fiction

… the story of love and friendship that begins in the mid-seventies and extends into the twenty-first century?

… Captain Trips, a devastating flu virus that wipes out 99% of the American population? This marks the beginning of Stephen King’s epic fantasy/horror novel, The Stand, and let me tell you, this one is a doozy.

… America being settled by witches? Born Wicked, the first book of Jessica Spotswood’s Cahill Witch Chronicles, is set at the end of the nineteenth century in an alternate history where America was founded by an organization of witches instead of pilgrims.

… chocolate being addictive? The Chocolate Moose Motive* by JoAnna Carl is as addictive as chocolate; you won’t be able to put this book down. Set in Michigan, this book has a little bit of something for everyone. Chocolate – lusciously described, so you’ll be drooling as you read. Murder – did the wife, the father, or the best friend do the dastardly deed?

… the wizards in London? No, this isn’t a new Harry Potter book. Ben Aaronovitch’s Midnight Riot* is set in modern England, but its magic is much darker and grittier, and somehow more realistic, than J. K. Rowling’s style.

…the supernatural insurance company that uses death threats to coerce you into buying more insurance? Sounds a bit ridiculous, right? But in Bentley Little’s book, The Policy, this is an altogether believable and horrifying premise that plays upon our everyday, adult fears.

… the disfigured, grumpy guy who hates Christmas and doesn’t care much for chocolate either? In my book that would make him an alien, but in Loree Lough’s book, Love Finds You in North Pole, Alaska,  you meet the grump himself, Bryce Stone, a former marine who was hurt during the Afghan was.

… the scum-bag who stole the youth soccer associations’ money? Moises Huber has a few gambling debts that he needs to pay in Jeffrey Allen’s Popped off*. He not only steals the money but also the trophies that each kid is supposed to receive at the end of the season.

… the shamelessly sexy and fun story of Maggie Reilly, the woman who thinks she has no time for love? Fans of Fifty Shades of Grey who are hungry for another story of a relatable female protagonist and powerful male hero with a dark side will devour Midnight Encounters by Elle Kennedy.

… the quilt shop that brings trouble to the community? In Katie’s Way, a recent installment of the Pleasant Valley series* by Marta Perry, we meet Katie Miller who has just opened a quilt shop in Pleasant Valley. Katie was jilted by her intended when he married her best friend. Katie can’t face life in her hometown, so she moves to Pleasant Valley to open a quilt shop.