Every month, Fresh Fiction readers look forward to Amazon First Reads selections, searching for stories that offer something truly memorable, books that linger long after the final page. Fresh Fiction also helps readers connect directly to bookstores so they can easily find and enjoy the titles we feature. This June, bestselling author Mary Burton delivers exactly that with THE SKY BENEATH HER, a gripping blend of historical mystery, family secrets, and emotional discovery set against the haunting beauty of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Selected as an Amazon First Reads pick, THE SKY BENEATH HER is available to Amazon Prime members as part of the June First Reads lineup a full month before its official release. It’s an ideal pick for readers looking to start their summer with an immersive, atmospheric read. A First Reads Pick with Heart and Mystery At its core, THE SKY BENEATH HER balances emotional depth with suspenseful storytelling. Mary Burton weaves together past and present in a way that draws readers into a mystery shaped by grief, memory, and long-buried truths. Uncovering a Story Buried by Time The story unfolds across two timelines separated by more than eighty years. In the present day, Tula Cassidy returns…

We are excited to share with you the fourth novel we have written together, THE KINGS OF VEGAS. Some describe this book as Succession set in a Las Vegas family casino. What makes this book unique is the realistic view into the inner workings of the Las Vegas Casino culture from someone who lived and breathed it. That would be me, Karen Mack. My family has lived in Vegas for three generations. My grandfather moved there during prohibition when his whiskey still blew up in LA and he fled to Nevada. A little history here. It was 1929, Boulder Dam was being built and there was an influx of workers who needed groceries, booze and someplace to blow off steam. My grandfather was happy to accommodate, opening a small ma and pa casino called The Jackpot. Which happens to be the name of the casino in our book. This was back, before the Wynn, before the Sphere, before hordes of tourists from all over the world descended on this desert city. When cowboys with their silver spurs rode horses down Fremont Street. It was a small town. Everyone knew everyone. As they say, a sunny place for shady people. So,…

Excerpt from ENTER THE NIGHTMARE by Jayne Castle: The masked figure reached the bed and looked down at the bundled shape beneath the quilt. In a horrifyingly swift, efficient motion, he yanked back the covers. He raised his other hand in preparation for plunging a small weapon of some kind into what he assumed was a sleeping woman. Moonlight sparked briefly on the syringe. At least it wasn’t a knife. Maybe murder wasn’t the goal. Of course, you could kill a person quite easily with the injection of a lethal drug. Nevertheless, it was starting to look like someone wanted to abduct her-not kill her-again. She jerked open the bathroom door, clutched the flamer in both hands, and tried for a firm, authoritative voice. Attitude was crucial in situations like this. She could not let the incipient panic show. “Stop or I’ll fire,” she said. Everything happened very quickly after that. Too quickly. The situation became a blur. The intruder realized that the bundle on the bed was made of strategically arranged pillows and swung around to confront her. Most of his face was concealed by the mask, but there was no mistaking the violence that blazed in his eyes….

Book Title: A FATAL EXHIBITIONCharacter Name: Katie Bonner How would you describe your family or your childhood?I was orphaned at age six and brought up by my elderly Aunt Lizzie. She was childless, so it was an adjustment for both of us. A sedate old lady and a noisy little girl. She was strict, but I never doubted that she loved me and always put my welfare first. What was your greatest talent?Probably organization, and I have a master’s degree in marketing. It sure doesn’t hurt when promoting the various businesses I’m aligned with on Victoria Square. Significant other?Sort of. Or perhaps I should say “would like to have.” I had two serious (and seriously flawed) relationships before the one I’m currently embarking on, and let’s just say betrayal was a big part of why we broke up. That will never happen to me again. (I hope.) Biggest challenge in relationships?Currently, it’s my guy’s teenage children who are still grieving the loss of their mother. My guy has conflicting loyalty, but at this point in his kids’ lives, they must be his priority. My head understands. My heart…not so much. Where do you live?McKinlay Mill, New York (close to the…

Several years ago, I featured Caridad in a piece I wrote and recorded for NPR. It turned out to be the most downloaded piece on NPR and ran constantly. Listeners found Caridad and her books as fascinating as I do.  When I first featured you in an NPR piece, you were writing mysteries (thrillers?) set in South Beach.  I loved the setting, the plot, the action. What drew you to write books in Florida? And I see that you still do!  I love setting books all over the country, and after setting several in the Pacific Northwest, I wanted to give readers a taste of something different and you couldn’t get more different than Miami. It was fun showing readers a slice of that culture and also the nearby areas, like the Everglades. How much research do you do for your books? When I read COLD CASE K-9, I was impressed by the amount of detail and gritty realism that went into it.  I often spend several hours creating a bible that has information on all the characters and the locations for the book. If I can, I try to visit the real locations, but if not, I rely on using the…

What is the title of your latest release? THE NEIGHBORS ARE WATCHING What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A mom who’s about to be an empty-nester and a Gen-Z librarian team up to solve a murder in their wealthy suburb. How did you decide where your book was going to take place? That’s easy – the DC suburbs! All my books are set here, among perfectly manicured lawns and white picket fences that hide terrible secrets. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Yes, and I really do hang out with them, both my main characters! I know lots of Gen-X women, like Caren, whose kids are heading off to college and re-evaluating their lives. I also know quite a few young trans folks, like Finn, who are just starting out in the world. What are three words that describe your hero? Caren: maternal, overlooked, hardworking. Finn: loyal, dogged, gentle. What’s something you learned while writing this book? For Tori’s POV I did a bunch of research about the way LLMs adapt to give users the answers they want, and to hook users to keep them coming back. Tori becomes involved with a chatbot that…

What is the title of your latest release?THE GHOST CITY, but the paperback for BLOOD AND TREASURE publishes May 19th, 2026. What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?Holes. Strange holes the size of baseball stadiums, going down miles into the ice, are popping up all over the western Antarctic, accompanied by increasingly violent tremors. Nobody understands why. The ice sheet is on the brink of collapse. Meanwhile, on the Mekong River in Vietnam, Ethan Cain is surveying the river bottom for a gas pipeline project when the entire river dries up and diverts in an instant from a sand trafficking disaster further upriver. The dry riverbed reveals an ancient boat from the 13th century. Inside are journals of Marco Polo himself. They lead Ethan on an adventure that spans as much of history and time as it does the globe. From ancient Mongolia to modern Antarctica, and everything in-between, Ethan will meet with the edge of memory, and he’ll find out just how steep of a drop it is. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I wanted to an adventurous location that wasn’t used very much in the genre or has been traditionally used…

Each Monday the Smashwords store lists the top ten most highly anticipated indie fiction ebooks based on the previous week’s preorder accumulations. Each title on the list is scheduled to release within the next week. To help the talented authors on this list accumulate even more preorders, click the title of the book. The hyperlink will bring you to a Books2Read page where you can order from your preferred ebook retailer. If the preorder is part of a series, click the hyperlinked series title to learn about the other books in the series. Be sure to check back Friday for a list of the Top 25 Bestselling Indie Ebooks.

Each Friday the Smashwords store reports the bestselling indie fiction titles based on the previous week’s sales. If an author has more than one title eligible for the list, only the highest performing title will be included. This ensures high-performing titles receive the accolades they deserve, while providing up-and-coming authors the visibility they have earned. Don’t miss Monday’s Top 10 Hot Preorders List, where Smashwords will provide a list of the most highly anticipated ebook preorders.

Romance is often obsessed with beginnings: the first glance, the first touch, the first time two people realize the air has changed between them. But fantasy romance has always known that beginnings are not the only moments worth worshipping. Sometimes the most powerful love story starts after the wound. After the betrayal. After the funeral pyre. After the world has ended and someone still reaches across the ruins. Second chances hit differently in speculative romance because the genre can make emotional resurrection literal. A lover can return as a ghost. A heroine can bargain with Death. A god can be dragged back from the underworld. A marriage can survive memory loss, war, curses, monsters, or the sharp knowledge that love alone was not enough the first time. These stories ask harder questions than “Will they fall in love?” They ask whether love can survive what happened. Whether forgiveness is grace or folly. Whether the person who comes back from death, grief, or betrayal is still the person who left. THE SONGBIRD AND THE HEART OF STONE by Carissa Broadbent This is resurrection romance in its most mythic form: an underworld journey, a dead god, a heroine searching for redemption, and…