Charity Mupanga is the widowed owner of Harrods International Bar (and Nightspot) - a favourite meeting place for the movers and shakers of Kibera. While she can handle most challenges, from an erratic supply of Worcestershire sauce, the secret ingredient in her cooking, to the political tensions in East Africa's most notorious slum and a cholera outbreak that follows the freak floods in the state of Ubuntu, some threatening letters from London lawyers are beginning to overwhelm her. How dare a London store, no matter how big and famous, claim exclusive use of the first name of her late father, Harrods Tangwenya, gardener to successive British high commissioners for nearly twenty years? Well-meant but inept efforts to foil the lawyers by Edward Furniver, a former fund manager who runs Kibera's co-operative bank and who seeks Charity's hand in marriage, bring Harrods International Bar to the brink of disaster, and Charity close to despair. In the nick of time an accidental riot,... Views: 68
Ancient Rome's organized crime syndicates have never been more dangerous or more conning than in this latest adventure featuring First Century sleuth Marcus Didius Falco. Views: 68
One gorgeous Spanish doctor. Cool, commanding Dr. Ciro Delgato is the new doctor temporarily working alongside nurse Harriet Farrell, and he wastes no time in making sure she's at his beck and call - day and night! One very unexpected baby. The passion they share is explosive, yet knowing Ciro will end their relationship when he has to leave, Harriet's determined he'll never find out she's pregnant with his baby! But her secret gets out, and Ciro will do anything to keep her firmly at his side! Views: 68
My Lord Stornaway has every reason to believe that Moira (alias Molly) Greenwood, and Perdita Brodie (alias April Spring) are lightskirts traveling with an acting troupe. In actuality Moira is Perdita's cousin and governess, and their trip to Aunt Agatha went alarmingly awry-thanks to Perdita's high spirits and their stolen travel funds. But the stubborn lord won't listen to their explanations… A delightful Regency romp by Joan Smith Views: 68
City of God, the latest installment in Beverly Swerling's gripping saga of old New York, takes readers to Manhattan's clamorous streets as the nation struggles to find a compromise between slave and free, but hears the drums of war. This is New York when one synagogue is no longer adequate for thousands of Jewish immigrants, when New Evangelicals rouse complacent Protestants with the promise of born-again salvation, and when it first sees Catholic nuns and calls them whores of Satan. It is New York when ships bring the fabulous wealth of nations to its wharves and auction houses, while a short distance away rival gangs fight to the death with broken bottles and teeth filed to points. Into this churning cauldron comes young Dr. Nicholas Turner. Nick knows that the discoveries of antisepsis and anesthesia promise medical miracles beyond the dreams of ages. He learns that to make such progress reality he must battle the city's corrupt politics and survive the snake pit that is Bellevue Hospital, all while resisting his love for the beautiful Carolina Devrey, his cousin's wife. Sam Devrey, head of the shipping company that bears his name and a visionary who believes the future will be ushered in by mighty clipper ships spreading acres of sail, battles demons of his own. The life he lives with Carolina in the elegant brownstone on newly fashionable Fifth Avenue is a charade meant to disguise his heart's true home, the secret downtown apartment of the exquisite Mei-hua, his Chinese child-bride. The worlds of all four are imperiled when Sam must rely on Nick's skills to save the woman he loves, and only Nick's honor guards Sam's secret. On a night when promises of hellfire seem to become reality and the city nearly burns to the ground, Carolina and Mei-hua confront the truth of their duplicitous marriages. Rage and revenge join love and passion as driving forces in a story played out against the background of the glittering New York that rises from the ashes, where Delmonico's and the Astor House host bejeweled women and top-hatted men, both with the din of commerce in their ears and the glint of gold in their eyes. As always, Swerling has conjured a dazzling cast of characters to people her city. Among those seeking born-again salvation are Addie Bellingham, befriended by the widow Manon Turner but willing to betray her, and Lilac Langton, who confesses her sins but avoids mentioning that she's a skilled abortionist in a city that has recently made abortion a crime. Ben Klein, a brilliant young physician, must balance devotion to his mentor and dedication to research with duty to the Jewish community. Wilbur Randolf, Carolina's father, indulges her in everything but fails her when she needs him most. Jenny Worthington, Wilbur's longtime mistress, is driven by avarice to make common cause with Fearless Flannagan, a member of a New York police force as corrupt as the city it serves. Ah Chee, Mei-hua's devoted servant, struggles through Manhattan's streets on bound feet and burns incense to the kitchen god in this place of foreign devils. They are all here, heroines and saints, villains and victims, and a vanished New York made to live again in an intricate tale of old debts and new rivalries. From Publishers WeeklyThe sparkling latest in Swerling's historical series (after City of Glory) about the Turner and Devrey families and the growth of New York City takes place in the decades leading up to the Civil War. While in China, merchant Samuel Devrey trades a cache of opium for the beautiful and young Mei-Hua, whom he secretly ensconces in New York and marries. Samuel also marries saintly heiress Carolina Randolph and tries to hold together the two households, though Carolina eventually cools to Samuel's secretiveness and brutish behavior, and begins to return the ardor of Samuels cousin, Dr. Nicholas Turner. As Nicholas campaigns to improve conditions and fund research at Bellevue Hospital, he's drawn into Samuels secret life, saving Mei Huas life after a botched abortion and later delivering her daughter. This highly entertaining novel suffers whenever the villainous Samuel is not on the scene, and though the last hundred pages drop off in intensity, theres still much to commend in Swerlings great eye for detail, convincing and conniving characters, and subplots that really flesh out 19th-century New York. (Dec.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistAcclaimed historical novelist Swerling submits the latest installment in her series of fictional treatments of early American history, following City of Dreams (2001), Shadowbrook (2004), and City of Glory (2007). The time period in her new novel is the 1830s to the 1850s, and the narrative finds its location in the tumultuous New York City of poor immigrants in unsanitary neighborhoods, high-society matrons in luxurious mansions, and entrepreneurs in businesses growing wealthier by the day. As in previous volumes in the series, the author maintains a focus, within the maelstrom of New York life, on two related but competitive families with long ties to the city and its development. One flash point between the two families is a husband who attends to his Chinese mistress while neglecting his wife, the latter of whom, years later, goes on to marry across the family divide; the other flash point is the question of who from within the two families can capture control of Jacob Astor’s lucrative shipping business. The general issues of the day, which both families must deal with, to varying extents, include slavery and abolitionism, religious conflict, technological advancement, progress in health and medicine, and organized labor. In keeping with the series’ traditions, the plot here is long and involved but rich in period detail, with characters brought to vivid but not melodramatic color. Expect high demand. --Brad Hooper Views: 68
CHAPTER I. BAD NEWS FROM THE AIR"Well, Tom, how\'s your head now?""How\'s my head? What do you mean? There\'s nothing the matter withmy head," and the speaker, who wore the uniform of a French aviator,glanced up in surprise from the cot on which he was reclining in histent near the airdromes that stretched around a great level field, notfar from Paris.
--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.
--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition. Views: 68
Between I will and I do, there's room to fall. Caitlyn just agreed to marry Mister Perfect on reality TV. The only problem? She isn't sure she loves him. Especially when she returns home to Colorado and meets oh-so-sexy fire-fighter Will. Falling for Will breaks all the rules, but even as her reality show romance plays out on TV, she begins to realize she said yes to the wrong Mister Perfect. Views: 68
Shane Ryan is a wrong guy. Wrong race. Wrong gender. Wrong class. Wrong side of the tracks. Wrong attitude. America in the near future is a cold, cruel place, especially in the hardscrabble rural Pacific Northwest. There’s war in the Middle East, a revived draft, mass unemployment, an economy permanently on the skids, greed and corruption, incompetence and stupidity at the top. Poor blue-collar kids from the trailer park are last in line for everything. America has screwed Shane Ryan, and he returns the favor. He joins the Northwest Volunteer Army, a terrorist organization dedicated to overthrowing the United States government and establishing an independent nation. America is about to learn the hard way that what goes around, comes around. Views: 68
Tenth May, 1934. At this moment I look up and see the Man Who Lives Next Door standing on his doorstep watching my antics, and disapproving (I feel sure) of my flowered silk dressing gown. Probably his own wife wears one of red flannel, and most certainly has never been seen leaning out of the window in it - The Awful Carrying On of Those Army People - he is thinking. Vivacious, young Hester Christie tries to run her home like clockwork, as would befit the wife of British Army officer, Tim Christie. However hard Mrs Tim strives for seamless living amidst the other army wives, she is always moving flat-out to remember groceries, rule lively children, side-step village gossip and placate her husband with bacon, eggs, toast and marmalade. Left alone for months at a time whilst her husband is with his regiment, Mrs Tim resolves to keep a diary of events large and small in her family life. Once pen is set to paper no affairs of the head or heart are overlooked. When a move to a new... Views: 68
Kate Marino knows very well that home is where her heart is, and if she had any say in the matter, her heart would stay put in Big Red. The old, rambling farmhouse has withstood the test of time with her family, but now Kate's parents have decided to sell it from under her feet.The preventative solution: sabotage the realtor's tours with the help of best friends and a plan that has maximum stinkage potential.The back-up plan: hang on to at least a little bit of life at Big Red by creating shoebox dioramas of each room.But even with a full-scale assault, will her mission be a success? And if not, what will the diorama of Kate's future look like?With a keen eye for capturing the moments that matter, acclaimed author Tara Altebrando explores the pain—and promise—of letting go. Views: 68
After narrowly escaping a brush with an old enemy Captain Valance and his crew reach out to their allies for help. Meanwhile, allies and enemies from his past are set to reveal themselves in unexpected ways, changing his life and the galaxy forever. Views: 68
