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I totally love the entire Harlequin NeXt line of books. They're not romances; they're women's fiction done right. If you want to start with a couple of great ones, try these! Witty, smart fiction written by great authors! (Heck, I'd buy them just for the covers, but the books are awesome, too!)
This month, because I am very lazy (and very much on deadline), I took the GREAT Kate Austin's gracious offer and just copied her website's recommended read's page. But she loves what I love, so it wasn't hard to love the same thing :-) Oh, and I want to add one more, too Melissa James's Long Lost Father! |
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| Check out some of the fabulous new and upcoming releases from Kate's publisher, Harlequin NEXT. |
OCTOBER 2006
Which End Is Up?
by Patricia Kay
Grace Campisi had lived her whole life according to plan, but her sister Perry—aka "The Screwup"—was more of a live-for-the-moment kind of girl. Which could explain how she showed up nine months pregnant, sans husband, boyfriend or money. The question was, what was Grace, her type A attorney sister (on the partner track), going to do about it?
What, indeed, as it fast became clear to Grace that Perry was not cut out for motherhood—especially when she ran off, leaving a six-week-old baby girl behind. So in order to stick to her plan, Grace could either A) track down her wayward sister, or B) put her niece up for adoption.
Or C)...formulate a new plan?
True Confessions of the Stratford Park PTA
by Nancy Robards Thompson
Join the PTA? Yes, according to Maggie, Barbara and Elizabeth. Because despite their differences—one is a recent widow; one is a late-in-life mother; and one is a supermom whose surprise pregnancy, she fears, will result in complications—all three women have one thing in common: their daughters. They'd do anything for them....
But is anything enough? Because one girl just can't adjust, one is terrified to be alone—and one is the mystery blogger who's wreaking havoc from one end of the student body to the other. Seems as if there are a lot of secrets in this small town. And despite the gossip, not a lot of talking going on...
Graceland
by Lynne Hugo
Everyone knows sisters like the Sams girls—three women trying their best to be good daughters, mothers and wives.
Lydia, married to Wayne, worked a dead-end job to make sure her daughter, Anna Claire, had the best in life. Madaline, the mother of two, struggled to get on with life after her husband's desertion and Ellie...well, Ellie shuffled along, taking care of her parents and brother, while dreaming of Graceland.
Life rolled along, routine, expected. Until one cataclysmic moment when everything changed...and the sisters had to uncover every shrouded secret, risk lifetime bonds, to ensure the survival of all they loved.
Once in a Blue Moon
by Lenora Worth
Who said life is a beach?
Certainly not Lola Nelson. Her neighbors might be fooled by her not-a-hair-out-of-place appearance.
But alone in bed at night, Lola believes she's lost all the passion in her life since her husband's death. Hoping to rekindle a sense of purpose, Lola resurrects a childhood dream and buys a blue beach house. And then drags three of her fun-loving, margarita-sipping friends out to Gulf Shores, Alabama, for some gossip and good times.
But even a day at the beach can be disrupted by real life. As Lola's friends discover the missing spark in their relationships, Lola develops feelings for her handsome new neighbor. At his hands, Lola discovers the true meaning of passion. And she finally begins to see that life may not always be a day at the beach—sometimes it's paradise....
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NOVEMBER 2006
Motherhood Without Parole, by Tanya Michaels
Confessions of a Not-So-Dead Libido, by Peggy Webb
The Gossip Queens, by Kate Austin
The Other Wife, by Shirley Jump
DECEMBER 2006
Wedding Bell Blues, by Charlotte Douglas
Holiday Wishes, by Kate Austin, Stevi Mittman, and Mary Schramski
The Christmas Strike, by Nikki Rivers
Change of Life, by Leigh Riker
JANUARY 2007
The Second Time Around, by Marie Ferrarella
Why is Murder on the Menu, Anyway? by Stevi Mittman
Slightly Psychic, by Sandra Steffen
Sex, Lies and Cellulite: A Love Story, by Renee Roszel
FEBRUARY 2007
The Big One, by Rexanne Becnel
Wish Come True, by Patricia Kay
Late Bloomers, by Peggy Webb
Knit Two Together, by Connie Lane
MARCH 2007
Ex Marks The Spot, by Merline Lovelace
Raspberry Kisses, by Ellyn Bache
Last Night at the Halfmoon, by Kate Austin
Dirty Harriet Rides Again, by Miriam Auerbach
And then, because I always like a book that will scare my pants off, I loved this one! Lisa's always been one of my auto-buys and she never disappoints!
I'm still reading this one, but am loving it! The dual author writing has been fun, and seamless. I love Crusie in general and think this one is great. It's got the kick-butt hero of a Brockmann, combined with the trademark humor of Crusie and the sexiness she's known for, too. I better hurry up and finish the book I'm working on now so I can read the rest :-)