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Our Man in Mbabane by K. E. Karl A government job. Raucous parties and love affairs. Gunrunning at the weekends. What could go wrong? The Mission Impossible assignment from Nelson Mandela's organization was straightforward: Frank George was to go to Swaziland, get a job, and smuggle weapons into South Africa for the fight against apartheid. Based on a true story, Our Man in Mbabane follows Frank's gunrunning exploits supporting the African National Congress in the late 1970s. In between harrowing escapades, he banters with friends and has two turbulent romances, all while learning of the daily indignities and horrors of apartheid. This historical espionage thriller will have you on the edge of your seat one moment and laughing the next as Frank shifts between ANC missions, romantic affairs, and boisterous social outings. |
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The Doctrines of Fire by CL Jarvis Edinburgh, 1779. An academic rivalry turns deadly. George Stephens is a lousy medical student. Lacking the social and financial resources to succeed in Edinburghâs elite medical school, his dream of becoming a physician appears over before it began. Then George comes to the attention of two famous professors, William Cullen and Joseph Black. Medical students are dying mysteriously - the professors suspect a disgraced former student is to blame - and they need Georgeâs help uncovering the truth. Believing the partnership will bolster his academic standing, George agrees. Their investigation pulls them into the murkiest, most dangerous corners of Enlightenment Edinburgh. The professors are secret wielders of fire magic, but their foes are courting even darker forces. With violence threatening to erupt, and George struggling to navigate this confusing city, getting justice for the dead will be harder than he imagined. Ninth House meets A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians in this thrilling fantasy debut from CL Jarvis. |
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Belle o' the Waters by Raima Larter Belle Waters is about to celebrate her fourteenth birthday, and she is terrified. The fear of marriage looms large for her, and every other girl who was born into the Mormon settlement of Salt Lake in the 1850s. She knows it is her duty to marry and bring Heavenly Fatherâs children into the world, but sheâs not interested in tying the knot with anyoneâespecially not the Prophet, an old man with a number of wives and counting. But when the US Army invades Salt Lake intent on arresting the Prophet, Belle soon realizes that the possibility of becoming a child bride is only the beginning in a series of disastrous threats. This is a work of fiction, but is loosely based on a true historical event: the Mountain Meadows Massacre of September 11, 1857, which sparked a short-lived Mormon War. Although set over a century ago, the themes and issues explored in this novel are timely and current: religious freedom and extremism, the role and status of women in society, and the contemporary impact of homegrown terrorism. Belle oâ the Waters is a searing exploration of those living within an oppressed community, and an ultimately revelatory novel about what it means to lead a courageous life, despite oneâs circumstances. |
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The Etruscan Connection (Darren Priest Mysteries) by Dick Rosano After a distinguished scientist dies under suspicious circumstances at an archaeological dig in Tuscany, Darren Priest and Alana Weber are called in to investigate. They discover that the now-deceased scientist's work was focused on Italy's earliest history, and the possible connection to the mysterious Etruscan people. Ancient coins found at the site point to the Lydian Kingdom of Turkey, but also to nefarious activities, the Curse of Croesus, and the possibility that the origins of Roman Empire would have to be called to question. Soon, the two realize that the findings at the site could threaten the very fabric of modern-day humanity. As a Pandora's box of secrets, foreign intrigue and revenge opens, can Priest and Weber find out what happened at the dig? |
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The Rose in Spring by Eleanor Fairburn Yorkshire, England, 1425 Cecily Neville, dubbed the âRose of Rabyâ, is ten years old when she is betrothed to her childhood love, Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York. Little does she know that their union is one to change Britainâs history for centuries to come, and that she will become a powerful matriarch in her own right. Beautiful, courageous and intelligent, Cecily carves out her place at her husbandâs side as they navigate the increasingly difficult political sphere of 15th century Europe, rocked by the actions of Jeanne dâArc in France. With wit and sensitivity, The Rose in Spring is a unique perspective of a previously overlooked figure in history, and the first in a quartet dedicated to the Wars of the Roses. |
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The Children of Gods and Fighting Men by Shauna Lawless The first in a gripping new historical fantasy series that intertwines Irish mythology with real-life history, The Children of Gods and Fighting Men is the thrilling debut novel by Shauna Lawless. They think they've killed the last of us... 981 AD. The Viking King of Dublin is dead. His young widow, Gormflaith, has ambitions for her son â and herself â but Ireland is a dangerous place and kings tend not to stay kings for long. Gormflaith also has a secret. She is one of the Fomorians, an immortal race who can do fire-magic. She has kept her powers hidden at all costs, for there are other immortals in this world â like the Tuatha DĂŠ Danann, a race of warriors who are sworn to kill Fomorians. FĂłdla is one of the Tuatha DĂŠ Danann with the gift of healing. Her kind dwell hidden in a fortress, forbidden to live amongst the mortals. FĂłdla agrees to help her kin by going to spy on Brian Boru, a powerful man who aims to be High King of Ireland. She finds a land on the brink of war â a war she is desperate to stop. However, preventing the loss of mortal lives is not easy with Ireland in turmoil and the Fomorians now on the rise... |
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The Haunting of the Immortal Killer by Laya V. Smith and Kyro Dean Princess Serap is the only frail human seeking courtship in Qaf, a magical world full of long-lived djinn. Frustrated by failed romances with courtiers who are eager to usurp her title, Serap enlists a witch to help her find the key to immortal life. The witch tells her of a monstrous human, The Immortal Killer, who has the unique power to end immortal life in hopes he may know how to obtain it. Racing to leave the palace before her parents can stop her, Serap soon finds herself abandoned on earth in a strange place full of ghouls and ghosts. When Serap arrives at the killerâs house, he chases her down and locks her in his dungeon in a house filled with strange magical artifacts, whispering spirits and more books than she has ever seen. Determined to free herself, Serap makes friends with an enigmatic and paranormal apparition called Evil who gives her a set of magical and other-worldly tasks to solve. She must navigate staying alive while she searches for the secret to immortality and how to free herself from her terrifying, yet strangely befuddled captor. A parade of haunted house guests and a mansion full of secrets turn Serapâs plans on their head. To survive, sheâll have to discover who is telling her secrets in the ghastly dark and accept that The Immortal Killer may be the only one who can help her. |
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The Bandalore - Pitch & Sickle Book One by D K Girl In Victorian England's gaslit heart, monstrous horrors lurk. In a cold London cemetery, Silas Mercer awakens in his grave, his past life an empty slate. As the newest member of the clandestine Order of the Golden Dawn, he is thrust into a world rich with supernatural intrigue and mystery. Tasked with investigating a haunting in the eerie woods of Leicester, Silas finds himself partnered with the scandalous libertine, Tobias Astaroth. A man of vile temperament, Tobias seems determined to make their journey a misery. As Silas grapples with his newfound existence and the cryptic machinations of the Order, he becomes increasingly fascinated by the irascible Mr. Astaroth, who is not without his devilish charms. When the Order's newest partnership blooms into something unexpected, and nefarious secrets begin to unfurl, Silas realises that the greatest peril lies not in the monsters that lurk without, but in the demons that dwell within. Together, this unlikely pair must navigate a treacherous labyrinth of deceit and danger, their fates entwined as they battle for survival against forces both infernal and divine. A slow-burn, dark historical, mm fantasy series. Contains: Sexual content, violence and rather a lot of cursing. This is the first book in the thrilling Historical Fantasy series, The Diabolus Chronicles Also in series (Eight Books): The Verderer - Pitch & Sickle Book Two The Skriker - Pitch & Sickle Book Three The Greensward - Pitch & Sickle Book Four The Fulbourn - Pitch & Sickle Book Five The Herlequin - Pitch & Sickle Book Six The Simurgh - Pitch & Sickle Book Seven The Death Wish - Pitch & Sickle Book Eight (Final book) |
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The Revenge of Bridget Cleary by Mathilda Zeller Are you a witch, or are you a fairy, or are you the daughter of Bridget Cleary? Exiled for a murder her father committed, Brigid Cleary has until midsummer to gather what she needs for readmission to her home in the fairy mound: a chest of stolen gold and a chest full of her fatherâs blood. With nothing but her own wits and an ability to be mostly unseen, she takes a position as a scullery maid in a country manor house, where stealing gold is easy as dusting the candlesticks. When discovery of her thieving becomes likely, she scarpers, embarking on a madcap season in London. With midsummer fast approaching, Brigid must recoup her stolen gold in any way she can, even if it means modeling for a lecherous pre Raphaelite artist, posing as a young debutante to spy on other debutantes, and forming a clandestine Pugilism Club for Young Ladies. With gold filling her pockets and her father newly released from prison, the path back to the fairies should be clear. Or would be, were it not for her growing feelings for Edmund, the gentle young lord who hired her to spy on his sister; her burgeoning sense of loyalty and friendship to Adelaide, the sister upon whom she was meant to spy; and the unsettling question of whether she should--or even could--bloodily avenge her motherâs death. Inspired by the actual 1895 murder of Bridget Cleary by her husband Michael, the struggle for Irish Home Rule, and events surrounding the late pre Raphaelite artistic movement, The Revenge of Bridget Cleary has been heralded by author Joanna Ruth Meyer as "equal parts haunting, compelling, and throughtful." |
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Tomb of the Blue Demons by J.T.T Ryder The Druid Ambicatos embarks on a journey of intrigue that quickly turns into war, when he arrives in war-torn Italia, under siege by the Carthaginians. While the war rages, Ambicatos falls for a mystery woman some call the Sorceress, who claims she has discovered the sight, the power of the Underworld. Ambicatos must fight friend and foe alike in this epic novella, a prequel to Hag of the Hills, the Bronze Sword Cycles duology. This novella is part of a Celtic heroic fantasy series set in 200 BC. |
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Daughter of the Yellow Dragon: A Mongolian Epic (Fractured Empire Book 1) by Starr Z Davies "A Mongolian Game of Thrones!" â Katherine Roberts, author of Prince of the Wolves: The Legend of Genghis Khan Genghis Khan united a nation and created a vast empire for his heirs. But after 200 years of civil war, his empire has fallen into the dark ages. Mandukhai dreams of being a fierce warrior woman, but her dreams are shattered when she is forced to become the second wife to the Great Khan. Unebolod spent his life in the Great Khan's shadow, preparing for a day when he can seize control of the empire. But when he forms a dangerous alliance with Mandukhai, it swiftly transforms into a passion that could destroy them both. Just as the two are certain their fate will one day bring them together and make Unebolod the next Great Khan, a young prince surfaces to steal the Great Khan's attention and the hearts of the nation. Daughter of the Yellow Dragon is the first book in a gripping, gritty historical fiction series based on the epic life of one of the most underrated women in history. The series draws you into a world of brutal Mongol steppe life, deadly political games, and supernatural beliefs. Please be advised: This book contains adult situations, graphic violence, assault, and personal loss. |
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Rise of the Centurio Immortalis by C. Thomas Lafollette Itâs dangerous business getting mixed up with gods⌠...but a centurion always follow orders. When blood sucking monsters attack, can even the gods protect a loyal soldier of Rome? After three years campaigning in Armenia and Mesopotamia and a meteoric rise through the ranks of the legions, Lucius has been promoted to centurion and given a final mission from his dying emperorâgo to Armenia to protect a remote temple dedicated to the god Mithras. With a Parthian assassin on their trail and a ferocious Caucasus Mountains winter in front of them, Lucius and his men are running out of time. And with dark demons waiting for them at Mithrasâs temple, Lucius may be running out of luck. Enemiesâmortal and notâare dogging Luciusâs every movement, and he isnât sure heâll be able complete his emperorâs missionâŚor even make it out alive. Youâll love this blend of historical fantasy and vampires, because history is better with fangs. Get it now! Rise of the Centurio Immortalis is a Luke Irontree Historical Adventure. |
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The Mystery of the Adopted Son: A novel (Her Beauty and Evilness Book 1) by Elizabeth Noble London 1803 In the cold weather of London, Alice, a young woman who ran from her past, coincidentally meets her lover, Mackenzie, an old friend from years ago and a dutiful soldier. She tells him how she got married in secret on the advice of the marchioness, Lady Fitz-Arthur, to a gentleman superior to her and who died prior to the birth of his son. However, according to Alice, her husbandâs family would not countenance their union on account of their superiority. Alice stating that there is a secret attached to her poor boy, wanted her whereabouts to be unknown to the marchioness and to her previous connexions. The marchioness was described by people as always being so proud and overbearing, so haughty towards her inferiors, and so bold and forward towards her equals, that not a servant in the house liked her except Alice. She certainly had the beauty of an angel, but people used to say that she had a devilâs heart. Eventually, Mackenzie asks Alice to be his wife so he can be her protector and vows to be a father to her son, Edward, in the strictest sense of the word. Alice, appearing to love her daughters more than her son, felt the necessity of separating him from so formidable a rival to them. As a result, Edward was then sent to live with his grandmother, Margret, in a village, far away from his real parents and oblivious to his origin. |
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Saving SchrĂśdinger's Cat by Mark Jenkins n the 25th century, deep under the Earth's shattered surface, the dying remnants of humankind live in a dwindling Colony devoid of Nature and only one can travel to the past to save humanity from its dark fate. Clinging to life underground, after a cataclysmic all-out nuclear war, the remains of the human race are desperate for a way to change the past. Harnessing the power of an artificial wormhole, their only hope to avert global annihilation is to travel back in time and alter the discovery of nuclear fission. Humanity's future rests on the unlikely shoulders of Proteus. Born with a unique genetic mutation, scientists discover that he is the only one capable of surviving the ravages of time-travel. After decades of preparation, Proteus is sent backwards to early 20th century London... but Time doesn't want the past to change and it pushes back. To complete his mission, Proteus must manipulate the course of history, all the while battling enemy agents and avoiding the forces of Time, if he's ever going to save the future from the past. |
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In an attempt to repel an unwanted suitor, Lady Lysbeth Haywood shares her unfashionable enthusiasm for the "Faye"âa supposedly-mythical race few believe exist. Instead, her suitor is driven to capture one as a gift. When the Faye, Evyn, is delivered to Lindenholt Manor, Lysbeth's dread at the prospect of a forced engagement yields to the thrilling actualization of childhood Fayetalesâand the chance to satisfy her long-suffered curiosity. Unfortunately, Avonleigh society is less receptive to the strange arrival. Maligned, mistreated, and forced into servitude, Evyn's traumatized silence spurs Lysbeth to his aid. Trust and affection emerge slowly, and as extraordinary Faye mysteries are peeled away, their revelationsâand Lysbeth's own role in themâreach farther than she ever thought possible. |
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4 Years Trapped in My Mind Palace by Johan Twiss 14-year old Aaron Greenburg is trapped in a vegetative state. He's awake and aware of everything around him, but the doctors don't realize it. After being placed in a care facility, he receives a new roommate--an old eccentric jazz musician with dementia. When Aaron talks in his mind to stay sane, the old man hears his thoughts and replies. But no one believes the old man because they think he's crazy. And when the old man thinks he's living in the past with his dementia episodes, it pulls Aaron into those moments in time and he gets to experience 1920's New York City, World War II, and much more as the two develop an unlikely and unique friendship. 4 Years Trapped in My Mind Palace is a humorous and heartwarming coming-of-age story, entwined with an end-of-age story, that will capture your imagination and renew your faith in the power of friendship. |
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Atrocious Immoralities by Brynne Stevens 1613. Without a family or a coin to her name, a dilapidated orphanage in the English municipality of Kaysford is all that Avis Papley has known in her ten years of life. She's bound to open that locket around her neck. Charles Stuart I is bound to stray from the stable Protestant monarchy his family has forged. Although the two paths seem exclusive, there is much that entwines Avis with the young Stuart heir, and Avis gains a power far beyond the realm of politics. A choice that seems to promise safety and riches will lead to more danger than the young woman could have ever imagined as she takes journeys with curious people to lands where the dead are given second chances. Atrocious Immoralities is an extraordinary story filled with forgotten history, romance, and fast-paced action with a dash of Celtic mythology. Readers who enjoy historical fiction and magical realism will be immersed in the Renaissance era with dialogue written in Middle English and a unique constructed language. |
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Amy Barnes has a knack for what Jennifer Pieroni has called âsmart surpriseâ. Each of these mother/daughter stories grabs the attention with its first sentence then continues to wrongfoot the reader willfully as it proceeds. The stories are focused, lean, yet packed with unexpected details â stigmata, plastic eyes, industrial bras, a watermelon called Trudy, vulture balloons. Barnes has a voice that is entirely her own. âMichael Loveday author of Three Men on the Edge From the first sentence of each story in Mother Figures, Amy Barnes entraps us and stuns, taking us into a variety of worlds, strange and surrealâwe embark on a journey involving distorted familial relationships, and through these contorted realities, there is a booming thread of truth, mirroring our need for love and friendship. Magically entertaining, Barnes is on the forefront of breaking barriers in the craft of flash fiction. âShome Dasgupta author of Mute Mother Figures both elevates and devastates. In twenty-three tiny stories, Amy Barnes explores the oft-searing complexities of motherhood and mother-daughter relationships through a funhouse lens of pop culture, religion and artifact. Each story is a tightly-woven portrait that exposes our most intimate relational fissures with surprising language and a playfulness that punches to the emotional core. âSara Hills author of The Evolution of Birds Reading Mother Figures feels like lifting a band-aid: sharp, ugly, and vulnerable, but tender too: and after, relief: you feel as though the new light and air will heal you. âMeagan Lucas author of Songbirds and Stray Dogs, and editor, Reckon Review In âMother Figuresâ Amy Barnes explores the subtle complexities of female relationships. Each story, steeped in rich detail and nestled between the real and the surreal, will pull you in and keep hold of you long after youâve finished reading it. An absolute delight. âLaura Besley author of The Almost Mothers and 100neHundred |
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Ambrotypes by Amy Cipolla Barnes We are all slightly askew,â says one of the characters in this delightful and moving collection of innovative stories that bend, at times, toward allegory. Here's a vintage world of cigarette vending machines, Jazzercise, Sears photography studios, McNally road maps, full-service filling stations, and Green Stamps dish sets, a world where a sister with sugar for shoes who desires an octopus lover, giraffes who give funeral eulogies, a student with a backpack wormhole that houses Einstein, and a woman who places a want ad to see if someone has found her nameâall highlight our humanity, its losses and its longings, and in moments, the last times we donât know are the last times. I loved these stories.â â Jill Talbot, author of The Way We Werenât: A Memoir âRead this collection slowly. Each of these stories unfolds like a palimpsest of images you'll want to spend time unpacking. At the heart of Barnes' prose are the intricacies of human relationships made technicolor by magic realism and the author's expansive imagination.â â Christopher Allen, author of Other Household Toxins âNo one aces the first sentence test quite like Amy Cipolla Barnes. Every story in her whimsical debut begins with a zing. With irresistible openers like: "Thereâs a beach ball in the apartment toilet," "I knew what I was doing when I swallowed the glass piano," "My great grandmother hung the moon," and "My third baby was born an alligator," how can we not keep reading? These may be AMBROTYPES, but Barnes writes in living, breathing color to bring us captivating, quirky family snapshots that engage faith, myth, fairy tale, and a little magic. For all the absurdist delight, there's no shortage of heartache or truth: "I prayed hard that my plastic Jesus would find my daddy either real pants or a job; It felt like too much to ask for both." Barnes is adept at rendering the familiar unfamiliar and the unfamiliar familiar in these sharply observed slices of life that never fail to snap, crackle, and pop.â â Sara Lippmann, author of Doll Palace âNothing can really prepare you for the people you'll encounter in Amy Barnes's Ambrotypes: little girls with feet made of sugar; alligator babies; wives who grow feathers; fathers made of origami. These stories are surprising, wholly original, and go down easy -- the perfect reading for our current reality.â â Amy Shearn, award-winning author of Unseen City and The Mermaid of Brooklyn |
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Blood & Ravens by A.D. Brazeau The Originals meets Dracula in this new paranormal romance series. Set in the French Quarter of 1728, where nothing is as it seems. 22-year-old Greer is ripped from her small Paris life and thrust into the world of the casket girls of New Orleans. There she finds herself living in a convent, promised to a man who is a stranger to her. As Greer begins to experience dreams of a nightly visitor she calls the Dark Knight, she awakens to a frightening fact, the visions are real - Greer and her friends are being fed upon by whatever lurks in their casket-shaped cases. Theron, a demon cursed by Hades to live his eternity as a blood-sucking vampire, finds his bitter, cold heart, warming to the woman who was to be nothing more than food. As he finds himself falling under her spell, he helps her and her friends, putting himself firmly in the path of Hadesâ wrath. To free Theron, and save her friends, Greer must offer a sacrifice to the lord of the Underworld, but will it be enough, especially when Hades is the least of their problems? |
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Fyskar: Book 1 of Legend of the Bai by Chapel Orahamm 1692 The Isle of Skye Eoin has returned as a plague doctor after ten years of banishment for revenge and a birthright. Fearchar and Seonaid have allowed the man to set up shop in their croft at the request of an old friend. The Plague Doctor is keeping secrets, though, and killing an entire clan is only the beginning. The void is waiting. |
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The Clan of the Moon Wolf - The Watcher's Monk by Kelly Strickland Morrow A family find they are descended from an ancient clan, the Tua De Denaan. Ancient ancestors appear to help them train to battle a rival clan and rescue one of their own. They are aided by "Light" Monks, and a supernatural pack of wolves, light orbs and Fae (Fairies). The Dark Skhaid seek to destroy a member of the clan who holds the key to their destruction. |
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St. Elmo's Fire by Oliver Theakston 1519, the earliest years of European colonialism. After years of planning, Ferdinand Magellan is finally ready to plunge into the uncharted oceans of the New World in his search for a mythical strait and the untold riches beyond. Joining him is Juan de Morales - a physician desperate to break free from the ghosts of his past. But de Morales' hopes of a new beginning are quickly dashed as he discovers the web of treachery into which he has unwittingly entangled himself. From the windswept tundra of Tierra del Fuego to the searing emptiness of the Pacific Ocean, St. Elmo's Fire is a descent into the madness, mutiny and cruelty of the first circumnavigation of the globe. |
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The Feast of the Innocents by Colin Harker In the spirit of Mary Shelley and Thomas Ligotti, a new novel that unites the charismatic, scheming villains and chilling atmosphere of classic Gothic horror with visceral, supernatural terrors and historical intrigue... Winter 1665. Cyrus flees England to escape the human monster who murdered his father, but the horrors of Laughlin Priory are as inescapable. Pursued by a mysterious killer from France â haunted by a one-eyed chimney sweeper with sinister motives and an insatiable curiosity â in the Priory, Cyrus learns some secrets are worse than death. |
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The Last Roman: Exile by B.K. Greenwood Some debts you cannot repay, even if you live forever... Seasoned imperial officer Marcus Sempronius Gracchus leads the 9th Roman Legion into a bloody battle against a fierce barbarian rival. It's a battle he won't survive. When he awakens three days later, clawing his way from a shallow grave, Marcus must face the reality of his new existence. He cannot be killed--but that won't stop him from dying time and again over the next 2,000 years. Meanwhile, others like Marcus plan to bring the world crashing to its knees. Can he prevent the inevitable and find redemption? |
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A Love Extreme is the greatest double debut album you've probably never heard -- but really should! B is for Benji, an aspiring musician with a bad case of writerâs block and a love story heâs not allowed to tell (but does anyways). C is for Count, Benjiâs roommate who wants to help him get his groove back. D is for DJ, Câs love interest who may or may not be D as in dead. E is for Evilon. (Heâs the villain, if that wasnât clear from his nameâŚ) F is for Frank, the strong silent neighbor down the hall. G is for genre, a difficult concept to apply here. Is it a) Comedy? b) Romance? c) Fairy Tale? d) Magical Realism? e) Faux Biography? f) Infomercial? g) Album-oriented Fan Fiction? Letâs go with⌠H) All of the above! IJK are letters weâre skipping in this very absurd blurb. L is forâŚwell, nobody really knows what L stands for. Thatâs part of the mystery that makes her extreme. M is for Mmmmmm, the title of a dreamy chapter near the midpoint. N is for Narrator. Thatâs me, your guide on this journey. Oh boy! Presenting Quarkle's ramshackle story the universe values with Xtreme youthful zest. (That rounds out our alphabet, but only scratches the surface of our wild tale.) L EXTREME: An original novel by JL Civi, based on the songs of Benji Hughes A novel based on an album is a book with a killer soundtrack. |
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Anstey's Revenge by Susan Hancock He'd imagined himself safe, restored, with her beside him; instead he's lost and alone and he can't reach her anymore Kat hadn't wanted to return to the underground world of the Aurigan refugees. But giving birth in the outside world of sixteenth-century Earth was too dangerous for a half-Aurigan, half-human like her. Thankfully she now has a precious baby daughter, but the price is isolation from the world she knows and loves. She also has to bear the nightly misery of seeing Thomas, her husband, slip further away from her as he battles appalling memories which threaten to overwhelm him completely. Thomas can see no escape. He cannot envisage a future with the love of his life. In the darkness of depression he compares his own helplessness with the power only Kat can access. Beyond that, he will never share with her the full extent of what happened to him as Anstey's captive, and questions whether he can let her share his mind or his bed again. The desperate pair try to make a new life beyond the confines of the exiled community. Kat battles to save him. Malign fate has much worse in store for them. A natural disaster threatens Kat and their baby, while both new and old enemies have plans that will bring them to their knees. In Surviving Anstey (Anstey's Kingdom Book 1) Kat discovered she was not wholly human and fell in love with a man from beyond the stars. Thomas, an exile from a war torn planet, saved her from death and gave her his heart. It seemed as though a brand new life awaited them. But in Anstey's Revenge, the lovers seem to be fated to be wrenched apart. As this sequel draws to a close, they both must ask... will love be enough? |
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Lady, in Waiting by Karen Heenan She survived exile. He survived a death sentence. Can they survive marriage? Margaery Preston is newly married to a man she barely knows. Proposing to Robin Lewis may have been impulsive, but she wants their marriage to work - she just doesn't know how to be married, and it seems her husband hasn't a clue, either. Treated like a child by everyone from her husband to the queen, lost in the unfamiliar world of the Elizabethan court, Margaery will have to learn quickly or lose any chance at the life she wants. Can a marriage for all the wrong reasons make it to happily ever after? |
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Memories are all he has... now they could save his life. Returning to England after almost five years in exile, Robin Lewis is arrested and charged with heresy by the dying Queen Mary. Over a days-long journey to the Tower of London, Robin spins a tale for his captor, revisiting his life under three Tudor monarchs and wondering how he will be judgedânot just by the queen, but by the God he stopped serving long ago. When every moment counts, will the journeyâand Robin's storiesâlast long enough for him to be saved by Mary's heir, the young Queen Elizabeth? |
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She has the voice of an angel, but one false note could send her back to her old life of poverty. Ten-year-old Bess is only good at one thingâsinging, but music has no place in her family's bleak existence. When her father sells her to the king of England, she balances the loss of all she's ever known against a world of music and plenty, and builds a new life as a royal minstrel, earning the nickname "the king's songbird." Bess comes of age in the dangerous Tudor court, where the stakes are always high, and where politics, heartbreak, and disease threaten everyone from the king to the lowliest musician. Her life has only one constant: Tom, her first and dearest friend. But when Bess intrigues with a young Anne Boleyn and strains against the restrictions of her life in the shadows, will she discover that the biggest risk of all is listening to her own stubborn heart? |
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Storytellers by Bjørn Larssen Would you murder your brothers to keep them from telling the truth about themselves? On a long, cold Icelandic night in March 1920, Gunnar, a hermit blacksmith, finds himself with an unwanted lodger â Sigurd, an injured stranger who offers a story from the past. But some stories, even those of an old man who can barely walk, are too dangerous to hear. They alter the listenersâ lives forever⌠by ending them. Others are keen on changing Gunnarâs life as well. Depending on who gets to tell his story, it might lead towards an unwanted marriage, an intervention, rejoining the Church, letting the elf drive him insane, or succumbing to the demons in his mind. Will he manage to write his own last chapter? Bjørn Larssenâs award-winning, Amazon #1 best selling novel is an otherworldly, emotive Icelandic saga â a story of love and loneliness, relief and suffering, hatred⌠and hope. Eric Hoffer Grand Prize Award â Finalist Readersâ Favorite Gold Medal â Historical Fiction |
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The Blind Guides: A Tall Tales Story by Tim McLaughlin A standalone short story that was originally available as convention swag in 2021, "The Blind Guides" introduces a group of WWII vets who find themselves uncomfortable with civilian life and head out for a cross-country road trip; but what they discover in the Utah desert changes their lives forever. |
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Empire's Bard by Marian L Thorpe Omnibus edition of OraiĂĄphon and Empire's Reckoning Courage comes in many forms. The northern invaders are defeated, but the price is high. The Eastern Empire, gone from these lands for generations, now rules. For Sorley, the young lord of Gundarstorp, the war and the treaty he signed have stripped him of both his lands and the chance to be a scĂĄeli, a bard. Now it threatens to take Cillian, the man he loves. Reluctantly accepting a diplomatic role, desperate to stay at Cillianâs side, Sorley is torn between promises: to his countryâs leader; to his oath as an envoy; to his closest friend. Taking refuge in his music and the arms of another man, he finds a fragile peace â only to have it shattered by secrets revealed. But there is more than one side to a story, more than one song to be sung â if Sorley is brave enough to listen to his heart. |
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Pulsus Cordis Mei-The Pulse of my Heart (Omnia Vincit Amor Book 3) by Maxime Jaz For when you breathe, I am your air. For when your heart beats, I am its pulse. For when you are far away, look at our star. When events out of their control split the family apart, Marius, Kyle, and Claudia are challenged beyond belief. In the desperate race for power, their enemies will stop at nothing to ensure they destroy Marius and those he loves. Kyle and Claudia have to navigate treacherous waters in Rome to deal with their adversaries, and separate allies from foes, whereas Marius has his own struggles to deal with, far from his loved ones. As an unexpected and shattering blow leaves them reeling, Kyle has to be stronger than ever before to keep them from sinking into despair. Will their enemies finally shatter the small family, or will their love prevail, and conquer all? |
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Avis Aurea-The Golden Bird (Omnia Vincit Amor Book 2) by Maxime Jaz From the ashes of suffering, a new strength can be born. From embracing oneâs demons, a new life can be found. Back in Rome after his perilous adventures, Marius makes a shocking discovery about his past. But life must go on. Not only does his child need raising, but he must also resume his duties amidst the plotting of Romeâs elite. To add to that, his love for Kyle burns even brighter, melting the walls behind which so many painful memories are trapped. And as feelings bubble to the surface more and more, Marius and Kyleâs love is revealed without hindrance, slowly and sensually, even though shadows of Kyleâs past come back to haunt him, and the people involved in his suffering are thorns in their emerging love. That, and the fact, Marius also brings home a new wife, Claudia. And as Claudia takes her place within the family, unexpected emotions emerge between them all, lacing themselves into Marius and Kyleâs world, resulting in unexpected bliss. Until shattering news about their enemies leaves all of them grappling for air, facing decisions none of them want to make... caught in the race for power. Will their love surmount the many painful obstacles put in their path? Or will their enemies drive a wedge, an unbridgeable chasm between them all? Are Marius, Kyle, and Claudia nothing more than victims of the cruel world they live in? |
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Donum-The-Gift (Omnia Vincit Amor Book 1) by Maxime Jaz Coming home with his legion, Commander Marius receives an unexpected gift when he stops at a countryside nobleâs estate for a celebration party. That gift is Kyle, a young Celt, captured by the Romans years ago, and used for pleasure by his callous owner. Marius quickly takes Kyle to Rome, utterly clueless about what to do with him. To Mariusâ dismay, the young Celt is terrified, even after having escaped his cruel owner. In truth, Kyle doesnât know what to expect from Marius, either. Despite all odds, including Mariusâ flaming temper and unpredictable nature, and Kyleâs haunting past affecting his every waking moment, love blooms between the two men who find themselves up against the scheming nobles of Rome, and Mariusâ inevitable duties to his ambitious father, and conniving family. As they begin to fall deeper and deeper in love, even greater obstacles block their path, leading to some desperate decisions. Can Mariusâ and Kyleâs love survive despite the odds against them? Or will the might of Rome grind them into oblivion? For in a life of freedom, one can be trapped without relief. For in a life of servitude, one can find unexpected freedom. |
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The Lighthouse in the Sky by B.Y. Yan An Alternate History Epic. âFirefly meets Inglorious Basterds in 1930s China.â 1936. China. A whole new frontier exists in the war-torn Orient, and the crew of the Sky-Fortress class heavy bomber Goosefare will take any job to make their fortunes. From Constantinople, Capt. Mossfar de Crossfer Rain is coerced to train aviators in the Middle Kingdom. However, things take a complicated turn when he and his merry band accidentally kidnap the Chinese President, and find themselves on the run from Imperial assassins. A chance foray into the Devilâs Sea leads to a haunting vision that their version of the 1900s is but one of infinite possibilities, with nothing set in stone. But if all history is a canvas upon which anything is possible to change, then there are others with more sinister designs on such world-altering technologies. The Empire of Japan will stop at nothing to get their hands on the strange aircraft and its reality hopping ability, in order to enact a daring, full-fledged invasion at Pearl Harbor... |
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Capitol Punishment by K.D. McQuain Summer 1977 Years of homophobic bullying come to a head after graduation when Caleb lashes out against his High School nemesis and loses his job in the process. Coming out to his parents has disastrous consequences prompting him to abandon his Midwestern home for the glamorous lure of New York City. There he discovers a gay community flourishing after the cultural revolution of the 1960s. Embarking on a quest for self-discovery, he discovers the ecstasies of the hottest discos and the appeal of anonymous sex. But endless nights of partying and interchangeable partners soon lose their attraction, revealing a yearning for a more fulfilling life. As the chaos of a blackout engulfs the city, Cal gambles on a meaningful relationship. Yet as he heads down the path of domestic bliss, a mysterious epidemic begins claiming lives all around him. When illness takes his lover, Caleb decides that something drastic must be done. |
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The Night Comes Alive by Ross Hughes Beware the night and those who roam it with fangs and eyes of the brightest blue ⌠On the cusp of maturity at the age of twelve, Spot de León has the innocence to see what others cannot. Piercing the veils of illusion woven all around him, he soon realises the world is not at all as he had thought. A secret centuries-old war is being waged in the streets. The damned stalk the night, draining the blood of innocents, and the mysterious Crows are the only ones who seem to know. Beware the city of Justiqua, where even Knights are not safe from nightmares, a city bankrupted by Crusades, where poverty and crime are rife and a plague cripples the populace. Beware the city of Vampyres, where the Old One lurks in catacombs deep underground. Beware when the night comes alive ⌠|
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The King & Kishar by Timothy S Currey Every word King Adzi Akkatha writes on sacred stones is binding, and lasts for all eternity. â¨But how can he rule when he has been cursed to forget everything? His city is in chaos. Hinatsi rebels clash with his soldiers, and their mysterious leaders try to capture the King. With the help of High Priestess Idza and General Qanatha, he must relearn their laws and customs, and who he was as a King. His former self seemed cruel and cold, and he is plagued with doubts. He is an imposter in Kingâs clothingâdo they even have the right man? They must flee to the great Temple of Mesopos where the Kingâs memory might be restored. The rebels are never far behind, and day by day the curse progresses. There is little hope they will reach the temple in time. Even if they do, will the King want to continue ruling as a cold tyrant? |
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A Day of Darkness by Suzannah Rowntree A warrior running from his future. A djinn running from her past. Can they save the cityâŚor will they doom it? Tripoli, 1289: Trapped by black magic in a hostile future, John Bessarion is determined to find his way home to a family and homeland that desperately need him. Yet when his quest leads him to a city trembling on the brink of destruction, John discovers that not everyone in this strange future has forgotten his name...or the terrible things he's already done to protect his people. As an enslaved djinn, Soraya fears she will never be anything more than a killer. Sent to infiltrate and betray a city under siege, she is helpless to subvert her mission until she stumbles across a face from her long-forgotten past. When John and Soraya join forces to save the city, they attract the attention of opposing sides in an ancient battle of evil against evil. Yet the greatest danger they face might not be the demons struggling for control of Tripoli...but the secrets buried in both their pasts. Is there any way home for killers like them? A Day of Darkness is Book 3 in the critically acclaimed Watchers of Outremer series (though it can be read as a standalone). City of Brass fans will love this stunning historical fantasy featuring time travel, palace intrigue, and immortal assassins! |
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The Wrong Sword by Ted Rabinowitz The year is 1190. The place is Paris. If you are a noble, life is fleeting but wonderful. If you are a commoner, it's just fleeting. And on the streets of Paris, an enterprising ex-monk is selling "magic" swords to gullible knights with the help of a decrepit Welshman and a giant, sullen blacksmith. Henry the Rat thinks he has the world finally figured out. But then he sells the wrong sword to the wrong prince, and everything goes wrong. Before he knows it, he has been shanghaied on a quest to find a mythical blade. Unfortunately, the mythical weapon turns out to be real. And that's when the fun begins. |
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Scales and Sensibility by Stephanie Burgis Sensible, practical Elinor Tregarth really did plan to be the model poor relation when she moved into Hathergill Hall. She certainly never meant to kidnap her awful cousin Penelope's pet dragon. She never expected to fall in love with the shameless - but surprisingly sweet - fortune hunter who came to court Penelope. And she never dreamed that she would have to enter into an outrageous magical charade to save her younger sisters' futures. However, even the most brilliant scholars of 1817 England still haven't ferreted out all the lurking secrets of rediscovered dragonkind...and even the most sensible of heroines can still make a reckless wish or two when she's pushed. Now Elinor will have to find out just how rash and resourceful she can be when she sets aside all common sense. Maybe, just maybe, she'll even be impractical enough to win her own true love and a happily ever after...with the unpredictable and dangerous "help" of the magical creature who has adopted her. A frothy Regency rom-com full of pet dragons and magical misadventures, Scales and Sensibility is a full-length novel and the first in a new series of standalone romantic comedies |
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Asterius & Thesius Walk Into the Light by Aaron Fown In the heroic age, man lives under the shadow of imperial ambitions, both past and present. The perfect gods reign openly, and none dare question their motives, in fear of their wrath. Seeking power, Minos, an empire of man, has built a temple to the perfect darkness, and seeks to use it for an unspeakable purpose. The tiny fishing city of Athens suffers under the gaze of their eye, and mourns the cost of their bloody sacrifice. But the goddess Athena has a plan to save her city from their fate, and she has the means to execute it. Is there a way out of the Labyrinth, besides the shaded path of death? Can love solve the puzzle of the mythos, and give the most surprising hero the chance he needs to save the people he loves? Can our heroes, with the love in their hearts and their lights in their hands, set the stage for a miraculous musical to invert the plans of the darkness, on a long chance and a song? Yes!Love has found a way. Love has a plan. It onlyseems like no plan at all. Note: This book is not a work of pornography, but some people might confuse it with one because it has people being queer and happy, free of the sort of mental anguish that is expected nowadays. But that would also be out of place in the temporal setting, as no one had come up with the bad idea to create such guilt complexes yet. Also, the mains understand consent so there isn't going to be any sort of 'Surprise, rape!" like there is in so many works of this sort. There is also some wisdom some people may be uncomfortable with contained within, but that is neither here nor there. If any of this sounds like a bad time, don't read the book! |
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The Beckoning Void by Patrick LeClerc Emelia DuMond is an actress, her skill at adopting and changing her identity lifting her from her humble beginnings to success on the stage of Victorian London. And to the attention of the Ghost Society, a secret organization who work to defend the world from threats of the paranormal. After centuries of seeking, the sinister Disciples of the Void have obtained an arcane book of great power. A power that could tear the veil between dimensions and plunge the world into a dark, unspeakable future. Now she has recruited an aging soldier of fortune burdened by a conscience, the sword wielding daughter of an Afghan brigand and an airship whose captain escaped slavery during the Civil War by stealing a Confederate vessel. Can Emelia and her band of plucky outcasts save the world from a cult of fanatics intent on unleashing an ancient horror? âThe Beckoning Voidâ is a tale of cunning plots, flashing swords, skillful piloting, witty repartee and eldritch dread. |
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âOh gods, I'm some sort of prophet now? I only wanted a drink...â The Heretic is the story of a man who finds himself in great danger, and can't quite work out how he got there, although it probably has something to do with alcohol. His mouth gets him in trouble, and before he knows what's happening he has to flee not just his hometown but his homeland entirely, with an unexpected companion in tow. This book is his story, the story of a journey and an odd friendship.â¨â¨The Heretic is a work of fantasy, but one with few truly fantastical elements. It is based on real historical cultures, mainly those of Classical-era Europe.â¨â¨The tone is darkly humorous, and has been described by acclaimed author Terri Nixon as âPython meets Pratchettâ. |
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A King's Radiance by L. R. Schulz Three siblings⌠a rebel, a prince, a prisoner The sunâs light shines bright over the land of Zapour, and only a select few can harness its power. But all power comes with a cost, and the world is not kind to those who refuse to pay it. Raiz Glaive, a strong shine wielder, was born into royalty, though even royals have to answer to someone. When the King-Radiant sends one of his precious underlings to the Kingdom of Trost, Raiz quickly learns who holds the true power in the realm. After his sister is taken prisoner simply for having the violet eyes of a mystic, Raiz swears vengeance. But when an unwilling father stands in his way, Raiz promises to take revenge into his own hands. Dazen Glaive remains heir to the throne of Trost, and a sworn defender of the King-Radiant, but he has not forgotten what happened to his sister, and will not forgive their cruelty. Forced to be the centrepiece of her âmasterâsâ twisted human art gallery, Isha remains a prisoner. Though she has not lost hope. Finding friends among fellow captives, she begins to formulate a plan for escape. Though what she discovers has a much more sinister bearing on the fate of all of Zapour. |
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The Cutthroat Prince by C. J. R. Isely Whispers of war, cryptic warnings, and new dangers await... Plunging into the second year of training as a squire, everything is looking up for Will. He gets to train with his best friends, work a new mentor, and learn to become a knight of Alamore. Though the war of the winter is a raw memory, Will is doing his best to push the secrets he's uncovered about who he truly is to the back of his mind. As long as he never speaks of his relation to King Tollien, he hopes he will never have to consider its consequences. But secrets aren't meant to be hidden forever and there are others who are not as willing to forget. With the arrival of a mysterious knight in Alamore demanding council with King Revlan, the short peace is fracturing. Now keeping his royal lineage a secret is a battle in itself. The Ranger has ordered him to trust no one, to hide the truth of who he is, and pretend that he is just another squire. And Will is trying his best. The problem is that people seem to know. Rumors are running through the castle about the arrival of this new knight, unrest in the south, and the grey cloaked riders attacking the unweary in the woods. Will and his friends and thrown into the thick of new dangers when it becomes clear the these rogues are after him and Will must face the Cutthroat Prince or risk losing more than just his life. |
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Ranger of Kings by C. J. R. Isely Training to be a knight isn't fun... if you die Living as a lowly village boy, Will finds himself thrown into a world he could only dream of when he meets the mischievous son of an influential Lord and a calculating last heir of a powerful Count. Brought to Alamore castle, he can not believe his luck when he is invited to join his two new friends in training to become knights of the realm. But training isn't all the grandeur and chivalry he imagined. After he and his friends stumble upon a secret set of tunnels beneath the castle that hide a clan of traitors to the crown, they are plunged into new dangers. Their lives are at risk from new threats beneath the fortress while, beyond Alamore's walls, alliances crumble and the uneasy peace begins to fracture. When fate twists again, Will must face the reality that more than good fortune brought him to Alamore. There are secrets he must uncover, truths he has to find, in order to help keep Alamore from falling into war. But the only person who holds the answers that might keep Alamore from falling, that will help him to discover who he is, is a man more dangerous than the tunnels themselves. A man known only as the Ranger of Kings. |
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Hag of the Hills (The Bronze Sword Cycles Duology Book 1) by J.T.T. Ryder âNothing is unconquerable; even our gods can die.â Brennus is destined from birth to become a warrior, despite his farmerâs life. But when the Hillmen kill his family and annihilate his clan, he now has the opportunity to avenge those who he loved. Brennus must survive endless hordes of invading Hillmen and magic-wielding sidhe, aided by only a band of shifty mercenaries, and an ancient bronze sword. Failure means his family and clan go unavenged. Victory will bring glory to Brennus and his ancestors. Hag of the Hills is a heroic fantasy novel set in 200 B.C. on the Isle of Skye, steeped in Celtic mythology and culture. |