Murder isn't supposed to happen in quiet country communities, but as her neighbors slept on a chilly July night, her killer laughs and tosses Rachel Harteman, a pregnant housewife, from the bluff high above the shores of her home in upstate New York and into the frigid water below, watching her take her last breathe and disappear to a watery grave below. Her husband, the lone suspect has no alibi and had been heard fighting with her moments before her screams were heard as she plummeted to her death. A quick trial, easy conviction follows, and Henry Harteman is sentenced to life in prison. Case closed and life went back to normal in the sleepy town on Oneida Lake; except Rachel won't rest until the motive for her murder is revealed.Thirty years later when Nicole Brentwood sets her sights on a dilapidated lake front estate, her husband Jared has no idea what he's in for, but knows it's futile to attempt to change his wife's mind. Both quickly realize that they are in over their heads when it becomes apparent that their new home not only came with the previous owner's furniture, but with the previous owner!

For fans of Linda Sue Park and A Long Way Gone, two young boys must escape a life of slavery in modern-day Ivory Coast Fifteen-year-old Amadou counts the things that matter. For two years what has mattered are the number of cacao pods he and his younger brother, Seydou, can chop down in a day. This number is very important. The higher the number the safer they are because the bosses won’t beat them. The higher the number the closer they are to paying off their debt and returning home to Moke and Auntie. Maybe. The problem is Amadou doesn’t know how much he and Seydou owe, and the bosses won’t tell him. The boys only wanted to make some money during the dry season to help their impoverished family. Instead they were tricked into forced labor on a plantation in the Ivory Coast; they spend day after day living on little food and harvesting beans in the hot sun—dangerous, backbreaking work. With no hope of escape, all they can do is try their best to stay alive—until Khadija comes into their lives. She’s the first girl who’s ever come to camp, and she’s a wild thing. She fights bravely every day, attempting escape again and again, reminding Amadou what it means to be free. But finally, the bosses break her, and what happens next to the brother he has always tried to protect almost breaks Amadou. The old impulse to run is suddenly awakened. The three band together as family and try just once more to escape. Tara Sullivan, the award-winning author of the astounding Golden Boy, delivers another powerful, riveting, and moving tale of children fighting to make a difference and be counted. Inspired by true-to-life events happening right now, The Bitter Side of Sweet is an exquisitely written tour de force not to be missed.

Bittersweet Legacy is the dramatic story of the relationship between two generations of black and white southerners in Charlotte, North Carolina, from 1850 to 1910. Janette Greenwood describes the interactions between black and white business and p

Named a Best Book of 2021 by NPR This inspirational memoir serves as a call to action from prison reform activist Yusef Salaam, of the Exonerated Five, that will inspire us all to turn our stories into tools for change in the pursuit of racial justice. They didn't know who they had. So begins Yusef Salaam telling his story. No one's life is the sum of the worst things that happened to them, and during Yusef Salaam's seven years of wrongful incarceration as one of the Central Park Five, he grew from child to man, and gained a spiritual perspective on life. Yusef learned that we're all "born on purpose, with a purpose." Despite having confronted the racist heart of America while being "run over by the spiked wheels of injustice," Yusef channeled his energy and pain into something positive, not just for himself but for other marginalized people and communities. Better Not Bitter is the first time that one of the now Exonerated Five is telling his individual story, in his own words. Yusef writes his narrative: growing up Black in central Harlem in the '80s, being raised by a strong, fierce mother and grandmother, his years of incarceration, his reentry, and exoneration. Yusef connects these stories to lessons and principles he learned that gave him the power to survive through the worst of life's experiences. He inspires readers to accept their own path, to understand their own sense of purpose. With his intimate personal insights, Yusef unpacks the systems built and designed for profit and the oppression of Black and Brown people. He inspires readers to channel their fury into action, and through the spiritual, to turn that anger and trauma into a constructive force that lives alongside accountability and mobilizes change. This memoir is an inspiring story that grew out of one of the gravest miscarriages of justice, one that not only speaks to a moment in time or the rage-filled present, but reflects a 400-year history of a nation's inability to be held accountable for its sins. Yusef Salaam's message is vital for our times, a motivating resource for enacting change. Better, Not Bitter has the power to soothe, inspire and transform. It is a galvanizing call to action.

A sequel to the award-winning memoir Is That You Ruthie?, which chronicled Ruth Hegarty's childhood story, this book begins with Ruth's courtship while she was an inmate of Cherbourg Aboriginal Mission, followed by her marriage and family life outside the mission and eventually in Brisbane.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In this unforgettable memoir, Ashley Judd describes her odyssey, as a lost child attains international prominence as a fiercely dedicated advocate. In 2002, award-winning film and stage actor Ashley Judd found her true calling: as a humanitarian and voice for those suffering in neglected parts of the world. After her first trip to the notorious brothels, slums, and hospices of southeast Asia, Ashley knew immediately that she wanted to advocate on behalf of the vulnerable. During her travels, Ashley started to write diaries that detailed extraordinary stories of survival and resilience. But along the way, she realized that she was struggling with her own emotional pain, stemming from childhood abandonment and abuse. Seeking in-patient treatment in 2006 for the grief that had nearly killed her, Ashley found not only her own recovery and an enriched faith but the spiritual tools that energized and advanced her feminist social justice work. Her story ranges from anger to forgiveness, isolation to interdependence, depression to activism. In telling it, she resoundingly answers the ineffable question about the relationship between healing oneself and service to others. Praise for All That Is Bitter and Sweet “Ashley Judd has given us magnetic and searingly honest portrayals of diverse women on screen. Now with the same honesty and magnetism, she brings us her true self on the page. From her childhood to her revolutionary empathy with women and girls living very different lives, her path will inspire readers on journeys of their own.”—Gloria Steinem “Over the last decade I have watched my gifted, brilliant friend grow as an artist, but more importantly, as a wise, deeply empathetic woman. I have read the diaries that are the heart of this memoir since she began traveling the world, fearing for her safety and sanity, baffled why she chooses these grueling missions. All That Is Bitter and Sweet will be a revelation to readers, exposing Ashley Judd for what I have known for years she is: an amazing woman doing extraordinary work.”—Morgan Freeman “All That Is Bitter and Sweet is all that is enlightening and inspiring. Ashley Judd has composed a memoir that teaches while it entrances and finds hope and faith in the most unlikely places. The book is full of real-life stories that reflect both the compassion of its author and the need for healing in the world.”—Madeleine K. Albright

Fall in love with Vermont in this USA Today bestselling series. The last person Griffin Shipley expects to find stuck in a ditch on his Vermont country road is his ex-hookup. Five years ago they’d shared a couple of steamy nights together. But that was a lifetime ago. At twenty-seven, Griff is now the accidental patriarch of his family farm. Even his enormous shoulders feel the strain of supporting his mother, three siblings and a dotty grandfather. He doesn’t have time for the sorority girl who’s shown up expecting to buy his harvest at half price. Vermont was never in Audrey Kidder’s travel plans. Neither was Griff Shipley. But she needs a second chance with the restaurant conglomerate employing her. Okay—a fifth chance. And no self-righteous lumbersexual farmer will stand in her way. They’re adversaries. They want entirely different things from life. Too bad their sexual chemistry is as hot as Audrey’s top secret enchilada sauce, and then some. Warning: This stand-alone novel contains growly alpha farmers, gourmet yumminess, a steamy outdoor shower and proof that farmers don't mind getting dirty. Other books set in the True North world include: Steadfast http://geni.us/steadfastgoogle Keepsake http://geni.us/ksgoogle Bountiful http://geni.us/BFgoogle Speakeasy http://geni.us/GoogleSpk Fireworks http://geni.us/GoogleFireworks Heartland https://geni.us/HeartlandGoogle The True North books are perfect for fans of: Elle Kennedy, Corinne Michaels, Melanie Harlow, Vi Keeland, Sally Thorne, Kristan Higgins, Helen Hoang, Penny Reid, Penelope Ward, Kendall Ryan, Jaci Burton, Kay Lyons, Piper Rayne, T.K. Leigh, Amanda Siegrist, Alexis Anne, Linda Seed, Susan Lute, Devney Perry, Melody Anne, Jennifer Probst, Kristen Proby, Kait Nolan, Leslie North, Catherine Cowles, Sienna Carr, Robyn Carr, Melissa Foster, Kadie Scott, Lex Martin, Kylie Gilmore, Bella Andre, Layla Hagen, Chris Keniston, J.H. Croix, Natasha Madison, A.J. Pine, Melissa Storm, Kendall Ryan, Lauren Blakely and Meghan March, Corinne Michaels, Tijan, K Bromberg, Katy Evans, Jessica Hawkins, Helena Hunting, Sally Thorne, Kristen Ashley, Helen Hoang, Kylie Scott, Sawyer Bennett, Lexi Ryan, Karina Halle, Kennedy Ryan, Jodi Ellen Mapas, Kristan Higgins, Jill Shalvis, Max Monroe, Susan Stoker, KA Linde, Kate Canterbary, Kristen Callihan, Samantha Young, Sierra Rose. Keywords: Vermont, sexy romance, foodies, lumbersexuals, big families, lumberjacks, not quite cowboys, Western romance, mountain men, hate to love, enemies to lovers, alpha male, grumpy hero, second chance romance, New England romance, college football player, hard cider, good times, free romance, steamy kisses and homemade ice cream, rural settings, small town romance, free romance book, free romance novel, free reads, free romantic comedy, freebie, free first in series, free sexy romance, google play books for free, romance for free, read books for free, free, freebie, free book, free books, book, books, free ebook, ebook, free novel, read, short, series, funny, female protagonist, novel, secret, alpha male, literature, story, stories, hero, fiction, romance, free romance, free romance ebook, free romance ebooks, free romance book, free romance books, women's fiction, racy, romance novel, romance books, romance books, books to read and download, second chances, freebie, romance freebie, free, free book, free books, free romance books, free romance books to download, free alpha male romance books, free bad boy romance books, free second chance romance, steamy romance books, contemporary romance books, love story and romance books, beach reads, new adult, romantic fiction, romance fiction books, romance books, romance novel, alpha male, free novel, seduction, sexy, sensual, contemporary, contemporary crush.

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A “searching and emotionally intimate memoir” (The New York Times) told with a candor never before undertaken by a sitting Justice. This “powerful defense of empathy” (The Washington Post) is destined to become a classic of self-invention and self-discovery. The first Hispanic and third woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor has become an instant American icon. In this story of human triumph that “hums with hope and exhilaration” (NPR), she recounts her life from a Bronx housing project to the federal bench, a journey that offers an inspiring testament to her own extraordinary determination and the power of believing in oneself. Here is the story of a precarious childhood, with an alcoholic father (who would die when she was nine) and a devoted but overburdened mother, and of the refuge a little girl took from the turmoil at home with her passionately spirited paternal grandmother. But it was when she was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes that the precocious Sonia recognized she must ultimately depend on herself. She would learn to give herself the insulin shots she needed to survive and soon imagined a path to a different life. With only television characters for her professional role models, and little understanding of what was involved, she determined to become a lawyer, a dream that would sustain her on an unlikely course, from valedictorian of her high school class to the highest honors at Princeton, Yale Law School, the New York County District Attorney’s office, private practice, and appointment to the Federal District Court before the age of forty. Along the way we see how she was shaped by her invaluable mentors, a failed marriage, and the modern version of extended family she has created from cherished friends and their children. Through her still-astonished eyes, America’s infinite possibilities are envisioned anew in this warm and honest book.

Investigating the unsolved murder of a female law student and the pervasive violence against Guatemalan women that drives migration. Part memoir and part forensic investigation, Textures of Terror is a gripping first-person story of women, violence, and migration out of Guatemala—and how the United States is implicated. Accompanying Jorge Velásquez in a years-long search for answers after the brutal murder of his daughter Claudina Isabel, Victoria Sanford explores what it means to seek justice in "postconflict" countries where violence never ended. Through this father's determined struggle and other stories of justice denied, Textures of Terror offers a deeper understanding of US policies in Latin America and their ripple effect on migration. Sanford offers an up-close appraisal of the inner workings of the Guatemalan criminal justice system and how it maintains inequality, patriarchy, and impunity. Presenting the stories of other women who have suffered at the hands of strangers, intimate partners, and the security forces, this work reveals the deeply gendered nature of power and violence in Guatemala.

A brutal murder. An abundance of DNA evidence. A three-and-a-half year search for a killer who was always so close-yet untouchable. After the rape and murder of Raleigh, North Carolina, resident Stephanie Bennett, police had ample DNA evidence. They also had a suspect: the man next door. But for more than three years, he eluded them by refusing to hand over a DNA sample, wiping down anything he touched and even planting decoy samples. This is the gripping story of how a team of detectives finally tripped him up-and brought closure to an innocent young woman's family.