The Lost Orphan (Mira) by Stacey Halls, which takes place in 1747, could just as easily been titled “A Tale of Two Mothers,” with a respectful nod to Charles Dickens’ novel set similarly in Georgian London three decades later.

Wife After Wife proves history repeats itself. As I read Olivia Hayfield’s debut novel, Wife After Wife (Berkley), about a serial philanderer, I kept yelling, “Off with his…head.” As you read it, the story will seem predictable if you’re familiar with the history and legend of King Henry VIII.

Cindy Eastman’s memoir, Flip-Flops After 50 (She Writes Press), is a breath of fresh air!

 

Land of Last Chances (She Writes Press) by Joan Cohen may be a novel, but it’s about real-life situations. Drawing from some of her own personal and professional experiences, Ms. Cohen crafts a complex and fast-paced story that forces us to examine our own values and beliefs.

In Pretty Guilty Women, Gina LaManna invites you to join four women at a destination wedding. What happens once you arrive is anybody's clue.


 

Do you know how many social media followers you have? Do you care? Even if you do, I bet you’re not as obsessed as the central characters are in Followers by Megan Angelo (Graydon House).

Released at the end of 2019, The Wives, by Tarryn Fisher, is a thrilling story of self-loathing, revenge, and denial. Yet, in the end, there's no denying it, The Wives should be a smashing success.
 

Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke tell a tale of The Two Lila Bennetts. She is captured—blindfolded and restrained—as well as constrained by the ethics of her profession to defend a client who may be guilty of murder. Once the client is found not guilty, all hell breaks loose. And that’s just by page one.

If you hesitate to read Stepmother: A Memoir by Marianne Lile because you’re not a stepmother or you don’t usually read memoirs, you could lose out on a warm and rewarding reading experience. Believe me, I fall into both camps and am glad I ventured into this wonderful story.

Though a novel, Bedside Manners by Heather Frimmer, reads like a memoir or true-life story. And for us readers, that’s a good thing because though the topic—breast cancer—is scary, Ms. Frimmer juxtaposes it with relatable life-goes-on situations.