Few of the great stories of medicine are as palpably dramatic as the invention of open-heart surgery, yet, until now, no journalist has ever brought all of the thrilling specifics of this triumph to life. This is the story of the surgeon many call the father of open-heart surgery, Dr. C. Walton Lillehei, who, along with colleagues at University Hospital in Minneapolis and a small band of pioneers elsewhere, accomplished what many experts considered to be an impossible feat: He opened the heart, repaired fatal defects, and made the miraculous routine. Acclaimed author G. Wayne Miller draws on archival research and exclusive interviews with Lillehei and legendary pioneers such as Michael DeBakey and Christiaan Barnard, taking readers into the lives of these doctors and their patients as they progress toward their landmark achievement. In the tradition of works by Richard Rhodes and Tracy Kidder, King of Hearts tells the story of an important and gripping piece of forgotten science history.

In 1949 a special Valentine’s Day dance in small-town Nebraska teaches thirteen-year-old Addie about real love Kids in Addie’s seventh-grade class are starting to exchange rings and go steady, but Addie hates all that mush. When she grows up, she plans to be a real artist in New York City and never get married. Addie’s best friend is Carla Mae Carter, whose family lives next door. Addie’s worst friend, for as long as she can remember, has been annoying Tanya Smithers, who plans on becoming a ballet dancer. She’s always twirling around or striking a dramatic pose to remind everyone how talented she is. Addie definitely does not have a crush on Billy Wild, even if he is tall and cute and has dark, curly hair and blue eyes. She’s way too busy with her art for such silliness. Anyway, Tanya likes Billy—and they can have each other as far as Addie is concerned. But after Christmas break, the seventh-grade class gets a new teacher, Mr. Davenport, who has movie-star looks and studied art in college and even takes a special interest in Addie’s paintings. Addie starts to notice a strange feeling in her stomach when she’s around the handsome young teacher. Is this what love feels like? Is this what all the other girls have been giggling about? Addie suddenly starts to care about wearing dresses instead of jeans and getting her hairstyle just right. Will Addie get her moment with Mr. Davenport at the Valentine’s Day dance? Or will her true king of hearts be someone in her class—someone she never expected?

In London's financial district, Oliver King is a rising prince. Ambitious, intelligent and educated, Oliver wants to excel. His goal is to surpass the achievements of his peers and those who came before him. He doesn’t care much for love and romance until Alexis walks into his office. Oliver's new executive assistant lights up a room with her quick wit and charm. He’s never met a woman quite like her and can’t resist the banter they share. However, their forbidden love affair is short-lived and outside forces pry them apart. Years later Alexis and Oliver finally find their way back to each other. But can she forgive him for leaving her behind all those years ago? And is he the same man she used to know?

While drag subcultures have gained mainstream media attention in recent years, the main focus has been on female impersonators. Equally lively, however, is the community of drag kings: cis women, trans men, and non-binary people who perform exaggerated masculine personas onstage under such names as Adonis Black, Papi Chulo, and Oliver Clothesoff. King of Hearts shows how drag king performers are thriving in an unlikely location: Southern Bible Belt states like Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina. Based on observations and interviews with sixty Southern drag kings, this study reveals how they are challenging the region’s gender norms while creating a unique community with its own distinctive Southern flair. Reflecting the region’s racial diversity, it profiles not only white drag kings, but also those who are African American, multiracial, and Hispanic. Queer scholar Baker A. Rogers—who has also performed as drag king Macon Love—takes you on an insider’s tour of Southern drag king culture, exploring its history, the communal bonds that unite it, and the controversies that have divided it. King of Hearts offers a groundbreaking look at a subculture that presents a subversion of gender norms while also providing a vital lifeline for non-gender-conforming Southerners.

Failing out of college wasn't on my dream board.Neither was getting knocked up.Just the same, here I am, ready to start another year at Rake Forge University, pregnant and currently homeless.And it looks like I'm not the only one who's returned.Juan Hernandez, my sister's best friend, saunters through campus with that granite jaw and those raven strands of hair kissing his brow, his whiskey eyes searing everyone to ash.I've avoided him for months, but the second he sees me, the jig is up.The first thing he does is steal my lips in a ravishing kiss.A punishment.The second thing he does is rescue me from sleeping in my car.A lesson.Living with him will never work, not with how brash his words are, how hot his constant stare, or how he touches me.His fingers brand my skin as if he owns me, and on some level, I know he wants to.What he doesn't know is that I belong to another man?and come my twenty-first birthday, I'll return to him whether I want to or not.

Revolution is rising in Wonderland. Dinah’s battle has begun. Colleen Oakes’s twisted reimagining of the Queen of Hearts origin story continues in this thrilling sequel, Blood of Wonderland. Dinah has been exiled from Wonderland. The vicious father she always feared has framed her for the brutal murder of her brother and turned the kingdom against her. Now hiding in the lush and mysterious Twisted Wood with only her war steed at her side, Dinah is faced with a choice—to leave Wonderland forever, or stay and fight her father for the throne. When a chance encounter with one of her father’s long-lost enemies brings Dinah more allies than she ever could have imagined, war starts to feel inevitable. But before Dinah can lead her people into combat, she must confront certain truths about her heart and her destiny—no matter how dark those truths may be. Don’t miss War of the Cards, the epic conclusion to the Queen of Hearts trilogy.