fiction

"When her long lost cousin comes back to town just in time for the holidays, Lila Macapagal knows that big trouble can't be far behind. It's Christmastime in Shady Palms, but things are far from jolly for Lila Macapagal. Sure, her new business, The Brew-ha Cafe, is looking to turn a profit in its first year. And yes, she's taken the first step in a new romance with her good friend, Jae Park. But her cousin Ronnie is back in town after ghosting the family fifteen years ago, claiming that his recent purchase of a local winery shows that he's back on his feet and ready to give back to the Shady Palms community. Tita Rosie is thrilled with the return of her prodigal son, but Lila knows that wherever Ronnie goes, trouble follows. She's soon proven right when Ronnie is accused of murder, and secrets and rumors surrounding her shady cousin and those involved with the winery start piling up. Now Lila has to put away years of resentment and distrust to prove her cousin's innocence. He may be a jerk, but he's still family. And there's no way her flesh and blood could actually be a murderer . . . right?"--Back cover.

Is a kingdom worth the lives of those you love? Brion of Wexford is drawn into the war he helped to create, but never wanted to fight. When he seeks to unravel Weyland's secrets and the truth about his own identity, Brion finds himself betrayed at every turn. Now the only way to survive and keep the Kingdom of Coll from falling to the invading Salassani army is to find the lost prince and put him on the throne before it is too late. But the lost prince may not be who Brion thinks he is, and things spiral out of control as coups and countercoups plunge Coll into chaos just as the Salassani army is poised to destroy the kingdom once and for all.

Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives.

In 2011, while visiting his father's hometown in Japan shortly after his death, Ben finds himself and his family being swept away by a terrible tsunami that leaves him stranded and alone in a strange country, far from home.

"Secretly hooking up with popular cheerleader Karla Ortega, who repeatedly snubs him in public, multicultural geek and nerd club member Cameron Carson meets Mackenzie Briggs, who isn't afraid to be herself, and unexpectedly bonds with this girl who accepts him for who he is"--Provided by publisher.

Outrage surges through the community when EJ White, sixteen-year-old son of the wealthy and powerful District Attorney, is accused of raping his childhood friend, Kendra Daniels. When new evidence surfaces that appears to contradict Kendra?s testimony, EJ takes the chance to get his conviction overturned. Sent to live with his aunt until the public controversy dies down, EJ recreates himself as Eric Madison, planning to keep his head down and just get through his senior year without discovery. Soon enough though, surprising friendships and even a budding romance draw him deeper into the persona. He discovers that being Eric allows him to play out a better version of himself, one without a guilty past to haunt him. But when news about Kendra forces him back into reality, will EJ choose to finally take responsibility for the damage he?s done, even if it means sacrificing the happiness he?s found as Eric? When so many perpetrators of sexual violence have been allowed to deny their actions, deflect blame, and avoid the consequences, what does it look like to ?do the right thing?? Is atonement or redemption even possible? If so, what might it require? Alternating between EJ?s past and Eric?s present, Open at Rock Bottom explores how one young man navigates these largely uncharted waters.

The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death?.

High school senior Autumn Reeves has been waitlisted at her dream school. Determined to move to the top of the list, she must find a way to stand out. When a promposal she planned for a friend has half the senior class asking for her help, a brilliant business idea that will look great on her application is born: Promposal Queen. Autumn has no clue how to start a business, so she joins the Young Black Entrepreneurs group and finds herself face-to-face with Mekhi Winston, the boy whose unexpected freshman-year kiss--a kiss that meant everything to her and nothing to him--cost Autumn her best friend. He's the only person with the experience to help her, but how can she possibly trust him? With her dreams on the line, Autumn's willing to risk it. After all, Mekhi could be a good business partner without being a guy she would ever let near her heart again. But when working with Mekhi jeopardizes her only chance at rekindling a friendship with her ex-best-friend, and secrets long buried threaten to ruin Promposal Queen, another broken heart may be the least of her worries--her entire future is on the line.

"Ren Yu is a swimmer. Her daily life starts and ends with the pool. . . . If she swims well enough, she will be scouted, get a scholarship, go to a good school. Her parents will love her. Her coach will be kind to her. She will have a good life. But these are human concerns. These are the concerns of those confined to land, those with legs. Ren grew up on stories of creatures of the deep, of the oceans and the rivers. . . . Ones of the creature that she's always longed to become: mermaid. Ren aches to be in the water. . . . And she will do anything she can to make a life for herself where she can be free. No matter the pain. No matter what anyone else thinks. No matter how much blood she has to spill"--OCLC.

After a summer of life changing, Gabriel, Reese, Sal, and Heath are finally ready for senior year, but as graduation nears and the boys prepare to enter the real world, it is clear their friendship will never be the same.