Book picks similar to
The Man in a Haystack by Alice Huskisson


chick-lit
true-story
fiction
general-library

Oh Great, Now I Can Hear Dead People!


Deborah Durbin - 2011
    Someone however doesn't share Sam's joy and it's only when they set out to destroy her reputation does Sam really need help from the other side...Follow Sam's hilarious journey of self-discovery as she adjusts to being a grown up version of the kid from The Sixth Sense and discovers that love can often be right under your nose.

Turn It Loose


Britni Danielle - 2013
    After graduating at the top of her class, she’s a successful journalist who interviews celebrities and attends Hollywood parties for a living. There’s only one problem: she hates her life. Despite her seemingly charmed existence, Jaylah loathes her job, is lonely as hell, and is tired of living up to everyone else’s expectations. When she gets fired from her cushy position at the L.A. Weekly, she has two options: stay in L.A. and become a spectacular drunk or buy a ticket to London and finally live by her own rules. She chooses the latter and heads to the Queen’s city in search of adventure, but soon finds more than she bargained for. Turn It Loose is a fast-paced, entertaining book that takes readers along for an exciting ride.Loved Turn It Loose? Read the sequel, Two Steps Back (here)!

Bastard Husband: A Love Story


Linda Lou - 2009
    (And I thought I had problems.) As I sat among a circle of strangers waiting for my turn to share, I glanced at the Absolutely No Swearing sign hanging from the ceiling and thought, This will be a challenge. Im Linda, I began, I have no husband, no job, and you people are my only friends. Everyone laughed at my pathetic truth." -- Linda Lou Bastard Husband: A Love Story is an autobiographical account of the author's first year alone in Las Vegas following a midlife divorce. Balancing poignancy and edgy humor, Linda Lou reflects on the troubled relationship that prompted this story and leads readers through a hodgepodge of emotions as vast as a Vegas buffet--from the sadness of a failed union and the questioning of her spiritual convictions to the thrill of exploring the Vegas neon nightlife and the triumph of performing stand-up comedy for the first time at age 46.

Men-ipulation (The Men Wars, #1)


Monica Sarli - 2011
    More can happen to Monica in one week than most people experience in a year, from facing down psychopathic drug dealers to the FBI threatening to put her in the Witness Protection Program or the SWAT team appearing to rescue her from a man she's done with, and every story is as true as it is strange. Get ready for an exciting ride that takes you from the depths of drug addiction to the pinnacle of high society only to end up six feet under.

Lipstick and Lies


Debbie Viggiano - 2012
    Together they have a ready-made family and a six month old baby boy. Juggling her own children with step-children and an infant is both hectic and stressful, especially with a mother-in-law who seems to have taken up permanent residence.Cass has a strong support system in friend and new mum Morag – who is the fourth Mrs Harding with more step-children she can keep up with – and also old neighbour and great pal Nell who has a baby girl.Rising to the challenge of a second marriage and the emotional baggage that comes with it is tough. The last thing Cass needs is the reappearance of husband Jamie’s ex-girlfriend Selina. Gorgeous and glamorous but utterly unstable, Selina once stalked Cass and contrived to split her and Jamie up. And now Selina is engaged to Jamie’s business partner, Ethan Fareham. Seemingly it is appalling coincidence.Cass can’t shake the feeling that Selina is up to her old tricks. Except this time, if Selina has her way, she’ll split Cass and Jamie up permanently. Because this time it’s murder...

Handbags and Poobags: Tales of a Soho Boxer Dog


Alice Wright - 2012
    and bags of laughs too! A love story with a twist in its very waggy tail. I think Alice Wright is really Bridget Bones! Forget Hugh Grant or Colin Firth though, her dog is a much better love interest (and he’s a proper Boxer!)If you’re contemplating settling down with a good dog, read this first and if it doesn’t put you off then you’ll be fine. Already had your heart stolen by a dog? You’ll definitely recognise the dogification of your wardrobe, the permanent damage to your flooring and especially the gritty bed linen!What a page-turner. I Loved it.”Beverley Cuddy, Editor DOGS TODAY MAGAZINE"Incredibly honest, genuine and captivating... a real life take on modern day doggie living. It is brutally honest yet heart-warmingly brilliant. A must for all animal fans."Jessica Brown, PETS MAGAZINEWhat happens when you drop a big, bouncing Boxer dog into the life of a glamorous girl about town? Alice Wright reveals all in her dog-memoir with a difference...Alice's busy life consists of 'parties, premieres and private members clubs' and she loves it! She certainly doesn't want the responsiblity of a partner or a pooch but seems to end up with more than she bargained for in this very funny but incredibly personal memoir about modern dog ownership.Set in the streets of Soho and the parks of North London HANDBAGS AND POOBAGS reveals why you should never wear a long cashmere scarf when poop scooping and how to hide a dog under a barstool and in the back of a taxi-cab. A bit different from the traditional pet-memoir this warm, touching real life tale is full of embarrassing anecdotes and surprising discoveries as Alice realises that owning a dog changes not only her lifestyle but her life.See facebook.com/handbagsandpoobags for updates and photos!

The Last Name Banks


Lacy Camey - 2012
    Now she's ready to show to the world there is more to her than what meets the eye. She's more than the prim debutante from a privileged background. Yes, her father may be running for President and her mother may be the socialite of the year, never lifting a finger unless it's to sip a flute of champagne, but Chloe is just like any other normal twenty-three year old, wanting to love and be loved, wanting to make her own mark in this world.So Chloe moves temporarily with her two friends to Venezuela to serve in an orphanage as a nurse. But it is there she faces the same prejudices she is running away from, including the judgment from the incredibly good-looking orphanage facilitator and a few grumpy doctors. Chloe has to learn to let go of others' assumptions of who she is so she can finally live her life free. But will she?The Last Name Banks is part of the "Living, Loving, and Laughing Again series", but can be read as a stand alone novel.If you enjoyed Norah and Maycee from The Last Page, you can find them again in Venezuela with Chloe in The Last Name Banks!Book One: The Last Page (Norah's story) out now!Book Two: The Last Name Banks (Chloe's story) out now!This PG novel is 57k words (roughly 284 paper pages) and is language and sex free making it suitable for teens and women of all ages.

Happy Hour


Anne Mitchell - 2012
    As soon as she arrives people look at her oddly, treat her like royalty and keep referring to her as Rosie Reynolds. She discovers that Rosie is the Big Apple’s favourite talk show host and after Rosie’s botched face-lift, Jane is offered the job of emergency stand-in on Happy Hour, the show that made Rosie famous. But here she meets Lou, a dangerously charming man who also happens to be Rosie’s husband...

Abraham and Sarah's Amish Baby: The Amish Bible Story Series


Ashley Emma - 2021
    

The Engagement Party


R.J. Gould - 2012
    With eight adults to contend with, making the celebration a pleasant experience for all is going to be tricky. In fact, the obstacles seem insurmountable. Number One: the two families are from vastly different social backgrounds. Number Two: there are severe tensions between the exes. Number Three: some of the new relationships are falling apart.Things go from bad to worse during the week leading up to the engagement party and the stress of it all is threatening Wayne and Clarissa's relationship.This laugh-out-loud dive into family life will help the reader appreciate that however bad things are in their own family, it could be a lot worse!

Snowday: A festive feel good romantic comedy (The Riverside Series Book 1)


B.R. Maycock - 2018
     Eloise is too busy juggling the chaos of three kids, an ever present ex-husband and a demanding boss to even remember the last time dating crossed her mind. But as soft snow falls silently all around, romance twinkles with the flakes. After being single for so long, Eloise suddenly has a lot of choices. Too many choices. Will anyone be worthy of melting the guard around her heart to let love in? A fun-filled, festive read for fans of Christie Barlow, Fiona Gibson and Colleen Coleman

This Other Eden


Sharon Booth - 2016
    Her consolation prize is that their father is unexpectedly gorgeous. Sadly for Eden, she's not quite herself any longer…Honey wants to spend the summer with her married politician lover. The only problem is, there are quite a few people determined to put obstacles in her path. But what Honey wants, Honey usually gets…Cain wants a knighthood and is willing to sacrifice almost anything for it. If his daughter is putting that goal in jeopardy, it's time to get tough…Lavinia wants to keep her marriage intact, and if that means turning a blind eye to her husband's philandering, she'll do it. But that doesn't mean she can't have someone else spying for her…Eliot wants to care for his children, and to be left in peace to heal. When he gets an unexpected guest, he wonders if it's time to start living again. But is this sheep farmer having the wool pulled over his eyes?

Forever Autumn


Christina Jones - 2006
     After a heartbreaking deception, Stephanie Gibson decides to move to the south coast and work as a nanny for the large and scatty Matthews family. They’re friendly and eccentric and Stephanie soon settles in. However, when she finds herself falling in love again, spectres from the past loom up. Has Stephanie made another mistake, and will she ever be able to trust anyone again?

This Game Has No Loyalty


Brooklyn June - 2010
    It quickly became the most sought out employment for street kids who learned how to distribute, package and sell it for a profit. What no one anticipated was the havoc and destruction it would bring to their hood because of the unlimited potential of stacks of money they stood to make. Murder, betrayal and disloyalty surfaced without prejudice and took young lives almost immediately. Welcome to Bushwick and Bed-Stuy Brooklyn where Junior catapults you into life in the drug dealer game and takes you on an up close and personal voyage that will have you smelling gun smoke and running for your life. Being a kingpin in a hood you're not from is usually unheard of but for Junior it wasn't. He's the boss of Baptiste projects and believes there are two reasons he's avoided drama from the locals. For one, he hired dudes from Baptiste to help him and the second was because his girl Shondra was born and raised in Baptiste and had mad love and respect in her hood. Junior enjoyed getting money relatively with no consequences but nothing remains the same for long. He gets his first taste of disloyalty from within his camp and that compromises his once solidly run drug empire. Junior's first instinct is impulsive and he rushes to deal with the betrayal with lethal intentions, but his premeditated move proves to be the wrong move and he finds himself in a deadly gun battle with KB and his crew. He barely escapes and flees Baptiste to Bed-Stuy to plan his next strategic move. He turns to Shondra to give him inside information on what is happening in Baptiste in his absence while he temporarily turns over the reins of his business to one of his trusted workers who was with him during his gunfight with KB's crew. Shondra finds out some information that will help him eliminate his enemies but it jeopardizes her relationship with her best friend Gloria. While Junior is plotting his revenge he runs into Muffin, a girlfriend from his past. He decides to use her as a part of his team but their emotions cause romantic turmoil that eventually leads to a love triangle although he tells Muffin he's in a relationship with Shondra. Muffin plays as if she respects the boundaries placed in front of her but has her own plans on taking Shondra out of the picture so she can claim her place as Junior's main girl. Junior's goal is to change the way the drug game is played but after being set up he's on a mission to stay alive and make everyone involved pay for their disloyalty. He also tries to find a balance between his love for Shondra and his business/love relationship he developed with Muffin. When Shondra finds out about Junior's affair with Muffin her anger is temporarily derailed when they find themselves in the middle of a deadly shootout. The massacre affects everyone's life in a dramatic way, spilling all secrets out in the open. Junior and Muffin's infidelity is revealed, Gloria discovers Shondra's disloyalty to her and KB's life hangs in the balance. Junior's empire, life and relationship are at stake as he executes his deadly plan of revenge. One Brooklyn neighborhood tells a gangster love story that is fueled by murder, betrayal, unfaithfulness, revenge and remarkably, love. To live the so called drug life, don;t try to find loyalty in something you believe in if you are not willing to commit to it completely.

Miles from Home: A True Story of the Choices That Define Us


Colleen Lanier - 2012
    Sean's mother had Alzheimer's disease and his father was dying from lung cancer. We were taking them to their final home, an assisted living facility near Sean. And while his dad said he didn't want it to be an ambulance ride, it was clear this wasn't any vacation. Sean and I had thirty years of history. He was my best friend, my first love...and, until very recently, the man I was living with. He was the man who wrote the words I'd carry in my heart my entire adult life, and the man who broke my heart. Miles from Home is the true story of our cross-country trip, an end-of-life journey for one person and new beginnings for the rest of us. It is a story about life, death, friendship, and the choices we make. It is about the messiness of life, and, ultimately, the power of love.