What does love feel like?No one dreams or plans to fall in love with a rampant maniac. No one plans to marry the monster that haunts them day after day. Every abused person faces a mirror at some point and decides whether today is the day to leave. Domestic Violence is covered up by words, emotions, fabric, policies, family, lies, and distorted images of love. Love does not punch. Love does not hide. Love does not force itself. Love does not lie.In this narrative Michelle Davis Jones reveals numerous encounters with her abuser after the sacred

Battered & bruised, but not broken is an erotic, male/male, gay romance novel. It's the culmination of two lost souls finding what they didn't know they were looking for. Hunter is an ex-con, always in the wrong place at the worst times which is how he landed in prison. He's looking to start anew when in walks Elliott. Timid and sheltered Elliott has his life in order. Or so he thinks, that is until Hunter introduces him to a whole new world. Both are battling past demons, but what happens when their worlds collide?

After a career in London advertising as a copywriter, Mike Doyle saw a creative revolution take place with London producing what was judged to be the best advertising in the world; he was looking for a fresh start.So, in 1990 he took the giant leap of faith, on a wing and a prayer, to start a new career in Australian advertising. His wife and children also taking a giant leap into the unknown.Nothing could have prepared him for the assault course he was about to embark upon. The upside was he met and worked with some of the cleverest and funniest people on the planet, and produced work that he could be proud of.Mike was lucky enough to be able to tell his children that the 45 years he spent in advertising were the best working life he could ever have wished for.But as this book testifies, be careful, very careful, about what you wish for.

Gillian Locke has been beaten, battered, and bruised, but her ex-boyfriend still hasn’t managed to break her. When she leaves Kyle for the last time, she knows the only way she’ll ever be back in his grasp is over her dead body. On the run, her car disastrously breaks down in at the top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere. Stuck in a terrible snowstorm, Gillian figures it’s better to die at the hands of nature, than at the hands of Kyle, her tormentor. Fighting the freezing cold, she stares death in the eye and presses on, until she happens upon a cabin in the woods, and is offered shelter by three gorgeous men who can’t seem to get enough of her. The Bearclaw brothers are descendants of the ancient Anikota tribe of Indians. Their beast spirit and blessing from the Maker allows them the ability to sense the one who will complete their soul. Being triplets, they always expected their mate to be a woman they’d all share. With the Maker’s blessing, they hope to ease past Gillian’s defenses…before her past threatens to end their future.

Bev Gilliard writes in the field of Christian intimate literature and poetry that are transformational, revelatory, provocative, convicting, bold; eloquent, blunt, and transparently intense. This book is like none other in that it offers a close look at the actual personal experiences of an individual impacted by violence. "Battered, Beaten, Bruise, but not Broken" is a reminder that family violence is not a private matter and it pushes readers to ask tough questions about not only the destructive nature of family violence, child sexual assault, and suicide, but also about the toxicity of male privilege, and the dangerous effects of rape culture. It also pushes readers to examine themselves and what role we play in perpetuating violence against women and children by keeping silence, not getting educated on the subject, and not participating through our donations to causes or volunteering to end the violence. Bev has crafted a work that invites readers to stand up for what is right and challenges men to do better in their relationships, and on a whole in speaking out about violence. We are stronger together, and together we can speak out and stop the violence.

This book is the personal story of a Christian marriage that turned into a life of abuse and domestic violence - a personal story full of difficulties in a relationship gone wrong. Trusting in God and honoring the marriage vow, yet I could not believe the reality of what it had become. I could not believe that I was 'sleeping with the enemy'. Being brought up in a traditional church, I was extensively taught the word of God and how to love and care for your spouse. My mother taught me how to trust God, no matter the circumstance. She taught me how to hide in the secret place of the Most High. In viewing the Christian life, being patterned after the life of Jesus Christ our Savior, there are those who appear to be something on the outside, but they live another life at home behind closed doors. In our Christian circle they may look well put together especially in the church or Christian surroundings. They appear spiritually mature, but behind the window of their soul resides a carnal-minded individual. They pray eloquently, participate in deep theological discussions and reference scriptures to support their thoughts or insights. They may even know how to expound the word of God in Greek and Hebrew. They host conferences or are great Sunday school teachers, or just a lay member with no particular spiritual office. On the outside, their appearance is deceiving - oh if walls could talk! Abuse is not only in the church, it's worldwide. It has no color, no educational level, no nationality, no financial status, in fact, no particular boundaries in life. It does not discriminate. However; to my surprise, it is prevalent in the body of Christ. I feel like Apostle Paul when he said, "these things should not be." Victims are in choir stands, on the Usher Board; even in the pulpit - yes unfortunately abusers are in the church. Victims are usually abused for many years, but are too afraid to let someone know because -others are not supposed to know. I was that victim. I searched so many times for direction and answers from God. My life was sold out for Christ, yet at the end of the day I was still a victim. I went through this abuse, but I don't encourage anyone to go through what I had to go through. That was my cross to carry. I was ignorant to the fact that God never intended for anyone to be in bondage or live in an environment of fear. Fear is torment and binding, keeping you from the destiny that God has intended for your life. In Proverbs 18:22, if God gives you a wife that brings favor and blessing, ask yourself, "Would God approve of His favor being abused in any situation?" It is so very important to educate the body of Christ, to educate them about domestic violence in the church. This is not a popular subject in the church, but it's a way of life that some are hid in. I have found that some of the abusers are carrying the titles of Apostle, Pastor, Deacon, and so forth in the church which have been abusing their spouses for years. God, in these last days, is exposing and bringing such actions to the light. This book is in no way intended to promote divorce, but is intended to be used as a help source. It is intended as a help for those who are hiding behind the embarrassment and fear of controlling silence. It's time for those in the body of Christ not to be silent anymore. God is ready to deliver you from being a victim to becoming the victor you already are!

In the best tradition of Tessa Hadley, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Ann Patchett—an astonishing, keenly observed period piece about an ordinary British woman in the 1950s whose dutiful life takes a sudden turn into a pitched battle between propriety and unexpected passion. "With wit and dry humor...quietly affecting in unexpected ways. Chambers' language is beautiful, achieving what only the most skilled writers can: big pleasure wrought from small details."--The New York Times LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 1957: Jean Swinney is a feature writer on a local paper in the southeast suburbs of London. Clever but with limited career opportunities and on the brink of forty, Jean lives a dreary existence that includes caring for her demanding widowed mother, who rarely leaves the house. It’s a small life with little joy and no likelihood of escape. That all changes when a young woman, Gretchen Tilbury, contacts the paper to claim that her daughter is the result of a virgin birth. Jean seizes onto the bizarre story and sets out to discover whether Gretchen is a miracle or a fraud. But the more Jean investigates, the more her life becomes strangely (and not unpleasantly) intertwined with that of the Tilburys, including Gretchen’s gentle and thoughtful husband Howard, who mostly believes his wife, and their quirky and charming daughter Margaret, who becomes a sort of surrogate child for Jean. Gretchen, too, becomes a much-needed friend in an otherwise empty social life. Jean cannot bring herself to discard what seems like her one chance at happiness, even as the story that she is researching starts to send dark ripples across all their lives…with unimaginable consequences. Both a mystery and a love story, Small Pleasures is a literary tour-de-force in the style of The Remains of the Day, about conflict between personal fulfillment and duty; a novel that celebrates the beauty and potential for joy in all things plain and unfashionable.

In her educational textbook style memoir, "Battered, Beaten, Bruised, But Not Broken," Bev candidly detail her experiences with childhood sexual assault, family violence, intimate partner violence (domestic violence), aggravated stalking, and the effects of stalking that contributed to PTSD emotional trauma and suicide ideation and attempt suicide.More importantly, Bev chronicled her memoir in such a way that the readers can experience the highs and lows of her emotion, journey, and champion her resiliency. Bev used her memoir to educate her readers on the effects of violence from an impacted individual's perspective, the physical and emotional toll violence has on its victim, and how we can learn to cope and not let abuse define who we are or leave us broken. Bev says anyone impacted by abuse can recover and go on to live a happy, healthy, resilient life once they make the decision that enough is enough and step out in faith, walking away from their abuser and abusive situation.Finally, while Bev supports all individuals impacted by violence, she is passionate about working with women and girls in a shared experience so that every woman and girl can feel safe, supported, loved, listened to and respected. Learning how to say "no" and dealing with the heavy consequences when "no" is not heard or listened to. And, finding love for yourself when the only love you can find is hidden deep within your most difficult part of your past.Bev Speaking Topics includes: Grief, Domestic Violence, Family Violence, Suicide Prevention, Survivors of Suicide and Homicide, Brokenness, Finding Hope, Dealing with Anxiety and Depression.'BATTERED, BEATEN, BRUISED, BUT NOT BROKEN," BOOK CREDITS: Author: Bev GilliardFront Cover - Paul GilliardPublisher - Bev Gilliard, LLC