Book picks similar to
The Less Fortunates by Charles C. Martin
giveaways
fiction
first-reads
young-adult
What Passes as Love
Trisha R. Thomas - 2021
I was six years old the day Lewis Holt came to take me away.Born into slavery, Dahlia never knew her mother—or what happened to her. When Dahlia’s father, the owner of Vesterville plantation, takes her to work in his home as a servant, she’s desperately lonely. Forced to leave behind her best friend, Bo, she lives in a world between black and white, belonging to neither.Ten years later, Dahlia meets Timothy Ross, an Englishman in need of a wife. Reinventing herself as Lily Dove, Dahlia allows Timothy to believe she’s white, with no family to speak of, and agrees to marry him. She knows the danger of being found out. She also knows she’ll never have this chance at freedom again.Ensconced in the Ross mansion, Dahlia soon finds herself held captive in a different way—as the dutiful wife of a young man who has set his sights on a political future. But when Bo arrives on the estate in shackles, Dahlia decides to risk everything to save his life. With suspicions of her true identity growing and a bounty hunter not far behind, Dahlia must act fast or pay a devastating price.
Lucky's Beach
Shelley Noble - 2020
Julie also plans to use the time to figure out why her perfectly planned life has gone terribly amiss. They've barely hit the road when a frantic call from Julie's mother hijacks their best laid plans. Uncle Tony "Lucky" Costa is missing. Always entertaining, often irresponsible, never reliable, Uncle Lucky was a favorite with her friends. For Julie, for whom he'd been a sometimes surrogate father, not so much.Her mother wants them to take a "teeny" detour to look for the irascible retired surfer. Julie makes excuses. After all, she was the one who decided she never wanted to see Lucky again. Overruled in this as she is in much of her life, Julie and her friends detour to Lucky's latest scheme, Lucky's Beach Bar and Grill. They find it tucked away in a quaint coastal town on the Delaware coast. With a crescent beach of white sand, large waves, plenty of tanned young men, a lively night life, it's a perfect beach getaway.Beth and Aggie see good times ahead, Julie is determined to get through it as quickly as possible. But that will change as she gets to know Lucky's friends and confidantes. The taciturn bartender, the loyal housekeeper, the local fortune teller, the whole town shares a determination to protect him. But from what?Soon Julie and her friends are swept up in an effort to save the town's--and Lucky's-- most closely guarded secret. And Julie begins to see her uncle in a new light.Julie Barlow has a few things to learn about life--and love--and sacrifice. Her lesson begins this summer at Lucky's Beach.
Elissa Blue
T.K. Perry - 2017
Now she has a short window of time to migrate to the Mating Mountain, find a husband, and get back down the impassable cliffs before she loses her ability to fly forever. If she doesn’t succeed, she’ll be stranded as a servant in the Old Castle for the rest of her life. And if she doesn’t choose her man wisely, she might be just as miserable.
Chasing the North Star
Robert Morgan - 2016
He takes with him only a few stolen coins, a knife, and the clothes on his back--no shoes, no map, no clear idea of where to head, except north, following a star that he prays will be his guide. Hiding during the day and running through the night, Jonah must elude the men sent to capture him and the bounty hunters out to claim the reward on his head. There is one person, however, who, once on his trail, never lets him fully out of sight: Angel, herself a slave, yet with a remarkably free spirit. In Jonah, she sees her own way to freedom, and so sets out to follow him. Bristling with breathtaking adventure, Chasing the North Star is deftly grounded in historical fact yet always gripping and poignant as the story follows Jonah and Angel through the close calls and narrow escapes of a fearsome world. It is a celebration of the power of the human spirit to persevere in the face of great adversity. And it is Robert Morgan at his considerable best.
Before Anyone Else
Leslie Hooton - 2020
She learns transforming her own life is another proposition entirely. It can get messy and it doesn’t always go according to a neat blueprint. Bailey’s brother, Henry, and his best friend Griffin are stars in the restaurant field. They are known as the “Color Wheel Boys” because of their renowned Buckhead restaurants Vert, Blanc, and Noir. Bailey is determined to chart her own course; to not be forever known as Hank’s daughter, Henry’s sister, or “whatever” she is to Griffin.Bailey’s dreams propel her to New York where her vision garners accolades and fame. After a perceived rejection by Griffin, she rushes into an impetuous marriage with an enigmatic English chef. Their combined charisma and desire lift them to the top of the culinary world. Just when she seems on the verge of having it all, a shocking betrayal throws Bailey's world into chaos. She begins a spectacular downfall complete with secretive drug use, shady associates, and her career in turmoil. Just what are the secret ingredients to transforming food, a dilapidated building, and one’s own life into something extraordinary?Before Anyone Else examines the complicated relationship between love and ambition and explores how our earliest relationships and experience, shape us into who we ultimately become."a beautiful book.”―Kevin Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of Nothing to See Here and The Family Fang"the romantic debut we have been waiting for"–Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Becoming Mrs. Lewis
The Waking Land
Callie Bates - 2017
But when he dies under mysterious circumstances, Elanna is accused of his murder and must flee for her life. Returning to the homeland of magical legends she has forsaken, Elanna is forced to reckon with her despised, estranged father, branded a traitor long ago. Feeling a strange, deep connection to the natural world, she also must face the truth about the forces she has always denied or disdained as superstition powers that suddenly stir within her. But an all-too-human threat is drawing near, determined to exact vengeance. Now Elanna has no choice but to lead a rebellion against the kingdom to which she once gave her allegiance. Trapped between divided loyalties, she must summon the courage to confront a destiny that could tear her apart.
Casting Queen
Perdita Cargill - 2016
One way or another, Elektra's life is now spent waiting for the phone to ring - waiting for callback.Can an average girl-next-door like Elektra really make it in the world of luvvies and starlets? Geek Girl meets Fame meets New Girl in this brilliantly funny new series!
Destiny of Shattered Dreams
Nilesh Rathod - 2016
It is also a moving portrayal of the fallibility of love.Ambition, passion
and raw courage are Atul Malhotra’s key aides to realizing his dreams as he learns the art of gambling for high stakes. What follows is a game of treachery, infidelity and murder.The book lays bare the sordid corporate-politico nexus that compels this once middle-class boy to deftly learn the ropes and negotiate a world where dirty deals and power plays can make or break lives, where one wrong choice could be fatal.A tale of yachts and hidden Swiss accounts, sordid affairs of lust, intrigue and exhilarating highs, Nilesh Rathod’s Destiny of Shattered Dreams is also the story of innocence forever lost.
The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun
Christopher Mahoney - 2008
The following description is from the final book (isbn13: 9780979520259), published May 2, 2009.The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun is an award-winning space adventure for young adults that has earned the acclaim of Publisher's Weekly, Writer's Digest, Amazon.com, and kids and parents everywhere.The book follows Zack Goodspeed, a perfectly normal 11-year old boy, who discovers his eccentric grandfather has invented a source of unlimited power, called the Onyx Sun and harnessed that power to fuel a spaceship. Stowing away on the ship with his mischievous neighbor Angelina "Max" Maximillian, Zack is thrust into a journey that strands him on the Moon, introduces him to bold new friends, and pits him against Dr. Machvel, a rouge member of crew bent on turning the Onyx Sun into a weapon of mass destruction.Through an imaginative storyline, the book immerses children in the possibilities they will one-day face to improve humanity through invention and technological exploration. It is a scintillating, roller-coaster ride of a story that helps kids also understand the nature of friendships, conflict, and personal growth. Publisher's Weekly applauds the book, saying "This space adventure yarn has the right stuff. The fast-paced novel keeps the reader engaged throughout. The main characters are nicely done, the plot is exciting, and there’s a clear jumping off point for a sequel, which young sci-fi fans would surely look forward to."This debut novel by Christopher Mahoney has also won an honorable mention in the 17th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards and reached the semifinals of the 2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards.An engaging book for young readers as well as the rest of the family, The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun inspires all of us with visions of what life could be like as humanity spreads into the stars. More information and online secure order form at http://www.onyxsun.com.
Aftercare Instructions
Bonnie Pipkin - 2017
She finds refuge and stability in her relationship with her boyfriend, Peter—until he abandons her at a Planned Parenthood clinic during their appointment to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. The betrayal causes Gen to question everything.As Gen pushes herself forward to find her new identity without Peter, she must also confront her most painful memories. Through the lens of an ongoing four act play within the novel, the fantasy of their undying love unravels line by line, scene by scene. Digging deeper into her past while exploring the underground theater world of New York City, she rediscovers a long-forgotten dream. But it’s when Gen lets go of her history, the one she thinks she knows, that she’s finally able to embrace the complicated, chaotic true story of her life, and take center stage.This powerfully immersive and format-crushing debut follows Gen from dorm rooms to diners to house parties to auditions—and ultimately, right into readers’ hearts.
I'm Not Missing
Carrie Fountain - 2018
We won’t go begging for scraps.When Syd runs away suddenly and inexplicably in the middle of their senior year, Miranda is abandoned once again, left to untangle the questions of why Syd left, where she is—and if she’s even a friend worth saving. Her only clue is Syd’s discarded pink leopard print cell phone and a single text contained there from the mysterious HIM. Along the way, forced to step out from Syd’s enormous shadow, Miranda finds herself stumbling into first love with Nick Allison of all people and learning what it means to be truly seen, to be finally not missing in her own life.
The Truants
Lee Markham - 2014
His assailant disappears, the knife in his pocket, the blood of the old-one seared into its sharpened edge. The knife trades hands, drawing blood again, and the old-one is resurrected through his victims’ consciousness and divided, spreading through the infected. With his horde of infected youth, the old-one must reclaim the knife to regain control of his soul. But someone is out to stop him...
What Lies Within
James Morris - 2015
Now she’s in real danger, although she doesn’t know who would want her dead, or why. As she starts to unravel the mystery, the truth about who she really is proves to be more frightening than she ever imagined. With the lives of her and her friends hanging in the balance, one thing is certain:Nothing will ever be the same.Packed with suspense, What Lies Within is a page-turning, plot-driven rollercoaster ride that fans of Stephen King, James Patterson and Rick Yancey will be sure to enjoy.
Brief, Horrible Moments 2: A collection of two sentence horror stories
Marko PandzaMarko Pandza - 2021
Chill your bones with two hundred horror stories, two sentences at a time.Do you have the courage to face the natural and supernatural scares that lay within these cursed pages? Pull up the blankets, close the blinds, take a deep breath and find out.A series of brief, horrible moments await.
Spiritual Intercourse
Maximus Freeman - 2019
Jump back into the passenger seat as you and Freeman navigate through a kaleidoscope of new trials, tribulations and joys of life. Buckle up!