Sleeping With My Married Ex

8 years ago, when they were just teenagers, Shannon and Donovan developed a rather peculiar relationship that lead nowhere. Now, six years after their split, they're able to pick up where they left off when Donovan moves in next door. Donovan's just as hot tempered as she remembered, and even hotter than she dared to imagine. But underneath his cold exterior he's still her same old Donovan. There's only one problem. He's married.

Smile! It's not just the end of your marriage, it's the beginning of your second chance! Missy Benson has a two and a half carat diamond engagement ring with color grade H, VS2 clarity and a value of $36,000. It's absolutely gorgeous, practically flawless, and let's be honest, really big! But what the successful Chicago realtor doesn't have anymore is a husband. After 12 years of marriage, her husband, Paul, a handsome, wealthy attorney has devastated her by breaking up their marriage for Priscilla Sommerfeld, a young, personal trainer, who according to Missy's sassy assistant, J.J., looks more like a Las Vegas stripper than a fitness expert. Not sure what to do with her ring, and with no financial issues to worry about, Missy decides to put it up for sale on Craigslist. The price: 99 cents! The catch: She gets to pick the buyer. In essence, she's looking for the perfect guy, but not for herself. Her hope is to regain faith that good men do exist, and that marriages can last forever. Now referring to herself as "the divorced girl," Missy interviews dozens of young men who are vying for the huge ring. It's a contest that includes outrageous characters, hilarious and sentimental stories, and two finalists, both of whom Missy adores and who she must choose between. Then there's Parker Missoni, the sexiest contestant by far, who drives her crazy with his brutal honesty, and at the same time stops her heart with his deep brown eyes. Divorced Girl Smiling is the story of a woman's journey to do whatever it takes to heal herself from divorce. It's about acceptance, reflection, taking accountability for mistakes, and appreciating all of life's wonderful gifts. In other words, if you have the guts to put the past behind, admit your mistakes, embrace your future, and give love another chance, you will surely be a divorced girl smiling.

Is love best when it is fresh? For many, the answer is a resounding “yes.” The intense experiences that characterize new love are impossible to replicate, leading to wistful reflection and even a repeated pursuit of such ecstatic beginnings. Aaron Ben-Ze’ev takes these experiences seriously, but he’s also here to remind us of the benefits of profound love—an emotion that can only develop with time. In The Arc of Love, he provides an in-depth, philosophical account of the experiences that arise in early, intense love—sexual passion, novelty, change—as well as the benefits of cultivating long-term, profound love—stability, development, calmness. Ben-Ze’ev analyzes the core of emotions many experience in early love and the challenges they encounter, and he offers pointers for weathering these challenges. Deploying the rigorous analysis of a philosopher, but writing clearly and in an often humorous style with an eye to lived experience, he takes on topics like compromise, commitment, polyamory, choosing a partner, online dating, and when to say “I love you.” Ultimately, Ben-Ze’ev assures us, while love is indeed best when fresh, if we tend to it carefully, it can become more delicious and nourishing even as time marches on.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A deeply validating manifesto on the gender politics of marriage (bad) and divorce (actually pretty good!) in America today, and an argument that the former needs a reboot—from journalist and proud divorcée Lyz Lenz “This American Ex-Wife is a bomb, a bouquet (but not a wedding bouquet), a memoir, a manifesto, and a total joy to read.”—Rebecca Solnit, author of Men Explain Things to Me Studies show that nearly 70 percent of divorces are initiated by women—women who are tired, fed up, exhausted, and unhappy. We’ve all seen how the media portrays divorcées: sad, lonely, drowning their sorrows in a bottle of wine. Lyz Lenz is one such woman whose life fell apart after she reached a breaking point in her twelve-year marriage. But she refused to take part in that tired narrative and decided to flip the script on divorce. In this exuberant and unapologetic book, Lenz makes an argument for the advantages of getting divorced, framing it as a practical and effective solution for women to take back the power they are owed. Weaving reportage with sociological research and literature with popular culture along with personal stories of coming together and breaking up, Lenz creates a kaleidoscopic and poignant portrait of American marriage today. She argues that the mechanisms of American power, justice, love, and gender equality remain deeply flawed, and that marriage, like any other cultural institution, is due for a reckoning. A raucous argument for acceptance, solidarity, and collective female refusal, This American Ex-Wife takes readers on a riveting ride—while pointing us all toward a life that is a little more free.

Teddy Jameson awakens nude and confused in what appears to be a tropical paradise. His guide looks like Brad Pitt and the grounds look like a Sandals Resort. Nice, right? The only problem is that his guide has greeted him with these solemn words, "Mr. Theodore Carter Hugh Jameson, may I be the first to welcome you to Hell." Hell? That Hell seems to be an upscale and very expensive Caribbean resort and the man his guide introduces as the Devil appears to be a genial blonde-haired host in white shorts, polo shirt and sneakers with a passion for tennis, certainly adds to Teddy's confusion. Where's the fire and brimstone? Where are the horns and long pointed tail usually associated with the Devil? If this is Hell, it has certainly had a makeover. Unfortunately, a certain degree of panic is setting in fast. In less than 24 hours Teddy, in line for a full professorship, is meeting with the chairperson of his department who can make or break his career. And as Teddy informs his guide, "I want my career as well-made as a French whore's silk-sheeted bed!" His whole career is in danger of being lost if he misses that important meeting. What the hell is going on? Teddy suddenly thinks he just might know what is happening to him and why. This weird set-up seems as if it might be a joke played on him by his jealous, alcohol loving friend Bernie who, Teddy believes, wants to sabotage this very important meeting for him. That bastard Bernie has had him drugged and kidnapped!But as hours go by in a heat that is becoming unbearable, that idea fades. Teddy witnesses a woman being drowned and then coming back to life twenty-five times. A man is burned to death, rises alive like the Phoenix only to have the horror happen over and over again. Teddy knows his friend Bernie isn't smart enough to mastermind such an elaborate hoax that has so many strange and horrible twist and turns. His charming host darkly hints at certain unbreakable rules and regulations and insists that Teddy really does know where he is and why he's here. And what about Hell itself? If this really is Hell what is his beloved Uncle Charlie, a kind and gentle soul, doing there? What sin did he ever commit? In explanation his smiling host in tennis whites tells him, "Mr. Jameson, there are many different ways in which a person arrives here. Very few come here by the traditional method of selling their soul to the Devil. That

Jade Redfern never did manage to make Zephaniah Owens warm up to her even after three years. Once she saw through the truth of all the unendurable shame she experienced, she decided to give up and handed over the divorce papers. “Since you don’t love me, file for a divorce.”She did not expect that she would have another life growing in her after the divorce. When her ex-husband saw her emptying her stomach, he stormed over and trapped her in the washroom.“Whose is it?”“It’s less than a month. Don’t worry, it’s definitely not yours, Mister Owens.” Jade Redfern smiled faintly.

There was a sign at the gate: Bai Yunshu, please go through the side door! Bai Yunshu had always thought that this was the greatest insult to him! When his husband and his father joined forces to send him to a mental hospital. When her husband and sister married behind their backs. When the child in her womb was mercilessly murdered by them. She realized that the insult she thought she had suffered was too far away to reach. It had only just begun!

This irresistible debut traces a cosmopolitan young woman's transition from the sleek city streets to the untamed wilds of Montana . . . and hits every hilarious bump along the way.