Susan Donovan, one of San Francisco's finest, was a semi-hard-bitten cynic about men--until she went to a police convention and Daniel Wren "happened to her." Quickly and somewhat to her amazement, she became Susan Wren, wife of the poice chief in the tiny Kansas town of Hampstead. Then, on a cold winter morning shortly after the wedding, she finds herself Susan Wren, widow: Daniel has been murdered.So begins Charlene Weir's The Winter Widow, winner of the St. Martin's Press/Macmillan London "Malice Domestic" contest for Best First Traditional Mystery, an absorbing mystery about a woman out of her element. Although she has no ties to Hampstead, and there is no reason for her not to return to California, as her father urges, Susan has other ideas. She is determined to find Daniel's killer. It takes all her powers of persuasion to win over a reluctant mayor, but in the end he grudgingly agrees. As acting police chief, Susan begins the hunt.Soon she finds she...

Samantha Wells has lived through more hell in her short life than most. At the age of eight her serene life was turned upside down. Her parents were brutally murdered and Sam barely escaped with her life. But she didn't do it alone — a soft calm voice led her to safety, the voice of her spirit guide.Disguised by a black mask and the handle Black Smoke, with the help of her spirit guide Sam rescues those unfortunate people who find themselves in the hands of humanity's worst. Life is good until Sam is called on to assist a small covert military team in recovering a kidnapped scientist in Afghanistan.Lt. Mark Lowe (Kong) is less than thrilled to be placing his team's lives in the hands of a woman, much less one as beautiful and sexy as Sam. He quickly learns there is more to this woman than meets the eye. She not only infiltrates enemy bases — she's infiltrated his heart. Kong retreats to safer ground, leaving Sam heartbroken. Distant and unwilling to listen to anyone, Sam delves headfirst into a hell that only Kong can pull her from.

If Jesse has any hope of making friends at his new school he has to do something about his dad, who keeps making the most appalling jokes. And Ben′s father′s not much better, he′s forever belting out the wrong lyrics to his favourite songs. In The Joke Trap you′ll not only read some of the world′s worst Dad Jokes, you′ll also see how Jesse and Ben construct their own hilarious revenge.

Writing with warmth and humor, Connie Schultz reveals the rigors, joys, and absolute madness of a new marriage at midlife and campaigning with her husband, Sherrod Brown, now the junior senator from Ohio. She describes the chain of events leading up to Sherrod's decision to run for the Senate (he would not enter the fray without his wife's unequivocal support), and her own decision to step down from writing her Pulitzer Prize-winning column during the course of one of the nation's most intensely watched races. She writes about the moment her friends in the press became not so friendly, the constant campaign demands on her marriage and family life, and a personal tragedy that came out of the blue. Schultz also shares insight into the challenges of political life: dealing with audacious bloggers, ruthless adversaries, and political divas; battling expectations of a political wife; and the shock of having staffers young enough to be her children suddenly directing her every move....

Sex guru Dr. Fiona Bliss runs a for-women-only spa where ladies unleash their inner goddess, basking like Aphrodite in flowing robes while buff men cater to their every need. But stuntwoman Andy McAllister doesn't have time for a massage. Not when her eccentric Aunt Matilda has disappeared into Blissland. Disguising herself as a rich, mousy client, Andy runs straight into P.I. Dillon Roth, who's undercover himself, investigating the untimely death of a spa guest. Fall in love with the guy? She could do that in a heartbeat. Get ready for world-class backstabbing, radical romance, and hilarious bitchery. And when the investigation heats up, Andy and Dillon are ready for sheet-scorching fun...

We think about it every day, sometimes every hour: Money. Who has it. Who doesn't. How you get it. How you don't.Bender uses this very powerful force to pull together a unified collection of stories that deeply explore the ways in which money and the subsequent estimation of value affect the lives of her characters. The stories in Refund reflect our contemporary world—swindlers, reality show creators, desperate artists, siblings, parents — who struggle to figure out how to obtain money, how to give it, earn it, lose it, all the while trying to answer the question: What is the real definition of worth?In “Theft," an eighty-year-old swindler, accustomed to tricking people for their money, discovers she has Alzheimer's and boards a cruise ship to see if she can find something of true value—a human connection. In “Anything for Money," the creator of a popular reality show is thrown into the real world when his estranged granddaughter reenters his...

For generations, the Cave family has been marked by scandal, madness, and violence. But after earning a reputation for bravery in the army, Horatio Cave, the new Viscount Darien, has come home to charm London society and restore the family name. He means to start with the lovely Lady Thea Debenham.The magnetism between them is immediate, but can Thea trust the dark, sexy "Vile Viscount"? And will Thea's brother Dare-the most dashing member of the Company of Rogues-believe that Horatio does not deserve the cursed Cave reputation?

Frances Housden returns with her best-selling, award-winning Chieftain series in this short novel about a young woman with a strong will and a sharp mind, and the man who has nothing to offer but his heart. Maggie McArthur never thought she would meet her fate in a clash of swords. She may wield a sword more skilfully than a needle, but it was more luck than proficiency that led to her piercing Dhugal Robertson through the shoulder. Frightened she has killed her opponent, Maggie stays to give him aid and ensure he returns to Sgian House safely. She may be the Chieftain's daughter, but she is perfectly capable of playing the healer for a few days until she is sure Dhugal will survive. The tender feelings he seems to inspire is nothing more than concern. After all, no suitor has ever raised her interest, so why should a penniless warrior with no clan to call his own?Dhugal's pride should be as wounded as his shoulder from being bested by a...

A fresh voice in urban fiction spins a classic romance into a modern-day love story about sisterhood, faith, and overcoming obstacles.This humorous tale of love and triumph ties two unlikely suitors together in a merry mix of plotting and gossip. On one side is R&B superstar, Jamaica, and on the other is the passionate, but impoverished Tameer. When the two are brought together in what is meant to be a temporary relationship -- arranged by Jamaica's best friend and personal assistant LaChina -- both are surprised when true feelings burst onto the scene and disrupt everyone's plans.With Tameer's drunken father, Jamaica's socialite mother, and a band of super-ghetto, meddling friends all blended together, Two Thin Dimes becomes a hilarious, topsy-turvy fight for love in a world gone mad. Going beyond the simple rich girl, poor boy tale, Caleb Alexander brings his popular style to a whole new level and draws his growing audience along with him as the story tak...

Young veterinarian, Liz Barnett, has moved her equine practice from Kentucky to rural California, excited by the chance to partner with an established clinic, as well as show her beautiful Arabian horses. She soon finds that she's living in an area by-passed by time and progress, as she butts heads with stubborn old ranchers who want nothing to do with a young female vet. Hunky horse trainer, Kurt DeVallio, has spent the past ten years struggling with a tragic past and a horse-drugging frame-up that destroyed his professional career. His tunnel vision for finding a way to clear his name, and be "his own man" again, has thrown him into the midst of greedy folks who'll try to win at any cost. When circumstances force these two together in the risky world of showing high-ticket Arabian Horses, they learn that winning has many meanings.