An elementary teacher during the school year, Lily Grayson hires out as an au pair during the summer in order to travel expenses-paid to exotic locations with wealthy families with children. When one of her students suggests she apply for a summer job with his family going to Costa Rica, she jumps at the chance. Despite her immediate clash with his father, she agrees to accompany him and his two children to the central American country. Rich Texas rancher originally from Costa Rica, Antonio Delossantos, knows money can't buy everything. He lost his wife to violence and he's determined to save his children from a similar fate. When he learns his son's school teacher is also skilled in Krav Maga military-style self-defense, he agrees to hire her for the summer he intends to spend in Costa Rica. Lily and Antonio join forces when the children come under attack by terrorists who attempt to kidnap them to hold for ransom. What starts as a summer vacation in a tropical...

Deirdre Langeland's Meltdown explores for middle grade readers the harrowing story of the deadly earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown that caused the 2011 Fukushima power plant disasterOn March 11, 2011, the largest earthquake ever measured in Japan occurred off the northeast coast. It triggered a tsunami with a wall of water 128 feet high. The tsunami damaged the nuclear power plant in Fukushima triggering the nightmare scenario—a nuclear meltdown.For six days, employees at the plant worked to contain the meltdown and disaster workers scoured the surrounding flooded area for survivors.This book examines the science behind such a massive disaster and looks back at the people who experienced an unprecedented trifecta of destruction.

The Wig, The Bitch & The Meltdown is a satirical look behind the scenes of Model Muse, a fictional reality model competition show, and global phenomenon. This twisted tale of ambition, jealousy, blackmail, mystery, and revenge is seen through the eyes of our moral compass Pablo Michaels-the heart of production in the helter-skelter world of Model Muse. As "The Fixer," Pablo is the man everyone turns to in a crisis and through his eyes we experience first-hand, a behind the scenes look of the backstage shenanigans of the fashion/reality TV world. Struggling to hold the fledgling production together, Pablo juggles his duties to his "BFF," the ruthless and vulnerable antihero Keisha Kash, his Supermodel boss while trying to hold on to his own soul. With Model Muse becoming a mega TV franchise, Keisha receives a mysterious threatening note which begins the unraveling of the truth about his Supermodel boss. This revelation shatters Pablo's rose-colored glasses and becomes his worst nightmare, nearly destroying his faith in humanity. Will he succumb to the dog-eat-dog world of the entertainment industry and become like his boss, stopping at nothing to achieve his desires? Or, will he find a way to navigate the world of betrayal and duplicity that surrounds him, and remain true to himself?

A Tale of The Apocalypse in 3 Parts5 very different people are on a survival course on an uninhabited island near Bali. It starts when Jane gets sick and need evacuation. But some thing is very wrong on the mainland. They don't know the meltdown is coming.After being left at the altar by her fiancé, Virginia Montgomery quit her job and moved a thousand miles away to manage Hotel Amore on Little West Cay, hoping she’d never see that no-good coward Thomas Bennett again. But Fate and Mother Nature conspire and whip up a little Valentine’s Day magic to bring Virginia and Thomas back together.You know what they say; Fate doesn’t take no for an answer, and it isn’t nice to mess with Mother Nature.

"WHAT IF OBJECTS ARE MORE THAN WE THINK?"Celebrity product designer Matthew Beren and his enigmatic wife, Sofia, have stumbled upon a stunning secret: millions of unknown, sentient life forms are hiding in plain sight.It's a wondrous discovery... or is it? Though unable to speak, the hidden beings appear to have formed close bonds with the oblivious residents of Matt's hometown in subtle, seemingly magical ways that make the garden flowers chime, the politics unite, and his company's robotics a little too precise.Then there are the unsettling hints implying Sofia knows more than she's sharing, and furtive allegations that the shadowy life forms might be advancing a hidden faction's attempt to trigger a mind-bending catastrophe.But could it be such a terrifying plan is actually necessary? If so, Sofia's secrets and Matt's shocking decisions could very well determine whether the mysterious beings become humankind's saviors... or the architects of its...

Mother's Day is coming up and all of Zeke's classmates are planning great gifts for their moms. But not Zeke. He's tired of his mom's healthy food and all her rules, and he doesn't think she deserves a thing. But when he starts thinking about all the good things his mom does, he starts to feel a little guilty. Will he have time to make the perfect gift, or will Mother's Day be a big meltdown?

Natalie has high hopes for her move across the country to start a new life with her boyfriend. Those plans hit a snag the moment her flight lands and she finds out he is married. Now devastated and wishing she owned more elastic-waist pants, Natalie does her best to get off her great-aunt's couch and put the pieces of her life back together. But the world is hard, and the couch is soft.During one of her meltdowns, she is reminded that she volunteered to host her family's BIG Thanksgiving get together. That's the last thing she wants to do right now, but she would rather give up coffee forever than let her sister-in-law host instead of her. All she has to do is swallow her feelings and schedule her mental breakdown for the weekend after Thanksgiving. It's a completely logical flawless plan. What could go wrong?A picture-perfect Thanksgiving should be possible with careful planning and the help of an annoying family friend who is unfortunately...

Dylan has been looking forward to the Midwinter Meltdown Tournament for months. He knows this will be the year his hockey team wins. Then a pre-season injury takes him out of the game. Even though his wrist is healing, he's too weak to play. Can Dylan be part of the team if he's stuck on the bench?

Sylvie Scruggs is finally in fourth grade, and that means she's old enough to join her town's junior ice-hockey team. Sylvie is thrilled to discover her years of skating pay off, as she quickly becomes one of the best players on the squad. But someone else is still better: Jamie Redmond, a fifth-grader who notoriously doesn't like fourth-graders. And, it turns out, she really doesn't like Sylvie. Then someone starts pranking Sylvie at practice, loosening the top of her water bottle and replacing her special lotion with mayonnaise. Sylvie knows it must be Jamie, trying to psych her out and keep her from being selected as team captain. She enlists her friends Miranda, Josh, and Georgie to prove Jamie's guilt once and for all . . . but can they catch the mean girl before Sylvie has a meltdown of her own?

Fractured Beat: The Meltdown Series #1

You are Kellen Moore, the best pitcher at West Burbank High. It isn't your arm that makes you successful, but your cool head. You've always had an uncanny ability on the mound to tune out the crowd, the opposing team, and the pressure. Well, almost always. . . The state championship game forces you to revisit one moment you let the pressure get the better of you—an embarrassing day you'd rather forget. This time, can you make the choices that will help bring home the trophy for your team?

A series of "accidents" at nuclear power stations across the United States is destabilizing America's energy program. In the fallout of this highly complex plot, the United States will be forced to rely on Third World oil, oil whose flow is controlled by the Russian KGB. Mack Bolan must push to the core of this sabotage before a full-scale disaster occurs. But it's a race with a temperature gauge that goes only one way — straight toward a nuclear meltdown.

Fourth in a gripping, action-packed sequence of thrillers about Danny and Fergus Watts, from the bestselling author of Bravo Two Zero, Andy McNab, and Robert Rigby, veteran of many successful TV screenplays. Ideal for adventure-seeking readers.A lethal new drug with devastating side effects, known as Meltdown, is threatening to destabilize society. Dudley knows that the security services have to act fast, and when his 4 x 4 arrives at their remote hideout in the Canadian lakes, eighteen-year-old Danny and his grandfather, ex-SAS hero Fergus Watts, are once again sucked into a deadly undercover operation and a race against time.Their search for the mastermind behind a pair of murderous gangland twins takes them from the clubs of Manchester to Spain and Germany, and Danny needs all his newly learned expertise when he comes up against an old adversary - someone he hoped never to encounter again. And this time, when the battle is joined, it is a battle to the end.

Courtney Spaulding spends each summer in her hometown of Heimel, Alaska, to find inspiration for her next novel. But when she runs into former high school friend, Mitch Winters, and they both win a traditional dating contest called The Meltdown Match, Courtney discovers that leaving her hometown at the end of the summer might not be so easy this time.

Written from a Christian constitutional worldview, American Meltdown, Book Two of The Economic Collapse Chronicles uses dystopian fiction to take an in-depth look at the economic and political trends that have taken America to the edge of bankruptcy. The book assesses the current course of the nation and projects it into the near future. In Book Two, America has entered into a full scale financial meltdown. The members of the Bair family do the best they can to navigate a complete currency collapse and the social disruptions that come with it. Having relocated to a rural area in Kentucky, the Bairs fare much better than the unfortunate masses still trapped in the cities. In an effort to cling to power, President Anthony Howe announces the confiscation of provisions and guns. Several states, led by liberty-loving Senator Paul Randall, stand up to assert their sovereignty. Knowing the intentions of the Federal Government, Matt, Adam and Wesley Bair train with the local militia who have determined to draw a line in the sand and defend the last remnants of liberty. The political conflict escalates into military aggression and the gloves come off.

A thrilling series about adventure, problem solving, baby animals and conservation! Following reports of a polar bear found dead near an Alaskan village, Dr Fisher is sending Ben and Zoe, WILD's number one operatives, to investigate. It's highly unusual for a polar bear to come so close to human habitation and this suggests something is seriously wrong.

"I'm in this thing until I decide I'm out. You got that?" With terrorists hot on her heels, nuclear chemist Zoe Wilkinson races to elude capture. The last person she expects help from is her ex-boyfriend Cooper Kennedy. But when their plane crashes, stranding them in the desert, the stifling heat pales in comparison to the scorching desire Zoe still feels.... On undercover assignment for the navy, Coop can't believe the woman who ruined his life is back. Zoe's always been trouble. And nothing's changed -- not even the consuming lust she sets off in him. But when Zoe's kidnapped, Coop must race against the clock to protect the woman he loves.

The global war on terror has reached catastrophic proportions, leading the U.S. Special Operations EOD team--Task Force Valor--to Chernobyl, where ghosts of past disasters are nothing compared to the nuclear nightmare about to unfold. With CIA Agent Mary "Phoenix" Walker heading her first Special Ops mission and Master Sergeant Bobby Sweeney fighting demons on and off the battlefield, Task Force Valor races to stop a terrorist threat in the Ukraine before Europe is turned into a radioactive wasteland. But when the terror reaches American shores, the team is powerless to help until they can save themselves. And when they finally track down the source of the chaos, what they find is worse than anything they could have imagined.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Mel is living the pampered lifestyle of a banker's wife, but she is far from content. Are her children normal? Is her husband having an affair? What enormous creature did the cat dismember all over the kitchen floor? It's not until the banking crisis hits and her husband's world implodes that reality dawns...The Meltdown of a Banker's Wife is a comic novel with a difference, ideal for anyone who enjoys an ironic chuckle at the dark side of the banking world.Gill Davy-Bowker studied English and History at the University of Northumbria and went on to train as a nurse at Swansea University. She wrote for student newspapers in both places and also writes satirical sketches. A chronic health problem forced her to leave nursing and concentrate on her writing. Gill lives with her family in Dorchester.

Brother of TraitorsHidden in the Nigerian jungle, a secret military brotherhood is plotting revolution. When rumors of this terrorist force reach Washington, the government must act quickly--without raising red flags in the African country. U.S. military forces can't be part of the equation, which means there's only one man who can fly in under the radar and get the job done.Mack Bolan teams up with Nigerian soldiers and a small group of local fighters to seek out the brotherhood's base camp and expose its leaders. But he soon learns corruption within the country runs deep. Someone on his team is a hired killer, and Bolan is his target. With the traitor poised to strike at any time, Bolan must rely on instinct alone as the group closes in on the camp and the battle begins. His enemies may try to run, but they can never hide from The Executioner.

Lia is over the moon because her friends have been invited to join her family in celebrating her mum's fortieth birthday in a secret location. It's going to be the party of the decade and Lia envisages romantic scenes in an exotic location with her boyfriend, Squidge.However, events don't go exactly as planned, and the final guest list is full of surprises. Lia finds herself in an awkward position when an old flame turns up and makes a play for her.It's midsummer, but does it mean meltdown for Lia and Squidge when the party's over?

Jayd Jackson hopes her magical Mama has a spell to chase all her cares away. . .Jayd needs time to recoup from her dramatic school year, but time is the one thing she doesn't have. She's said yes to becoming a debutante, and now she has to deal with her girl Mickey's jealousy—on top of babysitting, hair braiding, cheer camp, and a summer writing class. With the stress of Jayd's hectic schedule, strange visions, and insomnia, luckily Mama returns from her vacation in time to help Jayd and her crew avert real drama. Mama's convinced something sinister is at play, and they both need a plan to get Jayd her swagger back before it's too late. . .

In this deliciously romantic tale, Ruth Owen programs a code for seduction, proving that, when opposites attract, smart is sexy. Chris Sheffield's Casanova reputation is holding him back in the high-tech world. So he's determined to prove that even playboys have brains. All he needs is a groundbreaking product like the artificial intelligence system Einstein. Acquiring it comes with one major complication: the alluring genius behind the technology. More comfortable at a keyboard than in the boardroom (or the bedroom), Melanie Rollins doesn't trust Chris Sheffield's motives. Or the heated promise in his eyes. But Chris wants that computer . . . and its creator. He needs Melanie to believe that their dreams are one and the same. And there's only so much temptation a woman can take before she abandons her science experiments for a lesson in sexual chemistry. Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from other...

B will cast a S-P-E-L-L on middle-grade readers in this funny, fast-paced series!Eleven year-old Beatrix, B for short, is a witch with a quirky talent. When she spells out words, magic spells take shape!B's dad's job at Enchanted Chocolates has always been a great thing — who doesn't like free candy and special tours of a chocolate factory? But when something goes wrong with the new batch of treats, there's nothing sweet about it! Everyone seems to be losing their magic touch — can B whip up a solution, or could this spell the E-N-D of witches?

My name is Mad Dog. I’m the President of the Virginia Satan’s Savages MC. I’m a man with nothing left to fight for. My name is Amelia. My life’s a mess. All because of my ex-husband and his Goddamned MC Club. In the early days, Mad Dog and Amelia were undeniably happy. Their life in the club together, along with their three young boys, was bliss. That was until one fateful night their world turned upside down. Having their lives torn apart pulled them in opposite directions. Mad Dog is trying to run a club that’s failing miserably, and all he can think of is the family he once had and lost. With the club irreparably broken—his family gone, his brothers turning on him—Mad Dog is losing track of everything, and running the club in a direction no one saw coming. The Cartel is on his back, and he wants war. But will the war only lead him down the path to the inevitable? A Meltdown of Mad Dog? **

Broken Lyric: The Meltdown Series #2