Pamela Morsi

While Emma Collins wonders who in their right mind would use her hard-won divorce settlement to purchase a bed-and-breakfast down in the Ozarks, her free-spirited sister Katy fantasizes dreamily about how this move to a small town will be just the thing for her six-year-old son, Josh. And, as usual, Emma is right. But it is not until they drive to Warbler Lake, Missouri, to take over Bitsy's B & B that they realize just how right she's been. In this part of the country, B & B stands for Bait and BBQ! The girls know little enough about running a bed-and-breakfast, but a bait-and-BBQ? With their money and futures sunk into a run-down, roadside rattletrap, the girls have no choice but to roll up their sleeves and get to work. But as they settle in and get to know the difference between fatheads, night crawlers, mealworms and shiners, no one is more surprised than they are when they actually get the place up and running. But trouble is brewing. Katy's ex-husband is having second thoughts about the custody arrangements for Josh, and he fully intends to get him back. With the prospect of losing the little boy, the sisters face another challenge, only this time it's Katy who proves that she, too, can solve a problem.

THE ROAD AWAY FROM HOME ALWAYS SEEMS TO LEAD BACK TO OUR MOTHERS. I am not, nor will I ever be, the kind of woman who wears pearls with her apron while cooking meat loaf for her husband. But when I was a kid, my mother, Babs, prepared me to be the next June Cleaver -- teaching me lessons that belonged to another era. Another world, practically. My mother's world. I couldn't wait to leave home and get away from her. But now, well...let's just say life hasn't turned out quite as I'd planned. And heaven help me, I'm going home. /> Laney Hoffman -- Cotton Queen, 1975 It's funny -- all I ever wanted was to teach my daughter, Laney, how to be a lady so she could find a good husband and take her rightful place in our community. But Laney has always remained convinced that my life and my ideas are, well, pathetic. She has no idea -- no idea! -- what it is to lose a husband, to watch your dreams wither while keeping a smile on your face for the neighbors. Now, that is a talent. Laney is probably too smart for her own good, but being smart hasn't kept her out of trouble. Thank heavens I'm here to help pick up the pieces. Babs Hoffman -- Cotton Queen First Runner-Up, 1956

SOME THINGS ARE JUST TOO HARD TO IMAGINE... For instance, Dawn Leland never thought in a million years that she and her girls would ever end up back with her in-laws. Sixteen years is a long time to be away, but life has dealt her something unexpected. Now she has no choice. AND SOME THINGS DON'T BEAR THINKING ABOUT... Sephrona Leland said good riddance to bad rubbish when her son's widow took her two little girls and left Knoxville all those years ago. And despite her husband's best efforts, the bitterness still remains. /> BUT ALL THINGS TURN OUT IN THE END... It takes some forgiveness, a little understanding and the magic of two young girls to make everyone see that -- although it's hard to imagine -- they have all ended up where they belong.

After 25 years of marriage and two children, Sam and Corrie Braydon are finally on their own and looking forward to the future. With their anniversary approaching, they take the unorthodox step of really looking at their marriage to determine if they should renew their wedding vows--or call it a day and get a divorce!

The bayou moon works its magic to bring true love to the beautiful Aida Gaudet.

From the back cover: The last thing widow Althea Winsloe wanted to do was remarry. Unfortunately, her meddlesome mountain neighbors had other plans. So, one autumn night they banded together and gave Althea a shocking ultimatum: She was to find herself a husband by Christmas...or the town would do it for her! Althea knew she had her choice of any single man in Marrying Stone, Arkansas. Yet the only one she felt truly comfortable with was Simple Jess. Sweet and gentle, Jess wasn't as smart as your average man. But his tender manner stirred Althea's heart in ways she had never dreamed possible. It would take a miracle to find a husband in Marrying Stone. But sometimes miracles are right under your nose.

A lady doesn’t go courting… but that doesn’t matter a whit to Miss Esme Crabb. Unlike her featherbrained sisters, the proud, practical hill girl knows sweet talk won’t put food on the table – so she’s bent on finding a sensible choice. So amidst the cracker barrels and jam jars in his general store, Esme makes her move. She doesn’t realize that daring to set her sights on someone like Cleavis Rhy will turn the town-and her heart-upside down.

The news spread like brush fire through the whole county when widower Ancil Drayton announced his intention to start courting Miss Hattie Colfax. She was certainly spirited and delightfully sweet natured, and she'd managed to run her family farm almost single-handedly. But wasn't a twenty-nine-year-old lady farmer too old to catch a husband? An Irresistible Suitor. All his life handsome, black-haired Reed Tyler had worked Miss Hattie's farm--and dreamed of one day settling down on his own piece of land with the pretty young woman he'd sworn to marry. Hattie was someone he could tell his hopes and troubles to--someone he looked on as a sister. So he thought, until the idea of Ancil Drayton calling on her made him seethe. Until the night a brotherly peck became a scorching kiss... and Reed knew nothing would bank the blaze--and that his best friend was the only woman he would ever love.

"Think you can trust your husband? Think again! That's what the gossipy types at Erica Bentley's new job say. Even her (multi-divorced) mom agrees. But Erica's sure she knows her husband, Tom, better than that. He says he loves her, and shows it in a million ways. Except ... he has been working extra-late these days. And he's been kinda quiet. Even secretive. Happily married Tom Bentley never thought his head could be turned - until he saw Clara. Her sleek body has him longing, and he can't get her 127" wheelbase out of his mind. That's right. Erica's "competition" is ... a car. The beautiful Buick has Tom completely car-crazy. And Erica's sleuthing is making her just plain crazy. One of them needs to come clean with their newest obsessions, before Clara drives their happy marriage into a ditch! "-- Cover verso.

For Jesse Winsloe, the answer is clear: head into hiding. Single again and laid off from work, Jesse flees to Onery Cabin to lick her wounds with her ancient aunt Will--a Granny woman with the secret to healing the lovelorn. Sure, Onery Cabin may be right out of Hollywood's Lifestyles of the Poor and Hillbilly, but Marrying Stone Mountain has its charm--including the local physician's assistant, Piney Baxley, a past recipient of Aunt Will's pungent "heartbreak poultice." Between folk remedies and a "no strings attached" romance, Jesse is beginning to think she's found her own brand of lovesick cure--because there's nothing like a pinch of confidence and a dash of attraction to mend a broken heart.

Sometimes the sweet sounds of remembered melodies can reignite the heart... Jack and Claire Crabtree were once happily married, but separate interests have left each one dancing to their own tune. She refuses to move into the brand-new house he built for the family. He spends too much time at work with a colleague whom she considers a threat to any man's fidelity. When Jack is summoned back to Oklahoma to see his ailing grandpa Bud, Claire only makes the trip at the last minute.Bud and Geri Crabtree danced through life together for seventy years as friends, lovers and devoted spouses. They always knew what mattered most in life--and the laughter and tears come naturally when their family gathers together. And if Jack and Claire can remember the bond they once shared, they might be able to rediscover what's wonderful about love....

In a spellbinding blend of suspense and human drama, Danielle Steel tells a powerful and unusual story of one woman's journey from darkness into light, as she fights to escape a mesmerizing sociopath who holds her in his thrall....Hope Dunne has carved out a name for herself as a top photographer, known the joys of marriage and motherhood, and the heartbreak of loss. In her chic SoHo loft, Hope is content with her life, finding serenity and beauty through the lens of her camera. She isn't looking for a man or excitement. But these things find her when she accepts a last- minute assignment to fly to London at Christmas and photograph one of the world's most celebrated writers--an Irish-American author known for novels of thrilling literary darkness. To Hope's surprise, Finn O'Neill exudes warmth and a boyish charm. Enormously successful, he is a perfect counterpoint to Hope's quiet, steady grace--and he's taken instantly by her. He courts her as no one ever has before, whisking her away to his palatial, isolated Irish estate.Hope finds it all, and him, irresistible. Finn's magnetism and brilliance are undeniable. But soon cracks begin to appear in his stories: gaps in his history, a few innocent lies, and bouts of jealousy unnerve her. Suddenly Hope is both in love and suspicious, caring and deeply in doubt, and ultimately frightened of the man she loves. Alone, thousands of miles from home, her mind is reeling. Is she just being paranoid? How many lies has he told? Are there more secrets to come? Is it possible that this adoring, attentive man--like the characters in his novels--is hiding something even worse? The spell cast by a brilliant sociopath has her trapped in his web, too confused and dazzled to escape as he continues to tighten his grip on her. With razor-sharp insight, Danielle Steel delivers an unforgettable tale of danger and obsessive love. Fearlessly telling the truth, refusing to look away, Steel proves once again that as an American storyteller she has no peer when she explores the dark secrets that sometimes lurk just below the surface of ordinary lives, writing about men and women and their courage to prevail, in this case, even in the face of evil.From the Hardcover edition.

The last thing Cora Briggs expected was to see a fine young man like Jedwin Sparrow at her doorstep. After all, she'd been shunned by the citizens of Dead Dog, Oklahoma, for so long that she'd given up hope of having any respectable gentleman callers. But the last thing Jed expected was romance. He was looking for a sophisticated woman to help him sow his wild oats. Instead, Cora made him a proposition of her own - one that would cause a fury in the town - and cause her to question her own heart...

"After Andrea Wolkowicz abandons corporate life to help care for her sister, she quickly wears out the want ads in their rustbelt hometown. Every mogul knows the best idea is an old idea with a new twist. So Andi proudly revives her father's business: an old fashioned car wash ... staffed entirely by bikini-clad women. That ought to get traffic and blood flowing on Grosvenor Street! This gutsy gimmick soon has the whole town in a lather, and not necessarily in a good way."--Taken from the cover p. 4.