Decius Caecilius Metellus is happy. The weather is beautiful and he is standing for office (literally; standing, in the Roman Forum soliciting votes) with a sure chance of winning. And Caesar's ongoing dreary war is far off in Gaul. Decius is confident that another war looming over Rome, instigated by one Crassus against the Parthians (for no reason but possible worldly gain); will be voted down in the Senate. But the vote does not stop Crassus.On the day he and his troops set out from Rome, the Tribune Ateius Capitus, leader of the opposition, shrieks an ancient and terrible curse over the huge crowd assembled — a curse that frightens not only the man in the street but the highest Romans. When Ateius is murdered soon after, Decius, solver of past mysteries, has the ugly task of finding the killer. Fascinating details of Rome's mixed attitudes about the power of magic and the practice of rational politics illuminate this latest of Roberts's strong historical... Views: 20
"Fast Fiction Romantic - short stories with a Happy Ever After Ten years ago, Howard Donald Long II was run out of Bonnet Creek by vicious lies, his practice, family and life nearly destroyed by the dirty allegations of one family—the Rodrigues. Now, Howard Long III, known as Tripp, is back to clear his father's name, and he's got the money and the muscles to do it. Then he runs into Mary Belle Prudhomme. She'd been his closest friend as a kid, until they grew up, developed hormones and she rejected him. For Bear Rodrigue. She's still every fantasy he ever had come to life, yet now she seems vulnerable, alone. Tripp reaches out to her, and they find the easy connection they had when they were kids, as well as something more—forgiveness. " Views: 20
A Play For PowerPrincess Oria has one chance to keep her word and stop her brother's reign of terror: She must become queen. All she has to do is marry first. And marry Lonen, the barbarian king who defeated her city bare weeks ago, who can never join her in a marriage of minds, who can never even touch her—no matter how badly she wants him to.A Fragile BondTo rule is to suffer, but Lonen never thought his marriage would become a torment. Still, he's a resourceful man. He can play the brute conqueror for Oria's faceless officials and bide his time with his wife. And as he coaxes secrets from Oria, he may yet change their fate...An Impossible DemandWith deception layering on deception, Lonen and Oria must claim the throne and brazen out the doubters. Failure means death— for them and their people.But success might mean an alliance powerful beyond imagining... Views: 20
LIMITED-TIME OFFER:When Nathan Elliott disappears, can a Methodist circuit rider discover what truly happened? After an absence of many years, Nathan Elliott returns to the lakeside village of Wellington in Ontario’s Prince Edward County to be at his dying father’s side. Within a few days of his return, his brother reports that Nathan disappeared while the two were cutting firewood and no trace of him can be found. Shortly after, Nathan’s wife arrives in the village. Claiming that she can contact the dead, she begins to hold séances for the villagers.Thaddeus Lewis, a Methodist circuit rider, is outraged. Lewis’s ethical objections propel him on a twisted path. On his journey, Lewis encounters towering sand dunes and a mysterious wild boy. After coming up against greed, fraud, and murder, can Lewis learn the truth about Nathan Elliott? Religious conflict and political dissension all play a part in this tale set in 1844 Upper... Views: 20
A withering indictment of Dutch colonialism, Louis Couperus's The Hidden Force is a vivid portrait of fin-de-siècle moral and social decay.A mystical Javan prince and a promiscuous wife are twin challenges to Dutch Commissioner Van Oudijck's seemingly impregnable authority. As he struggles to maintain control of his district and his family, ancient local traditions reassert their influence and colonial power begins to disintegrate. Set at the height of Dutch colonial rule in the East Indies, this classic of Dutch literature portrays the clash between Western rationalism and indigenous mysticism through an evocative and sensual narrative.Translated from the Dutch by Paul Vincent, Louis Couperus's The Hidden Force is published by Pushkin Press.** Views: 20
In this national bestseller, a private detective in twenty-second-century Los Angeles fights to destroy the synthetic high that nearly ruined himNot satisfied with the thrills of being one of Greater Los Angeles' toughest cops, Jake Cardigan turns to Tek, a computerized brain stimulant which transports the user to any reality he can imagine. He's soon addicted to this fantasy-enabler—and it isn't long before Cardigan is accused of dealing. When he fails to convince the mechanized jury of his innocence, the state strips his badge and sentences him to fifteen years in suspended animation. Four years later he's awakened. His sentence has been changed, but no one will tell him why.Cardigan's search for answers takes him to Mexico, where a rogue scientist is attempting to rid the world of Tek. But these efforts have roused powerful enemies. Aiding this quest is the right thing to do, but for an ex-con, doing good can be the most dangerous decision of all.This ebook... Views: 20
She Stood Before Him Barely DressedIn veils and silks, she was almost more than desperate cowboy Parker Dunlap could bear. He needed a nanny for the two children he had just become father to—not a woman who put him in mind of a harem and Arabian nights! But there was a magic in her uncertain smile, a plea no man could refuse….Centuries of disuse had left Nesrin's powers lacking…but her eyesight was still sharp. The man she saw before her—in skin-molding jeans and a sexy Stetson—made her hunger for the touch she'd been deprived of for centuries. But to do so might mean condemning herself to eternal darkness in her lamp. Views: 20
Rosie Stanton climbed on a west-bound train to answer his ad for a wife and mother, everything she wants to be. But Tom Harris lied. He doesn't want a wife, merely a mother for his two abandoned children and a cook and cleaner for his ranch. Betrayed once, he's vowed never to let another woman into his heart. Sexy Rosie upsets all his plans and threatens to invade his scarred heart. How will he maintain his vow to keep his hands off her as she charms his children, his cow hands, his life? Views: 20
Domino de Silva appears quite the most innocent of girls: young, beautiful and pure. Her sparkling merriment charms all who meet her. But all is not what it seems, and a summer spent in Brighton promises every delectable temptation.Mr. Joshua Marchmain is reputed to be society's most scandalous rake: tall, flaxen-haired and wickedly handsome, with a dangerous allure that can disgrace even the most decent of ladies.An overwhelming force draws Joshua and Domino together--but there are those in society who would stop at nothing to keep them apart.... Views: 20
Kat McKinley, professional greyhound trainer and sometimes sleuth, is determined to find out who's behind the slow dog scam plaguing country tracks. But with a missing sister to find, races to win, a dead guy in the fridge, a night spent in the slammer, a suspicious police inspector, and a killer on the loose, will she survive to enjoy her new romance with Ben? Of course, Ben, 'the guy she'd want to be lip-locked with if ever the world came to an end', would rather spend time perusing the Karma Sutra with her—not chasing a killer. But if Kat doesn't find out who killed the guy in the fridge, she might end up dead herself.And with all those positions to try—that would never do. A new romantic mystery from the author of the first Kat McKinley caper Chasing Can Be Murder. Views: 20
After being reformed for five years in the Wyoming pen, the celebrated criminal Mugs Birdsong decides to found a crime academy that will instruct lawmen on the ways of means of lawlessness. He sets up shop in an abandoned orphanage in Rock Springs, and soon is instructing classes in bank robbery, train robbery, and various other sterling occupations. He sells autographed wanted posters, and persuades a banker to let him stage a mock robbery at the bank, for the benefit of his students--and that's when the fun begins. Views: 20
