The muslin curtains billow out towards her like clouds. There is a touch of brilliant red, the ribbon on her hat. The rest is white, cream, palest grey. It is a painting which leads Flora on, beckoning her away from her childhood, her complaining, clinging mother, pert younger sister, and the confines of a small community, to a proud and self-reliant future. But later, this image is to prove the catalyst for the most signicant event in her life. Isolation, separation, solitude, betrayal. The shocks of life. The consolations and the beauty of death. A few piercing moments of absolute joy and perfect understanding. THE SERVICE OF CLOUDS is about these things, and also about love, loyalty, friendship, growing up and growing old.

    One night a year-that's the time Amy Kendrick devotes to her love life. She uses it as a reminder that she's the one who's in control of her body and who she sleeps with. But this year's one-night stand doesn't go to plan. Instead of waking up next to last night's "date," Amy opens her eyes to see Matthew Bowers, the billionaire CEO of DataSource, standing over her wondering why the hell she is in his bed. Despite the unusual first meeting, Matthew offers her a job-one so good she can't possibly refuse. Amy cannot resist Matthew's charm, his good looks, or the sparks that fly between them whenever they're in the same room. She can't deny how he makes her feel, and soon her policy of one night a year turns into something much, much more. But if he knew what happened on July 26th, he'd never look at her the same. And if he gets any closer, he might just stumble upon that secret-and so many more.

    Hardworking and good-hearted, they cling together and help each other, and a whole community.Meanwhile, Rosh Allen mourns the loss of Phil, her dearly-beloved husband. Aided and impeded by her mother, Anna, she struggles to raise three fatherless children. With the help of a kind-hearted neighbour, her wounds begin to heal, and she begins to take the first faltering steps into 'normality'.Tess and Don Compton are on the verge of separation. An apparently greedy and selfish woman, Tess wants a semi-detached house, and all her own way. But what really lies behind her desire to live on the posh side of the street.Behind the three families, two men are at work. One will do serious damage; the other will reunite a clan that goes all the way back to Ireland and to ancestors thrown ashore from the ships of the Spanish Armada.Brilliant storytelling that is perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries' The Four Streets or Maureen Lee.

    Born to poverty and limited opportunities, they're able nonetheless to enjoy the largely innocent pleasures of childhood, but the adult world around them inevitably impinges. The narrator's elder sister falls pregnant and is sent to Ireland to have and give up the child; newcomer Tony and his mum are in danger of real violence at the hands of Tony's violent Polish stepfather; and no child who plays the part of altar boy at the chapel wants to be left alone with the local priest. Observant, clear-sighted in its portrayal of the darker side of life yet utterly warm-hearted, Spit Against the Wind reminds us of the wonders of childhood without sentimentality but with gentle humor and great charm.

    Mattie Sylvester, a widow of one of America's most celebrated painters, reveals the sordid truth of the past, and of her husband, to her secretary.

    Cate and Richard felt an immediate and undeniable spark, but Richard also felt the weight of the world more deeply than most. As the three matured, he receded further and further into darkness until he disappeared altogether. Now, four years after Richard’s passing, Cate is let go from her teaching job and can’t pay the rent on the London flat she shares with her and Richard’s son, Leo. She packs the two of them up and ventures to Richard’s grandfather’s old Victorian museum in the small town of Crouch-on-Sea, where the dusty staff quarters await her. Despite growing pains and a grouchy caretaker, Cate falls in love with the quirky taxidermy exhibits and sprawling grounds and makes it her mission to revive them. When the museum is faced with closure because of a lack of visitors, Cate stages a grand reopening, but threats from both inside and outside the museum derail her plans and send her spiraling into self-doubt. As Cate becomes more invested in Hatters, she must finally confront the reality of Richard’s death—and the role she played in it—in order to reimagine her future. Perfect for fans of Evvie Drake Starts Over, The Museum of Forgotten Memories masterfully weaves life with death, past with present, and grief with hope.

    

    As she’s about to flee back to Nashville, she finds a hidden journal belonging to her father. His words hint that his death was no accident.Small town mechanic Ryan Shields is the only one who seems to believe that Daleigh may be on to something. Her father trusted the man, but Daleigh’s instant attraction to Ryan scares her. She knows her life and career, however dwindling it might be, are back in Nashville and that her time in the sleepy North Carolina town is only temporary.As Daleigh and Ryan work to unravel the mystery, it becomes obvious that someone wants them dead. They must rely on each other—and on God—if they hope to make it home before the darkness swallows them whole. Gone By Dark Charity White can’t forget the horrific crime that happened ten years ago when she and her best friend, Andrea, spontaneously cut through the woods on their way home from high school. In the middle of their trek, a man abducted Andrea, who hasn’t been seen since.Since that fateful day, Charity has tried to outrun the memories and guilt of that one hasty decision. What if she and her friend hadn’t taken that shortcut? Why wasn’t Charity taken instead of Andrea? And why weren’t the police ever able to track down the bad guy?When Charity receives a mysterious letter that promises answers, she decides to face her worst nightmare. She returns home to North Carolina in search of closure and a touch of the peace that has eluded her for the past decade. With the help of her new neighbor, Police Officer Joshua Haven, Charity begins to track down mysterious clues. They soon discover that they must work together or both of them will be swallowed by the looming darkness. Wait Until Dark A woman grieving broken dreams. A man struggling to regain memories. A secret entrenched in folklore dating back two centuries.Antiquarian Felicity French has no clue the trouble she’s inviting in when she rescues a man outside her grandma’s old plantation house during a treacherous snowstorm. All she wants is to nurse her battered heart and wounded ego, as well as come to terms with her past. Now she’s stuck inside with a stranger sporting an old bullet wound and forgotten hours.Coast Guardsman Brody Joyner can't remember why he was out in such perilous weather, how he injured his head, or how a strange key got into his pocket. He also has no idea why his pint-sized savior has such a huge chip on her shoulder. He has no choice but to make the best of things until the storm passes.Brody and Felicity’s rocky start goes from tense to worse when danger closes in. Who else wants the mysterious key that somehow ended up in Brody’s pocket? Why? The unlikely duo quickly becomes entrenched in an adventure of a lifetime, one that could have ties to local folklore and Felicity’s ancestors. But sometimes the past leads to darkness . . . darkness that doesn’t wait for anyone.

    In a churchyard, villagers gather on the night when the ghosts of those who will die in the coming year are thought to be seen. Here, where the estuary leads out to the sea, superstitions still hold sway.Standing alone is the taxidermist's daughter. At 17, Constantia Gifford lives with her father in a decaying house: it is all that is left of Gifford's once world-famous museum of taxidermy. The stuffed animals that used to grace every parlour are out of fashion, leaving Gifford a disgraced and bitter man.The bell begins to toll and all eyes are fixed on the church. No one sees the gloved hand pick up a flint. As the last notes fade into the dark, a woman lies dead.While the village braces itself against rising waters and the highest tide of the season, Connie struggles to discover who is responsible, but finds herself under suspicion. Is Constantia who she seems - is she the victim of circumstances or are more sinister forces at work? And what is the secret that lies at the heart of Gifford House, hidden among the bell jars of her father's workshop?Told over one summer, The Taxidermist's Daughter is the haunting new novel from the bestselling author of Labyrinth, Sepulchre, Citadel and The Winter Ghosts.

    Not the cute, four-legged kind but the cute two-legged kind who sniffs out dastardly cybercrimes from the comfort of her gilded office. When she gets up from her desk, she often falls over a dead body or two. But solving crimes is what she and the Alvarez clan are good at. They run Discretionary Inquiries, a family-owned detective agency in the heart of Silicon Valley. This set is for cozy readers who can't get enough of a smart-mouthed woman sleuth out to please her never-had-a-bad-hair-day mother, computer-genius brother, gourmet chef uncle, and energetic orange and white cat, Tugger. Now you can get all six for an amazing bargain price. A delicious Kindle deal! “One of the funniest mystery authors around. You won’t be able to put her books down. A must-read 5-star series!" National Best Selling Author, Cindy Sample MURDER IS A FAMILY BUSINESS Just because a man cheats on his wife and makes Danny DeVito look tall, dark, and handsome is that any reason to kill him? Lee Alvarez, half Latina, half WASP and 100% detective doesn’t think so. Guilted by her aristocratic mother into tailing a friend’s husband to a seedy warehouse, he’s killed on her watch. She also finds an abandoned kitten destined to become hers. But in between kitty litter, kibble, and purrs, she’s determined to find out whodunit. Fans of Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone, Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum, and Lisa Lutz’s The Spellman Files will get a special kick out of the Alvarez's. “Heather Haven makes a stellar debut in Murder is a Family Business. Highly recommended.” Sheldon Siegel. NY Times Best Selling Author A WEDDING TO DIE FOR A groom arrested for murder puts a crimp in any wedding, no matter who designs the bridal gown. The nuptials of Lee Alvarez’s best friend is threatened, so Lee goes south of the border in search of the real killer. And maybe a little romance. Or is it a case of When Cupid’s Wings Start Flapping, Take Cover? “This cozy mystery has it all – romance, suspense, comedy and a detective you’ll fall hard for.” BestThrillers Reviews DEATH RUNS IN THE FAMILY Competitive foot racers are dropping like flies, which sends Lee Alvarez to Vegas disguised as a dancer in a lounge lizard’s act. When she uncovers a multi-million dollar betting syndicate who kills off the competition, it’s time to hit the ground running in the Alvarez Family’s race with death. “I Just finished Death Runs in the Family and I loved it! This has turned out to be one of my favorite series and I sure hope there will be another installment in the near future!” Becky Carbone, Director Global Ebook Awards DEAD…IF ONLY A man who should be dead isn’t and Lee Alvarez’s very pregnant sister-in-law is about to be charged with a murder he recently committed in the Big Easy. Aided by the rest of the Alvarez Family, Palo Alto’s favorite P.I. kicks the Voodoo in the Who Do throughout New Orleans just as a hurricane hits. “Family plays a huge part in the plot, and what a family it is...For me, this was a great book. The writing was clever and I couldn’t stop laughing.” 100 Romances Project THE CEO CAME DOA It’s a Christmas wedding for Lee Alvarez complete with dead bodies, a missing groom, and a lethal but little known drug called Devil’s Breath.

    It has been twenty years since the death of Rebecca, the hauntingly beautiful first wife of Maxim de Winter, and twenty years since Manderley, the de Winter family's estate, was destroyed by fire. But Rebecca's tale is just beginning.Colonel Julyan, an old family friend, receives an anonymous package concerning Rebecca. An inquisitive young scholar named Terence Gray appears and stirs up the quiet seaside hamlet with questions about the past and the close ties he soon forges with the Colonel and his eligible daughter, Ellie. Amid bitter gossip and murky intrigue, the trio begins a search for the real Rebecca and the truth behind her mysterious death.

    In the countryside. Just over an hour's train ride from London.An ideal family home. Sold unseen. At auction.Married couple, Al and Liz Greenaway, love London, but when they discover an impressive country property for sale, in need of some TLC, for the same price as their London flat, they decide to go for it. For them, life is all about reinventing themselves, keeping things fresh, and this house marks an exciting new chapter.In the week running up to Christmas, it is Liz who finds herself at Carfax House, alone. Al's held up with work. No matter, there's plenty to occupy her before he arrives, getting it ready for the festive season. A fine house. Once. Solitary, romantic, isolated, and quiet. So quiet that, for the first time in years, Liz can hear her own thoughts as long buried memories emerge. And there's an echo in them, a whisper...For someone else in the house, memories are emerging too. ~~~