"Madison Lansford and Shannon Fletcher met when they were ten years old. Madison—daughter of wealthy parents and Shannon, daughter of their live-in maid and cook—became fast friends, yet both knew their place in life.
There was never a doubt that they would become lovers . . . there was also never a doubt that Madison would marry and maintain her social standing in the community. Little by little, they grew apart, their love affair ending with Madison's marriage and pregnancy.
Now, years later, Shannon returns to her old hometown to care for her ailing mother. Can they rebuild their friendship? Or will their new-found closeness bring back memories of their long-lost love?
Travel through the years with Shannon and Madison and watch their love unfold as they move from teens to young women and into adulthood."
"When six childhood friends get together for their annual girl's weekend at the beach in Port Aransas, none could have believed it would be for the very last time. Nina Evans had been saddled with organizing the weekend each year, pulling five of her oldest friends together for a few nights of fun and reminiscing, the one time a year they saw each other. Each year was much the same—laughter, dancing, and lots of drinking. This time was no different. That is, until Jones walked out of the dance club with a stranger.
Detective Quinn Stewart spends her days on Beach Patrol, living simply on the island after getting burned out on crime and booze while working in Corpus Christi. The pace was slower, murder was rare, and she lived stress-free. That changed on a Friday night in late May.
When the women leave and head back to their homes and families, Nina is left to deal with Jones's death alone. She finds herself drawn to the detective as details emerge on the double life Jones led, making Nina realize, despite a lifelong friendship, she never really knew Jones. As the case unravels, Nina finds herself embroiled in the middle of it. The one constant—Quinn Stewart's unwavering commitment to finding the truth . . . and keeping her safe."
"After the death of her grandmother, reluctant heiress Madilyn Marak agrees to stay with her grandfather at the estate for the summer. There, she finds an old diary hidden in an antique desk in the attic—The Apple Diary—written by her great-grandmother Isabel.
In there, she finds the love story of Isabel and Lorah, along with a photograph of the two young women from 1933. The diary, like the love affair, was short and brief, but rich and vivid enough for her to feel a true bond with the women despite the heartbreaking ending.
She is determined to get Isabel's beloved apple orchard vibrant again. She hires the inexperienced Dylan Hayes, a woman soon to be homeless, to take on the chore of restoring the orchard to its original glory.
The normally quiet and reserved Madilyn finds a new joy in life as she becomes friends with the outgoing and energetic woman who has come to live on the property. As she is transformed from a stoic and passive heiress to a happy and spirited woman, she realizes the similarities of her journey and that of Isabel's.
Like Isabel, is she destined to marry a man she doesn't love? Or will she find the strength that eluded Isabel and follow her heart?"
"Jennifer Kincaid, on her way to a writer's workshop in the Colorado mountain town of Lake City, gets lost and is stranded by an avalanche.
Catherine Ryan-Barrett, running from the fame and fortune of her family name, wants nothing more to spend the winter alone and sequestered in her high mountain cabin. She is not prepared for a party crasher.
After spending two months together, they form an unlikely friendship that deepens even further. But after the spring thaw, Jen returns to her life in Santa Fe—and to the man who wants to marry her. All she knows of the woman who rescued her is her name . . . Ryan.
Contains mature themes."
"Jill and Carrie—both married with teenage children—meet one day during Jill's lunch break at a local park. Soon a friendship is forged. A friendship that deepens with each visit.
Jill's husband still lives and breathes the coach's life, a life that leaves him little time to spare for Jill. Left on her own more and more, Jill finds herself searching for the indefinable something that has been missing all her life.
Married to a successful businessman, Carrie Howell retired early from a career in real estate to spend more time with her teenage boys, and to pursue her lone passion—painting. She, too, has felt for some time that something is missing from her world.
The Cottage is the story of two women pulled by a force stronger than their marriages, stronger than themselves. The story of Jill and Carrie. Two women. One love."
"Jacqueline Keys was ostracized from her small hometown of Pine Springs, Texas when she was seventeen, sent away because she was gay. Her family was the largest employer in the county, owning Pine Springs Lumber, and her father was mayor of this small town. Her mother could not accept the fact that her only child was gay, could not tolerate the gossip about her family. So, with a hundred dollars in her pocket and a one-way bus ticket out of town, Jacqueline was told not to come back until she had come to her senses. And that included being prepared to marry the son of a business associate of the family.
Fifteen years later—long after she'd hitch-hiked to Los Angeles, long after she'd worked nights to put herself through college, and long after she'd written her first bestseller, No Place For Family—Jacqueline is persuaded to go back to the tiny town of Pine Springs after her father's death.
The quick trip she'd envisioned for the funeral turns into weeks as she learns her father's business is suddenly hers to manage. And she is also again face-to-face with the woman who, as a teen, had been Jackie's first crush. She and Kay had been inseparable as kids, and later as teens. They find themselves falling back into their old habits, and Jackie is soon fighting the same feelings she'd had when she was seventeen."
"Chris McKenna gladly escaped the crowds of Yosemite to work as the new Search and Rescue in tiny Sierra City, nestled just west of Lake Tahoe. A loner by nature, she didn't mind the seclusion of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Jessie Stone, a successful but reclusive writer, is haunted by memories of her childhood and finally returns to Sierra City after sixteen years to confront her past . . .
Can the odd assortment of residents of this small mountain town bring the two of them together? Or will it be Annie Stone, a woman Chris has grown to admire and a woman Jessie still feels hatred for, that has the power to bind the two?
Through lies and deception, Chris and Jessie each struggle to deny the growing attraction that could brighten both their lives . . ."
"Kate Winters, author of the popular mystery series The Masters, finds herself in a bit of a predicament—she doesn't seem to be able to write any longer. So when her old friend and wealthy widow Brenda invites Kate to spend the summer in Coyote, New Mexico, Kate decides that a summer in Coyote might be just what she needs to clear her writer's block.
Leaving behind the Dallas heat—and her girlfriend, Robin—Kate retreats to the high mountain desert and soon finds herself surrounded by Brenda's eccentric friends and artists. But it's the local sheriff, Lee Foxx, who soon grabs her attention. It doesn't take long for Kate to discover that Lee has a penchant for dating the young tourists that flock to the river canyon each summer—and that Lee has no intention of ever settling down.
Then an unexpected visit by Kate's girlfriend sends everyone scrambling. Torn between safety and desire, Kate has no idea which way to turn. And as for Lee—she can't quite believe that she's actually fallen in love . . . for the very first time in her life."
"The Rainbow Cedar is the journey of one woman struggling with the loss of love and commitment from one, and the possibility of finding it all again with someone new.
As interior designer Jay Burns watches her long-term relationship slowly unravel, she runs into—literally—landscape designer Drew Montgomery. As their paths cross, both professionally and personally, a friendship develops, one they each try to maintain despite the obvious attraction between them. But still, Jay is not willing to throw away an eight-year relationship, even when it becomes painfully obvious the end is near."
"FBI Agents Cameron Ross and Andrea Sullivan found the unexpected when they met amongst the warm red rocks and cliffs of Sedona—each other. That commitment, along with their ingenuity, courage and resolve, will be tested along the most barren of stretches in California's Mojave Desert.
Someone is using the bleak highways to dump women's bodies, but in a landscape where an inviting road can curve into a sand-choked mirage, and a true oasis can be invisible under a white-hot sun, clues can blow away in the wind.
In this sequel to Devil's Rock, Gerri Hill pits two remarkable women against the harsh and bitter desert and an implacable killer."
"College professor Johanna Marshall swore she would never fall in love again. She especially did not want to become involved with someone who has a reputation as an extreme womanizer . . . someone like Kelly Sambino.
But on a hot summer night, Jo finds herself unable to resist Kelly. What follows is something Jo would like very much to quickly forget. Embarrassed after their night of passion, Jo hopes she will never have to see Kelly again. Then, when Fall classes begin, Jo finds herself face to face with the college's new Literature Professor—Kelly Sambino.
Will Kelly's charms win Jo over? Will Jo listen to her friends or will she, in a moment of need, follow the stirrings in her heart?"
"Poking a sleeping bear with a sharp stick is foolish. Marty Edwards is about to be very foolish.
Investigative reporter Marty Edwards has found her niche: cold cases. She loves pouring over old notes, hunting down long-forgotten witnesses, and digging down through the layers of an unsolved murder case. But this time, Marty is digging where someone obviously doesn't want her. And that someone might also include the Brownsville Police Department. Why else would they assign Detective Kristen Bailey to baby-sit her?
Barely surviving two attempts on her life, Marty abandons Brownsville and the case. Danger follows her as the case turns red hot. With Detective Bailey along for protection, they race along the Gulf Coast, neither knowing who, if anyone, they can trust. The hardest part is learning to trust each other before it's too late for their hearts—and their lives."
Join our community for the latest bookish news, reading recommendations, exclusive opening extracts, author events and competitions. It\'s all free. And enter a monthly draw to win a £50 Gift Card. See past winners here
