Is it better for a martini to be shaken, not stirred? Does it matter which order you add the ingredients of a Long Island Iced Tea? How many ice cubes can you add to a margarita without compromising the flavour? The perfect home begins with a blueprint and a dream, and your perfect cocktail should start the same way! The Architecture of the Cocktail will reveal the answers to all your cocktail queries and more. Focusing on the precise measurements to make the perfect drink as well as the recommended garnish and embellishments, you’ll no longer have to guess what a cocktail should taste like. Laying out the exact measurements from the bottom of your glass to the top, you’ll discover the order in which you should layer your liquor, the precise measurements needed, and even recommended brands. Not sure which stemware is appropriate? Consult the mini guide on identifying the correct stemware in the back of the book. Featuring 75 different cocktails and recipes (including specifications, notes, and embellishments), this is the perfect gift for the cocktail lover in your life. Don’t waste another minute on watered-down cocktails – become a cocktail master with this beautifully illustrated guide.

The ideal companion to the hugely successful Gem Calorie Counter, this is a handy portable guide to carbohydates in everyday foods. Perfect for those following the Fast Diet (5:2 Diet), Dukan Diet, Atkins Diet or other weight-loss diets. Clearly laid out tables give details of net carbohydrates per portion (slice, biscuit, apple) making it quick and simple to use. Reducing carbohydrates and following a high protein diet has become a popular and effective way of losing weight and keeping those extra pounds off. The interest in the Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution is clear proof of this. The key to following a high-protein diet is to control your carbohydrate intake. Collins Gem Carb Counter is a guide to the net carb contents of everyday foods. It also gives calories, protein and fat. Information is given per portion to make it easy to use. High protein, carb-counting diets are often referred to as a man’s diet and this emphasis on portions rather than 100 g means that there is less working out involved. Boredom is often the downfall of the carb counter, so a section is included which gives suggestions for different meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

CONSTANT PRINCESS Splendid and sumptuous historical novel from this internationally bestselling author, telling of the early life of Katherine of Aragon. We think of her as the barren wife of a notorious king; but behind this legacy lies a fascinating story. Katherine of Aragon is born Catalina, the Spanish Infanta, to parents who are both rulers and warriors. Aged four, she is betrothed to Arthur, Prince of Wales, and is raised to be Queen of England. She is never in doubt that it is her destiny to rule that far-off, wet, cold land. Her faith is tested when her prospective fahter-in-law greets her arrival in her new country with a great insult; Arthur seems little better than a boy; the food is strange and the customs coarse. Slowly she adapts to the first Tudor court, and life as Arthur's wife grows ever more bearable. But when the studious young man dies, she is left to make her own future: how can she now be queen, and found a dynasty? Only by marrying Arthur's young brother, the sunny but spoilt Henry. His father and grandmother are against it; her powerful parents prove little use. Yet Katherine is her mother's daughter and her fighting spirit is strong. She will do anything to achieve her aim; even if it means telling the greatest lie, and holding to it. Philippa Gregory proves yet again that behind the apparently familiar face of history lies an astonishing story: of women warriors influencing the future of Europe, of revered heroes making deep mistakes, and of an untold love story which changes the fate of a nation. THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL. Fabulous historical novel set in the court of King Henry VIII. Mary Boleyn attracts the attention of the young king and becomes his mistress; when he tires of her, she sets out to school her sister, Anne, as a replacement. Politics and passion are inextricably bound together in this compelling drama. The Boleyn family is keen to rise through the ranks of society, and what better way to attract the attention of the most powerful in the land than to place their most beautiful young woman at court? But Mary becomes the king's mistress at a time of change. He needs his personal pleasures, but he also needs an heir. The unthinkable happens and the course of English history is irrevocably changed. For the women at the heart of the storm, they have only one weapon; and when it's no longer enough to be the mistress, Mary must groom her younger sister in the ways of the king. What happens next is common knowledge - but here it is told in a way we've never heard it before, with all of Philippa Gregory's characteristic perceptiveness, backed by meticulous research and superb storytelling skills. BOLEYN INHERITANCE. From the bestselling author of `The Other Boleyn Girl' comes a wonderfully atmospheric evocation of the court of Henry VIII, and the one woman who destroyed two of his queens. The year is 1539 and the court of Henry VIII is increasingly fearful at the moods of the ageing sick king. With only a baby in the cradle for an heir, Henry has to take another wife and the dangerous prize of the crown of England is won by Anne of Cleves. She has her own good reasons for agreeing to marry a man old enough to be her father, in a country where to her both language and habits are foreign. Although fascinated by the glamour of her new surroundings, she senses a trap closing around her. Katherine is confident that she can follow in the steps of her cousin Anne Boleyn to dazzle her way to the throne but her kinswoman Jane Boleyn, haunted by the past, knows that Anne's path led to Tower Green and to an adulterer's death. The story of these three young women, trying to make their own way through the most volatile court in Europe at a time of religious upheaval and political uncertainty, is Philippa Gregory's most compelling novel yet.

A fly-on-the-wall account of the greatest drama in modern sporting history by the New York Times cycling correspondent. As Lance Armstrong’s precipitous fall from grace continues, New York Times sports reporter Juliet Macur takes the reader behind the scenes to bring to life the astonishing twists and turns of the scandal that has rocked the world of cycling. With unprecedented access to the key players in the drama – from Armstrong’s fellow cyclists and top cycling officials to doctors, trainers and wives – Cycle of Lies reveals how Armstrong built a fortress of people around him to protect his image and upend the lives of anybody who stood in his way. As America’s fallen idol faces potential perjury charges, Cycle of Lies widens the focus to expose corruption at all levels of the sport in a thrilling, page-turning work of contemporary narrative history.

The Icons came from the sky. They belong to an inhuman enemy. They ended our civilization, and they can kill us. "Most" of us. Dol, Ro, Tima, and Lucas are the four Icon Children, the only humans immune to the Icon's power to stop a human heart. Now that Los Angeles has been saved, things are more complicated--and not just because Dol has to choose between Lucas and Ro, the two great loves of her life. As she flees to a resistance outpost hidden beneath a mountain, Dol makes contact with a fifth Icon Child, if only through her visions. When Dol and the others escape to Southeast Asia in search of this missing child, Dol's dreams, feelings and fears collide in an epic showdown that will change more than just four lives--and stop one heart forever. In this riveting sequel to "Icons, "filled with nonstop action and compelling romance, bestselling author Margaret Stohl explores what it means to be human and how our greatest weakness can be humanity's strongest chance at survival.

One of the world’s best loved presenters meets one of the world’s greatest authors in this beautiful selection of timeless, haunting stories. Vividly brought to life through abundant illustrations and Stephen’s masterly introductions, Oscar Wilde’s short stories are here made accessible to an entirely new generation. Whether you know it or not, the stories in this book are familiar. Like old friends whose charm and warmth never fade, Oscar Wilde's short stories have enchanted generations of readers, and this beautiful book makes them accessible to an entirely new readership. Selected and presented by one of Wilde's biggest fans, the book includes a foreword from Stephen Fry, who will also supply short introductions to the stories themselves, explaining why they mean so much to him and why they should mean a lot to you too. Meet the selfish giant, whose garden was cloaked in perpetual winter until he allowed the children to enter and play, the happy prince whose statue stood overlooking his city, who gave the rubies and sapphires embedded in his eyes and clothing to feed the poor, and the tiny swallow who helped him. And let's not forget the remarkable rocket who was so convinced that he would be the brightest, most remarkable rocket of all, yet who ended up in a ditch. There's also the Canterville ghost, so inept at being scary that every attempt to spook his American visitors results in failure. Stephen Fry has always been passionate about Oscar Wilde's writing but he has a particular fondness for his short stories. In this beautifully illustrated book he shares with us what each story means to him and what he feels the reader can take away with them, whether they're five or fifty years old. As well as a general introduction, Stephen offers introductions to the stories themselves, taking the reader through his selection. Illustrated by Nicole Stewart, stunning artwork accompanies each story to give shape to the reader's imagination. Whether you are buying this for yourself, for your wife, your son or daughter, for your nephew, your niece, your mother, your brother or your sister, the book will be a gift that you or they will cherish forever and return to time and time again. These are stories for adults and children of all ages, for all time.

The true story of one man's determination to master the world's deadliest helicopter and of a split-second decision that changed the face of modern warfare. May 2006. Pilot Ed Macy arrives in Afghanistan with a contingent of the Apache AH Mk1. It’s the first operational tour for the deadly machines and confidence in the cripplingly expensive attack helicopter is low. It doesn’t help that for their first month ‘in action’, Ed and his mates see little more than the back-end of a Chinook. But when the men of 3 Para get pinned down during Op Mutay, reservations about the fearsome new attack helicopters are thrown out the window. In the blistering firefight that follows, Ed unleashes the first ever Hellfire missile in combat and, with one squeeze of the trigger, changes the war in Afghanistan forever. What had been rumoured as a ?4.2 billion mistake quickly becomes the British Army’s greatest asset, as the awe-inspiring Apache is dramatically redirected to fight the enemy head-on. In this gripping account of war on the ground and in the skies above the dusty wastes of Helmand, Ed recounts the intense months that followed: the steep learning curve, the relentless missions, the evolving enemy and the changing Rules of Engagement. As he comes to grip with the Apache, his early career as a paratrooper stands him in good stead, as does his operational baptism as a pilot. Both shaped his ability to fly, fight and survive during that fateful first Afghanistan tour against a cunning and ruthless enemy. Ed will need every ounce of willpower and skill to succeed over the long, hot Helmand summer, as he and his colleagues find themselves on trial for their lives and for the reputation of a machine on which the British government has staked a fortune. The crucible of fire that awaited them would cement the fate of man and machine forever.

C-17 copilot Darcy "Wren" Renshaw wanted a piece of the war-zone action like the rest of her air-force family. Instead, she was stuck hauling a brooding scientist to the calm waters of Guam. Darcy thought she was being shuffled far away from the action…until she met Max Keagan and embarked on the mission of her life. Undercover CIA agent Max needed a military airlift to a South Pacific island. He didn't need First Lieutenant Darcy Renshaw blowing his cover and bringing chaos to his top secret program. But Darcy and danger seemed destined to go hand in hand. And while trying to keep Darcy safe, Max realized he was soon in danger of losing his well-guarded heart.

A TASTE FOR DANGER A simple mistake had cost caterer Madison O'Malley her livelihood–and the fault lay squarely with international playboy Cord Kendrick. Cord went out of his way to make things right…and Madison promised to keep the story out of the tabloids. But as sharing business strategies turned to sharing kisses, Madison knew she was playing with fire…and craved Cord nonetheless. Trouble had a way of finding Cord Kendrick. And as the second son of the revered Kendrick family, he'd do anything to avoid another scandal. But spending time with the lovely Madison was stirring up all kinds of extraordinary feelings. Cord was an adventurer at heart, but could this confirmed bachelor risk falling in love?

WHEN DESIRES BECOME DANGEROUS, LOVE CAN BE DEADLY Whispers of foul play circulate through an upscale community when beautiful Justine Milner disappears. But only when her body is discovered more than two years later is her ex-husband, Michael Frome, accused of murder. Portrait artist Suzie Strickland learned firsthand how manipulative and cruel Justine could be when they were rivals for Mike's affection in high school. She believes in Mike's innocence and suspects she's found a chilling link to a darker side of Justine's privileged life. How deep was her involvement with a mysterious group called The Mulligan Club and their seductive, dangerous games? The answers may come too late. Because the truth about what happened to Justine is proving just as deadly as the secrets she kept….

A RANDALL THROUGH AND THROUGH One look at lovely Victoria Randall, and Dr. Jonathan Wilson knew he was headed for a showdown. She was sexy, smart and she lived right next door. Would the sassy singleton succeed in putting a wedding rope around his neck? Not if Victoria had any say in the matter. Fall for a big-city bachelor who had snubbed her since the first day they'd met–no way! But then they shared a daring rescue and a stormy night of passion. Suddenly Jon and Victoria's future was more complicated. Would they face it together…or would this determined Randall face the unexpected on her own?

From the moment Rebecca Barlow starts her job at a law firm, she knows she's in for a lot of surprises. Especially when her new boss unexpectedly turns out to be her first love–her son's father. Now she not only has to reveal the five-year-old secret she's been keeping from Jeff Jacobs, but also face her unresolved feelings. And spend day after day with him and his fiancée coaching them about parenthood… Jeff is as delighted as he is shocked to see Rebecca, but her little secret isn't the only one in his life. Because although he's committed to another woman now, he's still in love with Rebecca. Not until she's about to leave with her son does the truth finally come out!

HE'S WANTED HER FOR YEARS… The handsome, chiseled features of the Ute Indian gave no hint of emotion, but under his professional demeanor Deputy Daniel Redwing was riled. Wealthy widow Maggie Ketchum was out of his league, but the flaming redhead was also driving him out of his mind. How could he persuade her that they were destined to be together? Maggie had to agree that the attraction between her and Daniel was breathtakingly mutual, but the risk of loving and losing again was great–and she had her son to think about. Still, the stoic yet sizzling Redwing not only tempted her–he made her feel she was his destiny….

Dori Stewart's six-figure Manhattan job has vanished, and her lover and friends have vanished with it. She's scraping by as a waitress and awaiting the day she can return to New York in triumph. Maybe a ritual on the winter solstice can renew her wavering faith. What she needs is just the right candle… and Jason Farrar, an old boyfriend, by her side.

HEARTBREAK CANYON–THE MEN OF HEARTBREAK LIVE BY THEIR OWN RULES–PROTECT THE LAND, HONOR THE FAMILY…AND NEVER LET A GOOD WOMAN GO! ONE MOMENT OF PLEASURE Ethan James had spend a lifetime looking for trouble. Until he received a photo of a woman who seven months ago, had claimed him, body and soul–for a single night. A woman who was now seven months pregnant… TWO ALTERED LIVES Grace Prescott had always accepted what little she'd been given. Then Ethan resurfaced, proposing marriage for the child's sake. But she wanted the whole dream. The baby–and a husband who loved her. And this time, she wasn't going to settle for less…

Stranded and about to go into labor, Kitt Dawson had to depend on her wits–and Shawn O'Rourke. The gorgeous man delivered her baby with the same gentleness he bestowed on gun-shy Kitt. Then he popped the question! Mr. Rough Around the Edges was in desperate need of a green card wife. And while Shawn hadn't promised forever, and the words of love he spoke were only part of their charade, he couldn't deny the attraction–or the need to brand Kitt with searing passion….

AN EMT IN SHINING ARMOR… Sawyer Morente's specialty was saving damsels in distress. But Maya Rainbow wasn't his typical rescue: The hippie girl he barely remembered from high school had transformed into a woman unlike any he'd ever known. And when a car accident forced Sawyer to deliver Maya's premature baby, his professional concern for the boy soon blossomed into something more…for the child's mother. Strong-willed and stubborn, Maya always stood on her own two feet. But having a shoulder to lean on felt good and having the rest of Sawyer would be even better. Still, Maya had long ago stopped dreaming of a prince on a white horse…. But wait…! Was that galloping she heard in the distance…?

Since her mother's death, FBI Special Agent Cate Kowalski had to cope with the deep emptiness she felt–and the shocking revelation that she was adopted.The news came too soon after losing her fiancé and destroyed the very foundation of her identity. So now, the only way for Cate to find herself was to go in search of her birth mother. She didn't count on finding love on her path to self-discovery. It had been three years since Dr. Christian Graywolf's wife died and he still blamed himself for her death. As a result, he focused entirely on his work at Blair Memorial Hospital until his sister brought home colleague Cate Kowalski. The attraction was intense, immediate–and the truth was something neither Christian nor Cate expected: that all his life Christian had been searching for Cate.

THE WAY TO A BACHELOR'S HEART: 1 Alex Marchetti–die-hard bachelor 1 Fran Carlino–marriage-shy beauty 1 simmering attraction 2 matchmaking families & 1 secret ingredient: love Combine passionate, hotheaded chef Fran Carlino and supercool, straitlaced bachelor Alex Marchetti. Slowly increase their mutual attraction. Add a dash of tension (neither claims to be the marrying kind), a generous spoonful of romantic spice and round off with a lot of familial stirring. Finally, mix business with pleasure, turn up the heat and wait for the delectable developments….

THE ULTIMATE BETRAYAL Sabrina March's safe little life had one cornerstone–her dad. Then he died in her arms. Sabrina was devastated, but she knew in her heart that someday she would find a man like her father and live happily ever after. So when Sabrina learned her father had lived a double life–complete with another "wife" and family–her trust in men was shattered. Until she met Greg Antonelli–the man of her dreams…or her nightmares. Greg swept her into a secret affair that left her breathless. But how could she bear to be with him? His sister had been Sabrina's father's other woman. Was Sabrina willing to risk everything for Greg and the chance to make her dream come true?

A brand new story of crushes, first love and friendship from the original Queen of Tween – Jean Ure! When Maya falls off her bike and into the arms of Jake Harper, her cousin Mattie thinks the crush that follows will be as short-lived as the rest – especially as Maya is a Year 8 nobody and Jake is a Year 12 god. Mattie’s pretty sure that Jake's taken, anyway. But if Jake’s got a girlfriend then why does he keep offering Maya lifts around town? And why does Maya accuse Mattie of being jealous of her? Perhaps there’s more to this crush than meets the eye…