War has its cost, and the Servants of the Bright Heart and the Servants of the Dark Heart have been locked in a struggle that has defined life—and death—for millennia. But the end is coming, and only the Lady who has served the Bright Heart for the whole of her immortal life has seen it, in a vision that spans time and demands the highest of prices. Erin is a healer, and against the nature of her birthright she has learned to wield a sword and use it to bring death to the enemies of her people. Scarred by the losses that war always demands, she is the chosen champion of Light and the enemy of darkness. But no magical sword or simple quest awaits Erin. Her journey and her doom lie in the Dark Heart’s stronghold, and in the hands of her people’s greatest enemy.

From New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Frank comes this first book in The World of the Nightwalkers—an exciting and sensual new spin-off series in which the Bodywalkers, an ancient race of the night, battles the evil forces who prey on them. The unexpected happens in an instant. On her way to work, secretary Docia Waverley hurtles into a crashing crossroads, and she quickly begins to suspect that things will never be the same. Then, when a tall, blond, muscular stranger intervenes on her behalf, telling her it is his duty to protect her at all cost, what is just a feeling turns to proof positive. That is, as long as Docia’s savior doesn’t turn out to be a crazed kidnapper. When Ram finds Docia, he has no doubt that she is his queen. But as this golden warrior sweeps in to protect her, he feels something more than body heat every time they touch. He is overwhelmed by a searing connection that goes deep into the twin souls inside him. A desire rises in him that is forbidden—this woman is his queen, the mate of his king, his leader, his best friend. And yet Docia is so vulnerable and attractive that she awakens a hunger in Ram that is undeniable, a carnal craving he cannot yield to . . . not without risking the very survival of the Bodywalkers.

After a century of killing without a care, the vampire Angelus was cursed with a conscience and eventually fled to Sunnydale, where he restricted his feeding to blood banks. Until 16-year-old Buffy Summers, the Vampire Slayer, arrived in town to battle vampires, demons and the Forces of Darkness. First, he has to convince her not to kill him. Then, he has to convince himself not to fall in love with her. Now, collected for the first time, are three stories from the cult-hit TV series chronicling the beginning of this star crossed love story. 'Angel' 'Reptile Boy' and 'Lie to Me'

In his more than three dozen books, Elmore Leonard has captured the imagination of millions of readers as few writers can. A literary icon praised by The New York Times Book Review as "the greatest crime writer of our time, perhaps ever," he has influenced many contemporary writers and is known for both the quality and the accessibility of his writing. In this collection of new and recently published short fiction, Leonard demonstrates the superb characterizations, dead-on dialogue, vivid atmosphere, and driving plotting that have made him a household name. And once more this master of crime illustrates that the line between the law and the lawbreakers is not as firm as we might think. Federal marshal Karen Sisco, from the bestselling novel Out of Sight, returns in "Karen Makes Out," once again inadvertently mixing pleasure with business. In "Fire in the Hole," Raylan Givens, last seen in Riding the Rap and Pronto, meets up with an old friend, but they're now on different sides of the law. In the title story, "When the Women Come Out to Dance," Mrs. Mahmood gets more than she bargains for when she conspires with her maid to end her unhappy marriage. In all nine stories -- each unique in their own right -- reluctant heroes and laid-back lowlifes struggle for power, survival, and their fifteen minutes of fame. Vivid, hilarious, and unfailingly human, these stories ring true with Elmore Leonard's signature deadpan social observations and diabolical eye for the foibles of the good guys and the bad.

Nehemiah, the young son of a Jewish woman, a weaver from Jerusalem, is born and raised among the Jews who didn't return to Jerusalem from the Exile. Educated by Rabbi Kagba, one of the magi present at Jesus' birth thirty years earlier, Nehemiah grows up with the expectation of a soon-coming Messiah. Could the Yeshua of Nazareth, who is walking the earth, reportedly doing miracles, be that Messiah? When young Nehemiah must travel the long caravan road to Jerusalem, he is charged with an unusual mission---to carry a mysterious object back to the holy city of Jerusalem . . . an object whose reappearance heralds the Messiah's arrival.Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem just as the final events of Jesus' earthly ministry are coming to a climax: the Feast of Dedication, the Triumphal Entry, the last cleansing of the Temple, and culminating at the Last Supper in the Upper Room. Only Nehemiah understands the true sacrifice that is to come as he makes the cup worthy of his Savior.

Welcome to New York City's Upper East Side where my friends and I live, and go to school, and play, and sleep - sometimes with each other.We all live in huge apartments with our own bedrooms and bathrooms and phone lines.We're smart, we've inherited classic good looks, we have fantastic clothes, and we know how to party... Continuing the #1 New York Times bestselling series about the provocative lives of New York City's most prestigious private school young adults. Sharp wit, intriguing characters, and high stakes melodrama drive the action of this addictive series that have made Gossip Girl the lit world's coveted "it" girl.

In the second book in the Love Under the Big Sky series from this USA Today bestselling author of the With Me in Seattle series, life in Montana gets spicy when a woman and her divorce lawyer sign off the papers—and sign on to love. Now that his best friend, Josh, has happily settled down with his true love on a Montana ranch, small-town lawyer Ty Sullivan starts thinking that maybe single life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. And when Lauren Cunningham’s no-good ex-husband comes after her for an unexpected trust fund, Ty steps in to protect her. But soon he can’t help but think of her as more than a client. Lauren’s in no mood to jump into another relationship, so how can Ty convince her that her mistake wasn’t getting married, but marrying the wrong guy?

13 Tales of Sheer Terror Shock III

Chalice was published in 2008. It was written by fantasy author Robin McKinley, who lives in England. McKinley has won several awards for her writing, some of which has been popular with young readers, and some with mature ones. Her work has been published for thirty years. She has re-told old fairy tales, and the story of Robin Hood, sub-created a country, Damar, in a world like some of the desert or near-desert parts of ours, except that there are dragons. In Chalice, she has written a book which takes place in a country that seems entirely of McKinley's creation, except that the culture approximates that of the Middle Ages. There are horses and carriages, but no steam engines, swords but no gunpowder.

The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-winkle is an original classic by Beatrix Potter. The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-winkle was first published in 1905, and is as charming today as it was then. It tells the tale of a hidden home high in the hills. It is discovered one day by a little girl called Lucie, who is in search of her missing pocket handkerchiefs. She knocks on the tiny door, and meets Mrs Tiggy-winkle who does all the washing and ironing for the neighbouring animals. Lucie spends a lovely day helping her, and it's only right at the end of the day that she realises Mrs Tiggy-winkle is a hedgehog! Beatrix Potter is regarded as one of the world's best-loved children's authors of all time. From her first book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, published by Frederick Warne in 1902, she went on to create a series of stories based around animal characters including Mrs. Tiggy-winkle, Benjamin Bunny, Jemima Puddle-duck, Mr. Jeremy Fisher and Tom Kitten. Her humorous, lively tales and beautiful illustrations have become a natural part of childhood. With revenue from the sales of her books, Beatrix Potter bought a farm - Hill Top - in the English Lake District, where she later became a farmer and prize-winning sheep breeder. She launched the now vast merchandise programme by patenting the very first Peter Rabbit doll in 1903. The product range continues to grow today with licences around the world including baby clothing and bedding, nursery decor products and collectables. Upon her death, Beatrix Potter left 14 farms and over 4000 acres of Lake District farmland to the National Trust so that the place that she loved would remain undeveloped and protected for future generations to enjoy. Today Beatrix Potter's original 23 tales are still published by Frederick Warne, alongside a wide range of other formats including baby books, activity books and gift and sound books. The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-winkle is number six in Beatrix Potter's series of 23 little books. Look out for the rest! 1 The Tale of Peter Rabbit 2 The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin 3 The Tailor of Gloucester 4 The Tale of Benjamin Bunny 5 The Tale of Two Bad Mice 6 The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle 7 The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher 8 The Tale of Tom Kitten 9 The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck 10 The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies 11 The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse 12 The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes 13 The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse 14 The Tale of Mr. Tod 15 The Tale of Pigling Bland 16 The Tale of Samuel Whiskers 17 The Tale of The Pie and the Patty-Pan 18 The Tale of Ginger and Pickles 19 The Tale of Little Pig Robinson 20 The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit 21 The Story of Miss Moppet 22 Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes 23 Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes

Surreal poems and tradition and non-traditional haiku.Sailing On The Surreal Sea is a collection of surreal poetry. Inside you will find erotic nightmares, hot tango nights and dreamscape fantasies.

This short story takes place a couple of weeks after the end of HEART OF OBSIDIAN. Published in Nalini Singh's June 2014 newsletter.

Includes the classic anthologies originally published as * The Celestial Omnibus and * The Eternal Moment, as well as three important stories published after Forster's death: "Dr. Woolacott," "The Life to Come," and "The Other Boat."

She's known as the Snow Maiden-an operative of a secret group dedicated to world domination. To get their hands on her, U.S. Special Forces Captain Alexander Brent and his team will have to outmaneuver a terrorist faction bent on wiping her off the face of the earth.

There is an evil force lurking in the fringes of the Outer Rim patiently waiting for the opportunity to seek revenge against the Skywalker lineage. Will the “Chosen One” be able to intervene and save his grandchildren? Will he be able to save all mankind from this wicked Sith Lord? Very dark and clouded it is...What happens when humanity’s hidden masters tire of their slaves? They start over.Financial markets are crashing, crops are failing, Cage’s disease is a pandemic, and sabers are being rattled around the globe. It’s not the world that Ben Mitchell, an expert on ancient and esoteric writings, envisioned when he left the battlefields of Afghanistan a decade ago.The world looks a little brighter when he is offered a small fortune by the attractive but mysterious Lilian Stratton to research some puzzling inscriptions found on set of stone tablets discovered in Tiwanaku, Bolivia. But to do that he must join a secret society known as the Delphic Order of the Nisirtu and travel to Steepleguard, the remote fortress-like home of an elderly eccentric named Ridley.The researcher soon finds that his client has lured him into a conspiracy of epic proportions. The rumored New World Order is, in fact, very ancient. The world is truly a stage and the scripts that have preserved mankind for millennia are being systematically destroyed by the invisible kingdoms that authored them. Within days the final script will run its course and the planet’s scattered survivors will be thrust into a new Dark Age.Lilian’s powerful opponents are now Ben’s, and even his client’s supposed allies seem to have hidden and sinister agendas. The man finds himself in a shadowy world of insane kings, power-hungry dukes, psychopathic assassins, rebel knights, and an exiled princess who will stop at nothing to regain her world throne.As civilization rapidly disintegrates and clandestine armies converge on Steepleguard, humanity’s future hinges on the researcher’s ability to navigate the labyrinths of the Nisirtu and unlock the secrets of the Tiwanaku tablets.

A tormented writer, unable to exorcise the demons of his past...an all-American town, plagued by horrific secrets...a beautiful woman, brutally murdered by a twisted killer thought long dead - or by an even more terrifying copycat?

In the 21st Century, the world is filled with industry and technology, and yet still governed by magic. The elves, masters of the magic, stand in charge of governments and industries. The humans, masters of technology, run civil service, film, and hold administrative positions under the elves. The dwarves, steeped in honor and tradition, are the laborers. Can some rise above the castes?In the days before civilization, the days when dark things combed the landscape, three races of people fought for control of their lands. Among them were the elves, smart and blessed with the gift of magic. Their greatest foes, even more hated than the ferocious creatures that preyed upon living flesh, were the dwarves. Steeped in honor and tradition, the dwarves felt that all magic was black magic. Warriors by nature, the cleansed the lands of the monsters and yet the elves looked upon them as little more than animals themselves. Eventually there was war.Caught between the aggressive dwarves and the scheming elves, the humans tried to broker a peace and bring about a society in which all three races could coexist. Some say their ideas were unrealistic . Others feel they were downright foolish. Either way, the idealistic nature of the proposed treaty was mocked by both the dwarves and the elves.Mocked, but not dismissed.While the dwarves laughed at the idea of peace, the elves dissected the humans' proposal bit by bit. A Constitution, they called it. Indeed, there were sensible ideas. But much better to have the elves in charge rather than the soft hearted humans. The elf leaders got together under one banner and formulated a plan. Bringing the full power of their magic to bear against the other two races, they brought the war to a swift conclusion.Some called it peace. Others called it subjugation. A new version of the Constitution was given to all the people of the three races. It granted rights to the dwarves and other rights to the humans and still other rights to the elves. Mostly, though, it brought forth four tenets.All dwarves are created equally.All humans are created equally.All elves are created equally.All people are not created equally.Over the years and decades and centuries, society evolved. Amendments were made to the Constitution. Dwarves, humans, and elves found their places in society. With their combined efforts, the monsters of the world were all but eradicated. But with the long lifespans of both the elves and the dwarves, old grudges remained. While the elves ran civilization and dwarves fed it, it was the humans who drove it. Blessed with no outstanding physical attributes, they were the Earth's best innovators. The telegraph, the radio, television, and computer were all constructs of human innovation. Guns, bombs, cars, and trains all came about from human ingenuity. But for all their creative ability, they held little control or wealth. It was the elves, always the elves, with the keys to the kingdom.Owen Keefe is a policeman who has done his best to keep his place in the human controlled department. When a late call takes him into an unlikely and dangerous situation, his life is changed and he starts down a dangerous and slippery slope that may ultimately shatter the castes forever.

This is a sample collection of poems by renowned poet Shashikant Nishnat Sharma, who has written scores of poems in English, Hindi, Bhojpuri and Urdu. His many collections of books have got published and we are happy to bring out his eBooks for the readers through SmashWords. His poetry has such a wide spectrum of coverage that you will surely find some of them best suited for you.This is a sample collection of poems by renowned poet Shashikant Nishnat Sharma, who has written scores of poems in English, Hindi, Bhojpuri and Urdu. His many collections of books have got published and we are happy to bring out his eBooks for the readers through SmashWords. His poetry has such a wide spectrum of coverage that you will surely find some of them best suited for you. The present collection will give a taste of his poetry and prompt you to read more, enjoy and learn from his wide ranging experiences from diverse fields.

John Wainwright is a freak - a human mutation with an extraordinary intelligence which is both awesome and frightening to all who come into contact with him. Ordinary humans were just playthings to John - subjects for an endless chain of experiments. Their feelings, and sometimes even their lives, are expendable. Odd John has a plan - to create a new order on Earth, a new supernormal species. But the world is not ready for such a change...

When Olivia's mother was killed, everyone suspected her father of murder. But his whereabouts remained a mystery. Fast forward fourteen years. New evidence now proves Olivia's father was actually murdered on the same fateful day her mother died. That means there's a killer still at large. It's up to Olivia to uncover who that may be. But can she do that before the killer tracks her down first?