in communications, reluctantly joins the other seven scholars at the insistence of his father-in-law, a prominent televangelist. Anney, Stephen's wife, who bears an old grudge against the Mormons, fears that he has been thrust into a study that may influence his protestant beliefs. As Stephen absorbs the truths of the Book of Mormon, a wedge is driven between them that could ultimately destroy their marriage.This extraordinary novel rivets the reader's interest on several different levels--intellectual, emotional, and spiritual. Will Peter Polk, the project coordinator, be able to carry off this study? Will his scholarly conclave reach any substantial conclusions about the authenticity of the Book of Mormon? And will Stephen risk losing his wife and family if he embraces a new faith?

    A female officer who is attacked in the line of duty must protect her own husband from his worst impulses in this short story, first published in The Blue Religion (Michael Connelly, ed.) and recognized as one of 2009's Best American Mystery Stories (Jeffery Deaver, ed.).

    He is stuck in his bedroom, where the world comes to him through TV, the internet and Julie's visits. Julie, meanwhile, is brilliant, kind and could be changing the world. Unfortunately she is too terrified of aeroplane crashes, road accidents and potentially life-threatening bacteria to leave her home town. When someone contacts Luke and claims that he can cure him, Luke and Julie have to deal with their fears and face the world outside. With four friends, wellies and a homemade space suit, they set off in a VW Camper van along Britain's B-roads. It is a journey that might just change their lives.

    But she’s not ready for the sparks that fly when she meets local nonprofit owner Eric Hampton . . . or for the sudden reappearance of an unwelcome face from her past. In Courtney Walsh's A Sweethaven Romance: Eleanor Waverly is practically Sweethaven royalty, but her comfortable, cushy world is turned upside-down when she discovers an old map hidden in the bottom of a 125-year-old time capsule. Her only hope of uncovering the truth lies with local firefighter (and Waverly rival) Jason Holloway, and with his piercing eyes and troubled past, it's clear from the start it's not only her way of life that's on the line, it's her heart.

    As in her acclaimed novels The Siege and A Spell of Winter, world-class storyteller Helen Dunmore shows us with subtlety and humor precisely who her characters are and why we should care for them. In each taut, agile tale, they grow to surprise, concern, and move us as they negotiate situations that are often both mundane and bizarre: a cafeteria cook confronts her Polish pen pal in a meeting that is unexpectedly intense; a divorced mother gains insight from a parking meter; a boastful writer is put in his place in spectacular fashion; and in a chilling future, conception is ruthlessly controlled by the government. In several stories a soulful, curious woman named Ulli takes up residence in the reader's imagination -- stumbling across a strangely magnetic collector of religious icons, contemplating a youthful pregnancy, and remembering a troubled lover. In Ice Cream, Dunmore reveals both her poet's ear for the concise and piercing potentialities of language and the novelist's ambition of scope, proving her status as "a master of the shorter form" (The Sunday Telegraph). "Spellbinding ... She captures a moment in time and leaves us reeling at the echoes." -- Michael McLoughlin, The Irish News "Cool, elegant, and beautifully controlled, the stories collected in Ice Cream display Dunmore's virtuosity of language." -- Pamela Norris, The Independent on Sunday "All the senses are vibrantly alive in these stories." -- Katie Owen, The Sunday Telegraph

    The Empty House is about being in love with the wrong man; The Day of the Storm is about discovering family—and its secrets; and Under Gemini is about deception. A wonderful new omnibus edition of three full-length novels by one of America's favorites.

     And yes, I do realize that I can’t seem to stop these irrational (and slightly impure!) thoughts about Max—Max, my best friend. And I know it’s a risk. You’re right! And I’ll probably never make a move but I so wish that I could get just one kiss from those lips…maybe that would stop the madness once and for all. Anyway, that’s not likely so… Regardless, I’m gonna meet THE one. If Blue never shows up, I’m on a mission to find my Mr. Right and this time I won’t stop until I do. Cross your fingers and say a prayer for me, okay?

    THE YEAR OF SAYING YES by Hannah Doyle will make you dirty-laugh, feel warm and fuzzy, and rediscover life's magic - all thanks to one little word: yes. Fans of Lindsey Kelk, Mhairi McFarlane and Lucy-Anne Holmes, you're in for a real treat. The first of four exclusive part-serialisations of THE YEAR OF SAYING YES by Hannah Doyle.Dear ReadersIt's drizzling outside, which totally matches my #currentmood. Pigs in blankets, all the mince pies and a festive Baileys or five are distant memories. You know the drill - it's January. Everyone's banning booze (terrible idea) or cutting carbs (impossible). To add to the misery pile, my plans to seduce the man of my dreams at the stroke of midnight flopped spectacularly. I'm Izzy. I don't just need a New Year resolution, I need a whole new life. And I need YOU. My dreary life is about to get a total makeover - it's my 'Year of Saying Yes'. And this is where you come in. It's up to you to #DareIzzy. I'm saying yes to your challenges, no matter how nuts, adventurous or wild they are. The sky's the limit - I'm at your mercy, readers! Wish me luck. I have a feeling I'm going to need it. LoveIzzy x Don't miss Part 2 of Izzy's adventure, where Izzy is challenged to ask a total stranger for his number, pose naked for a life drawing class and, wait for it... perform at Glastonbury!

    It's okay. She's fine. She just wants to sign papers with dignity and end it all civilly.Dev is pissed. For five years, he worshiped the ground Jiya walked on. And what did he get for it? Loneliness and heartache. And while he wants to punch the wall, his beautiful wife is sitting demurely signing papers.Fate intervenes in the form of two best friends, by locking them in the very room in which they signed their divorce. What happens when two people who never stopped loving each other are forced to confront their mistakes?

    When massive warehouses surrounded by metal fencing seem to go up overnight, local businesses are bought out, and more than 6,000 families establish residence in a community named Kingdom Come, the FBI begins to suspect cult activity. Agent Ben Atkins is sent to investigate, and though he does sense something major happening, he is not convinced it is sinister. In fact, as he moves in for a closer look, he begins to wonder if those on the inside of Kingdom Come are working to keep evil out. But time is running short for him to discover the truth, as unexpected enemies-law enforcement agencies, media groups, and even the church hierarchy-threaten the community's existence.

    His years in the CIA have prepared him for such a dreadful day.“Rasul” knows this, as he follows his young guide down the streets of New York City, with a gift for his adopted country.The soldiers and sentries of Camelot’s Corridor, deep under the sands of Texas know this, as they prepare the secret bunker for the President’s arrival.Mike Keogh knows this, as he remembers fallen friends, betrayals, and mention of a secretive monster named the Tangerine Demon.Jessie Rosen will know it soon enough, as she descends the steps to Kubrá, to meet her deliverer. Her new family descends those steps as well, calling for their Lord to hear their prayers.Phil Barr begrudgingly knows this, as he cowers in his palatial Hollywood Hills mansion, murderers and thugs auditioning on live TV, sirens ringing in his ears. This wasn’t how his charmed life was supposed to turn out.And DaRWIn knows this best of all, as it predicted the assassination, and the calamitous after-effects some time ago.On a certain day, on a certain street in the Middle East, the taking of a single life will mean everything, and it will shake the foundation of humanity. It will be the pulling of a loose strand in mankind’s tapestry, undoing the progress of a thousand years, ripping apart at the seams countless lives, countless societies.Intertwining lives and stories, some saved and some ended, some Going, some Gone…

    Little by little, Jacinta’s mother lost her—first to college, then to a boy she said she loved, and then, finally, to the rage of a school shooter. Snap. In an instant it was all gone. All she has now is her daughter’s phone. Like an album, gripped in the palm of her hand—texts, photos, messages, and videos of her daughter’s first three years at college. With it, Jacinta’s mother is reconstructing her daughter’s last three weeks.In this uniquely moving exploration of mourning, fury, and reminiscence, Susan Straight evokes—through a grieving mother’s devastating internal monologue—both a modern-day nightmare and exquisite proof of love’s extraordinary power to overcome it.

    "The City Is a Rising Tide" unfolds against a stunning backdrop of history, culture, and landscape -- from the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze to the refined vistas of Central Park, from the Cultural Revolution to the surreal world of moviemaking. In New York City, Justine Laxness works as a money manager at a nonprofit, the Aquinas Foundation. Justine's love for her boss, Peter, is unrequited, despite their deep friendship and extensive history: they first met in the early 1970s, when Justine was a child living in Beijing with her Christian family. Peter, then twenty-eight and stationed in China while working for Richard Nixon, had fallen in love with Justine's nanny, Su Chen -- a Communist revolutionary under Mao -- and still feels guilt for his part in her disappearance and death.Justine's obsession with Peter spurs her to embezzle funds from Aquinas and lend the money to James Nutter, a screenwriter and old college flame who has resurfaced in Justine's life after ten years. But every action she takes will have unforeseen ramifications, creating a tidal wave of betrayal and destruction. Lyrical and suspenseful by turns, "The City Is a Rising Tide" is an enchanting work of luminous prose and uncommon imagination.

    In “The Fabric Diary,” the new owner of a Manhattan bed-and-breakfast discovers a mysterious scrapbook of fabric swatches, compelling her to discover the connection between a beautiful antique quilt and the original owners of her historic brownstone. “The Runner’s Quilt” tells the heartwarming story of a young mother who discovers fitness and fulfillment by becoming a runner—and by making a special quilt for a new friend. Originally published in Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine and Quiltmaker, these two charming short stories appear together for the first time in one eBook edition.

    Many of the stories have recurring characters including the memorable protagonists of the novels.