A brave mouse attempts to rebuild a fallen empire in this second book of the epic Mouseheart series set in the subway tunnels of Brooklyn, and for “fans of Erin Hunter, Brian Jaques, and Kathryn Lasky” (School Library Journal).The battle to free Titus's camps is over, and Hopper, Zucker, Firren, and their loyal followers are working to rebuild. But the tunnels are in a state of chaos, and without the sinister peace accord to protect the rodents, Queen Felina and her growing army of ferals is a greater threat than ever before. In the Mūs Village, Pinkie has led a coup and is now ruling with an iron paw. And Pup has become cold and defiant, a change that Hopper never saw coming. When exterminators raid the tunnels, Hopper is snatched away by the intruders and taken back up to the daylight world where he was born. Upland, Hopper makes new allies, and as he enjoys the sights and sounds of Brooklyn, he wonders if he will...

Her bosom heaved at an alarming rate as his rough hand found its way down to her soft, yet wiry briar patch... Can you say briar patch in a romance novel? What about meat sword? That’s what it is…a meat sword, right, all meaty and sword like, slaying through the inner dungeons of a woman’s dark desires. What about breasts? Do bosoms really heave? God, I have no idea what happens when private parts touch. I’m a virgin trying to write a romance novel and can’t seem to write past a sex scene thanks to my lack of experience. My two best friends encourage me to drop the pen for a while and gain some real life practice through multiple dating facets such as blind dates, online profiles, and random hookups. But losing my virginity is proving to be tougher than expected…

When the topic of grandchildren comes up during a weekly sewing circle the matriarchs of the founding families seek out the witch Elder to scry to see if their sons have mates. They are shocked to discover that many of their son’s mates are out in the world and are human! Fearing that their future human daughter in laws will end up dead before being claimed and providing them with grandchildren to spoil, they convince their own mates that something must be done. After gathering all of the warriors together in a fake award ceremony the witch Elder casts a spell to pull the warrior’s mates to them, whether they want it or not. Aiden McKenzie is adamant that he doesn’t need a mate and that she would only get in the way. He doesn’t have time to coddle a female. He likes his world run with military precision. Little does he realize, Fate is sending him his mate first! He meets his destined mate Meryn Evans and things go downhill from there. She is the embodiment of chaos. In the first twenty-four hours she kicks, screams and knocks her bear shifting mate unconscious. Eventually they discover that life before finding each other may have been good, but life afterwards is perfect, even if it involves super soaker battles and accidentally discharging hand grenades. Unfortunately the joy of their mating is overshadowed when Aiden and Meryn find themselves embroiled in a missing persons case assigned to Aiden by the Lycaonian Council. By assisting Aiden, Meryn finds herself the focus of a demented killer. Can Aiden and the elite warriors from the Alpha Unit keep Meryn safe? Or did Fate bring her to Lycaonia to die?

A romantic, Christmas wedding at her seaside hotel gives Delilah a chance to shine with her unique gifts. But will her light be snuffed out before the bride and groom say "I do"? As manager of the Tidewater Inn, Delilah Carter has been planning a spectacular Christmas wedding for her friends at the grand hotel overlooking the ocean. While picking up still more twinkly lights and some last-minute groceries for the reception dinner, a huge truck runs her off the freezing, wet roads into the dark night. Her car stops just short of an enormous tree and the truck speeds off into the night. Delilah escapes with her life and has almost convinced herself the whole thing was an accident, but then she begins to receive threatening phone calls. With the wedding just hours away, she's distracted and anxious. Then Sheriff Tom Bourne stops by the inn and volunteers to help.Tom has always had a soft spot for Delilah, and he's determined to protect her. But he...

After narrowly escaping with her life, Aphrodite wakes up to find herself at the demigods' base camp—a gorgeous tropical island. Powerless and injured, she has no choice but to glamour herself as a demigoddess in order to find out what's really going on. Lucky for her, she's not alone. Ares is with her, also in disguise. But she soon realizes she might be more of a liability than an asset when her panic attacks and nightmares threaten to expose them both.Ares is as anxious as anyone to shut down the demigods' plot. But right now, all he can think about is Aphrodite. He almost killed her, for Gods' sake! And though the timing couldn't be any worse, he's falling hard and fast. He'll do anything to protect her...even if it means sacrificing himself.Still, they find allies in the most unexpected places...

'This is crime writing of the very highest order ... Kate Brannigan has turned into the most interesting sleuthess around' The TimesDead Beat introduces Kate Brannigan, a female private detective who does for Manchester what V. I. Warshawski has done for Chicago. As a favour, Kate agrees to track down a missing songwriter, Moira Pollock, a search that takes her into some of the seediest parts of Leeds and Bradford. But little does she realize that finding Moira is a prelude to murder...

On a crisp fall evening in western Nebraska, what started as a group of kids filming their drug-fueled party ends in an explosive light show, leaving the victims apparently electrocuted, with odd scorch marks being the only evidence. While Maggie tries to make sense of the dif­ferent stories, sifting through what is real and what is hallu­cination, she realizes that the surviving teens are being targeted and systematically eliminated. Meanwhile on the East Coast, Maggie’s FBI partner, R.J. Tully, and Army colonel Benjamin Platt are at the scene of a deadly outbreak, desperate to identify the pathogen that has infected children at a Virginia elementary school. Despite the miles that separate them, the two cases collide as Maggie, Tully, and Platt uncover secrets that were meant to stay hidden in the remote Midwest landscape.

Billy rubbed his hand along the smooth woodwork of the rifle slung over his shoulder. “Do you think we’ll get to fight at last.” For most of the new men their greatest fear had always been that the fighting would finish before they had their chance to join in.When Victor Frankenstein crafts his infamous creature in Mary Shelley’s masterpiece, he creates something that is a patchwork not only of men but of ideals, of emotions. Out of many, he is one. Indeed, this anthology you read now is something similar, though I do say quite a bit more pleasant to encounter than the fruit of Victor’s labors!What precisely does the word creature conjure in the imagination? Something frightening? Something unknown? The authors of the stories you are about to read had this question to consider and not one of them came up with exactly the same answer as another of their collaborators. The initial reaction to such a question might be to recoil, to think of something unsettling or scary. But then one must consider the creature itself. How does it react to its state of being? It’s surroundings? Does it enjoy killing men or does it loathe violence? Is it predator or prey? Do humans simply fear it or try to combat the creature themselves?It’s the reaction that makes the creature, not the state itself of being an outsider to mankind. You will read in these pages about various supposed monsters, and they all behave differently. The creatures in these stories are everything from horrifying killers to sympathetic lovers to misunderstood beings trying to fit into human society, each one with its creator’s personal stamp placed upon it. This anthology was born out of a desire to come together as authors, out of a sense of community, and the reader can certainly feel this as well. Despite the occasionally-gruesome or unsettling subject matter, this is a labor of love, we promise!The idea to create a compilation was posed by author B.C. Sirrom on the Paranormal and Horror Lovers group on Goodreads in May of 2012. The idea took off immediately, with eight writers contributing to the work and several others offering to help with editing and cover art. But what was to be the topic of such an anthology?After much deliberation, the topic of creatures was chosen, an emphasis placed on the unique and the cultural. The rules were simple: the story must be in the paranormal or horror genre and between five and ten thousand words. While mature content was allowed, it was not required, and contributors had to be willing to assist with editing. With the ground rules in place, the authors set out to craft their tales.This specific topic is one that not only fit the overall theme of the group itself, but also one that allowed the authors room to breathe, room to create and thus, room to craft a collection of well-fitted stories that will entertain, thrill and horrify.No matter what the word ‘creature’ initially brings to mind for you, the reader, that is only the beginning

Alone in a strange city, searching for a job, living on hot dogs and white bread - life after college is not everything that Eli Radak hoped it would be. A shy and quiet loner, Eli is shaken out of his comfort zone by neighbors who insist on burying him in love and community. Their kindness forces himself to confront his own insecurities and find the secret of his true identity in Christ.Alone in a strange city, searching for a job, living on hot dogs and white bread - life after college is not everything that Eli Radak hoped it would be. A shy and quiet loner, Eli is shaken out of his comfort zone by neighbors who insist on burying him in love and community. Unsure how to handle such undeserved kindness, he pushes them away, before finding that something inside of him is longing for the kind of community they have with each other. The eclectic cast includes Stanley, an older man with a dark secret; Danny, who went from being homeless to pastoring a house church; Abbie, who sees past Eli's hard exterior; and many others. Together they take Eli on a journey to discover his true self and his true identity in Christ, among the streets of Fort Worth and the deserts of west Texas. An inspirational, uplifting, and at times gritty tale of true faith, real community, and genuine love.

"My name is Harriet Manners, and I am still a geek." The fourth book in the award-winning GEEK GIRL series. Harriet Manners has high hopes for the new school year: she's a Sixth Former now, and things are going to be different. But with Nat busy falling in love at college and Toby preoccupied with a Top Secret project, Harriet soon discovers that's not necessarily a good thing...

From the author of PERFECT and LUSH, another novel that tells it like it is.The perils of dealing with a new stepfamily are illuminated with the same Blume-like heart and wit that Natasha Friend brought to PERFECT and LUSH.