New-ish Chick Lit for Your Enjoyment

 Fern Michaels begins a new series with her novel Hidden. Brother and sister Cullan and Luna Bodman have just launched their furniture restoration shop/cafe--an offshoot of the family’s longtime antiques business—in an up-and-coming arts center. The duo couldn’t be more different. Cullen is efficient and serious while his younger sister, Luna, is a free spirit. Little do they know that their unique talents may be their only defense in a matter of life and death. When Cullan acquires a new piece of furniture, Luna can’t shake the feeling of dread she gets about it and the siblings find themselves joining forces to solve a mystery that has far-reaching consequences. Cullan and Luna know they can rely on each other, even when forces beyond their control are determined to use any means necessary to get what they want. 

Golden Girl is the latest from bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand. Nantucket novelist Vivian Howe has authored thirteen beach reads and is the mother of three nearly grown children. One beautiful June day, Vivian is struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver while jogging near her home. When she ascends to the afterlife, she is assigned a caretaker named Martha who allows Vivi to watch what happens below for one last summer. She is also granted three “nudges” she can use to change the outcome of events on Earth. Her daughter Willa is on her third miscarriage, Carson is partying until all hours, and Leo is on a “break” with his high-maintenance girlfriend, so Vivi will have to think carefully about how and where she uses her nudges. Vivi also watches as the chief of police Ed Kapenash investigates her death, but her greatest worry is that a long-buried secret from her own youth—which she slipped into her last novel—will be disastrous for her reputation. When this truth comes to light, Vivi’s family must sort out their past and present mistakes and Vivi realizes that she must let go and let her family grow without her. 

The latest from mega-author Nora Roberts is called Legacy.  Adrian Rizzo was seven when she first met her father. That was the day he nearly killed her—until her mother, Lina, stepped in. Not long after, Adrian was dropped off at her grandparents’ house in Maryland where she spent a long summer drinking lemonade, playing with the dogs, making a new best friend, and crushing on said best friend’s ten-year-old brother. Meanwhile, Lina was traveling the country promoting her fitness brand and turning it into a multimillion-dollar business. Lina felt there was no point living in the past. Ten years later, Adrian has created her own line of yoga and workout videos. She is following in her mother's footsteps, but she is determined to maintain creative control of her business. While the two are not close, they are cordial—if they don’t cross one another—and Adrian is as cool and ambitious as Lina. When Adrian begins getting death threats, Lina finds the vicious rhymes unsettling, but Adrian dismisses them as part of her growing celebrity. Year after year the letters arrive. Though the postmark changes, the tone is the same menacing vitriol. Adrian returns to Maryland and reacquaints herself with her childhood crush, Raylan. The terrifying letters become routine, until the murders start... 

The second book in Alyssa Cole's Runaway Royals series is called How to Find a Princess. Makeda Hicks has lost her job and her girlfriend in one fell swoop. So, when the investigator from the World Federation of Monarchies shows up searching for Ibarania’s missing heir, the last thing Makeda wants is to rehash her grandmother’s tale of her infamous summer fling with a runaway prince from that country. Beznaria Chetchevaliere is a sleek and beautiful investigator who exudes the kind of charisma that Makeda finds irresistible, even though Bez is determined to drag her into a world of royal duties she wants nothing to do with. However, her grandmother’s livelihood becomes threatened and Makeda allows Bez to drag her on a transatlantic adventure with a crew of lovable weirdos, a fake marriage, and all kinds of hijinks on the high seas. When they finally arrive, Makeda realizes that there is more at stake than cash and a crown, she must learn how to fight for what she desires and not what she feels duty bound to do. 

New Chick Lit

The Shark Club by Ann Kidd Taylor takes place amid the palm trees, calypso bands and pristine ocean views of Florida. When Maeve Donnally is young, she enjoys spending time near the ocean and is fascinated by sharks. One summer, two extraordinary things happen to her. First, Daniel--the boy she has a crush on--kisses her. Then, she is bitten by a black tip shark. She decides to throw herself into her work as a marine biologist traveling the world studying and teaching others about sharks. Fifteen years later, she returns to the Hotel of the Muses where she grew up under the watchful eye of her grandmother. Maeve has a chance meeting with a young girl on the beach who is as fascinated with the ocean as Maeve had been at that age. This meeting puts her at a crossroads: does she rekindle her romance with Daniel or does she pursue a new relationship with Nicholas--a colleague who is investigating a illegal shark-finning in the area?

It's 1952, but the post-war boom seems to be passing Hooper's Crossing, New York by in Dorothy Garlock's The Nearness of You. Lonely, sheltered librarian Lily Denton longs for adventure and the hustle and bustle of New York City, but, ever since her mother died, her father hasn't let her out of his sight. So, Lily spends her days in the library and her nights hoping that life won't pass her by. The cool, crisp air of autumn brings in tourists for the fall festival as well as a photographer with a knack for finding trouble. But when Boone Tatum snaps a photo of Lily, suddenly he isn't in a hurry to make his way out of town. When danger blows into town and marks Lily as its own, it will take all of her strength and courage to stand up for herself and the man she only just met, but can't live without.

The saga of the Crystal women is the focus of Mary B. Morrison's The One I've Waited For. Mercedes, Devereaux, Alexis, Sandara, and matriarch Blake have had their share of drama, but what happens next will push their bond to its limits and beyond. Mercedes forgave her philandering husband's last ego-boosting affair, but his new tryst, Arizona Remington, is proving to be a challenge. Arizona is determined to keep her wealthy husband as her own, but Mercedes buckles down and unleashes a take-no-prisoners campaign that inspires her sisters to do the same. Devereaux's show is the hottest thing on television and it takes up most of her time. She has been patient with her financially challenged fiance, but when Mercedes convinces Devereaux to do a background check on her man before walking down the aisle, it will take all of Devereaux's strength to let him go and not take him back. Alexis has her own troubles now that her lies are catching up to her; Sandara's babies' daddy is demanding part of her newfound fortune; and Momma Blake is struggling to get and keep her own happy ending.

In Secrets of the Tulip Sisters by Susan Mallery, sisters Kelly and Olivia Murphy have been estranged for ten long years; ever since their father sent Olivia away because of her affair with the town's bad boy. Kelly has lived by herself, tending the tulip farm and getting stuck in a rut of sorts. Now that Olivia is back and newcomer Griffith Burnett has caught her eye, Kelly is finding it hard to keep her secrets to herself. Which is much easier to do when you are alone. Olivia is determined not to let Kelly stand in the way of her homecoming and her mission to rekindle the flame with her man. When secrets start coming to light from both girls, will there be reconciliation or resentment?

The Strong Female Lead

     This week's novels are new paperback fiction that feature strong female characters who are struggling to overcome adversity. Enjoy!

      “The Witches of Cambridge” is a novel by Menna Van Praag. Amandine Bisset has always had the ability to read the emotions of those around her. The only people she can share her secret with are the other professors—all witches—of the Cambridge University Society of Literature and Witchcraft. Amandine cherishes the meetings with her dear friends, but lately, she senses that the ties that bind them starting to unravel. If only she had her student Noa’s power to actually read people’s thoughts she is sure she could help the others heal the rifts forming in their friendships. Noa, however, is sure that her gift is a curse and jumps at the chance to be “cured” when a seductive con artist comes to town. Then, there is mathematics professor Kat and her baker sister Cosima. Kat is stewing in her unrequited love, but she refuses to cast any spells to help the process along. Cosima, on the other hand, is all too happy to sprinkle her pastries with sugar and enchantment, but when she casts a spell on Kat’s crush, she creates a dangerous love triangle.

     “No Ordinary Life” is a novel by Suzanne Redfearn. Faye Martin’s husband abandoned her and their three children and now she is struggling to make ends meet. When her four-year-old daughter is discovered through a YouTube video and offered a starring role on a television series, it seems that Faye’s prayers have been answered. The reality of this new life hits her hard and Faye realizes that fame and fortune come with a price. In this world everyone is an actor, every move is watched by millions, and knowing who to trust is absolutely impossible. Faye finds herself completely alone in her struggle to protect this precious and fragile time in her children’s lives.

     “The Restaurant Critic’s Wife” is a novel by Elizabeth LaBan. Lila Soto has a work-obsessed husband, two kids, and a master’s degree that is going to waste. She is also quite perplexed as to how she ended up in this situation. They have recently moved to Philadelphia where Lila’s husband, Sam, is taking his job of restaurant critic much too seriously. In order to protect his professional credibility, Sam is determined to remain anonymous and goes out of his way to make sure none of his family have any contact with anyone from the foodie culture. Lila craves adult conversation and some relief from her homemaker role. She can feel her patience wearing thin and she begins to question the major decisions of the past several years—her decision to get pregnant again, giving up her career, her marriage to Sam, breaking up with her ex-boyfriend. As Sam becomes more and more obsessed with his anonymity, Lila begins to wonder if her own identity has completely disappeared and she’s not sure what to do to get it back.