This is the story of the men who fought with them -- and the 304 who didn't return.

    Hard-backed with brown and pale yellow marbling on the cover, like chocolate in cream.'I want you to write something for me,' said Jonathan, his dark eyes locking onto mine. 'I want you to write your story, Mam.'Peggy's story is the story of her Snowdonia village – of a community that that shares its joys and its woes across floured kitchen tables and scrubbed shop counters.Throughout Peggy's life food looms large – the lack of it, the sharing of it, the eating of it – from gingerbread to cawl, ce-cream to bara-brith. Her recipes are well-used and much ppreciated, but no one is quite sure where her inspiration comes from, why she is the way she is.Not until everyone's tale is told does Peggy's story unfold... as thick, dark and sticky as treacle.

    Wandering there, she uncovers, in the ruins of a log cabin, the writings of a young woman who lived more than a hundred years before. Into Alyson's story Merilyn Simonds weaves the moving tale of Margaret MacBayne, who, with her family, left behind hardship in a seaside Scottish town in the hope of building a new home in the Canadian wilderness. Margaret, an expert on herbs, contemplates revenge when her brothers rob her of her happiness. When Alyson too suffers great loss, she must decide if retribution is worth the price. Taut and uplifting, sensuous and astute, The Holding is psychologically complex and beautifully rendered. Simonds brings us an intimate journey of discovery into the things we keep most guarded, whose truths often lie in unexpected places.

    All the more so in the Exclusion Zone around the ill-fated Chernobyl power plant, where after a secret experiment went wrong in 2006, the laws of physics are bent and mysterious phenomena manifest. In 2011, another Zone is apparently created after Al-Qaeda detonated nukes in Afghanistan. Ukrainian authorities send a research team to verify the claims. The scientists go missing and a search and rescue operation is launched. For Mikhailo Tarasov, officer in the armed forces who desperately try to contain the Exclusion Zone, this mutant-infested wilderness is his home turf. But when he sets out on his mission into the New Zone, he soon finds himself facing perils he has never encountered before. His mission becomes a struggle against evil permeating the wastelands, confronted with the shadows of the country's troubled history at each step. Tarasov is aided by unlikely allies - outcasts, adventurers, renegade US Marines and a mysterious woman who appears to be the keeper of dark secrets. But beyond all the perils, the ultimate danger awaits: betrayal. The noir, post-apocalyptic narrative of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Southern Comfort goes is a contemporary voyage into the heart of darkness, where not only the laws of physics are bent but the rules of the outside world as well. This is an alternative reality where outcasts prevail, the oppressed take revenge and the faithful revolt. ""Whatever power had created the Zone, it has outsmarted us and it has happened again. You will look at the New Zone with fresh eyes... like Strelok did here when everything began."" Major Alexander Degtyarev, 2014

    Getting away from him had been easy, the first time. But when his web closes around her, she finds that she is bound by law to marry the man who has waged war against her country for more than a decade. She's horrified that she's now facing a loveless political marriage - a scenario she's fought against her whole life. Rashid is astonished to find the young beauty not only intelligent and stubborn, but also his perfect mate. Curbing that stubbornness will be his challenge - a task he's more than willing to accept. Unfortunately, Alea's heart has already fallen for the strong, handsome and vastly intelligent man. She loves everything about him - his compassion and strength as well as his love of his country. How can she get him to accept her love, and love her as well.

    What I destroyed in that building might end up saving this sorry planet.This dumbass shrink has been trying to dissect my brain all week. He thinks the months I spent lost in the wilderness somehow turned me into a Loony Tune. Boy, is he barking up the wrong tree. No matter how many drugs they pump into my veins, they'll never make me forget what really happened.

    

    Being placed in a group home wasn’t her ideal place to live, but she soon grew to love it because that’s how she met her best friend Glamour. Now a grown woman, her mission is to become some trapper’s Bonnie, but what happens when she meets the smooth-talking and persistent Vonnie Kross? Vonnie isn’t just you’re average trapper. In fact, he is one of the most paid suppliers in the Atlanta streets that every woman craves to get a taste of. Ever since his father grew ill and died, he dropped his dreams of ever going off to college and took over the family business. Everything in his life is sweet, or so he thinks. The moment he decides to pursue Mahari, his entire world goes into a spiral. Glamour is one of the best makeup artists in Atlanta and the ultimate party girl. One drunken night leads her to meet playboy Grayson. An utter mistake has her quickly pushing him away until, finally, she decides to give him a chance and see where things can go from there.

    

    She works hard and plays harder. Paradise is newly single and definitely ready to mingle after her on again - off again boyfriend was a little too friendly. Paradise thought she had her life figured out and knew it all until “Chaos” came and became more than just a family acquaintance. Chaos name speaks for itself and he definitely lives up to the name. Chaos has never been in love and he is perfectly fine with that, can’t miss what you never had. He snatches souls for a living without a care in the world. Even though he causes so much Chaos in others lives, his is cool and calm until Paradise enters his life on a more personal level and returns the favor to him. Find out what happens when Paradise and Chaos attempt to co-exist; causing chaos in the lives of their loved ones.

    They never saw each other as more than brother and sister until Saniyah is hit with a bullet that’s meant for Kiawe. The two of them start exploring the thought of being together until a bomb explodes around them big enough to end their relationship before it begins. Tyson’s been trying to get Selena for years, but she kept running from him. Selena’s battling demons and thinks a bottle is the only thing that can heal her pain. When Selena’s drinking starts getting out of hand, she loses grip and realizes Tyson maybe the only person that can bring her back to reality, that is if she doesn’t go too far over the edge first. Not only are Kiawe and Tyson trying to get a handle on their personal lives but their street affairs as well. With an enemy in the shadows, the boys are constantly watching their back. When their enemy finally decides to make his move someone close to the boys pay, with their life. These four are about to take you on a rollercoaster ride full of drama, love, and tears. Find out if they can handle the pressure or will they crumble.

    Who are 'the Others'? Why are an increasing number of people throughout the world developing the ability to see and speak with the dead? Why have a farmers' guild from Iowa secretly enlisted the help of Scottish reporter Peter Nicolson? If they are correct, is the world stumbling blindly into a disaster that could threaten the survival of the human race? And what is contained within the missing 'GM File' that threatens to destroy some of the world's most powerful companies? To what lengths will these companies go to prevent Peter Nicolson uncovering the truth and publishing it to the world? Who has kidnapped the Scottish teenager Debbie McCrae? Will she manage to escape, or will she be killed by her mysterious abductor? What is the secret that Susie's dad tried to tell her as he died? And who is the mysterious Timothy? Can Peter Nicolson help stop the biggest terrorist attack the world has ever seen and prevent the destruction of the city of London? Will Peter Nicolson meet Maciek, his nemesis and erstwhile saviour? And if he does, who will survive?

    Everything goes downhill from there as two Space Marines are arrested and accused of dealing China Mike—a highly addictive and illegal synthetic drug—and Fortis is forced to either get involved in the war against the cartel or abandon his Marines to the local legal system.However, as their involvement in the drug war deepens, Fortis suspects the platoon has been plunged into the middle of something much bigger. Rumors of a growing resistance movement against the colonial government abound, and it appears his men are being used to do the security force’s dirty work of putting it down.As Fortis navigates his way between the corrupt colonial government, a corporate espionage agent, intergalactic mercenaries, and his own chain of command, he has to find the truth of the situation and answer one important question—is there any way for Third Platoon to be successful when everyone else on the planet wants them to fail?