As a member of the Singsord delegation on the massive Galaga Alpha, Eldon gathers reactions to the Okron disaster.He also is given an inside view of other disasters and perhaps their meaning, if any. This the My Stars version of the OKC bombing and of 9/11.A retired MLB pitcher finds love and redemption via a hurled can of humble soup. Refusing to obey signals cost him his career, once--but this time--a beanball is exactly what's called for, and the signs all make sense. Making a hero often requires a "zero" to balance the equation. Seeing life from both sides of the fence, the protagonist reconciles his past, finds humility, and creates a new beginning. This story isn't about about baseball, though it makes significant commentary on contemporary status, thereof, and incisively nails what's wrong with the sport...where greed has driven it awry. This narrative is primarily about what's truly important in life--what's solidly pure and what's vacuously hollow--what's important when looming largely in front of us, but insignificant in the rear-view mirror with distance applied. Dreams and aspirations loudly drive us when young, while wisdom softly chuckles from the quiet perch of maturity. Each has its time and purpose.

A troubled soul who walks the narrow path between healer and warrior, Timber MacDuff is doomed to a future he does not want to face. This novella, comprised of four closely-linked stories, follows Timber from the darkness of his youth to a present of bright possibility.He’s a man with a dark past and a possibly darker future, a troubled soul who walks the narrow path between healer and warrior. Since his first appearance in The Unquiet Grave, Timber MacDuff has fascinated readers of the Caitlin Ross series. The four stories in this volume finally give fans a peek into the mind and motives of this complex character with accounts of significant events in his life. “The Source of the Sword” tells how Timber left his youth behind and took up the practice of the broadsword. “Summoning Scáthach” relates his first encounter with the warrior goddess and the circumstances which led him to seek her out. “Battle Blessed” details how he tracked down and fought the Ring of Omicron, and “Without Holding Back” is the story of how he followed Caitlin Ross to Gordarosa and, eventually, married her.

Brandon Tuggle slumbers and toils upon the world's sharpest acres. During the day, he mans the salvage crane and stacks refuse into teetering piles. During the night, he traces maps in his dreams. His skin is scarred by the salvage yard's sharp piles, and lonely Brandon wonders where all his uncles have gone. It takes a surprise visit from Mercy before Brandon can see a color other than rust.Loneliness irritates Brandon Tuggle's scarred skin. He never knew his mother, and his father has left him behind in the Tuggle salvage yard to be raised by a crowd of uncles. Each day, Brandon operates the yard's giant crane as a fleet of trucks dumps the world's refuse at his doorstep. He is helpless as his uncles vanish amid the maze of junk piles looming throughout the yard, and Brandon can't help but worry that he too will soon find himself lost in that jungle of sharp steel and rusting ore. But a day comes when a truck delivers him Mercy, opening the door to color and splendor that Brandon never thought he would see floating between his family's junk piles.

A Paranormal FBI Mystery NovelRichard Donovan – an exhilarating FBI agent with a dark past.Lillian Lawson – at the heart of a mystery blacker than the moonless night.Bishop, New Hampshire –lost in the lunar world of the lycanthropes and shapeshifters.Richard Donovan – an exhilarating FBI agent with a dark past.Lillian Lawson – at the heart of a mystery blacker than the moonless night.Bishop, New Hampshire –lost in the lunar world of the lycanthropes and shapeshifters.“I’ve been looking for a great paranormal detective mystery, and Lorena Black delivers! Supernatural detectives and mythical beasts come together perfectly for the first installment in a promising FBI mystery series!” ~JulieThe Foehammer Act has created an America where vampires, werewolves, elves, orcs, and other haunting creatures are now citizens of the United States, with all of the rights, protections, and privileges afforded the human. It’s a new world order, and it’s anything but orderly!When FBI Agent Richard Donovan comes back from a near death experience, he doesn’t expect to get tossed into the deep end of things, but that is exactly what happens. After years of being a successful agent, he gets the promotion he never wanted as the lead investigator for a team of paranormal detectives who have to investigate all crimes done by and against America’s supernatural citizens.Brand new to the paranormal FBI investigation game, Donovan has to travel to werewolf country, USA, to figure out why Lillian Lawson, a werewolf, killed her human family. It seems to be fairly cut and dry. Werewolves kill people all the time, right? It’s not that hard to picture one going lunar on her own family. But when he gets to Bishop, New Hampshire, Donovan realizes the facts don’t add up, and Lillian, no matter how wolfish she can get, doesn’t come across as a killer. When Deputy Sharon Morris tells him that the ghost of Lillian’s husband doesn’t believe it either, he realizes that there is more to this werewolf mystery than meets the eye.

From the world of Beautiful Creatures-a dangerous new tale of love and magic. Ridley Duchannes is nobody's heroine. She's a Dark Caster, a Siren. She can make you do things. Anything. You can't trust her, or yourself when she's around. And she'll be the first to tell you to stay away-especially if you're going to do something as stupid as fall in love with her. Lucky for Ridley, her wannabe rocker boyfriend, Wesley "Link" Lincoln, never listens to anyone. Link doesn't care if Rid's no good for him, and he takes her along when he leaves small-town Gatlin to follow his rock-star dream. He teams up with a ragtag group of Dark Casters, and when the band scores a gig at a hot Underground club, it looks like all of Link's dreams are about to come true. But New York City is a dangerous place for both Casters and Mortals, and soon Ridley realizes that Link's bandmates are keeping secrets. With bad-boy club owner Lennox Gates on her heels, Rid is determined to find out the truth. What she discovers is worse than she could have imagined: Link has a price on his head that no Caster or Mortal can ever pay. With their lives on the line, what's a Siren to do? Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthors of the Beautiful Creatures novels, are back to cast another magical spell. Their signature blend of mystery, suspense, and romance, with a healthy dose of wit and danger, will pull fans in and leave them begging for more.

A thrilling and original coming-of-age novel about a young man practicing magic in the real world Quentin Coldwater is brilliant but miserable. A senior in high school, he’s still secretly preoccupied with a series of fantasy novels he read as a child, set in a magical land called Fillory. Imagine his surprise when he finds himself unexpectedly admitted to a very secret, very exclusive college of magic in upstate New York, where he receives a thorough and rigorous education in the craft of modern sorcery. He also discovers all the other things people learn in college: friendship, love, sex, booze, and boredom. Something is missing, though. Magic doesn’t bring Quentin the happiness and adventure he dreamed it would. After graduation he and his friends make a stunning discovery: Fillory is real. But the land of Quentin’s fantasies turns out to be much darker and more dangerous than he could have imagined. His childhood dream becomes a nightmare with a shocking truth at its heart. At once psychologically piercing and magnificently absorbing, The Magicians boldly moves into uncharted literary territory, imagining magic as practiced by real people, with their capricious desires and volatile emotions. Lev Grossman creates an utterly original world in which good and evil aren’t black and white, love and sex aren’t simple or innocent, and power comes at a terrible price.

Not an ambush. Not a battle. But the final confrontation: War. In this last chapter in the great of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole the Striga and Nyra join to conjure a malignant power from hagsmire itself. When news of their alliance reaches the Great Ga'Hoole Tree the Guardians call to good creatures everywhere: gadfeathers, kraals, polar bears, greenowls,puffins, seagulls, and dire wolves. An army of free creatures marches, swims, and flies to the Hot Gates of the Beyond, where the fate of the six owl kingdoms will be decided once and for all.

From the author of the critically acclaimed Troll, the new novel from Johanna Sinisalo is full of her trademark style, surreal invention, and savage humor Set in Australasia, this is the story of a young Finnish couple who have embarked on the hiking trip of a lifetime, with Heart of Darkness as their only reading matter. Conrad’s dark odyssey turns out to be a prescient choice as their trip turns into a tortuous thriller, with belongings disappearing, and they soon find themselves at the mercy of untamed nature, seemingly directed by the local kakapo—a highly intellegent parrot threatened with extinction. This is a skillful portrait of the unquenchable desire of Westerners for the pure and the primitive, revealing the dark side of the explorer’s desire—the insatiable need to control, to invade, and leave one’s mark on the landscape. But what happens when nature starts to fight back?

Rachel Sullivan had hoped to learn his secrets but found herself at the mercy of mysterious vampire Donovan O'Roark. Now her sexy captor was about to discover her own desire: to give up her innocence to the man she'd always loved. Book 4 in Maggie Shayne’s Bestselling Wings in the Night SeriesThey Said It Couldn't Happen, but They Were Wrong.Jameson Bryant found her in an abandoned building, half-starved, her face chalk-white yet strikingly beautiful. He knew what she was, but he couldn't resist the power of her violet eyes. Even her warning to stay away only served to draw him closer.But it was too late and had been from the first moment he saw her. With one parting of her lips, the hungry creature of the night took him, body, heart and soul... Nine months later, their tiny dark angel was born...in twilight.Enjoy the special bonus novella "Twilight Vows."Rachel Sullivan was Donovan O'Roark's willing captive, drawn to him by her desire to learn his secrets. Would her curiosity be her salvation or her undoing?Don’t miss a single title in Maggie Shayne’s Wings in the Night series:Twilight PhantasiesTwilight MemoriesTwilight Illusions, with bonus novella “Beyond Twilight”Born in Twilight, with bonus novella “Twilight Vows”Twilight HungerEmbrace the Twilight, with bonus novella “Run from Twilight”Edge of Twilight Blue Twilight, with bonus novella “Before Blue Twilight”Prince of TwilightDemon’s KissLover’s BiteAngel’s PainBloodline, with bonus novella “Vampires in Paradise”Twilight ProphecyTwilight Fulfilled

Two monstrous evils. This quiet suburban town of Hampstead is threatened by two horrors. One is natural. The hideous, unstoppable creation of man's power gone mad. The other is not natural at all. And it makes the first look like a child's play.

The darkness is drawing near. For centuries the Alliance has kept their enemies at bay. But the rise of a tyrant in the East has set in motion events few could have foreseen. Strange creatures stalk the shadows and the laws of magic are being sundered. Brothers Christill and Thibalt will learn that their childhood woes are insignificant. Their part in this struggle will shape the fate of all.The tyrant King Zephra has waited nineteen long years to meet his destiny. In the deepest corner of his hidden lair he has finally found a way to break the laws of magic. His malevolent scheme will forever ensnare the world. And the Feldonian nation will be powerless to stop him.Yet destiny comes in twos. For on the very eve of Zephra’s rise to power nineteen years ago, two brothers were kidnapped from their homeland by the savage Miirvkin. Brothers who, growing up amongst their hated foes, are fated to return to Feldom at the turning point of this ancient struggle.Now, whilst strange creatures stalk the shadows, and the darkness encroaches, destinies will clash. Thibalt and Christill will find that they have a larger part to play in the fate of their homeland. Yet the salvation of an entire race will weigh a heavy burden on them.

"Edwin" is a fantasy short story about a Storyteller who suffers from blank spots in his memory. The problem is when he wakes up one time covered in blood. Read it for free at https://stories.osterin.comSeaside Summers are a series of stand-alone romances that may also be enjoyed as part of the larger Love in Bloom series."You can always rely on Melissa Foster to deliver a story that's fresh, emotional and entertaining. Make sure you have all night, because once you start you won't want to stop reading. Every book's a winner!" New York Times Bestselling Author Brenda Novak"Melissa Foster is synonymous with sexy, swoony, heartfelt romance!" New York Times Bestseller Lauren BlakelyIN SEASIDE DREAMS...Bella Abbascia has returned to Seaside Cottages in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, as she does every summer. Only this year, Bella has more on her mind than sunbathing and skinny-dipping with her girlfriends. She's quit her job, put her house on the market, and sworn off relationships while she builds a new life in her favorite place on earth. That is, until good-time Bella's prank takes a bad turn and a sinfully sexy police officer appears on the scene.Single father and police officer Caden Grant left Boston with his fourteen-year-old son, Evan, after his partner was killed in the line of duty. He hopes to find a safer life in the small resort town of Wellfleet, and when he meets Bella during a night patrol shift, he realizes he's found the one thing he'd never allowed himself to hope for--or even realized he was missing.After fourteen years of focusing solely on his son, Caden cannot resist the intense attraction he feels toward beautiful Bella, and Bella's powerless to fight the heat of their budding romance. But starting over proves more difficult than either of them imagined, and when Evan gets mixed up with the wrong kids, Caden's loyalty is put to the test. Will he give up everything to protect his son--even Bella?***READY FOR MORE SEASIDE SUMMERS? Seaside Dreams (Bella)Seaside Hearts (Jenna)Seaside Sunsets (Jamie)Seaside Secrets (Amy)Seaside Nights (Sky)Seaside Embrace (Hunter)Seaside Lovers (Grayson)Seaside Whispers (Matt)***SEASIDE SUMMERS is part of the Love in Bloom big family romance collection. Characters from each series appear in future books. Each book may be read as a stand-alone novel, or as part of the series. Visit Melissa's website for a series guides and checklists.READ THE FULL LOVE IN BLOOM SERIES:SNOW SISTERS: Sisters in Love, Sisters in Bloom, Sisters in WhiteTHE BRADENS (Weston, CO): Lovers at Heart, Destined for Love, Friendship on Fire, Sea of Love, Bursting with Love, Hearts at Play, Promise My Love (novella), Daring Her Love (novella)THE BRADENS (Trusty, CO): Taken by Love, Fated for Love, Romancing My Love, Flirting with Love, Dreaming of Love, Crashing into LoveTHE BRADENS (Peaceful Harbor, MD): Healed by Love (Nate), Surrender My LoveRiver of Love, Crushing on Love, Whisper of Love, Thrill of LoveTHE REMINGTONS: Game of Love, Stroke of Love, Flames of Love, Slope of Love, Read, Write, Love, Touched by Love THE RYDERS: Seized by Love, Claimed by Love, Chased by Love, Rescued by Love, Swept Into LoveWILD BOYS AFTER DARK: Logan, Heath, Jackson, CooperBAD BOYS AFTER DARK: Mick, Dylan, Brett, Carson HARBORSIDE NIGHTS: Catching Cassidy, Discovering Delilah, Tempting Tristan***AUTHOR BIOMelissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance--perfect beach reads--with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Melissa's emotional journeys are lovingly erotic and always family oriented. Melissa enjoys chatting with readers and book clubs. Send her an email invitation to your next event!

The search for the Book continues in Momentum, the 3rd installment of Flicker Blue! As the journey leads Jane to unexpected destinations and directly into the path of mortal danger, she learns the heavy cost of her supernatural ability and discovers new secrets of the Curse.A tale of gryphons, snow-dragons, elves, dwarves, dragons and men. An evil elf-mage is haunting the frozen wastelands in the north. Hinfane the tavern-keeper finds unlikely allies in the mysterious creatures that come on the first night of the new moon to collect the mead that she leaves out for them. You can fight an elf, and it seems that you can win. But elves are not so easy to kill... Hwedolyn the gryphon ends up going on a quest, barely believing in the purpose of it himself, not knowing how it will end. This is the first in the Gryphonomicon Gryphon-Dragon histories, a saga that spans generations and tells of the battles between gryphons and dragons and the rise of Aerae, Princess of the North, Empress of the South. An epic heroic fantasy in the tradition of Tolkien, C.S.Lewis, David Eddings.

An unarmed Earth Exploration Ship is attacked by unknown aliens with more advanced technology. The other two novellas of the trilogy are 'The Local War' and 'Battle for Homeworld'.This trilogy is an attempt to look at whether space war is possible, and like the previous 4 novels of the Bad Boy cycle makes fun of some accepted Sci-fi ideas. This is not a conventional space war book.After 150 years of peace on Earth the unarmed Interstellar Exploration Ship, the "Highway to Heaven" is attacked without apparent provocation by unknown aliens with much more advanced technology than the Earthmen.This is a self contained book although many of the Characters were first introduced in the earlier books of the Bad Boy cycle, and reference is often made to earlier events.This novella is the first book in the 'War and Space' Trilogy which is an attempt to look more logically at War between space faring races. Because it makes fun of some accepted science fiction ideas, a sense of humour is needed to understand the book.This Novella follows on from the Bad Boy Quadrilogy of novels.

A crew in space explores a distant planet, detected only through its toxic gas levels. The previous society killed themselves through war. Upon entering the planet's gravity they are rammed by debris and forced to land on the poisonous surface. They believe it was intentional, and set out to learn who brought them down. Finding only a single area free of poison, and at its center the last droid.In Speak 2 U Soon, Julie Price’s big brother drowns under mysterious circumstances: Uncle Eric takes Davey out in a boat knowing full well Davey is not only terrified of water, but he also can’t swim. It is her brother’s death that is Julie’s psychological undoing. Two other teens, Raven and Jorge, each suffering from their own losses, meet Julie in group therapy. Fast friends, they uncover discrepancies in Eric’s story. After enlisting Davey’s friend, Vince, who was on the boat the night Davey died, the four make a final climatic discovery.