From Library JournalForced by a forgotten promise to his autocratic grandmother to marry by his 25th birthday, the earl of Saxonhurst consults his servants, flips a coin, and ends up married to gently bred but impoverished Meg Gillingham. He doesn't realize that in her desperation Meg has invoked the powers of an ancient Irish statue to help her out of her difficulties?with sexy, magical, and ultimately dangerous results. A charming, outspoken heroine, a magnetic, unconventional hero, and a diverse cast of well-drawn secondary characters come together in a fast-paced, intriguing plot with a holiday setting that features a touch of evil, a dash of bawdy humor, and enough of Beverley's trademark page-singeing sensuality to satisfy the most demanding reader. Beverley (Lord of Midnight, Topaz, 1998) is a member of the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame and lives in Canada.Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. From BooklistBeverley's nonpareil Regency-era romance of the season features a vulgar prehistoric stone statue, the sheelagh-ma-gig, which has been used by generations of women to invoke a dangerous magic. Meg Gillingham, responsible for four orphaned younger siblings, is down to her last handful of oatmeal when their lecherous landlord, Sir Arthur, threatens to either make her younger sister his mistress or throw the family out on the streets. Meg decides that she must use the sheelagh-ma-gig, even though it will exact a high price. Could it be the magic of the statue that induces the eccentric earl of Saxonhurst to decide to take his one-eyed maid's suggestion and marry respectable but impoverished Meg? Terrified that her new husband will discover that she used magic, Meg leaves the statue behind, intending to retrieve it later, but it is stolen by the dastardly landlord. Meg bravely sets out to retrieve the family treasure but finds herself fleeing for her life when she is fingered as Sir Arthur's murderer. Delightfully odd characters and a thrilling plot, along with a generous touch of magic, make this an enchanting read. Diana Tixier Herald

Pulled down from the clouds at the end of a kite string, Mary Poppins is back. In Mary's care, the Banks children meet the King of the Castle and the Dirty Rascal, visit the upside-down world of Mr. Turvy and his bride, Miss Topsy, and spend a breathless afternoon above the park, dangling from a clutch of balloons. Surprises are sure to pop up when Mary Poppins is around!

Edmund and Herbert, newly made knights, return to England expecting to revel in the pleasure of being home. Instead, scheming Prince John has a new task for the weary Crusaders; they are to escort two young women on a pilgrimage to Rome, a journey that will take them through the perilous Alps, controlled by bands of brigands. And once in Rome, even greater hazards await. Suspenseful, exciting, and filled with colorful details of 12th century Europe, this final volume of the trilogy that began with The Book of the Lion will thrill readers.

O'Malley Ramsey, math aficionado, grew up next door to Garrison Rook, All-American athlete. While O'Malley dreamed of numbers and kissing Garrison, Garrison's tastes ran to home runs and hot chicks. During a family celebration the night before both young men were heading off for college, O'Malley joyously discovers that Garrison isn't quite as straight as the star athlete had been pretending to be. Vows to return to each other quickly followed a few clumsy kisses in the old treehouse in the Rook's backyard.O'Malley came home to Garrison. Garrison never returned to O'Malley.Four years later, the two ex-friends meet up at a summer camp where O'Malley is serving as a counselor. Garrison is desperate to make things right with his childhood friend, but can O'Malley, still nursing the pain and mistrust of Garrison's betrayal, ever forgive or love Garrison again?

Claire has a secret. Logan has a past. When the daughter of a powerful man and a cowboy collide in a small country town, fires spark and danger ignites. With no where to run, she's pushed into his arms and soon his bed. But their is still the problem of her stalker, her secret, and a man that can't be tamed...

Tonight's tale . . . Devin's rock band Torn is about to hit the big time. The haunting song he's just written is getting buzz. Between his gorgeous girlfriend, Cheryl, and all the perks of high-school stardom, Devin's feeling pretty good. Then his band mate is murdered. Viciously. Is it a gang slaying? Or has Devin's lingering melody called up . . . something . . . from the darkness?

Lucky, a romantic short story, is a perfect pleasurable escape for the afternoon. It reminds readers that second chances are sometimes better than first time experiences.

An intimate and uplifting book about finding renewal and hope through grief and loss."It was a terrible life; it was an enchanted life; it was a blessed life. And, of course, one day it ended." —Sharon Butala In the tradition of Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking, Diana Athill's Somewhere Towards the End, and Atul Gawande's Being Mortal comes a revelatory new book from one of our beloved writers. When Sharon Butala's husband, Peter, died unexpectedly, she found herself with no place to call home. Torn by grief and loss, she fled the ranchlands of southwest Saskatchewan and moved to the city, leaving almost everything behind. A lifetime of possessions was reduced to a few boxes of books, clothes, and keepsakes. But a lifetime of experience went with her, and a limitless well of memory—of personal failures, of a marriage that everybody said would not last but did, of the unbreakable bonds of family. ...

High in the mountains, Zel lives with her mother, who insists they have all they need — for they have each other. Zel's life is peaceful and protected — until a chance encounter changes everything. When she meets a beautiful young prince at the market one day, she is profoundly moved by new emotions. But Zel's mother sees the future unfolding — and she will do the unspeakable to prevent Zel from leaving her..."Will leave readers spellbound."— Publishers Weekly, starred review

The last person on Earth….At least, Sarah Wright is fairly sure she’s the last person left alive. Every man, woman, and child in her tiny mountain town of Cloudcroft, New Mexico, died of a terrible fever more than two months earlier, and since then, she hasn’t seen another living soul. Her former neighbor’s ham radio is silent, and the power has been out for months. With winter closing in, she has to decide whether to shelter in place at the historic hotel that’s become her refuge, or head down the mountain in the hope that she’ll somehow manage to find someone. Anyone. But when gorgeous survivor Cameron shows up on her literal doorstep, all of Sarah’s plans change. Will they share an enchanted Christmas together, or will his secrets tear them apart?Note: Although Illuminated is Book 8 of the Djinn Wars series, it’s a completely standalone holiday novella and can be read on its own.

Jimmy Blackburn grows up in the Midwest believing the things that adults tell him. He questions his teachers and they lie to him. He questions his parents and his father beats him. He questions the world and it hurts him.And so Jimmy Blackburn becomes a killer.In this novel we meet many of Blackburn's twenty-one victims. They include law enforcers, writers, adulterers, auto mechanics, and other liars.This is an exceptional novel, at once riotously funny and searingly potent: a vision of America through the eyes of the central bogeyman of our culture.