Romance

Last Train to Istanbul Launches L

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Last is kind of a funny word to choose smack dab in the middle of the alphabet, but it’s one of those words that grabs your attention right away. It’s a story, all by itself, and the use of it in a title gives the book a sense of nostalgia before it’s even started. It makes you ask “why,” and that’s a strong pull to read onward.


Last Train to Istanbul: A Novel by Ayse Kulin; translation John W. Baker.
Amazon for $4.99. International bestseller by one of Turkey’s most beloved authors
As the daughter of one of Turkey’s last Ottoman pashas, Selva could win the heart of any man in Ankara. Yet the spirited young beauty only has eyes for Rafael Alfandari, the handsome Jewish son of an esteemed court physician. In defiance of their families, they marry, fleeing to Paris to build a new life.

But when the Nazis invade France, the exiled lovers will learn that nothing—not war, not politics, not even religion—can break the bonds of family. For after they learn that Selva is but one of their fellow citizens trapped in France, a handful of brave Turkish diplomats hatch a plan to spirit the Alfandaris and hundreds of innocents, many of whom are Jewish, to safety. Together, they must traverse a war-torn continent, crossing enemy lines and risking everything in a desperate bid for freedom. From Ankara to Paris, Cairo, and Berlin, Last Train to Istanbul is an uplifting tale of love and adventure from Turkey’s beloved bestselling novelist Ayşe Kulin.

Like a mystery? Try Her Cousin Much Removed. Or download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities. It’s free!

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Paging the Department of Lost & Found

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This week, I’ll be kicking off some challenges, which I’ll talk about in my bit post in, well, a bit. So I thought I’d pick a novel this morning that has the protagonist, Natalie Miller, facing a far more terrifying challenge: stage III breast cancer. Now that really helps to put things in perspective.

The Department of Lost & Found by Allison Winn Scotch. Amazon for $1.99. “Allison Winn Scotch is the real deal and The Department of Lost and Found is one you absolutely won’t want to miss.”
—Johanna Edwards, author of The Next Big Thing

“Funny, touching, tender, true….I loved it.”
—Pamela Redmond Satran, author of Suburbanistas

A Redbook Magazine Editor’s Choice, Allison Winn Scotch’s sparkling debut novel, The Department of Lost and Found, is a story that makes you laugh and cry in equal measure. This funny and uplifting tale of a young woman overcoming bad odds and changing her life, as she discovers unexpected truths about her friends, her family, and herself, is one that Julie Buxbaum and Jennifer Weiner fans will not soon forget.

Tempting Fate this Afternoon

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I enjoy Jane Green, and I don’t care who knows it. Are her books likely to change the world? Probably not. But they will take you out of your world for a bit, and that is, in essence, the power of a book.


Tempting Fate by Jane Green. Amazon for $10.99. From Jane Green, the New York Times bestselling author of such beloved novels as Jemima J, The Beach House, Another Piece of My Heart, comes an enthralling and emotional story about how much we really understand the temptations that can threaten even the most idyllic of relationships….

Gabby and Elliott have been happily married for eighteen years. They have two teenaged daughters. They have built a life together. Forty-three year old Gabby is the last person to have an affair. She can’t relate to the way her friends desperately try to cling to the beauty and allure of their younger years…And yet, she too knows her youth is quickly slipping away. She could never imagine how good it would feel to have a handsome younger man show interest in her—until the night it happens. Matt makes Gabby feel sparkling, fascinating, alive—something she hasn’t felt in years. What begins as a long-distance friendship soon develops into an emotional affair as Gabby discovers her limits and boundaries are not where she expects them to be. Intoxicated, Gabby has no choice but to step ever deeper into the allure of attraction and attention, never foreseeing the life-changing consequences that lie ahead. If she makes one wrong move she could lose everything—and find out what really matters most.
A heartfelt and complex story, Tempting Fate will have readers gripped until they reach the very last page, and thinking about the characters long after they put the book down.

Enjoy Thursday in the Park

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Ah, parks. Does anyone remember parks, you know, the places with trees that actually have little green things on them? What are those called again? It starts with an “L.”

Well, until we finally pry winter’s cold, bony hands from us, we’ll have to find our springtime in the covers of a book. What better place than in a late-in-life romance?

Thursdays in the Park by Hillary Boyd. Amazon for $0.99. Called “a warm and well-written case for love affairs in later life” (Daily Telegraph), Thursdays in the Park was a runaway best-seller in the united Kingdom. Boyd’s debut novel is a touching, romantic tale of new attraction and old loyalties.

Jeanie is on the brink of turning sixty, and the man she’s been married to for more than half of her life has suddenly abandoned the marital bed. When Jeanie’s husband George retreats from his conjugal duties, she is deeply hurt and very confused: Has she done something wrong? Is he in love with someone else? Her pained bewilderment turns to anger as he remains unable, or unwilling, to provide answers. The bright spot of Jeanie’s week is Thursday, the day she takes her granddaughter to the park. There, one day, she meets Ray — age-appropriate, kind-hearted, easygoing, and downright sexy. In short, he is everything that George is not. As her relationship with Ray begins to blossom and she begins to think that her life might hold in store a bold second act, she begins to wonder if she has the courage to take a step off the precipice of routine and duty and into the swirling winds of romance.

Rising to Rising

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A fantasy starts this week’s Free Book Friday, and this one’s full of mermaids. Who doesn’t like a mermaid? Well, anyone likely to be killed by one, I guess. Happy Free Book Friday.

Rising by Holly Kelly. Free from Smashwords.com
In a war between the humans and the inhabitants of the sea—humans will lose. Xanthus Dimitriou—the most lethal Dagonian to rise from the ocean—is on a mission to save mankind from annihilation. But first there’s one small thing he needs to do… kill a beautiful young woman in a wheelchair.

Bluegrass State of Mind on Free Book Friday

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With the weekend nearly here, a little romance is in order with the first book in Kathleen Brooks’ Bluegrass series. This week’s Free Book Friday starts with some Southern comfort and Kentucky horses, and it should warm you up, even if you haven’t hit springy temps where you are.

Bluegrass State of Mind by Kathleen Brooks. FREE from Smashwords.com
McKenna Mason is on the run, leaving her luxurious NYC lifestyle behind. She finds a home in beautiful Keeneston, KY where she starts her new job as an Assistant DA. She finds more than she bargains for when reuniting with a teenage crush, Will Ashton. Will’s horse farm has seen its share of trouble leading up to the Derby. Can Will and McKenna work together to cross the finish line in time?

At Amazon, the Book Buys You

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OK, that’s not entirely accurate. Or remotely accurate, but I couldn’t resist the joke.

Normally, about now I’d be telling you about a book you can buy from Amazon, but today I figured I’d flip that. I don’t know if you know, but Amazon will buy your books as well. It’s like a big, natural circle of reading. Amazon pays for shipping, so it won’t cost you anything. Current best-sellers are probably your best bet, but at least that takes some of the guilt out of buying a full-priced new book.

And it’s not just for books, either. You can trade in movies, video games and other things, and get an Amazon gift card in exchange. When I logged in, it even told me what some things I’d bought from Amazon were worth, which is nice to know, not that I’m parting with my Zumba World Party, which is the most fun game ever, but I digress.

So you can use books to feed your reading habit. It’s beautiful, in a way.

Anyway, thus concludes this public service announcement.

 

 

 

Peek Inside a Widow’s Guide to Sex and Dating

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For at least a season or so of “Real Housewives of New York,” we’ve heard hyper-cool “housewife” Carole Radziwill talking about her novel. Well, here it is. Unlike most things that happen on reality shows (huge wink), this one’s actually real.


The Widow’s Guide to Sex and Dating: A Novel by Carole Radziwill. Amazon for $9.99. Claire Byrne is a quirky and glamorous 34-year-old Manhattanite and the wife of a famous, slightly older man. Her husband, Charlie, is a renowned sexologist and writer. Equal parts Alfred Kinsey and Warren Beatty, Charlie is pompous yet charming, supportive yet unfaithful; he’s a firm believer that sex and love can’t coexist for long, and he does little to hide his affairs. Claire’s life with Charlie is an always interesting if not deeply devoted one, until Charlie is struck dead one day on the sidewalk by a falling sculpture … a Giacometti, no less!

Once a promising young writer, Claire had buried her ambitions to make room for Charlie’s. After his death, she must reinvent herself. Over the course of a year, she sees a shrink (or two), visits an oracle, hires a “botanomanist,” enjoys an erotic interlude (or ten), eats too little, drinks too much, dates a hockey player, dates a billionaire, dates an actor (not any actor either, but the handsome movie star every woman in the world fantasizes about dating). As she grieves for Charlie and searches for herself, she comes to realize that she has an opportunity to find something bigger than she had before—maybe even, possibly, love.

Have Breakfast at Darcy’s

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Admit it. You’ve dreamed of having your very own island, or at least escaping to one for a while. I think it would really fantastic, right up until I need something from the store. The idea of having to take a boat to get groceries kind of kills the romance for me. And it might hamper my Walgreens addiction. Probably a money-saver, though.


Breakfast At Darcy’s by Ali McNamara. Amazon for $2.99. When Darcy McCall loses her beloved Aunt Molly, she doesn’t expect any sort of inheritance – let alone a small island! Located off the west coast of Ireland, Tara hasn’t been lived on for years, but according to Molly’s will, Darcy must stay there for twelve months in order to fully inherit. It’s a big shock. And she’s even more shocked to hear that she needs to persuade a village full of people to settle there, too.

Darcy has to leave behind her independent city life and swap stylish heels for muddy wellies. Between sorting everything from the plumbing to the pub, Darcy meets confident, charming Conor and sensible, stubborn Dermot – but who will make her feel really at home?

Start Your Day with Complications Over Coffee

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Romance is in the cup, or so it appears in this contemporary romance from Asrai Devin. Or over the cup. Whichever. Either way, it looks like a fun, light read perfect for a Wednesday.


Complications Over Coffee (Up In Flames) by Asrai Devin. Amazon for $1.99. Nicole received the news seven months ago: men are cheating scum. She is close to signing her divorce papers, or she thought she was. Then her lawyer calls and says her soon to be ex-husband wants to sell the house and take custody of their two children.

Nicole turns to her new friend Mandy Turner for support. Where she inevitably ends up with a crush on the handsome and charismatic Corey Porter.

Corey had lived his life apart from others until he met Mandy Green, who has taken Corey’s one time confession for a family to heart. She would like to see Corey settled and happy as she is with Kip. So she starts on her quest by sending him on a blind date, later speed dating and an attempt at on-line dating.

Corey has his reasons for wanting to stay single. And he has no intention of talking about them. Even to his best friend Mandy. He would do anything for her, so he goes along with her match-making attempts, even though it drives her crazy.

Nicole and Corey meet in the Turner driveway one day, while Corey is running from Mandy and Nicole has just returned from a meeting with her lawyer. Corey invites Nicole to vent to him. When she does, her passion ignites desire in Corey, which leads to a heated kiss. And then an embarrassed parting.

Circumstances throw Nicole and Corey together again and again.

While Nicole struggles to finalize her divorce, find a job, she also fights a growing. Corey struggles with his tight hold on bachelor hood and his temper.

Kip has some struggles of his own while he tries to deal with his wife’s growing belly and the reality that he will have a baby to look after.

Will Nicole and Corey successfully keep their lives untangled? Or will they give in to their desires and let their lives get complicated?