Similar stories:
|
Norse Mythology for Bostonians: A Transcription of the Impudent Edda by Rowdy Geirsson Norse Mythology for Bostonians is a humorous retelling of the trials and tribulations of Odin, Thor, and the other Norse gods. Regarded as an authentic, new "Edda" (as the original Icelandic source material is called), the main narrative is told in the charmingly quaint dialect of a foul-mouthed Bostonian. New mythological episodes, such as Thor's attempt to renew his driver's license and Odin's mysterious journey to Boston Common, supplement the more traditional stories such as Odin's acquisition of the mead of poetry and the theft of Idunn's apples of youth. Substantial historical background information about the myths is provided in the introductory material, as well as in the footnotes that occur throughout the volume. Based on the long-running McSweeney's Internet Tendency column Norse History for Bostonians, Norse Mythology for Bostonians, introduces readers to a fresh, new perspective on both familiar and previously unknown narratives of Norse mythology. |
|
The Last Lunar Witch by S.F. Henne I only wanted to control my magic, but a single potion catapulted my life into chaos⌠Iâm Nyssa Thornheart, a witch with broken magic. I escaped to the big city to pursue my passion for alchemy and hide from my coven until I fix my powers. If my unstable gifts are exposed, they will be stripped away. To live without magic, thatâs a fate worse than death. So I drank a long-forgotten potion in a desperate bid to harness my volatile powers. But when Iâm cornered by thugs, I unleash a rare and dangerous magic, tearing the veil between our world and a demonic realm. My new powers are growing stronger and resisting every attempt to subdue them. Now Iâm a hunted witch, pursued by both demonic creatures and the authorities determined to protect the realm from the threat I pose. Can I master my magic or will I have to sacrifice my powers before the city falls to demons? For fans of Heather G. Harris and Lindsay Buroker, The Last Lunar Witch is the first book in the fast-paced Lunar Order Chronicles. An urban fantasy series filled with strong women, found family, inner growth, and cozy vibes mixed with heart-pounding action. Dive into S.F. Henneâs gripping adventure now! |
|
Spark of the Divine by Louise Holland SAVE THE GODS. SAVE THEIR REALM. As a Divine, Mae wields her strange gifts quietly as a mercenaryâuntil a simple rescue job sees the crew uncover a plot to steal divinity from the gods themselves. When the god Mae serves is attacked, she must restore their power before the seven realms are thrown into chaos. The first instalment in fantasy series The Kalaraak Chronicles, SPARK OF THE DIVINE follows a group of reluctant heroes on a quest to save a god while the fate of the realms hangs in the balance. Will they each find what they desperately seek, or will secrets of romance and betrayal break them apart? Can they work together to defeat an evil their realm has never seen? Is it the strength of the god that matters⌠or the belief of the Divine? |
|
The Light Must Hold by Kriss Gallom In a world without stars, divine crystals shield the folk of Esiaga from fiends that prowl the darkness. When Lior, a priest who communes with the crystals, prays to the deities and asks for their guidance, he is met only with silence. Guidance is something he yearns for as he watches his convent brothers either fall to creatures that lurk in the shadows or lose their minds trying to harness the power of the crystalsâ light. That is, at least, until travelers arrive on behalf of the Queen. Sworn to come to their kingdomâs aid in times of need, Lior and his convent brothers must make the hazardous pilgrimage to the capital, Bangol. The guidance Lior has always sought comes in the form of Elouan, the paladin sworn to guide the conventâs caravan. Where Elouan leads Lior, however, deviates from the known path. The Light Must Hold â a classic dark fantasy adventure that combines fanciful prose and sisyphean struggles. |
|
Soul Cage (SoulBreaker Book 1) by L. R. Schulz Murder Breeds Magic All power comes with a price. In a world where magic is transferred by the act of killing another, Myddrin stands above the rest. Having accidentally killed the most powerful mage in all of existence, Myddrin now lives a peaceful life in isolation. But there is no such thing as peace in the land of Otor. War calls. The voices of the dead haunt him, and there is nowhere to hide. Cursed with the deathly taint of magic, young Will must seek acceptance among the Knights of Aen. There, he must learn to touch the otherside, control his abilities, and decide for himself what is right, and what is wrong. Tvoraâs soul is broken. The price of vengeance was her sanity. Her companions help her keep a tenuous grasp on herself, but with the urgent need to absorb enough magic to sustain them, she is pushed to choose a side in the upcoming war. The question remains, will she choose the right one? |
|
The Invisible Tether by JP McDonald Cooper Belrose and his friends gear up for a sporting tournament in tropical North Queensland (Australia) for a week of carefree fun. In an unnerving twist of fate, a cryptic flight attendant hijacks the plane, altering their lives forever. After surviving the plane crash, Cooper and his friends learn the flight attendant was part of a much larger threat, not only to their existence but to the entire human race. In their desperation to return home and find answers, they discover abnormal abilities within themselves activated by the crash and the threat of an opposing force. Will these newfound abilities wield an edge over their enemies? As they strive to combat each twist and turn, Cooper and his friends learn the value of teamwork by navigating the space between life and death. If faced with an imminent threat to the human race, would you and your friends take up the fight? "The Invisible Tether," is a story of love, adventure and the pursuit of truth. |
|
The Bartender Between Worlds by Herman Steuernagel Low-stakes magic, crafting cocktails, and discovering the power of who we truly are. Emma grew up as a Hunter of the Cursedâthose charged with eradicating monsters and magic from the Kingdom. She's revered as one of the King's most skilled hunters. At least she wasâuntil she discovered she possessed magic herself. Before anyone else can discover her secret, Emma abandons her post and flees to the far edge of the Kingdom, where she hopes she can settle down and live a quiet life as a bartender, out of the Hunters' watchful eye. Fate, however, won't allow us to run away from who we are so easily. When Emma is confronted by an exiled fairy and a man who claims to be a scientist (though Emma is convinced he's a sorcerer), she must evaluate what she believes and the confines of who she's been allowed to be. Pulled on a journey that takes her further than she'd ever imagined possible, Emma is led on an adventure to discover where her fate lies and must confront her own biases, hopefully learning a drink recipe or two along the way. A low-stakes cozy fantasy about cocktails, magic, portals, and finding where we truly belong. If you enjoyed the themes of leaving it all behind in books like Legends & Lattes, and the fun and low-stakes magic in The Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking, then this is the book for you. |
|
Injustice For All by Jeremy D Savage Damon, a man on death row, finds himself with little time left. He meets his new psychiatrist, Doctor Emily Zurig, who is there to help him find peace before his final days, and convinces her to help him find the truth. While she is initially reluctant, through their sessions, she begins to see Damon in a different light. With the help of her superstar detective husband, Evan Zurig, they work to find the truth about the murders that Damon has been sentenced for. While Damon works to find peace, through fighting the demons of his past, he struggles to understand what it all means and what it's all for. He begins to lose faith as the time gets closer to his death. The ultimate questions arise: Should he even fight anymore? What's the point? Doctor Zurig and her husband work diligently to put the pieces together, but will it be too late? |
|
Wolves of Duty by Charlotte Murphy ASPEN ANAI is the Female, one of three laecan children born under unique circumstances, known as the Triquetra. Destined to usher in a new generation of Alpha wolves, Aspen has always known her purpose and is content being the gilded vessel for the two males who must compete for her, in physical challenges known as the Mating Games. When fellow Triquetrian, Caius Caldoun threatens their traditions and social standing by refusing to compete in the games against current Alpha heir Sabre Riadnak; Aspen starts questioning her destiny and the motives of those she thought she could trust. Thrust into political upheaval and social discord, Aspen is forced to choose between the duty she has always known and the happiness, freedom and love, she has only begun to taste. |
|
Through Legend They Fall by Rachel Pendley As Ferrin Grey returned home from the horrors of war, his people hailed him a hero while the ghosts of his sins screamed monster. Now he is dying, infected with an unknown disease that eats him away little by little, piece by piece. When the ruler of a foreign nation unleashes a terrifying beast in Ferrinâs homeland, he finds himself thrust back into a world he was so desperate to leave behind. To end this nightmare, he must kill both creature and king, but ill omens warn him of the future as demons resurface from his past, turning the hunter into the hunted. And if these monsters were to catch this rotting soldier, then death will be the least of his troubles. |
|
Rites of Winter (Inheritance, 6) by AK Faulkner Let the Wild Hunt begin! Tortured. Broken. Laurence and Quentin need time to heal. A layover in New York offers just that, but then Quentin vanishes in the worst blizzard the city has ever seen, and all Laurenceâs Hunter gifts arenât enough to track him down. Two gods have warred for centuries. One is trapped in Manhattan, and needs Laurenceâs aid if heâs to continue his vendetta. The other is confined to Annwn, the Land of the Dead. He needs Quentinâs help if heâs to win once and for all. Unlike gods theyâve encountered before, these ones arenât frail. Not even close. But there really can be only one, and Laurence must fight to save Quentin before they both get trampled into dust. He canât do it alone. |
|
The Den of Stone by Roger Sandri Courtney Mays discovers the reason when she comes face to face with a living gargoyle. Her daily life selling appliances is thrown on its head as she learns to live by the sword in a shadow war against monsters. Edthgar, the ancient gargoyle leader, has plotted for centuries, and as Courtneyâs abilities grow, so does the threat to his plans. Those she cares about become targets, and she must fight to protect them. Even if it means battling into the heart of their den of stone⌠|
|
For A Few Days More by Z.B. Steele The Hinterlands are a lawless place of broken dreams and broken people. Roth is a bodyguard trying to leave his dark past behind, but history has a way of turning back up. Cynthia is a bandit who's trying to make a future by wading through blood. They travel separately, trying to live by their own codes. All while a man in a red cloak tracks their blood-soaked footprints. |
|
A Kingdom of Curses by Danielle D Drummond One forgotten sin. A thousand deadly consequences. Paege Vailenbyrg has always been an outsider in the Wolf-ruled kingdom of Elyndria. As a half-Fae, half-Human hybrid, sheâs considered an aberration. Despite her efforts to discover her place in a world made to reject her, Paege finds herself unexpectedly embroiled in a web of secrets, lies, and unreliable magic. All of it threatens to shatter the fragile sense of safety she has managed to build around herself. Caught between two worlds, Paege must navigate shifting alliances and uncover long-buried secrets. The fate of the kingdom hangs in the balance as she becomes a pawn in a much larger game. Can she trust the enigmatic Wolf shifter, Guy Braxtion, whose dark past is as tangled as her own? Or the notorious bad boy heir, Quentin Ishaan, whose sudden interest in her raises more questions than answers? A Kingdom bound by curses. As the danger escalates, Paege is forced to embrace her true nature and harness her volatile Fae powers. But with powerful forces conspiring against her, a single misstep could unravel the very fabric of their world. Can Paege uncover the truth about the âOriginal Sinâ cursing the kingdom before itâs too late, or will she be consumed by the chaos threatening to tear her world apart? |
|
Stones of Light by Zack Argyle Stones of Light continues the story begun in Voice of War, the multi-award-winning start to the Threadlight series. FEAR THE ROSES. FEAR THE LIGHT. Chrys swore to never again let the Apogee take control but, in a moment of desperation, he gave in. Now, he will learn what the Apogee truly wants. In Alchea, Laurel will do anything to get her threadlight back, even if it means working for the leader of the Bloodthieves. But she has no choice...a life without threadlight is no life at all. To the west, Alverax travels with the Zeda people to the large port city of Felia, where they seek refuge after the fires in the Fairenwild. But he shattered the coreseal, and no one quite knows what the consequences will be. They only know it won't be good. Together, they changed the worldânow, they must save it. |
|
The Bastard from Fairyland by Phil Parker He's Robin Goodfellow to those he knows. Or Puck, his psychotic alter-ego, to those he kills. Betrayed, banished and bitter, this fae warrior lives among human beings, they think heâs a demon. The teenagers heâs vowed to protect, despise him. But now the fae need his help, especially the man who betrayed him. Heâs brought along Robinâs lover to guarantee his cooperation. Yet things are not as they seem. For shadowy forces within the fae have different plans. Itâs not Robin they want. They need Puck. He's the perfect stooge to kill a king. What have people said about The Bastard from Fairyland? "This is effing brutal. There's blood, torture, death, violence, a world savaged by fae and under threat of total destruction. Loved it." "A well told tale which combines Celtic myths, Arthurian legends, dystopian visions of a world ravaged by climate change and some good old blood and guts battles. Oh, and dragons. What's not to love?" "The story unfolds at a cracking pace. Characterisation is excellent. The fight scenes are particularly evocative." "The prose is simply beautiful. It's a book that takes you to a Fantasy world unlike any other but also reflects our times in a very real way. A unique and fresh modern take on a genre that sorely needs more books like this." |
|
Where Shadows Lie by Allegra Pescatore The Chosen One Is Dead. Magic Is Going Haywire. Time Is Running Out. When the King of Lirin murders Elenor's brother during a failed coup attempt, she must choose between turning a blind eye to her people's suffering or joining the rebellion and helping bring down the tyrant king. There's only one problem--the king is her father. Helped along the way by a grouchy old doctor, a boisterous group of nobles, and a well-meaning assassin, Elenor is forced to dance between duty and defiance as she tries to save her kingdom. Meanwhile, from the rainy streets of Lirin to the scorching dunes of the Mondaer Desert, the ripples of her actions have inadvertently broken a chain of events five centuries in the making. Ancient forces move in the shadows, calling in debts and striking deals. A monster with a thousand faces fingers his knife, ready to kill, and a pair of fugitives run for their lives. Where Shadows Lie is a non-stop, epic fantasy ride featuring an lgbtq+ and disabled protagonist and filled with court intrigue, sizzling romance, adorable baby dragons, and the battle between oppression and freedom. Dive in and get swept away! |
|
The Training Grounds: Mystery of the Immortals by Jason Clark Debut author Jason Clark presents an exciting new genre-bending sci-fi/fantasy story set in a brutal future world, where swords settle disputes and those who can control the elements are the most feared warriors. Get ready for a fantastic escape from reality. When Darius receives an invitation to attend the Training Grounds, he wonders why an insignificant farm boy would be asked to join the most elite training academy in Merchant Valley. The only thing special about him is that he has unsettling visions he canât understand. Despite the unknown, he accepts this privilege, and with his best friend, they set out on this new adventure. While there, they quickly form alliances with a skilled archer, a talented blacksmith, and a powerful wielder of the elements. Together, this new band of friends will learn that not all is as it seems at this new school. In fact, secret plots abound. It makes them question everything and everyone, including the head of the school, Dean Anders. Now itâs up to this adventurous group to uncover the truth about their world and find out the meaning of Dariusâs vision. Visions that include a weapon known as the reaper that carries with it apocalyptic repercussions. But between classes, finding love, and training, will he and his friends be able to discover the truth before itâs too late? |
|
The Towers of Nine by Alyssa Loutitt The Towers of Nine School of Magic Study and Practice is an institution rich with ancient traditions and secrets. Serafina Stewart has grown up on stories of this place, passed to her by her witch mother. Now Serafina is finally old enough to attend. But getting in is the easy part. And Mother's stories never included ghosts or deadly spiders. |
|
Head Like a Hole by Andrew Van Wey When you bury your past, make sure that itâs dead. Itâs the mid-nineties. Grunge and flannel are fading as the Spice Girls and Hot Topic conquer the malls. Cherry gloss glistens on the lips of the youth. Modems hiss as America comes online. And in a fog-drenched cove at the edge of New England, something terrible awakens when a fisherman reels in a gruesome catch: the remains of a young woman. Remains still pulsing with furious life. For Megan Monroe and her friends, this is how their nightmare begins: a wet whisper over their shoulder, a dark hand reaching out from the edge of their sight, and a name clawing at the back of their minds. A young woman scratched from their memory. To stop this devouring terror, Megan will need to mend broken friendships and reassemble her fractured past, for what stalks them hungers to remake itself in their image⌠piece by bloody piece. Dig into the haunted past with Head Like a Hole, a novel of malignant secrets, shattered friendships, and twisted bodily horror. â â â â â "This is a brilliant read. A wonderful well-written plot and a story line that had me engaged from the start." â â â â â "A quick, fun read that will be enjoyed by true crime, horror, and sci-fi fans." â â â â â "A beautiful, gritty tale that engages you to piece it all together while being deliciously entertained at the same time." |
|
The Ghosts of Thorwald Place by Helen Power A Mystery Scene Magazine 2021 Editor's Pick Trust No One. Especially Your Neighbors. Rachel Drake is on the run from the man who killed her husband. She never leaves her safe haven in an anonymous doorman building, until one night a phone call sends her running. On her way to the garage, she is murdered in the elevator. But her story doesnât end there. She finds herself in the afterlife, tethered to her death spot, her reach tied to the adjacent apartments. As she rides the elevator up and down, the lives of the residents intertwine. Every one of them has a dark secret. An aging trophy wife whose husband strays. A surgeon guarding a locked room. A TV medium who may be a fraud. An ordinary man with a mysterious hobby. Compelled to spend eternity observing her neighbors, she realizes that any one of them could be her killer. |
|
Heart of the Empire by Carrie Summers The Empire is heartless, but fate is crueler still. Tainted magic spills from a crack between worlds. Quakes rattle the Atal Empire, opening rifts that split towns in two. As the land shatters and betrayals cleave the Emperor's court, ancient power awakens in a flame-haired young woman. Savra, a miner on a remote coast, lives in relative innocence of her Emperor's savage rule. When she turns seventeen, she expects to be assigned sluice mining as her official Function. Everyone from her home village is a sluicer--unless they turn renegade and fugitive like Savra's father. But when she's suddenly torn from her home, turned pawn in the plots of madmen, a chance meeting with a young man provides the first glimpse of her tangled destiny. For nineteen years, Kostan has been groomed for one thing: ascension to the throne. One of thirteen imperial Scions, he bears a wound that won't heal until his twenty-first birthday. On that date, only the shape of the Scions' scars will determine the next Atal Emperor. Savra secretly fears she carries her father's rebel blood. Kostan despises everything the Empire stands for. Neither desires a fight, but as the Empire crumbles around them, they stand on opposite sides of a war. Each could be part of Empire's salvation, if only they could bridge the chasm dividing them. Tangled fates. Epic stakes. Join thousands who have entered the Broken Lands. |
|
Breeze Spells and Bridegrooms by Sarah Wallace & S.O. Callahan Roger not only had to prove himself to the Council, he also had to prove himself to Wyndham Wrenwhistle. Fae and humans alike are returning to London for the Season, but the excitement is marred by the growing poverty rate among humans with low magical scores. Tenacious Roger Barnes proposes a new rubric for testing magic to the Council, hoping to resolve the predicament for his fellow humans. But when he is paired with Wyndham Wrenwhistle, a dashing fae who has disliked him since childhood, the project seems destined to fail. Even after reaching a tentative truce, their fragile partnership crumbles due to malicious lies. Adding to the disarray, a popular gossip column unexpectedly announces that Roger and Wyn are engaged. Obliged to go along with the falsehood to save their families from scandal, they are forced to reconcile their differences for the sake of the rubric â and for their impending marriage. As the project bleeds into their wedding plans, the pressure to flawlessly execute both mounts even higher. Together, they have the chance to solve a crisis decades in the making â but they'll need more than magic to succeed. |
|
Generations: A Science Fiction Mystery Thriller by Noam Josephides NOW: INCLUDING AN EXTRA BONUS NOVELETTE. WINNER: 1st Prize - 2024 BookFest Award ⢠WINNER: Global Book Awards - Silver Medal ⢠"An epic science fiction noir!" - Publisher Weeklyâs BookLife ⢠âExtraordinary... dense and enthralling journeyâ - Kirkus Review ⢠"An amazing space story of mystery, adventure, and exploration. Itâs smart, funny, but above all, endearing" - Reader Views Are Humanityâs leaders steering them into a trap? And can one woman stand up to power and uncover the conspiracy that had been brewing for generations? The THETIS is humanityâs last hope: a generation-ship carrying the last remnants of Earth to resettle on a new planet. But, under the facade of a tolerant and cooperative society built across two centuries of space travel, a deeply-buried secret lies - a secret that puts humanityâs new beginning at risk. The key to uncovering that conspiracy lies in the hands of SANDRINE LIET, an Archivist introvert who has everything to lose by pitting herself against the most powerful people on the Thetis. The deeper she digs, the clearer it becomes that there is only one way to save both herself and the rest of her fellow Thetans â and itâs the most horrible choice imaginable⌠GENERATIONS is a heart-pounding space mystery, an instant #1 Amazon Science Fiction Bestseller of 2024. |
|
Things Magical Under The Moon: A Grim Anthology by Alexis L Carroll and Amanda Stockton To those who wander the woods alone, be wary of Things Magical Under the Moon. For the trees and crows conspire while vengeance is sought by werewolves and vampires. Fairies and spirits linger just out of sight while the witches convene in the dead of night. Magic and malice take flight, while a dragon hungers for your life. So, dear reader, take to heart this warning: Mind the path and youâll make it to morning. Featuring fairytale mashups of: Cinderella Red Riding Hood The Fox and The Wolf Rumpelstiltskin The Tailor The Fairy Tree of Dooros The Juniper Tree The Crows Fowler's Fowl Wizard of Oz The Crucible |
|
Strange Cargo by Patrick Samphire What do a smuggling gang, a curse that won't go away, and a frequently lost dog have to do with each other? Answer: they're all here to disrupt Mennik Thorn's hard-earned peace and quiet. As the sole freelance mage in the city of Agatos, Mennik is used to some odd clients and awful jobs. But this time, one of his clients isn't giving him a choice. Mennik might have forgotten about the smugglers whose operations he disrupted, but they haven't forgotten about him. Now he is faced with a simple ultimatum: help them smuggle in an unknown, dangerous cargo or flee the city he loves forever. Time is running out for Mennik to find an answer, and things are about to get completely out of control. |
|
Rapunzel's Gambit by Mary Mecham Some princesses would rather be the villain than the damsel in distress. Desperate to rid his kingdom of a troublesome dragon, King Harrigan offers his daughterâs hand in marriage to any man who can slay the beast, but Rapunzel refuses to be pawned off. Deciding that a life of crime is preferable to wedding some power-hungry suitor, Rapunzel fakes her own kidnapping and joins forces with the cunning dragon plaguing her own kingdom. Together, they plot a grand scheme that would amass them both riches beyond their wildest dreams. As the lure of a reward for the princessâs safe return attracts men ensnared by greed and Rapunzelâs flirtations, the would-be heroes soon become the ones in need of rescue atop a tower only accessible by dragonback. But as her alliance with the dragon grows more precarious and dangerous, Rapunzel is forced to question whether sheâs trusted the wrong side. Amidst the chaos, Griffin, the humble but brilliant squire, emerges as an unexpected ally. His quick wit and resourcefulness stand in stark contrast to the arrogant knights he serves, and Rapunzel canât help but take notice. On the chessboard of fate, the swindler princess of Rookwyn must make her own moves with every calculated gambit and soon realizes⌠The real game was never about knights, kings, and queens, but about how a mere pawn could become a legend. Rapunzelâs Gambit is a no spice, diabolical fairytale retelling packed with villain vibes, a dragon/princess con artist duo, and banter that will have you laughing out loud. Join a diabolical princess on her daring swindles in this part of All That Glittersâa 12-book series brimming with Tales of Treasure and True Love. Each book stands alone and is written by a different author, so pick your next adventure and remember⌠not all that glitters is gold! |
|
The Century Blade by Rob J. Hayes Orochi, the king of the dragons, has ordered his brothers and sisters to destroy humanity. It falls to a young hero to assemble a team and stop the dragons' rampage. It falls to the Century Blade. This is a short story set in the world of the award-winning Mortal Techniques. It is designed to be read as a standalone story, completely independent from the full length novels set in the same world. |
|
Sleeping Celeste by Alana K. Drex It is October 1885, and Marie Maecott seems to be the only one who knows what has happened to her daughter, Celeste. She is angry that no one else understands her daughter's condition, as any mother would be. Then one chill night, groundskeeper for Heathridge Cemetery, Jacob Willis, tells her a dark secret in his family's past that just may hold the key to her problem. Marie will need to set off on a journey to find out--one in which she will discover terrible parts of herself--parts that would have been better off left buried. And some are going to find out the truth of the timeless adage: it is best not to come between a mother and her child. |
|
Fate of the Drowned by Carrie Summers The Empire is shattered. From the northern ice fields to the storm-battered coast, chasms gash the landscape. Hordes of twisted beasts ravage towns and cities, and still, the people riot. But the prophecies offer hope. Bolstered by the newfound, if fragile, peace with Stormshard, Emperor Kostan begins to fortify his rule. Savra, torn between her desire to learn her familyâs fate and the duty she feels to her Emperor, delves deeper into her magic in hopes she can answer both calls. At the heart of the Empire, an ancient seal will soon fail. But Savra and Kostan will fight to the end. Together they represent the Empireâs last hope for salvation. |
|
Blanky by Kealan Patrick Burke In the wake of his infant daughter's tragic death, Steve Brannigan is struggling to keep himself together. Estranged from his wife, who refuses to be inside the house where the unthinkable happened, and unable to work, he seeks solace in an endless parade of old sitcoms and a bottle of bourbon. Until one night he hears a sound from his daughter's old room, a room now stripped bare of anything that identified it as hers...except for her security blanket, affectionately known as Blanky. Blanky, old and frayed, with its antiquated patchwork of badly sewn rabbits with black button eyes, who appear to be staring at the viewer... Blanky, purchased from a strange old man at an antique stall selling "BABY CLOSE" at a discount. The presence of Blanky in his dead daughter's room heralds nothing short of an unspeakable nightmare that threatens to take away what little light remains in Steve's shattered world. Because his daughter loved Blanky so much, he buried her with it. A new novella from the Bram Stoker Award-Winning author of SOUR CANDY and KIN. |
|
From the Ashes by B. S. H. Garcia The civil war ends now. Igtheos and his rebels have fought tirelessly against a would-be dictator and his army for almost two years. The city theyâve holed up in has become a prison, soon to be a tomb if they cannot arrange a means of escape. When the enemy leader offers an armistice thatâs too good to be true, Igtheos reluctantly accepts, thinking it will buy him enough time to smuggle those loyal to him out of the city. But he quickly learns the cost of choosing hope over caution as he finds himself caught in his enemyâs sinister plan, fighting a final unexpected battle. Failure means death, or worse, the loss of his loved ones. And he only has one night to determine everyoneâs fate. From the Ashes is a prequel novelette that takes place over two thousand years prior to the events in Of Thieves and Shadowsâvolume one in the epic fantasy series, The Heart of Quinaria. |
|
Five Lords of Dusk by F. Malbeck The hunt has begun. They will find him. And when they do, he will bring down the Empire from within. The Empire would say the Blooded who ruled the land before them are dead and gone, but those onboard the Oathbreaker know it to be a lie; one look at the captainâs ward will tell you that. Shye is one of them. A Stormborn, Dusk Blooded, Strange . . . an enemy of the Empire. He has spent his whole life running from port to port, hiding behind a hood, on a swift ship, running from the imperials who stole land, capital, and crown from his kind and left them to rot in thinning bloodlines. But when he blows his crewâs cover on imperial docks, he is forced to confront the will of the Empire and the humans who rule it. With newly discovered powers to aid him and whispers on the wind to guide him, Shye knows that the answers to the fading of the Blooded lay in Mistral, the capital of the Empire, and that the imperial bounty hunter dispatched to capture him can take him there. There can be no better coronation gift for the crown prince than a Stormborn. Dorian is an imperial bounty hunter. The best in Emin Rif. But Dorianâs independence is constantly threatened by the demands of their noble father, who wanted a perfect, controllable heir . . . he got Dorian instead. It is only their reputation that keeps them free. The assignment to track down a rumoured Stormborn, a being of legend in tales told to guild children, could destroy that reputation forever if it turns out to be a lie. But, if the rumour is true, Dorian will be untouchable in the eyes of the crown and beyond their fatherâs reach forever. Five Lords of Dusk is the debut queer fantasy novel by indie author F. Malbeck. Featuring a genderqueer lead and a flintlock fantasy setting, this novel takes place in a world partly inspired by the author's home country of Australia. |
|
The Edge of the Abyss by Blake Shimshock and Sherry Shimshock Lana has been gone for almost a standard galactic year, and Senior Agent Derek Fade is still tormented by her murder and his own failure to capture the killer. Heâd been so closeâŚbut just as the gangster had predicted in that final moment before Derek let Valdune slip beyond his grasp, vengeance has become the agentâs gnawing obsession. Now his wife haunts him, his boss questions his sanity, and forget about working alone! With his life on the edge of a dark crossroads, Derek Fade must decide which way to go. The only thing he knows for sure is that he wonât rest until he brings an end to the hunt for Valdune. |
|
In Sleep You Know, A Story of the Eleriannan by Christiane Knight Even the grittiest blue collar city has a spark of magic under the surface; but in Baltimore, graffiti holds secret messages and artists are the spellcasters. Abandoned buildings hide ancient beings, and at the local club, you might find yourself rubbing shoulders with menacing and otherworldly creatures. If you know how to look, of course. Merrick Moore is just a regular guy with dreams of making it big with his garage band, but not much else - until he crashes a party thrown by reclusive eccentrics. He gets more than he bargained for: new powers, a girlfriend who can visit him in his dreams, and a seven year bond with the local Fae court. When the mortal enemies of his new friends show up to his band's first gig, Merrick finds himself trying to prevent the start of a war that will have consequences for everyone, Fae and human alike. |
|
The Thread That Binds by Cedar McCloud The books are restless. At the Eternal Library, books are more than the paper, ink, and thread they're made from--they're full of spirits. Only a handful of people will ever be invited to the Bindery to learn the craft of Illumination: the magical creation of intricate illustrated manuscripts, bound with a secret that will make them last forever. Tabby is a dreamwalker, a witch who escapes into the stories of sleep to avoid a birth family that's never loved em enough. Amane is a cartomancer, a medium who speaks for the Unseen, but doesnât know how to speak her own needs. Rhiannon is a psychic, an archivist who can See into the past, but only has eyes on the future. Their stories intertwine as they discover the secrets of Illumination, the Library's archives, and those of their mentors--the three of whom are competing to be the next Head Librarian, the Speaker for all the books. How do you know who's truly worth being part of your family? Sometimes we must forge connections in order to heal; other times, those bonds must be broken. |
|
Never Die (Mortal Techniques #1) by Rob J. Hayes Samurai, shinigami, vengeful spirits, and an impossible quest. Itami Cho has earned the name Whispering Blade. She is a Shintei warrior, sworn to the path of oaths and honour. But keeping her oaths has always been more difficult than taking them. When Flaming Fist and his bandits attack the city of Kaishi, Itami swears one last oath: she will protect the city and its people at any cost. Ein has spent his life dreaming of being a hero, and now the God of Death has given him a chance. The Reaper has set him an impossible quest: an eight-year-old boy sent to stop an immortal Emperor. Never Die is a stand alone set in the world of Mortal Techniques. Itâs a wuxia adventure filled with samurai, shinigami, heroes, and vengeful spirits. |
|
Your Blood and Bones by J. Patricia Anderson Kill the monsters when theyâre found. No matter who they used to be. The girl with secret feathers in her skin and strange bones jutting out beneath her clothes is resigned to her fate. Her deformities mark her a monster and the stories say monsters must die. When her family finds out and turns on her, a village boy saves her and leads her on a frantic escape. The girl believes her death has merely been delayedâuntil he mentions a cure. With the world against them and the monstrous change progressing, they must cross water, forest, and field to chase the rumor that fuels their desperate hope. But is hope enough to keep them going? |
|
Salt Magic, Skin Magic by Lee Welch An entrapped lord and a magician whose sex life melts windows; will love destroy them, or set them free? Lord Thornby has been trapped on his fatherâs isolated Yorkshire estate for a year. There are no bars or chains; he simply canât leave. His sanity is starting to fray. When industrial magician John Blake arrives to investigate a case of witchcraft, he finds the peculiar, arrogant Thornby as alarming as he is attractive. John soon finds himself caught up in a dark fairytale, where all the rules of magicâand loveâare changed. To set Thornby free, both men must face life-changing truthsâand John must accept that the brave, witty man whoâs winning his heart may also be about to break it. Can they escape a web of magic thatâs as perilous as love? Genre: Fantasy historical m/m romance Novel-length standalone book, approx 80,000 words |
|
Fear and Fury by Jamie Jackson Meet Megaera, Meg for short. Sheâs like Deadpool, except for funner. For a girl with the power of fear the recruitment attempts from both sides are never-ending. A self-described not-a-hero, villain-leaning humanoid, Meg just wants to live her life, work her dead-end job and have everyone else (especially the heroes) leave her alone. But when a bigger fish who can turn superpowers back on their users enters the picture and threatens the person Meg loves the most (herself), she must turn to the last group of people she would admit she needs help from. Forced to team up with the heroes she despises (but wonât murder, because letâs face it, orange is not the new black), Meg will have to face the choices from her past that she wonât get therapy for. Self-centered, snarky, sarcastic and a little bit dramatic, sheâs going to have to save the world, even if that wasnât her intention. And try not to get shot in the process. Because that shit hurts. |
|
Gold, Lock and Key by E J Doble From grimdark author E J Doble, comes a fairytale with a dark twist... "All it needs, is a bit of tenacity... and three little bears." Goldie, an outlaw and contract hunter of the Baron's State, accepts a new assignment from her employer to find an old cabin in the woods, home to three 'shapeshifters' who can morph into bears. Considered to be little more than a myth, Goldie assumes at first that the shapeshifters are an exaggeration - but with the sizeable bounty her employer is offering, she soon realises there may be more truth in it than she realised. And that isn't the only thing on her mind: she discovers her main rival - a manipulative and incredibly cunning trapper named Southey - has also taken on the contract, and will be contending for the same bounty she so fervently desires. Having waited many long years to have her revenge and outsmart Southey for past mistakes, Goldie sees the new contract as a perfect opportunity to do so. All she has to do is play her cards just right. And kill three bears... |
|
Not Your Bargain (Not Your Adventures Book 2) by AJ Alexanders When his last opportunity for closure arises, will Matradatin get answers before it's too late? Itâs been 20 years since the Battle of Crab. 20 years since Matradatin Hammerbeard was crowned King of Craig'n Dell. 20 years since he last saw Samuel Floresburg and shared that earth-shattering kiss. When they parted, Matradatin was left with more questions than answers. What did Samuel mean by it? Why hasn't he kept in touch? Why did he leave so abruptly? Now, Samuel has returned, seeking the dwarf kingâs help for one final adventure: one last chance to finally find the answers he's been yearning for. The Otehill dwarves of the South Wildes have unearthed a vein of Hoskonor, the dark ore that nearly destroyed Matradatinâs home. A human king has enlisted their aid to persuade the Otehill dwarves of its peril. Can they convince the dwarves to heed their warning? What secrets has Samuel kept from Matradatin all these years? Will the embers of their past finally ignite into a lasting flame? Join Samuel, the charming spellcaster, and Matradatin, the quiet sovereign, as they embark on one last, bittersweet journey. "We franchised!" - Puck "It reads different from NYM... loved seeing old characters and new fun characters pop up!" |