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The Jeri Howard Anthology: Books 1-9 (The Jeri Howard Series) (affiliate link)
Fans of hard-boiled women sleuths and detective novels with a twist will love P.I. Jeri Howard. If you like Sue Grafton, Marcia Muller, T.R. Ragan, Laura Lippman, Sara Paretsky, and Alison Gaylin, this intelligent, action-packed anthology is a mega bargain!
“Jeri combines V.I.’s social conscience with Kinsey’s badass attitude and a snappy narrative voice…”
-Maureen Corrigan, Washington Post Book World
Jeri’s as savvy as Sam Spade, with something of Spade’s seen-it-all outlook. She handles the daily bread and butter without breaking a sweat, and she’s got the street smarts to handle the bad guys, always managing somehow to land a well-deserved punch. What she doesn’t know, her chic lawyer pal, Cassie, can supply; and her cop ex-husband’s on hand to make trouble.
Blood Orphan (The Tom Grant Series Book 1) (affiliate link)
Just Murdered (A Dead-End Job Mystery Book 4) (affiliate link)
From Anthony and Agatha Award-winning author Elaine Viets—the thrilling mystery series about one woman trying to make a living… while other people are making a killing.
After all she’s endured with her own marriage, divorce, and subsequent flight from alimony, Helen Hawthorne getting a job at Millicent’s Bridal Salon is ironic in the extreme. But the pay is in cash and that’s what matters for Helen to stay incognito.
But there’s no amount of cash worth having to deal with the abominable Kiki—a wealthy witch who’s lording it over her daughter’s wedding plans with the aim of making the day all about Kiki, not the bride. She also thinks her money makes her invulnerable…but she’s proven wrong when she’s found smothered to death with her daughter’s wedding dress. And worse, the cops seem to think Helen is responsible.
Sugar Kisses (3:AM Kisses) (affiliate link)
Roxy Capwell couldn’t be more miserable. She just had her heart stomped on by her cheating boyfriend, and the last thing she’s looking for is love. She hates men. Cole Brighton couldn’t be happier. He’s a player of the highest order, there’s not a girl at Whitney Briggs University that he can’t tag and bag. He loves the ladies.
Roxy’s dream is to own and operate her own bakery one day, but with no oven in her dorm, and a lucrative baking competition on the horizon, she agrees to move in with her best friend’s brother, the obnoxious, womanizing, Cole Brighton.
Between the heavenly scent of baked goods, and Roxy’s perfect body strutting around the apartment, Cole can’t think straight. So when Roxy’s ex starts sniffing around again, Cole volunteers to play the part of her new boy-toy and things get heated both in and out of the kitchen.
Heather (Hart Land Lakeside Inn Book 1) (affiliate link)
Come and stay in one of the quaint and cozy cottages at Hart Land—but be warned, once you meet the family and delightful cast of characters, you may never want to leave.
Fiona Hart is the devoted matriarch. Elegant, wise, and arts patron, but despite all her efforts, she has yet to find her own artistic outlet. Lucy isn’t just a housekeeper, she’s part of the family. She also fancies herself a real life Dolly Levy, except she’s much better at cooking up trouble than the perfect match. Innkeeper and retired general Harold Hart believes in hard work, discipline, and whatever his beloved wife wants. Katie O’Leary runs the One Stop, makes the best Irish soda bread this side of the Blarney Stone, and no one is quite sure if it’s more than her baking that has the magic touch. Did we mention the Harts have nine granddaughters?
Far To Go (affiliate link)
When Margaret Thursday lands a role as a child actress at a well-known London theatre, becoming famous almost overnight, news of her success reaches her bitter enemy, the matron of her old orphanage.
Margaret knows that Matron is set on revenge, but she keeps her head held high, focusing on the play. But Matron’s evil plans are well prepared, and Margaret is going to need her wits about her – and the help of her friends – if she is to escape unharmed…
Bride of a Scottish Warrior (affiliate link)
A union born of duty . . .
Newly knighted Sir Ewan Gilroy needs a dowry and a wife, in that order. That the widowed Lady Grace plans to enter a convent, squandering so much lush beauty—and such a fortune—would surely be its own sin. But Grace will not be easily wooed, despite her family’s urging and Ewan’s famed charm. She challenges him as no woman ever dared, proving his equal in spirit and in passions.
Forged by desire . . .
To atone for her past, Grace vows to never remarry—least of all a brash and reckless warrior. Yet whether defending her honor or stoking desires she hardly knew she possessed, Ewan is a man beyond compare. And as their fragile trust is threatened by treachery, Grace must decide whether to reach for the happiness within her grasp—and fight for the love of her bold Highlander . . .
It’s Up to the Women (affiliate link)
“Eleanor Roosevelt never wanted her husband to run for president. When he won, she . . . went on a national tour to crusade on behalf of women. She wrote a regular newspaper column. She became a champion of women’s rights and of civil rights. And she decided to write a book.” — Jill Lepore, from the Introduction
“Women, whether subtly or vociferously, have always been a tremendous power in the destiny of the world,” Eleanor Roosevelt wrote in It’s Up to the Women, her book of advice to women of all ages on every aspect of life. Written at the height of the Great Depression, she called on women particularly to do their part — cutting costs where needed, spending reasonably, and taking personal responsibility for keeping the economy going.
Secrets of Hallstead House (affiliate link)
A Dog-Friendly Town (affiliate link)
Twelve-year-old Epic McDade isn’t ready for middle school. He’d rather help out at his family’s dog-friendly bed n’ breakfast all summer, or return to his alternative elementary school in the fall, where learning feels safe. But change comes in all shapes and fur colors. When Carmelito, California is named America’s #1 Dog-Friendly Town, all the top dogs and their owners pour into Epic’s sleepy seaside neighborhood for a week of celebration.
The McDades are in dog heaven with all the new business until a famous dog’s jewel-encrusted collar goes missing. Every guest is a suspect, and Epic will have to embrace new friends and new ideas to sniff out the culprit before the week is through.
Million Dollar Road (affiliate link)
Eighteen-year-old Lireinne Hooten has always been on the lowest rung of the ladder. Abandoned by her mother, Lireinne lives with her stepfather in an old trailer and spends her days working at the world’s largest alligator farm.
Shy and overweight in high school, Lireinne has become lean, resilient, and naïvely alluring from months of physical labor. Lireinne’s boss, Con Costello, is powerful, attractive, and used to getting exactly what he desires. Now that he’s noticed Lireinne’s haunting beauty, he wants her, too. But unlike all the other women Con has left in his wake—like his needy second wife, Lizzie, or his still-heartbroken ex, Emma—Lireinne isn’t interested.
Dog Crazy: A Novel of Love Lost and Found (affiliate link)
As a pet bereavement counselor, Maggie Brennan uses a combination of empathy, insight, and humor to help patients cope with the anguish of losing their beloved four-legged friends. Though she has a gift for guiding others through difficult situations, Maggie has major troubles of her own that threaten the success of her counseling practice and her volunteer work with a dog rescue organization.
Everything changes when a distraught woman shows up at Maggie’s office and claims that her dog has been stolen. Searching the streets of San Francisco for the missing pooch, Maggie finds herself entangled in a mystery that forces her to finally face her biggest fear-and to open her heart to new love.
… See the rest of today ‘s Book Picks here on page 2Page 2