Books like Out of the Dark by Sundae Leighton

A son writes an unabridged, eloquent letter to his ill‑literate mother, uncovering her Vietnamese‑American family history and confronting themes of race, class, masculinity, trauma and LGBTQ identity.

Convenient Bride for the King is a romance novel by Kelly Hunter that explores themes of love, duty, and destiny within a fictional setting.

Medical resident Claire Rawlings races to work with her two daughters in the car when a sudden illness knocks her out. When she awakens, the girls are gone, and the mystery of their disappearance forces her to confront guilt, a strained marriage, and relentless police inquiries.

Elizabeth navigates an arranged marriage she hates, yet it may rescue her family—until her aunt’s aid and an act of bravery open a new path.

A 17‑year‑old named Miranda travels to Selkie Island, Georgia, after her grandmother’s death. There she confronts family secrets, her own skepticism, and unexpected paranormal mysteries tied to the island’s mermen.

The author of the beloved Coming Home Crazy returns to his hometown and investigates - through the lens of small-town life - what community means to us and the rigid definitions we give to "success" and "failure.". Growing up, Bill Holm could define failure easily; it was "to die in Minneota." But when he returned to his hometown ("a very small dot on the ghost of an ocean of grass") twenty years later - jobless, broke, and divorced - he began to uncover its lost histories and to discover more of himself and of our time. By stepping out of the mainstream into what others regard as a backwater, Holm began to question the pace of our culture and how, in the rush to get ahead, we've lost our roots. Whether tracking the forbidden recipes of Holm's parents or spilling the beans on the scandalous affair of Hester and Art, The Heart Can Be Filled Anywhere on Earth celebrates the connections between us that we both fear and desire. By finding that which is meaningful in the seemingly insignificant, Holm delights us with stories of his town and of our need to belong.

In 1928, Kate Moore seeks escape from poverty and violence. A chance meeting on a transatlantic liner with a handsome Chicago heir offers hope—if she can hide the secrets of her past.

Coralie Casey defies her fate, taking charge of her life, while Gethin Lewis must return to rural Wales to settle his father's estate—no one is better than Coralie to persuade him to stay.

"A collection of stories that focus on love, lost love, death, the absurdity of the human condition, relationships and beauty. There is also a story about insects that is more human than most D.H. Lawrence. Leidner's fiction is deeply-infused with poetry but never turns purple."--Publisher's description.

Suicidal fifteen‑year‑old Hark dives into a poisonous undersea realm to steal the heart of a dead god and save his best friend Jelt—only to find the divine power may be too dangerous to wield.