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The Body on the Barstool (Top Shelf Mysteries Book 1) (affiliate link)
New Yorker Erica “Ricki” Fontaine’s n’er-do-well uncle has dropped dead and left her a dive bar in a small Ohio River town. With a lousy apartment, less-than-promising job prospects, and even worse romantic ones, the inheritance comes at just the right time. Ricki packs up her cat and heads for the Buckeye State.
Now she’s trying to change the Top Shelf from a bar known for its Friday night fights into the kind of drinking establishment where you can bring your granny. Finding her ex-husband dead on a barstool at opening time one morning just might put a kink in those plans.
What’s Not Lost: A Novel (affiliate link)
Through the eyes of an overachiever, the schemes of a homewrecker, the magic of a bottle of wine, and a CAT, award-winning author Valerie Taylor propels this captivating and heart-warming romance to an unpredictable and delightful conclusion.
Kassie O’Callaghan is searching … for herself and for answers. With her husband six feet under and an engagement ring on her finger, Kassie is convinced managing a company merger in Paris will complete her quest for recognition on her own terms. When she learns her fiancé’s ex-girlfriend is pregnant, Kassie’s dreams come tumbling down. At least for the moment.
Despite pleas from her younger fiancé to stay in Boston and a warning from her best friend forever of what’s at stake should she leave, Kassie heads to Paris with courage and perseverance. There, she stumbles into a world of wine and roses as she tries to put the wisdom of her experience to the ultimate test.
Cut Out: The Green Berets: Dave Riley #4 (affiliate link)
Green Beret Dave Riley returns in this taut thriller set in the shadowy world of the federal witness protection program. Riley and his friend, police detective Donna Giannini, are asked to protect a friend whose life is in danger, and find themselves ensnared in the same web: Professional hit-men are stalking them, and the killers seem to know their every move.
Bodies disappear; phones are tapped; computer programs are compromised. Who is behind it? Who can they trust? And how can they escape when they don’t know who the enemy is?
It all leads from Chicago to an explosive climax high in the Smoky Mountains.
First Semester (A Campus Tales Story Book 1) (affiliate link)
My rebound wasn’t supposed to be the best sex of my life.
He definitely wasn’t supposed to walk into class Monday morning on my first day of college.
He wasn’t supposed to be my teacher.
He did things to my body that no man had ever done before.
Things I wanted him to do again
And again.
And again.
But the man I had in my bed two days ago was now off limits.
He was my teacher.
I was his student.
I couldn’t have him…
I wanted him anyway.
Louisiana Cooking: Easy Cajun and Creole Recipes (affiliate link)
The cuisine of Louisiana is blend of old styles and new traditions, circumstance and spirit, Creole and Cajun. At every turn you find dishes that are unique to the region that speak secretly of the past while you enjoy the present. This is more than just food, it is life. To truly capture the soul of Louisiana cooking, you must fully immerse yourself and celebrate the roots of each dish.
From Jambalaya to gumbo, crawfish to spoon bread, red velvet to king cake, this book takes you on a tour of the most beloved flavors of the region. When a trip to the south just isn’t possible, but your spirit longs for adventure, dive into this book of Louisiana cooking and experience the heart and festivity of the region in your kitchen.
Inside, find:
•Introduction to Louisiana cooking including the difference between Creole and Cajun foods and more
•Flavorful appetizer recipes like the Cajun Shrimp Stuffed Chilies or the Crawfish dip
•Delightful chicken, pork and critters recipes like the Chicken and Andouille Gumbo and the Classic Cajun Fried Frog Legs.
•Mouth-watering beef meals like the Beefy Po Boys or the Cajun Brisket
•Classic seafood recipes like the Crawfish Stew or the Shrimp Creole
•Easy to prepare side dishes like the Okra and Corn Casserole or the Slow Cooked Red Beans and Rice
•Sweet desserts like the Red Velvet Cake or the Classic Beignets
Behind You (Hailey Rock Book 1) (affiliate link)
The German Messenger (affiliate link)
As the bombs fall, the race to save her son begins.
Liverpool, 1940. Journalist Ruth Holt is struggling in the terror of the Blitz when her young son is suddenly snatched away in broad daylight. Soon after, the kidnappers’ demands arrive. They are working with the Nazis, and she has no choice but to co-operate, or the authorities will learn that she is harbouring secrets of her own.
Ruth’s job gives her access to critical information, and if she does not share it with Britain’s enemies, her child will face the consequences. Desperate, she falsifies information, lying to everyone: her employers, her family and her lover. But as the demands increase, the knife edge she walks on grows increasingly thin. If she falls, she will never save her son.
Gonzo: The Life of Hunter S. Thompson (affiliate link)
Few American lives are stranger, more action-packed, or wilder than that of Hunter S. Thompson. Born a rebel in Louisville, Kentucky, Thompson spent a lifetime channeling his energy and insight into such landmark works as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas – and his singular and provocative style challenged and revolutionized writing.
Now, for the first time ever, Jann Wenner and Corey Seymour have interviewed the Good Doctor’s friends, family, acquaintances and colleagues and woven their memories into a brilliant oral biography. From Hell’s Angels leader Sonny Barger to Ralph Steadman to Jack Nicholson to Jimmy Buffett to Pat Buchanan to Marilyn Manson and Thompson’s two wives, son, and longtime personal assistant, more than 100 members of Thompson’s inner circle bring into vivid focus the life of a man who was even more complicated, tormented, and talented than any previous portrait has shown. It’s all here in its uncensored glory: the creative frenzies, the love affairs, the drugs and booze and guns and explosives and, ultimately, the tragic suicide. As Thompson was fond of saying, “Buy the ticket, take the ride.”
Snowfire (affiliate link)
Linda Earle’s stepbrother had a bright future. An aspiring athlete, he was being mentored by championship skier Julian McCabe, but then his career was cut short when he was accused of murdering Julian’s wife, Margot. Convinced of his innocence and determined to clear his name, Linda takes a job as après-ski hostess at the McCabe’s Pocono lodge, nestled in the shadow of their imposing estate.
Once Linda insinuates herself into the guarded family, she discovers that everyone behind the walls of Greystones mansion had a reason to murder the much-hated Margot, including her disturbed daughter, her malicious and jealous sister-in-law, even the brooding and handsome Julian, with whom Linda is falling dangerously in love. But with a mysterious killer in a house of secrets, Linda has reason to fear that anyone—including herself—could be the next victim.
The Second Time We Met (affiliate link)
With another chance at love, what could possibly go wrong?
Recovering from heartbreak, unlucky-in-love events manager Cara has vowed to avoid relationships. That is until fate throws her into the path of handsome and kind Henry, who is worlds apart from the men she’s dated before. Unfortunately, this encounter is short-lived when Cara misses her coach home—and with it, any chance of seeing him again.
But fate is not finished with the mismatched couple. When Cara quite literally bumps into Henry a second time at a work event, the run-in leaves them with feelings instead of bruises, and they can’t wait another day before seeing each other again. Yet it soon becomes clear how deeply different their worlds are: Cara’s drama-filled African and Caribbean family couldn’t be further from Henry’s family of wealthy lords and ladies.
With interfering relatives, problem friends, and an inconvenient ex-boyfriend attempting a comeback, everything seems stacked against the two new lovebirds. This is no straightforward love story—Cara and Henry will have to get creative with romance if they stand any chance of beating the odds to win their happy ever after.
Death in Provence: A Novel (Penelope Kite Book 1) (affiliate link)
It’s love at first sight when Penelope Kite sees Le Chant d’Eau—The Song of Water—the stone farmhouse tucked high in the hills above the Luberon valley, complete with a garden, swimming pool, and sweeping mountain vistas. For years, Penelope put her unfaithful ex-husband and her ungrateful stepchildren first. Since taking early retirement from her job in forensics at the Home Office in England, she’s been an unpaid babysitter and chauffeur for her grandchildren. Now, she’s going to start living for herself. Though her dream house needs major renovations, Penelope impulsively buys the property and moves to St. Merlot.
But Penelope’s daydreams of an adventurous life in Provence didn’t include finding a corpse floating face down in her swimming pool. The discovery of the dead man plunges her headlong into a Provençal stew of intrigue and lingering resentments simmering beneath the deceptively sunny village. Having worked in the forensics office, Penelope knows a thing or two about murder investigations.
Her Name Was Rose (affiliate link)
Her name was Rose. You watched her die. And her death has created a vacancy.
When Emily lets a stranger step out in front of her, she never imagines that split second will change her life. But after Emily watches a car plough into the young mother – killing her instantly – she finds herself unable to move on.
And then she makes a decision she can never take back.
Because Rose had everything Emily had ever dreamed of. A beautiful, loving family, a great job and a stunning home. And now Rose’s husband misses his wife, and their son needs a mother. Why couldn’t Emily fill that space?
But as Emily is about to discover, no one’s life is perfect … and not everything is as it seems.
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