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The Letter: Kitty's Story
Eliza J. Scott - 2018
Until the day she (literally) bumps into her first love, the handsome and easy-going Ollie Cartwright – someone she’s done her best to avoid for as long as she can remember. Looking into Ollie’s eyes awakens feelings for him she thought she’d buried deep years ago, and he clearly feels the spark, too. As she walks away, Kitty can’t help but wonder what might have been… Dan senses that his marriage is on shaky ground and knows he needs to win his wife round. He turns on the charm, skilfully using their two children, Lucas and Lily, as bargaining tools. But Kitty’s older brother, Jimby, and her childhood best-friends, Molly and Violet, have decided enough is enough. For years they’ve had to watch from afar as Kitty’s been browbeaten into an unrecognisable version of herself. They vow to make her see Dan for what he really is, but their attempts are no match for his finely-honed courtroom skills and, against her better judgement, Kitty agrees to give her husband one last chance. But, all-too-soon, a series of heart-breaking events and a shocking secret throw her life into turmoil… Will she stand by Dan, or will Kitty be brave enough to take the leap and follow her heart to Ollie? Life is anything but peaceful in the chocolate-box pretty village of Lytell Stangdale, where life unravels, and hearts are broken. Full of heart-warming moments, this book with have you crying tears of joy, laughter and sadness.
The Bonds of Matri-money
Gina Ardito - 2006
Paying the settlement will probably force them to close their non-profit business. That is, until they learn about a new survivalist game show set in exotic Bali. Grand prize: one million dollars. The catch? The show is for newlyweds.Nothing that a quickie marriage--in name only--can't fix. But Renata and Connell didn't anticipate they'd be linked by handcuffs the entire time they're competing! Soon, spending days and nights with only a few inches of chain between them begins to stir feelings they never knew existed.
I Give You My Heart
SarahJane Ford - 2018
A life-saving sacrifice. A love letter written on the walls of her heart. Alice Richards looked forward to watching the seeds of love she and her husband planted bloom and grow well into their old age. But her plans for the future shrivel up and die when she learns she has an inoperable brain tumour. Determined that she won’t die in vain, she decides to become an organ donor. With a few precious months left, Alice begins documenting her fairytale romance—from their first meeting to the children they dreamed of having. She’ll pass on every detail to her heart’s next owner… along with careful instructions to send her husband reminders of her undying love. Before her time runs out, Alice must find the perfect candidate to guide her husband through unimaginable grief and hold the memory of their love in her heart. I Give You My Heart is an emotional romantic fiction novel with an uplifting message. If you like strong-willed women, undying love stories, and honest portrayals of coping with a terminal illness, then you’ll love SarahJane Ford’s heart-warming epic. An unmissable love story full of warmth, beauty and with a huge, beating heart. Perfect for fans of Cecilia Ahern's 'P.S. I Love You' and Jojo Moyes' 'Me Before You'. Buy I Give You My Heart to experience a courageous story of undying love today! "A heart-breaking yet mind blowing read…phenomenal storytelling…I genuinely don’t think that anything could have prepared me for what lay beneath the cover of SarahJane Ford’s novel. Nothing at all…it was heartbreakingly beautiful, eyes pouring, limbs trembling, heart shattering emotional. Beautiful beyond belief, ‘I Give You My Heart’ is…..perfect.” – The Writing Garnet Blog "One of the most beautiful books I have ever read...I wanted to devour this in one go- it was hard to let go (and go to bed). I have my own special award of 5** which about 10% of the book I read achieve (I read around 220 a year). This one deserves its own award- I would give it 10* if I could. I don’t think I have ever been so touched by a book quite so much. Yes I cried at the end but boy did I smile a lot too. Alice was such a positive character that you couldn’t help but love her. I think this could be my book of the year 2018. A treasure of a read I shall remember for a very long time." - Nicki's Book blog “I Give You My Heart is THE most emotional book I have EVER read; it's an absolutely stunning debut and one not to miss." – The Book Magnet “The characters are truly amazing and the writing is eloquent and emotional in all of the right places…I GIVE YOU MY HEART by Sarah Jane Ford is a novel that deserves to read by the masses and is one that will linger in my mind for a long time to come.” – Books Of All Kinds “This romance story with a difference is a real must-read.” – Fraser’s Fun House "A truly brilliant book that is hard to believe is a debut due to the depth of the characters, it was emotional, addictive and full of positivity and light even in the most emotional and heartbreaking moments . A highly recommended read." - Goodreads reviewer 'Kelly'
The Jennifer Weiner Collection (Good in Bed/In Her Shoes)
Jennifer Weiner - 2005
The smart, sharp, plus-sized reporter was perfectly happy writing about other people's lives for her local newspaper. She loves her job, her friends, her dog and her life. She has made a tenuous peace with her body and she even felt okay about ending her relationship with Bruce. But now this...'Loving a larger woman is an act of courage in our world,' Bruce has written in a national woman's magazine. And Cannie is plunged into misery, and the most amazing year of her life. IN HER SHOES: Rose Feller is thirty years old, a high-powered attorney, with a secret passion for romance novels, and dreams of a man who will tell her that she's beautiful. Meet Rose's sister Maggie. Twenty-eight years old, drop-dead gorgeous and only occasionally employed, Maggie dreams of fame and fortune - and of getting her dowdy big sister to stick to a skin-care regime. These two women are about to learn that their family is more different than they ever imagined, and that they're more alike than they'd ever believe.
Knitting Under the Influence
Claire LaZebnik - 2006
Kathleen has been cut off financially by her family and forced to enter "the real world" for the very first time. Sari has fallen for the man who made her life a living hell in high school, but now desperately needs her help. Lucy, torn between emotion and reason, must reevaluate her life when her lab and her boyfriend are assailed by an animal-rights group. At their club meetings, they discuss the really important questions: how bad is it, really, to marry for money if you like the guy a lot anyway? Can you ever forgive someone for something truly atrocious that they've done? Is it better to be unhappily coupled than happily alone? And the little ones: Can you wear a bra with a hand-knit tube top? Is it ever acceptable to knit something for a boyfriend? And why do your stitches become lopsided after your second martini? In Claire LaZebnik's hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking novel, Sari, Lucy, and Kathleen's lives intersect, overlap, unravel, and come back together in an utterly satisfying read.
Just My Type
Hannah Doyle - 2019
- The quirky/cool photographer to a superstar blogger - She's going on a date with a SUPER hot guy on the London Eye tonight - Best friend Mila is her wifey for life - This millennial is #LivingHerBestLife But fast-forward a few hours, and the reality isn't quite so picture perfect. Jasmine hates her stuck-up blogger boss. She can barely afford rent in her stupid London flat. Her best friend seems to have all her sh*t together. Oh, and that date she was so excited about? She got dumped. On the London Eye. In the middle of a thunderstorm. With a bunch of tourists watching... Best friend Mila decides that Jasmine needs a new 'type on paper', because Jasmine's current criteria is so off that her dating history is one long line-up of fools. So Mila challenges Jasmine to look once, if not twice, at the guys who wouldn't normally fit her 'type'. With nothing to lose, Jasmine accepts. Maybe, just maybe, she'll surprise herself.
Catching Liam
Gennifer Albin - 2013
Boy-catching isn't just a game for Jillian and her friends, it's a lifestyle. After all, boys might be good for a dance or a drink and certainly a little under-cover action of the scandalous variety, but expect much else and you're bound for heart ache.So when her best friends and fellow boy catchers start dropping like flies junior year, Jillian is determined to keep boys in her bedroom and out of her heart. Until she meets Liam McAvoy, the kind of guy that sticks around to make waffles and who can't—or perhaps won't—take a hint. Study abroad student Liam doesn't want to be another notch on Jillian's bedpost. Actually he has much more interesting ideas for Jillian and her bedposts, but his student visa's set expiration date means he can't promise her forever. That doesn't mean he's going to walk away from the challenge of discovering why Jillian is hell-bent at keeping people at a distance. Before long, neither is sure who is catching who—or if they're playing for keeps. Jillian knows one thing though: falling in love will not only break the only rule of boy-catching, it could also break her heart.
Blind Dates, Bridesmaids, and Other Disasters
Aspen Hadley - 2019
One great job, two awesome roommates, and a supportive family. But when her roommate Hannah announces her engagement, Rachel sees eternal singleness and innumerable cats in her future. When the bride-to-be issues a challenge--go on six blind dates and before the "I do's" --Rachel isn't convinced her imagined future is that bad in comparison. The dates are predictably horrible and the situation further complicated by the return of James, Rachel's first, long-lost love. James says he is over her . . . but is Rachel over him?
A Taste of Heaven
Penny Watson - 2015
When the producer of a cooking competition requests an amuse-bouche, the chefs stick with proteins. Sauces. A savory concoction. She has only one shot to impress the judges on A Taste of Heaven. But in a moment of defiance, she creates an extraordinary dessert, one that combines both the bitter and the sweet, just like her own life. That one bite changes everything. After a year grieving for her dead husband, forty-seven-year-old Sophia is finally ready to break out of her shell. Unfortunately, there is a large, angry obstacle standing in her way. Scottish chef Elliott Adamson has a chip on his shoulder the size of Loch Ness, and he's blocking her path to victory. Spurred by her daughters, she embarks on a poignant adventure that takes her from the wildflower fields of Vermont to the wind-swept vista of North Berwick, Scotland. Fear, courage, and inspiration from unlikely places will mark this journey, and Sophia is determined to persevere until the very end. A Taste of Heaven is a novel that includes a foodie romance, second chances, and a wee bit of haggis.
Lipstick Jungle
Candace Bushnell - 2005
This time around, the ladies are a bit older, a lot richer, but not particularly wiser nor more endearing than Bushnell's earlier heroines. Lipstick Jungle weaves the stories of Nico O'Neilly, Wendy Healy, and Victory Ford, numbers 8, 12, and 17 on The New York Post's list of "New York's 50 Most Powerful Women." But this is 21st Century New York, and to get ahead and stay ahead, these women will do anything, including jeopardizing their personal and professional relationships. Take for example Nico, editor-in-chief of Bonfire magazine, who betrays her boss to rise to the top of the entire magazine division at media mega-giant Splatch-Verner. As president of Paradour Pictures, Wendy may be poised to win an Oscar for her 10-year labor-of-love, Ragged Pilgrims, but her marriage is in shambles and her children care more about a $50,000 pony than their mother. And for single, 43-year-old fashion designer Victory, pleasing tough critics may be more important than ever finding the real relationship she's convinced herself she doesn't need. This racy tale of women behaving badly manages to shrewdly flip the tables to show us how gender roles are essentially interchangeable, given the right circumstances. Whether that was Bushnell's intent when crafting this wicked tale is another story. --Gisele Toueg Q: Were Victory, Wendy, and Nico inspired by any real-life women? A: The characters and situations in Lipstick Jungle were inspired by the real-life women I know and admire in New York City. As with Sex and the City, I spent a lot of time thinking about where women were today, and what I noticed was that there was a fascinating group of women in their forties who were leading non-traditional lives. They were highly successful and motivated, they often had children, and usually were the providers for their families, and yet, they didn't fit the old stereotype of the witchy businesswoman. Indeed, so many of these women were the girls next door, the girls who reminded me of my best friends when I was a kid and we used to fantasize about the great things we were going to do in life. Like the women in Sex and the City, the Lipstick Jungle women are charting new lives for themselves, redefining what it means to be a woman when you really are as powerful, or more powerful, than a man. Of course, you probably want specifics, so I will say that there was a moment when it all clicked. Tina Brown used to write a terrific column in the Washington Post, and one of the things she was always mentioning was how there was a group of powerful women who were meeting and lunching at Michael's restaurant. They'd been working for over twenty years, their children were now in their early teens and didn't need them every minute, and now, in their forties or early fifties, they had time to strive for new career goals and to spend more time with their girlfriends. I thought, "Aha--that's the Lipstick Jungle." Q: What kind of research did you do to cover fashion, film, and publishing in one book? A: To research fashion, film and publishing, I did what I always do--I talked to my girlfriends! Of course, it helps that I've worked in magazine publishing and have had my share of experience with Hollywood. I'm also lucky enough to have a couple of girlfriends who are top designers, who offered to help me out with the specific details. I still remember the afternoon when one of my girlfriends and I sat down to talk--she was over eight months pregnant, and I was worried that we were going to have to run to the hospital!
Make-Believe Marriage
Marilyn Shank - 2000
Otherwise, she'll lose her inheritance. Trevor Mathison, Headmaster of Brookshire School, needs both a sixth-grade teacher and a wife.When a comedy of errors leads Claire's grandfather, the Chairman of the Board, to believe Claire and Trevor are married, they play along - both too afraid to tell the older man the truth.A powerful magnetism sparks between the couple but her free-spirited lifestyle clashes with his highly structured one. The conflicts they face both at school and at home turn Trevor's organized life into instant chaos.Can Claire and Trevor make their love last? Will they turn this pretend marriage into happily ever after?
How to Fetch a Fiancé
Rachelle J. Christensen - 2017
A faithful German Shepherd named Duke helps Audrey and her two daughters adjust to their new life, but nothing can heal the hurt Audrey feels. Angry at God and focused on work, Audrey pushes away any attempts for future relationships. But a game of fetch changes everything when her dog runs into Troy Jackson. Troy, the billionaire owner of Arise Music, is too handsome, too busy and too haunted by his past for a relationship. Audrey grabs hold of his heart and impresses him with her musical talent, but why is she willing to work with a Christian label when she’s harboring ill feelings toward God? Within the first week of work, Audrey’s car breaks down and Troy offers her a ride home. They end up chasing fireflies, laughing, and connecting. When Troy asks her out, she decides one date won’t hurt. That one date turns into a private Fourth of July celebration with fireworks in the sky and her heart. Troy finds himself falling in love with Audrey, but when the truth about his past comes to light, will Audrey’s faith be lost forever?
Perfume Of Provence
Kate Fitzroy - 2014
Surely the Mediterranean sea breeze will blow away memories of the disastrous anniversary dinner-that-never-was??During a chance visit to a nearby perfumery, Rosie meets the owner, Jean-Michel de Fleurenne, whose distillery and crumbling chateau are desperately in need of her PR expertise. Everyone knows you should never mix business with pleasure… but in the heat of Provence the rules seem to melt away. The soft perfume of the lavender fields and the rich citrus aromas of the fruit trees are blissfully intoxicating and soon, maybe all too soon, Rosie is falling madly in love with a certain impossibly handsome French perfumier and his aristocratic life at Chateau de Fleurenne.But if French is the language of love then why doesn't the path of true love run smoothly for Rosie?
Wife Support System
Kathleen Whyman - 2020
Instead of living with our partners, struggling to do everything by ourselves and only seeing each other now and then, we should do it the other way round. We should live together and see them now and then.Erica knows her suggestion sounds extreme, but when her nanny leaves without notice, she’s extremely desperate. Polly and Louise aren’t convinced, but when circumstances force them to move into Polly’s enormous but run-down house, they have to admit that life’s much easier when the childcare and workload is shared. At first, communal living seems like the answer to all their prayers - childcare on tap, rotas for cleaning, and someone always available to cook dinner (no more last-minute pizza delivery!). But over time, resentment starts to grow as they judge each other’s parenting styles and bicker over cleaning, cooking and whose turn it is to buy toilet rolls.And as one woman has her head turned by a handsome colleague, one resorts to spying on her husband and another fights to keep a dark secret, they need each other more than ever. But can Polly, Louise and Erica keep their friendship and relationships strong? Or will their perfect mumtopia fall apart?Essential reading for anyone fed up with never-ending housework/homeschooling/preparing healthy meals that their kids reject … Will have you shrieking with laughter! Fans of Why Mummy Drinks, Has Anyone Seen My Sex Life? and Beth O’Leary won’t want to miss this one!