Eleven Christmas Eves ago, young Libby Taylor said goodbye to her newborn son. With only her music dreams to keep her going, she vowed to someday make a life he could be part of. With a recording contract on the horizon, now seems like the perfect time, but an accident on an icy road sends Libby on a strange detour. Badly injured and alone, she finds herself guided on a spiritual journey of discovery by the imagined ghosts of idolized music legends whose own mistakes mirror her personal choices. Forced to examine the consequences of her past, present, and even her future, will Libby learn from the mistakes of the past before it's too late, or will she survive only to lose everything that truly matters - including a chance for love? Views: 25
Newlywed Caitlin Shetterly and her husband, Dan Davis, two hardworking freelancers, began their lives together in 2008 by pursuing a lifelong, shared dream of leaving Maine and going West. At first, California was the land of plenty. Quickly, though, the recession landed, and a surprise pregnancy that was also surprisingly rough made Caitlin too sick to work. By December, every job Dan had lined up had been canceled, and though he pounded the pavement, from shop to shop and from bar to bar, he could not find any work at all. By March 2009, every cent of the couple's savings had been spent.So, a year after they'd set out with big plans, Caitlin and Dan packed up again, this time with a baby on board, to make their way home to move in with Caitlin's mother. As they drove, Caitlin blogged about their situation and created audio diaries for NPR's Weekend Edition—and received an astounding response. From all across the country, listeners offered help, opening their... Views: 25
HOME SCHOOLING: The Fire Night Ball is the debut novel in a trilogy.Set in 1977 at the height of sexual revolution, this cautionary tale about a rude moral awakening heats up when an unplanned pregnancy throws a curve ball into the heroine's erotic, vainglorious dreams of a rosy future with her powerful client. Marlena Bellum, blessed with modest paranormal ability, is a beautiful San Francisco architect who's back in her home town of Alta, Wyoming, for a holiday family reunion with her mother and older cousin. The three similarly gifted women have much to catch up on. But will the youngest survive to see 1978? Enter the ancestral curse, underlined by a lurid hexing from mannish Letty Brown-Hawker, who is obsessed by Marlena's physical resemblance to a notorious ancestor, Cassandra Vye. A remote mountain outpost, Alta has a history of witch-hunts among a faction of the natives. The religious fanatics are bent on ridding the town of Satanic influence by targeting B. L. Zebub's Poolhall Saloon, a hip private club at the castle-like five-diamond Alta Hotel. Marlena is the brains behind its design and phenomenal success. Fatefully, her torrid relationship with owner/development mogul Harry Drake echoes the storyline of an accursed couple from 1900 who were ancestors of the illicit lovers. Their connection awakens an ancestral curse. Marlena is looking into her crystal ball for a happily-ever-after, but she keeps getting tripped up by the past. Harry is looking for a three-way romp and blames his mistress for surreal vandalism that is threatening his bottom line. Meantime, she discovers her ancestral Victorian home is slated to be sacrificed on the altar of real estate development. Should she pit herself against Harry's entrenched interests and align herself with a native who champions historic preservation?A budding romance develops between Marlena and small town doctor Ron Huddleston, an old flame still carrying the torch. Her estranged husband comes to town in hopes of rescuing the marriage. The older kinswomen advising her are motivated by their own hidden agendas. Faced with these competing interests and her lover's silence, Marlena is tempted to drop everything and run away to Key West, where a job rehabbing a mansion for a wealthy lesbian can be had for a snap of her fingers. During the reunion week, those who want something from her and the fanatics after her are thrown together in close quarters, with the ancestral curse never far behind. Will the two deaths foretold by the curse hold true? Will the "pink house" be saved from the wrecking ball? Is Dr. Ron the silver lining in the storm clouds gathering around Marlena? Her journey of decision comes to a dramatic conclusion as this darkly comic spellbinder climaxes amid bonfires, natural disasters, and attempted murder at the Christmas Fire Night Ball. Views: 25
Under the covers, these lovers come alive! Katie MacAlister conjures supernatural sparks in Shades of Gray A TV crew is filming a paranormal reality show on the grounds of an imposing old Czech Republic estate. But the electric passion behind the camera is what’s out of this world. When Noelle, a Guardian, meets vampire Grayson, who has roamed for three centuries, she awakens an aching hunger in him that only her touch can relieve. . . . Molly Harper cooks up laughter and thrills in Undead Sublet After overworked Chicago chef Tess flips out (can everyone hear that arugula talking, or is it just me?), she rents a quiet house in Half-Moon Hollow for a month of R & R. But when she finds the place occupied by a drop-dead gorgeous vampire, Tess’s tastes—for comfort food, for small Kentucky towns, and for her irresistible lover—become nearly insatiable! Jessica Sims excites the senses in Out with a Fang When lonely were-jaguar Ruby consults a paranormal matchmaker, she hopes to finally move on from a heart-wrenching breakup with her one true love, a forbidden human. Nervously agreeing to a blindfolded first date with a vampire, she finds the spicy scent of him intoxicating, his voice low, sexy, and so very familiar. . . .About the AuthorKatie MacAlister’s novels have been translated into numerous languages and are regulars on the New York Times, USA TODAY, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. She also writes for the young adult audience as Katie Maxwell. Katie lives in the Pacific Northwest. You can visit her website at KatieMacAlister.com. Molly Harper worked for six years as a reporter and humor columnist for The Paducah Sun. Molly lives in western Kentucky with her family. Jessica Sims lives near Ft. Worth, Texas with her husband. She has some cats, plays video games, and confesses to reading comic books. Views: 25
An Interpol agent playing a dangerous game. A Mafia princess desperate to escape. A man determined to exact retribution... Intent on imprisoning his Mafia don father, Nick Clarkston poses as a dirty agent and allies with another mobster. But when he falls for the man's alluring daughter, will Nick's unrelenting drive for justice get them both killed? Views: 25
An epic yarn based on the true story of a great Australian war horse who rode with bravery and valour at Gallipoli, the desert campaigns of Egypt, and Palestine.Bill was massive. He had power, intelligence and unmatched courage. In performance and character he stood above all the other 200,000 Australian horses sent to the Middle East in the Great War. But as war horses go he had one serious problem. No one could ride him but one man - Major Michael Shanahan. Some even thought Bill took a sneering pleasure in watching would-be riders hit the dust.Bill the Bastard is the remarkable tale of a bond between a determined trooper and his stoic but cantankerous mount. They fought together. They depended on each other for their survival. And when the chips were down, Bill's heroic efforts and exceptional instincts in battle saved the lives of Shanahan and four of his men.By September 1918, 'Bill the Bastard' was known by the entire Light Horse force, who used his name... Views: 25
Three thousand years ago the gods came from the skies to save the world of man from the tyrannies of the Kings and Queens. Some fell to their knees and prayed before the gods who called themselves the Keepers and some took to the sword to fight alongside the Kings and Queens in the wars of Deliverance. All fell before the might of the gods from the skies. For three thousand years the five Keepers have ruled the world of men. But times are changing. A new Captain of the Watch is haunted by dead loved ones returning to him, whispering from the shadows even as he does the bidding of dark-eyed agents of the Keepers. A woman has to flee her home, hunted because of her dreams, dreams of mysterious old gods and the people who worshipped them. And a man who defied the Keepers joins the Seekers in their search for the birthplace of the Blood Lord, a quest that will have him questioning his very identity.Times are changing and the history of a world that has forgotten its own past will fight for the right to be remembered, brother will fight brother, father will fight son and one day the mystery of the gods from the skies will be answered.Genre: Dark FantasyLength: 166,000 wordsCover Art and Design: Steve Criado Views: 25
This brilliant new installment in bestselling author Susan Carroll’s mesmerizing Dark Queen historical fiction series is perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory. Queen Catherine de Medici is dead, and for Meg Wolfe—successor in a line of legendary healers and mystics known as “daughters of the earth”—it is a time of new beginnings. She strives to be ordinary, invisible in the mists of Faire Isle, and is determined to put the terrifying days of a wicked mother and turbulent childhood behind her. But soon a summons from King James will rekindle a menacing power from the past, bringing haunting visions of a nightmare already unfolding—and a shattering mystery steeped in magic that will determine a destiny from which she cannot hide. Meg’s task: Save the king from the most insidious form of treachery, invisible to those who do not possess Meg’s extraordinary gifts. But as Meg discovers, there are more sinister motivations at play in the king’s world. Torn between two very different men whose motives and secrets are tied inexorably to her own fate, Meg learns that she can no longer trust anyone or anything—not even her own heart. Praise for Susan Carroll’s Twilight of a Queen “[Susan] Carroll’s vivid portrayal of Catherine de Medici is mesmerizing, but the evil queen does not overshadow either the romance or the strong characterization and plot that are Carroll’s hallmarks.”—RT Book Reviews “Fascinating . . . full of twists and turns and a lot of intriguing historical detail.”—Night Owl ReviewsFrom the Trade Paperback edition. Views: 25
An Italian fisherman and his wife, Rosa, live in Sydney. Hard times are ahead. Their mortgaged boat may be lost and with it, their livelihood. But Rosa has a plan to reach the coast of America from the islands of the Pacific, sailing on a beleaguered little houseboat. The plan seems almost perfect, especially when Willie appears and has his own reasons for taking a long holiday to the land of opportunity. Views: 25
