Books Worth Revisiting From Today’s Best Writers
Your favorite author has a brand-new book out. You rush to your local bookstore to buy it, experience the intense pleasure of being reunited with an old friend, and gobble it up in a few sittings. But then comes the crash. You finish the novel and give it a place of honor on your bookshelf, but then you’re bereft because it can take years for that writer to publish her next novel. We feel your pain. To help you combat the dreaded waiting-for-the-next-book syndrome, here are some of our favorite older books from writers with new ones out this year.
Dealing with Discipline by Golden Angel
Eleanor Villiers, now Lady Hyde and originally a reluctant wife to Lord Edwin, has fallen in love with her husband without the reassurance that he loves her back. It's literally the very situation she'd been desperate to avoid. Eleanor begins to try out various tactics to discover her husband's true feelings towards her, only to find she knows very little about love and unfortunately her antics somehow seem to constantly lead her into situations where disciplinary measures become necessary. Meanwhile, Irene has married Eleanor's brother Hugh Stanley, Viscount Petersham, even though she's in love with another man and has been since childhood. On their honeymoon to Hugh's estates, Irene finds her emotions becoming increasingly confused as she becomes more and more fond of her husband. Under his gentle care and approval her true self begins to emerge, unfortunately leading to some unsafe behavior on her part which requires Hugh's immediate attention. He never wanted a rebellious wife who would need constant discipline, but he doesn't hesitate to mete it out when necessary. The ladies struggle with their notions of love, the men struggle with the hot and cold temperaments of their wives, and all of them wonder what kind of conclusion their relationships are leading to. Can they make their marriages work?
A Cry in the Dark by Denise Grover Swank
A woman on the run with no one to trust. With the ink barely dry on her new identity, Cary Moore just wants to disappear…but fate has other plans. Broken down car, next to nothing in her bank account, Carly is stuck in a Smoky Mountain town that time has forgotten. Drum is riddled with secrets and outsiders are eyed with distrust. Still, it isn’t until she witnesses a cold-blooded murder in a darkened parking lot, that she realizes she’s escaped one nightmare, only to land in another. As the clock ticks down and more bodies pile up, Carly doesn’t know who to trust. If she doesn’t stop the killers, they just might stop her…permanently.
Catching Sin by J. Saman
Maddox must be willing to risk his life if he wants to save mine. I was under the devil’s thumb with no end in sight. A plaything. A toy. A treasure easily forgotten. Until Maddox Sinclair stepped into my club and made me promises even my tattered heart couldn’t refuse. Sexy, arrogant, strong and brave, he fears no one and fights for everyone. I should know better than to trust him. Half the time we want to rip each other’s clothes off. The other half we’re at each other’s necks. But my devil isn’t easily thwarted. He started this game with a master plan–one that makes me his ultimate pawn. Deals have been made. Lives are at stake. And when he finally comes for me, there is no escape...
Manaconda by Taryn Elliott & Cari Quinn
My name is Hunter Jordan, lead singer of Hammered and no, I didn't name my c*ck Manaconda. Rolling Stone did. On the front cover of their damn magazine. I still haven't lived it down. And now our record label wants to maximize the frenzy. So, I have a brand new PR person–Kennedy McManus. And she's making me insane. I don't know whether to ignore her, yell at her, or push her up against the wall and kiss her smart mouth shut. I ended up kissing her. Come on, I mentioned how exasperating she was, right? That's when it blew up in both our faces. Now, the tabloids think she's my girlfriend. My record label would rather have me remain the single manwhore of the ages. Kennedy thinks I'm the manwhore anyway. She wants me for a quick fling and nothing more. I just want Kennedy. Man, I'm so screwed.
Masquerade by Nicole Flockton
When it comes to men, Sophie Franklyn has sworn off them after her fiancée turned out to be the typical cheating cliché. Vowing to only look forward and not behind, she attends a Masquerade Ball with no expectations. That is, until a mysterious masked man sits beside her. Attraction ignites, and, setting her inhibitions aside, she embarks on one night of passion. Alex Scavoni has sacrificed a lot to be the best ER doctor he can be. Now he’s about to start his dream job as the Registrar of the ER Department and getting involved in a relationship is the last thing on his mind. When he meets a masked Sophie, he knows he has to have her, and he won’t take no for an answer. Fate plays her hand and Sophie and Alex find themselves working closely together in the stressful world of emergency medicine. Determined to keep their passionate interlude a secret they attempt to maintain a working relationship. Only they find that their one night together isn’t enough. Can they push aside their growing feelings or will fate have one more card to play that will change their lives forever?
Cream Cheese Penguins Just imagine a cute display of penguins, made with black olives, carrots and cream cheese! You can add scarves and hats by using fresh red pepper strips, or canned pimentos cut into different shapes. Use frilly toothpicks if you can. Prep: 30 mins Additional: 5 mins Total: 35 mins Servings: 18 Yield:18 penguins Ingredients 18 jumbo black olives, pitted 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 18 small black olives 1 carrot Directions Step 1 - Cut a slit from top to bottom, lengthwise, into the side of each jumbo olive. Carefully insert about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese into each olive. Slice the carrot into eighteen 1/4 inch thick rounds; cut a small notch out of each carrot slice to form feet. Save the cut-out piece and press into center of small olive to form the beak. If necessary cut a small slit into each olive before inserting the beak. Step 2 - Set a big olive, large hole side down, onto a carrot slice. Then, set a small olive onto the large olive, adjusting so that the beak, cream cheese chest and notch in the carrot slice line up. Secure with a toothpick. Nutrition Facts Per Serving: 57 calories; protein 1g; carbohydrates 1.2g; fat 5.5g; cholesterol 13.7mg; sodium 104.2mg.