Italian style and culture have been exported all over the world. What is it like at home? Almost ten years after the 2008 banking crisis, Italy struggles to maintain its standard of living, the stability of the currency, and its ability to provide jobs for its school leavers and university graduates, many of whom now leave to work elsewhere in Europe. In addition, the influx of refugees from southeast Europe and across the Mediterranean is putting pressure on both its security and its economy. How are traditional Italian society and politics changing to deal with these challenges, with its most famous political personality of the last ten years, the former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, still apparently waiting in the wings? The Italians are the most European-minded of nations, having emerged from a long history of regional fragmentation. Culture Smart! Italy introduces you to their history and culture and offers an insider’s guide to their daily lives, passions, and preoccupations. This is your chance to get to know them better.

    With nothing left, I became a shell of my old self and shut the door to my past.  In a new city with a new name, I finally moved on to a new stage. This time, it came with spotlights and screaming fans.  What I didn't expect was the dangers it brought with it.   And the one man from my past who’s off-limits has a hero complex. He’s been hired to keep me safe and doesn’t play by any rules except his. Now, I’m trying to stay alive, and guard my heart from the man who thinks limits are made to be broken.

    She’s on a charitable mission, by damn, and that rowdy cantina next door is drowning out her gospel singing. The clash with the sexy-as-hell man who runs the cantina hits with enough force to burn down the small Mexican town. What happens in Mexico… Is supposed to stay in Mexico but Hunter can’t get that blonde with the ice blue eyes out of his mind when he goes home to Texas. Finding her isn’t the problem. Convincing her that he’s interested—well, that’s another story. Mercy tried to get over Hunter, especially when she found out about his past. She had two choices: move on or give him one more chance because no other man should have to live in an old love’s shadow. If you liked Carolyn Brown’s books, Love Is, Trouble in Paradise, The Wager or The Yard Rose, you will love An Old Love’s Shadow.

     FOUR heroes. Oliver Bailey – a mill owner who is looking for investment from the ton but certainly isn’t looking for a wife. Baron Johnson – used appallingly by the young woman he’s deeply in love with. Captain Peterson – a successful ship's captain who has at least one girl in every port. Mr Lucas – a business rival to Oliver Bailey who has an ulterior motive no one else is aware of. Four stories intertwined in a way none could foresee. Their lives will never be the same. Will you be able to choose a favourite?

    

    Just weeks before our wedding, the ideal life I knew took an unexpected turn when my fiancé’s mistress came forward with her pregnancy. Being newly single at thirty-one, the last thing I had envisioned for myself was to return to my hometown of Sunnyville. Until now, I have successfully avoided this town for the last eight years, thanks to Tank Easton. Broody, sexy, lying, beautiful, selfish jerk. Who just happens to be my brother’s best friend. Knowing there is no way to avoid Tank, I plan to put our one-night stand behind us and start anew. Be cordial. Possibly become friends eventually, for my brother’s sake. Life is too short to hold grudges. Forgive and forget, right? Harder said than done. Trish Williford’s Repair is a steamy, sweet, second chance, contemporary romance written in K. Bromberg’s Everyday Heroes World project.

    In 10 Secrets My Dog Taught Me, De Vito writes about their experiences growing up together - and the life lessons that invariably result from their adventures. Ultimately, when his beloved friend is gone, De Vito discovers some thruths about love, loss, and lasting friendship."It had been Exley's job to raise me. All that time we had been having fun, going for walks, getting into trouble, being companions and friends in some great adventure. And I had spent so much time teaching him to sit, stay, lie down, roll over. But all along, he had been teaching me. It is the child that makes the man, and in this case it was a dog. All along it had been the dog doing the teaching, not me. How do you like that? And I love him for it to this day and will for the rest of my life."Writing in the heartwarming, bestselling tradition of Pack of Two and My Dog Skip, De Vito captures the spirit of that tie in a way that will resonate with not only dog lovers, but all those who share their heart and home with a pet.

    Judy saved Frank’s life many times over and raised the morale of all the men in the camp.Extracted from the bestselling title The Dog That Saved My Life, this short story tells the tale of a dog like no other, a dog who was awarded an animals’ Victoria Cross for her bravery and devotion.

    Then again, he never imagined that a chance meeting with a lost and dying dog named Shandy would change his life forever. Step into the small Irish village of Galbally, where the unwitting Spencer stumbles headfirst into a parallel world that will test his will, sanity, and even physical well-being. Time and promise are running out. Will unnatural forces and events scare Spencer away before he can connect again with the mysterious dog? Will he find his way forward before Shandy meets her inevitable fate? Or will suspicious locals and a nefarious Dublin innkeeper force Spencer from the village before he completes his life-altering mission? Follow Spencer as he races to save a little Irish dog named Shandy. If he only realized that it is Shandy who is trying to save him...

    

    Their strength is pushed to the limits, along with their confidence and sanity.Each member has their own painful journey to get to happiness, a foreign place none of them are familiar with.Real issues deserve real torment.Not everyone’s future is paved in gold, not when the road is damned.The Kings will give you one hell of a Ruthless ride by dragging you across nails only to rip your heart.

    But Tom wouldn't go until he was ready. He would seek out surf-spots from the virgin reef-breaks of the Outer Orkneys to the temple point-breaks of Indonesia, from the beautiful beaches of France to the wilds of Sri Lanka, on his quest to ride the waves of his dreams. Get on the road, get stoked, and get in the water.

    Read this tale of survival, hardship, hope, and kindness in unexpected places, as Pamela imagines the journey of Bixby's life before they found each other and he became part of her family. A firm believer of the "Adopt, don't shop" motto, this author shares her experiences and imagines what Bixby experienced before, during, and after being rescued from an animal shelter by telling the story through his point of view. This tale will draw you in, appeal to your emotions, and maybe even make you smile. Sometimes you never know what someone has been through, even a stray dog, but Pamela has imagined it all here. Appropriate for children and adults ages seven to ninety seven and up.

    E. Poynor. For less than twenty percent of what you paid for that grande maple-choco-frappa-machacino latte you'll spew out your nose while reading this book, you can learn about an aspect of Alaska most people never think about: everyday life in Alaska. Of Moose and Men: A Skewed Look at Life in Alaska provides a unique insight into the Land of the Midnight Sun, where laughing about the trials unique to the country is better than giving up.

    Paying the settlement will probably force them to close their non-profit business. That is, until they learn about a new survivalist game show set in exotic Bali. Grand prize: one million dollars. The catch? The show is for newlyweds.Nothing that a quickie marriage--in name only--can't fix. But Renata and Connell didn't anticipate they'd be linked by handcuffs the entire time they're competing! Soon, spending days and nights with only a few inches of chain between them begins to stir feelings they never knew existed.