New Release! The Other Side of the Coin
Ambitious and smart, Jane Donahue eschews love... until she crashes into Nicholas Colin David Sutcliffe-Ashworth IV. Through the tutelage of her French classmate Claudine, Jane masters La Femme Francais, winning the love of Nick and becoming his wife. But it turns out that he’s not actually British, an architect, or faithful. Devastated, Jane swears to never be swayed by her heart again and throws herself into her career. The ensuing decade sees her successful and financially secure, but as she confesses to Claudine in Italy, “more likely to become a CEO than I am a mother”. Sadly stirring her cocktail, she conjures up her ideal love. Suddenly, Giovanni appears in her life, seemingly the answer to every unfulfilled wish. Romantic, supportive, uncowed by her success, and, as a tennis instructor, very willing to move to the US, he slips through the green card process as easily as he wins over her family, agreeing to marry her in secret lest her parents think she’s once again jumping into a rash and heartbreaking relationship. Her bliss is short lived when a suspected car bombing destroys their home and Giovanni confesses that he is not Italian, not a tennis instructor, not actually married to her, and not able to stay: he is an undercover Australian drug enforcement agent working with the American DEA—and the hit is proof that his cover has been blown and she is in danger. Faking his own death to protect Jane and return to his undercover life spirals Jane into despondency and the drugs pushed on her by the doctors who think she can’t cope with the reality of her loss. Claudine helps her to muster her courage and play her part so that Giovanni can be free of the cartel that wants him dead. With more peace in her heart, she continues to struggle with feeling sick and tired until realizing that she is pregnant. She wanted love and tossed the coin first with Nick and then Giovanni, but finds that it came up motherhood—and there is no love that could be more real than that.
“The psychological depth exhibited in The Other Side of the Coin is tempered by surprising intrigue and mystery… Ci Ci Soleil is exceptional and creates a compelling story that will serve equally well as a beach read or a discussion point in book clubs and reader's circles”
D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
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ISBN # 9798985066074 in trade paperback
ISBN # 978-1-972251-99-7 in EPUB
Holy Orders
It is the early 1340s. A decade full of possibilities and freedom. Father Bernard arrives in the valley village under the three mountains, his holy orders in hand, charged with reestablishing the Church of St. Cyprian's and bringing its parishioners back into the fold. But a dark undertone has taken hold of the town, where practices from a rival church defy anything Bernard's ecclesiastical education prepared him for. in fact, he would call them almost cult-like. Even the power of the Mother Church behind him is of little use as he tries to protect his flock and his family from the unnamed nefarious threat. Seven hundred years later, career oriented Everly finds archeology to be an amazing puzzle leading to understanding a lost culture, and, of course, a path to get tenure. Nylah, the summer internship is a chance to get out of New York and meet hot guys in Europe. To Trevor, having a dig of his own means finally escaping from his famous father's overbearing shadow. Period to the seven hundred year old victims, it is a chance to have the truth come out at last. But to fortune hunters, ancient treasures pose a temptation to enticing to resist.
“Part historical fiction, part contemporary mystery, and part spooky thriller, Holy Orders is a powerful story about hard decisions… spiritual and moral convictions, and conspiracies…a thought-provoking, action-packed read from beginning to end.”
--D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
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ISBN # 979-8-9850660-5-0 in trade paperback
ISBN # 979-8-9850660-6-7 in EPUB
CiCi's Books!
Victory!
In order to avoid eternal damnation, Quila Williams has to lure another soul in exchange for her own. The catch—it has to be her best friend’s.
What if you had nothing? Nothing to lose. Nothing to care about. Nothing to possibly gain. What if you were then offered another chance? A new roll of the dice and an opportunity to live your life over? You could right your wrongs. Get even. Get ahead. All it will cost you is the soul of your best friend.
Exquisitely written and memorable. Victory is a compelling book for all ages but particularly so for young adults developing their ability to grapple with complex ideas of morality and ethics.
--Bharathi J. Zvara, PhD
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Soleil cultivates a voice that is powerful and demands to be heard… Victory! is a story that lures with magical realism and fantasy, but then delivers a hard-hitting examination of real-world issues and individual choice. For these reasons, it's a standout that … will delight literary contemporary novel readers looking for something brightly, inspirationally thought-provoking.
--Mid-West Book Review
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ISBN # 9798985066012 in trade paperback
ISBN # 9798985066036 in EPUB
Taken by the Wind
Miranda escapes to the islands off the North Carolina coast, resolving to rebuild her life and somehow prove to her skeptical grown daughter that she is not a pathetic one-off romance novelist still hung up on her ex. Then Austin blows into her life with a sweet friendship that makes Miranda feel desirable again. However, not all is as it appears, and the hidden truths of their lives seem destined to blow apart their new-found love. To complicate matters, a single woman on the island stirs up a lot of attention from a pack of lonely middle-aged men who circle her like hungry sharks trying to wedge their way into her life. Hidden secrets and complex inter-relationships abound on a small island where everyone is, or was, related. Miranda learns that other people’s pasts can affect your future in ways that are simply stranger than fiction.
An exceptional story of change, transformation, and new opportunities… a novel that will delight women who look for female protagonists who are not afraid of re-examining their relationships, attitudes, and perspectives in the face of new experiences.
Midwest Book Review
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ISBN # 9798985066029 in trade paperback
ISBN # 9798985066043 in EPUB