After a cosy meal, the protagonist retires to his host's workshop for an after-dinner drink ... and becomes the unwitting subject of an experiment.Trivia: Sleight of Hand won the 2001 Aurealis Award for Horror.After a cosy meal, the protagonist retires to his host's workshop for an after-dinner drink ... and becomes the unwitting subject of an experiment.Trivia: Sleight of Hand won the 2001 Aurealis Award for Horror.--'The other day I began to consider the practical benefits of sending matter as an attachment.''Matter?'Ralph rapped his knuckles on the benchtop. 'Objects.'My eyebrows rose. 'You want to email a piece of wood?' We'd managed a bottle of wine between us over the apricot chicken, but I didn't think he was that far gone. Views: 747
The second book in the internationally bestselling Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage, featuring the funny and fantastic adventures of a wizard apprentice and his quest to become an ExtraOrdinary Wizard.New York Times Bestselling Series“Terrifically entertaining. Fans of the first book will be delighted with this sequel to Septimus’s story.” —VOYA (starred review)“Readers will find themselves quickly immersed in this imaginative world, moving from one well-crafted adventure to another at a suspenseful pace.” —School Library JournalIt's been a year since Septimus Heap discovered his real family and true calling to be a wizard. As Apprentice to ExtraOrdinary Wizard Marcia Overstrand, he is learning the fine arts of Conjurations, Charms, and other Magyk, while Jenna is adapting to life as the Princess and enjoying the freedom of the Castle.But there is something sinister at work. Marcia is constantly trailed by a menacing Darke Shadow, and Septimus's brother Simon seems bent on a revenge no one understands. Why is the Darke Magyk still lingering?Bringing fantasy to new heights, Angie Sage continues the journey of Septimus Heap with her trademark humor and all of the clever details readers have come to love. Views: 747
Karen is going to farm camp.She loves growing vegetables, baking treats, and making crafts. But best of all, Karen loves taking care of Ollie. Karen feeds and brushes the little lamb every day. She wants to enter Ollie in the country fair. Views: 747
Sixteen-year-old Tess Kendrick has spent her entire life on her grandfather's ranch. But when her estranged sister Ivy uproots her to D.C., Tess is thrown into a world that revolves around politics and power. She also starts at Hardwicke Academy, the D.C. school for the children of the rich and powerful, where she unwittingly becomes a fixer for the high school set, fixing teens’ problems the way her sister fixes their parents’ problems.
And when a conspiracy surfaces that involves the family member of one of Tess's classmates, love triangles and unbelievable family secrets come to light and life gets even more interesting—and complicated—for Tess. Views: 747
Willow
It started with a kiss and ended with a list. The middle is a bit more complicated.
The list of rules is supposed to protect mine and Beck’s friendship and stop us from accidentally kissing again. But most of all, it’s supposed to protect my heart from getting crushed and keep me from ending up broken like my mom.
I’ve always been great at following rules. But the more time I spend with Beck, the more I can’t stop thinking about that kiss and how amazing his lips felt against mine. For the first time in my life, I wish I was a rule breaker. But I can never cross that line. Not with Beck. Not with anyone.
Besides, if Beck knew the truth about my life, then the list wouldn’t have to exist because he wouldn't have kissed me to begin with.
Beck
It started with the most amazing kiss ever and led to Willow handing me a list.
That stupid list. When she gave it to me, I wanted to shred it to pieces, pull her against me, and kiss her until she realized a piece of paper wasn’t going to stop me. Willow’s been my best friend since forever and she should know by now that I’m not a follow-the-rules kind of guy.
She may think that kiss was a mistake, but she’s wrong. Kisses like that can’t be a mistake. Willow and I belong together, have since the day I promised to always protect her from the bad stuff in her life. And somehow I’m going to prove it to her. Just like I’ll always protect her no matter what.
A standalone contemporary romance.
Suggested reading age 18+ Views: 747
After Charley Ashe is attacked is attacked by a large black dog, his life is forever changed. And when his parents start acting weirder and weirder, he has to investigate. Luckily, with the help of a dubious magician, a hero from another time, and a few friends, Charley might have a chance of surviving Undermire and the Ancients who inhabit it.Charley Ashe is a normal enough boy, or so he thinks. After he is attacked by a large, black dog, his world is flipped upside down. With his parents acting weird and odd things happening all around him, Charley is skeptical. So, along with his three best friends, he is determined to find out what exactly is going on. This leads to a meeting with a dubious Sorcerer and a hero from a different time. When he finally unravels what is going on, and that not only he but his closest friends must travel to Undermire, a world very different from their own. He is tasked with saving Undermire from the Wilting and also from a dark force that is always on the verge of finding him. What is most chilling of all, though, is the dark prophecy saying that he will become the very thing that he must try to save Undermire from. 'In the land mired in misery and hate, The one of two will be born who may slay the eldest one. Descended of ash, he will deal in fate. To cut away the ancient sickness, Ash will battle Bone. Can the hero save his light or be doomed to fall to darkness?' Views: 747
After tragedy rocks her world, fifteen-year-old Willow Flynn tries to find her niche in the ever-cliquey high school world while dealing with her emotionally preoccupied mother, as well as a cute, but sickly boy who strives to mend her broken heart, while far away, on an island, in the middle of nowhere. But will he be able to, especially when his own existence remains so uncertain?After a tragic set of circumstances alters her life forever, Willow Flynn, named after the shady, weeping tree, finds herself transplanted, moving far away from the small Massachusetts town she grew up in. Willow loses her beloved father in an accident and she and her family have no choice but to accept her uncle’s charity by relocating to his summerhouse, off the coast of Maine, on an island, in the middle of nowhere.Fifteen-year-old Willow leaves behind her closest friends and must try to fit in and find her own niche in the ever-cliquey high school world and, at times, feels as isolated and alone as the small, remote island she now lived on.At the beginning of the school year, a sickly, but cute boy named Michael sends Willow the first of many cryptic notes during homeroom. He stares at Willow and gives her the creeps. Michael never returns to school after that, but Willow ends up connecting with the poetic and mysterious boy on-line where they strike up an unusual friendship.In the midst of the loud and chaotic lunchroom, Erica and Taylor, two best friends who grew up together on Pike’s Island, befriend Willow. Willow tries to connect with the pair, but things never fully click between them especially since Willow doesn’t thrive on hurtful gossip the way they do.On the other hand, the sassy and stuck-up Tessa Anderson, who prefers the company of male co-eds, sees a bit of herself in the new girl and promptly takes Willow under her wing. Tessa introduces Willow to the hottest and most popular senior boys and let’s her new little friend tag along to some of the coolest parties on the island where Willow ends up doing things she never would have imagined.As Willow tries to find her place and maneuver through the hallways and heartbreaks of her teenage years, the one thing she is certain of is that she will never open herself up again to love. She had already lost her father and couldn’t bear the thought of losing anyone else. But fate has a will of its own and Willow slowly begins to realize that she can’t keep her fragile heart guarded forever, even to a boy whose existence remains uncertain. Views: 747
When Araminta throws cold water over her best friend, Wanda, to disperse a crowd of panicked bats, it s decided Araminta has been helpful one too many times, and she is packed off to boarding school. On arrival, Araminta is surprised to discover that Gargoyle Hall makes her home, Spook House, seems positively cosy. Strange moans and clanks echo down the corridors and the two head girls are equally creepy. Most of the other pupils have been scared away, but Araminta senses that something or someone is behind the menace.With the help of best friend Wanda and Uncle Drac s prize bat, she is going to do something about it!" Views: 746
AN IRON FEY VALENTINE is a story of pure, unfiltered fluff that Julie Kagawa wrote just for fun, but also a thank you to her readers and fans for all their support and encouragement over the years. Views: 746
In wee hours of morn, a panicked family tries to escape from home where violent flood waters engulf the entire subdivision. "Neighbors' distant, bloodcurdling screams bounce off the water's surface. What must my friends be going through? Suddenly a heavy weight plunges me further down, out of Andrew's arm hold. I am immediately under water. My hands touch a head ramming against my stomach...."During wee hours of morn, a panicked family tries to escape from home where violent flood waters engulf the entire subdivision. While struggling for their lives, the realization of how much they mean to each other dominates terror. "Our neighbors' distant, bloodcurdling screams bounce off the water's surface. Unable to help them, we act as if unaware. What must my friends be going through? Suddenly a heavy weight plunges me further down, out of Andrew's arm hold. I am immediately under water. My hands touch a head, ramming against my stomach. Trying to push it away, against the current, I feel the shoulder then the arms then the back; next, I become entangled with legs as it twirls! ....I continue to push and kick with all my strength. This drowned body is trying to drown me!" Views: 746
After his unexpected journey into the lands of the fey, Ethan Chase just wants to get back to normal. Well, as "normal" as you can be when you see faeries every day of your life. Suddenly the former loner with the bad reputation has someone to try for-his girlfriend, Kenzie. Never mind that he's forbidden to see her again. But when your name is Ethan Chase and your sister is one of the most powerful faeries in the Nevernever, "normal" simply isn't to be. For Ethan's nephew, Keirran, is missing, and may be on the verge of doing something unthinkable in the name of saving his own love. Something that will fracture the human and faery worlds forever, and give rise to the dangerous fey known as the Forgotten. As Ethan's and Keirran's fates entwine and Keirran slips further into darkness, Ethan's next choice may decide the fate of them all. Views: 746
Going against Mary Hightower's wishes, Nick, "the chocolate ogre," is slowly trying to reach every kid in Everlost to hand each and every one a coin, which will release them from Everlost. Mikey McGill and Allie have joined a band of skinjackers who have more of an impact on the living world then any other inhabitant of Everlost. Except Mikey can't skinjack and Allie can - and there is a very good reason: Allie is not actually dead. Views: 746
Serial killers aren't made, they're born. This is a fact that each of their victims fights helplessly against as they draw their final breath. The Roadside Slasher is just that type of evil. Would you survive an encounter with the ultimate evil, or simply become another notch on his bloodied belt?In a classic game of cat and mouse, the thin line between prey and predator becomes a blurred shadow at best. Serial killers aren't made, they're born. This is a fact that each of their victims fights helplessly against as they draw their final breath. Death is a battle fought by all, but when in the skilled hands of a killer, death becomes a carefully baited performance to be savored in tantalizing bites. The Roadside Slasher is just that type of evil. He is a skilled predator who hunts his prey with a single determination, toying with the minds of the defenseless, as well as the far from innocent. Would you survive an encounter with the ultimate evil, or simply become another notch on his bloodied belt? Views: 746
When werewolves invade their city, the aristocratic couple Bernard and Charlotte (who never loved each other) are bitten and flee the hunters. But can their newfound love stand up to the man who would rather they die than regain their humanity? (Paranorma sweet romance novella)A loveless marriage. A werewolf curse. In the rainy near-Earth land of Grayton, Bernard and Charlotte Preston lead separate lives. An arranged marriage has left them with plenty of money and a cold relationship. She craves social esteem--while she wishes for the love her marriage has never contained. He is an alchemist who is desperately seeking a cure for the werewolf curse. Yet he, too, is plagued by loneliness and a wistful admiration for his distant wife. When the werewolves attack Lyedyn City the night of the Spring Ball, Bernard and Charlotte together fall under the curse. Retaining only their sanity, they flee the wolf hunters and hide deep in the forest. Hungry and afraid, the estranged couple work together to survive ... and the love they've never had begins to blossom. But their newfound love may be cut short by the ruthless man who controls the werewolves, and who would rather a cure never be found. Views: 746
A teenage math prodigy defies her parents and secretly trains to be a mercenary.Sixteen-year-old Sulan Hom can’t remember life before the Default—the day the United States government declared bankruptcy. As a math prodigy, she leads a protected life, kept safe from the hunger and crime plaguing the streets of America. She attends the corporate-sponsored Virtual High School, an academy in Vex (Virtual Experience) for gifted children. Beyond the security of Sulan’s high-tech world, the Anti-American League wages a guerrilla war against the United States. Their leader, Imugi, is dedicated to undermining the nation’s reconstruction attempts. He attacks anything considered a national resource, including corporations, food storage facilities—and schools. When Sulan witnesses the public execution of a teenage student and the bombing of a college dorm, she panics. Her mother, a retired mercenary, refuses to teach her self-defense. Sulan takes matters into her own hands. With the help of her hacker best friend, Sulan acquires Touch—an illegal Vex technology that allows her to share the physical experience of her avatar. With Touch, Sulan defies her mother and trains herself to fight. When Imugi unleashes a new attack on the United States, Sulan finds herself caught in his net. Will her Vex training be enough to help her survive and escape?This novel is 54,000 words. Views: 746
