If You Like Belva Plain
updated 4/09
The House in Amalfi by Elizabeth Adler
Get swept away to the dramatic cliffs and azure waters of Italy's Amalfi coast, in this New York Times bestselling novel of secrets, memories and love... The secrets of her past lie in Italy... Lamour Harrington's husband died two years ago. It is the second time she has lost a man she loved to a tragedy: her father died in a mysterious boating accident when she was 17. When a devastating discovery about her husband's death leaves Lamour feeling stunned and betrayed, she returns to the house on the lush Amalfi coast where she'd lived with her father during the happiest years of her childhood...and so does unexpected love... But the house of her memories has secrets all its own, forcing her to face new truths about another man she once loved. Was her father's death truly accidental? Also try Sailing to Capri.
Sons of Fortune by Jeffrey Archer
During the late 1940s in Hartford, Connecticut, a set of twins is separated at birth by accident. One brother grows up to be a war hero in Vietnam and a successful bank executive, while the other distinguishes himself as a lawyer and politician. Sons of Fortune is as much the story of the making of these two men – and how they eventually find each other – as it is the chronicle of a nation in transition. Also try False Impression.
Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
It began with Benny Hogan and Eve Malone, growing up, inseparable, in the village of Knockglen. Benny, an only child, yearning to break free from her adoring parents, and Eve, orphaned offspring of a convent handyman and a rebellious blueblood, abandoned by her mother's wealthy family to be raised by nuns. Eve and Benny – they knew the sins and secrets behind every villager's lace curtains...except their own. Also try Whitethorn Woods.
A Woman of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford
Driven to succeed, iron-willed Emma Harte parlays a small shop into the world's greatest department store and an international business empire: Harte Enterprises. Unhappily married twice, loving only the one man she can never marry, personal happiness eludes her. Harte Enterprises, the realization of her grand dreams, is her all. When those closest to her threaten to destroy her empire through their greed and envy, Emma brilliantly outwits them and wreaks devastating revenge on those who would betray her. Drawing us into the mesmerizing life of a remarkable woman who dared to seize a dream and was willing to pay any price to make it come true, Barbara Taylor Bradford's deeply involving novel is a celebration of an indomitable spirit. First in the Harte Family Series which continues with Hold the Dream.
The Secret Life of Ceecee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain
In 1977, pregnant Genevieve Russell disappeared. Twenty years later, her remains are discovered and Timothy Gleason is charged with murder. But there is no sign of the unborn child. CeeCee Wilkes knows how Genevieve Russell died, because she was there. And she also knows what happened to the missing infant, because two decades ago she made the devastating choice to raise the baby as her own. Now Timothy Gleason is facing the death penalty, and she has another choice to make. Tell the truth, and destroy her family. Or let an innocent man die in order to protect a lifetime of lies… Also try The Bay at Midnight.
The Woman Next Door by Barbara Delinsky
Along with their husbands, Amanda, Karen and Georgia are a close-knit circle of friends enjoying seemingly ideal lives in an upscale neighborhood. But when they learn that their lovely younger neighbor, widowed for a year and presumably still unattached, is pregnant, the strains and imperfections of their lives come into full focus. As they ponder who the father might be, each of the women harbors suspicions about her own husband – and each is forced to a crisis point that will strengthen or shatter her marriage. Also try Looking for Peyton Place.
Greenwich by Howard Fast
A dinner party in the wealthy section of Greenwich, Connecticut, becomes a trap for the powerful, influential guests as murder interrupts the meal and the guests – who include a Catholic nun, a linguistics professor and a successful novelist – struggle to stay alive. Also try An Independent Woman.
Mad River Road by Joy Fielding
Jamie Kellogg's life is at a crossroads. Stuck in a dead-end job, the divorced 29-year-old has been ruled by the voices of her judgmental mother and her perfectionist sister long enough. Now she's hearing only the sexy whispers of the thrillingly handsome stranger in her bed, the man she met in a Florida bar. His name is Brad Fisher, and he's telling her everything she's been dying to hear: She's gorgeous. She's smart. She's adventurous. Quitting her job and joining Brad on a spontaneous road trip, Jamie's ready for the ride of her life. But this trip has one destination: a run-down Ohio house on Mad River Road, where vengeance will come home at last – and where someone will pay for the secrets and lies of the past.... Also try Heartstopper.
Immediate Family by Eileen Goudge
Fifteen years after graduation, best friends Jay, Franny, Emerson and Stevie meet at their college reunion. Life has taken each of them in different directions – Jay is a married man with a baby on the way while Franny yearns for a child as she searches for love in all the wrong places. Divorced single mom Emerson is drawn to a man who challenges everything she's come to believe about finding a once-in-a-lifetime love. And Stevie's life has recently been rocked by a shocking revelation – the answer to a family secret that will shatter everything she believes about herself. Now the bond between the foursome takes a surprising twist, one that changes how each feels about family and friendship. Also try Otherwise Engaged.
Eclipse Bay by Jayne Ann Krentz
A classic tale of a rich girl and the town's bad boy who grows up to be very, very good. Eight years have passed since Hannah Harte laid eyes on Rafe Madison – eight years since Hannah risked her reputation by providing Rafe's alibi for a murder he did not commit. Drawn back together by a strange bequest, Hannah and Rafe must first try to figure out how to share their dreams for the old seaside manor they've inherited and then determine who's willing to try anything, even murder, to stop them. First in the Eclipse Bay Series which continues with Dawn in Eclipse Bay.
Small Town Girl by LaVryle Spencer
Tess "Mac" McPhail left tiny Wintergreen, Missouri for Nashville and never looked back. Now one of country music's brightest stars, her career is her life until she is bade to help care for her widowed mother. After nearly two decades of public adoration, Mac returns home to be insulted by her jealous sister, enraged by her mother, and ignored by Kenny Kronek, the boy next door whom she had taunted mercilessly in high school. Kenny's daughter, Casey, is talented, and as Mac assumes the role of mentor, the feigned indifference between Mac and Kenny turns to playful bickering, and then passion.... Also try Then Came Heaven.