The Costwolds' town of Stourton-on-the-Hill has its very own cat café. Resident cat Molly, and her kittens, live here in feline paradise, while owner Debbie serves the locals home-made goodies. But even in the most idyllic surroundings, things don't always go to plan . . . When Debbie's heartbroken sister Linda arrives at the café, Debbie insists she move in. But Linda is not alone, and the cats are devastated with the arrival of Linda's dog, Beau. Sadly, Beau's arrival is not the only bombshell - now Molly's home is also under threat when a rival cat moves in on her turf. With Christmas approaching, Molly is unsettled, barely roused by the promise of tinsel to play with. Fearing for her feline family she hopelessly stares out of the café window searching for an answer. Only a Christmas miracle could bring everyone together . . . Views: 37
Janina Galvez hadn't asked Russ Levoie to marry her. It was all his idea. What the gorgeous Native American cop didn't know was that she'd loved him since she was sixteen.Russ would never forget the late-night call from Janina, who'd witnessed a terrible crime. Thirteen years later, she had blossomed into the most desirable woman on earth, but the psychopath she'd helped put away was out of jail and now she was in danger again.Keeping Janina safe was his top priority. But Russ also had another mission: to prove to his brave, passionate wife that a wedding made in haste could lead to the most lasting love of all.... Views: 37
Her Royal Highness, the Princess of Wales, was an ordinary young woman who was picked to be the future queen. Her wedding was a worldwide sensation. But she was deceived and betrayed before the honeymoon was over. Five months after a fairy tale wedding, she threw herself down a flight of stairs when she was pregnant with a future heir to the throne. Suicide attempts, illicit affairs, and paranoia that there were plots by the Royals to kill her became the norm as the fairy tale turned into a horror story. After suffering degradation and humiliation at the hands of her husband, the heir to the British throne, she shot him with one of his own antique pistols.Paranoid that her own attorneys would deceive her, the princess reaches across the Atlantic to hire someone she knows for certain has no ties to the Crown. Marlowe James is an American trial lawyer. Running away from an abusive home, she supported herself by working as a waitress, rising to become a famous... Views: 37
An International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award NomineeA Toronto Globe and Mail Best Book of the YearConspiracies, plots, and paranoia are sweeping through London in the last days of the eighteenth century, and James Tilly Matthews has been caught under false pretenses and locked up in the city's vast, crumbling asylum. As his wife, Margaret, tries desperately to free him, political forces conspire to keep him locked up. Margaret's chief adversary is John Haslam, the asylum's chief apothecary, a man torn between his conscience and the lure of scientific discovery: as James becomes more famous--and more unhinged--he becomes a valuable specimen for the young doctor and a pawn in a grand political conspiracy. Based on real characters and events, Bedlam is a brilliant evocation of a city teetering between darkness and light, and a moving study of every kind of madness.From Publishers WeeklyCanadian Hollingshead (The Roaring Girl) offers a sprawling story based on a contentious historical episode. In 1797, James Tilly Matthews was committed to Bethlem (aka Bedlam), the notorious British lunatic asylum, after nattering on about an "air loom" machine used by villains to control people. But there was more to it; Matthews claimed he was being punished for going on a peace mission to France during the Revolution. Certainly his confinement had not been ordered by John Haslam, the Bethlem apothecary who treated him, nor by his wife, Margaret, who tried for nearly 20 years to have him released. Hollingshead deploys all three as narrators of this fictionalized account: Matthews, who slips in and out of lucidity; Mrs. Matthews, singleminded (and therefore largely uninteresting); and Haslam, whose use of Matthews as a research subject makes his motives suspect. Hollingshead's language slides between the centuries as he tangles with provocative themes: the causes and treatments of mental illness, the battle between service and self-interest in the doctor/scientist, and the ways mad members of society can reflect the chaos of the world outside. A vivid picture of the grotesque patients and sadistic staff of the "English Bastille" adds density to the gallows humor that peppers this brutal story. (Sept.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review"Superbly disturbing . . . a profoundly moving examination of both mental and political lunacy."--The Boston Globe"Bedlam has no end of gorgeous writing . . . elegant, heartfelt . . . filled with rewarding descriptions of a bygone era."--The New York Times Book Review"A vivid picture of the grotesque patients and sadistic staff of the 'English Bastille' adds density to the gallows humor that peppers this brutal story."--Publishers Weekly "Stylishly written, full of dazzling, epigrammatic insights . . . An intellectual novel, but also a moving story about fully fleshed human beings."--The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Views: 37
Matron′s behind bars, Cook′s in charge, and life′s finally looking good to Adam Equinox. Too good to last. There′s someone new behind the closed door of Matron′s office. And he has plans for Highgate . . . plans that will bring Adam′s world crashing down around his ears. Face to face with harsh reality, Adam feels as if his adventures in the fantasy world of Karazan happened a lifetime ago. But a mistake made behind the distant walls of Shakesh will soon have consequences more terrible than he and his four friends can ever imagine. The five are reunited at Quested Court for the release of Quentin Quested′s final computer game, Power Quest to Karazan - and then the unthinkable happens. The simple flick of a switch triggers a cryptic message that can only be from one person. Evil King Karazeel has somehow found a way of hooking into the computer system at Quested Court - and computer games have become war games.... Views: 37
This Erotic Offering follows Lynette; a single mother with an unusual job. After going through a divorce she gets revenge on her husband by being sexier than she ever was when they were together and in turn discovers a drive for lust that is near insatiable. That drive brings her to find work at a place called Grautönen. A place where she is able to fulfill her need in any way she pleases. Views: 37
Mystery/Crime. 48012 words long. Views: 37
All the Presidents' Men meets Charlotte's Web in an explosive political exposé that blows the lid off a long-held secret in Washington: The Presidents' pets are more than just furry photo ops.How much does the public really know about the role of the President?Does the White House Press Corps really understand it?Does the President himself have a clue?All the Presidents' Pets is the long-awaited, spine-tingling, muckraking blockbuster from political and pop culture commentator Mo Rocca--a tour de force of investigative reporting that for the first time tells the true story of who really runs America.From George Washington's donkey, Royal Gift, and Rutherford B. Hayes's Siamese cat, Miss Pussy, to Lincoln's goats, Nanny and Nanko, and John Kennedy's Welsh terrier, Charlie, each has left an indelible mark on the White House. (In fact, Eisenhower's Weimaraner, Heidi, did leave a terrible stain on the Diplomatic... Views: 37
In 14 original stories, Jane McCafferty illuminates modern life weaving her love of music throughout the lives and stories of her characters. From two middle-aged strangers who meet in an empty baseball stadium during a rainstorm, to a 23-year-old man who brings his 62-year-old wife home to meet his parents, to a young couple who live next door to an unemployed clown and his wife, these stories are at one unexpected and enthralling.This collection of short stories, linked by the theme of music, is a gorgeous follow-up to One Heart, award-winning writer Jane McCafferty’s critically acclaimed debut novel. Views: 37
When Aidan Carver, former thief, is called in to help with the investigation of a robbery, he finds more than he had bargained for.Mélisande Belmont, one of France's wealthiest heiresses, is on the brink of loosing everything. But the investigation reveals that she is not as innocent as she may appear.Can Mélisande Belmont, be trusted? And for that matter, can Aidan Carver?Lies, betrayal, and personal agendas, fuel Scorpios and Sapphires as the characters from diverse cultural backgrounds deal with their own demons, social tensions, painful truths, and dark secrets. Views: 37
