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Squalor, New Mexico
Lisette Brodey - 2009
From the moment Darla asks to know more about her mysterious aunt, she is offered nothing but half-truths, distortions, and evasions. As Darla grows into her teen years, her life is oddly yet profoundly affected by this woman she has never known. She can't help but notice that Rebecca seems to exist only in dark corners of conversations and that no one ever wants to talk about her - with Darla. Squalor, New Mexico is a coming-of-age story shrouded in family mystery. As the plot takes twists and turns, secrets are revealed not only to Darla but to the "secret keepers" as well. Darla learns that families are only as strong as the truths they hold and as weak as the secrets they keep.
Her Last Breath
Hilary Davidson - 2021
However, her sorrow turns to bone-chilling confusion when she receives a message Caroline sent days earlier warning that her death would be no accident. Long used to being a pariah to her family, Deirdre covers her tattoos and heads to Manhattan for her sister’s funeral.The message claimed Caroline’s husband, Theo, killed his first wife and got away with it. Reeling from the news, Deirdre confronts Theo on the way to the cemetery, and he reveals both his temper and his suspicion that Deirdre’s “perfect” sister was having an affair.Paranoid and armed with just enough information to make her dangerous, Deirdre digs into the disturbing secrets buried with Caroline. But as she gets closer to the truth, she realizes that her own life may be at risk…and that there may be more than one killer in the family.
The Girl Who Cheated Death
Alan Baker - 2018
Ironically, recovering from her emotional and physical scars is not her biggest challenge. She is also haunted by Azrael, the angel of death. On the morning of the accident, Alex watches as Azrael takes the souls of her family. And the visions keep coming. A man with oily black hair in a pinstripe suit appears to Alex in the hospital, outside her high school, and in the woods near her campsite. She worries that she’s crazy, though Azrael appears to be just as threatened by her ability to see him. She confides in her doctor and friends and, while they appear to believe her, they are unable to help Alex banish death. Midway through the book, the narrative takes an unexpected twist and Alex’s recovery is overshadowed by the realization that she could bring her family back to life. But Azrael is determined to stop Alex’s meddling and she must enlist the help of her remaining family and friends if there is any hope for success.The Girl Who Cheated Death placed as a Semi-Finalist in the 2018 Faulkner Wisdom Competition
Wild Life
Liam Brown - 2016
Fleeing his debtors, Adam abandons his family and takes to sleeping rough in a local park, where a fraternity of homeless men befriend him. As the months pass, Adam gradually learns to appreciate the tough new regime, until winter arrives early, threatening to turn his paradise into a nightmare. Starving, exhausted and sick of the constant infighting, Adam decides to return to his family. The men, however, have other plans for him. With time running out, and the stakes raised unbearably high, Adam is forced to question whether any of us can truly escape the wildness within.
Wedding Cocktails: Cocktails for Three & The Wedding Girl
Madeleine Wickham - 2016
One April evening, Maggie relishes her last weeks of normalcy before the birth of her first child, while Roxanne breezes through between glamorous foreign assignments. But Candice's chance encounter with a girl from her past reveals secret depths in the clean-scrubbed reporter, and the events that follow have permanent repercussions for the trio. With the graceful storytelling and dark humor that have made her books beloved international bestsellers, Wickham introduces a trio of irrepressibly charming women whose adventures will keep readers riveted through the last page.The Wedding Girl: Milly is engaged to Simon - who is wealthy, serious, and believes her to be perfect. Now she is facing the biggest and most elaborate wedding imaginable. Her mother has it planned to the finest detail. But Milly also has a secret that could jeopardize everything. It's been hidden away so long she has almost persuaded herself that it doesn't exist - until, with only four days to go, her past catches up with her. With her trademark humor and remarkable insight, Madeleine Wickham requests our attendance to this wry and insightful comedy about modern marriage.
Of Magpies and Men
Ode Ray - 2021
Benedict Grant a wealthy Londoner, leading a lonely life. Marie Boulanger a nurse and single mum, struggling to make ends meet in Marseille. However, a mother’s illicit revelation will set in motion a chain of events that will reshape their identities, stir poignant family affairs and delve into the by-products of lawless decisions.With this domestic thriller, discover a captivating and moving story of impossible yearnings, weaving mystery and drama peppered with humour. A tale that will stay with you long after its final page and a twist you won't see coming.
Ride Away
Cotton Smith - 2015
But now, after forging cattle trails and fighting off the Comanche, he’s setting his sights on a brighter future. With the help of his older brother Blue, a Civil War veteran who lost his arm in battle, Deed turns the Rafter C homestead into a successful, working cattle ranch. But when a land-grubbing banker tries to wipe out the competition—slaughtering ranchers, robbing farmers, and building an army of hired killers—Deed and Blue have no choice but to fight back with everything they’ve got. That means bringing in the big guns. Settling old scores. And taking a chance on a dangerous outlaw named Holt Corrigan—their long-lost brother…
Ireland Rose
Patricia Strefling - 2011
Rose's father finds a suitable husband, Captain Camden Lovell, twenty-seven years her senior. Captain Lovell takes his bride to Charleston, provides her with a beautiful home on the Battery and good standing in Charleston Society.Three years later Rose is a widow. Captain Wyatt, her husband's trusted employee is now in charge of her affairs. Rose senses he does not like her. One day he brings a young woman with child to her - and a secret that must be kept. A little girl is born, and Rose becomes a mother. Captain Wyatt offers to marry her in name only to protect her from Charleston society gossip, but she is determined she will not marry a second time for protection. She will marry for love or live alone.Just three months later, August 31st, 1886 the city of Charleston suffers the worst earthquake of the century. Her beautiful home is in shambles. Rose has no choice but to return to her parents' birthplace in Ireland. The only record she has of her Irish ancestry is in her mother's Bible. She and her infant daughter take the next ship to Ireland. She has begun to hope she has finally found happiness when Captain Wyatt comes with news that shatters her heart.Every person Rose loves is taken away. Her faith in God is shaken. There is a plan for her, but she can't see it. Captain Wyatt breaks her heart, not once but twice.
The Estate Box Set
Mel Sherratt - 2014
With over 600 5* and 4* reviews – you can now buy the first three books in the series for the price of two! Somewhere to Hide (Book 1, The Estate)Cath Mason has learned to be tough. The things she’s seen growing up on the Mitchell Estate, she’s had to be. Yet, even broken and beaten by life at times, she’s still the first person a woman in need of help seeks out. At Cath’s house, there is safety in numbers as well as a place to hide. No matter what trouble comes to her door, she won’t turn anyone away – because she knows what it’s like to live with secrets. But now a problem from her past has come back to haunt her, and she’s the one faced with a dilemma. What should she do first – help or be helped – despite being unsure she’ll ever be ready to confront her own demons? With danger around every corner, can Cath protect herself as well as the women whose safety is her paramount concern? Or has the potential for revenge already gone a step too far? Behind a Closed Door (Book 2, The Estate)Working on the notorious Mitchell Estate, housing officer, Josie Mellor, faces challenges every day, but not nearly as many as those of her tenants. Kelly Winterton is scared and alone after her partner has been jailed. Charlotte Hatfield has fled from her violent partner four times already. He’ll probably kill her if he finds her this time. Disowned by her family, someone is taking advantage of Amy Cartwright’s vulnerability. Who can she turn to for support? But Josie has her own problems to deal with too. As her home life deteriorates and she struggles to escape her controlling husband, she realises only a thin line separates her from the people she’s trying to help. When deadly violence erupts, will both she and her tenants become victims that no one will see? Fighting for Survival (Book 3, The Estate)When Caren Williams finds herself back on the estate she fought so hard to get away from, little does she realise she'll be living opposite her arch-enemy, Gina Bradley. Gina Bradley thinks she and her family rule Stanley Avenue so when Caren starts to become popular, she decides to hit her where it will hurt the most – she wants her husband. Lonely and depressed, Ruth Millington finds it a constant struggle to get through the dark times. Spiralling out of control, maybe she should let Gina's husband help her out when he comes calling. Brawling in the street, fighting on the square and conforming to peer pressure – it all comes down to holding your nerve. But this time not everyone will survive the notorious Stanley Avenue...
Surfacing (Returning #3)
A.L. Knorr - 2018
Follow Mira's story as she faces life as a single mother, wrestles with the constant call of the ocean to her mermaid nature, and joins an all-male salvage team who is less than thrilled to have her.
When my mother died, I ran to the ocean like a coward. Its cradle of salt puckered my memories and withered my sorrow like a grape drying in the sun. I had cheated grief and was foolish enough to think I had gotten away with it.When Nathan died, I couldn’t run away. No matter how much I flinched, bending toward the Atlantic the way ivy strains for rays of light, I could not leave. Grief was back to take what belonged to it for the time it was allotted. I had everything I wanted a few short years ago. My mate. My daughter. A home, a family. It made my head spin to think how much could change so suddenly. I mused, wondering later if I was the only mermaid to ever walk fully through the five stages of grief. But I had my daughter.Targa had yet to turn, the color and shape of her fins were yet to be revealed, but she would. I had been so sure of it then. Siren genes are passed from mother to daughter, without fail. Young legs melded into a shimmering virgin tail in response to a salty sea. But Targa didn’t turn in response to ocean water, not the first time, not any time after that. Something was wrong. I shoved my fear down deep into some dark corner where Targa would not see it and said with a smile that we’d just have to keep trying. I had turned at the age of three, but if there could be late-bloomers in the human race, why not ours too?Her fifth birthday came and went, still she hadn’t turned. Concern sent its barbs into me like a thistle, then it rooted and grew.Targa and I had weekly late night secret swims in the Atlantic, which had once been fun but were now polluted with expectation and suspense. Coaching sessions (my idea), where I attempted human psychology exercises I’d found in outdated textbooks at the library; guided visualization, breathing techniques, and even a failed go at hypnosis. The memory of her skinny little frame sitting in a bathtub containing more salt than water (Targa’s idea) is still enough to fill my eyes with moisture.I don’t know exactly when she lost hope, but she hid it expertly, patiently participating however I asked.I ignored the creeping thoughts that whispered in my mind; she didn’t even like water, didn’t really want to go for swim, couldn’t hear the ocean calling her. I would shove the thoughts away violently, excusing them as nothing but my own anxiety. It was ridiculous. A daughter of a mermaid who disliked the ocean. Impossible. When I muzzled those fears, I became aware of others of a different kind. Not my own, but hers, for me.She could see the want in my eyes. Whatever mechanism bees and dogs used to smell fear, Targa had it for despair. She could sense it on me, reeking like cheap perfume. Her eyes dipped in desperation, her obvious desire not to disappoint me sliced through me like a white-hot blade from heart to gut. She thought she was my tormentor. The realization struck like a hammer and gave me the strength to do what was needed: Let it go.The ocean could call. I’d let the smell of it crucify me, the sound of its waves crash against me, echo through me, call me, beg me.Targa’s need and my love for her was greater. If she never turned and I was locked in a land-cycle for the rest of our lives, so be it.So be it.
Witherising
R.K. Davenport - 2014
He was forced into an early retirement after a tragic event (a hack that cost millions of players their data), but a new threat brings him out of the shadows. The stakes are higher than ever. King Wither must be stopped, no matter the cost. Features: -Intense Action Sequences -R.K. Davenport’s Signature Writing Style -A New Villain -Steve’s Character Bio -A Timeline Download your FREE copy today!
Mommy Loves the Principal
Shanae Johnson - 2019
She’s the girl that went astray. Can they find a place where they’ll both belong… together?
Kylee Bauer’s high school classmates voted her most likely to succeed, not knowing that she would skip town with a bad boy, get hitched, and get pregnant—not necessarily in that order. Now she’s back and desperate for a second chance to get things right, all while ensuring her daughter makes better choices the first time around. Ron Kidd loved growing up in his small Virginia hometown so much that he never thought to leave it behind. Now he’s landed his dream role as principal of the same elementary school he attended as a boy. Some of the more seasoned staff, however, aren’t sure he’s up to the job and will do whatever it takes to make his days harder. When his old crush returns home as a single mom with a troubled kid in tow, Ron is sure he can help… even though he must swallow his feelings for Kylee to avoid losing his already shaky position as school principal. Unfortunately for him, this mini-matchmaker isn’t willing to give up on securing a happily ever after for her mom. Will Ron be willing to risk it all in the name of love? And what will Kylee do when her past comes calling? Will love be just out of reach? Find out in this fun, funny, and heartwarming tale of just how far one little girl will go to bring these two grown-ups together.
Tregunna
Carla Vermaat - 2015
DI Andy Tregunna is faced with the task of leading the investigation, but soon personal matters force him to step back.On compassionate leave and with little else to do than fight his own demons the unsolved case becomes more and more an obsession to him. As he is drawn deeper into a dark world of secrets, lies and revenge, his private investigation collides with his personal life.The truth is even more sinister than can be imagined...
Inside Room 913
Bruce A. Borders - 2013
Something very strange is going on behind the locked door of Room 913. After she is warned to stay away from the room and to not discuss it or the occupant with her co-workers, she is even more intrigued. And suspicious. Letting her curious nature guide her, she immediately begins asking questions. When she finds that Room 913 has been closed off; locked and sealed for many years, her curiosity turns to concern. Though rumors abound, no one seems inclined to talk about it. Not giving up so easily, Cynthia persists in her inquisitive pursuit until she finds out the truth - or does she?
The Laws of Gravity
Liz Rosenberg - 2013
Two families, bound by blood, hear terrible news. One decision holds the key to survival--but at a devastating cost. Nicole, auburn-haired, airy, and beautiful, discovers her body is betraying her. She turns to cousin and childhood best friend Ari for the cord blood he's been banking for his own children. Ari stands firm, bringing them before the scales of justice. Solomon Richter, a state Supreme Court judge on the brink of retirement, is touched by this legal battle like no other. His blood case, he calls it. A case that calls into question the very things we live for: the enduring bonds of family, and the love that lasts a lifetime. It's Nicole's last chance, Ari's last stand, and the judge's last case. A novel of heartbreaking honesty, humor, and depth--an unforgettable story of finding love and finding family--The Laws of Gravity heralds Liz Rosenberg as a storytelling sensation.