Lauren was a late bloomer, but so far her first year in college had helped her find her true self. She had lost weight and developed a whole new taste in clothing and also for the cute clerk at the department store where she shopped. Now that she was finding her perfect fit in life, could she find the right guy? Or was he as elusive as fairy dust? Could she find love with a little help?"Prior weaves a fully realized world in this rich fantasy, from history, political structure, and family life to work, food, drinking (lots of drinking), and romance." -- Kirkus Reviews"Carnifex is a masterpiece of sword and sorcery storytelling. A visceral yet thoughtful epic." -- Bookwraiths Reviews"Gritty, tense, and brutally tragic. High quality storytelling with great characters and a relentless plot." -- Mitchell Hogan, author of A Crucible of Souls and Aurealis Award winner. A name destined to be forgotten. A cursed axe. An atrocity too great to be forgiven.For more than a thousand years, the dwarves have hidden away from the world in their ravine city of Arx Gravis. Governed by an inflexible council whose sole aim is to avoid the errors of the past, the defining virtue of their society is that nothing should ever change. But when the Scriptorium is broken into, and Ravine Guard Carnifex Thane sees a homunculus fleeing the scene of the crime, events are set in motion that will ensure nothing will ever be the same again. Deception and death are coming to Arx Gravis. The riddles that preceded Carnifex’s birth crystalize into a horrifying fate that inexorably closes in. But it is in blood that legends are born, and redemption is seeded in the gravest of sins. For Carnifex is destined to become the Ravine Butcher, before even that grim appellation is forever lost, along with everything that once defined him. The long-awaited Nameless Dwarf origins novel, and the start of a brand new series, Legends of the Nameless Dwarf, Carnifex by D.P. Prior is a welcome addition to the sword and sorcery tradition that spawned R.E. Howard, Michael Moorcock, Fritz Lieber, and Lin Carter, and it picks up right where the heroic fantasy of David Gemmell left off. With tight point of view, complex characterization, and an abundance of horror, bloodshed, and the relentless march of an uncaring fate, it also carries the hallmarks of modern day grimdark that readers of Joe Abercrombie and George R.R. Martin are familiar with. Views: 277
There Goes My Heart: The Maine Sullivans Views: 277
Coming home from war can be hell.ll Jimmy Dalton wanted after fighting for his country was a quiet life. But a notorious gangster has other ideas and Jimmy finds himself in a war of a different kind.Jimmy Dalton is a man haunted by horrific events in Afghanistan, coming home,all he wants is to get his head together, and spend time with hisfather.Phil Duggan, notorious boss of one of the biggestunderworld crime families in London has other ideas. He is in troublewith the Russian Mafia, who are trying to muscle in on his territory,they have kidnapped his daughter in order to force him to do theirbidding.Dalton is persuaded it would be in his best interests touse his talents to rescue Duggan's daughter, the fact Duggan washolding his father, left Dalton no choice, and so he steps back into aworld he tried to leave behind when he joined the Parachute Regiment.Events spiral out of control, leaving Dalton set on a pathof revenge that may turn the streets of London red with blood, a paththat may not only destroy those he cares about; but also his sanity andhis very soul.But one thing is for sure Duggan will learn, to his cost, the true meaning of family loyalty. Views: 275
For years Colin Abbott has put his life on hold, living only for his elderly mother. With her gone he is alone, adrift in a world he doesn’t fully understand. On one sunny summer day he sets off from his mother’s grave, and attempts to take control, to learn to enjoy his life and maybe even learn to love again.“Thoughts and feelings, hinted at before, were suddenly blossoming. He knew then that he'd been waiting for his life to begin…”For years Colin Abbott has put his life on hold, living only for his elderly mother. With her gone he is alone, adrift in a world he doesn’t fully understand. On one sunny summer day he sets off from his mother’s grave, and attempts to take control, to learn to enjoy his life and maybe even learn to love again. ‘The Graveyard’ is where Colin takes his first steps away from his old life and towards something completely new and unknown and is the seventh short story in the ‘Diamonds’ Collection that also includes ‘Bewilder’, ‘Heart over Head over Heels’, ‘Bonfire Blues’, ‘Lily Green’, ‘The Devil eats Coleslaw’, and ‘Fading Polaroids in Reverse’. Views: 275
Melanie Jordan's life seemed perfect.Until masked intruders arrive at her house, demanding gold she doesn't have. A savage blow to the head puts her in a coma for four weeks. When Melanie regains consciousness, she learns her husband has been murdered and her ten-year-old daughter is missing.Private Eye Dan Reno begins investigating, but nothing about the case makes sense. Was there gold at the house or wasn't there? Was Melanie's husband hiding something? And what happened to Melanie's daughter?To complicate things, the case leads to Las Vegas, where Reno's loose-cannon buddy, Cody Gibbons, is trying to repair his relationship with his college-aged daughter, an intern with Las Vegas P.D.When clues implicate Russian mobsters and a mysterious African illegal, Reno tries to stay in the shadows, but once the crooks feel the noose tightening, they raise the stakes to a deadly level.And then, as they say in Vegas, all bets are off. Views: 274
'He who fights with monsters best be careful, lest he thereby become a monster’'He who fights with monsters best be careful, lest he thereby become a monster’While on stress leave, Detective Sergeant Mike Bridger is learning about the complexities of life through a book of ancient philosophy. Life was much simpler when Friedrich Nietzsche wrote his quotes, but he can see the obvious parallels between then and now. He knows in some parts of today’s society, filled with fear and intimidation, live many that have made bad choices.A late night phone call drags him back into the real world where an armed robbery has gone tragically wrong. Quick work brings an early arrest, but in the process, a chain of events is set in motion that will rock the Dunedin Police to its core.During a routine enquiry, Bridger comes face to face with an old foe who wants something he can't give. He makes a choice he thought he would never have to make but what he does not realize , is that this time, anyone is fair game...A fast moving story that races towards a tragic conclusion leaves Bridger with one question. Can a monster really be created…? Views: 273
Nothing ever stays calm in Possum Creek for long.After watching her husband make-out with another woman during her best friend's wedding, Katie has been forced to acknowledge that her own happily ever after is more like a B-rated horror movie than a fairy tale. Katie loves her daughter more than life itself, but she's pretty sure that Ian loves his Xbox more than he loves either one of them. Addison, the man Katie's been secretly in love with from the safety of the friend-zone for most of her adult life, thinks she's pathetic. At least, that's what his girlfriend told her.Katie doesn't know what her future holds, but she knows it's past time for a change. She's done wasting her life trying to please Ian while silently lusting after Addy. She's ready to move on and leave her feelings for both of them in the past.Addison Malone thinks the dust has finally settled after his sister's wedding. He couldn't be... Views: 273
This Sexy Texan Was Only A One-Night Stand. Until he became her client–then her fake fiancé! Penelope Brand's hookup with billionaire Zach Ferguson was casual. Until he announces her as his fake fiancée to avoid scandal–and she discovers she's pregnant. Now Zach demands they say, 'I do,' for their child. But Pen won't settle for a sham marriage. If Zach wants to keep his Lone Star lover, it's his whole heart or nothing... Views: 273
