Flirting With Disaster

This analysis of catastrophes provides a pathway for those who want to foster truthtelling in their organization and head off disasters in the making. We tend to think of disasters as uncontrollable acts of nature or inevitable accidents. But are such incidents unavoidable or ever truly accidental? The authors of this remarkable book say we actually do have the power to prevent tragedies such as the flooding from Hurricane Katrina, the death toll from dangerous medicines like Vioxx, and the explosion of the Space Shuttle Columbia. Marc Gerstein and Michael Ellsberg insist that disasters need not be inevitable if we learn from history, prepare carefully for the worst case, and speak out when we see danger looming. This revelation makes their compelling study extremely valuable for readers in business, government, medicine, academia—indeed all walks of life. Flirting with Disaster will do for catastrophe what Blink did for intuition, and The Black Swan did for probability: provide a popular audience with an engaging, in-depth view of a complex and important topic. Gerstein and Ellsberg examine the culture of institutions: why even people of good will and inside knowledge underestimate risk; feel psychologically incapable of averting tragedy and unable to pick up the pieces afterward; and don’t come forward forcefully enough to head off catastrophe. They also celebrate those who go beyond the call of duty to save others, including Dr. David Graham of the FDA who courageously stood up to reveal Vioxx’s deadly effects. One such whistleblower contributes both a foreword and an afterword: Daniel Ellsberg, renowned for releasing the Pentagon Papers.

Revisit the bestselling Charleston Trilogy by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods in this timeless tale of what happens when opposites attract. There’s a fine line between desire and disaster. At least, that’s what improper Southern belle Maggie Forsythe thinks when she’ unceremoniously dumped by a fiancé even her mother approved of. Maggie has never cared what anyone thinks, so why is she hiding away from her South Carolina Low Country home? Then an intervention by friends shows her she has options. Lots of them! And one includes a man who can make her forget all about being jilted. But one look at Maggie convinces project foreman Josh Parker that he’s corn bread to her caviar. Sure, they have enough sparks to ignite a bonfire, but growing up broke has made him wary of sweet-tea-swilling debutantes. So why is he suddenly singing “Tea for Two”? Originally published in 2011.

Seventeen-year-old Felicity believes in true love. That's why she applies for an after-school gig at the matchmaking company Cupid's Hollow. But when Felicity gets the job, she learns that she isn't just a matchmaker...she's a cupid! (There's more than one of them, you know.) Armed with a hot pink, tricked-out PDA (infused with the latest in cupid magic—love arrows shot through email), Felicity works to meet her quota of successful matches.

When forwarding a text message gets Seattle fifteen-year-old Savvy Smith in big trouble, she begins wondering if there is such a thing as luck and, if so, how it relates to God, but to find out she must put her advice column, her ministry, and her friendships at risk.

The pilot for a humanitarian mission to fly doctors to a remote Mexican village, Lisa Merrick discovers that the trip is part of sinister plot involving smuggling, conspiracy, and attempted murder after her plane is sabotage, leaving her trapped in the wilderness, and is forced to turn her former lover, Texas cop Dave DeMarco, for assistance. Original.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY LIBRARY JOURNAL AND RT BOOK REVIEWS • In this scorching-hot Camelot novel from RITA finalist and bestselling author Ruthie Knox, a no-strings fling looks an awful lot like falling in love—or flirting with disaster. Fresh out of a fiasco of a marriage, Katie Clark has retreated to her hometown to start over. The new Katie is sophisticated, cavalier, and hell-bent on kicking butt at her job in her brother’s security firm. But on her first assignment—digging up the truth about the stalker threatening a world-famous singer-songwriter—Katie must endure the silent treatment from a stern but sexy partner who doesn’t want her help . . . or her company. Sean Owens knows that if he opens his mouth around Katie, she’ll instantly remember him as the geeky kid who sat behind her in high school. Silence is golden, but he can’t keep quiet forever, not with Katie stampeding through their investigation. It’s time for Sean to step up and take control of the case, and his decade-old crush. If he can break through Katie’s newfound independence, they just might find they make a perfect team—on the road, on the job, and in bed. Praise for Flirting with Disaster “Knox’s Camelot, Ohio, books showcase just what this author does best, create love stories that feature real people in situations that readers can understand and with which they can empathize. . . . Additionally, she writes absolutely smoking-hot love scenes! Her heroes and her heroines redeem and save each other. Love doesn’t conquer all, but it makes life a whole lot sweeter.”—Library Journal “Flirting with Disaster is, at heart, a love story and it’s one that Ms. Knox makes sweet and sexy. The scenes between Sean and Katie are filled with wit and want.”—All About Romance “What I love most about the way Ruthie Knox writes is her fantastic ability to turn the ordinary into something very special. . . . There were so many moments in the book that made me smile and laugh, and that’s the beauty of her writing. I was rooting for both Katie and Sean throughout the entire book, and I was very satisfied with how it came about.”—Paranormal Haven “Two thumbs up for this author who has this girl crushing hard on her stories!”—Living in a Fictional World “Her ability to infuse her writing with such humor and heart is what makes it so appealing to readers. I can always count on Knox to make me smile with one of her books.”—Under the Covers “Sean and Katie are a couple that you must get to know. They’re charming together, a perfect fit and I loved their banter and play on page. Tack on a sweet epilogue at the end, and Flirting with Disaster is one very satisfying read.”—Happily Ever After-Reads “A great new voice in contemporary romance . . . hilarious, heartfelt, and hot.”—New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kristan Higgins “I’ll read anything by Ruthie Knox—her books are always sexy, funny, beautifully poignant, and honest.”—Molly O’Keefe, bestselling author of Crazy Thing Called Love Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from these Loveswept titles: How to Misbehave, Along Came Trouble, and About Last Night.

Felicity takes a job at Cupid's Hollow, a matchmaking company that supplies staff cupids with a manual and magic to enhance romance, and is expected to make matches among her peers at Greenville High where she is a junior.

Winner of the 2019 National Business Book Award A groundbreaking take on how complexity causes failure in all kinds of modern systems—from social media to air travel—this practical and entertaining book reveals how we can prevent meltdowns in business and life. A crash on the Washington, D.C. metro system. An accidental overdose in a state-of-the-art hospital. An overcooked holiday meal. At first glance, these disasters seem to have little in common. But surprising new research shows that all these events—and the myriad failures that dominate headlines every day—share similar causes. By understanding what lies behind these failures, we can design better systems, make our teams more productive, and transform how we make decisions at work and at home. Weaving together cutting-edge social science with riveting stories that take us from the frontlines of the Volkswagen scandal to backstage at the Oscars, and from deep beneath the Gulf of Mexico to the top of Mount Everest, Chris Clearfield and András Tilcsik explain how the increasing complexity of our systems creates conditions ripe for failure and why our brains and teams can't keep up. They highlight the paradox of progress: Though modern systems have given us new capabilities, they've become vulnerable to surprising meltdowns—and even to corruption and misconduct. But Meltdown isn't just about failure; it's about solutions—whether you're managing a team or the chaos of your family's morning routine. It reveals why ugly designs make us safer, how a five-minute exercise can prevent billion-dollar catastrophes, why teams with fewer experts are better at managing risk, and why diversity is one of our best safeguards against failure. The result is an eye-opening, empowering, and entirely original book—one that will change the way you see our complex world and your own place in it.