1840's Alta California is on the verge of revolution. The Mexicans struggle to keep their gracious life-style, the Indians have sworn to defend their tribal heritage. America is determined to reach the shores of the Pacific. In this turbulent land comes John Clinton Ryan, an adventurer, a seaman, a man who must learn the ways of the vaquero if he is to survive.1840's Alta California is on the verge of revolution. The Mexicans struggle to keep their gracious life-style, the Indians have sworn to defend their tribal heritage. Both are doomed by the inevitable war with the colossus to the east. America is determined to reach the shores of the Pacific. In this turbulent land comes John Clinton Ryan, an adventurer, a seaman, a man who must learn the ways of the vaquero if he is to survive. For only then will he have a chance against cruel Mexican soldados and a brutal American captain who has sworn to see him hang. Views: 313
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant. Views: 313
An enemies-to-lovers second chance standalone romance set in the cutthroat world of sports management. They're two sharks in a fish tank... JARED If I had a dollar for every time Banner Morales made my heart skip a beat... The heart everyone assumes is frozen over. Her anger is . . . arousing. Every glare from those fire-spitting eyes, every time she grits her teeth, gets me . . .well, you know. If I had a dollar for every time she's put me in my place, I'd be an even richer man. I'm a successful sports agent because I assume "no" means you'll think about it. I'm sure what you meant to say is "Coming right up." They say even rich men don't always get what they want, but those men don't know how to play the game. The trick is to keep them guessing. Take Banner. She assumes she's winning, but this game? She doesn't even know how to play. ... Views: 313
"Brilliant, honest, and equal parts heartbreaking and soul-healing." —Laurie Halse Anderson, author of SHOUT "A singular voice in the world of literature." —Jason Reynolds, author of Long Way DownA powerful coming-of-age story about grief, guilt, and the risks a Filipino-American teenager takes to uncover the truth about his cousin's murder.Jay Reguero plans to spend the last semester of his senior year playing video games before heading to the University of Michigan in the fall. But when he discovers that his Filipino cousin Jun was murdered as part of President Duterte's war on drugs, and no one in the family wants to talk about what happened, Jay travels to the Philippines to find out the real story.Hoping to uncover more about Jun and the events that led to his death, Jay is forced to reckon with the many sides of his cousin before he can face the whole horrible truth — and the part he played in it.As gripping... Views: 313
In 1940’s Manhattan, Jessie and Matt sat under the willow tree in Central Park. A refuge from daily life, they spent many long hours beneath its boughs. When Matt learns Jessie will be moving away, he invites her to meet him one last time at the willow tree, but Jessie never came. It wouldn’t be until many years later when she discovers what truly happened that night.In 1940’s Manhattan, Jessie and Matt sat under the willow tree in Central Park. A refuge from daily life, they had spent many long hours beneath its boughs. When Matt learns Jessie will soon be moving away, he invites her to meet him one last time at the willow tree, but Jessie never came. Little did she know just what happened that night, or what she left behind. It wouldn’t be until many years later when she discovered the true magic of that place and what happened to her childhood love.***This is a short story, not a full-length novel.*** Views: 313
Brother is book 2 in the Aberrant series. With Jack by her side, Delilah is ready for anything. Or so she thought. What more could the Painfully Perfects do to her, they have already tried killing her and yet she returned. Will they try again, or try another target?Brother is book 2 in the Aberrant series. With Jack by her side, Delilah is ready for anything. Or so she thought. What more could the Painfully Perfects do to her, they have already tried killing her and yet she returned. Will they try again, or try another target?But Delilah and Jack have more to worry about than just the Painfully Perfects. When a stranger turns up that could expose Jack for who he is, they have far more to worry about than the school bullies. Views: 313
War rages, but the women and children of Liverpool's Dr Barnado's Home cannot give up hope. What more could you wish for than a poignant, heart-warming saga to read this Christmas? LIVERPOOL, 1943Yorkshire is the place Lana has always called home, but it's now filled with painful memories of her fiancé, Dickie, who was killed at sea. When she accepts the challenging position of headmistress at a school in Liverpool, she hopes a new beginning will help to mend her broken heart. A BATTLE TO FIGHTNot everyone at Bingham Hall is happy about her arrival but Lana throws herself into the role, teaching children from the local village and the nearby Dr Barnardo's orphanage. She thrives in her work, but soon finds herself falling for a man who she would once have considered the enemy – and is torn between what she knows is right, and taking a risk that might see her lose everything. THE STRENGTH TO HOPEThere are children that desperately need her help, and Lana must fight for everyone's... Views: 313
'Gripping' SOPHIE HANNAH 'Fascinating' ANN CLEEVESIf you're on the list you're marked for death...The envelope is unremarkable. There is no return address. It contains a single, folded, sheet of white paper.The envelope drops through the mail slot like any other piece of post. But for the nine complete strangers who receive it - each of them recognising just one name, their own, on the enclosed list - it will be the most life altering letter they ever receive. It could also be the last, as one by one, they start to meet their end.But why? Views: 313
The Parker children's home becomes a battlefield because they want a pet while their mother declares that she will have no gerbils in her house. Views: 313
“In this story, as the chief character is internally melodramatic, the story itself ceases to be merely melodramatic, and partakes of true drama.” — T. S. Eliot.Like Poe before him and Conan Doyle after, Wilkie Collins shifted easily from rational domains to the “superrational.” Like them, he is famed for original contributions to “ratiocinative” (detective) literature, but often preferred to indulge his occult predilection — a lifelong indulgence. His first published story, “The Last Stage Coachmen” (1843), was a supernatural allegory of trains; perhaps his last lucid effort (before ill health and opium drained his powers) was this short novel, The Haunted Hotel.Collins’ methods and themes, developed and elaborated in his earlier, massive novels, are streamlined and concentrated here into a tight novelette. The same relentless pace and narrative power, the same attention to plot and backdrop detail that distinguish The Moonstone and The Woman in White are evident here, as is the obsession with destiny and the willful struggle against it.Collins’ much-loved Venice provides the scenery and fatal beauty, the grim waterways and palaces the author will haunt with mysterious women, grotesques, and bloody conspiracies. The Countess Narona is one of Collins’ cosmopolitan enchantresses; she acts, but as the tool of her doom. T. S. Eliot wrote, “The principal character, the fatal woman, is herself obsessed by the idea of fatality; her motives are melodramatic; she therefore compels the coincidences to occur, feeling that she is compelled to compel them.” Collins relieves the tension with some wry characterizations and ironies; the theatrics are sustained. Indeed, theatrical motifs figure heavily, Collins himself being much involved with the stage at that period.The Haunted Hotel appears to be loosely based on a case from the annals of French crime; the scene, scenery, players and conflicts, and especially the horror, come straight from Collins’ overstimulated, no doubt overwrought, most certainly haunted imagination. Views: 313
On one of the green slopes of the Sierra Morena, shaded by a few cork-trees, and with wild craggy heights and bare brown wastes stretching far above, there stood, about the middle of the sixteenth century, a castle even then old and rather dilapidated. It had once been a strong place, but was not very spacious; and certainly, according to our modern ideas of comfort, the interior could not have been a particularly comfortable dwelling-place. A large proportion of it was occupied by the great hall, which was hung with faded, well-repaired tapestry, and furnished with oaken tables, settles, and benches, very elaborately carved, but bearing evident marks of age. Narrow unglazed slits in the thick wall admitted the light and air; and beside one of these, on a gloomy autumn morning, two boys stood together, watching the rain that pored down without intermission. They were dressed exactly alike, in loose jackets of blue cloth, homespun, indeed, but so fresh and neatly-fashioned as to look more becoming than many a costlier dress. Their long stockings were of silk, and their cuffs and wide shirt-frills of fine Holland, carefully starched and plaited. The elder—a very handsome lad, who looked fourteen at least, but was really a year younger—had raven hair, black sparkling eager eyes, good but strongly-marked features, and a complexion originally dark, and well-tanned by exposure to sun and wind. A broader forehead, wider nostrils, and a weaker mouth, distinguished the more delicate-looking younger brother, whose hair was also less dark, and his complexion fairer. Views: 313
The late Reginald Bretnor (1911-1992) was never a prolific writer—he wrote only a handful of books and about 100 short stories [and more than 100 short-short “Feghoots” under the Grendel Briarton pseudonym]—over a 45-year writing career. In addition to wars, weaponry, and science fiction, Bretnor’s broad interests included cats. (And puns. Did we mention the horrible puns?) These subjects are all touched on in this collection. A sly sense of humor permeates Bretnor’s fiction, and as we work to digitize his complete body of work and present it to readers in a series of Reginald Bretnor Megapacks, we know you’ll have fun reading them. Views: 313
