Download or read book Ellie Andrews Has Second Thoughts written by Ruth Saberton and published by Orion. This book was released on 2011-05-12 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Does a bride-to-be ever know for certain that she's chosen the right man? 'You won't put it down' CLOSER 'Ellie Andrews Has Second Thoughts is breathlessly wonderful from start to finish, with characters you'll adore and a story you won't want to end' Miranda Dickinson 'I absolutely loved Ellie. Seriously loved her, and that's what Ruth Saberton does best, she gives us a heroine to root for' CHICKLIT REVIEWS Ellie Andrews is finally getting married. Or she will be if she drinks enough champagne to pluck up the courage for her trip down the aisle. The problem is that after months spent bickering over menus and table placements, Ellie's never felt more distant from the man she's supposed to be spending the rest of her life with. As last minute nerves take hold, a night of soul-searching sees Ellie reflecting back on old flames in a bid to reassure herself she's making the right decision. There's Rupert - adoring but dull; Jay - the teenage crush; Marcus - sexy but toxic; and Xander - a true friend. But as the sun rises and the ceremony looms ever closer, Ellie is still unsure if she's doing the right thing. Then an unexpected encounter turns her world upside down. Should she take a chance? Or should she stick with the choices she's made? As Ellie makes her way to the church, only one question remains: who will be waiting for her at the altar?

Download or read book Amber Scott is Starting Over written by Ruth Saberton and published by Orion. This book was released on 2012-04-12 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A city girl through and through - how will she cope with country life? 'Amber is a gorgeous character to spend time with, and it's a real treat to find a genuinely funny, uplifting book' Fiona Walker Amber Scott loves her city life - a terrific job working on a glossy magazine, and a fiancé, Ed, she's known since Uni. Even if Ed doesn't take her job seriously (as a solicitor, he doesn't have much time for women's magazines!), it is Amber's dream job. So Ed's news that he has taken a job in the West Country turns Amber's world upside down. The new life in Cornwall does not get off to the best start. The huge house Ed was so keen on is, well, huge - what is Amber going to do with four acres? And do M&S make Aga-ready meals? And when a handsome, if surly, man leads the local hunt over her land, it's more than Amber can stand. So how is it that, before long Amber is friends with the local eccentric Lady of the Manor, making love potions at her mother's recommendation - and answering the door naked to strangers...?

Download or read book Disney Pixar and the Hidden Messages of Children s Films written by M. Keith Booker and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2009-11-25 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work is a wide-ranging survey of American children's film that provides detailed analysis of the political implications of these films, as well as a discussion of how movies intended for children have come to be so persistently charged with meaning. Disney, Pixar, and the Hidden Messages of Children's Films provides wide-ranging scrutiny of one of the most lucrative American entertainment genres. Beyond entertaining children—and parents—and ringing up merchandise sales, are these films attempting to shape the political views of young viewers? M. Keith Booker examines this question with a close reading of dozens of films from Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, and other studios, debunking some out-there claims—The Ant Bully communist propaganda?—while seriously considering the political content of each film. Disney, Pixar, and the Hidden Messages of Children's Films recaps the entire history of movies for young viewers—from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to this year's Up—then focuses on the extraordinary output of children's films in the last two decades. What Booker finds is that by and large, their lessons are decidedly, comfortably mainstream and any political subtext more often than not is inadvertent. Booker also offers some advice to parents for helping children read films in a more sophisticated way.

Download or read book Secret Whispers written by V.C. Andrews and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2010-02-23 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME... On the eve of her graduation from an exclusive private school, shy wallflower Semantha Heavenstone is caught in a whirl of scandal and betrayal. Now, she's returned to the grand Kentucky mansion where painful memories of her mother and her older sister, Cassie, are as potent as newly mown bluegrass. It seems no matter where she goes, Semantha is haunted by a voice from the grave -- spiteful, domineering Cassie, whose taunts and manipulations seem as real as when she was alive. ...AND NO END TO THE NIGHTMARE Soon her father will remarry, new memories -- and a new stepmother -- will replace the past...and Semantha herself has a chance at a bright future with a career inside the Heavenstone empire and handsome Ethan Hunter by her side. But someone will see to it that Semantha never forgets the tragedies of yesterday. Will Cassie's ghostly hold on Semantha destroy her hope and drive her to madness?

Download or read book My Sweet Audrina written by V.C. Andrews and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2015-12-29 with total page 560 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contains excerpt of Whitefern, sequel to My sweet Audrina.

Download or read book The Divines written by Ellie Eaton and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2021-02-18 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Set in the final days before a shocking tragedy forces an elite boarding school to shut its doors for good, Ellie Eaton's The Divines is a razor-sharp debut that asks the question: were you really as good as you remember? I am Divine. My mother was Divine and her mother before that, which isn't uncommon. Although that was at a time when being Divine meant something . . . The girls of elite English boarding school, St. John the Divine, were notorious for flipping their hair, harassing teachers, chasing boys and chain-smoking cigarettes. They were fiercely loyal, sharp-tongued, and cutting in the way that only teenage girls can be. But for Josephine, now in her thirties, her time at St. John feels like a lifetime ago. She hasn't spoken to another Divine in fifteen years, not since the day the school shut its doors in disgrace . . . But an impromptu visit reawakens blurry recollections of those doomed final weeks that rocked the community. With each memory that resurfaces, she circles closer to the ugly secret at the heart of the school's scandal. But the more Josephine recalls, the further her life unravels, derailing not just her marriage and career, but her entire sense of self. With the emotional power of My Dark Vanessa and the reflective haze of The Girls, The Divines is a compulsive debut exploring the intoxicating, destructive relationships between teenage girls. 'A cool, chilling and elegant novel' Sarah Perry, author of The Essex Serpent 'Perfectly twisted . . . Impossible to put down' Refinery29 'Captivating' Vulture 'An explosive debut' Stylist

Download or read book Katy Carter Wants a Hero written by Ruth Saberton and published by Orion. This book was released on 2010-04-01 with total page 347 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Katy Carter is a sucker for romance... A fun, feel-good, modern rom-com about one woman's search for her hero. Katy Carter knows she's no domestic goddess: she's scatterbrained, she needs a fire extinguisher at the ready when she's cooking, and she daily falls off the diet wagon. But that doesn't stop her fantasising about a hero to call her own. And Katy thinks she's found him in fiancé James, a charming, high-flying city banker. So why, then, does Katy find herself scribbling steamy historical romances every spare moment she gets, and daydreaming about becoming a published author when she ought to be paying attention in staff meetings? As her wedding day looms, Katy determines to become a wife James can be proud of, and employs the help of her best friend Oliver to impress his colleagues and his family. But despite best laid plans, the pair set off a hilarious train of events that leads Katy on a crazy journey through celebrity, chaos, makeovers and, finally, into the arms of her hero...

Download or read book The Newcomer written by Mary Kay Andrews and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2021-05-04 with total page 467 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mary Kay Andrews, the New York Times bestselling author and Queen of the Beach Reads delivers her next page-turner for the summer with The Newcomer. In trouble and on the run... After she discovers her sister Tanya dead on the floor of her fashionable New York City townhouse, Letty Carnahan is certain she knows who did it: Tanya’s ex; sleazy real estate entrepreneur Evan Wingfield. Even in the grip of grief and panic Letty heeds her late sister’s warnings: “If anything bad happens to me—it’s Evan. Promise me you’ll take Maya and run. Promise me.” With a trunkful of emotional baggage... So Letty grabs her sister’s Mercedes and hits the road with her wailing four-year-old niece Maya. Letty is determined to out-run Evan and the law, but run to where? Tanya, a woman with a past shrouded in secrets, left behind a “go-bag” of cash and a big honking diamond ring—but only one clue: a faded magazine story about a sleepy mom-and-pop motel in a Florida beach town with the improbable name of Treasure Island. She sheds her old life and checks into an uncertain future at The Murmuring Surf Motel. The No Vacancy sign is flashing & the sharks are circling... And that’s the good news. Because The Surf, as the regulars call it, is the winter home of a close-knit flock of retirees and snowbirds who regard this odd-duck newcomer with suspicion and down-right hostility. As Letty settles into the motel’s former storage room, she tries to heal Maya’s heartache and unravel the key to her sister’s shady past, all while dodging the attention of the owner’s dangerously attractive son Joe, who just happens to be a local police detective. Can Letty find romance as well as a room at the inn—or will Joe betray her secrets and put her behind bars? With danger closing in, it’s a race to find the truth and right the wrongs of the past.

Download or read book His Hers written by Alice Feeney and published by Flatiron Books. This book was released on 2020-07-28 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF Sometimes I Lie “Stunning. Addictive. This book should not be missed!” —Samantha Downing “Deliciously dark...will have readers tearing through the pages.” —Mary Kubica “Gives Gone Girl a run for its money...I couldn’t stop reading.” —Christina Dalcher There are two sides to every story: yours and mine, ours and theirs, His & Hers. Which means someone is always lying. When a woman is murdered in Blackdown, a quintessentially British village, newsreader Anna Andrews is reluctant to cover the case. Detective Jack Harper is suspicious of her involvement, until he becomes a suspect in his own murder investigation. Someone isn’t telling the truth, and some secrets are worth killing to keep. His & Hers is a twisty, smart, psychological thriller. A gripping tale of suspense, told by expertly-drawn narrators that will keep readers guessing until the very end. “For the ultimate rollercoaster reading experience this year, look no further than His & Hers by Alice Feeney.” —Woman & Home

Download or read book Blood Heir written by Ilona Andrews and published by NYLA. This book was released on 2021-01-12 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From award-winning author, Ilona Andrews, an all-new novel set in the New York Times #1 bestselling Kate Daniels World and featuring Julie Lennart-Olsen, Kate and Curran's ward. Atlanta was always a dangerous city. Now, as waves of magic and technology compete for supremacy, it’s a place caught in a slow apocalypse, where monsters spawn among the crumbling skyscrapers and supernatural factions struggle for power and survival. Eight years ago, Julie Lennart left Atlanta to find out who she was. Now she’s back with a new face, a new magic, and a new name—Aurelia Ryder—drawn by the urgent need to protect the family she left behind. An ancient power is stalking her adopted mother, Kate Daniels, an enemy unlike any other, and a string of horrifying murders is its opening gambit. If Aurelia’s true identity is discovered, those closest to her will die. So her plan is simple: get in, solve the murders, prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled, and get out without being recognized. She expected danger, but she never anticipated that the only man she'd ever loved could threaten everything. One small misstep could lead to disaster. But for Aurelia, facing disaster is easy; it’s relationships that are hard.

Download or read book The Love Hypothesis written by Ali Hazelwood and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2021-09-14 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Instant New York Times Bestseller and TikTok Sensation! As seen on THE VIEW! A BuzzFeed Best Summer Read of 2021 When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman's carefully calculated theories on love into chaos. As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships--but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees. That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor--and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding...six-pack abs. Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.

Download or read book The Other Twin written by L. V. Hay and published by Orenda Books. This book was released on 2017-05-03 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Poppy's sister falls to her death from a railway bridge, she begins her own investigation, with devastating results ... A startlingly twisty debut thriller. 'Uncovering the truth propels her into a world of deception. An unsettling whirlwind of a novel with a startlingly dark core. 5 Stars' The Sun 'Sharp, confident writing, as dark and twisty as the Brighton Lanes' Peter James 'Superb up-to-the-minute thriller. Prepare to be seriously disturbed' Paul Finch ____________________ When India falls to her death from a bridge over a railway, her sister Poppy returns home to Brighton for the first time in years. Unconvinced by official explanations, Poppy begins her own investigation into India's death. But the deeper she digs, the closer she comes to uncovering deeply buried secrets. Could Matthew Temple, the boyfriend she abandoned, be involved? And what of his powerful and wealthy parents, and his twin sister, Ana? Enter the mysterious and ethereal Jenny: the girl Poppy discovers after hacking into India's laptop. What is exactly is she hiding, and what did India discover...? A twisty, dark and sexy debut thriller set in the winding lanes and underbelly of Brighton, centring around the social media world, where resentments and accusations are played out, identities made and remade, and there is no such thing as the truth. ____________________ 'Well written, engrossing and brilliantly unique, this is a fab debut' Heat 'With twists and turns in every corner, prepare to be surprised by this psychological mystery' Closer 'Lucy V Hay's fiction debut is a twisted and chilling tale that takes place on the streets of Brighton ... Like Peter James before her, Hay utilises the Brighton setting to create a claustrophobic and complex read that will have you questioning and guessing from start to finish. The Other Twin is a killer crime-thriller that you won't be able to put down' CultureFly 'Crackles with tension' Karen Dionne 'A fresh and raw thrill-ride through Brighton ́s underbelly. What an enjoyable read!' Lilja Sigurðardóttir 'Slick and compulsive' Random Things through My Letterbox 'A propulsive, inventive and purely addictive psychological thriller for the social media age' Crime by the Book 'Intense, pacy, psychological debut. The author's background in scriptwriting shines through' Mari Hannah 'The book merges form and content so seamlessly ... a remarkable debut from an author with a fresh, intriguing voice and a rare mastery of the art of storytelling' Joel Hames 'This chilling, claustrophobic tale set in Brighton introduces an original, fresh new voice in crime fiction' Cal Moriarty 'The writing shines from every page of this twisted tale ... debuts don't come sharper than this' Ruth Dugdall 'Wrong-foots you in ALL the best ways' Caz Frear 'Original, daring and emotionally truthful' Paul Burston 'A cracker of a debut! I couldn't put it down' Paula Daly

Download or read book The Woman Beyond the Attic written by Andrew Neiderman and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2023-06-13 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “The woman who emerges from these pages is as riveting as her books” (The Wall Street Journal) in this compelling celebration of the famously private V.C. Andrews—featuring family photos, personal letters, a partial manuscript for an unpublished novel, and more. Best known for her internationally, multi-million-copy bestselling novel Flowers in the Attic, Cleo Virginia Andrews lived a fascinating life. Born to modest means, she came of age in the American South during the Great Depression and faced a series of increasingly challenging health issues. Yet, once she rose to international literary fame, she prided herself on her intense privacy. Now, The Woman Beyond the Attic aims to connect her personal life with the public novels for which she was famous. Based on Virginia’s own letters, and interviews with her dearest family members, her long-term ghostwriter Andrew Neiderman tells Virginia’s full story for the first time. Perfect for anyone hoping to learn more about the enigmatic woman behind one of the most important novels of the 20th century, The Woman Beyond the Attic will have you “transfixed” (Publishers Weekly) from the first page.

Download or read book The Turn of the Key written by Ruth Ware and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2019-08-06 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “A superb suspense writer…Brava, Ruth Ware. I daresay even Henry James would be impressed.” —Maureen Corrigan, author of So We Read On “This appropriately twisty Turn of the Screw update finds the Woman in Cabin 10 author in her most menacing mode, unfurling a shocking saga of murder and deception.” —Entertainment Weekly From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lying Game and The Death of Mrs. Westaway comes this thrilling novel that explores the dark side of technology. When she stumbles across the ad, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss—a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten—by the luxurious “smart” home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family. What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare—one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder. Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the events that led to her incarceration. It wasn’t just the constant surveillance from the home’s cameras, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music, or turned the lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn’t just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn’t even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman. It was everything. She knows she’s made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post, and that her behavior toward the children wasn’t always ideal. She’s not innocent, by any means. But, she maintains, she’s not guilty—at least not of murder—but somebody is. Full of spellbinding menace and told in Ruth Ware’s signature suspenseful style, The Turn of the Key is an unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.

Download or read book Family Storms written by V.C. Andrews and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2011-02-22 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first in a new series by New York Times bestselling author V.C. Andrews is a classic story featuring the dark side of jealousy—and the cruelty of deception. In the eye of the storm...is anywhere truly safe? Living on the streets with her destitute mother, selling knickknacks and trinkets just to survive, Sasha Porter dreams of someday having a normal life, with a real house and family. But she never dreamed a devastating tragedy would bring her those very things: on a stormy night by a rainspattered highway, a speeding car veers out of control, striking and killing her mother and badly injuring Sasha. In the hospital, Sasha is whisked off to a fancy private suite at the request of wealthy Mrs. Jordan March, a complete stranger who keeps watch by Sasha’s bedside and insists she come live at her family’s sprawling, luxurious mansion. Sasha soon learns Mrs. March never recovered from the loss of her daughter Alena, and with nowhere else to go, Sasha agrees to use Alena’s room, sleep in her bed, and wear her clothes. But someone will make sure that Sasha never takes Alena’s place: a jealous sister dead set on making Sasha’s life a living hell.

Download or read book Friend of My Youth written by Alice Munro and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2012-04-25 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A “wickedly funny” (Newsweek) collection of ten short stories from Nobel Prize–winning author Alice Munro, “one of the most eloquent and gifted writers of contemporary fiction” (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times). “Each of her collections demonstrates such linguistic skill, delicacy of vision, and . . . moral strength and clarity.”—Chicago Tribune A woman haunted by dreams of her dead mother. An adulterous couple stepping over the line where the initial excitement ends and the pain begins. A widow visiting a Scottish village in search of her husband’s past—and instead discovering unsetting truths about a total stranger. The miraculously accomplished stories in this collection not only astonish and delight, but also convey the unspoken mysteries at the heart of all human experience. The mastery—the almost numinous ability to say the unsayable—makes Friend of My Youth a genuine literary event.

Download or read book Cockatiels at Seven written by Donna Andrews and published by Minotaur Books. This book was released on 2009-06-30 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It's time for more outrageous and feathered fun in the award-winning, laugh-out-loud Meg Langslow series. When her old friend Karen drops by with two-year-old son Timmy, Meg Langslow reluctantly agrees to babysit "just for a little while." But when nightfall comes, the toddler is still in residence and Karen isn't answering any phone calls. Meg decides she must find out what's happening, so the next morning, with Timmy in tow, she retraces her friend's footsteps---and begins to suspect that Karen's disappearance is tied to at least one serious crime. Has Karen been killed or kidnapped? Is she on the run from the bad guys? Or is she one of the bad guys? The police don't seem to care, so Meg once again plays sleuth---this time with a toddler as her sidekick. As usual, Meg's extended family adds to the complications in her life. What covert animal welfare project are Dad and the curmudgeonly zoologist Dr. Montgomery Blake working on---and will Meg have to make another late-night trip to bail them out of jail? Why does Meg's brother keep disappearing---is he merely trying to avoid babysitting, or is he involved in something more mysterious? Will taking care of Timmy dampen newly married Meg and Michael's enthusiasm for starting a family of their own? And are any of Meg's relatives reliable enough to be trusted with a two-year-old---especially a two-year-old whose whereabouts might be of interest to some very dangerous people? Donna Andrews once again proves her skill as one of the funniest, most entertaining mystery authors around.