“The world falls away, and we are no longer a prince and his harshest critic, but two flawed human beings needing to be understood.”
―
Melanie Summers,
The Royal Treatment
“it’s the people we make our lives with that make our lives. Not our careers or titles or bank accounts.” ― Melanie Summers, The Royal Delivery
“Autumn Dancer flutters among the flowers, chasing the last rays of sunlight until her haven is swallowed up by the night. Her sisters are asleep now, hidden under the fronds, but she doesn't care. She dances alone in the twilight, embracing the warmth of the golden hour, her wings sweeping past silky petals of the late summer blooms. In the safe cocoon of her garden, she dares believe that no harm will ever enter the gates. This is her world of beauty and peace, of sweet nectar and life, completely unspoiled by the footsteps of danger or the silent mockery of time.” ― Melanie Dobson, Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor
“Marriage means you stay together and work it out, no matter what the problem.” ― Melanie Summers, The Royal Wedding
“He licked me like a double scoop of French vanilla on a hot summer day. At the equator. He savored me like I could melt in his mouth but he didn’t want me to.” ― Melanie Harlow, Frenched
“bugs?” ― Carol Weston, Melanie Martin Goes Dutch: The Private Diary of My Almost Bummer Summer with Cecily, Matt the Brat, and Vincent Van Go Go Go
“Legs? Check. I am five foot seven, after all. They’re slender but not too skinny. I run every morning, so my legs have always been slightly muscled, but in a feminine way — at least I hope they look feminine; bulky is not a word I’d want someone to use. I think the not too short, but short enough to still be very stylish, pleated and thickly cuffed navy blue shorts show my legs off nicely. My cork and white wedges with a cute little bow at each ankle are the perfect finishing touch. A simple dove-gray ribbed tank completes the outfit and hugs my curves. Maybe there is something to Mel’s theory after all. My golden-blonde hair is sun-kissed in the summer, and its soft waves cascade to the middle of my back. I usually have it up, but tonight Melanie insisted that I leave it down and wavy. I let her play Barbie, and I can’t say I hate it. The real show-stopper, though, is my eyes. They’re a bright, vibrant green. They look almost fake, but as I lean into the mirror to get a closer look, I catch small little flecks of gold around the outside that I know no contact lens could replicate. I have always loved my eyes. I have my mother’s eyes. I’ve seen them in the few pictures I have from my childhood. Even if my eyes were the murkiest, dingiest, dullest brown, I still would have loved them, as long as they were my mother’s. It’s really the only thing I have left of her. I gave in on the hair and let Melanie have a field day, but I insisted on keeping my makeup simple — a soft pale pink blush, clear lip gloss, and a light dusting of gold eye shadow is all I need. A quick swipe of some mascara, and the look is complete.” ― Melissa Collins, Let Love In
“Since eight o'clock she had been trying on and rejecting dresses, and now she stood dejected and irritable in lace pantalets, linen corset cover and three billowing lace and linen petticoats. Discarded garments lay about her on the floor, the bed, the chairs, in bright heaps of color and straying ribbons. The rose organdie with long pink sash was becoming, but she had worn it last summer when Melanie visited Twelve Oaks and she’d be sure to remember it. And might be catty enough to mention it.” ― Margaret Mitchell, Gone With the Wind
“Words, pictures, questions, and finally—dreams; it always begins with a dream, doesn’t it? Alice’s dream by the river, her head in her sister’s lap, dreaming of a rabbit, a white rabbit; my dream, also. My dreams. One of them—I remember one dream when I was small; a dream after a long walk on a summer day. A dream on a train, my head against Mr. Dodgson’s shoulder, as I dreamed of babies on flower stems; Papa walking along, crying; a man in a tall black hat, gray gloves, a stiff way about him. “May they be happy,” he whispered to me, and I smiled.” ― Melanie Benjamin, Alice I Have Been
“The hill between the manor and forest displayed layers of Lady Croft's prized gardens. Paved pathways wove through a formal Italian garden, rose garden, water garden, lily pond, and a tulip garden built around Roman ruins.Maggie stood beside a statue of the goddess Hemera and a row of yew bushes that had been neatly pruned into a wall to form the perimeter of the Croft family maze. Walter sat nearby on a picnic blanket as she scanned the hillside above the maze to see if she could find Libby's copper-streaked hair among the immaculate gardens and all the people dressed in their finest for this entree into Ladenbrooke's gardens.The Croft family opened the front gate to the public once each summer. Hundreds of people from around the Cotswolds came to peruse Lady Croft's magnificent displays- the golden heather, purple dahlias, peach lilies floating on the pond.” ― Melanie Dobson, Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor
“Soft moonlight enveloped her path, guiding her toward the gate like creamy white petals leading a bride to the altar. Walter didn't understand- she needed to be in these gardens. The beauty breathed life into her. Filled her very soul.She pushed down the latch, testing it slowly to see if it was locked on the opposite side. Her heart leapt when it opened.The lady left her gardens every autumn now when the flowers began to die, and Mummy didn't seem to care if she visited the gardens when the lady was gone. But in the summer, when the flowers were blooming, when the air smelled sweet and the butterflies danced in the breeze, Mummy and Walter didn't want her to explore.Yet this was her sustenance. Her magic. She needed to be here as much as the butterflies needed their nectar to fly.Quietly she closed the gate and hurried across the brick path until she reached the circular rose garden. In the center of the roses was the most lush carpet of grass. She tossed her shoes into the air, the soft grass tickling her toes. Then she stretched out her arms and twirled in the moonlight.Some people thought the rays of the moon were cool, like the rays of the sun were warm, but they were wrong. The light from the moon was as warm as the sun, a lovely, golden warmth that electrified her from the inside.” ― Melanie Dobson, Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor
“Karma’s a bunch of bullshit. If it were true, how come most Fortune 500 companies are run by sociopaths?” ― Melanie Summers, The Royal Wedding
“squa,rely” ― Melanie Summers, Crazy Royal Love Boxed Set
“It’s not all sex work, of course. Any business of that size needs support and grounds staff—” “Gee, Mom.” Melanie’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Can I get a summer job there? I’ll be the best jizz-mopper ever!” “Melanie!” Emma snapped. I quickly shoved a forkful of prawn in my mouth, trying to keep myself from laughing, but I couldn’t hold a straight face. Melanie grinned at me, sensing a kindred spirit at the table. “Language,” Caitlin told Melanie, then looked sidelong at me and muttered, “Don’t encourage her.” ― Craig Schaefer, Redemption Song
“If you believe you’re an amazing, talented, beautiful woman, none of those stupid comments will hurt you in the least.” ― Melanie Summers, The Royal Delivery
“Women still have to give up so much for love, and once the passion is gone, all those things that made you different and drew you together at the beginning end up pulling you apart.” ― Melanie Summers, The Royal Wedding
“To share your weakness is to make yourself vulnerable; to make yourself vulnerable is to show your strength.” ― Melanie Summers, The After Wife
“My Brother’s Best Friend My Stepbrother’s Kiss His Best Friend Trent and Megan Little Dancer The Dating Deal Slumber Party Wars Louder Than Words The Stranger Inside First Kiss Wars Fall For Me Fall Forever (Fall For Me #2) Finn’s Fall (Fall For Me #3) #Wars **New** Matt and Nicole (Middle School) *** New!!** Ally and Griffin (Middle School) *New: Summer and Mason (Middle School) Griffin His Kiss HER Kiss High School Boys” ― Melanie Marks, Beck Bait
“It's called a Horologium Florae," Martha explained later that afternoon. She'd dug a large circle in the grass. The circle was sectioned off into twelve wedges."A flower clock. It was first hypothesized by a Swedish botanist in the 1700s. You plant a dozen flowers, each of them programmed to open and close at a specific hour. At the one o'clock section you plant a flower whose blooms open at one. At the two o'clock section you plant a flower whose blooms open at two. The blooms tell you what time it is. Like a sundial, only with flowers. Of course, I'll have to wait until summer to plant, but I wanted to mark out the space before the first frost."She pointed at each section in turn: "Goatsbeard there, then morning glory, then hawkweed, then purple poppy mallow. Then, I'm sorry to say, I'll have to use lettuce- there's nothing else that will bloom at that hour. On to swamp rose mallow and marsh sowthistle. Then flameflower and hawkbit.” ― Melanie Gideon, Valley of the Moon
“it’s the people we make our lives with that make our lives. Not our careers or titles or bank accounts.” ― Melanie Summers, The Royal Delivery
“Autumn Dancer flutters among the flowers, chasing the last rays of sunlight until her haven is swallowed up by the night. Her sisters are asleep now, hidden under the fronds, but she doesn't care. She dances alone in the twilight, embracing the warmth of the golden hour, her wings sweeping past silky petals of the late summer blooms. In the safe cocoon of her garden, she dares believe that no harm will ever enter the gates. This is her world of beauty and peace, of sweet nectar and life, completely unspoiled by the footsteps of danger or the silent mockery of time.” ― Melanie Dobson, Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor
“Marriage means you stay together and work it out, no matter what the problem.” ― Melanie Summers, The Royal Wedding
“He licked me like a double scoop of French vanilla on a hot summer day. At the equator. He savored me like I could melt in his mouth but he didn’t want me to.” ― Melanie Harlow, Frenched
“bugs?” ― Carol Weston, Melanie Martin Goes Dutch: The Private Diary of My Almost Bummer Summer with Cecily, Matt the Brat, and Vincent Van Go Go Go
“Legs? Check. I am five foot seven, after all. They’re slender but not too skinny. I run every morning, so my legs have always been slightly muscled, but in a feminine way — at least I hope they look feminine; bulky is not a word I’d want someone to use. I think the not too short, but short enough to still be very stylish, pleated and thickly cuffed navy blue shorts show my legs off nicely. My cork and white wedges with a cute little bow at each ankle are the perfect finishing touch. A simple dove-gray ribbed tank completes the outfit and hugs my curves. Maybe there is something to Mel’s theory after all. My golden-blonde hair is sun-kissed in the summer, and its soft waves cascade to the middle of my back. I usually have it up, but tonight Melanie insisted that I leave it down and wavy. I let her play Barbie, and I can’t say I hate it. The real show-stopper, though, is my eyes. They’re a bright, vibrant green. They look almost fake, but as I lean into the mirror to get a closer look, I catch small little flecks of gold around the outside that I know no contact lens could replicate. I have always loved my eyes. I have my mother’s eyes. I’ve seen them in the few pictures I have from my childhood. Even if my eyes were the murkiest, dingiest, dullest brown, I still would have loved them, as long as they were my mother’s. It’s really the only thing I have left of her. I gave in on the hair and let Melanie have a field day, but I insisted on keeping my makeup simple — a soft pale pink blush, clear lip gloss, and a light dusting of gold eye shadow is all I need. A quick swipe of some mascara, and the look is complete.” ― Melissa Collins, Let Love In
“Since eight o'clock she had been trying on and rejecting dresses, and now she stood dejected and irritable in lace pantalets, linen corset cover and three billowing lace and linen petticoats. Discarded garments lay about her on the floor, the bed, the chairs, in bright heaps of color and straying ribbons. The rose organdie with long pink sash was becoming, but she had worn it last summer when Melanie visited Twelve Oaks and she’d be sure to remember it. And might be catty enough to mention it.” ― Margaret Mitchell, Gone With the Wind
“Words, pictures, questions, and finally—dreams; it always begins with a dream, doesn’t it? Alice’s dream by the river, her head in her sister’s lap, dreaming of a rabbit, a white rabbit; my dream, also. My dreams. One of them—I remember one dream when I was small; a dream after a long walk on a summer day. A dream on a train, my head against Mr. Dodgson’s shoulder, as I dreamed of babies on flower stems; Papa walking along, crying; a man in a tall black hat, gray gloves, a stiff way about him. “May they be happy,” he whispered to me, and I smiled.” ― Melanie Benjamin, Alice I Have Been
“The hill between the manor and forest displayed layers of Lady Croft's prized gardens. Paved pathways wove through a formal Italian garden, rose garden, water garden, lily pond, and a tulip garden built around Roman ruins.Maggie stood beside a statue of the goddess Hemera and a row of yew bushes that had been neatly pruned into a wall to form the perimeter of the Croft family maze. Walter sat nearby on a picnic blanket as she scanned the hillside above the maze to see if she could find Libby's copper-streaked hair among the immaculate gardens and all the people dressed in their finest for this entree into Ladenbrooke's gardens.The Croft family opened the front gate to the public once each summer. Hundreds of people from around the Cotswolds came to peruse Lady Croft's magnificent displays- the golden heather, purple dahlias, peach lilies floating on the pond.” ― Melanie Dobson, Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor
“Soft moonlight enveloped her path, guiding her toward the gate like creamy white petals leading a bride to the altar. Walter didn't understand- she needed to be in these gardens. The beauty breathed life into her. Filled her very soul.She pushed down the latch, testing it slowly to see if it was locked on the opposite side. Her heart leapt when it opened.The lady left her gardens every autumn now when the flowers began to die, and Mummy didn't seem to care if she visited the gardens when the lady was gone. But in the summer, when the flowers were blooming, when the air smelled sweet and the butterflies danced in the breeze, Mummy and Walter didn't want her to explore.Yet this was her sustenance. Her magic. She needed to be here as much as the butterflies needed their nectar to fly.Quietly she closed the gate and hurried across the brick path until she reached the circular rose garden. In the center of the roses was the most lush carpet of grass. She tossed her shoes into the air, the soft grass tickling her toes. Then she stretched out her arms and twirled in the moonlight.Some people thought the rays of the moon were cool, like the rays of the sun were warm, but they were wrong. The light from the moon was as warm as the sun, a lovely, golden warmth that electrified her from the inside.” ― Melanie Dobson, Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor
“Karma’s a bunch of bullshit. If it were true, how come most Fortune 500 companies are run by sociopaths?” ― Melanie Summers, The Royal Wedding
“squa,rely” ― Melanie Summers, Crazy Royal Love Boxed Set
“It’s not all sex work, of course. Any business of that size needs support and grounds staff—” “Gee, Mom.” Melanie’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Can I get a summer job there? I’ll be the best jizz-mopper ever!” “Melanie!” Emma snapped. I quickly shoved a forkful of prawn in my mouth, trying to keep myself from laughing, but I couldn’t hold a straight face. Melanie grinned at me, sensing a kindred spirit at the table. “Language,” Caitlin told Melanie, then looked sidelong at me and muttered, “Don’t encourage her.” ― Craig Schaefer, Redemption Song
“If you believe you’re an amazing, talented, beautiful woman, none of those stupid comments will hurt you in the least.” ― Melanie Summers, The Royal Delivery
“Women still have to give up so much for love, and once the passion is gone, all those things that made you different and drew you together at the beginning end up pulling you apart.” ― Melanie Summers, The Royal Wedding
“To share your weakness is to make yourself vulnerable; to make yourself vulnerable is to show your strength.” ― Melanie Summers, The After Wife
“My Brother’s Best Friend My Stepbrother’s Kiss His Best Friend Trent and Megan Little Dancer The Dating Deal Slumber Party Wars Louder Than Words The Stranger Inside First Kiss Wars Fall For Me Fall Forever (Fall For Me #2) Finn’s Fall (Fall For Me #3) #Wars **New** Matt and Nicole (Middle School) *** New!!** Ally and Griffin (Middle School) *New: Summer and Mason (Middle School) Griffin His Kiss HER Kiss High School Boys” ― Melanie Marks, Beck Bait
“It's called a Horologium Florae," Martha explained later that afternoon. She'd dug a large circle in the grass. The circle was sectioned off into twelve wedges."A flower clock. It was first hypothesized by a Swedish botanist in the 1700s. You plant a dozen flowers, each of them programmed to open and close at a specific hour. At the one o'clock section you plant a flower whose blooms open at one. At the two o'clock section you plant a flower whose blooms open at two. The blooms tell you what time it is. Like a sundial, only with flowers. Of course, I'll have to wait until summer to plant, but I wanted to mark out the space before the first frost."She pointed at each section in turn: "Goatsbeard there, then morning glory, then hawkweed, then purple poppy mallow. Then, I'm sorry to say, I'll have to use lettuce- there's nothing else that will bloom at that hour. On to swamp rose mallow and marsh sowthistle. Then flameflower and hawkbit.” ― Melanie Gideon, Valley of the Moon
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