She’s vulnerable. She’s just what Marco was looking for.Stella Wiseman was a child TV star, but there’s nothing glamorous about her life now. Alone in her thirties, she’s lost her parents and her friends and she’s stuck in a dead-end job. But just as she hits rock bottom she meets Marco, a charismatic older man who offers to get her back on her feet. He seems too good to be true.Is he?She appreciates the money he lavishes on her. And the pills. But are the pills just helping her sleep, or helping her avoid her problems?With Stella’s life still in freefall, Marco whisks her away to a secluded cottage where she is isolated from everyone except him. But the closer he pulls her, the worse she gets. He tells her it’s all in her head, and she just needs time away from the world.No longer sure what’s real and what’s not, Stella begins to question whether she was wrong to trust Marco. Was she wrong to trust herself? Is the one person she thought was fighting for her survival actually her biggest threat?

    Even though I rebelled against the marathon forced practice sessions that turned my adolescence into a prison camp, there were moments--even in the mechanical repetition of practice--where I stopped being a robot and felt a kind of transcendence, a connection to something deeper. But that was before I learned what music really was, and that it was capable of more than just pretty feelings. That it was a weapon, which could cause great pain and destruction; that it was deeper and older than humanity; and that there were forces in the world that wanted to reclaim it for themselves. And there's something beyond the music, something darker and more violent. Something waiting to be invited, something only I can control. I'm more powerful than I ever could have imagined, but the price is something - and someone - I can't bear to lose.(This is PART ONE of the first book in the series.)Orpheum is a young adult dark fantasy romance based on Eastern European history, the myths and literature of Orpheus and Pythagoras' theory of the music of the spheres. Readers who loved This Savage Song and Strange the Dreamer will love this hypnotic mythological thriller. ♬☠♪♩♫♬☠♪♫♩☠♬☠♪♫♩☠♬☠♪♩♫I spent a decade becoming the best violinist in my state - but a single letter dashed my hopes of a musical career. Desperate to escape my sheltered existence, I took a mysterious offer from a music school in Bulgaria. The culture and my new classmates seemed magical at first... a little too magical. My blood runs dark and hot as new emotions awaken within me, along with supernatural abilities that take my music farther than I'd ever imagined. They tell me I'm the key to everything, but only if I can keep my head.That should have been easy. Instead, I follow my heart and kill everyone I loved.Now I'm going to get them back.Orpheum is a young adult dark fantasy romance based on Eastern European history, the myths Apollo and Dionysus, and an alchemical magic based on planetary music. Readers who loved This Savage Song and Strange the Dreamer will love this hypnotic mythological thriller.A gripping dark fantasy romance for anyone who loves...music and stories with violinsepic stories full of history and mythologymagical powers and supernatural creaturesGothic themes and literaturetragic romancesThis book was updated in 2018 and now contains the FULL novel.Read the epic conclusion now!

    Franny Bluecastle, a tough city teen, dreams of dying in opulence, to see wealth she’s never known. Like the entire world, she believes it’s impossible to dodge a deathday. Until the day she does. Court Icecastle knows wealth. He also knows pain. Spending five years in Vorkter Prison, a fortress of ice and suffering, he dreams of life beyond the people that haunt him and the world that imprisoned him. Mykal Kickfall fights for those he loves. The rugged Hinterlander shares a frustrating yet unbreakable connection with Court—which only grows more lawless and chaotic as their senses and emotions connect with Franny. With the threat of people learning they’ve dodged their deathdays, they must flee their planet to survive. But to do so, all three will have to hide their shared bond as they vie for a highly sought after spot in the newest mission to space. Against thousands of people far smarter, who’ll live longer, and never fear death the way that they do.

    At the age of 16, protagonist Beatrice "Tris" Prior faces a decision that every teen in the society must encounter. Chicago is separated into factions dominated by conformity, and each 16-year-old must become an initiate and possibly leave family members behind. Veronica Roth provides an engaging story and realistic world in "Divergent" that draws readers in from the very first page. Use this analysis to guide you through the compelling story to discover greater details beneath the characters and setting. "Divergent" challenges readers to think deeply about societal structures and the consequences of mindless conformity. Tris narrates her story as she diverges from the norm in order to find her own strength within. This literary analysis covers major themes and symbols while prompting readers to question the characters' transformations throughout the book. Filled with action, suspense, and light romance, "Divergent" is accessible to a range of age groups, and it has received multiple awards.

    That is what troubles animal-phobic, robotics engineer Smith who just got married. He learns that his bride’s dream is to have a farm where there are lots of animals and she can rescue ex-race horses to retrain and find them new homes. But according to a Meyers-Briggs Personality Test that they took for fun, their marriage is doomed. There is only one problem: the newlyweds took the test after the wedding. Whether Smith is chasing a cow named Pork Chop through the woods with a rope, getting locked in a tack room by the family pony, being snubbed by his wife’s dog, or unsuccessfully trying to modernize their barn using the latest technology, the odds are stacked against him. It seems like everything with four legs is out to get him. Will the animals win, forcing Smith to admit defeat, or will he fight to keep his family and the farm together? Enjoy the true, warm, and frequently hilarious stories of Smith’s journey along the bumpy road from his urban robotics lab to a new life on a rural Virginia farm.

    Covering fiction, poetry, science and science fiction, memoir, travel writing, biography, children’s books, history, and more, 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die ranges across cultures and through time to offer an eclectic collection of works that each deserve to come with the recommendation, You have to read this. But it’s not a proscriptive list of the “great works”—rather, it’s a celebration of the glorious mosaic that is our literary heritage. Flip it open to any page and be transfixed by a fresh take on a very favorite book. Or come across a title you always meant to read and never got around to. Or, like browsing in the best kind of bookshop, stumble on a completely unknown author and work, and feel that tingle of discovery. There are classics, of course, and unexpected treasures, too. Lists to help pick and choose, like Offbeat Escapes, or A Long Climb, but What a View. And its alphabetical arrangement by author assures that surprises await on almost every turn of the page, with Cormac McCarthy and The Road next to Robert McCloskey and Make Way for Ducklings, Alice Walker next to Izaac Walton.  There are nuts and bolts, too—best editions to read, other books by the author, “if you like this, you’ll like that” recommendations , and an interesting endnote of adaptations where appropriate. Add it all up, and in fact there are more than six thousand titles by nearly four thousand authors mentioned—a life-changing list for a lifetime of reading.

    . . To Steph, working as a bar hostess in Japan sounds too good to be true. Friends say she can earn a fortune simply by flirting with drunk businessmen, and there's no sex involved - honest. Old friends, Julia and Annabel, are earning piles of cash in Tokyo and say hostessing is perfectly safe. But once in Japan, Steph realises Julia is a shadow of her former self and Annabel has disappeared. No one cares that Annabel's gone - least of all a troubled and secretive Julia. As Steph searches for her missing friend, she is lured into gritty, glamorous Roppongi - an exotic world of sex, modern-day geishas and easy money. There she meets Mama San, a charismatic and powerful hostess club owner, who has worked in the shadowy Japanese sex industry all her life and knows everything about pleasing men. But the longer Steph stays in Tokyo's sex district, the less finding Annabel seems to matter. Steph soon realises she must discover what's happened to Annabel, or risk selling a part of herself she'll never get back.

    A short story from Franz Kafka, celebrated author of dark haunting tales of transformation and the horrors of life.Sometimes translated as "A Country Doctor."

    I INCLUDE VOCABULARY WORDS AND EXPLAIN THE WORK IN A SIMPLE FASHION. I endeavor to go beyond a cheat sheet, and encourage the reader through the process of learning. If you are a student or a parent of a student, and are looking for easy guidance, this book is for you. I happen to teach personal development and approach the book from a teacher's angle- with the goal of making the information easily available with an encouragement into the excitement of learning. THIS SUMMARY BOOK COMBINES HISTORY AND NEW VOCABULARY WHILE EXPLORING THE THEMES AND METAPHORS OF THE BOOK. AND IT IS WRITTEN IN A LANGUAGE THAT CAN BE EASILY UNDERSTOOD.

    Charmed by the foreignness of his new surroundings and by the familiarity of everything the British have left behind, he finds solace in life’s simple pleasures, travelling by rickshaw around the small town with his driver Jamshed and staying in a mission house beside the local presbytery where, after a chance meeting, the Padre and his adoptive daughter Priscilla take Hilary under their wing. The Padre is concerned for Priscilla’s future, and as Hilary’s friendship with the young woman grows, he begins to wonder whether his purpose lies in this new relationship. But religious tensions are brewing and the mission house may not be the safe haven it seems.

    Despite his overbearing nature, Shade delights in her new role as wife and mother. When her husband suddenly dies years later, she uncovers secrets from his past—secrets so profound they derail the lives of both her and her daughter. After tragedy strikes, thirty-six-year-old Shade gains custody of her young grandson, Tyler, and moves to a small Michigan beach town where she becomes the owner of a successful bakery and café. Shade meets and falls in love with Tyler’s baseball coach, but their love for one another is doomed. Shade’s internal struggle to honor her vow to God, while denying her own desires, throws her on a path of painful redemption.

    Isolated and secure, the residents lack nothing, yet one day, a doctor at the clinic goes on a suicidal shooting spree. Dr. Jane Sinclair is hired as his replacement, and her husband Paul uncovers the dangerous psychological vents that maintain Eden-Olympia's smoothly-running surface.

    Adrift at thirty-four, no-one does 'lost' quite like Jill. Wry, witty, resilient but bewildered, she's left asking, 'What does it take to stay sane in this life? And why does it look easier for everyone else?'Her nine-year relationship is over. She swaps one so-so job for another. She gets drunk with off-beat friends and internet dates with mixed results... Then life is flipped on its head by some shocking news. But average 'chic fiction' this ain't! There's nothing average about Jill and her distinctive, savagely honest voice; with sentences you'll want to read and re-read for their lyrical, original language and ringing clarity. An exploration of modern friendships and relationships, Jill's voice will penetrate and have you analysing your own life choices through her lens!When events take Jill to the edge - will tip herself over or turn things around and keep walking?

    Salil loves a shadow which transforms into many characters to reveal the secrets of life. Aalya, his neighbor, is doing research in English literature. Her guide Seema is a childless lesbian. Paul, husband of Seema, is a drama director. I am the protagonist, who coins philosophies for day to day events and my wife Sulekha is the second protagonist who makes coincidences happen with her artful manipulations. Read on to learn what happens when....

    Perfect for fans of Lee Child, and I AM PILGRIM, by Terry Hayes.HIS PAST IS UNKNOWN. HIS FUTURE UNWRITTEN.WHO IS SOLOMON CREED?A plane crashes in the Arizona desert.One lone figure emerges alive from the wreckage.He has no memory of his past, and no idea of his future.He only knows he must save a man.But how do you save someone who is already dead?