Leah Kennedy is as wary of people as she is strikingly beautiful. However, the shocking death of her father that forever changed her girlhood has left her terrified of the very love she desperately longs for. Only in the untamed splendor of the Scottish crags does she feel safe from the feelings she stirs in men and the cruel mockery of Selkirk's villagers. Debonair, well-educated doctor Houston Stuart has turned his back on social privilege along with professional honors to set up a medical practice in the lowlands of Scotland. There, serving those who need him the most, he hopes to forget the bitter memories and disillusionment that disturb his days. Coincidence brings the cultured doctor and this fey mountain girl together. Something as bizarre as destiny disrupts the obstacle of birth and breeding, stubborn pride and fear which has kept them apart...as each seeks to heal the other's wounds with a raw passion neither can deny and all the odds against them cannot defeat.

The neighborhoods of Fifth Ward, Fourth Ward, Third Ward, and the Southside of Houston, Texas, gave birth to Houston rap, a vibrant music scene that has produced globally recognized artists such as Geto Boys, DJ Screw, Pimp C and Bun B of UGK, Fat Pat, Big Moe, Z-Ro, Lil’ Troy, and Paul Wall. Lance Scott Walker and photographer Peter Beste spent a decade documenting Houston’s scene, interviewing and photographing the people—rappers, DJs, producers, promoters, record label owners—and places that give rap music from the Bayou City its distinctive character. Their collaboration produced the books Houston Rap and Houston Rap Tapes. This second edition of Houston Rap Tapes amplifies the city’s hip-hop history through new interviews with Scarface, Slim Thug, Lez Moné, B L A C K I E, Lil’ Keke, and Sire Jukebox of the original Ghetto Boys. Walker groups the interviews into sections that track the different eras and movements in Houston rap, with new photographs and album art that reveal the evolution of the scene from the 1970s to today’s hip-hop generation. The interviews range from the specifics of making music to the passions, regrets, memories, and hopes that give it life. While offering a view from some of Houston’s most marginalized areas, these intimate conversations lay out universal struggles and feelings. As Willie D of Geto Boys writes in the foreword, “Houston Rap Tapes flows more like a bunch of fellows who haven’t seen each other for ages, hanging out on the block reminiscing, rather than a calculated literary guide to Houston’s history.”

The Houston, Texas, neighborhoods of Fifth Ward, Third Ward and South Park have grown to be hallowed ground for modern rap culture, populated with celebrities, entrepreneurs, support networks and a micro-economy of their own. Photographer Peter Beste (photographer of True Norwegian Black Metal) and writer Lance Scott Walker spent nine years documenting the most influential style in twenty-first-century hip hop and the vibrant inner city culture from which it stems. Houston Rap, edited by Johan Kugelberg, profiles noted artists such as Bun B of UGK, Z-Ro, Big Mike, K-Rino, Willie D of the Geto Boys, Lil’ Troy and Paul Wall, alongside reflections on the lives of departed legends such as DJ Screw, Pimp C and Big Hawk. The book also features community leaders, rappers, producers, businessmen and family members, all providing an astonishing and important insight into a great American cultural narrative. In addition to featuring Beste’s previously unseen images of the contemporary Houston rap scene, Houston Rapincludes a detailed timeline charting the growth of rap music in Houston from its origins to the present.

Saddle up! Houston Rowdy is in for the ride of his life. This rugged cowboy's been holding down the fort at the family ranch while raising his six younger siblings. But when money gets tight, he's got to think fast or lose it all. His grand plan? Turning the ranch into a wedding hotspot. There's just one hitch - the sexy new wedding planner is none other than Angel Townsend, his best friend's little sister, all grown up and hotter than a Texas summer. Houston knows he should keep his hands to himself, but this little filly's got him tied up in knots. Late one night, sparks fly, and Houston finds himself tumbling head over spurs for the one woman he can't have. Now, with his heart on the line and everything he's ever worked for hanging in the balance, this cowboy's got to wrangle his feelings and save the ranch before love rides off into the sunset.

“So many couples struggle in their sexual lives because they divide sex and love … Nancy Houston has written an excellent, practical, and very hopeful book on how to reintegrate the division.”—Dr. John Townsend, New York Times bestselling author of Boundaries “Without question, one of the greatest communicators of our generation on Christian sex and intimacy is Nancy Houston.”—Amy Ford, president of Embrace Grace and author of A Bump in Life Sex is powerful! Just saying the word “sex” can stir up all kinds of emotions. Maybe it’s a positive emotion for you—or possibly a hurtful, shameful, confusing one. It’s no wonder we struggle to understand its meaning and purpose. It can be difficult to talk about, and if we have experienced unwanted shame or grew up in a home where sex was taboo, addressing the topic can be even more difficult. In a world of sexual chaos and confusion, we all need a healthy dialogue on the topic—not a black-or-white, right-or-wrong lecture, but a safe forum for discovering, learning, processing, and growing into passionate intimacy within the freedom God provides. In Love & Sex, Nancy Houston provides a compassionate view of human sexuality. Through the lens of Scripture, she unpacks the good God intended when He created humans as sexual creatures, while recognizing that many people haven’t experienced sex in a positive way. You won’t find a critical examination of dos and don’ts, but stories of redemption, grace, and hope. You will understand how you were shaped and that you are more than your sexual behaviors. For some people, sex is a regular part of life. For others, it’s a huge deal. Maybe even too big of a deal. This book will be your roadmap to finding sexual health, happiness, and balance. And if you are one of the few unscathed by sexual shame or confusion, this book will help you develop a more compassionate lens for those who do struggle.

Along the banks of Buffalo Bayou, Houston was founded by John and Augustus Allen on August 30, 1836. The city was named after Gen. Sam Houston, a prominent military hero of the Texas Revolution. After the Civil War ended, Houston flourished as agricultural, industrial, and commercial interests generated economic growth. In 1901, the discovery of oil at nearby Spindletop ushered in a new era, fueled by the addition of an inland port when the Houston Ship Channel was dredged in 1914. During the latter half of the 20th century, energy, space exploration, and the medical sciences placed this city on the world stage. Big dreams, big discoveries, hard work, and a little luck made Houston the thriving city it is today.

Remaining in the city is not an option.Wounded and weary from their battle at the military base, Will and Isabella want to rest and gather their strength for what lies ahead. But as the military continues to battle foreign insurgents bent on gaining control of Houston, Will and the others must flee the city or risk being pulled back into the fight. The trip out of Houston won't be easy.Danger awaits them at every turn as they make their way across East Texas. Desperate and dangerous people have flooded the roadways fleeing the fighting ravaging the city. It becomes a constant struggle for survival. But with Houston now a war zone, there's no turning back. No Turning Back is the third book in the Fall of Houston series. Look for book four, No Surrender coming soon!OTHER BOOKS BY AUTHOR TL PAYNEDays of Want SeriesTurbulentHuntedTurmoilUprisingUpheavalMayhemDefiance (Coming soon!)Gateway to Chaos SeriesSeeking SafetySeeking RefugeSeeking JusticeSeeking HopeSeeking Sanctuary (Coming soon!)

When eleven climbers died on K2 on August 1, 2008, it was a stark reminder that the world's second-highest mountain has, for more than a century, been regarded as the most difficult and dangerous of all—for every four people who reach the top, one dies in the attempt. K2, The Savage Mountain tells the dramatic story of the 1953 American expedition, led by Charles S. Houston, when a combination of terrible storms and illness stopped the team short of the 28,251-foot summit. Then on the descent, tragedy struck, and how the climbers made it back to safety is renowned in the annals of climbing. K2, The Savage Mountain captures this sensational tale with an unmatched power that has earned this book its place as one of the classics of mountaineering literature.

This book brings together the literature of urban sociology and film studies to explore new analytical and theoretical approaches to the relationship between cinema and the city, and to show how these impact on the realities of life in urban societies.