Girl Beside Him

Transgressive and addictive, Mazza once again probes the limits of human relationships, taking her readers into a region of dark sexuality, torn between love and destruction."--BOOK JACKET.

She was a brilliant young scientist with information locked in her head that could overturn the powers that be. He was an aristocrat from a foreign land whose heart had grown cold from years of meeting women with an agenda. Their love would take time to form, but would one day burn brighter than a thousand stars. But after the flames of infatuation burned out, what would pull a rocket scientist and an oil baron together?

After taking part in a science experiment that should have only lasted hours, Alex wakes to a world very different from the one he left behind. Everyone he's ever known is gone, and what's left of America lies in ruin, but those are the least of his worries. Relentlessly pursued by powerful forces wielding advanced technology, and forced to contend with the dangerous inhabitants of this new land, Alex must do everything he can to survive. At least he won't be facing these challenges alone, but his new friends be enough to protect him from what the future holds?

Some people win games. Some achieve success. But when it comes right down to it, most people don’t. Failure is a guest no one invites, yet it shows up almost everywhere. The gifts it brings are easy to overlook. The Uninvited Guest is a whirlwind ride featuring Romanian hockey superstars growing up in Montreal, Danish prostitutes working in Sweden, Russian mobsters, the perils of parking in Penitanguishene, and how not to die if you want to make it home on time. Most of all, it’s the story of Stan Cooper, hockey timekeeper/custodian-turned-trophy-keeper; Tony, a young Italian Canadian man and new Cup keeper; and Dragos Petrescu, the first Romanian-born hockey player to win the Stanley Cup. Over a period of 50 years, the lives of the three men weave in and out of each other, with themes of love, hate, family, jealousy and ultimately, forgiveness.