As such she is deeply fascinated-and intimately familiar—with the toll exacted from young women whose lives are offered in sacrifice as starlets. The stories of these actresses, both famous and obscure-tragic stories of suicide, murder, obscurity, and other forms of death—inspired this empathic and emotionally charged collection of new poetic work. Featuring subjects from Marilyn Monroe and Frances Farmer to Dana Plato and Brittany Murphy—and paired with original artwork commissioned for the book by luminaries including David Lynch, Adrian Tome, Marilyn Manson, and Marcel Dzama—Dark Sparkler is a surprising and provocative collection from a young artist of wide-ranging talent, culminating in an extended, confessional epilogue of astonishing candor and poetic command. Actresses featured in Dark Sparkler include:Marilyn MonroeBrittany MurphyDana PlatoJayne MansfieldJean HarlowDominique DunneSharon TateHeather O’RourkeBridgette AndersenShannon Michelle WilseyJudith BarsiPeg EntwistleCarole LandisAnissa JonesSusan PetersBarbara La MarrLucy GordonSirkka SariLi ToblerThelma ToddSamantha SmithLupe ValezTaruni SachdevRebecca Shaeffer

    [gay men] [science fiction]

    Crippling panic keeps Izzy from wandering beyond the stables but Tubs, the Gudwyne’s young stable boy, encourages Izzy to go beyond the property’s rock wall into a world that promises possible answers but also great danger. While running to escape his past, Jonathan Gudwyne rescued Izzy and took her in, but who did she belong to before he became her guardian?With the touch of the wolf’s great paw, the girl rose out of the ashes a woman—a mighty warrior armed with a copper axe.A mysterious cellar filled with secrets sets Izzy on a path to the New World where the Wendigo wanders and Water Panther swims. In the wilds of seventeenth-century America, Izzy and Jonathan discover the legends of the New World aren’t the fairytales of their library home in England.

    Blessed with a body to die for and the gift for gab, it doesn’t take long for her to snatch up one of the area’s hottest drug lords; Alijah Jackson. Soon she secures a place in his life as his “Bottom Bitch”. She realizes that fairy tales are a mere myth when she comes face to face with Shayna Jackson, the other woman in her man’s life. Shayna is intelligent, sexy and wicked which is total opposite from the persona that she gives off to everyone around her. Her good girl persona goes down the drain the moment she comes face to face with her husband’s mistress. Shayna discovers a mound of secrets and vows to let both her husband and his mistress suffer a fate reserved only for those that betray. As Alijah attempts to maintain both a wife and mistress he’s also dealing with making more money than he will ever be able to spend. While Shayna, Sierra and Alijah go to combat with each other Alijah discovers that young goons are trying to kill him and the feds trying to lock him up for life. He must now figure a way to stay alive and free. With no one to turn to, nowhere to hide, Alijah must rely on his gut instinct of survival and his knowledge of the game while still trying to maintain love in his life. The question is, from whom-- His wife or his bottom bitch? Travel a journey filled with lust, greed and larceny as a triangle of sins goes haywire with no one to blame but each other.

    N. Phillips for this fresh, enthralling spin-off to the Family Business series as the heir to a crime family finds himself targeted by an enemy and he'll need more than his family by blood to save him...Nevada Duncan is the heir to the Duncan and Zuniga crime family fortunes, but before he can take the mantle of power, he has to be educated about the family business. So, with the encouragement of his father and grandfather, he enrolls in his father's alma mater, Chi's Finishing School. Chi's is the world's most elite school for the children of underworld figures.On Nevada's first day of school, he hooks up with a group of misfit freshmen from around the world who quickly become his new best friends. However, Nevada is unaware of the deadly adventure that awaits him with a sinister new enemy lurking in the shadows. Montez wants what Nevada has, and he will do anything to get it.Accustomed to relying on his family and his superior intelligence, Nevada Duncan will soon learn the importance of friendship when the threats are aimed directly at him and he's the only Duncan around.

    She was the glue that held their family together and, now that she's gone, Alfie and his dad don't really know how to be a family without her. And then Alfie meets Alice. Alice is a force of nature and has her own set of problems, but at least when Alfie's with her he can forget about his. Or can he? Because no matter how hard you run, life will always catch up in the end. Despite everything holding them back, together Alfie and Alice learn two things: that friendship can help dig you out of even the blackest hole, and that it's not the falling down that matters, it's the getting back up. Enormously heartfelt and insightful, this fiercely uplifting novel is Eve Ainsworth at her best.

    stronger? A poignant and gripping story about the power of fear, the resilience of love and the magic of food - from bestselling Waterstones Children's Book Prize shortlisted author Sarah Moore Fitzgerald.Jake McCormack is the villain of Clonkirk. He's just killed a boy - deliberately run him over with his truck, on the bridge, in front of everyone. And he knows he'll get away with it.Luca, 14, is the new boy in town. He's looking for a fresh start after a terrible thing that happened at his old school. Clonkirk is a small forgotten town, but Luca and his mum are going to give it a go. They're opening an exciting restaurant, and his new friend Allie is coming to work there. Allie is honest and kind and Luca knows they're going to be friends.Allie has lived in Clonkirk all her life and these should be happy days - Luca is the best thing to have happened in years. But she's haunted by shadows of her own, and more than anyone she knows the danger of Jake McCormack. She needs to warn Luca. She needs to prevent disaster. At least she needs to try...

     Companions are the kingdom’s most beautiful and educated women—possessions of Syrasan’s royal men. THE ROYAL COMPANION #1 She is the gift he did not want. He is the prince she is forbidden to love. SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOOLLAHRA DIGITAL LITERARY AWARDS 2017 Aldara is sixteen when she is sold to the obnoxious crown prince as a gift for his brother. Forced to leave the only life she has ever known, Aldara is sent to Archdale Castle, where she is mentored to become Prince Tyron’s perfect Companion. But no amount of lessons can prepare her for the troubled man marked by war. He sees straight through the polished exterior presented to him. He sees her. Prince Tyron has just returned from war. All he wants is privacy to grieve the men who died at the border. So when his brother gifts him a Companion upon his return, he is forced to embrace a tradition he has so far managed to avoid. Except Aldara is not like the others. She walks with her face to the sun and arms swinging. Her laughter makes him forget the lie. But if they ignore the rules that safeguard them, there will be consequences… This is book one in The Companion series. If you enjoy dark medieval romance, then this epic tale of love against all odds is for you. Trigger warning: This book contains sexual violence, death and dark themes. THE COMMON GIRL #2 Love has never been more dangerous. The longstanding Companion tradition is about to change. A new trade agreement between two kings will see women sold across the border. Prince Tyron never wanted a Companion, but now he cannot fathom a life without her. When a rebellious act brings brutal consequences, Tyron realises his feelings put his Companion at risk. As her future grows more uncertain, he will do whatever it takes to keep her safe. Aldara never wanted to be a Companion, but at age sixteen the choice was made for her. She never imagined she would grow to love the man who owns her more than her own freedom. But when her life at Archdale begins to crumble, Tyron sends her back to the safety of her family, where she must find a way to exist without him. As Zoelin continues to tighten its grip on Syrasan, the pair soon discovers there are no safe havens. Tender and heart-stopping, The Common Girl is a love story about family, sacrifice and the roles that bind us. THE MAJESTIC IMPOSTOR #3 A relentless love. An impossible choice. Aldara has left the Companion life behind her. Having returned south to her family, she thought all ties to her prince severed. She was wrong. Now she has a secret—one she must keep in order to protect the people she loves. But when her past shows up at her home, lives begin to unravel. Still grieving the departure of his Companion and the death of his father, Prince Tyron is adjusting to life under his brother’s rule. Shifts in power see him sent to Corneo to take control of the West. Amid the throes of war, he learns that the woman who still holds his heart has been keeping a secret. An impulsive decision delivers him into enemy hands with no way out. Unless she does the unthinkable… Fast-paced and lyrical, The Majestic Impostor is a medieval tale of power and the unstoppable forces of love.

    So, how did I end up in my best friend's bed? Well, he did rescue me from my broken down car. Plus, he’s grown into a complete hunk of a man and is hardly the beanstalk that I recall growing up with. It just... happened. I mean, if you call being trapped inside due to a snowstorm and then finding yourself being ravished in bed 'just happening'. A fling… that’s what we agreed. We know this can’t last, I’m only back in my hometown for a couple of weeks. My life is in Vegas with the job I love. And his is here with his ranch. We physically can't be together… So, why don’t I want to leave? ***Hometown Lover is a stand-alone read with toe-curling romantic scenes. There's no cheating, no cliffhangers, no escaping the steamy nights (and days), and a guaranteed HEA***

    After her father’s, mother’s, and lover’s selfishness prevented them from giving her what her heart desired, she said “The Hell w/them!” Patience began doing her own thing and that was breaking the hearts of many.... Will her hoeish ways cause her playground to crumble?A Fem's Playground is jaw dropping, heartbreaking, and drama filled. Are you ready to Play?

    Known as "The Ferret," everyone despises him, but helping the Germans is the only way he can stay alive. When he discovers a girl with a diamond in a chimney, he refuses to give her up. Instead, he turns spy and uses the jewel to find out information about Hitler's ultimate weapon. He has one shot to stop the war. Can a ferret become a hero?

    But when she finds a birth certificate for a twin brother she never knew she had, along with a death certificate dated just two days later, she realizes why she never felt quite whole. She sets off on a trip to visit her brother's grave. Peter Finnegan, her neighbor, comes along for the ride. Emma thinks they can't possibly have anything in common, but with each passing mile, they find themselves learning more and more about themselves and each other.

    Then her dad receives unexpected, terrible news, and the family makes the last-minute decision to spend the summer together in the cramped quarters at their old lake house.Taylor hasn't been to the summerhouse since she was twelve, and she definitely never planned on going back. Up at the lake she is confronted with people she thought she had left behind, like her former best friend Lucy, and Henry Crosby, her first crush, who's all grown up...and a lot cuter. Suddenly Taylor is surrounded by memories she'd rather leave in the past—but she can't run away this time.As the days lying on the beach pass into nights gazing at the stars, Taylor realizes she has a second chance—with friends, with family, maybe even with love. But she knows that once the summer ends, there is no way to recapture what she stands to lose. From Morgan Matson, the PW Flying Start author of Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour, this is a remarkable new novel about hope in the face of heartbreaking grief.

    She understood that her mother was ill and needed to be taken care of. That her father was a waterman, a life she envied. And she understood that her little sister, Rebecca, was unabashedly beautiful. And she was not. When Annie's father suddenly dies, no one questions which sister will take his place aboard the family oyster boat. And for the first time, Annie falls comfortably and easily into the only place in life she thought she could ever fit in-as a waterwoman. And then she meets Nathan... "Sensuous [and] funny...Hart's flavorful dialect, her knowledge of working the water, and her understanding of the complexity of relationships-particularly the ones between sisters-are masterful." (Sheri Reynolds, author of The Rapture of Canaan)

    The son of a fortune teller, bookish, and an easy target for bullies, Alex hasn't had the easiest childhood.But when he meets curmudgeonly widower Mr. Peterson, he finds an unlikely friend. Someone who teaches him that you only get one shot at life. That you have to make it count.So when, aged seventeen, Alex is stopped at customs with 113 grams of marijuana, an urn full of ashes on the front seat, and an entire nation in uproar, he's fairly sure he's done the right thing ...Introducing a bright young voice destined to charm the world, The Universe Versus Alex Woods is a celebration of curious incidents, astronomy and astrology, the works of Kurt Vonnegut and the unexpected connections that form our world.