Showing results for "On the Rocks" in Literature & Fiction

February 1913. Lady Hardcastle and her diminutive but brave lady’s maid, Flo, have been invited by their friend JB McIntyre to spend the weekend at his recently renovated Tudor fort on a remote island off the Devonshire coast. But the holiday quickly turns sinister when first a number of valuable jewels go missing—and then a fellow guest is murdered with a most unusual weapon.

A funny, bittersweet, yet heartwarming novel about friendship, family, and finding love in the Facebook age—not to mention the perils, pitfalls, and dubious pleasures of life as a modern young single woman—from Erin Duffy, the author of the acclaimed Bond Girl Ever since she was a little...

I was happy running my family bar and cruising through life as a single guy, enjoying an abundance of fast women, hard liquor, and good times. Life was one big party until it took a turn. Reality struck, and everything changed when I lost my beloved da. Losing a parent is never easy, but mine left me with an added legacy, one I didn't want... a huge debt owing to a Mafia boss and no way to pay it. Then I was offered a reprieve in the form of Maeve Monroe—archeologist, bookworm, nerd, and the last girl I'd ever commit to.

Fueled by his guilt at the loss of eighty-three civilians onboard aircraft BE1555, international fugitive Ryan Kaine vows to protect their grieving families—The 83—at all costs. When schoolboy Martin Princeton lies alone and dying on a Scottish mountainside, news of his disappearance spurs Kaine to abandon the pursuit of evidence that could clear his name. Officially, the authorities want Kaine in custody—unofficially, there's a bounty on his head. 

Sassy tomboy Ginger Atkinson would rather be captaining a deep-sea fishing boat than baking pies, yet she still wishes she had a man to bake for. Sure, the pretty redhead is happy running her late father's Turtle Island ferry business, but everyone in the world is finding love except her. Stuck on the wrong side of thirty, she's trying to accept singlehood by building a dream home - for one.

Rebecca Angelos has always liked animals more than people. The abandoned pets who pass through Cloverleaf Critters animal shelter understand her better even than her friends at her Friday night cocktail club. Elvis the pug never judges as he helps her swipe through dating profiles on a Saturday night, and Paul Rudd the doberman has the sweetest heart despite all he’s been through.

1915. After six years living in Paris, Sally Lunton faces a crisis of the heart (her love affair has gone smash); a crisis of the pocketbook (her meager living selling her small paintings has dried up); and a crisis of the soul, as she watches in anguish while the broken bodies of soldiers are carried from war-torn Belgium through the Parisian streets. Truly, Sally is on the rocks. Then comes a lifeline: a letter from Miss Maggie Hopkins of Little Crampton, the English village where she grew up. It appears that the town’s bank manager, Mr. Alfred Bingley, is a most eligible bachelor.

A spicy, small-town, enemies-to-lovers romance set on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, from the author of TikTok sensation Whisky Business When you live on a tiny island, it's easy to stir up a scandal… For Callum Macabe, there's no one better than Juniper Ross. She's razor-tongued, sarcastic...

Apothecary John Rawlings is intrigued when a letter arrives asking him to investigate an impostor claiming to be the long-lost step-son of a wealthy Bristol merchant in possession of his dead wife's diamond inheritance. John Rawlings' father, Sir Gabriel Kent joins him on the trip to take the healing waters at Hotwell where they socialize with the crème of Bristol society. But Rawlings is compelled to try and solve the mystery and so he must trawl through the underbelly of 18th-century society.

"Superbly written, with that sensitivity to sunset and afterglow that has always been Miss Cather's." —The New York Times Willa Cather wrote Shadows on the Rock immediately after her historical masterpiece, Death Comes for the Archbishop. Like its predecessor, this novel of seventeenth-century...

1885: Five years after his release from prison, Montmorency is working undercover for the government. But his life, and national security, are threatened by his addiction to drugs. Can his friends restore his health in time to discover who is bombing London, and why, on the Scottish island of Tarimond, a whole generation of children has died?

It's the late 1930s, and even on the remote island of St Martin's in the Isles of Scilly, war seems inevitable. But the islanders have their own battles to contend with, stuck on a rock flung 27 miles out into the Atlantic with only their natural grit and gallows humour to see them through. When a Penzance GPO man arrives to check on the post office, the islanders decide he must be the undertaker come to deal with the body of the late Post Office manager. 

Ted Sweeney. Affable everyman in small-town Montana. Tailgate hung on with baling wire, owner of his own business. Ten minutes ago, his biggest worry had been how to pay for the engagement ring rattling around in his pocket. But that was before he came home to find a corpse tidily arranged in his favorite recliner, his "old pal of a piece of furniture". Is it a warning or a setup or what? Sweeney can't help but admire the efficiency of the work, the slice deep across the guy's throat. Somebody knew what they were doing.  

Life isn't a game. Life isn't an empty bottle of bourbon spinning on a warehouse floor as I hold my breath. I feel weak when others perceive me as strong. I'm passionate though I appear to hate the world around me. I see beauty in all ugly things. I feel pain when I laugh. No one knows the truth. Well, no one knew the truth until now. Somehow, Brody Pearson understands more about me than anyone else in my life. The severed connection should mean something significant, but I don't know if I can forget all my self-proclaimed promises.

Mars is getting hotter all the time... Earth Government turned soldiers into cyborgs to terraform Mars. After a decade of hard, lonely work they are little more than the machines as which they are treated - until the arrival of female settlers awakens feelings they have almost forgotten.... High...

During one glorious summer between the wars, the realities of life and the sexual ritual dance of the adult world creep into the life of young Margaret Marsh. Her father, preaching the doctrine of the unsavoury Primal Saints; her mother, bitterly nostalgic for what might have been; Charles and Binkie, anchored in the past and a game of words; dying Mrs Frayling and Lydia the maid, given to the vulgar enjoyment of life - all contribute to Margaret's shattering moment of truth.

Literature on the Rocks is your new favorite podcast where books, booze, and banter collide. Hosted by Sunny, Rachel, and Rox—three witty women who devour books like their toddlers devour snacks—we’re here to make reading as fun as happy hour. Whether you’re a working mom, a bookish millennial, or just someone who enjoys a good cocktail with an even better story, this show is for you. We dive deep into each book with two types of episodes: Summaries (start-to-finish breakdowns with no plot left behind) and Book Clubs (where we spill our opinions, read listener comments, and tackle ...

Just two long distance best friends that love reading and hanging out with a bevy.

At 31, Sally Lunton returns to Little Crampton after a vibrant, bohemian life in Paris, only to find herself disillusioned and facing a future that seems bleak. With no job, no money, and the prospect of a loveless marriage looming, she navigates a village filled with eccentric characters—the pompous bank manager, the ever-watchful local gossip, and the aging parson. It’s spring 1915, and as the Great War rages on, the village feels the weight of loss; young men are away fighting, farms and businesses are struggling, and opportunities for a spirited woman like Sally are few and far between...

Join Caroline and Sibella, two resilient friends navigating a mans world while staying true to their values and allegiances. To survive, they must keep certain secrets close, but as we know, secrets have a way of surfacing—and every choice comes at a cost. This captivating tale weaves together elements of social commentary and gothic intrigue, characteristic of a gripping 18th-century novel. Expect to encounter a woman imprisoned in a grand estate, hidden pregnancies, the politics of marriage, nefarious villains, emotional depth, and thought-provoking philosophy. Summary by Stav Nisser.