Stamped it hard. Stopped the past repeating itself. But what did I do? I did what Mum used to do in times of crisis. I left the room and went to put the kettle on.Vicky is a reluctant curate's wife, struggling to come to terms with her own bereavement and her husband's newfound faith. Then, one Boxing Day, a knock on the door brings her annoying big brother, his teenage son, and a cello into her life, turning her world upside down.With her small terrace house in Penge now fit to burst, Vicky struggles to manage her three children and the joys of everyday family life. As a new threat lurks behind every corner, hope appears in the most unlikely of circumstances. Enchanting, alternately funny, sad, and bittersweet, This Holey Life reminds us that it's not a race, it's a journey."Sophie Duffy is a real find."--Laurie Graham

    Hopefully, the enticement of winning his house and the magic of the holidays will lure in just the right person! Holly Kirby was a bit shocked when she read the ad. The winner of the Christmas contest would receive a house! Knowing this might be some sort of scam, she still can’t help but imagine all the wonderful things she could do with a beautiful house on Nantucket. Holly decides to go ahead and enter, hoping that the Christmas angels will bring her a miracle. Jack Anderson immediately knew something was wrong with his grandfather after reading the ad for the Christmas contest. Maybe it was time to take a break from work and pay him a visit. Somebody has to talk some sense into him! Only, when he gets there, he realizes Grandpa’s plan is already in full swing. The clock is ticking but can Jack stop it in time, or will his family home be lost to him forever?

    But when her mother suddenly abandons the family, Madi finds herself struggling to keep up with all of her commitments.Fandom to the rescue! As her online fans band together to help, an online/offline flirtation sparks with Laurent, a French exchange student. Their internet romance—played out in the comments section of her MadLibs blog—attracts the attention of an internet troll who threatens the separation of Madi’s real and online personas. With her carefully constructed life unraveling, Madi must uncover the hacker’s identity before he can do any more damage, or risk losing the people she loves the most… Laurent included.

    All of Magnus Mills' darkly comic and hugely entertaining stories are here collected in one book for the first time.

    Candy’s my mom. Candice is her full name, but in her younger, wilder days she was Candy, bubbly and sweet and spreading love and happiness to anyone who came to the cafe.But when Mom has an accident, it’s up to me to do all the baking. I’m a creative cookie decorator, but my baking sucks.Then Mom hires Sam to teach me the finer points. He’s tall and delicious, and I’ll do anything to get my hands on his sweet cookies.But he’s only in town for a few weeks. We agree that it’s no strings attached, but can I stick to that?SamThe moment I see Bella I know she’ll be mine. She sprinkles a bit of joy into everything she bakes with her bright clothing and outrageous hair.My body craves her, and my heart wants her.But I know I’m going to have to leave. My life is on the road, but this is one sweet treat I’m unwilling to leave behind.Take a seat at Candy’s Cafe where the goods are freshly baked and sprinkled with love.Meet the sisters who run the café, the staff who work there, and the regulars who stop by. There must be something in the cookie batter, because each one finds their own special happily ever after.The Candy’s Cafe series features curvy women and the strong men who love them, and each couple has a steamy love story that’s sprinkled with sweetness.If you love small-town instalove stories that are high heat and sugary sweet, then this series is for you!Each book can be read separately, but they’re best enjoyed together. No cliff-hangers and always with a happily ever after.

    Holidays with the Hometown Hero is a series of standalone short, sweet, and steamy instalove romances. No cliffhangers. No cheating. HEA guaranteed!Books in the Holidays with the Hometown Hero SeriesFELIX by Kate TilneyCHRIS by Tarin LexGABE by Carly KeeneLOGAN by Kali HartOLIVER by Lana DashNICK by Mazzy King

    But when a terrified woman falls through his bathroom ceiling, he's forced back into a life of gunfights, double agents and paranormal research. The secret he's been keeping for nearly four decades might reunite him with his lost love, or kill millions.This new short story by John August falls into the genre of paranoid "spy-fi" popularized by writers like Jorge Luis Borges and shows like The Prisoner and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.== What Others Say =="I really dug the story. Gave it a glance just to see, got totally hooked, and blazed on through to the end."-- Michael Chabon (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, The Yiddish Policemen's Union) "The Variant" is both a good, fun, smart story and an interesting experiment in indie self-publishing for fiction."-- John Gruber, daringfireball.net== About the Author ==An excerpt of The Variant is available at johnaugust.com/variant About the AuthorJohn August is the screenwriter of eight feature films, including Go, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Corpse Bride. He wrote and directed the 2007 movie The Nines.He can be found on Twitter, @johnaugust

    Follow Max on his lifelong quest to produce the perfect novel. Touching, irreverent, hilarious and sad. Every writer should read this story. Every writer will relate to Max. please note: This is a SHORT STORY consisting of 2,500 words.

    I’ve known him forever.He’s always been able to ask me anything.I NEVER imagined he’d ask me to be his fake girlfriend.I’m terrified, but I want to help, so we make some rules.No kissing. No strings attached. It should be easy…Right?DouglasWe’ve been friends for years. Just friends.Sure, I thought she was hot, but I never looked at her as more than one of the guys.Asking her to be my fake girlfriend for a work event was a no-brainer.Until I saw her in that tight dress.Until we stumbled into a taxi together at the end of the night.Until we… well.I promised to follow her rules.Now, I’m going to break all of them.

    At seven, she’s correcting her teachers. At eight, she spins the globe and picks her favourite country on the sound of its name: Burundi. And now that she's an adult, Augusta has no interest in the goings-on of the small town where she lives with her parents and her beloved twin sister, Julia.When an unspeakable tragedy upends everything in Augusta's life, she's propelled headfirst into the unknown. She's determined to find where she belongs – but what if her true home, and heart, are half a world away?

    MEET CUTE is an anthology of original short stories featuring tales of "how they first met" from some of today’s most popular YA authors. Readers will experience Nina LaCour's beautifully written piece about two Bay Area girls meeting via a cranky customer service Tweet, Sara Shepard's glossy tale about a magazine intern and a young rock star, Nicola Yoon's imaginative take on break-ups and make-ups, Katie Cotugno's story of two teens hiding out from the police at a house party, and Huntley Fitzpatrick's charming love story that begins over iced teas at a diner. There’s futuristic flirting from Kass Morgan and Katharine McGee, a riveting transgender heroine from Meredith Russo, a subway missed connection moment from Jocelyn Davies, and a girl determined to get out of her small town from Ibi Zoboi. Jennifer Armentrout writes a sweet story about finding love from a missing library book, Emery Lord has a heartwarming and funny tale of two girls stuck in an airport, Dhonielle Clayton takes a thoughtful, speculate approach to pre-destined love, and Julie Murphy dreams up a fun twist on reality dating show contestants. This incredibly talented group of authors brings us a collection of stories that are at turns romantic and witty, epic and everyday, heartbreaking and real.

    Delaney is one of them."When you meet Delaney Robinson, she is a two-year-old with a serious attachment to her wonderful great-grandmother, who guides her through life with the wisdom of a nonagenarian. Margaret's reminiscences, along with the rest you will read, tell the story of how this adorable little girl came to be.There is murder, mayhem, humor, romance--and a bit of heartbreak. The stories are about her parents, grandparents, distant ancestors, and family friends, from Delaney's Irish forebears and how they settled in Alabama to a chapter written entirely from the point of view of a Confederate battle sword hanging on her grandfather's wall.

    But when a black-haired beauty crosses his path during a competition adventure race, he wonders if his bachelor days are numbered. Lucy Avila, recent college grad and former university mascot, isn’t looking for love when she travels to Utah with her friends to compete in Questival. She just wants the grand prize of a trip to Cusco, Peru to meet the grandmother she’s never seen, before her little Abuelita’s time is up. But standing between her and the grand prize is a Spartan-like leader of a team of firemen. Lucy likes the guy, but isn’t crazy about her chances against his team. No sooner do Lucy and Blue hit it off than they realize he was the star quarterback for her university’s biggest rival. To make matters worse, their families have long histories and prominent positions with their respective universities. From a Skylodge on the side of a Peruvian mountain to the Skybox of a football stadium, their love blossoms as they put aside rivalries. But one bad decision by Lucy pulls in hundreds of frenzied fans and causes damage to Blue’s family that may be irreparable. The only thing that is for sure … Sparks Will Fly. More books in the Park City Firefighter Romance: Station 2 Series will be available early 2018: Stone Cold Sparks by Cami Checkouts Untitled Sparks by Sarah Gay (These books are loosely related and can be read in any order.)

    A simple touch sending currents of electricity flowing through a body. The feeling of coming home. Friends become lovers. Strangers become soulmates. The chemistry ignited when two people are falling in love is undeniable. Over the course of five short stories, follow these couples on journeys of passion and discover what happens when they decide to let sparks fly…

    What I’m talking about here is the ka-pow, shake-you-to-your-core-and-turn-your-bones-to-plastic kind of crappy.Sixteen-year-old Laurel’s world changes instantly when her parents and brother are killed in a terrible car accident. Behind the wheel is the father of her bad-boy neighbor, David Kaufman, whose mother is also killed. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Laurel navigates a new reality in which she and her best friend grow apart, boys may or may not be approaching her out of pity, overpowering memories lurk everywhere, and Mr. Kaufman is comatose but still very much alive. Through it all there is David, who swoops in and out of Laurel’s life and to whom she finds herself attracted against her better judgment. She will forever be connected to him by their mutual loss—a connection that will change them both in unexpected ways.Jennifer Castle’s debut novel is a heart-wrenching, surprisingly witty testament to how drastically life can change in the span of a single moment.