A retired general and his hit-man kidnap a Russian scientist and travel through time to an alternate New York of 1939. Plenty of high-tech glitz charges this powerful, breakthrough science fiction novel by the author of Ambient. Views: 70
Step into a world of sophistication and glamour, where sinfully seductive heroes await you in luxurious international locations. Passion has a double price… Alexander Konstantinakos has discovered that one passionate night in Manchester had its consequences: two, to be precise. Out of the blue he’s turned up on Ruby Wareham’s doorstep – to take his twin sons back to Greece! Ruby’s shocked that she’s still so attracted to the dark, sexy and powerful Alexander! She’s afraid she might lose her beautiful boys, whom she’s struggled to bring up on her own, but maybe there’s a solution… Can she wed Sander – a virtual stranger – and live as his wife, and in his bed…? Needed: The World’s Most Eligible Billionaires Three penniless sisters, pure and proud…but about to be purchased!Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.Cursing as she heard the doorbell ring, Ruby remained where she was, on her hands and knees, hoping that whoever it was would give up and go away, leaving her in peace to get on with her cleaning. However, the bell rang again, this time almost imperiously. Someone was pressing hard on the bell.Cursing again under her breath, Ruby backed out of the downstairs cloakroom, feeling hot and sticky, and not in any mood to have her busy blitz on cleaning whilst her twin sons were at school interrupted. She got to her feet, pushing her soft blonde curls off her face as she did so, before marching towards the front door of the house she shared with two older sisters and her own twin sons. She yanked it open.'Look, I'm—' Her sentence went unfinished, her voice suspended by shock as she stared at the man standing on the doorstep.Shock, disbelief, fear, anger, panic, and a sharp spear of something else that she didn't recognise exploded inside her like a fireball, with such powerful intensity that her body was drained of so much energy that she was left feeling shaky and weak, trembling inwardly beneath the onslaught of emotions.Of course he would be dressed immaculately, in a dark business suit worn over a crisp blue shirt, whilst she was wearing her old jeans and a baggy tee shirt. Not that it really mattered how she looked. After all, she had no reason to want to impress him—had she? And she certainly had no reason to want him to think of her as a desirable woman, groomed and dressed for his approval. She had to clench her stomach muscles against the shudder of revulsion that threatened to betray her. The face that had haunted her dreams and then her nightmares hadn't changed—or aged. If anything he looked even more devastatingly handsome and virile than she had remembered, the dark gold gaze that had mesmerised her so effectively every bit as compelling now as it had been then. Or was it because she was a woman now and not the girl she had been that she was so immediately and shockingly aware of what a very sexual man he was? Ruby didn't know, and she didn't want to know.The disbelief that had frozen her into silence had turned like snow in the sun to a dangerous slush of fear and horror inside her head—and her heart? No! Whatever effect he had once had on her heart, Sander Konstantinakos had no power to touch it now.But still the small betraying word, 'You,' slid from the fullness of the naturally warm-coloured lips that had caused her parents to name her Ruby, causing a look of mixed contempt and arrogance to flash from the intense gold of Sander's eyes. Eyes the colour of the king of the jungle—as befitted a man who was in effect the ruler of the Mediterranean island that was his home.Instinctively Ruby started to close the door on him, wanting to shut out not just Sander himself but everything he represented, but he was too quick for her, taking hold of the door and forcing it open so that he could step into the hall—and then close the door behind him, enclosing them both in the small domestic space, with its smell of cleaning fluid. Strong as it was, it still wasn't strong enough to protect her from the scent of him. A rash of prickly sensation raised the hairs at the back of her neck and then ran down her spine. This was ridiculous. Sander meant nothing to her now, just as she had meant nothing to him that night… But she mustn't think about that. She must concentrate instead on what she was now, not what she had been then, and she must remember the promise she had made to the twins when they had been born—she would put the past behind her.What she had never expected was that that past would seek her out, and now it had…'What are you doing here?' she demanded, determined to wrest control of the situation from Sander. 'What do you want?'His mouth might be aesthetically perfect, with that well-cut top lip balancing the promise of sensuality with his fuller bottom lip, but there was nothing sensual about the tight-lipped look he was giving her, and his words were as sharply cold as the air outside the Manchester hotel in which he had abandoned her that winter morning.'I think you know the answer to that,' he said, his English as fluent and as accentless as she remembered. 'What I want, what I have come for and what I mean to have, are my sons.''Your sons?' Fiercely proud of her twin sons, and equally fiercely maternally protective of them, there was nothing he could have said which would have been more guaranteed to arouse Ruby's anger than his verbal claim on them. Angry colour burned in the smooth perfection of Ruby's normally calm face, and her blue-green eyes were fiery with the fierce passion of her emotions.It was over six years since this man had taken her, used her and then abandoned her as casually as though she was a…a nothing. A cheap, impulsively bought garment which in the light of day he had discarded for its cheapness. Oh, yes, she knew that she had only herself to blame for what had happened to her that fatal night. She had been the one to flirt with him, even if that flirtation had been alcohol-induced, and no matter how she tried to excuse her behaviour it still shamed her. But not its result—not her beautiful, adorable, much loved sons. They could never shame her, and from the moment they had been born she had been determined to be a mother of whom they could be proud—a mother with whom they could feel secure, and a mother who, no matter how much she regretted the manner in which they had been conceived, would not for one minute even want to go back in time and avoid their conception. Her sons were her life. Her sons.'My sons—' she began, only to be interrupted.'My sons, you mean—since in my country it is the father who has the right to claim his children, not the mother.''My sons were not fathered by you,' Ruby continued firmly and of course untruthfully.'Liar,' Sander countered, reaching inside his jacket to produce a photograph which he held up in front of her.The blood left Ruby's face. The photograph had been taken at Manchester Airport, when they had all gone to see her middle sister off on her recent flight to Italy, and the resemblance of the twins to the man who had fathered them was cruelly and undeniably revealed. The two boys were cast perfectly in their father's image, right down to the unintentionally arrogant masculine air they could adopt at times, as though deep down somewhere in their genes there was an awareness of the man who had fathered them.Watching the colour come and go in Ruby's face, Sander allowed himself to give her a triumphant look. Of course the boys were his. He had known it the first second he had looked at the image on his sister's mobile phone. Their mirror image resemblance to him had sent a jolt of emotion through him unlike anything he had previously experienced.It hadn't taken the private agency he had contacted very long to trace Ruby—although Sander had frowned over comments in the report he had received from them that implied that Ruby was a devoted mother who dedicated herself to raising her sons and was unlikely to give them up willingly. But Sander had decided that Ruby's very devotion to his sons might be the best tool he could use to ensure that she gave them up to him.'My sons' place is with me, on the island that is their home and which ultimately will be their inheritance. Under our laws they belong to me.''Belong? They are children, not possessions, and no court in this country would let you take them from me.'She was beginning to panic, but she was determined not to let him see it.'You think not? You are living in a house that belongs to your sister, on which she has a mortgage she can no longer afford to repay, you have no money of your own, no job. No training—nothing! I, on the other hand, can provide my sons with everything that you cannot—a home, a good education, a future.'Although she was shaken by the knowledge of how thoroughly he had done his homework, had had her investigated, Ruby was still determined to hold her ground and not allow him to overwhelm her.'Maybe so. But can you provide them with love and the knowledge that they are truly loved and wanted? Of course you can't—because you don't love them. How can you? You don't know them.'There—let him answer that! But even as she made her defiant stand Ruby's heart was warning her that Sander had raised an issue that she could not ignore and would ultimately have to face. Honesty compelled her to admit it.'I do know that one day they will want to know who fathered them and what their family history is,' she said.It was hard for her to make that admission—just as it had been hard for her to answer the questions the boys had already asked, saying that they did have a daddy but he lived in a different country. Those words had reminded her of what she was denying her sons because of the circumstances in which she had conceived them. One day, though, their questions would be those of teenagers, not little boys, and far more searching, far more knowing.Ruby looked away from Sander, instinctively wanting to hide her inner fears from him. The problem of telling the boys how she had come to have them lay across her heart and her conscience in an ever present heavy weight. At the moment they simply accepted that, like many of the other children they were at school with, they did not have a daddy living with them. But one day they would start to ask more questions, and she had hoped desperately that she would not have to tell them the truth until they were old enough to accept it without judging her. Now Sander had stirred up all the anxieties she had tried to put to one side. More than anything else she wanted to be a good mother, to give her boys the gift of a secure childhood filled with love; she wanted them to grow up knowing they were loved, confident and happy, without the burden of having to worry about adult relationships. For that reason she wa... Views: 69
From the Golden Books archives comes a classic Christmas tale by a master storyteller and one of the great Golden Books illustrators.A forest is hushed for the animals' Christmas. The elephant brings a fir tree from far away, and the animals gather silently. . . . The kangaroos decorate the tree with pinecones, and the giraffe places a star at the top."Now, as it happened before, the lion lay down with the lamb. . . ."This beautifully told story by noted author Jan Wahl is brought to life with richly textured paintings by Caldecott Medalist Leonard Weisgard, celebrating the majesty and wonder of Christmas. It was originally published in 1988.From the Hardcover edition. Views: 68
Clara Haydock had the voice of an angel - but she had the devil's own will to live ...Lancashire in the early 1900s was a place of poverty and hardship, where singing was for church and life was for getting on with. But Clara's unbreakable spirit and passion for music made her shine against the bleakness of that life.For she knew where her destiny lay ... and that destiny would lead her to love. Views: 68
"Now featuring a new Afterword by the author, this handy paperback edition of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Battle Cry of Freedom is without question the definitive one-volume history of the Civil War.James McPherson's fast-paced narrative fully integrates the political, social, and military events that crowded the two decades from the outbreak of one war in Mexico to the ending of another at Appomattox. Packed with drama and analytical insight, the book vividly recounts the momentous episodes that preceded the Civil War including the Dred Scott decision, the Lincoln-Douglas debates, John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry. From there it moves into a masterful chronicle of the war itself--the battles, the strategic maneuvering by each side, the politics, and the personalities. Particularly notable are McPherson's new views on such matters as the slavery expansion issue in the 1850s... Views: 68
Vintage Cliff Hardy, as Australia's favourite private eye finds himself literally fighting for his life in the murky violent underworld of Bondi.The early 1980s found Cliff Hardy well established as a private investigator but still battling his demons. He has quit smoking and moderated his drinking. The memory of his brief marriage still haunts him along with other ghosts from his past.A case in Bondi attracts him as an ex-surfer and admirer of the suburb. It began as a routine investigation into a supposed drowning. But Hardy soon finds himself literally fighting for his life in the murky, violent underworld of Bondi.The truth about John Singer, black marketeer and poker machine king is out there somewhere amidst the drug addicts, prostitutes and alcoholics. Hardy's job is to stay alive long enough in that world of easy death to get to the truth.The truth hurts. Views: 68
Disturbed, angry, and at oddsThat just about summed up her reaction to Rick Emerson, Evonne thought bitterly. Ever since she'd first laid eyes on him. When she agreed to do her employer a favor, she'd expected to be helping a young, untried writer to organize and type his book. This sophisticated, attractive, dangerous specimen was not part of her calculations. Rick was just about the most aggravating man she'd ever met - and he had absolutely no right to pry into her past ! Views: 68
Winner of the Best First Private Eye Novel Competition, this story introduces Gunner, detective turned electrician re-turned detective, who investigates the murder of two blacks by a white kid. The killer is found dead and it begins to look as though events are politically motivated.From Publishers WeeklyWinner of the 1988 Best First P.I. Novel Contest, this promising debut introduces black private investigator Aaron Gunner, hired to find the white man who walked into the Acey Deuce bar in South Central Los Angeles to blow away the owner, J. T. Tennell and Buddy Dorris of the Brothers of Volition, a black activist group. Buddy's sister, Verna Gail, feels the murder isn't getting enough police attention and hires Gunner, a P.I. who's trying to quit the business. He discovers that the killer is Denny Townsend, a white supremacist working on the fringes of a campaign to elect Lew Henshaw, a politician running on a law-and-order platform. Before Gunner can talk to Townsend, he finds himshot to death in Gunner's car. The cops are suspicious of Gunner, who soon is framed for the killing of Townsend's friend and possible accomplice, Stanley Ferris. To save his own neck, and to keep L.A. from erupting into racial violence, Gunner must find the connection between the politician, a local drug dealer and the Brother's charismatic leader, Roland Mayes. Haywood has a good ear for the sour voice of the true private eye and the sense of tired hopelessness of the underclass they have always served. One hopes to see more of Gunner. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. Views: 67
The second volume in the acclaimed Squire Quartet, available for the first time as an ebook.Spanning fifty years and three continents -- from pre-war Suffolk, to the Far East in the 1940s, to Oxford and America in the present day -- Forgotten Life is a novel of immense scope, encompassing comedy and tragedy, joy and grief, as its three main characters try to work out the most difficult problem of all -- the meaning of their own lives.Brian says: 'This novel, which in retrospect can be seen to have a similar ground plan to Non-Stop, written thirty years earlier, was more warmly received than any other Aldiss novel, not simply by its reviewers but by readers.'Features a new introduction by the author. Views: 66
She isn't accustomed to attention. He isn't used to being denied. Romance is never simple, but when worlds collide in this classic novel from bestselling author Sally Goldenbaum, true love can seem unimaginable.While playing the part of a glamorous contessa for a murder mystery weekend, Halley Finnegan finds herself in the arms of dashing baron Nick Harrington. For the first time in her life, Halley feels captivating, enchanting, a worthy companion to a wealthy, elegant man. But beneath the costume, Halley is just a nobody, while Nick remains a baron. After the festivities, the fantasy is over; Halley's simply not in his class. After Nick tracks down his mystery lady, Halley is sure that he'll discover his mistake and run for the hills. Instead, he is all charm, teasing smiles, and gentle caresses, as if he never stepped out of character. How can she trust that this gentleman is the real Nick, and not just a part he plays? And how could Nick fall for a woman he wouldn't have given the time of day a week before? Unless they start being honest with each other, Halley and Nick will lose each again - this time, forever. Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from these Loveswept titles: Remember the Time, The Vow, This Fierce Splendor, Lightning That Lingers, Tall, Dark, and Lonesome, Dream Lover, and Legends. Views: 66
Polly Alter is 39, a failed artist whose marriage has collapsed but who has just been commissioned to write the biography of a brilliant but obscure artist, Lorin Jones. Alter becomes obsessed with finding the truth about Lorin Jones, and when she does, she is exposed to truths about herself, as well. Views: 66
This novel, rooted in history and tempered by the feel of ancient myths and legend, tells the story of the growth of California in the nineteenth century. Views: 65
