The one book every 20-something should own--from the coauthor of the bestselling Quarterlife Crisis After graduation, most students go into "the real world" with a stack of student loans and a million questions. But thanks to Abby Wilner, the coauthor of the bestselling book Quarterlife Crisis...  more

The one book every 20-something should own--from the coauthor of the bestselling Quarterlife Crisis After graduation, most students go into "the real world" with a stack of student loans and a million questions. But thanks to Abby Wilner, the coauthor of the bestselling book Quarterlife Crisis and creator of the website Quarterlifecrisis.com, and Catherine Stocker, you can navigate life's challenges with the ultimate "field guide." The Quarterlifer's Companion is a must-have instruction manual for everything you never learned in school. This all-in-one guide includes practical information on: Finding a job Filing taxes Starting a 401(K) plan Creating contacts Building a support group Handling credit and loans Balancing work and play And much more This is the essential companion to the bestselling Quarterlife Crisis.

A woman's 20s are a roller coaster of highs and lows, unseen twists, and frustrating turns. Irreverent yet helpful and information, The Go-Girl Guide covers everything from dating to climbing the career ladder to dealing with a body that has packed on some pounds, exactly what girls just...  more

A woman's 20s are a roller coaster of highs and lows, unseen twists, and frustrating turns. Irreverent yet helpful and information, The Go-Girl Guide covers everything from dating to climbing the career ladder to dealing with a body that has packed on some pounds, exactly what girls just entering or already swimming in this brave new world need to know. Julia Bourland's straight-talking survival guide puts the entire decade in perspective, giving you a sense that the uncensored insider's scoop from an older, more worldly sister.

A stylishly smart collection of practical advice for the busy modern woman With information on entertaining, etiquette, housekeeping, basic home repair, decorating, sex, and beauty, this indispensable book has everything today's young woman should know-but may not! The Modern Girl's...  more

A stylishly smart collection of practical advice for the busy modern woman With information on entertaining, etiquette, housekeeping, basic home repair, decorating, sex, and beauty, this indispensable book has everything today's young woman should know-but may not! The Modern Girl's Guide to Life is a collection of all the helpful tips and secrets that get passed on from generation to generation, but many of us have somehow missed. It's full of practical, definitive advice on the basics -- the day-to-day necessities like finding a bra that fits, balancing a checkbook, making a decent cup of coffee, and hemming a pair of pants. Modern Girl guru Jane Buckingham includes loads of savvy counsel to help us feel more refined, in charge, and together as we navigate the rocky terrain that is twenty-first-century womanhood.

It's the real thing. It's about getting your life together. It's about looking damn fine. It's about man handling. It's about the casa question. About solitude. About stain removal. Whether you're a young woman just out of school and starting a career or a harriedly successful thirty-something,...  more

It's the real thing. It's about getting your life together. It's about looking damn fine. It's about man handling. It's about the casa question. About solitude. About stain removal. Whether you're a young woman just out of school and starting a career or a harriedly successful thirty-something, if you're still wasting time looking for stockings that match or struggling to keep on top of credit card bills, you need help. And not a glossy monthly's unattainable idea of help, but the stuff that works--the nuts and bolts. Anna Johnson's Three Black Skirts is the book that delivers. In a voice that's knowing, smart, hip and funny--and with the author's own retro illustrations to match--Ms. Johnson cuts right to the core of the chaos that passes for life today and shows how to find order, balance, fulfillment. She covers it all: health, dating, career moves, finances, entertaining, body image, sex, and, of course, the indispensability of owning three black skirts. She offers the twenty basics for money management, and three keys for shopaholics to gain control over their passion. A workshop to build better food habits. Ten ways to get to sleep. Dress codes to the major cities. A Schmoozer's Guide to Compliments. Principles of Modern Courtship. And everything in between, from an extensive stain removal chart to eleven ideas for reawakening your spiritual life.

An entertaining personality profiler gathers evaluations from the individual, partners, family, friends, and co-workers, and includes color-coded tests and self-scoring devices.  Introducing the dynamic new system of analyzing our personalities -- more accurate than the Meyers-Briggs and...  more

An entertaining personality profiler gathers evaluations from the individual, partners, family, friends, and co-workers, and includes color-coded tests and self-scoring devices.  Introducing the dynamic new system of analyzing our personalities -- more accurate than the Meyers-Briggs and the MMPI -- that takes into account not only what you think about yourself but what others think about you as well.

Truely Noonan is the quintessential Southern boy made good. Like his older sister, Courtney, Truely left behind the slow, sweet life of Mississippi for jet-set San Francisco, where he earned a fortune as an Internet entrepreneur. Courtney and Truely each find happy marriages--until, as if cursed...  more

Truely Noonan is the quintessential Southern boy made good. Like his older sister, Courtney, Truely left behind the slow, sweet life of Mississippi for jet-set San Francisco, where he earned a fortune as an Internet entrepreneur. Courtney and Truely each find happy marriages--until, as if cursed by success, those marriages start to crumble. Then their lives are interrupted by an unexpected stranger--a troubled teenager named Arnold, garrulous, charming, thuggishly dressed, and determined to move in to their world. Arnold turns their lives upside down--and in the process this unlikely trio becomes the family that each had been searching for. In the best Southern fiction tradition, Kincaid has brought us an inspiring story about finding the way home.

Same mom. Same dad. Completely different lives. Who's to say which sister has it sweeter? Viney Haverford always told her daughters to "be sweet." But the only thing sweet about Charlene Haverford these days is her sweet tooth. Little sister Janni is the nice one. The one with...  more

Same mom. Same dad. Completely different lives. Who's to say which sister has it sweeter? Viney Haverford always told her daughters to "be sweet." But the only thing sweet about Charlene Haverford these days is her sweet tooth. Little sister Janni is the nice one. The one with the intact marriage, the great kids, the stable life on the family homestead in Tappery, Michigan. Charlene's the sister who left town heartbroken and humiliated but built a sweet life for herself half a continent away: High-octane job. Red BMW. Seaside cottage. And an uncomplicated relationship with a great-looking man. Charlene might not be the sweet sister, but she still craves sweets, like the incomparable maple syrup from her family's own maples. Which is why she's finally come home. And to make sure her tightfisted sister doesn't botch plans for their parents' 50th anniversary bash. And to show the local gossips that she's not the loser they think she is. But Charlene's time in Tappery proves stickier than anticipated. Sweet Janni has turned moody, Mom's acting paranoid, Dad may be sneaking around with a local widow, the local police seem to be stalking them all, and the little twinge in Charlene's mouth has morphed into a full-blown, sugar-induced toothache. A hunky local dentist offers delicious diversion. But just when things get cozy, a series of revelations open both sisters' hearts to sweet possibilities they never even imagined.

CIJI WAREA winner of the Romantic Times Gold Medal Award, beloved author Ciji Ware tantalizes readers with enchanting tales of love set amid richly researched, vividly alive periods, past and present. Her unique, dramatic stories, peopled with characters who touch our deepest emotions, live on...  more

CIJI WAREA winner of the Romantic Times Gold Medal Award, beloved author Ciji Ware tantalizes readers with enchanting tales of love set amid richly researched, vividly alive periods, past and present. Her unique, dramatic stories, peopled with characters who touch our deepest emotions, live on in our hearts long after we finish the final pages. MIDNIGHT ON JULIA STREETThe sultry allure of New Orleans comes to dazzling life in this enthralling tale of passion and mystery that sweeps from the modern heart of the Big Easy back to the shimmering city of a century past. Reporter Corlis McCullough's passion for the truth has cost her more jobs than she cares to remember. She would like to keep this one . . . even if it means chasing a story involving historical preservationist King Duvallon, an adversary from her college years. After a decade, he still manages to incite her fury--and worse: a growing attraction as strong and unstoppable as the tides along the Delta. But as Corlis is swept one hundred fifty years into the past, she witnesses the yearning desires and daring passions of a drama that will be replayed nearly two centuries later. . . .

At the beginning of World War II, twelve-year-old Nora Lynch is one of thousands of London children sent away to the safety of the English countryside. Her surrogate family, Reverend and Mrs. Rivers and their daughter Grace, are like no-one she has ever met, offering shelter, affection, and the...  more

At the beginning of World War II, twelve-year-old Nora Lynch is one of thousands of London children sent away to the safety of the English countryside. Her surrogate family, Reverend and Mrs. Rivers and their daughter Grace, are like no-one she has ever met, offering shelter, affection, and the sister she never had. But Nora is too young and too naïve to understand the cracks beneath the surface of her idyllic new life at the rectory, or the disappointments of the Riverses' marriage. And as her friendship with Grace grows more intense, she aches to become even closer. What happens next is a secret that she keeps for more than fifty years, a secret that she can begin to reveal only when, elderly and alone, Nora knows that she is close to the end. A beautiful meditation on love, friendship, and family, Days of Grace is a stunning debut that brings a tumultuous era to life. Nora tells her story in alternating chapters from the past and present, projecting her childhood nostalgia with a cinematic glow.

The first commandment of flamenco is Dame la verdad -- Give me the truth. But for Cyndi Rae Hrncir, a shy seventeen-year-old, the truth is too painful to share. When Rae becomes infatuated with the devastatingly handsome flamenco guitarist Tomás Montenegro, she and her best friend, Didi,...  more

The first commandment of flamenco is Dame la verdad -- Give me the truth. But for Cyndi Rae Hrncir, a shy seventeen-year-old, the truth is too painful to share. When Rae becomes infatuated with the devastatingly handsome flamenco guitarist Tomás Montenegro, she and her best friend, Didi, immerse themselves in the exotic world of the Gypsy dance and in the spellbinding stories told by their legendary teacher, Doña Carlota, Tomás's great-aunt. Locked in a volatile triangle and driven by obsession -- Didi with fame, Rae with Tomás, and Tomás with the mystery of his origin -- the three sharpen their performances, while danger, longing, and betrayal pulse beneath each step. When a heartbreaking longheld secret comes to light, Rae is duty-bound to honor the laws of flamenco and finally reveal the truth.

A young widow finds love and friendship when she starts a community garden in the overgrown walled garden of a mysterious mansion.

An electrifying epic, based on the incredible true story of a Chinese princess turned spy. Peking, 1914. When the eight-year-old princess Eastern Jewel is caught spying on her father's liaison with a servant girl, she is banished from the palace, sent to live with a powerful family in...  more

An electrifying epic, based on the incredible true story of a Chinese princess turned spy. Peking, 1914. When the eight-year-old princess Eastern Jewel is caught spying on her father's liaison with a servant girl, she is banished from the palace, sent to live with a powerful family in Japan. Renamed Yoshiko Kawashima, she quickly falls in love with her adoptive country, where she earns a scandalous reputation, taking fencing lessons, smoking opium, and entertaining numerous lovers. Sent to Mongolia to become an obedient wife, Yoshiko mounts a daring escape and eventually finds her way back to Peking high society--this time with orders from the Japanese secret service. Based on the true story of a rebellious woman who earned a controversial place in history, The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel is a vibrant reimagining of a thrilling life--a rich historical epic of palace intrigue, sexual manipulation, and international espionage.

Oh, the dream of escaping to Italy–and the nightmare of reality. . . . Belinda Smith has found her very own Tuscan valley in the sun, having abandoned a dreary cheating husband and an even drearier English town. Running Casa Mia, her own too, too divine bed and breakfast, everything...  more

Oh, the dream of escaping to Italy–and the nightmare of reality. . . . Belinda Smith has found her very own Tuscan valley in the sun, having abandoned a dreary cheating husband and an even drearier English town. Running Casa Mia, her own too, too divine bed and breakfast, everything is coming up sunflowers and olive groves for La Contessa of the Valley. Life couldn’t be more perfecto! Until, that is, the arrival of Lauren–a beautiful, feisty Wall Street ball-breaker who has the gall to announce her plans to open a new B&B. A place just like Belinda’s–only much more glamorous. Even worse, Lauren, whose charmingly calculated smile Belinda recognizes as quite like her own, threatens Belinda’s existence as the epicenter of all things ex-patriot in the valley. Have Belinda’s fabulous days of ruling supreme in this corner of the world come to an end? Will the carnivorous Lauren consume Belinda’s dreams al fresco? Will Lauren’s gorgeous son Kyle steal Belinda’s lovely, overworked daughter away from home and hearth (who will do the cleaning, for God’s sake?). War has come to lovely Tuscany–let the fur and focaccia fly!

Dissatisfied with her job as a pharmaceutical rep and struggling with the decline of her long-term relationship, Grace, a well-heeled Londoner, uses yoga class to unwind, reflect, and momentarily transcend her earthly dilemmas. While pitching her company?s latest antidepressant to the disarming...  more

Dissatisfied with her job as a pharmaceutical rep and struggling with the decline of her long-term relationship, Grace, a well-heeled Londoner, uses yoga class to unwind, reflect, and momentarily transcend her earthly dilemmas. While pitching her company?s latest antidepressant to the disarming Dr. James, she is inspired by his plan to study Eastern medicine in Vietnam and decides to quit her job to become a yoga teacher.After studying at the eccentric White Lotus Foundation in California, Grace returns to London, ready for her new life.  But nothing could have prepared her for the motley crew of students she amasses--from the octogenarian industrialist desperate for distraction, the supermodel who indulges yogic aspirations when she tires of kabbalah, to the American film star who uses yoga classes to conceal a scandalous affair. Overwhelmed, Grace soon finds herself relying on her bi-continental correspondence with Dr. James for solace and inspiration, his words hovering above her London life like a sweet promise.With an eye for the absurdity in every encounter, Alexandra Gray gently skewers our society?s preference for a quick-fix nirvana in this chronicle of one woman?s quest for love and meaning in a world numbed by materialism and psychotropic drugs.

At twenty-six, Seattle-based chef Kate Linden still has the urge to dye her hair blue and learn to play electric bass. But when she's abruptly fired from the city's hottest restaurant, and her ex-boyfriend, Gaston, announces he's getting married to a woman he's only recently met, Kate feels...  more

At twenty-six, Seattle-based chef Kate Linden still has the urge to dye her hair blue and learn to play electric bass. But when she's abruptly fired from the city's hottest restaurant, and her ex-boyfriend, Gaston, announces he's getting married to a woman he's only recently met, Kate feels life's opportunities slipping away. Suddenly she's convinced that Gaston may be her last chance at a happy walk down the aisle. So she cooks up a scheme so grand her ex will be eating out of her hands in no time... It's the perfect recipe for happiness. Until some unexpected ingredients fall into the pot-including a man she'd rather be cooking for.

After Andrea Wolkowicz abandons corporate life to help care for her sister, she quickly wears out the want ads in their rust-belt hometown. Time to be her own boss. Every mogul knows the best idea is an old idea with a new twist. So Andi proudly revives her father's business: an...  more

After Andrea Wolkowicz abandons corporate life to help care for her sister, she quickly wears out the want ads in their rust-belt hometown. Time to be her own boss. Every mogul knows the best idea is an old idea with a new twist. So Andi proudly revives her father's business: an old-fashioned car wash -- staffed entirely by bikini-clad women. That ought to get traffic -- and blood -- flowing on Grosvenor Street! This gutsy gimmick soon has the whole town in a lather, and not necessarily in a good way. Scandalized citizens are howling, neighboring businesses are worried. But straitlaced grocery-store owner Pete Guthrie is definitely intrigued. He knows it's hard to run a small business in a big-box world. To him, Andi's brains and bravery are as alluring as the bikini she calls business attire.

"No longer just her -- but her with a baby." From the acclaimed bestselling author of "The Accidental Mother" and "Another Mother's Life" comes a moving novel of how having a child really does change your life... forever. When a spur-of-the-moment romantic weekend in Venice has an unexpected...  more

"No longer just her -- but her with a baby." From the acclaimed bestselling author of "The Accidental Mother" and "Another Mother's Life" comes a moving novel of how having a child really does change your life... forever. When a spur-of-the-moment romantic weekend in Venice has an unexpected outcome, Natalie Curzon thinks she's ready to take on single motherhood. But while it's love at first sight between Natalie and baby Freddie, being on leave from the office, alone all day with her baby and her post-pregnancy hormones, makes her feel trapped in some alien body. Just when she's at her wit's end, a major electrical issue in her London home leads Natalie to a whole new circle of friends. There's handsome, dependable Gary the electrician, and his assistant's young girlfriend Tiffany -- also the mother of a surprise baby. A crazy impulse leads Natalie to invent a husband who's working in Dubai, but when she and Tiffany decide to start a baby group, Natalie finds her lie spiraling out of control. Then Freddie's real father, Jack, unexpectedly reappears, and Natalie realizes just how much there is to win or lose... not just for herself, but her baby as well. A comedy of errors, a lesson in living, but most of all a story told straight from the heart, "Mommy By Mistake" is a funny and poignant tale for anyone whose heart has ever lifted at the sight of a baby's smile.

Kerry Spence is unfulfilled by her soulless career in advertising, disappointed by her dysfunctional relationship, and horrified by the ever-increasing size of her ass. Ever since her gorgeous, self-absorbed boyfriend Sam demoted her to late night hook-up status, she has fortified herself with...  more

Kerry Spence is unfulfilled by her soulless career in advertising, disappointed by her dysfunctional relationship, and horrified by the ever-increasing size of her ass. Ever since her gorgeous, self-absorbed boyfriend Sam demoted her to late night hook-up status, she has fortified herself with prime-time TV and blissful binges on cream cheese frosting, awaiting an epiphany that will reveal her next move. Of course, everybody in her life is full of advice. Her free-spirited divorcee mother -- when not necking furiously with her much younger boyfriend -- sagely counsels her daughter to do whatever it takes to snag Sam back, since, quite frankly, he is the best she can do. Her friends ply her with fruity cocktails and dispense bits of ‘Cosmo’ wisdom like "Divide your age in half and add seven -- that's the youngest man you are allowed to date" and "Scotch tape can eliminate forehead wrinkles." And then there is Kerry’s shrink, the calm, unflappable therapist who suggests she start "a diary of past encounters with men that may be contributing to her negative and dysfunctional quasi-relationship." Or, as Kerry sees it, a journal of mortifying moments. Beginning with a kissing game gone bad in grade school, the journal jump-starts Kerry’s stroll down memory lane of man troubles. But just as Kerry decides her poorly dressed therapist is as crazy as everybody else in her orbit, she begins to realize the journal may actually make some sense -- as she plumbs the depths of her most embarrassing experiences on a quest for personal awareness that will give her the strength to turn her life around -- and just maybe find love again. The Journal of Mortifying Moments is a hysterically funny glimpse into the quirky, slightly obsessive, and completely lovable mind of Kerry Spence. But somewhere amidst the laugh-out-loud hilarity of Kerry’s exploits emerges the story of a woman who learns to stop trying to be someone she’s not, and start loving the wonderful, quirky person she is, once and for all.

What if you had the chance to live someone else’s life? Full of heart and soul, here is a captivating novel about the choices we make for family and love -- and how sometimes a total stranger is the person we really need to be.   Jessica Taylor is walking her dog in the rain when...  more

What if you had the chance to live someone else’s life? Full of heart and soul, here is a captivating novel about the choices we make for family and love -- and how sometimes a total stranger is the person we really need to be.   Jessica Taylor is walking her dog in the rain when she meets the man of her dreams -- only to be struck by lightning moments later. When she wakes up in the hospital, the doctors insist she’s someone else: Lauren Richardson, wife and mother of four. Lauren’s husband wants nothing more than for life to get back to normal -- complete with a well-organized house and very properly behaved children. But Lauren’s kids haven’t been allowed to have much fun, and one of them has special needs. Can Jessica embrace this family of strangers and become the wife and mother they need? As she struggles to find her way in this new life -- and the way back to her old life -- she reconnects with Lauren’s estranged sister and discovers a secret that could rip the family apart. Now, torn between Lauren’s responsibilities to her family and Jessica’s chance at love, one woman is about to find out whether the road not taken leads to happiness -- or to heartbreak.

What happens after “happily ever after”? Alice Hirsh is about to find out… Alice, a former New Yorker who thought she’d never feel at home in the bizarre world of the San Fernando Valley, was adapting, raising her 5-year-old daughter while trying to keep her job and make...  more

What happens after “happily ever after”? Alice Hirsh is about to find out… Alice, a former New Yorker who thought she’d never feel at home in the bizarre world of the San Fernando Valley, was adapting, raising her 5-year-old daughter while trying to keep her job and make her new house a home. When her attorney husband lands a trophy client – box-office queen Rose Maris – things begin to look up. Then Alex starts working late – a lot. He crunches his paunch into a six-pack and trades his Gap ensembles for Armani everything. Soon, Rose and Alex’s affair blazes in the tabloids and Alice is plunged into trash-gossip hell. Her life crumbles around her as she navigates her newly single self through suburban LA --a place rife with porn stars, psycho soccer moms and nutty neighbors. Is there a chance to wrest Alex from the Sexiest Woman Alive? And if so... would Alice want him back? And what about George--her college sweatheart? Or Johnny, a walking charm-bomb paparazzo? As Alice inventories the rubble of her life, she desperately searches for her bearings and is forced to ask herself what she really wants from life, love and herself.

What's it like to be a food writer? What's it like dining at some of the world's best restaurants, as well as some of the worst? What's it like to share your opinion about food and restaurants with readers around the world? Mimi Sheraton is one of the most renowned food writers and restaurant...  more

What's it like to be a food writer? What's it like dining at some of the world's best restaurants, as well as some of the worst? What's it like to share your opinion about food and restaurants with readers around the world? Mimi Sheraton is one of the most renowned food writers and restaurant reviewers in the country. And perhaps the most frequently asked question is, How did she do it? Her response is simple: "Live my life." Now, in this entertaining and candid memoir, the doyenne of food critics provides a heartfelt and poignant look at the events of her extraordinary life. A devoted journalist, Mimi's engaging style and meticulous research have made her the standard by which restaurant reviewing and food criticism in the United States is measured. In Eating My Words, she describes how she developed her passion for writing about food and travel. Witty and straightforward, Mimi takes you on an engrossing journey of memorable meals, unforgettable people and outrageous experiences. Travel with Mimi from her childhood growing up in a food-loving Brooklyn family with a very demanding mother ("You call that a chicken?") and a father in the wholesale fruit and vegetable business, through her college years in Manhattan and her rise to fame. Best known for her work as the restaurant critic at the New York Times, Mimi relates her experiences from how she landed the job there to why she left eight years later. As a journalist, she has tasted and reported on some of the world's finest cuisine, including three-starred French restaurants, and on some of the most dismal food imaginable, from hospital and public school meals to the often unrecognizable fare served in airplanes and fast food chains. Forthright and never afraid to be controversial, Mimi talks about the importance of a reviewer's anonymity and the excitement of making a new culinary discovery like the now notorious Rao's, and then sharing it through her writing. She reveals some of her most challenging moments, right down to a masked appearance on French television with several well-known French chefs that ended in a mini-brawl. Fueled by her passion for food, wine and travel, Mimi Sheraton's memoir is a degustation that is as engaging as it is enlightening. A true reflection of this bon vivant's voracious appetite for life, Eating My Words is an irresistible treat you will savor word by word ... and will feel utterly satisfied.

A dark, wildly funny, and deeply imaginative first novel about the pleasures of food and the perils of marriage. Cookbook author Jasmine March's life is like a perfectly prepared béchamel-rich, satisfying, and drenched in butter. Pleasingly plump and glowing with health and happiness,...  more

A dark, wildly funny, and deeply imaginative first novel about the pleasures of food and the perils of marriage. Cookbook author Jasmine March's life is like a perfectly prepared béchamel-rich, satisfying, and drenched in butter. Pleasingly plump and glowing with health and happiness, Jasmine spends her days concocting high-calorie, flavor-saturated recipes. But even a great béchamel curdles sometimes. Her husband, Daniel, has taken up with one of his Zone-dieting drama students; Careme, her daughter, is bent on starving herselft ot death; and Jasmine's fellow foodies have had just about enough of her astronomically caloric recipes. To make matters worse, her publisher is threatening to cancel her contract. And then there's the samll matter of the dead body she finds one morning on her kitchen floor. It's up to Jasmine to set things right, and she does it with characteristic zeal. Filled with mouth-watering descriptions of Jasmine's creations- caviar canapés, venison stew with Madeira and juniper berries, crispy chicken breasts stuffed with goat cheese and mint-Nina Killham's smart and spirited first novel is good enough to eat.

A woman, a chicken, and a million-dollar adventure in the heartland of America's competitive cooking culture. When Ellie Mathews entered her recipe for Salsa Couscous Chicken -eight chicken thighs cooked in Old El Paso salsa- in the grandma of all cooking contests, the Pillsbury Bake-Off, she...  more

A woman, a chicken, and a million-dollar adventure in the heartland of America's competitive cooking culture. When Ellie Mathews entered her recipe for Salsa Couscous Chicken -eight chicken thighs cooked in Old El Paso salsa- in the grandma of all cooking contests, the Pillsbury Bake-Off, she never imagined she'd win the grand prize. Immediately after Alex Trebek announced that her dish had won a million dollars, this amateur cook was thrown into the limelight. She soon found herself booked on Oprah-and even photographed for the New York Times in a vest made of ostrich feathers - as the reigning queen of chickendom, the Pillsbury "It Girl" of the moment. With a dash of self-deprecating humor and a pinch of biting social commentary, Ellie Mathews takes readers with her on her roller coaster ride to the top of the food chain as the Pillsbury prizewinner. As a cooking contest insider, she goes behind the counter and beyond the aprons and oven mitts to reveal a fascinating slice of Americana.

Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Perfection Just when mural artist Kate Meadows resolves to embrace singledom and be unbelievably, inconceivably happy, it seems to be raining men. Hallelujah! ...Or not. First, there's Michael. He's the famous makeup artist determined to bring Kate's...  more

Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Perfection Just when mural artist Kate Meadows resolves to embrace singledom and be unbelievably, inconceivably happy, it seems to be raining men. Hallelujah! ...Or not. First, there's Michael. He's the famous makeup artist determined to bring Kate's looks up to his standard. It's amazing what a few "cosmetic" procedures can do, but Kate's starting to feel like she's on Extreme Makeover , just without the TV cameras and someone else paying the bill. Then there's the enigmatic Dr. Clive Alexander. Despite his insistence that Kate is perfect just the way she is, he wants to change her in his own way. So, what's a single, thirty-something woman to do? It's a tough call. For as much effort goes into improving her appearance, even more is needed to jumpstart her "on hold" relationship with God.

In this fresh and humorous tale, 29-year-old Claire agrees to supervise the renovation of the Paris apartment her parents have inherited. Ignoring her romantic surroundings, Claire is all business and in a hurry to return to her job, home, and an "almost dating" relationship with Brian, an...  more

In this fresh and humorous tale, 29-year-old Claire agrees to supervise the renovation of the Paris apartment her parents have inherited. Ignoring her romantic surroundings, Claire is all business and in a hurry to return to her job, home, and an "almost dating" relationship with Brian, an associate pastor. When Adrien, a handsome and flirtatious friend of the family, agrees to help Claire, his spontaneity and joie de vie drives her crazy. But in time, even Claire cannot resist the City of Lights' offerings, including the Rodin museum where the sculpture The Kiss raises the questions... who will be the love of her life? And will she ever learn to enjoy the life God has placed right in front of her?

Jenny Harris always expected that she’d fall in love, get married, and have a baby–in that order. Now, very pregnant and not quite married, she actually doesn’t mind that she and her live-in fiance, Dean, accidentally started their family a little earlier than planned;...  more

Jenny Harris always expected that she’d fall in love, get married, and have a baby–in that order. Now, very pregnant and not quite married, she actually doesn’t mind that she and her live-in fiance, Dean, accidentally started their family a little earlier than planned; she’s happy to have so much to look forward to. But Dean -- whom Jenny loves enough to overlook his bad facial hair, his smoking habit, and his total commitment to a cheesy cover band -- is acting distant, and not in a pre-wedding-jitters kind of way. The night he runs out for cigarettes and just doesn’t come back, he demotes himself from future husband to sperm donor. And the very next day, Jenny goes into labor. In the months that follow, Jenny plunges into a life she never anticipated: single motherhood. At least with the sleep deprivation, sore boobs, and fits of crying (both hers and the baby’s), there’s not much time to dwell on her broken heart. And things start looking up. She learns how to do everything one-handed, makes friends in a mommy group, and even manages to give dating tips to her sweet, clueless father -- who’s trying to court her sassy mother again, fifteen years after their divorce. She also gets to know a handsome, helpful neighbor -- with a knack for soothing babies -- who invites her out dancing. But Dean is never far from Jenny’s thoughts or, it turns out, her doorstep, and in the end Jenny must choose between the old life she thought she wanted and the new life she’s been lucky to find.  

Lindsay took to marriage like a starlet to stilettos, but her husband had a deeper love for his business. Left alone after his death, Lindsay must find out who she is when there isn't a party to plan or another person's life to be organized. Can she find her way Back to Life? Lindsay...  more

Lindsay took to marriage like a starlet to stilettos, but her husband had a deeper love for his business. Left alone after his death, Lindsay must find out who she is when there isn't a party to plan or another person's life to be organized. Can she find her way Back to Life? Lindsay realized when she married Ron, a man seventeen years her senior, that the odds were he'd see heaven before her, but she never expected to be a widow at thirty-five. She knows there's too much of life remaining for her to just sit around in mourning, but she can't seem to kick-start the rest of her life. Then unexpected help arrives . . . when Ron's first wife, Jane, shows up at Lindsay's front door. The executor of their late husband's estate, Jane is everything Lindsay's not: strong, stubborn, independent . . . and a lot older. There are other surprises as well, including Ron Jr. (whom Jane insists is not "really" Ron's son). But against all odds, a most unlikely friendship begins to develop -- as each woman discovers how to own up to her past mistakes and to reevaluate what is really important. Told in the alternating voices of Jane and Lindsay, and featuring the return of many of the unforgettable characters introduced in The Trophy Wives Club, Back to Life is a lighthearted, relatable read about where to turn when life goes in a direction you never planned.

When Jill becomes both pregnant and single at the end of one spring semester, she and her two closest friends plunge into an experiment in tri-parenting, tri-schooling, and tri-habitating as grad students in Seattle. Naturally, everything goes wrong, but in ways no one sees coming. Janey Duncan...  more

When Jill becomes both pregnant and single at the end of one spring semester, she and her two closest friends plunge into an experiment in tri-parenting, tri-schooling, and tri-habitating as grad students in Seattle. Naturally, everything goes wrong, but in ways no one sees coming. Janey Duncan narrates the adventure of this modern family with hilarity and wisdom and shows how three lives are forever changed by (un)cooperative parenting, literature, and a tiny baby named Atlas who upends and uplifts their entire world. In this sparkling and wise debut novel, Frankel’s unforgettable heroines prove that home is simply where the love is.

Jodi and Jill Spingold are the Spinster Sisters… With a two-hour radio show, speaking engagements, and two bestselling books, "Living Twenty-Five" and "The ‘Thirty’ Commandments", they’ve built a thriving cottage industry out of helping other single women find happiness and...  more

Jodi and Jill Spingold are the Spinster Sisters… With a two-hour radio show, speaking engagements, and two bestselling books, "Living Twenty-Five" and "The ‘Thirty’ Commandments", they’ve built a thriving cottage industry out of helping other single women find happiness and empowerment. Their future has never been brighter. And that’s when Jill turns out the lights—by announcing her engagement. Jodi’s in a tailspin. How can they be the Spinster Sisters if one of them is married? Complicating things is her own love life, involving three vastly different paramours offering three different kinds of happiness—none of which Jodi is sure she wants. And her ex-husband, backed by his nightmarishly manipulative new girlfriend, may be angling for a piece of the Spinster Sisters empire. Now, Jodi must make some tough decisions, keep the business afloat, and make it to the altar to stand by her sister—even if means that from now on she’ll be single all by herself...

Meet Dorothy Jarrod: devotedly unsexy librarian Buttoned-up book lover DJ is all sensible shoes, drab skirts and studious glasses. After an ill-advised spring-break-fueled fling left her mortified, she's committed to her prim and proper look. When she's hired by a rural library in...  more

Meet Dorothy Jarrod: devotedly unsexy librarian Buttoned-up book lover DJ is all sensible shoes, drab skirts and studious glasses. After an ill-advised spring-break-fueled fling left her mortified, she's committed to her prim and proper look. When she's hired by a rural library in middle-of-nowhere Kansas, she finally has the lifestyle to match-and she can't wait to get her admin on. But it's clear from day one that the small-town library is more interested in circulating rumors than books. DJ has to organize her unloved library, win over oddball employees and avoid her flamboyant landlady's attempts to set her up with the town pharmacist. Especially that last part-because it turns out handsome Scott Sanderson is her old vacation fling! She is not sure whether to be relieved or offended when he doesn't seem to recognize her. But with every meeting, DJ finds herself secretly wondering what it would be like to take off her glasses, unpin her bun and reveal the inner vixen she's been hiding from everyone-including herself.

Visit blue grass horse country and meet the three Truelove siblings who have big dreams concerning their careers that don?t include unlikely romances. Val wants to turn a horse farm into a wedding business, but each of her ideas is countered by an architect with a grudge. Heath wants to finally...  more

Visit blue grass horse country and meet the three Truelove siblings who have big dreams concerning their careers that don?t include unlikely romances. Val wants to turn a horse farm into a wedding business, but each of her ideas is countered by an architect with a grudge. Heath wants to finally put his education to use, but the return of his first love makes him face long held fears. Opie wants it all, including a culinary career and a family, but a date with Paris?s most eligible bachelor shows her just how old-fashioned some men can still be about marriage.

In the South Carolina town of Live Oaks, a spunky widow named Esmeralda is always ready to share her homespun wisdom with anyone who will listen. As a member of the Willing Workers Sunday school class, she rallies the troops to the side of the underdog. Esmeralda's indomitable spirit and...  more

In the South Carolina town of Live Oaks, a spunky widow named Esmeralda is always ready to share her homespun wisdom with anyone who will listen. As a member of the Willing Workers Sunday school class, she rallies the troops to the side of the underdog. Esmeralda's indomitable spirit and gumption shines through whether she's defending a friend's old pet, quashing gossip, or giving dating advice to her grey-haired pen pal. But she'll need all the mettle she can muster when, in an unexpected twist of fate, she is challenged to deliver mercy and grace to someone in desperate trouble. In the midst of a life-changing dilemma, can she face deep inner doubts that have troubled her, and still maintain her unabashed faith and hope?

When Camille and her two teenage daughters fled New Orleans for the island of Little Gale off the coast of Maine, the islanders were initially more suspicious than welcoming. Twenty-five years later, Camille's Creole restaurant, The Little Gale Gumbo Café, has become an island staple-as has the...  more

When Camille and her two teenage daughters fled New Orleans for the island of Little Gale off the coast of Maine, the islanders were initially more suspicious than welcoming. Twenty-five years later, Camille's Creole restaurant, The Little Gale Gumbo Café, has become an island staple-as has the legacy of her romance with islander Ben Haskell. Camille and Ben, along with their children, created a new family unit with a seemingly unbreakable bond. But when Ben is found unconscious in his home, next to the body of Camille's estranged husband, old secrets and suspicions reemerge, and the family must reunite to hope for Ben's survival. But as revelations come to the surface, so do long-held secrets that will test the limits and definitions of family.

Jane Lofton has everything she ever dreamed of: a high-powered career, a fabulous home, a wealthy husband, David, and a beautiful daughter, Brynn. Of course, David also has a new girlfriend spending his old money. Brynn also has a therapist helping her articulate her contempt for her mother. And...  more

Jane Lofton has everything she ever dreamed of: a high-powered career, a fabulous home, a wealthy husband, David, and a beautiful daughter, Brynn. Of course, David also has a new girlfriend spending his old money. Brynn also has a therapist helping her articulate her contempt for her mother. And Jane also has… …an obligation to the Man Upstairs. A chance meeting between her BMW and an eighteen-wheeler prompts Jane to make a deal: let her live and she'll dedicate herself to Doing Good. Whatever that means. Jane's platinum-card kung fu has taught her how to spend, but not how to give—turns out it's actually pretty hard!  But when her country-club life crumbles, Jane is faced with an even bigger challenge: replacing all her dreams and salvaging her soul. Wise, witty and relentlessly real, The Social Climber of Davenport Heights (Originally published as Doing Good) is a story about discovering the difference between what something costs…and what it's worth.

When Ellen Jamieson breaks up with her long-standing boyfriend, she plans to go travelling. But first she agrees to house-sit for her parents, who are trying to find a buyer for their idyllic cottage in the Cotswold village of Oddlode. The village is full of quaint and eccentric characters, both...  more

When Ellen Jamieson breaks up with her long-standing boyfriend, she plans to go travelling. But first she agrees to house-sit for her parents, who are trying to find a buyer for their idyllic cottage in the Cotswold village of Oddlode. The village is full of quaint and eccentric characters, both blue-blooded and below the salt, and Ellen is the subject of much speculation. Under the wing of Ophelia ('Touchy Pheely') Gently, an impoverished local sculptor, Ellen goes to an Auction of Promises village fundraiser and wins a mysterious lot of three wishes. These have been donated by Jasper Belling, the incredibly gorgeous prodigal son of the local lord of the manor. Falling in love with a notorious hell-raiser is the last thing Ellen intended, and the convoluted scandals of the villagers put many obstacles in the way of the young lovers. Several ancient skeletons come rattling out of various cupboards before a no-holds-barred, loved-up finale.

From the very first day that they move to the Oddlode Valley, it's inevitable that young teacher Mo Stillitoe, recently separated socialite Diana Lampeter and cool, retired dressage diva Anke Brakespear will find their lives entangled. Despite their differing generations and backgrounds, the...  more

From the very first day that they move to the Oddlode Valley, it's inevitable that young teacher Mo Stillitoe, recently separated socialite Diana Lampeter and cool, retired dressage diva Anke Brakespear will find their lives entangled. Despite their differing generations and backgrounds, the women are on a relocation collision course. As inept removal men deliver furniture -- and even horses -- to the wrong houses, other moves are being made ... Mo's bad boy lover takes Diana's eye, Anke's flirtatious husband immediately suggests Mo hop into bed with him -- and Diana's local heart-throb brother comes joyfully face to face with the Danish ice-maiden he posted on his wall as a teenager. As a long, hot Indian summer burns its embers into winter, the newcomers settle into their beautiful frost-hugged surroundings, generating enough heat to melt every heart in Oddlode. New passions ignite and old flames are fanned amid the honeyed villages, enchanted gardens, haunted parkland and raucous country social life. The heat is on, and sparks fly -- but is this just a flash in the pan or is somebody fuelling the fire? 

It's not easy being a twenty-something girl in London, with bad hair days, commitment phobic men, and 'healthy' evenings that end up as late-night sessions at the pub. But although she doesn't realise it, Charlie's got everything going for her. She's bright, funny, on the fast track in her...  more

It's not easy being a twenty-something girl in London, with bad hair days, commitment phobic men, and 'healthy' evenings that end up as late-night sessions at the pub. But although she doesn't realise it, Charlie's got everything going for her. She's bright, funny, on the fast track in her marketing job - and she has just gone blonde. What's more, Daniel the creative director, can't keep his hands off her. But Daniel's a lot smoother than the path of true love, and Charlie finds herself coping with a series of disasters, as backstabbing colleagues and best friend crises threaten to come between them ... You'll adore this wildly funny first novel because, after all, it could be you.

Unlike the Frants living their quiet ordered lives in the village of Appleford, Tess and Becky are of the generation that reckons it can have everything. High flyers in the high-octane world of Londons high-finance, they move through the opportunists, the short-termists, the sharks, the bullies...  more

Unlike the Frants living their quiet ordered lives in the village of Appleford, Tess and Becky are of the generation that reckons it can have everything. High flyers in the high-octane world of Londons high-finance, they move through the opportunists, the short-termists, the sharks, the bullies and the very, very rich to face many choices, not least the one presented by biology: children. How they and an older generation balance the texture of their lives is offered in a story with universal themes. Brilliantly and beautifully combined with a tender and unexpected love story and a journey to maturity, it is the work of a fine and courageous writer.

His New York Times phenomenon The Prayer of Jabez changed how millions pray. Now Bruce Wilkinson wants to change what they do next. Anyone can do a good deed, but some good works can only happen by an act of God. Around the world these acts are called miracles?not that even religious people...  more

His New York Times phenomenon The Prayer of Jabez changed how millions pray. Now Bruce Wilkinson wants to change what they do next. Anyone can do a good deed, but some good works can only happen by an act of God. Around the world these acts are called miracles?not that even religious people expect to see one any time soon. But what would happen if millions of ordinary people walked out each morning expecting God to deliver a miracle through them to a person in need? You Were Born for This starts with the dramatic premise that everyone at all times is in need of a miracle, and that God is ready to meet those needs supernaturally through ordinary people who are willing to learn the ?protocol of heaven.? In the straightforward, story-driven, highly motivating style for which he is known, Wilkinson describes how anyone can be a ?Delivery Guy? from heaven in such universally significant arenas of life as finances, practical help, relationships, purpose and spiritual growth. You Were Born for This will change how you see see your world and show you what you can expect God to do through you to meet real needs. You will master seven simple tools of service, and come to say with confidence, ?I want to deliver a supernatural gift from God to someone in need today?and I expect to!?

Women crave a sense of purpose. They yearn to know that their efforts will impact other people’s lives. Experts urge them to say “no” to the things that drain or distract them–yet, even as women struggle to maintain a sense of control, they long to discover the calling to...  more

Women crave a sense of purpose. They yearn to know that their efforts will impact other people’s lives. Experts urge them to say “no” to the things that drain or distract them–yet, even as women struggle to maintain a sense of control, they long to discover the calling to which their hearts must joyously respond: “Yes!” That longing, explains author Jan Johnson, can be satisfied only when a woman discovers–and lives out–her God-given purpose.God’s call on a woman’s life isn’t meant to remain a mystery. More than a role, a spiritual gift, or a job she loves, finding her purpose is about knowing who she is: God’s woman in this world. Within these pages readers will discover what purpose in life is, why they need it, and how they can find it. Best of all, each woman will simplify her life by focusing on the things that matter most to her and God, as she becomes the woman he desires her to be.

While attending her best friend Sashy's wedding, Flora Scurrison realizes that this monotonous, nine-to-five, cookie-cutter life is exactly what's in store for her. While it might be okay for Sashy, it's certainly not what she envisioned for herself when she was sixteen. So when her boyfriend...  more

While attending her best friend Sashy's wedding, Flora Scurrison realizes that this monotonous, nine-to-five, cookie-cutter life is exactly what's in store for her. While it might be okay for Sashy, it's certainly not what she envisioned for herself when she was sixteen. So when her boyfriend proposes to her during the reception, Flora makes a wish to go back and do it all over again. The next morning she wakes up to find that she has been given the ultimate second chance--she's sixteen again. As Flora navigates school, first loves--new and old--and discovers what it really means to make adult choices, will she stay in her new body or try and find her way home?

Big Lizard Bottoms -- where getting hitched is a local industry -- is not any place Lindsey Attwood, a play-it-safe paleontologist who's sworn off romance, ever expected to find herself.  She's here posing as a horse psychology student to help recover dinosaur tracks stolen from a...  more

Big Lizard Bottoms -- where getting hitched is a local industry -- is not any place Lindsey Attwood, a play-it-safe paleontologist who's sworn off romance, ever expected to find herself.  She's here posing as a horse psychology student to help recover dinosaur tracks stolen from a local guest ranch.  After only a day at the ranch, things start spiraling out of control.  Her horse-therapy horse hates her, she's been adopted by a huge stray dog with a bad reputation, and there's this local rancher who has her all moonstruck.  After years of digging around in the past, Lindsey's wondering if it's finally time to see what the present has to offer.

A young Southern woman of modest means suddenly finds herself thrust into New York's high society when she discovers that she is the illegitimate daughter of a recently-deceased billionaire.Savannah Morgan had high hopes. She dreamed of becoming a writer and escaping her South Carolina town,...  more

A young Southern woman of modest means suddenly finds herself thrust into New York's high society when she discovers that she is the illegitimate daughter of a recently-deceased billionaire.Savannah Morgan had high hopes. She dreamed of becoming a writer and escaping her South Carolina town, where snooty debutantes have always looked down on her. But at twenty-four, she's become a frustrated ex-cheerleader who lives with her mother and wonders if rejecting a marriage proposal was a terrible mistake. Then Savannah's world is shaken when she learns the father she never knew is Edward Stone, a billionaire media mogul who has left Savannah his fortune on the condition that she move to Manhattan and work at his global news corporation. Putting aside her mother's disapproval, Savannah plunges into a life of wealth and luxury that is threatened by Edward's other children--the infuriatingly arrogant Ned and his sharp-tongued sister, Caroline, whose joint mission is to get rid of Savannah. She deals with their treachery along with her complicated love life, and she eventually has to decide between Jack, a smooth and charming real estate executive, and Alex, a handsome aspiring writer/actor. Savannah must navigate a thrilling but dangerous city while trying to figure out what kind of man her father truly was. New Money is a keenly observed, exciting peek into a world of privilege and glamour with a spirited and charming heroine at its center.

Magpie's Tearoom is a cozy haven in bustling L.A.--a place for luncheons, baby showers, or simply hanging out. Its owner, British expat Margaret Moore, relishes tradition...but between a frustrated chef preoccupied with her neglectful producer girlfriend and the tearoom's waitstaff--a talented...  more

Magpie's Tearoom is a cozy haven in bustling L.A.--a place for luncheons, baby showers, or simply hanging out. Its owner, British expat Margaret Moore, relishes tradition...but between a frustrated chef preoccupied with her neglectful producer girlfriend and the tearoom's waitstaff--a talented but desperate TV star who hasn't acted since Detective Buck Love went off the air, and a twenty-something ing?nue who'll do anything to get the part--her grandmother's scones begin to feel irrelevant. When the critic from Tea Talk announces she is crossing the pond to visit, Margaret attempts to marshal her staff. But, being of the thespian variety, they all want to be doing something else. Yet despite the high personal drama at hand, the customers still demand their perfectly steeped tea and cucumber sandwiches.... As Margaret battles pilot season and produce-coordinator malfunctions, she begins to lose her will to live...in L.A.

When three couples join a new ballroom class, they're all looking for some magic in their lives. Lauren and Chris are getting married, and Lauren's dreaming of a fairytale wedding with a first dance to make Cinderella proud. Not wanting to be shown up on the dancefloor, her parents...  more

When three couples join a new ballroom class, they're all looking for some magic in their lives. Lauren and Chris are getting married, and Lauren's dreaming of a fairytale wedding with a first dance to make Cinderella proud. Not wanting to be shown up on the dancefloor, her parents Bridget and Frank have come along too. They normally never put a foot wrong, but Bridget's got a secret that could trip them up unexpectedly. Meanwhile Katie and Ross are looking for a quick-fix solution to their failing marriage even though neither is quite sure who's leading who anymore. As friendships form over the foxtrot, the rumba rocks relationships, and the tango leads to true love, all the students in the Ballroom Class are about to face the music and dance ...

Sometimes it feels like their weekly knitting circle is the only thing that keeps Kathleen, Sari, and Lucy from falling apart. Their fine-gauge scarves may look fabulous, but their lives are starting to unravel... For years, beautiful, flighty Kathleen has been living off of her famous...  more

Sometimes it feels like their weekly knitting circle is the only thing that keeps Kathleen, Sari, and Lucy from falling apart. Their fine-gauge scarves may look fabulous, but their lives are starting to unravel... For years, beautiful, flighty Kathleen has been living off of her famous actress sisters. When she moves out, she misses her life of luxury and begins to think that marrying rich might be an easy way to get it back. Lucy is dating the man of her dreams-gorgeous, a brilliant scientist, going places-but when an animal rights group targets him, she starts to wonder whose side she's really on. And Sari finds herself suddenly face-to-face again with the "it" boy from high school who still has it-he's gorgeous, sensitive, and kind, and he has a son who needs Sari's help. But can she ever forgive him for what he did to her brother a decade ago? Caught between life, love, and pursuit of the perfect cast-on, these three friends learn that there are never any easy answers, except maybe one-that when the going gets tough, the tough get knitting.

From the author of the international bestseller Me and Mr. Darcy, an enchanting drive down the road not taken, in the most surprising company At age thirty-one, American Charlotte Merryweather has spent ten years in London pursuing personal and professional perfection. Yet her present-day...  more

From the author of the international bestseller Me and Mr. Darcy, an enchanting drive down the road not taken, in the most surprising company At age thirty-one, American Charlotte Merryweather has spent ten years in London pursuing personal and professional perfection. Yet her present-day success -- heading her own PR company, owning a gorgeous apartment, planning a future with her devoted boyfriend -- only heightens the shock of a visit from the past. "Lottie," Charlotte's twenty-one-year-old self, drives onto the scene at the wheel of a rusty, orange Volkswagen Beetle identical to Charlotte's first UK ride. Charlotte pursues a friendship aimed to bestow upon Lottie a decade of wisdom. Yet Charlotte's prosperous polish proves a pale substitute for Lottie's innate, youthful graces -- openness, passion, and kindness. Will the student become the teacher in this witty turnabout? The clever plotting and winning characterization that made Me and Mr. Darcy a bestseller are on full display in these pages.