Fiction

She can never be his...but he's taking her anyway.Stoic, broody, and arrogant, elite bodyguard Rhys Larsen has two rules: 1) Protect his clients at all costs 2) Do not become emotionally involved. Ever.He has never once been tempted to break those rules...until her.Bridget von Ascheberg. A princess with a stubborn streak that matches his own and a hidden fire that reduces his rules to ash. She's nothing he expected and everything he never knew he needed.Day by day, inch by inch, she breaks down his defenses until he's faced with a truth he can no longer deny: he swore an oath to protect her, but all he wants is to ruin her. Take her.Because she's his.His princess.His forbidden fruit.His every depraved fantasy.***Regal, strong-willed, and bound by the chains of duty, Princess Bridget dreams of the freedom to live and love as she chooses.But when her brother abdicates, she's suddenly faced with the prospect of a loveless, politically expedient marriage and a throne she never wanted.And as she navigates the intricacies-and treacheries-of her new role, she must also hide her desire for a man she can't have.Her bodyguard.Her protector.Her ultimate ruin.Unexpected and forbidden, theirs is a love that could destroy a kingdom...and doom them both.Twisted Games is a contemporary royal bodyguard romance. It's book two of the Twisted series but can be read as a standalone.Warning: This book contains a possessive alpha hero, explicit sexual content, and profanity.

XanderThere's something seriously wrong with me.For once, I'm not talking about the health anxiety that randomly pops up and wreaks havoc on my life. I'm talking about, well, everything else.All my roommates have found someone to love them, and it hurts to see the guys who used to have me at the center of their worlds pair off and grow up, especially when it's a reminder of how alone I've always been. I've always had an issue with relationships. With forming a connection with people outside of Seven, but this is more.Because I want to find my someone.Except the one person my brain has latched onto is the one person I can never have. The one person who's there to help me when my panic attacks get too much.Nurse Derek.DerekI should never have offered to treat Xander Moore.And now here I am years later, my life on hold, while I wait day in and day out for the call that Xander needs me. It always comes, and I always answer, but I'm starting to dread those visits.Lately, I'm looking at Xander in a way a medical professional should never look at their patient.When Xander starts volunteering at the same nursing home that I do, I get to see a new side of him. The artistic, charismatic side that draws the residents in. I get glimpses of a man who's so much more than his anxiety, and it does nothing to help my feelings for him.Lines begin to blur and I have no choice but to stop treating him. That at least allows us to be friends. The only problem is, being friends isn't enough for either of us.It's wrong, unethical, and unprofessional, but my heart won't listen. It's decided on Xander, and it doesn't want to wait. Neither does Xander.But if I want to keep my job, I have to resist.I just wish he didn't make that so difficult.

'When the rains fell, the world burned...' After a childhood spent in the foster care system, failed PhD student Amy Weston attracts trouble wherever she goes. Acid rain is destroying London's trees, brain lesions are turning once-harmless pets into killer dogs, and her new work colleague, Professor Joel Harket, is the most infuriating man she has ever met. But when the media continue to insist that autumn has simply come early, and humans begin to experience the same symptoms as the killer dogs, Amy must work alongside Joel in order to convince the world of the seriousness of the situation, before it is too late. From the UN Air Health summit in Beijing to the abandoned tunnels beneath the city of London, Amy and Joel search for answers to prevent the end of the world, and as Nelson's Column crumbles and zombie-like 'howlers' wreak havoc worldwide, they discover that the only way to survive the apocalypse is to set aside their differences... and learn to trust each other.

A high-octane tale of sweeping scope and and imagination packed into the pages of a breathless novella. Reminiscent of Jack Vance at his best in its sweep and imagination, but wholly Di Filippo in its execution.Klom is a big, simple man who works in the salvage yards on the planet Asperna as a shipbreaker. One day, while deep in the bowels of an antique ship, Klom discovers an active organic stasis pod. He splits it open and out tumbles a large quadruped that seems friendly, harmless, but non-sapient. Klom adopts it as a pet and names it Tugger. Little does he imagine the deadly danger Tugger represents. Klom is forced into a desperate chase across the stars, encountering many colourful worlds and cultures, as the most powerful beings in the galaxy hunt him down and vie for the secrets he has unwittingly discovered.

Sequel to Over and BackBronco's Boys: Book SixWhen Salvatore Adruccio finished his time in the military, he moved on to a life of good friends, cold drinks, and hot men. His job as a bouncer at Broncos is fun and drama-free, at least until sexy but secretive server Elliot Hastings catches his eye.On the run and in possession of evidence that could expose his stepfather for the dangerous and powerful criminal he is, Elliot doesn't want to draw anyone else into his troubles. But when a thug catches up to him and Salvatore fends him off, he decides Elliot needs his help, even if he won't admit it. Attraction quickly heats into passion, but Elliot is wary of commitment when he might have to drop everything and run at any moment. The only way they can be together in all the ways they want is to take out the threat posed by Elliot's stepfather and his underworld ties.And Salvatore intends to do just that.

I thought my first husband was dead. But when I get a letter with his name on it just days before my wedding, it will tear my perfect new life apart... As we drive up to the gorgeous house by the lake with its red and yellow roses round the door, I breathe in the pure air and count my blessings. In two days' time I'm getting married to Matt, my soulmate and the father of my beautiful boy. After all the pain of my past, my life now is perfect. But later that night I hear a knocking outside. I find the back door swinging open and a card lying on the floor, addressed to me in familiar handwriting... I can't wait to see you. I've missed you so much. All my love, Callum.Callum was my first husband. Eight years ago, when we were staying at this exact same place for my birthday, he disappeared. All the people who were with me that terrible night are here for the wedding. My brother. His wife. My new partner Matt: Callum's best friend. We all had reasons to hate Callum then. We all have reasons to lie now. The police are sure Callum is dead. But as I look around at my loved ones, I wonder...Does someone know what really happened that night?Does someone know what I did?And if Callum is back, is he the dangerous one... or is it one of us?An utterly page-turning, gripping psychological thriller, full of twists and gasp-out-loud moments. Perfect for fans of K.L. Slater, Shari Lapena and Claire Douglas. See what readers are saying about The First Husband: 'What a belter... a real edge-of-your-seat book!... I loved... kept me guessing right up until the very last page!' NetGalley reviewer, ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ 'I read this book in one sitting!... From the very beginning I was hooked!... kept me guessing and wanting more... Loved this!... had me turning the pages SO FAST!' Fable, ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿'Wow!!... incredible... constantly had me on the edge of my seat. Read it within a day.' itsa.bookstory, ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿'Kept me on the end of my seat... I did not see those twists coming!' Goodreads reviewer'I loved everything... kept me gripped throughout... fantastic... definitely in my top ten reads this year. I can't wait to recommend this to everyone... excellent.' NetGalley reviewer, ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿'Thoroughly gripping! You will suspect everyone.' NetGalley reviewer, ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿'Addictive... kept me turning the pages... a must-read!' Goodreads reviewer 'I was hooked from the very first chapter and could not wait to find out who was responsible... I loved.' Goodreads reviewer, ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿'Had me hooked from page one! I couldn't put it down. I loved.' NetGalley review'Gripping thriller at its finest... twisty till the last page. 5 stars.' Goodreads reviewer, ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿

Fresh out of high school, Ndombi dares to chase a different path in Kambi slums. He forms a theatre group to escape the lure of the Baghdad Boys gang. A chance encounter with an injured Indian girl turns his life upside down, as it tests his loyalty to his family and friends. As tensions flare and betrayal creeps into his inner circle, Ndombi must decide what, and who, is worth fighting for. This is a gripping tale of affection, ambition, and resilience set against a backdrop of slum life, where Ndombi pays the cost of dreaming big in a world that demands one plays small.

He must wed her to break the curse.She must kill him to save her kingdom.Every generation, the Earthen Court gives a princess bride to the Wraith King to protect their realm from his deadly shadows. Princess Sybelle has prepared her entire life to be married to the monster who has been terrorizing her people.And she has a plan to end her people's suffering for good.With the help of her dragon familiar, who can sniff out powerful enchantments, she intends to uncover the source of the Wraith King's shadow magic. Once he is rendered powerless, she plans to kill him.But despite his demonic appearance, the Wraith King is not who he appears to be. He is as alluring as he is deadly and, as Sybelle comes to know him, he awakens a fire in her soul she never knew she had.When she realizes he is trapped by a powerful curse, she wants to do everything in her power to break it.But to do so would endanger her own life and the lives of her people.Torn between her duty to her kingdom and breaking the Wraith King's curse, Sybelle must decide where her loyalties lie: to the home she was raised to protect, or to the dark king who has worked his way into her heart?This book contains adult themes. Before reading, readers are encouraged to check the content warning on the author's website.Crown of Briars is a Beauty and the Beast retelling with a twist, full of dark fae magic, deadly court schemes, and steamy romance. The Crowns of the Fae books can be read in any order as stand-alone novels.

SF Caledonia is a digital magazine and hub for short stories, articles, and poetry by Scottish writers. It's a platform for Scotland to highlight its gifted community of science fiction/speculative fiction/fantasy writers to the world.SF Caledonia Anthology One marks the initial print of a selection of works featured on the website. The writers selected for this volume are:Iain BainJohn BuchanAnne CharnockCallum DouganThomas ErskineE.M. FauldsGwyneth FindlayLewis Grassic GibbonPippa GoldschmidtRhiannon A GristT L HuchuChris KelsoKen MacLeodKatie McIvor R/L MonroeJeda PearlRachel PlummerMark TonerKirsti Wishartblack & white interior pages

An ex-pro gamer's body and mind are on the line as he fights for his life in the Hell level of a mysterious "Tutorial" in this dark fantasy LitRPG.Lo Fennrick is going to die. Maybe later this month, maybe this very week. Either way, the homeless ex-pro gamer is only going to avoid starving if he freezes to death first.On a snowy New Year's Eve, Fennrick negotiates one last hurrah in a seedy internet cafe, but at the stroke of midnight, he receives a tantalizing invitation: "You have been invited to join the Tutorial." And when presented with the available difficulty levels, he makes the obvious choice: Hell. Soon, Fennrick finds himself in frenzied, violent combat, and it's a toss-up as to which he'll lose first: his life or what little sanity he has left. With his criminal record, estranged family, and nonexistent future, he's ready to accept death.But with monsters lurking in every corner, he's surprised to find himself battling all comers-human or otherwise-in a desperate attempt to save his own worthless self. Can Fennrick emerge from Hell with a single shred of his sanity intact-or will it be game over?

The second installment in a dark obsession fantasy romance duet set in a city of warring vampire clans, perfect for fans of Haunting Adeline, From Blood and Ash, and Gild.ScarlettAll my life, I've been scorned for what I am: an object of desire, a temptress, a demon. Now my dark and mysterious powers of seduction might be my only salvation.I am living in a nightmare. Rune's voice torments me. Cruel hands offer touch and torture that I cannot refuse. My addictive blood spurs obsession and frenzy, but I am not defenseless. The born vampires can't fathom the embodiment of wrath and vengeance they are forging from sin and blood.RuneAll her life, I have watched her from the shadows. Now she haunts my every moment, my every dream. She is inescapable: the vastness of an ocean, the radiance of a field of stars, the deep darkness of divine feminine rage.Valentin is in a state of upheaval. One wrong move could provoke the annihilation of everything my clan has built, the destruction of the city my Scarlett adores. I am trapped by duty, bound by loyalty. But each day that passes without my Little Flame, the more famished my shadows become.One day, they will feast.~~~~~Warning: This is the second and final installment in the Eternal Obsession duet. You must read Stalked by Seduction and Shadows first. Content warnings can be found on the author's website.

The Old World is dead. Alone and starving, her only salvation is him.Born in a secure compound amidst the ashes of a world long dead, Claire Ainsley knows her place in the world: work her assigned job, live with her assigned husband, and keep her head down and her mouth shut. She knows what every compound resident has been taught: the world outside is a Wasteland, and the only thing more terrifying than leaving the compound is being forced to confront those who live outside-the ones left behind.But her safe, contained life is destroyed when she narrowly survives an attack conceived by a conspiracy from within the compound itself. Only by fleeing into the terrifying Wasteland, a vast wilderness peopled by bloodthirsty, cannibalistic Wastelanders, can she escape a violent end at the hands of her fellow compound dwellers.Captured by the very savages she feared, she is saved by John Madigan, a mysterious and capable survivor-and a Wastelander. She tries to deny the instant chemistry she feels with a man that is one moment terrifying, the next patient and caring, but eventually, neither of them are able to resist the blazing passion between them. But the Wasteland is harsh, and her time with John fleeting. As his own personal mission comes to an end, he must return to his homeland, leaving her with little choice but to learn to survive without the man whose protection is her only salvation in a harsh, uncompromising post-apocalyptic landscape. The Wasteland of this world has not been kind to those unchosen.~*~The Wastelander is the first in a series of post-apocalyptic romance novels that follow Claire Ainsley and John Madigan as they navigate a dangerous world where lessons are brutally learned and love is challenged by hidden threats, political conspiracy, and the daily grind of survival.

Over the course of his prolific life, the playwright Louis-Sébastien Mercier (1740-1814) wrote several plays based on works by Shakespeare. This volume brings together two very different adaptations of Shakespearean tragedies, written within two years of each other. Le Vieillard et ses trois filles (1792), in line with eighteenth-century French aesthetic and political tastes, strips the masterpiece King Lear of all its regal trappings and complex subplots to produce a pared-down three-act bourgeois 'drame' about a father who foolishly surrenders his fortune to his mercenary daughters, before an unexpected (and un-Shakespearean) happy ending. Timon d'Athènes (1794), conversely, follows the plot of Timon of Athens rather more closely, tracing its protagonist's shift from profligate socialite to bitter, misanthropic outcast; Mercier, however, accentuates the political dimension of Timon's bankruptcy, exile, and eventual suicide as an implicit critique of the violence and abuses of the post-Revolutionary Reign of Terror. What both plays have in common is a narrative arc leading from generosity exploited, via disillusionment and despair, to a misanthropic attempt to escape from civilisation altogether. This edition offers explanatory footnotes comparing the texts with the Shakespearean originals, and an introduction outlining Mercier's complex contributions to eighteenth-century Shakespeare reception in France.

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A new, sexy standalone from #1 New York Times Bestseller, Vi Keeland.It started out like any other Tuesday.I spent twelve hours writing algorithms for one of the largest companies in the world and then came home to work on a pet project of mine-feeding facts about the men I knew into a formula to find my perfect match before my twenties came barreling to a close.But then a man knocked on my door and handed me some papers that turned my life upside down.Apparently, a father I never knew existed had left me something in his will. That something turned out to be part ownership in a professional football team.Next thing I knew, I was learning a sport I knew nothing about by spending time with the team's quarterback who was out with an injury, a man who my formula would definitely determine was all wrong for me.Christian Knox was too handsome and confident for his own good and could have any woman he wanted. Only lately the only woman he seemed to want was me.But there was no way I was getting involved when I was now his boss, even if he was insanely gorgeous and had the dirtiest mouth I'd ever come across.It would be wrong, wouldn't it?Probably. But you know what they say about things that are wrong...sometimes they feel so right.

A tense mystery of sabotage and murder with far-reaching repercussions set upon a small space station orbiting Saturn's moon Epimetheus.Roxy took this job to escape her past, specifically to escape her mother. That's hard to do, however, when every feed from Earth is dominated by news from the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which is determined to uncover the truth of what really happened on the fateful day of the Sea of Tranquility Massacre, when humanity's lunar colony was destroyed; the day Roxy's mother murdered the Moon.Things start to get very real when one of her two companions - the mission's commander, Major Nakita Subaru - dies in what appears to be a freak accident, and Roxy suddenly finds herself summoned back to Earth in a remarkably swift manner. Of course, she can't actually begin that return journey until the fast-approaching ship the Cronos arrives. Until then, Roxy is alone with her surviving colleague, Karl, her anxieties, her guilt, and her mounting suspicions... Stephen Deas delivers a gripping slice of high-tension hard SF packed within a deftly crafted novella; epic in scope, precise in its execution.

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Unintended snooping can mean getting into someone's bad books.The Whitby Library has been a busy place lately, between book clubs, children's storytimes, and students working on research projects. Ann has been busy, too, which is why she's so glad to see some new volunteers to help the staff out.One of the volunteers is worried, though, and comes to Ann with a problem. She's seen something odd . . . maybe even suspicious. Ann tries advising her, but the volunteer still seems troubled. The next day, the woman meets her own suspicious end.Can Ann, with the help of her friends, help solve the mystery before someone else is permanently checked out?

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A Hollywood hookup becomes a nightmare for a woman who discovers that the predators in the hills seem to include one very hungry tiger...The last people on Earth look for final distractions in a once-great city being consumed by desert wastelands... A barfly pauses by an elaborate sand castle and finds herself attacked by armored defenders...A man suggests to his new love that it's time for them to share their worst secrets, only to hear that hers is a little harder to swallow...How the human race will spend their last amounts of time on this planet... All this and more in nine memorable stories from one of today's most unpredictable writers.Beyond the reach of human range...a drop of hell...a touch of strange.

Ellie's vacation in Florida is coming to an end but there's barely time to savor her last days on the beautiful Gulf Coast. When death strikes a bikini contest at her luxury beach resort, Ellie must use all her sleuthing skills to find the killer. Helped by Hemingway the parrot and Mojito the resort cat-not to mention her eccentric Aunt Olive-Ellie is soon busy combing the beach for clues. And she finds that this case could be her toughest yet: there are jealous rivals with murder in their hearts, sinister spa treatments with deadly effects, and powerful men who will stop at nothing to silence others.But the mystery isn't the only thing on Ellie's mind. With her time in the Sunshine State coming to an end, will she decide to return to her old life in London? And what about her "vacation fling" with handsome resort doctor Blake Thornton-does she dare follow her heart and allow the budding romance to grow into something more? Join barefoot sleuth Ellie on her final adventure as she finds that a vacation in Florida can be deadlier than she ever imagined...

What would you do if you knew you wouldn't get caught? Isla Foster and Colin Jackman are strangers. Slaves to the daily grind of life, they each receive an anonymous invitation to a masquerade ball - one of the most prestigious events in New York City. There they are given lavish costumes, false identities and an opportunity to take part in a seductive game. If they accept, for one year they will meet in a series of secret rendezvous designed to let them escape reality, consequence free. No one will ever find out where they go or what they do, as long as they follow three simple rules:1. they must never know the other's identity2. they must only meet at the prearranged times and places3. they must not fall in love What could possibly go wrong? Masquerade is a romantic suspense told in 12 parts. It's been designed for busy people who love to read but find they have little time due to work and family obligations. Each part is about the length of a glass of wine, a soak in the tub or an evening commute. Indulge in a little escape from the everyday. Read these books alone or with your partner and ask yourselves, what would you do if you knew you wouldn't get caught?

Some moments happen once in a lifetime, and you have to catch them and hold on tight.Arty Reynolds chased his dream to Broadway, but after his father is injured, he must return to the small fishing community where he grew up, at least until his dad is back on his feet.Jamie Wilson fled his family farm but failed to achieve real independence. Arty is hiring for a trip on the gulf, and it'll get Jamie one step closer to his goal.Neither man plans to stay in Florida long-term, neither is looking for love, and they're both blown away by the passion that sparks between them. But on a fishing boat, there's little privacy to see where their feelings might lead. Passion builds like a storm until they reach land, where they also learn they share a common dream. The lives they both long for could line up perfectly, as long as they can weather the strain on their new romance when only one of them may get a chance at their dream.

CHERYL HOLT delivers the third and final novel in her thrilling and delightful Lost Girls trilogy...Joanna James had a brief moment of notoriety at age four when she survived a shipwreck in the Caribbean. She was returned to England and raised quietly in the country by a doting auntie. She's descended from an ancient line of wise women, so she's very different from other young ladies. She has the sight, and she can cast spells and brew potions, but she's cautious with her peculiar gifts and hides them from her rural neighbors who don't always understand her odd talents.Captain Jacob Ralston works hard to be boring and ordinary. After learning at age ten that his notorious father was a bigamist and liar, he swore he'd grow up to be the most moral man in the kingdom. He would never rock a boat or raise a brow. After a stellar career in the navy, he's determined to retire to the country, marry the fiancée his mother picked for him, and force himself to be content.When he crosses paths with peculiar, fascinating Joanna, he's instantly bowled over. She's beautiful, intriguing, and not like any woman he's ever met. He can't imagine how he would ever bind himself, but Fate and destiny have other plans for him, and Joanna just might be the one woman who can make him happy forever...* * *Lost forever...finally found...