"In You'll See, Suzanne Groves explores, without excuses, the challenging relationship she had with her father. Her recollections of the minute details and reactions to her interactions with him are vivid and evocative of the deep desire she had to gain his approval. An approval she never got, no matter how hard she tried."
-Katharine O'Connor, Ph.D., LPC
My fifty-six years with my father were characterized by longing. If I could only meet his standards, ephemeral though they were, I would feel I belonged. That I was safe. That I was protected from external threats.
Learning that the threats came from within-that the threats were in the form of his personality disorder and addiction-came long after I had been damaged. Make no mistake-I never lacked for food, clothing, or shelter. We took family vacations. I received a wonderful education. I enjoyed numerous achievements, academically, professionally, and personally.
To an outsider, my life probably looked normal, even privileged.
The truth is the permanent scars resulting from narcissistic abuse are every bit as devastating and traumatic as those borne from physical and sexual abuse. Narcissistic abuse is insidious and challenging to survive. And the effects can outlive the abuser, almost in perpetuity. This is my story... possibly yours.
"Jett is no frozen victim: she's a fighter, a detective, and when it counts the most, a trailblazer..."
-J.R. Potter, award-winning teen mystery author of Thomas Creeper and the Gloomsbury Secret
All Jett Jamison wants is a little peace and quiet.
What could be worse than living in a tiny house in the tiny town of Wisteria with twin brothers who believe they’re superheroes?
Answer: the voices in Jett’s head. They buzz with bits of a bad memory, and they’re getting louder every day. A friend recommends a book sure to unscramble her confusion, but it’s disappeared, and nobody wants to talk about it.
Enraged, Jett and her friends rally up a team to fight the censorship, even enlisting her clever pet bunny, Felix, one-eared Grey Cat, and the ghosts of a few authors known for shaking things up.
They plan a peaceful protest, but it backfires big time, and the town goes berserk.
Now Jett realizes that peace isn’t always quiet, and she’ll need to heal herself before she can restore calm to Wisteria.
"A harrowing rescue thriller with a truly magnetic hero at its core."
-BEST THRILLERS
A kidnapper hiding in plain sight.
A rural town with tons of suspects.
From award-winning author Cam Torrens comes a gut-wrenching suspense novel based on an actual missing person case.
A 911 call sends Search & Rescue on a search for a missing girl in the Collegiate Peaks. They find a child...but not the one they seek.
Air Force pilot Tyler Zahn's life disintegrated when he lost his son. He discarded his family, his career, and his dignity, finding solace in apathy and beer. Eight years later, armed with new confidence, he invites his estranged daughter, Daria, to visit his Rocky Mountain home. Zahn tries too hard to mend their relationship, and as the tension between father and daughter increases, forgiveness seems out of reach. Especially when his Search & Rescue work pulls him away from Daria and she finds romance at the church camp next door.
But Zahn can't get the missing girl he found-and the one he can't find-out of his mind. Someone in this mountain valley is collecting children, and Zahn is gradually drawn into the case while still trying to break through to his daughter.
“...a harrowing journey into the depths of obsession, desperation, and the destructive power of unrequited love.”
–Gayle Brown, author of A Deadly Game
When Vanessa kidnaps her ex-lover’s newborn baby, some might call her evil. Those who know her story might call her justified.
Vanessa thought she found her soulmate in August. Mind-bending sex. Soul-baring conversations. Safety and acceptance and being seen. Perhaps too perfect? Yes. August is married to his college sweetheart, Cassidy. When Vanessa gets pregnant, August manipulates Vanessa into getting an abortion with promises of a future together, but dumps her soon after. Vanessa plots her revenge, kidnapping August’s baby, Daisy, from her nursery.
Each member of this haunting love triangle tells their story as a nationwide search for Daisy ensues. August’s secret affairs play a pivotal role in the police investigation, Cassidy learns her marriage is a sham, and Vanessa struggles to keep Daisy alive.
Come And Get Me is a forty-eight hour pulse- pounding domestic thriller that explores issues of truth and consequence and how one decision can have an unforeseeable rippling effect on countless lives.
"I don't believe I've ever read a book quite like The Wise Ass, and I've read quite a few. It's a mix of suspense, Goodfellas, sci-fi, caper & just plain good fun." –Karen M. (Amazon Reviewer)
"The Claire Trilogy is a commentary on our times with a little magic and space adventures thrown in." –Oldcowgurl (Amazon Reviewer)
When Wise Guys meet the Wise Ass and friends, all hell breaks loose.
After his brothers are murdered, a New York mob lawyer testifies against his associates and is forced to enter WITSEC (the Witness Protection Program). He and his wife are relocated to a rural area outside a small town in Colorado where he is compelled to adapt to his new life under the constant threat of mafia reprisal. Reflexively resisting his immersion into all things country, this life long city boy meets and adopts a loquacious mule and befriends his closest neighbors, who have even greater secrets to conceal.
A renegade US Marshall, a lesbian couple that includes a powerful psychic-medium-witch and an ex-army ranger completes his new circle of friends. When the mob associates are released due to the lawyer's intentionally prejudicial testimony at trial, they come gunning for him before the retrial can occur.
"DeRuosi opens a vivid window into the world of modern teens... It is far too easy to not see that everyone is going through something, and this book will forever open our eyes."
-Tim Smyth, author of Teaching with Comics and Graphic Novels
Sixteen-year-old Charlie McIntyre wants nothing more than to leave the school year behind him and be back at his family's beach house in Ocean City, New Jersey. In January, Charlie returns home from school to find that his father has deserted the family. Devastated, Charlie buries his anger and resentment behind a wall. Desperate for some sense of normal, Charlie longs for the carefree days spent at the beach, hanging out with his circle of friends, particularly his best friend Jackson.
However, Charlie soon discovers that the normalcy he needed being back in Ocean City is fleeting. Slowly, his relationships with his friends begin to shift, and Charlie finds himself adrift in a sea of change in which he struggles to remain afloat.
Holding Back the Tide is a novel about the ever-changing landscape teenagers face as they plod through friendships, family dynamics, and their evaporating childhood.
“A glorious rom-com caper delivered with genuine wit and panache. It’s one laugh-out-loud moment after another with mayhem and intrigue that will keep you laughing and guessing until the very end. You won’t read a funnier book all year.”
–F.M.A. Dixon, author of The Little House on Everywhere Street
Eli, a precocious 16-year-old social misfit living on Long Island in August 1979, cons his way into a professional boys' choir's Italian and Vatican tour so he can discover his missing father's legacy.
But when he meets his dream girl, Jane, and finds himself connected to an intricate murder plot involving a legendary drug, he must decide if singing for the Pope is worth losing his family and first love.
Jane, a rebellious 16-year-old American girl, is desperate to get back into favor with her school friends after accidentally calling a narc on them. When she is sent to a Roman convent for smuggling erotic novels, she realizes she must grow up fast if she's going to escape from the nuns, solve her family's mystery involving a mythical drug, keep clear of the authorities, and declare her love for Eli.
"Spirit Sight is one of those fine novels that blends all of the elements of fantasy with the soul-searching, coming of age of the main character. Every page is full to the brim with external crises and internal realizations and truths. You won't be able to put this book down, and you also will never be able to forget it."
–Kathie Giorgio, author of Hope Always Rises
Spirit Sight Vol 1 introduced readers to an epic fantasy adventure, full of magic, mystery, redemption, love and loss. In Spirit Sight Vol 2 the saga continues to its exciting conclusion.
It’s too late for the Empire to capture Minna Hunter before she finds her spirit guide, but she has much to learn, and now they know she’s coming. While Minna and Ulf feel love’s first tremulous breath, the Empire sets its trap.
Though Minna escapes, she’s alone and lost in the teeming Imperial capital. She must evade her pursuers and find a way to rescue her sister. Meanwhile, Alyn faces an impossible choice; become the Inquisition’s witch or die.
In an exciting climax, full of gaudy displays of spirit power, wrong turns, missed opportunities, and startling revelations, Minna shoulders the burdens of being her people’s savior.
"Fraser's narrative is written with notable humor and compassion, combining elements of screwball comedy with savvy class analysis.... A shrewd and vibrant story of the resilience of ordinary people." –Kirkus Reviews
The Otis, an inconsequential river-not the Hudson-flows through Wattsville, a small city a few hours north but a universe away from the real City, capital C. You might think the everyday people who live here, in this land of scarce opportunity, are also inconsequential. Until you meet them.
Sam, a cross-dresser with a voice like Tina Turner's and his best friend Carol, a cashier who stress eats, prove their mettle when Carol's daughter Garnet is imprisoned for defending herself against a violent boyfriend. Sam and Carol's plots to save Garnet have consequences, however. An innocent boy is blamed for their actions and kidnapped, a dog gets poisoned, and Garnet's life is imperiled as parole becomes a distant dream. In the end, it's the river that offers up justice for these heroes-at-heart. But they will need to be able to swim.
Coercive Relationships provides a beacon for survivors of partner abuse. Parker’s nonjudgmental, empathic voice offers knowledge gleaned from years of experience. Survivors gain answers to frequently asked questions:
Am I being abused?
Why do they hurt me?
Why do I feel so crazy?
What can I change?
Why do they believe they should control us?
How do I recognize abuse of power?
How do I heal?
Each chapter contains illustrative vignettes and suggestions for reflection to assist readers in discovering what they want.
Coercive Relationships lifts the private shame survivors feel by connecting their abusers’ actions to societal values and beliefs that permit all forms of violence.
GOLD AWARD for 2023 Best Historical Fantasy
5-Star Highly Recommended Award
Finalist Award, American Fiction Awards
"Astonishing!"
—Net Galley Review
"Masterful! Everything readers want from great literature . . .A tour de force of tension, humor, perspective, and spectacle."
—Michael Hartnett, The Blue Rat
"An enthralling blend of history and fantasy . . . A masterwork."
—The Historical Fiction Company, Book of the Year Awards
"Magical. Historical fantasy at its best!"
—Courtney Filigenzi, Clover Doves
To some, Lily was just a beautiful little girl. To others, she was a freakish albino who ate live chickens in a freak show. Charles Darwin called her his impossible girl and tried in vain to classify her. P. T. Barnum called her his angel and tried to take advantage of her.
But the creature Barnum thought to turn into a money-making feature attraction is neither girl nor angel. She is something other, a species of unimaginable abilities, with the power to destroy—or save —our world. The power is hers alone, but only the strange blood coursing through her veins will decide when and how to unleash a power she struggles every day to control.
From the cold, barren shores of Tierra del Fuego and the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle to the bustling crowds of Victorian London, Lily's story—and her quest—unfolds in a thrilling historical fantasy for all ages from award-winning author Len Boswell.
THE MONSTER BENEATH HIS SKIN IS NOW CALLING TO ANOTHER...AND SHE HAS NO IDEA.
Garron's life of captivity has been nothing but torture and pain. In a desperate escape, a new ally, Jaxon, has sacrificed his own freedom, giving him the impossible. Now he must honor his word to find and protect the sister of the only friend he has had in decades. The task is harder than he'd ever expected, and the gorgeous woman is not what she seems. Maxine calls to the monster they've created beneath his skin on a primal level. And she's not ready for the beast that has already claimed her as his.
Her fate is bound to his…even if she doesn't believe it. Maxine's life is spiraling dangerously out of control as a dark secret awakens and she accidentally kills the only person with her missing brother's whereabouts. Now her own life is in the crosshairs. When a handsome stranger rescues her claiming to have the answers she so desperately needs, she's left with only one choice. But Garron's clearly crazy with stories of torture, caves, and monsters. Or is he? Unable to fight the undeniable pull, the blazing desire ignited threatens to consume them both.
Time is running out. Hunted and fighting for their own lives, they must work together and return to the very hell in which Garron escaped. To save her brother Jaxon and the rest of the captives, she may have to sacrifice everything, even herself.
"A realistic, visceral portrayal of a boy's coming-of-age." -Kirkus Reviews
The year was 1975, and that summer would prove epic for Jimmy Hamilton. Imagine, an eleven-year-old boy with an imagination so powerful that he uses it like others would use a compass. Jimmy Hamilton sets out for the adventure of a lifetime. But summer, with all its promise, throws him a curveball, and he loses his fort on three separate occasions to unwanted squatters. He comes to discover each new unwelcomed tenant proves more difficult to evict than the last. His plans have a modicum of success but each comes with unintended consequences.
Add to that mix, the prettiest girl his age, a baseball diamond, a groundhog, a snapping turtle, a boy with a heightened olfactory acuity, and the town vagrant and Jimmy soon finds his summer adventure is more than he expected.
Sour Apples is a humorous young adult adventure of a clever young boy who thinks he can outwit the best of them. His riveting antics might one day make Jimmy a legend. Paul Jantzen has masterfully written his debut novel, a tale of mischief and adventure that will grab the reader from the first page.
"The accuracy of medical details and credible bomb threats mixed with genuine characters guarantees an unputdownable read. Buckle in and get ready for a fast-paced ride!"
–Ivanka Fear, author of The Dead Lie and Where is My Husband?
Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, hosts an F1 race, the largest sporting event in the city's history and a prime target for terrorism. With over a half million people descending on the Strip for the event, a bomb detonated in a parking garage days before the race. In the emergency room, Doc fights to save the lives of a pregnant doctor and her premature baby injured in the blast, spurring him to risk his own life to find justice for the victims. He is joined by his girlfriend Lana, a smart, ambitious reporter, his friend and colleague, Rick, and his trained ex-police dog Banshee. Their investigation takes them from a seedy bar to iconic landmarks around Las Vegas and crescendos on the night of the race when chaos reigns in the city. As the sun rises, they reveal a deceptive scheme to close the case. An action-packed thriller, Sin City Treachery entertains with a story that leaves readers guessing until the end.
"Dead Egyptians takes the reader on a vast, rollicking ride through history, reincarnation, romance and more... "
–Susan Martell Huebner, author She Thought the Door Was Locked
In Egypt, all things are possible. So discovers Albion Stanley, a recent Cambridge graduate and brilliant linguist, newly arrived in Cairo in 1902. Albion sees the unseen, including ghosts. It is a less than comfortable reality, which he tends to with copious amounts of whiskey and numerous other vices.
Also in Cairo is Aleister Crowley, the famed occultist. Aleister is a dangerous man, but not an unsympathetic one and never a dull one. Together, they discover the world of dead Egyptians, some of whom are older than the pyramids.
Dead Egyptians have a lot to say. They are deeply unsatisfied with the state of modern Egypt, yet, for all their wisdom and power, they have limitations. As a Seer, Albion proves indispensable to both Crowley and the dead Egyptians.
Dead Egyptians transports the reader into a glittering turn of the century Cairo, while also addressing the atrocities of colonialism. It is hedonistic, while also exploring the complex world of Ancient Egyptian religious thought. It is historically accurate down to the fabrics, while remaining fantastical at its core.
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