She should have been able to trust him...."Night sweats were my dance, especially in the Huston home. They were a continuation of the visions I had experienced in Dorchester, only here, they were much more violent."Set in a wealthy community in northern Michigan, Rising tells the story of nine-year-old Symone, who is adopted by the Hustons--"a shameless family with a house at the top of the hill"--after her mother dies of a drug overdose. And though Symone is all too...

Dear Jesus,Gerry didn't work out because Gerry didn't work. And after spending one night in complete darkness because "pretty didn't pay the light bill," Gerry and I broke up and are no longer speaking.Marshall wasn't a viable suitor because when he finally revealed himself to me, I found out that his breasts were larger than mine because he used to be a she. Marshall and I are no longer speaking.Keith could have been the one. I met him a...

For Vanessa, a low-income housing complex in the middle of the desert in El Mirage, Arizona, represents all that is wrong with her life. Her neighbors get it on all night long, she sees an abusive husband kill his wife, and then himself, and her own ex-husband keeps showing up and getting into her pants.The one bright spot in Vanessa's life is her daughter, Kennedy, and Kennedy's love for the piano. She is practicing to audition for an esteemed music academy that Vanessa can in no w...

A Southern coming-of-age. . ..Ford's Shreveport is an unforgiving place—swampy, seductive and judgmental—that's reflected in her blunt but intoxicating prose. —Publishers WeeklyEleven-year-old Blaze James and her twin sister, Aerial, know two things beyond a doubt. They're two of the prettiest girls in Shreveport, Louisiana, and they'll always be there for each other. Then one night, a gas explosion leaves their father dead and Aerial severely burned, changing their lives ...

Contemporaries like Mary Monroe and Kimberla Lawson Roby hail Darnella Ford as a provocative and insightful author who infuses her prose with poetic sensibilities. When a horrible accident kills Blaze James' father and scars her twin sister aerial, Blaze is left in the care of exotic Felicity Hardaway. Felicity opens new vistas for Blaze. And as their relationship grows more intense, Blaze faces intolerance in their Shreveport, Louisiana, home and an unexpected betrayal.

**AN ALA BEST BOOK FOR YOUNG ADULTS PICK • From the New York Times bestselling author TTYL, comes a poignant young adult story about the power of falling for someone unexpected.“Myracle’s enchanting first novel will reach teens who are wrestling with identity. . . . [A] gem.”—VOYA**It was just a kiss.Kate and Lissa were best friends. Then one night last summer at a drunken party, Kate leaned in to kiss Lissa, and Lissa kissed her ...

A trailblazing debutNicola Lancaster is spending her summer at the Siegel Institute, a hothouse of smart, intense teenagers. She soon falls in with Katrina (Manic Computer Chick), Isaac (Nice-Guy-Despite-Himself), Kevin (Inarticulate Composer) . . . and Battle, a beautiful blond dancer. The two become friends--and then, startlingly, more than friends. What do you do when you think you're attracted to guys, and then you meet a girl who steals your heart?

Jennifer Kincaid, on her way to a writer's workshop in the Colorado mountain town of Lake City, gets lost and is stranded by an avalanche.Catherine Ryan-Barrett, running from the fame and fortune of her family name, wants nothing more to spend the winter alone and sequestered in her high mountain cabin. She is not prepared for a party crasher.After spending two months together, they form an unlikely friendship that deepens even further. But after the spring thaw, Jen return...

Is it possible to overcome a lifetime of barriers and finally take a chance on love?Jamie Callahan handles her job as an investment analyst, her distant relationship with her niece, and her romantic liaisons with a cool head and unaffected heart. Until she meets Kate Brown, a woman who threatens to push aside Jamie’s protective defenses and uncover the emotions hiding underneath.Kate has a mask for every occasion. She wears them to please her parents, to move ahead in her c...

I don't want to hurt you, Leslie." Sara's words stung me. Of all the ways she could have said it, she'd chosen these specific words. Not " I won't hurt you," or " I'm not going to hurt you." Those words would have calmed my fears. But no. She chose " I don't want to hurt you." Computer analyst Leslie Howard knows all too well that the fastest way to a broken heart is to ignore Lesbian Dating Rule Number One: Never, ever, get involved with a...

Movie star Tessa Flanagan has retired from the Hollywood grind with a string of popular and critical successes behind her. Now her days revolve around spending time with her daughter Laya and launching a new career in philanthropy. She doesnt expect a brief encounter with Eleanor Chapin, Layas new kindergarten teacher, to make a lasting impression. As the end of the school year nears, however, Tessa realizes that her daughters beloved Miss Chapin may be the perfect nanny for the summe...

A mile wide and with winds rising over 200 miles per hour, the EF-5 tornado that laid waste to Joplin, Missouri, took everything from Dale Kinsel. Already struggling to get through the months after the death of her partner Sydney, Dale doesn’t believe she can find the strength to dig through the rubble.The last thing she needs is Sydney’s sister, Taren, crossing her path again. There is nothing but bad blood between them and Taren’s help doesn’t change that. Surrounded by a broken ...