Yet here she is, watching her car literally go up in smoke—along with her last-ditch hope of staying with her cousin in Louisiana. When Jancy spies a Help Wanted sign hanging in the window of the quaint Strawberry Hearts Diner, the memories of the two years she spent there as a teenager—and the lure of the diner’s beloved strawberry tarts—are enough to draw her in and plant her feet…but only temporarily.Raised by parents who refused to settle anywhere for long, Jancy has never known what it is to have roots. Now that Jancy’s swept up by the warmth and character of this quirky little community—and by the pull of an old crush—it’s beginning to feel like home. She’s making friends and even discovering the sweetness of falling in love. But when the town is threatened, Jancy knows it will take more than its legendary tarts to save it. Can she fight for this little Texas town—knowing she might not stay forever?

    At least it is for a guy like me. As a talent agent in New York, I know how to wine and dine with the best of them. Unfortunately, work has been my main thing for a little too long. And my body is showing signs of it. Doc says I need to take a summer off. Hell yes, I do. Lucky for me, I run into my latest wedding fling as my time frees up. And the pretty girl just can’t get enough of me. She needs a plus-one for an upcoming wedding and wants to up the ante of our deception. Be her fake fiancé. She’s tired of being the bridesmaid and never the bride. Why would I ever say no? I’m a no-strings-attached kinda guy, but with her, I want to be tied up—forever. The more time I spend playing the part, the more I want to hit my knee and offer her a ring. It started with us promising nothing, but now, I want her to promise it all—to me.

    An expert on debunking the supernatural with a regular column in Scientific American, he's just made his first appearance on national TV. When he receives a letter from the tiny town of Boone Creek, North Carolina, about ghostly lights that appear in a legend-shrouded cemetery, he can't resist driving down to investigate. Here, in this tightly knit community, Lexie Darnell runs the town's library, just as her mother did before the accident that left Lexie an orphan. Disappointed by past relationships, including one that lured her away from home, she is sure of one thing: her future is in Boone Creek, close to her grandmother and all the other people she loves. Jeremy expects to spend a quick week in "the sticks" before speeding back to the city. But from the moment he sets eyes on Lexie, he is intrigued and attracted to this beautiful woman who speaks with a soft drawl and confounding honesty. And Lexie, while hesitating to trust this outsider, finds herself thinking of Jeremy more than she cares to admit. Now, if they are to be together, Jeremy Marsh must make a difficult choice: return to the life he knows, or do something he's never done before--take a giant leap of faith. A story about taking chances and following your heart, True Believer will make you, too, believe in the miracle of love.

    

    Six-year-old Birdie Adams wants to run away and join the circus but guesses she’ll have to go to the first grade and hang around with her new baby brother instead. Maybe her big sister needs a little help, too. The circus will have to wait.Twelve-year-old Melanie Adams wants her friend to stop bugging her to get her first kiss. Melanie’s already had her first kiss, but won’t spoil the special secret by talking about it. Norah Adams is a good mother and wife who wants to keep her family safe and happy, but tucking the order form for dogtags in her daughters’ lunch boxes is a big change from the everyday bologna sandwiches.Lola Carter wants the life her sister, Norah, has. Instead she has a factory job, an alcohol and prescription drug addiction, and an abusive boyfriend. Even if President Kennedy prevents World War III, these women’s lives will be changed forever.

    Her husband leaves her for another woman, and her best friend announces an unplanned pregnancy at the age of forty-one. Bernie's behavior goes from acting out to out-of-hand, and she finds herself in trouble at home, out of work and banned from the mall after a confrontation at the cosmetic counter.When her mother discovers her father's book of cryptograms, Bernie realizes his encoded lessons in living might be exactly what she needs to survive. From dealing with her family's grief and bonding with her best friend's thirteen-year-old daughter, to dieting, dating and mindless almost-sex with the landscaper, Bernie discovers what her father always knew.In life, you either choose to sing a rainbow, or you don't.For Bernie, the singing is about to begin.

    Behind closed doors, three women are struggling to lead the lives they want.Vanessa seems like she simply must have it all - she's beautiful, rich and married to gorgeous actor, Conrad. But beneath the glitz, she is asking herself whether this really is the life she wants to lead - when she has so much, why does she feel so empty?Meanwhile, Fleur is trying desperately to save the farm that her family have lived on for hundreds of years, when playboy Beau makes her an offer she can't refuse.And Catherine has given up the high-flying career she thought she always wanted, and is trying to build a wonderful new life in the country. But finding rural bliss is harder than it looks.Hopes and dreams, loves and losses - and lots and lots of secrets - let Jo Carnegie take you behind the scenes of one very special town.

    Agonizing nightmares terrorize her by night as painful memories of a love lost haunt her by day. Ava has vowed never to love again, but she will soon find out that sometimes vows are made to be broken. Attorney Langston Warrington III is the one man that can make Ava love again. The only problem is . . . he's her archenemy! And to make matters worse, Langston has a secret of his own-a secret that will change Ava's life forever.

    Can she see what's been in front of her all this time? When city girl Taylor Jennings reluctantly visits a psychic one sunny San Francisco morning, she gets a whole lot more than she bargains for--like a prediction she will "lock eyes" with The One within the next two weeks. So, when she looks up into a pair of green eyes belonging to her best friend's big brother, Taylor's running scared. She can't fall for ladies' man, Jake, not if she wants to keep what she holds most dear. Jake Harrison is the successful head chef of the hottest new restaurant in San Francisco. He's got everything he could want: a great job, good friends, and women falling over themselves to be with him. Problem is, he's always had a "thing" for his kid sister's best friend--ever since that one incredible kiss they shared as teenagers. When the two are thrown together on a joint bachelor-bachelorette weekend in Cabo San Lucas, Taylor goes in search of The One, and Jake tries his best to deny what he's felt for Taylor for far too long. The Right Guy is a sweet and sexy friends to lovers contemporary romance for fans of Lauren Layne. This book is a little sexier than my other titles, but with my same light-hearted, feel-good tone, and that all important happily ever after. I hope you love it!

    After all, isn’t it selfish to grieve when the departed goes to a better place? Being in charge of the funeral for his grandmother, Nanna, John arranges for a happy atmosphere, but not everyone understands. Tabitha, his twelve-year-old daughter, who is attending her first funeral, perceives the conflict in a very personal way. During the days before Nanna’s death, Tabitha had been comforted by dreams of the lady’s glorious entrance into Heaven, but she truly misses Nanna’s presence and wonders if her inner yearnings are wrong.    Tabitha has also had dreams about her best friend, Rose Grayson, haunting dreams that showed her friend as lost and in terror in the afterworld. No, Rose is not a Christian. In fact, her father, Phil, is an atheist, a bold atheist. Phil and Rose attend Nanna’s funeral, and when Tabitha claims to see a vision of her departed great grandmother, Phil suggests to John that Tabitha should undergo therapeutic counseling. John decides on another path, but the conflict raises doubts about his daughter’s mental and spiritual stability.

    It's the sort of thing that would turn almost anyone into a man-crazy freak with romance tunnel-vision, and that's exactly what happens to her. All the while, a lack of inspiration in her corporate job leads Romi to her love of writing, in what quickly becomes a man-quest play-by-play.From whiskey-breath scum bags to uni-brow creeps and everything in between, Romi and her wingmen come up empty time after time. And that's when she meets a fellow writer.On the Internet.So will it be arranged marriage doom, or an Internet affair that's not as creepy as "To Catch a Predator"?Time will tell in the "year of the chick," a twelve-month quest to find love.Tick-tock.

    No one seems to notice her - not really. Heck, she often doesn’t notice herself, except for her monthly scrutiny in the mirror to check on her body’s steady slide towards middle age.But when her ancient, practical estate car is consigned to the scrap heap, Candice falls in love with a cute, purple convertible, and from that moment on her life begins to take on a whole new meaning. Strangers wave at her and people stop to talk, and suddenly she isn’t invisible any longer.Life seems to be looking up, especially when she meets silver fox and handy-man, Paul. There’s just one fly in the ointment, one thing that has her second-guessing herself.Is it the car that Paul sees - or is it her?

    He needs to move fast to make sure everyone around him believes he is getting married for real and to the right woman, even if it’s for only two years. Anjali never expected a complete stranger to propose a marriage contract as if he were offering her a job with a salary and benefits package, especially the first time they meet. What he offers is tempting enough for her to give in, so she can fulfill her dream and keep the promise she made to a loved one. For their friends and family, Dheeraj and Anjali are a loving couple who fell in love at first sight, but they both have an agenda. Their reasons for the marriage contract were different, but what they never expected is what happens when two people start living under the same roof pretending to be a couple. Sparks fly and butterflies flutter between stolen kisses, but when they start to find out more about each other’s reason for the fake marriage, will they still honor the contract? Will love make its way into the contract as a clause? Note: This is a stand-alone romance with a passionate couple who finds their HEA. This book is recommended for mature readers.

    She also acquires a new family: mother-in-law Audrey, disapproving and suspicious of Skyla’s nomadic past; father-in-law Walt, gruff but kind; and Thomas’s brothers, sofa-bound Jeffrey, and Dennis, who moved across the country seemingly to avoid the family. Skyla settles into marriage and motherhood, but quiet life in small-town Wisconsin can’t quell feelings of restlessness. Then into her life comes Madame Picard, the local psychic from the disreputable bookstore, Mystic Books, and new neighbor, Roxanne, whose goal in life is to have twelve kids even though she can’t manage the five she has. Despite her family’s objections, Skyla befriends Roxanne and gets a job at the bookstore, and life gets fuller and more complicated than she ever imagined. Exceptionally heartwarming and inevitably bittersweet, A Scattered Life is a story that will stay with the reader long after the last page is read.

    What she doesn't have is a ring on her finger, and after being left at the altar, she's in no hurry. Besides, she has plenty of other issues to tackle, including her wayward father, a new rival at work, and an ever-shrinking amount of personal time. To keep sane, Waverly makes a habit of jotting down "Honey Notes," her own brand of self-deprecating wisdom and pipe-dream for a line of greeting cards. As Waverly stumbles back into the dating scene (no stalkers or jean shorts, please), her personal and professional lives threaten to collide. Perfect on Paper reminds readers that everyone has a bad date (or twelve), and that everyone needs a best friend to tell them, “Honey, you are not alone."