Fierce Females 

Celebrate summer with enchanting reads featuring strong female leads

“The First Bright Thing” by J.R. Dawson 

Step back into time with the Sparks and their traveling magical circus. Rin, the ringleader, is an aging queer Jewish woman who can time travel and is married to the beautiful, forever-young acrobat Odette. Together, along with their friend Mauve, they attempt to stop WWII from happening, all while fending off the evil circus king. Threads are literally woven throughout time as we meet Edward on the front lines of WWI and his wife Ruth, who have special abilities of their own. Intrigue, action, magic, strong character development and a few fun, yet slightly dark, twists keep the reader engaged throughout for an enjoyable read.  Dawson’s dramatic writing style makes her an author to watch. For fans of “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” and “The Night Circus.” –Morgan Ryan

“Identity” by Nora Roberts 

Morgan Albright had never really had a chance to belong since she grew up as an Army brat and as her mother, after a divorce, couldn’t seem to settle anywhere.  Deciding that she wants to plant roots, she settles in a friendly neighborhood near Baltimore while working two jobs in order to achieve her goals including owning her own bar.  However, when tragedy strikes and Morgan’s life is threatened, she is forced to move home to Vermont to build back her life, strengthen her relationship with her mother and grandmother, and fall in love and dig those roots deep into the Vermont soil. As always, Nora Roberts delivers a whopper of a romantic suspenseful read with which to fill those lazy days away. –Chantal Wilson

“The Love Con”by Serissia Glass

Looking for a cute vacation read? Look no further. When Kenya (Keke) Davenport makes it to the final round of “Cosplay or No Way,” a competition reality show, she has to enlist her best guy friend Cameron Lassiter to be her cosplay partner, which wouldn’t be such an issue if she hadn’t already told most of America that the two were much more than friends. How is she going to make it up to Cameron for forcing him to pretend to be her boyfriend for all the world to see? Especially when she kind of likes the sudden change in their dynamic. What’s more, is that Cameron’s got some secret feelings of his own. Can these two come together for the win and much more? Fans of all things nerdy will love this lighthearted, slightly spicy read. 
– Savannah Green

“Now You See Us” by Balli Kaur Jaswal

Corazon was forced to flee the Philippines and return to Singapore carrying with her a terrible secret. Donita is new to Singapore and works for the fussiest and meanest employer. Angel, a caregiver for an elderly gentleman, is nursing a broken heart. When one of Donita's friends, a fellow domestic worker, is accused of murder, the unlikely trio comes together to try to clear her name. This entertaining and heartbreaking tale is an enlightening look at Filipina domestic workers in Singapore and a dramatic whodunit. Sure to please lovers of “The Bandit Queens.”
–Megan Mathis