Samantha Hardcastle is horrified when the sensual stranger she has a one-night fling with turns out to be her long-lost stepson. Restauranteur Louis DuLac prefers his relationships short and sweet but he’s floored by deep feelings for the beautiful and loving woman who won’t let him touch her again. The thrice-married “Merry Widow” has washed her hands of love—until she starts to realize that she’s never truly known it before. EXCERPT: Louis rose and placed his hands on her waist. “Didn’t you receive some advice to follow your heart?” Sam frowned. “Madame Ayida? Oh, please, I’m sure she just makes that stuff up to entertain the tourists. What kind of a cliché is ‘follow your heart,’ anyway?” “A powerful one.” He buried his face in her neck and pressed his lips softly to her skin. “I followed mine here.” His deep voice penetrated her fog of anxiety. “Your heart?” He looked up, and met her gaze with those haunting eyes. “I do have one, you know, despite what they say.” “And what is it telling you?” She spoke slowly, her voice shaking. Maybe he’d say something that would let them both off the hook. That would be fine. Good even. Her heart hammered behind her ribs. “It’s telling me I’ve met a very special woman. A woman so generous and caring that people assume she must have an ulterior motive.” Frowning, he looked into her eyes. “A woman who has so much love to give that the world can’t seem to absorb it all and keeps throwing it back in her face.” He brushed her cheek with his thumb. “And I’m not fool enough to let you throw away what we’ve found together.” Sam’s heart squeezed. She managed to keep her breathing under control. “What have we found?” She cursed herself instantly after asking the stupid question. What did she want to hear? That he loved her? How lame could she get? She didn’t even want him to love her. They couldn’t have any kind of relationship given the weird family situation, so the whole thing was just pointless and stupid and painful and... A whimper escaped her mouth as Louis took her into his embrace and held her so tight she couldn’t possibly escape even if she wanted to. Explore the Billionaires' Secrets series: A family scattered by pride and greed—brought back together by love. Book 1: Volatile Chemistry (Dominic and Bella) Book 2: Grapes of Wrath (Amado and Susannah) Book 3: A Taste of Heaven (Louis and Samantha) Boxed set of all three books. Join the new release newsletter at www.jenlewis.com

Take a trip DOWN ON THE BAYOU to South Louisiana and cajun Country! More than jambayaya and gumbo, DOWN ON THE BAYOU showcases true Cajun recipes and stories of the Cajun way of life. Taste the bountiful goodness with world famous cajun recipes mixed with local delicacies such as Alligator Sauce Piquante, Oysters, Larose, Crawfish Pie or Dip White Pralines and Primos Bread Pudding with Brandy Sauce. Experience the legend, romance and lifestyle of DOWN ON THE BAYOU

Grappling with hidden family secrets, forbidden passions, and a business in peril, the adopted daughter of a Louisiana mogul must confront the past to bring peace back to her hometown. The adopted daughter of the most powerful man in town, Schyler Crandall was a brokenhearted girl when she left Heaven, Louisiana. Now a crisis has brought her home to a family in conflict, a logging empire on the brink of disaster, and seething secrets that make Heaven hotter than hell. Everyone in Heaven has a secret: Schyler's beautiful younger sister, Tricia, with her cruel lies; Ken, Tricia's handsome husband, who married the wrong sister; Jigger, the pimp and ruffian with plans of his own; and Cash, a proud, mysterious, and complex bad boy with a wild reputation. It is dangerous for Schyler to even be near him, yet she must dare to confront the past -- if there is to be any peace in Heaven.

James Lee Burke’s second Robicheaux novel takes the detective out of New Orleans and into the bayou as he seeks a quieter life. Vietnam vet Dave Robicheaux has turned in his detective’s badge, is winning his battle against booze, and has left New Orleans with his wife for the tranquil beauty of Louisiana’s bayous. But a plane crash on the Gulf brings a young girl into his life—and with her comes a netherworld of murder, deception, and homegrown crime. Suddenly Robicheaux is confronting Bubba Rocque, a brutal hood he’s known since childhood; Rocque’s hungry Cajun wife; and a Federal agent with more guts than sense. In a backwater world where a swagger and a gun go further than the law, Robicheaux and those he loves are caught on a tide of violence far bigger than them all...

Bayou Folk and A Night in Acadie are short story collections by Louisiana Creole author Kate Chopin. Many of the stories are set in Natchitoches in north-central Louisiana. The characters in stories are usually residents of Louisiana, and many are Creoles of various ethnic or racial backgrounds. _x000D_ Table of Contents:_x000D_ Bayou Folk:_x000D_ A No-Account Creole_x000D_ In and Out of Old Natchitoches_x000D_ In Sabine_x000D_ A Very Fine Fiddle_x000D_ Beyond the Bayou_x000D_ Old Aunt Peggy_x000D_ The Return of Alcibiade_x000D_ A Rude Awakening_x000D_ The Bênitous' Slave_x000D_ Désirée's Baby_x000D_ A Turkey Hunt_x000D_ Madame Célestin's Divorce_x000D_ Love on the Bon-Dieu_x000D_ Loka_x000D_ Boulôt and Boulotte_x000D_ For Marse Chouchoute_x000D_ A Visit to Avoyelles_x000D_ A Wizard from Gettysburg_x000D_ Ma'ame Pélagie_x000D_ At the 'Cadian Ball_x000D_ La Belle Zoraïde_x000D_ A Gentleman of Bayou Têche_x000D_ A Lady of Bayou St. John_x000D_ A Night in Acadie:_x000D_ A Night in Acadie_x000D_ Athénaïse_x000D_ After the Winter_x000D_ Polydore_x000D_ Regret_x000D_ A Matter of Prejudice_x000D_ Caline_x000D_ A Dresden Lady in Dixie_x000D_ Nég Créol_x000D_ The Lilies_x000D_ Azélie_x000D_ Mamouche_x000D_ A Sentimental Soul_x000D_ Dead Men's Shoes_x000D_ At Chênière Caminada_x000D_ Odalie Misses Mass_x000D_ Cavanelle_x000D_ Tante Cat'rinette_x000D_ A Respectable Woman_x000D_ Ripe Figs_x000D_ Ozème's Holiday

An unforgettable novel, based on a true story, about racism against Italian Americans in the South in 1899. Fourteen-year-old Calogero, his uncles, and his cousins are six Sicilians living in the small town of Tallulah, Louisiana, miles from any of their countrymen. They grow vegetables and sell them at their stand and in their grocery store. Some people welcome the immigrants; most do not. Calogero's family is caught in the middle of tensions between the black and white communities. As Calogero struggles to adapt to Tallulah, he is startled and thrilled by the danger of midnight gator hunts in the bayou and by his powerful feelings for Patricia, a sharp-witted, sweet-natured black girl. Meanwhile, every day, and every misunderstanding between the white community and the Sicilians, bring Calogero and his family closer to a terrifying, violent confrontation. In this affecting and unforgettable novel, Donna Jo Napoli's inspired research and spare, beautiful language take the classic immigrant story to new levels of emotion and searing truth. Alligator Bayou tells a story that all Americans should know.

“Luminous... a beautiful book.” – Carolyn See For Vietnam veteran Jesse Pasadoble, now a defense attorney living in San Francisco, the battle still rages: in his memories, in the gang wars erupting on Potrero Hill, and in the recent slaying of two women: one black, one Vietnamese. While seeking justice for the young man accused of this brutal double murder, Jesse must walk with the ghosts of men who died on another hill... men who were his comrades and friends in a war that crossed racial divides. Gods Go Begging is a new classic of Latino literature, a literary detective novel that moves seamlessly between the jungles of Vietnam and the streets of modern day San Francisco. Described as “John Steinbeck crossed with Gabriel García Márquez”, Véa weaves a powerful and cathartic story of war and peace, guilt and innocence, suffering and love - and of one man’s climb toward salvation.