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Manipulator's War by Elise Carlson Nonbinary Ruarnon is determined to prove their worth as heir to Tarlahâs perfect King. Things get complicated when their parents are abducted and theyâre left ruling Tarlah in the shadow of impending war, with absent allies. Neighbouring King Kyura has no intention of invading Tarlah. But his warmongering subjects long for the glory of expansion. When Kyura rejects their calls for war, assassins threaten his family and mutiny threatens his reign. Stranded Aussie Linh is desperate to return to her family in Australia. But the only transport to her gateway home is Ruarnonâs absent allies, sailing to Tarlahâs aid. Monsters at sea threaten everyone. Linhâs monster observations could save Kyuraâs people, and clear her homeward path. If she risks her life aiding Ruarnon. But to secure peace with Kyuraâs unruly subjects, Ruarnonâs ultimate test as heir risks betrayal and Tarlahâs bloody defeat. |
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The Crypt Lord's Call by Dawson George If Hell is full, where do the sinners go? Theodore Goss is minding his own damn business when humanity's time runs out. Everyone is shunted off to Godguild, a new universe filled with magic, monsters, and stats, where the afterlife is determined by progression. It's not about being good anymore, or even being strong. All that matters is being at the top. Hard though it is, Theo plays along as an Afterlifer, determined to make it to paradise eventually. But when a vicious guild drags him into a skeletal dungeon run, Theo realizes the monsters have it much worse than him. Theo helps the surviving skeletons build a new home. To ensure their continued survival, however, Theo needs to navigate the minefield of unfriendly mobs, monsters of every shape and eldritch size, and of course, Hell itself peeking in at the edges, all while plumbing the secrets Godguild is hiding. It's going to take more than levelling up to make it in this cruel world, and Theo is just the guy to go above and beyond. Survival? Maybe for now. But Theo is coming for Godguild itself. The Crypt Lord's Call is book one of Godguild, a LitRPG series where the protagonist brings intelligent mobs to his side by hook or by crook, all to take the fight to the system. It offers a healthy helping of crafting, base-building, and survival elements. |
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The Alchemyst's Mirror by Liz Delton A missing brother. A secret society. And a mysterious artifact thatâs worth more than gold.Petra and Maisie Everturn just want to run their familyâs tea shop, but when their explorer brother Jiordan goes missing while looking for an alchemycal artifact, none of them are safe.The sisters must enlist the help of another explorer in order to find Jiordan or the artifactâbefore the mysterious alchemyst society finds them first.However, when one of the sisters stumbles into the clutches of the most dangerous alchemyst in the city, the race to unravel the clues becomes desperate. And when they discover the truth about the artifact, their quest to infiltrate the alchemystâs secret society becomes a matter of life and death. |
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The nightmares are back. Years after the deaths of his parents, the dreams that haunted Jax have returned. Heâs about to discover why, by being burned alive, just like they were. When the flames subside, the man left standing isnât the same one who burned. The Numen allows him to see the Whispers. Jax is a Myth, a descendant of a lost bloodline, born to fight the darkness hunting humanity. Guided by others like him, he reaches Mythaven, a magical sanctuary cut into the Colorado mountains. His new friends need his help, but Jax must conquer the demons of his past before he can save the future. Fantasy and reality are two sides of the same page. The lore is real, witches, werewolves, nymphs, and even dragons exist amongst us. Hidden throughout time, theyâve been fighting, dying, for humanity. When myth becomes truth, can Jax make it through his own story? |
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Beneath the Dragoneye Moons: Oathbound Healer by Selkie Myth Elaine is ripped from this world to Pallos, a land of unlimited possibilities made real by a grand System governing classes, skills, and magic. An ideal society? What is this, a fantasy novel? Adventures? Right this way! A Grand quest? Nah. Friends and loot? Heck yes! Humans are the top dog? Nope, dinosaur food. Healing and fighting? Well, everything is trying to eat her. Join Elaine as she travels around Pallos, discovering all the wonders and mysteries of the world, trying to find a place where she belongs, hunting those elusive mangos, all while the ominous Dragoneye Moons watch her every move. |
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Forest of Forgotten Vows by Grace Carlisle There are monsters in the woods. When I come back to my childhood home for the first time in seven years, a tiny man living under the porch stairs greets me like an old friend, and it only gets stranger from there. A hunter who stalks the woods, a monster in the river, and a man draped in shadows who offers me a bargain I canât refuse. They remember me, but my past is in tatters, forcing me to follow the trail my childhood self left me years agoâthe first time I entered the world known as Faerie. Each answer I find pulls me deeper into the web of political machinations of an otherworldly court. But nothing answers the biggest question: âwhy me?â And how can I possibly survive when I canât even trust my own mind? |
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The True and Accurate Log of the Sand Ship Uncertainty by Fowler Brown Reality is an uncertain thing. It shifts and warps without the taming yoke of human agreement to bind it in place, especially near the twisting chaos that is Nightmare. As Keeper of Days for a band of pirates, Teivi Nishiir maintains the log of the sand ship Uncertainty, holding back the worldâs insidious influence by recording the crewâs deeds. She knows the cruelty of the desert. She has sailed into Nightmare and sung her defiance to the corrupting aberrations that make the boldest pirate hunters balk. But even Nightmare is nothing beside a comradeâs betrayal. A deadly secret lurks among the Uncertaintyâs latest plunder, one that pirates and kings alike will kill for. With the Uncertainty thrown into chaos, fleeing friends and dodging fleets, Teiviâs quill wonât be enough to keep her crew from a sandy grave. If she can stay one step ahead, she might have a chance to achieve everything sheâs ever dreamed of. So long as sheâs willing to pay the price in blood. |
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What would you sacrifice for magic? Gabby is in her final year of high school and facing the Question: what does she want to do with her life? A shame âwizardingâ isnât on the list of university courses. Just as Gabby despairs that sheâll never find the answer, lightning strikes. She uncovers a conspiracy, meets a mysterious boy, and finds out that maybe, magic might just be real. But it comes at a cost, and now Gabby's faced with a decision that makes choosing a university as easy as choosing a favourite kind of cake⌠How is anyone meant to do that? A coming-of-age, contemporary fantasy, Darkhaven is the first book in the Lightless Prophecy, a galaxy-spanning adventure of magic and gods, love and betrayal, and a quest to find out what holds the stars together in the dark. |
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Onslaught of Madness by Jesse Teller The Drine war machine needs to be constantly fed and has turned its sights on Tienne. Warlord Rextur devoted his life to planning this invasion, so how did he lose the element of surprise? And who is this emerging rival Peter Redfist? He canât be much of a problem. The god of destruction has long favored Rextur. His faith is strong and his legions mighty. Who could withstand their onslaught? |
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The Heart of the Bloodstone by Philinna Wood Avalan is a hunter in a cage. In the village of Hydrus, a fastness secluded from the Stone Lands, Avalan was born. He swam its warm waters, hunted through its blackwood forest, played the goat games on its white shore. Now, he watches the chief erect a mighty palisade to keep his tribe contained, forbid the magic of the birthstones, exile his childhood friend, and punish the tribe of Hydrus for daring to love, hope, dream ⌠As the chiefâs madness grows, so does Avalanâs longing to lead the tribe to freedom. But Avalanâs dagger is no match for the chiefâs powerful stone magic. Much as Avalan hates the stones for being the chiefâs weapon, he realizes thereâs only one path to freeing his tribe: find what was denied to him, the missing piece of his soul ⌠The Heart of the Bloodstone. |
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Kingdom of Essence by Holly Karlsson To survive here, you either grow wings or claws Elitsa Serlov only cares about two things â earning enough money to start a new life and finding the rogue mage who murdered her mother. But years without leads have left her jaded, and she wonât let anyone â friend or foe â get in her way. In Casekraia, anyone can use magic if theyâre desperate enough to rent relics from the Tower, a corrupt guild of mages more concerned with their own wealth than the welfare of the people. Elitsa has spent the last three years as a reclamation agent for the guild, hunting down her own people for precious coin and the hope of uncovering what happened to her mother. Just one week before her contract with the Tower is set to expire, Elitsa is coerced into a dangerous conspiracy by a gang of rebellious thieves. With her loyalty to the Tower in question, Elitsa must decide between her quest for revenge and charting a new course for her life. With captivating characters, daring heists, and dangerous magic, this enchanting fantasy adventure spins a tale about the power of hope and friendship and our connection to the world around us. |
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Fly With the Arrow by Sarah K. L. Wilson Perfect for fans of Spinning Silver but with the dark humor of Santa Clarita Diet, this first-in-series romantic fantasy will grab you by the collar and pull you along into a world of magic and mystery that one reader described as âif Alice fell in love with the Cheshire Cat.â A STOLEN BRIDE. A TERRIFYING BRIDEGROOM. THE GAME THAT WILL DETERMINE THEIR FATES. Iâm a practical girl. I can resign myself to an unwanted marriage â and I had. I just hadnât expected my first potential bridegroom to be murdered by the second. Itâs all because I broke the Law of Greeting. No one warned me the law existed. No one told me breaking it would mean Iâd be swept up into the arms of a powerful and beautiful immortal bent on taking me as his sixteenth bride and dragging me off to his strange fairytale world. Thatâs a bit much to ask of a person. But Iâm not the kind of girl to just give up. Not even if it means facing all the strange puzzles and magic of this mad fae world with nothing but my common sense and determination. I will not mope in my room, or go crazy, or let myself be killed by one of his rivals. And I absolutely WILL NOT fall in love with him. Not even when he keeps surprising me with depths of kindness and hidden layers. Not even if it turns out he actually might have a good reason for all of this. After all, heâs had fifteen wives before me and itâs not a case of âthe more the merrier.â Especially not now, when it turns out he's playing a game for the fate of my nation. Failure in this world, would mean the desolation of everyone I love. Failure in this marriage, would mean utter destruction for my home. The stakes couldn't be higher. But I have a crafty husband, a severed-head best friend who gives surprisingly good advice, and the common sense my mother gave me. If that isnât enough to take on the whole of this fae world ⌠well, it will just have to be. That's all there is to it. Because I'm not dying without a very good reason and Iâm not giving up until Iâm dead. Come along on a wild romantic fantasy adventure with USA Today bestselling author Sarah K. L. Wilson, guaranteed to enthrall, delight, and maybe even surprise you. Author's Note: This is a deep, dark romp (not steamy) with an unrelenting pace and cliffhangers. Read at your own risk. |
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Dying Wishes by Anitha Krishnan Finalist for 2023 Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize in Speculative Fiction category When I was seven, my mother died. I struck a bargain with the Gods to bring her back to life. For thirteen years now, I have served as a Harbinger of Death, coaxing dying wishes out of mortals so that the God of Death may grant them moksha, liberation from the cycles of birth and death. The man about to die this evening claims he has nothing to offer me. He is dying a content man, a rarity in our world. But when the God of Death arrives to lead his soul away, the man changes his mind about dying and flees, planting on me an enigma. I only know I cannot trust any God with this secret. And that I'll pay an unbearable price for this concealment. Yet again, I underestimate how savagely the Gods can wound me. Even though one of them is supposedly my father who still doesn't know I exist. Set in Burlington, Ontario, this contemporary fantasy novel weaves Hindu mythology and South Indian folklore into a quest for belonging across different worlds â the World of Mortals and the World of Gods, India and Canada, the past and the present, the world outside and the one within. It is an offering to lovers of whimsical worlds and heartbreaking prose, and to anyone yearning to simply belong. |
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Bones to the Wind by Tatiana Obey Rasia is determined to destroy her old manâs record in the Forging, a trial each child must succeed to come of age. All Rasia needs to do is hunt down a gonda, hitch its tentacle ass to her windship, and haul it back home in record time. Easy. Or it would be if Rasia wasnât stuck on the same team as Nicoâa know-it-all, spoiled, grubworm who never does anything Rasia tells her to do. Nico doesnât care about Rasiaâs egotistical dreams of glory. This is her brotherâs last chance to pass the Forging or her father is going to banish him from the family. She needs to scour the desert to find whatever team the bones placed him on and help him kill a gonda before it kills him. Too bad Nico and Rasia canât get along to steer a windship straight. BONES TO THE WIND is a coming-of-age sword and sorcery fantasy adventure. Action-packed and humorous, the novel includes strong female characters, LGBTQIA+ representation, and mature themes. |
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A young sorceress. An ancient madman. A secret prophecy⌠The powerful sorcerer, Torin, sits on a throne of his own making, ruling the land in a grip of terror. Heâs learned that the age-old prophecy of a campaign to destroy him has begun, and heâs desperate to capture those who threaten his power. Bree, a fledgling sorceress, doesnât know about the prophecy, or that even now, Torinâs killers are hunting her. All of that changes when she learns her true destiny from the great beasts who are tasked with protecting the landâs magic. Torin knows that this young, untrained sorceress canât defeat his powerful magic and legion of killers. Whatâs worse is that Bree knows it, too. If she should fail to unseat Torin, all will be lost, and every kingdom in the land will be destroyed by his wrath. But thereâs something none of them know, something raw and wild running through Breeâs blood. And maybe, if she can discover and tame it in time, she might have a chance in the battles ahead. |
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Awakening the Gods by Kristin Gleeson From a USA Today bestselling author comes a tale of magic, myth and Irish music. A failed barista, a reclusive blacksmith. Can they avoid the call of the Irish Gods? Saoirse knows playing traditional music once a week in a local Dublin pub wonât get her a career, but itâs all sheâs got, especially after sheâs fired from her barista job. But then her father dies and her life is set into a spin, especially when an unknown grandmother comes calling.. Music is Smithy's one joy that is left to him that has a residue of the magic he lost long ago. Creating things in his forge, tucked away in rural Cork, increasingly reminds him of what he's lost and why he must resist the requests of the Tuatha De Danann. They want him to join their efforts to battle their biggest nemesis,a powerful god who is threatening the destruction of Eire, the land they hold so dear. But events and gods conspire to bring Saoirse and Smithy to the path that was meant to be. It's time for the gods to awake and answer the call to defend the land. But answering that call could mean risking death. A music-filled romantic urban fantasy with a Celtic twist that will delight fans of Charles de Lint. |
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The Broken Oath by Pablo Suarez FIRST, YOU SHALL NEVER DO HARM Doctor Damyra Pynarios has achieved what no woman has before in the history of the Noktanian League. Ruthlessly climbing through the ranks, battling fiercely to become Guild-certified Physician and Head of the School of Medicine of the Guilds Association University, everything seems to be going well for her⌠⌠except something is brewing in Noktanos, Capital of the League. Damyra receives an unexpected visit from a lawyer with shady motives, and shadier allegiances. A past she thought long forgotten, is used to leverage her into signing a mysterious Binding Agreement. Will she sign a contract that could change the rest of her life? Meanwhile, young Nymor Strethos has ended his travels across the continent of Helados. No longer searching for incantations to add to his Codex, he has changed the company of an estranged father for an apprenticeship with strict Doctor Romos. His harsh tutelage will clash with Nymâs lifestyle and make him confront a very easy decision⌠âŚor it would be, had he not fallen victim to something he has learned to fear. Love. Which one will Nym choose, heart or duty? |
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The Spider and the Scribe by Morgan Stang As far as Harriette Cooke is concerned, a little lie or two never hurt anyone. A down-on-her-luck scribe and the sole provider for her family, she struggles to get by in a city that turns a blind eye to the poor. Her finances are squeezed to the breaking point when she stumbles across the impossible on the side of the road: a chest full of gold coins. The fortune could completely change Harriette's life. The problem? It's a lost provincial tax payment meant for the King. Throughout the city, the search is on for the missing money, and everyone is closing in on Harriette. On one side is the lord of the city, Count Gainsbury, and the cruel City Watch at his disposal. On the other side is the Cobbler's Guild, a band of ruthless cutthroats led by a madwoman who will stop at nothing to claim her prize. And complicating things is the arrival of Royal Inquisitor Samara Adia, an investigator sent straight from the King to put his affairs in order with the help of her infamous bodyguard, the Misfit of Kantor. Trapped in a web of deceit, all clues lead to Harriette and her friends. If they want to get out of the city aliveâand richâthey have only their wits to rely on...and perhaps a little lie or two. |
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They Call Me Princess Cayce: new body, new universe, deadly problems by P D Ball As if waking up in the body of a young teenage girl wasnât bad enough, I couldnât remember my own name. It turns out Iâm the princess, second heir to the throne. I have to get back to my own life, but donât know who to trust or how to do that. Ask the wizard for help? Clearly, magic was involved in my transformation, but if I tell him, Iâd be confessing to stealing his princessâs body. And if I tell the prince, well, whereâs his dear sister? Worse, I woke up tied to a tree in the enemy army. The army that just killed the king and wants to take over the kingdom. This new life is not going well. Was I stuck inside a game on some sort of quest? Maybe, I always play cute girl characters because, well, I want to watch them beat up monsters. But if this was real, then I was in serious trouble. Real or simulation, there was only one thing to do: survive. --- In a gritty, realistic medieval world that doesn't pull punches, Princess Cayce struggles to adjust. A land of terrifying magic, ever-present warfare, deeply rooted patriarchy and, well, a lot of limitations on how a princess can behave. This is not erotica and not a harem novel. Thereâs no romance. At least, so far. Inspired by litrpg, but it has no obvious gaming system. |
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What is faith, except hope in desperation? All Putera Mikal wants is to gain the Amok Strength, the supernatural power granted by Kudus to the Mahan royal family. No matter how religiously Mikal keeps his vows, Kudus still denies him the Strengthâwhilst his father, Sultan Simson, flaunts the Strength despite his blatant defiance of the Temple and the priestsâ visions of coming doom. Then the prophecies come true. Taken captive, Mikal must find a way to liberate his people and restore his throne in Mahaâand the key to this is the Amok Strength. But what does it take to gain Kudusâ favour? |
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The Lowest Healer and the Highest Mage by Hiyodori âI never forgot the sound of you calling for me. Not for a second.â The Lowest Healer and the Highest Mage is a slow-burn f/f romance set in an original modern-era fantasy world, featuring a magical tower with countless curious rooms. Itâs a story of friends to enemies to reluctant allies, guilty secrets, love mixed inextricably with hate, fragile second chances, and the true price of boundless magical power. In a country where mages have all the power and healers supposedly only exist to support them, Clematisâa talented healerâis despised for her past attempts to defy the mageocracy. In her early thirties, sheâs already on year seven of a life sentence for treason. But when the most powerful mage in the nation suddenly loses all her magic, the government wants unconventional Clematis to help get it back. The mage is a tall, distant woman called Wist, and Clematis knows her all too well. They used to be classmates. Best friends. Perhaps more. Wist is also the person who reported Clematis for leaking state secrets. Sheâs the reason Clematis spent the last seven years in prison. Clematis wants revenge for her betrayal, but she wants freedom even more. Sheâs got thirty days to recover Wistâs magic: miss the deadline, and sheâll be shunted back to prison for the rest of her life. Yet attempting to resurrect Wistâs lost magic will force her to face the real reason why Wist betrayed herâand to face her unresolved, unspoken feelings for the mage who stabbed her in the back and walked away. |
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Missy the Werecat by P. G. Allison Missy the Werecat: Book I When puberty brings on her first Shift, Missy goes into the mountains for two years until finally learning to Change back. She can Change from fully human in one instant to a mountain lion in the next. Everyone assumes her two year disappearance was because sheâd been kidnapped by a sexual predator that she managed to kill. She keeps her werecat nature a secret. There is no pack, no pride of other werecats and no alpha. Sheâs a girl with fantastic abilities growing up and learning to do great things in todayâs world, amongst humans. She only has her instincts to guide her and those drive her to train herself to extremes. She must control those instincts; dampening the wild predator is often necessary. Her raging hormones and enhanced senses require very strong controls; she explores what happens when those controls are relaxed. |
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Liches Get Stitches by HJ Tolson Evil stirs in the forest of Downing, spreading blight across the ancient boughs. Busy with troubles of her own, Maud the village witch just wants to be left alone. Peace and quiet should be easy enough when you're dead, right? Wrong. Reborn as a powerful lich, Maud is suddenly faced with the attentions of all the righteous heroes, holy clerics, and nosy neighbours of the realm. Now instead of whiling away the days in her garden with her cat and her knitting, Maud must figure out how much force is required to crush a man's spine, the proper storage solution to keep a spoiling cadaver, and how best to display the remains of the fallen for maximum scare. Featuring people mulch, head bouquets, revenant geese, and some very deadly embroidery, undead paradise never looked so good. A very grisly slice-of-life progression fantasy. Trigger warning for gore and violence. |
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Yellow Tape and Coffee by Pat Luther Four intertwining stories. Four points of view of a single large event. Four people from different backgrounds with different ideals. And a secret society of werewolves is unveiled in Portland, Oregon. For four hundred years, they have kept their secret. Some will do anything to reveal it. Others will sacrifice everything to keep it. Alliances will be forged and shattered. Friendships will be made and betrayed. Conspiracies within conspiracies will unravel as conflicting agendas clash across the city. And by the end, nothing will be the same. |
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To Wield a Plague by Derrick Smythe There will be no victory here for anyone but those who thirst for blood. Forced to choose between his motherâs life and his own exile, Dwapek embarks upon a journey wrought with trials no ordinary Renzik could hope to survive. Relics of legend, plagues of old, and monsters of unthinkable dread all collide in this epic fantasy adventure as a weapon capable of destroying an entire people is set to be unleashed. |
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The Reborn Prince by Julianne Munich Book 1 of the Mages in the Mundane historical fantasy series. He was a prince, forced into a new life as a pauper. Luc, a poor but vain young man in 1775 Paris, is confused by his dreams of gilded ballrooms and unknown people in lace and jewels. What's more, everything before the past two years is a hazy fog in his mind, and Aunt Mathilde gives him few answers. What he doesn't know is that 'Aunt Mathilde' is in fact his motherâa Sorceress. She keeps him captive under her magical veil, desperate to both protect him and to punish him for the evil deeds of his royal past. When disease leaves Luc scarred and weakened, he feels his life is over. He pushes away his humble friends, including Emilie, a young housemaid with inner beauty.â¨â¨Emilie, scarred from smallpox, is resigned to life as a spinster. Yet, she sees beauty and joy in life and understands Luc's despair beneath his bitter, beastly attitude.â¨â¨Unless Luc can embrace his inner strength, care about others, and love unselfishly, he risks destroying himself once more. An adult twist on Beauty and the Beast, with family drama, a secret underground society of Mages, and a sweet love story. â¨Note: This novel contains sensitive themes including violence and suicidal ideation. Romantic scenes are sweet and no-steam. Contains lead-ins to the sequel. |
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A secret society of Druids. An ancient Reptilian foe. Earth teeters in the balance. Bankrupt and broken, Emily Hester is in dire need of a safe place to hide. But when her long-lost Druid family tracks Emily down and offers her haven, she balks at the "Must Save Earth" clause. Now, she must win the coming war between the humans and reptilians and rescue humanity. Thinking life couldn't possibly get any worse, Emily smacks into her witchy stalker. She flees the scene but now has only one option; Emily must accept the Druids' propositionâdespite its blatantly outrageous terms. So, trapped in the survival of the fittest against the witch, Emily now has the responsibility of saving the Earth. But she will soon find out this comes with a handsome druid trainer, so saving the world might be satisfying. Either way, Emily was about to become one of the Mystical Power Women. At Druid headquarters in Atlanta, Emily learns several shocking secrets. She was kidnapped by the mother who raised her on the run. Her real father and his Druid followers believe Emily is Earth's only hope. And a dark, forgotten foe lurks beneath Humanity's feet. As these Reptilians engineer a plan to breach Earth's unsuspecting borders, Emily desperately seeks to unleash the powers the Druids swear she possesses. But, can a sexy druid priest, his teenage nephew, and their animal Elders tilt the odds in Emily's favor? O. J. BarrĂŠ's Awen Rising is an outstanding suspense fiction novel targeting adults young and old. If you like compelling stories with a strong but believable female lead, quirky sidekicks, and worthy adversaries; read BarrĂŠ's breakout urban fantasy. Or better yet, grab the whole series! Note from the Author: This is a fun read suitable for young adults on up. In these pages, you will find a spattering of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, along with some crude language and a bit of violence, though none gratuitous. PLEASE ENJOY |
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The Girl of Precinct Five by Jonatan HĂĽkansson If scars tell stories, then Lynnâs arms read like books. A failed augmentation thatâd once burnt the skin from her knuckles; that time a Bane-scale got too close, nearly costing her three fingers; and an explosive thatâd misfired, robbing her of all mobility in her left shoulder for weeks. Rift Diving was a restless pastime, but it did bring a penny for a dream. One to afford living another day, two to protect what little she has left, three to maybe earn herself a future in a city not her own - to escape the fate of all rats of Precinct Five. Then again, things have seldom worked out for Lynn. Not since the day the Third Rupture stole most of whatever she once cared about. Not since the day she was born. |
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Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon One stormy May night, just as Tom Olsen is about to leave with his Native American friends to visit his grandfather's grave deep in Washington State's Olympic Peninsula wilderness, he answers a knock at his door to find an abandoned thirteen year old girl. The girl announces her name is Sarah Cooley and that Tom is her grandfather. She tells Tom he lives at the end of the earth. All she sees is dripping forest, tall trees, rain and wind. Astonished, all Tom sees is trouble. He knows he should cancel the trip and deal with Sarah, but when his friends suggest bringing Sarah along, Tom reluctantly agrees, hoping a backpacking trip might teach Sarah some sorely needed lessons about character, responsibility and grit. All too soon, Tom and his friends have reason to wonder - are they taking Sarah Cooley on this journey, or is she taking them? Adventure, scientific inquiry, a tinge of mystery, and a hint of the unexplainable infuse this meticulously-imagined tale. In a story matching the breathtaking scope of its Pacific Northwest and North Pacific setting, Sheldon's tale startles, yet challenges us to think. |
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Coloring Life by Vicki Alexander Looking at Julie, you would think she has it all. Beauty, a big house, and a successful husband, but everything is not as it seems. Julie's lifelong search for love and acceptance has led her on a journey of self-destruction. What started as a little girl's dream to live behind a picket fence has become the beginning of her undoing. "She steps out of her car; her long, lean legs precede her. Her dark hair is perfectly coiffed, and her designer sunglasses hide her bloodshot eyes. She waves at her neighbors while unstrapping her children from the backseat. Leading them by the hands, she whispers to herself, God, I hate them. " |
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Cerebral Fossil by Shaye Baker A fossil is any trace or remains of any once-living thing. This collection reflects desperation. Its tone is set by the unshakeable bond between an international musician who died in a car crash and the aftermath experienced by his little brother. The author kept a journal and, using his love of writing and poetry, created this moving collection. Keep this fossil for centuries to come. |
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Good Brave People by Nicholas Trahdal Whenever acclaimed author Jasper Augustine needs to get inspired for his next book, he goes traveling. Thatâs what he seeks when he books a flight to San SebastiĂĄn for a month in the summerâjust a little inspiration. In Spainâs Basque Country, what Jasper discovers is a life-changing exploration of culture, food, drink, human connection, and love that causes him to question the meaning of the word âhomeâ. The culinary and cultural descriptions in Good Brave People will leave you ready to travel. |
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Loved Mars, Hated The Food by Willie Handler Dix Jenner, a self-proclaimed slacker, is the first chef to liveâand maybe dieâon Mars. After an explosion kills his colony companions and leaves him with nothing but his spacesuit, his time on the faraway planet is about to expire⌠until heâs rescued by friendly Martians Bleeker and Seepa, who smuggle him into their vast underground civilization. Despite an unfamiliar world of telepathy, strange class dynamics, and really bad food, Dix sets out to make his mark. After opening a cafeâwho knew Martians loved espresso?âhe starts to notice that responsibility can feel good. Not only that, but heâs got a new romance, and for the first time he actually cares. Unfortunately, his success attracts the attention of the corrupt and narcissistic Martian Grand Leader. Forced to run to avoid being imprisoned, Dix gets lucky: a NASA rescue mission lands on Mars. But seeing it brings back the dark secret heâs been keeping from himself about the colonyâs explosion, and now Dix must choose between returning to Earth or spending the rest of his life in a cell on the dusty red planet where he belongs. |
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Sticks and Stones: Full Story Edition by Chelsea DeVries In Sticks and Stones, DeVries paints a poetic picture of rising above toxicity, love found and love lost, and delves into what it means to find strength in the human spirit. Through poetry, the reader finds a voice of strength and the rebuilding of one's heart a home with all the sticks and stones thrown upon it. Newly expanded with more full color photos, 41 new poems, and a rewrite of Drowning in An Ocean of No Tomorrows, DeVries shows a full poetic picture of turning pain into poetry in order so you can rise above whatever is pulling you under. |
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Air is not free. On this planet, the workers must pay for shelter, food, water, and even the air they breathe. They pay with a lifetime of meaningless labor to sustain the basic necessities of living. But there are other planets with other systems. Great empires of technology dominate the stars as they search for the meaning of life. In the outer worlds, an ancient culture discovered the purpose of our existence and thrived for many generations until they went into hiding. What did they find? What was their solution? It all begins with air ... How much can you afford to breathe? |
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The Soul's Aspect by Mark Holloway A healer forced to become a killer for an empire that would grind his country to dust. Kehlem, the sickly son of a widowed physician, has devoted his life to learning his fatherâs craft. Wanting to finally step out of his fatherâs shadow, he embarks on a project of his own, seeking out the help of Themia, the town's newly arrived Alchemist and a rare wielder of magic. But Themia has secrets of her own, secrets carried from the heart of the empire itself, secrets that would steal Kehlem away from his home and into the empireâs Academy for magic users. The Isale Academy beckons, but can Kehlem survive the academy and its brutal regime? And if so, what would he have to become? |
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A Bargain of Blood and Gold by Kristin Jacques A novice hunter with a mission. A five-hundred-year-old vampire with a strong sense of irony. A town plagued by creatures in need of saving. When Johnathan Newman arrives in Cress Haven, the last thing he expects is for his life to be irrevocably changed. Sent by a clandestine league of vampire hunters to investigate a string of murders, signs point to a vampire lurking amid the townsfolk. Johnathanâs attempt to enlist the locals leads him to an unlikely partnership with Vic, the town's most eligible, enigmatic bachelor. As the pair work to solve the mystery, Vicâs secrets come back to bite him. Revealed, the vampire fights his attraction to a man trained to destroy him, while Johnathanâs emotions land him in the middle of forbidden desires. Even if Vic isnât the murderer, how can Johnathan yearn for his natural enemy? As Vic leads Johnathan into encounters with terrifying beings straight from childrenâs nightmares, Johnathan learns that not only is the world stranger than he knew, but that those he once trusted have far darker intentions that will place hunter and vampire at the center of a conflict between realms. Cress Haven holds more sinister secrets than its resident vampire, a secret so great, it could unleash Hell itself. For fans of Gail Carrigerâs Supernatural Society, The Charm of Magpies series by KJ Charles, Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh, and The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee. |
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Winterâs Myths by Gage Greenwood When the world ends, who will tell the story? After a disease ravages his underground community, Winter escapes with his daughters to the dangerous surface of Earth. Believing the planet is largely abandoned, he struggles to make sense of this strange new world while trying to keep his family alive... But the surface is not all complicated artifacts and relics of a deserted universe. Winter is certain somethingâor someoneâis hunting them. He weaves wild tales to entertain and teach his daughters, turning celebrities into demigods and Abe Lincoln into an ice giant. As the journey grows darker and more dangerous, his mythologies keep not only his children from confusion and despair, but him as well. With tensions rising and danger at every corner, will Winter keep his family alive long enough to finish his tales? Winter's Myths is a multi-season serial currently publishing on Amazon's Kindle Vella. This book covers the first season. Each season will be available in book form upon completion. |
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Italian Bones in the Snow by Elaina Batista-Parsons Italian women don't always speak with their hands and cook with cheese. They use their eyes, legs, and fresh parsley too. They race around the kitchen, work a bunch of tasks at once, and get up after being knocked down. Then thereâs the penchant for silent energies, colors, and music of all genres being played through large living room speakers in 1984. But growing up as an Italian-American girl is not always baked ziti and the loud yelling dramatized on the big screen. In Italian Bones in the Snow, Elaina Battista-Parsons shines light on a palpable spirituality, a quiet adoration of nature, and a habit of speaking upâparticularly when itâs modeled and deemed a survival skill. She explores the people and places in her life that stuck to her soul like candle wax. She celebrates pop culture, cemeteries, her boots, and 1980s nostalgia. Switching between prose and verse, she offers up real life stories about her relationship with Catholicism, winter weather, mental health, and men throughout her life. Lyrical, poignant, and raw, these memoir shorts are all adorned in the unstoppable forces of nature called grandmothers, mother, and aunts. By the time you turn the last page, not only will you know Elaina better, but you'll also know yourself. |
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No Land For Heroes by Cal Black Mildred Berry is down to her last four bullets⌠In a wild west where the only things more dangerous than outlaws are dragons, Deputy Berry is struggling to protect her town and keep her family fed. As a last resort, she robs a train for ammunition only to find that the cargo she needs so badly was owned by war hero Frederic Rousseau. The same Frederic Rousseau whom she served during the Amelior Civil War. The same Frederic Rousseau sheâs been hiding from for the last five years. Millie knows a secret that could ruin Rousseauâs life, and heâll stop at nothing to keep her from telling the truth. With her violent past bearing down on the life sheâs built for herself, Millie has to decide how far sheâll be willing to go to keep her town safe. |
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Kindred of the Sea by Raina Nightingale Two common soldiers, caught in a war they did not sign up for. Corostomir and Aderan joined the Army to protect their people against pirates. Now they are called to attack Elethri, home of the sorcerous elves and new haunt of the nightmare â but when they march into the forest and wake from their dreams unharmed, they can't escape the suggestion that the story they've been told might not be so true. They would rather not die for a war they don't believe in. That leaves only one option: find a way to desert that won't get them killed, just as surely as pushing the elves too far will. This cozy fantasy is a tale of platonic love and adventure that will take you to new worlds and magical beings, including the dolphins in the seas of Alaer. |
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Ascension: Wolves of Goose Creek (Tales from the DarkWorld Book 3) by Ronnie Massey In a world where vampires, werewolves, witches, and all other manners of beings not only live their lives freely and out in the open but are some of the mediaâs biggest celebutantes, werewolf Still Waters is an anomaly. Although she is an honorary member of the Eastern Seaboardâs largest pack, Still lives her life as a lone wolf. But when a freak accident claims the life of a loved one, the delicate façade that is Still's life comes crashing down. Not only is Still forced to out herself, but she also becomes first in line to assume the position of alpha of her birth packâŚa pack whose members make it clear they want nothing to do with her. But with the chaos, there comes calm in the form of Dee Stratton, the one that got away. Where Still was taught to hide, Dee was raised to embrace her status as a werewolf. Those differences ultimately drove the two apart. But when Dee returns to offer Still support, the two quickly fall back into their relationship. Their joy, however, is short-lived when family skeletons from Stillâs past creep from the closet and threaten their bond. Now Still must fight for the very things she once thought she could live without, Dee and the Goose Creek wolves. Still will either rise to the occasion and become the alpha and mate that Dee believes she can be or walk away from her pack and her relationshipâŚthis time for good. |
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Forever Love by Abigail Taylor Leia's a bright-eyed dreamer, believing in destiny. Blake's an ambitious skeptic who thinks true love doesn't exist. Will these two very different women find a spark between them, or will it be a passing glance? Leia is creative and thoughtful, and when a chance encounter with Blake, a stranger, stirs something deep inside her, she believes it is the universe speaking to her soul. Blake, despite her success, feels something is missing from her life but disguises her discontentment with a tough façade, which keeps her from opening her heart. Will Blake and Leia be each other's missing piece, or will it turn out to just be a dream? Join Blake and Leia as they are swept into a journey of self-analysis and soul-searching that could change their perception of love forever. This is lesbian author Abigail Taylor's debut novel and part of the Looking for Love lesfic series. |
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The Skeleton Key by Justine Manzano Sword and Silk Books Teacup Dragon Coop Sequel to the award-winning Order of the Key Kyp Franklin can't move on. One year after his mother officially declared war against him, Kyp is still struggling to find his feet as the Order of the Key's new leader. He's far too concerned about tracking her down before she causes even more damage than she already has. In fact, that's all he's been doing. Until one day, after a particularly reckless mission, he returns to find a surprising visitor on his doorstep... Jacklyn Madison can't move on. One year after she left the Order, she has a new team, and a new mission. She's determined to close all the interdimensional rifts between our world and the Dusk, before more people die trying to stop the creatures that pass through them. But a vision she had while on the edge of death leads her to the one place she never intended to return ⌠Forced to work together, Jacklyn, Kyp, and their respective teams uncover Lavinia's next plan: an alarming mix of magic and science the likes of which has never been seen before. Jacklyn and Kyp must learn to work together again and confront the demons of their past if they're going to stop Lavinia and those assisting her before their larger plan is put into action--a plan that could bring the monsters of the Dusk to our world...forever. |
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Growth & Change Are Highly Overrated by Tom Starita Growth and Change Are Highly Overrated is a twist on the classic coming-of-age story that takes a unique and comic look at what we all fearâ having to grow up and abandon our dreams. For a charismatic man like Lucas James, life is a breeze because everyone else provides the wind. This adolescent front man for a mediocre cover band has been mooching off of his fiancĂŠe, Jackie, for years until she finally decides she's had enough. Faced with reality and having no income to support his carefree lifestyle, Lucas James abandons his principles and gets a job working in the stockroom at âThat Store.â How does he cope with this newfound sense of responsibility? He casually steals... After a life spent bucking authority, how will Lucas James deal with his manager, 'Victor the Dictator'? How long can he tolerate Ralph, a starry-eyed coworker who desires nothing more than to be best friends? Will Lori, a twenty-something cashier, be like everyone else and fall for his charms? Will he ever find a place to live? And is âgrowing upâ just another way of saying âselling outâ? |
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delta by Tom Starita Jason Carico is a grieving father, desperately trying to come to grips with the loss of his eight-year-old stepdaughter, Delta, who drowned two months ago. But if she's dead, then why is there a little girl claiming to be Delta locked up in his basement? Desperately wanting to believe her, Jason attempts to live a normal life while hiding his nightmare below. His anxiety explodes when his late wife's sister appears on his doorstep. Can he trust her? Would she believe him? And what will the police think if they ever find out the only African American man in town has a white girl trapped in his basement? The haunting motto of Mother's death cult tolls throughout the book, "The Universe has a plan, independent from the wants of man." |
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The Seal of Sulayman by Kyro Dean and Laya V Smith A half-human living in Qaf, the world of djinn and magic fire, General Bakr has always felt like an outsider with everyone but his first love. After two grueling years fighting a war that tore him away from his true love, Bakr is anxious to return to Earth and bask in the sunlight among his own kind. But when he is reunited with his young love, Sheikha Sezan, he realizes his feelings for her still burn hot. But Bakr returned from the war with more than scars. A lilith demon has made him her pet and the last thing she wants is to see him rekindle romance with his old flame. Sheikha Sezan, dis-enamored by her first loveâs abrupt departure and equally sudden return, is forced to come to terms with the terrible deal she made with the demon to keep him alive while at war. The demon, having kept up her side of the bargain, comes for Sezanâs magic djinn fire as payment, but soon makes it clear she had no intention of giving up her love affair with Bakr. Determined to save herself and Bakr from torment, Sezan sets out to find the Seal of Sulayman, a magical talisman that controls all magic in both the human and djinn worlds. The demon torments Bakr and Sezan in the meantime, weaving a web of deception to keep their wild love apart. With rival courtiers, love triangles, mystical monsters, a clever sphinx, the flaming Rukh bird of legend, and both of Allahâs worlds working against them, only trust can rescue Bakr and Sezan from the demonâs caprice. But communicating enough to trust each other is a difficult task when words ruin everything. |
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Love Is a Mental Illness by Franco Cardiello A therapist analyzes his toxic relationships. True stories explore mental health, abuse, breakups, and death. Narrative poems tell a linear story that reads like a novella. Cathartic writing is an honest attempt to heal and grow. This intimate collection is full of blunt and passionate self-reflection. Confessional poetry infused with psychology will educate and resonate. |