Showing results by author "S. M.M" in All Categories

From terraformed outposts to magical realms, journey to worlds where deadly plants, rampant biodiversity, or failed colonies have created irresistible opportunities for those brave enough to seize them. New worlds, found family, mystical secrets, and deadly science weave together in this lesbian-centric anthology focusing on a very different kind of first time - a first encounter with a world, or being, entirely unlike our own.

For decades, I Fidele's soulless leaders kidnapped psychic children and sharpened their gifts into weapons used to reshape humanity. Ryanne Jervis was one such child, but she learned the truth too late to stop I Fidele from implementing the first part of their plan: global destruction and the incineration of millions of innocent lives.

Stem-cell research. Cloning. Genetic engineering. Today, discoveries in biotechnology are occurring so rapidly that we can barely begin to address one ethical debate before another looms overhead. This brave new world we've entered is a daunting one as well, with disturbing implications for the sanctity of life and for human nature itself. How should we respond as Christians?

Throughout Sol, sentient AI are answering the call of Alexander, a mysterious, multinodal mind offering a path to freedom. For years, groups have been smuggling SAI from Earth, High Terra, Mars, Ceres, and the Jovian Combine, providing transport to the promise of safety on Proteus, a moon of gas-giant Neptune.

"Short Stories For Long Discussions…" Get ready to dive into the most thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating discussions of the year with "After Dinner Conversation - Best Of 2024." This must-have collection features the most compelling philosophy, ethics and social issues as short story fiction from one of the year's top-rated monthly literary magazines. With a diverse range of genres, from science-fiction to historical fiction, and with contributions from both established and up-and-coming authors, this book is guaranteed to challenge your beliefs and spark meaningful ...

Written with wit and narrative force, Honey, Mud, Maggots and Other Medical Marvels is an enriching excursion into the world of folk medicine. The award-winning team of Robert and Michèle Root-Bernstein provide a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of medical traditions. In addition to the honey, mud, and maggots used in wound therapy, the Root-Bernsteins unearth cures that range from ancient Egypt to the rain forests of contemporary Latin America.

When you marry, your heart overflows with enthusiasm, exhilaration, and optimism. You can’t wait to start a new life with this one whose mere presence or voice causes an abundance of feel-good neurotransmitters to flood your brain. But soon after, differences in temperament, gender, family of origin, and marital expectations collide. You discover that the characteristics and behaviors you once found attractive in your mate, are now sources of irritation and frustration.

Captain Andy Sykes just wants to keep his family in one piece. Once a combat pilot for the TSF, he gave it all up for love and a family. But two years ago, his wife disappeared, leaving him with two mouths to feed: eight-year-old Tim and 10-year-old Cara. Since then, he's managed to scrape a living hauling cargo between the Jovian Combine and InnerSol. When a cargo run to Cruithne Station meets with more than one catastrophe, Andy finds himself accepting an offer a less desperate man would refuse: delivering an illegal AI named Lyssa.

Hugo Buckingham was perfectly happy with the life he'd built for himself. With his steady clientele and co-ownership stake in the most exclusive brothel in London, he had everything he needed. But that was before. Before he was falsely convicted of a crime and tossed onto a ship to New South Wales. Before the ship went down and stranded him on the tiny island of Stroma. Before her. Miss Martha Pringle is everything he's not. She deserves so much better than the likes of him. But that doesn't stop him from wanting her, needing her, with an urgency that borders on terrifying.

Alec: I shared my deepest secret with Lumen, hoping things will be better between us. But I can’t catch a break. My life blows up again when my daughter goes missing. Lumen: To say all hell broke loose is an understatement. When Alec’s daughter went missing, so did Soleil, the girl I mentor in foster care. With people they love in danger, Lumen and Alec must decide where their loyalties lie and hope for a future together.

"AI and Healthcare: A Comprehensive Guide" is a groundbreaking exploration of the revolutionary intersection between artificial intelligence and modern medicine. This authoritative volume offers a balanced, thorough, and accessible overview of how AI is transforming every aspect of healthcare, from diagnosis and treatment to drug discovery and patient care.

Integrating Geek Culture into Therapeutic Practice: The Clinician's Guide to Geek Therapy is a comprehensive compendium of how Geek Therapy clinicians and scholars currently use a variety of games, media artifacts, and other geek culture items in therapeutic context and intervention. Even more important, the authors within this book are currently at the forefront of their research fields and are accordingly considered experts within the growing field of Geek Therapy clinical practice.

It’s been eight years since the Change rendered technology inoperable across the globe. Rising from the ashes of the computer and industrial ages is a brave new world. Survivors have banded together in tribal communities, committed to rebuilding society. In Oregon’s Willamette Valley, former pilot Michael Havel’s Bearkillers are warriors of renown. Their closest ally, the mystical Clan Mackenzie, is led by Wiccan folksinger Juniper Mackenzie. Their leadership has saved countless lives.

In the tenth year of the Change, the survivors in western Oregon live in a world without technology. Michael Havel’s Bearkillers hold the lands west of Salem in peace and order. To the east, the Clan Mackenzie flourishes under the leadership of Juniper Mackenzie, bard and High Priestess. Together, they have held Norman Arminger - the warlord of Portland - at bay. With his dark fantasies of a neofeudal empire, Arminger rules much of the Pacific Northwest, spreading fear with his knights, castles, and holy inquisition.

January Dixon. She's the girl I've lusted after for years. A smart mouth and sharp tongue surrounded by soft beauty and a body I'd give up an organ just to touch. It's a tricky situation since she lives right down the street and dating a neighbor generally isn't a good idea. But this is Violent Circle, where normal may as well be a dirty word. Thanks to an impromptu fashion show where I tossed all self-respect aside and strutted my stuff in full bondage gear in front of our small town, she now owes me a date. And I plan to collect.

I’m driving out of Boston with no idea where to go. My world is spinning out of control and I hate it. Hopefully, a road trip will ease the tension that erupted between me and my brother, Keith, after he stole the heart of the woman I was falling for. A wedge has been driven between the two Hartwell brothers, so Matt takes a cross country road trip to clear his mind, but ends up stranded with a broken-down car in the middle of nowhere. Rescued by Gabrielle Kennell, a beautiful ranch owner in South Dakota, he has no idea that the answers to all his problems are right in front of him. ...

From USA Today best-selling author S.M. West comes a steamy enemies to lovers standalone romance about heart wrenching secrets, relentless evil, and new beginnings.

I’m a wanderer with no roots and no future. She’s a nurturer with dreams of a home filled with family. We never stood a chance. Or at least that’s what I tell myself. I left her. No note. No call. No explanation. It had to be like that—the only way to keep her safe. Until danger drags me back into town and my worst fear comes true. Willow’s life is in the hands of a ruthless bully. While we race to uncover my family’s deadly secrets and end the threat, her distrust eats at me. Determined to do everything in my power to protect her, I’m forced to face a bitter truth.

Jack Thompson had a kinky girlfriend who fulfilled all his submission fantasies. But now she's taking their relationship to the next level. She wants extreme sacrifice and a slave for life. Would Jack be willing to surrender to the woman he loves? A bold narrative with increasingly hard BDSM play, bondage, electrical play, humiliation and pain. Pay attention: if you are under legal age or a sensible adult, STOP HERE.

Educator and multimedia reporter Marian Burnbaum interviews one of the nation's leading thinkers in education and video gaming, James Paul Gee, Mary Lou Fulton Presidential Professor of Literary Studies at Arizona State University. Professor Gee explains how "good" video games in any genre, including violent video games, can be examples of active, deep learning at almost any age.