Four breathtakingly romantic tales of a Regency Christmas from four bestselling romance authors. Including stories by Shana Galen, Vanessa Kelly, Anna Campbell and Kate Noble.Down through the years, enchantment touches a tall gray house in Grosvenor Square. The legend of Lady Winterson’s Christmas ball promises true love and happiness to one lucky couple. Who will feel the magic this winter?Four breathtakingly romantic tales of a Regency Christmas from four bestselling romance authors.Down through the years, enchantment touches a tall gray house in Grosvenor Square. The legend of Lady Winterson’s Christmas ball promises true love and happiness to one lucky couple. Who will feel the magic this winter?1803 - The Seduction of a Duchess by Shana GalenRowena Harcourt, the Duchess of Valère, never forgot the handsome footman who helped her escape the French Revolution. For fourteen years, Gabriel Lamarque has loved Rowena—now at Lady Winterson’s Christmas ball, has fate finally delivered a chance to win her hand?1818 - One Kiss for Christmas by Vanessa KellyNigel Dash is London’s most reliable gentleman, a reputation he never minded until he fell in love with beautiful Amelia Easton. Unfortunately, Amelia sees Nigel as a dependable friend, not a dashing suitor. At Lady Winterson’s famous Christmas ball, Nigel vows to change Amelia’s mind—by sweeping her off her feet.1825 - His Christmas Cinderella by Anna Campbell At the season’s most glittering ball, a girl who has never dared to dream of forever after discovers a Christmas miracle.1830 - The Last First Kiss by Kate NobleSusannah Westforth has always loved Sebastian Beckett – but he’s only ever seen her as a friend. When Sebastian takes his Grand Tour, Susannah transforms herself into a woman he’ll notice. Now Sebastian is back, just in time for Lady Winterson's Christmas ball – but the last thing he expects to see is his little Susie, all grown up...You’re invited to join the whirling dance at Lady Winterson’s sparkling Christmas ball, where miracles happen and true love shines forever. How can you resist?

Forced from her childhood home by the murder of her father, Sybil ran from her past. Finding a new home and the love of a miss matched group of people, she'd found peace again even with the scars of her past forever haunting her future. At the turn of the 20th century, was it possible after all this time, she could have a family of her own?Forced from her childhood home by the murder of her father and the fear of the man she knew had killed him, Sybil ran from her past. Finding a new home and the love of a miss matched group of people, she'd found peace again even with the scars of her past forever haunting her future. At the turn of the 20th century, her prospects of a family of her own took on new dimensions as she stumbled onto a near frozen discovery. With the love of a small child, Sybil's heart bloomed as fate brought the darkness of a stranger to her door. Was it possible after all this time, she could have a family of her own?*After reading several old western romances by Norah Hess, the story and characters of Texas Rose haunted my dreams. Pushing aside three other stories I'd been working on, Sybil and Cole just wouldn't stay away! I might be a simple country girl, but I'd be lost without my computer and internet, so most of my stories happen in modern times. Texas Rose however is based in the late 1800's (early 1900's) and is my first attempt at older western romance. Unlike my other stories, there was no place for the full, descriptive portrayals of the sexual intimacy in Texas Rose. I hope the readers enjoy Texas Rose as much as I enjoyed writing it.*"Oh my Lord," she whispered still scanning her soft brown eyes over the letter, "Robert, is this for real?" Stepping toward her once again wrapping the softness of his palms over her shoulders, Robert smiled and nodded slowly. "If no parental claims of the child are made by Christmas, the one year standard wait will have been concluded and you can file to adopt Rose yourself," his voice low and soft as the tears began to fall over the length of her lashes. She had grown to love the little girl as her own and now that the possibility of it actually being true settled on her, Sybil trembled with happiness. Looking up at him, the happiness of the warm tears streaked down her cheeks and the sob caught in the back of her throat as he pressed his lips to hers. Slipping his hands down her shoulders and wrapping them around her waist, Robert pulled her body against his as his breath feathered between their lips. With the joy of the news and the sweetness of his breath on her lips, Sybil melted into the warmth of his arms for a moment. She had often longed to be in his arms again, dreamed of them raising Rose as husband and wife. Husband, the word shattered her heart as she realized he was already someone else's husband. Pressing her hands into his chest and pushing him away, Sybil stepped away, holding tight to the letter. "What are you doing," she sobbed as he tried to pull her back to him. Watching the happiness on her face transform into confusion and hurt, Robert lowered his head and stepped back. Pain twisted the soft features of his face. He had always loved her, but he had made his decision two years ago. "Sybil," his voice low as he backed down the steps, stepping into the stirrup of his horse's saddle and swinging his leg over, Robert raised the sadness of his blue eyes to her, "I'm sorry."

Amid the savage crags of the Kezankian Mountains, Conan is stalked by a sultry huntress, sought by a lovely thief, and caught between two brutal armies seeking revenge. After facing these obstacles, Conan must slay that which cannot be slain, the Beast of Fire.

Book #1 in the Ladd Springs series...A deathbed promise and a mysterious find in the Tennessee forest bring Delaney Wilkins and Nick Harris together in a dramatic fight for the rights to Ladd Springs.Delaney Wilkins finds herself at odds with hotel developer Nick Harris over a deathbed promise and a mysterious find in the Tennessee forest. Both are after title to Ladd Springs, a mecca of natural springs, streams and trails in the eastern Tennessee mountains, a tract of land worth millions. But Ernie Ladd, current owner of the property and uncle to Delaney, is adamantly opposed to them both.Felicity Wilkins, Delaney’s daughter, deserves to inherit her family’s legacy, but neighbor Clem Sweeney is working against her, ingratiating himself with Ernie Ladd. Clem is also harboring a secret that will make him a very wealthy man—unless the others stop him before he can bring it to fruition.Complicating matters is Annie Owens. Ex-girlfriend to Jeremiah Ladd, Ernie’s estranged son lining in Atlanta, she declares her daughter Casey is Jeremiah’s, making Casey every bit as entitled to the property as Felicity—only Annie hasn’t proven this claim. Yet.All are fighting to get the property, but only one will walk away with the gold.

The Cobras wonder if they can return home after the wars--since humans fear their talents.

A suave baron takes a fancy to twelve-year-old Edgar's mother, while the three are holidaying in an Austrian mountain resort. His initial advances rejected, the baron befriends Edgar in order to get closer to the woman he desires. The initially unsuspecting child soon senses something is amiss, but has no idea of the burning secret that is driving the affair, and that will soon change his life for ever.

English private investigator Matt Rider wants to find out if his grandfather killed Sophie Bernay in WW2, and uncovers an appalling international secret. Domestic Chemicals is a New York company owned by the Heinman dynasty. Matt Rider in England and Frank B. Heinman in New York are on a collision course. Frank Heinman will make sure no one stays alive if he sees them as a danger to his company.English private investigator Matt Rider wants to find out if his grandfather killed Sophie Bernay in WW2, and uncovers an appalling international secret. Domestic Chemicals, a New York company owned by the Heinman dynasty, made poison gas for Nazi Germany. And now the past is back to haunt them -- like the bloated corpse Frank B. Heinman saw rising to the surface in the East River as a boy. Matt Rider in England and Frank Heinman in New York are on a collision course. The ex-president of Domestic Chemicals will make sure no one stays alive if he sees them as a danger to the company. Matt Rider just wants the truth. Hands of the Traitor is the first Matt Rider detective thriller.

When two teens find an abandoned Manor House out in the woods, they get far more than they bargained for. Disturbing this House could cost you dearly. When his best friend Violet Charms disappears, Percival knows what he must do. The House is calling him back, and the only way to save his friend is to answer that call...Detroit Homicide Detective Herbert Vale has a secret...Herbert Vale has been a homicide cop for a long time, and he has seen a lot. But what he has seen the most is bad people get away with bad things. But now he has a new partner, one that is helping Herbert bring those bad people to justice. In an unspeakable, horrifying,and quite messy way.Tag along with Detective Herbert Vale in this new short story from Christopher Lee Cousino, author of the superhero novel HOMELESS and the ZOMBIE HERO series. Meet his secret partner, but just try not to look too appetizing when you do.

Jacob Smith is a Knight Templar, a secret order dedicated to protecting mankind from demons and the forces of Hell. His territory? The old west. Specifically New Mexico Territory.A land of shadows, of mystery, of obfuscated Truth. Welcome to the Greylands, that strange world, within the bounds of Time, peopled by mortal men. We cannot see truly, only as through a glass, darkly. There are things that move and have their being completely beyond our ability to perceive them. There are things beyond our mortal ability to comprehend. There are hints and glimmers hidden within the body of revealed Truth, but there is much we do not know, cannot yet understand, and could never dare dream. These stories are mere fancy, with a seed of Truth at their core. They play with the ideas of mortality and Eternity, Time and things beyond it, and of course the epic battle of Good against Evil. Each stands alone, and though there are common themes, threads, names, and concepts, each story is an entity unto itself and should not be seen as occurring in the same world or mistaken for installments of a series. These are random musings, not Gospel Truth, and should not be taken as such. Joy, hope, and encouragement are hopefully a byproduct, but certainly not sound Theology. If you would know more of the true world beyond these Greylands, one must be a careful student of the Scriptures, not of silly stories such as these.

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This free ebook is a sampler of the author's collection "Ooter's Place and Other Stories of Fear, Faith, and Love." This book contains the full introduction and the three stories that start each of the three sections, along with their forewords. The full book contains 13 stories in total.Home alone during a storm, two young brothers play a game to entertain themselves, a game that will quickly spiral out of control, a game that will have consequences as tragic as they are frightening.In a dark alley, a man regains consciousness and discovers that he has superpowers. He can stop bullets with his chest, he can crush steel with his hands, he can even fly! He must be a superhero! The truth, alas, is something very different.A young boy learns that his best friend is an alien. But does that mean they have to stop being friends?This free ebook is a sampler of the author's collection "Ooter's Place and Other Stories of Fear, Faith, and Love." This book contains the full introduction and the three stories that start each of the three sections, along with their forewords. The full book contains 13 stories in total.

In A Fool For A Client, Hobie Burrows returns to San Francisco after the conclusion of A Dream Is A Pinhole In Time. Not only does he have to face a future without Keiko, Lott & Pembroke (his old law firm) undermines his plans to practice law as a solo practitioner in San Francisco. Can Tiranoan technology and a wealthy client help him succeed on either account?In A Fool For A Client, Hobie Burrows returns to San Francisco after the conclusion of A Dream Is A Pinhole In Time. Not only does he have to face a future without Keiko, Lott & Pembroke (his old law firm) undermines his plans to practice law as a solo practitioner in San Francisco. Can Tiranoan technology and a wealthy client help him succeed on either account?A Fool For A Client is a story in The Encircling Belts of Tirano Saga. Planet Tirano creates a unique milieu for the series The Encircling Belts of Tirano Saga. Its aristocracy consists only of pureblooded descendants of the leaders of the mother ship that landed two millennia ago. Genetically engineered women, conceived in vitro, control Tirano’s computer network and hyperspace portals. Vhirko, clones of women who died valiantly in battle, guard Tirano’s monarch. Tirano has been at war for decades with a savage alien species that becomes sentient only if mentally linked in groups of four or more.Tirano’s King Mhikhel unleashes fundamental, and uncontrollable, changes to this milieu when he acknowledges as his child an illegitimate son of a commoner and raises the child (Tarnlot) as a prince. Despite the aristocracy’s antagonism, Mhikhel grooms Tarnlot to serve as the Lord Chancellor (the highest governmental post, which is normally held by a member of the aristocracy) when Mhikhel’s heir (Prince Zhun’Mar) assumes the throne.In A Bastard’s Oath Tarnlot must rescue the throne for Zhun’Mar’s by foiling both an aristocrat’s coup d’etat and the aliens’ coup de main. In the series’ second installment, A Dream Is A Pinhole In Time, Tarnlot and Zhun’Mar escape an ambush in deep space by entering a hyperspace fissure that strands them on a planet in an unknown galaxy: present day Earth. The third installment, Outliers of Tirano, begins the stories of Siniastra, Zhun’Mar's daughter. Sibyl of Doom continues the story of Siniastra's quest to serve as Queen of Tirano despite the efforts of Tirano's aristocrats to remove her from the throne.

Hector Wakes up one day to find a note under his door. After reading it, he sets off with his childhood friend to save the princess from a Wizard's castle. along the way, he is greeted by new allies, and faces off with a dreadfully powerful all-women army. It is Shown from multiple points of view-Part I- HectorPart II- LuciaPart III- Ivan*Please Critics, Have Mercy. This is my first Book.Notes to Be Aware Of-First Book. Sorry, but if you don't like, I promise the next book will be slightly better.References- I reference a lot of things in this book. Fire Emblem comes up a multitude of times, and one of EarthBound. If you take the time to read this, you can sample 100% of the book. Thank you.

A meditation on identity, consumption, and pareidolia. Ninety-five percent true by semi-exact count, contains the word “boudoir” twice, “polaroid” and “french fries” six times apiece, and “ejecta” only once. There are three scenes featuring jazz quintets, two featuring market-research brainstorming, and one each featuring thrift stores, dumpster diving, and internet pornography.When Petra Baron goes into the fortuneteller’s tent at a Renaissance fair, she expects to leave with a date to prom. Instead, she walks out into Elizabethan England, where she meets gypsies, a demon dog and a kindred spirit in Emory Ravenswood. Emory must thwart the plans of religious zealots. His mission is dangerous, his enemies are fanatical, and Petra Baron is a complication that Heaven only knows he does not need. Or does he? Although Emory is on Heaven’s errand, he learned long ago that Heaven does not always play fair. As Petra slowly falls for Emory, she wonders if he really is who he seems, or if he is just as lost as she is. How can they have a future while trapped in the past? Or is anything possible Beyond the Fortuneteller’s Tent?

The Equilibrium had to be maintained and the way followed, or chaos would reign, but the Angelos had paid terribly to guard it. Age after age the war had raged across time and space, and how the war had ravaged the cosmos. Now that they had reached Helleos Prime, the final battle would be fought and the war surely ended.Valour of the Spirit People, is not your ordinary angels verses demons novel, it is an epic adventure set in the lands of North America close to the first millennium. A masterful magical story that brings the characters to life. There are times when a story makes you believe that the implausible might just be possible. It is a captivating thrill ride into the unknown filled with mythic creatures that come alive on the pageThe battle for the Multiverse has raged beyond ages uncounted. Gabriel and Michael have followed the one known as the Dragon to Turtle Island. There they make a horrifying discovery that could end the Equilibrium, tear the fabric of space time asunder and finally end the conflict once and for all; problem being it means they would have lost the war.

An aspiring writer struggles to publish his books until a special christmas present shows him what he's been missing in his writing and his life.Edar Moncrief: sorcerer and scholar extraordinaire. To the outside world, he is a peddler of love potions and wart remover – after all, one has to make a living. Behind closed doors, he is a dangerous and powerful sorcerer specializing in the laws and function of the mysterious energy known as manna.When he trips over a body in the streets of Elenia, he discovers that the corpse belongs to none other than an Arbiter, the mysterious wielders of the crystal swords rarely seen in his part of the world. The loss of life is his gain, though, when he finds the opportunity to examine the most precious and rare artifact in the world: the Arbiter’s heartblade.To his misfortune, that same opportunity brings him face-to-face with the spectre of death. Another Arbiter, D’Arden Tal, has found him, and believes he is responsible for the killing. Edar’s only hope is to find and catch a murderer in the streets of the most decadent and deadly city in the Old Kingdoms, before Tal declares him responsible and kills him instead…From the author of Elegy and The Corpse King comes this brand new novelette set in the dark fantasy world called Eisengoth, where dark and terrible things fill the night, and only the Arbiters possess the power to drive back the horrors that threaten to consume the world.

A story about really brave Boy Scouts on an island in a lake in North Texas where it is really hot and there are loads of snakes and bugs and machete wielding drug dealersand Girl Scouts. An adventure story. For all ages.When the hard-bitten Police Sarge in Traffic Control hears about a broken down vehicle on the motorway from a rookie patrolman and his partner, are they pulling his leg? A whimisical tale set just before dawn on Christmas morning. Set in England.

(hints) is a collection of ten poems. Each piece features a unique hint in parenthesis at the end of each title. These hints vary in how they are set up, and offer different views to consider while reading. Themes include specific religious beliefs, and a glimpse into my story of living with bipolar disorder. My goal with these poems is to walk the line where delusion and reality collide. Cheers.Status updating…Time and Space breached…Data leak detected…The archives of The Numbered Entity Project have opened in this membrane of existence for the very first time. Inside the, at once both infinitesimal and infinity-spanning, data stores wait the tale of rogues, outcasts and 'others.' Those whose time was numbered but refused to 'know their place.' Those who tried, for better or worse, to change their respective worlds of swords and magic, steam and musket, or nanotechnology. The Project records all, in tribute to Time and Space.Jaime has waited his whole life for the chance to change the world. Armed with a discrete bio-weapon, he prepares to assassinate the Great Sir of the Seven Systems and free millions from industrial serfdom. But Jaime is on a one way trip, a journey that will force him to sever his ties to the one he loves most. His ideals will be tested to breaking when brought to bear against that love, a love which could tear Seven Systems apart.

Metal Fatigue is an anthology of stories relating to prison, incarceration, hopelessness and hope. These are largely first person accounts of survival behind bars and give a visceral look at what it means to do time. The stories present a critical look at the prison system and the stats for those held behind bars. A child lost to the system, a father’s plea for reconnection.Metal Fatigue is an anthology of stories relating to prison, incarceration, hopelessness and hope. These are largely first person accounts of survival behind bars and give a visceral look at what it means to do time. The stories present a critical look at the prison system and the stats for those held behind bars. A child lost to the system, a father’s plea for reconnection.EXCERPT:Jimmy passed his eighteenth birthday locked inside a cold, stinky cell in the obsolete old city jail. The toilet obviously didn’t work, an issue probably for several years… running.He thoughtfully reflected on his dry-humor pun. Besides, no one locked up ever flushes the motherfucking john. Never. Revoltingly putrid fecal matter, left in desperation by prisoners with nowhere else to go, overflowed and formed a vile puddle at a low spot in the frigid concrete floor. The prison smelled like shit. Smelled worse than shit. His own more recent addition was beginning to decay.If Jimmy had been home for his birthday, no doubt his father would’ve treated him to a steak dinner at The Outback; and perhaps a ballgame at the stadium afterword. Instead, Jimmy celebrated with foul-tasting water—grey water reprocessed from sewer waste—and several slices of stale bread upon which a near-microscopic dab of something resembling peanut-butter could be found sticking near the center—if one studied it closely, of course. The rancid bread was always stale in this place, just like the air, thick with mildew and the smell of unwashed bodies. It all mixed with the reeking toilet to produce an odor more disgusting than sweaty armpit pubes set on a smoldering fire.Tonight, for the most part, a stifling quiet lingered throughout the cellblock. The only sounds being the incidental shout of a guard, the muffled moan from a prisoner, or the occasional fart from either. Every so often, a cell door clanked open, followed by scuffling noises signaling a new prisoner’s arrival.Two weeks forever, he’d sat there in solitary now. But he still wasn’t so desperate as other prisoners on the cellblock who would actually shit themselves just for a laugh. Two weeks plus three lonely days, he reminded himself, marking off another day on the wall with the sharp edge of a small stone, chipped away from a section of rotting-old concrete. He made the mark with an awkward jab of his left hand. His right arm hung broken, suspended in a dirty sling he’d torn from an old rag.Sinking down onto the cold concrete slab that served as a bed, Jimmy leaned his head against the wall and shut his eyes. He figured it might be nine o’clock… or thereabout, although he really couldn’t be sure. Maybe ten. His watch had disappeared on intake at R&D receiving the first day, along with all his other personal effects… confiscated for “purposes of security” by the prison R&D guards. Problem was, they’d never listed his expensive Rolex watch on that property receipt they’d forced him to sign under the threat of tossing him in solitary stripped naked.Any questions about time, or anything, for that matter, brought only taunts and trouble from the guards. Especially the big one called ‘Boiler Bob’—so named by the prisoners for those angry-looking boils in evidence on the back and both sides of his incredibly thick neck.“What’s time to a prison roach?” Boiler Bob would mock, his furry broken teeth bared in a cruel laugh. “Hah, I know! I bet you’re impatient for your next fine meal… is that it?” Invariably he and the other guards goaded the prisoners about the food: food so foul even the cockroaches all passed around it in wide arcs.

Maggie Edwards can’t sleep, eat, or die—but, she can bake. However, just before the Halloween grand opening of her bakery, a pesky reporter witnesses an accident in her kitchen and gets a little too close to the truth. If she can’t convince him to keep quiet, not only will she lose her chance at happiness, but they both could lose their lives.The unicorns had the best of reasons for not taking refuge in the Ark. The sacrifice would have been unbearable, even more so than the sacrifices to come. They had a destiny with a fate not of their choosing but held on to a promise of hope for survival. In a race to keep above the rising waters a temporary sanctuary is found but, unknown to the unicorns, this place of safety is a pathway to a new land that will have them confront their greatest fear; the loss of a loved one.With a destiny to be fulfilled, a young unicorn must make a journey to a place called Essilon but there is the ever-present evil of the humans who are seeking out all beasts and destroying them. Essilon is to be the final stand of the beasts against the rampaging humans. This story is a more adult version of ‘Unicorn - Journey Beyond Forever,’ and has scenes which are more directly linked to other books in the series. This version also has extended scenes and complete new scenes that are not included within ‘Unicorn - Journey Beyond Forever.’ It is intended to be read as the 5th book in the series and is released as a FREE ebook.