Diane is a beautiful single mother who pulled herself out of the system by working hard so that her children could have everything she didn't. Now she's bitter and jealous, because the daughter she sacrificed twenty years of her youth for is prettier and more intelligent than she'll ever be and about to live the life Diane always dreamed of. Kendra's relationship with her mother takes an even harsher turn when she meets Deon, a handsome, streetwise entrepreneur. He is everything Kendra has ever dreamed of in a man. Now the only thing she has to do is keep her conniving mother as far away from him as possible.

With long blond hair and painted red nails, beautiful Georgette Ecklington didn't look like a mechanic. But the latest hire at Bob and Bart's Auto Repair could recognize a faulty coil in no time—and fix it just as fast. Only problem was that Bob Delanio was attracted to his new employee. Luckily, he knew business and pleasure didn't mix. Besides, after meeting her wealthy, controlling father, Bob realized he and Georgette came from opposite worlds. It was up to Georgette to show her handsome boss a downtown man should take a risk on an uptown girl....

Unworthiness, fear, guilt, shame; these are just a few of the emotional bandages that people carry with them. The world tells us we should deny these harmful emotions or accept them as normal, but our loving God wants to set us free. I invite you to come along on a journey with me as I find the courage to seek out the root of these emotions in my life and embrace God's love and freedom to find a light in the darkness.

"A Little Too Familiar is a knock-it-out-of-the-park, magic on every page delight.” –Christina Lauren, NYT Bestselling authors of the Unhoneymooners "Wildly inventive, thoroughly romantic, and cozily delightful, Lish McBride will leave you head over heels for this world and her characters.” Gwenda Bond, New York Times bestselling author of The Date from Hell “Intricate world building, sexy and smart leads who can’t live without each other, a diabolical villain you will delight in hating, vengeance pigeons, murder ferrets - all while sneaking in beautiful messages about the family of the heart. What more could you ask of a story?”—Molly Harper, author of the Half-Moon Hollow & Mystic Bayou series Love brings out the animal in you Louise Matthews has got it good. Wonderful job? Check. Loving family? The best. Roommates? Pretty fantastic, thank you. All of this helps her stay focused on what she wants: to finish out her apprenticeship and become a fully licensed Switch-an animal mage who bonds familiars to their witches. Only a problem has just moved in-a hot, occasionally wolf-shaped problem. Declan Mackenzie doesn’t want to be a lone wolf, but he doesn’t have a choice. Girlfriend? Gone. Sister? Starting a new life. Parents? In prison where they belong, thankfully. All he wants is a fresh start-new home, new job, new life. What he gets is a house full of witches, a fledgling phoenix named Dammit, and rogue ferrets who won’t stay out of his business. And he could handle all of that if it wasn’t for Louise. It’s not great to crush on your roommate. It’s even worse when you realize she wields the kind of magic that sends you running for the door. Still, Declan is no pup, and he’s not going to let this set him back. Until the past comes back to haunt him-the parents he put in jail have busted out. They want revenge. And the only thing standing between them and Declan is Louise and the very magic he vowed never to go near again.

What do stories in games have in common with political narratives? This book identifies narrative strategies as mechanisms for meaning and manipulation in games and real life. It shows that the narrative mechanics so clearly identifiable in games are increasingly used (and abused) in politics and social life. They have »many faces«, displays and interfaces. They occur as texts, recipes, stories, dramas in three acts, movies, videos, tweets, journeys of heroes, but also as rewarding stories in games and as narratives in society - such as a career from rags to riches, the concept of modernity or market economy. Below their surface, however, narrative mechanics are a particular type of motivational design - of game mechanics.