The glittering lives of billionaires may seem like a harmless source of entertainment. But such concentrated economic power reverberates throughout society, threatening the quality of life and the very functioning of democracy. It's no accident that the United States claims the most billionaires—but suffers among the highest rates of infant mortality and crime, the shortest life expectancy, as well as the lowest rates of social mobility and electoral political participation in the developed world. Our society tends to regard large fortunes as evidence of great talent or accomplishment. Yet the vast new wealth isn't due to an increase in talent or effort at the top, but rather to changing social attitudes legitimizing greed and government policy changes that favour the new elite. Authoritative and eye-opening, The Trouble with Billionaires will spark debate about the kind of society we want.

The concentration of wealth today in such a small number of hands inevitably created a dynamic that led to freewheeling financial speculation—a dynamic that produced similarly disastrous results in the last great age of inequality, in the 1920s. Such concentrated economic power reverberates throughout society, threatening the quality of life and the very functioning of democracy. As McQuaig and Brooks illustrate, it's no accident that the United States claims the most billionaires but suffers from among the highest rates of infant mortality and crime, the shortest life expectancy, and the lowest rates of social mobility and electoral political participation in the developed world. In Billionaires' Ball, McQuaig and Brooks take us back in history to the political decisions that helped birth our billionaires, then move us forward to the cutting-edge research into the dangers that concentrated wealth poses. Via vivid profiles of billionaires—ranging from philanthropic capitalists such as Bill Gates to hedge fund king John Paulson and the infamous band of Koch brothers—Billionaires' Ball illustrates why we hold dearly to the belief that they "earned" and "deserve" their grand fortunes, when such wealth is really a by-product of a legal and economic infrastructure that's become deeply flawed.

In need of date for Valentine's Day... At one point in his life, Michael Vilander had it all: the money, the looks, the billion dollar corporation, the girl. There was a time when he was a naive fool in love. Crazy enough, getting left at the alter on your wedding day will change all that. He doesn’t have time to hand-pick his dates. Luckily, his secretary gets the job done—thank you, grandma—ahem, Regina. All women want is money and sex anyway, so getting paired up with the next flavor du jour isn’t ever a problem. Not with his looks. Not with the size of his back account. Not with the size of his...yeah. No complaints in that department. It has never been a problem, until it is. When grandma doesn’t come through, he needs to find a date. One night. For the Valentine’s Day Gala his company sponsors. Having no other choice, Michael puts his matchmaking company to the ultimate test. He creates his own dating profile to find himself a match. What he finds is so much more than he bargained for. She’s smart, naive and beautiful. She’s the opposite of any other women he’s been with and he has to remind himself that their date is only for one night. He wasn’t expecting to walk away with a fake fiancé. Let alone one with a secret that would ruin his reputation. Ah, cake, anyone? This series is perfect for those who love books by: Melissa Foster, Carly Phillips, Louise Bay, Lauren Landish, Kendall Ryan, Lauren Blakely, Emma Chase, Penny Reid, Leigh James, Vi Keeland, Melanie Harlow, Layla Hagen, Penelope Ward, Lili Valente, Aleatha Romig, Tijan, Piper Rayne, Lexy Timms, Piper Lawson, Jessica Hawkins, Laurelin Paige, Elle Kennedy, Kennedy Fox, Helen Hardt, Meredith Wild, J.S. Scott, Nana Malone, T.L. Swan Keywords: book, books, ebook, novel, rich, quick read, serial, series, novel, alpha male, literature, story, stories, hero, fiction, romance, romance ebook, romance ebooks, romance book, romance books, billionaire, wealthy, millionaire, women's fiction, books to read and download, alpha male billionaire romance books, bad boy romance books, steamy romance books, contemporary romance books, hot romance books, office romance books, beach reads, new adult, romantic fiction, romance fiction books, wealthy, billionaire, billionaire romance, romance novel, seduction, sexy, sensual, urban, contemporary, 21st century, current, romance series, contemporary crush, love story, new adult romance, contemporary romance and sex, romance billionaire series, billionaire bachelors series, billionaire romance novels, billionaire romance, happily ever after romance, Colorado romance, brooding hero, brooding billionaire, brooding alpha, billionaire hero, long series, long romance series, wealthy hero, sassy, strong heroine, captivating romance, alpha hero, emotional journey, beach romance, books for summer, books for the beach, family, kissing books, city romance, something hot, happy ending, hot guy, fun summer reads, hot romance series, swoon worthy romance, contemporary romance, contemporary romance series , hot romance, sexy romance novels, lighthearted romance, light romance, feel-good romance, captivating romance, sizzling reads, billionaire cinderella story, billionaire matchmaker, Ashley Bostock, irresistible billionaires, work for it, nothing but trouble, all shook up, no strings attached, now or never, feels like love, love by design, playing for keeps, fake engagement trope, fake engagement romance, rags to riches, opposites attract, matchmaker website, Valentine’s Day event, Valentines’s day, temporary engagement, fake dating, dating profile, rags to riches, Cinderella story, pretty woman, innocent heroine, virgin heroine, proposal, proposal romance, engagement, engagement romance, billionaire matchmaker, billionaire CEO, fake relationship, fake girlfriend, fake romance, pretend girlfriend, pretend relationship, fake fiance

Meet the Billionaires: the 1,645 men and women who control a massive share of global assets worth $6.5 trillion. Darrell West reveals what the other 99.99998% of us need to know. With rich anecdotes and personal narratives, West goes inside the world of the ultra wealthy. Meet U.S. billionaires such as Sheldon Adelson, Michael Bloomberg, David and Charles Koch, George Soros, Tom Steyer, and Donald Trump—as well as international billionaires from around the globe. The growing political engagement of this small supra-wealthy group raises important questions about influence, transparency, and government performance, and West lays bare the wealthification of politics, including: • How billionaires can block appointments and legislation they don't like • Why the supra-wealthy moved into policy advocacy and referenda at the state level • Why billionaires run for office in more than a dozen countries around the world

Darian King has never met a challenge he couldn’t handle. Running a billion-dollar corporation? Piece of cake. Hostile takeovers? A walk in the park. But Darian finds himself less than prepared to plan his little sister’s wedding. Luckily, he has the perfect personal assistant on call to help him. Working for Darian is a stress-filled 24/7 job that Allison Reed would like nothing more than to quit. But she can’t leave King Enterprises without a glowing reference, so she agrees to help Darian with his sister’s wedding, even if it means getting closer than ever to the billionaire who doesn’t see her as anything more than his assistant. Allison decides that once the wedding is done, she’s out the door, even if Darian starts to look at her a little differently... Each book in the Sexy Billionaires series is a standalone, full-length story that can be enjoyed out of order. Series Order: Book #1 Right Billionaire, Wrong Wedding Book #2 The Billionaire’s Bet Book #3 The Billionaire’s Paradise

My best friend used to be a giant nerd. Now that he's rich and famous, he can have anything he wants. But what if what he wants...is me? Who would have guessed that my nerdy BFF would become an overnight success? Not even Oliver expected the dating app he'd created for a high school coding class to take off the way it had, or for a mega-corporation to acquire it. And as for that whole insta-celebrity situation? Yeah, no one saw that coming. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Oliver's sudden windfall definitely has its perks, especially for me, his oldest and closest pal. Limos and private jets? Don't mind if I do. But there are downfalls, too. Ones I definitely hadn't seen coming. Like the fact that my dork of a bestie is suddenly in demand with the ladies. Oliver has always been cute, but never cool. And game? Well, the guy just didn't have it. Until now, it seems. Money might not buy love, but it can get you a fresh look. New clothes, new haircut, new glasses...and what do you know? My tall, nerdy BFF is now a hottie, and every girl wants him. If he can have any girl he wants, then why is he kissing me? I swore we would only ever be friends...so I guess the better question is: why don't I want him to stop? Keywords: YA Romance, young adult romance, YA romance, clean teen books, teenage books for girls, high school romance, sweet YA romance, books for teenage girl, young adults books, young adult, coming of age, teen romance, teenage love & romance, ebook, ya, teen romance, teenage girls, clean romance, sweet romantic love story book, High School, high school boys, high school romance free,Dating Boys, Kissing, Romance Young Adult, New Adult, NA, Teen, Teenage, teenage books for girls, First love, first time first kiss, young love, First love boyfriend, players, boys men, flirting games, bad boy, rich alpha cool kids, jocks, mean girls clique, nerds geeks, Jenny Han, P.S. I Love You, Gossip Girl, teen drama, Kasie West, christian teen books, young adult bestsellers