A widower's marriage of convenience in an Amish community begins to resemble real love until his five children rebel against their new mother, putting a strain on the newly blended family. Views: 27
Retired in Los Angeles, Miss Withers investigates a Tinseltown poisoningAt Hollywood's most renowned cartoon studio, there are a few things you simply do not draw: snakes, cows with udders, violence, and death. So when Janet Poole finds a doodle of the studio's famous cartoon penguin with a noose around its neck, she takes the drawing as a threat. Someone at the studio has murder on the mind. The top brass reach out to Hildegarde Withers, a retired amateur sleuth who has come to Los Angeles to relieve her asthma. The obvious suspect is Larry Reed, a disturbed cartoonist with a dark sense of mischief, but on Miss Withers's first day working the case, something happens that suggests Larry is likely innocent: He's murdered. This studio may work in animation, but Miss Withers will find the violence on the lot anything but cartoonish. Cold Poison is part of the Hildegarde Withers Mysteries series, which also includes The Penguin Pool Murder and Murder on the Blackboard. Views: 27
A millennia-long war between two immortal races is about to come to an end. Long ago, the Vampire Elite began capturing the immortals called the Amiti, attracted by their unique blood properties. Now most Amiti live in underground cells, forced to serve as vampires' bloodstock. The few surviving free Amiti, preparing a final strike, have declared their Queen a traitor. Her execution makes possible the rise of a new Queen, her young daughter Arianna, who will inherit her mother's mystical powers. Working with the Keepers of the Key, Arianna may be able to eliminate the vampires, once and for all, from the face of the earth.The new Queen is the last hope to save her dying race--and she's ready to fight to the last drop of her blood.But the King of the Vampires has other plans.What neither expects is the passion that erupts between them.Based on an ancient Egyptian legend, Vampire Elite is the epic story of a bitter conflict between two immortal races--and the effect of that conflict on everyone living in its grip. The characters are driven to love and betrayal, vengeance and sacrifice in a world without easy black-and-white answers.Readers' Favorite Reviewers had this to say about Vampire Elite:Rating: 5.0 starsYou've managed to restore my hope in the future of vampire books. --Kim Anisi... a spellbinding novel of action, suspense, romance, and conscience ... the type of book that will make you read all day until you get to the end! It is deliciously addictive! --Christine Nguyen... this book torments your emotions with every chapter... Be warned, if you read this, you'll be longing for the next installments! --Dianna SkoweraThe characters are strong, complex and believable. This was a fascinating read and definitely a book for anyone who loves fantasy, romance and of course vampires. --Lit AmriReviewKIRKUS Reviews on Vampire Elite:An innovative take on the vampire mythos, fusing erotic romance with dark fantasy. Perhaps the most impressive element of this novel is its meticulously constructed back story featuring a vampire race born from the blood--and bloodlust--of a vengeful Egyptian goddess. To complement this new race, the angelic Amiti were created by Hathor, the goddess of love and beauty, to "unlock the love hidden within the vampires." Amiti and vampires were drawn to each other like magnets, and their union, called a blood-bond, promised to unlock revelatory powers in both participants. But the vampires, cautious of the Amitis' potential power over them, began hunting down and enslaving them, keeping the Amiti as bloodstock. The novel's main storyline revolves around two half-sisters, Simone and Arianna. The first Amiti queen, Istara, is their mother; Simone's father is Tor, the vampire king, while Arianna's is another Amiti. In a world where the two sisters should be mortal enemies, they're instead the best of friends. But can Simone save her sister from the enslavement that awaits her? The novel is powered by a cast of well-developed characters and virtually nonstop action and also includes subtle, significant themes, such as the innate capacity for every creature to love and be loved: "Love at its best...was a reciprocal flow of energy, but even when it was not flowing in, it could still flow out. Like a bird, love made its nest in every heart." That said, this novel will provide a fine meal for readers who enjoy literary fare with generous helpings of intrigue, action and supernatural sex.... From the AuthorWhat Makes Vampire Elite Different from Other Vampire Novels? VE is really about the interactions between vampires and the Amiti, an immortal race created to protect humanity from vampires. Amiti are literally made to be vampires' perfect blood source, the perfect complement to vampires in every way. The catch is that when Hathor created the Amiti, she wanted to make sure that vampires didn't completely dominate them, so when a vampire drinks from an Amiti, it creates a blood-bond that enables the Amiti to control the vampire. And, as we know, vampires like power, and hate to lose control, so before long they found a workaround: if they drained Amiti blood artifically, it lost its power. Soon the vampires were capturing all the Amiti they could, imprisoning them as bloodstock, and the free Amiti struck back--and the violence escalated from there. Now the remaining free Amiti are preparing to annihilate all the vampires. And the vampires, of course, are doing whatever they can to keep that from happening. Want to know how it all plays out? Welcome to the world of the Vampire Elite. Views: 27
Watch out, you diabolical masterminds! There's a new detective on Pancake Court: Bean! She laughs at danger! She solves even the most mysterious mysteries! What? There aren't any mysteries? Then Bean and her assistant, Ivy, will make some! Views: 27
A world of dangerous secrets stand between Dallas homicide detective Remy LeBeau and professional barrel racer Cody Lewis as they explore a love that could last through the ages - or destroy everyone around them. Here is their story in one spine-tingling collection:Relentless: Battling his partner, his attraction to Cody, and the demons of his past, Remy LeBeau must take the ultimate risk to catch a serial killer. But it could cost him everything - including Cody's life.Retribution: The homicide of a Dallas criminal lawyer puts Remy on a collision course with a professional assassin from his past.Revenge: Remy disappears into the New Orleans alleys as he closes in on the nameless faces who have controlled his life for too long, but his quest to save himself and those closest to him puts Cody in grave danger.Reckoning: The honeymoon is over for Cody and Remy as Cody's darkest secret haunts her, threatening to destroy their marriage. Death will have... Views: 27
CONFIDENCE GIRL comprises three interlinked novellas, which together create a stunning, novel-length portrait of Blake Crouch’s all-time favorite creation, Letty Dobesh.
THE PAIN OF OTHERS - Letty Dobesh, a gorgeous, degenerate thief, is fresh out of the clink and back to her old tricks—in this case, burglarizing suites at a luxury hotel in Asheville, North Carolina. But when she’s surprised by returning guests on her last room of the day, she’s forced to hide in the closet to avoid getting caught, and inadvertently overhears a hitman being contracted to murder the wife of a wealthy lawyer. SUNSET KEY - Letty Dobesh is coming off a bender and hasn’t had a job in months when she gets a very enticing offer. John Fitch, the ultrawealthy CEO of a major energy company, has recently been convicted of securities fraud. In four days he must report to a federal prison, where he will almost certainly spend the rest of his life. Fitch wants a female companion for his last night of freedom. But Letty is no high-priced call girl, and this gig isn’t about sex. The plan is to steal an original Van Gogh from Fitch’s island retreat. A petty thief by trade, Letty has never had a shot at this kind of payout. It’s certainly dangerous, but the money will set her up for life and allow her to regain custody of her young son. Besides, it’s stealing from a very bad guy. If all goes well, she’ll be on Easy Street but in Letty’s life, all seldom goes well. GRAB - Letty Dobesh: thief, junkie, pick-pocket, felon. But now, for the first time in ages, she’s also clean and sober, just out of rehab, and on a cross-country trip to reunite with her estranged little boy. Enter psychotic mercenary Isaiah Brown with a proposal that scratches at her oldest itch, something Letty has dreamed of all her life—the ultimate Vegas score. An ingenious plan to take down a casino that might actually work. All that’s standing between Letty and an inconceivable pile of money is the pick-pocket of a lifetime. One risky, impossible grab. Pull it off, and retire. But mess things up, and Letty Dobesh will lose everything she holds dear, including her life. Views: 27
Theo, our scruffy, big-hearted and quick-witted heroine, is not so much down on her luck as delivered luckless into a culture where the winners and losers have already been decided. Her adventures in getting over take her from SF to NYC, from dyke bars to telemarketing outfits, casinos to free clinics, finding the hilarity in soul-killing drudgery and bad teeth. Views: 27
Atlantis is besieged by violent storms, tremors, and a barbarian army. For sixteen-year-old Aerander, it's a calamitous backdrop to his Panegyris, where boys are feted for their passage to manhood.Amid a secret web of romances among the celebrants, Aerander's cousin Dam goes missing with two boys. With the kingdom in crisis, no one suspects the High Priest Zazamoukh, though Aerander uncovers a conspiracy to barter boys for dark spiritual power. Aerander's proof— an underground vault that disappears in the morning—brings shame on his family and charges of lunacy. The only way for Aerander to regain his honor is to prove what really happened to the missing boys.Tracking Dam leads Aerander on a terrifying and fantastical journey. He spots a star that hasn't been seen for centuries. He uncovers a legend about an ancient race of men who hid below the earth. And traveling to an underground world, he learns about matters even more urgent than the missing boys. Views: 27
