Always With a Book

First line: An old geezer of a reporter I used to work with once said that I had a rotten habit of biting off my nose to spite my face. From the inside cover: Bailey Weggins, the Manhattan-based thirty-something true crime journalist, is in a good place. She’s enjoying her regular gig at Buzz, a leading celebrity magazine, getting freelance work, and hoping her first book will garner attention. In…

First line: There are some men who enter a woman’s life and screw it up forever. From the back cover: Trenton native Stephanie Plum is out of work, out of money, and her car’s in repo-hell. So who does a hardly working girl turn to when the going gets tough? Meet cousin Vinnie, bail bondsman. Stephanie figures it’s nice work if you can get it – shagging bail jumpers for…

First line: I’m going off to war tomorrow.” From the back cover: Michelle Sanderson may appear to be a strong independent woman, but on the inside, she’s still the wounded girl who fled home years ago. A young army vet, Michelle returns to the quaint Blackberry Island Inn to claim her inheritance and recover from the perils of war. Instead, she finds the owner’s suite occupied by the last person…

First line: “Where the hell are they?” From the inside cover: It’s the deadliest poison known to man. He’s the only one who knows its true power. She’s the only one who can stop the evil. The chase is on… Catherine Ling was abandoned on the streets of Hong Kong at age four. Schooled in the art of survival, she traded in the only commodity she had: information. As a…

First line: The scalloped hem of Caterina Lazzari’s blue velvet coat grazed the fresh-fallen snow, leaving a pale pink path on the bricks as she walked across the empty piazza. From the inside cover: The majestic and haunting beauty of the Italian Alps at the turn of the twentieth century is the setting of the first meeting of Enza and Ciro, who meet as teenagers despite growing up in villages…

First line: A few months after I hunted a vicious killer named the Tiger halfway around the world, I began to think seriously about a book I had been wanting to write for years. From the inside cover: The irresistible story – passed down through the generations – of a courageous fight for freedom by one of Alex Cross’s ancestors. SEPARATED BY TIME From his grandmother, Alex Cross has heard…

First line: It took a moment for Emily to realize the car had come to a stop. From the back cover: Emily Benedict has come to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew, she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re…

First line: Walt Booth was feeling lonely. Synopsis from B&N: Marine corporal Rick Sudder is home early from Iraq—his tour ended abruptly on the battlefield. The carefree boy is gone, replaced by a man who believes his future is as bleak as his mirror image. But can the passion and commitment of a young woman who has never given up on him mend his broken body and shattered heart? As…

First line: They tell me I will die here. From the inside cover: You’re about to experience the ultimate guilty pleasure. Four best friends on a decadent vacation – thrown in prison for murder. NO HUSBANDS ALLOWED Only minutes after Abbie Elliot and her three best friends step off of a private helicopter, they enter the most luxurious, sumptuous, sensually pampering hotel they have ever been to. Their lavish presidential…

First line: The Mississippi riverboat cake tilted on the table in front of me, its fondant paddle wheel askew, gashes of lemony yellow cake gaping in its once-smooth white surface. From the back cover: There aren’t many things pastry chef Rita Lucero hates more than losing. But two years after her marriage to fellow baker Philippe Renier fell apart, she’s still trying to get him to sign the divorce papers.…

First line: Darlings, love is in the air! From the back cover:   She’s stealing his heart… Vintage boutique owner Venus Smith is stunned to realize her newest acquisition comes with a larcenous legend. Stolen years ago, the antique mermaid brooch belongs to the Clayworth family. The right thing to do would be to return it, but that means facing Connor Clayworth O’Flynn, the sexy department store heir Venus has…

First line: Shelby was within ten miles of her Uncle Walt’s ranch when she had to pull over to the side of the highway 36, the busiest stretch between Virgin River and Fortuna, behind an old pickup truck that looked vaguely familiar. Synopsis from B&N: Shelby McIntyre has big plans—plans that include finding Mr. Right. Her dream man will have a clean-shaven jaw, creases in his pants and hopefully and…