Collection: Adult

REAL STORIES OF MEN REFLECTING ON IDENTITY, PURPOSE, AND TRUTH

What It Is Like Being a Man offers a powerful and honest collection of stories by men from all walks of life. Through

heartfelt and authentic narratives, these men explore their journeys and experiences, delving into topics of self-identity, purpose,

healing, resilience, and the quest for truth. This anthology is an invitation to peek into the hearts and minds of men who have walked through and triumphed over some of life's greatest challenges, from healing to finding one's truth.

It's that most hectic time of the year, and all a certain married dad wants for Christmas is to rekindle the very hot spark he once shared with his wife in this heartwarmingly spicy, holiday-themed romantic dramedy from the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The Ravenhood--perfect for fans of Meghan Quinn, Julie Murphy, and Tessa Bailey!

**DELUXE LIMITED EDITION FEATURING GLITTER GLOSS, STENCILED EDGES, DESIGNED INTERIOR, AND BONUS CONTENT**

My kids are a**holes.

Yeah, I said it. I said the thing no father is supposed to say about their children, and I'll say it again because I miss my wife.

Serena's checked out and now resides in 'yes dear' robot mode, complete with a new eye twitch. Reason being, the impish elves we spawned are currently sucking the life out of her--daily. Thanks to Gracie and Peyton, my patience is hanging by the last orange bulb on a very thin green wire. Thank God we're headed to Triple Falls. A week of Ruby's eggnog and a little change of scenery could be just what the woman I love needs to find her way back to herself--and to me.

But the closer we get to packing up, the shorter my fuse becomes . . . and the more I'm starting to get ideas of taking drastic measures. And by drastic, I mean our little goblins won't be the only ones making Rudolph's naughty list. I've had enough. I'm not giving in this time. No amount of alligator tears or fake apologies are going to cut it.

Ironically, the more I man up and take charge, the more Serena and I are starting to reminisce about the good old days, which is quickly adding up to some heated nights. Come hell or high water, this Christmas, our kids are going to learn to appreciate the parents they've got because I'm getting my girl back . . . even if the two little hellions we created have to pay to bring her back to me--little f*ckers.

The Sleight Before Christmas is packed with adult shenanigans, laugh-out-loud outrageous content, colorful language, adults behaving badly, as well as hefty doses of spice.

An action-packed comedy about a fake family that includes a spy, an assassin and a telepath!

Master spy Twilight is unparalleled when it comes to going undercover on dangerous missions for the betterment of the world. But when he receives the ultimate assignment--to get married and have a kid--he may finally be in over his head!

When Melinda comes to Loid for counseling, he lucks into a great opportunity to gather intel. During their session, even Loid is shocked by what he learns about Donovan Desmond. Meanwhile, it's a new term at Eden Academy, and Anya's found herself in the middle of an international dispute!

He was elected by the people. Removed by the powerful. Vindicated by the truth.

What does it cost a man to stand on principle when everything - his office, his reputation, his family - is on the line?

In the back rows, the elders sat calm and unmoving amid the tension. One white-haired woman met his eyes. She placed her hand over her heart and nodded once. Stay strong.

Patrick H. Lambert was raised in poverty on the Qualla Boundary, left high school without a diploma, worked underground tunneling for a hydroelectric pump station, and served his country in the U.S. Army. Through determination and sheer will, he earned a Juris Doctor from UNC Chapel Hill and an advanced LL.M. in Gaming Law - and was ultimately elected Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians by an overwhelming margin.

Then he ordered the audits.

As financial records were opened and questions were asked, resistance grew.

What followed became one of the most consequential - and contested - chapters in modern Cherokee governance.

In The River, Lambert recounts the rise, removal, and ultimate vindication that defined his time in office. With clarity and restraint, he tells the inside story of the era when the Tribe entered gaming, built the foundations of economic self-determination, and established its first Per Capita distributions - decisions that permanently reshaped Cherokee life. He had spent twenty-one years helping build that gaming infrastructure. He understood exactly what the audits would reveal - and ordered them anyway.

As Principal Chief, Lambert eliminated over one hundred twenty million dollars in Tribal debt, stabilized programs, strengthened families, and fought to establish transparency in a system where some had grown very comfortable in the shadows. When the political machinery moved against him, it moved fast and without mercy.

But leadership during moments of change carries a cost. Lambert writes candidly about the pressure of governing in turbulent times, the strain placed on his family, and the isolation that comes from standing on principle while facing public accusation and political upheaval. Behind every difficult decision stood his wife and children, who bore the weight of a fight that was never supposed to be theirs - and never wavered.

The enemies who moved against him believed the story would end in that chamber. They were wrong.

At its heart, The River is three stories woven into one: an unprecedented look inside the inner workings of a sovereign tribal government, a love story about a marriage and family tested by forces most couples never face, and ultimately a story of rebuilding - a man, a reputation, and a legacy - when the truth finally had its day.

This is also a Cherokee story. Not a story about Cherokee people told from the outside, but one written from deep inside - by a man who grew up on the Boundary, served his Nation, and refused to let its history be written by those who feared the truth more than they valued it.

Supported by contemporaneous records - including audits, court rulings, and official documents - The River is both a personal memoir and a historical record of a pivotal moment in modern Cherokee history.

For readers of political memoir, Native American history, and stories of leadership under fire, this book stands as a testament to resilience, responsibility, and the enduring power of truth.

In every novel there are pivotal places that can make or break a book. Write them well, and you'll have your readers begging for a sequel. Write them poorly, and your book will get scathing reviews and sell only a handful of copies. These pivotal places are "linchpin moments," and in this book you'll learn how to nail these moments.

Based on real advice from editing hundreds of novels, John Matthew Fox guides writers through the process of creating a novel that soars in the reader's imagination. After reading this book, you'll be a better storyteller, a better self-editor, and a better writer.

In this book you'll learn how to:

• Flood your readers with strong emotions
• Create memorable beginnings and endings
• Describe characters for the first time
• Make readers swoon in romantic scenes
• Kill off characters (without enraging your readers)
• Harness the element of surprise

Achieve your health goals with the macro diet

The macro diet is all about balancing fat, carbs, and protein to help you build muscle and lose fat. This macro cookbook gives you the expert guidance and a range of flavorful recipes you need to get started and see results.

• Beginner-friendly--Target your health goals with 85 recipes for meals and snacks that will ensure you meet your macro requirements.
• Curated meal plans--Make your macro transition easy with two 14-day meal plans and shopping lists to set you up for success.
• Tailored workouts--Pump up the benefits of your macro diet with cardio and strength-training routines and exercises.

Balance macronutrients to achieve your health and fitness goals with this ultimate macro diet cookbook.

The significant depth and breadth of The Astrologer's Love Book advances the craft of astrological synastry for couples and most forms of partnering. Award winning astrological author Judith Hill's opening "Top Six Essential Harmonies", and "Essential Disharmonies", commences a guided approach to interpreting the strengths and stressors of any relationship.

This masterful work addresses the full human being on all levels, thus providing a refreshing paradigm for those seeking to comprehend relationships from an astrologically educated perspective. Elegantly illustrated by the author with both chart graphics and fine black line whimsical illustrations. Indexed. A perfect reference book for all astrological levels - beginning through professional. Demonstrates a "how to" treatment of full relationship evaluation, with detailed example. Includes planets, signs, houses, aspects, lunar nodes, elements, modes, part of fortune, whole chart comparison and much more. Discusses spiritual, mental, emotional and physical compatibility factors as occur between any two compared birth horoscopes (natal charts). This guide offers a unique method for weighting and interpreting the harmonies and discords extant beween any two charts. Intelligent, tasteful, and highly useful to the practitioner!

Note: There are no e-books of this title yet available. Any ebooks of this title are pirated. Please do not support pirates.

Stellium Press(TM) was founded in 1992. Currently at least two publishers within astrological and similar genres have adopted nearly identical names. We are unaffiliated with these presses that produce no works by this author.

A Regency scandal, a marriage of convenience (Devil Riders Book 6)

Marcus, the handsome Earl of Alverleigh, is London's most eligible bachelor-yet he's vowed never to marry for love. Bitter experience taught him it only brings pain.

Tessa, his lively childhood friend, is now twenty-four and widowed, left destitute by her ruthless brother and the laws that prevent women from financial control. Fiercely independent, she refuses to be controlled again-until she's on the brink of another forced marriage.

Marcus makes her a practical offer: a sensible marriage between old friends. No passion, no risk-just safety and companionship. Tessa hesitates-her freedom is precious-but scandal forces her hand.

On their honeymoon, can the guarded earl and spirited widow rediscover each other? Will laughter, old memories, and long-buried affection bloom? And can what started as practicality and duty become something tender and true?

A delightful Regency romance in the tradition of friends-to-lovers and marriage-of-convenience favorites. If you love Anne Gracie's gentle humor, emotional depth, strong heroines, and heroes who learn to trust their hearts, this heartwarming standalone will leave you smiling.

"Anne Gracie channels Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, and fairy tales, most obviously Cinderella...and the result is an enchanting story in which the hero and heroine save one another." - Heroes and Heartbreakers on The Spring Bride

Eleanor Whitfield teaches people which fork to use for a living. So naturally, she just inherited a honky-tonk bar.

Eleanor's etiquette studio in Atlanta is dying - six students, a stack of unpaid bills, and a legacy from her perfectionist mother that she can't afford to keep and can't bear to let go. Then a small-town lawyer calls with news that changes everything: her estranged great-aunt Mavis has left Eleanor her entire estate.

The catch? It's a bar called The Rusty Spur in a Blue Ridge Mountain town of 1,847 people. It has a disco ball, a mechanical bull, and peanut shells on the floor. And Eleanor has to live there for six months or lose it all.

She shows up in a pencil skirt and her mother's pearls. They serve her Chardonnay from a box. In a mason jar.

The staff includes a poetry-reading bouncer the size of a barn door, a waitress who's been there thirty years, and a bartender who performs on Friday nights in a vintage Dolly Parton t-shirt. And then there's Wyatt Rivers - the blue-eyed, broad-shouldered bar manager who loved Mavis like family and isn't sure Eleanor deserves any of this.

He might be right. She doesn't know how to pull a draft beer, she's never line danced, and she once corrected a customer's handshake technique in the middle of a Saturday night shift. But Mavis left her a letter that said something Eleanor can't stop thinking about: "A place to be graceless and still be loved."

When a developer comes after the bar with a multimillion-dollar offer, Eleanor has to decide what matters more - the safe, polished life she was raised to want, or the messy, loud, completely real one she's only just beginning to build.

✓ Fish out of water - etiquette expert meets honky-tonk chaos

✓ Opposites attract - her pearls, his tattoos ✓ Inheritance with strings attached

✓ Grumpy heroine / sunshine hero (yes, reversed)

✓ Found family in a small Southern town

✓ Ex-military hero with a heart of gold

✓ Forced proximity - she lives above the bar

✓ Meddling from beyond the grave

Heat Level: Just Kisses Tone: Funny, Heartfelt & Emotional Standalone HEA Guaranteed Clean romance, no explicit content

Perfect for readers who love Denise Hunter, Sherryl Woods, and heroines who discover that the most unpolished version of themselves was the best one all along.

You are not the problem. You are the possibility.

If you are tired of feeling like you're running from tigers all day, or can't get yourself to move off the couch, using food, shopping, wine, or endless scrolling to avoid your emotions and your life, know this: You're not broken. You're adapted.

This book is here to walk with you through the inner terrain of self-image, identity, emotional resilience, and the hidden patterns that shape your habits and choices. Together, we explore the powerful role your nervous system plays in how you think, feel, and respond to life and how to work with it, not against it.

You'll learn:

• • To shift out of survival mode, build true resilience, and expand your capacity to live, love, and create from your wholeness.
  • Practical tools, nervous system-based practices, and mindset shifts that support lasting change without pushing or fixing, by coming home to yourself.
  • Why willpower fails when your nervous system is stuck in survival mode, how it drives stress, cravings, and avoidance, and how to tend it so energy and motivation return.

Clear stories make the science usable, and integration prompts help you apply each chapter in real situations. Using the Freedom Formula, we'll build you a clear pathway from the Adapted Self to the Expansive Self.

Let's begin!

Education is often spoken of in terms of outcomes-degrees earned, careers launched, knowledge gained. Yet behind these visible markers are the lived experiences of the professionals who shape higher education every day. Their work unfolds in classrooms, offices, advising sessions, committee meetings, and quiet moments of mentorship that rarely make headlines but leave a lasting impact.

This book brings together the voices of those professionals-educators, administrators, and support staff-whose stories reflect both the challenges and the deep sense of purpose found within higher education.

Through moments of uncertainty, resilience, innovation, and connection, these experiences offer a more human view of an institution often defined by systems and structures.

By sharing these perspectives, this collection invites readers to better understand the people who sustain and transform higher education from within, and to recognize the complexity, care, and commitment that their work demands.

A Lefty Nominee for Best Mystery Novel

In The Library Game, Tempest Raj and Secret Staircase Construction are renovating a classic detective fiction library that just got its first real-life mystery.

Tempest Raj couldn't be happier that the family business, Secret Staircase Construction, is finally getting the recognition it deserves. Known for enchanting architectural features like sliding bookshelves and secret passageways, the company is now taking on a dream project: transforming a home into a public library that celebrates history's greatest fictional detectives.

Though the work is far from done, Gray House Library's new owner is eager to host a murder mystery dinner and literary themed escape room. But when a rehearsal ends with an actor murdered and the body vanishes, Tempest is witness to a seemingly impossible crime. Fueled by her grandfather's Scottish and Indian meals, Tempest and the rest of the crew must figure out who is making beloved classic mystery plots come to life in a deadly game.

Multiple award winning author Gigi Pandian masterfully weaves wit and warmth in the Secret Staircase Mysteries. Readers will delight in the surprises Secret Staircase Construction uncovers behind the next locked door.

From the hilarious creator of Aho-Girl: A Clueless Girl comes a high school romcom with cute girlfriends and hijinks galore! Includes Volumes 3 and 4 of the Japanese Edition. Now an anime! A Kodansha Print Club series.

THREE SPRING CIRCUS

Naoya finally convinced the internet-famous Milika to leave his yard and go home. After he protected Milika from her father's unreasonable demands, however, she has fallen for Naoya for real. Milika's pursuit for Naoya's love has Saki and Nagisa using every trick in the book to distract their blockhead of a boyfriend. So when Milika steals Naoya's first smooch, his actual girlfriends are left sitting on the riverbank...in despair... Perhaps a hot springs episode--or rather, a sweet vacation away--will help Saki and Nagisa forgive him. So why is Saki's best friend, Shino, intervening on the trio's trip?!"

Get back into gear with the successor to Initial D!

In a not-so-distant future where most cars have switched over to sustainable power, combustion-engine racing is a rarity, and the MFG is the last major race for this dying breed. On the heels of graduating from a British racing school, half-Japanese Kanata Rivington has returned to Japan to make a name for himself on the infamous circuit...and find his estranged father. As he puts everything on the line, both literally and figuratively, will he have what it takes to become a new racing legend?

When Crispin, Lord Cavratt, thoroughly and scandalously kisses a serving woman in the garden of a country inn, he assumes the encounter will be of no consequence. But he couldn't be more mistaken--the maid is not only a lady of birth, she's the niece of a very large, exceptionally angry gentleman, who claims Crispin has compromised his niece beyond redemption. The dismayed young lord has no choice but to marry Miss Catherine Thorndale, who lacks both money and refinement and assumes all men are as vicious as her guardian uncle. Trapped between an unwanted marriage and a hasty annulment, which would leave his reputation tainted and Catherine's utterly ruined, Crispin begins guiding his wife's transformation from a socially petrified country girl to a lady of society. Their unfolding relationship reveals encouraging surprises for both of them, and privately, each of them wonders if theirs may become a true marriage of the heart. But their hopes are dashed when forces conspire to split asunder what fate has granted, and as a battle of wits escalates into a life-threatening confrontation, will it be possible for Crispin and Catherine to live happily ever after?

This story is about supporting children through life's challenges and helping them understand that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. It encourages empathy, resilience, and connection by reminding readers that everyone struggles sometimes-and no one has to face those struggles alone.