On the other hand, post-Apartheid dreams of progress and reform have, in part, collapsed into a morass of corruption, unemployment and criminal violence.A Short History of South Africa is a brief, general account of the history of this most complicated and fascinating country – from the first evidence of hominid existence to the wars of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries that led to the establishment of modern South Africa, the horrors of Apartheid and the optimism following its collapse, as well as the prospects and challenges for the future.This readable and thorough account, illustrated with maps and photographs, is the culmination of a lifetime of researching and teaching the broad spectrum of South African history.Nattrass’s passion for her subject shines through, whether she is elucidating the reader on early humans in the cradle of humankind, or describing the tumultuous twentieth-century processes that shaped the democracy that is South Africa today.

    Darren is a tough, muscular Sergeant in the U.S.M.C. fighting overseas in Afghanistan. Lauren is a curvy business woman, passionate and sincere in everything she does—although a bit unlucky in the dating world. When she unexpectedly receives a cryptic letter from Darren, everything changes.Is it possible to rekindle a fire purely through writing? Over the course of their letters, the years of silence is finally broken and a new romance is born. Lauren finds herself waiting, hoping, and praying that the man she loves will come home safely, only to be struck with bad news. Darren would be returning home earlier, but not under the best circumstances. Was he going to be ok? Would he even love her back after meeting face-to-face?When they were younger, Lauren and Darren were never more than friends, but now they've grown up. They're more mature and more confident, and they find a way to each other. And this time, they won't let anything or anyone keep them apart.———Note: This new adult bbw romance novella is 30,000+ words long, and contains scenes of graphic language and explicit descriptions of sexual activity between a plus size girl and a ruggedly handsome soldier. Intended Only for Mature Audiences. Reissue.———EXCERPT:"I am happy to see you, it's just..." I trailed off.How could I give voice to the multifarious emotions running through me, my mind was going a million miles per minute. The self-doubt was back, and something about seeing Darren face to face was surreal. I knew what I wanted to say to him: I wanted to tell him I loved him, and not just as a friend. I wanted to tell him that I wanted to be with him and that I was dying to know if he felt the same. But was this the right time? Was I just being selfish? He was recovering from surgery after being wounded in battle, what right did I have to drop an emotional bombshell on him when he was in this condition? No, I wasn't that bold. I would have to wait until the time was right, until I was sure he would return my affection."Come here," said Darren, reaching up for me with his good arm and pulling me down toward his bed. He held my head against his chest and slowly I wrapped my arms around him, giving him the best hug I could all things considered. I could feel his breath on my neck, warm as it blew against my soft skin. Chills went down my spine. Being held by him, this simple embrace, was everything to me right now. This was the moment I realized that everything would turn out alright. Then I heard him wince in pain.I shot back up, looking him in the eyes. "Are you ok?""Yeah, I'm fine. You bumped my arm slightly but it's ok.""Oh, no, I'm so sorry.""No, really, it's fine. Just a bit sore still," he said, giving me a brave smile. Darren could be in pure agony and he wouldn't tell a soul. He was self-sufficient, he didn't want to trouble people or have them waste their worry on him. How could I let him know that he didn't always have to play the tough guy around me? How could I let him know I would be there with him through everything, both good and bad?"I just can't believe you're finally home," I said softly.

    In SHOOT TO KILL he reveals his own military background: how he joined the elite 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment and later, the SAS. Told he would fail the arduous training regime, he proved them all wrong and earned his 'wings' and red beret. Michael Asher served in Northern Ireland with the Paras at the height of the IRA campaigns of the 1970s. He witnessed the impact of using highly-motivated assault troops in 'peacekeeping operations'. His depiction of the strengths and weaknesses of the British Army's elite airborne forces comes from his personal experience of everyday life for ordinary soldiers. From the Paras to the SAS and then service with the Special Patrol Group in Northern Ireland, Michael Asher's military odyssey eventually led him to leave the forces for a new life in the Sudanese desert. This is a unique military memoir of a precocious and perceptive young man who joined the toughest army regiment in the world. Michael Asher served in the Parachute Regiment and SAS. A fluent Arab speaker, he has lived for years among the Bedouin peoples. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.

    I’m a rootless wanderer untamed by any woman. But seems there’s a first time for everything. My desire for a girl I only met once has burned stronger over the last six months. Watching Bella from afar feels like coming home I’ve never stopped thinking of her Every dangerous curve of her sweet body. Always riding free, I don’t have time for romance. So I check up on her virtually. Just to see her again. It’s the only way I know to be with a woman more than once. But then she drops a post that blows my solid chest wide open. She was mine first. And I need a taste of her before she gets married. But when I find my girl and she asks for a special favor, I get the biggest shock of my life. This isn’t for real it’s just pretend. So why do I want her to accept the one taboo coming between us? "Jacket" is a steamy standalone ex-navy seal bad boy romance set in the same world as "Stick" So you can enjoy both together, for a very limited time "Stick" is included here as a bonus book.

    For Marines, the Vietnam conflict was different in I-Corps along the DMZ, different and more massively deadly than the conflict in other parts of the country. That’s not to say the Army and other Marine units didn’t have a deadly time further south, but in northern I-Corps along the Z, south to Khe Sanh and the A-Shau valley, east to Cua Viet and west to Laos, and all of the combat and fire support bases in Leatherneck Square and on the ridges and in the valleys to the west, the war was constant and especially vicious. This was the area most easily supplied from the Ho Chi Minh Trail. This was the area where Ho Chi Minh sent his troops in division strength to challenge the Americans. This area was known as The Meat Grinder, and for the Grunts, combat here was called The Beast. The Grunts and Cannon Cockers on FSB Russell and FSB Neville sitting alone on ridges just south of Mutters Ridge near the DMZ had to face The Beast every day, and one squad from Echo Company 2/4, stuck on a small hill outpost about five klicks south of FSB Russell, would come to know and embrace The Beast intimately during the month of February, 1969.

    From the moment he survived, the time-line of United States history dramatically changed. The harsh reconstruction of the former Confederate states by Radical Republicans was altered. A newly reunited, and highly militarized country stepped aggressively onto the world stage. Significant obstacles remained. Among them was what to do with the former slaves, the failure by Great Britain to address the Alabama Claims, and an energetic push west.

    This piece of history is set in 1969 West Germany. The reality of what happened in the Cold War on the border between the opposing forces of East and West makes this a great read; it's an important part of our military history. Rick Fontain, the main character, is found just out of high school working for Bell Systems when he is summoned by his friends and neighbors. During his induction into the US Army he is given an aptitude test. The test results change the path of his life forever. He is encouraged to become an officer but the extra time, in addition to his two years, is a no go for Rick. He opts for training on the Redeye, the first ever hand held surface to air missile system designed for close combat for the infantry. What Rick doesn't know is that he is being watched from afar. His progress is being scrutinized and he is being evaluated for recruitment into the CIA. The style of the author, Fortin, is written in the first person. We travel with Bill on a journey that follows the army life of Rick though short snippets of his, at times, humorous and MASH-like journey. The style of headers detailing the timeframe of where and when things were taking place are unique and are always appreciated by the reader always pushing to find out where and when what would happen next. His journey from boot camp continues when he is stationed near the Fulda Gap. Not a well known place, but its stragetic position to the free world was an important post that kept Europe safe during those tense 30 plus years. Rick and his team would become one of the greatest deterrents to an invasion from Mother Russia. Fortin brings all the key elements together to make a fabulous story: mystery; intrigue; love; suspense; bravery and reality. It is a snap shot in history back to when the world was at the brink. Redeye Fulda Cold is a historical expression of our military tradition. The story ends leaving the reader wanting to see a sequel novel to find out where Rick goes next. Author Bill Fortin has deftly combined fictional characters and people he served with in the United States Army to recount some important but little-known events during the Cold War. His story takes the reader to the people and places of the late 1960s European Military Community and a series of carefully crafted CIA military operations designed to thwart a possible Russian invasion through the infamous Fulda Gap.

    Your very belief is tested in combat, you must kill your enemy, or your enemy will kill you – that is the simple, hard cold fact. Because in my humble opinion, War is hell on Earth. Evil roams freely in War, and it will kill you, one way or another, with its evil intent. Nightmares are common and, in their fantasy, never reflect the real horror and the reality that War can bring to your mind. No matter what your personal spiritual beliefs are, you will be tested. The conduct of your intent will be your judge for life. It is your second guessing that can be dangerous to you. A wise Philosopher once said in Greece, “If you want real peace, you must always prepare for War.” This book is about war. It tells my experiences of the paths I took as a United States Marine in Vietnam. The mouths of many soldiers will say the same – the same soldiers who had shared my paths with the experiences of my many paths in life. I have not shared these words or reflections with anyone, except in bits and pieces, and that too, with other veterans in the form of bunker talk.

    Dennis Chalker was an original “plankowner” (founding member) of SEAL Team Six, and in One Perfect Op, he takes readers deep inside the remarkable world of America’s Special Forces operatives. With an introduction by Richard Marcinko of Rogue Warrior fame, One Perfect Op describes, step by breathtaking step, one extraordinary SEALs mission, shedding fascinating new light on the training, the planning, the courage and the skill of these exceptional warriors.

    Theodore Roosevelt, known to all but his friends as Teddy, was born a sickly child but transformed himself into an outdoorsman, a cowboy, and a warrior who led his Rough Riders up the San Juan Heights of Cuba in a charge that still ranks among the world's military legends. But Roosevelt was also a man of letters who churned out some forty books, a gifted politician who charmed the nation, and a statesman who could settle a war as well as wage one. His wily acquisition of the Panama Canal Zone set up an engineering feat that has lasted a century, and it's safe to predict that we'll never again see his match for exuberance, force of character, patriotism, and sheer energy. His story will grip you like his handshake.

    On March 7, 2004, former SAS soldier and mercenary Simon Mann prepared to take off from Harare International Airport. His destination was Equatorial Guinea; his was intention to remove one of the most brutal dictators in Africa in a privately organized coup d'etat. The plot had the tacit approval of Western intelligence agencies and Mann had planned, overseen, and won two wars in Angola and Sierra Leone. So why did it go so wrong? Here he reveals the full involvement of Mark Thatcher in the coup d'etat, the endorsement of a former prime minister, and the financial involvement of two internationally famous members of the House of Lords. He also discusses how the British government approached him in the months preceding the Iraq War, to suggest ways in which a justified invasion of Iraq could be engineered. He also discusses the pain of telling his wife Amanda, who gave birth to their fourth child while he was incarcerated, that he believed he would never be freed.

    Written by a man who was intimately involved with the unit and served as its Regimental Sergeant Major for two years, the book aims to explode the myths surrounding the legendary 32 and set the record straight. It records how and why 32 Battalion was formed, explores its unique identity forged by the men who fought in it, details the many operations in which they participated, and concludes with its eventual disbandment at the dawn of a new South Africa. What they did, and how they did it, would earn this controversial group official recognition as the best fighting unit in the South African Army since World War II. This book s unembellished, factual reporting will fill a big gap in the highly popular military genre."

    He certainly doesn’t see himself as lonely. He often uses one night stands as a coping mechanism to help him blot out the pain of losing the only woman he’s ever loved. She left him without a hint as to why and he has no desire to ever let his heart get destroyed like that again.Isabella Alfieri is beautiful, independent and successful in her own right. Her world is almost perfect, but she still can’t seem to forget the man she loved and left seven years ago. And she’ll never forget the reason she had to go. She’s kept her secret all this time. There are only two other people that know what she’s hiding and they would never tell a soul.What will happen when fate intervenes and puts her on the flight he’s co-piloting? The flight that sets them on course for their worlds to come crashing back together after all this time.WARNING: The following story contains mature themes, strong language and graphic sexual situations. It is intended for mature readers. All characters are 18+ years of age and all sexual acts are consensual. If you DO NOT like explicit, this book is not for you. Otherwise, happy reading!

    He was one of the few people in history to have won the Victoria Cross twice, setting new standards of personal heroism during World War II.

    For this, she would abandon her promising film-making career, lose her comfortable suburban home, her husband, her two children and, in a gruelling finale to six years of remorseless self-destruction, herself. Rescued from the maw of Hillbrow's drug and prostitution underworld, Melinda not only survived, but recovered to tell this harrowing tale of how an intelligent, middle-class girl from Joburg hits rock bottom, face first, and claws her way back to redemption.