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A Pale Box on the Distant Shore by P.J. Nwosu A silent killer stalks the slum towers of Death City. In the shadow of a drowned death god, a young soldier risks his life to solve a violent crime. To catch a killer, Soldier Honnan Skyin carves a bloody trail over the behemoth bones of a dead giant and through the deepest forest of a frozen island. But some secrets should stay buried. Welcome to Death City. The Red Kingdom is a new series of dark mysteries in fantasy worlds that delve into a land of vicious crimes, strange lore and Purge House zealots. |
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Fugitive of Talionis by C.J. Milacci A treacherous journey. A devious enemy. The hunt for the fugitives has begun. Bria Averton and her friends have pulled off an impossible escape after being held captive in the city of Talionis for months. Now theyâre on the run and desperate to reach possible allies in Eryndale, but the Commanderâs hunt for them is fierce and relentless. Bria fights to keep her friends safe as each day becomes more perilous than the last. With Arkâs forces closing in and new dangers arising, she wonders who to trust and battles her growing fears. But one reality becomes clear: thereâs a greater peril than being a recruit of Talionis. Itâs being a fugitive. |
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Welcome to Dorley Hall: The Sisters of Dorley Book One by Alyson Greaves Mark Vogel is like the older brother Stefan Riley never had, until one day he disappears, and Stefan has to adapt to life without him. But, one year later, when he runs into a girl who looks near-identical to Mark, Stefan becomes obsessed. He discovers that other boys have disappeared, too, dozens over the years, most of them students of the Royal College of Saint Almsworth, many of them troubled or unruly before their disappearance. What is happening to these boys? Who are the handful of women on campus who bear a striking resemblance to some of those who went missing? And what is the connection to the mysterious Dorley Hall? Stefan works hard to get into the Royal College for one reason and one reason only: to find out exactly what happened to the women who live at Dorley Hall, and to get it to happen to him, too. A closeted trans girl attempts to infiltrate a secret underground forced feminisation programme. |
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Step through a gateway hidden inside your dreaming mind. From the gritty streets of San Francisco to labyrinthine dream worlds conjured from humanity's collective psyche, this is a philosophical, page-turning, dark-fantasy odyssey. Meet Kid, an American foster system survivor turned clandestine courier for an underground syndicate, The White Lotus. With the disappearance of their previous runner, Kid must navigate through a harrowing night filled with deranged stalkers and nightmarish creatures born of his darkest fears. Then there's Alice, a teen prodigy from The Young School â an enigmatic institute for violent psychics, also known as travelers. These travelers have the power to traverse The Dream, a parallel universe birthed from humanity's collective consciousness, capable of manipulating society, acquiring superhuman abilities, and even discovering immortality. Alice yearns to harness these mystical forces to gain her freedom. When an assignment goes dead wrong in Chinatown, Kid and Alice's paths intersect. This streetwise runner and covert operative of parallel worlds find themselves in a reality-defying struggle for the survival of humanity. Can they channel their abilities, love, and determination to mend the very fabric of existence, defeat an ancient evil, and safeguard both realmsâThe Dream and The Real? This visionary dark-fantasy novel, woven with elements of thriller, horror, science-fiction, and the supernatural, resonates with readers who appreciate intricate world-building, in-depth characterization, and an engaging, fast-paced narrative. Praise for The Rivener âThe Rivener' offers a profound, immersive experience resonating with wisdom and truth. With endearing characters and a formidable villain, it's a soulful, thrilling narrative akin to The Sandman and The Matrix." - A Page of Words and Wishes "Littered with feeling and philosophy, violence, and mythology. This had me gripped from start to finish.â - Christopher Badcock, Those You Killed "Absolutely brilliant. An epic mix between Gaimanâs âThe Sandmanâ and everything I wanted but never got from Kingâs âDark Towerâ.â - The Misfit Bookshelf "The Rivener pulls you in from the very first page and doesnât let go. You emerge completely invested in the world and its characters and are left questioning the nature of reality.â - Book Naked |
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The Yuletide Butcher by Mike Duke For 20 years the Yuletide Butcher has left police a body the morning after Christmas. Once and only once a year the killer strikes. Heâs never been caught. Not even close. Detective Allen and FBI Agent Hawks have a possible lead. The first in years. Together, theyâre on the killerâs trail and scrambling to stop the Butcher from striking again. Meanwhile, Jack Randal, a pillar of the community, secretly dreads Christmas time. He hates his in-laws and canât stand his wife and kids. This year itâs finally too much. Heâs about to have a public meltdown. Somewhere in their city, the Yuletide Butcher is checking his list twice, with plans to be naughty, not nice, and no one knows who his next victim might be. |
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3 by T.P. Theyson Valerie Perittos is a best selling author with three problems. Her writers block has lasted for years with nothing able to inspire her and after her neighbor turns up dead, making the police question if she is responsible, she starts to see the number 3 everywhere she looks. As she watches her life descend into a thriller of its own, her unhealthy sleep patterns and past head trauma leave her wondering if the strange things she is experiencing are really happening or if she is hallucinating through her days and nights that have become a blur in her mind. Until the murderer is found, she cannot trust anyone, not even herself. T.P. Theyson delivers a mind bending, fast paced story full of twists and turns. With some obvious and other hidden numerical structures tucked into the text, your mind will reach to its limits to not investigate every line on it's own, making you feel closer to the main character than you thought possible while you read her inner thoughts and feel her fear rising. |
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The Darkest Memories by Alyse N. Steves My name is Hadley Gordon. Parahuman mutations: telekinesis and telepathy. Employment: Agency for Parahuman Affairs. Age: twenty-six, not that I remember the first twenty-one. Weâll get back to that. I thought digging through criminalsâ minds for a living was hard enough, but then a serial killer came for my friends. The good news? I saw him. I fought him. I survived. The bad news? He got away. Oh, and remember that memory loss thing? Now, my missing memories stand between us and a killer, and heâs determined to finish what he started. |
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"I would advise you, young man, to take care around anyone with the surname Firefax. I know not if the rumors be true that they be king killers, but they are, without any doubt, a dangerous family." Legend tells of a city of gold on a phantom island. The wealth of that city could end the American Revolution. But the only person who knows the islandâs location is the worldâs deadliest assassin. And heâs not giving up that secret without a fight . . . The worldâs oldest family of high-profile assassins, the Firefaxes, have been killing off dignitariesâand being well-compensated to do soâfor centuries. The family is thrown into turmoil by their patriarchâs death and the return of their cunning, cruel prodigal, Murdoch. With their father dead, Murdoch is the only one who knows where the Firefax wealth is, kept on a secret island. But two competing intelligence networks in the American Revolution are bent on tracking down the legendary treasure to end the war, whatever the cost. However, these spy networks may have met their match in this wily, dysfunctional family of killers. |
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The Key to Reality by F. Ted Atchley A desperate father holds the key to victory in an alien civil war. If he chooses well, he'll reunite his family. If he chooses wrong, they all die. An Elite Cybersecurity Analyst. A Desperate Rebellionâs Best Hope. Brandon thought the assignment was just another standard security assessment. Wrong. As he peels back the layers of a deepening conspiracy, he discovers everything he thought he knew about his reality is a lie. And heâs the only one who can save it. Exiles from another reality see Brandonâs new knowledge as the key to victory over their tyrannical king and his immortal army. Pursued by both loyalists and rebels as he crosses the borders between realities, Brandon must protect his family, while figuring out who to trust. Choosing well means rescuing his family, and saving both worlds, but choosing poorly will empower a malevolent evil to wipe out humanity. |
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The Modern Mythos Anomaly by Juniper Lake Fitzgerald "Memory's haunt conjures the most arrant of ghosts..." Python is a drifter, a vampire living his eternal life on the road and liking it that way. Beholden to nothing and certainly to no one. But such a lifestyle doesnât come without creating enemies. Most notably, a pesky vampire hunter he cant seem to shake. When he stumbles upon a seemingly abandoned cabin the woods, Python sees the perfect escape and a place to hide. But what he didnât expect was for someone to be home⌠When recluse warlock Calystoâs peaceful life is upended by the arrival of a chaotic disaster in the form of a loudmouthed vampire, he and his teleporting house become the target of the hunter, too. Calysto knows itâs all Pythonâs fault that heâs in this mess. That is, until Calysto makes a mistake, and in his hurry to flee transports them over one hundred years into the past. Confronted with lives they both had hoped to forget, not to mention the memories they most definitely did, Calysto and Python must try to put aside their many differences and increasingly complicated feelings to learn to work together. Or else they risk being stuck in the past -- and with each other -- forever. This is an adult book with themes that are not suitable for minors. Content warnings are included before the title page, available for view within the sample. |
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When The Rain Begins To Burn by A.L. Davidson The bones are piling up, Judah... While traveling across the country on a much needed vacation, Noland and Judah Calhoun stop to appreciate the scenic views of the Appalachian wilderness. To shield themselves from the less-than-friendly locals as they rest from their long journey, Judah parks their RV in the middle of a clearing well off the beaten path. A concerning storm rolls in overhead, shifting the sky to a sickly green that drowns out the night sky with a thunderous roar... Waking the next morning to discover the wheels of their RV have sunk deep into the saturated ground, Judah steps outside to assess the situation. Within seconds, his flesh is set alight as the unnatural rain begins to eat away at his hand. The storm rapidly consumes the skin and sinew of living creatures, turning the once peaceful clearing into a boneyard. Stranded and unable to leave the supernatural tempest, Judah and Noland must weather the storm together, facing not only the horrors of nature, but their own personal demons they refused to acknowledge for far too long. All the while, the bones start to pile up... ("When The Rain Begins To Burn" is a 2023 BBNYA nominee, Indie Ink Awards nominee for Best Setting and Best Cover, and Queer Indie Ink Award nominee for Best Horror, Best Novella, Best Debut, Best Cover, and Best Romantic Relationship. You can read more on A.L. Davidson's Patreon with regularly updated bonus short stories set before and after the novella). |
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The Orchid and the Lion by Gabriel Hargrave Dorian Vidales left his cushy but constrictive life on Earth behind to become the star femme Dom at a space station brothel. Convinced that love makes people stupid and will ruin everything heâs worked so hard for, Dorian remains happily married to his career. But when Laith Ritter, a gorgeous trans man, is hired at the brothel and Dorian gets roped into training him as a sub, heâll find it hard to follow his own âdonât get attachedâ rule. At first, having a bratty, inexperienced live-in sub is more chaos than he expects, but it soon becomes everything he could never admit he needed. As he trains Laith, Laith helps Dorian find himself outside of his high-strung, overly controlled work persona. With their relationship growing more and more serious, Dorian realizes this is what was missing in his otherwise glamorous life. But amidst the glitz and glamour of the space stationâa haven for people otherwise disenfranchised by Earthâs Purity Lawsâtrouble is brewing. When a pro-Purity politician gains power and begins pushing her political agenda, Dorian and the man heâs falling in love with will be thrust into a dangerous fight to keep the station free. The trials they face will test their burgeoning romance and change their lives forever. The Orchid and the Lion is the first novel in a kinky, sensual series about love, self-acceptance, and fighting for what you believe in. |
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The Lion and the Dahlia by Gabriel Hargrave Itâs been months since Earth supported a pro-Purity coup on Baldwin, and Laith Ritter is settling into his new home on Europa Station. Heâs a hit at work, heâs building a life with his boyfriend and Dom, Dorian Vidales, and heâs found a family, one that he would do anything for. Heâs even caught the eye of his handsome coworker, Omar. On the surface, it would seem Laithâs star is on the rise and still climbing. But in reality, heâs struggling. And so is Dorian. Heâs desperately trying to find his boyfriend, Kenny, and figure out how to help his coworkers who got arrested the night of the raid. And unlike Laith, Dorianâs not as big a hit as he used to be, which is hurting his already fragile ego. With their relationship already shaky, the last thing they need is to get swept up in more chaos. But some always manages to find them... When a client is found murdered, itâs up to Laith to figure out who really killed him and why. But the list of suspects is longâand some of them are people he cares about. As he and Omar work together to clear an innocent manâs name, Laith uncovers secrets that heâd rather not know, ones that throw what he believed about some of the most important people in his life into question. Can he find the murderer before itâs too late? And can Dorian and Laithâs rocky romance survive the chaos? The Lion and the Dahlia continues the epic kinky queer sci-fi romance series that began with The Orchid and the Lion and sends Dorian and Laith hurtling towards a fierce battle to reclaim the home they lost. |
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Regency Rumors by Bethany Swafford Juliet Sinclair knows her family are not traitors to the crown-the difficulty is in proving it. Driven by a desire to save the Sinclair name from disgrace, Juliet seeks assistance from her father's old friends, the Burnhams. Unfortunately, her arrival does not go as expected, and Juliet finds herself mistakenly assuming the role of lady's maid to Mrs. Burnham and her daughter Eugenia. This unintentional appointment provides her with an opportunity to gain Mrs. Burnham's confidence and to investigate the treasonous rumors against her family as she assists Eugenia with preparations for her first London Season. But a grave threat hangs over the denizens of Burnham House, and Juliet has uncovered evidence that might prevent the family from suffering her own disastrous fate... if she can reveal the truth in time. Follow the adventures of Juliet Sinclair in "Regency Rumors," Book One of the Sinclair Society Series. |
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Remote Angel Volume 1 by Yennie Fer and Banunu After a freak accident of an attempted assault, Alice Desangi wakes up in a different apocalyptic universe. Gifted with mysterious powers of an earth angel, she dies in unfortunate occurrences. She wakes up to relive that day again in a confused manner. Depending on her choices, they could change history. |
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BestGhost: A Novelette by C. J. Daley The world's best ghost hunters, the town's most haunted mansion, what could go wrong? A debut sample from the forthcoming Tales From Cemetery, this novelette is a FREE SAMPLE from the author's site! The Old Mayorâs Mansion sits just a few miles outside the town of Cemetery. When best friends Sean and Devon want to increase views on their ghost investigation channel, they know the mansion is the perfect spot to film. Armed with a slew of new equipment, the buddies set out to capture the paranormal hotspot that will make them famousâjust maybe not in the way they were hoping. |
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Wolf, Willow, Witch by FreydĂs Moon A vicious romance imbued with magic, thievery, and necromancy⌠When Tehlor Nilsen stumbles upon an abandoned corpse hidden in her friendâs empty house, she canât ignore the energy lingering around the broken albeit familiar body. Entranced by the promise of ritualistic power, she seizes her chance to secure a vorĂ°r. Miraculously, Hel, the goddess of death, grants Tehlor an audience. But Lincoln Stone has no interest in becoming a magical sentry and raising him from the dead comes with violent consequences. When a mysterious neo-church arrives in Gideon, Tehlor catches wind of a rare relic. Despite Lincoln's troubling enthusiasm for demonology, she strikes a deal with her unruly vorĂ°r, hoping to mend their strained relationship⌠Work together. Steal the Breath of Judas. Control the dead. As the magically bound pair infiltrate Haven and their heist becomes a hunt, Tehlor isn't sure if she's the predator or prey⌠|
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Charley Dalton died a homeless man. Heâs not about to be a homeless ghost. When Charleyâs haunted house passes into the hands of psychic house flipper, Austin Sparks, Charley promises himself and the ghosts he lives with that heâll haunt overtime to get rid of the threat. Once people start pulling up carpets and tearing down walls, a haunted house is doomed. Charley devises a plan to scare Austin off for good. But Austin Sparks doesnât scare easily. Worse, heâs sexy as hell, and soon Charley has a bigger problem than failed plans. Heâs got the hots for the enemy. But forbidden romance isnât part of a ghostâs happily-ever-afterlife. |
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Homecoming Chaos by D. W. Brooks Four years ago, Jamie left everything behind. Now sheâs back to face her past, her family, and a killer. Jamie Scott had a seemingly perfect life: a loving fiancĂŠ, a promising career as a doctor, and a supportive family. But she canceled her wedding and turned down a cushy job offer, instead, running away to join a humanitarian mission abroad. But life brought her back to her hometown, and now sheâs ready to face the consequences of her actions. What she doesnât expect is to walk into a murder scene in the parking lot of her familyâs business. She also doesnât expect to encounter Detective Nick Marshall, the sexy and smart cop who is assigned to the case. Heâs determined to find the truth, even with Jamie distracting him and interfering in the case. Heâs also drawn to her like a moth to a flame, despite the constant chaos that seems to surround her. |
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Half a world away, beside the newly discovered continent of Southland, dwell the Sentinels, an archipelago of overgrown tropical islands brimming with gold. Amongst their rocky slopes fly the sails of traders, pirates and sealords all, none more feared than those stained threatening black. When Southland convict Wesley King and his family are finally pardoned after three hard years of toil, they delve into the islandsâ embrace searching for a fabled treasure long lost. But the quest quickly transforms into a desperate struggle for survival when the Kings become ensnared in the regionâs delicate web of piracy and treachery, where blood is repaid with blood, and a mysterious ship has resurfaced four years after it was wrecked. |
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Early Adopter by Sienna Eggler "But what if she doesn't want to be found?" Aided by their cybernetic eyes, private investigator Ryn Casler makes a living busting cheating spouses. While theyâll occasionally dabble in fraud and other typical cases, they donât deal with the missing. Until the persistent Shae Winters, a police detective, approaches them about the disappearance of a young Black woman. Friction flies between detective and PI, as Shae insists on tagging along during the investigation. But as their search deepens and spills into the world of fantastical body mods, it becomes clear thereâs more to this case than meets the eye. |
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Playback Effect by Karen A. Wyle In the near future, new technology records the highlights of emotional experience for others to share. Buy a helmet and you can feel the exhilaration of an Olympic ski jumper, or the heat of a lucid dreamer's erotic imaginings. Commit a crime, and you may be sentenced to endure the suffering you inflicted on others. But such recordings may carry more information than the public has realized. What will criminals learn about their victims? When a husband is wrongfully convicted of injuring his wife, how will their marriage change? And what uses will a sociopath find for recordings of the experience of death? |
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Zeroed Out is a cyberpunk thriller set in a fully automated metropolis governed by an all-seeing synthetic intelligence that examines the morality of limiting technological evolution. While chasing a criminal through an unruly sector of Omega City 6, freelance enforcer Zed Takeda stumbles on the first of many victims by an unknown serial killer that has somehow escaped all forms of the cityâs intensive surveillance. His investigation into the murders will uncover some hard truths he had not intended to find. On the other side of the city, Ash Starbrooke lives as a dreamcaster, or someone whose dreams are turned into highly profitable virtual reality entertainment. She is unaware that the symbols showing up in her nightmares will have her caught up in Zedâs murder investigation. Their intertwining stories will have them traveling through multiple layers of the neon-drenched, futuristic city filled with street gangs, radical political groups, and social elites |
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The Nemesis Effect by Michael Shotter Tom Hallett was an ordinary man, living an ordinary if pleasant-enough life, his world, perfectly shaped and managed by the wonders of technology and the handful of elite "executives" who control it. Thus, the young man finds himself completely unprepared when a chance encounter and a twist of fate bring him face to face with the most terrifying event in human history. Can a simple archivist, a keeper of the records of other people's deeds, rise to the occasion or will he remain an ordinary citizen, powerless and subject to "The Nemesis Effect?" |
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The Sequence by Lucien Telford "The Sequence" is a science fiction thriller that weaves together the stories of a world-leading genetic editor, a pilot/smuggler who hauls contraband for the mob in a ground effect stealth jet, and a pair of Hong Kong Police detectives investigating a series of genetically modified dead bodies they find in curious locations around the city, only during typhoons. |
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How far would you go to keep your dreams alive? On the arid planet of Garadia floats Prominence City, an oasis of abundance and technological marvels. For Keidi and Artenz, life is good. Each day, they work hard to fulfill their role in sustaining Prominence. In return, they share an existence without worry or want, their every need attended to by the ruling corporations, their lives enhanced by a virtual reality accessible with a simple thought. But when a dear friend of Keidi goes suddenly missing, their idyllic existence begins to crumble. And when they start asking questionsâthe wrong questions, questions that reveal cracks in Prominenceâs perfect imageâthe powerful corporations of Prominence take notice. Now, Keidi and Artenz must choose: do they stay in Prominence and risk the wrath of the corporations, or do they take their chances and run for the Lowlands, a bleak and mysterious place hidden beneath Prominenceâif it even exists at all. |
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Alex is a detective in a world that considers them unnecessary. When everyone is a telepath, with their own inner policeman, crimes cannot escape notice. So a murder with no obvious culprit leaves the authorities at a loss. Woken from a virtual sentence, still unrepentantly anti-social, Alex is given the opportunity to finally investigate a mystery. One which puts him in danger, and leads to mysteries of a more personal nature. Exactly how long has he been asleep? And is this really the first mystery he's been awakened to investigate? |
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Syn City: Reality Bytes by Lewis Knight He's a mentally-enhanced hacker; she's a cyborg cop. They're supposed to work on opposite sides of the law ... until a common threat targets them both. Specter is a thief and hustler addicted to Elysia: a virtual reality world where limits don't exist, and he can have everything he desires. His illegal activities put him in the crosshairs of Cyber Corp, a lethal government agency specializing in hunting down the most wanted fugitives. Enigma is a Scyther: a former criminal forced to work for Cyber Corp after being enhanced as a super-soldier. A device implanted in her skull keeps her loyal, even when hunting down members of her old team. And now, she has a new assignment: tracking down and eliminating Specter. |
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The Cost of Survival by J. L. Stowers Survival isnât about whoâs right; itâs about whoâs left. Earth spirals into chaos.â¨World war ravages every border.â¨The human race teeters on the edge of extinction. Survival hinges on the success of one colony located in a decimated valley. Walt Marshall, government contractor, is no stranger to loss after the death of his wife and son.â¨Now heâll honor them by doing whatever it takes to ensure the survival of humankind. Walt gets more than he bargained for when he uncovers a puzzling clue left behind by a mysterious woman. Destined to unveil the truth, he embarks down a dangerous path of espionage and treason. He quickly learns the dark truth about the past, and the future in this daring science fiction novel. |
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Revolution (The Sol Saga Book 1) by James Fox War is good for business... And business is about to boom.â¨General Keith Brennan would rather face an army with his trusty rifle than attend another state dinner. When the President of the solar system is assassinated on Mars, Brennan is the obvious choice to investigate. If he comes up with the wrong answer, though, his career will be over. However, duty is never so simple. Brennan's career is the least of his worries when the investigation uncovers a trail of corruption and a conspiracy on a system-wide scale. With Earth and Mars on the brink of a shooting war and forces behind the scenes determined to push them over the edge, only Marine General Keith Brennan can stop the slaughter before itâs too late. Unless, of course, it already is⌠|
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The Secret of the Tzaritsa Moon by C. Litka âI signed aboard the Tzaritsa Moon as her second engineer. I ended up a toaster repairman. I was very lucky.â â Rafe dâMere. The Alantzia system is known for its many little worlds, moons, and rocks that are reputed to be more like the âlawlessâ drift worlds than the staid worlds of the Unity. Old spaceers convinced Rafe dâMere that to fully appreciate the exotic romance of the Alantzian experience, he needed to ship out on one of the small planet traders which call on the eccentric little worlds. He did, signing aboard the Tzaritsa Moon, as her second engineer. On the passage to Fairwaine, Rafeâs swift response to a critical engine failure saved the Tzaritsa Moon. And his life. However, that failure was deliberate, part of a pirate princeâs plan to keep the Tzaritsa Moon from arriving in Fairwaine orbit. And when it did, the pirate prince was not happy. At best, Rafe might expect his memory of the incident to be erased. Erasing Rafe would, however, work just as well. In Rafe effort to get clear of the Tzaritsa Moon and get very lost on Fairwaine, he crossed orbits with a thief â a girl with a pretty face, who may, or may not, have been a covert agent of the Patrol. She was rather evasive on that point. But she was determined to discover why the pirate prince wanted the Tzaritsa Moon destroyed. And Rafe found that he couldnât resist helping her. She had a pretty face. The Secret of the Tzaritsa Moon is a SF mystery adventure featuring Rafe dâMere, ex-Patrol contraband suppression and repair tech, and Vaun Di Ai, Patrol Lieutenant JG, Intelligence Analyst 2, who had, somehow, escaped her desk job to be an acting covert agent. The story is set on the moon of Fairwaine, in one of its old fashioned, nonconforming societies. One that uses toasters to make toast. |
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From the Grave of the Gods by Alan K. Dell Strange lights in the sky.⨠A Red Planet.⨠A catalyst to change the course of human history. Commander James Fowler is an astronaut and the first officer of the Magnum Opus, the largest spacecraft ever built, on the first crewed expedition to Mars. The mission: to investigate the mysterious extrasolar object that went down on the Red Planet five years ago. James is living the dream: he gets to go to space and be one of the first to set foot on another world, with his girlfriend, Angela, cheering him on at home. Maybe after the mission, when he's returned a hero, he'll find the perfect moment to finally propose. But his dreams shatter as the mission ends in disaster. Returning to a world reeling from the revelation of what they found out there, James works to piece his life back together and come to terms with what happened. But the mission left him changed, and now he must fight to protect everything he holds dear from those who seek advancement at any cost; a process that makes him question his identity, his place in the world, and what it means to be human. |
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How far would you go to achieve your greatest ambition? Nothing is what it seems in this speculative thriller about a quantum computer scientist, virologist, podcaster, venture capitalist, and assassin coming together to untangle a twisted enigma that will change the course of future history. Everyone has something to hide, and every transgression is a portal to discovery. Taking you on a whirlwind journey from the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area to the distant shores of the GalĂĄpagos, Reap3r is a propulsive adventure that grapples with the price of progress and how technology shapes our lives and world. |
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The Unpleasantness at Baskerville Hall by Chris Dolley Wodehouse steampunk version of The Hound of the Baskervilles! âJeeves and Wooster meet Holmes and Watson with a touch of steampunk in the hilarious first full-length Reeves and Worcester tale ... This laugh-out-loud parody works on several levels ... With razor-sharp wit and fast pacing that plays fair with the reader, this is an excellent genre mash-up that fires on all cylinders.â - Publishers Weekly An escaped cannibal, a family curse ... and Reginald Worcester turning up on the doorstep. Could things get any worse for the Baskerville-Smythe family? As the bodies pile up, only a detective with a rare brain â and Reggieâs is so rare itâs positively endangered â can even hope to solve the case. But... there is the small matter that most of the guests arenât who they say they are, the main suspect has cloven feet, and a strange mist hangs over great Grimdark Mire. Luckily the young master has Reeves, his automaton valet, and Emmeline, his suffragette fiancĂŠe, on hand to assist. This stand alone novel is the fifth Reeves & Worcester Steampunk mystery |
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An ambitious Singapore gangster recruits an elite hacker to steal a devastatingly powerful quantum computer and hijack the world's financial markets. Meanwhile, a beautiful streetwise CIA agent is determined to foil their plan in a case that could make or break her career.With settings ranging from Detroit to Singapore to the slums of Bihar, India (the "Sicily of India"), *Qubit* examines both the vulnerability of our cryptographic infrastructure and the corruptibility of our financial systems. The story features international intrigue, a violent gang war, an unlikely love story, and an intricate cryptographic chess match as the global economy teeters on the brink of collapse.âBrilliantâŚWell written with complex charactersâŚAn author to follow.ââOutstanding! The charactersâŚare wonderfully fleshed out.â |
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No more secrets. Political scandals. Corporate greed. Embezzlement, disinformation, and fraud. Schemes perpetrated, year after year, by an elite fewâand yet itâs always, always the little people who are victimized. Who pay the price. Those little people have finally demanded action. Powerful elites must be watched. And our leaders have responded . . . by mandating that all individuals who wield global influence receive Harvestersânanoparticle-infused, flexible circuitry tattoos that transmit a personâs biometric data for monitoring and analysis. Analysis by Data Minersâlike Gwen Elliott. Gwen is one of the data mining industryâs most talented analysts. She sees things that others miss. And itâs led to her being chosen for a critical assignment: personal data miner for Senator Rosemary Martin, the leading candidate for President of the United States. But Senator Martin has a dangerous secret. One that sheâs determined to keep hidden at all costs. Only Gwen can solve the mystery buried deep in the senatorâs data . . . but first, she needs to figure out how to survive. |
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City of the Seventh Moon by Antano Sparreboom When he is chosen as champion of the noble Urwilar family, Verhan knows well that his main job is to fight other champions to settle political disputes. What he doesnât count on are the machinations of the beautiful Lady Morani, and his pride is mercilessly turned against him. As he fights to survive the dangers of the capital, the influential Three Cities Council plans to assassinate the emperorâs chief advisor and take control of the entire imperial court. |
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Murder at Spindle Manor by Morgan Stang SPFBO9 SPFBO Finalist SPFBO Winner Mysteries abound in Spindle Manor. For Huntress Isabeau Agarwal, the countryside inn is the last stop in a deadly hunt. Armed with gaslamp and guns, she tracks an insidious beast that wears the skin of its victims, mimicking them perfectly. Ten guests reside within Spindle Manor tonight, and the creature could be any one of them. Confined by a torrential thunderstorm and running out of time, Isabeau has until morning to discover the liar, or none of themâincluding herâwill make it out alive. But her inhuman quarry isn't the only threat residing in Spindle Manor. Gunshots. A slammed door. A dead body. Someone has been killed, and a hunt turns into a murder investigation. Now with two mysteries at her feet and more piling up, Isabeau must navigate a night filled with lies and deception. In a world of seances and specters, mesmers and monsters, the unexpected is hiding around every corner, and every move may be her last. |
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Church of Thieves by IQ Malcolm When a priestess discovers a dark secretâŚâ¨â¨âŚsheâs murdered to keep it that way.â¨â¨Can her acolytes uncover the truth in time?â¨â¨Tallis dreamt of becoming the world's greatest thief. Mother Sienna's death scattered those plans in the wind. With the vultures circling, he would do anything it takes to keep his found family together⌠Even if that means following her into the grave. All Nerea has ever known is struggle. The refugee-turned-inventor agreed to join Cuvar's temple to save her ailing mother. When she discovers she joined a church of thieves, her skills and morals are put to the test. Can she survive in this secret society⌠âŚor will she become one of Cuvar's misfortunates? You will love this fast-paced new adult fantasy because it's filled with morally gray characters, political intrigue, and witty banter. |
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Rebel Unicorn by Brogan Thomas Her heart is broken, and her wrath is boiling over. Will she atone for her violence or fall to darkness? Tru Dennison is tired of being judged a freak. Sick of monstrous villains wreaking havoc and mayhem on her city, the half-unicorn, half-vampire shifter channels her energy into an undercover role as a black-ops assassin. But when her alluring angel mentor finds her standing over a pile of dead bodies, sheâs horrified that her unrequited crush accuses her of serial murder. Unable to persuade the resolute man of her clearance to make the hits, Tru is thrown before the grand creature council to answer for her actions. But even after her sanctioned kills are verified, her fuming anger fuels her determination to become a force no one dare cross⌠Will Truâs battle to deliver justice destroy her soul? Rebel Unicorn is the action-packed first book in the Rebel of the Otherworld urban fantasy series. If you like underestimated heroes, electrifying twists, and edge-of-your-seat suspense, then youâll love Brogan Thomasâs epic quest for redemption. |
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Gods of the Deep by Drew Montgomery For as long as anyone can remember, the Balance has always been kept, the sacrifice given to the Imakut and the Imakut providing their bounty from the sea. The small town of Aliit has long sat on the edge of civilization, but it is only recently that civilization has come to them in the form of whaling ships belonging to a powerful company, seeking the valuable oil that lies within the great creatures. First the sacrifices are rejected. Then, people begin disappearing, taken as they venture out to fish or farm kelp. Calls for help are rejected by the company and government alike. As tensions mount within the town, it becomes clear that the only path to survival is by fighting. With the help of former company soldiers, they begin to prepare to defend their home. But can they withstand the onslaught of the monsters they worship as gods? |
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Trial of the Alchemist by Trevor Melanson Auroraâs greatest entrepreneur has been murdered, and only the truth will save Alchemist Ortez from the gallows. Facing a heated courtroom of strangers, he must now recall the events that brought him here as a fellow alchemist probes his memory. Such is the job of alchemists: administering elixirs in order to see into the minds of men. Their dreams. Their nightmares. Their secrets. But while everyone believes him guilty, Alchemist Ortez knows what they do not. He was hired by the victim for a job unlike any they could imagine. Nor would they ever guess what other mysteries lie buried beneath the mountain metropolis of Aurora, a cave-enclosed city where countless gas lamps illuminate the endless night. Trial of the Alchemist is a gaslamp mystery rife with twists, adventure, and romance. |
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A sleepy town on the west coast of England. Nothing really happens here. Until now⌠Two stabbings. The victims: a man named Arthur and a mysterious knight. Detective Inspector Niamh Khalid finds herself drawn into a world of myth, magic, and betrayal. Can she solve an impossible case and keep her brother safe? Things arenât looking too great for DI Niamh Khalid. Her brother Lance has been arrested, her superior officer is breathing down her neck, and she is investigating an attempted murder, with no suspects and no clues to the identity of the victim. Then, Lance and his friends discover another dead body: a young man, dressed as a knight. Soon, a series of terrifying incidents threaten to derail Niamhâs investigation. Lance is clearly hiding something, and Niamhâs journalist ex-fiancĂŠ is back in her life, asking awkward questions. When criminal barrister Merlin Rhys seeks her out with a stunning revelation, Niamh begins to appreciate just how strange and frightening a mystery she and Lance have become involved in. Can myth and magic be real? Can they help Niamh solve her case, and save both her brother and her world? Police procedural meets Arthurian fantasy. Fans of Ben Aaronovich, V.E. Schwab and women detectives will love Kingsrise, an urban fantasy mystery by first-time author Anne Mattias. |
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A Whisker Behind by W.R. Gingell Searching for redemption in the shifting realm between the human and fae worlds, not-so-reformed fae steward Athelas seems likely instead to find death, dismemberment, and deadly magic⌠Exiled, excommunicated, and with a bounty on his head, Athelas is lying low in Seoul for exactly one reason: he has a wedding to attend. Whether or not heâs welcome is another matter. Luckily for Athelas, several bodies have turned up with their soft insides gnawed out, whether by magic or Behindkindâand the latest of those bodies is at the very wedding hall he has been staking out. The Behindkind investigators suspect one of Athelas' housemates: YeoWoo, a gumiho with a thirst for revenge and an even greater appetite for soft underbelly than Athelas. To buy herself time, YeoWoo barters alibis with the suspiciously quiet fae sharing her house, but to remain free, she must find the real murderer. By joining the investigation, Athelas has exactly the chance he needs to prove that he is now a repentant, changed, and selfless fae, bent on atoning for former deedsâŚno matter how many Behindkind and humans he has to cut through to confirm that impression. NOTE: A Whisker Behind is the first book in the Worlds Behind series, a 5-book spin-off from the main "City Between" series which occurs several years after those events. Please read the "City Between" books first for a more thorough appreciation of this spin-off (or do what you wantâI'm not your boss. Just be aware that there will be reasonably major spoilers). |
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Where Madness Lies by Heidi K. Allen "A monstrously good reimagining of mythology in the modern world, Where Madness Lies is a psychological and mystical thrill for fans of the darker side of fantasy. Visceral prose, powerful character bonds, and a deeply original plot make this female-driven adventure a contemporary standout." âIndependent Review of Books Her visions foretell darknessâŚbut no one believes. Alex is cursed and miserable. Hospitalized once again for the devastating visions she struggles to control, the lonely mortuary technician longs for her safe and quiet life away from the living. But after befriending a depressed, anorexic waif in her ward, Alex is stunned when the stranger reveals herself as ArtemisâŚthe former Greek Goddess of the Hunt. Alex agrees to help her distraught new friend uncover the dangerous force thatâs killing her Olympic family. The rest of the ex-gods are deeply shocked to meet her as wellâas far as they knew, all the oracles had been wiped out centuries ago. But when the impossibly strong Venetian assassins strike again, a terrified Alex and shattered Artemis must fight to escape a web of immortal family secrets, mysterious cults, and devastating revelations that leave no one unscathed. Where Madness Lies is a captivating contemporary mythological thriller, with strong female protagonists, a hint of romance, page-turning suspense, twists you won't see coming, and a pantheon of delicious characters. Heidi K. Allenâs fresh, stunning debut is simply unputdownable. |
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Dead End Florals: A Cozy Fantasy by Lilse Asalt Hades ruled with an iron fist, handled his affairs with all the cool intellect and remorse that one exudes from death itself. But even a king cannot deny he wishes for spring. To charge his solemn existence, he reaches for a flower -- Persephone -- and plucks her from her gilded cage to flourish in a small flower shop. What they did not imagine were monsters, mayhem, and mysteries that would bind them as partners in law and order. |
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The Pharaoh's Curse by Kyro Dean There was a reason the assassins always won in the end. Why her family always died. He was smarter than her, whoever he was. More prepared. A mongoose to her cobra. And it didnât matter how hard she fought back, how hard she bit. In the end, heâd eat her up. Zarina Nefartari is the last descendant of the ancient queens. As novel and grand as a royal heritage sounds, descending from a line of queens has only ever brought her trouble. She is, after all, a descendant of the sun god who canât bear to see its light without getting migraines and who needs colored lenses just to stand in its rays. The laughing gods were cruel like that. Not to mention the assassin that has been hunting her family for millennia. The begrudging family of killers has been the end of every one of her female ancestors since the great queen herself--and they're coming for her next. To make matters worse, her god-appointed bodyguard since birth, Farak, does not reciprocate her growing feelings. Too bound to his godly oath, he has committed to forsaking love and protecting her at all costs. Unsatisfied with the lot the fates have dealt her, Zarina wants more than anything to free them both from the curse of an early death. She leaves her life of hiding to solve the mystery that has shaded her family for two-thousand years, hoping that if she takes fate into her own hands and fights back against the assassin, Farak's allegiance will change. The problem? Lord Richard DeClare: an over-excited Brittanian Aegyptologist who finds her absolutely mesmerizing--and who reveals her identity to all of Aegyptus. With the mysterious assassin hot on her newly-announced trail, a street lord who wants her dead so he can steal her family's treasure, and that pesky Britannian who happens to possess the resources she needs, Zarina is thrown into a foray of chaos that threatens to kill her at every turn. Now, she must use her colored lenses to solve the clues in the tunnels and tombs of her family's legacy to figure out who the assassin is and why they've wanted her family dead since Queen Nefertari's reign over two millennia ago. Deep in the heart of an alternate-history Egypt, Zarina must learn what matters more--family or fate--and how much control she has over a life ruled by the gods. |