Extensively trained and conditioned from birth he's now indentured for the next fifty years of his life; assuming he doesn't die first, or somehow manage to pay off his creation and training debts.Created by the corporations to deal with the harsh labor shortages of the twenty second century when humans will no longer take on the dangerous jobs Raj finds himself now in the harsh world of space exploration, trading, corporate maneuverings, and sometimes the even more dangerous fanatics that hate Raj and his fellows. No longer in safe confines of the training academies he must learn how to live and deal with both his fellow workers and the humans he encounters and not get saddled with extra bills or fines because he's screwed up or worse yet, get 'put down' because he's lost his temper one time too many.After all, it's not like he's human...(176740 words / 707 pages)

    The appearance and contents of this proof may not resemble the finished book and under no circumstances may it or any of its contents be reproduced before publication of the finished book without the publisher's consent.'Comes with a set of five artwork postcards introducing the reader to four of the main characters.

    Has your dog ever surprised you by doing something you said the first time? You are not alone! Here are 50 stories about amazing dogs who understood what their humans said. Some even saved lives in the process!Chloe the golden Beagle braved a hurricane to obey the new command, "I need Dad, Girl." Ellie the Coonhound helped her human family escape from an angry bear by obeying the new command, "Get it!" When her human brother said jokingly, "Maybe Cocoa could dig again and find it," Cocoa did just that!

    With the help of an old sailing buddy living in Maine, Charlie plans to go AWOL permanently, buy a boat, and hit the high seas, where he will live out the remainder of his life on his own terms.Nothing ever goes quite as planned, though, and as Charlie heads towards Maine on a 46-foot sailboat, he strikes up an unexpected romance with Abigail, a woman decades his junior. Things take a darker turn, though, when he discovers a former FBI agent-turned-insurance-investigator hot on his trail. Agent Roberts has been hired to find out what happened to Charlie: bring him back if he s alive, or determine he s dead so his estranged sons can collect on his life insurance policy. Roberts doesn t expect a fight from the old man, but that s just what he gets. Because Charlie has no intention of ever returning to Sunset, whether in handcuffs or a pine box.Funny, heart-warming, and heart-breaking, "That Good Night" tells the story of a man who, rather than rail against going gentle into that good night, as Dylan Thomas wrote, instead wishes to simply sail into a sunset of his own choosing."

    But as the Cliffside Bay crew makes their way to Europe to celebrate Pepper and Stone, fate intervenes and threatens to ruin everything. Crazed fans and a missing wedding dress loom like large clouds over Pepper's most perfect day.RSVP to the event of the season and join USA Today bestselling author Tess Thompson's beloved cast of characters in picturesque France for an extra dose of happily-ever-after. But please note that unlike the other books in this series, Chateau Wedding is a quick read novella, not a standalone, and is intended to be enjoyed after reading Healed: Stone & Pepper.

    Raped at age ten, raped again as a young collegiate, she is abandoned twice: first by her father and later by Christy who loved her, but takes her through a wedding ceremony only to leave her later the same day. When Christy returns sixteen years later, shattered and unstable, the burnt and withered roots of love bloom again. Trauma, betrayal, and loneliness are the colours that paint this picture of physical and emotional violence that Radhika endures.

    Enter Ting, a seven-pound Korat who changed his life, and the life of the family. All kittens are mischievous, but Ting “the cat grenade” was real trouble. She was also smart, endearing, and the soul of the Warren family.     In late 2008, Lissa’s father died of a heart attack. The images from that night still haunt her—especially the EKG readout ending in one long, devastating em dash. Less than a year later, Lissa and her mother stared at another EKG readout, this time for Ting. A living feline extension of the man they missed so much—the man they had tried, but failed, to save—she was diagnosed with a potentially fatal heart condition. The only option was to have a human pacemaker implanted in the cat—a procedure even the best animal hospital in Boston hadn’t performed in a decade. Determined not to lose another family member, they embarked on a medical odyssey on behalf of the gray cat who had been her father’s shadow—a journey that would prepare one of them for her own serious diagnosis.   A gorgeously written memoir about grief, hope, and how pets both complicate and enrich our lives, The Good Luck Cat is a testament to the power of the human—and the feline—spirit.

    Now he’s spending the summer working for his uncle’s traveling carnival company and trying to figure out who he is without football.Free-spirited Kelsey Brown returns to her hometown of Sapphire Falls, Nebraska for the annual festival and a much needed break to figure out her next career move—follow her corporate advertising job in its relocation or feed her artistic soul with the photography that she loves. But when she discovers her long-time football hero crush is working the festival, she quickly decides she’s going for a ride. With him.Sizzling summer nights in Sapphire Falls soon lead to a future neither of them could have imagined. But can two very different people follow their dreams together?

    Newly widowed after watching her marriage crumble, Annie isn’t exactly prepared for a gentleman caller—especially a handsome cowboy who claims her dead husband sent him.Trent isn’t sure how he got into this situation either. Why would a man he barely knows ask him for such an outlandish favor? More to the point, why does Trent feel obligated to help? The last time he opened his heart was to his ex-wife. And she trampled on it.But once Annie reluctantly allows Trent to help with the usually joyful business of shopping for baby furniture and throwing a shower, a spark ignites between them—even as they lock horns. Can two people so unlucky in love let their guards down and trust their hearts? Or will Annie’s due date be the end of what might have been?

    Some of the details in this fictional penning are true. Some of the details are exaggerated and are simply the work of the author's imagination. What is clearly evidenced in this novel is the coldness of a mother's heart and the madness of her cruelty. The mind cannot comprehend lives the children depicted here were forced to endure: from black punishment closets of hell, kitchen tables used for crudely performed operations, to a high sierra execution by fire. The terror is real. The pain is vicariously felt. Unbelievable? Yes, it is unbelievable that such depravity, such MAMA'S MADNESS exists in our world. Accept the embellishments with the truth.Let this novel be a 'silent siren' to be ever alert in your environment - children and adults alike!

    If you are stuck in a cubicle or trapped in an urban jungle—congested traffic and crowds are your daily obstacles. Running an obstacle course race gives you the chance to get back to nature—to roll in it, get dirty, and tap into your primal self so you can experience life—in the raw, unedited and real.Margaret Schlachter is one the foremost competitors in obstacle course racing today. She put together this simple guide to make your obstacle race experience everything it's supposed to be: a test of your true self. She describes first-hand her personal training methods in learning to climb a rope, scale a wall, flip a tire, throw a spear, and carry a sandbag. More importantly, she provides guidance on how to get yourself mentally and spiritually prepared for the big day—and how to dig deep within yourself during a race to find the last ounce of strength to carry you across that finish line.Every weekend thousands of competitors run obstacle races all over the world. Winning or losing is secondary. More important for them is the ability to meet the physical and mental challenges and achieve personal success by completing the race. Obstacle Race Training is an invaluable resource that enables each and every competitor to experience the maximum level of success that they are capable of.

    In ‘The Games Men Play’ he has combined twenty-one short stories that will take the reader on a haunting journey through the darkest St. Louis streets to its most rural counties. A terrific, fast paced storytelling style that never wastes a word, his work constantly entertains and demands to be read.

    She is living a lonely life. Her parents have died and her sister, Brooke, hasn't spoken to her in years. When Brooke shows up with her son in tow and asks Serra to watch him while she and her husband go on vacation to France, Serra's whole life is turned upside down. Serra's decision to hide from Brooke's in-law's create problems she doesn't anticipate. When the tires to her new SUV are slashed, she knows she has more to fear than having her nephew taken.

    One that cause him to use the forbidden Glimmer Stones which create constructs of physical light, and by law only nobles are allowed to touch. Threatened with death by duchy law and evil forces intent on capturing him and his dark secret, Aiden is forced to learn how to control this emerging power to save all that he holds dear. However, will that which saves him also be his world's downfall? The dreaded Mourning Lords, beings that came from the dawn of the Cataclysm four thousand years earlier once more walk the land, searching for an answer to their torment. Will Aiden learn how to become a master of Glimmer Steel or will the mystery of the Cataclysm and the destruction of technology drown him as surely as it nearly cracked the world in half? A Glimmer of Truth, Book 2 of the Glimmer Stone Saga will be available in September 2016. (Chapter 1 of book 2 is included as a sneak peek!) A Glimmer of War, Book 3 of the Glimmer Stone Saga will be available January 2017.

    Settle in and enjoy your stay at O'Mara's, where stories abound, romance lurks and laughter sounds.  Aisling O'Mara. She's married to a Ronan Keating look-a-like, and okay, he can't sing to save himself, but he does think the world of her. Her life would be perfect if it weren't for the fact Mother Nature hasn't seen fit to bestow a child upon them yet. The tick-tock of her biological clock is getting louder, and she's determined to make it happen. But at what cost?Ita Finnegan. O'Mara's Director of Housekeeping, wants to be happy. She's decided the key to finding happiness is to find love, and she's hatched a plan to meet her perfect match. But how can she expect someone else to love her when she doesn't like herself very much?Meanwhile, Mammy O'Mara is planning a quiet soiree with neighbours and family to introduce herself and Donal to the neighbourhood, but, somehow, it's morphed into the Howth House party of the year. Oh, and you're invited!