After the recent death of her husband, Jessica is lonely and out of sorts. She meets two men who are very different. As Jessica debates the merits of passion versus security, she becomes the subject of mean-spirited gossipmongers.

Mary Haines (Norma Shearer) loses her husband to ruthless Crystal Allen (Joan Crawford) who is aided and abetted by Sylvia Fowler (Rosalind Russell) whose own spouse has taken up with another woman. In Reno, in the throes of divorce, all wage war on one another.

"Eleven-year-old Anthoni Gillis is not the kind of kid who believes in fairies, unicorns, or even the word "maybe." She's more of a comic-books girl. So when her mom brings her to Thunder Lake for a summer at the Showboat Resort, she doesn't believe the local rumors about the Boulay Mermaid. Anthoni has bigger fish to fry. She's always wanted a True Blue Friend. But it's been hard to find one, since for the past five years she's been bouncing from...

Former high school queen bee Jennie Sue Baker returns home to Bloom, Texas, bounced alimony checks in her pocket. In a town that thrives on gossip, Jennie's fall from grace has shamed her mother, set the town buzzing, and caused old, jealous enemies to whisper in delight. They say she's taken a job as a housekeeper, and lives in a garage apartment. As a romance develops with Rick Lawson, a farmer with modest dreams, Jennie relishes what it means to...

Olivia Lockhart
Cedar Cove, Washington

Dear Reader,

One thing about Cedar Cove--people sure are interested in what other people are doing. Take Zach and Rosie Cox, for instance. Everybody in town knows that they recently got a divorce. Everybody also knows that I decreed a somewhat unusual custody arrangement. It won't be the kids moving between Rosie's place and Zach's. They'll continue to live in the family home at 311 Pelican

...

When his sister goes missing under mysterious circumstances, Kurt spends a night at the local police station overhearing statements from witnesses that reveal the deep prejudices and shocking secrets of his small beach community.

Miss Matty's house is full of life and bustle. Her dream of having a child in the house has been realized in the birth of Tilly, daughter of her maid Martha and carpenter Jem. Elsewhere, the shadow of the railway still looms, but the line has been halted five miles outside Cranford, a disaster as far as Captain Brown is concerned. Meanwhile, as Mr. Buxton returns to town with his son, William, and his niece, Erminia, Miss Matty becomes concerned about...