Ask leaders what their biggest challenge is, and they're likely to say: "It's the people part of the job . . . the soft stuff . . . the so-called intangibles." Otherwise Engaged shines a bright light on the cause of this challenge: a fundamental misunderstanding of the true nature of intangibles, like engagement, empowerment, respect. The book focuses on the too-often overlooked first step in any such effort: How to stop doing the things that cause people to dis-engage. Once you gain a better, deeper understanding of the true nature of the intangibles, you'll discover that you already know what to do in order to be more effective in this domain. Through a story told in a light, humorous style, the author helps you discover what the problem is. You'll learn why good faith efforts to promulgate values throughout an organization can be ineffectual and, in some cases, even damaging. In the process, you'll develop a felt need to challenge the assumptions under which you've been working and to become more open to the possibility of considering a different way.

A wickedly funny account of an intelligent, rational woman's transformation into the harpy of anxieties that is the bride-to-be. "For laugh-out-loud humor, Otherwise Engaged takes the cake."—USA Today When Michael pops the question, Eve is deliriously happy. She tells grocery clerks. She subscribes to bridal magazines. She delights in the rainbows that shower from the one-carat (okay, .81-carat) ring on her hand. For two days. As the cumulative stresses of ordering invitations, finding a dress, and organizing the Perfect Honeymoon fry Eve's nerves, the very real prospect of being with one man for the rest of her days reverberates through her consciousness like a gong. Suddenly the sight of Michael's discarded socks on the floor and his passing mentions of his former live-in French girlfriend incite doubt, argument, and public fainting. Uproarious, insightful, tender, Otherwise Engaged dashes our soap-bubble fantasies in favor of a hilariously realistic walk to the alter.

Soon after she falls for a sad story and agrees to pose as the loving fiancee of a guy she hardly knows, Kate learns that planning a wedding - real or imagined - involves a lot more than wearing a huge diamond ring and picking out china patterns. It might just be the death of her.

One does not expect to be kidnapped on a London street in broad daylight. Yet Amity Doncaster barely escapes with her life after meeting a man in a black silk mask who whispers the most vile taunts and threats into her ear. Her quick thinking, and her secret weapon, save her - for now. But the monster known in the press as the Bridegroom has left a trail of female victims in his wake, and will soon be on his feet again. He is unwholesomely obsessed by Amity's scandalous connection to Benedict Stanbridge - and Benedict refuses to let this resourceful, daring woman suffer for her romantic link to him-as tenuous as it may be. For a man and woman so skilled at disappearing, so at home in the exotic reaches of the globe, escape is always an option. But each intends to end the Bridegroom's reign of terror in the heart of the city they love, which means they must also face feelings neither of them can run away from. . . .

“This is the smartest romantic comedy I've read—and it's compulsively readable!” — Julia Fierro, author of The Gypsy Moth Summer and Cutting Teeth Life is sweet for New Yorkers Molly and Gabe: They're young, in love, and newly engaged. But when Gabe sells his first novel—a thinly-veiled retelling of his wild love affair with ex-girlfriend Talia—and it becomes a national sensation, Molly can't help but feel like the third wheel. To make matters worse, Talia reappears in Gabe's life, eager to capitalize on the book's success and to rekindle what she had with Gabe... at least, that's how it seems to Molly. But of even more concern? Gabe doesn't seem concerned at all. Instead, he's delighting in his newfound fame and success. Jealous, paranoid, and increasingly desperate, Molly starts to spin out of control. Her social life, work life, and love life all go to pieces. As fact and fiction, and past and present, begin to blur, Molly realizes the only way out of this downward spiral is to fight her way back up. But what—if anything—will be left of her life and her relationship when she arrives? Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Jennifer Weiner, Otherwise Engaged explores the life we seek when the life we have... suddenly goes down the drain.

A cultivated young socialite from the south visits the Sun Valley Lodge and accidentally falls in love with a fun-loving and adventurous sous chef who lives on a shoestring budget. Trouble is, she’s already engaged, and the rapidly escalating romance imposes dire consequences to everything Lindsay Griffin holds dear, including her relationship with her mother. Set against the backdrop of America’s original ski resort, Otherwise Engaged is the story of star-crossed lovers, a tale that opens the windows to what is possible when you follow your heart.

When impulsive Prudence Lee learns that Lord Mottesford has wagered that he can bring her to heel, she determines to play along and then, when he thinks he has won, disillusion him. But Lord Mottesford has some serious problems of his own, which include being trapped into an engagement and suspecting that the dowager Lady Mottesford has somehow disinherited her stepdaughter. Regency Romance novella by Sally James; originally published by My Weekly Pocket Novels

When Tyler Sheridan discovers through the personal ads that her groom isn't planning to show up for their wedding, she thinks it can't get any worse. That is, until she hooks up with seriously sexy P.I. Nick Romano to find her erstwhile fiance…and ends up wishing her had taken out his ad sooner… Nick Romano has had it—with the detective business and with women! But when gorgeous, desperate Tyler shows up at his door, what can he do but help her out? Only he'd never guessed how good they'd be together—in bed and out. But a future isn't in the cards for them. Especially since Tyler's still wearing another man's ring…

Reissue originally published 1997 A fresh, new start… When young widow Molly Cassidy inherits a crumbling estate on small-town Sunrise Key, she packs up her ten-year-old son, Zander, and sets off for a new start, determined to turn the old mansion into a bed-and-breakfast. The roof leaks like a sieve and the decay is intense, but Molly’s undaunted and unafraid of hard work. But Sunrise Key’s resident billionaire, Preston Seaholm, has coveted the property for years, and even though Molly has repeatedly turned down his offers for the estate, he’s convinced that everyone has their price and it’s just a matter of time before he discovers exactly what Molly wants. Engagement of convenience… Meanwhile, Pres has just tried to diffuse the discomfort of being named Fantasy Man magazine’s “Most Eligible Bachelor of the Year” by announcing that he’s newly engaged. And when the press immediately leaps upon a photo of Preston with Molly, and assumes she’s his mysterious fiancée, all hell breaks loose. Molly and Pres soon realize that their only option is to pretend that they’re actually engaged—in hopes that the media will soon move on to the next distraction and leave them alone. But playing at lovers causes sparks to fly, and Molly is faced with the realization that what she really wants is Pres… Welcome back to Sunrise Key! Set in 1997 in fictional Sunrise Key, Florida, Otherwise Engaged is the third book in the Sunrise Key trilogy, which includes Kiss and Tell (#1) and The Kissing Game (#2). Otherwise Engaged was originally published in 1997.

In 1956, at the age of 22, Alan Bates was cast in John Osborne's controversial play, Look Back in Anger. The play changed the course of British theatre - and of Alan's life. With a sudden rush of fame, he became a member of a new circle of actors at the Royal Court: the English Stage Company. From then on, he also worked steadily in television and won international acclaim for his roles in a number of major films, from A Kind of Loving and Zorba the Greek to Women in Love. But his personal life was not always as seemingly straightforward as his career - his relationships, including that with his wife, Victoria Ward, were often turbulent. Drawing on dozens of interviews with his family, lovers, colleagues and friends - and mining a rich store of primary research - Donald Spoto chronicles Alan's achievements as a performer against the backdrop of a complicated personal life.