Lula Does the Hula


Samantha Mackintosh - 2011
    But mostly people call me Lula. So, my big news is...I've finally been kissed. Eeeee! I have an actual, factual boyfriend! At least, I thought I did. But things with the perfect boy aren't going to plan - thanks to his journo gal pal, Evil Jazz. And that's not all. Hoooo no. In a few days I've got to dance the hula in public, put a stop to some seriously serious criminal activity, win a race, and stop Dad from shaming me totally with his weirdiness. Frikkly frik! Where is my normal life? Huh? Where? Please, someone, tell me I'm not jinxed forever...Laugh-out-loud funny and gorgeously romantic, Lula Does the Hula is the perfect summer read.

Havana Best Friends


José Latour - 2002
    Elena Miranda and her brother, Pablo, have lived in the same spacious Havana apartment since they were children, not knowing that a $10-million treasure in diamonds is hidden behind a tile in their bathroom. Now the son of the man who buried them there wants them, and he knows the ideal person for the job: his ruthless former comrade-in-arms during the Vietnam War. Equipped with a Spanish-speaking “wife” and Canadian passports, the vet flies to Cuba to sweet-talk his way into Elena and Pablo’s lives and get his hands on the diamonds. But Cuba has a way of confusing even the best-laid plans, and soon the treasure hunters find themselves being hunted.A complex, hard-boiled novel of betrayal, deceit, and cunning, Havana Best Friends takes place in a Cuba that tourists rarely see. Stunning plot twists rocket the story forward, but not once does the action overpower the story’s heart — the emotional lives of the people whose worlds are changed forever by these so-called best friends.

Rising Summer


Mary Jane Staples - 1991
    They managed splendidly - and then came the war. Tim Parkes became Gunner Parkes and Aunt May spent most of her nights in the Walworth air raid shelters with Tim keeping an eye on her whenever he was able.When he got posted to Suffolk he wasn't too pleased - Suffolk was Country, not like London at all. But in fact there were a lot of things about Sheldham that reminded him of home - the Walworth evacuees for a start. Those of them that weren't creating havoc in the Suffolk village were creating havoc in Tim's life. Minnie Beavers - ex-Camberwell - was fifteen, pert, pretty, and wildly in love with Tim. She was determined to inveigle him into marriage the minute she was old enough. Tim was equally determined to escape and choose his own girl.By the time Tim had gone away to fight the war, and Minnie had joined the WAAF, a great many things had changed in both their lives.

Lizzie


Lena Kennedy - 1983
    Tiny, warm-hearted, totally devoted to her charming rogue of a husband, Lizzie mothers her brood of nephews and nieces through the perils of the war-torn capital, makes a home for them in the bomb shelters of underground London, launches them on the roller-coaster of life and stands by with help and encouragement.For Lizzie is a survivor, an irresistible heroine with the unquenchable optimism, the great heart, the indomitable courage that sum up the spirit of the East End.

Five Days in Paris / The Gift / Leap of Faith (Danielle Steel Boxed Set)


Danielle Steel - 2002
    Set includes 1 mass market paperback edition each of: Five Days In ParisThe GiftLeap Of Faith

Come Home, Dear


Lucy Walker - 2020
    Penny Bartlett has loved John Dean from afar for years. Will two arrivals to Green Valley prevent Penny from revealing her true feelings to him?From the bestselling author of Australian outback romance. Over 12 million books sold worldwide.When Ross Bennet returns home to the neighbouring estate he doesn't hide his interest in Penny. But Penny long ago gave her heart to family-friend John Dean, despite their ten-year age difference. Could John recognise that Penny is now a young woman, or will she be pushed into Ross's arms?There are more complications when Miss Lucille Ditton comes to the Bartlett homestead as housekeeper. Her brisk efficiency soon seems more like interfering to Penny. Then Miss Ditton crosses a boundary which Penny finds difficult to forgive.Thanks to unsubtle hints from Miss Ditton, everyone in the valley assumes that Penny and Ross will marry. Has Miss Ditton made an innocent mistake, or is her real intention to win John Dean for herself?

Cameo Lake


Susan Wilson - 2001
    In this evocative work, she tells a tender, truthful, and reaffirming story of the fragile nature of love. A loving wife and doting mother, Cleo Grayson McCarthy has always put others first. Now, desperate to finish her novel, she convinces her husband that she needs to spend the summer at a borrowed cottage on Cameo Lake -- alone. But as she immerses herself in writing, Cleo can't help but be aware of the composer who lives across the lake. At night she hears music drifting from his house and senses he's a kindred spirit. A loner, Ben Turner is regarded suspiciously by the tight-knit lake community. But he and Cleo become fast friends, and when a painful betrayal leaves Cleo adrift, she finds unexpected comfort in Ben. Before she can determine if she should fight for her crumbling marriage, Cleo must look into her heart. And Ben, whose past still lies in shadows, must look into his.

Force of Nature


Kris Norris - 2015
     Conservation Officer, Finley McKay, isn’t a stranger to criticism. Taking risks to protect delicate ecosystems doesn’t impress most people—including the doctor renting the cabin beside hers. The man’s arrogant, opinionated and far too sexy in his faded jeans and tees. She already knows he’s an ass—she just wished it mattered enough to make her keep her distance. Dr. Coen Brady isn’t looking to fit in. Having recently retired from the military, he’s hoping to spend a few months hiding from the world in a small, out-of-the-way town in northern Washington. But just his luck, he has the misfortune of running into his next-door neighbor. A girl who seems determined to get herself killed before his time there is up. She’s reckless, stubborn and slowly driving him insane. When anger morphs into angry sex, Coen knows taking her to bed is a calculated risk—one he might regret when her investigation turns deadly, leaving Finley’s life hanging in the balance. Breaking a few rules to keep her in the game doesn’t seem that dangerous, until it becomes painfully obvious she won’t stop until justice is served—even if the price is her life.

The Sunbird / Wild Justice


Wilbur Smith - 2006
    

When You Became My Life


Anshul Sharma - 2013
    Living with an old friend in a new house, busy with a new job in a new environment revives him, somewhat. And then, life happens. As he bumps into love and tries to keep running away from it, love follows him as Aashi a small-town girl with larger than life aspirations and a novel dream. Neev sets out to fulfil her dream but he has to pay a coast for it. Either love or life. What will he choose to let go? When You Became My Life is a story spun by destiny. It is a story of a young boy who takes it upon himself to defeat all odds and be one with love.

Man of the House


Joan Jonker - 1995
    Eileen Gillmoss, a colourful character with a smile forever lighting up her face was the life and soul of the party. Today was the day she'd prayed for and dreamed about. After five long, lonely years, her prisoner-of-war husband Bill would be coming home, back to the open, loving arms of his wife and children. But the man who comes back from the war is a complete stranger to her. It isn't only that Bill's appearance has changed. It's his remoteness, his flinching from her touch that Eileen can't cope with. Now, Eileen, who is always there to lend a shoulder to cry on, is the one in need. But who can she turn to? No one can give her what she craves most... her old husband back. She wants him back where he belongs, as the man of the house.

My Sisters


Ann Roth - 2008
    — When sisters Margaret, Rose, and Quincy Lansing receive the tragic news that a car accident has claimed the life of their mother, they must return to their childhood home-and to one another's company. Although they are shocked and heartbroken, none of the Lansing sisters is eager to be back. For the painful memories they thought they'd left behind have suddenly resurfaced...But there is also an unbreakable bond of love.The Lansings were never a close or loving family. And each sibling had long ago found her own means of escape-Margaret into her lab work, Rose into her "perfect" marriage, Quincy into her acts of rebellion. So when crisis forces them together again, they discover that they know as little about one another as they did about their mother. And in unraveling her secrets, they find not only revelation, but also strength, hope, sisterhood, and a chance for love...

The Final Detail / Just One Look


Harlan Coben
    

Sandra Brown Suspense Collection: The Switch, Envy, The Crush


Sandra Brown - 2003
    The next morning Gillain is found brutally butchered in her own bed. Determined to avenge the murder, Melina vows to stop at nothing to learn the truth. But soon she is on the run from police, the FBI, and the mastermind whose evil plot to engineer the perfect "switch" could result in disastrous consequences on a global scale."ENVY"Read by Victor SlezakBook editor Maris Matherly-Reed receives a tantalizing partial manuscript submitted by a writer identified only as P.M.E. Curiosity compels her to track down the author, Parker Evans, and work with him to complete the novel. But as the story unfolds, Maris becomes convinced it is more than just fiction. When someone close to her dies, the presence of evil looms even closer..."THE CRUSH"Read by Tom WopatWhile serving as a juror on a high-profile murder trial, Dr. Rennie Newton finds herself defending the inalienable rights of the accused -- even though there is considerable evidence of his guilt. When she arrives home, five dozen roses ominously await her. As she becomes the obsession of Lozada -- the accused murderer she helped acquit -- Rennie is drawn into a ferocious endgame with an embittered cop who wants Lozada -- by any means necessary.

The Call of the High Country


Tony Parsons - 1999
    As a young married couple, Andrew and Anne work together to make the very best of their property, High Peaks, but at what cost to their happiness? In time, the property will pass to their son, David. Handsome and hardworking, David is determined to become the best sheepdog handler in the land. Nothing is going to stand in his way-not even the beautiful Catriona Campbell, daughter of the wealthy graziers next door. The Call Of The High Country is an inspiring and heartwarming saga of a family battling through hard times, of a love that defies all odds, and of dreams that won't be broken.