A father for

Four rambunctious children and not a wife in sight. Struggling single father Orren Ellis needed someone to care for his brood, and the only applicant was Mattie Kincaid.

Though the beauty could cook, clean and courageously keep his kids in line, Orren considered her simply too young to take the job of his bride.But years were not important to Mattie.

She had quickly fallen for the endearing father of four and sensed he felt the same. And no matter how loudly Orren protested, Mattie was determined to make herself part of this ready-made family.

He beat them, he abused them, and he tortured them. He broke their dreams.

But they came back stronger.‘Terrie and Paul are two of the bravest people I have ever met.

I have only shared the briefest glimpse into the true horrors this brother and sister have endured, but I rarely come across cases this bad. After the unspeakable abuse and shocking betrayals, two incredible human beings came through – to inspire us all.

’Sara Payne OBE, co-founder of Phoenix SurvivorsTerrie and Paul’s step-father had been living with them for six months when the abuse and grooming began. What started as innocent conversations and goodnight kisses quickly developed into something far darker and depraved.

Everyday Terrie was assaulted and abused; her rapes were photographed, filmed and shared. Paul was regularly taunted and mercilessly beaten.

But despite the bruises and the scars, and the desperate pleas for help, no one saw their pain.But through it all they stuck together, battling for their childhoods for over a decade and masterminding creative ways to outwit their stepfather and buy themselves fleeting moments of joy.

In March 2013, thirty years on, Terrie and Paul made the brave decision to give up their right to anonymity to tell of the years of abuse they endured at the hands of their recently convicted step-father and raise awareness for the ongoing battle for justice for victims of child abuse. A powerful testament of what can be achieved through courage and love, this is their inspiring story.

Another roadblock…or the family she’s looking for?When single mom Faith Brennan discovers the Virginia inn she grew up in is for sale, she’s determined to make a bid. Even if that means going head-to-head with handsome real estate broker Joshua Carlson. But competing with Joshua would be a lot easier if Faith’s young daughter wasn’t growing so attached to him…and if Faith could stop picturing running the inn with Joshua by her side.

The perfect guy for her and her baby girl…?Kind-hearted nurse Sasha Wilson can’t wait to be a mother! And with her unborn little girl almost here, the last thing she needs is to meet handsome doctor Grady O’Neil…again! The former love of her life walked out on her eleven years ago, taking her heart with him.Working alongside Grady in Golden Bay’s medical centre, it’s clear their chemistry never died. And something about Grady has changed. But can Sasha risk her heart on her again? And could he reallly be the father that her baby girl deserves…?Doctors to DaddiesThe biggest role of their lives…

From no-strings fling to family man!It might have been a brief fling, but Tessa Gilroy fell hard for gorgeous surgeon Drake Melford and was devastated when he left to pursue his hot-shot career abroad.Now he\'s back–and even more irresistible than ever! But Tessa\'s life has changed drastically in the past four years. She\'s a mother now, to her adorable adopted daughter Poppy, and she needs more than a fleeting affair–she needs someone who can be a father…Dare she dream that Drake\'s the one for her and for Poppy?

From the award-winning, best-selling writer: a deeply moving tale of a father and son’s transformative journey in reading – and reliving – Homer’s epic masterpiece. ‘My favourite classicist once again combines meticulous literary investigation with warm and wrenching human emotion – books like these are why I love reading’ LEE CHILD When eighty-one-year-old Jay Mendelsohn decides to enrol in the undergraduate seminar on the Odyssey that his son Daniel teaches at Bard College, the two find themselves on an adventure as profoundly emotional as it is intellectual.

For Jay, a retired research scientist who sees the world through a mathematician’s unforgiving eyes, this return to the classroom is his ‘one last chance’ to learn about the great literature he’d neglected in his youth – and, even more, a final opportunity to understand his son.But through the sometimes-uncomfortable months that follow, as the two men explore Homer’s great work together – first in the classroom, where Jay persistently challenges his son’s interpretations, and then during a surprise-filled Mediterranean journey retracing Odysseus’ legendary voyages – it becomes clear that Daniel has much to learn, too: for Jay’s responses to both the text and the travels gradually uncover long-buried secrets that allow the son to understand his difficult father at last.

As this intricately woven memoir builds to its wrenching climax, Mendelsohn’s narrative comes to echo The Odyssey itself, with its timeless themes of deception and recognition, marriage and children, the pleasures of travel and the meaning of home.Rich with literary and emotional insight, An Odyssey is a renowned author-scholar’s most revelatory entwining yet of personal narrative and literary exploration.