Ashamed and terrified, she is loath to give her family yet another reason to resent her. She resolves to drown the fire inside her once and for all.Dutiful Nicholas Garston, the Marquess of Calperton, wants to make his father proud and marry the woman he has chosen for him. However, his life takes an unexpected turn when he meets her tantalizingly rebellious younger sister.Lifelong vows are not the only thing breaking. The broken lock of a chest reveals treason of the ungodly kind: a map to a secret that two powerful families have been trying to keep buried. And when Martha finds herself in a dark corner of the woods, Nicholas might never see her walk out again...

    A Boston schoolmaster abandons his dreams of owning a farmhouse in rural Illinois only to be taken on a voyage across the seas and into self-discovery, faith, and love; an artist's rapturous enthusiasm inspires an aging university professor to approach life's chaotic moments as opportunities for creation. Each of these stories is wonderful in its own right, and provides valuable insight into the author's literary beliefs.Written just prior to his critical masterwork, On Moral Fiction, The King's Indian is a must-read for those interested in learning more about Gardner's highly controversial artistic philosophies.

    With an ear for acid dialogue and an eye for everyday ironies, Ciresi unfolds Rosa Salvatore's tale: growing up on fantasies, guilt, and fagioli in the New Haven working-class Italian neighborhood of Pizza Beach; working her way through a local college by slinging hash, while agonizing over her thighs and aching for passion; landing a job and meeting Gary Fisher, a nice Jewish lawyer from Flushing with a great butt and angst of his own. Rosa and Gary fall in love, make love, get married, fight, make up, fight again--until Gary is diagnosed with a terminal illness, and Rosa realizes the power of her love--and the crushing force of regret.Frank and warm, crackling with razor-sharp wit, Blue Italian is a love story about an ill-fated couple who almost missed realizing how much they loved each other. It establishes Rita Ciresi as a writer with a unique gift for language, character, and emotion--a novelist to read, and a novelist to watch.

    And I'll belong to Charlie... The three of us, we'll have a wonderful time.Alvin Darby is a 29 year old insurance clerk, with a comfortable apartment, a beautiful wife and enough money in the bank not to have to worry. So why does he wake up in the middle of the night tortured by the image of a woman with platinum blonde hair? And why is he suddenly convinced that his wife is having an affair?Consumed by jealousy and determined to track down the woman with the platinum blonde hair, Alvin leaves his comfortable life to walk the streets of Skid Row intent on murder. Caught up in an underworld of drugs and crime, Alvin is soon out of his depth, and back with his old girlfriend Geraldine, whose seductive silver yellow hair and orange lips seem to hold the key to unlock the dark and terrible sin of his past.Long unavailable, Of Tender Sin is a brilliant tale of paranoia and jealousy, femmes fatales and dark secrets. With its seering portrayal of the mean streets of Philadelphia and its underworld of drugs and crime, Of Tender Sin is as hard-hitting today as it was when it was first published in 1952.Introduction by Adrian Wootton.Goodis captures the bleak desperation of the urban jungle like no other writer before or since. - NeonA lethally potent cocktail of surreal description, brilliant language, cracker barrel philosophy and gripping obsession. - Adrian WoottonNo-one does existential loners better - The Herald

    A marriage of nearly half a century faces its greatest challenge when a stranger arrives, bearing life changing news. Although Steve and Kelly Boyd live together, they barely tolerate each other. Marrying in their teens and quickly becoming parents, the separation due to the war in Vietnam forms the foundation for the next forty-five precarious years.Filling the empty marriage with the companionship of her twin sister, Karen, and the family she made with Steve, Kelly’s life revolves around her six adult children.The stranger’s sudden appearance clarifies so much about Steve’s lifetime behavior to Kelly.Heartfelt conversations at the local coffee shop where son Reggie works as a barista, help the family resolve differences, build new relationships, and grow in acceptance of one another.At the end, love outweighs everything.

    Her irresponsible Da is dead. She is grief-stricken and alone – but for the first time in her life free to please herself. After her mother deserted the family, Ivy became the sole provider for her Da and three brothers. Pushing a pram around the well-to-do areas of Dublin every day, she begged for the discards of the wealthy which she then turned into items she could sell around Dublin’s markets. As she visits the morgue to pay her respects to her Da, a chance meeting introduces Ivy to a new world of money and privilege, her mother's world. Ivy is suddenly a woman on a mission to improve herself and her lot in life. Jem Ryan is the owner of a livery near Ivy’s tenement. When an accident occurs in one of his carriages, leaving a young girl homeless, it is Ivy he turns to. With Jem and the people she meets in her travels around Dublin, Ivy begins to break out of the property-ridden world that is all she has ever known. Through Streets Broad and Narrow is a story of strength and determination in the unrelenting world that was Dublin tenement life.

    But what does Suzie, married to the ideal husband, know about the shattering effect of living with someone tormented by addictions? When Karoline meets a handsome new man, things just might be looking up. Until the day she learns about a tragic event in ex-husband Jeremy's childhood. Faced with the horrifying experience that shaped the man she used to love, Karoline reconsiders what she thought was real. In the process, she comes to know the true meaning of love and forgiveness.

    This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

    Lily thinks things can't get any worse when she sees photos of her husband and his new lover splashed across the glossy magazine pages, but when she loses her job too, she is at her lowest ebb and turns to baking to soothe her soul. Wounded and broken she has to try and pick herself up again with the help of her best friend Frankie and with her encouragement, Lily decides to turn her hobby into a business and sets up Baked With Love. However whatever Lily does, it seems disaster soon ensues and when handsome stranger Sam comes to her rescue, Lily isn't quite ready to turn her back on her marriage. Can Lily risk opening her heart again or is she destined to allow Marc to shadow her life forever?

    Now, we catch up with her as Spring begins to warm up Pretty Beach and her dreams of an old house, riding around Pretty Beach on a blue vintage bike and planting a garden all of her own really do start to come true. But, as she is surrounded by daffodils and tulips, the ups and downs of the last few years begin to fade and everything is looking ever-so rosy, some tragic news comes her way and she doesn’t know quite how to react and knocks Juliette’s world for six.As Pretty Beach blossoms and blooms we find out that for Juliette and Luke, the pair who pretty much fell in love from the day they laid eyes on each other, it’s not always quite as easy as it seems.Will it all work out for Juliette or will things from the past make her realise that there is no such thing as living the dream?

    Some are hard to break, while others can be stopped cold turkey. But what happens when your bad habit gets you in some shit you can’t get out of? Andrea has just returned home after her other half’s passing. She reunites with her childhood friends; however, while navigating the road to living life to the fullest, she encounters speed bumps, potholes, and detours along the way. Andrea's always been closest to Caiden, but now he seems to want nothing to do with her. While trying to mend that friendship, she finds herself slowly falling for Leonard “Lynx” King, the boy who bullied her every day as a child. The only thing is, he has no idea who she is. Meet Pascha, mother of two, who has too many struggles to count. Her baby daddy, Gunz, cares more about his bike club than being at home providing for her and their kids. She needs change, because she finds herself sinking into her own pity; that is, until Solomon “Solo” King comes into the picture and forces her to reevaluate her self-worth. But you know that saying, “When something is too good to be true, it usually is”; well, she’s about to find out, one way or the other, if that old adage holds any weight. Romyn seems to have his hands full with all of these down low men that don’t know how to treat him. Between his present, Ethan, and his past, Lonzo, Romyn doesn’t seem to realize he’s deserving of so much more. That’s where Kreme comes into the picture. But something's preventing Romyn from fully giving himself to Kreme. Is it the fear of possibly having a successful relationship? Or is he still stuck on wanting to make things work with Lonzo? Life would be perfect if only Lonzo would come out about who he really is. So come indulge in the 'vicious cycles' of Bad Habitzz as we follow this not-so-merry band of misfits and their insignificant-significant others, as they cross paths, weave webs of betrayal and unearth hidden truths that could destroy their newfound happiness. Welcome to Jewel City!

    Four brothers take her in and change her life forever. As Miya and these four men grow closer, relationships begin to change. What happens when Miya catches feelings for one of her best friends? Will she have the support from the others to pursue a relationship, or by chasing romance, will she break the bond between all of them? One thing's for sure, shorty fell for a boss.

    Wynner loves Qua. Easy enough, right? But Wynner came with two brothers who couldn't stand Qua with their baby sister. Qua couldn't stand not having Wynner with him, even if he didn't have his life together. With faith, his word and love, he grabs his love's hand and marries her at the court house. Flash forward five years, and all the promises that Qua has made Wynner he has come through on them. To stay true, secure the bag & be her ace through all her pain. With Wynner always being sick, everyone babies her and is always worried about her. As a wife, she supposed to nurture and cater to her husband, but always being sick, she feels less than a wife. When Qua's childhood friend comes to the city, she's sure to shake things up between the couple. Will they take their vows to heart? Or will Uzi be making his baby sister a widow? Uzi is feared by everything with a beating heart in New York. He and his brother's name ring bells in the New York City streets. If you and the Mcknight brother's name are mentioned in the same breath, you know you won't live to speak about it. With no time for a woman, Uzi usually slides in women and dip after. But, when a smart talking bartender at his favorite strip club catches his eyes he chases her like a lion does an antelope. Remi is so over men wasting her time & spitting game that she doesn't want to play. Working two jobs, she doesn't have time for games. When Uzi approaches her at work, both their words collide at full force. In a situationship, she continues to ignore Uzi until it becomes too much to handle. Will Uzi eventually shoot a arrow in her heart? Girl, take it all off cause I know you extra, Future's words couldn't ring truer for Remi's younger sister, Tweeti. Being the heavier of the two, she's was always overlooked as a child. Until now, where all the boys that played her for being plus sized, are same men chasing her. Tweeti doesn't know what she wants to do with her life. One week she wants to save lives then the next she wants to take them. When Jahquel rolls into her life, she's taken back. Never being with a man in a wheel chair, she shuts him down. What happens when Jah eventually captures her heart? Jahquel used to run the same streets his older brother now owns. A gun shot to the back stopped that, but it didn't stop his ruthless and rude demeanor. Being paralyzed limits some things, but when he runs into Tweeti, he feels like the sky is the limit. Tweeti couldn't be less interested than being just friends. Never being one to give up, he continues to pursue Tweeti. Will he eventually wear her down? In New York where you gotta go hard, these kings need to reign with an iron fist, but will they do it with or without queens?

    Ace Jackson Jr. resembled the Wileys and not his father, Ace Jackson Sr. His mother, Celia Jackson, told him to ignore the whispers and the innuendos, he was Ace Sr.’s son and not the son of their former gardener, Micky Wiley. For thirty-six years Ace Jr. managed to do just that. He ignored the speculation because he didn’t want to upset the status quo. However, a part of him was curious as to what was the truth of the situation, but he would honor his mother’s wishes. And then he met and developed feelings for Kiya Brady, the rumored love child of Micky Wiley, and then he realized that maybe he shouldn’t be honoring his mother’s wishes after all…

    As he grows older, he finds his kind nature exploited by others—including an alluring young woman named Lucy—until he gets swept away by the conflict that divides a nation.After the bloody siege of Petersburg, Joseph floats in and out of consciousness at a Union army hospital. Keeping vigil at his side is Rebecca Walker, a nurse and widow all too familiar with the horrors of war. As Joseph fights for his life and Rebecca struggles to follow her heart, both face a devastating choice: whether to hang on to the wounds of the past or move on to an uncertain future.From the fields of Ireland to the metropolis of Quebec to the battlefields of Virginia, Going Home follows one man’s quest for his place in a world still healing from the wreckage of war.