Cupcakes For My Orc Enemy by Honey Phillips, 152 pages

 When Elara flees corporate life to open a coffee shop in the small southern town of Fairhaven Falls, the last thing she is looking for is a relationship. But when she meets Grondar, the gruff orc owner of the bakery next door, sparks fly. Literally.

Grondar has been burned by human females before. He has no intention of letting the feisty little female next door get under his skin - no matter how attractive he finds her. And it certainly doesn’t mean he’s going to let her get away with sabotaging his business.

Despite their disastrous first meeting, Elara still finds herself having inappropriately heated thoughts about the massive orc next door. The attraction seems to be completely one-sided - until he reluctantly comes to her rescue and she discovers a very different side to the grumpy male.

Can they overcome their initial animosity, their ongoing rivalry, and their very obvious differences to find a future together?

Blood Will Tell by Dana Stabenow, 260 pages

 Kate Shugak's family becomes involved in a murder investigation in Blood Will Tell.Fifty thousand square miles of untouched Alaskan forest is definitely a prize... but is it worth killing for?Ekaterina Moonin Shugak, tribal elder and community leader, is a fierce friend and an even fiercer foe. So when she arrives unannounced at Kate Shugak's homestead asking for her granddaughter's help, Kate knows there must be something seriously amiss in town. And her suspicions are confirmed when she arrives in town to find that two people are dead.It could be a coincidence, but Kate Shugak doesn't like coincidences; especially where family are concerned.

Betty and Veronica Jumbo Comics #268, 185 pages

 BRAND NEW LEAD STORY: “Who’s Chicken Now?” When Veronica’s nervous about her new job at her father’s chicken fast food franchise, Betty offers to be her wing woman—but even with Betty’s help, can Veronica make it, or will she get fried?

Tough Guy by Rachel Reid, 300 pages

 Pro hockey star Ryan Price may be an enforcer, but off the ice he struggles with anxiety. Recently traded to the Toronto Guardians, he’s determined to make a fresh start in the city’s dynamic LGBTQ Village. The last thing he expects to stumble upon in his new neighborhood is a blast from his past in the fabulous form of Fabian Salah.

Aspiring musician Fabian loathes hockey. But that doesn’t stop him from being attracted to a certain burly, ginger-bearded defenseman. He hasn’t forgotten the kiss they almost shared back in high school, and it’s clear the chemistry between them has only intensified.

Fabian is more than happy to be Ryan’s guide to the gay scene in Toronto. Between dance clubs and art exhibits—and the most amazing sex—Ryan’s starting to feel something he hasn’t experienced in a long time: joy. But playing the role of the heavy on the ice has taken its toll on his body and mind, and a future with Fabian may mean hanging up his skates for good.

Betty and Veronica Double Digest Comics #263, 196 pages

 BRAND NEW LEAD “Now You ‘Sea’ Me!” Betty and Veronica hit the high seas for Spring Break. But it’s not all fun and play as the girls start performing alongside the cruise ship illusionist—will they be able to work some magic on his terrible act?

Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers by Emma Smith, 352 pages

 Stephen King once said that books are “a uniquely portable magic.” Here, Emma Smith takes readers on a literary adventure that spans centuries and circles the globe to uncover the reasons behind our obsession with this captivating object.

From disrupting the Western myth that the Gutenberg Press was the original printing project, to the decorative gift books that radicalized women to join the anti-slavery movement, to paperbacks being weaponized during World War II, to a book made entirely of plastic-wrapped slices of American cheese, Portable Magic explores how, when, and why books became so iconic. It’s not just the content within a book that compels; it’s the physical material itself, what Smith calls “bookhood”: the smell, the feel of the pages, the margins to scribble in, the illustrations on the jacket, its solid heft. Every book is designed to influence our reading experience—to enchant, enrage, delight, and disturb us—and our longstanding love affair with books in turn has had direct, momentous consequences across time.

Bite By Bite: Amerrican History Through Feasts, Foods and Side Dishes by Marc Aronson, 164 pages

 Explore the fascinating history of America as told through the lens of food in this illustrated nonfiction middle grade book that lays out the diverse cultures that have combined to create the rich and delicious tapestry of the American country and cuisine.

As American as apple pie. It’s a familiar saying, yet gumbo and chop suey are also American! What we eat tells us who we where we’re from, how we move from place to place, and how we express our cultures and living traditions.

In twelve dishes that take readers from thousands of years ago through today, this book explores the diverse peoples and foodways that make up the United States. From First Salmon Feasts of the Umatilla and Cayuse tribes in the Pacific Northwest to fish fries celebrated by formerly enslaved African Americans, from “red sauce” Italian restaurants popular with young bohemians in the East to Cantonese restaurants enjoyed by rebellious young eaters in the West, this is the true story of the many Americas—laid out bite by bite.