March may “come in a like a lion and go out like a lamb” but either way, there is always time to find another great book to read. In this month’s What to Read Next, you’ll find unsolved murders, witchcraft, a quartet of “Golden Gays” and a coming-of-age story about the summer of ’69. A fake marriage situation between sisters, a brunch that turns sickening and a historical fiction about a fortune teller round out this eclectic list of books. We hope you find your next best read within this list of books publishing this March!
I Came Back for You by Kate White
New York Times bestselling author Kate White writes intoxicating psychological thrillers that have earned her wide critical acclaim and a legion of devoted fans. Her latest thriller, I Came Back for You, centers on a mother who is forced to question everything she’s been told about the heinous murder of her daughter, which opens scarcely healed emotional wounds as she searches for justice and the truth. Book clubs will devour this novel with themes of trauma, grief and the complexity of relationships.
Kissing The Sky by Lisa Patton
Suzannah is a gifted young singer whose strict father bans rock music in the home. Ready for something more, she sneaks off with her best friend to attend Woodstock, and those three days of music, love and revelations will transform her. This coming-of-age story, set in the backdrop of one of the most iconic musical events in history, will delight readers as Suzannah finds her own voice – on stage and within herself.
That’s What Friends Are For by Wade Rouse
If you loved The Golden Girls back in the day, you’ll adore Theodore (Teddy) Copeland and his three roommates and best friends, who all live together in a pink mid-century Palm Springs home. Each month they honor Blanche, Rose, Dorothy and Sophia by putting on a drag show tribute called “The Golden Gays.” Life is good for the four of them as they embrace their golden years. But when Teddy’s estranged sister and her teen daughter arrive for a visit, the harmony of the group is disrupted as secrets come to light and memories of the past resurface. That’s What Friends Are For is a story of chosen family, identity, love and friendship, and Jodi Picoult has called it “hilarious, [and] tender.”
How Simi Got Her Groom Back by Sonali Dev
A fake marriage scheme goes terribly wrong in this heartfelt and humorous story about two sisters who escaped their traumatic past in Mumbai. Simi is a pediatric nurse in Kentucky when her sister Rupi shows up to announce that she is facing possible deportation. With no other option, the sisters hatch a plan for a fake marriage – and it just so happens that the selected groom is the man that Simi is secretly dating. With an impending wedding, sisterly jealousy and unexpected romantic feelings, what will happen between Simi and Rupi is anyone’s guess as the big day approaches. New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry says after reading How Simi Got Her Groom Back, you will be left “with a whole-body, happy sigh and a warm ache in your chest.” Who doesn’t want to read a book like that!?
Strangers in the Villa by Robyn Harding
Robyn Harding is one of my favorite authors so I was thrilled to know that Strangers in the Villa publishes this month on March 3. When Sydney Lowe’s husband admits he had an affair, the two head to Spain to repair their relationship. While working on their marriage and their remote house on a hilltop, unexpected travelers from Australia arrive. Against their better judgment, Sydney and Curtis invite the young couple into their home, figuring they could offer companionship and labor. As the days pass, and the guests make themselves at home, Sydney and Curtis realize they have more to worry about than just the fate of their marriage. Things turn dark and dangerous, and not everyone will make it out alive.
Served Him Right by Lisa Unger
When Ana and Paul break up, she decides to celebrate by hosting a brunch for her best girlfriends. But at the brunch, shocking news about Paul is revealed, and one of Ana’s besties becomes seriously sick. While Ana had reasons to be angry with Paul, there are others who also had a score to settle with him. A revengeful secret society may be behind all that has gone wrong, and Ana must find out what is true before her own secrets are exposed and she takes the fall for someone else’s misdeeds.
The Fortune Tellers of Rue Daru by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
Zina and her grandmother Baba live quiet lives ever since Zina’s mother’s death. By day, they serve tea to those in their Russian community, and by night, they tell fortunes and perform séances. When Princess Olga and her brother come to ask about the disappearance of their father, Zina performs a séance and summons their father, the Grand Duke, from the spirit world. To Zina’s shock, he begins to haunt the tea shop, insinuating that he knows something sinister about what happened to her mother. Russian culture and tradition are woven into this gothic historical fiction that is full of mystery, magic, revelations and romance.
A Spell for Saints and Sinners by Emily Carpenter
Emily Carpenter is a master of Southern gothic novels and it’s a thrill that A Spell for Saints and Sinners, set in Savannah, is publishing on March 31. Ingrid White has inherited her grandmother’s home and her popular psychic business but without some serious cash and new clients, she’s about to lose everything. But then Ingrid gives an eerily accurate psychic reading to bride-to-be Sailor Loeffler, the daughter of one of Savannah’s wealthiest families, and becomes the heiress’s confidante. Ingrid continues to practice the magic she learned from her grandmother, but her spells become darker and even more risky as she’s drawn into Sailor’s inner circle of privilege and wealth. This alluring mix of class, power, secrets and modern witchcraft makes this a novel that bestselling author Carter Wilson calls “dark, dazzling and impossible to resist.”
