Showing results by author "Melody A. Carlson" in All Categories

RITA Award winner Melody Carlson's sassy tale highlights the healing influence of family, friends, faith - and unexpected love - on a 31-year-old single gal who's down but not out. The day she dons her Valentino boots, Cassidy's life starts spinning out of control. Her boss fires her, her boyfriend dumps her, and someone steals her identity. And binging on chocolate doesn't help.

Tia D'Amico is thrilled to move to San Francisco to help her aunt transform an old luxury yacht into an upscale floating restaurant. What's not to love? Sunset dinner cruises, upscale wedding receptions - the possibilities are endless and far more appetizing than staying in a monotonous job in her Podunk hometown. Besides, some of her best memories are tied to San Francisco - especially the memory of Leo Parker, her crush from a long-ago sailing camp.

After years abroad, Garrison Brown returns home to Vancouver to build a new life. When his beloved grandmother passes away a few weeks before Christmas, he goes to her house to sort out her belongings—including six cats who need new homes. While Garrison hopes to dispense with the task quickly, his grandmother's instructions don't allow for speed. She has left Garrison with some challenging requirements. Garrison's job is to match the cats with the right owners without disclosing the surprise monetary gift. Along the way, he may just meet someone who can make him stay.

It's official: Brynna Phillips is done with men. They only break your heart. But just when she makes this declaration, her friend Jan convinces Brynna to join her on a camping vacation in Sonoma Wine Country.

When Belle Bannister, a real Georgia peach, checks into Grace Chapel Inn on a mission to find a husband among the eligible bachelors of Acorn Hill, the Howard sisters teeter between disbelief and awe. Belle sets off to plan her wedding, trusting God to supply the groom, and teaches them all an unlikely lesson about faith. Meanwhile, Jane gets a letter from her ex-husband, Justin, announcing that he is coming to visit. What could he want after all this time? Does he regret losing her?

In the final story of The Inn at Shining Waters, Anna Larson's granddaughter Sarah is beginning to find her independence. But her relationship with her parents suffers as a result and she travels away from all that is familiar. While the solace of the river calls Sarah back, surprises await upon her return. Three generations of family heartbreak and disappointments converge at Shining Waters, as Sarah finds God right in the center of it all.

An entertaining and humorous look at the relationship dilemmas of four unlikely female friends who share a small bungalow while launching their careers.

Mix six teenaged girls and one '60s fashion icon (retired, of course) in an old Victorian-era boarding home. Add boys and dating, a little high-school angst, and throw in a Kate Spade bag or two ... and you've got The Carter House Girls, Melody Carlson's chick lit series for young adults! When her mom died, DJ had to move in with her grandmother, internationally famous '60s fashion model Katherine Carter....

Managing the Value Lodge in her hometown was not what Anna Gordon had in mind when she set out in the hospitality industry. But it's a safe choice for a woman whose childhood was anything but stable. Out of the blue, she gets a once-in-a-lifetime chance to reinvent herself by moving to New York City, where she hopes for a management position at a stylish new boutique hotel.

Whether your idea of camping is in a tiny tent, a luxury RV, or somewhere in between, nothing beats having fun with family and friends in the fresh air. Relive favorite memories of childhood vacations and get excited for future outdoor adventures with these humorous and heartwarming recollections from best-selling author and camping enthusiast Melody Carlson. Pack your gear and hit the road with Melody.

Hannah Josephson had always been the “perfect” daughter. Kiera couldn’t live up to her before, and she certainly can’t now that her older sister has died in a car accident. But the image she carried resentfully of Hannah is challenged when she finds her dead sister’s diary and begins to read.

When fun-loving artist Willow West meets buttoned-up George Emerson, it's not exactly love at first sight - more like an intriguing project at first sight. Willow makes it her mission to get the obsessive-compulsive, newly retired English teacher to loosen up and embrace life, but even she has to admit it seems like a lost cause. A confirmed bachelor, George vacillates between irritation and attraction whenever Willow is around‚ which to him seems like all too often.

Anna Larson's daughter, Lauren, is confused, brokenhearted, and misguided. It's the turbulent 1960s, and feeling alienated from her mother, Lauren chooses to stay with her paternal grandmother. However, repelled by the woman's manipulative and spiteful ways, Lauren returns to her mother, the river, and the Inn at Shining Waters. There, Lauren begins to appreciate the person her mother is becoming - and she loves the river. However, romantic interests throw a wrench into the works.

Though they come with assorted extra baggage filled with broken hearts and dreams, four housemates will discover they also have a vast array of hidden strengths. As they struggle to become the women they want to be, they'll find new hope, and maybe even Kendall will learn a thing or two about life, love and the true meaning of friendship.

What are the treasures in Benjamin's Box? Come along with Benjamin and see. Like all boys and girls, Benjamin is very, very curious. When Jesus comes to Jerusalem, Benjamin decides to follow him and find out who he really is. At first, Benjamin thinks Jesus is a teacher, then a king. At last, he learns the good news - news that every child (and grown-up!) will want to share.

Mix six teenage girls and one '60s fashion icon (retired, of course) in an old Victorian-era boarding home. Add boys and dating, a little high-school angst, and throw in a Kate Spade bag or two ... and you've got The Carter House Girls, Melody Carlson's chick lit series for young adults! The Carter House girls are just getting to know one another when tensions surrounding several boys threaten to undo everything.

Mix six teenaged girls and one '60s fashion icon in an old Victorian-era boarding home. Add guys and dating, a little high-school angst, and throw in a Kate Spade bag or two... and you've got The Carter House Girls, Melody Carlson's chick lit series for young adults! Christmas is coming, and Mrs. Carter treats the girls to a weekend trip to General Harding's luxurious Vermont ski lodge. Naturally, she has no idea that Taylor has invited some guys to follow them - boys who have a different type of adventure in mind.

Newly engaged Lelani has returned from Maui to Bloomberg Place and is trying to book her wedding date. Unfortunately there are scheduling conflicts for that same weekend. For starters, Megan and Marcus have a family wedding commitment. Anna and Edmond have promised to attend his younger stepbrother's Bar Mitzvah and, to everyone's surprise, Kendall has just accepted her "Maui Man's" proposal of marriage and also wants to be wed on that first weekend in June.

Mix six teenaged girls and one '60s fashion icon (retired, of course) in an old Victorian-era boarding home. Add guys and dating, a little high-school angst, and throw in a Kate Spade bag or two... and you've got the Carter House Girls, Melody Carlson's chick-lit series for young adults! In this book, the Carter House experiences a shake-up as one of its own returns home after an unnerving disappearing act.

Grace Trey is an 18-year-old singer as passionate about her Christian faith as she is her phenomenal, God-given musical talent. Both traits come from her father, one-hit wonder Johnny Tray who found Jesus after losing his chart success two decades ago. When Grace encounters her own music break of a lifetime, the sudden dive into the "real world" puts her deeper beliefs to the test. Pop superstardom is just within reach but appears to require some spiritual compromise. Will Grace reject her faith, or will she own it?