maritime industry hit rock bottom starting in the early 1980's, right around the time the author was graduating from the California Maritime Academy. Even in his yearbook it warned about how bad things were—it was a time of cost cutting, reduced wages, desperate shipping companies and a lack of jobs. Eventually he made his way out to sea as both an able-bodied seaman and as a third mate. He saw first-hand what it was like out there; from the crazy captains to the weary sailors, and from the bad food to the dangerous working conditions. This book covers it all, and while the ships he sailed on were all scrapped long ago, the stories of the industry and what it took to make it on them, are remembered. This is his story.

    I have no idea if it is part of the dream, a hallucination, or reality. It talks of children, bringing news of a girl called Grace who loves me very much and a new baby boy called Freddie, who apparently needs me to get better... It stirs a part of me, even in my coma, reminding me that I'm thirty-eight and in love with the most beautiful woman in the world. It tells me that one third of me is gone but what's left is enough; that the thing is, above all, to survive.' When Tom Ray put his young daughter to bed one chilly December evening, he had everything he could ever want - the house of his dreams, a beautiful wife and a second baby on the way. By the next morning all of this was in jeopardy as Tom succumbed to the devastating illness that is sepsis.Starfish tells Tom and Nic Ray's truly inspirational story of their life before, during and after the illness which claimed Tom's lower arms, legs, and a portion of his face. Heart-breakingly honest and affecting, their story charts the devastating effects of Tom's illness, Nic's heroic struggle to cope and, ultimately, the love and hope that has held their family together in the ensuing years. A tragic yet beautiful tale of a couple whose love is tested to its limit after their perfect life falls apart in a single moment.

    Kate Bratton dreams of more. It’s 1914, and her life is mapped out ahead of her: continue working as a maid in the beautiful Woodicombe House, settle down with Luke the gardener and, of course, start a family.Desperate to run away in search of adventure, Kate’s plans are curtailed by the arrival of the Russell family at Woodicombe House. Tasked with becoming a ladies-maid for their daughter, Naomi, Kate gets a glimpse of the other side of life. Little does she know that all families have secrets, no matter their standing.Will Kate return to the safety of her life before the Russell’s departure? Or will the handsome Ned Russell turn her head? The Woodicombe House Sagas The Housekeer’s Daughter A Wife’s War (Coming March 2019) Praise for The Housekeeper's Daughter: ‘I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and found the story to flow well. There were many twists and turns that built up to the final conclusion. Very enjoyable and definitely recommended’ 5* Reader review

    Who doesn’t likes a good session of jokes? If you too are looking to add a little humor to your life and you would love to have some rib cracking laugher sessions, we have a perfect book for you. The internet is a vast repository of jokes and the list is practically too big to handle. However, not all jokes are funny and damn, we all know how much it frustrates to read a joke (and some pathetically long ones too) and then end up wondering WTF, where did that go!Heck, I didn’t even twitch an eyelid, leave apart laughing. So, to spare you from all such bloopers... We have brought for you the best jokes of 2016, compiled all together. We have spanned multiple dimensions and we are sure that you can’t have a straight face as you read the jokes. They are just too funny to simply smile. We had a cracker of a time compiling it as we broke into fits of laughter. So, are you all set to truly have a fun ride by dabbling on the best jokes that were hot on the internet?

    But then while taking a selfie on the edge of a cliff, Jessica suddenly vanished. Emily was later handcuffed and jailed without bail. Encouraged by her parents, lawyers and her psychiatrist to plead insanity, she complies and is found guilty. Unable to convince anyone that she's innocent and having nothing better to do, Emily journals her story. While in solitary confinement her mind begins to unravel and forgotten details form a new, unexplainable reality. Emily begins to doubt everything she thought she knew. Was everyone right? Did she push her beloved twin sister to her death, or was it a selfie gone horribly wrong?

    Holding on to those resources will be tougher.Three weeks after the mother of all solar storms, power is out, communications are down, and transportation is mostly non-existent. Fear and panic run rampant. Resources run scarce. Looting, rioting, and general mayhem advance as the dark side of humanity takes hold.Retired Air Force Major Sam Pratt, along with his best friend, Chet Stevens, their recent traveling companion, Tiffany Conway, and her parents double down on their plan to wait out the apocalypse at Sam’s cabin in the foothills of Tennessee. Food is the first order of business. They’ll need plenty to survive the two years or more they expect it will take for the lights to return. Should Sam and his friends make do with what the land provides, or claim their fair share of what food remains?Security is the second order of business. To defend against an expected onslaught of hungry people, Sam and his cadre form an alliance with the nearby town of Townsend. The population is small, manageable, and led by a select few with military experience. They anticipate no shortage of marauders willing to kill for what the town has. And Townsend, Tennessee, with its access to fresh water and miles of remote forest teeming with game and fish, is prime real estate for seemingly everyone with a gun. Sam and his friends have a decision to make. Stand and fight with the town, fall back to the cabin, or fade into the mountains?Decisions have consequences, and mistakes are often counted with lost lives. Is survival in this post-apocalyptic world even feasible?

    

    

    He has been especially trained by the newly crowned king to win over territories and annex them to the greatest empire of those times. The earth quakes and the skies shiver when Chamundeswari and Vijayendran come face to face. But is everything what it appears to be on the surface? Forget being docile, the princess with a tiger for her pet, appears to be a rebel through and through. And the warrior whose strength is to annex regions could be the very person the princess needs to save her kingdom. But will The Rebel Princess heed the words of the man who sets her on fire with a mere glance?

    At first taking their cue from the previous struggle of the then fledgling United States, the rebellion soon degenerated. The initial violence began to feed upon itself and bloody revolution spread across all of France. Surprisingly, the struggle spread into neighboring countries. Early in 1793, Great Britain and Republican France went to war. This lasted, with a pair of short interruptions, until 1815. For much of this war, Britain strained at every seam to prevent French forces from crossing the Channel. For much of the war, the Royal Navy was the bulwark that prevented invasion, just as it did a century and a half in the future. Our fictional Royal Naval officer in this book is representative of those larger than life figures that saved the British Isles from conquest.

    The full novel will publish on 1st August 2014. Perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn and Samantha Hayes. Lisa Gardner calls THE GOOD GIRL ‘a twisty, roller coaster ride of a debut.Mia Dennett can't resist a one-night stand with the enigmatic stranger she meets in a bar. But going home with him might turn out to be the worst mistake of Mia's life... An addictively suspenseful and tautly written thriller, THE GOOD GIRL is a compulsive debut that reveals how, even in the perfect family, nothing is as it seems...

    After all what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. But what happens when the six foot two ‘incident’ follows you back home?

    Besides her solid-as-a-rock husband, her only solace is her two dogs, her sewing students, and her new friends in the women's group her mother-in-law has introduced her to.Alice and Robin want to help Jean, but they don't know how. Alice is dealing with a pregnancy scare, and Robin is trying to help her oldest daughter navigate collegiate options.AJ has the best advice, as she's lived most of her life childless too. But her own baby is requiring more from her than she ever imagined. Eloise provides food and offers Jean a job at her inn though she's drowning to keep her head above water there. Kelli brings her son to Jean as much as possible, but it's not until Kristen convinces Jean to spearhead the new Seafaring Girls program in Five Island Cove that Jean starts to find some purpose to her life.Kristen is consulting on the program, as she ran it successfully many years ago, and her heart is happy as she watches a new generation of girls learn to love the sea while staying safe on it.But when someone returns to the Cove no one ever expected to see again, old wounds open just as they'd started to heal. This group of women will be tested again, both on land and at sea, just as they once were as teens.

    The British effort in Northern Ireland made unprecedented use of electronic surveillance. The Special Air Service and other British elite assault units were highly dependent on information provided by a network of towers and other devices. Construction and maintenance of the towers was the job of the British Army's Royal Corps of Signals.The author and his fellow troopers of the "R. Sigs" had to climb and work on the electronic towers in full view of an often hostile population and occasionally even under fire. Jack Williams' account adds a previously little-known dimension to the campaign in Northern Ireland and provides a first-hand account of previously unknown operations and techniques.

    But what happens when a friendship fades, and people go their separate ways? Does it mean they won’t see each other again or does it make the friendship stronger when they reunite? Lexi is a college graduate who thought Frankie was the love of her life; until she met someone else. He swept her off her feet and promised to love her forever. Unfortunately, with every new person you meet, there’s always a hidden agenda. Frankie promised to marry Lexi when they were younger, but as fate would have it, nothing went as planned. She left for school while he stayed back and did his own thing. His new girlfriend, Crystal, has plans of her own for Frankie and will make sure nothing or no one stands in her way of getting him; including his long lost love Lexi. Take a journey with the characters you love to hate and see if Luvin' A Young Beast is everything it’s cracked up to be.