The Rainy Day Bookshop

A warmhearted multigenerational romance centered on a grief-stricken mother and daughter juggling family demands, love interests, and a local bookshop. 

Four generations of woman reside at the center of The Rainy Day Bookshop by RaeAnne Thayne, a moving multigenerational romance about how the past can influence the future.

 

Widowed Rosie Lucas has her hands full. Her 72-year-old mother, Sylvia--who established and maintained The Rainy Day Bookshop in the small town of Wood Briar on the Oregon coast--is slow to convalesce from an ice-skating accident. And her estranged daughter, Emma, returns to town with Olivia, her three-old-old, Rosie’s granddaughter, in tow. The timing seems providential, as Emma can now help out at the store. However, Emma’s return forces Rosie and Emma to deal with a secret that drove a wedge between their relationship years before. In the midst of them revisiting the past, a quirky, loner writer and single dad becomes a loyal confidante for Rosie, and Emma crosses paths with an old flame from middle school.  Can the two women, riddled with grief, reconcile their mother-daughter relationship? And are they willing to open their hearts to romance again? 

 

Small town life and the complexities of women’s issues are Thayne’s (Snow Kissed, The Lost Book of First Loves) specialties—and they shine in this tender-hearted novel of family dynamics and blossoming love.

 

The Rainy Day Bookshop by RaeAnne Thayne

MIRA Books (HarperCollins), $29.00 hardcover, paperback, 9780778307433, 384 pages

Publishing Date: June 2, 2026

To order this book on Bookshop.org, link HERE

 

Learn more about RaeAnne Thayne HERE

 

Love on the Shelf

 

A fast-paced rom-com that offers a thought-provoking cultural commentary on love—most notably, the virtues of romance novels.

With 60 books under her belt, Sheila Roberts (The Man Next Door) once again tackles the genre she knows best--romantic comedy. Love on the Shelf is a wry send-up that cleverly pits a hopefully romantic bookseller against a jaded, romance-averse, radio shock-jock.

Shy, single, bookish Alice Willoughby believes in love and happy endings. She and her mother own and operate HEA Books, a fun, “haven and happy place” bookstore in Seattle, Washington. Since Alice graduated college and became a local merchant, she has taken pride in promoting romance titles--even successfully serving as a ‘book matchmaker’ for readers hungry to find the perfect literary love story escapes.

Enter Parker Black, who is bitter from a soured, broken relationship with a romance writer who later poison-penned their story, casting him as a villain. Parker uses his popular radio platform and machismo to take-down all things romance—including ‘evil’ romance novels. His outspokenness ultimately stirs up trouble for Alice and HEA until an on-air debate sends sparks flying between the two that not only incite a public protest about the nature of love and happy endings but suddenly shifts the perspectives of the two disparate souls.

Nobody does the charm of witty romance better than Sheila Roberts!  Love on the Shelf is a thought-provoking cultural commentary on the romance book industry, offering well-defined characters in whom readers will root to fall in love.

The Man Next Door by Sheila Roberts

MIRA Books (HarperCollins, Harlequin), 18.99 paperback, 9780778305828, 336 pages

Publishing Date: May 26,2026

To order this book on Bookshop.org, link HERE

Learn more about Sheila Roberts HERE

Your Promise

A spellbinding novel about a writer who breaks a promise and faces the implications of penning the story of a shattered romantic relationship.

Your Promise, an exciting new novel by award-winning French writer, Camille Laurens, packs one helluva punch! This riveting psychological thriller examines self-awareness when played out amidst the memory of a shattered, long-term romantic relationship. 

The story launches with 50-year-old, Claire Lancel, who writes the story of an old love, Gilles Fabian—this despite her once making a promise to never to share details about him, his domineering, narcissist proclivities, and/or their relationship. 

Readers know right from the start that the story of Claire and Gilles will not end well, but that is precisely the hook.  Claire conveys her story from prison. Why is she incarcerated? What did she do? 

These questions drive a masterfully constructed narrative rooted in a legal court case that slowly divvies out details about the lovers. This includes witness testimonies that trace--and often contradict--the story of an idyllic and seductive relationship, where emotion and passion turn to pain, and “love” succumbs to terminal insidiousness. Claire ultimately becomes a victim of control that forces her to grapple with hard truths about who she was and who she is; her choices and mistakes; and the meaning of her now reduced life. 

Laurens (In His Arms, Girl) renders her story with spellbinding suspense. She sets up a broad canvas then gradually zooms in closer and closer on stark details that ultimately trap and ensnare her characters--and surprise readers.

Your Promise by Camille Laurens (Translated from the French by Adriana Hunter)

Other Press, Paperback $18.99, 978163545734, 400 pages

Publication Date: May 12, 2026

To order this novel on Bookshop.org, link HERE

 

Learn more about Camille Laurens and her work HERE

 

Summer State of Mind

A heartfelt Southern romance, infused with an air of mystery, that begs the questions: “Who are we?” and “Where do we belong?”

Kristy Woodson Harvey returns readers to the coziness of small-town Southern charm in Summer State of Mind, a simmering, heartfelt story that gently explores family dynamics and the challenges of new beginnings.

 

The story starts when Daisy Stevens of Charlotte, North Carolina--a single, deeply dedicated, yet burned out nurse--decides she needs a change. After working for ten years as a Neo-Natal Intensive Unit (NICU) nurse in a Charlotte, North Carolina hospital, she packs up and takes what she believes will be a “simpler” job in Cape Carolina, a “sleepy seaside town” she had idealized since she was a child.

 

On Daisy’s first day on the job, a baby is found--cast off in a garbage dumpster--and is brought to the hospital by Mason Thaysden, the high school baseball coach. Mason was once a Major League prospect whose dreams were sidelined by an injury that forced him to stay put in his own hometown.

 

The abandoned newborn becomes the talk-of-the-town and forges a bond between Daisy and Mason. As the couples’ affection and love deepens, they are both forced to examine their hearts, hopes, and dreams. Along the way, Mason’s quirky Aunt Tilley also plays a part in reconciling her own mysterious past—a past that has the power to send ripples through the community. 

 

Readers have come to relish and take comfort in Woodson Harvey's (Beach House Rules) firm grasp on the perks--and drawbacks--of small-town living, the deep-seated complexities of love, and how “family” can often be defined beyond a mere bloodline.

 

Summer State of Mind by Kristy Woodson Harvey

Gallery Books (Simon and Schuster), Hardcover $29.00, 9781668074886, 384 pages

Publication Date: May 5, 2026

To order this book via Bookshop.org, link HERE

 

Learn more about author Kristy Woodson Harvey HERE

 

A Founding Mother

A fascinating novel of Historical Fiction--most apropos for America's 250th Anniversary--that traces the life and influence of Abigail Adams. 

A Founding Mother, written by author duo Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie, is a precisely researched and beautifully presented novel of historical fiction that details the astounding life and wide-ranging influence of Abigail Adams.

Abigail is largely known as the wife of John Adams, a man who rose from being a country lawyer to signing the Declaration of Independence and going on to become the second President of the United States. Abigail was also mother to six children—son John Quincy Adams would become the sixth U.S. President.

However, Abigail’s domestic life--her 'holding the fort' while her husband worked tirelessly to advance independence and forge equality in the country--is only one part of her story. And Dray and Kamoie present a fair and honest, well-rounded fictional portrait of a strong, determined woman--a woman of great charm, intellect and resourcefulness--and how she helped to shape the United States of America and its politics.

Rendered in intimate prose as narrated by Abigail herself, readers are treated to Abigail’s thought processes in her own voice:  In 1814, on the precipice of entering her 70s, she looks back on her life: “Fathers might wield the ploughs that till the fields of our future, but mothers provide the water, pull the weeds, and nurture the buds. Because men oversee the harvest, they take the credit for the crop. But without mothers, not one sprout would grow—whether the fruit be a child or a nation.”

A journal-like, episodic chronology traverses Abigail’s life from 1776 to 1817, where Abigail shares the many joys and struggles of domesticity she faces in the background of revolution. There are stories of raising her family; confronting illnesses and loss; she and John’s many separations and their often-intellectual repartee. Abigail is also forced to defend her home, her life and the lives of her children, while protecting and building her family’s nest egg. As the years unfurl and the country becomes liberated, Abigail’s astute intellect and hard-fought and hard-won wisdom eventually impact world leaders and politics.

There have been countless books dedicated to Abigail Adams—her life and her influence. However, what sets A Founding Mother apart is how Dray and Kamoie (America’s First Daughter, My Dear Hamilton) intently aim their focus on Abigail’s role as an early feminist (before the term “feminist” ever existed) and the influence of her fervent advocacy for women’s rights and equality.

A Founding Mother by Stephanie Dray and Laurie Kaomie

William Morrow (HarperCollins), Paperback $19.99, 9780063234765, 464 pages

Publication Date: May 5, 2026

To order this novel on Bookshop.org, link HERE

 

To learn more about A FOUNDING MOTHER, link HERE

Emergency Pizza Ordering 911

A very funny, behind-the-scenes tell-all guidebook about fast-food pizzeria culture.

Top social media influencers like Vito Iacopelli (pizza dough expert) and Dave Portnoy (“One-Bite Pizza Reviews”) have made the popular culinary dominance of pizza reign supreme. And first-time author Tricia Wood can be added to the list as a “Literary Pizza Influencer,” as her book Emergency Pizza Ordering 911 offers a wholly unique take on fast-food-service aspects of this once humble, now ubiquitous Neapolitan delicacy whose fatty, flavorful versatility can trigger brain cravings.

 

With laser-focus and razor-sharp wit, Wood, a self-proclaimed “perfectionist” pizzamaker, shares her 20+ years of experience working in the often “bizarre and unpredictable,” fast-paced trenches of Papa’s Pizza in North Philadelphia: “My work life has become a battle between my desire to please my customers and my need to maintain order and sanity in the kitchen.”  Not an easy task!

 

In lively, easy-to-read prose, Wood shares stories of the chaos and comedy of often-demanding (incessantly eccentric) customers. This includes geometric dilemmas of multi-ingredient-topped pizza pies and how some “spout off their orders like they are reciting Shakespeare and expect us to catch every word.” Wood details “outrageous” culinary requests from intricate substitutions, convoluted plate-sharing, and ordering items like loaded French fries topped with pineapple and pepperoni? And why does silverware often go missing?

 

There are also sections on the “proper” way to place orders and register complaints; the etiquette of tipping; and frustrations with delivery situations—navigating dark, obstacle-course-like, snowed-in driveways; battling overly zealous pets; and price-hikers like GrubHub and DoorDash (“These guys are like the annoying cousins who show up at every family gathering and somehow manage to eat all the food without bringing anything to the table”) as they rake in a 30% profit from restaurants.

Wood--a hard-working, dedicated, unsung hero--demonstrates the joys, challenges, and absurdities of fast-food service culture that caters to customers, some of whom have “zero appreciation for the unique and honorable art of pizza making.” However, Wood’s entertaining, comprehensive insider’s literary guide is truly enlightening—and should be required reading for anyone who avails themselves of (or works within) the food service industry. 

“Emergency Pizza Ordering 911”: Ordering Pizza Without Annoying Us by Tricia Wood

Independently published, $10.99 paperback, 9798330608508 / 9798300952501, 78 pages

Publication Date: November 22, 2024

To order this book on Bookshop.org, link HERE

Learn more about author (and pizza maker) Tricia Wood, link HERE

Portrait of an Unknown Woman

A stunning fictionalized portrait--the story-behind-the-story--of an iconic painting crafted by famed Austrian artist, Gustav Klimt.

Parisian-born author Camille de Peretti takes readers on a labyrinthine fictional journey that explores the alluring, unnamed woman behind a mysterious portrait painted by Austrian visual artist Gustav Klimt.

 

Portrait of an Unknown Woman commences with actual facts about the painting and its origins. The author explains how it was always believed that Klimt painted two images of the same woman: “Damsel” (1910) and “Portrait of a Lady” (1917). In 1996, however, it was discovered by an art student that the two paintings were actually “one and the same.”  For some reason, Klimt altered (painted over) the original painting. Soon after this discovery, the two-in-one painting was stolen on February 22, 1997 and wasn’t found again until 2019, when a gardener at the famed Ricci Oddi Art Gallery in Piacenza, Italy found it perfectly preserved--wrapped in a garbage bag and stashed behind some overgrown ivy.

 

Who was the woman behind the mystery of this sought-after portrait? Why did Klimt paint her twice? And why might the painting have gone missing? These questions drive de Peretti’s passionate imagination as she unfurls a riveting novel about the mysterious woman, Klimt’s model and muse, whose turbulent life mirrors that of the iconic long-lost painting. Readers--those with a penchant for history and art dramas--will be beguiled by a truth-melded-with-fiction-epic that crosses continents from 1900s Vienna to New York City during the Great Depression, all the way to modern-day Italy. de Peretti’s well-conceived, beautifully rendered narrative is anchored in well-researched and documented facts as she creates a stunning, lyrical portrait about family loyalty, secrets and betrayals, and star-crossed love.

 

Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Camille de Peretti (Translated from the French by Hildegarde Serle)

Europa Editions, paperback $19.00, 9798889661788, 256 pages

Publication Date: April 14, 2026

To order this novel on Bookshop.org, link HERE

Learn more about Camille de Peretti HERE

Meet Me in Italy

A heartfelt romcom about a novelist facing a broken marriage and writer’s block who puts the pieces of her life back together via a trip to Italy.

With the release of Meet Me in Italy, prolific author Brenda Novak treats readers to another deeply engaging, multi-layered romance that starts in California and ultimately unspools amidst the rugged Amalfi Coast of Italy.

The story launches at the nadir of Charlotte Williams-Jackson’s life. The life of this 20-something, California-based novelist is upended when her NBA-player husband abruptly walks away from their marriage of four years--he just doesn’t “want to be married anymore.” Unmoored and disoriented by the split, Charlotte moves back in with her parents.

With her life in an emotional tailspin, Charlotte succumbs to a severe depression that solidifies into writer’s block. As she struggles to meet a deadline to finish her second novel, Charlotte reconnects with local, old friends, Sloane and her twin brother, Julian—both of whom are also facing personal life crises.

When Charlotte receives a letter informing her that she was adopted and has an orphaned, 12-year-old half-sister who lives in Italy, the torpor of her life suddenly shifts. She, along with Sloane and Julian set off on an Italian adventure that enlightens Charlotte to the truth of who she really is and what she really wants out of life.

A strong premise, a well-drawn cast of characters, and a passionate, colorful Italian backdrop make for an exciting literary journey. Novak (The Summer That Changed Everything) nicely entwines many meaningful story threads that weave together to form a powerfully heartfelt, happily-ever-after.

 

Meet Me in Italy by Brenda Novak

MIRA (HarperCollins), $18.99 Paperback, 9780778305811, 400 pages

Publication Date: April 7, 2026

To order this book on Bookshop.org, link HERE

Learn more about author Brenda Novak HERE

The Sisters of Book Row

A compelling, well-researched novel of historical fiction set in a 1915 Manhattan bookstore run by three smart, fiercely independent sisters.

As she did in her novels The Colony Club and The Tiffany Girls, Shelley Noble once again probes provocative feminist themes in The Sisters of Book Row. This authentically rendered novel of historical fiction explores one family’s ardent passion for books and literature—and the quest for women’s rights.

In 1915, a conglomerate of independent bookstores once filled Fourth Avenue in Manhattan. This included Arcadia Rare Bookshop—a vigorous shop run by the three Applebaum sisters who each bring unique personal gifts to the family business. The sisters, all smart and independent, share a complicated bond. And they each have personal secrets embedded in their hearts. The oldest and most intellectual, Olivia, works behind the scenes as an antiquarian specialist. Daphne, the outgoing middle sister, runs the front end of the shop. And Celia, the youngest, pulls up the slack doing whatever’s required, while also working underground with a group that covertly promotes “women’s health” issues via Margaret Sanger, the foundress of Planned Parenthood. At a time in history when society policed and raided “extremist views,” Celia starts to hide leaflets and pamphlets tied to women's rights in books and other literary ephemera. Her actions soon pose a risk for the family business that also jeopardizes other neighboring bookstores, as well.

 

Noble has crafted a compelling character-driven story that may be set in the early 20^th Century, but the underlying themes explored will resonate deeply with readers today.

The Sisters of Book Row by Shelley Noble

William Morrow (Harper Collins), $18.00 paperback, 9780063423916, 384 pages

Publication Date: March 3, 2026

To order this book on Bookshop.org, link HERE

 

Learn more about Shelley Noble HERE

The Optimists

A witty, poignant novel about a stand-out 8^th Grade English teacher who traces the ascendency of a notably gifted student and how his life affected hers--and vice versa. 

Teachers--and the gifts they bring to their students and vice versa--reside at the center of The Optimists. This eccentric, character-driven story is written by Brian Platzer (Bed-Stye is Burning; The Body Politic), who based his protagonist on a real-life teacher and mentor who changed his own life. 

Rod Keating was once a dedicated, creatively inventive, inspiring and joke-telling 8th grade English teacher at St. George Episcopal School in Lower Manhattan. Clever and perceptive--a real stand-out with the students--Mr. Keating always dreamed big. However, when he suddenly becomes infirm at the age of 70, he commits to writing a novel about his life—namely his teaching career and the impact of one very gifted (yet often troubled) student, Clara Hightower. Mr. Keating saw something special in Clara when they first met in the late 1980s. He watched her develop from a bright, conniving child, accelerate academically in high school, and witnessed her success in becoming a star of Silicon Valley, an animal rights activist, and finally, a terrorist. 

A staggered timeline and brisk pacing mark Platzer’s lively, stream-of-conscious-style narrative. A cast of well-drawn, off-beat supporting players deepen the tender wit, heart, and intimacy of this poignant, original story that probes the meaning of life and death and how ordinary people often connect in extraordinary ways.

The Optimists by Brian Platzer

Little, Brown and Company, $29.00 hardcover, 978-0316576956, 304 pages

Publication Date: February 24, 2016

To order this book on Bookshop.org, link HERE

 

Learn more about Brian Platzer HERE

 

First Love, Second Draft

With only about two months to go until the official OPENING DAY for Major League Baseball…this book is a great “season” appetizer, especially for reader-baseball fans… 

A wholesome, sweet love story about how a couple, divorced for five years, gets a second chance to fall in love all over again.

 

Becca Kinzer treats readers to a wholesome, sweet romance that brings together a couple divorced for five years in First Love, Second Draft.

 

Forty-two-year-old Gracie Parker of Alda, Illinois is a blocked romance writer. She’s also hobbling around, sidelined from a freak accident that injured her hip. She struggles to pay her medical bills and those of her ailing father. With Gracie in need of cash flow, her nephew slyly rents a refurbished cabin on her property to her ex-husband, Noah Parker, a 40-year-old, sidelined Major League pitcher for the Seattle Mariners plagued with issues of his own—including still carrying a romantic torch for Gracie.

 

Noah returns to town, offering to help Gracie convalesce in the hope he might also convince her to help him write his sports memoir. In reuniting, the couple begins to learn things they never knew about each other while also coming to terms with what drove them apart—Gracie was focused on a having a baby she couldn’t have and thus became resentful of Noah whose passions were with baseball. When Noah is asked to pitch for the World Series, the strides to rebuild the couple’s relationship are suddenly challenged and emotional wounds from the past once again resurface. 

 

With great tenderness, Kinzer (Dear Henry, Love Edith; Love in Tandem) delivers enough literary curve balls and changeups to keep readers fully invested in a hopeful story aimed on the prospect of new beginnings in life and in love.

 

First Love, Second Draft by Becca Kinzer

Tyndale Fiction, $17.99 paperback, 9781496489029, 320 pages

Publication Date: April 15, 2024

To order this book on Bookshop.org, link HERE

 

Learn more about author Becca Kinzer HERE

 

A Ferry Merry Christmas

 

A broken-down ferry stuck in Puget Sound (Washington State), brings unexpected Christmas joy and blessings to a group of strangers.

Debbie Macomber’s wholesome, holiday-themed fiction has become “literary comfort food” for legions of her faithful readers. In A Ferry Merry Christmas, she again warms hearts and souls with a feel-good story of how lives interconnect in unexpected ways.

 

Set two days before Christmas, the story features an ensemble cast of strangers who set off via ferry from Bremerton to Seattle, Washington. When the ferry breaks down and the part needed to get it back up and running is delayed, the inconvenience challenges passengers whose holiday plans are suddenly disrupted. This includes a father-to-be whose pregnant wife is on the brink of giving birth; a sister on her way to share Christmas with her brother, as the two will celebrate their first holiday without their beloved grandmother; a twin enroute to finally make up with her long-estranged other half; a handsome sailor on leave from the Navy; and a mother with a young daughter who wants a special Christmas wish to come true.

 

With the ferry stuck in Puget Sound, the journeys of every passenger on board—as well as for their loved ones awaiting them on land—veer off course. But when one passenger decides to crack open a gift tin of her delicious homemade cookies and shares them with the group, the emotional tides shift into holiday cheer.

 

Tender hope and good-natured providence bind up a host of story threads, as Macomber weaves a comforting tapestry that depicts how sometimes the best holiday gifts are the ones never expected or planned for.

 

A Ferry Merry Christmas by Debbie Macomber

Ballantine Books (Random House), $25.00 hardcover, 9780593974674, 272 pages

Publishing date: October 21, 2025

To order this book on Indiebound/Bookshop.org, link HERE

 

 

Learn more about Debbie Macomber HERE