Something has gone foul in the Black Hills … something gravely unnatural. Leave it to Violet Parker to stumble into the middle of it.

A creepy phone call. A dead body. Two meddling detectives. A glut of trouble-making ex-partners. Can things get any worse?

Violet swears to keep her nose out of police business this time. But when her son is linked to the victim, she returns to the scene of the crime. More than just a mystery to solve, now her son might be in mortal danger.

A fascinating collection of life stories told by 30 authors from eight countries. They write of their attempts to move beyond crippling grief, free themselves of haunting memories, get out from under abusive relationships. They tell of their struggles – often painful, sometimes funny - to let go of everything from a fear of horses, to old family homes, and piles of books and papers.

“The question in the air is: Does the inability to let go of ideas, people, places and things sometimes drag one down? I believe readers will find answers to that question in the many thoughtful essays in this collection, which show us that freeing oneself by letting go is not only possible but often necessary for enjoying the fullness of life. Via their stories, these fine writers give us valuable food for thought on letting go or, for those still not convinced, permission to stop forcing oneself to try.” From the Introduction by M. E. Hughes, editor

Vanessa Mazur knows she's doing the right thing. She shouldn't feel bad for quitting. Being an assistant/housekeeper/fairy godmother to the top defensive end in the National Football Organization was always supposed to be temporary. She has plans and none of them include washing extra-large underwear longer than necessary.

But when Aiden Graves shows up at her door wanting her to come back, she's beyond shocked.

For two years, the man known as The Wall of Winnipeg couldn't find it in him to tell her good morning or congratulate her on her birthday. Now? He's asking for the unthinkable.

What do you say to the man who is used to getting everything he wants?

Virginia is for Lovers, and Cape Harriet, especially so.

A haughty Wall Street executive facing a life changing decision arrives at the luxurious Rising Tides Inn. Pampered by Zadie and Pete Strathmore, the inn keepers, she hesitantly allows herself to relax, soothed by gourmet food and walks on the beach. 

Claim the Sea … Embrace Destiny

--A new world from mythic fantasy author Matt Larkin--

In every generation a Princess is born to each island of Sawaiki, blessed with the power to control a single aspect of the natural world. Namaka’s power is arguably the most valuable of them all--in a world of archipelagos and endless ocean, she control the seas themselves.
The mer people of the Worldsea despise her for this power over their domain, all the more so because she can barely control her gift. At war amongst themselves, they harness this uncontrolled power by possessing Namaka with a mermaid spirit--turning her into one of them. As Namaka struggles to accept this new existence, she’s faced with conflict above the waves and war below. And if she cannot control her powers, both her worlds face annihilation.

~~~

Fans of historical fantasy and mythology, grab this Hawaiian epic today!

Jersey Shore broker Austin Carr wants out of the stock and bond business but un-hooking from his mobbed-up partner won’t be painless. Angelina “Mama Bones” Bonacelli is best known for professional consultations that deteriorate into criminal violence, breakfast appointments raided by the FBI and one particular Power Point presentation to a Jersey state racing commission that ended in automatic weapons fire.

Good thing she likes Austin.

She just won’t let Austin out of the business. Plus Johnny “The Turk” Korsay is on a rampage and had his crooked cops arrest Luis, the bartender Austin’s best friend. Why? Because Austin saw The Turk kill Heriberto. And now he’s gunning for the stock broker.

It’s another brush with violent death and a sexy redhead for Austin Carr when Mama Bones and her rival Jersey associate of a fading New York crime family battle for the future of imported sex slaves, boardwalk tourist business and surprising horse racing secrets, past and present.

After losing his wife to an affair, along with the electrical contracting company he built, Jason Ballard is experiencing life at its cruelest. In a desperate attempt to get back on his feet, he takes a job at Soltech, a thriving solar panel company based in Shanghai, only to discover all that glitters is not gold.

Mei Chen the seductive wife of the third highest-ranking official in the Communist Party, owns and operates Soltech with an iron fist. An industrious and successful business woman, she makes not attempt to hide her excessive wealth or shy away from her controversial opinions. Although extremely powerful, she yearns for more...wealth, status and above all more power.

Leave it to the United States Congress to throw open the doors to the vault. With literally billions of dollars slated for "green energy" projects, Mei Chen stands boldly at the front of the line to grab as much of the "green money" as she can. Jason, realizing too late that Mei is a ruthless adversary and will stop at nothing...risks his very life to oppose her.

Sam's Top Secret Journal - Book 1: Sam Spies by Sean Adelman. Join Sam as she embarks on her first big adventure in this middle-grade mystery full of fun, suspense...and just the right amount of spying! Sam is a middle school girl living a normal life-except when she is occasionally bullied for the differences kids perceive in her. Sam has Down syndrome. See how she and her brother John work together to find some stolen money, help a new friend and escape real danger in this exciting adventure!

What happens in Vegas…
Will Tawera doesn’t do commitment, except on the rugby field. Moving to Las Vegas to become a kicker for the NFL would be a big change from New Zealand rugby, but then, he’s ready for a change. And when he’s asked to do a little modeling on the side? Thousands of dollars to hold a beautiful blonde while looking dark, dangerous, tattooed, and Maori? He could do that.

Faith Goodwin doesn’t do dark, dangerous men. Especially not when they make her laugh, take her miniature golfing with four-year-olds, and are far too sexy and sweet for comfort. But when Will finds himself in hot water back in New Zealand, who’s he going to call? And who would be able to resist answering?

Note: This book was previously published in Brenda Novak's SWEET TALK boxed set. This version contains an added chapter and added steam. If you prefer your books without steam...this may not be the book for you!

British Occupied Manhattan, 1777.  With her witty comedies, American actress Jennifer Leighton has been packing the John Street Theater, but she longs to escape the provincial circuit for the glamour of the London stage. When the playwright General John Burgoyne visits the city, fresh from a recent success in the capitol, she seizes the opportunity to court his patronage.  But her plan is foiled by British intelligence officer Severin Devere. 

Severin’s mission is to keep the pleasure-loving general focused on the war effort…and away from pretty young actresses. But the tables are turned when Severin himself can’t resist Jennifer Leighton…

Months later, Jenny has abandoned her dreams of stage glory and begun writing seditious plays for the Rebels under the pen name “Cornelia,” ridiculing “Gentleman Johnny” Burgoyne and his army—and undermining the crown’s campaign to take Albany. By the time Severin meets up with Jenny once again, she is on a British hanging list, and Severin is ordered to find her—and deliver her to certain death. Soon, the two are launched on a desperate journey through the wilderness, toward a future shaped by the revolution—and their passion for each other…

READERS GUIDE INCLUDED

In this remarkable sequel to Together They Overcame, Eyal and Rosalind piece their lives together as a married couple after the tragic accident that left Rosalind fighting for her life.

Struggling to find herself as she slowly recovers, Rosalind returns home with a deeper awareness of what has been troubling her for so long.

While Eyal does his best to nurse his wife back to health amid the tension still present from a mother who disapproves of Rosalind’s German Catholic heritage, his transfer to a base in the Israeli desert comes into play.

Rosalind quickly falls in love with her new surroundings and develops several deep-rooted friendships, but a series of tragic events and devastating betrayals leaves her questioning who she is—and what’s really important.

For fans of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, Closer Together is a passionate tale of a young married couple struggling to find their way and regain their confidence in themselves and the life they are building together.

Every town has its history and skeletons, but Silent Bend, Mississippi’s are darker than most. Ruled from the shadows by the House—the immortal Born and their aging, enslaved Bitten—everyone knows not to go out after dark and that the police will never look into crimes involving blood.

Alivia Ryan didn’t know the man who claims to be her father through a will even existed until she inherits the Conrath plantation. Instead of the sleepy house she expects, she finds a mansion and a staff who look at her with fear in their eyes.

Ian Ward tried to kill Alivia the first time they met, and then insisted he train her to defend herself against the House, who he claims will try to manipulate and take her in for their own political reasons. And the growing attraction between them will threaten their lives—Ian is a sworn enemy of the House.

In Silent Bend, people disappear, the threat of a demented King and the legend of his resurrecting Queen hang over everyone’s heads, and proving loyalty means far more than blood. You’d better watch who you trust in this town…

God looks after the orphans

Happy childhood, horrors of war and miraculous rescue of the only child survivor from Obertyn.

Krystyna Carmi's childhood was full of happy moments in the family house. Her childhood was filled with friends, both Polish and Ukrainian girls, that played games with her. She attended a Ukrainian school, participated in school celebrations; she lived a normal, everyday life. In her memoire, published after many years of silence, Krystyna Carmi shows the history of her family and her life.

The book contains more than 100 pictures, taken by Krystyna’s father, a professional photographer, and sent it to their family in Israel before the war.

Krystyna was gifted with an amazing memory and as such was able to recall the atmosphere of those days, describing in details the appearance of a household; and if that wasn’t enough, Krystyna Carmi writes about something very rare, the smells she remembered from childhood. Walking with her on the streets of pre-war Obertyn, we get to know the Jews, the Ukrainians, and the Poles and the social and material conditions of their lives, as well as their names and surnames. Krystyna Carmi paints a psychological portrait of these people; she writes about how they dressed, what they ate, what their attitude towards others was, and above all, towards God. She writes about things seemingly trivial, however when looking back, they are incredibly significant.

But the happy childhood did not last long. The first days of war brought overall fear and panic, the entrance of Red Army soldiers to Obertyn, the arrest of Polish patriots, liquidation of Jewish shops, the gradual growth into a more difficult reality of occupation, the Hungarian army in Obertyn, Jews murdered by Ukrainians in the local towns, incredible photos of the members of the Jewish community, drowning in the Dniester by Ukrainians.

However, the worst was still ahead of the Jewish community in Obertyn and her family. First, the Germans, then the Kołomyja ghetto. She was with her parents as well as her maternal and paternal grandfathers. The life conditions in which Obertyn Jews had to live are described in the poem Molasa ”" Ghetto Sweets; she shows in a fictile, detailed way, psychophysical suffering caused by hunger.

People died in the ghetto because of hunger and physical exhaustion; their bodies were collected on a platform. These deaths do not escape the attention of a sensitive and suffering girl, who years later will write a poem with the title In Remembrance of Innocently Suffering People of Different Ages and Sexes from Kołomyja Ghetto; a picture of the platform will stay in her memory forever. "The open mouth and eyes of these human corpses have been hunting me all my life."

Then she returned from the ghetto with her parents, and escaped from Obertyn, following by her sisters’ death, which she described in a very suggestive way in her poems: Black Kamionka Forest. Part I Testimony and Black Kamionka Forest. Part II Curse). Her parents’ death, hiding, hunger, thirst, fear for life, then indifference as time goes by because life is hard. It would be easier to part with the world, but The Strange Ways of Providence in her Life has chosen for her to live, to be. This is how you could present in short, the content of Krystyna Carmi’s memoire.

The memoire are interspersed with the cover of Doctor Markus Willbach, a friend of the Sorger family to emphasize the authenticity of Krystyna Carmi’s (maiden name: Sorger) memories as the images, situations, and events witnessed by her as a little girl coincide with Doctor Willbach’s account, an adult at that time.

How many orgasms do you think I can give you in thirty minutes?

Okay, so look: I'm not into reality TV. I don't know who Piers Letocci is, or why every girl in America is head over heels for him. I only know that I have to interview Piers about his new show, The Billionaire Dating Game. Fifteen minutes of journalistic duty, and I'm out of there.

Or so I thought.

Piers isn't just some random celebrity. He's the guy I kissed at the coffeeshop last night. Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome, who wouldn't tell me his real name when he set my whole body on fire with just one kiss. I never thought I'd see him again, but... there he is, sitting across from me, with that same charming glint in his eye.

I've never believed in soulmates. Piers might just prove me wrong.

Now, I'm not just interviewing him about his show... somehow, I'm on it. And it's up to me to prove that I have what it takes to date a billionaire. If I lose, I may never see Piers again. And if I win...

Oh, God. What if I win?

"I'm hooked." --Larry Niven
"A first-rate adventure." --Allen Steele

BENEATH THE ICE

Something is alive inside Jupiter's ice moon Europa. Robot probes find an ancient tunnel beneath the surface, its walls carved with strange hieroglyphics. Led by elite engineer Alexis Vonderach, a team of scientists descends into the dark... where they confront a savage race older than mankind...

FIRST CONTACT

Based on the award-winning short story, The Frozen Sky is a new full-length sci fi thriller novel from the international bestselling author of Plague Year.

Ten years ago, Simone Granger was killed in the sleepy little town of Millners Kill. Steve Kane, then sixteen, was quickly arrested and convicted. But Steve knows he’s innocent. Someone else took the life of his best friend’s sister.

Now Steve is on parole, and he is forced to return to the town that hates him. Steve would rather be anywhere than Millners Kill, but at least in his hometown, he’s got his grandmother, his brother, and State Police Investigator Declan Reed on his side. And Steve intends to make no waves. He just wants to get his life back.

But someone else has different plans.

As the storm of the century hits Millners Kill, the bodies begin to pile up, and Steve is the only suspect. A town is losing its grip, and all their rage is focused on one man.

Steve knows he’s an innocent man. But will anyone give him a chance to prove it?

Maura Anderson was out of options.

Her adopted daughter, three-year-old Katie, is her entire world, and no heartless legal system was going to take her baby away. She did what any mother would do. She grabs Katie and runs.

Sheriff Alan Parks believes in the law, following it and enforcing it to the letter. Then Maura Anderson shows up in his quiet, small town, and he knows she’s running from something. At first, he assumes she’s running from someone – an ex-husband or boyfriend – but when she won’t confide in him he starts wondering. Who is this woman who’s captured his heart, and what or who is she afraid of? When he finds the answers, however, a part of him wishes he’d never asked the question. Because how can he help her when he represents what she’s fleeing . . . the law.

He’s the one I can’t forget. She’s the one I let get away.

But sometimes life gives second chances.

Ashton

I can’t forget Quinn. The dreamy athlete who took my v-card and my heart. My brother’s best friend. Then he left. Like that. It’s been years. And I haven’t seen him since.

Until now.

Quinn

I can’t forget Ashton. My first and only love. Fate turned into an ugly dance partner and tore us apart. And I’m determined to get her back. It’s been years. I haven’t been able to get her to even look at me.

Until now.

And I’ll make it right.

When it comes to love, she's a professional skeptic. Is it too late for a career change?

If there's one thing Georgiana Down is an expert in, it's bad relationships. That's what inspired her blog, Down on Love, where she gives snarky advice--usually along the lines of "dump him." In fact, George is abstaining from men all together. At least that's the plan--until she makes a trip back to her tiny hometown in the Catskills, where meddling is an art form. . .

George loves helping out with her new baby niece, but she's counting the days until she returns to Boston. Then she runs into Casey Bowen, her high school crush. The boy she once loved is now a handsome grown man--and suddenly George needs a little advice of her own. She's in the right place, because when she drunk posts on her blog, everyone in Marsden has something to say about George and Casey. It's like high school all over again--but maybe this time she'll get things right. . .

98,200 Words

Things that happen to you in the past can mold you into someone you’re not.

After recovering from the shock of her parents perishing in a tragic accident, Grace Lindroth discovers clues in their attic that cause her to believe the people she called Mom and Dad her whole life may not have been her real parents.

In her search for the truth, Grace encounters people whose actions cause her to be distrustful of just about everyone, making her mission that much more difficult but heightening her determination to uncover what she believes is essential for her to go on with her life.