Book picks similar to
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An Order of Coffee and Tears
Brian Spangler - 2012
For one young runaway, Angela’s is more than a place to tell your tale — it’s a place where with the magic of chicken and waffles, and a little bit of trust, may just save your life.Gabriella Santiago used to be a typical teenager who enjoyed the usual teenage things. That is until a single tragic day ended who she was and within hours she ran from home, never to look back.Only when Gabby is cold, hungry and at her lowest, does she find Angela’s Diner. Gabby embraces her new life and the family she has found in the midst of strangers and obscurity. Acceptance is what she craves, but before long, Gabby realizes she’s not the only one in the diner with something to hide. Her new family has a secret too, and some secrets refuse to stay buried.
To Hair and Back: My Journey Toward Self-Love One Strand at a Time
Rhonda Eason - 2017
Raised in a family of women born with tresses suitable for romance novel heroines, Rhonda was apathetic toward her kinky coils, and, in turn, herself. To Hair and Back – My Journey Toward Self-Love One Strand at a Time is a debut memoir that details her quest for the perfect head of hair and the discovery of something far more meaningful. In this endearing personal narrative, she explores the question: If I am not my hair, then who am I? Beginning in a Detroit ghetto and traversing the globe, the author boldly reveals the joy, despair, pride, and public humiliation she experienced while in search of her best self. Through humorous self-introspection, Rhonda uses her passion for hair to explore the dynamics of her relationships, as well as themes of race and gender. To Hair and Back takes the reader on a journey of a child bullied because of her knotty roots through her adventurous life-long crusade in search of the perfect hair. Masked as a need for creativity and a remedy for boredom, Rhonda’s obsession with her ever-changing hairstyles becomes a metaphor that anyone who has ever struggled with issues of self-worth will find relatable.
Bayou My Love
Lauren Faulkenberry - 2016
For Enza, Bayou Sabine means pain and heartache: a mother who left her and a father whose lies have caught up with him. Her only fondness for the bayou comes from the summers she spent there with her grandmother, Vergie. Now that Vergie’s gone, Enza wants to flip the house and put her past to rest—but this small town is full of big secrets—and it has one more surprise for her.When Enza finds her grandmother’s house occupied by sexy firefighter Jack Mayronne, she wants to kick him out. But Jack turns on the charm and convinces her to let him stay in exchange for helping her flip the house. Sparks fly as they share the same roof, and as their fling intensifies, Enza learns that Jack has dangerous secrets of his own. When the truth about her mother’s disappearance begins to surface, Enza must decide: how much is she willing to sacrifice to start over—and can she trust Jack with her heart? Note: This book was previously published with the title Bayou My Love.“Faulkenberry creates a world of magic, suspense, and desire. An engrossing romance with just the right amount of heat!” -Julie C. Gardner, author of Letters for Scarlet
Love, Lies & Consequences
Natasha D. Frazier - 2015
He tells her everything that he thinks she wants and needs to hear—including his desire to marry her! Rico’s smooth manner challenges Raegan’s character and puts to the test what she says she believes. Just when she thinks that Rico could be the one, Caleb, her old college love, returns to her life. And now that he’s back, he has no intent on being without her. Raegan gets caught up in a whirlwind romance, filled with Love, Lies & Consequences that will turn her world upside down.∞Meanwhile, Raegan’s good friend Tammy has choices of her own to make. Tammy filed for legal separation from Joshua, NBA rookie, who was sure to have a promising career, only one year after they got married. Joshua loved basketball and Tammy felt like there was no room in his life for both her and his career. Life has now given them a second chance to reunite. Has she matured beyond her selfish ways? Is Joshua ready to pursue both basketball and his wife? It just may take a brush with death to remind them that it is high time to become the husband and wife they vowed to be.
Pieces of Granite
Brenda S. Anderson - 2014
With no one else to turn to, her once-strong faith begins to crumble.For the first time in her life, Debbie needs someone to lean on, but who is left to be strong for her?
The Wedding Caper
Janice A. Thompson - 2006
Her husband's job at the bank makes him a potential suspect, but knowing him to be a godly man, she can't imagine it. Then again, there is that matter of the weddings to factor in. Twin daughters Brandi and Candy have just received proposals and two weddings are pending. Sure, Warren occasionally jokes about robbing the bank to pay for the ceremonies, but Annie knows him better than that. . .doesn't she?
Willow Pond
Carol Tibaldi - 2011
Now that the world is falling apart, bootlegging is a flourishing business, and she's queen of that castle. Then her infant nephew is kidnapped. Her niece, Laura, and Laura's philandering movie star husband, are devastated. The police have few leads, and speculation and rumors abound in the media circus that follows the celebrity abduction. Only one reporter, Erich Muller, seems to care enough about the child's welfare and the parents' feelings to report the case responsibly. Over the course of the investigation, Erich Muller and Laura fall in love, but their relationship is doomed to failure since he suspects her beloved aunt Virginia is behind the kidnapping. Laura, jaded when it comes to men, sides with Virginia.But Virginia has figured out the truth, and she can't tell anyone for fear of losing her niece's affections and having the police ransack her life. So she pursues her own investigation, shaking down, threatening, and killing one petty crook after another during her search.Little Todd's absence shapes everyone's lives. When he is finally found, the discovery will bring disaster for some and revelation for others.
The 19th Element
John L. Betcher - 2010
True, there’s an al Qaeda connection. But the heart of the ‘terror cell’ is homegrown, right here in the United States.James "Beck" Becker is a former elite U.S. government intelligence operative who has retired to his childhood hometown of Red Wing, Minnesota – just six miles down the Mississippi from the Prairie River Power Station. He recognizes connections between seemingly unrelated incidents – a murdered agronomy professor, a missing lab assistant, an international cell call, a stolen fertilizer truck, an explosion in the street in front of City Hall – but can't piece it together in enough detail to convince government authorities that a larger threat exists. Only his American Indian friend, "Bull," will help Beck defuse the threat.So it's Beck and Bull versus the best terror cell west of the Mississippi.May the better men win.
It Should've Been Me
ReShonda Tate Billingsley - 2016
The problem is Hollywood doesn’t know that just yet…..and since her bills aren’t paying themselves, Tamara signs on to star in the new stageplay, It Should’ve Been Me. Get in, get out, get paid…that’s all Tamara wants to do. But her co-stars – including Donovan Dobbs, her ex that left her at the altar and Camille Woods, a young starlet with a serious grudge – could make this the worst decision Tamara’s ever made. Whatever it takes… Playwright/producer Gwen Tanner Weinstein has decided if her neglectful husband can’t give her love, she’ll take his money. And use it to make her stageplay dreams come true. She’s put together an amazing cast, sold out shows across the country and is ready to take her rightful reign as one of the top play producers in the country. If only she can keep the drama contained to the stage….and that sexy young merchandising guy out of her bed…. From shady crew members, to unscrupulous paparazzi, It Should’ve Been Me is bound to be turned into real life drama that will rival anything that could ever happen on the stage.
Tangled: A Southern Gothic Yarn
Phyllis H. Moore - 2016
Twenty-one years old and Annette Roberta Randall is searching, looking for herself. The perception and sensitivity she relied on to bolster her through an isolated childhood have disappeared and with them her sense of self. Nettie also seeks the truth, information about her dysfunctional family and the mysteries that whisper to her in their eccentric family home. She receives glimpses in the alcohol induced monologues of her mother, Delores Cecelia, “DeCe”. However, DeCe lost herself long before Nettie was born, and she buried her secrets so deep, even the spirits haunting her cannot unlock her soul. Pup, Nettie’s peculiar uncle, may have witnessed the most recent chaos, but he cannot communicate what he knows for sure. Nettie’s struggles are apparent to her extended family and neighbors, but only she can resolve to overcome the pull of the notorius Kirkland family and Berclaire mansion. The secrets fester and DeCe clings to them like the neglected ivy tendrils on the shadowed side of the mansion. Slowly, the truth will unfold, but will it be enough to free Nettie, or the undoing of her mother, DeCe? Nettie believed it was possible her grandfather, Old Nate, was responsible for the hauntings at the Berclaire mansion, but the more she learns of her great grandmother, Roberta, she decides he might have been a victim, also. DeCe had been taking pills and drinking alcohol from before the time she was a teenager, attempting to numb herself to her dysfunctional family. Nettie could only guess at a history during her drunken orations about DeCe's childhood. Nettie knows she is the seventh child born to DeCe, the others gone before Nettie was born. Some would filter back into her life, but would they help her learn more about her identity, or bring more pain?
Losing To Win
Michele Grant - 2013
So when local English teacher Carissa Melody Wayne is asked to appear on the weight-loss reality show Losing to Win, she agrees. She doesn't realize that others from her past will be joining her, including her high school nemesis, an acquaintance who's been nursing a long-time crush on her--and most shocking of all, Carissa's ex-fiancé, former NFL star Malachi Knight.As Carissa's group is split into pairs to compete in a series of challenges, she finds herself at the mercy of the chaotic Hollywood crew and cast members, and her own unfinished business. Soon enough, she discovers that her biggest challenge will be deciding what's really important to her, what she's willing to do to win--and how to do it with cameras following her 24/7...
Provocateur
Charles D. Martin - 2012
Provocateur explores that aspect of the human experience that surrounds the age-old contest between men and women. It is the story of Nadia, a young Russian woman who comes to America through a mail-order-bride program. She becomes employed in an enterprise operated by an ex-CIA agent named Olga, whose agency, through clever missions, extracts large amounts of money from wealthy men.In her “assignments” Nadia must get the best of alpha males that are at the top of the male order. In the novel we follow Nadia through three missions, each bigger and more dangerous. Along the way she has a brief encounter with romance. The missions are like “sting” operations; beginning with a target that is a prominent CEO of a large privately-held company based in Los Angeles; the second takes place in San Francisco at the time of the upcoming America’s Cup competition. In that episode her target is Roberto Bartolini, the super-rich, arrogant sponsor of the Italian racing team. In her third mission she goes up against a Russian oligarch in a mission that takes her into danger and to high life settings in the South of France and Porto Cervo on Sardinia.Nadia, born an orphan, rises out of a life of poverty and despair, where she had no experience with affection, to face her struggles and take on the challenges of her “profession.” She is a complex, enigmatic woman of superior intelligence who must “win” through her finesse and feminine prowess.
Finding Forever
Milan Watson - 2020
Here Stetsons are a way of life and not just a fashion statement. Cowboys, romance and small-town charm guaranteed.She’s a city girl, he’s a rancher – will a kiss seal the deal?Ford Caldwell has just taken over the family’s beef operation. The first order of business; get a better contract from the beef buyers. A rugged rancher, Ford is used to doing business with men. But when Brent Beef sends out their new representative, Ford knows it’s going to be hard to focus on the business at all.Kelly Peyton has finally landed her dream job. As the new representative for Brent Beef, Kelly’s first assignment is to sign a deal with Caldwell Beef. Falcon Falls has long since been rumored the best cattle operation in the state and she wants them to sign with her.When Ford and Kelly meet its mutual dislike at first sight. Forced to spend time on the range together both are surprised by the strong attraction. Will Kelly sign the deal she’s been dreaming of, or will she lose her heart?
Stripped Love
Alycia Taylor - 2015
She gets excited when her agents tells her about an audition for an upcoming movie role, especially when she finds out the film will be starring Dimitri Morrison, one of the hottest male actors in Hollywood. Avery nails the audition and catches the interest of Dimitri himself. Later that night she is surprised when he shows up at the BBW Club and watches her dance, but not nearly as surprised as when he meets her at the back door of the club and kisses her. Sparks ignite and she feels herself drawn to this wildly charismatic actor as much as he desires her womanly curves and daring attitude. For the first time in her life, Avery Phillips wonders if she hasn’t found a guy who will love her just the way she is. But will it last? Only time will tell. This BBW alpha male romance is great for fans of Cassie Cross, Hannah Ford, Deborah Bladon and J.S. Scott.
Doll-baby
Laura Lane McNeal - 2014
Fannie’s New Orleans house is like no place Ibby has ever been—and Fannie, who has a tendency to end up in the local asylum—is like no one she has ever met. Fortunately, Fannie’s black cook, Queenie, and her smart-mouthed daughter, Dollbaby, take it upon themselves to initiate Ibby into the ways of the South, both its grand traditions and its darkest secrets. For Fannie’s own family history is fraught with tragedy, hidden behind the closed rooms in her ornate Uptown mansion. It will take Ibby’s arrival to begin to unlock the mysteries there. And it will take Queenie and Dollbaby’s hard-won wisdom to show Ibby that family can sometimes be found in the least expected places. For fans of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt and The Help, Dollbaby brings to life the charm and unrest of 1960s New Orleans through the eyes of a young girl learning to understand race for the first time. By turns uplifting and funny, poignant and full of verve, Dollbaby is a novel readers will take to their hearts.A Top Ten Finalist for Best Historical Novel, Goodreads Choice Awards, and a LibraryReads and Okra PickA big-hearted coming-of-age debut set in civil rights-era New Orleans—a novel of Southern eccentricity and secrets