Postcards from the Dead by Laura Childs Berkley October 2012 Format: Hardcover,  336 pages First line: A dazzling night filled with gigantic floats, silver beads, dizzying lights, fire-twirling flambeaus, and a crowd that was fueled by too much Dixie Beer and Southern Comfort. From the inside cover: New Orleans is in the throes of another fantastic Mardi Gras celebration when the party gets crashed by a murderer. Now a scrapbooking…

Stake & Eggs by Laura Childs Berkley November 2012 Format: ARC Paperback, 304 pages First line: Ice pellets blasted the windows of the Cackleberry Club. From the back cover: New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs presents the best way to start your day—with a hearty breakfast and a side of hard-boiled murder. Suzanne, Toni, and Petra found a second life after losing their husbands—opening their own successful business, the…

The Perfect Hope by Nora Roberts Berkley Trade November 2012 Format: Paperback, 336 pages First line: With a few groans and sighs, the old building settled down for the night. From the back cover: The Montgomery brothers and their eccentric mother are breathing new life into the town of Boonsboro, Maryland, by restoring its historic hotel. And they’re finding their own lives revamped by love. This is Ryder’s story… Ryder…

Sleep No More by Iris Johansen St. Martin’s Press October 2012 Format: Hardcover, 400 pages First line: The kill should be ridiculously easy. From the inside cover: One woman held captive for decades…Another one freed by the truth… Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan knows what it’s like to be haunted by the past.  For years after her daughter Bonnie was stolen from her, she fought for closure.  But now as she’s…

Wild Man Creek by Robyn Carr Mira Books February 2011 Format: e-book, 368 pages First line: Jillian Matlock was a natural in the business world and her ability to anticipate surprises and challenges was legendary. Synopsis from B&N: Colin Riordan came to Virgin River to recuperate from a horrific helicopter crash, the scars of which he bears inside and out. His family is wonderfully supportive, but it’s his art that…

Fool for Love by Beth Ciotta St. Martin’s Paperbacks August 2012 Format: Paperback, 368 pages First line: “How many years do you think I’d get for death by Cuisinart?” From the back cover: SHE’S CRAVING A SWEET NEW LIFE…  Call her a fool, but chef-in-training Chloe Madison wants to have her cake and eat it too. So when her boyfriend dumps her for some French tart, she decides to start…

Once Upon a Time, There Was You by Elizabeth Berg Random House March 2011 Format: Hardcover, 280 pages First line: When John Marsh was a young boy, he used to watch his mother getting ready to go out for the evening. From the inside cover: From the beloved New York Times bestselling author of Home Safe and The Last Time I Saw You comes a beautiful and moving novel about…

NYPD Red by James Patterson Little, Brown and Company October, 2012 Format: Hardcover First line: It’s the height of the breakfast rush at the Regency’s world-famous You-Can-Kiss-Our-A**-If-You-re-Not-Rich-and-Powerful dining room. From the inside cover: NYPD Red is a task force whose job is protecting New York City’s richest, most powerful A-list citizens. LIGHTS It’s the start of Hollywood on Hudson, and New York City is swept up in the glamour. Every…

Home to Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani Ballantine Books October 2007 Format: Paperback, 336 pages First line: As the wind blows through our bedroom window, it sounds like a whistling teakettle. From the back cover: Nestled in the lush Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, the town of Big Stone Gap has been home for Ave Maria Mulligan Machesney and her family for generations. But with her daughter, Etta, having…

Promise Canyon by Robyn Carr Mira Books January 2011 Format: e-book, 342 pages First line: Clay Tahoma headed into the mountains of Humboldt County, Northern California, along Highway 36, a narrow road that had lots of sharp turns along the way. Synopsis from B&N: After years spent on ranches around Los Angeles, Clay Tahoma is delighted to be Virgin River’s new veterinary assistant. The secluded community’s wild beauty tugs at…

Zoo by James Patterson Little, Brown and Company September 2012 Format: Hardcover, 416 pages First line: Located in Griffith Park, a four-thousand-acre stretch of land featuring two eighteen-hole golf courses, the Autry National Center, and the HOLLYWOOD sign, the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens is more of a run-down tourist attraction than a wildlife conservatory facility. From the inside cover: Once in a lifetime, a writer puts it all…

Bella Fortuna by Rosanna Chiofalo Kensington Books August 2012 Format: Paperback, 304 pages First line: I’ve never considered myself very lucky. From the inside cover: In this warm, enchanting debut novel, Rosanna Chiofalo evokes the extraordinary beauty of Venice, the charm of a close-knit New York neighborhood, and the joys of friendship, family, and surprising second chances… Valentina DeLuca has made hundreds of brides’ dreams come true. At Sposa Rosa,…

Milk Glass Moon by Adriana Trigiani Ballantine Books July 2003 Format: Paperback, 288pages First line: The Wise County Fair is my daughter’s favorite event of the year, and I think it’s safe to say that includes Christmas. From the back cover: Ave Maria Mulligan MacChesney has never been a devotee of tarot cards or crystal balls. And yet when the fortune-teller at the county fair suggests that it is time…

The Diva Digs Up the Dirt by Krista Davis Berkley Publishing Group June 2012 Format: Paperback, 290 pages First line: Dear Sophie, my mother-in-law is an avid gardener who makes her own herbal teas. From the back cover: Trouble in spades… Determined not to be a garden-variety diva, Sophie Winston’s neighbor, Natasha, cultivates a plan to shine on television – using Sophie’s backyard. As the cast and crew of the…

Midnight Kiss by Robyn Carr, Jean Brashear, Victoria Dahl Harlequin Anthology November 2010 Format: e-book, 320 pages First line: Sunny Archer was seriously considering a legal name change. Synopsis from B&N:These are New Year’s resolutions worth keeping   Take a risk. At the inaugural New Year’s Eve party at Jack’s Bar, two lonely revelers decide the best balm for their broken hearts might just be each other.   Find the…