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The Twisted Vine by Alex Martin
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Sapphire and Shadow
Marie Ferrarella - 1991
What she is desperately trying to cover up is just how tragically that life is coming unraveled. Her husband's drug use, fueled by his fear of being unable to replicate his success, renders him incapable of showing her the love she once gave up everything for. Her closest friend is killed in a plane crash and even her daughter seems to prefer her husband's latest young lover to her own mother. The harder Johanna works at trying to patch the holes of her life, the more things come undone.It all comes to a head on location in London. Johanna watches happiness slipping away and turns for comfort to a young British artisan. He tries to teach her to love herself again, and to dare to reach for happiness. Though he manages to awaken her emotions, her husband's drug arrest in Italy and her daughter's sudden illness make her realize she needs to go home--not to Los Angeles, but to New York.Leaving all the wealth and influence she's been living with behind, she and her daughter feel like refugees as they search for a place to live and a way to make a living. Both needs are answered when they find shelter with an old friend and colleague in his art gallery. Johanna is back to her roots in the art world, but she's been gone a long time and she searches to find ways to heal and blossom. Even more difficult is the struggle to release her heart from the chains of fear and learn to love again.
A Piece of Cake
T.M. Franklin - 2013
Well, at least not the hearts and flowers, see-your-soulmate-across-a-crowded-room-and-the-world-stands-still kind of love. No, Emily is a pragmatist and she’s abandoned her family’s tradition of matchmaking based on instinct and uncanny intuition for a more scientific approach to pairing people up. Emily believes love is more about compatibility and common interests than anything mystical.But a run-of-the-mill job turns her world on end when swoony cake designer Sam Cavanaugh pops up as a potential match for her newest client. The attraction she feels for him throws a wrench in her plans, but Emily’s not giving in without a fight.Emily is nothing if not practical. And reasonable. But she’s about to learn that sometimes the sweetest things in life…are neither.
Never Too Late
J.C. Laird - 2014
Family and neighbors suspected dementia, but Grandpa finally shared his secret with Maddie....
Make My Wish Come True
Katie Price - 2014
But when she lands the job of her dreams, it costs her her best friend.However, apart from her creepy ex-boyfriend, Storm loves the job. Until she’s asked to go undercover to find out if sexy TV chef Nico Alvise is cheating on his girlfriend. Storm knows it’s wrong but agrees because she likes him. A LOT. And she’s determined to protect him.She didn’t bank on them falling in love though. But Nico has secrets to hide, and he hates journalists.So when he finds out what Storm does, the fallout is brutal.Suddenly jobless, friendless and heartbroken, Storm knows that no matter how hard she wishes, Nico will never forgive her…
Who We Were Before
Leah Mercer - 2016
Of course it wasn’t. But if she’d just grasped harder, run faster, lunged quicker, she might have saved him. And Edward doesn’t really blame her, though his bitter words at the time still haunt her, and he can no more take them back than she can halt the car that killed their son.Two years on, every day is a tragedy. Edward knows they should take healing steps together, but he’s tired of being shut out. For Zoe, it just seems easier to let grief lead the way.A weekend in Paris might be their last hope for reconciliation, but mischance sees them separated before they’ve even left Gare du Nord. Lost and alone, Edward and Zoe must try to find their way back to each other—and find their way back to the people they were before. But is that even possible?
My Journey to the Ocean
Lena Mikado - 2015
Her whole picture-perfect existence is planned out and allows for no deviation. She is engaged to be married and intends to be happy. Along with three of her girlfriends, she takes a summer trip across the ocean, to St. Simons Island, United States. Her whole world is about to be rock-n-rolled, and she will have to face a pretty hard choice. It all sounds like a setup for a summer-fling novel, but is it really like that in actuality, or does Miss Real Life have something more conniving under her sleeve? Are there happy endings in real life? This book is a love story. It's about love in all possible representations, forms and masks it can wear. It's a love story of a girl in her 20s, looked back on by a woman in her 30s, who is also trying to take a peek into the future. It's an ageless book, it's a borderless book, it’s a book that focuses on and laughs at our cultural differences, yet sweeps away all man-made boundaries on its way. But I made it sound too complex. It's first and foremost a story about a summer away from home, it's a story about falling in and out of love - it's a story about My Journey to the Ocean.
The Secret Diary of an Arranged Marriage
Halima Khatun - 2020
A motley crew of men, some hoping it’s them. A mum on a mission to match make. And an age-old tradition with a twist. Welcome to the world of the arranged marriage. “While I’m young, (somewhat) free and single, time is - by Bengali standards - marching on. I’ve got to meet my dream man, or at least someone I can grow to like, and get married. The trouble is, having never fully fit in with my English friends or Asian community, I don’t really know what - or who – I’m looking for. Luckily (or not) for me, arranged marriages are still a thing. So alongside my own dating efforts, it’s everyone’s business - from my adorable yet overbearing mum, to pretend aunties and profiteering opportunists - to find me a match. With all this help, I’m pretty sure I’ll land a husband, but will he be ‘The One’?” The Secret Diary of an Arranged Marriage lifts the lid on the intriguing world of British-Bengali matrimony. The debut novel from former journalist Halima Khatun explores family, identity and belonging with acerbic humour. It’ll change your view of matchmaking for good…
Last Chance Motel
Abigail Keam - 2014
Or, at least, she thinks so. In a wink of an eye, Eva's husband leaves her. She loses the brownstone and her career. With only the clothes on her back, she flees cold New York for the sunnier climate of Key Largo. As Eva puts it, her marriage went south and so does she. Stuck in Key Largo, it is sink or swim for the devastated Eva. Starting over is hard for anyone, but Eva wonders if she can. Determined to make a new life, Eva buys a rundown mid-century motel and renovates it. She hires Mike Bishop for her general contractor, but from the very beginning they cross swords of how to remodel the Last Chance Motel. It irritates Eva that many of Mike's ideas are betters than hers. It couldn't be that Mike bothers her because he is handsome, sexy, and rugged, could it? Eva needs is a handsome and sexy man around her like she needs another hole in her head. Yet, she finds herself drawn to Mike and is grateful for his help. In the midst of the motel's renovation and her growing feelings for Mike, her ex-husband shows up and begs for her forgiveness, saying the divorce was a mistake. He wants her back. What is Eva to do? Does she throw in the towel on the motel and go back to her ex, or does she stick with the renovation and Mike? One thing Eva does know, as the Last Chance Motel comes back to life, so does she. Step by step, Eva is determined to find purpose and happiness in life again. The question is how and with which man? Books in the A Last Chance For Love Series Last Chance Motel Gasping For Air The Siren's Call Hard Landing The Mermaid's Carol
Take A Deep Breath
Shar Dimick - 2012
Recently divorced from a man who wouldn't or couldn't understand her, she retreats with her daughter to her grandmother's summer cottage on Lake of the Pines. Liv has fond memories of the summers she spent there with her grandparents. Always a safe haven, she hopes to spend the summer relaxing, healing and finding herself again. In the midst of a panic attack, she finds herself face-to-face with Cameron Preston, the boy with whom she'd spent her childhood summers. In love with him back then, she never found the courage to tell him and they drifted apart...Her heart leaps at the second chance for love. Confusion swamps her as she tries to figure out why Cam keeps pulling away... Can Liv rekindle their old friendship and to turn it into something more? Cam quit his busy big-city medical practice exhausted and disillusioned. He returns to his family's summer home on Lake of the Pines to regroup and determine where and what he wants to do next. When he runs into Liv, the girl he let slip away, he knows where wants to head and with whom. When Cam meets Liv's eight-year-old daughter, he assumes Liv is married. He struggles to keep his feelings for Liv in check while resuming the friendship he desperately misses. His one regret was not kissing Liv all those years ago when he had the chance... He has never stopped loving Liv. Will he let her slip away again? Not if he has his way.
Moonlight and Margaritas
Cindy Stark - 2012
Her business is blooming, and she's dumped her controlling ex-husband. An island fling is just what she needs to start living again.He wants forever...Joe Stephens escaped his stifling corporate lifestyle, preferring to spend his days as a dive instructor. He thinks the sun, senoritas and cervezas will fill the emptiness inside him, but even they fail to inspire the passion he's searching for. Will his love send her running for the border?Then Elena blows in like a sultry island breeze, and their time together rivals the sizzling Cabo sunsets. By the end of her vacation, Joe realizes he wants more. The only problem is he has fallen for a woman who wants less. If Joe can't earn her trust and prove his love, he will lose her forever.
Mrs. Scrooge
Barbara Bretton - 1989
Or romance, for that matter. She is weeks away from opening her own catering business, the most important part of her plan to provide her certified genius daughter Patty with all the wonderful things she deserves.Except Patty doesn't want to go to a fancy boarding school. She wants a father and when she meets bartender Murphy O'Rourke at her fourth grade Career Day presentation, she knows she's met the man of her mother's dreams!But can she convince her Mrs. Scrooge of a mom that it was time to give Christmas -- and love -- a second chance?Acclaim for the novels of Barbara Bretton“Bretton’s characters are always real and their conflicts believable.”— Chicago Sun-Times“Soul warming... A powerful relationship drama [for] anyone who enjoys a passionate look inside the hearts and souls of the prime players.”— Midwest Book Review“[Bretton] excels in her portrayal of the sometimes sweet, sometimes stifling ties of a small community. The town’s tight network of loving, eccentric friends and family infuses the tale with a gently comic note that perfectly balances the darker dramas of the romance.”— Publishers Weekly“A tender love story about two people who, when they find something special, will go to any length to keep it.”— Booklist“Honest, witty... absolutely unforgettable.”— Rendezvous“A classic adult fairy tale.”— Affaire de Coeur“Dialogue flows easily and characters spring quickly to life.”— Rocky Mountain News
Cat Got Your Tongue?
Rae Rivers - 2013
Who better to help than the daughter of a cat burglar?When art collector Cole Anderson is targeted for his priceless Renoir, he reluctantly employs a bodyguard to upgrade his personal security. Imagine his surprise when she arrives--professional, capable, and sporting a ponytail and a gorgeous smile. Alex Foxley is all woman--sexy, feisty, and intimately familiar with the shady workings of the art underworld thanks to her mother's connections. While battling an explosive attraction for each other and thwarting thieves determined to have Cole's Renoir at any cost, Cole and Alex must work together to protect his life and property--and uncover a secret neither of them knows exists. Will they discover who is behind the deadly conspiracy before it's too late? Or will passion and lust blind them to what's right under their noses?
Perfectly Impossible
Elizabeth Topp - 2020
An artist at heart, Anna works a day job as a private assistant for Bambi Von Bizmark, a megarich Upper East Side matriarch who’s about to be honored at the illustrious Opera Ball.Caught between the staid world of great wealth and her unconventional life as an artist, Anna struggles with her true calling. If she’s supposed to be a painter, why is she so much more successful as a personal assistant? When her boyfriend lands a fancy new job, it throws their future as a couple into doubt and intensifies Anna’s identity crisis. All she has to do is ensure everything runs smoothly and hold herself together until the Opera Ball is over. How hard could that be?Featuring a vibrant array of characters from the powerful to the proletarian, Perfectly Impossible offers a glimpse into a world you’ll never want to leave.
Sweet and Sassy at the Beach: Get Swept Away!
Tamara FergusonAileen Fish - 2018
Find your perfect pair with Sweet and Sassy at the Beach, twelve titillating tales of love at first sight, second chance romance, Alaska villagers to a beachcomber billionaire, a rodeo clown to a Greek tycoon. Sweet and sassy tales that will keep you grasping your Kindle 'til the battery runs out. Keep your charger handy! You won't want to miss any of these stories by award-winning, bestselling authors!That Unbelievable Kiss (Kissed by Fate 3) - Tamara FergusonBad boy Brian Lancaster marries Karen Andres so she can retain medical coverage for her diabetic brother. Can their long-distance marriage of convenience lead to a lifetime of love? Sweetheart Cove-Jacquie Biggar Sand, surf, and soft island breezes bring two lonely hearts together in this heartwarming tale of second chance romance and a love that lasts forever.Her Greek Tycoon - Mona Risk Romeo and Juliette Greek style. Will the Greek Tycoon make peace with the past? Will the American lawyer find her happiness in Mykonos?One Arctic Summer - Dani Haviland Was she his Red Raven or just another cheechako, a tenderfoot from the outside world looking for excitement or a news story in his remote Alaskan village? Leanne Banks - Royal DadWhat can a widower Prince do when a vivacious American tutor for his young son turns his world upside down? Can he ignore his burning attraction to the most tempting woman he has ever met? Stephanie Queen - Beachcomber Billionaire When two hearts from different worlds collide, will they stay together or continue in different directions? Orchids & Hurricane Kisses - Stacy Eaton It's laughter and twenty questions for Rye and Amy as they get lost in a tropical island romance as a hurricane approaches the shores of Maryland. Will it take a tragedy or a miracle to bring them back together? Nancy Radke - Trouble Never Knocks Evil men pursue them. Can Jesse and Karin stay alive and see the future together that they both want?Rescuing the Cowboy's Heart - Aileen Fish Can Nicole help retired rodeo-clown-turned-CPA Trevor realize that he won't find lasting love with numbers, that if he expects to find 'the one' at a certain time with his logical schedule, he is doomed and may never recognize what his heart stands to lose? Lucky in Laguna - Rachelle Ayala Tally shares a winning lottery ticket with Lucky, a reality show writer. She's always dreamed of being on TV, so Lucky writes her into the show. However, sand, surf, and romantic nights in Laguna bring complications. Will the show go on? Or will love trump reality?Sharing Sea Glass - Susan Jean Ricci After Peter rescues beach lover Jo Harrison from a near drowning at the Jersey Shore, this unlikely couple are inches away from falling in love. But are Jo's emotions for Peter based on gratitude for saving her life? And is Peter's attraction to her merely physical after watching her shower in a wet T-shirt?
You Wish...
Terry Tyler - 2011
Do we control our own destiny - or might it be determined by fate, coincidence, luck...or even magic? Ruth, an amateur psychic with a husband who smokes cannabis for breakfast, is haunted by a tragic event from her teenage years which, she suspects, was the result of a wish she made on an allegedly enchanted stone. Too embarrassed to admit her fears, she keeps her secret to herself for twenty-five years. Petra is the perennial singleton amongst her friends, unable, she thinks, to fall in love. She comes across the stone at a Psychic Fair and makes a wish, just for fun. As the wish begins to come true she wishes she had chosen her words with more care. Spoilt, weight-obsessed Sarah wants nothing more than to be "size zero". As her life spirals downwards into the seedy world of drug abuse and addiction, she remembers the day at the Psychic Fair when she wished for her heart's desire. When Ruth learns of the fates of Petra and Sarah she is forced to confront her guilt and discover the truth about the Wishing Stone... Terry Tyler's debut novel is a quirky contemporary drama exploring the themes of family affairs, infidelity and guilt, incorporating jealousy, drug abuse and the obsession of a Facebook stalker, against a backdrop of secrets and superstition.