Unable to get out much because of pain, she goes online in hopes of finding some new friends to fill the void the long, lonely winters bring. A budding friendship develops, and soon, Jasmine finds herself in danger. Jack Warren is in love with Jasmine and has been for years. When he discovers she’s talking to strangers on the Internet, a pit fills his stomach, signaling something’s not right about one particular person. Can he convince her to give up her budding friendship before it’s too late? Will she ever come to love him as more than just a friend?

    Yet as her trust in Dimitri grows, so does the pleasure she experiences beneath his skillful hand, and Mariah soon finds herself submitting to him in ways she had promised herself she would never submit to a man again. Her own romance is far from the only one on Mariah’s mind, however. As head of guest relations at the high-end BDSM-themed resort Dimitri owns and operates, she works hard to ensure that the kinky needs of the guests are satisfied, even if that means playing matchmaker from time to time. But when she goes behind Dimitri’s back to set the resort’s world-renowned chef up with a feisty little submissive who is just perfect for him, she ends up earning a thorough chastisement from the man who is both her boss and her master. Mariah does her best to help each guest live out their perfect fantasy while keeping her own meddling behind from being draped over Dimitri’s lap too often, but her efforts are interrupted when trouble rears its ugly head in Pleasure Bay. With threats from a violent tropical storm and a dangerous individual from Mariah’s past both looming, can Dimitri battle man and nature to rescue the woman he loves before it’s too late? And if he brings her home safe will Mariah at last be ready to belong to him completely? Publisher’s Note: Mastering Mariah is the sequel to Dimitri’s Desire. It is an erotic romance novel that includes spankings, sexual scenes, elements of medical play, and other BDSM content. If such material offends you, please don’t buy this book.

    Her partners and best friends were determined to make this year's office Christmas party the best one ever. So leaving the two to do their worst, which could be extremely bad, she set out to give the presentation of a lifetime to Ty Lafitte, the most sought after investor in all of Silicon Valley.  Who knew a man worth billions could strip like he was a pro? Who knew a lap dance could lead to forever?   Excerpt: “Dude! You are late! Your costumes were delivered like an hour ago. Come on you can get ready on my office.” Ty wasn't exactly sure what the hell was happening. There hadn’t been time to step off the elevator before a tiny termagant of a human was pulling him along then pushing him into an otherwise empty office, shoving a gym bag in his hands. “Hurry up!” the little woman hissed at him, actually stomping her foot. “Dana will be here in five minutes, the one I sent you a picture of. You remember what she looks like right?” Not giving him time to answer she launched into instructions. “It doesn't matter, she will be the only one seated, I will be standing right behind her. I’m Kimmi by the way, the one who hired you. Just make sure you give her one hell of a show before working the room. We’ve already paid you double so that shouldn’t be a problem, right? I mean, you are bound to get a lot of tips out there. Oh and you are bi right? The guys that are into this kind of thing - you know- you shaking it all over them or whatever, will be up front. Leave the dudes hanging back alone. Are we clear? Good! Now hurry up and get those buns out there. As soon as I see you enter I will start the music.” There was no time to tell the diminutive general who he really was. As soon as she finished talking she was gone, closing the door with authority despite doing so quietly. Yep, he was definitely investing in this company. Hell, he was prepared to give them twice the capital they were asking for. What he couldn’t figure out was whether he was going to march out of the office he was currently standing in the middle of like he had lost every available brain cell in his head, or have a little fun and go out there and play the role. There was a reason Ty kept a very low profile despite his unprecedented success in business. Truthfully, he just didn't want to be bothered with questions and have an exposé done on his background, the Louisiana swamp he crawled out of, or the fact he put himself through college by stripping. This situation would be funny if it was so eerie. It just so happened he could go out there, shake it like they had never seen before, then surprise the three partners with his identity. It would be a great prank. But as Ty began hastily disrobing, he knew the real reason he was doing this. It was Dana. The straight talking, serious pitch woman had piqued his interest beyond her company’s potential growth. As he watched her deal with Dale and Dallas, he found himself fascinated by her. And yeah, he was more than a little interested. His cock had gotten hard by the way she continually slapped down Dale’s insinuations that maybe the apps she was presenting weren't so unique, or that maybe Dana and her partners needed assistance in supervising a growing company. Dale hadn’t even realized how thoroughly she had slit his throat with witty, accurate comebacks. Some flew right over Dale’s head. Dallas had simply sat there and let his counterpart be torn apart rhetorically speaking. Sirens was a company that didn't need Ty, they wanted him. That made a business deal desirable.

    Her wish comes true when she finds Mr. Right injured and stranded, but will they survive the dangerous storm?Rebecca York – Christmas Miracle 1935: Can he trust her enough to help free her father from jail?Patricia Rosemoor – Marrying Molly: Dear Santa, Please let me meet a McKenna man who will help me end Sheelin O’Keefe’s horrible curse on both our families. Molly KavanaughSusanne Matthews – What Dottie Wants: All Ronnie wants is to give Dottie a great Christmas, but not being able to find the doll she wants may make that impossible.Traci Hall – Christmas Kiss: Can a teenage crush become forever love?Angela Stevens – Dear Sinterklaas: Dan had his heart stolen by a girl on summer vacation, now it’s Christmas time, and with a little bit of magic from Sinterklaas, he hopes to make his Christmas wish come true.Melinda Colt – Saving Maddie: The only reason demons exist is because angels do, too.Stacy Eaton – Finding Love with Dear Santa: All Faith wants is to get her life back on track.Stephanie Queen – He Has Santa: A second chance hockey romance.Josie Riviera – A Chocolate Box Christmas Wish: He’s been all over the world. She’s a home-town girl. Can a holiday wish bridge the gap?Mona Risk – Dalia's Christmas Wish: Will the doctor make the right decision between an angry fiancée and a medical emergency?Rachelle Ayala – Toy Soldier Christmas: Can a toy soldier make her wish come true?Dani Haviland – A Plate of Christmas Cookies: Is it too much to ask for a second miracle?Taylor Lee – Please Christmas: Be Done: When his 7 year old son ran away looking for Santa... and all his teenage daughter wants for Christmas is for it to be done....the district attorney concedes not only did he lose his wife to cancer, but he was in danger of losing his children.Susan Jean Ricci – Cruising for Mr. Right: Can a widow discover second chance romance aboard a Christmas cruise and make the right choice between two adoring men?Alyssa Bailey – Christmas Wishes and You: Beth’s Christmas Wish of a Second Chance at Love could happen if only she would be willing to risk her heart... again.Nancy Radke – Zsuzsa’s Christmas Wish: She asks Santa for a strong man to help corral a mule that won’t stay home, and is given a rancher who plans to corral her.Carmen DeSousa – Chicago Hope: Aspiring journalist Maura Hall dreams of changing the world, but she'll settle for Chicago.

    Noelle sat motionless in the street, barely able to breathe. His little body was too still. Too broken."Noelle's world shattered that night, like the pieces of headlights scattered across the dark street. There was no rebuilding her life around the grave of her child.Adrift in her grief, Noelle finds herself drawn to an old house as rundown and weary as her spirit. She might not be able to mend her own brokenness, but maybe she can restore this abandoned structure to its former beauty. Determined, she throws herself into a renovation project with the unexpected help of a local. But she soon learns that her new home comes with a blood-stained history and a chilling reputation.When she stumbles across a diary written by a child with a disturbing life, and a teenage girl vanishes from the village, clues leave Noelle wondering if her house might somehow be connected. Someone -- or something -- wants her gone, but she has no intention of leaving without discovering the truth.

     Her family massacred, her home destroyed, she escapes with nothing but her mother’s heirloom and the desire for vengeance. When she’s found by Dormael, a Warlock of the Conclave, she learns that her mother’s keepsake—the very reason her family was killed—holds the power to unleash boundless destruction. Dormael and Shawna must flee for their lives before a vengeful enemy and guard against the deadly secret it seeks to unearth. Some secrets are best left buried, and vengeance must be pulled from the fists of the gods. With danger closing in around them, Shawna and Dormael are left with little choice. Will they escape, or will they drown beneath a tide of blood? From book two, The Knife in the Dark:Sanctuary beckons, but hides a deadly secret within. Dormael and D’Jenn bring a dangerous artifact home to the Conclave, hoping to answer the riddle behind an ancient mystery. But their homecoming only raises more questions as they discover an undercurrent of lies beneath the surface—lies that have been eating at the foundation of the Conclave itself, and subverting all they’ve sworn to uphold. Caught in a web of treachery, they must uncover the truth to free themselves, and keep an ancient weapon from falling into the wrong hands. To survive, Dormael and D’Jenn may have to sacrifice everything. With their home crumbling around them, they’re forced to make a dreadful choice. Will they navigate the waters of intrigue steeping the Conclave in turmoil, or be crushed by the cold heels of their enemies?From book three, The Old Man of the Temple:An archaic power awakens, but the shadows of antiquity conceal a terrible truth. Fugitives from the Conclave, Dormael and his friends flee with the armlet in their possession. Hounded by their former allies, they undertake a dangerous trek to an ancient ruin—a place where the only things older than the stones are the secrets buried beneath them. Pain and darkness wait in the halls of the dead, but something worse may be closing in from behind. With evil stirring, the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Will Dormael and his friends uncover the mystery of the artifact, or be destroyed by those who wish its power for themselves? For Dormael, D’Jenn, and Shawna, failure could mean the destruction of everything they know. The war is just beginning, and the gods will weigh the price in blood.

    It focuses on the tumultuous lives of two Afghan women and how their lives cross each other, spanning from the 1960s to 2003. The book was released on May 22, 2007, and received favorable prepublication reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist, as well as reaching #2 on Amazon.com's bestseller list before its release. Time magazine's Lev Grossman placed it at number three in the Top 10 Fiction Books of 2007, and praised it as a "dense, rich, pressure-packed guide to enduring the unendurable." Jonathan Yardley said in the Washington Post "Book World": "Just in case you're wondering whether Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns is as good as The Kite Runner, here's the answer: No. It's better."

    

    Original.

    She's smart, funny, witty and charming but there's one little problem. No one knows these things about Chelsea except for her blog readers. You see, Chelsea isn't exactly the Prom Queen or captain of the cheer leading team. In fact, she's just as relevant as the ten year old stale gum on the bottom of her desk. Well, at least that's what she thinks of herself. Join Chelsea as she blogs through three and a half weeks of torn friendships, betrayal, love interests and crumbling relationships.

    

    

    Elves and dwarves also had both passed into legend. And very few believed that any of the ancient tales were true or even could be true. There had assuredly never been dragons in the skies, or elves in the mountain forests and dwarves in their deep halls under The Elder Mountains – The Dragon Mountains. There were those from time to time who claimed to have caught a glimpse of a dragon but everyone knew that was as ridiculous as believing in real mages.Then a young man from the folk who live on the edge of the Kingdom in the hills at the feet of the ancient mountain finds that legends are coming to life. In a day he sees his first dragon, finds his home and family destroyed, sets out on a journey and is attacked by a dragon. Then he is bonded by another dragon and he finds that wondrous gifts are bestowed on him.In his journey he befriends other orphans and he is being followed by orphaned baby dragons and they begin to bond his new friends to save their lives. Each dragon bestows a special skill, magic, tracking, warrior, leader and more. Soon each orphan has a special skill. As their journey continues, their opponents mount and the odds of success seem to dwindle. And then new allies step out of legend……Show less

    Former SEAL Sullivan Bishop refuses to work for Jane Reise. The JAG Corps prosecutor is hard core—and he never stopped blaming her for his brother’s death. But Blackhawk is Jane’s only hope in fending off a frightening stalker, and she’ll blackmail Sullivan to get it. Forced into her service, he soon realizes he was wrong about Jane. As bullets fly, Sullivan knows he’ll risk his life—and heart—to save her.

    In this collection of his stories (each of which has a story behind it), you'll read about two retired spiritual leaders who experience a miracle in their nursing home, a gay relationship that must end between an American man and a Thai student, the astonishing adventures of an early mid-life failure, the thrilling chase one gay man undertakes for another intriguing, confusing, mysterious man, and a mind-blowing time-travel misadventure involving a man and a dog, as well as a few other surprises. This genre bending collection will captivate you. You might even enjoy the stories. Adam Carpenter Welles works in media in a major city in the Southeastern United States.