With nowhere to hide, Fatima endures eleven years of abuse at the hands of her bitter mother. Her escape ironically comes by the hands of her mother as well... when she's kicked out of the house and ends up living in her car. But anything is better than living in hell at Jewel's house. With her mind messed up but made up, Fatima thinks she's alone in the Windy city, born into this world to fend for herself, not knowing everything that was beaten into her was a lie. Also in Chicago is Torin Taylor, the youngest brother of four boys who were given away by their mother at birth. One-by-one, each boy leaves the nest to run the streets with only one goal: getting rich. Only thing is, Torin was born rich, he just doesn't know it. With the truth somewhere out there, Torin has no idea he's a wanted man... not by the FBI but one of the richest people in the world. After being caught up in a shootout orchestrated by Torin and his brothers, Fatima falls into Torin's life. Once a loner with no care in the world, Fatima melts the ice around his heart and becomes an important part of his life. There's just one thing: his brothers think she's dead and Torin can't bring himself to tell them he secretly hid her away to protect her from them. Death brings them together but will it also tear them apart?

    With hurt in her heart and confusion clouding her mind, Promise is forced to believe that no one will ever love her since her own mother couldn’t.Hassan is a young, black Doctor that every girl wants, but he’s not impressed by them. Following an encounter with Promise, he knows he has to have her. After a brief game of cat and mouse, Promise falls head over heels in love with Hassan.Promise eventually has it all—well, except all the unanswered questions of why her biological mother didn’t want her. Determined to know the truth, she sets out to find the woman who is only a memory.Will Promise get the answers she’s looking for and finally have closure, or is it possible she won’t have closure at all and lose the ones that really care about her while searching for something that was long gone?

    

    Wall Street wizard Melody Mason holds the key to both. All she has to do is accept his job offer. Trouble is, she flat out refuses. With his coveted promotion on the line, Grant's game plan is to do whatever it takes to change her mind. Melody has abandoned big business and her old pressure-cooker lifestyle in exchange for the serenity of small town living. There's no way she's accepting Grant's proposal. But their instant attraction and off the charts chemistry can't be denied. And soon Grant's wondering if he is really offering the sexy recluse a job or his heart.

    After their father's untimely death, the Cartel was soon handed over to their ruthless mother Ava, who reigned supreme. With problems arising, she is suddenly forced to disappear for a while leaving her three sons in charge to run the business. Being that they were low key with how they handled things, they moved a lot like their mother, but smarter by staying under the radar. Ava, not being a traditional parent, instilled in them to take whatever they want, when they want and by any means they deem necessary. For the longest, they ruled the streets with an iron fist, and nothing, or no one, got in their way until they unexpectedly met the loves of their lives. With other women in tow, Ava feels that love is putting a damper on their family business, and she’s not having that, so that’s sends her on her own mission.. Like a tornado, Leilani, Dynasty, and Diamond comes into their lives and sends them on a whirlwind of emotions they never saw coming. For them, loving those powerful men was the easy part. It's the domino effect of trouble that follows behind them, which makes it hard. What happens when the deck is stacked against you and the thin line between love and lies seem to blur? What do you do when secrets are exposed and you don’t know who to trust? Do you go to war with all you know or do you fold? However you choose, just know that All’s Fair in Love and War when your man is a St. Pierre Boy.

    This nail biting and mind- blowing novel will leave you wanting more. Tierra thought she had found the perfect man in her husband Dallas. Their marriage seemed to be one out of the fairy tales for the first few years, until Tierra has trouble conceiving. Dallas wants nothing more than to have a child to carry on his name, but with his wife unable to conceive, he seeks comfort in the arms of the one closest to her, her best friend Tangi. When Tierra starts to suspect something isn’t right in her marriage, who does she turn to? None other than Tangi. Tangi is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Having to play loyal friend to Tierra while sleeping with her husband is starting to weigh heavy on her mind. Peace is something she’s always loved but hasn’t had a bit of it since she started running around behind her best friend’s back. She has made the mistake of falling in love with Dallas, but what happens when he finally makes the decision to leave his wife for her best friend? Will the two of them get their happily ever after? Or will the monkey wrench Tierra throws in the mix be enough to save her marriage? Follow this duo of friends as they struggle to find their happiness with the same man. Who will win Dallas’ heart and will their friendship survive the betrayal?

    Raised with the in-depth sense of justice, and the desire to expose the wrongs of the world, Rachel sets out to find the truth behind the incarceration of young men of color. Wade Tyson, of the Tyson Communication family, has no idea what he is walking into when he takes over as News Producer for Tyson Broadcasting. From his first encounter with the mouthy, opinionated, Rachel Fontaine, his life will be forever changed. Armed with no boundaries in seeking the truth, he listens to her theory of un-explainable sentencing practices of certain judges and finds himself the victim of an attempted murder. Pushing aside the sexual tension, his crazy brothers, and her ever questioning father, Wade and Rachel dig deeper into her theory, eventually uncovering a conspiracy that neither realize how wide or far up the political power chain it lives. The P.I.E. infiltration begins……

    Five days in, he receives an anonymous letter telling him that his days are numbered. But before he can find out who’s behind the threats, Jake is stabbed and ends up in a coma.When he wakes in a hospital bed two years later, things have changed: His prison sentence has been commuted, his girlfriend is fiercely independent, and his side piece has gotten out of the street life altogether. But one thing remains: Jake’s enemy still wants him dead and is powerful enough to track him down no matter where he hides.On the run, and with rumors circulating about a powerful, phantomlike gang called the 300 Crew, Jake will need to rely on his mantra: Trust no one—not the law, not his girl, not the street cats he helped out years ago, not even his own blood.

    It also contains the easy to follow instructions on how to analyze and compute the structural design of critical building parts such as: reinforced concrete slabs, beams, columns and footings. There are also simple designs and floor plans for a variety of building types to be found in this book.BUILDING DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION should be of interest to architects, engineers, contractors, developers and allied professionals who are engaged in building design, planning and construction. Students and graduates reviewing for the board examinations for architects and engineers would find in this book valuable practical knowledge to supplement the theories learned in their classrooms.Project owners studying this book would appreciate and get a clear understanding of how their envisioned pet project, which sprang only from a mere idea - is transformed slowly step-by-step - into concrete form.Explanations and instructions in BUILDING DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION are conveyed in direct and simple language for easy understanding even by the layman. Plans and drawings are clearly presented, to be easily interpreted by construction workers.

    Back to basics guide to improve your knowledge of and practice of photography.Topics include camera and lens types, lighting, exposure, composition and image editing.

    She herself has also been wed for 22 years and has seen both the highs and lows of matrimony in her own marriage as well as the marriages of those close to her. While the national divorce rate hovers around the 50% threshold, there is a lot of chatter that marriage as we know it is an outdated institution--that we are too selfish, too unwilling to make sacrifices, and too misguided by elevated expectations of happiness to make marriage work.While these points may hold some validity, a lot of this chatter is nothing new. So what's causing so many divorces and, perhaps even more importantly, what are we to do about it if we want marriage to survive? Drawing from both her professional career and personal life, Toler sees that the biggest impediment to marriage these days is that couples decide to take the plunge based almost entirely on the most irrational criteria: falling in love. Making Marriage Work doesn't suggest that love has nothing to do with marriage at all; rather, Toler says that love by itself is simply not enough to make marriages survive. This book is a logical and simple guide to reintroducing some of the practicality of marriage that has leaked out of it over the years.Marriage, Toler says, is a job, and it needs to be treated like one. However, the makeup and consistency of this job has changed so much over the past few decades that the old rules no longer apply. Making Marriage Work is an updated manual to help get the job of marriage done right in this day and age. It suggests specific procedures that should be put in place to bridge the gap between head over heels and happily ever after. It explains how to phrase things in order to span the great hormonal divide men and women often fall into when trying to talk to one another. It also discusses the very new and real challenges to marriage created in a culture often overwhelmed by the emphasis on (and ability to attain) instant gratification. Replete with simple, no-nonsense rules, Divorce Court anecdotes, and stories about Judge Toler's own union, Making Marriage Work contains invaluable information couples can use today to secure their marital tomorrow.

    

    On the streets of Houston it holds major weight and is never to be taken lightly. In their hood it brings status, garners respect, and defines loyalty. To break bread with a Broadus is an honor but to actually be a Broadus is to be part of a brotherhood. A legacy. A bond so unbreakable that it would take several armies of adversaries to penetrate it.Emmanuel, the quick tempered baby boy, has easily lived up to every expectation there is when it comes to carrying the Broadus name but history has shown that during the reign of every great King, there is always someone looking to knock them off the throne.Being solid and thorough doesn’t guarantee immunity to post traumatic stress and that’s the exact state he finds himself in months after being gunned down on New Year’s Eve. In the midst of his storm, he encounters another troubled soul who despite her own struggles, brings him a peace he’s never known. With her, he’s at ease and free to be himself but between the stresses of the street life, managing an up and coming singing sensation, and battling his own inner demons, Emmanuel must figure out a way to balance his love for Kambré while still living up to his surname.Accustomed to getting what he wants, Emmanuel finds himself unable to deal with Kambré’s indifference when it comes to their relationship. Advice from different sources on his situation tends to go in one ear and out the other but when his plus sized beauty becomes fed up with his antics and walks away, will Emmanuel find himself at risk for spiraling even further down a dark road or will her departure be the wake up call he needed all along?

    I am a victim of murder. Through a series of events and by two shots of a gun, I was made a widow at the age of 28, with my youngest child just six weeks old. I am a victim of infidelity. I have felt unlovable. I have felt rejected. I have had days in my life when I wasn’t sure if I would ever take a breath again, let alone be able to raise my five children by myself. I have lived in fear. I have felt much heartache. I have felt truly broken to my core. I have carried some heavy burdens...not only of my own, but burdens put upon my shoulders by the death of my husband. I have felt alone. I have felt humiliated. I have been humbled to my knees. I have searched my soul to find my worth in this world, and in the life that was left for me. My world has been totally shattered. I have faced realities I never knew were possible, and found strength within myself to keep up the fight and live every day as if it was on purpose. I have been carried by Angels...both earthly beings and those unseen. I have found that being a “victim” doesn’t mean we have an excuse to stop living. Being a victim means finding a reason for seeking a higher road. I have picked up the pieces left and carried on. I am a mother. We are survivors. In one way or another, we are all victims. There are times in our lives when we are forced to question who we are at our core. When we are presented with a path...we can go this way or we can choose that way. For some, this moment comes when the one person whom we love the most decides we are not enough. This person leave us—at a most vulnerable moment—alone to search within ourselves for who we really are. We are left trying to find who it is that was left behind. Sometimes the person we love dies. Sometimes it is merely an internal battle we are facing...all alone inside our minds. Whatever the situation and wherever you have been...you have been hurt. You have felt alone. You have been abandoned, either by your parents, your lover, your friends, complete strangers, or even yourself. We have all been at that crossroad where all we have left is ourselves. Sometimes these moments of lows have brought you to your knees and caused you to reflect and ponder your relationship with God...and other times they have made you question if He is even there, or if He knows you are alone. Whatever that moment has been for you, it is personal and real. It has defined and refined who you are, who you think you were, and who you want to become. This is my story...the defining moments that have truly brought me to my knees, the times when I’ve questioned to my core my very existence, and the experiences I’ve had that have shown me who I really am and who my Heavenly Father still needs me to become. The night of my husband’s death was my darkest hour, but also the very moment when I saw firsthand that my Heavenly Father sent Angels on errands for me. He carried me. It was the hour when all my fears and all the pain of this world collided together and He was there...putting back together all the pieces, one step at a time.

    But ambition quickly took wing. The house swelled to 225 rooms and became - until 2012 when it was topped by the home of a billionaire in Mumbai, India – the world’s largest residence ever built for a private citizen. Here’s the story of the house that Vanderbilt built - from the gardens by Frederick Law Olmsted to the John Singer Sargent portraits that adorn its walls.