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IN A WORLD RULED BY MEN, ONE WOMAN WILL RISE She was their greatest warrior; the daughter of the king. But her uncle stole the throne and sent her away to marry Eadmund, the drunken son of their worst enemy. Now she must pick up her sword again to restore her familyâs honour and return to the home she loves. Despite her skill with a sword, her prowess in battle, and her reputation as the greatest warrior in Brekka, without her father to protect her, Jael was merely a pawn, a woman to be married off so her uncle could forge an alliance to fulfil his own desperate ambitions. Eadmund is broken hearted, tortured by the murder of his first wife, but his father had lost patience with him. He wanted heirs for his kingdom. He wanted his son back, restored to the fierce warrior he had once been. And when his daughter has a dream about Jael, the woman who would save him, he eagerly jumps at the opportunity to make an alliance with his worst enemy. Jael and Eadmund will fight against their union, but the dreamers know that this marriage is meant to be; it must happen for the sake of all Osterland. For without them... without Jael and her sword, without Eadmund by her side, the five kingdoms will not survive the darkness that is coming to claim them all. |
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Eye of the Wolf: An Epic Fantasy Adventure (The Lords of Alekka Book 1) by A.E. Rayne A mysterious woman with many secrets. A lord forsaken by the gods. A kingdom on the brink of war. Alekka is an ancient kingdom, riven with rivalries, and though there has been a period of relative peace, the kingâs enemies are now emboldened, seeking to rise against him and steal the throne. Trapped in a small village with two young children, an unhappy Alys is oblivious to the rising danger. Winters have been brutal, raiding expeditions proving unfruitful, and her husband has grown violent. Fearing for her safety, she hides away supplies, preparing for the escape she must make. Soon. Lord Reinar Vilander is acutely aware of the kingâs precarious position, for his fort guards the bridge to Alekkaâs capital. Enemies range above him, planning their attack â enemies with dreamers capable of wielding dark magic â and Reinar knows that a skilled dreamer is worth a few thousand men. Desperate to shore up his defenses, he takes to sea, looking for slaves to sell, hoping to earn enough silver to tempt more warriors to join him, though one of the women catches his eye, then captures his attention entirely. A beautiful woman in a green dress. Her name is Alys. And though Reinar doesnât know it, Alys is about to save his life... Eye of the Wolf is the first book in A.E. Rayneâs thrilling six-part fantasy series, The Lords of Alekka: an epic adventure of swords and sorcery, love and betrayal, and dark magic, where warriors are tested, friendships are forged, and even the gods are forced to enter the fray. Come and start the journey today... |
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A Legend of Hidden Magic: A Fated Mates Paranormal Romance Filled with Celtic... by Stephany Wallace How would you feel if you discovered magic was real, and the kind of powers that until now youâve only read about are actually part of this world? Cynwrig "Cyn" Bressall is a Celtic warrior with the unique ability to harness and wield Druid magic in a way never before seen. Making him the only Druid Warrior to ever exist. After surviving a horrible night that began the extinction of his race, Cyn has spent the last two thousand years searching for the only man that can lead the Order of the Druids and mend the scars marring his soul. Instead, his quest leads him to a woman whose essence is unlike anything he's ever felt. Orphaned as a baby and raised by her loving but over protective grandfather, twenty-three year old Briana "Bri" Anwell has led an isolated life. Friendless and stuck in a job with no prospect, the self proclaimed flower child finds solace in her only friends. Books. And imagines an adventurous life in a magical world where anything is possible. So when a sexy stranger suddenly appears in her world as though he stepped out of her favorite story, she dismisses him as a figment of her imagination. But soon she realizes he's so much more than he seems. He signifies everything she's fantasized about, but is there a place for her in his extraordinary world? |
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The King's Favorite (Daughters of Avalon Book 1) by Tanya Anne Crosby The first "magical" episode in Tanya Anne Crosbyâs epic romantic adventure combining sweeping fantasy with rich historical romance. "Tanya Anne Crosby has created her own mythology, where history and legend collide.â â Whiskey & Wit Book Reviews Caught Between Cousinsâ¨Fearing her "gifts" will be used to defeat her half-sister, Empress Matilda, Elspeth Pendragon escapes the Black Mountain priory that has sheltered her and her four sisters since her father's death, only to find herself indebted to, of all men, a Scotsman, whose loyalties are in question...â¨â¨A Man Without a Countryâ¨Left to face the wrath of a new sovereign, Malcom Scott is forced to swear fealty to the English king in order to keep the castle he won by slaying his grandsire. Now, having bent his knee to the enemy, he has pitted himself against Scotland, and even his own father. Yet even as Malcom realizes there's no turning back, the late King Henry's favorite illegitimate daughterâa whispered witchâmay offer him more than he ever bargained for. Book one of the Daughters of Avalon series begins an epic romantic adventure through one of Englandâs most tumultuous reigns, introducing an alternate historical reality filled with magic, mayhem, and an ancient evil that can only be defeated through the power of love. |
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Khon'Tor's Wrath: An Alternate History Epic Fantasy by Leigh Roberts If sheâd known the consequences, would she have made the same choice? An underground, sophisticated community hidden for thousands of years, ruled by the sacred laws handed down by the Ancients. A young Healer â forbidden to pair and committed to the service of the Great Spirit. A handsome protector â compelling but out of reach. A powerful Chieftain â who demands obedience above all else. â¨What if⌠The Peopleâs existence is thrown into jeopardy when the young Healer, Adia, breaks a sacred law of the Ancients, putting everyone at risk of discovery by an outside world that will only seek to destroy them. When her Chieftain KhonâTor, discovers what she has done, he sees the Healerâs disobedience as an affront to his authority, and fears her actions will trigger The Age of Shadows â a period of terrible trial foretold by the Ancients. Hated by her Chieftain's mate for reasons she does not understand, Adia faces the biggest battle of her life as she clings to her faith and searches for the strength to endure the consequences of her Chieftainâs anger. She was prepared for him to be angry. She was prepared for him to punish her. But she was not prepared for Khon'Tor's Wrath. |
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Sacrifice: Book One of y Ddraig [The Dragons of Brython] by Gwendolyn Beynon 528 A.D. Cymru (Wales) Melangell is a âLifebringerâ, a dragon-maiden learning to protect one of the landâs most ancient mysteries, y Ddraig. She expects to pass her years as have a score of teachers before herâhidden away, safeguarding an egg that barely moves from year to year, never using the deadly and secret skills she has been taught. But the Kingâs relentless pursuit of this most holy relic throws her into the middle of war and though she is not yet adept Melangell must enter captivity with the egg to defend the sleeping dragonling within. Her abductor is Cai ap Cynyrâfierce warrior, loyal brother and sword-arm to the high Chieftain, Artwr. He has been scouring the land for the relics Artwr demands to ensure triumph against the Angles invading from the east. Cai uses the Lifebringerâs mystique to master his armsmen, but when he spirits Melangell and the dragon egg further into seclusion, she grows intrigued by her captor. But she is a Lifebringerâsworn only to y Ddraigâand Cai must deliver the dragonling to Artwr to at last drag himself out of his legendary brotherâs deep shadow. [Sacrifice is the first in a series of three books based around y Ddraig (the Dragon) set in sixth-century Arthurian Wales, featuring characters based on Welsh myth, literature and/or history.] |
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His Castilian Hawk (The Castilian Saga Book 1) by Anna Belfrage For bastard-born Robert FitzStephan, being given Eleanor dâOutremer in marriage is an honour. For Eleanor, this forced wedding is anything but a fairy tale. Robert FitzStephan has served Edward Longshanks loyally since the age of twelve. Now he is riding with his king to once and for all bring Wales under English control. Eleanor dâOutremerâNoor to familyâlost her Castilian mother as a child and is left entirely alone when her father and brother are killed. When ordered to wed the unknown Robert FitzStephan, she has no choice but to comply. Two strangers in a marriage bed is not easy. Things are further complicated by Noorâs blood-ties to the Welsh princes and by covetous Edith who has warmed Robertâs bed for years. Robertâs new wife may be young and innocent, but he is soon to discover that not only is she spirited and proud, she is also brave. Because when Wales lies gasping and Edward I exacts terrible justice on the last prince and his children, Noor is determined to save at least one member of the House of Aberffraw from the English king. Will years of ingrained service have Robert standing with his king or will he follow his heart and protect his wife, his beautiful and fierce Castilian hawk? |
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In the Shadow of the Storm: The King's Greatest Enemy #1 by Anna Belfrage Adam de Guirande owes his lord, Roger Mortimer, much more than loyalty. He owes Lord Roger for his life and all his worldly goods, he owes him for his beautiful wife â even if Kit is not quite the woman Lord Roger thinks she is. So when Lord Roger rises in rebellion against the king, Adam has no choice but to ride with him â no matter what the ultimate cost may be. England in 1321 is a confusing place. Edward II has been forced by his barons to exile his favourite, Hugh Despenser. The barons, led by the powerful Thomas of Lancaster, Roger Mortimer and Humphrey de Bohun, have reasons to believe they have finally tamed the king. But Edward is not about to take things lying down... Adam fears his lord has over-reached, but Adam has other matters to concern him, first and foremost his new wife, Katherine de Monmouth. His bride comes surrounded by rumours concerning her and Lord Roger, and he hates it when his brother snickers and whispers of used goods. Kit has the misfortune of being a perfect double of Katherine de Monmouth â which is why she finds herself coerced into wedding a man under a false name. Domestic matters become irrelevant when the king sets out to punish his rebellious barons. The Welsh Marches explode into war, and soon Lord Roger and his men are fighting for their very lives. When hope splutters and dies, when death seems inevitable, it falls to Kit to save her man â if she can. In the Shadow of the Storm is the first in Anna Belfrageâs new series, The Kingâs Greatest Enemy, the story of a man torn apart by his loyalties to his lord, his king, and his wife. |
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Aboard the Timeline by Bastian Gregory Aboard the Timeline It's the story of a bored boy, Pete who doesn't find anything interesting at school. One day he becomes so bored, and time stands still and he escapes to Outermind. Here he befriends various living beings in different worlds, and along the way becomes aware of a constant conflict going on in these different lands. Ultimately, Pete is asked to make a difference, and the question is whether he is up to the task? Anyone who has a passion for words and wordplay will enjoy reading âAboard the Timelineâ In this wonderful childrenâs book , Bastian takes us on an adventure with his main character Pete, a young boy who at first seems to be lost (in many more ways than one!) but who ultimately finds his way together with the help of his companions, the lovely dinosaur Reginald and the ancient Greek thinker, Philosophocles. Bastian manages to keep the reader engaged page after page, with clever puns and witty plays on words, which makes his story even more entertaining. Here is a quote from a teacher on Amazon: âMy 10 year old son and I read this together and we both really enjoyed it. Redolent of Salman Rushdieâs Haroun and the Sea of Stories/Luka and the Fire of Life plus Walter Moersâ Captain Bluebear series, itâs a consistently chuckleworthy, highly imaginative, multi-layered yarn that carried us wackily along its narrative tracks from start to finish. Thereâs a great cast of characters - from a doddery old dinosaur to an ebullient Ancient Greek philosopher (âPhilosophoclesâ) to some suitably dastardly demons - and the illustrations, which perfectly complement the text, are great fun too. Highly recommended!â |
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The Bee King by Mathilda Zeller When the crops fail, the monsters come. When the monsters come, they buy the daughters. Alice would do anything to keep her sister and cousin out of the hands of the monsters. She would even accept a marriage proposal from the Bee King, the mysterious honey magnate allegedly driving the prosperity of the empire. But when she arrives at the Apiary, the secluded estate of her betrothed, nothing is as it seems. The empire's wealthy and famous are converging upon the estate and she soon learns that the Bee King is not marrying her for love or lust, but third reason--a dark, strange, and deadly reason. |
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Empress and Soldier by Marian L Thorpe A boy of the night-time streets. A girl of libraries and learning. Druisius, the son of a merchant, is sixteen when his fatherâs cruel order drives him from home and into the danger and intrigue of the military. Eudekia, a scholarâs daughter, educated and dutiful, is not meant to be a princeâs bride. In an empire at war, and in a city beset by famine and unrest, she must prove herself worthy of its throne. A decade after a first, brief meeting, their lives intersect again. When a delegation arrives from the lost West, Druisius is assigned to guard them. In the span of a few weeks, a young captain will capture the hearts of both Empress and soldier in very different ways, offering a future neither could have foreseen. A stand-alone novel that can also serve as a second entry point into the Empire series. No previous knowledge of my fictional world is needed. |
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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 His second chance at life could well be the death of him. Silas Mercer has been hauled from his grave with no memory of who he was, or who he is supposed to be now. Bewildered and very much lost, he finds himself in London, in the service of the mysterious Order of the Golden Dawn. An organisation specialising in all things supernatural. But so far it seems they have no greater plan for him than to amuse London society with his terrible dancing skills and the occasional badly organised sĂŠance. Silasâs new life takes a startling turn when the Order partners him with the scandalous rake, Tobias Astaroth. A quick-tempered, dangerously beautiful man who harbours some hellish secrets. Their unlikely, and downright infuriating, partnership will soon face its first frightening challenge. A creature straight out of a nightmare is haunting the woods of Leicester, and the Order want Silas to stop it, with Tobias at his side. But nothing in this world is as it seems. Not the Order. Not Silas himself, and certainly not his vile, yet undeniably beguiling companion. Surviving this new world will be fraught with peril. Surviving the devilish wiles of Tobias Astaroth may be a battle already lost. |
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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 ⌠|