The greatest mass extinction in Earths history happened some 251 million years ago. In this cataclysm at least 90 percent of life was killed both on land & in the sea almost bringing evolution to a halt. What caused destruction on such an unimaginable scale? Was it the impact of a huge meteorite or prolonged volcanic eruption in Siberia? In this acclaimed book newly available in paperback Michael Benton assembles all the evidence & gives his verdict. ...

When lightning strikes there can only be trouble
- as Jessica Mastriani finds out when she & best friend Ruth get caught in a thunderstorm.
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Benjamin Franklin secretly loved London more than Philadelphia: it was simply the most exciting place to be in the British Empire. & in the decade before the outbreak of the American Revolution thousands of his fellow colonists flocked to the Georgian city in its first big wave of American visitors. At the very point of political rupture mother country & colonies were socially & culturally closer than ever before. In this first-ever portrait of eighteenth-century London as the capital of America Julie Flavell recreates the famous citys heyday as the centre of an empire that encompassed North America & the West Indies. The momentous years before independence saw more colonial Americans than ever on Londons streets: wealthy Southern plantation owners in quest of culture slaves hoping for a chance of freedom Yankee businessmen looking for opportunities in the city even Ben Franklin seeking a second more distinguished career. The stories of the colonials no innocents abroad vividly recreate a time when Americans saw London as their own & remind us of the complex multiracial
- at times even decadent
- nature of Americas colonial British heritage.

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Three golden rules for this seasons debutantes: Three golden rules for this seasons debutantes: 1. Ensure that you have appropriate instruction in etiquette 2. Flirting is acceptable if done with decorum 3. Your future husband must be of honourable intent But unconventional Marietta Westwood has already broken all the rules! Her suitor the enigmatic yet charmingly irresistible Duke of Arden has long been intriguing the ladies of the ton. & hes the same man whose dangerous kisses have been scandalously burnt into Mariettas mind... ...

When Lucy Dean
- eighteen with no money
- marries James Buchanan
- a man of thirty-four with a great fortune -it is anything


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As Queen Victorias reign reaches its end Grace Farringdon dreams of polar explorations & of escape from her stifling home with her protective parents & eccentric agoraphobic sister. But when Grace secretly applies to Candlin a womens college filled with intelligent like-minded women she finally feels her ambitions beginning to be take shape. There she forms an Antarctic Exploration Society with the gregarious suffragette Locke the reserved & studious Hooper & the strange enigmatic Parr & before long the group are defying their times & their families by climbing the peaks of Snowdonia & planning an ambitious trip to the perilous Alps. Fifteen years later trapped in her Dulwich home Grace is haunted by the terrible events that took place out on the mountains. She is the societys only survivor & for years people have demanded the truth of what happened the groups horrible legacy a millstone around her neck. Now as the eve of the Second World War approaches Grace is finally ready to remember & to confess.. . From one of the finest writers of the psychological thriller comes this beautifully woven deeply unsettling historical novel; powerfully atmospheric shivering with menace & reminiscent of the very best of Sarah Waters. ...

Forced to flee Napoleons rampaging army on the continent orphaned Alana Farmer & her guardian find safety & a home in London. Years later on the eve of her debut into Society Alana learns the shocking secret of her birthright
- is she really the lost princess of the kingdom of Lubinia? Persuaded by her guardian to return to their isolated homeland Alana finds herself immersed in controversy & intrigue from the start resulting in the Captain of the Palace Guard Christoph Becker arresting her on suspicion that she is either an imposter or a spy working for the enemies of the king. No stranger himself to seduction Christoph uses every means possible to draw the truth from his alluring prisoner. As a fiery passion flares between Alana & the man who has wrongly imprisoned her the fate of a nation rests in their hands & on their hearts.
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When She Said I Do Celeste Bradley Caught in a rainstorm Miss Calliope Worthington takes shelter in a seemingly abandoned mansion. But when she finds a string of pearls in a dusty chest she is caught red-handed by the houses reclusive owner--Mr. Ren Porter--a fiery demon of a man who demands that Callie pay for the necklace...with her innocence. When he first lays eyes on the beautiful trespasser Ren mistakes her for an angel. But when he realizes Callie is a thief he strikes a bargain she cannot refuse. She must take his hand in marriage & pay him back in full: one night of passion for each stolen pearl. But when Callie surrenders to his desires--night after wicked night--he awakens something deep inside of her. Something powerful & passionate. Like a fairy tale come true the monster she married has become the man she loves...when she said I do. ...

Hannah Payne is a RED. Her crime: MURDER. & her victim says the state of Texas was her unborn child. Lying on a table in a bare room covered by only a paper gown Hannah awakens to a nightmare. Cameras broadcast her every move to millions at home for whom observing new Chromes
- criminals whose skin has been genetically altered to match the class of their crime
- is a sinister form of entertainment. Hannah refuses to reveal the identity of her father. But cast back into a world that has marked her for life how far will she go to protect the man she loves? An enthralling & chilling novel from the author of MUDBOUND for fans of THE HANDMAIDS TALE & THE SCARLET LETTER.

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When sheep cannot sleep what do they do? One night a sheep called Woolly cannot sleep so he decides to go for a walk to try to tire himself out. When that doesnt work he tries climbing then running then jumping. But perhaps there is a more conventional way for Woolly to fall asleep... ...