Er is maar één goede manier om de dingen te doen, zegt de Italiaan en dat is zoals wij het doen. De Engelse schrijver Tim Parks heeft aan den lijve ondervonden hoe moeilijk het is niet te verdwalen in de doolhof van regels, gewoontes, normen en waarden die het alledaagse leven in Italië bepalen. Cappuccino drink je tussen acht en half elf 's ochtends, en ook alleen dan. Espresso daarentegen kan op elk moment van de dag gedronken worden. Iedereen houdt van de paus. Het is heel gewoon en zeker niet hypocriet om op zondag vroom naar de kerk te gaan en door de week condooms te verkopen. En pas als een man vader wordt heeft hij echt bewezen dat hij iemand is die het leven serieus neemt. Een komisch en buitengewoon informatief boek. Onmisbaar voor elke Italië-liefhebber.

From Booklist

It has been five years since Brice and Mia divorced (in The Ties That Bind [BKL Se 1 04]). Now that she and Brice's former best friend, Christian, are married and have a daughter, Mia's life is back on track. She finally has her black knight, yet she has fretful dreams about her ex-husband. Brice returns to Atlanta from Germany with his new wife, Kree--another woman who gives up her identity to make him happy, even forced to do so. Brice reaches out to Christian to rekindle their friendship, but when Christian mentions it to Mia, she is adamant about not wanting to meet with the man who abused her. In spite of both women's discomfort, the men are anxious to mend their friendship. To support their husbands, Mia and Kree agree to meet. Not surprisingly, they not only look alike but also have a lot in common. A novel with compelling twists and turns and a good resolution. Lillian Lewis
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

You can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

It’s five years later. What happens when a former group of close friends reunite after years of separation due to a horrible incident of violence? They’ve all gone on with their lives. But a series of events is about to bring them together again. . . along with drama, scandal, betrayal and lust. Oh drama! Can we truly escape our past?

Meet the cast:

Mia. Beautiful and sexy. Mia has learned that sometimes we get a second chance at love. However, there’s only one true love. Can she forget HIM?

Christian. Handsome, charming, every woman’s dream man. Years ago, Christian gave up his player card for love. His heart now belongs to only one woman; he’d literally die for her. Will she betray his trust?

Brice. The bad boy is back. . . handsome, arrogant, domineering and aggressive as ever. Brice has some serious, misguided opinions about women and their place in HIS world. In HIS household, HIS word is the law. Follow it or suffer the consequences. Has Brice finally found the woman who can tame him?

Kree. Innocent, stunning and underestimated. Kree’s met the love of her life. However, there’s a side to him that scares her. Kree loves him with everything she has. Is it enough?

So begins "Loose Ends" by Electa Rome Parks, a refreshing and exciting new voice in contemporary fiction. Sit back, relax and enjoy this steamy, provocative, fast-paced, roller coaster ride as you are reunited with some old familiar friends and introduced to some new, unforgettable ones. Hold on tight, as the road to friendship, love and relationships is sometimes bumpy and scandalous deeds may cause your stomach to flip flop at every unexpected turn. "Loose Ends" is the novel you’ve been waiting for!

From Booklist

When two childhood buddies, Brice and Christian, fall for the same girl, their friendship is tested. On a military leave, Brice returns home to Georgia and meets a college student, Mia. After only 30 days, they fall in love and marry. It isn't until their return to North Carolina that Mia really gets to know her husband, who believes that because he wears the pants, Mia should abide by his rules. Because Brice is a Marine recruiter and travels frequently, he encourages his best friend to spend time with Mia in his absence. She is so in love that she accepts her husband's authority until he becomes violent. In Christian's role as friend and babysitter, he realizes that he is also in love with Mia. To stay true to his friendship with Brice, he remains steadfast yet supportive of Mia. When Christian is forced to choose between Brice's friendship and Mia's safety, he chooses Mia. This effective novel shows that the ties that bind are painful for all three individuals, and each has to live with his or her actions and choices. Lillian Lewis
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Swoops with grace to eloquently tell a poignant and touching story. . .that is the essence of well crafted fiction." -- Timmothy McCann - Best selling author of Until, Always and Forever.

The Ties That Bind is an excellent debut novel with cutting-edge dialogue, intriguing characters, and a spicy storyline. . . -- Zane, National Bestselling Author of Addicted, Shame on it All, and The Sex Chronicles: Shattering the Myth

Product Description

Twenty-eight year old Kennedy Logan is gorgeous, educated, talented, and in love. Unfortunately, Drake Collins has other ideas about the true state of their relationship. Kennedy hopes to turn him around; Drake just wants to turn her out sexually. Kennedy is also searching for her biological mother, who gave her up at birth. She wants answers and she has tons of questions. The enormous weight of these predicaments leads to a failed suicide attempt.

Her overprotective and overbearing mother, Dorothy Logan, moves in with Kennedy and makes it her mission to get her daughter's life back in order. The first step is getting rid of Drake Collins once and for all, but that's easier said than done. Drake has no intentions of going anywhere. Kennedy's ever loyal and fun-loving best friend, Taylor, and her absentee father join forces to help support Kennedy in her time of need.

At her psychiatrist's advice, Kennedy uses writing as her therapy. She starts to keep a daily journal detailing the erotic circumstances and family drama that led up to her despair. Through very personal, funny, and graphic entries, readers will share her confessions. Brace yourselves for a very steamy journey!

About the Author

Electa Rome Parks lives outside Atlanta, Georgia and is the bestselling author of six acclaimed novels, The Ties That Bind, Loose Ends, Almost Doesn't Count, Ladies' Night Out, These Are My Confessions (anthology) and Diary of a Stalker. Electa is currently working on her next novel and first screenplay.

If it was still beating. Angus MacKay has been undead for almost five hundred years and it's not often something, or someone, surprises him. Until Emma Wallace. The sight of this luscious agent from the CIA's elite Stake-Out team was enough to stop Angus in his tracks. But then he discovers that she's a vampire slayer, intent on killing the «monsters» who killed her parents. And it's Angus's job to stop her.

The only good vampire is a dead vampire. It's been Emma's motto since she committed her life to the destruction of things. Now Angus MacKay wants to convince her differently.

Sure, he's a sexy Highland warrior who seems to have stepped off the cover of a romance novel, complete with brogue, kilt, and sword, but he's also one of them. And it's her job to kill him.

The war is on, but will it end in the destruction of one or both of them. . or in total surrender to a passion for the ages?

Wanted: Bride. Must love children. Mortals need not apply.

Carlos Panterra is looking for a mate, a woman who will love and care for the young orphans he's recently taken under his wing (or paw, as the case may be). When the shape shifter spies the beautiful Caitlyn, it's like sunshine amidst the darkness. At last, he's found the perfect woman, except . . .

Caitlyn Whelan is mortal. Worse, her father is the head of a CIA agency bent on hunting the undead. Still, Caitlyn knows that Carlos is the man for her, shape shifter or not. So she jumps at the chance when her sister offers her a job to work with him, determined to show Carlos their attraction is more than just animal magnetism. But danger lurks in the night, and their unleashed, untamed passion might just get them both killed . . .

Roman Draganesti is charming, handsome, rich… he's also a vampire. But this vampire just lost one of his fangs sinking his teeth into something he shouldn't have. Now he has one night to find a dentist before his natural healing abilities close the wound, leaving him a lop-sided eater for all eternity.

Things aren't going well for Shanna Whelan, either. After witnessing a gruesome murder, she's next on the mob's hit list. And her career as a dentist appears to be on a downward spiral because she's afraid of blood. When Roman rescues her from an assassination attempt, she wonders if she's found the one man who can keep her alive. Though the attraction between them is immediate and hot, can Shanna conquer her fear of blood to fix Roman's fang? And if she does, what will prevent Roman from using his fangs on her…?