Family Dog

Ben Coffin has never felt like he fits in. A former foster kid, he keeps his head down at school to avoid bullies and spends his afternoons reading sci-fi books at the library. But that all changes when he finds a scruffy abandoned dog named Flip and befriends the librarian's daughter, Halley. For the first time, Ben starts to feel like he belongs in his own life. Then everything changes, and suddenly Ben is more alone than ever.

Piper’s life is turned upside down when her family moves into a shelter in a whole new city. She misses her house, her friends, and her privacy - and she hates being labeled the homeless girl at her new school. But while Hope House offers her new challenges, it also brings new friendships, like the girls in Firefly Girls Troop 423 and a sweet street dog named Baby. So when Baby’s person goes missing, Piper knows she has to help.

Navy SEAL Camden Bains knew when he saved the little girl from a hostage situation and placed her in the arms of her beautiful mother that he’d surrendered his heart to them, too. As much as he fought his growing attraction to a woman he’d never see again after his mission, Elena’s kindness and strength, and her daughter’s sweetness, gave Camden back what a senseless tragedy robbed him of years ago. If only for a little while.

For 16 years, Ben Shepard loyally served the Long Beach Police Department. Then he took a bullet to the head, and his life was shattered. No one expects much of anything from him anymore - except his father, an old man receding into a fog of his own. And except maybe his tenant, Grace, who's been a warm and friendly constant in his and his father's bleak lives. Until the day she vanishes. After an official investigation stalls, Ben moves forward on his own. But stepping into Grace's past - and all she was hiding - is a dangerous move for a man who can't trust his memories from one day to the next.

Year-round adventures await, with a summertime trip to a ghost town, an Easter egg hunt, a Fourth of July celebration, and two short story collections spanning the calendar (one story for each month of the year), perfect for bedtime listening. Short stories include a Valentine's Day, a Thanksgiving, and a Christmas story, as well as a trip to the county fair and a day at the beach, among others.

Dr. Lucy Peterman was not built for a messy life. A well-respected surgeon whose patients rely on her warmth, compassion, and fierce support, Lucy has always worked hard and trusted in the system. She's not the sort of person who ends up in a 12-step program after being caught stealing supplies from her hospital. But that was Lucy before the accident - before her husband and unborn baby were ripped away from her in an instant, before her future felt like a broken promise. Caught red-handed in a senseless act, she's faced with a choice: get some help or lose her medical license.

More than 84 million Americans - almost three-fourths of the US population - own a pet, and our society is still learning how to recognize and dignify that relationship with proper mourning rituals. We have only recently allowed the conversation of how to grieve for our nonhuman family members to come front and center. Lost Companions fills a specific, important demand, a massive need in the market for an accessible, meaningful book on pet loss.

Abby Halladay has the perfect life. Or, rather, she will…as long as everything goes exactly according to plan. Abby never leaves anything to chance — not her job as a syndicated columnist, not her engagement to her fiancé, Fred, and certainly not her impending wedding in Paris (New Jersey, that is). Unfortunately for Abby, even the best-laid plans often go awry — like when Fred runs away to Paris (France, that is), her column is canned, and her dream home is diagnosed with termites. Forced to move back in with her parents and drive her dad’s cab, Abby’s perfect life has now ...

When Pegasus Quincy, sheriff’s deputy, steps into the leaky rowboat to investigate a murder at a mysterious artists’ colony, her troubles have just begun. A new detective blames Peg when she gets snake bit. A friend gets caught in a drug raid and asks Peg’s assistance. Her new roomie monopolizes the kitchen, until Peg’s coonhound Reckless eats too many French macarons. And then there is the cat lady who accuses Peg of stealing a valuable painting. Surely Peg wouldn’t do that, would she? Join Pegasus Quincy as she delves into the nefarious underworld of art auctions, mid-century ...

Award-winning author Helen Frost takes us into the breathtaking Alaskan winter landscape in this thrilling adventure with a touch of fantasy. Twelve-year-old Willow - whose heritage is both Athabascan Indian and European - wants nothing more than to mush the sled dogs to her grandparents’ home. After pressing her parents for some time, she is finally allowed to go alone. But when she commits a critical mistake, Willow wonders how she’ll ever make things right again.

Charles and Lizzie Peterson love puppies. They have a puppy of their own named Buddy, but they also foster dogs that need help finding new homes. Charles and his friend Sammy are on their way home from school one day when they hear a puppy crying. His name is Patches, and he's tied up in a garage all by himself. His owners seem to care ABOUT Patches, but they don't know how to care FOR him. And it's up to Charles and Lizzie to show them!

For anyone who ever loved All Creatures Great and Small, Annie England Noblin’s newest novel—about a big city vet transplanted to a small Wisconsin town—is pure delight as we meet aging alpacas, stump-tailed cats, goats in tutus, a vagabond border collie named Kevin, and the people who think they own them. And through it all, Goldie McKenzie, DVM, navigating the small town of Blue Dog, Wisconsin.

Two Fleas and No Dog is a practical book in which Craig Hill presents three key elements that will reignite in your marriage the fulfillment, security, and stress-free environment you had always hoped for. In this book, Craig shares, out of his personal experience, the insights and principles he and his wife Jan have used in transforming their own marriage and in ministering to thousands of married couples around the world.

He’s determined to prove his friend innocent of homicide. He may make things worse… When Marty’s surfer-dude pal is arrested for murder, he must squeeze his amateur sleuthing into his packed schedule. With his high-tech job busier than ever and his nieces’ antics sidetracking him, Marty’s ready for a Thanksgiving holiday. All he has to do is solve two murders. But if he can’t even convince his sister to bake his favorite chocolate pie, how can he hope to save his friend? With the help of his girlfriend, some wacky coworkers and Buddy the rambunctious Labrador, Marty sets out to ...

A love story between two people who weren’t looking for love but found it when they least expected to, a mystery tragically rooted in their family’s history, and a heartwrenching secret…Sometimes…especially when least expected…love is simply meant to be… Mac Cooper is on his way to Spring Falls to meet the family who according to his family history aren’t suppose to exist. He has no idea what kind of reception he’s going to get especially when he informs them that his ancestor was very possibly a reformed criminal who left Spring Falls with their ancestor under questionable ...

An Air Force Pilot, A Courageous Child, And the Journey That Changed Their Lives When Air Force Captain Phoenix Lane’s F-16 malfunctions during a mission near the Syrian border, he is forced to eject, thrusting him into a dangerous fight for survival. Captured and held in a remote militant camp, Phoenix endures months of captivity and near starvation with little more than his will to survive—until a six-year-old girl named Amal offers him an unexpected lifeline. Despite her own unimaginable losses, Amal’s quiet courage and unwavering kindness become Phoenix’s only source of hope. By...

It seems like it's going to be just another normal Peterson family trip for haircuts - that is until Charles meets Princess, a spoiled but irresistible Yorkie pup. She belongs to one of the stylists but Princess's owner is moving and can't take the puppy with her. Charles volunteers to care for Princess until they find her a new home. But it doesn't take long for the Petersons to get tired of Princess's privileged ways. How will Charles ever find the right family for this high maintenance pup?

If you love sweet romances (PG-rating), look no further than Rachelle Ayala's Have a Hart series. The Harts are a family of San Francisco firefighters. Their family motto is: Heart comes first. Former fireman Larry Davison covers his burn scars well, by working at an elementary school as a custodian where he finds a lost hound dog behind the dumpster. Fashion designer Jenna Hart is in town to do a charity fashion show when she loses her top model, Little Treat. When Larry turns up with the puppy, she asks him to be in the show and bachelor auction. Larry’s not sure he belongs in a fashion...

Sweets & Treats will soon open for business. Clara’s been working nonstop, but has never been happier. She and Noelle have settled into their new home and her romance with Kurt is thriving. Maisie isn’t dealing quite as well with change. As she struggles to find her purpose after selling the bakery, helping Kurt and then Ian in the kitchen point the way to a happy future. Just as life is looking its sunniest, a blizzard descends on Pinewood. When Noelle gets lost and Ian disappears trying to find her, Clara, Kurt, and Laura are thrown into chaos. Will a daring rescue bring new surprises...

Not yet 16, Bellamy Larson - or Beam, as she'd rather be called - remembers everything. Truthfully, there's a lot she'd just rather forget. Beam never knew her father and doesn't ever want to. Her little brother died while saving her. And her mother self-medicates, leaving Beam to fend for herself. She doesn't need friends. She just needs to get away. Buzz Donovan is on a journey across America. Luckily for him, he has a friend - a dog named Hush. It's because of Hush, though, that Buzz is homeless. But that's his choice, because if it weren't for Hush, he'd be dead.