Alisa Davis is living the dream. The starship Galaxy Explorer exceeded her imagination. Her television crush, Science Officer Tojait J’all is her soulmate, and they’re expecting their first child. The only serpent in her paradise is the nosy Dr. Jack Abernathy. Stepping into the life of another person without revealing the truth proves more difficult than anticipated. When reality rears its ugly head, will Alisa keep dreaming or be rudely awakened?
What happens when the family that normally hosts Christmas cancels? Family drama, that's what. Over the years, Gail and Rashid Al Jabbar's mini mansion has become holiday central. They not only have the space, but also the resources, to host large family gatherings. This year, however, due to the premature birth of their son, all the cautious parents want is a quiet Christmas at home. No family. No friends. No guests. DaQuan's delicate immune system requires they limit the number of people to whom he's exposed. With everyone wanting to greet the new baby, will they get their wish? Or will family and circumstances conspire against them?
I swore I'd never go undercover again. I was wrong. The mayor's daughter is missing and our only clues are a mysterious new older boyfriend and her sudden interest in BDSM. After what happened to my niece, how can I say no? Once again, I'll pretend to be in a relationship with both men as we troll BDSM clubs for information. Mike swears it will be easy. Jake promises what happened last time was just a fluke. What can possibly go wrong? Here’s hoping that bad luck doesn’t strike twice. Warning: Ménage elements, BDSM
"The rise of China and its status as a leading global factory--combined with an increasing worldwide desire for inexpensive toys, clothes, and food--are altering the way people live and consume. At the same time, the world appears wary of the real costs of this desire: toys drenched in lead paint, dangerous medicines, and tainted pet food. Examining sites in China, including the plan for a new eco-city called Dongtan on the island of Chongming, suburbanization projects, and the Shanghai World Expo, JulieSze interrogates Chinese, European, and American 'eco-desire' and the eco-technological fantasies that underlie contemporary development of global cities and mega-suburbs. In doing so, she challenges readers to rethink how cities must undergo alterationsto become true 'eco-cities.' Sze frames her analysis of these case studies in the context of the problems of global economic change and climate crisis, and she explores the flows, fears, and fantasies of Pacific Rim politics that shaped plans for Dongtan. She looks at the flow of pollution from Asia to the United States (ten billion pounds of airborne pollutants annually). Simultaneously, she considers the flow of financial and political capital for eco-city and ecological development between elite powerstructures in the UK and China, and charts how climate change discussions align with US fears of China's ascendancy and the related demise of the American Century. Ultimately, Fantasy Islands examines how fears and fantasies about China and historical and political power change the American imagination."--Provided by publisher.
Alisa Davis, current NASA employee and unapologetic geek, loves all things space-related. She's explored countless galaxies through movies, books, and television shows. When she stumbles across a Fantasy Island ad, she knows it's the opportunity she's waited a lifetime to experience. For the first time in her life, she'll "boldly go where no man has gone before," just like the crew of her favorite television series. Because Fantasy Island specializes in romantic fantasies, she adds an extra request: marriage to her dream man. A man not intimidated by her brain or freaked out by her laugh. But what happens when Fantasy Island goofs her fantasy?
Isobel “Izzy” Ryan knew she’d regret accepting the last minute, all-expenses paid vacation offered by her best friend. A meticulous planner by nature, the word impulsive is not in her vocabulary. When a case of mistaken identity gets her kidnapped and taken to a shifter-only island called The Playground, she has no choice but to stay until the boat returns. Then she meets a sexy eagle shifter named Griffin. The attraction between them is immediate and intense. Will Izzy fight her cautious nature and indulge in a casual vacation fling? Or will she deem the risk to her heart to be too great?
“A novel exploration of societal roles, gender, and equality.” —School Library Journal (starred review) The Outsiders meets Mad Max: Fury Road in this “daring and dramatic” (Victor LaValle, author of The Changeling) dystopian novel about sisterhood and the cruel choices people are forced to make in order to survive. At night, Las Mal Criadas own these streets. Sixteen-year-old Nalah leads the fiercest all-girl crew in Mega City. That role brings with it violent throwdowns and access to the hottest boydega clubs, but Nala quickly grows weary of her questionable lifestyle. Her dream is to get off the streets and make a home in the exclusive Mega Towers, in which only a chosen few get to live. To make it to the Mega Towers, Nalah must prove her loyalty to the city’s benevolent founder and cross the border in a search of the mysterious gang the Ashé Riders. Led by a reluctant guide, Nalah battles crews and her own doubts but the closer she gets to her goal the more she loses sight of everything—and everyone—she cares about. Nalah must choose whether or not she’s willing to do the unspeakable to get what she wants. Can she discover that home is not where you live but whom you chose to protect before she loses the family she’s created for good?
When bestselling romance author, Moxie Calhoun, is approached by her publisher to create a new vampire series, she’s up for the challenge. Because she reads and writes contemporary, Moxie researches by reading every vampire romance and watching every vampire movie she can get her hands on. At the end Moxie makes a startling conclusion, she just doesn’t find vampires sexually appealing. As a writer she has no doubt she can create a realistic vampire for her readers, but how can she make him sexy enough to fall in love with when the whole idea of vampires leaves her feeling “Meh.” Obviously, she needs to take her research to the next level. Enter Fantasy Island. Since vampires don’t exist in the real world, Moxie requests to meet a variety of vampires, face-to-face, in the hopes doing so will spark some flame of interest. Unfortunately, her plan succeeds all too well.
SHORTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR In Island Dreams, Gavin Francis combines stories of his own travels with psychology, philosophy and myth, shedding new light on the importance of islands and isolation in our collective consciousness. Francis draws on thirty years of island adventures from the Faroe Islands to the Aegean, from the Galapagos to the Andaman Islands. He contrasts these quests for freedom with the demands for commitment required as a doctor, community member and parent. Island Dreams riffs on the twin poles of rest and motion, independence and attachment, never more relevant than in today’s ever-connected world.
