A commitment, bond, pledge or pact. Some are broken, others withstand the test of time.Promises can be made between friends, families, or lovers. Each will be honored. Even the promise of payback, although Joseph King prefers the word revenge. Family fun at his expense? Not on your life. Join the members of the Guardian family as they delve into the nuances of promises made and kept.Promises is a Kings of Guardian Novella. Please note: THERE IS NO BACKSTORY INCLUDED IN THIS NOVELLA.This novella is not for you if you haven't read the previous books in these series. You will not understand the characters or the dynamics. If you have not read all the Kings of Guardian, Guardian Shadow World, and the Guardian Defender series, please consider not buying this story.

    But appearances can be deceptive. Erica describes her successful, lawyer husband as handsome and charismatic when she recounts their whirlwind marriage. But nothing is what it seems.  What is Erica hiding?Was Joel’s death really an accident? Sometimes the truth can be ugly.

    

    Between two world wars, he became the laureate of cricket by doing the same with words.In The Great Romantic, award-winning author Duncan Hamilton demonstrates how Cardus changed sports journalism for ever. While popularising cricket – while appealing, in Cardus’ words to people who ‘didn’t know a leg-break from the pavilion cat at Lord’s’- he became a star in his own right with exquisite phrase-making, disdain for statistics and a penchant for literary and musical allusions.Among those who venerated Cardus were PG Wodehouse, John Arlott, Harold Pinter, JB Priestley and Don Bradman. However, behind the rhapsody in blue skies, green grass and colourful characters, this richly evocative biography finds that Cardus’ mother was a prostitute, he never knew his father and he received negligible education. Infatuations with younger women ran parallel to a decidedly unromantic marriage. And, astonishingly, the supreme stylist’s aversion to factual accuracy led to his reporting on matches he never attended.Yet Cardus also belied his impoverished origins to prosper in a second class-conscious profession, becoming a music critic of international renown. The Great Romantic uncovers the dark enigma within a golden age.

    One of the girls is rescued, but the other has disappeared into thin air and all trails lead to a dead end. Or so they thought. Alpha Squad never gave up hope that she would be found, in what condition, they didn't know.Now three years later, new evidence comes to light that blazes a trail to Tampa. With the help of Trident Security, their new found knowledge of what they are up against, Alpha Squad rushes to do whatever is necessary to find the missing girl and bring her home to the SEAL community who loves her. What wasn't expected was secrets that came to light that were better left in the dark. Friendships and a marriage are put to the test in this sequel. Can Pratt and Highlander's marriage withstand the secrets that were hid in the dark for long? Will Trident Security and Alpha Squad find the missing girl? Even the darkness seeks the light.

    The first in a heart-warming series full of lush lotions, fabulous friendships and teenage crushes.

    The illicit liaison triggers a chain of events that will destroy two kingdoms and bring down a dynasty.Set against the backdrop of the pagan-Christian conflict between kings Penda and Oswiu The Song of Heledd sweeps the reader from the ancient kingdom of Pengwern to the lofty summits of Gwynedd where Heledd battles to control both her own destiny and that of those around her. Judith Arnopp has carried out lengthy research into the fragmented ninth century poems, Canu Llywarch Hen and Canu Heledd, and the history surrounding them to produce a fiction of what might have been.

    She never expected to meet the gorgeous, super sweet Navy SEAL that sweeps her off her feet.Special Warfare Operator Jason Buckley of SEAL team Alpha is the fifth wheel on a luxurious Caribbean vacation.  He's afraid of commitment. Afraid of loving someone and not coming home. Afraid of someone finding out his darkest secrets.But one glimpse of Beca has him rethinking everything. It's love at first sight, but now their feelings will be put to the test.One pleasure cruise.One random circumstance.One chance at saving the lives of innocent civilians - including his new-found love.When danger surrounds them, does Jason have what it takes to protect Beca?

    A Navy SEAL must rescue her. Tessa Pate is tough, fit, and quick witted. But it’s not easy to find the right man to date. She accepts an invitation from Hunter, a loyal member of the Stealth Security team. Before he arrives to escort her to dinner, she’s thrown into a car trunk and whisked away. Her captor has his hands full, and likely regrets choosing her. He has mistaken her for another woman, but there’s no turning back. ˃˃˃ Will her captor get the revenge he seeks? Former SEAL Hunter Davis is drawn to Tessa’s strength and beauty. When he finally asks her out to dinner, the evening turns into a nightmare. He fears for Tessa’s life. Her captor wields a gun, and is out for revenge. ˃˃˃ Can Hunter rescue her, before it’s too late? Tessa refuses to be intimidated, and fights back. She’s a challenge for her captor. But without Hunter, she may be doomed. It’s a first date gone terribly wrong. Yet will she have another chance?

    What threw me, though, was the urgency of the diplomats in Beijing. They live it, they get it. And they wanted me out.'Bill Birtles was rushed out of China in September 2020, forced to seek refuge in the Australian Embassy in Beijing while diplomats delicately negotiated his departure in an unprecedented standoff with China's government. Five days later he was on a flight back to Sydney, leaving China without any Australian foreign correspondents on the ground for the first time in decades.A journalist's perspective on this rising global power has never been more important, as Australia's relationship with China undergoes an extraordinary change that's seen the detention of a journalist Cheng Lei, Canberra's criticism of Beijing's efforts to crush Hong Kong's freedoms, as well as China's military activity in the South China Sea and its human rights violations targeting the mostly Muslim Uighur minority in Xinjiang province. Chronicling his five-year stint in China as he criss-crossed the country, Birtles reveals why the historic unravelling of China's relations with the West is perceived very differently inside the country.The Truth About China is a compelling and candid examination of China, one that takes a magnifying glass to recent events, and looks through a telescope at what is yet to come.

    The truth could tear them apart.Desperate to prove herself, Kayleigh Kingston will do anything to keep her job at Beacon Art Gallery. When her boss gives her an ultimatum—retrieve an artifact and escort it back to New York safely, she’s determined to do whatever it takes to succeed.Thaddeus Tru hates lies, but his love of justice outweighs it. His newest assignment? Get cozy with a woman who’s smuggling relics and willing to murder if it means keeping her freedom. Sounds cut and dry—until he meets her.The lie becomes a tangled web when feelings begin to pull Tru and Kayleigh closer together. Once the truth is out, will the deception wither all hope for love, or will it be strong enough to build a future together?

    But when it becomes clear that she is in danger, how far will he go to save her? Perfect for fans of Nora Roberts, Roxanne St. Claire, heartwarming suspenseful romance, and dog lovers everywhere! Kane Turner is a simple man who cares nothing for riches. Scarred both physically and mentally from his tours as a marine, all Kane cares about is his bike, beer and dog Bud – and not necessarily in that order. He lives in a trailer on the beach, working security detail for his friend’s company, protecting some of the wealthiest (and most superficial) people in the world with loyal Bud at his side.  Ask anyone and they’d tell you that Lexi Gray-Rockefeller has it all. The daughter of Hollywood royalty, she’s rich, one of the most stunning women in the world with parents who dote on her. Yet Lexi is lonely. All she wants is to work with animals. She doesn’t care for the LA lifestyle having struggled to make any lasting relationships: people are generally too in awe of her family or befriend her only for what they can get.  Following a series of threats, Kane is hired to protect Lexi, yet despite their world of differences the two of them find themselves falling in love. In Kane (and his dog Bud), Lexi has found an authentic soul who doesn’t care who her parents are or how wealthy she is, while Lexi is the one person who can seemingly heal Kane’s wounds. When Lexi is kidnapped, Kane only has a short time to save her. Can he find her before time runs out? Heat level: a hint of steam - nothing graphic. This book also covers billionaire and military themes.This is a standalone book with no cliffhangers.

    Only two little girls know where he is but they’re too scared to tell. Time is running out for the policeman. Will the girls get help before it’s too late? Piggy Monk Square is a dark yet frequently very funny novel set in 1970's Liverpool. The action takes place in the volatile period before the Toxteth riots burned much of the inner city down. A BRITISH THRILLER This unusual yet very readable British thriller describes a world tainted with deep mistrust and hostility between the local people and the police force. This harsh world is viewed through the eyes of a nine-year-old girl, Rebecca. Rebecca’s world is changing. Her parents are fighting. Her teachers are cruel. She doesn’t know what to do and turns to her best friend Debbie more and more. But Debbie’s life is just as tough. With a father who is always dodging the police, and a mother who works her to the bone, Debbie is no Cinderella. The world these girls inhabit is no fairy tale, it is confusing and can be brutally violent. A TERRIFYING SECRET No wonder the girls mix reality with fantasy - it’s how they survive, especially when it comes to coping with what will soon become their terrifying secret. A secret that will infuse their childhood with fear and change their lives forever. The nightmare begins when Rebecca and Debbie are playing in the cellar of a derelict house. A policeman catches them there and warns them not to return to this dangerous old building. But they are both determined little girls with nowhere else to play, so they come back, again and again. Unfortunately for them so does the policeman. The policeman tries to chase the girls away, but he falls down a ladder and goes ‘asleep.’ The girls try to wake him but can’t. They want to get help but at the same time they know they shouldn’t have been playing in that cellar. They have learned not to trust the police and are so afraid of getting into trouble that they leave the injured policeman alone. NOWHERE TO TURN Wishful thinking makes the girls hope that he will get up and go of his own accord and that everything will be okay again. But when they return and find him still there, conscious but unable to move they find another way to help him. A way that doesn’t involve adults. But, their interpretation of ‘helping’ the dying policeman has terrible consequences for them all.

    He's spent the past nineteen years looking for the serial killer who took his sister from him and ruined his family. Using his connections, and SEAL training, Mozart believes he's finally tracked the killer to the town of Big Bear, California. Summer Pack is working in a crappy motel up at Big Bear Lake until she can find something better, more meaningful, more real. But somewhere in Big Bear, a killer is waiting to strike again. Watching for the perfect victim Protecting Cheyenne- Cheyenne was used to seeing hot military men as she went about her daily business. An anonymous encounter at the grocery store cemented her crush on one such man. Always in control of any situation, Faulkner "Dude" Cooper knows explosives. Disfigured by a bomb while on a mission, he's used to being looked at with pity. When he's called to a local supermarket to assist the local PD, the last thing he expects to find is a generous act of kindness performed by a beautiful, amazing woman. Dude was able to save Cheyenne from the group of thugs trying to take her life, but when the past comes back to haunt them both, sometimes having the knowledge and the desire isn't enough to beat the countdown of the clock. Protecting Jessyka- Kason "Benny" Sawyer was the last single man on his Navy SEAL team, but seeing the love between his friends and their women made it tough to be the odd man out all the time. Jessyka Allen had a good life, until it wasn't anymore. Finding herself in an impossible situation, with no noticeable way out, her job was an escape. Being a SEAL, Benny thought he knew the true meaning of teamwork and friendship. But Jess would show him that everything he thought he knew about sacrifice, trust, and love, paled in comparison to what she brought into his world. Protecting Julie Julie Lytle is working hard to turn her life around. Being kidnapped by sex traffickers changed her drastically, but having grown up the spoiled daughter of a senator, Julie wishes she could've changed just a little sooner. Shamed by her behavior toward the woman rescued alongside her, and further embarrassed and guilt-racked over the way she treated the SEALs who risked their lives on her behalf, Julie is desperate to make amends.

 With help from a D.C. acquaintance who'd endured her own harrowing experience, Julie connects with Patrick Hurt, Commander of the SEALs who'd saved her life. If she can prove she's not the same person who mistreated his team, he'll grant her request to meet them-but not before the protective, sexy man makes a surprising request of his own.

    She had a face of feral sweetness, its color yellow; her eyes were long and dark, her mouth a taut bow, her nostrils upturned as if she were scenting the wind."In "How Shall I Know You?," a melancholic and ailing writer reluctantly travels east of London to give a lecture before a literary society. Mr. Simister, the organization's secretary, lures the world-weary novelist turned biographer with promises of a modest stipend and lodging at a charming bed-and-breakfast for her trouble. Nevertheless, on that rainy day she meets Mr. Simister at the train station, she wonders why she ever agreed to come in the first place. Driving past steel-shuttered windows and Day-Glo banners, Mr. Simister takes the writer to her hotel for the evening, which turns out to be crumbling and isolated rather than picturesque. As she crosses the threshold into the dank stench of Eccles House she is faced with the feral porter, Louise, and suffers through an evening that may be more than she bargained for.From Hilary Mantel's brilliant and darkly comic collection of contemporary stories, The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher, comes a tale told with her distinctive blend of subversive wit and gimlet-eyed characterization. "How Shall I Know You?" showcases the extraordinary genius of Hilary Mantel, called one of our "greatest living novelists" (NPR).