Ailssa may be young, smart, and beautiful, but she's down on her luck: her apartment's been broken into, she's been laid off and is currently slumming it as a waitress, and she doesn't have the money to pay the rent to her superintendent: the surprisingly young and handsome Shane. Ailssa pleads with Shane and tells him she would do anything for his help... anything.WARNING: This 3,946-word short story is a steamy read that features explicit scenes and may be too much for some readers to handle! Views: 6
1793, Philadelphia. The nation's capital and the largest city in North America is devastated by an apparently incurable disease, cause unknown . . . In a powerful, dramatic narrative, critically acclaimed author Jim Murphy describes the illness known as yellow fever and the toll it took on the city's residents, relating the epidemic to the major social and political events of the day and to 18th-century medical beliefs and practices. Drawing on first-hand accounts, Murphy spotlights the heroic role of Philadelphia's free blacks in combating the disease, and the Constitutional crisis that President Washington faced when he was forced to leave the city—and all his papers—while escaping the deadly contagion. The search for the fever's causes and cure, not found for more than a century afterward, provides a suspenseful counterpoint to this riveting true story of a city under siege.An American Plague's numerous awards include a Sibert Medal, a Newbery... Views: 6
Coe is one of the few remaining teenagers on the island of Tides. Deformed and weak, she is constantly reminded that in a world where dry land dwindles at every high tide, she is not welcome. The only bright spot in her harsh and difficult life is the strong, capable Tiam--but love has long ago been forgotten by her society. The only priority is survival. Until the day their King falls ill, leaving no male heir to take his place. Unrest grows, and for reasons Coe cannot comprehend, she is invited into the privileged circle of royal aides. She soon learns that the dying royal is keeping a secret that will change their world forever. Is there an escape from the horrific nightmare that their island home has become? Coe must race to find the answers and save the people she cares about, before their world and everything they know is lost to the waters. Views: 6
Arizona Ranger Sam Burrack has something of a reputation for finishing what he sets out to do—usually with a shot from his Winchester. He'd been on the trail of five gunmen for days. Then there was four. And he doesn't plan on stopping until every member of the notorious Golden Riders is behind bars or underground. But when a few of the riders escape in a jailbreak, word gets back to gang leader Braxton Kane that his brother fell under the gun of a lawman. Now Burrack is both hunter and hunted, and if he doesn't live up to his reputation, he won't live very long.... Views: 6
As a devastating summer storm hits Grand Springs, Colorado, the next thirty-six hours will change the town and its residents forever...From the first moment she sees him, nurse Bethany Kent falls in love with little baby Christopher, who's been abandoned by his mother. She dreams of adopting him, but in small town Grand Springs she'll need a husband in order to adopt a child.Dr. Tony Petrocelli has a reputation for romance. In reality, he's tired of short-term relationships and intrigued by Bethany. And if he's going to get that promotion to Head of Obstetrics, he needs to show the Board he's a stable family man by getting married.A marriage of convenience can help them both. As long as Tony never learns Beth's secret, it's the perfect solution....Book 8 of the 36 Hours series. Don't miss Book 9: A straight-arrow cop is attracted to his prime suspect in a murder investigation in Partners in Crime by award-winning author Alicia Scott. Views: 6
Elena Jarvis is an officer committed to her duty at the Los Santos, Texas, department of Crimes Against Persons. Not that anyone is helping her, though—not when her ex-husband is in the next room, her boss treats her like a little girl, and her partner thinks women should not leave the kitchen. Elena always knew there would be obstacles in her job, she just figured they would come from the criminals. It was a punishment from God, declared Boris Potemkin's fair-weather widow, but it was not a thunderbolt that cut Boris down, it was a bullet, and from the look of it, the bullet was not divine. As the investigation intensifies, Elena soon discovers there have been several recent deaths in the same neighborhood and someone is having just a bit too much fun making widows. But the suspects are not your typical thugs—they are women in black. Elena has her work cut out for her as she scrambles to solve the case before the killer strikes again. Views: 6
An investigative journalist uncovers a hidden custom that will transform your understanding of what it means to grow up as a girlIn Afghanistan, a culture ruled almost entirely by men, the birth of a son is cause for celebration and the arrival of a daughter is often mourned as misfortune. A bacha posh (literally translated from Dari as "dressed up like a boy") is a third kind of child -- a girl temporarily raised as a boy and presented as such to the outside world. Jenny Nordberg, the reporter who broke the story of this phenomenon for the New York Times, constructs a powerful and moving account of those secretly living on the other side of a deeply segregated society where women have almost no rights and little freedom. The Underground Girls of Kabul is anchored by vivid characters who bring this remarkable story to life: Azita, a female parliamentarian who sees no other choice but to turn her fourth daughter Mehran into a boy;... Views: 6
El Muerto began as a joke by writer/assassin Nick McCarty’s partner, Gus. In Nick’s offbeat sense of violent humor, he makes El Muerto into a terrifying legend. Adding his partner Gus into the mix as Payaso his sidekick, Nick enters the realm of serial killers and terrorists with a vengeance. Nick McCarty’s new boss opens the keys to the kingdom for the coldest blooded killer he’s ever met. Deciding when fighting psychopathic murderers and terrorist cells hell bent on America’s destruction, there is one old football cliché that fits – winning isn’t everything… it’s the only thing. Nick’s book tour turns into a bloody rampage, leaving little doubt he embraces his boss’s new management style. Returning to his Pacific Grove refuge with family and friends, Nick decides to bring his deadly business more into the open… and business is good. Views: 6
Penny wants an unforgettable wedding, perfect down to the last detail, so when her fiancé Mark finally pops the question, it's the best moment of her life. Until Penny checks her wedding fund and is horrified to discover that she's lost $10,000 of wedding savings playing online gambling--Operation "Don't Tell the Groom" rolls into action. This hilarious and uplifting read is the perfect feel-good read, whether you're single, a bride-to-be, or happily married! Views: 6
