When loner Shawn Carpenter joins a college youth group, he has no idea it will turn his world upside down. New friends, a new job, an attraction to the boss's unobtainable daughter--none of this is normal to the guy who's spent his life hiding secrets and regrets. As danger and heartache follow his every turn, Shawn wonders about this new God he trusts. For Christian teens and young at heart.Burned in a house fire a few days before losing his father, college student Shawn Carpenter has spent years working, caring for his family, and paying penance. When an acquaintance introduces him to God and invites him to a college youth group, the changes in his life are immense and unsettling. The most unsettling part is Jenny Clearwater, his boss's daughter. He can't deny his attraction, but she courts instead of dating, and courting seems all about keeping the Shawn Carpenters of the world away from the Jenny Clearwaters.Danger and heartache seem to come around every bend, from a cave trip gone wrong to a friendship that goes up in flames to an accusal of crime at work. Seems God has put events in motion to lead Shawn back into a life of community and growth, assuming, of course, they don't kill him first.Get set for this first book of the Christian series Boys of Summer, for teens and anyone else who appreciates the challenges of stepping into adulthood.

Christmas in the Air is a 6,000-word short story for fans of Something in the Air . Check in with Rose and Declan and see how they're preparing for their first Christmas in London!This short story, based on actual events, takes the reader back to 1874 and the first murder committed in Valley County. As the US Marshal attempts to uncover what took place one gets the chance to see the American frontier through the eyes of the early settlers.This story also introduces the reader to a major character from the Dawn Trilogy, and helps them understand why Ross Peters (lead character in the trilogy) and Garren become close friends and leaders in the early days of the US Marshals.

Would Andrew and Lisa's love be enough to survive the challenges that threaten to rip their lives apart?It was love at first sight for Andrew and Lisa. They could talk about anything in the world and were married within a year. Andrew started a technology company and worked hard to make money for their young family. Years of hard work has finally started to pay off and his business was going to have that breakthrough, when a trip to the doctor threatened to rip their lives apart. Would they become stronger or would they succumb to the dreadful disease?

Mr. Davis, my employer, asked me to do something confidential for him, After being convinced that what he was asking was not illegal or immoral, I agreed. He wanted me to watch one of his other employees. He did not tell me the reason. I did what he asked, but, in addition, fell in love with her. This story tells why Mr. Davis wanted me to do what he asked and what the outcome was.It's all about making the right choice.Andrew Jonah Peters has spent all his life making choices. Some of them as trivial as which candy to buy while some of them as life-changing as choosing which parent to live with after their divorce. Every moment has been filled with the fear of losing oneself because of the bad choices. Of regretting not taking what the heart desired for. And then came 'he'.In one encounter with 'him', Andrew was forever changed. There was a way to figure out his heart's desire: through fear. And so started the fall into the addiction of the thrill. The thrill of planning. The thrill of anticipation. The thrill of a successful execution. But there must always be a price. The addiction grows all-consuming within him.And when the secret he hides behind his 'normal teenager' life is exposed to the world, everything changes. Nothing is the same and Andrew has to face it all with the addiction demanding satisfaction as well. And so in the darkest moments of his life, a question arises from within: Should I live in this harsh world or should I escape into the soothing death?

This is a short story about two people who appear to have the perfect life, but are privately dealing with an addiction that threatens to tear them apart. Can they get the help they need and save their marriage, or will their happy ever after slip out of reach?This is a short story about two people who appear to have the perfect life. Friends are envious of the easy love they have for each other and long for that kind of relationship for themselves. What they don’t know is that an out of control addiction is tearing the couple apart and threatening to ruin their dream marriage and life together. Can they accept there is a problem and get the help they desperately need or ultimately will they lose each other and everything they ever wanted?

She’s a free-spirited dreamer. He’s a brilliant painter. But now their shared passion for art has turned into something deeper.… For as long as she can remember, Kugy has loved to write. Whimsical stories are her passion, along with letters full of secret longings that she folds into paper boats and sets out to sea. Now that she’s older, she dreams of following her heart and becoming a true teller of tales, but she decides to get a “real job” instead and forget all about Keenan, the guy who makes her feel as if she’s living in one of her own fairy tales. Sensitive and introverted, Keenan is an aspiring artist, but he feels pressured to pursue a more practical path. He’s drawn to Kugy from first sight: she’s unconventional, and the light radiating from her eyes and the warmth of her presence pull him in. They seem like a perfect match—both on and off the page—but revealing their secret feelings means risking their friendship and betraying the people they love most. Can they find the courage to admit their love for each other and chase their long-held dreams?

For years, Emily has been living happily in the underground goblin kingdom. Now she is old enough to marry, but when her childhood friend, Seylin, proposes, she doesn't take him seriously. Devastated, Seylin leaves the kingdom, intent on finding his own people: the elves. Too late, Emily realizes what Seylin means to her and sets out in search of him. But as Emily and Seylin come closer to their goals, they bring two worlds onto a collision course, awakening hatred and prejudices that have slumbered for years.

“My life was complete. Happy, content, everything neat and perfect. Then it all changed. I was sold.” Tess Snow has everything she ever wanted: one more semester before a career in property development, a loving boyfriend, and a future dazzling bright with possibility. For their two year anniversary, Brax surprises Tess with a romantic trip to Mexico. Sandy beaches, delicious cocktails, and soul-connecting sex set the mood for a wonderful holiday. With a full heart, and looking forward to a passion filled week, Tess is on top of the world. But lusty paradise is shattered. Kidnapped. Drugged. Stolen. Tess is forced into a world full of darkness and terror. Captive and alone with no savior, no lover, no faith, no future, Tess evolves from terrified girl to fierce fighter. But no matter her strength, it can’t save her from the horror of being sold. Can Brax find Tess before she’s broken and ruined, or will Tess’s new owner change her life forever? A New Adult Dark Contemporary Romance, not suitable for people sensitive to grief, slavery, and nonconsensual sex. A story about finding love in the strangest of places, a will of iron that grows from necessity, and forgiveness that may not be enough.

Rafael Sabatini was one of the 20th century's most popular action and adventure novelists. His books Captain Blood and The Sea Hawk were best sellers around the world for their swashbuckling adventure and romance.

Mary Augusta Ward, ne Arnold, (1851-1920), was a British novelist who wrote under her married name as Mrs. Humphry Ward. She began her career writing articles for magazines while working on a book for children that was published in 1881 under the title Milly and Olly. Her novels contained strong religious subject matter relevant to Victorian values she herself practised. Her popularity spread beyond Great Britain to the United States. According to the New York Times, her book Lady Rose's Daughter was the bestselling novel in the United States in 1903 as was The Marriage of William Ashe in 1905. Her most popular novel by far was the religious "novel with a purpose" Robert Elsmere, which portrayed the religious crisis of a young pastor and his family. She helped establishing an organization for working and teaching among the poor and was one of the founders of the Women's National Anti-Suffrage League in 1908.

Lily Ashton is Personal Assistant to the renowned playboy heir Oliver Clark; an under-stated beauty, with a fiery nature, she's perhaps the only one who can keep her salacious boss under control. After enduring the daily annoyances of her boss, Lily is shocked when he asks her to accompany him on a romantic night out. Does this scheming playboy have ulterior motives, however?Lily Ashton is Personal Assistant to the renowned playboy heir Oliver Clark; an under-stated beauty, with a fiery nature, she's perhaps the only one who can keep her salacious boss under control. After enduring the daily annoyances of her boss, Lily is shocked when he asks her to accompany him on a romantic night out. Does this scheming playboy have ulterior motives, however? Oliver Clark is the care-free, gorgeously handsome - but equally hedonistic - heir to a billion-dollar business, in desperate need of the love of a good woman, before he throws it all away... Watched by the ever-present eye of his overbearing, disapproving father, Oliver hatches a plan to meet his approval; he'll stage a fake relationship with the ever-sensible, always-responsible Lily Ashton, as cover for his exuberant lifestyle. Oliver might have gotten more than he bargained for, however; can Lily teach the tear-away playboy that there's more to life and love than cheap, sleazy thrills?

Danny Callaway knows who killed his sister. His testimony sends Kevin Green to prison, but did he really do it?Danny Callaway knows who killed his sister. His testimony sends Kevin Green to prison, but did he really do it? Kevin enters prison innocent, but emerges a hardened criminal bent on revenge. Soon the people Danny loves start dying. Danny must finish the job he started years ago, even if it means sacrificing a second chance at love.Review"A tale of failed justice, vengeance, and love. A wrongful conviction spawns death down through the years. Both tragic and hopeful, Two Wrongs engages the reader's emotions. I very much enjoyed TWO WRONGS." -- Barbara D’Amato is a past president of Mystery Writers of America and of Sisters in Crime, author of the Cat Marsala mystery series, as well as several standalone novels."The author vividly describes the conflict between love and revenge that threatens to tear apart the main character in TWO WRONGS. She does an excellent job of swinging between the two main viewpoints and captures the changes in the characters as they progress from young men to mature adults. She never focuses too long on either character so the tension is not lost, bringing the reader along for the ride. The research is unobtrusive to the plot line and the detailing of Chicago settings give a veracity to the story." -- Martha Powers is a freelance editor, author of the thrillers, Sunflower & Bleeding Heart, as well as several romance novels.

Every great series has a beginning. Teenage Asher discovers that he has fallen in love with his best friend's girl. Can the dragons survive the tempest of emotions that ensue? Parental guidance recommended for young readers due to sensual and violent content.Eric a humanoid not of Human species finds a purpose after the death of his female a Human while living on an alien world Terrania. Original story to "Eric Book 2" without editing and additional material added.

*There are sensuous pleasures that can only be tasted in the night . . . * He comes to her in the twilight between sleep and consciousness to fulfill her secret desires. Lyssa Bates has never experienced such ecstasy, brought to her by a man whose deep, soul-penetrating blue eyes hold the promise of tempting intimacies and decadent pleasures. But this stranger, this lover, this immortal seducer is only a dream—a phantom of her nocturnal fantasies—until he appears, inexplicably, at her door in the flesh! Lyssa aches for the reality of him, but there is grave danger in surrender. Because Captain Aidan Cross is on a mission, and the passion that consumes them both, body and soul, could have dire consequences in a world of dreams . . . and in the waking one as well.

A Romance Writers of America RITA finalist for best Long Historical Romance Broken Dreams and Second Chances... Honed by danger and haunted by the past, Lord Michael Kenyon finds it easy to risk his life for his country's sake. But in the shadow of Waterloo, he faces a far more dangerous threat--the loss of his heart to the beautiful battlefield nurse who saves his life, yet can never be his. Called a saint for her virtue and selfless courage, only Catherine Melbourne knows the tragic flaw at the core of her spirit. In Michael Kenyon, she sees the strength and kindness she craves, yet for honor's sake she must conceal her love and send him away. Even when freed from her empty marriage, she conceals the truth because of the bleak knowledge that she can never again be any man's wife. Then fate offers Catherine a fortune, a title, a heritage for her daughter--if Michael will impersonate her husband on a visit to a wild Cornish island. Reluctantly he agrees to the masquerade. But what begins as a simple journey leads them into a shattering vortex of danger and betrayal--and a fiercely passionate love that can no longer be denied.