Plucky writer Juliet Ashton begins a lengthy correspondence with the citizens of the Isle of Guernsey in post-occupation Britain. The glamour of her mainland life begins to lose its luster as she grows increasingly close with the sweet, compassionate, and often uproarious island inhabitants. I’ve never wanted to be friends with book characters quite so badly.

Raised by rival magicians in the late 19th century, Celia and Marco have spent their lives training to battle to the death in an epic traveling circus- which gets terribly complicated when they fall madly in love. I devoured this enchanting tale: secret identities, turn-of-the-century Europe, time manipulation, romance and magic- what’s not to love?

Scandalized aristocrats, ill-fated trains, and a brush with the supernatural: Jones’ pithy tale had me rolling with laughter and staying up into the wee hours of the night to finish. It’s tasty, it’s dapper, it’s adorable. Stop whatever you’re doing, grab a cup of tea, and read this!

A dazzling love story unlike any other. Lynnie and Homan meet and fall in love in a wretched 1960s mental institution, despite the fact that neither speaks. When Lynnie becomes pregnant under mysterious circumstances, the pair makes a daring escape…and are separated. The story unfolds over four decades, during which the consequences of that fateful night (and the truth about Lynnie’s pregnancy) are revealed. Enchanting, heartwrenching, and give-you-goose-bumps beautiful.