Showing results by author "Melanie" in All Categories

Escape Plan for a Better Life is your complete guide to successfully relocating, particularly to an emerging economy, where your money stretches further and opportunities abound. Whether you're a remote worker, digital nomad, pensioner, or someone with savings, this book offers actionable insights and practical advice to help you transition to a fulfilling life elsewhere, domestically or abroad.

Twenty-six-year-old New Orleans native Elle Jones used to be the internet's most famous meme for rejection thanks to an embarrassing teenage TV appearance. But she's finally put that past behind her, and now she's killing it as a commercial real estate agent in the coolest neighborhoods in the city. When Miles Crowe—the former pop star who made her notorious—insists on hiring her to find a property for his jazz club, she'll do everything she can to get herself fired before he realizes who she is.

I touched her confectionary creation, and she told me off. Slapping my hands and cursing in her own unique fashion. No one talked to me that way. I liked it. I liked her cake even more. So, I took her to Italy to bake for me. I should have asked her first, but I had a feeling she'd say no. But I brought her cat, so that should count for something.

Yes, I’m a single dad who needs a nanny for the summer. But hiring the stranded runaway bride who shows up on my doorstep in a wedding gown with no references, no skills, and no experience? No one is that desperate.

If you ask a Finn, they will likely be as baffled as you are. That’s why Melanie Dower, an expat who has been living in Finland for the past decade, has taken up the charge. Her vantage as an outsider entrenched in Finnish culture uniquely positions her to identify the keys to Finnish happiness that elude the rest of the world and that Finns take for granted. From sauna to strong social safety nets, Finnish life is made up of a constellation of habits and structures that leave its residents relaxed, healthy, and fulfilled.

She is a woman on the run. Pain, loneliness, and terror are what she is leaving. Where she is headed doesn't matter as long as it's away from the hell her life has become. Joshua Bennett is trapped in a prison of his own making by the memories of his past. Traumatized and isolated, he is a reclusive writer, living a quiet, lonely life, his only companion his dog, Bear. It is what he knows, what he has accepted to be his life. One dark night, one huge storm, and one ice patch brings them together.

The first blush of spring finds Melinda filled with great expectations and high-flying goals. She's officially taking the reins of her charming farm, the lambs and rescue kittens are thriving, and new life is popping up in unexpected places. But as the songbirds return and the garden's soil is turned, not everything's coming up roses: A no-nonsense housing inspector claims Melinda's sweet deal with Horace could come at a high cost, and a plan to help the cats in her rural community draws skepticism from some of the locals.

A favor for a friend. Kiss a stranger and walk away. But what if that favor, and that stranger, prove to be the turning point of her life? What if that kiss leads to something more? Dr. Daniel Stewart is certain it will. He is determined to make her see him. To feel what he feels. To have the effects of that kiss last forever.

Sandy Preston has been den mother, friend, confidante, and the guiding force behind the men of BAM for years. Now they have new lives, and hers has drastically changed. Can she move on and find love a second time around? Will the men she considers family accept the changes?

The morning of January 12, 1888, was unusually mild, following a punishing cold spell. It was warm enough for the homesteaders of the Dakota Territory to venture out again and for their children to return to school without their heavy coats - leaving them unprepared when disaster struck. At the hour when most prairie schools were letting out for the day, a terrifying, fast-moving blizzard blew in without warning. Schoolteachers as young as 16 were suddenly faced with life-and-death decisions.

At 27 years old, Emma Banks has big plans for her life. After graduating from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, she's ready to take her place as head chef at one of her family's resort restaurants. Her first assignment is to serve Pierce Davenport, an infuriatingly arrogant writer with a palate that's about as adventurous as a plain boiled potato. Pierce Davenport's living every author's dream: His critically-acclaimed Clash of Crowns books have been turned into one of the world's most-watched television series. The only problem is, he has no idea how to end the epic tale.

Amy, Jin and Lucie are leading isolated lives in their partially renovated, inner city home. They are not happy, but they are also terrified of change. When they buy a pet rabbit for Lucie, and then Amy's mother, Pauline, comes to stay, the family is forced to confront long-buried secrets. Will opening their hearts to the rabbit help them to heal or only invite further tragedy?

The sound of the ocean, the crash of the waves as they kick up against the sand and rocks - these are the only sounds Megan Greene wants to hear. She wants to leave the rest of the world behind and find some peace. The offer of a private house on the beach, set in a small town in Maine, is perfect. Time to think - to be by herself. It's all she wants. It's the escape she needs. Until she stumbles across the painting that seems to echo her own chaotic mindset. Until she meets the unfriendly artist behind the stormy painting and discovers his secrets.

Delphine possesses great power—too much power for the daughter of farmers. The Mage’s Guild would eagerly take her, but she wants nothing to do with its arrogant and self-centered members. That is, until her friend is abducted in front of her.

Xander Buckley might be hotter than a stolen blow torch, and I get that he’s a former Navy SEAL and all, but the man gives new meaning to the words overbearing, overprotective, bossy alpha male. I can’t even post a photo on social media without him warning me it’s not safe or take a morning jog without him following behind. But he’s made it clear that what he says goes, and if I don’t like it, I can kiss my vacation goodbye. Instead, I end up kissing him.

In the little town of Prosper, the holidays are merry and bright! As a reflective hush falls over the harvested fields surrounding her farm, Melinda packs away her memories of city life and turns her thoughts toward Thanksgiving and Christmas. She's not only home for the holidays, but truly home at last. She has a list of projects that will make the season perfect, and she's checked it more than twice: Insulate her acreage and animals against the coming winter, fill her farmhouse with festive decorations, and plan the perfect menu for her family's Christmas dinner

Only in the movies does the Hollywood heartthrob fall for the small town diner waitress. So when Dashiel Buckley returns to Cherry Tree Harbor for a wedding, I’m determined not to let my massive crush on my best friend’s older brother hijack my good sense.

Gwen has discovered both the love she once lost and her courage. But her greatest challenge still lies before her. She has chosen to fight for her people and that means standing against the mountain queen and all the fears of her childhood. Charlotte is ready to risk everything to save her husband and reverse the consequences of her mistakes. But freeing Henry means getting entangled in the mountain kingdom's fight for freedom and that fight might take the one thing Charlotte isn't willing to give.

Brooke is living her best life far from the city and career that tried to destroy her. She's happy spending her summer renovating the house she inherited and gardening with her elderly neighbor, Miss Lily. But when Miss Lily's handsome—and obnoxious—grandson shows up, making wild accusations and dragging up Brooke's past, Brooke must convince Ian he has her all wrong. But what happens when their chemistry proves even more dangerous than Ian's accusations?

Gwen Fox has two obsessions: her life's work and her hatred of Ty Sterling, the cynical billionaire who wants to shut down her program. About to lose everything, Gwen is forced to travel to Peru to change his mind. Her mission to save her team takes an unexpected turn when the pair find themselves stranded alone together in the jungle. Forced to rely on each other, the space between enemies and lovers begins to collapse. As their bickering reaches new heights, so does their undeniable attraction. Gwen starts to see that Ty's heart may not be made of stone after all.