It’s just a two-hour drive…Pondering math problems is Esther Ainsworth’s obsession. If only life’s puzzles required logic. Her stepfather’s solution? Avoidance. He’s exiled the family to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, to erase a big secret from Esther’s past. So much for the truth. Now for the consequences: an empty swimming pool, a water-sucking cactus outside her window, a goldfish rescued from a church festival, and Esther’s thirst for something real.Step one: forget about her first love. Step two: make allies. Esther finds them in Jesús from the local coffee bar; a girl named Color who finds beauty in an abandoned video store; Beth, the church choir outcast; and Moss, a boy with alluring possibilities. Step three: confess her secret to those she hopes she can trust. Esther’s new friends do more than just listen. They’re taking Esther one step further.Together, they hit the road to face Esther’s past head-on. It’s a journey that will lead her to embrace her own truth—in all its glory, pain, and awesomeness.

     The hack: To get one deadbeat, fully unqualified slacker into the most prestigious school in the country. The crew: Eric Roth -- the good guy, the voice of reason. Max Kim -- the player who made the bet in the first place. Schwartz -- the kid genius already on the inside...of Harvard, that is. Lexi -- the beauty-queen valedictorian who insists on getting in the game. The plan: Use only the most undetectable schemes and techno-brilliant skills. Don't break the Hacker's Code. Don't get distracted. Don't get caught. Take down someone who deserves it. The stakes: A lot higher than they think. They've got the players, the plot, and soon -- the prize. It's go time.

    Insurgent takes place in a futuristic Chicago with a dystopian society split into factions that are all fighting for power. Readers see more of the world Roth created as Tris and her boyfriend Tobias travel between factions' territories. Gain new perspectives of the story and characters while reading this literary analysis alongside Insurgent. This sequel Insurgent, creates a seamless transition as the story picks up right after the events of Divergent. Throughout the book, Tris struggles with survivor's guilt after making the hasty decision to shoot her friend. Readers witness the turmoil in Tris' relationship that is exacerbated by her self-destructive actions. The first-person narrative offers an insider's view of her grief-stricken psyche, and the chaotic dystopian society offers an ideal setting for the main character to seek self-sacrificing atonement. This analysis of Insurgent provides plenty of discussion and debate topics to enhance your reading experience. Explore Roth's futuristic world and the rocky romance between Tris and Tobias as you enjoy this exciting sequel.

    This is the brilliant short story that featured in the back of the special edition ebook of CONN IGGULDEN’S bestselling novel EMPEROR: BLOOD OF GODS.As the effects of age creep up on Augustus Caesar, he is left with the whispers of his wife Livia in one ear and the echoes of his youthful dreams in the other, as he tries to come to the rescue of his beloved grandson, Marcus.

    Melissa was the only one who knew what had really happened to Jannie beyond the sacred walls of the Mormon Temple the night that changed her life forever…. UNTIL HER BEST FRIEND VANISHED WITHOUT A TRACE.Now Melissa has gone missing, just days after entrusting Jannie with a mysterious box that someone would kill to possess. And someone has--leaving in their murderous wake an innocent victim and a trail of blood that leads to the heart of Jannie's hidden burden. Desperate to protect her secret, and to find out what has happened to Melissa, Jannie trusts no one. Not the stranger whose piercing green eyes have already seen too much, nor the family and friends whose familiar fold may be shielding a cold-blooded killer who is lurking BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.

    When her 17-year-old boyfriend, Kevin O'Brien, gives her a diamond ring the summer before her senior year, she feels as if her life is perfect. But her pregnancy changes everything. Kevin's parents don't want him to start a family at such a young age, and Mrs. O'Brien tells Judith to get an abortion. As a Catholic and an adopted child, Judith must look within her own heart and decide what to do. This beautifully written coming-of-age story will appeal to students of women's studies as well as teenagers and their parents and grandparents."Believe in Me is the honest and courageous story of 16-year-old Judith's transformation into a responsible young woman. Highly recommended reading for teens, parents, and educators."--Joyce Allan, R.N., author of Because I Love YouReviewDickerman-Nelson takes the reader along with her 16-year-old self on the roller coaster of joy, confusion, pain, rejection and hope she rode during her senior year of high school. Although the book is a story about teen pregnancy, it touches on many themes and situations to which a wide audience can relate, including adoption, adolescence, young love and the conflict between maturing teens and their parents, and within the teens themselves. --The Lowell Sun About the AuthorJudith Dickerman-Nelson became a mother at age 17. She later earned her B.A. in English from the University of Massachusetts in Lowell and her MFA from Emerson College. For 15 years, she worked with young parents at the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association in Lowell, Mass. A poet and educator, she lives in Townshend, Vermont, with her husband, Bill.

    Desperate to maintain cover, he scales the walls of the regal estate Lindenhurst and stumbles upon a frozen lake just as a beautiful woman falls through the ice. When he pulls her to safety, he learns that her name is Lillian Harold, an American blue blood betrothed to Charlie Cornelius, heir to a railroad magnate. As a gesture of thanks, Charlie’s father offers him a job. Henry is hesitant to throw in with the elites but still fearful of capture, so he accepts. Almost immediately, Henry and Lillian sense an unsettling attraction toward one another. This mutual attraction between the two continues to evolve and grow until Lillian realizes she might be in love with two men at the same time. As Henry shows a great aptitude for the business, Charlie seeks to escape his destiny by seeking out adventure in the far reaches of the world. The stubborn, rebellious, and impatient Lillian turns to Henry for company and they begin an illicit affair. Soon all begins to unravel when Charlie returns home and Henry’s past finally catches up with him. Henry eventually lands in Europe. There, amidst the harrowing chaos and carnage of World War I, he makes a promise: to live through the war, return to New York and see Lillian once more. The Ice Harvester spans the roiling conflicts of America’s gilded age to the killing fields of Europe. It is a tale of love, friendship, loyalty and betrayal as well as the American dream versus its harsh reality in a time of historic splendor and brutal savagery.

    Who does this Marine recruiter think he is? Her brother is a boy and is not ready to be sacrificed on the altar of “service to your country.” No. Thank you. When trying to talk sense into Max doesn’t work, she does the only thing she can think of. Take it to the top.Gareth Hudson has an exemplary record as a Marine recruiter and knows a good man when he sees one. So when Maxton McCollum starts asking questions in a diner one afternoon, it was obvious. This was a match made in military heaven. One young man anxious to serve his country. One country ready to train him to be the best version of himself.So when Avalon walks into Gareth’s recruiting office, all the wrong kinds of fireworks explode. In a peacekeeping move unlike him, Gareth asks for four Saturdays to change her mind. If he can’t, he’ll suggest that Max wait six months before signing up.Romance wasn’t part of the bargain, and with their age difference, Gareth knows it still shouldn’t be, but how do you resist the pull of love at Christmas?♥ Most Wonderful Time by Toni ShilohGabe Lewis loves Christmas, just not as much as his eccentric mother who gave him and his siblings Christmas names. When he discovers that his new co-worker Shanée Mitchell wants nothing to do with the season, he makes it his mission to show her the true meaning. But he never expected feelings to develop for the Air Force veteran. Can he take a chance that she feels the same way or miss the best gift of all?♥ The Road Home by Cathe SwansonTally has tried to leave her military history far in the past, but she's not ready to go back to her former life, either. Can an old army buddy help her find a new road home?♥ Now and Forever Christmas by Jaycee WeaverRomance ruined their friendship. This could be the Christmas they repair it?CJ Sinclair never imagined trading her chef’s toque for the domestic life but her pregnant sister needs help over the holidays, and the timing couldn’t be better. A breakup and a bad case of burnout are just two on a list of things out of her control these days. Then there’s Tobin, her once best friend who she hasn’t spoken to in years. Now he’s everywhere all the time and sparking feelings she thought she got over ages ago.The past eight years as a professional musician for the US Army prepared Tobin McGhee for his new job as high school band teacher. They didn’t prepare him for how he’d feel seeing CJ again. This time, though, he won’t make the same mistakes. He’s determined to rebuild the friendship they lost. Maybe even rediscover those feelings they had back in high school before everything went wrong.Can they make holiday music together and rekindle the friendship they once had, or will romance ruin everything again?

    Everybody who's anybody in New York City summers in the Hamptons. Mara, Eliza, and Jacqui all want a piece of the action, all for different reasons.So the girls answer a classified ad to become au pairs. How bad can it be, watching a couple of kids on the beach all day? They've got the swank address, the sweet ride, and an all-access pass to the hottest social scene on the East Coast. It's shaping up to be the summer of their lives.

    The Widow's Cottage, the house where there were staying was called, and it was poignantly suitable. In that tiny Cornish community they discover strange memories of their forebears, and especially of Tilly, Cora's mother, whose family history seemed to mirror so much of their own.They become swept up in the dramatic story of Tilly and her family, a story which takes them on an epic journey across the West Country and to the solution of an amazing family mystery.

    World travel, famous people, and movie sets are her life. So are bodyguards, paparazzi, and constant chaos. Grace dreams of a normal life with regular school and real friends. She also dreams of knowing her father, whose identity her mother has never revealed. When her secretive mother announces they’re going to Martha’s Vineyard for the summer, Grace doesn’t know the island holds the keys to her family history. But once the connection becomes clear, she can’t resist searching for some answers. Grace makes some surprising moves along the way, from making a friend and piercing her ears to developing a strong suspicion of who her father is.

    The Adventurers is a story of revolution and danger in the sultry jungles of South America. As a young boy, Diogenes Alejandro Xenos (“Dax”) witnesses the brutal rape and murder of his mother and sister by government troops—experiencing the drama of revolution, loss, and tragedy firsthand. He is sent to Europe by the victorious rebel leader to rebuild his country’s diplomatic and financial status post-revolution, and is immediately thrown into the elite environment of Europe’s jet set society of international bankers and diplomats. Outwardly, Dax lives a life of privilege as one of the continent’s most sought-after, hedonistic playboys—wanted by men and women alike, but for very different reasons. Inside, however, he channels his fear, anger and hatred for the new regime, which he realizes is as corrupt as the old, into a desire to disrupt the status quo. Once a favorite of the general-turned-dictator, Dax quickly becomes an outlaw in his own country, living on the fringes of society as a rebel hell-bent on a new revolution. This epic tale of escape from the horrors of a third world regime is one of Harold Robbins' most ambitious novels ever, combining his trademark sensuality with political intrigue, a globe-spanning variety of exotic locales, and themes that never seem to change—political intrigue, greed, power, money, violence, sex and betrayal. With Dax Xenos, Robbins thrills and excites us with one of his most memorable and intriguing characters—a flawed and complicated hero. The Adventurers was one of Robbins’ most successful novels, spending 41 weeks on The New York Times best sellers list. Today, this novel easily proves that Robbins’ compelling prose still has the power to surprise, titillate, and move readers. About The Author Harold Robbins (1916–1997) is one of the best-selling American fiction writers of all time, ranking 5th on the World’s Best-Selling Fiction Author List just behind William Shakespeare and Agatha Christie. He wrote over 25 best-selling novels, sold more than 750 million copies in 42 languages and spent over 300 weeks combined on The New York Times best sellers list. His books were adapted into 13 commercially successful films and also television series that garnered numerous Oscar®, Golden Globe® and Primetime Emmy® nominations starring Steve McQueen, Elvis Presley, Laurence Olivier, Bette Davis, Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones and more. The self-proclaimed “world’s best writer in plain English,” Robbins wrote novels that resonated with audiences due to their graphic depictions of sex, violence, power and drugs, and the multilayered complexities of his characters, as evidenced by his best-selling novels Never Love a Stranger, The Carpetbaggers, Where Love Has Gone, and The Adventurers. He once said in an interview: “People make their own choices every day about what they are willing to do. We don’t have the right to judge them or label them. At least walk in their shoes before you do.” Robbins’ personal life was as fascinating to the public as his novels. An enthusiastic participant in the social and sexual revolution of the 1960s, Robbins cultivated a “playboy” image and maintained friendships with stars including Frank Sinatra, Clint Eastwood, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis, Jr.

    Though things start slowly, Ivan wins her over after a strong pursuit, and the two marry, agreeing never to inflict any “irreparable wounds.” But though Ivan proves to be a fine father, he is a distant husband, and Caroline finds herself daydreaming of other men. So as the years pass, the couple finds ways to bend but not break their cardinal rule. Rough Strife, the first novel from Lynne Sharon Schwartz, was nominated for the National Book Foundation Award. In this sensational debut, Schwartz depicts a marriage that grows painfully into the modern era, despite the changes—both political and personal—that challenge it.

     Plagued by nightmares of torture and intense violence, a writer suffering from trauma-induced memory loss seeks to solve the mystery of his missing past. The only clue is a single page of an unfinished manuscript found in an old manual typewriter, in a fleabag motel, in a small West Virginian town called Luntville. It is here that the writer will seek answers, believing that if he finishes the book he was writing, his memories will return. But Luntville is not just some bumfuck town in the sticks. It is a place where the locals make extra cash by filming necro porn, a place where vigilantes practice a horrifying form of justice they call dead-dickin', a place haunted by the ghosts of serial killers, occult demons, and a monster called the Bighead. And as the writer attempts to make sense of the town and his connection to it, he will be challenged in ways that test the very limit of his sanity. Deadite Press is proud to present White Trash Gothic, the first book in a series of highly anticipated novels for fans of redneck nightmares and backwoods terror which invokes Edward Lee's many classic gross-outs while exploring even more revolting and disturbing new directions.