Amazon First Reads for September (Get Your FREE Book)

Author of Do No Harm and The Night Olivia Fell (two of my favorite thrillers) offers her first police procedural in the Jess Lambert series.

After a violent home invasion, Neve Maguire returns with her daughter to Black Lake, her childhood summer home, hoping for a fresh start.

But when a woman's body is found floating among the reeds in the lake behind her house, she fears she has made a horrible mistake.

Neve is hiding secrets, though, and Detective Jess Lambert can tell. Recently, after her own personal tragedy, Jess knows what it’s like to live with skeletons in your closet, and she’s sure Neve has a few of her own.

Early praise shares that readers have been satisfied and always discover an unexpected connection with McDonald's characters.

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This Mindy's Book Club selection offered this warm introduction from Mindy Kaling:

"The book perfectly captures high school nostalgia . . . It's a feel-good story for the young and young at heart."

Planning the perfect prom is one last 'to do' on ultra-organized Charlotte Wu's high school bucket list.

So far, so good, if not for a decorating accident that sends Charlotte crash-landing off a ladder, face-first into her sworn enemy.

When Charlotte wakes up, she finds herself in an unfamiliar bed at thirty, with her bearded fiancé by her side.

The bearded guy?

It is, of course, her SWORN ENEMY.

Either they've lost their minds, or they are forever trapped in the thirty-year-old bodies of their future selves.

Lea is an author well-known for The Influencer series, and readers praised this coming-of-age romance as a charming slow-burn enemies-to-lovers story that they adored.

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Amid World War I's chaos, Petra Kurková, a born witch who can capture souls on film, joins a secret team of sorcerers led by Josef Svoboda to combat resurrected horrors on the eastern front.

In the cursed Carpathian Mountains, Petra must unveil her hidden powers and unravel her husband's fate to prevent an occult menace from plunging the war-torn world into darkness.

If you love this historical fiction book, don't miss the best new fall books to reserve for your book stack. You'll love my 2023 Fall Reading Guide!

In this Women's Fiction selection, romance writer Penelope Banks can craft the perfect love story, but all she has is a rough draft when it comes to her family.

When her new bookstore is in jeopardy, she reluctantly turns to her family for help, leading to an unexpected Thanksgiving reunion that includes her ex-husband.

To mend relationships and save her business, Penny concocts a fictional romance with her father's colleague, hoping to craft her own happily ever after amidst the holiday chaos.

Early praise has been HIGH, with readers describing this novel as laugh-out-loud funny and romantic without being sappy.

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This month's thriller is described as a tense page-turner.

Craig Finnigan is determined to complete his novel over the summer, but balancing his aspirations as a writer with caring for his seven-year-old daughter, Alice, proves challenging.

When Alice befriends their neighbor's boy, Levi, Craig initially welcomes the distraction from her constant presence in his home office.

However, his happiness turns to unease as Levi's behavior takes a dark turn, with strange occurrences in their house.

If Baby Teeth was one of your favorite thrillers, this is for you. Readers describe feeling on edge and praised this writer for nailing the "creepy kid trope."

Craving a short story? This book from Chanel Cleeton is just 41 pages.

In Havana, 1939, on the opening night of the renowned Tropicana nightclub, Cuban American college student Natalie Trainer stands on the sidelines- as usual.

Unexpectedly, a suave stranger named Antonio invites her to dance, and against her usual caution, she accepts.

This impulsive decision ignites a tiny spark of rebellion and newfound adventure in Natalie's heart.

Fans of Chanel Cleeton (Next Year in Havana & When We Left Cuba) will love following the writer's short story adventures.

In this gripping domestic drama, the revelation of shocking past secrets and the hidden truths of three women are set in motion when a small Midwest town introduces a DNA lottery.

A single drop of blood holds the promise of a multimillion-dollar fortune. Still, suspicions arise regarding the true intentions behind this gamble, with links to an unsolved eighteen-year-old case involving an infant.

Readers describe this as a compelling and unsettling mystery with lots of twists. If you need a gripping page-turner to pull you in from page one, this book is for you.

This memoir is a coming-of-age story of a Black woman changing her world in her twenties.

In her trusty high school car, accompanied by her long-time boyfriend in the passenger seat, Minda Honey embarks on a cross-country journey to sunny Southern California.

As 2008 unfolds, bringing President Obama and the end of her relationship, Minda finds herself in a new world of smartphones and online dating and navigating the turbulent waters of early adulthood.

I will update you when more feedback has been submitted on this one.

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Victoria Miluch's speculative fiction debut novel introduces us to the unforgiving world of the scorched deadlands in former Arizona, where nineteen-year-old Georgia Reno struggles to survive with her family.

When two enigmatic outsiders disrupt their isolated existence, Georgia's curiosity sparks a daring desire for freedom, setting off a series of events that unearth dangerous secrets and challenge the bonds of loyalty in this gripping tale of survival and sacrifice.

The editor for this book recommended this selection is perfect for fans of Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.

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