While there, Mr. Pinocchio meets all sorts of Fascinating Characters, one more Unbelievable and Amazing than the next, and they challenge him to confront his Deepest, Darkest Fears. The experience leads Mr. Pinocchio to the very edges of despair, but at a critical juncture he finds hope in the arms of a Bad Woman.The love affair ends tragically, alas, and, like many parts of Mr. Pinocchio's story, stretches credibility to the breaking point, but the harrowing adventure -- which involves a great deal of pain, a smattering of dirty sex, and endless amounts of girlish crying -- eventually leads to Redemption and Healing. But not for Mr. Pinocchio

    Reminiscent of such modern classics as Cowboys Are My Weakness and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, with a touch of Geek Love thrown in for good measure, Rocket City is a deliciously original and strangely moving novel of alienation in America's Southwest.

    The two are half-sisters and have always fought: now their argument rages over the trainspotter. Is he doomed to eternal nerdiness or could he be taught to appreciate the finer things in life? Eupheme bets he can: in time for Gresham's engagement party she will have transformed him into a man that her sister would want to sleep with.

    Jenkins is the author of many books including the New York Times bestseller Out of the Blue with Orel Hershiser.

    He’s a rat, anyway, and currently attends Sex Addicts Anonymous. He still comes by the house, though, as do her hippie, macrobiotic mother; her feisty, alcoholic best friend; her God-fearing grandmother; and that Perfect Guy, the one with the beatific son who plays with her daughter, the one who happens to have a winning smile, wild black hair, a professorship at Harvard—and (drats!) a gorgeous doctor girlfriend. Told in short takes that perfectly mimic the frantic nature of our busy lives, Hot and Bothered follows its heroine through the streets of Cambridge, where she spends far too much time staring into space and sipping mocha lattes with extra whipped cream; to church, where she prays for a little salvation; to Alaska, where she believes a rugged outdoorsman might just be that salvation; and to Cape Cod, where, in a little house by the sea, she might finally see the light. Annie Downey has written an updated Cinderella story for all single moms.

    Liu Pen, spymaster for the Peoples Republic of China, envisions using Islamic terrorists to disrupt Western interests on China's vulnerable southern flank. Admiral Suluvana plots to overthrow the Indonesian government and establish an Islamic state. Together, they scheme to use a genetically engineered version of small pox to attack the West. Their secret base is Nusa Funata, a dark and inhospitable island in the Java Sea. Jon Hunter commands the nuclear submarine SAN FRANCISCO. Driven by an inner fire, Hunter relentlessly pursues every opportunity to prove himself and his beloved boat. Hunter's boss, Commodore Carlucci, will do anything to move his own career forward, including holding Hunter down. When the US intelligence agencies catch some whiffs of the activity on Nusa Funata, the SAN FRANCISCO is ordered to find out what is going on. Once they have confirmed that Nusa Funata is being used to manufacture the deadly biological weapon, the threat must be neutralized. It is exactly the type mission that Hunter had been praying for.

    And complicated. Paisley Grant arrives in her hometown of Basalt Bay, Oregon, with three goals in mind—face her past, make amends, and learn how to breathe again. Three years ago, she left her husband a Dear John letter, then secretly drove to Chicago where she’s been living ever since. That wasn’t fair to Judah—or to her dad, whom she hasn’t spoken with in all this time. Facing them will be hard, but even more difficult will be seeing certain townspeople whose hurtful remarks made her run in the first place. Like her father-in-law, Mayor Grant. It will take every ounce of courage she possesses to look that man in the eye again. As determined as Paisley is to make amends, her plans don’t include getting back together with Judah. It’s time to move on—alone and independent. But when hurricane winds and destructive waves hit the coastal town, and she must face her greatest fear, will she cling to her plans and live with regret, or let them go to find love again?

    He’s given the job of watching over 4 year old William, the son of his owner. When his owner goes bankrupt, the family decides to go to Oregon on a wagon train. Gabriel is taken along. The wagon train is attacked by the Sioux, and Gabriel trades slavery in one world for slavery in the Indian world. Through a series of events, he works and fights his way into being accepted by his Sioux captors, eventually assuming a place of leadership in the tribe as Black Buffalo.

    Unwilling to give up, you pursued life relentlessly. This time you planned for love and happiness meticulously keeping it in the most secure cabinet of your body while you waited to welcome it with bated breath. Lo! the cabinet lock is broken, and you are left alone again.Do you have the right to give up now, lose hope and become a mental health case or will life give love and happiness another unprecedented chance? Read the story of Nimisha, Nitin, Pari and Jhumki embroiled with unconditional love, inevitable misfortunes, unexpected blessing and the unfolding of a divine decree or preordained fate.

    On this maiden voyage, Captain Borodin is at the helm. He is the only one aboard aware of the mission.Soon an engineer discovers a defect—seemingly minor, but one with disastrous potential. Despite his attempts to correct the problem, a fire erupts, contained at first, then rapidly spreads out of control, consuming the behemoth ship.A Mayday call alerts Sonny Wade some two hundred miles from the burning ship. This could be the lifeline that Sonny and his rag-tag crew need to save their failing salvage business. But Dan Sharp, Sonny’s nemesis and former employer—the owner of the largest salvage business in northern Alaska—also hears the call. A brutal race is on to claim the burning ship before it sinks or runs aground, contaminating the entire north Pacific Rim—and not only with oil.

    She is all about money, and does not care a bit about them going back home to their wives. After the heartache that her ex-husband left her with, she vows to never fall for another man. That is until she meets, Cainan Wallace, better known as Cain, a handsome 28-year-old businessman. His hood demeanor has Zoe ‘judging a book by its cover’ and not wanting to get to know him. When she does, he steals her heart in a matter of time. Yet, Cain has secrets of his own and demons that he’s trying to fight off. We’ll see if he’s able to keep his secrets and Zoe apart. Or will he have to sacrifice his reputation, all for the love of Zoe. Linda is Zoe’s sister, and the type who wants everyone to believe she has the picture perfect marriage. Behind closed doors, there are secrets, infidelities, and lines that have been crossed in more ways than one. Let’s just see if love is enough to keep this family as one.

    They also experience the property bubble, traffic jams, and the unbearable summer heat.Thousands of maids serve these expats, cleaning their villas and apartments seven days a week, battling tirelessly to keep the sand and dust away. MAID IN DUBAI is the harrowing journey of one such maid.Meet Aubrey, a Filipino girl who works for a cleaning agency in Dubai. Aubrey sees a city that is quite different from the one presented in travel brochures. She experiences the hardships of life in a city with many secrets. From her encounters with maids who lie, steal, prostitute themselves, and swindle their bosses to the shocking stories of corrupt employers, illegal schemes, and seemingly unending greed, Aubrey reels from one scandal to another as she tries to work hard and build a better life for herself in the infamous “City of Gold”.From ironing competitions to banned sex toys, MAID IN DUBAI perfectly captures the oddities of everyday life in one of the richest cities in the world, and is a captivating, often heartbreaking tale of one maid’s struggle for empowerment in a thankless industry. MAID IN DUBAI delivers the perfect mix between Jean Sasson’s Princess setting in the Middle East and Elisabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray and Love journey of self-discovery, on a diary format, from a unique and very realistic point of view. A novel that will challenge all your perceptions about Dubai!

    Old Jacob had started the family antique business when he was nine years old, going round the big houses and buying small items of bric-a-brac for pennies. Now Brogden's was famous for its beautiful furniture and pictures. But the most beautiful - and valuable - thing in Jacob's life was his granddaughter, Lois - for Lois reminded him of the daughter he had lost so tragically many years ago. When Lois fell in love with John Farrar, the whole family were dismayed, for between Jacob and the Farrars was a deep and abiding feud that could never be mended. Lois, conscious of the storm clouds of war gathering over her future, was determined that nothing and no-one should come between her and her beloved John. But as war broke out, as families were torn apart, Lois found her life changing irrevocably.

    "The Lion and the Leopard" takes place during the Great 1914-18 War when German forces invaded Nyasaland, Northern Rhodesia and Portuguese East Africa. Martin Russell ("The Settler") and his step-daughter, Clare, travel to the war front, while the Spaight family (Alan, from "Lake of Slaves", and his son Drew, and daughters Mandy and Kirsty) are also drawn into the conflict. A young British officer falls in love with Mandy, but she finds her true love elsewhere. Kirsty's friend, a Britsh naval reservist, joins the gunboat flotilla on Lake Tanganyika. The Chilembwe Uprising in Nyasaland provides an unwelcome distraction early in the war. The loves and tragedies in the families unfold during the long and bitter campaign.

    One man that Charles hires turns out to be a loner with a bad attitude. Charles realizes his mistake and makes an attempt to change him, and has a surprising turn around when they travel to Utah.Charles realizes he needs to find one man capable of running the entire food and agriculture operation and doesn’t have to look far to find the perfect man.Charles goes to the Utah job site to settle a problem between two towns. A nearby town demands the railroad must go out of its way 20 miles to make their city the central point for the railroad’s central switch location, and the workers fear retaliation from the town if they don’t comply.Charles returns to Denver and discovers that his old nemesis, Fergus Atwood, has come with his attorney and is armed with a written recovery order for stolen property, signed by a judge. Charles’s temper explodes and Hunt is forced to step in. Charles finds himself in court to save his 3-year old prize stallion.Charles’s adventures take Charles on livestock hunting missions to supply his farm with the proper livestock and soon he is pleased with the way the farm is coming together.Boredom finds Charles scanning the papers, and he reads about the horse races in New Orleans the following week, and the headlines read, The Best Of The Best and Charles decides to take his prize stallion to New Orleans and test him against the best. The New Orleans adventure creates both friends and dangerous enemies.