KJ

Once, there were four worlds, nestled like pages in a book, each pulsing with fantastical power and connected by a single city: London. Until the magic grew too fast and forced the worlds to seal the doors between them in a desperate gamble to protect their own. The few magicians who could still open the doors grew more rare as time passed and now, only three Antari are known in recent memory鈥擪ell Maresh of Red London, Delilah Bard of Grey London, and Holland Vosijk, of White London.

Witness the fate of beloved heroes and notorious foes in the heart-stopping conclusion to V.E. Schwab's New York Times best-selling Shades of Magic trilogy. The precarious equilibrium among the four Londons has reached its breaking point. Once brimming with the red vivacity of magic, darkness casts a shadow over the Maresh Empire, leaving a space for another London to rise. Kell begins to waver under the pressure of competing loyalties. Meanwhile, an ancient enemy returns to claim a crown and a fallen hero is desperate to save a decaying world.

Gabriel "Fox" Morrison is starting a brand new chapter in his life. He spent years drifting after his time in the military and finally felt ready to settle in one spot. This leads him to becoming the head detective of the recently opened Stonewall Investigations in Miami. His first case is one that not only hits close to home, but the result could have huge repercussions for more than just him and his client.

Liam Wolfe isn't having the best of days. He's being falsely accused of things he'd never even think of doing and is now facing the loss of his career because of it. He has an idea of who's behind the attempt at assassinating his character but can't put the pieces together by himself. Mark Masters isn't having any better of a time. He's sitting in his office at Stonewall Investigations, getting work done, when his boyfriend of a year walks in with the sole goal of breaking up with him. He's blindsided by the development and thinks not much else can surprise him. He was very wrong.

Declan Rose-Covington, part of a luxury hotel dynasty, is coming into Stonewall Investigations because he needs help with a family issue. With his mom's huge holiday retreat around the corner, he's hoping to solve it before Santa comes to town. The last thing he's expecting is to enter the detective agency and fall for the strikingly handsome man sitting behind the front desk.

Carter is an insurance adjuster whose longing for creative expression spills over sometimes into his accident reports. Abby works for her adoptive father, Uncle Mannie, in the family bookstore, the ReadMore Cafe. Carter barely tolerates Christmas; Abby loves it. She can't wait past October to build her favorite display, the annual Christmas book tree stack, which Carter despises. When an automobile accident throws Carter and Abby together, Uncle Mannie, who is harboring secrets of his own, sees a chance for lasting happiness for his little girl.

Holly owns the merriest holiday shop on Main Street. But right next door is the hardware store run by Declan Gallagher, the grinchiest man in all of Mistletoe, Idaho. With Christmas fast approaching, the small-town rivals engage in an all-out prank war, sending each other not-so-friendly season鈥檚 greetings. But when Holly鈥檚 ambitious plan to win the town鈥檚 Festival of Lights falls apart, she has no one else to call but her handy sworn-nemesis.

Merry Winters has the holiday blues. She's spent the last year learning to love herself, and now she's ready to find the right guy. But the pickings are slim in Mistletoe, Idaho, and it鈥檚 just her luck that the man who catches her eye is the stoic new foreman at her family鈥檚 Christmas tree farm. Too bad he wants to keep a 39-and-a-half-foot pole between them.

After a broken engagement, Cher decides to leave heartbreak behind by signing up for a holiday house swap. For the next few weeks, she鈥檒l ditch sunny California to spend her first Hanukkah in New York City, a time of snow-covered sidewalks, festive store windows, hot cocoa, and...cute neighbors? As Cher is moving into her temporary new apartment, Eliot is moving his ex鈥檚 belongings out, and he soon finds himself offering to play tour guide. He鈥檚 nursing a broken heart too, and spending time showing the beautiful traveler around is exactly what he needs.

Last year, Rachel Bacharach met the man of her dreams at a Hanukkah party 鈥� and then her outgoing best friend Tamara swooped in and 鈥渃alled鈥� Oz Caplan for herself. It鈥檚 a typical outcome for the dependable, bookish Rachel, who is never able to extinguish the spark she immediately felt for Oz. But being secretly in love with her best friend鈥檚 boyfriend all year hasn鈥檛 been easy.