THOUGHTS ON THIS 'n THAT

  The Ritchie Sisters, Krista and Becca are back with a new novel DESTRUCTIVELY MINE (Berkley). It's not easy to change your ways after living a life of grift. As the daughter of a con artist, Phoebe Graves only knew a life of swindling the rich until her best friend and fellow grifter, Hailey Tinrock, proposed an idea to start a new, honest life in a wealthy college town of Connecticut. Once there, they decided to leave behind their deceitful tricks and be truthful for once. But you know what they say about best intentions…   While Phoebe is fake-dating Jake Waterford, the third-born son to an uber-wealthy and influential family, she’s  actually  dating and falling deeper in love with Brayden “Rocky” Tinrock—Hailey’s older brother. To make matters more complicated, Phoebe’s mother shows up out of the blue with conniving match-making designs of her own.   Her mother’s arrival threatens to unravel Phoebe’s plans. To keep her love, her friends, and her newfound ha...

  It’s 1897 in "Alice Murphy' SHOWGIRL'S RULES FOR FALLING IN LOVE (UnionSquare&Co.) a new fashion for thin women threatens to end the career of proudly fat vaudeville performer Evelyn Cross.  Enter Thomas Gallier, the man behind the new palace of entertainment, promising to be the apex of New York City’s theatrical scene. He’s searching for a star for his vaudeville spectacular, and when he hears Evelyn sing, he knows exactly who he needs to grace his stage. In a grand finale, present-day narrator Phoebe steps in to reveal secrets and show readers what it means to claim self-love. Inspired by the true story of a Progressive Era troop of plus-size dancers, this is a story about the spirit of community and the power of romance.                                                                       ...

  A marriage of convenience threatens to go off track in this steamy Formula 1 romance, RIDE WITH ME by Simone Soltani. Stella Baldwin thought her life couldn’t get worse. Being left at the altar was bad enough, and the drunken rant she posted to her social media followers in the aftermath was the cherry on top. But having to show up at her cousin’s bachelorette party in Las Vegas barely two weeks later feels like a cruel joke. Thomas Maxwell-Brown is just looking for a good time. With his family’s expectations pressing down, his career as a Formula 1 driver threatened by fresh talent, and a new reputation making him the most hated man on the grid, he needs a break to clear his head. And what better way to decompress than with a stag party in Vegas? Stella isn’t the woman Thomas expects to meet that night. And Thomas isn’t the man Stella expects to wake up next to in the morning—with a ring on her finger. Staying married might be the perfect solution to all their problems, even if ...

  Secret sisters, death, suspicion, and love are at the heart of Hannah Orenstein's new novel, MAINE CHARACTERS (Dutton). Half-sisters Vivian Levy and Lucy Webster spend one month alone with their father each summer at his Lake house in Maine. They're unaware the other exists. Vivian is raised well off in New York City, while Lucy is a school teacher living with her mother in a small Maine town.  Dad dies and wills the Maine cottage to his NYC family.  Vivian arrives during Lucy's month, and all hell breaks loose. Lucy has no idea who this woman is who's crashing  her month, bullying her, and preparing to sell her home. Vivian and Lucy are each experiencing grief, shock, and fighting through suspicion, jealousy and anger, hoping to untangle their parents' mess of lies. Vivian owns the house, but Lucy isn't giving up easily.  It's complicated but you know they will find a solution. Author, Hannah Orenstein has written a wonderful novel filled with compelling ...

  For fans of dual-timeline, mother-daughter novels like  The Paper Palace  and  Tom Lake , a compelling contemporary novel about a woman’s struggle to face her reckless history, with its trail of damage and deception, and her quest for the redemption that might still be possible. From the ruins of Egypt to the privileged life of Manhattan’s Upper West Side, the story of a woman’s odyssey through the maze of love, loyalty, recklessness, and remorse, as the consequences of her acts ripple through the generations. Approaching a milestone birthday, Arden Rice has seen it all: three marriages, hardship and wealth, choices she both regrets and defends, all fueled by the same fierce desire—to give her daughter the best possible life. At least, that’s what Arden tells herself. But nothing is simple. Arden is haunted by her impetuous history, with its trail of damage and deception. Yet she’s finally made a life where she can be her best self—until the unthinkable happens, an...

  Award-winning novelist Mary Morris weaves together an unsolved family mystery, a poignant coming-of-age story, and a little-known corner of World War II history in this lyrical novel of family, loss, and, ultimately, love. Thirty years ago, Laura’s mother, Viola, went missing. She left behind her purse, keys, andb mysterious paintings of a red house. Viola was never found, and her family never recovered. Laura, an artist herself, held on to the paintings. On the back of each work, her mother scrawled in Italian, “I will not be here forever.” The family never understood what Viola meant.  Decades later, at a crossroads in her marriage and her life, Laura returns to Italy, where her parents met after World War II.  Laura spent the earliest years of her childhood there before the family moved to New Jersey and settled into an American dream that eventually became a nightmare. Viola, who claimed to be an orphan, staunchly refused to speak of her life before marriage.  ...

  John Grisham meets  Yellowstone  in a gripping political thriller by  Wall Street Journal  bestselling author Robert Bailey. In the new suspense novel, THE BOOMERANG (Thomas&Mercer), one man fights for family against a government with a shattering secret. The president of the United States has terminal cancer. Chief of Staff Eli James, his faithful consigliere and best friend, is one of the few who know. But just as the president’s condition mysteriously improves, Eli’s hit with another blow: his daughter has cancer too. Hell-bent on helping her, Eli turns to Big Pharma’s top lobbyist for advice, but their encounter yields more questions than answers. As he races along a twisted trail to the truth, he stumbles upon a devastating cover-up worth billions of dollars—and millions of lives. Armed with this deadly secret, Eli goes rogue, fleeing with his family out west. To keep them safe, he forms an uneasy alliance with land baron Nester “the Beast” Sanchez, k...

  Four friends discover that their new magical skills may not be enough to save them from a stalker hell-bent on turning their lives upside down. Alyssa, Nina, Lanie, and Corinne's friendship is being tested. With Nina's marriage falling apart, Lanie acting distant, Alyssa's new romance, and no one quite trusting Corinne, this may be more than their bond can take. But when Nina appears at Alyssa's door, and confesses not just a decades-old secret, but a newfound magical power, the friends know that the only way to face this is together. Someone has been blackmailing Nina for years, but lately the threats to reveal her secret have changed to threats on her life, and on the lives of those she loves. With Alyssa contacting ghosts for insight and Nina getting used to her telepathy skills, they dash from city to city to track down the threat. There's someone out there that will go to any lengths to keep their control over Nina, and it will take all four friends to get ou...

  During a treacherous winter trek to the basecamp of Annapurna, one woman is forced to confront the events leading up to her best friend’s tragic death twenty years earlier as well as the nature of their friendship, the meaning of love, and the unexpected consequences of what is spoken—and what is not. Livy receives a package containing the ashes of her best friend in ANNAPURNA (RegaloPress) in Meg Serino's debut novel. She knows she must return to the place Mo loved best to honor her memory. Leaving her son and her estranged husband behind, Livy travels to Kathmandu and the mountain towns of Nepal, and to the past, along with the three other original members of the trek. As they navigate the trail during harsh winter conditions, Livy is forced to confront painful memories and the revelation of long-buried secrets, putting her life—and her whole concept of self—on the line. She must finally face the mystery that’s haunted her all these years: the circumstances surrounding her best...

  In the novel, FOLLOW ME by Elizabeth Rose Quinn, after her twin sister, Chiara, goes missing at an exclusive retreat at queen influencer Thea McCorkle’s remote ranch in Mendocino County, Adrienne Shaw is determined to find answers, even though it’s been a year, and the police have given up.  Although Adrienne’s own life is a mess, she goes undercover as an Insta-mommy, infiltrating the same influencer retreat to follow her sister’s last footsteps. The group seems welcoming, with its charismatic leader, group bonding activities, and communal crafts—but Adrienne notices the dead eyes, ruthless competition, and subtle backstabbing. Going on gut instinct and chasing a wild theory―that Chiara never left the retreat alive―Adrienne will do anything to uncover the truth before these too-perfect-to-believe women figure out who she really is: a threat to their society who must be eliminated at any cost.   bElizabeth Rose Quinn is a novelist and screenwriter. She graduated with a ...

  The romance writing industry is turned upside down when an up-and-coming writer reveals she’s been using AI to write her books. But when her strategy threatens the super successful Sophie Wilde and her fellow writer cohorts, they decide to band together to put an end to this charade, by any means necessary, for fans of  Romantic Comedy  and  I Hope This Finds You Well .   Sofie Wilde’s bestselling fantasy romance series has been breaking bestseller records and readers’ hearts for years. She’s primed to become a worldwide phenomenon as the tenth and final book is set to debut after the annual romance readers convention takes place in Chicago next week. As buzz continues to build toward the book’s release, Sofie is asked to headline the event for the first time, a career milestone. One she won’t let anyone take from her, especially “the next Sofie Wilde.” That’s what they’re calling her—Hartley West, the self-published debut author who writes in the style o...

  Fame and youth may not last forever, but friendship between Miranda, Germaine, and Sicily, also known as the 3AM girls, is another story. The trio were the darlings of Hollywood who rose from teens to successful idols of screaming fans and the paparazzi.  But as they say, everything that goes up must come down, and nothing lasts forever. It's a decade later, and they've   (kind of) grown up. Miranda, Germaine, and Sicily want to settle old scores, secrets, betrayals, and family traumas.  Their parents never approved of their friendships and wild behavior, but now they need each other more than ever.  WHEN STARS ALIGN (MindysBookStudio) takes readers through the ups and downs of the media spotlight and gives us a look at what Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Britney Spears may have gone through - total mind candy.  Melissa de la Cruz is the #1 New York Times, #1 Publishers Weekly and #1 IndieBound bestselling author of Isle of the Lost and Return to the Is...