On a cold, quiet day between Christmas and the New Year, a man's body is found in an abandoned apartment. His friends look on, but they're dead, too. Their bodies found in squats and sheds and alleyways across the city. Victims of a bad batch of heroin, they're in the shadows, a chorus keeping vigil as the hours pass, paying their own particular homage as their friend's body is taken away, examined, investigated, and cremated.All of their stories are laid out piece by broken piece through a series of fractured narratives. We meet Robert, the deceased, the only alcoholic in a sprawling group of junkies; Danny, just back from uncomfortable holidays with family, who discovers the body and futiley searches for his other friends to share the news of Robert's death; Laura, Robert's daughter, who stumbles into the junky's life when she moves in with her father after years apart; Heather, who has her own place for the first time since she was a teenager; Mike, the Falklands War vet; and all the others. Theirs are stories of lives fallen through the cracks, hopes flaring and dying, love overwhelmed by a stronger need, and the havoc wrought by drugs, distress, and the disregard of the wider world. These invisible people live in a parallel reality, out of reach of basic creature comforts, like food and shelter. In their sudden deaths, it becomes clear, they are treated with more respect than they ever were in their short lives.Intense, exhilarating, and shot through with hope and fury, Even the Dogs is an intimate exploration of life at the edges of society--littered with love, loss, despair, and a half-glimpse of redemption. From Publishers WeeklyThis mercifully short third novel from McGregor (If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things) is told from the various perspectives of a loosely connected band of down-and-outers linked by Robert, a hopeless alcoholic whose wife has taken their daughter and left him alone in his flat, which has since become a gathering place for the members of McGregor's cast. Robert's death sets in motion the novel's events—it would be misleading to call it a plot—starting with the police taking away his body. For the most part, we're with Danny, whose past gradually comes to light via an expletive-laced narration that verges on incoherence: his foster home upbringing; his relationship with Robert's daughter, Laura, whom Danny is trying to contact; and of course, his heroin addiction, which provides much of the novel's subject matter. In the process, we learn about the group that frequented Robert's flat, a motley crew who provide plenty of sordid stories. But the central mystery—how did Robert die?—goes nowhere, and the spliced-in set pieces that describe the stages Robert's body undergoes on its way to eventual cremation don't do any favors for this misfire. (Feb.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistIn his third novel, two-time Booker nominee McGregor follows a band of ghostly drug addicts, who act as a Greek chorus as they witness their friend Robert’s body being carted out of his squalid apartment and taken to the morgue. Among them is Danny, an abused victim of the foster-care system; Steve, a traumatized war vet; and Heather, a once-popular groupie now an aging wreck. Robert himself gave into alcoholism years ago after his wife left him, taking their young daughter with her. Paralyzed by their desertion, he continued to drink himself into oblivion while serving as the toastmaster to neighborhood addicts, who, in turn, exhaust themselves in an endless round of scoring, eating, scrounging up money, and scoring again. With its complex flashback structure, fractured inner monologues, and grim characters, this novel makes for dense reading. Yet McGregor succeeds in paying homage to the dispossessed and the hopeless, who live and die on the margins of society. --Joanne Wilkinson Views: 5
One shy girl is about to start living! Francesca Ellison is swept off to an A-list party in a concealing mask, a decadent costume and sex-shop panties. There she meets the pirate, Captain Cool. Frankie tells him her name is Rose because for once she intends behaving very badly. The Captain outdoes her at every turn. As sky-rockets scream skyward and guests start to demolish the party venue, Frankie loses her panties and her inhibitions. ‘Rose’ is thoroughly ravished, and the Captain gets more (and less) than he hoped for.This naughty shortie is around fifty pages long - just right for a quick bedtime read. Views: 4
Taurus (The Zodiac Lovers Series) Views: 4
The fourth standalone novel in CJ Duggan's HEART OF THE CITY series from the internationally bestselling author of the SUMMER and PARADISE series.
Rome wasn't built in a day . . . but it's only going to take one for Sammi's world to crumble.
How did a self-orchestrated gap year turn into a less-than-enthralling lifestyle as a couch potato at her parents' house? Determined to get motivated and join life again, Sammi Shorten books a budget Bellissimo Tour to Rome, the Eternal City. What she hadn't signed up for was being stuck with an eclectic group of binge-drinking foreigners in a bed-bug-infested hostel from hell. Things in Rome really couldn't get much worse . . . could they?
When plans go completely awry Sammi's left with only one option, and it's the one place she really doesn't want to turn - to the man who might very well get her into the worst trouble of all: the gorgeous local tour guide, Marcello Bambozzi.
WHEN IN ROME is the fourth standalone book in CJ Duggan's sassy, sexy new adult series, Heart of the City.
PRAISE FOR CJ DUGGAN'S PREVIOUS BOOKS:
'I loved this book - it's the perfect beach read.' - Flying Through Pages
'I loved every moment . . . CJ is a born storyteller that breathes a realism into her characters and situations that we've all found ourselves in.' - Diva Book Nerd
'PARADISE CITY is the same brand of feel good, fun and sexy romance that I have come to love from this author' - Book Briefs
'I love Duggan's writing and PARADISE CITY was a hoot. I cannot wait for the next book! Is it August yet?' - Reading With ABC
'Duggan's writing is addictive, and I really didn't want to put this book down.' - Escape Into Words
'PARADISE CITY is going to be on my mind until I can get my greedy eyes on PARADISE ROAD. I need that book yesterday!' - Book Cat Pin
'A fast paced fun read with so many steamy situations.' - Dreamy Addictions
'Guaranteed her readers will come back for more.' - My Guilty Obsession
'Drama, deception, love and a little mystery . . . the ending left me hungry for the next book! I can't wait for PARADISE ROAD!' - Paranormal Tendencies on Goodreads
'A bit of HOME AND AWAY meets PUBERTY BLUES feel about the novel makes is a great read for older teens and YA. I will be desperately waiting for part 2 in September.' - Samantha on Goodreads
'Again Ms Duggan had created a winner. Paradise City was a perfect introduction to the series and characters. I was left needing more and it had so much laugh-out-loud fun. This really did have everything from intrigue to addiction, realism of high school antics, steamy sizzles and fast paced readability. I am certainly hooked and desperately want more of all these characters. I highly recommend this to all new adult readers, fan-bloody-tastic!' - Turner's Antics
'This is my first taste of Duggan's work and it won't be the last ... It's a story that will have you coming back for more.' - Sassy Book Lovers
'convincing and authentic ... Perfect for fans of Abbi Glines and Anna Todd, PARADISE CITY is a fun and exciting read about love, family and surviving high school.' - Fictional Thoughts
** Views: 4
With a crazy ex-girlfriend who won’t leave him alone,
Brandon Montgomery is determined to move on to the brunette hottie who caught
his eye at the gym he owns. Things start out slowly with Brandon and Spencer,
since neither one can find the courage to speak to one another until they both
happen to be in Vegas for a weekend.
It’s not true. Things don’t always stay in Vegas, and lucky
for Brandon, the girl he wants to be with lives in his town. Now if his crazy ex-girlfriend,
Christy, would leave him alone, Brandon could move on to where he needs to be.
Brandon and Spencer’s story is already written. You know
Spencer’s side of it. Now find out what Brandon was really thinking from the
moment Spencer walked into Club 24.
Views: 4
Caleb Drake never got over his first love. Not when he got married. Not when she got married. When life suddenly comes full circle, Caleb must decide how how far he is willing to go to get the aloof and alluring Olivia Kaspen back. But for every action in life, there is a consequence, and soon, Caleb finds out that sometimes love can come at an unbearably high price. Views: 4
Missy is suddenly an unwanted co-owner to Ocean View Stables by Florence, Oregon. Missy wants to start over somewhere new after her old boss burned her. She's jobless and has a wrongly ruined reputation, so this works out perfectly . . . until she meets the cowboy running the place. Views: 4
A TIDAL WAVE IS FAST APPROACHING. AND THAT'S THE LEAST OF HER WORRIES. Wilderness guide Kate Garrett is having the bad day of the century. The worst storm in Florida's history is about to hit land, and she's been taken hostage by a gang of escaped convicts. Worse, her children are stranded on low ground and her ex-husband can't be reached. Now Kate must race against time to guide the prisoners through the swamp and save her children from the tidal wave. She can't afford to be distracted by Shane Warren, the powerful convict who claims to be helping her, even as he keeps her from escaping. But Kate does have one advantage: there's no deadlier force in nature than a mother fighting for her young.... Views: 4
Proud heiress on a losing streak?Paparazzi darling Caroline Sullivan is hiding a secret behind her dazzling-yet-inscrutable smile. Her ex-flame, Russian businessman Roman Kazarov, is back on the scene—is he seeking revenge for her humiliating rejection or just to take possession of her troubled business?Sources confirm that the cutthroat Kazarov is seriously ruffling the pristine feathers of the normally cautious Caro…. Rumors of scorching-hot secret trysts are flying, but only one thing is certain—in this supreme game of wills only one person can win, and Roman believes he holds the ace…. Views: 4
SUMMARY:
She never ever thought Jake Barnes would know the truth. When he left town without any warning, Savannah couldn't tell him she was pregnant. He didn't give her the chance. So now—years later—because he's back and finds out he has a child, suddenly she's the villain.… How is that fair? Savannah Salinger raised her daughter and knows what's best for her own kid. But she can't seem to push Jake away, and having the infuriating man so close…so close to her…stirs up all those feelings she thought were buried as deep as the secret she swore she'd never tell. Views: 4
