So it wasn't her idea of SuperFun to move halfway around the world to Venice, Italy, leaving her fab pals and hot new boyfriend back in Los Angeles.<small><sup>2 But Venice isn't so bad . . .
Until Jasmine's Evil Hench cousin, Alyson, and her Best Fiend Veronique arrive,<small><sup>3 Jasmine's secret plan to jet to California is foiled,<small><sup>4 her boyfriend starts hanging with someone named Candy,<small><sup>5 and her only friend in Venice turns out to be in deadly peril.<small><sup>6
Faster than you can say "gelato," Jasmine is caught up in a catastrophic caper featuring a runaway heiress, a smoldering gondolier, 142 kinds of pizza, and a bothersome kitty. But before she can face off against a dangerous adversary, she has to face herself.
While wearing white leather pants.<small><sup>7
<small> <small><sup>1 Rock star boyfriend, <strike>homicidal hair, fabulous pals, <strike>iNsAnO father . . .
<small><sup>2 No, this was the work of Dadzilla, smiter of life's happiness.
<small><sup>3 They ask to be called by their faerie names, Sapphyre and Tiger's*Eye. No, I am not joking. What? I'm supposed to keep the scary stuff inside the book?
<small><sup>4 Hello Dadzilla!
<small><sup>5 Who may or may not have perfect hair and boobs and be able to communicate with dolphins.
<small><sup>6 Not that anyone believes it. Until— What? That is for inside the book too? Okay, fine.
<small><sup>7 Only part of the time. The rest of the time I have to wear . . . oh, right. ScArY stuff inside.
This novel is sure to be a huge hit: its combination of suspense and passion keeps the pages flipping by at a fast enough rate to keep you cool on a Texas summer day. And did I mention the love scenes? Do not lend this one to your mother, but recommend it to your best friend, and sit back and watch her blush rise. --Nancy R.E. O'Brien
]]>All Jas wants to do today is hang out with her pals (and her superfantastico boyfriend, but, shh, don't tell the Thwarter, aka her dad, who's trying to keep her under permanent lockdown). Simple. Straightforward. But catastrophe is lurking. First Jas stumbles upon a schoolmate's lost purse. Then there's the jewelry store heist, the wrongly accused man, the clueless cops, the seven words that destroy her relationship, and . . . well, before she knows it, Jas has got a lot more than brunch on her plate.
Now it's up to her and her mega-cool crew, Roxy, Polly, and Tom, to catch the thief. It won't be easy—not with Jas's cousin Alyson and her Evil Hench Twin Veronique tagging along for the ride and having to elude the Thwarter with his All-Seeing Eye. Oh, and her heart breaking into a million tiny pieces.
Trying to right wrongs and have brunch with a hot guy shouldn't be this taxing, should it?
]]>Bianca Salva, the brilliant and beautiful daughter of a renowned doctor, defies the conventions of the day by practicing medicine among the poor in her city. When she arrives at the home of a young courtesan, she is shocked to find a tragic scene: the lady has been murdered, stabbed with a dagger bearing the coat of arms of Ian Foscari, a handsome aristocrat renowned throughout Britain and Europe for his courageous escapades and his romantic conquests. Clutching the shining dagger, Bianca looks up to see none other than Ian Foscari himself.
In a heartbeat, the dashing Ian draws the obvious conclusion that he's caught the murderer redhanded. Bianca, meanwhile, mistrusts Ian and presumes he is guilty of the bloody killing. Determined not to let this dangerous albeit alluring woman out of his sight, Ian quickly spirits Bianca back to his palace, where he will announce to society that she is his fiancée -- a plan that conveniently satisfies his family's insistence that he find a wife. And while clever Bianca knows the scheme will allow them time to determine the real murderer, it is nearly unbearable to be held "prisoner" by this imperious, though starkly sensual, man.
But the light of suspicion leaves them nowhere to hide. Now, what began as a necessary arrangement for their quest for the truth becomes its own kind of intriguing partnership -- a heated match of wits with an undeniable, irresistible passion at its core. Stepping carefully among secrets of murder and betrayal, and breathless whispers of desire, Bianca finds herself the linchpin in a conspiracy where love may be her only hope...or the greatest danger of all.
With sureness and sensitivity, talented newcomer Michele Jaffe deftly captures a fascinating historical era...and the ageless desires of the human heart.
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