Embark on a flight with Lily as she faces her secret fear and lands in the precise spot that God intended all along. Lily’s life changes in a heartbeat when a fiery confrontation with her mother uncovers a mystery about her totally dysfunctional family, sending Lily on a panicky flight around the world to get answers. But she gets more than she expected in Melbourne when a serendipitous meeting sparks a friendship with a man who is more than just another brazen Aussie. She discovers that he might hold the key to her past. Lily hopes her homecoming will lead to a long-awaited reconciliation with her mother; then again, it might just crush the one dream she no longer imagined possible—the chance to fall in love again.
Immerse yourself in this utterly addictive forbidden love story that has captivated thousands of readers around the world. “We are not meant to be together. I should’ve known better. And yet…” Petra, a seventeen-year-old Dutch-American and the only heir of finance tycoon Roy Van Gatt, has always had her life rigorously planned and supervised by her strict father. From her internship at his hedge fund firm on Wall Street to her degree in Economics at Columbia University, Petra is all set for a bright future in finance. But everything falls apart when she develops a dangerous relationship with her father’s business partner and utmost confidant, Alexander Van Dieren. A Dutch nobleman, known as an unrepentant heartbreaker, twenty-three years her senior, and who is, above all else, her beloved godfather. A twisted obsession for some, unconditional love for others, but one thing is sure: it’s a relationship that might cost them everything... This book is for mature audiences. ★★★★★ "A Must Read for Romantic Thriller Enthusiasts. Blossom in Winter is a beautifully wrought and expertly woven story of forbidden love, desire, dark pasts, and the lengths one will go to protect everything that matters most to them." -- Payton H, Amazon ★★★★★ "This dark romance is just what you need to keep you warm on the cold winter nights that are coming our way, it even has a simmering slow burn going on." -- Cassandra W., Amazon UK ★★★★★ "This book has been an absolute pleasure to read. There's puppy love, genuine romance, dark and twisted erotica and moments that will leave you shocked." -- Victoria Spaulding, Goodreads ★★★★★ "I don't even have words, got to be one of the most intense books I've read in a while." -- Obsidian, Goodreads ★★★★★ "This was the most amazing book I've read in a while, it was so gripping, I really couldn't stop reading it even at 2 am when I had a Uni class the next day!" -- Sabrina, Goodreads ★★★★★ "No lies, this is the best book I've ever read! I've felt so many emotions while reading it! Can't wait for the second book!!!" -- Mariska, Goodreads ★★★★★ "This book was exceptional, it captivated me instantly." -- Christina, Goodreads ★★★★★ "A captivating page-turner of a book that you literally will not put down." - Jojo, Goodreads ★★★★★ "This was by far the most refreshing, exciting, thrilling, adventurous, and sexy book I've read." -- Amy Shaw, Goodreads ★★★★★ "Pure intensity from the very first word to the very last!" -- Dionne McCarten, Goodreads ★★★★★ "This is by far one of the best books I've read in a long time!" -- Jade, Goodreads
When Pam Valois, a young photographer, met Jacomena Maybeck in 1979, she saw the woman she wanted to be in her own later years. Tarring roofs and splitting logs into her eighties, Jackie presided over the legacy of Bernard Maybeck and his clan on Berkeley’s legendary Nut Hill. The friendship between the two women led to a best-selling book—Gifts of Age, a treasury of stories about successful aging. Blooming in Winter is an intimate portrait of Jackie that gives us a paradigm for living exuberantly until the very end.
There would be tunnels of roses, beds of strawberries, fountains of overflowing herbs. And there might even be love. . . . In the heart of bustling modern Dublin is a littered, overgrown garden of tangled weeds and a stagnant, hidden pond. Belonging to an iron-willed elderly lady named Mrs. Prendergast, who is rumored to have murdered and buried her husband there, the garden draws Eva Madigan, a young mother struggling to move on from the pain of her past. Eva is joined by Emily, a beautiful but withdrawn college dropout; Uri, an old-world immigrant; Seth, his all-too-handsome son; and occasionally even Mrs. Prendergast herself. But what drives Eva to transform the neglected urban wilderness? What makes the others want to help her? Even as Mrs. Prendergast puts the land up for sale, the thorny lives of all the gardeners are revealed and slowly start to untangle. Overgrown secrets are dug up and shared. Choices are made; a little pruning is in order. Now Eva is about to discover that every garden is a story of growth toward a final harvest. . . .
PRAISE FOR WINTER'S BLOOM: For over three decades, Rock Graham has carried the physical and emotional scars from a tour in Vietnam. He is a decorated war hero, but guilt from what happened one dark night in a steaming southeast Asia jungle is always lying in ambush, waiting for an unguarded moment to set his demons free. When he tries to find solitude at a cottage on Lake Michigan in the dead of winter, a chance encounter on the desolate, frozen shoreline changes his life forever. John Wemlinger has written a powerful novel about a veteran suffering from PTSD and the unlikely path that leads to his salvation. "Winter's Bloom" is a poignant tale of loss, love and redemption that will keep you turning the pages. - Frank P. Slaughter, author of "The Veteran" and "Brotherhood of Iron"
“It’s a nasty kind of love. The kind you can’t escape from even if you want to.” Petra should’ve known better. But her heart has always beaten for the one man that she can’t have: her beloved godfather, Alexander Van Dieren. And despite the firm disapproval from her mother, the rising politician and activist, Tess Hagen, Petra is determined to take her life into her own hands and fight for him, no matter the price. But she can only do so if Alexander will go just as far for her. So after waking up from her coma, she asked him one question. He gave her one answer. And from there, nothing will ever be the same... This book is for mature audiences.
This winter promises record-high temperatures-and A DESIRE that reaches the boiling point... Beaumont, South Carolina, is on "sizzle" this February. So is its newest entrepreneur, Annie Fortenberry, who has inherited her grandmother's B&B. According to a local psychic she also inherited a spirit from its glory days as a brothel-not the kind of publicity the Peachtree Bed & Breakfast needs if it's hosting millionaire Max Holt's upcoming wedding! If rumors of a prank-playing ghost aren't stressful enough, a mysterious man has arrived with an eye on Annie and her master suite. Wes Bridges is all leather and denim, sporting a two-day beard, straddling a Harley, and sending the B&B's testosterone level through the roof. Annie's cool demeanor may be dropping as fast as Wes's jeans, but leave it to her missing ex-husband to dampen the passion! Turns out someone has done him in, and all evidence points to Annie...Wrapped up in a murder plot, Annie must find the killer, save her own neck, and get back to where she was-wrapped up in Wes's strong-loving arms... Fast-paced action, steamy sex, suspense, and lots of laughs-it's the Full series from #1 bestselling author, Janet Evanovich and Charlotte Hughes "Will greatly please readers with its rapid-fire dialogue, roller-coaster pace, and unconventional characters."-Booklist (starred review) on Full Bloom
“They say trust is the foundation of any relationship but what if lies are the foundation of ours?” Petra and Alex have risked everything to escape those who have tried tearing them apart. After finding refuge in Bermuda, they must learn how to trust each other like never before in order to tackle the upcoming judicial battles and the ever-present, scrutinizing eye of society. But when Alex makes it clear he won't reveal anything from his past and his secrets are meant to remain his, Petra now faces the impossible choice of either marrying a man whose past she knows nothing about or fighting for a relationship on her own terms. Stubbornly committed to knowing the truth, and always so curious even when she shouldn’t be, Ms. Van Gatt has yet to say her final words. This book is for mature audiences.
Collects the thoughts and perspectives of artists, poets, composers, writers, explorers, and scientists on the season of winter, from reflections on snow and God to the future of northern culture.