Here, historian Alexander Ivanov reveals their fears and betrayals, privilege and debauchery, conspiracies and rivalries, love and tragedy as they forged Russia into one of the world's greatest empires. No ruler in history has embodied the oppressive domination of these rulers more vividly than Alexander Ivanov's opening subject, Tsar Ivan IV, the first of all the Russian tsars, known to history as Ivan the Terrible. Although a gifted ruler who did much to unite and improve the conditions in his primitive country, Ivan was also a notorious sadist who delighted in torturing and murdering anyone who displeased him. Ivan's death in 1584 ushered in the Time of Troubles, thirty-five years of famine, plague, and war that crippled the nation. A series of rulers attempted to cope with the devastation, beginning with Ivan's successor Boris Godunov. Finally, grasping for stability, Russia's nobles begged young Michael Romanov, the great-nephew of Ivan's beloved wife Anastasia, to take the throne. Michael successfully united the war-torn and ravaged nation and founded a dynasty that would rule for 300 years. The Romanov line produced Russia's most brilliant yet most unconventional sovereign: Peter the Great, a towering figure of a man whose restless, creative mind led him on an inexorable quest to modernize and civilize the still backward nation. The reforms he enacted so enraged nobles and peasants alike that Peter had to quash a series of rebellions to keep his crown. Ruthlessly stifling dissent and massacring rebels, he ultimately cowed the Russian people into submission, achieving a legacy that nearly equaled his ambitions. It was left to a woman - and a foreigner, at that - to lead the nation further out of the darkness. German princess Sophie Friederike Auguste of Anhalt-Zerbst, known to the world as Catherine the Great, absorbed the principles of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment and applied them to a country built on the backs of millions of serfs. However ineffective some of her policies, in the end, she made Russia a major player on the European stage. Serfdom was finally abolished in the nineteenth century, but it would be decades before Russian peasants could own land of their own and learn to farm it productively. The boyars and tsars clung to power until the Bolshevik revolution of 1917. The sad fate of the last tsar, Nicholas II, and his family, marked the end of the absolute power that Ivan the Terrible had so exploited. The abuses would continue but under a new and drastically different form of government.

    These are the true and incredible stories of some of Hollywood’s biggest and best known stars, but never before told . Every story has been researched and verified, no matter how surprising or out of character it may seem to the public, for some of the world’s best known people. * "This book is a pure delight." - Daily Oklahoman * " The research is incredible and told in a most      entertaining fashion." - Houston Courier * " Chaz does it again!  This time a Best Seller!      - Blake's Review * " I read until my eyes hurt and still couldn't      put it down." -  Dexter. MacBride      - Columbia Review. *  "A Winner!" - Ray Hibbard, Edmond Life & Leisure. * “A surprise on every page. Fantastic true stories. We loved having Little Known Facts on our radio station for more than 10 years.” - Craig Stallcup – NetRadio Boston * “I could forget the news and nobody would notice. But forget to air Little Known Facts and I would get 30 phone calls.”– Matt Batton – WPRG Radio * “What a fantastic way to spend a few hours. I love these stories of my friends and fellow actors.” - Dale Robertson, Actor, Host. * “Chaz is a dear friend. I can attest to many of these stories personally. What a pleasure to see them put together in one place.” - Tony Randall, Actor -What famous woman movie star invented the snooze alarm? - What famous woman television personality was a spy in WWII? - Did you know it was a glamorous woman movie star who invented the secret codes to direct navy topedos... - Which famous star was the real impetus for the movie Pretty Woman - The Beverly Hillbillies really existed - Which famous movie star was actually AWOL from the Army - Which famous Hollywood hunk was actually a Mailman - Which television star was responsible for one of the biggest toy crazes in history - Which famous comedy star was once completely blind And many many more.

    Deputy Marshal Harold Stampede. But the outlaw has managed to break out and take a dozen hardened convicts with him as they sweep a path of violence across Southern Arizona. The leader of the gang has sworn an oath to kill the deputy marshal for shooting dead his partner, Jimmy So-Fast. And Marshal One-Eyed Jack Black intends to do whatever he can to stop him and protect the citizens of Cochise County – all this, while an unsuspecting killer is on the loose in Peirce City during the lawmen’s absence.

    Now he has three women who’ve traveled to marry him, and he has to decide which is the best for him, and for his young family. But who is the best choice? Sweet Emma Roberson, a fine cook who has come looking for love, or the proud Aggie Hamilton, who can organize a household and tend to the books? Or Margaret Mitchell, who lost her husband recently and is desperately seeking a family to care for? It takes a brush with death for the choice to become clear, and for each heart to find its place.

    

    Can an old Indian and animals in need of rescue heal hearts and secure futures? Find out in this Special 3 Book Set of sweet and inspirational historical romances. Book 1 A Kitten to Help her Trust Again. Emma’s heart was broken by a man she trusted, one she always believed she would marry. That was until she walked past the church to see him in the arms of his new bride. Hearing about a group of women looking for husbands and leaving for Santa-Fe she goes with them. A new place, a new start is what she needs. Only it's hard to trust again and she is pushing men away. Can she ever get over her heartbreak? One day she finds a kitten in pain. She goes to John Blackwolf, the Native American man who runs an animal rescue center. While there, she bumps into Robson Metcalfe, the local sheriff who is looking into attacks on the center. When a fire breaks out will all be lost? Book 2 The Dog, the Marshal, and the Groom. Losing her husband was heartbreaking for Paula. When a man starts to pressure her into marriage she heads west for a new life. To keep herself busy she has been helping at the animal center and loves the dogs. One day while walking her dog she comes across trouble and stumbles across a marshal. Once he has arrested the man he is chasing she recognizes that it is Tony, her friend’s brother and the man she had a crush on before her marriage. When the man who was pursuing her arrives in town things get complicated. Can a dog without a home help her find love and a new home for herself? Book 3 The Lawyers Bride Simone lost both her parents and became homeless. She has always been told what she can do and she is looking for freedom as well as a husband. She has her eye on a rancher but she doesn’t know how to ride and asks John for a horse to practice. Mark is the local lawyer and he is intrigued with Simone. He offers to give her riding lessons and the two become very close. Soon he understands what is driving her. She craves the freedom to make her own decisions. Even though he believes she is making the wrong one, the rancher is not a nice man, he knows he must step back and let her make it her own decision. Will Simone make the right decision or will she be blinded by charm and fall for the wrong man? Find out in this 3 book box set of sweet and inspirational historical western romances by bestselling authors Indiana Wake and Belle Fiffer. These books are sweet and inspirational and are suitable for all ages.

    Still reeling from the loss of his sister, he receives another shock when his childhood friend Randa Lockhart steps off the stage with his niece Kallie. He’s stunned to see that the little pigtailed nuisance that tagged after him, and his best friend, years ago has turned into a beautiful young woman. Randa and Kallie have barely settled in when Coop finds buffalo hunter Marvin Doolin beating the local blacksmith within an inch of his life for laming his horse. Coop steps in and when the buffalo hunter tries to kill him, shoots him. Now Doolin’s four brothers are out to even the score. When they go after Randa, they cross the line. They’re about to find out that’s there’s nothing Coop won’t do, and no one he won’t track down to protect the two females that have burrowed hard and fast into his heart.

    Tailhookers who wear the US Navy Wings of Gold are renowned as the most skilled pilots in the Aviation community. This book tells the story of a twenty year-old drafted into military service during the Vietnam War, then applying to enter US Navy pilot training. His historically accurate story begins with highlights of his Navy flight training to his assignment as an A-4 Skyhawk pilot in VA-22 The Fighting Redcocks. The book chronicles facts about the frustrating air war in Vietnam from 1968 to 1970 through Lt. Dellicker's three tours as an Attack pilot and LSO. Intertwined with the war stories and close calls is a love story of two young people who met, became engaged in two weeks, and endured 18 months of war-time separation. Now, after 45 years of marriage this story was written for their kids and grandkids as an accurate historical account of the Vietnam War, True Love, and Faith in God.

     With all that has been said about Dodge City no true account of conditions as they were in the early days was accessible until publication of Robert Wright's 1911 book "Dodge City, the Cowboy Capital." The author was especially well qualified to write a history of the "wicked city of the plains" since he had lived on the frontier for many years previous to the founding of the city and lived in the city from its opening. He had all the experience gleaned as a plainsman, explorer, scout, trader and as mayor of the town. His is a most interesting narrative of early days, as well as a very valuable contribution to western history. Prior to founding Dodge City in 1868, at 16 years old Wright came West to Missouri. In 1859 he made the first of six overland trips across the plains to Denver. He was later appointed post trader at Fort Dodge in 1867, when Kiowa, Comanche, Cheyenne, Arapahoe, and Prairie Apache abounded there. Wright was acquainted with old-school Western sheriff and gunfighter Bat Masterson, of whom he said, "Bat is a gentleman by instinct. He is a man of pleasant manners, good address and mild disposition, until aroused, and then, for God's sake, look out! "Bat was a most loyal man to his friends. If anyone did him a favor, he never forgot it. I believe that if one of his friends was confined in jail and there was the least doubt of his innocence, he would take a crow-bar and 'jimmy' and dig him out, at the dead hour of midnight; and, if there were determined men guarding him, he would take these desperate chances...." Wright describes a typical day in Dodge: "Someone ran by my store at full speed, crying out, 'Our marshal is being murdered in the dance hall!' I, with several others, quickly ran to the dance hall and burst in the door. The house was so dense with smoke from the pistols a person could hardly see, but Ed Masterson had corralled a lot in one corner of the hall, with his sixshooter in his left hand, holding them there until assistance could reach him...." Wright also describes one hair-raising encounter he witnessed from a roof on his ranch: "The savages circled around the poor Mexican again and again; charged him from the front and rear and on both sides. Presently the poor fellow's horse went down, and he lay behind it for awhile. Then he cut the girth, took off the saddle, and started for the river, running at every possible chance, using the saddle as a shield, stopping to show fight only when the savages pressed him too closely

    He was madly in love with his fiancée, but she died from a mysterious illness, and he couldn’t save her. He couldn’t save his parents, either, when they were injured in the crossfire during a bank robbery. Now he is alone, except for his sister Allie, who is about to marry and move to Montana. Juliet Monroe works in a dead-end, hateful factory job in Boston. She knows midwifery and herbal healing, but she was lured to the factory job with false promises of good money and golden opportunities. Allie doesn’t want to leave her brother alone in Colorado, so she secretly places an advert to get him a Mail Order Bride. Juliet answers the ad only to discover Tyler is completely in the dark about their impending marriage. Juliet fears she’s just traded one unbearable situation for something even worse…

    

    Life was going Boone’s way almost perfectly lately: he had plenty of healthy cattle, loyal and hardworking ranch hands, and he was able to work day in and day out with his younger brother, Bryce, by his side. His cowboy dream had come true and he wanted nothing, not even a woman, to alter the state of things. So when a terrified and enchantingly beautiful woman stumbles onto his ranch and begs him to bring her to safety, Boone does what is right and bravely defends her from a posse of brutes. Boone assumes he can help the poor woman and be done with the whole inconvenience in the same night, but try as he might, he can’t deny that Ally Winters has already found a way into his heart. Will Boone’s stubbornness and painful past demand that he stick to his simple life and avoid change? Or will Ally Winters spin his world upside down and show Boone what life and love are really about? Please enjoy Boone’s Bride, a sweet, clean, historical western romance.

    After Texas won its independence, the Mexican people left stranded on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande continue to live as they have for centuries. Not even the Civil War and Reconstruction have changed their way of life. Politics and greed are about to put an end to all that, even if it means murder. Outraged at being treated like second class citizens, the Mexican people have a different outcome in mind. They outnumber the Anglo population by ten to one. If they are to be treated like dogs, it's time for the dogs to bite. As blood flows on both sides of the conflict, an undercover Texas Ranger is sent into El Paso County to investigate. In a region where life is cheap and crime and corruption are as common as dirt, can one man find a just solution and prevent a war, or will death and hell ride into the borderlands on a pale horse? The Fourth Horseman is another great book for fans of Dan Arnold’s Historical Fiction. The story is based on one of the worst chapters in the history of Texas, the San Elizario Salt War. Fans of Louis L’ Amour will love this Western which may also remind them of Robert B. Parker or Elmore Leonard, with a touch of Cormac McCarthy for good measure.

    Godfrey was a central figure in the Reno-Benteen defense over the 25th and 26th of June, 1876. He kept a diary of the Yellowstone Expedition against the Sioux from May 17 to September 24.The diary reveals anecdotes and observations of General Custer's mood and behavior before the fight on June 25th, as well as the desperate story of survival experienced by the battalions under Reno and Benteen. It also contains fascinating details about how the cavalry moved, camped, and relaxed during the days leading up to the fight.In 1892, (then Captain) Godfrey wrote what became a very famous and widely-read article for Century Magazine about the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Both of these documents are cited by most serious Custer books..

    His perfect little life is disrupted though when Curley, his business partner, goes missing while on a buffalo-hunting expedition. Benedict is not the kind of man to give up on his friend. He’s determined to find him and bring him home safe. There’s another problem, however; Curley's sister is dead set on coming along to search for her brother. Benedict admired Hallie’s feisty personality, even though she’d always been out of bounds for him. Now, in close quarters as they go on the dangerous hunt together, can he resist the soft spot he’s always had for her?Hallie lost her parents suddenly a few years back. Since then, she’s been very protective of her brother, the only family she has left. When Curley goes missing, there is no way she will let this pass without a fight. When she discovers to her horror that the vicious Pablo Javier gang is behind this, she knows there’s no time to waste and that she should act immediately. If she has to put up with Benedict for a few days in order to save her brother… so be it. Yet, Hallie has always liked Benedict, more than she’d care to admit. Can she put her pride aside and convince Benedict that she is the competent and skillful comrade that should join him on this perilous quest?As Benedict and Hallie embark on their journey together, they’ll soon find that their quest was never what they thought it would be. What started as a rescue mission ends up becoming an escape plan to save their own lives. With shots fired, and a gang that even has corrupt sheriffs on their side, will Benedict and Hallie manage to help each other out? How will they ever manage to survive when they realize that they're not the ones on the hunt after all, but those being hunted?A pulse-pounding drama, which will make you turn the pages with bated breath until the very last word. A must-read for fans of Western action and romance."No Rescue for the Traitor" is a historical adventure novel of approximately 60,000 words. No cliffhangers, only pure unadulterated action.