Sarah Nickerson is like any other career-driven supermom in Welmont, the affluent Boston suburb where she leads a hectic but charmed life with her husband Bob, faithful nanny, and three children - Lucy, Charlie, and nine-month-old Linus. Between recruiting the best and brightest minds as the vice president of human resources at Berkley Consulting; shuttling the kids to soccer, day care, and piano lessons; convincing her son’s teacher that he may not, in fact, have ADD; and making it home in time for dinner, it’s a wonder this over-scheduled, over-achieving Harvard graduate has time to breathe. A self-confessed balloon about to burst, Sarah miraculously manages every minute of her life like an air traffic controller. Until one fateful day, while driving to work and trying to make a phone call, she looks away from the road for one second too long. In the blink of an eye, all the rapidly moving parts of her jam-packed life come to a screeching halt. A traumatic brain injury completely erases the left side of her world, and for once, Sarah relinquishes control to those around her, including her formerly absent mother. Without the ability to even floss her own teeth, she struggles to find answers about her past and her uncertain future. Now, as she wills herself to regain her independence and heal, Sarah must learn that her real destiny - her new, true life - may in fact lie far from the world of conference calls and spreadsheets. And that a happiness and peace greater than all the success in the world is close within reach, if only she slows down long enough to notice.

My mum's words always echo in my mind... "You can never trust a man with your heart. Men don't know what to do with a heart that's been given to them- so they break it." But what happens to the woman who trusts with her heart after he breaks it? I know, she fractures and shatters. Knowing the definitions of the words that have defined me, this is my understanding. Trust- To give oneself over to believing in a person or situation. Distrust- The inability to trust or believe in a person or situation. Mistrust- To be suspicious of a person or situation because you have no confidence in them. The words themselves are simple, yet the definition of mistrust is not. There is an element of grey and undefinable to mistrusting. And sadly, it's this grey undefinable that has hurt me most in life. I wanted to trust, but I just couldn't do it anymore. Then I met him. And he became my black and my white. He became the beautiful exception to everything I had ever known before him.

Twenty Four WeeksEpisode 2"Fourteen"Judd faces looking for work, a remorseful wife, and the story of his past…"I don’t know who I am anymore. I’ve changed, Judd. You said that you got lost, well I did too. I lost myself. I don’t like the person I’ve become. She’s cruel and she’s unfaithful. That’s not me. I’m not like that.”Twenty Four WeeksEpisode 2"Fourteen"Judd faces looking for work, a remorseful wife, and the story of his past…"I don’t know who I am anymore. I’ve changed, Judd. You said that you got lost, well I did too. I lost myself. I don’t like the person I’ve become. She’s cruel and she’s unfaithful. That’s not me. I’m not like that.”Still reeling from the shock of discovering his wife's infidelity, Judd Altman learns that he has lost his father and will be one himself. His soon to be ex-wife, Quinn, is pregnant with his child.After almost losing the baby, Wade (Judd's old boss and Quinn's lover) realizes the truth about himself and his relationship with Quinn and leaves her. Judd, in the face of Quinn's situation, forgives her, but cannot reconcile their marriage.With nothing but a stolen Porsche, Judd drives to Maine with limitless possibilities. A man with nothing has nothing to lose, and a man with nothing to lose can do anything.Twenty Four Weeks begins with Judd's time of reflection in Maine and his eventual decision to return to New York City, to take back the life that has been so cruelly taken from him. Sometimes humorous, this bitter-sweet tale is full of hope, love and forgiveness.With characters and back story based on the novel "This is Where I Leave You" by Jonathan Tropper, Twenty Four Weeks is set after the events of the movie of the same name.Download and watch an audio-visual version of this book. Link to this file can be found at the end of this episode.Contains video stills and music from various sources to enhance the listener’s experience. Warning: this story contains coarse language, adult themes and sexual references. Further episodes will contain high-level sex scenes and violence.

It has been twelve years since a dark, murderous figure stalked the alleys and courts of Whitechapel. And yet, in the summer of 1900, East London is still poor, still brutal, still a shadow city to its western twin. Among the reformers is an idealistic young woman named India Selwyn-Jones, recently graduated from medical school. With the help of her influential fiancé--Freddie Lytton, an up-and-coming Liberal MP--she works to shut down the area's opium dens that destroy both body and soul. Her selfless activities better her patients' lives and bring her immense gratification, but unfortunately, they also bring her into direct conflict with East London's ruling crime lord--Sid Malone. India is not good for business and at first, Malone wants her out. But against all odds, India and Sid fall in love. Different in nearly every way, they share one thing in common--they're both wounded souls. Their love is impossible and they know it, yet they cling to it desperately. Lytton, India's fiancé, will stop at nothing to marry India and gain her family's fortune. Fractious criminal underlings and rivals conspire against Sid. When Sid is finally betrayed by one of his own, he must flee London to save his life. Mistakenly thinking him dead, India, pregnant and desperate, marries Freddie to provide a father for hers and Sid's child. India and Sid must each make a terrible sacrifice--a sacrifice that will change them both forever. One that will lead them to other lives, and other places . . . and perhaps--one distant, bittersweet day--back to each other.

The trouble with humans is that they're far too sensitive. Forget you put a woman in the local jail for a few months - and she takes it so personally! And yet she is the one trying to assassinate the queen. And now I'm trapped with Elina Shestakova of the Black Bear Riders of the Midnight... gods! That endless name! But what am I to do? I am Celyn the Charming with direct orders from my queen to protect this unforgiving female. Even more shocking, this unforgiving female is completely unimpressed by me. How is that even possible? But I know what I want and, for the moment, I want her. And I'm sure that she, like all females, will learn to adore me. How could she not when I am just so damn charming?

Kendall takes drastic action when she encounters ghostly overwhelm in this third book in a tween series that Kirkus Reviews calls “bright, bubbly fun.” Kendall feels like she’s losing at life. The only people who will talk to her are ghosts, and she’s exhausted from trying to fix their problems. Meanwhile, Brandon thinks she’s a liar, her best friend thinks she’s sneaking around with another boy, and her dad is getting serious with a new girlfriend. Kendall can’t cope with anything else! Desperate for answers, she decides to visit the one person who might have them—the one person she never wanted to see again. Will her mom be able to help, or will Kendall be stuck without a wisp of hope?

Cooper Bartholomew's body is found at the foot of a cliff. Suicide. That's the official finding, that's what everyone believes. Cooper's girlfriend, Libby, has her doubts. They'd been happy, in love. Why would he take his own life? As Libby searches for answers, and probes more deeply into what really happened the day Cooper died, she and her friends unravel a web of deception and betrayal. Are those friends – and enemies – what they seem? Who is hiding a dangerous secret? And will the truth set them all free? A gripping new novel from the author of Beautiful Malice and Sweet Damage.

George Manville Fenn was an English novelist and journalist who wrote across a variety of genres, both fiction and nonfiction. His works are still widely read today.

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

A burnout has Solá Michael taking some time off and returning to Lagos for an extended holiday with his sister. An almost robbery and a gorgeous rescuer have him seeing the true state of Lagos: the chameleon that never sits still and never sleeps. Having endured years of an abusive marriage, Grace Evans finally walks out on her loveless marriage and boards a train for York. Within hours of arriving in the ancient city, her destiny is changed forever by a portrait in her hotel room. Haunted by the ghost of Robert Hamilton and confronted with a portrait of herself painted four hundred years ago, Grace has every reason to doubt her sanity. Then Grace finds herself four hundred years in the past, in the bed of the man who has haunted her. A man she barely knows but who, with just one kiss, filled the empty space that had been her shattered heart.How are Grace and Robert connected to Simon and Corran of ‘When Fate Dictates’?I’d love to tell you, but that would ruin the surprise, so I’m sorry folks, you are just going to have to wait for ‘Entwined’, book three of the Highland Secret Series.

When Victoria A. Treemont, the most revered and reclusive woman in Ardsmore, Pennsylvania, passes away, she leaves behind a $160,000 scholarship fund that rocks the worlds of the students at Ardsmore High School. The successful candidate must "exemplify purity of soul, spirit, and body." Everyone agrees that this caveat can mean only one thing: The recipient of the scholarship must still be holding on to the big V.Welcome to the V Club -- where members embrace abstinence, get off on civic duties, and heat up their chances to clinch the Treemont scholarship. What better way to prove purity than to pledge allegiance to the virginity flag? Besides, chastity belts are sooo 1300s. Kai, Mandy, Debbie, and Eva have put their futures on the line. But will their deepest insecurities and darkest secrets ruin their chances at the scholarship, or worse, their relationships? Or will they discover the true meaning behind Mrs. Treemont's famous last words?

The Winters have been to Hell and back, but through it all, they’ve always come back together, bonded stronger and unified to face the magical world they are now a part of. Power in numbers they say. Rebecca’s pack grows stronger everyday despite rising threats and old foes come calling. Miracle and Mystery are finding their places, Savannah is slowly acclimating to her new vampiric life, and Hunter has grown into a strong fire witch, gifted with the power of empathy. To make life perfect, all he needs is to escape his prison, save his sisters, and live a happy life with Natalia, but life rarely works out as planned, and Hunter’s life is about to take off on a dangerous roller coaster ride. Will he survive? Is happiness a hopeless dream? Find out in Fire Master Rising, book three of the Winters Saga.

This story follows on from Georgette Heyer's "The Foundling". Grieving for his wife, the Duke of Sale disappears from society with only his man for companionship. Where has he been and what is he doing in the company of the beautiful but mysterious Miss Sarah Leighton? Set against the backdrop of post revolutionary France this story will keep you guessing until the last chapterAre you a Georgette Heyer fan? This is my version of what happened to The Duke of Sale after his marriage to the Lady Harriet Presteigne. I do not pretend to be in Miss Heyer's league but I hope you like my story nonetheless. A year after their marriage, Harriet is dead. Distraught and unable to cope with his loss he can turn neither to his former mentor, Lord Lionel, who had has a stroke, or to his friend and cousin Gideon who is thrown from his horse and seems unlikely to ever walk again. Some three years later, having been unable to outrun his demons, he finally realises that his protected upbringing has left him wholly unable to cope with the slings and arrows of life's misfortune and he resolves to disappear and strike out on his own. A further three years after that, now a confident man who can manage on his own, he resolves to return. A mere week or so before he sets off for England he stumbles across an English lady in need of rescue with a mysterious past and who possesses a most unfeminine skill with a sword. In effecting Miss Leighton's rescue, the Duke finds himself pitchforked into the complex politics of post revolutionary France. Never having previously interested himself in domestic politics he would have found himself out of his depth if not for the lady who in addition to her skill with the foils shows an deep understanding of international politics. Who is this Lady? Why has she never been seen abroad in England? Why is it that the dastardly Monsieur Hainaut seem so determined to despoil her honour? The Duke decides to untangle the mystery and discovers a dark family secret stretching back over two generations. It will take him all his ingenuity and newfound confidence to solve the puzzle.

A SHORT STORY. While on a romantic weekend getaway with his current girlfriend, Matthew Wiley runs into his ex-girlfriend Anna, the love of his life. He can't resist the urge to confront the issues that drove them apart years ago, but he has less than two days to convince her to give them a second chance at love and trust."My life is worth more than a few minutes of anyone's pleasure."Alessandro Lupo (Alex) is a sixteen-year-old gay foster child who has been moved from "home" to "home" in New York City. Isolated by circumstances and by the protective shield he's surrounded himself with, he wanders the streets of the West Village and gravitates toward Stonewall Inn, where the 1969 riots planted the seeds of the gay civil rights movement. Having been raped at his previous foster home, he worries about HIV and about ever being able to enjoy sex. Alex, whose parents had both been Italian, feels his lack of family keenly. As he wanders the city streets, he scrutinizes people who might also be Italian. Alex is short for Alessandro, which means defender of men; Lupo means wolf. But Alex feels fearful most of the time—fear not just of Derek, the other foster teen in his current home, but also of life in general—and wishes for the courage of his 19th century countryman, Giuseppe Garibaldi, with whose statue in Washington Square Park Alex has imaginary conversations.Then Alex meets two people who represent polar opposites: one who validates the low opinion Alex already has of himself; and another who helps him see himself in an entirely new light and teaches him that his life is worth more than a few minutes of anyone's pleasure.

The Series Now Complete. No More Cliffhangers! I'd known that letting Ashford Lang close was a bad idea. I'd known that if I let myself care too much, he'd break my heart. I'd just never imagined he'd put my family in danger too. Toni Gallagher's boss, heiress Isadora Lang, has escaped her captors, but the danger isn't over. As Toni helps the Langs search for clues as to who's running the show, she knows that when all is said and done, she'll have to face her feelings and decide, once and for all, if Ash is worth the risk. Don't miss the final sizzling installment of MS Parker and Cassie Wild's exciting series, Blindfold.