The Widow

By Fiona Barton
Audiobook format

The story begins in an English University town years after the abduction of 2 year old Bella Elliott from her yard while her mother was inside doing housework. The author had me guessing whether the accused child-porn-loving husband (Glen) had abducted little Bella, and if so, what (if anything) did his wife Jean know. Is Bella's wild single mother complicit?

The Widow is a psychological thriller/mystery with a strong female lead character Kate, an award-winning investigative journalist who sincerely cares about finding Bella and unburdening Jean from her doubts and secrets.

Try this if you enjoy fast-moving stories from different points of view like Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.

~ Paula

Pupcakes

By Annie England Noblin

There he stood in the doorway: overweight, depressed and nearly homeless—a pug named Teddy Roosevelt. Teddy was Brydie Benson’s latest problem, arriving on top of her messy divorce. Brydie needed a place to start over, so this rent-free home seemed a great idea. She just never counted on Teddy, or his owner, the Germantown Retirement Village’s toughest customer, Pauline Neumann.
Along with a new start comes a possible new love, in the form of Nathan Reid, a local doctor with a sassy Irish Wolfhound named Sasha. And as fall turns to winter, and then to Christmas, Brydie begins to realize that life is a little bit like learning a new recipe for puff pastry—it takes a few tries to get it just right!

~Crystal

Because You Love to Hate Me: 13 Tales of Villainy

By Ameriie

In this unique YA anthology, thirteen acclaimed, bestselling authors team up with thirteen influential BookTubers to reimagine fairy tales from the oft-misunderstood villains' points of view.
These fractured, unconventional spins on classics like "Medusa," Sherlock Holmes, and "Jack and the Beanstalk" provide a behind-the-curtain look at villains' acts of vengeance, defiance, and rage--and the pain, heartbreak, and sorrow that spurned them on. No fairy tale will ever seem quite the same again!

~Crystal

Against All Odds

By Danielle Steel

Taking chances is part of life, but when you bet your future against the odds, it’s a high-risk game. Kate Madison’s stylish resale shop has been a big SoHo success, supporting her and her four kids since her husband’s untimely death. Now they are grown and ready to forge lives of their own. And they all choose to play against the odds, to their mother’s dismay.

~Crystal

Three Dark Crowns (Three Dark Crowns #1)

By Kendare Blake

In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born—three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic.
But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose… its life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins.

The last queen standing gets the crown.

~Crystal

Empire of Dust (Blood of Gods and Royals #2)

By Eleanor Herman

In Macedon, war rises like smoke, forbidden romance blooms and ancient magic tempered with rage threatens to turn an empire to dust.

~Crystal