Showing results by publisher "-emdashery books-" in City Life

Abandoned, penniless and orphaned as young children, Bertram and Alice saved each other from a terrible fate. For seven long years they have been kept apart, Bertram, BJ to his friends, learning how to survive and then thrive in the penal colonies of Australia, and Alice growing her prosperous chain of bakeries in the Black Country town of Wednesbury. Now BJ’s sentence is nearly up and he has a choice to make. Queen Victoria’s England has changed since he’s been away and so has Alice. Should he leave behind the life he’s built and face the terrifying, months-long voyage back home?

“This impressively bleak vision of the near future is as grotesquely amusing as it is grim.” ― Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW “A gripping tour-de-force torn from tomorrow’s headlines.” ― David Demchuk, author of Red X and The Bone Mother “A bold dystopian novel that...

Having been born into a life of wealth and privilege, Edith Wharton was part of the small clique of aristocratic families that held sway over New York City's social and cultural life at the turn of the nineteenth century. In The Age of Innocence, Wharton looks back fondly on the life that was enjoyed by the privileged class of the East Coast before the many changes wrought by World War I.

Five years after their break-up, Eve still hasn’t found a reason to believe in true love. But when Foster has an accident and she discovers she’s still listed as his next of kin, Eve knows she can’t let him wake up in hospital with no one by his side. After all, those devilishly blue eyes have always been hard to say no to… Foster isn’t sure if his poor battered brain is playing tricks on him when he sees the only woman he’s ever loved sitting next to his bedside.

Bombay was the city everyone came to in the early decades of the 19th century: among them, the Goans and the Mangaloreans, looking for safe harbour, livelihood, and a new place to call home. Communities congregated around churches and markets, sharing lord and land with the native East Indians. The young among them were nudged on to the path of marriage, procreation and godliness, though noble intentions were often ambushed by errant love and plain and simple lust. As in the story of Annette and Benji (and Joe) or Michael and Merlyn (and Ellena).

Lottie and Nick once had a dream marriage, but a series of failed IVF attempts has left Lottie feeling insecure, and her paranoia is further stoked by the arrival of a new starter at Nick’s firm. Nuala is the spitting image of a younger, more attractive Lottie, and Nick is paying her a lot of attention. But then Lottie discovers she’s pregnant. A surprise getaway to their country cottage to celebrate Nick’s birthday will provide the perfect backdrop to give him the news and start to heal the rifts in their relationship.

"Every kiss, every sexy scene, every word between this pair owned a piece of my soul. I could read this book a hundred times and still react as if it was the first time. The Protector is a top 2016 fave for me." -- Audrey Carlan, #1 bestselling author of The Calendar Girl series Jake Sharp...

Eight-year-old TC skips school to explore the city’s overgrown, forgotten corners. Sophia, 78, watches with concern as he slips past her window, through the little park she loves. She’s writing to her granddaughter, Daisy, whose privileged upbringing means she exists in a different world from TC - though the two children live less than a mile apart.

Fresh out of university in Manchester and struggling to climb the career ladder in London, Flick’s devastated when her boyfriend dumps her with no warning and leaves her looking for a new place to live. Being forced into a houseshare with three complete strangers isn’t exactly how Flick saw things going. But the residents of Carlisle Avenue are quickly on hand to help her navigate the ups and downs of the life she’s currently winging. With their help, along with her big sister, Flick manages to focus her energy on ticking off items that she’s added to her ‘twenties list.’

Odin Lykaios. CEO. Seeking revenge. In love with the enemy's daughter. He saved me. He took me away from my world. And now, I can’t leave him, even though I know he wants to destroy my father. She is the enemy's daughter. He is a tech CEO, seeking revenge. She will need to be protected from her own family. He will fall in love with the heiress of the man he is determined to destroy.

He’s not exactly who he appears to be. But then again, neither is she...Chase: I’ve never felt as out of my league as I did when I met Sydney Frost. Not in the years I’ve spent starting successful companies or since. Working for a prestigious firm gives me status and power, and I’m already a master at charming my way through a crowd - or into the bedroom. One new office colleague should be a piece of cake to win over. Ms. Frost, however, is giving my efforts a chilly reception. Time to remind her that I’m not afraid to live up to my name, either...

From the keenly observant author of The Fairer Sex comes a collection of sexy, razor-sharp short stories that swing a wrecking ball at our assumptions about women - what they desire, what they’re working toward, and what they’re willing to wait for. In these witty, bracing, and poignant stories, Michelle Miller follows six women on the often-surprising path to satisfaction.

West 86th Street knows its desserts. It’s the 1970s, and poppyseed strudel, praline ice cream cake, and New York cheesecake are as integral to Manhattan’s Upper West Side as clustered pigeons, suited doormen, and greasy diners. That is, until Cato comes to town. Cato the Elder, a Roman born in 234 BCE, is credited with the earliest written recipe ever found. A recipe for . . . cheesecake. No cream cheese, no graham cracker crust, somehow savory and sweet, the recipe is enigmatic—and suddenly, it’s all anyone on West 86th Street can talk about.

After years behind bars, Alex is finally free and determined to go straight. No more trouble, no more deals—just a clean slate for him and his family and a legit life running his old pub. But the streets don’t forget, and neither do old enemies. Coming home isn’t the reunion he hoped for. With his daughter Deana missing, Alex discovers the kids have dragged the wrong kind of trouble to his doorstep. A turf war is brewing and for the first time in his life, Alex is on the losing side.

Secure in their growing trust, Elise and Roy venture beyond the bedroom and into a world of forbidden excitement. The couple attends an exclusive underground sex club – a place Elise has visited before – where every secret desire is on display. Roy’s nerves nearly get the best of him amid the dim red lights and writhing bodies, but with Elise by his side he plunges into a night of eye-opening delights. Together they watch a pair of lovers entwined in public ecstasy, and Roy is shocked to find the sight doesn’t spur only jealousy – it turns him on.

In Hysteria, we meet a young woman an hour into yet another alcohol-fueled, masochistic, sexual bender at her local bar. There is a new bartender working this time, one she hasn't seen before, but who can properly make a drink. He looks familiar, and as she is consumed by shame from her behavior the previous week - hooking up with her parents' colleague and her roommate's brother - she also becomes convinced that her Brooklyn bartender is actually Sigmund Freud. They embark on a relationship, and she is forced to confront her past.

Rudy Sharpe is the irrepressible owner of a tiny, ramshackle record store, stacked from floor to ceiling with piles of vinyl. It’s a place with real soul, where the slogan is ‘If we don't have it – them don't mek it’. Helping out behind the counter is Tasha, Handsworth’s only Black goth girl, while Rudy’s best friend Clifton regularly drops in to talk music, women and rum.

England, 1941. Reunited briefly with her husband-to-be before he returns to fighting, Lily Baker now finds her mundane army office work dreary. But when her boss asks her to keep watch on the happenings at the depot, she quickly suspects a new weapons supplier of fraud. As she trains her sharp eye on the potential cheat, she agrees to help an unmarried colleague with an unexpected pregnancy. But when, without evidence, she is accused of being the one with child, she faces hard decisions.

Jo Waterstone knows what you should read next. She’s honed the skill of sizing up a person and recommending their next book in the decades she’s worked at Bruebaker’s Books. Her life has been shaped by the store, the bustle of customers exploring the stacks, and managing the eager staff. She can honestly say it’s the best job she’s ever had. Then the store’s elderly owner, Mr. Bruebaker, suffers a stroke, and just like that Jo’s perfect job is on the chopping block. Mr. B’s daughters and the bookstore’s icy CEO think the time is right to close for good, and they order Jo to lock up.

England, 1940. Only given two days leave after barely escaping Nazi troops in Paris, Lily Baker visits her fiancé’s family and is dismayed to learn he’s still missing in action. And going from an exciting overseas telephonist post to a routine office assignment leaves her bored… until the Blitz begins. Joining the Air Raid Protection service, Lily’s perilous new role puts her on the chaotic frontlines of deadly shelling and scared crowds turning hostile. But despite her heroism, she is plagued by guilt when she starts feeling attracted to a fellow A.R.P. member.