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Unexpected Journey
by J. D. WalkerJohn Dornbrook is forty-nine years old. He's been doing the same job for fifteen years and hates it. But when he’s laid-off, it hits him hard and his world turns upside down. When he meets Hollis Lombard, his neighbor’s grandson, the unexpected happens.Hollis Lombard is determined to get John out of his funk, so he offers to take him on a summer road trip. They head out west in search of adventure, but John is touchy and lashes out easily. Hollis, aware of the attraction between them, doesn’t want to take any chances which could hurt their budding friendship.It's all a frightful muddle, and it remains to be seen if they can overcome their issues in time to reach their final destination. Will the journey be worth it?
Unexpecting: A Novel
by Jen BaileyJuno meets Heartstopper in Jen Bailey's Unexpecting, a poignant and emotional story about found family, what it means to be a parent, and falling in love.Benjamin Morrison is about to start junior year of high school and while his family is challenging, he is pretty content with his life, with his two best friends, and being a part of the robotics club. Until an experiment at science camp has completely unexpected consequences.He is going to be a father. Something his mother was not expecting after he came out as gay and she certainly wasn’t expecting that he would want to raise the baby as a single father. But together they come up with a plan to prepare Ben for fatherhood and fight for his rights.The weight of Ben’s decision presses down on him. He’s always tired, his grades fall, and tension rises between his mom and stepfather. He’s letting down his friends in the robotics club whose future hinges on his expertise. If it wasn’t for his renewed friendship (and maybe more) with a boy from his past, he wouldn’t be able to face the daily ridicule at school or the crumbling relationship with his best friends.With every new challenge, every new sacrifice he has to make, Ben questions his choice. He’s lived with a void in his heart where a father’s presence should have been, and the fear of putting his own child through that keeps him clinging to his decision. When the baby might be in danger, Ben’s faced with a heart-wrenching realization: sometimes being a parent means making the hard choices even if they are the choices you don't want to make...
Unexploded Remnants
by Elaine GallagherAn A.I. wages war on a future it doesn't understand. Alice is the last human. Street-smart and bad-ass. After discovering what appears to be an A.I. personality in an antique data core, Alice decides to locate its home somewhere in the stargate network. At the very least, she wants to lay him to rest because, as it turns out, she’s stumbled upon the sentient control unit of a deadly ancient weapon system. Convincing the ghost of a raging warrior that the war is over is about as hard as it sounds, which is to say, it’s near-impossible. But, if Alice fails and the control unit falls into the wrong hands, the balance of power her side of the Milky Way could fall apart. As Alice ports throughout the known universe seeking answers and aid she will be faced with impossible choice after impossible choice and the growing might of an unstoppable foe.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Unfamiliar Waters
by Andrew GreyWith the pressures of the job bearing down on him, police officer Garrett Wreckley needs a vacation—in fact, he isn’t given a choice in the matter. Since the water has always soothed Garrett’s soul, he heads to the Caribbean, hoping some time alone sailing on the open water will help him pull himself together. But even though he’s taking a break from law enforcement, Garrett can’t get rid of his cop’s instinct so easily. He meets Nigel, a young man as innocent as he is beautiful, who grew up sheltered from the world, exploring the beaches and tropical forests with only the company of his aunt, his brother, and the wildlife and sea creatures he befriended. As sweet, passionate love blooms, their time in paradise feels too good to be true… and Garrett’s gut and training tell him that might be the case. As he investigates, he quickly realizes everything is not as it seems. Will his snooping destroy not only their romance, but everything Nigel believes about his life?
Unfinished Business
by B.G. ThomasMike Ellsworth was alive and well one minute, and dead the next. Only he’s not really dead—he’s a ghost. One with lots of unfinished business. He’s never told his wife that he has come to accept that he’s gay. He’s never told her that he has a secret lover. He’s never been able to tell his lover that he is in love with him. Now there’s nothing Mike can do about it. And that’s only the beginning! He soon finds out he can help other ghosts leave the spirit world and step into the light. So what’s keeping him stuck on earth? If only there were a way he could make up for all he’s done wrong, and finally do what’s truly right. And maybe, just maybe, there is.
Unfinished Business (Beggars And Choosers And Unfinished Business Ser.)
by Mia KerickSequel to Beggars and ChoosersAfter struggling through dishonesty, betrayal, and the kind of pasts they'd like to leave behind them, Brett Taylor and Cory Butana are back together and starting to build a new life. Brett has a good job. Cory has started college. But not everything goes the way they planned. Still recovering from the emotional and physical repercussions of a brutal assault, Cory finds himself trapped by his own insecurity and fear, unable to believe that his heart is safe with Brett or that his body is safe without him. On the other hand, Brett has total faith in Cory's love and commitment, even though he still struggles with his own ghosts. With girls flocking to Brett's side and a wannabe-lover lab partner feeding his doubts, Cory can't find a way to tell Brett about the unfinished business that haunts him. If Brett wants to save him, he'll have to see through Cory's deception in time.
Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving the Westboro Baptist Church
by Megan Phelps-RoperAt the age of five, Megan Phelps-Roper carried signs protesting homosexuality and other alleged vices alongside fellow members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. As she grew, she watched the church--an enterprise consisting almost entirely of her immediate relatives--expand its activities. It became notorious for picketing soldiers' funerals and celebrating death and tragedy, causing the BBC to label the Phelpses "the most hated family in America." For Megan, however, Westboro was a source of comfort and inspiration. She admired the congregation's familial warmth and religious zeal. And as the church's Twitter spokesperson, she mastered its messaging--skillfully expounding upon pop culture, current events, and all the reasons "God Hates Your Feelings." Her grandfather, the church's founding minister, regarded her as a "jewel." But Megan's Twitter evangelizing triggered a remarkable transformation. As she jousted with online critics, observed church members mistreating one another, and tried to make sense of her own evolving beliefs and desires, she started to question her mission. Soon, she was exchanging messages with a man who would help change her life. A gripping memoir of escaping extremism and falling in love, Unfollow relates Megan's painful departure from Westboro and how she replaced the dogmas she had absorbed with a new community. The tale of her moral awakening is rich with suspense and thoughtful reflection, exposing the dangers of black-and-white thinking--and illuminating a possible way out of our age of angry polarization.
Unforgotten (Forgiven #2)
by Garrett LeighBilly Daley hasn’t been home in years, and he likes it that way. He’s just fine on his own—he has a cash-in-hand job at a scrapyard, a half-feral cat to keep him company, and many miles between him, his hometown and all the baggage that comes with it. Until the job goes sideways. Suddenly he’s back in Rushmere, working for none other than his brother’s best friend—a man whose kiss Billy can’t seem to forget.Gus Amour’s memories of Billy Daley are all spiky edges, lips crushed against lips and a reckless streak that always ended in trouble. But when Billy needs a place to stay, Gus steps in. He’d do anything for the Daley family, including living, and working, side by side with a man who makes his heart beat too fast and his blood run too hot—two things he’s been running from for years.It doesn’t take long before their easy banter, lingering touches and heated glances become a temptation too hard to resist. But falling into bed and falling in love are two different things, and love has never come easy to either Billy or Gus. Only when fate threatens to steal away their opportunity for a second chance will they realize they don’t need easy.They just need each other.ForgivenBook 1: ForgivenBook 2: Unforgotten
Unfriending My Ex
by Kim StolzAn incisive, hilarious, and brutally honest memoir about life online and about how our obsessive connectivity is making us more disconnected--from former reality show contestant, MTV VJ, restauranteur, and go-to voice for millenials.Social media and technology have fundamentally altered the way we do business, couple and break up, develop friendships, and construct our identities and our notions of aspiration and fame. We make decisions about where we'll go based on whether it's Instagrammable. We don't have friends, we have followers. For an entire generation, an experience not captured on social media might as well not have happened at all. As someone whose identity has been forged by reality TV (as a contestant on America's Next Top Model) and social media and mobile technology, Kim Stolz is deeply obsessed with the subject. She has a hard time putting her phone down. And yet she remembers what life was like before technology-induced ADD, before life had become a string of late-night texts, Snapchats, endless selfies, that sinking feeling you get when you realize you've hit reply all by mistake. It's hard to imagine now, but there was once a time before we wasted a full hour emptily clicking through a semi-stranger's vacation pictures on Facebook, a time before every ex, every meaningless fling was a mere click away. Unfriending My Ex (And Other Things I'll Never Do) is the first book to document the hilarity of the social media revolution from the inside; it chronicles a life filtered through our obsessive relationship with technology. The book is as eye-opening as it is entertaining as it proceeds through the various ways in which social media and mobile technology have generated empathy deficits and left us all with the attention spans of fruit flies...and the sad fact that in spite all of this, we find it impossible to switch our devices off. Smart, hilarious, and completely relatable, Unfriending My Ex (And Other Things I'll Never Do) captures our crazy moment, shining a bright light on the trials and tribulations of life online.
Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America
by Nathaniel FrankWith unfailing logic, Frank dissects the patterns of bigotry and fear that have fought to preserve a gay ban in the military and shows that the time to do away with it has come--not just as a moral issue, but also as a practical matter of survival for the military itself.
Unhinged
by Rick R. ReedHorror. Romance. The two seem at odds, yet in provocative author Rick R. Reed’s hands, the pair merge like a match made in heaven ... or hell.Prepare for a dark journey into an unhinged world populated by ordinary and extraordinary monsters. Unhinged brings you sometimes chilling, sometimes romantic, sometimes hilarious, but always thought-provoking tales.Among them you’ll find a chilling and redemptive ghost story, a most unusual and shocking first meeting for two lovers, a story revolving around one of the 20th Century’s most horrific serial killers, and a darkly comic take on the vampire mythos. This collection will make your heart race with passion ... in all its forms.Contains the stories: Echoes, How I Met My Man, The Man from Milwaukee, Sluggo Snares a Vampire, The Ghost in #9, and Incubus.
Unicorn Tracks
by Julia EmberWhen a vicious assault compels sixteen-year-old Mnemba to leave her village, she joins her cousin Tumelo as a tracker in his booming safari business. It doesn't take her long to become one of the best safari guides in Nazwimbe. Her work allows her to escape into a new world of wondrous creatures, and to avoid thinking about what happened at home. When Mr. Harving arrives with his daughter Kara to research unicorns, Tumelo assigns Mnemba to them as a guide. The attraction between Mnemba and Kara is almost instant, but Kara is engaged to be married when she returns home. Venturing into the savanna alone, they uncover a plot by a gang of poachers to enslave the unicorns, harnessing their supernatural strength to build a railway. They must save the creatures Kara loves while struggling not to succumb to forbidden love themselves.
Unicorns and Rainbow Poop (Vocal Growth #2)
by Sam KadenceVocal Growth: Book TwoEx-boyband member Dane Karlson is struggling to overcome an eating disorder and a body dismorphic disorder. His fall through a glass table puts him in rehab and on the road to recovery. Then a friend dies. When depression causes him to lose ground, he calls for the only person he trusts--former bandmate Tommy. But Tommy doesn't know how to help. He begs his friend Sebastian "Bas" Axelrod to aid them through the emotional struggle. Bas, an openly gay high school student who's recently lost his grandmother, is trying to survive his last few months of school before escaping to Stanford. Having just lost the only person in his family to care for him, he is victim to the cruelty of the others. His younger brother bullies him, and his parents are suing him for his gran's inheritance. When Tommy calls, Bas can't help but run to his side. Together Dane and Bas find a middle ground, supporting each other through the lows, dancing together during the highs. They build friendships and plan for the prom and graduation, thinking positively as long as they are together.
Uniform Fantasies: Soldiers, Sex, and Queer Emancipation in Imperial Germany (German and European Studies #51)
by Jeffrey SchneiderStarting in the nineteenth century in Germany, colourful military uniforms became a locus for various queer male fantasies, fostering an underground sexual economy of male prostitution as well as a political project to exploit the army’s prestige for queer emancipation. In the first decade of the twentieth century, however, a series of scandals derailed this emancipatory project. Simultaneously, public debates began to invoke homosexuality, sadism, transvestism, and other sexological concepts to criticize military policies and practices. In pursuing the threads with which queer authors and activists stitched their fantasies about uniforms, Jeffrey Schneider offers fresh perspectives on key debates over military secrecy, disciplinary abuses in the army, and German militarism. Drawing on a vast trove of materials ranging from sexological case studies, trial transcripts, and parliamentary debates to queer activist tracts, autobiographies, and literary texts, Uniform Fantasies uncovers a particularly modern set of concerns about such topics as outing closeted homosexuals, the presence of gay men in the military, and whether men in uniform are more masculine or more insecure about their sexual identity.
Uniform Prejudice: Military Masculinity and the Queer Case of Private Laurence Moon, Troop F, First U.S. Cavalry, 1912 (Microhistories)
by Thomas C. RustThis book examines the historical experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals facing discrimination in the early 20th-century military before same-sex acts were explicitly illegal. Centered on the court-martial of Private Laurence Edgar Moon in 1912, the book sheds light on the broader landscape of prejudice prior to the explicit criminalization of same-sex acts in 1916.Through Moon’s case, the narrative delves into the interplay of gender, sexuality, and power within the military and society. Army officers enforced a simplistic binary understanding of sexuality and masculinity, linking moral character to sexual behavior. Moon’s experience challenges this narrow view, revealing the complexities surrounding turn-of-the-century notions of masculinity and sexual identity. Employing a microhistorical approach grounded in queer theory, the book uncovers often-overlooked stories of queer service members who faced discrimination yet remained dedicated to their duty. It also highlights the evolving language and legal definitions related to same-sex acts and the cultural anxieties surrounding them, illustrating the importance of queer theory and microhistory in understanding marginalized experiences.Uniform Prejudice offers a compelling narrative of a century-long history of prejudice and persecution faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in the military. The engaging microhistorical approach captivates readers while addressing significant theoretical and historical themes. This accessible book is aimed at scholars, students, and general readers interested in LGBTQ+ history, military history, and the ongoing challenges and advancements of LGBTQ+ individuals in the U.S. military, urging a more inclusive and intersectional perspective.
Unimaginable
by Iyana JennaCallum Saxon wakes up to a totally different universe where all around him is water. Strangely he can breathe it as if it’s air. The bad thing is he can't remember how he got there. He can't remember himself, either.Ainsley Carlisle is more than a man with long blond hair. He’s a unicorn shifter with secrets as widely stretched as the rainbow supposedly coming out of his rear. Ainsley won’t help Callum uncover who he is because Ainsley wants him to remember it himself.In this new universe, Callum has to survive the creatures that live there, such as vampires, shifters, werewolves, you name it. But there’s more to Callum than meets the eye.
Uninvited
by B.G. ThomasWhen a hot tip leads Kansas City reporter Taylor Dunton to a series of grisly murders, his investigation points to Myles Parry and his vodou shop. Myles wants nothing more than to practice his religion in peace, and he hopes Taylor can help him show the community they have nothing to fear. The problem is all the clues point to Myles as the suspect and only Taylor can help him prove his innocence. However, this case has also caught the attention of the vodou spirits of the Lwa... and they've taken an interest in Taylor as well.
Uninvited Guest
by Brian LancasterFate is conspiring against lawyer Anton Swann. First his grandmother dies, then he hits the worst traffic of his life on the way home from her funeral, keeping him from friends in London--and possibly a much longed-for sighting of his ex. And finally the detour he thought would save him time ends with the electrics failing on his car, leaving Anton to trudge through heavy rain back to an old cottage he'd passed along the way, hoping to find help. What he finds instead is the mysterious Dr. Stephen Miller, a man fighting his own battles. Anton is invited inside to join the tail end of an all-male dinner party, but this is no chance encounter. What Anton thought was fate is actually a spirit at work making sure he ends up at the cottage--and stays there until unfinished business is resolved for both Anton and Stephen.
Union (Torsere)
by Annabelle JacobsTorsere: Book TwoAfter the defeat of the Lowland Army at Torsere and with King Seran on the run, King Ryneq and his sister, Cerylea, continue their journey to the Elven City of Alel to proceed with the union of the two realms. Fully recovered from his injuries and newly announced as King Ryneq's Consort, Nykin returns to his duty as a Dragon Rider in the King's army. He and Ryneq have little opportunity to celebrate their union, but make the most of their time together before leaving for Alel. Since the ambush at Neest River destroyed the main bridge, traveling by ship is the only option. An unusual storm threatens their crossing, making Ryneq wonder if some new magic is rising against them. As the wedding between Cerylea and the Elven prince Morkryn approaches, the dragons sense a malevolent presence. To protect the young couple's fragile bond, Nykin and his dragon, Fimor, take to the skies, setting up a patrol along the border of the magical city. But as the evil grows more potent, the enchanted boundary grows weaker. Ryneq and Nykin must combine their strength to protect their people from Seran's extreme plot for revenge.
Unity (The Divide #2)
by Kim FlowersSequel to The Divide Book 1: UnityThe revolution has begun, and 18-year-old Malaki Cheyenne is spying on the U.S. government.In the midst of training on a rebel military base, Malaki can’t decide whether she wants to be in infantry or intelligence. She is also torn between her feelings for three girls, including Serenity Blackwater, who left on a refugee plane to The Nation of California Islands. Malaki is impatient at being low-ranked, but raises her status by creating a program to deactivate U.S. military drones. The base gets attacked after the government finds out members have allied themselves with the revolutionary Human Equality Organization. Malaki is captured and taken to a detainment center, where the same man who tortured Serenity last year says he’s going to convert Malaki from Gay to Normal. Malaki is beaten and starved, and forced to undergo experimental injections which are supposed to change her mind and body so she fits into the mold of what the government says is “normal.”The rebels who survived the raid at the military base are imprisoned in the crumbling remains of an old Gay Community, living under the watch of guards with no means of contacting the outside world. Meanwhile, Serenity and the other California refugees are under nuclear assault, waiting out the attack in underground bunkers.Malaki learns secrets about government which will end The Divide, if only she can get out of prison ... and if she doesn’t go insane from brutal torture. Will Malaki be able to free herself from her captors? Will any of her friends survive this war?
Unlikely Companions
by Harold MasonRobert Saddler is drowning in debt, so he decides to join the United States Army. His aim is to experience the world but also make some money to pay off his college debts and get a GI Loan to further his education. After basic training, he’s deployed to Germany, where he joins a unit where his skills as a draftsman are in demand. He also has to serve as driver to First Lieutenant Tony Stryker.Tony Stryker is not an easy man to get along with. The word in the barracks is that he is a spoiled brat. Their first encounter isn’t auspicious, but once the two men get to know each other better, things improve drastically.Tony is a career Army man, but Robert eventually wants to go back to San Francisco to study architecture. What will happen to their budding relationship when Robert’s tour of duty ends in eighteen months?
Unlikely Hero
by Sean MichaelWhen his three-year-old daughter is kidnapped, Eric Wilson doesn’t have many options, and time is running out. With nowhere else to turn, he reaches out to his ex, influential businessman Brock Vencenza, whose money and contacts might be able to save Josie. Brock never got over Eric’s loss, and he’s more than willing to help when Eric needs him most. Together with law enforcement and private security, they embark on a twisting investigation to find the little girl—and who wants to hurt her and destroy both men in the process. Under the circumstances, confessing he still has feelings for Eric would be inappropriate, but Brock can’t deny what’s in his heart. He doesn’t know if their love can be rekindled or if he can even protect Eric and Josie. But one thing is certain: Brock’s determined to be the hero in reality that he is in Eric’s eyes.
Unlived Affections, 1st Alyson Edition
by George ShannonAlthough Willie, 17, has never stopped asking questions about his parents, he has received very few satisfactory answers. He never knew his father, and little remains to document his mother's existence. His grandmother refuses to discuss details about the family, so it is only after her death that Willie discovers the collection of old letters that provides him with information about the past. Through letters his mother received from his father, Willie finds out about his own conception, his father's realization of his homosexuality and the circumstances of his parents' divorce. Willie is both disturbed and intrigued by the shocking story that unfolds, and he begins to understand his parents' complicated relationship as he shares their most intimate moments of love, grief, anger and compassion. In this framework, Shannon explores how two young men of different generations struggle to find their identities. A wide spectrum of deep emotions is conveyed effectively through Willie's thoughts and the confessions of his father. Willie discovers that the past is indeed intricately tied to the present as he recognizes a kinship with the author of the letters. The narrative of this novel is honest and concise; readers will be moved by the sensitive portrayal of each character and the tragedies they endure.
Unlocking His Shutter
by River MitchellShutter, a man shrouding in darkness, leads a solitary life. One he is content with, until he witness’s his nephew, Fear, fall in love. Shutter sees what life could be like if he follows the light and opens his heart.Drake, a man with a mysterious past, has been accepted into a family that helps him escape the nightmares of his childhood. Together they face every obstacle and with the help of a loving, yet crazy family, they are forced to walk through hell to get to the future they both deserve. It’s not an easy journey to their happily ever after but once there, both men know it was worth every single step.