One of the children, now grown, is the re-teller of these tales, while his sister, Miruna, seems to possess the gift of second sight. Incorporating elements of fantasy common to the storytelling traditions of the Balkans, historical figures mix with imaginary beings in a landscape to recreate the world of an isolated hamlet that had managed to keep the modern world at bay over a succession of political regimes, but whose idiosyncratic ways might now be irretrievably lost without its story being told.Blending the autobiographical and historical with the marvelous, Miruna, a Tale is a novel whose core is the exploration of the imaginary themes and motives that informed traditional society in the mountainous regions of Romania, a world that was radically transformed into virtual extinction over the course of the 20th century.Described by critics as a “literary jewel whose strange and singular spell holds the reader in its thrall,” and "a kind of meta-fairy tale," Miruna, a Tale received the Bucharest Writers Association Fiction Award in 2007.

    He did, however, once have a lover he later dubbed Faithless McBride. For eight years, he'd suppressed thoughts of Faith McBride's abandonment with whiskey and women. That is, until visions of her imminent death started to haunt him. Only James can save her from a killer; but can Faith trust the one man who destroyed her faith in love?

    But the marriage had broken up in the first place because of the suffocating influence of the Sanchez family. Now there was a danger that Rachel would be swallowed up in it yet again. Andre's eyes darkened, "You're still a member of this family. You're a Sanchez." Rachel shook her head. "I'm not. I'm Rachel Jardin!" "You're Rachel Sanchez!" announced Andre harshly. "I have plans for you, and you will do as your father wanted and follow them!" "And if I disagree?" "You'll be destitute. You've no money, on your own admission, you've no money, and I won't pay another cent into your London bank!" Rachel felt defeated. "You're a brute!" she said unevenly. "I hate you, Andre Sanchez!" "You'll say that once too often, Rachel." Without another word he brushed past her and went out the door, slamming it behind him.

    "Both prolific and eloquent in her continuing indictment of parents who abuse their children and societies that tolerate such behavior."--Kirkus Reviews.

    But at the same time he was too organically a radical ever to be confused with a conservative. Result: Agent of Chaos! Boris Johnson thinks he wants democracy. But in the course of his adventures he discovers that democracy to him means freedom. It's a banned concept from the Millennium of Religion. Like God. He finds himself dealing with a byzantine political situation worthy of anything from the banned past. The dictatorship is the Hegemony. Opposition is provided by the aptly named agents of C.H.A.O.S. Meanwhile, the Brotherhood of Assassins plays a game that no one can fathom. Whose side are they on? Whose fool are you? Spinrad explores his philosophical theme in a manner all too rare in contemporary science fiction. The problem is that Order will always try to eliminate any random factors. By its very nature, it encourages opposition and that feeds the forces of chaos. But chaos has built in problems as well. Its victories cannot help but feed the forces of reaction, of order. The heroes in this novel ultimately opt for personal freedom. The villains try to establish a dictatorship over the very nature of reality itself. And then Spinrad throws in the discovery of aliens. A starship sets forth to meet them, the Prometheus. The Hegemony doesn't like that.

    In the last 30 years, neuroscientists have made major headway in the understanding of the sources of anger, depression, and fear. Today, whole industries profit from this knowledge -- producing pills for every sort of pathological mood disturbance. But until recently, few neuroscientists focused on the subject of happiness. Now, in The Science of Happiness, leading German science journalist Stefan Klein ranges widely across the latest frontiers of neuroscience and neuropsychology to explain how happiness is fostered in our brains and what biological purpose it serves (and, importantly, how we can control our negative feelings and emotions). In addition, he explains the neurophysiology of our passions (the elementary rules of which are hardwired into our brains), the power of consciousness, and how we can use it. In a final section, Klein explores the conditions required to foster the "pursuit of happiness." A remarkable synthesis of a growing body of research that has not heretofore been brought together in one accessible book, The Science of Happiness will ultimately help each of us understand our own quest for happiness -- and our fostering of it, as well.

    What happens when your comfortable life is suddenly denied you?When the Chanel make up’s dried up, the designer gear’s been flogged on eBay and the Persian rug has been well and truly pulled out from under you?Meet Francesca Milton-Harris as she realises that one ‘little mistake’ is going to change her life in ways she could never have imagined.The All or Nothing Girl …because sometimes you have to lose it all to see how much more you can gain.

    Though the rest of her adoptive family scorned her as an outsider, Gram and her grandson Ian always loved Laina like she was one of their own. Now Laina is all grown up and a foster parent in her own right, to a little girl named Jada whose upcoming adoption by strangers is sure to break Laina’s heart. But Laina faces the prospect of another devastating loss when Gram’s health begins to fail. As she has so many times before, Laina turns to Ian for advice, only to find that her feelings for her handsome, warm-hearted friend have changed, deepening into a love that could transform her life...or ruin her dearest friendship.When Laina and Ian come together at the family summer home on the windswept shores of Hatteras Island, the sparks igniting between them cannot be ignored. But with stakes as high as these, can they overcome their fear of heartbreak to claim the promise of love?

    And Byron's searing kiss stirred wild longings in her no other man had roused. her future as an architect was in his hands. But he would trap her in a desperate passion- one never fulfilled by love. She fled to a glamorous assignment in Paris- to the embrace of an elegant Frenchman whose sensuous caress hid a dangerous ambition. Then destiny brought Byron into her life again, tempting her with new dreams, drawing her into the flames of the one unforgettable love that promised to consume her- body, heart and soul.

    Peppered with aphorisms and laced with wit and humour, this text is a clever, inspirational allegory about living life to its fullest.

    Today. A contemporary romance.Simone Doucet, a woman caught between her own ambition and loyalty to her boss, her ruthless mother, is determined to prove herself during a critical business trip to London. That means staying focused, efficient, and predatory.But when a last minute staff change places a man called Blue at the hatch of her private jet moments before she's scheduled for takeoff, Simone's focus starts to blur.Thomas Bludell opted out of the corporate game years ago. He knows how it plays, knows the rules—or lack of them—and doesn't want any part of it. This trip to London and taking orders from a female corporate shark, is a favor to a friend nothing more. Trouble is Blue isn't good at taking orders. What Blue is good at is seduction.

    When a beautiful young woman named Lisandra is found dead at the foot of a six-story building, her husband, a psychoanalyst, is immediately arrested for her murder. Convinced of Vittorio’s innocence, one of his patients, Eva Maria, is drawn into the investigation seemingly by chance. As she combs through secret recordings of Vittorio’s therapy sessions in search of the killer—could it be the powerful government figure? the jealous woman? the musician who’s lost his reason to live?—Eva Maria must confront her most painful memories, and some of the darkest moments in Argentinian history.In breathless prose that captures the desperate spinning of a frantic mind, Hélène Grémillon blurs the lines of past and present, personal and political, reality and paranoia in this daring and compulsively readable novel.

    Dyer reveals how to change lifelong, self-defeating thinking patterns that prevent you from living at the highest levels of success, happiness and health.

    A Kindle Unlimited Series - all books in this series are free to read via Kindle Unlimited. Escape To Italy Series (can be read in any order) SUMMER IN SORRENTO SPRING IN SICILY AUTUMN IN VERONA WINTER IN VENICE Maia Connolly never expected to find herself widowed at forty-five. Her beloved husband died unexpectedly while restoring their nineteenth century Italian farmhouse on a secluded hillside in Sorrento. Since his death, money is tight which is why Maia decides to open the farmhouse to tourists as summer accommodation. Uncertain of her business capabilities and even more of her hospitality skills, she is thrown in at the deep end when her first bookings appear and her new guests all arrive over the same week. First there’s Jacob, an attractive New Yorker of obvious Italian origin who has returned to the area to visit his ailing father. Clearly they don’t get on, as he refuses to stay in the family home in Naples. But what has caused their rift? Amelia, a shy twenty-something London girl is in Sorrento for a friend’s wedding. But she seems hesitant about her connection to the bridal party. Cal and Lori have returned to Italy for their ten-year anniversary in the hope of recapturing some of the spark lost from their marriage. Will the beauty and romance of Sorrento help them rekindle their love for each other? Gradually each of Maia’s summer guests find their worries eased and hearts lightened by the beauty of this magical place….

    And sure enough, Carter says he's going to be needing an engagement ring soon... but it's for another woman!Carter Grayson thought he'd never see Faith again--her parting words that he'd never be able to commit have dogged him. To prove she's wrong, he blurts out a lie, and it's a whopper! Too late, he realizes when she discovers his deceit, she might be lost to him forever.   A romantic comedy for Valentine's Day and any time you're in the mood for a story to make you laugh and sigh.