All the while, Liz is burdened by her stake in a bleak pact with a deceitful adult: to tell the truth about the darkest of her circumstances will cost her the ability to shelter Jaime. You're family,' propels her between guest beds in two states searching for a safe home. When she chooses starting a new family over raising her first-born girls, Elizabeth and Jaime are separated and forced to rely on the begrudging kindness of increasingly distant relatives.Ī string of broken promises that begins with Liz's mother swearing, 'I would never hurt you, Liz. Their mother, once a loving parent, is going through a post-post-adolescent rebellious streak and finds love with a dangerous ex-con. Their father, who'd rather work the system than a job, pours every dollar into his many vices, denying his daughters the shoes and clothing they need. And in the reader-favorite Western Clouds and Rain, Flynn doesn't bargain for being captivated gentle, lonely Gable, who captures his heart and moves Flynn to take on an incredible burden: saving Gable's ranch.See excerpt for individual blurbs.A tough, tender, debut novel, in the tradition of Dorothy Allison and Janet Fitch, Hand Me Down is the unforgettable story of a girl who travels between California and Utah in search of her true family, having never been loved best of all.įourteen-year-old Elizabeth Reid has spent her life protecting her sister, Jaime, from their parents' cruel mistakes.

and then asks Jex to look after him when Nick is gone. In The Hand-me-down, Jez pays a visit to his old friend Nick, who introduces his much younger lover, Jaime. But Jonas soon learns they each carefully maintain a façade. Will they be able to make the right choices in their professional and personal lives? Or will they need to sacrifice one for the other? In Façade, Jonas Hunter, high-class body for hire, meets his match in new client Nicky Bryant, an effeminate, tantrum-throwing, attention-seeking bad boy of Paris haute couture, everything he despises in a man. Diplomatic circles are notoriously conservative though, and they each know that the right woman by their side makes a very significant contribution to their success. Don't miss these four contemporary romances from Zahra Owens: In Diplomacy, Jack and Lucas start a passionate relationship, which continues long after their partners return.

The Hand-me-down by Zahra Owens