Books of the Month May 2022
May, the month of new beginnings, once again offered plenty of great novels for readers to experience. Some readers used it as an opportunity to get started with a brand new series, while others preferred standalone novels to keep them entertained. No matter which side you are on, you'll find something to love in this month's best books selected by our readers for May 2022.
Best Romance
Summer Island Sisters
by Ciara Knight
Summer Island Sisters is the second book in A Friendship Beach novel series by Ciara Knight. The story sees ocean activist Trace Latimer crossing paths with entrepreneur Dustin Hawk. Trace has spent over twenty-five years fighting for sea life against big shots who always seem to win. Meanwhile, Dustin liquidates his Seattle demolition business after becoming fed up with the bureaucratic nightmare that overshadowed his most recent project. So instead, he warms up to his best friend's sunny Florida hotel project. However, as Trace and Dustin face off for a fight they are both determined to win, they unexpectedly find themselves having to choose between their convictions and their heart's desires.
Best Action & Adventure
Fire & Water
by Bobbi Schemerhorn
Fire & Water is an epic steampunk adventure by Bobbi Schemerhorn. The story is set in a world where The Guild is a true force of evil and has made it her mission to wipe out anyone with magical gifts. When Khaly accidentally brings her school project to life and ends up with a dragon, she becomes the target of the Guild. Even though she has no idea how it happened, Khaly is forced to run and figure things out before the Guild finds her.
Best Mystery & Thriller
Crossed by Death
by ACF Bookens
Crossed by Death is the first book in the Stitches in Crime series by ACF Bookens. Paisley Sutton is a salvage expert and historian who finds a body while exploring an abandoned store with a house attached. This discovery causes her to investigate what happened and connect the murder to one that caused the previous owners to abandon the building. However, Paisley finds herself in danger when it becomes clear that not everyone wants her to salvage this story.
Best Children's Book
Aflora and the Grumbleberries
by Sylvie Richard
Aflora and the Grumbleberries is a charming rhyming story by Sylvie Richards that is aimed at readers between the ages of six and nine. The story follows the adventures of Aflora, who is a driven and hardworking factory worker. However, making it up the ladder at her factory job is not easy when working for the greedy owner, Mr. Humphrey McSwayzos.
Best Young Adult
Keepers
by Sacha Black
Keepers is the first novel in the Eden East series by Sacha Black. The story features soul mates, forbidden lovers, fate, and betrayal as the protagonist, Eden, tries to answer the question, who is her soul mate? Fate says that she is meant to be with Victor, but Eden refuses to believe it as he is her nemesis. Unfortunately, if she can't unearth the truth and find her real soul mate, she might end up bound to her nemesis forever.
Best Fantasy
Curse Breaker Enchanted
by Melinda Kucsera
Curse Breaker: Enchanted is the first novel in the Curse Breaker series by Melinda Kucsera. Enchanted is an epic fantasy adventure that sees a mage named Sam living in a country run by a group that wants to destroy all magic. Sam can barely control his power and wants nothing more than to be like everyone else, but his magic comes in handy when he wakes up far from home and is faced with monsters and murderous trees. Unfortunately, Sam discovers that the enchanted forest has turned against him. Unless he can unravel a dark conspiracy that is destroying his home, his son might end up paying the ultimate price.
Best Historical Fiction
No One Must Know
by Susan Frances
No One Must Know is the first book in the Chiddleigh Saga by Susan Frances. This compelling historical drama is set in England in 1330 on a remote Devonshire estate. Joan de Conteigh is about to marry Sir John de Chiddleigh, a man she has never met but finds that he is cold and ambitious. Her feelings of loneliness and neglect cause her to strike up a forbidden friendship with a kitchen maid named Annie, who is hiding a terrible dark secret. This sets in motion a chain of events that threatens the Chiddleigh estate.
Best Horror
Into the Macrocosm
by Konn Lavery
Into the Macrocosm is the first book in The Macrocosm series by Konn Lavery, featuring short stories of the dark cosmic, bizarre, and the fantastic. This short story collection shares the same universe as his previous works, including the horror novel Cultivate: Seed Me Relapse Edition. The overarching story features the Nameless One, who is attempting to understand the deaths of 22 souls, which make up the 22 individual short stories.
Best Literary Fiction
Hannie Rising
by Jeanette Baker
Hannie Rising by Jeanette Baker is the story of Mickey Enright, a man who isn't ready to be dead. Since he is convinced that his death had been a mistake, he demands another chance at mortality, which is granted by St. Peter, who has an agenda of his own. Unfortunately, Mickey is sent back to his hometown of Tralee as a stranger. Mickey originally intended to win back a few more years of his former life, but his plans change when he sees his wife, Hannie, resurfacing from her loss and ready for a new life after marriage.
Best Science Fiction
Contain
by Saul Tanpepper
Contain by Saul Tanpepper is the first in the BUNKER 12 series of post-apocalyptic thrillers. A humanity-destroying plague known as the Flense has driven people to survival bunkers. In one of these remote bunkers, 17-year-old Finnian Bolles finds his world upended when a stranger appears on their doorstep. His arrival upsets the community's delicate balance, especially his claims of a cure for the Flense. Disagreements soon splinter the group, and as violence breaks out, a terrifying truth about the real cause of the Flense is also revealed.
Best Paranormal
Blood of the Pack
by Cassie Alexander
Blood of the Pack is the first novel in the Dark Ink Tattoo series by Cassie Alexander. Angelo is a werewolf that has fled from The Pack, Nevada's most dangerous werewolf motorcycle gang. Since then, she has rebuilt her life and opened a tattoo parlor with the help of her best artist, Jack. However, she knows she is living on borrowed time as her ex-boyfriend won't stop at anything to get their son. Meanwhile, Jack is a vampire who vows to protect Angela at all costs from the gang threatening her. The only problem is that neither Angela nor Jack knows about the paranormal side of the other.
Best Non-Fiction
The Minds of Violent Men
by Yair Apter
The Minds of Violent Men by Yair Apter offers an intriguing look at the lesser-known side of male violence - the mind of the offender. The author shines a light on the minds of violent men, emphasizing the causes, characteristics, and consequences of their actions. Dr. Apter has worked for over 25 years with men who have committed acts of domestic violence. In this book, he uses his experience as a clinical social worker to lay out the psychological complexities and social influences surrounding male violence.