by Rajaa Alsanea (2007)
This debut novel, banned in the author's own country, reveals the social, romantic, and sexual tribulations of four young women from the elite classes of Saudi Arabia. Every week after Friday prayers, the anonymous narrator sends an email to the female subscribers of her online chat group. In fifty such emails over the course of a year, we witness the tragicomic reality of four university students negotiating their love lives, their professional success, and their rebellions, large and small, against their cultural traditions. The world these women inhabit is a modern one that contains "Sex and the City," dating, and sneaking out of their parents' houses, and all this causes the girls to collide endlessly with ancient customs. The never-ending cultural conflicts underscore the tumult of being an educated modern woman growing up in the 21st century amid a culture firmly rooted in an ancient way of life.--From publisher description.
Lynne Marshall
Rescuing the runaway. When paramedic Joseph Matthews rescues a vulnerable pregnant woman left in a coma, he vows to be there for his Sleeping Beauty. Even though after his ex-wife's betrayal everything about innocent Carey Spencer evokes bittersweet memories ... mixed with unexpected desire. As Joseph helps gorgeous Carey recover and build a safe new future for her unborn baby, can he gather his courage to give them the happy-ever-after they deserve?
Susannah Hayden
Percy Morgan's life is shrouded in shadows-her past hidden and her future unknown. Where she has come from is her secret, but even Percy can't say what has drawn her to a burgeoning lumber camp. She watches as the small community wrestles with its own identity, afraid to share her own struggle to discover her own self worth. As hardened as she is by her past, Percy cannot resist the gentle nudges of the people around her. Her gruff exterior begins to soften under the friendship of the few women in the camp, and she has begun to attract the attention of the camp's doctor, Joshua Wells. The light of human and divine love beckon Percy to take a risk. Can she reopen the pain of the past and allow healing to begin?
Sheri Whitefeather
What happens when an adoptive daughter finds love for her estranged biological parents? Reuniting with her daughter was a dream come true for Victoria Allen, but when Kaley wanted to meet her father, well, all bets were off. She would not, could not, allow the older and undoubtedly sexier Ryan to get under her skin. But how could she deny their child a chance to know the man who'd once captured her own heart? When Ryan Nash opened the door to find his first love, and their child, on his doorstep, he was surprised to find his feelings for Victoria were stronger than ever. He now had the chance of a lifetime to right the wrongs of the past. And maybe, in the process, build a family for the future.
Iris Bromige
Stella Verney was distressed when she heard that John Marbury was about to sell The Cormorant Hotel, without mentioning it to her until he had to. Her future had seemed so assured both in the hotel and with John, but now, though John would still be manager, everything was going to be different. She was right: the hated new owner was to alter her life completely, and her ideas about the man she was to marry.