The ensuing scandal created a firestorm in Washington which required a high profile scapegoat. To protect his team, Charon cut a deal. Instead of embarrassing The Company by pointing fingers or naming names, he fell on his own sword. After a seven-year self-imposed exile, when he traveled throughout the Far East, Charon resurfaced in Washington. With unexplained but seemingly unlimited funding, he set up an ultra-high-end boutique security firm. With a knack for getting results in impossible situations and a history of keeping his mouth shut, the services of Sariel International were soon much in demand by the rich and the powerful of the world.Charon’s life is turned upside down when a beautiful but mysterious young woman appears unannounced at his office. He soon learns that members of his old Water Works team have come out of retirement and for unknown reasons are killing each other.When he follows the trail, he discovers the identity of the person who had leaked the story years earlier and the startling reason why.

    While their authors toil at getting their stories written and printed, these characters are killing time at The Questing Academy. As their stories take shape, they endure many changes, some good, and some bad. At the academy, heroes learn the plotting ropes alongside villains, supporting characters and even window dressing castmates such as guard three whose only contribution to his scene is a poorly timed sneeze. Ah, but the academy stresses there are no small roles. Plopped into the middle of things is a grand hero, Irving Wishbutton. As he adjusts to life on a literary campus, he has to also deal with the twists and turns of his character and story development. It isn’t always pretty. For one, he arrives a smudge, his only distinct feature, a gaudy red button on his chest. Everything else about him is hazy and not defined yet due to his writer who has avoided describing him early on. Two, he immediately gets on Dean Harmstrike’s bad side when a pack of emberhounds from Irving’s own story attack him at the Office of Fine Aunts. Three, there are a plethora of mysteries and entanglements afloat at the academy. Irving’s creator has marked him as acutely curious. While the faculty tells him to dig into what makes himself tick, he can’t help but unravel the mysteries and secrets that abound on campus. On his quest of self-discovery, he is befriended by another fellow smudge, a beautiful fairy from another book’s supporting cast. He also gets mixed up with a confused vampire whose fickle writer is constantly making revisions, including writing her twin brother out of her story. Lord Raggleswamp, a short-statured short-tempered braggart of a villain and Gared, The Golden Knight, whose silver tongue can command any and all monsters, are both constant thorns at Irving’s side as he seeks answers and to fit in. With the help of an equally headstrong cast, Irving tackles the big questions: Who built the academy? What’s Dean Harmstrike’s true agenda? Why is being branded a smudge so very wrong to others on campus? What lurks beneath the library? What happens to each character upon graduation?

    A scandalous affair. One unique love story. Anne is condemned to a life of loneliness. Until one day, through a massive crowd in London's Cheapside, she sees a man who instantly makes her heart flutter. Their eyes meet in a unique passionate moment... and then she is forced to flee.Overwhelmed by the hardships of her life, Anne is certain that she won't see him again. But fate had other, more sinister plans. When her dear friend Katharine introduces her new intended, Henry, Anne recognizes him immediately...What follows for Anne and Henry is a tale of forbidden passion, friendship, heartbreak, and danger. The closer these two get together, the more they put themselves and everyone they love at risk. The forbidden fruit never tasted sweeter...

    He becomes friends with Dan, a deputy-sheriff, a beautiful woman and a young boy. He begins to make solid plans for the future that include an old cowboy named Pete and the professor. Will decides his idea of wandering down to Old Mexico can wait maybe forever.

    Their search takes them from the backstreets of the capital to the hurricane torn roads of the Florida Keys, where they enlist the help of the army in an attempt to save their dad and stop World War III.Split into 4 parts, this is a rip roaring tale that will have readers eagerly turning the pages right through to the thrilling and action packed ending that no one will see coming. At roughly 17,000 words, Part 1 of this young adult serial, The Florida Chase, is a fast paced, action packed read.With their father missing, Luke and Jordan Brody head to Washington D.C to seek answers. And, in the dusty backstreets of the capital, the brothers stumble across a clue that propels them to travel to Key West.Arriving, they find out that a hurricane is approaching the coast. Desperate to find answers before the storm hits, the brothers decide to search high and low.But before they can get started, someone holds them up at gunpoint! What is going on? And why does someone recall seeing their father, but insist that his name was Mr. Lake and not Mr. Brody?

    On patrol in the Silesian Confederacy, Honor and crew chase a pirate vessel only to have it eject its human cargo of slaves into space. Horrified at the callous disregard for life, the crew of the HMS Fearless investigate and uncover a vast conspiracy by the planet Mesa to provide genetically enhanced slaves to the seedy underbelly of the various Star Kingdoms.

    Her girls' night out turns unexpected when she runs into Felony Bar's notorious bad boy, Randy McKenzie.Randy doesn't do relationships-not since his girlfriend left with their son. When she left, something died inside him. They're over and now he's playing the field-hard. When Karly walks into his bar, he's only interested in getting her into his bed. He has no idea that she'll stay in his heart long after they part.

    She’ll fight with her very life to make votes for women a reality.A headstrong young woman who yearns to be herself in a time when women weren’t free, Rose comes of age when world wars are new and automobiles, moving pictures, and airplanes are marvels of technology. She falls in love with Adam Bell, a vaudeville actor who travels the country with his brothers gathering laughs and hard knocks, though she denies her feelings for him, fearing he could prove to be her weakness. While working in Washington, D.C. for votes for women, Rose is arrested for her suffragist activities. After her release she must come to terms with her dreams for the future.Can we trust our government to do what is best for us? What must we sacrifice in times of war? And what must women suffer to be truly equal? Victory Garden is a reminder of how far we’ve come…and how far we still have to go.

    Dreams of a mysterious green building infiltrate her sleep, but are they just dreams or are they memories? As she struggles to recapture a life she doesn't remember she discovers clues to a lost love and dangerous experiments that lead to murder. More flashes of memory and a re-acquaintance with an old scientist lead her to an investigation into the mystery of the green building and the discovery of horrific experiments that end in murder... and something worse than murder. She learns her best friend has betrayed her and the husband she is trying to know and love is not who he says he is. With her trust shattered and her life precariously close to falling apart, she is more dedicated than ever to finding out who is behind the green building and the horrible things that happened there, that happened to her there. The more she learns, the more danger she is in.

    G.I. JOE strip!

    Reckless is a short Novella about the boys’ parents and how they came to be. Michael At fourteen I learned from the best. Soon, I became the best. Running the streets and keeping the trade alive was my purpose and my pride. I had it all but the thing I wanted most – Margret. Margret Some things in this world that are forbidden. Like my mother’s apple tart. The only day we are allowed some is a Sunday. Prayers before bed are a must, and to be seen with any of the O’Reagan’s or his crew is the deepest sin of all. One that I committed not really understanding the price.

    She's a rock hound! Hunting for rocks is her passion and she loves to show and tell. The stories she tells are more fantasy than reality, but the rocks she hunts are real. Follow along as she haggles with a host of characters to add rocks to her collection. Follow Scout as she hunts for azurite, alexandrite and fluorite and find the rock on every page! STEM-inspired story that encourages creative problem solving Scavenger Scout uses science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) concepts to overcome the challenges she faces. Kids will delight in the real-life rock hounding tools Scout uses such as a crack hammer, chisel or a rock hammer. Kids can use their powers of observation to search for the rock on each page and come up with hypotheses for how they would get each of the rocks home. Seek-and-Find Element The story of Scavenger Scout will appeal to kids who love to hunt and who love adventure, so why not give them the opportunity to help Scout find the rock on every page? In each vignette, Scout hunts for a different rock and kids get to hunt with her! The difficulty level varies with each page so even kids as young as 2 or 3 will be able to find the rocks. “Scavenger Scout: Rock Hound” is the perfect holiday gift or birthday gift, but would also be a great gift for when your favorite Scout moves up from Daisies to Brownies or Bobcat to Tiger Cub or Scout to Tenderfoot. This book is the first book in a series and is crafted for ages 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, preschool and kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade.

    But there is a hurdle to overcome before all of the bodies can reunite and return to the forest.WHAT IS A BABUSHKA?The Babushka doll, also known as a "Matryoshka" or "Russian Nesting Doll", is a traditional Russian toy first made over 100 years ago. The doll has come to symbolize Russian folk culture, as well as the complex and beautiful layers of women. This is the story of one very special doll, with five bodies that together make the Babushka: There was the outermost body, Antonia. She was pure beauty and everyone who saw her raved about her good looks. Beneath that body of beauty hid the second body, Loretta, who was richly adorned. She wore gold ornaments, and her robe was decorated with many different gems that glittered like the ocean on a sunny day. Hidden within the rich body was Paula the body that held all the talents. Whatever Paula did, she was sure to succeed. She knew how to work and always did so with joy and determination. Under the shell of the talented body was Viola, the body of wisdom. Viola knew a lot about the world and learned very quickly. She was always full of brilliant ideas and had clever solutions for every problem. The last body, the innermost and smallest of all, was Mary, the embodiment of love. Mary had a compassionate heart and was very helpful. She had the special ability to dry tears and mend broken hearts. All these bodies together formed the beautiful Babushka.Reading this book, your child will learn about:– The value of friendship and love.– That financial wealth alone cannot make someone happy.– Not to judge outer appearance.– To recognize their value and much more