Brooke Summerlin's life is like a Cinderella story. Raised by an abusive, drug addicted mother, she desperately hides the truth about where she comes from. But Prince Charming arrives in the form of Liam, the most popular guy at school. He sweeps into her life and carries her away to what is supposed to be a happily ever after. Until it isn't. Sebastian McKinney is the son of an Iowa state champion wrestler, and that's what he's going to be. Wrestling is his life. He's focused. Determined. Nothing will stand in his way. Except a silent illness that almost kills him. Brooke's greatest tragedy becomes Sebastian's second chance at life. Four years later, he's moving forward, his body healthy, while she is left to sink in grief that threatens to drown her. Haunted by a past she can't escape. But sometimes love transcends the boundaries of life and death-between what is known and what cannot be explained. The heart that loved Brooke continues to beat, and even now, it still beats for her.
A "heartbreaking, heartwarming" (Heidi McLaughlin, New York Times bestselling author) love story that asks the question: what do you do when your soul mate marries your best friend? If you're Kate Evans, you keep your friend Rachel, bond with her kids, and bury your feelings for her husband. The fact that Shane's in the military and away for long periods helps-but when tragedy strikes, everything changes. After Rachel, pregnant with her fourth child, dies in a car accident and the baby miraculously survives, Kate upends her entire life to share parenting duties. Then on the first anniversary of Rachel's death, Kate and Shane take comfort in each other in a night that they both soon regret. Shane's been angry for a year, and now he feels guilty too - for sleeping with his wife's best friend and liking it . . . liking her. Kate's ability to read him like a book may have once sent Shane running, but their lives are forever entwined and they are growing closer. Now with Shane deployed for seven months, Kate is on her own and struggling with being a single parent. Shane is loving and supportive from thousands of miles away, but his homecoming brings a betrayal Kate never saw coming. So Kate's only choice is to fight for the future she deserves - with or without Shane. . .
*This is a standalone book #2 in the interconnected series, The Broken-Hearts. One week. No strings. Sexy stranger. What could go wrong? My name is Julia McDowell. I'm not the pretty girl next door, I'm the boss at work who solves all your problems. I'm an awkward genius with the worst taste in boyfriends; the last one left me with a 6-figure debt to prove it. So, when the most swoon-worthy man alive saves me from a psychotic tree, who am I to say no to a drink? He's sweet yet powerful with a darkness I can't place. I should be terrified of him, but I find myself drawn to him in ways I've never experienced. He says I'm his guiding light, that our hearts beat to the same melody. But I'm not looking for forever, and he has his own demons to slay. We agreed to one week, no strings. It will have to be enough. It's definitely enough, more than enough, until it's not. I'm ready to throw our one-week rules out the window when tragedy pulls us apart. It would take a miracle to find our way back to each other, and life is no fairytale. With no happily ever after in sight, will our hearts learn a new rhythm? Or will heartache become our new theme song? Click the BUY NOW button to enter the world of Broken Hearts and find out! The Beat of My Heart is a standalone HEA in the Broken Hearts Series. While it can be read alone, Avery strongly encourages you to read book 1, Cross My Heart first as the stories overlap. *Cross My Heart is a HEA stand-alone contemporary romance novel that deals with the aftermath of physical abuse and adult abduction that may be a trigger for some readers.
An eminent scholar unearths the captivating history of the two-lobed heart symbol from scripture and tapestry to T-shirts and text messages, shedding light on how we have expressed love since antiquity The symmetrical, exuberant heart is everywhere: it gives shape to candy, pendants, the frothy milk on top of a cappuccino, and much else. How can we explain the ubiquity of what might be the most recognizable symbol in the world? In The Amorous Heart, Marilyn Yalom tracks the heart metaphor and heart iconography across two thousand years, through Christian theology, pagan love poetry, medieval painting, Shakespearean drama, Enlightenment science, and into the present. She argues that the symbol reveals a tension between love as romantic and sexual on the one hand, and as religious and spiritual on the other. Ultimately, the heart symbol is a guide to the astonishing variety of human affections, from the erotic to the chaste and from the unrequited to the conjugal.
*This is a standalone book #3 in the interconnected series, The Broken-Hearts. Never have I ever... The number one rule in medicine is don't fall in love with your patients, but Preston Westbrook makes his own rules. Hand him a life-altering diagnosis, and all bets are off. I'm a doctor without a license. He's a billionaire without a chance. He hired me to care for his failing heart, but when meddling family forces his hand, he introduces me as his girlfriend. His live-in girlfriend! What can go wrong, right? Agreeing to Preston's scheme will ensure I never practice again, but he's willing to pay handsomely for my services. Do I even have a choice? My family needs me to make ends meet, and I'll never let my sisters down again. Giving up my dreams to help a fake boyfriend seems like my only answer. The lines between make-believe and reality blur the first time Preston touches me. One kiss, and I'm a goner. Sweet words whispered in heated moments, and I know I'll never be the same. From girls' nights and drinking games to over the top romantic gestures, it's easy to forget why I'm here. Preston has a broken heart, but mine was never supposed to be on the line. He wants me to believe in happily ever after, but I'm finding it impossible when I know Prince Charming could leave me in the end. There's a crazy old lady telling everyone I'll fix him, but when I fail, who's going to fix me?
An avid reader and homeschooler wrote, in her review published on Amazon.com: "The wisdom, life, humor and joy that pour through each page of 'Romancing Your Child's Heart' has revitalized and inspired our home . . . for Monte's passion for Jesus is real and extremely contagious It's so clear in these chapters that the One Who captured this author's heart has also given him the burning desire to share the reality of this Divine Drama with his own children . . . and also with us. I am so grateful for that, and confident that this book will shine a whole new light on the high honor we have of introducing our children to the Author of what Monte calls 'the original Love Story.'" "If out of all the multitudinous books on parenting out there, we were told that parents could choose but one--this would be the one." JOE L. WHEELER, PhD-Great Stories editor, Focus on the Family "I can tell you without reservation--this is a book you ought to read. . . . Romancing Your Child's Heart will make you a better spouse, friend, brother, sister, and most of all a better parent." TEDD TRIPP, PhD-Pastor and author of Shepherding a Child' Heart The fresh vision of parenting in "Romancing Your Child's Heart," based on relationship, not rules, is modeled after the original love story--the gospel of Jesus Christ. Here you'll find the courage and passion, through the biblical concept of romance, to be an instrument of the Holy Spirit in turning the desire of your child's heart to God.
If you're feeling lost, disconnected, or longing for something more, join bestselling authors John Eldredge and Brent Curtis as they explore the greatest love of our lives: our faith. The Sacred Romance invites us to find the peace and purpose we crave by slowing down, asking questions, and deepening our relationship with God. Eldredge and Curtis believe that modern Christians have lost touch with our hearts. We've left that essential part of ourselves behind in the pursuit of efficiency, success, and the busyness of our lives. The Sacred Romance will guide you through a journey to getting to know yourself and your creator even better, asking you: What is this restlessness and emptiness I feel, sometimes after years into my Christian journey? How will my spiritual life touch the rest of my life? What is it that is set so deeply in my heart, that simply will not leave me alone? When did I stop listening to God’s leading? The Sacred Romance is a journey of the heart. It is a journey full of intimacy, adventure, and beauty, that will guide you to your fondest memories, your greatest loves, your noblest achievements, and even your deepest hurts--but the reward is worth the risk.
From bestselling and award winning author, Lydia Michaels, comes a small town romance readers will want to visit again and again! Ryan Clooney moves to the outskirts of his small town and the last thing he expects to find is love, but once he meets Maggie, the beautiful, young widow next door, his plans change. Maggie O’Malley is not looking for romance. Since losing her husband, she has withdrawn from small-town life and prefers to be left alone. But her new neighbor doesn’t seem to understand personal privacy, and the more he intrudes on her solitary world, the less control she has over her heart. Determined to charm Maggie, Ryan pulls out all the stops. But once real emotion gets involved, things go too far and Maggie has a difficult decision to make.
'You might be surprised by just how emotionally raw this one is. But if you're prepared for the journey, it's a great one.' Taylor Jenkins Reid on Goodreads 'I am a fan of Hoang's writing and this was a great novel ... A very affecting novel I found satisfying in every way.' Roxane Gay on Goodreads _______________________________ A woman struggling with burnout learns to embrace the unexpected - and the man she enlists to help her - in this heartfelt romance. When violinist Anna Sun accidentally achieves career success with a viral YouTube video, she finds herself overwhelmed trying to live up to it. And when her boyfriend of five years announces that he wants an open relationship, a hurt and angry Anna decides to embark on a string of one-night stands. The more unacceptable the men, the better. Enter tattooed, motorcycle-riding Quan Diep. Their first attempt at a one-night stand fails, as does their second and their third - because being with Quan is about more than sex. But when tragedy strikes Anna's family, she takes on a role that threatens to destroy her. Now, Anna and Quan have to fight for their chance at love, but to do that, they also have to fight for themselves. 'An absolutely stunning book, Helen Hoang is a genius!' NetGalley review 'Beautifully written and undeniably addictive ... profoundly moving' NetGalley review
Winner of the Silver Nautilus Award for Journalism & Investigative Reporting "A book that truly is impossible to put down.”—Washington Post "This remarkable debut is so deeply reported, elegantly written, and profoundly transporting that it reads like a novel you can’t put down. It’s both a nuanced and intimate evocation of Indian culture, and a provocative and exciting meditation on marriage itself."—Katie Roiphe, author of The Violet Hour In the vein of Behind the Beautiful Forevers, an intimate, deeply reported and revelatory examination of love, marriage, and the state of modern India—as witnessed through the lives of three very different couples in today’s Mumbai. In twenty-first-century India, tradition is colliding with Western culture, a clash that touches the lives of everyday Indians from the wealthiest to the poorest. While ethnicity, class, and religion are influencing the nation’s development, so too are pop culture and technology—an uneasy fusion whose impact is most evident in the institution of marriage. The Heart Is a Shifting Sea introduces three couples whose relationships illuminate these sweeping cultural shifts in dramatic ways: Veer and Maya, a forward-thinking professional couple whose union is tested by Maya’s desire for independence; Shahzad and Sabeena, whose desperation for a child becomes entwined with the changing face of Islam; and Ashok and Parvati, whose arranged marriage, made possible by an online matchmaker, blossoms into true love. Though these three middle-class couples are at different stages in their lives and come from diverse religious backgrounds, their stories build on one another to present a layered, nuanced, and fascinating mosaic of the universal challenges, possibilities, and promise of matrimony in its present state. Elizabeth Flock has observed the evolving state of India from inside Mumbai, its largest metropolis. She spent close to a decade getting to know these couples—listening to their stories and living in their homes, where she was privy to countless moments of marital joy, inevitable frustration, dramatic upheaval, and whispered confessions and secrets. The result is a phenomenal feat of reportage that is both an enthralling portrait of a nation in the midst of transition and an unforgettable look at the universal mysteries of love and marriage that connect us all.
