Music was her whole life...until he came alongFormer child prodigy Kianti Lawrence has struggled hard to become a major force in the performing arts world. Music is her life...until the beloved, world-renowned pianist meets a man who shows her what she's been missing. Something about handsome, powerful ex-Ambassador Therin Rucker strikes a harmonious—and seductive—chord.When Therin connected with Kianti, all the notes suddenly came together. He's more in tune with her than with any other woman he's ever known. But first he has to persuade Kianti not to be afraid of life...or love. Can he make her see that the passion they're making is the truest music there is? Views: 20
Of especially naughty children it is sometimes said, "They must have been raised by wolves."The Incorrigible children actually were.Thanks to the efforts of Miss Penelope Lumley, their plucky governess, Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia are much more like children than wolf pups now. They are accustomed to wearing clothes. They hardly ever howl at the moon. And for the most part, they resist the urge to chase squirrels up trees.Despite Penelope's civilizing influence, the Incorrigibles still managed to ruin Lady Constance's Christmas ball, nearly destroying the grand house. So while Ashton Place is being restored, Penelope, the Ashtons, and the children take up residence in London. Penelope is thrilled, as London offers so many opportunities to further the education of her unique students. But the city presents challenges, too, in the form of the palace guards' bearskin hats, which drive the children wild—not to mention the abundance... Views: 20
Kwasi Kwarteng is the child of parents whose lives were shaped as subjects of the British Empire, first in their native Ghana, then as British immigrants. He brings a unique perspective and impeccable academic credentials to a narrative history of the British Empire, one that avoids sweeping judgmental condemnation and instead sees the Empire for what it was: a series of local fiefdoms administered in varying degrees of competence or brutality by a cast of characters as outsized and eccentric as anything conjured by Gilbert and Sullivan.The truth, as Kwarteng reveals, is that there was no such thing as a model for imperial administration; instead, appointees were schooled in quirky, independent-minded individuality. As a result the Empire was the product not of a grand idea but of often chaotic individual improvisation. The idosyncracies of viceroys and soldier-diplomats who ran the colonial enterprise continues to impact the world, from Kashmir to Sudan, Baghdad to Hong Kong. Views: 20
In Mikkyo—Japanese esoteric Buddhism—the dragon Kurikara symbolizes the internal energy developed through sword practice. Kurikara is a manifestation of the fierce bodhisattva Fudo Myo O, the patron of ascetics and warriors in Japan, who uses his sword to destroy delusions and sever attachments. Fudo’s sword represents the gaining of discriminative power and decisiveness—the ability to cut through illusion and attachment. This leads to the development of an inner energy that allows one to “burn up” all obstacles to spiritual freedom.Kurikara: The Sword and the Serpent sets out the eight basic principles of swordsmanship common to all Japanese sword schools, emphasizing the cultivation of power and mental focus. Accomplished martial artist John Evans provides practical examples from his experience with the sword arts as well as Mikkyo and shugendo (mountain asceticism). The first foreign student to train with Nakamura Taisaburo sensei—widely acknowledged as the master of the sword art battodo—Evans clearly explains how skill such as Nakamurua sensei’s can be systematically developed through tanren, exercises that meld “inner” and “outer” power. Filled with fascinating anecdotes from Evans’s training in Japan, Kurikara is a useful, inspiring guide to Japanese sword practice and its spiritual underpinnings.From the Trade Paperback edition. Views: 20
To Lucy Primm, her daily re-enactments at historic Hartford House are just part of the job. But to historian and director Warren Ellis, living in the past is much more. A stickler for detail, the old-fashioned Ellis wants no modern intrusions into his private sphere of living history, and when Lucy finds herself growing closer to him she realizes that Ellis’ hold on the past is part of his love for a time when men were protective leaders and women were expected to obey, or endure a corrective spanking. Can this modern woman find happiness in the past-perfect world longed for by her handsome historian? As a single mother, Lucy has been independent for a long time. But as Ellis urges her to trust in him, she finds the lessons in history teaching her more about herself. Views: 20
Dominating Dekalia Reese Gabriel Book 8 in the More Than Male series. Prequel to Book 1, Nyssa’s Guardian. Councilor Dekalia is lucky to be alive after a mysterious wormhole bomb scatters the contents of her living quarters to the far ends of the universe. The guardian commander wants her safe and sends her with Marax, one of his best primale supermen, to a remote ice world in protective custody. Marax wants to finish the job quickly and get back to the war he’s been forced to leave but Dekalia has escape on her mind. As a last resort, Marax treats the freewheeling fem to a spanking that ends up arousing them both to incendiary levels. The real enemy is watching, and he is delighted. Soon a second wormhole bomb engulfs Dekalia and Marax, sending them on a journey of darkest desire and domination. They travel from an Old Earth speakeasy to a desert slave planet. A plot has been set in motion. The enemy wants a human baby—and Marax and Dekalia will give it to him at any cost. Views: 20
Are some secrets worth dying for?Sixteen-year-old Aimee doesn't like to touch people. One touch and she sees their past. One graze over her skin and she can see all the good and bad deeds a person has ever done. It isn't until a bomb explodes during lunch that she realizes exactly how many dirty secrets the students in her school harbor-or exactly how far one of them would go to keep his secrets safe.In the aftermath of that fateful day of the bombing Aimee is brushed by a fellow student as they are caught in the mob running for their lives. Images of tortured and murdered young girls rise up to choke her. The problem is, Aimee doesn't know who touched her. Somewhere in this school a fellow student is a killer, and Aimee is the only one that can find him before he murders again.With the help of her friends Aimee must sift through her stolen memories to determine clues. The quest to find a killer unravels the very fabric of her carefully woven life. He won't stop until... Views: 20
Includes the first chaptrer from the recently released, sequel: Sun, Surf, Suicide FBI profiler Topper McMullen was at the top of his craft until a mistake in judgment ended with the death of two little girls in Colorado. With his world rocked and life in disarray, Topper stepped away from his job and his girl in an effort to either right his ship or sink away into oblivion. He narrowed his choices to surfing in the tropics, joining the police force back home or simply hiding under the covers but his decision was made for him after receiving a phone call with a plea for help. The call came from Sargent Trufant in Dallas who believed he had stumbled upon a serial killer and wanted Topper's help. One man trying to slay the demons from a botched FBI case while the other trying to honor the memory of his dead daughter, the two men set out in an effort to link 32 murders across three states where the only connection is Trufant's gut feeling. With secret help from FBI Technical Analyst Minnie Marlow, Topper attempts to find answers for the 32 dead girls and for himself. It's a decision which could end up costing him his life.. Views: 20
