Book Title: RIDDLE OF SPIRIT AND BONE Characters’ Names: Lydia Strong and Jane Woodfield – cousins Interviewer: I only expected to see one young lady today, but I see two before me. There is no need for you both to stay. Lydia: Actually, there is. If Jane’s report is the only one you hear, you will miss some important details about our last few months. Truly, 1851 will be a banner year for me, even if my cousin disagrees. Alright, if you prefer a joint interview, please take a seat. Miss Woodfield, I’ll pose my first question to you. How would you describe your family or your childhood? Jane: Mostly happy in an ordinary sort of way, until misfortune struck us both. Lydia and I suffered the double misfortunes of losing our fathers, along with their meager resources, about two years ago. And then just ten months later our mothers died, both victims of the same grave illness. Fortunately, our Aunt Madeleine, our mothers’ sister, came to our rescue. She and her husband kindly opened their home to us. And that is where you are now living, with your aunt? Jane: No. Unfortunately, our uncle also died very recently, and…

THE UMBRELLA MAKER’S SON by Tod Lending 1 The night before everything changed, I had a vision.       Zelda gripped my hand, leading me through a pitch-dark forest with no path. The fall air was cool, the sky ink-black and moonless. Our footsteps crushed dry leaves and snapped twigs and branches, breaking the haunted silence. Oaks and elms loomed over us with their long and knobby armlike limbs twisting and bending above. An eerie wind, heavy with the scent of damp soil, rustled the dying leaves. The dark wood, full of ghosts, reminded me of my family, making me long for them.       “Which way is it?” I whispered to Zelda.       “I’m not sure. Maybe this way.” Still clasping my hand, she towed me toward the marshy scent of the Vistula River.       We crossed a small meadow of wet tallgrass and entered a tangled thicket that clawed at our arms and legs. The ground turned soft. Black clay sucked at our boots, the pungent river scent growing stronger. Shadows darted between trees. Germans, I thought. I wanted to run.       “What’s wrong?” asked Zelda.       “Nothing.” I didn’t want her to think I was afraid.       We followed…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Helen Hardt! Writes: Dark and passionate romance with heart-wrenching emotion and twists that will keep you turning the pages. ALWAYS is book six in the Follow Me Series, and it’s an emotional rollercoaster you don’t want to miss! About: #1 New York Times bestselling author seeks passionate readers ready to dive into steamy romances and heart-stopping twists. As a master storyteller with a love for brooding heroes and resilient heroines, I’m here to bring you emotional depth, intense chemistry, and unforgettable plots. I’m a sucker for well-crafted characters, unexpected twists, and stories that leave you breathless. If you’re ready for late-night binge reads and a rollercoaster of emotions, let’s create some sparks on the page. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: I’m looking for readers who crave emotional intensity, heart-pounding passion, and characters with deep, dark secrets. If you’re someone who loves steamy romance, unexpected twists, and stories that keep you up until three a.m., we might just be a perfect…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE FAMILY BEHIND THE WALLS: Absolutely heartbreaking and gripping World War Two fiction 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? In THE FAMILY BEHIND THE WALLS, Jordanna and Dalia cling to the hope of being reunited as they fight for survival in the darkest of places. Facing unthinkable obstacles and risking everything, they refuse to give up on each other – despite already losing more than their hearts can bear. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I base my Historical Fiction books off an inciting incident within one of the many locations where World War II derailed life for so many. In THE FAMILY BEHIND THE WALLS, the story begins with the Hamburg Inferno. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yes, I have a passion for writing about strong female characters with bravery that would surpass my own if put into similar conditions. I would look up to Jordanna and Dalia, knowing their strength is their power. These two characters also remind me of my grandmother and great-grandmother who both survived life in a concentration camp during the Holocaust. I was…

Excerpted from THE PERFECT ROM-COM, by Melissa Ferguson. Thomas Nelson, 2025. Reprinted with permission. Interstate Bowl is, in a word, busy. In a series of words, it’s full to the gunwales of polyester shorts and replete with the scent of nacho cheese dip and tobacco. James, one of the many high school employees tasked with keeping up with obsessed middle-aged league members who have decidedly made rolling heavy balls down a glossy surface a major part of their identity, is covered in a cloud of bowling shoe disinfectant beside the jukebox, which is beside the cheap food bar flanked by splitting red-cushioned stools. I plop my shoes on the floor next to Gloria and sit down. “He loves you.” Gloria casts her gaze over at Jack, who’s leaning against the bar. I shake my head. “He dates more women than are in this building.” “What women? Look around.” Gloria takes in the swaths of males around us. Fair. “And dated. Past tense being the key tense here. I think he’s waiting for you.” “For what?” I throw out, giving a disbelieving laugh. “I’m right here.” “Have you forgotten Parker so easily?” My face warms slightly, internally slapped by surprise at…

1–What is the title of your latest release? MIDNIGHT ON THE SCOTTISH SHORE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Desperate to escape the occupied Netherlands in 1941, Cilla van der Zee agrees to become a spy in Britain. But her plans to betray the Germans and work for the Allied cause are derailed when a suspicious Royal Navy officer finds her on the shores of his Scottish home. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Since my family is part-Scottish, they’ve been begging me to set one of my World War II novels in Scotland. Then my mythology-loving youngest son told me the legend of the selkie. This creature looks like a seal but sheds its skin on land to reveal a beautiful woman. Men who fall for the selkie steal the sealskin to trap her on land, but if she should find that sealskin, she’ll flee back to sea. I immediately pictured a spy landing on Scottish shores in sight of a kilt-wearing Scotsman, who turns her over to Britain’s MI5. Then I found Dunnet Head Lighthouse, set on a high cliff in the far north of Scotland on the south side…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Annabelle Slator! Writes: Hey! I’m Annabelle Slator and I write contemporary romcoms set in the workplace and beyond! My debut novel THE LAUNCH DATE is about Grace Hastings, a marketing manager who hates her job at lovey-dovey dating app, Fate. So when Grace is given an opportunity for a job at a new app focus on ‘IRL’ dating, she goes for it. That is, until she discovers that she must test drive a series of ‘first dates’ with her competition for the job: notorious socialite playboy and Grace’s biggest work rival, Eric Bancroft. But Grace refuses to give up her dream job because of a man. And besides, how romantic can a handful of fake dates with your biggest rival really be? About: Frazzled English Woman currently residing Cambridgeshire, UK. I worked in marketing and social media for brands and startups for 10+ years in London, and a lot of the experiences inspired my debut novel The Launch Date! When I’m not in my…

LEFT ON RANCHO, Chapter 7 Excerpt After the prep sessions, Andrew headed out to the taco truck. As he waited in line, he shielded his face from an unpleasant, swirling, warm wind. It felt different . . . suffocating. The skunk odor was gone, the easterly wind dissipating the rancid smell. The same easterly wind that transformed into Santa Anas as it funneled over the mountains and accelerated through the passes, and dried out as it rolled down the hills and slopes, fueling fires before reaching the ocean. He remembered the scars of the Oakland and Berkeley Hills fires, which were still present when he’d arrived as a freshman at Cal in ’93. The fires and destruction touched everyone at the university. “You again,” Renée said. “The name’s Andrew.” “My tacos must have made an impression. Was it the tongue or the tripe?” She grinned. “What are you smiling at?” “Are you going to order?” “Right. Barbacoa. You pick the other two.” He stepped to the side, flustered. As he waited, he noticed Ashlee’s battered Chevy Cruze pulling into the parking lot. She seemed haggard, her hair scrunched into a tight bun and wearing sweats as if she had just…

In GET LOST WITH YOU, Jillian Keller has settled into her life as a divorced mom who is happy to be back in her hometown, surrounded by her family and the people she loves. When Levi Bright, the boy that all of her teenage diary entries were about, comes back to Smile for good, they reconnect and realize that all those long-ago feelings never went away. This is a second chance, brother’s best friend, childhood crush story that needs a soundtrack to encapsulate the multitude of feelings and emotions both Jilly and Levi have. If this book had a theme song: Everything Has Changed by Taylor Swift And all my wallsStood tall painted blueBut I’ll take ’em down, take ’em downAnd open up the door for youAnd all I feelIn my stomach is butterfliesThe beautiful kind, makin’ up for lost timeTakin’ flight, makin’ me feel like Jillian and Levi have both been through a lot in the last ten years. When they reconnect, it’s first as friends even though they both feel the spark of what once existed between them. Jillian is more cautious now but it doesn’t take long for Levi to realize everything he’s ever wanted or searched…

by Misty Simon Since February is the month of looooovvvveeeee, let’s fill up your TBR with some of the best! I’m particularly fond of the whole romance in a cozy thing, if we’re being honest. I write what are called RomCozies and I adore them. Yes, I love the justice and the community and the puzzle and the game, but I love that all spiced up with a little romance, too. Plus, while I like regular romance, being able to watch the main character grow into her relationship with her special person over the course of several books keeps it fresh. I have romance in all my cozy mysteries and love it. But let’s dive into some other people’s books that might make you sigh, not only because justice is served but also because we might just have a new book boyfriend! First let’s look at Rosalie Speilman’s THE CORAL CONSPIRACY! I love a good hottie to keep you on your toes, and Nelly is in quite the quandary in this delightful mystery filled with sea, sand, murder and a little spot of ooh-la-la! This is a fun read to tide you over in these colder months. Hawaii here we…