Flesh and Blood is the fourth volume in Bill Kitson's acclaimed Eden House Mysteries, featuring sleuthing journalist Adam Bailey and his partner Eve Samuels. When Adam receives a strange phonecall from an old friend, he and Eve find themselves investigating a ruthless murder at a manor in North Yorkshire. The victim, Stephen Pengelly, was not well-liked, and there seem to have been plenty of people happy to see him out of the picture – but which of them had most to gain from Pengelly's demise? Adam and Eve are as perplexed as the police over the method of the murder, which seems to have been accomplished with a strange weapon only previously rumoured in ancient legends. As they delve deeper into the case, unearthing more dastardly deeds, it seems the past has come unexpectedly to life – and death... Views: 22
At sixteen, Betty runs away from the small river town she’s always known, to live in Los Angeles with her father, an outrageous used car salesman and avid gambler. It is the first journey in what will be a remarkable life among remarkable people: Betty’s first job out of college is as Joan Crawford’s nanny, caring for the Crawford children at the height of the star’s career. Hollywood is about to play an even larger role in Betty’s life when she meets a young ambitious actor named Lee Marvin. After a whirlwind courtship and a trip to Las Vegas, Betty and Lee are married. In this unique memoir, both hilarious and touching, we follow Betty as she creates a family with Lee, and is by his side as he works with Marlon Brando, John Wayne and a host of other stars. She is the penultimate hostess and Hollywood Housewife. Nobody knew what was really going on at home - until, unable to take Lee’s womanizing, drinking and abuse, Betty leaves him and strikes out on her own. What follows are adventures that could only be Betty Marvin’s; from the building of her career as an artist. To a love affair with an Italian King, to dire straits as investment con artists leave Betty suddenly homeless. After years of the Hollywood life, Betty is left with only her car, her dog and her typewriter. Forced to employ all of her skills to survive, she comes out on top. This is the story of a woman who finds the real riches that come with learning the value of a joyful life. Views: 22
Can an injured wolf and a broken witch heal each other . . . Alice Sheffield tore her soul into pieces and hid them to escape a soul-eating demon. Free at last, she longs to rebuild herself as something new and stronger, but she doesn’t know how. Then a catalyst for change enters her life.Ewan Shaw was shot with an ensorcelled silver bullet that has tainted his blood and bound his wolf beyond his reach. He retreats to his friend’s rural farm to lick his wounds and contemplate his lack of prospects. Renowned for his cold detachment, he is fascinated by broken Alice and the heat she stirs within him.Then fate presents an opportunity. In bringing an old foe to justice, Ewan might find a path for his life and a way for Alice to confront her demons. But to do that, two broken people must heal each other, or shattered pieces will be lost forever. Views: 22
Painting an unforgettable portrait of the grand and petty motivations of the human heart, this poignant novel tells the story of Father Samuel Whiting, who simply exists, asleep in his own life, adrift in a loneliness of his own creation. When a circus comes to town and his self-imposed isolation is shattered, he gradually awakens to a world of possibility, embarking on a journey of discovery through the uncharted terrain of his own heart. Whiting's tale is one of insecurity and false hopes, of self-absorption and self-denial, and of reaching out and falling short. Finally blinded by self-delusion and at the brink of despair, a challenge to serve will change everything he believes about the true cost of love. Views: 22
Little Eddie tells some almost true Tall Tales set in West Texas of the 1930s. Guess what's true and what Eddie fudged on. Was it about the bear? Cage McNatt's prize sow? The skunk in the cornpatch? Guaranteed for a chuckle and maybe a tear here and there. Views: 22
A Twist on Tradition A woman has the Christmas Eve from Hell. Two cat shifters play naughty games. And a witch brings out the beast inside the man. The magic of the season takes on a whole new meaning in these three fantastic—and festive—novellas from some of the best voices in paranormal romance. Anthology includes: Tangled Tinsel by Vivian Arend Five miles of leather-clad leg is all it takes to lure Kyle Branegan out from his carefully hidden lifestyle as part of the Cougar Corp, a secret branch of the Shifter Enforcer League. He’s hoping for a night of fun and frolic, cat-style, no strings attached. With a sultry swing of her hips, Eloise Scott tangles him up in her ball of tricks, and just when he thinks he’s about to get lucky, she cuffs him—naked—to her bed. … An undercover cop in the human police force, El’s been given a top-secret mission to keep the big cat under her paw until he’s needed to testify in court in the New Year. Her decision to take him home for a quiet Christmas in her sleepy hometown turns out to be far more interesting than she expected. Her parents are suddenly rich, her old boyfriend is sniffing around and all six-feet-plus of sexy cougar male is sleeping in her bed. … And that’s before they announce their fake engagement… No Angel by Vivi Andrews When Sasha's boyfriend, Jay, is sucked through a fiery vortex to Hell, an angel reveals that Sasha's been chosen as the Champion of Virtue in the battle for his immortal soul. As a perennial offender on Santa's naughty list, Sasha can't believe she's anyone's idea of a girl fighting on the side of the angels. But if she doesn't save Jay, he'll be stuck in Hell forever! Jay—aka Jevroth—isn't surprised to find himself back in Hell. His visa to visit the mortal plane expired three months ago, but to steal more time with Sasha he's been ignoring his mother's demands that he come home to spend time with his new stepfather: Lucifer. Sasha has until dawn on the twenty-fifth of December to fight the Legions of Hell and rescue Jay, or be trapped there for eternity herself. But now she must decide if the lying son-of-a-demon is even worth saving... Freeze Line by Moira Rogers She can’t survive in his world, he can’t stay sane in hers A twenty-first century ice age dulls the magic that emanates from the earth. Shane Sullivan is a lone wolf above the freeze line; He has no desire to join the packs that range closer to the border, where feral instincts can turn a man into a monster. Not until the winter solstice, when he stumbles across a dying witch who needs his help to get back to her people–and her magic–in the south. Nadia is a powerful woman in her own world, but drained by her escape from captivity in a northern lab. She knows it’s foolhardy to trust a werewolf, but he’s her only chance to survive the vast white wilderness. The farther south they travel, the harder it is for Shane to keep the beast within under control, and as their mutual attraction intensifies, Nadia’s no longer sure she wants him to. Views: 22
Seven years after her the disappearance of her best friend, Linda Jackson, skip tracer Joanne Weeks must locate a witness who can put the man who Joanne knows to be Linda's killer behind bars - before he silences Joanne for good. Views: 22
Erotica/Romance. 42002 words long. First published in 2007, 2007 Views: 22
Leaked stories of strange new rules and codes of behavior indicate something's gone sour in the deep-space retreats of the super-rich corporate executives. Some say it's only the eccentricities of the powerful leaders of capitalistic society. But others speak of dark, twisted rituals, human slavery, and illegal experiments in banned technologies.Bren Marcken is a robot handler and strategist on a special team of the United Nations Space Force formed to occupy the corporate space stations and seize their technological secrets. To accomplish the mission, he's been authorized to field artificial intelligences that he considers just as dangerous as the enemy.Chris Adrastus is an aggressive, young executive whose careful machinations have carried him to a high position at the powerful European Union company, Vineaux Genomix. Instead of finding satisfaction, he's become disillusioned with what he discovers at the top of the executive world.Aldriena Niachi is a covert operative of Black Core, a Brazilian software company with a global sphere of influence. She's about to find out what Black Core will do for a technological lead. Do some kinds of knowledge come at inordinate cost, even for a super-corporation?Review"He held his breath, half expecting the power down wouldn't work, and that the machines would stay alive, and start giving him orders," the author writes. Bren Marcken's fear illustrates one of the biggest threats lurking in Insidious: artificial intelligence (AI) that turns on the humans who control it. In the world of this novel, giant corporations and governments are vying for interplanetary resources as they try to gain dominance. Intellectually superior aliens and AI creatures are also competing against each other, despite the humans' best precautions. Insidious is the name of a covert operation of Black Core, a highly influential software company. Author Michael McCloskey's debut follows three people whose purposes are often at odds with each other. United Nations Space Force Major Bren Marcken is in charge of the ASSAIL program, which is made up of AI creatures guided by humans. After each mission, the AIs are shut down to clear their memory. This protects against the threat of an AI realizing its intellectual superiority, and using it to enslave the humans. Meridian, a disturbingly precocious AI, is a source of pride and fear for Bren. Their first unusual encounter hints at the potential of the inquisitive creature. On a mission, Meridian reads a line from a plaque: "Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here, obedient to their laws, we lie." Bren tells him to ignore the message. At the end of the mission, which results in heavy casualties, Meridian startles Bren by asking, "Have you delivered the message to Sparta?" Slavery is woven into the story on several layers: humans enslave humans; robots control robots; AIs enslave humans, and so on. Though slavery is not legal, many corporations participate in forms of slavery both intentionally and unintentionally. The general distrust between different races and species adds a complex social dynamic to the story. Insidious is reminiscent of Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan space sagas. McCloskey's writing skills aren't on the same level as Bujold's, but the plot has many of the elements that make Bujold's books riveting. Fans of her books, as well as fans of science fiction in general should check out Insidious. The only hitch in the story's flow is caused by the adjective-rich description of physical settings. For example, the story opens with this description, "The skyscraper entrance flaunted polished marble floors, which shone in gentle arcs below a sparkling waterfall on the left wall." Fortunately, the descriptions become more organic as the book progresses, making them less noticeable. The end of the book, which keeps open the possibility of a sequel, leaves readers wanting to know what happens next. (4 out of 5 stars) --Foreword CLARION Reviews From the AuthorInsidious is the first book of the Synchronicity Trilogy, which is a concurrent trilogy, not a sequential one. The events shown in all three books occur at the same time, telling a story from three radically different points of view, each of which offers new information not seen in previous books. Views: 22
He's bearded, angry, highly trained, and has a job to do. She's the damsel in distress who's smarter than she looks, and doesn't want anyone's help. Could it be they both need something neither will admit to? Fate fueled by the laws of attraction may just decide for them. DUKE I didn’t ask for this. I was just doing my job, and they have the nerve to put me on a Witness Protection detail? This is crap. I’ll do my assignment, then go back to my job and what I love – kicking ass and taking names. I hadn’t spent 6 years in the Marine Corps to be put on babysitting duty once I’d joined the FBI. The witness they assigned me to, Rayanne, is an annoying, brainless blonde with a sassy mouth and a body that belongs on a website you had to pay to access. Not that I noticed or anything. RAYANNE I can look after myself. I don’t need anyone’s help, and the government is being ridiculous for putting me in Protective Custody. I'll testify against my former bosses and then go back to my life as a single girl in the big city. I love my career as a paralegal, and once this Neanderthal they’d assigned to babysit me is out of my life, I'll go back to it. I just wish he wasn’t so easy on the eyes. The beard, the hard body, and that voice. Why couldn’t they have sent me someone ugly – and nice? Because Duke is neither of those things. ABOVE PROTECTION is book 1 in the Imperfect Heroes Series. For readers 18+.** Views: 22
Miss Abigail Summers watched in shocked fascination from her window as a man leaped stark naked from his bed in the house across the way. He looked to be fighting the worst of nightmares. Embarrassment rapidly overcame female curiosity when they were introduced the following day. Sir Gifford Raven was a man of action, not at all comfortable in Bath's polite society, which was why the penniless Miss Summers intrigued him. Her dress was dowdy, but beneath her shyness he detected an impulsive young woman, a kindred spirit who could help drive his devils away.... Views: 22
