Product Description
Willing: Colt Willing never expected to be a key player in a drug-running operation. Before he can get out, he's determined to release the hold the organization has on Jonathan, the man he's grown to love. Jonathan has ties that bind him to drug-lord Nigel Caprice, and breaking the bonds may prove too difficult for Willing to tackle alone. Able: Detective D.J. Able is determined to bring Caprice to his knees. Backed by his partner, Bryan Stokes, Able and his team are out for justice, and retributi ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Willing and Able (Binary Stars Vol. 3) by Jenna Byrnes & Jude Mason
I hadn't noticed the trend until this last story, but Jenna Byrnes and Jude Mason like their cop hot and dirty, meaning that, their hero are more the ordinary detectives who want to do their job and go home than some invincible superhero.

These are two separate but in parallel stories, about an undercover cop, Willing, and his former partner, Able. Willing is playing the role of the drug dealer to unmask the real villain, but he got a bit to much caught in the role, he fell for another dealer, Jonathan. Now Willing's goal is not only to take down the villain, but also to not loose Jonathan in the doing. I like that, even if Jonathan is indeed one of the bad man, Willing is not so "straight" (no pun intended) to not being able to bend the rule to the love law. It's maybe unrealistic that being Willing "only"an ordinary cop, he is able to find a way out for Jonathan, but this is a romance, not real life.

On the other side there is Able, even more ordinary cop than Willing. At least he is in love with another cop, and actual partner, detective Strokes. The nice characteristic of this couple is that, even if they are not flaunting their love, they are enough sure of it and of themselves, that they are willing to live it in full. On the job they are the perfect work partners, their relationship doesn't interfere with what they have to do, there is no jealousy, or fear for what the other has to do. But once they are out of the precinct, they are able to live their love fully and without hesitation.

Basically these are only two short stories, a moment in time of two relationships that are already started, and so the two couplets are "used" to each other and comfortable; they are sure of their love, and nothing seems to shake it, neither the real identity of Willing: deep inside Jonathan knows Willing, and it's not his real job that can change that knowledge. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A fascinating read!
I found this to be one of the most interesting tomes on the subject! Here I was, looking for the ballroom champion (Peter Eggleton), and I stumbled across this physics volume that put it all in place for me. I recommend it for students of astronomy. ... Read more

Product Description

This volume presents results from the ESO workshop Multiple Stars across the H-R Diagram, held in Garching in July 2005. It covers observations of multiple stars from ground and space, dynamical and stellar evolution in multiple systems, formation and early evolution of multiple stars, and special components of multiple stars. The book reviews the current state of observational and theoretical knowledge and discusses future studies for further progress in the field.

Product Description

This book is the proceedings of an international conference entitled "Close Binaries in the 21st Century: New Opportunities and Challenges", held in Syros island, Greece, June 27-30, 2005. The papers collected in this volume detail the latest achievements in the field and reflect the state of the art of the dynamically evolving area of binary star research.

Product Description

The discovery of extrasolar planets over the past decade has had major impacts on our understanding of the formation and dynamical evolution of planetary systems. There are features and characteristics unseen in our solar system and unexplainable by the current theories of planet formation and dynamics. Among these new surprises is the discovery of planets in binary and multiple-star systems. The discovery of such "binary-planetary" systems has confronted astrodynamicists with many new challenges, and has led them to re-examine the theories of planet formation and dynamics. Among these challenges are:

• How are planets formed in binary star systems?
• What would be the notion of habitability in such systems?
• Under what conditions can binary star systems have habitable planets?
• How will volatiles necessary for life appear on such planets?

This volume seeks to gather the current research in the area of planets in binary and multistar systems and to familiarize readers with its associated theoretical and observational challenges.

Product Description
Two hot encounters in two hot shorts from bestselling author Jack Greene!�Hard Lessons: Studious Tom - resident nerd and social wallflower - has the enviable job of tutoring the college BMOC. Shawn needs to pass his math course in order to continue playing football, but once brain meets brawn the pair ends up studying more anatomy than numbers.�Security: Working late in his lab brings Tyler satisfaction with his career, though it's hell on his personal. Stolen moments ogling Gideon, the buil ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

.
Both stories are structurally identical, and needlessly so. The first one is all bad, almost unspeakable. The second actually had a story to it, charming characters. It didn't make me think that the police would be involved at any point later on.

Binary Stars, Vol. 1 by Jack Greene
This is a collection of two short stories with the same common theme: jock meets nerd and they make passionate s ex, the happily ever after is an option, but there are good chances that it will happen.

Security: Tyler is a young geeky scientist who likes to work late at night. Tyler is a pretty man, and he is g ay, and he likes his s ex on the rougher side, but he has not many chances to enjoy it. Oh, if he wanted, Tyler could have plenty of it, but Tyler is not a party animal, and actually he spends most of his nights at work. And then Tyler likes big and strong men but with a kind heart, not an easy combination to find. Tyler wants to feel physically mastered by his lover, but deep inside, he prefers to know that he is the clever of the two. Gideon, the night security guard who works at Tyler's firm is perfect for the role: Gideon is hunky and handsome, but truth be told, he doesn't give me the idea to be a really clever man; don't get me wrong, he is not dumb, only that he knows that Tyler has a bigger brain than him, and that is not a problem. Gideon knows where his value lays, and he is plenty capable of using what nature gifted him, to Tyler's great pleasure.

Hard Lessons: Tom, a college student, is asked to tutor Shawn, the star quarterback of the university, who probably is very good on the field, but not so good on algebra. Tom has nothing in particular against Shawn, other than the fact that Tom is plenty jealous of the cheerleaders who can have a taste of Shawn, and instead he has to look for afar and dream. Tom has never had the chance to be near Shawn, and so, when at their first meeting, Shawn comes out like a very nice guy, and comes out also in another way, it's with great pleasure that Tom shifts from teacher to student to learn something Shawn knows better than him: Tom is a virgin, and Shawn is willing to help him cover his gap. It's almost funny to see how Tom is almost greedy to drag Shawn in his dorm room to be debauched, I have the feeling that Tom's virginity is not something he wanted to save ;-)

In both stories, reality is a bit stretched to fit the plot, Gideon't s exual proveness is quite unbelievable and even Tom's eagerness at his first time, and readiness, but well, I don't believe that being realistic was one of the goal of the author. I did enjoy the joy that both couples feel and express through s ex. ... Read more

Product Description
Observational and theoretical issues of interacting binarieswas the topicof the 22nd of the renowned Advanced Course ofthe Swiss Society forAstrophysics and Astronomy. The threecontributions by outstanding expertscollected in this bookdeal with observations, symbiotic stars, cataclysmicvariables, massive binaries and X-ray binaries thus fillinga gap in the existing literature. The articles review thestate of the art and address both students and researchers.The accessible anddidactic approach makes the book avaluable source for future work on interacting binary starswhose study is essential for a better understandingofstellar evolution. ... Read more

Product Description
In Perfect Stranger, Robert comes to Jordan's rescue in a mall parking lot then� ravishes him in a department store changing room. It's lust at first sight. In Foreign Relations, Jesse gets some extra credit from a hot Swedish grad student.� They have their own international incident right in the Laundromat. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

super hot man-on-man love
Originally Posted at: [...]

A hero in the parking lot comes to the rescue once again in the dressing room. A Nordic God teacher who wants a new lesson. Did I pique your interest? Then you need to read Perfect Strangers and Foreign Relations to find out more.

Jack Greene writes stories with characters I could relate to. Who hasn't been in a jam and had someone they don't know come to the rescue? Okay, so maybe we don't get to meet our personal Superman everyday, but the Good Samaritan idea is a nice one.

In Perfect Strangers I got to meet Robert and Jordan. I liked that Jordan wasn't perfect--he's too skinny and a little self conscious. Robert isn't anything that Jordan expects and that was interesting. I liked seeing the opposites attract. What was my least favorite part was the coupling in the dressing room. It was hot, no doubt, but it was also a bit stereotypical. Yes, it's quick, but I wanted to see more emotion in it - to feel what they felt other than the pleasure.

Foreign Relations is the story of Eric and Jesse. Jesse cracked me up because he was so smitten. I wished I'd been in Eric's POV a bit more to see how he felt as he got to talk to Jesse. There were moments when Jesse came across as sweet and others where he was too blatant. Although it's a short story, this one was hot and more satisfying because I felt like the ending was something real, not just a stopping point.

If you want some super hot man-on-man love, then you need to read Phaze Binary Stars Vol. 2: Perfect Strangers/Foreign Relations. I give this twosome 3 cherries.
... Read more

Product Description

This conference examines the progress in the field of interacting binaries discussing a number of relevant astrophysical problems regarding the interaction between stars in binary systems, such as the physics of neutron stars and black holes that accrete matter from their companion stars and the study of the end points of stellar evolution, like supernovae and gamma-ray bursts. This proceedings provides an updated overview of both observations and theory. Topics include: compact binaries in globular clusters, millisecond binary pulsars, supernovae from massive binary systems and GRBs, accretion on black holes and microquasars, accretion on white dwarfs and novae, rapid variability and secular evolution of LMX-Ray binaries, supernovae type Ia, as well as secular evolution of high-mass x-ray binaries.

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Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: One Be Lo Albums, the R.e.b.i.r.t.h., Masters of the Universe, S.o.n.o.g.r.a.m., Project F.e.t.u.s., Waterworld, Waterworld Too, the Name, the Motto, the Outcome. Excerpt: The R.E.B.I.R.T.H. is a 2007 album by hip hop artist One Be Lo. The album features production entirely from outside producers (as opposed to his label mates from Subterraneous Records like from previous projects). The producers list includes Texture ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Not Free SF Reader
Nightflyers is a collection of stories concerned, in the main, with science fiction style horror. The title story is the quest for an alien ship. The journey does not go well, as many people start to forget to stay alive.

Overall, this is an extremely high quality collection, coming in at a 3.83 average per tale.


Nightflyers : Nightflyers [short story] - George R. R. Martin
Nightflyers : Override - George R. R. Martin
Nightflyers : Weekend in a War Zone - George R. R. Martin
Nightflyers : And Seven Times Never Kill Man - George R. R. Martin
Nightflyers : Nor the Many-Colored Fires of a Star Ring - George R. R. Martin
Nightflyers : A Song for Lya - George R. R. Martin


Scary spaceship slaughter single.

4 out of 5


Deadman prospects look bloody picky.

4 out of 5


My side, your side, it is all killpoints to me.

3.5 out of 5


Space preacher cult gets pyramid power taste of their own prior killer solution.

3.5 out of 5


Experimental energy overload universal lightshow.

4 out of 5


Post suicide Union Joining rejection.

4 out of 5

Seven Tales from a Master Story Teller
NIGHTFLYERS is a collection of 7 SF stories written by George R.R. Martin between 1973 and 1981.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Nightflyers"

The Volcryn legend tells of an ancient race whose giant ships travel through interstellar space, bound ever outward to the edges of the galaxy. Seeking the truth of the myth, Karoly has assembled an expedition of linguists, biologists, technitians and telepaths; and chartered a flight in an attempt to intercept the path of the volcryn and make first contact. Soon the telepaths begin to feel fear, sensing danger, that someone is watching them, and the touch of a cold and inhuman mind. Suspicions alight on the reclusive captain, a secretive man who never shows his face to his passengers, speaking with them only through a hologram projection of himself. Iin the confines of a ship in the depths of space, tensions and paranoia rise among nine innocents trapped with a murderer who can be anywhere, and do anything. I really enjoyed the novella/short story. Questioning what is alien and the different meanings of distance, the story plays on fears on many different levels. I also enjoyed the homages to Hitchcock's "Psycho," Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," and Agatha Christie's "And Then there Were None."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"Override"

Matt is a successful prospector on a beautiful colonial world. He works for a mining company, leading his team of deadmen (corpses with synthabrains that he can manipulate via telepathic control) to mine for swirlstones. But when a local magnate buys out the company and vows to drive all the corpse handlers off the planet, Matt learns that there is no loyalty among the living nor the dead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"Weekend in a War Zone"

Andrew Birch has just paid a large sum of money to spend a weekend at war, receiving from Maneuver Inc. a uniform(ill fitting and cold), a gun (made of plastic, but the bullets it shoots are real enough), and a hellicopter ride out to the war zone. Seated between a coworker hates and a veteran who's been maneuvering on the weekends for the last 10 years, Andie can't help thinking that people die on these trips. Maybe this won't help him get that promotion at work after all, he thinks, and playing tennis or golf is a much safer(not to mention cheaper) endeavor. As Andie joins a group searching for Concoms in the mountains ( killpoints earn a discount for next time), the reader realizes that this isn't a real war at all; the only war between Maneuver Inc and Concom (Consolidated Combat) is the corporate war between profit margins. Their customers keep coming back, paying to go out and shoot at each other, taking the risk that they themselves might die. But then, that's what makes it interesting, right? "A man hasn't lived until he's seen death," claims Maneuver's advertisements. I really enjoyed this story. The stream-of-consciousness narrative brings the reader very close to Andie as he struggles to live out the weekend. While the ending is not entirely surprising, it is nonetheless very effective.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"And Seven Times Never Kill A Man"

What happens when a pacifist culture faces off against a highly militaristic society following a manifest destiny? When on either side pragmaticism has fallen to forces that know no reason. Well, what do you think happens?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"Nor the Many-Colored Fires of a Star Ring"

This is an unusual stroy for GRRM--it has a lighter tone, despite its darkest of settings. A scientific breakthrough has given man the stars. Exploiting anomalies in space man built star-rings that send passing ships---to other galaxies or other times or parallel worlds--well, no one is sure. The strangest of the portals leads to the infinite empty darkness of Nowhere...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"A Song for Lya"

Beautiful and Haunting, this is one of my favorite of Martin's stories. "And here we are as on a darkling plain..." A Song for Lya returns to Mathew Arnold's famous question. It's the story of a love that can have no secrets, of an alien culture that is still in its infancy after fourteen thousand years, and of a young telepath who succumbs to the chilling consequences of its religion.Whether from this collection, or from the "A Song for Lya" compillation, or from Dreamsongs, if you have enjoyed any of GRRM's works, this story is one you should read.

Mediocre title story and repeat stories
The title story of this book, Nightflyers, had an interesting setting, some good characterization, and a genuinely suspenseful beginning. Overall it was an enjoyable read.

However, the plot eventually disintegrated into a horror stereotype similar to that of the Event Horizon. The speculations surrounding the mysterious ship's captain ended up being a lot more interesting than the truth. Also, I found the main character to be unsympathetic and arrogant enough to be unlikable. She constantly repeated that she was the "improved model" and that she was capable of thinking "three steps ahead", but demonstrated her abilities in robotic and unpersonible ways. The secondary characters were personified in a much better way, and showed both repulsive and humane characteristics equally, making me sympathise with them as "real" people.

Two of the stories in this collection are also in "A Song for Lya". Override was underdeveloped and similar to Nightflyers in feeling, although not in setting, and was not a story that I would have chosen to reprint. A Song for Lya is an excellent story about aloneness and reaction to religion. Although there were some stereotypes, the last few pages of the story were rich with the reality of human nature.

If you like short sci-fi or psychological horror stories, I recommend this book. I have given it such a high rating because of my love for the writings of George RR Martin, but feel that these stories are inferior to his Song of Ice and Fire novels.

Awesome...
Yet another great collection of short stories by the Master. The title story is about the crew of the Nightflyer that is in search of an ancient race of people who travel through space. But there is madness on the ship and the crew becomes in danger from the unseen and mysterious captain. This story was made into a rather poor movie, but the short story is fantastic nonetheless.Other stories in this compilation are the twilight zone like "Weekend in a War Zone" where people pay to battle other people with their lives at stake. "Overide" is another story of Martin's Corpse Handlers - dead bodies that are implanted with computer chips to make the dead body do labour for the living handlers. This collection finishes of with the wonderful story A Song for Lya - a Hugo winning tale of sorrow and lost love - truly one of Martins best.A definite buy for someone looking for a great read or to tide yourself over until the next instalment of the Song of Ice and Fire.

Relic113

Not Martin's best writing
I picked this up after reading the three books completed so far in Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series.I thought I couldn't go wrong with an author who had written those books so well.However, these stories were written many years ago, and I think it shows.

I found several of them kind of, well, cheesy."Nightflyers" kept refering to who had "sexed" with who, for example.Some of them seemed like stories I would have liked a lot when I was 14, but now I could see plot twists telegraphed from miles away. I did like "Weekend in a War Zone" and "Song for Lya."I could see the endings coming on these also, but the ride was more enjoyable. ... Read more

Product Description
This text presents numerous illustrations of the observed variability of cataclysmic variable stars. It provides a clear explanation and thorough up-to-date overview of this phenomenon at a level accessible to the advanced amateur or undergraduate student. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Very Friendly to Beginners
This book arrives 8 years after Brian's classical one, which is a must for serious researchers. This one is especially suitable for undergraduates dabbling into this area. Cataclysmic variables are good targets for delving into disc accretion, which is universal phenomenon in astrophysics. And this book thus is very helpful!

nearly perfect
"Cataclysmic Variable Stars: How and Why They Vary" by Coel Hellier is
one of those rare books that successfully toes the line between being a
scientific and a popular book. This book is so popular with AAVSO HQ staff that it
frequently is taken home and has to be tracked down when someone needs it!
It works as both a reference and a straight-through read. As a reference,
one can confidentally refer to it when coming across any type of unfamiliar
CV. As a straight-through read, it is clearly structured and written in a
lively style that makes it easy to go from start to finish.
The majority of the book is broken up into sections about the different
types of CVs. Each section is well illustrated with light curves (many coming
from AAVSO observations from observers like you), historical background, a
breakdown of the system with easy-to-read diagrams, theory, and more. When
mathematics is introduced it is always in a sidebar or appendix which allows
those interested to get involved but does not require an understanding of the
equations for those who wish to avoid math.
The book is not simply an encyclopedia of CVs, though. It covers everything
from basic visual and CCD observing techniques to how to derive a stellar mass
from your observations.
This is a book that every CV lover should own along with anyone who is
interested in learning more about these enigmatic objects. The layout,
illustrations, structure, and writing have all come together to create what is
almost the perfect book on CVs. I hope the team that put together this book
continues to work together on future endevours. If so, the future of variable
star publications looks not variable at all, but bright and steady.

Thanks, Coel, for writing this book
Thanks, Coel, this book has made my job of involvingundergraduates in my research (on CVs, of course) much easier.It is suitable for amateurs, too, being self-contained with its chapter on CCD photometry.It's also nicely produced, and yet the price is quite reasonable...: I have no qualms with telling them to go out and buy their own copies, necessary since both my copies are already in the hands of students.

"Absolutely Astonishing"
Gives the reader a full understanding of why these cataclysmic variable stars are so important to understanding the cosmos. Amateur astronomers will love this. Don't be surprised to find yourself gazing at a variable star next trip to the backyard. ... Read more

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4 page LOOSE LEAF BINDER-READY document on 20 pound paper in 65 pound covers ... Read more

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A binary star is a star system consisting of two stars orbiting around their common center of mass. The brighter star is called the primary and the other is its companion star, comes, or secondary. Research between the early 1800s and today suggests that many stars are part of either binary star systems or star systems with more than two stars, called multiple star systems. The term double star may be used synonymously with binary star, but more generally, a double star may be either a binary star or an optical double star which consists of two stars with no physical connection but which appear close together in the sky as seen from the Earth. A double star may be determined to be optical if its components have sufficiently different proper motions or radial velocities, or if parallax measurements reveal its two components to be at sufficiently different distances from the Earth. Most known double stars have not yet been determined to be either bound binary star systems or optical doubles. ... Read more

Product Description
Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Interacting Binary Stars," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Interacting Binary Stars in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Interacting Binary Stars when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name Interacting Binary Stars, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. ... Read more