From #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts, a cynical reporter’s relentless pursuit of the truth turns into an obsession with his subject—a young widow shadowed by secrets—in The Last Honest Woman, the first O’Hurleys novel. Abigail O’Hurley Rockwell’s husband was a racing car legend behind the wheel, winning championships with a fearless skill and speed that claimed his life in a tragic and—some would say—reckless crash. Heartbroken, Abby wants nothing more than to raise her two sons in peace, but journalist Dylan Crosby is penning a book about her infamous husband’s life, determined to expose the man’s hidden past. But Abby is not a spoiled trophy wife Dylan can easily charm. She is a woman of integrity and mystery desperate to keep him at arm’s length—even as their desires for one another are on an unalterable collision course.
Abby O'Hurley, the widow of a notorious race car champion, hides her past from arrogant biographer Dylan Crosby, and professional dancer Maddy O'Hurley shows ruthless businessman Reed Valentine the importance of love.
Hurt people hurt people. Say there was a novel in which Holden Caulfield was an alcoholic and Lolita was a photographer’s assistant and, somehow, they met in Bright Lights, Big City. He’s blinded by love. She by ambition. Diary of an Oxygen Thief is an honest, hilarious, and heartrending novel, but above all, a very realistic account of what we do to each other and what we allow to have done to us.
An O’Hurley novel from “America’s favorite writer” (The New Yorker), #1 bestselling phenomenon Nora Roberts, Without a Trace tells the story of the sibling who abandoned his familial responsibilities for a carefree life only to discover something truly worth living for—and someone worth risking his heart to love. Trace O’Hurley traveled the world on a series of dangerous adventures where he witnessed humanity’s darkest impulses erupt time and again—and engaged in actions that no amount of alcohol can ever make him forget. Then Dr. Gillian Fitzpatrick intrudes upon his self-pitying solitude, desperate for his help in rescuing her family from terrorists. Her plea has given Trace an opportunity to use his skills for the right reasons, hope that he is worthy of redemption, and love that he never believed he deserved.
With his stunning debut novel, She's Come Undone, Wally Lamb won the adulation of critics and readers with his mesmerizing tale of one woman's painful yet triumphant journey of self-discovery. Now, this brilliantly talented writer returns with I Know This Much Is True, a heartbreaking and poignant multigenerational saga of the reproductive bonds of destruction and the powerful force of forgiveness. A masterpiece that breathtakingly tells a story of alienation and connection, power and abuse, devastation and renewal--this novel is a contemporary retelling of an ancient Hindu myth. A proud king must confront his demons to achieve salvation. Change yourself, the myth instructs, and you will inhabit a renovated world. When you're the same brother of a schizophrenic identical twin, the tricky thing about saving yourself is the blood it leaves on your bands--the little inconvenience of the look-alike corpse at your feet. And if you're into both survival of the fittest and being your brother's keeper--if you've promised your dying mother--then say so long to sleep and hello to the middle of the night. Grab a book or a beer. Get used to Letterman's gap-toothed smile of the absurd, or the view of the bedroom ceiling, or the influence of random selection. Take it from a godless insomniac. Take it from the uncrazy twin--the guy who beat the biochemical rap. Dominick Birdsey's entire life has been compromised and constricted by anger and fear, by the paranoid schizophrenic twin brother he both deeply loves and resents, and by the past they shared with their adoptive father, Ray, a spit-and-polish ex-Navy man (the five-foot-six-inch sleeping giant who snoozed upstairs weekdays in the spare room and built submarines at night), and their long-suffering mother, Concettina, a timid woman with a harelip that made her shy and self-conscious: She holds a loose fist to her face to cover her defective mouth--her perpetual apology to the world for a birth defect over which she'd had no control. Born in the waning moments of 1949 and the opening minutes of 1950, the twins are physical mirror images who grow into separate yet connected entities: the seemingly strong and protective yet fearful Dominick, his mother's watchful "monkey"; and the seemingly weak and sweet yet noble Thomas, his mother's gentle "bunny." From childhood, Dominick fights for both separation and wholeness--and ultimately self-protection--in a house of fear dominated by Ray, a bully who abuses his power over these stepsons whose biological father is a mystery. I was still afraid of his anger but saw how he punished weakness--pounced on it. Out of self-preservation I hid my fear, Dominick confesses. As for Thomas, he just never knew how to play defense. He just didn't get it. But Dominick's talent for survival comes at an enormous cost, including the breakup of his marriage to the warm, beautiful Dessa, whom he still loves. And it will be put to the ultimate test when Thomas, a Bible-spouting zealot, commits an unthinkable act that threatens the tenuous balance of both his and Dominick's lives. To save himself, Dominick must confront not only the pain of his past but the dark secrets he has locked deep within himself, and the sins of his ancestors--a quest that will lead him beyond the confines of his blue-collar New England town to the volcanic foothills of Sicily 's Mount Etna, where his ambitious and vengefully proud grandfather and a namesake Domenico Tempesta, the sostegno del famiglia, was born. Each of the stories Ma told us about Papa reinforced the message that he was the boss, that he ruled the roost, that what he said went. Searching for answers, Dominick turns to the whispers of the dead, to the pages of his grandfather's handwritten memoir, The History of Domenico Onofrio Tempesta, a Great Man from Humble Beginnings. Rendered with touches of magic realism, Domenico's fablelike tale--in which monkeys enchant and religious statues weep--becomes the old man's confession--an unwitting legacy of contrition that reveals the truth's of Domenico's life, Dominick learns that power, wrongly used, defeats the oppressor as well as the oppressed, and now, picking through the humble shards of his deconstructed life, he will search for the courage and love to forgive, to expiate his and his ancestors' transgressions, and finally to rebuild himself beyond the haunted shadow of his twin. Set against the vivid panoply of twentieth-century America and filled with richly drawn, memorable characters, this deeply moving and thoroughly satisfying novel brings to light humanity's deepest needs and fears, our aloneness, our desire for love and acceptance, our struggle to survive at all costs. Joyous, mystical, and exquisitely written, I Know This Much Is True is an extraordinary reading experience that will leave no reader untouched.
Skin Deep -- Regrets. Even movie stars have them. Chantel O'Hurley's family was far away, her mansion was empty, and when she was threatened, there was no one to turn to. There was certainly no comfort in Quinn Doran. He looked like he'd been carved out of stone and he was just as intractable. But in that hardness was a promise: I will keep you safe. I will bring you home. But could she get him to stay?
Meet the O'Hurleys in these two classic stories about romance and family secrets... The Last Honest Woman As the widow of an infamous race car champion, Abby O'Hurley is left with two sons and lots of secrets. Cynical journalist and biographer Dylan Crosby plans to uncover everything Abby is hiding about her former life, no matter what it takes. Living with Abby to observe her everyday life, Dylan is surprised to find that she's not the entitled person he expected her to be. She's a kind woman and a loving mother, and though she has no reason to protect her late husband, there are certain truths she won't give up--no matter how charming Dylan is. But if Dylan is willing to open up first, he just might get the story he's looking for...and a connection he wasn't expecting. Dance to the Piper Maddy O'Hurley has been in the spotlight since she was five years old. Now she's a dancer on Broadway, and her passionate performances have made her a much-admired artist--and have captured the interests of recording mogul Reed Valentine. Reed's always had careful control over his emotions and he's never been interested in much past his business. But something about Maddy intrigues Reed, and Maddy can feel their connection, too. The two agree to be friends, only tempting the romantic tension between them. Reed's wary of romance thanks to his painful past, but can companionship really be enough?
