Saturdays at the Café

Saturdays at the Café is a weekly feature hosted here to talk about and discuss the books I’ve discovered during the past week, added to my shelf and am excited about reading. They may be new/scheduled releases I’ve seen on NetGalley, at the library, or from publishers or they may be older titles my friends have reviewed and shared on Goodreads or blogs.

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AFTER HER RUNAWAY BESTSELLER MY HUSBAND’S WIFE . . .
AND THE GLOBAL #1 NETFLIX SERIES HIS & HERS . . .
DISCOVER THE BRAND-NEW NOVEL FROM MULTIMILLION-COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR ALICE FEENEY

“Twist had more twists and turns than a roller coaster! If you want a book that will make your jaw drop, this is it! I loved it!” —Freida McFadden, #1 bestselling author

SOMETIMES ONE HUSBAND IS NOT ENOUGH.
Flight attendant Ariella has perfected the art of the double life. In a picture-postcard village, she plays the charming wife to wholesome Noah and the loving mother to their daughter. But in London, she is the glamorous new bride of Luka, living in a luxurious penthouse high above the city. Ariella believes you can have more than one soulmate—and you might as well.

Darcy is not like Ariella. She lives on a quirky London street, is married to her perfect partner, and has never wanted more. Because Darcy believes in the one.

But everyone knows that marriage can be murder.

When a husband is killed, his wife wants to know who did it—and why. But can we ever really know the person we marry? One thing is for sure: She’s about to learn how far people will go to protect the secrets of a perfect marriage—or two.

EVERY GOOD LOVE STORY HAS A PLOT TWIST.

Thanks to Jodie @ That Happy Reader for featuring this in her Weekend Post. Scheduled for release in February, it’s an audiobook review hopeful.

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Detective Noelle Marshall and FBI Agent Max Rhodes unearth bodies and secrets as they become targets of a serial killer in a chilling novel of suspense by a Wall Street Journalbestselling author.

When a search dog locates a mass burial ground in the Oregon forest, Detective Noelle Marshall is plunged into a hunt for a killer who’s hiding in plain sight. The key to her case lies in a decades-old a lone survivor who escaped and is still out there, living in fear. The murderer is a phantom who left behind a collection of victims with nothing in common but their final resting place.

As pressure mounts to identify the bodies and find the killer, the investigation draws in FBI Agent Max Rhodes—Noelle’s partner in work and in life. They’ve hunted monsters before, but this one has spent years preparing for this moment, and he craves revenge. As the search narrows and the clock tightens, Noelle and Max must confront a predator who knows the terrain—and their weaknesses—better than they do.

I learned about this third book in the series from BookBub. Scheduled for release in September, it’s an audio review hopeful.

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Inspired by real-life events, The Unexpected Afterlife of Salon Rose is equal parts thrilling murder mystery and bittersweet coming-of-age story.

College hopeful Salon Rose arrives to the Nowhere in Between, a way-station between life and death, only to learn she’s been murdered.

Returning to the life she had before is not an option, but before Salon can move on, she is determined to discover who was responsible for her death.

With the help of her new friends—all recently deceased—and maybe even a fresh crush, Salon must learn to let go if she has any hope of getting out of there. Even if it means confronting some hard-to-swallow truths.

Thanks to Louis @ Book Me a Read for his wonderful review. I accepted this for audio review.

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A mother who has vanished into seclusion is forced to revisit her son’s heinous crimes in a haunting psychological thriller by the Edgar Award–winning author of Or Else.

Eight years ago, Hattie Conlee’s world was torn apart when her son, Tommy, was convicted of being a serial killer known as the Bedfellow. When Tommy escaped custody, he simply disappeared. So did Hattie. She changed her name and moved to a coastal town in Maine to build an anonymous new life. No one would find her here. Hattie couldn’t have been more wrong.

Now investigative journalist Ross Eeling has come calling. He agrees to keep Hattie’s new identity a secret on one Hattie tell him things she’s never told the vultures of the press before—about her son, the murders of so many innocent women, its impact on a devastated family, and the depths of a mother’s love. Ross wants the truth.

Dredging up the most painful moments of her life is a revelation for Hattie too. Because the past is more complicated and disturbing than she realizes. And its deadly repercussions are far from over.

After loving his last book, I accepted this for audio review.

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Performed in duet by Erin Mallon and JF Harding! A spicy and hilarious forbidden small town rom com from #1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blakely!

He ghosted me once, now he’s supposed to protect me?

I don’t need a bodyguard—I run a small-town lavender farm, for bee’s sake. But when my identical twin sister lands the movie role of a lifetime that’s being shot in my hometown I get one anyway.

And guess which broody, tattooed protector the studio sends to keep the paparazzi off my porch?

Last month’s almost one-night stand.

The guy with the wicked mouth and heated eyes who slipped out before the fun even started. But turns out the sexy jerk is excellent at rescuing me from sneaky photographers at the market. Then the coffee shop. I’m trying hard to stay mad after the third time my new bodyguard saves me.

To top it all off, he’s staying in the cottage at my farm. With me. And there’s only one bed.

Maybe if we finally give in and finish what we started, it’ll relieve the tension? But one night quickly turns into another. Then into late-night secrets and soft confessions we shouldn’t say out loud. Especially since he’s leaving and I’m staying, and there’s no way we can be more than a summer romance that ends far too soon.

Escape into a spicy and hilarious forbidden small town rom com from #1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blakely!

Tropes: Small town, rom com, grumpy/sunshine, bodyguard, mistaken identity, forbidden romance, only one bed

Thanks to Mary @ A Bookworm With Wine for her great review of the next book in the series that made me want to read this one. It’s on my Audible wishlist.

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The solo debut from the New York Times bestselling coauthor of Widow’s Point: The Complete Haunting, a post-apocalyptic/survival horror novel written in the bestselling traditions of Stephen King’s .The Mist and Josh Malerman’s Bird Box.

A top-secret government project hits upon a revolutionary idea for transporting matter across the vast reaches of the universe, and they succeed in bringing something back. Something alive. Something alien. They bring back THEM.

Mankind’s reign atop the food chain comes to an abrupt halt when a tractor trailer hauling a mustard-yellow shipping container mysteriously overturns and rolls off the highway, unleashing THEM upon an unsuspecting New England countryside. America soon falls, and the world follows.

Years later, one man emerges from the rubble of humanity, seeking other survivors and a shred of hope amidst an eerie and lonely landscape. He travels by night up the rural East Coast, discovering Americana ruins and encountering monsters the likes of which no human has survived before. Scarred and molded by the horrors of the new natural order, the man must face his own dwindling humanity, and pray that any other survivors have not become monsters themselves.

THEM is the spectacular debut novel by W.H. Chizmar, an exciting new voice in dark fiction. This story of survival and responsibility presents sobering questions about what it means to be human and will stick with you long after the final page.

Thanks to Nikki @ Nikki Lee Thrill Seeker for her outstanding review. It’s a library audiobook hopeful.

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Allison Brennan’s New York Times bestselling series continues when a figure from Quinn and Costa’s past sends them a warning they can’t ignore.

Matt Costa’s thirteen-year-old neighbor is missing, and he’s determined to find her. But when she’s discovered in a diner just twenty-four hours later, unharmed but drugged, Matt learns her disappearance is more complicated than he expected—it’s a warning for him. A typewritten note left with her insists he provide the current address of Marie Harding, the daughter of a man his team put away.

Contract killer and “fixer” Conrad James is out of prison, and he wants his daughter back. The problem? Matt helped her mother take her into hiding. Now he needs the full Mobile Response Team on the case, including Kara Quinn, who has been out of state dealing with an unexpected reunion with her con artist father.

By the time Kara arrives back in Virginia, another girl is taken—this time even closer to home. While the team crafts a plan to recapture Conrad without giving in to his demands, Conrad strikes again, killing a random stranger. The message is clear: the children are safe, but adults are fair game.

As the case starts to unravel at the seams and more lives are placed in danger, Quinn and Costa must track down Conrad before more innocent people end up dead.

Thanks to Carla @ Carla Loves to Read for featuring this in her Can’t Wait Wednesday post. Scheduled for release in January, it’s a library audiobook hopeful.

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From the USA Today bestselling author of How to Survive a Horror Story comes a biting slasher perfect for fans of John Tucker Must Die and The Final Girl Support Group, following three women who lure their cheating boyfriend to a remote mountain cabin, only to realize that darkness lurks within the very walls, waiting to pick them off one by one.

One isolated cabin. One cheating boyfriend. One plan to get even.

When Nora, Ruby, and Cham discover that they’ve each been dating the same man, what starts as outrage quickly spirals into a plot for revenge. Together they hatch a plan to lure their boyfriend to a romantic getaway in a secluded cabin at the top of a snow-covered mountain.

Only what was meant to be harmless payback soon takes a chilling turn when their not-so-adoring boyfriend is found dead in the cabin.

Stranded and snowed in, the women begin to look at each other with increasing suspicion. And as tensions rise, hidden motives come to light. To survive, each woman must confront her own demons as they fight to uncover if one of them is the killer, or if something else lurks in the freezing wilderness, waiting to pick them off one by one.

Thanks to Jamele @ Books With Jams for her great review. The audiobook is on my library wishlist.

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It’s been eight years since “the incident” that stole the future Jerek Hayes had planned. Accusations. Negative press attention. Rabid anger from people he’s never met.

Some say he avoided responsibility for his crime. That his family’s money saved him. But he’s ready to put those years behind him. He’s moved across the country. Established a new life.

He acts like he’s gotten away with it.

But revenge requires perfect timing and Sabrina’s been waiting for this moment. Waiting for him to start over…so she can take it all away.

Thanks to Melissa @ That Library Girl for her great review. Scheduled for release in October, it’s an audio review hopeful.

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A bounty hunter must outrun her past before it catches up to her in this pulse-pounding new standalone thriller

Bounty hunter Elle Randolph takes on every case she can, in an effort to outrun herself. Three years ago, she was the only one who walked away from a car crash that killed her husband and two others. Although she was cleared of any wrongdoing, she is fueled by guilt and dedicated to solving other people’s problems. But her running is over when she’s identified as a person of interest in a murder investigation.

Detective Ronan Clarke, a single dad for fifteen years, has been laser-focused on raising his daughter and serving the people of Mendocino County, California. He’s got everything under control—until a bounty hunter enters his jurisdiction, keeping secrets and bringing murder to his quiet town. The hunter is definitely involved in his current case, but exactly how is his question. Could she be his killer? As he unravels her secrets, he becomes increasingly troubled by what he finds. While Elle is forced to reexamine every painful memory of the life she left behind, Ronan grows more and more sure of her innocence. But can he trust himself to uncover the truth amid their growing attraction?

Thanks to Anne @ Books of My Heart for her great review. The audiobook is on my library wishlist.

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With Jessie Garcia’s signature multi-POV, rapid-fire style that will keep you on your toes until the last page, Bad Honeymoon is the next twisty thriller from the author of The Business Trip.

In search of a ratings hit, TV reporter Becca Larson flies to Florida to cover what should be a simple story: a newlywed couple’s honeymoon gone wrong by a nightmare hotel stay.

Eve Schmidt’s story is compelling, disturbing, and sure to entice viewers. Becca meets with Eve, plans the shoot, and lines everything up for the next day. The story is off to the perfect start.

Then, Eve goes silent.

Calls go unanswered, emails bounce back. With no story and no explanation, Becca heads home, embarrassed and bracing herself to explain the failure to her boss.

What she doesn’t know is there’s been a murder. When police show up at her door, everything Becca thought she knew snaps into terrifying focus. A woman is dead. Eve has vanished. And the evidence suggests Becca may have been involved.

This isn’t just a story about a bad honeymoon anymore.

As suspicion turns toward Becca, every decision she made in pursuit of the segment is under scrutiny, and the more she tries to explain herself, the more it seems to implicate her. With her career unraveling, her credibility in question, and her marriage straining under the weight of doubt, Becca must find a way to clear her name before this story defines her for good.

Bad Honeymoon. Sometimes the best stories bring out the worst in people…

I learned about this from a NetGalley email. Scheduled for release in January, it’s an audio review hopeful (cover not yet available).

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What books did YOU add to your shelves this week?