Could the answer to his problems lie in the chestnut orchard at the bottom of the garden?Only Ellie can help Daniel unlock the delicious secret that will bring them the fresh starts they need. And as autumn approaches, romance will blossom amid the glowing embers of the chestnut fire...*Contains an exclusive extract from Jo's brand-new novel, THE OLIVE BRANCH, out February 2015*

    Fate leads to a meeting with Harry Rutledge, an enigmatic hotel owner and inventor with wealth, power, and a dangerous hidden life. When their flirtation compromises her own reputation, Poppy shocks everyone by accepting his proposal—only to find that her new husband offers his passion, but not his trust. Harry was willing to do anything to win Poppy—except open his heart. He has held the world at arm’s length…but the beguiling Poppy demands to be his wife in every way that matters. As desire grows between them, an enemy lurks in the shadows. If Harry wants to keep Poppy by his side, he must forge a true union of body and soul . . .Married By Morning (Book 4)For two years, Catherine Marks has been a paid companion to the Hathaway sisters—a pleasant position, with one caveat. Her charges’ older brother, Leo Hathaway, is thoroughly exasperating. Cat cannot believe that their constant arguing could mask a mutual attraction. But when one quarrel ends in a sudden kiss, Cat is shocked at her response—and even more so when Leo proposes a liaison. Leo must marry and produce an heir within a year to save his family home. Catherine’s respectable demeanor hides a secret that would utterly destroy her. But to Leo, Cat is intriguing and tempting. The danger Cat tried to outrun is about to separate them forever—unless two wary lovers can find a way to banish the shadows and give in to their desires . . .Love in the Afternoon (Book 5)Beatrix Hathaway has always been more comfortable outdoors than in the ballroom. The free-spirited Beatrix has never been swept away or seriously courted…and she has resigned herself to never finding love. Captain Christopher Phelan is a handsome, daring soldier who plans to marry Beatrix’s friend, the vivacious flirt Prudence Mercer, when he returns from fighting abroad. But, as he explains in his letters to Pru, life on the battlefield has darkened his soul—and it’s becoming clear that Christopher won’t come back as the same man. When Beatrix learns of Pru’s disappointment, she decides to help by concocting Pru’s letters to Christopher for her. The correspondence between Beatrix and Christopher develops into something fulfilling and deep—and when Christopher comes home, he’s determined to claim the woman he loves. What began as innocent deception has resulted in the agony of unfulfilled love—and a passion that can’t be denied . . .

    The Book Club by Mary Alice Monroe released on Apr 24, 2003 is available now for purchase.

    To nominate your public, private or school library to receive these much needed-funds, visit gemmahalliday dot com. This bargain priced collection is available for a limited time only, and includes the FULL LENGTH novels: CALAMITY JAYNE by Kathleen Bacus QUEENIE BABY: ON ASSIGNMENT by Christina A. Burke GEMINI MOON by Maria Grazia Swan 'SCUSE ME WHILE I KILL THIS GUY by Leslie Langtry LIMONCELLO YELLOW by Traci Andrighetti FASHION, LIES, AND MURDER by Sibel Hodge THE TELL-TALE CON by Aimee Gilchrist I SPY DEAD PEOPLE by Jennifer Fischetto LUCK BE A LADY by Gemma Halliday & T.Sue Versteeg and the novella: THE CHRISTMAS CURSE by Wendy Byrne

    That was just fine with him, except for one little exception: Amanda Jacobs. He had fallen in love with her unruly blonde curls and sparkling sapphire eyes, but she had been a teenager then, - too young for him to act on his attraction. When Justin receives a phone call that his former mentor has passed away, he knows he has to return to Hope Falls. Justin just has one question - will the girl that once adored him have grown into a woman that can't stand him? Or will she still be the only thing in the world that feels like home? Book #2: Sweet Harmonies When Karina Black hit it big in music, she didn’t think it would mean giving up her name, her friends, her family, and the music that she loved. It was time for change and that’s just what the sexy, sassy Native American was looking for when she decided to move back home to Hope Falls. What she wasn’t looking for was love… When Ryan Perkins moved to Hope Falls, he knew that it would mean helping his granny run her café and maybe allowing himself the time to indulge in his love for music. Beyond that, the rugged, sculpted charmer didn’t expect anything more than the simplicity that the quiet community offered. What he didn’t know was that Hope Falls offered much more than simplicity… Will Karina really be able to give up her pop star life and fight for the music she wants while also opening her heart to the sweet melody of love? Will Ryan be able to live in Karina’s not so simple world? Or will they both stop the noise around them and make Sweet Harmonies of their own together? Book #3: Sweet Victory Samantha Holt has spent her entire life focused on her career as an Olympic snowboarder - to the point that she's never even had a boyfriend. Now the auburn-haired beauty has taken an early retirement to focus on her personal life, which is about to get a lot more interesting when a sexy man from her past comes to town. Can she trust him enough to be her first? Luke Reynolds has moved back to the Sierra Nevadas to be closer to his family. A big bonus is the chance to finally be close to Samantha Holt, the girl he's been interested in for the entire ten years he's known her. Their snowboarding careers have put them in close proximity before, but Sam seems to have walls up when it comes to him. The bright blue eyes and sexy scruffiness that melt other womens' hearts seem to have no effect on her. Will Luke be able to show her that it's safe to let her guard down? Book #4: Home Sweet Home Lauren Harrison didn’t have time for games. Everything in its place. Everything in its order. Everything in its time. But the gorgeous, high-powered real estate agent was about to find out that when it comes to love, there were some things she couldn’t control. Nothing in life comes easy. Ben Stevens knew this to be true from an early age. The handsome host of a successful real estate reality show knew all too well that he had what he had because he worked hard for it. His charming demeanor radiated from the screen, but behind the camera, he kept his real life out of the spotlight. After becoming co-hosts for a new real estate reality show, Lauren and Ben will both find out that sometimes there is more to someone than meets eye. Will Lauren be able to see the side of Ben that lives behind the camera? Will Ben get to see what’s underneath Lauren’s polished shell? Only time will tell if they can both find a home of their own within each other’s hearts. Book #4.5: One Sweet Day - Novella The honor of your presence is requested at the wedding of Amanda Jacobs and Justin Barnes.

    She is caught off-guard by a young hunter who invades her most private spaces and confounds her self-assured, solitary life. On a farm several miles down the mountain, Lusa Maluf Landowski, a bookish city girl turned farmer's wife, finds herself unexpectedly marooned in a strange place where she must declare or lose her attachment to the land that has become her own. And a few more miles down the road, a pair of elderly feuding neighbors tend their respective farms and wrangle about God, pesticides, and the possibilities of a future neither of them expected.Over the course of one humid summer, these characters find their connections to one another and to the flora and fauna with whom they share a place. Prodigal Summer demonstrates a balance of narrative, drama and ideas that is characteristic of Barbara Kingsolver's finest work.

    Four wishes. One wild adventure.When Sylvie’s husband passed away, she’d barely hung her black dress back in the closet when three widows on Wilder Lane showed up on her doorstep. Who had time to properly mourn when an adventure spanning the globe awaited her?After putting their own needs on the back burner to raise their families, Sylvie, Doris, Alice, and Marge struggle to find purpose now that their children are grown, and their husbands are gone. Loneliness pushes them together while they knit away the rest of their days. Then one night, a whiskey-filled pact catapults these ladies onto the adventure of a lifetime.Each widow gets one wish, one wild adventure, she’s dreamed of doing her whole life. With their wishes tucked away on notes inside their knitting basket, they pull them out, one at a time, vowing to do whatever it takes to help each other fulfill their wildest desires.Hilarity ensues as these four diverse women stretch their boundaries to go where no widows have gone before. They stare death in the face, have cops hot on their tail, and shed away the responsibilities they’ve shouldered their whole lives. The Wilder Widows soon find out their lives aren’t over... in fact, in this second act, their lives are just beginning.

    With no domestic skills or experience with children, Sophie feels like a failure at her new job, but she's determined to see the summer thought no matter what. Will her summer go the way she planned or will Simon have other plans for her?This is a sweet, clean & wholesome stand-alone book.

    True, she doesn’t have a love life to speak of, but she has a cute house in the suburbs of Los Angeles, a cat and a quirky best friend.Enter Rand Balfour, a sinfully attractive warlock who insists she’s a witch and who just might turn her life upside down. Rand hires her to help him solve a mystery regarding the death of his client who also happens to be a ghost. Jolie not only uncovers the cause of the ghost’s demise but, in the process, she brings him back to life!Word of Jolie’s incredible ability to bring back the dead spreads like wildfire, putting her at the top of the Underworld’s most wanted list. Consequently, she finds herself at the center of a custody battle between a villainous witch, a dangerous but oh-so-sexy vampire, and her warlock boss, Rand. Jolie Wilkins Book 2: Toil and Trouble:The Underworld in civil war.The cause? A witch who can reanimate the dead.A sexy as sin vampire determined to claim her.An infuriatingly handsome warlock torn between duty and love.Who says blonds have more fun?After defending herself against fairy magic, Jolie Wilkins wakes to find her world turned upside down—the creatures of the Underworld on the precipice of war.The Underworld is polarized in a battle of witch against witch, creature against creature, led by the villainous Bella, who would be Queen.While Jolie has one goal in mind, to stake the vampire, Ryder, who nearly killed her, she also must choose between the affections of her warlock employer, Rand, and the mysteriously sexy vampire, Sinjin.And as if that weren’t enough to ruin a girl’s day, everything Jolie knows will be turned inside out when she’s thrust into the shock of a lifetime.Dulcie O'Neil Book 1: To Kill A Warlock:A Dreamstalker— a creature that stalks and kills its victims in sleep.A fairy in law enforcement determined to stop him.A potions smuggler who possesses something she wants.A vampire with his own agenda.And a partner who couldn’t possibly be sexier or more frustrating.Dulcie O’Neil is a fairy working in law enforcement for the Netherworld.When Knight Vander approaches her with a case regarding comatose victims, she agrees to help him, imagining the most difficult part will be combatting her attraction to him.But, what Dulcie isn’t betting on is the fact that the case becomes personal when she learns all the victims are somehow linked to her.When her best friend falls victim to the Dreamstalker, Dulcie must do everything in her power to ensure her friend’s survival, including associating with criminals and accepting the fact that desperate times do definitely call for desperate measures.Dulcie O'Neil Book 2: A Tale of Two Goblins:The murder of a dark arts warlock.A shape-shifting, ravenous creature on the loose.A devilishly handsome stranger sent to investigate.Sometimes working law enforcement for the Netherworld is a real bitch.Dulcie O’Neil is a fairy. And not the type to frolic in gardens. She’s a Regulator—a law-enforcement agent who monitors the creatures of the Netherworld to keep them from wreaking havoc in the mortal world.When a warlock is murdered and Dulcie was the last person to see him alive, she must uncover the truth before she’s either deported back to the Netherworld, or she becomes the next victim.Enter Knight Vander, a sinfully attractive investigator sent from the Netherworld to work the case with Dulcie.Between battling her attraction to her self-appointed partner, keeping a sadomasochistic demon in check, and fending off the advances of a sexy and powerful vampire, Dulcie’s got her hands full.As the body count increases, Dulcie finds herself battling dark magic, reconnoitering in S&M clubs and suffering the greatest of all betrayals.

    The only respite either of them have is their regular coffee dates, while working on shared projects at a very demanding law firm. Sick of hearing about Lena’s semi-disastrous attempts to couple-up, Quentin decides to fix her up. With his brother. Seems like a perfect solution; after all, his brother is a decent enough guy and Lena deserves that. A perfect solution ... at least until it appears that the fix-up might actually work. ** THIS BOOK CONTAINS PREVIOUSLY-RELEASED CONTENT, FROM THE E-BOOK COMPILATION 'BECAUSE MY HEART SAID SO' co-authored with Jacinta Howard, Rae Lamar and Lily Java. **

    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

    What would you give up for the people you love? When Megan Taylor, a single mother and artist living on Cape Cod, receives the shocking news that her cancer has returned, she's faced with the most difficult decision she's ever had to make. The love she has for her daughter, Olivia, and her closest friends will be stretched and frayed. Megan's illness reawakens her best friend, Holly Townsend's, torment of a long-held secret and years of betrayal. How does one choose between a daughter and a life-long best friend? Can the secret she has been keeping be revealed after years of lying without destroying everyone in its wake? Meanwhile, fourteen-year-old Olivia's world is falling apart right before her eyes, and there's nothing she can do about it. She finds herself acting in ways she cannot even begin to understand. When her internal struggles turn to dangerous behavior, even the paranormal connection she shares with her mother might not be enough to save her - her life will hang in the balance. Megan's Way is a journey of self discovery and heartfelt emotions, exploring the depth of the mother-daughter bond, and the intricacies of friendship. WINNER, READERS FAVORITE AWARD: Fiction/DramaWINNER, BEACH BOOK AWARD: SpiritualFINALIST, Next Generation Indie Book Awards: New AgeFINALIST, READERS FAVORITE AWARD: Women's FictionHONORABLE MENTION, NEW ENGLAND FILM FESTIVAL: Spirituality***Olivia's story will be continued in LOVING LIVI, Harborside Nights new adult romance series. Sign up for Melissa's newsletter and follow her on her author page here on Amazon to be notified of this release!

    Admission. Aren't there two sides to the word? And two opposing sides...It's what we let in, but it's also what we let out." For years, 38-year-old Portia Nathan has avoided the past, hiding behind her busy (and sometimes punishing) career as a Princeton University admissions officer and her dependable domestic life. Her reluctance to confront the truth is suddenly overwhelmed by the resurfacing of a life-altering decision, and Portia is faced with an extraordinary test. Just as thousands of the nation's brightest students await her decision regarding their academic admission, so too must Portia decide whether to make her own ultimate admission. Admission is at once a fascinating look at the complex college admissions process and an emotional examination of what happens when the secrets of the past return and shake a woman's life to its core.

    The coffeemaker beeped, signalling its readiness, and Ellen got up and poured two mugs. She set one in front of Griffin, one in front of herself. Griffin watched the steam rise up and curl back on itself, then dissipate. He said quietly, "I'm not going anywhere." "Pardon?" "I said, I'm not going anywhere. I'm not moving." She nodded. "I see. Well, I can't. I have to be here to take care of Zoe." Griffin pictured his daughter, a redheaded beauty who would knock the stuffing out of any man who crossed her. "All right, you can stay, too," he told Ellen. "Griffin. One of us has to go." In Say When, Elizabeth Berg negotiates perfectly the fine balance between humour and poignancy as she charts the days and nights of a family whose normal life has been shattered. Told from the point of view of a man who goes overnight from being a husband to becoming his wife's roommate, this is a gripping and heartfelt story.

    A couple decent boats, and a deep knowledge of fishing and a man can get by without ever having to talk to another soul. It's a nice enough existence, until the one person who ties him to the world of the living, the reason he's still among them even if only on the fringes, asks him for help. Father Steady Capri knows quite a bit about helping others. But he is afraid Katie Quinn's problems may be beyond his abilities. Katie is a world-famous actress with an all too familiar story. Fame seems to have driven her to self-destruct. Steady knows the true cause of her desire to end her life is buried too deeply for him to reach. But there is one person who still may be able to save her from herself. He will show her an alternate escape, a way to write a new life. But Katie still must confront her past before she can find peace. Ultimately, he will need to leave his secluded home and sacrifice the serenity he's found to help her. From the Florida coast, they will travel to the French countryside where they will discover the unwritten story of both their pasts and their future.