New York Times bestseller James Lee Burke returns with his latest masterpiece, the story of a father and son separated by war and circumstance-and whose encounter with the legendary Holy Grail will change their lives forever. From its opening scene in revolutionary Mexico to the Battle of the Marne in 1918, and on to the bordellos and saloons of San Antonio during the reign of the Hole in the Wall Gang, House of the Rising Sun is an epic tale of love, loss, betrayal, vengeance and retribution that follows Texas Ranger Hackberry Holland on his journey to reunite with his estranged son, Ishmael, a captain in the United States Army. After a violent encounter that leaves four Mexican soldiers dead, Hackberry escapes the country in possession of a stolen artifact, earning the ire of a bloodthirsty Austrian arms dealer who then places Hack’s son Ishmael squarely in the cross hairs of a plot to recapture his prize, believed to be the mythic cup of Christ. Along the way, we meet three extraordinary women: Ruby Dansen, the Danish immigrant who is Ishmael’s mother and Hackberry’s one true love; Beatrice DeMolay, a brothel madam descended from the crusader knight who brought the shroud of Turin back from the Holy Land; and Maggie Bassett, one-time lover of the Sundance Kid, whose wiles rival those of Lady Macbeth. In her own way, each woman will aid Hackberry in his quest to reconcile with Ishmael, to vanquish their enemies, and to return the Grail to its rightful place. House of the Rising Sun is James Lee Burke’s finest novel to date, and a thrilling entry into the Holland family saga that continued most recently with Wayfaring Stranger, which the New York Times Book Review described as “saturated with the romance of the past while mournfully attuned to the unholy menace of the present.”

Authorized by the Margaret Mitchell Estate, here is the first-ever prequel to one of the most beloved and bestselling novels of all time, Gone with the Wind. The critically acclaimed author of Rhett Butler’s People magnificently recounts the life of Mammy, one of literature’s greatest supporting characters, from her days as a slave girl to the outbreak of the Civil War. “Her story began with a miracle.” On the Caribbean island of Saint Domingue, an island consumed by the flames of revolution, a senseless attack leaves only one survivor—an infant girl. She falls into the hands of two French émigrés, Henri and Solange Fournier, who take the beautiful child they call Ruth to the bustling American city of Savannah. What follows is the sweeping tale of Ruth’s life as shaped by her strong-willed mistress and other larger-than-life personalities she encounters in the South: Jehu Glen, a free black man with whom Ruth falls madly in love; the shabbily genteel family that first hires Ruth as Mammy; Solange’s daughter Ellen and the rough Irishman, Gerald O’Hara, whom Ellen chooses to marry; the Butler family of Charleston and their shocking connection to Mammy Ruth; and finally Scarlett O’Hara—the irrepressible Southern belle Mammy raises from birth. As we witness the difficult coming of age felt by three generations of women, gifted storyteller Donald McCaig reveals a portrait of Mammy that is both nuanced and poignant, at once a proud woman and a captive, and a strict disciplinarian who has never experienced freedom herself. But despite the cruelties of a world that has decreed her a slave, Mammy endures, a rock in the river of time. She loves with a ferocity that would astonish those around her if they knew it. And she holds tight even to those who have been lost in the ravages of her days. Set against the backdrop of the South from the 1820s until the dawn of the Civil War, here is a remarkable story of fortitude, heartbreak, and indomitable will—and a tale that will forever illuminate your reading of Margaret Mitchell’s unforgettable classic, Gone with the Wind

Fire in the forest–and a cry for help from a trapped and desperate alien mother! Unfortunately, this is one cry no human can hear. Stephanie Harrington, precocious fourteen-year-old Provisional Forest Ranger on the planet Sphinx, knows something is wrong from the uneasy emotion that is flooding into her from her treecat friend, Climbs Quickly.  But though Stephanie’s alien comrade shares a tight bond with his two-legs, whom he knows as Death Fang’s Bane, he cannot communicate directly to her the anguished call from one of his people.  Still, their strong and direct bond of feeling may be enough. Stephanie and fellow ranger Karl Zivonik respond to Climbs Quickly’s rising waves of distress. Fire season on the pioneer world of Sphinx has begun.  But there are those who want to use the natural cycle of the planet for personal gain –and to get rid of the one obstacle that stands in the way of acquiring even greater land and power on Spinx: the native treecats.  Now it’s up to Stephanie, Climbs Quickly along with their friends, family, and allies to prevent disaster and injustice from befalling a treecat clan.  But in the process Stephanie must be certain to preserve the greatest secret all.  It is the knowledge that the treecats of Sphinx are not merely pets or servants, but are highly intelligent in their own right–that they are a species fully deserving of rights, respect, and freedom. And keeping the secret that will allow the treecats time to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with humankind.  It all begins with the friendship of a girl and her treecat.

In this new stand-alone fairy tale, Princess Annie is the younger sister to Gwen, the princess destined to be Sleeping Beauty. When Gwennie pricks her finger and the whole castle falls asleep, only Annie is awake, and only Annie-blessed (or cursed?) with being impervious to magic-can venture out beyond the rose-covered hedge for help. She must find Gwen's true love to kiss her awake. But who is her true love? The irritating Digby? The happy-go-lucky Prince Andreas, who is holding a contest to find his bride? The conniving Clarence, whose sinister motives couldn't possibly spell true love? Joined by one of her father's guards, Liam, who happened to be out of the castle when the sleeping spell struck, Annie travels through a fairy tale land populated with characters both familiar and new as she tries to fix her sister and her family . . . and perhaps even find a true love of her own.

Born of the Hyddenworld but living in our reality – Jack knows that he has a foot in both worlds but doesn't wholly belong to either. Even his relationship with his wife can't convince him that this is the place where he truly belongs. He has to decide – is he human, or hydden? Leaving everything he loves behind, including his daughter Judith, Jack travels back to the Hyddenworld to try to find the missing gem of summer. Judith is also a child of two worlds with her human mother and giant-born hyddenworld father. She knows her destiny, she knows who she is supposed to be – but she's tortured. She feels just like a normal teenage girl, with typical teenage angst. How could she possibly be the legendary Shield-Maiden? While Judith tries to come to term with her future, the world around her is starting to deteriorate. The weather is changing and destruction and upheaval follow in its wake. Jack knows that the four gems need to be reunited soon and that the Shield-Maiden needs to be ready to wield them. And if Judith can't accept her destiny, or the gems can't be found, then both the Hydden world and the human are threatened with extinction.

Jack Fleming was an investigative journalist in Prohibition-era Chicago until he got shot by an unknown assassin, bitten by his vampire girlfriend, and became one of the undead. Now, this nice-guy nosferatu has a bunch of crazy vampire hunters on his trail armed with crosses, silver bullets, and sharp wooden stakes. He doesn't know how they found out about him or why they are "out for his blood," but it's not a problem for this street-wise gumshoe, until someone starts shooting. Jack himself may be bulletproof, but his friends are not. And Jack is determined to get some answers, even if it kills him-again. It's a case of the living versus the undead. But who's hunting whom?

Lion Ben of Elm Island By Elijah KelloggLion Ben of Elm Island By Elijah Kellogg

"More stories of faith, family, and fun in the ongoing Elsie Dinsmore series"Enter the world of Elsie Dinsmore! Christian values, innocent romance, family fun, and lasting lessons have captivated generations of girls eager to follow Elsie's life from childhood to motherhood and beyond.Elsie and Her Namesakes, Book 28 Harold Travilla marries Gracie Raymond on New Year's Day. The happy couple honeymoons at Viamede, Grandmother Elsie's Louisiana plantation, and the rest of the family travels on the Dolphin to join them. Along the way, Grandmother Elsie and Captain Raymond regale the children with tales from Southern history, and Cousin Ronald entertains them with stories of his native Scotland. Lucille and Chester welcome a healthy baby boy to their family.

Doug had made a deal with the devil to be sane. Now the devil has come to repossess.Doug had made a deal with the devil to be sane. Now the devil has come to repossess.Graphic Violence.

Charles Brockden Brown is no longer as well known as some of his American contemporaries, but in his day he was widely lauded and regarded as the most important American novelist before James Fenimore Cooper. Brown's specialty was Gothic horror novels, the kind that would become extremely popular across the West during the early 19th century and influence subsequent authors like Poe and Hawthorne.

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

Twenty-eight year old Amber Curtis has been on the run from a vicious stalker for four years. Each time he finds her, people die. Can FBI agent, Derek Stevenson, help her discover the identity of her stalker or will he end up like the others who have shown an interest in her life?College-bound Lexi Adams leads no ordinary life. Premonitions dictate her every move, compelling her to rescue strangers day and night. After years of self-sacrifice, she decides to ignore one, but innocent people die. So, when the next premonition depicts her own death, she has a decision to make.Except more complications arise when a series of strange illnesses and murders devastate her small town, and co-worker Jessica Nelson insists Lexi can help. According to Jessica, everyone is born with an inner energy called Essence. Only a select few, Amethysts, can control Essence and heal people. Jessica claims to be an Amethyst and asks Lexi to join her and a group of her friends as they track the murderers. Despite her personal plight, Lexi considers working with them but soon discovers their secrets run deep: Not only do Jessica's friends have a hidden agenda, but they also harbor extraordinary abilities. Even more unsettling, they have connections with the Ray-pacs – the sadistic killers who are preying on human Essence. Ultimately, Lexi must decide if life, not death, equals salvation. And if so, is she willing to make sacrifices and join her friends in eradicating the Ray-pacs?Amethyst is the first novel in the Guardian series, a spellbinding, young adult, urban fantasy series. One that wouldn’t be complete without a love triangle at the heart of the story.

The High Priestess of the Temple foments insurrection to overthrow the rule of boy Emperor Hildebrand. Hunted, he meets Alfrid of Aslak, an outland barbarian. She fires his heart, this heathen warrior out of ancient prophecy. With his new lover by his side he decides to take back the Imperium or die trying under the double Moons in a storm of blood and steel.A Gender Switch Adventure.The Land of Faerie is calling. There are places unknown, magic lures you in and love spands lifetimes. Don't resist. It's in the blood...Evangeline is a short story prequel to Ever Shade.Books available in this series:The Withering PalaceEvangelineEver Shade Ever FireEver WinterThe CursedEver WrathHistory of FireWithout ArmorEver Dead

Gil "The Arm" Hamilton was one of the top operatives of ARM, the elite UN plice force. His intuition was unfailingly accurate, his detective skills second to none, and his psychic powers -- esper sense and telekinesis -- were awesome. Now you can read all the classic stories of the legendary ARM operative, collected in one volume for the first time -- plus, an all-new, never-before-published Gil Hamilton adventure! From the Paperback edition.

Charlene ran down the hall trying to find a place to hide, a place to escape the creep who chased her; the stranger with the wandering hands. As she turned another corner in the labyrinth of halls, a shocking realization tore through her brain and caused her to stumble. He knew too much about her. That could only mean one thing: she wasn’t the only one with a secret. She was so disoriented by...Charlene ran down the hall trying to find a place to hide, a place to escape the creep who chased her; the stranger with the wandering hands. As she turned another corner in the labyrinth of halls, a shocking realization tore through her brain and caused her to stumble. He knew too much about her. That could only mean one thing: she wasn’t the only one with a secret. She was so disoriented by the twisting hallways that she wasn’t sure if she was getting closer to freedom or back to where she started. She had just turned left down another hall when two hands reached out and grabbed her, one quickly reaching up to cover her mouth and stifle the shocked scream building in her lungs. She was pulled hard to a male body and her mind raced back to when her life had suddenly become this tangled mess…Charlene had lived a sheltered life. As the youngest in the family, it felt like her whole family had a secret mission to watch over her and keep her from growing up.Maxwell was a highly successful businessman too busy with his career to date. This loner is happy with his life and his secrets. He doesn't know that he has a rival that will stop at nothing to see him fail. Regardless of his flaws, with his friendship could Charlene escape her family's thumb and discover the adventure and independence of her dreams? This good girl couldn't take the tight boundaries anymore. She was unprepared for life, but given the chance to break free, would she find happiness and life or would her misguided choices teach her life's lessons the hard way and create the ultimate bad girl?

Laylah Le Croix has everything and nothing. After an attempted kidnapping, she is rescued by Donil. Angry at her life, she makes a defiant choice that plunges her into the heart of a conspiracy.Seventeen-year-old Laylah Le Croix has a rich father, mansion, and servants. Yet she is lonely and neglected. Her father would rather work than speak to her. At the academy she is bullied and mistreated. When Weres attempt to kidnap Laylah, she is saved by the mysterious Donil Silentshadow. Donil rouses feelings in Laylah that make her question her life and her father’s animosity toward her handsome rescuer. Confused by these emotions, she seeks answers from those closest to her and is rebuffed. She must make a choice. Obey her father’s edicts or follow her heart to learn the truth about her past.

This unique anthology features a collection of stories ranging from 250-1000 words, each written by a talented female author. The book is divided into two sections, each with stories arranged by their corresponding emotional themes.After tragically losing his wife, and becoming the twelfth richest person on the planet at the same time, in the first book in the Andrew Michaels trilogy – 'Road to Recovery' – Andrew continues 'Onward and Upwards' as he loses the new love of his life, only to replace her with a Hawker Hunter (the most beautiful jet aircraft ever to take to the sky’s) or two, or three, …. Along the way he takes on drug smugglers, the paparazzi, and Farnborough Airshow as he starts to flex his new found financial muscle, but why is the President of the United States ringing him up?, and where did the twins come from? To find the answer to where the twins went, then follow his adventures in the third in the series – 'Above and Beyond', and it wasn’t on board a nuclear powered aircraft carrier.

Brother and sister, Constance and Kenneth Fielding live in calm respectability, just out of reach of London and the Blitz. But when a series of uninvited guests converge upon them – from a Balkan exile to Ken’s old flame and the siblings’ own raffish father – the household struggles to preserve its precious peace. In this full house, in a quiet corner of suburbia, no one expects to find romance.

It’s 1912, and Mollie Carberry’s life in the relatively new middle class north Dublin suburb of Drumcondra seems very boring. Then she notices that her older sister Phyllis and the family’s maid Maggie are plotting something. They discover a stash of leaflets demanding votes for women. Phyllis has joined the suffragette cause! Will Mollie get involved too? And how far should a girl go for her beliefs?

An old, dying woman makes one last visit to her favorite restaurant, a place once used as a refuge for a painful period in her life. Awash with memories of a time long past, she gets the surprise of a lifetime when she catches a glimpse of a familiar face that, unlike her own image, had not been marred by time.Apollo is an orphan in the walled farming community of Alcazar. Everyone else his age is eagerly awaiting their apprenticeships that proceed the ritual that will determine their place in society, the Ceremony of Ascension. Without a heritage, Apollo knows it's something he can never have. But then the last week of school is canceled and Apollo's dread is turned into surprise when he's summoned by the leader of their community. The boy soon learns of the unique bond they both share, that's also littered with a long trail of deceit and genetic manipulations.