Always With a Book

First line: Carmela Bertrand stepped into the dark interior of St. Tristan’s Church and uttered one word. From the inside cover: The last thing Carmela Bertrand and her friend Ava expected to bear witness to in St. Tristan’s Church was a crime. But now a beloved member of their scrapbooking circle is lying lifeless next to a smashed statue of St. Sebastian – and a mysterious hooded figure has absconded…

First line: Only twenty-four days until Christmas, and this Christmas is going to be one you won’t forget. From the inside cover: Gaby Summerhill is ready to walk down the aisle… The tree is decorated, the cookies are baked, and the packages are wrapped, but the biggest cause for celebration this Christmas is Gaby Summerhill’s wedding. Since her husband died three years ago, Gaby’s four children have drifted apart, consumed…

First line: “I still can’t believe this is happening.” From the back cover: Waverly Bryson is a successful businesswoman in her late 20s who almost has it all: a dream job in sports PR, two best friends, and a bar where everybody knows her name. What she doesn’t have is a ring on her finger. And after being ditched at the altar, she’s in no hurry to get one. Besides,…

First line: If I hadn’t asked my New York cronies to mention my grand opening in their national fashion magazines, I might be able to breathe as if I weren’t wearing Scarlett O’Hara’s corset. From the back cover: With all the stress of opening her new vintage clothing store (housed in the renovated old town morgue), Madeira Cutler feels like a bag of bones – until she discovers the real…

First line: Ethan Barron sped down Main Street in his hometown of Serendipity, New York, with one thought only. From the back cover: Faith Harrington was the classic girl of privilege – until her father was convicted of running a Ponzi scheme and then her marriage crashed and burned. Now Faith is back in her hometown, hoping for a fresh start. But her father’s betrayal has rocked Serendipity – and…

First line: She’d lost the job of a lifetime because of a man! From the inside cover: Dating Matthew O’Brien – a playboy and a younger man – cost Laila her career and her parents’ respect. A high price, even for love – and when Laila decides it was just a fling, she breaks it off, despite Matthew’s objections. But the O’Brien family has other ideas, and they conspire to…

First line: The visiting hour was almost over, so the hummingbird man encountered only the occasional carriage as he pushed his cart along the narrow strip of road between the mansions of Newport and the Atlantic Ocean. Synopsis: Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the twentieth century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, whose family mansion in Newport dwarfs the Vanderbilts’, suddenly finds herself…

First line: On her knees in the bathroom floor, Hannah Raymond viewed parts of the toilet that were never meant to be seen at such short range. From the back cover: It was a night she’d never forget…two strangers coming together in one breathless moment of intense need and heart-stopping desire. But now sheltered Hannah Raymond is expecting the child of rugged naval seaman Riley Murdock – a man she…

First line: Dear Sophie, My neighborhood goes all out for Halloween. From the back cover: This Halloween, a murderer is up to mischief. Domestic diva Sophie Winston is getting into the holiday spirit, and her decorations for a community haunted house are so good, it’s scary. Not to be outdone, rival domestic diva Natasha is throwing a spooktacular Halloween party at her house. But when Sophie arrives, she discovers one…

First line: “Mom!” From the inside cover: Welcome to Christmas Town! The people of Cedar Cove know how to celebrate Christmas. Like Grace and Olivia and everyone else, Beth Morehouse expects this Christmas to be one of her best. Her small Christmas-tree farm is prospering, her daughters and her dogs are happy and well, and her new relationship with local vet Ted Reynolds is showing plenty of romantic promise. But…someone…

First line: Another day in Mayberry, Jamie Moore thought as she waved the last two customers of the day out the door of the Chocolate Bar. From the back cover: Keep the heart in Heart Lake. That’s exactly what three small-town shop owners hope to do when they launch their crazy-ambitious “Have a Heart” campaign – asking neighbors to commit one random act of kindness every day. Emma, Sarah, and…

First line: Rain. From the back cover: Busy attorney Catherine Fredrickson loved her job at a submarine base in Washington, but her new boss, Royce Nyland, had her spirits sinking fast. The icy widower was distant, demanding…and incredibly attractive. And though he kept her at arm’s length, he aroused a stormy passion in Catherine that was impossible to deny. Already struggling to keep afloat while caring for his energetic daughter,…

First line: There it sat, a Cloud Nine queen-sized luxury gold comforter with red ribbon applique and metallic embroidery. From the back cover: Take a trip to the charming little town of Heart Lake, and meet three best friends who you’ll never forget… Rachel, Jessica and Tiffany have money problems – major money problems. Tiffany’s whipped out the plastic one too many times, and now a mountain of debt is…

First line: Sunshine splashed into the windows of the Bremerton waterfront cafe. From the back cover: Dear Reader, You’ve probably heard that my wife has left me. Rachel’s pregnant, and she says she can’t handle the stress in our household anymore. My thirteen-year-old daughter, Jolene, is jealous of her. Maybe it’s my fault. As a widower I spoiled her – Jolene was reading over my shoulder just now and says…

First line: More than a few residents of Wynette, Texas, thought Ted Beaudine was marrying beneath himself. From the inside cover: R.S.V.P. to the most riotous wedding of the year… Lucy Jorik is the daughter of a former president of the United States. Meg Koranda is the offspring of legends. One of them is about to marry Mr. Irresistible – Ted Beaudine – the favorite son of Wynette, Texas. The…