She should have been able to trust him...."Night sweats were my dance, especially in the Huston home. They were a continuation of the visions I had experienced in Dorchester, only here, they were much more violent."Set in a wealthy community in northern Michigan, Rising tells the story of nine-year-old Symone, who is adopted by the Hustons--"a shameless family with a house at the top of the hill"--after her mother dies of a drug overdose. And though Symone is all too...

For Vanessa, a low-income housing complex in the middle of the desert in El Mirage, Arizona, represents all that is wrong with her life. Her neighbors get it on all night long, she sees an abusive husband kill his wife, and then himself, and her own ex-husband keeps showing up and getting into her pants.The one bright spot in Vanessa's life is her daughter, Kennedy, and Kennedy's love for the piano. She is practicing to audition for an esteemed music academy that Vanessa can in no w...

Dear Jesus,Gerry didn't work out because Gerry didn't work. And after spending one night in complete darkness because "pretty didn't pay the light bill," Gerry and I broke up and are no longer speaking.Marshall wasn't a viable suitor because when he finally revealed himself to me, I found out that his breasts were larger than mine because he used to be a she. Marshall and I are no longer speaking.Keith could have been the one. I met him a...

A Southern coming-of-age. . ..Ford's Shreveport is an unforgiving place—swampy, seductive and judgmental—that's reflected in her blunt but intoxicating prose. —Publishers WeeklyEleven-year-old Blaze James and her twin sister, Aerial, know two things beyond a doubt. They're two of the prettiest girls in Shreveport, Louisiana, and they'll always be there for each other. Then one night, a gas explosion leaves their father dead and Aerial severely burned, changing their lives ...

Contemporaries like Mary Monroe and Kimberla Lawson Roby hail Darnella Ford as a provocative and insightful author who infuses her prose with poetic sensibilities. When a horrible accident kills Blaze James' father and scars her twin sister aerial, Blaze is left in the care of exotic Felicity Hardaway. Felicity opens new vistas for Blaze. And as their relationship grows more intense, Blaze faces intolerance in their Shreveport, Louisiana, home and an unexpected betrayal.

**AN ALA BEST BOOK FOR YOUNG ADULTS PICK • From the New York Times bestselling author TTYL, comes a poignant young adult story about the power of falling for someone unexpected.“Myracle’s enchanting first novel will reach teens who are wrestling with identity. . . . [A] gem.”—VOYA**It was just a kiss.Kate and Lissa were best friends. Then one night last summer at a drunken party, Kate leaned in to kiss Lissa, and Lissa kissed her ...

Brett, a charismatic world-class skier with a playgirl lifestyle Taylor, a talented and successful physical therapistOne chance meeting and the two women fall head over heels for each other. Passion and the beginning of true love sweep the two off of their feet, but their relationship is ended almost before it has a chance to begin.The two are reunited years later, after Brett's Olympic dreams are shattered along with her body. Battered and broken, relying on alcohol to num...

Is it possible to overcome a lifetime of barriers and finally take a chance on love?Jamie Callahan handles her job as an investment analyst, her distant relationship with her niece, and her romantic liaisons with a cool head and unaffected heart. Until she meets Kate Brown, a woman who threatens to push aside Jamie’s protective defenses and uncover the emotions hiding underneath.Kate has a mask for every occasion. She wears them to please her parents, to move ahead in her c...

On a beautiful beach on the big island of Hawaii, a faint cry drives a brave young woman to put her life in danger to save a young boy's life. A split second decision and Shannon Dunbar's life was irrevocably changed.Lieutenant Simone Moreau never thought a routine training ride with her paramedics would make a difference in her life. She was unprepared for the overwhelming feelings that she had for the injured young woman.An unplanned meeting and the events of that day wou...

Jennifer Kincaid, on her way to a writer's workshop in the Colorado mountain town of Lake City, gets lost and is stranded by an avalanche. Catherine Ryan Barrett, running from fame and fortune of her family name, wants nothing more to spend the winter alone and sequestered in her high mountain cabin. She is not prepared for a party crasher. After spending two months together, they form an unlikely friendship that deepens even further. But after the spring thaw, Jen leaves and returns to her l...

Paralyzed by a crime that horrifies all who live in the city of Seattle, the police department is racing against time in search of a psychopathic criminal who is focused on the most innocent of victims, children. The case brings together two women, one a dedicated police detective, intent on catching the perpetrator, the other a talented psychic who can read the mind of this sick animal.Detective Mason Riley works with facts and information. Her commitment to protect and serve runs...

Regan O'Riley has just about given up hope that she will ever find a woman into shy, geeky programmers. She yearns for a connection, but can't seem to make the first move. Mel Raines knows all about making moves. After a childhood under the thumb of her alcoholic father, she avoids intimacy by drowning herself in fiery, fleeting encounters with strangers.When Regan and Mel meet in a straight bar, of all places, their chemistry is unmistakable. Before they can begin to explore their...