Journalist Tyler Gray’s The Hit Charade is the true story of boy band manager Lou Pearlman’s epic rise and fall. Without Lou Pearlman, there would have been no Backstreet Boys, no *NSYNC, and possibly no Justin Timberlake. In the late 1990s, Pearlman’s boy bands ushered out guitar-and-angst-driven grunge music and began to dominate the television and radio airwaves. At the core of this squeaky-clean pop revolution was a sinister international fraud conceived by Pearlman, a huckster who first honed his crooked business skills as a teenage math nerd and blimp enthusiast in Flushing, Queens. From the mid 1980s through 2007, he cheated hundreds of investors out of nearly $500 million. When they finally caught on to him and demanded their money, the “Sixth Backstreet Boy” had already fled to Germany and then to Indonesia, where he was eventually nabbed by authorities and charged with a historic federal fraud. In The Hit Charade, Tyler Gray (the only journalist to speak with Pearlman while he was in jail) weaves together the fascinating behind-the-scenes story of the greedy desperation of this boy-band mogul and monumental scam artist. Gray unravels Pearlman’s twenty-year long Ponzi scheme and explores persistent rumors about alleged inappropriate behavior by Pearlman toward members of the boy bands and other young men. Along the way, former friends, family members, Pearlman business associates, and band members themselves reveal detailed accounts of everything from the heyday of their stardom to Pearlman’s more troubled times. “Lou Pearlman’s schemes were so outlandish they can’t possibly have been real. But Tyler Gray exposes him as one of the most sinister scam artists in history.” —Joe Levy

"An utterly satisfying examination of the business of popular music." —Nathaniel Rich, The Atlantic There’s a reason today’s ubiquitous pop hits are so hard to ignore—they’re designed that way. The Song Machine goes behind the scenes to offer an insider’s look at the global hit factories manufacturing the songs that have everyone hooked. Full of vivid, unexpected characters—alongside industry heavy-hitters like Katy Perry, Rihanna, Max Martin, and Ester Dean—this fascinating journey into the strange world of pop music reveals how a new approach to crafting smash hits is transforming marketing, technology, and even listeners’ brains. You’ll never think about music the same way again. A Wall Street Journal Best Business Book

If the plan doesn't work, change the plan but never the goal. Owen King is a hitman with a conscience. He only takes jobs that eliminate the worst of the worst of the human population. When he gets a request to take out a gorgeous young woman from a notorious drug dealer with ties to the cartel, something doesn't feel right. The dealer claims Steph Baker is a spy with knowledge of Owen's business aren't adding up. Owen digs into her background and gets to know her better. Unspoken Rule of the Game: never fall for the woman you're supposed to kill. Owen knows time is running out and if he doesn't finish the job, someone else will. Billionaire Hitman Series: Book 1 – The Hit Book 2 – The Job Book 3 – The Run Search Terms: Enemies to Lovers, mafia romance, romantic suspense, dark romance, sexy hero, hot and steamy, romance, stockholm syndrome, ageless romance, Scottish romance, outlander, sexy, sport romance, hired wife, fake girlfriend, happily ever after, sweet love story, bully romance academy romance, coming of age romance, bully romance dark romance, bully romance college, bully romance reverse harem, new adult romance, contemporary romance

Cassie is fed up with online dating, but just when she’s finally decided to give up, firefighter Jett Bentley takes her on an amazing first date. But when they both go home and find three children dropped in their laps—each—they independently decide to do the right and mature thing: hide the kids from each other while sorting it all out. What could go wrong? Cassie Everson is an expert at escaping bad first dates. And, after years of meeting, greeting, and running from the men who try to woo her, Cassie is almost ready to retire her hopes for a husband—and children—altogether. But fate has other plans, and Cassie’s online dating profile catches the eye of firefighter Jett Bentley. In Jett’s memory, Cassie Everson is the unreachable girl-of-legend from their high school days. Nervously, he messages her, setting off a chain of events that forces a reluctant Cassie back into the dating game. No one is more surprised than Cassie when her first date with Jett is a knockout—but when Cassie finds herself caring for three sisters in an emergency foster placement, she decides to hide them from Jett to avoid scaring him off. When Jett’s sister’s addiction issues land her three children at his home, he decides the last thing Cassie needs to know about is his family drama. Neither dares to tell the other about their unexpected and possibly permanent family members for fear of scaring away their potential soulmate, especially since they both listed "no kids” on their profiles! With six children between them and secrets mounting, can Cassie and Jett find a way forward? Melissa Ferguson’s warmhearted debut reminds us that love can come in very small packages—and that sometimes our best-laid plans aren’t nearly as rewarding and fun as the surprises that come our way. Praise for The Dating Charade: “Melissa Ferguson is a sparkling new voice in contemporary rom-com. Though her novel tackles meaningful struggles—social work, child abandonment, adoption—it’s also fresh, flirty, and laugh-out-loud funny. Ferguson is going to win fans with this one!”—Lauren Denton, bestselling author of The Hideaway and Glory Road “The Dating Charade will keep you smiling the entire read. Ferguson not only delights us with new love, with all its attendant mishaps and misunderstandings, but she takes us deeper in the hearts and minds of vulnerable children as Cassie and Jett work out their families—then their dating lives. An absolute treat!”—Katherine Reay, bestselling author of The Printed Letter Bookshop Stand-alone contemporary romance Full-length novel (76,000 words) Includes discussion questions for book clubs

Struggling to safeguard her vineyard from an unusual late-season freeze, Lucie Montgomery discovers the body of a controversial local politician near her fields, a case during which a friend is wrongfully accused and Lucie confronts her feelings for a fractious winemaker. By the author of The Merlot Murders. Reprint.

Made in Sweden: Studies in Popular Music serves as a comprehensive and rigorous introduction to the history, sociology and musicology of twentieth-century Swedish popular music. The volume consists of essays by leading scholars of Swedish popular music and covers the major figures, styles and social contexts of pop music in Swedish. Although the vast majority of the contributors are Swedish, the essays are expressly written for an international English-speaking audience. No knowledge of Swedish music or culture will be assumed. Each essay provides adequate context so readers understand why the figure or genre under discussion is of lasting significance to Swedish popular music; each section features a brief introduction by the volume editors. The book presents a general description of the history and background of Swedish popular music, followed by essays that are organized into thematic sections: The Historical Development of the Swedish Popular-Music Mainstream; The Swedishness of Swedish Popular-Music Genres; Professionalization and Diversification; and Swedish Artist Personas. Contributors: Jonas Bjälesjö Alf Björnberg Thomas Bossius Peter Dahlén Olle Edström Karin L. Eriksson Rasmus Fleischer Sverker Hyltén-Cavallius Lars Lilliestam Ulf Lindberg Morten Michelsen Susanna Nordström Marita Rhedin Henrik Smith-Sivertsen Ann Werner Kajsa Widegren

A beautiful woman. A savage betrayal. The perfect payback but is revenge enough? Ollie is about to come face-to-face with the power of true, unconditional love. It could change Ollie's life or end it.