Showing results by author "A. Rivers" in All Categories

Thanks to Dan Brown's best-selling novel turned blockbuster mega-hit, The Da Vinci Code, in which audiences were introduced to Silas, the villainous, self-whipping monk, corporal mortification is now a term most often associated with Opus Dei. A creepy, deranged, and blood-thirsty albino monk, Silas is most remembered for viciously whipping himself with a nail-embedded cilice. For added suspense, various falsehoods of the real-life order have been propagated by the literary masterpiece; in fact, the character of Silas contains one of the foremost bloopers, as there were never any monks in the order.

The modern history of Africa was, until very recently, written on behalf of the indigenous races by the white man, who had forcefully entered the continent during a particularly hubristic and dynamic phase of European history.

Some have called the Crimean War history’s most unnecessary war, and while it is misunderstood, often overlooked, and sometimes ignored, it also involved many of the 19th century’s major powers, namely Russia, Britain, France, the Ottoman Empire, and Austria, as well as men from lands these powers would call their empires. It was a war bridging the old with the new, mixing Napoleonic fighting styles and modern weapons, old world diplomacy and modern communications, and the traditional rules of war and modern death tolls.

The final book in the Fae King of Ironhelm Duet! Escaping from my arranged marriage was the only choice I had. Our union should have never been destined. Leaving the Fae King of Ironhelm was a heart-wrenching decision. But I will never deny him what he truly wants, even if it tears us apart. Yet, his relentless pursuit of me tears down the fragile walls I've built to protect myself. I return to the palace, but my doubts about our future together still linger. Whispers of betrayal grow louder, and I must untangle the threads of loyalty from the web of deception. My journey is far from over, ...

In a forgotten corner of the Slavic lands, where the trees grow thick with secrets and the rivers whisper ancient tales, a grim tradition lives on. Once a generation, the villagers of Ternok offers a sacrifice to the creature that stalks the night—the vampire who has haunted their hills for centuries. This time, the lot has fallen upon Nadia. She must resist the sexual temptations of the vampire throughout the night, hoping to slay him with sunlight. Will her betrothed, Branek, make it to the sacrificial altar in time to save Nadia, or will she fall victim to a vampire who will stop at ...

For the ancient Greeks, there were few divine beings more important, and more generous, to humanity than the goddess Athena. She was also called "Pallas", "Pallas Athena", and (to the Romans) "Minerva". The daughter of Zeus, Athena was famous as a virgin warrior woman who was born from her father's skull bearing a helmet, shield, and spear. Yet she was far more than simply a warrior goddess.

FBI Agent Ava James has had her fair share of nightmare scenarios. From being hunted by psychopaths to fighting serial killers. But it pales in comparison to the trauma she had from losing her best friend, Molly. While on vacation in Prague she and her best friend were kidnapped. Ava was able to escape her captor, but she couldn’t save Molly. To this day the guilt of surviving and of escaping is a purgatory of pain that only justice could mend.

As the power of Nazi Germany grew alarmingly during the 1930s, the French sought means to defend their territory against the rising menace of the Thousand-Year Reich. As architects of the most punitive measures in the Treaty of Versailles following World War I, the French government made natural targets for Teutonic retribution, so the Maginot Line, a series of interconnected strongpoints and fortifications running along much of France's eastern border, helped allay French fears of invasion.

In terms of geopolitics, perhaps the most seminal event of the Middle Ages was the successful Ottoman siege of Constantinople in 1453. The city had been an imperial capital as far back as the fourth century, when Constantine the Great shifted the power center of the Roman Empire there, effectively establishing two almost equally powerful halves of antiquity’s greatest empire. Constantinople would continue to serve as the capital of the Byzantine Empire even after the Western half of the Roman Empire collapsed in the late fifth century.

The boy-next-door turned bad boy billionaire sets my soul—and body—on fire, too hot to resist. He’s my forbidden desire…an older, secretive and grumpy hunk. Returning home for my sister's wedding, I never imagined I'd fall for my brother's older, off-limits best friend! Until a steamy night with him makes me second-guess everything. Cade ‘Casanova’ Hart has a talent for getting under my skin...and my clothes. His smoldering eyes turn me into a puddle at his feet. But falling for a man like him is a thrilling yet terrifying risk. The age gap between us is just the tip of this ...

World War I, also known in its time as the "Great War" or the "War to End all Wars", was an unprecedented holocaust in terms of its sheer scale. Fought by men who hailed from all corners of the globe, it saw millions of soldiers do battle in brutal assaults of attrition which dragged on for months with little to no respite.

Of all the steppe peoples in the medieval period, perhaps none were more important to European history than the Magyars. Like the Huns and Avars before them and the Cumans and Mongols after them, the Magyars burst into Europe as a destructive, unstoppable horde, taking whatever they wanted and leaving a steady stream of misery in their wake. They used much of the same tactics as the other steppe peoples and lived a similar, nomadic lifestyle.

Operation Condor: The History of the Notorious Intelligence Operations Supported by the United States to Combat Communists Across South America looks at the various intelligence operations and the winding chain of events that brought about conflicts in the region.

It is the most fabled and storied journey in American history. From 1804-1806, the first expedition across the North American continent was commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson, who had recently bought a vast swath of territory from France.

In the 16th century, corruption, debauchery, and the general perversion of ethics were running rampant within the Roman Catholic Church. The public began to grow leery of the crooked church, and soon, they could no longer bite their tongues. Among the church's most vocal opponents was Martin Luther, whose publication of the 95 Theses gave rise to the Protestant movement. This reformed brand of Christianity gradually spread throughout Europe, planting flags across the continent.

The modern history of Africa was, until very recently, written on behalf of the indigenous races by the white man, who had forcefully entered the continent during a particularly hubristic and dynamic phase of European history. In 1884, Prince Otto von Bismark, the German chancellor, brought the plenipotentiaries of all major powers of Europe together to deal with Africa's colonization in such a manner as to avoid provocation of war. This event - known as the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 - galvanized a phenomenon that came to be known as the Scramble for Africa.

After celebrating her best friend’s wedding, FBI agent Emma Griffin and the gang are looking forward to a much-needed vacation. They hop onboard a cruise ship excited for the many excursions and adventures. But as time progresses rumors and murmurs circulate about a woman that might have gone overboard. A strange woman that Emma had just spoken to a few days prior. The search for the missing woman hits dead ends, prompting Emma to involve herself and look into the woman’s cabin, finding only more questions.

Given the RAF’s importance, it should come as no surprise that some of the pilots ranked among Britain’s most recognized war heroes, and Douglas Bader remains one of the most famous British soldiers in World War II. He has become synonymous with courage and perseverance in adversity, especially since both his legs were amputated after an air crash in 1931, yet he managed to continue flying and return to the RAF at the outbreak of the war in 1939. He became a well-decorated and highly promoted fighter ace before being shot down and taken prisoner by the Germans.

Exploration of the early American West, beginning with Lewis and Clark’s transcontinental trek at the behest of President Thomas Jefferson, was not accomplished by standing armies, the era’s new steam train technology, or by way of land grabs. These came later, but not until pathways known only to a few of the land’s indigenous people were discovered, carved out, and charted in an area stretching from the eastern Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, and the present-day borders of Mexico and Canada.

The Korean War is often labeled “the forgotten war”, and though it has received renewed attention in recent years, it still pales compared to others in recent history like the Vietnam War or even the more recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. What’s mostly overlooked is that the Korean War was one of the most intense conflicts the United States fought, and the soldiers who served in it were arguably in greater peril than in any other war over the last 75 years.