At eighteen years old, a small-town southwest Michigan girl stepped foot onto Zambian soil and her life changed forever. As she looked into the eyes of an orphan for the very first time, she began to question why Jesus had brought her to encounter a need so pervasive. Why did Jesus open her eyes to a crisis so vast? What this young woman didnt understand then was the beauty that Jesus was also going to open her eyes to through the lives of so many hurting and broken children. After hearing the Lord speak clearly that He wanted her to move to Zambia, she courageously defied all that her family and friends hoped for her, and began her life in Zambia. All because of love for Jesus. Sophie Hartmans journey is one of finding hope in the midst of brokenness, beauty in the midst of confusion and pain, and Jesus in the eyes of Zambian orphans. Her journey of learning the honor of carrying the stories of so many hurting and broken children is truly inspiring, and the poise and depth of her maturity is remarkable. Crowns of Beauty is an incredible and beautiful story that draws readers into such an intimate place with Jesus where His heart to bring forth beauty from ashes is evident to all. No matter who you are, Sophies stories and heart will inspire you and leave you with faith to believe that Jesus loves to crown His children in beauty, including you.

An abomination came in the middle of the night.Death and destruction followed in his wake.The sun fell from the sky and has yet to return.I am now trapped in a world where the savage and corrupt rule, my life has been compromised.He stole my crown with bloodstained hands and claimed me as his queen.Reyes Straykova is seductively cruel.Volatile and ruthless, a vicious beast.His sinister game has just begun.Bow to the king and watch chaos reign.Beauty & Rage is a prequel for the Broken Crowns series. This is a twisted PNR series not meant for the faint of heart. Contains explicit steam and various dark themes.

A photographic panorama of the creativity and variety of Black women's hairstyles In Crowns: My Hair, My Soul, My FreedomAmerican photographer Sandro Miller (born 1958) celebrates the social endurance, cultural heritage and self-expression of Black women through their hairstyles. In this series of portraits, each subject is posed in front of either a strikingly black or vibrant geometric background that serves to highlight the models' skin tones and accentuates their ultra-stylized hair, whether a halo of bright gold curls or crimson locks swept into an elegant bun. Each image is based on the relevant model's "hair story" and pays homage to her personal fashion sense, documenting the many unspoken ways in which Black women assert their autonomy through their physical appearance. In this project, Miller seeks to recognize and honor Black women's creativity and beauty while celebrating their social endurance and cultural memory at the same time.

DIVDIVIn the second book of Kate Elliott’s Novels of the Jaran, Tess Soerensen is pulled between two powerful men—her brother and her husband—and their competing revolutions/divDIV/divDIV On the planet Rhui, the nomadic tribes of the jaran are uniting the settled cities of their homeland one by one. Their charismatic leader, Ilya Bakhtiian, has his loyal wife by his side, but there is something about her he doesn’t know: Tess Soerensen is a human. And not just any human—back home, her brother, Charles, led an unsuccessful revolt against the all-powerful Chapalii empire. Even though Charles was later made a duke in the Chapalii system, his revolutionary bent has not faded, and he is traveling to Rhui to locate Tess and uncover precious information about a past insurgency. Charles’s insistence that Tess join him is as strong as Ilya’s reluctance to part with his beloved wife—and neither considers that Tess may have her own plans for the future. As three fiercely independent spirits struggle for a solution, the fates of both the human race and the jaran hang in the balance./divDIV /divAn Earthly Crown is the second volume of the Novels of the Jaran, which also include Jaran, His Conquering Sword, and The Law of Becoming. /div

Young women are deeply dissatisfied with society's standards (and double standards). They want more for themselves--but sometimes they don't quite know what that more should be. That's where Miss Black New Jersey 2018 and Teen Vogue "It Girl" turned fashion writer Tarah-Lynn Saint-Elien comes in. Through her insightful comments on media, pop culture, and pervading cultural myths about beauty, fashion, and womanhood, Tarah-Lynn dismantles the messages that feed into the insecurities, fears, doubts, and guilt that young women experience today. She introduces them to an understanding of God as a loving Father and the King of all kings, who bestows upon his daughters a crown of love, worth, and power. And she shows them how to not only claim the promises of God but also walk purposefully in them as independent women (no prince necessary!) who respond to adversity with righteousness and authority.

In Croswald, the only thing more powerful than dark magic is one secret... For sixteen years Ivy Lovely has been hidden behind an enchanted boundary that separates the mundane from the magical. When Ivy crosses the border, her powers awaken. Curiosity leads her crashing through a series of adventures at the Halls of Ivy, a school where students learn to master their magical blood and the power of Croswald's mysterious gems. When Ivy s magic and her life is threatened by the Dark Queen, she scrambles to unearth her history and save Croswald before the truth is swept away forever.

The gorgeous and darkly compelling sequel to The Crown’s Game—perfect for fans of Red Queen and Shadow and Bone.A New York Times bestseller! Magic is growing, shadows are rising, and the throne is at stake… Russia is on the brink of great change. Pasha’s coronation approaches, and Vika is now the Imperial Enchanter, but the role she once coveted may be more difficult—and dangerous—than she ever expected. Pasha is grappling with his own problems—his legitimacy is in doubt, the girl he loves loathes him, and he believes his best friend is dead. When a challenger to the throne emerges—and with the magic in Russia growing rapidly—Pasha must do whatever it takes to keep his position and protect his kingdom. For Nikolai, the ending of the Crown’s Game stung deeply. Although he just managed to escape death, Nikolai remains alone, a shadow hidden in a not-quite-real world of his own creation. But when he’s given a second chance at life—tied to a dark price—Nikolai must decide just how far he’s willing to go to return to the world. With revolution on the rise, dangerous new magic rearing up, and a tsardom up for the taking, Vika, Nikolai, and Pasha must fight—or face the destruction of not only their world but also themselves.

Mystics have often used the Song of Songs, a classic love poem in the Bible, to express their intense longing for God. In this captivating book, Father Gregory Cleveland shows how the image of the Bride in the Song of Songs helps us to understand Mary the Mother of God. This book sheds light on Mary’s mystical union with the Holy Trinity, a union that each baptized person is called to experience as well. You can use this book: ~ To pray through the Song of Songs with Mary ~ As spiritual reading to nourish your soul ~ As a personal retreat in daily life ~ To experience Mary’s loving care Explore the Blessed Virgin Mary as a fulfillment of the mystery of the bride in the Song of Songs, showing how the Song points to Mary's life with Christ, with applications to the reader’s own spiritual life