Ainsley O’Leary is so ready to get married—she’s even found the engagement ring her boyfriend has stashed away. What she doesn’t anticipate is being blindsided by a breakup he chronicles in a blog…which (of course) goes viral. Devastated and humiliated, Ainsley turns to her older half sister, Kate, who’s struggling with a sudden loss of her own.
Kate’s always been the poised, self-assured sister, but becoming a newlywed—and a widow—in the space of four months overwhelms her. Though the sisters were never close, she starts to confide in Ainsley, especially when she learns her late husband was keeping a secret from her.
Despite the murky blended-family dynamic that’s always separated them, Ainsley's and Kate’s heartaches bind their summer together when they come to terms with the inevitable imperfection of relationships and family—and the possibility of one day finding love again. Views: 784
Jane is just trying to make it on her own and she was doing fine until she ran into trouble...of the bear variety!When Rod and Marge Applewhite decide to expand their horizons by joining the Mahjong Club at the community centre, nothing can prepare them, or their new acquaintances, for the avalanche of social disgraces which follow!This fourth short story from Brian Parker looks at what can happen when a young woman with healthy cleavage and a low cut dress sits opposite a man who can't keep his focus on the job at hand! Views: 778
Beautiful, flirtatious, and recently widowed, Lady Susan Vernon seeks an advantageous second marriage for herself, while attempting to push her daughter into a dismal match. A magnificently crafted novel of Regency manners and mores that will delight Austen enthusiasts with its wit and elegant expression. Views: 777
Another in the series of caper novels staring Gwenny and Roger June, who live in America's most beautiful town, Charleston, SC. In a secret compartment of an antique desk they find a musical score by Igor Stravinsky, and decide to produce the world premier of this lost ballet. Also staring Pete Townshend of THE WHO, Catherine Deneuve, and Mikhail Baryshnikov. And of course Stirg, their enemy.After the death of her husband's grandparents, Alice and her family inherit a century old farmhouse located on the outskirts of Pittsburg, New Hampshire. With the house paid off, and with plenty of room for her family to grow, it quickly outshines their small overpriced apartment in Brooklyn, New York. Alice thinks their new home is ideal, but unnervingly isolated. What Alice doesn't know is that an unknown terror has risen just over the Canadian border, and the latest town to be overtaken by chaos and a nameless horror is only 30 miles away. Views: 776
What does a redneck private investigator from small town Alabama have in common with a retired British academic and her young event planner? The answer is -- absolutely nothing -- not even their use of the English language.A fictional vignette about a meeting between the characters in romantic comedy HAVING A BALL by Rhoda Baxter meeting up with Redneck Twila Taunton from KICK ASSITUDE by Trish Jackson.Redneck private investigator Twila Taunton is following a trail of clues that lead her to England and the fancy home of retired Oxford academic Evelyn Blackwood. Stevie Winfield is just starting out on as an event planner, and is busy planning Evelyn's charity ball. When Twila, Evelyn and Stevie sit down to have tea together, they come to realize the only thing they have in common is the English language, and even that seems to waiting to trip them up. Views: 775
The Apocalypse may or may not be around the corner, but the lamias of Nether Parts Punishments, Afterlife Services England & Wales (Hell), have a more serious problem to deal with.The Apocalypse may or may not be around the corner, but the lamias of Nether Parts Punishments, Afterlife Services England & Wales (Hell), have a more serious problem to deal with. The delivery of twenty-eight unruly souls to the wrong address – viz, their office – and the subsequent overly energetic castigation of said souls by an unsupervised young demon on secondment, could lead to them facing one of the ultimate horrors the underworld has to offer: a disciplinary panel. Hell, we learn, can be almost as much of a trial for the staff as for the customers. Views: 775
People told Professor Hugo his taste in furniture sucked. That could be because a vampire is occupying his ottoman. Will the professor give in to "the magic of her charms," or can a "cat of many colors" convince him he needs a makeover?My intention is to send across the message of how discrimination occurred in South Africa in those days and reminding human kind the challenged that one had to face in those days. My particular inspiration to write about the prejudice that took place in South Africa came from my past nanny, Dora. She had worked for and taken care of a wealthy Jewish South African family for over three decades throughout the Apartheid era. One day without much notice, they decided to leave the country, leaving her with no pension. This family was very close to her heart, as she had raised their three children and was left heart-broken. She needed a job and my family needed a domestic worker. Dora came in one Monday morning for an interview. I was one year old at the time, and she told my mother that she would be prepared to clean the house but she felt she was too old to take care of me. We agreed to Dora’s conditions and our family was so happy, as she was an amazing worker and a phenomenal, principled person. With time, Dora quickly fell in love with me and could not wait to see her little “Dudu” (in this case it was me) every morning. I would literally run into her arms every morning. I feel that I have many principles today, because of the qualities that she taught me about life. Sadly Dora passed away with cancer in 2006, but has always retained a special place in our hearts. This book is dedicated to her, and describes the harsh times that non-whites had to face during the Apartheid era. I based the fictional story on real events as I thought it would be the best way to communicate the historical occurrences to readers. I used fictional characters but included some real people that made significant differences in the Apartheid such as Nelson Mandela. My purpose in using fictional characters was to create an emotional connection between the readers for them to comprehend the difficulties that different characters had to face. The book is also intended to educate the readers about South Africa and the 20th century of the Apartheid era. I have written the division of chapters by using different character voices. I have written it in two character perspectives, as I want to express both sides of Apartheid, the white side and the non-white side. The main characters are Dora and Danie, which express both sides of the Apartheid system. The story is about a sixteen year old black girl that lives in Soweto with her mother Anesu. Anesu takes care of the white Coetzer family that lives in Boksburg, Johannesburg. In the family, she takes care of a sixteen-year-old boy named Danie that initially is influenced by the white racist society to believe one way until he meets Dora. This event changes his perspective about Apartheid and leaves him in a conflicted situation. Dora however believes that she can make and must make a change. Her friends Hector Pieterson and Kimone Lesendi, convince her that together they can change a law by peacefully rioting in front of the Department of Bantu Education. Nevertheless things swiftly change directions, and the situation gets out of control. Views: 774
Meet Don Tillman.
Don is getting married.
He just doesn't know who to yet.
But he has designed a very detailed questionnaire to help him find the perfect woman.
One thing he already knows, though, is that it's not Rosie.
Absolutely, completely, definitely not.
Don Tillman is a socially challenged genetics professor who's decided the time has come to find a wife. His questionnaire is intended to weed out anyone who's unsuitable. The trouble is, Don has rather high standards and doesn't really do flexible so, despite lots of takers, he's not having much success in identifying The One.
When Rosie Jarman comes to his office, Don assumes it's to apply for the Wife Project - and duly discounts her on the grounds she smokes, drinks, doesn't eat meat, and is incapable of punctuality. However, Rosie has no interest in becoming Mrs Tillman and is actually there to enlist Don's assistance in a professional capacity: to help her find her biological father.
Sometimes, though, you don't find love: love finds you... Views: 773
David Sedaris tells all in a book that is, literally, a lifetime in the making.
For forty years, David Sedaris has kept a diary in which he records everything that captures his attention-overheard comments, salacious gossip, soap opera plot twists, secrets confided by total strangers. These observations are the source code for his finest work, and through them he has honed his cunning, surprising sentences.
Now, Sedaris shares his private writings with the world. Theft by Finding, the first of two volumes, is the story of how a drug-abusing dropout with a weakness for the International House of Pancakes and a chronic inability to hold down a real job became one of the funniest people on the planet.
Written with a sharp eye and ear for the bizarre, the beautiful, and the uncomfortable, and with a generosity of spirit that even a misanthropic sense of humor can't fully disguise, Theft By Finding proves that Sedaris is one of our great modern observers. It's a potent reminder that when you're as perceptive and curious as Sedaris, there's no such thing as a boring day. Views: 770
Murder most foul comes to the cosy country lanes of a green and pleasant England. Poison darts, death cap mushrooms, footprints and DNA evidence all come together for some in depth detection work and with the help of forensic guru Antonette, Constable Elizabeth West is able to bring a diverse collection of murdering villains to account. Expect the unexpected.Constable Elizabeth West, Australia's greatest export, turns up in the North of England tracking a murderer across the Yorkshire Moors. Goyt Hall is a big old country house and lying dead, in front of the fireplace, is a beautiful young girl. Reviews: 'I'm delighted to have found Thorogood's books. Have raced through the Jack Hamma series and presently on 6th Elizabeth West. Googled his mini biography, fascinating! He really has been around the traps, no wonder he can produce volume after volume of improbable crazy exploits with that background to draw on, although it did have me wondering if he ever had time to sleep.''Not crazy like the rest of the books in the series but the book that inspired bedlam deserves to be read for itself alone. I'm the number one member of the Elizabeth West fan club so I had to read this book.''The stories that inspired the craziest whodunits ever written. I love the serious but tongue in cheek style.' Views: 769
'Neighbours. . . hah. People'd live for ages side by side, nodding at one another amicably on their way to work, and then some trivial thing would happen and someone would be having a garden fork removed from their ear. ' Throughout history, there's always been a perfectly good reason to start a war. Never more so if it is over a 'strategic' piece of old rock in the middle of nowhere. It is after all every citizen's right to bear arms to defend what they consider to be their own. Even if it isn't. And in such pressing circumstances, you really shouldn't let small details like the absence of an army or indeed the money to finance one get in the way of a righteous fight with all the attendant benefits of out-and-out nationalism. . . Views: 768
**Lady X**
Everyone knew Lady X . . . or, at least, everyone knew *of* her. The masked courtesan was reputedly a noblewoman fallen on hard times. What Lord James had not known was that she was Lady Margaret Wentworth—the feisty sister of his best friend. Gerald claimed his sibling was beautiful, virtuous, naive; and he had forced James into an oath of protection. But when James tracked the girl to a house of ill repute, what other explanation could there be but that Maggie was London's most enigmatic wanton?
**Lord, Why?**
Snatching the wench away would be a ticklish business, and after that, things would get harder. James had to ignore his quarry's violent protests that he was an idiot, that she was never the infamous X. He had to find a way to reform the hoyden, to save her from scandal. He had to steer clear of his own meddling aunt—all while keeping his hands off those luscious goods that the rest of the *ton* had reputedly sampled. And, with Maggie, hardest of all would be keeping himself from falling in love. Views: 766
An old man embraces his last few moments on earth.An elderly man looks over the past few years of his life before he says goodbye to the life he knew. Views: 763
My name is Tobias Thomas Sheffield.
I would like to tell you a story about the girl
who changed my life forever.
This is deeper than a love story,
this is a connection that most never find;
something that occurs once every few lifetimes or so.
I was written in her, she was written in me, we were written in the stars.
Before you invest your time in our story,
I should warn you. If you don’t believe in love at
first sight or you rely on an unbending system
to give your life a false sense of security and meaning,
you should probably skip our story.
On the contrary, if you can get to know us with an open mind,
pretend for a little bit that you may have been
systematically lied to your entire life,
then my hope is that Tristan will have the same impact
on you as she did me. I’m a better man because of her,
and I hope that you find something potentially life-changing in her as well.
She made me someone I didn’t know I wanted to be.
For her. For me. For humanity. Views: 762
Tiffany Aching is a trainee witch — now working for the seriously scary Miss Treason. But when Tiffany witnesses the Dark Dance — the crossover from summer to winter — she does what no one has ever done before and leaps into the dance. Into the oldest story there ever is. And draws the attention of the Wintersmith himself. As Tiffany-shaped snowflakes hammer down on the land, can Tiffany deal with the consequences of her actions? Even with the help of Granny Weatherwax and the Nac Mac Feegle — the fightin’, thievin’ pictsies who are prepared to lay down their lives for their “big wee hag. ” Views: 761
