The first thriller in the Guardian series by New York Times bestselling author Karen Robards, perfect for fans of Karen Rose and Sandra Brown. Bianca St. Ives is smart, talented and beautiful. She's also a high-end thief, a master manipulator, a card shark, and a genius of disguise. A femme fatale Robin Hood running a multinational firm with her father, she makes a living swindling con men out of money they stole and giving it back to those who should rightfully have it. Her father has prepared her well to carry on the family business, and now the prodigy has surpassed the master. But her latest mission didn't go to plan - millions of dollars and top secret government documents went missing, and her father was supposedly killed. But not everyone believes in his death, including the US government. They'll stop at nothing to capture Richard St. Ives - a high-value target who has been on most-wanted lists all over the world - even if it means using Bianca as bait. With only a fellow criminal for backup and her life on the line, it's up to Bianca to uncover the terrifying truth behind what really happened . . . and set it right, before it's too late.

***Author Note*** This book was a part of the Royal and Reckless Anthology. The ending has been extended but there are no significant changes to the storyline. Karine Cooper hates Dimitri the instant she meets him. He’s rude, demanding and…arrogant. Unfortunately, he’s also her sons’ uncle and the prince of Esterden. Now Dimitri is threatening to take her son, Mateo away unless she agrees to play by the rules. Dimitri Wincott is livid the moment he finds out about his brothers’ son. Omar died without ever knowing he had a child. Regardless, Mateo must be raised as a Wincott for he’s heir to the throne. In exchange for Karine’s cooperation, he offers her financial security and a life of luxury. It seemed more than generous to him. It might've been simple, too, if he didn’t also want her in his bed…

From the author of Cracked and Empty comes a gripping, emotional story of two brothers who must make the ultimate decision about what's more important: family or their differences. It's not Oscar's fault he's misunderstood. Ever since his mother died, he's been disrespected by his father and bullied by his self-absorbed older brother, so he withdraws from his fractured family, seeking refuge in his art. Vance wishes his younger brother would just loosen up and be cool. It was hard enough to deal with their mother's death without Oscar getting all emotional. At least when Vance pushes himself in lacrosse and parties, he feels alive. But when their father's alcoholism sends him into liver failure, the two brothers must come face-to-face with their demons—and each other—if they are going to survive a very uncertain future.

Detective Jeremy Fisk tracks a serial sniper who has mastered state-of-the-art airborne technology to hunt his prey in this chilling thriller from the New York Times bestselling author and creator of the Law & Order franchise. When a leaker named Verlyn Merritt releases sensitive documents from the NYPD Intelligence Division to WikiLeaks, some of the deadliest criminals have access to Detective Jeremy Fisk’s unlisted home address. Within hours, three mysterious assailants arrive at his Sutton Place apartment. Who are they and why do they want Fisk dead? Authorities quickly identify and arrest Merritt. But the case takes a sinister twist when an anonymous third party makes threats if authorities don’t release Merritt immediately. Forced from his home and his bank accounts drained, Fisk confronts Chay Maryland, a reporter who has been covering Merritt’s case. Fisk wants the journalist’s help to get close to the leaker—to find out what Merritt really wants and who else is involved. The investigation is nearly derailed when a serial sniper begins shooting people on the street who seem to have no connection to Merritt’s case. The killer’s aim is eerily accurate—and Fisk believes the shooter might be using a drone rigged with unusual sighting capabilities. Then the sniper contacts the New York Times and promises to kill one person every day, “for the greater good of the citizens of America. With the clock ticking and millions of lives at stake, Fisk and Chay must find the mastermind before he can wreak havoc on a city paralyzed by fear.

‘It grips like a python from the first page, squeezing the breath out of the reader’ DAILY MAIL ‘Outstanding’ SUNDAY TIMES ‘Breathless action’ THE TIMES Hidden from prying Western satellites, Iranian scientists are at work on a banned device . . . They are acting on the orders of a renegade cell within Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, whose objective is to transform their country into a nuclear-armed nation, and so seal its domination of the Middle East. Britain’s intelligence agencies know something is up. Someone on the inside is ready to hand over information - but the rendezvous with SIS officer Luke Carlton goes bloodily wrong . . . Then MI6 sees an opportunity to recruit an individual with unique access to the IRGC hardliners. Luke is chosen to reel them in. Going into Iran undercover is dangerous enough, but then there’s a killing and a kidnapping and the British government is presented with a shocking ultimatum. With time running out, it seems only Luke can stop a cataclysmic new war in the Gulf . . . ________ Readers love Ultimatum: ***** ‘An action-packed thriller . . . very authentic’ ***** ‘A real page turner . . . thrilling adventure’ ***** ‘Gripping page turner that keeps you glued to the story’

This book is dedicated to the research of the “pleasure phenomenon” as the most important factor in individual and socio-cultural development. In a society of mass consumption, pleasure—having turned into a commodity and a means of manipulation—defines civilizational development. The authors theorize that the pursuit of pleasure can destroy one’s self, culture, and environment. The recent rapid technological expansion has turned pleasure into a societal challenge. This study emphasizes the necessity of intrinsic transformation of marketing in the 21st Century which would shift the focus from seeking pleasure to controlling desires in a way that would benefit self, society, and the world.

For the second time in Olanma Obinze-Rice's life love hasn't been good to her. Five years ago, a repossessed car and the looming threat of eviction, left Olanma Obinze-Rice in dire need of cash. Then out of the blue, she landed an interview of a lifetime that would solve all her problems. But she had to go through former bad boy and heir of Rice Holdings, Abayomi Rice. One ultimatum, a whirlwind romance and a life scare later, Olanma and Abayomi were married. Now all Olanma wants is to be free. Free from her rocky marriage, manipulative husband and overbearing father. If everything goes according to plan, she'll be divorced and free from her father's clutches by her thirtieth birthday. All she has to do is wrap up one last business deal. Once he gets divorce papers, Abayomi Rice knows his wife has called his bluff. He didn't mean to manipulate her but her broken promises and inability to stand up to her father tore them apart. Despite their present state, the finality of a divorce is not an option. He wants his wife back. With his sister's wedding coming up, he sets his plan in motion and issues one final ultimatum- pretend to be a happy couple one last time. Their farce leads to unexpected healing of their hearts, but then life throws another wrench in the plan. An ultimatum brought them together will this final one tear them apart?

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER At a small-town carnival, two men, each mysteriously summoned by telegram, witness a bizarre killing. The telegrams are signed “Jason Bourne.” Only they know Bourne’s true identity and understand that the telegrams are really a message from Bourne’s mortal enemy, Carlos, known also as the Jackal, the world’s deadliest and most elusive terrorist. And furthermore, they know what the Jackal wants: a final confrontation with Bourne. Now David Webb, professor of Oriental studies, husband, and father, must do what he hoped never to do again—assume the terrible identity of Jason Bourne. His plan is simple: to infiltrate the politically and economically omnipotent Medusan group and use himself as bait to lure the cunning Jackal into a deadly trap—a trap from which only one of them will escape.

In this collection, Jacqueline Osherow gives us perfectly formed, musical poems that glide between the worlds of art, architecture, literature, and religion. Traveling through Europe, Tel Aviv, and New York, Osherow observes with a keen eye the details of objects -- beautiful buildings and ancient artifacts -- and of the conversations and interactions she has with others. Finely constructed and always engaging, her poems uncover the startling truths of memory and coax our own forgotten moments from the recesses of the mind.