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The Magpie King by M. J. Fahy
A beautiful middle grade magical adventure: In the large and frightening world of the Bigguns, Tatty Moon, a faerie child, must rid her village of thieving magpies and rampaging Gnomes, all under the spell of the Queen’s merciless nephew. With the help of a group of friends who include a gypsy, an elf, a wood sprite, an elderly rat, and a hawk-sized dragonfly, Tatty journeys far to try and defeat him.
The Winning Score by G.K. Brady
Quinn Hadley only does one thing as well as he plays hockey—wheeling the ladies. He’s the envy of his teammates. With puck bunnies on speed dial in every city, he never spends a night alone unless it’s by choice. He has a certain type—hot, blond, and easy. So when he meets Sarah Nelson, bagging her is nowhere on his radar. Not only is she a brunette, but her fiery, take-no-prisoners style is a turn-off. Plus, she’s his teammate’s sister and totally off-limits.
But his disabled mother—who’s just been foisted on him—loves Sarah. And not only is his mom methodically ruining his sweet bachelor lifestyle, but she keeps firing every caregiver Quinn hires for her. So when COVID-19 puts everyone on lockdown, Quinn offers Sarah an opportunity she can’t refuse, despite the warning bells clanging in his head.
Sarah Nelson is fleeing a devastating breakup and has nowhere to go but to her brother’s place in Denver. An engineer by training, she needs a job pronto so she can yank herself back up on her own two feet. But COVID-19 stops her dead in her tracks. So when Quinn Hadley offers her a temporary job making stupid money, she has a hard time refusing—despite the fact she has to live under the same roof with a guy who turns her stomach. She’s had too much experience with charmers like him, and Quinn Hadley is the biggest charmer of all. With a track record to prove it. But it’s the other side of Quinn she never expects, and it’s far more lethal than his public persona.
When Mr. Smooth and Ms. Prickly shelter in place together, not even his mansion is big enough to contain the fireworks. These two are sparks colliding with gas: combustible and explosive.
Someone’s bound to get burned.
Deadly Trail by Marilyn Meredith
Deputy Tempe Crabtree arrests fellow Native American Nick Two John at a protest against logging. He berates her for her lack of knowledge of her Indian heritage. When he becomes the major suspect in the murder of the owner of the local inn, she feels sure he is not the guilty one and she begins her own investigation. When someone tried to kill her, she knows she’s on the right track.
SMART Objective Setting for Managers by Irial O'Farrell
If you manage teams, what frustrates you the most? If you’re like most managers I’ve met, chances are it’s the way “Johnny communicates his ideas” or the way “Chrissy keeps asking you to talk to the other team, rather than just doing it herself” or how “Jamie keeps asking the same questions over and over!”. Developing these “soft” performance issues are very challenging. It can feel uncomfortable to raise the topic and many managers fear the conversation will go wrong. The 4 main struggles managers have with objective setting are:
1. Defining the desired outcomes of performance
2. Diagnosing team members’ individual starting points
3. Defining tangible objectives for “soft” behavioural performance issues
4. Understanding what can go wrong in the communication process, when agreeing objectives
SMART Objective Setting for Managers unpacks each of these challenges, culminating in a chapter dedicated to understanding how to diagnose and design objectives that address the “softer” performance issues. Being endlessly practical when it comes to the “how”, the book also provides a roadmap for preparing for and conducting objective setting meetings.
Told through stories and examples, feedback from readers include “I thought I already knew how to do this but I’ve learnt so much from this book”, “very easy to read and understand the learning points”, and “managers and employees should read this book”.
So if reducing your frustration while increasing your team’s motivation and engagement sounds like a good outcome for you, buy this book today and start finding out how to design and agree SMART objectives that will make a difference.
[Read more…] about SMART Objective Setting for Managers by Irial O'Farrell
Lief by Celeste Barclay
Fate brought them together. Free will binds them.
Leif Ivarrson wants nothing more than to enjoy the comforts of home after sailing for months. When a neighboring jarl arrives bearing news of a threat to their land and security, Leif knows there will be no rest for him. Tasked with finding and bringing back this jarl’s niece, Leif departs on a journey that fate designed but he chooses to carry out.
Sigrid Torbensdóttir’s visions have been both a gift and a curse since she was a young girl. Now a woman, Sigrid’s position as a seer puts her in danger when enemies seek to take advantage of her gift for their benefit and to keep her from saving her family. Sigrid knows she cannot defy fate, and when Leif comes to her rescue, Leif discovers destiny cannot be ignored.
Leif and Sigrid struggle to reconcile the future the gods have shown her with the shifting fate their enemies attempt to control. Will a new love survive the tests of war and family? Can a match created by fate withstand the machinations of man?
If you love edge of your seat, breathless Viking romances with fantastic characters, then you’ll love Celeste Barclay’s steamy and passionate Leif.
Viking Glory is a steamy historical series that will transport you back to the world of the ancient Norse with brave heroes and even stronger heroines. The series follows the lives and loves of five friends. Brother and sister, Leif and Freya, along with their cousin, Bjorn, and their friends Strian and Tyra sail the seas and conquer hearts. This is a five book series where each book can be read as a standalone but is best read as part of the series.
