Ben Blackbird has always been there for everyone else. He took care of his mother and sisters when his alcoholic father didn't. He raised his son alone when his wife got sick and eventually died from breast cancer. Ben has been his family's rock in every crisis situation. He loved his life, but he was lonely. Greta spent her childhood in the foster care system. She was always an exceptional student, but didn't have much experience with men. Years later, after enduring years of her husband's cheating and manipulation her husband dies unexpectedly giving her the opportunity to start a new life....

This is a book on modern treatment of psychological trauma that is both comprehensive in scope yet practical in application. It has been written for trauma clinicians (or clinicians new to the field who are confronted with a trauma client) to use in his or her daily work.

When the mildly kink-themed trilogy 50 Shades of Grey became popular reading in 2012, the media speculated that feminism was in reverse, as the public went mad over bondage and discipline, domination and submission and sadomasochism (BDSM). The novels provoked academic debate about BDSM and the issues it raises for feminists. Is the female dominant truly powerful or is she just another objectified body? Does lesbian BDSM avoid the problematic nature of heterosexual kink, or is it actually more subject to the male gaze of feminist theory? And what is it about kink that has creators of...

Jade Davis has experienced a lifetime of loss. After years of keeping almost everyone at arm's length she becomes the target of a stalker. Jade reevaluates her career choice and leaves her only friends to start a new life. Leo Blackbird left his native North Carolina after the death of his wife and child. As an art teacher in a small school district in Southern Illinois he has content but no one has tempted him until Jade Davis becomes the new special education teacher across the hall. The attraction between Leo and Jade is impossible to ignore and they become involved. But Jade's stalker is...

Forests and vegetation emit biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) into the atmosphere which, once oxidized, can partition into the particle phase, forming secondary organic aerosols (SOAs). This thesis reports on a unique and comprehensive analysis of the impact of BVOC emissions on atmospheric aerosols and climate. A state-of-the-art global aerosol microphysics model is used to make the first detailed assessment of the impact of BVOC emissions on aerosol microphysical properties, improving our understanding of the role of these emissions in affecting the Earth's climate. The thesis...

How should failed states in Africa be understood? Catherine Scott here critically engages with the concept of state failure and provides an historical reinterpretation. She shows that, although the concept emerged in the context of the post-Cold War new world order, the phenomenon has been attendant throughout (and even before) the development of the Westphalian state system. Contemporary failed states, however, differ from their historical counterparts in one fundamental respect: they fail within their existing borders and continue to be recognised as something that they are not. This...

This comprehensive analysis of obscenity in British culture explores what is considered obscene, who gets to decide, and how class, race and gender inform laws regarding adult content. The author describes how obscenity laws disproportionately affect the BDSM subculture, the LGBT community and feminist porn performers.