Any reader interested in the history of magic or show business in the U.S. will appreciate this fascinating exploration of Black performers, their craft, and what it took to perform in a society built to exploit them. Steele, herself a magician, examines the lives and careers of the teens who assisted The Great Hermann and his succeeding acts, popular magicians in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, such as the titular Boomsky. Twelve different people filled the role through the years, but Steele focuses on the two that we have more details about: Milton Hudson Everrett and Isaac William Willis. Drawing on extensive archival research but writing with a novelistic flair, Steele traces their history as performers and how they navigated a racist society and built a life for themselves inside and outside show business.

The time period covered here was one of rapid change in America, especially as motion pictures came on the scene, and Steele helps capture a vanished era of magic shows and vaudeville in rich detail, showcasing stagecraft, professional jealousies, trick-theft, press accounts, and curiosities like Diabolo, the “talking” skull of Frederick Bancroft, and a Hermann performance in Sing Sing Prison. Steele has done extensive past research into the Hermann clan of magicians, particularly Adelaide Hermann, which helps her fill out this story. Much of the press coverage of the magic troupe did not cover the Black performers, making Steele’s work more difficult.

At times, Steele’s engaging narrative style may have the unintended consequence of confusing the reader about the level to which insights into people’s motivations are based in historical record and what is speculative. Steele approaches the racial dynamics of the Boomskys’ story with sensitivity and necessary directness, discussing discrimination, slurs, minstrelsy, and segregation at appropriate places. Photos and ephemera, especially reproductions of advertisements, help humanize the subjects and bring the milieu to life, while extensive endnotes, index, and recommended additional reading will edify readers eager to learn more.

Takeaway: Deeply researched, detail-rich history of Black magicians of the vaudeville era.

Comparable Titles: Peter Lamont and Jim Steinmeyer’s The Secret History of Magic, Hardin J Burlingame’s Hermann the Magician.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-

Click here for more about The Great Boomsky

In this adorable children's book, young readers learn about their emotions and how to identify, explore, and handle them. Izzy is excited to display her dancing skills in the talent show, but just as she's about to perform, another emotion kicks in and overwhelms her—she realizes she is nervous. As Izzy grapples with the duality of these feelings, her stuffed panda Penny springs into action to help Izzy with the butterflies in her stomach. Penny (introduced in Oke’s Penny Panda and the Gift of Possibility) points out that the other performers, just like Izzy, are experiencing nervous emotions, too, a simple but pressing truth communicated through telling, human detail. As Izzy frets, she gets guidance from an even more unexpected source: the “Emotion Ninjas,” tiny ninjas in color-coded Shinobi shozoku reflecting feelings like Anger, Fear, and Joy. Their special set of skills: teaching Penny how to cope with her feelings.

The emotion ninjas remind Izzy that she is "the boss," and it’s up to her to choose how to use them. When Izzy takes charge and determines which emotion ninjas will "take a break" in this moment and which ones will come along with her on stage to help her execute her dance, she learns that certain feelings can make her perform better in different situations, while some can be a hindrance if she doesn't take control of them. Vibrant illustrations by Richard Hoit capture both the fun possibilities of teensy ninjas but also, with empathetic clarity, the sometimes uneasy feelings faced by Izzy and other kids. Every face suggests an individual inner life.

Oke brings to life fun and creative ways for parents and teachers to explore with young readers life lessons and milestones through relatable human characters and a lovable talking panda. This second entry in the Penny Panda series is a warm, welcome introduction to recognizing and regulating emotions for elementary aged children.

Takeaway: Inviting picture book on understanding and coping with big emotions.

Comparable Titles: Britney Winn Lee's The Boy with Big, Big Feelings, Janan Cain's The Way I Feel.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Penny Panda and the Emotion Ninjas

Citing milestone movements such as Black Lives Matter, the War for Talent, and #MeToo as catalysts for employees’ growing intolerance of unfair work conditions, Hasl-Kelchner (author of The Business Guide to Legal Literacy) attempts to “crack the code” on keeping employees healthy, happy, and engaged in this down-to-earth how-to. She starts with explaining the social contract of expectations between employees and employers, urging that those expectations be clear, concise, and transparent from the beginning, and goes on to analyze the psychological, emotional, and physical aspects that contribute to employee engagement. The writing is crisp and well-ordered, bursting with valuable insights and logical ideas.

To prove her point that meaningful investment in employees will trigger productive business, Hasl-Kelchner provides reams of data and case histories that illustrate why “fairness” is so important. She breaks down that term even further, outlining its many moving parts—from the need for management to be reachable to why acceptance and inclusion are so crucial for a healthy working environment—and recaps important “fairness factor[s]” throughout the book. Most eye-opening is her willingness to confront damaging workplace norms, such as microaggressions, subjective rewards, and harassment, cautioning that failure to address these norms leads to moral injury—and “compromise[es] the safety and physiological needs of employees.”

Hasl-Kelchner’s case is compelling, as are the rewards—beyond simple human connection—that come with keeping employees meaningfully engaged: it reduces costs, improves business function, and accelerates growth. She offers a five-step process to achieve that, touching on principles like accountability and trust, while reminding readers that “the ability to truly lead depends on legitimacy of power, not mere positional power… it requires emotional consent. It must be earned by demonstrating integrity.” User-friendly black and white graphics scattered throughout help bolster her advice, and she closes with a stark—but convincing—assertion that “fairness at work is the real driving force behind the financial bottom line.”

Takeaway: Eye-opening look at the factors influencing employee satisfaction.

Comparable Titles: Kim Scott’s Radical Respect, Kim Dabbs’s You Belong Here.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: A-
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Seeking Fairness at Work

Yearwood (author of Peyton and Isabelle) delivers a poignant look at the beauty and burdens of motherhood while exposing the societal chains that often dictate and stifle women's choices in marriage and family life. Rebecca, an affluent professor in Philadelphia, dreams of filling her grand Victorian home with the sounds of children, but her husband, Will, basking in his rising literary fame, remains indifferent to her longing. Meanwhile, 22-year-old Brittney receives little support in taking care of her two children. Her husband, Chris, clings to outdated gender roles, believing that parenting is a woman's domain. When he loses his job as a police officer, he also loses his sense of responsibility—abandoning Brittney, pregnant with their third child.

This nuanced portrayal of the two women's situations thoughtfully exposes America's flawed foster care system and the hasty child removals that often cause more harm than good to children and parents alike. Brittney struggles, touchingly, with being a mother and provider, and her ordeal intensifies when an unsympathetic neighbor, annoyed by her baby's cries, reports her to the Department of Human Services for neglect. Yearwood writes these well-crafted, all-too-human characters with deep empathy. Rebecca's childless longing is as palpable as Brittney's frustration between wanting her children back and knowing they might fare better elsewhere. The emotional toll on children is also given equal emphasis—Ethan's anger and trauma, toddler Madison's confusion, and infant Maggie's wordless expression of pain.

This isn't just a novel about motherhood—it is a searing commentary on the failures of child welfare systems, class inequality, and the extreme standards imposed on women, dismantling the cultural myth of the "perfect mother" who must balance career, household, and parenting. This incisive, heart-rending novel makes a strong case for re-evaluating the various supports extended to low-income and marginalized families, all while it celebrates female agency and women's resilience.

Takeaway: Moving story of two women, foster care, and the myth of the perfect mother.

Comparable Titles: Brit Bennett's The Mothers, Lisa Ko's The Leavers.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

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Nava’s debut fiction novel crafts a powerful narrative of a young American-Tamil woman who must navigate life after surviving the violence of Sri Lanka’s Black July. On a trip to visit her birth country in the summer of 1983, Maya and her father Oliver are brutally attacked by a mob and must escape to a refugee camp, where they are forced to confront the realities of being Tamil during a time of anti-minority riots and massacres. Having witnessed and experienced such violence, Maya returns home to Pennsylvania afterwards, feeling despondent and unsure of how to move forward, given what she now knows about the atrocities being committed in Sri Lanka.

As a survivor herself of the 1970s anti-Tamil violence in Sri Lanka, Nava’s writing is laced with vulnerability, never shying away from the raw and graphic experiences of genocide. Maya grapples with survivor’s guilt on her return home, plagued by feelings of isolation, and Nava deftly spotlights her decision to transform those feelings into raising awareness for the violence being committed against her people. In her efforts to form alliances and garner support from the U.S. government, Maya embarks on a journey of self-discovery, as she must navigate the hardships of activism and learn how to remain resilient in the face of others’ apathy.

Nava presents this piece of Sri Lankan history in an easily accessible way, striking a balance between fact and fiction as she weaves the harrowing truth of Black July and its aftermath into this emotional narrative of transformation and resilience. The novel’s quick pacing keeps its audience engaged, and readers will find themselves immersed in Maya’s journey as she learns the power of forgiveness and comes to recognize “the nature of humans [and] the nature of the world,” understanding that “she [can] not hold on to anger or disappointment. It was too destructive. It was counterproductive.”

Takeaway: Harrowing portrait of an American-Tamil woman facing Sri Lanka’s Black July.

Comparable Titles: Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, Adania Shibli’s Minor Detail.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about July and Everything After

In this emotionally charged memoir, a mother and son share their story of childhood trauma, unrecognized autism, and effective parent-to-child communication. As Duda reflects on her childhood—where she was subjected to physical and sexual abuse—she clarifies her goal to be a "safe space" for her son, Seth (a pseudonym she uses to protect his identity), to shelter him from experiencing the trauma she was exposed to when young. Duda details their experiences from Seth’s early childhood into his young adult years, including her “emotional flashbacks” and repressed memories, as well as the multiple behavioral issues that arose due to Seth’s unrecognized autism, sharing with readers the healthy parenting tips she has mastered along the way.

With humorous asides, poignant insights, and quotes from Seth himself, readers experience firsthand Duda’s parenting strategies, from both parent and child perspectives. Her delivery is frank and honest as she explores the ups and downs of parenting a child with autism while managing her own complex post traumatic stress disorder, and Duda’s candid advice—often shaped around her experiences as a child—hits home. Some sections of the memoir, including Duda’s exploration of epigenetics and neuroplasticity, are science heavy, while others brim with raw emotion: in one particularly emotive story, Duda recounts her shame at “being blamed for [her] own victimization,” sharing how those challenging emotions drove her to stand up for Seth “whenever it was necessary.”

Parents who have struggled with their own trauma will find a wealth of usable advice in Duda’s writing, most of which centers on the importance of “mutual respect” between parent and child—and the need for open communication, even from a very young age. Seth punctuates the weighty subject matter with his own entertaining “Seth-isms” throughout, and readers will find the mother-son bond driving this memoir refreshing and uplifting.

Takeaway: Uplifting and candid memoir on parenting while coping with past trauma.

Comparable Titles: Kristina Kuzmič's I Can Fix This, Jenny Lexhed's Love Is Not Enough.

Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Mending Together, Building Together

Set in the small town of Merriweather, Wisconsin, during the Great Depression, this endearing story tracks the reluctant return of Melody Merriweather from her vibrant college life in Chicago to the helm of the family business following her father's heart attack. Eager to revitalize the quaint yet quiescent Merriweather Mercantile, Melody introduces chic products like silk scarves and velvet hats, but her modern flair clashes with the old-world pragmatism of Mrs. Haufbrau, her father's immutable staff member, who regards such luxuries as frivolous amid the economic despair. As Melody's inventory languishes, her initial optimism is further dampened by the revelation of her family's debts.

Cox’s spin-off of her Henrietta and Inspector Howard series offers a cozy, intimate glimpse of Melody's trials amidst economic woes, rendering a historical fiction that does not overwhelm with a broad geopolitical plot. Desperate to fix her family’s financial woes, inspiration strikes when Melody learns of her father’s prohibition-era moonshine business. Warned by Cal, the surly but handsome butcher at the Merc, she pivots to his suggestion of selling cider, hoping for a lucrative turnaround. The arrival of lodgers Frank and Julius, restorationists bent on preserving traditional craftsmanship, adds to the intrigue.

The novel shines in its palpable sense of place—from the spirited Harvest Fest to badger holes, old zinc mines, and quaint Cornish cottages. Cox favors small-town charm exploration, infused with humor and romance, with Melody's matchmaking schemes that soon become dramatic, her hanging engagement with her old beau, and her complicated moments with Cal. Melody's strong character development, humorous interludes, and the underlying themes of dreams versus familial obligations, tradition versus modernity, and community spirit compensate for the repetitive minutiae of daily store operations that occasionally drag the narrative. Though the ending is neatly tied, it hangs with a surprising romantic twist, leaving readers of lighthearted historical fiction eager for the next installment.

Takeaway:Small-town saga of matchmaking and family business during the Great Depression.

Comparable Titles: Helen Simonson's Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, Gabrielle Zevin's The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A-

Click here for more about Matched in Merriweather

Danbury’s third in his Phoenix series picks up on the events from X, as the Martinsen family recovers from the kidnapping—and trafficking attempt—of their seven-year-old daughter, Rose, over a year ago. With all their energy dedicated to Rose’s emotional rehabilitation, parents Curt and Phoenix are cautiously optimistic and relieved to have their family reunited, ready for a much-deserved family break over the upcoming Easter holiday. But their plans are abruptly disrupted when Curt disappears after a post-work drink with his colleagues, throwing the family into chaos as Phoenix must balance the search for her husband while tending to her still-fragile daughter.

A tale of immense resilience, this novel offers a look at the lengths people will go to protect their loved ones—and how seemingly minor decisions can dramatically alter lives. When Tempest, a woman driven by childhood trauma and mental illness, drugs Curtis at a local bar and kidnaps him, Danbury reveals her motivations in chilling snapshots that hint at twisted logic and a desperate grab at revenge for her past abuse. The story unfolds from multiple perspectives, and Tempest emerges from those as an exceedingly dangerous, broken human—a skilled killer with a photographic memory and untreated personality disorder. Readers will find themselves teetering between hatred and sympathy for her.

Danbury delivers a crisp timeline here—the story’s events take place over merely one week’s time period, moving from warm Arizona homes to imposing mountain ranges—and the pace is electric, keeping readers guessing with a simple but powerful narrative style that builds dramatic tension without embellishment. Added to that is the novel’s nuanced view of mental illness, making this high-impact story truly compelling. So Much Forever can function as a standalone, but its charged suspense will undoubtedly compel new readers to return for the rest of the series.

Takeaway: Tense thriller that contemplates mental illness, family, and resilience.

Comparable Titles: Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen’s The Wife Between Us, Gillian Flynn’s Dark Places.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about SO MUCH FOREVER

Hyde’s sophomore collection is a moonlit homage to the wonders of Minnesota that investigates the region’s mythos, moods, and storied places using some traditional forms, like the ballad, and diction that hearkens back to Blake and Wordsworth (from “Goose Capital”: “Once honked upon, one wishes // to harvest the honk. My passions // played in the firmament’s fairyland.”) but with contemporary subject matter. These include state highways, a Dinkytown used book store, and the state’s beloved roadside attractions, like “Big Tom, the world’s largest // turkey statue,” in whose size and story Hyde finds much broader resonance. Fable-like and anecdotal prose poems also feature in Hyde’s collection, particularly in “Part IV: Family and Faith,” which features poems, like “Bible Understudy (Luke 23: 42-43)” that grapple with the complexities of speech and silence within the Lutheran faith.

The structure of Hyde’s collection is a series of landscapes at times physical and elsewhere metaphysical, spiritual, psychological, and mythological, often overlapping and in relationship to one another. “Maps sketch a wish, a fancy, a hope, // to corral all the space you can rope,” Hyde writes in “Minnesota Maps,” effectively transforming cartography into myth that serves the mission of private property. Meanwhile, in “Part III: Inner Outposts,” poems like “Brain River” and “Guard Dog,” illustrate the speaker’s cerebral geography: “it vandalized my frontal lobe, // inciting Matters Gray. // With narcissism’s harpsichord, // the beast began to play.”

Like maps, poetry also offers a tangible connection between the self and nature, and Hyde’s poems seek to chart that bridge or boundary, like the epic “Into the Woods”, wherein the forest encroaches on the speaker’s home and transports him “in Time” to “erstwhile Minnesota”. There, the speaker realizes “the woods pose in randomness. // So do the machinations of men. // I fancy God placed the trees in forests as a model to guide // the conduct of Man’s social order.” Abundant with tall tales, rich insights, and surprising metaphors, Hyde’s collection is a deeply felt consideration of Minnesota landscapes, places, and ways of being and believing.

Takeaway: Poetic tribute to Minnesota, rich in imagery and philosophical searching.

Comparable Titles: Campbell McGrath; Jane Hufford Downes’s Birds of the Midwest.

Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about MINNESOTA POEMS from the OUTPOSTS

This emotive, to-the-point debut finds a young poet exploring verse as urgent artistic outlet, a method to “try to paint things so they can see what going on with me”. In direct, pointedly vernacular language— “And Your mind might be disturbed like Van Gogh // But in reality, you are a starry night that will brighten up anyone night”—Harris works through relatable concerns. A lack of polish is balanced by emotional urgency, a sense of play, and how the act of writing itself becomes an act of seizing control over one’s heart and life. “There were some nights I laughed // There were some nights I wanted to give up,” he writes, of composing these verses. The result is uplifting and alive with playful insight, into the self and the world it inhabits.

It’s little wonder, then, that after sharing raw considerations of love that didn’t work out, of wishing his mother were around, of picking “my friends like I pick my fruits // so I won’t be like Eve picking fruits from the forbidden tree” Harris closes with a direct invitation to readers. “Tag, You're it. // It's your turn to start writing & I can't wait to read what you put out.” Some poems document the poet’s determination to live well (“Had to remove these negative thoughts from my head like lice”); others directly encourage readers. “Please realize your beautiful brown skin is rich and nourishing just like soil meaning you can grow into anything you want to be,” he writes in the tender, resonant “Dear little brown boys.”

As those quoted lines suggest, sometimes, especially when the poet has worked up to a big point or moment of catharsis, meter and rhythm slip away. That diminishes the verses’ power, on the page, though such passages might have significantly more punch read aloud. Even without professional polish, poems like the clever-yet-piercing “unsent love letter” capture emotional truths with power.

Takeaway: A young poet’s raw but upbeat dive into what usually stays unspoken.

Comparable Titles: Ben Esqueda’s Feeling This Way, Morgan Richard Olivier’s The Tears That Taught Me.

Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: B
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B-
Marketing copy: A-

Click here for more about Unspoken words from a loud mouth

Hopeful and tender, intimate yet sweeping, this impassioned novel from Wilson offers family drama, spiritual mystery, some toothy media and religious satire, and a father’s touching concern for his suddenly famous daughter. An uplifting message shines through the narrative, even as the story touches on gang violence, fraudulent preachers, and the madness of American crowds. Wilson has written a call for love and grace. But for all its heady concerns and no-fooling miracles, One Shining Soul is blessedly down-to-Earth in its scenes, characterization, and understanding of life.

That’s a rarity in fiction that dares to imagine divinity walking among us today. Wilson’s story comes from the perspective of a father whose daughter, Olisa, was born in a motel during the Los Angeles riots of 1992, and demonstrates miraculous abilities throughout her childhood, from saving the lives of pets to seeming to communicate with voices from beyond our realm. When she returns home to Venice Beach after serving in the Peace Corps, Olisa, through some power inside her, publicly heals a gang leader who had been fatally stabbed. Soon, reporters are after her, supplicants are beseeching her, and Joe, her restauranter father, discusses with the family what to do next. Joe’s uncomfortable with the consensus: Olisa will go public, with PR reps and a splashy concert spearheaded by her brother Noel, a record industry wunderkind.

That’s a grabber of a hook, and Wilson writes strong, long, compelling scenes with crisp, convincing dialogue and an interest in the many moral and cultural angles of a Black woman as a holy savior in contemporary America. No surprise that she’s soon targeted by megachurch televangelists and other hateful types, though Wilson brings fresh wit and energy to these encounters. Holding to Joe’s perspective means readers don’t get much understanding of Olisa’s inner life, but through her Wilson forcefully advances the conviction that “living a life guided by love and compassion is the way to uncomplicate our existence.”

Takeaway: Warm, ambitious novel of a divine healer born in L.A. and sharing her love.

Comparable Titles: Gayl Jones’s The Healing, Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B+

Click here for more about One Shining Soul

The fourth installment in Dewhurst’s Rugged Cross Ranch series, after Laura’s Redemption, centers on Heidi Müller, left shaken after an attack from a scorned suitor, as she seeks to restore her sense of purpose and faith. She’s aided on her road to recovery by her loving family and Jacob Collins, her new, idealistic neighbor with strong Christian beliefs. The story grapples with love, faith, families, trauma, and healing, as Heidi draws from Jacob’s resolve only to discover he needs her comfort just as much when a devastating accident changes his life forever.

Dewhurst shines in her descriptions of Heidi’s relationships with her overprotective but loving parents, Johann and Ingrid, who understand her anguish and encourage her to express herself through art—and to lean on her faith while she heals. Johann is wary of Jacob’s growing feelings for Heidi, but Jacob, along with his own close-knit family, eventually proves himself trustworthy with a wealth of patience and kindness. Those values—Christian faith and a deep, abiding commitment to family—form the foundation of this redemptive story.

The couple’s journey starts strong, but, as in all good romances, it has its fair share of trials they must overcome together—especially when Jacob loses his hand in an accident with a mechanical reaper, challenging his faith and miring him in self-loathing. As he lashes out at his family and attempts to abandon Heidi from his own fears of rejection, his brother, Luke, gently encourages him with wise words: “Focus on all the other blessings in your life and choose to be thankful for them,” he advises. Their journey is painful for all involved, but they persevere, earning lasting devotion on the other side. Heidi’s gift to Jacob—her own painting of birch trees—symbolizes their hope and rebirth, as do her uplifting words that “after the winters of life, spring will come—and spring will be glorious.”

Takeaway: Love, faith, and creativity aid a young woman’s healing after trauma.

Comparable Titles: Valerie M. Bodden’s Pieces of Forever, Francine Rivers’s Redeeming Love.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Heidi's Faith

Religion is a crime, described as a “virus” that must be eradicated, in Shorr’s well-drawn debut novel, set in a near future where the New Dominion rules the land—and 70 million are dead from their devastating war. The former region of New York is reduced to a wasteland of sand dunes, while the New Dominion’s leader—a senator destined to be president—bombs warehouses hiding books and hunts down religious leaders. Near the top of his list is Rabbi Moshe and his small group of Jewish refugees, as they desperately wait for their contact to deliver a map to guide them to the coast—and across the ocean to religious freedom.

Shorr masterfully builds a buzzing tension as Moshe and co. navigate a world where their beliefs—and very identities—are discarded as “invasive cultural artifact[s].” When their map finally surfaces, but in the hands of fugitive Abe Katz instead of their expected collaborator, Moshe must decide if he can trust this newcomer—a man secretly raised as a Jew but who worked for the senator in the past, before he was imprisoned for “harboring a discordant ideology.” Shorr shapes that dark cloud of mistrust throughout the novel, as neighbors turn against neighbors while the new government watches with satisfaction.

As Moshe, Abe, and the others travel east with the senator on their heels, Moshe, the keeper of the ark—a digital compendium of Judaic knowledge that stores the Torah, the Prophets, and the Talmud—feels the weight of what’s been lost. He commiserates, “I am the only one who remembers our ways. Sometimes, it feels as though I am the only one who cares to remember.” Dark yet hopeful, this is a solemn celebration of finding strength through knowledge and teaching—and an understated testament to faith and sacrifice, a reminder to never “forget who you are.”

Takeaway: Heartfelt celebration of knowledge and religious faith to overcome repression.

Comparable Titles: Walter M. Miller Jr.’s A Canticle for Leibowitz, Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

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In this irresistible, frighteningly plausible spy thriller, the first of a trilogy, debut novelist Macy takes readers back to 2018 and the Trump presidency with Elda Ainsworth, a Navy veteran, Cold War-era American spy in semi-retirement in Maine. At the request of top CIA operatives, Elda is racing to get her longtime translator friend, Korinna, out of Russia before Putin has her assassinated for translating discussions involving the president of the United States, including U.S. election interference. “The consequences of that information getting out will topple the American president and weaken Russia,” muses a longtime Russian spy named Toshchiy “Tosh” Chelovek and Elda’s adversary of many years. Plucky Elda is up for the extraction attempt, but her wife Dawn is less than happy about it.

What happens next is a fast-paced rollercoaster ride, as Elda lands in Moscow and deftly dodges numerous assassination attempts (many committed by Tosh’s favorite Russian assassin, Anatoly Petrov) in her quest to rescue Korinna, her musician husband Egor, and their two small Troodle dogs, Dasha and Sasha. As Korinna and Elda stay one step ahead of those who wish them dead, they head from Moscow to St. Petersburg to Germany to the Netherlands, among other locations—with means of transport including container ships, U.S. Navy ships, luxury railroads and even Jet Skis. Disguises are abundant, and Macy skillfully deploys these and other fun elements of spycraft in surprising ways readers will relish.

Macy mines her own past for Elda’s striking authenticity—she is a former officer in the US Navy and a mathematics teacher; the latter is Elda’s cover story in Russia. Macy’s story is impeccably plotted and touchingly humane, with characters both good and bad. Readers will undoubtedly want to off Elda’s drug-addicted half-brother, a supporting character with a very high and unjustified view of himself, but they will bond with Elda’s CIA boss. This smart, high-paced tale will delight fans of high-stakes thrillers.

Takeaway: Pulse-pounding espionage with a strong heroine and emotional resonance.

Comparable Titles: Lindsay Smith’s Sekret, T.A. Maclagan’s Alexandra Gastone series.

Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-

Click here for more about Moscow Nights Return

Hope’s cheery debut sees sparks fly in the blue skies above the Atlantic, when flight attendant Emerson Nichols encounters Jackson Riley, a gorgeous but sulky first-class passenger on her Christmas Eve flight to Paris. At 33, Emy is single and loves her life; her job affords her opportunities to see the world and soak in experiences she otherwise would never have, and, to top it off, her soon-to-be-married best friend—fellow flight attendant Chloe—is joining her for a memorable Christmas day in Paris. Emy’s plans take a turn when Jackson grumbles onto the scene, and their instant attraction makes for an interesting flight—especially when Chloe secretly slips Emy’s phone number Jackson’s way.

Hope’s buoyant style is just right for this happily-ever-after tale. The characters are appealing and relatable, genuinely connecting with each other in ways that will resonate with readers. Emy and Chloe are great friends, bolstered by a crew that looks out for each other, and both Emy and Jackson are content with their lives, albeit a trifle lonely, as everyone around them seems to be settling down. Emy recognizes the privileges that come with being single and an international traveler, though she confesses the lifestyle can be isolating, a perfect setup for her intriguing meet-cute in the skies.

Emy and Jackson’s electric chemistry is palpable—and their blues, when separated by circumstances outside their control, ring true. Thanks to their family members, and a few lucky breaks, the two reunite in a satisfying, steamy scene that genre fans will savor, and Hope aptly describes their stolen moments together in Paris without veering into touristy fare, focusing instead on the couple’s growth as the city swirls around their whirlwind romance. The spotlight stays on upbeat, carefree romance throughout, making this once-in-a-lifetime chance at love a breezy treat.

Takeaway: Chance encounters lead to perfect love in this breezy romance.

Comparable Titles: Max Monroe’s Wildcat, Lacie Waldon’s The Layover.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

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This lively children’s debut by Bryant finds Santa in a dreadful fix when a harried new elf mixes up his calendar—and schedules him for his annual fly-by in October instead of Christmas Eve. That festive faux paus lands Santa in the charming town of Holidayville just as their annual Fall Festival kicks off, plunking him into pumpkin carvings, costumes, and loads of sweet treats. Santa, dubious of his surroundings and thrown off by the absence of twinkling lights and Christmas carolers, tries to reorient himself but is quickly discovered by a pair of charming young girls, Rihanna and Harlem, who are, of course, delighted to discover the jolly old elf grumbling to himself on a side street.

Bryant has a good handle on what makes holidays special, and her upbeat tale overflows with cheer. Rihanna and Harlem, best friends who relish the playful atmosphere of Holidayville’s Fall Festival, are the perfect guides for Santa: they immediately whisk him away to the town’s celebrations, reassuring him that he’ll fit right in, given that the whole place is decked out in costume, and enthusiastically coerce him to trick or treat, bob for apples, and even share a spooky story or two. Santa can’t stay for long, but he does give them a night they’ll never forget—and discovers his own “peace and joy” in the process.

Sandra Figueras’s bright, cozy illustrations bring to mind the glorious sights and smells of the holiday season, and readers will appreciate the book’s diverse characters—alongside Rihanna and Harlem’s exuberance for all things fall, from their coordinated mermaid gowns to their appreciation for Santa’s special treats from his toy sack. Luckily, Santa’s schedule snafu doesn’t hold up Christmas, and he returns to Holidayville right on time—and with heartwarming notes for both girls, reminding them that “the most magical moments happen when you least expect them.”

Takeaway: Schedule snafu lands Santa in the middle of a fall festival.

Comparable Titles: Will Hillenbrand’s Santa’s Story, Kevin Maher’s Santa Doesn’t Need Your Help.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

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