I’m a firefighter with the name Blaze. Irony at it’s finest I suppose. My job isn’t easy, but there are some perks. Like on Christmas night how I was called to the most beautiful girl’s house I’ve ever seen. Too many lights on a too dry of a Christmas tree led me to Sami. Her voice was so calm and gentle; she watched as my crew put out the fire on her family home. “I don’t know how we could ever repay you” were the best words I could have heard come out of her mouth. So she took me up on a New Year’s Eve party. The night was perfect, until my ex-fiance Lacey showed up. Sami’s eyes were filled with fire when she realized who Lacey was. Was my old flame meant to die? Was my new spark supposed to be my future?

    One phone call from his past turns his life inside out, setting him on a path of death and destruction. Assets are being eliminated by an assassin with a special skill, a skill John thought only he possessed-the ability to blur. The life he thought he left behind threatens to destroy him and everything he holds dear. He is given one last mission-find the assassin, eliminate him, or be eliminated.

     Navy SEAL Jack Coltraine wants nothing to do with a covert operation involving a female. The last time he attempted to rescue a woman in the line of fire she lost her life, and Coltraine can’t forgive himself for her death. Can Andy and Coltraine find a way to work together to save the princess…and fall in love along the way? Longshot Jamie English has sworn off men because she was left by her teenage sweetheart to raise their daughter on her own. Agent Austin Varner is still shaken after the death of his last partner who died at the hands of a Mexican drug cartel. However intrigued he is by the sexy, blonde sheriff, the agent keeps his feelings strictly professional, unwilling to ever love another woman who puts herself in the line of fire. Dangerous Destiny Kidnapped by her ex-husband, Isabella Califano, must rely on her wits to keep her alive in a dangerous search through the Colorado Rockies for stolen money he stashed there. U.S. Deputy Marshal Shane Catlin is sent to bring in armored car robber, Reuben Gonzalez. Already bitter over losing his wife to a convict like Gonzalez the marshal vows to bring the man to justice and protect Isabella. Black Mountain Justice As the daughter of a convicted felon, Mesa McCurdy is used to the cold shoulder. Despite her troubles, she’s built a thriving bed and breakfast. When two convicts break out of a transport van and head straight for Mesa’s farm, she must put her trust in a U.S. Deputy Marshal sent to protect her. U.S. Deputy Marshal Kade Cahill is sent to Black Mountain, Colorado, to corral a convict on the loose and protect a witness. Brought up in an abusive family, Kade has no interest in a wife or children. Wild Horses When two Bureau of Land Management agents turn up murdered after a wild horse roundup, Castaña Castillo fears her brother Martin might be the killer. The Arizona Bureau of Investigations sends Jake Breton after Martin Castillo to bring him in for questioning. Jake has to redeem himself after he slept with a witness in a murder investigation, and nearly got killed for following his heart. A mistake he won’t make twice. When Jake and Castaña literally collide on the road, he hides his identity; she hides her mission. Only after a close encounter with a rifleman, a pregnant woman giving birth to Martin’s baby and a young Navajo woman who comes forward with the truth can Jake and Castaña admit they have fallen in love.

    They aren’t a match between two men both lowered into crouches, each jabbing tentatively at the other.In an actual confrontation, people get cut. There was no way to avoid it. A war of attrition predicated on trading shots. Calculated real-time risk assessment.A maxim I learned many times over the years, bearing more than a few scars to prove as much. One I was all too happy to embrace again now.For the past year, Hawk Tate lived in a perpetual state of dread over when the phone might ring. A call stemming from his actions just north of the border many months before, resulting in a marker owed to a certain government agency. An organization that will not be refused, and always comes to collect their debts.A message from an unknown sender arrives on his work answering machine one Sunday morning. An individual with shared history needing help of a vastly different nature, and Hawk can’t say no.Not to Lake Pawlak, someone he first met when he was tasked with protecting her from an international cartel three years prior. Certainly not to Savanah Vinson, Lake’s friend and neighbor, and the reason Lake comes to seek Hawk’s help. Savanah, while fighting to provide for her and her young sister after the death of their parents, went missing two nights prior with nothing but a fraudulent text message to explain her sudden disappearance.Despite a litany of concerns, Hawk agrees to return to Los Angeles with his friend, embarking on a hunt that plunges him into a world he barely knew existed. Full immersion into social media influencing and launch parties. Southern California nightlife, online message boards, and international politics.A growing web far surpassing anything he understands, forcing him to rely on contacts and acquaintances new and old—including the very people he fought to avoid for so long...

    

    Plato isn’t an ordinary cat. He’s a magical lynx with extraordinary powers.When a series of dangerous activities break out in a small city in Mexico, is it by design that the magical creature is present? Is Plato really coordinating everything?Plato isn’t the only one staying in this Mexican city or at the boutique hotel. Other magical creatures are working to stop the bad guys.That’s what Beaufonts and their sidekicks do.Can Plato, a dragon, and a talking squirrel save this coastal city?Scroll up and grab your copy of The Mysterious Plato, the first short story in this Beaufont collection, to find out.

    

    

     After a shipwrecked Spanish Manila galleon is discovered off the coast of Acapulco the investigators are stunned when its newly found treasure is stolen from under their noses. Alicia Myles and the Gold team are asked to investigate. Through the Swiss and Italian Alps and Mexico, they confront, chase and capture the ruthless thieves who are, in turn, being hunted by a far deadlier criminal kingpin. They are told that, to find the galleon’s principal treasure, they must follow a series of clues set down in ancient diaries, shadowing the poignant journey of one of the shipwreck’s few survivors. With intense danger looming on all sides, Alicia and her team end up tracking the treasure across a vast enemy encampment, through a highly dangerous and menacing ship-graveyard, surrounded by adversaries and finally forced into a decisive, deadly sea battle. . .

    Love a man who is Cowboy Strong.... The Cowboy’s Secret by Allison Merritt Can an all-around cowboy make peace with his past and find love with a spunky cowgirl who steals his family’s heart? Not the End, Cowboy by Autumn Piper Hitting humanity with a pandemic isn’t enough for Fate—she’ll make you survive it with the one person you never want to see again. Bidding for the Cowboy's Heart by Melissa Keir Going once, going twice, sold. Can a New York socialite find love with a Colorado bull rider she won at auction? Saving Cowboy by Leslie Garcia Betrayal embittered them both—can love heal their hurt and help them save a horse named Cowboy? Welcome Home, Cowboy by Sara Walter Ellwood Who says you can’t ever go home? Lorelei Kent fears she’ll never find love again. Back on her ranch isn’t where playboy bull rider Tucker O’Connell wants to be. Will she welcome him home? Or will his secret promise to her ex destroy any chance they might have had? Her Taylor Made Cowboy by D’Ann Lindun As a successful model, Taylor Griffin hated being judged for her looks unless Waylon Wainwright can prove he sees the woman, and not just her beauty.

    There are classical logic puzzles, lateral thinking puzzles, “who am I?” riddles, mathematical brain teasers, word ladders, ditloids, and a large selection of illustrated pen and paper, coins, cups, and toothpicks puzzles (please view the preview of this book for a full listing). This is the first time a collection of such breadth has been compiled and formatted especially for Kindle devices. The puzzles have been carefully organized into 25 chapters, and each question is hyperlinked to its solution, to provide utmost ease of navigation. Alongside the world’s most famous riddles, are some lesser known gems, and some brand new puzzles, in print here for the first time. Our aim was to create a definitive compendium of riddles and puzzles to bring enjoyment to people of all ages. We hope you will enjoy unraveling them as much as we enjoyed creating and editing them. Here are a handful of sample riddles: Outside the Box Riddles: You need to divide a round birthday cake into eight pieces, so each of your guests will have something to eat. How can you do this by making only three straight cuts with a knife, and without moving any of the pieces? The king’s two bodyguards developed an ingenious method for assuring the king’s safety. With the king standing between them, they would face in opposite directions; one looking to the west and the other to the east, but at the same time, and without the use of any reflective surfaces, they would both be able to observe the king clearly. How was this possible? Pure Logic Riddles: There are two glasses. One contains water, and the other contains an equal quantity of wine. A teaspoon of water is removed and mixed into the glass of wine. A teaspoon of the wine-water mixture is then removed and mixed into the glass of water. Which of the mixtures is now purer? The sorcerer’s tower was enchanted in such a way that it was able to build itself. Bricks, slates, tiles, and panes of glass, all flew to it of their own accord and danced into position. The tower doubled in size every day until after 100 days it reached a height that provided fine views over the entire realm. How many days did the tower take to reach half its full height? Lateral Thinking Puzzles: Five men are going to church. It starts to rain, and four of the men begin to run. When they arrive at the church, the four men who ran are soaking wet, whereas the fifth man, who didn’t run, is completely dry. How is this possible? Think Twice Riddles: If you are running a race, and you overtake the person in second place, what place do you move into? Word Riddles: SOS is read the same forwards, backwards, and even upside-down. What four-letter word also shares these properties? Number Puzzlers: How many letters are there in the answer to this question? You have an opportunity to buy a hen. In fact, you have been offered a choice between two quite remarkable animals. One of the hens produces six dozen dozen eggs per month, and the other produces a half dozen dozen. Admittedly, both seem impressive. Does it matter which hen you choose? Traditional Poetic Riddles: Five creatures cross a field of snow; But leave a single track behind Whose loops and bows are soon, I know, Unravelled by the mind. Coins, Cups, and Toothpicks Illustrated Riddles: A coin is dropped into an empty bottle and a cork is then inserted in the neck of the bottle. How is it possible to remove the coin without taking out the cork, or breaking the bottle?

    Dwarves are mystical craftsmen, humans are big and strong, and halflings breed explosively, but none of them can match elves for sheer magical firepower.Angrod Veneanar is a young elf. He’s nearing the end of a long apprenticeship and looking forward to going home. As a nobleman he loves wine and women—he doesn’t care at all about shadow conspiracies, forgotten magics, or long-lost royal heirs. Unfortunately, there is a prophecy, and it looks like he’s in it.Now he’s on the run. Accused of murder, what seems like the entire kingdom wants him dead. He has knights, mages, and even arcane assassins on his trail. Worse, something is riding in his head and threatening to take over his body.To survive, Angrod must use all his skill in weapons and wizardry. He must find new allies and uncover fresh strength. And if he is to stand a chance of defeating his greatest enemy, he must rediscover a master spell that’s been lost for centuries. If he doesn’t, he’s just going home—to die.

    While pure mathematics is mostly interested in abstract structures, applied mathematics sits at the interface between this abstract world and the world inwhich we live. This area of mathematics takes its nourishment from society and science and, in turn, provides a unified way to understand problems arising in diverse fields.This Very Short Introduction presents a compact yet comprehensive view of the field of applied mathematics, and explores its relationships with (pure) mathematics, science, and engineering. Explaining the nature of applied mathematics, Alain Goriely discusses its early achievements in physics andengineering, and its development as a separate field after World War II. Using historical examples, current applications, and challenges, Goriely illustrates the particular role that mathematics plays in the modern sciences today and its far-reaching potential.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, andenthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

    The wonderful inventions we now cannot live without—fromhigh-heels to tea-bags, pencils to x-rays, each story is an amazing mix of luck and a whole lot ofperseverance and hard work.Imagine what our hot summers would be without ice-lolly? The horrors of never tasting potatochips!What would we do without our quick-fix Superglue? We hardly give a thought to the manylittle things we use every day. Don’t you think it’s time we learnt about a few stories of origin?Where do they come from? Who invented them and how?Learn about 51 fascinating stories of inventions in a book blending adorable, simple illustrationswith lively text bursting with facts. Who knows, you might accidentally come up with an inventionone day too

    One click and read now to join witch Esme on her charming and funny murder mystery adventures.★★★★★ "R.K Dreaming weaves a wonderful tale of friendship, family, romance and mystery. Well written, fun read - looking forward to future releases." - Amazon ReviewerBOOK ONE:Solving crime one ghost at a time.Disaster strikes and witch Esme Westbrim flees in the dead of night to her magical hometown of Brimstone Bay with a terrible secret. The ramshackle old castle left to her by a great-aunt is the perfect hide-out for a desperate witch seeking a charm to get her out of harm's way, right up until a dead body turns up on her doorstep.Things get worse when the ridiculously handsome investigating Special Agent Chris Constantine puts Esme on his suspect’s list. Esme must put her amateur sleuthing skills to the test and prove her innocence before Agent Constantine takes too close a look at her — because Esme has a secret worse than murder.Juggling life and death turns into magical mayhem when a moody psychic cat, a busybody ghost aunt, and Esme’s three wild witch cousins burst in on her life. Will they help her catch the killer, or will they run for cover when they find out what Esme is hiding?BOOK TWO:Solving crime one fairy tale at a time.Witch Esme Westbrim is settling into a new life in Bewitching Brimstone Bay when the murder of a tourist hits too close to home. The second body in a few months has turned up on her doorstep!To make things worse Esme has seen someone she knows all too well lurking around the scene of the crime. Afraid her family will come under suspicion, Esme must attend a magical fairy-tale reunion ball and uncover deadly secrets from the past. Even help from a psychic cat, magically marvellous cupcakes, and a wild witch cousin might not be enough when a certain ridiculously handsome Special Agent keeps getting in Esme's way!Can Esme find happily ever after for everyone or will her belief that fairy tales always end badly come true?BOOK THREE:Solving crime one beast at a time.Life in Bewitching Brimstone Bay has not turned out the way that witch Esme Westbrim hoped, but when girls start going missing across town, including a customer at her café, Esme puts aside her own troubles in order to help. To her dismay, she stumbles across a wicked murder.It turns out the victim is tied to the ridiculously handsome Chris Constantine’s troubled past, and the race is on to solve not just one beastly crime, but three. Worse, Esme’s faith in Chris is shaken when she discovers an alarming secret. With the help of her psychic cat, ghost aunt and wild witch cousin, can Esme untangle the complicated mysteries of Chris’s past and her own heart before time runs out and the vengefully wicked past catches up with all of them?