A fascinating yet little-known figure in North American history, the French explorer and mapmaker Samuel de Champlain was the subject of a recent best-selling biography by historian David Hackett Fischer. The Order of Good Cheer, a highly readable novel by master storyteller Bill Gaston, offers a beautifully shaded, fictionalized portrait of Champlain, as well as a marvelous window into Canadian culture past and present. In 1607, Champlain and his companions struggled to establish a French colony on foreign soil while warding off scurvy. Separated by the breadth of a continent and exactly 400 years is 21st-century blue-collar worker Andy Winslow and his friends, whose urban landscape is threatened by encroaching environmental and economic disaster. In alternating narratives, Gaston bridges the divide across land and time in this illuminating story about survival, love, feast, and friendship. Views: 28
Deadly, the fourteenth volume in Sara Shepard's YA Pretty Little Liars series, delivers more juicy scandals, dark secrets, and shocking plot twists. This #1 New York Times bestselling series is also a hit ABC Family original TV show.High school seniors Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer have all done horrible things--things that would put them behind bars if anyone ever found out. And their stalker "A" knows everything.So far A has kept their secrets, using them to torture the girls. But now A's changed the game. Suddenly the girls are hauled in for questioning, and all their worlds begin to unravel. If A's plan succeeds, Rosewood's pretty little liars will be locked away for good. . . . Views: 28
A Claimed story. Dari Blake has spent her life sheltered from the world, believing she has a rare, genetic blood disorder that prevents her from aging. Her overprotective guardians are her only company, except for the mysterious man who enters her nightmares, soothing them into erotic dreams. Only he seems to have the power to help her shut out the cacophony of voices in her head. Alone in his English castle, Mikel Sare has one mission in life: to protect Dari, his soul mate. Unbeknownst to her, she isn’t suffering from a rare disorder, she is a rare creature herself. She, like Mikel, is a Nallie. Part human, part vampire, one of only two left in the world. Her womb, and her psychic ability, are more powerful—and more dangerous—than she could ever imagine. Now the alien vampires who created their kind are back, killing everyone in their path as they seek to take control of her child-bearing body. To defeat them, Mikel and Dari must join together—mind, body, blood and soul—in a ritual that will exponentially increase their power. Warning: This book contains explicit sex, graphic language, ménage a quatre, and a little bit of red-hot manlove. Reading this book without your partner, or a few toys nearby, may be hazardous to your health. Views: 28
SUMMARY: This is the first major biography for a generation of a truly formidable king – a man born to rule England, who believed that it was his right to rule all of Britain. His reign was one of the most dramatic and important of the entire Middle Ages, leading to war and conquest on an unprecedented scale, and leaving a legacy of division between the peoples of Britain that has lasted from his day to our own.Edward I is familiar to millions as ‘Longshanks’, conqueror of Scotland and nemesis of Sir William Wallace (‘Braveheart’). Yet this story forms only the final chapter of the king’s astonishingly action-packed life. Earlier Edward had defeated and killed the famous Simon de Montfort in battle; travelled across Europe to the Holy Land on crusade; conquered Wales, extinguishing forever its native rulers, and constructing – at Conwy, Harlech, Beaumaris and Caernarfon – the most magnificent chain of castles ever created. He raised the greatest armies of the English Middle Ages, and summoned the largest parliaments; notoriously, he expelled all the Jews from his kingdom. The longest-lived of all England’s medieval kings, he fathered no fewer than fifteen children with his first wife, Eleanor of Castile, and after her death he erected the Eleanor Crosses – the grandest funeral monuments ever fashioned for an English monarch.In this book, Marc Morris examines afresh the forces that drove Edward throughout his relentless career: his character, his Christian faith, and his sense of England’s destiny – a sense shaped in particular by the tales of the legendary King Arthur. He also explores the competing reasons that led Edward’s opponents (including Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and Robert Bruce) to resist him, and the very different societies that then existed in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The result is a sweeping story, immaculately researched yet compellingly told, and a vivid picture of medieval Britain at the moment when its future was decided.From the Hardcover edition. Views: 28
When single-mom Claire Matthews inherits an old home in Michigan, she starts a new life for herself and her son. But the house is in bad shape and winter makes repairs difficult. Carpenter Paul Sawyer has been hiding since his divorce, making handmade chess sets. But a customer's special request and a bad winter storm give him a second chance at love . . . if he's willing to take it. Views: 28
British agent Daniel Swann fled Thailand after murdering the son of the Kingdom's top underworld boss. Now he is back, ordered by his government to recover a small black box from the bottom of the Andaman Sea. Business as usual, he doesn't ask questions. But as his friends are beheaded one by one and he is pursued by CIA agents, Swann realises his mission has become personal. Someone wants him dead. Trying to stay alive on the streets of Bangkok, Swann engages in a deadly game of cat and mouse. When he finally discovers the contents of the black box, he is caught up in a government-level conspiracy. But with his enemy always one step ahead, Swann knows he is being betrayed. So he turns to the only people he can trust—the underworld. This is the first book in the Daniel Swann series. Views: 28
Desire can strike without warning. Shadow Destroyers-Book 3 Journalist Blair Murphy is on the trail of a hot lead when she meets an even hotter stranger. Charmed by Drew Reid’s sexy smile and intrigued by his evasive answers, Blair puts aside her undercover investigation of a corrupt politician for an under-the-covers investigation of every inch of his incredible body. But even after Drew satisfies her in every possible way, he refuses to satisfy her curiosity. Especially about the mystery woman who keeps calling his cell phone. As a burnt-out demon slayer, the last thing Drew needs is an inquisitive woman complicating his life, especially when she turns out to be the one woman who’s strictly off limits—his partner’s sister. He knows firsthand why it’s important to keep loved ones at a distance, yet the fierce desire Blair arouses makes it impossible to stay away. Just as Drew prepares to hang up his sword for a normal life, a vicious attack on Blair awakens a storm of powers inside her that rage beyond her control. As her emerging abilities become increasingly unstable, their searing passion could be her salvation—or destroy them both. Warning: Batten down the hatches and brace from the storm, complete with non-stop action, adult language, demons severed by swords, knives or whatever weapon is handy, wet and wild rooftop foreplay and hot, explicit make-you-shudder-to-your-toes sex. Views: 28
BELOW THE RADAR, OFF THE GRID, AND BEHIND ENEMY LINES:CIA AGENT JOHN WELLS PLAYS A DEADLY GAME OF RISK...As a covert CIA special operative, John Wells knows the odds are always stacked against him. For every atrocity foiled, another deadly catastrophe awaits. So when it emerges that four of the world's most dangerous states are plotting together to unleash the ultimate nuclear threat, Wells realises that his odds on stopping them ranges from zero... to none. But that's never stopped him before. And it isn't going to stop him now... Views: 28
The chilling sequel to the critically acclaimed CROWFIELD CURSE.In THE CROWFIELD CURSE, young monks' apprentice Will learned he was gifted with the Sight: able to see beyond this mortal coil into the spirit realms of Old Magic. Protected by the warrior fay Shadlok — and befriended by the wry, wary hobgoblin called Brother Walter — the boy is just coming into his strange powers.But now, from its very foundations, Crowfield Abbey has begun to crumble. As Will slaves to salvage the chapel, he discovers something truly terrifying. A heathen creature from a pagan past is creeping up through the rubble — avowed to unleash havoc on holy ground! Views: 28
Fortysomething and still single, music-video exec Pia Jamison has given up her grandiose ideas on men and marriage but not motherhood. Her biological clock is on red alert, but after years of self-imposed celibacy she has no clue how to attract the man she needs to get the baby she wants. Help comes in the form of Pia's savvy assistant, who tricks her boss into attending, under the guise of a business conference, a flirting workshop called Weapons of Mass Seduction. There Pia meets other women looking to amp up their amorous arsenals, including the devastated Texas belle Florence Chase, who's trying to save her failing marriage; and Rebecca Vossel, a twenty-two-year-old small-town biracial girl who's dying to release her inner diva.What they learn about the art of sensuality and flirtation turns them into bona fide bombshells. The three return home, armed and deliciously dangerous, to spectacular results. Florence reunites with her husband, but the new and improved... Views: 28
