But Olivia senses the couple still love one another and just need time to work on their marriage in the wake of their infant daughter's death. So Olivia denies their petition and makes headlines in the Cedar Cove Chronicle, earning the divorced mother more than journalistic admiration from the paper's editor, Jack Griffin. Meanwhile, Olivia's daughter, Justine, must decide if she will marry an older man her mother insists is wrong for her, and Olivia's best friend, Grace Sherman, the local librarian, is frantic with the disappearance of her husband, Dan. Everyone in Cedar Cove is talking!204 Rosewood LaneBook TwoSix months after her husband of 35 years, Dan, disappeared, Grace Sherman is confident he's run off with another woman, so, against her daughter, Kelly's wishes, she files for divorce. Meanwhile, Judge Olivia has love problems of her own. Her ex-husband wants her back, giving her on-again, off-again suitor, Jack Griffin, some stiff competition. Jack has other problems. His son, Eric, comes home to bunk with dad, on the outs with his girlfriend, Shelly, who thinks she's pregnant. Olivia's daughter, Justine, wises up and marries her high school sweetheart, but Zach and Rosie Cox find their marriage on the skids when Rosie's volunteer work takes precedence over her family responsibilities. Maryellen Sherman, Grace's older daughter and manager of the local art gallery, becomes pregnant after a brief affair with artist Jon Bowman. Romance, babies, divorce and marriage keep Cedar Cove gossips buzzing.311 Pelican CourtBook ThreeNow divorced, Zach and Rosie Cox are struggling to adjust to Judge Olivia's unusual custody agreement—and to the fact they're thrown together more than they would have wished. The kids are staying in the family home, and it's Rosie and Zach who have to do the coming and going. Having discovered the tragic fate of her husband, Grace tries to adjust to single living and to the attentions of another man.But the really big gossip comes when a guest dies at Bob and Peggy Beldon's Thyme and Tide Bed and Breakfast. Roy McAfee, the local private investigator, wants to know who the guy was, and why he showed up there, of all places, in the middle of the night.44 Cranberry PointBook FourJudge Olivia and her husband, Jack, are back from their honeymoon to find her mother, Charlotte, who's at least seventy-five, has a man in her life. But the big buzz is about the man who died in the Beldon's bed and breakfast. Turns out, his name was Max Russell, and Bob knew him briefly in Vietnam. But who poisoned him and why?In happier news, Jon Bowman and Maryellen Sherman have seen the light—they're getting married. Maryellen's mom, Grace, has more than her share of interested men, but which one will she choose? All grist for the gossip mill in Cedar Cove, the town you'd love to call home.50 Harbor StreetBook Five Roy McAfee, Cedar Cove's resident private investigator, and his wife, Corrie, have been receiving anonymous postcards and messages, asking if they regret the past, and what they mean is a mystery to them! On a more positive note, Roy and Corrie are delighted that their daughter, Linette, has moved back to Cedar Cove to work at the new medical clinic. Linette isn't too enthusiastic that her mom has set her up with Cal Washburn, who works at Cliff Harding's horse farm. Corrie bought Linette a date with Cal at the humane society's "Dog and Bachelor Auction." The romance between Cliff and Grace Sherman is back, but that's just one of the many interesting stories you'll read about in 50 Harbor Street.6 Rainier DriveBook Six After losing The Lighthouse restaurant to arson, Justine and Seth Gunderson's marriage is rocky. The prime suspect, Anson Butler, is a young ex-employee who disappeared right after the fire. But when a cross necklace shows up in the ashes of the restaurant, authorities wonder if someone else set the fire. Seth assumes they will rebuild, but Justine likes not having to worry about the restaurant. It's as if they don't know each other anymore. But could something unexpected rekindle their love, say in nine months? Still, there's good news in Cedar Cove. Cal, who works on Cliff Harding's ranch, is rescuing wild mustangs from Wyoming but might find he's better suited for other adventures. And a Victorian Tea Room and Gift Shop could be in the works. In the meantime, life goes on, with marriages, births, reunions...and even the occasional scandal.

    She's a target for every psycho and miscreant this side of the Jersey Turnpike. He mother's convinced she'll end up dead...or worse, without a man. She's Stephanie Plum and she kicks butt for a living (well, she thought it would sound good to put it that way...)It begins as an innocent trip to the deli-mart, on a quest for nachos. But Stephanie Plum and her partner, Lula, are clearly in the wrong place at the wrong time. A robbery leads to an explosion, which leads to the destruction of yet another car. It would be just another day in the life of Stephanie Plum...except that she becomes the target of a gang. And the target of an even scarier, more dangerous force that comes to Trenton. With super bounty hunter Ranger out of town (and Stephanie on the outs with vice cop Morelli), she finds herself alone, with a decision to make: how to protect herself and where to hide while on the hunt for a killer known as the Junkman. There's only one safe place, and it has Ranger's name all over it-if she can find it. And if the Junkman doesn't find her first. With Lula riding shotgun and Grandma Mazur on the loose, Stephanie Plum is racing against the clock in her most suspenseful novel yet. Ten Big Ones is page-turning entertainment and Janet Evanovich is the best there is.     Eleven on Top Stephanie Plum is thinking her career as a fugitive apprehension agent has run its course. She's been shot at, spat at, cussed at, fire-bombed, mooned, and attacked by dogs. Stephanie thinks it's time for a change. So she quits. She wants something safe and normal. But the kind of trouble she had at the bail bonds office can't compare to the kind of trouble she finds herself facing now...Stephanie is stalked by a maniac returned from the grave for the sole purpose of putting her into a burial plot of her own. He's killed before, and he'll kill again if given the chance. Caught between staying far away from the bounty hunter business and staying alive, Stephanie reexamines her life and the possibility that being a bounty hunter is the solution rather than the problem. After disturbingly brief careers at the button factory, Kan Klean Dry Cleaners, and Cluck-in-a-Bucket, Stephanie takes an office position in security, working for Ranger, the sexiest, baddest bounty hunter and businessman on two continents. Tempers and temperatures rise as competition ratchets up between the two men in her life--her on-again, off-again boyfriend, tough Trenton cop Joe Morelli, and her boss, Ranger. Can Stephanie Plum take the heat? Can you?     Twelve Sharp FIRST A STRANGER APPEARSWhile chasing down the usual cast of miscreants and weirdos, Stephanie discovers that a crazed woman is stalking her. THEN THE STRANGER REVEALS HER SECRETSThe woman dresses in black, carries a 9mm Glock, and has a bad attitude and a mysterious connection to dark and dangerous Carlos Manoso ...street name, Ranger.  NEXT, SOMEBODY DIESThe action turns deadly serious, and Stephanie goes from hunting skips to hunting a murderer.  SOON, THE CHASE IS ONRanger needs Stephanie for more reasons than he can say. And now, the two are working together to find a killer, rescue a missing child, and stop a lunatic from raising the body count. When Stephanie Plum and Ranger get too close for comfort, vice cop Joe Morelli (her on-again, off-again boyfriend) steps in. Will the ticking clock stop at the stroke of twelve...or will a stranger in the wind find a way to stop Stephanie Plum...forever?

    Although she's little more than a child the events of her past have forged a driving determination to rise above her beginnings. But when she applies for a job as a nurse Connie's turned down: her mother was forced by poverty to work the streets and the Bell name is tainted. Bitterly hurt but undaunted, Connie's soon assistant housekeeper at the Grand Hotel and saving hard for her own business. When her path crosses Dan Stewart's, though, everything Connie's ever dreamed of is threatened. There's a dark and terrible history between the Bells and the Stewarts, and Dan's mother Edith will do anything to keep Dan and Connie apart.

    Here, in his newest work, Sparks tells a story about making the greatest commitment of all...loving someone forever. The Rescue When confronted by raging fires or deadly accidents, volunteer fireman Taylor McAden feels compelled to take terrifying risks - risks no one else in the department would ever take - to save lives. But there is one leap of faith Taylor can't bring himself to make: He can't fall in love. For all his adult years, Taylor has sought out women who need to be rescued, women he leaves as soon as their crisis is over, as soon as the relationship starts to become truly intimate. Then, one day, a raging, record-breaking storm hits his small Southern town. Denise Holton, a young single mother, is driving through it when her car skids off the road. With her is her four-year-old son, Kyle, a boy with severe learning disabilities and for whom she has sacrificed everything. Unconscious and bleeding, she-but not Kyle-will be found by Taylor McAden. And when she wakes, the chilling truth becomes clear to both of them: Kyle is gone. During the search for Kyle, the connection, the lifeline, between Taylor and Denise takes root. Taylor doesn't know that this rescue will be different from all the others, demanding far more than raw physical courage. That it will lead him to the possibility of his own rescue from a life lived without love. That it will require him to open doors to his past that were slammed shut by pain. That it will dare him to live life to the fullest by daring to love. In The Rescue Nicholas Sparks weaves his inimitable spell, immersing us in the passions and the surprising complexities of modern relationships-and in doing so, teaching us something about our own.

    With her hallmark exuberance and cast of characters so sassy, resilient, and full of life that they breathe, dream, and shout right off the page.

    Her stories remind us how precious and fragile life can be—and that we must risk our hearts every day to know happiness. Follow the Stars Home is just such a novel: a story of poignancy and heartbreak, grace and courage.Being a good mother is never simple: each day brings new choices and challenges. For Dianne Robbins, being a devoted single mother has resulted in her greatest joy and her darkest hours. Weeks before her daughter was born, she and her husband, Tim McIntosh, received the news every parent fears. Tim had not reckoned on their child being anything less than perfect, and abruptly fled to a solitary existence on the sea, leaving Dianne with a newborn—almost alone.It was Tim's brother, Alan, the town pediatrician, who stood by Dianne and her exceptional daughter. Throughout years of waiting, watching, and caring, Alan hid his love for his brother's wife. But one of the many hard choices Dianne has made is to close her heart toward any man—especially one named McIntosh. It will take a very special twelve-year-old to remind them all that love comes in many forms and can be received with as much grace as it is given.As lyrical and moving as the poetry of nature, Follow the Stars Home is a miracle of storytelling that will take your breath away. If words alone can dare us to confront our fears and to choose joy over sorrow, then Luanne Rice's magnificent novel is a benediction and a call to celebrate our lives.

    Soon after they marry and move into an idyllic Gloucestershire village, Hope discovers she is pregnant. The glamorous Petersons, Henrik and Mandy, appear as new neighbours, and both couples become close. But appearances can be deceptive.

    He’s handsome, dependable, and will make an excellent father – unlike Tish’s first love, the disreputable Fergal. Her teenage sweetheart abandoned her for a music career and now lives a typical celebrity lifestyle. Fergal broke her heart – James helped mend it.Now, they’ve bought a cottage in the country. The next step – kids and a lifetime of domestic bliss. Well, that’s the plan. And even if James has a slight tendency to view the village pub as a second home, their relationship is still in pretty good shape after seven years of marriage. So why is marriage to Mr Right making her long for Mr Wrong?

    Set in contemporary Ireland, filled with warmth, wit, and drama, Scarlet Feather is the story of Cathy Scarlet and Tom Feather, their spouses, families, and friends, and the struggling new catering business that transforms their lives in ways big and small.

    From the moment she drive into town, she gets a bad feeling; Sophie is from the wrong side of the tracks and everything in Temptation is a little too right. And when she has a run-in with the town's unnervingly sexy mayor, Phineas Tucker, making a little movie turns out to be more than a little dangerous.Yield to oncoming desire...All Sophie wants to do is film the video and head home. All Phin wants to do is play pool with the police chief and keep things peaceful. They both get more than they bargained for when Sophie's video causes an uproar and the proper citizens of Temptation set out to shut them down.Welcome to temptation...As events spiral out of control, Sophie and Phin find themselves caught in a web of gossip, blackmail, adultery, murder, and really excellent sex. All hell breaks loose in Temptation as Sophie and Phin fall deeper and deeper in trouble...and in love.

    She's also babelicious, with ginger-colored skin and more curves than the Liberty Bell. But if Kayla's all that, how come she can't find the one thing she's gotta have: "The One. Someone jonezing for me… someone to chill with, lay up under, and be around."When Kayla sets off on a manhunt for Mr. Right, she finds herself hooking up with every hustler, nut, and fast-talking player in Philadelphia. There's Emar, the basketball hotshot who makes his best moves off-court; good-looking Terry, who gets downright scary during a weekend in Jersey; and Reese, who'd be da bomb if he'd only drop his white girlfriend. But it's Kayla's relationship with smooth and sexy Wil that really rocks her world and teaches her how to fight for a man—and for her own independence. For love doesn't get truly crazy until it's the real thing… and the only people who don't get played are the ones who stay out of the game.Featuring the frank and feisty viewpoint of a modern, streetwise young woman, Yo Yo Love is edgy, uncensored, and wildly entertaining. It's a tour de force that tells it like it is… and tells it all.

    With her safe, predictable life turned upside down and an uncertain future ahead of her, Francesca has only two choices: sink or swim.So Francesca decides to get a life...a life of her own making. But first she has to deal with the obstacles in her way -- her husband's ambitious young girlfriend who intends to get exactly what she wants; her teenage sons' mixed reactions to the changes in the family; Mark's own reluctance to accept the consequences of his actions; and sexy journalist Ralph Casson, who shows more than a professional interest in Francesca.Then Francesca decides to throw a party, and that's when the fun really starts....

    Until her world is destroyed by the bitterest betrayal of all: her husband's explosive affair with her 19-year-old assistant, Tessa Dukes.Tessa's ambitions burn fiercely. Her chilling manipulation of fame and her steady destruction of so many dreams and ambitions lead all concerned into a fatal minefield of sexual obsession, psychotic jealousy and deadly treachery.Moving from the dazzling, yet sinister, lights of London, to the deceptive haven of Italy's romantic Amalfi Coast, Cruel Venus is a suspense-filled story of love at its very best - and absolute worst.

    Preparations for the great day - service at Westminster, reception at Claridges - are on schedule; the bridesmaids' bouquets made up; the cake decorated. Then Freddie decides that she cannot go through with it. Unable to face the indignation and fury of Alex, her parents, or anyone else, she flees to a friend's cottage in Dorset. At first sight its state of dilapidation is so extreme that Freddie decides she cannot possibly stay there. But she has reckoned without the attentions of Guy Gilderoy; the culinary delights of the Rector and his wife; a family of neglected children; and the primitive and secret shrines she finds in her garden. In her attempts to make sense of her new life, Freddie discovers much about herself that is surprising as the ghosts of her childhood are laid to rest.

     Five-year-old Spike has a sure-fire cure for any illness: ice cream. He’s also picked out the cure for being fatherless: fun-loving pediatrician Chad Markham, who just moved in next door. But Spike’s serious-minded Aunt Jill, who’s adopting her orphaned nephew, sees heartbreak ahead. Unable to bear children after a disastrous pregnancy that destroyed her first marriage, Jill can’t help liking the handsome doctor. But she’ll never be able to give him kids of his own, and she’s also learned how easily good times can crash and burn, especially when the guy isn’t the settling-down type. The last thing her little boy needs is another loss in his life. The approach of Christmas brings other challenges, too. At Jill’s job as assistant marketing director for a mall, she’s juggling too many Santas. At home, she’s coping with a pair of yard-destroying dogs that Chad is housing for a friend. Then another relative, on learning that Spike has a large inheritance, decides to make a self-serving bid for parenthood. With troubles floating down like snowflakes, Jill needs a real-life Santa Claus. If only Daddy, M.D., proves up to the task! Written by the award-winning author of 100 published novels.

    When he finally breaks down her excuses, it is Ray who undergoes a heart-altering experience. Now all he has to do is convince Leone that he's worthy of her.

    But her well-intentioned friends set her up as a mail-order bride. She knows nothing of the engagement until the day her groom, Lucas Rawlings, shows up to seal their agreement with wedding vows. Believing it is God's will for her life, she marries the handsome stranger. Lucas proves to be a gentle and kind man, and Cinda finds herself falling in love with her new husband. Upon arriving at his Montana farm, however, she finds out his real intentions for wanting a wife. Her new life is full of surprises, not all of them good.

    Outspoken Hannah Parrish, harboring private fear that may change her life. Fragile Ameila Declose, shattered by devastating grief. Circumstance has brought these disparate women of "a certain age" to a Pennsylvania boardinghouse where three square meals and a sagging bed is the most any of them can look forward to. But friendship will take them on a starting journey to a rundown North Carolina farmhouse where the unexpected suddenly seems not only welcome, but delightfully promising. And with nothing more than a bit of adventure in mind, each woman will be surprised to find that they years they've reclaimed from the shadow of twilight will offer something far more rare: confidence, competence, and even another chance at love...

    Meghann Livingston invents a husband to soothe her dying mother. But when her mom miraculously recovers, then comes for a visit, Meghann is hard-pressed to explain her "husband's" absence! Before Meghann can come clean, her handsome, elusive boss, Bruce Halloway, inadvertently steps into her romantic charade ... and to Meghann's shock and horror, insists upon playing "son-in-law" to her mom. The masquerade's success depends upon them playing their newlywed games extremely well. But when they do, both Meghann and Bruce -- even as they struggle to overcome the consequences of their deceptions -- find themselves falling in love ... for real!

    Attempting to flee her problems, she opens a warehouse on the edge of a run-down air field – despite not knowing a thing about how to run a business. Her status as the world’s biggest areophobe doesn’t help either, but the biggest problem of all takes the form of Jonah Sullivan, the gorgeous pilot and plane-owner who walks into her life at the worst possible moment. Billie soon discovers exactly what Jonah has mind for her warehouse – and while she’s not exactly sold by the idea of becoming a wing-walker, she soon learns how far her courage extends for love...

    But as a penniless and partnerless house-painter with an expired lease on her flat and a twelve-year-old daughter, she could hardly turn down her parents' offer to take them on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Caribbean. She'd just have to put up with her sister Theresa (making no secret of preferring Tuscany as a holiday destination) and brother Simon (worrying that there might be some sinister agenda behind their parents' wish to take them all away) with their various spouses, teenagers, young children and au pair. In a luxury hotel, with bright sunshine, swimming, diving, glorious food and friendly locals, any family tensions should have melted away in the fabulous heat. The children should have been angelic, the teenagers cheerful, the adults relaxed and happy. But...some problems just refuse to be left at home.

    Why? Since splitting from her husband, single mum Anna Barnes is enjoying her new found freedom and independence. Now she can concentrate on looking after her teenage son and building up her career. However, she didn't bank on working for Tex Garcia. The gorgeous American chef is getting the locals hot under the collar and not just because of his culinary prowess! Beneath that handsome exterior, however, lies a man haunted by his past. Tex can't commit and women pass through his life like dishes going out to service. So what is it about Anna that's different? Can Tex break her self-imposed rule of never mixing business with pleasure and add some spice into the mix? Or is Anna's ex set to spoil the recipe altogether by turning up apparently seeking reconciliation? Is everything as it seems?

    Woven through the tapestry of a life-long friendship is the story of quiet, reserved Ida Mae Tutweiler and flamboyant daytime TV star Jane Tetley. It's about life, death, hope, and about the comfort to be found in a nice hot cup of tea. And the author has even included a selection of recipes for your own special tea-time.Ginnie Siena Bivona is the mother of five grown children, and five grandchildren. She is the acquistions editor for regional publisher, Republic of Texas Press. She is also the Executive Director of Book Publishers of Texas. All of which, along with her writing, keeps her immersed in the world of books, her first love since she was six and discovered the joys of the Dick and Jan First Reader. She is the author of two cookbooks. This is her first novel.