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Nights in Norcoast
Sybil Smith - 2018
When they get trapped inside a cabin together for a week, what could possibly go wrong?
April Bauer packed her bags and fled from her abusive ex-husband overnight, only to land in a secluded farming town, Norcoast, without a clue. With the approaching winter weather, no farming skills to speak of, and hardly any money to her name, how the hell was she supposed to survive out here on her own?Not only that, but her new life felt lonelier than ever. She awoke alone, ate alone, slept alone, and didn’t see that changing anytime soon. How could it? Her heart needed as much mending as her drafty cabin, and that was saying something. Danny Irving, professional cowgirl and heartbreaker extraordinaire, wanted more out of life. She was tired of manning her parents’ farm day in and day out with nothing to show for it. When was she going to find her happy ending? The woman of her dreams? All she had was a handful of men drooling over her, a broken plow, and a bedroom she shared with two of her siblings. At twenty-four, she expected more than this monotonous existence she’d been living. But when her father sends her over to a neighbor’s house before the oncoming storm, she never anticipated what would happen next.
Slow burn, HEA novel. Book 1 of 2.
Love Frankie
Jacqueline Wilson - 2020
FALLING IN LOVE. COMING OUT.Frankie is nearly fourteen and teenage life certainly comes with its ups and downs. Her mum is seriously ill with MS and Frankie can feel herself growing up quickly, no thanks to Sally and her gang of bullies at school.When Sally turns out to be not-so-mean after all, they strike up a friendship and are suddenly spending all of their time together.But Frankie starts to wonder whether these feelings she has for Sally are stronger than her other friendships. Might she really be in love?Frankie doesn't want Sally to just be her friend. She wants her to be her girlfriend. But does Sally feel the same?The must-have new novel about falling in love for the first time from bestselling, much-loved children's author, Jacqueline Wilson.
Karen Memory
Elizabeth Bear - 2015
See, my name is Karen Memery, like memory only spelt with an e, and I'm one of the girls what works in the Hôtel Mon Cherie on Amity Street. Hôtel has a little hat over the o like that. It's French, so Beatrice tells me."Set in the late 19th century—when the city we now call Seattle Underground was the whole town (and still on the surface), when airships plied the trade routes, would-be gold miners were heading to the gold fields of Alaska, and steam-powered mechanicals stalked the waterfront, Karen is a young woman on her own, is making the best of her orphaned state by working in Madame Damnable's high-quality bordello. Through Karen's eyes we get to know the other girls in the house—a resourceful group—and the poor and the powerful of the town. Trouble erupts one night when a badly injured girl arrives at their door, begging sanctuary, followed by the man who holds her indenture, and who has a machine that can take over anyone's mind and control their actions. And as if that wasn't bad enough, the next night brings a body dumped in their rubbish heap—a streetwalker who has been brutally murdered.Bear brings alive this Jack-the-Ripper yarn of the old west with a light touch in Karen's own memorable voice, and a mesmerizing evocation of classic steam-powered science.
The Other Woman
Hildred Billings - 2021
The most captivating woman in the city has walked into my office. Hair as red as carnal passion and a body I can’t stop fantasizing about. She doesn’t know it yet, but I’m about to ask her out. And she will say yes, because she won’t have a reason to say no. When my conquest is complete, I intend to forget all about her. She is, after all, the reason for my pain. She is the source of my breakup and the woman my good-for-nothing ex seduced. I will consume the woman who wrecked my relationship. I will not fall for her, no matter how tempting she is. It’s not becoming to be The Other Woman, after all. Good girls shouldn’t cross me.But Keira isn’t a good girl, is she? I’m no saint myself. In the end, we’ll probably go down together. It’ll be what we both deserve.
THE OTHER WOMAN is a heated tale of revenge and scarred hearts. It has a HEA – but how Evelyn and Keira get there? You’ll have to find out for yourself.
Secrets and Tea at Rosie Lee's
Jane Lacey-Crane - 2018
Her business is as dead as her love life and her only potential lifeline is a last-minute job offer from a friend. After years of cooking nothing fancier than a bacon sarnie in her little East End greasy spoon café, Abby is roped in to help cater a party. As if being forced out of her comfort zone wasn't bad enough, the host of the party turns out to be a man she never thought she'd see again – Jack Chance, her first love and her first kiss. Jack's reappearance brings back some painful memories but also the opportunity for Abby to finally get some answers to the questions that have plagued her since she was 15. Why did Jack and his family vanish into the night without a word? Where did her father abandon his family? Why did her mother leave her to fend for herself? And how many people, over the years, have conspired to keep Abby away from the truth? When the truth is finally uncovered, Abby must face the fact that even those who claim to love you will sometimes hurt you; when push comes to shove, they will do anything to keep you safe, no matter what the consequences.
Controlled Burn
Sherryl D. Hancock - 2021
Just when she thinks she can't hold on anymore, she is reminded of another lost love.Kori is the one that got away, and years later Hunter is unexpectantly thrust back into Kori's life. But it’s not easy moving on when the past still haunts her at every turn.Filled with love, loss, and characters that will steal your heart, this new series will take you into the flames on a ride like never before.
Heatwave
Maggie McIntyre - 2020
She is hired under the radar of the female CEO, Katherine Konrad, but within hours of starting, Cat discovers nothing about her new life is going to be straightforward.Raised by her hippy artist mother in Portland, Oregon, Catriona has never followed the crowd, and she certainly doesn’t fit in at Montpellier. Her colleagues dress and act like wannabe starlets, and seem to despise her on sight. Her line manager, Frankie, is a man whose career is in trouble, and it takes all her energy to keep him in his job in charge of “Montage”, Montpellier’s current affairs program. Cat begins to question why she stays.Maybe the answer lies on the top floor of the Montpellier building. Katherine Konrad, CEO, beautiful, quick-witted and a broadcasting legend, has played verbal mind-games with Cat from day one. But Katherine’s quips are often barbed and her wit acidic. She is unpredictable and her private life is a mystery.Events bind the two women together, literally as well as figuratively as they embark on a much closer relationship expected. It’s a struggle for emotional survival, but then Cat discovers the truth about Katherine. Will she run for the hills, or be drawn into the battle as her boss fights with her own past? Summer in the city, two women in love, and the heatwave is not the only thing sizzling. A seductive age-gap story of love and loss, danger and delight.
Cam Girl
Leah Raeder - 2015
Ellis and Vada have a friendship so consuming it’s hard to tell where one girl ends and the other begins. It’s intense. It’s a little codependent. And nothing can tear them apart.Until an accident on an icy winter road changes everything.Vada is left deeply scarred, both emotionally and physically. Her once-promising art career is cut short. And Ellis pulls away, unwilling to talk about that night. Everything Vada loved is gone.She’s got nothing left to lose.So when she meets some smooth-talking entrepreneurs who offer to set her up as a cam girl, she can’t say no. All Vada has to do is spend a couple hours each night stripping on webcam, and the “tips” come pouring in.It’s just a kinky escape from reality until a client gets serious. “Blue” is mysterious, alluring, and more interested in Vada’s life than her body. Online, they chat intimately. Blue helps her heal. And he pays well, but he wants her all to himself. No more cam shows. It’s an easy decision: she’s starting to fall for him. But the steamier it gets, the more she craves the real man behind the keyboard. So Vada pops the question:Can we meet IRL?Blue agrees, on one condition. A condition that brings back a ghost from her past. Now Vada must confront the devastating secrets she's been running from—those of others, and those she's been keeping from herself...
The Beast That Never Was
Caren J. Werlinger - 2016
She must now live a life of duty to her mother and sisters, helping them to cope in their altered circumstances. But where her mother would have her wed a childhood friend to secure their future, Lise knows that is not what she longs for.When she meets a mysterious woman in the forest, Lise feels the stirrings of emotions she cannot give voice to, but with this woman, she doesn’t have to say anything—Senna knows.Cursed, hunted, and feared, Senna has been forced to wander from place to place for more years than she cares to remember. She gave up hope long ago that there could ever be an end to her isolation.Odd sightings in the forest—monsters of legend come to life, old enemies back from the past, fearsome beasts on the prowl—begin to frighten the people of Lise’s village. Somehow, all of these things are connected to Senna. As the villagers’ fear grows, so does their hatred.Senna prepares to flee, accepting what has become her fate, but Lise isn’t ready to give up her one chance for happiness. Soon, only Lise stands between the villagers and the woman she has grown to love.
Ship of Smoke and Steel
Django Wexler - 2019
When her ability to access the Well of Combat is discovered by the Empire—an ability she should have declared and placed at His Imperial Majesty's service—she's sent on an impossible mission: steal Soliton, a legendary ghost ship—a ship from which no one has ever returned. If she fails, her sister’s life is forfeit.
Contact 2020
Natalie Debrabandere - 2018
Freelance news photographer Sky McKenna is in New York, investigating dark rumours about the murder of US kids by the military. Urban legends? Insane lies? Children are dying, and no one knows. Meanwhile, President Trump is on track for re-election. A series of lethal asteroids recently narrowly missed the earth, and a new planet is visible in the sky. Religious zealots and end-times aficionados are whipping an already stressed-out population into even worse frenzy. As fear and violent riots increase, a state of emergency is declared across the land. These are dangerous times indeed, and yet Sky has no idea of the magnitude of the personal challenge that she is about to face. By summer’s end, she will have been transformed forever… The fate of all Humankind will be in her hands.
Come Close
Sappho
Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions. Sappho (c.630-570 BCE). Sappho's Stung with Love is available in Penguin Classics.