His impeccable record should speak for itself but he wasn’t taking any chances. When his commander volunteers him to head the annual Toys-For-Toddlers Christmas gala, saying no wasn’t an option. It seemed as though Sal had pulled off the impossible, even with only sixty days to do so. But at the last minute, things seemed to unravel and he found himself in over his head. Party planner was never going on his resume. Gloria, (Rori) Boudreau loved the holidays. Her business as a photographer and graphic designer was booming. Yet she needed to think about January, when it stalls out. When a part-time dispatcher position opened up at the police department, she grabs it. Timing was horrible, but it fit her schedule and it paid enough to ensure she could continue chasing her dream next year and that was all that mattered. Through the lens of Rori’s camera, everyone except Salvatore seemed to be enjoying the Christmas fundraiser. This was her reputation on line as well, and she needed it to be picture perfect. One way or another, she was determined to get a smile out of Salvatore. In the end, Salvatore lands more than a promotion. It might not be what he wanted for Christmas, but one moment, can change a lifetime. And he can’t wait until Christmas to unwrap this gift. Was what he had to offer enough for Rori? Salvatore didn’t want his love to end up amongst her unwanted gifts to return.

    The guy she had a crush on in school is her mother’s best friend’s son who will also be at the party. She got over her school crush years ago, but she knows everyone will be giving her pitiful looks at the party and wedding that follows, which is the main reason for her to want to skip all the events. She can’t believe her luck when she finds out the handsome stranger who offers to give her a ride to the farmhouse is actually willing to attend the party as her boyfriend—her fake boyfriend. What happens when she needs to live the lie for more than just the one pre-wedding event and has to bring the fake boyfriend to the wedding? Is the handsome stranger willing to be part of the charade? Note: Fake Boyfriend is a short, contemporary romance.

    She takes his place as a prisoner and is sent to work as a slave on a farm in Germany, where the only things keeping her alive are the hope of her children’s survival and the occasional stolen chicken. Once World War II ends and peace settles over Europe, Zosia’s driving goal is to return to Poland, to the children she left behind. Instead, she’s collected into a refugee camp in Wildflecken, Germany, to wait for some semblance of stability in Poland. While there, she digs for clues about her family. With her homeland in ruins and thousands of other refugees also searching, the truth is impossible to uncover. Zosia finds herself trapped in a never-ending purgatory. Despite her initial resistance, she falls in love with Czeslaw, who uses his network of outlaws within the black market to help with her search. When Zosia becomes pregnant, Czeslaw offers marriage and the promise of a new life but is unable to return to Poland and the tragedy he left behind. The refugee camps throughout Europe are closing and time is running out. Zosia is faced with an impossible decision: return to the remnants of Poland alone to find her older children, or follow Czeslaw into the unknown, to a better future for her fragile new family.

    In this first book in a new series, Mrs Montgomery is retained by an archaic well heeled family when its patriarch fails to arrive home at the expected hour. As with all of her writing, Thurbin demonstrates that a book need not contain gratuitous violence, graphic sex or coarse language in order to keep the reader entertained. Set in London and the Home Counties, Thurbin's attention to detail and meticulous research, coupled with an interesting conundrum and a sprinking of quirky characters, are bound to please even the most discerning of readers.