A Gentleman Fallen on Hard Times by Grace Burrowes

 

I am listening to this right now.

A man dwelling in darkness...
Lord Julian Caldicott has come home from the war in ragged health and with a reputation in tatters. All he wants is to recuperate in private without bringing any further scandal on the family’s good name. His godmother inveigles him into serving as her escort to a rural house party, whereupon circumstances conspire to prevent Julian from resuming his reclusive existence.

Must shine the light of truth on a dangerous deception.
Julian becomes the subject of rumors, lies, and whispers, and soon he’s faced with a choice: Wage one more battle for honor’s sake, or be branded a traitor to all that he holds dear. He will enlist unlikely allies, face old demons, and vex every other guest on the premises, but he will not stop until he’s brought a criminal to justice–or died trying.

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Amazon.com: A Gentleman Fallen on Hard Times: The Lord Julian Mysteries-Book One: 9781956975642: Burrowes, Grace: Books

I started writing as an antidote to empty nest and soon found it an antidote to life in general. I am the sixth out of seven children, and was raised in the rural surrounds of central Pennsylvania. Early in life I spent a lot of time reading romance novels and practicing the piano. My first career was as a technical writer and editor in the Washington, DC, area, a busy profession that nonetheless left enough time to read a lot of romance novels.

It also left enough time to grab a law degree through an evening program, produce Beloved Offspring (only one, but she is a lion), and eventually move to the lovely Maryland countryside.

While reading yet still more romance novels (there is a trend here) I opened a law practice, acquired a master's degree in Conflict Transformation (I had a teenage daughter by then) and started thinking about writing.... romance novels. This aim was realized when Beloved Offspring struck out into the Big World. ("Mom, why doesn't anybody tell you being a grown-up is hard?")

I eventually got up the courage to start pitching manuscripts to agents and editors. The query letter that resulted in "the call" started out: "I am the buffoon in the bar at the writer's retreat who could not keep her heroines straight, could not look you in the eye, and could not stop blushing--and if that doesn't narrow down the possibilities, your job is even harder than I thought." (The dear lady bought the book anyway.)

You can contact me though email at graceburrowes@yahoo.com or through my website at graceburrowes.

Preorder Summer State Of Mind by Kristy Woodson Harvey Releases May 5, 2026 A must read!

 After the worst day in her professional life, burnt-out NICU nurse Daisy Stevens runs to Cape Carolina, North Carolina, looking for a new life—and possibly new romance. On her first day at her “simpler” job, high school baseball coach Mason Thaysden discovers an abandoned baby, sending ripples through the entire tight-knit town of Cape Carolina.

Mason is still struggling to reconcile the scars of the injury that kept him out of the big leagues, stuck in his hometown, and searching for a way out. This newcomer and the child they’ve saved together might be just the motivation he needs to stay put. Sparks fly as Mason acquaints Daisy with Cape Carolina, introducing her to his friends and family, including his batty Aunt Tilley, who is looking for relief from long-buried family secrets and her own fresh start.

Preorder here...

Summer State of Mind: Woodson Harvey, Kristy: 9781668074886: Amazon.com: Books

Kristy Woodson Harvey is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of a dozen novels including Beach House Rules and The Peachtree Bluff Series. A Happier Life is in development for film with MGM/Amazon, The Summer of Songbirds is in development for television with Hulu, and many of her other projects are in various stages of option or development for film and television. Her work has received numerous accolades, including Good Morning America’s Buzz Pick, Southern Living’s Most Anticipated Reads, Katie Couric’s Featured Books, and Joanna Garcia Swisher’s The Happy Place Reads. Kristy is the winner of the Lucy Bramlette Patterson Award for Excellence in Creative Writing and a finalist for the Southern Book Prize.

A Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude graduate with Honors of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s school of journalism, her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including Southern Living, Parade, Traditional Home, USA Today, and many more. She also holds a master’s in English from East Carolina University, with a concentration in multicultural and transnational literature.

Kristy is the cocreator and cohost of the hit weekly web show and podcast Friends & Fiction with fellow New York Times Bestselling authors Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, and Patti Callahan Henry, which boasts more than three hundred thousand members. She is also the cofounder of the award-winning interiors site Design Chic, with her mom, Beth Woodson.

Twinkle of Doubt by Patricia Leavy

 Tess Lee is a wildly successful and world-famous novelist whose inspirational books explore our innermost struggles and the human need to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Jack Miller is a federal agent who has spent decades working in counterterrorism—a violent world that has left an inevitable residue on his psyche.

Two years into their marriage, as Tess and Jack both heal from past trauma, their epic love, fostered by their ability to truly see one another, has brought them profound happiness. When an anonymous threat is made against Tess’s life, however, everything changes. Will they learn to lean on each other, or will they fall apart into the darkness?

In Twinkle of Doubt, the second Celestial Bodies Romance, Tess, Jack, and their chosen family explore the nature of doubt and the struggle to feel worthy of love.

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Twinkle of Doubt: A Celestial Bodies Romance: Leavy, Patricia: 9798896361329: Amazon.com: Books

Patricia Leavy, PhD is a novelist, sociologist, and arts advocate (formerly Associate Professor of Sociology, Founding Director of Gender Studies and Chairperson of Sociology & Criminology at Stonehill College). She is widely considered the world's most visible proponent of arts-based research, which merges the arts and sciences. Patricia has published over 50 books, nonfiction and fiction, and her work has been translated into numerous languages. She has received over 100 book awards. She has also received career awards from the New England Sociological Association, the American Creativity Association, the American Educational Research Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, and the National Art Education Association. In 2016 Mogul, a global women’s empowerment network, named her an “Influencer.” In 2018, she was honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the State University of New York at New Paltz established the “Patricia Leavy Award for Art and Social Justice.” In 2024 the London Arts-Based Research Centre established "The Patricia Leavy Award for Arts-Based Research." In recent years, her passion has turned to penning romance novels. For more information, please visit her website.

A Whelk's Island Valentine by Nancy Naigle

 On Whelk’s Island, love doesn’t arrive with fireworks.

It shows up quietly, exactly when it’s needed most.

As Valentine’s Day settles over the coast, Rosemary believes romance doesn’t need fuss or spectacle. She’s long past candy hearts and grand gestures. Tug, steady and thoughtful, agrees—or so she thinks.

Between a cookie-baking class gifted by a dear friend, an old Valentine discovered at just the right moment, and a rainy island evening that refuses to go according to plan, they find themselves reminded that the truest kind of love isn’t about recreating the past—it’s about noticing the present.

Tender, warm, and filled with the small moments that mean everything, A Whelk’s Island Valentine is a heart-forward Valentine’s short story featuring Tug and Rosemary, beloved characters from The Shell Collector Novels.

Perfect for readers who love:

• Sweet, clean romance
• Coastal settings and small-town charm
• Stories about second chances and steady love
• Valentine’s tales with depth and heart

Whether you’re already part of the Whelk’s Island family or discovering it for the first time, this short story is a gentle reminder that sometimes the most meaningful gifts are the ones given quietly—and found later.

Pick up your copy here...                                                                                                                                    Amazon.com: A Whelk's Island Valentine: A Shell Collector Short Story eBook : Naigle, Nancy: Kindle Store

 USA TODAY and ECPA bestselling author Nancy Naigle writes uplifting small-town women’s fiction and sweet romance filled with heart, hope, and second chances. Her feel-good stories celebrate faith, family, friendship, and close-knit communities where love grows quietly and healing begins.

Nancy’s breakout novel The Shell Collector debuted in the Top 20 on the ECPA Bestseller list and was adapted as a Fox Original Movie. Several of her books have inspired beloved made-for-television films, including Hallmark favorites known for wholesome romance, emotional depth, and small-town charm.

A former Senior Vice President at Bank of America, Nancy now writes full-time from small-town Virginia, drawing inspiration from front porches, lifelong friendships, and the simple moments that make a place feel like home. Her books are perfect for readers who love clean romance, heartfelt women’s fiction, and faith-forward stories that leave you smiling long after the last page.

If you’re looking for cozy, hope-filled reads with relatable characters and meaningful connections, welcome to Nancy Naigle’s story worlds.

Then You Happened by J. S. Wood

 After finding out his friends find his nonstop quest for love to be a little excessive. Derek has decided to put a stop to dating altogether.

Now, he's stuck in a no-go zone just in time for someone new to enter the friend group.

Elizabeth is a single mom who has been out of the dating pool for a long time, but when she meets Derek, the sweet and caring friend of a friend, she thinks things are about to change.

When things don’t go quite as she expects, she accepts his friendship and begins a journey to help him reinvent his father’s failing hardware store to keep the legacy alive.

Spending hours together working, they begin to see that their feelings are not so easily brushed aside and when push comes to shove, their friendship blossoms into a romance they’ll never forget.

But when things get hard for the hardware store, and real life starts to butt in to their relationship, they have to decide if they can weather the storm, or if things will end for good.

Pick up your copy here...

Then You Happened: A Single Parent Romance (Average Gents Book 5) - Kindle edition by Wood, J.S. . Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

J.S. Wood is the author of the Average Gents series. After coining the phrase "Nice Guy Romance", she has used this to make a brand for herself to represent the underrated nice guy. Originally from Colorado, she now resides with her husband and children in Wyoming, writing anything that inspiration strikes. Her next series, The Three Rivers Trevors Ranch, is inspired by her horse training upbringing and will bring a slew of 'touch her and ---" cowboys. You can connect with her on Instagram @authorjswood, TikTok, @authorjswood, or her website www.jswoodauthor.com

What to Do When You Feel Broken by Laura Williams

 You’re not broken. Learn how your past impacts your present and develop the mindset you need to break damaging patterns.

Clinical psychologist Dr Laura Williams’ life turned upside down when her husband suddenly died at the age of 37, when they had three young children. This trauma forced her to reconsider the psychological teachings she’d used professionally to help hundreds of others and apply them to her own life.

Dr Laura uses her own personal story to illustrate key psychological concepts we can all benefit from applying to our own lives. You'll learn how to:

• Get to know yourself fully and understand what drives your behaviour and how it impacts your relationships
• Examine your early conditioning to gain new insight into destructive feelings that you may have repressed for years
• Use Dr Laura’s four-step HEAL framework to move forward consciously on a new path

The toolbox of knowledge and techniques in this book will empower you to pick up your ‘broken parts’ and put them back together to live life with resilience, wisdom and fortitude.

Pick up your copy here...

What to Do When You Feel Broken: How to Let Go of Negative Patterns, Heal Your Relationships and Find Freedom: Williams, Dr Laura: 9781401979003: Amazon.com: Books

Dr Laura Williams is a clinical psychologist, author and speaker specialising in the treatment of trauma, anxiety disorders, eating disorders and obsessional compulsive disorder. After losing her husband suddenly in 2018, she began writing about loss to help others process the emotions of grief. Laura's writing has been featured in national newspapers and magazines. Laura has also contributed to Channel 4 and ITV documentaries focussed on the treatment of morbid obesity. You can tune in to her psychological knowledge and expertise on the 'Know Your Own Psychology' podcast. Living in Edinburgh, Scotland, Laura works in both the NHS and in private practice. Laura is passionate about using 'blue mind' and embodiment practices through taking people to water therapeutically.

Preorder All Booked Up by Melody Carlson

  All Booked Up by Melody Carlson is available for Preorder! Preorder your copy today from your favorite book retailer.

When preserving precious memories means welcoming unexpected changes, Riva finds that her heart has room for so much more than she imagined.

Widowed empty nester Riva Owen lives in the Victorian house that's been in her family for three generations, but finances have become a challenge she can no longer ignore. Her daughter is pushing her to move, and after considering all her options, Riva knows selling would be the smartest course. But she just can't bring herself to leave decades of memories--and her cherished library filled with hundreds of books.

When she pursues an alternative--opening her home to women like her who need a room to rent--Riva is unprepared for the mix of personalities and peculiarities of her new housemates. She is even more unprepared for Marcus, the handsome and handy older brother of one of her new tenants. The possibility of finding love again feels overwhelming, even as her tenants seem to have romantic schemes of their own.

Warm your heart with a story of found family, book lovers, and a second chance at love.

#preorder #mustread #Romance #fiction #themaryreader

Pick up your copy here...

All Booked Up: A Small Town Contemporary Clean Romance with Bookish and Literary Themes: Melody Carlson: 9780800747251: Amazon.com: Books

Melody Carlson has written more than 200 books (with sales around 6.5 million) for teens, women and children. That's a lot of books, but mostly she considers herself a "storyteller." Her novels range from serious issues like schizophrenia (Finding Alice) to lighter topics like house-flipping (A Mile in My Flip-Flops) but most of the inspiration behind her fiction comes right out of real life. Her young adult novels (Diary of a Teenage Girl, TrueColors etc.) appeal to teenage girls around the world. Her annual Christmas novellas become more popular each year. She's won a number of awards (including Romantic Time's Career Achievement Award, the Rita and the Gold Medallion) and some of her books have been optioned for film/TV. Carlson has two grown sons and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and yellow Lab dog. To find out more about Melody Carlson, visit her website at http://www.melodycarlson.com/

Finding Beauty by Ann Penny

 Sometimes, the greatest love stories begin with a second chance.

Starting over in New York City is Melanie Warren’s chance to prove she doesn’t need her parents’ wealth, high-society status, or her ex-fiancé, Grayson. Determined to stand on her own, she refuses to look back, until her new job brings her face-to-face with the one man she swore never to forgive.

Scott Blackwood is no longer the reckless boy with a troubled past. Now, he’s wealthy, powerful, and everything he once dreamed of becoming. But to Melanie, he’s still the man who shattered her seventeen year old heart and never looked back.

Their chemistry is undeniable, their past impossible to forget. As old wounds resurface and the lines between them blur, Melanie is faced with a choice: hold on to her heartbreak or risk everything for a second chance at love. Because the biggest secret of all? She never stopped loving him.

Pick up your copy here...

Finding Beauty (Love, Beauty, & Soul): Penny, Ann: 9781923232129: Amazon.com: Books

Ann Penny is an empathetic daydreamer who escapes reality through her written words.

She loves to immerse herself in nature and creative arts, and heal trauma through writing heartfelt stories where she can truly embrace the light and shade of life and love.

Penny navigates her beautiful chaotic world with her amazing husband and their two mischievous boys while endeavouring to harness her hyperactive mind and quirky sense of humour.

The New Neighbors by Claire Douglas

 Unassuming neighbors may not be what they seem in this twisty, spine-tingling thriller from the internationally bestselling author of The Couple at Number 9 and The Girls Who Disappeared.

They seem like the perfect couple. But what are they hiding?
When Lena overhears a conversation between her next-door-neighbors she thinks she must have misheard.
The Morgans are a kind, retired couple who recently moved to their sleepy suburban street in Bristol where nothing ever happens. But to Lena it sounded very much like they were planning a crime.
Her family and friends tell her she must be mistaken. Yet Lena can’t stop thinking about that strange conversation. What if they really are about to do something terrible?
What if she can prevent it?

Especially when doing something might help ease her conscience about her own dark past . . .

Pick up your copy here...
The New Neighbors: A Novel: Douglas, Claire: 9780063354432: Amazon.com: Books

Claire Douglas is the Sunday Times number one bestselling author of eight stand alone novels: The Sisters (2015), Local Girl Missing (2016), Last Seen Alive (2017), Do Not Disturb (2018), Then She Vanishes (2019) and Just Like The Other Girls (2020). Her seventh, The Couple At No 9 (2021) was an Amazon number one bestseller, a number three Sunday Times bestseller and most recently hit number one on Germany's Der Spiegel paperback bestsellers chart. The Girls Who Disappeared was a Richard and Judy book club pick for Autumn 2022 and was an instant number one Sunday Times bestseller. Her books have sold over a million copies in the UK and have been published worldwide.

Her most recent, THE WOMAN WHO LIED will be published on July 6th 2023.

You can find Claire on Twitter at @DougieClaire, Instagram as clairedouglasauthor, or visit her Facebook page clairedouglasauthor.

Crimson Refuge by Sienna Judd

 I was done wanting love. Done with trust. Done with hope.

Then Freya Johnson walked into my life—curious, relentless, too young for me, and completely off-limits. I was her mentor. Her safe place. Her friend. And a man who knew better than to touch her.
And I didn’t.
Not until she left for the LAPD.
Not until one night blew straight through every line I’d drawn.
I never meant for that night to change anything.
But it changed everything.
The line I drew is now two pink ones, and when she comes back to Echo Valley—taking a quieter desk job while we try to figure out next steps—every boundary I’ve built starts to crack.
Because being her friend, her co-parent, her roommate… none of it touches the truth of what I want when I look at her.
When she becomes the lead officer on a case no one can quite explain, something dangerous starts circling closer than she realizes. It isn’t just instinct that locks tight inside my chest.
It’s fierce protectiveness.
The and there I realize she’s already mine, whether I’ve told her or not.
Wanting her is the fastest way to lose myself again.
But if this threat reaches her first, it won’t just cost me control.
It will cost me the one thing I never planned to risk again.

Crimson Refuge is the heart-racing story of a rookie and her mentor, a friends to lovers, accidental pregnancy with a hero who is all out touch her and d!e. This book is part of the Echo Valley series of interconnected standalones, better read in order, but it can be read on its own.

Pick up your copy here...

Amazon.com: Crimson Refuge: Accidental Pregnancy, Romantic Suspense (Echo Valley): 9798246792773: Judd, Sienna: Books

Sienna Judd is a small town, contemporary romance author who lives for all the spice and book boyfriends who are book husband material.

Sienna is an American girl married to her Prince Charming. She lives with her husband, three children, pony, dogs, guineas pigs and countless other animals on a small farm England. She thinks kitchens are for dancing, is everybody's hype girl and might be known for talking too loudly. Like every respectable woman she also loves drinking champagne and eating half of every chocolate in a truffles box.

Her spirit animal is a butterfly.

Hunt You Down by Elizabeth Knox

 I thought I escaped hell when I ran from the Sanctuary.

Hell found me on a Valentine's Day auction block, where men in black ties bid on virgins like livestock. Where the highest bidder owns you—body, mind, and soul.

Vaughn Sutherland paid more for me than most people see in a lifetime.

He put me in a room with silk sheets and locked doors. He touched me in ways that made me forget my own name. He made me want things I shouldn't want.

So, I ran.

I made it a few hours before he found me.

I expected punishment. Expected pain. Expected him to finally show me the monster beneath the patient facade.

Instead, he gave me pleasure.

Over and over until I broke. Until I begged. Until I couldn't remember why I ever wanted to leave.

Now I sleep in his bed, not the guest room. Now he watches my every move. Now every choice I thought I had is gone—except one.

Submit willingly to his training for the Consortium gathering, or he'll break me until I do. And the worst part? I'm starting to want to submit.

Pick up your copy here...

Amazon.com: Hunt You Down (A Dark Holiday): 9798244233360: Knox, Elizabeth: Books

Elizabeth is a USA Today Bestselling author who is most popular for her romantic suspense and dark romance books.

Please make sure you click the follow author button to ensure you're signed up for all of Elizabeth's latest releases.

Without A Clue by Melissa Ferguson

 A laugh-out-loud rom-com wrapped in a whodunit, this high-seas adventure proves that sometimes the best love stories start with a little murder.

Penelope Mae Dupont has one superpower: keeping her cool. Which is essential when you're the personal assistant to renowned mystery author Hugh Griffin. But when Pip organizes a luxury book cruise featuring The Fabulous Seven--a glittering cast of seven bestselling authors known for both their brilliance and their drama--her trademark composure starts slipping. One boat. Seven egos. Hundreds of fans. What could possibly go wrong?

Well . . . murder, for starters.

On day two, Hugh is found dead--and the cruise security team proves to be utterly incompetent. Stranded in the middle of the Atlantic with no help in sight, Pip realizes if anyone's going to solve the case, it'll have to be her. And so, with her friend and ally Nash, the dreamy Western author who's just as rugged as the cowboys he writes about, she puts her amateur sleuthing skills to the test.

As Pip and Nash navigate an ocean of secrets, shocking twists, and one too many red herrings, she'll have to decide whether she's meant to stay behind the scenes--or finally step into the spotlight . . . and maybe, just maybe, find love along the way.

In the world of mystery and love, sometimes you have to risk going overboard to find the truth.

Pick up your copy here...

Without a Clue: A Rom-Com, Cozy Mystery Book about Books: Ferguson, Melissa: 9780840716910: Amazon.com: Books

Melissa Ferguson is the bestselling author of titles including Meet Me in the Margins, Famous for a Living, and How to Plot a Payback. She lives in Tennessee with her family in their growing farmhouse lifestyle and writes heartwarming romantic comedies.

You can find her on her socials at @ourfriendlyfarmhouse.

I liked some of the characters and then others I was not impressed with. But I really enjoyed the mystery it was well done. I love a book that keeps me guessing. I found the romance a nice secondary story.
This was a nice surprise.
Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required, and all views expressed are our own.

The Collectors by David Baldacci

 While a gifted con artist plots against the most ruthless businessman in the world, the Camel Club must stop a renegade CIA agent from selling American secrets to the highest bidder in this #1 New York Times bestselling thriller.

The assassination of the speaker of the House has rocked the nation. And the Camel Club has found a chilling connection with another death: that of the director of the Library of Congress's Rare Books and Special Collections Division.

The club's unofficial leader, a man who calls himself Oliver Stone, discovers that someone is selling America to its enemies one secret at a time. Then Annabelle Conroy, the greatest con artist of her generation, comes to town and joins forces with the Camel Club for her own reasons. And Stone will need all the help she can give, because the two murders are hurtling the Camel Club into a world of espionage that is bringing America to its knees.

Pick up your copy here...

The Collectors: Baldacci, David: 9781538781401: Amazon.com: Books

David Baldacci has been writing since childhood, when his mother gave him a lined notebook in which to write down his stories. (Much later, when David thanked her for being the spark that ignited his writing career, she revealed that she'd given him the notebook to keep him quiet, "because every mom needs a break now and then.")

David published his first novel, ABSOLUTE POWER, in 1996. The feature film adaptation followed, with Clint Eastwood as its director and star. In total, David has published 50 novels for adults; all have been national and international bestsellers and several have been adapted for film and television. His novels have been translated into over 45 languages and sold in more than 80 countries, with 150 million copies sold worldwide. David has also published seven novels for younger readers.

David is also the cofounder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting literacy programs across the United States.

Meant for You by Nora Everly

 A cozy, emotional small-town romance about choosing love, building family, and discovering that some people are meant for you.

Eliza Darlington is doing her best to keep her distance—from her meddling family, her messy past, and especially from the sunshine single dad who keeps showing up at her coffee hut with sweet smiles and steamy glances.

Nate Winters has his hands full running Honeybrook Hollow’s favorite diner and raising his daughter. Falling for Eliza? Not part of the plan. But the more time they spend together—cooking, flirting, and maybe falling in love—the harder it is to stay away.

When her secret ex shows up to open a rival restaurant, the town’s annual food festival turns into more than just a culinary competition. Eliza must choose between protecting the people she loves… and finally fighting for the future she wants.

Filled with cozy charm, slow-burn kisses, and one determined four-year-old, Meant for You is a feel-good romance about second chances, small-town secrets, and the kind of love that feels like home.

Pick up your copy here...

Amazon.com: Meant for You (Honeybrook Hollow): 9781965207109: Everly, Nora: Books

Nora Everly is a lifelong bookworm. She started reading the good stuff once she grew tall enough to sneak the romance novels off the top of her mother’s bookshelf and it has been non-stop ever since.

Once upon a time she was a substitute teacher and an educational assistant. Now she’s a writer and stay at home mom to two small humans and one fat cat.

Nora lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family and her overactive imagination.

Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.noraeverly.com/newsletter-1

Keep in touch with Nora here: https://www.noraeverly.com/

This author is so well written. Her books pull me in, and I can't put them down. This book was no exception, a fun small-town romance that I will be sharing with everyone. 

Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required, and all views expressed are our own.

The Fourth Princess by Janie Chang

 Shanghai, 1911. Lisan Liu is elated when she is hired as secretary to wealthy American Caroline Stanton, the new mistress of Lennox Manor on the outskirts of Shanghai’s International Settlement. However, the Manor has a dark past due to a previous owner’s suicide, and soon Lisan’s childhood nightmares resurface with more intensity and meld with haunted visions of a woman in red. Adding to her unease is the young gardener, Yao, who both entices and disturbs her.

Newly married Caroline looks forward to life in China with her husband, Thomas, away from the shadows of another earlier tragedy. But an unwelcome guest, Andrew Grey, attends her party and claims to know secrets she can’t afford to have exposed. At the same party, the notorious princess Masako Kyo approaches Lisan with questions about the young woman’s family that the orphaned Lisan can’t answer.

As Caroline struggles with Grey’s extortion and Thomas’s mysterious illness, Lisan’s future is upended when she learns the truth about her past, and why her identity has been hidden all these years. All the while, strange incidents accelerate, driving Lisan to doubt her sanity as Lennox Manor seems unwilling to release her until she fulfills demands from beyond the grave.

Pick up your copy here...

The Fourth Princess: A Gothic Novel of Old Shanghai: Chang, Janie: 9780063308121: Amazon.com: Books

Janie Chang's historical novels have been critically-acclaimed Canadian national bestsellers. Her novels THREE SOULS and DRAGON SPRINGS ROAD were long listed for the International Dublin Literary Award. Her third novel THE LIBRARY OF LEGENDS was a Book of the Month Club pick. Her fourth novel, THE PORCELAIN MOON, was named one of the 5 Top Historical Novels of 2023 by the Toronto Star. THE PHOENIX CROWN, a novel co-authored with Kate Quinn, released in February 2024.

Her stories often feature a family connection, drawing from a family history with 36 generations of recorded genealogy and stories about life in a small Chinese town in the years before the Second World War, including tales of ancestors who encountered dragons, ghosts, and immortals.

Born in Taiwan, Janie has lived in the Philippines, Iran, Thailand, and New Zealand. She now lives on the beautiful Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, Canada with her husband.