Each week as part of SunLit — The Sun’s literature section — we feature staff recommendations from book stores across Colorado. This week, the staff from Out West Books in Grand Junction recommends a story of mystical forces in France and two sci-fi tales.
The River Muse
By Laura Resau
Harper Muse
$18.99
May 2026
Purchase
From the publisher: At the brink of summer, Callie arrives in a secluded village in the South of France with her young daughter, after barely escaping her menacing ex-partner. Desperate to hide, she rents a cottage on the grounds of the Chateau of the Lost. Her new home sings with flowing water, rustling olive trees, and whispering poppies—an otherworldly nook of hidden magic. Little by little, she warms to her quirky neighbors—a witchy landlady, an acclaimed truffle hunter, his kind veterinarian son, and their lovable dogs. Oh, and a mischievous ghost boy.
Slowly but surely, her new friends help her discover herself again. Years earlier, she gave up music at the insistence of her ex, but as she reclaims her voice, everyone finds that her songs open hearts and heal old wounds. When her ex tracks her down, the stakes grow deadly, and she must tap into her most powerful self to protect her newfound family.
From Didi Herald, bookseller: Combining suspense, mystery, and romance with a story of resilience, love, and community, “The River Muse” is a compelling read. When Callie escapes to France with her dog-loving daughter Eva they are fleeing Colorado where Brett, the wealthy manipulative man, seemed to pamper and take care of her after the death of her beloved husband.
Flashbacks, in the form of letters she wrote to herself in the weeks and days leading up to their journey, are interspersed with the plants, dogs, foods, and wines of their new, perhaps temporary life, in the small French village that has its own share of conflicts and tangled relationships. Eva, an authentic Colorado girl with a great affection for dogs and nature makes friends with feuding neighbors. Her ability to charm extends beyond people and dogs to the ghost of a lonely boy and her own father’s ghost.
As Callie’s past unravels, the insidious way Brett took everything away from her including her career as a singer-songwriter and her whole sense of worth, is exposed — making it clear he will stop at nothing to reacquire the people he thinks he owns. What I love about Resau’s beautiful writing is it takes the reader and characters through loss and pain to healing and understanding facilitated by kindness.
Cash and Gravity
By Perrin Pring
Division Books
$18.99
May 2026
Purchase
From the publisher: In the not so distant future, six mega corporations and their privatized armies have supplanted the American government. They compete for resources, market position, and the ultimate long-game prize of colonizing the stars.
Chevy Cole left her conservative family behind for life as a Launch Tech marine and never looked back, proud of her role as a first-into-the-fire grunt, even if she were well below the revered female super soldiers known as Aces. When rumors spread that one of the Big Six has created a fusion device that would put the stars within reach, all-out war looms.
After the catastrophic failed siege of a Nevada mine leaves most of her comrades dead, Chevy encounters a dying Ace in possession of a mysterious package and a surprise: this Ace is a man. Joined by Dolon, an aging mercenary “phantom” sent by Launch Tech to transport the package to an Idaho safehouse, the three form an uneasy alliance.
As they try to outrun a rival corporation’s ruthless agents across the desert in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, Chevy realizes that their survival may also determine who controls the future. But when greed is the only rule of law, who can she trust?
From Didi Herald, bookseller: A road trip novel that is science fiction written by a Colorado author are all things that can entice me into picking up a book. I hit a trifecta with “Cash and Gravity.” It is a near future SF, kick-ass road trip through the West with a big brawny woman marine, a male Ace (elite soldiers known for their advantages of being small, talented, smart, and beautiful) who crash-land into the middle of a battle and both are picked up by an old recluse.
Never intended to work together, they have to get along well enough to keep a device that could destroy the world safe and out of the wrong hands. Their rough and tumble mission takes them through the mountains and deserts of Nevada, Utah, and Idaho, into small towns and casinos in the near future West in a world run by six high tech companies. I enjoyed the action and scrapes they made it out of, but the landscape and travel aspects made the setting feel real. I’ll be watching for Pring’s next book.
From Marya Johnston, owner: Perrin Pring knows a thing or two about being a woman in a man’s world, as she is chief ranger at Colorado National Monument when she is not writing great dystopian sci-fi. As a result, her character Chevy is flawlessly depicted. A native Coloradan, Perrin’s long time connections to this part of the world have made her very good at describing the West and its people. Not normally my genre, I was sucked right into this story and yes, it’s cliché, but I couldn’t put it down.
Moss’d in Space
By Rebecca Thorne
Bramble
$18.99
June 2026
Purchase
From the publisher: Former smuggler Torian Razner finally bought a starship, and contrary to Amelia’s assessment, it was not “a meteoric sign of stupidity.” Sure, the alien starship may have been abandoned for a century, and it may be covered in moss now… but it’s Torian’s ticket to freedom, regardless of what her ex… ah, captain… said.
Except Torian’s first flight reveals a surprise passenger: The moss is actually an organic computer with a snarky attitude and serious abandonment issues. The target of its loathing? The immortal alien who built it (and then parked the starship, with moss inside, and forgot about it). The same alien who just found Torian and accused her of “stealing” the ship.
It’s entirely possible that Amelia was right about this meteoric stupidity.
From Didi Herald, bookseller: Surprisingly enough, I found a second science fiction novel by a Colorado author that could be considered a road trip novel if road trips count flying from a space station across space and through a wormhole. It hit me on other levels, too.
Environmental issues are important to me and play a huge role in this far future universe. I was fascinated by a character who started out as a moss-based computer and evolved into a sentient being who demonstrated kindness and caring. What I may have liked best is the coziness of the story, individuals willing to stake everything on ensuring another being’s survival. In a time with so much upheaval, a cozy science fiction novel is a great cup of tea to have in hand, particularly if served with a nice side of puns. Best of all, this is entertaining escapism at its best and I have the feeling it may turn into one of the books I read over again just for sheer fun.
As part of The Colorado Sun’s literature section — SunLit — we’re featuring staff picks from book stores across the state. Read more.