In the Shadow of the Volcano

In the harsh, priest-ruled land of the volcano-god, unsanctioned gifts are punished with death.Eleria knows she must give herself up. But her husband doesn't plan on letting her go.A short free read in Imogen Howson's Volcano Fire series.Christina ‘Chrissy” Monet aspired for something more than the life of a simple blog columnist. Her wishes come true when an old wooded property comes up for sale, and she pours her life-savings into the fixer-upper. The property comes with the added bonus of a handsome neighbor by the name of Adam Smith, but sparks fizzle rather than sizzle when she realizes he owns half the property she hoped to have. They part ways with biting remarks on her part, but she finds her carpentry skills aren’t up to the task and she’s forced into a relationship with the mysterious Smith. Strange happenings occur and she’s left wondering whether Smith has more up his sleeve than muscle.
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The Mayflower Project

Official Summary: The end of the world. Not something most people think about. Not something we even expect to ever really happen. But what if you found out an asteroid the size of New Jersey were about to collide with the earth? What would you do? It's the year 2011, and that's the question Jobs is asking himself. The question he asked his family. He certainly didn't expect the answer he got. Didn't expect that in a very short time he and his family would be some of the lucky few selected to board a revamped space shuttle... A shuttle that would leave Earth just before the asteroid destroys it. But there are a couple of catches: The shuttle has no ultimate destination; and all those aboard will be placed in a state of suspended animation---indefinitely. Or at least until the computers find a habitable planet for them to live. Back-of-Book Summary: It's 2011. An asteroid is on a collision course with the earth. And eighty people have been given the opportunity to survive. To leave the planet before the world ends. Jobs isn't quite sure of what's going on. Just that he and his family are a few of the lucky ones chosen to board a revamped space shuttle. A shuttle that will leave Earth just before the final impact. No one knows where they're going. Or if they'll make it there at all. Because there isn't a lot of time for questions. And there are fewer answers. . . .
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Vermilion Sands

Like a latter-day Palm Springs, Vermillion Sands is a fully automated desert resort designed to fulfill the most exotic whims of the idle rich. But now it languishes in uneasy decay, populated only by forgotten movie stars, solitary impresarios and artistic and literary failures, a place where love and lust pall before the stronger pull of evil. Contents: · The Cloud-Sculptors of Coral D [Vermillion Sands] · ss F&SF Dec ’67 · Prima Belladonna [Vermillion Sands] · ss Science-Fantasy #20 ’56 · The Screen Game [Vermillion Sands] · nv Fantastic Oct ’63 · The Singing Statues [Vermillion Sands] · ss Fantastic Jul ’62 · Cry Hope, Cry Fury! [Vermillion Sands] · ss F&SF Oct ’67 · Venus Smiles [“Mobile”; Vermillion Sands] · ss Science-Fantasy #23 ’57 · Say Goodbye to the Wind [Vermillion Sands] · ss Fantastic Aug ’70 · Studio 5, The Stars [Vermillion Sands] · nv Science-Fantasy #45 ’61 · The Thousand Dreams of Stellavista [Vermillion Sands] · nv Amazing Mar ’62
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Prey

Greg is searching for the perfect woman. Beautiful. Smart. And vulnerable.Greg is searching for his perfect woman. Beautiful. Smart. And vulnerable.But will he find he's bitten off more than he can chew?
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Engella

ENGELLA is on a fantastic adventure through TIME and SPACE! After months on the run - chased by the scary HUNTERS - she has finally found somewhere safe to call home. The problem is - it's not long before her past catches up with her. Will she get away this time?From the streets of New Shanghai in 2074 to Scotland in 1998, Engella is a sci-fi short story you DO NOT want to miss!Prince Kristian's army was annihilated and his attempt to free his betrothed, Allisia, was a complete failure. Through his mistakes, King Kristian now understands what true honor means and what he must do to make amends.But the sorcerer-king, Ferral, still controls the demon and a vast army of the dead. It would seem that no one is left to challenge the evil man -- a power-hungry religious fanatic whose plans to subvert the Erinian continent are closer to becoming reality.Will Kristian be able to raise a new army when the only kingdoms with soldiers left have been at war with each other for one thousand years? Can Kristian truly learn from the past and earn back the trust of those he needs to lead? Will Allisia ever escape Ferral?Only with the help of Mikhal, the cavalier sworn to protect his king despite his anger and haunting dreams of the demon, and Cairn, the mysterious swordsman seeking revenge for the death of his love, can King Kristian hope to survive and get another chance at saving Allisia ... and defeating Ferral. Follow the continued epic fantasy adventure in Ferral's Deathmarch Army, Book Two of the Erinia Saga.
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The Last Angel

Everyone has a guardian angel: an angel who regularly offers you sound advice, and soothes you when you’re angry. Chrissy’s angel Jial, however, is more like a little sister to her.She’s lots of fun to have hanging around, to watch movies with: but she’s also way too lenient.Chrissy loves her. And when the angels start inexplicably disappearing, it’s Chrissy’s turn to guard her angel.The islands of Caldera are a shining jewel in a rather bleak world. A terrible calamity in the past had blanketed much of the world with a toxic "fug." Those who survived were forced to take to the mountains and the skies in wondrous airships. Life has since been a struggle, with only the most ruthless and crafty able to survive. To spare themselves the same fate, the Calderans erected a battery of guns to fend off the airships of the mainland. They isolated themselves from the madness of the world, choosing instead to focus on the pursuits of art and creativity. Few believe the technologically advanced but socially barbarous outsiders have anything to offer. Amanita Graus, though, is hoping that they do.Nita's mother has lost her livelihood and perhaps soon her life to a terrible disease. Already the black sheep of the family for embracing engineering rather than art, Nita resolves to leave the safety of her home and do whatever it takes to find a cure. For a price, the bizarre crew of an airship called The Wind Breaker are willing to grant her a meeting with their mysterious benefactors, and thus a chance to procure the one thing with a chance to save her mother.Free-Wrench follows Nita’s adventures in a steampunk world of airships and lunatics. Helping her in her journey are an eccentric crew of smugglers; the gruff Cap’n Mack, the simple but enthusiastic Lil and Coop, the arrogant marksman Gunner, the surly surgeon Butch, and the irritable mascot Wink. To survive and find what she seeks she’ll need to earn their trust, follow their rules, and meet face to face with the people who pull the strings of their society.
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The Wheel of Osheim

From the international bestselling author of the Broken Empire Trilogy, the thrilling conclusion to the Red Queen’s War... Mark Lawrence’s “epic fantasy” (The Washington Post) continues as a reluctant prince returns from the bowels of Hell to engage in his greatest battle yet—among the living and the dead. All the horrors of Hell stand between Snorri Ver Snagason and the rescue of his family, if indeed the dead can be rescued. For Jalan Kendeth, getting back out alive and with Loki’s key is all that matters. Loki’s creation can open any lock, any door, and it may also be the key to Jalan’s fortune back in the living world. Jalan plans to return to the three w’s that have been the core of his idle and debauched life: wine, women, and wagering. Fate however has other plans, larger plans. The Wheel of Osheim is turning ever faster, and it will crack the world unless it’s stopped. When the end of all things looms, and there’s nowhere to run, even the worst coward must find new answers. Jalan and Snorri face many dangers, from the corpse hordes of the Dead King to the many mirrors of the Lady Blue, but in the end, fast or slow, the Wheel of Osheim always pulls you back. In the end it’s win or die. From the Hardcover edition.
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Sword of Avalon: Avalon

Marion Zimmer Bradley's legendary saga of Avalon's extraordinary women continues with a tale of fiery visions, a lost king, and a forthcoming destiny... A boy raised in secret after traitors kill his parents will return to Avalon-and when he does, he'll be faced with a formidable task: to prove his worth as a son of the kings and priestesses of his land and lead his followers to victory, wielding the newly-forged sword Excalibur.
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Bridging the Distance

*THIS IS A M/F/M MENAGE ROMANCE*** One plus-sized Earth girl Two Twin Kindred who need help to reconnect Sometimes 1 +2 = Interstellar sexy times Lorelei Daniels is having a terrible day--her self-driving car repossesses itself, she loses her job, and she's about to get kicked out of her apartment. What else could happen? How about a visit from a huge Kindred warrior begging her to come help him rescue his twin brother who has been turned into a Cyborg? Bound Tight is a Light Twin of a Twin Kindred pair. Bound's brother, Torn Deep, is the Dark Twin and his other half--without him, Bound is incomplete. He desperately needs help to get Torn back--but will the beautiful little Earth female he needs to seal the deal help him rescue his twin? Because of her advanced degree in Artificial Intelligence Psychology, Lorelei is uniquely qualified to help with the Cyborg problem. But no matter how handsome Bound is, she's determined this is just a business transaction. However, when they rescue Torn, he has lost all memory of his past. It's up to Lorelei to try and bring the brothers back together in the only way she can--by using her body as a bridge between them. Can Lorelei keep things businesslike as she brings the two brother back together? Or will she end up losing her heart as she is Bridging the Distance between the estranged Bound and Torn?
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Ellie Quin Episode 5: A Girl Reborn

Ellie Quin and Jez have been marooned on WonderLand - a series of domed mini-worlds in which anything and any creature you can imagine can be made; a luxury resort for the universe's rich and famous. Only, it never got a chance to open and now it's kept ticking over by a pair of eccentric technicians. But all is not as it appears here. Something dark and sinister happened in the past and Ellie has accidentally stumbled across it...and stirred up a hornet's nest. Meanwhile, The Administration's search for Ellie intensifies. The entire system is quarantined and the noose is tightening as Deacon finally gets the manpower he's requested. And then there's Mason....getting ever closer to recovering his 'Frankenstein' creation...Ellie. **
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Inner City

An idealistic young man suffers a devastating childhood experience that uncovers a secret the leaders of his world are hiding from their people. This traumatic childhood memory compels him, years later, to risk his life and fight his government’s lies and oppressive laws so he can change his world and be with the girl he loves.Set in the future, Callen is haunted by a childhood memory of a journey into the forbidden land beyond his city’s gated walls. When he turns 19 he decides to travel back and, sure enough, finds communities with freedoms he never dreamed possible. When Callen returns to his city and tells everyone, the government – led by Chairman Alexi Prior decides he must be silenced and Callen is discredited with media stories questioning his sanity. In response he orchestrates a massive student uprising and when his story starts to be believed Prior sets Callen up to be murdered. If Callen can’t find a way out of the gated city his discovery of the freedoms the land beyond offers will be lost forever.
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Shadowplay: Book One of the Starcrown Chronicles

Waking up on a strange ship, 21 year old Cordass Pell learns that he is on his way to serve a life sentence on the penal planet of Demerl. But before the transport arrives, the ship is hijacked by pirates and Pell and the other prisoners are sold as slaves to a sadistic owner. The trouble is that he can’t remember anything about his life before waking up. And someone keeps trying to kill him.Cordass Pell has a problem. When the 21 year old regains consciousness on a strange ship, he finds that he is on his way to serve a life sentence on the frozen penal planet of Demerl. But before the transport arrives, the ship is hijacked by pirates and Pell and the other prisoners are sold as slaves to a sadistic owner in a distant star system. The trouble is that he can’t remember anything about his life before waking up on that prison transport. And someone keeps trying to kill him. As he tries to learn about his mysterious past he realizes that the secret of his identity may hold the key to stabilizing the turbulent political situation in his home nation and perhaps all of human occupied space.
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Super-Cannes

Eden-Olympia is more than just a multinational business park, it is a virtual city-state in itself, built for the most elite high-tech industries. Isolated and secure, the residents lack nothing, yet one day, a doctor at the clinic goes on a suicidal shooting spree. Dr. Jane Sinclair is hired as his replacement, and her husband Paul uncovers the dangerous psychological vents that maintain Eden-Olympia's smoothly-running surface.
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The Bone House

Kit Livingstone met his great-grandfather Cosimo in a rainy alley in London where he discovered the truth about alternate realities. Now he's on the run--and on a quest--trying to understand the impossible mission he inherited from Cosimo: to restore a map that charts the hidden dimensions of the multiverse. Survival depends on staying one step ahead of the savage Burley Men. The key is the Skin Map--but where it leads and what it means, Kit has no idea. The pieces have been scattered throughout this universe and beyond. Mina, from her outpost in seventeenth-century Prague, is quickly gaining both the experience and the means to succeed in the quest. Yet so are those with evil intent who, from the shadows, are manipulating great minds of history for their own malign purposes. Those who know how to use the ley lines have left their own world behind to travel across time and space--down avenues of Egyptian sphinxes, to an Etruscan tufa tomb, into a Bohemian coffee shop, and across a Stone Age landscape where universes collide--in this, the second quest to unlock the mystery of "The Bone House." The Bright Empires series--from acclaimed author Stephen R. Lawhead--is a unique blend of epic treasure hunt, ancient history, alternate realities, cutting-edge physics, philosophy, and mystery. The result is a page-turning, adventure like no other.
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Terra ~ One Last Wish

Terra ~one last wishA Beautiful Heart Quadrilogy Book OneAn upper YA/New Adult novelOne house. One last wish. One secret. I wish I had never locked eyes with Ben. He made my lavender rose heart explode into a thousand blooms, and infused me with a hypnotic potion of floral and fruity fragrances that resonated in perfect harmony with his being. And I wish, I hadn't met Nic. One shattered heart.Terra~one last wish~A Beautiful Heart Quadrilogy Book OneAn upper YA/New Adult novelterra[ter-uh]noun 1. earth; land.One house. One last wish. One secret... I wish I had never locked eyes with Ben. He made my lavender rose heart explode into a thousand blooms, and infused me with a hypnotic potion of floral and fruity fragrances that resonated in perfect harmony with his being. I wish ... love at first sight ... did not exist.I wish I hadn't entered the wrought iron gate on that fateful day. I should have fled when I was attacked by the black crow of war and death. And I wish … I hadn't met Nic. Beautiful Nic. He pushed me into my fearscape, then left. Just like that. Gran said I wouldn't get hurt. She was right. How do you feel the hurt when it is so painful you become numb? One house. One last wish. One shattered heart.
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