by Philip Eliot | Dec 10, 2025 | Contemporary Romance |
For the first time in her life, Grace Wells had no idea what the future held. After being offered partner at the law firm she’d worked at for the past decade she surprised even herself when she handed in her resignation, packed up her life, put her condo up for sale, and jumped in her Range Rover to head for Hope Falls.She was already questioning her sanity when she found herself stranded on the side of a mountain road, in a snowstorm, with a flat tire. Things went from bad to worse when headlights shone in her rearview mirror, and her first thought was a psycho was coming to kill her. When she rolled down the window and saw the face of the most perfect male specimen on the planet, she was no longer in fear for her life…but her heart was another story.For the first time in his life, Easton Bishop knew exactly what the future held. After nearly fifteen years of nomadic living across the globe, he was finally putting down roots. His plan was to spend the next year of his life writing the novel he’d been putting off for the past three years, and more importantly, reconnecting with his family who he’d barely seen over the past decade and a half. That plan was immediately sidetracked when he showed up to surprise his parents only to find out they were on a three-week vacation in Palm Springs.Always one to roll with the punches, he hopped in his 1989 Ford pickup truck and decided to make the three-hour drive to Hope Falls where his brothers lived. He found himself sidetracked once again when he saw a white SUV on the side of the road with its hazards on. When the driver turned out to be a knockout blonde with eyes bluer than the Mediterranean and lips that made him sweat in below-freezing temperatures, he knew that his plans might need to be expanded to include her.Author’s Note: Trusting Fate is an opposites-attract, lust-at-first sight, fake(ish) relationship, small-town Hope Falls romance. This HEA includes (but is not limited to): a competition reality show, a type-A control-freak heroine, a unicorn go-with-the-flow Alpha (with a capital A) hero, meddling siblings, a colorful cast of townspeople, an extremely jealous rescue cat, cold days and very hot nights. Side effects of reading this book may include swooning, sighing, falling in love, and a strong desire to move to and/or visit Hope Falls (which, full disclosure, is a fictional town). Read at your own risk.
by Philip Eliot | Dec 10, 2025 | Contemporary Romance |
A sexy cinnamon-roll lumberjack offers me a ride into town, a stay at his cozy cabin, and eventually his bed. All things I can’t refuse.After several flirty glances and heated mistletoe kisses, we create rules: no strings attached and no falling in love. Agreeing to the impossible might be my biggest mistake yet.I visited the small town for one reason only: to prove a point to my father.Now I’ve got a fake boyfriend.A secret to keep hidden.And a choice to make that will determine more than just my future.If you’re searching for a spicy holiday romance with a protective cinnamon-roll lumberjack and sassy heroine, this book is for you! A Very Merry Mistake is a standalone with a sweet-as-gingerbread happily ever after. This small-town contemporary romance has a dash of grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, secret identity, and tons of Southern goodness. Fade to black is NOT included!
by Philip Eliot | Dec 10, 2025 | Thriller & Suspense |
She thought she knew what happened to her sister.She was dead wrong. Grace Franklin was eleven when her older sister vanished.There were no searches.No posters.No pleas for help.Only one thing the family agreed on: Zoe chose to leave. We don’t talk about it.Grace learned to live with that.She even learned to believe it.But when Zoe’s remains are discovered at the bottom of a ravine just miles from their home, the story that held her family together begins to crack.Then a recording is found—Zoe’s voice, captured in the weeks before she died.The life Zoe describes is not the version the Franklins preserved.Not even close.It’s something darker, closer, and far more difficult to explain.It doesn’t just contradict what Grace was told.It exposes the people she loves most.And once the tape starts playing, there’s no turning back.Someone lied. Someone knows more than they’re saying. And the truth about what happened to Zoe is darker than Grace ever imagined.Taut, heartbreaking, and deeply unsettling, She Left Us is a haunting psychological thriller about the lies that hold families together—and the truths that tear them apart.Perfect for fans of Lucinda Berry, Stacy Willingham and Mary Kubica.
by Philip Eliot | Dec 10, 2025 | Action & Adventure |
‘Marvelous reading’ – Dorothy Eden When CIA agent Ward Grant is imprisoned by the Russians deep in the dreaded Lubyanka Prison, he fears he is a forgotten man.
With détente, however, the U.S. Government arranges an exchange to save Grant.
But the Russians will only release him if the United States finds and delivers the priceless imperial treasure that vanished during the Russian Revolution – the twelve Imperial Easter Eggs crafted by Faberge for the family of Czar Nicholas, each lavishly decorated with enamels and jewels, each worth a fortune.
Although their recovery seems unlikely, the CIA assigns agency veteran Henryk Kessel to find them.
He and his assistant, the beautiful Leslie Monroe, try to piece together the vanished past, combing the archives and museums of the world for a clue.
In a hunt that takes them from the elegant drawing rooms of Georgetown to the busy bars of Stockholm, they pursue their mission.
But it soon becomes evident that others, including the KGB, are on the same trail.
As suspicion grows that not all the Romanovs are dead, Leslie quickly becomes target as well as pursuer, while Ward’s life hangs in the balance.
The Romanov Ransom is haunting in its intensity. Complete with danger and romance, it brings novelist Thompson into the front ranks of espionage literature.
Praise for Anne Armstrong Thompson ‘Anne Armstrong Thompson goes from strength to strength. The ingredients of her new book — espionage, a treasure hunt, the still unsolved mystery of the Romanovs, and a pair of fire-and-ice lovers — make marvelous reading.’ – Dorothy Eden ‘…silk-stocking suspense story’ – Kirkus Reviews Anne Armstrong Thompson was born in Lexington, Kentucky and received a B.S. degree in Economics from the University of Kentucky and an M.A. degree in Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. She has worked in Washington and lived in Georgetown. Upon her marriage to architect Milton Thompson, Jr., she returned to Kentucky, where she served as Medicaid Director in the Department of Health. Mrs. Thompson has travelled extensively and now lives, with her husband and two sons, in Kentucky.
by Philip Eliot | Dec 10, 2025 | Crime Fiction |
Forty-one of the best mystery and suspense stories from around the world together in “a standout among mystery anthologies” (Booklist).”This collection, the second in an annual series, has heft and authority. . . . Capers, cozies, character puzzles, mysteries that hinge on wordplay, excursions into noir, and comic jaunts are all represented.” —BooklistA Banquete of Mystery and Crime FictionHere, for the delectation of readers who hunger for outstanding mystery reading, are gathered the greatest mystery and crime stories of 2000. Award-winning author and editor Ed Gorman has once again collected the best stories of the year from around the world, to baffle, tantalize, and delight mystery readers. Included are tales of crime, mystery, and suspense from such authors as:· Lawrence Block· Jan Burke· Dorothy Cannell· Clark Howard· Peter Lovesey· Joyce Carol Oates· Nancy Pickard· Bill Pronzini· Ian Rankin· And a host of others”The stories range in quality from above average to superb; indeed the biggest mystery is how a single year could have produced a bumper crop of so many outstanding tales.” —Kirkus Reviews
