Paula O'Neil has inherited her grandmother Emma Harte's dream for success-a magnificent business empire in London shared by Paula's daughters, Linnet and Tessa. Yet their future is far less secure than any woman imagines. For beneath the dazzling surface, flares a rivalry and discontent that leave them vulnerable to the dreams of others. Into the fray arrives enigmatic American fashion designer Evan Hughes seeking employment. But her interest in the Harte dynasty is a personal one. Bearing a striking resemblance to the Harte lineage, Evan's arrival begins to unravel a mystery that hides in the family's shadows, and that waits to be revealed in Emma's long-lost diaries. Now as the past unfolds, so emerges an extraordinary tale of money and power, passion and revenge, and survival and triumph at any price-one that will irrevocably change the lives and loves of four women and shake an empire to its very foundation.

Elizabeth Moon returns to the fantasy world of the paladin Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter--Paks for short--in this second volume of a new series filled with all the bold imaginative flights, meticulous world-building, realistic military action, and deft characterization that readers have come to expect from this award-winning author. In "Kings of the North, " Moon is working at the very height of her storytelling powers. Peace and order have been restored to the kingdoms of Tsaia and Lyonya, thanks to the crowning of two kings: Mikeli of Tsaia and, in Lyonya, Kieri Phelan, a mercenary captain whose royal blood and half-elven heritage are resented by elves and humans alike. On the surface, all is hope and promise. But underneath, trouble is brewing. Mikeli cannot sit safely on his throne as long as remnants of the evil Verrakaien magelords are at large. Kieri is being hounded to marry and provide the kingdom with an heir--but that is the least of his concerns. A strange rift has developed between him and his grandmother and co-ruler, the immortal elven queen known as the Lady. More problematic is the ex-pirate Alured, who schemes to seize Kieri's throne for himself--and Mikeli's, too, while he's at it. Meanwhile, to the north, the aggressive kingdom of Pargun seems poised to invade. Now, as war threatens to erupt from without and within, the two kings are dangerously divided. Old alliances and the bonds of friendship are about to be tested as never before. And a shocking discovery will change everything.

When Ravin first said ‘I love you . . .’ he meant it forever. The world has known this through Ravin’s bestselling novel, I Too Had a Love Story. But did Ravin’s story really end on the last page of that book? On Valentine’s Day, a radio station in Chandigarh hosts a very special romantic chat show. Ravin and his three best friends are invited as guests to talk about Ravin’s love story. But surprisingly everyone apart from Ravin turns up. As the show goes live, there is only one question in every listener’s mind: what has happened to Ravin? To answer this question the three friends begin reading from a handwritten copy of Ravin’s incomplete second book—the entire city listens breathlessly, unable to believe the revelations that follow. This highly anticipated sequel by Ravinder Singh is an emotional rollercoaster that bravely explores the highs and lows of love.

Steve Martin has always been one of the most intelligent of comedians (you won't find Adam Sandler writing a play about Einstein and Picasso anytime soon), but this intelligence is manifested in gymnastically absurdist flights of fancy, rather than the politically informed riffs typical of performers like Lenny Bruce. Pure Drivel is a collection of pieces, most of them written for the New Yorker, that demonstrate Martin's playful way with words and his unerring ability to create a feeling of serendipitous improvisation even on the printed page. Here's a passage from a piece that announces a shortage of periods in the Times Roman font: "Most vulnerable are writers who work in short, choppy sentences," said a spokesperson for Times Roman, who continued, "We are trying to remedy the situation and have suggested alternatives, like umlauts, since we have plenty of umlauts--and, in fact, have more umlauts than we could possibly use in a lifetime! Don't forget, umlauts can really spice up a page with their delicate symmetry--resting often midway in a word, letters spilling on either side--and not only indicate the pronunciation of a word but also contribute to a writer's greater glory because they're fancy, not to mention that they even look like periods, indeed, are indistinguishable from periods, and will lead casual readers to believe that the article actually contains periods!" Although some of these pieces flirted with topicality when they first appeared, Martin is most successful when he leaves the real world behind and gives his wit free rein. This collection preserves the best (so far) of his glorious improvisations. --Simon Leake

The whole world has become a prison, and Alfred Furnace is its master. Monsters rule the streets, beasts of pure fury that leave nothing but murder and madness in their wake. Those who do not die are turned, becoming slaves to Furnace's reign of cruelty. It is a war to end all wars, one that will leave the planet in ruins. I am a monster too. I am one of Alfred Furnace's children. And I am the only one who can stop him. I have to find a way to use my powers to destroy Furnace, but in doing so I risk becoming the very force that kills us all. I don't know if I am the executed or the executioner. I don't know who will die: me, Furnace or the entire human race. All I know is that one way or another, it all ends today.

From Newbery honor author Jacqueline Kelly comes a new illustrated chapter book series for younger readers featuring the beloved characters from The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate. In Calpurnia Tate, Animal Doctor in Training, Callie Vee, Travis, and Dr. Pritzker help animals big and small. When soft-hearted Travis discovers an abandoned baby skunk, he can't help but bring him home and take care of him. Stinky, as Travis names him, settles in pretty well. But when Travis discovers Stinky's litter-mate, Winky, who is in need of some help, things get complicated around the Tate house. One skunk is a piece of cake; two is just asking for trouble. Will Travis and Callie be able to keep the critters away from Mother's careful eyes—and nose?

As fans of the Vampirates series know, nothing is quite as it seems when Vampirates and pirates are involved, so twins Connor and Grace have to keep up their guards. But with every new challenge pulling them farther apart, it seems that the time has finally come for the twins to explore their separate fates. Grace, unable to forget the blindness she caused her Vampirate friend Lorcan, chooses to journey with him to see if his sight can be restored. As for Connor, he must endure the latest addition to the Diablo crew: Captain Wrathe's awful nephew, who seems to dislike him from the very start. Will both twins find success, and what will it take to bring them back together?

Even if you have choices, sometimes you only have one worth making. The war had been raging for as long as anyone could remember. The secret, endless war between two opposing sides—one good, one evil. Neither side knows which is which; it is kill or be killed in an invisible conflict where assassination is the weapon of choice. When she was just seventeen, Maria was pulled into this secret war and they killed her lover and stole her child. Now they are telling her to go home. To ignore what she knows is going on in the shadows all around her. They told Maria to forget all she’d lost. The trouble is, some things simply can’t be forgotten. Now, with a loose-cannon killer at her side, Maria is going to do whatever it takes to get back what belongs to her. And that means starting a war of her own…

From the beginning, Jim Thompson knew he was going to catch hell no matter what he did. And during a childhood spent at the mercy of a father whose schemes put him on the wrong side of the law as often as the right, and a grandfather who knew the bad parts of town like the back of his hand, young Jim learned sin better than any writer had before. From his rabble-rousing adolescence in the American Midwest, to wasted teenage years in the seedy underbelly of the hotel industry, to Thompson's chilling encounter with the real-life inspiration of THE KILLER INSIDE ME, BAD BOY offers a fascinating glimpse at the formative years of the man who would become one of the most famous authors of modern American Noir, in the autobiography-as-novel that follows the birth of the legend himself in the signature style Thompson made famous.

The second book in "A Tale of the Albino." When his beloved wife Oona is abducted by a band of albino Native Americans, Ulrik von Bek trails the group by using the Skrayling Oak. Soon he finds himself in the multiverse, where he is reconnected with his alternate self, Elric of Melnibone.

Spring comes to Merovingen... and plots begin to grow - as tangled as the strange new plants proliferating in tire backwaters of the City of a Thousand Bridges, as dangerous as the ferment of religious mania that threatens hightowners and canalsiders alike... In debt to the hightown Boregys, approached by the Boregys' rivals, and blackmailed by the fanatic Sword of God, Thomas Mondragon faces a narrowing circle of enemies as he is bound still more tightly in the affairs of the great Houses. Even the dark demimonde of the canals has become unfriendly territory for a man the Sword is seeking either to use - or to destroy.

Lily Bennett is less than thrilled to be the new kid as she starts her junior year in high school. But soon after classes begin, she meets a classmate, Cole Drepeau, with whom she forms an immediate and intimate bond. As Cole and Lily grow closer, Lily learns about the murder that divided the town more than thirty years before. In 1985, graduating senior Amber Greeley snapped, killing her boyfriend Ben—Cole’s uncle—and taking her own life. Lily feels inexplicably linked to Amber, and she can’t help but think that there’s more to the girl’s story. Determined to investigate the truth about Cole’s uncle’s death, Lily and Cole are pulled into a dark mystery—one that shakes the constraints of the world they’ve always believed in. Masterfully told by best-selling author Victoria Laurie, this novel alternates voices between Lily and Amber, a generation apart, as decades of dark family secrets and treacherous betrayals are woven into the most epic of love stories.

Her story continues... Psychic empath Josephine Anderson is surprised to discover that she's a little more than human. She's a vampire hybrid with a powerful vampire father... Her life will never be the same... She prepares to live as an immortal with her vampire mate,Stefan Lifsten. As she makes plans to abandon her old life to be at her lover's side, she begins to slowly transform,developing new abilities and desires... Long buried secrets are revealed... When she discovers the truth about her heritage, she's drawn into a web of passion, deception, and power struggles that leave many lives hanging in the balance. *This is a hot, romantic book. It contains sexy vampires, graphic language,adult content and situations that aren't for the faint of heart. Consider yourself warned.*

Sabotage!!! Agrav. It was the century's most important advance in space travel. . . and an experiment so revolutionary that only the men who huddled beneath the surface of Jupiter Nine were permitted to know its full meaning. Yet someone else did know--knew everything, saw everything, head everything--and was diabolically sabotaging the top-secret mission. Who or what the enemy was, Lucky Starr didn't know. but one thing was certain. The deadly force was not human. . . not even remotely human!

The Circular Study by Anna Katharine Green

A man takes refuge from reality in his dreams, where he finds a terror beyond imagining.This short story is taken from The Claverhouse Emails, a collection of first-person accounts that illustrate some of the darker aspects of human experience.

This piece of flash fiction follows Gordon Burchfield's account of his first week of work at a facility for the mentally ill and questions the line between sanity and delusion.A short story. A "branch" off of The Roots of Evil. A young man, already down on his luck, experiences a series of strange and mysterious events which escalate into a telling trauma.

For a limited time, includes two free additional short stories.Could there be a hidden room somewhere in your house? And just what would you find lurking there? Nate, his little sister, and best buddy Dan, stumble upon a hidden room during a sleep-over. What they find inside is anything but friendly.Includes two bonus short stories: Steven, Space Stowaway & Bloody MarcyFor a limited time, includes two free additional short stories.That's three great short stories for the price of one.Could there be a hidden room somewhere in your house? And just what would you find lurking there?Nate, his little sister, and best buddy Dan, stumble upon a hidden room during a sleep-over. What they find inside is anything but friendly.Includes the bonus short story: Steven, Space Stowaway (originally published in the June issue of Spaceports & Spidersilk).When Steven's Mom leaves for a mission to Mars, he's determined to come along. Even if he has to sneak onboard.Just one problem: he gets caught. And the Captain has a particularly unpleasant way of dealing with stowaways.Includes the bonus short story: Bloody Marcy.When a game of Bloody Mary goes terribly wrong, someone might just die.Praise for Monster in the Mirror"A very good short story. Written in an eerie enough way to make (you) to look over your shoulder and avoid mirrors for awhile." - Tricia Bennett, Author"Wow! Excellent short story. Well written and very easy to read. I didn't get bored at all. I also liked the song and the ending was awesome." -B. Marie, SmashwordsAbout the AuthorM.J.A. Ware, known as MJ to his friends, lives in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains with his wife and two daughters. When not writing about aliens, monsters and ghosts, he runs a company where he designs award winning video arcades. He’s currently polishing his latest novel, Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb, about friends who take on an army of the undead, armed with nothing but Super Soakers—filled with zombie killing juice.Excerpt"I try ignoring the sound. Like fingernails on a blackboard, deep and violent. It's coming from the stairs, always from the stairs..."

Do you dare enter the Woodlands? As the last livable spot on Earth, it's the only home Rosa and Joseph have ever known. But now they need to escape, or Rosa will be trapped forever in a horrific government program. A dystopian page-turner with over 750 five-star ratings on Goodreads. The Woodlands Series is perfect for fans of Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth.Rosa never thought she’d make it to sixteen...When being unique puts you in danger and speaking your mind can be punishable by death, you might find yourself fighting to survive. Sixteen-year-old Rosa lives in one of the eight enclosed cities of The Woodlands. Where the lone survivors of a devastating race war have settled in the Russian wilderness because it’s the only scrap of land left habitable on the planet. In these circular cities, everyone must abide by the law or face harsh punishment. Rosa's inability to conform and obey the rules brands her a leper and no one wants to be within two feet of her, until she meets Joseph. He's blonde, fair-skinned, green-eyed, and the laid-back complete opposite of Rosa. She's never met anyone quite like him, and she knows that spells danger.But differences weren't always a bad thing. People used to think being unique was one of the most treasured of traits to have. Now, the Superiors, who ruthlessly control the concrete cities with an iron fist, are obsessed with creating a 'raceless' race. They are convinced this is the only way to avoid another war. Any anomalies must be destroyed.The Superiors are unstoppable and can do anything they want. After all, they are considered superheroes by the general public. But not everyone sees them this way. When they continue to abuse their power by collecting young girls for use in their secret, high-tech breeding program, they have no idea that one of those girls has somehow managed to make friends even she didn't know she had. And one man will stop at nothing to save her.Do you dare enter the Woodlands? A dystopian page-turner with over 750 five-star ratings on Goodreads. The Woodlands Series is perfect for fans of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth, and The Jewel Series by Amy Ewing. The Woodlands is an Award-Winning Finalist in the "Fiction: Young Adult" category of the 2014 USA Best Book Awards, as well as a Semifinalist in The Kindle Book Awards by the Kindle Book Review.  "Lauren Taylor's writing is powerfully descriptive; she is a master of words and similes." - Author Erica Kiefer "It seems so rare these days to find a dystopian with an original vein in it. The Woodlands Succeeds." - Author Pauline Creeden "I went into this story with my own ideas, but they were obliterated by what I found instead. I was so happy to be wrong because this story touched my heart deeply in a way that I never expected." Reviewer Amber Douglas McCallister "This book was fantastic! Spectacular! It had everything I look for in a book: Action, Adventure, and even romance!" Reviewer Jocelyn Sanchez

After years of heading an elite Special Forces unit, nothing ever gets past Carter Macmillan. Not until the night reporter Ally Weaver gives him the slip while investigating the death of her confidential informant. Now the pair must work together to expose a deadly conspiracy before they become the next victims, but neither is prepared for the danger the other poses to their heart.After years of heading an elite Special Forces unit, nothing ever gets past Carter Macmillan…until the night slick-talking reporter, Ally Weaver, gives him the slip.Ally Weaver is used to following the story, but she’s never had a lead blow up on her before…literally. Now one of her confidential sources has been murdered, and she’s determined to find out why. But Ally can’t risk drawing anyone else into this violent mess…no matter how skilled--or gorgeous--he may be.But a girl can’t always get what she wants. And when the pair find themselves thrust into the crosshairs of a corrupt politician who would do anything to stay in power, they must work together to expose a deadly conspiracy before they become the next victims. But while both Ally and Carter are willing to put their lives on the line to discover the truth, neither is prepared for the danger the other poses to their heart.***Part romantic comedy, part thriller, and filled with plenty of intrigue, CARTER is the first novel in the Sinner Saints contemporary romance series.***

Seckry Sevenstars is just settling in to life at his new school in Skyfall City when he finds a girl with no memory in the city's largest science research facility. What is her name? Why was she there?Were Endrin experimenting on her? As Seckry and the girl determine to find out, they realise that some people will stop at nothing to keep what's going on at Endrin under wraps.When fourteen year old Seckry Sevenstars is forced out of his village by the greedy Endrin Corporation and relocated to the daunting metropolis of Skyfall City, he harbours resentment for the company and vows to get them back one day for taking away his home, his school and his friends.Fortunately, the marvels of the city do a good job in distracting Seckry from his anger and homesickness, and it isn’t long before he’s competing at Friction (the city’s most popular multiplayer video game), slurping awe-inspiring multicoloured milkshakes, and getting butterflies on his first date.Then, when a mysterious email asks Seckry to break into the headquarters of the Endrin Corporation and steal a container full of worms for a hefty sum of money, his anger resurfaces, and he can’t resist the revenge he promised himself.Alone at night, Seckry creeps through the sewers whilst wondering what experiments Endrin might be doing on the worms, and emerges into the silent complex. But the worms aren’t the only thing that he finds. Staring at him through the darkness, with wide, innocent eyes, is something that makes Seckry’s heart almost stop.A girl.She’s shaking, petrified, and has no recollection of who she is or what she’s doing there.Floodlights bleach the area and Seckry has no choice but to grab a hold of the girl and escape with her.Suddenly the question of what Endrin were doing with a few worms becomes the last thing on Seckry’s mind. What were Endrin doing with a human?