Apart from Love


Book Description

Apart from Love is not your typical love story. All-consuming, heart-wrenching, and dark, it is an epic that starts when Ben returns to meet his father, Lenny, and his new wife, Anita. It is then that he discovers a family secret. How will they find a path out of conflicts, out of isolation, from guilt to forgiveness? My Own Voice (“As told by Anita”): Ten years ago, Anita started an affair with Lenny, in spite of knowing that he was married and that his wife was succumbing to a mysterious disease. Now married to him and carrying his child, how can she compete with Natasha’s shadow and with her brilliance in the past? Given Anita's lack of education, how can she resist his compelling wish to transform her? Can she survive his kind of love? Faced with the way he writes her as a character in his book, how can Anita find a voice of her own? And when his estranged son, Ben, comes back and lives in the same small apartment, can she keep the balance between the two men, whose desire for her is marred by guilt and blame? The White Piano (“As told by Ben”): Coming back to his childhood home after years of absence, Ben is unprepared for the secret, which is now revealed to him: his mother, Natasha, who used to be a brilliant pianist, is losing herself to early-onset Alzheimer’s, which turns the way her mind works into a riddle. His father has remarried, and his new wife, Anita, looks remarkably similar to Natasha—only much younger. In this state of being isolated, being apart from love, how will Ben react to these marital affairs, when it is so tempting to resort to blame and guilt? “In our family, forgiveness is something you pray for, something you yearn to receive—but so seldom do you give it to others.” Behind his father's back, Ben and Anita find themselves increasingly drawn to each other. They take turns using an old tape recorder to express their most intimate thoughts, not realizing at first that their voices are being captured by him. These tapes, with his eloquent speech and her slang, reveal the story from two opposite viewpoints. Dealing with the challenging prospects of the marriage of opposites, this book can be read as a standalone novel as well as part of one of family sagas best sellers. Still Life with Memories is a family saga series tinged with family saga romance, fraught with marital issues, and riddled with the difficulty of connecting fathers and sons.




Clinking to Love


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The Lamp


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The Little Duke


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Love You Forever


Book Description

Love You Forever is the final book in the inspirational and otherworldly Sofia Trilogy by author Marilyn L Rice. What would you do if you thought you were going to die soon? In the first book, Look After Each Other, Sofia visits a clairvoyant. Her reading leads her to believe that she is soon going to die. The young woman decides to change her life around and live it to the fullest, making a “do-or-die” list and embarking on a liberating journey of mind, body, and soul. The second book, Sofia’s Legacy, follows Sofia after her death. From “upstairs,” she helps or hinders those still living. The story concludes with a totally unexpected ending. Now it is five years later and the year is 2010. The final book, Love You Forever, shows how dramatic and unimaginable events have changed the lives of everyone Sofia left behind at Haslington Towers. Even more surprising events occur that lead to devastating consequences. This stunning book series delves into karma, the afterlife, and more things in heaven and earth than you have ever dreamed!




Love in the Virtual Realm


Book Description

In the not-so-distant future, a world transformed by the wondrous advancements of virtual reality awaits. It is a realm where the limits of human imagination intertwine with the intricacies of cutting-edge technology, blurring the boundaries between reality and fantasy. In this futuristic era, where skyscrapers touch the skies and machines hum with life, one gifted programmer stands at the forefront of a digital revolution. Meet Angela, an enigmatic genius who possesses an unparalleled knack for coding and a heart brimming with dreams of love's true essence. Her vision goes beyond mere entertainment; it transcends the ordinary as she embarks on an extraordinary quest to bring love to life in the Virtual Realm. With unwavering determination, Angela creates "Elysium," an awe-inspiring virtual world where emotions are not only simulated but genuinely felt. Within this mesmerizing creation, people can immerse themselves in love's purest form, an experience like no other. Here, souls connect, hearts entwine, and the very fabric of affection is woven into lines of code. As Elysium unfolds its digital embrace, an unexpected encounter takes place. Angela finds herself drawn to an enigmatic player named Jared, a charismatic figure whose presence ignites sparks of curiosity and a yearning for something more profound. But as their paths converge within the pixelated landscapes of Elysium, Angela's firm beliefs in the boundaries of reality and virtuality begin to waver. The question she once thought was absurd now lingers in her heart: Can genuine love truly blossom within the confines of a virtual world? As Angela and Jared navigate this unprecedented emotional journey, they must confront the doubters and skeptics who question the authenticity of their connection. Society itself grapples with the implications of Elysium, wondering if such technology is a blessing or a dangerous disruption of the natural order. Join us on an enthralling exploration of the human heart in the era of virtual marvels. "Love in the Virtual Realm" delves deep into the essence of love, leaving us to ponder whether its true essence can truly transcend the boundaries of the virtual and the real. This tale of passion, innovation, and self-discovery will challenge our perception of love, technology, and the fundamental fabric of human connection. Embark on a journey of wonder and enchantment as we unravel the enigma of love in a world where the tangible and the ethereal unite, and the heart finds its echo in the virtual echoes of Elysium.




Love Is No Small Thing


Book Description

Meghan Kenny’s debut collection, Love Is No Small Thing, gives readers an assembly of keenly drawn characters each navigating the world looking for an understanding of love in its many forms and complexities—be it romantic, parental, elusive, or eternal. A father may teach his teenage son “Hearts break easy,” but as Kenny’s characters discover, knowing an important truth about love is no substitute for experiencing it. In the title story, a woman learns of her boyfriend’s infidelity on Halloween night and contemplates lost years, concealments, and the difficulty of walking away. An Idaho cameraman and his cross-dressing, sky-diving son try to find common ground in “All These Lovely Boys.” A first date at the Corkscrew Swamp Bird Sanctuary becomes something else altogether in “Sanctuary,” and in “Heartbreak Hotel,” a father swaps stories of disappointments and losses with his daughter and an unwanted passenger on a cross-country road trip. Throughout this collection, Kenny’s characters try to bridge the gap between what they expected of their lives and what they have received. They struggle to understand their own identities and the value of the relationships they have or want, with results that are funny and poignant in equal measure. Employing minimalist language and character-driven storytelling, Meghan Kenny grapples with love in all its messiness and uncertainty, revealing vital truths about the vagaries of the human heart and establishing Kenny as a vibrant new voice in the American literary landscape.




Christmas at Two Love Lane


Book Description

The best gift of all is the one you share with someone else. . . From the moment he strode through the iron gate and into the offices of Two Love Lane on a crisp December day, it was obvious that Deacon Banks was something different. He wasn’t a Charleston native, not with that adorable Yankee accent. And unlike the usual client at the elegant matchmaking agency, he had no interest in finding a woman to marry—just a few no-strings dates while he was in town. Macy Frost takes her professional services very seriously—how could she not, when she’s rumored to be a direct descendant of Cupid? Tech entrepreneur Deacon says he’s just trying to make his social-climbing aunt happy by being seen out and about with a few prominent beauties, but Macy insists she can make her client fall in love...for real. And Deacon can’t help but think she might be right. As charming as the palmetto trees and magnificent harbor may be, it’s the beautiful, breath-of-fresh-air Macy who’s become Deacon’s favorite part of the scenery. But can the hopelessly romantic Southern belle stop trying to fix him up and just let Cupid do his work on her own heart?




Love in the Third Age


Book Description

Love in the Third Age is set in the beautiful present-day Willunga Basin of South Australia at a time in Bruce River’s life when his youthful vitality has drained from his body, and all he is left with is the memory. An overweight, divorced, out-of-love, aged care worker, Bruce is about to turn sixty and coming face-to-face with the burning question—to do or to decline? Bruce’s life is presented as a roller coaster ride of battles with a bad back, impotence, and diminishing career prospects, while at the same time telling the comic stories of his online love life and his nearest and bitterest. Some of his friends are in their third age and going through similar confronting experiences. His clients and mother are in their fourth age and having a tough time. His much younger ex-girlfriend hasn’t even thought about getting older and is bent on revenge against him and won’t take any prisoners. Other characters are equally challenged by aging, but flying brilliantly above the mess. At times, Bruce is torn apart as he must witness the struggles of those aging before his very eyes. He is gripped by the writing on his own wall, battered and bruised by a cunning woman scorned, yet determined to find a way through the rest of his life that will bring purpose, dignity, lasting love and some kind of inner peace. If you’re approaching, experiencing, or even worn down by aging, Love in the Third Age may just turn all that around and give you many moving and funny moments to laugh at both on your own and with others.