This book tells the true story of Cathy’s adopted daughter Lucy.Lucy was born to a single mother who had been abused and neglected for most of her own childhood. Right from the beginning Lucy’s mother couldn’t cope, but it wasn’t until Lucy reached eight years old that she was finally taken into permanent foster care.By the time Lucy is brought to live with Cathy she is eleven years old and severely distressed after being moved from one foster home to another. Withdrawn, refusing to eat and three years behind in her schooling, it is thought that the damage Lucy has suffered is irreversible.But Cathy and her two children bond with Lucy quickly, and break through to Lucy in a way no-one else has been able to, finally showing her the loving home she never believed existed. Cathy and Lucy believe they were always destined to be mother and daughter – it just took them a little while to find each other.

    It exposes the reality of the dark, claustrophobic world of the Provisionals: the iron grip they hold over their communities; their ruthless and cynical disregard for human life; the single-minded professionalism of some IRA volunteers — and the rank incompetence of others. Raymond Gilmour learned the brutal facts of life in Northern Ireland at an early age. Beatings, murders and knee-cappings were common currency on the dead-end Derry estate where he grew up, and despite the omnipresence of British. soldiers no one was in any doubt about who really held the balance of power. Many young Catholics, with few options and fewer jobs open to them, joined the terrorists as volunteers. So, at the age of sixteen, did Ray Gilmour — but his recruitment had a vital and deadly difference: his brief to infiltrate the IRA, sabotage their activities, and report back to his Special Branch contact. So began nearly a decade of life in no-man's-land, an impossibly dangerous double life where every day brought with it a new and potentially terminal threat. Gilmour relates in gripping style the hazards of playing along with the shootings and bombings while secretly trying to subvert them; the constant fear of exposure, torture and execution by his IRA `comrades' — and the tension of wondering when he might out-live his usefulness and be sacrificed by the shadowy men from MI5. Incredibly, Gilmour not only avoided exposure and sacrifice, he also became one of the RUC's most valued agents, foiling countless terrorist attacks and helping the police seize huge quantities of arms and explosives. As one RUC source admitted: 'He kept Derry clean for us.' Gilmour's career as an agent came to an abrupt and spectacular end when he uncovered one of the IRAs most prized arms caches, forcing him and his family — who until then had known nothing of his double life. — to go on the run before the IRA's notorious Internal Affairs men caught up with them. But even escape has its penalties: Gilmour has not seen his wife and children for over twelve years, and he now lives in permanent exile, flitting from safe house to safe house under a sentence of death unrevoked by peace-tAs amnesties. Dead Ground is Gilmour's story: a narrative of heart-stopping tension and unrelenting human drama which makes a mockery of fictionalised accounts of terrorism in Northern Ireland.

    When Jill's stoical stepgrandmother tells her the harrowing tale of her tragic past, Jill must learn the price of forgiveness and the power of love.

    But the scenic Villagio Hotel hides a dark and bizarre secret. Check-in Checkout is the story of those secrets. Behind the renovated majestic façade, laminated polished exteriors, fresh-smelling and brightly painted rooms lie old, rotting innards, musty corners and creepy crevices. The place houses some chilling horrors, seething in unknown corners, which stir to life in the darkness of night. Between check-in and check-out, the guests of the Villagio Hotel experience blood-curdling horrors.This book will take you on a thrilling ride, with ten gripping stories depicting different genres of horror – urban legends, revenge spirits, gore, modern-day haunting, psychological horror & satanicpractices. Come uncover the grisly and ghastly tales of the travellers who visited the Villagio Hotel from different parts of the world.But remember! In this hotel, you are not alone…someone somewhere is always watching you!WOULD YOU DARE TO STAY A NIGHT?

    The price we paid for becoming intelligent was to become painfully ignorant of the difference between good and evil.Adi, a 10-year-old boy, works together with two old philosophers as they try to unravel the prophecy of a promised King. With insatiable curiosity, Adi must work with the wise men as they rationalize with each other on why and how humans became intelligent. Together they attempt to answer some of the most profound questions related to existence. Does evolution end with human beings or is there an ‘Overman’ who can reach evolution’s pinnacle? Will this Overman be able to define values for humankind?Centuries later a young boy promises his mother that he will always uphold the love that she has taught him. It is a promise that drowns him in the nectar of the gods. Krish grows up to be an engineer and joins a team of scientists as they try to create artificial consciousness in a machine.Krish soon realizes that he has a bigger fight on his hands. A fight to preserve love in a desolate world. His quest for true love ultimately leads him down a path where he comes face to face with a fearsome snake delivering a kiss of death.Humans have come a long way by questioning the nature of objects around us and pushing the limits of our intelligence, but it’s now time that we ask the greatest question yet: when does intelligence transcend to become consciousness?

    That is until a beautiful raven-haired whirlwind blows into his life. Nisha Raine is a free-spirited, unstoppable force. She races into town on a coal-black mare with the speed of a hurricane and the heart of a champion, intent on competing in the Dawson Derby. When Nisha and Eric meet, a clash of wills ensues. However, neither can deny their intense attraction. Can they bridge the divide and cross the finish line together, or will their differences make them falter and lose the race?

    This much loved story is joined by the following classic titles, to give a collection that has something for everyone, whatever their age: Black Beauty, Little Women, Alice in Wonderland, The Secret Garden, Robin Hood, The Wind in the Willows, The Railway Children, The Jungle Book and Peter Pan.

    She successfully completes the mission only to find another similar case is waiting for her when she gets home. As it turns out, someone is targeting relatives of the current administration. The next target is Grayson Davenport, brother of the Director of Homeland Security.As a clandestine member of the Department of Homeland Security, Grayson Davenport from time to time uses his position as Director of the Davenport Foundation as a perfect front for assignments amongst the rich and powerful people he socializes with. His current mission is to uncover information regarding a conspiracy against the administration. To his surprise, he finds himself a target of the conspiracy. The person assigned to protect him is a woman.The moment they meet the heat between Grayson and Monique is instantaneous. Sparks fly causing them both to lose track of their mission. Monique knew this pretty man could never handle a woman like her. Just as Grayson knew this woman could not hold an intelligent conversation with him. Neither understood their reaction to each other or the danger that had entered their lives. Now, Grayson and Monique must fight forces who are attempting to destroy the current administration, together. While Grayson is protecting her, Monique is protecting her heart from him.

    One private investigator. And a twisted obsession.When carefree musician Elizabeth ‘Elle’ Blackman discovers someone has been in her apartment just days before she set to go on tour, she makes the only sensible choice there is.Run…Right to the front door of Cunningham Security, where the owner is not only the man capable of keeping her safe but also the guy she’s crushed on for months. Though he’s denied the attraction between them since the day he met her, Levi Cunningham can no longer look away when Elle shows up on the doorstep of his firm, terrified for her safety. Less than twenty-four hours into it, he’s struggling to fight her pull. As Levi and his team work to solve Elle’s case, the relationship between them quickly goes from strictly business to deeply personal. And with the obsessed stalker’s attempts to get to Elle becoming more threatening, Levi knows his team needs to stay one step ahead. Because if they fail, he’ll lose the best thing that’s ever happened to him.OvercomeLexi Townsend’s life changed in a matter of moments. Her power was taken, and her bubbly personality was smothered by shame and guilt.Four years later, Lexi yearns to get back to the former version of herself. A stronger version. One who is no longer afraid to share her story, her body, and her trust. Then Cruz Cunningham comes into her life and proves he’s a man that’s deserving of her trust.

When multiple women in Windsor go missing, it launches Cruz and the Cunningham Security team into action. As Cruz digs deeper into the investigation, he’s torn between finding the missing women and protecting the woman he loves. Putting her faith in Cruz, Lexi never imagines that this case could destroy everything she’s worked so hard to overcome.DesperateIf it weren’t for bad luck, she’d have no luck at all.Ekko Rose is no stranger to struggle. Born to a single, addicted mother, she’s experienced more than her fair share of hardship. Ekko has dreams she’s desperate to fulfill, but when another stroke of bad luck leaves her homeless, her only option is to focus on survival. Dominick ‘Dom’ Moore has had his eyes on Ekko ever since he saved her life several months ago. He kept his distance then because she was attached to another man. Now, seeing her living out of her car, Dom resolves to help her get back on her feet.When Dom approaches Ekko, she wrestles with knowing her rightful place in the world and wanting to latch onto something better.Just as the pair fall hard for one another, Ekko’s streak of misfortune delivers one more blow. With their relationship thrown into a pit of despair and hopeless desire, Dom must crack the case he’s been trying to solve for weeks. Because if he can’t, Ekko might be lost to him forever.

    She’s been in a committed relationship, with her first love Crim for six years. On the outside, looking in you would think Malone had at it all. The love of her life and two beautiful children, a nice house and fancy cars. Picture perfect huh? Numerous of late nights and early mornings, the love of her life stayed away from home and catered to the streets. Demanding her respect and putting her foot down, who knew the one time you wanted to be heard and stand up for yourself. Your life changes drastically for better and for worse. Sphinx born and raised in the slums of East Atlanta, Zone 6. He’s the Trap God, nothing moves in his hood unless he signs off on it. He’s arrogant and rude. He thinks he’s God gift women and every broke hoe dream. He’s every niggas worst nightmare. His motto is fuck em, feed em, spoil em, and leave them. He refuses to be in a committed relationship. His main focus is his children and his paper. Sphinx and Malone are from the same hood, but they don’t know each other. They run into each other on a few occasions. Malone is against dating any man that’s in the streets due to past experiences. Sphinx isn’t the average man in the streets. He can have any woman he wants, that’s a fact. He’s never been turned down by any female before, until he meets Malone. Every man wants something that they can’t have. The thrill itself is a natural high. The two of them become curious about each other, and decide to do a little exploring. Take a wild ride with these two as they play Russian Roulette..

    A plot against the crown. Those she loves in terrible danger…Livia, a humble doctor’s daughter from the Italian countryside, arrives in Paris with her new husband. At first, she feels alone and isolated among the gray, rain-drenched streets. Until Elisabetta, the Emperor’s clever, beautiful mistress, takes her under her wing, and finally Livia has a true ally.The two women are soon inseparable, strolling arm in arm down Paris’s wide boulevards and dancing the night away at masked balls. At last, Livia feels happy in her new life.But when Elisabetta is mysteriously poisoned, the tables turn and it is Livia who has the power to shape the destiny of those around her. She must draw on all her knowledge of herbs and medicine to cure her friend. And the stakes soon become higher than she ever imagined, when her husband is falsely accused of treason and conspiring against the crown.With Elisabetta close to death and the future of France in peril, Livia will need to draw on all her courage to save the lives of those she loves… as well as her own…A totally gripping, richly imagined historical novel about the power held by women in a world run by men. Fans of Lucinda Riley, Kate Morton and Marie Benedict will be absolutely hooked from the very first page until the final, breathtaking conclusion.

    

    

    Unable to understand each other, they embarked on one of the most unusual experiments in British art as the pitmen learned to become painters. Within a few years the most avant-garde artists became their friends, their work was taken for prestigious collections and they were celebrated throughout the British art world; but every day they worked, as before, down the mine.The Pitmen Painters premiered at Live Theatre, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in September 2007, before transferring to the National Theatre in 2008.