New York City FBI team leader Samuel Shaughnessy lives for his immediate family and his job. After a marriage gone wrong, he has stuck to a firm rule when it comes to relationships: he doesn't have them. Sexually active and emotionally unavailable keeps him satisfied, especially now that he is in hot pursuit of a serial killer targeting gay men.Machlan O'Bannon manages a successful sports bar in Houston, and after years of waiting, he's ready to stand up and be the man he always wanted to be: out, proud and drama-free. His politically-aligned family wants to keep him locked in the closet, but Mac just wants to be true to himself and live his own life.One man is as high strung as the other is laid back. A chance meeting brings them together, and one night of passion ignites a fire neither can fight. Their lives are not only miles apart, but as different as day and night. They don't want to get involved, but they might not be able to keep apart.
In the sequel to Six Degrees of Lust, F.B.I. team leader Samuel Shaughnessy and bar manager Machlan O'Bannon are exploring a new phase in their non-relationship. The intention is to take it slowly but power plays are still their favorite activity, and it isn't long before lines begin blurring. After ending their friends with benefits agreement no rules are left in place to guide them, and soon enough the only thing that's clear is that neither man is fighting hard enough to reestablish the boundaries.Their particular situations haven't improved in the three months since their first encounter. Sam is still focused on his immediate family issues, and everything indicates Mac will have to go to war with his own family before he can reclaim his freedom. The last thing they need is additional complications.But when the opening of a night club brings Mac to New York City and a break in the Leviticus investigation leads Sam to Houston, they discover how closely their worlds have been connected from the very beginning. Hiding from the life-altering collision is not an option. Will they take the easier road and go their separate ways, or will they come to terms with their past and take a chance on each other?By Degrees is an ensemble serial with continuing story lines. Six Degrees of Separation is the second installment, and it must be read after Six Degrees of Lust.
A vibrantly illustrated chain of entanglements (romantic and otherwise) between some of our best-loved writers and artists of the twentieth century--fascinating, scandalous, and surprising. Poet Robert Lowell died of a heart attack, clutching a portrait of his lover, Caroline Blackwood, painted by her ex-husband, Lucian Freud. Lowell was on his way to see his own ex-wife, Elizabeth Hardwick, who was a longtime friend of Mary McCarthy. McCarthy left the father of her child to marry Edmund Wilson, who had encouraged her writing, and had also brought critical attention to the fiction of Anaïs Nin . . . whom he later bedded. And so it goes, the long chain of love, affections, and artistic influences among writers, musicians, and artists that weaves its way through the The Art of the Affair--from Frida Kahlo to Colette to Hemingway to Dali; from Coco Chanel to Stravinsky to Miles Davis to Orson Welles. Scrupulously researched but playfully prurient, cleverly designed and colorfully illustrated, it's the perfect gift for your literary lover--and the perfect read for any good-natured gossip-monger.
Weaving an intricate web of interconnected characters and their six stories, Six Degrees explores the powerful role sexual attraction plays in everyday life. Written by Honey Brown, best selling author of several critically acclaimed novels, Six Degrees is Honey’s first exploit into rural romance. Strong female protagonists lead a cast of characters with lives we recognize and know, crossing paths in intimate, surprising and erotic ways. The ripple effect of one tragic event shapes each character’s experiences, but in the end it is their individual need for connection that truly binds them. Six Degrees uses the allure, the action or the absence of physical connection to explore these everyday character’s flaws, quirks and strengths. For the first time, Honey has made sexual attraction the intriguing hero of each story.
Lust, says Simon Blackburn, is furtive, headlong, always sizing up opportunities. It is a trail of clothing in the hallway, the trashy cousin of love. But be that as it may, the aim of this delightful book is to rescue lust "from the denunciations of old men of the deserts, to deliver it from the pallid and envious confessor and the stocks and pillories of the Puritans, to drag it from the category of sin to that of virtue." Blackburn, author of such popular philosophy books as Think and Being Good, here offers a sharp-edged probe into the heart of lust, blending together insight from some of the world's greatest thinkers on sex, human nature, and our common cultural foibles. Blackburn takes a wide ranging, historical approach, discussing lust as viewed by Aristophanes and Plato, lust in the light of the Stoic mistrust of emotion, and the Christian fear of the flesh that catapulted lust to the level of deadly sin. He describes how philosophical pessimists like Schopenhauer and Sartre contributed to our thinking about lust and explores the false starts in understanding lust represented by Freud, Kinsey, and modern "evolutionary psychology." But most important, Blackburn reminds us that lust is also life-affirming, invigorating, fun. He points to the work of David Hume (Blackburn's favorite philosopher) who saw lust not only as a sensual delight but also "a joy of the mind." Written by one of the most eminent living philosophers, attractively illustrated and colorfully packaged, Lust is a book that anyone would lust over.
BOOKER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A novel that follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he never much thought about—until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance: one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present. A novel so compelling that it begs to be read in a single setting, The Sense of an Ending has the psychological and emotional depth and sophistication of Henry James at his best, and is a stunning achievement in Julian Barnes's oeuvre. Tony Webster thought he left his past behind as he built a life for himself, and his career has provided him with a secure retirement and an amicable relationship with his ex-wife and daughter, who now has a family of her own. But when he is presented with a mysterious legacy, he is forced to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.
Kevin Morrison had it all. A house he worked hard for, a loving wife, and three beautiful children. But it wasn't until his marriage ended that he realized what the void he'd felt almost all his life meant. Coming out as a gay man at thirty-six is not an easy feat, but he is determined to be true to his heart. Meeting a man who shares his values, and is good with his children would be a bonus, but when the guy arrives in a uniquely wrapped package, and has very specific handling instructions, Kevin needs to decide if he's up for that kind of love. Obsessed with order and symmetry, and a paralyzing fear of germs, Cedric Haughton-Disley has lived with isolation and loneliness as long as he can remember. Desperate to be normal, he makes some much-needed changes in his life. If he can commit to his treatment, he might very well be able to procure some quality of life... even if that's all he can get, as finding love and having a relationship are only possible in Cedric's wildest dreams. But when a chance encounter leaves Cedric wishing for more, he decides to take a leap of faith, and pursue the guy he wants. Together the two men make an unlikely match. Cedric needs organization, and Kevin represents chaos. In order to stay together they both need to compromise, but will they be able to deal with Cedric's issues and the potential disaster, or let it break them apart?
We should talk about love. We should talk about lust. We should talk about sex. We should talk the aftermath. We should talk about the spirit. We can talk. We must talk. Lets converse. Nadine G Enterludes is a collection of poetry that depicts a common human experience. The reader takes a journey through love, misdirection, and finding self while exploring the entities one allows to enter ones life. Chapter one, Love, explores the pitter patter we get in our hearts as children; it explores the fantasies of love and begins to illustrate how these ideals often contradict the realities of love. This section of the book discusses the feelings that love evokes which are often pleasant in nature. However, it also explores the concept of defining love and identifying whether or not one truly knows real love. The ideals of love become more convoluted when lust enters the picture. Chapter two, Lust, illustrates the temptation to move from that which is heart-felt to that which is physically felt. Lust is often described as a deadly sin. Yet, it is very alluring and promotes immediate gratification without any thought of consequence. Lust is a powerful thought that often leads to actions. Chapter three, Sex, acknowledges the feelings and emotions evoked when temptation wins and actions are taken. It discusses a thirst quenched and the pleasures that arise from physical connection. It also alludes to the dangers of acting with only the thought of immediate satisfaction without thought of long lasting consequence. Chapter four, The Aftermath, becomes the voice of reason as one has to face the plethora of consequences that surround each decision. IT explores the law of nature every action has a reaction. Taking action of lust can cause consequences that can taint the beauty of love. The dilemma then arises, how does one know whether their actions are based on love or based on lust? Chapter Five, Spirit, allows for the true definition of love to be explored by utilizing the lessons learned throughout the journey. A higher level of consciousness is explored as both positive and negative repercussions are deconstructed. Love begins to be redefined and no longer partialized. Spirit teaches a simple lesson what one allows to enter into the home, will dictate how one lives. It sparks the questions, What is important to you? What will you continue to allow into your life? Is it a spirit of love? Is it a spirit of lust? Is it a spirit of sex? Is it a spirit of self? Is it a spirit of God? What are your Enterludes? The author, Nadine G., states penetration is lasting and deep, touching every corner of your soul. The truth the physical affects the body, mind, and spirit. She encourages the reader to converse, embrace your own Enterludes as life lessons, and be mindful of all that enters your life. The purpose of the book is to spark dialogue about love, lust, sex, the aftermath, and the spirit. In her words, lets converse.
When a bookstore owner is accused of murdering his ex-lover, proving his innocence might lead a hard-nosed detective to a fatal attraction… Thirty-five-year-old gay bookseller Adrien English searches for love between the pages. As a sensitive intellectual with a heart condition, his dating life is gathering dust on the shelves. But when police name him the prime suspect in the brutal murder of his friend and employee, Adrien doesn't expect his best hope for romance to be assigned to the case… Detective Jake Riordan is hungry to climb the ranks. All he has to do for a promotion is nail the handsome bookstore owner for an obvious crime of passion. If only he could stop fantasizing about the suspect instead of the "normal" wife and family his career demands… As Riordan’s investigation heats up and the suspect insists on his innocence, the detective doubts both Adrien's guilt and his ability to resist the man's understated charms. Can they turn the crime into passion, or will a killer on the loose write The End?
