Standalone Women's Fiction

This summer, the town’s juiciest secrets are revealed in New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery’s joyful and sparkling new novel.

Jax has a slight issue with control—as in, she needs it. Always. Too bad she only has power over the Painted Lady Bookstore, the Victorian mansion turned bookshop she inherited. No one else listens to a word she says. Her ex gets engaged for questionable reasons. Her beloved sister Ryleigh wants to move away to find a husband. And the handsome contractor Jax has chosen to convince Ryleigh to stay is only interested in Jax.

Still, she’s living the bookworm dream—until an unhappy accident erases the names off the bookshop lockboxes where the town keeps their diaries. Which means the only way to find a diary’s owner is…to read it.

As secrets spill and scandals surface, life at the Painted Lady Bookstore gets a lot more colorful and chaotic. But for a woman who’s always had to take charge, Jax will see that losing control—especially with the right wrong guy—can set you free.