We can’t choose what we inherit. But can we choose who we become? In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. The heartbreaking tale Eleanor unfolds, the secrets she still holds back, and the mystery of a long-lost child challenge everything the siblings thought they knew about their lineage and themselves. Can Byron and Benny reclaim their once-close relationship, piece together Eleanor’s true history, and fulfill her final request to “share the black cake when the time is right”? Will their mother’s revelations bring them back together or leave them feeling more lost than ever? Charmaine Wilkerson’s debut novel is a story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names can shape relationships and history. Deeply evocative and beautifully written, Black Cake is an extraordinary journey through the life of a family changed forever by the choices of its matriarch.

There’s trouble in Nova and the citizens of the kingdom must once again put their faith in Samantha Kemi to save the day in the final novel of the “charming and humorous” ( Kirkus Reviews ) Potion Diaries series. After the royal tour, Samantha Kemi thought she could take a break from saving the day. Her grandfather Ostanes is healthy, she’s about to be named a Master Alchemist, and Princess Evelyn is happily married to Prince Stefan. Except—Sam has no proof that Evelyn is happily married because she hasn’t seen the princess in days…Prince Stefan is now the public face of the Royal family. Princess Evelyn has gone MIA just when Nova (and Sam) needs her most. A surge of magic is spreading across the country—like a virus—and every Talented person is suddenly more powerful. With the Talenteds getting stronger, Ordinary people begin to worry about an imbalance in the magic streams—and in society. When a group of Talented kids—Sam’s sister Molly Among them—are attacked with a powerful sleeping potion, Prince Stefan is convinced that the Ordinary people are taking a radical stand against Talenteds and reinstates the old ban on traditional alchemy. Now Sam’s hands are tied. Does she trust Nova’s scientists to find a synthetic cure to this curse, or does she break Stefan’s royal decree and use her skills to save her little sister—and possibly all of Nova—from a forever sleep?

Stolen memories, a lost diary and a race against time... Having saved Princess Evelyn (and become her new BFF) Sam must accompany Evelyn on a world tour, so she can keep the princess (and everyone around her) safe with a power-binding potion. But Sam also has another reason to scour the globe. Someone has tampered with her grandad's mind, and Sam is the only one who can unlock his memories to save him and the family business. And that's not all that's at stake. The stolen memories contain the recipe to a potion which many would kill to get hold of. With the post powerful people in the world desperate for the recipe, Sam must save her grandad in order to save everyone else...

WARNING: This book contains subject matter that may be sensitive for some readers. There is dark and triggering content between these pages. 18+ only. Please read responsibly. When Cora attends her sister’s birthday party, she expects at most a hangover or a walk of shame. She doesn’t anticipate a stolen wallet, leaving her stranded and dependent on Dean—her arch nemesis and ultimate thorn in her side. And she really doesn’t anticipate waking up in shackles in a madman’s basement. To make matters worse, Dean shares the space in his own set of chains. After fifteen years of teasing, insults, and practical jokes, the ultimate joke seems to be on them. The two people who always thought they’d end up killing each other must now work together if they want to survive. But Cora and Dean have no idea their abductor has a plan for them. A plan that will alter the course of their relationship, blur the line between hate and love, and shackle them together with far more than just chains.