As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Murder on Port Meadow (Oxford Dog Walker Book 1) (affiliate link)
Anna Hopkins is on her daily walk through Oxford’s picturesque Port Meadow when her white German Shepherd rescue dog, Bonnie, finds a blood-soaked body in the undergrowth.
Anna’s heart races. A name forms inside her head. Naomi.
She knows the victim.
Anna’s in shock. Luckily, two other dog walkers come to her aid: older, outspoken Isadora and quiet, kind young Tansy.
The women don’t know each other, but the tragic discovery brings them together. When the police fail to make progress with their investigation, the dog walkers vow to find out who killed Naomi.
The Secrets of a Moonlit Night (The Oddflower Series) (affiliate link)
A swindling governess, a scarred hero, and a ghost with matchmaking in mind.
A governess with a swindler’s past
Sinister rumors of a mysterious figure known as the Half-Faced Man swirl around the ruins of Northcliffe Abbey. But governess Elizabeth Nightingale knows claptrap when she peddles it. So, when the real Half-Faced Man comes to her door demanding she keep her three young charges away from his property, Elizabeth isn’t frightened by his scars. She’s frightened by how easily he sees through her disguise to the woman beneath.
A man who looks past the scars
Renovating an ancient abbey is hard enough without village gossip, ghost-shy workmen, and curious neighbor children to contend with. Architect Thomas Warwick doesn’t need any more complications. And it doesn’t get more complicated than being trapped inside his cellar with the bewitching governess next door.
If there’s a problem in the galaxy no one else can fix, the Shadow Order get a call.
A team pulled together because of their individual talents, the Shadow Order have little time for rest as they embark on one dangerous mission after the next, fighting volatile creatures on hostile planets.
Although when their goals begin to clash with their morals, they start asking questions.
Who are they really working for?
What’s the link between the seemingly unrelated missions?
Are they the bad guys?
Do they even want to know?
All the Way Back Home: An Adventure Novel (affiliate link)
Once a successful dentist with a passion for healing, Shaye Fox lost his career, self-esteem, and reason for living after a series of unfortunate events.
That is, until he nearly runs over a big white dog in the middle of the road.
Using his healing skills, Shaye saves the dog, only to discover it had been used as a drug mule and left to die.
Over the next few weeks, as the dog heals, Shaye realizes just how remarkable this creature is. So remarkable, he decides to return it to its rightful owners…
Halfway around the world.
From the mountains of California to the scorching sand dunes of the mighty Sahara, this epic adventure of a troubled man and a noble dog will touch anyone with a love for animals and a hunger for new beginnings.
Potions, Poisons, and Peril (Deepwood Witches Mysteries Book 1) (affiliate link)
Deepwood, Oregon Cozy. Magical. Deadly.
Emory Chastain, owner of Healing Herbs, sells everything from love potions to herbal tea blends. She is also the most powerful witch of the modern era. When a stranger drops dead in her shop, Emory is left with no choice but to investigate.
Enlisting the help of her friends and the very handsome Noah, she soon discovers that someone is using magic to poison people, turning them stark raving mad. The clock is ticking, can Emory stop the killer? Or will time run out for the residents of Deepwood?
When the Night Closes In (The Hellion Club) (affiliate link)
At Nightleigh Hall, danger lurks in every corner… from the living and the dead.
Tess Parker has traveled far from London and the Darrow School to accept a position as companion to a frail, elderly woman. But Nightleigh House is not at all what she anticipated and her less than warm welcome by the master of the house, Maximillian Nightleigh, the Earl of Finmore, leaves her questioning that decision.
Immediately, it becomes apparent that there is more going on at Nightleigh House than meets the eye. Secrets. Unseen threats… and a chilling presence that leaves her both frightened and determined to discover the truth.
Winter Magic (affiliate link)
Claire Sullivan is back in her rural hometown in New York after being fired from her job in Manhattan.
Claire’s never loved Christmas, but this year is by far the worst.
She’d been living beyond her means in New York City, spending every penny she’d earned.
The affair she’d been having with her boss wasn’t nearly as discreet as she’d thought, so without a job and any savings, Claire was back home, helping out at her parents’ bar.
This was not where she thought she’d be at 31 years old.
After spending the last seven months grieving her mother’s sudden death, Emma Cole is ready to return to her normal life.
A Waltz with the Kind Marquess (Noble Gentlemen of the Ton) (affiliate link)
Arabella Dandridge’s heart has always been torn between living the life her parents wish for her and finding adventure beyond the borders of England. When a much older man puts a claim on her, she will do whatever it takes to avoid a union with him; even enlisting a handsome Marquess to pretend they have an interest in each other. Little did she know that she would soon stop pretending, as she truly falls for the charming stranger.
How will Arabella react though, when a woman claiming to be the Marquess’ fiancée appears in her life? Could a chance at happiness still be on the cards for her?
Home for the Holly Days (Holly Pointe Book 1) (affiliate link)
Going “Holly” Wood isn’t what America’s sweetheart, Krista Ankrom, had in mind when she made her annual Christmas trip to Holly Pointe, Vermont. Frustrated after losing another job to a younger rival, and fearing she’s walked her last runway, she’s hoping the happy site of her childhood Christmas pasts will be the perfect hideaway. But when asked to team up with NHL superstar Dustin Bellamy to save the town’s weeklong holiday celebration, how could she say no?
Dustin Bellamy is devastated that his days on the ice could be over. Needing distraction after suffering a career-ending injury, he agrees to be the celebrity host for his hometown’s Christmas celebration. But when his beautiful co-star—and former high school sweetheart, Krista Ankrom–shines a light into his bleak world, he worries his jingling emotions will distract him from his next professional move.
Battered to Death (Daphne Martin Cake Mysteries) (affiliate link)
A recipe…for murder? Life is sweet for Daphne Martin right now, from her flourishing cake-decorating business to a rekindled romance with her high school boyfriend, Ben. All that’s about to change, courtesy of famously foul-mouthed celebrity chef Jordan Richards. The TV star has come to Brea Ridge, Virginia, for the town’s lavish cake competition, but he won’t be leaving under his own steam. After his first master class, Jordan is found bludgeoned with a cake stand and drowned in some very bitter batter.
Plenty of townsfolk think the curmudgeonly confectioner had it coming, but the half-baked evidence points to Daphne as a prime suspect. With Ben mulling a new job offer—in Kentucky—Daphne is faced with a multilayered dilemma. She needs to somehow keep her boyfriend, win the cake competition, and sift out the real culprit…before the killer serves up another victim.
Best Laid Plaids (Kilty Pleasures) (affiliate link)
In 1920s Scotland, even ghosts wear plaid.
Welcome to a sexy, spooky new paranormal historical series from debut author Ella Stainton.
Scotland, 1928 Dr. Ainsley Graham is cultivating a reputation as an eccentric.
Two years ago, he catastrophically ended his academic career by publicly claiming to talk to ghosts. When Joachim Cockburn, a WWI veteran studying the power of delusional thinking, arrives at his door, Ainsley quickly catalogues him as yet another tiresome Englishman determined to mock his life’s work.
But Joachim is tenacious and openhearted, and Ainsley’s intrigued despite himself. He agrees to motor his handsome new friend around to Scotland’s most unmistakable hauntings. If he can convince Joachim, Ainsley might be able to win back his good name and then some. He knows he’s not crazy—he just needs someone else to know it, too.
Fairytale of New York (affiliate link)
Romantic Comedy
Are happy-ever-afters made in Manhattan? Find out in this gorgeous novel, perfect for cold winter nights…
Once upon a time an English girl went to New York to live out her very own fairytale…
Florist Rosie Duncan’s life couldn’t be better, she has a flourishing business on New York’s Upper West Side and fantastic friends. Moving to Manhattan to escape her heartbreak was the best decision she ever made.
For the past six years Rosie has kept her heart under lock and key – despite the protests of her inner circle.
But then, a blossoming friendship with publishing hot-shot Nate thaws her resolve, sparking a blizzard of emotions. Meanwhile, her brother arrives in the Big Apple, hiding a secret – and she is forced to confront questions she has long been trying to ignore…
75 Fun Fat-Quarter Quilts: 13 Quilts + 62 Innovative Variations (affiliate link)
Turn your fat-quarter bundles into fabulous quilts with this guide featuring easy and versatile quilt patterns from an array of exciting designers.
Does your fat-quarter collection require its own zip code? Put those treasured bundles to good use with 13 fast and fun fat-quarter quilts! Want quilts in multiple sizes and variations? You’ll find a total of 75 possibilities! Play with scale, layout, colorways, and block design to make each project your own. Popular and up-and-coming designers share ideas in every style and for every skill level.
99 Bottles: A Black Sheep’s Guide to Life-Changing Wines (affiliate link)
A highly opinionated, vibrantly illustrated wine guide from one of the country’s most celebrated—and unorthodox—sommeliers and winemakers.
In this entertaining, informative, and thoroughly unconventional wine guide, award-winning sommelier, winemaker, and wine educator Andre Mack presents readers with the 99 bottles that have most impacted his life. Instead of just pairing wines with foods, Mack pairs practical information with personal stories, offering up recommendations alongside reflections on being one of the only African-Americans to ever work at the top level of the American wine industry.
The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree: A Novel (affiliate link)
When their home in Tehran is burned to the ground by zealots, killing their thirteen-year-old daughter Bahar, a once-prominent family flees to a small village. There, they hope to preserve both their intellectual freedom and their lives. But they soon find themselves caught up in the post-revolutionary chaos that sweeps across their ancient land and its people. Bahar’s mother, after a tragic loss, will embark on a long, eventful journey in search of meaning in a world swept up in the post-revolutionary madness.
The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree speaks of the power of imagination when confronted with cruelty, and of our human need to make sense of trauma through the ritual of storytelling itself. Through her unforgettable characters, Iranian novelist Shokoofeh Azar weaves a timely and timeless story that juxtaposes the beauty of an ancient, vibrant culture with the brutality of an oppressive political regime.
… See the rest of today ‘s Book Picks here on page 2Page 2