straight back goddess braids Audiobooks

Madison was forced by her aunt to sleep with a mysterious man to save her mother. The next day, the most influential man in the city found her, and she became his sinful wife he could not introduce to the world.Since then, she was the flirtatious courtesan who had been misunderstood and despised by everyone during the day. At night, she was being held tightly in Allen Whitlock’s arm as he coaxed her to sleep.As she was falling deeper and deeper into their relationship, Allen abandoned her and took her to the freezing operating table despite her pregnancy…She completely disappeared from Allen’s world. Everyone thought Mr. Whitlock had finally gotten rid of his greedy and cunning ex-wife, but little did they know that he missed her so much every night that it drove him to the brink of insanity. Several years later, Madison returned with a little kid who looked exactly like him. Allen secured her tightly in his arm, his eyes filled with a manic glint as he pleaded with a husky voice. “Madison, I can give you my life. Please come back to me…”

"What I want you to do, Isabella, is find out what his real name is..." Those were the words spoken to me when I sat down to learn about my final grade in college. They not only shocked me, but changed the trajectory of my life. Shadows Sampson has always been bigger than life on the campus of our college. Most of the time it seems as if he's older than the rest of us. Like he carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. When I get close? I find out there's more to it than I ever bargained for. And when the truth comes out; against my will - I hope I can get the forgiveness I so desperately want. "You've gotta win this fight. We can't push rent back again..." Those words from my sister's mouth put an exclamation point on how bad our situation is. Especially after I lost the fight of my life. The one that was going to get us out of this apartment building, the one that was going to put us on a path we'd only dreamed about. But me? I'd lost the fight, my confidence, and the motivation for the life I'd always wanted. Until a baby I'd fathered was left at my doorstep, and a seriously hot girl from my college started paying attention to me. With that girl? I fall hard, only to find out I'm the subject of a story for her final grade. Turns out, that's my motivation. Quitting isn't an option. Not until my knuckles are bloody and not one person stands in the way of what I want.

Karnie works in her family's butcher shop. When Donna Amick stalks to the meat display case and tries to pressure her to leave the family business to work for her, Karnie turns her down, flat. But Donna doesn't like to take "no" for an answer. The next morning, Donna's body is found behind A Cut Above with a meat cleaver embedded in the back of her head. Detective Carmichael's top suspect is Sam Lessman, who trained at their shop and then went to work for Donna as a full time butcher. Karnie knows it can't be him and decides to prove it. Unfortunately, that's a lot harder to do in real life than it is in the mysteries she reads.

Renowned thriller writer David Hagberg continues his New York Times bestselling Kirk McGarvey series with this riveting origin story for the CIA assassin in First Kill . It is the beginning of Kirk McGarvey's career as a CIA black ops officer. Fresh out of the Air Force OSI, he receives his first assignment: assassinate a Chilean general known as the Butcher of Valparaiso, a monster who has tortured and killed more than one thousand dissidents at a soccer stadium in Valparaiso. McGarvey manages to cross the border over the mountains from Argentina without being discovered, and even makes his way to the general's remote compound. But the odds are stacked against him. Chile's National Intelligence Agency, the ANI, has been warned of his approach and wants him to fail—and someone back home in Washington is working to make sure he does. For this newly-minted assassin, killing the butcher is only the beginning. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Everyone has a secret. Mine is ruining my life … making me bitter, callous, cold. I’m Rye Rough -- the oldest of seven kids, with a family tree that built this town. I understand more than most that reputations matter. Which is why I keep my mouth shut -- and that secret? I’m not telling a soul. It’s clear it’s causing problems. Working as my dad’s right-hand man, I’m angrier than ever -- and hell, it’s messing with the family construction company. My father forces a deal: Go to the rural family cabin and don’t come back until I get my head on straight or I lose my place in the business. As if spending more time alone is going to solve anything. One day into my retreat – I find Prairie, a beautifully fragile woman who is lost, alone and in need of my tender loving care. Her life has been one of confinement and abuse. She needs me like I’ve never been needed before. My family doesn’t understand my love for her. My secret keeps me up at night. Something must give before it all breaks. One thing is sure – rough hands have been dealt for both Prairie and me … and for our love to survive we can’t fold. Coming Home to the Mountain is a new filthy-sweet, high heat series by Frankie Love featuring rugged mountain men who fall hard, fast and forever. And with the women they love at their side, they choose to put family first. In this series, Dad shows up, sisters remember to call, big brothers always look out for you, and Mom knows to keep an extra seat at the table for Sunday dinner. Not every family is perfect -- and the Rough family has its own set of problems -- but at the end of the day, they know what matters: Coming Home.

Give your best friend more purr and pounce with this whiskers-to-tail guide to the good life! One reason we’re wild for cats is that our cats are still wild at heart. On our laps, they’re purring lovebugs, but on the prowl, they’re fearsome hunters—with territorial instincts to match. The Handbook for a Happy Cat takes us inside the feline mind to decode what our cats really want in life and how they try to tell us. You’ll learn: Why a bigger water bowl does away with “whisker stress” How to move like a mouse for maximum fun at playtime Skills to teach your kitten for a lifetime of easy vet visits, grooming, and more Subtle signs of stress such as excessive scent-marking and lip-licking How to tell frolic from fighting in the multi-cat household (and how to give frenemies a fresh start) What makes a scratching post so tempting that your sofa will be spared How to reassure a spooked cat with the “slow blink” Why it’s pointless to “punish” a cat—but training is possible! Certified behaviorist Liesbeth Puts traces every feline mystery to cats’ natural behavior and needs. A happy cat is a cat who can be herself!

In addition to her house-flipping talents, Jazzi Zanders is breaking ground as a sleuth. But she’s going to need every tool at her disposal to solve two crimes . . . In their hair salon, Jazzi’s sister Olivia and mother are savvy businesswomen whose creativity brings fashion and flair to the folks of Rivers Bluff, Indiana. So when their newest hairstylist Misty is caught scamming clients’ debit cards and selling beauty products during off hours to pocket the profits, Olivia fires her. But Misty retaliates by hitting back with a defamation lawsuit—which she is more than happy to drop if Olivia pays her ten grand. But neither blackmail nor courtroom fees are accrued after Misty’s body is discovered in the salon with Olivia’s scissors stuck in her chest. Olivia may be the number one suspect, but her murdered employee had a reputation for making enemies. Then Jazzi’s ex Chad appears, asking for help with his marital strife. This already awkward situation worsens when Chad’s wife vanishes and the police investigate him. Now, it’s up to Jazzi to clear both her sister’s and ex’s names while the killer—or killers—could be a mere hair breadth’s away . . .

Lady Alice Chivers is done being controlled by her family. On the run from an arranged marriage, she needs a strong Highlander to escape. Only Philip MacGregor insists on sending her back to her pampered life, so she’ll just have to blackmail him instead. But now they find themselves in an accidental marriage, and soon they’re both playing a role that feels like it was meant to be real. Philip is cautious, in control, and in way over his head with his unexpected wife. She’s intense, spontaneous, and can’t follow an order to save her life. And he might be falling completely in love with her. However, her distractions endanger the lives of those he loves. Now he must somehow undo the damage that has been done, before his friends pay with their lives. Each book in the MacGregor Lairds series is STANDALONE: * How to Lose a Highlander * How to Ensnare a Highlander * How to Blackmail a Highlander * How to Forgive a Highlander

Take Your Leadership to the Next Level With This Award-Winning Business Book Winner, 2018 Foreword Indies, Adult Nonfiction/Career Award Finalist, 2018 Best Book Awards, Business/Careers Winner, 2019 International Book Awards, Business/Careers Winner, 2019 Discovery Award, Best First Book/Nonfiction Honorable Mention, 2019 Eric Hoffer Book Award, Business Strategic leadership is essential to business success: Strong leaders are those who successfully navigate a great shift: from tactical doer to strategic leader. Regardless of your industry, line of business, or sector, your organization desperately needs strategic leaders. A strategic leader is tuned in to the needs of the business, understands how his or her actions impact corporate objectives, and uses data to make smart decisions. Whether you're leading a department team or running your own company, a strategic leader clearly propels business performance. Building a ladder to strategic leadership: Stephen R. Covey famously explained strategic leadership via the metaphor of workers clearing a jungle. The strategic leader was able to climb a tree and tell everybody they were laboring in the wrong jungle. In this book you will start out on the jungle floor and build a ladder to give you that strategic view over the tops of the trees. You'll learn how to: Develop your strategic skills Set meaningful direction Build a strategic plan Make decisions to win Proven approach to strategic leadership: You'll get the training straight from the personal career journeys of two business women who have decades of experience and education. They come together to create a proven approach to understanding the big picture of what your organization is trying to accomplish and how to be an effective leader.

A series of unfortunate events befell Severin Feuillet and led him to a five-year prison sentence, but by the time he was released, he had acquired wisdom from the teachings of a savant. Once Severin stepped back into society, he was prepared to give his all for his fiancee, but she had cheated on him and married an assaulter. Unbeknownst to him, the president of a certain company—a beauty in the finest—had given birth to his adorable baby daughter in secret. She had waited five insufferable years for him, and so thus began Severin's most daunting challenge yet, becoming a father.