An automaton, a man and a woman who can never meet, two stories of love—all are brought to incandescent life in this hauntingly moving novel from one of the finest writers of our time.  London 2010: Catherine Gehrig, conservator at the Swinburne museum, learns of the sudden death of her colleague and lover of thirteen years. As the mistress of a married man, she must struggle to keep the depth of her anguish to herself. The one other person who knows Catherine’s secret—her boss—arranges for her to be given a special project away from prying eyes in the museum’s Annexe. Usually controlled and rational, but now mad with grief, Catherine reluctantly unpacks an extraordinary, eerie automaton that she has been charged with bringing back to life. As she begins to piece together the clockwork puzzle, she also uncovers a series of notebooks written by the mechanical creature’s original owner: a nineteenth-century Englishman, Henry Brandling, who traveled to Germany to commission it as a magical amusement for his consumptive son. But it is Catherine, nearly two hundred years later, who will find comfort and wonder in Henry’s story. And it is the automaton, in its beautiful, uncanny imitation of life, that will link two strangers confronted with the mysteries of creation, the miracle and catastrophe of human invention, and the body’s astonishing chemistry of love and feeling.

**New in the national bestselling series Psychic M.J. Holliday finds herself in a witchy situation... ** When M.J. and her friends travel to a small town near Edinburgh, Scotland, to film the first installment of their new cable TV show Ghoul Getters, they find plenty of spooky action in a series of supposedly haunted caverns. But when they discover the body of a maintenance worker, the cause of death is reminiscent of an old legend involving a witch's wrath...

Monica McCarty’s novels of Scottish historical romance are the gold standard in a genre known for sensual intrigue. In this riveting trilogy, the men and women of the Campbell clan lose themselves in the velvet darkness of passionate nights, play deadly games of murder and treason, and fight to forge a love as strong as the sword that rules the Highlands. This up-all-night eBook bundle includes: HIGHLAND WARRIORThe ruthless enforcer of Scotland’s most powerful clan, Jamie Campbell will use any means necessary to vanquish unrest among the feuding Highlanders, but when he poses as a suitor to a rival clan’s daughter, the line between duty and pleasure is suddenly blurred. Caitrina Lamont has no intention of forsaking her father and brothers for a husband—especially a hated Campbell. But Jamie’s raw, sensual strength and searing kiss melt her resistance. When her idyllic world is shattered, Caitrina finds that her only hope lies in the arms of the enemy.HIGHLAND OUTLAWHandsome and dangerous, Patrick MacGregor is a wanted man who will stop at nothing to save his outlawed clan, even if it means marrying Elizabeth Campbell, the daughter of his worst enemy. Yet the flaxen-haired beauty makes him want much more than revenge. Inside the shy and dutiful Lizzie, a passionate woman longs to emerge. So when the piercing emerald eyes of a stranger spark a desperate hunger, she surrenders to Patrick’s glorious seduction—unaware that his daring deception has just found its one and only chance for redemption.HIGHLAND SCOUNDRELFramed for a crime he did not commit, Duncan Campbell has returned to the Highlands to clear his name. After ten years in exile, Duncan is drawn to the headstrong girl who once betrayed him—and who now shows him the bad end of a pistol. No longer a starry-eyed girl but a woman with dangerous secrets, Jeannie Gordon cannot forgive Duncan’s shattering mistrust of her nor can she sign his death warrant by turning him in. Soon passion flares hotter and bolder than before, sealing a fate the onetime lovers can no longer deny.

Guardian Witch Book Four A dead body, black magic, and a vampire enforcer... Ari thought her biggest problem was deciding if she should move in with her vampire boyfriend, Andreas. That was before they found the dead body at the bottom of the Riverdale cliffs. And before she realized he'd been cursed by black magic. Just as she begins the murder investigation, the vampire rulers in Europe send an enforcer to make inquiries into the recent defeat of the Toronto vampire prince. While Andreas has taken responsibility for the brutal dictator's death, there is much about the incident that he and Ari must keep to themselves--secrets the vampire elders would stop at nothing to learn. With threats of retaliation hanging over their heads, Ari moves into Andreas's Victorian mansion--for safety's sake--while the enforcer begins a campaign of terror. Ari is caught between competing dangers and challenges: black magic, a ghost, a missing Native American artifact...not to mention a new roommate...all while trying to stay alive...

The long awaited sequel to Gene Wolfe’s four-volume classic, The Book of the New Sun. We return to the world of Severian, now the Autarch of Urth, as he leaves the planet on one of the huge spaceships of the alien Hierodules to travel across time and space to face his greatest test, to become the legendary New Sun or die. The strange, rich, original spaceship scenes give way to travels in time, wherein Severian revisits times and places which fill in parts of the background of the four-volume work, that will thrill and intrigue particularly all readers of the earlier books. But The Urth of the New Sun is an independent structure all of a piece, an integral masterpiece to shelve beside the classics, one itself.

When the disease spread through the world, people had no choice but to go into hiding. The Colony is hidden deep underground, far away from the vampires—humans that were transformed by the disease. The vampires are hideous, starving, and they will kill any human they come across. Seventeen-year-old Kayla is a Bellator, a warrior that protects The Colony. In order to survive, there are three rules she must follow: Rule #1—Never go out after dark. Rule #2—Always carry a weapon. Rule #3—No matter what, never EVER get bitten. But what happens when the rules Kayla has always lived by can no longer apply? The Highers run The Colony and accept nothing less than perfection. One slip up can mean death. Kayla has always worked hard to follow the rules and strive for perfection. But during a moment of weakness, she lets her imperfections show. Her punishment is worse than death. She is chosen for The Gathering and is thrown out into a world full of starving vampires. No one has ever survived The Gathering, at least that’s what Kayla’s been told. But when she runs into a group who insist they were once part of The Gathering, Kayla discovers the Highers have been keeping secrets. Secrets that could lead to a cure.

Imagine that the creature we call cow evolved into a beast with near-human intelligence, who thinks of herself as a person . . . But this is Phildee's story, and Phildee is a boy. Or that's what he'd call himself if you asked him. He's out and about, and playing games that come from his imagination. The loft of the feed-house, with its stacked grainsacks, is a B-72, a fort, a foxhole -- any number of things, depending on Phildee's mood. Today it was a jumping-off place. Phildee slipped out of his dormitory and ran across the yard to the feed-house. Then, abruptly, the Reimann fold became a concrete visualization. And Phildee twisted. He twisted into Riya's world -- Riya is that creature we were discussing up above. And spring has come to Riya's world. . . .

A Murder Mystery. When a mysterious stranger who calls himself 'K' enters her life, nurse-in-training Sidney can sense that he's running away from something. But before she can learn more about his tragic past, the pair find themselves falling hopelessly in love. Can their romance transcend his troubles?

The Hunters of the Hills is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler is in the English language, and may not include graphics or images from the original edition. If you enjoy the works of Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection.

William Seymour grows up on shipboard in the Royal Navy, after his father is hanged during the mutiny at the Nore (1797), and later, he is impressed into the crew of a daring smuggler. This amusing and exciting novel blends in the classic true tale of an English captain who deliberately lost his frigate on a lee shore, in order to wreck a French line-of-battle ship.

Aliens who can take control of ordinary people have invaded the Earth. It's up to Mike, an average guy to overcome his own alien and save the world!A story based on the "Puppet Masters" by Robert A. HeinleinRebekah comes home to the Celtic land of Wales with her Welsh prince Llewellyn and they share an adventure of love from many lifetimes.

12 Short Stories involving beings and entities less than, more than or other than human: weird situations in which the impossible happens. Some reflect Mike's bizarre sense of humour while some leave a tingle of uncertainty - could the impossible really be true? Could parallel universes exist in the same space as this one? Suspend your disbelief and read on.Dear Readers,This ebook is my thank you gift to all you who have taken the time to email me privately and leave reviews about how much you enjoy the world of Pearl Island and all its characters. The first three books in the series were originally published in print by St. Martin’s Press. When I re-released them as ebooks, your affection for the stories inspired me to add an extra "epilogue" to the end of Books 1 - 3 so you could see what's happening at the Pearl Island Inn today. If you haven't read the series, this ebook can read as three short stories to introduce you to the enchanting world of Pearl Island and the St. Claire siblings who turned a dilapidated mansion into a thriving bed and breakfast haunted by their colorful ancestor and her pirate lover.Welcome back to Pearl Island!Julie Ortolon

fiction; prose

Sardelle Terushan wakes from three hundred years in a mage stasis shelter, only to realize that she is the last of the Referatu, the sorcerers who once helped protect Iskandia from conquerors. Their subterranean mountain community was blown up in a treacherous sneak attack by soldiers who feared their power. Everyone Sardelle ever knew is dead, and...Colonel Ridge Zirkander isn’t the model of military professionalism—he has a tendency to say exactly what’s on his mind, and his record has enough demerits to wallpaper the hull of an airship—but as the best fighter pilot in the Iskandian army, he’s used to a little leniency from his superiors. Until he punches the wrong diplomat in the nose and finds himself issued new orders: take command of a remote prison mine in the inhospitable Ice Blades Mountains. Ridge has never been in charge of anything larger than a flier squadron—what’s he supposed to do with a frozen fortress full of murderers and rapists? Not to mention the strange woman who shows up right before he arrives…Sardelle Terushan wakes from three hundred years in a mage stasis shelter, only to realize that she is the last of the Referatu, the sorcerers who once helped protect Iskandia from conquerors. Their subterranean mountain community was blown up in a treacherous sneak attack by soldiers who feared their power. Everyone Sardelle ever knew is dead, and the sentient soulblade she has been bonded to since her youth is buried in the core of the mountain. Further, what remains of her home has been infested by bloodthirsty miners commanded by the descendants of the very soldiers who destroyed her people.Sardelle needs help to reach her soulblade—her only link to her past and her last friend in the world. Her only hope is to pretend she’s one of the prisoners while trying to gain the commander’s trust. But lying isn’t her specialty, especially when the world has changed so much in the intervening centuries, and if Colonel Zirkander figures out who she truly is, he’ll be duty-bound to sentence her to the only acceptable punishment for sorcerers: death.The Dragon Blood series reading order:Book 1: Balanced on the Blade's EdgeBook 2: DeathmakerBook 3: Blood Charged

Bob is your average, successful American that has done everything right. He lived the American Dream, but slowly everything comes crashing down. His reality is shattered and he becomes unglued. This novella follows his dangerous path.Robert Malcolm Jr. was the typical American , living the American dream. A self made man, who had pulled himself up and had reached a very comfortable position, Bob was also the nicest person you could meet. Then things go horribly wrong. Bob gets a divorce, loses his job and the American dream turns into the nightmare. With nothing to hold his belief system intact and with no one to turn to, Bob slowly becomes unglued. Bob was always the nice guy and always did the right thing, even if it hurt him. But sometimes, life throws at you circumstances that are beyond your control. Circumstances, that all your belief systems cannot explain away. Bob was faced with such circumstances and being Mr. Nice guy did not help him in any way. All the stress bottled in, finally surface, transforming Bob into a very dangerous and disturbed individual.

Katie is a MMA fighter with ties to Cleveland's BDSM community. When a blackout grips the city, interrupting Katie's training session, what can she do? Go home, have a drink, fight crime--that's what. Short story.Lamont like many eighteen year olds living in 2057 Boston has a convertible podcar, a girlfriend, and three good buddies. Unlike his peers he lives in a Genetic Research center, has a genetic mental disorder, and can shoot lightning out of his blade-staff. Lamont’s secure world is turned upside down when Grid-One, a podcar traffic relay station is hit by terrorists known as the Hakim killing one of his mentors along with thousands in a nationwide tragedy. The team vows revenge and is sent on their first mission to recapture the relay station. In the resulting battle his team is decimated by an unknown sun weapon. He and the only other survivor, his shy friend Mark are thrown into further disarray as they learn of two other Superion teams like theirs were also developed by the secretive Foundation. Fearing that they may be targeted for extermination they escape to the lunar resort of Nuevo Vegas. They both find jobs and are mentored by Jerry Hornish and Edwin Edwards, but both of these men have their own secrets and ties to the Foundation. As other Superion team survivors show up a makeshift team is formed they are mere pawns in a plot by a rival Foundation faction trying to wrest control from the true leader Osiris, an immortal alien who is reincarnated upon death. Are the inexperienced team members ready to take on their battle-hardened renegade predecessors? Will young Osiris arrive in time to help them?

This is an original short story from my fantasy world, "The Light of Epertase: Legends Reborn."Rasi hates his mountainous exile almost as much as he hates the man who banished him there. "Love, Death, and Loneliness" takes a peek into one of Rasi's days in his brutal solitude. His memories of a time gone by is all he has left to survive the loneliness. And now, even those memories are more than he can take.

Breaking all the rules of life, love and death. Prepare yourself to be engulfed in two worlds. One within Catherine’s dreams, the other the life she is living. Catherine will be left to navigate her way through an eerie sequence of events that threaten her both emotionally and physically in pursuit of the mystery that surrounds her love for James. Can she figure it out before it’s too late? Or will history repeat itself…

When she arrives on the remote Greek island of Thaxos, Kate Langley quickly learns about the mysterious Edgar Le Compte. Having just returned to the island himself, Le Compte seems determined to reclaim his family's traditional position at the heart of local life, but many of the residents are terrified. Le Compte's grandfather was a powerful tyrant who killed anyone who stood in his way.When she arrives on the remote Greek island of Thaxos, Kate Langley quickly learns about the mysterious Edgar Le Compte. Having just returned to the island himself, Le Compte seems determined to reclaim his family's traditional position at the heart of local life, but many of the residents are terrified. Le Compte's grandfather was a powerful tyrant who killed and tortured anyone who stood in his way, and now Edgar seems torn between his own thoughts and the life his grandfather used to lead, as well as his feelings for the one woman who ever believed in his soul.Originally published in thirteen weekly installments, the first thirteen books in the Dead Souls serials are available together for the first time in this omnibus edition. As Kate begins to learn more about Edgar, other stories on the island are also explored. Inspector Cavaleri of the local police discovers a horrifying secret about her dead sister, while local girl Alice Marco is drawn closer to Edgar. Meanwhile, the mysterious Doctor Young arrives on the island and quickly sets about trying to discover the truth about Edgar's activities. Has the infamous Impaler of Thaxos returned to spread horror across the island?Total word count is approximately 240,000. Ends on a cliffhanger. Contains violence and mild adult language.

Kalin's cousin, Vorkis, has killed everyone on their planet with a lethal virus. Kalin's hatred finds Vorkis in Earth's core, dredging for Pril, the most powerful source of energy in the galaxy. On the surface, thousands have died...Earth is nearing an implosion. And a corrupt General plans of using Earth's frail condition as a means of mass genocide. Time is running out...A star system is gone - destroyed by a few ounces of an ancient source of energy...A deadly virus virtually wipes out an entire species, only two survive...A madman is dredging Earth's solid inner core for that ancient source of energy and will stop at nothing to have it...The planet Earth is literally crumbling from within - earthquakes, tsunamis, and atmospheric phenomenon the world has never seen is killing hundreds of thousands...And a corrupt General readies his plan of using Earth's crippled condition as a means to initiate mass genocide...Earth is under attack...an implosion is imminent... ...And the clock is ticking...