From the beloved, award-winning, bestselling author of The Cellist of Sarajevo, a beautiful, suspense-filled novel that uses the life and sudden death of Harry Houdini to weave a magical tale of intrigue, love and illusion.
The Confabulist weaves together the life, loves and murder of the world's greatest magician, Harry Houdini, with the story of the man who killed him (twice): Martin Strauss, an everyday man whose fate was tied to the magician's in unforeseen ways. A cast of memorable characters spins around Houdini's celebrity-driven life, as they did in his time: from the Romanov family soon to be assassinated, to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the powerful heads of Scotland Yard, and the Spiritualists who would use whoever they could to establish their religion. A brilliant novel about fame and ambition, reality and illusion, and the ways that love, grief and imagination can alter what we perceive and believe. Views: 958
Abbie Joules is familiar with her older brother's earthy high jinks, but she is shocked to learn that he would share one of his strange ideas for a good time with his high society date. A night at the town dump on a double date, in his best friend's mother's pink Imperial, does not end well as the boys entertain their dates with The Rat Stomp.The eighth in a series of fourteen books by Abbie Joules about her brother, Bendigo, as they grew up on their hard-scrabble farm in east Texas. In this episode, Ben's girlfriend, Corrinth, recounts to Abbie her experience on a double date with Ben, his best friend Billy and his date. Abbie listens wide-eyed with growing apprehension and humor as Corrinth paints a vivid tale of unlikely adventure, suspense and near disaster at the town dump involving a new pink Imperial, mounds of smokey garbage, hordes of rats, and a 'dance' Abbie is familiar with called, The Rat Stomp. Views: 956
Normandy. 1067.
England has been brought to its knees by the invasion of William the Conqueror and his Norman troops.
Lady Catheryn, an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman, is taken against her will to Normandy after the invasion.
She arrives, a prisoner, at the castle of Lord Geffrei, a ruthless invader who hopes to gain a ransom for her.
Her husband Selwyn is dead, slain in the Conquest, and her daughter Annis has been left behind in England at the mercy of the invaders.
Catheryn is treated like an animal, and left in a cell until she begins to despair.
When Queen Matilda, William the Conqueror’s wife, sees her plight, she takes pity on her.
Catheryn is sent to the castle of the noble FitzOsberns – but will her new captivity be any better than the cruelty she faced at Geffrei’s hands?
She finds her hostess cold and embittered, but when her husband William FitzOsbern returns from the Conquest, Catheryn’s heart is torn by unwanted emotions.
She becomes entangled in the quarrels and heartbreaks of her jailers even as she tries to remember her place among them.
Is she falling in love with the man who helped to destroy her homeland?
Can Catheryn betray her Anglo-Saxon roots, and her late husband?
Or will she break free, and find her way back to Annis?
‘Captives’ is a moving historical story of love and loss, and the strength of one woman even in the most dangerous of times. It is the sequel to ‘Conquests’.
'An enthalling saga.' - Robert Foster, best-selling author of 'The Lunar Code'.
Emily Murdoch is a medieval historian and novelist. She lives in York. She is also the author of ‘Conquests’ and ‘Love Letters’ in the same series.
Endeavour Press is the UK’s leading independent publisher of digital books. Views: 955
A Divine SecretA Loyal ProtectorA Forbidden LoveEve Collins starts her freshman year of college blissfully unaware that one revelation will challenge everything she’s believed to be true about her family, life, and future. Asher St. Michael is bound by his oath of protection. Caught in a centuries old war, Eve and Asher must fulfill their destinies...or will their love destroy everything?A Divine SecretA Loyal ProtectorA Forbidden LoveEve Collins starts her freshman year at college blissfully unaware that one revelation will challenge everything she’s believed to be true about her family, life, and future, and right in the midst of it all is Asher St. Michael. Mysterious and aloof, Asher is appointed to protect Eve at all costs. Bound by his oath of loyalty to mankind, loving her is forbidden. Dark and enigmatic, Gage Gallagher may be even more dangerous to Eve than the demonic army that hunts her. Caught in the middle of a centuries old war, Eve must choose sides knowing that the wrong choice will cost more than just her life. Can Asher and Eve fulfill their destinies or will their love destroy everything? Revelation is a page turning journey of self-discovery, love, secrets, and sacrifice. Intended for mature readers. Views: 955
Jockson Hawes is a detective with one very large problem - he is dead. Or rather; he isn't dead.He has woken up from a deep darkness and found himself sitting behind his desk, with flies buzzing around his face and no memory.In the chair across from him sits a Haitian priest, insisting that Jockson gets on with the task at hand, and talking of demons and talismans and a witch called Annie...Jockson Hawes is a private detective with one very large problem - he is dead. Or rather; he isn't dead.He has woken up from a deep darkness and found himself sitting behind his desk, with flies buzzing around his face and no memory.In the chair across from him sits a Haitian priest, insisting that Jockson gets on with the task at hand, and talking of demons and talismans and a witch called Annie."Do not forget, Mr Hawes. The talisman is your protection." Views: 954
You have heard the saying, If these walls could talk, what would they reveal? Gregory Beaufort, a prominent bishop who was sent to the affluent island of Bliss Haven twenty years ago, knows firsthand what it is like to live behind the walls of a dangerous secret.You have heard the saying, If these walls could talk, what would they reveal? Gregory Beaufort, a prominent bishop who was sent to the affluent island of Bliss Haven twenty years ago, knows firsthand what it is like to live behind the walls of a dangerous secret - while simultaneously fighting to keep it from being unveiled to his family. But when his youngest daughter, nineteen-year-old Asia Beaufort falls passionately in love with a boy from an impoverished background, their connection ignites a chain of events that force Gregory to face his ungodly past. Is it worth holding on to a secret that could wipe out his marriage and the family he so dearly loves? Shattered Dreams is the first book in the Behind Closed Doors series and it is riddled with thought-provoking situations. Come meet a new slate of characters who will take you on a daring adventure. Views: 954
Today is the first day of Quinton Carter's new life. The toxic guilt of his past left him in pieces-but one girl unexpectedly put him back together. Thanks to Nova Reed, Quinton can finally see the world with clear eyes. She's the reason his heart is still kicking behind the jagged scar on his chest. And he would love to have her in his arms every minute of the day . . . but he's not ready yet.
Playing drums in a band and living with her best friends are just some of the highlights of Nova's life. But the best new development? Talking to Quinton on the phone each night. She wishes she could touch him, kiss him, though she knows he needs time to heal. Yet shocking news is on the way-a reminder of life's dark side-and Nova will need Quinton like he once needed her. Is he strong enough to take the final leap out of his broken past . . . and into Nova's heart? Views: 954
Fantasy adventure at its best! This collection contains all seven books in the New York Times bestselling Septimus Heap series. Also included are The Magykal Papers, a wonderful full-color compendium of extras such as maps, guides, and journals, and The Darke Toad, a 96-page novella packed with the action, humor, and magic that make this series perfect for fans of Fablehaven or Harry Potter.
The series follows the adventures of Septimus Heap, who, as a seventh son of a seventh son, has magical powers. After he becomes the apprentice of the ExtraOrdinary Wizard, Marcia Overstrand, he starts his studies for seven years and a day to become an Ordinary Wizard (or maybe an ExtraOrdinary?). His adventures take place in a fictional world full of secrets and mysteries, a world where rats are messengers and can speak, a world where spells are common and where the dark forces are trying to penetrate.
Magyk, Flyte, Physik, Queste, Syren, Darke, and Fyre are the enchanting and humorous adventures of Septimus Heap and his friends in this magical world. Views: 953
Deadguy finds out the hard way what happens when you stand in the way of an indestructible villain.The Heroes face off against an indestructible villain who calls himself Rampage that has committed a string of bank robberies. The mystery deepens as a hospital, an empty bank vault, and a beaten Valkadaidan are thrown into the mix. Views: 953
DAIR (THE WILD SIDE #3)
ARE YOU READY FOR THE TRUTH?
I’d started writing everything about her down. I didn’t want to forget.
The color of her hair. The depth of her eyes. The stubborn shape of her jaw. The way her lips shaped words with such expression. The way her voice made my chest ache. The way she gave advice beyond her years.
The way she listened like she cared about every word.
The way she made me feel—Alive.
Every curve and hollow of her body was recorded, in my mind, and now my hard drive.
There was a bit of truth in every lie, and even if it had only been fed to me in the smallest increments, I wanted, needed to remember the real Iris.
Because in the end, there was one irrefutable thing that I couldn’t deny.
Hostage or hustler, sinner or saint, whatever she was or wasn’t, whether she lied to my face or taunted me with hints of the truth, all of this seemed always to defer to the more pertinent fact at hand.
She was mine.
Inconceivably.
Undeniably.
Mine.
After yet another shocking discovery, followed by a disturbing letter, Dair is almost certain Iris has left his life for good. He tries his best to move on.
Easier said than done, and when an unexpected and dangerous opportunity arises for him to find out what happened to her, he doesn’t hesitate to take it.
As usual, with Iris, the answer leaves him more lost than the question.
Every revelation is shrouded in mystery, and every disclosure leaves Dair more in the dark than ever.
And when finally, the messy truth is revealed in its entirety, will he be ready for it?
This is the final installment in Iris and Dair’s story
This book is intended for readers 18 and up. Views: 953
Isadora trains war horses for the Alliance until she steals a stallion to save his life. Hunted by government troopers and rogue berserkers she befriends a mute man who seems crazy. Yet he holds the key to the survival of the last free living people, a tribe of nomadic horse herders. John must use the Mirror to regain his speech, Is might be the only one who can help him survive that encounter.Isadora Drey, a citizen of the Alliance, a corrupt, totalitarian state, has been raised to do only one job— train the war horses to be ridden into battle by genetically engineered men, called berserkers. Horse and rider never return from these battles. Unable to face losing another one of her beloved horses, Isadora steals her favorite stallion and flees into a wilderness area, the Boundary. Hunted by government Troopers and rogue berserkers called Blueskins, she falls in with a mute man who seems crazy, yet he holds the key to the survival of the last free living people on the planet. But first he must regain his speech. To do that, he must face the Mirror, an Alliance-made monstrosity designed to kill any human or horse who approaches. Isadora, on her stolen war horse, might help John survive his encounter with the Mirror where everyone else has failed. Views: 953
The frogs held the secret ... a science fiction short story by David Wesley Hill.In the tradition of The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Indeterminacy, The Bourne Fancypantsy, The Bourne Mediocrity, and several other non-existent super soldier stories comes a knuckle hair-ripping yarn sure to satisfy one's blood lust as surely as if it were a buffet for blood with a senior citizen's discount.Out of every thousand soldiers there is one who is a born killer, and one who is a born survivor.Out of every million soldiers there is one who is both.Preston Hawk is... THE MILLIONTH SOLDIERWhat hairy mission is Hawk tasked with that requires such singular gifts?This short excerpt does not answer that question at all. Not even a little.The Millionth Soldier is a teaser of part two of the Violence Trilogy, which can be read in any order. Part one of the Violence Trilogy is Fight Night, a self-contained story whose violence is painted on the canvas of a boxing ring, whereas the Millionth Soldier uses the theater of war. Views: 953
Who do you trust when everyone around you has secrets? Stephanie Cooper's fateful meeting with James Knox, guitarist for indie band The Fury, in Carlswick village sets off an unforeseen chain of events. A family feud dating back to World War II threatens to keep them apart, but however great the danger Stephanie knows she must uncover the secrets hidden beneath the ancient roof of Knox ManorHonorable Mention San Francisco Book Festival 2014“Move over Nancy Drew. There’s a new teenage heroine in town, and her name is Stephanie Cooper…This page-turning novel will be devoured by young adults and mystery lovers.”Stephanie Cooper is visiting her grandmother in the English village of Carlswick before starting her university studies. Her new relationship with the charismatic guitarist for local indie band The Fury looks promising, but an unexplained death and a family feud dating back to World War II threatens to keep them apart. As Stephanie delves into the mysterious circumstances surrounding her great-aunt’s death, she begins to uncover the secrets and deceptions of a previous generation. Village gossip about a tragic wartime romance is mingled with whispers of clandestine visitors, art smuggling and perhaps, collaboration with the Nazis.Someone does not want Stephanie to discover the truth about her family's past. That someone may kill to stop her. Views: 953
From #1 *New York Times* bestselling author Kresley Cole comes *The Professional*—the second scorching installment in her Game Maker series, an erotica collection that has readers asking: *How hot is too hot?*
*He makes the rules...*
Mafiya enforcer Aleksandr "The Siberian" Sevastyan’s loyalty to his boss is unwavering, until he meets the boss’s long-lost daughter, a curvy, tantalizing redhead who haunts his mind and heats his blood like no other. Ordered to protect her, Sevastyan will do anything to possess her as well—on his own wicked terms.
*Rules are made to be broken...*
PhD student Natalie Porter had barely recovered from her first sight of the breathtakingly gorgeous Sevastyan before the professional hit man whisks her away to Russia, thrusting her into a world of extreme wealth and wanton pleasures. With every day she spends under his protection, she falls deeper under his masterful spell.
*Are you ready to play?*
Yet all is not as it seems. To remove Natalie from an enemy’s reach, Sevastyan spirits her into hiding. From an opulent palace in Russia to the decadent playgrounds of the mega-wealthy in Paris, the two lovers will discover that even their darkest—and most forbidden—fantasies can come true... Views: 953
