In an absorbing mystery thriller, a teenage girl with a past arrives in a city: new name, new identity, new foster family. She has chosen the city herself, and is fascinated by its harmony and beauty, but is clearly in fear of discovery. She is nursing a secret from her early childhood, a secret that produces new terrors for her the moment she fears her identity has been spotted. A parallel narrative tells of a young architect's apprentice, Zak, in 1750 - working with Jonathan Forrest, a man obsessed with past Druidic mysteries and a new architectural vision for the city. He plans to create the world's first circular terraced street, the King's Circus - a plan greeted with scorn and derision. Zac soon realises there's more than just obsession with an architectural vision; there is some secret associated with building a hidden chamber in the centre of the Circus. But Zac himself has his own confused and highly destructive agenda ... These narratives are framed by the voice of Bladud - mythical first builder of the city, destined to die in trying to fly. And ultimately his narrative brings all together in a clever and brilliantly intriguing climax.

The gorgeous and darkly compelling sequel to The Crown’s Game—perfect for fans of Red Queen and Shadow and Bone.A New York Times bestseller! Magic is growing, shadows are rising, and the throne is at stake… Russia is on the brink of great change. Pasha’s coronation approaches, and Vika is now the Imperial Enchanter, but the role she once coveted may be more difficult—and dangerous—than she ever expected. Pasha is grappling with his own problems—his legitimacy is in doubt, the girl he loves loathes him, and he believes his best friend is dead. When a challenger to the throne emerges—and with the magic in Russia growing rapidly—Pasha must do whatever it takes to keep his position and protect his kingdom. For Nikolai, the ending of the Crown’s Game stung deeply. Although he just managed to escape death, Nikolai remains alone, a shadow hidden in a not-quite-real world of his own creation. But when he’s given a second chance at life—tied to a dark price—Nikolai must decide just how far he’s willing to go to return to the world. With revolution on the rise, dangerous new magic rearing up, and a tsardom up for the taking, Vika, Nikolai, and Pasha must fight—or face the destruction of not only their world but also themselves.

Initially, 'The Crown or The Clown' was written to inspire single females yearning for a husband. Unknowingly, my egoistically arranged path to their desire was for them to wait on that god-ordained relationship that was intended specifically for them. However, in writing 'The Crown or The Clown', I was reminded of my personal journeys, my hills and valleys, my unsuccessful paths, and subsequent consequences while I was seeking what I perceived as that "perfect" attainable relationship. I was humbled, contrite and yielded to the direction of the Holy Spirit as I moved forward in writing 'The Crown or The Clown'. You see, I then understood and accepted God's Will...God's Way. My prayer is that as the reader goes through each page, absorbs each experience of my journeys, and faithfully participates in each activity from the beginning to the end, they will attain a soul-rendering illumination of the gospel. My hope is for each reader to have their own individual experiences of 1). A sincere release and self-forgiveness from the bondages of the past, 2). A complete wholeness of who they truly are and who they belong to spiritually, and 3). The authentic acceptance that the desires of their heart comes when they have a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ. Only then can they be open and obedient to the biblically based desires for a purposed, destined and ordained relationship intended for them through Jesus Christ.

The pompa circensis, the procession which preceded the chariot races in the arena, was both a prominent political pageant and a hallowed religious ritual. Traversing a landscape of memory, the procession wove together spaces and institutions, monuments and performers, gods and humans into an image of the city, whose contours shifted as Rome changed. In the late Republic, the parade produced an image of Rome as the senate and the people with their gods - a deeply traditional symbol of the city which was transformed during the empire when an imperial image was built on top of the republican one. In late antiquity, the procession fashioned a multiplicity of Romes: imperial, traditional, and Christian. In this book, Jacob A. Latham explores the webs of symbolic meanings in the play between performance and itinerary, tracing the transformations of the circus procession from the late Republic to late antiquity.

Planet Property details the inner workings of the UK commercial property, residential development and rental markets. This first major book on the topic for 20 years maps these sectors between 1997 and 2012, during the ten-year boom, the 2008/9 financial crash and its protracted aftermath. Developers and investors made debt-fuelled fortunes during Tony Blair’s decade as Prime Minister, during which prices nearly doubled. The 2008 banking crisis led to the sharpest crash in 80 years, under Gordon Brown’s tenure, when prices halved. The biggest debt clear-up in history began under David Cameron. Planet Property is the first full guide to the £400 billion sector. The fast-paced book will appeal to insiders as well as outsiders seeking insight. Students in pursuit of knowledge have dedicated chapters explaining the world of property, its history, inhabitants – and how and why so much money can be made and lost. The book provides a plain-English explanation of how Planet Property spins. Author and journalist Peter Bill explains the roles and relationships between those who fund, develop, own, trade, broker, manage and provide professional and legal advice on offices, shops, industrial property as well as new-build homes. Peter’s 11-year editorship of property bible Estates Gazette and his City pages column in the London Evening Standard provided access to leading politicians, bankers, investors, agents and the foremost developers of the era. Many major figures have given interviews for Planet Property. This informed and lively tale is filled with insights and sparkles with anecdotes Peter has gathered during his years of high-level access. The 250-page volume ranges wider than the out-of-print standard works: Oliver Marriott’sThe Property Boom and Alastair Ross Goobey’s Bricks and Mortals.