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Survival


Lisa Harris - 2021
    A missing suspect. A town fighting for survival. In today’s world, law enforcement agencies across the country rely on forensic tools, DNA testing, and crime labs. But what if that technology was suddenly no longer available? No one in the small, west Texas town of Shadow Ridge knows what took down the power grid, or when it’s going to be back up, but everyone knows exactly where they were the moment it went down. And now, with no electricity, no internet, and no modern technology, the men and women responsible for keeping the town safe are going to have to learn how to fight crime all over again. When one of the men in charge of storing food for the town of Shadow Ridge is found murdered execution style, it’s up to Jace McQuaid to find the killer. What he discovers is a group of organized raiders who are stealing supplies and selling them on the black market—and the survival of the town depends on stopping them. Morgan Addison’s estranged brother, Ricky, shows up at her house demanding weapons and confirming her fears that he’s a part of the outlaws. Tensions are raised further when Ricky kidnaps her son to ensure his safe passage out of town. Jace must find a way to save Noah and ensure the survival of Shadow Ridge.~Survival is book one in the new Fallout series. Each novel contains a standalone mystery, but there are overarching stories that tie together the entire series.

The Fortune Teller's Daughter


Lila Shaara - 2008
    These dreamlike images and their names meant nothing to him, but she knew what they meant: violence, an uncertain future, danger.Harry Sterling has lost much in recent years: his brother, his marriage, his job, his self-esteem. A teaching post at a small college in northern Florida has given him an opportunity to reevaluate his life and reconnect with his teenage son. But Harry is above all a reporter, so when he stumbles upon a rumor about physicist Charles Ziegart–world-famous for a breakthrough discovery in electrical conductivity–he feels compelled to investigate. Could it be true that the highly respected scientist stole the credit for the “Ziegart Effect” from one of his students? Harry’s pursuit of the story leads him into extremely unlikely and colorful company–the notorious Purple Lady, the fortune teller Madame Dupree, and Miss Baby Thorpe. He also meets the intriguing if peculiar Maggie Roth, a short-order cook with an affinity for the woods, who has suffered terrible losses of her own.As Harry uncovers more of Ziegart’s secrets, he makes shocking connections between the ivory towers of academic power and the backwoods and sinkholes of north Florida. There are profound reasons why these secrets have been buried for so many years. Each startling new revelation increases the danger to Harry and those he cares about–until at last his investigation exacts a horrifying price.Blending absorbing drama with powerful suspense, The Fortune Teller’s Daughter is a smart, moving, compellingly imaginative tale. With luminous imagery and fluid prose, Lila Shaara weaves a seductive tale of deep secrets, intellectual intrigue, and electric emotion.

But I Love You Anyway


Sara Lewis - 1997
    Two sisters confront love, marriage, and a failing business in this “charming and deceptively breezy second novel” (Publishers Weekly) that “deftly explores big issues like loyalty, trust, sorrow, and disappointment in sure, bright, effervescent prose” (New York Times Book Review).

Waiting at Hayden's


Riley Costello - 2018
    But when they land dream opportunities on opposite ends of the country following graduation, they are forced to make a heart-wrenching pact. In the hope of one day restarting their love story, they set a date to reunite in five years at their favorite restaurant.Restaurant owner Gianna Hayden is thirty-seven, single, and one bad date away from giving up on finding the right guy when she meets Peter Clark on a dating website. Attractive, kind, and driven, he is exactly what she thought she was looking for. But as the day of Charli and Jack's reservation approaches, Gianna finds herself reflecting on the kind of passionate love her former customers once had and begins to question her bond with Peter.These two riveting stories converge on the night of the fateful reunion. Gianna, Charli, and Jack are all forced to make difficult choices as they struggle to follow their hearts, and ultimately each must decide where their true feelings lie before time runs out.Waiting at Hayden's is the first book to be published in the new reading experience format shopfiction™, which Costello coined and branded. The digital version of this book contains links to watch key scenes unfold and to shop the characters' clothes. The print versions contain web addresses to do the same.

Secret Lives of Second Wives


Catherine Todd - 2003
    So when successful, kind-hearted Jack Hughes—with his home in Silicon Valley, his safely remarried ex-wife, and his two grown children—proposed, it seemed like a dream come true. After all, how hard could it be? All you had to do was be nice to everybody and you’d all get along. Welcome to the perilous world of the second wife, where nothing turns out quite as expected. With an unemployed, unmotivated stepson who declares he’s moving in “temporarily,” a stepdaughter who oozes scorn, and a husband who’s hiding something, Lynn’s imagined domestic bliss begins to crack. Add in an ex-wife who shows up at inopportune times, a law partner who may be involved in illegal dealings, and a client whose attractions prove far too tempting, and Lynn finds both her marriage and her career could be in trouble. Not even the Anne Boleyn Society—an informal support group for second wives—has all the answers. Sure, they can commiserate when Lynn says, “I never thought it would be so hard,” but they don’t know the half of it… “A smart, darkly funny novel about the plight of a second wife… Lynn’s wryly funny, rueful voice is what makes Secret Lives appealing.” —Diane White, BOSTON GLOBE “Sassy, irreverent, and smart. Catherine Todd has a wicked sense of humor.” —Carla Neggers, bestselling author of the Sharpe & Donovan series “Not only should this book be required reading for any second wife as well as anyone contemplating a second marriage, but it’s a riveting, beautifully written story on its own. I stayed up very late reading just to see how Lynn worked through the same turbulent mess that hits so many Second Wives who enter into a marriage without realizing how much baggage inevitably comes along with it. VERY HIGHLY recommended." —RENDEZVOUS MAGAZINE

The Pastor's Wife


Jennifer AlLee - 2009
    But when "the other woman" in her marriage turned out to be her husband's congregation, she ran. Six years later, she's back in the small community of Granger, Ohio, for the reading of a will that names both her and Nick as beneficiaries. Now, Maura must face the husband - and the congregation - she left behind.

Too Hot To Handle


Katie Agnew - 2011
    Full description

The Return Journey


Maeve Binchy - 1998
    In The Return Journey, Maeve Binchy brings us sons and lovers, daughters and strangers, husbands and wives in their infinite variety--powerfully compelling stories of love, loss, revelation, and reconciliation.A secretary's silent passion for her boss meets the acid test on a business trip....A man and a woman's mutual disdain at first sight shows how deceptive appearances can be....An insecure wife clings to the illusion of order, only to discover chaos at the hands of a house sitter who opens the wrong doors....A pair of star-crossed travelers take each other's bags, and then learn that when you unlock a stranger's suitcase, you enter a stranger's life. In their company are many more, whose poignant, ironic, often humorous stories--unforgettable slices of life--make up The Return Journey, a spellbinding trip into the human heart.Maeve Binchy was born and educated in Dublin. She is the author of the bestselling books Evening Class, This Year It Will Be Different, The Glass Lake, The Copper Beech, The Lilac Bus, Circle of Friends, Silver Wedding, Firefly Summer, Echoes, Light a Penny Candle, and London Transports, three volumes of short stories, two plays, and a teleplay that won three awards at the Prague Film Festival. She has been writing for The Irish Times since 1969 and lives with her husband, Gordon Snell, in Dublin.From the Hardcover edition.

A Fine Mess


Kristy K. James - 2011
    Surprisingly, Ian McCann proves to be more help than she ever imagined, but complicates her life even more so than it already is. What will happen when the two forge a marriage of convenience? One that defies every Christian belief that Annie holds dear?

A Summer Affair


Elin Hilderbrand - 2008
    Claire is asked to chair the Nantucket Children Summer Gala, at least in part, because she is the former high school sweetheart of world famous rock star, Max West. Max agrees to play the benefit and it looks like smooth sailing for Claire—until she agrees to create a "museum-quality" piece of glass for the auction, pre-emptorily offers her best friend the catering job, goes nose-to-nose with her Manhattan socialite co-chair, and begins a "good-hearted" affair with the charity's Executive Director, Lockhart Dixon.Hearts break and emotions stretch to the point of snapping in this in-depth look at one woman's attempt to deal with loves past and present, raise a family, run a business, and pull of a charity event unlike any the island of Nantucket has ever seen. Claire discovers that doing good and being bad are not mutually exclusive—and that nothing is ever as simple as it seems.

The Producer's Unlikely Bride


Lorana Hoopes - 2019
    She's a romance writer. When they are thrown together at a cottage on the beach, will love bloom or sparks fly? Justin Miller is one of the producers and host of the reality dating show Who Wants To Marry a Cowboy, but he's tired of helping others find love. He's tired of love in general. Why can't it just be a little business arrangement, like everything else in his life? His business partner sends him on a little vacation to clear his head, and cheer him up. It was just supposed to be a week at a cottage on the beach. Until he meets Ava.Romance writer Ava McDermott believes in love even though she has yet to find the one for her. However, after struggling with her current book, she decides to take a few days off and recharge at a cottage by the sea. She expected some time alone, but when a strange man shows up, she finds herself in a romance of her own.Justin and Ava must decide if it's time to create their own fairy tale ending, even if it's not real. A fictional relationship for two people who are ready to escape reality sounds like the perfect plan, until it isn't. Real feelings can get hurt, even when you're fake dating someone. Image isn't everything, and Ava and Justin have to choose. Is love real, or make believe? A new inspirational Christian romance by Amazon best selling author Lorana Hoopes, this story focuses on second chances and trusting God to bring the right people into your life at the right time. Though titled the sixth book in the series, this is Lorana's third book in the Blushing Brides series and follows The Cowboy's Reality Bride and The Reality Bride's Baby. Book includes a free bonus short story. Details inside. Book also includes discussion questions for book groups. Follow the journey by clicking the button above.

The Captivating Prince (Princes of Valdoria Book 2)


Julia Keanini - 2018
    Awesome friends, supportive family, a career that keeps him on his toes, and a new woman on his arm every weekend. But when he finally secures a date with the one who has always kept him at bay, Tristan begins to question if he's been wrong about love all along. Jewel Huber is the only woman in the world to say no to Tristan Kane. And she isn't keeping him at arm's length because she dislikes him; in fact, it's the opposite. She knows as soon as she gives in to one date, he'll be gone in the wind and she'll be nursing a broken heart. But when their paths collide in the city of love, Jewel is swept off her feet and Tristan is left wondering what he should do--continue the way he always has or treasure the heart he's been gifted? The second book in the sweet and wholesome Princes of Valdoria series. Read all of the Princes of Valdoria romances by Julia Keanini: 1. The Noble Heir 2. The Captivating Prince Read all of Julia Keanini's Sweet Romances! Second Chance Fairy Tale: 1. Merrily Ever After 2. Snow and the Seven Teenagers 3. A Royal (Fake) Engagement Princes of Valdoria: 1. The Noble Heir 2. The Captivating Prince

The Homecoming of Bubbles O'Leary (The Tour #4)


Jean Grainger - 2021
    A motley crew, from spinster sisters of a certain age, to exhausted social workers, they are all in Ireland for one reason. The fact that this bunch of unusual people arrive during Ireland’s biggest matchmaking festival just adds to the intrigue. But is everyone who they say they are? Are all their motives pure? Conor is ready to do his best to show the visitors his beloved Ireland, but his personal life takes a devastating turn and he finds himself torn, unsure how to proceed. Is the past best left there, or is there redemption to be found in opening old wounds? Wise and witty, heart-warming and deeply satisfying, Jean Grainger takes us once more on an unforgettable trip to the Emerald Isle. The Homecoming of Bubbles O’Leary is the fourth book in The Tour Series.

To Everything A Season


Sherri Schaeffer
    While she strives to adapt to Amish life, she bonds with the family, especially with two of the Yoder siblings: Jacob and Becca.Jacob, the eldest son, refuses to baptize and join the church, and according to his frustrated father, lacks direction. He not only faces a grave physical challenge resulting from his actions that June night, but also harbors a secret that threatens to upend his family and community. Becca is 16, entering her rumspringa, the time period when she is free to explore the normally forbidden modern world. When Taylor returns to her Philadelphia penthouse, Becca accompanies her for the summer and for the first time is exposed to city life—museums, music, technology, restaurants, fashion, even religious faiths different from her own.Taylor mentors Becca’s city fling and helps Jacob conceal his secret, actions that jeopardize her relationship with the Yoder family and her father. As the two cultures clash, both families struggle to determine whether the deep ties that bind them are greater than the differences that may tear them apart. Ultimately, Taylor, Jacob and Becca must answer for themselves: Are we more than what we do for a living or where we’re born? And if so, what price, if any, is too steep to walk away from family expectations?To Everything A Season is a perfect book club selection—smart and sophisticated women's fiction that invites discussion as well as touches the heart.Awards for To Everything A Season:2018 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Finalist, Multicultural Fiction category12th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards, Finalist, Multicultural Fiction category

A Home for Her Daughter


Jill Weatherholt - 2020
    But the will stipulates Janie must work with her childhood friend—and crush—Drew Brenner, to get the camp running…or lose it all. The newly divorced mother and the widower aren’t looking for love, but sometimes it takes a child to show two broken hearts the way forward…together.