Told through the eyes of a hurting brother and son, this tragic story follows three family members through a series of decisions that bring the family together and then tear them apart. Almost every family has a tumultuous chapter and this story is about the real impact mental illness and domestic violence can have.  The consequences are not only catastrophic for sufferers, but also for those who love them. Travis tells his story with rawness and honesty, but also with hope and humour.

    And certainly what Melville did for whaling Austen does for marriage--tracing the intricacies (not to mention the economics) of 19th-century British mating rituals with a sure hand and an unblinking eye. As usual, Austen trains her sights on a country village and a few families--in this case, the Bennets, the Philips, and the Lucases. Into their midst comes Mr. Bingley, a single man of good fortune, and his friend, Mr. Darcy, who is even richer. Mrs. Bennet, who married above her station, sees their arrival as an opportunity to marry off at least one of her five daughters. Bingley is complaisant and easily charmed by the eldest Bennet girl, Jane; Darcy, however, is harder to please. Put off by Mrs. Bennet's vulgarity and the untoward behavior of the three younger daughters, he is unable to see the true worth of the older girls, Jane and Elizabeth. His excessive pride offends Lizzy, who is more than willing to believe the worst that other people have to say of him; when George Wickham, a soldier stationed in the village, does indeed have a discreditable tale to tell, his words fall on fertile ground. Having set up the central misunderstanding of the novel, Austen then brings in her cast of fascinating secondary characters: Mr. Collins, the sycophantic clergyman who aspires to Lizzy's hand but settles for her best friend, Charlotte, instead; Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. Darcy's insufferably snobbish aunt; and the Gardiners, Jane and Elizabeth's low-born but noble-hearted aunt and uncle. Some of Austen's best comedy comes from mixing and matching these representatives of different classes and economic strata, demonstrating the hypocrisy at the heart of so many social interactions. And though the novel is rife with romantic misunderstandings, rejected proposals, disastrous elopements, and a requisite happy ending for those who deserve one, Austen never gets so carried away with the romance that she loses sight of the hard economic realities of 19th-century matrimonial maneuvering. Good marriages for penniless girls such as the Bennets are hard to come by, and even Lizzy, who comes to sincerely value Mr. Darcy, remarks when asked when she first began to love him: "It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began. But I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley." She may be joking, but there's more than a little truth to her sentiment, as well. Jane Austen considered Elizabeth Bennet "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print". Readers of Pride and Prejudice would be hard-pressed to disagree. --Alix Wilber

    Follow Mira's story as she faces life as a single mother, wrestles with the constant call of the ocean to her mermaid nature, and joins an all-male salvage team who is less than thrilled to have her. When my mother died, I ran to the ocean like a coward. Its cradle of salt puckered my memories and withered my sorrow like a grape drying in the sun. I had cheated grief and was foolish enough to think I had gotten away with it.When Nathan died, I couldn’t run away. No matter how much I flinched, bending toward the Atlantic the way ivy strains for rays of light, I could not leave. Grief was back to take what belonged to it for the time it was allotted. I had everything I wanted a few short years ago. My mate. My daughter. A home, a family. It made my head spin to think how much could change so suddenly. I mused, wondering later if I was the only mermaid to ever walk fully through the five stages of grief. But I had my daughter.Targa had yet to turn, the color and shape of her fins were yet to be revealed, but she would. I had been so sure of it then. Siren genes are passed from mother to daughter, without fail. Young legs melded into a shimmering virgin tail in response to a salty sea. But Targa didn’t turn in response to ocean water, not the first time, not any time after that. Something was wrong. I shoved my fear down deep into some dark corner where Targa would not see it and said with a smile that we’d just have to keep trying. I had turned at the age of three, but if there could be late-bloomers in the human race, why not ours too?Her fifth birthday came and went, still she hadn’t turned. Concern sent its barbs into me like a thistle, then it rooted and grew.Targa and I had weekly late night secret swims in the Atlantic, which had once been fun but were now polluted with expectation and suspense. Coaching sessions (my idea), where I attempted human psychology exercises I’d found in outdated textbooks at the library; guided visualization, breathing techniques, and even a failed go at hypnosis. The memory of her skinny little frame sitting in a bathtub containing more salt than water (Targa’s idea) is still enough to fill my eyes with moisture.I don’t know exactly when she lost hope, but she hid it expertly, patiently participating however I asked.I ignored the creeping thoughts that whispered in my mind; she didn’t even like water, didn’t really want to go for swim, couldn’t hear the ocean calling her. I would shove the thoughts away violently, excusing them as nothing but my own anxiety. It was ridiculous. A daughter of a mermaid who disliked the ocean. Impossible. When I muzzled those fears, I became aware of others of a different kind. Not my own, but hers, for me.She could see the want in my eyes. Whatever mechanism bees and dogs used to smell fear, Targa had it for despair. She could sense it on me, reeking like cheap perfume. Her eyes dipped in desperation, her obvious desire not to disappoint me sliced through me like a white-hot blade from heart to gut. She thought she was my tormentor. The realization struck like a hammer and gave me the strength to do what was needed: Let it go.The ocean could call. I’d let the smell of it crucify me, the sound of its waves crash against me, echo through me, call me, beg me.Targa’s need and my love for her was greater. If she never turned and I was locked in a land-cycle for the rest of our lives, so be it.So be it.

    You live in a shitty flat in Detroit with a cupboard of stale coffee, a few bottles of light beer in the fridge, and a shoe box of pot that has probably been cut with cat shit. And until this week you have been slouching your way through life and pissing on anything meaningful. But that's all about to change. You are now given a final chance to make something out of this life, if only you can survive this one week.

    Williams ** An armed assault force raids the marble halls of the British Museum. The target – the most heinous relic of all time – the last surviving coin of the blood money paid to Judas Iscariot for his betrayal of Christ.For over a thousand years the cursed pieces of silver cut a swath of famine, pestilence and ruinous destruction wherever they were carried. To save humanity from the malevolent power of the coins, the Knights Templar were given a Papal Blessing and sent on a pilgrimage to the holy lands to find and hide the thirty pieces of silver.A sinister organization has unlocked a chilling secret—the ability to control the power of the coin and use it as a terrifying weapon, posing the greatest threat to mankind in history.Sanford Carter, antiquities thief and ladies’ man, has been ensnared by the secret service and forced to execute a daring burglary on their behalf. His mission is simple – steal the coin first.Sarah Hudson, the studious and law-abiding archaeologist who doesn’t believe in curses, only science, is in the wrong place at the wrong time and refuses to hand over the coin or allow Carter to get away with his bold crime.With ruthless dark forces closing in, the brazen thief and the scholarly archaeologist must unlock the hidden history of the coin if they are to safeguard humanity from its evil curse.From the cobbled streets of London to the spectacular volcanic landscapes of Iceland, The Judas Conspiracy sets a cracking pace from the start and never lets up. For fans of James Rollins, Matthew Reilly, Michael C. Grumley, A.G. Riddle, Rob Jones, Matt Rogers, James D. Prescott, Brad Thor, Douglas E. Richards, Clive Cussler and David Baldacci

    Her first bike was stolen in Bulgaria, she was knocked down by a buffalo cart in India and battled with a parasitic illness in Malaysia. These were some of the challenges she had to deal with, but above all, what stood out for Ann was the depth of human kindness she experienced throughout her travels.

    With each attempt at flirtation a greater disaster than the last, she despairs of ever leading a happy life, until the Duke of Solworth asks for her hand. Yes, he’s only looking for an heir and yes, he insists she must live in Egypt, but he’s kind, handsome, and steady. At least, he seems that way, until the moment Cecilia says ‘I will.’ THIEF OF BROKEN HEARTS by Louisa Cornell Seventeen years ago, after losing his mother and brothers in a horrific tragedy, Endymion de Waryn left his memories, his past, and the childhood friend he’d been forced to marry behind in Cornwall, vowing never to return. Now, as the Duke of Pendeen, he lives a very ordered life, just as he prefers. Having scheduled the months of August and September to conceive an heir, he summons his wife to London to do just that. When her answer is an emphatic No! he is left no choice but to break his vow and go to Cornwall to fetch her. However, a duchess who meets her husband at the door with one of Manton’s finest firearms needs more than a ducal command to be fetched. Seventeen years ago, Rhiannon Harvey, daughter of a wealthy coal merchant, made a devil’s bargain with a ruthless duke to marry his heir the boy she loved with all her girlish heart. Wedded, bedded, and left to run the ducal Cornwall estate, she becomes the keeper of her husband’s tragic memories, owner of the family’s secrets, and a duchess not to be trifled with. Her husband’s uninvited arrival introduces her to a man haunted by the past he cannot remember and one determined, God help her, to woo her into his bed. When Rhiannon’s life is threatened, she and Endymion must work together to discover why. His haunted memories and inept wooing may bring them together. But the secrets of the past promise to tear them apart and if they cannot overcome the lies and betrayals of their broken hearts, their newfound love may be stolen from them forever. HOUSE OF THORNS by Jude Knight Retired spy, Bear Gavenor has fled the marriage mart for the familiarity of his work; restoring abandoned country manors to sell to the newly rich. Never does he anticipate that his first task will be to deal with the thief he’s caught stealing his roses. Evicted from her home and ruined with claims she has a lover, Rosa Neatham fears she will soon be unable to care for her invalid father. When she returns to her former home to gather roses to brighten his room, her fortune worsens when she’s startled by the home’s new owner and injured in a fall. Bear takes her in, but when the rector confronts him about living with an unmarried woman, Bear decides to halt the rumormongers’ attempts to ruin her further and marries Rosa. He needs an heir. She needs a protector. Love needs to overcome the scandal, secrets and self-doubts that each brings to this marriage of convenience. THE BLUE SLIPPER by Erin Rye Olivia Mackenzie, disowned granddaughter of the Duke of Lennox, has only one foot in society and a tenuous one at that. One day at a garden party, she stumbles upon her soon-to-be fiancé in the arms of another woman. Revenge is sweet and immediate. Seizing the first stranger wandering past, Olivia plants a kiss full on his lips. Eight years ago, Lord Nicholas Blair turned to gambling and womanizing in an effort to hide his pain when his rival, Lord Randall, wed the woman he loved. But living the life of a rogue has grown dull.

    Sarah Morgan’s only mistake? Finding it.The world holds its breath as the colossal asteroid 2011 AG5 hurtles towards the earth. As humanity is faced with extinction, archaeologist Sarah Morgan is in a race against time to uncover a secret that has been buried for millennia: that an advanced ancestor once populated the earth. As Sarah travels across the continents in search of the truth, she discovers there are those that will kill to protect this most ancient of secrets...Meanwhile, in a clandestine facility below the earth’s surface, Professor Steiner has been charged with overseeing the preservation of the human race. Steiner believes he is on schedule to deliver his task, but as the world is poised on the brink of destruction Steiner’s plans begin to unravel.That which has lain buried may yet prove to be their only hope…Dark Descent (Book 2)The journey begins...Plunged into darkness, the Earth’s surface is shrouded in dust from the impact of asteroid AG5.Whilst the cloud threatens to choke the very fabric of civilisation, Sarah Morgan is being held prisoner. In the depths of a subterranean facility, she has uncovered a deadly weapon; the truth behind the enormous structure buried beneath the Earth.Elsewhere, Professor Steiner and Robert Goodwin may be humanity’s greatest hope, but they must struggle against monumental adversity as an internal battle rages within the Global Meteor Response Council.Running out of luck, choices and time, all must fight to reclaim their chosen paths or watch those around them wither and die.Let There Be Light (Book 3)In the darkness, you can’t always trust the light...A year has passed since the cataclysmic impact of asteroid AG5. Whilst Earth’s survivors struggle against a devastating winter, the world’s finest assemble on the International Space Station for a covert mission that could change the course of civilisation.Back in the U.S., Former Director General Steiner is due to stand trial for masterminding heinous acts of terror. As calls for the death penalty gain momentum, those that sit in judgement are unaware that Steiner holds the key to the survival of the entire human race.Meanwhile, marooned in separate locations within the colossal underground realm known as ‘Sanctuary’, Sarah Morgan and Richard Goodwin are fighting for their lives to reach the surface. Unbeknownst to them, their shared purpose is about to awaken a terrifying denizen of the deep...

    She claimed the police had inserted a stick inside her… Swaranpreet realised that she had been cruelly violated; He spoke a single sentence but repeated it twice in chaste Punjabi: ‘Please give me a turban? I want nothing else…’ These are voices begging for deliverance in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi’s assassination in October-November 1984 in which 2,733 Sikhs were killed, burnt and exterminated by lumpens in the country. Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay walks us through one of the most shameful episodes of sectarian violence in post Independent India and highlights the apathy of subsequent governments towards Sikhs who paid a price for what was clearly a state-sponsored riot. Poignant, raw and most importantly, macabre, the personal histories in the book reveal how even after three decades, a community continues to battle for its identity in its own country.

    From flights over Antarctica to carrying a spare fifth engine beneath the wing, award-winning aviation writer and airline pilot, Owen Zupp, has detailed the varied journeys of the magnificent Boeing 747. Click below to buy this book and share the journey.

    She’s the girl that went astray. Can they find a place where they’ll both belong… together? Kylee Bauer’s high school classmates voted her most likely to succeed, not knowing that she would skip town with a bad boy, get hitched, and get pregnant—not necessarily in that order. Now she’s back and desperate for a second chance to get things right, all while ensuring her daughter makes better choices the first time around. Ron Kidd loved growing up in his small Virginia hometown so much that he never thought to leave it behind. Now he’s landed his dream role as principal of the same elementary school he attended as a boy. Some of the more seasoned staff, however, aren’t sure he’s up to the job and will do whatever it takes to make his days harder. When his old crush returns home as a single mom with a troubled kid in tow, Ron is sure he can help… even though he must swallow his feelings for Kylee to avoid losing his already shaky position as school principal. Unfortunately for him, this mini-matchmaker isn’t willing to give up on securing a happily ever after for her mom. Will Ron be willing to risk it all in the name of love? And what will Kylee do when her past comes calling? Will love be just out of reach? Find out in this fun, funny, and heartwarming tale of just how far one little girl will go to bring these two grown-ups together.

    However, shit happened and I was somehow summoned. However, in some strange twist of fate, I was no longer needed and disposed of, but that’s okay because I didn’t want to be a summoned hero to begin with. My new beginning may have been abruptly cut short, but even so, that is fine. There is a path I’m much more interested in. Mwuhahaha! Cough cough cough. Though, my sinister laugh may still need some practice.

    DI Andy Tregunna is faced with the task of leading the investigation, but soon personal matters force him to step back.On compassionate leave and with little else to do than fight his own demons the unsolved case becomes more and more an obsession to him. As he is drawn deeper into a dark world of secrets, lies and revenge, his private investigation collides with his personal life.The truth is even more sinister than can be imagined...

    But Yvonne Bonner's adventurous, dramatic, and romantic spirit will be taken advantage of by her half-brother, Rex. And soon she will be overflowing with something much stronger and greater.After their father's death, Rex asks Yvonne to leave Paris and live at his ranch in Colorado to go undercover as a spy on his mysterious rival, Logan.With her initial attraction to Logan, a man who is only known by his first name, she finds that her affection goes much deeper than that. Unaware of the danger she is in due to Logan's dark secret, Yvonne finds herself torn between her love for Logan and obligation towards her brother.But when all secrets come to light, will her new-found faith be able to lead her to the right path or will she once again be lost?If you like fast-paced, clean romance, "A Hidden Light Within" is a stand-alone Christian Historical Romance Novel you won't be able to put down.Start reading now to discover Yvonne's inspirational romantic story!

    It appears to be a large golden retriever; however, it has one salient attribute that separates it from the rest of the canine world, it possesses the intelligence of an adult human being. After escaping from a genetic research laboratory in Iran, Magic wanders into Iraq, where he befriends Lt. Ryan Quinn. He saves Ryan's life after he is captured by insurgents. In return, Ryan ships Magic back to his Florida home. Ryan has no idea that his big lovable mutt is the result of many generations of genetic tinkering by the Iranian Ministry of Health. Magic can communicate using a computer, but is reluctant to tell anyone about his powers for fear of becoming a lab rat again.