1. The Mayor of Casterbridge
A captivating story of love and regret from the author of Tess of the D’Urbervilles and The Return of the Native Young farm worker Michael Henchard arrives in Casterbridge, Wessex, with his wife and child, looking for a job.
Instead, he finds rum. At the town fair, Henchard quarrels with his wife and drunkenly auctions her and his daughter to the assembled crowd. He sells his family to a sailor for five guineas, a monstrous crime that marks him for a lifetime of guilt and pain.
The next morning, Henchard swears off drink. Eighteen years later, he is the wealthy—and sober—mayor of Casterbridge, his terrible secret buried deep in the past.
But when Henchard falls in love with a young woman on a trip to the island of Jersey, his inability to marry her threatens to destroy her reputation. The sudden return of his wife and daughter presents Henchard with a chance to finally make things right—or doom himself forever.
2. Mary Anne
A beautiful and ambitious woman rises through high society by using her charm and relationships for power and security, ultimately revealing the costs of her manipulative climb in a morally complex world.
“This novel catches fire.” —New York Times She set men’s hearts on fire and scandalized a country. An ambitious, stunning, and seductive young woman, Mary Anne finds the single most rewarding way to rise above her station: she will become the mistress to a royal duke.
In doing so, she provokes a scandal that rocks Regency England. A vivd portrait of sex, ambition, and corruption, Mary Anne is set during the Napoleonic Wars and based on Daphne du Maurier’s own great-great-grandmother.
3. Sting
A savvy businesswoman and an assassin struggle to outwit the FBI—and each other—in this this thrilling story of sizzling romance and shocking deception from #1 bestselling author, Sandra Brown.
“Sting is Sandra Brown running on all cylinders.” ―Fort Worth Star-Telegram
When Jordie Bennet and Shaw Kinnard lock eyes across a disreputable backwater bar, something sparks. Shaw is a man who gives off a dangerous vibe that makes other men stand back and women take notice. No one feels this more strongly than Jordie, a woman who doesn’t belong in a seedy dive on the banks of a bayou. But here she is … and Shaw Kinnard is here to kill her.
As Shaw takes aim, Jordie is certain her time has come. Instead, Shaw has other plans. He abducts Jordie, hoping to get his hands on the $30 million her brother has stolen. But he isn’t the only one: Jordie’s brother made a deal with the FBI, but his ruthless boss will stop at nothing to find the money first. Now on the run from the feds and a notorious criminal, Jordie and Shaw must rely on their wits to stay alive.
Miles away from civilization and surrounded by swampland, Jordie and Shaw play each other against their common enemies. Jordie’s only chance of survival is to outwit Shaw, but he suspects her from the start.
Was she in on her brother’s scam, or is she an innocent pawn in this deadly vendetta? And just how valuable is her life to Shaw, her remorseless and manipulative captor? Burning for answers—and for each other—this unlikely pair ultimately make a desperate move that could be their last.
With nonstop plot twists and the sizzling sexual tension that has made Sandra Brown one of the world’s most beloved authors, Sting will keep you on the edge of your seat until its final pages.
4. Ugly Love
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Regretting You, Verity, and It Ends with Us comes a hauntingly seductive tale of love, control, and the devastating secrets that can destroy it all.
When Tate Collins moves in with her brother, the last thing she expects is to collide with Miles Archer, a brooding pilot with an unrelenting grip on his past. Their attraction is electric, undeniable, and all-consuming—but Miles has rules.
No questions. No future. A no-strings arrangement seems simple at first, but a deep, shattering truth lurks just beneath the surface.
Tate soon realizes that Miles is not just guarded but fractured. Torn between desire and self-destruction, his pain bleeds into every part of their dynamic.
Miles’s past hides horrors that threaten to rip apart the fragile connection they’ve created, and Tate is forced to make a choice that will change both their lives forever.
With suspense simmering underneath every moment of passion, Ugly Love is a whirlwind of lust, heartbreak, and dark revelations that build to a stunning crescendo.
For those drawn to the raw tension and psychological complexities of Verity, this is a riveting story where emotions erupt, secrets fester, and love may not be enough to heal the deep scars etched into the past.
5. The Night We Met
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Say You’ll Remember Me comes a beautiful, compelling novel that revels in laughter, friendship, and the messy choices life can throw our way.
In everyone’s life, there’s a split-second decision that can change everything…
For Larissa, it came when choosing who to ride home with after a concert. That night, she had no idea she’d met the perfect man.
She and Chris are great friends, co-parenting a slightly unhinged rescue Yorkie, sharing their favorite books, and judging bread (pumpernickel for the win!). For the first time amid all her side hustles to scrape by, things finally feel easy.
But she didn’t choose Chris to drive her home all those months ago—she went with his best friend, and he became her boyfriend. All Chris wants is for Larissa to be happy.
Standing by on the sidelines is slowly killing him, but making a move would destroy someone else. How can something that feels so right be absolutely impossible?
