Forced into betrothal to relieve a gambling debt, beautiful Lara is reluctant to fall for Matthew Trent's charms. But as she succumbs to passion, darker otherworldly forces threaten their future. Is it worth risk to anger restless spirits?

As seen on the Today Show: This true story of an unforgettable mother, her devoted daughter, and their life in the Detroit numbers of the 1960s and 1970s highlights "the outstanding humanity of black America" (James McBride). In 1958, the very same year that an unknown songwriter named Berry Gordy borrowed $800 to found Motown Records, a pretty young mother from Nashville, Tennessee, borrowed $100 from her brother to run a numbers racket out of her home. That woman was Fannie Davis, Bridgett M. Davis's mother. Part bookie, part banker, mother, wife, and granddaughter of slaves, Fannie ran her numbers business for thirty-four years, doing what it took to survive in a legitimate business that just happened to be illegal. She created a loving, joyful home, sent her children to the best schools, bought them the best clothes, mothered them to the highest standard, and when the tragedy of urban life struck, soldiered on with her stated belief: "Dying is easy. Living takes guts." A daughter's moving homage to an extraordinary parent, The World According to Fannie Davis is also the suspenseful, unforgettable story about the lengths to which a mother will go to "make a way out of no way" and provide a prosperous life for her family -- and how those sacrifices resonate over time.

The hazards of feeling lucky in gambling Why do so many gamblers risk it all when they know the odds of winning are against them? Why do they believe dice are "hot" in a winning streak? Why do we expect heads on a coin toss after several flips have turned up tails? What's Luck Got to Do with It? takes a lively and eye-opening look at the mathematics, history, and psychology of gambling to reveal the most widely held misconceptions about luck. It exposes the hazards of feeling lucky, and uses the mathematics of predictable outcomes to show when our chances of winning are actually good. Mathematician Joseph Mazur traces the history of gambling from the earliest known archaeological evidence of dice playing among Neolithic peoples to the first systematic mathematical studies of games of chance during the Renaissance, from government-administered lotteries to the glittering seductions of grand casinos, and on to the global economic crisis brought on by financiers' trillion-dollar bets. Using plenty of engaging anecdotes, Mazur explains the mathematics behind gambling—including the laws of probability, statistics, betting against expectations, and the law of large numbers—and describes the psychological and emotional factors that entice people to put their faith in winning that ever-elusive jackpot despite its mathematical improbability. As entertaining as it is informative, What's Luck Got to Do with It? demonstrates the pervasive nature of our belief in luck and the deceptive psychology of winning and losing. Some images inside the book are unavailable due to digital copyright restrictions.

This is not a book about basketball or sports in general. It is a book about life. Basketball, and other sports provide a lot of good life lessons, but there is a difference between a game that is part of life and life itself. When I made a mistake in a game, I was always able to go back and reflect on what I did wrong, I had video to look at so I could see exactly what happened, what my opponent did, what I did and what I could have done better and hopefully will do better the next time I am faced with a similar situation. Unfortunately, in life, we make decisions that can affect our lives and the lives of other people forever. There is no going back to correct our mistakes, but there is plenty of video replay on social media, in the memories of those we hurt and in our own minds as we try to figure out what went wrong and answer the question: NOW WHAT?There is a lot about basketball in this book, but that is because basketball is how I made a living for most of my adult life. The real subject of this book, however, is how to recover from and avoid making bad decisions, decisions that hurt the people you love and hurt you, your relationships with others and with God. It is a book about love and mercy, but it is also about a very hard and painful journey, my journey and how I finally learned to stop being selfish and to THINK FIRST before making decisions. I hope it will help you learn to THINK FIRST also before you do as much damage to yourself and others as I have done. But it is also a book about hope, because as long as you are breathing, God has a purpose for you in this life.In the end, every decision is a gamble. The question is whether it is a good risk or a bad risk, whether the reward is worth risking the consequences of losing. Going all-in for God, for others, for a noble cause is worth the risk, but how do you know and how do you recover from the times you foolishly and selfishly gambled and lost? That too is why I wrote this book. Whether you have a son or daughter that is a big-time athlete, or you are that athlete yourself, or maybe you are not an athlete at all, but your life is on the edge or already over the edge and you feel hopeless, either way, this book is for you. You are also going to read a lot about being on a journey. Let me be clear. This journey is not a vacation. My own journey has been filled with pain. One reason for writing this book is to spare others some of the pain I have experienced, to encourage people to THINK FIRST before making decisions, to learn the difference between a gamble that is worth it and a gamble that is foolish. But no one can avoid some pain in this journey of life. Some people might judge me, might not like me because of what they have read about me, but this book is not about ME. It is about who I can help by honestly sharing my ups and downs. To do anything less than be totally honest is to be selfish.

Up-to-date, guided support to help women with a gambling problem achieve the rewards of a hopeful life, free of addiction Up-to-date, guided support to help women with a gambling problem achieve the rewards of a hopeful life, free of addiction Today, more than five million women in the United States struggle with problem gambling, and this number continues to increase as casinos, online card rooms, and other venues continue to multiply.In this groundbreaking book, addiction expert Diane Rae Davis, Ph.D., offers women everywhere the support they need to face this debilitating problem and take the necessary steps to regain control of their lives. Offering information on preventing relapse, finding support groups, and healing relationships with loved ones, Davis uses the most up-to-date research and methods for treatment to help women gamblers:identify what makes them vulnerable to addictionrecognize the costs and consequences of gambling behaviorssee what it means to "hit bottom"determine how to begin and continue on the road to recovery using a virtual toolbox of techniquesEach section of this user-friendly guide highlights real success stories of women who have gone through the same issues and treatment strategies, and who have discovered the rewards of beating a gambling problem and reclaimed hope for their lives.Diane Rae Davis, Ph.D., is a professor in the School of Social Work and Human Services at Eastern Washington University. She has researched and written extensively on addiction and recovery, specifically with regard to women in recovery from compulsive gambling.