from nobleman to nobody, a man without a title or farthing to his name.
It seems curses, and witches, are real after all.
Violet Baker has had enough of entitled aristocrats slumming it in Seven Dials and causing trouble in her family’s tavern. She has two younger brothers to support, and she can’t when her establishment is destroyed by raucous young bucks. The morning after the Marquess of Kingston’s brawling leaves her tavern in ruins, Violet confronts him and demands payment for the damages. But, surprisingly, King is in more trouble than she at the moment. He convinces her he’ll pay if she gives him a place to hide from his creditors—only for a day or two—until he sorts out the muddle his life has become.
The Kadin (affiliate link)
Abducted from a life of privilege, she was sold into slavery in a distant land. For Lady Janet Leslie there would be no escaping the harem of the wealthy and powerful Sultan Selim. But from the moment the handsome ruler spied his breathtaking “Cyra,” was captivated — by the fiery desire that coursed through his veins. She belonged to him, body and soul -yet it was he who was enslaved.
Praised for her keen sense of history and remarkable storytelling powers, the bestselling author of The Spitfire displays the passionate magic that has made her a national favorite -sweeping the reader into the romantic past, from the magnificence of Renaissance Europe to the perfumed splendor of a Sultan’s court.
Light the Stars (The Cowboys of Cold Creek Book 1) (affiliate link)
Wade Dalton is having a bad day: his five-year-old has accidentally set the kitchen on fire. His daughter is surly, as usual. The baby hasn’t been fed yet. And his mother—aka “the childminder”—has eloped with a scam artist. Could it get any worse?
Turns out it can, when the annoyingly beautiful daughter of said scam artist shows up at the door, batting her doe eyes at Wade and offering to be his temporary nanny until the newlyweds’ return. Could he trust her to be under his roof? Could he trust himself with her under his roof?
The Boat of a Million Years (affiliate link)
An epic chronicle of ten immortals over the course of history.
The immortals are ten individuals born in antiquity from various cultures. Immune to disease, able to heal themselves from injuries, they will never die of old age—although they can fall victim to catastrophic wounds. They have walked among mortals for millennia, traveling across the world, trying to understand their special gifts while searching for one another in the hope of finding some meaning in a life that may go on forever.
An inviting, nontraditional approach to baking delicious, inventive sourdough breads at home.
Learn how to make a sourdough starter, basic breads, as well as other innovative baked goods from start to finish with Bryan Ford, Instagram star (@artisanbryan) and host of The Artisan’s Kitchen on Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Network. With less emphasis on perfecting crumb structure or obsessive temperature monitoring, Bryan focuses on the tips and techniques he’s developed in his own practice, inspired by his Honduran roots and New Orleans upbringing, to ensure your success and a good return on your time and effort.
Bryan’s recipes include step-by-step instructions and photographs of all of the mixing, shaping, and baking techniques you’ll need to know, with special attention paid to developing flavor as well as your own instincts. New World Sourdough offers practical, accessible techniques and enticing, creative recipes you’ll want to return to again and again, like:
Pan de Coco
Ciabatta
Pretzel Buns
Challah
Focaccia
Pizza dough
Cuban Muffins
Pita Bread
Flour Tortillas
Queen Cake
… See the rest of today ‘s Book Picks here on page 2Page 2