Book picks similar to
Flirting with Temptation by Kelley St. John


romance
contemporary
contemporary-romance
fiction

And the Rat Laughed


Nava Semel - 2001
    Unlike other Holocaust-related books that focus on the historical horrific events, this novel deals with the act of remembering them. It resembles a relay race in which the characters transfer memory from one another, while travelling on the axis of time. The book begins in the last day of 1999, when a survivor Grandmother in Tel Aviv shares her tragic life story as a hidden child in a pit, with only a rat for company with her granddaughter. The day after - 2000 already - the granddaughter tells the legend of "Girl and Rat" to her teacher and in 2009 those who heard it through her classmates establish an internet website with poems. From now on this memory is spread all over the world and becomes a myth. In 2099 a future anthropologist discovers it and tries to uncover its mysterious roots. In her research, she reveals the first man who created this myth in the past. Father Stanislaw, a Catholic priest, saved that little Jewish girl (who later became the Grandmother in Tel Aviv) and returned her after the war to her Jewish people. In his personal journal he documented everything, to make sure the world will never forget. The chain of remembearers, therefore, moves from the present to the future and back to the past. The novel is written in 5 genres: story, legend, poems, science fiction and diary, creating a cycle of 150 years. And the Rat Laughed got acclaim for its use of unconventional and original literary devices and became a ground breaker for exploring the act of memory itself. How do we tell our painful story? Does it change while we recall it? How will our next recipient recall it in his own individual way? Is Art the only corridor to transfer emotional memory?

Monster Republic


Ben Horton - 2009
    And he watched it shaking its hideous head. "That's not me. You're not me."As commercial and compelling as a computer game, this is the first book in a major new series.

The Half Life of Stars


Louise Wener - 2006
    He leaves work one Friday afternoon, shortly before Christmas, and vanishes into thin air. Married, successful, rich, there seems no reason why he would abandon his life. Has he been killed? Has he been kidnapped? Or has he just had enough?Set between London and Miami, this is the story of a family with ghosts to bury. It opens on the day of the Challenger shuttle explosion at Cape Canaveral: a tragic moment that rips this family apart and sets Daniel's disappearance in motion some 18 years later. In the midst of it all sits Claire—divorced, irresponsible, fluent in six foreign languages yet hopeless at interpreting life. It is Claire who knows Daniel best. It is Claire who becomes convinced that she knows where her older brother is and sets off on a journey to find him.

Lola Carlyle Reveals All


Rachel Gibson - 2002
    Then the private yacht she's blissfully napping on is "commandeered" by some man who says his name is Max Zamora, and that he works for the government.It sounds crazy, but Max is telling the truth--his cover's been blown, he's on the run, and now he's confronted by a very angry--and beautiful--woman. He's seen Lola before--barely clothed on covers of fashion magazines. But she's more beautiful in person. From the top of her pert blonde head to the tips of her little painted toes, Max finds her sexy, curvy... and a pain in the butt. And that's before she blows up the ship!Now, the unlikely pair is stranded in the middle of the ocean, it's getting very hot--not just from the sun--and Lola is about to reveal it all...

The Jigsaw Man


Gord Rollo - 2006
    He's bitterly depressed and ready to commit suicide; anything to put an end to his miserable existence.AN OFFER TOO GOOD TO REFUSE...When a mysterious billionaire surgeon offers Michael two million dollars for his right arm, he thinks his luck might be about to change. Little does he know that the surgeon has other plans for him. His arm is only the beginning. Bit by bit other pieces of Michael's body are surgically removed; his natural body stripped away and then reassembled using other harvested parts from thirteen different 'donors'.A MODERN DAY FRANKENSTEIN...Now Fox isn't sure if he's a man or a monster, or whether or not he'd be better off dead. One thing he is sure of though, he's not checking out of this world until he finds a way to make the people responsible pay for turning him into the experimental nightmare known as... The Jigsaw Man.

When Good Friends Go Bad


Ellie Campbell - 2009
    But when a childish prank turned bad their friendship was torn apart.Twelve years later Rowan organised a reunion dinner and all did not go well. Rowan never appeared; Georgina's shocking secret was revealed; Meg behaved outrageously; and Jen finally decided it was time to move on. And that's just what she did for the following ten years ...Until now, when in the midst of her divorce Jen receives a desperate call from Meg. On a personal mission to track down Rowan, Meg manages to convince Georgina and Jen to put aside their differences and help her. But none of them even begin to imagine the extent to which their loyalties will be tested as their past finally catches up with them.https://www.goodreads.com/videos/1182...

Mostly Sunny with a Chance of Storms


Marion Roberts - 2009
    She's moving to a new house, dealing with step-siblings, and starting a dog entertainment business too. Sunny and her expertly blended, thoroughly modern family are moving into her grandmother's old mansion, Windermere. Sunny wins the turret bedroom from her step-siblings (using her powers of reverse psychology), but is soon tangled up in mischief involving bored dogs, a cranky old gardener, an angel sighting, a match-making mission, and a boy who knits. To make matters worse, over at her dad's house, Sunny's baby half-sister Flora has turned the world upside-down, and Steph can't seem to find a way to turn it right-side-up again. Even with a sunny disposition, storm clouds can gather on the horizon, and this winter Sunny must find ways to offer warmth and shelter to those she cares for most.

A Stranger in the Family


Patricia McLinn - 1995
     He came for his son. He never expected her.A sexy, intriguing stranger arrives out of the blue at her Wyoming ranch, threatening the one thing Cambria protects more fiercely than her heart — her family. Bodie’s discovery that he fathered a son 17 years ago leads him to the warm and welcoming Weston family. That’s the easy part. But his response to one member of the family is far more than he ever expected. The sparks between him and Cambria are real … and so is the danger to his hopes for their future if she finds out why he’s really in Wyoming.

Your Sad Eyes and Unforgettable Mouth


Edeet Ravel - 2008
    Maya and Rosie meet one day at the local dry cleaner's and their instant friendship blossoms into an inseparable bond. Both are children of holocaust survivors, but where Maya refuses to become entangled in the past, Rosie is inexorably drawn into her parents' haunted world. Your Sad Eyes and Unforgettable Mouth is a deeply resonant novel about the strength and nature of friendship, the weight of the secrets we keep, and whether or not we are ever able to truly live beyond the past.

Tip It!: The World According to Maggie


Maggie Griffin - 2010
    1. My daughter Kathy put out her memoir last year, which was real nice except for the controversial parts. And it got to be a #1 New York Times bestseller. Congratulations, Kathleen! But now it's my turn. I've written my own book. I have things to say, too, without having to be all controversial like you were. Tip it! 2. People recognize me on the street a lot now and come over, nicely, and say "Maggie, you remind me of my own mother." And they say "Maggie, I love your show"--referring to Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List as my show. Sometimes I correct them, I say, "Oh, it's not my show." But sometimes . . . I don't correct them. It's kind of fun being a star, isn't it Tip it! 3. If you want to know a few things about my daughter Kathleen that only a mother could know (How the heck did she get this way? Did she always swear so much, for Chrissake?), you have come to the right book. Tip it! 4. You know how a box of wine is never empty just because the spigot seems to have run dry (There's always a little more if you just tip it!) This book is like that. There's so much in it--never-before-published Griffin family photos!, a love story (me and my dear departed husband Johnny), a whole guide to good living (including how to survive on what's in your purse), and a lot of funny business in this book from Kathleen (she made comments in this book; readers, I was not able to stop her!). So take this book and Tip It! 5. And be sure to get the last drop out of living. Isn't it nice that "Tip It" acts as a toast I'm 90 years old, and I think "Tip It!" even works pretty well as a motto for living to the fullest. So, Tip It! today. Yours,Maggie Griffin A funny thing happened on the way to Kathy Griffin's sky-rocketing stardom. The more she told stories about her mother, Maggie, in her stand-up act and on her Emmy-winning television show, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, the more popular her mother became. (At the mere mention of Maggie, a stadium full of fans will cheer, "Tip It! Tip It!") Shocked by Kathy, exasperated by Kathy, grudgingly amused by Kathy, and at the end of the day, always a loving mother to Kathy, Maggie Griffin has become the darling Gracie to Kathy's George Burns, the wry Cher to Kathy's Sonny Bono, the spry, sweet Roadrunner to Kathy's Wile E. Coyote.

The Lace Makers of Glenmara


Heather Barbieri - 2009
    In this charming, fading Gaelic village, Kate quickly develops a bond with members of the local lace-making society: Bernie, alone and yearning for a new purpose since the death of her beloved husband, John; Aileen, plagued by doubt, helplessly watching her teenage daughter grow distant; Moira, caught in a cycle of abuse and denial, stubbornly refusing help from those closest to her; Oona, in remission from breast cancer, secretly harboring misgivings about her marriage; Colleen, the leader of the group, worried about her fisherman husband, missing at sea. And outside this newfound circle is local artist Sullivan Deane, an enigmatic man trying to overcome a tragedy of his own.Under Glenmara's spell, Kate finds the inspiration that has eluded her, and soon she and the lace makers are creating a line of exquisite lingerie. In their skilled hands, flowers, Celtic dragons, nymphs, fish, saints, kings, and queens come to life, rendered with painterly skill. The circle also offers them something more—the strength to face their long-denied desires and fears. But not everyone welcomes Kate, and a series of unexpected events threatens to unravel everything the women have worked so hard for. . . .

No Time Left


David Baldacci - 2010
    When Becker takes a mysterious job, he has no idea that it will force him to delve deeply into his own past. Undeterred by obstacles he is determined to complete his assignment. But he may realize too late that his success will permanently alter his future.

Countdown: The Liberators


Tom Kratman - 2011
    Old soldier Wes Stauer is dying inside, from sheer lack of purpose.And then comes the knock on the door: "Our leader's son and heir has been kidnapped. We don't know where he is. We need you to get him back for us. The people who have him are numerous, warlike, and well armed. But money is no object."And then old soldiers - sailor and airmen, too - stop fading away and come back into sharp focus.

Marriage by Mistake


Alyssa Kress - 2011
    She knows the cold and puritanical man who claims to be her husband is not the man she'd married. But she suspects the warm and tender man she does love is buried somewhere deep inside. And she's determined to find him...

Pandora's Box


Natale Stenzel - 2008
    When a young woman on the brink of bankruptcy inherits a small cornerstone, the contents are sure to solve all of her problems - at least the ones the cunning hunk inside the stone doesn't create himself!