It was something she would never forgive herself for... it wasn't until lunchtime that Jessi remembered to call home. No answer. She tried calling several times while she ate her lunch. Still no answer. She closed her eyes and rested her arms and head on her desk. She breathed deeply, wishing she had remembered to call earlier. Until Forever is a story of a young family that is torn apart by the devastating effects of alcoholism. Can healing take place in a relationship when an unforgivable act is committed? Will Jessi's pain and Mark's guilt keep them apart forever, or will unforeseen circumstances bind them together? 'Darlene is an extremely gifted and exciting new author. Her story of a family suffering and growing and changing manages to leap beyond the clichés of the genre and stand as an original work.' -Cliff Graham, Author of Day of War 'Until Forever delves into the difficult realms of reconciliation, redemption, and forgiveness. Shortridge illustrates a story that is at times poignant and compelling. I found myself vicariously experiencing Jessi and Mark's tragic loss and desperately wanted them to be fully healed and restored. If you battle with the perception that you are unconditionally loved and forgiven by God, this novel is for you.' -Jeral Davis, Author of Tomorrow

She chose her career over him. He put his family before her. When they get a second chance, will they choose to put each other first? As she climbs the corporate ladder, Sophie doesn't let herself think about what she gave up when she declined Spencer's proposal four years ago. She's never wanted a husband or family, and she tells herself she's exactly where she's supposed to be. So when she's called home to say goodbye to her dying grandmother, she goes out of her way to avoid seeing him. Of course, that means he's the first person she runs into. Much as she fights against it, being near him stirs up old feelings and makes her question old decisions. Leaving college to help on the family farm cost Spencer the woman he loved. But he couldn't turn his back on his family. Now that Sophie's back in town, Spencer's determined to protect his heart. Only he senses something new in Sophie--something that makes him think maybe they could have a second chance. But when his family needs him again, he feels like he's repeating the past. Only this time, he's not sure what choice he should make. Because the more time they spend together, the more they both realize their old feelings have never disappeared. Maybe a future together is the one God had planned for them all along. But soon Sophie is called back to her job in Chicago, and Spencer has to decide what direction his future will take. Can they find the courage to make different choices this time? Or will the heartaches of the past keep them from the second chance they desire? Not Until Forever is the first book in the Hope Springs Christian romance series. If you love emotional stories filled with faith, forgiveness, love, and the promise of forever, then you'll love this touching reminder that it's never too late for a second chance. Buy Not Until Forever to dive into this emotional, heartwarming story today.

She's trusted the wrong man too many times. But when she starts a fling with her best friend's playboy brother, she knows exactly what she's getting into...right? Sophie Delaware has chronically bad taste in men. After another disastrous relationship implodes, she's ready to give up on love. What she needs is a little fun, with no strings attached, and she knows the perfect guy for the job. Cooper hasn't had a serious relationship since he returned from military service. He wears his serial dater persona like a cloak and doesn't speak of the nightmares that plague him. When Sophie proposes two weeks of unadulterated pleasure, he knows he shouldn't agree, but his little sister's best friend grew up to be more tempting than he expected. Before Sophie knows it, Cooper has taken it upon himself to be her one-man support system. He was supposed to be a fling, but there's more to the dreamy veteran than meets the eye, and now she's at risk of losing her heart. When it comes time for their affair to end, will she be brave enough to put everything on the line, or will her past get in the way of happily ever after?

Soviet socialism was based on paradoxes that were revealed by the peculiar experience of its collapse. To the people who lived in that system the collapse seemed both completely unexpected and completely unsurprising. At the moment of collapse it suddenly became obvious that Soviet life had always seemed simultaneously eternal and stagnating, vigorous and ailing, bleak and full of promise. Although these characteristics may appear mutually exclusive, in fact they were mutually constitutive. This book explores the paradoxes of Soviet life during the period of "late socialism" (1960s-1980s) through the eyes of the last Soviet generation. Focusing on the major transformation of the 1950s at the level of discourse, ideology, language, and ritual, Alexei Yurchak traces the emergence of multiple unanticipated meanings, communities, relations, ideals, and pursuits that this transformation subsequently enabled. His historical, anthropological, and linguistic analysis draws on rich ethnographic material from Late Socialism and the post-Soviet period. The model of Soviet socialism that emerges provides an alternative to binary accounts that describe that system as a dichotomy of official culture and unofficial culture, the state and the people, public self and private self, truth and lie--and ignore the crucial fact that, for many Soviet citizens, the fundamental values, ideals, and realities of socialism were genuinely important, although they routinely transgressed and reinterpreted the norms and rules of the socialist state.

It was something she would never forgive herself for?Jessi hung up the phone.That was the fifth time she tried calling home with no answer.She had just started eating lunch when she remembered she had forgotten to call home.It wasn't until lunchtime that Jessi remembered to call home.No answer.She tried calling several times while she ate her lunch.Still no answer.She closed her eyes and rested her arms and head on her desk.She breathed deeply, wishing she had remembered to call earlier.Until Forever is a story of a young family that is torn apart by the devastating effects of alcoholism.Will Jessi's pain and Mark's guilt keep them apart forever, or will unforeseen circumstances bind them together?Can healing take place in a relationship when an unforgivable act is committed?

Sometimes forever takes a detour Single mom Lacey McQueen's life has never gone according to plan. She fell in love once, at sixteen, with a man she thought would be her forever. He was her first kiss---her first everything. But one horrific night took everything from her, leaving her broken and alone, with lifelong responsibilities. Landon Jessup's life revolved around Lacey, but when the unthinkable happened to her, it all fell apart. Unable to make things right, he did the only thing he could. He ran. And he's regretted it for six long years. Now fate has brought them back together. The moment their eyes meet it's as if time has stood still--the attraction, the pull, the love--it's all still there. But so are complications, new and old. Can this second chance at love deliver the future they've always wanted or will the pain of their pasts destroy them again? Content Warning: contains scenes depicting rape, violence and unplanned pregnancy.

Rafael Some obsessions are forever. Isabel Adamik made me need her. She made me crave her in a way I'd never seen coming. With tempting innocence tinged by that hint of darkness under her skin, she showed me everything I'd never dared to dream mi princesa could possess. A Queen for the devil himself. Nothing exists but the overwhelming need to make her mine in every way. To sear myself into her skin until she admits she loves me. Isa Some loves are worth killing for. I fell in love with the devil, and he stripped away everything I thought I knew about myself. With beautiful lies and clever manipulation, he showed me a version of the world that seemed too good to be true. Because it was. He's determined to possess me in every way. To strip down my defenses until there's no part of me he doesn't know. But sometimes... Secrets are better left in the dark. Until Forever Ends is the second book in the Beauty in Lies series and ends on a cliffhanger. This is a DARK mafia romance and contains graphic violence, mature content, and elements that may be triggering. Please read at your own discretion.