Emily Belden

Twenty-nine-year-old Charlotte Rosen has a secret: she's a widow. Ever since the fateful day that leveled her world, Charlotte has worked hard to move forward. Great job at a hot social media analytics company? Check. Roommate with no knowledge of her past? Check. Adorable dog? Check. All the while, she's faithfully data-crunched her way through life, calculating the probability of risk so that she can avoid it. Charlotte's algorithms could never have predicted that her late husband's ashes would land squarely on her doorstep five years later. Stunned but determined, Charlotte sets out to find meaning in this sudden twist of fate, even if that includes facing her perfectly coiffed, and perfectly difficult, ex-mother-in-law, and her husband's best friend, who seems to become a fixture at her side whether she likes it or not. But soon a shocking secret surfaces, forcing Charlotte to answer questions she never knew to ask and to consider the possibility of forgiveness.

Husband Material

"[E]very bit as juicy as the dishes it describes." --SPLASH Twentysomething Allie Simon is used to playing by the rules--until Chicago's most sought-after, up-and-coming culinary genius, Benji Zane, walks into her world and pulls her into his. The only thing more renowned than Benji's mouthwatering masterpieces and equally luscious good looks? His struggle with addiction and his reckless tendency to live life on the edge, no matter the havoc he wreaks along the way. But loving someone means supporting him no matter what, or so Allie tells herself. That's why, when Benji's offered the chance to light up foodie hot spot Randolph Street with a high-profile new restaurant, Allie takes the ultimate risk and invests her life savings in his dream. Then one day Benji disappears, relapsing to a place where Allie can't reach him. Left with nothing but a massive withdrawal slip and a restaurant that absolutely must open in a matter of weeks, Allie finds herself thrust into a world of luxury and greed, cutthroat business and sensory delight. Lost in the mess of it all, she can either crumble completely or fight like hell for the life she wants and the love she deserves. With razor-sharp wit and searing insight, Emily Belden serves up a deliciously dishy look behind the kitchen doors of a hot foodie town, perfect for fans of Sweetbitter and The Devil Wears Prada.

Hot Mess

"Chicagoan Emily Belden has no idea what to do with her twenty-something ilfe--particularly as it pertains to love--which is a tough problem for a hopelessly romantic half-Jew who's fresh out of a failed relationship."--page 4 of cover.

Life Lessons Learned

Eightysixed

The Devil Wears Prada meets Sweet Bitter in this riveting debut novel, the story of a young woman thrust into the hotChicago restaurant scene when her celebrity chef boyfriend, a not-so-recovering drug addict, vanishes and leaves her toopen his hip new restaurant alone. Risk – the seductive, destructive kind – was never Allie Simon's weakness. She didn't play a game unless she knew all the rules. And when she played, she always played it safe. That was before Chicago's most lusted–after culinary genius, Benji Zane, walked into her world and pulled her into his. Burdened with a reputation shadowed by scandal and addiction, and gifted with the potential to reach superstardom, he's recklessness personified. And when he's offered the chance to light up Randolph Street with a new edgy restaurant, Allie takes the ultimate risk and invests her life savings in his dream. And then Benji disappears, relapsing to a place where Allie can't reach him. The Chicago dining world can cut, damage, and sting. But an addict's lies leave behind the deepest scars. Left with nothing but a restaurant that absolutely must open in a matter of weeks, Allie is thrust into a world of luxury and greed, of cutthroat business and ruthless delight. She can either walk away completely burned...or stay, cook, and fight like hell for the life and love she wants.

Aimee Agresti

Eva Woods

Grab a cocktail and have a girls’ night in! For the first time together, enjoy three stories of bold women searching for their best lives, with the support of their closest girlfriends. Hot Mess by Emily Belden Twentysomething Allie Simon is used to playing by the rules—until Benji Zane walks into her world and pulls her into his. The young chef is as famous for his struggle with addiction as he is for his creative culinary pairings, but Allie convinces herself that loving someone means supporting them no matter what. So when Benji’s offered an opportunity to open a new high-profile restaurant, Allie takes the ultimate risk and invests her life savings in his dream. But then Benji disappears, and Allie finds herself thrust into the cutthroat culinary world, where she can either crumble completely or fight like hell for the life she deserves. Something Like Happy by Eva Woods Annie is stuck in a life no thirty-five-year-old would want. Deep down, she’s mourning the terrible loss that tore a hole through her perfect existence. Until she meets Polly. Bright, bubbly, intrusive Polly is determined to wake her new friend up to life. Because if recent events have taught Polly anything, it’s that your time is too short to waste a single day—which is why she wants Annie to join her on a mission: one happy thing each day for one hundred days. But just as the daily challenge opens Annie up to the possibility of joy, it becomes clear that Polly is about to need her more than ever. And Annie will have to decide once and for all whether letting others in is a risk worth taking. Campaign Widows by Aimee Agresti Cady Davenport is living the American dream…but when her husband-to-be hits the road for the upcoming presidential election, Cady realizes she’s on her own—and that her dream life might not be all she’d imagined. Until she finds herself thrust into the most influential inner circle in Washington, DC: the campaign widows. As friends, they’re an unlikely group, but they share one undeniable bond: their spouses are all out on the trail during a hotly contested election season. With the pressures of the unprecedented election mounting, the widows’ worlds keep turning as they hold down the fort while running companies, raising babies, racking up page views and even reinventing themselves. And their friendship might be just what Cady needs to find the strength to pursue her own happiness.

Emily Belden

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