Leave Me


Gayle Forman - 2016
    A harried working mother who’s so busy taking care of her husband and twins, she doesn’t even realize she’s had a heart attack.Surprised to discover that her recuperation seems to be an imposition on those who rely on her, Maribeth does the unthinkable: she packs a bag and leaves. But, as is often the case, once we get where we’re going we see our lives from a different perspective. Far from the demands of family and career and with the help of liberating new friendships, Maribeth is able to own up to secrets she has been keeping from herself and those she loves.With bighearted characters--husbands, wives, friends, and lovers--who stumble and trip, grow and forgive, Leave Me is about facing the fears we’re all running from. Gayle Forman is a dazzling observer of human nature. She has written an irresistible novel that confronts the ambivalence of modern motherhood head on and asks, what happens when a grown woman runs away from home?

The Year of Taking Chances


Lucy Diamond - 2014
    There's music, dancing, champagne and all their best friends under one roof. It's going to be a night to remember.Also at the party is Caitlin, who has returned to the village to pack up her much-missed mum's house and to figure out what to do with her life; and Saffron, a PR executive who's keeping a secret which no amount of spin can change. The three women bond over Gemma's dodgy cocktails and fortune cookies, and vow to make this year their best one yet.But as the following months unfold, Gemma, Saffron and Caitlin find themselves tested to their limits by shocking new developments. Family, love, work, home - all the things they've taken for granted - are thrown into disarray. Under pressure, they are each forced to rethink their lives and start over. But dare they take a chance on something new?

Mixing It Up


Tracie Banister - 2016
    When there’s an executive shake-up at the network, she’s not worried. Not much anyway. Her show’s a hit after all. Why would the new CEO want to mess with success?The driving force behind several buzzed-about networks, Devlin Hayes is considered to be a wunderkind in the television industry. Although his plans to rebrand CuisineTV and make Serving Romance more Millennial-friendly don’t thrill Cecily, her charming, blue-eyed boss is a hard man to say “no” to and she really wants to keep her job—even if that means sharing screen time with a loathsome blast from her past. Mercurial Italian chef Dante Marchetti a.k.a. “Il Duce” was once Cecily’s boss, and she has the PTSD to prove it. Now the owner of one of the hottest restaurants in town, Dante’s egomania knows no bounds and his constant attempts to provoke and upstage Cecily make her want to conk him on the head with a sauté pan. She thinks they’re toxic together, but viewers love their chemistry and clamor for more. As Cecily battles to maintain the integrity of her show, she finds herself scheming and manipulating right along with Dante and Devlin. Is she fighting a lost cause? Does she really belong on TV, or would her culinary talent be better served elsewhere? And could one of the men who makes Cecily’s blood boil ignite a passion in her for something other than food?

Sparks Will Fly


Daniel Banner - 2017
    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.)

Til Death We Do Part, Too


Bruno Beaches - 2021
    She seems wonderful, and it is love at first sight, and they marry quickly. However, not all is rosy in the garden, and a lifetime’s baggage rears its ugly head. Pablo’s ex-wife re-establishes contact with him, and he desperately seeks to exorcise the demons of that betrayal and divorce, but he gets drawn into a double life. Then, one shocking day, Hellion goes to work, and inexplicably, and without warning, fails to return home. Now he has to try to understand another devastating, bewildering calamity.Til Death We Do Part, Too is a story that scrutinises the impact of unfinished business, baggage, emotional damage, and lingering love. It balances heart-breaking loss with resilience, disorientation with hope, and desperation and bitterness with true enduring love and understanding. There is much insight into the reality of relationships and the frailty of the human psyche. It is told with immense depth of feeling, humour, and faith.

Messing with Matilda


Cat Lavoie - 2018
    She reluctantly finds herself back in the tiny hometown she fled a lifetime ago—determined to lay low and avoid running into anyone she used to know. So why is she reconnecting with her former best friend and putting up with the bridezilla antics of Amber, her high school nemesis? When Matilda is tasked with keeping the bride-to-be’s heartbroken ex away from the ceremony, she discovers she has history with the man who’s trying to sabotage the wedding. Matilda quickly realizes that teaming up with cute and quirky—but hopelessly devoted—Silas Flynn could be mutually beneficial. He needs help wooing the woman he considers the love of his life and Matilda can't pass up the chance to finally get back at the meanest of the mean girls by assisting Silas in his attempts to disrupt her wedding. Will everything go according to plan for this mismatched pair? Or will working so closely together make uptight Matilda and laid-back Silas lose sight of their common goal? One thing's for sure—things are about to get messy.

Four Friends


Robyn Carr - 2014
    Always the anchor for friends and her three angst-ridden teenagers, it's time to look carefully at herself. The journey for Gerri and her family is more than revealing—it's transforming. Andy doesn't have a great track record with men, and she's come to believe that for her a lasting love is out of reach. When she finds herself attracted to her down-to-earth, ordinary contractor—a man without any of the qualities that usually appeal to her—she questions everything she thought she wanted in life.Sonja's lifelong pursuit of balance is shattered when her husband declares he's through with her New Age nonsense and walks out. There's no herbal tonic or cleansing ritual that can restore her serenity—or her sanity. Miraculously, it's BJ, the reserved newcomer to Mill Valley, who steps into their circle and changes everything. The woman with dark secrets opens up to her neighbors, and together they get each other back on track, stronger as individuals and unfaltering as friends.

After I Do


Taylor Jenkins Reid - 2014
    They decide to take a year off in the hopes of finding a way to fall in love again. One year apart, and only one rule: they cannot contact each other. Aside from that, anything goes.Lauren embarks on a journey of self-discovery, quickly finding that her friends and family have their own ideas about the meaning of marriage. These influences, as well as her own healing process and the challenges of living apart from Ryan, begin to change Lauren’s ideas about monogamy and marriage. She starts to question: When you can have romance without loyalty and commitment without marriage, when love and lust are no longer tied together, what do you value? What are you willing to fight for?

We Are All Made of Stars


Rowan Coleman - 2015
    Married to a war veteran who has returned from Afghanistan brutally injured, Stella leaves the house each night as her husband Vincent, locks himself away, unable to sleep due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.During her nights at the hospice, Stella writes letters for her patients containing their final wishes, thoughts and feelings – from how to use a washing machine, to advice on how to be a good parent – and usually she delivers each letter to the recipient after he or she has died.That is until Stella writes one letter that she feels compelled to deliver in time to give her patient one final chance of redemption…

Arizona Forever: A love story


Jaclyn M. Hawkes - 2017
    Jessie Benn has everything—except Mr. Right. There’s only one problem. The one guy who intrigues her is completely wrong. She’s a veterinarian specializing in horses with a thriving practice nestled between her family’s Arizona ranches, looking for a nice, dependable guy who can take her to the eternities. He’s a visiting Australian business tycoon who’s just a touch bitter, a touch wild, and way more than a touch fascinating. What’s a girl to do? Jaclyn M Hawkes ROCKS! I love all of her books! Each is equally great. I can't think of anything negative to say about anything I have read of hers. This was another great story that had it all; great characters, fun, happiness, love, suspense, sadness, triumph, family, and joy. I'm not worried about letting my teenage daughters read anything Jaclyn writes. Thanks for another great read and please keep them coming! Couldn't put it down.... Jacklyn has a gift for giving her characters a fullness of personality, spirit and intellect that make them come to life. Her dialogue is quick, real and witty. I can only imagine what her life is like to have spawned the ideas, wisdom and humor she brings to her books This the fourth book of Jacklyn's I've read this week... I had read her first two books and then lost track of this author, not knowing she had four new books out. Found out - downloaded them, and have not quit reading since. Her emotional intelligence and wisdom come through in every chapter. This woman obviously has an amazing array of experience from which to pull her stories. She crafts characters anyone can relate to; they are thoroughly human yet their ideals are lofty. And who cannot relate to that? Each book was an engrossing read. I was transported into the lives of each character. Now I am sad there are none of her books left on my bookshelf that have yet to be read. I cannot wait for her next book! Fantastic as always! Fantastic, magnificent and beautifully written. Amazing! I have never read a book before that had me captive from the beginning. I cried, have laughed and felt her deep grief and confusion. What a wonderful book and a wonderfully exceptional writer. I can't wait to read more of Jaclyn Hawkes books! I'm becoming a really big fan of Jaclyn Hawkes, I love the way she writes! I enjoyed this book a lot. She touches on real things that we face and how we can overcome with the help of others who are put here to help us on our journey through life! I highly recommend this book and all her books! I always get the feel that it’s like a modern day western. I love it! And am always reading her books as soon as they come out. This book was great. It is a fun read that warms your heart and makes you feel just as awesome as the characters. A love story with depth and characters you want to meet This new book from Jaclyn Hawkes was delightful!

How I Came to Sparkle Again


Kaya McLaren - 2012
    She’s going to hold out for love.  The only problem is, love might come in the form of her ski bum best friend, who lives next door with his ski bum friends in a trailer known as “the Kennel.” Cassie Jones, at age ten, has lost her mother to cancer and no longer believes in anything anymore.  She knows her father is desperately worried about her, and she constantly looks for messages from her deceased mother through the heart-shaped rocks they once collected in the streams and hills of Sparkle. Three people at the crossroads of heartbreak and healing.  Three lives that will be changed one winter in Sparkle.  One tender, funny, tear-jerking novel you won’t soon forget.

Other People's Houses


Abbi Waxman - 2018
    She knows her cousin is hiding her desire for another baby from her spouse, Bill Horton's wife is mysteriously missing, and now this...After the shock of seeing Anne Porter in all her extramarital glory, Frances vows to stay in her own lane. But that's a notion easier said than done when Anne's husband throws her out a couple of days later. The repercussions of the affair reverberate through the four carpool families--and Frances finds herself navigating a moral minefield that could make or break a marriage.

Family Pictures


Jane Green - 2013
    Both women are wives and mothers to children who are about to leave the nest for school. They're both in their forties and have husbands who travel more than either of them would like. They are both feeling an emptiness neither had expected. But when a shocking secret is exposed, their lives are blown apart. As dark truths from the past reveal themselves, will these two women be able to learn to forgive, for the sake of their children, if not for themselves?

Family Album


Patricia Kay - 2002
    But under this surface perfection is a secret Hannah has tried to bury, one that rears its painful head each year on her birthday. When David Conway enters her life just as she turns thirty-eight, that secret will be exposed. Can Hannah's relationship with her husband and daughter survive when they discover she is not the person they thought her to be? Patricia Kay once again delivers an emotional story centering around family relationships, one of her favorite themes.

One Last Summer


Jo Noelle - 2017
    She doesn’t believe in marriage, and she’s learned to only count on herself. At her Uncle Walter’s insistence, and a little emotional blackmail, she returns to Misty Harbor Cottages to help him for one last summer in a place that's really the only home she’s ever known. Cole Zamora has worked at Misty Harbor for more than half of his twenty-three years, and imagined someday owning the place. He met Jenna when they were ten-years-old, and his young heart fell hard for her, relishing every summer she came back. That is, until two years ago, when she broke his heart and never returned. Uncle Walter proposes a challenge between the two, with the winner becoming the new owner of Misty Harbor. Now, there’s a real chance Cole could lose his heart and his home. Jenna isn’t sure which worries her more—a summer of rivalry or romance? One Last Summer is a 100-page novella in the clean & wholesome romance category.