Poison Dance


Livia Blackburne - 2013
    Then he meets Thalia, an alluring but troubled dancing girl who offers him a way out—if he’ll help her kill a powerful nobleman. With the Guild falling apart, it just might be worth the risk. But when you live, breathe, and love in a world that’s forever flirting with death, the slightest misstep can be poison.

Love, Julie


Christine Bush - 2006
    She was not supposed to slide down drainpipes, play baseball in Central Park, or, worst of all, want to teach. Teaching was for impoverished young relatives, not for the heiress of the Brightingham fortune. When her father suddenly dies, leaving her wicked Uncle Edward as her trustee, she must resist his attempt to force her into a marriage that would bring her misery, no matter what the cost. She decides to leave the world behind. Julietta trades her fashionable dresses and dainty dancing shoes for serviceable travel clothes and sturdy boots. Dying her blond hair brown and donning her glasses, she travels incognito across the country to Grey Eagle, Montana, as Julie Bright, planning to take the position of school teacher, to begin a new life. But the handsome and dedicated young Sheriff, Jack White, takes one look at her and wants to send her packing. She is not what he expected as a teacher for his fledgling town. He knows trouble when he sees it. But for some reason, no matter what his instincts, he cannot make her leave. When the past finally catches up with her, he knows he'd move heaven and earth to keep her safe, and make her stay.

The Lord and The Red-Headed Hornet


G.L. Robinson - 2021
    She's a bossy, fiery red-head. Her handsome brother wants to join the army and fight against Napoleon. But he's all she has and she wants him to become a diplomat instead. She gets a job with an aristocrat hoping he will provide the contacts. Needless to say, it doesn't work out exactly as any of them expects.

Wicked as They Come


Delilah S. Dawson - 2012
    He’d cast a spell for her, but when she’s transported right to him, she’s not so sure she’s ready to be under the spell of another man. (It didn’t go so well last time with controlling, abusive, domineering Jeff.) If only Criminy wasn’t so deliciously rakish….Half the inhabitants of Sang are Pinkies—human—and the other half are Bludmen, who in Tish’s world would be called vampires. But they don’t mess with any of the bat/coffin/no sunlight nonsense. They’re rather like you and me, just more fabulous, long living, and mostly indestructible. (They're also very good kissers.) But when the evil Mayor of Manchester (formerly Bludchester) redoubles his efforts to rid Sang of the Bludmen once and for all, stealing Tish’s locket in hopes of traveling back to her world himself for reinforcements, Criminy and Tish must battle ghosts, sea monsters, wayward submarines, a secret cabal, and thundering Bludmares to get the locket back and allow Tish to return home…but has she found love with Criminy? Could she stay in Sang forever?

Rosé's... Bent Stem


Nomita Khanna - 2019
     Tana, a diligent, young nurse with a troubled childhood, can’t believe her luck when she finds Vikram, a rich widower who says she is the ‘love of his life’. The strong attraction quickly turns into something else, unraveling her life. Nightmares that wrecked her childhood are back—and ripping her world apart. Evil has already claimed victims. Is it about to take another? As the four walls of her majestic Lutyens bungalow begin to close in on her, she spirals down into a dungeon. In this twisted world with betrayal at every step, she decides not to stay miserable and becomes the person she never thought she could be. The path to escape is swarming with grisly ambushes and ... intrigue. No one really knows what happens behind closed doors or what goes inside a person’s mind. How far will someone go to protect their secrets or to get what they want? Farther than anyone can imagine. PEOPLE ARE UNKNOWABLE.

A Place to Call Home


June Francis - 2005
     But there is more to Alexander Armstrong than meets the eye. When it becomes clear his intentions are pure, she is determined to help him on his quest. But will the looming threat of the Second World War ruin everything... or will Greta finally find love?

Say No More


N. Gemini Sasson - 2014
     When five-year old Hunter McHugh witnesses the farming accident that takes the life of his father, Cam, he stops talking -- to everyone except his Australian Shepherd, Halo. Unable to cope, Hunter runs away and gets lost in the Kentucky wilderness. It's up to Halo to find him. Just as she's about to give up, Halo gets help from an unlikely source -- Cam's ghost. Halo is no ordinary dog. Not only can she see ghosts, she can talk to them, too. If only she could tell Hunter that death doesn't mean an end to being around the ones we love, maybe she could help him find his voice again. Unfortunately, she may never have the chance. Dognapped by the man who threatens to destroy the only family she has ever known, Halo must escape and find her way home -- hundreds of miles away. Say No More is a heartfelt story of love, hope, and the enduring bond between a boy afraid to speak and a dog that can't.

A Summer of Surprises: (Little Duck Pond Cafe, Book 16)


Rosie Green - 2021
    Having been through a traumatic time, it’s a joy to be working for Ellie, and now all Ruby wants is to lead a quiet life and support her mum in getting the help she needs.But life, it seems, has other plans for Ruby.Working alongside the bafflingly rude Hudson Holmes would be bad enough – but then odd things start happening. It seems that someone is out to sabotage the café and bakery, and to her horror, Ruby finds the finger pointing at her.Desperate to prove her innocence, she teams up with the most unlikely person in order to get to the bottom of what’s going on. Tailing suspects and hiding in bushes isn’t something she ever imagined she’d be doing, although her partner in mystery-solving seems the perfect man for the job. Can they clear Ruby’s name by discovering the real culprit?With all the drama afoot, at least there’s no time for romance. Because that’s the very last thing on Ruby’s mind these days. Or is it…?

Coming Up for Air


Patti Callahan Henry - 2011
    With her beloved daughter away at college and a growing gap between her and her husband – between her reality and the woman she wants to be – she doesn’t quite seem to fit into her own life. But everything changes after her controlling mother, Lillian, passes away. Ellie’s world turns upside down when she sees her ex-boyfriend, Hutch, at her mother’s funeral and learns that he is in charge of a documentary that involved Lillian before her death. He wants answers to questions that Ellie’s not sure she can face, until, in the painful midst of going through her mother’s things, she discovers a hidden diary – and a window onto stories buried long ago. As Ellie and Hutch start speaking for the first time in years, Ellie’s closed heart slowly begins to open. Fighting their feelings, they set out together to dig into Lillian’s history. Using both the diary and a trip to the Summer House, a mysterious and seductive bayside home, they gamble that they can work together and not fall in love again. But in piecing together a decades-old unrequited-love story, they just might uncover the secrets in their own hearts…

The Eighth Guardian


Meredith McCardle - 2014
    Code name Iris.It’s Testing Day. The day that comes without warning, the day when all juniors and seniors at The Peel Academy undergo a series of intense physical and psychological tests to see if they’re ready to graduate and become government operatives. Amanda and her boyfriend Abe are top students, and they’ve just endured thirty-six hours of testing. But they’re juniors and don’t expect to graduate. That’ll happen next year, when they plan to join the CIA—together.But when the graduates are announced, the results are shocking. Amanda has been chosen—the first junior in decades. And she receives the opportunity of a lifetime: to join a secret government organization called the Annum Guard and travel through time to change the course of history. But in order to become the Eighth Guardian in this exclusive group, Amanda must say good-bye to everything—her name, her family, and even Abe—forever.Who is really behind the Annum Guard? And can she trust them with her life?

Guardian Vampire


Lauralynn Elliott - 2010
    John finds herself the target of ruthless killers. Her father hires a bodyguard, Logan Steele, to protect her, but everywhere they turn, the killers continue to find them. As Kendall and Logan struggle with their feelings for each other, Logan struggles to protect her from the killers…and from himself.ExcerptKendall couldn’t believe her eyes. Standing before her was the man who had rejected her at the club. His steel gray eyes were amused as they gazed into her green ones. Fury took over her good sense as she stared at him.“Daddy, no!” she said angrily. “I don’t need a bodyguard, especially this one!”Her father frowned at her. “What do you mean, especially this one? Do you two know each other?”“Our paths crossed once,” said Logan, his eyes twinkling with mischief. He was enjoying this way too much.“Daddy, I don’t need….”“That’s enough!” St. John said sharply. “This man has been recommended by the security service as the best they have. And the most expensive, I might add. He is now your personal security. Learn to live with it.”Bristling with indignation, she turned around and ran up the stairs, feeling Logan’s eyes on her back as she went. But she resisted the urge to look back. When she got to her room, she slammed the door and threw herself on her bed. Shaking with fury, she threw her pillows across the room.A few minutes later, she heard noises in the guest room next to her suite. What was going on? She put her ear against the wall that divided the two rooms and heard furniture being moved and the closet door being opened. She opened her bedroom door and tiptoed to the other room. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Logan Steele had moved some of the furniture to have quicker access to the door. He also had put a large duffel bag down on the floor and had put some of his things in the closet.Suddenly, he turned around and spotted her. He grinned and said, “I guess you’re stuck with me for awhile.”“I don’t need you,” she declared.“Judging by what happened in your room, I’m going to have to disagree with you. My job is to keep you safe, regardless of your personal feelings or mine. Get used to it.”“Good luck keeping up with me,” she said smugly.“I have lots of experience keeping up with wayward children.”“I’m not a child!” she said, anger in her voice.“That’s debatable,” he said, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth.She turned around and flew out of the room and back into hers. She could hear his chuckle before she slammed her door. How dare he treat her like this? She would show him that she could outsmart him!

Mothers and Daughters


Leah Fleming - 2009
    Crete, present day. A woman anxiously awaits the arrival of someone who could change her life for ever…Lancashire, the 1950s. Three young girls make their way in a brave new post-war world. But can they escape the trappings of the past?Bookworm Connie dreams of university. Brought up on myths about her mysterious father, her life is turned upside down when she accidentally discovers the truth about him.Former ugly duckling Joy is determined to snare a man now she's finally a swan. Winning the "Miss Mercury" competition she bowls over local heart-throb Denny Gregson. But she quickly finds he's not all he seems…Convent-educated Rosa is a born rebel, desperate to flee the strict nuns for a life on the stage. But sometimes you need to be careful what you wish for…As all three girls face heartbreak and tragedy, can they learn from the mistakes of their mothers? Or will history repeat itself?For everyone who loves Maureen Lee and Maeve Binchy, this emotionally charged tale of that most special relationship of all will capture your heart.

The Vicious Deep


Zoraida Córdova - 2012
    He was gone for three days. Sucked out to sea in a tidal wave and spit back ashore at Coney Island with no memory of what happened. Now his dreams are haunted by a terrifying silver mermaid with razor-sharp teeth. His best friend Layla is convinced something is wrong. But how can he explain he can sense emotion like never before? How can he explain he's heir to a kingdom he never knew existed? That he's suddenly a pawn in a battle as ancient as the gods. Something happened to him in those three days. He was claimed by the sea...and now it wants him back.

Mortal Fire


C.F. Dunn - 2012
    Anticipating a quiet year of research, Emma quickly discovers her work impeded by a range of unforeseen complications. From the start, there is the well-intentioned matchmaking of her vivacious Russian colleague, Elena Smalova, and the unexpected jailing of one of her post-graduate students. More troublesome, however, are the unsolved, brutal night attacks on women near the university and Emma's suspicion that they might be linked to the sinister English professor, Kort Staahl. But, most diverting and disconcerting of all, is Emma's growing attraction to the strikingly handsome Dr. Matthew Lyons, whose kind but deliberately distant demeanor puzzles her.Suspense and dread mount when Kort begins to take a persistent and unsettling interest in Emma. What are Kort's intentions, and what is he capable of? And the mystery surrounding Matthew only deepens when Emma discovers a link between him and the journal. What is Matthew trying to hide?

Immortal Curse Series: Books 1-3


Lexi C. Foss - 2018
     Blood Laws The lines between illusion and reality blur as a dark romance brews between two unlikely soulmates Forbidden Bonds Can two tortured souls find solace and love in one another? Blood Heart An immortal war is brewing, and she's the key...