Nicole VanAuken

Erika Cass has a perfect family and a perfect life. Until the evening when two detectives show up at her front door. A high school girl has vanished from Erika's quiet suburban neighborhood. The police suspect the worst - murder. And Erika's teenage son, Liam, was the last person to see the girl alive. Erika has always sensed something dark and disturbed in her seemingly perfect older child. She wants to believe he's innocent, but as the evidence mounts, she can't deny the truth - Liam may have done the unthinkable.

As a 42-year-old single father, the last thing I expected before Christmas was for my daughter to sign me up for a community matchmaking event. The Christmas Buddies program becomes a challenge I can't wait to overcome when I realize the man that has been assigned as my buddy for the holiday season is none other than Paxton Montgomery. He's massive, grumpy, incredibly gorgeous (in a lumberjack kinda way), and also—weirdly enough—the only person in town who doesn't like me.

All newly minted pediatrician Jamie Malek wants is to borrow a roasting pan for Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, that requires her to interact with Marc—her best friend’s troublemaking brother, who’s now a tech billionaire. He’s the one who got away. She’s the one who broke his heart. Outside, a howling blizzard. Inside, a crackling fire. Suddenly, being snowbound with the man she never expected to see again might not be such a bad way to spend a winter’s night.

I'd been waiting my whole life to run. When I uncovered hidden papers detailing my inheritance, I knew my time had come. I packed my trunk full of plant babies, black nail polish, and determination. With my demons in the rearview mirror and my trauma for company, I made my way to Elmwood. The remote Maine mountain town is home to my future, a potential love interest, and a lot of really weird, possibly deadly secrets.

Have you ever binge-read a new favorite series, only to end up with a book-hangover? Or finished a heart-stopping scene only to look around and not be able to talk to anyone about it? Maybe you’ve even felt embarrassed about what you’re reading because it isn’t considered a “classic” by people you know. Book Talk for BookTok with Jac and Amy is the go-to literary podcast to discuss your favorite novels with your newest book-besties. They use their literary backgrounds to analyze what makes these stories so special and why the writing resonates with readers. Join them in taking modern...