This highly charged fable set in Alexandria, Egypt, in the late 1960s, centers on the guests of the Pension Miramar as they compete for the attention of the young servant Zohra. Zohra is a beautiful peasant girl who fled her family to escape an arranged marriage. She becomes the focus of jealousies and conflicts among the Miramar's residents, who include an assortment of radicals and aristocrats floundering in the wake of the Egyptian revolution. It becomes clear that the uneducated but strong-willed Zohra is the only one among them who knows what she wants. As the situation spirals toward violence and tragedy, the same sequence of events is retold from the perspective of four different residents, in the manner of Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon, weaving a nuanced portrait of the intricacies of post-revolutionary Egyptian life.
“I love this story. This is truly the breakout book for Davis Bunn.” —Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author When Connor Larkin boards a late night bus in downtown L.A., he’s not sure where he’s going or what he’s looking for. Putting his acting career—and his fiancée—on hold, he’s searching for a part of himself he lost on the road to success. Now, with his wedding day approaching, Connor finds himself stepping into the sleepy seaside town of Miramar Bay—where one remarkable woman inspires him to rethink all of his choices . . . Unlike the pretentious starlets back in Hollywood, Sylvie Cassick has had to work hard for everything she has. When Connor hears familiar music drifting out of her restaurant, he can’t escape a feeling of finally coming home. Sylvie isn’t sure what to think when this impossibly handsome stranger applies for a waiter’s job. Yet once he serenades her customers—and slowly works his way into her heart—she realizes there’s more to him than he’s letting on. But as the world outside Miramar begins to threaten their fragile bond, Connor will have to risk losing everything to gain the life he longs for—and become the man Sylvie deserves. “A deeply satisfying read and a beautifully crafted portrait of small-town life.” —Booklist “Bunn has excelled in creating a deeply emotional read that will resonate with readers.” —Publishers Weekly “A true delight. Davis Bunn has penned a classic . . . not to be missed.” —Rachel Hauck, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Wedding Dress
New Zealand. A great place to bring up kids? Or a darker world, where money is being made, people are being hurt, where illegal gambling and slygrogging are the norm? Eight-year-old Denis Edward is in the middle, observing events swirling around him. He doesn't care. There are more important things on his mind. Alliances have to be made. There are persecutions to be organised. And coming straight down the calendar at him is a showdown. It's a tough time for a Miramar Dog. In this rich, often hilarious memoir, Denis Edwards dwells with affection on the hard-case humour, the scams and the childhood intrigues that made up daily life in the Wellington suburb of Miramar in the 1950s.
A dying man hopes for a second chance with the woman he loves in this novel for fans of Nicholas Sparks. Since the age of seven, Lucius Quarterfield has known he is dying. Doctors told him he had a “bad ticker” and might not live to see his next birthday. But somehow, the frail yet determined boy managed to hang on and surprise everyone. Lucius not only survived to adulthood, he thrived, turning a small car dealership into a successful chain. But now, at twenty-eight, his time is finally running out. So he’s returning to the one place he ever felt happy, near the only woman he ever truly wanted—the California seaside town of Miramar Bay… Jessica was the only daughter of the only dentist in town. She was able to follow in her father’s footsteps, as he desired. But Jessica preferred the simple things in life—a trait that captivated Lucius from the moment he arrived in town. Her quick wit and carefree approach to life were a breath of fresh air to a man who devoted all his time to work. Soon they were falling head over heels—until Lucius pulled away, to spare her the pain of his inevitable fate. Now, after all this time, he’s going to make each moment count. Because he knows that everything is about to change…he just can’t know exactly how. “In Bunn’s emotional novel, readers will be…swept away by Lucius’s and Jessica’s love story.”—Publishers Weekly “Fans of Kate Morton and Liane Moriarty will enjoy how this warm and well-crafted novel explores the limits of human understanding, acceptance, and imagination.”—Booklist
A burned-out businessman finds respite and romance at a lakeside retreat in this novel for fans of Nicholas Sparks and Karen Kingsbury. A top executive in the family business, Buddy Helms lives and works under the thumb of his powerful father. He’s proved himself time and again to the manipulative patriarch—even saving the company from financial ruin. Yet for six years Buddy’s waited to hear that he’s worthy of his father’s love and respect. Now, after another cold dismissal, Buddy’s slamming the door on everything he’s strived for. Luckily his church counselor recommends just the thing for his disillusionment, frustration, and rage: the solitude of Moondust Lake, a retreat just outside Miramar Bay. Kimberly Sturgiss is a professional psychotherapist whose tragic past has granted her a rare ability to gently release her patients from their self-made prisons. She’s well acquainted with the Helms family and the dark burdens that come with them. But the most intriguing challenge of all is Buddy. He and Kimberly share more than she’s prepared to admit—the same emotional cage, the guarded heart, and the broken trusts that come with being alive. Maybe it’s finally time that Kimberly finds herself, too—by reaching out to the man who’s reaching out to her. “Bunn brings family and friendships to the forefront of this gracefully and skillfully written story…. Full of strong female characters and an excellent plotline.”—Library Journal
From the internationally bestselling author of Moondust Lake comes an emotional and enriching novel of family, forgiveness, self-acceptance, and self-discovery . . . When the darkness seems too hard to bear, there’s only one thing left to do. Six years ago, Daniel was a Los Angeles financial analyst who was too handsome for his own good. Too smart for his anchor job on the nightly news. And too enamored with the heady addictions of the high life. That man died in a tragic accident with his fiancée. With grief and guilt battling for control, Daniel moved to the quiet California seaside town of Miramar Bay with his best friend—a rescue Labradoodle who still sees him through rough times. Daniel’s a different man now. Clean, sober, and taking things one day at a time with no commitments to anyone except himself. And just as his solitude begins to chafe, two souls in need of fresh starts unexpectedly enter Daniel’s life . . . Realize that it’s time to wake up. Daniel’s self-centered sister has dissolved several longtime relationships. Theirs included. The latest? Her restless teenage daughter, Nicole, whom she’s dropped off in Miramar Bay without a backward glance. For Nicole, who’s never felt at home in the world, it only confirms the disconnect she’s always had with her mother. Now, left with an uncle she barely knows, Nicole is more adrift than ever. Yet to Daniel’s surprise, playing surrogate father is forging a bond that he needs, too. More difficult for Daniel is the possibility of romance with lovely and fragile Stella Dalley. Struggling with a trauma of her own, the single mother is as cautious about love as Daniel is—no matter how healing it could be. But for Daniel, Stella, and Nicole there’s still hope for a tomorrow they can call their own. All they have do is to learn to trust in each other, and in themselves. A powerful novel of new beginnings, chances taken, and hearts lost and found, Tranquility Falls is a timeless love story to treasure.
