The year is 2022. Ten years after the utter destruction of the world. In December of 2012 the earth experienced a polar flip that had catastrophic consequences. In the weeks that followed one little girl struggles to survive, guided and protected by unseen forces.

Ten years later Star believes she is the only one left in the world, with only the changed animals as friends. When she stumbles across a garden that has obviously been cared for she is suddenly set on a path that could very well change the entire fate of the new world.

Olimpix is not only an inspiring story of great deeds done by young men and women, in its second half it is a story of one of those young men grown to a man. It is a novel that even those who don't know the first thing about sport can enjoy for the rich language of its narrative, the complexity of its multi-faceted characters, the exotic locales of its settings, and the sweep of a story that ranges from California in the 1970's to the postwar landscapes of old Yugoslavia in the present day. This is a deeply satisfying read for fans of the Olympics, and for those who simply love great novels. The novel begins in Louisiana with the story of Zachary Goodin and his football legend father. From here it shifts to California where soon a swim team is born and young talent begin to climb the rankings of age group swimming. The best of these swimmers soon make it all the way to the Games. The experience of competing in an Olympic Games final is described in great detail - it is vibrantly, unforgettably rendered. The first half of the novel ends with the disastrous consequences brought about by the intrusion of politics into the Olympics. The second half of the story is in present day. his job and moving to Europe. He will encounter the next generation of athlete there, and he will be forced to face up to his responsibilities both to them and to himself and his loved ones. In the second half of the book the scenery along the breathtaking Dalmatian coast of Croatia, the characters and drama are rendered with a rare beauty and power. This novel does not coast to the end; like an athlete in an Olympic Games final, it is stronger in the second half and stays strong all the way to the finish.

Shortly before the onset of hostilities in Europe in 1939, the celebrated Italian conductor, Maestro Marcantonio Omodei, departs Rome to accept a position with New York's Metropolitan Opera Company under Toscanini. His wife, Anita, plans to join him after the arrival of their precious baby.

Christened Marcus Aurelius, the boy is born amidst the first salvos of the European war. Separated from his family for the duration of hostilities, the Maestro is forced, enemy alien status notwithstanding, to endure the mild discomforts of wartime New York City, while mother and child are left to face an uncertain future. Reconciled to a long separation from the one true love of her life, Anita manages the resulting trials with grit and humor. The experience stirs her to reassess her ancestral values, a process that dramatically transforms not only her world, but also her very being. Through it all, Anita is abetted by two childhood friends: Adriana, a blasphemous and fiercely cynical spinster, and a worldly nun named Eugenia.

Wrenched from the fringes of her relatively humdrum purgatory, Anita is swept into the vortex of a developing tempest and the deceptive calm that follows its conclusion.

Are wealth and status worth the price-when that price is your own daughter?
Author Betty Byrd has seen it all-including drilling her very own oil well She now brings her unique vision and experience to Utopia Texas, a riveting tale of Brya Harrison, a woman created by chance and circumstance. Part gambler, part geologist, Brya knows that in the West Texas oil country upbringing may not matter, but status is everything. She has worked hard to secure her position, but she finds her plans unravel when she discovers that her daughter, Olivia, is somehow "different," and is forced to face the unfathomable-one startling revelation at a time. Drawn into a maelstrom of events fueled by her daughter's indiscretions, Brya sets out to cover each one up-whatever the cost. But will she be able to combat the demons plaguing her daughter as skillfully as she is able to face down her competition in the cutthroat world of big oil?
In this stunning follow-up to the author's debut novel, Trinity's Daughter, Betty Byrd has woven a brilliant tale of wealth, greed, love, and the pursuit of power-and how one particular woman holds her own in the male-dominated oil business.
"Big oil, big land, and larger-than-life characters all spell Texas. Utopia Texas is Texana at its most raw. And in the end, its most redemptive." -Susan Mary Malone, author, By the Book "Betty Byrd has created a story that is as intense as an oil well fire-volatile and explosive. Utopia Texas will make you feel as if you lived it, while being forever thankful you didn't." - J.D. Smith, host of Pursuing the Blues, KCLAFM.com, Los Angeles, California "The oil field has its share of personalities that are larger than life. Fueled by strong wills and old-fashioned guts in order to face the unthinkable, Byrd's Utopia Texas is compulsively readable." -Bill Bledsoe, Petroleum Engineer, Fort Worth, Texas

1950s Liverpool. In the tight-knit Irish Catholic community of the Four Streets, two girls are growing up. One is motherless - and hated by the cold woman who is determined to take her dead mother's place. The other is hiding a dreadful secret which she dare not let slip to anyone, lest it rips the heart out of the community. What can the people of the Four Streets do when a betrayal at the very heart of their world comes to light?

Set against the colorful backdrop of events that gave rise to a fledgling century of technology, this vibrant novel of romance and adventure introduces a stunning new figure to begin the journey of future generations:
Blackie Devlin... Street-wise alumni of turn-of-the-century Hell's Kitchen, Blackie Devlin rose from the tenements to acquire fame and fortune as the owner of one of the hottest dance halls in the infamous Tenderloin. But something was missing...the Excitement and Adventure once found on the streets. He pursues a new dream as an aviator and nears the zenith--but his past threatens to catch up with him and destroy everything...his fame, his fortune, and his life--including the women who love him...

Surviving high school is a bizarre enough experience for most kids, and for Emma Niles, that's only one of her challenges. It's her senior year, and she has to find a way to put the multiple stresses of her home life behind her. Her parents have just been through a messy divorce, and now her father has remarried. Add on classes and all the other demands on her sanity, and life seems just crazy. Fortunately, Emma knows that no matter how weird her life may seem, she can always count on her friends to see her through it all.

But when Bobby Watson, a tall, dark, and mysterious young man, enrolls at their school, everyone is charmed by him. Everyone, that is, but Alexis, Emma's best friend. Alexis, a gifted Native American girl, can see the darkness behind his beautiful face. She knows that Bobby is much more than he appears to be-and that his plans represent dangerous times for everyone they know and love. Alexis invites her friends to take part in a sacred fire ceremony so that they can learn more about his true intentions.

As they prepare for the ritual, Emma learns of her own powers and family history. By embracing her newly revealed Native American heritage and culture, Emma begins to figure out who she is, what's really happening in her school-and why. Through it all, Emma learns that her true strength is found within and that friendship is the strongest magic of all.

A war that could turn friends into enemies, lovers into fighters . . . Summer 1935. In Margaret Pemberton's Beneath the Cypress Tree best friends Kate Shelton, Ella Tetley and Daphne St. Maur are on the cusp of a new life, having graduated with Classics degrees. Kate is desperate to start work on an archaeological dig straightaway and she is thrilled to be given a position at the famous Knossos palace site in Crete. However, she doesn't bargain for working with gruff site director Lewis Sinclair - nor for her own complex feelings towards him. In Yorkshire, Ella's family expect her to marry Sam, her steady friend who is training to be a doctor, but Ella too feels pulled to the Mediterranean by the promise of freedom. When she meets Christos, life as a country GP's wife seems even less appealing . . . Daphne however throws herself into London's high society, falling madly in love with diplomat and heir Sholto Hertford - but then his work brings them to Crete, and Daphne becomes enchanted by the island as well. Meanwhile, the threat of war rumbles on, as reports of Hitler's rapid expansion across Europe become impossible to ignore. It seems that nothing can touch the perfect, glittering sea and snow-capped mountains, but Kate, Ella and Daphne know that the island haven they now call home will never be the same again.

A new Second World War novel from bestselling author Diney Costeloe, based on a gripping and moving true story. Plymouth, 1941. As sirens blare all around, the Shawbrook family take refuge in a packed shelter. Bombs have already begun to fall through the night sky when they realise their infant son, Freddie, has been forgotten in the rush, left to sleep in his crib. Terrified, Vera, his young mother races to find him and bring him to safety. The next morning, air raid warden David Shawbrook returns from his watch to find the shelter pulverised, and his family seemingly all dead. Dirty footprints inside their home betray the looters who have rifled through the house. Meanwhile, Maggie waits alone for her husband. Since the death of her infant son, she passes her days at home with neither joy nor aim. But not this morning. For this morning her husband has brought home a child, found abandoned in the aftermath of the terrible raid - a child she is sure is the one she held in her arms so many months before. Praise for Diney Costeloe: 'Truly captivating' Woman & Home 'This is a truly captivating read that brings together vibrant characters and a historical setting' Woman's Own 'A gripping saga' My Weekly

Young Savannah Rose is unfortunately already familiar with the pain of rejection. Chubby and orphaned, Savannah knows she is lucky to have found a home with her Aunt Millie, yet she must endure relentless teasing by her classmates. Deep inside, Savannah knows she is special, and she is determined to find a way to show them all. One summer evening while trying to catch fireflies, Savannah wanders into the dark garden where she suddenly hears a mysterious voice coming from a glowing pumpkin. The pumpkin turns out to really be Perihelion, a gifted fairy; unfortunately, Perihelion is the victim of a ghastly prank by a jealous and evil gnome who has transformed her into a pumpkin. Terrified she will be made into pumpkin pie if she is not set free, Perihelion begs Savannah to help her. After Savannah untangles the fairy from the vine, a magical mist swirls around her as she transports Savannah to a kingdom on the other side of the moon where Savannah is about to learn more about herself than she ever imagined. In this fantasy tale, a young girl embarks on an adventure with a lively fairy and soon discovers that it is not how she looks on the outside but who she is on the inside that truly matters.

Suspenseful and thrilling, Sunday Times bestselling author Jeffrey Archer's Sons of Fortune is a powerful tale of twins separated by fate and reunited by destiny. In the late 1940s in Hartford, Connecticut, a set of twins is parted at birth. Nat Cartwright goes home with his parents, a schoolteacher and an insurance salesman. His twin brother is adopted and becomes Fletcher Davenport, the only son of an American multi-millionaire and his society wife. Unaware the other exists, the brothers grow up and follow different paths, confronted by challenges and obstacles, tragedy and heartache. Nat goes to Vietnam and returns a hero, whilst Fletcher distinguishes himself as a criminal defence lawyer before embarking on a political career. But when Nat enters politics and both decide to run for governor, the brothers become unwitting rivals, setting off a train of events that will either forge their bond or break it forever . . . Absorbing and powerful, Archer's tale is as much a chronicle of a nation in transition as the story of the making of these two men - and how they eventually discover the truth-and its tragic consequences. 'If there was a Nobel Prize for storytelling, Archer would win' - Daily Telegraph

Ten-year-old Jack Larkin has seen more than his fair share of shocking sights, growing up in the notorious Crown Saloon.Broken hearts and broken bones are just a fact of life in a Gin Palace, but for orphan Dolly, the Crown is her last hope. After the death of her mother, Dolly ran away from her sleazy step father Arthur, only to find herself living on the streets. When Jack discovers her hiding in the back yard of The Crown, he persuades his mother Nellie Larkin, to take Dolly in. But Dolly has a secret - a very valuable secret - and Arthur is determined to get his clutches on her at any cost. And when local hard-man Ezra Morton joins in the hunt, the Larkins may have to risk everything to keep Dolly safe... The Queen of the Black Country sagas is back with a page-turning, heart-warming, laugh-out-loud story to remember. Perfect for fans of Val Wood and Lyn Andrews. Praise for Lindsey Hutchinson: 'A great story with a great mix of characters, well written and keeps you hooked with each page turn!' Sarah Davies, NetGalley 'A wonderful read ... The author writes so well, it's a really hard novel to put down!' Grace Smith, NetGalley. 'Make sure to read this book where you won't be disturbed because once it gets going, you won't want to put it down' Andrea Ruiz, NetGalley 'A very poignant, feel-good-factor novel' Shelia Easson, NetGalley 'Excellent story!' Stephanie Collins, NetGalley 'The story will linger in your mind long after you finish it' The Avid Reader. What readers are saying about The Children from Gin Barrel Lane: 'An entertaining and delightful story that will keep you turning the pages until the very end' 'This story was funny, suspenseful and held my attention all while I kept turning the pages!' 'Lindsey Hutchinson is a very talented writer and the way this story comes together with mischief, laughter, a secret, the chase, strangers turning instantly into family, pulling at my heartstrings and then with such quick ease, wrapping it all up and making me want to read another of her books!' 'Heartfelt, honest and gritty. I adored this read from this author.' 'Without a doubt, a page turner that holds your interest as well as giving you much to think on when you are finished.' 'The setting is atmospheric and vividly described, and lets you experience the sights smells and uproar of the gin palace.' 'This was simply brilliant.' 'Another fantastic book by Lindsay Hutchinson'

This book (hardcover) is part of the TREDITION CLASSICS. It contains classical literature works from over two thousand years. Most of these titles have been out of print and off the bookstore shelves for decades. The book series is intended to preserve the cultural legacy and to promote the timeless works of classical literature. Readers of a TREDITION CLASSICS book support the mission to save many of the amazing works of world literature from oblivion. With this series, tredition intends to make thousands of international literature classics available in printed format again - worldwide.

The three horror stories included in this collection by Jason Winn will take you on a journey of horror that takes you out of your comfort zone and thrusts you into the cauldron of terror These three disturbing stories of unrelenting horror will plague your mind with nightmares.

"The Wages of Sin"

Special Agent Lydia Bryant, along with an elite team of law enforcement personnel, must transport the deadliest serial killer in the United States to his execution. In the process, she discovers the true mission lurking within this demonic killer's mind. Now, she must race against time to prevent it from coming to fruition.

"Love Thine Enemy"

At forty, Laurel Baxter feels that life is passing her by. As a vampire hunter for the Harker/Van Helsing Institute, she endures lonely nights and constantly limited horizons. Her only hope of gaining the life she so desperately craves rests in the hands of the world's most lethal vampire.

"An Eye for an Eye"

Oliver Ocean is the head of Miami's top modeling agency. Knowing that his models contracts are soon to expire, Ocean plans a final photo shoot with them in the Caribbean. The voyage becomes a bloodbath, though, when Ocean's crew is ambushed by unstoppable zombies.

In 1927, in a town deep within the Calabrian mountains, an oppressed and isolated family lives under the tyranny of a violent baron who wants to subdue and recruit the brothers Pietro and Ferruccio by any means possible. When the brothers reject his offer, the enraged baron exacts his revenge on the family in a brutal attack-on their children. He attempts to kill Ferruccio's toddler son, Nicola, and forcefully adopts Pietro's now-orphaned four-year-old niece, Carmen. As astute as he is dangerous, Pietro-now calling himself Zione-insinuates himself into the baron's inner circle, waiting for the perfect moment to exact his own revenge.

Years pass, and the world is at war. Ferruccio returns from the horrors of the Russian Front with a frostbitten foot, only to find there are battles to be won at home as well. Nicola, now a man, is engaged to Carmen, who carries his child. But the baron forbids his adopted daughter to marry. Under threat of death, Ferruccio flees to Miami. There he seeks protection and help from a local boss. Back in Italy, Carmen gives birth to their child before joining Nicola in Florida, in the hopes of starting a new life in the New World. Together they open an Italian restaurant and try to find happiness so far from home.

They will never forget the Great Sila, the "viddanedda," the beech forest, the fountains, and the procession of Santa Caterina. They will always remember their lost Calabria with love.

From the cotton fields of antebellum Arkansas to the heart of California's Gold Rush, this lush, historical saga follows the bittersweet journey of a plantation owner's daughter in her quest for personal freedom.

Without her mother, separated from her twin brother, and oppressed by her cruel and philandering father, Diana McCallum is a rebellious and feisty young woman. Her best friend is a slave girl named Drum, and Diana doesn't care about their differences in status or color. Her disapproving father sends Diana away to boarding school, where her defiance soon gets her expelled.

Later, to escape the torture of a brutal marriage, Diana stows away on a wagon train headed to California. During the grueling journey west, Diana encounters unexpected love, danger, and adventure. And when Drum appears, she brings with her a secret that will change Diana's life forever.

A successful blend of history and fiction, "Golden Siblings" reveals the emotional turmoil and racial prejudices of pre-Civil War America and explores the lure of the forbidden, the value of independence, the power of secrets, and the irrepressible ties of family.