Christmas bells ring with danger in these suspenseful holiday storiesMerry Mayhem by Margaret DaleyWhen single mom Annie Coleman unexpectedly arrives in Christmas, Oklahoma, police chief Caleb Jackson suspects she's hiding secrets. He'll be watching her closely. And his protection is just what Annie and her daughter need, as danger has followed them to their new home.Yule Die by Debby GiustiIt's hardly a happy holiday for medical researcher Callie Evans...until she discovers her ailing patient is her long-lost brother. And he's being watched by undercover police officer Joe Petrecelli. When the trio is abducted by a cadre of bad guys, Joe and Callie will have to fight to keep her brother--and themselves--alive. Views: 319
Conspiracy, murder, and magic...and the death of all they hold dear.
When the first wanderer--a common elf who isn't authorized to use the portal--is spotted on the streets of New Orleans, the king assigns Kameo Ryndel to assist in the elf's capture. But before she can intervene, humans with guns shoot the wanderer and steal his body. When Seth Lormarc, an Elite elf from a rival guild, appears at the scene, Kam suspects he is involved.
Seth Lormarc is in New Orleans to find out who was behind the portal breach, and his best lead is the intriguing Kam Ryndel. When he stakes out her apartment and finds her sneaking out in the middle of the night, dressed in black and leaping to the top of the nearest building, he knows there's something unique about the beautiful elf. That kind of feat requires magic. Ancient magic.
As their paths cross during their investigations, they develop an irresistible attraction, although there's little time for romance. The portal breach is tied to an illegal smuggling operation that has come to the attention of the human CIA. But the stakes are raised when Kam and Seth discover a band of conspirators and a rebellion deep in Elvenrude that promises nothing except destruction of their world. Views: 319
The Salving Of The "Fusi Yama" A Post-War Story of the Sea By Percy F. Westerman LIEUT. R.A.F. Illustrated by E. S. Hodgson Views: 319
A courageous leader who became the first American mandarin, Frederick Townsend Ward won crucial victories for the Emperor of China during the Taiping Rebellion, history's bloodiest civil war. Carr's skills as historian and storyteller come to the fore in this thrilling account of the kind of adventurer the world no longer sees. Views: 319
Some curses aren't meant to be broken . . .Lady Griselle Mottern is cursed. On her sixteenth birthday, an evil wizard transformed Griselle into a wolflike beast because of a past misdeed by one of her ancestors. Now, with her twenty-first birthday approaching, Griselle has only a few days left to make a boy fall in love with her, or the curse will become permanent, and she will forever be a beast.But breaking the curse isn't Griselle's only problem. An evil is lurking in the forest, one that is creeping closer and closer to her castle. Griselle will have to summon all her beastly strength to defeat this evil, even if it means dooming herself forever . . .Note: This 7,000-word short story originally appeared in the Von Flusshexen und Meerjungfrauen German-language anthology in 2020. Views: 319
Zach Adams is one of the best detectives in the country. Nicknamed Cowboy, he’s a soft-spoken homicide detective from Houston known for his integrity and courage under fire. He serves on a federal task force that has a single mission: to hunt down Dominic Abend, a European gangster who has taken over the American underworld.
After a brutal murder gives them a lead, Zach and his tough guy NYPD partner Martin Goulart feel like they’re finally on Abend’s trail. But things get complicated—and very, very weird. Goulart’s on-the-job enemies are accusing him of corruption. And Zach is beginning to suspect that Abend’s evil goes beyond crime—perhaps to the edge of the supernatural. As his investigation continues in Germany, Zach finds himself lured into the impossible. In a centuries-old forest under a full moon, a beast assaults him, cursing him forever. In the aftermath, Zach is transformed into something horrible—something deadly.
Now, the good cop has innocent blood on his hands. He has killed—and he will kill again—in the form of a beast who can’t be controlled or stopped. Before he can free himself, he’s going to have to solve the greatest mystery of all: How can you defeat evil when the evil is inside you? Views: 319
EAST COAST is THE WIRE in a rural setting as RCMP Sgt. Jerry Northup works to keep his narcotics squad motivated in the seemingly unwinnable war on drugs while raising three kids with his wife, Isobel.Her sentence is death.Evil turns the life of Ysane Wulfsingas, a woman of gentleness and peace, into a nightmare that drives her to murder. When a new enemy, the fearsome knight Fallard D'Auvrecher, charges headlong into her life intent on picking up where her former husband left off, her only defense is to guard well her heart.Captain Fallard D'Auvrecher holds the opportunity of a lifetime within his hand. To keep it, he must rescue Ysane Wulfsingas from execution, for the beautiful Rose of Wulfsinraed is the key to all he has fought for in his years as a knight of King William. Fallard must conquer not only the rebel commander who desires Wulfsinraed for himself, but also the demesne's serenely obstinate mistress.Though he has waged countless battles, Fallard soon learns the greatest challenge of all is the fight for the lady's heart. Views: 318
The second novel in Amelia Atwater-Rhodes's dazzling Mancer trilogy, Of the Divine takes place seventy-one years before the events of Of the Abyss, in a world where sorcery is still practiced freely—but at what cost?
Henna’s runes tell her that the future of Kavet is balanced on the edge of the knife. One of the most powerful sorcerers in the Order of Napthol, she is well-respected for her second sight. But the fragments she sees this time—blood, darkness, destruction—leave her unsure how to set the country and her lover, Verte, prince of Kavet, on the correct course.
Meanwhile, the treaties between Kavet and the dragon-like race known as the Osei have become intolerable. The time has come for the royal house to wield their unique magic to challenge Osei dominion, with Prince Verte serving as the nexus for the powerful but dangerous spell, and Naples, an untested young sorcerer from the Order of Napthol, a volatile but critical support to its creation.
Amid these plans, Dahlia Indathrone’s arrival in the city shouldn’t matter. She has no magic and no royal lineage, and yet, Henna immediately knows the young woman is important. She just can’t see why. And no vision could prepare her for the role Dahlia will come to play.
In Of the Divine, the lives of Henna, Verte, Naples, and Dahlia become irrevocably linked, setting them, and all Kavet, on a perilous path. As they struggle to survive, they learn that they are but pawns in a larger game, one played by the forces of the Abyss and of the Numen—the infernal and the divine. A game no mortal can ever hope to win. Views: 318
Mr. Gandiss and his son, Jack, ask Mr. Parker to help them stop the theft of brass from their airplane factory. While Jack and Penny visit the factory, a piece of brass is found in the possession of Sally Barker, and she is fired. Sally maintains that she has no idea how the brass came to be in her locker, and Penny believes her. With Jack and Sally\'s help, Penny attempts to bring the real thieves to justice Views: 318
Four strangers arrive at the solicitors' office of Puckle, Puckle, and Nunnery. They have never met, and have no idea why they have been invited. But they – along with a missing man – are descendants of the late Algernon George Culver Mayton, the inventor of "Mayton's Marvellous Mixture" and each entitled to a portion of the Mayton Fortune. But before they can split the money, the missing man must be found.They begin their search, but then Detective Sloan receives a call that one of the legatees had died following an attack of food poisoning. Now detectives Sloan and Crosby must determine whether the deceased merely ingested a noxious substance by accident, or if the legatees are being picked off one-by-one. And when matters of money and family rivalry are involved, there is almost certainly foul play afoot. Views: 318
This collection of literature attempts to compile many of the classic, timeless works that have stood the test of time and offer them at a reduced, affordable price, in an attractive volume so that everyone can enjoy them.This collection of literature attempts to compile many of the classic, timeless works that have stood the test of time and offer them at a reduced, affordable price, in an attractive volume so that everyone can enjoy them. Views: 318
By day, Fiona Fine is a successful couture designer, catering to the high society players of Bigtime, New York. By night, she's Fiera, a member of the heroic Fearless Five who can create and manipulate fire with her bare hands.
Fiona's personal life, though, isn't so hot. She still misses her fiancŽ, who was killed by ubervillains a year ago. Still, men admire Fiona's smoking assets, and she decides to get back in the dating game- especially after she meets Johnny Bulluci. But this notorious playboy has plenty of secrets to go along with his sexy smile. And, with two new ubervillains in town who are intent on raising hell, Fiona's love life might just crash and burn. Views: 318
A delightfully eclectic assortment of short works by the renowned author, including stories featuring her famous detective Inspector Alleyn. Fans of Ngaio Marsh, the New Zealand-born author and Mystery Writers of America Grand Master, will find much of interest in this unique collection. Included are short stories—some featuring Roderick Alleyn, "the nonpareil among criminal investigators" (The New York Times)—as well as essays and even a detour into true crime. And for newcomers, this is a delightful introduction to one of the great writers of the Golden Age of Mystery and beyond. "A peerless practitioner of the slightly surreal, English-village comedy-mystery." —Kirkus Reviews "Any Ngaio Marsh story is certain to be Grade A." —The New York Times Views: 318
Hurricane Breeze, Romancing the Geek, Relationships, Out of Sight, and Second Chance Rose. Whether it's first love, love confirmed, or love revisited, there's a story in this collection of novelette-length works to warm your heart.Whether it's first love, or love revisited, there's a story in this collection of short works to warm your heart.Hurricane BreezeCarter Worthington the fourth is the kind of man whose schedule is laid out in fifteen minute increments, while Tiffany wouldn’t know what to do with a day planner if she owned one.When a hurricane blows Tiffany Breeze into Carter's sheltered universe, he must decide if he's willing to leave the emotional safety of his orderly existence to experience the highs, knowing he'll also have to face the lows.Romancing the GeekStephanie's lifelong dream is to design toys—sweet, cuddly toys. Instead, she's hired as a glorified typist, forced to share an office with Brad, a geek, who's happy programming computer games full of explosions.Ignoring each other is their solution to co-existence. But when Brad has girlfriend troubles, he swallows his pride and asks Stephanie if she'll teach him how to talk to women. She agrees, but he's having trouble passing her exams.RelationshipsAmy’s ready for a weekend of solitude and pampering, but her plans turn to thoughts of a no-strings fling when she meets Greg.Out of SightSometimes being invisible is a good thing. Or is it? Alone with a captivating colleague, San¬dra deals with the reality of her marriage and herself.Second Chance RoseRose has had her chance at her one true love. Widowed, her home destroyed by a hurricane, she relocates across the country and discovers the special garden of the bedtime stories her mother told her as a child. When she meets Richard there, friendship blooms. But can there be second chances for true love?***With minor modifications, these stories were previously published as stand-alone shorts by The Wild Rose Press Views: 318