Everyone has scars, but you can't always see them Ellie's scars talk to her: they warn her about the dangers of the future by reminding her of the pain of the past Griff's scars are deep inside, in a place where only Ellie can touch They fall in love on the island where, legend has it, a dragon once made a promise he could not keep... The Dragon's Promise is a comic romance in which the unlikely star-crossed lovers are Griff, a disillusioned Hollywood writer, and Ellie, facially scarred after a car crash, but with emotional scars that run far deeper. They meet and fall in love on a remote Scottish island, both looking for escape, and instead finding laughter and hope But when circumstances conspire to drive them apart, Ellie wanders from place to place, job to job, trying to forget, and extracting as much joy and humour from life as she can And Griff searches for her from Los Angeles across Europe, knowing she is his last, best chance of redemption. "With a cast of warm wonderful Highland characters, wry Scottish humour, and a clumsy, touching love story, this is a book to warm the cockles" "For anyone who loves the wild and stunning scenery of the North West Highlands, this book will be a delight"

After Minna's father loses his dragon jockey career, health, and wealth due to a rogue wizard, he forbids his daughter from studying magic. She carries on in secret, all the while plotting revenge against the man who ruined her father's life. Evan Valentine has attended a prestigious magical academy on scholarship, although he's cleverly managed to conceal the fact from everyone. He’s on the fast track to success—until he discovers he owes a debt that can never be repaid. Minna and Evan don't realize it yet, but their destinies have been intertwined for years. Once the truth is known, they’ll be forced to choose between vengeance…or each other.

"[Mindy Mejia] is simply a beautiful writer…" —Twin Cities Pioneer Press"Mejia beautifully tackles the subjects of animal captivity, endangered animals, human-animal connections, and even evolution." —Global Animal"This is a thriller of the rarest form—one that touches both the mind and the heart. A wonderful read." —Mary Logue, author of the Claire Watkins mysteries"…impressive…ambitious…Mindy Mejia is a talent to watch." —Sheila O'Connor, author of Where No Gods Came and Sparrow Road A zookeeper fights to save the animal she loves, even as her own life crumbles around her… Meg Yancy knows she may be overly attached to Jata, the Komodo dragon that has been in her care since it arrived at the zoo from Indonesia. Jata brings the exotic to Meg’s Minnesotan life: an ancient, predatory history and stories of escaping to freedom. A species that became endangered soon after being discovered, Komodos have a legacy of independence, something that Meg understands all too well. Meg has always been better able to relate to reptiles than to people, from her estranged father to her live-in boyfriend to the veterinarian who is more concerned with his career than with the animals’ lives. Then one day, Meg makes an amazing discovery. Jata has produced viable eggs—without ever having had a mate. Faced with this rare phenomenon, Meg must now defend Jata’s hatchlings from the scientific, religious, and media forces that converge on the zoo to claim the miracle as their own. Finally forced to deal with the very people she has avoided for so long, Meg discovers that opening herself up comes with its own complications. And as she fights to save the animal she loves from the consequences of its own miracle, she must learn to accept that in nature, as in life, not everything can be controlled. Mindy Mejia’s gripping debut novel highlights the perils of captivity and the astonishing ways in which animals evolve.

Is China a rogue donor, as some media pundits suggest? Or is China helping the developing world pave a pathway out of poverty, as the Chinese claim? In the last few years, China's aid program has leapt out of the shadows. Media reports about huge aid packages, support for pariah regimes, regiments of Chinese labor, and the ruthless exploitation of workers and natural resources in some of the poorest countries in the world sparked fierce debates. These debates, however, took place with very few hard facts. China's tradition of secrecy about its aid fueled rumors and speculation, making it difficult to gauge the risks and opportunities provided by China's growing embrace. This well-timed book, by one of the world's leading experts, provides the first comprehensive account of China's aid and economic cooperation overseas. Deborah Brautigam tackles the myths and realities, explaining what the Chinese are doing, how they do it, how much aid they give, and how it all fits into their "going global" strategy. Drawing on three decades of experience in China and Africa, and hundreds of interviews in Africa, China, Europe and the US, Brautigam shines new light on a topic of great interest. China has ended poverty for hundreds of millions of its own citizens. Will Chinese engagement benefit Africa? Using hard data and a series of vivid stories ranging across agriculture, industry, natural resources, and governance, Brautigam's fascinating book provides an answer. It is essential reading for anyone concerned with China's rise, and what it might mean for the challenge of ending poverty in Africa.