Fed up with the sarcastic, opinionated, and disrespectful women he comes across, Ellery Pierce decides his only choice is to build the perfect woman. A technician at an animatronics firm, Ellery has the experience and tools ready at his fingertips. After years of experiments and fine-tuning, Ellery feels he finally has created an artificial woman who can pass as real -- Phyllis. According to Ellery, Phyllis is the perfect wife, fulfilling his every wish, from gourmet meals to sexual pleasure. Unfortunately for Ellery, he may have made her too closely in his image for his own good: Phyllis leaves Ellery with dreams of Hollywood. Soon she's a bona fide box office sensation. But then Phyllis sets her sights on the ultimate goal -- presidency of the United States. It's no surprise when Phyllis wins the election, but Ellery rightly begins to wonder if this time she's gone too far.From Publishers WeeklyProlific novelist Berger (The Feud, Little Big Man) updates the Pygmalion myth with this witty, dark comedy: instead of a lovely Galatea, the protagonist's manufactured dream girl becomes a Frankenstein's monster through her ambition. Ellery Pierce, a twice-divorced animatronics technician, can't find a woman devoid of sarcasm and opinion, so he builds a companion from synthetic skin, batteries and bolts. But Phyllis, his near-perfect female replica, learns quickly and, absorbing the mass media ideal for beautiful young women, runs off to pursue a career in show business. Rising quickly above a stint as a stripper, a phone sex operator and a smalltown actress, Phyllis evolves into a cinema superstar. But when the action movieâ€"going public tires of Phyllis, and the depressed Ellery comes back into her life, she sets her sights on international fame through another venue: the presidency of the United States. With her alternately colloquial and overly formal diction, and her too-faithful adherence to society's ideals, Phyllis makes for an amusing critique of contemporary American society. In his 23rd novel, Berger skewers modern foibles from reality and daytime television to the cult of celebrity and presidents with voracious sexual appetites. But the brilliance of Berger's critique is in its levity, and his fanciful plot will keep readers laughing throughout. With few weaknesses, such as the unexplained existence of other robots, this book is the literary equivalent of cotton candy: not filling but fun to digest. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistIn his twenty-third novel, Berger (Little Big Man, 1964) crafts a satirical look at the American pursuit of perfection. Technician Ellery Pierce, unable to sustain a long-lasting relationship, puts his skills to use building a robot to be his perfect wife. However, Phyllis quickly outruns Ellery's limited ambitions, taking all of a day to become a gourmet cook. She leaves him for a job as a phone sex operator, where her literal-mindedness is her undoing. She then lands a starring role in a nude version of Macbeth, which launches her career in mainstream action films. Meanwhile, Ellery, bereft at her desertion, tracks her down, and the two engineer a plan for her to run for the White House. Berger is technically adept here and quite amusing, even scathing, in spots, about the hypocrisy of male-female relations and Hollywood avarice, but his story is overly familiar, echoing the plot of The Stepford Wives and both the real life and the film roles of Arnold Schwarzenegger. A hit-and-miss affair, but Berger's name will draw some interest. Joanne WilkinsonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Views: 17
Three
years ago, nanobiologist Cassie Myer was tricked into helping an enemy of her planet’s
government complete an important mission. When she is suddenly contacted again
by the same handsome, boldly dominant seducer, she promises herself that she
will not fall for his charms a second time, even after he rescues her from an
even more dangerous adversary.
Fane
has loved Cassie since the day he met her, but loyalty to his cause has kept
him from claiming her… until now. With her unique skills in urgent need among
his people, he is left with no choice but to compel her cooperation, even if
that means stripping her bare, spanking her thoroughly, and then teasing her
beautiful, naked body until helpless, desperate arousal forces her to surrender
completely. But will Cassie stay by his side once she is no longer his captive?
Publisher’s Note: Conquering His Captive is the third book of the Captives of Stilox series. It includes spankings and sexual scenes.
If such material offends you, please don’t buy this book. Also note that an
earlier version of this book was previously released by another publisher with
the title Sorcerer.
Views: 17
She used to change his sheets, now she's sleeping in them! Can a palace housekeeper be a proper royal wife for a playboy prince? Views: 17
To Have...
When Devil, the most infamous member of the Cynster family, is caught in a compromising position with plucky governess Honoria Wetherby, he astonishes the entire tom by offering his hand in marriage. No one dreamed this scandalous rake would ever take a bride. And as society mamas swooned at the loss of England's most eligible bachelor, Devil's infamous Cynster cousins began to place wagers on the wedding date.
...And To Hold
But Honoria wasn't about to bend society's demands and marry a man "just" because they'd been found together virtually unchaperoned. No, she craved adventure, and while solving the murder of a young Cynster cousin fit he ill for a while, she decided that once the crime was solved she'd go off to see the world. But the scalding heat of her unsated desire for Devil soon had Honoria craving a very different sort of excitement. Could her passion for Devil cause her to embrace the enchanting peril of a lifelong adventure of the heart?TO HAVE. . .
When Devil, the most infamous member of the Cynster family, is caught in a compromising position with plucky governess Honoria Wetherby, he astonishes the entire tom by offering his hand in marriage. No one dreamed this scandalous rake would ever take a bride. And as society mamas swooned at the loss of Englands most eligible bachelor, Devils infamous Cynster cousins began to place wagers on the wedding date.
. . .AND TO HOLD
But Honoria wasnt about to bend societys demands and marry a man just because theyd been found together virtually unchaperoned. No, she craved adventure, and while solving the murder of a young Cynster cousin fit he ill for a while, she decided that once the crime wassolved shed go off to see the world. But the scalding heat of her unsated desire for Devil soon had Honoria craving a very different sort of excitement. Could her passion for Devil cause her to embrace the enchanting peril of a lifelong adventure of the heart? Views: 17
The walking dead descend upon a paintball competition in the mountains. Two brave young women join forces with two thrill seekers in a terror filled struggle against the undead. Low on ammunition and supplies, the survivors use anything at hand to fight off the flesh hungry horde. As the party makes their escape they soon realize that there is nowhere to run when the dead Rise and Walk...ReviewThis cover was intriguing...simple, non-flamboyant. It gave me the impression of something really wrong brewing inside and that was true when I read it, but wrong in a good way, This book takes place primarily in the mountains during a paintball competition when zombies are introduced in the most disturbing way, and two thrill seekers go all out to fight for their lives when this most horrifying book becomes greatly absorbed in it's own guts. The book is a great novel, and terrifying in parts. I'm equally impressed with the author's use of allegories and depth in the characters. It's also changed my mind about entering any competition in the woods any time soon. So to Gregory, my hat is off to you, just tell your zombies to leave my brains alone, and to all you zombie fans, RISE and WALK is incredible. The zombie genre would be missing an arm without it. -- Nathan Curtis, Reviewer, New World Reviews.Whoever called this a young adult book must have had a very disturbing childhood. And the paintball aspect, which looks silly from the outset, leads to some really surprising plot twists, as well as some moments that made me cringe in honest disgust. The story, as it stands, revolves around a small mountain town and the annual paintball competition. The entire novel happens over the course of one weekend at the local campgrounds. When strange meteorites crash into the surrounding areas, the dead stop dying and come looking for the buffet. To say much more would ruin the plot so I won't, I'll just get down to brass tacks. This man is obviously a fan of the genre (space radiation as the cause, hinted at in NOTLD, gore that would have made Fulci cream himself, and a seige scene that Romero himself could have directed) and he has the talent to back it up. The novel is populated with believable characters and realistic settings; this is a world you can see yourself living in... Hell you do live here. Gregory strikes a visceral blow with this novel, leaving you worn, breathless, and strangely agitated when you get to the final page and realize it's over. It's one of those rides that ends too soon, leaving you begging for a sequel, so you can keep up with the character's lives. -- Shawn Rutledge, Reviewer, Skullring.orgAbout the AuthorGregory Solis was born in San Francisco California. Educated at San Francisco State University where he earned a Bachelors Degree in Cinema. A lifelong writer of fiction he turned his talents towards Horror Fiction in 2006 when he began Rise and Walk. Published in 2007, Rise and Walk has received some great reviews. Greg is working on a sequel and further tales of zombie horror for his Rise and Walk series. He currently lives in Northern California where he writes and runs his video production company. Views: 17
No matter where she goes, he knows her every move... Long ago, Rachel Carpenter was a glamorous soap star. She gave it all up to move to Napa Valley with her daughters to open up a bookstore near her family vineyard. Her life is safe and dependable, until she encounters Kane Lafferty at a wilderness camp in the rugged High Sierra. A burned-out police detective struggling with his own demons, Kane is instantly attracted to Rachel. And like Rachel, he isn't sure if he's ready to open up his heart. But everything is about to change... Someone is watching from the darkness. A fanatic obsessed with Rachel for years has decided to claim what he believes is his. It will be up to Kane to not only protect his new love and her family, but to uncover the identity of the stalker before it's too late for all of them... Views: 17
The author of the bestselling memoir Makes Me Wanna Holler presents a profound debut novel -- in the tradition of Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities and Zadie Smith's White Teeth -- that captures the dynamics of class and race in today's urban integrated communities.Nathan McCall's novel, Them, tells a compelling story set in a downtown Atlanta neighborhood known for its main street, Auburn Avenue, which once was regarded as the "richest Negro street in the world." The story centers around Barlowe Reed, a single, forty-something African American who rents a ramshackle house on Randolph Street, just a stone's throw from the historic birth home of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Barlowe, who works as a printer, otherwise passes the time reading and hanging out with other men at the corner store. He shares his home and loner existence with a streetwise, twentysomething nephew who is struggling to get his troubled life back on track. When Sean and S... Views: 17
As a result of what she calls 'the only stroke of genius I've ever had', Jane Juska placed a personal ad in a newspaper, that began: 'Before I turn 67 -- next March -- I would like to have a lot of sex with a man I like.' The response was overwhelming, and it changed Jane's life. She told all in A Round-Heeled Woman, which Lynne Truss called 'the best book about sex I have read', and which shocked some, amused many and became a bestseller. Five years later, Jane has, like it or not, become a kind of icon for the post-menopause generation. She's a friend and confessor to women of all ages with poignant, tragic or enchanting stories -- unaccompanied women, alone for now but searching for sex and romance. And despite her success, Jane herself is still looking for a man to keep her company -- not a husband, not even a partner, but the perfect lover, described by Katharine Hepburn as one who 'lives nearby and visits often'. So the story continues, looking around at her... Views: 17
