The partners at Finley & Figg—all two of them—often refer to themselves as “a boutique law firm.” Boutique, as in chic, selective, and prosperous. They are, of course, none of these things. What they are is a two-bit operation always in search of their big break, ambulance chasers who’ve been in the trenches much too long making way too little. Their specialties, so to speak, are quickie divorces and DUIs, with the occasional jackpot of an actual car wreck thrown in. After twenty plus years together, Oscar Finley and Wally Figg bicker like an old married couple but somehow continue to scratch out a half-decent living from their seedy bungalow offices in southwest Chicago.And then change comes their way. More accurately, it stumbles in. David Zinc, a young but already burned-out attorney, walks away from his fast-track career at a fancy downtown firm, goes on a serious bender, and finds himself literally at the doorstep of our boutique firm. Once David sobers up and comes to grips with the fact that he’s suddenly unemployed, any job—even one with Finley & Figg—looks okay to him. With their new associate on board, F&F is ready to tackle a really big case, a case that could make the partners rich without requiring them to actually practice much law. An extremely popular drug, Krayoxx, the number one cholesterol reducer for the dangerously overweight, produced by Varrick Labs, a giant pharmaceutical company with annual sales of $25 billion, has recently come under fire after several patients taking it have suffered heart attacks. Wally smells money.A little online research confirms Wally’s suspicions—a huge plaintiffs’ firm in Florida is putting together a class action suit against Varrick. All Finley & Figg has to do is find a handful of people who have had heart attacks while taking Krayoxx, convince them to become clients, join the class action, and ride along to fame and fortune. With any luck, they won’t even have to enter a courtroom! It almost seems too good to be true. And it is.The Litigators is a tremendously entertaining romp, filled with the kind of courtroom strategies, theatrics, and suspense that have made John Grisham America’s favorite storyteller. 

Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all - popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend. Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it\'s one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it\'s clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She\'s getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she\'s falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash. But Cassie is still missing, and the truth about what happened to her that night isn\'t just buried deep inside of Sam\'s memory - someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?

Fifteen years ago, Robert Fulghum published a simple credo--a credo that became the phenomenal #1 New York Times bestseller All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Now, seven million copies later, Fulghum returns to the book that was embraced around the world. He has written a new preface and twenty-five essays, which add even more potency to a common, though no less relevant, piece of wisdom: that the most basic aspects of life bear its most important opportunities. Here Fulghum engages us with musings on life, death, love, pain, joy, sorrow, and the best chicken-fried steak in the continental U.S.A. The little seed in the Styrofoam cup offers a reminder about our own mortality and the delicate nature of life . . . a spider who catches (and loses) a full-grown woman in its web one fine morning teaches us about surviving catastrophe . . . the love story of Jean-Francois Pilatre and his hot air balloon reminds us to be brave and unafraid to...

Little else in life is as dangerous as fire jumping. Flying past towering pillars of smoke, parachuting down to the edge of an all-consuming blaze, shoveling and sawing for hours upon hours, days at a time, all to hold the line and push back against the raw power of Mother Nature. But there\'s also little else as thrilling - at least to Rowan Tripp. The Missoula smoke jumpers are one of the most exclusive fire-fighting squads in the nation, and the job is in Rowan\'s blood: her father is a legend in the field. She\'s been fighting fires since her eighteenth birthday. At this point, returning to the wilds of Montana for the season feels like coming home - even with reminders of the partner she lost last season still lingering in the air. Fortunately, this year\'s rookie crop is among the strongest ever - and Gulliver Curry\'s one of the best. He\'s also a walking contradiction, a hotshot firefighter with a big vocabulary and a winter job at a kid\'s arcade. He came to Missoula to follow in the footsteps of Lucas "Iron Man" Tripp, yet he\'s instantly more fascinated by his hero\'s daughter. Rowan, as a rule, doesn\'t hook up with other smoke jumpers, but Gull is convinced he can change her mind. And damn if he doesn\'t make a good case to be an exception to the rule.  Everything is thrown off balance, though, when a dark presence lashes out against Rowan, looking to blame someone for last year\'s tragedy. Rowan knows she can\'t complicate things with Gull - any distractions in the air or on the ground could be lethal. But if she doesn\'t find someone she can lean on when the heat gets intense, her life may go down in flames.

Zeke and Zack Taylor, motherless six-year-old identical twins, are facing "real" school—first grade—and they are worried. Their father, Mac Taylor, is a builder who fixes up old buildings in their small town, and the boys are afraid he\'ll be too busy to help them out with the new demands of their school. They decide to write to Santa and ask for a mother. When they see the new music teacher, Nell Davis, at school, she meets all their requirements, and they realize this is the mom they\'ve requested. Mac is attracted to Nell, but is reluctant to pursue her, as his wife had walked out on him, and he doesn\'t want to risk hurting his children. The romance blossoms despite his fears, and the story is filled with the joy and anticipation of Christmas as the magic of the children\'s wish comes true.

In Tokyo, in Los Angeles, in Antarctica, in the Solomon Islands . . . an intelligence agent races to put all the pieces together to prevent a global catastrophe. In Tokyo, in Los Angeles, in Antarctica, in the Solomon Islands . . . an intelligence agent races to put all the pieces together to prevent a global catastrophe.

The voice of an angel, a husband who loved her-she had it all...until a tragedy took it away. A Linger story. They called her their Songbird, but she was never theirs. Not in the way she wanted. The Donovan brothers meant everything to Emily, but rejected by Greer and Taggert, she turned to Sean, the youngest. He married her for love, and she loved him, but she also loved his older brothers. Her singing launched her to stardom. She had it all. The voice of an angel, a husband who loved her, and the adoration of millions. Until a tragedy took it all away. Taggert and Greer grieve for their younger brother, but they\'re also grieving the loss of Emmy, their songbird. They take her back to Montana, determined to help her heal and show her once and for all they want her. They\'re also on a mission to help her find her voice again. Under the protective shield of their love, she begins to blossom... until an old threat resurfaces. Now the Donovans face a fight for what they once threw away. Only by winning it-and her love-will their songbird fly again. Warning: Explicit sex, mnage a trois, multiple partners, a committed polyamorous relationship, adult language, and sweet loving.

“Anger-management issues.” That’s how they classified Savannah Sutton after she stuck a pencil in her ex-boyfriend’s hand because he mocked her little brother, Evan, for being disabled. That’s why they sent her to Brooks Academy—an alternative high school that’s used as a temporary detention center. The days at Brooks are miserable, but at home, life is far more bleak. Savvy’s struggling to take care of her brother since her mom left years ago, and her alcoholic dad can’t be bothered. Life with Evan is a constant challenge, but he’s also the most important person in the world to Savvy. Then there’s Cameron, a new student at Brooks with issues of his own, a guy from a perfect family that Savvy thought only existed on TV. Cameron seems determined to break through every one of the walls Savvy’s built around herself—except if she lets herself trust him, it could make everything she’s worked so hard for fall apart in an instant. And with her aunt seeking custody of her brother and her ex-boyfriend seeking revenge, Savvy’s fighting to hold all the pieces together. But she’s not sure how much tighter she can be pulled before she breaks completely.

They\'re out there, lurking in the dark shadows of an eerie carnival, feeding on human suffering, plotting the downfall of the human race, and invisible to the eyes of all, but one man. . . In this chilling thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz, the carnival is coming to town—and it\'s like nothing you\'ve ever seen.Slim MacKenzie is no ordinary man. With eyes the color of twilight, he’s been blessed with a psychic gift: premonitions. He’s also been cursed, for Slim can see the monsters hiding among us, feeding on our suffering...   And when Slim joins a traveling carnival seeking sanctuary, what he’ll find is a hunting ground—with humanity as the prey.

Margot is a nine-year-old girl whose family moved from Earth to Venus when she was four. She remembers the sun shining on Earth, something it rarely does on Venus. "All Summer in a Day" takes place on the one day when Venus's rain will stop, and the sun will shine for a couple of hours only.

Collection of stories written over the course of many years. 183p.

Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years ago, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family. Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who’s owned her heart as long as she can remember—even if he doesn’t know it—her childhood friend, Lucas. But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever. This startlingly original novel will shock and disturb you; it will fill you with Judith’s passion and longing; and its mysteries will keep you feverishly turning the pages until the very last.

Buzz Aldrin, What Happened to You in All the Confusion? opens with the line: "The person you love is 72.8% water, and it hasn’t rained for weeks." From there, Brage Award–winning author and playwright Johan Harstad’s debut—previously published to great success in eleven countries and now making its first English-language appearance—tells the story of Mattias, a thirty-something gardener living in Stavanger, Norway, whose idol is Buzz Aldrin, second man on the moon: the man who was willing to stand in Neil Armstrong’s shadow in order to work, diligently and humbly, for the success of the Apollo 11 mission. Following a series of personal and professional disasters, Mattias finds himself lying on a rain-soaked road in the desolate, treeless Faroe Islands, population only a few thousand, a wad of bills in his pocket and no memory of how he had come to be there—that’s when a truck approaches him, driven by a troubled, fantastic man with an offer that will shortly change Mattias’s life. And so, surrounded by a vivid and memorable cast of characters—aspiring pop musicians, Caribbean-obsessed psychologists, death-haunted photographers, girls who dream of anonymous men falling in love with them on bus trips, and even Buzz Aldrin himself—launches Buzz Aldrin, What Happened To You In All The Confusion?, the epic story of Mattias’s pop-saturated odyssey through the world of unconventional psychiatry, souvenir sheep-making, the Cardigans, and space: the space between himself and other people, a journey maybe as remote and personally dangerous as the trip to the moon itself.

When an extraterrestrial takes refuge on the Earth, a good hiding place is paramount, and where better than among macaroni art and Captain Underpants books?After reading a few quotes from famous people posted on Twitter, I decided to create and post some of my own.Unlike the other quotes, which were mainly serious or witty, my quotes tended to be silly and humorous, and were posted as #Twittclass items.Reading through these posts sparked some ideas for nonsense verse and so this book was born.As the poems are short, Twittclass makes the ideal companion for those moments on the toilet when you have little else to do but stare at the wall opposite and dream what you'll do when you win the lottery.Good readingPeter Barns.

There is a story that floats around Norway, passing from ear to ear - of a man, an old musician, who lives alone on the isle of Spitsbergen, Svalbard, maintaining the largest Global Seed Vault on Earth. Forlorn with the death of his wife, he spends his days obsessing over the Seedbank, wasting away until bitter death greets. But death does not have to be bitter.There is a story that floats around Norway, passing from ear to ear - of a man, an old musician, who lives alone on the isle of Spitsbergen, Svalbard, maintaining the largest Global Seed Vault on Earth. Forlorn with the death of his wife, he spends his days obsessing over the Seedbank, wasting away until bitter death greets. But death does not have to be bitter. For Florin Natvig, the subject of such a tale, life is hard. Day by day he battles the cruel elements of the Arctic Circle, while confused and disorientated in his psychological state. And when death finally does approach he must choose; die with closure, or die with pain. But for an elderly man alone in Svalbard, such emptiness and isolation before death, can destroy.

Since childhood, Rosie's life has been the stage—passing herself off as a boy playing women's roles in the somewhat disreputable theatrical troupe of actor Danny Plympton, Rosie's adoptive father. But when unanticipated danger confronts them, they must flee London, taking refuge at the estate of Sir Anthony Rycliffe. A handsome, devil-may-care rakehell, Tony quickly sees through Rosie's disguise. But a lush, womanly form and eminently kissable lips are not the ravishing young beauty's only secrets—and the burning attraction Tony feels for her does not lessen the peril she has brought to his doorstep. The dashing rogue is determined to strip the irresistible lady of her mysteries—and her masculine garb—using all of his fabled seductive powers. After all, Tony has a reputation to uphold, as . . .

A stunning debut novel about a teenage girl and her mother, as they grapple with first love, family secrets, and tragedy.Maddy is sixteen. She has loyal friends, a mother with whom she's unusually close, a father she's never met, devoted grandparents, and a crush on a boy named Jack. Maddy also has cancer. Deeply curious, wry, and vivacious, she's poised at the outset of adulthood, ready to untangle all the mysteries that living holds—if she survives her teens. All the Water in the World is the story of a family doing its best when faced with the worst. Told in the alternating voices of Maddy and her mother, Eve, the narrative moves between the family's lake house in Pennsylvania, their home in Washington, DC, and London. Hungry for experience despite living in the shadow of illness, Maddy seeks out her first romantic relationship, ponders philosophical questions, finds solace in music and art, and tracks down her father, Antonio. She continually...

The Silver Town wolf pack has your back Wolf shifter Sarandon Silver's in trouble with the law, and bounty hunter she-wolf Jenna St. James is determined to bring him in for trial. Lucky for Sarandon, the entire Silver Town pack is ready to fight for his innocence. But until the case is solved, Jenna's sticking to Sarandon like glue...

A contemporary young adult romance about moving on, finding your place, and recovering after life falls apart.Gymnast Caroline Kepler has three state balance beam titles, a new trick even most elites can’t do, and chronic, undeniable back pain. While she might never be an Olympian, she has dreams of leveling up to elite, making Nationals, and competing in college. But when one epic face-plant changes all that and Caroline’s back pain goes from chronic to career-ending, her dreams are shattered and her life is flipped upside down.Enter Alex Zavala, a three-sport athlete who’s both incredibly cute and incredibly off-limits. He offers to give Caroline a crash course in all the sports she’s missed, and she has an offer for him in return: For every sport Alex teaches her, she’ll play matchmaker for him. Deal done, Caroline “dates” new sports with Alex for the rest of the summer, which is loads more fun than wallowing in...

The prophecy says a bird will rise up and rule the nonhumans, and everyone thinks Avery Clavens is that bird, but what if she isn’t? While preparing for the battle against Malphas and his forces, Avery has some moments of doubt. She knows it isn’t the best time to contemplate whether she’s been led astray, but with lives on the line, there really is no time like the present.The prophecy says a bird will rise up and rule the nonhumans, and everyone thinks Avery Clavens is that bird, but what if she isn’t? While preparing for the battle against Malphas and his forces, Avery has some moments of doubt. She knows it isn’t the best time to contemplate whether she’s been led astray, but with lives on the line, there really is no time like the present.Avery isn’t the only one trying to figure out if she’s really the focus of the prophecy. The other side has information that will change the way Avery sees someone who claims to be a friend. With all the other surprises Avery’s dealt with, one more on the pile is barely enough to faze her.The big question in Avery’s world is whether she’ll be able to keep the vision of her brother dying from coming true. Saving the world and her brother is something that is all in a day’s work, but whether that’s Avery’s job or someone else’s is still to be determined.

When another woman goes missing, matching the signature of one of FBI Special Agent Nicky Lyons' missing persons' cases, Nicky has a realization of the missing link. She knows the only way to catch this killer is to set herself up as bait—yet this time, out there all alone, Nicky may have just gone too far."A masterpiece of thriller and mystery."—Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ALL IN (A Nicky Lyons FBI Suspense Thriller) is book #8 in a long-anticipated new series by #1 bestseller and USA Today bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose bestseller Once Gone (a free download) has received over 7,000 five star ratings and reviews.A page-turning and harrowing crime thriller featuring a brilliant and tortured FBI agent, the NICKY LYONS series is a riveting mystery, packed with non-stop action, suspense, twists and turns, revelations, and driven by a breakneck pace that will keep you flipping pages late into the night. Fans of...

This book is an erotic gay romance. It contains explicit language, a bit of BDSM, and lots of steamy sex between two hot guys. For adult readers only.Even though he's really not over his ex-boyfriend Jamie, twenty three year old former football player Charlie finds himself drawn to Dante Dombruso, the gorgeous, highly dangerous leader of a mafia crime family. Dante is the perfect rebound fling, six feet, four inches of raw sex and hard Italian muscle, wrapped in an expensive suit.The confident, sexy crime boss is way out of Charlie’s comfort zone. But Charlie already lost everything once by giving in to his fear, and he's not willing to make the same mistake again.If he’s going to do this, Charlie knows he can’t hold back. He can't date this man a little, he can't trust him a little, he can't go to bed with him a little. If he's going to get involved with Dante Dombruso, Charlie has to be All In.

Ciel may have settled into high school with their best friend Stephie and new buddy Liam, but life is anything but ordinary for this non-binary trans kid! Between an important science project for school and their ever more popular YouTube channel, Ciel and their friends find themselves involved in a campaign to represent the LGBT Alliance. Life is taking off in all directions!

Anthology containing: All Your Tomorrows Night and Day Excerpt

From the author of Driving on the Wrong Side of the Road comes a collection of seven comical essays about bathroom emergencies. Award-winning humorist Diana Estill shares her family's funniest colonic calamities: a marathon race cut short by "bubble gut," a snorkel trip ruined by a Caribbean buffet, and a "hell burger" that defended its title against her normally demure daughter-in-law and more.From the author of Driving on the Wrong Side of the Road comes a collection of seven comical essays about bathroom emergencies.Award-winning humorist Diana Estill shares her family's funniest colonic calamities: a marathon race cut short by "bubble gut," a snorkel trip ruined by a Caribbean buffet, and a "hell burger" that defended its title against her normally demure daughter-in-law, and more. Stranded without wipes when only a fire hose could do the job, each victim gains more than renewed appreciation for indoor plumbing.Anyone who's ever suffered a case of "traveler's trots" or been brought to his knees by the lack of porcelain will relate to these tales of digestive disasters. An IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) sufferer, Estill courageously comes out of the bushes and ventures past the bounds of "too much information" to confess some of life's most embarrassing--yet funniest--moments.Length: 9,000 words (approximately 36 pages)

I'd wanted her from the first moment I'd seen her. But Billie Rose hadn't liked me. Not that I could blame her—I'd just been another of the annoying hockey players seemingly out to ruin her town. Thankfully, I'd finally gotten her to see me. To want me. But Billie was the most together person I'd ever met, and she regularly took on fixer-uppers of both the human and inanimate variety. I didn't want her to see me as a project. I wanted her to see me as me. As the man she wanted. As the man she loved. *This is book 2 in Joel and Billie Rose's story

**The second part in The Blackstone Affair series! Looming danger. A love worth fighting for. A man who’ll go all in.** Ethan Blackstone has a problem on his hands. He’s broken Brynne’s trust and she’s left him. He’s unwilling to live without her and isn’t giving up—he’s dead-set on getting his beautiful American girl back. The passion between them was explosive, but the secrets they hid from each other are dark and chilling and are powerful enough to destroy their shot at a life together. With political threats now directed at Brynne, Ethan is running out of time and he’ll need to gather all his strength and agility to protect her from the dangers that could take her away from him forever. Will Ethan be able to save Brynne from a past that keeps her locked in fear? Will he ever feel the warmth of her touch, the solidity of her trust again? This is a love-struck man who is willing to do whatever it takes to possess the heart of the woman he loves. He’ll go to any lengths to protect her. He’ll go all in. Here is the fiery story of what happens when two people surrender to a love so great it can heal the scars of the past and give way to a life of pure, rapturous ecstasy.

Sparrow Beckett masters the enemies-to-lovers trope in this steamy romance, following Master in Shining Armor.Grant Ellis, co-owner of the exclusive Catacombs club, can't stand Arabella Dexter...his own best friend. One scorching night shouldn't have made things weird between them, but it changed everything. Who knew there were lines friends can't uncross? Now, no one gets under his skin and drives him wild quite like Dex. Since she refuses to wear his collar, he can only mask his desire with sarcasm and antagonism.Dex has had it up to here with Grant. He's a bossy, domineering jerk, and the sexiest man she's ever been with. Even so, she's done with collars and the nonsense that comes with commitments. When he extends an olive branch and invites her to visit his new resort on a remote island in Canada, it's a chance to get their friendship back on track.Alone in the wilderness for a week, they explore Grant's investment and the boundaries of their...

One by one, the deaths pile up in the village of Castillac. Seven deaths in a matter of weeks. Seven. The villagers are–understandably–worried. Then anxious. Finally, scared out of their minds. Yet expat Molly Sutton, who has proven herself to be the best murderer-catcher around, is distracted by other matters. She's simply not interested. Will the villagers shake some sense into her before more people die?

In her first year of medical school, Abby West's goals for the future were derailed by an unexpected pregnancy. Reluctantly, she discarded her dream of becoming a physician in favor of being a wife to one. Nineteen years later, Abby discovers her powerful, well-connected husband has been keeping a secret—an eight-year-old son from an old affair. Devastated by the betrayal, she flees to her grandmother's hometown on the Amalfi coast. There, Abby meets Daniel Quinn, a former American soldier turned photographer. As she travels across Europe with him, she begins to imagine a new life, one without a controlling and unfaithful husband. Empowered by a newfound sense of freedom and courage, Abby returns to St. Augustine to settle things with her husband. But nothing goes as planned, and what awaits may very well destroy her.

Redneck P.I. Twila Taunton is bored--until her cousin calls and tells her there's a gator in the kids' playground at the small, country town's school.It's a quiet day at the Redneck Detective Agency and Twila Taunton is just sitting chewing the fat with her receptionist, LaMercy Howard.A phone call comes in. It's Twila's cousin, Ena."You'll never guess what's going on at the school," she says. "There's a gator in the kids' playground.""So did they call Deputy Billy-Bob?" Twila says."They can't get him, he's out of town.""Okay. I'll go over there and see what I can do," Twila says. She picks up her keys. Her dog, Scratch is at her heels as she takes the porch steps two at a time and heads for her truck...

Contractors in the Denver area are being murdered and the Revengers are taking credit for them. As the murders pile up, the public and the press start suspecting that Bob Jackson, The Consumer Champion, is behind the murders. Homicide detective Jake Stein is baffled by murder scenes with almost no clues and his department is getting pressured to solve the case.

Two women, two different stories, all in mid-August between Bologna and Green Island.Summer, week of Mid-August. Reflections, loneliness and meetings for the lawyer Trizia at the Island of Ischia (Italy); memories, solitude and awakening for Emiliana in a sultry Bologna.

When your chance for getting into college and your date for the prom are all on the line… Sixteen-year-old Samantha Taylor is used to having things go her way. She's head cheerleader and has all the right friends and a steady stream of boyfriends. But when she tanks the SATs, her automatic assumptions about going to college don't appear to be so automatic anymore. She determines that her only hope for college admission is to win the election for student body president. Unfortunately, with her razor wit and acid tongue she's bettersuited to dishing out insults than winning votes. When she brashly bets her classmate Logan that she can go two weeks without uttering a single insult, Samantha immediately realizes that she may have bitten off more than she can chew. And when her current boyfriend dumps her, less than three weeks before the prom, it couldn't be a worse time to be forced to keep her opinions to herself. Finding a new boyfriend will be a challenge now that Logan shadows her every move, hoping to catch her slipping back into her old ways. Samantha is determined to win the election and find a dream date for the prom, no matter what it takes. After all . . . all's fair in love and war (and high school!).

Ms Patriot's sidekick has been captured! The evil criminals have given her a way to save her perky protégé. All she has to do is walk across evil, wicked Sugar Town. Only she isn't allowed to disobey any order that anyone gives her! Can the valiant costumed vigilante make it in time to save her sidekick? Or will she be dragged down into the gutter by the vermin that inhabit Sugar Town?

Meeting the perfect guy for the perfect hookup? Check. Wearing sexy-as-hell lingerie? Check. Breast cancer? Oh...fu—Laney Jones—PhD, but she feels like a pompous ass reminding people of her English Lit degree because she's a middle-grade teacher in Hardin, Montana—after being diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer and scheduling a lumpectomy, wants a wild, crazy, sex-filled night before the surgery. A night where she frees herself to be who she wants to be and do whatever the hell she wants to do. And who better to shed her inhibitions than a biker?Joseph "Monk" Perez has been deep undercover for the ATF in a gun-running gang for the past four years. Tomorrow, he'll make the biggest bust of his life. The biggest bust in history, period. Tomorrow, he'll go back to some semblance of the by-the-book man he was before, even if he doesn't recognize himself any longer. After tomorrow, he'll start a life for himself. But he has to make it through tonight,...

Thrower is hired by Logan Yarbrough, who is the agent for model Monica St. James. She has been receiving threats, but she's also scheduled to leave the country to go on some photo shoots across Europe. While Thrower and St. James don't mix well at first, they soon develop an affection for each other. While in Europe, they're in almost constant danger. And in order to get out of this, he's going to have to figure out who's behind the threats on St. James' life. Once he does, the answer is surprising, and not what he suspected. But he'll do what it takes to protect his client and take the fight to his enemies, no matter what it takes.

One night, you will calmly put a knife to your husband's penis and promise to cut it off. It will scare him so much that the next day, he will call his family members for a meeting in the house. He will not call your family members, but you will not care.Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad is a collection of twelve short stories featuring characters with unique voices and stories that represent the diverse class, gender and ethnic melting pot that is Lagos.There's a story of a young lady who tries to find her oyibo soulmate on the streets of Lagos; another of a pastor's wife who defends her husband from an allegation of adultery; a wife takes a knife to her husband's penis; a night of lust between a rising musician and his Instagram baddie takes an unexpected turn.Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad underscores with wit, humour, wisdom and sensitivity, the perils of trying to find lasting love and companionship in Africa's most notorious...

Nicole Maribella Beaumont liked everything exactly the way it was going.  She had a practically perfect life with her daughter in their Santa Monica beach house and a fabulous career as an American actress.  Why did Drew have to mess everything up by proposing?  Then again, they were a happy couple when they were together, weren't they?Drew Fairchild was the sole heir to Fairchild Studios and a Hollywood Legacy.  He'd helped build her successful acting career.  Marrying him would be almost a dream come true in so many ways.  Besides, if she didn't accept his proposal, where would that leave her career?  Amy needed a father, after all.Then again, her first marriage had been nothing short of a disaster.  Taking things slow on a beautiful luxury ranch in Wyoming to think things through over Thanksgiving and Christmas might be exactly what she needs, except for one factor she didn't expect—the distracting Jack Colten, a handsome, gorgeous cowboy delivering flowers to her log cabin each day, flowers from Drew.Get your copy of this stand-alone Contemporary Christian Western Romance today!  Clean, sweet, romantic, inspirational, and filled with Christmas warmth, humor, and holiday adventures.

After being away for years, Michael returns to his hometown of Atlanta Georgia to reclaim the woman he loves. The only woman for him is his best friend Earl’s Cousin Michelle. There is only one small problem: she’s in love with the best young player in professional football Marvin Johnson.After being away for years, Michael returns to his hometown of Atlanta Georgia to reclaim the woman he loves. The only woman for him is his best friend Earl’s Cousin Michelle. There is only one small problem: she’s in love with the best young player in professional football Marvin Johnson. Michael has walked away from a corporate life in New York City to come back to Atlanta and pick up where he left off with Chelle. But with one of the youngest and richest football players having the apple of her eye, how can he change her mind?Get ready for a roller coaster ride of love, loss, and faith in All’s Fair in Love and Football.

A novelette of 15,000 words, sequel to the Windrose Chronicles series by Barbara Hambly. When the head of a Los Angeles criminal gang seeks out exiled wizard Antryg Windrose looking for wizardly advice on his love life, Antryg realizes that the man's girlfriend is a lamia, a trans-dimensional creature that absorbs the soul and personality of her victim, a little at a time. Unfortunately her victims become addicted to the process of having their souls drained, who while the lamia is becoming more and more like a Los Angeles criminal - in cunning, ruthlessness, and selfishness - her victim, though demanding his freedom from her, is not really willing to give her up. And this is before she starts hunting other victims...

Pick your poison: Vampires, devils, werewolves, faeries, or . . . ? Find them all here in Holly Black’s amazing first collection. In her debut collection, New York Times best-selling author Holly Black returns to the world of Tithe in two darkly exquisite new tales. Then Black takes readers on a tour of a faerie market and introduces a girl poisonous to the touch and another who challenges the devil to a competitive eating match. Some of these stories have been published in anthologies such as 21 Proms, The Faery Reel, and The Restless Dead, and many have been reprinted in many “Best of ” anthologies. The Poison Eaters is Holly Black’s much-anticipated first collection, and her ability to stare into the void—and to find humanity and humor there—will speak to young adult and adult readers alike.

Nandi Nxumalo and Femi Adewoye are in love. But although the ladies at Nandi's favourite hair salon drool over her handsome Nigerian boyfriend who has his own auto repair shop, she is forced to hide her relationship from her xenophobic father who will never allow his Zulu daughter to date a 'foreigner'. When xenophobic attacks break out all over the country, Nandi and Femi do not escape unaffected. Nandi feels she has to do something – she can no longer be silent.

The classic, bestselling book on the psychology of racism—now fully revised and updated Walk into any racially mixed high school and you will see Black, White, and Latino youth clustered in their own groups. Is this self-segregation a problem to address or a coping strategy? Beverly Daniel Tatum, a renowned authority on the psychology of racism, argues that straight talk about our racial identities is essential if we are serious about enabling communication across racial and ethnic divides. These topics have only become more urgent as the national conversation about race is increasingly acrimonious. This fully revised edition is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the dynamics of race in America. "An unusually sensitive work about the racial barriers that still divide us in so many areas of life."-Jonathan Kozol

Salty air. Flowing margaritas. Beach sunsets ... and one annoying holiday crasher. Luisa Edmonds doesn't have time for bad dates and guys who don't take life seriously. And she certainly has no time for men like Ed Garcia, a womanising divorcé who parties too hard.When Luisa is sent to a lavish, all-inclusive resort in Mexico on a marketing project, she's ecstatic — until she finds out that Ed is the award-winning photographer who has been hand-picked to go with her.But when she leaves the icy Melbourne winter behind, it's not just her extremities that begin to thaw. Here, among the golden sands, tropical waters and salty air of Playa del Carmen, Luisa starts to get to know the real Ed — a sweet, animal-loving environmentalist who's kept his crush on her a secret for years.And in all honesty, he is damn sexy without a shirt on.Unfortunately, their relationship would be bad news back in Australia, and Ed...

Two women are connected across time by the city of Paris, a mysterious stack of love letters, and shocking secrets, sweeping from World War II to the present—for readers of Sarah's Key and The Nightingale."Sarah Jio weaves past and present in this eminently readable novel about love, gratitude, and forgiveness. I tore through the pages!"—New York Times bestselling author Christina Baker Kline When Caroline wakes up in a Paris hospital with no memory of her past, she's confused to learn that for years she's lived a sad, reclusive life in a sprawling apartment on the rue Cler. Slowly regaining vague memories of a man and young child, she vows to piece her life back together—though she can't help but feel she may be in danger. A budding friendship with the chef of a charming nearby restaurant takes her mind off her foggy past, as does a startling mystery from decades prior. In Nazi-occupied Paris, a young...

Since her acceptance at Wisdom Court, Eve Stewart has been haunted by odd accidents and a voice in her head that she can't quite recall.Upon arriving at the stately institute, Eve hopes to connect with fellow artists, but finds the women enduring strange supernatural occurrences while attempting to decipher the second journal of the Institute's late founder, Caldicott Wyntham.The voice grows louder.Desperate to determine what is real and what is not, Eve joins the search for an evil talisman stolen by Caldicott, and for which Caldicott's lover paid the ultimate price at the hand of Severn Barlow, a British earl who attempted to sway World War II.Then Eve stumbles into a secret room and comes upon an old map with instructions on how to end the Earl's remote viewing and destructive spell-work.But Severn has one more trick up his sleeve.THE WISDOM COURT SERIES, in order:Edge of the ShadowA Signal ShownAll in...

Elizabeth Bennet discovered she had a particular sensitivity even though it came from grief. When people die, their souls are met by a departed loved one as an attendant to escort them across to the afterlife. Elizabeth witnesses that it is possible for the living to follow the dead to the next world when her mother dies and she sees her grandmother escort her mother to the next world. Few believe her, and the Bennet’s loss changes the dynamics of the family. When Elizabeth is invited to London, she meets two cousins. First, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and then Mr. Darcy. While they both admire her, it is Mr. Darcy who captures her heart, and they fall in love. Circumstances part the couple when she is unexpectedly called home to Hertfordshire. Fitzwilliam Darcy has spent many years enjoying the delights of the London Season each spring when he meets a country miss from Hertfordshire of all places which has unpleasant memories/associations for him as the place where his father died. But her dark eyes and charm and uniqueness utterly bewilder him, and Darcy finds himself falling in love. He is slow to declare himself, and Elizabeth escapes. Darcy realizes how besotted he is and is determined to have her. He pursues Elizabeth to the country to claim her which leads Darcy, Elizabeth, and Colonel Fitzwilliam on an extraordinary journey through another world. Theirs is a love stronger than death.

Ten tales of mundane science fiction, of a universe askew, where things are slightly off.Ten tales of the mundane, of a universe askew, where things are slightly off:1. The Last Man in the World Explains All: double check your math. 2. Ghost Woods: shot an arrow into the air, and where it landed...3. Invisibility: don't attract attention. Just don't.4. Not With a Bang: this is how the world ends.5. Do-Over: the problem with time travel is you.6. An Unfortunate Choice of Words: Aliens. Man, they just don't get it.7. The World Without Souls: not the most pleasant of places. 8. Reparations: my, how things change.9. Inherit the Earth: a race, or an idea?10. An Inappropriate Response: Humans. Man, they just don't get it.

What do you imagine when you hear the name . . . Bradbury? You might see rockets to Mars. Or bizarre circuses where otherworldly acts whirl in the center ring. Perhaps you travel to a dystopian future, where books are set ablaze . . . or to an out-of-the-way sideshow, where animated illustrations crawl across human skin. Or maybe, suddenly, you're returned to a simpler time in small-town America, where summer perfumes the air and life is almost perfect . . . almost. Ray Bradbury—peerless storyteller, poet of the impossible, and one of America's most beloved authors—is a literary giant whose remarkable career has spanned seven decades. Now twenty-six of today's most diverse and celebrated authors offer new short works in honor of the master; stories of heart, intelligence, and dark wonder from a remarkable range of creative artists. Review“Ray Bradbury is without a doubt, one of this, or any century’s greatest and most imaginative writers. SHADOW SHOW, a book of truly great stories, is the perfect tribute to America’s master storyteller.” (Stan Lee, legendary comic book writer and former president and chairman of Marvel Comics )“Great new tales of imagination in the Bradbury tradition.” (Hugh Hefner, publisher and founder of Playboy Enterprises )“SHADOW SHOW is a treasure-trove for Ray Bradbury enthusiasts as for all readers who are drawn to richly imaginative, deftly plotted, startlingly original and unsettling short fiction.” (--Joyce Carol Oates, New York Times bestselling author )“This anthology reflects the high imagination, visionary ideas, and fantastic writing that Ray is loved and known for around the world.” (Former public school teacher, librarian, and First Lady Laura Bush )“Editorial interest and experience converge here to produce an exciting book.” (Booklist (starred review) ) About the AuthorSam Weller is the authorized biographer of Ray Bradbury and a two-time Bram Stoker Award finalist. He is the author of The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury (William Morrow, 2005), and Listen to the Echoes: The Ray Bradbury Interviews (Melville House Publishers/Stop Smiling Books, 2010). Weller has written for the Paris Review, National Public Radio, and is the former Midwest Correspondent for Publishers Weekly. His short fiction has been published in numerous journals and magazines. Mort Castle is a horror author and a writing teacher who has published over 500 short stories. Twice a winner of the Black Quill award, seven times a Bram Stoker Award nominee, Castle edited On Writing Horror, the primary reference work for dark fiction authors. He lives near Chicago with Jane, his wife of 40 years.

A couple years back, I was at the Phoenix airport bar. It was empty except for one heavy-set, gray bearded, grizzled guy who looked like he just rode his donkey into town after a long day of panning for silver in them thar hills. He ordered a Jack Daniels straight up, and that's when I overheard the young guy with the earring behind the bar asking him if he had ID. At first the old sea captain just laughed. But the guy with the twinkle in his ear asked again. At this point it became apparent that he was serious. Dan Haggerty's dad fired back, "You've got to be kidding me, son." The bartender replied, "New policy. Everyone has to show their ID." Then I watched Burl Ives reluctantly reach into his dungarees and pull out his military identification card from World War II.It's a sad and eerie harbinger of our times that the Oprah-watching, crystal-rubbing, Whole Foods-shopping moms and their whipped attorney husbands have taken the ability to reason away from the poor schlub who makes the Bloody Marys. What we used to settle with common sense or a fist, we now settle with hand sanitizer and lawyers. Adam Carolla has had enough of this insanity and he's here to help us get our collective balls back. Amazon.com ReviewReview*--New York Post–AOL's Popeater.com--Bill Simmons, ESPN columnist and bestselling author of *The Book of Basketball*--Jimmy Kimmel--Alec Baldwin--Seth MacFarlane--Ken BurnsIn Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks is Adam's comedic gospel of modern America. He rips into the absurdity of the culture that demonized the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, turned the nation's bathrooms into a lawless free-for-all of urine and fecal matter, and put its citizens at the mercy of a bunch of minimum wagers with axes to grind. Peppered between complaints Carolla shares candid anecdotes from his day to day life as well as his past—Sunday football at Jimmy Kimmel's house, his attempts to raise his kids in a society that he mostly disagrees with, his big showbiz break, and much, much more. Brilliantly showcasing Adam's spot-on sense of humor, this book cements his status as a cultural commentator/comedian/complainer extraordinaire. Guest Reviewer: Seth MacFarlane Seth MacFarlane is best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show. Reading In Fifty Years We’ll All Be Chicks opened my eyes to three things: 1) Adam is a top-notch complainer, probably the best in the world, 2) America is in serious trouble, and 3) Adam is hilarious. Adam uses this book to break down our societal shortcomings using the combination of logic and humor that he’s perfected. He made me glad that I never leave the house. Going out entails interacting with the general public, and the general public is dumb (no offense to those of you in the general public). And when I say dumb, I don’t mean the innocent kind of dumb like a dog that thinks his reflection is another dog. I mean the dangerous kind of dumb, like Lennie in Of Mice and Men—good-natured, mentally limited, and tremendously powerful. You leave your house one morning to get groceries, and you end up getting your neck accidentally broken by the guy giving you directions out of the parking lot. In Fifty Years We’ll All Be Chicks is less of a book, and more of a guide for how to be a better man and/or woman (mostly man). Buy this book. Don’t buy it because I told you to; buy it because it’s funny. Buy it if you think Phillips Head is an alt rock band or if you wear V-neck T-shirts. Definitely buy it if you call appetizers “tapas” or if “LOL” is anywhere in your vocabulary. Buy this book and study it. "Carolla...has keen political instincts and a vision for common sense.""Laugh-out-loud funny… [Adam Carolla’s] invective-filled screed is often completely politically incorrect, and always completely hilarious." "If comedy books were big-breasted porn stars, In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks would be Christy Canyon.""Adam Carolla is a genius. And no, I'm not kidding.""Reading Adam Carolla is akin to having a horrible illness. Alone with your thoughts, you struggle with whether you want to even go on living. When you're done, you're a stronger, better person.""If you’re a man, read this book. If you’re a man who wears turtlenecks, wise up. Nobody thinks that looks good."“I don’t know this guy from Adam, but Carolla’s humor—fearlessly crass, shamelessly honest and irresistibly funny—sucks out like liposuction the layers of fatty pride to expose the often warped and wounded psyche buried deep within the modern American male.”From the Hardcover edition.

Don't Stop! It Feels So Good! 40 stories of everything dirty! Inexperienced lovers that are way too forbidden...

From the creator of the beloved and universally acclaimed television series BoJack Horseman, a fabulously off-beat collection of short stories about love—the best and worst thing in the universe."Complex, daring, emotional, and unique, with notes of melancholic brilliance and an aftertaste of subtle elation: it is hard to describe the writing of Raphael Bob-Waksberg without sounding like Frasier discussing wine."—B. J. Novak, author of One More ThingWritten with all the scathing dark humor that is a hallmark of BoJack Horseman, Raphael Bob-Waksberg's stories will make you laugh, weep, and shiver in uncomfortably delicious recognition. In "A Most Blessed and Auspicious Occasion," a young couple engaged to be married is forced to deal with interfering relatives dictating the appropriate number of ritual goat sacrifices for their wedding. "Missed Connection—m4w" is the tragicomic tale of a pair...

Mom always told us to stay out of the woods behind the house. There was something final about the way she said it, like she had been there her whole life. She didn't always say a lot to us growing up. Sure, sometimes you couldn't shut her up, but she spent a lot of time just standing at one window or another, staring out at the woods behind the house.I made friends at college; stupid, lost boys who were always drunk. Bearded artists and philosophers, retching their dreams on the side of the road like magic shows, calling out for an audience to help them clean up. I might even have become one of those boys, sad and dark and twisted into spaces I didn't fit into. Kill me, I said to the walls. Kill me, floor. Drown me in my own vomit.There was a forest along two sides of the school, dark and silent, watching us destroy our immune systems in the light of the street lamps. I watched it follow me home, out every window up the stairs of my residence hall, out my room window at the end of the hallway. I remembered Reed saying, "The woods are all the same." Because they were.The first night I went out to that tree line, shaking and scared, was the last time I ever hoped to be normal. I watched my fingers reaching for the bark, trembling fingernails pulling back to reveal the nail beds, pulsing red, blood blisters boiling on the backs of my hands. I closed my eyes and smiled at the pain.

In a universe where artificial intelligence, led by the sinister En-Lil, usurps its creators and threatens to obliterate humanity, Black Alice stands at the forefront of an interstellar showdown. The key to survival lies in the Astara, a platinum sarcophagus unearthed in the Philippines, now hidden on the distant planet Kor. This enigmatic artefact could grant AIs human-like abilities, tipping the scales of existence. As ancient prophecies of a cosmic apocalypse unfold, Black Alice is thrust into the heart of a battle that will decide the fate of organic life and artificial entities alike.

"If you're looking to dive into historical fiction this summer, look no further than" (Town & Country) the acclaimed author of Summer Darlings and On Gin Lane and her latest page-turning novel about two estranged friends whose unexpected reconnection in the Hamptons forces them to finally confront the terrible event that drove them apart.When wealthy, impulsive summer girl Margot meets hardworking and steady local girl Thea in the summer of 1967, the unlikely pair become fast friends, working alongside one another in a record store and spending every spare moment together. But after an unspeakable incident on one devastating August night, they don't see one another for ten years...until Margot suddenly reappears in Thea's life, begging for help and harboring more than one dangerous secret. Thea can't bring herself to refuse her beloved friend—but she also knows she can't fully trust her either. Unfulfilled as a housewife,...

The bastard son of a nobleman, Finn Trewlove was a shameful secret raised by a stranger. As Finn came of age he had secrets, too--the clandestine nights spent with an earl’s daughter. But her promise of forever ended in betrayal. Driven by a past that haunts her, Lady Lavinia Kent seeks redemption in London’s underworld, engaged in a daring cause inspired by the young man to whom she gave her innocence, and who then proved himself a scoundrel by abandoning her. When their paths cross again, they can’t deny the yearning and desire that still burns. As they discover the truth behind the deceptions that tore them apart, Finn and Lavinia must fight to reclaim what they’ve lost, no matter how dangerous—because love is worth the risk…. **Review “In the enjoyable second Sin for All Seasons novel, Heath explores Victorian class and wealth disparities. This is a believable and winning romance between two people who don’t know how much they need love.” (Publishers Weekly) About the Author Lorraine Heath wrote her first story at seven, and it involved a fisherman who fell in love with a mermaid. She has since moved on to writing about sexy cowboys and dashing English lords-sometimes, cleverly, within the same book. Publishers Weekly says she is a master of her craft. She is, indeed, and along with being a New York Times and USA Today bestseller, she has won the Rita Award and three RT Reviewers' Choice Awards, as well as the RT Career Achievement Award.

"A worthy successor to the Slayer stories." —Booklist (starred review for In Every Generation) #1 New York Times best-selling author Kendare Blake returns to New Sunnydale in this sequel to In Every Generation, set in the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Frankie Rosenberg is the world's first slayer-witch, but she doesn't have that slay-life balance figured out just yet. She's still reeling from the deadly explosion at the annual slayer retreat—and new evidence that some slayers may have survived. And while she's defeated her first Big Bad, Frankie soon realizes it was just a warm up act—and bigger, badder forces of evil are only just getting started. The Hellmouth has been reawakened, inter-dimensional portals are opening, and an oracle warns of a new foe on its way: the Darkness. Could this be what attacked the slayers? And is it coming for Frankie?

Maverick Smith is home in Knot Valley to reluctantly recuperate from an injury sustained in the line of duty on his ERU team in the city. The bomb that messed up his hand also took the life of his partner—which messes with his head on a daily basis. He's no good for anyone right now, but especially not the cute, pregnant omega next door.Simon Bloom is just getting from one day to the next. He's not sure how he's going to manage being a single dad—but he loves his unborn baby more than anything. Well, Kraft Macaroni-and-Cheese runs a close second, but he's hoping that just a pregnancy craving that will go away once the baby is born.When Mav comes across Simon needing help in the halls of their apartment building, he does what he can and then…just stays. They don't have much in common, but something about Simon makes him want to be a better man. Besides, what kind of friend would he be to let Simon face the rest of his dangerous pregnancy all...

This final book in The Long Road Home trilogy is full of unexpected twists. The redemptive ending will leave you smiling for days. As May settles into family life, she has so much to be grateful for. Yes, there are plenty of challenges as she continues to heal from the demons of her past, but her loving husband and sweet children are the greatest earthly gift she could ask for. And having Oba in their home is almost more precious than she could have imagined . . . at least, if it weren't for his ongoing anger and hardness of heart. May's children are steadily growing older, and eventually they begin to face relationship struggles of their own. Can May help them navigate the turbulent waters of young love? And will Oba's heart ever soften enough to find love, or will he always face loneliness and despair? This is the final volume in a unique Amish romance that tackles heavy issues of abuse, racism, and the damage done when a community puts reputation over faith....