*READS AS STAND-ALONE**It has been said, if you hold your past too closely, it will smother your right now. That’s exactly what Angel Patel is hoping for.Imprisoned some 6 years before the story begins, Angel is up for a reluctant case review. Still plagued by guilt, Angel tells the story of her transformation from neglected child, to teenage outcast, to obsessed lover, to murderer.**September Rain, book 2 of Savor The Days series, reads as a stand alone**You met her in Between Octobers. You know what she did. Now, find out why. . . Before Sheri Barry met Rhys Matthews and turned his world upside down, she was an entirely different person. It has been said that if you hold your past too closely, it will smother your right now. That’s exactly what Angel Patel is hoping for. Imprisoned some six years before the story begins, Angel is up for another case review. She’s sure that the practiced process of spilling her guts to a small panel of authority means nothing— that she will never get out, and doesn’t deserve to. But her conscience is weighted with memories of love and loss, and more guilt than anyone should possess. And Angel has a plan that no one knows about. She’s going to find a way out of her prison one way or another, but before she can leave the place she’s in to find her long lost Jake, she has to clear a few things up. Namely, the extent of her and her former best friends involvement in his murder.

American high school football is a showcase for players' skills, a Friday night diversion, an energizing community-unifying activity. But there's more to it than that.Through free verse poems, the author helps give readers a view of some of the inner dramas contained within a typical season.For more than forty years I've coached football to high school players. What draws me back is that every season offers unexpected moments of truth--framed by the primal intensity of physical competition--for players and coaches alike. Invariably they reveal insights into human courage and fear, humor and grief, doubt and affirmation, that go far past practice and games. Those experiences are fleeting, hard to capture with words. I find that even stringing sentences together easily becomes too wordy and off the mark. So in this collection I've used short-line free verse poems to offer readers glimpses of what, in football, most often remains just out of view. Free verse poetry may or may not be a natural genre for writing about football; I do appreciate you wanting to give it a look.

NEW YORK TIMES/USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR Tara Sue Me wrote her first novel at the age of twelve. It would be twenty years before she picked up her pen to write the second. After completing several clean romances, she decided to try her hand at something spicier and started The Submissive. What began as a writing exercise quickly took on a life of its own and The Dominant and The Training soon followed. An avid reader of all types of fiction, she soon discovered she enjoyed writing a variety as well. Visit www.thetarathomas.com to read about Tara's romantic suspense titles.  Tara lives in the Southeastern United States with her husband, two children, two dogs, and a cat. Author's series:SUBMISSIVE SERIES LESSONS FROM THE RACK SERIES

A woman steps over the line into the unthinkable in this brilliant, powerful, and unforgettable new novel by the author of The Lovely Bones and Lucky. For years Helen Knightly has given her life to others: to her haunted mother, to her enigmatic father, to her husband and now grown children. When she finally crosses a terrible boundary, her life comes rushing in at her in a way she never could have imagined. Unfolding over the next twenty-four hours, this searing, fast-paced novel explores the complex ties between mothers and daughters, wives and lovers, the meaning of devotion, and the line between love and hate. It is a challenging, moving, gripping story, written with the fluidity and strength of voice that only Alice Sebold can bring to the page.

Even for Private Investigations, the world’s top detective agency, it’s tough to find a man who doesn’t exist . . . Craig Gisto has promised Eliza Moss that his elite team at Private Sydney will investigate the disappearance of her father. After all, as CEO of a high-profile research company, Eric Moss shouldn’t be difficult to find. Except it’s not just the man who’s gone missing. Despite the most advanced technology at their disposal, they find every trace of him has vanished too. And they aren’t the only ones on the hunt. Powerful figures want Moss to stay ‘lost’, while others just as ruthlessly want him found. Meanwhile, a routine background check becomes a frantic race to find a stolen baby and catch a brutal killer – a killer Private may well have sent straight to the victim’s door . . .

It’s been a year since Ivy’s boyfriend, Tristan, died. They’ve both moved on—Tristan to the other side of the afterlife, and Ivy to sweet, dependable Will. Now Ivy’s heading to Cape Cod, hoping to leave the horror of last summer behind. She wants nothing more than to lie on the beach, sip lemonade, and hang out with her friends. But then a car crash ends Ivy’s life. As she floats to the beyond, looking down on the life she’s left behind, Tristan breathes life back into her with a passionate kiss. She wakes up in the hospital, surrounded by Will and her family, but all she can think about is the love that she lost. But memories aren’t all that’s come back from the past. And this time, Ivy’s not sure love will be enough to save her.

For centuries the Four Lands enjoyed freedom from its demon-haunted past, protected by magic-enhanced borders from the dark dimension known as the Forbidding and the profound evil imprisoned there. But now the unthinkable is happening: The ancient wards securing the barrier between order and mayhem have begun to erode—and generations of bloodthirsty, monstrous creatures, fueled by a rage thousands of years in the making, are poised to spill forth, seeking revenge for what was done to them. Young Elf Arling Elessedil possesses the enchanted means to close the breach and once more seal the denizens of the Forbidding in their prison. But when she falls into the hands of the powerful Federation’s diabolical Prime Minister, her efforts may be doomed. Only her determined sister, Aphen, who bears the Elfstones and commands their magic, has any hope of saving Arling from the hideous fate her captor has in store. Meanwhile, Railing Ohmsford—desperate to save his imprisoned brother—seeks to discover if his famed but ill-fated ancestor Grianne is still alive and willing to help him save the world . . . no matter the odds or the consequences.

"Penman's characters are so shrewdly imagined, so full of resonant human feeling that they seem to breathe on the page." —San Francisco Chronicle* *"Never forget, Llewelyn, that the world's greatest fool is a Welshman who trusts an English king." His father's words haunt Llewelyn ap Gruffydd, Prince of Wales, who has been ruling uneasily over his fractious countrymen. Above all else, Llewelyn fears that his life and his own dream—of an independent, united Wales—might be lost to Edward I's desire to expand his English empire. Alive from the pages of history, this is the hauntingly beautiful and compelling tale of a game poised to play itself out to its bloody finale as English and Welsh cross swords in a reckoning that must mean disaster for one side or the other. For anyone who has ever wanted to experience the rich tapestry of British history and lore, this bold and romantic adventure must be read.

Written in the style of a detective novel, The Chain of Chance is classic Lem: a combination of action, hard science, and philosophical investigation. An ex-astronaut is hired to look into the death of several wealthy businessmen. The authorities suspect a pattern, but neither the police nor a supercomputer enlisted for the investigation can crack the case. On a trail leading across Europe, the ex-astronaut barely escapes numerous attempts on his life. Having set himself up as a potential victim, he realizes that he may now be the target of a conspiracy--and that the conspiracy is not the work of a criminal mind, but a manifestation of the laws of nature. Certain patterns have begun to emerge from the chaos of modern society. Some of those patterns can be fatal. . .

Fate's path can be rocky ...  *A troubled inheritance ...*** Leland Kincaid hasn't been back to Fate Mountain for seven years. Now he's the new Alpha of his clan, and in charge of Timber Bear Ranch. He soon discovers that his father left the ranch in so much debt that he and his brothers might be forced to sell everything. As if that's not tough enough, the new auditor examining his books is his mate!  A difficult assignment ... Sylvia Barker is ready to settle down, but not with any of the terrible dates her mom keeps arranging. A shifter-human dating website matches her to Leland, and their chemistry is immediate -- but the next day, she finds out she's auditing him. If he loses the ranch, it could wreck things between them.  A sinister agenda As Leland works to uncover his father's secrets, Sylvia is targeted lurking enemies. Can Leland save his mate and his ranch, or will he lose them all?

A man falls from a roof whilst spying on his beautiful widowed neighbour. A newly married couple seeking enlightenment take a three year vow of silence and move to a yurt in the Arizona desert. A handsome young man works in real-estate by day, but has a far more sinister profession by night. An elderly woman is determined to return to her home in the countryside, despite the knowledge that in doing so she may be signing her own death warrant. Giant men are kept in cages to ensure their nightly service to their country. A man develops an unhealthy interest in his recently deceased reclusive rock-star neighbour. And on Christmas day at the San Francisco Zoo a terrible and tragic event occurs.

When eleven-year-old Nilly moves to his new neighborhood in Oslo, Norway, he meets his neighbor, Doctor Proctor, an eccentric professor who invents wacky potions and powders--including an industrial strength fart powder that can send people to outer space. Doctor Proctor, Nilly, and his new friend Lisa must go to great lengths to protect the invention and keep it out of the hands of their neighbors, who try to use the powder for evil purposes. This witty, magical book captures the spirit of Roald Dahl--and a sprinkling of clever humor and zany antics will keep kids laughing until the end.

A mysterious disaster has stricken the midwestern American city of Bellona, and its aftereffects are disturbing: a city block burns down and is intact a week later; clouds cover the sky for weeks, then part to reveal two moons; a week passes for one person when only a day passes for another. The catastrophe is confined to Bellona, and most of the inhabitants have fled. But others are drawn to the devastated city, among them the Kid, a white/American Indian man who can't remember his own name. The Kid is emblematic of those who live in the new Bellona, who are the young, the poor, the mad, the violent, the outcast--the marginalized. Dhalgren is many things, but instantly accessible isn't one of them. While most of this big, ambitious, deeply detailed novel is beautifully pellucid, the opening pages will be difficult for some: the novel starts with the second half of an incomplete sentence, in the viewpoint of a man who doesn't know who he is. If you find the early pages rough going, push on; the story soon becomes clear and fascinating. But - fair warning - the central nature of the disaster, of its strange devastations and disruptions, remains a puzzle for many readers, sometimes after several readings.

Everyone Has Some. Before the accident, Lia Kahn was happy. Before the accident, Lia Kahn was loved. Before, Lia was a lot of things: Normal. Alive. Human. Lia no longer believes in before. Six months after the crash that killed her, six months after being reborn, Lia has finally accepted her new reality. She is a machine, a mech, and she belongs with her own kind. It's a wild, carefree life, without rules and without fear. Because there's nothing to fear when you have nothing left to lose. But when a voice from her past cries out for revenge, everything changes. Lia is forced to choose between her old life and her new one. Between humans and mechs. Between sacrificing the girl she used to be and saving the boy she used to love. Even if it means he'll hate her forever.

What happens in the woods, stays in the woods. . . Carey is keeping a terrible secret. If she tells, it could destroy her future. If she doesn't, will she ever be free? For almost as long as she can remember, Carey has lived in a camper van in the heart of the woods with her drug-addicted mother and six-year-old sister, Jenessa. Her mother routinely disappears for weeks at a time, leaving the girls to cope alone. Survival is Carey's only priority - until strangers arrive and everything changes . . . Jenny Downham, author of BEFORE I DIE, says that IF YOU FIND ME is "a beautiful book about survival, identity, family, love and so much more."

Four famed '60s radicals are gunned down at long range by a sniper. Under enormous media scrutiny, the FBI quickly concludes that Marine war hero Carl Hitchcock, whose ninety-three kills were considered the leading body count tally among American marksman in Vietnam, was the shooter. But as the Bureau, led by Special Agent Nick Memphis, bears down, Hitchcock commits suicide. In closing out the investigation, Nick discovers a case made in heaven: everything fits, from timeline, ballistics, and forensics to motive, means, and opportunity. Maybe it's a little too perfect. Nick asks his friend, the retired Marine sniper Bob Lee Swagger, to examine the data. Using a skill set no other man on earth possesses, Swagger soon discovers unseen anomalies and gradually begins to unravel a sophisticated conspiracy -- one that would require the highest level of warcraft by the most superb special operations professionals. As Swagger penetrates the deepest secrets of the sniper world and its new technology, Nick stands firm in the face of hardball PR initiatives and an inflamed media calling for his ouster. Swagger soon closes in, and those responsible will stop at nothing to take him out. But these heavily armed men make the mistake of thinking they are hunting Bob, when he is, in fact, hunting them. "I, Sniper" will satisfy Stephen Hunter's legions of fans and win him droves of new ones with its signature blend of brilliant plotting, vivid characters, razor-sharp dialogue, and extraordinary gunfights. And when Swagger and the last of his antagonists finally face each other, reenacting a classic ritual of arms, it is clear that at times there's nothing more necessary than a good man with a gun and the guts to use it.

A sparkling historical romance by bestselling author Amanda Grange, in a new, tenth anniversary edition Note: Previously published under the title of Marriage at the Manor When poverty forces Cicely to sell her family manor house, she is devastated to find that the new owner is a businessman who doesn't love the beautiful home as it should be loved. She is determined to dislike him, but when circumstances force her to take a job as his secretary her feelings begin to change. Alex Evington is handsome, charming and...a mystery. Why has he really bought Oakleigh Manor, and why is he hosting a sparkling house party there? Why is he so determined to dislike Cicely? And when his feelings towards her change, can there be a fairy tale ending for them both? Set in the glamorous Edwardian period - the era of Downton Abbey - this charming romance has all the hallmarks readers have come to expect from Amanda Grange: humour, adventure and most of all romance, with a guaranteed happy ending. Reviews "A light, enjoyable read"- Romance Reviews Today "The sort of light, frothy romance that makes the genre so enjoyable" - My Shelf

When Miss Hilary Wentworth takes up an appointment at Carisbrooke Abbey, little does she suspect it will lead her into a whirlwind of mystery and suspense. Her petulant employer, Lord Marcus Carisbrooke, is as enigmatic as one of the heroes from her favorite Gothic romance novels. Yet behind his gruff manner she senses a deep and abiding pain. As Marcus's brittle exterior dissolves, Hilary catches a glimpse of the man beneath. But when she discovers the secret that haunts the Abbey, it puts them both in terrible danger - a danger they might never escape.

For nineteen-year-old Ember, life has always been about death. With a simple touch, she can see when someone will die. It’s her curse and the reason she secludes herself from the world. The only person that knows her secret is her best friend Raven. But that changes when she meets Asher Morgan. He’s gorgeous and mysterious and is the only person Ember can't sense death from. The silence he instills in her mind and body allows her to feel things she’s never been able to before, so despite her initial reservations, Ember lets Asher into her life and lets herself to get close to him. But the closer they get, the more Ember realizes that Asher is keeping secrets from her. When unexplained deaths begin to surface in her town, Ember questions why she can’t see Asher's death and what it is he’s hiding from her.

Sometimes, the Fates have other plans in mind.A visit to the local bookstore changed Ryanne’s life forever. That’s where she met Colton Wagner, who awoke something in Ryanne she didn’t know she had. Being the only non-mage to ever gain magic, paints a target on Ryanne’s back, for it has been prophesized that a non-mage female would end the chaos created by rogue mages, the Gadramicks.Sometimes, the Fates have other plans in mind.Ryanne Arden was on track to becoming Stormfield High School’s Valedictorian. Being the shy, studious type, she’d always done her own thing. That all changed with a drunk driver. With the death of her mother, Ryanne became more alone than she’d ever been. With no friends or family to turn to, a local woman named Jane offered to help Ryanne in her time of need.A visit to the local bookstore changed Ryanne’s life forever. That’s where she met Colton Wagner, who awoke something in Ryanne she didn’t know she had. Being the only non-mage to ever gain magic, paints a target on Ryanne’s back for it has been prophesized that a non-mage female would end the chaos created by rogue mages, the Gadramicks. Dravin, their manipulative leader, will do anything within his power to prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled.Finding out that she's an intricate part to ending a prophesized war, Ryanne has the weight of all mages on her shoulders. With the help of Colton and his family, along with a healer, a dream-walker, and a loud-mouthed mage, Ryanne sets out on the journey of a lifetime.BlackMoon Beginnings is part one in the five-part Prophesized Series.