Book picks similar to
Traces by Betty Bolté
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The Lost History of Stars
Dave Boling - 2014
In turn-of-the-century South Africa, fourteen-year-old Lettie, her younger brother, and her mother are Dutch Afrikaner settlers who have been taken from their farm by British soldiers and are being held in a concentration camp. It is early in the Boer War, and Lettie’s father, grandfather, and brother are off fighting the British as thousands of Afrikaner women and children are detained. The camps are cramped and disease ridden; the threat of illness and starvation are ever present. Determined to dictate their own fate, Lettie and her family give each other strength and hope as they fight to survive amid increasingly dire conditions. Brave and defiant, Lettie finds comfort in memories of stargazing with her grandfather, in her plan to be a writer, and in surprising new friendships that will both nourish and challenge her. A beautiful testament to love, family, and sheer force of will, The Lost History of Stars was inspired by Dave Boling’s grandfather’s own experience as a soldier during the Boer War. Lettie is a figure of abiding grace, and her story is richly drawn and impossible to forget.
The Haunting of Sunshine Girl
Paige McKenzie - 2015
there's the chill that wraps itself around her bones, the giggling she can hear in the dead of night, and then the strange shadows that lurk in her photographs. But the more weird stuff that happens, the less her mom believes her. Sunshine's always had a quirky affiliation with the past, but this time, history is getting much too close for comfort...If there is something, or someone, haunting her house, what do they want? And what will they do if Sunshine can't help them?As things become more frightening and dangerous, and the giggles she hears turn to sobs and screams, Sunshine has no choice but to accept what she is, face the test before her and save her mother from a fate worse than death.The first in a frighteningly good new series based on the popular YouTube sensation The Haunting of Sunshine Girl Network, created by Paige McKenzie.
Dutch Courage
Paige Nick - 2016
So when her sister begs her to take her place as a Rihanna impersonator at a club in Amsterdam, no alarm bells go off … until she finds herself onstage in the city’s famous red-light district with only a pole for support and her knickers in a knot.Thrown into strip-club life, and forced to share an apartment with an exotic troupe of impersonating divas with Lady Gaga-sized egos, Grace has to learn some hard lessons fast. One: living with Marilyn Monroe and Madonna isn’t easy. And two: transformations don’t happen overnight – especially when your bra is determined to sabotage your dance routine.Hilarious and smart with heart, Dutch Courage is Paige Nick’s new comedy about what’s left once your clothes come off.
Priest of Bones
Peter McLean - 2018
But things have changed while he was away: his crime empire has been stolen and the people of Ellinburg--his people--have run out of food and hope and places to hide. Tomas sets out to reclaim what was his with help from Anne, his brother, Jochan, and his new gang: the Pious Men. But when he finds himself dragged into a web of political intrigue once again, everything gets more complicated.As the Pious Men fight shadowy foreign infiltrators in the back-street taverns, brothels, and gambling dens of Tomas's old life, it becomes clear: The war is only just beginning.
Unfinished Business
Carolyn Ridder Aspenson - 2013
Filled with romance and friendships reminiscent of Chick-Lit novels, Unfinished Business is a humorous and heartwarming adventure. When Angela Panther's mother Fran Richter wakes her up in the middle of the night ranting about stolen Hershey Bars, Angela thinks her mother's got a screw loose. And then it hits her. Her mother is dead. Just a few hours before, Angela watched as the funeral home staff nearly dropped her mother's body off the gurney while sliding her into the hearse. So maybe she's the one that's nuttier than a fruitcake? But Fran keeps popping in and with a volcano full of drama already brewing at home--crazy or not--Angela's grateful for her mother's presence. It's the other ghosts Angela can do without. Seems Fran's return opened a portal between Angela and the other side and ghosts are hitting up the reluctant psychic medium for help. From the naked British guy juggling balls in the coffee shop parking lot to the woman desperately trying to save her sick child, Angela must find a way to balance her own life with the unfinished business of the dead. This book was a finalist in the 2014 RONE Awards from InD'Tale Magazine.
Alien Billionaire's Fated Mate
Miranda Martin - 2020
Starlight Matchmaking, what a joke. I'm sure this is a scam. I'm more interested in figuring out their game than I am in a possible date. But the instant I see Wadjet, déjà vu hits me. Somehow it's like I've known this sexy, golden skinned billionaire forever, but we've never met. He says we have. That he's been searching for me for an impossibly long time. And now that he's found me, he's not going to lose me again. I don't believe in fate. I don't even believe in aliens. But before this date is over, he's determined to change my mind.
Peter in Flight
Paul Michael Peters - 2013
He can tell you everything there is to know about successful trade show programs. He can tell you stories about the thousands of people he has met, miles he has flown, hotel rooms he has stayed in, and ways to work the system to your advantage when you travel. But he can't tell the woman he loves how he feels. Think "Up in the Air meets Planes, Trains and Automobiles..". Based on his own extensive business trips, Paul Michael Peters brings us this funny, bittersweet story of a traveling software salesman. Filled with wry observations and entertaining vignettes, life moves fast in this quick read about a "trade show guy" and a love he thinks he can never have.
Some Quiet Place
Kelsey Sutton - 2013
I can’t feel anything. I've grown talented at pretending.Elizabeth Caldwell doesn't feel emotions... she sees them in human form. Longing hovers around the shy, adoring boy at school. Courage materializes beside her dying friend. Fury and Resentment visit her abusive home. They've all given up on Elizabeth because she doesn't succumb to their touch. All, that is, except beautiful Fear, who sometimes torments her and other times plays her compassionate savior. He’s obsessed with finding the answer to one question: What happened to Elizabeth to make her this way?They both sense that the key to Elizabeth’s condition is somehow connected to the paintings of her dreams, which show visions of death and grief that raise more questions than answers. But as a shadowy menace begins to stalk her, Elizabeth’s very survival depends on discovering the truth about herself. When it matters most, she may not be able to rely on Fear to save her.
Notes from Ghost Town
Kate Ellison - 2013
When sixteen-year-old artist Olivia Tithe is visited by the ghost of her first love, Lucas Stern, it’s only through scattered images and notes left behind that she can unravel the mystery of his death. There’s a catch: Olivia has gone colorblind, and there’s a good chance she’s losing her mind completely—just like her mother did. How else to explain seeing (and falling in love all over again with) someone who isn’t really there?With the murder trial looming just nine days away, Olivia must follow her heart to the truth, no matter how painful. It’s the only way she can save herself.
Avenging Amy
Annabelle Winters - 2021
. . ANNABELLE WINTERS STYLE!When a brash Saudi prince takes liberties with State Department translator Amy Hadad, she’s told to forget it and move on, to be a patriot and swallow her personal pride for the sake of the bigger picture.Saudi Prince Rafiq is helping the US in a delicate hostage situation with the rogue extremist nation of Jawal, and so Amy is stuck with an impossible choice: If she accuses Prince Rafiq, he might not help the US, and hostages might die.It’s not just an impossible choice, it’s no choice at all.She has to stand down, keep her mouth shut, smile for the camera, and let the show go on.Navy SEAL Jake Axelrod, busted down to security detail for a loudmouthed Senator after running his own mouth off in public, is used to choosing his country over himself.It’s what he was born to do, trained to do, loves to do.But when he senses how Amy reacts to Prince Rafiq at a State Department Gala in Dubai, something awakens in him, something comes alive, a different sense of moral duty that burns strong in his heart, like it comes from someplace deep and ancient, from a time when a man's highest duty was to protect his woman.Soon Axe faces his own impossible choice, and he makes it with his heart instead of his head.An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind, they say.Well, even a blind man knows when the sun is shining, and that’s what it feels like around Amy.So what the hell.Who needs eyes when your future's so clear.Hooyah.Toe-curling suspense, button-popping steam, mind-breaking action. And of course over-the-top drama and madness, Annabelle Winters style. This is a full length standalone.
Diana's Nightmare: The Family
Chris Hutchins - 1993
No sooner had she become the Princess of Wales and moved into Kensington Palace than her fears were confirmed: the House of Windsor constituted a flawed dynasty. She found herself trapped in a world of scandal, deceit and treachery. Diana's Nightmare reveals the previously untold secrets Diana discovered about her royal relatives. This book exposes how intensely Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles contrived to exclude her, it reveals the Queen was angry and bitter at her family's indiscretions, how the Queen Mother's indifference was matched only by Prince Philip's blind range over Diana's determination to find her own path, what really went on between the Duke and Duchess of York and how Prince Edward witnessed Diana's tantrums at Balmoral . . . Diana's own secret life.""Filled with new insights into the troubled life of the beautiful Princess. I remained riveted to the end."" - DOMINICK DUNNE
The Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides Collection: 7 Historical Romances are a Beacon of Hope to Weary Hearts
Lena Nelson Dooley - 2018
They shepherded settlers traveling by water to places that had no roads. These beacons of light required constant tending even in remote and often dangerous places. Brave men and women battled the elements and loneliness to keep the lights shining. Their sacrifice kept goods and immigrants moving. Seven romances set between 1883 and 1911 bring hope to these lonely keepers and love to weary hearts.
The Blind Contessa's New Machine
Carey Wallace - 2010
Her parents don't believe her, nor does her fiance. The only one who understands is the eccentric local inventor and her longtime companion, Turri. When her eyesight dims forever, Carolina can no longer see her beloved lake or the rich hues of her own dresses. But as darkness erases her world, she discovers one place she can still see-in her dreams. Carolina creates a vivid dreaming life, in which she can not only see, but also fly, exploring lands she had never known. Desperate to communicate with Carolina, Turri invents a peculiar machine for her: the world's first typewriter. His gift ignites a passionate love affair that will change both of their lives forever. Based on the true story of a nineteenth-century inventor and his innovative contraption, "The Blind Contessa's New Machine" is an enchanting confection of love and the triumph of the imagination."
Darlington Brothers Boxset
Avery North - 2021
They have the dashing looks, the magnetic charm, and a successful family business to boot. With their futures cut out for them, there’s only one thing they’re each missing – relationships. And as these alphas will soon find out, even when you’re as rich and successful as they are, finding the right girl is no easy task…With a riveting collection of sweet and spicy romance tales, the Darlington Brothers series will take you on an exhilarating roller coaster of emotions. Packed with passion, drama, and romance which will make or break these brothers’ futures, this series will keep you guessing as you discover one heart-pounding story after the next.With old conflicts bubbling up, plenty of heartache and arguments, and magnetic chemistry which takes things to the next level, this box set is perfect for romance fans who love to be kept guessing. Can the Darlington brothers find the love they’ve always wanted? And what will fate throw at them in their quest to have it all?
Fade to Us
Julia Day - 2018
Then her new stepfather announces his daughter is moving in. Brooke has always longed for a sibling, so she’s excited about spending more time with her stepsister. But she worries, too. Natalie has Asperger’s--and Brooke’s not sure how to be the big sister that Natalie needs.After Natalie joins a musical theater program, Brooke sacrifices her job to volunteer for the backstage crew. She’s mostly there for Natalie, but Brooke soon discovers how much she enjoys being part of the show. Especially sweet is the chance to work closely with charming and fascinating Micah--the production’s stage manager. If only he wasn’t Natalie’s mentor…When summer comes to an end, will Brooke finally have the family she so desperately wants–and the love she’s only dreamed about?