He's not looking for love. She isn't ready for a relationship. Danger brings them together, but will it also tear them apart? Tucker is more concerned with his duties as the alpha bear of his pack, then finding love. Unfortunately, an ultimatum from a power he can't refuse has made it clear he must settle for someone in order to keep his alpha seat. Ashlee has been through her share of drama in the love department and the last thing she needs is to find another man to mess things up for her, but her best friend has other plans. When Ashlee meets a dangerous man at a dating club mixer and another who wants to be her hero, she has some decisions to make. Will she choose love or a normal life? Will she defeat the monster that has her in his sights? Will she find out who set her up and why? This is a complete story. There are no cliffhangers. It is the first book in the Aphrodite Love Connection series. Each paranormal romance in this series will have a HEA or HFN ending and all books in this series can be read in or out of order. This book contains adult content and recommended for reader 18 or older. Contains sexual content and violence.

GOOD FRIDAY, 1612. Pendle Hill, Lancashire. A mysterious gathering of thirteen people is interrupted by local magistrate, Roger Nowell. Is this a witches' Sabbat? Two notorious Lancashire witches are already in Lancaster Castle waiting trial. Why is the beautiful and wealthy Alice Nutter defending them? And why is she among the group of thirteen on Pendle Hill? Elsewhere, a starved, abused child lurks. And a Jesuit priest and former Gunpowder plotter, recently returned from France, is widely rumoured to be heading for Lancashire. But who will offer him sanctuary? And how quickly can he be caught? This is the reign of James I, a Protestant King with an obsession: to rid his realm of twin evils, witchcraft and Catholicism, at any price... http://www.hammerfilms.com/production...

“The Day of the Dead” features Tomas, a character from the Cassandra Palmer novels, who was last seen cooling his heels in Faerie. He’ll show up again in the series, but what about in the meantime? What does a powerful, four-hundred-year-old vampire with a serious grudge against his old mass murdering master to do when he suddenly finds himself with too much time on his hands? Hang around Faerie, where there’s nothing to eat (Fey blood=nasty) just because our intrepid heroine parked him there? Uh, no. Not so much. Because Tomas is obsessed, and has been for pretty much his whole existence, with one thing: taking out Alejandro, the aforementioned murdering bastard. In “The Day of the Dead,” he slips back into our world to confront his nemesis, only to find unexpected help in the form of a band of magical mercenaries. Think the A-Team with spells and potions instead of (well, actually in addition to) guns and knives and things that go boom. It makes for a lot of mayhem down Mexico way. NOTE: “The Day of the Dead” is a short story connected to the New York Times bestselling Cassandra Palmer series of urban fantasy novels. It was first published in * The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance * (2008) and is now being offered as a free ebook. It features Tomas, a character from Touch the Dark (2006), the first Cassandra Palmer novel.

For Rob Burnside, things are going pretty well. His friends are behaving, school isn't too bad, his family's getting along, and Janae, the girl of his dreams, occasionally notices him. Yep, life's okay—until the lying starts. Meet Pinocula, the new creature from Rob's closet. He is a liar and a jokester and is determined to drive Rob crazy. Obert Skye doesn't let his fans down in this hilarious installment in The Creature from My Closet series, which started with Wonkenstein and Potterwookiee.

How do you overthrow a queen who has ruled for thousands of years?Two girls, living a thousand years apart, face this dilemma. Each have their reasons to loathe the Queen. Each illegally develop their Knowing abilities. Yet the Queen Knows everything – including who is destined to overcome her.

View our feature on Ann Aguirre's Shady Lady.Whenever Corine Solomon touches an object, she immediately knows its history. But the future concerns her more when former ally Kel Ferguson wlaks through her door with a warning for her: the Montoya cartel is coming for her-but they don't just pack guns. They use warlocks, shamans and voodoo priests. And Corine has become enemy number one...

In a world of wizards and vampires a clever man may make a fortune. But hunting the undead is no small task, as Coragan the bounty hunter will soon find out. He will need all his wits and the help of his comrades. Together, they must pit themselves against a creature so old time itself bends knee, an ancient vampire by the name of Lucian val Drasmyr.A Vampire Does Not Make For Easy Prey … Wizards have their magic, warriors their brawn, but a vampire lacks for nothing; he is the true ruler of the night and the last foe any sane man would choose to face. My name is Lucian, and I have no fear. Not the fabled magic used by wizards, nor the swords of lesser men; my strength is timeless, drawn from darkness. I am vampire, with no master save my own unending hunger. I long for blood, your blood, and neither blade nor magic spell can keep me long from my prize.In Drisdak, the magic of the wizards is strong, but a true vampire will hunt them all the same … Unease and foreboding have always been associated with the local wizards guild; peasants have an innate distrust of magic and those who use it. But now, a mysterious fire at the guild has left two men dead and a third missing. And one of those men was the guild master, one of the most powerful wizards in the city, and his successor wants to know what happened to him. Enter Coragan of Esperia, the renowned bounty hunter and his comrades: Borak the warrior, and Galladrin the rogue. If anyone can unravel this mess they can. But are even they prepared to challenge the horrible evil lurking at the heart of the mystery? An ancient, pitiless vampire named Lucian val Drasmyr. See if Coragan and the wizards can defeat the terrible vampire, Drasmyr, buy Drasmyr now!

In a bizarre post-apocalyptic Africa, Chadwick Giles, a recent arrival from the north countries, navigates his way through social strictures, a mutant uprising, and a cultic religious revival, learning to create art from love and life. Giles discovers that there is much to gain through loss, though the rewards are nothing like those he expected or desired.Chadwick Giles is new to Ngome, having travelled from the cultured north countries to a bizarre post-apocalyptic Africa to assume new employment as an artist for an expatriate entomologist. There, at a masked ball, he meets the mysterious and carefree Emile Beckwith. His discoveries in this new land expose the underside of a society embroiled in conflict and intrigue. Try as he might to remain aloof, he soon finds himself in the midst of the war between the colonial authorities and an uprising of human mutants and four-armed apes that may or may not be associated with a mystical fly-cult, a war that threatens to change him and his art forever.Forrest Aguirre's short fiction has been published in over fifty venues including Asimov's, Postscripts, Exquisite Corpse, and Gargoyle. Forrest's work has received several honorable mentions in various Year's Best anthologies and his fiction has been a finalist for the StorySouth Million Writers Award. He has won the World Fantasy Award and was a finalist for the Philip K. Dick Award for co-editing the Leviathan 3 anthology.

When a UFO crashes into the sandy world of Evon, Roym Rosyth and his family must do all they can to evade the senseless transformations befalling anyone who becomes caught within the influence of the alien technology. With the number of safe havens disappearing as quickly as he can get to them, Roym can start to see that not only is his own survival coming into question, but that of his species.When a huge, mysterious spacecraft crashes into the sandy world of Evon, Roym Rosyth, his family, and those they meet in the midst of the swelling chaos must do everything in their power to evade the swift and seemingly senseless transformations befalling anyone who becomes trapped within the expanding influence of the alien technology. With the number of safe havens disappearing as quickly as he can get to them, Roym can start to see that not only is his own survival coming into question, but that of his species.

Confronted with the hatred of the goddess of justice, Jaime is a victim of a corrupt judicial system. When his friend becomes a martyr on his behalf, he's absolved. Conflicted over her decision to suffer in his stead, Jaime sets out to right a horrible wrong. Except that to right this wrong, he must come to terms with a grave sacrifice.Journalist Carson Wade is searching for that component called gumption that launches a simple passion for music into the desire to perform it and actually put oneself out there for the examination of the masses. In order to accomplish this mission, he has managed to embed himself with a rock band. There’s only one problem. He’s unknowingly embedded himself with the worst Southern cover band in history. For the duration of his embedment, Carson keeps a journal of his experiences with the ultimate goal of writing a book about music, inspiration, and the gumption to turn dreams into reality. Over the course of a year, Carson follows Harley, Randy, Chip, Dale, and The Bass Player from pawn shops to dive bars, noting their eccentricities with peculiar wit, his only solace while watching this train wreck. Through the band’s horrific gigs, to the tumult of recording songs, the band break-ups, and the occasional brawl—Carson follows it all. Like any documentary work, Carson’s mission and original intentions take a turn towards revealing a different and unexpected perspective. This band will never make the cover of a magazine, like they imagine. But the journey they are on speaks to dreaming big, why it’s important, and to the fact that a little ignorance goes a long way...a really long way.

This novella was expanded from "Freak Show," the nigh impossible to find anthology F. Paul Wilson edited back in 1992. It was originally published as a 500-copy collector's edition that sold out on publication. With copies of the limited going for over $100 on the aftermarket, the author decided to make inexpensive paperback and ebook editions available to his readers. The story involves the Otherness and ties into both the Repairman Jack series and The Adversary Cycle. Follow Oz and his band of freaks as they tour the country on a dark mission that threatens the nature of reality itself. (A companion piece to "The Last Rakosh" and the Repairman Jack novel, ALL THE RAGE.)

Marching south after the ghastly battle at the Tower of Charm, the Black Company is hounded by shadowy figures every inch of the way. The game is on: the Company versus the Shadowmasters, deadly creatures that deal in darkness and sorrow. When hope dies, there's still survival. And there's still the Black Company.   The Book of the South is the second omnibus of novels from one of the greatest fantasy epics of our age, Glen Cook’s Black Company series—collecting Shadow Games, Dreams of Steel, and The Silver Spike.

At the southern edge of the world sits a kingdom in the swamp. In its capital of Hallow’s Keep sits a tower, inside a young princess, Orleena, awaits the return of the father she has never met. The war is done and the peace is secured. Now, with her father’s homecoming Orleena will be free to finally leave her tower and when she does she will learn of her city, her people and her family.Not all Vampires are good. Not all Werewolves are bad. And not all Teenage Girls awake on their Eighteenth Birthday to find that they are the last in a long line of Vampire Killers. The last of a group known as The Olympus Foundation. The last of the Shadowhunters!Emily Hawk didn’t ask to become a Superhero. She was quite content to live out her life in the backwaters of Alaska with her foster parents. It was boring, but it was safe. Predictable.Nevertheless - here she was, in another country. Surrounded by Vampires and Werewolves.And the worst part of it was…she was pretty sure that she was in love with one of them!If you’re looking for a ‘Kick-Ass’ heroine who speaks her mind and doesn’t take any…well…trouble from anyone – then look no further. Emily Hawk is your girl.

Short story, 18 pages approximately. One night, while working on the inner-city circle of StateRail, Sydney, Bob Johnson is hit by a train, In the last seven minutes of his life, before his brain shuts down, he believes he has finally reached the mythical kingdom of Parthenia. 7,250 wordsShort story, 18 pages approximately. One night, while working on the inner-city circle of StateRail, Sydney, Bob Johnson is hit by a train. In the last seven minutes of his life before his brain shuts down, he believes he has finally reached the mythical kingdom of Parthenia. Here, he rescues the young queen L'Etoile from the clutches of the wizard Yogoroth and is all set to become king of Parthenia when he marries her. 7.250 words

"Master storyteller Sharon Shinn created the thrilling and enchanting world of Welce in her acclaimed novel "Troubled Waters." Return with her to that elemental universe in this tale of secrecy, romance, and a battle for power..." Josetta is a princess of one of the Five Families. But she is far from the throne, so she is free to spend her days working in the poorest sections of the city. Rafe Adova, an outcast since he was born, lives the life of a career gambler in those slums. He has no ambition other than cheating at the card tables—until the night he decides to help a girl named Corene, who looks like she's stumbled into the wrong bar. She, too, is a princess—sister to Josetta, who finds her with Rafe. He fascinates her. Josetta has never encountered anyone like him—someone seemingly devoid of elemental blessings. He is drawn to her, though he thinks they are unlikely to ever meet again—but their connection grows strong when she nurses him back to health after he is assaulted by foreign mercenaries. And when they learn the reason he's being hunted, they know that the truth about his history could endanger not only their love but also their very lives...