Digital dating proves complicated in ‘Love at First Like’
Suspense builds to a crescendo in Sandra Brown’s ‘Outfox’
This cover image released by Grand Central Publishing shows ‘Outfox’, by
Sandra Brown. (AP)
By Lincee Ray
by (Atria Books) Dating in the digital age can be tricky business, especially when you project an image on social media that is in no way a truthful depiction of your relationship status. In “Love at First Like” by Hannah Orenstein, Eliza Roth accidentally leads her Instagram followers to believe that she is engaged and quickly learns that maintaining a pictureperfect life is extremely complicated.
Sophie and her sister Eliza co-own a jewelry shop in Brooklyn, New York. While Eliza pours all of her time into the artistic design of their pieces, Sophie manages the marketing and social media side of the business. After discovering her ex-boyfriend is newly engaged, Eliza comforts herself by trying on one of the shop’s most extravagant rings on a very important finger. She snaps a photo, saves it to her Instagram account and wallows the rest of the night in self-pity.
The next morning, Eliza is shocked to learn that the photo is posted to her Instagram feed. The feeling of horror slowly morphs into intrigue. It seems that her 100,000 followers have grown by several thousand more overnight. Eliza makes the executive decision to continue the ruse, especially when the shop begins to welcome more patrons than ever before, thanks to the “engagement” post.
Sales are through the roof. She couldn’t ask for better publicity. When the offers of wedding sponsorships and donated gifts start filling her inbox, Eliza can’t help but to fall completely into the charade. She even posts a wedding date. The only way to move forward is to find a future husband.
Blake seems like the ideal candidate. But there’s a problem: He has no idea Eliza is secretly pushing him toward a posh rooftop wedding. What’s worse is that in the midst of the chaos, Eliza actually falls for someone she likes. Soon the lies begin to catch up with her and Eliza realizes that one post may cost her everything.
“Love at First Like” is fun romance with a digital twist. Hannah Orenstein proves that even though we present our lives through screens, it’s important to live life unfiltered in the real world.
Invitation to Grand Mosque:
The Visits Department is pleased to invite you to visit the Grand Mosque, which is one of Kuwait’s most treasured religious and cultural landmarks to discover the beauty of Islamic arts and architecture. Free guided tours are available all year round on official working days between (9-11 am) and (5-7 pm), within a special tour program designed to cater to the needs of different age groups. The program is as follows:
Reception; Auditorium show; (according to age group); Touring the Mosque; Q & A; Art workshops; (according to age group – between 5 and 18 years old); Snack break; Distribution
by (Grand Central Publishing)
FBI agent Drex Easton has been pursuing Weston Graham for a long time, but the man has remained elusive using a variety of disguises and aliases to stay one step ahead of Easton.
Graham has successfully embezzled the fortunes of eight women over the years, and all the victims disappeared after their funds were drained. Easton wants to help everyone who has questions get closure. Now he has a shot when his colleagues learn of a recently married man named Jasper Ford. The profile they have created for this sociopath fits Ford perfectly.
Easton moves next door to start surveillance of this suspect, but his plan goes awry immediately when he meets the suspect’s wife, Talia Shafer. She is so beautiful, Easton finds himself distracted and unable to focus on anything but her, which puts the stakeout in jeopardy. The closer Easton gets to Talia and her husband, the more convinced he is that Ford is the person he’s been seeking all these years. But is his judgment clouded by his growing attraction to Talia?
The suspense builds to a crescendo as Easton starts to realize that Ford seems to know his every move.
Sandra Brown is a master when it comes to rogue characters, increasing the level of tension to cause the pace of the narrative to move faster and faster, with scenes of supersteamy sex. This time she not only nails a story that has several surprises, but also maintains the quality that everyone expects in her novels.
by (Minotaur)
Near Grand Central Station while the city of New York is battling blizzard conditions, a car is waiting at a red light when a sniper’s bullet takes out the driver. A study of the surrounding area proves futile because there are so many possibilities as to where the shot originated.
The authorities need help, and the agentin-charge reluctantly approaches former FBI agent Lucas Page, who retired and became a university professor and best-selling author. When Page worked for the FBI, he was in a tragic accident that almost killed him. He left and rebuilt his life. Now he wants nothing to do with his former profession. His skill set is essential for this case, since he can read a crime scene and see the geometric trajectories in his head, allowing him to quickly trace back to the location of the sniper. Though Page doesn’t want to assist in the investigation, he realizes that he has no choice when he learns the victim was his former partner.
The victims begin to pile up, and each time the person is killed by a seemingly impossible shot. It appears that this elusive killer is targeting law enforcement and has better shooting skills than the best that the military has to offer. Page will have to dig deep to outwit a ruthless villain who has no qualms about eliminating any threat.
Pobi has written a compelling and baffling thriller that uses the New York City landscape to invoke fear and terror. The story of Lucas Page would be enough for any great novel, but the exceptional crime element adds to the story. Readers will want to follow more adventures featuring Page. (AP)