In this insightful and compelling story from book club favorite Susan Mallery, three close friends test the boundaries of how much a woman can give before she has nothing left After five years as a stay-at-home mom, Gabby Schaefer can't wait to return to work. Oh, to use the bathroom in peace! No twins clamoring at the door, no husband barging in, no stepdaughter throwing a tantrum. But when her plans are derailed by some shocking news and her husband's crushing expectations, Gabby must fight for the right to have a life of her own. Getting pregnant is easy for Hayley Batchelor. Staying pregnant is the hard part. Her husband is worried about the expensive fertility treatments and frantic about the threat to her health. But to Hayley, a woman who was born to be a mom should risk everything to fulfill her destiny - no matter how high the cost. Nicole Lord is still shell-shocked by a divorce that wasn't as painful as it should've been. Other than the son they share, her ex-husband left barely a ripple in her life. A great new guy tempts her to believe maybe the second time's the charm...but how can she trust herself to recognize true love? As their bonds of friendship deepen against the beautiful backdrop of Mischief Bay, Gabby, Hayley and Nicole will rely on good food, good wine and especially each other to navigate life's toughest changes. Views: 27
Hockey is all he has left. Until a one-night stand with the boss's daughter gives him something new to fight for…Nashville Sound enforcer Thor Eastrom has been married, divorced, engaged, and dumped. But the hardest thing he's ever done is bury his twin babies. The last thing he wants or needs in his life right now is a relationship. Over the past nineteen years he's hoisted the Stanley Cup seven times and won gold and silver Olympic medals. All he wants is one more year in the NHL so he can go out as a member of the twenty-year club. Then he'll decide what comes next. Tradd Davenport's dream is to succeed in the hardscrabble world of country music. Being daddy's little princess has its perks, but it's no longer enough to fulfill her—especially when she's lost more than she ever gained by it. She has the talent and the drive—and she's ready to work hard for something that her father's money can't buy her.But sometimes life doesn't... Views: 27
Kallie Echo is starting to think dreams are dangerous. Her dad had one—to be a rock star—and then he died. Now Kallie is practically homeless and her life is falling apart. So when a punk band asks Kallie to sing for them, she must decide if she's got the heart to front a band of rocker chicks (and one trans guy). Can she find a new purpose in punk? And will the drummer with the amazing smile break her heart? The band goes on tour, and everything hinges on Kallie. It's a lot of pressure—especially when you throw in substance abuse and Kallie's deadbeat mom showing up at the worst time. Kallie must learn to trust her friends, and herself, if she's going to get over the past and make a new future. But if she dares to dream again, will she lose it all? Views: 27
A forbidden affair… Five years ago Abby Laurence would have given anything to be Luke Morelli's mistress. The taste of his lips and the burn of his touch offered a safety and sanctuary she craved more than anything. But Luke's love was off-limits, because Abby was married to another man… …no longer denied? Now Luke is back. He's never forgotten Abby's betrayal and he's determined she will pay for her lies. Finally free of her husband, there is only one way that she can make amends… An affair might have been illicit once, but she's Luke's for the taking now! Views: 27
One woman's determination to protect a child from the dangers of war will force her to face those lurking closer to home... Life in rural Poland during WWII brings a new set of challenges to Maria, estranged from her own family and left alone with her in-laws after her husband is sent to the front. For a young, newly pregnant wife, the days are especially cold, the nights unexpectedly lonely. The discovery of a girl hiding in the barn changes everything-Hannah is fleeing the German police who are taking Jews like her to special camps. Ignoring the risk to her own life and that of her unborn child, Maria is compelled to help. But in these dark days, no one can be trusted, and soon Maria finds her courage tested in ways she never expected and herself facing truths about her own family that the quiet village has kept buried for years... From the international bestselling author of The Kommandant's Girl comes a searing historical companion novella to > The Winter Guest Views: 27
A joyful and hilarious tale of some very spirited septuagenarians as they overcome innumerable obstacles to save their beloved mutt from a heartless exterminator in a land where bureaucracy reigns above all else. Picaresque at its very best. Perhaps you're not a member of the Azov House of Culture Elderly Club? Perhaps you missed the talk on the Cabbage Root Fly last week? Galina Petrovna hasn't missed one since she joined the Club, when she officially became old. But she would much rather be at home with her three-legged dog Boroda. Boroda isn't 'hers' exactly, they belong to each other really, and that's why she doesn't wear a collar. And that's how Mitya The Exterminator got her. And that's why Vasily Semyonovich was arrested. And Galina had to call on Zoya who had to call on Grigory Mikhailovich. And go to Moscow. Filled to the brim with pickle, misadventure and tears, Galina Petrovna's Three-Legged Dog Story will leave you smiling at every page. Views: 27
How to heal a hero…Helping people comes naturally to Zoe Hamilton—she has the advice column to prove it. All she wants this summer, though, is to lick her postdivorce wounds in peace. That's fine by her surly-yet-handsome neighbor, ex-army captain Jake Meyers; he just wants to be left alone.Jake might believe his emotions are frozen forever, but the pain in his glittering emerald eyes tells a different story. Zoe can't help but reach out, but it will take all her courage to love a man so determined to keep himself closed off…About the AuthorAward-winning author Barbara Wallace first sold to Harlequin Romance in 2009. Since then her books have appeared throughout the world. She's the winner of RWA's Golden Heart Award, a two-time Romantic Times' finalist for Best Harlequin Romance, and winner of the New England Beanpot Award. She currently lives in Massachusetts with her family. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.Jake Meyers woke with a start, the smell of blood and sulfur still in his nostrils, his eyes searching the shadows for enemies who minutes before had been crystal clear. Kicking off his sweat-soaked covers, he focused on his heart slamming against his ribs. He willed his breathing to slow like they showed him in the hospital. Slow and easy. In. Out. Until the steady intake of air filling his lungs erased the sounds of screams.Damn. After three and a half weeks without a nightmare, he'd thought they were behind him. No such luck.With a ragged breath, he looked at the clock on his nightstand, ignoring the shudder triggered by the crimson glow. Five-fifteen. Well, at least this time it was close to dawn. His hip throbbed. The pain always flared more following a nightmare. If he were inclined to examine the reasons, he was sure he'd find some psychosomatic component, but in fact the reasons didn't really matter to him. Pain was pain. He grabbed the bottle of prescription painkillers off the nightstand and knocked over the photograph propped against the lamp as he did so. Reverently he put it back in place. The darkness obscured the image, but he didn't need light to see. He had the faces memorized. Every last one had been etched in his brain for eternity.Hobbling into the kitchen, he saw a half pot of yesterday's coffee remained. Too tired and still too hazy from his dreams to make a fresh pot, he poured himself a cup and, as the liquid reheated in the microwave, stared out his back window. Outside, the island hung on the edge of morning, silent and gray, the world still except for the occasional screech of a gull diving toward the waves across the street.And, of course, his thoughts. His thoughts were never silent.The microwave beeped. Jake grabbed his coffee and stepped onto the back step, letting the overcast dampen his skin as he breathed in the silence. Dew dripped from the pine trees dotting his backyard, their green needles sparkling. A chipmunk poked its head out from beneath a root.His purgatory shouldn't be so serene, he thought, not for the first time. As far as he was concerned, the world was wasting its early morning splendor on a dead man.Give yourself time. That's what the doctors at the VA hospital had told him. Some wounds don't heal overnight.They were wrong, he thought, as he raised the cup to his lips. some wounds don't heal at all."This hideaway of yours, does it have internet access?"From behind her blue-rimmed glasses, Zoe Hamilton rolled her eyes. "Naushatucket's off the coast of Massachusetts, Caroline, not off the grid.""If I can't read the label on a map, it might as well be." There was the muffled sound of a register on the other end of the phone. Caroline was out getting her midday latte. "Couldn't you hide out on one of the bigger islands, like Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket?""My family didn't own a rental property on Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket. Besides, isn't remote a hideout requirement?"Judging from the extended sigh on the other end, her assistant disagreed. Zoe half listened to the noise while scanning the air around her. Caroline's check-in, though welcome, came at a bad time. "If you're worried about my column getting in on time, I have everything I need to work from here.""I hope so. 'Ask Zoe's' readers will be distraught if they don't get regular posts from their favorite answer lady."Answer fraud, more like. "Don't worry. They'll get their responses." Poor trusting saps.A flash of black caught the corner of her eye; she spun around, eyes following the trajectory.Success. Her target had landed. The rest of the phone call would have to wait. "I hate to hang up on you, Caroline, but unless there's anything else, I was in the middle of something when you called.""Fine," Caroline replied with another dramatic sigh. "I know a brush-off when I hear one. Just promise me you won't spend all your time on that island crying your eyes out. That bastard isn't worth the effort.""I won't." On that point, they both agreed. Thinking of Paul churned up a lot of responses these days, but tears weren't one of them. At least, not anymore.After making a few additional promises, including assuring Caroline she wouldn't become a complete hermit, Zoe said goodbye and clicked off the phone. "Okay, Birdy, now it's your turn."From its perch above the open sliding glass door, a swallow, her nemesis for the past half hour, stared back unflinchingly. The creature had been circling the room through her entire phone call, steadfastly ignoring the escape route Zoe had provided. Finally, the bird stopped to rest, giving Zoe her chance."I really don't know why you're being so stubborn."She slipped off the silk scarf she'd been using to hold back her thick dark hair. Immediately a shock of bangs flapped over her glasses. She blew them out of her field of vision and took a step closer, careful not to move too quickly."The door is open. All you have to do is fly out and you'll be free."Her plan was to wave the scarf, using the color and motion to steer the bird off the molding and out the patio door. The swallow, however, had a different plan and, as soon as Zoe lunged forward, decided to dart straight for her. Letting out a screech, Zoe ducked. The bird flew overhead, careening off a ceiling beam before knocking into the mantel and flying up the chimney. Zoe rolled her eyes. "You've got to be kidding."When she had first decided to hide out for the summer, buying her parents' Naushatucket property sounded exciting, romantic even. What better place to heal a broken heart than an isolated cottage by the sea? Visions of long reflective walks along the shore and cozy nights by camp-fires came to mind. Instead, she discovered that her mother had let the property deteriorate since remarrying. Her childhood vacation paradise had become a sorely neglected Cape house with dusty furniture and sand-crusted windows. Screenless windows, she might add, a fact she had discovered when she tried to clear the house of stale air. Enter Birdy, who apparently had been lying in wait for someone to open one of them.Pushing her glasses back on the bridge of her nose, she knelt down on the hearth and readied herself for round two."It's not that I don't appreciate the company and all," she called up, "but Reynal-do and I weren't planning on sharing the house with a bird, and I'm guessing you're not keen on sharing with us. So what do you say you fly out the nice wide door I opened for you?"Her answer was a panicked flutter of wings against brick."Fine. Don't listen to reason." Moving on to Plan B—or C as the case might be—she grabbed the poker from the fireplace set. A loud noise ought to do the trick. Reaching up into the flue, she rattled the poker back and forth. The commotion set off more fluttering, followed by a rustling sound. Zoe looked up.A shower of creosote, dust and feathers rained down.Soot covered her from head to toe, clinging to her sweaty skin like iron filings on a magnet. Dust filled her nose. Her mouth tasted like the inside of an ashtray. Coughing, she backed away into the fresh air. Meanwhile, the swallow continued flapping inside the chimney.Great. This was what she got for trying to help. Hot, sweaty and soot-on. You'd think she'd learn."This isn't over, Birdy," she muttered. She reached for the abandoned scarf to clean off her glasses."Excuse me."Zoe jumped. Either Birdy had some serious testosterone issues or she had a guest. A blur in the doorway told her the latter. Slipping her glasses back on, she saw a man standing in the doorway. Tall and lean, with ruddy, weathered skin, he wore the standard island old-timer uniform—faded jeans and an equally faded long-sleeve T-shirt.He lifted a guilty-looking dachshund to eye level.Zoe recognized the dog immediately. "Reynaldo! You're supposed to be sleeping in the kitchen.""I found him digging around my backyard." From the look on his face, he wasn't happy about it, either."Sorry about that. He normally isn't a wanderer. Must be the new location." She moved to retrieve the squirming pooch from the stranger's grip before something else happened. "I'm Zoe Brodsk—I mean, Hamilton." She had to stop using her married name. "I just bought the place. I'd shake your hand, but as you can see…"No need finishing the explanation; the soot spoke for itself. He didn't look like he wanted to shake her hand anyway.Now that she had a closer view, she realized her neighbor was younger than her initial impression implied. Hair she'd mistaken for silver was really sun-bleached blond. And what she thought was aged ruddiness was really a series of pale scars, several small ones running across the bridge of his nose and one along the curve of his cheekbone. The most prominent was a deep mark that cut from his left temple to the center of his left brow, stopping just above a pair of hard, emerald eyes. Eyes whose intense gaze currently had her rooted to the spot.Reynaldo squirmed in her arms, sniffing and trying to lick at her ash-covered cheeks. Since adding dog drool to her already filthy face wasn't on her to-do list, Zoe set him down. In a flash, the dachshund ran to the fireplace and began barking. His dancing around reminded her how she'd gotten soot-covered to begin with.Turning back to her neighbor, she asked, "You don't know anything about capturing birds, do you?""Why, you got one of those that escaped while you weren't watching, too?""No." For the sake of neighborliness, she decided to ignore the comment. "I've got one stuck in my fireplace that needs rescuing.&#... Views: 27
A teacher is supposed to impart a love of learning and a thirst for knowledge. It’s a bit different with Ms. Lori Settles. All the kids are talking about how hot she is–and she is especially interested in Ryan Piccoli. When she starts giving Ryan extra attention, he’s feeling more than happy–at first. He’s used to being the class clown, but really he’s a loner. One day after school, the friendship with Lori Settles goes farther than he ever expected. She’s his teacher. She’s at least twice his age. Intimacy with a teacher is wrong, yet it feels so good in every way. Soon, Lori is making demands and Ryan begins to feel overwhelmed, but Ryan refuses to even admit anything is going on. Something immoral is going on and before too long the choices made will change lives forever. Views: 27
Set in Brixton, 20 years after the race riots, The Dirty South follows the adventures of Bricky teenager Dennis Huggins as he drifts into the easy, dangerous life of the shotta — or drug dealer — and discovers that, hard as the struggle for respect on the streets is, the struggle for love is harder still. At least Dennis has involved parents looking out for him; too many of his friends have no guidance other than that offered by their fellow shottaz, or the dubiously motivated black Muslims. Wheatle brilliantly evokes the temptations of the thug life for young black men growing up in London's 'Dirty South' — a fast, compelling novel that offers no easy answers, but refuses to shy away from asking the difficult questions. Views: 27
Bride of the Outback Rough, handsome cattle-station owner Steve Kinane needs a temporary housekeeper-and Chattie Winslow is perfect for the job. Chattie and Steve try hard to resist the intense sexual chemistry between them. Then Steve discovers the reason for Chattie's presence in the Outback, and he has a proposal to make: a marriage of convenience. Now that Steve knows the secrets Chattie's been keeping, she's forced to become his bride.... Views: 27
