If you love Fresh Fiction’s reading challenges—but don’t love juggling spreadsheets, apps, tabs, and reminders—this planner is for you. The Fresh Fiction 2026 Reading Challenges Planner was created for readers who want everything in one place, without having to log in, scroll, or search for the right file. It’s simple, portable, and designed to be used wherever you read—on the couch, at the library, in a bookstore, or while planning your next TBR. No spreadsheets. No apps. No hassle. Instead of tracking your reading across multiple tools, this planner lets you: It’s easy, tactile, and refreshingly offline. Built for Fresh Fiction Reader Games This planner includes dedicated sections for: Each challenge starts with the game card, followed by clean planning pages so you can match books to prompts and stay organized all year long. Make it yours This isn’t just a planner—it’s a keepsake. You can: Years from now, you’ll be able to flip back through it and remember exactly what you read—and why you loved it. Simple tracking that keeps reading fun Each planning page includes space for: No long reviews. No pressure. Just progress you can see and enjoy. Perfect for readers who: Only $9.99 on Amazon The…

by Annetta Sweetko Nora Roberts’ SHELTER IN PLACE will pull out every emotion inside you and leave you speechless. That is precisely what happened to me. Very rarely does a book hold me in its spell like this one did and even fewer keep me reading until 3 a.m. SHELTER IN PLACE is divided into three parts with the first taking place 14 years prior with “Innocence Lost.” In this part we begin with three girlfriends at the mall going to the movies, though Simone Knox’s heart isn’t into it as her boyfriend of seven months had just dumped her. Simone had no idea what true devastation really meant until that night. Reed Quartermaine worked at the mall, but at the time was currently trying to get Angie to go on a date with him. He receives a maybe for the late movie, so he is happy and then it happens. Gunfire, people screaming, running. Simone in the bathroom hides and calls 911, Reed going back to work is in the midst of the chaos and finds himself inside of a kiosk with a lost little boy and calling 911 with Angie’s blood on his shoes. Life changes for so…

By Miranda Owen About a million years ago, while hanging out in various online historical romance book groups, people kept extolling the virtues of Lisa Kleypas’ books. Specifically, readers said that nobody writes to-die-for heroes like Lisa Kleypas does. Particular favorites in the book groups were Zachary Bronson from WHERE DREAMS BEGIN and Derek Craven in DREAMING OF YOU. These self-made, passionate men are incredibly complex characters and capture a reader’s imagination. I enjoyed Zachary’s story, but I am firmly and forever Team Alex rather than Team Derek. Over the years, my Lisa Kleypas addiction grew. Whenever there’s a reader poll for top ten favorite heroes, I find a majority of my picks are created by Lisa Kleypas. My favorites include Alex from THEN CAME YOU, Nick Gentry from WORTH ANY PRICE, Simon Hunt and the devilish and delicious Sebastian from the Wallflowers series, and Leo Hathaway in MARRIED BY MORNING. I was ecstatic when I first learned that Lisa Kleypas was coming out with the Ravenels series, since I’m wild for her historical romances. Happily, this series does not disappoint. The deliciously gothic setting of Eversby Priory combined with the passionate Ravenels makes for entertaining stories. The heroines in…

Have you ever had mixed feelings about a series you have read and enjoyed coming to an end? You might be relieved that the heroine gets her happily-ever-after or be thinking “No – there is so much more they can do!” That is exactly where I stand on the ending of Keri Arthur‘s Outcast Novels. This series centers on Tiger, a dechet – a super-soldier the humans manufactured to fight the species war. At the end of the war, the dechet’s were eradicated, men, women and children, by the shifters as they deemed them abominations. Tiger survived and is surrounded by ghosts of those who died in the bunker including two little ones, Bear and Cat, her constant companions. She can’t help what she is, what she was made to be but she can use her skills to help others when she has to. Unfortunately, the bombs that ended the war also tore holes between worlds and allowed the entrance of other beings that were happy to find new hunting grounds, so demons, vampires and wraiths entered the destroyed world. So now, humans and shifters alike, live in artificially lit cities as the new beings love to hunt in the…

Winter is peeking around the corner in most parts of the nation but here in sunny Florida, fall is just another growing season. We’ve already produced quite a few lemons from our tree and I’m ready to start digging in the dirt again to see if we can grow more tomatoes and peppers for my husband’s yummy salsa. Cozy mysteries about organic planting and farms always appeal to me when I’m planting (or even thinking about planting) as they offer me tips, encouragement, and an entertaining mystery in the process, particularly long-running series that make me feel like I’m sitting down with old friends for a cup of tea. One of the first cozy mysteries I remember reading that featured gardening was THYME OF DEATH by Susan Wittig Albert. Long before going healthy and organic was popular and you could find a Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s in almost every major city, the heroine, China Bayles, appeared on the scene as a high-powered attorney who left her job to open an herb shop. China has her own garden next to her store, Thyme and Seasons Herb Company, and it’s a place I’ve enjoyed visiting off and on over the years…

Boas & Tiaras has come a long way since its humble (yet fabulous) beginning. What began in 2002 as a group of 6 readers enjoying tea in Duncanville has evolved into an annual event that draws readers and authors from all over the country. On June 10, more than 50 book-loving ladies gathered at the historic Adolphus hotel in downtown Dallas to celebrate Fresh Fiction’s 15th annual Boas & Tiaras tea! Glistening chandeliers, fine china, and sparkling tiaras made everyone feel like a queen—and better yet, lively conversation and abundant laughter made everyone feel like family. For any of you who were not able to join us (and for those of you who attended and want to re-live the fun), read on for a taste of the Boas experience! Before tea was served, guests perused a selection of 15 raffle baskets, proceeds benefiting Genesis Women’s Shelter, and delighted in the gift bags provided by our host authors. Every table was surrounded by ladies dressed to the nines, ready to chat about all things bookish. Tea was served course by course, elegantly plated and attentively brought by waiters in crisp suits. Sandwiches arrived first, dazzling us with flavors like orange zested…

The first romance novel I remember reading is DARK PRINCE by Christine Feehan. Christine Feehan’s world of vampires, Carpathians, and magic blew my mind and got me hooked on paranormal romance. Next up, Victoria Alexander, Lisa Kleypas, and Julia Quinn enticed me into reading historical romance with jaunty tales about dukes, rakes, balls, and bluestocking heroines. I had never really been interested in contemporary romances until discovering Jill Shalvis, and then later on Susan Mallery. Jill Shalvis’ Lucky Harbor series and Susan Mallery’s Fool’s Gold made me a fan of contemporary romance and, specifically, romances set in a small town. I suppose it’s not really a surprise that I would adore these types of romances, since the small-town factor is exactly one of the things I’ve always loved about cozy mysteries. There are a few fictional towns that I would love to live in: Susan Mallery’s Fool’s Gold, Kendra Leigh Castle’s Harbor Cove, Kate Angell’s beach town Barefoot William, Carolyn Brown’s Dry Creek, and LuAnn McLane’s Cricket Creek. After reading SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE by Jill Shalvis and ALL SUMMER LONG by Susan Mallery, I was charmed by small town life that includes hardworking citizens, longstanding friendships, and the hint of romance…

Fresh Fiction’s annual Boas & Tiaras tea is all about making you feel like a book-loving queen, and there’s no better place for a royal tea than Dallas’ original luxury hotel. As we continue our countdown to Boas 2017, this week’s Fun Facts are all about our beautiful venue: the historic Adolphus Hotel in downtown Dallas. In 1912, Adolphus Busch, founder of Anheuser Busch, built the Adolphus hotel as a show of Texas hospitality and world-class grandeur. The 22-floor hotel was the tallest building in Texas for a decade, and it has undergone several multi-million dollar expansions and renovations in the years since, keeping it at the peak of posh. Our beloved venue has been: Named one of the top ten hotels in the United States by Condé Nast Traveler Added to the National Register of Historic Places Declared an official landmark by the Dallas Landmark Commission Honored to host countless distinguished guests like George H.W. Bush and Queen Elizabeth II Afternoon tea at the Adolphus is a rich tradition itself. The tea service’s custom china contains elements that evoke the hotel’s story, like the Anheuser Busch eagle and engravings of the hotel’s Beaux Arts style architecture. (And the tea…

Oh No Last Day for Boas! Join us for afternoon tea at the historic Adolphus Hotel in downtown Dallas. Enjoy delicious treats while dining with authors. Participate in raffles, book signing with all the authors, and an overall amazing day. We are excited to announce our keynote will be Julie Ann Walker! BUY YOUR TICKET Boas are optional, Tiaras are required. 2017 Boas Authors Deborah Crombie Elizabeth Essex JoAnna Grace Joni Hahn Julia London Cooper McKenzie Chelsea Mueller Susan Sheehey Sasha Summers C.A. Szarek S.E. Walker Julie Ann Walker Teri Wilson BUY YOUR TICKET

We’re not too scared, our spider watching over the table. Beloved book that got us addicted to her series! Appetizers to get us in the mood, the wine is hidden (LOL) Sam knows how to set the mood. It’s the great pumpkin pasta night! Last book in The Realm Enforcers series Last book in Scorpius Syndrome series.