That's exactly what twenty-one-year-old Nuka James wants most; to discover who she really is. Called the "walking microwave" by her friends, Nuka is Defective and has the ability to manipulate heat. Raised by adoptive parents, she has spent the last three years searching for her birth mother. She finds more than she expected when her search leads her to Litmus, and she discovers that her mother is the leader of one of five Litmus fighting teams. Now Nuka must fight - literally - to win her mother's affection. As a Litmus fighter, Nuka stands to win money, fame, glory ... maybe even love. If she can survive to enjoy it.***Litmus is a spin-off of The Institute Series. While it is set in the same world, and characters from The Institute make appearances, it can be read as a separate, stand-alone series.Losing Nuka is a YA/NA crossover, suitable for people fifteen years and older.

    Independent. Focused. Driven. Grace Matthews is determined to make a difference. Confident. Powerful. Intense. Callan Fontaine is a force of nature. Because he has to be. As the lead mercenary on his team, it's how he keeps his men alive. A wounded man. A compassionate doctor. And a chance meeting that makes their two worlds collide. Now Grace's future hangs in the balance while Callan's past lingers in the background. Will she be enough to show him the world is still beautiful? Or will he walk away from the one woman that can be the light in his darkness? What do you do when the one thing that can put you back together is very thing that threatens to rip you apart for good?

    Teenage whore. Now a veterinarian, MacKensie's turned her life around, but the scars remain. She saves her affection for the animals who never judge or scorn her, but it's time to get out, move on from her past in Iowa. So, she arranges a vacation exchange to job hunt in Seattle.Although the house is lovely, one room is locked. Her years in foster care have given her two ‘gifts’: a neurosis about locked doors and the ability to open them. After she gets into the room, she's appalled…and intrigued. Chains and manacles, whips and paddles, odd benches with straps…When Alex returns home days early and finds MacKensie draped over the spanking bench in his locked dungeon, he’s furious. But her wariness arouses his protective nature and curiosity, so he strikes a deal to keep her close—she’ll act as his submissive in exchange for a place to stay and help finding a job.He’d planned to use the veterinarian to deter an ex-girlfriend, not replace her, but with MacKensie’s compelling mixture of strength and vulnerability, the little sub slides right into his well-defended heart.

    This collection from Australia and around the world gives us stories that are sad and happy, thoughtful and humourous, but always abounding with the author's trade mark generosity of spirit. Families, friends, lovers and the lonely, all are drawn with affection and wisdom.* Elsa makes a Christmas wish at the Statue of Liberty which comes true in a most unexpected way.* Amy opts for the simple life when Dan bites off more than he can chew.* Frankie uses an unexpected trip with Robert to find out what she really wants from their relationship.* Victor, a self-confessed hopeless romantic, accompanies a friend to Australia with no thought of love on his mind.* Nick and Janet meet at the Sydney Fish Markets...everything seems perfect, what could go wrong?* Victoria imagines what it would mean to her widowed father to join her in his beloved Paris for a weekend.* Bran enters a competition to broaden his horizons.

    Kay Scarpetta as she continues serving justice as Massachusetts' Chief Medical Examiner in Dust. Readers new to the 21-part series will have no trouble connecting with the protagonist who narrates the story. When Scarpetta receives her newest case, a murdered grad student from MIT, she embarks on one of the most complex journeys of her career. The novel Dust is filled with political corruption and nefarious financial masterminds in a highly detailed world provided by Cornwell's expertise with words. Through first-person narrative of Dust, readers experience the troubled thoughts of Dr. Scarpetta as she deals with the aftermath of the Sandy Hook tragedy and her own critical perception of society. Those with a passion for mystery and forensics will quickly become immersed in the realistic environment Cornwell has created in Dust. Find out how the author's personal background and career influenced her characters and the Kay Scarpetta series. This review features critical views of Dust, including the book's strengths and drawbacks. Dive into the fast-paced plot as you uncover hidden connections between law enforcement authorities, past murder cases, and Scarpetta's own family members.

    Unattached and not unhappy about it, she chugs along through life, fueled by coffee, gossip, and the daily round of split-end crises and dye disasters - until long-time client Ruby proposes something completely wild. Maybe it's the perm fumes, but she wants Eve to drop everything and move with her to a rambling, dilapidated cottage way up north at the lake. What's even crazier is that Eve agrees. The lure of escaping their ordinary lives for total freedom is too tempting to ignore, although neither one of them expects it to come with a barn full of cobwebs, an eccentric cast of local characters, and a brand-new business to run. The difference is, bare feet, good food - not to mention the time to make it - and the serene beauty of the lake in their front yard make facing each new challenge a lot more fun. If life is what you make of it, Eve and Ruby are bound and determined to make it fabulous...

    Nor was she prepared for the primal urges it released in her. Amery and Ronin were made for each other.When they married they were certain their future would be a fulfilling journey of love and passion. But happily ever after is never so simple. Six months later, while in Japan, Ronin is training with his sensei, while Amery is consumed by her own burgeoning career and a culture shock with which she is struggling to adapt.Now, from the heady pleasures of Tokyo bondage houses to the unyielding family traditions pulsing with every beat of Ronin's heart, Amery and Ronin find the limits of their relationship tested once again, and shocked to discover what they're willing to do in order to save it.Includes a preview of Unraveled, the upcoming novel in the Mastered series.

    Through the eyes of the young Earl Przepasniak ("a name unwieldy as a tumour"), it narrates the outrageous and tender story of Mavis, poet and mother, and Robert, the American dad. Earl's life revolves around the deeply wounding split of his parents and his attempts, through a less-than-idyllic childhood and the inexorable onslaught of manhood, to overcome the irresistible force of his father. But it is only when his parents meet their respective fates that Earl can feel not only loyal and guilty, but also free...

    An elderly woman and a busy young professional find themseves recuperating from surgery in the same hospital room, and find their very different worlds converging in an expansion of human spirit.

    Doreen reminds us that with the help of our guardian angels, we can discern important information about our past lives in a safe and gentle manner. Doreen and your angels also help you to unwind and relax so that your unconscious mind will reveal its ancient secrets.  Accompanied by your angels and the beautiful music of Steven Halpern, you'll travel back in time and recover your past-life gifts.

    A hardened addict in his teens, Hamilton had a heroin habit that led him deep into the drug underworld of South Africa. It took eleven stays at institutions and three times being pronounced clinically dead before Hamilton took his first earnest steps toward recovery. Hamilton eventually became a founding member of Narcotics Anonymous in South Africa and has since counseled addicts in treatment clinics. EXCERPT: "That's the trouble with drugs. None of it is real in the end. The whole thing is one big lie. I wish every day that I could start over, turn back the damn clock and see what the real Steve was like and what he could have accomplished without his dangerous toys and dubious playmates. That's another reason why I want my life back."

    Jordan Wells says he can help me. Heal my soul and fix my fear so I can perform on stage again to a sold-out crowd. His game gives me a reason to go on, but his price is total exposure. The stranger watching my every move is anonymous.Or is he?The daily notes he leaves seem familiar. His unreasonable requests bring out all my hidden fears. And then one night in the dark… his touch is everything I ever wanted. It was supposed to be a guaranteed win.A way to move past the performance anxiety.One less thing to worry about in a sea of dreadful things to worry about. But what we do in the secret anonymity of night might be more frightening than anything else. Because I like it. And I want more of it. And I’m willing to give up everything just so I can play this game forever…

    Containing the popular poems, Self Portrait, The Soul Lives Contented and Revelation Must be Terrible, the book traverses internal and external landscapes with evocative imagery, insight into the deepest patterns of human life, and the sure, elemental voice that has made David beloved as a poet and speaker around the world.