Best of
Epic

2020

Death Leaves a Shadow (Marlowe Black Mystery Book 2)


Gabriel F.W. Koch - 2020
    

Karolina Dalca, Dark Eyes


M.R. Noble - 2020
    Her police internship would never prove more useful. Hoofing it through the wilderness, she makes it to her university dorm, disheveled but delightfully deflowered.Enter a full vampire: one wielding dark magic and a ride out of Canada. A fugitive from the law, Karo complies with his demands to escape, unsure whether his requests are bewitched. She vows to clear her name and avenge her mother's death, but Karo's family secrets aren't so easily left behind.

Trouble on Main Street


Kirsten Fullmer - 2020
    Don’t misunderstand—the society itself is not secret—it’s the true nature of the group that is hush-hush.Sugar Mountain is the kind of charming village that tourists adore. If you like small-town charm, quirky shops, and local art, this is the place for you. But when a blood smeared package shows up at the post office and it appears to be linked to a scheme that threatens Heidi Collinsworth’s historic home, the town takes on a sinister vibe. Heidi would lay odds that slimy Mayor Winslow is involved, but even with the enquiring skills of The Sugar Mountain Ladies Historical Society at work, proof is scarce. The new guy in town, Adam Williams, is determined not to get involved in Sugar Mountain’s business. His last job in a big city planning office ruined his life, but Heidi needs his help. No matter how hard he tries to stay detached, Adam finds himself eyeball deep in Heidi’s problems, as well as the needs of her teenage son and a homeless dog. With conflicting theories abound and tensions running high, it’s up to the ladies of the society to don disguises and go undercover. If they’re not careful, the town may fall to a wrecking ball, Heidi may fall for Adam, and the secret society will be exposed. Meet the cast of colorful characters in this charming and zany introduction to a whole new series of romantic, cozy mysteries!

Dueling Fates


Stephanie M. Allen - 2020
    In the far west, Princess Isemay yearns for much more than frilly dresses and etiquette classes. While her twin sister, Alena, prepares for life as a monarch in a neighboring kingdom, Isemay roams the woods with her loyal cheetah, hunting dagger strapped to her belt. It's only when two surprising visitors arrive at the castle that Isemay must come to terms with her royal future - and a secret magical heritage. Now engaged to the king of the east, Isemay prepares for a position she never wanted.After saying good-bye to all that she loves, Princess Alena travels north in trepidation - fully prepared to marry a spoiled prince she does not desire and usurp the throne from his insane father who does not deserve it. But when tragedy strikes at her wedding ceremony and she is wrongfully imprisoned, she can only hope that her hurried plea for help will reach her father in time.Frantic to save her sister - and against the wishes of her betrothed - Isemay joins the army sent to free Alena. A mysterious encounter with a dragon in disguise leaves her with a warning that her life is in danger - but can it save her from the battle to come?

The Ancestor


Lee Matthew Goldberg - 2020
    He sees another man hunting nearby, astounded that they look exactly alike. After following this other man home, he witnesses a wife and child that brings forth a rush of memories of his own wife and child, except he's certain they do not exist in modern times-but from his life in the late 1800s. After recalling his name is Wyatt, he worms his way into his doppelganger Travis Barlow's life. Memories become unearthed the more time he spends, making him believe that he'd been frozen after coming to Alaska during the Gold Rush and that Travis is his great-great grandson. Wyatt is certain gold still exists in the area and finding it with Travis will ingratiate himself to the family, especially with Travis's wife Callie, once Wyatt falls in love. This turns into a dangerous obsession affecting the Barlows and everyone in their small town, since Wyatt can't be tamed until he also discovers the meaning of why he was able to be preserved on ice for over a century.A meditation on love lost and unfulfilled dreams, The Ancestor is a thrilling page-turner in present day Alaska and a historical adventure about the perilous Gold Rush expeditions where prospectors left behind their lives for the promise of hope and a better future. The question remains whether it was all worth the sacrifice….

Making Hearts


Jack Getze - 2020
    But a blunt nurse explains the truth: Emily is giving birth. The seventeen-year-old has tricked her mind and body into believing she isn’t pregnant, when the baby is full term and already being born.A life-affirming, feel-good story of love, family and the special way new babies can inspire, Making Hearts introduces a character readers will strongly care about and root for. Noelle wins the hearts of all with her loving enthusiasm for life, her wit, and by personally defeating the villain’s lowdown scheme in an astonishing climax readers will never forget.

A Castle of Doomsday


Michael G. Kramer - 2020
    One at Bailey Hill and the other one was York Castle which has since become known as "Clifford's Tower." The original castles were constructed of timber. They were burned down by the people around York and their Danish Viking allies.Richard the First was the son of King Henry II and gained fame by his courage, becoming known as Richard the Lion Heart and who presided over the apparent massacre of Jews at the keep of York Castle in England.The Normans replaced it with a second timber castle keep which was destroyed in a storm in 1228. After that, the stone structure was built, and that still stands today. It was built of stone and is called Clifford's Tower because King Edward II had Baron de Clifford hanged from the battlements of the Keep of York Castle for treason in 1322 A.D.... [From the back cover]

In Our Bones


Pernell Plath Meier - 2020
    Hers was the last generation to grow up before the economic collapse that followed the Corona pandemic. Amidst roiling climate chaos, the government has been taken over by extremists, incompetents, and con-men who tear the country apart while clinging to power. Lauren is swept up in the madness when she falls for the wrong man. She’s looking for love and safety, but Bryan becomes distant and abusive as he obsesses over White Sharia and deepens his ties to the racist patriot militia group. Lauren worries about the safety of her sister and nephew, who is mixed-race. Will Lauren escape from Bryan and keep her nephew safe from danger? In a world where values are tested and morality is unsettlingly murky, Lauren must break free from the constraints in her mind to protect her family.

Median Gray


Bill Mesce Jr. - 2020
    Adam Plantinga, author of 400 Things Cops Know and Police Craft. At a time when New York’s mean streets were their meanest, one NYPD detective at the end of his career takes one last chance to correct a 20-year-old injustice, and another cop at the beginning of his career tries to stop him before a police department already scarred by corruption investigations takes another hit.

Beowulf: A New Translation


Maria Dahvana Headley - 2020
    A monster seeks silence in his territory. A warrior seeks to avenge her murdered son. A dragon ends it all. These familiar components of the epic poem are seen with a novelist’s eye toward gender, genre, and history. Beowulf has always been a tale of entitlement and encroachment — of powerful men seeking to become more powerful and one woman seeking justice for her child — but this version brings new context to an old story. While crafting her contemporary adaptation, Headley unearthed significant shifts lost over centuries of translation; her Beowulf is one for the twenty-first century.

Samantha's Revenge


Andrew R. Williams - 2020
    It floated alongside the air-car. This time, time instead of sending him mental message, the face spoke out aloud and the whole air-car vibrated with its intensity. "If you are foolish enough to renege on your contract, you will be severely punished. For your sake, I hope you wouldn't do such a thing." When Tarmy made no attempt to respond, the face turned and pressed itself against the millipede-free window. A moment later, Tarmy felt the fat slug entering his mind, the sign that the face was attempting to use its powers to obtain his response by other means. But as the slug dug deeper, Samantha's cover stories began springing out of the corners of his mind. Instead of obtaining Tarmy's agreement, all that the face saw was a burning army transporter surrounded by bodies. Undeterred, the face continued its assault. Samantha had anticipated that Tarmy might come up against an adept, so the mental images of death and destruction flowed unchecked. After failing to break Tarmy's defences, the face removed the slug and tried reason. "You can't win, Mr Tarleton, so why don't you do yourself a favour and cooperate? It will be better for you in the long run. Now, where is the miniature pulse drive engine?" Tarmy realised why the millipedes hadn't been allowed to attack. It was obvious that the Great Ones were hoping to retrieve the engine. When Tarmy didn't respond, the face said, "I am prepared to overlook your desertion if you agree to tell us where the engine is and also honour your contract by showing us how to convert the engine into a bomb."

Perfect


Tricia Copeland - 2020
    Five passionate paths to the perfect love.Chloe refuses to compromise when it comes to romance and success. Powering through her sophomore-level college business classes, she’s done with the effort of distance-dating her high-school sweetheart. But when he proposes just as she hits it off with a hunky basketball player, she worries following her heart could send her bright future to the bench.As Chloe matures becoming a rising star in the fashion industry, love knocks another four times. But while each potential suitor eventually pops the question, only she knows her ultimate happy ending.Whose arms will embrace Chloe when she chooses her forever man?Perfect is a standalone clean contemporary romance. If you like tender moments, lighthearted comedy, and endings you choose yourself, then you’ll adore Tricia Copeland’s option-filled tale.Buy Perfect to pick your ideal walk down the aisle today!

Tinder Street


Nick Russell - 2020
    Following Rachel McNally to the big city, he had no idea how much his life and the world around him would change.Chronicling the days leading up to World War I and the events that followed, Tinder Street is the first book in a saga that will take readers from rural farms to a major industrial city in the Midwest, across an ocean where German U-boats lurk waiting for a target to come within range of their deadly torpedoes, to the bloody trench warfare of France, and home again. And of how, back at home, the soldiers of a victorious Army try to put their experiences behind them and pick up the pieces of the lives they once had, to look toward a future bright with promise. Lucas was one of those soldiers, a man who hated the thought of killing, but did his duty. A duty that would haunt him long after the last shots were fired.This is also the story of the simple working class people who built America. Farmers, factory workers, streetcar conductors, midwives, and public servants. Their joys and sorrows, their wins and losses, and how these people who struggled together to build a better life for themselves and their children changed a place named Tinder Street to Tender Street, a reflection of one family’s devotion to their neighbors.

The Mustachioed Woman of Shanghai


Isham Cook - 2020
    American expat author Isham Cook has disappeared. His last known history is chronicled by an exotic woman who seems right out of 1930s Shanghai herself, Marguerite, a mustachioed Afghan-American who weaves Persian rugs and deals in psychedelics. As she tells it, Isham's story all began with Luna, a beguiling but troubled Chinese woman who happens to have a mustache herself. Also vying for Isham's affection is the charismatic Kitty, who conspires to entrap him in a cyberweb of obsession and betrayal.Fans of Cook's fiction will recognize in this psychological thriller set in modern China his signature world of startling plot turns in an unsettling yet compelling landscape of ideas.

Tom and G.E.R.I.


C.A. Knutsen - 2020
    When he got the opportunity to purchase the forest he had always wanted to explore as boy he bought it right away. He returned home expecting to explore the mysteries of the forest, and quickly found that the universe had a way of complicating things.

The Rain in España


4reuminct - 2020
    With a family pressure on him, he tried so hard to maintain his high grades as a Dean's Lister until Luna from UST Architecture came.https://www.wattpad.com/story/2076482...

Bay of Devils


Grahame Shannon - 2020
    

The Fall


Ryan Cahill - 2020
    But there are those who believe The Order has had its day. That it is corrupt, indulgent, and deceitful – that it is ready to fall.The City of Ilnaen is on fire.Dragons fill the skies.Traitors fill the streets.The Fall is a prequel novella that takes place four hundred years before the events in Of Blood and Fire – book one in The Bound and The Broken series.

The Dragon's Valentine


C.D. Gorri - 2020
    Callius has one mission, to find his true mate. Winifred Castillo spends her nights tending bar at The Thirsty Dog, a local favorite in Maccon City, New Jersey. After her boyfriend skips town with her rent money, she’s sworn off men. For good! But what’s a Werewolf to do when a dark-haired stranger with golden eyes and rippling muscles claims her as his mate?

Thirteen for Dinner


Kathleen Lopez - 2020
    Always fascinated with anything supernatural, Elizabeth determined this year’s theme would center around a particular superstition. This year, she was to host a dinner party of just thirteen guests. She wanted to test the adage that if one broke the circle of thirteen at the table, then misery would befall all in attendance.Ms. Headstrom intentionally invited only those who have been most notable in certain circles, some not exactly for the best reasons, to attend this year’s event. All the infamous guests accept her invite, unaware of the theme, as well as unaware of just how far the evening’s events would go.

The Place That Gave


Emem Uko - 2020
    She thought her ‘rags to riches’ story would stay on “riches” for a long time. But the discovery of illegal additives in the snacks she promoted kicked her back to the bottom of the pit. The once-beloved doll was now a disliked troll. Even an escape to a distant village in Nigeria couldn’t hide her from mistrust and scheming of the villagers. Her plan to reinvent herself wasn’t working…and a sexy crooner with a face that could melt even the strongest of icebergs refuses to leave her alone!Heartthrob and talented musician, Ramsey Edet makes women lose their cool. Despite his success and fame, his bad reputation kept catching up with him. One sight of Theana looking like a chocolate beauty that walked out of an Afremov painting was all it took to get him interested in what life had to offer after all.

The Grim Reaper


William Hanna - 2020
    But he won’t be intimidated.He won’t stop reporting the true facts that these “security solutions” which cost billions of dollars every year result in gung-ho mercenaries committing heinous crimes and premeditated femicide. Or the corruption, cruelty, and crimes against humanity which happen everywhere on a daily basis.When a British PMSC begins paying him close attention, however, and MI5 get involved, has he finally gone one report too far?Will he and his girlfriend escape the intrusive surveillance?Or will he be silenced forever?Find out in this fast-paced, exciting, gripping page-turner of a political thriller.

Kitty and Dragon


Meika Hashimoto - 2020
    Even though they are quite different from one another, Kitty and Dragon have learned that there’s nothing better than being together, just the way they are.

Supernova in the East V


Dan Carlin - 2020
    

Quarantina


Wayne Tatum - 2020
    The Kovid family, who live somewhere in the Eastern US make the best of it through planned shopping maneuvers, family togetherness at dinner time and the TV set. Mom and Dad Kovid have three sons aged 17, 16 and 13. The middle son has a sweetheart named 'Amber', who at the beginning of the quarantine is a patient on a hospital ship, and is dying from COVID-19, when a miracle takes place.

The Baron of Magister Valley


Steven Brust - 2020
    The occasional moderately stretched? Yes. But never tall).Our tale is that of a nobleman who is betrayed by those he trusted, and subsequently imprisoned. After centuries of confinement, he contrives to escape and prepares to avenge himself against his betrayers.A mirror image of The Count of Monte Cristo, vitrolic naysayers still grouse? Well, that is nearly and utterly false.

The Wheel of Time Series 1-15 Books Collection Set Pack (Book 1-14) By Robert Jordan


Robert Jordan - 2020
    

Sanctuary: Volume 3


Cat Andrews - 2020
    For Will, the future has never looked brighter: he’s wild about Elizabeth, has found a best friend in Charles Bingley, and his new consulting business is slowly gaining momentum—as is his fledgling relationship with his father. Elizabeth, too, is deliriously happy: she’s crazy about Will and is embracing her role as Jack’s “new” mom, she loves her job at the Portland Children’s Library, and is looking forward to having her younger sister Lydia settled close by.It seems they’ve left their troubled histories behind and are heading into the future as a blissful family of three. But can anyone truly forget—or escape—a past that is determined to reassert itself? Can a new love withstand the many forces that seek to destroy it?***'Sanctuary' is a contemporary love story inspired by Jane Austen’s 'Pride and Prejudice,' but uses Austen’s characters only as a launching point; it is not a meticulous and faithful retelling of the original. It contains mature content and is intended for adult readers.

Savvy Sage Online


Richard Sprout - 2020
    Make new friends. Oh, and try not to die.​A first person LitRPG Gamelit Fantasy novel, Savvy Sage Online tells the story of how Nate, a twenty something guy ended up a beta tester for a next generation game system. While inside, he tries builds relationships while avoiding evil sorcerers, deadly monsters and learning how to creatively apply his new magical skills in interesting ways.Once inside the game world, Nate quickly makes friends, first with Roger and then Jenny, a plucky warrior redhead who saves him from becoming cat food. After that, Nate meets Alice, a mage working tables to save for guild dues. When Alice gives Nate a Request, he dives deep magical exploration to help make their ambitious plans come true.Together, the three fight monsters, dive into a dangerous dungeon, learn innovative magical techniques and plot to create a new place of learning for the curious. Debut novel from Richard Sprout, Savvy Sage Online is an original story over 124,000 words in length.Pick up this binge-worthy tale today!Themes from the book: Relationships with women, cultivation of magical skills, settlement building, meta-magic, crafting, gamelit, game mechanics, RPG elements, level progression, exploration, crafting, skill development and more. Savvy Sage Online is a book that will thrill fans of authors like Eric Vall, Logan Jacobs, Noah Layton, Tamryn Tamer, A.J. Markam and Simon Archer, or series like Princess Master, Ex-Supers, Herald of Shalia, Skullduggery, Tribe Master and Forge of the Gods.

My Pet Slime


Courtney Sheinmel - 2020
    So she creates her own . . . out of slime!Piper wishes she could have a pet to care for and snuggle with and take to school for show-and-tell. All of the other kids have one. But she’s allergic to every animal imaginable! So instead, she makes her own pet out of slime, with big eyes, a little mouth, and two arms just long enough for hugs. It would be the perfect pet for Piper, if it were real. When a strange turn of events brings her slime to life, Piper learns how fun, challenging, and messy it can be to care for a pet . . . especially one made out of slime!At the back of the book, learn about real-life slime and follow the recipe to create a “pet” of your own!

Retreat of the Kell


Christopher Mitchell - 2020
    

The Message for the Last Days


K.J. Soze - 2020
    It guides readers through the journey in a step by step progression, from ancient prophecies to their final fulfillment. The Message for the Last Days maps out God's intersection of our temporary condition to the eternal.The future is revealed by understanding the past, where history and mystery are intertwined.How can we know what the future holds if we don't understand the past? This question is at the heart of this book as much of modern Christian culture has lost its roots. The crux of the book is derived from consistent biblical interpretation methods to find hard truths about our fate mentioned in the Bible.Topics include answers to these questions:Why is the Christian Church so divided with many different denominations and independent Churches? Isn’t there just one true Church?How did the modern Church get so far removed from early Church beliefs as clearly stated in the New Testament and by the early Church fathers?What are the original prophecies in the Old Testament about the end times and how are they repeated in the New Testament?Does the nation of Israel have anything to do with end times? What is the true meaning of the gospel and salvation?These questions are answered by a thorough examination of various interpretation methods. This book explains six different biblical interpretation options then reveals a unified approach to understanding the Bible.Books and articles by KJ Soze cut across various denomination lines to help find unity and clarity for those who may hold differing interpretations.The Message for the Last Days provides detailed historical research of complex topics, such as end times and the afterlife, then condenses the results into a compact format to save time for those interested in biblical studies. The process is an integration of scriptural references, concordances, topical studies and commentaries into a unique package to help clarify the Bible's message about the future.

Bitter Almonds & Jasmine


Dominic Piper - 2020
    Security leaks dealt with quickly, efficiently and mercilessly.Then they make a mistake.And they've just pissed off the wrong person.Bitter Almonds & Jasmine is the fourth novel by Dominic Piper featuring private investigator Daniel Beckett. The first three novels, Kiss Me When I'm Dead, Death is the New Black and Femme Fatale are critically acclaimed Amazon bestsellers.

Tales from Grimmgard: An Anthology of Dark Fantasy


Todd Mika - 2020
    A princess escapes into an enchanted wood. A mythical beast stalks the unwary in the dead of night. Warriors of a golden kingdom and a dark empire meet in battle. No one knows how these stories may or may not intertwine, except for the prince of Angelics, whose mind is elsewhere. A storm is coming... These are the Tales from Grimmgard.

The Zombie Wizards of Ala-ka


Linda Armstrong - 2020
    

Cat Ninja Book 10: Escape from... the Future!


Matthew Cody - 2020
    Cat Ninja finally learns why the time-traveling Cuckoo is trying so hard to capture the tiny owlet Hoot!

The Phantom of the Opera


Cavan Scott - 2020
    Hopelessly in love and obsessed with one of the chorus singers, the Phantom will stop at nothing to make her the star of the show, even if that means murder.

Beast Horde Trilogy Boxset


Cari Silverwood - 2020
    She's forgotten the last five years of her life, the years of the alien invasion - though her body hasn't forgotten how good a hard man feels under her exploring fingers.The beast horde was designed to save Earth from the aliens. No one told them they'd also been injected with the remnants of myths and legends.Time to get dirty among the ruins.RUTGERA brutal act by Cyn tore apart the lovers and now she must make amends. She's going to need her well-muscled beaster males to rein her in, pin her down, and make sure she shoots in the right direction.Discover the truth about the Maelstrom experiment and where the Beast Horde came from.CYNThe Ghoul Lords eyes are slowly opening to the fact that the beasters are their first worthwhile foe for a thousand, thousand years.Will Cyn, her lovers, and the beast horde be enough to save humankind?Prepare for the apocalypse... and a whole lotta filthy, violent, and steamy fun.Contains rough, intense sex scenes.

Songs of the Seven Gelfling Clans (Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal)


J.M. LeeRachel Saunders - 2020
    Venture back in time with photos, sketches, and art from Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance in this exclusive, collectible book for Dark Crystal fans everywhere.

The Georgia Express: A Tale of the Civil War


Phillip Urlevich - 2020
    The Civil War has been raging for a year. Union scout James Andrews hatches a bold plan to end the war go behind enemy lines in Georgia, steal a southern locomotive and bring it north, destroying the rail line and splitting the confederacy in two.Union soldier John Wilson volunteers for the mission and embarks on a harrowing journey in enemy country to reach the town of Big Shanty. There, the other soldiers steal the locomotive called "The General" and embark a wild chase through the Georgia countryside with "The General's" engineer, Bill Fuller, in hot pursuit.

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History: Addendum EP9 Glimpses of Olympias


Dan Carlin - 2020
    

Dark Descent into Desire


J.J. Sorel - 2020
    Romance for him is art and beauty. But sex is sex. And he needs lots of it. He doesn’t connect the two. He’s never witnessed love in its finer form, for his youth was crippled by a difficult upbringing. But no one knows that. When he encounters Penelope Green at an art exhibition selling her work, he’s not only spellbound by her beauty, but by her art which speaks to his soul. It’s not just smoldering attraction that they share, but also difficult pasts. While her upbringing took place in a rundown estate caring for her troubled mother, Blake’s, although brought up in a picturesque village, was just as dark. He grew up around the windswept moors in a gothic castle with walls stained in secrets, and where his mother worked as a maid. Leading her into a world of opulence, taste, and raw lust, Blake Sinclair with eyes that flit from moody to stormy blue, manages to seduce Penelope. Her entry into his bedroom, other than eliciting steamy passion, opens up a part of him hidden even from himself. He soon finds himself swimming in uncharted waters. Although he’s not new to addiction, this time it’s not just sex that’s got Sinclair in its tantalizing grip, but something deeper and more powerful. Penelope’s not only a hot temptress, but a kindred spirit, and even more profoundly, she knows what “dark” feels like. When he learns that she too has secrets, Penelope becomes his obsession. Even if his need for control is constantly challenged by her feisty independence: a quality that not only feeds his sudden unhealthy need to possess her but also places a wedge between them. Dylan Fox is a nefarious character that shadows this story. As the son of Lord William Fox, Blake’s late mother’s employer, Fox grew up terrorizing the young Blake. Believing that Blake stole from him, Dylan Fox, who runs a criminal empire, drags Blake into the center of a scandal involving the rich and powerful, a private island, and teenage girls. Blake Sinclair has one powerful weapon: a clear conscience. But he has to convince Penelope and the world around him first. Faced with criminal gangs, while working behind the scenes on a dangerous exposé involving big names, Blake flexes his considerable muscles to save Penelope and his reputation.

Cat Ninja Book 9: Night of the Cuckoo


Matthew Cody - 2020
    Cat Ninja, Leon, Marcie, and Master Hamster try to protect Hoot from The Cuckoo while searching for the truth behind the mysterious villain.

Traitor


Melissa Ragland - 2020
    But her duty to her House has always come first, and the only way to save her family from ruin is to accept the role she was born into. Go to Court. Find a husband. Produce an heir.Within the castle's marble halls, secrets are currency and new courtiers are a form of sport. Her mother's unconventional lessons keep Elivya one step ahead of the competition, but playing the game of courtship is not without its risks. The capital is full of spies, and some are playing for much higher stakes than hearts and reputations. A single misstep can destroy a noble House - or a nation.