Showing results by author "Melanie Hansen" in All Categories

It is ordinary homes, not grand public buildings or the mansions of the rich that have all the best stories. The rises and falls, the shifts in the fortunes of neighbourhoods and whole cities are here, tracing the often surprising journey one single house can take from elegant dwelling in a fashionable district to a tenement for society’s rejects. Packed with remarkable human stories, it is a phenomenal insight into living history, a history we can see every day on the streets where we live.

Successful lawyer Jeremy Speer has it all - a loving husband, a beautiful home, and a cherished dream that's about to become reality. He's learned not to take happiness for granted, meeting the challenges of life and love head-on with unwavering commitment and fierce devotion. A series of tragic events leaves Jeremy shattered, adrift on a sea of unimaginable pain. He's able to piece his life back together, but instead of embracing it, he merely exists.

Former Marine and lower-leg amputee Carey Everett keeps a grueling schedule of counseling fellow war veterans and their families. The injury he received in Afghanistan forces him to rely on a reserve of strength he didn't even know he had. A much deserved vacation will let him reconnect with his best friend, who saved his life and has been there for him through devastating injury and painful recovery.

Loren Smith has been in love with Eliot Devlin almost his entire life. During their turbulent childhood and teen years, Loren didn't always understand Eliot, and sometimes he could be a challenge, but Eliot was the only one to ever truly ease Loren's deep loneliness and accept him. When Eliot's increasingly erratic and self-destructive behavior culminates in a suicide attempt at 17, Loren is devastated.

Most people will never be rejected by their family, outcast and alone at 14. Most people won't be threatened, stalked, and almost murdered by the mob. Most people will never serve time in a maximum-security prison. But everyone has gone through traumas and devastating disappointments. In this riveting memoir, Stevie Ray Hansen will lead you through his incredible journey from homeless kid to multimillionaire oilman willing to give a helping hand to other throwaway kids.