With the surgery comes the realization that anything is possible from losing weight, working out, a complete makeover, a new wardrobe, to men in her life for the first time. Each step is terrifying as time after time she's forced to get out of her comfort zone because of all the changes taking place. As the Alexis package becomes more appealing it brings with it an exotic sports car, a glamorous face and body, and a chance at love. But when the ex-wife of the man she falls in love with wants to reconcile with him, Alexis' hard fought midlife victory becomes a nightmare, and she resorts to returning to what used to work for her when she didn't want to deal with her feelings - food. Is she doomed to live a life of unhappiness or is there a happy ever after for her? You can't read about Alexis' trials and tribulations without rooting for her every step of the way. Although her midlife journey forces her to come to terms with a lifetime of being overweight, her struggle of dealing with changes in midlife is one every woman will face in one form or another. This is Alexis' midlife journey.

    But when she discovers that she's pregnant, after a one-night stand, all of a sudden she suddenly has more than herself to think about.Fast-forward four years and now her daughter Lilly is asking questions about her father. While tracking down high-flying property developer Dennis Prendergast is the last thing Becky wants to do, she knows that Lilly has a right to know who her father is. But when Becky finally locates Dennis, she discovers that his life has taken a very different route. And finding out he has a daughter is definitely not in his five-year plan.Can people ever really change? As Becky comes to know the person Dennis is now, and a little more about herself, she begins to think that maybe people can.

     Her two daughters, from a previous relationship, are now both adult. Jo, ambitious and independent, is pursuing a career as a barrister. Jo’s younger sister is very different. Shelley, just 20, sweet natured, trusting and innocent, still lives at home and works at a local animal clinic. They are a normal, happy family - and then Shelley meets Sam on the street and everything changes. Martha struggles to accept Shelley’s choice of boyfriend as, with increasing anger, she witnesses the erosion of all Shelley’s values under Sam’s influence. When Martha’s efforts to persuade Shelley to give Sam up fail, she decides on a more direct approach. The consequences of her actions are devastating for everyone and change the course of Martha’s life forever. “After I’d gone up to bed that night, leaving Gabe amidst the carnage I had created in the living room, I formulated my plan. But it was pure chance that I met Sam on Putney Bridge some three weeks later and I went ahead with it.”

    Each episode takes around 25 minutes to read and follows the lives and dramas of the residents moving into the newly built properties of Jasmine Close.JASMINE CLOSEby Linda DunscombeJasmine Close is a soap opera to enjoy on your Kindle or eReader. Follow the lives and dramas of the residents of a brand new housing estate in episodes that take around twenty-five minutes to read. Perfect for your lunch break, short commute, or just to curl up with on the sofa or read in bed.Meet some of the charactersVictoria works in the show-home and she likes to know what’s going on. She’s nosy, bossy, and caring, with a husband who keeps going AWOL and a teenage daughter she’s struggling to connect with.Jenny is suffering from post-traumatic stress and the move to the new house in the new city will, according to her husband, Miles, make everything better.Barry is the building site Foreman who is working to a schedule that keeps being interrupted by the half-naked ladies in apartment two who keep diverting his men away from their work.Steve severed his spine in a car accident and, fresh from the Spinal Injuries rehab unit, he’s trying to find his place in a world that is now much scarier in a wheelchair than it was when he could walk.Sonia has a perfect family and a secret life while Belle just wants to keep her children safe and Natasha and Ed are adjusting to life with a new baby who cries all the time.The American, Brett Anderson, is on a brief visit to see his sister, but he might have found a reason to make him stick around for a while longer.

    The Whitshanks are a family who believe certain myths about themselves. They believe they are happier than other families, and closer to each other, and they believe that Whitshanks have a way of getting what they want. In the winding course of this novel, Tyler shows how these beliefs are true in some ways, but painfully untrue in other ways. This latest work from Anne Tyler is as masterful and absorbing as anything she has written. Her patient character development, her unsentimental portrayal of family life, and her brilliant understanding of the psychology of parents and children all combine to create a memorable and breath-taking novel. Fans of Anne Tyler will not be disappointed, and new readers will no doubt rush to read her extensive back list. This companion also includes the following: • Book Review • Story Setting Analysis • Story elements you may have missed as we decipher the novel • Summary of the text, with some analytical comments interspersed • Thought Provoking /or Discussion Questions for both Readers & Book Clubs • Discussion & Analysis of Themes, Symbols… • And Much More! This Analysis fills the gap, making you understand more while enhancing your reading experience.

    

    

    It's Millie's worst nightmare. Not only has she slept with the groom, but her ex boyfriend (the one that got away) is the best man and he's married. As her friend, Kristen, gets ready for the best day of her life, Millie gears up for the worst week of hers.Previously published under 'Anna Bell'

    True, it was written four months ago, but could his heart have changed so drastically in so little time? Desperate to know, she packs a bag and plans to bridge the five states between them. But a series of cosmic misadventures leaves her no other choice for her cross country journey than a gypsy cab driver who’s willing to take her the distance for a hefty fee. Sardonic, arrogant Brian Stoker is the last person likely to sympathize with a quest for last chance love. But he may be her only hope as a chain of obstacles and adventures threaten to become a detour from her destiny. Will Evelyn be late to the wedding–or will she have a romantic rendezvous in time for a happy ending?Excerpt from Late to the Wedding:Evelyn closed her eyes as despair washed over her. Turning away from the taxi lane, she walked forlornly towards the automatic doors. Her glance fell on a vehicle parked nearby, a 1970s notchback Sedan she had noticed circling the lot as she spoke to the constantly moving line of cabs. Most likely a hack, or gypsy cab driver as some referred to them. Guys willing to take legal risks for a little extra cash on a busy weekend. The driver lowered his newspaper to glance up at her passing figure, revealing a faded button down shirt with an open collar. Dark, tousled hair and a jaw that sported days old stubble; coal black eyes that flicked in her direction with a hint of challenge. As if daring her to approach, knowing all the while she was too timid and guarded to risk it. Perhaps that’s what made her shoulder her carry-on more firmly and march directly to his driver’s side window.“Excuse me…” she faltered a little, her gaze taking in the car’s shabby interior, with its dusty dashboard and peeling leather upholstery. “By any chance…that is, are you…” “Operating an illegal cab service?” supplied the sardonic voice, the dark eyes studying her beneath raised brows. “Sure.” He tossed the paper into the passenger seat and offered a smile that struck her as arrogant for someone who clearly did most of their grooming with the aid of a rear view mirror. “I–I need a ride,” she stammered, realizing a second later how obvious that must be. “That is, can you take me to Binghamton?” she asked, selecting a city that was relatively near the Pennsylvania state line and roughly two hours into her journey. If he took her there and not a mile further, it would be at least be a start.He seemed to hesitate, no doubt weighing the loss of convention traffic. His gaze taking in her trim figure, expensive attire, and scant luggage with a scrutiny that made her blush. “I usually settle my fee before driving in circumstances like this,” he said, after a moment. “But I guess I can make an exception for you. Although this seems a little far for a cab ride if you ask me.”Evelyn shrugged, pretending to miss the insult behind the provision. “Well, I’m sort of playing this trip by ear, so I can’t really guarantee…” She let her voice trail off, turning her head nonchalantly in the direction of the moving cab line. Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she prayed that this maneuver would call his bluff. Show him she wasn’t the usual sucker tourist in need of a cheap ride.“We’ll work something out,” he said, taking the bait.

    He purchases life insurance, luggage insurance, and always opts for the extended warranty. He's responsible, reliable, and would make any woman a wonderful life partner.In other words, he's the exact opposite of the Masterton clan.Cat's mother has a kitchen gadget fetish, a father whose best friends are taxidermied field mice, and a super stoner man-child brother who lives--where else?--in the basement. Then there's Nan, her proud Scottish grandmother with a proclivity for profanity and mischief.What on earth will Catriona's Normal fiancé think when he comes home with her to meet her parents? What will he think when he discovers his soon-to-be in-laws invited Cat's ex to join them for a holiday dinner?Find out in a laugh-out-loud journey of self-discovery, familial pandemonium, and love. A must read for fans of a true romantic comedy!Relatively Sane : Silver Medal Winner at the 2109 International Readers Favorite Awards!Catriona Masterton’s family is not normal.Her father has a passion for taxidermized animals that he dresses in the family plaid. Her mother has a penchant for hoarding kitchen gadgets and other oddities that leave her sanity in question. Her grandmother, Nan, has never met a swearword she doesn’t like.Despite all this, party-planner Cat leaves the hustle and bustle of New York City to move back to her tiny hometown outside of Chicago. She even buys her parents' farm with plans to turn the barn into a stylish wedding venue.Enter House to Home Television’s Renovation Brothers. Cat gets accepted as one of the show's projects, bringing two gorgeous brothers to her doorstep. Unbeknownst to Cat, the TV hosts are behind a secret her newfound boyfriend will go to great lengths to keep hidden.With all the upheaval—her parents' chaotic move, her grandmother joyfully causing trouble wherever she goes, a film crew documenting her home being torn apart, and her boyfriend’s odd behavior—Cat's starting to wonder if signing up for a reality TV show was a big mistake.Will the renovation be a success? Or will secrecy and jealousy make Cat regret the day she packed her bags and left New York?Find out in this hysterical tale packed with small-town charm, family drama, and true love.Relatively HappySarah Hastings’ life is chaotic. Between running her organic farm, her yurt-style holistic B&B, and her vegan café Eat Me!, she barely has time for an aura cleanse. What’s more, her spirit guide just announced the universe is sending her a man.Suddenly, a sexy pro-football player, a hipster photojournalist, and fellow organic farmer practically fall from the sky onto her doorstep. But which one is her cosmic soulmate?While Sarah meditates on the answer, her parents show up unexpectedly throwing the mother of all monkey wrenches into her carefully laid plans.With only morning yoga and her erotic book club to keep her sane, no wonder she’s chucked her vegan diet in search of bacon. Will the stars of love align, or will the universe let her down in the biggest way possible?

    Since publishing his first short story "Seventh Test Tube" in Kalkandu magazine in 1968, he has written over 1,500 short novels and over 2,000 short stories. Many of his detective novels feature the recurring characters Vivek and Rubella. He continues to publish at least five novels every month, in the pocket magazines Best Novel, Everest Novel, Great Novel, Crime Novel, and Dhigil Novel, besides short stories published in weekly magazines like Kumudam and Ananda Vikatan. His writing is widely popular in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in Sri Lanka.

    After the authorities haul away the remains of the body, Michael finds something that he thinks will change his and his family's life forever. So he makes a choice. But when his family is threatened and his options turn from bad to worse, Michael regrets his immediate choices. But by then it's too late.

    But the ghosts of Madison's war in Afghanistan have wreaked havoc on his life and put his marriage on the skids. Kicked out of home by the woman he loves, Madison wants back in but has much to prove and a lot of trust to regain. His big chance arrives in the form of a case that looks hopeless at first, but Madison never loses faith. In this courtroom drama, the personal and professional become tightly intertwined—Madison fights with all he's got because it's all on the line.

    But when her first guest, Daniel Fitzwilliam, arrives it’s soon clear that the tranquil seaside village has a few surprises in store!Kiki is hoping for a fresh start after her marriage falls to pieces – and her sister’s guesthouse by the sea is the perfect escape. Yet when Aaron Spenser offers to share his cottage until she’s back on her feet, she realises she may have found more than just a new home…Nee knows that returning to Butterfly Cove means facing Luke Spenser, the man she impulsively married, then left in the middle of the night. Running away was the biggest mistake of her life – but could coming home for Christmas be the best decision she’s ever made?

    Rose Moroney is seventeen, smart, spirited – and pregnant. She wants to marry her boyfriend. Her ambitious parents have other plans. She is sent to Ireland, their birthplace, to deliver her daughter in a Mother and Baby home. Against Rose's will, her baby is taken for adoption. Dublin 2013. Martha Sheeran’s life has come undone. Her marriage is over, and her husband has moved on with unsettling speed. Under pressure from her teenage daughter, she starts looking for the woman who gave her up for adoption more than forty years before. Martha's search for her birth mother leads her to the heart of long-buried family secrets and forces her to question everything she thought she knew. When her first love, Paudie Carmody, re-enters the frame, she's also forced to take a hard look at her own life. From Boston to rural Ireland; from Dublin back to Boston, The American Girl is a heart-warming and enthralling story about mothers and daughters, love and cruelty and, ultimately, the struggle for acceptance – and the embrace of new horizons.