Orem Library

"With raw, poetic ferocity, Kimberly King Parsons exposes desire's darkest hollows - those hidden places where most of us are afraid to look. In this debut collection of enormously perceptive and brutally unsentimental short stories, Parsons illuminates the ache of first love, the banality of self-loathing, the scourge of addiction, the myth of marriage, and the magic and inevitable disillusionment of childhood. Taking us from hot Texas highways to...

When life throws her one setback too many, midwife and young widow Tess Hartsong takes off for Runaway Mountain. In this small town high in the Tennessee mountains, surrounded by nature, she hopes to outrun her heartbreak and find the solace she needs to heal. But instead of peace and quiet, she encounters an enigmatic artist with a craving for solitude, a fairy-tale sprite with too many secrets, a helpless infant, a passel of curious teens, and a...

Regi Bernard's small hometown on the Snake River is good for some things (like fishing) but bad for others (like avoiding old flames). On one unlucky day, Regi runs in to the two men she least wants to see: Samuel Tanner, her first love, whose sudden rejection still stings decades later; and Ranger Curtis Romney, the man who trampled her daughter's heart and reputation. But the next day, Regi's luck is even worse. While trespassing on Samuel's land...

Thirteen-year-old Alex Weakerman gets more than he bargains for when his grandfather passes away and names Alex the new manager of his hometown's scrappy independent-league baseball team.

"Pastry chef Lucy Growthorne has no room for romance in her life. Running her bakery, making trendy pastries, and mixing potions takes up all the space on her proverbial plate. Using her craft to spread good vibes in her secret magical community is both fun and keeps her focused--until a tall, dark-eyed, and extremely distracting someone begins poking his nose around her kitchen"--Adapted from back cover.

When a pollster discovers a small town that is statistically identical to the country as a whole, he rushes to gather data from the townpeople in secret, but a romance with the town's newspaper editor threatens the entire operation.

"Teenager Lia Porter shouldn't have been anywhere near the railroad bridge that night. Sneaking home after a party in the fields outside Pike, Wisconsin, she glimpsed a woman in a leather jacket, running in terror. Lia puts the incident from her mind--until a body is found near the same spot fifteen years later, wearing the same jacket. The police rule it a suicide. Lia knows different. The woman she saw was trying to save her own life, not end it....

Cassie is a bewitching woman who moves into a mysterious mansion in a small town. Soon, she opens Bell, Book & Candle, a curiosity shop full of candles, lotions, and such. The children of the local police chief believe that she is a witch, and are enthralled. But not everyone in town is appreciative of their quirky new neighbor, and it may take a little bit of magic for her to truly become part of the community.

In Amy Suiter Clarke's brilliant sophomore thriller, a young woman returns to her rural Minnesota hometown for the funeral of her ex boyfriend--her first love--who died suspiciously, only to confront the ways a radical pastor's warped evangelical beliefs have poisoned the whole town.

Elizabeth is out of control. Can her great aunt and a disgraced preacher succeed in reforming her? "An empty shuttle is like an empty soul. You can race around all day, but if you are empty inside at the start, you are empty still at the end." Elizabeth Garrett crossed the line. Her latest flirtation embarrassed her father, a Massachusetts judge. He is determined to see her reformed or sent away. Who better than his Aunt Mindwell to oversee Elizabeth's...