Loral spends most of her days hiding in textbooks in the hopes of rescuing her family from poverty. When she finds a temple with all the books she can read, it seems too good to be true. But there must be some reason the townspeople hate the temple so much...Maddog 1 is a fascinating detective story. Involving murder, sex, interwoven with mystery and suspense.It will keep you reading until your eyelids grow heavy.The action takes place on the mean streets of New York City. The main character is New York City’s most violent private investigator Mike Murdock. Mike through his early life experience is enraged against crime. He is fearless in exploits defending the innocent. Sometimes known as Maddog, by both the police his enemies and his friends.It will magically transport you back to Yonkers in the 1940s. A time of public phone booths, and $0.10 phone calls. Where you opened your car door, with the key, metered parking was a nickel.Experience the thrill of following, Maddogs adventures. The action starts in chapter 1 and continues through chapter 17Written is in first person with a with an authentic York accent.Weeks after reading this book, you will find yourself thinking of the different encounters and imagining what you would have done. Views: 873
Nik's eternal optimism is challenged when he rescues a strange talking lizard from an alley and the men chasing her come after him.Read it for free at https://stories.osterin.comA plucky city girl. A tough cowboy. Romance in cowboy country.When a crisis cripples the ranch, stern cowboy Jett Maddox is suddenly promoted to foreman. Just in time for the fall cattle drive. No sweat. Except for the new spitfire cook who is way too soft for wild country. City-girl Marlee Donovan knows failure. She’s already on her second career, and her family is sure she’ll fail again. But plucky Marlee packs up her chef’s knives and heads west for a cook’s job on a ranch anyway. She’s ready to prove herself. As Marlee struggles with the hardships of life in the west, Jett finds himself falling for her. And Marlee is drawn to the unexpected soft side of the gruff cowboy.But when tragedy at the ranch escalates, a difficult decision must be made…and Marlee’s stubborn streak could cost her everything. Love on the Range is a prequel to the Looking Glass Lake series of contemporary Christian romance. If you like sweet and clean love stories with quirky characters that get you laughing, then you’ll love Rebecca Nightsong’s world of imperfect people who dare to put their faith and love in action. Saddle up and enter cowboy country to start this love story today! Views: 850
Tarvin is shy, intelligent, and awkward, all of which he gets to prove when his crush from school pays him a visit for help with her homework. It all goes further downhill when she convinces him to break into a private garden. Read it for free at https://stories.osterin.comSeaside Summers are a series of stand-alone romances that may also be enjoyed as part of the larger Love in Bloom series."You can always rely on Melissa Foster to deliver a story that's fresh, emotional and entertaining. Make sure you have all night, because once you start you won't want to stop reading. Every book's a winner!" New York Times Bestselling Author Brenda Novak"Melissa Foster is synonymous with sexy, swoony, heartfelt romance!" New York Times Bestseller Lauren BlakelyIN SEASIDE DREAMS...Bella Abbascia has returned to Seaside Cottages in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, as she does every summer. Only this year, Bella has more on her mind than sunbathing and skinny-dipping with her girlfriends. She's quit her job, put her house on the market, and sworn off relationships while she builds a new life in her favorite place on earth. That is, until good-time Bella's prank takes a bad turn and a sinfully sexy police officer appears on the scene.Single father and police officer Caden Grant left Boston with his fourteen-year-old son, Evan, after his partner was killed in the line of duty. He hopes to find a safer life in the small resort town of Wellfleet, and when he meets Bella during a night patrol shift, he realizes he's found the one thing he'd never allowed himself to hope for--or even realized he was missing.After fourteen years of focusing solely on his son, Caden cannot resist the intense attraction he feels toward beautiful Bella, and Bella's powerless to fight the heat of their budding romance. But starting over proves more difficult than either of them imagined, and when Evan gets mixed up with the wrong kids, Caden's loyalty is put to the test. Will he give up everything to protect his son--even Bella?***READY FOR MORE SEASIDE SUMMERS? Seaside Dreams (Bella)Seaside Hearts (Jenna)Seaside Sunsets (Jamie)Seaside Secrets (Amy)Seaside Nights (Sky)Seaside Embrace (Hunter)Seaside Lovers (Grayson)Seaside Whispers (Matt)***SEASIDE SUMMERS is part of the Love in Bloom big family romance collection. Characters from each series appear in future books. Each book may be read as a stand-alone novel, or as part of the series. Visit Melissa's website for a series guides and checklists.READ THE FULL LOVE IN BLOOM SERIES:SNOW SISTERS: Sisters in Love, Sisters in Bloom, Sisters in WhiteTHE BRADENS (Weston, CO): Lovers at Heart, Destined for Love, Friendship on Fire, Sea of Love, Bursting with Love, Hearts at Play, Promise My Love (novella), Daring Her Love (novella)THE BRADENS (Trusty, CO): Taken by Love, Fated for Love, Romancing My Love, Flirting with Love, Dreaming of Love, Crashing into LoveTHE BRADENS (Peaceful Harbor, MD): Healed by Love (Nate), Surrender My LoveRiver of Love, Crushing on Love, Whisper of Love, Thrill of LoveTHE REMINGTONS: Game of Love, Stroke of Love, Flames of Love, Slope of Love, Read, Write, Love, Touched by Love THE RYDERS: Seized by Love, Claimed by Love, Chased by Love, Rescued by Love, Swept Into LoveWILD BOYS AFTER DARK: Logan, Heath, Jackson, CooperBAD BOYS AFTER DARK: Mick, Dylan, Brett, Carson HARBORSIDE NIGHTS: Catching Cassidy, Discovering Delilah, Tempting Tristan***AUTHOR BIOMelissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance--perfect beach reads--with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Melissa's emotional journeys are lovingly erotic and always family oriented. Melissa enjoys chatting with readers and book clubs. Send her an email invitation to your next event! Views: 829
Armel fancies himself a scientist, performing his research. Having hit a roadblock with his animal subjects, he goes in search of a human volunteer...When a brutal murder shows signs of magical foul play, detective Gerrit finds himself on the case alongside a Qui - the only person who can subdue the killer when they find him.Read it for free at https://stories.osterin.comA charm hidden in a shipping box brings Tredan’s disgraceful past to his door.Retired Enchanter Tredan and his wife Lanith, magical curio merchants in the seaside town of Isor, have been model citizens for years. But Tredan has harbored a terrible secret. As the victim of a Church-induced spell, he created a journal with spells to enslave the Enchanters’ magical essence to the Church.Enchanters generate the essence powering everything in Tredan’s world. The Church has long resented the Enchanters’ exclusive control over essence. The head Church magician, His Divine, is determined to acquire Tredan’s journal and take the Enchanters’ power for his own.With Lanith out on an errand for the morning, Tredan opens the box containing an Enforcer’s compulsion charm. This Church magician will stop at nothing to collect Tredan’s journal for His Divine. The ensnared Tredan must battle the Enforcer’s superior magic and keep the journal safe. Tredan must also find a way, even if he must enlist the help of the dead, to warn an unsuspecting Lanith before she returns home and falls prey to His Divine’s wrath.Wrath, Prequel to Tredan's Bane -- Honorable Mention Winner, Fiction-Short Story Category, 2014 Readers' Favorite International Book Award Contest Views: 803
"Edwin" is a fantasy short story about a Storyteller who suffers from blank spots in his memory. The problem is when he wakes up one time covered in blood. Read it for free at https://stories.osterin.comSeaside Summers are a series of stand-alone romances that may also be enjoyed as part of the larger Love in Bloom series."You can always rely on Melissa Foster to deliver a story that's fresh, emotional and entertaining. Make sure you have all night, because once you start you won't want to stop reading. Every book's a winner!" New York Times Bestselling Author Brenda Novak"Melissa Foster is synonymous with sexy, swoony, heartfelt romance!" New York Times Bestseller Lauren BlakelyIN SEASIDE DREAMS...Bella Abbascia has returned to Seaside Cottages in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, as she does every summer. Only this year, Bella has more on her mind than sunbathing and skinny-dipping with her girlfriends. She's quit her job, put her house on the market, and sworn off relationships while she builds a new life in her favorite place on earth. That is, until good-time Bella's prank takes a bad turn and a sinfully sexy police officer appears on the scene.Single father and police officer Caden Grant left Boston with his fourteen-year-old son, Evan, after his partner was killed in the line of duty. He hopes to find a safer life in the small resort town of Wellfleet, and when he meets Bella during a night patrol shift, he realizes he's found the one thing he'd never allowed himself to hope for--or even realized he was missing.After fourteen years of focusing solely on his son, Caden cannot resist the intense attraction he feels toward beautiful Bella, and Bella's powerless to fight the heat of their budding romance. But starting over proves more difficult than either of them imagined, and when Evan gets mixed up with the wrong kids, Caden's loyalty is put to the test. Will he give up everything to protect his son--even Bella?***READY FOR MORE SEASIDE SUMMERS? Seaside Dreams (Bella)Seaside Hearts (Jenna)Seaside Sunsets (Jamie)Seaside Secrets (Amy)Seaside Nights (Sky)Seaside Embrace (Hunter)Seaside Lovers (Grayson)Seaside Whispers (Matt)***SEASIDE SUMMERS is part of the Love in Bloom big family romance collection. Characters from each series appear in future books. Each book may be read as a stand-alone novel, or as part of the series. Visit Melissa's website for a series guides and checklists.READ THE FULL LOVE IN BLOOM SERIES:SNOW SISTERS: Sisters in Love, Sisters in Bloom, Sisters in WhiteTHE BRADENS (Weston, CO): Lovers at Heart, Destined for Love, Friendship on Fire, Sea of Love, Bursting with Love, Hearts at Play, Promise My Love (novella), Daring Her Love (novella)THE BRADENS (Trusty, CO): Taken by Love, Fated for Love, Romancing My Love, Flirting with Love, Dreaming of Love, Crashing into LoveTHE BRADENS (Peaceful Harbor, MD): Healed by Love (Nate), Surrender My LoveRiver of Love, Crushing on Love, Whisper of Love, Thrill of LoveTHE REMINGTONS: Game of Love, Stroke of Love, Flames of Love, Slope of Love, Read, Write, Love, Touched by Love THE RYDERS: Seized by Love, Claimed by Love, Chased by Love, Rescued by Love, Swept Into LoveWILD BOYS AFTER DARK: Logan, Heath, Jackson, CooperBAD BOYS AFTER DARK: Mick, Dylan, Brett, Carson HARBORSIDE NIGHTS: Catching Cassidy, Discovering Delilah, Tempting Tristan***AUTHOR BIOMelissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance--perfect beach reads--with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Melissa's emotional journeys are lovingly erotic and always family oriented. Melissa enjoys chatting with readers and book clubs. Send her an email invitation to your next event! Views: 750
Isem, a simple farmboy, finds himself thrown into trouble when he defends himself from an assault - by burning the man to ashes with magic.His world and plans are disintegrating. Will the north woods be enough to heal this man’s pain? A short-short story of the future, past, and present. Views: 734
Necromancers can visit the world of spirits. Bayett would live there permanently, if only it didn't require him to die first. But when the Quis come after him, he might just get that chance.Read it for free at https://stories.osterin.comMy name is Justin Hauten. My friends call me Hotten. So do my enemies. I’m a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army and for the last few months I’ve been deployed to Afghanistan on a sensitive reconnaissance mission, along with my best friend—and troublemaker—Sean “Nebraska” Walker. I’m not the smartest guy in the room and I’m certainly not a badass, but when the company commander puts a bullet in my shoulder and orders me to hand over the evidence, my life goes from boring to stupid in about five seconds. And guess what? Nebraska’s having the time of his life. While all of this is troubling, something else has happened that’s throwing my life out of balance: I’ve been receiving love letters from an admirer. A male admirer. This is all new for me. My heart flips when I read his letters because, maybe, it is possible that I feel the same way.Warning: this story contains hot men, jail cells, guns, hot men kissing, a funny sidekick that enjoys embellishing the truth, men in uniform, government conspiracies, hot men kissing, creeps wearing sunglasses at night, secret camera images, and hot men kissing.The Leading Men Are:** Staff Sergeant Justin "Hotten" Hauten... Isn't the smartest guy in the room. He just wants to be a regular soldier but finds himself mixed up kidnappings, government secrets, and the desire to figure out his feelings for Aaron.** First Lieutenant Aaron "Texas" Parris... Has had feelings for Justin for quite some time and he isn't going to hold them in anymore, even if that means getting involved in whatever mess Justin is in -- which is some pretty messed up crap!** Specialist Sean "Nebraska" Walker... Is a tall, lumberjack-ish redheaded, loyal friend to the end. He happily enters into scuffles just for the hell of it. It's possible that he is the cause for some of those scuffles... Being a former semi-pro boxer does have its perks.~*~*~*~It is HIGHLY recommended that you read the series in order.FALLING FOR YOU, Vol 1HUNGRY FOR YOU, Vol 2READY FOR YOU, Vol 3FALLING FOR HIM (The Complete Series), which is priced much lower than purchasing each novella individually.~*~*~*~Need some fine print?* This is a love story between two men. On a scale of 1-5, 1 being "vanilla" and 5 being "this is so hot, I'm dying"; I would rate FALLING FOR YOU a 3.* This series has been published in "Episodic Form" aka, Installments. This means Novella #1 isn't the complete story. It stops at a good spot (cliffhanger), but not at the final conclusion. I know this bothers some folks, so I feel it is best to be upfront about it. This particular novella is about 50 pages long. Views: 694
A brief look into a mans viewpoint of relationships and dating.His world and plans are disintegrating. Will the north woods be enough to heal this man’s pain? A short-short story of the future, past, and present. Views: 599
Dark Angel reveals her most inner secrets to you as her childhood memories of her beloved mother come to surface. The pain that drives her heart is uncovered and bares her truth. On her journey she seeks answers that will not come to pass-- as of yet.Dark Angel will reveal some weaknesses showing she is only mortal and with fault. Her nemesis Warlord Pak reigns with cruelty and dread intentions, his disregard for honor holds his life on balance revealing he is also mortal. Views: 568
Jordel is regularly bullied as a child, until he stands up for himself and fights back, becoming the protector of the weak at his school in the process. But when school ends and he has to find work, the lack of available jobs makes fighting to the death in the Pit sound enticing...Read it for free at https://stories.osterin.comIn a world we think we know, live other races entirely hidden from the mortal perspective. Creatures of legend, of fable and myth, their very history and nature have allowed them to walk side by side with humans since time immemorial. They are warriors, they are hunters, and they are Algula. Vampire. And in their own midst, a battle is brewing for supremacy, for dominance, that can and will affect all around them. Old hatred never dies and vengeance is a fiery sword that cuts a bloody swath. Views: 541
Sasha wasn't the boy her father wanted, but he tried to teach her how to hunt anyway. After he was killed, she turned her skill with a bow to different targets. Read it for free at https://stories.osterin.comAydith is a young aetheling whose distrust of the Norsemen often gets dismissed. With the encouragement of a kind hearth companion named Hastings, she might find another way to aid her country."The Lost Tales of Mercia" are ten short tales that can be enjoyed as quick glimpses into the swashbuckling history of ancient England or read alongside the full-length novel, "Eadric the Grasper." Most of the characters are real historical figures inspired by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles. Views: 508
Tomat is a gambler who would be a degenerate if he didn't have a figurative ace up his sleeve - he can read minds. He finds himself talked into joining a tournament where he has to hide his ability or suffer the consequences. Read it for free at https://stories.osterin.comAn epic WWII saga, for fans of The Bronze Horseman and Outlander. Outcast and despised as a Roma (gypsy) in World War II Romania, all Tsura longs for is a sense of safety and a place to belong. Just when she believes she’s found home in the arms of her lover, for both their safety, she’s forced to leave him and marry another. Against the sweeping backdrop of war-torn Romania, Tsura fights one day at a time to survive the fall of fascism, the unrest of civil war, and the rise of Communism. Yet in spite of all she’s forced to endure, the biggest surprise of all? Home might be found in the last place she ever expected it—with her own husband.Excerpt:“It won’t be a real marriage.” Tsura put her hands to Andrei’s shirt and pulled him in close. “I’ll never share a bed with him. I love you. I only do what I must to keep us all safe. Once the war ends, it’ll be as if it never was.” She caught his face in her hands. “I am only yours, Andrei.” “Yes, you’re only mine,” Andrei bent over and growled in her ear. “When you put on that dress for him and walk down the aisle in that ugly goy church,” he kissed her hard before putting a strong hand to the back of her neck, pulling her forehead to his, “you think of me, here. When you say your vows to that man, you remember that it’s me who has owned your body tonight.” He again pressed his lips to hers. It was a claiming.Book I of II. Views: 476
Combining the gritty surrealism of David Lynch with the explosive interior meditations of Clarice Lispector, the stories in Elvira Navarro's Rabbit Island traverse the fickle, often terrifying terrain between madness and freedom. In the title story, a so-called "non-inventor" conducts an experiment on an island inhabited exclusively by birds and is horrified by what the results portend. "Myotragus" bears witness to a man of privilege's understanding of the world being violently disrupted by the sight of a creature long thought extinct. Elsewhere, an unsightly "paw" grows from a writer's earlobe; an obese grandmother floats silently in the corner of a room. These eleven stories from one of Granta's "Best Young Spanish-Language Novelists" are psychogeographies of dingy hotel rooms, shape-shifting cities, and graveyards. They act as microscopes fixed upon the regions of our interior lives we often neglect, where the death of God and the failures of institutions have... Views: 318
Millian and Angeli have been best friends since they were kids, thanks in part to their unusual ability to talk to each other over long distances. In school, they were at the top of the pack. Now they get to find out what the real world is like. Read it for free at https://stories.osterin.comRevolving peacefully around an alien sun lies the planet Xavier997, a final flicker of hope for the resource starved human race. With miraculous advances in technology, the product of the ruthless Great War, reaching this planet is suddenly a feat that mankind is able to achieve. Upon their arrival, however, they quickly learn that Xavier will not give up her treasures without a fight. Inhabited by five indigenous tribes—creatures whose merciless evolution has sharpened them into the universe’s most efficient killers—this treacherous planet proves at every turn to be mankind’s final downfall rather than their savior. Yet when a lost explorer stumbles upon a startling discovery at the planet’s North Pole, their situation turns even worse. In order to shed light on the ominous secrets of Xavier997, Captain Michael Dawn must lead a joint-operations mission across its globe in search of five ancient relics. Relics that would appear to hold the key to the mystery of the explorer and the chain of events that his find set into motion. Yet these relics, known as the Scrolls, are guarded by the very teeth of Xavier. To retrieve them, Captain Dawn must risk everything, including his love, his career, and his life. Without the Scrolls, mankind’s final hope is lost. With them, it might be even worse. Views: 300
Ellise is a shy young girl who doesn't like to be around people. But when she kills a merchant's guard who pushes her too far and is made to take his place, she doesn't have much of a choice.Read it for free at https://stories.osterin.comSometimes following your heart can end up destroying the ones you love. When seventeen-year-old Eviana Dumahl is faced with the responsibility of an arranged marriage and clan leadership, she is forced to choose between the life required of a mermaid and one of a teenage girl simply infatuated with the wrong guy. Kain, her devoted fiancé would make a wonderful husband except that she’s been in love with Brendan, a shape-shifting selkie, ever since they were kids. Choosing to abandon her family, her clan, and her life with Kain will have dire consequences far beyond anything she could have imagined. A war is brewing amongst the clans and Eviana unwittingly becomes a pawn in the intricate schemes of a twisted mastermind. With Brendan’s life on the line, she has no choice but to involve those who she once considered friends. Amidst encountering senseless tragedies and immense loss, Eviana discovers that she is more valuable as a clan leader than anyone ever suspected. Her survival is not only dependent upon the loyalty of her friends, but also on her acceptance of a life that she had so adamantly tried to escape. Promises is the first book of The Syrenka Series trilogy following Eviana and her friends through the perils of growing up in a discrete world that inherently threatens human society.Second Edition: February 2013 Views: 284
