Best of
Chick-Lit

1998

Rosie


Lesley Pearse - 1998
    But when housekeeper Heather Farley arrives, Rosie finds a mother - and a friend - to look after her.Several years later, Thomas Farley comes to find his sister. Rosie can only tell him that she disappeared in mysterious circumstances, abandoning her small son Alan. Determined to get young Alan and Rosie out of the clutches of Cole and his sons, Thomas helps unearth a terrible truth about the family. A truth that forces Rosie away from the farm and out into a cruel world where she must somehow come to terms with her shocking past. Is it possible that the man who brought ruin on her family might also bring happiness to Rosie?

Breaking The Silence


Diane Chamberlain - 1998
    A woman who remembers nothing—except the distant past. Visiting Sarah Tolley seemed a small enough sacrifice to make.But Laura's promise results in another death. Her husband's. And after their five-year-old daughter, Emma, witnesses her father's suicide, Emma refuses to talk about it…to talk at all.Frantic and guilt ridden, Laura contacts the only person who may be able to help. A man she's met only once—six years before. A man who doesn't know he's Emma's real father.Guided only by a child's silence and an old woman's fading memories, the two unravel a tale of love and despair, of bravery and unspeakable evil. A tale that's shrouded in silence…and that unbelievably links them all.

Charlie


Lesley Pearse - 1998
    Charlie meets kind, funny student Andrew, whose love helps her through the hard times and further unexpected tragedy. Together, can they unravel the mysteries of the past that haunt the Welsh family? And will facing up to those mysteries destroy their love for each other or make it stronger?

Kiss Chase


Fiona Walker - 1998
    But he has one nasty habit he can't seem to break: a sadistic tendency to ride rough-shod over any girl foolish enough to fall for him.

Coast Road


Barbara Delinsky - 1998
    Barbara Delinsky has always had a gift for creating tales of extraordinary emotional power and depth. Now the New York Times bestselling author of Three Wishes surpasses herself once again in a novel that takes readers on a journey as richly textured, colorful, and poignant as the northern California landscape in which the book is set. Rachel Keats and Jack McGill were artists, deeply in love when they married, until the rush of life took its toll. After ten years of marriage, they divorced and went their separate ways. Jack stayed in San Francisco. Rachel moved with their two young daughters to Big Sur. Six years later, an alarming middle-of-the-night phone call demands that Jack put aside his own busy life and career as a leading architect to rush to his ex-wife's hospital bed. While she lies comatose, Jack maintains a bedside vigil and finds himself getting to know Rachel better than he ever did -- through their daughters, her friends, and, even more, through her art. Meanwhile, the beauty and grace of the Redwood canyon where she has made her home also work their own special alchemy upon Jack. He begins to see Rachel, his daughters, and the story of his marriage with new eyes. Coast Road celebrates those things in life that matter most -- the kinship of neighbors, the companionship of friends, and the irreplaceable time spent with children and family. Barbara Delinsky depicts with exquisite accuracy the ties that bind each of us to those people and places we hold most dear.

Low Country


Anne Rivers Siddons - 1998
    Caroline is the chatelaine of a magnificent home, hostess to her husband's wealthy friends and prospective clients, and the official "one-woman welcome wagon" for young, eager talent that her husband, Clay, imports to their corner of South Carolina to work for the family company--a vastly successful land-developing conglomerate. If Caro drinks a little too much for Clay's liking, he knows the reason why, and he takes comfort in the fact that she can escape to the island in the Lowcountry that her beloved Granddaddy left her. Wild and seemingly timeless, the island is a place of incomparable, breathtaking beauty--and it is the one place where Caroline can lose herself and simply forget.Roaming the island is a band of wild ponies, whose freedom and spirit have captivated Caro since she was a child. When she learns that her husband must either develop the island or lose the company that he spent his whole life building, she is devastated. The Lowcountry is Caroline's heritage--the one constant she believed would never change. A resort would not only tame (and therefore destroy) the island she loves--but what will happen to the wild ponies? Spurred to action and inspired with new purpose, Caroline must confront the part of herself that she has numbed with alcohol and careful avoidance, and she must reconsider her priorities--what is important that she would die for it? In fighting to save the island--her island--Caroline draws on an inner strength that forces her to reconsider her role in society, her marriage, and, ultimately, herself. Low Country is a story of personal renewal and transformation --one woman's proper Old South upbringing and expectations colliding with the new South's runaway prosperity. It is magnificently told, and it is Anne Rivers Siddons at her absolute best.

Message in a Bottle


Nicholas Sparks - 1998
    His stunning first novel, The Notebook, has been given by friend to friend and lover to lover all over the world as a testament to the timeless power of love. But if we thought he could never again move us so deeply, he now shows us he can-in a story that renews our faith in destiny...in the ability of true lovers to find each other no matter where, no matter when... Message In A Bottle Thrown to the waves, and to fate, the bottle could have ended up anywhere. Instead, it is found just three weeks after it begins its journey. Theresa Osborne, divorced and the mother of a twelve-year-old son, picks it up during a seaside vacation from her job as a Boston newspaper columnist. Inside is a letter that opens with: My Dearest Catherine, I miss you my darling, as I always do, but today is particularly hard because the ocean has been singing to me, and the song is that of our life together... For "Garrett," the man who signs the letter, the message is the only way he knows to express his undying love for a woman he has lost. For Theresa, wary of romance since her husband shattered her trust, the message raises questions that intrigue her. Who are Garrett and Catherine? Where is he now? What is his story? Challenged by the mystery, and pulled to find Garrett by emotions she does not fully understand, Theresa begins a search that takes her to a sunlit coastal town and an unexpected confrontation. Brought together by chance-or something more powerful-Theresa and Garrett are people whose lives are about to touch for a purpose, in a tale that resonates with our deepest hopes for finding that special someone and everlasting love. Shimmering with suspense and emotional intensity, Message in a Bottle takes readers on a hunt for the truth about a man and his memories, and about both the heartbreaking fragility and enormous strength of love. For those who cherished The Notebook and readers waiting to discover the magic of Nicholas Sparks's storytelling, here is his new, achingly lovely novel of happenstance, desire, and the choices that matter most...

Stealing the Show


Christina Jones - 1998
    She and her brothers, Danny and Sam, run a traditional fair which, so far, has afforded them a good living. But times are changing, and Danny and Sam are keen to expand by investing in more ambitious rides. Nell, more of a traditionalist, loathes the new technology. And she's also having second thoughts about the man to whom she is unofficially engaged. So Nell buys the gallopers secretly and arranges to have them renovated. But what she hadn't realised is that the horses come with their own very sexy restorer ...

Chasing Dreams


Susan Lewis - 1998
    She has two rivals, however, for Michael's affection: Michelle, the women he loved and lost to the developing countries of the world, where she campaigns for human rights, and Ellen Shelby, beautiful and successful LA agent, who is more than a match for Michael. The page-turning story of ambition and rivalry draws to a head in the 'favelas' of Rio, where Michael must fight for the most important thing in his life ever.

The Honk and Holler Opening Soon


Billie Letts - 1998
    But a fateful misunderstanding gave Vietnam vet Caney the flashiest joke in the entire state. Twelve years later, the once-busy highway is dead and the sign is as worn as Caney, who hasn't ventured outside the diner since it opened. Then one blustery December day, a thirtyish Crow woman blows in with a three-legged dog in her arms and a long-buried secret on her mind. Hiring on as a carhop, Vena Takes Horse is soon shaking up business, the locals, and Caney's heart...as she teaches them all about generosity of spirit, love, and the possibility of promise-just like the sign says.

L.A. Connections


Jackie Collins - 1998
    Drawn into this dangerous world are a high-class call girl looking for a way out...a ruthless agent playing for high stakes...and a beautiful journalist chasing the story of her career. They are about to discover the rules of survival in this city of dreamers and deceivers.

Chances Are


Donna Hill - 1998
    Years later, through hard work and sheer force of will, she had provided a good life for her daughter and started a successful home for teenage mothers and their babies. But from the moment television producer Garrett Lawrence began a story on the teen center, Dione's hard-won confidence was shaken. How could a man she found so attractive and intelligent be so cynical about unwed mothers? Battling her conflicted emotions, Dione would have to defend the work she believed in - even if it cost her a love that promised a lifetime of happiness.Garrett didn't think much of "irresponsible" teen mothers. He knew firsthand the misery of being given away and searching for the acceptance he never could seem to find. Although he found himself drawn closer and closer to Dione because of her independence and passionate determination, his painful past kept getting in the way. Now Garrett and Dione must find their way to each other through a search only the heart can undertake—and only love can bring.

A Private Affair


Donna Hill - 1998
    And it also swept her into the arms of Quinn Parker. A proud man with the soul of an artist and the strength to survive on the mean streets of Harlem, Quinn was everything Nikita had been taught to stay away from—and the one man whose passionate courage ignited desires neither could deny. But when Nikita refused to settle for less than a picture-perfect life, she lost the only man she ever loved.Now Quinn is back in her life as the author of a hot new novel that could propel Nikita's publishing house to unimaginable success. To secure both their futures means confronting the differences that once tore them apart, and fighting the reignited desire that burns more fiercely than either ever dreamed. Now, as unexpected rivals and a sudden crisis force them to gamble for one last, desperate chance to reconcile their dreams, can they fulfill the love that has claimed them body and soul?

Past Mischief


Victoria Clayton - 1998
    Yet, this is just the beginning of a better life for her.

When Venus Fell


Deborah Smith - 1998
    Now Venus plays in cocktail lounges, sporting her survival skills like a suit of armor. When a stranger emerges from her parents' long-ago past with an offer too good to refuse, Venus' suspicions flare up.But Gib Cameron has a special mission. He represents the Camerons of Tennessee--a family as rooted in American history and Southern soil as Venus' is notorious and fly-by-night. Yet the Camerons, survivors of tragedy, need Venus for reasons that have to do with honor and loyalty and an almost mystical bond to their shared past. And Gib, as hard-eyed a skeptic as Venus herself, has to persuade her to come to their mountain home.Humor, sexiness, pathos, and surprises are all part of Deborah Smith's unique storytelling magic. When Venus Fell will entrance readers with its tale of Venus's reluctant journey to Tennessee, where two well-guarded hearts, afraid to trust again, will find they've come home.

Quiet Storm


Donna Hill - 1998
    As a concert pianist and accomplished equestrian, she is constantly in the public eye touring the world. Many admire, yet envy, her beauty, talent and relationship with actor Cord Herrera. But in one moment, tragedy casts a dark shadow over Deanna's bright future... producing a Quiet Storm calmed only by an unexpected liaison.

Just Married Again


Charlotte Hughes - 1998
    Following doctor’s orders to reduce stress, Michael arrives at their remote cabin, unannounced and unexpected, in the dead of night, during a snow storm. Which is why Maddy greets him with a fire poker to the head, rendering him unconscious, and with a case of temporary amnesia. As his memory returns, Michael realizes how much he loves his wife, and is willing to do anything to get her back, even if it means pretending to still have amnesia. Add to the mix Michael’s mischievous 13-year-old nephew, who has stowed away in Michael’s car, and Maddy’s two dachshunds who take an instant disliking to Michael, and you have a laugh-out-loud recipe for a romantic romp.

A Sense of Belonging


Erica James - 1998
    In their different ways, all the newcomers to Cholmford are searching for something—love, peace, a sense of belonging. But will they find more than they bargained for?

Tara Road


Maeve Binchy - 1998
    "Tara Road," her first full-length novel since "The Glass Lake," again shows her incomparable understanding of the human heart in the tale of two women, one from Ireland, one from America, who switch lives, and in doing so learn much about each other, as well as much about themselves. Ria lived on Tara Road in Dublin with her dashing husband, Danny, and their two children. She fully believed she was happily married, right up until the day Danny told her he was leaving her to be with his young, pregnant girlfriend. By a chance phone call, Ria meets Marilyn, a woman from New England unable to come to terms with her only son's death and now separated from her husband. The two women exchange houses for the summer with extraordinary consequences, each learning that the other has a deep secret that can never be revealed.Drawn into lifestyles vastly differing from their own, at first each resents the news of how well the other is getting on. Ria seems to have become quite a hostess, entertaining half the neighborhood, which at first irritates the reserved and withdrawn Marilyn, a woman who has always guarded her privacy. Marilyn seems to have become bosom friends with Ria's children, as well as with Colm, a handsome restaurateur, whom Ria has begun to miss terribly. At the end of the summer, the women at last meet face-to-face. Having learned a great deal, about themselves and about each other, they find that they have become, firmly and forever, good friends.A moving story rendered with the deft touch of a master artisan, "Tara Road" is Maeve Binchy at her very best — utterly beautiful, hauntingly unforgettable, entirely original, and wholly enjoyable.

Power


Jackie Collins - 1998
    They are about to discover there are secrets worth killing for -- and definite rules of survival in a quest for "Power."

Miss Bugle Saw God In The Cabbages


Sara Yeomans - 1998
    She laced her theological discourses with detailed instructions about washing thoroughly under the arms and round the corners every morning once one had reached the age of thirteen...Growing up in the small English village of Swain's Chard in the 50s under the auspices of their eccentric headmistress Miss Bugle, Jenny, Philippa and Ann take her teachings for granted. So the 'Nothing Matters, Nothing Exists' philosophy of the 60s universities and drama schools they attend is a massive culture shock.Jenny is crushed by the aftermath of an affair with her moral tutor; Ann has to learn to cope with her dangerous talent for sex; and Philippa is hampered in her quest for stardom by a less than sylph-like figure.And now as Miss Bugle's girls return to the redemptive shelter of Swain's Chard they are shocked to find they must fight to preserve their benevolent but threatened corner of England.

Friends Through Thick and Thin


Gloria Gaither - 1998
    Four close friends share about the comfort, the fun, the joy, and the importance of other women friends.

Face To Face


Alison Brodie - 1998
    It doesn't help that she's as shallow as a paddling pool and terminally self-obsessed.Then she gets a dream job as the face of the Millennium - but there's a catch. Forget stretching out in Armani beachwear in the Seychelles. Peri's got six days in the Scottish Highlands wearing rags and not a scrap of make-up. She's far from home and far from happy - the beauty of Nature is inferior to her own and she's surrounded by a bunch of pointless animals. But a big burly Scotsman called Douglas is about to instill some true values into Peri's hollow life...

The Fun Book: 102 Ways for Girls to Have Some


Melina Gerosa - 1998
    100 line drawings.

Philippa's Farm


Louise Couper - 1998
    Having abandoned the trappings of city life, she finds contentment in harvesting the fruits of the hedgerows, taking care of her animals and running her own business, Philippa's Pantry. But her isolation is interrupted by the carry-on of the local beau monde and the sudden unwelcome arrival of her wayward brother and sister. In the midst of chaos, while her defences are down, she is captivated by a tall figure in a tweed jacket and attempts to seduce him. The opportunity arises in her little wood where the bluebells are bursting forth and the damp earth offers no impediment to passion ... but something else does, something Philippa could never have dreamt of.

Rosie Meadows regrets...


Catherine Alliott - 1998
    'Well. What could I say? If he was smitten then I could be too, and I sank back into the whole cosy relationship with a monumental sigh of relief. I didn't have to try too hard, didn't have to be too witty, too amusing, too beautiful... It was like landing on a feather mattress after all those years of being Out There.' Two years down the line, however, Rosie's beginning to think that 'cosy' isn't all it's cracked up to be. Bridge parties have never really been her thing, and it would be nice to feel beautiful just once in a while. Enough is enough. It's time to get her life back.

The Love Match / Quadrille (2-in-1)


Marion Chesney - 1998
    She was even the secret author of a scandalous new novel--the tale of a lady "rake" and her passionate exploits. Yet one titled gentleman grew ever more intrigued with this headstrong young woman, and Felicity would soon learn that real life was infinitely more interesting than fiction. . . QUADRILLEEveryone in the Haute Ton knew that Lord Hubert Challenge had married country mouse Mary Tyre for her dowry. But no one guessed that the lady had actually fallen in love with her husband! And she would try anything--sumptuous clothes, a saucy manner, even flirting with another man--to get her handsome husband's attention. Until she learned that two could play at that particular game. . . .

Things Remembered


Georgia Bockoven - 1998
    This intensely moving story follows a young woman’s difficult homecoming to Northern California where, despite painful memories of her past, she must make peace with her ailing grandmother before it’s too late. An enduring masterwork of women’s fiction, Things Remembered is Georgia Bockoven at her very best. They say you can’t go home again—but Bockoven fans will find this heartfelt return to be well worth the journey, as will readers of Elin Hilderbrand, Juliette Fay, and Karen White.

An Unlikely Prince


Barbara Jean Hicks - 1998
    She admits she's waiting for her prince. When stuffy history professor Harrison Hunt moves in next door, however, Suzie thinks she's been stuck with a toad. And it's going to take seven adorable little imps to help the two open their hearts to one another and to what just might be "happily ever after..."When fun-loving Suzie Wyatt moves into her parents' home, her dream of running her own daycare center finally comes true. Unfortunately, her new neighbors-the uptight, but handsome Harrison Hunt on one side and crotchety, old Mrs. Pfefferkuchen on the other-cannot be more horrified by the prospect of seven noisy children disrupting the peace. Vivacious Suzie and her seven energetic charges quickly endear themselves to Harrison, however. And Harrison himself manages to capture Suzie's heart. But when Suzie discovers he's joined forces with Mrs. Pfefferkuchen to close her preschool doors, can she bring herself to forgive her Unlikely Prince?

Trophy Wives


Karren Brady - 1998
    

American Woman


R. Garcia y Robertson - 1998
    Garcia y Robertson applies his considerable talents in historical research and writerly depiction to an epic of American history, the legendary Battle of the Little Big Horn and Custer's last stand--and turns the legends upside down. First, he tells the tale entirely from the Indian side, and secondly, he tells it through the eyes of a blonde white woman from Pennsylvania married to an Indian brave: American Woman. With extraordinary wit and imagination, this book is a literary grenade of the quality of Thomas Berger's Little Big Man. American Woman is a fine, uproarious, and moving novel.