Romani "Sikur të isha djalë" ishte një jehonë e kësaj lëvizjeje shoqërore dhe një nga veprat ku ajo u pasqyrua më gjerë e në mënyrë të drejtpërdrejtë. Romani ka formën e një ditari, të mbajtur nga personazhi kryesor i tij, vajza e re, Dija. Nëpërmjet shënimeve të saj lexuesi njihet me jetën e përditshme të një familjeje të zakonshme qytetare shqiptare, ku ndihet edhe prapambetja e theksuar shoqërore, edhe pozita e mjeruar e gruas në familje, e cila duhet të bëjë një jetë të mbyllur brenda mureve të shtëpisë e sipas ligjeve patriarkale. Bota shpirtërore, ndjenjat dhe dëshirat e saj duhet të ndrydhen e të shuhen, ndryshe shfaqja e tyre shkakton skandal në familje dhe në shoqëri. Për sa kohë jeton në familjen e saj, duhet të vendosë për gjithçka babai, e kur të martohet, të vendosë burri. Kështu, ajo është një skllave, që duhet të lindë fëmijë të cilët do të bëhen përsëri viktimë e këtyre ligjeve të egra sunduese në shoqërinë shqiptare të viteve `30. Dija, ashtu si qindra e mijëra vajza, vuan nga këto ligje të egra, që nuk pyesin për ndjenjat, për dashurinë e për dinjitetin e saj. Por në dallim nga ato, ajo nuk do të nënshtrohet, nuk do të mbysë gjithçka që për të është e shenjtë dhe nis të kundërvihet. Kundërvënia ndaj rregullave e ligjeve patriarkale fillon që me dëshirën e saj për të vajtur në shkollë, me përpjekje për të zgjeruar kulturën nëpërmjet librave, me protestën për të mos u mbuluar me ferexhe etj. Dashuria për Shpendin, të cilin e njohu rastësisht te shoqja e saj, megjithëse duket sikur ia zbukuron e ia pasuron jetën e mjerë prej jetimeje e prej vajze të mbuluar me ferexhe, kthehet në një tragjedi për të. Nga njëra anë dashuria e saj bëhet tepër dramatike për shkak të fanatizmit të egër, izolimit brenda mureve të shtëpisë, nga ana tjetër, mungesa e ndonjë shprese se mund të bashkohej ndonjëherë me Shpendin në kushtet kur për gjithçka duhet të vendoste i ati, i cili as që mendon se vajza mund dhe duhet të ketë ndjenjat dhe dëshirat e saj që duhen nderuar. Vendimi i tij për ta martuar Dijen me një burrë të moshuar, sepse është tregtar i pasur, e shkatërron përfundimisht jetën e saj. Gjithnjë e hajthme, e dobët, e trishtuar, e zhytur në mendime të zymta e munduar nga pamundësia për t'u takuar me të dashurin e saj Shpendin, dhe me parandjenja se gjithçka do të përfundonte keq, e fyer vazhdimisht nga njerka e saj, e fyer nga i ati, e papërfillur dhe e përbuzur nga shoqëria, ajo sëmuret rëndë nga tuberkulozi dhe vdes, pak kohë pasi e kanë martuar me përdhunë. Edhe përpjekjet e disa njerëzve me pikëpamje përparimtare të fisit të saj, edhe përpjekjet e Shpendit për ta rrëmbyer e për të kur nga Shqipëria dështojnë. Fati i çdo vajze ishte përcaktuar ; nënshtrimi dhe bindja ndaj ligjeve patriarkale, mbytja e dëshirave dhe e dashurisë, ndryshe e priste turpërimi dhe asgjësimi fizik. Por kjo kundërvënie tragjike e humbet, deri diku, forcën e saj për shkak të disa dobësive artistike të romanit siç janë p.sh. mendimet e zgjatura, arsyetimet moralizuese ; që janë dhënë nga pozita sentimentale e jo realiste, të cilat shpesh zëvendësojnë veprimin konkret të personazheve me ankime, psherëtima etj. Megjithatë vepra, sidomos në kohën kur doli, e tronditi opinionin publik dhe pati një jehonë të madhe te lexuesi shqiptar, pasi heroina e tij tregohet e vendosur në luftën e vet kundër botës së vjetër, kundër normave etiko-morale të saj, pavarësisht se nuk arrin dot dhe s'kishte se si, në mënyrë individuale, të gjentë një rrugëzgjidhje për një problem aq të rëndësishëm shoqëror. "Duhet të luftojmë në daçim të rrojmë si njerëz" - shkruan ajo në ditarin e saj. Por dihet që kundërvënia individuale ndaj shoqërisë është gjithmonë dramatike ose tragjike. Asnjë mjet, asnjë motiv që sjell autori në vepër, nuk e shpëton dot. As largimi nga vendi. Kritika ka pohuar disa herë që autori nuk arrin të sjellë një zgjidhje të drejtë me arratisjen e Dijes dhe Shpendit jashtë vendit. Po, në të vërtetë, ky nuk është një gjykim i saktë. Autori pikërisht duke sjellë dështimin e kësaj përpjekjeje, i tregon lexuesit se s'mund kurrsesi që kjo të jetë zgjidhja. Ky motiv është ndoshta nga më realistët në roman. Jo ikja nga e keqja, po përplasja e lufta me të mund të sjellin ndryshime në ligjet dhe opinionin e egër e të prapambetur shoqëror. Dija është personazhi më i realizuar në roman, me një botë të bukur shpirtërore, me një psikologji të qartë dhe natyrë tërheqëse. Ajo i kundërvihet krejtësisht mjedisit ku u rrit dhe demaskon gjithë mënyrën e organizimit të jetës familjare e shoqërore shqiptare. Personazhet e tjera si Shpendi, Irena, babai, njerka etj., janë më tepër skicime.

Sage Halliwell has always believed words could save her. But when she enters her university’s writing competition with a publishing deal as the prize, winning isn’t just a dream. It’s survival. Still reeling from past abuse, Sage pours her anger into violent, unapologetic fiction. Yet as the pressure mounts, doubts creep in about her story, her talent, even her future. Then there’s Theodemer Castleton, the charming rugby player she can’t seem to avoid. Sage wants to keep her distance, but his patience and unexpected gentleness begin to chip away at her walls. With deadlines closing in and stakes rising, Sage must decide if she’s willing to risk her heart again and believe that some stories don’t end in tragedy. HOLD ME GENTLY is a tender, emotionally rich romance that blends smart, character-focused storytelling with a unique slow-burn warmth and charm. It’s a story about surviving trauma, learning to trust again, and discovering that love can be a safe place.

One family. Four generations. A secret son. A devastating addiction. A Texas family is met with losses and surprises of inheritance, but they’re unable to shake the pull back toward each other in this big-hearted family saga perfect for readers of Mary Beth Keane and Claire Lombardo. Ryan and Lillian Bright are deeply in love, recently married, and now parents to a baby girl, Georgette. But Lillian has a son she hasn’t told Ryan about, and Ryan has an alcohol addiction he hasn’t told Lillian about, so Georgette comes of age watching their marriage rise and fall. When a shocking blow scatters their fragile trio, Georgette tries to distance herself from reminders of her parents. Years later, Lillian’s son comes searching for his birth family, so Georgette must return to her roots, unearth her family’s history, and decide whether she can open up to love for them—or herself—while there’s still time. Told from three intimate points of view, The Bright Years is a tender, true-to-life novel that explores the impact of each generation in a family torn apart by tragedy but, over time, restored by the power of grace and love.

An intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided. Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path. As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over- whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost. But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam. The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.

Salama Kassab was a pharmacy student when the cries for freedom broke out in Syria. She still had her parents and her big brother; she still had her home. She had a normal teenager’s life. Now Salama volunteers at a hospital in Homs, helping the wounded who flood through the doors daily. Secretly, though, she is desperate to find a way out of her beloved country before her sister-in-law, Layla, gives birth. So desperate, that she has manifested a physical embodiment of her fear in the form of her imagined companion, Khawf, who haunts her every move in an effort to keep her safe. But even with Khawf pressing her to leave, Salama is torn between her loyalty to her country and her conviction to survive. Salama must contend with bullets and bombs, military assaults, and her shifting sense of morality before she might finally breathe free. And when she crosses paths with the boy she was supposed to meet one fateful day, she starts to doubt her resolve in leaving home at all. Soon, Salama must learn to see the events around her for what they truly are—not a war, but a revolution—and decide how she, too, will cry for Syria’s freedom.

From the author of The Bright Years, the story of April and Leo, a couple on the brink of collapse. When their house goes up in flames, family secrets and thorny histories emerge as they are forced to decide what is worth salvaging. When April and Leo’s house burns in the middle of the night, they escape with their two young children and the quiet knowledge that the fire is not the only thing threatening their family. They retreat to April’s childhood home in Dallas, where her spirited parents and siblings provide both comfort and complication. As the family reckons with the aftermath—grief, guilt, logistics, and memories scorched and intact—the fire exposes the cracks already forming in April and Leo’s marriage. The novel unfolds in alternating perspectives: from April, who feels the crushing weight of motherhood, marriage, and self-blame; from Leo, a high school history teacher shaped by a lonely, fractured childhood; from Deb, April’s generous and no-nonsense mother who has to contend with her husband’s recent Alzheimer’s diagnosis; and from flashbacks that trace April and Leo’s relationship from its earliest days of connection to the devastating decisions that led them here. A family saga suffused with humor, longing, and heartbreak, The Burning Side is about what we inherit and what we choose, about forgiveness and the ache of being known. It is, above all, about the meaning of home and the costs of long love.

ZANDERS Chicago hockey isn't complete without me - everyone's favourite player to hate. I know my role, and I play it well. In fact, I thoroughly enjoy spending the majority of my game time in the penalty box before leaving the arena with a new girl on my arm each night. What I don't like is the new flight attendant on our team's private plane. She works for me, not the other way around. But I'll be sure to remind her of that, and I can guarantee, by the end of the season, she'll be begging to quit her job. But every road trip blurs the lines, and I can't quite figure out if I keep pushing that flight attendant call button in order to push her buttons, or if it's more than that. STEVIE I've been a flight attendant for years. I thought I'd seen it all, but when my new job lands me onboard working for the most egotistical and self-righteous diva in the NHL, I start to second guess everything. Including the promise I made to myself of never hooking up with an athlete again . . . no matter how annoyingly tempting he may be. Evan Zanders is unfiltered, unapologetic, and too attractive for his own good. He loves his image, but I hate everything about it. Everything but him.

Fern Brookbanks has wasted far too much of her adult life thinking about Will Baxter. She spent just twenty-four hours in her early twenties with the aggravatingly attractive, idealistic artist, a chance encounter that spiraled into a daylong adventure in Toronto. The timing was wrong, but their connection was undeniable: they shared every secret, every dream, and made a pact to meet one year later. Fern showed up. Will didn't. At thirty-two, Fern's life doesn't look at all how she once imagined it would. Instead of living in the city, Fern's back home, running her mother's Muskoka lakeside resort—something she vowed never to do. The place is in disarray, her ex-boyfriend's the manager, and Fern doesn't know where to begin. She needs a plan—a lifeline. To her surprise, it comes in the form of Will, who arrives nine years too late, with a suitcase in tow and an offer to help on his lips. Will may be the only person who understands what Fern's going through. But how could she possibly trust this expensive-suit wearing mirage who seems nothing like the young man she met all those years ago. Will is hiding something, and Fern's not sure she wants to know what it is. But ten years ago, Will Baxter rescued Fern. Can she do the same for him?

Kazi and Jase have survived, stronger and more in love than ever. Their new life now lies before them--the Ballengers will be outlaws no longer, Tor's Watch will be a kingdom, and Kazi and Jase will meet all challenges side by side, together at last. But an ominous warning mars their journey back, and they soon find themselves captured in a tangled web of deceit woven by their greatest enemies and unlikeliest allies, a place where betrayals run deeper and more deadly than either had thought possible and where timeless ambitions threaten to destroy them both.