An engineer battles a small town to see his sister released from prisonIt takes Reno three days to get from Peru to the Gulf Coast, and when he gets to Waynesport he has only one stop to make: the city jail, where his sister is being held on a murder rap. The way Vickie tells it, she saw her husband having a drink with another woman, they quarreled, and she went to the bathroom. When she came out, he was shot through the back of the skull. The police believe every word of her story—except the part about who pulled the trigger.Her husband was in Waynesport looking for a crook named Rupert Conway, whom the local police do not seem towant found. To save his sister's neck, Reno must wade through corruption as fetid as the swamps that surround this hellish southern town, where the alligators aren't the only ones who are eager to kill. Views: 44
Before Captain Hook annihilated England, before the Lost City was built underground, before Gwen stole his heart, Pete was a just boy living among the shadows. Determined to get himself and his sister out the rundown orphanage, Pete finds a solution in the seedy underbelly of London, a deadly place of scamps and thieves where survival is determined by cunning skill and bareknuckle bravery. But then one night, everything changes . . . In this dark reimagining of the original Lost Boy, Wendy Spinale weaves a stunning story of courage and heartbreak, loss and redemption as one boy is forced to face his past . . . and his future. Views: 44
A debut collection of stories by a poet with a "painter's eye for detail and pianist's touch for sounding the right notes" (Simon Armitage).Moving from remote, sun-scorched towns to the charged hum of Venice Beach, The Burning Ground is a collection of eight stories populated by men haunted by their past and by their dreams, set against the canvas of California, where beauty and bleakness go hand in hand. In "A Thunderstorm in Santa Monica," a man's unmoored lifestyle is reflected back at him after a long flight. In "Black Bear in the Snow," a divorced advertising executive tries to rekindle a relationship with his son. And in the title story, "The Burning Ground," a painter is haunted by memories of his former lover. The stories take familiar roles—the deadbeat dad, the drifting divorcé, the wayward man—and bring them new emotional depth, peeling back the layers to reveal interiors both unexpected and arresting in their complexity.Written with... Views: 44
Having defeated his enemies in Sector 25 and crushed the pirates in the Battle of Tracto, Admiral Jason Montagne of the Multi-Sector Patrol Fleet was ready - and even eager - to settle down to the task of rebuilding his fleet and consolidating his position within his home Sector.
Unfortunately, there’s no time to rest on his laurels.
Representative Kong Pao, a Sector Judge from Sectors 23 and 24, has come in person to plead for the lives of his people. The Judge's people are under attack and facing potential genocide, or enslavement, under Droid rule and he beseeches the only Confederation Admiral in the Spine for help.
Faced with the dilemma of joining a fight he probably can’t win, or sitting back and giving his people the time they need to rest, recover and rebuild, he’s left asking himself one question:
Could he look himself in the mirror if countless millions of lives were lost and he did nothing to stop it?
Will it be safety and the smart play, or another grand roll of the dice as he goes all in with the lives of those who follow him? And what will this battle-hardened, increasingly bitter Admiral do if he finds the elected Politicians of these new Sectors are determined to play politics as usual and blame everything that goes wrong on the MSP?
Find out in this exciting adventure of Admiral Jason Montagne and the MSP, the guardians of the Spineward Sectors.
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An ancient force slumbers beneath the holy city of Khule, bound fast by a spell of immeasurable power.
And though none knows this spell’s purpose, or even why it exists, that makes it the perfect find for Athala Dohn, wizard and scholar extraordinaire. Determined to prove herself and finally gain the power she needs, Athala sets off into the dark underbelly of Khule, where more than just secrets lie in wait for her.
To aid her in her quest and protect her from the dangers lurking in the shadows, Athala enlists the help of the Conscript Elise and a barbarian named Ermolt, two companions with as much loyalty as skill…a combination that’s more than a match for their foes.
Or so they think.
Because once Athala learns the truth behind the spell and what it could mean for the world, she knows she’ll do anything to secure it and bring about a brighter future, a new era—the Age of Mortals. And that includes making an enemy of the man who runs the very prison they’ve been trapped in, a sadistic deputy warden with the power to torture them all until Athala reveals what she knows about the spell and how to control it.
Ancients is the first book in the epic Heroes by Necessity series, a Dungeons-and-Dragons-esque take on the fantasy genre overflowing with rich world-building, diverse characters, and heart-pounding adventure. Views: 44
Sabah always knew where she belonged—with Berg—and what was expected of her—care for the other children the Mistress took in.But when a ban-wolf saves her life, things begin to change.Arjun isn’t like the other ban-wolves, the savage creatures which are barely human. He’s gentle and furious and as Sabah spends time with him, she can’t seem to get him out of her mind.When Berg betrays her, Sabah turns to Arjun. But in a world of darkness and control and danger, is there a place for two outcasts? Views: 44
Sean and Scarlet’s love progressed over time, growing until it became the blaze that it is now, but how did their relationship begin? In the prologue of the bestselling Forever and Always Series, we see the start of their friendship and their first meeting. When Sean meets Scarlet, his thoughts aren’t exactly chivalrous, and neither are hers. Were they ever really friends? Views: 44
