Ocean Vuong returns with a big-hearted novel about chosen family, unexpected friendship, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive

One late summer evening in the post-industrial town of East Gladness, Connecticut, nineteen-year-old Hai stands on the edge of a bridge in pelting rain, ready to jump, when he hears someone shout across the river. The voice belongs to Grazina, an elderly widow succumbing to dementia, who convinces him to take another path. Bereft and out of options, he quickly becomes her caretaker. Over the course of the year, the unlikely pair develops a life-altering bond, one built on empathy, spiritual reckoning, and heartbreak, with the power to alter Hai’s relationship to himself, his family, and a community at the brink.

Following the cycles of history, memory, and time, The Emperor of Gladness shows the profound ways in which love, labor, and loneliness form the bedrock of American life. At its heart is a brave epic about what it means to exist on the fringes of society and to reckon with the wounds that haunt our collective soul. Hallmarks of Vuong’s writing – formal innovation, syntactic dexterity, and the ability to twin grit with grace through tenderness – are on full display in this story of loss, hope, and how far we would go to possess one of life’s most fleeting mercies: a second chance.

The guy who broke my heart is now an arrogant, too-hot firefighter... who's hell-bent on getting me back.

This summer, I have one goal: field work. I need it to finish my PhD. I never expected Finn Rhodes to offer help. He broke my heart twelve years ago, and now that he's back in town, I want nothing to do with him. The only problem? He insists we're meant to be together.

I'll pretend to date him, but actually? I'm trying to get him to dump me.

Between hiking the back country and cringe-worthy dates designed to turn him off, I begin to remember why we were best friends. Despite how hard I try, Finn isn't interested in dumping me... and now I'm not sure I want him to.

Finn's always been trouble. The kind that might break my heart. Again.

Finn Rhodes Forever is a spicy, second-chance romantic comedy. This is book four in the Queen's Cove series but can be read as a standalone

My arrogant fake fiancé? I can't stand him.

Cocky and charismatic Emmett Rhodes isn'ta relationship kind of guy, but now that he's running for mayor of our small town, his bachelor past is hurting the campaign.

Thankfully, I'm the last woman who would everfall for him.

We're total opposites-he's a golden retriever and I'ma black cat, but he'll co-sign on my restaurant loan if I play his devoted fiancée. Between romantic dates, a prom night re-do, and visits to a secret beach, things heat up, and the line between real and ruse is lit on fire. I'm starting to see another side of Mr Popular, and now I wonder if I was all wrong.

We can't keep our hands off each other, but it's all for show... right?

A hilarious, enemies-to-lovers, fake-dating romantic comedy with lots of spice and an HEA. This is the first book in the Queen's Cove series and can be read as a standalone.

The deal is simple: the grumpy guy will pay off my debt if I find him a wife.

Holden Rhodes is grouchy, unfairly hot, and has hated me for years. He's the last person I'd choose to inherit an inn with. As we renovate the inn and put his dating skills to practice, though, I see a different side of him.

What if I was all wrong about Holden?

When we add 'friends with benefits' to the deal, our chemistry is so hot the sparks could burn down the inn. Holden's a secret romantic, and I'm secretly falling for him.

I'm terrible at bartending, a video of a bear stealing my toywent viral, and everyone in this small town knows my business, but Holden Rhodes is so much more than I expected.

I don't want him to find love with anyone but me.

A grumpy-sunshine, friends-with-benefits, small-town romantic comedy with lots of spice and an HEA. This is book 3 in the Queen's Cove series but can be read as a standalone.

Love: Not as easy as ABC.

They were supposed to keep things casual. Who’d expect they’d be schooled in love?

Those who can, teach. Marvin Block is one of the best kindergarten teachers out there. And despite his anxiety, Marvin’s life is sweet. He knows what he wants. And what he wants is the Teacher of the Year Award. Not just for himself – his school needs him to win.

Returning from break, the New Year finds Marvin all set to welcome a new pupil to his class. But when Illona walks in with her cute-as-hell single dad beside her, Marvin’s focus starts to slide.

Sure, his students always come first, but he deserves to have a life outside the classroom, too, right?

As their friendship starts to deepen, Marvin realizes Olan has the potential to teach him things about love he never thought possible. But with the Teacher of the Year award and his school’s future on the line, now’s not the time for anything complicated.

Education has always been Marvin’s world. And he needs to keep a cool head if he wants to win the award and save his school. But will it be worth it if he loses Olan in the process?

With Olan’s past and Marvin’s present colliding, their experiment in love hangs in the balance. Marvin knows what he wants out of life. But now he’s forced to consider what he wants out of love.

Will Marvin chalk the relationship up to experience? Or can they revise their story into a textbook romance?

When a guest dies in the B&B she helps her aunts run, a young witch must rely on some good old-fashioned investigating to clear her aunt's name in this magical and charming cozy mystery.

For four hundred years, the Warren witches have used their magic to quietly help the citizens of the sleepy New England town of Evenfall thrive. There’s never been a problem they couldn’t handle. But then Constance Graves—a local known for being argumentative and demanding—dies while staying at the bed and breakfast Brynn Warren maintains with her aunts. At first, it seems like an accident…but it soon becomes clear that there’s something more sinister at work, and Aunt Nora is shaping up to be the prime suspect.

There’s nothing Brynn wants more than to prove Nora’s innocence, and it hurts her to know that even two years ago that might have been easier. Brynn, after all, is a witch of the dead—a witch who can commune with ghosts. Ghosts never remember much about their deaths, but Constance might remember something about her life that would help crack the case. But Brynn hasn’t used her powers since her husband died, and isn’t even sure she still can. Brynn will just have to hope that her aunts’ magic and her own investigative skills will lead her to answers—and maybe back to the gift she once thought herself ready to give up forever.

Don’t miss the overnight viral sensation everyone is talking about! Blood of Hercules is the sarcastically funny, dark fantasy romance reimagining of Hercules from bestselling author Jasmine Mas.

I’m just a girl. And it turns out, I’m Hercules.

I’m struggling to survive in a Titan infested world where Spartans, immortals from twelve royal families who have god-like powers and obscene wealth, rule over all. A shy-stammering foster child with nothing, I keep my head down, cover my scars, and focus on excelling in school. At least, I try to. Then it happens.

My blood test reveals I’m part of the powerful elite. I’m one of them. A Spartan.

Forced to attend the Spartan War Academy, I undergo the most harrowing test of all time to see if I have what it takes to be an immortal. There’s just a few problems. Achilles and Patro are my scary mentors. Kharon, the ferryman of death, and Augustus, the son of war, are my terrifying professors. Also, I’m pretty sure either someone’s stalking me everywhere I go, or my sanity’s slipping––I have a bad feeling both are true.

I’m surrounded by Villains and they’re smothering me with their hate, obsession, and dark possessiveness. Too bad for them, they have no clue just who they’re messing with.

Rivalry and romance spark when two bookstore managers who are opposites in every way find themselves competing for the same promotion.

Despite managing bookstores on the same Boston street, Josie Klein and Ryan Lawson have never interacted much—Josie’s store focuses on serious literature, and Ryan’s sells romance only. But when the new owner of both stores decides to combine them, the two are thrust into direct competition. Only one manager will be left standing, decided by who turns the most profit over the summer.

Efficient and detail-oriented Josie instantly clashes with easygoing and disorganized Ryan. Their competing events and contrasting styles lead to more than just frustration—the sparks between them might just set the whole store on fire. Their only solace during this chaos is the friendship they’ve each struck up with an anonymous friend in an online book forum. Little do they know they’re actually chatting with each other.

As their rivalry heats up in real life, their online relationship grows, and when the walls between their stores come tumbling down, Josie and Ryan realize not all’s fair in love and war. And maybe, if they’re lucky, happily ever afters aren’t just for the books.

It's game, set, match in the hottest new read of 2025! Pre-order now!

When Aussie Dylan Bailey walks away from her tenth grand slam without a title, she decides to call in for early retirement. But after spending time with fellow pro and British player Oliver Anderson, he convinces her she still has one last title fight left in her.
Together, they embark on a journey of rediscovery and second chances, as Dylan and Oliver navigate the highs and lows of professional tennis while falling deeper in love with each passing match.

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Cheat Sheet and Practice Makes Perfect comes an expanded edition of The Enemy - a laugh-out-loud romance about rekindling old flames, with a never-before-seen chapter.

Enemies should never get a second chance. But this one might . . .

It's been twelve years since June Broaden has seen her high school enemy (and secret crush), Ryan Henderson. That's a long time to hold a grudge over some petty feud, but the sharp memory of him dangling a kiss at graduation, then pulling away at the last second, has fuelled many angry fantasies since. Now's her chance to get even.

Ryan, along with most of her high school class, is back in town for her best friend's wedding, and June is eager to show the former bully exactly what he missed out on. A lot has changed since their high school days; June is the Southern queen of gourmet donuts now, not to mention one of the most desired bachelorettes in her small town.

What's she's not expecting, though, is for Ryan to show up looking like Adonis and touting his own career success as the youngest chef to ever win three Michelin stars. How dare he try to one up her revenge plot? Luckily June never backs down from a challenge . . .

'Charming, self-deprecating, quick-witted and funny' The New York Times 'The Hating Game is bursting at the seams with love (and hate) and heart' Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners Now a film starring Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell, globally bestselling author Sally Thorne's hilarious workplace comedy is all about the fine line between love and hate. Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman sit across from each other every day . . . and they hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. HATE. Lucy can't understand Joshua's joyless, uptight approach to his job and refusal to smile. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy's overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and desire to be liked. Now they're up for the same promotion and Lucy, usually a determined people-pleaser, has had enough: it's time to take him down. But as the tension between Lucy and Joshua reaches its boiling point, it's clear that the real battle has only just begun . . . This bestselling, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy is an unmissable treat, perfect for fans of Christina Lauren's UNHONEYMOONERS or Emily Henry's BEACH READ. 'Funny, sexy and instantly unputdownable' Paige Toon 'The next Sophie Kinsella' Bustle 'A smart and funny modern romance' Good Housekeeping 'Acerbic and sexy and filled with tension . . . a wicked, witty romance that will capture readers' hearts long before Joshua manages to capture Lucy's' Sarah MacLean, Washington Post

From the author of the Madison Kate series comes the next in the dark and delicious interconnected Hades series, another biting "why choose" romance in Shadow Grove.

“I wasn’t fighting this war with Chase alone. I never had been, with Zed at my back. But this time I also had Cass and Lucas, and goddamn if we weren’t a force to be f***ing reckoned with.”

They say to keep your enemies close, and mine are all around me. At the heart of it are four dangerously gorgeous men: The man who wants to light my darkness and has already paid the price for loving me. The man who can handle my power and loves every dark inch of me. The man who has been my closest companion, and now threatens to upend our carefully balanced world in pursuit of me.

But the fourth man is probably the most terrifying, because he wants to take the others away from me. He wants to tear the spinal column out of the empire I’ve built. Destroy my businesses. Destroy me.

Why? Because this man should have stayed dead, but he didn’t, and now he wants revenge. He will stop at nothing until he’s carved out my bloody, beating heart and left me broken.

But he should remember who he’s dealing with.

I’m not the girl he knew anymore, and I will never let him have what’s mine.

If she wasn’t dead already, Delphie would be dying of embarrassment. She’s entered the afterlife wearing the sort of pyjamas you don’t want anyone to see and finds herself face-to-face with the most handsome man she’s ever encountered. And he’s smiling at her.

As they start to chat, everything else becomes background noise – until someone comes running out of a door, yelling something about a huge mistake, and sends the dreamy stranger back down to earth.

In a twist of fate, Delphie is offered a deal in which she can return to her previous life and reconnect with the mysterious man she’s sure is her soulmate.

The challenge? She only has ten days to find him.

Ten days to make him fall for her.

Oh, and he has no recollection of them ever having met…

'A deliciously dark twist on Romeo and Juliet' Natasha Ngan, New York Times bestselling author of Girls of Paper and Fire In glittering Shanghai, a monster awakens . . . The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery. A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city in chaos. Juliette Cai is the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang - a network of criminals far above the law. Roma Montagov is the prodigal son of her greatest rivals, the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. He is also Juliette's first love . . . and first betrayal. When a deadly madness strikes gangsters on both sides, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, and a monster in the shadows. And as the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns - and grudges - aside and work together. For if they can't stop this mayhem, there will be no city left to rule. Filled with romance, intrigue and betrayal, this heart-stopping fantasty retelling of Romeo and Juliet is perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane. Praise for Chloe Gong 'Heady, smart, and vicious' Tessa Gratton, author of The Queens of Innis Lear 'Deliciously dark' Natasha Ngan, New York Times bestselling author of Girls of Paper and Fire 'Dark and beautiful' Emiko Jean, author of Empress of all Seasons 'A terrific, deliciously unputdownable read' June Hur, author of The Silence of Bones

Dane Sinclair is on top of the world and not at all interested in settling down. With a Stanley Cup win just under his belt, he’s dead set on putting his career first. Captivated by an alluring stranger at the bar, he opts for a night of pleasure.

Except this one night bleeds into Monday, when he arrives to practice and meets the new intern for the Saints.

Not only is the captivating stranger from the bar the new intern, but she’s also the coach’s daughter.

Josie is off-limits, a forbidden temptation that Dane knows he should resist.

The consequences of their relationship being discovered could be catastrophic for both of them. Despite his best efforts, Dane finds himself unable to stay away from her, putting his standing with the Saints at risk.

Taylor and Travis.
Jennifer and A-Rod.
Marilyn and Joe.

When a professional athlete and a megawatt star fall in love, the world becomes obsessed...

Now it's time to meet Lacey and Jimmy.

With four chart-topping albums, Lacey Logan is a superstar whose life no longer feels like her own, her every move photographed, videoed and dissected. Lacey skilfully governs her narrative throughout it all, an expert at showing fans and paparazzi only exactly what she wants them to see. But when she discovers her boyfriend is hiding some devastating secrets, she begins to lose her confidence, and her control over her own story.

Then big shouldered baseball player Jimmy Hodges walks into the bar where she's venting to a friend. With his shaggy beard and unfashionable button-down, Jimmy is the opposite of the picture-perfect guy Lacey thinks she wants. And yet she finds herself drawn to him. For the first time in her life, Lacey's doing things she wants to do, not what she thinks she should be doing.

But following her desires comes with its own risks. Lacey and Jimmy are polar opposites, and starting a relationship with him could damage everything she's worked so hard for. So why can't she get him out her head?

When a ghost from Hades's past blows up her club, threatening her position and the people she loves, it means only one thing: war.

“Two against twenty-six? Seems like unfair odds.”

I quirked a brow. “Maybe we should do it blindfolded.”

Five years ago, I made a choice that I haven’t regretted a day since. I protected the single most important person in my world: my little sister. I protected myself, and I seized control of the Tri-State Timberwolves.

Since then, I’ve wielded that power as Hades with an iron fist. Done whatever it took to take care of my people. Kept us out of the public eye, and kept us safe.

But now, a ghost from my past is threatening my position. Challenging me. Peddling their poison and breaking my rules. Stabbing at me in the dark.

Blowing up my club.

But this last attack has taken it one step too far. They have no idea of the lengths I’ll go to protect what is mine. And Lucas? He’s mine.

They want anarchy? They haven’t seen anything yet.

A suspenseful and spicy mafia romance set in Shadow Grove, Anarchy ups the stakes established in 7th Circle and doubles down on the heat.

Twenty-three-year-old Hayden "Hades" is the most powerful gang leader in Shadow Grove...but new dangers and new feelings might just threaten her circle of hell.

“I wouldn’t fall. Because the second I did, someone would be there to slit my throat and toss me to the sharks.

After all, it’s what I would do.”

Five years ago, I masterminded the infamous massacre of the Tri-State Timberwolves.

The streets outside the Wolves HQ ran red with the blood of the old guard, and not one of the members loyal to my father was granted mercy.

I let the media twist and distort the story. My new recruits eagerly proved themselves by spreading false news, then covering our tracks. To the general public, the Tri-State Timberwolves were extinct.

But that couldn’t have been further from the truth. We changed, we grew, we evolved; we came out stronger than ever. Now, I live, eat, sleep and breathe Timberwolves. I’ll do anything to keep my empire safe and thriving. To keep the people depending on me safe.

So, what do I do when it’s my own weakness that places us all in danger? When I let sex cloud my judgment, and my people pay the price?

Simple. Kill the distractions.

I’m called Hades for a reason, after all.

The first book in TikTok sensation Tate James's Hades series, a suspenseful and spicy romance connected to the world of Madison Kate.

"We're way more than friends, Jessie."

"Blake--"

"But no worries. I'll just sit tight until you figure that out."

Hosting her brother's wedding for an MVP guest list is the challenge of Jess Canning's life. Already the family screw-up, she can't afford to fail at this, too. Especially after the colossal mistake she made with the best man during a weak moment last spring. Nobody--absolutely nobody--can find out about that, and there will not be a repeat. Absolutely not. No matter how devastatingly sexy his smile, he's a giant manchild who's never been serious in his life. And if Jess wants to prove herself to her family, serious is what she has to get.

For Blake Riley, this wedding is a gift from fate itself. The girl he has his eye on is the maid of honor, and he's the best man? Let the games begin. So what if Jess is giving him a little--fine, a lot--of resistance? He just needs to convince the stubborn blonde that he's really a good boy with a bad rap. Beneath the flirty jokes and goofy smile, he's got layers--even if Jess doesn't want to see them.

Luckily, every professional hockey player knows that you've got to make an effort if you want to score.

And Jess is just the girl he wants to win.

All Charlie Masterson wants is to graduate Oxford. With a first, obviously. But then his life gets turned upside down when Evie Waters waltzes into his philosophy class. Evie Waters, the one-time, very careless owner of his heart. A heart he has no intention of giving away ever again, therefore he needs to come up with a plan to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Violet Brooks has her life together, mostly. She’s a term into reading English at Oxford, and she’s hoping for the lead in the University’s summer production of Twelfth Night. There’s just one tiny snag. Her brother’s best friend just asked her to be his fake girlfriend. Her brother’s best friend who she’s been in love with since the first time she saw him.

Evie’s reappearance makes it hard for Charlie to focus on anything but repelling her advances. While Violet is now immersed in the role of a lifetime.

As Charlie and Violet spend more time together, it soon becomes hard to tell where the acting ends and real life begins, especially when Charlie starts looking at Violet the way she’s always looked at him.

Because all’s fair in love and war, right?

The first time I met Chase Parker, I didn't exactly make a good impression.

I was hiding in the bathroom hallway of a restaurant, leaving a message for my best friend to save me from my awful date.

He overheard and told me I was a bitch, then proceeded to offer me some dating advice.

So I told him to mind his own damn business―his own tall, gorgeous, full-of-himself damn business―and went back to my miserable date.

When he walked by my table, he smirked, and I watched his arrogant, sexy ass walk back to his date.

I couldn't help but sneak hidden glances at the condescending jerk on the other side of the room. Of course, he caught me on more than one occasion, and winked.

When the gorgeous stranger and his equally hot date suddenly appeared at our table, I thought he was going to rat me out.

But instead, he pretended we knew each other and joined us―telling elaborate, embarrassing stories about our fake childhood.

My date suddenly went from boring to bizarrely exciting.

When it was over and we parted ways, I thought about him more than I would ever admit, even though I knew I'd never see him again.

I mean, what were the chances I'd run into him again in a city with eight million people?Then again...

What were the chances a month later he'd wind up being my new sexy boss?

"He was my savior. My monster. My obsession. My destruction."

*A scorchingly hot modern retelling of Ariadne and her Minotaur.*

Ariadne Vitalis is in trouble. She's betrayed her father—and his dangerous benefactor—and now she's left to rely on Olympus' questionable mercy. But in this city, mercy comes with a price. For Ariadne, that means a sham marriage to Dionysus. She has no choice but to agree, even if there's only one man she's ever wanted—a man she fears just as much as she desires.

The Minotaur never had any illusions about Minos's plans. He was willing to get his hands dirty as long as the old man kept his word—at the end of their bloody work, the Minotaur would be given Ariadne as a reward. She's meant for him, and he intends to have her, no matter the cost.

Ariadne knows better than to encourage the Minotaur—she's all too aware of how hot a passion like theirs can burn. Besides, she can never forgive him for the terrible things he's done, and he can never change. But when his hands are on her body and his wicked words are whispered in her ear, she might just be willing to let all of Olympus burn…

Remi Hayes is beginning to think she’s cursed—her fiancé cheated on her, her brother Jude is a major pain in her ass, and the moldering mansion she inherited from her uncle might just be haunted.

Flipping Blackleaf Manor already feels impossible, even before Remi is blackmailed by Dane Covett, the dangerously hot doctor-next-door, and Grimstone’s most eligible bachelor—if you can ignore the fact that everyone in town thinks he murdered his wife.

Remi doesn’t want to believe it, especially after Dane sews up a gash in her thigh and steals a kiss in payment—a kiss that makes it hard to walk for reasons that have nothing to do with an injured leg.

But as the renovation takes a strange and violent turn, Remi must decide if Dane is the one haunting her nights, or if he’s trying to protect her from something much worse…