They captivate us with their forbidden mystery and promises of excitement. Yet once inside us, they become toxic; compelling us to infect others, who in turn want nothing more than to be bitten. It's a vicious cycle that ensures nothing remains secret forever. The only way to protect yourself from their destructive energies is to simply turn the other way when offered one. To resist the lure of the forbidden fruit. But sometimes, something just happens to you - or you just happen to witness something - that forces one upon you; like an uninvited guest that arrives without warning, and leaves only under great duress. Unfortunately, I have been burdened by such a secret for over twenty years. You see, my childhood was stolen from me in broad daylight, right under my nose, by a cunning thief who dazzled me with his charms, only to run away with my innocence forever. It was the perfect crime, and at the time I was the perfect victim. But thankfully, I was able to pick up the pieces of my life and gradually go on to live quite normally. In fact, I even forgot all about my childhood trauma. Or so I thought. Because it was during a recent chance encounter with my old teenage diary that I realized my demons had never truly left me. They had only been lurking in the shadows all along as I busied myself with other things. I suppose I learned the hard way that a secret kept in darkness only grows in potency.  But there is one way to diffuse a secret. To take away all of its power. And that is to make it public. For no vampire can survive in the cold light of day. So it is at the behest of my wonderfully supportive husband that I have decided to lay bare the ghosts of my childhood in this book, in the hope that in doing so, I'll finally be able to lay them to rest forever. It's been a long, hard journey for me to get to this point. And I thank you, dear reader, for playing your part in my recovery. Emily WARNING: This book is based upon a true story of child abuse, and as such contains passages that some readers may find disturbing.

    Local friendships and bonds of loyalty that she and her family formed during their gradual renovation of their once derelict farmhouse have now deepened. The children, both hers and her neighbours', are now adults and the close-knit community celebrates and prepares for the new generation. The wedding festivities and banquets are beautifully described in mouth-watering detail and the tastes and smells of Lot-et-Garonne seem to float from the page. An unforgettable and enriching story of Ruth and her family, and their continuing love for their home in the sunflowers.

    Her mother and brother’s death, alongside her father’s drug habit, keeps her from living life to the fullest. Saving herself for the right one and staying out of harm’s way for her seemed to work, but that all changes when she meets the guy begging for a chance to be in her dull life. Chance is your normal hood boy; fast money excites him more than anything. He takes everything serious and his always ready to go to war mentality is what keeps him in trouble. Crossing paths with Riley was never in his plans. Riley felt she would never find love, especially from someone so handsome, so kind, so settled; life has become so perfect. In her eyes, everything is beginning to fall into place for her loveless life. Riley quickly realizes how fast little problems can be blown out of proportion and made into major complications. As situations grow, becoming a victim to someone else’s problems take its course. Will Riley be able to handle the new life she has entered or will she leave it all behind her? Will she find her hood love or will the hood snatch love away from her, again?

    The only problem was, while Passion secretly loved the man behind the music, Skillz barely noticed anything besides her amazing voice. Fear of rejection and the realization that they were from two completely different backgrounds was enough to keep Passion secretly proclaiming her love for him through her lyrics. Emotions run high and there is nowhere to hide when the two are forced together for an impromptu tour. Sparks will fly, and secrets will be revealed in this sweet love story.

    He had a rule not to marry or fall in love while he was in the game but, now that that was all behind him, he was ready and looking for a life partner and, from the very first moment that he laid eyes on Bailey Burnett, he knew instantly that she was the one. Bailey, young, smart and beautiful, belongs to Andre and she is no longer happy being his live-in girlfriend. The fact that he lies and is never home is evident that he’s entertaining another woman, but Bailey is in no position to leave him. She gave up her career to play house wifey to a man that still hadn’t proposed in over eight years. Fed up and tired of being misused, she meets her new neighbor Bash and is instantly attracted to him, and it doesn’t take long for her to desire him. An absent Andre gives Bailey an open invitation to get to know Bash and it doesn’t take the two long to discover the chemistry that they share. No matter how much the two of them try to keep their feelings at bay, they can’t resist falling in love with each other. The heart wants what the heart wants and Bash decides to give his heart to Bailey and, in the end, they both decide to be together by any means necessary.

    But when she walks into my clinic, my heart skips a beat and I suddenly can't take my eyes off her. Jenny is everything I've ever wanted in a woman. And those curves - good god, I can't stop thinking about those thick, long legs that never seem to end... I guess you could say curvy women are my type - and Jenny has curves for days. But now I can't sleep, and I can't focus at work. I'm a doctor, and this obsession is impacting my profession... I know I'm not going to be able to get back to work until I'm sure I have Jenny as my forever. I'm going to marry this curvy girl. Jenny: I'm new to town, so when I walk into the doctor's office I don't know what to expect... But what I find there waiting for me is beyond my wildest dreams. In fact, he's better than my wildest dreams. Dr. Christian White seems to be the perfect guy... Smart, handsome, and with a chiseled body. But I'm a curvy girl, and I'm sure he could get better than me. I want him so bad that I can't even focus on my new job. I feel like I'm going to get fired if I don't start performing better. The only thing that can make my mind relax is if I have him. I want Dr. Christian to be my forever man. I want to be his bride. Doctor's Curvy Bride is an instant-love, happy-ever-after steamy alpha BBW romance story, featuring an older alpha male with a younger BBW. This is a standalone story.

    Hidden in the villages and towns of England reside eccentric characters of all types: sex-starved housewives, retired comedians, foul-mouthed parrots, monosyllabic children, troublesome students, even a wife-swapper or two!Twenty two hilarious stories from the world of home delivery taken from Lee's popular The Deliveryman Diaries Blog.

    In his world it was murder or be killed and he planned to stay alive. Zadda walked through life emotionless, never learning how to love or respect anyone until he met Neffi. She tested his patience, had him breaking all his rules but will she push him to the edge? Being the cousin of a Jamaican Don Neffi wasn’t used to hearing the words, no, stop or can’t. But when her baby father’s secrets are revealed some of hers come tumbling out as well. Leaving her single and for the first time without her cousins support. Meeting Zadda she soon finds out she wants more than he can give. Will their love survive murder, secrets and tragedy? Or will Neffi be left alone once again?

    Now, in Telling, she takes us on a journey both personal and universal, a tour of the minefield of chance and circumstance that make up a life. Along the way, she offers razor-sharp takes on everything from adolescence in suburban New Jersey ("Yes, I wanted to be a wild teenage rebel, but I wanted to do it with my parents' blessing") to hellish houseguests and bad-news boyfriends; from the joys of breastfeeding in public to the sometimes-salvation of motherhood.Candid, passionate, and breathtakingly funny, Marion Winik maintains an unshaken belief that following one's heart is more important than following the rules -- and a conviction that the secrets we try to hide often contain the deepest truths."A born iconoclast, an aspiring artiste, a feminist vegetarian prodigal daughter, from early youth I considered myself destined to lead a startling life far outside the bounds of convention. I would be famous, dangerous, brilliant and relentlessly cool: a sort of cross between Emma Goldman, Jack Kerouac, and Georgia O'Keeffe.... So where did this station wagon come from?" -- from Telling

    If there was a sport to play, a party to throw, a celebrity to amaze, a fireworks display to ignite, Plimpton was front and center hurling the pitch, popping the corks, lighting the fuse. And then, of course, writing about it with incomparable zest and style. His books made him a legend. The Paris Review, the magazine he founded and edited, won him a throne in literary heaven. Somehow, in the midst of his self-generated cyclones, Plimpton managed to toss off dazzling essays, profiles, and New Yorker “Talk of the Town” pieces. This delightful volume collects the very best of Plimpton’s inspired brief “excursions.”Whether he was escorting Hunter Thompson to the Fear and Loathing movie premiere in New York or tracking down the California man who launched himself into the upper atmosphere with nothing but a lawn chair and a bunch of weather balloons, Plimpton had a rare knack for finding stories where no one else thought to look. Who but Plimpton would turn up in Las Vegas, notebook in hand, for the annual porn movie awards gala?Among the many gems collected here are accounts of helping Jackie Kennedy plan an unforgettable children’s birthday party, the time he improvised his way through amateur night at Harlem’s famed Apollo Theater, and how he managed to get himself kicked out of Exeter just weeks before graduation.The grand master of what he called “participatory journalism,” George Plimpton followed his bent and his genius down the most unbelievable rabbit holes–but he always came up smiling. This exemplary, utterly captivating volume is a fitting tribute to one of the great literary lives of our time.From the Hardcover edition.

    Stories so compelling you'll stay in your car to hear them through--even if you're sitting in your own driveway. "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! "host Peter Sagal captures your attention with colorful tales for and about moms. Heard in "All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, News & Notes," and other NPR programs, these stories and more are for moms, moms-to-be, and anyone who has ever known or had a mother.

    Hard work, study and a determination to fulfil a long-held dream eventually became a reality when a computer search led to the discovery and purchase of their much loved mountain property. Follow Jane and Rob on their journey through a mosaic of early memories, anecdotes, observations and funny stories. As they travelled back and forth from their home in the UK to the Alpes de Haute Provence, their journeys over the years have provided a rich source of material, from a weird encounter with strangers on a ferry to the trouble dogs can get you into. Jane brings to life these and other experiences, introduces residents and neighbours and peppers her tale with facts and vivid descriptions of the area, making you want to pack your bags and see it for yourself!

    Stuck at a job her ex helped her get, she was forced to work with him and his new wife. Unable to hold in her anger any longer, she reacted before thinking and it cost her to lose it all. With life taking a turn for the worse, Alaina was ready to give it all up, including her life. Hearing her name being called by the last person she expected, stopped her from making the worst decision ever. After meeting Isaiah, you would think he had it all together. Having his own problems to deal with, he met Alaina and realized maybe his problems weren’t as bad as they seemed. He quickly tossed his worries to the side to show Alaina that life is worth living. After spending time together, Isaiah found out that it wasn’t only him saving her but she was saving him too. Some say it’s better to have loved and lost than to never loved at all. Alaina answered when love called her name but will it be all worth it in the end?

    She has made a tremendous amount of money in the past years and has been living a life of luxury while still following her passion. But she is no longer the same person that she was when she fell for the guy she couldn’t keep. The endless pain turned her heart into a stone that even years later, she can’t risk her heart softening again. When Past Knocks, Never Open The Door.Years later when Mausami discovers a shocking secret about the guy who changed the outcome of her entire life; she has to meet him and share the piece of news, putting her heart at stake.Mausami finds herself falling for the same guy again, but the only problem is he can’t have her back though he wants to. He has his reasons; reasons he can’t tell anyone.Only Love Can Heal A Broken Heart.Emotionally charged and universally challenged Mausami wants nothing but a little peace in her heart, which fate is ready to offer to her; only if she accepts it. Or is it fate’s new game of destroying her once and for all?

    Their great chemistry makes taking a man down easy work and they trust each other with their lives, each being the other’s ride or die. Beneath their stellar working relationship is a smoldering mutual attraction that has always been waiting to claim them both. When Bounce has a conflict with her and finds that his baby’s mama, Amina, may have committed a serious violation against him with a hot shot dope boy from the other side, he becomes obsessed with killing him before he has a chance of doing the same thing. When he finally rids himself of the problematic Amina, he and Eden finally get the chance to build something with each other that they’d each been searching for. They don’t realize it at the time, but that one confrontation with Amina sets off a chain reaction of events that will remold their lives for better or for worse, making them experience love, pain, and extreme loss, and Bounce will discover dark secrets hidden from him for his entire life. It’s hard for love to survive in the best of times… can it make it through the worst?