BOOKS FOR GROWNUPS
BARBARA JEAN HICKS
BOOKS FOR
GROWNUPS
Even the most overweight cats
instinctively know the cardinal rule:
When fat, arrange yourself
in slim poses.―John Weitz (b. 1923)
A NOTE FROM THE CAT: I take no credit for the books on this page. The Author wrote them before I knew her. Pure mush!
ROMANTIC COMEDY
LOVES ME, LOVES ME NOT (WaterBrook Press, 2001)
THE BOSS LADY
Works too hard, would never have written this ad, so we wrote it for her. Spunky redhead has head for business, eye for art, heart for God. An All-American Beauty. Needs a good man!
Bonny Fairley is mortified when her nieces place a personal ad in the paper on her behalf. But then her ex-husband shows up in town, vowing to win back her heart—and Bonny starts returning calls as if her life, not to mention her happiness, depended on it! What she doesn't count on is a lovable mutt named Cleo and the busybody townfolk of Pilchuck, Washington—most of whom believe that Bonny really ought to give her ex a second chance. And after a string of hilarious, harrowing dates, Bonny herself begins to wonder... When all is said and done, can a modern-day Beauty find love again in the arms of the Beast who once broke her heart?
ALL THAT GLITTERS (WaterBrook Press, 1999)
Cindy Reilly has her prince. She even has a closetful of ballgowns. All she needs now is a fairy godmother...
Even with everyone in Pilchuck, Washington rooting for her, Cindy Reilly despairs of ever seeing her line of designer gowns on the racks of a major fashion store. Enter Franklin Cameron Fitz III, heir to the upscale Strawbridge & Fitz department stores—who wants nothing more than to make Cindy's dream come true. Nothing, that is, except to win her heart... Then Cindy enlists Franklin's help in an ambitious self-improvement campaign—for the purpose of getting her errant boyfriend back! What's a man in love to do? As for Cindy, when TWO handsome princes fall at her feet—at a high society ball no less—will she know her heart well enough to choose wisely?
AN UNLIKELY PRINCE (WaterBrook Press, 1998)
Has Suzie finally met her prince--or has she once again been stuck with a toad?!
Opening her own neighborhood daycare center in Pilchuck, Washington is a dream-come-true for Suzie Wyatt. But for Harrison Hunt, the history professor who's moved in next door, KinderKottage is a nightmare! Still, Suzie and her seven imps manage to endear themselves to Harrison. And once Suzie gets to know him and he loosens up a bit, she decides the stuffy professor isn't half bad himself... Until she discovers he's joined forces with the town curmudgeon to close her daycare down. Harrison knows he's made a HUGE mistake. Will he ever convince Suzie that despite the evidence to the contrary, he's really a prince of a guy? And even if he does—will Suzie ever forgive him?
INSPIRATIONAL ROMANCE
CHINA DOLL (Multnomah Press, 1998)
How could Bronson and Georgine be so right for each other—and still be so wrong?
After a lifetime of globetrotting adventure, award-winning journalist Bronson Bailey longs for a place of rest. A place by the side of a woman like Georgine Nichols. But Georgine wants one thing even more than she wants a loving partner: a child of her own. Unfortunately, Bronson isn't interested in children... Does saying "yes" to Suyuan, a beautiful little girl in a Chinese orphanage, mean saying "no" to the man who has stolen her heart?
Finalist, Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award
SNOW SWAN (Multnomah Press, 1997)
She's beautiful. Plucky. Smart. And for the last two years, clean and sober.
No one would know it to look at her, but Toni Ferrier struggles daily with feelings of shame. Guilt. Inadequacy. Then she meets Clark McConaughey... And suddenly anything seems possible. But when he discovers the truth about Toni's past, will Clark stay? Especially when everything in his own past tells him to run the other way? A woman who can't forgive herself. A man who can't trust her. What Clark and Toni need is a miracle—the miracle of love.
Finalist, Heart of Romance Readers' Choice Award
COMING HOME (Multnomah Press, 1996)
Why had he disappeared so suddenly all those years ago? And what's the secret he's still hiding?
Growing up, Keith and Katie were inseparable. Playmates. Schoolmates. Best buds. And then he'd disappeared. Katie can't forget he didn't even bother to say good-bye... But now he's back—back in Portland and back in her life. And it almost feels as if he's never been away. Almost. Because this time, their friendship feels like something more than friendship. And there's still that secret lying between them... Why had he gone away?
NOVELLAS
"The Queen of the World and the Handyman"
in Restoration and Romance (WaterBrook Press, 2001)Chloe Burnett is none too happy to discover an itinerant handyman working on her beloved grandmother's historic turn-of-the-century home―especially when she finds out the town gossips are spreading rumors about Gran-Marie and her hired hand.
Incensed by the gossip, Chloe determines to protect her grandmother's reputation at all costs―even if it means posing as the cocky handyman's fiancée.
Then a near-tragedy reveals that nothing about Nat Neville, and indeed nothing in Chloe's life, is as it seems to be―including the pretend engagement that no longer feels pretend.
“Twice in a Blue Moon”
in Porch Swings & Picket Fences (WaterBrook Press, 1999)A really great marriage, widower Jack Van Hooten confides to his old friend Cait, happens only once a in a blue moon—and his “once” has already come to pass. Cait, a widow herself, understands completely.
But that's before Jack discovers new feelings for his old friend—and Cait rediscovers old feelings for him...
Is it time for Cait and Jack to risk the comfort of their friendship for a chance at something more?
Can anyone expect to find true love twice in a blue moon?
“Cupid's Chase”
in Unlikely Angels (Multnomah Press, 1999)Reid Kincaid and Carina Fortunato have absolutely nothing in common—except a desire to break up the ridiculous romance between his mother and her father.
Dolly's a gold-digger, Carina accuses. Leander's a penny-pinching workaholic, Reid returns.
But when it looks as if their scheme to sabotage their parents' relationship is working, Reid and Carina have a sudden change of heart about Dolly and Leander's engagement—and about each other.
Can they convince the feuding couple to give the romance another chance?
And if they can't—is their any hope for their own relationship?
“Tea for Two”
in Mistletoe (Multnomah Press, 1996)Nicolette Weatherspoon is miserable. Tom can't even decide he wants to marry her, let alone have children—and there's nothing Nick wants more.
So when her great-aunt summons her to California to help out in her teahouse over the holidays, Nicolette jumps at the chance. She loves Tom, but he has to make up his mind. Besides, doesn't absence make the heart grow fonder?
What she doesn't count on is the all-out efforts of a pair of determined matchmakers—or the unexpected appeal of the dusty but amiable bookseller across the plaza.
When Tom comes knocking on Nick's door on Christmas Eve, his mind made up—suddenly it's her turn to waffle.
Is Tom who she wants after all?
OTHER
Writing as JoAnn Barbour: ONE ON ONE (Meteor Press, 1991) Writing as Charlotte Nichols, with Patricia Knoll:
EYE OF THE BEHOLDER (Silhouette Books, 1985)
FOR THE LOVE OF MIKE (Silhouette Books, 1984)
Winner, Romance Writers of America Golden Medallion (RITA) Award
HOME ABOUT THE AUTHOR ABOUT THE CAT BOOKS FOR KIDS BOOKS FOR GROWNUPS EVENTS SCHOOL VISITS TEACHER/PARENT PAGE STORE ART SAMPLES All text and images on this website © Barbara Jean Hicks 2005-2007 unless otherwise identified. Text and images may be used for educational and other non-commercial purposes if copyright and website information are clearly stated. Commercial use of all text and images is strictly prohibited.
I
MAKE SCHOOL VISITS!