Scars and Stilettos

Scars and Stilettos
Author: Harmony Dust
Publisher: Monarch Books
Total Pages: 252
Release: 2009-12-18
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780825463099

Fear of being abandoned keeps nineteen-year-old Harmony Dust trapped in an abusive and cruel relationship. She thinks she has hit bottom--tens of thousands of dollars in debt, struggling to get by, and so controlled by her boyfriend that she doesn't protest when he begins openly sleeping around. Things can't get worse . . . until someone tells her how much money she can make as an exotic dancer. For the next three years, Harmony lives a double life as Monique, a dancer in a fully-nude strip club. Scars and Stilettos is Harmony's stark, honest, and ultimately hopeful story of how God found her in that dark, noisy place and led her out. She has since married, completed an MA in social welfare, and now leads Treasures, an organization helping women in the sex trade discover their true worth. "Harmony wrote her story so that you and your friends may get help out of whatever dark tunnel you find yourself in. I know her heart, and it is to see all of us live our lives in the very purpose for which we were created. I do want to warn you . . . once you start this book, you will not be able to put it down. You will laugh, you will cry, you will be encouraged, you will fall in love with God all over again . . . and you will want to get a copy for every person you know." --Holly Wagner, from the preface "Harmony's story is compelling evidence of how far the love of God reaches to heal broken lives and restore all that has been stolen." --Nancy Alcorn, Mercy Ministries

Shine

Shine
Author: Kelly Master
Publisher:
Total Pages: 120
Release: 2016-02-14
Genre:
ISBN: 9780692615614

Blonde Up!

Blonde Up!
Author: Jamie Collins
Publisher:
Total Pages: 340
Release: 2018-03-19
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780578482224

Will star-bound Casey Singer trade "finally famous" for "love at last"? The job is hers -- if she bothers to show up. Blonde Up! is the first in the four-part "Secrets and Stilettos" series by Jamie Collins, author of must-read women's fiction about the all-woman ensemble cast of daytime's newest talk show.

Between Husbands and Friends

Between Husbands and Friends
Author: Nancy Thayer
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Total Pages: 372
Release: 2014-04-29
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0553391100

This poignant novel by New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer tells the engrossing story of two women, two families, and a shocking revelation that changes everything. When Lucy West and Kate Cunningham meet, the two spirited young women recognize kindred spirits in each other. Both Lucy and Kate married early and lack complete confidence in the brave new world of mothering. As their friendship deepens, their lives become fully intertwined. With husbands and children in tow, they spend glorious summers together in a large house on Nantucket island, sailing and feasting on lobster—and when their husbands are back on the mainland, the two women even get a chance to kick up their heels. The closest of allies, Lucy and Kate share their highs and lows, their joys and darkest secrets. Or so Kate thought. One summer, in the midst of a devastating family crisis, Lucy reveals a truth she has long kept hidden from her best friend. And in the aftermath of this astonishing revelation, the lives of the Wests and the Cunninghams will never be the same. Includes a captivating excerpt of Nancy Thayer’s novel Nantucket Sisters! Praise for the novels of Nancy Thayer “The queen of beach books.”—The Star-Ledger “Thayer has a deep and masterly understanding of love and friendship, of where the two complement and where they collide.”—Elin Hilderbrand “Thayer’s gift for reaching the emotional core of her characters [is] captivating.”—Houston Chronicle “One of my favorite writers.”—Susan Wiggs “Thayer portrays beautifully the small moments, inside stories and shared histories that build families.”—The Miami Herald “Thayer’s sense of place is powerful, and her words are hung together the way my grandmother used to tat lace.”—Dorothea Benton Frank

Surviving the White Gaze

Surviving the White Gaze
Author: Rebecca Carroll
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2021-02-02
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1982174552

A stirring and powerful memoir from black cultural critic Rebecca Carroll recounting her painful struggle to overcome a completely white childhood in order to forge her identity as a black woman in America. Rebecca Carroll grew up the only black person in her rural New Hampshire town. Adopted at birth by artistic parents who believed in peace, love, and zero population growth, her early childhood was loving and idyllic—and yet she couldn’t articulate the deep sense of isolation she increasingly felt as she grew older. Everything changed when she met her birth mother, a young white woman, who consistently undermined Carroll’s sense of her blackness and self-esteem. Carroll’s childhood became harrowing, and her memoir explores the tension between the aching desire for her birth mother’s acceptance, the loyalty she feels toward her adoptive parents, and the search for her racial identity. As an adult, Carroll forged a path from city to city, struggling along the way with difficult boyfriends, depression, eating disorders, and excessive drinking. Ultimately, through the support of her chosen black family, she was able to heal. Intimate and illuminating, Surviving the White Gaze is a timely examination of racism and racial identity in America today, and an extraordinarily moving portrait of resilience.

Dancing for the Devil

Dancing for the Devil
Author: Anny Donewald
Publisher: Monarch Books
Total Pages: 400
Release: 2015-05-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0857216511

Anny Donewald had a seemingly charmed childhood as the daughter of a top basketball coach. Then, when she was thirteen, one of her father's players began to abuse her, setting her on a path of self-destruction which led ultimately into the explosive world of the sex industry. After Anny competed in an amateur night at a strip club, she found herself sucked into the subculture of drugs, money, and prostitution, dancing in Las Vegas and Chicago's hottest sex venues. But the fantasy of fistfuls of hundred-dollar bills quickly turned into the reality of bloodstains on bathroom floors, during nights with clients in luxurious hotels. At an emotional breaking point, pondering the termination of her unborn son, Anny reached the gates of her personal hell. The atheist did the unthinkable, and cried out to God. This captivating memoir reveals how women from all walks of life can find themselves trapped in the sex trade and illustrates that God loves them no matter what. Dancing for the Devil is a heart-breaking and fascinating story of darkness, grace, and ultimately, the healing power of love.

When Stars Collide

When Stars Collide
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2021-06-29
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 006297310X

#1 New York Times bestseller Susan Elizabeth Phillips returns to her beloved Chicago Stars series with a romance between a Chicago Stars quarterback and one of the world’s greatest opera singers—and a major diva. “Re-entering the world of the Chicago Stars is like a beloved friend come to call.” — #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr Thaddeus Walker Bowman Owens, the backup quarterback for the Chicago Stars, is a team player, talented sideline coach, occasional male underwear model, and a man with a low tolerance for Divas. Olivia Shore, international opera superstar, is a driven diva with a passion for perfection, a craving for justice, too many secrets—and a monumental grudge against the egotistical, lowbrow jock she’s been stuck with. It’s Mozart meets Monday Night Football as the temperamental soprano and stubborn jock embark on a nationwide tour promoting a luxury watch brand. Along the way, the combatants will engage in soul-searching and trash talk, backstage drama and, for sure, a quarterback pass. But they’ll also face trouble as threatening letters, haunting photographs, and a series of dangerous encounters complicate their lives. Is it the work of an overzealous fan or something more sinister? This is the emotional journey of a brilliant woman whose career is everything and a talented man who’ll never be happy with second place. Tender and funny, passionate and insightful, this irresistible romantic adventure proves that anything can happen…when two superstars collide.

Broken Girl

Broken Girl
Author: Gretchen De La O.
Publisher:
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2016-04-25
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780997479218

My name is ROSE NEWTON, and I sell my body on the streets of San Francisco. I'm what you call society's dirty little secret. On the outside, I'm in control, the woman who makes her own rules and gives nothing away for free. Inside, I'm broken and numb. Torn and shattered by my past, my life is nothing more than the lost fragments of what's left of me. SHANE WEST represents everything that's foreign to me. He's brave, kind, funny, gorgeous and persistent. When fate brings us face to face, an undeniable attraction blazes between us. He becomes the constant I've never had and the only man I'll ever trust. There is nothing simple about falling in love when you're keeping a secret like mine. *Reader's discretion advised. Certain content might not be suitable for some readers.