🔥 Free Reads: Espionage Physicists, Half-Elf Assassins vs. Dragons, and Dick Detox Resolutions Tested by MMA Champions 💪

Mob escapes become Military Industrial Complex conspiracies, telepathic tigers face dragons, and necromancers crash weddings to prevent the apocalypse

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Marked for Death (Harry Bauer)

Blake Banner

FREE

Espionage Thrillers

Survival taught him the rules, now the game has changed—growing up an orphan in the South Bronx, Harry Bauer learned one rule: survive, and smart, tough, and fast on his feet, he keeps his head down until he gets too close to Angelica, the wife of a New Jersey mobster. Blake Banner launches Harry Bauer with espionage thriller where suddenly Harry needs to disappear and London seems far enough, except he’s wrong—just days after he arrives, Harry gets a desperate call from Marco, Angelica’s son, a brilliant physics student at the University of London claiming they have decided to kill him, refusing to say who they are or why, and before Harry can meet him, Marco vanishes. 🔍Searching for him drags Harry into a maze of secrets—who is the enigmatic Dr. Ariana Bakhshi and what was her real relationship with Marco? Why does she turn up at Harry’s flat in the middle of a storm? Who are the gifted students in the so-called Jewish Genius Club and why are they being hunted? What was Karla Krauss to Marco and what deadly truth did she uncover? Banner explores what happens when running from mob trouble lands you in something far more dangerous, examining how a street-smart survivor must navigate academic conspiracies and global power plays. ⚡

To find the answers, Harry must descend into a world where cutting-edge science collides with global power—where the Military Industrial Complex is running projects so extreme they make science fiction look obsolete. The author delivers espionage thriller where protecting a mobster’s son means exposing secrets that powerful people will kill to keep buried, proving that sometimes escaping one danger just delivers you to something exponentially worse. Banner writes a protagonist whose South Bronx survival skills translate unexpectedly well to international intrigue when brilliant students start disappearing. 🌍

What makes this compelling: Espionage thriller launching Harry Bauer where South Bronx orphan Harry Bauer who learned to survive gets too close to mobster’s wife Angelica and flees to London—days after arriving, he gets a desperate call from her brilliant physics student son Marco at University of London claiming they want to kill him, refusing to say who or why before vanishing, dragging Harry into a maze of secrets about enigmatic Dr. Ariana Bakhshi, the Jewish Genius Club’s hunted students, and Karla Krauss’s deadly truth as cutting-edge science collides with the Military Industrial Complex running projects making science fiction look obsolete.

Sinister Magic (Death Before Dragons Book 1)

Lindsay Buroker

FREE

Urban Fantasy

Val Thorvald is an assassin who takes care of magical bad guys when they hurt people—permanently—which doesn’t make her popular with the rest of the magical community as you can tell from the numerous break-ins and assassination attempts she’s endured over the years. Lindsay Buroker launches Death Before Dragons with urban fantasy where thanks to her half-elven blood, a powerful sword named Chopper, and a telepathic tiger with an attitude, Val’s always been able to handle her problems with aplomb—maybe some cursing and swearing too, but definitely aplomb. 🗡️That changes when her boss is afflicted with a mysterious disease, a government agent starts investigating her, and a godforsaken dragon shows up in the middle of her latest job—Val’s taken down vampires, zombies, and ogres, but dragons are way, way more powerful, and it doesn’t look like this one is going to like her. Buroker explores what happens when an assassin’s competence meets something genuinely beyond her paygrade, examining how someone who’s always been the most dangerous thing in the room reacts when that’s no longer true. 🐉

Worse than that, he wants to use his magic to compel her to do his bidding, as if she’s some weak-minded minion—that’s not going to happen because Val would die before being some dragon’s slave. The author delivers urban fantasy where independence meets ancient power, proving that some threats are too big to handle with aplomb but you try anyway because the alternative is submission. Buroker writes a protagonist whose half-elven blood, magical sword, and telepathic tiger companion have always been enough until they suddenly aren’t, creating stakes where losing means becoming exactly what she’s always fought against: someone’s minion. 💪

Why I’m including this: Urban fantasy launching Death Before Dragons where assassin Val Thorvald takes care of magical bad guys permanently, making her unpopular despite handling numerous break-ins and assassination attempts with her half-elven blood, powerful sword Chopper, and telepathic tiger with attitude—that changes when her boss gets a mysterious disease, a government agent investigates, and a godforsaken dragon shows up in her latest job wanting to compel her as his weak-minded minion, but she’d die before being some dragon’s slave even though dragons are way more powerful than the vampires, zombies, and ogres she’s taken down.

When Night Comes (Jack Turner Suspense Series Book 1)

Dan Walsh

FREE

Christian Suspense

A quiet southern college town, a series of unexplained student deaths, a professor’s mysterious behavior, and a man haunted by nighttime experiences he can’t begin to explain—when history lecturer Jack Turner begins reliving the past in vivid, nighttime encounters, his world starts to unravel. Dan Walsh launches Jack Turner Suspense Series with Christian suspense where it threatens to derail a budding romance with beautiful teaching assistant Rachel Cook, and as local detective Joe Boyd investigates a string of strange student deaths, the two men find themselves pulled into a chilling web of secrets, lies, and a dangerous conspiracy that blurs the line between memory and madness. 🌙Walsh explores what happens when academic life collides with inexplicable phenomena, examining how a history lecturer’s nighttime experiences that seem like vivid memories might be connected to present-day deaths on campus. The author balances psychological uncertainty—is Jack experiencing genuine supernatural events or losing his grip on reality?—with detective procedural as Boyd uncovers patterns suggesting something more sinister than random accidents. 🔍

When Night Comes is a gripping psychological suspense novel where nothing and no one is what it seems, delivering Christian suspense that asks whether Jack’s past-reliving experiences are warning, prophecy, or symptom of something darker. Walsh writes a protagonist whose expertise in history becomes uncomfortably relevant when the past refuses to stay in textbooks, creating tension where each nighttime encounter provides either clues to stopping the deaths or evidence that Jack himself is losing his mind. The first Jack Turner Suspense novel proves that sometimes the most dangerous mysteries are the ones happening inside your own head. 😱

What makes this special: Christian suspense launching Jack Turner Suspense Series where history lecturer Jack Turner in a quiet southern college town begins reliving the past in vivid nighttime encounters that threaten to derail budding romance with beautiful teaching assistant Rachel Cook—as local detective Joe Boyd investigates a string of strange student deaths alongside a professor’s mysterious behavior, the two men get pulled into a chilling web of secrets, lies, and dangerous conspiracy blurring the line between memory and madness in this gripping psychological suspense novel where nothing and no one is what it seems.

Capitol Break

John Hopton

FREE

CIA Thriller

He saw too much, now they want him gone—Ex-CIA Deputy Director Chris Collins is ready to walk away from the intelligence game forever until on a bitterly cold night in Washington, DC, he spots what should be unthinkable: a future leader of the free world in a clandestine exchange with a known terrorist, an alliance that could destroy everything Collins fought to protect. John Hopton delivers CIA thriller where within hours, Collins is framed for a violent crime and forced to flee the country he has sworn to defend, now a fugitive without CIA backup who must stay one step ahead of his enemies while unraveling a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of power. 🕵️Collins built his reputation on being smart, lethal, and devoted to the cause—exactly the kind of man this network wants dead, able to depend on only two people in the entire world, and one of them is the most alluring, mysterious woman he’s ever met. Hopton explores what happens when a career intelligence officer becomes the target, examining how someone who knows all the agency’s methods must evade those same techniques while exposing corruption at the top. ⚡

In the midst of a personal crisis, he embarks on a global journey to clear his name, defend his country, and bring some of the world’s most powerful people to justice. The author delivers CIA thriller where being smart and lethal only helps if you can figure out who to trust, proving that the most dangerous conspiracies are the ones involving people who will lead the free world. Hopton writes an ex-Deputy Director whose devotion to country becomes liability when the country’s future leadership is compromised, creating stakes where clearing his name means exposing treason at the highest levels. 🌍

Why I’m including this: CIA thriller where Ex-CIA Deputy Director Chris Collins ready to walk away from the intelligence game spots a future leader of the free world in clandestine exchange with a known terrorist on a bitterly cold Washington DC night—within hours he’s framed for violent crime and forced to flee the country he’s sworn to defend as a fugitive without CIA backup, staying one step ahead of enemies while unraveling a conspiracy reaching the highest power levels, depending on only two people in the entire world with one being the most alluring mysterious woman he’s ever met as he embarks on a global journey to clear his name, defend his country, and bring the world’s most powerful people to justice.

Men of the North Box-set with book #1-5

Elin Peer

FREE

Science Fiction

Four hundred years in the future, men are nearly extinct and women rule the world—all except one place: the land once known as Canada and Alaska is now the Northlands, a vast and forbidden territory ruled by the Men of the North who are isolated, powerful, and fiercely independent, rejecting female authority and living beyond the reach of modern society. Elin Peer delivers science fiction box set where Christina Sanders is an archaeologist and professor of history with a fascination for the past, and in the year 2437, the men she knows are gentle, compliant, shaped by centuries of female rule—the dangerous, dominant males of history exist only in books, or so she believes, until she volunteers to cross the border and lead an archaeological excavation. 🌲Meeting the mythical Men of the North challenges everything Christina has been taught about power, desire, and survival—will the men allow her to do her work, or has she entered a world where leaving was never an option? Peer explores what happens when a woman from a matriarchal society encounters men who’ve rejected that entire system, examining how four centuries of separate evolution created fundamentally different gender dynamics. 💪

The author delivers science fiction that asks what masculinity looks like when unconstrained by female authority and whether a woman raised in safety can survive—or even want to leave—a world where men are dominant again. Peer writes a heroine whose academic knowledge of historical gender relations becomes uncomfortably practical when she’s surrounded by men who embody everything her society has spent four centuries trying to eliminate. The five-book box set explores whether cooperation between the sexes is possible when both have evolved in complete isolation from each other. ⚡

What makes this compelling: Science fiction box set where four hundred years in the future men are nearly extinct and women rule the world except the Northlands—the vast forbidden territory once known as Canada and Alaska ruled by isolated, powerful, fiercely independent Men of the North who reject female authority and live beyond modern society’s reach—where archaeologist professor Christina Sanders in 2437 knows only gentle compliant men shaped by female rule, believing dangerous dominant males exist only in books until she volunteers to cross the border for an archaeological excavation, meeting the mythical Men of the North who challenge everything she’s been taught about power, desire, and survival, asking whether they’ll allow her work or if she’s entered a world where leaving was never an option.

Sunsets & Slow Dances (Firefly Island: Southern Nights Book 4)

Melanie Shawn

FREE

Small Town Romance

Single and sexy schoolteacher Nadia Carson spent the better part of the last decade searching for Mr. Right, and all she had to show for it was a trail of bad decisions, a drained bank account, and one hallucination—after waking up alone on New Year’s Day hungover and haunted by the sighting of the ghost of exes past, Nadia decided it was time to make some changes. Melanie Shawn continues Firefly Island: Southern Nights with small town romance where her pursuit to find love had driven her to the point where she was actually “seeing” her ex like a mirage in the desert, needing to give up everything that contributed to her delusion—she was going cold turkey with no more booze and no more boys, taking a break from the relationship rat race on a dick detox, a carnal knowledge cleanse. 💔The only man who could possibly tempt her to break her resolution is the man who inspired her to create it—single dad and MMA champion Callum Knight never got over his first love, with time, distance, and even an engagement to someone else never changing the feelings he had for the girl he met on the pier and gave his Big League chewing gum to. Shawn explores what happens when your resolution to avoid men is tested by the one man you made the resolution because of, examining how a decade-old heartbreak still shapes current choices when the person who broke your heart returns to your life. 🥊

After getting his heart broken, Callum spent ten years with blinders on, only looking to the future, until he got a call that forced him to face his past—when he returned to his hometown to become the legal guardian of his thirteen-year-old half-sister, Callum’s past kept showing up in surprising places like his son’s first-grade teacher. The author delivers small town romance where dick detoxes are immediately tested by MMA champions with custody complications, proving that sometimes the universe has terrible timing when it comes to personal growth resolutions. The fourth Firefly Island: Southern Nights novel asks whether you can avoid your first love when his kid is in your classroom. 💕

What makes this special: Small town romance continuing Firefly Island: Southern Nights where single sexy schoolteacher Nadia Carson spent a decade searching for Mr. Right with only bad decisions, a drained bank account, and hallucinations to show for it—waking up alone on New Year’s Day hungover and haunted by ghost of exes past, she decides to go cold turkey with no more booze or boys, taking a break from the relationship rat race on a dick detox—except the only man who could tempt her to break her resolution is the man who inspired it: single dad MMA champion Callum Knight who never got over his first love, returning to his hometown as legal guardian of his thirteen-year-old half-sister with his past showing up in surprising places like his son’s first-grade teacher.

Days Gone Bad (Vesik Book 1)

Eric Asher

FREE

Werewolves & Shifters Suspense

A crashed wedding, a scorned vampire, and a necromancer’s fury—Damian Vesik is no hero, at least not according to the magical community that turns a blind eye to his battles against evil, so he chalks it up as one more thankless mission when he’s forced to stop his vampire sister from murdering her ex’s entire bridal party. Eric Asher launches Vesik with werewolves and shifters suspense where infiltrating the ceremony to protect the innocent, Damian uncovers something more sinister than a massacre, and with the help of his berserker fairy friend, he’ll need to prevent an unholy union between ancient demons and the walking dead. 🧛Damian has one chance to stop his sister and ruin the wedding before one hell of an afterparty dooms the world—Asher explores what happens when family drama involves vampiric murder plots and demonic wedding guests, examining how being the magical community’s unappreciated hero means stopping both your sister’s revenge and the apocalypse in a single evening. The author balances sibling dynamics with supernatural stakes, creating tension where protecting the bridal party is just the opening move in preventing something exponentially worse. 💀

The first Vesik novel delivers werewolves and shifters suspense where necromancers crash weddings for the right reasons, proving that sometimes the most thankless job is saving people who don’t even know you exist from threats they don’t believe in. Asher writes a protagonist whose magical battles go unrecognized by the community he protects, making wedding-crashing to prevent murder just another day’s work—except this particular wedding threatens to unite ancient demons with the undead, which would definitely ruin more than just the reception. The berserker fairy friend adds unexpected humor to apocalyptic stakes. ⚡

Why I’m including this: Werewolves and shifters suspense launching Vesik where Damian Vesik is no hero according to the magical community turning a blind eye to his battles against evil—chalking it up as one more thankless mission, he’s forced to stop his vampire sister from murdering her ex’s entire bridal party, but infiltrating the ceremony to protect the innocent uncovers something more sinister than a massacre as with his berserker fairy friend’s help he must prevent an unholy union between ancient demons and the walking dead, having one chance to stop his sister and ruin the wedding before one hell of an afterparty dooms the world.

The Metronome (The Counterpoint Trilogy Book 1)

D. R. Bell

FREE

Conspiracy Thrillers

Pavel Rostin has taken too many chances—once a promising physicist, he abandoned science for finance and risked everything on a speculative venture, careless and rogue as he gambled with his personal relationships. D. R. Bell launches The Counterpoint Trilogy with conspiracy thriller where as Pavel tries to pick up the pieces of his life, a call from Russia informs him that his father is dead, and when Pavel follows his father’s footsteps trying to solve the mystery of his death, he turns up some inexplicable clues that draw him deeper and deeper into his family’s past and his country’s future. 🔍From starving 1941 Leningrad to free-wheeling Moscow of the mid-1990s to bubbly 2006 Wall Street, Pavel uncovers a web of money, murder, revenge and evidence of a plot involving the world’s superpowers—the choices of right and wrong don’t look as clear cut as in newspaper headlines, but is he just a pawn in someone else’s game? Bell explores how personal history intersects with geopolitical conspiracy, examining whether solving your father’s mysterious death means uncovering secrets that span generations and continents. 🌍

The author delivers conspiracy thriller where a former physicist’s investigation connects World War II Leningrad siege to contemporary Wall Street, proving that some mysteries have roots deeper than one lifetime and branches that reach into the highest levels of global power. Bell writes a protagonist whose financial risk-taking prepared him for nothing like the stakes of his father’s past, creating tension where family history becomes international conspiracy. The first Counterpoint Trilogy novel establishes that Pavel’s investigation connects decades of history into one dangerous present. ⚡

What makes this compelling: Conspiracy thriller launching The Counterpoint Trilogy where Pavel Rostin, once a promising physicist who abandoned science for finance and risked everything on speculative ventures while gambling with personal relationships, tries picking up life’s pieces when a call from Russia informs him his father is dead—following his father’s footsteps to solve the mystery, he turns up inexplicable clues drawing him deeper into his family’s past and country’s future from starving 1941 Leningrad to free-wheeling mid-1990s Moscow to bubbly 2006 Wall Street, uncovering a web of money, murder, revenge, and evidence of a plot involving the world’s superpowers where right and wrong don’t look clear cut, asking if he’s just a pawn in someone else’s game.

Work with Me (Synergy Book 1)

Michelle McCraw

FREE

Enemies-to-Lovers Office Romance

She’s built a firewall around her heart, and he’s determined to crack the code—she walks into the most important meeting of her life, the one that’s going to make or break her career, and he’s here: the sexy charmer she met in the hailstorm outside, the guy so temptingly tasty she forgot herself, forgot she didn’t do things like that, and asked him out. Michelle McCraw launches Synergy with enemies-to-lovers office romance where the worst part is he turned her down, and now he’s here in her meeting—he’s not charming anymore but cranked off because of her. 💻Well, guess what? It’s not the first time she’s made a tech bro cranky—just because she wears skirts doesn’t mean she’s going to let them think she’s any less of a programmer than they are, and no matter how smart he is, she’s going to show him who’s the boss: it’s her. McCraw explores what happens when attraction becomes professional rivalry, examining how being rejected by someone then having to work with them creates the perfect recipe for enemies-to-lovers tension. And there’s no way she’s going to fall for his player ways again—not when he sends her hilarious apology gifts, not when she teaches him to two-step, and certainly not when he kisses her under the stars. Oops. 💕

The author delivers office romance where firewalls around hearts are no match for sexy charmers with coding skills, proving that sometimes the guy who rejected you becomes irresistible once you’re proving you’re better at the job than he is. McCraw writes a heroine determined to establish programming credibility in a male-dominated field who definitely doesn’t have time for romance with the one man who’s already seen her vulnerable—except he keeps sending apology gifts and learning to dance and being annoyingly perfect under starlight. The first Synergy novel asks whether you can maintain professional boundaries with someone who’s determined to crack your code. 🌟

Why I’m including this: Enemies-to-lovers office romance launching Synergy where she’s built a firewall around her heart but he’s determined to crack the code—walking into the most important career-making meeting, she finds the sexy charmer from the hailstorm who was so temptingly tasty she forgot herself and asked him out, except the worst part is he turned her down and now he’s in her meeting, cranked off because of her, but just because she wears skirts doesn’t mean she’s less of a programmer than any tech bro and no matter how smart he is she’ll show him who’s boss—it’s her—and she won’t fall for his player ways again despite hilarious apology gifts, teaching him to two-step, or kissing under the stars. Oops.

Without a Trace: 1881-1968

Sylvia Wrigley

FREE

Memoirs of Abductions, Kidnappings & Missing Persons

For many, aviation still brings with it an air of mystery, a century-long magic trick—though most of us will board an aircraft at some point in our lives, we know little about how they work and the procedures surrounding their operation, with that mystery making these losses, such as the vanishing of Malaysia Airlines flight 370, so terrifying. Sylvia Wrigley delivers aviation history exploring the most interesting disappearances: mysteries that have baffled investigators for years, occasionally tragic, frequently amusing, and unerringly accurate and informative. ✈️The two Without a Trace volumes span 150 years and explore mysteries from around the world—this is volume one, beginning just before the golden age of aviation with a manned balloon swept over the English Channel and ending with a top-secret spy plane disappearing at the height of the cold war. Wrigley presents each case laid out in rich detail chronologically, highlighting the historical context, official accident reports and contemporary news surrounding each mystery, asking where did they go? The author introduces the crews, innocent bystanders and rescuers in this collection of true stories. 🎈

Documenting the popular theories from each case, she uses her knowledge and experience as a pilot and an aviation journalist to demystify aviation jargon and narrow down each disappearance to the most likely explanations. Wrigley delivers aviation history that balances technical expertise with human stories, proving that understanding how planes work makes disappearances less terrifying but no less mysterious. The first Without a Trace volume covers 87 years of vanished aircraft, establishing that some mysteries endure despite investigation because aviation itself remains partially mysterious to most people. 🔍

What makes this essential: Aviation history where pilot and aviation journalist Sylvia Wrigley explores the most interesting disappearances spanning 150 years—volume one covers 1881-1968 from a manned balloon swept over the English Channel just before the golden age of aviation to a top-secret spy plane disappearing at the cold war’s height, with each case laid out in rich detail chronologically highlighting historical context, official accident reports, and contemporary news, introducing crews, innocent bystanders, and rescuers while documenting popular theories and using pilot knowledge to demystify aviation jargon and narrow down each disappearance to most likely explanations in this occasionally tragic, frequently amusing, unerringly accurate collection of true stories asking where did they go.

Chop, Chop – The Series of a Lifetime: Books 1 – 7

L.N. Cronk

FREE

Contemporary Christian Fiction

It seems to David that both Greg and Laci are a bit out there—between each of them constantly chopping off their hair for charity and Greg’s clandestine hand signals, neither of them seem likely to develop friendships with reserved young David. L.N. Cronk delivers contemporary Christian fiction box set where despite their differences, however, all three grow closer to each other and as they do, David grows closer to God as well, with nearing adulthood finding David content in every way until tragedy strikes and David must struggle to find his way back to God. 🙏Cronk explores what happens when unlikely friendships formed in youth face the ultimate test of faith when tragedy shatters contentment, examining how a reserved boy influenced by eccentric friends who chop their hair for charity discovers that spiritual growth happens through connection with others. The author balances the quirky friendship dynamics—Greg’s mysterious hand signals and both friends’ hair-chopping habits—with deeper questions about faith, loss, and finding your way back when life knocks you off course. ✝️

The seven-book series delivers contemporary Christian fiction where growing closer to friends means growing closer to God, but maintaining faith requires active struggle when tragedy threatens everything David has built. Cronk writes a protagonist whose journey from reserved observer to engaged believer to struggling survivor shows that faith isn’t static but requires constant renewal, especially when loss makes you question everything. The complete Chop, Chop series examines whether faith built through friendship can survive when that friendship faces its greatest test. 💔

Why I’m including this: Contemporary Christian fiction box set where it seems to David that both Greg and Laci are a bit out there—between each constantly chopping off their hair for charity and Greg’s clandestine hand signals, neither seem likely to develop friendships with reserved young David—despite their differences, all three grow closer to each other and David grows closer to God as well, nearing adulthood content in every way until tragedy strikes and David must struggle to find his way back to God in this seven-book series of a lifetime.

Woman in Red

Eileen Goudge

Regularly $3.99, Today $1.99

Family Life Fiction

Alice Kessler has lived through a mother’s worst nightmare—while riding his bike, her eight-year-old son David was killed by a drunk driver, and out of her mind with grief and rage, especially after losing the wrongful death suit, Alice runs down the driver Owen White, crippling him. Eileen Goudge delivers family life fiction where after serving nine years in prison, Alice returns to Grays Island in the Pacific Northwest, divorced and destitute, to reunite with her surviving son Jeremy—but the child she has not seen in almost a decade has become an angry teenager, and when Jeremy is falsely accused of rape, White, who is now mayor, seizes his chance for revenge. 💔To defend Jeremy, Alice seeks the help of former Manhattan DA Colin McGinty, who lost his wife on 9/11 and returned to Grays Island after the death of his grandfather—an artist famous for his haunting portrait Woman in Red. Goudge explores what happens when a mother who committed vigilante justice must now fight within the system to save her son from false accusations, with the man she crippled now in a position of power determined to destroy what remains of her family. ⚖️

As the story of the painting is revealed, the past becomes intertwined with the present, and Alice and Colin discover that they are bound together by a deadly wartime secret on the verge of being exposed. The author delivers family life fiction where mothers’ love drives both terrible violence and fierce protection, proving that some nightmares never end but only transform into new battles. Goudge balances Alice’s past crime with present circumstances, asking whether someone who took justice into their own hands deserves justice themselves when facing a vengeful adversary. 🎨

What makes this compelling: Family life fiction where Alice Kessler whose eight-year-old son David was killed by drunk driver Owen White ran him down in grief and rage, crippling him—after nine years in prison, she returns to Grays Island divorced and destitute to reunite with angry teenager Jeremy, but when he’s falsely accused of rape, White now mayor seizes revenge, forcing Alice to seek help from former Manhattan DA Colin McGinty as a haunting portrait Woman in Red reveals a deadly wartime secret binding them together.

For Better, For Worse

Lauren North

Regularly $3.99, Today $1.99

Domestic Thrillers

The perfect pre-wedding getaway, the perfect murder, the perfect trap—Jake is everything to her: best friend, partner, and now fiancé, with the only problem being that her parents don’t agree with their whirlwind romance, believing Jake is only after the family money and don’t want her to marry him. Lauren North delivers domestic thriller where they only came to the family villa in the south of France to escape parental disapproval, but when their old friend Claude confronts them in the town square, hurling insults and warning what will happen if they go ahead with the wedding, she’s furious that meddling has ruined their last moment of pre-wedding bliss. 💍She tells Jake not to worry—no matter what her parents think, she loves him and always will—but when they return to the villa later that day, her world falls apart because there, on their beautiful rug, is Claude’s body. North explores what happens when romantic escape becomes murder scene, examining how a couple trying to prove their love is real becomes prime suspects in a killing. She stops breathing as she takes in the scene: the footprints in the same tread as Jake’s trainers, the knife she used at breakfast lying near the body covered in her fingerprints. 🔪

She feels dizzy, reaching out for Jake as a shiver races through her—he holds her, saying nothing, while everyone saw them arguing with Claude this morning. North asks whether someone is trying to make it look like they did this, delivering domestic thriller where defending your relationship means proving you didn’t kill someone who publicly opposed it. The author balances romantic tension with criminal suspicion, creating a scenario where all evidence points to the engaged couple and their pre-wedding getaway has become a nightmare where love might not be enough to save them. 😱

Why I’m including this: Domestic thriller where Jake is everything—best friend, partner, fiancé—but her parents don’t agree with their whirlwind romance, believing he’s after family money, so they escape to their south of France villa where old friend Claude confronts them in the town square hurling insults—when they return later, Claude’s body lies on their rug with footprints matching Jake’s trainers and her fingerprint-covered breakfast knife nearby, everyone having seen them argue with Claude that morning.

Younger Skin Starts in the Gut: 4-Week Program to Identify and Eliminate Your Skin-Aging Triggers—Gluten, Wine, Dairy, and Sugar

Dr. Nigma Talib

Regularly $17.99, Today $2.99

Beauty, Grooming, & Style

Discover the simple and scientifically proven dietary approach to achieving glowing skin that’s free of age spots, sagging and wrinkles—eating too much of the wrong foods is bad for your digestion, and what’s worse, it shows up in your face as wrinkles, blemishes, bags and more. Dr. Nigma Talib delivers beauty and health guidance where luckily, by identifying and eliminating your skin-aging triggers, you can simultaneously heal your gut, stop this process of “digest-aging” and reverse its negative effects on your skin through a complete healthy skin regimen that produces beautiful glowing skin by balancing hormones, preventing inflammation, and maintaining well-adjusted digestion. ✨The book’s comprehensive four-week program and healthy recipes provide solutions to eight different signs of aging—including uneven skin tone, puffiness, dark circles, and adult acne—and guarantees one blissful result: younger-looking, healthier skin. Talib explores the gut-skin connection that most people miss, examining how what you eat literally writes itself on your face through inflammation and hormonal disruption. The author proves that topical creams can only do so much when the real aging happens from the inside out. 🌟

Talib delivers practical beauty advice grounded in digestive health, targeting the four major culprits—gluten, wine, dairy, and sugar—that accelerate skin aging while providing a clear program to identify which ones are your personal triggers. The four-week approach makes transformation manageable while the focus on eliminating specific problematic foods rather than endless restriction makes it sustainable. The doctor’s approach transforms skincare from surface treatment to systemic healing. 💫

What makes this compelling: Beauty and health guide where Dr. Nigma Talib delivers a simple scientifically proven dietary approach to glowing skin free of age spots, sagging, and wrinkles—eating too much wrong foods shows in your face as wrinkles, blemishes, and bags, but identifying and eliminating skin-aging triggers like gluten, wine, dairy, and sugar simultaneously heals your gut, stops “digest-aging,” and reverses negative effects through a four-week program with recipes providing solutions to eight aging signs guaranteeing younger-looking, healthier skin.

Awake in the Dark: The Best of Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert

Regularly $17.99, Today $2.99

Movie & Video History & Criticism

A collection of greatest film reviews from a critic who “understands how to pop the hood of a movie and tell us how it runs”—Pulitzer Prize–winning film critic Roger Ebert wrote movie reviews for the Chicago Sun-Times for over forty years, with his wide knowledge, keen judgment, and sharp sense of humor making him America’s most celebrated film critic, the only one to have a star dedicated to him on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Steven Spielberg’s quote captures Ebert’s gift perfectly: he could explain not just whether a movie worked but why and how it achieved its effects. 🎬His hit TV show At the Movies made “two thumbs up” a coveted hallmark in the industry—from The Godfather to GoodFellas, from Cries and Whispers to Crash, the reviews in Awake in the Dark span some of the most exceptional periods in film history, from the dramatic rise of rebel Hollywood and the heyday of the auteur to the triumph of blockbuster films such as Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark to the indie revolution. The extraordinary interviews included capture Ebert engaging with influential directors like Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen, Robert Altman, Werner Herzog, and Ingmar Bergman, as well as respected actors from Robert Mitchum and James Stewart to Warren Beatty and Meryl Streep. 🌟

Also gathered here are some of his most admired essays, among them a moving appreciation of John Cassavetes and a loving tribute to the virtues of black-and-white films—a treasure trove for film buffs, Awake in the Dark is a compulsively readable chronicle of film since the late 1960s. Ebert’s writing proves that great criticism is itself an art form, balancing erudition with accessibility and passion with precision. The collection demonstrates why Ebert remained relevant across decades of changing cinema, adapting his voice while maintaining his standards. 📽️

What makes this essential: Film criticism collection from Pulitzer Prize–winning Roger Ebert who wrote Chicago Sun-Times reviews for forty years—the only critic with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star, his wide knowledge, keen judgment, and sharp humor made him America’s most celebrated film critic, with reviews spanning exceptional film periods from rebel Hollywood and auteur heyday to Star Wars blockbusters and indie revolution, plus interviews with Scorsese, Spielberg, Allen, Bergman, Mitchum, Stewart, Beatty, and Streep, and essays on Cassavetes and black-and-white films.

A Dream In The Wilderness (The Wilderness Saga Book 1)

Jean Hackensmith

Regularly $2.99, Today $1.49

American Historical Romance

Unable to find a teaching position in the flooded job market that is New York City, twenty-one-year-old Sarah Bentley accepts the position of nanny to Caleb Wachsmann’s three children after the farmer’s wife, parents, and infant son die in the Cholera epidemic of 1834—the twist? The job is in Superior, Wisconsin in the Michigan Territory, an unsettled wilderness located on the northwestern tip of Lake Superior. Jean Hackensmith launches The Wilderness Saga with American historical romance where Caleb is not looking for love since his heart will always belong to his beloved Annie—what he does need is a woman to watch after the children while he toils in the fields making a living for his family, and Sarah turns out to be that woman. 🌲She raises his children with a gentle and loving hand and also helps Caleb to overcome an unbearable loss—as Wisconsin vies for statehood, the young couple will face challenge after challenge as they struggle to tame a wilderness that really doesn’t want to be tamed at all. Hackensmith explores what happens when practical necessity slowly transforms into genuine connection, examining how a grieving widower and a displaced teacher build something real from the ashes of loss and disappointment. ❤️

The author delivers American historical romance set against Wisconsin’s frontier period, proving that sometimes the hardest wilderness to tame isn’t the land but the human heart that’s been broken by tragedy. Hackensmith balances the brutal realities of 1830s frontier life—cholera epidemics, backbreaking farm work, political upheaval—with the quiet intimacy of two people learning to trust again. The first Wilderness Saga novel establishes a world where survival requires both physical endurance and emotional courage. 🏔️

Why I’m including this: American historical romance launching The Wilderness Saga where twenty-one-year-old Sarah Bentley unable to find teaching positions in flooded New York City job market accepts nanny position with Caleb Wachsmann’s three children after his wife, parents, and infant son die in the 1834 Cholera epidemic—the twist is the job is in Superior, Wisconsin in unsettled Michigan Territory wilderness, where grieving Caleb not looking for love needs someone to watch children while he farms, and Sarah raises them with gentle loving hands while helping him overcome unbearable loss as Wisconsin vies for statehood and they struggle to tame a wilderness that doesn’t want taming.

“Strong Men of the Regiment Sobbed Like Children”: John Reynolds’ I Corps at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863

John Michael Priest

Regularly $19.99, Today $2.99

Civil War Campaigns & Battlefields History

Historian and author John Michael Priest brings to vivid reality the chaos, combat, heroism, and hurting that engulfed the Army of the Potomac’s I Corps west of Gettysburg on that bloody Wednesday—it is an excellent addition to Gettysburg historiography and definitely a resource upon which current and future historians and authors will use widely. The fighting on the first day at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, was unexpected, heavy, confusing, and in many ways decisive, with much of it consisting of short and often separate simultaneous engagements or “firefights,” a term soldiers often use to describe close, vicious, and bloody combat. ⚔️Several books have studied this important inaugural day of Gettysburg, but none have done so from the perspective of the rank and file of both armies—John Michael Priest’s “Strong Men of the Regiment Sobbed Like Children”: John Reynolds’ I Corps at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863 rectifies this oversight in splendid style. Priest explores what the battle looked like from the soldiers’ viewpoint rather than the generals’, examining how ordinary men experienced the chaos, fear, and violence of combat that would determine the fate of the Union. 💔

When dawn broke on July 1, no one on either side could have conceived what was about to take place—anticipating a fight and with a keen appreciation for terrain, Brig. Gen. John Buford deployed his Union cavalry in a giant arc north and west of Gettysburg to slow down any Confederate advance until Maj. Gen. John Reynolds could bring up his infantry, and by the time the foot soldiers of the I Corps arrived, A. P. Hill’s heavy Confederate formations had pushed back the troopers from the west. Priest delivers Civil War history that captures both the tactical complexity and the human cost, proving that understanding Gettysburg’s first day requires hearing from the men who fought and bled there. 🎖️

What makes this compelling: Civil War history where John Michael Priest brings vivid reality to chaos, combat, heroism, and hurting engulfing the Army of the Potomac’s I Corps west of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863—the unexpected, heavy, confusing, decisive fighting consisted of short simultaneous “firefights” describing close vicious bloody combat, rectifying the oversight of previous Gettysburg books by telling the story from rank and file perspective of both armies as Brig. Gen. John Buford’s cavalry deployed to slow Confederate advance until Maj. Gen. John Reynolds’ infantry arrived against A. P. Hill’s heavy formations.

The Return of Little Big Man: A Novel

Thomas Berger

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Native American Literature

Jack Crabb is now 112 years old, and he isn’t done spinning yarns—in this sequel to Berger’s beloved novel Little Big Man, one of literature’s wiliest survivors continues his breathtaking tall tales of the Old West. Thomas Berger delivers Native American literature where Crabb claims to have witnessed most of the great historical events of the western frontier: hiding behind a wagon after a drunken Doc Holliday provokes the shootout at the OK Corral, joining Buffalo Bill Cody and Annie Oakley on tour with their international Wild West show, even taking tea with Queen Victoria when she came out of seclusion after a quarter century. 🤠No matter where Crabb lays his hat, he keeps his wizened, wry, and sharp commentary at the ready—The Return of Little Big Man is a sidesplitting novel of surprising emotional depth. Berger explores how a centenarian storyteller can make you believe the most outrageous tales while simultaneously questioning everything he says, examining the American West through the eyes of someone who claims to have been everywhere and done everything. 📖

The author delivers sequel that proves Jack Crabb’s survival skills extend beyond physical danger to narrative longevity, creating a character whose tall tales feel both impossible and oddly plausible given the wild nature of frontier history. Berger balances humor with historical detail, making Crabb’s presence at every major Western event seem like cosmic coincidence or elaborate fabrication—and the ambiguity is part of the charm. The novel asks whether truth matters when the story is this good. 🌵

Why I’m including this: Native American literature sequel where 112-year-old Jack Crabb continues breathtaking Old West tall tales from Berger’s beloved Little Big Man—Crabb claims witnessing most great western frontier historical events including hiding behind a wagon after drunken Doc Holliday provokes the OK Corral shootout, joining Buffalo Bill Cody and Annie Oakley’s international Wild West show tour, and taking tea with Queen Victoria coming out of seclusion after a quarter century, keeping wizened wry sharp commentary ready wherever he lays his hat in this sidesplitting novel of surprising emotional depth.

Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy

Suzanne Mettler, Robert C. Lieberman

Regularly $20.99, Today $2.99

Practical Politics

While many Americans despair of the current state of US politics, most assume that our system of government and democracy itself are invulnerable to decay—yet when we examine the past, we find that the United States has undergone repeated crises of democracy, from the earliest days of the republic to the present. Suzanne Mettler and Robert C. Lieberman deliver practical politics analysis where in Four Threats, they explore five moments in history when democracy in the US was under siege: the 1790s, the Civil War, the Gilded Age, the Depression, and Watergate, with these episodes risking profound—even fatal—damage to the American democratic experiment. 🇺🇸From this history, four distinct characteristics of disruption emerge—political polarization, racism and nativism, economic inequality, and excessive executive power, alone or in combination, have threatened the survival of the republic, but it has survived so far. Mettler and Lieberman examine what is unique and alarming about the present moment in American politics: all four conditions exist simultaneously, with this convergence marking the contemporary era as a grave moment for democracy. ⚖️

By revisiting how earlier generations of Americans faced threats to the principles enshrined in the Constitution, we can see the promise and the peril that have led us to today and chart a path toward repairing and renewing democracy. The authors deliver political analysis that’s both historical and urgent, proving that understanding past crises provides the only roadmap for navigating present dangers. Mettler and Lieberman argue that American democracy has always been fragile and that recognizing the patterns of its vulnerabilities is the first step toward protecting it. 📚

What makes this essential: Practical politics analysis where Suzanne Mettler and Robert C. Lieberman explore five moments when US democracy was under siege—the 1790s, Civil War, Gilded Age, Depression, and Watergate—revealing four distinct disruption characteristics: political polarization, racism and nativism, economic inequality, and excessive executive power that threatened the republic’s survival but it has survived so far, with what’s unique and alarming about the present being all four conditions existing simultaneously, marking the contemporary era as a grave moment for democracy requiring us to revisit how earlier generations faced threats to chart a path toward repairing and renewing democracy.

Reluctant Concubine (Hardstorm Saga Book 1)

Dana Marton

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Epic Fantasy Romance

Kidnapped and locked behind walls for being the last in a line of legendary healers, Tera must hide that she hasn’t yet come into her healing powers—then, just as she is about to escape, she catches the eye of the High Lord of the Kadar. Dana Marton launches Hardstorm Saga with epic fantasy romance where born into a much gentler world, Tera has to fight to survive in a land of savage warlords and their cruel concubines, and when ancient prophecies begin to come to pass, the question becomes whether she can save the realm and awaken the High Lord’s heart. 👑Marton explores what happens when someone kidnapped for abilities they don’t yet possess must fake competence while planning escape, examining how Tera’s gentle upbringing becomes both handicap and hidden strength in a brutal warrior culture. The author balances the immediate danger of discovery—if anyone learns she’s not actually a healer yet, her value disappears—with the longer-term stakes of ancient prophecies suggesting she’s destined for something far greater than survival. 💫

The first Hardstorm Saga novel delivers epic fantasy romance where a reluctant concubine must navigate savage court politics, hide her incomplete powers, and somehow fulfill prophecies she doesn’t understand while capturing the attention of the one man powerful enough to either protect or destroy her. Marton writes a heroine thrown into circumstances far beyond her experience who must learn to be ruthless without losing her essential gentleness, proving that sometimes the greatest power is pretending you already have it. ⚔️

Why I’m including this: Epic fantasy romance launching Hardstorm Saga where Tera kidnapped and locked behind walls for being the last in a line of legendary healers must hide that she hasn’t yet come into her healing powers—just as she’s about to escape, she catches the eye of the High Lord of the Kadar, and born into a much gentler world, she must fight to survive in a land of savage warlords and cruel concubines as ancient prophecies begin to pass, asking whether she can save the realm and awaken the High Lord’s heart.

NEW RELEASES

Cross and Sampson: Alex Cross and John Sampson

James Patterson, Brian Sitts

NEW RELEASE

Kidnapping Thrillers

In latest thriller from the world’s most popular storyteller, detective partners Alex Cross and John Sampson are called to separate locations to investigate a pair of serious crimes—inspiration for #1 hit streaming show, Cross. James Patterson and Brian Sitts deliver kidnapping thriller where in Washington, DC, Metro PD detective John Sampson stands in a crater in the middle of a DC street, calling in the bomb squad: “Dispatch, this is Sampson. Contact the FBI and the ATF. We’ve got a suspected terrorist attack here.” 💣In Chapel Hill, NC, Alex Cross searches the apartment of a missing psychology grad student—his own son Damon, with following in his famous father’s footsteps making Damon a target. Patterson and Sitts explore what happens when professional detective work becomes desperately personal, examining how Cross must balance FBI professionalism with fatherly panic when his own child disappears. From FBI headquarters, in police stations, on airplanes, and at murder scenes, the detectives track crimes committed hundreds of miles apart. 🔍

It will take more than distance to weaken the partnership of Sampson & Cross, with the authors delivering kidnapping thriller where one partner faces potential terrorism while the other confronts every parent’s nightmare, proving that the strongest detective partnerships survive even when the cases—and the stakes—couldn’t be more different. Patterson and Sitts write parallel investigations that test both professional skills and personal bonds, creating suspense that operates on multiple levels as the detectives race to solve crimes that may be connected in unexpected ways. 🚨

What makes this compelling: Kidnapping thriller from James Patterson and Brian Sitts inspiring #1 streaming show Cross where detective partners Alex Cross and John Sampson are called to separate locations—in Washington DC, Sampson stands in a crater calling in the bomb squad for suspected terrorist attack while in Chapel Hill NC, Cross searches his missing psychology grad student son Damon’s apartment, wondering if following in his famous father’s footsteps made him a target as from FBI headquarters to murder scenes they track crimes committed hundreds of miles apart, proving distance can’t weaken their partnership.

Grumpmas (Cozy Court Book 1)

Breanne Bergie

NEW RELEASE

Love & Romance

‘Tis the season for a neighborly war—cheerful toy shop owner Noelle Evergreen loves everything Christmas including the lights, caroling and a hot chocolate out on her back porch while watching the snow fall, but what doesn’t she like? The grump next door. Breanne Bergie launches Cozy Court with love and romance where billionaire architect Jack Timber hates everything about the festive season, loathing the insufferable woman watching his every move ensuring he never crosses the property line and sick of her cheesy decorations, so he takes action. 🎄But his plans of ruining her holiday cheer go south when she needs his help—Jack promises to take care of Elle’s eight-year-old daughter while her parents are away on vacation. Bergie explores what happens when forced proximity with the neighbor you hate means caring for their child, examining how taking responsibility for someone’s daughter complicates revenge plans and property line disputes. Their love-to-hate relationship pulls them closer with unavoidable sparks flying, but he must deny the attraction between them because they share a twenty-one-year age gap. ❄️

The author delivers holiday romance where a Christmas-obsessed toy shop owner and a Grinch-like billionaire architect discover that babysitting arrangements can thaw even the coldest hearts, proving that sometimes the person ruining your holiday spirit is exactly who you need to complete it. Bergie balances age-gap tension with Christmas charm, creating romance where neighborly warfare becomes something sweeter when a child brings enemies together. The first Cozy Court novel establishes that the season for neighborly war might also be the season for love. ⛄

Why I’m including this: Holiday romance launching Cozy Court where cheerful toy shop owner Noelle Evergreen loves everything Christmas but hates the grump next door—billionaire architect Jack Timber hates the festive season and the insufferable woman watching his every move ensuring he never crosses the property line, sick of her cheesy decorations, so he plans to ruin her holiday cheer but it goes south when she needs help and he promises to take care of Elle’s eight-year-old daughter while her parents vacation, their love-to-hate relationship pulling them closer with unavoidable sparks he must deny because of their twenty-one-year age gap.

Mocktail Hour: 70 Sips for Anytime Delights and Hangover-Free Nights

Callie Gullickson

NEW RELEASE

Non-Alcoholic Beverages

Make every hour a mocktail hour worth celebrating with 70 recipes from popular Peloton instructor and lifestyle influencer Callie Gullickson—hey, besties, it’s time to show ourselves some self care without sacrificing on the fun, right? Callie Gullickson delivers non-alcoholic beverage guide where having fun shouldn’t come at the price of not feeling our best, which is why it’s time to introduce you to Mocktail Hour with seriously delicious mocktail recipes that will add a dash of fun and flavor to your everyday life. 🍹Whether you’re taking a break from booze, looking for refreshing alternatives, or just want to mix things up, Mocktail Hour has got your back—when she says no fancy bartending skills are required, she means it. Gullickson believes we work way too hard to feel good physically and mentally just to throw it all away after a few drinks, exploring how zero alcohol does not equal zero fun through energy elixirs like Positive Vibes Palomas to self-care sips like Sleepy Girl Mocktails to party time drinks like Lavender Haze Punch. ✨

The author delivers beverage guide that proves celebration and self-care can coexist, balancing Peloton instructor energy with lifestyle influencer accessibility to create 70 recipes that work for any occasion without requiring bartending expertise or sacrificing fun. Gullickson writes for people who’ve invested time and effort into feeling good and aren’t willing to undo that work for a buzz, making mocktails feel like an upgrade rather than a compromise. Cheers to feeling good and making every hour a mocktail hour worth celebrating. 🎉

What makes this special: Non-alcoholic beverage guide from popular Peloton instructor and lifestyle influencer Callie Gullickson delivering 70 mocktail recipes for anytime delights and hangover-free nights—having fun shouldn’t cost feeling our best, so Mocktail Hour offers seriously delicious recipes adding fun and flavor whether taking a break from booze, looking for refreshing alternatives, or mixing things up with no fancy bartending skills required, from energy elixirs like Positive Vibes Palomas to self-care sips like Sleepy Girl Mocktails to party drinks like Lavender Haze Punch, proving zero alcohol doesn’t equal zero fun.