New releases for January have arrived and they are just the thing to help you get through winter. This month’s new novels follow strong women striking out on their own—and finding love along the way. From one woman’s struggle to create herself in college and beyond to a whirlwind, worldwide romance to a detective on the edge, these stories feature the kinds of characters who intrigue, inspire, and delight.
While you’re here, make sure to check out our December new releases, which are romantic and suspenseful!
Choosing Grace by Regina Jamison
In Regina Jamison’s debut new release, a young Black woman named Sky Valentine is sick of being boxed in by the small minds and expectations in her hometown, Durham, North Carolina. She flees to New England for college and sheds the weight of their expectations, becoming someone new. Along the way, she falls in love with a woman named Zenobia and accepts the truth she’s always known about herself: She loves women. But when her new love abruptly leaves, Sky is heartbroken. She returns to her hometown to find that her mother has set her up to marry a rich, arrogant man. Sky is a determined woman, though, and in 1986 she can do anything. After defiantly moving to New York City, she finds a good job and a new love in Grace. When Zenobia returns, Sky must decide if she’ll choose Grace or return to her first love.
Make sure to also check out Jamison’s essay about writing Choosing Grace.
The Last Time We Met by Maggie Brown and Leni Hanson
Eleven years after a rock star rocks the world of a nerdy medical student one night, the two meet again in this new release. Austen, who is as famous for her music as she is her one-night stands, is at the height of her career. Now working for Doctors Without Borders, Dr. Harrington is no longer a kid. She has a successful, but often harrowing, career. So what if she doesn’t have much of a love life? So what if Austen is the only person who ever made her feel something? So what if when they meet again she just wants to be in Austen’s arms? As they travel around the world from the US to Australia to Papua New Guinea, neither can continue denying their desire. But how exactly do a rock star and a doctor make a relationship work?
Maggie Brown and debut author Leni Hanson wrote a lovely reflection on their experience co-authoring this novel—don’t miss it!
A Message in Blood by Catherine Maiorisi
In the third installment of The Chiara Corelli Mystery Series, Detective Corelli and her partner P.J. Parker get a call in the middle of the night: They’re needed to investigate a sensitive murder scene. A U.S. senator, a mega church pastor, and a music industry billionaire have all been killed at what appears to have been a sex orgy. As they’re pressured to cover up the circumstances, Corelli and Parker are fueled by their rage at the message they found written in blood—and the secret found inside the closet beyond. The two vow to bring the killer to justice while exposing the crimes of the victims, so they can seek justice for the children caught up in this horrific trafficking circle.
Don’t miss Catherine Maoirisi’s new release!