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.

    Running wild and free on the veldt. Elephants and giraffe for playmates. What more could a child want? As a builder for the then-Rhodesian government, Dad's job was low-paying and demanding. We were sent to areas where there were few trappings of civilization, such as electricity or potable water. My siblings and I ran barefoot in the bush and swam in crocodile and parasite-infected rivers. We were never clean. We loved it.Our camps were spartan and makeshift, and scorpions, spiders, and snakes regularly invaded our space. There were no schools. I was home-schooled by Mom. Then, at age eight, my parents sent me to a religious boarding school; an institution ripped straight out of the pages of Dickens. It was there I discovered not all adults were kind or empathetic people. In the bush, we were forced to create our own amusements--making our smash hit movie on a riverbank, or writing plays that we produced on a squeaky, portable 8-track tape recorder. We spent sultry nights playing poker in our caravan, reading books, and writing stories. My parents were artists and writers; creative, but not the most practical people. They made mistakes, and in 1963 a whopping blunder bankrupted us and forced our family back into the bush. This memoir will take the reader through my life from birth in 1950 to the abrupt end of my childhood in 1969. Tea, Scones, and Malaria is a story about my family's gypsy-like trek through the African bushveld. It is about loneliness, poverty, dysfunction, and tropical diseases. It is also the laugh-out-loud memoir of a child who finds ways to entertain herself and survive in a world that is the literal definition of wild. How I survived it all, I will never know.

    Their blood merged and formed a new species of shape shifters that changed the dark world forever—the Sycamore. The Sycamore is a unique species of shifters that have not only been in the realm of humans but in the realm of the supernatural as well. Among all shape shifters, Sycamores cannot be killed by silver. Only ten Sycamores have been in existence. Their death is brought forth by the curse of mortality caused by the cutting of one’s own flesh while denouncing the bloodline. This has happened because a Sycamore would end up falling in love with a human. This 17,000 word Novella is Part 1 of a six part series. This story is written by Joni Grimes, whose love for everything paranormal has created an unquenchable thirst to tell fascinating stories. Sycamores provided blood to the ancient lycans and vampires. Their shape shifter blood helped the vampire and the lycan bloodlines survive for the longest time. As more dark creatures merge and proliferate, the Sycamores continued to dwindle in number. Now, the future of the Sycamores lies in the hands of the last two who are yet to find each other.

    A serial killer, a seller of computers and a young Muslim girl’s lives are connected by a series of tragic events. DC Rosie Probert investigates the gangland shooting of a Brixton man, but could his brother really be responsible for a number of vigilante reprisals? A story of coincidence, murder, terrorism, and vengeance, Precarious Infatuations will thrill, frighten, and enthral you.

    High cliffs and black timber forests lead onto dangerous trails which twist and turn all the way to its violent and natural conclusion. Will and Evaline Garrison settle in Colorado and with young sons Gabe and Ransom built their ranch on lands hunted by ancient tribes of Indians for centuries. After many battles Garrison finds himself once again losing his family and hard won land. Bigger battles loom as an expanding railroad pushes onto the ranch despite Garrison's battle against it. His fight grows into epic battles and as friends and foes die his young sons are forced to take up trails of vengeance. On a ride for revenge Gabe found May Horn with a bloody knife in a darkened street. Pursued by twelve railroad trackers they run for days across towering cliff trails. Sharps rifles, Winchester carbines and Colt pistols do their talking for them and many die on their bloody trail. A warm romance buds and pushes up thru the ashes as the characters fight to survive. Readers will find their own brand of justice, as they ride bound to characters, so good or so evil. The Silver Saddle, a full size original Western saga is written in an old style, with deadly consequences of our unforgiving desperate migrations into the Old West. No emotion will be left untouched!

    51 pages of summaries and analysis on Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks.This study guide includes the following sections: Plot Summary, Chapter Summaries & Analysis, Characters, Objects/Places, Themes, Style, Quotes, and Topics for Discussion.

    Nothing in life was handed to her, she had to work for it. Although she was smart academically none of that mattered, school wasn't an option, bills had to be paid. Using her doting eyes, alluring smile, and firm back side, Yssa was determined to keep a roof over her head, food in her stomach and clothes on her back. When life takes a sharp right turn she finds herself running into Pierre.Pierre wasn't your typical guy. With a hardworking single mother his priority was school and sports. Being skilled in multiple sports landed him opportunities that would have him set for life, until he meets her. The moment his eyes met Yssa, the hood chick with the 'around the way girl' persona, he falls in love. Determined to help her out of her bind, Pierre goes out of his way to make Yssa see herself for the queen she truly is. He loves her, breathes her, cherishes her; however, in Yssa eyes he's just her best friend.Pierre isn't Yssa typical pick in guys, she was a hood chick that craved that hood love. He was too well mannered, too attentive, too motivating, too good for her tainted soul. Pierre's good boy ways was only enough to earn him a seat in the friend zone, where Yssa felt he was safe. When unfortunate events separate the two Yssa is forced to reevaluate herself and the choices she's made; however, her revaluations may be a little too late.

    His life changes when he meets a stranger one fateful night and is enamoured by her.ANAMIKA is a mystery, who is searching for herself. She tells Kabir her story, but on the condition that they would never meet again. The night ends, but their story has just begun!Their paths cross again, but Anamika disappears. With no clue about where she is, Kabir is lost and disheartened.To what extent will Kabir go to find Anamika? What is Anamika hiding from him? Will they meet again?Read this electrifying tale of destiny, love and courage to know more about The Girl I Met that Night.

    Perfect for fans of Crime fiction.Natasha Orlova, the only surviving relative, and daughter to a Moscow streetwalker. Though she grew up in poverty, she was full of ambition. At eighteen, she left Russia and her mother, whom she regarded as a failure to the golden land of opportunity, America. Like many other young girls migrating to the United States, she dived into the adult industry in the search for a living. Her break came two years later when an American businessman took enough interest in her to marry her. A man who happened to be involved in a deathly lethal game of crime, but it was all good for she loved him and he had money, and money was one thing that was essential to her life. But soon, the tides were to change. Tides which would eventually force the confession from her, “Money ain’t Loyal.” A hardboiled Crime Thriller by Daniel Junior.

    Engaged to be married to the devastatingly handsome Miles Gainsborough, she could never imagine how easily happiness could turn into disaster. When her father confesses that she is the only hope of saving the family from financial ruin, she finds herself set to marry a man she cannot bear to love. Will Eliza allow the threat of a scandal and the fear of condemnation to turn her away from the only man she has ever truly loved?A Soulmate for the Heartbroken DukeLady Catherine Ambrose knew what it was to grow up in a household where little was thought of a young woman. When Thomas Carlton first speaks with her at a summer ball, Catherine thinks him daring and amusing, not to mention handsome. But, within a short space of time, she finds herself hopelessly in love with him. Catherine finds herself adrift in a world she does not know, a place so far from home. But will she find peace there? And can her new family help her through the most shocking event of her life?Falling for the Heartbroken DukeLord Robert Weston is thrown in among the elite of London's bon ton, while he chafes against the conformities and gossip of the very rich. When his childhood sweetheart, Lady Judith Barton, reappears in town after three years, she has much more to say than hello. When all that is expected from society is the production of an heir, will Lord Robert be able to make the right decision and solve a seemingly unsolvable mystery?If you love clean Regency romances that feature strong women of the era and determined, yet charming, male protagonists, then you are going to love this collection!Each book features a standalone, clean and sweet story of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a sweet happily ever after.

    She’ll steal your pen or touch your hair, when you’re sure there’s no one there. The nuns are meant to keep her safe, but she gets out of her own grave. So pull your covers over your head, Little Frances isn’t dead … On a bright spring day in London, Ria Driver sees a face she never thought she’d see again. Coincidence? Or her past coming back to haunt her? Suddenly, Ria is plunged back almost thirty years, to the time she spent as Supervisor at the Convent of Maria Goretti, a rural Irish boarding school. And although she has tried her best to forget, the memories come flooding back. Cold, darkness, isolation, loss … fear. Fear of the sadistic Mother Benedicta and her cruel punishments. And fear of the noises … the humming, the footsteps, the knocking …What was the cause of the sounds from the attic? And who was the child who should not have been there? As events unfold, Ria realises that she can leave the past behind no longer, that her story needs an ending. And to find it, she must go back to where she swore she’d never go again.

    These speeches−by kings and queens, presidents and prime ministers, freedom fighters and political leaders, dictators and writers−have made a mark in world history. These speeches not only give us an insight into the past, but also inspire us with their demands for equality, cries of freedom, a call to arms, rooting for the cause of the individual or the nation.Learn from the inspirational words of King Charles, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, Adolf Hitler, Mohandas K. Gandhi, George Washington, Rabindranath Tagore, Anne Besant, Theodore Roosevelt and Subhas Chandra Bose, among many others.

    It was as if her mother knew that Risé was not meant to be written into the family’s tragedies. In fact, from a young age Risé found a way to rise above the chaos, abuse, and molestation of her childhood, eventually escaping the weight of her family, and learning to love and believe in herself. This story is a testament to her deep determination and innate courage.

    This debut international thriller tangles a sordid web of love and intrigue.

     See how they each conquered and held the rich, fertile kingdoms of the Stormlands, Dorne, and the Reach, and just why it is that the families of Game of Thrones are eager to avenge themselves on one another. Here is the story of how Orys Baratheon founded House Baratheon through fury and the fire of dragons and how that house eventually produced the Kings Robert and Stannis of the beloved series. Why is it that House Martell hates the Lannisters and all of the other Houses fear dealing with them? How did House Tyrell come to command the richest and greatest armies of all Westeros from their lowly origins as stewards? Game of Thrones: A Family History Volume II has all of these answers and more!