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Lies You Wanted to Hear
James Whitfield Thomson - 2013
They have been gone for seven years, and she is tormented by the role she played in that heartbreaking loss. You can hardly see a glimpse of the sexy, edgy woman she used to be. Back then, she was a magnet for men like Matt, who loved her beyond reason, and Griffin, who wouldn't let go but always left her wanting more. Now the lies they told and the choices they made have come to haunt all three of them.With shattering turns, Lies You Wanted to Hear explores the way good people talk themselves into doing terrible, unthinkable things. What happens when we come to believe our own lies? And what price must we pay for our mistakes?A searing story that will leave you wondering what choices you would make, Lies You Wanted to Hear is a stunning debut.
Behind Those Eyes
T.P. Carter - 2004
Her new love, Derrick, is everything she's ever wanted in a man. Until she meets Nathaniel Woods. Nat is Derrick's best friend - happily married with a wonderful wife, beautiful daughter, and a booming career. But when he meets Derrick's new girlfriend, he can't take his eyes off her.
Forgive the Moon
Maryanne Stahl - 2002
Her mother has passed away after years of mental illness. Her marriage is falling apart. And her beloved daughter has just left for college. But when Amanda meets a doctor who's summering nearby, long-forgotten passions ignite -- and a new season of her life begins....
. . . and Baby Makes Two: A Novel
Judy Sheehan - 2005
But that’s before she sees the perfect child. There he sits in his stroller, angelic and beautiful, magnetic and serene– and he makes Jane question everything she has and everything she thought she wanted. Suddenly all she can see are babies and pregnant woman everywhere. Were there always so many of them? And while there was once a man in her life–her one true love, Sam, gone from this world too soon–there is no man now. Jane must make a choice: possibly become a bitter and childless old lady, letting her biological clock tick on ’till menopause, or tend the ache in her heart now, by becoming a single mother. As Jane struggles to make the most important decision of her life, friends and family offer no shortage of opinions. There’s Ray, her “hubstitute” and gay best friend who would be jealous of any kid who got Jane as a mom; Sheila, her sister, who went from zero to sixty when she eloped with Raoul–who had two young twin sons– and has mixed feelings about being a new mommy; her strict, Catholic father who can’ t imagine what level of hell Jane would banish herself to if she becomes a single mother; and the women of Families with Children from China who are preparing to adopt orphan daughters–without a man in sight. Just as she thinks she’s made up her mind, Jane discovers one small wrench in her plans: handsome, charming, funny Peter, who just happens to be (unhappily) married. . . . And Baby Makes Two is a heartbreakingly honest, wonderfully addictive, and funny novel about love and loss, family and friendship. Judy Sheehan, co-creator of the smash hit Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding, has perfectly captured the delights and dilemmas of the scariest job in the world: motherhood.From the Hardcover edition.
The Good Daughters
Joyce Maynard - 2010
Ruth Plank is an artist and a romantic with a rich, passionate, imaginative life. The last of five girls born to a gentle, caring farmer and his stolid wife, she yearns to soar beyond the confines of the land that has been her family's birthright for generations. Dana Dickerson is a scientist and realist whose faith is firmly planted in the natural world. Raised by a pair of capricious drifters who waste their lives on failed dreams, she longs for stability and rootedness. Different in nearly every way, Ruth and Dana share a need to make sense of who they are and to find their places in a world in which neither has ever truly felt she belonged. They also share a love for Dana's wild and beautiful older brother, Ray, who will leave an indelible mark on both their hearts. Told in the alternating voices of Ruth and Dana, The Good Daughters follows these "birthday sisters" as they make their way from the 1950s to the present. Master storyteller Joyce Maynard chronicles the unlikely ways the two women's lives parallel and intersect—from childhood and adolescence to first loves, first sex, marriage, and parenthood; from the deaths of parents to divorce, the loss of home, and the loss of a beloved partner—until past secrets and forgotten memories unexpectedly come to light, forcing them to reevaluate themselves and each other. Moving from rural New Hampshire to a remote island in British Columbia to the '70s Boston art-school scene, The Good Daughters is an unforgettable story about the ties of home and family, the devastating force of love, the healing power of forgiveness, and the desire to know who we are.
Your Perfect Year
Charlotte Lucas - 2016
He’s going to enjoy the day…
For hyper-particular publishing heir Jonathan Grief, the day starts like any other—with a strict morning fitness regimen that’ll keep his divorced, easily irritated, cynical, forty-two-year-old self in absolutely flawless physical condition. But all it takes to put a crimp in his routine is one small annoyance. Someone has left a leather-bound day planner with the handwritten title Your Perfect Year in his spot on his mountain bike at his fitness course!Determined to discover its owner, Jonathan opens the calendar to find that someone known only as “H.” has filled it in with suggestions, tasks, and affirmative actions for each day. The more he devotes himself to locating the elusive H., the deeper Jonathan is drawn into someone else’s rich and generous narrative—and into an attitude adjustment he desperately needs.He may have ended up with a perfect year by accident, but it seems fate has set Jonathan on a path toward healing, feeling, and maybe even loving again…if only he can meet the stranger who’s changing his life one day at a time.
Bitch Slap
J. Kenner - 2017
I love the way they look. The way they smell. The way they feel. Especially the way they feel. And I’ve pretty much made it my mission to give each and every woman who shares my bed the ride of her life.Then I met her. Bitchy as hell and completely uninterested in me. And damned if I didn’t want her. Crave her. I told myself I only wanted to tame her. That it was all about the challenge. I never expected to break through that ice queen exterior and find the softness underneath. Never expected how wild she’d be between the sheets or the way she’d cry my name with such sincere intensity when I totally rocked her world. Most of all, I never expected to fall for her. But I did.And the question is, now that I know I want her, how the hell do I go about keeping her?
Insurgents MC Romance Series
Chiah Wilder - 2018
Set in his ways, tough, tatted, and a no BS-type of man, Banger’s doing just fine until he meets the sassy single mom who cooks the best fried chicken he’s ever tasted. For the first time since he’s been widowed, he wants a woman in his life and warming his bed. After finding out her husband was a cheating louse, the last thing Belle wants is another man. She has her hands full with her teenage daughter, paying the bills, and fending off accusations that she poisoned her husband. Then she meets Banger, the handsome, rugged biker who comes crashing into her life. If only he wasn’t so nice and didn’t get her all hot and bothered. Once he decides on something he doesn’t let go, and he’s decided to make Belle his. Jerry’s Passion The first time Jerry saw Kylie he was taken by her, but stayed away because she was too young. A member of the Insurgents MC, Jerry’s life revolves around the club, his Harley, and easy sex. He has plenty of women, but his sights are set on the pretty, young blonde who is all grown up now—sweet curves and all. As the president’s daughter, Kylie McDaniels grew up in the outlaw biker world, but her father kept her from the dark side of it, and she still has an innocence he prefers she keep. Banger has made it clear that she is off-limits to all bikers. Kylie would listen to her father, but the hot, muscular biker makes her want to do some not so innocent things. Then a killer craving retribution has set his sights on Kylie. Will Jerry be able to stop the madman before he strikes? Can their forbidden love survive the chaos of the world around them? Throttle’s Seduction Throttle, Road Captain of the Insurgents Motorcycle Club, likes his women willing, stacked, and no strings attached. Then he meets Kimber, the new mechanic at Hawk’s bike shop. In his world, the only thing a woman should do on a Harley is spread her pretty legs wide. She is sassy-mouthed, aggravating, and not his type at all. And he doesn’t need any woman—let alone a chick in mechanic coveralls—messing with his head. Kimber has had to fight to be accepted in a man’s world. Swearing off all bikers since her last boyfriend made her his punching bag, she’s content with working on Harleys and being alone. When she meets Throttle sparks fly. He’s a cocky, chauvinistic bastard. He’s also incredibly handsome, built, and sexy as all hell. He’s exactly her type. She should run far away from him, but her body wants him in the worst way. As Throttle and Kimber play tug of war, a Peeping Tom spots Kimber Descourts and is drawn to her. And he’s beginning to grow bored of just watching. Will Kimber trust Throttle enough to let him help her? Rock’s Redemption Rock, Sergeant-At-Arms for the Insurgents MC, has only been in love once—a long time ago—and the end result was shattering. He learned his lesson: keep his heart encased in steel. Once he joined the Insurgents MC, he vowed to leave the past in Louisiana. He embraces his life of booze, easy women, and Harleys. Then his past crashes into his life when he spots the one woman who has ever captured and crushed his heart—Clotille. WhenClotille sees Rock, she’s ashamed for him to see how far she’s fallen.
Rapture 3
Perri Forrest - 2016
It holds especially true when you’re Rush Cambridge. The story is back and with something of a vengeance. In RAPTURE, new couple Alika and Rush were brought together under severe circumstances. Alika literally crashed into Rush’s life and created a need that he didn’t realize existed until she was there to awaken it. By RAPTURE 2, the couple had already been faced with the first of many obstacles: Rush’s father was murdered, his mother’s return after years of absence, and the arrival of a daughter that Rush never knew existed. RAPTURE 3 promises to keep the momentum going. Rush wrote off his sister, Jamie, when he realized that she knew about his daughter. Will they mend their relationship? Or will they remain siblings in name, only? What will happen when tragedy strikes and the traumatic event touches several of the lives that Rush holds dear? And what about Siobhan, Rush’s mother, who was being sought for his father’s murder? Somebody doesn’t want to let it go, and wants to make sure that Siobhan pays for her crime. It’s just too much, isn’t it? Well, it’s happening all while Rush and Alika await the birth of their first child. We know this couple can overcome just about anything, but will it still hold true in the end?
All Grown Up
Jami Attenberg - 2017
But it’s what she leaves unsaid—she’s alone, a drinker, a former artist, a shrieker in bed, captain of the sinking ship that is her flesh—that feels the most true. Everyone around her seems to have an entirely different idea of what it means to be an adult: her best friend, Indigo, is getting married; her brother—who miraculously seems unscathed by their shared tumultuous childhood—and sister-in-law are having a hoped-for baby; and her friend Matthew continues to wholly devote himself to making dark paintings at the cost of being flat broke. But when Andrea’s niece finally arrives, born with a heartbreaking ailment, the Bern family is forced to reexamine what really matters. Will this drive them together or tear them apart? Told in gut-wrenchingly honest, mordantly comic vignettes, All Grown Up is a breathtaking display of Jami Attenberg’s power as a storyteller, a whip-smart examination of one woman’s life, lived entirely on her own terms.
The House by the Cypress Trees
Elena Mikalsen - 2019
Not a perfect trip.Daniel Stafford wants to visit his family in Tuscany—after his girlfriend dumps him for their Italian driver, he botches a work presentation in Rome, and an assertive American falls in front of his car.When their two disastrous lives collide, they end up sleeping on the side of the road. Falling in love with Italy—and each other—is the least of their concerns.
Spare Change
Bette Lee Crosby - 2011
A boy running for his life. A town defending them both.From award-winning USA TODAY Bestselling Author BETTE LEE CROSBY, the first book of a gritty, small-town, family saga in the tradition of the finest Southern fiction.Small-town gossip never much bothered Olivia Westerly. As a single career woman, she's weathered her share. It's easy to ignore the raised eyebrows over her late-in-life marriage to Charlie Doyle. But after he drops dead on their honeymoon, the whispers are salt on her raw grief. Especially when an orphaned, eleven-year-old-boy shows up on her doorstep, looking for the grandfather he never met.Behind Ethan Allen Doyle's wary blue eyes lie heavily guarded emotions that unexpectedly tug on Olivia's heart, and she finds herself wanting to win his trust. But when his murderous secret comes looking for him, the entire town embraces the lonely widow and desperate child to show its true heart when danger threatens one of its own.A heartwarming tale of love, loss and unexpected gifts, featuring a woman you'd like to call friend, a boy you will ache to hug, and a town you wish you could call home. USA TODAY BESTSELLER AND WINNER OF FIVE LITERARY AWARDS - Royal Palm Literary Award, Reviewer's Choice Award, FPA President's Book Award, IAN Outstanding Fiction Award, Eadon Contemporary Fiction Award
Falling in Love with Natassia: A Novel
Anna Monardo - 2006
“We’ll do it if you do it . . .” Mary and Ross are unmarried, ambitious, and way too young, and though smitten with their daughter, they eventually—and with regret—abdicate responsibility to Ross’s parents, who raise Natassia in the intellectually stimulating (and seemingly loving) atmosphere of their Manhattan apartment. Fifteen years later, 1989, Natassia is an Honors student and a violin player. Despite the absence of her mother, a world-class modern dancer who survives by living in the moment, and her father, a physician in the Pacific Northwest, Natassia is thriving—until her mysterious romance with a man she will not identify derails her so profoundly that her parents, grandparents, and even her godparents, Nora and Christopher, must come together to save her. A dancer, a doctor, two book editors, a painter and a psychotherapist—all are forced to turn away from and also draw upon the creative and intellectual endeavors that consume and define them. Struggling to buoy Natassia, her guardians sink along with her into the deepest darkness.Mary, a Korean war orphan, must learn from step one how to provide the mother love she herself never received; indeed, the daughter's breakdown sparks the mother's coming-of-age. Ross, still in love with Mary after ten years’ separation, must face the consequences of his obsessions. And Nora and Christopher, burdened by a decades-old secret, use desperate measures to save Natassia—and their marriage.Within the intimate universe of one unorthodox family, Falling in Love with Natassia explores the blurred lines between love that heals and sex that harms. These characters will shock you with how forcefully their hurt hearts demand restitution; they will mystify you with the paths they choose as they move toward recovery and redemption.
Then She Found Me
Elinor Lipman - 1990
Bernice Graverman brandishes designer labels, favors toad-sized earrings, and hosts her own tacky TV talk show: Bernice G! But behind the glitz and glam, Bernice has followed the life of the daughter she gave up for adoption thirty-six years ago. Now that she's got her act together, she's aiming to be a mom like she always knew she could. And she's hurtling straight for April's quiet little life....
These Arms of Mine
Judy Lynn Hubbard - 2012
Now fate's giving them a second chance. But when Alesha asks Derrick to save her brother, she never dreams what the scorned multimillionaire will demand in exchange: becoming his wife—in name only.Even after Alesha shattered his trust, Derrick never stopped loving her. His strings-attached proposition was supposed to be strictly business: revenge for her cruel betrayal as he rebuilds his public image. Until desire reignites—hotter than ever.As the ex-lovers give in to their passion, a marriage of convenience is about to become inconvenient. And Derrick realizes just how far he'll go to keep Alesha in his bed, in his arms, in his heart—forever.