Trusting him could be dangerous, but loving him could prove deadly… The Riding Irish Valentine’s Day cookout is the perfect place to fall in love. Except Olivia doesn’t have time for complicated emotions. She just wants a man who is capable of making her wildest fantasies come true. Problem is, she’s convinced the twisted lover she desires doesn’t exist in the real world. The moment Swagger spies the mysterious woman who broke into the secret dungeon at the clubhouse, he knows he must have her. Even though he is drawn to her adventurous spirit, she isn’t enough to make him forget his brutally killer past. Using the dark as his ally, Swagger is determined to give Olivia the experience of a lifetime. She may have no idea who he is, but her erotic surrender could be the key to finding a way to atone for his past sins. When a freak tornado brings chaos to an already torrid love affair, Swagger will have to fight the blackness shrouding his heart and soul. The whole world may be falling apart around them, but Swagger will do anything to protect Olivia. Anything to make her his.

A Kirkus Best Book of the Year Stamped from the Beginning meets You Can't Touch My Hair in this timely and resonant essay collection from Guardian contributor and prominent BBC race correspondent Emma Dabiri, exploring the ways in which black hair has been appropriated and stigmatized throughout history, with ruminations on body politics, race, pop culture, and Dabiri’s own journey to loving her hair. Emma Dabiri can tell you the first time she chemically straightened her hair. She can describe the smell, the atmosphere of the salon, and her mix of emotions when she saw her normally kinky tresses fall down her shoulders. For as long as Emma can remember, her hair has been a source of insecurity, shame, and—from strangers and family alike—discrimination. And she is not alone. Despite increasingly liberal world views, black hair continues to be erased, appropriated, and stigmatized to the point of taboo. Through her personal and historical journey, Dabiri gleans insights into the way racism is coded in society’s perception of black hair—and how it is often used as an avenue for discrimination. Dabiri takes us from pre-colonial Africa, through the Harlem Renaissance, and into today's Natural Hair Movement, exploring everything from women's solidarity and friendship, to the criminalization of dreadlocks, to the dubious provenance of Kim Kardashian's braids. Through the lens of hair texture, Dabiri leads us on a historical and cultural investigation of the global history of racism—and her own personal journey of self-love and finally, acceptance. Deeply researched and powerfully resonant, Twisted proves that far from being only hair, black hairstyling culture can be understood as an allegory for black oppression and, ultimately, liberation.

Ireland has long been a country of conflict. More than 400 years ago, the occupying English planted pre-Celtic Scots in the northern province of Ulster and divested the native Irish Celts of the land their ancestors owned for 2,000 years. This created a deep-seated enmity between the English and Irish, Protestant and Catholicand it finally exploded in the Troubles. Author Alan M. Wilson was on the front lines for the bloodbath that tore Northern Ireland apart from the late 1960s through the first years of the twenty-first century. Policing Irelands Twisted History reveals Wilsons remarkable, true story of growing up in Belfast and serving in the Royal Ulster Constabulary as an inspector and as a member of an elite anti-terrorism unit. Wilsons only goal was to help protect the innocent on both sides. Unfortunately, he became a target himself. Brutally honest and unflinching, Wilson traces his experiences serving Irelands divided society for nearly ten years. From watching friends die to the tit-for-tat murders occurring on the streets to staring death in the eye more than once, Wilson reveals the deep, gut-wrenching search for the meaning of it all in the midst of the worlds longest-running terrorist situation. A firsthand look at the Northern Ireland conflict, Policing Irelands Twisted History offers an eye-opening, intimate examination of this devastating struggle.

A sampling of the finest literature being produced in Ireland today- a selection to delight, horrify, enthrall, and appall in equal measure.

A hero's feats? Ever since he was a baby, Becan's only worry has been his big feet--until his widowed father remarries. His new stepmothr and her three daughters feed him crusts of bread and banish him to work in the fields. So Becan runs away. With the help of his only friend, a magical bull, he defeats a giant, slays a dragon, and rescues a princess. But before she can thank him, Becan disappears, leaving behind him one of his enormous boots. The princess scours the kingdom for the owner of the giant boot. Will Becan's feet give him away? And what will his fate be if they do? Folklorist Shirley Climo retells an age-old Irish tale that is an unusual twist on the popular Cinderella story. Just like his female counterpart, Becan has a mean stepmother and stepsisters. Unlike Cinderella, Becan has large feet and a magical bull for a fairy godmother. He defeats a sword-swinging giant, slays a fire-breathing dragon, and rescues a princess. But before the princess can thank him, he runs off, leaving her with only an enormous boot to aid her in the search for her rescuer. And, as in all Cinderella stories, true love prevails. Folklorist Shirley Climo retells an age-old Irish tale that is an unusual twist on the popular Cinderella story. Just like his female counterpart, Becan has a mean stepmother and stepsisters. Unlike Cinderella, Becan has large feet and a magical bull for a fairy godmother. He defeats a sword-swinging giant, slays a fire-breathing dragon, and rescues a princess. But before the princess can thank him, he runs off, leaving her with only an enormous boot to aid her in the search for her rescuer. And, as in all Cinderella stories, true love prevails.

She’s a genius with biotechnology. He’s a sadist in tailored suits. Their business arrangement is about to get personal…in more ways than one. For workaholic Arden, the vacation to a tropical paradise was supposed to be relaxing. But when a past lover unexpectedly crosses her path, every desire she has been smothering roars to life. When Garvey offers her a lucrative business proposition handling technology that will revolutionize the industry—and change the world—like a moth driven to flame, she can’t resist. One year as president of Riding Irish, and Garvey is struggling to balance the burdens of the motorcycle club, his personal life, and his security firm. Weighed down with responsibilities he is convinced he can’t manage, he is near the breaking point. But Arden’s reappearance is a perfect distraction. And his second chance with the only woman he ever loved. When Garvey teaches Arden to turn the pain he gives her into the pleasure she craves, dark desires are awakened. Limits are tested. And the line between play and love starts to blur. Just as they discover how far they’re willing to go, a heart-breaking deception is revealed that threatens to extinguish their rekindled passion. Warning: Take a sadist with a talent for edge play, add in a masochist who craves his masterful touch, mix in a belt, some ropes, and a set of special knives and this is one second chance love story that will have you aching to get marked.

A gripping debut psychological thriller for fans of The Silent Wife and The Wicked Girls about two families in crisis and a holiday house swap gone terribly wrong “She would never have fit as neatly into the trunk of his own car.” Limerick, Ireland: the O’Brien family’s driveway. American Oscar Harvey opens the trunk of his hosts’ car and finds the body of a woman, beaten and bloody. But let’s start at the beginning. Kate and Mannix O’Brien live by Curragower Falls in Limerick, in a lovely house they can barely afford. Their son Fergus is bullied at school, and their daughter Izzy blames herself, wishing she could protect him. Kate decides that her family needs a vacation, and is convinced her luck’s about to change when she spots a gorgeous Manhattan apartment on a home-exchange website. Hazel and Oscar Harvey and their two children live on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Though they seem successful and happy, Hazel has mysterious bruises, and Oscar is hiding things about his dental practice. They, too, need a change of pace. Hazel has always wanted her children to see her native Limerick, and the house swap offers a perfect chance to soothe two troubled marriages. But this will be anything but a perfect vacation. And the body in the trunk is just the beginning.

He refuses to be owned. She won’t settle for anything less… Natalie has done everything she can to forget the man who gave her the most erotic power exchanges of her life. He wasn’t her first lover, but he was the first to submit to her. McKinley wasn’t a docile submissive. Whenever she pushed him to the edge, he became commanding and domineering. Perfect. She was prepared to give him her heart, but he abandoned her when she needed him the most. McKinley swore he would never give up control again. But his reclusive existence has eroded his soul so much, there is nothing left but his need for the only woman he ever loved. Back on familiar soil for a St. Patrick’s Day ride with his Riding Irish brothers, McKinley seeks to repair the one relationship he is convinced will cure him of his relentless cravings. This time their reckless games won’t break him. In the secret dungeon at the clubhouse, memories of their wild past rouse sinfully dirty thoughts. Then one fateful moment leaves two rival clubs in an all-out war where Natalie and McKinley are in the crosshairs. They could end up losing everything—including each other.

Ireland, whether viewed from an antiquarian or an ethnological point of view, is one of the most interesting countries in the world. It is curious that its literary treasures have been so long neglected. The author of this book sheds light on Irish Paganism and Druidry. Throughout this book he discusses many of the concepts which later would be utilized by the Wiccan movement to construct Celtic Neo-Paganism. Contents: Irish Druids Who Were The Druids? Welsh Or British Druidism Irish Druidism St. Patrick and the Druids Opinions On Irish Druids Irish Bards Isle Of Man Druidism French Druidism German Druidism Druidical Magic Neo-Druidism Druidical Belief Druidical Mysticism Early Religions Of The Irish Irish Superstitions Irish Magic, and Tuatha De Danaans Irish Gods Idol-Worship Serpent Faith Sun-Worship Fire-Worship Stone-Worship Animal Worship The Shamrock, and Other Sacred Plants Well-Worship Holy Bells Irish Crosses The Sacred Tara Hill Round Tower Creed Ossian the Bard The Culdees of Druidical Days The Future Life, or Land of the West Ancient Irish Literature The Lia Fail, or the Stone of Destiny

In 1847 Joseph Banigan, an Irish Potato Famine refugee, established himself in Rhode Island as an entrepreneur. This was a time when "No Irish Need Apply" signs abounded and discrimination against the Irish and other immigrants--institutionalized in the constitution of his adopted state--hindered voting and other human rights. Bucking this trend and belying his humble origins, Banigan succeeded spectacularly in the emerging local rubber footwear industry, becoming the president of the United States Rubber Company--one of the nation's major cartels, and New England's first Irish-Catholic millionaire. Backed by primary and secondary research on two continents, Molloy's inquiry into Bannigan's notoriety and success singularly codifies and elucidates the Irish-American experience during this critical period in American labor history.