Valerie Frankel

A marriage made to save her mom and Penelope is put in a situation where she is torn between her husband and the man she thought she loved.

A self-confessed murderer recounts the events that led up to an apparently unprovoked attack; a gruesome murder scene holds nasty surprises for the investigating officers; a man makes what amounts to a deal with the devil - and pays the price; caught up in events beyond his control, a bit-part player in a wider drama has his guardian angel to thank for his survival ... These, and other stories of the strange and unaccountable, make up this collection from author Philip E. High.

It's uncanny! Within six months of breaking up with her, Peg Silver's ex-lovers always meet and marry the women of their dreams. Even worse than being the eternal bridesmaid, she's the last girlfriend, the one who awakens in a guy the knowledge of what he's always wanted in a relationship ... and it's never with Peg. Obviously, a major lifestyle change is seriously called for, which is why the distraught interior landscape designer says good-bye to Manhattan and late-night lattes with pal Nina, and hello to a farmhouse on ten acres in tiny, backwater Manshire, Vermont, hoping to meet the ultimate, all-organic country man (without too much facial hair) to keep her warm in those frosty New England winters.Instead, Peg finds herself at Inward Bound -- a proactive adult-education retreat for the hapless and hopelessly lovelorn -- to try to lift her dreaded "girlfriend curse." A steamy (and expressly forbidden) dalliance with gorgeous woman-eater Ray probably isn't going to help cure her. But some romantic insight could arise from her attraction to Linus, Inward Bound's sexy, scruffy, smart and still-single founder. Perhaps there is a secret to be unearthed in the crunchy Green Mountains, one that will magically transform Peg Silver from the Perpetual Also Ran to the Big Winner in love.

"This book explores the universal heroine's journey as she quests through world myth. Numerous stories from cultures as varied as Scotland and Africa reveal heroines who battle for safety and identity, thereby upsetting popular notions of the passive, gentle heroine. Only after she has defeated her dark side and reintegrated can the heroine become the bestower of wisdom"--Provided by publisher.

As part of a class project on political revolutions, sixteen-year-old Adora Benet devises a plan to overthrow the popular clique at her school and establish a new social order.

Colour comic strip story of Batman's first meeting with four of his deadliest enemies. New previously untold tales turn back the clock to when Batman was in the first year of his crimefighting career and his first encounters with The Riddler, Poison Ivy, Manbat and The Scarecrow.

As far as her family and friends are concerned, Frieda has been the grieving widow for long enough. At 35, she's still (relatively) young, still (adequately) attractive. Her sex drive is very much alive; even Frieda admits she'd like to put it to use again. Besides, she has a son who certainly needs a father figure. With visions of the perfect second husband in mind, Frieda's sisters start to send eligible males in her direction.Big sister Ilene -- herself substantially married -- has found the ultimate unattached catch: a gorgeous, independently wealthy, successful, divorced father, pillar of society and paragon of potential. What more could a single mom ask for? Apparently a lot more than loved ones realize. Frieda's own efforts bear very tasty fruit. Sam is young, talented, devoted, and incredibly sexy -- though broke, only sporadically employed, and clueless about kids. But he makes Frieda feel brand-spanking-new, in a most wonderfully wanton way. When all is said and done, does Frieda really need the "perfect man" ... or the far-from-ideal man who's perfect for her?

If only there were Cliffnotes for falling in love...

Out-of-work urban professional Francesca Greenfield has always known that she was the "smart" sister. Amanda was the soft and lovely one who, from the beginning, had always garnered most of the attention -- and all the dates. Now they've been thrown together in a last-ditch effort to save the family coffeehouse business before it goes permanently down the drain.In the chaotic misdt of mad promotional schemes and piranhalike next-door competitors, the sisters Greenfield are going to have to put aside their hard-faught sibling rivalry -- and quick! -- for the family good. What happens when a single woman in her early thirties gets stuck living and working with her sister again along with all the insecurities of sibling rivalry?"From where I stood now, fifteen years out of high school, I knew that smart was more valuable than pretty. For one thing, pretty is available to anyone who has the time, energy, money, and will. And even without exercise or makeup, I considered myself to be serviceably attractive. I elicit a grunt from workmen. Baggers at the supermarket, however, called me ma'am."Meet Francesca Greenfield, a smart, urban professional suddenly tossed out of her so-so career and into the business of selling coffee alongside her pretty, perky sister Amanda.But selling coffee is only the start of their worries.Francesca has always known that she was the smart sister, "though our mother never set us down and said, 'Francesca, we'll call you the smart one.'" Amanda was soft and lovely from the beginning and had always garnered most of the attention-and all of the dates. Now they've been thrown together in a last-ditch effort to save the family business before it goes permanently down the drain.As for the coffeehouse itself, well, there's rarely a dull moment. Consider the piranha-minded next-door franchise and the brainstorms of one nearly psychotic marketing manager for starters. And who can forget about love? Or at least sex. Thanks to a promotional contest, it's not long before Amanda is looking to explore the aura of a buff mountain climber while Francesca considers shedding more than her inhibitions with a J. Crew model.The stakes are rising. It's time to find out if smart or pretty knows best, whether the distinction really suits either one of them, and if the Greenfield sisters can actually live happily ever after.

Instead of the European vacations and sleepaway camps of summers past, Dora finds herself stuck in Brooklyn, after her junior year at the Brownstone Collegiate Institute, waitressing at an exclusive tennis and squash club, where new responsibilities and exciting relationships abound.

One of the savviest single urbanites ever to take up sleuthing and still look great, Bailey Weggins made her smashing debut in Kate White's If Looks Could Kill, a dishy and delectable New York Times bestseller and the first "Reading with Ripa" Book Club selection. Now the Gloss magazine true crime writer returns in a story of high style and low murder that goes behind the salons and saunas of a ritzy country spa to uncover... A Body to Die ForAfter her last adventure, Bailey Weggins is one tired reporter in need of R & R. So when an old family friend invites her for a free weekend at the Cedar Inn in rural Massachusetts, she jumps at the chance to leave Manhattan for some major pampering. At the elegant mid-nineteenth-century hideaway, with its Asian-inspired spa, Bailey is soon luxuriating to the hypnotic sound of water spilling over stones and the soothing scent of green-tea candles. Yet mayhem is mere steps away, as Bailey discovers when she literally stumbles across a corpse wrapped mummy-style in a treatment room. Suddenly, her time-out is transformed into a full-tilt murder investigation. Bailey hadn't expected to meet anyone other than socialites slathering their cellulite with shea butter, but now she's dealing with a list of suspects dirtier than a mud bath: a spurned lover, a shady husband, and a group of employees who seem to be hiding something. And against her better judgement, she can't seem to keep her own hands off the sexy homicide detective assigned to the case. Desparate to help her mother's friend, the owner of the spa, Bailey will find herself chasing clues across state lines just as another death sweeps her into the sights of a vicious killer. And this time, the body in the mud wrap could be her own.

Emma sees naked people (not necessarily a bad thing!)Emma Hutch's upscale Manhattan clients call her the "Good Witch." Her uncanny telepathic abilities enable her to plant images into unsuspecting minds, which has made her New York's most successful professional matchmaker. After all, what bachelor, confirmed or otherwise, could deny his true destiny when the woman he can't seem to stop thinking about suddenly appears right in front of him? Now an all-too-perfect blonde socialite needs Emma's help to snare the most eligible single man in the city -- all in a day's work for the Good Witch.Except William Dearborn -- visual artist, software genius, total hunk, and dedicated hedonist -- is not so easily snared. And he's becoming a little too interested in the desperate matchmaking sorceress who's been following him all around town incognito. Emma doesn't have to be psychic to know what's going on in his mind. William's having very wicked thoughts indeed about the Good Witch . . . and Emma likes it! But she's got to resist his special brand of magic . . . or else her witchy career is going up in flames.

From: Venus, Goddess of Love, 120 Main, Mt. OlympusTo: Stacy Temple, lapsed temptressStacy, Stacy, Stacy. You were so promising at the beginning: Sexy, smart, personable and funny. Great on dates and really great afterward-if you know what I mean. But this is a sad state of affairs; or, in your case, non-affairs! It's been nearly an entire year and you haven't had your way with even ONE eligible male. You've been working so hard concocting sexy lingerie for Thongs.com -- and really, Stacy, if that little pink velvet bustier didn't put you in the mood, I don't know what to say! -- that you haven't even tried to be coaxed out of your own thong.com!Are you listening, Stacy? Seven days to find the perfect man -- or else!Happy hunting!