A few too many cocktails in paradise, and I woke up in someone else's bed. My ex-boyfriend's cousin's bed, to be exact. Huge mistake. Nate and I agreed it wouldn't happen again. We didn't want to hurt Brody. Only it did happen, repeatedly, until I finally found the courage to walk away. But I couldn't ignore the temptation, and I soon found myself back in his bed-or on his floor-stealing secret kisses and forbidden touches, sneaking around behind everyone's backs. I tried so hard to resist Nate's charms, but my resolve crumbled. How could I not be swept off my feet by water towers in the rain and deep confessions on the beach? The last thing we want is to hurt anyone, but it is out of our control. And there isn't a thing I can do except give him my heart and hope he keeps it safe...regardless of the consequences.
The beloved New York Times bestselling author reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays. "The elegance of Patchett’s prose is seductive and inviting: with Patchett as a guide, readers will really get to grips with the power of struggles, failures, and triumphs alike." —Publisher's Weekly “Any story that starts will also end.” As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart. At the center of These Precious Days is the title essay, a surprising and moving meditation on an unexpected friendship that explores “what it means to be seen, to find someone with whom you can be your best and most complete self.” When Patchett chose an early galley of actor and producer Tom Hanks’ short story collection to read one night before bed, she had no idea that this single choice would be life changing. It would introduce her to a remarkable woman—Tom’s brilliant assistant Sooki—with whom she would form a profound bond that held monumental consequences for them both. A literary alchemist, Patchett plumbs the depths of her experiences to create gold: engaging and moving pieces that are both self-portrait and landscape, each vibrant with emotion and rich in insight. Turning her writer’s eye on her own experiences, she transforms the private into the universal, providing us all a way to look at our own worlds anew, and reminds how fleeting and enigmatic life can be. From the enchantments of Kate DiCamillo’s children’s books (author of The Beatryce Prophecy) to youthful memories of Paris; the cherished life gifts given by her three fathers to the unexpected influence of Charles Schultz’s Snoopy; the expansive vision of Eudora Welty to the importance of knitting, Patchett connects life and art as she illuminates what matters most. Infused with the author’s grace, wit, and warmth, the pieces in These Precious Days resonate deep in the soul, leaving an indelible mark—and demonstrate why Ann Patchett is one of the most celebrated writers of our time.
A forced-sex fantasy is one thing—waking to find a scruffy man binding you to a bed is quite another. Amy fights him, until she realizes her friend must have set up the sexy scenario. They’ve swapped lives, with Harper flying to Australia and lending her Chicago home to Amy. While she’s surprised Harper would go to such lengths to help her fulfill a fantasy, Amy figures. . .why not? After days of nonstop travel, Andrew arrives at the home he shares with his sister, Harper, with sleep on his mind—until he finds a naked intruder in his bed. Subduing the beauty, he assumes she’s the blind date his pal had tried to set him up with. But would Mike actually sneak the woman into Andrew’s house? Seems so. And he’s not one to turn down such a gift. By the time each has learned the other’s identity, Amy and Andrew have shared the most intense sexual experience of their lives. And they certainly don’t want to stop now. What happens when you want the one night stand with a sexy dominant stranger who is into bondage, submission, and spanking to last forever?
This story of a rule-breaking US Marshal protecting a reporter from a killer is “romantic suspense done right” (Julie Ann Walker). Journalist Harper Allen still remembers the handsome stranger who saved from disaster—and the sizzling one-night stand that followed. Too bad he left without a word or a clue to his real identity . . . Then, a year later, Harper comes face to face with the man when he’s assigned to hide her from a senator’s assassin. Galen Kelly hasn’t forgotten a single sensual minute of his night with Harper . . . or the fact that she betrayed him. With the FBI also on their trail, he has to pretend he’s never met her—or risk both their lives. But as danger closes in, Galen may not be able to protect himself from taking the biggest risk of all . . . “I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.” —Tracey Garvis Graves
“Tara K. Harper’s Wolfwalker novels are particular favorites of mine.”—Anne McCaffrey Raised on a foreign world where telepathic wolves hunt in the mountains and mysterious aliens guard against the encroachment of humanity, Nori has grown up scouting in the wilderness. Like her mother before her, she searches for dangers that could devastate the isolated towns scattered across the countryside. But the wolves have already encountered those forces. Now, disturbed by the sense of death along the broken cliffs of Ariye, they reach out to one who can help them. Unsuspecting, Nori answers the Grey Ones’ call–only to find herself mentally bonded to a half-grown, ferocious wolf. Spies and assassins stalk the scouts and wolfwalkers while a deadly threat, once thought to be contained, spreads across the land. Caught between the wolves and the horror of plague, and with hired hunters at her heels, Nori is hounded deep into the wilderness to begin a journey that must end in victory . . . or death.
