If You Want Me Close


Book Description

Step 1: Fall for your best friend. Step 2: Support him when tragedy strikes. Step 3: Figure out how you screwed up Step 2. Bisexual event coordinator Simon Novotny thrives on connection. He cherishes his large, queer-friendly family and his friends—especially his cute, brilliant work bestie, gay IT geek Ziah Holdaway. It’s taken forever for Simon to to coax Ziah out of his shell. Time and again people have let him down, especially those who should have loved him unconditionally. But Simon would do anything for Ziah: text him jokes when he's down, bring him homemade lunches, change his tire in the rain. Heck, if Ziah needs a kidney, Simon's got two. Minor crush? Maybe, but Simon's not a make-the-first-move kind of guy. So when an unplanned hookup with Ziah proves their chemistry is off the charts, it also shakes Simon to his core. Because for Ziah, it's not casual, it's love. Before Simon can fully process his feelings, a life-altering tragedy upends Ziah's world. Simon throws himself into helping and also rallies his family. But for Ziah, family means rejection, and Simon's uber-helpful clan sets off major alarm bells. Can they find a middle path through the storm, or will this crisis cost them both their romance and their friendship? A high-heat contemporary M/M romance novel with a guaranteed HEA. Tropes: friends to lovers, hurt-comfort, grief, nerds in love, bisexual disaster, single parent. Detailed content warnings are available in the book's front matter and on the author's website.




Slow Down


Book Description

The days are long, but the years are short. No matter if it’s your child’s first step, first day of school, or first night tucked away in a new dorm room away from home, there comes a moment when you realize just how quickly the years are flying by. Christian music artist Nichole Nordeman’s profound lyrics in her viral hit “Slow Down” struck a chord with moms everywhere, and now this beautiful four-color book will inspire you to celebrate the everyday moments of motherhood. Filled with thought-provoking writings from Nichole, as well as guest writings from friends including Shauna Niequist and Jen Hatmaker, practical tips, and journaling space for reflection, Slow Down will be a poignant gift for any mom, as well as a treasured keepsake. Take a few moments to reflect and celebrate the privilege of being a parent and getting to watch your little ones grow—and Slow Down. Nichole Nordeman has sold more than 1 million albums as a Christian music artist and has won 9 GMA Dove Awards, including two awards for Female Vocalist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year. Nichole released a lyric video for her song “Slow Down,” and it struck a chord with parents everywhere, amassing 14 million views in its first five days. She lives in Oklahoma with her two children.




How to Fall in Love with Anyone


Book Description

“A beautifully written and well-researched cultural criticism as well as an honest memoir” (Los Angeles Review of Books) from the author of the popular New York Times essay, “To Fall in Love with Anyone, Do This,” explores the romantic myths we create and explains how they limit our ability to achieve and sustain intimacy. What really makes love last? Does love ever work the way we say it does in movies and books and Facebook posts? Or does obsessing over those love stories hurt our real-life relationships? When her parents divorced after a twenty-eight year marriage and her own ten-year relationship ended, those were the questions that Mandy Len Catron wanted to answer. In a series of candid, vulnerable, and wise essays that takes a closer look at what it means to love someone, be loved, and how we present our love to the world, “Catron melds science and emotion beautifully into a thoughtful and thought-provoking meditation” (Bookpage). She delves back to 1944, when her grandparents met in a coal mining town in Appalachia, to her own dating life as a professor in Vancouver. She uses biologists’ research into dopamine triggers to ask whether the need to love is an innate human drive. She uses literary theory to show why we prefer certain kinds of love stories. She urges us to question the unwritten scripts we follow in relationships and looks into where those scripts come from. And she tells the story of how she decided to test an experiment that she’d read about—where the goal was to create intimacy between strangers using a list of thirty-six questions—and ended up in the surreal situation of having millions of people following her brand-new relationship. “Perfect fodder for the romantic and the cynic in all of us” (Booklist), How to Fall in Love with Anyone flips the script on love. “Clear-eyed and full of heart, it is mandatory reading for anyone coping with—or curious about—the challenges of contemporary courtship” (The Toronto Star).




When A Heartless Thug Holds Me Close 4


Book Description

Zeus Townsend has always held it together for his brothers. Being the oldest of four, Zeus was not only their older brother, but a father figure after the jailhouse murder of their father nearly fifteen years ago. However, with the Assan Brothers gone for good, Zeus is able to start building the life he sacrificed for the sake of holding his family down. Three years later, he has done exactly that: his position as connect has brought him wealth, he has the woman of his dreams by his side, and for the first time since he was younger, he's happy. Unfortunately for the eldest Townsend Brother, happiness can only be short lived. In a twist of events, Zeus’ blissful existence is ruined by a secret that was supposed to be taken to the grave. Forced to move on without the love of his life, Zeus is convinced that he’ll never love again until he meets the mysterious Quincy Burton. She's the best thing he never knew he needed, yet their connection goes deeper than between the sheets. She's an Assan Sister and while her intentions are pure, her bloodline isn’t. While Zeus focuses on starting over, his brother, Hasani, and sister-in-law, Gia, are newlyweds maneuvering marital problems made for veteran unions. When it comes to remaining faithful to his fiancée, Hasani Townsend has come a long way from the remorseless adulterer he once was. Too bad for him, his history is known to someone who threatens to not only take down his family, but ruin his marriage before it even begins. One drunken night at his bachelor party is the first nail in the coffin of their dying marriage. Two fatal gunshots change the trajectory of their entire relationship, placing a deep crack in an already shaky foundation. Three years of relationship building is destroyed at a discovery made by Hasani, causing him to wonder if he wasn’t the only one sneaking and creeping. However, for all of their marital lows, Hasani and Gia remain connected through their ability to push aside their issues and be the rock each other needs when life gets tough. But with all of their secrets and lies coming out, Hasani has to decide whether he's going to tough it out and remain with the woman he loves, or if it’s best to walk away. Born into the Luchesi Crime Family, Gianna Luchesi was raised with access to guns, money, and power. Instead of relying on her family name to create her legacy, Gia goes to medical school and uses her position as a front for her real job, which is running a lucrative arms business from New York City. While her position as an arms dealer brings her joy, Gia is constantly at odds with Hasani when it comes to her future. Hasani is supportive in every way possible, but aside from his past transgressions, he wants her to play it safe when the life she has chosen for herself is anything but. However, when an enemy targeting the Townsend Brothers places a bullseye on her back, Gia has no choice but to insert herself and everyone bearing her notorious last name into a war for the ages. Gia remains strong on the business side despite her personal life suffering. Her marriage to Hasani has taken several blows over a short amount of time due to enemies who wish to see her suffer, but when Gia discovers that the fatal blow was delivered by someone who was supposed to have her back, Gia has to save her marriage before Hasani throws in the towel. When a Heartless Thug Holds Me Close 4, a true love story, is filled with earth shattering secrets, volatile lies, and a reminder that like ghosts, real grudges never die.




Mastering Yourself, How To Align Your Life With Your True Calling & Reach Your Full Potential


Book Description

Dear Friend, This book teaches you the hidden secrets of self-reliance so you can reach your full potential and accomplish your grandest goals and dreams. It will help you to discover your true purpose and calling in life. How to get any job or career you want. How you can get the upper hand in any personal or professional negotiation. The ultimate time management strategy that will help you maximize the use of your time, enable you to focus on your core competencies and reach your goals in the quickest most efficient way possible. It will teach you success and problem solving mindsets and skillsets that will enable you to overcome any obstacle, challenge or setback. The secrets to health, vitality and unlimited energy that keeps you free from common colds, flu and illnesses so you can enjoy your life with exceptional mental clarity, focus and efficiency




If You Were Me


Book Description

Sheila O'Flanagan's bestseller IF YOU WERE ME will make readers wonder: what would I do if my first love came back into my life? A must-read if you enjoy the novels of Veronica Henry and Catherine Alliott. You're engaged to a great man. You're on a countdown to your wedding day. You stopped thinking about your first love a long time ago. But what if one unexpected, forbidden kiss were to throw your life upside down? Carlotta O'Keefe suddenly finds herself wondering if the girl she was would recognise the woman she has become. She thought she was living a charmed life. But what if she's got it all wrong? What if her past is meant to be her future? What readers are saying about If You Were Me: 'One of [Sheila O'Flanagan's] best books - just a sweet story about the one that got away. Empowering and refreshing' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'Great characters, fast-paced and very entertaining - I couldn't put it down' Amazon reviewer, 5 stars 'I loved this juicy book. I loved Carlotta's drive, ambition and strength. This book will appeal to a lot of women' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars




Falling for the Billionaire Wolf and His Baby


Book Description

When Jessa Talbot’s boss offered her a promotion, she agreed—no questions asked. Her family needed the money, but fighting the attraction she feels for her brooding employer is tough. Worse, she instantly bonds with his infant son she’s caring for. But this is a temporary solution and she can’t get attached to either of them. Finnegan Dean is cursed. He’s a nicely dressed monster, the wolf inside always looking for a way out. But there are two things he and his wolf agree on. They must protect baby Oscar and Jessa—his mate. While the wolf hungers to seal their bond, Finn fights the instinct. After all, if he really cares for her, he’d never doom her to the life he lives. Books in the Blood Moon Brotherhood series: Falling for the Billionaire Wolf and His Baby Rescued by the Wolf Protecting the Wolf's Mate




If You Want Me to Stay


Book Description

When Joel Dunn, Jr.'s mother leaves and his father fades into insanity, he and his little brother, Tank, set off on a journey to reunite with their mother, but as they become caught between the idealism of childhood and the realities of adulthood, they find that one sure thing may be right by their sides all along.




Any Way You Want Me


Book Description

PROLOGUE "You know what your problem is?" Gatlin bit out. "You're too damn naïve. Not everything in life is all butterflies and sunshine Kylie." "And do you know what your problem is?" Kylie shot back. "You're too damn jaded. You wouldn't know happiness if it bit you in the ass," she continued. "You're content being miserable — and I'm going to leave you to that because it has no place in my world of butterflies and sunshine," she ended, storming past Gatlin. His arm snaked out and grabbed her. "Let go … of … me," Kylie bit out as she fought against her rising tide of passion. Gatlin's heat-seeking tongue melted her last bit of resistance. Kylie dug her hands into his thick, dark hair. Gatlin slowed his assault on her mouth, moving to the golden column of her neck. "No, no, no … stop. Stop Gatlin," her words slowly penetrated his aroused state. "This doesn't solve anything," she said, tears rolling down her cheeks. It's never been our problem … and it won't be our salvation." Shaking off his desire to focus as best as he could, Gatlin responded, "It's a damn good place to start," and reached for her again. "Gatlin stop!" Kylie yelled. "Don’t you see? This is just another way for you to not deal with your real feelings. … I'm looking for real, lasting, soul-connecting love; not some casual roll in the hay!" "You know you mean more to me than just a roll in the hay," Gatlin said. "I really care about you Kylie." "I love you Gatlin. And I know it's not something a modern woman is supposed to say so early in a relationship. But there it is. And I don't expect you to do anything or say anything. I just wanted you to know where I'm coming from." "In my world, love is not complicated. Difficult at times? Yes. But hard? No. You're absolutely right, I do believe in butterflies and sunshine. I believe in love — and I won't let anybody make me feel bad about that or take that away from me." "The thing is, I know you love me too. But you just won't let yourself trust that what we have is real. And I refuse to spend my life trying to prove it to you." ### "Stop hitting my mom!" Gatlin yelled, jumping in front of his mother to prevent his father from landing another blow. "This is between your mother and me boy!" his father said in his drunken slur. "Go to your room. I'm ok honey." "I'm not leaving you," Gatlin cried, his seven-year-old voice cracking with fear as he tried to drag his mom from the room. As his father prepared to land another blow, Gatlin kicked him in the groin. He doubled over in pain, shouting, "You miserable little piece of shit! I'll kill you for this!" Gatlin's mother ran to his side. "Honey are you alright? " she said, wiping blood from the side of her lip with one hand while she consoled his father with the other. ### Gatlin had mentally catalogued hundreds of these memories from his childhood. But this particular one stuck with him vividly. He realized why when Kylie said, "I believe in love and I won't let anybody take that away from me." When his mother had gone to his father to comfort him, instead of coming to him, a frightened 7-year-old, he realized the power of love. His mother had loved his father beyond all rhyme and reason — even beyond her child. He didn't realize it, but that had been the moment he'd stopped believing in love. Love hurt. It was cruel. It wasn't kind. It was loyal to the wrong people. ### Can Kylie trust that what's between them will blossom into everlasting love, or will Gatlin's painful past always be a barrier to their happily ever after? ### african american romance, contemporary romance, interracial romance, bwwm romance, multicultural romance, drama romance, short romance, steamy romance, suspense romance




Call If You Need Me


Book Description

The complete uncollected fiction and nonfiction, including the five posthumously discovered “last” stories, published here in book form for the first time—from “one of the great short story writers of our time—of any time” (The Philadelphia Inquirer). Call If You Need Me includes all of the prose previously collected in No Heroics, Please, four essays from Fires, and those five marvelous stories that range over the period of Carver’s mature writing and give his devoted readers a final glimpse of the great writer at work. The pure pleasure of Carver’s writing is everywhere in his work, here no less than in those stories that have already entered the canon of modern literature.