Leave a Light on for Me by Briar Holloway

A year after her mum’s death, twenty-something trans woman Natalie Dawson is on a downward spiral, self-medicating with alcohol and binge-watching Buffy. She’s let her veganism lapse, abandoned her culinary dreams, and checked out of every connection she’s ever made. The present’s bleak, the future bleaker. Until she falls in love with Veronica, a woman twice her age who likes nothing more than to play games that would put Steven Shainberg’s Secretary to shame. After discovering a box of old mix tapes, Natalie’s convinced she’s found signs her late mum saw her as a daughter after all. A trail of pop songs and power ballads provide a lifeline, one that’ll see her exhume the role she played in her mum’s death, and bring Veronica’s own secrets to the surface. Splicing the complex romance of The Phantom Thread with the metaphorical ghosts of Six Feet Under, the novel is perfect for readers of Torrey Peters and Caroline O'Donoghue, and fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and My Year of Rest and Relaxation.

Blue Ridge Calling by Olivia Neal

The Appalachian mountains are some of the oldest in the world. They say ancient magic runs through these rivers and valleys. Two years ago, a car accident on a perilous mountain road sent a family into freefall, and none of them have been the same since. Sage used to have everything under perfect grades, record times on the swim team, and carefully medicated ADHD. But ever since her mom died, she' s just been going through the motions, and no one in her family seems to notice. Kora has known Sage' s family her whole life, so losing Sage' s mom was like losing her own. At the end of the summer, she' s supposed to abandon her beloved Blue Ridge mountains for a prestigious art school in New York, but leaving now feels wrong. And an unexpected romance with a new girl in town might complicate things. Then there' s Sam, Sage' s older brother. He' s spent the last two years traipsing through the mountains, trying to find evidence of local ghost stories. He said he would be back by now, but no one has heard from him. To find him, Kora and Sage will have to dig deeper into the myths and legends of the mountains they call home — before it' s too late.

Till Death Do You Part by Marisa Billions

Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, Sage Foster-Reed is frustrated and not at all content with her life or marriage. She’s restless and there’s nothing she can seemingly do about it. Her wife, Jules, has been asked to officiate a friend’s wedding, pulling them to a hotel out of town for three days. In Good Times and Bad, In Sickness and in Health … When Sage goes to run an errand, she encounters Cat, a sexy stranger who seems to appear everywhere after their chance encounter. Cat brings Sage out her fog of misery and now Sage must make a decision- work on her marriage and go forward with the woman she’s built a life with, or run off to chase an uncertain future with Cat. Fretting the decision to be made, Sage finds herself at a crossroads- until Fate steps in and makes the decision for her, and one of the two women she is torn between winds up dead. Is it a terrible accident, or did jealousy culminate in murder? Till Death Do You Part

Out of the Blue by Marisa Billions

I AM HAUNTED. I LIVE A HAUNTED EXISTENCE. Sophia Martin and Eli were married for almost a decade, ran a successful spiritual empire bringing “a bespoke spiritual living experience” to vulnerable people looking to find a purpose in life. Then, Sophia meets a woman who turns her soul, and heart, inside out. Suddenly, Eli's empire is put at risk. I DANCE WITH THE PAST ON A DAILY BASIS. After escaping the marriage, and Eli's demands, Sophia starts again in a new town, and she can reclaim her identity. When she meets Frankie, a woman who teaches her that she is worth love and happiness, Sophia finally begins to heal and rediscover what it means to have peace. Until the bodies of murdered women wash ashore. I RELIVE MY MISTAKES AND QUESTION MY PRESENT AND DOUBT MY FUTURE. When she spots Eli in her newfound hometown around the same time the bodies have been showing up, Sophia knows it's not a coincidence. However, no one will believe her. Not even Frankie. Can she prove Eli is out to terrorize her for destroying the empire he built?

Into the Blue Again by Marisa Billions

Emma Landry must now navigate life post-Bailey. The role she played in her ex-wife's untimely death still haunts her. Also, she needs to understand the mystery that is Morgan. A woman who came into her life at a most inopportune time. Emma is left pondering the reasons their lives intersected, and whether or not they truly belong together. When these women start to explore the consequences of their decisions, everything changes. You have to understand Jonathan is a demarcation in my life. Morgan Hale was once free-spirited and fun-loving. She avoided serious relationships and falling in love. Until she met Jonathan. A tortured and mercurial writer who turned her world upside down. There was my life before him. And the utter mess left in his wake. Emma is left to figure out how the broken pieces of their shattered lives are meant to fit together as she learns through Morgan’s story not only their lives' parallels but how love can be both destructive and rehabilitative. Will the ghosts of Morgan’s past drive Emma away or bring them closer together?

Like Sapphire Blue by Marisa Billions

Your eyes are amazing. I’ve never seen a blue like that.” Emma Landry is tough, independent, beautiful, and smart. Being an outcast unable to identify with her classmates, she was willing to do whatever it takes to climb her way out of poverty. “What color would you say they are?” Like Sapphire Blue Having never known a mother’s love, her father “Bear”, raised her on the wrong side of the tracks in a wealthy town. When success beckons, the woman she’s been in love with is, finally, within her grasp. Life is now worth living and loving. That is, until a dark family secret is revealed. A secret tied into the very fabric of who she is, and what she spent a lifetime working to overcome. Faced with a foundation shattering treachery, Emma finds herself at the crossroads. Can she overcome a destiny stronger than death, destitution, and murder, to prove she is more than just her father’s daughter? Or will this new knowledge lead her to destroy the world she’s spent a lifetime building?

Swallows of Mostar by Neira Fazlovic

Two years after she moved to Mostar, a historic small town in Bosnia and Herzegovina, eighteen-year-old Franka Garcia still struggles with loneliness, language barriers, and terrible grades. After she accidentally falls off the famous Old Bridge, Franka is rescued by Mirna, a wickedly intelligent, but exasperated teenager obsessed with cliff diving. Despite training all her life and frequently besting her peers, being a girl means Mirna can never participate in the centuries-old tradition of diving off the Old Bridge. But stubborn and determined Mirna won’t give up so easily. After Franka’s near-perfect accidental dive, Mirna reluctantly takes on the challenge of teaching her all she knows about cliff diving. If Franka and Mirna want to compete, they must enact their unorthodox plan to take down the patriarchal system forbidding them from diving. Falling in love was never part of the plan.

All I Know So Far by Nicole Zelniker

Of course Avery Marsh’s parents decide to divorce their senior year of high school, but what’s way worse, they’re shipping her across the country to spend the year with her extremely closeted, absentee half-brother Lucas and his secret boyfriend. And it’s great that Lucas is living his truth or whatever, but he couldn’t have told his bisexual, nonbinary sibling earlier? Told in journal entries, ALL I KNOW SO FAR is a queer coming of age story about love, hope, and resilience.

We Are Made of Scars and Starlight by Nicole Zelniker

When twenty-five-year-old Kai Larssen agrees to pose as his best friend Mariah’s date at a family gathering, he doesn’t expect to fall—hard—for her twin brother, Ray. Anxious, magnetic, and achingly off-limits, Ray is everything Kai has ever wanted. But coming out to Ray means risking Mariah’s privacy—and their friendship. Back in New York, Kai and Ray grow closer, and Kai finds himself trapped in a tangle of half-truths and unspoken feelings. As the lies pile up, Kai must decide: is love worth the cost of betrayal? Told in luminous prose, We Are Made of Scars and Starlight is a tender, heartbreaking novella about mental health, disability, and queer desire in the heart of the modern city. Poignant and full of hope, it’s a story of self-discovery, chosen family, and the courage it takes to be seen.

Volatile Reaction by Magnus Thorne

A hitman gets swept up protecting the younger man who lives next door. VOLATILE REACTION is an 18k MM erotic suspense thriller featuring a transmasc main character.

Pistols and Plush Toys by D. Dove

Being the son of the head of the Russian mafia means that Nikolai has learned from a young age how to be hard. Ruthless. And with the Italians taking liberties on his turf, he knows he has to send a strong message. If that message has to come from Elliot Brooks, Mattia Vitale's sobbing boyfriend, tied up in an abandoned warehouse, then so be it. But Nikolai is not a cruel man. And as he learns that being Mattia's lover might not have been… easy for Elliot, Nikolai starts to treat Elliot with a softer touch... Pistols & Plush Toys has a 3 dove rating for some on-page SA and DV (not overly graphic and not between MCs), gaslighting, manipulation, food issues, trauma, mafia-typical violence, hurt/comfort, and plushophilia. It has a guaranteed happily ever after.

Thicker Than Blood by Sera Quim

EDEN VAUGN IS DEAD. ONLY JUDE ST. JAMES REMAINS. When Jude St. James came out as trans nearly a decade ago, his mob boss father, the widowed, sadistic Damian Vaughn, made him an ultimatum: Eden Vaughn could disappear, but the man he became was to be Damian’s secret weapon. Now, after being used as such for nearly half of his young life, Jude is tired of being controlled. It's time to take his life back. And after one hot, perfect night with two of Damian's greatest rivals, Jude makes up his mind. It's time to stop keeping his father's greatest secret. It's time to find out what's thicker than blood.

Monsters-in-Law by Jeannin Counts

Huck finally feels like he has it all: His own place in New York City, far away from his tiny, idyllic hometown. His dream job as an investigative journalist. And now, Kai, the cute new trainee he’s been assigned. Every minute they spend together makes them both fall a little harder, and before long they’re in ‘meet the parents’ territory. Should be simple enough, right? For Huck, nothing has ever been simple, and now he has to take the next Explaining to his boyfriend that he isn’t quite…human. Or rather, that he inherited the human sides of both his very inhuman parents. Also, that ‘tiny, idyllic hometown’? It’s actually a pocket realm full of monstrous and mythical citizens, from mothmen, harpies, and sirens, to Huck’s hung-like-a-centaur-ex-boyfriend. Even with Kai’s support, making a trip back to The Vale isn’t easy for Huck. Between the cozy gazebo concerts in the town square and the beautiful nature hikes, he can’t help but revisit the most difficult parts of his childhood. But the longer they stay, the more Kai seems to feel at home. If he wants to keep the man he loves, Huck might just have to face everything he’s been running from and learn to embrace the best of both his worlds.

Ambrosia by Lenia Lenient

At fourteen, Katya signs her life over to entertainment monopolist W-Media to be broken down and reshaped into the perfect superstar. At twenty-one, now under the name Ambrosia, she is the centerpiece of wildly popular girl-group Moxxy, female lead in hit-block-buster S.L.Y., and firmly cemented as one of W-Media's most lucrative creations ever. She, also, hides a mental-breakdown-induced shaved head under her wig, keeps bleeding out of her nose due to experimental performance-enhancing drugs, and is about to turn the most prestigious award ceremony of the year into a whirlwind of shattered glass and bloodshed. AMBROSIA is a non-chronological story with a frame narrative that spans only a single day, while the story-within draws from anywhere within the past seven years of management-dictated shower times, content-factory dorms, and a life made for consumption that slowly but surely turns the pleasure of being looked at by everybody into the overwhelming urge to claw out eyes.

Mission Aquamarine by Timothy Wolfe

“That star is called the north star. As long as you sail toward it, you’ll be sailing north. If you ever get lost at sea, Ky, and your gauges fail, you can always trust the north star to guide you to land.” Kyle always knew his past held mysteries, but when he gets a necklace for his birthday, he realizes that his past might hold an even more sinister secret. What really happened the day his parents died? What is his adoptive mom hiding? What does the necklace have to do with a strange note he found? And how is he supposed to trust anyone when no one is as they seem? But most of all, how can he figure out the mystery of his past… before it’s too late?

Riyati Ripple by Kai Zeal

Every act of defiance steers you into the person you were always been meant to become. After Nimaka’s death and the older selves returning to their own time, Kylie ran from all she’d known and grown up with at North Opal Pines, but she soon learns she can’t run far or fast enough. She thought she could leave it all behind: go back to being a normal high school student, make new friends, keep her grades up and her mother happy. But Nimaka’s death has only rallied the two other, and now they’ve stalked Kylie to her new school. Even worse, they have a mysterious new leader who no longer seeks to just kill Kylie but all those she knows and loves…. and the body count is rising. Kylie can’t get by on “just surviving” anymore: to protect herself — let alone those around her — she must become as strong and cunning as Siani was, or she’ll not only become trapped in the incarnation cycle but everyone she’s ever known and loved will die with her. Riyati Ripple is the third book in a new adult/adult contemporary, low dark fantasy series that seeks to explore themes of identity, legacy, generational trauma, and finding your own path in life. Riyati is set in the modern day fictional Southern US town of Opal Pines and includes multiple first person perspectives with characters across a range of queer, neurodiverse, and socioeconomic statuses.

Away From Grace by Jess Autiero

The Archangel Michael had one mission: to stop Lucifer from escaping Hell. He failed. Trapped in a young human body, stripped of his immortality and angelic powers, Michael faces a new life he never wanted. Finding small joys in his new existence, he vows to avoid angelic wars at all costs—until a tragedy forces him to reconsider his promise. As chaos brews and haunting dreams grip him, will Michael have the courage to protect humankind once again? And when his deepest love is his greatest enemy, will he be able to confront the creature he cherishes above all?

Turn Back Time by Anagha Bailur

Thousands of books on love and heartbreak, I promise you nothing different, I promise you nothing new, but I promise hope, I promise you a story that you and I can identify with. No heroes, no beauty queens, no successful business men in chateaus. I promise the bare nakedness of souls, simplicity and jagged sharpness of hurt and heart! We all have that one time in our lives that we would like to go back to and live it again. What is yours? Love happens, distorts, you give yourself another chance, but are 2 chances enough? This is a story about Hridaan, his love conquest and how the warrior in him helps him fight all the demons in his head. Read on for tears and inspiration, smiles and motivation, because love is like a warm candle inside of you, if you let it fall die out, you will be stuck in eternal darkness, but if you push it beyond a threshold, it holds the capacity to burn lives!

Errant Wings by S. Jean

Wings aren't supposed to be this much trouble... On their sixteenth birthday, foundlings grow wings—either angel wings or devil wings—and their value to the city depends on which one. To Asher, devil wings mean the freedom to do what he pleases: using the city as a canvas for his graffiti art; being with his loving, devil-winged boyfriend; riding the dark, glittering streets without a care in the world. But when his wings finally sprout, already three years late, they’re angel wings. Now, the city expects his obedience. His freedom. His everything. Bowing to the system and being a proper angel wing is the last thing Asher wants, except now with every plan he’s ever made in pieces, he doesn’t know what to do or where he belongs. He’d rather burn it all to the ground, but that’s not an option… Or is it?

Dissatisfied Me: West Coast Larry by Bruce D. Gordon

Layabout Larry Johnstone’s life mission to find the perfect spouse began in his early teens. After dating (and being dumped) by nearly a hundred women, he finally meets and proposes to his dream girl, Heather—a successful advertising executive from Vancouver. A shocking truth about Larry surfaces during his bachelor party, thwarting his plans for a traditional wedding. Determined to complete his quest, he abandons his Ottawa life and flies to his “Schnookums” on the West Coast—only to discover his mission might not come to fruition as expected, thanks to a charismatic Scandinavian with ice blue eyes and a portable meatball oven. Needing guidance, Larry stumbles into a non-conventional church, where a seagull-cawing woman reveals a Larry will father a nation and be married to the voice of a generation. With the help of Peter, a hippie who “spreads the love” in the streets, and newfound friends at the Hospice of Good Hope, Larry is driven to seek the answer to the “How the hell will this prophecy be fulfilled?”

There Will Be Other Summers by Tegan Anderson

Ryn is morbidly fascinated by the ocean, and he constantly thinks of ways he might let it consume his life. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him from drowning. He might see past his sadness if he could still...well, see. Asher lives for the future, counting the days until she turns eighteen when she'll be old enough to move out of her mother's house and feel some control over how she spends her time. She tries to see the good in everyone, probably for the best since she blocks out what they say about her. Not by choice, but she does it. When Asher and Ryn meet in a group therapy exercise where they have to exchange letters, it's unclear who saves whose life overnight. And when they make a pact to trade their lives for the remainder of the summer, it's evident that they've both found the person who truly understands them: it's only with Asher that Ryn can be himself—a lonely blind boy who might not be so alone after all. And it's only with Ryn that Asher stops feeling so self-conscious about her deafness that she can forget to count down the days and start living them. They spend their summer trading letters and the brightest days of their lives, but when Asher finds a tearstained letter from a mysterious writer, it becomes clear that she’ll have to choose between whom she cares more about saving.

The Quiet In Room 108 by Delly M. Elrose

They were supposed to serve their time and forget each other. Instead, they found the one thing they’d stopped believing in: belonging. Room 108 wasn’t meant to change anything. Just a dusty classroom repurposed for a school-mandated camping trip follow-up. But when six teenagers—each carrying secrets, scars, and second chances—begin meeting there every Friday after school, something unexpected happens. They start talking. Listening. And slowly, trusting. There’s Jules, a fiercely private artist with hearing loss and a gift for drawing what others refuse to see. Milo, a wheelchair-using tech genius with a sharp tongue and a secret heart. Tasha, a girl fresh out of juvie with fists clenched tighter than her future. Rowan, a selective mute who hasn’t spoken in months—and has no intention to. Skye, neurodivergent and obsessed with true crime podcasts, who refuses to dim herself for anyone. And Leo, a trans boy navigating life in stealth mode—until this strange, messy group makes him want to be known. As secrets rise and trust forms, the group begins to challenge not just each other—but the broken systems that tried to silence them. Told in rotating perspectives, The Quiet in Room 108 is a poignant, powerful coming-of-age story about friendship, healing, and the quiet revolutions that start inside us all. For readers of A List of Cages, This Is Where It Ends, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

The Tarnished Son by Elizabeth McKenna

“This is a nice, quiet town. Things like that don’t happen around here.” But they do. In THE TARNISHED SON, a tourist’s death, an alluring young teacher, a father’s carnal desires, and a stepdaughter’s vendetta ultimately destroy a village dynasty. The respected Clark family has governed Williams Bay since 1837. On a hot August day, seventeen-year-old Liam causes a tragic boating accident. What happens next—infidelity, drugs, theft, and more—deepens long-hidden cracks in the family’s façade, exposing their secrets and tarnishing their golden image. Meet the family: * William Sr., the grandfather who rules the family and the village with an iron fist * Hank, the father who lets temptations lead him on a path of self-destruction * Liam, the shining son who gets away with everything * Rose, the stepdaughter who has had enough and pushes the whole house down Grab some popcorn and watch the destruction unfold in Elizabeth McKenna's unpredictable family drama!

Riyati Rivals by Kai Zeal

What happens when the past seeks vengeance, the present is lonely, and the future looks uncertain? While Kylie survived the kidnapping incident of June, it’s left her life in shambles, constantly confined under her mother’s supervision or locked in her bedroom. Worse, Kylie soon learns that while Asuza may be dead, his supporters are very much alive — including a certain familiar woman from the kidnapping who knows Kylie’s at fault for Asuza’s demise and wants nothing more than to repay the favor. All Kylie can do is trust Siani, even knowing Siani allowed her to be kidnapped in the first place and that Siani openly hides yet more secrets — dark secrets that could threaten Kylie’s own existence. But if she can’t count on her own future-self, who can Kylie trust? She’ll have to decide who her allies are— and fast — if she wants to survive in this new life or else she won’t make it to the end of the year. Riyati Rivals is the second book in a new adult/adult contemporary, low dark fantasy series that seeks to explore themes of identity, legacy, generational trauma, and finding your own path in life. The series is set in the modern day fictional Southern US town of Opal Pines and includes multiple first person perspectives with characters across a range of queer, neurodiverse, and socioeconomic statuses.

It’s Not A Secret by Max Turner

Transgender Londoner Adam keeps running into an infuriatingly rude Danish migrant Elias at different points during his transition. Elias is very confused by Adam, the easy friendship they develop and how attractive he starts to find the curious self-made man.

Dancing With The Count by Max Turner

Neither seasoned dance pro Tommy Miller or celebrity chef Count Christian De Clare want to be the first same-sex pairing on Celebrity Ballroom, but it’s happening. The pressure is on to not get eliminated or become the season’s novelty act… which would be a lot easier if they actually liked each other. This sweet, tropey Christmas-time romance is a short read chock full of intimacy, sweetness, and of course, dancing! The quick plot and medium heat level are just right for a cozy night in.

Public Enemy by Simon Brading

On 1st October 2017 the Catalans went to the poles to vote on independence from Spain. The Spanish government didn’t like that very much and tried everything they could to stop it. Among other things, they sent thousands of police officers who attacked voters and broke down doors in an attempt to take the ballot boxes and close the polling stations. The Catalans didn’t like that very much and tried everything they could to go ahead, like peacefully resisting and hiding ballot boxes. 2 million people ended up being able to vote and the result was overwhelmingly in favour of independence. Which the Spanish government didn’t like. In the weeks and months that followed there were strikes and demonstrations on a daily basis in Catalunya and for a long time it seemed that all that was needed to set off an actual revolution was for a leader to emerge. Peter Brown was a loser and couldn’t lead a conga line, let alone a revolution. However, after he gets caught up in a riot in Barcelona, shortly after the referendum, that’s exactly what the whole world seems to think he’s doing.

The Baron by H. A, Ferdinand

Wanted for quiet end-of-summer period: one housekeeper and two general staff to help run this charming Kentish manor house. Must be prepared to cook, clean, see to guests' needs...oh and help bring about popular revolution. A decadent and bourgeois comedy from the author of Mrs Tempest's Marriage Bureau.

Intelligent People by H. A. Ferdinand

“I know we can do this. I believe in us. We are intelligent people. Between us, we can put together an issue that’s so hot that you’ll need asbestos gloves to turn the pages.” Once they were the thoroughbreds of Fleet Street, a close-knit gang of young investigative reporters at the sharp end of their profession. Twenty-five years later, single and burnt out, they come together for one last glorious stand on the local paper of a bustling Yorkshire seaside town. At their heart is Vita, newly abandoned by her husband, eternally wrong-footed by her teenage children. She thought she’d left it all behind her but here she is, sparring with the police again and finding herself the office object of desire. Just when she thinks she’s back in her stride, a suspected attempted murder in a local tourist spot drags her into a plot that is too close to home for comfort. Suddenly Vita and her lovelorn band of colleagues risk ending up on the front page themselves. A warm-hearted, fast-paced, comic, seaside romp from the writer of Mrs Tempest’s Marriage Bureau.

An Evening with the Dymond Sisters by H. A. Ferdinand

It's the summer of 1933 and four English college girls, who have formed their own cabaret act and who should have known better, are about to release their puerile humour on the genteel German spa town of Baden-Baden. Before long, Glossie, Cressida, Josefa and Amy have acquired a following, including ageing British screen legend Gareth Palamon who promises them a future of fame and glamour and handsome charlatan Hector Bedingfield who dabbles in psychoanalysis and financial advice. But it soon becomes clear that there are other shadowy forces guiding the fate of the Dymond Sisters and they find themselves knee-deep in the kind of trouble that threatens to unravel their showbusiness ambitions and, worse still, a friendship that they assumed would last for ever. Comedy, romance and mystery come together in this endearing story set in a pre-war world of nightclubs and casinos and starring a cast of four heroines who stumble well-meaningly from one misadventure to another.

Mrs Tempest's Marriage Bureau by H. A. Ferdinand

Just when she thought there was nothing left to live for, middle-aged underachiever Phyl is handed £65,000 and told to go out and turn her life around. Inspired by a 1920s book on relationships by the bewitching Mrs Natalia Tempest, she sets her heart on opening an old-fashioned marriage bureau and bringing together lost souls just like herself. But the lost souls who come to her door are about to embroil her in the strangest adventure of her life. Comic, heart-warming and as eccentric as its heroine, Mrs Tempest’s Marriage Bureau is part romantic comedy, part mystery and a big part farce. For fans of PG Wodehouse and Helen Fielding, HA Ferdinand’s books combine sharp wit with a fondness for the oddballs, misfits and cynics of this world.

Legacy by Brendan Halpin

It's understood that Colin will go to Harvard, like his brother Jake and many generations of his family before him. But Colin has other plans: sailing, getting high, and hooking up with girls.  Until a forbidden love changes his life and sets him on a new path. Or so he thinks. Colin is about to discover that the truth about the life he's preparing for is darker and more twisted than he ever imagined.

Standstill by A. R. Longo

After winning her first championship belt, emerging wrestling superstar Cara is forced to return home after the sudden death of her parent and see her estranged older disabled sister for the first time in over a decade. Standstill is a character study between an able person and a disabled person.

The Nights are Alive! by Renuka Nair

NextStep Consultants, a recruitment process outsourcing company in Amanshahr, has carved a niche for itself, serving the needs of top-notch companies in North America. Professional and personal disturbances force 42-year-old Urvashi to quit her high profile FMCG marketing job and brings her to NextStep. Though she enjoys her newfound independence, this small town is a far cry from her past life. Urvashi struggles to navigate the undercurrents of gossip and politics at NextStep, trying to rebuild her world bit-by-bit and find peace. An unfortunate turn of events also brings in 43-year-old Carina, a Chartered Accountant, into NextStep. While she loves her new night-shift job, the cocoon she had painstakingly built for herself is crumbling. Drawn into a carefree existence by her new colleagues, Carina must find a way to hold on to her job amid the ever-intensifying competition. The nights come alive for Carina and Urvashi as their friendship blossoms. They get drawn into a world of quick money, substance abuse, and uninhibited sex, featuring Vikrant – the debonair, cool boss, Alex – an aspiring chef turned recruiter, and Manav – a manager who believes life is one big party! Grappling with king-sized egos and trust deficits, Carina and Urvashi must determine what is real and what runs only skindeep. After all, this is their life, and they have to take a call soon!.

The Vulnerables by Tapan Patel

Following a freak hailstorm in the middle of the night, three relief aid workers- Anurag, Deven, and Divya are lost in a valley near Pokheri village located in the upper reaches of the Himalayas in Nepal. The trio has been working for a relief operation after the massive earthquake of 2015. In Kathmandu, Kashyap, heading the relief operation for an international NGO, mobilizes the rescue team to find them. However, the event takes a sweeping turn when the rescue chopper crashes in the mountains, stranding the rescue team in a small hamlet near Pokheri. As Kashyap gears up for the second rescue operation within 48 hours, he has also to deal with his past relation with Sukanya, who is now the wife of Anurag. As Anurag and Deven struggle to find their way, a second major earthquake jeopardizes the rescue operation in the mountains. This second tremor scatters the team members, leaving them battling with their own fears and insecurities from the past and the present. Interaction and engagement of the team members with survivors and co-workers shape their psych to open up to their own vulnerabilities. Knitted in the backdrop of various disaster events at different places over the span of 15 years, the story reveals the turbulent yet evolving relationships of team members, going through love, longing, adventure, courage, misery, and triumph. This chronicle takes the reader through the enchanting journey of ever-changing landscapes of arid Kachchh, lush green Andaman Nicobar Island, mountains of Nepal and the flooded plains of Bihar.

The Things We Lose in the Dark by Sayword B. Eller

Sexual abuse survivor Zedwynne doesn't need anyone. Except when she wakes up from a failed suicide attempt with nowhere else to go but back into the loving arms of an overbearing mother and overprotective sister, and back to the town that almost destroyed her. Despite best efforts to keep her head down and avoid people, Zedwynne becomes invested in the lives of many through work at a local diner, and her therapy group of fellow second chancers. As these relationships grow and become more complicated, Zed begins to realize life isn't about what happens to you, but what you do with what's left. As she starts to figure out how to handle what she’s been left with, Zedwynne learns the man who abused her is dying, and she must decide if she'll let him die without facing what he's done, or confront him and risk upending her precarious progress.

Our Darkest Summer by Hanga E. Pavel

A cold case is what brought Thomas Rhodes back to the lakeside town. His mother’s case, to be certain.It had been almost twelve years since Elizabeth Rhodes disappeared, and Thomas was finally back to prove the police wrong. There was just one error in his plan: he didn’t arrive alone. Kinsley Green was coaxed into going to the lake house for the summer, but she still had some doubts. Doubts because of a certain dark-haired boy she was supposed to hate. However, as soon as she got a glimpse of the sunny lake town, the doubts faded into the back of her mind…until that night in the woods. Was this vacation really about partying and relaxing, like she had been promised, or was there something more going on here? Something dark? One thing was clear: Thomas and Kinsley had to put aside their history and work together if Thomas had any hope of finally getting to the bottom of his mother’s disappearance. But as they dig deeper, it’s not just their relationship changing but the case around them too. The question is, will they solve it before they become the next case to be solved?

The Other Side of the Looking-Glass by Dakota Jackson

Fifteen-year-old Naomi Nakano craves love and acceptance. She never knew her mother, her birth father is neglectful to say the least, and her guardian Matt isn’t exactly the traditional parent. So when she moves to a new town and finally makes a real friend, she can’t help but feel good about the attention her friend’s older brother, Wren, immediately gives her. He lavishes her with compliments and attention — and so what if he’s 25-years-old and she can’t tell anyone about him? At least she’s no longer an outsider. But as Naomi gets lulled into the intoxication of Wren’s attention, she fails to see how easy it is to lose her newfound sense of normalcy in all the lies. Now she must fight to maintain her secret at the same time she juggles hardship after hardship before she loses not only Wren, but herself, too. If you're a fan of compelling young adult fiction like Amber Smith's The Way I Used to Be, or thought-provoking literary fiction that dives deep into the complexities of love and identity like Kate Elizabeth Russell's My Dark Vanessa, then The Other Side of the Looking-Glass is a must-read for you.

The Truths We Make by Samantha Jon

EVANGELINE PIERCE knew falling in love with a Poe boy was a mistake. She knew it when she was seven and at twenty-seven, she knows it still. After eight years on her own, trying to leave behind the emotional wounds that just won’t heal, she’s called back to Dellbrook to mourn the death of PAXTON POE. In the halls of her childhood home lay memories she’d rather forget, and her ghosts aren’t the only ones demanding to be heard; Paxton has left a letter. One that his brother, OLIVER, insists reveals he didn’t just die. He was murdered. And Oliver can’t solve the riddle without her. As they delve deeper through clues, what happened to Paxton gets ever closer to being unveiled. But so do Oliver and Eve, bringing their history sharply into focus. For Eve to get closure, she must confront the past and the scandal that tore them all apart—no matter the cost. And to have any hope of solving the mystery of Paxton’s death, she must ask herself if generational chains can be broken and if love will ever be enough. But it’s a truth universally acknowledged, that you should believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see, especially when dealing with a Poe…

Even If We're Broken: a novel by A.M. Weald

Love, like archaeology, is a lot of trowel and error. Still reeling from being ghosted by her girlfriend, bioarchaeologist Kate Roth agrees to join an estranged colleague to teach at his field school at a Viking-age archaeology site in the wilds of Newfoundland. While welcoming the escape from Colorado where she’s been medicating resurfaced anxieties with wine and angry rock music, she’s wary of three important facts: 1) she’s had a crush on Viking Cowboy Ben for half her life, 2) Ben is a family man who lives in Norway, and 3) all her romantic relationships, and most friendships, seem to have an expiration date. For archaeologist Esben “Ben” Veholt, inviting the woman he’s been in love with since digging alongside her 23 years ago was, of course, the worst possible thing he could have done for himself. This summer was supposed to be his escape from reality: a love life in ruins, worsening body image issues, and a teenage daughter who suddenly wants nothing to do with him. When Kate accepts his offer, he intends to retain a professional relationship with her. A woman like Kate could never love him anyway—not with how much he’s changed inside and out. All seems fine on the surface as Kate and Esben’s friendship rebuilds, but as they dig deeper, they realize just how broken they both are. To heal from their painful pasts and reclaim their crumbling presents, they each need a friend who accepts them, mess and all. But summer won’t last forever, and a third chance at romance threatens to drift across the ocean yet again. Even If We’re Broken is an own-voice debut novel—an emotional slow-burn friends-to-lovers open-door romance about self-acceptance, mental health, and the scars we carry.

The Lion Communique by Jim Cherry

The Lion Communique are thirteen darkly wound stories that examine the struggle between good and evil from multiple perspectives. Jim Morrison in the wilderness of Shamans and psychedelics, capturing the soul of General William Tecumseh Sherman, mysterious forces at play in the trenches of WWI, southern gothic/noir, families at war, and the ghosts of our pasts that we carry with us, and the hope of redemption.

Cheese Crackers and Constellations by Stephanie Kast

When the sun goes to bed and the stars come out to play, when you're not tired enough to sleep but your dreams are not far away. You find yourself rummaging through the kitchen in need of something to warm your heart. Cheese, Crackers and Constellations is a short story collection. These twelve stories are about growing up and growing old, life and death and everything in between. Cheese, Crackers and Constellations is comfort food for your soul.

Little Joe by Stephanie Kast

At the age of seven, Joe was a part of a cruise ship disaster that resulted in the death of his parents and the separation from him and his three older siblings. After fourteen years of a different life, Joe opens his mail to see an invitation to his sister's wedding. Before he knows it, Joe begins to struggle finding a balance between his old and new life. With constant night terrors and the inability to move on from the loss of his parents, Joe's troubles start to consume him. Joe must find a way to incorporate his old life into his new life, and accept the things he cannot control. We have all grown up with tales of survival, but the question Little Joe answers "What happens after the island?"

Till the Wishes Bloom by Montaha Nasr

In this homage to Arabic web novels, a dying wish results in an arranged marriage between a pharmacist and a man with whom she shares a complicated past. Eight years. That was how long Jihan Khalili spent under the umbrella of Al-Saif family, a product of her mother's marriage to the family's second-born heir. It was within those eight years, within that household, that Jihan experienced fleeting daydreams and inevitable heartbreak. Those days are long behind her, memories to collect dust. Now a pharmacist, Jihan spends her time navigating around curious neighbors, dismissing pointless proposals, and mulling over her workplace's status of paranormal activity. But then arrives Nadir, Al-Saif family's youngest heir, obliging her mother's dying wish by asking for Jihan's hand in marriage. He is insistent despite her warnings, and far too accommodating to her requests and terms. Is it all out of sense of duty, or is there another motive behind his pursuit? Perhaps this is the chance to mend an old heartbreak, to turn a daydream into a reality.

Winter Nights & Christmas Lights by Sofia Rose

When Charlotte moves to Ireland, she has no idea that Aoife will sweep her off her feet just in time for Christmas. Charlotte has just moved to Dublin for Grad School, hoping for a fresh start in a new city. It's certainly not like the home in Florida that she's left behind. While it's exciting to be in a new city, Dublin is gloomy and rainy in the late fall. That is until Charlotte meets Aoife on a dating app. Will Aoife be the spark that lights up Charlotte's Irish experience?

The Burden of Us by Alexandra Orchard

Ella Webb was never destined to be free. When she turned sixteen, Ella's only present was an arranged marriage to Dean, her ex-friend. Desperate for time, she bargained for a three-year reprieve to get an education and graduate before she was forced to marry. Falling in love with someone else was never Ella's intention. Yet she allowed herself to fall deep into the rabbit hole of forbidden love and hidden family secrets that Ella wished had stayed buried... but it all might be the key to setting herself free.

For the Rest of Forever by Becca Neil

No matter what mountains we face, we’ll climb them together. Greg Westin’s thriving career as a landscape photographer is a passion he’s built and cultivated for decades. Although he’s now well into his mid-fifties, Greg is always looking forward, eager for the next mountain to climb, the next trail to hike, the next photo to capture. His love of nature and photography is second only to his love for his husband, Allen—a man with a heart of gold and more kindness and compassionate that anyone he’s ever known. Allen Westin has worked hard to build a life he loves—a life that is not defined by the trauma he suffered in his childhood, but by the community and people he’s surrounded himself with. His career at the public library in the small town of North Bend, Washington has given him a sense of purpose and fulfillment, and his marriage to his best friend and husband, Greg, has filled his life with joy, love, and adventure. But when an incident at the library sets off Allen’s deeply rooted anxiety and depression, he and Greg have to face a new challenge—one where the next mountain to be conquered isn’t out on the trail at all. They must trust in the depth of their love to help them find their footing as they forge ahead into the next phase of their journey toward their forever, together. For the Rest of Forever is an emotional, angsty MM contemporary romance that tells the unhurried story of two older men in a long-term, committed relationship and how their deep love helps them overcome some of life’s darkest moments. It features heavy mental health issues, hurt/comfort, past trauma, an established relationship (thirty-plus years), a silly but stubbornly protective terrier named Beans, and a sweet happily ever after. Trigger warnings: references to past trauma, including parental neglect and physical/emotional abuse; instances of panic attacks and moderate to severe anxiety; brief instances of suicidal thoughts/ideation; brief mentions of homophobia; food aversion/eating disorder.

Tell Me Again by Becca Neil

very minute away from you is a minute too long. Coop It’s been ten years since he kissed me, and I can still feel it—his warm lips, his soft touch. He was my best friend, but then he abandoned me just before my entire life fell apart. When he shows up at the diner where I work, with his fancy job, new car, and beautiful fiancée, my heart feels like it’s being ripped in two. Should I bury my feelings, forget the past, and give him a second chance at rebuilding our friendship, even though I know it can never be anything more than that? Josh Ten years ago, I made the worst decision of my life in the aftermath of the only kiss that ever meant something to me. I never stopped loving him, even if I didn’t get to tell him that. When I run into Coop at a small diner in rural Nebraska, all those feelings I suppressed for years are back, threatening to upend the perfect life I’d built. I’ve got two weeks to convince him I’m sorry. But can I keep my other feelings locked away, or will that sexy baseball cap of his be my undoing? Tell Me Again is a high-emotion, slow-burn(ish), second-chance(ish) MM contemporary romance set in a small town in rural Nebraska. It’s a story of best friends to strangers to lovers, featuring past emotional trauma, found family, virgin MCs, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after. Trigger warnings: references to alcoholism and an abusive parent with an alcohol use disorder, references to and brief instances of parental homophobia, mention of a parent who passed away from cancer, mention of past homelessness.

More Than Words by Becca Neil

I love you, Sam. Just four simple words. Easy, right? Oliver Ellison’s heart knows the words are true. Sam Reynolds is the love of his life, and Ollie wants nothing more than to tell his boyfriend how he feels. But trauma and pain from a brutal assault nearly two years ago have kept Ollie from being free to say the words out loud—or to express his love through physical intimacy. Sam understands. He was there at the beginning, after all. He was the one who took care of Ollie during the aftermath, and he’s been there ever since, with his sunshine-filled smile and endless support. Healing is a long road, and Sam is committed. However long it takes. But when a family emergency on the opposite side of the country forces them apart, Sam and Ollie might need all the strength of their love, and much more than just words, to help them get through. More Than Words is an emotional, angsty MM contemporary hurt/comfort romance that tells a story of deep love, living with PTSD from past trauma, and building a forever through life's ups and downs. It features PTSD/trauma and healing, an established relationship, found family, virgin MCs, and a guaranteed (and very sweet!) happily ever after. Trigger warnings: references to off-page assault, PTSD with flashbacks, implied homophobia, food aversion/eating disorder; see inside preview for additional content warnings.

There Ought To Be Shadows by Krissie K. Williams

Moonstone, South Carolina. A town where nothing is what it seems. Marilyn Maxwell is an accomplished woman in all areas. But what people don’t know is she has struggled with the demon of death since she was a child. After a personal crisis forces her to re-evaluate her life, she reluctantly decides to relocate to her hometown of Moonstone, South Carolina. This decision sends her spiraling into a world full of conjure, celestial wonder, and the murky unknown. An insidious force has crippled the town she once left behind, and she must rush against time to stop it. Guided by Great Grandmother, her beloved spirit from the other side, she embarks on the most difficult journey she has ever undertaken. Marilyn uncovers Moonstone’s dark history—one filled with horror, deceit, and dread. In the end, she questions what is fantasy, what is reality, and who she really is.