Pale-skinned, 10-year-old Paula is stunning, and no-one can believe that bronze-skinned, plain Margie can possibly be her mother. But Margie knows better than anyone that looks can be deceiving, and behind Paula's innocent, girlish beauty is a destructive soul who likes to play with fire (literally), cannot control her temper and has a proven proclivity towards violence. Margie hopes that moving to California will heal her damaged daughter, but Bernard, their new neighbour, senses the danger in Paula - and is determined to get rid of them...
Trudy knows what she wants and how to get it. But a better life away from South Central needs financing, financing needs a plan and Trudy's ex needs a lesson. Cue the crew, recruited by Trudy in the club where she sings - jackers, hustlers and wreckers ready to take down a crazy score that could make them all rich. And cue the problem: Jimmy, a stone-cold killer who doesn't like being ripped off. So they rip him off anyway...
A Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist "[A] masterwork of psychological fiction.… Messud teases readers with a psychological mystery, withholding information and then cannily parceling it out." —Chicago Tribune Julia and Cassie have been friends since nursery school. They have shared everything, including their desire to escape the stifling limitations of their birthplace, the quiet town of Royston, Massachusetts. But as the two girls enter adolescence, their paths diverge and Cassie sets out on a journey that will put her life in danger and shatter her oldest friendship. The Burning Girl is a complex examination of the stories we tell ourselves about youth and friendship, and straddles, expertly, childhood’s imaginary worlds and painful adult reality—crafting a true, immediate portrait of female adolescence. Claire Messud, one of our finest novelists, is as accomplished at weaving a compelling fictional world as she is at asking the big questions: To what extent can we know ourselves and others? What are the stories we create to comprehend our lives and relationships? Brilliantly mixing fable and coming-of-age tale, The Burning Girl gets to the heart of these matters in an absolutely irresistible way. The Burning Girl was named one of the best books of the year by the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Vogue, NPR, Financial Times, Town & Country, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, Refinery29, and Literary Hub.
From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Driven series. ONE NIGHT. THAT'S ALL IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE. Reeling from the sudden loss of her sister, Haddie Montgomery has sworn off relationships. All she wanted from Beckett Daniels was a sexy distraction to help her escape her pain for just a little while....There weren’t supposed to be any strings attached—so why can’t she shake the memory of that unforgettable night from her thoughts? Or the taste of his kiss from her lips? No matter how hard Haddie tries to forget about him, Becks relentlessly tries to prove that she should start living for today. But she is determined to avoid romantic commitment, and she can always use her ex-boyfriend’s reappearance to help snuff out the slow burn within her that Becks has sparked.... Or will fate force her to realize that this kind of connection doesn’t come along very often and a chance at love is worth the risk?
Although eighth grade is halfway over, Mikey never does anything halfway. So it’s no surprise that when she develops a not-so-secret crush on Shawn Macavity, the heartstoppingly gorgeous star of the school play, she goes a bit overboard. Soon Mikey—Mikey?—has a stylish new wardrobe, and she’s baking Shawn cookies, writing their initials on blackboards, even buying him a T-shirt emblazoned “I LOVE ME.” Fellow Bad Girl Margalo tries to get Mikey to turn things down a notch, but why should Mikey listen to her? After all, what does Margalo know about being in love? Or is Margalo hiding a romantic fantasy of her own? In this fourth book in Cynthia Voigt's Bad Girls series, as Mikey and Margalo struggle to understand that funny thing called love, they find that boys may come and go, but bad girls are bad for life.
Every fire begins with a little heat–and in Slow Burn, bestselling author Julie Garwood provides the spark, skillfully blending pulse-pounding action, intense emotion, and characters with grit and heart. The result is an electrifying novel of romantic suspense that will have readers burning through the pages. An unpretentious beauty who radiates kindness, Kate MacKenna doesn’t have a bad bone in her body–or an enemy in the world. So why are bombs igniting everywhere she goes? The first explosion brings her face-to-face with a handsome Charleston police detective. The second sends her into the arms of her best friend’s brother–a Boston cop who’s a little too reckless and way too charming for comfort. But Dylan Buchanan won’t let emotion prevent him from doing his job: Someone is trying to kill Kate, and Dylan is the only one standing between her and the monster who wants her dead.
The bestselling author of B-More Careful, Shannon Holmes, delivers Bad Girlz, another wild adventure into the streets. The setting this time is the Badlands, one of the toughest and poorest communities in Philadelphia. Bad Girlz takes you into the mysterious and often dangerous lives of young women who turn to the streets and strip clubs as a means of survival. These are girls who, along the way, suffer bad breaks and find themselves ripe for exploitation by men and women who pretend to be their saviors. Tender and Goldie were taken under wing by Kat, a veteran stripper, who enjoyed the life and the risks she had to take to stay in the mix of the sex trade. Both of these young and beautiful girls had ended up in dire straits and in need of Kat's help in different ways, but ultimately for the same reasons: They lacked the love and support that most of us expect to get at home and in our communities. Where they live, illegal money is often the only money to be made, and the difference between the law and the outlaw is tough to discern. Holmes tells a page-turning story of sex, money, and murder in the name of survival and reveals the many ways that good girls, trying to get by in desperate situations, become Bad Girlz.
The tattooed vixen in my first college class is everything I shouldn't crave if I want to stay on the straight and narrow path. My family expects me to find a sweet, innocent girl. Harley Kain's questionable past and skin-baring clothing definitely don't fit the bill. I think she might be the temptress my momma prayed I would resist, but I can't look away. All I want is to get an Agriculture degree and go back to the cornstalks and dirt. It's the only life I've ever known, and I'm perfectly content on the farm. Until I see her. She's guarded, but my protective instincts kick into overdrive when I find out she's been walking home alone at night. When she finally confides in me, I start to realize the dangerous life she's running from. I want to protect her. I want to do more than that. But if I give in to my overwhelming desire for her, I'll be throwing away my future. My family will never approve. Even if I am willing to sacrifice it all and fall for temptation, convincing Harley she's worthy of love could be impossible.
"An intense ride that you will surely not forget!" --APOOO Book Club In this gritty, fast-paced drama, author Pam Ward delivers the page-turning tale of a woman who's ready for a better life--at all costs. . . Trudy, aka "Trudy with the Booty," is determined to escape South Central L.A. Trouble is, that requires financing. Plus, Trudy has no intention of leaving before she's dealt revenge to her slick-talking ex, Lil Steve. Ever since he started selling nude videos of her around the neighborhood, Trudy can barely walk the streets! His demise would be the icing on her cake, and now that she's gathered a crew to assist in her brilliantly designed bank heist, the future looks bright. But when Trudy indulges in a farewell fling with a stone cold killer who hates being played, it might be the worst mistake of her life. Can she pull off her plan without getting caught--or worse? "Ward combines humor, drama, and scandalous behavior with flair. . .outspoken with an offbeat plot that readers will find compelling." --RT Book Reviews "The action was fast, the tension high. . .an enjoyable story." --The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
Trudy knows what she wants and how to get it. But a better life away from South Central needs financing, financing needs a plan and Trudy's ex needs a lesson. Cue the crew, recruited by Trudy in the club where she sings - jackers, hustlers and wreckers ready to take down a crazy score that could make them all rich. And cue the problem: Jimmy, a stone-cold killer who doesn't like being ripped off. So they rip him off anyway...
