When the world falls, heroes will rise and fight for truth, justice, and their hearts.Overnight, a tyrannical, mysterious power takes control of the world. The state are ruthless and deadly. In the aftermath, the population is controlled by an unbending hypnotic suggestion that keeps people compliant. But some know the truth, and this group of resistance fighters won’t stop until the state are destroyed.In a world tipped on its head, Doctor Annie Grimwald—a distinguished lecturer at Helstone University—is anxious. Her father, an eccentric dragon relic hunter, is missing. She’s tried everything to find him, and won’t rest until she's discovered what happened. In a moment of rashness, Annie contacts disgraced, brilliant, and gorgeous Heath Ember. Once a maverick, passionate lecturer, he's now ostracized and branded a criminal for arguing the state are a lie and an aberration who must be destroyed. But Annie is desperate, and Heath is someone she trusts. But at what cost?When Heath and his brothers accept Annie’s plea, they find themselves in the brutal Badlands, infiltrating a state-run prison and discovering just how strange the world has become. Annie insists on going on this mission, determined to help her father and figure out why her memories conflict with the truth from the state. What do her flashes of memory containing dragons mean? And why does the state rule so fiercely against anyone who questions them?Heath Ember is a fighter. He leads a group of stubborn, headstrong, brilliant warriors who fight to destroy the mysterious, deadly world leaders, restore the rightful powers, and protect the innocent. That includes his former colleague, the smart, and stubborn Annie, who makes him pause and wonder if there could be love among the ruins. Could there be hope in the dust, and a chance of happiness that seems like a distant, twisted memory? They find themselves fighting together and battling the state and their desire. Heath realizes love and Annie are the most important things. She ignites a fire in him he’s stamped on, and he never wants it to die. Whatever it takes, he will keep Annie safe.Note to readers: This post-apocalyptic, dystopian sci-fi contains romance with action (think mysterious, tyrannical powers, gunfights, and hand-to-hand combat), battle-hardened warriors (my gorgeous, former soldiers and brothers) and life-changing, smile-inducing, heart clenching romance.Q & A with the AuthorQ - How would you describe the series?A – Love wins against everything. It makes broken men heal, bitter women laugh, and damaged people use their last breath to save the things and people they love the most. It’s about the toughness of the human spirit, not giving up against something deadly and dangerous. The series is science fiction romance with a dose of dystopian sharpness and a dash of military might and muscle. There’s full on adventure and lots of romance - although not too steamy. The bonds of love, friendship, and family run through the books. Not just the brothers' bond but the deep bonds formed when people fight together in extreme adversity.Q - Why did you write this series?A – Heroes rising against impossible odds. Love, action, romance, all mixed up. Swoon! Science fiction opens new possibilities for forming unbreakable bonds between people fighting for their lives. I love the idea of a strong family, working together to protect themselves and fighting for something so much bigger; their soulmate and the planet.Q - What order should I read them? A - The books have stand-alone romances in them, but the action arc grows with each book. Characters from earlier stories appear in later books and it adds to the experience to read them in order. Views: 17
The letter that introduced twelve-year-old Sarah Jane Lyon-White to Isabelle Harton, who ran the Harton School in central London, seemed quite simple and straightforward. But it was what was not written in the letter that resonated to Isabelle's own finely turned 'extra' senses - 'Sarah has gifts we cannot train,' the letter whispered to her, 'nor can anyone we know. Those we trust tell us that you can...'. And it was true, for the Harton School was far from ordinary. It was Isabelle's job to train children who possessed the odd types of magic that could not be trained by London's powerful Elemental Masters - clairvoyants, telepaths, those with the ability to sense hidden danger, the vision to see into the past, and even that rarest of all talents - the ability to see and communicate with the dead. But Isabelle was uneasy, for though she knew that Sarah Jane had a touch of telepathy, there seemed to be something else about the girl - something that had not yet manifested. And Isabelle was right to be worried, for as soon as Sarah's full talents became evident, there was an attempt made on her life. For Sarah was that rarest of magicians - a true medium, and for some reason, a powerful Elemental Master wanted her dead. Isabelle knew that to protect her ward she would have to seek help from the Elemental Masters of the city. That meant she would also see Lord David Alderscroft, the man she had once loved, but who had inexplicably chilled toward her and broken her heart long ago - for he was the leader of the city's Elemental Masters, the man who was now called the Wizard of London. Views: 17
Vampires, strippers, escorts, night clubs, gangs, pimps and corrupt cops, the Nightlife of New York is never boring.Is she a beautiful blond guardian angel as he imagined, or something else entirely? When Michelle saves Aaron's life she shares the benefits of her blood (after getting him shot accidentally). He awakes a changed man, living in a purgatory of eternal night, never to see the sunrise again.Michelle drags Aaron through a hardcore learning curve of vampiric slavery. Forced to adapt to servitude, Aaron is subject to her authority of compulsion. She orders him around like a puppet on a string, a dog on a very short leash. First things first, he must learn to feed properly without creating bloodslaves (humans addicted to the powerful drug-like effect of their venomous bite).And then she puts him to work-a male escort in the sex trade-same as Michelle. Aaron walks a tightrope of strictly controlled feeding regiments and intensely erotic sexual adventures while catering to the neurotic control-freak tendencies of his new master. It's do or die, Michelle vows to eliminate him if he proves too difficult to control. The real kicker-amidst all these shocking and degrading adjustments, Aaron finds he's falling in love.Can he maintain and keep a sliver of his humanity intact? Innocence is a luxury few can afford in the decadent nightlife of New York. In a world where sex, blood, and power over women is so readily accessible, Aaron struggles against the predatory instincts deeply rooted in his new psyche. He must find his way quickly, practicing rigid self-control, or risk the consequences of Michelle's wrath. Views: 17
In the Shadow of the Towers compiles nearly twenty works of speculative fiction responding to and inspired by the events of 9/11, from writers seeking to confront, rebuild, and carry on, even in the face of overwhelming emotion.Writer and editor Douglas Lain presents a thought-provoking anthology featuring a variety of award-winning and best-selling authors, from Jeff VanderMeer (Annihilation) and Cory Doctorow (Little Brother) to Susan Palwick (Flying in Place) and James Morrow (Towing Jehovah). Touching on themes as wide-ranging as politics, morality, and even heartfelt nostalgia, today's speculative fiction writers prove that the rubric of the fantastic offers an incomparable view into how we respond to tragedy.Each contributor, in his or her own way, contemplates the same question:How can we continue dreaming in the shadow of the towers? Views: 17
One decision can change the course of history, but would the results be so dramatically different if, simply, Kaiser Wilhelm II had persisted against the advice of his military commanders and ordered his troops already massed at the Belgian border in 1914 to re-deploy to the east against Russia instead?It nearly happened. Really. The Kaiser did order the invasion of Belgium halted, and yet it went ahead, bringing Great Britain and the rest of the British Empire into the war.This book explores what would have happened if the Kaiser’s decision had not been reversed and his troops had not crossed the Belgian border. It is fiction, of course, but the characters are real and, most of them, precisely where they were and where they would have been fulfilling their historical roles at that time.The story is vivid, realistic and exciting, following the action, the intrigue, the political upheavals as well as political apathy and inertia, meticulously researched and accurate in military and historical detail. Views: 17
Adda and Iridian have survived the murderous AI that tried to kill them in Barbary Station...but now they'll need all of their ingenuity to escape the evil megacorporation that wants to own them, in this second space adventure in the Shieldrunner Pirates trilogy. Adda Karpe and Iridian Nassir have escaped the murderous AI that was trapping them on Barbary Station, and earned themselves a place on Captain Sloane's fabled pirate crew. And now that they've arrived at Vesta, Sloane's home base, they can finally start making a living stealing from well-off megacorporations. Unfortunately, the political situation has deteriorated in Captain Sloane's absence. Adda and Iridian find themselves trapped in a contract with Oxia Corp., one of the very megacorporations they'd hoped to prey on, forced to rob and intimidate targets they'd never have chosen on their own. If they're ever going to have the independent life together that they've always wanted, they'll have... Views: 17
Now we know what the government hid there. It's time we found out why…. Hidden deep in the Amazon rain forest is a place shrouded in mystery. It is called The Mission. And in nearby villages people are screaming in pain as they die from a virus more deadly than Ebola. They can't escape it. They can't cure it. They can't stop it from exploding into a worldwide epidemic poised to kill us all…. Scientist Lisa Duncan and Special Forces officer Mike Turcotte suspect this new "Black Death" is actually a biological weapon in an escalating war between us…and "them." Them? The aliens who are part of a chilling conspiracy connected to ancient riddles, a government agency… and Area 51. Now from the Great Wall of China to a top secret facility beneath Antarctica's ice cap, an eclectic group of soldiers and scholars are working with Duncan and Turcotte to give humankind one last shimmering hope to survive. To stop the aliens-at least until the Pandora's box of Area 51 opens up again…. Views: 17
Tales of the Citadel
Twenty-Three
Out of her body and
lost in space, Wiyra finds solace and help in the form of a tracker who has his
own designs on her physical self.
Wiyra is an astral
investigator. She can leave her body and search any specific point in space
that she wishes. She merely has to know its location before she leaves herself.
A problem arises when she leaves to examine some mineral deposits and returns
to the place her body should be, only to find it missing.
Her entire home is missing. Her cousins,
grandfather and brothers are all gone with no trace. There is only one person
she can turn to, and while it makes her grit her astral teeth, she heads to
Citadel Reevish.
Master Tracker Burin is woken from a sound
sleep by an astral hand in his head, and while he is startled, delight soon
follows. Wiyra has come to him for help and the Citadel does nothing for free.
He has her right where he wants her…as soon as he finds her.
Views: 17
Join epic fantasy legend Mercedes Lackey and fifteen additional New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon bestselling authors on the adventure of a lifetime! Over one million words and sixteen realms of fantasy brought together for your reading pleasure. Discover courageous characters fighting for justice and order. Journey between kingdoms of dragons and lands of anarchy as tales of magic and mayhem unfold. Grab it today, before it's gone!From the AuthorMercedes Lackey - Moving Targets Stuck watching over four Herald trainees on circuit, Elyn is at her wits' end--and that's before a town asks for help with a ghostly infestation. Michael G. Manning - The Blacksmith's Son A journey to discover the secrets of his past reveals a magical heritage and embroils Mordecai in a deadly battle for the future of mankind. K.F. Breene - Chosen Prophecy has foretold that when war threatens the world, the Chosen will appear to help the Shadow Warriors reclaim their stolen freedom and lead them out of the Land of Mist. Morgan Rice - A Quest of Heroes Thorgin, an outsider and a dreamer, fights to become a warrior in an epic quest that finds him at the center of a maelstrom of royal plots and counterplots that threaten him and everyone he loves. Michael James Ploof - Whill of Agora When Whill learns the truth of his lineage, he sets out to face his father's murderer, but what he learns along the way will change his life--and the realm--forever. Daniel Arenson - Requiem's Song Weredragons, men call them. Monsters. Cursed ones. People who can turn into beastly reptiles. Together they will forge a nation. Kate Sparkes - Bound When a young woman accidentally saves the life of an enemy Sorcerer, she finds herself drawn into a world of magic that's more beautiful, more seductive, and more dangerous than she ever imagined. David Adams - The Pariahs Two sellswords--a half-elf and a half-orc--find their war over before it even begins. But trouble is stirring on the home front, conflict which threatens more than just their lives. Amy Raby - The Fire Seer Taya must use her fire visions to investigate a series of murders, but the Coalition of Mages has partnered her with her old nemesis, the man who used to bully her when they were young. C. Greenwood - Magic of Thieves In a province where magic is forbidden, young Ilan, born with the powerful gift of her ancestors, has only one hope for survival--concealment. David Dalglish - The Weight of Blood When half-bloods Harruq and Qurrah Tun pledged their lives to a death prophet, they only sought escape from their squalid beginnings. Instead, they become his greatest disciples, charged with leading his army of undead. K.J. Colt - Bear Heart In the savage lands of Ruxdor, young Klawdia must fight the champions of four rival clans to defend her future as the first female chieftain. Shae Ford - Poison A bandit girl is taken from her home and thrust into a complex world of lords and ladies, where she learns that she must kill to survive. Endi Webb - The Maskmaker's Apprentice Masks of legend. Masks of power. Those who dare to wear them trifle with the old powers and risk ruin and mayhem. But a young apprentice maskmaker cannot contain his curiosity, and accidentally unleashes a deadly terror upon an unsuspecting world. Michael Wallace - The Dark Citadel A slave boy and a young queen lead an alliance of spies, servants, and merchants to stave off the encroaching armies of a dark wizard. Terah Edun - Blades of Magic As an unstoppable war breaks out, a young girl enlists in the military to unravel the secrets surrounding her father's execution. Views: 17
