Moonlight in Odessa: A Novel by Janet Skeslien Charles (Preorder)

Release date: December 1st, 2026

From the internationally bestselling author of The Paris Library, an “effervescent” (National Geographic Traveler) novel that tells the tale of one woman who risks everything for love—and a green card.

Odessa, 1994. Daria, a whip-smart engineer, spends her days underemployed as a secretary—a job she was lucky to get in a tough economy. She spends her evenings moonlighting as an interpreter at an international matchmaking agency. She spends her nights longing for love and wondering if she could be doing more with her life.

As Daria bridges the language gap between lonely American men and desperate Ukrainian women, she finds herself tempted by the American Dream. She faces a choice between a sexy, irresponsible local and a gentle foreign client, between her beloved city and the pull of the West. When the client offers a one-way ticket to California, Daria hesitates to leave all she’s ever known. Is the grass greener on the other side of the world? Can a marriage between strangers really work? This heartfelt debut explores the booming business of email-order brides, an industry where love and marriage collide with sex and money.

The perfect book for anyone who’s ever been stuck in a dead-end job or relationship, Moonlight in Odessa delves into the choices we make in the pursuit of love and happiness, and the lengths we will go to for a happy ending.