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The Patriot Paradox (Kurt Vetter Book 1) (affiliate link)
Ex-CIA analyst Kurt Vetter, haunted by ghosts and seeking solace, drowns his sorrows in South American sun. But a chilling package from his dead brother shatters his exile, pulling him back into the labyrinthine world of espionage. Encrypted files whisper of a rogue CIA plot, a nuclear bomb ticking in the shadows.
Thrust into a desperate alliance with enigmatic Amanda Carter, Kurt must decipher his brother’s cryptic message before time runs out. Assassins stalk their every move, the clock a relentless drumbeat against their hearts. Can they outrun their demons, unravel the conspiracy, and defuse the bomb before it obliterates millions?
In this pulse-pounding thriller, vengeance collides with redemption, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Dive into a breathless race against time, where every second could be the last.
The Accidental Mistress (When the Wallflowers were Wicked Book 1) (affiliate link)
When your reputation is ruined, why not enjoy it?
For Regency wallflower, Miss Verity Barnes, nothing is more difficult than obtaining a voucher to Almack’s Assembly Rooms…except salvaging her reputation after committing a grievous faux pas within ten minutes of stepping through the doors. But being cast out of fashionable society inspires Verity to seek out a different way of life—a way she believes will bring her happiness, comfort and security—becoming the mistress of a powerful man.
Thomas Manfred, Marquess of Landsbury, isn’t looking for a biddable woman to warm his bed. His fortunes lie on the brink of ruin, so he needs a wealthy wife, and Lady Charlotte Grey, darling of the ton, seems to be the only answer. But he cannot forget the adorable, amusing, and naïve young beauty who humiliated herself at Almack’s. And when Verity shows up on his doorstep, demanding he take her as his mistress as amends for the part he played in her ruin, he simply cannot resist the temptation.
Falling For The CEO: A Billionaire Romance Collection (affiliate link)
A billionaire who wants a perfect wife…
At thirty-five, Marcus Carelli has it all: wealth, power, and the kind of looks that leave women breathless. A self-made billionaire, he heads one of the largest hedge funds on Wall Street and can take down major corporations with a single word. The only thing he’s missing? A wife who’d be as big of an achievement as the billions in his bank account.
A cat lady who needs a date…
Twenty-six-year-old bookstore clerk Emma Walsh has it on good authority that she’s a cat lady. She doesn’t necessarily agree with that assessment, but it’s hard to argue with the facts. Raggedy clothes covered with cat hair? Check. Last professional haircut? Over a year ago. Oh, and three cats in a tiny Brooklyn studio? Yep, she’s got those.
And yes, fine, she hasn’t had a date since… well, she can’t recall. But that part is fixable. Isn’t that what the dating sites are for?
A case of mistaken identity…
Too Late (Morgan Stark—Book 1) (affiliate link)
Morgan Stark is a renowned surgeon, acclaimed by his colleagues for his brilliance as a diagnostician. But when his close friend and protégé resident is murdered, Morgan feels compelled to help the FBI decipher the trail of medical clues and bring the killer to justice.
FBI Special Agent Danielle Hernandez, 28, a rising star in the BAU, equally esteemed by her colleagues for her brilliance and determination, is not used to turning to a doctor for help in solving crimes. This unlikely partnership, though, may just surprise them both.
Yet as brilliant as this team is, they are up against a diabolical mastermind who will stop at nothing to outwit them.
The Ladies’ Column (Goldie Weston Book 1) (affiliate link)
Love is in the air. Unfortunately for Goldie Weston, her fiancé has romantic ideas for someone else. If anyone asked her for advice on the situation she now faced, she would suggest they make lemonade of the lemons.
Determined to leave the past in the past and embrace a new future, she dreams up the ideal job for someone with her skills. It involves offering advice to other women who are also navigating a new world of independence after WWI.
When a man she saw having an argument with her fiancé is murdered, Goldie is drawn into an investigation that involves flappers, speakeasies, members of her very large family, and special agent Zeb Masterson. Searching for a killer brings her closer to one of the readers writing to a ladies’ column asking for advice.
It also brings her closer to the special agent that questions Goldie for murder. Given that her scarf was found on the body, Zebulon Masterson is convinced of her guilt. Goldie must be quick on her feet to keep her role with the newspaper a secret, solve problems for members of her family, and find a killer with a special agent hard on her stylish heels.
The Year of the Dragon Series Boxed Set 1: Books 1-4 (affiliate link)
It is the Sixteenth Year of Queen Victoria. In the powerful empire of Dracaland, Bran, a young dragon rider, joins his father on a military expedition to the mysterious lands of the Orient. In the reclusive Yamato, Sato, a tomboy samurai girl, strives to prove her right to inherit her father’s school of western magic. Nagomi, a timid shrine apprentice, is haunted by the visions of dark future she must keep secret even from her best friend.
They don’t know it yet, but their paths will cross… And when they do, nothing will ever be the same again.
Welcome to The Shadow of Black Wings, a steam-powered romp across the land of dragons, wizards and samurai. It’s big, it’s fast, it’s been compared to Tolkien in terms of world-building, it has strong female characters and lots of carefully researched detail. You will meet the Royal Marines sailing mighty ironclads and Chinese walking machines; mysterious warlords and crazy inventors; you will discover dark prophecies, family secrets and blood-thirsty demons. And all that in just the first volume!
May McGoldrick Two-Volume Box Set (MacPherson Clan Series) (affiliate link)
Their arranged marriage was two decades in the making. Elizabeth Hay is young, educated, and has her own ideas about her life. Alexander Macpherson is a Highlander and a pirate and not about to be tied down to some delicate court flower. But honor dictates they go through with the betrothal arranged when they were still children.
Now the wedding ceremony is only a week away. Each wants to put an end to the nuptials, but fate has a way of bollixing the best-made plans. As the biggest storm in memory sweeps through Scotland and the floods leave them swimming for their lives, Elizabeth and Alexander must face up to the one thing they never expected.
The love affair that started it all!
La Seduction: How the French Play the Game of Life (affiliate link)
The hidden truth about the French way of life: it’s all about seduction—its rules, its pleasures, its secrets
France is a seductive country, seductive in its elegance, its beauty, its sensual pleasures, and its joie de vivre. But Elaine Sciolino, the longtime Paris bureau chief of The New York Times, has discovered that seduction is much more than a game to the French: it is the key to understanding France.
Seduction plays a crucial role in how the French relate to one another—not just in romantic relationships but also in how they conduct business, enjoy food and drink, define style, engage in intellectual debate, elect politicians, and project power around the world. While sexual repartee and conquest remain at the heart of seduction, for the French seduction has become a philosophy of life, even an ideology, that can confuse outsiders.
Mindfulness Is Better Than Chocolate: A Practical Guide to Enhanced Focus and Lasting Happiness in a World of Distractions (affiliate link)
Distractions are everywhere. Our thoughts drift to what we need to do tomorrow or what went wrong yesterday. Even pleasurable things—like eating chocolate—don’t receive our full attention. As a result, we miss out on joy that is easily within reach.
Drawing on both Buddhist teachings and contemporary science, David Michie teaches us how to experience a mind free of stress and dullness and gives us the tools to rewire our brains for happiness. “Mindfulness” is paying attention to the present moment, deliberately and nonjudgmentally—and those who practice it experience a wealth of benefits:
·Reduced stress
·Stronger immune systems
·More ease in breaking bad habits
·Improved self-esteem
·Enhanced mental clarity
·Sharper memory
·Overall well-being
·and better-tasting chocolate!
Why are women biologically driven to find Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome?
Can more sex help ensure a safe pregnancy?
What effect does pornography have on a man’s fertility?
Dr. Sharon Moalem, author of the New York Times–bestseller Survival of the Sickest, takes us on a trip from prehistory to the forefront of cutting-edge medical research—and through a bedroom or two—to tell the story of how human sexuality has developed over time. How Sex Works challenges common perceptions about our bodies as it provides answers to such provocative questions as:
Can the birth control pill influence the type of men women are attracted to?
Why do hourglass-shaped women tend to be especially fertile?
When are women most likely to cheat?
Can twins have different fathers?
The Tyranny of Words (affiliate link)
The pioneering and still essential text on semantics, urging readers to improve human communication and understanding with precise, concrete language.
In 1938, Stuart Chase revolutionized the study of semantics with his classic text, The Tyranny of Words. Decades later, this eminently useful analysis of the way we use words continues to resonate. A contemporary of the economist Thorstein Veblen and the author Upton Sinclair, Chase was a social theorist and writer who despised the imprecision of contemporary communication. Wide-ranging and erudite, this iconic volume was one of the first to condemn the overuse of abstract words and to exhort language users to employ words that make their ideas accurate, complete, and readily understood.
State Secrets: A 2-in-1 Collection (affiliate link)
Cookbook author Holly Llewellyn is the last person who should be labeled an “enemy of the state”—or is she? After all, her brother is a missing traitor, and with her ties to the president, the Secret Service isn’t taking chances.
So they send in Agent David Goddard, undercover. After one glance, David knows Holly isn’t just an “assignment”—she’s a woman who’ll change his life. But couldn’t her blue eyes, blond hair and girl-next-door smile be the perfect cover…for espionage? Yet David can’t stop himself from loving the woman he was sent to destroy. But he’ll have to keep her safe from the enemy that will remain hidden until they can strike…
… See the rest of today ‘s Book Picks here on page 2Page 2