Rachel Hawkins is a former teacher who left teaching to take a chance and get serious about finishing that book she'd always wanted to write. Her first book, Hex Hall, was the result of that leap of faith. She's a graduate of Auburn University in Alabama and lives with her husband and son in Alabama.
Marion (2026) Leah Rowan "A bloody tale of female rage, an ode to the bonds of sisterhood in all its forms, and one of the smartest retellings I've had the pleasure to read, Marion is the funhouse mirror version of Psycho I never knew I always needed. To take a story so ingrained in our Horror DNA and find new angles and deeper truths, to not just re-tell but truly reinvent, is a skill even Hitchcock would have to envy. And on top of all of that, it's just a Damn Fun Read! Leah Rowan is absolutely one to watch."
Party of Liars (2025) Kelsey Cox "Party of Liars is my favorite kind of thriller - fun, twisty, fast-paced, and populated by characters who feel so real you'll want to invite them (well, some of them) to your next party. With this debut, Kelsey Cox joins my auto-buy list forever!"
The Amalfi Curse (2025) Sarah Penner "Immersive and lush, The Amalfi Curse is Sarah Penner at the top of her game. This book will have you swooning, gasping, tearing up, and if you're anything like me, Googling flights to Positano immediately. Prepare to be swept away!"
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year (2024) (Kiss Merry Kill, book 1) Ally Carter "Spies! Amnesia! And banter that'll make you chant 'Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!' No one writes an action rom-com quite like Ally Carter."
The Sunset Crowd (2023) Karin Tanabe "The Sunset Crowd is everything I want in a book-complex characters, glamorous locales, and a plot that's as smart as it is juicy. Tanabe is a master of historical fiction, and having her as my guide through the star-spangled streets of 1970s Los Angeles-and the gritty, ambitious, and gloriously real hearts of Evra, Theodora, and Bea-was better than a shopping spree on Rodeo Drive. You're going to love it."
The Only One Left (2023) Riley Sager "Riley Sager is one of my favorite authors, and The Only One Left might be his best yet. Not only is it a deliciously Gothic thrill ride featuring two of my favorite things (Creepy Houses and Murderous Ladies), but it also asks big questions about grief, loss, and the secrets we keep even from those closest to us. Fun, scary, and so absorbing I almost missed a flight because I was trying to read just one more chapter, The Only One Left is one hell of a read!"
Hokuloa Road (2022) Elizabeth Hand "Elizabeth Hand has been one of my favorite authors since Wylding Hall, so when I opened Hokuloa Road I knew I'd get her signature mix of deeply evocative prose, sinister surroundings, and fascinating characters. I was right, but even as a long time Hand Fan, I was completely blown away by this book. Hokuloa Road is twisty and dark, easily one of the best thrillers I've read, but it's so much more than that, too. It's thoughtful and pensive, smart and scary, and exhilarating as you realize that you're in the hands of a master storyteller. After reading this book, I promise, Elizabeth Hand is going to become one of your favorite authors, too."
The Dead Romantics (2022) Ashley Poston "The Dead Romantics takes so many things I love--quirky heroines, found families, cozy small towns, fanfics, GHOSTS (!!!)--and gives them all a fresh, fun, thoroughly modern spin. This is truly a RomCom to die for!"
Can't Look Away (2022) Carola Lovering "Sexy and tense, Carola Lovering's Can't Look Away is the kind of book meant for an all-night binge read. Obsession in all its forms tangles with ideas of first love, frenemies, and that most haunting of questions--What if?-- to create an especially sophisticated and complex thriller."
Safe in My Arms (2021) Sara Shepard "We've read stories about the cutthroat world of high school and colleges, but in Safe in My Arms, Sara Shepard reminds us that things can get dark in academia way before that. This sharp, smart, and oh-so-twisty look at the sinister side of a privileged preschool is the kind of book that will have you staying up way too late--even if it's a school night."
The Queer Principles of Kit Webb (2021) (London Highwaymen, book 1) Cat Sebastian "The Queer Principles of Kit Webb kept me up all night! I simply couldn't put it down.--Tessa Dare, New York Times bestselling author
"Sharp, smart, and oh-so-swoony, The Queer Principles of Kit Webb reminds me that Cat Sebastian is an author at the absolute top of her game."
Tools of Engagement (2020) (Hot & Hammered, book 3) Tessa Bailey "Funny, and SUPER hot, and also full of sooooo much heart... I AM SO EXCITED there will be more books in the series!"
I Kissed Alice (2020) Anna Birch "The swoony queer romcom of my heart... A pitch-perfect ode to the creative process and the special magic that happens when you find someone who loves what you love. I adored it."
If I'm Being Honest (2019) Austin Siegemund-Broka and Emily Wibberley "'Sweet and sharp' doesn't just describe geeky Brendan and feisty Cameron, but also this utter delight of a book. It's the fresh take on the Bard (and rom-coms!) I was waiting for."
Little White Lies (2018) (Debutantes , book 1) Jennifer Lynn Barnes "Leave it to Jennifer Lynn Barnes to write a book that features two of my favorite things: Big Dresses, and even Bigger Secrets. Funny, twisty, and sharp, Little White Lies is a ball from start to finish."
The Dark Vault (2018) (Archived) Victoria Schwab "As gorgeously written as it is brilliantly inventive, The Archived is that rare book that grabs you by the mind and the heart, not letting go of either once you've turned the last page. It's earned a permanent spot on my Keeper shelf."
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (2017) (Montague Siblings, book 1) Mackenzi Lee "The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is a Grand Tour all its own. Hilarious and romantic, adventurous and scandalous, Monty’s adventures are just as delightful as Monty himself. I adored this book!"
And I Darken (2016) (Conquerors Saga, book 1) Kiersten White "Sweeping and epic, AND I DARKEN is a gender-bent take on history that gives us a fierce and brutal heroine, a fascinating time period, and a beautifully intelligent look at love, family, and power. I loved every twisty, bloody moment of it!"
A Book of Spirits and Thieves (2015) (Spirit and Thieves, book 1) Morgan Rhodes "Magical, smart and swoony, A Book of Spirits and Thieves is the most fun I've had reading a book in a long time."
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