From gothic mansions steeped in famine-era secrets to jazz-lit Harlem love affairs, from supernatural reckonings at death’s door to forbidden second chances in romance and hard truths about women unjustly imprisoned, this week’s new releases deliver emotional range. Whether you’re craving chills, historical drama, social justice–driven fiction or a swoony love story, these five standout novels offer bold heroines and page-turning stakes.
Vigil by George Saunders
A man who feels he has nothing to regret is escorted by Jill “Doll” Blaine, an afterlife guide on her 343rd vigil, as oil magnate K.J. Boone lies dying. Reconciliations take place as unusual guests, both living and dead, swarm his last hours. George Saunders examines greed, legacy, environmental damage and the unsettling topic of absolution at the brink of life and death with vivid imagination and moral force.
This House Will Feed by Maria Tureaud
Maggie O’Shaughnessy flees the workhouse in famine-stricken Ireland in 1848 by taking a peculiar job at a distant Burren manor and pretending to be a dead woman for her enigmatic patron. Maggie encounters a malevolent force ravenous for blood and retribution as spectral stories circulate and long-forgotten memories resurface. This eerie book examines survival, identity and the price of making risky pledges by fusing historical tension with a gothic ambiance.
Women of a Promiscuous Nature by Donna Everhart
Ruth Foster, 24, is dragged into a women’s jail colony where innocence provides no protection after being detained against her will for “testing” on her way to work. Ruth is subjected to a brutal superintendent’s punishment and control system alongside prisoners imprisoned for poverty, attractiveness or disobedience. Bonds are formed, resistance arises and the ladies risk all to recover their freedom and dignity as fear tightens its hold.
With Love From Harlem by ReShonda Tate
This expansive book, which is based on the life of jazz legend Hazel Scott, centers on a gifted child prodigy whose ascent in 1940s Harlem collides with a risky romance with flamboyant politician Adam Clayton Powell Jr. While inner struggles over ambition, identity and sacrifice jeopardize everything Hazel has achieved, their devotion propels them into public scrutiny, celebrity and power. ReShonda Tate, full of romance and history, depicts the price of being remembered.
The Re-Do List by Denise Williams
Willow Lewis creates a daring redo list to recover the firsts she experienced with her high school sweetheart following a heartbreaking split. Unquestionable chemistry is sparked by innocent favors with the assistance of Deacon, her brother’s best friend. Both must deal with time, loyalty and the possibility of heartbreak as friendship develops into something more. This story tackles self-discovery, second chances and choosing love when it means most. It is sweet, seductive and emotional.
