Mother’s Day Gift Guide: 20 Books Mom Will Love

Mother’s Day is almost here! And what better way to celebrate Mom than with a book she won’t be able to put down! Books always make for great gifts and this collection of hardcovers, paperbacks, and eBooks, in a variety of genres, won’t break the bank, either. This Mother’s Day, shop our list of special books for that special woman in your life.

Find a new favorite today!

 Wishing For a Highlander by Jessi Gage

For fans of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon!

Melanie hadn’t exactly wished to be left single and pregnant by a cheating ex. But that’s exactly where she found herself while also trying to maintain her job working at the Charleston Museum. When she receives an old Scottish relic, Melanie lets her mind drift to the highlands from whence it came, wishing for a strong, kilted highlander to sweep her off her feet. While most fantasies don’t typically come true, Melanie’s relic transports her back to 16th-century Scotland where she arrives in the middle of a clan skirmish. Saved by a handsome, but reclusive highlander, Melanie realizes she is actually living out the very fantasy she wished for – except this fantasy comes with a harsh dose of reality. After being accused of witchcraft, her Scottish highlander is determined to protect her and Melanie too must fight for her survival or be burned at the stake.

The Mud Sisters by Edie Claire

Some promises are hard to keep…

When hospital social worker Teagan Hansen is called to the bedside of a Jane Doe, she expects to be dealing with a victim of domestic violence.  The last thing she expects is to look into the eyes of the childhood friend who disappeared fourteen years before. Left for dead and with no memory or ID, Jamie begins to slowly piece together the past and a friendship that only lasted one magical summer. As Teagan vows to help Jamie recover, their bond strengthens anew. But with Jamie’s life under threat from a man she can’t remember — a man determined to find her again — Teagan’s strength is tested. And when the women realize that their pasts have been intertwined far more deeply than either of them knew, the fate that separated them once before threatens to tear them apart again. And this time, it could be forever.

 Lucky Double: A Two-Book Lucky Bundle by Deborah Coonts

Everyone has a hidden talent. For Lucky O’Toole it’s murder…well, solving it.

Surviving in Sin City takes cunning, a pair of five-inch heels, and a wiseass attitude. Lucky has mastered them all including a pair of legs she uses to kick butt and turn heads. As the Chief Problem Solver for the Babylon, Las Vegas’s most over-the-top destination, mischief is in her job description. And she’s really good at her job. Less good at her life. But who has time for a life when there’s a killer loose on the strip. In this two book bundle, discover a funny, fast-paced mystery that will keep you turning pages until the very end with a witty sleuth you can’t help but bet big on.

Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project by Jack Mayer

During the Holocaust, Polish Catholic social worker, Irena Sendler, put her life at risk to help rescue 2,500 Jewish children from certain death in the Warsaw ghetto. With the rise of Communism in Poland after World War II, Irena’s story became lost, suppressed, and forgotten. Sixty years later, at a rural school in southeast Kansas, three high school girls stumbled upon Irena’s efforts and turned her life into a history project and, eventually, a play. As her story spread, Irena’s heroism finally reached her home country where she was championed for her legacy of tolerance and respect for all people. This book is about not just Irena’s struggle for peace in a time wrought with brutal conflict, but reflects the modern day hardships of those struggling even here in the United States and how, even one person, can change the world.

Home Baked Happiness by Ava Miles

Find your home baked happiness along with millions of Ava’a readers in her new cookbook…

Former chef and International Bestselling Author Ava Miles shares her favorite family baking recipes and reflections on home and happiness guaranteed to tantalize your taste buds and warm your heart. This uplifting complication is chock full of delicious, simple recipes designed to delight the senses along with stories of home and family that will make you laugh and inspire you to share new home baked recipes with those you love. Reflect with Ava on why baking connects us to loved ones long past and create magical new memories with what Ava calls “bite-sized happiness.”

Iron Butterfly by Lisa Wainland

In an instant, Cassie receives sudden, life-changing news and realizes that losing everything might become a terrifying reality. Cassie’s shocking news infiltrates the lives of everyone she loves, particularly her husband, Jake, and her estranged sister, Sandy. Jake wants to be strong for Cassie, but this unexpected turn brings back painful memories–and a terrible secret he’s shared with no one. Sandy, who ran away to pursue stardom, is called home to face those she left behind. The golden child of the family, Sandy fell from her pedestal long ago. Will she be able to face her own failures? As Cassie struggles against an uncertain future, Jake and Sandy battle with the demons of the past. All three will learn valuable lessons about love, forgiveness and appreciating the days we’re given.

Baby Girl by Bette Lee Crosby

In this International Book Award winner, young Cheryl Ann leaves home, she thinks her path is straight… until she’s forced to make a choice she could never have imagined. The man in her life makes it clear: either pick your baby or pick me, he says. Suddenly, Cheryl finds herself at a crossroads. She makes a decision that will change her life forever, and that decision causes a chain of events that will lead Cheryl to a completely unexpected place.

Baby Girl is a mother’s story. It is a story about the greatest sacrifice a mother can make when she wants only the best for her child. It’s about falling in and out of love, of losing and finding one’s self. It’s about the perilous journey from passionate young love to happy true love and understanding the differences between the two. Baby Girl is a book that readers won’t want to miss because it’s a story they won’t forget.

 Center Stage by Denise Grover Swank

Ten years ago, Magnolia Steele fled Franklin, Tennessee. Though her abrupt departure destroyed most of her treasured relationships, she vowed never to return . . . until she has no choice. When Magnolia’s breakout acting role in a Broadway musical ends in disgrace, there’s only one place she can go. But drama follows Magnolia around like a long lost friend. After a sleazy music agent from her past winds up dead, Magnolia finds herself center stage in the police’s investigation. Now she must scramble to prove her innocence, relying on the help of acquaintances old and new. But the longer Magnolia stays in Franklin, the more she remembers about the big bad incident that chased her away. The past might not be finished with her yet, and what she doesn’t remember could be her biggest danger.

 Love Literary Style by Karin Gillespie

They say opposites attract, and what could be more opposite than a stuffy literary writer falling for a self-published romance writer? Novelist Aaron Mite meets Laurie Lee at a writers’ colony and mistakenly believes her to be a renowned writer of important fiction. Aaron thinks genre fiction is an affront to the craft. But when he discovers that Laurie is actually a self-published romance author, it’s too late. He’s already head over heels in love with her. Hiding in a frozen sea inside of himself, Laurie might be the one person who is capable of breaking the icy exterior and melting his cold heart. In the tradition of The Rosie Project, Love Literary Style is a sparkling romantic comedy which pokes fun at the divide between low and high brow fiction.

Big Girls Do It Stronger by Jasinda Wilder

In this book, New York Times bestselling author Jasinda Wilder expands on the life-changing Wilder Way, showing you how to take the lessons and tactics learned to create a life of strength. Including all new recipes, beginner, intermediate, and advanced workout routines, and eating plans, Wilder Way 2.0 is designed to help you continue shedding pounds and inches while increasing your muscles mass. Filled with more practical advice, humorous anecdotes as only Jasinda can tell them, and life-altering real talk, Big Girls Do it Stronger has everything you need to find your strong.

 Duet for Three Hands by Tess Thompson

After marrying into the wealthy Bellmont family, pianist Nathaniel Fye is nearly ruined by his aristocratic wife’s relentless ambition and instability. His only solace is his deepening friendship with his gifted protege, Lydia Tyler.

For most of his life, Whitmore Bellmont has loved the brilliant Jeselle Thorton. But theirs is a love forbidden by society’s rules for class as well as skin color.

When these four lives intertwine, they’re set on a collision course. The only question is whether their destination is one of liberation from prejudice and fear or destruction at the hands of love. Bestselling author Tess Thompson weaves a rich family saga together with an epic love story set in the depression-era American South, and this first installment in a new historical series will be a can’t-miss for anyone who believes in the power of love.

Finding Fiona by Donna Fasano

If her husband turns up alive–she’ll kill him!

Explaining to the seriously sexy cop why she hasn’t noticed her husband has been missing for three days is both embarrassing and sobering. But the day Fiona Rowland lifts her head above the churning chaos of kids, carpools, and a million things to do, annoyance turns to fury…then to worry. Where is Stanley? And when her best pal from high school arrives (packing her own secrets) to lend support, it turns out even the past isn’t quite what it seems. Scrambling to make sense of the drama unfolding, Fiona discovers there’s an upside to having your whole world turned upside down. It’s easier to grab the good stuff.

The Memory Box by Eva Lesko Natiello

What if you Googled yourself and discovered something shocking?

For fans of Gone Girl! In this fast-paced suspense, Caroline Thompson is a devoted mother of two living a peaceful suburban life. But when a seemingly innocent Google search turns up cascades of stunning information, Caroline is hurled into a state of paranoia. As her blissful family life is upended, Caroline is desperate to prove her findings false before someone discovers how very true they are. The disturbing underpinnings of The Memory Box expose a story of deceit, misconceptions, and an obsession for control. With its twists, taut pacing, and psychological tenor, Natiello’s page turning suspense cautions: Be careful what you search for…

Dancing on a Moonbeam by Kate Perry

Eleanor Westwood-Fehr gave up being a prima ballerina for dreams of love. Big mistake-one she won’t make again.

In this three-part serial, determined Eleanor won’t let anything stop her from opening her own dance studio. But when a mysterious new neighbor moves in, Eleanor finds herself both intrigued and repulsed by the good-looking Max. Until they strike up a deal. Eleanor will help with Max’s music. Max will continue her renovations. But the deal becomes more than they bargained for. And Eleanor and Max realize there is more between them than just neighborly musings. It should be win-win. Except Eleanor isn’t sure she can ever trust in love again. And certainly not at the expense of her love for dance.

The Healing Kitchen by Sarah Ballantyne

Achieving health through nutritious food choices has never been simpler nor more delicious thanks to “The Healing Kitchen”! With half of all Americans taking at least one prescription medication (and 20% of us taking three or more!), there is a clear need for something to change. This collection of practical tips and visual guides will help distill this information into simple real-life actions easily implemented in your home. “The Healing Kitchen” features over 175 mouthwatering recipes that make eating healthful foods easy enough to fit even into the busiest of lives, while being so tasty you’ll likely forget you’re on a special diet to begin with!

 Nora Roberts Land by Ava Miles

Journalist Meredith Hale’s ex-husband claimed her Nora Roberts addiction gave her unrealistic expectations about marriage, and she believed him. All dreams of happily ever after–or Nora Roberts Land as her mother calls it–went up in smoke. But when her family asks her to temporarily help their newspaper, she decides it’s time to change her life. And it’s time to prove her ex wrong. She’s determined to find her own small-town Nora Roberts hero, prove that true love exists, and publish a story about her quest.

The Paris Effect by K.S.R. Burns

Amy and Kat had a plan: A secret trip to Paris. Even Amy’s husband wouldn’t know about it. But when Amy loses Kat to cancer, she knows the plan, too, has disappeared forever. Or has it? Guided by memories of her friend, Amy sneaks off to Paris while her husband is away on a business trip. Except, once there, things aren’t exactly la vie en rose. Through some misadventures, Amy learns that often in life, love, and friendship, nothing is exactly as rosy as it seems. Grab a croissant and settle in for a decidedly non-touristy trip to the City of Light.

The Carnelian Crow by Colleen Gleason

Ever since the debacle of the Chess Queen Enigma, Mina Holmes and Evaline Stoker have laid low. They’ve tried to settle back into their quiet lives as young ladies of London. But when Mina receives a strange package from a winged, midnight visitor, she is catapulted into a new, dangerous adventure. And the search for The Carnelian Crow is on. Meanwhile, Evaline has learned that her nemesis, the disreputable pickpocket Pix, has strangely disappeared…

When it becomes clear the arch-villainess the Ankh has made her next move, it will take all of Mina Holmes ingenuity and Evaline’s courage and determination to stop the criminal from executing her boldest and most dangerous plan yet!

 Eversea by Natasha Boyd

An orphaned, small-town, southern girl, held hostage by responsibility and self-doubt.  A Hollywood A-list mega-star, on the run from his latest scandal and with everything to lose. A chance encounter that leads to an unlikely arrangement and epic love affair that will change them both forever. When Jack Eversea finds himself in the sleepy South Carolina coastal town of Butler Cove, he hopes the sultry southern heat will be a rejuvenating reprieve from his vapid life. He just didn’t count on meeting Keri Ann Butler. Keeping up her family’s historic mansion doesn’t leave a lot of time for Keri Ann. But suddenly faced with her favorite Hollywood heartthrob she finds herself yearning for something new.

 Macdeath by Cindy Brown

Like every actor, Ivy Meadows knows that Macbeth is cursed. But she’s finally scored her big break. Ivy is cast as an acrobatic witch in a circus-themed production of Macbeth in Phoenix, Arizona. When one of the cast dies on opening night, Ivy is sure the seeming accident is “murder most foul.” And she’s sure she’s the perfect person to solve the crime. Undeterred Ivy pursues the truth at the risk of her hard-won career–and her life.

5 Comments

  1. Vicki Lesage says:

    What a great list! I think I need to pick up a few myself 🙂

  2. Thank you for featuring FINDING FIONA! I am honored to have my novel listed along with these awesome authors and books!

  3. Karen Burns says:

    SO SO thrilled to be part of this super list! Thank you, Barnes & Noble!

  4. Julie Frayn says:

    Wonderful list! Love to Donna Fasano, her books are fabulous!
    Julie Frayn
    Author of Mazie Baby

  5. Whoa! What a great array of books and I see one of my fav author in the list, Donna Fasano. I own Finding Fiona and can say it is a must read.