August is a month of mystery! But romance readers, never fear, we’ve always got something for you too. Please enjoy our monthly recap of publishing books, new clients, and exciting new deals!
The Victim: A sixteen-year-old girl with facial deformities, neglected by an alcoholic mother. Who accuses four boys of something unthinkable.
The Defendants: Four handsome teenage boys from hardworking immigrant families. All with corroborating stories.
Someone is lying.
Former barrister Zara Kaleel, one of London’s brightest young legal minds, takes up Jodie Wolfe’s case; she believes her, even if those closest to Jodie do not.
Jodie and Zara become the centre of the most explosive criminal trial of the year, in which ugly divisions within British society are exposed. As everything around Zara begins to unravel she becomes even more determined to get Jodie the justice she’s looking for. But at what price?
With her assistant, Pixie, picking up more responsibility around the shop, Tricia Miles suddenly has a lot more time on her hands. Tricia decides to join the local animal-rescue board and enter the Great Stoneham Bake-Off, but neither pans out as smoothly as she’d hoped.
Balancing a bake-off that’s heating up with a frosty reception from the board, Tricia stops by Joyce Whitman’s romance bookstore looking for a book to get her fired up. She stumbles on something hot, but it’s an argument between Joyce and her neighbor Vera Osborn instead of a steamy read. When Vera turns up dead in Joyce’s garden hours later, Tricia has to wonder—could Joyce be the killer? Or is the culprit still lurking in town?
One thing is for sure, someone in Stoneham is stirring up something more sinister than sweet. Tricia is determined to win the cutthroat cooking contest, but first, she will have to make sure no one else is in danger of getting burned…
The only thing that could make the High Cliff Shelter for Cats even cozier is a reading room where kids can snuggle up with a furry feline and a book. But as Lara and Aunt Fran prepare for the reading nook’s official opening, the health inspector in their New Hampshire town, Evonda Fray, decrees that the shelter qualifies as a “cat café,” thanks to the free snacks it serves to visitors—and that it must be shut down.
When Evonda’s body is found in her car clutching a copy of the cease-and-desist order, suspicion naturally falls on Lara and Aunt Fran. But there’s a whole litter of potential culprits, including a tenant in one of Evonda’s buildings who’d been ordered to give up his rescue cat, a disgruntled daughter-in-law, and more. Now Lara—with some help from her aunt and her spirit cat, Blue—has to pin the tail on the right suspect…
Hedgewitch Katie Lightfoot is juggling wedding preparations, a visit from her father, and home renovations on top of her long hours at the Honeybee Bakery, where she and her aunt Lucy imbue their yummy cookies and pastries with beneficial magic. But when firefighter Randy Post is accused of murdering a collector of rarities, and his prints are on the statue that was used to kill the man, Katie steps in.
Randy is not only Katie’s fiancé’s coworker, but also the boyfriend of fellow spellbook club member and witch Bianca Devereaux. Bianca and Declan are both sure Randy is innocent, and so is Katie. However, to prove it she’ll have to work with ornery detective Peter Quinn again—and this time around he knows she’s more than your everyday baker.
Every autumn, Moonbright, Maine, is the picture of charm with its piles of crisp leaves, flickering jack-o’-lanterns … and a touch of the sweetest kind of enchantment.
Witches, goblins, the occasional ghost—they’re all sure to be spotted at the annual Halloween parade, where adults and children alike dress in costume to celebrate Moonbright’s favorite holiday. And no place has more seasonal spirit than Bellaluna’s Bakeshop, a family business steeped in traditional recipes, welcoming warmth—and, legend has it, truly spellbinding, heart-melting treats…
Between good-natured Halloween tricks, frothy pumpkin lattes, and some very special baked goods, for three Moonbright residents looking for love—whether they know it or not—the spookiest thing will be how magical romance can suddenly be…
Residents of Rudolph keep the spirit of Christmas alive year-round—but their joy is threatened when a group of grinches visits the town, in the charming fourth installment of the Year-Round Christmas series.
It’s the week before Thanksgiving, and Merry Wilkinson, owner of Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, is preparing for a weekend reunion of her mother’s college friends. But when the group of women comes into Merry’s shop, Merry is met with frosty attitudes and cold hearts.
The women argue amongst themselves constantly, and the bickering only intensifies after one of the friends is poisoned. With her father’s role as Santa in danger due to his proximity to the crime, Merry will need to use all of her investigative gifts to wrap this mystery up and save Santa and her favorite holiday.
Her ex-lover is back—right when she discovers her life is a lie.
Ten years ago, Morgan Steele secretly eloped with River Atkinson—only to see her vows betrayed. Now River’s back, made good as CEO of a construction company that rivals her family’s empire. Forced to work together, they give in to long-suppressed desire. But when Morgan discovers she was switched at birth and isn’t the Steele heiress after all, will their second chance be sabotaged by secrets?
What could two troubled souls from different walks of life have in common? Maybe everything.
Andra Lawler lives isolated at her family’s horse ranch, imprisoned by the memories of an assault in college. When she needs help training her foals, she hires a Haitian-Creole cowboy from New Orleans with a laugh as big as the Montana sky.
LJ Delisle can’t stand the idea that Andra might be lonely—or eating frozen TV dinners. He bakes his way into her kitchen with a lemon velvet cake, and offers her cooking lessons that set them on the road to romance. But even their love can’t escape the shadow of what they’ve been through. Despite their growing friendship and his gentle rapport with the horses, LJ is still an outsider facing small-town suspicions.
Before they can work through their issues, LJ is called home by a family emergency. In the centuries-old, raggedly rebuilt streets of New Orleans, he must confront memories of Hurricane Katrina and familiar discrimination. And Andra must decide if she’s brave enough to leave the shelter of the ranch for an uncertain future with LJ.
All cybernetic soldier Vick Corren wanted was to be human again. Now all she wants is Kelly. But machines can’t love. Can they?
With the computerized implants that replaced most of her brain, Vick views herself as more machine than human. She’s lost her memory, but worse, can no longer control her emotions, though with the help of empath Kelly LaSalle, she’s holding the threads of her fraying sanity together.
Vick is smarter, faster, impervious to pain… the best mercenary in the Fighting Storm, until odd flashbacks show Vick a life she can’t remember and a romantic relationship with Kelly that Vick never knew existed. But investigating that must wait until Vick and her team rescue the Storm’s kidnapped leader.
Someone from within the organization is working against them, threatening Kelly’s freedom. To save her, Vick will have to sacrifice what she values most: the last of her humanity. Before the mission is over, either Vick or Kelly will forfeit the life she once knew.
Welcome to BookEnds!
We’re delighted to be welcoming many new clients to BookEnds this month, including Megan Gerhardt, Sarah Addams, Dayna Barker, Sharisse Steber, and Emma Waverly to the adult side of things; and Anne Marie Rogers, Andy Nordvall and Circe Moskowitz to BookEnds Jr.! We can’t wait for all of your successes.
Coming Soon:
Lynn Painter’s BETTER THAN THE MOVIES, in which a rom-com loving girl schemes to win over her forever crush, but falls for the infuriating boy next door she enlists to help her, to Jessica Smith at Simon Pulse, by Kim Lionetti at BookEnds (world).
Author of the Professor Prather mysteries Mary Angela’s OPEN FOR MURDER, the first in a new cozy series set in Spirit Canyon, South Dakota, in which an ex-journalist and shop owner investigates the death of a local resort owner when her friend is accused of the murder, to Norma Perez-Hernandez at Lyrical Press, in a three-book deal, for publication in November 2020, by Amanda Jain at BookEnds (world).
Author of THE CHAI FACTOR Farah Heron’s THE RIGHT SPICE, in which a woman refuses to become involved with the man chosen by her meddling Muslim family until she agrees to fake date him to enter a couples baking contest and realizes they have undeniable chemistry, and another untitled rom-com, to Leah Hultenschmidt at Forever, in a two-book deal, by Rachel Brooks at BookEnds (world).Film: Mary Alice Kier and Anna Cottle of Cine/Lit Representation at cinelit@att.net
RITA finalist Christina Britton’s A GOOD DUKE IS HARD TO FIND, the first in a historical romance series in which a woman with three broken engagements visits an island of romantic misfits and meets a reluctant heir, to Madeleine Colavita at Forever, in a pre-empt, in a three-book deal, by Kim Lionetti at BookEnds (world).
Author of THE YELLOW SUITCASE Meera Sriram’s A GIFT FOR AMMA: MARKET DAY IN INDIA, an #OwnVoices story inspired by the author’s hometown marketplace in Chennai, India, in which a little girl searches for the perfect gift for her mother at a colorful outdoor market, illustrated by Mariona Cabassa, to Lisa Rosinsky at Barefoot Books, for publication in fall 2020, by Tracy Marchini at BookEnds for the author, and by Mela Bolinao at MB Artists for the illustrator (world).
Nicola Marsh’s SAY IT ISN’T SO, in which a woman returns home to Australia after the breakup of her arranged marriage and finds herself falling for a much younger man that her meddling Indian mother will never approve of, to Cindy Hwang at Berkley, in a two-book deal, by Kim Lionetti at BookEnds.
August is a month of mystery! But romance readers, never fear, we’ve always got something for you too. Please enjoy our monthly recap of publishing books, new clients, and exciting new deals!
MONTHLY SPOTLIGHT:
Take it Back by Kia Abdullah (8/8) Amazon
The Victim: A sixteen-year-old girl with facial deformities, neglected by an alcoholic mother. Who accuses four boys of something unthinkable.
The Defendants: Four handsome teenage boys from hardworking immigrant families. All with corroborating stories.
Someone is lying.
Former barrister Zara Kaleel, one of London’s brightest young legal minds, takes up Jodie Wolfe’s case; she believes her, even if those closest to Jodie do not.
Jodie and Zara become thecentre of the most explosive criminal trial of the year, in which ugly divisions within British society are exposed. As everything around Zara begins to unravel she becomes even more determined to get Jodie the justice she’s looking for. But at what price?
MYSTERY
A Killer Edition by Lorna Barrett (8/13) Barnes & Noble
With her assistant, Pixie, picking up more responsibility around the shop, Tricia Miles suddenly has a lot more time on her hands. Tricia decides to join the local animal-rescue board and enter the Great Stoneham Bake-Off, but neither pans out as smoothly as she’d hoped.
Balancing a bake-off that’s heating up with a frosty reception from the board, Tricia stops by Joyce Whitman’s romance bookstore looking for a book to get her fired up. She stumbles on something hot, but it’s an argument between Joyce and her neighbor Vera Osborn instead of a steamy read. When Vera turns up dead in Joyce’s garden hours later, Tricia has to wonder—could Joyce be the killer? Or is the culprit still lurking in town?
One thing is for sure, someone in Stoneham is stirring up something more sinister than sweet. Tricia is determined to win the cutthroat cooking contest, but first, she will have to make sure no one else is in danger of getting burned…
Claws of Action by Linda Reilly (8/13) Barnes & Noble
Purr-suing a killer…
The only thing that could make the High Cliff Shelter for Cats even cozier is a reading room where kids can snuggle up with a furry feline and a book. But as Lara and Aunt Fran prepare for the reading nook’s official opening, the health inspector in their New Hampshire town, Evonda Fray, decrees that the shelter qualifies as a “cat café,” thanks to the free snacks it serves to visitors—and that it must be shut down.
When Evonda’s body is found in her car clutching a copy of the cease-and-desist order, suspicion naturally falls on Lara and Aunt Fran. But there’s a whole litter of potential culprits, including a tenant in one of Evonda’s buildings who’d been ordered to give up his rescue cat, a disgruntled daughter-in-law, and more. Now Lara—with some help from her aunt and her spirit cat, Blue—has to pin the tail on the right suspect…
Cookies and Clairvoyance by Bailey Cates (8/27) Barnes & Noble
Hedgewitch Katie Lightfoot is juggling wedding preparations, a visit from her father, and home renovations on top of her long hours at the Honeybee Bakery, where she and her aunt Lucy imbue their yummy cookies and pastries with beneficial magic. But when firefighter Randy Post is accused of murdering a collector of rarities, and his prints are on the statue that was used to kill the man, Katie steps in.
Randy is not only Katie’s fiancé’scoworker, but also the boyfriend of fellow spellbook club member and witch Bianca Devereaux. Bianca and Declan are both sure Randy is innocent, and so is Katie. However, to prove it she’ll have to work with ornery detective Peter Quinn again—and this time around he knows she’s more than your everyday baker.
The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice Anthology, including Allyson Charles (8/27) Barnes & Noble
Every autumn, Moonbright, Maine, is the picture of charm with its piles of crisp leaves, flickering jack-o’-lanterns … and a touch of the sweetest kind of enchantment.
Witches, goblins, the occasional ghost—they’re all sure to be spotted at the annual Halloween parade, where adults and children alike dress in costume to celebrate Moonbright’s favorite holiday. And no place has more seasonal spirit than Bellaluna’s Bakeshop, a family business steeped in traditional recipes, welcoming warmth—and, legend has it, truly spellbinding, heart-melting treats…
Between good-natured Halloween tricks, frothy pumpkin lattes, and some very special baked goods, for three Moonbright residents looking for love—whether they know it or not—the spookiest thing will be how magical romance can suddenly be…
Silent Night, Deadly Night by Vicki Delany (8/27) Barnes & Noble
Residents of Rudolph keep the spirit of Christmas alive year-round—but their joy is threatened when a group of grinches visits the town, in the charming fourth installment of the Year-Round Christmas series.
It’s the week before Thanksgiving, and Merry Wilkinson, owner of Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, is preparing for a weekend reunion of her mother’s college friends. But when the group of women comes into Merry’s shop, Merry is met with frosty attitudes and cold hearts.
The women argue amongst themselves constantly, and the bickering only intensifies after one of the friends is poisoned. With her father’s role as Santa in danger due to his proximity to the crime, Merry will need to use all of her investigative gifts to wrap this mystery up and save Santa and her favorite holiday.
ROMANCE
From Riches to Redemption by Andrea Laurence (8/6) Barnes & Noble
Her ex-lover is back—right when she discovers her life is a lie.
Ten years ago, Morgan Steele secretly eloped with River Atkinson—only to see her vows betrayed. Now River’s back, made good as CEO of a construction company that rivals her family’s empire. Forced to work together, they give in to long-suppressed desire. But when Morgan discovers she was switched at birth and isn’t the Steele heiress after all, will their second chance be sabotaged by secrets?
Unbreak Me by Michelle Hazen (8/13) Barnes & Noble
What could two troubled souls from different walks of life have in common? Maybe everything.
Andra Lawler lives isolated at her family’s horse ranch, imprisoned by the memories of an assault in college. When she needs help training her foals, she hires a Haitian-Creole cowboy from New Orleans with a laugh as big as the Montana sky.
LJ Delisle can’t stand the idea that Andra might be lonely—or eating frozen TV dinners. He bakes his way into her kitchen with a lemon velvet cake, and offers her cooking lessons that set them on the road to romance. But even their love can’t escape the shadow of what they’ve been through. Despite their growing friendship and his gentle rapport with the horses, LJ is still an outsider facing small-town suspicions.
Before they can work through their issues, LJ is called home by a family emergency. In the centuries-old, raggedly rebuilt streets of New Orleans, he must confront memories of Hurricane Katrina and familiar discrimination. And Andra must decide if she’s brave enough to leave the shelter of the ranch for an uncertain future with LJ.
SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY
Threadbare by Elle E. Ire (8/20) Barnes & Noble
All cybernetic soldier Vick Corren wanted was to be human again. Now all she wants is Kelly. But machines can’t love. Can they?
With the computerized implants that replaced most of her brain, Vick views herself as more machine than human. She’s lost her memory, but worse, can no longer control her emotions, though with the help of empath Kelly LaSalle, she’s holding the threads of her fraying sanity together.
Vick is smarter, faster, impervious to pain… the best mercenary in the Fighting Storm, until odd flashbacks show Vick a life she can’t remember and a romantic relationship with Kelly that Vick never knew existed. But investigating that must wait until Vick and her team rescue the Storm’s kidnapped leader.
Someone from within the organization is working against them, threatening Kelly’s freedom. To save her, Vick will have to sacrifice what she values most: the last of her humanity. Before the mission is over, either Vick or Kelly will forfeit the life she once knew.
Welcome to BookEnds!
We’re delighted to be welcoming many new clients to BookEnds this month, including Megan Gerhardt, Sarah Addams, Dayna Barker, Sharisse Steber, and Emma Waverly to the adult side of things; and Anne Marie Rogers, Andy Nordvall and Circe Moskowitz to BookEnds Jr.! We can’t wait for all of your successes.
Coming Soon:
Lynn Painter’s BETTER THAN THE MOVIES, in which a rom-com loving girl schemes to win over her forever crush, but falls for the infuriating boy next door she enlists to help her, to Jessica Smith at Simon Pulse, by Kim Lionetti at BookEnds (world).
Author of the Professor Prather mysteries Mary Angela’s OPEN FOR MURDER, the first in a new cozy series set in Spirit Canyon, South Dakota, in which an ex-journalist and shop owner investigates the death of a local resort owner when her friend is accused of the murder, to Norma Perez-Hernandez at Lyrical Press, in a three-book deal, for publication in November 2020, by Amanda Jain at BookEnds (world).
Author of THE CHAI FACTOR Farah Heron’s THE RIGHT SPICE, in which a woman refuses to become involved with the man chosen by her meddling Muslim family until she agrees to fake date him to enter a couples baking contest and realizes they have undeniable chemistry, and another untitled rom-com, to Leah Hultenschmidt at Forever, in a two-book deal, by Rachel Brooks at BookEnds (world).Film: Mary Alice Kier and Anna Cottle of Cine/Lit Representation at cinelit@att.net
RITA finalist Christina Britton’s A GOOD DUKE IS HARD TO FIND, the first in a historical romance series in which a woman with three broken engagements visits an island of romantic misfits and meets a reluctant heir, to Madeleine Colavita at Forever, in a pre-empt, in a three-book deal, by Kim Lionetti at BookEnds (world).
Author of THE YELLOW SUITCASE Meera Sriram’s A GIFT FOR AMMA: MARKET DAY IN INDIA, an #OwnVoices story inspired by the author’s hometown marketplace in Chennai, India, in which a little girl searches for the perfect gift for her mother at a colorful outdoor market, illustrated by Mariona Cabassa, to Lisa Rosinsky at Barefoot Books, for publication in fall 2020, by Tracy Marchini at BookEnds for the author, and by Mela Bolinao at MB Artists for the illustrator (world).
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