Today's Kindle Freebies: đ§ Bankrupt baker solves murder with kittens, plain Jane finds island love, time traveler meets his young grandmother
From cozy mysteries and contemporary romance to dystopian survival and paranormal sleuthsâtoday's collection delivers every flavor of fiction with heart, humor, and unforgettable characters đ
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Claws of Justice: Chocolate Chip Mysteries Book 1)
Author: Emmie Lyn
FREE
Humorous Cozy Mystery
A bankrupt bakery. A batch of kittens. A body on the doorstep. Welcome to Pinevilleâwhere murder is always on the menu.
Iâm Sunny Shaw, and regardless of what my name might suggest, my world has become rather dim as of late. The irony isnât lost on anyoneâleast of all me. Sunny by name, decidedly not sunny by circumstance đ§
With a bankrupt business to save, homeless kittens that need rescuing, and a new business partner distracting me with every glance, there seems to be a disaster waiting at every turn. The bakery that was supposed to be my dream has become a financial nightmare. The kittens are adorable but demanding. And the business partner? Dangerously attractive and entirely too helpful đ±
Just when I thought it couldnât get any worse, a murder literally lands on my doorstepâor at least the corpse does. Now Iâm struggling to figure out which problem to solve first! Because apparently running a failing bakery while fostering kittens wasnât complicated enoughânow I need to solve a murder too đ
My business partner seems to want to share more than our lease, but I have to take that step very slowly. Of course, I canât in good conscience leave the kittens to wander the streets. Then again no business means no money. And a dead body on my doorstep means the police are asking questions I donât have answers to đ
Decisions. Decisions. Do I focus on saving the bakery? Finding homes for the kittens? Figuring out who killed someone right outside my door? Or dealing with the inconvenient attraction to my business partner who seems determined to be involved in everything? Emmie Lyn serves up cozy mystery with humor, heart, and plenty of feline assistance đș
Why this delights: Emmie Lyn delivers cozy mystery comfort foodâa bankrupt baker, adorable kittens, a murder mystery, and slow-burn romance all wrapped up in small-town charm. Perfect for readers who want their mysteries light, funny, and filled with cats who probably know more than theyâre letting on.
Plain Jane Wanted (English Channel Book 1)
Author: Rose Amberly
FREE
Contemporary Romance
Job Advert - Wanted: unattractive woman with lots of patience and a sense of humour. What lunatic replies to an ad like this? Probably someone having the worst day of her young life đ°
Itâs the perfect job for heart-broken Millie who just lost everything including her confidence. She desperately needs a new start, and a job posting this bizarre has to be better than staying in the wreckage of her old life. When youâve hit rock bottom, even insult-laced employment opportunities start looking appealing đ
With nothing but a little courage, she sails to La Canette, a tiny rustic island in the English Channel. Her new boss is impossibly grumpy and doesnât allow cars or street lights on his island and he keeps trying to fire her. Itâs like working for a curmudgeon whoâs determined to make medieval living conditions seem aspirational đïž
Despite all this, the beautiful little island full of unique wild flowers soon awakens Millieâs long-lost dreams of a wild-herb cafĂ© by the sea. She also finds supportive loving friends and laughter. Gradually she blossoms into the beautiful confident woman she is meant to be, discovering that sometimes you have to lose everything to find yourself đž
The only problem is her bossâ son. George might be handsome, rich and eligible but a painful memory from his past makes it impossible to trust. Heâs built walls that make his fatherâs grumpiness look like warm hospitality, and Millie can sense the hurt beneath his defensive exterior đ
He might be well out of her league, but winning his heart might turn out to be the easy part. The real challenge is helping him trust againâand believing she deserves the happiness thatâs finally within reach. Rose Amberly delivers sweet romance with self-discovery and island charm đč
Why this captivates: Rose Amberly creates a Cinderella story with a twistâthe job posting literally asks for an unattractive woman, and Millieâs journey to confidence happens on a car-free English Channel island run by a grump. Perfect for readers who love transformation stories, quirky settings, and heroes who need healing as much as the heroine.
The Mine (Northwest Passage Book 1)
Author: John A. Heldt
FREE
Coming of Age Fiction
In May 2000, Joel Smith is a cocky, adventurous young man who sees the world as his playground. But when the college senior, days from graduation, enters an abandoned Montana mine, he discovers the price of reckless curiosity đ
He emerges in May 1941 with a cell phone he canât use, money he canât spend, and little but his wits to guide his way. Stuck in the age of swing dancing and a peacetime draft, Joel begins a new life as the nation drifts toward war. Everything he took for grantedâinstant communication, modern conveniences, the knowledge of whatâs comingâbecomes either useless or dangerously prescient â°
With the help of his 21-year-old trailblazing grandmother and her friends, he finds his place in a world he knew only from movies and books. But when an opportunity comes to return to the present, Joel must decide whether to leave his new love in the past or choose a course that will alter their lives forever đ
The grandmother angle is particularly brilliantâJoel knows her as an elderly woman in 2000, but now sheâs young, vibrant, and his contemporary. The relationship dynamics shift in fascinating ways as he sees her as she was before life and time changed her. He canât reveal who he is without sounding insane, so he navigates this surreal situation with care đ
John A. Heldt writes time travel that focuses on character over paradox, exploring how a modern man adapts to 1941 while carrying knowledge of Pearl Harbor, World War II, and everything that follows. Joelâs choices become increasingly weighted as he falls in love and realizes that returning home means abandoning everyone heâs grown to care about âĄ
What makes this compelling: John A. Heldt delivers time travel romance with emotional stakesâJoel must choose between returning to his own time or staying in 1941 with the woman he loves and the grandmother heâs gotten to know as a young woman. The historical setting is rich, the romance genuine, and the time-travel dilemma heartbreaking.
AWAKENING (Children of the After Book 1)
Author: Jeremy Laszlo
FREE
Dystopian Science Fiction
Civilization is gone... Entire cities reduced to ruins... People are missing. All of them.
Leaving the vault their father locked them in six months prior, Jack, Samantha, and Will emerge into a terrifying world they do not recognize. Their father told them to stay inside for six months, to trust him, to wait. They did. And now they understand whyâbut understanding doesnât make the horror any less overwhelming đ
Sick and starving, they must fight to survive while seeking the answers to all that has happened. But they arenât alone in the ruins. Six months in a sealed vault means six months of malnutrition, six months of muscle atrophy, six months of not knowing whether their father survived whatever destroyed the world. Theyâre weak, vulnerable, and unprepared for whatâs waiting outside đ
Hunted at every turn, they must find the answers before they are too sick, too weak, or caught by those that seek them. Somethingâor someoneâis tracking them through the ruins. Every shadow could hide a threat. Every sound could signal danger. The world didnât just end; it became actively hostile âĄ
Jeremy Laszlo writes post-apocalyptic survival with relentless tension. The siblings arenât hardened survivors or trained warriorsâtheyâre ordinary young people thrust into a nightmare scenario with only each other to rely on. The mystery of what happened, where everyone went, and why they were locked in a vault drives the story forward đ
The âChildren of the Afterâ framing is particularly ominousâtheyâre not just survivors, theyâre inheritors of whatever came after civilization collapsed. And as they uncover the truth, they realize their father knew more than he told them. The vault wasnât just protectionâit was preparation đ
Why this grips from page one: Jeremy Laszlo delivers post-apocalyptic mystery where three siblings emerge from a vault to find everyone gone and something hunting them through the ruins. The combination of survival horror, family bonds, and the desperate search for answers creates dystopian fiction thatâs both terrifying and impossible to put down.
Stray Cat Blues (Max Plank Book 1)
Author: Robert Bucchianeri
FREE
Mystery Crime Thriller
When twelve-year-old Frankie steps onto his boat Max has no idea that the cute, skateboarding girl is a time bomb that will lead him into a mystery with a tangled web of secrets and lies involving small time hoods, corrupt politicians, paranoid hippies, and, most dangerously, his long time nemesis, a twisted casino operator at the heart of the cityâs criminal trade đ„ïž
As Max races to solve the convoluted case and find Frankieâs big sister, the mayhem and dead bodies pile up. What started as helping a kid find her missing sibling spirals into something far darkerâa conspiracy that reaches into city hall, organized crime, and places Max thought heâd left behind đ
Finally, he realizes that the only way to get the whole truth involves risking his own life. But for Max Plank this is just the cost of doing business in the game heâs decided to play. Heâs a private investigator who lives on his boat, operates outside conventional rules, and has made enough enemies to fill a prison block âĄ
The title references the Rolling Stones song, and thereâs definitely a noir, bluesy quality to Maxâs worldâgrimy, morally ambiguous, and populated by characters whoâve all compromised something to survive. Frankieâs innocence contrasts sharply with the corruption Max uncovers, raising the stakes beyond just solving a case đ
Robert Bucchianeri creates a detective whoâs equal parts tough and vulnerable, cynical and principled. The boat setting gives Max mobility and isolationâhe can literally untether and disappear when needed, but heâs also alone with his choices and their consequences đ
What makes this gripping: Robert Bucchianeri launches a detective series with a protagonist who lives on his boat and gets pulled into conspiracy when a skateboarding twelve-year-old needs help. The tangled mystery involves everyone from small-time crooks to casino operators, and Max must risk everything for answersânoir with heart and genuine danger.
Between Two Thieves (The Roberts and Bradley Book 30)
Author: Solomon Carter
FREE
Private Detective Mystery
Private Investigator Eva Roberts is hired by a former school friend desperate to save her life from a cruel domestic abuser. But all is not as it seems. The violence at home is sinister, but what if the real danger lies elsewhere? đ
But the domestic case soon feels like a distraction when a second body is found on the beach... And what started out as a day of relaxation soon turns into a dangerous nightmare. Eva came to the beach to clear her head, to escape the intensity of the domestic abuse case. Instead, she finds herself standing over a corpse đ
The beach murders appear to have nothing in common. But the truth goes deep into the heart of a crimewave that is tearing the town apart. What looks like random violence starts revealing patternsâconnections that shouldnât exist between victims who shouldnât know each other âĄ
The detectives must follow the clues to track down a killer⊠but Evaâs case takes a twist at the worst possible time. Just when she thinks she understands the domestic abuse situation, new information surfaces that calls everything into question. Her friend might not be the victim Eva believed her to be đ
This is book 30 in the Roberts and Bradley series, which means Solomon Carter has built a world of recurring characters, established relationships, and ongoing dynamics. Eva is an experienced investigator by this point, but even veteran detectives can be blindsided by cases that seem straightforward before revealing their complexity đ
What drew me in: Solomon Carterâs 30th Roberts and Bradley mystery proves the series still has teethâEva investigates domestic abuse while beach murders complicate everything, revealing connections that expose a town-wide crime wave. Long-running series fans will appreciate the character development, while newcomers can jump in with a standalone mystery.
The Shortest Way Home
Author: Juliette Fay
FREE
Family Life Fiction
Sean Doran has spent twenty years as a nurse in Third World war zones and natural disaster areas, fully embracing what heâd always felt was his purpose in life: to do as much good as possible with whatever time he has đ
With a 50% chance of carrying the gene for Huntingtonâs Disease like his mother, heâs never married or had children, and has kept his relationships casual. Sean built his entire life around the assumption that he might develop a degenerative disease, making choices based on a coin flip he hasnât taken. The genetic test exists, but knowing felt more frightening than not knowing đ
But when Sean begins to question the basis for his lifeâs work and burnout sets in, he is reluctantly drawn back home to Massachusetts. Twenty years of bearing witness to humanityâs worst moments has worn him down in ways he didnât realize until he stopped moving đ
There he discovers that his steely elderly aunt, drama-loving sister, and quirky nephew are having a little natural disaster of their own. Sean soon finds himself parenting a misunderstood boy, falling in love with a woman from his past, and realizing that the bonds of love and loyalty might just rewrite what he once thought he knew about destiny đ
Juliette Fay writes family fiction that asks difficult questions about purpose, genetic fate, and what we owe to ourselves versus others. Sean spent two decades saving strangers while avoiding personal attachments, convinced his potential illness made commitment selfish. Coming home forces him to reconsider everything đ
Why this touches the heart: Juliette Fay delivers family fiction about a war zone nurse who spent twenty years avoiding personal connections due to his 50% chance of inheriting Huntingtonâs Diseaseâuntil burnout and family crisis bring him home. The exploration of genetic fate, second chances, and what makes a life meaningful creates deeply moving contemporary fiction.
Find Me in Paris: Escapist, Uplifting Womenâs Fiction
Author: Olivia Miles
FREE
Contemporary Womenâs Fiction
The Laurent family has always been far from conventional, and Isabelle has every reason to panic when her father resurfaces and suggests a family gathering. Knowing her younger sisters will balk at the request, she invites them to France for her art galleryâs big upcoming show, but by the time they arrive, she is juggling more secrets than she can handleâor shareâand her perfect Parisian life feels like it could be lost at any moment đš
Middle sister Camille has never recovered from her parentsâ divorce. Now a single mother living in London, sheâs content to co-parent her daughter with her best friendâbut when he suggests making their family unit more official, she runs to the last place she ever wanted to return đ
She tells herself that sheâs only going to Paris to support Isabelle, but it turns out that hiding from her true self is more difficult than facing it. Paris has a way of stripping away pretense, of forcing confrontation with the questions youâve been avoiding. Camille thought distance would solve her problems, but theyâve followed her across the Channel đŒ
Olivia Miles writes family drama set against Parisian backdrops, exploring how childhood traumaâin this case, their parentsâ messy divorceâshapes adult relationships and choices. The Laurent sisters each carry different scars from the same event, processing their familyâs dysfunction in wildly different ways đ
The art gallery show becomes a deadline that forces resolutionâIsabelle canât keep her secrets forever, Camille canât keep running from commitment, and their fatherâs reappearance demands they finally address the past theyâve all been avoiding. Paris becomes both escape and crucible đ
What makes this uplifting: Olivia Miles delivers Parisian escapism with genuine family dramaâthree sisters converge in France for an art show while juggling secrets, avoiding their father, and confronting how their parentsâ divorce shaped their adult lives. Perfect for readers who want beautiful settings with emotional depth and sisterhood at its messy, complicated heart.
True North
Author: Robin Huber
FREE
Contemporary Romance
Itâs been eight years since the moment that changed Olivia Daltonâs life. Gabriel North was her first loveâher only love. But an accident shattered their world, leaving Gabe with a serious injury and Liv with a broken heart đ
In the years that followed, Liv left their small coastal town in Georgia and began her career in North Carolina. But she often feels like a stranger watching the woman sheâs become drift farther and farther from the girl she used to be. Success hasnât brought fulfillmentâitâs brought distance from the person she was when she was with Gabe đ
Now, confronted with a decision and a future that seems more uncertain than ever, Liv can no longer ignore the hole in her heart thatâs been quietly aching for years. The only way to move forward is by going backâback home to face the love she left behind đ
Eight years is a long time. Gabe has rebuilt his life after the accident, after Liv left. Heâs learned to live with his injury, created a new normal, and possibly stopped waiting for her to come back. Livâs return isnât just about reconnectingâitâs about confronting the guilt she carries about leaving when he needed her most âĄ
Robin Huber writes second-chance romance grounded in real consequences. The accident wasnât just a plot device that brought them togetherâit was a tragedy that tore them apart, leaving physical and emotional scars that donât magically heal. Livâs guilt and Gabeâs hurt create genuine obstacles to reconciliation đ
Why this captivates: Robin Huber delivers second-chance romance where an accident eight years ago shattered young love, and Liv must return to her Georgia coastal town to face Gabriel and the guilt sheâs carried ever since. The emotional stakes feel real, the small-town setting provides authentic charm, and the question isnât just whether theyâll reconnect but whether they can forgive.
Ready to Ride (Crestwood Valley Book 1)
Author: Juliet Keane
FREE
Enemies to Lovers Romance
Being surrounded by a bunch of hot cowboys was just an added bonus.
I was supposed to keep a low profile and do my best not to anger Tom Sullivanâs sons. I was not supposed to spend my nights dreaming about getting underneath the oldest one. The one with the piercing blue eyes and a sinful smile đ€
Evan Sullivan is only focused on two thingsâ running the family ranch and raising his two kids. He only looks my way to roll his eyes or glower at my city-girl clothes. But after we are forced to work together, the attraction between us is undeniable. The last thing I wanted was to fall for a man, but Evan isnât like any man Iâve ever met đ
I showed up in Crestwood Valley looking to hide from my past, but now Evan Sullivan is determined to be my future. The irony isnât lost on either of themâshe came here to escape romantic entanglements, and he came here to escape women who donât understand ranch life. Neither planned on the forced proximity creating sparks đ„
Juliet Keane writes enemies-to-lovers romance with a single dad cowboy, city girl fish-out-of-water dynamics, and the kind of forced proximity that makes attraction impossible to ignore. Evanâs eye-rolling at her inappropriate footwear and designer jeans creates tension thatâs equal parts frustrating and flirtatious đą
The ranch setting provides both obstacle and opportunityâsheâs incompetent at everything ranch-related, which gives Evan plenty of reasons to be annoyed, but also creates teaching moments that turn intimate. Learning to ride a horse or mend a fence becomes charged with unspoken attraction âĄ
What makes this irresistible: Juliet Keane delivers cowboy romance with a single dad hero who canât stand the city girl disrupting his ranchâuntil forced proximity makes their attraction undeniable. Perfect for readers who love enemies-to-lovers, hot cowboys, and heroines hiding from their past who accidentally find their future.
Feline Deadly (Mews and Beans Cat Café Cozy Mysteries Book 1)
Author: Sarah May Bird
FREE
Cozy Animal Mystery
What secrets lurk within this purr-fect little English village?
Willow spent every childhood summer with her aunt in Catton Strawless, and is now moving in for good into a compact cottage for what she thinks will be a more peaceful pace of life. City life has worn her down, and the idyllic village of her memories promises renewal đĄ
But she has barely unpacked her boxes when her neighbour is murdered at night in the picturesque grounds of her manor. So much for peaceful village lifeâWillowâs fresh start comes with a corpse and a mystery that hits entirely too close to home đ
DC Thomas Bardot is on the case, but his boss just wants him to wrap it up in time for dinner. The investigation is being treated as an open-and-shut case, pressure from above to clear it quickly and move on. But Willow suspects thereâs more to uncover than the official story admits â
So Willow takes matters into her own hands with the help of an unusual source, the spirits of deceased cats. Mischievous Loki and sorrowful Luna, still mourning her previous ownerâs death, will lend their ghostly paws to help her uncover the secrets hidden in the idyllic English countryside đ±
But as Willow gets closer to the truth, she finds herself in the killerâs sights. Can she and her ghost cats solve the mystery before itâs too late? The paranormal element adds whimsy to what becomes genuinely dangerousâghost cats can provide clues, but they canât protect Willow from a very real murderer đ»
Hereâs what youâre getting: Sarah May Bird creates cozy mystery with a supernatural twistâWillow investigates her neighborâs murder with help from ghost cats in an English village thatâs not as peaceful as it appears. Perfect for readers who want their mysteries gentle, their settings charming, and their feline sidekicks spectral and slightly mischievous.
The Forgotten Language: An Introduction to the Understanding of Dreams, Fairy Tales, and Myths
Author: Erich Fromm
Regularly $17.99, Today $2.99
Folklore & Mythology
Renowned psychoanalyst Erich Fromm investigates the universal language of symbols, expressed through dream and myths, and how it illuminates our humanity.
In this study, Erich Fromm opens up the world of symbolic language, âthe one foreign language that each of us must learn.â Understanding symbols, he posits, helps us reach the hidden layers of our individual personalities, as well as connect with our common human experiences. We speak in symbols when we dream, when we create art, when we tell storiesâand yet most of us never learn to consciously understand this primal vocabulary đ§
By grasping the symbolic language of dreams, Fromm explains, we can then also understand the deeper wisdom of myths, art, and literature. This also gives us access to what we, and our society, usually repress. Dreams donât lieâthey canât. They speak truth in a code weâve forgotten how to read, revealing desires, fears, and insights our waking minds suppress or deny đ
Fromm shares the history of dream interpretations, and demonstrates his analysis of many types of dreams. From ancient civilizations that saw dreams as divine messages to Freudâs revolutionary psychoanalytic approach, Fromm traces how humanity has struggled to decode the nighttime narratives our minds produce. He then applies these theories to actual dream examples, showing how symbols shift meaning based on personal and cultural context đ
What makes symbolic language so powerful, Fromm argues, is its universality combined with its specificity. A snake might represent danger, wisdom, sexuality, or transformation depending on whoâs dreaming and what emotional truth theyâre processing. Yet certain symbolsâthe mother, the father, the journey, death and rebirthâappear across cultures and centuries with remarkable consistency đ
Why this deserves your attention: Erich Fromm bridges psychology, mythology, and cultural analysis to decode the symbolic language we all speak but rarely understand. Essential reading for anyone interested in dreams, storytelling, or the hidden architecture of human consciousnessâwritten with clarity that makes complex psychoanalytic concepts accessible.
Final Victim
Author: Stephen J. Cannell
Regularly $11.99, Today $1.99
Psychological Thrillers
A genius, hairless, seven-foot-tall psychopath, Leonard Land is many people wired into the cyber-subculture of Satanism and Death Metal. He is smart and cunning. He is quick, brutal and deadly. And he is everywhere đ
This isnât your typical serial killerâLeonard exists simultaneously in multiple identities across the early internetâs darkest corners, using primitive chat rooms and message boards to orchestrate terror before social media even existed. Stephen J. Cannell, legendary creator of *The Rockford Files* and *The A-Team*, brings his storytelling genius to a prescient thriller about digital anonymity and the monsters it can hide đ„ïž
A renegade US Customs agent, a brilliant and beautiful forensic psychologist, and a streetwise convict master hacker are on the trail of the maniac who is methodically slaughtering innocent womenâa hunt that is leading a trio of unlikely heroes across an imperiled nation and deep into the darkest corridors of cyberspace. Each brings specialized skills: the agent has instincts honed by years of tracking criminals, the psychologist can get inside Leonardâs twisted mind, and the hacker can navigate the digital underworld where Leonard hides đ
But there is no system the maniac cannot infiltrate, no secrets he cannot access. He knows he is being hunted and by whom. Leonardâs digital omnipresence means every email, every phone call, every database search potentially alerts him to their movements. The hunters have become the hunted, their every step monitored by the very predator theyâre pursuing âĄ
And heâs determined to strike firstâin ways too terrible to anticipate. Leonard doesnât just killâhe psychologically tortures, he studies his victimsâ lives through their digital footprints, and he strikes where they feel safest. The race to stop him becomes increasingly desperate as the body count rises and Leonard proves that in the emerging digital age, privacy is an illusion and safety is a lie đ
What makes this gripping: Stephen J. Cannell anticipated our digital nightmare decades ago, creating a techno-thriller that feels eerily relevant today. The seven-foot hairless killer is unforgettable, the cyberspace elements prescient, and the three-person team dynamic crackles with tensionâperfect for readers who want psychological horror merged with early internet paranoia.
Pieometry: Modern Tart Art and Pie Design for the Eye and the Palate
Author: Lauren Ko
Regularly $25.99, Today $3.99
Gourmet Cooking
In a few short years, Lauren Ko made all hell bake loose, going from novice pie baker to Internet star and creator of todayâs most surprising and delightful pie and tart designs. Her Instagram account @lokokitchen became a phenomenonâeach post revealing pies so geometrically stunning, so impossibly intricate, that they seemed more like stained glass windows than desserts đ„§
Her unique geometric style uses fruit and dough cut and woven into stunning shapes to highlight color and texture. With an elegant symmetry that matches their knockout flavor, her dazzlingly intricate and inventive designs look difficult to produce, but can be achieved with little more than a knife, ruler, and some patience. Think mandalas made of blueberries, herringbone patterns in peach, and kaleidoscopic arrangements that make you question whether youâre looking at food or art đš
In Pieometry, Lauren reveals her secrets, sharing stories about her designs and the inspiration behind them. Warm and funny, she recounts the spectacular piesasters that led to some of her best creations, and breaks down her most beautiful designs, describing how to make naturally-colored dough, intricate weaves, and striking cut-out patterns. Her voice is refreshingly honestâshe admits when designs failed spectacularly before succeeding, when she had to scrape dough off the floor, when perfectionism nearly derailed her joy in baking đ
Pieometry provides clear, step-by-step instructions, accompanied by helpful photographs, which any patient baker can follow to build these pies from bottom crust to top in their own kitchens. Lauren makes it easy to mix and match doughs, fruits, fillings, and designs, and each recipe includes suggestions for alternative ingredients. You donât need special equipment or professional trainingâjust time, attention to detail, and a willingness to embrace the meditative process of arranging fruit in patterns đ
Best of all, the beautiful finished pie and tart photos are just as much of a treat to look at as the pies are to eat. But even if you make a mistake here and there, her flavors save the day! Koâs designs may be Instagram-perfect, but her recipes prioritize tasteâthese arenât just pretty pies that disappoint when you bite in. Theyâre legitimately delicious desserts that happen to be breathtakingly gorgeous đ
Hereâs what youâre getting: Lauren Ko transforms pie-making into geometric art without sacrificing flavor or accessibility. Her Instagram-famous designs come with honest, achievable instructions and stories that make you feel like youâre baking alongside a friendâperfect for anyone who wants their desserts to be conversation pieces as well as crowd-pleasers.
Anything for You: A Novel (Valerie Hart)
Author: Saul Black
Regularly $19.99, Today $2.99
Psychological Thrillers
On a hot summer night, a watchful neighbor locks eyes with an intruder and unwittingly alerts the police to a vicious crime scene next door: a lavish master bedroom where a man lies dead. Next to him, his wife is bleeding out onto the hardwood floor, clinging to life đȘ
The victim, Adam Grant, was a well-known San Francisco prosecutorâa man whose connection to homicide detective Valerie Hart brings her face-to-face with a life sheâs long since left behind. Adamâs career made him an easy target, and forensic evidence points towards an ex-con he put behind bars years ago. Itâs the obvious answer, the clean narrative that would let everyone move on quickly đ
But while Adamâs wife and daughter grapple with their tragic loss, Valerie uncovers devastating clues that point in a more ominous direction. Lurking in the shadows of the Grantsâ pristine life is a mysterious blonde who holds the key to a very differentâand much darkerâstory. The perfect marriage, the respected career, the loving familyâall of it conceals secrets that someone was willing to kill to protect đ
As Valerie struggles to forge a new path for herself, the investigation forces her to confront the question: can we ever really leave our pasts behind? Her own history with Adam complicates everything, blurring professional boundaries and personal demons. Every revelation about Adamâs hidden life mirrors questions Valerie has avoided about her own choices, her own compromises, her own buried truths â ïž
Saul Black writes psychological suspense that cuts deep, examining not just the mechanics of murder but the ways trauma and secrets shape who we become. Valerie Hart is a complex, damaged protagonist whose personal stakes in the case create constant tension between seeking justice and protecting herself from painful truths đ
What makes this compelling: Saul Black delivers a detective novel where solving the murder is only half the storyâValerieâs reckoning with her own past drives emotional stakes as high as the body count. The mysterious blonde, the perfect familyâs hidden rot, and a detective who canât escape her history combine for psychological suspense that lingers.
Ivory Vikings: The Mystery of the Most Famous Chessmen in the World and the Woman Who Made Them
Author: Nancy Marie Brown
Regularly $23.99, Today $4.99
Scotland History
In the early 1800âs, on a Hebridean beach in Scotland, the sea exposed an ancient treasure cache: 93 chessmen carved from walrus ivory. The Lewis Chessmen are probably the most famous chess pieces in the world. Harry played Wizardâs Chess with them in Harry Potter and the Sorcererâs Stone. Housed at the British Museum, they are among its most visited and beloved objects âïž
Questions abounded: Who carved them? Where? When? And how did they end up buried on a remote Scottish beach? Nancy Marie Brownâs Ivory Vikings explores these mysteries by connecting medieval Icelandic sagas with modern archaeology, art history, forensics, and the history of board games. In the process, she reveals a world far more connected and sophisticated than most people imagine medieval Europe to have been đ
In the process, Ivory Vikings presents a vivid history of the 400 years when the Vikings ruled the North Atlantic, and the sea-road connected countries and islands we think of as far apart and culturally distinct: Norway and Scotland, Ireland and Iceland, and Greenland and North America. This wasnât the Dark Ages as weâve been taughtâthis was a vibrant network of trade, culture, and artistic exchange spanning an ocean đ¶
The story of the Lewis chessmen brings from the shadows an extraordinarily talented woman artist of the twelfth century: Margret the Adroit of Iceland. Brown makes a compelling case that these masterpiecesâwith their expressive faces, intricate details, and sophisticated artistryâwere carved by a woman whose skill was renowned even in the sagas. In an era when most female artists remain anonymous, Margret emerges as a named, celebrated craftsperson whose work survives centuries later âš
Brown weaves together archaeological evidence, literary sources, and art historical analysis to build her argument. She examines walrus ivory trade routes, workshop practices, and the specific stylistic choices that suggest Margretâs hand. The result is part detective story, part medieval history, part feminist reclamation of forgotten genius đ
Why Iâm including this: Nancy Marie Brown solves a centuries-old mystery while resurrecting a forgotten female artist and revealing the sophisticated Viking world that connected continents. The Lewis Chessmen become a window into medieval trade, artistry, and the women whose contributions history tried to eraseâessential reading for anyone fascinated by archaeology or medieval culture.
Suck Less: Where Thereâs a Willam, Thereâs a Way
Author: Willam Belli
Regularly $19.99, Today $2.99
Self-Esteem Self-Help
The only lie told more often than âNo, that looks totally cute on youâ and âI got AIDS through oralâ is âIt gets better.â Well, a lotta times it donât. Sometimes it just sucks less. But I promise you: where thereâs a Willam, thereâs a way đ
Willam BelliâRuPaulâs Drag Race legend, actor, musician, and professional shit-stirrerâdelivers a self-help book thatâs equal parts hilarious, profane, and surprisingly practical. This isnât your typical âlove yourselfâ pablum. This is survival advice from someone whoâs navigated Hollywood, drag culture, and life as a proudly messy queer person with humor and zero apologies đ
But this isnât all about me (for once). Itâs about you and how you can Suck Less at a variety of things drag queens are so much better at than the average person. Iâve got clap backs and life hacks and tips on classing up a simple grab-and-run lifting spree to the much more dignified act of larceny. Super-important life stuff with my own special, secret fag-swag sauce đ
So welcome to Willamâs School of Bitchcraft and Wiggotry. Class is in session. The chapters cover everything from makeup application to dealing with haters, from navigating relationships to maximizing your assets (whatever those may be). Willamâs advice is gleefully inappropriate, devastatingly honest, and actually usefulâassuming you can handle truth delivered without a filter đ
What makes this book work is Willamâs refusal to sugarcoat anything. The drag world rewarded them for being outrageous and authentic, and that same energy infuses every page. This is self-help for people who are tired of being told to manifest their dreams and just want practical advice delivered with humor and a healthy dose of cynicism đ
What makes this essential: Willam Belli delivers self-help thatâs actually helpful, hilariously honest, and unapologetically queer. If youâre tired of inspirational books that promise everything gets better and want real talk about surviving and thriving while being your authentic messy self, Willamâs your teacherâand class is never boring.
The Unfaithful Queen: A Novel of Henry VIIIâs Fifth Wife
Author: Carolly Erickson
Regularly $17.99, Today $2.99
Biographical Historical Fiction
From New York Times bestselling author of The Last Wife of Henry VIII, a novel about Catherine Howard, wife of Henryâs later years.
Amid the turbulent, faction-ridden late reign of the fearsome Henry, eager high-spirited Catherine Howard caught the kingâs eyeâbut not before she had been the sensual plaything of at least three other men. She was barely a teenager when older men began grooming her, using her youth and beauty for their own pleasure. By the time Henry noticed her, Catherine already carried secrets that could destroy her đ
Ignorant of her past, seeing only her youthful exuberance and believing that she could make him happy, he married herâonly to discover, too late, that her heart belonged to his gentleman usher Tom Culpeper. Henry was aging, bloated, his leg ulcers oozing, his temper increasingly volatile. Catherine was young, vivacious, desperate for love that felt genuine. The tragedy was almost inevitable đ
As the net of court intrigue tightens around her, and with the Tudor succession yet again in peril because of Prince Edwardâs severe illness, Queen Catherine struggles to give the angry, bloated and impotent king a son. The pressure is crushingâproduce an heir or face the consequences that befell Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, and Anne of Cleves before her đ¶
But when her relations turn against her, she finds herself doomed, just as her cousin Anne Boleyn was, to face the executioner. The Howard family, which elevated Catherine to queen, ultimately sacrificed her to save themselves. Her past lovers were tortured until they confessed. Tom Culpeper was executed. And Catherine, barely twenty years old, was condemned for treason âïž
Carolly Erickson writes Catherine with sympathy and complexityânot as the foolish girl of traditional histories, but as a young woman trapped by older menâs desires, political machinations, and a system that gave women no agency over their own bodies or futures. Catherineâs âunfaithfulnessâ becomes something more nuanced: a desperate grasp at genuine affection in a marriage to a terrifying, dying tyrant đč
Why this touches the heart: Carolly Erickson reclaims Catherine Howard from caricature, presenting her as a victim of predatory men and political forces rather than a wanton temptress. The tragedy isnât her moral failureâitâs that she never had a chance, condemned by her past and her present in Henry VIIIâs brutal final years.
The Remarkable Education of John Quincy Adams
Author: Phyllis Lee Levin
Regularly $17.99, Today $2.99
American Revolution Biographies
A patriot by birth, John Quincy Adamsâs destiny was foreordained. He was not only âThe Greatest Traveler of His Age,â but his countryâs most gifted linguist and most experienced diplomat. Born in 1767 into revolutionary fervor, John Quincy literally grew up with Americaâhis childhood home overlooked the Battle of Bunker Hill đșđž
John Quincyâs world encompassed the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the early and late Napoleonic Age. As his diplomat fatherâs adolescent clerk and secretary, he met everyone who was anyone in Europe, including Americaâs own luminaries and founding fathers, Franklin and Jefferson. By age fourteen, he was serving as translator for American diplomats in Russia. By eighteen, heâd lived in more European capitals than most adults would visit in a lifetime đ
All this made coming back to America a great challenge. How do you adjust to provincial New England after dining with European royalty? But though he was determined to make his own career he was soon embarked, at Washingtonâs appointment, on his phenomenal work abroad, as well as on a deeply troubled though loving and enduring marriage. His wife Louisa struggled with depression and the isolation of diplomatic life, yet remained his partner through decades of service đ
But through all the emotional turmoil, he dedicated his life to serving his country. At 50, he returned to America to serve as Secretary of State to President Monroe, where he essentially authored the Monroe Doctrineâone of the most consequential foreign policy statements in American history. He was inaugurated President in 1824 in one of the most controversial elections ever held đ
After which he served as a stirring defender of the slaves of the Amistad rebellion and as a member of the House of Representatives from 1831 until his death in 1848. His post-presidency career might have been his finest hourâhe became known as âOld Man Eloquent,â fighting tirelessly against slavery expansion even when it made him wildly unpopular. He literally died on the House floor, collapsing at his desk while fighting for what he believed đ«
What drew me in: Phyllis Lee Levin chronicles the most remarkably educated president America ever producedâa man who spoke eight languages, negotiated with Napoleonâs ministers as a teenager, and spent his post-presidency fighting slavery in Congress. John Quincy Adamsâs extraordinary life spans Americaâs founding to the brink of Civil War, making this essential reading for understanding early American history.
The Far Field: A Novel
Author: Madhuri Vijay
Regularly $14.99, Today $3.99
Historical Literary Fiction
Gorgeously tactile and sweeping in historical and socio-political scope, Pushcart Prizeâwinner Madhuri Vijayâs The Far Field follows a complicated flaneuse across the Indian subcontinent as she reckons with her past, her desires, and the tumultuous present.
In the wake of her motherâs death, Shalini, a privileged and restless young woman from Bangalore, sets out for a remote Himalayan village in the troubled northern region of Kashmir. Sheâs running from grief, but sheâs also chasing a ghostâa memory of a man who connected her childhood to a world beyond her sheltered existence đïž
Certain that the loss of her mother is somehow connected to the decade-old disappearance of Bashir Ahmed, a charming Kashmiri salesman who frequented her childhood home, she is determined to confront him. Bashir had been a fixture of her youth, bringing stories and goods from distant Kashmir, representing everything exotic and unknowable. His disappearance haunted her mother, and now haunts Shalini đ
But upon her arrival, Shalini is brought face to face with Kashmirâs politics, as well as the tangled history of the local family that takes her in. The Kashmir of her romanticized memoriesâbeautiful, mysterious, enchantingâcollides with the reality of a region torn by violence, military occupation, and generations of trauma. Her privilege as an outsider becomes impossible to ignore đ
And when life in the village turns volatile and old hatreds threaten to erupt into violence, Shalini finds herself forced to make a series of choices that could hold dangerous repercussions for the very people she has come to love. She arrived seeking answers about Bashir and closure about her mother, but instead finds herself implicated in conflicts she barely understands, where her good intentions mean nothing against the weight of history â ïž
Madhuri Vijay writes with stunning prose that captures both the physical beauty of the Himalayas and the psychological complexity of a woman grappling with complicity, class, and the limits of understanding. Shaliniâs journey becomes an interrogation of privilege, grief, and what we owe to the places and people we claim to care about đ
What makes this special: Pushcart Prize-winner Madhuri Vijay delivers literary fiction that combines gorgeous prose with unflinching examination of privilege and politics in Kashmir. Shaliniâs journey from privileged Bangalore to conflict-torn Kashmir becomes a reckoning with complicity, belonging, and the dangerous naivety of good intentionsâessential reading for understanding modern India.
In His Wake
Author: Chad Zunker
NEW RELEASE
Political Thrillers & Suspense
The death of reporter Dean Dawsonâs estranged father in a boating accident leaves Dean and his brothers with mixed emotions. After all, the man abandoned his family and lived a life of inexplicable lies and broken promises. Theyâd made peace with having a father who was essentially a strangerâor so they thought đ
But four months after that fatal night cruise, their father is becoming a greater mystery than they imagined. The more Dean investigates, the less the official story makes sense. His father was an experienced sailor. The weather was clear. And why was he alone on a boat that could hold twelve people? â
When a presidential candidate is assassinated in Austin, Dean is contacted by April North, his former girlfriend and an associate of Deanâs father at a powerhouse law firm. Sheâs stumbled upon a shockerâa cryptic text she wasnât supposed to see on her bossâs phone not only implicates the firm in the assassination but also suggests that Deanâs father may still be very much alive đ±
As the brothers are pulled into a dark conspiracy, Dean and April are on the run as the next targets of a mysterious assassinâand one kill shot away from discovering the truth and a fatherâs dangerous secrets. Every answer generates three new questions. The law firm isnât what it appears. The assassination wasnât random. And Deanâs fatherâs âdeathâ might have been an elaborate escape from people powerful enough to murder a presidential candidate đŻ
Chad Zunker writes political conspiracy that escalates with every chapter, combining family drama with high-stakes thriller elements. Deanâs search for his father becomes a race against assassins, corporate corruption, and a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of power đ„
Why this grips from page one: Chad Zunker delivers a new release that combines family mystery with political conspiracyâa father who might not be dead, an assassination tied to a law firm, and brothers racing to uncover truth before they become the next targets. Fast-paced, twisty, and impossible to put down.
Her Cold Justice (Keera Duggan Book 3)
Author: Robert Dugoni
NEW RELEASE
Legal Thrillers
In a quiet South Seattle neighborhood, a suspected drug smuggler and his girlfriend are murdered in their home. The execution-style killings suggest professional work, but the official story doesnât add upâthese werenât cartel hits, they were something else entirely đ
When a young man named Michael Westbrook is accused of the brutal double homicide, his uncle JP Harrison turns to Keera Duggan to defend him. JP is Keeraâs trusted investigator, the person she relies on for thorough, honest work. He desperately needs Keera to save his nephew against escalating odds, and that personal connection raises the stakes impossibly high âïž
The evidence is circumstantialâMichael worked with one of the victims, drugs were found in his possession, and he bolted from authorities. Ruthless star prosecutor Anh Tran has gotten convictions on much less, and sheâs building her case with her typical precision and aggression. With the testimony of two prison informants whose credibility is questionable at best, the case looks grave đŒ
But Keera never concedes defeat. To free her client, she must dig deep before Tran crushes both of them. Every lead gets blocked, every witness has something to hide, and the deeper Keera investigates, the more she realizes this case isnât what anyone thinks it is đŻ
As the investigation gets more twisted with each new find, Keera is swept up in a mystery with far-reaching consequences. This case isnât just murder. Itâs looking like a conspiracy that reaches into law enforcement, the drug trade, and powerful interests that donât want the truth exposed. And getting justice for Michael could be the most dangerous promise Keera has ever made â ïž
What makes this a must-read: Robert Dugoni returns with the third Keera Duggan thriller, delivering courtroom drama with genuine personal stakes as Keera defends her investigatorâs nephew against a ruthless prosecutor. The double murder spirals into conspiracy, and Keeraâs determination to win puts her directly in dangerâDugoni at his best.
The Inn at Holiday Bay: Promise in the Proposal
Author: Kathi Daley
NEW RELEASE
Amateur Sleuth Mysteries
Christmas may be packed away, but in Holiday Bay, the chaos is just getting started.
Coltâs first case as a newly hired county detective is anything but routine. A shocking murder, a web of buried secrets, and three long-forgotten cold cases left behind by his predecessor collide in ways Colt never saw comingâand solving the present crime may depend on unlocking the past. The files sat dormant for years, but suddenly theyâre all connected đ
While Abby and Lacy pour their energy into a community fundraiser, Abby and Colt juggle blueprints for the home they hope to build together. At the same time, Georgia finds herself struggling with unexpected baby blues, adding one more emotional wrinkle to an already busy season. Life doesnât stop for murder investigationsâit just gets more complicated đĄ
And just when Abby thinks life might slow down, Colt and Mackey prepare to ask her a question she wonât be able to refuse. The proposal has been planned, the ring selected, but timing is everythingâand in Holiday Bay, nothing ever goes according to plan đ
In Holiday Bay, life, love, and murder have a way of arriving all at once. Coltâs investigation into the current murder keeps intersecting with the cold cases in unexpected ways. Witnesses who disappeared years ago suddenly resurface. Evidence that seemed unrelated starts forming patterns. And the killer Coltâs chasing might have been active for far longer than anyone realized đ
Cozy, twisty, and filled with heart, this post-Christmas mystery proves that while the holidays may end, the surprises never do. Kathi Daley delivers her signature blend of small-town charm, genuine relationships, and mysteries that keep you guessingâall wrapped up in a community where everyone knows your name and your business đ
Hereâs what youâre getting: Kathi Daleyâs new Holiday Bay installment balances romance, community, and murder as Coltâs first major case connects past and present crimes. Cozy mystery fans will love the small-town setting, the proposal teased in the title, and mysteries that intertwine across decadesâperfect comfort reading with just enough edge.