. . may the devil tek him! Her knows his temper, felt his fist many a time. And there be others as knows, women he's paid to keep silent about the blows they've suffered, for it tek more'n a roll in bed to satisfy Fenton Gilmore. Emma Lawrence has reason to fear the base cruelty of the man she must call uncle. She and her sister Rachel had been taken into the Gilmore household on the death of their parents and have known nothing but unkindness at the hands of Fenton and his wife. And now Rachel is dead, brutally raped and strangled, and Emma must dry her tears and flee if she is to escape the same fate. Emma falls in with two other orphans, and Timothy and Lily become as dear to her as her own departed sister. But Fenton Gilmore does not give up so easily. His evil ambition is to own a brothel and Emma is vital to his perverted plan.

    Nothing and no one keeps us lot down.'A life of poverty in a cramped pit cottage is all that seventeen-year-old Ruby Dinsdale has known. Even with her father and younger brother working at the coal mine, money is tight. Her mother Mary is skilled at stretching what little they have, but the small contribution Ruby makes from her job at the local pub makes all the difference. So when Ruby is sacked, and Mary becomes pregnant again, the family's challenges are greater than ever.When charming miner Gordon begins to court Ruby it seems as though happiness is on the horizon, until she uncovers a deeper betrayal than she could ever have imagined.But although the Dinsdales are materially poor, they are rich in love, friendship and determination - all qualities that they will draw on to get them through whatever lies ahead.

    

    Lucy and Robert Tanner long for the day when they can marry and the future is full of promise for all three. Until tragedy strikes when Lucy's parents are killed in a car crash, and Sam is left gravely injured and in need of careful nursing. Sam's girlfriend Patsy refuses to help, and Lucy has little choice but to postpone her wedding. Not only is she left heartbroken at the loss of her parents, Lucy is then devastated to discover that Robert has betrayed her in the worst possible way. With little money and unable to earn a regular wage, Lucy and Sam are forced to move into the slums of Liverpool. As Sam's health deteriorates and their life spirals into poverty and despair, Lucy wonders if she'll ever find happiness again...

    Agnes Handly cannot hide her hatred for Arthur’s young wife Ellen – a loathing fuelled by the feelings she has long held for the baker.Ellen meanwhile, is starting to have doubts about her relationship with Arthur. When her parents died in a house fire, it was Arthur, her father’s best friend, who took her in. Afraid of facing the world alone, she decided to marry him: a decision with consequences she is only just beginning to understand. And when her attraction to a man her own age intensifies, will she follow her heart, or be faithful in her duty?The Ragamuffins is packed with unforgettable characters and will delight readers of Annie Murray, Catherine Cookson and Rosie Goodwin.

    The excitement of planetfall is indescribable, but quickly transforms into sick disappointment when they find the atmosphere is a roiling mass of hydrochloric acid, carbon dioxide and other deadly poisons. They fly onward, seeking better planets. They find them, but none are ideal. The search goes on for a century, then longer still. As they move farther from Earth, aliens discover the intruding ship, and they begin to investigate humanity. They find our species unacceptable. The years and the light-years go by without relief. The colony begins to splinter. Some accept that their voyage is eternal, while others seek to end it any way they can. The colony’s culture grows darker, and a war begins, both inside and outside the vast ship. What lives among the stars we see at night? Can we reach out to them and survive? Find out in BLACK PHOENIX, a story of exploration, colonization, alien contact and civil war by Wayne Wightman and B. V. Larson, bestselling SF authors with over three million copies sold.

    This series features classic tales retold with color illustrations to introduce literature to struggling readers. Each 64-page eBook retains key phrases and quotations from the original classics. Moby Dick is an exciting story about Captain Ahab's compelling obsession to get his revenge and defeat the Great White Whale. The story truly portrays the tragedy of hatred. This timeless epic is considered one of the strangest yet most powerful stories ever written.

    Air Force Lt. Col. (Ret) Bob Reneau began writing this story as his autobiography for his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and succeeding generations. However, he was convinced by many friends to turn it into book form for anyone. Bob has spent twenty-five years as an Air Force pilot. He was an original AC-130 pilot in Laos and Vietnam in 1968 and 1969. As an Airlifter flying the C-130, Bob was stationed and flew out of Sewart AFB, Tennessee, Evreux AB in France, Naha AB; Okinawa (now Japan), and Patrick AFB, Florida, where he flew Gemini Space Mission support. He was on top of all but one splashdown as telemetry and voice relay. Bob was also stationed at Ubon AB, Thailand, Rhein-Main, Germany, and Pope AFB, North Carolina. He flew all over Europe, Southeast Asia, North Africa, South Africa, Australia, and the United States. He has flown around the world two times, He was also a Reconnaissance and Special Operations pilot, logging over 8000 flying hours. He has served in most of the major air commands. His medals include the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, twelve Air Medals, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry (individual award), and many other awards and decorations. Bob hopes to leave more information for his progeny than his father did. Although he talked freely to his sons about his war experiences, Bob’s father neglected to mention them in his limited biography. He served as an unarmed chaplain during WWII. He went ashore onto Omaha Beach during the Normandy invasion where his landing craft was blown out from under him. He made it onto the beach on a floating pontoon and served through many famous battles including the Battle of the Bulge, The Ardennes Forest and others. This is Bob’s interesting, funny, poignant, and informative story.

    William Calvert was an exception to the rule. His advancement was due solely to his actions against the enemy. As Admiral the Earl St. Vincent said of him. “Luck! It has nothing to do with luck. I don’t consider being wounded three times in as many years as luck! No this young man plans meticulously, trains and exercises his crew to the highest degree, and then it is a matter of bravery and innovation!”“Like a young Nelson without the vanity!” Added Admiral Gambier.The French Revolution is in progress and Britain awaits war. 17 year old William Calvert joins the Royal Navy as a Master’s Mate. This is the Navy of the time of Nelson. Already fully trained in Navigation and Seamanship by his late Merchant Captain and Owner father, Will soon proves his worth.When the Master falls ill and the second Master is sent to another ship, Will deputises as Master on a 74 gun ship-of-the-line. The Squadron soon becomes aware of Will’s outstanding ability, when with a hurricane threatened; as a result of his precautions his ship comes through the storm with the least damage. Promoted to Master he also saves his ship during a full gale in the Atlantic. Back in Britain, with the country at war, Will is sent as Master to the frigate Artful. Although injured he finds himself the sole officer on the quarterdeck at the moment the frigate is about to engage two French frigates.Promoted to Lieutenant he joins HMS Victory where he is noticed by Admiral Lord Jervis. After the Battle of Cape St. Vincent, Will is sent back to Britain, where with the Admiral’s strong recommendation; he is appointed Commander of the schooner Snipe. A ship to become famous for its daring exploits.

    Joining the project is Annie’s new husband, Sean Culver, her best friend at Butterick, Maude Nascato, and a mother figure, Edna Holmquist.   Annie and her colleagues give up their careers, risking everything to follow a shared passion: clothes that are both fashionable and functional for modern, busy women in 1912.   Personal and financial setbacks test old relationships and new romances while threatening to keep the business from ever selling a single dress. No one said it would be easy. But the promise of the American Dream holds a deep hope for those who work hard, trust God, and never give up.

     Dove is incredibly ashamed of where she’s come from. As a child, she had to steal and do other horrible things just to survive. She’s spent her whole life running from her past, which causes a lot of lies and damage in her relationships. Once she was old enough, her father forced her to marry Bill, a cruel rancher on the other side of town, just to settle his own debts. Her marriage to Bill only lasted a month before he was killed in a shootout – which is both good and terrible for her, because the relationship was abusive and dangerous.  Wesley is a hardworking man who holds his emotions close to his chest. His little sister, Nettie, is his entire world. His parents passed away and since then he’s been raising Nettie. He’s longed for a wife for years. Unfortunately, the love of his life, Alice, rejected him at the altar. Dove is determined to do everything it takes to keep her afloat after the loss of her husband. She is rather guarded and protects her independence fiercely. Can she find the courage to open up her heart to a stranger? Or will her tragic past keep her trapped for the rest of her life? If you like fast-paced clean romance and action-packed stories, you won't be able to put down this addictive Novel by Evelyn Boyett. "Unexpected Love For A Secretive Bride" is a stand-alone Western Historical Romance Novel of approximately 500 pages.

    Nestled in her little village in inland Africa, this young pregnant mother of two boys already had the hopes and dreams which any Igbo woman her age would want of her time. And her joy was furthered with the impending birth of their third child, a child whom they were hoping would be the girl her husband wanted. But she was captured against her will and helpless at that point because of her pregnancy, she yielded to her assailants without question. What happens next is a terrible ordeal for this young woman who learns about the savagery of life's sharp ends and about where betrayals begin - on the very soil that is Africa. Along the way, Adaku meets people like her who were kidnapped against their will and soon she forges friendship with women across all tribes, all in search of a common cause to escape from the brutal trade and greed of certain nations of the coastal blacks and those of the northern African landscape who know nothing but of selling human flesh for the gratification of what the white men could offer them.In Part I of The Story of Adaku, Adaku encounters treachery and hopelessness of being branded a slave. Already, she learns the dangers of running and in the early times of her capture, her determination for escape eventually materializes towards acceptance when she realizes the trade for human flesh is far too robust for one single person to fight.I hope you find this story a beautiful one and one that will eventually spur you on towards the reading of my next story which covers Adaku's journey into The Middle Passage. This will be Part II, now available on Amazon.com.There is no excuse for slavery and there is no excuse to what has been done but gradually, the healing should give way to a better hope for tomorrow.

    And It’s Not Happening Inside a Courtroom. Lawyers come in all shapes and sizes, male and female, brilliant and dim. Michael Gresham is a Chicago lawyer who is quietly—and sometimes not so quietly—going about his business, defending his criminal clients, and providing for his wife and children. When a new client walks in, the lawyer must have the upper hand in all dealings and the client must allow the lawyer to run the show. To do otherwise is to risk jail or worse for the clients of Michael Gresham. But without warning, a client turns on him. Without warning, Michael’s world is turned on its head one life at a time. Michael, being Michael, fights back. A trial takes over and the book begins a runaway contest with a runaway jury that neither the judge nor the lawyers can control. When it is over, the last man standing will walk away with his life and his world and the other will lose it all. The pawns are Michael’s wife and children—his everything. In the end Michael must face his own demons and try to lay hold of the person he is ultimately meant to be: the lawyer who roared.

    Godfrey was a central figure in the Reno-Benteen defense over the 25th and 26th of June, 1876. He kept a diary of the Yellowstone Expedition against the Sioux from May 17 to September 24.The diary reveals anecdotes and observations of General Custer's mood and behavior before the fight on June 25th, as well as the desperate story of survival experienced by the battalions under Reno and Benteen. It also contains fascinating details about how the cavalry moved, camped, and relaxed during the days leading up to the fight.In 1892, (then Captain) Godfrey wrote what became a very famous and widely-read article for Century Magazine about the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Both of these documents are cited by most serious Custer books..

    But they have two urgent matters to attend to before they leave: Prevent Gertie's cousin, Barbara, from marrying Harvey Chicoron and settle a score with their arch enemy, Celia.It's a simple mission.Until they discover a mysterious stranger has been tracking their every move.Who is he? And why is he also stalking Marge's Aunt Louanne, a woman with a few mysteries of her own?Undercover is book 1 in the Sinful Past series of stories featuring Ida Belle, Gertie and Marge in their younger years. Join the original Swamp Team 3 as they raise hell, solve mysteries, and keep the town of Sinful, Louisiana from going to pot. Oh, and maybe have a romance or two along the way. These stories take place from the 60s on up and can be read in any order.A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR: Undercover is a novella in the Miss Fortune World, wherein Jana DeLeon has allowed writers to create stories using the world of Sinful and the wacky characters it's famous for. I wish to thank Ms. DeLeon for graciously allowing other writers to explore their own writing in a most Sinful way.