No one rides like Chase Austin. Bad boy. Player. Adrenaline junkie. Snowboarder Chase Austin has a reputation--and not just for being the world's best extreme athlete. He's as cold as the mountains he rides, loyal only to his crew . . . and panties drop wherever he goes. Photographer Brooke Larson knows better than to let him get through her emotional Kevlar. So what if she used to have his poster on her bedroom wall? She's not a teenager with a crush anymore. Chase Austin is her key to the big time, and she's getting his photo no matter what. Too bad the only place Chase wants her is in his bed. Men leave. Success is forever. Brooke knows the drill, and she's not letting anyone get in the way of her career--or into her heart. But whether it's on the slopes or between the sheets, riding with the best means risking it all.
JJ Schneider has it all. A high-octane career as a pro snowboarder. A ride-or-die crew. A seven-figure sponsorship deal. None of it makes up for losing the love of his life. It's been a year since Raquel Sfeir walked away. From the man she loved. From the job of her dreams. She's done with enabling extreme athletes to risk their lives for the next thrill... especially the one who chose his career-and its dangers-over her. But when a life-threatening accident shatters JJ's dreams as well as his spine, Raquel finds herself drawn back to the man who broke her heart. This time, she's not going to give him the chance. She's going to get him whole and out of the house they bought together-and then she's moving on for good. Raquel won't be anyone's consolation prize. But JJ's had a lifetime of pursuing impossible goals, and he's determined to show the woman of his dreams that even hearts can heal. Crash is the second novel in the Wild Sequence. Though it can be read as a standalone, it's best enjoyed after Ride.
An essential American novel from Sandra Dallas, an unparalleled writer of our history, and our deepest emotions... During World War II, a family finds life turned upside down when the government opens a Japanese internment camp in their small Colorado town. After a young girl is murdered, all eyes (and suspicions) turn to the newcomers, the interlopers, the strangers. This is Tallgrass as Rennie Stroud has never seen it before. She has just turned thirteen and, until this time, life has pretty much been what her father told her it should be: predictable and fair. But now the winds of change are coming and, with them, a shift in her perspective. And Rennie will discover secrets that can destroy even the most sacred things. Part thriller, part historical novel, Tallgrass is a riveting exploration of the darkest--and best--parts of the human heart.
Do you wish you knew how to talk to people about life’s deepest and most sensitive topics? In The Listening Road, you’ll ride along on one man's remarkable 33-day journey cycling 3,000 miles across the United States on a mission to engage with people from all walks of life in real conversations about things that matter most. As a pastor, Neil Tomba noticed a disturbing trend among people in church: they were finding it increasingly difficult to talk about God to those outside of the church. Neil wanted to practice what he preached, so he set out to bike across the United States, talking—and, more importantly, listening—to strangers from all walks of life about faith, their stories, and matters of the heart. The Listening Road takes you on Neil’s remarkable journey across the country and straight into its soul—from Route 66 motels to state parks, a lake house, and a railway car; from conversations with Amish farmers to chats with truckers, cowboys, mechanics, and a descendant of Daniel Boone. From one city, farm, and highway to the next, we discover practical, actionable ways to change our posture toward others to foster conversation, why curiosity, kindness, and respect open up communication about God, and how even in a culture of division and antagonism, real connection is possible. In our polarizing time, Neil models with compassion and curiosity that genuine connection happens only if we are willing to listen in love.
Overcrowding. Lengthy queues. Increasing animosity from locals. Loss of authenticity. Disappointment. As tourists, how can we improve tourism for locals, their communities, their culture and the environment - as well as for ourselves?By taking steps to "be invisible," of course!Unbeknownst to most tourists, there is a hidden power within them. This handbook examines the lesser-known problems with overtourism, how they came to be and details practical solutions to help you unlock this power to use as a force for good.Packed with everything you need to know to tailor your own invisibility cloak, you'll learn how to: Plan a stress-free trip every time & ways to reduce disappointment; Enjoy popular destinations without contributing to overcrowding; Feel fulfilled by personal, authentic encounters with locals whilst helping their businesses; Avoid pickpockets & scammers for a safe travel experience; Preserve local cultures & identities instead of diluting them; Protect attractions of significant cultural heritage & the natural environment.Learn how to make the most of your next travel experience by "blending in!"
FROM CYNICISM TO HEROISM Xavier Thorn, his wife killed, stripped his life down to the essentials he needed to strike at the Mafia - an angry cynicism that he yearned to turn to heroism and courage, along with an arsenal of weapons and explosives and the vision of a one-man crusade for justice that he saw nowhere in a thoroughly corrupt society. But he didn't reckon on confronting two mysterious women, profane Chelsea and angelic Columbine. The trio embarks on a stormy and erotic on-the-road adventure with plot twists and turns that keep the reader guessing. After a surprising and outrageously comic attack on a New Orleans Mafia Don, ensuing confrontations with Mafioso enforcers and a vicious motorcycle gang dispatched to kill them all test their mettle and their commitments to one another.
In the tradition of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road and set during the intersection of the radical ’60s and the mellow ’70s, ride along with a recent UVA grad as he hitchhikes cross-country and back with only $20 in his pocket and meets colorful characters from Kansas City to Haight-Ashbury, with detours including a harrowing escape from a Tijuana jail. With the Vietnam War raging and the race riots waning, young Preston took off to travel the country to prove to himself and the world that he could make it in a world that was still not at peace with itself. The risk of being mistaken as a draft dodger or hippie and mistreated as in Easy Rider loomed in the back of his mind even though he not only did not look the part but was totally opposed to their ideas. This added political risk to the usual dangers of thugs and criminals that hound anyone traveling alone and in unsavory places due to lack of funds to pay for safer accommodations. This story is about a twenty-one-year-old college graduate who had dreamed since childhood about one day seeing the USA. During his years at UVA, his interest was piqued after hearing stories from two older fraternity brothers. They had apparently driven to California, found work, and returned home at the end of the summer. They were rich by his standards since they had saved four times the amount of money that he could even make for the same work in Virginia. After much thought, he decided that hitchhiking would be the only way to accomplish the mission. He looked for two years for a friend that would go with him but without success. Finally he realized that, if he were to go at all, he would have to go alone. Much soul-searching went into making the decision, but finally he decided that he could actually do it alone. Now his whole perspective changed. The trip would no longer be just about making money and sightseeing. It would be about sightseeing, adventure, challenge, and survival! To ensure that it would be what he wanted, he placed two restrictions upon himself. The first was to accept every ride offered to him. If he let the looks of the driver or the type or condition of the vehicle keep him from taking that ride, he might miss the greatest adventure of his life. That would completely defeat the purpose. In order to guarantee that he would have to be resourceful, he would limit the amount of money that he took with him to $20. As he moved about the country, he faced many challenges, including unsavory people, lack of money, and lack of safe overnight accommodations. In every instance, he adjusted to the situation, adapted, and overcame the particular problem. He returned home fifty-six days later with $14, having traveled ten thousand miles just in time to begin dental school. He is now a changed person. He firmly believes there is nothing he can’t do. Accounts of particular problems he faced and the solutions he rendered represent the bulk of the text. This is a true account of some of the events of his life. The maps within the text are copies of the original maps that he used in 1969.
