With an Edwardian twist on The Tempest, and surprising, earthy, and magical qualities, this irresistible novel is set on the remote, divided Scottish island of Kissack and Skilling, one half of which looks historically and geographically towards Catholic Ireland, the other toward the Protestant north and Scandinavia. In the spring of 1903 a ship explodes as it docks on the island, drowning many of the passengers and crew in the icy waters of Stolnsay harbor. Young, strawberry-blonde-haired Billie Paxton is among the only survivors. Clumsy, illiterate, and suddenly alone, Billie will not say why, before the explosion, she jumped from ship to shore, and so falls under the immediate suspicion of her fellow passenger, Murdo Hesketh, and his cousin and employer, Lord Hallowhulme, who owns the island—and has controversial plans for improving the lives of its inhabitants. Gloriously inventive and vividly atmospheric, Billie’s Kiss conjures up a way of life hurtling toward a brave new world in an enchanting novel that brings together murder and eugenics, progress, prejudice, and the loss of innocence.
In 1929, Betty Trainer, a beautiful, twenty-year-old woman immigrated to Australia from Scotland. Brave and ready for the unknown, she embarked on a new life, including getting married and having two children. But challenges developed, and soon she dealt with an abusive husband and postnatal depression, a tragic mix that led her to kill one of her sons and attempt to kill the other. In Kiss Billie for Me xxx, author Jeanette Gray, Bettys granddaughter, tells her story and that of Billie, the surviving boy who grew up to be Grays father. She shares Bettys tragedy as she migrated to Australia with no family to help her birth, parent, or recover from the unknown effects of postnatal depression. Gray narrates how Bettys situation and her actions had dramatic consequences for her and her surviving son and changed the course of this familys history. Kiss Billie for Me xxx offers insight into postnatal depression and restores dignity not only to Betty, but also to other women who suffer from the same affliction. While Kiss Billie for Me xxx is a story of tragedy and pain, it is also a story of great love and compassion, and serves as a lesson for treating mental illness with the love and care it deserves.
Stress, drama, and hopeful hearts come together when a group of friends and family try their best to survive another holiday season. Billie is madly in love with her girlfriend, Leah, but her plan to use the spirit of Thanksgiving to figure out if Leah feels the same doesn’t go as planned. Theo wants a baby, but Liv isn’t quite ready, and being surrounded by family at Christmas time only serves to twist the knife in their marriage. April and Gemma, strangers only looking for a good time on New Year’s Eve, are surprised by the fun and flirtation of their chemistry. Jesse can’t believe Eloise is back in town only a few months after ending their secret affair for good, but even more shocking is Eloise’s intention for a second chance by the New Year. ’Tis the season for love, hope, and wishful thinking.
The People's Republic of Sarangong is reeling from the fallout of a failed act of nuclear terrorism. The goons running the show have lost the support of the ChiComs and the rebel insurgency has found new life. Major Dave Douglas, with wife Debbie and the outlaw girls, Kat and Billie, will infiltrate the tropical island country under codename Bombora.Bombora's mission is to break the grip of the ruling party and move the government toward the Consortium of the free world. On the way to accomplishing their goal, they will attempt to run to ground the leader of the rebel movement, who has possession of a biological weapon genetically keyed to destroy the clans holding power, but which has the potential to create a deadly pandemic that would devastate all the nations of southeastern Asia.Bombora must succeed before the Consortium unleash the overwhelming power of their military to stop the rebels and their weapon of mass extermination.
She’s a navigator. He’s the captain...and a cyborg. Does she dare try to capture the heart of the machine? Billie Latimer is the half-trained navigator on a ship full of refugees, crewed by cyborgs who are just starting to remember who they once were. It’s heartbreaking, but she’s glad to help the men who had everything stolen from them by the military machine. Especially one very special man, who has captured her interest - the captain of the ship. Working with him day after day only brings them closer. She suspects he’s interested in her, as well, but something is keeping him from taking that final step closer. Captain Medeus knew almost from the start that Billie is the sister of a man he had once called friend. A man who had died aboard Medeus’s last ship. He blames himself and carries a lot of guilt, now that he remembers who he was. He’s not sure it’s fair to continue his pursuit of Billie, knowing she would blame him for the death of her beloved brother, if she knew. With hostile aliens and the military ready to blow them to smithereens, not to mention pirates, there’s a lot to contend with. Can they keep everyone safe and learn to live again in the chaotic world in which they find themselves? Neither is sure if they can forgive the past and start anew, or if misplaced guilt will keep them apart...forever.
A riveting and hugely entertaining memoir of post-war London told through the eyes of a hilariously opportunistic little boy. 'This warm and witty autobiography lovingly evokes the community spirit of a Britain emerging from war and will have you hankering after simpler times' CANDIS By the time he was ten years old, Billy Brown was running a successful little business on the black market: whatever you needed, from bricks and firewood to dress material or machetes, Billy Brown could get it - or knew a man who could. And, for the right price, he would deliver it direct to your door in an old carriage pram. With energy and insight, Billy Brown paints a vivid and lively picture of Britain emerging from the ruins of the war, the hunger for opportunity, the growing pace of modernisation and the pride and optimism that held communities together. Londoners were intent on getting themselves back on their feet, and it provided the perfect opportunity for a boy with ambition and a lively imagination. Born in Brixton, south London, in 1942, Billy Brown was a lovable scamp with a nose for mischief. Left to his own devices while both his parents went out to work, if there was trouble to be had Billy would be in the thick of it. Ignoring the shaking of fists from his neighbours, his mother's scoldings and the regular thwack of the cane on his bottom at school, Billy wheeled and dealed, charmed Woolies' Girls, planned coronation celebrations, ran circles around circus performers and persuaded villains to work on his terms.
A powerful, entertaining story of self-awakening, the complex bonds of family, and of America during the late 1960s, this novel follows the journeys of 17-year-old Rigby John Klusener who leaves his home and family in Idaho and heads for a new life in San Francisco.
Durf isn't dead. Brianna's Call is back.It's all happening again, but nothing is the same. The world is populated by minotaurs and it's all happening at the World Series. Finding Durf alive, Billy is transported to an alternate world where he finds Durf inhabiting a female baseball player named Billie. Trying to get to Brianna's call, and thinking that he went back in time, Durf didn't realize that Billie wasn't Billy and that the World Series wasn't the Super Bowl or even that Billie was a girl and not a guy. Making matters worse, Brianna's Call is being chased by a fleet of ships trying to figure out a way to use the magic. Unfortunately, they accidentally transformed it solid and now it's about to crash into the Earth. While trying to transform it back, Billy and the others are forced to confront Durfs from this planet, weapons left behind by the Norse Gods, and alien wizards all while pretending to be female baseball players.
Four acclaimed authors team up for a seductive series featuring the hottest motorcycle club in New Orleans! Starring a quartet of bad-boy bikers who are hell on wheels—and heaven between the sheets—this addictive ebook bundle includes Make You Burn, Fire Me Up, Hold Me Down, and Strip You Bare. MAKE YOU BURN by Megan Crane Sean “Ajax” Harding’s oaths are inked into his skin, but only the death of his beloved mentor, Priest Lombard, could lure him back to New Orleans. Walking into the old hangout gives him a familiar thrill—especially when he gets an eyeful of the bar’s delectable new owner. Then he realizes that she’s Priest’s daughter. Sophie Lombard loved her father, not his lifestyle. She’s done with bikers . . . until Ajax roars into town—arrogant, tough, and sexy as ever. Every touch from Ajax is steamier than the Louisiana bayou—and heat like this may just be worth getting burned. FIRE ME UP by Rachael Johns With Priest gone, Travis “Cash” Sinclair inherits the Deacons’ clubhouse—and its unexpected tenant. All incense and art, with a sharp tongue that promises trouble, she’s definitely not his type. So why does Cash want to push aside those flowing skirts and lose himself between her legs? Billie Taylor fled a bad marriage to start a new life in the French Quarter. She refuses to let another man distract her, especially an outlaw biker with nothing to offer except hot sex and an eviction notice. Billie won’t fall under his spell—or into his bed—without a fight. HOLD ME DOWN by Jackie Ashenden Leonidas “Blue” Delacroix is the prodigal son of New Orleans aristocrats, but the Deacons are his real family. With their patriarch murdered, Blue’s ready to unleash hell—even if it means taking up arms against the girl who used to be his best friend. For Alice Day, loyalty is everything. She never forgot the scent of leather on Blue’s skin—just as she never forgave the sting of his betrayal when he skipped town. Seeing him again reawakens old feelings . . . and fiery fantasies. As their liaisons hit the boiling point, Alice trusts her heart with the deadliest choice of her life. STRIP YOU BARE by Maisey Yates Micah “Prince” Carpenter hates New Orleans. But when the brotherhood calls, he answers. Joining the hunt for their mentor’s killer, Micah crosses paths with a Southern belle who exudes class—and who could use a taste of the wrong side of the tracks. The daughter of a prominent family rocked by scandal, Sarah Delacroix is desperate to restore their good name. Micah’s exactly the kind of man she should be avoiding. Behind his sleek and sophisticated exterior beats the heart of a predator. But, like the tattoos beneath his tailored suit, his rough edges are irresistible. Praise for the Deacons of Bourbon Street series “Launching a biker-themed contemporary series, [Megan] Crane piles on the passion and danger. . . . This tough and dirty world is fascinating and satisfying in its own way.”—Publishers Weekly, on Make You Burn “As far as biker series goes, this one has certainly been a heck of a lot of fun! Sexy, smooth and sweet, Rachael Johns’s installment of the Deacons of Bourbon Street is not to be missed.”—A Tasty Read, on Fire Me Up “I can truly say that I am sad to see this series end. . . . If you enjoy an exciting MC book with a touch of mystery then this series is exactly what you are looking for.”—Harlequin Junkie, on Strip You Bare
