Remember when we parted ways in Germany? It was the day I broke your heart. What you didn’t know was that I was breaking mine too.
I thought they’d be enough–my husband and my son. That I’d get home and everything would go back to the way it was . . .
Before the war.
Before the ambush.
Before you.
But, no matter how hard I try, I can’t erase the trauma we shared. I can’t seem to forget the way my heart beat in time with yours.
The truth is I’m lost without you.
I thought the nightmare was over when they pulled us from that hole in the ground, but nothing could have prepared me for the war I’d face at home.
I know it’s selfish of me to ask, but, please, I have to see you one last time. . .
All my love,
Scottie
About the Author:
Heather M. Orgeron is a Cajun girl with a big heart and a passion for romance. She married her high school sweetheart two months after graduation and her life has been a fairytale ever since. She’s the queen of her castle, reigning over five sons and one bossy little princess who has made it her mission in life to steal her Momma’s throne. When she’s not writing, you will find her hidden beneath mounds of laundry and piles of dirty dishes or locked in her tower(aka the bathroom) soaking in the tub with a good book. She’s always been an avid reader and has recently discovered a love for cultivating romantic stories of her own.
A Texas native, Kate Stewart lives in North Carolina with her husband, Nick, and her naughty beagle, Sadie. She pens messy, sexy, angst-filled contemporary romance as well as romantic comedy and erotic suspense because it’s what she loves as a reader. Kate is a lover of all things ’80s and ’90s, especially John Hughes films and rap. She dabbles a little in photography, can knit a simple stitch scarf for necessity, and on occasion, does very well at whiskey.
First comes love. Then comes marriage. And after that? It doesn’t matter. As long as they’re together.
Title: For Today Series: The Avenue #3 Author: B. Cranford Release Date: October 29, 2018
Seventeen Years Ago. The first time Aaron Andrews saw Simon Foster smile, he knew he was in trouble. He’d never seen anything—or anyone—like the man who’d stolen his favorite seat in his favorite coffee shop.
Six Weeks Ago. The late-night phone call that changed their lives forever was short. Four little words was all it took to set them on a different path—one that included new toys (not that kind), a dose of homophobia (been there), and an appreciation for spandex (though they always appreciated it . . .)
Today. That’s what Aaron and Simon are focused on as they try to plan the best birthday in the history of ever, all for the little boy who has quickly become their world. Even if that means dealing with too-tight costumes, a cape that won’t behave, a meddlesome family . . .
“Are you okay?” Simon asked, reaching over the table and resting a hand on Aaron’s. The contact was literally electric, a shock jolting the visual clear, and Aaron nodded fervently.
“Yeah, sorry, I, ahh . . .” Shit. He trailed off unsure what to say.
“Was it because I said I was glad you were nervous? I only said that because I am too, and didn’t want to be all nervy alone.”
“No, no, I got that. No problem.” He shrugged, feeling like his arms were no longer under his control. “I was thinking about your smile,” he offered his date, wanting to give the man the truth but maybe not the whole truth.
Which was surprising, considering that he was usually all about the overshare.
“In a good way, right? Not in a creepy way?” Simon asked with mock fear on his face, and joined Aaron when he began laughing.
“What, like the Joker?” Aaron asked, thinking of the gruesome, stretched smile of Batman’s foe. “Why so serious, Simon?”
“Well, this night took a turn.”
“Yeah, that’s probably something you should know about me,” Aaron admitted, grimacing a little.
“What do you mean?”
“You might have noticed that, ahh, I have a tendency to, umm, you know, sort of, redirect conversations.”
“To killer clown smiles?”
“Honestly, it’s usually to sex. Or sex-adjacent.”
“Sex-adjacent?” Simon tilted his head with the question, clearly trying to figure out what he was talking about.
“Yeah, like sex jokes. Sex positions. Sex stories.” He tapped the front of his forehead. “I have a dirty mind.”
“I hope you’re not afraid to use it,” Simon countered, making it clear that the idea of Aaron’s dirty mind was not a problem in the slightest.
“I’m usually not. With you, though . . .” He trailed off again, taking a deep breath and committing to what his mind was trying to get his mouth to admit. “With you, I find myself wanting to say different things, in the hopes I won’t scare you off.”
“It takes more than a dirty mind to scare me off someone I like.”
“Such as?”
“Any kind of lair is probably questionable. I mean, no one ever has a good lair; it’s always an evil one. People who hate puppies and like bell peppers are also on the no list.”
“Wait, that’s kind of specific. Hate puppies and like bell peppers? Like, if I hate both, or like both, I’m okay?”
“Huh?”
“What if I love puppies, but also like bell peppers? Does that make me a no? I could learn to hate bell peppers for you.” Aaron opened his eyes with what he hoped was earnestness. Feigned earnestness, though, because he really didn’t like bell peppers.
“Well, if you’re willing to train yourself away from the vegetable that shall not be named—”
“The Voldemort of the vegetable drawer?” Aaron interrupted.
“Yes, exactly. So, if you’re going to commit to hating them, we might be okay.”
Aaron wiped pretend sweat away from his forehead and laughed. “Crisis averted.”
“Such an amazing, beautiful story that captivated us from the very first page. B. Cranford delivered wit, pull-at-your-heart-strings emotions, hot and steamy moments and all the swoony feels. We absolutely adored Ashton and Duncan’s story!”—New York Times Selling Author, Max Monroe
“I cannot recommend this book enough! Beth does friends-to-lovers in a story filled with so much humor, warmth, reality, and gorgeous true-to-life relationships. Two best friends, a passionate love, an electric, snarky chemistry, and a family that loves and supports each other. Just…..FEELINGS.”—Kathryn Nolan, Author of Strictly Professional
B. Cranford is a proud Australian living in the USA, a lover of books, breadsticks and bed, and the mother of two children who are far too similar to their father for her liking. A lifelong reader, she dove into the romance genre on the recommendation of her best friend and hasn’t looked back since. Her debut novel, The Brightest Star, a second chance romance with (she hopes) heart and humor was released on July 13, 2017, which just so happened to be her birthday. Because if you release a book on your birthday, you get twice as much cake, and that can only be a good thing.
* Please note that B. Cranford is the owner/operator of Panda & Boodle *
The Avenue Series
For Today….the story of Aaron and Simon. This story was demanded by Ms. Cranford’s fans.
I am going to be honest here and say that the M/M trope isn’t usually my cup of tea, but if a story is written well it really doesn’t matter what “trope” it is. And this story is so much more than that.
This story of Aaron and Simon is so much more than a couple in love and making a life together. These two have been together for years, through good and bad.
This deep down, is a story of unconditional love and most importantly family. Not the family you are born into, but the family you love and create from your heart and soul. This is the story of creating a life for yourself and surrounding yourself with your tribe, your people, your ride or die.
Aaron and Simon have a love that knows no color, no race, no gender and it is beautiful. The steamy times are just amazing, all sorts of sexy and tasteful without being “in your face”. Ms. Cranford has a talent of really bringing you into the story, making you feel all the feels and wishing you were a part of the Foster-Andrews’ family.
Even through adversity, hate and strife, Aaron and Simon rise above and love each other even harder. They are some of the lucky few that find their happily ever after. They don’t hide their feelings, they don’t stop communicating and that what makes them work!
So well written, I love this whole family!! One’s born into it and those who were chosen to be a part of it!
Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills returns with an all-new swoon-fest of a novel about what happens when you look beyond labels and take a chance on love.
I Bet You, an all-new sexy college romance standalone is LIVE!
Sexy Athlete: I bet you…
Penelope Graham: Burn in hell, quarterback.
The late night text is random but Penelope knows exactly who “Sexy Athlete” is. And why she shouldn’t take his wager.
Ryker Voss.
Football star.
Walks on water and God’s gift to women.
Just ask him.
His bet? He promises Penelope he’ll win her the heart of the nerdy guy she’s been crushing on. His plan—good old-fashioned jealousy. Once her crush sees her kissing Ryker, he’ll realize what he’s missing. Sounds legit, right? The only question is…why is Ryker being so nice to her?
Penelope Graham.
Virgin.
Lover of sparkly vampires and calculus.
His mortal enemy.
Penelope knows she shouldn’t trust a jock, but what’s a girl to do when she needs a date to Homecoming? And Ryker’s keeping a secret, another bet, one that could destroy Penelope’s heart forever.
Will the quarterback score the good girl or will his secret mean everyone loses at this game of love?
Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
About the Author Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills writes about strong heroines and sexy alpha males that sometimes you just want to slap. She’s best known for her angsty, heartfelt new adult college romances. A former high school English teacher, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice; Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero. She’s also addicted to frothy coffee beverages, Vampire Diaries, and any kind of book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females.
Join her Unicorn Girls FB group for special excerpts, prizes, and snarky fun!
This is the story of Ryker and Penelope. And what a refreshing story it is!
Penelope is a bit of a nerd, an outsider a force all her own. She knows this and she owns it and it makes her a brilliant character. She has a rough past and is missing an important person in her life. Her past molds her a bit into who she is now and how she relates to the people around her.
Ryker is fantastic, a bit of a “alpha-hole” when you first meet him. He’s got swagger and he thinks he has the skills to make Penelope fall for him…oh does he have another thing coming!
This story is hilariously funny! From Penelope’s romantic imagination (she’s a bit of a history fan….) to her friends. From Ryker and his football team. The dialogue is witty and fast paced! But there is bit of angst and a whole lot of smexy times that will make you swoon!
This story, like all of her others is a page turner! It wouldn’t let me put it down until I was finished with it!
Ilsa has a talent to create magic with her words and creates worlds I wish I could be a part of!
It was supposed to be one night. But then it became so
much more. She’s pregnant.
Sierra:
I never anticipated
the two pink lines, the shock of pregnancy, from one night with Denver Kane.
Sure, I’ve been hot for him since before he realized I existed. But that
doesn’t mean he’s about to become a family man. Even if I’m having his
baby.
Denver:
She was off-limits,
my little sister’s best friend. Until I crossed the line, not knowing it would
change everything. Now she’s pregnant and my future looks different. I want to
share in her sunny optimism and believe in new beginnings. Except I’m not cut
out for it. Not anymore.
But I can’t walk
away from her, from them, and the crazy thing is, I don’t want to.
Gina Azzi
loved every moment of college – especially her study abroad experiences,
internships, and travel adventures! She draws from these experiences to create
the storylines for her new adult and contemporary romance books. A passionate
reader, frequent globetrotter, and aspiring baker, Gina resides in Canada with
her family. Her new series, the Kane Brothers, releases in 2018.
“Smart, sassy, and utterly delightful! Get ready to fall head-over-heels in love with Lucy, one of the wittiest and most inspiring heroines I’ve ever met!” – Annika Martin New York Times bestselling author
Muffin Top, a hot romantic comedy from USA Today bestselling author Avery Flynn is available now!
The only thing about me that’s a size zero is the filter on my mouth. I’ve got a big personality, a big rack, and a big number on the scale. And I’m perfectly fine with that.
But when some random guy suggests I might not be eating alone if I’d ordered a salad instead of a hamburger I’m shocked silent, which is a feat, trust me.
That brings us to one sexy fireman named Frankie Hartigan. He’s hot. He’s funny… And he’s just apologized for being late for our “date” then glared at the fat-shaming jerk. Next thing I know, he’s sitting down and ordering himself dinner.
I have no problem telling him I don’t need a pity date . . . unless of course it’s to my high school reunion next week. Oops where did that last bit come from? And what do I do now that he’s said yes?!
Because this is no make-over story, and I think Frankie is using me for something. I just have to figure out what…
USA Today bestselling romance author Avery Flynn has three slightly-wild children, loves a hockey-addicted husband and is desperately hoping someone invents the coffee IV drip. She fell in love with romance while reading Johanna Lindsey’s Mallory books. It wasn’t long before Avery had read through all the romance offerings at her local library. Needing a romance fix, she turned to Harlequin’s four books a month home delivery service to ease the withdrawal symptoms. That worked for a short time, but it wasn’t long before the local book stores’ staffs knew her by name. Avery was a reader before she was a writer and hopes to always be both. She loves to write about smartass alpha heroes who are as good with a quip as they are with their *ahem* other God-given talents. Her heroines are feisty, fierce and fantastic. Brainy and brave, these ladies know how to stand on their own two feet and knock the bad guys off theirs.
I absolutely love the Hartigan family!! Every single one of them! Thank you Ms. Flynn for creating them!
I also want to thank you for writing stories about women who don’t meet society’s ideals of the “perfect” woman. It makes my heart and soul feel good! As a “Muffin Top” myself it’s encouraging to see us fluffy gals get the love and alpha male that they deserve too!
This is the story of Frankie and Lucy. And what a fantastic story it is.
Lucy is a full figured gal, a fluffy gal, a Muffin Top. I so empathize with her mantra of strike first with the derogatory comments about herself to save herself. She has some baggage she has been carrying since she was a child and has tried to become a better person because if it! She is fierce, she is spicy, and she is honest and not afraid of not sugarcoating the truth to spare feelings. I wish I was more like her in that way!
Frankie is a player personified. He thinks he has everything in his life just how he wants it until a former plaything gives him a dose of reality that makes him rethink his view on his world. He too has baggage that has made him the man he is and it can be a blessing and a curse.
In addition to the fantastic love brewing between Frankie and Lucy, it’s also about family and how they will be there for you for everything.
I loved Lucy’s dad, and Gussie the dog! Absolutely hysterical and so thought provoking!
As always the secondary characters bring so much more to the story and make you want a friends and family just like them.
This story is also fabulously funny! It’s real, honest and makes me love it even more!
Thank you again Ms. Flynn for bringing these characters to life! With their flaws, fabulous sense of humor and realism it makes me crave more!!
Title: Mr. Casanova Series: Billionaire Bachelors #5
Author: Lila Monroe
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Release Date: October 29, 2018
Blurb
Hot TV star Luke Rafferty is Hollywood’s newest bad boy… at least,
according to the tabloids. He’s been steaming up the screens as Dr. Casanova
for ten years, but thanks to his ex-wife, some tricky contract negotiations,
and that incident with the stethoscope (don’t ask), he’s suddenly on an
extended vacation – with his heartthrob career on the line.
Enter Stella Hartwick.
A Hamptons local, she’s trying to get her home renovation company off
the ground; winning the job for Luke’s new beachfront retreat would be her big
break. And when she just happens to overhear his agent
suggesting a fake relationship to give his reputation a swoon-worthy makeover,
Stella sees the perfect solution to both their problems.
What’s a little fake smooching between friend(ly professionals)?
Stella is determined to keep her eyes on the prize renovation and her
hands OFF the hunky actor wandering shirtless through her construction site.
But Luke has other ideas. Midnight skinny-dipping ideas.
If only he wasn’t so heart-stompingly, panty-twistingly handsome…
Soon, sparks are flying, and they’re both forgetting their kisses are
just for show. But can this fake relationship weather a very real tabloid
storm? Or will past betrayals and the Hollywood spotlight drive them apart before
their romance has even begun?
Find out in the new hot and hilarious romantic comedy from USA Today
bestselling author, Lila Monroe!
“This is a classic Lila Monroe story with so much humor,
heat and heart you won’t be able to put it down till the very end… If you are
looking for a funny, lighthearted and smexy romance, get this! You won’t be
disappointed!!” – Bibliophile Chloe’s
Blog
“I loved Mr.Casanova from start to finish: it was a fabulous
read, full of great moments that really brought a smile to my face.” – Goodreads reviewer
“My favorite book in the series! There’s nothing like a good
romance that makes you laugh and swoon at the same time.” – Reading Keeps Me Sane Blog
“I loved it! Lila Monroe always delivers the fun flirty
banter, great characters, and a lot of good times.” – Goodreads reviewer
Author Bio
Combining her love of writing, sex and well-fitted suits, Lila Monroe wrote The Billionaire Bargain. Lila enjoys writing, as it gives her a flexible schedule to spend time with her kids and a wonderful excuse to avoid them. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, who strips out of his well-fitted suits nightly.
Can I just say how much I love Lila Monroe’s stories?!?
Mr. Casanova is just another gem in the crown of her success!
This is the story of Luke and Stella…
Stella is a home renovator, she is a female working in a male dominated field and unfortunately it is not a easy job for her. But she loves it and she continues to persevere!
She has a once in a lifetime opportunity fall into her lap and she jumps at the chance!
Enter Luke, disgraced actor, looking to reimage himself into the person he truly is. He is also looking to reimage the new home he bought.
These two meet and sparks fly!
This is a classic Lila Monroe story with so much humor, heat and heart you won’t be able to put it down till the very end.
I loved the secondary characters and I loved the chance revisit characters in her other stories. Even though every story of Ms. Monroe’s is a stand alone, it’s just such fun to catch up with what everyone is up to in her world!
If you are looking for a funny, lighthearted and smexy romance, get this! You won’t be disappointed!!
– Ilsa Madden-Mills, Wall Street Journal bestselling author
The Legacy, an all-new steamy contemporary romance standalone from Dylan Allen is LIVE!
He’s the king of all he surveys.
Except her.
Exiled for 15 years, Hayes Rivers has finally assumed his place as head of Houston’s oldest and most powerful family.
Now, they call him King.
A legacy of wealth and prestige are his to claim.
As age-old rivalries, long-buried secrets, and generations of betrayal threaten his birthright, he finds himself in a battle for control of his family’s future.
When he meets Confidence, she’s a sweet distraction.
Everything he shouldn’t want.
But after a weekend of passion and surprising intimacy,
he realizes she’s everything he needs
He holds the keys to a kingdom,
But he covets the key to her heart.
And he’ll stop at nothing to claim his queen.
Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
We speak with our brains. People hear with their hearts…. (<==== This, this quote right here made me melt….)
When I was introduced to Ms. Allen’s stories with Envy, I was floored. Then I thought, there is no way she can top that!
Legacy did just that! This is the introduction to the world of Rivers Wilde. This story reminds me of the fantastic TV dramas of the 80’s like Dynasty and Dallas, but without the shoulder pads and the 20 gallon hats. It’s the best and the worst of what money and power can do to families!
This story is also about Hayes Rivers and Confidence Ryan (love the names!). This is a story of prejudices and pride. This is a story of love overcoming all and determination to stay the course. This is the story of a King and his badass Queen!
This story has humor, it has heart and boy to the twists come out of right field!! This story will not allow you to put it down until it’s finished! This story has the angst to keep you hoping for the very best for Confidence and Hayes.
Ms. Allen creates the world of Rivers Wilde with such amazing clarity! You can see the architecture, you can hear the people living there, you can feel the amazing intrigue that this world will bring you into.
You are going to fall in love with Rivers Wilde, you are going to fall in love with Hayes and Confidence. You are going to love to hate some of the other members of the Rivers family. I cannot wait to read more from this series and learn more about the Wilde family.
Your words and the worlds you create absolutely slay me Ms. Allen!!
This book will be over 800 pages of stories with complex characters or relationships that might not fit the mold of what should be. Their love stories are complicated and ready for you to fall in love with the twenty stories from:
Kimberly Knight Elizabeth York Heather Anne K.Ries F. Bradshaw Casey Hagen A.E. Folk Stacy McWilliams Jaime Russell Sidonia Rose Author Amber Nation CL Matthews Daisy Nathaniels N. Nieto Emmy Gatrell Cloud S. Riser Gillian Zane Sarah Ellison Nikole Marshall Sara Schoen
Author N. Nieto lives in a small town in north Alabama with her husband and 3 kids. She has always had a love for reading since she was a teen. Her love for writing, however, didn’t come until many years later. It all started with a dream that she wrote down and later published as her first novel in 2015. Since then she has published 7 other books and is always working on a new story, sometimes multiple stories at once. She always says as long as one person likes her stories she will continue to write. You can find her on social media and email her. She loves hearing what readers have to say, so don’t be shy, message her and say hi.
This isn’t a typical love story. This a story of what happens when love is so powerful and all-consuming that it has the ability to destroy everyone involved. It’s definitely not pretty and it’s certainly not a fairytale, but it’s their story and it couldn’t be told any other way.
About K. Webster
K Webster is the author of dozens romance books in many different genres including contemporary romance, historical romance, paranormal romance, and erotic romance. When not spending time with her husband of twelve years and two adorable children, she’s active on social media connecting with her readers.
Her other passions besides writing include reading and graphic design. K can always be found in front of her computer chasing her next idea and taking action. She looks forward to the day when she will see one of her titles on the big screen.
Nikki Ash resides in South Florida where she is an English teacher and mom by day and a writer by night. When she’s not writing, you can find her with a book in her hand. From the Boxcar Children to Wuthering Heights to the latest Single Parent Romance, she has lived and breathed every type of book.
Reading is like breathing in, writing is like breathing out. – Pam Allyn
While reading and writing are her passions, her two children are her entire world. You can probably find them at a Disney park before you would find them at home on the weekends!
I have been a fan of K. Webster forever and now I am a new fan of Nikki Ash.
This is a story about obsessive love, this is a story of true love in all of it’s bliss and destruction. It’s materialism at its most basic definition.
Heath is driven by his desire to have everything, he is driven by his desire for Catalina.
Catalina is driven by her desire for the finer things in life, she loves Heath but it’s not a tenth of what Heath feels for her.
When choices are made and deals are struck you see Heath’s world unravel.
Now Heath is driven by revenge, against everything and especially everyone that he feels has wronged him and Catalina.
This story is dark, it’s twisted. It’s smexy as hell. It’s also beautiful in the way that it shows what true love about. Through generations and years it shines through. Be it new and shiny love, obsessive and dark love and the love of money. It’s about finding your spot in the world when everything and everyone you thought you knew is smoke and mirrors, fragments of a skewed memories.
If you loved Wuthering Heights, you will absolutely obsess over Heath! Thank you ladies for taking classic Bronte, and putting your twist to it.
Title: Genealogy Author: Mae Wood Publisher: Atacama Books Genre: Romance/Women’s Fiction Release Date: October 25, 2018
Inspired by real, hundred-year-old love letters.
My great-grandmother’s name is bold across the cream envelope, now golden at the seams with age. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen graceful, purposeful handwriting with a fountain pen and not the hasty scrawl of ballpoint.
Alice Hirshhorn, Astoria Hotel, Seattle Washington.
“Letters to Great-grandma Alice,” I say with wonder, tracing my fingers over the faded postmark and foreign stamps.
December 1915. Philippine Islands.
I turn the thick envelope in my palm, slide out the tightly folded pages, and unfold the thin paper, taking care not to tear the letters that were important enough to keep for a century.
My dearest Alice
“Great-grandpa was in the Philippines?” I ask.
“Oh no. Not your great-grandfather,” answers Grammie, her eyes twinkling with her mother’s secrets. “Elliott.”
~~~
At thirty-three and with her future unclear, Ali Waller finds her way home again. A box of long-forgotten love letters written to her great-grandmother holds the unlikely key to Ali finding her new path.
As she tracks down the letter writer and his descendants, Ali learns the magic of love, hope, and resilience.
Told by three characters, and across century and an ocean, Genealogy is an enchanting story about love and loss, taking chances, and embracing the surprises that life brings.
She didn’t want to move, and I didn’t want her to move either. But we were doing it, together. Sifting and sorting. Shredding and donating. Culling a lifetime into piles to be packed and placed into boxes. The lucky things would end up in my grandmother’s new six-hundred-twenty-three square foot assisted-living apartment. The not-so-lucky would end up on a curb.
“These linens,” she said, pointing to the bottom drawer of the sideboard in her formal dining room. “You need them.”
“Grammie, I don’t even have a dining room table,” I said, trucking along in our project to conquer the contents of at least one room this weekend.
“You had one before and you’ll have one again. And these are Irish linen.”
I thought of my tiny kitchen table, covered in discarded mail and unread magazines, not draped in substantial creamy white. She knew I didn’t have the space. I made space for the vintage black satin peep-toe pumps of hers from the fifties and had placed those in the “Ali” pile with a smile, but linens were a different story. The tablecloths were huge. For a table big enough to seat a dozen guests.
“They were Alice’s,” she said.
The trump card played, I bent and pulled them from the low drawer. I was Alice’s namesake, but I’d always gone by Ali because Alice felt formal and traditional, two words that didn’t fit me. She was the great-grandmother who I’d never met, who died a decade before I was born, but whose existence was never far from my mind. “Ali. A-L-I,” I’d explained a million times over my life. “It’s short for Alice. I’m named for my great-grandmother.”
“Well, one good thing is that your monograms match.”
I fingered the tiny beverage napkins, trimmed in hand-tatted lace and embroidered with ALW.
ALW—I smiled. Alice Lenore Wertheimer. Alice Lenora Waller. I was flirting with becoming Alice Waller Sayer, but I was solidly myself at the moment.
“Did she embroider these?” I asked, the old fabric stiff and smooth to the touch.
“I don’t know. I don’t remember my mother doing any needlework, but I suppose all women did back then.”
“True,” I said, flattening out the material with my palm and tugging out a crease. I dragged yet another plastic bin over and began piling the linens in, amazed that they had survived the years.
“The story on one of those tablecloths is that it was a wedding present from some member of the Denny family.”
Ah, an old Seattle story. I knew it wasn’t going to be long before I got one. My ancestors were early settlers of the city and my grandmother carried the banner of native Seattleite proudly, looking down her pioneer nose at the Microsofties and the Californians who had invaded her precious land. And though she’d moved to Kansas City with my grandfather nearly fifty years ago, the city was in her DNA.
I half-listened to her prattle on about some trip to Japan to obtain plants and animals for the Woodland Park Zoo as I examined the linens and placed them in the plastic storage tub.
“Okay,” I said, looking around the room, the sideboard now empty. Something accomplished today, and it made me feel good to have one of the many small tasks that it would take to empty this big house done. I looked at my watch. “I have to leave at three to head back to the hospital, so what can we get done in an hour?”
“One drawer to go,” she said from the dining chair where she’d settled in while I’d knelt in front of the sideboard. “The bottom one.”
Her words made my chest ache but also soothed them. I hated that she was getting confused more often. It reminded me that one day Grammie would be gone, but it also convinced me that we were making the right decision to move her. No more worry about her alone in this big house.
“All done,” I said, pointing to my tub of linens.
“The bottom-bottom one, Ali. The apron is a drawer.”
“I didn’t know that,” I said, feeling sheepish that I’d thought she had been confused. “A secret drawer?”
“That’s the point,” she said. The sideboard had been in this house my entire life and I’d never known that. I tilted my head to look at the piece, not quite believing her. “It’s where your grandpa kept his favorite pistol.”
“Still there?” I said with a smile, reaching down under the lip of the cabinet.
“Well, maybe. It’s been a long time since I dug around in that thing.”
“I’m going to change your name to Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler,” I said, giving the concealed drawer a tug. It didn’t budge. Maybe she was confused after all. “Or Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. But only if we find a Degas or pirate gold.”
“It was a statue of an angel. Leonardo da Vinci,” she corrected me. In and out. Touch and go. Here and there. I was never sure where a conversation would lead us, and based upon the swelling in her extremities, I wasn’t sure today was going to be a good day for coherent conversation. It wasn’t her head so much as her heart that was slowly killing her by refusing to pump. She needed access to round the clock medical care now, not just sitters and family at the house, and we were making that happen although no one was happy about it.
“Oh, that’s right,” I replied, the memories flooding back of the story of a headstrong girl and her younger brother running away to the Met. “What I really remember about that book was them taking a bath in the fountain.” My grandmother and I were very close. The afternoons of my childhood had been spent at her house with my brother and sister. And while my parents were at work, Grammie showered us with troves of books. She was a children’s librarian. Or she had been until she’d gotten married. Because, as she’d explained a million times to me over the years, in those days nice women didn’t work outside the home after they were married, and so she’d retreated to a life of children and tennis and dinner parties.
I gave the drawer another tug and it budged a few inches, but it didn’t slide open.
“Oh, and the sideboard is yours too. No argument. It was—”
“Alice’s?” I guessed as I wiggled the drawer open to find not pieces of eight or a sketch of a ballerina, but more table linens.
“No, her mother’s. You’ll be the fifth generation of women in our family to own it.”
I looked at the dark, heavy Victorian behemoth with new eyes, knowing it was going home with me. And knowing I had nowhere in my tiny, Ikea-furnished apartment to put it, but I spoke the truth: “Thank you. I’ll be a good caretaker.”
“I know you will, sweet pea.”
I looked down at the linens, focusing on the task rather than the meaning of the work I was doing, filling the plastic bin with more ancient fabric than I’d ever begin to use. Under the last tablecloth, I found a small, flat box. The pistol? I recognized the foil-stamped logo. Frederick & Nelson, the grand Seattle department store that now only existed on Grammie’s bad days when she’d ask me or someone else to take her there for lunch.
“Grandpa’s gun?” I asked, setting the box into my lap as I sat on the floor. I lifted the lid.
“Papers,” I said, a little weary at the prospect of spending the last bit of time before I had to leave focused on her reading each paper carefully before deciding whether she could part with it.
My grandmother was a pack rat. I’d recently dropped off two decades of yellow-spined National Geographics at the recycling center and her garage was still stuffed to the gills with boxes of papers. I’d had visions of a huge bonfire while she was at a doctor’s appointment just to speed up the process.
The box resting in my cross-legged lap, I riffled through the contents. “Letters,” I said, pulling one out. At least it wasn’t receipts from the nineteen sixties, though the hospital bill from my mom’s appendicitis at age eight had been a gem. The total bill was a few hundred dollars and Mom had spent three days in a children’s ward. Most of my patients were sent home by the end of the day with a bill in the thousands.
The cream envelope was golden at the seams, the clean, cursive writing enchanting. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen graceful, purposeful handwriting with a fountain pen and not just a hasty scrawl of ballpoint on a scratch pad.
Wow, just wow….It’s rare for me to be rendered “speechless” or wordless (this is a review after all) from reading a story. But Mae Wood has done it and she has done it with grace and with class.
This is truly a love story for the ages. This is not only about love letters between two people a century ago, but a friendship and love between two people today.
The parallels between the love story between Alice and Elliot and Ali and Ben were fantastic and believable. Is it fate? Is it destiny? Who knows? And that’s what makes it such a beautiful story to read.
Ali inherits letters from her great-grandmother, her namesake Alice. The letters were beautiful, they were tragic and filled with such hope. It paints a picture of the world back in the early 1900’s that is so well written, I could stop and picture myself in the story, walking besides Alice in Seattle or Elliot in the Philippines.
In reading these letters, Ali wants to reach out to Elliot’s family to try to find out more about the man that claimed her great-grandmother’s heart for the years that they wrote to each other.
This story is going to give you all the feels! I mean it, ALL OF THE FEELS! I feel that Mae put her heart and soul into this story and it bleeds throughout the pages. I laughed, I cried, I was angry and hurt. I also realized that maybe the powers that be truly do have plans for us that we have no idea. This is a story that I would proudly let my teenage daughter read. It’s a beautiful love story.
Well done Mae! I bow down to your storytelling genius! This will definitely be in my “Best of 2018 Reads”.
Do yourself a favor, get this book, enjoy it slowly. Really sink into the pages. You will thank me later.
Bibliophile Chloe 