In his hand was a contract to prove she owed him thousands… Ilios Manos wasn't interested in Elizabeth Wareham's sob story. So what if she was broke and had nowhere to stay? He wanted his money back and his revenge, and he would exact his price from her however it suited him…. But when Ilios looked closely, he sensed Lizzie's innocence and knew he couldn't take that from her lightly. So he chose the next best thing—he was a man in need of a wife…. He would show her mercy…and she would take his name!
An Entertainment Weekly Top 10 Romance Author A shocking Sicilian secret… Louise Anderson's heart pounds as she approaches the imposing castello. Only the Duke of Falconari can grant her grandparents' dying wish—but this is the same man who said arrivederci without a backward glance after their night of unadulterated passion…. Caesar can't believe the woman who almost ruined his precious reputation still fiercely fires his blood. Discovering that their union created more than just salacious memories, he agrees to grant Louise's request…in exchange for a demand of his own. That she wears his band of gold!
Hal Wallis (1898-1986) might not be as well known as David O. Selznick or Samuel Goldwyn, but the films he produced—Casablanca, Jezebel, Now, Voyager, The Life of Emile Zola, Becket, True Grit, and many other classics (as well as scores of Elvis movies)—have certainly endured. As producer of numerous films, Wallis made an indelible mark on the course of America's film industry, but his contributions are often overlooked. Bernard Dick offers the first comprehensive assessment of the producer's incredible career. A former office boy and salesman, Wallis first engaged with the film business as the manager of a Los Angeles movie theater in 1922. He attracted the notice of the Warner brothers, who hired him as a publicity assistant. Within three months he was director of the department, and appointments to studio manager and production executive quickly followed. Wallis went on to oversee dozens of productions and formed his own production company in 1944. Dick draws on numerous sources such as Wallis's personal production files and exclusive interviews with many of his contemporaries to finally tell the full story of his illustrious career. Dick combines his knowledge of behind-the-scenes Hollywood with fascinating anecdotes to create a portrait of one of Hollywood's early power players.
Many of the world's most successful businesses are family owned. With this comes the threat of family bust-ups, sibling rivalry and petty jealousies. Family Wars takes you behind the scenes on a rollercoaster ride through the ups and downs of some of the biggest family-run companies in the world, showing how family in-fighting has threatened to bring about their downfall. Whether it's the Redstone's courtroom battles or the feud over Henry Ford's reluctance to let go of the reigns, the book reveals the origins, the extent and the final resolution of some of the most famous family feuds in recent history. Names you'll recognise include: the Gallo Family; the Guinness story; the Pathak family; and the Gucci family. An astonishing exposé of the way families do business and how arguments can threaten to blow a business apart, Family Wars also offers valuable advice on how such problems can be contained and solved.
Kallista couldn’t believe what Hector Christophe was suggesting. He wanted to marry her? But they barely knew each other! They’d exchanged possibly three or four sentences over the past several years, and now he was suggesting that they marry to save her father’s business. Only Hector had the resources, but Kallista’s father wouldn’t accept help from anyone but family. Hector’s solution? Become part of Kallista’s family. She didn’t understand him – he was kind and considerate one moment, then grouchy and insulting the next. So how could his touch send sparks of electricity through her body? Why does his kiss make her forget everything? How could she fall in love with such a mercurial man? Hector knew he didn’t deserve Kallista. She was sweet and pure, intelligent and witty. He’d grown up an orphan, survived on the streets by stealing for his next meal and slept in places others had abandoned. If it weren’t for Kallista’s father, he might still be stealing but the man had picked Hector up and cleaned him up, given him hope and urged him to become something. Now he had the power and wealth to pay her father back but the only way he could do that was by marrying his daughter. Falling in love with Kallista had been the last thing he’d wanted to do. But she got under his skin, wove through his defenses and he’d been no match for her smile or kindness.
Jilted at the altar! Good grief, Jasmine really could pick ‘em! But she was resilient and decided to go on the honeymoon anyway. She would learn to live as an independent woman and be happy with her life. What she hadn’t anticipated was falling into the arms of the horrible, critical and enticingly handsome Antoniv Petrov. Literally! His strong arms and wealth were everything she could not want in a man. She had to find her own way! Her sisters had both fallen for wealthy, powerful men and Jasmine was determined to be different. Besides, Antoniv only wanted a sexual relationship and the Hart sisters seemed to have inherited a crazy fertility somehow – both had gotten pregnant despite precautions. So there was no way she was going to risk getting involved with the amazingly handsome Russian billionaire. There were too many reasons to stay away from him. But only one reason she couldn’t – she wanted him! Antoniv couldn’t believe the little spitfire who had fallen into his arms. She was a sexy little siren that he was determined to have in his bed. One by one, he eliminated all of the excuses she had for avoiding a relationship with him. And in the end, Antoniv Petrov always gets what he wants.
In Testosterone Inc.: Tales of CEOs Gone Wild, bestselling authorand New York Post columnist Chris Byron chronicles the Gatsby-likesaga of the rise and fall of the celebrity CEO. During the heightof the 1990s bull market, they were America’s new heroes: theheroes of business. They were our bold new leaders, cutting thefat, pushing for productivity, implementing visionary plans, andmaking strategic deals. When the bull market turned to bust and the applause turned tocat-calls, the world was shocked at the truth. Drenched in moneyand public acclaim, our CEO-heroes—mostly white, mostly male,mostly middle-aged—turned out to be not much different than agroup of twenty-something rock stars—drunk on power anddriven by sex, greed, and glamour. Testosterone Inc. goes behind the boardroom doors to show theserial affairs and marriages of these acquisitive corporatetitans. At the center of this story is Jack Welch, thebiggest of America’s rock star CEOs and the former head ofGeneral Electric Co., surrounded by “mini-me” CEOs RonPerelman of Revlon, Al Dunlap of Sunbeam, and Dennis Kozlowski ofTyco—all gone wild in public displays of consumption andpredatory appetites writ large. Byron gets inside the bars where Welch liked to hang out andpick up women with his early “business soul mate”buddies. Byron hovers unseen at the elbow of Ron Perelman and hismistress aboard the Concorde for a week in Paris in his mistakenbelief that his wife knows nothing about his secret affair. Byronpeeks behind the curtains of a U.S. Army officers’ quartersto behold Al Dunlap horrifying his first wife, who claimed in herdivorce action that Dunlap would point his knife at her and say,“I often wondered what human flesh tasted like.” Byronbecomes a fly on the wall to chronicle the longing for respect andserial womanizing of Dennis Kozlowski. Frequently hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking, Testosterone Inc.follows the intertwined lives of these four corporate heroes, fromchildhood to their ultimate moments of glory and the crash-and-burncalamities that followed, as man’s age-old hunger for power,greed, and temptation undid them all. From suicide to murder,from dysfunctional childhoods to dysfunctional marriages inadulthood, from business chutzpah to financial suicide, here is theultimate untold business story of our time: what went on atcentury’s end, when testosterone got the best of businessmeneverywhere, and CEOs went wild.
Betty Boyd Caroli's engrossing and informative First Ladies is both a captivating read and an essential resource for anyone interested in the role of America's First Ladies. This expanded and updated fourth edition includes Laura Bush's tenure, Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential bid, and an in-depth look at Michelle Obama, one of the most charismatic and appealing First Ladies in recent history. Covering all forty-one women from Martha Washington to Michelle Obama and including the daughters, daughters-in-law, and sisters of presidents who sometimes served as First Ladies, Caroli explores each woman's background, marriage, and accomplishments and failures in office. This remarkably diverse lot included Abigail Adams, whose "remember the ladies" became a twentieth-century feminist refrain; Jane Pierce, who prayed her husband would lose the election; Helen Taft, who insisted on living in the White House, although her husband would have preferred a judgeship; Eleanor Roosevelt, who epitomized the politically involved First Lady; and Pat Nixon, who perfected what some have called "the robot image." They ranged in age from early 20s to late 60s; some received superb educations for their time, while others had little or no schooling. Including the courageous and adventurous, the emotionally unstable, the ambitious, and the reserved, these women often did not fit the traditional expectations of a presidential helpmate. Here then is an engaging portrait of how each First Lady changed the role and how the role changed in response to American culture. These women left remarkably complete records, and their stories offer us a window through which to view not only this particular sorority of women, but also American women in general. "Impressive...Caroli's profiles and observations of American first ladies and their relationship to the media are intelligent and perceptive." --Philadelphia Inquirer
Violet knew exactly what she wanted in life and went after it. She had built up her craft store from a hole in the wall to a thriving Internet success, she had friends and a warm home in a beautiful state. And when she was attending a bachelorette party, she thought she’d found the most exciting man with whom she could share her life. Creek Jones had moved away from the mainland and bought himself a mountain. He could run his business empire from afar, away from the negative aspects of the world. With pristine air and beautiful landscapes, he thought he’d had it all. Until an adorable brunette walked behind his bar in tight jeans and a fluffy sweater. He was knocked out. Violet Jenkins thought he was a bartender, had no idea that he was wealthy. All she wanted was him. And he wanted her. Until Violet’s stepfather explained that Violet’s “services” came with a price. In the end, his morals wouldn’t allow him to pay for sex. And when Violet discovered that he had been, she was livid. Hurt. Disgusted. All the precious, warm feelings were broken with his words. Could Creek figure out how to get her back from such a heinous error?
"I will come back for my revenge." That was Tatiana Rostova's promise to herself as she fought for her life one cold night out at sea, after the two people she loved the most betrayed her and watched as the ruthless ocean tried to swallow her whole. She would even sell herself to the devil-even if the ddevil came in the form of a six-foot-two, silver-eyed Italian duke named Lucca Cavelli. She would take everything that was rightfully hers-and this will be the start of the wallflower's revenge.
