To No Avail (2nd New Edition) by EK Powers (6 Reviews)    Price verified 7 hours ago

"TO NO AVAIL" and the sequel to the first twisted novel "Hidden Revenge" thrusts readers into a gripping tale of ambition, deception, and obsession. At its core, the story revolves around two brilliant minds, Dr. Steven Chang and Dr. David Wong, who led Beijing Global Research, an organization committed to battling China's most debilitating diseases. Their lives take a thrilling turn when they create an ingenious microchip with the potential to redefine the world of sports. However, the microchip's allure attracts the attention of Jason Gilbert, a former SLBA champion turned league president, who harbors a shadowy agenda. What follows is a relentless game of secrecy, with Gilbert clandestinely recruiting SLBA players to implant the revolutionary device in exchange for a share of the profits, all while concealing it from the league's board. A supernatural attack on Gilbert throws the story into a dizzying whirlwind of suspense, as Dr. Chang becomes ensnared by greed, transforming into a formidable antagonist hell-bent on recovering the list of implanted players and the vast wealth associated with it. Teaming up with Dr. David Wong, they embark on a treacherous journey to America, showing an unshakable resolve to obtain their objectives. As the stakes escalate and tensions reach an unprecedented height, the fate of the microchip and the lives intertwined with it hang in the balance, offering a pulse-pounding narrative filled with high-stakes drama, intrigue, and unexpected revelations.

Genre: Literary Fiction

Quigley Tree: A Novel by Linda A Lavid (Plum Barn Press) (31 Reviews)    Price verified 5 hours ago

Quigley Tree drops out of college. At age 23, she's been a complete failure. If she doesn't do something soon, her life will careen into a deep, dark, irrevocable void. Tick Tock. That soon is now. From the publisher: Five-Star Review from Readers' Favorite by Lorraine Cobcroft: Quigley Tree, the protagonist of Linda A. Lavid's novel of the same name, is a young woman with an odd name. A college dropout from a dysfunctional home, and recently escaped from a relationship with a narcissist, Quigley needs to find a new place to live, quickly. A unique idea sets her on a path to find accommodation in a motel in exchange for providing marketing help, but she eventually must admit she has no idea what she is doing. She is a complete mess and has no faith in her ability to do anything useful with her life. Yet a kindly couple takes her on, and, with their help, and the help of an elderly lady she befriends, she begins to reshape her life and overcome her self-destructive attitude. Quirky is the best adjective to describe this work by Linda A. Lavid. Quigley Tree is as quirky as the protagonist's name. Q (as Quigley calls herself) grew on me and won me over. I empathized with her deep feelings of insecurity and her struggle to come to terms with a fractured family and a chaotic childhood. As the story progressed, there were poignant moments, and Lavid presented some interesting perspectives on life. There were also touches of whimsy in this tale of resilience and determination. In classic literary fiction style, Lavid focuses her novel on the character and theme rather than the plot. Quigley Tree, the story, ambles along at a leisurely pace, tracking Q's growth and gradual acceptance of herself and adjustment of her attitude toward her defective mother. Pearls of wisdom are scattered in conversations with her elderly friend, her employers, and the man who eventually wins her affection. The ending tempted me to shed a few tears, touched by Quigley's care for her toddler ...

Genre: Literary Fiction

Secondhand Smoke: A Wickedly Dark Comedy by Patty Friedmann (booksBnimble) (538 Reviews)    Price verified 7 minutes ago

"A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES Meets THE CORRECTIONS in Friedmann's warm and wacky tale of family dysfunction and redemption" -- Library Journal "The outrageous developments and swift pace make this novel hard to resist." -Publishers Weekly JERUSHA'S POISON... ... to just about everyone--particularly her adult children. Fortunately, poison is the very superfood of the satirist. Patty Friedmann, the reigning queen of black comedy, hits one out of the park with her family straight out of Tolstoy--unhappy in its own way, a uniquely twisted Southern way. Meet the Baileys. Born and bred in a working class New Orleans neighborhood, Zib and Wilson think the thick cloud of cigarette smoke enveloping their mother is what probably killed their father. Certainly the toxicity of Jerusha's dark, cynical attitudes has driven her children far from the nest. Wilson has escaped to Chicago, married a woman who hates him, converted to Judaism, and become a decorated professor of Organic Evolution. Zib, almost forty, has made it only as far as the Florida Panhandle, where she's an assistant manager at the local Winn-Dixie, doomed to fending off a sleazy boss given to late night phone calls. Only one person, as isolated as she is, shows Jerusha any affection: Dustin Puglia, chubby, wise, and fearless, a ten-year-old living next door with a poisonous mother of his own. Although Wilson and Zib have forged independent lives away from their mother -- as well as each other -- their father's death brings them back together for a darkly droll, yet heart-wrenching round of domestic insanity. Does it remind you of AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY? Or THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS? Patty Friedmann got there first! And she's just as funny and observant as the authors of those splendid screenplays. Who Will Like It: Fans of off-beat dark comedies like AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, family dramas with a lot more humor than THE CORRECTIONS, the incomparable CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES, and another ...

Genre: Literary Fiction

The Last Letter (The Letter Series Book 1) by Kathleen Shoop (2,658 Reviews)    Price verified 8 hours ago

"Gripping historical fiction -- A tale of two women finding meaning behind all that went wrong in their lives. A timeless tale of redemption with the best plot-twist at the end I've seen in a long, long time. Can't wait for book two!" New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Melissa Foster Katherine wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't found the letter... In the summer of 1905 Katherine Arthur's mother arrives on her doorstep, dying, forcing her to relive a past she wanted to forget. When Katherine was young, the Arthur family had been affluent city dwellers until shame sent them running for the prairie, into the unknown. Taking her family, including young Katherine, to live off the land was the last thing Jeanie Arthur had wanted, but she would do her best to make a go of it. For Jeanie's husband Frank it had been a world of opportunity. Dreaming, lazy Frank. But, it was a society of uncertainty--a domain of natural disasters, temptation, hatred, even death. ?? Ten-year-old Katherine had loved her mother fiercely, put her trust in her completely, but when there was no other choice, and Jeanie resorted to extreme measures on the prairie to save her family, she tore Katherine's world apart. Now, seventeen years later, and far from the homestead, Katherine has found the truth - she has discovered the last letter. After years of anger, can Katherine find it in her heart to understand why her mother made the decisions that changed them all? Can she forgive and finally begin to heal before it's too late? **Independent Publisher Awards** 2011 Gold Medal, Best Regional Fiction-Midwest **National Indie Excellence Book Awards** 2011 Finalist Award-Historical Fiction 2011 Finalist Award-Regional Fiction **USA Best Books 2011 Awards** Winner, Fiction--Western Finalist, Fiction--Historical Finalist, Best New Fiction **International Book Awards** 2011 Finalist Award-Historical Fiction 2011 Finalist Award-Best New Fiction

Genre: Literary Fiction

Pretty Little Flowers by Joyce Kay (9 Reviews)    Price verified 10 hours ago

What I wouldn't give for you. I would sacrifice everything. I would give my life. All you have to do is ask and I would stand upon the peak of a great mountain and fall to my certain death. In Victorian England, everything is done according to the rules of society, but when the Duke of Fetterfield dies, his daughter discovers a freedom that had been denied to her; the freedom to marry for love. And when Mr York comes back into her life, she believes her prayers have finally been answered. But her father's death also uncovers a shocking secret that could destroy them all. Pretty Little Flowers by Joyce Kay is about the choices we make, and how those choices force us to confront the truth of who we are.

Genre: Literary Fiction

Crowned By Love (The Yorkist Saga Book 1) by Diana Rubino (Next Chapter) (121 Reviews)    Price verified 10 hours ago

England, 1471. Adopted as a baby, Denys lives with her mother Elizabeth: queen and married to Edward IV. Denys makes numerous attempts to uncover her true lineage, but each effort comes to an abrupt and tragic end. Queen Elizabeth metes out Denys's ultimate degradation, when she marries her off to the ambitious Valentine Starbury. As her feelings for Valentine bloom into love, can she finally discover the truth about her past?

Genre: Literary Fiction

Phantammeron Book One by Mitchell Stokely (GiantIsland LLC) (5 Reviews)    Price verified 10 hours ago

Mystery, romance, tragedy, and treachery abound in the rich mytho-poetic fantasy world of the Phantammeron. The title of the book translates to "Book of the Forest", and is named for Phantaia, the mysterious Forest of Twilight where the One Tree and the Sacred Pool lie hidden. All of the books in the Phantammeron series will cover the mythical history of this forest and its divine children, whose conflict revolves around the cursed waters of an ancient pool. The global struggle surrounding the pool and the redemption of the characters tragically affected by it is the main theme in this high fantasy novel series. There will be 12 books in the series. Get book one and start the adventure. In later books you will find even more characters, mystery, and drama in the books, deepening the overall history of the Phantammeron world, and building upon its dark and tragic tale of woe.

Genre: Literary Fiction