One of the most fascinating figures of seventeenth-century music, composer and singer Antonia Padoani Bembo (c.1640 - c.1720) was active in both Venice and Paris. Her work provides a unique cross-cultural window into the rich musical cultures of these cities, yet owing to her clandestine existence in France, for almost three centuries Bembo's life was shrouded in mystery. In this first-ever biography, Clare Fontijn unveils the enthralling and surprising story of a remarkable woman who moved in the musical, literary, and artistic circles of these European cultural centers.
Once upon a time, I was a sheltered princess. Now he owns me, body and soul. One night, and my entire life went up in flames. All because of him. Jafar. As my world burned around me, he offered me a choice: walk away with nothing but my freedom...or rise to his challenge and win my fortune back. I bargained. I lost. Now Jafar owns me, and even as my mind rails against him, my body loves the delicious punishments he deals out. It's almost enough to believe he cares. But a gilded cage is still a prison, and I'll do anything to obtain my freedom. Even betray the man who captured my heart. For all tropes, tags, and CWs, please check the author's website. Rich bonus features include: Gorgeous b&w interior art Author annotations Additional scenes A spicy kink inventory And more! Wicked Villains: Desperate Measures Learn My Lesson A Worthy Opponent The Beast The Sea Witch Queen Takes Rose
What should have been the perfect vacation soon became a nightmare. Caitlin Martel made a stop before meeting her family at Miami International Airport. A cryptic message waited for her. She dismissed the threat and assumed it was directed toward the brilliant scientist that she recently hired. Caitlin has no idea that a forgotten secret was about to explode and put her life in jeopardy. When Caitlin and her family arrive on the Caribbean Island of St. Kitts, they find their dream home vandalized. In the kitchen, another message has been left in blood, leaving no doubt that Caitlin personally is the target. In a flashback Caitlin recalls the secret that her father, Jack Spencer, revealed to her sixteen years ago. He didn�t tell her everything. Will Jack be able to confront the truth and reconstruct the past in time to save his daughter? Caitlin�s husband Scott, FBI Assistant Director, also believes the threats are related to Caitlin�s professional life. Once Caitlin points out the significance of what was left in their home, Scott unofficially brings his top FBI agent, Tomas Medina, to St. Kitts. When Tomas arrives, his status is quickly upgraded and the investigation becomes official. The third threat creates a direct link to multi-billionaire Lukas Bucklin. The suspense escalates through twists, turns, and family secrets yet to be revealed. A powerful climax unveils an unlikely alliance between two deadly and dangerous enemies.
Famous for his suspenseful fiction that delivers sheer emotional power, David Morrell, the bestselling author of First Blood, The Brotherhood of the Rose, The Fifth Profession, and Assumed Identity, here presents a mesmerizing novel of intrigue and high-action thrills...Fallen star journalist Matt Pittman holds a gun in his hand, ready to commit suicide...until he's abruptly interrupted by a phone call and a bizarre assignment: to write the obituary of a man who is not yet dead. Suddenly, clinging desperately to a life he'd so recently been eager to discard, Matt is thrust into the heart of a global conspiracy whose sinister machinations promise a terrifying endgame. He will find himself both a murder suspect by the police and a target for murder by invisible assassins determined to destroy him. Now Matt Pittman is on a desperate, great final story -- and his last byline may be written on a tombstone.
The Commonwealth of Stars, COS, has been invaded by the Issog, a bat-like species who considers the humans not only animals, but livestock. Over the past several years of war they have encroached farther into COS space, and the consensus is for the Issog to defeat the Commonwealth within the next five years. To make matters worse, the Arrith nation, a lizard-like species, is building up its fleets to take on the winner-the bats or the monkeys as they refer to them-since the winner will have all but exhausted its navy. The Commonwealth's only hope is that a newly developed technology can help them defeat the Issog and retain sufficient resources afterward to force the Arrith to continue their twenty-year nonaggression treaty. But the technology is unproven and possibly beyond the humans' ability to adapt.
Stone Barrington faces down danger on New York's mean streets in the latest thriller from perennial fan favorite Stuart Woods. Upon returning to the states from a European jaunt, Stone Barrington makes the acquaintance of a stunning woman who seems like she could be an ideal candidate to meet some of his professional--and personal--needs. Before long, though, Stone is put to the task of protecting his new hire when New York City is rocked by a series of disturbing crimes, and it looks as if she might be the next target. In the city that never sleeps there's always a plot being hatched, and the only recourse is constant vigilance and a bit of luck. But if those defensive systems fail, Stone will have to go head-to-head against some of the most dastardly scum he's ever faced . . .
"The plot of this book was outstanding kept me reading way past bedtime." -Jeffrey Marks, author The Ambush of My Name "The author shows an overall skill with dialogue that makes the conversations engaging." -Writers' Digest "Vivid and entertaining" -Arizona Senior World "Exhilarating, thought-provoking" -The Daily Courier (Prescott, Ariz.) "A tale that grabs you from the start and holds your interest until the very last page." -Small Press Review Dan Kirk, a reporter for the Detroit Free Press, watched as police pulled the body of a young woman from the Clinton River, noting the single bullet hole and no identification. It was 1945 and the War was over. What tragedy could have befallen this woman at such a jubilant time? Kirk's investigation takes him to tiny Flat River, Missouri where the man accused of the murder, Clifford Malin, grew up, and where Kirk discovers a dark past. Malin left Missouri in 1920 for a career as a policeman in Detroit during a time of smuggling, corruption and The Purple Gang, the city's underworld bosses. Kirk discovers Malin found much more excitement than he had bargained for. Kirk's investigation into the life of the victim, Twyla Larson, reveals a woman who grew up in a small town and was simply interested in having a good time and saving money toward her husband's return from the War. Twyla's and Malin's worlds collide as each attempts to protect the new lives they have made. Based on actual events Desperate Measures, traces the lives of two people whose worlds collide in an explosion of scandal, graft, corruption and finally murder.
This volume examines how child abuse and youth violence are understood, manufactured, represented, but still disavowed, in contemporary everyday life and culture in Japan and the United States.
According to the popular imagination, psychoanalysis is about men wanting to sleep with their mothers and women wanting penises. Sexuality: Psychoanalytic Perspectives tells a different story about what has happened to sex in psychoanalysis over the past century. In the book, a range of distinguished contributors challenge the view that sexuality is nothing other than historically and culturally determined. Introducing the ideas of sexuality from the viewpoint of a number of theoretical schools, they then go on to offer contemporary psychoanalytic views of * Sexuality in childhood * Female and male sexuality (heterosexual and homosexual) * Sexual perversions Sexuality: Psychoanalytic Perspectives is a comprehensive introduction to the subject, covering its development over the last 100 years, and bringing it up to date for the 21st century. The book will make enlightening and essential reading for both professional and students involved in psychoanalyis, psychotherapy and counselling.
