Genetically engineered and designed for combat by the military, and then later discharged when they grew tired of her and her kind, the Amazonians, she ended up forming her own mercenary team and drifting across a galaxy where over half a dozen different species live in relative harmony. Although she's fairly successful when it comes to making money, she finds herself in a frustrating situation: it's hard to get laid when you're a seven foot killing machine. The other mercenaries she shares her ship with, all of them aliens, all of them women, have their own similar situations. In a fit of frustration, she decides to deal with this problem by hiring on a cute young human who she figures won't mind being passed around like a sex toy by the crew... Ryan is twenty years old and afraid that he's settled into the rest of his life already. He's prudent, responsible, has a good job and no debts. Although he isn't adventurous by nature, in a fit of spontaneity he decides to sign on with a crew of mercenaries, as he figures his skills as a technician would be useful to those who live on a space ship, and it's a way to see the galaxy. And apparently luck was on his side in a way it never has been before: he signed on with Emily and the Hellcats, a group of attractive, tough, mostly alien mercenaries who, he quickly learns, are interested in more than just his technical skill, and plan on having him perform maintenance on them rather than the ship... HELLCATS is a novel of casual sex between a human and a host of alien or otherwise inhuman ladies, and definitely features a lot of passionate sex scenes. You have been warned.

    His interrogators want answers, even willing to torture for them. The only problem is he can't remember anything prior to waking up only minutes ago. Can Noah escape the military, and discover who he really is? Buy the paperback and get the Kindle edition FREE through the Kindle Matchbook program. Prologue Noah wished this moment could last forever, not that he wasn’t looking forward to the kissing after the song. But somehow this moment felt nostalgic, even though he was confident there was nothing to compare it to. He felt sad when the song did end. She had moved her hands down to his shirt and was clinging to him. He bent down to kiss her when her muscles abruptly tensed up. He was about to ask if she was alright, but then her grip on his shirt tightened. “Noah.” Her voice sounded desperate. She looked up at him with despair in her eyes. “Help me.” The Keras Genome is a full-length novel: ~ 80,000 words. Genre: Paranormal Fantasy

    All her dreams were cruelly shattered, leaving her struggling through her grief. In time, she accepts there's more life still to live and decides to set off to be a mail-order-bride. Little does she know though that her new beginning out West may prove to be her greatest challenge yet. Finding herself facing hostile relatives and unexpected intrigue, her only glimmer of hope lies in the eyes of her betrothed. She immediately feels an undeniable connection to this kind-hearted man. Despite the unforeseen obstacles standing in her way, could this be her one chance to reclaim the happiness that was stolen from her in the past?Nick Sloane is on a mission to save his family's ranch after learning how fragile life can be in the most heartbreaking way. He is still carrying deep scars from the loss of a loved one when Sheila enters his world, and he knows at once that nothing will ever be the same again. From the moment he sets eyes on her, something about her shy laughter makes him want to take a leap of faith and open his heart again. Yet what Nick doesn't realize is that his meddling family has other plans for him that could undermine the future he's now longing for. How far will he be willing to go to stand up to them in order to follow the true calling of his heart?As the blossoming romance between Sheila and Nick grows, so does his family's desperation to tear them apart. With the scheming against their love threatening to destroy everything, Sheila resolves to do anything for the man she loves. Could this mean walking away from the promising future she and Nick are dreaming of and breaking both their hearts? Will Nick and Sheila get their happily ever after, or will outside forces ruin their precious chance at happiness?"His Unexpected Twist of Fate" is a historical western romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

    43 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more – everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of A Case of Need. This detailed literature summary also contains Topics for Discussion and a Free Quiz on A Case of Need by Michael Crichton.

    This outlaw turned Texas Ranger was one of the favorite protagonists of master storyteller Louis L’Amour, appearing in a total of nineteen short stories bursting with unforgettable heroics and harrowing action. They’re all here in this eBook bundle, together forming an epic portrait of a man standing at the crossroads between good and evil:   McNelly Knows a Ranger • A Job for a Ranger • Bowdrie Rides a Coyote Trail • A Trail to the West • The Outlaws of Poplar Creek • Bowdrie Follows a Cold Trail • More Brains Than Bullets • The Road to Casa Piedras • Bowdrie Passes Through • Where Buzzards Fly • South of Deadwood • Too Tough to Brand • Case Closed—No Prisoners • The Killer from the Pecos • A Ranger Rides to Town • Rain on the Mountain Fork • Down Sonora Way • Strange Pursuit • Strawhouse Trail   The name is Bowdrie. It was a name that caused the most hardened gunmen to break out in a cold sweat. Chick Bowdrie. He could have ridden the outlaw trail, but the Texas Rangers recruited him because they didn’t want to have to fight against him. Pursuing the most wanted men in the Southwest, he knew all too well the dusty trails, the bitter cattle feuds, the desperate killers, and the quiet, weather-beaten, wind-blasted towns that could explode into action with the wrong word. He had sworn to carry out the law, but there were times when he had to apply justice with his fists and his guns. They called in the Rangers to handle the tough ones, and there was never a Ranger tougher or smarter than Bowdrie.

    Groovy in Action is a comprehensive guide to Groovy programming, introducing Java developers to the new dynamic features that Groovy provides. To bring you Groovy in Action, Manning again went to the source by working with a team of expert authors including both members and the Manager of the Groovy Project team. The result is the true definitive guide to the new Groovy language.Groovy in Action introduces Groovy by example, presenting lots of reusable code while explaining the underlying concepts. Java developers new to Groovy find a smooth transition into the dynamic programming world. Groovy experts gain a solid reference that challenges them to explore Groovy deeply and creatively.Because Groovy is so new, most readers will be learning it from scratch. Groovy in Action quickly moves through the Groovy basics, including:Simple and collective Groovy data types Working with Closures and Groovy Control Structures Dynamic Object Orientation, Groovy styleReaders are presented with rich and detailed examples illustrating Groovy's enhancements to Java, includingHow to Work with Builders and the GDK Database programming with GroovyGroovy in Action then demonstrates how to Integrate Groovy with XML, and provides:Tips and Tricks Unit Testing and Build Support Groovy on WindowsAn additional bonus is a chapter dedicated to Grails, the Groovy Web Application Framework.Purchase of the print book comes with an offer of a free PDF eBook from Manning. Also available is all code from the book.

    Virtually unknown and only published in pulp magazines before he died in poverty, he is now regarded as one of the most significant 20th-century authors in his genre. Lovecraft was born in Providence, Rhode Island, where he spent most of his life. Among his most celebrated tales is "The Call of Cthulhu", canonical to the Cthulhu Mythos. Never able to support himself from earnings as author and editor, Lovecraft saw commercial success increasingly elude him in this latter period, partly because he lacked the confidence and drive to promote himself. He subsisted in progressively straitened circumstances in his last years; an inheritance was completely spent by the time he died at the age of 46.

    The result was a bold and unique hero–weak in body, subtle in mind, dependent on drugs for the vitality to sustain himself–with great crimes behind him and a greater destiny ahead: a rock-and-roll antihero who would channel all the violent excesses of the sixties into one enduring archetype.Here is the first volume of a collection of stories containing the seminal appearances of Elric and lavishly illustrated by artist John Picacio–plus essays, letters, maps, and other material. Adventures include “The Dreaming City,” “While the Gods Laugh,” “Kings in Darkness,” “Dead God’s Homecoming,” “Black Sword’s Brothers,” and “Sad Giant’s Shield.”

    

    Shortly before, a spaceship full of researchers and astronauts had found a new home on Saturn's moon, Titan, and survived by having their descendants genetically adapted to the hostile environment.The Titanians, as they call themselves, are proud of their cooperative and peaceful society, while unbeknownst to them, humanity is slowly recovering back on Earth. When a 20-mile-wide chunk of rock escapes the asteroid belt and appears to be on a collision course with Earth, the Titanians fear it must look as if they launched the deadly bombardment. Can they prevent the impact and thus avoid an otherwise inevitable war with the Earthlings?

    While the sheriff conducts his investigation, Kelton begins to discover the small sleepy southern town by the interstate isn’t as quaint and innocent as it appears. The large bale of cash sealed in plastic found at the scene speaks to nefarious activities, and the idealistic young Kelton with his K-9 dutifully assists underfunded local law enforcement in getting to the bottom of things. Even when he realizes they aren’t telling him everything. But his discoveries make clear that his ingrained respect for authority and showing chivalry toward all is being taken advantage of by numerous shady characters trying to preserve their own legacies. Lawless lawmen and damsels not so distressed drive him to reexamine his values to decide which are still worth living by and how those apply in a world twisted by drugs, money, sex and power. Come take a gritty journey of suspense driven by deep desperate characters and soul ripping action. Join Kelton and Azrael settling on a moral course in a world where nobody is perfect and even evil is far from absolute, and making heroic strides in trying to do what is right. Let no one underestimate the unbreakable bond between a man and his dog. SPECIAL NOTICE I’m proud to be providing half of net royalties through September 30th 2016 to the Warrior Dog Foundation ( http://warriordogfoundation.org/ ). This great Non-Profit organization transitions K-9 heroes retiring from service with Special Operations Forces to their state-of-the-art kennel facility where they receive any needed physical or mental rehabilitation so they can live out their lives with dignity and grace. I’m not affiliated with their foundation, but couldn’t be happier to contribute.

    It gives an overview of every learning objective for the TOGAF 9 Foundation Syllabus and in-depth coverage on preparing and taking the TOGAF 9 Part 1 Examination. It is specifically designed to help individuals prepare for certification.This Study Guide is excellent material for:a) Individuals who require a basic understanding of TOGAF 9b) Professionals who are working in roles associated with an architecture project such as those responsible for planning, execution, development, delivery, and operationc) Architects who are looking for a first introduction to TOGAF 9d) Architects who want to achieve Level 2 certification in a stepwise manner and have not previously qualified as TOGAF 8 CertifiedA prior knowledge of enterprise architecture is advantageous but not required. While reading this Study Guide, the reader should also refer to the TOGAF Version 9.1 documentation available online at www.opengroup.org and also available as hard copy from www.vanharen.net and online booksellers

    This rapid application development framework and its vast ecosystem of tools let you quickly build new sites and applications with clean, readable code. With this practical guide, Matt Stauffer--a leading teacher and developer in the Laravel community--provides the definitive introduction to one of today's most popular web frameworks.The book's high-level overview and concrete examples will help experienced PHP web developers get started with Laravel right away. By the time you reach the last page, you should feel comfortable writing an entire application in Laravel from scratch.Dive into several features of this framework, including:Blade, Laravel's powerful, custom templating toolTools for gathering, validating, normalizing, and filtering user-provided dataLaravel's Eloquent ORM for working with the application's databasesThe Illuminate request object, and its role in the application lifecyclePHPUnit, Mockery, and PHPSpec for testing your PHP codeLaravel's tools for writing JSON and RESTful APIsInterfaces for file system access, sessions, cookies, caches, and searchTools for implementing queues, jobs, events, and WebSocket event publishingLaravel's specialty packages: Scout, Passport, Cashier, Echo, Elixir, Valet, and Socialite

    Developers are instantly productive, picking up all the benefits of the Ruby-based Rails framework without giving up any of the power of Java.Grails in Action is a comprehensive look at Grails for Java developers. It covers the nuts and bolts of the core Grails components and is jam-packed with tutorials, techniques, and insights from the trenches.The book starts with an overview of Grails and how it can help you get your web dev mojo back. Then it walks readers through a Twitter-style social networking app-built in Grails, of course-where they implement high-interest features like mashups, AJAX/JSON, animation effects, full text search, rounded corners, and lots of visual goodness. The book also covers using Grails with existing Java technology, like Spring, Hibernate, and EJBs.Purchase of the print book comes with an offer of a free PDF, ePub, and Kindle eBook from Manning. Also available is all code from the book.

    The one place that they cannot go is the bulge, the bright, hot center of the galaxy. There dwell the Aloof, who for millions of years have deflected any and all attempts to communicate with or visit them. So when Rakesh is offered an opportunity to travel within their sphere, in search of a lost race, he cannot turn it down.Roi is a member of that lost race, which is not only lost to the Amalgam, but lost to itself. In their world, there is but toil, and history and science are luxuries that they can ill afford.Rakesh's journey will take him across millennia and light years. Roi's will take her across vistas of learning and discovery just as vast.