Farrin Taylor is a living rags-to-riches story, but it’s not a story she cares to share with anyone. To her, the rags part of her story is in the past and should stay there. When Farrin left Oak Valley, Tennessee, she had no intention of ever going back, of ever being the person she’d been there. She’s no longer poor little Farrin with the outdated clothes and nonexistent social life. She remade herself into one of the top designers in New York, specializing in wedding and special occasion gowns for starlets, royalty and those with fat bank accounts. So when Tammie, her best friend from high school, invites her to their fifteen-year high school reunion, Farrin can’t think of anything she’d rather do less. Only when Tammie’s mother, who’d been like a second mother to Farrin, encourages her to come back to Oak Valley for a visit does Farrin relent. She intends to be in and out in a day, but that’s not exactly how things pan out. The next thing she knows, she’s bought a historic inn to keep it from being demolished, learned her high school nemesis didn’t have the perfect life she always thought, and her teenage crush has grown up and just might like her back. She also realizes that time and distance are funny things, and that Oak Valley isn’t as bad as she remembers. In fact, it and the people there might be the things she’s been looking for without realizing it. keywords: small town, Tennessee, rags to riches, going home, successful woman, emotional, wedding dress designer, women's fiction, small town romance, returning back home

After the death of her father, Sabrina Bishop feels a sense of relief that he’s gone. No longer will he be able to abuse her mother mentally or physically, and just maybe her mother might grow to see what he’d done to her was wrong. But with the death of Jim Bishop, Sabrina is now responsible for her mother’s well-being since Ruby can’t read or write and has lived a sheltered life. But Ruby has a very small comfort zone in rural West Tennessee, and that means she can’t come live with Sabrina in Atlanta. Besides, Sabrina’s job as an award-winning news photographer keeps her traveling around the globe most of the time. As she tries to make suitable plans for her mother’s future, Sabrina offers to take Ruby on a road trip to expose her to a world she’s never seen. As they travel to sites such as Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park and the Gulf Coast of Florida, the trip becomes a journey of unexpected healing and self-discovery not only for Ruby, but for Sabrina as well. Keywords: Mother daughter novel, road trip, sentimental, mother daughter relationship, coming of age, emotional, inspirational, warm, touching, self-discovery, forgiveness, heartfelt, women's fiction

This “empowering and inspirational” (People) memoir of struggle and perseverance offers new ways of envisioning economic equality for everyone—from a leading activist and fashion pioneer. “With community and sisterhood at its center, Wildflower teaches us that against all odds, we can overcome.”—Rupi Kaur, New York Times bestselling author of milk and honey A BLOOMBERG AND HARPER’S BAZAAR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR Aurora James’s life is a great American “success story”—precisely because it looks so different from others we’ve seen. Scouted as a teen model, James struggled with body image and became disenchanted by the industry’s objectification of women and commodification of race. After she’d hit rock bottom, dropping out of high school and being arrested for street racing, she was forced to reshape her life. A slew of fashion-related jobs led James to discover the power of the runway, and she started her own business in a flea market: a sustainable fashion line showcasing traditional African designs that would become an award-winning international brand. Already a rising star and trailblazer in fashion, she posted a revolutionary idea in the wake of George Floyd’s murder that challenged retailers to commit 15 percent of their shelf space to Black businesses. This became the Fifteen Percent Pledge, one of the fastest-growing social justice nonprofits. To date, more than two dozen of the world’s most recognized retailers have taken the pledge, redirecting $14 billion in annual revenue to Black and BIPOC brands. Wildflower is the riveting story of how Aurora James made an indelible mark on the American economic system and a rallying cry for those eager to make change.

Lily Andrews is only eleven years old when she boards a small aircraft with her mother, destined for the beautiful gulf coast of Texas. Tragedy strikes mid-flight when the plane goes down deep in the wild Ozarks, and Lily must survive in the unforgiving forest. With the help of a gruff mountain man and his dog, along with Lily’s intense grit and determination, she thrives in her private oasis. When a simple mistake forces her to make a life-altering decision, she is ripped from her mountain paradise and thrust into civilization once more. Jessica Velasquez has never recovered from the death of her father. The only way she can get closure is to find out what really happened when his plane went down. When a stranger races out of the wilderness with her father’s belongings eight years after his plane went down, Jessica hopes the woman will have the answers she’s looking for. Between Lily’s sheltered life and Jessica’s reservations about letting anyone close, both are ill-equipped for a relationship, but can they deny their true feelings?

Julie Woodley understands trauma. From physical and sexual abuse as a child, to abortion, the murder of a dear friend, brain injury, a brain tumor, and cancer, as well as two broken marriages, she has experienced more than a lifetime’s worth of pain and loss. But by the grace of God, she’s doing more than surviving—she’s thriving! Like a wildflower thrusting itself through a broken sidewalk, God has raised Julie’s joy and hope through the layers of loss and into the light of his plan for her. He has transformed her from a broken receiver of grace into a beautiful blossom who radiates the grace she has received into the lives of other hurting people. Trauma victims often feel weighed down by shame, anger, confusion, and pain. They may be so accustomed to “getting by” that having passion and joy seems impossible. In A Wildflower Thrives in Florida, they will encounter a story that will inspire them to imagine a life restored and overflowing with all the good things God intends for them.

Northern Wildflower is the beautifully written and powerful memoir of Catherine Lafferty. With startling honesty and a distinct voice, Lafferty tells her story of being a Dene woman growing up in Canada’s North and her struggles with intergenerational trauma, discrimination, poverty, addiction, love, and loss. Focusing on the importance of family ties, education, spiritualism, cultural identity, health, happiness, and the courage to speak the truth, Lafferty’s words bring cultural awareness and relativity to Indigenous and non-Indigenous readers alike, giving insight into the real issues many Indigenous women face and dispelling misconceptions about what life in the North is like.