Smaller and Smaller Circles


F.H. Batacan - 2002
    When it won the Carlos Palanca Grand Prize for the English Novel in 1999, it proved that fiction can be both popular and literary.F.H. Batacan has a degree in Broadcast Communication and a master's degree in Art Studies, both from the University of the Philippines in Diliman. She has worked as a policy researcher, broadcast journalist, web designer, and musician, and is currently a journalist based in Singapore. She previously won a prize for her short story "Door 59" in the 1997 Palanca awards, and her work has appeared in local magazines, as well as in the online literary magazine Web del Sol.

If I Could Stay


Stephanie Nicole Norris - 2018
    Then, her only mission was to attend college, pursue her modeling career, and leave her past hurts behind. But when Carmen receives some startling news, she decides the time to make her final appearance has arrived; however, reemerging could open old wounds and the obstacle of facing the man she left behind presents the biggest challenge of them all. Dominic Johnson has long since put thoughts of Carmen Mitchell out of sight and out of mind. Circumstances would bring her back to Brunswick, but there was no repartee to be spoken to the woman who’d left him years ago without so much as a goodbye. It isn’t until Dominic gains a first-hand glimpse of Carmen that old memories spark and a detonation of what was, and what could be, set off a myriad of images in his mind. Now Dominic is faced with a battle that’s waging internally, to stay out of her way or to succumb to Carmen Mitchell, again.

The Wrong Brother


Alexis Winter - 2020
    Rock bottom has a basement—and I just found it.I’ve been head over heels, write it in my diary over and over in love with my best friend Preston Young, pretty much my entire life.You’d think after decades of hiding my feelings I’d want to reveal my lifelong secret love to my best friend privately, but NOPE.As the queen of ridiculously grand romantic gestures,I chose a Jerry Springer style television reveal.I’ll spare you the anxiety inducing details and just say, it didn’t...work out the way I thought it would.Cue crawling into a deep dark hole of wine, ice cream and sad ass movies.I’m never showing my face again.Okay, so maybe he stormed off the stage and rejected me on live television.And maybe when his older brother came over to comfort me...I kissed him.So much for getting my sh*t together.It was just a kiss.And then a few more.And then so many toe-curling O’s my brains are permanently scrambled.One minute I’m pining for my best friend,The next I’m falling for his brother,And to make matters worse...now my best friend thinks he might be in love with me?I didn’t know it was even possible to screw up this bad.Am I destined to make one giant laughable mistake out of my life,Or did I miss what’s been right in front of me this entire time?

When He Falls


Michelle Jo Quinn - 2017
    WHEN HE FALLS ~Maggie~ I thought I had found the man I was going to spend the rest of my life with – until he ran off with my best friend on our wedding day. I had to get away from it all - my meddling mother, the cheating couple of the year, and the embarrassment of being stood up at the altar. My sister’s house in San Francisco is the perfect escape. I can get lost in a big city where nobody knows who I am, where I can mend my broken heart in silence. But someone crashes my pity party. Zach Faustino was the quiet boy who lived next door ten years ago. He was my first kiss and - if a young heart can be trusted - my first love. That was before he and his mother left without saying goodbye. Ten years have shaped him into an irresistible, charming young man. But the same ten years have also sharpened his edges, his dark past paving the way to a career that could end in a heartbeat. And despite it all, Zach hopes to change my mind about giving love another chance. But is a broken heart a willing heart? And if we’re both broken, is a second chance at love enough to fix us?

Her Secret


Elizabeth Lennox - 2018
    His heir! She’s just as beautiful as he remembers – and just as stubborn. And when they can’t ignore the fire between them any longer, he finds more pleasure in her arms than any that have come before. Kate's back in Altair with her infant son for a new movie. An invitation to the palace brings her face to face with the man she knew as only Talal. She should hate him for deceiving her and disappearing the way he did but the emotion she's feeling isn't what she expected.

Spring Blooms at the Hummingbird Hotel


Daisy James - 2022
    

Home Again


Kristin Hannah - 1996
    Her personal life is far less successful. A loving but overworked single mom, she is constantly at odds with her teenage daughter. At sixteen, Lina is confused, angry, and fast becoming a stranger to her mother—a rebel desperate to find the father who walked away before she was born. Complicating matters for Madelaine are the vastly different DeMarco brothers: While priest Francis DeMarco is always ready to lend a helping hand, his brother, Angel, long ago took on the role of bad boy. Years earlier Angel abandoned Madelaine—and fatherhood—to go in search of fame and fortune. His departure left Madelaine devastated, but now he reappears and seeks help from the very people he betrayed—as a patient in dire need. With Home Again, New York Times bestselling author Kristin Hannah has written a moving, powerful novel about the fragile threads that bind together our lives and the astonishing possibility of second chances.

Dreaming of Christmas


T.A. Williams - 2018
    But can Zoe still find love in the Alps? Dumped on Christmas Eve by her long-term boyfriend, it's been a rough year for Zoe Lumsley. But then she gets an invitation she can’t refuse: an all expenses paid skiing holiday with old university friends.The bad news: her ex, Grant, will be there with his new girlfriend. But so will her former flatmate Billy, the organiser, and in the meantime he’s done rather well for himself. As Christmas in the Alps approaches, it'll be great to see the old gang. Some more than others... Perfect for readers of Tilly Tenant, Holly Martin and Philippa Ashley, this is the perfect magical Christmas getaway from the bestselling T.A. Williams.

The Nightmare Ex-Boyfriend Before Christmas: A modern day Christmas Carol


Devon Hartford - 2019
    It’s also the epicenter of our past scandal that nearly killed me and my parents when it broke.Trust me, it made the local TV news every night for two weeks. One night, it went national.Guess who never left King City?Channing.The curb turd.As relentless as he was on the field, I would’ve thought he’d go on to play in the NFL. He never did. Knee injury. Oh, the cliche.Small pond, meet big fish.Only this fish has grown bigger than anyone ever expected, built up his own business empire. Turns out he’s better at business than he ever was at football, and that’s saying something. Despite his knee injury, he managed to keep his college football body, abs and all. Wherever he goes, it’s raining money and marriage proposals.When he finds out I’m home for the holidays, he just has to come knocking at my parents’ house bearing meaningless gifts.News flash, unless he’s hoping for an immaculate conception, he has another thing coming, and it definitely won’t be me.

Marriage Of Convenience


Cher Etan - 2015
    A number 1 best seller in the African American Romance category.A complete story with no cliff hanger, brought to you by best selling author Cher Etan.Jonathon is facing losing it all.His grandfather has given him an ultimatum:Marry and be in a stable relationship by the time you're 30, or lose out on your inheritance.There's just one problem; the women Jonathon has so far associated himself with are less than marriage material, and would probably cause more issues in the long run than they're worth.So when he 'bumps into' Leila on the way to a benefit she's organizing, he soon decides she's the perfect woman for the deal.Smart, caring and attractive, and not the kind of woman who would get greedy and take him for all he's worth.But how will Leila, a woman who's been heartbroken in the past, feel about marrying for convenience?And when Jonathon's granddad realizes his grandson's marrying a woman of color on an average salary, how will he react?Find out in this touching romance story by best selling romance author Cher Etan.Suitable for over 18s only due to sexual scenes so hot you'll need an ice shower.

The Marriage Bureau for Rich People


Farahad Zama - 2008
    Ali sees his new business flourish as the indomitable Mrs. Ali and his careful assistant, Aruna, look on with vigilant eyes. There's the man who wants a tall son-in-law because his daughter is short; the divorced woman who ends up back with her ex-husband; a salesman who can't seem to sell himself; and a wealthy, young doctor for whom no match is ever perfect. But although his clients go away happy, little does Mr. Ali know that his esteemed Aruna hides a tragedy in her past-a misfortune that the bureau, as luck would have it, serendipitously undoes. Bursting with the color and allure of India, and with a cast of endearing characters, The Marriage Bureau for Rich People has shades of Jane Austen and Alexander McCall Smith but with a resonance and originality entirely its own. Farahad's effortless style reveals a country still grappling with the politics of caste, religion, and civil unrest, all the while delivering a shamefully delightful read.