Dr Ava Curzon is Lara Croft meets Evelyn Salt – the first real challenger to Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon. The brutal slaying of a monk in Ethiopia and the theft of the ancient object he guards hurl former MI6 agent turned archaeologist Dr Ava Curzon into a desperate search for the Ark of the Covenant and Malchus, a vicious neo-Nazi obsessed with Aleister Crowley and the darker side of the occult.When former MI6 agent turned archaeologist Dr Ava Curzon is engaged by American intelligence to track down an African militia claiming to hold the Ark of the Covenant, she is plunged into a world where nothing is what it seems.Her breakneck descent into the shadowy realm of dark biblical magic hurls her across continents and into the opaque worlds of the Knights Templar, freemasons, occultists, and extremist neo-Nazis, pushing her mentally and physically to the limits.As the plot twists and turns across the centuries, she requires all her skills to solve a trail of ancient clues leading her inexorably towards a terrifying ritual. Taking centre stage, she faces the ultimate battle against an age-old evil she must stop at all costs.Dr Ava Curzon is Lara Croft meets Evelyn Salt – the first real challenger to Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon.

Disciples of the Damned:A Biker Vampire SeriesShort story seriesA mysterious vampire connects with the underground world of an outlaw motorcycle club to find the object of his blood lust.Disciples of the Damned A Biker Vampire SeriesShort story seriesDominic: Season 1 Episode OneAfter more than 200 years of horrific confinement in a steel coffin, vampire Dominic Kollar is released in the year 2012, only to find out that the rules have changed. Bounty Slayers are responsible for keeping Vampires in line.As Dom acclimates to the strange modern world, he discovers that he really likes two things: riding motorcycles and the sight of a mysterious, bewitching lady biker.Aided by an old vampire frenemy, Dom confronts human bikers in order to infiltrate their gang and find the object of his blood lust. As long as he can keep himself fed in this new world of challenges, Dominic Kollar will make a stand, avenge his past and attempt to destroy those who dared to cross his path.A longer short story with 10,800 words

Plays Two: The Dissolution of Dominic Boot 'M' is for Moon Among Other Things If You're Glad I'll Be Frank Albert's Bridge Where Are They Now? Artist Descending a Staircase The Dog It Was That Died In the Native State Introduced by the author, this second collection of work by Tom Stoppard contains his radio plays, written between 1964 and 1991. These plays reflect the full range of Stoppard's gifts as well as his craftsmanship and versatility. His work for radio complements (and sometimes prefigures) his work for the stage. Included in this volume is In the Native State, which became the stage play Indian Ink. Albert's Bridge won the Italia Prize and In the Native State won a Sony Award.

Lukas visits the grave of his mother and is forced to face the emotions that the experience brings up for him.Lukas visits the grave of his mother and is forced to face the emotions that the experience brings up for him.'And There An End, But Now They Rise Again' is a short story that delves into the heart of the human psyche and searches for the answers to one of life's biggest heartaches: The loss of a loved one.

Locked in a fight to the death in the subworld of Kiilda, John’s only option is to defeat Kiilda if he ever wants to see his little sister again. Meanwhile, Faith is quickly forming a friendship with Tarsh Landid. But when Castrum Fortress is surrounded by the Brown Bandits, it looks like the only thing that will satisfy them is the former “Ghost of Hedekira”…whether he’s dead or alive!The Golden Lands, one of the three worlds of Terra, is supposed to be a place of peace, light, and happiness. But the Golden Lands hasn't exactly been such a place for John Hedekira, a jaded, hot-headed teenager.Locked in a fight to the death in the subworld of Kiilda, John’s only option is to defeat Kiilda if he ever wants to see his little sister again. Meanwhile, Faith is quickly forming a friendship with Tarsh Landid. But when Castrum Fortress is surrounded by the Brown Bandits, it looks like the only thing that will satisfy them is the former “Ghost of Hedekira”…whether he’s dead or alive!

From author Paige Price comes a mafia enemies-to-lovers romance about an enforcer and the runaway he tracks down . . .My next colossal mistake in life has a name—Dominic Leavitt. He is the last man in the world I should ever want. Dark.Deadly.Dangerous.The man is like an Asgardian god come to life. A single look from those sexy eyes makes my knees weak. Too bad he's an arrogant, first-rate jerk on a job to find a missing girl—me. When I discover his ties to the Russian mafia, I know I should keep my distance.Mina Melchor thought she could escape her past and me. This doe-eyed beauty ran away and joined The Friendly Skylines. Bright.Blushful.Breathtaking. The sordid past she left behind is catching up to her. The Mexican cartel, the Russians, and the Italians all want her. The girl doesn't...

Where do we draw the line between love and the forbidden? Chloe isn’t supposed to want Dominic, not because of who he is, not because of what he is to her, but because of the complications being with him would cause. As she grows older, things change. Life changes. Love becomes tainted. People are betrayed. What she always thought would last … didn’t. Or maybe it never was supposed to.

When Scott Carpenter moves from Minnesota to Paris, little does he suspect the dramas that await: scheming neighbors, police denunciations, surly demonstrators, cooking disasters, medical mishaps—not to mention all those lectures about cheese! It turns out that nothing in the City of Light can be taken for granted, where even trips to the grocery store lead to adventure. In French Like Moi, Carpenter guides us through the merry labyrinth of the everyday, one hilarious faux pas after another. Through it all, he keeps his eye on the central mystery of what makes the French French (and Midwesterners Midwestern).

A sweeping work of historical fiction from the New York Times –bestselling author Dominic Smith, The Electric Hotel is a spellbinding story of art and love. For more than thirty years, Claude Ballard has been living at the Hollywood Knickerbocker Hotel. A French pioneer of silent films who started out as a concession agent for the Lumière brothers, the inventors of cinema, Claude now spends his days foraging for mushrooms in the hills of Los Angeles and taking photographs of runaways and the striplings along Sunset Boulevard. But when a film history student comes to interview Claude about The Electric Hotel —the lost masterpiece that bankrupted him and ended the career of his muse, Sabine Montrose—the past comes surging back. In his run-down hotel suite, the ravages of the past are waiting to be excavated: celluloid fragments in desperate need of restoration, as well as Claude’s memories of the woman who inspired and beguiled him. The Electric Hotel is a portrait of a man entranced by the magic of moviemaking, a luminous romance, and a whirlwind trip through early cinema. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. **ReviewAdvance Praise for The Electric Hotel “A long-retired moviemaker recalls the early days of silent films in Smith's atmospheric follow-up to The Last Painting of Sara De Vos . . . Smith skillfully blends film history with the adventures of his cast . . . Martin's screening of the restored Electric Hotel provides a moving finale. A compelling plot, robust characters, and finely crafted prose richly evoke a bygone age and art.” ― Kirkus Reviews (starred) “Fascinating information about the making of silent films is balanced by poignant, emotional portrayals of individuals attempting to define their lives offscreen even as they made history on it. Smith winningly delves into Hollywood’s past.” ― Publishers Weekly “Smith's tale is luminous . . . Highly recommended for historical fiction fans and readers who love old Hollywood novels.” ― Booklist* (starred) “As fresh and deliciously strange as the first days of film-making it so dazzlingly brings to life, The Electric Hotel is utterly absorbing, astonishingly inventive, and richly imagined. Dominic Smith is a wizard.” ―Andrea Barrett, National Book Award winner and author of *ArchangelPraise for The Last Painting of Sara de Vos An Amazon Best Book of the Year A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year “Audacious . . . Absolutely transporting.” ―Maureen Corrigan, NPR “Gorgeous storytelling: wry, playful, and utterly alive, with an almost tactile awareness of the emotional contours of the human heart.” ―Laura Collins-Hughes, The *Boston Globe “Rapturous . . . Smith’s writing is incandescent from the first sentence.” ―Caroline Leavitt, San Francisco Chronicle* About the Author Dominic Smith grew up in Sydney, Australia, and now lives in Seattle, Washington. He’s the author of the novels The Last Painting of Sara de Vos , Bright and Distant Shores , The Beautiful Miscellaneous , and The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre. His writing has appeared in The New York Times , The Atlantic , Texas Monthly , and The Australian. He has been a recipient of literature grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Australia Council for the Arts. He teaches writing in the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers. 

Left for dead by a band of strange, dark warriors, John Hedekira sets out on a quest to get revenge and to rescue his siblings from the hands of his attackers. Joining him is the kind, innocent Faith Pinck, and together they must stop the evil warriors before they can complete their mission: a dark plot to collide humanity with the world of an unholy, supernatural being.The Golden Lands, one of the three worlds of Terra, is supposed to be a place of peace, light, and happiness. But the Golden Lands hasn't exactly been such a place for John Hedekira, a jaded, hot-headed teenager. His parents disappear when he is thirteen, and he's left to look after his younger sister and brother. One evening, John decides that he has had it with the distant, self-pitiful dispositions of his siblings, and resolves to shut them out of his life for good...or so he thinks. That same evening, a band of warriors of a dark race invade his home, kidnapping John's siblings...and leaving him to bleed out on the floor of his own house. But John is not undone so easily. Compelled by his own hatred of the warriors that left him to die, and a sense of duty towards his siblings, John sets out on a quest for vengeance. Joining him is Faith Pinck, a caring, innocent girl who doesn't yet understand the true motives behind John's desire to track the evil band of warriors.And in the midst of their adventures as they journey to rescue John's siblings, they begin to uncover a deeper, darker plot that will endeavor to collide the world of humanity with the world of an unholy, malicious, supernatural being.

Transmissions tells the stories of nine interconnected people all faced with having to come to terms with the consequences of their actions.'Transmissions' tells the stories of nine interconnected people all faced with having to come to terms with the consequences of their actions.Wrong choices have been made, futures altered, but all nine seek one thing: Love.These are the sorrowful tales of love in a world that is jaded and bitter.Broken souls on ball of dirt spinning alone in the darkness.It is always darker on the Otherside.

From the New York Times bestselling author Dominic Smith, a radiant novel tracing the intertwined fates of a silent-film director and his museDominic Smith's The Electric Hotel winds through the nascent days of cinema in Paris and Fort Lee, New Jersey—America's first movie town—and on the battlefields of Belgium during World War I. A sweeping work of historical fiction, it shimmers between past and present as it tells the story of the rise and fall of a prodigious film studio and one man's doomed obsession with all that passes in front of the viewfinder.For nearly half a century, Claude Ballard has been living at the Hollywood Knickerbocker Hotel. A French pioneer of silent films, who started out as a concession agent for the Lumière brothers, the inventors of cinema, Claude now spends his days foraging mushrooms in the hills of Los Angeles and taking photographs of runaways and the striplings along Sunset Boulevard. But when a...

It was just supposed to be a few quiet days with Khazak's parents...David has been living in the orc city of V'rok'sh Tah'lj for a couple of months now, and things have been going pretty well. But when his owner, Khazak, is called away on official business, he gets stuck with the man's fathers as babysitters. He's expecting a few quiet days of boredom, but he learns shortly after he arrives that these three orcs have plans for him of their own.Will David be able to handle all the challenges they throw at him, or will Khazak return to find that he just couldn't cut it? A fun and steamy side-story in the Steel & Thunder universe! Set in the same time period as Storms & Sacrifice, follow David as he tries to navigate life among the orcs without Khazak by his side, and learns all about some of the city's unspoken traditions firsthand.This story contains explicit depictions gay/male-on-male sex, including elements of BDSM, group sex, and concerns over loyalty,...

This is Gonzo Prose is a morphed culmination of ideas and life experiences from first time author Dominic Youel. Pushing the boundaries of absurdity with twisted humour, the story revolves around fictional characters that view world affairs with extreme prejudice to their views. Absurdity is used as the medium throughout, along with 'loose' philosophies and the continued exclamation, unchi.This is Gonzo Prose as the title may suggest should not be taken too seriously. This short piece by amateur writer Dominic Youel is a morphed culmination of ideas and some of his own life experiences. Having no great love of any writers in particular, Youel has tried to push the boundaries of absurdity with twisted humor. He did state that the only thing he wishes for with this book is for the reader to come away with a light hearted bemused questioning of life (deep), questioning the book itself and possible wishing for more.

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

A hilarious novel from a great comedic writer, one of the founders of The Chaser's War on Everything.No DJ can mix 'Celebration' into 'Come On Eileen' quite like Paul Johnson, the king of rancid retro. But while he has the musical jumper leads to get even the most dismal party started, he can't get his own life moving. Trapped in a job he despises, a perpetual failure with the ladies and living at home with his distinctly unhelpful parents, Paul's stuck in limbo while everyone around him is limbo-dancing. While he's avoided the corporate mousetrap that's ensnared his friend Nige, Paul dreams of one day playing his own music instead of John Farnham's. But it's much easier to joke about your problems with your friends than to do something about them. A romantic comedy that's equal parts bitingly cynical and naively idealistic, Disco Boy is a story for anyone who's ever hit the Pause button on their life, and found it hard to press Play again.

Based upon journal entries and notes written at the time, "The Mushroom Diaries" catalogue six of the trips the author and his boyfriend experienced as they allowed their magic mushroom induced visions to lead them through the streets and subways of London.When you've opened your mind so often, allowed it to journey on the other side of reality's mirror frequently, it changes. Small things, gaps left visible, a wafer thin barrier is all that separates the sides. Visions living in your head, memories pulled up from the past and acted out with clarity, past confusions solved painfully in dreams. Reality splitting. By remembering you reopen, old cuts bleed afresh. Welcome to madness.Based upon journal entries and notes written at the time, "The Mushroom Diaries" catalogue six of the trips the author and his boyfriend experienced as they allowed their mushroom induced visions to lead them through the streets and subways of London."The Mushroom Diaries" is the story of two people, a twisted romance coloured in glorious Technicolor.

Develop a memory so powerful, you're like a human computer. Learn how to remember names, faces, numbers, birthdays, dates, appointments, or any sequence of numbers you want. Dominic O'Brien is renowned for his phenomenal feats of memory and for outwitting the casinos of Las Vegas. He is barred from playing Blackjack in all UK casinos. A bestselling author of You Can Have An Amazing Memory and How to Develop a Brilliant Memory Week by Week, he has won the World Memory Championship eight times.

This book contains four short stories and excerpts from a novel. The theme central to each story is the transition from childhood to adulthood. Each of the short stories, with nostalgic undertones, juxtaposes the innocence of childhood with the challenging emotions and attitudes that sometimes overcome grown-ups.Each of these short stories, with nostalgic undertones, juxtaposes the innocence of childhood with the challenging emotions and attitudes that sometimes overcome grown-ups after life has chipped away at their views, their hopes and their expectations. In Beyond the Periphery, an intelligent, socially conscious, affluent college kid struggles to confront his fear of someone who is different from him. As he attempts to meet this challenge, he encounters a lesson in life from an unlikely source. When Angels Speak is the story of a middle-aged man who is set in his ways and whose social encounter with two little boys leads him to a new perspective on his life. In A Gift From Grandma, an adolescent’s imminent coming of age is shaped by his ambivalent feelings towards his grandmother. The Guardian Angel is the story of a troubled teenager and the events that conspire to bring new meaning to his life. The book ends with a preview of the novel In the Twilight of the Moon.

"A showcase for Green's bone-dry satire. A delight." - The Telegraph "A talented writer having lots of very smart fun"Mount Ararat, a world the size of an asteroid yet with Earth-standard gravity, plays host to an oddball community whose children are protected by the Devil, a mechanical killing machine.But who placed the robot there, and who - or what - is really in need of protection?"A showcase for Green's bone-dry satire and deadpan humour ... Green's agile imagination constantly wrong-foots the reader. A delight."-Peter Ingham, The Telegraph"The work of a talented writer having lots of very smart fun"-- S F Winser, Booksquawk.comSmallworld is like nothing you've read before... innovative speculative fiction from Hugo-listed Brit SF writer Dominic Green.Mount Ararat, a world the size of an asteroid yet with Earth-standard gravity, plays host to an oddball farming community whose children are protected by the Devil, a mechanical killing machine.But who placed the robot there, and who - or what - is really in need of protection?

A young man can't make love. A pedantic father spots a blemish in his new shorts and returns to the shop to demand their exchange. A girl rocks up to a Tinder date wearing a helmet.In nineteen short stories, No Neat Endings pits its characters against the challenges of modern life, sex, love, work and the world. A man observes his brother's rise to comic stardom with envy and angst. A father faces his fortieth with mortal paranoia. A friend returns from Brazil to become embroiled in a drug-fuelled romp in a share house. It doesn't work out. For so many of the characters in these stories, it doesn't end well. They succumb to their own vices, impulses, insecurities. They have, more often than not, only themselves to blame.Half tragedy, half comedy, this collection announces a fresh new voice in Australian writing.'...No Neat Endings as a whole remains a strong meditation on masculinity in Australia and its many fault lines.' — Nathan Smith, Books+Publishing

After a car accident killed her parents when she was a child, Bronagh Murphy chose to box herself off from people in an effort to keep herself from future hurt. If she doesn't befriend people, talk to them or acknowledge them in any way they leave her alone just like she wants. When Dominic Slater enters her life, ignoring him is all she has to do to get his attention. Dominic is used to attention, and when he and his brothers move to Dublin, Ireland for family business, he gets nothing but attention. Attention from everyone except the beautiful brunette with a sharp tongue. Dominic wants Bronagh and the only way he can get to her, is by dragging her from the boxed off corner she has herself trapped in the only way he knows how... by force. Dominic wants her, and what Dominic wants, Dominic gets.

Any minute I'm going to wake up from this nightmare. Being tied up and thrown in the trunk of a car doesn't happen in real life. Except the silk tie around my wrists feels very real. And my father, Johnny Conti, the head of the Outfit, is telling me to be a good girl—that I'm to be the wife of the man who tied me up and has me over his wide shoulder. Some women might swoon over gorgeous Dominic Sabatini with his blue eyes, dimples, and muscled body in a silk suit. Not me. Those are just distractions from who, what he really is: a ruthless killer with blood on his hands and ice in his veins.There is no way Dominic could actually want to marry me. A virgin, curvy, buried in an all-girls Catholic boarding school for most of my life and seventeen years younger than him. He's marrying so far beneath him it's absurd. No to all of it. Tomorrow I'm going to marry the man of my dreams, a nice, kind accountant. I'm going to have the safe, boring life I've always longed for. I have to escape this nightmare. But Dominic growls I belong to him and he keeps what is his. This a mafia romance with dark elements. While this is the first book in a series it is a standalone and does not end in a cliffhanger.  

David might have forgiven him, but can he forgive himself?Sacrificial cults, giant man-eating serpents, even ghosts - Khazak has seen it all lately. But with his avakesh David by his side, he knows they can weather any storm that blows their way. After unexpectedly doubling the size of their group and a brief detour to the ruins of the ancient elvish city of Karthani, things are finally back on track. As long as they keep following the road north, they'll reach their destination in no time. The group just has to keep the stops they make and the trouble they cause to a minimum. Easy, right?David's been doing great. He's got Khazak, his team, and he's even been able to reconnect with his brother, Michael. Now all he needs is for things to stay on track, and once they reach Maname, they'll hopefully be able to figure out the strange things that have been happening since that fateful night in the Temple of Zeus. But of course, nothing is that easy, and when danger...

At the Théâtre Bohème, danger decides who takes the final curtain call.Aether Psychics, Book 2Hailed as the most talented actress of her generation, Marie St. Jean has something more to her ability than mere talent. She loses a bit of her soul to each role. When the ghostly spirit of the theatre promises her an easy fix, she's tempted by the chance to finally live a normal life.Unfortunately, the man she's drawn to is the last one to settle for normal. But with the Prussians surrounding Paris, there's no escaping that temptation, either.Violinist Johann Bledsoe thought he'd left his disgrace in England, but a murder outside the Théâtre Bohème makes him wonder if he's been exposed. Another reason not to stick around once the siege ends, even if Marie fascinates him.More murders, steam-powered ravens, and past and present secrets bring them closer to discovering just what lurks within the theatre, and who threatens...

The inevitable Long Night of Interstellar barbarism is approaching, and Dominic, who devoted his life to keeping the galactic peace decides that others must take up the challenge of courting danger on strange planets. Enter Diana—illegitmate—but the true daughter of Dominic.

'Inventive, charming and very funny' The ObserverJust as Blart is settling down to enjoy his teenage years on a fabulous pig farm with the proceeds from saving the world, Capablanca returns - with bad news. A terrible oversight in his original world-saving research has led to accusations of no less than collusion with evil Zoltab himself. And now he is a wanted man - and so, by assocation, is BlartTo prove their innocence or else be hounded to the four corners of the earth by a bloodthirsty army, they must locate their comrades from the original quest. Together they may stand a chance of proving that Capablanca's was an innocent mistake, by finding the answer to a great mystery - what exactly did they do with Zoltab? And how could they be so careless as to forget...And so begins another hilarious and unforgettable adventure (with pigs) and a brilliant cast of characters including newcomers Uther Slywort the merchant and sociopathic Baron Killbride.

When the vision came, he was in the bathtub. So begins the madness of Louis Daguerre. In 1847, after a decade of using poisonous mercury vapors to cure his daguerreotype images, his mind is plagued by delusions. Believing the world will end within one year, Daguerre creates his "Doomsday List" -- ten items he must photograph before the final day. The list includes a portrait of Isobel Le Fournier, a woman he has always loved but not spoken to in half a century. In this luminous debut novel, Dominic Smith reinvents the life of one of photography's founding fathers. Louis Daguerre's story is set against the backdrop of a Paris prone to bohemian excess and social unrest. Poets and dandies debate art and style in the cafés while students and rebels fill the garrets with revolutionary talk and gun smoke. It is here, amid this strange and beguiling setting, that Louis Daguerre sets off to capture his doomsday subjects. Louis enlists the help of the womanizing poet...

FROM HERE TO PATERNITYDominic's child was also Sophie's son...Sophie and Dominic shared one night of love...the result was Ryan.Sophie was determined to bring the baby up by herself. After all, Dominic had made it perfectly clear that Sophie was the person responsible for ruining his life. But, if that was the case, why did he pursue her and propose marriage to her? On the point of accepting, Sophie was devastated by the arrival of Dominic's fiancée. Who would Dominic choose now?FROM HERE TO PATERNITY—men who find their way to fatherhood by fair means, by foul, or even by default!

Product DescriptionA fireball of femme fatale fury unleashed on a Soho sinking in sin. Sleazy strip club racketeer Cal Henson auditions a hot black dame called Sylvana for pole position in his Alley Cat club. He likes what he sees. Bent cop Jack Thorne, relaxing between backhanders in the Fitzroy Tavern, is similarly smitten by Sylvana's sizzling sinuendo. Twisted sister Dirty Barry Leonard might be immune to her hot hetero hoodoo, but when he digs a possible North African narco connection he just can't wait to make the connection. None of them realise that Sylvana doesn't really exist - she's a double-headed hydra, the illusionary invention of two deadly dames. Marcella and Cass, fresh out of Holloway and itching for revenge on the scum that sent them down. And by the time the penny drops, Soho will be in flames. Dominic Milne's debut is hip, hot and ultrahardboiled. Ladies and gentlemen - welcome to violence!A" Cathi Unsworth

Dorothea looked out of the nursery window. Hours and hours had passed and her papa had not come. He was not going to come. Abandoned by her father and left in the care of an uncle she has never met before, eight-year-old Dorothea Ryan finds herself cast away in a big strange house in the middle of the countryside. No one seems to want her. Her one wish is to return to her old home in London. But as time passes and hopes of ever going back start to fade, Dorothea becomes more and more enmeshed in her new life at Clifton Park. She begins to wonder just where home really is....This beautifully written story of identity and loyalty pulls the reader deep into contemplation, leaving them emerging, triumphant, from a stupor of remarkable storytelling.

none

Dominic Flandry, troubleshooter for the decaying Terran Empire, returns to the spaceways and becomes tangled up in the well-laid plans of his lifelong enemy, Aycharaych.

My name is Dominic Powers. My software engineering company, DPS, is one of the top 500 companies in the world. Conducting a search for my Personal Assistant brought an unexpected candidate straight to me. I knew she was different as soon as she walked into my high-rise office. She exuded innocence and inexperience. Those are two things in a woman that normally don’t attract me, but I am apparently making an exception for her. She’s young and delicate – and I’m afraid she won’t make it in my world. But the carnal man I’ve kept hidden deep inside me says I have to try. She is my Sophia Vasco. I am Her Dom. **

Lydia Taylor's dog is dead. A gift from her ex-boyfriend, Prize has been her companion for more years than she cares to think about. Now, nearing forty, in mourning and haunted by the ghost of her mother, Lydia finds herself acting in ways she never expected - not least when she seduces eighteen-year-old Dean Morley by the side of a country lane. In trying to extricate herself from this moment of madness, Lydia unwittingly gets involved in organizing an exhibition of village artwork. The exhibition takes on a life of its own, but to Lydia it is an imposition; to Imelda Darkley - lady of the manor and doyenne of the parish council - the exhibition is anathema; but to Dean's mother Gwen it proves to be unexpectedly liberating.... With a cast of superbly drawn characters this witty and insightful story delves deep into village life and captures finely depicted personalities with all their strengths, desires and foibles.

Blart is not an average boy. He lives on a pig farm with his grandfather and doesn't care about being heroic or famous or legendary, but he does know that if you want to catch a pig you have to sneak up behind it and take it by surprise. So when a great wizard visits and explains that humankind depends on Blart joining his quest, Blart says no - until the wizard threatens his pigs. Reluctantly, Blart embarks on a very epic quest stuffed with brilliant characters: a feisty princess who likes dragons, a warrior who's a big softie at heart, a disaffected dwarf, and evil Zorab, trapped in a mountain, waiting for his minions to dig him out...

SUMMARY: Captain Dominic Flandry has been knighted for his many services to the Terran Empire—an Empire which is old, jaded, and corrupt, as Flandry well knows. And while that “Sir” before his name may be an added attraction to comely ladies (not that he has ever lacked for the pleasant company of the same), he expects that it will also bring him less welcome attention from envious “colleagues” within the empire. What it is not likely to do is make him more of an object of interest to the Merseians, whose plots he has repeatedly foiled and who are much too aware of how much simpler their plans to replace the Empire would be if he were the late Sir Dominic Flandry. Flandry himself has come to understand that there may be no more point to all his victories than that a few trillion of his fellow creatures may live out their lives before the inevitable coming of the Long Night of galactic barbarism. At best, he may have postponed its coming and shortened its duration. But if that is the most he can achieve, so be it—he'll keep on fighting, hoping that the barbarians too will pass, followed by a new round of civilization.

When Two Tortured Souls Collide...In an unforgiving society where the hint of madness is all the damning proof men need, Dominic struggles to live a peaceful life, away from prying eyes, and damning innuendo. Gifted with uncanny abilities, yet also cursed with the taint of madness, Dominic must walk a fine line. After the horror of his past, his fractured soul is safe only in solitude...until one day, his refuge is irrevocably breached by an ethereal beauty haunted by demons of her own. Dominic is torn between protecting himself and his brothers from exposure and persecution and following the desires of his heart...

Princess Lois has been kidnapped by Anatoly the Handsome, who wants to marry her. Cue 'damsel in distress' to be rescued by none other than our own heroic Blart. He sets out on the good ship The Golden Pig with Olaf the innocent - who believes what everyone says all the time - and Kupverstich the Strange - an explorer-come-scientist whose ingenious explanations for the natural world have one thing in common: they're all wrong. They must battle cut-throat pirates, a sixteen-tentacled octopus, escape the suffocating bureaucracy of Triplicat, where they are briefly marooned, not to mention evade the Guild of Assassins, who have a contract to kill Blart, in their selfless (well, almost) bid to rescue poor Lois. But will they make it in time?

A captivating and moving new novel from the international bestselling author of The Last Painting of Sara de Vos.A nearly abandoned Italian village, the family that stayed, and long-buried secrets from World War II.On a hilltop in Umbria sits Valetto. Once a thriving village-and a hub of resistance and refuge during World War II-centuries of earthquakes, landslides, and the lure of a better life have left it neglected. Only ten residents remain, including the widows Serafino - three eccentric sisters and their steely centenarian mother - who live quietly in their medieval villa. Then their nephew and grandson, Hugh, a historian, returns.But someone else has arrived before him, laying claim to the cottage where Hugh spent his childhood summers. The unwelcome guest is the captivating and no-nonsense Elisa Tomassi, who asserts that the family patriarch, Aldo Serafino, a resistance fighter whom her own family harboured, gave the cottage to them in gratitude....

In A Stone in Heaven, Dominic Flandry finds friendship, maybe even love, after many years of being totally alone. After A Knight of Ghosts and Shadows , Flandry’s life stood in ruins. His Emperor, unbeknownst to him at the time, was dead; his sons were incompetent. His love was dead; his son was dead; he didn’t believe in his job any longer, and he’d taken out his biggest adversary. So, what was left? This book shows the answer: plenty. The younger son of Hans Molitor now holds the throne in his incompetent grasp, and worse, does not like Flandry. So, although Flandry is now a Vice-Admiral and commands much respect, he isn’t thrown too many assignments. On the other hand, he is able to make his own schedule, so when Miriam Abrams, daughter of mentor Max Abrams (his superior in Ensign Flandry ), manages to get to him to point out a major problem on Ramnau, he leaves. Once again, he finds intrigue and lots of it, problems, and pain. But unlike A Knight of Ghost and Shadows , Flandry this time finds more while he’s solving the mystery. He and Abrams reach an understanding, and more or less pair off by the end of the book. He also helps solve her problem, take out a would-be Emperor candidate, and rehabilitate his image with Emperor Gerhardt (the younger son of Hans Molitor) in the process, so it’s definitely not a wasted trip.

The Owned Girl by Dominic Ridler author of the best-selling novels A Sexual Odyssey and A Well Trained Pup, tantalizes us even further with his latest sensual story, The Owned Girl. After five glorious years of marriage and multiple discussions on how to steam up their already explosive sex life, Matthew suggests to his wife, Annabel, that they bring in a third person. To have, to hold and to own. When Matthew brings home his former student, the alluring Beth, Annabel can see the instant attraction. Lithe, beautiful and with the face of an innocent, Beth is definitely a prize worth keeping. “Please will you make me your good little girl?” With a request like that from such an obviously submissive girl, Annabel and Matthew agree to start her training immediately. Beth’s new owners take over her sex life completely. Banning boyfriends, orgasm denial, picking her clothes, and teaching her how to properly please her new Master and Mistress. Matthew continually spanks and whips Beth when she’s not their good girl. Annabel joins in the fun of correcting their owned girl, and takes her built up aggression out on her. After starting a new blog and gaining many followers, Beth tells her owners about a couple who wants to meet the three of them. Excited at the prospect of finding like-minded individuals, they meet with the stunning Aidan and Pilar at a restaurant. Their good little girl is put through her paces and humiliated during the dinner, having to take her knickers off in the bathroom and handing them over at the table in front of everyone. The next day, they drop Beth off at the couple’s hotel. Aidan and Pilar have Matthew’s permission to use her in any way that pleases them. After a torrid afternoon full of collars and leashes, oral sex, butt plugs, and tons of spanking, Beth is very pleased with her new friends. Soon, however Matthew becomes ragingly jealous when Beth starts to explore her boundaries. Can he keep the tight reign over the submissive girl? Does Annabel swallow her resentment towards Beth and accept the arrangement? Will Beth free herself from her owners? **

Dr Ava Curzon returns in the breathtaking sequel to bestselling thriller, The Sword of Moses

A mysterious healer appears in Mecca, claiming to be the Mahdi, the Muslim redeemer. In Rome, a young man steps out of the Vatican declaring himself the second coming of Christ. As the two great religions of the world collide in a battle for supremacy, can those who know expose the truth before Armageddon ensues?Follow the journey to the gripping end in the last of The Reiki Man trilogy.

Just when things are going good, life has a way of turning everything upside down and biting you on the ass. Fallon had grown up surrounded by wealth and extravagance, but she had always needed something more, something real. Pursuing her dream job meant little time for a social life, but when a friend found herself in trouble, Fallon didn't hesitate to step in and help. Little did she know she was going to get more than she bargained for, in more ways than one... Dominic had been burned in the past. When he saw Fallon, he knew he wanted her. He wanted her for a single mind-blowing night and then he'd move on like he always did. There was too much going on in his life for anything more. Owning a down and dirty bar like Sinners gave him more than enough to worry about. However, she wasn't going to be that easy to forget. Would Dominic give it a chance? THE SAINT BROTHERS WORK HARD, PLAY HARDER. They're a force to be reckoned with and if you cross one, you cross them all & had better start planning your funeral now...**

If love is the ivy, secrets are the poison.Aether Psychics, Book 1After enduring heartbreak at the hands of a dishonest woman, Edward Bailey lives according to scientific principles of structure and predictability. Just the thought of stepping outside his strict routine raises his anxiety.Adding to his discomfort is Iris McTavish, who appears at his school's faculty meeting in place of her world-famous archeologist father. Worse, the two of them are to pose as Grand Tourists while they search for an element that will help harness the power of aether. Iris jumps at the opportunity to prove her worth as a scholar—and avoid an unwanted marriage proposal—while hiding the truth of her father's whereabouts. If her secret gets out, the house of McTavish will fall into ruin.Quite unexpectedly, Edward and Iris discover a growing attraction as their journey takes them to Paris and Rome, where betrayal, blackmail and...

After the first flowering of the Terran Empire, which has grown increasingly decadent and corrupt, other civilizations in the galaxy threaten to take over the Terran's worlds. In this scenario steps the debonair, tough and pessimistic Dominic Flandry, half-Hans Solo, half-James Bond and a hero for the ages!

From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. Lieven, professor of history at the London School of Economics, uses Russian archives as the basis for this seminal reinterpretation of Napoleon's defeat in 1812-1814. Russia's leaders cleverly engaged Napoleon in a kind of drawn-out campaign the French system was least able to wage. Russia's armies outfought Napoleon's, thanks in good part to the courage, endurance, and loyalty of soldiers led by officers whose central virtues were honor and courage. Russian staffs and administrators kept the troops supplied despite the long and increasing distances between bases and theaters of operations. And coordinating the effort was Tsar Alexander II, whose courage, skill, and intelligenceheld together the final alliance against Napoleon all the way from Moscow to Paris. Lieven weaves these threads together with flair and offers insight into the specifics of everything from infantry tactics to diplomatic negotiations. He concludes that Russian and European security were mutually dependent, and that Russia's war was seen by Europeans a one of liberation from Napoleon's exactions and ambitions. While debatable, neither point can be dismissed. Illus., maps. (Apr. 19) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Product DescriptionThe first history of the epic defeat of Napoleon's empire told from the Russian perspective. Though much has been written about Napoleon's doomed invasion of Russia and the collapse of the French Empire that ensued, virtually all of it has been from the Western perspective. Now, taking advantage of never- before-seen documents from the Russian archives, Dominic Lieven upends much of the conventional wisdom about the events that formed the backdrop of Tolstoy's masterpiece, War and Peace. Lieven's riveting narrative sweeps readers through epic battles, tense diplomatic exchanges on which the fate of nations hung, and the rise of Russia from near-ruin to Europe's liberator. Rich in detail, Russia Against Napoleon is a groundbreaking masterwork.

Introducing an inspired villain for whom world domination doesn't stop at humans: he wants to control the animals too ("Then I go after the plants!") vs Adam, a normal boy with an unusual skill. He is our only hope. A brilliant young biologist Dr Seth Forest travels to South America with his wife and son, determined to solve the greatest mystery of the natural world, the secret of communicating with animals. He cracks the code, but triumph is short-lived when his wife is kidnapped by the evil Professor Scabelax. Ever since, the Doctor and his son Adam (now fluent in many animal languages) have sailed the world searching for her. Then they receive news that a woman matching Adam's mother's description left a letter with authorities in a city on the other side of the world. Unknown to Adam and the Doctor, Scabelax has lured them to the city to complete his terrible plan for world domination. As the different elements of the plot converge, a spectacular finale awaits . . ....

In this gripping thriller, the bizarre murder of a cult leader in San Francisco draws Dominic Grey and Viktor Radek, private investigators of mysterious phenomena, to the scene. Witnesses claim a robed figure, seemingly able to appear and disappear at will, set fire to the priest. When the leader of another cult in Paris dies under similar circumstances, the case only grows stranger… and more dangerous.Convinced that a charismatic New Age prophet is behind the murders, the investigators undergo a perilous journey into the world of the occult as they try to penetrate the prophet’s inner circle. From the catacombs of Paris to London’s nefarious East End, from the haunted walls of York to a monastic fortress in the Sicilian wilderness, the case plunges Viktor and Grey into a vortex of black magic, ancient heresies, and the dark corners of their own pasts.The Diabolist is a chilling novel that not only pulsates with action and suspense, but also mines a trove of fascinating historical, philosophical, and paranormal research to probe some of our closest held beliefs. From the opening pages to the astonishing conclusion, this latest installment in one of today’s most original new thriller series is not to be missed.From BooklistDominic Grey and Viktor Radek aren’t your typical private eyes. They specialize in mysteries involving religious cults. Here, Interpol comes calling with a case: in Paris and San Francisco, leaders of satanic cults have been murdered. Grey and Radek soon zero in on Simon Azar, leader of the Order of New Enlightenment, a new and increasingly influential cult supposedly based in London, but Azar seems to be keeping a lot of details about the cult secret (including the location of its new headquarters), and it’s difficult to nail Azar for the murders—even when Grey’s and Radek’s own lives become seriously in jeopardy. This, the third Grey-Radek novel, is a well-crafted and exciting thriller with a pair of interesting protagonists (Grey, the ex-Marine and juju master; Radek, the expert in cults and religious phenomenology) and a charismatic villain who makes our skin crawl. Review"Part international thriller, part theology text, part philosophic treatise on good and evil, part intricate, unforgettable nightmare-inducing fever dream, The Diabolist has everything you want from a thriller. Layton Green is a master of intellectual suspense. This one’s a killer."- JT Ellison, bestselling author of Edge of Black “Layton Green kicks things up a notch and delivers a novel that should, if there's any justice to be found upon the shelves, make him a household name. The Diabolist is a dark, intelligent, spellbinding novel . . . I cannot recommend this one highly enough. — Beauty in Ruins Reviews “Green’s The Summoner proved his great talent. The Diabolist ensures his place at the top of crime fiction: his number 1 place. Unbelievably good, unbelievably intricate, unbelievably Green.” — The Review Broads “The Diabolist by Layton Green brings together ancient religions, New Age cults and heroes with dark pasts in a top-shelf novel . . . It was hard for me to put this book down at night simply to sleep.” — Night Owl Reviews “Dan Brown is pretty good at what he does and I don't begrudge him his success, but when it comes to interesting characters embarking on a thrilling exploration into the dark world of cults, religions and magic Layton Green does it SO much better.” — Nylon Admiral Reviews “[A] story that will move you to the edge of your seat.” - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The book behind the major new BBC2 series The SeventiesIn the early 1970s, Britain seemed to be tottering on the brink of the abyss. Under Edward Heath, the optimism of the Sixties had become a distant memory. Now the headlines were dominated by strikes and blackouts, unemployment and inflation. As the world looked on in horrified fascination, Britain seemed to be tearing itself apart. And yet, amid the gloom, glittered a creativity and cultural dynamism that would influence our lives long after the nightmarish Seventies had been forgotten.In this brilliant new history, Dominic Sandbrook recreates the gaudy, schizophrenic atmosphere of the early Seventies: the world of Enoch Powell and Tony Benn, David Bowie and Brian Clough, Germaine Greer and Mary Whitehouse. An age when the unions were on the march and the socialist revolution seemed at hand, but also when feminism, permissiveness, pornography and environmentalism were...

Only two other people know that Dominic, a charming Englishman, prosecutor, and musician in Austin, Texas, is also a psychopath. They also know that a year ago he got away with murder.One of those people is his "special lady," and the other is her brother, a teenager and fellow psychopath called Bobby. When a wily homicide detective starts digging up that past murder, little Bobby offers to take care of the problem—permanently. Dominic tries to dissuade him, but as he himself knows, psychopaths aren't good with following instructions. Or impulse control.As Detective Megan Ledsome circles closer, Dominic knows his life depends on keeping his secrets hidden, from her and the rest of the world. And when his annoying office-mate declares his interest in a judicial position, one he himself would like, Dominic realizes that one of his carefully-orchestrated plans could kill two birds with one stone. Of course, that means some sleight of hand and a sacrifice or two. But...

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Painting of Sara de Vos, a dazzling new novel explores the fault lines that can cause a family to drift apart and the unexpected events that can pull them back together.Nathan Nelson is the average son of a genius. His father, a physicist of small renown, has prodded him toward greatness from an early age—enrolling him in whiz kid summer camps, taking him to the icy tundra of Canada to track a solar eclipse, and teaching him college algebra. But despite Samuel Nelson's efforts, Nathan remains ordinary. Then, in the summer of 1987, everything changes. While visiting his small-town grandfather in Michigan, Nathan is involved in a terrible accident. After a brief clinical death — which he later recalls as a lackluster affair lasting less than the length of a Top 40 pop song—he falls into a coma. When he awakens, Nathan finds that everyday life is radically different. His perceptions of...

I hated my father. Absolutely loathed him,' said the old lady. The policeman wondered if the old dear was right in the head...In the autumn of 1940, 91-year-old Letitia Warner is determined to take her secrets with her to the grave. All that matters to her now is her dearly loved great-nephew, Hugh. As the war progresses and London is ravaged by bombs, Hugh's chance meeting with a girl he knew years before weakens Letitia's efforts to subdue her own long repressed memories of her husband and hated father, the Bishop of Chanderton. Should she tell? Or keep silent and try to cling on long enough to see Hugh happy and settled before she dies.

Parts of this book were published before 1965 as separate titles. 1. Tiger by the Tail (1951) 2. The Warriors from Nowhere (1954) 3. Honorable Enemies (1951) 4. Hunters of the SkyCave , also known as A Handful of Stars and We Claim these Stars (1960) Flandry, here a captain, undergoes a series of adventures: He is abducted by the Scothians, an alien race hoping to invade the Terran Empire; rescues the Emperor’s kidnapped granddaughter; meets Aycharaych, his nemesis in league with the Merseians; and investigates a previously unencountered alien race that has invaded the distant colonial world of Vixen.