These titles were recently added to the collection of Yakima Valley Libraries
Shoestring theory : a novel
Costa, Mari, author.
The kingdom of Farsala is broken and black clouds hang heavy over the arid lands. Former grand-mage of the high court, Cyril Laverre, has spent the last decade hiding himself away in a ramshackle hut by the sea, trying to catch any remaining fish for his cat familiar, Shoestring, and suppressing his guilt over the kingdom’s ruin. For he played his part – for as the king, Eufrates Margrave, descended further and further into paranoia, violence and madness, his grand-mage – and husband – Cyril didn’t do a thing to stop him. When Shoestring wanders away and dies one morning, Cyril knows his days are finally numbered. But are there enough left to have a last go at putting things right? With his remaining lifeblood, he casts a powerful spell that catapults him back in time to a happier period of Farsalan history – a time when it was Eufrates’s older sister Tig destined to ascend to the throne, before she died of a wasting disease, and a time when Cyril and Eufrates’s tentative romance had not yet bloomed. If he can just make sure Eufie never becomes king, then maybe he can prevent the kingdom’s tragic fate. But the magical oath he made to his husband at the altar, transcending both time and space, may prove to be his most enduring – and most dangerous – feat of magic to date…....
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Window shopping
Bailey, Tessa, author.
Two weeks before Christmas and all through Manhattan, shop windows are decorated in red and green satin. Stella is standing alone outside a famous department store, when a charming man asks her opinion on the décor. It’s a tragedy in tinsel, she says, unable to lie. Then he asks for a better idea, with a twinkle in his eye. She didn’t know he owned the place, when he put her on the spot, and now she’s working for that man, trying to ignore that he’s hot. But as a down-on-her-luck girl with a difficult past, Stella knows how to make a good opportunity last. So she gives it her all, working without stopping. Trying to resist temptation, because she’s just window shopping.....
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Most wonderful
Clark, Georgia, author.
The holidays are fast approaching, and the Belvedere siblings are a mess. Liz, Hollywood showrunner and responsible eldest, has no idea how to follow up her hit show's first season, or how to deal with her big fat crush on its star, Violet Grace. Birdie turned her chronic middle child syndrome into a career as a stand-up comic, but since she spends more time wooing women than working on new material, she's facing one-hit wonder status, especially once she gets axed by her manager. And Rafi, sensitive romantic and the baby golden boy, proposes to his coworker girlfriend in front of his entire company, only to be turned down by the woman he thought was the love of his life. Born to three different fathers, the three adult children share one mother: famed actress and singer Babs Belvedere. Seeking direction and holiday cheer, all three siblings head up to their mother's house in the Catskills, determined to swear off love and focus on themselves and their work. But the spirit of the season seems to have different plans for them, and their best intentions are quickly derailed in the most delightful and festive of ways.....
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Hometown vendetta
Abramson, Traci Hunter, author.
As a terrorist threat looms, Marine Captain Luke Steele and FBI Special Agent Amberlyn McDowell must work together to unravel a deadly conspiracy before time runs out while also navigating their undercover fake relationship that is becoming all too real. When a terrorist attack grips the nation, Luke Steele, a military aide to the president of the United States, is reassigned to track down the suspect because the alleged bomber was spotted wearing a state championship ring from Luke's hometown. Luke has desperately tried to forget his high school years, but he can't run from them now. Instead, he must face his most formidable assignment yet: leave his post by the president's side, return to Pine Falls, Virginia, and face every demon from his childhood--including every person and every thought that told him he wasn't worth anything. FBI Special Agent Amberlyn McDowell has spent years tracking domestic terrorism. When she catches a break that could pinpoint the key player in the antigovernment group responsible for dozens of needless deaths, she's willing to do whatever it takes to get the information she seeks--even if it means going undercover as Luke Steele's plus-one at his high school reunion. Though Amberlyn found Luke arrogant and aloof during their time together at Quantico, it doesn't take long for her to discover that there's much more to him than she realized. But even as the line between fact and fiction in their relationship blurs, the countdown to danger accelerates. Time is running out, and with the threat of another terrorist attack looming, the stakes are higher than ever.....
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Whenever you're ready
Runya Katz, Rachel, author.
After reconnecting on a road trip, two friends must decide if love is the ultimate risk worth taking in this funny, emotional sapphic romance. Nia and Jade had been inseparable ever since their best friend, Michal, introduced them at her tenth birthday party. But now it's been three years since Michal died of cancer-- since the brutal fight Nia and Jade had in the weeks after-- and they're barely on speaking terms. Until Nia reads a letter Michal wrote for her 29th birthday, asking her and Jade to go on the southern Jewish history road trip they'd planned before she died. To add to the complications, Michal's then-boyfriend and Jade's twin brother, Jonah, joins the trip. Despite the years apart and Jade and Jonah's strained relationship, any awkwardness quickly disappears as it becomes clear how much Nia and Jade have missed each other. Unfortunately, old issues soon arise. Nia has been in love with Jade since they were teenagers, and Jade has been so committed to their friendship that she never let herself consider something more. As the stops pass, tensions mount, running high until Nia and Jade are forced to confront what happened three years ago, their feelings for one another, and even their respective relationships with Jonah. Rachel Runya Katz's Whenever You're Ready is about family, friendship, and the kind of first love that could last a lifetime--if only you are willing to take a chance.....
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Truly, madly, deeply
Shen, L. J., author.
"Conceited, unattainable, and downright delicious, renowned Michelin-starred chef Ambrose Casablancas has one passion in life--food. Women are a distraction, and he doesn't do those. Especially Cal Litvin, his baby sister's best friend. Her entire existence is a complication; she's awkward, eccentric, infuriating... And, much to his chagrin, hotter than his kitchen. Ambrose has a lot on his plate: a new restaurant to open, a multimillion-dollar property deal to execute, and a violent stalker to tame. Then Cal shows up at his doorstep, looking for both a job and salvation after their messy goodbye. His resolve, like his patience, is ebbing each day she works at his restaurant. Because Cal is no longer a doe-eyed girl. Now? She's the woman he'll do anything to conquer."--Page 4 of cover.....
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Gleam
Kennedy, Raven, author.
"King Midas made me what I am today... but I made him too. I've broken out of my gilded cage, and if I want it to stay that way, I'll have to make a choice. The problem is, that choice just became so much harder. Slade Ravinger is a complication I can't afford, and regret and revenge are simmering inside of me. It's all going to boil over soon, and someone will get burned. But this time, it won't be me."--page 4 of cover.....
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Lightning in her hands
Vasquez Gilliland, Raquel, author.
Gifted-or cursed-with the power to influence the weather, one woman must embrace her wild heart in the next electric romance from the author of Witch of Wild Things. Teal Flores is desperate for two things-control over her gift of weather, and a date to her ex's wedding. The first isn't possible until she finds her long-lost mother, but the second has a very handsome last-ditch solution: Carter Velasquez. Carter needs Teal too. His chance at receiving an inheritance is dependent on him being married by age thirty (blame his traditional Cuban grandmother), so who better to pose as his wife than Teal? But fake marriage and cohabitation prove tricky when mutual attraction charges the atmosphere-quite literally for Teal, whose volatile emotions cause lightning strikes. Together, Teal and Carter embark on a quest to find her mother and the answers she's searching for. But along the way, they'll discover something even better: a love that can weather any storm.....
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The serpent and the wolf
Robinson, Rebecca, 1995- author.
All her life, Vaasa Koz̀r has been sharpened into a blade. After losing her mother--her only remaining parent--to a mysterious dark magic that has since awakened within her, Vaasa is certain death looms. So is her merciless brother, who aims to eliminate Vaasa as a threat to his crown. In one last political scheme, he marries her off to Reid of Mireh, a ruthless foreign ruler, in hopes that he can use her death as a rallying cry to finally invade Reid's nation. All Vaasa has to do is die. But she is desperate to live.....
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Tethered
Gallea, Elayna R., author.
When Luna is sold into marriage to the Prince of Darkness, she thinks she knows what to expect. Arranged marriages happen all the time, right? Wrong. No one could have prepared her for the reality of being married to the vampire prince. Ever since the day he was made, Sebastian has been living according to Queen Marguerite's rules. After all, he's only alive because of her. When she orders him to marry and bind himself to Luna, a human hailing a neighboring kingdom, he has no choice. He agrees to the marriage but never expects to feel anything for her. When their binding ceremony goes awry, and they are magically tehered everything is thrown into upheaval. Unable to leave each other's presence, they must learn to live with each other. Or die.....
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Sunshine and spice
Palit, Aurora, author.
Naomi Kelly will do anything to make her new brand consulting business a success. When she lands a career saving contract to rebrand the Mukherjee family’s failing local bazaar, she knows there can be no mistakes. But as the “oops” baby of a free-spirited Bengali mother, Naomi’s lack of connection to her roots represents everything Gia Mukherjee disdains. Enter, Dev Mukherjee. Dev knows everything his mother wants… including her wish for him to get married, like, yesterday. When Gia hires a matchmaker (without, you know, asking him), Dev vows to do whatever it takes to avoid ending up in a cold, loveless marriage. When a potential match assumes Naomi is his girlfriend, the solution to both their problems becomes clear: Naomi will pretend to date Dev in order to sabotage his mother’s matchmaking efforts in exchange for lessons in Bengali culture. Flawless plan, right? But as Naomi and Dev bond over awful dancing at Garba, couples cooking classes, and tackling the rebrand as a team, they start to realize while their relationship may be fake, their feelings for each other are starting to become very real. As the line between reality and rumor blurs, Naomi and Dev must confront what it means to fit the mold, and decide how much they’re willing to risk for love.....
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