"Valerie Wyatt is at the top of her game--she has parlayed her talent for entertaining and home decorating into a multimedia empire, and her name is synonymous with class and exquisite taste. And yet, though she has achieved enviable professional success, her ambition and hard work have given her little room for a personal life. She is divorced, and though she has a strong relationship with her daughter, she finds herself alone as her 60th birthday approaches. Valerie's daughter, April, is also a dynamo in her chosen field. A top-notch chef, she owns her own restaurant--a cozy place that dishes up both comfort food and rare delicacies. The restaurant is a smashing success, and April devotes herself to it body and soul. Like her mother, she values professional success more than romance, and she cannot find any room for a man in her life as her 30th birthday grows nearer. The closest she has come to a relationship in years is an ill-advised one night stand. Jack Adams is a famous former NFL player, who is now an immensely successful sportscaster. He is also an incorrigible womanizer, who makes a habit of bedding models who are half his age. Nearing age 50 he begins to wonder if his wild ways still suit him, or if it's finally time to grow up. These three driven professionals share the same birthday. And this year, the day that they share will prove to be one that changes their lives forever. Their birthday will set into motion a dramatic series of events--danger, adventure, laughter, heartbreak, and joy...and, ultimately, the most fulfilling "birthday gift" of all"--
"Financier Grace Preston did fourteen-hour days in New York City. She didn't do small towns in Australia. Not since she'd fled almost twenty years ago. But when a personal trauma sent her home--with a secret she couldn't reveal--the last person she needed was her first love. Local cop Cameron Jakowski had loved Grace for most of his life. But he wanted marriage and family and she didn't. He was small town, while she was big city--and lived half a world away. But for now she was right here--a walking, talking temptation. One he managed to avoid ... until he made one mistake. He kissed her. And reawakened the passion that could change their lives ... forever"--Publisher.
Cameron challenges Jasmine's cautious ways, teases her back into having real fun - and makes one sexy, utterly irresistible Mr. Right Now. But their passionate nights soon result in a surprise bonus... Even though Cameron insists on being there for Jasmine, can she really believe his love is the real thing? Can she shake the past and design a completely new life? And is there really only one way to find out?
From a precociously talented young writer alreadywidely admired in the literary world, TheMayor's Tongue is a bold, vertiginous debut novelthat unfolds in two complementary narratives,one following a young man and the other an oldman. The young man is Eugene Brentani, aflamewith a passion for literature and language, and adevotee of the reclusive author and adventurerConstance Eakins, now living in Italy. The oldman is Mr. Schmitz, whose wife is dying, and,confused and terrified, he longs to confide inhis dear friend Rutherford. But Rutherford hasdisappeared, and his letters, postmarked fromItaly, become more and more ominous as theweeks pass.In separate but resonating story lines, bothmen's adventures take them from New York Cityto the mountainous borderlands of northernItaly, where the line between reality and imaginationbegins to blur and stories take on a life oftheir own. Here, we are immersed in Rich's vivid,enchanting world full of captivating characters—the despairing Enzo, who wanders looking for anameless love; the tiny, doll-like guide, Lang; andthe grotesque Eakins. Over this strange, spectrallandscape looms the Mayor, a mythic and monstrousfigure considered a "beautiful creator" byhis townspeople, whose pull ultimately becomesirresistible.From a young writer of exceptional promise, thisrefreshingly original novel is a meditation onthe frustrations of love, the madness of mayors,the failings of language, and the transformativepowers of storytelling.
Dreiser's second novel and his own personal favorite features an impoverished heroine who, in simply trying to make her way in the world, inadvertently defies a host of social conventions.
Happy birthday by Danielle Steel | Literally Just Books
