Sweet Owen Picks: Tales For A Chilly Evening

Once a gifted alchemist, Helena Marino is now a prisoner—of war, and of her fractured mind. The Resistance she fought for has been crushed, her allies slaughtered, and the world overrun by corrupt guilds and necromancers who now rule Paladia with undead armies.

Official records claim Helena was a minor healer, but gaps in her memory suggest otherwise. Could her forgotten past hold the key to the Resistance’s final plan?

To find out, Helena is sent to the High Reeve, a ruthless necromancer with secrets of his own. Trapped on his decaying estate, Helena must uncover the truth hidden in her mind—and survive long enough to reclaim what was lost.

Released: Sept. 23, 2025

Genre: Fantasy, Dark Romance, Fiction

Rocky, still anxious, nostalgic, and funny, is living in Western Massachusetts with her husband Nick and their daughter Willa, who’s back home after college. Their son, Jamie, has taken a new job in New York, and Mort, Rocky’s widowed father, has moved in.

It all couldn’t be more ridiculously normal . . . until Rocky finds herself obsessed with a local accident that only tangentially affects them—and with a medical condition that, she hopes, won’t affect them at all.

With her signature wit and wisdom, Catherine Newman explores the hidden rules of family, the heavy weight of uncertainty, and the gnarly fact that people—no matter how much you love them—are not always exactly who you want them to be.

Releases: Oct. 28, 2025

Genre: Fiction, Contemporary

For more than two hundred years, the Owens women have been blamed for everything that has gone wrong in their Massachusetts town. Gillian and Sally have endured that fate as well: as children, the sisters were forever outsiders, taunted, talked about, pointed at. Their elderly aunts almost seemed to encourage the whispers of witchery, with their musty house and their exotic concoctions and their crowd of black cats. But all Gillian and Sally wanted was to escape. One will do so by marrying, the other by running away. But the bonds they share will bring them back—almost as if by magic...

First Published: July 1, 1995 Genre: Fantasy, Magical Realism, Romance, Witches

It’s move-in day at Tiffin Academy, and while students celebrate a surprise ranking as the #2 boarding school in the country, not everything adds up—dorms are outdated, the sports teams are terrible, and academics take a backseat to parties and school dances. Still, the campus is gorgeous, class sizes are small, and the food is top-tier, thanks to a chef from New York. But just as the excitement builds, chaos erupts. A new app, ZipZap, begins spreading anonymous gossip across campus—no one is safe. From queen bee influencer Davi Banerjee to the mysterious new history teacher Simone, outsider Charley Hicks, and quirky Admissions Director Cordelia Spooner, secrets start to unravel.

Released: Sept. 16, 2025

Genre: Romance, Chick Lit, Contemporary