Hometown Girl

New York Times bestselling author Mariah Stewart presents a captivating contemporary romance novel in the tradition of Robyn Carr, Susan Mallery, and Barbara Freethy. Life was always just about perfect for Brooke Madison Bowers. She was the prettiest, most popular girl in small-town St. Dennis, Maryland, a prom queen, local pageant star, and the pride and joy of her loving parents. She even married the man of her dreams. But the promise of happily ever after fell to pieces when her husband was killed while serving in Iraq. Brokenhearted and longing for the solace of better days, she returns to the idyllic world of St. Dennis, and the familiar comfort of the family farm. Surrounded by her loving family and friends, she’s determined to build a new life, complete with her own cupcake bakery. She’s equally determined never to fall in love again. For Jesse Enright, life has been a challenge. A fourth-generation attorney, he’s spent his life fighting to escape the shadow of his irresponsible father. Now he’s moved to St. Dennis to run the family law practice, and he’s ready to find the right girl, get married, and settle down. But his carefully laid plans go out the window when he meets Brooke and finds himself caught between the unbreakable law of attraction and Brooke’s resolve to go her way alone—despite the undeniable feelings Jesse stirs in her. But just like catching lightning in a bottle, is it possible to fall head-over-heels, heart-and-soul in love all over again?

Claire Kendall ran away from her small town after high school and never looked back, leaving her sister behind. Now Janice’s sudden death forces Claire to go home. She’s responsible for her sullen nephew, a teen who blames Claire for saving herself and not his mother. Complicating everything is Tucker Hall, the high school football coach who takes Nick under his wing. All Claire wants is to see Monroe in her rearview mirror. But Nick refuses to leave. And Tucker wants to give her a reason to stay. But can Claire get past the pain of her childhood and give Monroe, and Tucker, a chance?

"A hopeful and emotional book about seizing second chances, finding yourself, and forging your own path, set in the small town of Willow Grove, Illinois"--

From the award-winning Robin Kaye comes the first in a delightful new series—a sexy romance of a good girl who’s got it bad for a secret crush. Elyse Fitzgerald is on a blind date from hell in Brooklyn’s historic waterfront neighborhood of Red Hook when she stumbles into a childhood friend—and childhood crush. She knows Simon would never be interested in his little sister’s friend, even though she’s all grown up. So it’s a lucky break that he doesn’t recognize her… Simon Sprague is an artist who picks up bartending shifts at a local family-owned pub. To the artistic Simon, the women he usually meets at work are uninspiring. Except for the dark-eyed goddess who just walked into his bar. He feels an instant connection with her, and the mysterious angel seems to know him. Quick on his feet, Simon goes along with the ride… but will he lose his heart to a hometown girl along the way?

Heaven Sent Hometown Montana was full of memories and matchmakers, but Hope Ashton wasn't interested. Neither was widowed cowboy Matthew Sheridan, busy with triplets. He understood how love could hurt. Yet all they needed was a little faith—and love's promise could be heaven sent. His Hometown Girl Keeping his love a secret was easier when the woman of Zachary Drake's dreams was engaged to another. But now Karen McKaslin was single and looking for happiness...with a small-town mechanic who needed to start believing in his own happily ever after.

Small-town mechanic Zachary Drake had no illusions about his longtime friendship with winsome, wholesome Karen McKaslin—even after she called off her wedding to the local pastor. Zach simply intended to lend a grease-stained hand and a sympathetic ear to a pal in need, and keep his secret longing to himself.... Having narrowly escaped a loveless marriage, Karen was counting her blessings. Now she could transform herself into a woman worthy of being loved for all eternity. She never dreamed Mr. Right was waiting for her on the wrong side of the tracks, praying she'd see in his eyes what he didn't dare say....

Big-city environmental lawyer Lauren Van Horn returns to her small hometown in Utah to help her sister in a personal crisis. Lauren doesn't expect to see Gabe Randolph, the secret love of her teenage years. He's returned as an oil producer whose ideas about the environment clash with Lauren's. Her intense attraction to Gabe, though, throws her emotions into chaos.

Hometown Girl by Robin Lee Hatcher released on Dec 25, 1998 is available now for purchase.

"This ghost story gave me chill after chill. It will haunt you." -- R.L. Stine, author of Goosebumps "Do you know what it feels like to be forgotten?"On a cold winter night, Iris and her best friend, Daniel, sneak into a clearing in the woods to play in the freshly fallen snow. There, Iris carefully makes a perfect snow angel -- only to find the crumbling gravestone of a young girl, Avery Moore, right beneath her.Immediately, strange things start to happen to Iris: She begins having vivid nightmares. She wakes up to find her bedroom window wide open, letting in the snow. She thinks she sees the shadow of a girl lurking in the woods. And she feels the pull of the abandoned grave, calling her back to the clearing...Obsessed with figuring out what's going on, Iris and Daniel start to research the area for a school project. They discover that Avery's grave is actually part of a neglected and forgotten Black cemetery, dating back to a time when White and Black people were kept separate in life -- and in death. As Iris and Daniel learn more about their town's past, they become determined to restore Avery's grave and finally have proper respect paid to Avery and the others buried there.But they have awakened a jealous and demanding ghost, one that's not satisfied with their plans for getting recognition. One that is searching for a best friend forever -- no matter what the cost.The Forgotten Girl is both a spooky original ghost story and a timely and important storyline about reclaiming an abandoned segregated cemetery."A harrowing yet empowering tale reminding us that the past is connected to the present, that every place and every person has a story, and that those stories deserve to be told." -- Renee Watson, New York Times bestselling author of Piecing Me Together

A girl longs to return to the island in China where she was born to look for dragons. One day, her dream comes true when her family returns to celebrate Chinese New Year. The girl helps her grandparents prepare for the holiday. She assists her grandmother in making tangyuan, a tasty desert, and she watches as her grandfather paints a dragon costume. The girl joins in on the big holiday parade, then waits for nightfall when her family's lotus-shaped lanterns can be released into the water. Her grandfather explains how the fish jump over the lanterns to become dragons, and why she is called Little Dragon Girl.