Thoughtful Reads for Cold Nights: Literary Fiction Books Worth Savoring

07 Dec 2025

Thoughtful Reads for Cold Nights: Literary Fiction Books Worth Savoring

Let the season slow you down with six richly crafted novels that reward careful reading. These stories unfold with nuance and emotional resonance, offering fresh perspectives and beautifully drawn characters.

---

Color of Fire

by Gina Giordano

Release Date: November 20, 2025

Nassau, 1794: After the devastating capture of her husband, Eliza Sharpe must make a deal with the devil himself, Captain Hiram Bruin, a man more pirate than privateer. Just how deep do the roots of revenge lie? Find out in the epic, thrilling conclusion to the Strange Eden series.

Buy on Amazon

---

Run Molly Run

by Alice Turner

Release Date: November 12, 2025

Molly grows up in the shadows—men driven by perverse needs, a mother lost to drugs, and a system that looks away. With no one to protect her, she must find her own path. Molly becomes a child of wild Dartmoor. The wildness rubs off. Run Molly Run is a tough book about an even tougher girl—a story of resilience, fury, and the fight to reclaim a life stolen.

Buy on Amazon

---

Snake on a Red Velvet Throne

by Bess Hendrick

Release Date: October 9, 2025

A powerful blend of short story, memoir, and novella that examines what it means to survive the grip of another’s control. From the haunting “Umbilical” to the powerful “Reclaiming the Dark” to the suspense of “The Door,” these eight unforgettable stories expose the many faces of emotional abuse and what it takes to break free.

Buy on Amazon

---

Deeper than the Ocean

by Mirta Ojito

Release Date: November 4, 2025

In 1919, in Spain, Catalina Quintana was the eldest daughter in a family of silkworm farmers on the tiny island of La Palma in the remote Canary Islands. Fiercely independent, Catalina dreams of building a life with her childhood love. But when a devastating fire ruins her family’s silkworm farm, she’s forced into a loveless marriage and a journey across the sea to Cuba aboard a doomed ocean liner.

Buy on Amazon

---

The Creaky Old Barn (The Irish Escape Book 2)

by B. E. Baker

Release Date: November 15, 2025

With her marriage over and her kids (mostly) excited about moving to another continent, Natalie’s finally en route to Ireland. There’s a lovely and expansive estate waiting for them in southern Ireland. Samantha’s bags are packed (again), and she’s ready to jet across the pond as well. She’s said all her goodbyes, and she’s ready to fall in love with new horses in Lismore. But when they discover that their dear friend Vanessa’s struggling, they reconfigure their plans to rally behind her, because that’s what friends do.

Buy on Amazon

---

The Maid’s Christmas Promise

by Molly Britton

Release Date: November 3, 2025

In the heart of Victorian London, Jennie’s world is shattered at age eight when her father dies at Christmas, leaving her and her mother alone and struggling to survive. Jennie’s childhood is marked by hardship and grief as her mother grows weaker and she is sent to the grim confines of the workhouse until she plans her escape.

Buy on Amazon

---