Robert Macomber’s Honor series of naval fiction follows the life and career of Peter Wake in the U.S. Navy during the tumultuous years from 1863 to 1901. At the Edge of Honor is the first in the series and winner of the Patrick D. Smith Literary Award as Best Historical Novel of Florida. The year is 1863. The Civil War is leaving its bloody trail across the nation as Peter Wake, born and bred in snowy New England, joins the U.S. Navy as a volunteer officer and is assigned to steamy Key West for duty with the East Gulf Blockading Squadron. While learning to command in combat, Wake battles enemies afloat and ashore, new to the politics and illicit liaisons created by war.Wake risks his reputation as a tough officer and smart decision-maker when he falls in love with Linda Donahue, whose father is a Confederate zealot. Their love is tested as Wake must make the ugly decisions of war in a beautiful, tropical paradise—decisions that will take Peter Wake right up to the edge of honor.
“Macomber skillfully describes tactical strategizing while providing the history of Florida's Civil War sea battles.” —Publishers Weekly“At last! Finally we have an American character the equivalent of Hornblower or Aubry, a sailor who can do the evolutions and the special missions, who makes things happen and is human besides . . . a rollicking sea adventure. Not to be missed.” —John Prados, author of Combined Fleet Decoded “At the Edge of Honor is a well-written, page-turning tale . . . and would appeal to anyone interested in the naval aspect of the Civil War, or of Florida during the period.” —Civil War News Magazine“Throughout the novel, the author draws stunning images of the land and sea along the tropical coast of Florida, which is a haunting contrast to the unfolding events.” —The Historical Novel Review“Here is a fiction novel of the Civil War era that introduces a character who will someday rival Horatio Hornblower. Well written by a man who obviously knows what a boat is for, and how to sail her.” —Latitudes and Attitudes Magazine“It's a wonderful first novel from an author who may be one of the most promising of the next generation of Civil War fiction writers.” —Civil War Interactive Magazine Views: 141
Bogwood, Washington is a pleasant suburban community with a special distinction--it has more garages per capita than any other town in America. Not surprisingly, Bogwood is also the "Garage Sale Capital of the U.S.A."
When retirees Doris & Clayton Fenwick decide to empty their nest of retro-modern antiques, they set the wheels in motion for a frantically funny "g-sale" involving Bogwood's most avid garage sale junkies: Angela Cocci (an obsessive market researcher), Ed LaSalle (a beleaguered computer programmer and creator of the cult fantasy roleplaying game "Caves & Beasts"), Dick Nickerson (a retired star of the 60s sitcom Pot o' Gold), and BJ Harwood & Helen Ziegler (partners and owners of a trendy retro-modern antique store). Views: 141
Immortality is a gift from the Highland Stag - but even the Stag has to face its fate.In a desperate fight to save her family, Corran commits the ultimate sin and murders her husband’s brother. With their lives in mortal danger, the family’s dreams of a quiet life in York are destroyed by the horrifying discovery that Angus was not their only threat. In a bid to save his wife and unborn child, Simon turns to a friend for help and billets his family in an ancient pub, where their lives collide with Robert and Grace Hamilton. Entwined takes you on an enchanting journey of myth, magic and history - a complex tale of entwined lives and twisted fate, alternative realities and dark risings. Views: 141
“Leave it to Peter Heller to imagine a postapocalyptic world that contains as much loveliness as it does devastation. His hero, Hig, flies a 1956 Cessna (his dog as copilot) around what was once Colorado, chasing all the same things we chase in these pre-annihilation days: love, friendship, the solace of the natural world, and the chance to perform some small kindness. The Dog Stars is a wholly compelling and deeply engaging debut.” —Pam Houston, author of Contents May Have ShiftedA riveting, powerful novel about a pilot living in a world filled with loss—and what he is willing to risk to rediscover, against all odds, connection, love, and grace.Hig survived the flu that killed everyone he knows. His wife is gone, his friends are dead, he lives in the hangar of a small abandoned airport with his dog, his only neighbor a gun-toting misanthrope. In his 1956 Cessna, Hig flies the perimeter of the airfield or sneaks off to the mountains to fish and to pretend that things are the way they used to be. But when a random transmission somehow beams through his radio, the voice ignites a hope deep inside him that a better life—something like his old life—exists beyond the airport. Risking everything, he flies past his point of no return—not enough fuel to get him home—following the trail of the static-broken voice on the radio. But what he encounters and what he must face—in the people he meets, and in himself—is both better and worse than anything he could have hoped for.Narrated by a man who is part warrior and part dreamer, a hunter with a great shot and a heart that refuses to harden, The Dog Stars is both savagely funny and achingly sad, a breathtaking story about what it means to be human.Amazon.com ReviewAmazon Best Books of the Month, August 2012: Adventure writer Peter Heller's The Dog Stars is a first novel set in Colorado after a superflu has culled most of humanity. A man named Hig lives in a former airport community--McMansions built along the edge of a runway--which he shares with his 1956 Cessna, his dog, and a slightly untrustworthy survivalist. Hig spends his days flying the perimeter, looking out for intruders and thinking about the things he's lost: his deceased wife, the nearly extinct trout he loved to fish. When a distant beacon sparks in him the realization that something better might be out there, it's only a matter of time before he goes searching. Poetic, thoughtful, and transformative, this novel is a rare combination of literary and highly readable. --Chris SchluepAmazon Exclusive: Author Peter Heller on the Star of The Dog StarsThe inspiration for Jasper, a Blue Heeler mix, who is an integral part of this novel.Our Hero, Hig, lives at a little country airstrip which he shares with his beloved blue heeler Jasper, and a mean gun nut named Bangley. It's nine years after a super-flu has killed 99.7% of the people on the planet. Hig sleeps out under the open sky at night with Jasper. He does it because he loves to see the stars, and because it's safer: if marauders come he won't be trapped in one of the nearby houses.He used to have a book of the stars, but now he doesn't, so when he's lying out at night he makes up constellations. Mostly they are animals, and he makes one for his best friend Jasper. The Dog Stars. It's Hig's way of reinventing the lost world, and keeping in touch with the things he loves.Jasper, to me, is the star of the book. He is fiercely loyal, and he gives Hig something to live for when there is not much else to hold on to.Review“Take the sensibility of Hemingway. Or James Dickey. Place it in a world where a flu mutation has wiped out ninety-nine percent of the population. Add in a heartbroken man with a fishing rod, some guns, a small plane. Don't forget the dog. Now imagine this man retains more hope than might be wise in such a battered and brutal time. More trust. More hunger for love—more capacity for it, too. That's what Peter Heller has given us in his beautifully written first novel. The Dog Stars is a gripping tale of one man's fight for survival against impossibly long odds. A man who has lost nearly everything but his soul. And what's so moving about Heller's book is that he shows us how sometimes a big soul is the only thing a man needs: the keystone, the center pillar, the hunk of masonry upon which all else will rise or fall.” —Scott Smith, author of A Simple Plan and The Ruins“Heller is a masterful storyteller and The Dog Stars is a beautiful tribute to the resilience of nature and the relentless human drive to find meaning and deep connections with life and the living. In this chillingly realistic post-apocalyptic setting, readers will root for Heller's characters and be moved by their toughness as well as their tenderness.” —Julianna Baggott, author of Pure“The Dog Stars is a giant of a novel that goes about its profound business with what looks alarmingly like ease. For all those who thought Cormac McCarthy's The Road the last word on the post-apocalyptic world—think again. Peter Heller has dark and glittering news from the future, and delivers it in prose that stops you like a wolf in the snow. Make time and space for this savage, tender, brilliant book.” —Glen Duncan, author of The Last Werewolf and Talulla Rising Views: 141
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. Views: 141
Belinda owns a Victorian salvage yard and is struggling to care for her young daughter, Andi. The bills are piling up, and she’s at her wit’s end when a new contractor, Rick Storm, shows up to buy up some of her stock. He seems the answer to her prayers In more ways than one. But when Belinda’s mother-in-law catches wind of the budding romance, she threatens to sell the business out from under Belinda unless she stops seeing Rick. Will Belinda have the courage to take this second chance at love? Views: 141
Eve, a runaway, finds a new job at a coffee shop on the outskirts of Tuscon. When she's approached by two wealthy teens who claim she bears an uncanny resemblance to their missing cousin Aurora, her life takes a turn for the dark and mysterious. Drawn into a scheme to win Aurora's inheritance, Eve finds herself impersonating the girl, who disappeared three years ago on the night her best friend Elizabeth died. But when Liza's ghost begins to haunt Eve, doing harm to the people close to her under the guise of "protecting" her, Eve finds herself in a nightmare maze of lies and deception that leads her to question even her own identity. She realizes her only chance is to uncover the truth about what happened the night Liza died, and to find Liza's killer - before she's next.This teen thriller by Michele Jaffe will keep readers turning pages well into the night. Views: 140
The second volume in an all-new Fear Street trilogy. Brandt thinks moving to Shadyside is great, but he hasn't heard the terrifying stories about his new home—99 Fear Street. He doesn't know about the headless bodies or bleeding walls. And he doesn't know that Cally Frasier still haunts the house and plans gruesome deaths for him and everyone close to him. Views: 140
Escape was impossible until it was cleared; a game over would mean an actual «death»―.Without knowing the «truth» of the mysterious next generation MMO, «Sword Art Online» (SAO), approximately ten thousand users logged in together, opening the curtains to this cruel death battle.Participating alone in SAO, protagonist Kirito had promptly accepted the «truth» of this MMO.And in the game world, a gigantic floating castle named «Aincrad», he distinguished himself as a solo player.Aiming to clear the game by reaching the highest floor, Kirito riskily continued alone.Because of a pushy invitation from a female warrior and rapier expert, Asuna, he teamed up with her.That encounter brought about an opportunity to call out to the fated Kirito―.The legendary novel made an appearance with browsing numbers exceeding 6.5 million page views recorded at the personal website. Views: 140