Gently, Jolene


Book Description

Hurt by a painful break-up which has left her without a boyfriend, a job, and a home, Jolene Whitacre fears that love and happiness will elude her forever. Working as a caterer aboard a tour boat on Cayuga Lake, she meets Filippo Garaventi, a debonair Italian hotelier who wins her over with his charm, romanticism and old-world manners. His descriptions of Locanda Luisa, the quaint hotel his family owns in Manarola, a picturesque village in Italy's fabled Cinque Terre, fascinate Jolene, fueling her fantasies.By the time Filippo must return to Italy he has convinced Jolene to accompany him: a plan complete with a marriage proposal and an offer to work together on the renovation and relaunching of the family hotel. Spellbound by Filippo's devotion, captivated by a dream that seems within her grasp, and excited at the prospect of starting over in a country whose people, food, wine and language have always attracted her, Jolene buries her last lingering doubts and jets across the Atlantic with her future husband.Once in Italy, though, nothing is as she envisioned. The village is strikingly beautiful and picturesque, but the family dynamics are confusing, the crumbling Locanda dismaying, and misunderstandings abound. Inquisitive and determined to adapt to her new family and their culture, Jolene uncovers an unexpected past, ultimately finding herself center-stage, the main player in a drama for which she is utterly unprepared.




Spirit Dancer


Book Description

Living set apart from much of todays society, twenty-six-year-old Jolene finds herself busy with work on her fathers ranch in New Mexico. But she is continually reminded that her fathers failing health will soon leave her alone to carry on in life. Following an accident while working on the boundaries of the ranch, Jolene finds herself in a strangers home and soon discovers that something else is different: she is in bygone era. If Jolene returns to the father she loves, will she be able to leave behind the thoughts and budding love for the handsome but mysterious stranger? Jolene's life is filled with hardships and sorrow, and yet she may find a love that sustains her and brings her joy.




All The Way Home


Book Description

Juggling a career as a TV reporter and raising a grandchild alone is challenging enough for lovely plus size 18 Jolene Jefferies. But then she meets Akron (Ron) Jamison, a strikingly handsome widower with a college-age son and teenage daughter. Ron is a carpenter who has started his own construction company and wants her help in convincing the city council to give him a grant to repair old houses in the community. Jolene knows she has her hands full, for it isn’t long before their romance deepens and they try to build a house of their own. But will a dark secret from Jolene’s past cause her to lose her career—and Ron’s love?




Jake's Adventure


Book Description

This story depicts the adventures of a young man who accidentally discovers a large quantity of drug-related cash during a trip in the Bahamian Islands, which then allows him to extend his vacation further to a trip to France, where he encounters a young café waitress and convinces her to join him in traveling the rustic countryside by train. The young man and woman eventually yield to their desires at a later time and engage in a torrid love affair, which leads them to become engaged and married. Their relationship and the young man's funds allowed them to visit the Bahamas, where they simply relaxed and indulged themselves with many sensuous sexual encounters with each other. These torrid encounters eventually lead to the girl's pregnancy, but she refuses to marry the young man due to fear of what her uncle and others may think of her and her present condition. The young couple finally agreed to be officially married in a church ceremony, which was to be conducted in both the countries of France and the United States so that each of their family members could attend and celebrate their wedding, and without knowledge of her pregnancy. Their baby girl is eventually born in Connecticut, where the young man's Italian family members engage in many facetious episodes while caring for both the baby and mother and verbally clashing occasionally due to their cultural differences.




The Devil Is Smooth Like Honey


Book Description

El narco. A monster. Un diablo. Jorge Hernandez had been called many things, and it always made him laugh. If there was one word that could be used to describe him, it would be untouchable. Corrupt politicians combined with his charming disposition had contributed to Jorges success, but it was often the underlying threats behind his handsome smile that sealed the deal. He was unstoppable. In Paige Nol, he had met his match. She was a woman as dangerous and sadistic as she was soft and gentle. The last thing he expected was to propose after an explosive first meeting, but the intense fire between them was as addictive as the thrill of violence and power. When some of his personal enemies turn up dead, Jorge shuffles his daughter into a Canadian school, deciding that things are getting a little too hot in Mexico; but does life ever slow down in this dark underground world? The devil is smooth like honey, but is heaven ever far away?




No Compromise


Book Description

As the driven executive director of The Sanctuary, a program dedicated to reaching out to victimized women, Jolene Walker has neither the time nor the energy for a personal life...until she meets United States Army Captain Michael Kirkland, a sexy, powerfully compelling intelligence expert who tempts her to trade in her eighteen-hour work days for sultry nights of sizzling passion. But their bliss is shattered when Jolene takes on a mysterious new client whose deadly secrets plunge her into a terrifying world of danger, leaving Michael no choice but to risk everything to save the woman he loves...




Isolation


Book Description

Overwhelmed by family stresses and longing to paint again, Negin retreats to her secluded mountain cabin. Unexpected obstacles challenge her artistic reawakening and force her to confront her fear of being alone. Isolation allows readers to journey along with Negin in her quest for calm despite life’s raging storms.




Home Front


Book Description

"Home Front is Hannah's crowning achievement."—The Huffington Post In this powerhouse of a novel, Kristin Hannah explores the intimate landscape of a troubled marriage with this provocative and timely portrait of a husband and wife, in love and at war. All marriages have a breaking point. All families have wounds. All wars have a cost. . . . Like many couples, Michael and Jolene Zarkades have to face the pressures of everyday life—children, careers, bills, chores—even as their twelve-year marriage is falling apart. Then a deployment sends Jolene deep into harm's way and leaves defense attorney Michael at home, unaccustomed to being a single parent to their two girls. As a mother, it agonizes Jolene to leave her family, but as a solider, she has always understood the true meaning of duty. In her letters home, she paints a rose-colored version of her life on the front lines, shielding her family from the truth. But war will change Jolene in ways that none of them could have foreseen. When tragedy strikes, Michael must face his darkest fear and fight a battle of his own—for everything that matters to his family. At once a profoundly honest look at modern marriage and a dramatic exploration of the toll war takes on an ordinary American family, Home Front is a story of love, loss, heroism, honor, and ultimately, hope. "Hannah has written a remarkable tale of duty, love, strength, and hope that is at times poignant and always thoroughly captivating and relevant." —Library Journal (starred review)




Home Sweet Home


Book Description

From the widely praised author of the FBI Special Agent Ana Grey series and A Star for Mrs. Blake, this riveting epic drama follows the Kusek family from New York City to America's heartland, where they are caught up in the panic of McCarthyism, a smear campaign, a sensational trial, and, ultimately, murder. In the spring of 1950, Calvin and Betsy Kusek load their family in the station wagon and head west from New York City to relocate to a close-knit town in South Dakota. They settle on a ranch and begin a life in their new state. Betsy becomes a visiting nurse, befriending a quirky assortment of rural characters, and Cal jumps at the chance to serve his community when a seat opens up in the state legislature. Their children, Jo and Lance, grow up caring for animals and riding rodeo. But things change when Cal runs for the U.S. Senate. The FBI investigates Betsy, and a youthful dalliance with the Communist Party surfaces to haunt the Kuseks. Communist hysteria takes over their small town, inflamed by Cal’s political enemies. Driven by fear and hate, their neighbors turn on them. Decades later tragedy again strikes the family as the ghosts of their past come back to haunt them.




The Good the Bad and Everything Inbetween


Book Description

Imagine losing your best friend or falling in love with your best friend. What would you feel if you were abused every day by your husband? Or worked as a hooker on the corner market? What if you had a crappy job at the local supermarket and couldnt pay your rent? What if you lived in the French countryside, your life filled with happiness, sadness, loss, love, and life? What if life wasnt as simple as black and white? What if it was something else? Grey, with all the problems and complications of life, with all the ups and downs. How would you cope? Would you crumble and fall? Or would you survive? The characters of, The Good, the bad, and Everything Inbetween, know the outcome of the story; now its your turn to turn the page and begin the journey.