By day, Lena Morrison is an ambitious grant writer. By night, she's an escort to some of Chicago's most successful men. Sex isn't on the menu–Lena's job is to provide her elite clients with comanionship and sparkling conversation. She enjoys the extra income, but even more, Lena loves the empowering feeling of being appreciated for her beauty and her brains. When tycoon Roderick Brand hires Lena as his date for a private party, their electric attraction leads to the most erotic night of her life. Incredible as the experience is, she vows not to mix work and pleasure again. But Roderick is relentless. His irresistible proposal: three weeks fulfilling all his fantasies, in exchange for a million–dollar grant that will guarantee Lena a major promotion. Lena can play that game. She'll give him the hottest, wildest sex he's ever had, then she'll walk away, leaving him aching for more. But when it comes to desire, rules–and hearts– are easily broken. And the best–laid plans have a way of working out in ways neither could expect….

Six were taken. Eleven years later, five come back--with no idea of where they've been. A riveting mystery for fans of We Were Liars. Eleven years ago, six kindergartners went missing without a trace. After all that time, the people left behind moved on, or tried to. Until today. Today five of those kids return. They're sixteen, and they are . . . fine. Scarlett comes home and finds a mom she barely recognizes, and doesn't really recognize the person she's supposed to be, either. But she thinks she remembers Lucas. Lucas remembers Scarlett, too, except they're entirely unable to recall where they've been or what happened to them. Neither of them remember the sixth victim, Max--the only one who hasn't come back. Which leaves Max's sister, Avery, wanting answers. She wants to find her brother--dead or alive--and isn't buying this whole memory-loss story. But as details of the disappearance begin to unfold, no one is prepared for the truth. This unforgettable novel--with its rich characters, high stakes, and plot twists--will leave readers breathless.

What a girl wants isn't always what she needs... As a publicist for an elite escort agency, no one does damage control better than Morgan Morrison. She's good at fixing things-except when it comes to her own personal life. After a string of disastrous relationships, she's finally found the perfect guy-a handsome, charming, successful attorney who makes her feel safe. So why does she find herself fighting a dangerously irresistible attraction to notorious playboy River Brand? A self-made multimillionaire with tattooed biceps and a passion for classic cars, River has earned every inch of his bad-boy reputation. From the moment he and Morgan meet, the sexual chemistry between them is off the charts. After a wildly intoxicating encounter on a tropical island, he can't get Morgan out of his mind-and she's having the same problem. River is determined to convince Morgan that they belong together. Will explosive secrets from their pasts tear them apart-or drive them into each other's arms like never before? WHATEVER YOU NEED was originally published in 2019. It was sold exclusively through my website and is now widely available with a new cover. *CW: suicide BRAND BROTHERS SERIES Whatever You Like - #1 Any Way You Want It - #2 Whatever You Need - #3

Secrets, deception, and passion consume two pen pals in the TikTok sensation from New York Times bestselling author Penelope Douglas, now with exclusive bonus material! They were perfect together. Until they met. In fifth grade, Misha’s teacher set him and his classmates up with pen pals from a different school. For the next seven years, Ryen was his everything. She kept Misha on track and accepted him as he is. They only had three rules: No social media, no phone numbers, no pictures. There was no reason to ruin the good thing they had going…until Misha runs across a photo of a girl online named Ryen. He knows he has to meet her. But he didn’t expect to hate what he finds. Ryen has gone three months without a letter from Misha. Did he die? Get arrested? Knowing Misha like she does, neither would be a stretch. She needs to know someone is listening to her. But really, Ryen knows this is her own fault. She should’ve gotten his phone number, or picture, or something. As a mysterious vandal leaves messages in Ryen’s school, she’s possessed by the handsome new student who knows just how to hurt and heal her. But she can’t stop thinking of Misha. He could be gone forever. Or right under her nose, and she wouldn’t even know it…

Development was founded on the belief that religion was not important to development processes. The contributors call this assumption into question and explore the practical impacts of religion by looking at the developmental consequences of Pentecostal Christianity in Africa, and by contrasting Pentecostal and secular models of change.

Neveah Symon has achieved success beyond anything the Houston native could have imagined. And when Xavier Mayne taps the world–famous artist to design a mural for his family–owned community center, her fame comes full circle. Except Neveah shares a stormy history with the former bad boy. Can she resist the suave and seductive entrepreneur's sensual assault…and protect her heart this time around? This up–from–the–street brother has never been able to stay away from the ambitious Texas beauty. Th irteen years apart has only made Xavier's desire for Neveah even stronger…and hotter. Now that she's come back home, he isn't letting her get away again. Together, can they overcome the sins of the past and create their greatest masterpiece–a love meant to last for all time?

This study proposes that – rather than trying to discern the normative value of Afropolitanism as an identificatory concept, politics, ethics or aesthetics – Afropolitanism may be best approached as a distinct historical and cultural moment, that is, a certain historical constellation that allows us to glimpse the shifting and multiple silhouettes which Africa, as signifier, as real and imagined locus, embodies in the globalized, yet predominantly Western, cultural landscape of the 21st century. As such, Making Black History looks at contemporary fictions of the African or Black Diaspora that have been written and received in the moment of Afropolitanism. Discursively, this moment is very much part of a diasporic conversation that takes place in the US and is thus informed by various negotiations of blackness, race, class, and cultural identity. Yet rather than interpreting Afropolitan literatures (merely) as a rejection of racial solidarity, as some commentators have, they should be read as ambivalent responses to post-racial discourses dominating the first decade of the 21st century, particularly in the US, which oscillate between moments of intense hope and acute disappointment. Please read our interview with Dominique Haensell here: https://blog.degruyter.com/de-gruyters-10th-open-access-book-anniversary-dominique-haensell-and-her-winning-title-making-black-history/

Faith, Love, Hope and Popular Romance Fiction explores romance novels from a theological perspective and suggests a new definition of the romance novel to complement other definitions which focus on structural elements: "modern popular romances are novels whose authors have assumed pastoral roles, offering hope to their readers through works which propagate faith in the goodness and durability of love." Part one outlines how romance authors offer hope and pastoral care to their readers through works which propagate faith in the goodness and durability of love. Part two explores aspects of faith, hope, love and pastoral care in more detail: words and power; the different "faith" traditions in the precursors to the modern romance; what it means to hope for a "prince" as saviour; damnation as the absence of love, and metaphorical devils and hells; false or damaging forms of love and how to discern them.