Margo buried two husbands and a secret postcard from the mother who left her. Eleanor hasn't spoken to her daughter in eleven years—until a one-sentence letter changes everything. Betty gave up a baby at seventeen. She named her Mary. She's never said that name out loud. Until now.
The cat is watching. The wine is awful. The forgiveness is real. Friendship over 50. Second chances. Mother-daughter reconciliation. Adoption reunion. Family secrets. Healing from trauma. Late-life courage. Women supporting women. Empty nesters. Grandmothers. Sourdough and secrets. Small town charm. Oregon coast setting. Emotional but uplifting. Witty dialogue. Short reads for busy women. Book club fiction. Grief and healing. Self-discovery after 60. Found family. Cozy but not saccharine. Laughing through tears.
Three new stand-alone novellas. One yellow kitchen. One unread book tower. One family you'll wish was yours.
There is no book club. But if there was, you'd never miss a Tuesday.
Mary Howard writes dark romance from her candlelit farmhouse in upstate New York, where six black cats serve as judgmental beta readers. A former crime journalist turned full-time purveyor of wickedness, Mary doesn't just explore the shadows—she lives there. Her stories blur obsession with devotion, control with surrender, and monstrosity with love. She believes every broken character deserves a chance to break someone else beautifully. When not typing furiously past midnight, Mary is probably plotting your next favorite morally gray antihero. Warning: her happily-ever-afters come with a body count.View all by Mary Howard
