My Favorite Souvenir

From New York Times New Bestselling authors Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland comes a new, sexy standalone novel. My planned trip for two unexpectedly turned into a trip for one. Rather than let my breakup get me down, I packed my bags and decided a week at a luxury resort was just what I needed. But one calamity after the next, and suddenly I was stuck without a hotel room, along with a few hundred other people. It looked like my fancy vacation was about to turn into me sleeping on the hotel lobby floor. Until I overheard a gorgeous man pretending to be someone he wasn't in order to steal a reservation from a guest who hadn't shown up yet. When I realized there were two rooms, instead of calling him out, I pretended to be his sister. That's how the story of "Milo and Maddie Hooker" began. We were the Hookers. My depressing trip quickly made a U-turn into an adventure. My fake brother spent the next few days showing me around his hometown. When it was time to leave, neither of us really wanted to go yet. So, instead of flying back to our respective homes, we ventured on a road trip. At every stop, we'd pick up souvenirs. But as hot as our chemistry was, we never crossed the line. Milo knew I'd just come out of a tough relationship and didn't want to mess with a vulnerable woman. So instead, at the end of our trip, we made a pact to meet again in three months. It was always my intention to meet him. But when I got back home, reality hit in a big way. And I worried I may have lost my handsome stranger forever. Was there a place for him in my future? Or had the memory of him just become my favorite souvenir?

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone novel. At first, my neighbor Deacon frustrated me. Sure, he was great-looking and friendly. But our walls were thin, and on occasion, he’d bring women to his place and keep me awake while he “entertained” them. As a single mother to an infant, I didn’t appreciate it. So, finally it was my turn. When my daughter wouldn’t stop wailing one night, Mr. Manwhore came knocking on my door. Miraculously, at the sound of his voice, Sunny stopped crying. And when he held her…she eventually fell asleep in his arms. Deacon was rough on the exterior, but apparently on the inside? Mr. Single-and-Ready-to-Mingle was a baby whisperer. After that night, we became friends. He’d go for coffee runs. Come over to chat. Normal friend stuff. But over time, our conversations ran deeper. We got closer. Until one night we crossed the line. Our friendship turned into a complicated mess. I’d gone and fallen for a guy who’d sworn off commitment and kids. I knew Deacon was starting to care for me too, even though Sunny and I didn’t fit into any plan he’d ever imagined for himself. He was wrong for me—so wrong that I’d dubbed him the “anti-boyfriend.” Then why did I wish more than anything that I could be the one woman to change him?

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone novel. Reasons why I should not be drawn to Troy Serrano. Number one: He’s obnoxious. Number two: He and I were enemies over a decade ago in high school. Number three: He’s my friend’s ex-boyfriend. I could go on and on, really. When my boss gives me an unwanted assignment and tells me it involves spending time with the grandson of one of our residents—the grandson turns out to be Troy. He’s now as successful as he is undeniably handsome. Lucky me. Four hours a week of having to deal with his insufferable personality and unsolicited advice. The only consolation is getting to stare at his annoyingly gorgeous face in between our many arguments. Eventually, though, we slowly warm to each other and our outings become something I actually look forward to. What’s happening to me? Apparently, I misunderstood the assignment, because it certainly didn’t include thinking about Troy when I close my eyes at night, imagining what it would be like with him—just once. All the while hating myself for fantasizing about a guy who’s all wrong for me. A guy whose car I keyed back in the day. (Long story, but he deserved it.) That’s all this is—a fantasy. Well, until that one night at the bar. The night Troy and I run into each other, and all of our pent-up frustration comes barreling out. Still, I refuse to accept that it means anything. There’s no way the guy I’m supposed to hate is also the one I can’t live without.

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. For as long as people have traveled to distant lands, they have brought home objects to certify the journey. More than mere merchandise, these travel souvenirs take on a personal and cultural meaning that goes beyond the object itself. Drawing on several millennia of examples-from the relic-driven quests of early Christians, to the mass-produced tchotchkes that line the shelves of a Disney gift shop-travel writer Rolf Potts delves into a complicated history that explores issues of authenticity, cultural obligation, market forces, human suffering, and self-presentation. Souvenirs are shown for what they really are: not just objects, but personalized forms of folk storytelling that enable people to make sense of the world and their place in it.' Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic. Souvenir features illustrations by Cedar Van Tassel

Bestselling author Emma Nichols presents a new adult contemporary romance fans and critics are comparing to works of Jennifer Weiner. Snark and heart make The Souvenir a novel that will leave readers desperate for more.WrenI fell hard and fast for Brady Conner, even though I knew in my heart that he wasn't ready for me. Sure enough, he messed up. And I did too. I wanted to make him regret what he'd lost. Hence the break up sex. It was an impulsive move for someone who failed to consider the consequences, or practice safe sex. That's how I ended up with a souvenir. And that's why, as much as I wanted to, I had to be even more careful about giving bad boy Brady a second chance.BradyI wasn't ready for Wren Jacobs, even though she was the best thing to happen to an ass like me. No wonder I cracked under pressure. She'd warned me. She'd predicted this. And she promised me just one chance. Still, I wanted more. I wanted all of her for always. Too bad I figured that part out too late. She moved out. And from the looks of the guy hanging around her apartment, she'd also moved on. I couldn't blame her, but I also couldn't let her go without trying harder and proving I could be the man I should've been all along. Then I'd move her back in and it would be just the two of us, like it was before. Only this time, I'd make sure we were forever.Follow Wren and Brady as they navigate through the tricky dating scene in this touching romantic comedy, and fall in love with the souvenir of their relationship.

LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD AND THE STORY PRIZE Award-winning author Elizabeth McCracken is an undisputed virtuoso of the short story, and this new collection features her most vibrant and heartrending work to date In these stories, the mysterious bonds of family are tested, transformed, fractured, and fortified. A recent widower and his adult son ferry to a craggy Scottish island in search of puffins. An actress who plays a children’s game-show villainess ushers in the New Year with her deadbeat half brother. A mother, pining for her children, feasts on loaves of challah to fill the void. A new couple navigates a tightrope walk toward love. And on a trip to a Texas water park with their son, two fathers each confront a personal fear. With sentences that crackle and spark and showcase her trademark wit, McCracken traces how our closely held desires—for intimacy, atonement, comfort—bloom and wither against the indifferent passing of time. Her characters embark on journeys that leave them indelibly changed—and so do her readers. The Souvenir Museum showcases the talents of one of our finest contemporary writers as she tenderly takes the pulse of our collective and individual lives.

From New York Times Bestselling authors Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward comes a new, sexy standalone novel. It all started with a bet. When my young son inherited half of his great grandfather's historic inn, I decided to move us both to the place where I grew up. Notice I said half of the Inn. The other half now belonged to Levi Miller, the famous quarterback who had other ideas about what we should do with the property. We won't mention that I accidentally injured him during our first meeting, causing him to get eight stitches. You could say we got off on the wrong foot. We bickered a lot as we both moved into the property while we figured things out. He wanted to unload the rundown place which, admittedly, needed a lot of work. I wanted to restore The Palm Inn to its original beauty and re-open it as a bed and breakfast. We couldn't agree on anything. So Levi made me a proposal. One he thought I would surely lose. If I could sell out the place by the time he had to leave for training at the end of summer, he would back off and let me run it. But in the weeks that followed, we got more than we bargained for while we were living under the same roof. Levi and I got closer, and before I knew it, my nightly fantasies about the brawny Adonis became a reality. Not to mention, he was so great with my son. We were in over our heads in more ways than one. Because not only was he the last man on Earth I should be falling for because of our deal, but Levi was also my ex's older brother. And now the inn was the least of my problems.

What if the only person who could help was the one whose heart you'd broken? A captivating and heartrending novel of lost love, family secrets and betrayal from a major new talent.