Top list: Comics and humor

The political situation at court has changed: the birth of Gyokuyou’s son has seen her elevated to the status of Empress, and meanwhile Jinshi is no longer able to continue his pretense at the rear palace. Although all seems peaceful after the destruction of the Shi clan, threats continue to loom—not least a potential plague of insects—and Maomao, as ever, somehow finds herself caught up in them.

When Jinshi orders an expedition to Gyokuyou’s homeland, Maomao heads west. But is there something lurking in the shadows of the glittering city? And will Maomao be able to discover what it is before it’s too late?

Fall in love with Laurie Gilmore's #1 New York Times bestselling romance set in Dream Harbor, perfect for summer! 🍓

'Never want this series to end!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🍓🍓🍓🍓

Every book in the Dream Harbor series can be read as a standalone.

As a world-renowned chef, single dad Archer never planned on moving to a small town, let alone running a pancake restaurant. But Dream Harbor needs a new chef, and Archer needs a community to help raise his daughter, Olive.

Iris has never managed to hold down a job for more than a few months. So when it’s suggested that Archer is looking for a live-in nanny, she almost runs in the opposite direction.

Now, Iris finds herself in a whole new world. One where her gorgeous new boss lives right across the hall and likes to cook topless… Keeping everything strictly professional should be easy, right?

The Strawberry Patch Pancake House is a cozy romantic mystery with a single dad and found family dynamic, a small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed!

Tropes

Single Dad

Forced Proximity

Slow Burn

Found Family

Readers LOVE Laurie Gilmore…

‘Gives off the same level of endorphins as taking a sip of an actual pumpkin spice latte… all the makings of a top tier Hallmark movie that happens to include a nice dash of spice’ People

‘With a name this cute and a cover this autumnal, how could I not cozy up with my blanket and relax with this adoring book?’ New York Post

'Laurie Gilmore has done it again; another solid 5 star read!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'As a devoted lover of the single dad trope, I hereby crown Laurie Gilmore as the undisputed queen!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Wonderful story with tears, laughter, mysteries, uncertainty and happiness’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Compelling, cozy and delightful narrative’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A charming small town romance with sizzling chemistry and plenty of spice’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I LOVED THIS SO BAD. The vibes of the small town were immaculate’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Literally amazing. I can’t say enough good things about Laurie Gilmore. I’ve fallen in love with every single one of her books’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

–

Laurie Gilmore's book 'The Strawberry Patch Pancake House' was a No.1 New York Times bestseller w/c 2025-03-24.

One part memoir, one part comedy special, one part crazy first date. Just you and Matt between the covers. What could be better?

Matt Rife is well aware that he’s both the most loved and the most controversial comic in America today. And honestly, he thinks that’s your problem.

Matt reveals (without apology, of course) what led him to becoming comedy’s biggest lightning rod before he reached thirty, in a story full of bold and hysterical takes on everything from Justin Bieber tramp stamps and rap battles with ex-cons to Matt’s struggles with depression and his many brushes with failure before finally hitting it big.

Born in trashy backwoods Ohio, Matt was saved by his foul-mouthed but loving grandpa Steve, who fostered his passion for standup. He started hitting comedy clubs before he could even drink, cutting his teeth in front of crowds who dared him to succeed. Matt honed a brand of razor-sharp, brutally honest standup that took no prisoners—and took him to the most famous stages of Atlanta and LA before he finished high school. Along the way, he broke the hearts of MILFs everywhere, finally hit puberty at the ripe age of twenty-two, and never, ever backed down.

Full of Matt opening up, at his unfiltered best, about his life for the very first time, this book will give his millions of fans everything they want and more—and might even get his insecure enemies to change their minds.

As inventive as Agatha Christie, as hilarious as P.G. Wodehouse – discover the delightful detective stories of Edmund Crispin. Crime fiction at its quirkiest and best.

When a decapitated head is seen floating down the river in the Devon village of Aller, the rural calm is shattered. Soon the corpses are multiplying, and the entire community is involved in the hunt for the murderer.

Whilst many chase false trails, it is left to Gervase Fen, Oxford don and amateur criminologist, to uncover the sordid truth…

In the tradition of the late great George Carlin, Corey Taylor, the lead singer of Slipknot and Stone Sour, sounds off in hilarious fashion about the many vagaries of modern life that piss him off.

The new cosy crime novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author. NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES starring Samantha Bond, Jo Martin, and Cara Horgan. Season 3 coming in 2026!

Exclusive to the audiobook: includes an exclusive Q&A between author Robert Thorogood and narrator Nicolette McKenzie!

‘Step aboard for another sparkling Marlow Murder Club yarn … The best thing since Jerome K Jerome!’ Orlando Murrin, author of Knife Skills for Beginners

* * * *

Verity Beresford is worried about her husband. Oliver didn’t come home last night so of course Verity goes straight to Judith Potts, Marlow’s resident amateur sleuth, for help. Oliver, founder of the Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society, had hired The Marlow Belle, a private pleasure cruiser, for an exclusive party with the MADS committee but no one remembers seeing him disembark. And then Oliver’s body washes up on the Thames with two bullet holes in him – it’s time for the Marlow Murder Club to leap into action.

Oliver was a rather complicated chap and he wasn’t short of enemies. Judith, Suzie, and Becks are convinced they’ll crack the case in no time. But things are not as they seem in the Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society, and the gang will need to keep their wits about them, otherwise a killer may sail away scot-free …

* * * *

Praise for Robert Thorogood

‘Cosy crime at its best’ Crime Monthly

'A light-hearted romp with gallons of humour, mystery and brilliant sleuthing' The Sun

‘Full of unexpected twists and turns … we will be enjoying the mysteries of Robert Thorogood for many years to come' Daily Mail

'Fiendishly clever and funny, with delightful and original characters. I loved it!' Roz Watkins

‘Thrilling and heartfelt, gripping and wonderfully humorous … an absolute joy from first page to last' Chris Whitaker

The hilarious romantic comedy from NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING AUTHOR Sophie Kinsella

Lexi wakes up in a hospital bed after a car accident, thinking she's twenty-five with crooked teeth and a disastrous love life. But, to her disbelief, she learns it's actually three years later - she's a super-toned twenty-eight-year-old, her teeth are straight, she's the boss of her department - and she's married to a good-looking millionaire!

She can't believe her luck - especially when she sees her stunning new loft apartment. And she'll definitely have a fantastic marriage once she gets to know her husband again. He's drawn up a 'marriage manual', which should help.

But soon she realises her perfect life isn't all it seems. All her old friends hate her. A rival is after her job. Then a dishevelled, sexy guy turns up... and lands a new bombshell.

What the **** happened to her? Will she ever remember? And what will happen if she does?

The viral TikTok stalker dark romance, burning with high heat, hilarious banter, and a love story like you’ve never seen before. Can you handle the ride?

I want someone with a soul as black as night. Someone who would burn the world down for me and not lose a single minute of sleep over it.

Trauma nurse Aly Cappellucci doesn’t need any more kinks. She likes the one she’s landed on just fine. To her, nothing could top the masked men she follows online. Unless one of those men was shirtless, heavily tattooed, and waiting for her in her bedroom. She dreams about being hunted by one in particular, of him chasing her down and doing deliciously dark things to her willing body. She never could have guessed that by sending one drunken text, those dreams would become her new reality.

I want things most people don’t, craving darkness and depravity instead of light and love.

Josh Hammond has spent his life avoiding the limelight, but his online persona is another story. At night, he posts masked thirst traps for his millions of fans to drool over, but one follower has caught his eye: Aly. After reading a comment begging him to break into her house wearing a mask, he decides to take her up on her offer.

Together, Aly and Josh live out their darkest fantasies, unaware that Aly has captured the attention of someone else. Someone with far more sinister intentions than a little light stalking. As Josh turns from predator to protector and the stakes heighten, he must ask himself how far he’s willing to go for the woman he’s obsessed with.

Lights Out is a fast-paced dark romance with a morally gray male lead. Some themes and scenes may be disturbing to readers. Please check the TWs at the beginning of the book.

This “perfect balance of bold honesty and riotous wit” (Shelf Awareness) from the author of Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay explores Stefanie Wilder-Taylor’s journey to breaking up with alcohol for good.

For Stefanie Wilder-Taylor, alcohol was the seasoning that could give almost any activity more flavor—from liquor cabinet concoctions in high school to tequila shots in her early stand-up comedy days to grocery store wine in young motherhood. A drink instantly took the edge off and made even the most difficult adversary (be it a tough crowd in a comedy club or a judgmental PTA mom) not just bearable but fun.

As the years go by, Stefanie wonders if her relationship with alcohol is different from other people’s. Is everyone else struggling this hard to moderate? Is it even legal to watch The Bachelor without a glass of white wine?

Having spent a lifetime grappling with the question of whether or not she is a “real” alcoholic, one evening brings Stefanie close to the edge of losing it all. Miraculously unscathed, she decides that she doesn’t need to dive all the way down to a stereotypical rock bottom before deciding to stop drinking; if sobriety will improve her life, that’s a good enough reason to quit. A tender and funny farewell letter to a beloved but toxic friend, Drunk-ish is “a roller coaster of a book. You will love this candid and funny memoir even if you’re not sober. Trust me” (Jenny Lawson, New York Times bestselling author).

Jane Austen’s most popular novel, originally published in 1813, some seventeen years after it was first written, presents the Bennet family of Longbourn. Against the background of gossipy Mrs Bennet and the detached Mr Bennet, the quest is on for husbands for the five daughters. The spotlight falls on Elizabeth, second eldest, who is courted by Mr Darcy though initially she is more concerned with the fate of her other sisters. This marvellous account of family life in Regency England is read with vigour and style by Emilia Fox.

A USA Today bestseller

Road Trip Rules: No bad music. No detours. No falling in love.

Ash Campbell has been in love with Hazel Elliot since high school. Now, at the same college, their interactions are limited to playful feuding over the best chair in their favourite coffee shop.

But Ash’s attraction to the prickly girl from home has only grown stronger.

And when these frenemies are forced to drive back to their hometown of Locket Prairie, Texas, together for Christmas, the pair must endure not only each other but bad music, inclement weather, and B&Bs with only one bed …

'With razor sharp sexual tension and crackling banter, this is the frenemies to lovers book of my dreams' Christina Lauren

Readers are loving TAKE ME HOME

'I am so in love and wrapped up in this story'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Once I started I couldn't put it down!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'What a debut! The characters felt so real and I loved how the relationship grew throughout the book' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Melanie's writing sucks you in and you are totally there and absolutely care about these characters' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Ash and Hazel are one of my new favourite duos' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'The book is a unique blend of enemies to lovers and small-town romance, which is both heartwarming and hilarious. It's a fresh take on the genre and definitely deserves a full five stars' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A GOODREADS ROMANCE BOOK OF THE YEAR

A Washington PostBook of the Year

An AmazonBook of the Year

Elle Best Summer Reads

THERE'S NOT ENOUGH DATA IN THE WORLD TO PREDICT WHO WILL MAKE YOUR HEART BEAT FASTER...

It's high time for Stella Lane to settle down and find a husband - or so her mother tells her. This is no easy task for a wealthy, successful woman like Stella, who also happens to have Asperger's. Analyzing data is easy; handling the awkwardness of one-on-one dates is hard. To overcome her lack of dating experience, Stella decides to hire a male escort to teach her how to be a good girlfriend.

Faced with mounting bills, Michael decides to use his good looks and charm to make extra cash on the side. He has a very firm no repeat customer policy, but he's tempted to bend that rule when Stella approaches him with an unconventional proposal.

The more time they spend together, the harder Michael falls for this disarming woman with a beautiful mind, and Stella discovers that love defies logic.

'Original and sexy and sensitive' - Roxane Gay

'Steamy hot and sweet at the same time' - Guardian

'An absolute delight... Equal parts endearing and (very) steamy' - Buzzfeed, 30 Best Summer Books

READERS ARE RAVING ABOUT THE KISS QUOTIENT

'I'm absolutely CRAZY over this book!' *****

'A super enjoyable read!' *****

'All the stars!' *****

'Wow was this a fantastic book!!' *****

'This book rocks!' *****

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘The best romantic comedy I've read since The Hating Game’

Naomi and Luca have been pen-pals since fifth-grade. Well, more like bitter rivals caught in an epic battle of insults and verbal jousting…

But what starts as a hilarious chain of hate filled letters, slowly develops into a friendship spanning coasts and years. That is until one day, years later, when the letters suddenly stop.

It’s been two years since Naomi last heard from Luca. Two years since the letter that changed everything.

But when a new envelope turns up out of the blue at her desk at the local news station, Naomi is determined not to let Luca have the final word.

Readers can't get enough of Naomi and Luca's love story:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I LOVED this one so much…I devoured this book in one sitting and I highly recommend for fans of Emily Henry, Hannah Grace and Lucy Score’

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Wow! I am blown away by this book!!’

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘ I literally devoured this book in a few hours, it was so good. If you like romantic comedies please pick up this book!’

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Absolutely loved this book so much…I wanted to grab my kindle at every chance I got so I could find out what happened next!’

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘The perfect sparkling, fun and endearing rom com I didn't know I was missing. I stayed up late to finish it because I adored Naomi and Luca. I hope one day someone adapts this for a movie’

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I had so much fun reading this book. Like SO MUCH FUN. It had me in my feels, remembering my childhood, my teenage years, what it feels like to slowly fall for someone’

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘It's so so good! I couldn't put it down. It's funny, sweet and heartfelt all at the same time… and there are many steamy scenes too! :)’

In Boyfriend Material, Luc and Oliver met, pretended to fall in love, fell in love for real, dealt with heartbreak and disappointment and family and friends...and somehow figured out a way to make it work. Now it seems like everyone around them is getting married, and Luc's feeling the social pressure to propose. But it'll take more than four weddings, a funeral, and a bowl full of special curry to get these two from I don't know what I'm doing to I do. Good thing Oliver is such perfect Husband Material.

Big mouth. Big heart.

Big wedding. Big problems.

It's the wedding of the century!

Things are looking up at last for Lizzie Nichols. She has a career she loves in the field of her choice (wedding gown restoration), and the love of her life, Jean-Luc, has finally proposed. Life's become a dizzying whirl of wedding gown fittings—not necessarily her own—as Lizzie prepares for her dream wedding at her fiancé's château in the south of France.

But the dream soon becomes a nightmare as the best man—whom Lizzie might once have accidentally slept with . . . no, really, just slept—announces his total lack of support for the couple, a sentiment the maid of honor happens to second; Lizzie's Midwestern family can't understand why she doesn't want to have her wedding in the family backyard; her future, oh-so-proper French in-laws seem to be slowly trying to lure the groom away from medical school and back into investment banking; and Lizzie finds herself wondering if her Prince Charming really is as charming as she once believed.

Is Lizzie really ready to embrace her new role as wife and mistress of Château Mirac? Or is she destined to fall into another man's arms . . . and into the trap of becoming a Bad Girl instead?

The hilarious romantic comedy from NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING AUTHOR Sophie Kinsella

Samantha thrives under pressure. A high-powered London lawyer, all she can concentrate on is taking the next step in her career; eating, sleeping, seeing friends – even taking a breath – will have to wait.

But just when she’s about to get everything she has ever wanted, Samantha makes a mistake. A fifty-million-pound, career-destroying mistake. Unable to face the consequences, she does the unimaginable and runs away…

Catching the first train she can, she finds herself in the countryside, outside a beautiful grand house. Mistaken for another woman, she falls into a new job as the family’s housekeeper.

Emma is like every girl in the world. She has a few little secrets.

Secrets from her mother:

1. I lost my virginity in the spare bedroom to Danny Nussbaum while Mum and Dad were downstairs watching TV.

… From her boyfriend:

2. I’m a size twelve. Not a size eight, like Connor thinks.

3. I’ve always thought Connor looks a bit like Ken. As in Barbie and Ken.

… From her colleagues:

4. When Artemis really annoys me (which is pretty much every day), I feed her plant orange juice.

5. It was me who jammed the copier that time. In fact, all the times.

…Secrets she wouldn’t share with anyone in the world:

6. My G string is hurting me.

7. I faked my Maths GCSE grade on my CV.

8. I have no idea what NATO stands for. Or even what it is…

…until she spills them all to a handsome stranger on a plane. After all, she’ll never see him again.

But on Monday morning, Emma’s office is abuzz about the arrival of Jack Harper, the company’s elusive CEO. Suddenly Emma is face-to-face with the stranger from the plane, a man who knows every single humiliating detail about her.

Things couldn’t possibly get worse... Until they do.

New York Times Bestseller

""There is no writer quite like Dolly Alderton working today and very soon the world will know it.” —Lisa Taddeo, author of #1 New York Times bestseller Three Women

“Dolly Alderton has always been a sparkling Roman candle of talent. She is funny, smart, and explosively engaged in the wonders and weirdness of the world. But what makes this memoir more than mere entertainment is the mature and sophisticated evolution that Alderton describes in these pages. It’s a beautifully told journey and a thoughtful, important book. I loved it.” —Elizabeth Gilbert, New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love and City of Girls

The wildly funny, occasionally heartbreaking internationally bestselling memoir about growing up, growing older, and learning to navigate friendships, jobs, loss, and love along the ride

When it comes to the trials and triumphs of becoming an adult, journalist and former Sunday Times columnist Dolly Alderton has seen and tried it all. In her memoir, she vividly recounts falling in love, finding a job, getting drunk, getting dumped, realizing that Ivan from the corner shop might just be the only reliable man in her life, and that absolutely no one can ever compare to her best girlfriends. Everything I Know About Love is about bad dates, good friends and—above all else— realizing that you are enough.

Glittering with wit and insight, heart and humor, Dolly Alderton’s unforgettable debut weaves together personal stories, satirical observations, a series of lists, recipes, and other vignettes that will strike a chord of recognition with women of every age—making you want to pick up the phone and tell your best friends all about it. Like Bridget Jones’ Diary but all true, Everything I Know About Love is about the struggles of early adulthood in all its terrifying and hopeful uncertainty.

✨Sounds Like Love, the new magical rom-com from Ashley Poston is available now!✨

‘This is a beautiful story 🥰 Such a poignant portrayal of love, loss and finding oneself’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Ashley Poston writes really beautiful love stories with just a sprinkling of magic’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Ashley Poston knows how to write romance … if you’re a true, soulmate-believing, kitchen slow dancing, and lover of romance with a bit of magical a realism, this is the one for you’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

* * *

Six months ago, Clementine West had the worst day of her life. So, she came up with a plan to keep her heart safe: stay busy, work hard, take no risks. And it’s been working.

That is until one day she finds a strange man standing in her kitchen. A man with kind eyes, a crooked smile, and a recipe for the perfect lemon meringue pie. The kind of man that, before everything, she could have fallen for …

He’s perfect but for one thing: he lives in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact.

This should be impossible, but Clementine used to love impossible things. And maybe, just maybe, she will again. After all, love is never a matter of time – but a matter of timing.

* * *

Praise for Ashley Poston:

'I LOVED this book. A beautiful, poignant story … breathtaking, hopeful, and dreamy' ALI HAZELWOOD

'An absolute and unexpected delight' CHRISTINA LAUREN

'A gorgeous love story from one of the finest romance writers out there' CARLEY FORTUNE

If you had asked me if I'd ever be dating Chris St. James, well, let's just say it's more likely Jimmy Choo would name a shoe after me, which, Jimmy, if you're out there, the Ella Mae would definitely be a big seller. Call me, Mkay? But, back to Chris. Sure, he's handsome. I mean, his arms are as big as my legs! He's got those lips that would make Michelangelo pause and grab a rock to start sculpting. And when you top his looks off with the whole hero-vibe he has going for him, yes, he's a fine specimen of manhood. But Chris is closed off and judgy. And even if he weren't, we're from two separate sides of our town. Remember Romeo and Juliet? That didn't end so well, did it? Besides, Chris and I don't have any desire to date, or even talk to one another most days. We're not exactly what you'd call friends. But here's the thing. You never know what situations life is going to throw at you. And right now, I'm in a doozie. And that means Chris St. James—yes, that brawny, broody man—is now my boyfriend. Well...he's not really my boyfriend. But don't tell anyone.