"They may see you as how you try to be, but what I see is what you try not to be." SHE IS A BASTARD... Maxine Theobald hid from the rest of society to protect her father's name. But as she grows tired of her role-playing games every year during the famous Theobald weekend parties, she starts to question how she has been living her life. She starts to wonder about the other part of her that she was deprived of--her mother and why she left her. A DISGUISE... Having finally found the courage to search for the one thing that she believes can help her understand her true nature, Maxine cuts her hair, puts on her breeches, and runs away from the only home she has ever known. She travels to the affluent town of Wickhurst and found herself employed as the valet of the famous rake Nicholas Everard, a game she will later find to be quite dangerous. SOMETHING DIFFERENT... Maxine set out into an adventure with none but one goal, yet found herself stumbling upon an unlikely find for the search of something else--romance. Still set in the fictional place of the Town, this fifth book in the Everard Family series follows one heroine who has chosen to defy the norm and her own fears in an attempt to understand her own nature, the first step to a discovery of not just about her lineage, but of love so unexpectedly, irritatingly and undeniably powerful. (This story is a standalone title in the Everard Family series.)

The characters are highly complex and they exist in a world that values strength over compassion, only the strong survive. The life inside the pack mimics that of a real wolf pack with a strict hierarchy that is established through fighting and power. It is also comparable to a medieval court, the king holds his divine right to rule and the queen exists solely to please and support the king. Throw in scheming courtiers with the ability to change into wolves with sharp claws and fangs and you have the pack construct. As the characters are basically wolves housed in a human skin and the story is laced with animalistic references and traits displayed by all. We first meet the main characters Meela and Grey it is on a bloody battlefield where they recognize each other as their soul mate, and Grey takes Meela as tribute for his pack's help in her brother's fight. From this point on Meela belongs to Grey, and in this world, a highly spirited female with a propensity for impulsive actions matched to a dog stubborn, self-assured, dominant male is going to cause problems. We follow Meela in her journey to become the pack's Luna, a pack who are even more wolf than the one she comes from, and with a mate who has set the highest standards for her to reach as his Luna(female Alpha) and will accept nothing less than perfection. In the midst of all this and the struggle they face to form a personal and public relationship, there is one incident that will change them both and the fate of the pack completely. From that point on both Meela and Grey are inevitably changed and for them to be together, either one or both needs to change, but when you live in a world where you are taught that weakness is easily exploited and to admit defeat can potentially lead to your destruction. Thank you @chortle for the great summary

Josephine McMaster is pretty and smart, but very much a klutzy mess. Finally, at 26, she may have actually lost the dreaded 'McMaster the Disaster' nickname that has followed her around her whole life. Josie's quite content to be single, much to her mother's disappointment. So when a bizarre contest is announced where a socialite is holding a lottery to pick her bridesmaids (and rake in a little extra cash), she can't roll her eyes fast enough, even if it does mean meeting Jake Hall, her one and only movie star crush. Obviously, Josie doesn't enter the bridesmaid lottery, so you can imagine her surprise when her picture pops up among the winners, thanks to Mom. With a little prodding -- okay bribing -- Josie agrees to participate. The wedding turns into the event of the year, and Josie finds herself in the middle of a paparazzi feeding frenzy, which gets even crazier after Jake Hall takes a special interest in her. Can Josie handle the pressure in the spotlight? Is it possible she might really have a chance with Jake Hall? And if she's busy worrying about all that, how in the heck is she going to keep 'McMaster the Disaster' from showing up in front of the entire world?

Startled eyes turn to face me, and my mind confirms what my heart already knows. I would recognize those gentle green eyes, dark eyebrows, the strong chin covered in sexy scruff and shaggy mane anywhere. Isaac's back in town. He is just as beautiful to me now as he was all those years ago. If anything, time has improved him. Last I heard, he started a nonprofit to build schools in Africa. Why has he finally come back after all this time? We are locked in a stare that seems to transport us to another place and time, until at last, his gaze breaks away. ______________ Beth Malcolm is pinning all her hopes on winning the Next Big Thing competition that will not only launch her business, but help her save her beloved family home. Things quickly become complicated when the business mentor assigned to her turns out to be her exfiance. Loosely based Jane Austen's story, "Restless Hope" is a modern Persuasion meets Shark Tank. I update every Friday. Enjoy! ©2016 Sarah Benson