Preserving Yosemite National Park's natural and cultural resources is Jessica's job. Preserving her family's legacy is her obsession. But when she discovers her husband's infidelity, betrayal’s flames threaten her family and all she's fought to protect. Haley Weaver, a sophomore in high school, is a daddy's girl. As she enters the throes of first love, timid yet intrigued, Haley also discovers her father's affair. Stunned and broken, Haley flees into the wilds of Yosemite National Park. If she can't trust her father, how can she trust her boyfriend—or even love itself?When wildfire breaks out and Haley is missing, Jessica fears the worst. In a race against time, she searches for her daughter as she deals with the magnitude of what her husband's affair may cost her family. How can she go on if she doesn’t find Haley in time? And what will Jessica do to preserve the legacy that matters most?

    Thankfully, she isn't looking for that. What she does want is a baby. And after a rash decision made during a one-night stand, she just may be having one, with the very successful, good-looking, but completely wrong for her, Spencer Hall. But once Spencer learns that he may become a father, Ryann just can't shake him. He isn't interested in being an absentee parent; and she isn't interested in having a man hang around who is hell-bent on crawling into her heart, breaking down her defenses and unearthing all her secrets, including the ugliest one of all.

    That's when Hannah not only gets dumped by her boyfriend, Ryan, but she also finds out her best friend, Ava, is going to be gone for the entire summer. But Ava's boyfriend, Noah, is definitely around--and such a good guy that he snags Hannah a job at the diner where he works. Hannah and Noah move from coworkers, to friends....and one night, to something more.Now it's back to school, where Hannah will see Ryan, Ava, and Noah all in one place. Over the course of the day secrets and betrayals are revealed, and alliances are broken and reformed. In the end, Hannah will learn a lot about love, friendship...and herself.

    There's Tripp and Virginia, beloved hosts whom the community idolizes, whose basement hides among other things a secret stash of guns and a drastic plan to survive the end times. There's Gunter and Rachel, recent transplants who left New York City to raise their children, only to feel both imprisoned by the banality of suburbia. And Richard and Margot, community veterans whose extramarital affairs and battles with mental health are disguised by their enviably polished veneers and perfect children. At the center of it all is the Petra School, the most coveted of all the private schools in the state, a supposed utopia of mindfulness and creativity, with a history as murky and suspect as our character's inner worlds.With deep wit and delicious incisiveness, in The Pessimists, Bethany Ball peels back the veneer of upper-class white suburbia to expose the destructive consequences of unchecked privilege and moral apathy in a world that is rapidly evolving without them. This is a superbly drawn portrait of a community, and its couples, torn apart by unmet desires, duplicity, hypocrisy, and dangerous levels of discontent.

    The Prodigal Husband by Jacquelin Thomas released on Mar 25, 2002 is available now for purchase.

    She longs to have a family, but knows she won’t get a third chance at happily-ever-after. Mack’s wife died two years ago, and he’s determined to never love again. He has everything money can buy, but what he wants most is a mother for his three-year-old son, Cody. When Tully and Cody bond over a sandcastle in the park, Mack impulsively offers her an unorthodox business proposition: a contract marriage with Cody at the center. There will be no love and no sex, but if Tully will move to Mack’s Colorado mansion and care for Cody until he’s eighteen, Mack will support her while she pursues her dream to write—and throw in a two million dollar bonus.The idea is crazy, but for these two broken-hearted people, it seems to work. That is, until Tully starts to fall for Mack—a definite no-no for their bargain—and an outsider threatens the future of their unusual family.

    Her schoolgirl crush developed into an intense relationship, but it was always one which she controlled.Or did she?

    What could possibly go wrong?Hannah's ex has some nerve. First he breaks up with her in a text, and now he thinks he can take soccer away from her? Think again. As the captain of their intramural team, her ex might be able to kick her off his team, but he can't stop her from playing for their rivals.The enemy of my enemy is my ... fake boyfriend?The fact that her new team captain is her ex's arch nemesis? Even better. Playing for River's team on the other side of town is the perfect payback. When her ex sees them together and gets the wrong idea ... well, what's the harm in playing along? Hannah has already learned her lesson about falling for a teammate, and it's not a mistake she'll ever make again. Besides, her relationship with River is just for show--a way for them both to get vengeance on her ex. His kisses might muddle her mind, but he'll never steal her heart ... right?

    Her best friend, Trish, was killed in a drunk driving accident. And it’s all her fault. Burdened by guilt, Zara lived a life of drugs, sex, and destruction. Now 5 years later, she is sober, free and on probation. Ready to turn her life around, she calls up the one person she could trust, her sister, Reyna, who offers her a place to stay until she gets back on her feet. There’s only one thing. Trish’s older brother, Vance, who is also the best friend of Reyna’s fiancé, is staying there as well, after a house fire renders him homeless. It’s been years since the accident and he still hasn't gotten over his sister’s death. He is full of rage. And will do anything in his power to make Zara’s life a living hell. Just her luck. Now she has to endure months under the same roof as the man who hates her with every piece of his soul. Not to mention, the same man she’s loved since her teenage years. Will Zara ever find a way to make him forgive her for his sister’s death? Will she ever learn to forgive herself? Or will the demons of the past destroy them beyond repair?

    It’s just such a cliché.I hate that I’m being forced to tutor you in English and keep it a secret from everyone. Because otherwise it might put our basketball team’s chances at winning State in jeopardy, and even though I hate you, I love basketball.I hate that it seems like you’re keeping a secret from me…and that the more time we spend together, the less I feel like I’m on solid ground. Because I’m starting to realize there’s so much more to you than meets the eye. Underneath it all, you’re real.But what I hate most is that I really don’t hate you at all.

    A nerd. And the open road. Mallory Fifteen hundred miles from home my whole world fell apart. I'd been betrayed and all I wanted was to go home and confront two people who were supposed to love me. The only problem? I was stuck with no way back for over two weeks. That was just too long to wait. And then he walked in. Grant What was she doing there? Why hadn't she gone home with everyone else? And most importantly, why was she crying? Mallory Knight, the girl of my every fantasy. And she needed my help. By the time it was all over, I knew I'd be the one begging to be saved. Grant wasn't at all what Mallory expected. Thirty-six hours in the passenger's seat of his rusty old truck and she knew she'd never be the same again. Road Trip with a Nerd is a 33,000-word novella by Stephanie Street. You'll love this heartwarming, swoon-worthy tale of two people who unexpectedly find exactly what they didn't know they were looking for.