Kisses By Clockwork

Putting the steamy back into steampunk. 105,000 words of steampunk romance, edited by the award-winning Liz Grzyb. Stories by Marilag Angway, Cherith Baldry, Gio Clairval, M.L.D. Curelas, Ray Dean, Stephanie Gunn, Richard Harland, Rebecca Harwell, Faith Mudge, Nicole Murphy, Katrina Nicholson, Anthony Panegyres, Amanda Pillar, Angela Rega, Carol Ryles, D.C. White.

A net of shadows tightens around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy them. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray. When Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem and Will, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever. Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in this breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.

On some days, New York is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. This was one of the other days... Melody Malone, owner and sole employee of the Angel Detective Agency, has an unexpected caller. It’s movie star Rock Railton, and he thinks someone is out to kill him. When he mentions the ‘kiss of the Angel’, she takes the case. Angels are Melody’s business... At the press party for Railton’s latest movie, studio owner Max Kliener invites Melody to the film set of their next blockbuster. He’s obviously spotted her potential, and Melody is flattered when Kliener asks her to become a star. But the cost of fame, she’ll soon discover, is greater than anyone could possibly imagine. Will Melody be able to escape Kliener’s dastardly plan – before the Angels take Manhattan?

“How could ‘old age’ be a medical diagnosis when I wasn’t even forty?” —Lolly Winston “… if aging is difficult for those of us who were only sometimes cute,” she says, “just imagine how hard it must be for the aging knockouts, the living dolls.” —Rebecca McClanahan “I love sex. I love middle-age sex. I love married sex. I'm almost fifty and I've never felt sexier. But damn, it took a long time to get here.” —Ellen Sussman “And who is that woman who looks just like me in the mirror behind the bar? Could she be some evil twin, sitting in a place I’d never go alone, acting like a hanger-on, a groupie?” —Lisa Norris “… even past sixty (perhaps especially past sixty), women like me feel impelled to stick to the myths we have invented for ourselves.” —Annick Smith “Slow down. Don’t be so frenetic. Contemplate on the insights you have gained. Listen to the silence within.” —Bharti Kirchner “The young woman’s body I live inside still, that unforgotten home, is a text. It is engraved with memory …” —Meredith Hall A collection of blazingly honest, smart, and often humorous essays on middle age contributed by well-known writers such as Julia Glass, Joyce Maynard, Lolly Winston, Antonya Nelson, Diana Abu-Jaber, Judy Blunt, Lauren Slater, and other voices of the baby boom generation. In the tradition of the bestselling A Bitch in the House, Kiss Tomorrow Hello brings together the experiences and reflections of women as they embark on a new stage of life. Many women in their forties, fifties, and sixties discover that they are racing uphill, trying desperately to keep their romantic and social lives afloat just as those things they believe constant start to shift: The body begins its inevitable decline, sometimes gracefully, sometimes less so… The twenty-five stellar writers gathered here explore a wide range of concerns, including keeping love (and sex) alive, discovering family secrets, negotiating the demands of illness and infertility, letting children go, making peace with parents, and contemplating plastic surgery. The tales are true, the confessions candid, and the humor infectious—just what you’d expect from the women whose works represent the best writings of their generation. From Lynn Freed’s wry “Happy Birthday to Me” to Pam Houston’s hilarious “Coffee Dates with a Beefcake”; from Ellen Sussman's "Tearing Up the Sheets" to Julia Glass's "I Have a Crush on Ted Geisel," Kiss Tomorrow Hello is a wise, lyrical, and sexy look at the pleasures and perils of midlife.

"Heart-wrenching, redemptive and stirringly passionate... A series opener to be read and savored."—RT Book reviews, 4 1⁄2 stars. First in a thrilling steampunk paranormal romance series, Honoria Todd is being hunted by a vicious blue-blood, and her only chance of survival lies with the notorious master of the rookeries in Whitechapel. But at what price? Her blood? Or something more? Most people avoid the dreaded Whitechapel district. For Honoria, it's the last safe haven as she hides from the Blue Blood aristocracy that rules London through power and fear. Blade rules the rookeries—no one dares cross him. It's been said he faced down the Echelon's army single handedly, that ever since being infected by the blood-craving he's been quicker, stronger, and almost immortal. When Honoria shows up at his door, his tenuous control comes close to snapping. She's so...innocent. He doesn't see her backbone of steel—or that she could be the very salvation he's been seeking. London Steampunk Series: Kiss of Steel (Book 1) Heart of Iron (Book 2) My Lady Quicksilver (Book 3) Forged by Desire (Book 4) Of Silk and Steam (Book 5) What readers are saying about Kiss of Steel: "a scrumptious blend of steampunk, vampires, sex, and danger" "excellent paranormal romance with a touch of steampunk" "Loved this book, the noir of steam, vampires, werewolfs, and lust find a perfect stew." "A must read for paranormal fans." What reviewers are saying about Kiss of Steel: "An enthralling debut... A leading man as wicked as he is irresistible... Heart-wrenching, redemptive and stirringly passionate... A series opener to be read and savored. 4 1/2 Stars" — RT Book Reviews "Dark, intense, and sexy... A stunning new series with an intriguing twist on the vampire theme." — Library Journal "Compulsively readable... The mythology surrounding the vampires and the not—quite—vampiric blue bloods felt fresh and original... " —Mindful Musings What everyone is saying about Bec McMaster: "a must read for paranormal fans and steampunk fans alike. 5/5 Stars, Reviewer Top Pick" — Night Owl Reviews "richly imagined, gritty and dark, and full of hot heroes and hot sex... utterly delicious. " —Smart Bitches, Trashy Books "Action, adventure, steampunk, and blazing hot seduction...Bec McMaster offers it all."—Eve Silver, author of Sins of the Flesh

Things were going fine until Blake “the Flake” Moffitt decided to show his much-too-handsome face again in Hallmark Beach. I may have been in love with my best friend’s brother once upon a time, but that fairytale is long over. Now, he’s just another person who’s left and disappointed me. Who’s hurt my best friend, Marilee. This time, I’m determined to protect both of us from expecting too much. Thankfully, he’s only here for the summer. So even though he’s our temporary housemate—did I forget to mention that?—maybe I could tolerate his presence in town. Except for one little thing… He’s parked his food truck right next to the only full-service restaurant in town… …and it’s the one I’m currently managing. The one that was already struggling on my watch, and now is plunging into the red. Guess what, buddy? This means war. Blake must be stopped, but he thwarts me at every turn. It’s bad enough we have to work together on the town’s Fourth of July festival planning committee, but then he has to go and be sweet when I least expect it—more like the guy I used to know. So is he my enemy…or the love of my life? Only time will tell. But time has a funny way of ticking away. And with a restaurant opening calling him back to the big city at the end of the summer, time is the one thing we don’t have on our side. Perfect for fans of: ✔️enemies to lovers ✔️best friend’s brother ✔️temporary roommates ✔️forced proximity ✔️first love/crush ✔️small-town romance Beachside Kisses With My Enemy is Book 2 in the new Hallmark Beach small town sweet romantic comedy series, where a charming yet quirky town on the coast of California comes to life. It’s the story of restaurant manager Lucy Reynolds and her best friend’s brother, chef Blake Moffitt. This dual-POV novel is filled with all the sizzling romantic tension and swoons possible without on-page intimacy. The Hallmark Beach sweet romantic comedy series is for fans of Emma St. Clair, Jenny Proctor, Katie Bailey, and Katherine Center.

From the author of the bestselling California Dreamin' sweet romantic comedy series comes a new adventure in the small town of Hallmark Beach… All I wanted to do was throw my brother a surprise early wedding. As the prince of a small country, his wedding day has been eclipsed by pomp and circumstance—and he and his fiancée deserve more. So when I find myself in a charming small town on the coast of California, I decide to plan them the perfect royal wedding without all the cameras and expectations. But as a princess, I can't be here alone. So my brother sends along the country's top bodyguard—his best mate, Frederick. Who ALSO happens to be the man I'm completely mad about. Not that either of them know that. Then, assumptions are made ... That's right. The townspeople who are helping me plan the wedding assume that I'm the bride—and that Frederick's the groom. But it makes the perfect cover story. They'll never suspect it's actually Prince Topher's nuptials I'm planning. We can keep this royal wedding under wraps from the press. A fake engagement is the perfect plan. But I didn't quite think through how it would be to pretend with him. To hug him. To share a room with him. To kiss him. In fact, it's going to take all the mental and emotional strength I have to remember that this fake engagement to my brother's best friend ... isn't real. No matter how brilliantly we might fit together. Perfect for fans of: ✔️flirtatious banter ✔️brother's best friend stories ✔️forbidden romance ✔️royalty romance ✔️fake engagements ✔️forced proximity Beachside Kisses With My Bodyguard is Book 1 in the new Hallmark Beach small town sweet romantic comedy series, where a charming yet quirky town on the coast of California comes to life. Though Princess Chloe and Frederick first appeared in the California Dreamin' series, it's absolutely not necessary to have read those stories in order to enjoy this one. This dual-POV novel is filled with all the sizzling romantic tension and swoons possible without on-page intimacy. The Hallmark Beach sweet romantic comedy series is for fans of Emma St. Clair, Jenny Proctor, Katie Bailey, and Katherine Center.

Stanley Kubrick is one of the most revered directors in cinema history. His 13 films, including classics such as Paths of Glory, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, and The Shining, attracted controversy, acclaim, a devoted cult following, and enormous critical interest. With this comprehensive guide to the key contexts - industrial and cultural, as well as aesthetic and critical - the themes of Kubrick's films sum up the current vibrant state of Kubrick studies. Bringing together an international team of leading scholars and emergent voices, this Companion provides comprehensive coverage of Stanley Kubrick's contribution to cinema. After a substantial introduction outlining Kubrick's life and career and the film's production and reception contexts, the volume consists of 39 contributions on key themes that both summarise previous work and offer new, often archive-based, state-of-the-art research. In addition, it is specifically tailored to the needs of students wanting an authoritative, accessible overview of academic work on Kubrick.