From a clinical psychologist and expert in complex trauma recovery comes a powerful guide introducing fawning, an often-overlooked piece of the fight-flight-freeze reaction to trauma—explaining what it is, why it happens, and how to help survivors regain their voice and sense of self.Most of us are familiar with the three Fs of trauma—flight, fight, or freeze. But psychologists have identified a fourth, extremely common (yet little-understood) fawning. Often conflated with “codependency” or “people pleasing,” fawning occurs when we inexplicably draw closer to a person or relationship that causes pain, rather than pulling away.Fawning explains why we stay in bad jobs, fall into unhealthy partnerships, and seek out dysfunctional environments, even when it seems so obvious to others that we should go. And fawning can serve a purpose—it’s a protective response to an unsafe situation. But when fawning turns from an emergency coping mechanism into an everyday habit, it stops being useful and starts being a real problem.The good we can break the pattern of chronic fawning for good, once we see it for the trauma response it is. Drawing on twenty years of clinical psychology work—as well as a lifetime of experience as a recovering fawner herself—Dr. Ingrid Clayton has written a groundbreaking book that brings this emerging concept into the mainstream conversation. Readers will learn WHY we fawn, HOW to recognize the signs of fawning (including taking blame, conflict avoidance, hypervigilance, and caretaking at the expense of ourselves), and WHAT we can do to successfully “unfawn” and finally be ourselves, in all our imperfect perfection.A landmark book full of empathy and understanding, Fawning offers trauma survivors the vocabulary to discuss their experiences—and, in so doing, gives them the tools to finally heal.

1880s, The Wild West. An easy, solitary life on the outskirts of Ghosthallow is all Lou Ramirez wants. They want to buy their house plans and live their quiet life far from townsfolk’s prying eyes. That plan, however, hits a bump when instead of house plans, a house wife is delivered to their door instead. Clementine Castellanos desperately needs a way out from under her family debt, and it seems as though selling her services as a wife is the only way to do it. Expecting a rough, harsh man to be her new husband, Clementine is pleasantly surprised to instead be dropped off at the ranch of an equally surprised Lou. Lou would rather Clementine leave them to their lonely existence, but Clementine is too charmed by the quiet and mysterious rancher to give up. She may have come into Lou’s life easily, but she certainly isn’t planning to leave that way. Undeterred by Lou’s prickly demeanor, Clementine is determined to get her reluctant spouse to open up to her. When the past comes back to haunt the pair, the fight for their independence—and their love—may become more deadly than either of them ever expected.

1880s, The Wild West. An easy, solitary life on the outskirts of Ghosthallow is all Lou Ramirez wants. They want to buy their house plans and live their quiet life far from townsfolk’s prying eyes. That plan, however, hits a bump when instead of house plans, a house wife is delivered to their door instead. Clementine Castellanos desperately needs a way out from under her family debt, and it seems as though selling her services as a wife is the only way to do it. Expecting a rough, harsh man to be her new husband, Clementine is pleasantly surprised to instead be dropped off at the ranch of an equally surprised Lou. Lou would rather Clementine leave them to their lonely existence, but Clementine is too charmed by the quiet and mysterious rancher to give up. She may have come into Lou’s life easily, but she certainly isn’t planning to leave that way. Undeterred by Lou’s prickly demeanor, Clementine is determined to get her reluctant spouse to open up to her. When the past comes back to haunt the pair, the fight for their independence—and their love—may become more deadly than either of them ever expected.

Seven years ago, Claire Hotchkiss thought she’d found her very own happily-ever-after with Gabriel Newsom, the Marquess of Leighton—but when she discovered that her marriage license hadn’t been worth the paper it had been written on, her fairytale swiftly turned into a nightmare. Since then she has found a place for herself in the world working as a housekeeper, but when circumstances compel her to seek out a new post, she finds herself unwittingly accepting a position within the household of the man who destroyed her life. And, to her shock, he doesn’t seem to remember her at all. Gabriel Newsom has spent the last seven years pretending there’s nothing wrong with him. Plagued by migraines—a remnant of the accident that stole years of his life from him—he spends the majority of his time avoiding society, lest his condition be discovered. He cannot bear the seething jealousy he holds for people who are whole and unburdened by the loss of self he has suffered. When his father confesses that within those missing years he might have been married, he is shaken anew. Somewhere out in the world is a woman whom he unwillingly abandoned, a woman he had once loved. And he doesn’t even know her name. His new housekeeper is perhaps the only person in his life who is unflinching in the face of his temper, unwilling to leave him to wallow in his misery. Like a guardian angel she watches over him, expects better of him, and against all odds he finds himself comforted by her presence and seeking her approval. He entrusts to her his secrets, never knowing that Claire has secrets of her own…

A desperate need Sassy Grace Atwood never expected to find her proper self accidentally tumbling into a stranger's bed. If she weren't desperate for a man to lead a wagon train of brides to a woman-starved town out West, she never would have gone near Jackson Blake-former lawman or not. She should send the ruggedly charming Texan packing...only he's perfect for the job. Now if her mind would just stop going blank every time she looked at him, they might get this train to Kansas yet. A comsuming passion What's a man to do when a beautiful woman leans over his bed in the middle of the night? Come to think of it, that was the only time Blake's ever seen the straitlaced Miss Atwood the least bit ruffled. He's certain that beneath her buttoned-up appearance lies a passionate woman aching to break free. But though Blake longs to take her in his arms, all he can offer Grace is a life on the run. And when the demons from his past catch up with them, Blake is caught between the ties that bind and a love that could last...always and forever.

A young Indigenous woman and her dragon fight for the independence of their homeland in this epic sequel to the bestselling and multi-award-winning To Shape a Dragon's Breath, "a remarkable novel that is bound to be a staple of fantasy shelves for years to come" (BuzzFeed).Anequs has not only survived her first year at Kuiper's Academy but exceeded all of her professors' admittedly low expectations—and passed all her courses with honors. Now, she and her dragon, Kasaqua, are headed home for the summer, along with Theod, the only other Native student at the Academy.But what should have been a relaxing break takes a darker turn. Thanks to Anequs's notoriety, there is an Anglish presence on Masquapaug for the first time a presence which Anequs hates. Anequs will always fight for what she believes in, however, and what she believes in is her people's right to self-govern and live as they have for generations, without the restrictive yoke of Anglish rules and social customs. And fight she will—even if it means lighting a spark which may flare into civil war.

Seven years ago, Claire Hotchkiss thought she’d found her very own happily-ever-after with Gabriel Newsom, the Marquess of Leighton—but when she discovered that her marriage license hadn’t been worth the paper it had been written on, her fairytale swiftly turned into a nightmare. Since then she has found a place for herself in the world working as a housekeeper, but when circumstances compel her to seek out a new post, she finds herself unwittingly accepting a position within the household of the man who destroyed her life. And, to her shock, he doesn’t seem to remember her at all. Gabriel Newsom has spent the last seven years pretending there’s nothing wrong with him. Plagued by migraines—a remnant of the accident that stole years of his life from him—he spends the majority of his time avoiding society, lest his condition be discovered. He cannot bear the seething jealousy he holds for people who are whole and unburdened by the loss of self he has suffered. When his father confesses that within those missing years he might have been married, he is shaken anew. Somewhere out in the world is a woman whom he unwillingly abandoned, a woman he had once loved. And he doesn’t even know her name. His new housekeeper is perhaps the only person in his life who is unflinching in the face of his temper, unwilling to leave him to wallow in his misery. Like a guardian angel she watches over him, expects better of him, and against all odds he finds himself comforted by her presence and seeking her approval. He entrusts to her his secrets, never knowing that Claire has secrets of her own…

From a clinical psychologist and expert in complex trauma recovery comes a powerful guide introducing fawning, an often-overlooked piece of the fight-flight-freeze reaction to trauma—explaining what it is, why it happens, and how to help survivors regain their voice and sense of self.Most of us are familiar with the three Fs of trauma—flight, fight, or freeze. But psychologists have identified a fourth, extremely common (yet little-understood) fawning. Often conflated with “codependency” or “people pleasing,” fawning occurs when we inexplicably draw closer to a person or relationship that causes pain, rather than pulling away.Fawning explains why we stay in bad jobs, fall into unhealthy partnerships, and seek out dysfunctional environments, even when it seems so obvious to others that we should go. And fawning can serve a purpose—it’s a protective response to an unsafe situation. But when fawning turns from an emergency coping mechanism into an everyday habit, it stops being useful and starts being a real problem.The good we can break the pattern of chronic fawning for good, once we see it for the trauma response it is. Drawing on twenty years of clinical psychology work—as well as a lifetime of experience as a recovering fawner herself—Dr. Ingrid Clayton has written a groundbreaking book that brings this emerging concept into the mainstream conversation. Readers will learn WHY we fawn, HOW to recognize the signs of fawning (including taking blame, conflict avoidance, hypervigilance, and caretaking at the expense of ourselves), and WHAT we can do to successfully “unfawn” and finally be ourselves, in all our imperfect perfection.A landmark book full of empathy and understanding, Fawning offers trauma survivors the vocabulary to discuss their experiences—and, in so doing, gives them the tools to finally heal.

A young Indigenous woman and her dragon fight for the independence of their homeland in this epic sequel to the bestselling and multi-award-winning To Shape a Dragon's Breath, "a remarkable novel that is bound to be a staple of fantasy shelves for years to come" (BuzzFeed).Anequs has not only survived her first year at Kuiper's Academy but exceeded all of her professors' admittedly low expectations—and passed all her courses with honors. Now, she and her dragon, Kasaqua, are headed home for the summer, along with Theod, the only other Native student at the Academy.But what should have been a relaxing break takes a darker turn. Thanks to Anequs's notoriety, there is an Anglish presence on Masquapaug for the first time a presence which Anequs hates. Anequs will always fight for what she believes in, however, and what she believes in is her people's right to self-govern and live as they have for generations, without the restrictive yoke of Anglish rules and social customs. And fight she will—even if it means lighting a spark which may flare into civil war.

Laura Dave continues Hannah Hall's pulse-pounding journey in the riveting sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling blockbuster and Goodreads Winner for Best Thriller & Mystery of 2021, The Last Thing He Told Me. A gripping, rich, and deeply evocative novel, The First Time I Saw Him picks up right where the "genuinely moving" (The New York Times) and "gripping" (Entertainment Weekly) The Last Thing He Told Me left off, giving readers the eagerly awaited and thrilling sequel to Dave's global blockbuster.