Paris is always a good idea...right? Tara O'Malley has traveled across the ocean to find her biological father--and maybe rediscover who she is. The last thing she's looking for is romance. Then she meets fellow American Garrett Hughes! Garrett may not be the reason she's on this journey, but he sure is a sweet distraction. Tara knows she's falling hard for everything about this man, including his sweet little boy, Dylan. But what will happen when she has to go back home and leave them behind? It's definitely not the best time to fall in love, but when in Paris...
Paris is always a good idea…right? Tara O'Malley has traveled across the ocean to find her biological father—and maybe rediscover who she is. The last thing she's looking for is romance. Then she meets fellow American Garrett Hughes! Garrett may not be the reason she's on this journey, but he sure is a sweet distraction. Tara knows she's falling hard for everything about this man, including his sweet little boy, Dylan. But what will happen when she has to go back home and leave them behind? It's definitely not the best time to fall in love, but when in Paris…About the AuthorPamela Hearon’s Southern accent infuses both her speaking and writing voices. Her drawl is undeniable, as is her passion for all things outdoors. She considers the laptop the greatest invention; it allows her to write on the deck, in the garden, and while traveling with her husband in their motorhome. Pamela loves being a storyteller who can give even the most star-crossed lovers their Happily Ever After. Visit her at her website, www.pamelahearon.com, or on Facebook. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved."I've always heard life can change in an instant. Guess I'm living proof, huh?" Tara O'Malley threw a glance out the window to the tangled mass of metal that had been her motorcycle. It sat on prominent display today in her parents' front yard-a grim reminder to passing motorists that motorcycles travel at the same speed as cars. Tomorrow, it would be junked. Her mom sat the butter dish in the middle of the table and dropped a quick kiss on the top of Tara's head. "Living is the important word in that sentence." "Yeah, I know." Tara focused her attention back to the app on her phone where she was entering all the family's medical history. Her accident had made her aware of the need to have such information at her fingertips, but it was Taylor Grove's blood drive in her honor today that made her finally sit down and fill in the blanks. "What was Thea's blood type?" "A…same as mine," her mom answered absently. "Do you think Emma would stop and get a bag of ice on her way into town? I'm afraid we might run low." "I'll call her." Tara pulled up her favorites list and thumbed her best friend's number. "Hey," Emma answered on the first ring. "Hey, would you stop and get a bag of ice? Mama's afraid we'll run out. And while I'm thinking about it, would you resend that class schedule for this week? I couldn't get the one from the office to open, and I keep forgetting when the junior high students are coming for their tours." The last full week of school was always crammed with so many activities that it was hard to fit in a lesson. "Sure. I'm just leaving Paducah. Does your mom need anything else? Paper plates? Paper cups?" "Do you need anything else, Mama? Are we using paper plates?" Faith shook her head. "No, I'm doing Memorial Day like Thanksgiving in May this year. I just need enough people to eat all the food." "She says to bring people." Tara relayed the message. "I haven't eaten all day, so I'm bringing a three-meal appetite," Emma promised. "Be there in forty-five minutes or so." "Okay. See you then." Tara pressed the button to end the call, and, before she could think, reached to rub the burning itch on her right hand. As had happened so many times over the past two months since her accident, her breath caught at the empty space her pinkie and ring fingers had occupied, and she sent up a quick prayer of thanks that two fingers and a spleen were all she'd lost. She traced the bright red scar that stopped halfway up her arm. "I'm thinking I might get another tattoo. Maybe some leaves that will make this look like a vine." That got her mom's attention. Faith shot her daughter a pointed look. "Your dad will disown you. He took your first one pretty well only because it's hidden, and the second with a grain of salt, but he threatened to write you out of the will over the last one." Tara didn't mention the two they knew nothing about. She grinned, remembering the aggravated look on her dad's face when she'd shown off the Celtic symbol for life just beneath her left earlobe. When she'd explained it was in memory of Grandma O'Malley and their Irish roots, he'd held his tongue, but the hard set of his jaw had indicated his displeasure. Tara often referred to her dad as the closest thing to a saint she'd ever known. As the preacher at the lone church in Taylor's Grove, Kentucky, Sawyer O'Malley sought to lead a life above reproach, and for the most part, he'd been successful. A loving and faithful wife…three relatively good kids. Thea and Trenton had both gone through some rebellious stages during their teenage years, but it was just regular teenage stuff-a little drinking, some partying. But Tara, the "good girl," had been the surprise to everyone, including herself. Five years ago, her fiancé, Louis, returned from a mission trip in Honduras with a brand-new wife-an event that threw Tara's world into a tailspin. Louis, her boyfriend of eight years, had been the only guy she'd ever dated. They'd even signed pledge cards that vowed chastity until marriage. Then he'd shown up with a wife, leaving Tara as an oddity-that rare twenty-three-year-old with her virginity still intact. She'd made quick work of making up for all the lost time. "Are Louis and Marta bringing their brood?" Her mom answered with an affirmative nod as she slid the giant pan of macaroni and cheese into the oven. Tara's ex and his wife hadn't lost any time, either. Three children in five years. And though it had taken a couple of years, Tara was glad she and Louis were friends again. She liked his family-especially Marta and her quiet, kind ways. Tara set her phone down, feeling guilty that her mom was so busy, and she was doing nothing of great importance. "I'm not an invalid, Mama. Can I at least set the table?" Her mom chewed her lip for a moment. "All right, you can set the table. But I'll get Lacy's china myself." She disappeared into the other room. Tara took the hint. Grandma O'Malley's Belleek tableware was too precious to risk being carried by someone with newly missing fingers. Trenton came in through the back door, arms laden with cartons of soft drinks and bottled water. With the blood drive in Tara's honor going on, the annual O'Malley Memorial Day Dinner had swelled to triple the usual number of people. The entire day had been very humbling. "Hey, pinky." Tara snorted and rolled her eyes at her brother's twisted sense of humor. He'd labeled her with the new nickname before she'd even gotten out of the hospital. "Would you help me with the chicken?" He found an open spot on the drink-and-dessert table, and unloaded his arms. "I've got to get all those pieces turned and basted, and the ribs need a close eye kept on them." "Sure." She eased out of her chair, still aware of the tightness from the scar where her ruptured spleen had been removed. "But I need to know your blood type first. I'm filling in an emergency app for our family." "AB," he answered. Tara keyed in the information, and then frowned as she glanced down the chart. "What's with this?" Her dad came in from the garage just in time to hear her question. "What's with what, lovebug?" Slipping an arm around her shoulder, he gave her a quick hug and a peck on her temple. She pointed to the chart. "It doesn't make sense. Trent's AB like you. Thea's A like Mama. I'm the only O negative in the bunch." Her mom came in from the dining room with Grandma O'Malley's china stacked to just below her chin. Sawyer moved quickly in her direction, ready to alleviate her of the load as Tara continued voicing her thoughts to no one particular. "Is that even possible? Can an A and an AB produce an O?" She laughed. "Maybe we need a paternity test, Dad, to see if I'm really yours." Faith's loud intake of breath drew everyone's attention. Her eyes went wide with a horrific look of mingled shock, pain and undeniable guilt an instant before twelve of Grandma O'Malley's treasured china plates crashed to the floor. Faith Isabel Franklin O'Malley had never wanted to die before, but the past seven hours had convinced her that death would be preferable to the excruciating pain she was presently feeling. It was as if she was dangling from a cord attached through her heart and the organ was being ripped slowly from her body. She'd been aware of every second of every minute of every hour that had brought her closer to this time when it would be just the immediate family. Time for her confession. People had started arriving before the broken china could be disposed of, so the mess and loss of family heirlooms made a convenient cover for the tears she couldn't bring under control. Sawyer, Tara and Trenton watched her with guarded expressions throughout the afternoon, and even Thea, soon after her arrival, began questioning the family quietly about what was going on. Their looks of pain had been almost more than Faith could bear, but Sawyer's blessing for the food had been her major undoing. She'd lost it completely when he gave his thanks for the spared life of Tara, his beloved daughter. His voice had cracked at the words, and Faith and the rest of her family knew the reason behind the falter. She knew that he knew. They all knew. She also knew the next few minutes could bring her family crashing down around her. The china had served as a warning. Her hands lay on the table in front of her. She clenched and unclenched them, twisted her fingers, then her rings. She swallowed hard, trying to clear the way for the words, knowing in her heart there were no "right" ones-none that could ever make this anything but what it was. "His name was Jacques Martin," she said at last, finding no preamble that could ease her into the subject. "He was from France. Paris." Tara's eyes widened at the news. She sat up straighter in her chair and rubbed the side of her hand vigorously-a common gesture for her since the accident. Faith shifted her eyes to her husband. "We spent one night together. Graduation. He left to go back to Paris the next day." Sawyer rubbed his temples as his eyes squeezed closed, and she felt the squeeze in her heart. Was he praying? No. More likely he was running through the timeline, letting all the pieces fall into place. Their college graduations had been on the same day, hundreds of miles apart. He'd been in Tex... Views: 43
"An Epic Swindle is the inside story of how Liverpool FC came within hours of being re-possessed by the banks after the shambolic 44-month reign of American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett. It is the tale of a civil war that dragged Britain's most successful football club to its knees, through the High Court and almost into administration.
Players Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher tell of their anger at the broken promises, as well as their pain at watching loyal fans in open revolt. Manager, chief executive, board members, leading fans and journalists reveal the turmoil at a revered sporting institution run by two men at war with each other, who trampled Liverpool's cherished traditions into the gutter.
No story sums up the naked greed at the heart of modern football quite like Hicks' and Gillett's attempt to turn a buck at Liverpool. No-one has had as much access to the truth, or tells it with as much passion, wit and insight as Brian Reade.
An Epic Swindle is the riveting story of how close one of the great football clubs came to financial implosion." Views: 43
Part two of a two part series. Jay and Lily complete each other in ways no one else ever could, teaching one another things about themselves they wouldn't have known otherwise, but is it enough? Can two people from entirely different worlds find a way to make it last? Even if their love is strong enough, they still have an obstacle standing in their way. Will they survive the “game”, or will The Marker destroy everything they had hoped to create? This book contains violence, excessive language, and sexual content. It's intended to be read by mature audiences. Views: 43
John Quinn, an investigative journalist on England's biggest-selling and most notorious tabloid newspaper, is about to write the story of his life – a kiss-and-tell with one of the country's most powerful men at its heart. But the story dies when Lorna Thomas, the kiss in his kiss-and-tell, kills herself on a quiet country road. Unable to accept her twin's suicide, Laurie Thomas follows in her sister's footsteps to London and to the heart of government. And as she becomes more involved in Lorna's world, she grows more convinced than ever that Lorna did not take her own life. But if Lorna didn't kill herself, who did? Views: 43
The housing market is crashing, and Sophie’s life is crashing with it. At twenty-four, her successful real estate career evaporates. She’s broke, can’t find a job, or pay her bills. At the urging of her roommate, Sophie accepts a job in her fallback career—teaching six-year-olds. She hopes it’s temporary. After all, how long can a tanking economy last anyway? The best part of the new job is Liam, another employee at Rio Grande Elementary. The worst part of the new job is, well, teaching.
Sophie has a surprise real estate closing from a contract she wrote months ago, leading her to a niche in the real estate market and to a new partner, Kevin. Sophie must choose between Liam or Kevin and between a lucrative career or recess duty.
This new adult, chick lit novel is a sweet romance filled with humor as Sophie navigates her life as a teacher, trying to balance lesson plans and love in the workplace.
Romance Categories:
Clean and Wholesome Romance
Romantic comedy
Contemporary romance
Romantic love story
Romance novel
Romance love
Romantic humor
Available only on Kindle Ebooks, including Kindle Unlimited for free.
**About the Author
Jo Noelle grew up in Colorado and Utah but also spent time in Idaho and California. She has two adult children and three small kids. She teaches teachers and students about reading and writing, grows freakishly large tomatoes, enjoys cooking especially for desserts, builds furniture, sews beautiful dresses, and likes to go hiking in the nearby mountains. Oh, and by the way, she’s two people—Canda Mortensen and Deanna Henderson, a mother/daughter writing team. Views: 43
The final volume of The Grimm Chronicles ends with a bang as Alice Goodenough confronts her own mortality while attempting to save the world one last time! As darkness threatens to suffocate her, Alice must find the strength to seek out a mysterious creature that claims to have the power to bring back a loved one. In the process, she'll discover that there's more to the magic pen than meets the eye and will have to journey to a mysterious land filled with familiar--and dangerous--characters. This volume contains the last three episodes of the series: Episode 10: The Black Towers Death has come again, and this time he's claimed a loved one of hero Alice Goodenough. While she reels in the aftermath of a heartbreaking loss, those around her are forced to cope with the terrible consequences of a world without a hero. Alice has learned a terrible lesson: the hero is not safe. Her loved ones are not safe. So long as the Corrupted walk the earth, death will stalk her like a shadow. In her dreams, she's plagued by a golden boy and a statue with a terrible thirst for darkness. The boy believes he is the key to saving the human race and calls to Alice while she sleeps. But can Alice pull herself from the abyss and sally forth, or will she end up in the heroes' graveyard? Episodes 11 and 12: A Dance With Death The hero's journey comes to a close in this epic two-part adventure! Alice Goodenough has passed through Death and now finds herself in a strange land with only her nemesis Sam Grayle for company. Their presence doesn't go unnoticed ... soon, they find themselves in the middle of a war between the good and the Corrupted. Old foes return. New allies are made. Lines are drawn and then crossed as the Corruption spreads, threatening to destroy the land itself and cover this strange world in darkness forever. Alice and her allies must stop it. But to do that, they'll have to find the source of the Corruption: an old enemy whose power has only grown stronger. And this time, the Golden Dragon has an army ... Like Katniss in The Hunger Games and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, hero Alice Goodenough is going to need to use more than her fists if she hopes to survive this nightmare!About the AuthorKen Brosky received his MFA in writing from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He also writes literary fiction and has been published in various journals including Cream City Review and Barcelona Review. Views: 43
New friends, old rivalries, and the amazing place that brings them together...welcome back to Wildwood Stables! Taylor Henry thinks Wildwood Stables is perfect—even if it needs repair and a lot more money, it's become a home to her and her new horse, Prince Albert. And as soon as Taylor trains Prince Albert to give lessons, Wildwood will be in business! But the gelding refuses to let anyone ride him except Taylor. Can she convince Prince Albert to earn his keep? Or will Taylor need the help of her worst enemy to save her beloved new home? Views: 43
He watched her burn, becoming a pile of ashes at his feet… Now, there is hope, he might be able to get his She, his one true mate, back.There might be a miracle that allows him to hold her again. Or will she be snatched from him before he has a chance to claim her as his own? Views: 43
