Sometimes life begins with a second chance.On graduation night, Ally Montgomery walked away from her best friend, Owen. One night changed them forever. One night, one decision to cross that line of friendship, one decision to walk away.She never forgot him.Ten years later, Owen finds her.And this time, they aren't letting anything go unfinished. Views: 40
She left glitter in his AC vents. He put green dye in her conditioner. She buttered his bathroom floor, and he kidnapped her precious puppy. Layla Mullens hates Donovan Donley. His crude language, his wide shoulders, his crystal blue eyes…she hates that she can’t stop herself…from kissing him or landing in his bed. And Donovan Donley wants nothing more than to knock Layla off her princess pedestal. He hates her stuck up attitude and her soft, tempting lips. He especially hates that her father is his coach. But he’s fine with their arrangement—act horrible to each other during the day, attack each other naked at night. It works. But one night changes everything. When Layla doesn’t show, and Donovan’s cold bed stays empty, the lies he tells himself to keep Layla out of his mind aren’t enough to keep him from missing her. And needing her. Something he promised himself would never happen. The white flags in their prank war have been lowered but their high stakes battle has just begun. Views: 40
** Book 1 in the award-winning Psychic Crossroads series **Grace Powell awakened one day with no memory of the previous eight months. Now a relentless enemy hunts her, but she has no clue why. Terrified to trust anyone, Grace has no one to turn to. Except for the sexy stranger who appears out of thin air—literally.David Ransom sacrificed his freedom to protect Grace, yet now he's a stranger to her. If he can't stir her memories, and the secret power buried inside her, they may both fall prey to an invisible foe. The passion flaring between them gives him hope they might save each other. But will unearthing the truth about Grace's past destroy them both? Views: 40
Written in 1947 but not published until 1995, John Hepworth's debut novel is a gripping account of Australian soldiers fighting in New Guinea at the end of World War II.The product of Hepworth's own experience, The Long Green Shore recounts the lives - and deaths - of a group of soldiers battling the Japanese in the rain-soaked jungle. In sublime prose, it captures the terror and the monotony of war.On its publication The Long Green Shore was met with immediate critical acclaim. It was recognised as one of the world's great war novels. John Hepworth was born in 1921 and lived in Melbourne. A journalist, author, playwright and poet, he is well remembered for his contribution to the Nation Review in the 1970s and for his work at the ABC. He wrote many books, some co-authored with Bob Ellis and others illustrated by Michael Leunig. He died in 1995 soon after learning that The Long Green Shore would finally be... Views: 40
The Federal Trade Commission receives more complaints about rogue debt collecting than about any activity besides identity theft. Dramatically and entertainingly, Bad Paper reveals why. It tells the story of Aaron Siegel, a former banking executive, and Brandon Wilson, a former armed robber, who become partners and go in quest of “paper”—the uncollected debts that are sold off by banks for pennies on the dollar. As Aaron and Brandon learn, the world of consumer debt collection is an unregulated shadowland where operators often make unwarranted threats and even collect debts that are not theirs. Introducing an unforgettable cast of strivers and rogues, Jake Halpern chronicles their lives as they manage high-pressure call centers, hunt for paper in Las Vegas casinos, and meet in parked cars to sell the social security numbers and account information of unsuspecting consumers. He also tracks a “package” of debt that is stolen by unscrupulous collectors, leading to a dramatic showdown with guns in a Buffalo corner store. Along the way, he reveals the human cost of a system that compounds the troubles of hardworking Americans and permits banks to ignore their former customers. The result is a vital exposé that is also a bravura feat of storytelling. Amazon.com ReviewAn Amazon Best Book of the Month, October 2014: Everyone knows about collections agencies, but how they actually operate is much more interesting than you probably think. Falling somewhere between Glengarry Glen Ross and Mean Streets, Jake Halpern's Bad Paper introduces us to an economy spanning many shades of gray. Halpern's book tracks the descent of "paper" (spreadsheets containing the information of millions of debtors and their debts) as it's sold for pennies on the dollar by banks and credit companies and passed through a network of collectors. Files are often bought and sold multiple times, each transaction stripping away the best remaining prospects as collectors wring paper dry through all manners of persuasion and coercion. Along the way, Halpern encounters first-hand the game's players, from the financiers at the top of the pyramid to mid-level "brokers" and the ground-level phone-jockeys; these are all hard men within their contexts, as one tale of a Tarantino-grade stand-off over stolen information attests. This book is unexpected, and unexpectedly fun. --Jon ForoReview“Bad Paper gives readers an intimate knowledge of the debt-collecting industry, but more important, it gives a comprehensive profile of the people in our country who live and die by the industry. This, ultimately, is the book's power and attraction.”—Frank Tempone, Chicago Tribune “[A] wonderful inquiry into the seamy, multilayered world of consumer debt collection . . . both an entertaining sociology of the debt-collecting fraternity and a picaresque romp through the industry’s most unsavory byways.”—Julia M. Klein, The Boston Globe “An enjoyable and educational read, with stories that sound too good to be true and word-for-word conversations that a Hollywood screenwriter couldn’t make up.”—Jonathan Epstein, Buffalo News “A dramatic rise-and-fall tale . . . Halpern brings unexpected literary heft to the world of debt collection.”—*Kirkus “By fostering a greater understanding of the workings of debt collection, [Bad Paper] sheds enough light into the shadows to compel readers to push for change.”—Publishers Weekly*“Bad Paper is nonfiction that reads like the finest thriller: suspenseful and frightening, eye-opening, and even, at times, funny. Jake Halpern’s fascinating, fearless tour of the underworld of debt collections introduces us to a cast of characters—the (mostly) men behind the scary phone calls—who deserve to be the stars of the next great HBO drama.”—Joseph Finder, bestselling author of Suspicion and *Paranoia “Bad Paper is a riveting tale, fast-paced and filled with unforgettable characters. It is also a deeply reported and powerful exploration of America’s shadow economy.”—David Grann, author of The Lost City of Z and staff writer for The New Yorker “Jake Halpern knows how to follow the money. Only a consummate reporter could have achieved such an intimateview of the two debt collectors he chronicles here. And because he really knows how to tell a story, we can’t take our eyes off this nasty business.”—Anne Fadiman, National Book Critics Circle Award–winning author of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down*“Bad Paper is a terrific achievement—for the wonderful Ponzi-scheme absurdity of the story, for the outsized characters and the skeptical sympathy they elicit. It’s a book that hangs out in that gray and widening zone where the civilization we take for granted starts to break down, and it reads like Michael Lewis with a sense of the abyss. It’s about downward mobility and the subtle apocalypse and it feels important—important in the way few books ever are.”—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, author of A Sense of Direction“Jake Halpern’s gripping tale provides an unprecedented view into the criminal underbelly of consumer finance. It’s required reading not only for everybody with creditors on the line, but for anybody who cares about money or debt.”—Felix Salmon, senior editor, FusionPraise for *Braving Home *“The old homily ‘there is no place like home’ has never been more poignantly and wittily revealed than by Jake Halpern in these lovely vignettes.” —Studs Terkel “Strangely fascinating and endearing . . . In short, it’s terrific.” —Bill Bryson “Not for a long time have I read a book so good and so wise.” —Robert Stone Views: 40
Dominique Manotti is back on form with a tale of intrigue and corruption. A call-girl whose black book lists her elite international clients is found murdered in an underground garage; a plane bound for Iran laden with illegal arms disappears from the skies over Turkey, and the president's closest advisor Bornard, head of a controversial Elysée security unit, manipulates the system with consummate ease – and illegality. Until the day when rookie investigator Noria Ghozali determines to untangle the threads which bind these events together. In doing so she penetrates the Elysée's innermost system, confronts the workings of money and corruption within government, and in the process is forced to combat the institutional – and overt – racism which repeatedly stalls her. 'A splendid neo-realistic tale of everyday bleakness and transgression set in the seedy underworld of Paris. You can smell the Gitanes and pastis fumes of the real France' Maxim... Views: 40
She's So Not Having This Problem"I go on vacation in the Bahamas to celebrate my promotion and who do I see? Maurice Goings, NFL superstar, my high school and college sweetheart...the man who not only broke my heart, but drop-kicked it beyond repair. We were only a few weeks away from marriage when I caught him cheating on me. I changed schools, became a top lawyer, and swore that I'd never be hurt like that again. I don't care that Maurice is even finer than ever before, I'm not letting him fool me twice. . ." But He's Ready To Do Whatever It Takes. . . "I know I hurt Kenya a lot, but I really do love her. No matter how much she tries to push me away, fate keeps drawing us back into each other's arms--and God knows there's still so much sizzling chemistry between us. So this is my last chance to show her that she can trust me again. It's going to be the hardest thing I've ever done--but Kenya's worth it..." Views: 40
It started with a one-night stand… Within just a few hours of meeting, Silo Kettering and Shelly Palmer were in bed together. It was a special night, an amazing evening of shared passion between the socialite and the Hellion biker. But it was supposed to have been just an enjoyable one-off since Shelly had to get back to Albuquerque and extradite both herself and her sister, Lulu, from the mess their father had made. And a promise to call if help was needed. Silo had made Shelly vow to call him if she encountered any trouble, never realizing that just ten short months later, his would be the only phone number she remembered when she was hurt and broken. But it’s hard, if not impossible, to help and provide safety when you have no idea who or what you’re fighting besides your own heart and feelings. And as Silo discovers, the only thing preventing him from falling head over heels is the little spit-fire’s opinion of both him and herself. From the author of ‘Hiding in Plain Sight’, ‘The Possibility of Trey’, ‘Reinventing Mel’ and ‘Taking a Dare’ comes Book 4 in the Hellion Motorcycle Series, exploring Silo’s story and his reconnecting with the irrepressible Shelly. Often you have to get out of your own way−in order to let love in. Views: 40
Jamie Richards has lost a lot. Her father died four years ago and her mother is consumed by her career. Jamie finds an escape through her artistic passion and her first love—the one person who hasn't abandoned her, Erica Sinclair.Overwhelmed by their own harsh realities, Jamie and Erica create a world of their own in an abandoned park—a place they call "Wonderland." Jamie idolizes Erica until the two grow closer, and she realizes that her ideal image of Erica is nothing shy of fiction. When cracks beneath the exterior become more prevalent, Jamie begins to question the love she thought she had for Erica, and if that love was ever reciprocated.And then it happens. A shocking event occurs that changes Jamie and Erica's relationship forever. Jamie knows that there's no escaping this reality—she'll have to find a way to move forward without hiding behind her sketchbook. Views: 40
