A Vow To Keep

They call me a monster. Murderous and hateful. Beautiful but broken. Nothing can calm the ever raging storm inside of me. As the ruthless leader of the Doubeck family there is a certain standard of brutality, I have to uphold. Then I meet her. Beautiful, innocent, and so very afraid. Valentina is a rival family's daughter, and the little temptress has purposely tangled herself in my dark web. She seeks me out, needing my help, but the price for what she wants will be steep. Since my father's death, I've needed a wife to solidify my family name, and this woman has piqued my interest. So we strike a deal, intertwining our futures. I'll put a ring on her finger, own her body, keep her safe, and kill them all. I make a vow to protect her at all costs, that is until her secrets come to light, and I'm left with the choice of becoming the monster she's only ever heard rumors about. **This is a dark arranged marriage mafia romance. It contains dub-con/non-con as well as other scenes that may be triggering to some readers.**

Seven essays celebrating the beauty of the imperfect marriage. We hear plenty about whether or not to get married, but much less about what it takes to stay married. Clichés around marriage—eternal bliss, domestic harmony, soul mates—leave out the real stuff. After marriage you may still want to sleep with other people. Sometimes your partner will bore the hell out of you. And when stuck paying for your spouse’s mistakes, you might miss being single. In Wedding Toasts I’ll Never Give, Ada Calhoun presents an unflinching but also loving portrait of her own marriage, opening a long-overdue conversation about the institution as it truly is: not the happy ending of a love story or a relic doomed by high divorce rates, but the beginning of a challenging new chapter of which “the first twenty years are the hardest.” Calhoun’s funny, poignant personal essays explore the bedrooms of modern coupledom for a nuanced discussion of infidelity, existential anxiety, and the many other obstacles to staying together. Both realistic and openhearted, Wedding Toasts I’ll Never Give offers a refreshing new way to think about marriage as a brave, tough, creative decision to stay with another person for the rest of your life. “What a burden,” Calhoun calls marriage, “and what a gift.”

England 1245. Sir Royce de Bremont has spent his entire life plotting revenge against his traitorous uncle. Kidnapping the man's bride-to-be brings Royce one step closer to fulfilling his vow of vengeance. Lady Alyna of Montvue has no desire to marry nor to become a pawn in a game of vengeance. Her only wish is to find a safe place to raise the orphan gifted with second sight she vowed to protect. The beautiful lady and her precocious son make Royce long for a family of his own, yet until he reclaims his birthright, he has little to offer them. Alyna soon realizes this bold knight has captured her heart but fears she's merely part of his plan for revenge. As passions rise, Royce must choose vengeance or love.

"Make the Vow, Keep the Vow: Commitment Required" was written with the goal of providing married couples with tools to stay committed and preparing singles for marriage. Written by M.L. and Arian Moore, the book is founded on biblical principles and features advice from Christian couples such as Bishop Paul and Pastor Debra Morton, Dr. Creflo and Pastor Taffi Dollar, and Pastor Jay and Christy Haizlip. The authors use real life experiences from their relationship to help other couples journey through the common issues of marriage. The book also features vows for each chapter, poetry, a wedding photo album, date night ideas and the opportunity for couples to rededicate their marriage. "Our goal in writing this book is to help recreate a culture where wedding days result in lasting marriages."

A magnificent novel of passion and glory, set against the fierce pageantry and medieval Europe. Adrienne, the illegitimate daughter of King Henry II, is crushed to learn she must marry against her will. Hugh de Clairmont uses Adrienne to reclaim his land, but eventually love takes over as ruler of their hearts.

Considering that getting along in civil society is based on the expectation that (most) people will do what they say they will do, i.e., essentially live up to their explicit or implicit promises, it is amazing that so little scientific attention has been given to the act of promising. A great deal of research has been done on the moral development of children, for example, but not on the child’s ability to make and keep a promise, one of the highest moral achievements. What makes it possible developmentally, cognitively, and emotionally to make a promise in the first place? And on the other hand, what compels one to keep a promise (or vow or threat) when there seems to be no personal advantage in doing so, and even when harm can be predicted? How do we know when a promise is offered seriously to be taken at face value, and how do we understand that another is only a polite gesture, not to be taken seriously? In Promises, Oaths, and Vows: On the Psychology of Promising, Herbert Schlesinger addresses these questions, drawing on the literature of moral development in children; the psychotherapy of a patient who regularly broke promises that were unnecessary in the first place; those who were regarded as "promising youngsters" who did not fulfill their "promise"; and those who feared making a promise, a commitment, or a threat out of fear that, once made, the utterance would take on a life of its own and could never be taken back. Furthermore, he illustrates his conclusions by examining the widespread use of promising in classical literature, such as Greek drama and the plays of Shakespeare, as well as the motivating and reifying power of the promise in Western religious traditions. With a style honed over the penning of two previous books, Schlesinger once again produces a work grounded in a firm analytic sensibility, but which also retains the wit and candor of the seasoned analyst. His seminal investigation of this all but neglected topic in the clinical literature is as timely as it is scholarly, and – with the title firmly in mind – Promises, Oaths, and Vows is assured to be a worthy addition to any clinician’s library and a provoking investigation into Nietzsche’s notion of man as "the animal who makes promises."

In his first release since the best-selling There is More to the Secret, Ed Gungor challenges the church to return to authenticity and community. Over and over again in scripture Christians are encouraged to "make vows to the Lord" (e.g., Psalm 76:11). Is it possible that making vows-- intentionally inserting various Christian practices into our lives-- would have great value to 21st-century Christians? What if we thoughtfully and publicly articulated vows before God and those we love? Would it help our lives take on the tone of the eternal? Has something been lost in the openness of the 21st century? The answer is yes! Gungor says: "Vow-making is an old trail that was very familiar to the ancients who have gone before us, but is virtually unknown for we moderns. As I have wandered down this path, it has been both intriguing and empowering, and, on another level, just plain dangerous. But I really think it's leading somewhere. That's the why of this writing."