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From Publishers Weekly Cash, pen name of sisters Pamela Cumbie and Jeffery McClanahan, delivers her third Domestic Equalizers novel (after My Heart May Be Broken but My Hair Still Looks Great), a read-in-the-bathtub West Texas caper featuring rodeo riders and identity thieves. Trouble comes to Salt Lick in the form of Quint Matthews, a former rodeo champ who asks beauty shop owners and "Domestic Equalizers" Debbie Sue Overstreet and Edwina Perkins-Martin to track down the identity thief who's been charging up his Visa. Quint, who happens to be Overstreet's ex-boyfriend, also has a second reason for coming to Salt Lick: to meet Allison Barker, a single mom whose 12-year-old daughter has assumed her mother's identity and "met" Quint for her through a dating Web site. As the Equalizers set up an online ruse to nab the identity thief, Quint's old pal Tag Freeman successfully woos Allison; a mysterious character stalks Quint; and Quint ends up the prime suspect in a possible murder. It all works out in the end, but not in a way readers would expect. The plot has its share of unlikely coincidences, but the order of the day is entertainment, and the book piles it on. (Nov.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Salt Lick, Texas' ace detectives Debbie Sue and Edwina are at it again, defying their husbands' wishes by leaving their beauty parlor behind and hotfooting it out the door in pursuit of the latest criminal--or cheating husband, which, in their minds, is the same thing--in the guise of their alter egos, the Domestic Equalizers. But this time the cheating takes the form of credit-card theft, and the victim is none other than Debbie Sue's ex-main squeeze, rodeo heartthrob Quint Matthews, who hires them to track down his former girlfriend to make her stop using his Visa card. Quint's had more than his share of love trouble lately. After being publicly humiliated when the woman he had been dating turned out to be a man, Quint tries an Internet dating service, and is matched with Salt Lick's own Allison Barker, who would rather date his best friend. Sassy and sexy Cash's big-haired heroines dish up Texas-size fun. Carol HaggasCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly Two gifted sisters draw on their talents to belatedly forge a bond and find their ways in life in Allen's easygoing debut novel. Thirty-four-year-old Claire Waverley manifests her talent in cooking; using edible flowers, Claire creates dishes that affect the eater in curious ways. But not all Waverley women embrace their gifts; some, including Claire's mother, escape the family's eccentric reputation by running away. She abandoned Claire and her sister when they were young. Consequently, Claire has remained close to home, unwilling to open up to new people or experiences. Claire's younger sister, Sydney, however, followed in their mother's footsteps 10 years ago and left for New York, and after a string of abusive, roustabout boyfriends, returns to Bascom, N.C., with her five-year-old daughter, Bay. As Sydney reacquaints herself with old friends and rivals, she discovers her own Waverley magic. Claire, in turn, begins to open up to her sister and in the process learns how to welcome other possibilities. Though Allen's prose can lean toward the pedestrian and the romance subplots feel perfunctory, the blending of horticultural folklore, the supernatural and a big dollop of Southern flavor should find favor with a wide swath of readers. (Aug.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the edition. From *Starred Review* Take a pinch of marigold to stimulate affection, add a dash of snapdragon to repel evil influences, finish with a generous helping of rose petals to encourage love, then stand back and let nature take its course. It may be the recipe for Claire Waverley's successful catering business, but when it comes to working its magic on her own love life, she seems to be immune to the charms found only in the plants that have always grown behind the Waverley mansion. Like generations of Waverley women before her, Claire has accepted her family's mysterious gifts, while her estranged sister, Sydney, could not run away from them fast enough. Knowing it's just a matter of time before her abusive boyfriend finally kills her, however, Sydney escapes with her young daughter back home to the only place she knows she'll be safe. Spellbindingly charming, Allen's impressively accomplished debut novel will bewitch fans of Alice Hoffman and Laura Esquivel, as her entrancing brand of magic realism nimbly blends the evanescent desires of hopeless romantics with the inherent wariness of those who have been hurt once too often. Haggas, Carol --This text refers to the edition.

From School Library Journal Grade 7-12-Louisa May Alcott's story about the four March sisters who learn the hard lessons of poverty and of growing up in New England during the Civil War.Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Library Journal How would one describe this latest recording of the classic story from Alcott (Little Men, Audio Reviews, LJ 11/15/96)? The answer must be, clear, competent, and unexciting. Laura Grafton is a precise reader, but her voice lacks expressiveness, and she makes little attempt to vocally differentiate (and/or animate) the characters. The result is an inoffensive and slightly dull rendering. There's nothing wrong; the tapes just won't grab the attention of the casual listener. The producer has made a praiseworthy attempt to reduce costs by having each cassette side carry double text. At $22.95, this tape set is an excellent value. Unfortunately, this double-track format requires a stereo cassette player with a fully functioning balance control. Most portable cassette players and some car stereo systems do not have this feature. Since, at least anecdotally, a large percentage of recreational audiocassette library borrowers are commuters or exercisers, one should consider whether this format would be used by patrons. Libraries purchasing this format might also consider purchasing (and lending) the associated headphone adaptor plugs. Recommended for libraries with limited audiobook budgets and/or appropriate user populations.AI. Pour-El, Iowa State Univ., AmesCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Having a baby gets the chick-lit treatment in this first novel about first-time motherhood. No glowing madonnas here. Frannie confirms her unexpected condition at the Gap when she throws up on a sweater display. Not trusting any of the doctors in her adopted city of New York, she flies home to Toronto. While trying to re-enter the U.S. she is informed that her visa has expired. Left jobless and homeless, Frannie camps out at her brother's posh mansion and contemplates how to tell Calvin, an experimental jazz musician on tour in Europe, about his impending fatherhood. During her major life crises, Frannie experiences all the minor travails associated with pregnancy--shopping for nursing bras, learning to operate a breast pump, and unhappily comparing herself with her fellow Lamaze classmates, all "paragons of Sears catalog motherhood." This clever and humorous look at pregnancy and motherhood will elicit laughs from readers with or without children. Kaite MediatoreCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Review “A love story for real people—people who understand that “happily ever after” must be taken one day at a time.” (Elin Hilderbrand, author of The Beach Club and Nantucket Nights ) “Playing House plays the perils of parenthood like a Canuck road movie. It’s a trip.” (Toronto Star ) “Hilarious. Pearson’s sophisticated storytelling is not only satirical but side-splitting.” (Toronto Sun )

From Cam Anderson is a fixer. As a small-town veterinarian, she ministers to the usual parade of household pets, and as an animal-rescue volunteer she liberates abused horses, abandoned donkeys, stray goats. The one thing Cam can’t salvage is her marriage. The morning her temperamental husband tells her he’s leaving her, she’s dumbfounded. The afternoon she catches him in the arms of a much younger woman, she’s devastated. And the fact that everyone around her seems to be rejoicing in their own relationships isn’t helping. Her best friend is engaged; her parents are celebrating their fiftieth anniversary; her gay brother and his partner are adopting. Though she turns to both an old friend and a new acquaintance to help her learn to trust her heart again, Cam ultimately discovers that her menagerie of maltreated critters are her most reliable instructors. With subtle yet shimmering insight, Kittle explores the resilience of human nature and the indelible role animals play in healing shattered emotions. --Carol Haggas Review “Wonderfully poignant characters and a deeply satisfying exploration of love in its many incarnations, some of them a bit furrier than others, make this novel Katrina Kittle’s most insightful yet. Don’t miss it!” (Lesley Kagen, New York Times bestselling author of Tomorrow River )

From Publishers Weekly In this disconnected debut from O'Brien (collaborative pseudonym for a media agent and a suspense novelist), driven London literary agent Tess Drake is an antihero so aggressive and egocentric that she repels friends (and perhaps readers). Steely Tess has the lonely top agent's spot at the Bartwright mega-agency, but pines for her own agency. When the head of Bartwright dies in a compromising position, the Miranda Priestly/Anna Wintour/Cruella DeVille–type who steps in is Cosima Tate, whose husband happens to be one of the men Tess is sleeping with. This spurs Tess's solo plans into action, but it's not long before her gravy train—a bestselling talking-panda children's book author—is derailed by plagiarism accusations. Tess's long shot is an underselling debut novel by 29-year-old Oliver Howard that may net a film deal with Tom Cruise (whose agent Tess has, of course, already burned). The whirlwind drama delves with vigor into reliably stimulating big-city pursuits—sex, power, scene-making, celebrity—but the sadly familiar media-world trappings and distant main character make caring about any of it a difficult proposal. (Feb.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Tess Drake is a literary agent with only two clients: a depressive novelist whose masterpiece is a thousand-page fantasy retelling of Paradise Lost, and a dotty old woman who writes about pandas in children’s novels full of pro-PETA agendas. Tess has been toying with the idea of quitting the agency and opening her own. So when her boss dies and Tess’ archenemy Cosima takes control of the agency, it seems like a perfect time to exit. Except suddenly a young lawyer produces old manuscripts of the panda stories, claiming that his dad wrote them and Tess’ client plagiarized them. Oh, and she’s also sleeping with Cosima’s husband, and the police are suddenly very interested in her because they believe she killed her boss. Tess has to watch her back now that everything and everyone is suspect, as deals are made and money changes hands and rumors are spread. O’Brien’s novel is as cutthroat, merciless, and entertaining as a celebrity gossip Web site. --Hilary Hatton --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly First kisses are often explosive, but not all are quite as disaster-ridden as the one that propels Steel's latest romance. Isabelle Forrester, elegant and refined wife of cold and indifferent Paris-based banker Gordon Forrester, has spent most of her marriage caring for her desperately ill teenage son, Teddy. Isolated in her Paris home, Isabelle's only comfort is her long-distance friendship with millionaire Washington power broker Bill Robinson, also stuck in an empty marriage. Isabelle and Bill, kindred spirits satisfied with their chaste relationship, agree to meet for a few platonic days in London. Following an enchanting evening on the town, they head back to their hotel in Bill's limousine. As the couple share their first, probing kiss, their car is struck by a speeding, double-decker bus. The horrendous crash kills many and leaves both Isabelle and Bill in critical condition. The long and arduous road to recovery is filled with both physical and emotional pain as Bill must make decisions about his crumbling marriage and the future of his career, and Isabelle must confront bitter truths about her husband. From adjoining hospital beds, they pledge their love to one another, but then Isabelle heads back to Paris to tend her ailing son, and Bill returns to the States for a stay at a rehabilitation center where he hopes to regain use of his legs. Will Isabelle eventually leave her husband and reclaim her freedom? Will Bill ever walk again? Will the two soul mates ever be reunited? Despite the wacky unlikeliness of the bus-crash plot device and the his-and-her IVs, Steel pulls through with skillful plotting, steeping a gentle brew that will once again gratify her legions of fans. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the edition. From Library Journal Ignored by her Parisian banker husband, the beautiful Isabelle indulges in a long-distance friendship via telephone with an American man. But of course all won't go well when they finally meet: at first kiss, their limo is totaled by a bus. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the edition.

About the Author Nina Foxx holds advanced degrees in psychology. Her first novel, Dippin' My Spoon, was self-published. She has contributed articles to Black Expressions Book Review, writes a regular column for Black Words Online, and is currently enrolled in the University of Washington's literary fiction program. Originally from Jamaica, New York, she now makes her home in Austin, Texas.

From Publishers Weekly Palmer debuts with the latest sprightly entry in the ever-expanding category of light romantic comedies starring plus-sized heroines. Maggie has been best friends with fellow fat girl Olivia since they were 12. Following gastric bypass surgery at 22, however, Olivia grows increasingly unrecognizable. Now 27, she's engaged to Adam, a fat-phobic Ken doll, and although Maggie is to be the maid of honor, she feels less and less a part of Olivia's skinny new life. After Olivia disappoints her old friend again and again, Maggie sets in motion a long-overdue and explosive confrontation and walks into the arms of the colleague—busboy to her barista—whom she's had a crush on for ages. By that time, in true chick-lit style, Maggie is both earnestly at work improving herself and being loved for her true, unimproved self. And though Palmer doesn't moralize, it's when Maggie starts to make her own, more realistic wishes come true—by taking a better job and signing up with a trainer instead of a surgeon—that she sees her love requited. It turns out her instincts were good—as are Palmer's. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Palmer's lighthearted debut traverses territory familiar to chick-lit fans--a young woman lets self-doubt undermine an opportunity for romance. A lifelong battle with her weight, a disastrous dating life, and a going-nowhere job have taken their toll on Maggie's self-esteem. To make matters worse, her best friend, Olivia--once a fellow plus-size shopper--has a new svelte body thanks to gastric bypass surgery and a handsome surgeon fiance to boot. A great boyfriend and the perfect job are within Maggie's reach, but first she has to feel like she deserves them. Palmer's likable characters and snappy dialogue make this novel stand out from the crowd, and it's sure to attract fans of Jennifer Weiner and other authors who offer slightly imperfect heroines. Palmer manages to infuse a message of self--acceptance that isn't heavy-handed or cloying. This quick-witted author is sure to develop a following. Aleksandra KostovskiCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From Publishers Weekly Kellerman's ( Sacred and Profane ) first departure from her series featuring Detective Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus is a tour de force that shouldn't be missed. The story is brilliantly original and breathtaking in its scope. The beautiful and intelligent heroine, Rebecca Lopez, and her family are conversos : Spanish Jews, posing as Anglicans in Elizabethan England, who practice their faith in secret. Rebecca's father, Roderigo, the queen's personal physician, leads a clandestine movement committed to smuggling Jews out of Spain. Rebecca's betrothed has just died during a mission and, though she mourns him, she yearns to be independent, to remain unmarried. Meanwhile, the young actor-playwright William Shakespeare is seeking revenge for the murder of his mentor, Harry Whitman. He decides to retrace his friend's last days in hopes of discovering clues to the killer's identity. Intent on different endeavors, Will and Rebecca eventually cross paths, changing their lives forever. Deft characterization and dazzling prose evoke the ambiance of the period. More than just a mystery, the novel is a spectacular epic--romantic, bawdy, witty and abounding with adventure. It's a stellar performance. Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Library Journal Rebecca Lopez and William Shakespeare first encounter each other in a London graveyard where she is burying her betrothed and he his mentor and best friend. Their paths cross again as they seek to avenge these untimely deaths, she joining in her family's mission to rescue fellow Jews from the Spanish Inquisition, he searching for the murderer among London's criminals. Shakepeare offers excitement and intellectual stimulation to the brilliant, adventurous Rebecca, stifled by the restricted life of an Elizabethan woman, but political and religious events overtake them and doom the relationship. Lack of development in both plot and characters renders many events gratuitous and makes the characters seem one dimensional. For avid historical fiction buffs only. Kellerman is the author of two well-received mysteries, The Ritual Bath (LJ 5/1/86) and Sacred and Profane (LJ 6/1/87) . -- Cynthia Johnson Whealler, Cary Memorial Lib., Lexington, Mass.Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.