Best Books For Women March 2014

We interviewed Alexis Jones, founder of the I Am That Girl movement and author of I Am That Girl: How to Speak Your Truth, Discover Your Purpose, and #bethatgirl, when the book was exclusively sold at Claire's, but this month is its wide release. Sure stars like Kristen Bell and Sophia Bush support the movement, but I was more impressed with Alexis's own words on female empowerment: "What I find is that when you give a girl something bigger than herself to fight for, her life is made better."

Out March 18

Carol Cassella's novel Gemini had me at its beautiful cover. Just kidding, sort of. What really drew me to this medical mystery meets love story was an endorsement from Where'd You Go Bernadette? author Maria Semple: "Once again, Carol Cassella has written a novel full of gorgeously rendered characters, fascinating medical detail, and tour de force plot twists. From its gripping first pages straight through to its stunning conclusion, Gemini is an unforgettable novel — a morality tale, a mystery, and a love story that will leave readers breathless."

Out March 4

Alice LaPlante's psychological thriller A Circle of Wives explores the mysteries of trust, love, and jealousy as it follows detectives solving the murder of a closeted polygamist whose three wives didn't know about each other. Juicy!

Out March 4

Nickolas Butler's novel Shotgun Lovesongs tells the story of four childhood friends reuniting in their hometown for a wedding. Now they must navigate the complexities of adult friendships, and the heartbreak, stress, and healing that comes with it.

Out March 11

Mandy Hale, blogger and author of The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass, returns with her advice-filled memoir I've Never Been to Vegas, but My Luggage Has: Mishaps and Miracles on the Road to Happily Ever After. With a dash of humor, Mandy shares true tales from her life of love lost and found and how she found her own version of "happily ever after."

Out March 11

In her novel Tempting Fate, author Jane Green follows a woman who seems to be in the perfect relationship but finds herself more and more emotionally invested in a friendship that threatens to unravel her marriage.

Out March 25

Myra MacPherson's The Scarlet Sisters: Sex, Suffrage, and Scandal in the Gilded Age tells the true story of two sisters who threatened the patriarchy of 19th century America with their brazen attitudes in defense of women's equality. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ellen Goodman said this: "If the Scarlet Sisters hadn't existed, feminism would have had to invent them. Myra MacPherson writes the story of these fearless and path-breaking 19th-century radicals with her trademark energy and wit. This sisterhood is indeed powerful."

Out March 4

A young witch in Edwardian England must choose between her love of an outsider and loyalty to her coven and family in Paula Brackston's paranormal love story The Midnight Witch. The Guardian writes, "If the Brontë sisters had penned magical realism, this would have been the result."

Out March 25

The Divorce Papers by Susan Rieger is a romantic comedy about a female lawyer handling her first divorce case — and a messy, disasterous one at that. Fans of Where'd You Go, Bernadette? will recognize the format, as it's also told through personal correspondence, office memos, emails, articles, and legal papers.

Out March 18

Danielle Steel is back with the romantic novel Power Play about two successful CEOs dealing with family drama, the sacrifices of success, and the complications of relationships.

Out March 11

Claire R. McDougall's historical fiction Veil of Time is a time-travelling love story about a woman caught between modern-day and ancient Scotland.

Out March 11

Nora Roberts's romantic suspense novel Shadow Spell is the second book in The Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy after Dark Witch. Set in Ireland, it's a haunting story of family, home, and love.

Out March 25