Best of
Coming-Of-Age

2014

Puddle Jumping


Amber L. Johnson - 2014
     Everyone thinks Colton Neely is special. Lilly Evans just thinks he’s fascinating. Once friends when they were younger, their bond is cut short due to her accident prone nature and they go their separate ways. Years later, they meet again and Lilly learns that there is something special about the boy she once knew, but she has no idea what it all means. And she’s not sure if she’s ready to find out. When he walks through the corridor of her school the first day of her senior year, she knows that it’s time to get to know the real Colton Neely. The more she learns, the deeper she falls. Their friendship grows into love, even as Colton does not express it in words. But one decision threatens to break down the world that Lilly has tried so hard to integrate into and she must figure out if the relationship can survive if they are apart.

Longbow


Wayne Grant - 2014
    He has learned the art of making a longbow and the skill to use it with deadly accuracy. Why must this be kept secret? The Normans rule England with their armored knights and a well-aimed longbow can pierce that armor. Possession of the weapon is a hanging offense and when Roland takes the wrong deer on the wrong Lord’s land he has to flee for his life. His flight will take him from the high hills of the English midlands to the wild frontier with Wales and on to the court of Richard the Lionheart. Along the way he is hunted by a paid killer, aided by a strange monk named Tuck, and taken in by a gruff Norman knight, who values his skill with the bow. That skill and his courage will be sorely tested as he fights to earn the trust of his new master. As King Richard celebrates his coronation, Roland faces old enemies he thought he had left behind and must test his skill at a royal archery tournament against the greatest bowmen in England, to include the favorite, Sir Robin of Loxley. A mix of history, myth and high adventure, LONGBOW follows the journey of Roland Inness as he seeks to find a place for himself in a restive kingdom and become a man in a brutal age.

Ghetto Bastard


K'wan - 2014
     Tayshawn Torres is a child born in the slums and cursed by the sins of his parents. His mother is a notorious drug addict and whore, more concerned with getting her next high than she is with his well-being. His stepfather hates him so much, that he literally treats him like an animal. Tayshawn is forced to sleep in a cage and scavenge for scraps of food wherever he can find them. Because of his squalid appearance, he is also the object of ridicule by all of the neighborhood kids who have given him the nickname, Animal. The only person to ever show him even the slightest bit of kindness is his older brother, Justice. Justice keeps him out of harm's way the best he can. However, when Justice is taken from his life, Tayshawn finds he is alone in the streets. With his guardian angel gone, he is now at the mercy of the world Justice tried to protect him from. Tayshawn quickly learns that if he is to survive the jungle, he will have to adapt. Love and companionship constantly elude Tayshawn, but death and heartache cling to him like a second skin. Gradually, the layers of the frightened child he had been are stripped away until there is nothing left of Tayshawn, and all that remains is, Animal.

I'll Give You the Sun


Jandy Nelson - 2014
    Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude wears red-red lipstick, cliff-dives, and does all the talking for both of them. Years later, they are barely speaking. Something has happened to change the twins in different yet equally devastating ways... but then Jude meets an intriguing, irresistible boy and a mysterious new mentor. The early years are Noah's to tell; the later years are Jude's. But they each have only half the story, and if they can only find their way back to one another, they'll have a chance to remake their world. This radiant, award-winning novel from the acclaimed author of The Sky Is Everywhere will leave you breathless and teary and laughing—often all at once.Printz Award Winner Stonewall Honor Book.

Opal Plumstead


Jacqueline Wilson - 2014
    Yet her scholarship and dreams of university are snatched away when her father is sent to prison, and fourteen-year-old Opal must start work at the Fairy Glen sweet factory to support her family.Opal struggles to get along with the other workers, who think her snobby and stuck-up. But Opal idolises Mrs Roberts, the factory’s beautiful, dignified owner, who introduces Opal to the legendary Mrs Pankhurst and her fellow Suffragettes. And when Opal meets Morgan - Mrs Roberts’ handsome son, and the heir to Fairy Glen – she believes she has found her soulmate. But the First World War is about to begin, and will change Opal's life for ever.The brilliantly gripping new story from the bestselling, award-winning Jacqueline Wilson.

Rock


Anyta Sunday - 2014
    There’s Lila, too: The other woman, the one who stole the rock-solid foundation of his life. And then . . . There’s Jace. Lila’s son. Lila’s smug, regurgitated-fish-scale-blue eyed son. All Cooper wants is to have his family back the way it once was, but there’s something about this boy that promises things will never be the same again. Sedimentary. Resisting the realities of his new life, Cooper and Jace get off to a rocky start. But rocky start or not, after hundreds of shared memories together, they forge something new. A close . . . friendship. Because friendship is all they can have. Although it’s not like they are real brothers. Technically, they’re not even stepbrothers . . . Metamorphic. But how does that friendship evolve under the pressures of life? Under pressures of the heart?

Into the Dark


J.A. Sutherland - 2014
    Her options are few. She must marry and watch a stranger run the lands, or become a penniless tenant and see the lands she so dearly loves sold off. Yet there may be another option, one that involves becoming a midshipman on a shorthanded spaceship with no other women.

The Walk On


John Feinstein - 2014
      Alex Myers is a quarterback, but from the first day of football practice, it’s clear that that position is very much filled by the coach’s son, Matt.   Alex has the better arm, but Matt has more experience—and the coach’s loyalty. Alex finally gets a chance to show what he can do when Matt is injured, and he helps win a key game to keep the Lions’ bid for the state championship alive. But just when his star is rising, Alex gets blindsided—the state has started drug testing, and Alex’s test comes back positive for steroids. Alex knows that’s not right. But he doesn’t know if it’s a mistake—or if someone wants to make sure he can’t play. . . .   John Feinstein has been praised as “the best writer of sports books in America today” (The Boston Globe), and this first installment in the Triple Threat series is his most thrilling and suspenseful novel yet. Fans of Mike Lupica, Tim Green, and Paul Volponi will want to check out The Walk On, and its companion, The Sixth Man.   “A cliffhanger of a football novel bristling with social, personal, familial and ethical issues to complement the gridiron action. . . . All the goods for the sports enthusiast—and more.” —Kirkus Reviews

Faking Normal


Courtney C. Stevens - 2014
    Ashamed and embarrassed, she hides in her closet and compulsively scratches the back of her neck, trying to make the outside hurt more than the inside does.When Bodee Lennox, the quiet and awkward boy next door, comes to live with the Littrells, Alexi discovers an unlikely friend in "the Kool-Aid Kid," who has secrets of his own. As they lean on each other for support, Alexi gives him the strength to deal with his past, and Bodee helps her find the courage to finally face the truth.

December Park


Ronald Malfi - 2014
    Newspapers call the abductor the Piper because he has come to lead children away, while kids whisper darker names for him in the school halls. Angelo Mazzone and his friends discover a link to the dead girl and take up the search for the killer, vowing to stop the Piper's reign of terror. Their teenage pledge becomes a journey of self-discovery and an odyssey into the darkness of their own hometown.

Yolo: The Lovely Little Lunatic


Sa'id Salaam - 2014
    After being saved by a caring nurse she was given a new lease on life. Being born from death you would think there was nowhere for her life to go but up. However the sickly baby survived only to be placed into the dangerous New York state foster care system where she was passed along from one dysfunctional foster home to the next. Things quickly went from bad to worse when she was placed at the Brown's residence, which also happened to be the town's brothel. At the Brown's the impressionable young girl witnessed every scandalous sex act imaginable along with brutal acts of violence as her foster parents waited for her to become of a ripe age to be sold. As fate would have it Yolo was saved from a life of prostitution when her foster mother died an untimely death. Upon the woman's death Yolo was then placed in the care of an aging gentleman who just happened to be a hitman for the notorious Black Mob. The elderly man took the young girl under his wing and starts grooming her to one day be his replacement. All young girls develop crushes and Yolo was no different with the exception that her crush wasn't a rapper or an actor. Instead Yolo had fallen for a methodical killer by the name of Killa and vowed to claim him as her own. Knowing that one day their paths would cross and they would meet she embarks on a murderous journey to impress him. The two indeed meet and when they do all hell breaks loose. Yolo takes you on a non-stop thrill ride from start to finish and it's ending will leave you speechless. So buckle up and prepare to take the ride of a lifetime with Yolo, the LOVELY LITTLE LUNATIC.

Thief of Glory


Sigmund Brouwer - 2014
    When Holland declared war on the Japanese in 1941, the situation changed swiftly. The Japanese army invaded, and Jeremiah and his family were placed in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp-a camp Jeremiah finally escapes and returns to Holland. Yet wartime complications force him to abandon a marriage engagement with Laura Jensen. The young man flees to California, where he struggles with the lingering anger and war stress he faced as a child.Determined to find some kind of redemption, a now-elderly Jeremiah tries to make sense of his life by journaling of all that he does not want to reveal to his children about his past, intending to leave his writings as an apology after he is gone.An online encounter puts Jeremiah in touch with his true love from the war years, Laura, and when they meet again, it triggers the time bomb of long-buried secrets. Even seventy years later, if uncovered, these secrets can harm everyone who matters to Jeremiah.

Beneath the Stain - Part Three


Amy Lane - 2014
    Never one to follow orders for the sake of being orderly, Mackey needs a reason, something real, to make him agree to Trav's terms of getting clean. Trav knows he can't be Mackey's only reason to rehabilitate, but before he can convince Mackey of that, he needs to get to the heart of what’s been eating Mackey alive from the moment the band left Tyson. Can Mackey’s family—can Mackey’s band—survive the fallout of Mackey telling the truth? More importantly, can Mackey?

Beneath the Stain - Part Four


Amy Lane - 2014
    Trav is older, and he should know better, but now that Mackey is drug-free and conquering his demons, all he can see is the stunning, brilliant man who existed under the stain of pain and excess.Trav and Mackey struggle to find a balance between Mackey's recovery and their growing attraction. Trav decides to make a rare leap of faith—but can Mackey find enough faith in himself to make it through life in the spotlight and a visit to the past that almost destroyed him?

Water Walker - Episode 4


Ted Dekker - 2014
    You choose: 1. As an episodic story. Read WATER WALKER as four shorter sequential "episodes" much like your favorite TV show. The ride starts with Episode 1. Think of it as the pilot. If you like the story, continue with Episode 2, Episode 3, and the grand finale Episode 4. Or... 2. As a single, novel length eBook. Don't want to read four episodes? No problem. You can get the entire story in one digital edition that collects all four episodes into one seamless story. Or... 3. As a paperback. For those who love print, Water Walker is also now available in paperback. FROM THE BACK COVER: "My name is Alice Ringwald, but the man who kidnapped me says that's a lie." Thirteen-year-old orphan Alice Ringwald has no memory beyond six months ago. The only life she knows is the new one she's creating one day at a time with the loving couple that recently adopted her and gave her new hope. That hope, however, is shattered one night when she is abducted by a strange man. In a frantic FBI man hunt, the kidnapper vanished with Alice.

Beneath the Stain - Part One


Amy Lane - 2014
    In the shadows of their small town, Mackey and Grant carry on a precocious affair under the noses and behind the backs of girlfriends, parents, and overprotective older brothers. When Mackey's band finally has a chance to make it big, Mackey and Grant are put to the test.And fail miserably.

Goodbyes and Second Chances


T.I. Lowe - 2014
    Some mistakes create accidental blessings. Jillian (Jewels) Whitman lives with her mistakes and tries to move past the biggest one of her life - Dillon Bleu - Rocker and once best friend. After saying goodbye to the lakeside trailer park of his youth, Dillon sets out to make something of himself only to discover all he needs is his Jewel. After hitting it big in the music industry, Dillon heads back to ask for a second chance. Only... Nothing is ever as easy as it seems... A southern tale of rags to riches where a man's worth is ultimately found in his heart.

Titanium Texicans


Alan Black - 2014
    He doesn’t want to leave the only home he’s ever known. He doesn’t want to be apprenticed on a space freighter crewed by Texas cowboys of Mexican descent. He certainly doesn’t want to be gone for so long that his home and inheritance are stolen. While trying to fit in and still get home he learns what it is like to live in space, what a cheerleader is, how spicy a taco can be, and that Texicans like a good fight as much as he does.

The Summer I Saved the World . . . in 65 Days


Michele Weber Hurwitz - 2014
    Her beloved grandma died last year; her parents work all the time; her brother's busy; and her best friend is into clothes, makeup, and boys. While Nina doesn't know what "her thing" is yet, it's definitely not shopping and makeup. And it's not boys, either. Though . . . has Eli, the boy next door, always been so cute?   This summer, Nina decides to change things. She hatches a plan. There are sixty-five days of summer. Every day, she'll anonymously do one small but remarkable good thing for someone in her neighborhood, and find out: does doing good actually make a difference? Along the way, she discovers that her neighborhood, and her family, are full of surprises and secrets.   In this bighearted, sweetly romantic novel, things may not turn out exactly as Nina expects. They might be better.

Going Home


James D. Shipman - 2014
    As he grows older, he finds his kind nature exploited by others—including an alluring young woman named Lucy—until he gets swept away by the conflict that divides a nation.After the bloody siege of Petersburg, Joseph floats in and out of consciousness at a Union army hospital. Keeping vigil at his side is Rebecca Walker, a nurse and widow all too familiar with the horrors of war. As Joseph fights for his life and Rebecca struggles to follow her heart, both face a devastating choice: whether to hang on to the wounds of the past or move on to an uncertain future.From the fields of Ireland to the metropolis of Quebec to the battlefields of Virginia, Going Home follows one man’s quest for his place in a world still healing from the wreckage of war.

Beneath the Stain - Part Six


Amy Lane - 2014
    Their first lead guitarist and Mackey’s first lover has left a stamp on the kids he’s known as family, and now Grant has one last chance to hurt the people Trav cares for the most.Except Grant isn't the monster Trav made him out to be, and coming home is harder on the band—and Trav—than he ever could have anticipated. When Trav is confronted with the reality of what Mackey and his brothers left behind—and with what they're about to lose—he has to seriously reconsider if he's strong enough to deal with everything that Mackey and Outbreak Monkey have come to represent. Fortunately for Trav, Mackey's learned a lot in the past year, and one of his best lessons is how to hold on to the people he loves.

Water Walker - Episode 3


Ted Dekker - 2014
    You choose: 1. As an episodic story. Read WATER WALKER as four shorter sequential "episodes" much like your favorite TV show. The ride starts with Episode 1. Think of it as the pilot. If you like the story, continue with Episode 2, Episode 3, and the grand finale Episode 4 (Mar 11). Or... 2. As a single, novel length eBook. Don't want to read four episodes? No problem. Starting March 18th, you can get the entire story in one digital edition that collects all four episodes into one seamless story. Or... 3. As a paperback. For those who love print, Water Walker is also available in paperback on March 18th from Amazon. FROM THE BACK COVER: "My name is Alice Ringwald, but the man who kidnapped me says that's a lie." Thirteen-year-old orphan Alice Ringwald has no memory beyond six months ago. The only life she knows is the new one she's creating one day at a time with the loving couple that recently adopted her and gave her new hope. That hope, however, is shattered one night when she is abducted by a strange man. In a frantic FBI man hunt, the kidnapper vanished with Alice. So begins Water Walker, a modern-day parable that examines the staggering power of forgiveness, and reminds us that it's possible to live free of the hurt that keeps our souls in chains.

Always, Abigail


Nancy J. Cavanaugh - 2014
    But not only does Abigail end up in a different homeroom, she doesn't make the squad. Then everyone's least favorite teacher pairs Abigail up with the school's biggest outcast, Gabby Marco, for a year-long "Friendly Letter Assignment." Abigail can hardly believe her bad luck. As her so-called best friends and entire future of popularity seems to be slipping away, Abigail has to choose between the little bit of fame she has left or letting it go to be a true friend.

If You're Reading This


Trent Reedy - 2014
    Eight years later, the family still hasn't recovered: Mike's mom is overworked and overprotective; his younger sister Mary feels no connection to the father she barely remembers; and in his quest to be "the man of the family," Mike knows he's missing out on everyday high school life.Then, out of the blue, Mike receives a letter from his father - the first of a series Dad wrote in Afghanistan, just in case he didn't come home, meant to share some wisdom with his son on the eve of Mike's 16th birthday. As the letters come in, Mike revels in spending time with his dad again, and takes his encouragement to try new things - to go out for the football team, and ask out the beautiful Isma. But who's been keeping the letters all these years? And how did Dad actually die? As the answers to these mysteries are revealed, Mike and his family find a way to heal and move forward at last.

Diamond Boy


Michael Williams - 2014
    Soon Patson is working in the mines himself, hoping to find his girazi--the priceless stone that could change his life forever. But when the government's soldiers comes to Marange, Patson's world is shattered.Set against the backdrop of President Robert Mugabe's brutal regime in Zimbabwe, Diamond Boy is the story of young man who succumbs to greed but finds his way out through a transformative journey to South Africa in search of his missing sister, in search of freedom, and in search of himself.

Blueberry Hill: a Sister's Story


Bette Lee Crosby - 2014
     Based on the realities of her own family, Crosby calls this a memoir of sorts. Traveling back to a time when the sisters were young enough to feel invincible and foolish enough to believe it would last forever, Crosby has bared her soul in a story of regrettable decisions and inevitable outcomes. Blueberry Hill is a tale of family relationships, love and tragedy. It is a story that will touch your heart and stay with you long after you have closed the book.

Beneath the Stain - Part Two


Amy Lane - 2014
    Coming off a messy breakup, Trav is grimly determined to keep his life absolutely pristine. When Trav is asked to take over the management of Outbreak Monkey, his first order of business is to clean up their act—and that includes shipping the youngest, most troubled member off to detox and rehab before Mackey Sanders's life choices kill him.But Mackey didn't become an addict overnight, and it's going to take more than one trip to rehab to fix him up. When an act of violence destroys Mackey's struggling equilibrium, Trav is going to find that messy isn't so hard to escape—not when it's wrapping its mess around Trav's heart.

A Soldier's Promise


Angelica Kate - 2014
    Upon graduation he joined the military, providing him structure, meaning and a great career of which he could be proud. After twelve years he has a life he is comfortable within, a team that he would die to protect and little else in his solitary existence. Unfortunately, all that changes when one of his team doesn’t make it out of the latest covert operation and Ryker is made to keep a promise that will take him on a trip toward everything he always claimed he didn’t want. Darby is the all-American girl that her fiancé left behind to serve on a covert military team. Engaged to be married that summer when he returned she is knee deep in getting her organic produce and therapeutic horse farm operation off the ground. She is busy working toward her goals when the first letter is delivered by impersonal military personnel ending her dreams of the marriage she had planned since high school. The next three envelopes will be from members of her fiancé’s team, all making good on a promise they made him. One of those letters will bring the loner Ryker to her doorstep for one surprising month.

Apple and Rain


Sarah Crossan - 2014
    But just like the stormy Christmas Eve when she left, her mother's homecoming is bittersweet. It's only when Apple meets someone more lost than she is that she begins to see things as they really are.A story about sad endings.A story about happy beginnings.A story to make you realise who is special.

September Again


Hunter S. Jones - 2014
    September Again finds Liz Snow Savage leaving England. She follows her daughter Zelda Savage back to America after Zelda’s betrayal of her. More drama ensues as Liz looks for meaning in life while Zelda finds her direction after losing Jack O. Savage, The Poet. Set mainly in Chattanooga, Tennessee, September Again chronicles the rhythm of life's cycles. The ebb and flow of love unravel the mystery of Liz's past. September Again allows a further glimpse into the intricate web of passion and desire which have entangled Liz Snow, Pete Hendrix and Jack O. Savage for years. Will a chance encounter finally reveal the truth? What act will change the destiny of Liz and Zelda forever? The story of sin, salvation and redemption continues in Book 2 of the September Stories, told through a mosaic of prose with a smattering of poetry. Magic happens when you least expect it.

Life on Mars


Jennifer Brown - 2014
    Twelve-year-old Arcturus Betelgeuse Chambers' quest to find life on other planets seems at an end when his parents decide to move to Las Vegas, but while they look for a house he stays with his neighbor, an astronaut who soon becomes a friend.

Charlie's Pond


C.L. Heckman - 2014
    It will leave you speechless, cheering, and reaching for the tissues.~~ "... painfully real, adroitly crafted and written in a flowing narrative that makes you feel every blow..." Author Jim Goforth "C.L. Heckman does an admirable job with a dark and touchy subject that takes place in more families than we want to know." Author JK Accinni "Knowing that Sam existed on some level in real life, helped me form a connection to her." Author Hunter S. Jones Samantha Mallon, a typical young girl from the country, is growing up in a less-than-normal home. The one person she used to confide in, her brother, Charlie, has now become her biggest fear. As the tempers in her family flare, Sam must tread lightly, or suffer the consequences.A black eye, broken nose, and bruised ego are finally enough to convince her to break away from the life that the Mallons have molded for her. Stepping out of her shy demeanor for just a moment, she sparks up a new friendship with a girl at school, and begins to enjoy being a teenager. Carefree and outgoing Jill introduces Sam into the world of teenage spirit --including the always good girl, the unattainable bad boy and the ugly jealous frienemy. Sweating from nerves and shaking in her own insecurities, Sam manages to spark the interest of Jake, a regular teenage heartthrob, who just may teach her the meaning of love -- an emotion absent from her house growing up. However, a drunken party and a physical altercation turn Sam's world completely upside down, and begin a string of violence that starts to destroy the positive life she has tried to build. When Sam is an innocent bystander to Charlie's horrific display of rage on a less-than-friendly face, she remains conflicted. Will she stand up against the man she once looked up to, her brother, her childhood best friend, or will she keep the secret safe behind closed lips, forever trapped by fear?

Hope for Garbage


Alex Tully - 2014
    No matter how hard he tries, this seventeen year-old just can’t get a break. Through no fault of his own, he finds himself living with his alcoholic uncle on the outskirts of Cleveland. His days are filled with garbage-picking and hanging out with his seventy year-old neighbor, who also happens to be his best friend.One early morning while scanning the streets in a posh suburb, he meets Bea, a rebellious rich girl with problems of her own. She’s smart, cute, and a glimmer of light in his dark world.But in the midst of their budding romance, Bea’s beautiful mother enters the picture with an agenda of her own. She sets off a chain of events so shocking and destructive, Trevor's crazy life soon becomes more than he can handle. While he is desperate to save his relationship with Bea, he learns that nothing in his world can be saved unless he first saves himself.Hope for Garbage is a story about resilience—about overcoming adversity under the most extraordinary circumstances—about never, ever, giving up hope.Because sooner or later, everybody gets a break.

Helga: Growing Up in Hitler's Germany


Karen Truesdell Riehl - 2014
    Asked about her experience during the war, Helga quietly revealed she had been a "Jugend," a member of Hitler's child army, "trained to revere and obey the Fuhrer." When Riehl asked how children were recruited, she replied, "Clever seduction." Helga's seduction begins with an invitation from Hitler she cannot refuse. The ten-year-old is ordered to attend weekly meetings of the Hitler Youth movement. Lies and tasty treats are employed to entice her allegiance to the Fuhrer. Helga is sent away to Hitler Youth training camps as the war draws nearer her home in Berlin. She is caught between loyalty to her family, suffering under Nazi rule, and loyalty to the Fuhrer, who keeps her safe and well-fed. Helga's gradual disillusionment, followed by her harrowing escape home, is a powerful coming-of-age story of a young girl's survival of Nazi mind control.

Avatar: The Last Airbender: Legacy


Michael Teitelbaum - 2014
    Air. Fire. Water. These are the four nations that lived in harmony until the Fire Nation attacked. For the next hundred years, war raged across the globe. It was believed that all inhabitants from the Air Nation had perished. Then, a girl and her brother discovered a twelve-year-old boy frozen in an iceberg. His name: Aang. He is the Avatar, the master of all four elements. Together Aang and his friends went on to save the world! Now a man, Aang looks back on these adventurous years—from being found in the ice to fighting epic battles to negotiating peace. This is Aang’s story, his mementos, and keepsakes. Avatar: The Last Airbender: Legacy is the collection that Aang passes down to his son Tenzin, who will one day be a master Airbender, too. Readers will relish Aang’s heroic tales and the posters, clippings, cards, and maps he gathered along the way! About the Insight Legends series Insight Legends is a collectible pop culture library featuring books that take an in-depth look at iconic characters and other elements from the worlds of comics, movies, television, and video games. Packed with amazing removable items that give the books an immersive, interactive feel, the series delivers unparalleled insight into the best-loved heroes and villains in modern fiction and the worlds they inhabit

The Orphans of Race Point


Patry Francis - 2014
    Their friendship evolves into an enduring and passionate love that will ask more of them than they ever imagined.On the night of their high school prom, a terrible tragedy devastates their relationship and profoundly alters the course of their lives. And when, a decade later, Gus—now a priest—becomes entangled with a distraught woman named Ava and her daughter Mila, troubled souls who bring back vivid memories of his own damaged past, the unthinkable happens: he is charged with murder. Can Hallie save the man she’s never stopped loving, by not only freeing him from prison but also—finally—the curse of his past?Told in alternating voices, The Orphans of Race Point illuminates the transformative power of love and the myriad ways we find meaning in our lives.

Aspen


Rebekah Crane - 2014
    But forgetting is hard-- because Katelyn may have died -- but she didn't leave. Her ghost is following Aspen around, and heading into senior year, it's kind of a problem. Especially when Katelyn's former boyfriend Ben appears to be the only person at school with a clue as to how Aspen feels. Popularity, Homecoming Court, hot guys - none of these things ever mattered to Aspen. She's been busy trying to keep her stoner mother Ninny in line and out of unemployment. But with Ben sitting next to her in Physics and her therapist begging her to remember all the things she wants to forget, Aspen is thrust into a vivid, challenging world she can't control ... and doesn't want to. A darkly funny, emotionally gripping story of opening up, letting go, and moving on, Aspen is about the best-worst accident of your life ... and what comes next.

When I Was the Greatest


Jason Reynolds - 2014
    This gritty, triumphant debut captures the heart and the hardship of life for an urban teen.A lot of the stuff that gives my neighborhood a bad name, I don’t really mess with. The guns and drugs and all that, not really my thing.Nah, not his thing. Ali’s got enough going on, between school and boxing and helping out at home. His best friend Noodles, though. Now there’s a dude looking for trouble—and, somehow, it’s always Ali around to pick up the pieces. But, hey, a guy’s gotta look out for his boys, right? Besides, it’s all small potatoes; it’s not like anyone’s getting hurt.And then there’s Needles. Needles is Noodles’s brother. He’s got a syndrome, and gets these ticks and blurts out the wildest, craziest things. It’s cool, though: everyone on their street knows he doesn’t mean anything by it.Yeah, it’s cool…until Ali and Noodles and Needles find themselves somewhere they never expected to be…somewhere they never should've been—where the people aren't so friendly, and even less forgiving.

The Dark Side of the Mountain


Bonnie S. Johnston - 2014
    Moved by her husband to the frontier of Virginia at the beginning of the French and Indian War, she and her five children are forced to seek safety at Fort Seybert from the notorious Chief Killbuck, who is on a death march to save his people and culture. Surviving what becomes a deadly massacre, Anna and her children are taken captive and marched to the Ohio River Valley where she endures indescribable losses and change. Only courage and perseverance sustain her during his dark period in American history.

Fire Shut Up in My Bones


Charles M. Blow - 2014
    Blow mines the compelling poetry of the out-of-time African-American Louisiana town where he grew up -- a place where slavery's legacy felt astonishingly close, reverberating in the elders' stories and in the near-constant wash of violence.Blow's attachment to his mother -- a fiercely driven woman with five sons, brass knuckles in her glove box, a job plucking poultry at a nearby factory, a soon-to-be-ex husband, and a love of newspapers and learning -- cannot protect him from secret abuse at the hands of an older cousin. It's damage that triggers years of anger and searing self-questioning.Finally, Blow escapes to a nearby state university, where he joins a black fraternity after a passage of brutal hazing, and then enters a world of racial and sexual privilege that feels like everything he's ever needed and wanted, until he's called upon, himself, to become the one perpetuating the shocking abuse.A powerfully redemptive memoir that both fits the tradition of African-American storytelling from the South, and gives it an indelible new slant.

Billy's War


Tony Whelpton - 2014
    Billy Frecknall was nine years old, and the country was at war. What could that mean to a nine-year-old? A great deal, not least being the fact that Billy to all intents and purposes no longer had a Dad, because his father had enlisted in the army in the early days of the war, and they didn’t even know where he was. That night saw the biggest air raid Billy’s home town of Nottingham had experienced, and there were many casualties, including Billy’s Mum. Billy survived, but finding his Dad became even more urgent than before. His quest leads him into many adventures and a great deal of danger, but his courage never falters. Billy is a cheerful, intelligent, resourceful boy who has the gift of winning the hearts of most people he encounters – he will probably win yours too!

Charon AU


Zoe Reed - 2014
    This is the AU mentioned in Charon Docks at Daylight about the outbreak never happening and Genevieve and Hayden get to be normal.

Ty the Bull


Brenda Perlin - 2014
    At his wits end after being bullied endlessly, he started to ditch school. It wasn't until he met up with a skater named Peacock that things somehow turned around and he put the pieces of his life back together.

Coming Home


Holly Kerr - 2014
    Liking them is the hard part. After her cheating husband destroys her career, Brenna has nowhere to go but home. Home means her four sisters in the tiny Northern Ontario town with no Starbucks and well-meaning townsfolk who know her every move. Every mistake.And Brenna is making more than a few mistakes. From falling asleep at the local bar to hooking up with her niece’s boyfriend, Brenna’s life is giving the town a lot to talk about.Her sister Cat wants nothing to do with her. Content living in the family home with the ghost of their mother, Cat’s left a trail of broken hearts and failed marriages on the road to Brenna’s ex, Seamus Todd. Brenna’s return brings back old insecurities and unanswered questions for Cat. Sibling rivalries, old grudges and a least one knock-out, drag-down kitchen fight ensue as Brenna and Cat are forced to live under the same roof.And to make it worse, Brenna’s not the only one coming home.

Kaleidoscope


Chariss K. Walker - 2014
    Walker!Mike Lewis is a man with a secret that he doesn't want to share. The life of the 44-year-old geophysicist is one that most would envy. He's handsome, well-paid, and well-traveled but he can't tell anyone about his psychic ability. Such an admission would put him and anyone he told in harm's way.He has always wanted a loving relationship like the one his parents had but he refused to enter into a committed relationship like that without being completely honest. Can he find a woman to love who will accept his paranormal ability and keep his secret? He wants that more than anything else and his biological clock is ticking.After spending fifteen years denying his gift of visions in silence, he can no longer cope with keeping this secret. While home after his latest job assignment, he decides to confide in Nelson, a psychiatrist friend of 25 years. Nelson recommends that Mike keep a journal and passively observe the visions rather than being part of them. This exercise allows the pair to explore the visions in a controlled setting. However, shortly after confiding in Nelson, all hell breaks loose!Mike learns that his home and electronics are bugged. His friends are in danger. A young woman dies. After two failed abductions schemes, and not knowing what else to do, Mike decides he must learn to protect himself. He studies close combat fighting techniques with the determination to fight as long as he can and then run!The Vision Chronicles eight-book romantic suspense series is a slice-of-life story that details Mike's changing ability, his search for the woman of his dreams, and the protection methods he uses to keep his family safe from the hired thugs who doggedly pursue him.If you love mind-boggling romantic suspense with a dash of paranormal, this is the thriller series for you. Get your copy now!

You're Always in the Last Place You Look


T.N. Gates - 2014
    He has a few friends—okay, one real friend and his roping partner. But being the town pastor’s son isn’t easy. Not to mention he’s sure he was born askew, without the ability to experience life the way others seem to. It is the only explanation he has for why he isn’t like everyone else. However, when he rescues Zane, a misplaced city boy dressed in tattoos and leather, from a killer bumblebee, he experiences more than he expects. Zane shows Gabriel that sometimes the path you’ve chosen isn’t set in stone, and more times than not, you’ll find yourself in the last place you look.

Dear Mrs. Naidu


Mathangi Subramanian - 2014
    Ever since Amir moved out of the basti and started going to a posh private school, it seems like he and Sarojini have nothing in common.Then Sarojini finds out about the Right to Education, a law that might help her get a free seat at Amir’s school – or, better yet, convince him to come back to a new and improved version of the government school they went to together.As she struggles to keep her best friend, Sarojini gets help from some unexpected characters, including Deepti, a feisty classmate who lives at a construction site; Vimala Madam, a human rights lawyer who might also be an evil genius; and Mrs. Sarojini Naidu, a long-dead freedom fighter who becomes Sarojini’s secret pen pal. Told through letters to Mrs. Naidu, this is the story of how Sarojini learns to fight – for her friendship, her family, and her future.

Prayers for the Stolen


Jennifer Clement - 2014
    She was born into a world where being a girl is a dangerous thing. In the mountains of Guerrero, Mexico, women must fend for themselves, as their men have left to seek opportunities elsewhere. Here in the shadow of the drug war, bodies turn up on the outskirts of the village to be taken back to the earth by scorpions and snakes. School is held sporadically, when a volunteer can be coerced away from the big city for a semester. In Guerrero the drug lords are kings, and mothers disguise their daughters as sons, or when that fails they “make them ugly” – cropping their hair, blackening their teeth- anything to protect them from the rapacious grasp of the cartels. And when the black SUVs roll through town, Ladydi and her friends burrow into holes in their backyards like animals, tucked safely out of sight. While her mother waits in vain for her husband’s return, Ladydi and her friends dream of a future that holds more promise than mere survival, finding humor, solidarity and fun in the face of so much tragedy. When Ladydi is offered work as a nanny for a wealthy family in Acapulco, she seizes the chance, and finds her first taste of love with a young caretaker there. But when a local murder tied to the cartel implicates a friend, Ladydi’s future takes a dark turn. Despite the odds against her, this spirited heroine’s resilience and resolve bring hope to otherwise heartbreaking conditions. An illuminating and affecting portrait of women in rural Mexico, and a stunning exploration of the hidden consequences of an unjust war, PRAYERS FOR THE STOLEN is an unforgettable story of friendship, family, and determination.

Sorcerer


Michael A. Nowotny - 2014
    When he is admitted to the King’s Academy he hopes he will follow in the footsteps of his father. When he finds out that he has magic within him it changes everything. Forced to enroll as a sorcerer he has more of an interest in the martial studies than he does magic until he meets Christi, a fellow sorceress. The wizards at the school shun him and a few go beyond just ignoring him. With the war that killed his father on the horizon Alec must learn to blend in with the nobles and avoid the notice of the gods who fear his powers.

A Firefighter's Flame


D. Hart - 2014
    Add in a firefighter, a rock star, a crazy best friend, and all my bad choices and you have a recipe for disaster. But it was my life and my disaster and all my stupid choices made me who I am and nothing can be more beautiful than the truth.Women's FictionWARNING: This is not your every day perfect love story wrapped in a pretty bow. It's raw, real, beautiful, and heartbreaking. It touches on issues of depression, bipolar, and an epic love story that everyone hopes to have, and might even have, but forgets in the chaos of mundane every day life. This is a REAL love story based on actual events of a man who loved a woman too deeply and a woman who loved a man the only way she could. If you dig into the deepest parts of your soul, what would you find? Happiness, pain, love, regret, peace, sorrow? Now imagine experiencing all those feelings at once and then nothing at all. These were the average days in the life of Lennox Ashford. Lennox walked a fine line between truth and deception, love and lust, and most of all, pain and happiness. A line had been drawn between highs and lows, testing her stability on a daily basis. She lived in between the grays of right and wrong, not knowing which way to sway. Strength was supposed to come from within, but being broken exposed her weaknesses instead. She grew up believing in love and believing in Dean. He protected her when she was weak, picked her up when she fell, and fought for her when she couldn't. They lived for each other, and eventually, for their children. High school, college, marriage, children, and many rocky days had taken a toll on their marriage, deepening Lennox's depression and screaming for a way out. She needed something. She needed a change. Fate intervened and the change she got was not what she expected nor wanted. A tragic moment will test her already wavering strength and leave a permanent scar on her conscience. Follow her journey of rediscovering love and searching for her own fairy-tale ending"Gah! This book! I don't even ... I can't ..." ~Kari (Amazon Reviewer)"This book is beyond amazing and I like that Dani doesn't shy away from the darker issues such as the depression that Lennox suffers with!" ~Tasha (Amazon Reviewer)"Dani Hart's A Firefighter's Flame will have your chest so tight with emotions even the hardest of people will succumb." ~The Devious Book Harlot"Ms Hart writes so eloquently I was crying toward the end and smiling at the same time. This is a stirring story about not taking for granted who you have in your life as they can be tore away in a heartbeat. 5 teary fangs." ~Paranormal Romance & Authors That Rock"This is a genuinely raw story that will bring you to tears. It isn't very often we get to follow the journey of such a real character. One who struggles with love, loss, children, temptation, death and HONESTY. Painful, gut wrenching honesty!" ~Staci (Amazon Reviewer)

Forgive Me If I've Told You This Before


Karelia Stetz-Waters - 2014
    She does her best to hide behind her dyed hair and black wardrobe, but it's hard to ignore the bullying of Pip Weston and Principal Pinn. It's even harder to ignore the allure of other girls. As Triinu tumbles headlong into first love and teenage independence, she realizes that the differences that make her a target are also the differences that can set her free. With everyone in town taking sides in the battle for equal rights in Oregon, Triinu must stand up for herself, learn what it is to love and have her heart broken, and become her own woman.

Catori's Worlds


Murielle Cyr - 2014
    Her ability to see things nobody else does makes her an oddball at school. She accidently boards the wrong bus to school one morning and is transported to a strange parallel world. There’s no way back for her; the bus she boarded doesn't do return trips and she has to figure out her own way back. She discovers that the evil forces over-running this parallel world are tracking her down and have no intention of letting her go home alive. Trusting strangers doesn't come easy to her, but her only hope of escaping her hunters is to follow Miren, a girl she encounters in the public restrooms. They manage to reach a secluded wood where Catori meets up with Otsoa, the only boy who has ever made her feel like she was worthy of love. She must fight another intense battle – she must choose between her loyalty to her friend Miren and her infatuation for Otsoa, the handsome, would-be rock star. The evil forces have zeroed in on them and Catori must fight for her life. What chance does a lone fifteen-year-old girl have to confront those powerful forces? Does she bow to their evil scheme of taking over planet Earth or does she fight them to her last breath?

The Best of Archie Comics Starring Betty & Veronica


Archie Comics - 2014
    A must-have edition for anyone who has ever enjoyed the Betty and Veronica comics as well as a great introduction to the history of Archie and the girls!

Chaysing Memories (Chaysing Trilogy, #2)


Jalpa Williby - 2014
    She has the power to fill your heart with happiness or shatter it into a million pieces.Too many lies, too many secrets. Tess’s perfect little world is now nothing more than chaos. She is determined to find inner strength, happiness, and peace. And yet, she can’t remember some of the most crucial events of her life, including the man she once fell in love with. Will she be able to trust her instincts and listen to her heart before it’s too late?Chayse has given up his life for her. And he would do it again. A man, once powerful and fierce, now has lost control of everything around him. Can he hang on to the slim hope that somehow Tess will be able to find him and save him from his hell, even though she has no idea who he is? Don’t miss this highly anticipated sequel to the Amazon bestseller, Chaysing Dreams, as Tess’s story continues in Chaysing Memories. Travel the journey with Tess as she bravely barrels through the enigmatic path, through her laughter and tears, through her pain and desire. This compelling novel will shock you with startling revelations and will keep you frantically turning pages until the very end.

Shiver Quartet: Shiver, Linger, Forever, Sinner


Maggie Stiefvater - 2014
    During the summer he walks and talks as a human, but when the cold comes, he runs with his pack as a wolf. Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house – but never dreamed that she would fall in love with one of them. Now that they've found each other, the clock ticks down on what could be Grace and Sam's only summer together. linger Can Grace and Sam last? Each will have to fight to stay together – whether it means a reckoning with his werewolf past for Sam, or for Grace, facing a future that is less and less certain. Cole, a new wolf is wrestling with his own demons, embracing the life of a wolf while denying the ties of being human.For Grace, Sam, and Cole, life is harrowing and euphoric, enticing and alarming. As their world falls apart, love is what lingers. But can it be enough? forever For Grace, Sam, and Cole, the story continues – only now, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. It's becoming harder and harder to hold on to one another. The past, the present, and the future are about to collide in one pure moment – a moment of death or life, farewell or forever. sinner Everybody thinks they know Cole’s story. Stardom. Addiction. Downfall. Disappearance. But only a few people know Cole’s darkest secret – his ability to shift into a wolf. One of these people is Isabel. At one point, they may have even loved each other. But that feels like a lifetime ago. Now Cole is back. Back in the spotlight. Back in the danger zone. Back in Isabel’s life. Can this sinner be saved?

The Summer of Letting Go


Gae Polisner - 2014
    Four years ago, Francesca's little brother, Simon, drowned, and Francesca is the one who should have been watching. Now Francesca is about to turn sixteen, but guilt keeps her stuck in the past. Meanwhile, her best friend, Lisette, is moving on most recently with the boy Francesca wants but can't have. At loose ends, Francesca trails her father, who may be having an affair, to the local country club. There she meets four-year-old Frankie Sky, a little boy who bears an almost eerie resemblance to Simon, and Francesca begins to wonder if it's possible Frankie could be his reincarnation. Knowing Frankie leads Francesca to places she thought she'd never dare to go and it begins to seem possible to forgive herself, grow up, and even fall in love, whether or not she solves the riddle of Frankie Sky.

Protected


Claire Zorn - 2014
    Then the gap will close and I will pass her. I will get older. But Katie will always be fifteen, eleven months and twenty-one days old.Hannah's world is in pieces and she doesn't need the school counsellor to tell her she has deep-seated psychological issues. With a seriously depressed mum, an injured dad and a dead sister, who wouldn't have problems?Hannah should feel terrible but for the first time in ages, she feels a glimmer of hope and isn't afraid anymore. Is it because the elusive Josh is taking an interest in her? Or does it run deeper than that?In a family torn apart by grief and guilt, one girl's struggle to come to terms with years of torment shows just how long old wounds can take to heal.

The Art of the Heart


Dan Skinner - 2014
    After all, there’s nowhere to go when you’re shy, gay, and a virgin. A natural artist, inspiration strikes in the form of neighbor boy Rory, and Zac’s fantasies spill onto the pages of his notebook. When Zac’s secret is discovered, it might take more than wishes to magically make his world right.

Shadow Dancer


Addison Kline - 2014
    On the day Tristan Morrow is born her mother goes missing, prompting an investigation that produces no solid leads. Fast forward 15 years, and the Morrow family still doesn't know the truth behind Catherine Morrow’s disappearance. When 15 year old Tristan is required to write a biography on her mother for a school assignment, she learns the truth about her mother’s fate, and is hell-bent upon finding out who was responsible for her death. But when Tristan herself goes missing too, everyone is suspect, even her own father and boyfriend. Set in rural Fox Hollow, PA, Shadow Dancer unravels a web of lies, deceit, madness and corruption. Can investigators crack the case before Tristan meets the same fate as her mother? And who is responsible for the disappearances? There is much uncertainty as the investigation unfolds, but there is one thing that is certain: Tristan Morrow holds the master key to the entire riddle.

Collide


J.C. Hannigan - 2014
    Surrounded by death, tragedy, and intrigue, she is forced to mature long before her time. Plagued by anxiety and depression, she hides her inner turmoil with spite and sarcasm. Her thick skin is impenetrable…or so she thought. Until she becomes involved with her grade twelve English teacher. In this exclusive entry into the new adult genre, with raw style that is as dark as it is poignant, Collide presents the ultimate choice: forbidden love or doing the right thing.

False Gods


L.R. Trovillion - 2014
    Or is there? Cory Iverson has her sights set on riding in the prestigious Washington International Horse Show—a tall order for even the most experienced competitors. Problem is, she doesn’t even own a horse. But there’s an even bigger problem: she’s a quitter. Not a casual quitter, but a hard-core, serial, when-the-going-gets-tough quitter. This all starts to change, however, when the opportunity arises to rescue the perfect horse from slaughter and work with an experienced trainer who has the means to get her there. If she stays the course. But Cory discovers the road to qualifying for Washington is littered with roadblocks when she finds herself surrounded by problems outside her control: prescription painkillers appear in her mother’s purse; her ballerina sister wastes away before her eyes; her boyfriend is keeping secrets from her; and her normally opinionated trainer becomes strangely evasive. Worst of all, the horse show world proves to be full of dangers, including an unscrupulous trainer headed for the same show who will stop at nothing to win, including killing. Unless Cory quits.

Once in a While (The Cherished Memories Series, Book 1)


Linda Ellen - 2014
    It's 1937... Victor Matthews is a down on his luck young man, frustrated with his life and his inability to find gainful employment. Louise Hoskins is a young woman content in her life with her family and friends. Her biggest concern is her upcoming lead part in a play. One rainy night, they meet...and both are forever changed. Neither could foresee that the world as they know it is on the precipice of experiencing the now famous ’37 Flood, and that daily life is about to be transformed into a bone chilling waterlogged state of affairs. But as that harrowing experience fades and their lives return to normal, the two young lovers embark on an unforgettable courtship - that is, until a terrible argument and a tragic misunderstanding tear them apart. How will they survive the separation? And why does one special song have the power to instantly transport the sweethearts back into the realm of cherished memories?

Donavan: From Michael Bunker's World of "PENNSYLVANIA"


D.K. Cassidy - 2014
    Born in the Amish Zone, he was raised to embrace a plain, peaceful life. After he grows up, Donavan becomes an officer with the Transport Authority, the tyrannical government grinding New Pennsylvania under its iron boot. Eventually, his conscience leads him to side with TRACE, the resistance group fighting Transport for the freedom of the entire planet. Donavan has made some tough choices in his life. What ultimately drove him to sympathize with the very rebels he'd fought to subdue?

Wood, Talc and Mr. J


Chris Rose - 2014
    Without the rose-tinted spectacles, but with hindsight and humour, and with poignancy and affection. 1978. The North. Phillip sees life in a simplistic if passionate way: up or down, us and them, black, white and nothing in-between. When not doing his ‘thing’ in Wigan’s Casino Club – voted ‘The Greatest Disco in the World’ by Time Magazine – Phillip hates the world. Or at least he thinks he does. He longs for the weekend, or a greater, permanent escape from the daily grind of factory life in an industrial town. With a little imagination, he might realise things midweek aren’t that bad: there’s the loving family, the secure job amid mass unemployment, a relationship with the perfect young woman… Or maybe he realises too late. And all he’d deemed important was only ever an illusion, his reflected image included. Coming full circle by way of loss and more loss, you would hope lessons are learned… The book progresses through myriad dream sequences, interwoven song-themes, a father’s philosophical ramblings, ever blackening wit, leitmotif – or seemingly recurring scenes; is someone laughing at our hero? And Phillip’s own, lyrical, strut-like, black or white manner. Dancehall adventures via train rides to Heaven, scooter cruising almost coast to coast. Beneath the pier encounters with the opposite sex, et al… set against the birth of Scargill and Thatcher feuding…

The Art of Being a Brilliant Teenager


Andy Cope - 2014
    Don't stay in your bedroom grunting and grumbling. How about getting motivated, energized and start making a difference?! The Art of Being A Brilliant Teenager teaches you how to become your very best self--and how to figure out who that is, exactly. The bestselling authors of The Art of Being Brilliant and Be Brilliant Everyday are experts in the art of happiness and positive psychology and, with this new book, you'll find your way to becoming brilliant at school, work, and life in general. Stay cool under all the pressures you're facing, and plot a map for the future that takes you wherever it is you want to go. Become proactive, determined, successful and most importantly: happy!Fact: your life span is about four thousand weeks. It seems like a lot, but it's not. Complaining about life, homework, parents, and relationships may be normal now, but don't let it become your defining trait. When you're forty years old and still moaning, a big chunk of your four thousand weeks have slipped by, and you're no closer to happiness than you were as a teen. This book is a guide to starting the journey to your ideal life now, instead of wasting time being a drip.Discover the real you, and what you want out of life Stop moaning and get moving now, while there's plenty of time Lose your bad habits before they become your personality Figure out how you want to contribute, and find a way to do it The bottom line is this: it's easy to be the average version of yourself, but is that really all you want? Don't you want to achieve something? Get started now. The Art of Being A Brilliant Teenager helps you figure out where you want to go, and how to get there. So, whether you're an ambitious teenager, a parent or teacher desperate to turn a down-beat teenager into a ray of positivity and delight, How to Be a Brilliant Teenager is here to help.

Everything is Everything


Pepper Pace - 2014
    Now Pepper Pace has re-released this highly acclaimed novel with edits and additional material removed from the version appearing in the box set. "I had to edit the novel's size down in order for it to appear the box set. But I knew that once I published it independently I would add everything back into it. I hope you enjoy the newly edited version of Scotty and Vanessa's story." In 1977 12-year old Vanessa White lives just out of reach of the projects that both scare and entice her. It is the year that she meets 14-year old Scotty Tremont, one of the few white boys to live in the ghetto. Initially afraid that Scotty intends to beat her up because her cousin called him white trash, Vanessa soon learns that although Scotty is a ‘Trick Baby’ and will probably be a dope boy just like his brother, he also somehow manages to be compassionate. Scotty is learning something as well; that his path has not been laid out before him and that everything isn’t necessarily everything. This two part book series takes the reader back to the 70’s style urban lit stories of life in the ghetto. It begins in the 70s and moves throughout the decades following the lives of people whose stories have intertwined in a romantic, tragic, sometimes funny tale of street life. This story is for adult readers only and contains mature themes including language, sex, violence, drugs and racism.

Head of the River


Pip Harry - 2014
    Nine rowers, 2000 gruelling metres and one chance for glory in the ultimate team sport. Sit forward ... ROW. Tall, gifted and the offspring of Olympians, superstar siblings Leni and Cristian Popescu are set to row Harley Grammar to victory in the Head of the River. With six months until the big race, the twins can't lose. Or can they? When Cristian is seduced by the easy route of performance-enhancing drugs, and Leni is suffocated with self-doubt, their bright futures start to fade. Juggling family, high expectations, study, break-ups, new relationships and wild parties, the pressure starts to build. As the final moments tick down to the big race, who’ll make it to the start line? And who'll plummet from grace?

Forever Love


Megan Smith - 2014
    Chelsea Landon and USA Today Best Selling Author, Megan Smith, bring you two novels that weave a web so intertwined and elaborate that while one breath is being stolen, another is aching for the next - demanding to unravel what they're holding onto, all the while, another is struggling to let go. After a night that should have celebratory, it ends tragically for the lives of six teenagers on the cusp of adulthood. Years later, through their own struggles and accomplishments, each is left suspended by their own fears that surround them. While some feel blinding light, others are trapped inside a horrific, soul-stealing darkness. Can they find their way out of the intricate web of guilt and deceit? Can they reach the light amongst the shadows of what they used to be - and manage to be who they should become? Sometimes the only way to heal is to face the fear of forever.

Fangless


Elias Zapple - 2014
    Yes, that's right, fangless! Teased by his friends, taunted by his big brother and almost disowned by his parents, Nicu will do anything he can to get his fangs and beat the bullies.

Gabi, a Girl in Pieces


Isabel Quintero - 2014
    And best of all, the poetry that helps forge her identity.July 24My mother named me Gabriella, after my grandmother who, coincidentally, didn't want to meet me when I was born because my mother was unmarried, and therefore living in sin. My mom has told me the story many, many, MANY, times of how, when she confessed to my grandmother that she was pregnant with me, her mother beat her. BEAT HER! She was twenty-five. That story is the basis of my sexual education and has reiterated why it's important to wait until you're married to give it up. So now, every time I go out with a guy, my mom says, "Ojos abiertos, piernas cerradas." Eyes open, legs closed. That's as far as the birds and the bees talk has gone. And I don't mind it. I don't necessarily agree with that whole wait until you're married crap, though. I mean, this is America and the 21st century; not Mexico one hundred years ago. But, of course, I can't tell my mom that because she will think I'm bad. Or worse: trying to be White. Gabi is Isabel Quintero's debut novel.Named to Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2014Named to School Library Journal Best Books of 2014

Beggar Magic


H.L. Burke - 2014
    All can hear the Strains…but not everyone can use them equally.Leilani is Common, able to do only the most mundane “beggar magic,” but when she befriends the gifted Highmost girl, Zebedy, she is swept into the gilded world of the upper class, who can access the magic’s full potential. Behind the polished, academic façade of the Highmost manors, the girls run headlong into danger. An unknown force is consuming the Strains, leaving heartrending silence behind. Desperate to save their beloved Strains, Leilani and Zebedy soon realize that solving the mystery may cost them their friendship, or even their lives.

The Wolf and the Bear


Martyn J. Pass - 2014
    The prize? She stands to inherit his entire fortune, from the fertile fields he owns to the lucrative mining and coal trade with which he controls the feudal lands around him. But the way is dangerous and she cannot hope to make it safely there without a guide. When a chance meeting with a mysterious Dalesman known only as 'Bear' provides her with one, it sets Alex Hogg firmly on her quest, confident that she'll return to claim her inheritance and enjoy riches beyond her imagination. But this giant of a man has a past that's marked by the Old Days; the time before when mankind teetered on the brink of destruction, and it's this past that Alex soon learns stands directly in her way. An army is being built and rumors are rife that an ancient vault has been opened; that a new world order is being born that will see the weapons of a forgotten past used to create a terrifying new future. Strange ships are flying again and weapons that can kill from far away are being used to force villages and towns into submission. Behind it all is a man from Bear's past who, as their journey takes them deeper into his plans, threatens to bring about a new apocalypse for a people who barely survived the last.

All I Have Left


Shey Stahl - 2014
    Her secrets go beyond the black eyes and the breaking heart. She’s dropped out of college, forced to quit her job and avoiding the questions her friends and family so desperately want answers to. And then her childhood crush shows up in town. Rugged, and not so innocent anymore, she’s reminded of that boy from her past and realizes he’s not the same. There’s a newfound darkness about him she can’t place. Grayson Gomez is hiding more than his unexpected return home. Trained to fight for his country, he has to battle harder to hide his despair when he finds the girl he left behind in the arms of another. With his world crashing around him, he’s holding on to a memory of the girl he used to know. As he questions what’s really going on with Evie’s boyfriend, Grayson makes a horrifying discovery. When her life is threatened, and his past catches up with him, Grayson will stop at nothing to protect her. Even if it means putting his own life on the line for her.

Going the Distance


John Goode - 2014
    It’s a trick he picked up moving with his father from one Marine base to the next. When you aren’t going to be around long, it’s better to give people what they want. And what they want are his quick hands and fast feet on the basketball court. On court, he can be himself and ignore certain strange developing urges. Everyone knows you can’t like boys and be a jock, but for Danny his growing attraction is becoming overwhelming. At the thought of losing the only thing that matters, Danny starts to panic and realizes he has a choice to make: happiness or basketball.

The Fairy-Tale Matchmaker


E.D. Baker - 2014
    After yet another bad night on the job, Cory quits to explore other things—like babysitting an adventurous Humpty Dumpty, helping Suzy organize seashells by the seashore, and attempting to finally rid the spiders that plague Marjorie Muffet. But it isn't until Marjorie asks Cory to help set her up with a boy that Cory taps into a power she never knew she had. As she tries to understand her new-found romantic visions, will Cory finally discover her own true path?

Avialae Chapter 1


Lucid - 2014
    Avialae is a webcomic about a gross bird boy and his nerdy ornithologist boyfriend-- I mean neighbor who helps him out during the painful and bloody process of growing wings.

Lessons I Learned from Nick Nack


Padgett Gerler - 2014
    But the divorce, Mark’s new family, and breast cancer forge an unlikely friendship between Rowdy and the much-reviled dog, Nick Nack. LESSONS I LEARNED FROM NICK NACK is the story of one woman’s journey through anger, loneliness, pain, and fear and her ultimate surrender to the power of unconditional love.

Caged Warrior


Alan Sitomer - 2014
    As a star fighter in the gritty underground Mixed Martial Arts circuit in the poorest section of Detroit, McCutcheon fights under the tutelage of his volatile and violent father, not so much for himself but to survive as protector of his beloved five-year old sister, Gemma. We get to know McCutcheon as he battles opponents who are literally trying to kill him. Mr. Freedman, his science teacher, spots his intellectual potential, befriends him, and encourages him to enter the lottery for a scholarship to an elite charter school so he can obtain a first-class education. He is at first dead-set against the idea, and of course his tyrannical father forbids it. But the school's headmaster, Kaitlyn, a student assigned to be his guide, and Mr. Freedman continue to encourage him to consider it. His father and the Priests, the local Mafia-like crew that run Detroit's organized crime, have other plans for McCutcheon. For them, he is simply a tool to make them money. And when that cash flow is threatened, his father hits McCutcheon where it hurts most-he hides Gemma and threatens his own son that he'll never see his beloved sister again if he doesn't play by the Priests' rules.For the first time in his life, McCutcheon reaches out for help. Mr. Freedman turns out to have a very mysterious past and not only helps McCutcheon find his sister but also his mother who had simply disappeared on McCutcheon's 13th birthday. All seems well, but happy endings aren't really something McCutcheon feels he can rely on. And he may be right.A ferocious novel, Caged Warrior is like a great fight movie, a tour-de-force of relentless conflict, but one that is leavened with rich characters and meaningful and loving relationships.

Swing


Philip Beard - 2014
    Henry Graham is a ten year-old boy whose father has just left home for good. When the two meet in 1971 at a downtown Pittsburgh bus stop, all they seem to have in common is their love of baseball. But that is enough to begin a life-long friendship that, eventually, enables both men to confront old enemies and heal old wounds. Philip Beard's third and most accomplished novel swings between two narratives the way John Kostka swings through life. The result is a multifaceted meditation on childhood heroes, the beauty of baseball and the power of love to heal a family in crisis. "SWING is at once heartbreaking, uplifting and emotionally resonant. In a word, it’s beautiful." –Pittsburgh Magazine "It wouldn't be fair or accurate to call SWING a sports book. It's too rare for that." –The Sporting News ​"SWING is richly rewarding...a tight, poignant coming of age novel...[that] will stay with you long after you put this book down." –Sports Illustrated “Every character—the absent father, the troubled sister, the mysterious wonder that is John Kostka—feels alive due to Beard‘s skillfully simple prose and dialogue. With SWING, Beard has hit it out of the park.” –Foreword Reviews ". . . just about perfect.” – The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Deadly Caress


O.N. Stefan - 2014
    When it becomes evident that her mother has been murdered, Amanda sets out to discover her mother’s killer. Her quest takes her to Wollongong to find the man who she thinks holds the answer to the killer’s identity. While visiting this man, she has to run for her life as a hail of gunshots pockmark the walls and shatter the windows. Someone will stop at nothing until she is dead. If she thought things were bad enough, they are about to get much worse...

Saint Padre Pio: In the Footsteps of Saint Francis


Michael J. Ruszala - 2014
    Pio of Pietrelchina has emerged as a figure of immense popularity, attracting fascination, veneration, and also emulation. Padre Pio, who once wrote in a letter, “I am a mystery to myself,” is certainly a mystery to all who know of him. To those who moved beyond mere credulity, he became an inspiration to embrace the fullness of faith. Perhaps that is why his shrine in outlying San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, is second only to the Vatican itself in annual number of pilgrims and why Italian Catholics now report to praying more for St. Pio’s intercession than for that of any other saint. This book is a concise introduction to Padre Pio’s life, especially as compared to the example and journey of his spiritual father, St. Francis of Assisi. If St. Francis is said to be the most popular saint of all time, Franciscan Capuchin Padre Pio is perhaps the most popular saint of our times. Given that he passed only in 1968, it is remarkable to think that such a spiritual “superhero” could exist in our modern age. Through not spared from misfortune, he was spared those things that cloud us from perceiving the world in a truly spiritual way. Perhaps that is why Padre Pio offers us just the message we need to hear.

Snooze: A Story of Awakening


Sol Luckman - 2014
    a multi-dimensional, many-faceted gem of a read. From mysteries to metaphysics, entering the dream world, Bigfoot, high magic and daring feats of courage, this book has it all ... I highly recommend [SNOOZE] for all ages. It’s an exciting journey within.” —Lance White, author of TALES OF A ZANY MYSTIC“Luckman’s dazzling abilities as a novelist abound with lyrical prose ... Although [SNOOZE] chronicles a boy’s transition into manhood, I would not consider it young adult. The provocative subject matter of science and spirituality is very mature ... If you enjoy colorful characters, a fast-paced plot and stories that tug at your heart, this novel in eighty-four chapters is anything but a yawn.” —Suzanne Cowles for Readers’ Favorite“SNOOZE is without doubt one of the best coming of age, awakening books that I have ever read, and it had me entranced from the beginning to the end.” —Ingrid Hall, Author & Freelance Editor“This was the first novel I had ever read by Sol Luckman but I will certainly be reading more of his work now. I would recommend this to all readers as the story truly holds a lot. It was deep, it was humorous and it left nothing to be desired.” —OnlineBookClub.org“SNOOZE is a captivating coming-of-age tale about a gifted boy traveling to a fantastical realm to save his father ... Thanks to author Sol Luckman’s writing ability, SNOOZE can be enjoyed by readers of all ages, despite being aimed at young adults. Right off the bat, the writing is engaging and captures the attention.” —Indiereader.comSNOOZE is “a magnificent act of power, a novel brought forth for the Second Renaissance, the Return of Wisdom ... [G]et ready for the ride of a lifetime. You won’t want to stop.” —OracleReport.com

Serial: Season One


Sarah Koenig - 2014
    A month later, her body was found in a city park. She'd been strangled. Her 17-year-old ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, was arrested for the crime, and within a year, he was sentenced to life in prison. The case against him was largely based on the story of one witness, Adnan’s friend Jay, who testified that he helped Adnan bury Hae's body. But Adnan has always maintained he had nothing to do with Hae’s death. Some people believe he’s telling the truth. Many others don’t.Sarah Koenig sorted through thousands of documents, listened to trial testimony and police interrogations, and talked to everyone she could find who remembered what happened between Adnan Syed and Hae Min Lee. She discovered that the trial covered up a far more complicated story than the jury – or the public – ever got to hear. The high school scene, the shifting statements to police, the prejudices, the sketchy alibis, the scant forensic evidence — all of it leads back to the most basic questions: How can you know a person’s character? How can you tell what they’re capable of? In Season One of Serial, she looks for answers.

The Facts of Life and Death


Belinda Bauer - 2014
    And when those rules change, the new game is Murder.Living with her parents in the dank beach community of Limeburn, ten-year-old Ruby Trick has her own fears. Bullies on the school bus, the forest crowding her house into the sea, and the threat of divorce.Helping her Daddy to catch the killer might be the key to keeping him close.As long as the killer doesn't catch her first...

The God of Sno Cone Blue


Marcia Coffey Turnquist - 2014
    Medallion.Story summary: Something is odd about Grace. She has mismatched eyes, one dark and one light. She thinks she's seen God. When her mother dies, she begins to get letters from her, as if from the grave. The letters tell of her mother's life before she married Grace's father, in time, confessing fiercely guarded family secrets. "I wasn't always a Preacher's Wife... I made mistakes along the way."Looking back, as a middle-aged woman, Grace relives those transformative years, coming of age in the 1960s as the daughter of The Reverend Thad Carsten and his much-younger wife, Sharon. When they move to a new neighborhood in Portland, Oregon, Sharon is healthy and Grace takes turmoil in stride: a new school, her backward neighbors, the simmering Vietnam War and political unrest. On the whole, life is sublime-until Sharon gets sick and dies. Then Grace's world turns upside down.Days after Sharon is gone, the letters to her daughter start coming, delivered mysteriously in the dark of night. Grace finds them-addressed to her-and devours every word, desperate to figure out who's delivering them. As she struggles with questions of loss and faith, she begins to butt heads with the preacher, increasingly focused on the mysterious messenger and her mother's letters. The handwritten pages arrive periodically as Grace matures, fostering a strange mother daughter relationship.Early on, the letters offer motherly advice, but increasingly they shift their focus to Sharon's early teens, eventually confessing a forbidden young adult romance. By then, Grace is desperate for the rest of the story, searching everywhere for her mother's writings, until finally there's a breakthrough. When she reads the last of the letters-and an astonishing truth-she embarks on a journey that changes her life and perspective forever.What did Sharon confess in the last letter to her daughter? How does it affect their unusual mother daughter relationship? As Grace runs away to trace her mother's past and teenage romance, what will she find?With its elements of romance and mystery, The God of Sno Cone Blue, sometimes searched as "Snow" Cone Blue is best described as contemporary women's fiction, though its strong central male character also appeals to men. The novel's storyline and mother daughter relationship are fitting Inspirational Fiction, and its passion and coming of age tale are appropriate for teenagers and young adults.* USA Today Bestselling Author Linda Needham on this inspirational fiction story: "The God of Sno Cone Blue is a joyous celebration of a young girl's journey to womanhood. Grace is a modern match for Tom Sawyer, with a grand spirit and enough spunk to weather the heartache of losing her mother at a tender age. Along the way, she gains the wisdom to recognize the breadth of her mother's love through a series of posthumous, sometimes shocking letters delivered in the years that follow. With a driving style and a colorful cast of eccentric characters, author Marcia Coffey Turnquist fiercely delivers equal parts laughter, sorrow and the kind of joy that will stay with you long after you've finished the book."*Author Rod Gramer on this novel fraught with family secrets: "Marcia has created a compelling character in Grace, one whose great personal loss is redeemed by a great personal discovery."*Portland Society Page editor Elisa Klein on the story's mystery and romance: "Surprises abound and the twists and turns kept me flipping pages late into the night as I curled up in my favorite chair to drink it all in."*Award-winning artist D.K. Lubarsky on this coming of age novel: "A masterful storyteller, Turnquist takes you on a magical journey of discovery in this poignant tale of innocence and growing up. The God of Sno Cone Blue is a delightful read."

Let the Tornado Come: A Memoir


Rita Zoey Chin - 2014
    Her father’s violence and her mother’s hostility drove her out of the house and into the streets in search of a better life. This soon led her into a dangerous world of drugs, predatory older men, and the occasional kindness of strangers, but despite the dangers, Rita kept running. One day she came upon a field of horses galloping along a roadside fence, and the sight of them gave her hope. The memory of their hoofbeats stayed with her.Rita survives her harrowing childhood to become a prize-winning writer and the wife of a promising surgeon. But when she is suddenly besieged by terrifying panic attacks, her past trauma threatens her hard-won happiness and the stable, comfortable life she’s built with her husband. Within weeks, she is incapacitated with fear—literally afraid of her own shadow. Realizing that she is facing a life of psychological imprisonment, Rita undertakes a journey to find help through a variety of treatments. It is ultimately through chasing her childhood passion for horses that she meets a spirited, endearing horse named Claret—with his own troubled history—and together they surmount daunting odds as they move toward fear and learn to trust, and ultimately save, each other.

Dorchen: A Childhood Lost in War-Torn Germany


Maria Stetler - 2014
    She was an ordinary German schoolgirl from an average family thrust into the extraordinary circumstances of war. Her memoir vividly describes the price she, her family, and all the German people paid for Hitler's ambition. Relived through her memories, it is truly a story of childhood innocence lost, but also of survival through grit and courage. She endured air raids, bomb shelters, military training, capture, imprisonment, rape and harrowing escape. The author has created a razor-sharp, clear-eyed and tense narrative about her life during this frightening time, as well as the story of her early struggles as a German war bride settling into a new life in America. This is Dorchen, and she is a remarkable woman.

A Fresh Start: Complete


Rollie Lawson - 2014
    Suddenly, Aladdin's Lamp transports him back to 1968, to the teenager he had been then. How will he live his life differently, or will he be doomed to repeat his past mistakes all over again? This version contains Books 1-7, the Epilogue, and a bonus fan fiction story.

Vishwamitra


Vineet Aggarwal - 2014
    Born of this mix up is Vishwamitra, the son of a Kshatriya, who strives to become a Brahmarishi—the ultimate and most powerful of all Gurus. Vishwamitra is the powerful story of a brave but stubborn, haughty yet compassionate, visionary king of Aryavarta who not only acquires material wealth through military conquests but also becomes one of the most well-known sages of all times.

Red Clover


Florence Osmund - 2014
    Now imagine feeling like an outsider in your own family.The troubled son of a callous father and socialite mother determines his own meaning of success after learning shocking family secrets that cause him to rethink who he is and where heʼs going. In Lee Winekoop’s reinvention of himself he discovers that lifeʾs bitter circumstances can actually give rise to meaningful consequences.What others are saying about Red Clover.Windy City Reviews – “Red Clover is a wonderfully written detailed story about a man overcoming his upbringing and becoming his own man. The finished product, both the man and the story, are exemplary.”Charlie Bray, Founder of INDIETRIBE.com – “Florence Osmund is a brilliant wordsmith who paints such a rounded picture of each character that the reader feels he is in the book with them.”BestChickLit – “A beautiful moving story that gently absorbs you into the lives of the characters.”

The Dog in the Chapel


Anthony McDonald - 2014
    Their names are Tom and Christopher. In the opposite corner to them stands Father Louis, the elderly headmaster. It is his conviction that the sixties will go down in history as the decade which sees the earthly triumph of the Catholic Church. Life becomes more complicated for Tom and Christopher when Miss O’Deere, the art mistress, decides to paint the pair as David and Jonathan and to enter the result in a public exhibition… To say nothing of the inconvenient attentions paid to them by 13-year-old Angelo Dexter.

Nona & Me


Clare Atkins - 2014
    Yapas.They are also best friends. It doesn’t matter that Rosie is white and Nona is Aboriginal: their family connections tie them together for life.Born just five days apart in a remote corner of the Northern Territory, the girls are inseperable, until Nona moves away at the age of nine. By the time she returns, they’re in Year 10 and things have changed. Rosie has lost interest in the community, preferring to hang out in the nearby mining town, where she goes to school with the glamorous Selena, and Selena’s gorgeous older brother Nick.When a political announcement highlights divisions between the Aboriginal community and the mining town, Rosie is put in a difficult position: will she be forced to choose between her first love and her oldest friend?

The Red Sheet


Mia Kerick - 2014
    Stranger still is the urge to tie a red sheet around his neck like a cape. Bryan soon realizes this compulsion to wear a red cape is accompanied by more unusual behavior. He can’t hold back from retrieving kittens from tall trees, helping little old ladies cross busy streets, and defending innocence anywhere he finds it. Shockingly, at school, he realizes he used to be a bully. He’s attracted to the former victim of his bullying, Scott Beckett, though he has no memory of Scott from before “the change.” Where he’d been lazy in academics, overly aggressive in sports, and socially insecure, he’s a new person. And although he can recall behaving egotistically, he cannot remember his motivations. Everyone, from his mother to his teachers to his “superjock” former pals, is shocked by his dramatic transformation. However, Scott Beckett is not impressed by Bryan’s newfound virtue. And convincing Scott he’s genuinely changed and improved, hopefully gaining Scott’s trust and maybe even his love, becomes Bryan’s obsession.With a foreword by C. Kennedy

The Perfect Place


Teresa E. Harris - 2014
    GAG (as the girls refer to her) is a terrible cook, she sets off Treasure’s asthma with her cat and her chain smoking, and her neighbors suspect her in the recent jewel thefts. As the hope of finding their dad fades, the girls and their great-aunt begin to understand and accommodate one another. When a final dash to their dad’s last known address proves unsuccessful, Treasure has to accept that he’s gone for good. When she goes back to Great-Aunt Grace’s, it is the first time she has returned to a place instead of just moving on. Convincing, fully realized characters, a snarky narrative voice, and laugh-aloud funny dialogue make The Perfect Place a standout among stories of adjustment and reconfigured families.

Courage for Beginners


Karen Harrington - 2014
    If her life were fictional, she'd magically know how to deal with the fact that her best friend, Anibal Gomez, has abandoned her in favor of being a "hipster." She'd be able to take care of everyone when her dad has to spend time in the hospital. And she'd certainly be able to change her family's secret.Seventh grade is not turning out the way Mysti had planned. With the help of a hot-air balloon, her new friend Rama Khan, and a bright orange coat, can she find the courage to change?

Victor Deus


Brent Lee Markee - 2014
    Those men and women who's legacies were so great that their stories have been repeated generation to generation. A person of such impact that other cultures long detached from the origins tell stories of these powerful individuals. Such is the story of Victor Deus. Unlike many such legends, there was little need to embellish the deeds he and his allies accomplished. Some remember him as a savior, some as a tyrant. There are whole worlds that worship him like a god, and others that raise him up as a devil. All of these worlds agree upon one thing though, he was fiercely protective of his allies, and swiftly dealt with his enemies. How does one become such a figure? Loved by so many, yet feared by even more? The story is a long one, and I hope you will bear with me as the story unfolds. One thing you must know about Victor Deus is that he was not given time to be a child, for his formative years were full of training and despair. Therefor, it is there where this story begins, a boy, barely able to hold a sword, thrust into events he cannot control.

Forever Kansas (Ruby Blue #5)


Julie Cassar - 2014
    I swear, she will.”In this companion novel to the best selling Ruby Blue Series, Brennan Kaelin, Fairy Prince and Heir to the throne of the Earthen Royal Court in Fey, reveals his inner most desires and struggles. In a world where the four Royal Courts and three Realms collide, an even deeper connection is unearthed as more secrets of Fey are exposed. Relive Ruby’s adventures through Brennan’s eyes as he searches to discover the mysteries shrouding the prophesy of the One with The Elements.*Author’s note: This novel is meant to be read after “Forever Blue” (Book 4 of the Ruby Blue Series). It discloses additional information to Ruby and Brennan’s story, however, some key plot points of Ruby's story are intentionally left out.

The Big Summer


Jamie B. Laurie - 2014
    Belittled, ridiculed, and beaten down by his so-called friends, he is pushed to his breaking point. He must make a change. With his quirky aunt Nellie by his side, Will moves to the sunny town of Seaside City, where he embarks on a journey to reinvent himself, discover first love, and maybe find a little bit of happiness along the way. Hannah is Seaside City's resident extrovert-but behind her facade of confidence, she is riddled with insecurities. When she meets Will, Hannah decides to take him under her wing and become his guide. For a girl who desperately needs to be heard and understood, Will just may be exactly the friend she needs. Daniel is Hannah's gorgeous twin brother-the perfect combination of funny, charming, and intelligent. Even though he should be off limits, Will cannot help but fall for him. But will a devious girlfriend and the confusion of sexual identity come between them? The Big Summer is a witty and touching tale that explores the ups and downs of first love, the struggles of self-acceptance, the value of friendship, and the true meaning of happiness."

The Woods at Barlow Bend


Jodie Cain Smith - 2014
    At the age of fourteen, Hattie learns that her mother, Addie, is dead, and her father, Hubbard, stands accused of Addie's murder, along with countless other shocking betrayals. Overnight, Hattie becomes mother to her three siblings while still very much a child herself. The life she had dreamt of now seems impossible to achieve. How will Hattie break away from the father who prevents her from living the life she desperately wants? Will her heart ever be able to heal in the height of The Great Depression?

The House at Zaronza


Vanessa Couchman - 2014
    A tragic love story buried for four generations. A quest to unravel the past.Corsica 2010The death of Rachel's mother leaves unsolved questions about her ancestors. Will Rachel find the answers she desperately seeks on the island of Corsica, where her grandmother was born?Corsica 1900sIn a remote Corsican village, a bundle of hidden letters from the 1900s comes to light more than a hundred years later. The tale unfolds of a passionate love affair between the village school master and Maria, the daughter of a wealthy family. But Maria's parents have other plans for her future.Must Maria see her dreams crumble, or can she escape her destiny? And does she hold the key to the enigma of Rachel's ancestors?The House at Zaronza is Book 1 of the Tales of Corsica series: historical novels set in the same house on this stunning Mediterranean island.*This edition is reissued with minor editorial changes and a new cover.*