Sibling rivalry reaches new heights when Deborah Peltz moves to Florida to help her ailing mother, only to end up with the worst neighbor possible, her sister Sharon, but the two must work together when they are framed for murder

Sis Boom Bah

Literature & Fiction

Jane.Heller

United States

St.Martin's Press

Every woman who's ever been involved with a man has harbored the thought: If only he would change. It's just the way we're wired, just the way we look at love. We're deliriously happy with him in the beginning of the romantic relationship but then, ever so gradually, ever so scarily, we decide he needs to be fixed. But what if we get our wish and we do fix him? And what if it turns out that we were better off with the guy he was before we fixed him? Meet Elizabeth Baskin, who falls in love, gets married, and discovers six years into her union that the magic is gone - or, rather, fading. Her husband Roger has grown a paunch, lost interest in sex, and seems allergic to conversation. What's a disgruntled wife to do? She could go into denial. She could drag him into therapy. Or she could take her sister's advice and consult a certain Beverly Hills doctor who is spoken about in hushed, reverent tones - a doctor to Hollywood stars whose practice is, well, a bit unconventional. After scoring an appointment with the doc, Elizabeth is convinced that she's found the secret ingredient to saving her marriage. It seems so simple, so innocent. All she has to do is slip the prescribed packet of miracle herbs into Roger's orange juice and then - presto! - she'll have him back the way he was before he started coming home from work and falling asleep in front of the television set! Little does she know that her plan will go dramatically awry and that, instead of rekindling her romance with Roger, she will find herself stuck with a man she hardly recognizes and doesn't even like. Suddenly, Elizabeth is breaking into the doctor's office, running from the law, and teaming up with a transplanted southern belle - all in a desperate attempt to restore Roger to his old, imperfect self. What she learns is that perfection - especially when it comes to husbands - is highly overrated. The question is: does her revelation come too late? Filled with Jane Heller's keen observations about relationships and her trademark sense of humor, The Secret Ingredient is another delicious novel of romance, suspense, and laughter.

The Secret Ingredient

Stacey Reiser left Cleveland for Hollywood to pursue an acting career—and to escape her lovable but meddlesome mother, Helen. But her plan backfires when the widowed Helen sells her house and follows Stacey to tinsel town, invades every aspect of her daughter’s world and drives her crazy. As in eye twitch crazy. Insomnia crazy. Acid reflux crazy. “If only Mom would get a life,” Stacey wishes after her mother has called for the zillionth time that day to nag her about her clothes, her hair, her lack of a wedding ring. “If only she’d get a life and stay out of mine.” How could Stacey ever imagine that Helen would get a life – the very life Stacey craves? Just as Stacey's career takes a dive, a twist of fate lands Helen in a television commercial that catapults her to stardom. Now it’s Helen who’s the media darling and Stacey who’s the meddler. And while Stacey is hoping for a commitment from her boyfriend, it’s Helen who snares the catch of the century. Or does she? Helen’s new beau isn’t what he seems, and it’s up to Stacey to expose his shady past before it's too late. But it’ll take the acting job of a lifetime to do it, not to mention a whole lot of heart. Lucky Stars is a novel that’s as keenly observed as it is entertaining, and it will have mothers and daughters laughing out loud and nodding in recognition.

Lucky Stars

Contemporary

New York Times bestselling author Jane Heller focuses her sly wit on female bonding in this hilarious story that proves there are two sides to every friendship. . . . Jane Heller is: "Wildly inventive!" ---People "Fresh . . . Spirited!" ---Publishers Weekly Amy Sherman is doing just fine---she has a nice apartment in Manhattan, a good job as publicity director at a publishing company, and a decent social life---until she runs into Tara Messer, the beautiful blond prom queen who was once her best friend. It's been four years since Tara stole Amy's fiancé---four years since Amy swore she'd stop playing second fiddle to spotlight-hog Tara. Amy thought she had finally made peace with herself, but when Tara asks whether she's dating anyone, Amy can't bear to admit there's no man in her life. Instead, she claims she's getting married in six months, figuring she'll never see Tara again, so the lie won't come back to haunt her. Wrong. The next day, Amy learns that her publishing house has just acquired a lifestyle book called Simply Beautiful by none other than Tara---and that Amy's job will be to make it a bestseller. Now she'll not only have to promote her nemesis to the media, she'll also have to dig up a temporary Mr. Right. When she enlists a commitment-phobic mystery writer as the pawn in her game of payback, she stumbles on the surprising truth about Tara's "lifestyle"---and her own fears about falling in love. What follows is a laugh-out-loud story of betrayal, reconciliation, romance, and the unbreakable bonds of friendship. Told from both Amy's and Tara's points of view, Best Enemies is a thoroughly entertaining tale about trying to keep up appearances, even with the person who knows you best.

Best Enemies

Humor & Satire

Having a sister means always having to say you're sorry. What can make sisters stop talking to each other for years? If it's the Peltz sisters, just about anything can touch off an estrangement! In fact, the latest spat between Deborah, a soap opera writer in New York, and Sharon, a wedding planner in Boca Raton, has lasted two years. But when their mother has a heart attack, the sisters rally around her and promise to behave themselves. The only glitch in their peace pact is Mom's doctor. He's single, good-looking, wealthy...and coming on to both sisters. And when someone bumps off this cad of a cardiologist, Deborah and Sharon are prime suspects. Deborah thinks her soap opera savvy can help the police find the killer, but a second murder brings the siblings even closer to danger. Now, joining forces may be their one chance to stay alive. And in the process, they may just learn to love and accept each other, not to mention find men of their own to love.

St. Martin's Paperbacks

Pre-school teacher Nancy Stern is in a personal and professional rut. But what really puts a dent in her self-esteem is the realization that another woman named Nancy Stern has just moved into her building... a Nancy Stern who lives in the penthouse... A Nancy Stern who interviews celebrities for glossy magazines... a Nancy Stern who's chummy with Kevin Costner. Nancy's loss of her own specialness deepens as she keeps getting the other, more glamorous Nancy's mail, phone calls and party invitations by mistake. It's all too much to bear--until a man calls one night, intending to ask the other Nancy out on a blind date. What follows is a raucous and romantic involving mix-ups, mistaken identity, and murder ...

Name Dropping: What If Two Very Different Women Had The Same Exact Name?

Romance

Romantic Suspense

Female Intelligence

Lynn Wyman has a wildly successful practice in sensitivity training, teaching men how to communicate better with the women in their lives. Little does she know that her sensitive husband has been "communicating" with another woman--in the bedroom... With a marriage on the rocks and a career in nose-dive, Lynn is in desperate need of a life make-over. She finds it in Brandon Brock, the macho CEO on the cover of Fortune's magazine's "America's Toughest Bosses" issue. To restore her reputation, all she has to do is snag the notorious chauvinist as her new client, take a cue from My Fair Lady, and turn this pig into her own Pygmalion... The perfect plan? Not so fast. Somebody has been out to sabotage Lynn's happiness, and before she can reclaim her career--and her herart--she'd better figure out who it is..

What If A Secret Potion... Meet Elizabeth Baskin, who falls in love, gets married, and discovers six years into her union that the magic is gone-or, rather, fading. Her husband Roger has grown a paunch, lost interest in sex, and seems allergic to conversation. What's a disgruntled wife to do? Could Turn The Dullest Dud... After taking her sister's advice, and consulting with a celebrity doctor, whose practice is a bit unconventional, Elizabeth is convinced that she's found the secret ingredient to saving her marriage. All she has to do is slip the prescribed packet of miracle herbs into Roger's orange juice and then-presto! She'll have him back the way he was before he started coming home from work and falling asleep in front of the TV! Into A Stimulating Stud? But her plan goes dramatically awry, and instead of rekindling her romance with Roger, she finds herself stuck with a man she hardly recognizes and doesn't even like. Suddenly, Elizabeth is breaking into the doctor's office, running from the law, and teaming up with a transplanted southern belle-all in a desperate attempt to restore Roger to his old, imperfect self. What she learns is that perfection, especially when it comes to husbands, is highly overrated. The question is: does her revelation come too late?

The Secret Ingredient: A Novel

Book publicist Amy Sherman tripped over it when she caught her fiancé horizontally attached to her best friend, the impossibly tall, inexcusably blonde, and insufferably gorgeous Tara Messer, who added insult to injury by marrying the cad right out from under her. After four years of therapy, Amy's finally back on track-until she has to publicize the hottest new book of the season by "the next Martha Stewart." Nightmares do come true. It's the dreaded Tara who's the author, and why shouldn't she write a bestseller about perfection? She's the perfect woman enjoying the perfect life with the perfect man. Who'd ever guess she's living the perfect lie? When Amy tries to save face by roping a handsome mystery writer into posing as her fiancé, her little white lie leads to yet another romantic triangle. She just might find true love this time-if she lets herself-but first she and Tara must settle old scores and team up against the man who played them both...

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Jane.Heller. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Jane.Heller

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Jane.Heller. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Sis Boom Bah

The Secret Ingredient

Lucky Stars

Best Enemies

Sis Boom Bah

Name Dropping: What If Two Very Different Women Had The Same Exact Name?

Female Intelligence

The Secret Ingredient: A Novel

Lucky Stars

Best Enemies