Humans live deep within an apparently lifeless planet covered by massive ice sheets. Having to survive in confined spaces has bred a unique culture where deference and non-confrontation make co-existence possible.Osaji's opportunities are limited by the need to care for her aging grandmother. But all that is about to change as circumstances push her toward a journey like no other.Nebula Award nominee* Views: 646
The story begins with a huge chaotic space battle between the forces of Earth and a revolting Martian Fleet. With no escape possible and faced with the total slaughter of the Martian race by the merciless and technologically advanced Crimson Fleet, the Martians gamble everything on a desperate strategy of surprise and unorthodox tactics.A young man dies, and a grim reaper offers to revive him in exchange for servitude. Responsibilities include saving other people’s lives and occasionally fighting unspeakable horrors. But this particular young man already has a few problems of his own, such as crippling shyness. No, seriously. He can barely even speak to people. It's really bad.Takes place in the modern fantasy world of Eleg. This book includes the first three story arcs of the ongoing serial novel. Views: 646
THE BEST OF ME is the heart-rending story of two small-town former high school sweethearts from opposite sides of the tracks. Now middle-aged, they've taken wildly divergent paths, but neither has lived the life they imagined . . . and neither can forget the passionate first love that forever altered their world. When they are both called back to their hometown for the funeral of the mentor who once gave them shelter, they will be forced to confront the choices each has made, and ask whether love can truly rewrite the past. Views: 646
In a case of love at first sight an amorous bank teller falls for a masked robber.Scarlett Lang always dreamt of becoming an Interpol agent. When her hard work pays off and she's given the chance to work as an undercover agent with London's biggest drug lord, Armand Sayer, she can't help being ecstatic about it.She's employed by Armand's sister (to aid in his recovery from a gun attack) as both caregiver and bodyguard. Her resourcefulness in both areas helps her win much more than Armand's trust, to the dismay of both his right-hand man and her ex-boyfriend / colleague.As she makes her way into the business she swore to help tear down, she's faced with the dilemma of choosing between being loyal to her profession or her heart. And we all know it can't be both. Views: 645
Told from a drummer's point of view, Drums: a Novel chronicles a small-time 80s rock band's run at making it big-time. The story moves from San Luis Obispo to Lake Tahoe, where the band chases the ultimate gig. Drums celebrates those musicians who achieve commercial success, as well as the 99.99% who give it their all, only to fall short from attaining mega record deals and glitz-glam fame.Boone is a lone wolf and bounty hunter living day to day and paycheck to paycheck. Boone lives for the money and the chase. He just wants to capture his prey, the most heinous of criminals; rapists, serial killers, etc., collect the reward and return to his secluded cabin in the mountains before the next full moon. Forced to team up with his biggest competition, a beautiful and captivating female bounty hunter with her own secrets, Boone is lured into a world he cannot escape. As he learns more about himself and who his father is, he can never turn back. His secret is revealed but who can he trust? Views: 645
When Brett pays his weekly visit to his mother at her retirement home, he’s annoyed to see a vase of agapanthus – now a weed in their new home – next to her bed. But his protests set off long suppressed memories for her. As Brett’s wife Suzie asks: is Mom confusing or confessing?If you've enjoyed this free short story, please rate it and leave a review. Thanks, Jonathan.When the one thing you live for is taken from you, do you let it go or do you fall? Jade, like any other student at Brushwood High, awaits the start of the school year with a certain measure of dread. Worse, she is being threatened by a voice that only she can hear—a voice that lurks at the edges of her awareness, haunting her and warning her of something unknown. She has always been able to count on her two best friends, Claire and Nate, but can she confide in them now? About this? Would they even believe her? Life takes a turn for the better when she meets Avan, a darkly handsome new student who, somehow, seems to drown out the voice and make her feel at ease. But Jade soon comes to realize that good things don’t last forever. When everything spirals out of control, she is shattered by something she never saw coming. Dazed and despairing, she must now overcome tragedy and embrace her true existence and a new but dangerous love. Will she be able to save herself and those she loves, before it’s too late? Or will she let the surrounding darkness consume her? Views: 645
Edith and Bruce Ottley live in a very new, very small, very white flat in Knightsbridge. On the surface they are like every other respectable couple in Edwardian London and that is precisely why Edith is beginning to feel a little bored. Excitement comes in the form of the dazzling and glamorous Hyacinth Verney, who doesn't understand why Edith is married to one of the greatest bores in society. But then, Hyacinth doesn't really understand any of the courtships, jealousies and love affairs of their coterie: why the dashing Cecil Reeve insists on being so elusive, why her loyal friend Anne is so stubbornly content with being a spinster, and why she just can't seem to take her mind off love...A wry, sparklingly observed comedy of manners, Love's Shadow brims with the sharp humour that so endeared Ada Leverson to Oscar Wilde, who called her the wittiest woman in the world.Love's Shadow is part of The Bloomsbury Group, a new library of books from the early twentieth-century chosen... Views: 645
Family Album is Ecuadorian author Gabriela Alemán's rollicking follow-up to her acclaimed English-language debut, Poso Wells.Alemán is known for her spirited and sardonic take on the fatefully interconnected—and often highly compromised—forces at work in present-day South America, and particularly in Ecuador. In this collection of eight hugely entertaining short stories, she teases tropes of hardboiled detective fiction, satire, and adventure narratives to recast the discussion of national identity. A muddy brew of pop-culture and pop-folklore yields intriguing, lesser-known episodes of contemporary Ecuadorian history, along with a rich cast of unforgettable characters whose intimate stories open up onto a vista of Ecuador's place on the world stage.From a pair of deep-sea divers using Robinson Crusoe's map of a shipwreck to locate sunken treasure in the Galápagos Archipelago, to a night with the husband of Ecuador's most... Views: 645
The hilarious sequel to HOTEL FOR DOGS (made into the hit movie!) and NEWS FOR DOGS! Andi and her canine friends are back for their biggest adventure yet -- Hollywood! When Andi's brother Bruce wants to enter a dog-themed film-making contest, Andi jumps at the opportunity to become a screenwriter. But neither of them expects what happens next -- a producer wants their movie! Can Andi and Bruce's show (and dogs) go Hollywood? Views: 645
The adventure starts here...
Imperial law enforcer Amaranthe Lokdon is good at her job: she can deter thieves and pacify thugs, if not with a blade, then by toppling an eight-foot pile of coffee canisters onto their heads. But when ravaged bodies show up on the waterfront, an arson covers up human sacrifices, and a powerful business coalition plots to kill the emperor, she feels a tad overwhelmed.
Worse, Sicarius, the empire's most notorious assassin, is in town. He's tied in with the chaos somehow, but Amaranthe would be a fool to cross his path. Unfortunately, her superiors order her to hunt him down. Either they have an unprecedented belief in her skills... or someone wants her dead. Views: 644
There's no joy in coming of age for Lexi. As a illegitimate third-born daughter, she knew the day only held exile from her clan-hold. Outside the walls of her home, there is only the unforgiving desert under the stationary sun of her world. Exile is a thin euphemism for death.Lady Arachne spins lies as beautifully as she weaves tapestries, but it’s her conceit that may be downfall. Challenged by the goddess Athena with a test of their skills, Arachne may have finally met their match. If she doesn’t learn to be humble soon, she may lose the chance to marry Prince Petros, whose dearest wish is to marry a kind-hearted lady. ---- This is the first book of the Magical Tales of True Loves series. This series of bedtime stories features old and beloved characters of Greek mythology together with new princes and princesses to spark your child’s imagination. From retellings with strange and wondrous twists to completely new legends and adventures, this collection will surely serve as great bedtime entertainment for parents and children alike. The stories may also serve as a reading and vocabulary enrichment exercise as they have been deliberately made to contain new words that parents may teach their children. Views: 644
The 1893 World's Columbian Exposition provides a vibrant backdrop for this exciting new mystery. Emily Cabot is one of the first women graduate students at the University of Chicago, eager to prove herself in the emerging field of sociology. While she is busy exploring the Exposition with her family and friends, her colleague, Dr. Stephen Chapman, is accused of murder. Emily sets out to search for the truth behind the crime, but is thwarted by the gamblers, thieves, and corrupt politicians who are ever-present in Chicago. A lynching that occurred in the dead man's past leads Emily to seek the assistance of the black activist Ida B. Wells. Rich with historical details that bring turn-of-the-century Chicago to life, this novel will appeal equally to history buffs and mystery fans. Views: 644
