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A Second-Hand Husband


Claire Calman - 2021
    And to make matters worse, Antonia’s palatial country mansion has a fully-functioning roof (and a heated swimming pool!), unlike the ramshackle cottage Carl has bought for them…Antonia is Little Wyford’s Queen Bee, mistress of the book club, organiser of the Christmas Fair and leader of the ladies-who-lunch. No matter how hard she tries, Natalie just doesn’t fit in, and when Antonia insists on referring to Carl as ‘Our Husband’, Natalie’s dreams of happily-ever-after take another nose dive.Second-hand furniture has much to recommend it, especially when doing up a country cottage, second-hand clothes can be ever-so chic, but second-hand husbands are proving to be a very bad idea indeed… Can Natalie ever escape the label of Wife Number Two or is she destined to share her husband forever?Hilariously funny, wickedly witty, but with a heart of gold and a warmth and wisdom that are all its own, A Second-Hand Husband is Claire Calman’s tour de force.

The Lonely Breed


Frank Leslie - 2007
    Now, he's become the girl's protector, and is on the run from a vicious bounty hunter.

Prairie Wife


Cheryl St. John - 2003
    Her heart had gone into the ground a year ago along with her boy's tiny casket. And not even her husband, Jesse, wrestling the same pain, could resurrect any hope in her.Jesse Shelby mourned two losses— his baby son and his openhearted bride, for when their child died, Amy retreated behind a wall of grief as wide as the Nebraska prairie. But could a chance for a new family heal their wounded marriage—and guide them back to the comfort of each other's arms?

Mightier than the Sword: by Jeffrey Archer (The Clifton Chronicles Series, Book 5) | Summary & Analysis


Book*Sense - 2015
    Jeffrey Archer continues the Clifton Chronicles series in Mightier than the Sword. In it, the Barrington and Clifton families continue to navigate the turbulent politics of the twentieth century at the global and local levels, helping to guide their firms, their country and their world as the circumstances of each change. A new generation of the combined family begins to take its place in shaping the family’s fortune, bespeaking a promise of more to come. Jeffrey Archer’s latest installment in the series, depicts the continuing affairs of the Barrington and Clifton families as they engage in new ventures. Barrington Shipping launches a new liner, which is immediately beset by problems from those opposed to the Barringtons and the Britain of which they are an integral part. At the same time, various members of the Barrington and Clifton families—most notably Sebastian—face personal and professional trials that help them to accrue and maintain power with which not only to enrich themselves but to try to maintain what is good about the passing world while embracing what is good in the emergent. This companion to Mightier than the Sword also includes the following: • Book Review • Story Setting Analysis • Story elements you may have missed as we decipher the novel • Details of Characters & Key Character Analysis • 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 of Mightier than the Sword fills the gap, making you understand more while enhancing your reading experience.

One Wrong Turn


Deanna Lynn Sletten - 2019
     When his estranged wife, Jess, has a terrible accident leaving her lying in a coma, Clay Connors returns to his family to care for his two daughters. He has been separated from his family for nearly two years and his eldest daughter, Maddie, is resentful over his being absent. Sadly, his youngest daughter, Jilly, barely remembers him. Clay’s reasons for staying away now seem self-serving in the light of their family’s tragedy. The past washes over Clay as the memories of what led up to their separation envelope him and his future hangs in the balance over whether or not his wife will wake up. Can they be a family again, or is he too late? One Wrong Turn is a story of time lost and redemption as Clay and his daughters struggle to reconnect and learn to trust again in the wake of a tragedy. (This is a re-release of the book by the same title: One Wrong Turn)

Rosa's Island


Val Wood - 2001
    Mr Drew's religious fervor holds a dark secret; Jim, the eldest son, is terrified of something from his past; Delia longs to escape from the island and tall, handsome Matthew wants only one thing - Rosa herself. Rosa's background is one of mystery, but Mr Drew knows the secret of Rosa's past - and so do the two mysterious Irishmen who come back to the island after many years to threaten everything Rosa holds dear...

The Bad Apple


Rosie Goodwin - 2004
    She and her son Davey escape their Coventry high-rise flat and flee to Tanglewood, the dilapidated ivy-clad mansion where her mother Dolly runs an animal sanctuary. Miserable and frightened, Louise longs to turn her back on the past, and create a happy new life for Davey. But Paul is in trouble with men more dangerous than himself. Unable to pay his debts, he blackmails Louise and those who love her, keeping a shadowy presence in their lives. Even the arrival of Charlie Fox, a stranger who becomes a true friend, cannot guarantee that the future will be safe...

Augusta Locke: A Novel


William Haywood Henderson - 2006
    Of his most recent novel, "The Rest of the Earth," Annie Proulx remarked that "Henderson writes some of the most evocative and transcendently beautiful prose in contemporary American literature." Set primarily in Wyoming, Henderson's new novel is the chronicle of six generations of a family, viewed through the lens of one woman's very long life. Augusta "Gussie" Locke is born in Minnesota in 1903. As a teenager she moves west with her mother to Colorado and then runs away from home. A one-night stand with a traveling soldier leaves her pregnant, and with her daughter, Anne, she eventually finds a life in Wyoming running supplies to oil and mineral crews in the Great Basin Divide. Through the years, Gussie keeps moving, abandoning people and places, being abandoned herself; Anne runs away just as her mother had, never to be seen again. Settling in the Wind River Range, Augusta, alone again, builds a new life until, years later, her grandson and great-granddaughter seek to discover the woman behind the family myth. Spanning the twentieth century, Augusta's extraordinary trials and tribulations play out themes of love and loss, redemption and reconciliation. Redolent with myth, humor, strange landscapes, and stark reality, "Augusta Locke" is an indelible portrait of a woman who through great spirit and toughness of character blazes her own trail.

Wallflower


Cookie O'Gorman - 2021
    For reference, see Viola Kent.Seventeen-year-old Viola Kent likes being invisible. Well, not literally, but she's content being a loner, reading her books, and hanging out with the animals at the shelter. She just wants to keep her head down and get through her senior year at Durham High.Driving Dare Frost to school every day wasn't part of the plan.And when Viola finds out her dad recruited Dare, his number one player, to be her friend?Her inner Slytherin demands revenge.The solution: Get Dare to be her fake boyfriend.Convincing the star athlete to pretend is easier than she'd thought it would be. The hard part is protecting her heart. With every word, touch, and kiss, Viola's feelings become more real.The problem: Viola knows she's falling for Dare—but he doesn't believe in love.This book features two sets of soulmates, one happy pooch named Hermione, so many sizzling kisses and answers the question:Can a dork and a jock fake their way to true love?

The Good Mother


Sue Miller - 1986
    Swept away by happiness and passion, Anna feels she has everything she's ever wanted. Then come the shocking charges that would threaten her new love, her new "family" ... that force her to prove she is a good mother.

Merciful Vows


Vanessa Luisa - 2021
    A man who is your husband. The father of your children. The love of your life. A man like Giulio Giannotti.I thought we would last forever...but we won't. Not when he doesn't believe our abducted child is still alive. Not if I continue to lose myself in this chaotic hope. Not until our daughter is found.It scares me...the stark reality of how cruel life can be to us, how twisted secrets turn to sacrifice and how there's always someone in the misty shadows lurking...watching.Tonight marks six months since we lost it all. It should bind Giulio and me closer together, yet the moment his hot gaze lands on mine, it's all over. The pact I made with myself to reserve all my nerves shatters into a million pieces as those eyes burn straight through me.They're heavenly fire. And it's as if he can see me. All of me...If this is supposed to be the end of us, then why does it feel like it's only just the beginning? Merciful Vows is the first book in the emotionally gripping interconnected world set in Seattle: 'The Giannotti World'. Intended for Mature Audiences 18+.

A Crazy Little Winter Vacay


Rena Manse - 2015
     Jada Stanton and several other travelers are caught in the flash blizzard of the decade in the middle of Where, exactly? Montana. Dr. Bretton Heathrow left behind a few bad memories to make his dream come true. Stranded motorists are the last thing he expects at dark-thirty in the morning. But one bright shining star may make the near-disaster a worthwhile inconvenience. Like the blizzard, Jada Stanton is the one he never saw coming. (Christian Romance) **Friend and fellow writer, Jackie Zack, more or less issued me a challenge, write a Christmas novella. Considering I had only four weeks, what's a girl to do?

When We Say Goodbye


Michelle Vernal - 2019
    Desperately in need of something to fix, Ellie has to find a project and when her grandparents old house is put up for sale, she jumps at the chance. Because, like Ellie, the house is broken. And if she can fix the house, then surely, it's just a matter of time before she and Sam are back on their path to happily-ever-after... In life, when the worst happens how do you pick up the pieces? A heart-breaking story of love, loss and the path to forgiveness, perfect for fans of Faith Hogan and Amanda Prowse. To be read with tissues.

Cruel Union: An Arranged Marriage Mafia Romance


Ivy Davis - 2022
    But which one of us will survive the cage we’re living in?For both of us are stuck in this marriage without mercy.

Muddy Waters


Judy Astley - 1997
    Stella's friends assume she doesn't have any problems of her own and deluge her with their woes. Abigail, deserted by her husband, moves in with Stella, but then starts to move in on Stella's husband.