The Love Secrets of Don Juan sees self-pitying ad executive Daniel "Spike" Savage midway through a messy divorce at 45. His soon-to-be ex-wife, Beth, has the house in Hammersmith and custody of their daughter, Poppy. Daniel has been left with a bedsit in perpetually unfashionable Acton and a burning desire to understand why all his relationships with women end in miserable failure. A few words of wisdom come from old friend Carol, best mate Martin and his therapist Terence but with a blind-ish date looming, Daniel takes more drastic action. He embarks on refining his identity or "brand statement" in the forlorn hope that he'll stand a better chance with the opposite sex--as he quips: "Interesting that 'opposite'. As in diametrically opposed. Not the different sex. The opposite sex." With his trusty flip chart and black marker pens he starts to analyse the lessons he has learned from each love affair--a project he dubs, ironically, The Love Secrets of Don Juan. To begin with, Tim Lott's third novel seems to mine a furrow of laddishness all but exhausted in the late 90s by Nick Hornby and numerous stand-up comedians, invariably called Jeff. Daniel's "Women, oh they're different, aren't they?" shtick hardly appears original; while Lott's take on the ostracised "Good Dad" is pure Parsons. But Lott is a significantly better novelist than the above would suggest. His plotting can be hackneyed but this is a book full of acute humour and observations--one recurring and insistent theme is the contrast of male literalness and feminine symbolism. Daniel is richly drawn and as he negotiates the modern dating (and parenting) game, his articulate, first person narrative, peppered with brand names and marketing argot, really captures a man struggling to understand his life, love and the infuriating nuances of gender. --Travis Elborough

In this fast-paced dystopian thrill ride, a seventeen-year-old girl rises from the dead as a Reboot and is trained as an elite crime-fighting soldier . . . until she is given an order she refuses to obey.Five years ago, Wren Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes, she came back to life as a Reboot—stronger, faster, able to heal, but less emotional. The longer Reboots are dead, the less human they are when they return, making Wren 178 the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas.Callum 22, on the other hand, is practically still human. He's the worst trainee Wren has ever had—his reflexes are too slow, he's always asking pesky questions, and his ever-present smile is freaking her out. Yet he's still her newbie. When Callum fails to measure up to Reboot standards, Wren is told to eliminate him. Wren has never disobeyed before, but she'll do whatever it takes to save Callum's life.The perfect soldier is done taking orders.Wren's captivating voice and unlikely romance with Callum will keep readers glued to the page in Amy Tintera's high-stakes alternate reality ideal for fans of The Hunger Games, Legend, and Divergent.Amazon.com ReviewIn this Amazon exclusive list, author Amy Tintera shares the popular TV shows that inspired Reboot.I learned so much about writing from watching television. I know that sounds a bit odd, but TV shows have to be well-plotted, fast-paced, and feature characters you love (or love to hate) in order to be successful. There are a few in particular that inspired Reboot and influenced my writing recently: Battlestar Galactica – This show asks you to think about what it means to be human. Are the Cylons lesser because they started out as a machine made by humans? How do we decide who has a soul and who has humanity?The Walking Dead – Over the course of the show, different characters question just how far gone the Walkers are. They still have some brain activity left, so as I watched I always wondered – how much of the person was actually left in there? Dexter – Is it ok to kill people if they’re bad? Where do we draw the line? Being inside the head of a man who loved to kill, who needed to kill in order to feel alive, is both fascinating and horrifying. Friday Night Lights - This show captures small-town Texas life perfectly, and featured some of the most complex, interesting character relationships on television. 5.Buffy the Vampire Slayer – There is a lot to be learned from watching any Joss Whedon show, but Buffy taught me how to set terrible choices for characters. Do you save the world or save your boyfriend? Do you let a loved one die or sacrifice yourself? The characters in Buffy often had to make the worst, most heart-wrenching choices, and it made for riveting television.Review“Fast paced and thrilling...I devoured this book!” (Veronica Rossi, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of UNDER THE NEVER SKY )“I don’t know what left me more breathless—the breakneck pace or the heart—stopping romance! I loved it!” (Sophie Jordan, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of FIRELIGHT )“A bone–breaking heroine fights for her life, her love, and what remains of her humanity in this fresh take on a world gone wrong.” (Lissa Price, international bestselling author of STARTERS )“Riveting, fast–paced, and full of heart—I simply couldn’t put it down.” (C. J. Redwine, author of DEFIANCE )“Compulsively readable...Superb concepts and plotting will hook readers from the start.” (Kirkus Reviews )“A fascinating premise, delivered in gory and glorious cinematic detail—and with a healthy dose of romance...The quick pace, familiar yet altered setting, and strong humanitarian message will draw Hunger Games fans.” (ALA Booklist )

A gripping World War One saga with a strong female protagonist, published for the third year of the war's centenary.Manon Wouters grew-up in the idyllic Belgian city of Damme, where she spent her afternoons cycling into beautiful Bruges to study nursing. But as Europe—and the world—erupted into a devastating war, teenaged Manon soon found herself faced with unbelievable choices. Would she hide? Or would she fight? As Manon toils away at the local hospital, no one would guess just how crucial a role she is really playing. A trained spy, Manon gathers information to send to the British to aid in ending the war. Soon, she uncovers information about a monster plane that must be stopped at all costs. As she races to fulfill her mission, Manon must confront enemies at every turn, and face a terrifying and sobering truth: that innocents are being killed on both sides of the front.

Tragic and hilarious in equal measure, Tim Lott�s story of Charlie and Maureen Buck�s ailing marriage and their climb up (and down) the social ladder during the 1980s is a wonderfully honest portrait of ordinary people living through an extraordinary time. Steeped in the decade�s cataclysmic events, packed with the crimes and misdemeanours we visit on each another, �Rumours of a Hurricane� is a powerful tale of change, how we face it � and how we don�t.�An outstanding comic novel. Places the 1980s under sceptical and merciless scrutiny� Literary Review.

Set in the harsh desert world of the Arizona Territory and northern Mexico during the 1870s, Written in Blood, the first installment of the Desert Legends Trilogy, follows young Jim Doolen as he attempts to find some trace of the father who abandoned his family ten years earlier. As he travels through a scorched landscape very different from the lush West Coast forests of his home, Jim crosses paths with an assortment of intriguing characters, including an Apache warrior, a cave-dwelling mystic, an old Mexican revolutionary and a mysterious cowboy. And with each encounter he learns something more of the strange world he has entered and adds one more link in a chain that leads back to his father-and back to a dark, violent past. As his story approaches its thrilling conclusion in a ruined Mexican hacienda, Jim comes to realize that his father's life was much more complex than he had imagined, and that, in discovering his past, he has opened the way to his future. (20110101)From BooklistA Canadian teenager encounters road agents, roving Apaches, and any number of corpses while searching for his vanished father in this melodramatic tale of the Old West. Going on clues provided in a last letter laced with references to a troubled past, James sets out for a place called Casa Grande in Chihuahua. Before reaching the dusty, ruined hacienda to discover his father’s fate and survive a climactic gunfight, he is beaten and robbed; recovers from his wounds in the care of an eccentric old hermit, who fills him in on the importance of having a story; meets a cousin of Cochise whose band is subsequently ambushed by scalp hunters (and goes on to return the favor); and learns of his own family’s gore-spattered history. Told in a terse, present-tense narrative, James’ adventures will thrill all fans of traditional pulp-style oaters. Grades 6-9. --John Peters Review"Told in a terse, present-tense narrative, James' adventures will thrill all fans of traditional pulp-style oaters." (Booklist 20101001)"The story is very well written and will appeal to young readers, especially boys. It is full of tension and adventure...Recommended." (Tri State YA Book Review Committee 20120501)"Those readers of westerns and historical adventure who like a mix of action and information (actually quite a large set of readers) will be very taken with this book." (Resource Links 20101126)"Chapters are short and action filled, Jim is a likable character and reluctant readers will find this to be a fast-paced, easy-to-swallow tale of the Old West." (Kirkus Reviews 20110401)"Wilson is a talented writer, hooking readers within the first few pages of his novel and carrying them along almost effortlessly through the barren lands of Mexico and the Arizona Territory...This first installation is a perfect beginning to what is sure to be an enthralling trilogy that will invite young people into an older world with incredibly relevant contemporary themes." (www.keenreaders.org )"Has all the markers of a classic Western...Wilson's writing is vivid." (CM Magazine )"The tensions among American, Mexican, and Native factions are well drawn, and Wilson pulls no punches regarding the cruelty of the new world into which Jim finds himself thrown." (School Library Journal )

SUMMARY: Stark Is A Secret Consortium With More Money Than God, And The Social Conscience Of A Dog On A Croquet Lawn. What S More, It Knows The Earth Is Dying.Deep In Western Australia Where The Aboriginals Used To Milk The Trees, A Planet-Sized Plot Is Taking Shape. Some Green Freaks Pick Up The Scent: A Pommie Poseur; A Brain-Fried Vietnam Vet; Aboriginals Who Have Lost Their Land&Not Much Against A Conspiracy That Controls Society. But Ecoaction Isn T In Society: It Just Lives In The Same Place, Along With The Cockroaches.If You Re Facing The Richest And Most Disgusting Scheme In History, You Have To Do More Than Stick Up Two Fingers And Say Peace .

Sam and Annabel are pleased when they are selected to take a cruise to the Arctic. And they are thrilled when they learn that the cruise will take them past a site connected to the most famous mystery in Arctic history: the Franklin Expedition. But things on the cruise are not what they seem. When Sam and Annabel make a startling discovery on a small island close to where archaeologists are diving on the wreck of the Erebus, one of the Franklin's ships, they are confronted by an old enemy. Isolated and outnumbered, how can they possibly save the priceless artifact that may hold the answer to the Franklin mystery?