book picks
Anatomy of an Alibi
Thriller
Camille Bayliss and Aubrey Price, two very different women, hatch a risky plan: Aubrey will impersonate Camille for a night so Camille can secretly investigate her husband’s hidden secrets. But when he is found dead the next morning, both women are thrust into a high-stakes situation where alibis, truth, and trust are everything.
The novel explores themes of deception, identity, and the lengths people go to protect themselves and others, blending fast-paced suspense with clever twists and moral ambiguity.
The Odds of You
romance
The novel follows Sage Collins: once a data-analyst, she quit her stable job to chase her dream of becoming a writer. On her way to a major book event at a Comic Con, she meets Theo Sharpe — a charming and rising-star British actor. A casual interaction on the plane leads tabloids to mistakenly label them as a couple. Suddenly Sage finds herself caught in unwanted media attention and scandal.
Overwhelmed by pressure — from fans, paparazzi, her own second-book expectations, and her personal doubts — Sage flees to the peaceful and scenic Isle of Skye in Scotland, hoping to clear her head and finish her novel. But fate has other plans: Theo reappears in her life.
The Storm
thriller
In a small Gulf Coast town, Geneva Corliss runs the weathered Rosalie Inn, a place with a long history and buried secrets. When a writer and a mysterious woman arrive to investigate a decades-old scandal, Geneva finds herself caught in a web of deception and tension.
As a new hurricane approaches, the past and present collide, forcing hidden truths to surface. The novel explores themes of secrets, revenge, and the resilience of women, all set against the backdrop of a storm that mirrors the emotional and moral turbulence of the characters.
Skylark
historical fiction / women
Skylark is a sweeping historical novel that explores themes of resilience, resistance, and the enduring human spirit. Through two interwoven timelines — one in 1664 and another during the Nazi occupation of Paris — the book highlights how ordinary people find strength in creativity, compassion, and solidarity when facing injustice and oppression.
It celebrates the courageous choice to fight for truth, justice, and freedom — whether that means resisting institutional cruelty in a 17th-century asylum or risking everything to shelter threatened neighbors during wartime. The tone is atmospheric and haunting, blending grit and grace: lyrical yet raw, emotionally charged, with an undercurrent of danger and hope that gives the story a sense of urgency and moral weight.
Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl
romance
Maddie Kowalczk — a freshly divorced young woman and recent law-school grad — moves to a new town to start fresh as a college-town lecturer at Astra University. Looking to reinvent herself after a messy breakup, she makes a wild choice on her first night in town and ends up with a one-night stand with a handsome man.
The twist? The morning after, she discovers he’s her new employer: a single-dad ecology professor named Bram Loe — and she’s just become the nanny for his kids and a colleague at her new job. What begins as a scorched-heat fling turns complex as they try to navigate a tangled arrangement of work, family, attraction, and boundaries.
The Water Lies
thriller
A heavily pregnant mother, Tessa Irons, is jolted when her toddler son unexpectedly screams a stranger’s name — “Gigi!” — in a public café, referring to a woman Tessa has never met. The next day, that same woman is found dead.
Meanwhile, the dead woman’s mother, Barb Geller, refuses to accept the official explanation of accident and travels across the country in search of answers. United by grief, suspicion, and a fierce maternal instinct, the two women team up to investigate what really happened.
The novel explores themes such as motherhood and maternal protection, grief and loss, trust vs. suspicion, and how appearances — of a perfect family, safe neighborhood, or stable life — can mask dark secrets.
A Killer Kind of Romance
romance
When crime‑podcast host Scarlett Moore ends up inheriting responsibility for her network’s romance show, she’s forced to confront everything she thought she hated about love. But soon, murders begin occurring that mimic the crimes she’s been discussing on‑air — and her mysterious, brooding next‑door neighbour, Rafael Gray, returns to town after a five‑year absence. As Scarlett investigates the killings, she’s also drawn into an unexpected romance with Rafael — and haunted by the possibility that the man she’s falling for might also be the killer.
The novel plays with themes of identity and perception (public vs. private selves), truth vs. fiction (when podcast stories cross into real‑life horror), and trust and betrayal (how well you can really know someone when love and danger collide). The tone mixes romantic tension, suspense, and dark intrigue, offering a blend of steamy attraction and chilling mystery.
A Sociopath's Guide to a Successful Marriage
thriller
In this darkly comic thriller, narrator Lalla Rook — a seemingly ordinary suburban wife and mother — suddenly finds her life unravelling when an intruder breaks into her home. What begins as an act of self‑defense escalates into a chilling juggling act: disposing of a body, covering up the crime, and sustaining the facade of a perfect family.
Beneath the surface of domestic routine, the novel delves into themes of morality vs. ambition, identity and masks, and the extremes some are willing to go to preserve appearances. The tone is razor‑sharp, satirical, and unsettling: part social satire, part crime caper — with a protagonist who will make you question just how far “keeping up appearances” can go.
We Who Will Die
fantasy
In a brutal, vampire‑ruled empire, Arvelle Dacien — struggling to care for her younger brothers under crushing poverty — is forced into an impossible bargain: kill the ancient vampire emperor, or let her brother die. To do it, she has to survive the bloody arena known as the Sundering, navigate deadly political intrigue, and confront betrayals and loyalties she never expected. As Arvelle fights for survival, she’s drawn into dangerous alliances with powerful vampires — including one who once broke her heart and another harboring mysterious motives.
The novel weaves themes of sacrifice and survival, loyalty and betrayal, and identity under pressure. It explores how trauma and desperation shape choices — and asks how far someone will go to protect family, reclaim agency, and fight injustice in a cruel, magical world.
Surprise Book
historical fiction
We don't reveal the title or author for this book but here are some hints if you want to play detective...
🌿 Pick if you like:
✨ Power of stories and books
✨ Hidden letters and historical secrets
✨ Strong female protagonist
✨ Atmospheric storytelling
✨ Family and loyalty
✨ Mystery and investigation