After finding my soon-to-be ex-husband together with my soon-to-be ex-assistant, I realize his "for better or for worse" didn't include my 40s. An extended vacation on a remote Italian island sounds like the perfect antidote to a midlife crisis - until I arrive. I'm expecting Chianti and pasta. What I get is a run-down bed-and-breakfast with the oldest Nonna in existence. There's something about this island. Something odd. Like how everyone keeps calling me Mamma or how I'm the first tourist in decades.

“I’m leaving.” Two shocking words, torching a marriage of over 20 years. Totally blindsided, Shannon, a middle-aged stay-at-home mom, is traded in for a newer model. One of the few possessions her cheating ex didn’t swipe was the mountain resort she inherited from her dear Aunt Maeve. With limited funds and bleak job prospects, the decrepit resort is a lifeline! Shannon discovers a wishing well in her forest and learns that magic is real. Who has time for bitterness when there’s a world of magical witchcraft to learn?

"Happily Ever After" wasn't supposed to come with a do-over option. But when my husband of 20 years packs up and heads for greener pastures, and my son heads away to college, that's exactly what my midlife becomes. A do-over. This time, though, I plan to do things differently. Age is just a number, after all, and at 40 I'm ready to carve my own path. Eager for a fresh start, I make a somewhat unorthodox decision and move to a tiny town in the Sierra foothills.

I knew hot flashes were supposed to be hot, but I didn't expect flames. One day I'm in anger management, normalizing the cordial hate between me and my husband. The next, we're divorced, and he has taken both our house and the business we built together. I'm 40 years old and living above our empty restaurant, plotting my next move. And then the world around starts lighting up - literally catching on fire. I'm starting to think my defining characteristic may not be my snark or my cupcake-baking prowess, but spontaneous combustion.

In 1876, we were called to Savannah, Georgia to help with an infestation of demons. If we'd known what we, my wife Evangeline, and I, were walking into, we'd have run the other way. As it was, we shared tea with a vampire and stepped into a battle we did not understand until it was too late.

The day after my 43rd birthday, my husband announced he was trading me in - his words, not mine. The news was unwelcome at the time, but honestly? I needed a good goosing to get up and find my way to the door. So I was freed from the giant manual of expectations authored by my ex. That was the good news. The flip side was less happy. Due to living in a state not friendly to discarded wives, I was also relieved of the financial "security" I'd spent a lifetime accruing.

For my forty-fifth birthday, I planned to treat myself to a spa day with my bestie. But instead, my late husband's insurance broker drops by to let me know that not only am I still widowed but my husband's insurance policies are being paid to his other wife-and his other family. The next thing I know, I'm being romanced by an Indiana Jones wannabe who arrives like a dervish to sweep me off my feet. One thing leads to another, but before anything happens, Indy goes missing, the place is trashed, and I've got myself a glowing snake tattoo that seems to be talking to me about magic.

I’m half-witch, half-faery, and facing dangers as real as the ache in my bad knee. Ibuprofen and caffeine keep me going, and I could do this for the rest of my life. Whoever thinks my family home is an easy mark better take notice: The new Guardian in town isn’t going down without a fight. After all, she’s already learned to let go of her simple existence and believe in the extraordinary power inside of her. What could possibly stop her now?

Sparrow “Ro” Meadowcroft is about to get the promotion she’s always dreamed of–curator of the museum where she works. She loves old things and the history that surrounds them, so when a patron leaves some items to the museum, Ro is eager to dig in. The sword in the stone that comes with those items is clearly a joke. A well-made but obvious replica meant to be a conversation starter. Why anyone would think that belonged in the museum is beyond her, but she can’t resist taking a crack at it and finding out if she’s the chosen one. And as it turns out...she is.

Alys Stevens is running out of familiar road. Approaching the same age as her mother’s death and muddling through a messy divorce, the 40-something home renovator has lost the control she so deeply craves. So when her siblings show up demanding a girls' night full of fun, the three brew up an ancient family cocktail...and accidentally unleash powerful magic.

Divorced, desperate, and destitute, former restaurateur Defiance Dayne finds out she has been bequeathed a house by a complete stranger. She is surprised, to say the least, and her curiosity gets the better of her. She leaves her beloved Phoenix and heads to one of the most infamous towns in America: Salem, Massachusetts. She's only there to find out why a woman she's never met would leave her a house, a veritable castle that has seen better days.

When her father approaches her with an opportunity to serve as an in-house psychic for the opening of his new inn, Clove jumps at the chance. It will be an opportunity for her and Sam to spend some much-needed time alone - and have some fun in the process. Of course, since she's a Winchester witch, nothing goes as planned.

Samantha Sinclair's midlife can be summed up in one word—trapped. Trapped by Multiple Sclerosis. Trapped by an abusive husband. Trapped until her son breaks the vicious cycle and whisks her away to a bed and breakfast on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The only problem? It puts her in the path of the only man she ever wanted. Damien rejected her years ago and Sam's never recovered from the heartache. Combined with the quirky and nosy oddballs in the fifty and up waterfront community, the B&B isn't the ideal place to lay low.

Four months of wallowing in embarrassed depression should be enough. I’m beginning to realize that no one is who they seem to be, and my life story might be spinning out of my control. It’s time to take a shower, put on a bra, and wear something other than sweatpants. Difficult, but doable. With my friends - real and imaginary - by my side, I need to edit my life before the elusive darkness comes for all of us.

Unpacking her belongings in her new hometown of Portland, Oregon, herbalist and reformed alchemist Zoe Faust can't help but notice she's picked up a stowaway. Dorian Robert-Houdin is a living, breathing three-and-half-foot gargoyle - not to mention a master of French cuisine - and he needs Zoe's expertise to decipher a centuries-old text. Zoe, who's trying to put her old life behind her, isn't so sure she wants to reopen her alchemical past... until the dead man on her porch leaves her no choice.