Sanders' Starfish (John Sanders, #1) 2nd Edition


Tara C. Allred - 2003
    John Sanders is about to begin his career as a clinical psychologist. Full of optimism, he believes he can make a difference and is eager to provide hope to a group the world has deemed hopeless. Yet in John's quest to offer those in his care a second chance, he embarks on his own journey of self-discovery. In his search, clear answers become scrambled confusion while the unimaginable truth is trapped in a complex web. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ "Sander’s Starfish is a powerful story regarding the worth of a soul and doing what is right in the face of any challenge which may arise. As tension builds, author Allred does a masterful job with intermingling the lives of the two main characters. The manuscript is accomplished with ardent insight into the life of the mentally ill as well as being completed with striking writing. The detailed and true to life scenes of life in a residential care treatment center are powerfully portrayed. Sanders’ Starfish is a riveting account drawing the reader into the storyline from the opening lines as we stand at the door confronting Clarissa with Dr Sanders. Our knees smart when the cart is thrust into his by the dogged patient. Reader attention is held fast from that initial contact with this anecdote’s main character and does not diminish until we find the conflict is properly decided. Writing is good quality, action is fast paced, a convincing well thought out plot is easy to follow, dialogue used effectively moves the story along. Sanders’ Starfish is not a light hearted little tale. Richly rendered surroundings, commanding stimulus, story line twists, snappy exchanges, hair raising excitement and satisfyingly puzzling uncertainty pack the pages of author Allred’s initial work with mesmerizing reader appeal. With a razor sharp, centered narrative; Allred gives a picture of life in a residential care unit few are aware exists. Flourishing with well rounded characters in this remarkably directed anecdote of deception, underhanded conniving and unexpected disputes, the book has something to please every reader." Reviewed by: Molly’s Reviews/Molly Martin

My Temporary Life


Martin Crosbie - 2011
    Growing up, he's raised by a promiscuous mother who can't stay out of trouble, his best friend is a thirteen-year-old alcoholic, and the masters at his tough Scottish school are always raising their canes in his direction. When he becomes an adult, he escapes, and chooses the safe route, watching the world from a distance.Everything changes the day he meets the beautiful, alluring, green-eyed Heather, and when he learns of Heather's own abusive childhood and the horrific secret she's been carrying, Malcolm decides to help her. And, this time he's not backing down, whatever the cost.

The Quiet Village


T.J. Walter - 2017
    He discovers a quiet village deep in the countryside and settles there. He makes new friends and finds a new love, but there are undercurrents; events that threaten his newfound peace. Then a murder occurs and he finds himself drawn into the investigation, unsure of who among his new friends he can trust. How will he overcome this without losing all he has gained?

The American Heiress


Daisy Goodwin - 2010
    Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the twentieth century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, whose family mansion in Newport dwarfs the Vanderbilts', suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. Nothing is quite as it seems, however: Ivo is withdrawn and secretive, and the English social scene is full of traps and betrayals. Money, Cora soon learns, cannot buy everything, as she must decide what is truly worth the price in her life and her marriage. Witty, moving, and brilliantly entertaining, Cora's story marks the debut of a glorious storyteller who brings a fresh new spirit to the world of Edith Wharton and Henry James.

Say You Will


Kate Perry - 2013
    The last thing she wants is to leave San Francisco for London, especially not to deal with her father's latest scandal—dying in his mistress's arms. At least she can find comfort in knowing she can leave after the memorial. Little did she know. Not only is her father's will missing but, according to his lawyer, her mother will lose everything if it's discovered. Reluctantly joining forces with her sisters to seek and destroy the will is the only way of ensuring her father doesn't win in the end. Enter Nick Long, the one bright spot about being in London. Nick's everything she's ever dreamed of in a man—supportive, eager to help, and bone-meltingly hot. But Nick's motives aren't as pure as they seem, and the secret he's keeping may tear Rosalind's family and fortune apart.

The Nothing Girl


Jodi Taylor - 2014
     Getting a life isn't always easy. And hanging on to it is even harder... Known as “The Nothing Girl” because of her severe stutter and chronically low self-confidence, Jenny Dove is only just prevented from ending it all by the sudden appearance of Thomas, a mystical golden horse only she can see. Under his guidance, Jenny unexpectedly acquires a husband – the charming and chaotic Russell Checkland – and for her, nothing will ever be the same again. With over-protective relatives on one hand and the world's most erratic spouse on the other, Jenny needs to become Someone. And fast! Fans of Jodi Taylor's best-selling Chronicles of St Mary's series will adore the quirky humour in this new, contemporary novel.

The Fairy Tale Bride


Kelly McClymer - 2000
    But when her brother's love match is thwarted by the impossibly proper Duke of Kerstone, Miranda sets off to convince the duke to champion her brother's cause for love. Unfortunately, he is too proper to consider love a suitable reason for marriage, and too proper not to marry Miranda when they find themselves compromised. Now, Miranda has a second chance for happily-ever-after, if she can uncover her new husband's darkest secret.

The Scotch Series: The Complete Series


Penelope Sky - 2017
    He took my intelligence without paying for it. And thought he could get away with it. Think again. Now I’ll take something from him—something irreplaceable. His sister. Collateral. But even when Joseph doubles the amount of money he owes me, I don’t give her up. Nope. I have an image to maintain. So I keep her. And I’m not giving her up. The Scotch Queen I wasn't sure what changed my mind about giving London to Bones, but something did. Now London is officially mine. She's sassy, feisty, and she still tells me off when I have her under my thumb. I love it. Now I have a deal with the Barsetti brothers, Josephine is still pining for me, and revenge is heavy on my mind. I'm not sure what to do with London now that I'm not gonna kill her. But I'm certainly not going to fall in love with her. The Scotch Royals London is a lot more useful than I anticipated. She gets me what I need like a pro. With her by my side, I feel like I can do anything. My need for revenge is dimmed. My anger is contained. But her brother is still a problem. She wants me to let him go. I'm not sure if I can.

Swept Away


Penny Parkes - 2017
    Instead she found chaos and intrigue, but also a tight-knit community full of wonderful characters who helped her through difficult times.Swept Away is a short story based around a large country medical practice in Larkford that also features in Penny Parkes' novels Out of Practice and Practice Makes Perfect. The Surgery at Larkford proves to be a hotbed of rivalry, resentment and romance - and that's just the doctors.

War Brides


Helen Bryan - 2007
    Nightly air raids become grimly mundane. The tightening vice of rationing curtails every comfort. Men leave to fight and die. And five women forge an unlikely bond of friendship that will change their lives forever.Alice Osbourne, the stolid daughter of the late vicar, is reeling from the news that Richard Fairfax broke their engagement to marry Evangeline Fontaine, an American girl from the Deep South. Evangeline’s arrival causes a stir in the village—but not the chaos that would ensue if they knew her motives for being there. Scrappy Elsie Pigeon is among the poor of London who see the evacuations as a chance to escape a life of destitution. Another new arrival is Tanni Zayman, a young Jewish girl who fled the horrors of Europe and now waits with her newborn son, certain that the rest of her family is safe and bound to show up any day. And then there’s Frances Falconleigh, a madcap, fearless debutante whose father is determined to keep her in the countryside and out of the papers.As the war and its relentless hardships intensify around them, the same struggles that threaten to rip apart their lives also bring the five closer together. They draw strength from one another to defeat formidable enemies—hunger, falling bombs, the looming threat of a Nazi invasion, and a traitor in their midst—and find remarkable strength within themselves to help their friends. Theirs is a war-forged loyalty that will outlast the fiercest battle and endure years and distance.When four of the women return to Crowmarsh Priors for a VE Day celebration fifty years later, television cameras focus on the heartwarming story of these old women as war brides of a bygone age, but miss the more newsworthy angle. The women’s mission is not to commemorate or remember—they’ve returned to settle a score and avenge one of their own.

House of Trelawney


Hannah Rothschild - 2020
    By 2008, it is in a complete state of ruin due to the dulled ambition and the financial ineptitude of the twenty-four earls, two world wars, the Wall Street crash, and inheritance taxes. Still: the heir to all of it, Kitto, his wife, Jane, their three children, their dog, Kitto's ancient parents, and his aunt Tuffy Scott, an entomologist who studies fleas, all manage to live there and keep it going. Four women dominate the story: Jane; Kitto's sister, Blaze, who left Trelawney and made a killing in finance in London, the wildly beautiful, seductive, and long-ago banished Anastasia and her daughter, Ayesha. When Anastasia sends a letter announcing that her nineteen-year-old daughter, Ayesha, will be coming to stay, the long-estranged Blaze and Jane must band together to take charge of their new visitor--and save the house of Trelawney. But both Blaze and Jane are about to discover that the house itself is really only a very small part of what keeps the family together.

Honeymoon for One


Lily Zante - 2014
    Dumped by her fiancé six weeks before their Valentine's Day wedding, a jilted bride goes on her honeymoon alone.She was looking to heal and find peace.But in visiting Verona, the City of Love, her life takes on a completely different direction, especially when she meets the mysterious and handsome Nico Cazale.Will her adventure give her the clarity she’s looking for or lead to more heartbreak?Honeymoon For One is a second chance romance, feel-good inspirational romance featuring hot millionaire bachelor with a heart of gold, and a jilted bride.** This is Book 1 of a 5 part romance series about the same couple **

PopCo


Scarlett Thomas - 2004
    She works for the huge toy company named PopCo, where she creates snooping kids' kits - KidSpy, KidTec and KidCracker. At the company conference Alice and her colleagues are brought into developing the ultimate product for the teenage girls.

A Lady in the Smoke: A Victorian Mystery


Karen Odden - 2016
    Following a humiliating fourth Season in London, Lady Elizabeth Fraser is on her way back to her ancestral country estate when her train careens off the rails and bursts into flames. Though she is injured, she manages to drag herself and her unconscious mother out of the wreckage, and amid the chaos that ensues, a brilliant young railway surgeon saves her mother’s life. Elizabeth feels an immediate connection with Paul Wilcox—though society would never deem a medical man eligible for the daughter of an earl. After Paul reveals that the train wreck was no accident, and the inspector who tried to prevent it dies under mysterious circumstances, Elizabeth undertakes a dangerous investigation of her own that leads back to her family’s buried secrets. The more she learns, the more she must risk. Not only are her dowry and her reputation at stake; Paul’s very life hangs in the balance when he is arrested for manslaughter. As the trial draws near, and Parliament prepares for a vote that will change the course of the nation, Elizabeth uncovers a conspiracy that has been years in the making. But time is running out for her to see justice done.

Blood for Blood


Victoria Selman - 2019
    Now one is profiling her.Rush hour, London. A packed commuter train is torn apart in a collision. Picking through the carnage, ex-special forces profiler Ziba MacKenzie helps a dying woman who passes on a cryptic message: He did it. You have to tell someone.When a corpse is found bearing the gruesome signature of a serial killer dormant for twenty-five years, Ziba is pulled into the hunt for the perpetrator. As the body count rises it becomes clear he’s on a new spree. But what’s brought the London Lacerator back after such a long hiatus? And does his sudden return have anything to do with the woman on the train?Ziba scrambles to profile the killer in the hope of predicting his next move. But time is running out. And the closer she gets to uncovering his identity, the closer he gets to destroying hers.