📚 Why Books Make Perfect Holiday Gifts
Books are not just gifts; they are gateways to adventure, knowledge, and inspiration. Here’s why they should be at the top of your gift list this holiday season:
Endless Variety: With genres spanning from thrillers to dystopian fiction and romance, there’s a book for every reader.
Personal Connection: A well-chosen book shows thoughtfulness and care, reflecting the recipient's interests and passions.
Affordable Luxury: During our holiday book sale, you can find incredible deals, making it easy to give the gift of reading without breaking the bank.
"With her trademark charm and a pithy view of the world, G.A. Anderson invites us into the life of Katy Kiss, achieving a delicate balance of humor and hard reality as she struggles through a tumultuous divorce, the revelations of therapy and the heartbreak of loving imperfectly. South of Happily is raw, funny, scary, warmly reassuring, and profoundly moving. Fans of the smartly layered family dramas of Camille Pagan and Kerry Lonsdale will find a new favorite!"
--Kimberly Brock, award winning author of The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare
In the coastal town of Dufferin Beach, Katy Kiss is searching for the hope she had as a child, when her immigrant grandmother pinched her cheeks and promised a lifetime of "Happily".
At twenty-six, that Happily is nowhere to be found. Katy is stuck working in her family's Hungarian restaurant while her marriage is getting churned through the business end of a meat grinder.
Taking her best friend's advice, Katy tries therapy where she scores zero for effort, eight for avoidance, and ten out of ten for having the attention span of a small rodent. But she's about to get a divorce, her life is unraveling, and she's forced to explore the one topic her family won't go near.
Emotion.
As the stress of her situation builds, Katy longs for the support of her parents, but her dad is misbehaving in a foreign country, and her indignant mother is holed up in Paris. All they've left behind is a mysterious document she wasn't meant to find.
When a late-night call wakes her from a haunting dream, the secrets about that document begin coming out. She'll need her passport, her closest friends, and her annoying therapist to see her through the calamities, both domestic and international.
If candor and snark can save her from herself, Katy might discover the truth hiding between the lies, and find the Happily she's been searching for.
"In a well-crafted debut, Smith-Blum provides the reader a ringside seat to the birth of the nuclear age…a beautifully written, important story…Tangles packs a punch and hits close to home.”
–Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author of The Tracy Crosswhite Series
Oppenheimer was just the beginning.
When a harpooned whale offers proof the Hanford Nuclear Reservation is endangering all life in the Columbia River Basin, Luke Hinson, a brash young scientist, seizes the chance to avenge his father’s death but a thyroid cancer diagnosis derails Luke’s research. Between treatments, he dives back in, making enemies at every turn. On an overnight trek, Luke discovers evidence that Mary, his former neighbor, embarked on the same
treacherous trail, and her disappearance, a decade prior, may be tied to Hanford’s harmful practices mired in government-mandated secrecy. A love story wrapped in a mystery, this stunning Cold War home-front tale reveals the devastating costs of the birth of the nuclear age, and celebrates the quiet courage of wronged women, the fierce determination of fatherless sons, and the limitless power of the individual.
Tangles is a genre-defying must-listen for our time.
"A superbly enthralling fantasy tale of cats, magic, and alternate dimensions, The Guardian's Gambit is an absolute must-read... For fantasy readers, this is a ‘do NOT miss’ and one of the best of 2024."
–Murray Samuelson, Monster Librarian
Life for a group of cats changes after a new kitten is brought into their family. Shaman is a Conjurepurr, one of a long-forgotten tradition of feline sorcerers. His arrival unlocks hidden mysteries and unleashes ancient nightmares on their peaceful home.
Forced to battle terrifying monsters, the likes of which no kitty has faced in centuries, the cats struggle to discover the true nature of Shaman's powers, all while avoiding the ancient beings seeking to destroy them. Along the way, the cats must learn to set aside their differences and work together as a team. Their very survival depends on it. But with spirits, monsters, and even fellow cats conspiring against them, will they run out of time?
"Wahlfeldt's novel uses sharp prose and a brilliant, innovative structure to bring an intense emotional journey to its empowering conclusion."
-Brian Kaufman, author of A Persistent Echo
His dependency, vodka. Her dependency, him.
When Kat Torrington discovers the depth of her husband Eric's secret drinking problem, she finds herself at a crossroads. Married three years with her first child on the way, Kat sees a fork in the road of her life: Should she stay or go?
Over the next three years, as the couple faces alcoholism and recovery with equal parts determination and failure, Kat considers her options. Some choices are heart-wrenching, others empowering, but all life- changing. Meanwhile, Kat's dream of a happy- ever-after hangs in the balance.
Forks & Knives is fiction inspired by the reality of addiction and codependency that millions of families battle. If you've ever wondered "what if I'd done things differently," Mimi Wahlfeldt's debut novel will entice you to re-examine those critical forks in your own life. No doubt, like knives, some of them cut deep.
*Content advisory: scenes related to suicide and sexual assault may disturb readers.
“On one side, unconditional familial love supported by the camaraderie of law enforcement. On the other? Guns, drugs, and hatred. Black Ye’ii stages an epic battle between good and evil.”
–Cam Torrens, award-winning author of the Tyler Zahn thriller series
The police fabricated a story about the night four members of MS-13 died in a tiny home on a quiet city street almost two years previous. George Tokay and his friends were not supposed to share the secret about what really happened that night. No one was to know the truth. But someone talked, and now MS-13, ruthless and wanting revenge, is back in town, and people are dying.
Can Detectives Graff, O'Connor, and Eiselmann find the killers and put a stop to the killing before anyone else dies?
A romantic encounter with a sexy, younger guy may be just the boost her ego needs. But can she find the love she craves this far from home?
There's not enough cappuccino in the world to fix Jackie Sullivan's recent string of disasters. Divorced and pushing forty, the final straw comes when she's denied tenure, ending her career as a college professor. With nothing left to lose, she heads west in search of a fresh start and something to put the zing back in her step...Settling in Sedona, she struggles to find her balance... and a man who can appreciate her quirky sense of humor. A hot and heavy romance with a hunky tour guide is just what she needs, until a call from her ex forces her to reconsider what she left behind.Will Jackie discover a new lease on life in red rock country and heal her heart?
Jeep Tour is a fresh and funny contemporary women's fiction novel. If you like journeys of self-discovery, beautiful desert settings, and sexy second chances, then you'll adore Gail Ward Olmsted's lighthearted tale. Buy Jeep Tour to escape on an unforgettable off-road adventure today!
“Deep Cover delivers a twisty, action-packed story of deep-cover Russian spies that plays on long-time fears and rumors. As the tension amps up, you won’t know who to trust.”
–Lena Gibson, award-winning author of The Edge of Life
Are there deep cover Russian Cold War spies in the U.S.? If the answer to that question is, “Yes,” what the hell are they up to?!?
The Cold War, a period of history during which spycraft rules the world by substituting subterfuge and lies for actual war and mass death. The Soviet Union and the United States of America, the two major players, spend untold sums of money and put their best minds to work at attempting to gain the “upper hand,” whatever that means. Two distinct ideologies. One takes the long view, while the other prefers instant gratification. They find common ground only in their willingness to utilize experimental methods and the lengths to which they are willing to go to “win,” including using their own citizens in unimaginable ways.
During the Cold War, the Soviets plan to infiltrate the U.S. by placing deep cover agents into the country as everyday citizens. Was the plan successful? If so, with détente and the collapse of the Soviet Union, where are they today?
Lisa Jones and Jennifer Turner are two brilliant scientists working at United Genetics Research Lab, a state-of-the-art facility located outside of Washington, D.C., doing state-of-the-art genetics research. Lisa's boyfriend, Sgt. Stephan Beck, works at the United States Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) as an interpreter of intercepted Russian language messages. One such message, intercepted by Homeland Security, piques his interest due to what he, and no one else, perceives to be a hidden message. Unable to resist the challenge, he breaks protocol in an effort to unravel the mystery, unprepared for what he actually learns: a possible connection to the people he loves and an attempt to manipulate the next presidential election, only months away, altering the fate of the U.S., and the world.
Deep Cover, the second published novel by acclaimed author Jeffrey Jay Levin, author of Watching, Volume 1: The Garden Museum Heist, asks the question: Are the two countries, and the behind-the-scenes players, really all that different? Who can one really trust?
If The Manchurian Candidate and The Americans had a baby, it would have been the adult action thriller Deep Cover.
“Crackling with immediacy and suspense, Deadly Secrets is an unforgettable political thriller about murder, corruption and personal freedom in the divided states of America.”
–BestThrillers
Charismatic minister King Avery persuades state and federal authorities to split North Carolina into two states. He calls his Westcarolina “the first Christian state,” one he will stamp with his own beliefs.
The Charlotte Press hires high-profile Texas reporter Annie Price to investigate Avery, his new state, and his God’s Gift Church. The minister, in his new role as governor of Westcarolina, attempts a variety of bizarre changes. The first one would banish Wiccans (witches) from the Christian state, a move that exposes them to potential danger. He also hires Rob Ryland, a ruthless secessionist whom
Annie has reason to hate.
Gradually, Avery and Ryland attempt to take away other personal freedoms that don’t fit with their evangelical beliefs or desire to make more money.Annie's love life takes a dramatic turn, even as circumstances conspire to bring her and Avery together. Though he knows Annie is likely the one person who can bring down his empire, he increasingly seeks out her company and advice.
An abortion-related bombing from Avery’s past comes back to haunt him, leading to secret plots and a string of killings. Westcarolina, Camelot to the true believers and a prison to other Westcarolina residents, is put in jeopardy by a crescendo of violence.
"The devil is in the details and David Buzan masterfully brings all of those details to bear in creating one hell of a novel."
–Tom McCaffrey, bestselling author of The Claire Trilogy
The most highly decorated Native American in the history of the United States Cavalry, Jolon Winterhawk is a combat veteran of countless bloody skirmishes during the American Civil War. He's a man of honor, struggling with sworn allegiances to two different nations-the country he's sworn to protect, and the tribe he's promised to defend.
During a top-secret mission to escort a military gold train through Oregon's rugged Cascade Mountains, Winterhawk emerges as the sole survivor of a large-scale ambush. Duty-bound to complete the assignment and honor the sacrifices of his fallen comrades, Winterhawk makes the fateful decision to personally deliver the precious cargo of gold.
While Winterhawk embarks on a treacherous wagon trip across miles of dangerous wilderness, an aerial unit from the Army Balloon Corps has been dispatched to locate the missing train. Soon, the aeronauts seize upon a diabolical opportunity-stealing the gold for themselves.
Outnumbered and outgunned, Winterhawk soon finds himself in the fiercest battle of his life. But he quickly discovers that man is not his greatest enemy.
Because there's something else lurking deep in those woods. A monster of myth, a horrifying creature of enormous size.
“Highly-recommended for lovers of dystopian/post-apocalyptic fiction and those who enjoy a sizzling contemporary romance with an edge.”
–Troy Hollan, author of Clucked
Robin dreamed of attending Yale and using her brain. Kory lived on the streets of Seattle and relied on his brawn. Without the asteroid, they never would have met.
For three years, Robin and her grandfather have been hiding, trusting no one. When a biker gang moves into town, Robin can no longer scrounge or tend her garden. Because her grandfather is dying, he urges her to join her extended family—800 miles away in a bunker city in South Dakota, but she doesn't want to leave.
Desperate, her grandfather disappears to force Robin into action and meets Kory, who's with the bikers but disillusioned. Seeing a man who likes to read and could protect his granddaughter, he convinces Kory he can start over and accompany Robin on the long journey.
Unaware of her grandfather's plan, Robin exposes her hiding place searching for him, and Kory saves her. On the run, they battle the elements and survivalists, learning to trust each other. If they can't reach the safety of Vita xTerra, they won't survive long enough to have a future together.
Prepare for another non-stop, post-apocalyptic road trip in Aftermath: Into the Unknown as they fight for love and survival.
"An enthralling look at murder and the ensuing police investigation, The Dusty Road to Homicide is written with a gripping authenticity, possible only from someone on the inside of law enforcement. Impossible to set aside!"
–Chris Amato, author of Peace River Village
Dusty Sampson's parents split up when he was four years old. Dusty's mother tries to provide as much love and guidance as she can, but at the same time, she has to work long hours just to pay the bills and put a roof over their head.
Left to his own devices, Dusty eventually gets into drugs and alcohol. When his mother has had enough, he finds himself kicked out of her house, and forced to float from couch to couch. Consistently unemployed and out of money, Dusty decides to rob a restaurant for some quick cash but shoots two people in cold blood on the way out.
Sergeant Steve "Mac" MacIntosh and his team of investigators follow the trail that they hope will lead to the killer. But they soon realize that time is of the essence when they read the killer's Facebook messages and discover that he has plans to rob another restaurant the next night.
This is the second book in The Thin Blue Line Series, but can be read as a stand-alone novel.
“In this tale, A Surgeon’s Tale, every cut tells a story, and every suture holds determination. Prepare to be enchanted by the cut-throat world of surgery from the first page to the final stitch.”
–Cyra A., blogger and owner at The Literary Vault
A surgical residency is a rough profession for a recovering narcotic addict. But in his second year of training, Jackson Cooper is just that. It’s 1983, and in the midst of his struggles, he meets a memorable character and patient named Maurice Latinsky. Maurice suffers from HIV/AIDS dementia. The patient has a recurring delusion of being Steve McQueen in the movie The Great Escape and continually tries to break out of the confines of the hospital. Through their interactions, Dr. Cooper must face the questions he has avoided for far too long—questions about himself, his profession, and his destination in life.
A Surgeon’s Tale, the sequel to the award-winning medical thriller A Surgeon’s Knot, revisits the surgical training of Jackson Cooper at the mythical University Medical Center in Northern California. It’s a heart-pounding story of a true-to-life surgical world that tells of the harsh reality and overwhelming nobility of medicine.
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