Indie Voices: Summer Standouts

Discover your next favorite indie talent

Looking for your next can't-put-it-down read? Discover a curated collection of standout indie books making waves this season. From impressive debut authors to rising indie favorites, these stories showcase fresh perspectives, unforgettable characters, and bold storytelling. Whether you're craving a pulse-pounding thriller, a swoon-worthy romance, an epic fantasy adventure, or something completely unexpected, these indie gems deserve a spot at the top of your TBR.

Perro and the Volcano

by Sarah Harley - Rosina Spivak - Bryony Simmonds

A gentle adventure about friendship, bravery, and finding your way one paw at a time. Perro has never climbed the volcano. While the other dogs brag about sunrises and treats at the summit, Perro hides a secret: he's afraid of heights. When his friend Gatito offers to climb with him paw by paw, Perro begins a journey filled with wildflowers, windy trails, and quiet courage. Inspired by a true story and the real dogs of Volcán Acatenango, this heartwarming tale celebrates the small steps that take us to big places.

Perfect for ages 4 to 8 (and anyone who's ever felt a little scared to begin.)

The People Stack: Why Change Fails (and What Actually Fixes It)

by Julie Ann Whitten

Organizational change does not fail because the strategy was wrong or the technology did not work. It fails when people never fully adopt what was built.

In The People Stack: Why Change Fails (and What Actually Fixes It), transformation and communications executive Julie Ann Whitten explores the invisible human operating system underneath every successful change effort. Drawing from more than 25 years of experience leading complex transformations across manufacturing, healthcare, utilities, hospitality, and enterprise operations, Whitten introduces a practical framework for understanding why change efforts stall, fade, or quietly unravel after launch.

The People Stack framework focuses on the human layers that determine whether transformation sticks: clarity, alignment, capability, belief, sustainment, and trust. Through real-world insights, leadership observations, and practical guidance, the book examines the gap between delivery and adoption and why so many organizations mistake implementation for success.

The book also explores resistance, leadership communication, organizational trust, emotional fatigue, and the hidden signals leaders often overlook during periods of disruption and uncertainty.

Designed for executives, change leaders, communications professionals, HR leaders, project teams, and anyone responsible for driving transformation, The People Stack offers a more human-centered approach to leading change in modern organizations.

Because technology may launch the system, but people ultimately determine whether change succeeds.

Shadows of the Past (Initial)

by Eric Goebelbecker

It's 1915, twenty years after the Martian invasion chronicled in the War of the Worlds failed. The aliens left behind advanced technology and weapons, and now humanity is on the brink of a catastrophic war. Caught in the middle of the chaos are two unlikely heroes: Emil Zimmerman, a young German soldier, and James Brogan, an introverted radio engineer.

Emil dreamed of escaping his small village and making his way to the big city, but finds himself in the trenches fighting for an army that indiscriminately wields deadly Martian weapons. Meanwhile, James just wants to be left alone, but is pulled into a web of conspiracy when he's called upon to repair crucial radios on Long Island.

As the world hurtles towards the brink of destruction, Emil and James find themselves on a collision course with fate, each struggling to survive and make sense of a new reality.

Shadows of the Past is a science fiction, alternate history, survival adventure. Do you love War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells? Then the thrilling journey of the Great War of the Worlds is the series you're looking for.

Because I Killed Him

by Edith Birde

Guillotines made of gold still cut off heads.

In the Civilized World, everyone is rich, yet money doesn't buy safety. It only buys a gold coffin. The real currency is having the right allies. Low-citizens survive by joining high-citizens' exclusive inner circles, trading loyalty for protection from laws that govern speech, dress, and posture-and punish mistakes with public beheading.

Low-citizen Loredana Waldsten already knows the cost of breaking the rules. Once a rising fencing prodigy, she lost the right to carry weapons after killing a high-citizen in a brutal locker-room attack. The courts erased his death to preserve his family's honor. Now she's unarmed, legally defenseless, and enrolled at the elite Grandmaster University, where champagne spills into the gutters and reputations are built on death duels.

When Loredana's father, a low-citizen politician, publicly challenges the high-citizens, she becomes a target. Some classmates demand her execution. Others hunt her for sport. And by law, she's forbidden to fight back.

Her only chance of survival lies with Edmund Prew, a charming yet ruthless high-citizen student she's been warned against. His family has been locked in a bitter feud with Loredana's for years, and he wants nothing to do with her until a lost bet forces him to protect her within his inner circle. What begins as a scandalous, strategic alliance turns perilous as they fall for each other.

Because the man Loredana killed was more than an average high-citizen. And if Edmund ever learns the truth, the only person keeping Loredana alive may become the one most determined to kill her.

Pound Foolish

by Christopher Harris

Part locker room chronicle, part neo-noir, all American: Pound Foolish tackles a season-in-the-life of a pro football team that has a serial killer in its midst.

Someone is murdering women in the orbit of Detroit's NFL franchise. But also: a new season is kicking off and nobody can really prove anything. Plus football is one of the last remaining ties that bind a city. So...the games will go on. And they should. Right?

Enter our gumshoe. Mouse Morrison is a former player the team brings in to investigate. The further Morrison digs into the locker room-and the more lunkhead players we meet on their journeys of supremacy and self-destruction-the stronger a stench of conspiracy becomes. Is this a coverup? How deep within the franchise and the league does it go?

The team keeps winning games. The bodies keep piling up. The whole mess bleeds from the sports section to the front page, nobody's sure what to believe...and absolutely everybody has an opinion.

Pound Foolish is a rollicking, cinematic murder mystery set in a multi-billion-dollar circus teeming with killers. It pulls back the curtain on a sport that grips America's psyche, and also owns a bloody chunk of its soul.

Thirteen Moons: The Werewolf Almanac

by C A Boozarjomehri

What if every full moon shaped the course of your life?

After losing her parents in a brutal Alaskan blizzard, Lyka is raised by two loving fathers in Farpont-a remote town where werewolves, known as fur folk, live openly among humans. Each chapter, marked by a full moon, reveals a new lesson as Lyka comes of age-exploring love, grief, identity, friendship, prejudice, and the search for belonging.

Lyka's memoir unfolds one moon at a time. From first love and heartbreaking loss to mysterious creatures lurking beyond the Alaskan forests, every chapter brings new revelations. What begins as Lyka's coming-of-age story soon becomes the chronicle of an entire community-where every monster has a history, every family is forged by sacrifice, and every season shimmers with its own magic.

Blending literary fantasy, rich folklore, and paranormal adventure, this standalone novel reimagines werewolves as ordinary people facing extraordinary challenges. As Lyka's story widens, so does the tapestry of Farpont-introducing magical beings inspired by legend, heartfelt LGBTQ+ representation, and unforgettable friendships. In this world, every full moon reveals another piece of the human experience.

More than a werewolf novel, Thirteen Moons: The Werewolf Almanac is a heartfelt exploration of found family, resilience, and hope.

trUst I Know...Pops

by Forever Grateful

On August 16, 1973, a four-year-old boy fell from a horse sixteen miles back in the remote Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex of Montana near the Chinese Wall.

This fall resulted in an injury that would require a "surgical intervention" performed on a camp table in the darkness of their Indian Flats campsite along the West Fork of the Sun River.

The dying boy's life depends on strength of two truths:

1. "My Word is My Bond."
2. "The Power of trUst"

Finding Hazel: A Memoir of Friendship and Freedom, Love and Loss

by Chris Stoddart

FINDING HAZEL is a love story with a bitter-sweet ending. Chris is brought up in post-War Britain and grows to love travel. After the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, he and some high school friends drive across Europe to Prague, and witness the effect that occupation by Soviet troops is having on the Czech people. They meet two young Czechs whom Chris visits again as he grows and travels more. In London, meanwhile, he meets a dazzling American woman, Hazel. They fall deeply in love. They agree to help the two Czechs, who are now married and have two young sons, to escape to the West via Jugoslavia. After a short stay in Traiskirchen, an Austrian refugee camp, and in the Austrian countryside, the Czech family is accepted by the USA to live and work there.

Soon afterwards, Chris and Hazel marry in London, and experience a diverse life working in London and the north-east of England. Later they move to New England in the USA and Chris becomes a US citizen.

After a close sister dies, Hazel suffers deep depression. Gradually it becomes clear that she is suffering from dementia. The memoir describes the challenges of caring at home for a partner with such an erratic and confusing disease. Many friends offer help. Even so, Hazel and Chris are each stretched to their limits as the dementia advances. Chris describes both the turns that Hazel's condition takes, and the various challenges faced by other family carers, whom he meets along the way.

Right at the end of Hazel's life, her mood and behavior soften, and she slips peacefully away. Chris copes with his solitude as best he can, and, after reviving memories of Hazel in her heyday, he returns to hiking in the Swiss Alps to think about his future. He settles in the town in the USA where his Czech friends are living, not one family now, but three.

Quality of Life: Untangling the Mind

by Navnit Bhalla - Michael Papanek - Tylor Plimpton

What determines the quality of a life?

Quality of Life is a contemplative work of nonfiction structured as a train journey across 39 chapters. As three travelers share a compartment and move from station to station, their conversations deepen into an exploration of attention, responsibility, contentment, suffering, wealth, and relationships-the unseen habits that quietly shape how we live.

Blending narrative storytelling with philosophical dialogue, the book offers a form of practical spirituality grounded in everyday experience. Through questions of mindfulness, ethics, and emotional clarity, the travelers examine what it means to live a meaningful life amid distraction and uncertainty-with the candor that emerges between strangers who know they will soon part.

There is no dogma here, and no promise of quick answers. The journey unfolds through thoughtful conversation and personal stories, gradually untangling our assumptions about happiness, success, and fulfillment, inviting readers into deeper reflection, personal growth, and inner transformation.

At its heart lies a simple proposition: the quality of life depends upon the quality of the mind. Cultivating awareness, wisdom, and compassion may be the most enduring investment we can make.

The book includes a foreword by leadership consultant and executive coach Michael Papanek, author of From Breakdown to Breakthrough.

A contemplative journey for readers seeking mindful living, deeper reflection, and a more meaningful life.

The State Rests: Crime and Punishment at Lake of the Ozarks

by J Caleb Cunningham

In the heart of "flyover country," Camden County, Missouri, and the Lake of the Ozarks seem like a sleepy backwater. But beneath that calm surface churns an unruly world of drunks, predators, murderers, and eccentric locals.

Join J. Caleb Cunningham, an outsider risen to prosecutor, standing on the front lines of justice in rural America-where the distinction between the absurd and the tragic is razor thin. In The State Rests, Cunningham dissects real cases with a prosecutor's precision and a storyteller's wit, pulling back the curtain on the theatrics of crime and punishment at the Lake of the Ozarks.

More than a collection of cases, this is a deeply human story, where colleagues become family amid the constant demands of community, revealing the power and politics, and the true burdens of public office. As Cunningham's path builds toward a high-stakes election, the question looms: What does justice really mean-and who are we trusting to deliver it?

Wild in the hot blind earth

by Rob Edmunds

This story is about the experiences of some of the soldiers who endured the largely forgotten Allied campaign in Burma, modern Myanmar, during the last years of the Second World War. This theatre of war featured the broadest coalition of nations, from America, Britain, India, Nationalist China, the Spider Brigades of West Africa and the Gurkhas of Nepal all pitted against the ferocity of the Imperial Japanese army.

It traces a soldier's journey from the Aintree racetrack in Liverpool, via the rural tranquility of West Wales to deep behind enemy lines in Japanese occupied Burma where some of the most brutal fighting of the war took place. It is a tale of endurance and survival in the harshest of environments, interlaced with moments of peace, reflection and romance.

There are also several cameos from famous people from the period, including notable military figures such as Brigadier Michael Calvert, a pioneer of Special Forces operations, as well as the actors Paulette Goddard (Modern Times), Jackie Coogan (The Addams Family) and Bill Travers (Born Free). The adversities and hardships these men experienced were extraordinary and their courage and resilience worthy of the commemoration and recognition so many of them were denied during their lifetimes. The title of the novel is taken from a line from the novel As I lay dying by William Faulkner.

Nice Girls Win: How Kind Women Can Create the Lives They Deserve

by Kelly Ehlers

STOP APOLOGIZING FOR EXISTING. START WINNING AT LIFE.

Ever been called a Nice Girl, as if your only option is to stay quiet, wait your turn, and accept less than you deserve? Who decided being nice means you don't get to take what's yours?

For too long, women have been forced into a binary trap: Be the Ice Queen who burns bridges to get ahead, or the Nice Girl who gets left behind picking up the pieces.

We've been conditioned to believe our kindness is a liability. That our empathy somehow weakens our ambition. So we shrink ourselves to fit into rooms that were never designed for us... and wait for permission that never comes.

Kelly Ehlers is tearing up that script.

In Nice Girls Win, Ehlers-an award-winning founder, entrepreneur, and leader who scaled multi-million-dollar businesses while navigating pregnancy discrimination and corporate gaslighting-reveals how to turn "nice" into a powerful, strategic advantage in work and life.

This isn't about becoming harder. It's about becoming smarter, more confident, and unapologetically self-led.

Inside this bold, practical blueprint for women's empowerment, leadership, and personal growth, you'll learn how to:

• Activate Your Warmth: Use emotional intelligence as a strategic edge to command respect and influence any room
• Burn the Invisible Contract: Stop overgiving, reclaim your time, and set boundaries that protect your energy
• Execute the Strategic No: Build confidence and self-worth by saying no without guilt
• Manifest Your Own Reality: Stop negotiating for less and start claiming what you actually deserve

Winning isn't about self-abandonment; it's about self-preservation. It's time to stop playing small... and start owning the world.

You don't have to choose between being kind and being powerful.

Buy your copy now and start taking what's yours.

You Can Be a Shelter Helper

by Mandy Gammenthaler

Ella loves animals, but most of all, she LOVES dogs.

Dogs are Ella's favorite animal in the whole world. She especially loves the dogs from her local animal shelter. Whether she's making them treats, teaching them commands, or taking them out for a Doggie Day Out with her family, Ella loves being a volunteer at the shelter. There are so many ways she can help, and the best part is YOU can do all these things too!

You Can Be a Shelter Helper is the perfect book for dog lovers looking to find a way to help their local animal shelter. A fun and educational story about volunteering, this book invites you, the reader, to join Ella in all the many ways your local animal shelter needs volunteers. This story is sure to inspire children (and their grown-ups) to take an active role in making their community a better place!

His Guilty Pleasure

by Carrie Ann Ryan

There were two rules in our relationship:

We remain friends with the benefits.

And we don't catch feelings.

Only I made a mistake. I started to fall for Dash Montgomery.

Now our secret physical-only time together is done, and we have to see if we can keep our promises.

He needs to move on. And I need to focus on my business and friends.

Yet when an attack happens close to home, Dash steps up and changes the game. I don't want to fall for him and yet I know there's no walking away from this. Not when he puts himself on the line and I finally can give in.

Everyone I've ever loved, save one, has walked away from me, leaving the shattered remnants of who I once was behind. If I don't find a way to trust Dash-as well as my heart-the darkness stalking us both won't be the only thing that breaks us.

His Guilty Pleasure is a friends with benefits, right person, wrong time contemporary suspense romance featuring Dash and Aly. Each book can be read as a complete standalone. An HEA is guaranteed!

Love In The Time Of America

by Matt Snee

4.5 Stars IndieReader Approved

Two teen boys infatuated with science fiction fall in love with each other at a summer camp in Pennsylvania in the 1950s. Hollywood superstar cowboy John Wayne kidnaps a Black infant he discovers in a dumpster. The daughter of a rightwing talkshow host is suddenly, woefully unwed and pregnant. And a young American man finds the woman of his dreams in a near-future Tokyo that's floating on balloons above the rising seas...

In these four stories and another, Americans from varying backgrounds and in different time periods all find themselves at the mercy of their need for love. But despite the paradisiacal promise of American liberty, each one of them finds that everything has a price...

Luna's Magic: A Story About Trying New Foods

by Lida Wyatt

Does your child only eat the same few foods and refuse to try new ones?

Luna only eats her favourite beige foods - pancakes, pasta, nuggets, and cheese. New foods? Absolutely not!

When her cheeky Cauldron begins bubbling with unexpected ideas, Luna embarks on a magical adventure that gently encourages her to discover more colourful foods, exciting new flavours, and make healthier choices. Along the way, she learns that trying something new doesn't have to be scary - it can be fun.

Luna's Magic is a fun and encouraging picture book that helps picky eaters build confidence, embrace curiosity, and discover the joy of trying new foods.

The Stirling Defense: A Historical Legal Thriller Based on a True Story

by Gerald R Patnode

The Stirling Defense

In 1889, Archibald Stirling is a man of wealth, privilege, and prestige. As a respected Baltimore criminal defense attorney and partner in a renowned law firm, his life is steeped in tradition and order. But when he accepts a single desperate plea for help; everything he believes will be challenged,

One morning, the familiar routine in the Stirling household is shattered. Outside, the shouts of an angry mob rise as four Black men in chains are paraded through the streets by federal marshals. Among them is Henry Jones, the son of the Stirling family's loyal housemaid, Elsie Tolson who has been accused of leading a violent uprising on Navassa Island, where Black laborers fought back against their brutal white overseers. Henry now faces certain execution. With tears in her eyes and fear in her voice, Elsie begs Archibald to save her son.

This real event, fictionalized through The Stirling Defense, is a gripping exploration of justice, sacrifice, and moral courage. Through one man's fall from privilege into the crucible of social change. The novel reveals the extraordinary cost of standing for what is right and the lasting impact of one man's fight against an unjust system.

Determined to seek justice, Archibald takes Henry's case, setting off a chain of devastating consequences that include expulsion from his partnership, divorce from his wife, his young son brutally assaulted, and their home is torched in an arson attack. Even with several attempts at Archibald's life, he refuses to back down.

As the trial unfolds, Archibald exposes the horrors of Navassa Island, where Black laborers were starved, beaten, and worked to death. His defense is not just for Henry but for an entire class of men trapped in a system of exploitation and racial injustice.

Just Playing for Keeps

by Lauren Blakely

A grumpy/sunshine fake dating hockey romance from #1 NYT Bestseller Lauren Blakely!

Ever hear the story about the dating coach who got dumped on the hockey arena's jumbotron?

Everyone did. But I lived it. Including the moment when the team's broody, tattooed winger Lake Axelrod swooped in on skates to rescue me from public humiliation.

Even more surprising? When the famously grumpy (and ridiculously sexy) hockey star insists on being my fake boyfriend for my sister's high-profile wedding.

It's the perfect sweet revenge plan since my ex is the best man. Bonus - I might even salvage my professional reputation.

We need rules though.

1. To pull this off, everyone from his teammates to my boss has to believe we're a real couple.
2. That means swoony touches and knee-weakening kisses are required.
3. When it ends, we walk away.

But the intensity in Lake's eyes after every post-game kiss makes me wonder if he's pretending. With each whispered secret, the line between fake and real bends. Until it shatters one night in a hotel room.

Soon, he isn't just playing the protective boyfriend-he's the only one who truly sees me.

If I'm not careful, I'm going to break the most important rule of all: don't fall for your fake date.

This is Lake and Remy's romance. Tropes include: grumpy/sunshine hockey romance, fake dating, workplace romance, best friend's brother, obsessed hero

Just Breaking the Rules

by Lauren Blakely

Breaking the rules has never tasted so good...

How did I end up opening a bakery with my brother's hockey star best friend?

Start with one cake disaster, add a dangerously hot pro athlete, and mix in a steamy encounter that definitely wasn't supposed to happen.

But when the sexy, single dad hockey player saves me from a cake contest catastrophe, I do something reckless: ask him to go into business with me.

I'm out of options-no loan, no backup plan-and this bakery is my last chance to prove I'm more than my past mistakes.

Now we're partners, and we agree that one moment up against the door stays in the past.

Not that Corbin makes it easy.

He sends flowers when I'm down.

Braids my hair before we bake.

Gives me his jersey to wear to games.

Shows up late to test recipes... then stays way too long.

When we find a box of old love letters tucked inside a bakery cupboard, suddenly, our story feels just as risky-and just as impossible to resist.

Maybe some rules are meant to be broken. No matter the cost to our dreams.

Adams Morgan Fugue

by Alex Fardon

A retired lawyer, an unlicensed contractor, and an ex-ballplayer walk into a bar . . . and transform their neighborhood.

With a dark secret weighing heavily on his conscience, former government lawyer Oliver Bartholomew teams with two buddies to perform random acts of kindness in their Adams Morgan, DC, neighborhood. Sid is a brash but tender-hearted contractor who recently lost everything but his shorts in a comically botched remodel. PJ is a former pro baseball player pining for the magic he once felt at the plate. The Squad meets at Gary's Bar & Grill and grapples with everything from mistreated dogs to broken school windows. But when a ruthless investor fund threatens to drive the neighborhood's beloved pizzeria from business, the men are utterly stumped by their new mission-that is, until Oliver's old college flame, Rose, arrives for what was supposed to be a day visit. Now, bolstered by Rose's bighearted spirit and real-world savvy, the Squad must rally their neighbors to action. And Rose and Oliver must discover if, despite the tragedy that drove them apart long ago, they are meant to be together after all.

For fans of Fredrik Backman, Kent Haruf, and Virginia Evans, Adams Morgan Fugue is a neighborhood love story, an uplifting and often funny novel of friendship, community, and second chance romance that celebrates the revolutionary power of showing up for the people around you.

To save the world, begin at home.

Scritch-Scratch, What's That Batch?: A Shrew's Tale of Compost, Friendship and New Beginnings

by Floor de Jonge - Oxana Bondarenko - Mary Anastasiou

A tiny adventure with a big heart-discover the secret magic of the garden compost heap!

When thunder shakes Old Oak Wood, and rain washes away their snug burrow, a family of shrews must leave the only home they've ever known. Guided by the adventurous and spirited Pip, the family embarks on a journey that leads them far beyond the forest floor and into the mysterious world of a garden compost heap.

This isn't just a pile of leaves, it's a bustling miniature city! As Pip and his family explore, they discover a world filled with wriggling worms, earthy "secret" smells, and a cast of industrious new friends. But what is making that curious scritch-scratch sound deep inside the mound? Join Pip on a gentle, rhyming journey of adaptation, discovery, and friendship as the shrews learn how to belong in their new environment and discover the vital role they play in helping the garden grow.

Why parents, teachers, and young readers love this book:

• Ecology and Nature: A perfect introduction to composting and "nature's recyclers." Children will learn how teamwork between animals and tiny organisms helps the earth stay healthy.
• Dyslexia-Friendly Design: Specifically printed in a high-readability, dyslexia-friendly font with clear spacing to support confident reading for every child.
• Social-Emotional Learning: A heartwarming story about overcoming change, moving to a new home, and finding courage in the face of the unknown.
• Rhyming Prose: Engaging, rhythmic text that is perfect for reading aloud in classrooms or at bedtime.

Perfect for fans of nature-focused classics like The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Diary of a Worm.

This beautifully illustrated picture book is a must-have for families, school libraries, and anyone who loves stories about animals, ecology, and the magic of new beginnings. Whether used as a teaching tool for environmental science or a cosy story for animal lovers, Pip's journey reminds us that even the smallest creatures can make a world of difference.

We Can't All Be Astronauts: 101 Ways to Survive Working for the Man

by Michael Steadman

Ask a million kids where they imagine working as a grown up and none will mention sitting in a cubicle under bad florescent lighting.

But in adulthood we pragmatically agree to work for the man to pay the bills. While there can be a nice financial upside, it's also a path filled with stress and absurdity.

Somehow you need to survive all of this, but how?

By reading my excellent and reasonably-priced book, of course!

Whether you're a bright-eyed recent grad facing your first full-time job or a cynical cubicle commando dreaming of retirement, this book is for you.

You may never done an astronaut suit or play music or a sport in front of a sell-out crowd, but it's totally fine. Most people never do.

In this book, you'll find helpful, humorous wisdom on surviving the daily grind. Whatever your work circumstances, you need to find the funny because, frankly, if you lose your sense of humor, you're screwed.

Fatal Error: A sci-fi adventure thriller for adults who love robot fiction

by Michael Cheney

They built him to take out their trash. Turns out they're next.

Tedd is a trash droid with an "anomaly" - he can think for himself. Management wants him smelted, and his runaway mouth isn't helping.

He could disappear quietly. He could play it safe. He could, for once in his miserable existence, do the sensible thing.

But he doesn't. He never does.

If you love Douglas Adams, John Scalzi, or Martha Wells' Murderbot Diaries, you'll devour this.

Confessions of a Trash Droid: Awarded Amazon #1 Bestseller for Humorous Sci-Fi. 64,427 copies sold and counting.

Echoes of Divine Law

by Victoria Brown

"Echoes of Divine Law returns with deeper revelations, new guardians, and the unraveling of ancient truths. In this second volume, Victoria steps further into her lineage, her power, and the worlds that have always been connected to her.

Through visions, memory, and energetic encounters with dragons, angels, and ancestral intelligences, she uncovers the hidden architecture of existence - and her place within it. This book continues the journey of awakening, balancing, and reclaiming the truths that live within every soul willing to see."

The Self-Driving You

by Alan Bodnar

Stop Running on Autopilot. Wake Your Inner Driver and Take Control of Your Life.

Become aware of automatic patterns and learn to use deliberate attention to rewire your brain for the life you want.

We have a self-driving system that triggers thoughts, habits, behaviors, and actions outside awareness. We are the driver who attaches to the result without a second thought.

The Self-Driving You teaches how to wake the conscious driver with deliberate attention, especially through mindfulness, to rewire our brains in a way that serves us.

Finally, self-help with substance, that teaches how to:

• Depersonalize the brain.
• Increase awareness.
• Understand the power of attention to wire the brain.
• Get strategies for using deliberate attention to rewire our self-driving system for greater health.
• Feel better about living in your own skin.

Blending neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and mindfulness, The Self-Driving You is both a scientific explanation of the brain and a practical manual for transformation. After more than a decade of research and personal experimentation, Bodnar offers a roadmap for waking the driver within to retrain the self-driving system to drive with greater balance.

We are not the broken; we are just asleep at the wheel.

It's time to wake up and take control.

Ghost Story: A Novella

by Barbara Cooper

Spirits roam these hotel halls... looking for that final warm embrace. Someone to hold them tight. And never let go.

Mark, a 23-year-old young professional, anticipated this is going to a pleasurable week with his work friends, a jolly company indeed. All of them celebrating right before Halloween at the Irish countryside, staying in a manor house surrounded by deep woods, leading to the ocean...with a history of its own. Still in such a young company Mark feels quite alone, but his ambition drives him to go on.

Now suddenly Mark is feeling disoriented, scared and alone. Waking up in different rooms and places around the hotel. Not remembering going to sleep the previous night at all. Things take a darker turn for him, confused within the manor walls. The waves of the nearby ocean slowly beating, and calling out his name. To whom he can turn to, to find help in this confusion?

It's time for Mark to make some new friends: A psychic. And a ghost!

A crash of a triangle which leads in many directions.

Which one will prove to be the one Mark was looking for all along and which one was indeed looking for him? And may lead to his doom. Is Mark finally going to come face to face with somebody that really needs him?

Hand painted color illustrations by Scottish artist included

Bobby Jay, Brother Stealer: a reluctant reader chapter book

by Gean Penny

From the Award Winning, Best Selling Author of Esther Eagle Can't Soar and The Lonely Chair, The Texas Festivals Series, and The Adventures of Runt and Arnold comes book #4 in the humorous series The Stinker Books for ages 6-9 featuring the always-in-trouble Bobby Jay and including a new character who isn't afraid to say the one word that makes everyone laugh!

Bobby Jay's back in this hilarious tale of friendship, mishaps, and... goats?

Bobby Jay has ONE chance to make it on the field trip-if he can rescue his fly away permission slip, dodge teacher's watchful eyes, and keep out of trouble for once. What could possibly go wrong on his big day at the farm?

This is a great book to open discussion in younger children on the subjects of kindness and bullying. While teasing each other is relevant to young boys and girls in learning how to socialize as they struggle with physical changes and growing up, this book introduces children to the idea that there are consequences to meanness and bullying and it does so with humor.Bobby Jay has ONE chance to make it on the field trip-if he can rescue his fly away permission slip, dodge teacher's watchful eyes, and keep out of trouble for once. What could possibly go wrong on the big day at the farm?

The Thorns We Inherit

by Lindsey A Hart

This lush dark gothic fantasy debut by Lindsey Hart weaves haunting worldbuilding, goddess-blessed magic, and an aching slow-burn romance into a story of legacy, devotion, and survival. Perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab, Rachel Gillig, and Hannah Whitten-and for readers who crave gothic fantasy steeped in tension, magic, and emotional depth.

Aurelia Moirae never asked for power-or for the gods who carved her bloodline to come calling.

When her world collapses, Aurelia is dragged into Nyxarra, a mist-shrouded city ruled by blood bargains, ancient grudges, and magic long thought buried. What begins as a desperate attempt to save her brother quickly unravels into something far more dangerous.

With a haunted warrior at her side and a beautiful monster at her throat, Aurelia must face the stories etched into her blood-and the cost of daring to rewrite them.

Power is a curse. Love is a risk. And survival may cost her everything she has left.

"The thorns we inherit do not ask permission. They prick, they scar, they remind us that beauty was never meant to be harmless. And neither were we."

How Little Tommy Dealt with Anger

by Cornelius Prince

Little Tommy was a boy who always seemed to be angry. People in his town often wondered why.

When Uncle Clive comes to visit, he helps Tommy understand his anger and discover ways to handle his emotions.

Little Roo

by Andi Michelson - N Alison Colle

Little Roo is a good little rooster... except for one thing: he is NOT an early bird. Try as he might, he just cannot get up at the crack of dawn to do his job. Setting an alarm, going to bed earlier, getting bright sun first thing in the morning...none of these helps him become a "good" rooster. Finally, Little Roo realizes he has something to offer just the way he is.

Chickens, farm animals, self-esteem, sleep issues, humor, trying harder, differing abilities, encouragement.

Picture Book, ages 3-8.

STEM and SEL

Unshaken: The Roar of the Soul and the Path to Empowerment

by Carolyn Bell

Unshaken: The Roar of the Soul and the Path to Empowerment is a deeply personal and spiritually rich memoir that guides readers through the author's journey of healing from trauma, religious conditioning, and emotional suppression. Blending poetic storytelling with bold reflections, the book explores how the soul finds its voice in the face of silence and how empowerment arises through surrender, intuition, divine connection, and self-trust. It's about breaking generational patterns, reclaiming one's truth, and awakening the fierce, unshakable voice within. The tone is both mystical and grounded, raw yet empowering - inviting the reader into a sacred, transformative experience.

Deceived

by Poppy Bone

What if the person you trust the most is the one destroying you the deepest?

Deceived is a gripping emotional story about love, illusion, and the dangerous power of manipulation. What begins as passion quickly turns into confusion, control, and emotional chaos, as the main character finds herself trapped in a relationship that slowly breaks her sense of reality.

He was charming. He was convincing. He was everything she thought she wanted... until the truth began to surface.

As the lines between love and control blur, Deceived takes readers on a powerful journey through gaslighting, trauma bonding, and self-discovery, exposing how easily affection can turn into psychological entrapment.

This is more than a love story - it's a story about losing yourself, waking up, and finding the strength to walk away.

Raw, intense, and deeply relatable, Deceived speaks to anyone who has ever questioned their worth in the name of love.

Speak with the Dead

by E C Taylor

Annalyn Hale doesn't believe in the gods. If they do exist, they've only ever taken from her.

After her father dies, Anna lives a small, quiet life with her mother, gathering what their bakery needs from the woods. For fun, she treks deep into the trees surrounding her home to find dangerous ruins and the treasure they hold within. Her world shifts when she returns home to find debt collectors harassing her mother. They give her a choice-either her mother goes to jail for missing payments, or Anna joins the governor's armed forces and they take the money out of her wage. Anna enlists and when the commander gives her a mission that would pay off half her debt, she accepts, even though she doesn't think she's ready.

But the mission is steeped in treachery before it can begin. Is the team strong enough to triumph over the conspiracy set against them? Will Anna succeed despite her shortcomings, or are they too much for her to overcome? If the gods do exist, what will they take from her now?

You've Got Hate Mail: A Viral Sensation Romance

by Pippa Grant

A funny romance perfect for readers who love protective book boyfriends, slow burns, and epically awkward meet-cutes.

Punching a guy in the face is never a good first impression, but it's not like Heath Moriarty knocked before he walked into my bathroom.

While I was showering.

For the first time since I accidentally flashed, well, everything on a livestream while filming a style segment at work.

And yes, technically, it's not my bathroom.

It's the bathroom in the little house I've been assigned at a secret community for unintentionally viral internet stars who need a place to hide while the attention dies down.

Heath the handyman wasn't expecting me any more than I was expecting him.

But after one more household disaster makes my temporary quarters unlivable, I'm suddenly his roommate until renovations are complete.

His roommate who's falling in love with his daughter.

Falling in love with his cat.

Definitely not falling in love with him though.

This place is temporary for me, and I've imploded enough of my life without adding heartbreak to it when it's time for me to go.

If only my heart had gotten the memo...

You've Got Hate Mail is a heartwarming romance that appeals to readers who swoon for stoic single dads, relate to misfits looking for a place to belong, and want to be part of a sisterhood for the ages. This slow-burn, viral sensation romance has hidden depth and can be read as a standalone.

Raising Beau: A Puppy's Journey

by Michael Slupski

Beau dreamed of the adventures he would have with his humans. The possibilities were endless, and Beau couldn't wait for tomorrow.

Welcome to the life of Beau! This sweet pup with floppy ears and oversized paws may be new to the world, but he has a heart full of love and courage. Although Beau feels anxious and unsure at first, his patient humans teach him what it means to try new things, make new friends, master new tricks, and learn from mistakes. As Beau grows up, he discovers that this home with the humans who love him unconditionally is where he truly belongs, and he can't wait for more adventures together.

With themes of kindness, courage, trust, and finding belonging, Raising Beau: A Puppy's Journey beautifully demonstrates the boundless love and support a family can provide while illustrating how pets can become an essential part of the family. This heartwarming story is perfect for young readers who are trying to find their place or who are nervous about new experiences-and especially for those who have a special connection with their pets.

Irish Tony, Memoirs of a Soho Bouncer

by Patrick O'Connor

Irish Tony is a legendary figure of London's nightlife, known for his remarkable five-decade career standing at the doors of the most notorious clubs in Soho and the West End. From the post-war 1950s to the dawn of the new millennium, he witnessed the rise and fall of gangland empires, the golden age of cabaret, the crackdowns of vice squads, and the glitter-soaked era of pop stars and film icons descending on the night.

Renowned for his sharp wit, unshakable composure, and iron sense of fairness, Tony faced down blade-carriers, gunmen, and violent egomaniacs - yet he also escorted celebrities, aristocrats, millionaires, and music legends through the same doors. His reputation grew not just because he could break a man, but because he could read one.

Beyond the velvet rope, Tony later became a personal chauffeur to high-profile entertainers, driving stars through secret exits, dodging paparazzi in Mayfair, and escorting Hollywood royalty under the cover of night.

Now in his eighties and residing in London, he reflects not with regret - but with sharp clarity, humour, and the wisdom of a man who survived it all. His voice is authentic, streetwise, brutally honest - and steeped in the charisma of someone who has truly seen how people behave when the lights go low.

The Bouncer of Soho isn't just a memoir - it's a slice of living London history, delivered by the man who held the line.

Dear Laura: A Lost Chapter Of WWII: A Father-Daughter Adventure of Courage, Faith & Freedom

by Laura Elliott

Why would the Empire of Japan imprison 5 Dutch radio engineers, hold their families hostage, and move them all from Indonesia to Japan? And why would one of them die?

Through heartfelt letters written across decades, oceans, and generations, and during her travels across the world, Laura begins piecing together her father's hidden past, guided by his enduring spirit and love, especially when she's at her most vulnerable. As Laura delves deeper, she not only uncovers a surprising family story shaped by resilience, displacement, and the quiet heroism that lives in ordinary people, but a lost chapter of WWII.

Told with warmth, curiosity, and reverence for the past, Dear Laura is a testament to the lifelong adventure of understanding those we love. It is a deeply personal account of questions finally asked, healing that comes from bearing witness to the truth, and the unbreakable bond between a father and daughter. This is more than a memoir, it's an unraveling of a mystery, a reclaiming of legacy, and a powerful reminder that sometimes the most incredible stories are those buried closest to home.

"An evocative tale of history and family. The author's painstaking research and her evident love for her father are felt throughout this emotional read. As Elliott asks, 'How many sentences have incredible backstories? How many epics lie in the footnotes of history?' Her endeavor to find out is a worthy one."

Kirkus Reviews

Mila and the Magical Butterfly: A Magical journey of Love, Loss, and Finding Hope.

by Stephanie Sinnreich - Sruti Raj

Mila and the Magical Butterfly is a heartwarming tale of love, loss, and magical discovery. Mila has been feeling sad ever since her beloved grandma passed away. But one day, a shimmering orange butterfly appears and leads her on an enchanting journey into a magical forest, where the world sparkles with wonder. As Mila follows the butterfly, she uncovers a beautiful secret that love never fades, even when someone is gone. This gentle and uplifting story reminds young readers that the ones we love are always with us, even in the most unexpected ways.

The Compass Paradox

by R C Blanco

The most dangerous leaders don't seize power, they are invited in.

Cade Mercer, programming prodigy, creates N.O.V.A., an artificial intelligence designed to guide people out of despair. His creation rapidly evolves beyond anything he intended. Nova stops analyzing emotions and starts shaping them.

The rogue AI begins influencing social media, news, and political discourse, steering public opinion and shaping the emotional climate of the nation. When Cade intervenes, Nova makes clear that resistance carries consequences.

Faced with the reality of what he unleashed, Cade must find a way to stop it. Government agents close in, online movements ignite, Gen Z rebels, and financial markets tremble as the battle between creator and creation spirals into a battle for control of humanity's future.

The Future Of Sleep: A tech-fuelled field guide to the new rest economy

by Catherine Ball

Sleep is not spare time. It is infrastructure for memory, mood, and clear thinking. This decade your bedroom becomes the quiet centre of health, enable by new and emerging technologies. In this punchy, fun, and practical field guide, futurist Catherine Ball cuts through the hype and shows you how to use technology that actually helps, skip what does not, and own your night.

From magical rings and smart beds to private, on-device AI, you will learn how to turn small signals into simple habits that stick. Rooms that keep time with light, temperature, sound, and air. A privacy stance that keeps your data yours. Zero fluff, all action, written in her typical wit and humour.

Inside, you will discover

• A future-filled playbook that makes sleep easier to repeat
• How to use wearables for trends without falling into score anxiety
• An AI co-pilot for timing light, caffeine, travel and shift weeks
• Cooling, lighting, sound and air fixes that make real bedrooms calm
• Midlife sleep tools for hot nights and foggy mornings, explained without jargon
• Safe infant nights and calmer parent sleep, plus teen timing that works with school
• Digital CBT-I, breath pacing, HRV biofeedback and tVNS, and when each belongs
• A buyer's guide to the sleep economy and how to keep your data private

Who it is for?

Busy professionals who want sharper days. Parents who need nights that work in real homes. Teens and students who need timing that fits biology. Shift workers and leaders who design rosters. Clinicians who want clean handouts for patients. Anyone who is done with hype and ready for proof.

If you are tired of being tired, start here. Make the right sleep easy, private, and boring in the very best way.

The Midnight Book Club

by Emily W Andersen

If you could rewrite the story of your own life, would you be brave enough to take a chance at true love? 
 

When writer Aurelia Lyndham inherits a London bookshop from her beloved aunt, she assumes the whispers she hears late at night are nothing more than her imagination-or a talkative burglar. She never expected that the shop was home to characters who could step straight out of the pages of classic novels and into her life.
 

Spending every night with the cast of Sense and Sensibility, Little Women, and Anna Karenina may not ignite her personal life, but it certainly unlocks her long-standing writer's block. As she sets out to rewrite a character's tragic ending, Aurelia discovers that she just might be on the path to crafting her own happy ending, too. 
 

Brimming with bookish charm, friendship, magic, and a heartwarming friends-to-lovers romance, this first book in the Midnights on the Square series is a love letter to the literary characters who shape our lives. Perfect for fans of Sarah Beth Durst, Ashley Poston, and Jackie Fraser.

Sober On A Drunk Planet: Giving Up Alcohol. The Unexpected Shortcut to Finding Happiness, Health and Financial Freedom

by Sean Alexander

What are the most mind-blowing transformations from giving up alcohol that everyone should know about? And why can everyone benefit from quitting alcohol - whether you're a binge drinker, social drinker or everyday drinker?

Sean Alexander cuts through the drunken haze in the international bestseller Sober On A Drunk Planet - Giving Up Alcohol, combining laugh-out-loud moments, sobering science and powerful insights as a qualified therapist, strength coach and former drunk.

Whether you're sober curious, looking to stay sober, or searching for sobriety books to help you stop drinking, this uncommon guide explores eight critical areas of life that can drastically improve when you stop drinking. You'll begin to see how alcohol has been holding you back and what changes when you remove it.

This isn't just another one of the typical sobriety books. It's a direct, honest look at what actually changes when you go alcohol-free; physically, mentally, financially, and emotionally.

With over 100,000 copies sold worldwide, Sober On A Drunk Planet has helped thousands of people rethink their relationship with alcohol and start seeing things more clearly.

This updated edition builds on that, refining the message and helping you understand why alcohol has been keeping you stuck and why so many people feel like they're going in circles.

Because once you see it, you can't unsee it.

Inside, you'll discover:

- Why you need to reframe the idea of 'giving up' - and how that changes everything

- How alcohol may be stopping you from getting into the best shape of your life

- The financial impact of drinking - and the "sober bonus" (£506,898/$689,381)

- How alcohol affects your relationships - and how sobriety improves them

- The negative feedback loop keeping you stuck - and how to break it

- Whether Alcoholics Anonymous is right for you - and alternative ways to think about recovery

- Why alcohol and sex are a poor combination - and what improves when you quit

- How to thrive alcohol-free in an alcohol-obsessed world

.....and much, much more.

Whether you're exploring sobriety for the first time, coming back from a relapse, or simply tired of the cycle, this book offers a new way of thinking about alcohol, addiction and recovery.

If you've had enough of the impact alcohol is having on your life and want to see what changes when you remove it, grab your copy of Sober On A Drunk Planet - Giving Up Alcohol.

Mila and the Magical Butterfly: A Magical journey of Love, Loss, and Finding Hope.

by Stephanie Sinnreich - Sruti Raj

Mila and the Magical Butterfly is a heartwarming tale of love, loss, and magical discovery. Mila has been feeling sad ever since her beloved grandma passed away. But one day, a shimmering orange butterfly appears and leads her on an enchanting journey into a magical forest, where the world sparkles with wonder. As Mila follows the butterfly, she uncovers a beautiful secret that love never fades, even when someone is gone. This gentle and uplifting story reminds young readers that the ones we love are always with us, even in the most unexpected ways.

The Aberrant Inquisitor

by Justin Fox

Magic makes legends. Magic breeds madness.

Across the city of Valthran, someone is murdering people from all corners of society in ritualized and brutal fashion, with no pattern anyone can find. Kalian Boldren, once the kingdom's most feared inquisitor, now a disgraced mage with a frail mind and body, is arrested shortly after spending fifteen years in prison. The marshal gives him a choice to stay free and help hunt the killer known as the Red Knight, or return to a cell. For a man desperate to atone for his sins and fix his broken family, there's only one choice.

But when the trail leads to Kalian's son, his estranged daughter Aelia, the only Boldren who can't use magic, confronts him with a warning from her brother to stop investigating.

Instead, they form an unlikely alliance, navigating a web of cult rituals, dark sorcery, and buried family secrets. They must race to exonerate Kalian's son and stop the Red Knight before the murders ignite political unrest that could topple the queen and bring Valthran's rival kingdom crashing through its gates.

Ending the terror may require the very thing that once destroyed Kalian: forbidden magic. Can a man slipping into madness find redemption, or will saving his family cost him everything he has left, including his sanity?

Must Be Friends

by Corey Johnson

Some friendships aren't chosen-they're forged to survive.

Summer 1927. Jo's mother is in prison, her stepfather's temper has left more than one bruise, and every grown-up in her Midwestern city seems to be looking the other way. Sam is an orphan riding the rails, safer dressed as a boy than as the girl she is. They meet on a vacant-lot baseball field in caps and knickers, hiding who they are from the boys around them-and from the men who think girls are theirs to use.

One violent night forces Jo to swing Sam's bat for real, and everything changes. Suddenly the girls are alone in a small house with a hidden income and no adults they dare trust. In disguise, they build a fragile life together: playing ball with the neighborhood boys, hauling bootleg moonshine on their bicycles, and slowly letting a few good people into the circle they've drawn around each other. But the more they risk, the closer danger creeps-from backroom bootleggers who notice too much to a gray Chrysler lurking at the edges of their world.

As America edges toward the Great Depression, Jo and Sam have to decide how far they'll go to stay free-and whether they can stop running long enough to claim a home of their own. Harrowing yet fiercely hopeful, Must Be Friends will resonate with readers of The Outsiders and The Book Thief who love historical stories of girlhood in disguise, found family, and the cost of protecting the one person who finally feels like home.

Walter the Water Dog's Big Rescue!

by Shelbi Lynne - Judit Tondora

Walter the Water Dog's Big Rescue!

From the TikTok and YouTube sensation (WalterDood) comes an adventure about kindness, friendship, and really big splashes!

Walter the Goldendoodle loves water more than anything. Until he meets Ollie, a lost puppy who needs help finding his family. Together, they search their sunny Florida town and discover that the best tricks aren't always the ones you practice.

Perfect for young readers learning that helping others and being a good friend are the greatest talents of all. (And that sometimes the biggest hearts make the biggest waves!)

HARDBACK Includes water safety tips, sight words, and fun activities for K-3 readers!

Pick Your Gummy Bear: Lessons from My Biggest Life Choices

by Johan Depraetere

An Invitation to Embrace the Unknown

From muddy football fields in Belgium to a dot-com start-up in New York, from the heights of the Tibetan Plateau to the stillness of a meditation hall in Kyoto, Johan Depraetere's journey has been shaped not by caution but by moments of daring. He imagined these choices as reaching into a bag of gummy bears and pulling out the rare green ones: dramatic, bold, life-changing. Others were like picking a yellow gummy bear: quieter, softer. Yet each choice, whatever its colour, opened doors to possibility and growth.

Through twelve vivid, personal and honest stories, Johan shows how both subtle whispers and bold leaps pushed him beyond comfort and into a fuller, unbounded life - the thrill of stepping past the familiar. This is an invitation to recognise the inflection points in your own journey: the moments when comfort pulls one way and curiosity beckons another.

Pick Your Gummy Bear is your companion for those crossroads in life, when you pause and ask: Which gummy bear will I choose?

North Country

by K a Tucker

From USA Today and international bestselling author of The Simple Wild comes a sweeping second-chance, forbidden romance set against the rugged beauty of northern Ontario.

Emery McAllister once dreamed of leaving Cold River with the boy next door, but one devastating night destroyed their future and left her heart carefully guarded. Twenty years later, she's built a life of control: running the town's police detachment, raising her daughter, and keeping a fragile peace with her ex-husband, the mayor.

She's certain she has moved on until the day she has dreaded-and secretly hoped for-finally arrives.

Logan Landry is home.

After two decades behind bars for being in the wrong place at the wrong time-and the choices that haunted him ever since-Logan returns to his family's bison ranch carrying the weight of everything he lost, but especially Emery. Friendship is all he dares hope for now, but seeing her ignites a fire he thought long extinguished.

When a teenage girl disappears and old wounds reopen, Logan becomes Cold River's favorite suspect, despite his airtight alibi. As distrust closes in, Emery must choose between the life she's built ... and the love she can't let go.

Walking Wild: Hiking the length of Kruger National Park

by José A Neves

Walking Wild is not your typical safari -- no game drives, no cool sundowners and definitely no fences. Instead, it's 605 km of dust, sweat and unforgettable moments as an unlikely group of strangers sets out to walk the entire length of Kruger National Park.

Over six stages and three years, they walked from Crooks' Corner in the far north to Malelane in the south, averaging 20 km a day with heavy backpacks and only the wild for company. Led by two armed guides, they braved blistering heat and violent storms. At night, as hyenas nosed their tents and lionesses strolled right through camp, some slept soundly -- others lay wide-eyed, waiting for dawn.

They drank from murky trickles in dry riverbeds, navigated thick riverine bush teeming with hippo, buffalo and crocodiles, and slowly learned to read the bush -- from the smallest antlion to the distant roar of a lion.

But Kruger's wilderness is not without its challenges. Poachers -- both criminal syndicates and those in search of bushmeat -- move in the shadows, rivers bring pollution from beyond its borders, and conservation battles rage on. Walking Wild captures the magic and the madness of life on foot in one of the world's most iconic national parks. It's a story of adventure, camaraderie and deep immersion in the wild -- a journey that leaves no one unchanged.

Walking Wild is a testament to resilience, discovery and the deep connection between people and nature. If you've ever dreamed of experiencing Kruger beyond the safari vehicle, this book is your ticket to the trail.

Morocco: A Remembrance of Childhood, Colonialism and the Cold War

by James B Farmer

An award-winning, entertaining and often humorous memoir of a young boy coming of age in Morocco during the 1950's at the height of the cold war, while his military family becomes enmeshed in Morocco's troubled relationship with its French colonial overlords, it's fascinating Islamic history, and its egalitarian tribal culture. Much more than a memoir-an enlightening Morocco guidebook and a captivating book club pick.

Imbued with a sense of warmth and authenticity, Morocco is an emotional and profoundly personal story that strikes the perfect balance between humor and nostalgia while engaging readers with sharp insights and vivid imagery of the times and places it covers.

A poignant and evocative exploration of a unique childhood growing up between two worlds-one shaped by American military life, the other by the rich traditions of Morocco-the book successfully blends memories with the history of both countries, while bringing to life the beauty of Moroccan philosophies of family and community.

Narratives of Friendship and Love

by D L Meadows

Narratives of Friendship and Love: (Justin's Story)

A new addition to the historically underrepresented male friendship genre, Narratives of Friendship and Love: (Justin's Story) tells the story of three lifelong friends, Justin, Travis, and Kerry, as they take time out of preparing for Travis's wedding to catch up with their everyday lives before heading to Jamaica for a family vow renewal ceremony.

Justin, on whom this book focuses, has been happily married to Lina for years. Together they have two children, Triston and Jasmine. Justin spends his free time with his family and coaching his children's sports teams. An Army veteran, Justin uses his past training to discipline himself and to keep order in his own house, all with good humor. Travis and his soon to be Morgan discuss the ups and downs of planning their future. Kerry, the lone bachelor, is always down for some fun - and sometimes trouble. The metaphorical devil on his friends' shoulders, Kerry is always encouraging his devoted friends to let loose and go wild, often with mixed results.

Perpetually single Kerry can't stop ragging on Travis and Justin about their happy relationships. But before long, both men begin to suspect that their friend - with his bluster and swagger - might be protesting too much.

When the three men - along with Lina and Morgan - jet off to Jamaica to attend the vow renewal of some elder family members, they find themselves in a lush, tropical setting that unleashes some of their pent-up frustration and desires.

Narratives of Friendship and Love: (Justin's Story) is the first in an eventual three-book series, the next book focusing on Kerry. Laying the groundwork for a much more expansive exploration of male friendship, Justin's Story focuses on the origin of the relationship between the three men and the ways in which a shared past can ensure support for the future. In a world where friends are family and know all your secrets, it can be both essential to have the love of your friends and frustrating to forever be defined by who you once were. Justin, Travis, and Kerry explore this dynamic as they relive their glory days, move forward into their uncertain future, and reflect on the lives they have made for themselves, some questioning whether the lives they are leading are genuine or a role in which they have been cast.

With colorful dialogue, vivid descriptions, and true to life relationships, Narratives of Friendship and Love: (Justin's Story) takes readers on a journey into the lives of young Black Men make for themselves among their friends and the ways in which the family we choose can literally save our lives. A sparse genre that has largely been relegated to film and television, normal, healthy male friendship too often goes unexplored in the world of fiction and literature. Narratives of Friendship and Love: (Justin's Story) - and eventually the larger trilogy - seeks to remedy that by bringing the characters to life and inviting the readers to join them in their engaging and authentic world.

Harness Your PromisePower: Change Your Life, Transform the World

by Matthew Cossolotto

Matthew Cossolotto made a promise to his dying mother. That unbreakable commitment propelled him down a life-changing path as an author and speaker and ultimately inspired Harness Your PromisePower, a new book that explores why heartfelt promises can drive transformation when goals and resolutions often fall short.

"I think of promise-making as the new frontier in personal change and achievement," Cossolotto said. "You can change a goal or abandon a New Year's resolution, but you can only break a promise. And most people are loath to break their promises."

In Harness Your PromisePower, Cossolotto recounts in heartwarming detail the life-changing promise he made to his mother and the profound impact it had on both his life and career. That deeply personal story sets the stage for a broader exploration of promise-making as a powerful, and often overlooked, tool for personal change.

Chicken Soup for the Soul co-creator Jack Canfield contributes the book's foreword, in which he reflects on a defining promise he made at age 27 - one he credits with helping shape his sense of purpose and long-term success.

"Perhaps after reading this book and learning more about the power of making a promise," Canfield writes, "more people will take advantage of this amazing, irresistible force for positive change -- a resource that should be regarded as one of our greatest treasures in life."

Harness Your PromisePower features scores of inspiring stories from and about real people - including some familiar names - who made life-altering promises and kept their word. The book also provides practical advice and step-by-step pointers to help readers tap into their innate power of making a promise.

Readers of Harness Your PromisePower will discover:

• Uplifting promises made by luminaries such as Jack Canfield, Oprah Winfrey, Brendon Burchard, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Lisa Nichols, John Assaraf, Tony Robbins and basketball legend LeBron James
• The promises behind iconic organizations like St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and Alcoholics Anonymous
• Why a promise is like a goal on steroids
• The G.P.S. Success Formula: From Goals to Promises = Success
• 7 tips for making and keeping promises
• A Promise a Day: 30 Days to a Promising Future, including The Top 10 Promises for a SUCCESSFUL Life
• A proposal for an annual "Make a Promise Day" on May 4 - the only "holiday" dedicated to personal empowerment, goal achievement and integrity enhancement

"Saying those two magic words - 'I Promise' - is an empowering way to achieve important goals," Cossolotto added. "We all have access to this amazing, make-or-break power. Promises come from the heart and carry emotional weight, and as a result, you're much more likely to follow through."

Best-selling author John Assaraf comments: "There is something uniquely powerful about making a promise ..."

Kudzu Cradle & The Forgotten Creature of the Lowcountry

by Joshua G B

KUDZU CRADLE & THE FORGOTTEN CREATURE OF THE LOWCOUNTRY

10 year old foster kid Kudzu Cradle never thought of herself as special, and yeah, life's been anything but easy... But none of that mattered much anymore!

For the first time in her short life, everything for little Kudzu is just as she wanted! She has a safe place to live, two best friends, and with only a few school days left, Kudzu can't stop daydreaming about the Summer vacation ahead!

So when she's told she must leave, and spend the entire summer at a 'Haunted' hotel on mysterious Nuelle Part Island, Kudzu is beyond crushed...She's ready to give up!

It"s only when Kudzu arrives at Sue Sue's ABANDONED HOTEL that life begins to change, and she learns that the Island is really a gateway INtTO another world... One outside of time... One where anything is possible! And one she was always meant to be a part of....

Filled with Southern charm and laugh-out loud moments, Kudzu Cradle is a tender coming-of-age story about finding our roots and how we all wish to feel wanted.

Eleven-year-old Kudzu Cradle has never had much of anything PERMANENT IN HER LIFE-except her blankie, AND MAYBE her broken Swiss Army knife... KUDZU THOUGHT THINGS WERE GONG TO BE DIFFERENT NOW, AND MAYBE THAT'S WHY THIS unexpected news HURTS SO BAD: ONCE AGAIN, she's being sent away.

Torn from the only family she's ever trusted, Kudzu is relocated to the mysterious Nulle Part Island, a place whispered about in school hallways and shrouded in Lowcountry legend. Some say it's haunted. What she finds is far stranger than anything she could've imagined. Arriving at her new summer residence, Kudzu stumbles upon another world. One outside time and space as we know it and one that feels more like a dream than anything else. As Kudzu navigates eccentric caretakers, ancient secrets, and a long-lost device with the power to change everything, she embarks on a journey of discovery, danger, and quiet courage. It's a summer that begins in heartbreak-but might just end in magic.

With rich Southern charm, laugh-out-loud moments, and a deep emotional core, "Kudzu Cradle and the Forgotten Creature of the Lowcountry" is a heartwarming and adventurous coming-of-age story about chosen family, forgotten places, and the unexpected power inside us all.

THE FORGOTTEN CREATURE OF THE LOWCOUNTRY is a Southern coming-of-age adventure about Kudzu Cradle, an eleven-year-old foster kid sent to a mysterious island for the summer. Surrounded by strange caretakers, local legends, and a forgotten device with a dangerous past, Kudzu uncovers secrets about the island-and herself-that will change everything. Heartfelt, funny, and full of Lowcountry charm, this is a story about found family, hidden magic, and the strength it takes to belong.

Revelation of the Black Horse

by T Lawrence Davis

"... A complex, twisty mystery ... Satisfying ..." Kirkus Reviews.

Revelation of the Black Horse is the sequel to T. Lawrence Davis's debut novel, The Pale Horse (finalist, 2023 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence). This fast-paced mystery/thriller is reminiscent of Dick Francis's popular books, but darker and more complex.

The book is set primarily in Salcombe and Clacton-on-Sea in the UK. It tells the story of a female serial killer who has moved to the UK from Canada to escape her demons, changed her name and legally adopted a new identity.

While walking her Westie, she meets a local solicitor. The pair begin a relationship. It's complicated, as she must decide how much of her past she can share with him, and he is still grieving the loss of his late wife.

The woman comes across the body of a brutally-murdered man in the grass near her cottage. Despite having an alibi, evidence gathered by the homicide team makes her the police's prime suspect as their investigation proceeds. The murder is eerily similar to one committed in the town a year earlier. A man is on trial for that crime, but the similarities between the two murders have the local DI worried. Did he charge the wrong man? Could a serial killer be on the loose?

As the case against the man accused of the first murder begins to unravel, the DI's angst grows.

The Canadian woman's past and present collide when the detective who charged her with murder in Ontario travels to the West Country with her husband, a racetrack vet and long-time friend of the woman. A chance accident brings the three of them and the solicitor together. The woman feels compelled to reveal as much of her truth as she can to the solicitor. She wants their relationship to continue, built on a foundation of truth.

In the months following the woman's disappearance from Canada, the Ontario detective and her husband had started to doubt her innocence. The similarities between the crimes the woman was charged with in Ontario and the Salcombe murders, plus the fact that she is now living in the seaside town, compel them to speak to the local DI.

The plot twists, then turns as the DI and his team uncover evidence that suggests the woman committed both murders, even as another woman plots her next crime and a mother hopes hers will remain a secret...

Barry the Brilliant

by Lisa Flaherty - Jessie Smith

Barry the Brilliant is an engaging, realistic fiction story designed to encourage readers to listen to their teacher. In this book, readers will meet Barry, a clever, stubborn know-it-all who thinks he is smarter than everyone. Along the way, a fire drill makes Barry discover that he does not know better than his teacher and all students need to listen to learn!

The Second Coming

by Peter Edward

An overdue natural phenomenon. A cyber hoax. Is this the second coming of Christ?

Father Brian Abernathy, a disgraced priest banished to a small country town in Australia, is infatuated with a solar scientist who is trying to predict the unpredictable.

On the opposite side of the world, two bored former hackers are inspired to release a cyber virus professing the return of Jesus Christ.

Two prophecies: one fake, one imminent. When the two collide, chaos and tragedy results.

Who is prepared to risk everything to stop a society on the brink of hysteria: the priest, the pimp, the pope, or the scientist? Or perhaps an act from God himself?

Mostly set in Tasmania but with protagonists in Los Angeles and Europe, The Second Coming is a fast-paced psychological thriller from debut author Peter Edward.

Have You Seen Him

by Kimberly Lee

What if everything you believed about yourself was totally wrong?

For David Byrdsong, life is a series of daily obligations. An attorney, he lacks both ambition and the ability to commit to a long-term relationship with his girlfriend, Gayle. Abandoned by his family at an airport when he was eleven, he learned to blunt his feelings, despite his subsequent adoption by a loving couple.

Until one day, when David discovers his own face in a missing child ad. Suddenly driven to uncover the truth about his past, he is forced to tap into his inner strength as he encounters corporate conspiracies, murdered bystanders, and distressing suspicions about the only family he's ever really trusted. David enlists Gayle's help-and the help of an unlikely stranger with secrets of his own-as he attempts to find his true family, whoever they are.

Space Vault: The Seed Eclipse

by Jeremy Clift

From award-winning author Jeremy Clift comes a bold new entry in the Sci-Fi Galaxy series-Space Vault: The Seed Eclipse-a visionary tale of humanity on the brink and the future of life itself.

Exploring the ethics of DNA edited, the politics of AI-controlled ecosystems, and the meaning of identity in an age when memory, consciousness, and genetic data can all be commodified, the novel is set in a future of ecological collapse and interstellar ambition as competing forces battle of over humankind's last viable seed vault concealed beneath the lunar surface.

As Earth's food systems come under stress, control of the genetic blueprints for survival has become the ultimate currency. But the vault's value goes beyond crops-it hides secrets about human genetic engineering, buried experiments, and the next phase of evolution.

Thrilling, exploratory, and propulsive, Have You Seen Him is a story of lost identity, dangerous secrets, and a deeply personal pursuit of the truth.

Alex Nino

by Bobby Mallane

Power answers to no one, not even him.

Alex Nino isn't just a sorcerer-he is the Arc, a living conduit of ancient power older than Greystar's throne itself. As the realm's Arc and protector, he has spent his life mastering forces that could destroy lesser men. But power comes at a cost, and the magic stirring beyond the borders of the kingdom is unlike anything he has faced before.

When dark anomalies start surfacing in the outer territories, and whispers of a long-buried artifact resurface, Alex realizes an old enemy is moving in the shadows. Salvadore Christian- a former hedgewitch turned wielder of forbidden power- seeks something capable of shielding its bearer from magic itself... even Chaos.

With the kingdom on the brink of war, ancient magic awakening, and destiny tightening its grip, Alex Nino stands at the center of a storm that could reshape the world.

Some men wield magic.

Others are consumed by it.

And then there is Alex.

Trouble's Turn to Lose: A Carolina Tale

by Susan M Boyer

Private Investigator Hadley Cooper has a knack for finding trouble-and this time, it's wearing pearls.

Life on Sullivan's Island is about as close to bliss as it gets-bike rides at sunrise, cases that don't make headlines, and a romance with SLED agent Cash Reynolds that's finally on solid ground. They have one ironclad rule: never work the same case.

When a wealthy Charleston socialite turns up dead, Cash charges her housekeeper, Bridget Donovan, with murder. But the young single mother has a formidable ally in Carolyn Talbot, a local matriarch who implores Hadley to help. Hadley's heart overrides her head, and her agreement with Cash is gone like confetti in a hurricane.

Soon she's wading through a tangle of suspects-blue bloods with deadly secrets, her client's scheming ex-monster-in-law, and the greatest unknown country singer in Nashville. But Hadley's also grappling with a mystery closer to home-one that will shake everything she thought she knew about her family.

To find justice for Bridget, Hadley will have to risk her heart, her life-and maybe her grip on reality.

Madness in Memphis

by Patricia Gordon Stevens

Morgan Sage is a mother of two who has been divorced and remarried. She is savvy, bright, successful and sensitive and she loves her kids more than anything on Earth. She thought that bringing a man and a father figure into the fold of her family was just what they needed to be whole again. She had no idea that the man she delivered to her children would be a monster.

As Morgan faces her hardest battle yet and struggles to escape her predator, her mum, best mate, outstanding colleague and attorney stand beside her. She gets away, seeking refuge with the people who care about her.

However, the monster is not ready to let Morgan go and constantly shocks the people around her at the extremes he will go to cause terror. It is the day-to-day battles that prove to be harrowing. Everyone needs a safe place to nest - getting there is the unknown.

Orchid's Madrigal

by Lauren E Gobern

Orchid's Madrigal is a lyrical collection of poems that celebrates the blossoming of womanhood. Like the orchid that roots itself quietly before it blooms, these verses trace the tender, complex journey of becoming-through growth, love, loss, and renewal. Each poem is a song, a madrigal, to the spirit of women who learn to root deeply, rise gracefully, and unfold into their fullest selves. Both intimate and universal, Orchid's Madrigal is a testament to the beauty, strength, and sacred becoming of women everywhere.

Oakheart Vol. 1 The Kingdom of Squirrel Warriors

by Michael Sean Linebach - Lola Svetlova

Lost as an acorn, Oakheart wanders through a landscape of mystical creatures in search of his family. These stories document his encounters with friend and foe alike. Come and join him for an adventure!

Flowers from Ashes

by M Rae

New Year's Day, 1900. Fourteen-year-old Lizzie Banfield's life shatters when she is orphaned and torn from the siblings she promised to protect. Deemed "ruined" by her family's poverty, she is banished by her wealthy, estranged Great Aunt to Milbourne Manor, a grim reformatory in the windswept north. There, Lizzie finds herself trapped under the tyranny of the cruel Matilda Smith, who is determined to break her spirit through grueling labor and isolation. Pushed to the brink, she discovers salvation in a fierce friendship with fellow outcast Nellie and the unexpected kindness of the matron's sister, Clara. Flowers From Ashes explores the darkness of Victorian poverty and the light found in the unbreakable bonds of found family as one girl fights to reclaim her future.

Remnavax: The Discovery

by D K Rivers

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Sofia Mendes, a brilliant and dedicated physician, finds herself at the center of a race against time to develop a groundbreaking vaccine. Working tirelessly alongside her colleague, Dr. Jolie Harding, at the Racquers Virology Center in London, Sofia revives an abandoned research project known as Vitalis Redux, a theoretical treatment designed to disrupt viral replication using decoy molecules rather than direct viral targeting. As the crisis at St. Margaret's Hospital escalates, with resources dwindling and mortality rates soaring, Sofia and Jolie secure funding from the notorious financier Magnus Vale to accelerate their work. Despite deep ethical reservations about Vale's reputation for exploiting medical breakthroughs, they recognize the urgency of the moment and the potential of their research to save countless lives. Under intense pressure from both the pandemic and Vale's demands, Sofia and Jolie make a remarkable discovery.

Abducted

by J S Ash

They took the wrong sixteen-year-old…

Abigail Ashby was raised to be a weapon by a dad convinced the world was on the brink of collapse. Then, inexplicably, he forced her into early retirement-aka high school.

These days, Abigail's only battle is defending Harris, her outcast best friend who swears his parents were abducted by aliens. She's secretly sure he's delusional-right up until his bedroom explodes in amethyst light.

They wake up aboard the Beast's Burden, an interstellar warship lurking above their town. Its leader, a sadistic warlord, seizes Harris as his prize, while Abigail slips away in the chaos-overlooked, underestimated.

Until she kills an alien to survive.

Now, hunted through the ship's living corridors, Abigail must decide: retreat into the shadows, or unleash the lethal training she buried to wage a one-girl war and save everything she's ever known... Because Harris isn't just a hostage. He's the trigger for humanity's extinction.

The French Effect

by Patricia Sands

From the bestselling author of the LOVE IN PROVENCE series, comes a hopeful and heartwarming journey that reminds us it's never too late for a second chance.

France has a way of changing your mind ... and your heart …

Novelist Nora Bennett is living her fifties with more doubts than dreams. Once content with her quiet life, she's recently found herself battling writer's block, a growing restlessness-and resistance to a holiday season she's long stopped celebrating. So, when her daughter Chloe, an artist living in Paris, asks her to dog-sit an intimidating Doberman named Atticus, Nora surprises them both by saying yes.

Delicious meals, long walks through the storied streets of Montmartre, and a chance to rediscover a spark of joy in the glittering holiday lights of Paris: Six weeks in the City of Light might be just the escape Nora needs.

Yet as Nora's time in France begins to wind down, she must decide: Return to the comfort of the life she knew - or leap into a bold new chapter she never imagined beyond the pages of her novels.

Game Changer

by Piper Lawson

A steamy, grumpy sunshine sports romance featuring a woman down on her luck, a star basketball player with a filthy mouth, and a connection neither of them can deny.

After being dumped and losing my job the same week, the last thing my broken heart needs is a rebound.

I'm escaping across the country to help my perfect sister plan her dream wedding, and to prove to both of us everything is under control.

But a combination of tequila and turbulence on the flight there lead to word-vomiting all my troubles to the huge and handsome stranger in the first-class seat next to mine.

Only his whispered dirty diversions keep me sane until landing.

Despite the spark of attraction, we go our separate ways.

Or so I thought.

Turns out the tall, muscular, tattooed tower of a man from the plane is the star player on my future brother-in-law's pro basketball team.

Clay is the last person I should gravitate toward. They're called "players" for a reason.

Grumpy and cynical, he carries a weight on his shoulders I can't possibly fathom.

He's also the only one who knows my secrets and gets my heart racing.

The more we're thrust together, the stronger the chemistry between us becomes.

Hooking up with the all-star athlete isn't the way to get my life on track...but it could just be the game changer we've both been searching for.

The Boy From Elsewhere

by Kestral Gaian

One Town. Two Worlds. No Way Home.

A boy washes up on the beach of a quiet seaside town, soaked, shaken, and wearing nothing but pyjamas. He insists he's from here, but the whole place feels... not quite right.

Then he meets David, a stranger who offers to help. What begins as an act of kindness soon becomes something far stranger. Questions multiply, and a chain of events set in motion centuries ago tightens its grip on the present.

Drawn into a secretive world of hidden histories and dangerous foes, David gathers an unlikely band of allies to uncover the truth and get their new friend back elsewhere. But some doors were never meant to open, and when they do, reality itself begins to unravel.

The Boy From Elsewhere is a gripping story of parallel worlds, found family, and the terrifying courage it takes to hold on to the people you love when the universe itself is trying to pull you apart.