In this sweeping story of love and loss, fortune and fate, this masterful storyteller recounts the journeys of the McCabe and Skye families, along with the people who shape their lives, as they strive to make good in the penal colonies of New South Wales and Van Diemen’s Land during the early 1800s. The saga chronicles the two families’ trials and triumphs, joys and injustices, and the inner torment as their lives come full circle and old secrets are revealed. The epic begins with the love of a soldier in the New South Wales Corps for a high-spirited convict woman, but tragedy leads him to the arms of a beautiful native woman. From these unions arise generations of proud Australians who play their part in forging the Great Southern Land. The story of these courageous men and women, their dreams, their dynasty, and the heritage they share is as unique as the land from which they sprang. Southern Skyes brings Australia's history to life with compelling characters, rendering the Australian landscape in all its rugged magnificence. The Soldier’s Seed – Book 1 of Southern Skyes The Soldier’s Seed, the first book of the Southern Skyes family saga, is a novel that captures the wide range of relationships between colonial, convict, and indigenous families during the tumultuous events that defined the early penal colonies of Australia. Nicholas Thomas, a soldier in the New South Wales Corps, loathes his life in Sydney Town and through a series of events of his own making he finds himself running from his past to what could be an even worse fate. While pioneering a new settlement that encounters one problem after another, he struggles to find his true self and identify what he really wants from life . . . until he meets a woman a soldier shouldn't love. When tragedy strikes, he is forced to make choices that will affect his descendants for decades to come. The Soldier's Seed is a heart-rending adventure and an exciting introduction to Australian history and the epic Southern Skyes series. PLUS a Bonus Chapter! Take a sneak peek at Southern Skyes Book 2 – The Divergence

    But even a small town has secrets its inhabitants don't want to surface. And as Bear and Mandy get to know the locals, they realize things are not as they seem in the sleepy upstate New York hamlet.

    He successfully led the country through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War, preserved the Union, and ended slavery. He issued his Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and promoted the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, abolishing slavery.This Special Congressional Collectors Edition contains Volume One of the Selected Papers and Writings of Mr. Lincoln, carefully selected from the Lincoln Archives by historian Rutger M. Lamont, a recognized expert in Civil War history and a respected Lincoln scholar. It includes The Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation, two of the most significant historical documents by Lincoln, and a cornerstone of our nation's independence. It also contains an Introduction by Theodore Roosevelt, with 'The Essay on Lincoln' by Carl Schurz and 'The Address on Lincoln' by Joseph Choate. This book provides the reader with a rare glimpse into the intellect, humor and wit that made Abraham Lincoln one of the most important political figures not only in American History, but a man for and of the world at large and an icon for the ages."This book is quintessential Lincoln, capturing the essence of one of our greatest historical leaders" - The Congressional Record "This is the definative collection of Lincoln's writings. Rutger M. Lamont's Special Collectors Edition should stand the test of time and is a monumental achievement." - Washington Post "Easy to read and highly thought provoking." - U.S. News and World Report

    This book is not an adventure story with a fictitious hero, but is the story of one of the great nautical heroes of the eighteenth century, a man who discovered many of the islands of the Pacific, to say nothing of the great lands of Australia and new Zealand.

    But Laura believes Sandrine and Jonathon were both murdered and that the key to the motive lies onboard Pandora.What secrets are hidden onboard Menzel’s yacht? What deals were brokered that are worth killing for? And can Laura get to the truth before she herself becomes just another inconvenient guest at the party?

    Charlotte, James and their seven children are independent spirits, united by strong family values.Living in a mining community is never easy, and when the shadow of impending war threatens, they must pull together to face the hardship to come. Can this close-knit family overcome whatever tragedy life throws at them?The Black Mountains, a moving saga of love, happiness and heartbreak, is perfect for fans of Rosie Goodwin and Katie Flynn. ‘Sensitive and exceptionally polished’ Manchester Evening News The Hillsbridge Sagas The Black Mountains The Emerald Valley The Hills and the Valley A Family Affair

    – President Barack Obama calls America’s alliance with Israel “unshakeable.” The Masada Complex questions this assertion with a realistic political thriller taking place in Arizona, Washington and Jerusalem.The Masada Complex unveils a chilling scenario. Its hero is Masada El-Tal, a beautiful Israeli expatriate, currently an investigative reporter in Arizona. Her exposure of a bribe payment causes a disgraced U.S. senator to commit suicide. Angered by Israel’s supposed culpability, an angry Congress moves to terminate all military aid to the Jewish state. At the same time, someone repeatedly attempts to assassinate Masada, whose relentless investigation becomes a race against time, leading to a shocking discovery and a spectacular climax.

    Small for his age and in his first year of high school, Justin's only friend has become a bully and harasses him at every turn. But Justin has a secret. He feels no pain from the punches and shoves that come his way and, at his mother's request, must pretend to be normal even though he wants to fight back.A mysterious message on his computer sends him in search of knowledge about the legendary Titans. While at the local library, he is confronted by a frightening group of men who follow him and attack his home.Justin must escape, but there seems no way out and leaving his ailing mother behind is something Justin does not want to do. But Justin's mother and a family friend urge him to get to a place of safety; a sanctuary where he may, perhaps, learn more about his strange gift and it's connection with the long-dead Titans.

    Having left her childhood sweetheart Colt at the altar before she fled, Quinn knows her homecoming will mean facing up to her past.But when Quinn runs into Colt on her family’s ranch and realises that the old sparks still fly between them, she begins to wonder whether it’s time to come home for good.As Quinn and Colt become closer, it’s clear they have unfinished business. But Colt is hiding something, and when his secret is revealed it will show Quinn just how much can change in ten long years—and how difficult it is to slot back in to a life that’s moved on without her…

    This book contains over 250 of the most amazing facts about Harry Potter which are entertaining, interesting, funny, and sometimes you can't quite believe! For example, did you know there are 700 fouls which can be committed in the sport quidditch? Did you also know there are 142 staircases at Hogwarts? I very much doubt it, so if you'd like to find out more facts like these, then give it a read! You'll find out things you never knew about: The Characters, Hogwarts, The Actors, The History Of Magic and lots more!

    

    Sophia had not thought twice about taking up her friend's offer to move to Oregon to help her run the successful general store she had started some years before when faced with a spinster's lot in life. Levi Kirtman was more than irate at being denied his birthright. When his paternal uncle gave him the ultimatum to find a wife in order to get the deeds to the ranch which should by all rights be his after his father's passing, he dug his heels in and refused. He would live without the ranch rather than be pushed into marrying. Then he met the woman his uncle had in mind after reading her advertisement, and he saw her as a pretty enough solution to his many problems. Can a man cure his greed and addiction through deception and cruelty? Was this the life the Lord had intended for a widow and her young son in a strange town? Would Eli find a loving family to finally call his own?

    I’m a firefighter with the name Blaze. Irony at it’s finest I suppose. My job isn’t easy, but there are some perks. Like on Christmas night how I was called to the most beautiful girl’s house I’ve ever seen. Too many lights on a too dry of a Christmas tree led me to Sami. Her voice was so calm and gentle; she watched as my crew put out the fire on her family home. “I don’t know how we could ever repay you” were the best words I could have heard come out of her mouth. So she took me up on a New Year’s Eve party. The night was perfect, until my ex-fiance Lacey showed up. Sami’s eyes were filled with fire when she realized who Lacey was. Was my old flame meant to die? Was my new spark supposed to be my future?

    They aren’t a match between two men both lowered into crouches, each jabbing tentatively at the other.In an actual confrontation, people get cut. There was no way to avoid it. A war of attrition predicated on trading shots. Calculated real-time risk assessment.A maxim I learned many times over the years, bearing more than a few scars to prove as much. One I was all too happy to embrace again now.For the past year, Hawk Tate lived in a perpetual state of dread over when the phone might ring. A call stemming from his actions just north of the border many months before, resulting in a marker owed to a certain government agency. An organization that will not be refused, and always comes to collect their debts.A message from an unknown sender arrives on his work answering machine one Sunday morning. An individual with shared history needing help of a vastly different nature, and Hawk can’t say no.Not to Lake Pawlak, someone he first met when he was tasked with protecting her from an international cartel three years prior. Certainly not to Savanah Vinson, Lake’s friend and neighbor, and the reason Lake comes to seek Hawk’s help. Savanah, while fighting to provide for her and her young sister after the death of their parents, went missing two nights prior with nothing but a fraudulent text message to explain her sudden disappearance.Despite a litany of concerns, Hawk agrees to return to Los Angeles with his friend, embarking on a hunt that plunges him into a world he barely knew existed. Full immersion into social media influencing and launch parties. Southern California nightlife, online message boards, and international politics.A growing web far surpassing anything he understands, forcing him to rely on contacts and acquaintances new and old—including the very people he fought to avoid for so long...

    Being that it’s been a particularly stressful year for them, they decide to take a much-needed vacation. The Gallagher family heads to their summer cottage in Wisconsin, hoping to relax and unwind. Little do they know, a stranger has followed them back to their cottage. A stranger, with a forbidden hunger.