fiction
-
Adultery by Maurilia Meehan
Ailsa took a deep breath. “Now, I didn’t come here to make a scene. I’m a practical woman. I trained as a zoologist. I understand men’s urges.”
And she does. Pragmatic and world-weary, Ailsa Trewen has confronted several mistresses over the course of her marriage to the philandering Sid. But her plans for an animal sanctuary and a quiet future take an unexpected turn when Sid’s death in the arms of his latest lover leaves her a wealthy widow and she invests in a thriving hotel.
Not just any hotel, but Hotel d’Amour, a luxurious retreat for the businessman and the ‘other woman’. If a quirk of fate can make Ailsa head such an establishment, she might as well put her position to good use. Over gourmet dinners at her ‘mistresses only’ nights, her clients shed their inhibitions and share their experiences, telling tales of lust, envy and revenge as they explore the agonies, ecstasies (and ironies) of adultery. And with shared experience comes some peace, and the promise of another kind of sanctuary for Ailsa… wickedly amusing entertainment.
Mr. Shipley’s Governess (The Shipley Legacy) by Joanne Troppello
Sophie Baird is looking for a way to escape the painful reality of her parents’ deaths. Unable to live in their home any longer, she takes a job as a live-in tutor to Anastasia Shipley to remove herself from her painful memories and the feeling that God has abandoned her. Anastasia has an illness that has prevented her from ever attending school and makes her father, Sebastian, over protective. When Sophie first meets Sebastian, she cannot deny the intense attraction she feels toward him. When an unexpected romance begins between them, she starts to rebuild her relationship with God, with the help of a certain little girl.
Swallowtail by Sheri Meshal
Chicago wife, mother and finance executive Claire Cummings, arrives at work one morning to discover her friend Julia has embezzled millions and vanished. Blindsided and devastated by the betrayal, she’s sent home pending further investigation. Claire’s bizarre death the following day sends everyone reeling, guessing and looking for her in all the wrong places. In no time she’s addicted to an enchanting menagerie of tricks and techniques for getting the living’s attention, but most people are harder to reach than she’d ever dreamed and even harder to set free. She was still a mother, a wife, a daughter and a friend… she’d move heaven and earth to keep it that way.Sheri Meshal’s Swallowtail is a haunting story about life, love, loss and just how far we’ll go to control it all.This debut from a thought-provoking new voice in fiction begs the question… what would you do if all the rules changed, and you were suddenly bestowed powers beyond your greatest imagination?
Conal Vs Akil dawn of a titan by Chare Lynn
With the war beginning Conal finds his paws full. Things are beginning to push him to the edge of his own beliefs. His toleration for his brother, Akil, is wearing thin. Just when he thought things could not get any worse he learns his father Phantom, the God of death, has plans for his best friend. Time is running out for Conal when he finds himself in a race against time to save Tao from the fate he had been hiding from him ever since they were pups. Though Conal’s obstacles are not the only things to clash into mysteries unexpected as there are other wolves falling into fates they had never dreamed possible. The darkness that cloaks the world is beginning to seem only darker as time passes by. With someone in the shadows spying upon the packs of Whistling Waters a mysterious new character is born.
An Unlikely Hero (Alfie Bowman Novellas) by Peter Ford
Living in a cozy, small town, tucked away in the south of England, unremarkable average guy Alfie Bowman has been heard to describe himself as a refugee from a failed life. In his own words hes ordinary looking, starting to lose his hair, a little bit shorter than average, a little bit heavier than he should be, and a lot less fit than he really ought to be. Most definitely an unlikely hero!At the ripe old age of 50, hes escaped an unhappy marriage and just wants to re-start his life, relax and have some fun, and maybe do some writing – if only he could find something to write about! So when he stops in the pub for a couple of pints on the way home one night, the last thing he expects to have to do is save a stunning young woman half his age from a fracas with an enormous thug with huge fists! But thats exactly what he does do, because, as far as Alfies concerned, there are some things you cant just stand by and ignore.Waking up in hospital later that night he wonders if maybe getting involved hadn’t been the best decision he’d ever made after all! But he soon learns that the beating he’d been given had nothing to do with events in the pub… So who beat him up, and why? Who is the stunning young woman and whats she doing in town? Join this ordinary guy as he turns amateur sleuth to answer these two questions. Meet his friends Positive Pete and Dry Biro. Find out how he outwits abrasive ex-wife Gloria, and deals with a close encounter with local gangster Nugent the Nutter. And how does this refugee from a failed life manage to deal with the beautiful young woman who sweeps into his life?And if thats not enough, theres his attraction to gorgeous and mysterious neighbour Sophia. After a disastrous marriage he believes women are a mystery he’ll never quite understand and anyway, he just knows that if he ever does get the girl shes going to end up being disappointed! So, much as he would like to get to know the seemingly aloof and mysterious Sophia, hes also having to deal with his own fear of getting involved. It’s a seesaw of confidence, but will it ever develop into a serious romance? This isn’t a typical British detective story. As a novella is neither the longest, nor the greatest, book you’ll ever read, but it was never meant to be. It’s the first in a series about unlikely hero (turned amateur sleuth) Alfie Bowman. Its sole aim is to be an entertaining, fun read, with a bit of mystery, a dash of pathos, a touch of romance and a good dollop of humour. You never know, you just might enjoy it!
A Lover’s Secret by Bethany Bloom
Jess Madigan has moved back to her parent’s home, ashamed, alone, and in heaps of debt after abandoning medical school. Tormented by her own sense of failure, Jess is desperate to regain some form of inner spark. Instead, she encounters an old flame, now a devastatingly handsome and internationally successful author and adventurer.
Jake Lassiter is smoldering hot, impulsive, and fun in the deepest sense of the word. With him, girl-next-door Jess devours life, savors its fruits, and surrenders to a primal force infinitely more powerful than she. But even as Jake lifts her to dizzying heights, Jess knows there’s something he isn’t telling her. Will Jake’s secret entwine them forever—or tear them irrevocably apart?
A scintillating and deeply emotional journey, A Lover’s Secret will stay with readers long after the final page has turned.
Fame Games- The Escape by Ali Stetson
Lahnna Kris is a world famous pop star but with her 30th birthday fast approaching and, as she stands on the brink of a year off, it’s time for her to re-think her life plan. Back home in England, surrounded by her family, she begins to re-acquaint herself with old friends and their ‘real life’ problems and realises that she too needs to start laying down some roots. The problem that Lahnna faces is, ‘how do you quit a job, when you are your job’?
Having seen many celebrities attempt the retreat from fame only to end up drawing more attention to themselves, Lahnna concocts a plan that will not only see her stepping out of the spotlight but see Stacey, her body double, stepping firmly into it.
Photographs and Souvenirs by Pamela Lawley Smith
Alice’s life is turned upside down after a strange phone call from someone in her past starts her on the road from the present to relive her life and journey of love. The saga of one woman in her early 60’s who came to age during the Vietnam War. Her love of a soldier from a different world and the couple who would travel that journey with them. From her unique childhood in Japan and Vietnam in the 40’s and back home to the United States for college in the 60’s to the present. The paths these four friends would take that leads them all to the war in Vietnam and promises that were made. The courage they find to relive that painful past and confront the truth. Told in flashbacks, Alice travels the journey of heartbreak and war. A story of love and friendship that is timeless.
Dawning Passion (Web of Secrets) by Elia Mirca
Abandoned, lonely, and depressed, Julie falls into the arms of another man. This passionate relationship awakens new dimensions of her sexuality she never knew existed. But this soon leads her into danger as she becomes the target of a dastardly plan. Her only escape is to the arms of her husband in California. Even there she finds herself in danger. It seems that, wherever she looks, Julie must fear for her life. Will she ever be safe?
Cursed Hearts (A Crossroads Novel) by Rebecca Light and Samuel Lowell
Cursed Hearts, A Crossroads Novel – the first book in what will no doubt prove to be an epic series. It’s a witty, supernatural page-turner that will keep you guessing. And the read is much like walking down a deserted street on a dark, misty morning – spine-chillingly beautiful.
…Rarely when we’re down does the world offer us a hand up instead of a sharp kick to the ribs. But when Rome Navarro, a penniless kid with home issues, receives a scholarship to a prestigious school in his hometown, life is starting to look suspiciously hopeful. Little does he know, Vardel Academy houses an old, deeply guarded secret, and Redwood Bay is harboring mysteries of its own that are just as unsettling. Things become stranger still when he learns of a curse that his family is supposedly plagued by. A curse that involves the shy redhead he has his sights set on. Throw in a guy with an unhealthy fascination for him, and a love rival with cruel intentions, and you’re left with a recipe for both a devilish good time, and inevitably, disaster.
Cursed Hearts is the perfect mix of romance and mystery, and the coming of age story you’ve all been waiting for. It’s a gritty, heartfelt tale with eerie undertones that will leave you breathless. In a world where magic lurks around every corner, the most magical thing may be the characters themselves. Venture into one of the greatest fantasy stories ever told, and come out the other side, forever changed.
