Now Christopher Buehlman invites readers into an even darker age—one of temptation and corruption, of war in heaven, and of hell on earth… And Lucifer said: “Let us rise against Him now in all our numbers, and pull the walls of heaven down…” The year is 1348. Thomas, a disgraced knight, has found a young girl alone in a dead Norman village. An orphan of the Black Death, and an almost unnerving picture of innocence, she tells Thomas that plague is only part of a larger cataclysm—that the fallen angels under Lucifer are rising in a second war on heaven, and that the world of men has fallen behind the lines of conflict. Is it delirium or is it faith? She believes she has seen the angels of God. She believes the righteous dead speak to her in dreams. And now she has convinced the faithless Thomas to shepherd her across a depraved landscape to Avignon. There, she tells Thomas, she will fulfill her mission: to confront the evil that has devastated the earth, and to restore to this betrayed, murderous knight the nobility and hope of salvation he long abandoned. As hell unleashes its wrath, and as the true nature of the girl is revealed, Thomas will find himself on a macabre battleground of angels and demons, saints, and the risen dead, and in the midst of a desperate struggle for nothing less than the soul of man.

    Three books that transcend the fantasy genre.Enter the Graceling Realm with these three stunning novels by Kristin Cashore: Graceling, Fire, and Bitterblue. Discover the romance and adventure of the seven kingdoms and beyond. With additional material never before published.

    Foley presents The Gryphon Chronicles, a new series of historical fantasy adventures that's as much fun for grownups as it is for kids!Strange new talents...Jake is a scrappy orphaned pickpocket living by his wits on the streets of Victorian London. Lately he's started seeing ghosts, and discovers he can move solid objects with his mind! He has no idea why. Next thing he knows, a Sinister Gentleman and his minions come hunting him. On the run for his life, Jake is plunged headlong into a mysterious world full of magic and deadly peril. A world that holds the secret to who he really is: the long-lost heir of an aristocratic family-with magical powers!But with treacherous enemies closing in, it will take all of his wily street instincts and the help of his friends-both human and magical-to solve the mystery of what happened to his parents, and defeat the foes who never wanted the Lost Heir of Griffon to be found..."A wonderful novel in the same vein as Harry Potter, full of nonstop action, magical creatures, and the reality that was Queen Victoria's England." The Reading CafeOptioned For A Movie!The Complete Gryphon Chronicles Series: Book 1 - THE LOST HEIRBook 2 - JAKE & THE GIANTBook 3 - THE DARK PORTALBook 3.5 - JAKE & THE GINGERBREAD WARSBook 4 - RISE OF ALLIESBook 5 - SECRETS OF THE DEEPBook 6 - THE BLACK FORTRESS

    A peasant woman without a voice. An undeniable love. The infamous warrior Cree is paraded before the village Dowell and though shackled and wounded he walks with arrogant pride, meeting all the curious and fearful stares of the villagers with a fierceness that has them quickly turning their heads away, all but one woman. Dawn cannot keep her eyes off the captured warrior, though tales of his exploits suggests he’s more devil than man. When his eyes meet hers, she wonders if the notorious tales are true for only the devil himself could be that sinfully handsome. Dawn is summoned by the liege lord Colum and ordered to tend Cree, in all ways possible, while he awaits his fate, and please him she must or suffer the consequences. Colum laughs when he issues his orders. He’s sending not only a plain woman to please the mighty warrior in his final days, but one he’ll find no pleasure with. After all, what man wants a woman who cannot utter a sound. But no shackles can hold Cree and when he breaks free he returns to claim the voiceless woman who found a way into his silent heart. Cree and Dawn’s story continues in Forbidden Highlander. Dawn struggles to accept her future as Cree’s mistress while his future bride Lucerne Gerwan arrives in the village. But there is more for her to worry over. The attempts on her life continue and she fears Cree’s reaction when he learns that she carries his child. The situation grows worse when warriors from the McClusky clan arrive in the village and the laird Kirk McClusky claims that Dawn is his daughter. Dawn wonders if it can be true and though her father insists she return home with him, she knows her love for Cree will never allow her to leave him. She cannot envision life without him. Cree faces many obstacles in ensuring Dawn will be his, the hardest being his own failure to tell Dawn how he truly feels about her. But when she is taken from him, his temper rages and nothing stops him from bringing her home. He cannot think of life without her. Cree and Dawn battle old secrets that finally surface and threaten to tear them apart. And it is with strength and courage that they fight for their love and a future together.

    But nothing is simple for Meg when it comes to travel, and especially not when she finds herself in the Middle Ages again instead of in a plane crash on a mountain side in Oregon.And when the pilot takes off without her in a quest to return to the twenty-first century, Meg will need every last bit of maturity and knowledge she gained in the sixteen years she spent in the modern world--to survive even a day in this one.A note from the author: Winds of Time takes place between Part 1 and Part 2 of Footsteps in Time, Book One in the After Cilmeri Series. I think you will enjoy Winds of Time more if you read Footsteps in Time first. Diolch yn fawr (thank you)! --Sarah

    Hakkim has no use for the pleasures of the flesh: he condemns the women first to exile - and then to death. Cast into the desert, the concubines must rely on themselves and each other to escape from the new sultan's fanatical pursuit. But their goals go beyond mere survival: with the aid of the champions who emerge from among them, they intend to topple the usurper and retake Bessa from the repressive power that now controls it. The assassin, Zuleika, whose hands are weapons. The seer, Rem, whose tears are ink. The wise Gursoon, who was the dead sultan's canniest advisor. The camel-thief, Anwar Das, who offers his lying tongue to the concubines' cause. Together, they must forge the women of the harem into an army, a seraglio of steel, and use it to conquer a city. But even if they succeed, their troubles will just be beginning - because their most dangerous enemy is within their own number...

    From the first full length novel inspired by the Thieves' World (R) series, "Mage Blood" takes you into unknown realms fraught with unimaginable peril.

    At the convent, she is comforted by an old nun, Sœur Seraphina, who tells her the tale of a young girl who, a hundred years earlier, is sold by her parents for a handful of bitter greens...After Margherita's father steals parsley from the walled garden of the courtesan Selena Leonelli, he is threatened with having both hands cut off, unless he and his wife relinquish their precious little girl. Selena is the famous red-haired muse of the artist Tiziano, first painted by him in 1512 and still inspiring him at the time of his death. She is at the center of Renaissance life in Venice, a world of beauty and danger, seduction and betrayal, love and superstition.Locked away in a tower, Margherita sings in the hope that someone will hear her. One day, a young man does.Award-winning author Kate Forsyth braids together the stories of Margherita, Selena, and Charlotte-Rose, the woman who penned Rapunzel as we now know it, to create what is a sumptuous historical novel, an enchanting fairy tale retelling, and a loving tribute to the imagination of one remarkable woman.

    With clear photographic step-by-step tutorials on key stitches and 20 easy-to complete projects, Crochet Step by Step helps to master the basics while gaining confidence. Brimming with useful tips, advice, and ideas, Crochet Step by Step contains everything needed to get started on developing a passion and skill set that will last a lifetime.

    Few crossroads compare to the one being formed by the Brooklyn Bridge and the East River, and as the bridge’s construction progresses, forces of unimaginable evil seek to bend that power to their advantage. Only two orphans with unusual skills stand in their way. Can the teenagers Sam, a card sharp, and Jin, a fireworks expert, stop them before it’s too late?A richly textured, slow-burning thriller about friendship, courage, love, and the age-old fight between good and evil.

    She's failed in her first attempt at rescuing one of her sisters. In fact, she didn�t even make it out with her pants intact! No rest for the weary though, because now she must face every female action hero�s archenemy: fashion. She�s rescued herself from captivity in her tower, but can Adrienne escape the bonds of chain mail underwear and leather corsets?The story of the Princess who dared to save herself continues in Princeless #3, written by JEREMY WHITLEY (GlobWorld) with spectacular art by the one and only M. GOODWIN.

    But Janet soon finds that she has an otherworldly rival for her role as protector of Carterhaugh. An elfin knight by the strange name of Tam Lin haunts her forest, and extracts a heavy price from any unwary maiden who might wander there and cut the legendary roses. After her best friend returns from a terrifying encounter with Tam Lin, brave Janet sets out to confront the mysterious and malevolent knight. She cuts the sacred roses to goad him into appearing, but soon finds herself ensnared by the laws of the fairy kingdom. Her transgression is such that Tam Lin demands the ultimate penalty from a noble maiden: her virginity.As Janet prepares for her fate, she discovers that there is a darker force behind Tam Lin’s actions: he is in service to the ruthless and omnipotent Fairy Queen, who demands a severe price of her own. It is told that every seven years she is required to pay a tithe to Hell, a human sacrifice, and the seventh year anniversary is rapidly approaching. In order to save everything she holds dear, Janet will have to go to battle with the spellbinding and terrifying queen on Halloween night. Tam Lin prepares her for the ordeal – but can he be trusted?The trials Janet endures at the hands of the Fairy Queen are rich in symbolism and steeped in the wisdom of the Celts. For this is no mere fairy tale, no simplistic story of dark and light, wicked queen and maiden fair. This is a complex and sensual exploration of feminine power in all of its aspects, with some unexpected twists. The Ballad of Tam Lin is a novella based on an ancient folksong from the Scottish Borders. It is the first in Kathleen McGowan’s series, Legends of the Divine Feminine. A non-fiction analysis of the ballad, its origins, and its exquisite preservation of ancient wisdom teachings follows the fiction along with the author’s notes on her years of research into the story and locations. The Ballad of Tam Lin is a profound spiritual and esoteric fable, an illustration of the power of the divine feminine in its multiple guises unlike any other.

    A set of stones has fallen into his lap that gives him access to any place - and any time - that he chooses. But along with that gift comes the responsibility of stopping the man who is using those very stones to travel through time and change history for his own purposes. A man who is now holding Jason's grandfather hostage, and threatening the world's very existence. Jumping through time with his best friend and body guard, Jason must enter the world of Medieval England, learn its customs, navigate unimaginable danger, and help Henry VII win the Battle of Bosworth, in the name of finding his grandfather, rescuing a beautiful girl from the clutches of a corrupt church, and destroying the one man who pledges to turn history inside out.

    Trapped inside a body he can't control, Conor's mind is as active and alert as that of any teenage boy. On the outside, however, he's about as interactive as a lump of wood.Then he meets Annalee. She claims to be a Sidhe Princess, some kind of fairy royalty, apparently. She offers to take him into the magical realm, where her people wield the power to help him. But is she just some child-snatching lunatic psychopath, or can she be trusted? On the other hand, what's he got to lose? He soon discovers that Tir na Nog is not the benign, dreamy land of legend. Nor are its inhabitants, the Sidhe, the benevolent fairy folk of Irish mythology. To accept their help has a cost, but for someone who doesn't value his life, death is a risk worth taking. With the blood of Lugh, God of Lightning, tingling in his veins, the boy in the wheelchair must dig deep, if he is to unlock the inherited powers dormant within him. Only he can defy disgraced Sidhe-King, Bres, who seeks to avenge himself on his brethren, and subject all mankind to his tyranny. In the race to recover the legendary lost talismans of power, the Four Treasures of Eirean, before Bres gets his hands on them and becomes invincible, Conor begins to wonder just whose side Annalee is on, as her chequered past comes to light. There are other obstacles, too; Ruairi, the Chieftain's son, and worse, his own crippling self-doubt. Not that anything's going to stop him. For the first time in his life, Conor finds he is not restricted by his physical limitations. Still, it's not going to be easy. Nothing worth fighting for ever is. Book One of the Tir na Nog Trilogy begins an epic fantasy adventure which takes us back in time to the shadowy past of Ireland's long lost legend, where fairy kings and Gods walked amongst mortals, and where feats of magic, swordsmanship, and courage were customary.Here amongst the ancient stones of Newgrange and Tara, Conor discovers that anyone, even the most unlikely of us, can still be a hero."A sophisticated fairy tale of epic proportions that will appeal to children and adults alike." Jay Howard"It's Narnia meets Percy Jackson." Jason Parent"I found myself wanting to learn more about Irish folklore, and someday visit Ireland.” Laura Libricz

    But after heading for the bright lamps of Athens, Pelops discovers that life is not exactly golden for a celebrity chef in the golden age of Greece. Ruthless patrons and jealous rivals are bad enough, but when a couple of the less responsible gods offer to help him make a name for himself, Pelops begins to realize that when the gods decide they owe you a favour, you’d better start saying your prayers.

    Prepare to fight, hammer, and laugh your way right to the end with our prodigal princess and her new sidekick.You won�t want to miss this one-of-a-kind fairy tale written by JEREMY WHITLEY (THE ORDER OF DAGONET) and featuring kinetic art by the amazing M. GOODWIN.

    Orphaned by war, haunted by unknown origins, and chased by a warlord and his army of brutal soldiers. KIRA is a young woman with a secret. She can psychically communicate with animals. She is also on the run from her abusive mate Toril, the hero turned warlord, who led the country's forces to victory against the outland raiders. Only that was before his love of power consumed him. Now, his only focus is on tracking down Kira and making her punishment an example of his power. But the quest for freedom isn't the only struggle Kira faces. She must also come to terms with her past choices, whose echoes drive her present. And now, the future of the land and people she has come to love depends on the decisions she will be forced to make. Author Sharon Skinner takes us on an extraordinary and emotional journey, where survival is about more than life and death, and healing takes more than medicine. The Healer's Legacy is an unforgettable story and a captivating reading experience.

    So now he has to track down the three parts of a Viking arm-ring, and return them to their place in time. This takes him through the wolf-haunted forests of Viking Age Wessex, the rowdy back streets of Shakespeare’s London, and a derelict Georgian country house. Partnered with caustic, shape-changing Raven and guided by a slightly wacky goblin diary, Ben must rediscover his own gifts while facing his doubts and the queen of Faerie’s minions, who will do anything to stop him.The Dragon Ring, the first in the Harper Errant series, is a time travelling epic adventure which takes you to Old England, and beyond.

    As a halfhearted employee of the British government, blackmailed into submission, he is forced to use his peculiar talent for murder in the service of the Crown. But as the assignments become impossibly challenging, the limits of that talent are tested. The Luftwaffe is not the most explosive thing to menace Great Britain, and even dead things can die again. There is more at stake than the questionable life of a lone agent, more at stake than Daniel Leland would care to admit.

    

    Forced to live in the shadows, she’s caught stealing from the Church of the One-God and comes to the attention of Kane Rowse. But Kane is more than the Captain of the Kingsguard, he’s also a senior member of the Brotherhood of the Throne, a secret society that follows the old gods and was formed generations ago to safeguard the bloodline of the first king.And with the childless king dying, the Brotherhood is convinced that Brenna is the one prophesied – the one they have waited two millennia for. Despite her new-found magical abilities, Brenna doesn’t believe in the Brotherhood’s prophecy. But when the Church of the One-God tries to kill her, she’s forced to accept their offer of a safe haven. After stealing her mother’s knife from Duke Thorold, Brenna realizes that it is made of the same old steel as the ancient weapons of the Brotherhood. Is she really the one prophesied? And can the Brotherhood keep her safe from both Duke Thorold and the church of the One-God?

    Her life changes when she finds a golden horn in the ruins of a Roman Villa. Soon an ugly dwarf, a beautiful sorceress and even her own people are after her.What powers does the horn have and why does everyone want it?And why is Anna the only one who can get a note out of it?Shield Maiden is the first book in The Nine Worlds series in which the historical world of Anglo-Saxon England meets the mysterious world of myths and legends, gods and monsters our ancestors believed in.This is the world as it might have been had those stories been true…

    “The Hero of El Teneria” who wears the Congressional Medal of Honor, don’t ye know.But now, meet the real Jackson Speed: A 19th Century reluctant adventurer, adulterer and confessed coward. Speed’s recently discovered memoirs unveil the true character of the man who bluffed his way into the history books.In this first volume of the Jackson Speed Memoirs, Speedy: • Recalls the real reason the Scull Shoals mills burned in 1845 and the married woman’s bed he was in just before things got hot;• Confesses all he did to avoid charging the battlements at Monterrey with Jefferson Davis; • Farts his way into Santa Anna’s camp with Texas Ranger Ben McCulloch.• Introduces the women he conquered with his “Ol’ Speedy grin,” from his red haired Southern Belle to his Spanish Lady.

    At the same time I encountered the recent DNA research on Neanderthals. I chose to use fiction as a vehicle to speculate on an early peopling of the Americas and the Winds of Change series was born.In February 2013 the Smithsonian Magazine issued an article pushing back the date of the peopling of the Americas, doubling the Clovis First date, and suggesting that peopling occurred via small boats.May 2, 2013, Ki'ti's Story, 75,000 BC, a coming of age story of the People's Wise One, was awarded First Place for Fiction by the Alaska Professional Communicators. The award explanation reads in part: "This book is worthy of first place award for many reasons beyond its ambitious scope and size. The work is highly imagined and even inspired beyond imaginings. This speaks of courage. Although primitive life is presented in real time, we don't lose our sense of historical connection." Judge was Grace Cavalieri, writer/producer: "The Poet and the Poem from the Library of Congress."In June 2013, Manak-na's Story, 75,000 BC will launch and with it the travel from what is now China to Mexico and return will take place.

    For Gwendydd, a young woman in 5th century Wales, it seems an unobtainable fantasy. She dreads the day her chieftain grandfather will marry her off to increase his allies among the warring tribes of Britain. When she meets the mysterious and handsome druid apprentice Myrddin, Gwendydd realizes just how difficult falling in love can be. The ire of her disapproving grandfather is not her only obstacle. Myrddin’s clairvoyant visions of a king who will unify the battling tribes and bring peace to the land become a dangerous obsession that threatens to obliterate their union. Can Gwendydd support her beloved, the man destined to become the world’s most powerful enchanter, King Arthur’s legendary Merlyn? Or will her devotion destroy her and everything she holds dear?

    Caled, the mercenary and lover whom Hadrian betrayed, is the only man who can save him, but Hadrian's seducers are determined to break the sorcerer first.Non-Canon / AU / Sidestory to (Realm of) Juxtan series. This title otherwise known as 'Hadrian Ascending' at juxtaposefantasy.net

    When Brother Ciarán, a resourceful Irish monk, discovers a forbidden tome and a mystery about a lost book of scripture, he finds himself plunged into a secret war as old as the origin of evil itself.Pursued by a heretic-hunting bishop, Ciarán and his freethinking mentor flee to France in search of the scripture. The lost book of the Bible warns of the Nephilim, the descendants of fallen angels who seek to free their master, The Dragon, and bring about the events foretold in the book of Revelation. Yet the book also speaks of Enoch’s device, a cryptic weapon with the power to defeat them.Along with a beautiful noblewoman who holds a key to the mystery, Ciarán and his mentor must race across Europe to find the device, which has left clues of its passage through history: from the time of Solomon to the reign of King Arthur and the paladins of Charlemagne. But time is running out, and if they don’t find the device soon, all that they love could perish with the End of Days.

    Together, they will create a legend.Inside a mist of beauty and brutality waits the Arthurian legend as you’ve never heard it before. Enter the world of THE DRAGON'S HARP, a realm of blood lust and vengeance, of spellbinding magic from the beginning of time. The realm of Princess Gwenhwyfar: a young girl torn between magic and desire, born with magical powers she can either wield to save her people from destruction - or deny to save her soul.IN AN ERA OF DRAGONS A YOUNG GIRL COMES OF AGEFirst in a five book series of historical fantasy, Rachael Pruitt’s unique take on a beloved legend reintroduces the mythic characters of Gwenhwyfar, Merlin, and Vortigern against the gritty backdrop of sixth century Wales, where scenes of shape-shifting and heartbreaking romance vie with torture, murder, and battle in a dragon-haunted land.

    In the chill cell, sweat was beginning to form now on his neck, running down his back and between his bound wrists. 'Lord,' he said softly, 'I would be glad to pay to you my debt in any way I can.'"No one would pay his debt price to gain him release from prison. So he sought to pay it himself by offering the only thing he could, his body. But one man would require more.Convicted of helping to wage a campaign of terror against the lords who oppressed the commoners, the prisoner comes to realize the full implications of what he has done. All of his attempts to mend what he has broken will fail until he meets a young lord whose own struggles have just begun.Set in an imaginary world based on Renaissance Europe, "Debt Price" takes the reader from the gritty punishments of prison life to the delicately balanced world of a farming estate, showing the slow healing of a prisoner who knows both what it means to be abused, and what it means to be the abuser.This historical fantasy novella can be read on its own or as part of Master/Other, a speculative fiction series exploring the dangers and sweet bonds of power.35,000 words

    When 14-year-old Alexander Hope is sent away by his stingy uncle to become a junior officer in the Royal Navy, he has never seen the sea. There are high expectations for Alexander, whose famous ancestor was Sir Algernon Hope, a sea elemental who defeated the Spanish Armada and saved England from invasion. England is once again fighting for survival, this time against the Emperor Napoleon. Though he gets off to a rough start by getting seasick in port and making a bitter enemy, Alexander soon finds new confidence in himself and discovers that he may have inherited his heroic ancestor’s ability to command the sea. As England—and the H.M.S. Resolution—struggle for survival against the forces of the Napoleonists, Alexander’s newfound ability could tip the balance of power.

    It tells of a young man's coming of age, love, courage, determination and destiny. Luc Shattar was perhaps the greatest swordsman in the history of the nation of Trist, yet he is also a humble man. Turning down glory, accolades and a high position at court, he moves his family from the capital city to the warrior city of Vulhalla. There he enrolls his son, Ebon, in the famous military academy that trains children from a very young age to be great warriors for their country. Luc's military exploits helped win 20 years of peace, but now war clouds are gathering on the horizon. Luc knows the horrors of war, but young Ebon and his friends anxiously await their graduation day, at which time they will join the army of Trist for what they believe will be the greatest battle in history. Ebon's name, which means darkness, was chosen because there is a dark mystery surrounding his early life. Unaware of this, Ebon lives life fully until events overtake him and his life takes sudden and twisting turns. As Ebon trains to be a great swordsman like his father, he is also confronted with the mystery of his past, which is tied to a gift from his father, A Blade of Dark Ebony. About the Author: Stephen M. Prange is a tutor in Fayetteville, Georgia. The next book in his series is the second book of Ebon's story called Black Omens. Publisher's Website: http: //SBPRA.com/StephenMPrange Author's Website http: //www.stephen-prange.com

    His journey leads him south through treacherous waters and murderous barbarians. With younger brother Hal at his side, and trust in his sword, Luke finds a new and unexpected destiny. In Greece, Luke finds manhood too, with the voluptuous and beautiful Agariste. She reveals a rotten secret at the heart of Athens, which draws the brothers into a vicious war against the Persian Empire. King Darius the Great, with his vast navy fleets and army legions, is bent on destroying the Ionian city of Eretria, and then Athens, with its fledgling democracy and its persistent refusal to bow to tyranny.As leader of the toughest seafaring mercenaries in Greece, Luke gathers vital intelligence for the General of Athens and rescues the future mother of Herodotus, the world's first historian. Luke's quest also reveals Misia, an alluring young Carian princess, who betrays him, yet captures his heart. Confronted with superior military force on the plain of Marathon, Luke, Hal, and the Greeks engage the Persian army in bloody combat, in one of the most important and epic battles of all time. Its outcome will decide the future of the entire world for decades and millennia to come.(Available as Paperback and on Kindle via Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.es, and Amazon.it)

    Everything, that is, except his uncanny ability as a Finder … and the feelings he has for the tiny red-haired spark of a girl named Danica Anderson. But though he loves her, he swears he will never ask her to share his life out West. Life on the frontier is hell for a woman, and Danica has already been through hell once.A girl with dreams...From the night they first met, Dani has loved the cool, quiet Yankee captain who quite literally swept her off her feet. But she believes the chances of him ever returning her affection are as remote as her chances of ever again walking unaided. When Rob unexpectedly sweeps her off her feet once more, she vows to go anywhere and face anything to be with him.An untamed frontier...Tasked with Finding a thief, Rob is sent to an Indian-threatened outpost in the middle of nowhere. Dani is determined to go with him, willing to face the “glittering misery” of Army life. But survival out on the wild Dakota plains will take much more than strength and courage; it will take the use of Talents. And when an unexpected tragedy unfolds, Rob must find a way to embrace both logic and legend to preserve all he holds dear.A sequel to An Uncivilized Yankee.

    She is all but destined to a marriage of alliance until her brother kidnaps a foreign princess as his bride, and Julissa's country becomes the target of the girl’s vengeful brother. Gaspar Leonnte may have a big nose and be the subject of ridicule at Julissa's family table, but he doesn't have any trouble conquering Sebboy.While fleeing the city, Julissa falls into Gaspar's hands and everything she ever knew changes. When a misunderstanding brings Julissa to his bed, the victorious emperor sees no reason not to enjoy his pretty captive for the night. Julissa should refuse him and honor her duty to her family and Prophet, but how can she fight the passion Gaspar awakens… even if doing so might mean her life?

    The young woman, living alone in a ramshackle house, at the edge of starvation is stunned by the arrival and death of the messenger. Abandoned by her abusive father and left to care for her sickly mother until her death, she struggles to survive both physically and emotionally and fantasizes about rescue by the young Prince of Caelius to ease her misery. Seizing the opportunity to chase her fantasy, she sets out on the man’s horse to deliver the message herself.Arriving at the castle, Elspeth delivers the message to King Fredric, who warmly welcomes her, offering her acceptance and love. But trusting his response is a difficult venture: she must reconcile it with her lowly, abusive past, while facing her fears, and embracing the longings she has denied for a lifetime. Struggling with her inability to trust, she makes an astounding discovery and comes face-to-face with the depth of the King’s love.

    The confession of Osvaldo Alonzo de Zamora, a miraculously gifted converso wine taster, is read aloud by a duplicitous priest of the Inquisition as an admonitory lesson to a suspected sinner. The competing narrative is the story of that sinner, another guilt-driven character, referred to only as the “Samaritan,” who curiously is held in the thrall of Osvaldo’s confession. The Samaritan bears the scars of his own history of violence and hidden identity.  In the wake of a final apocalypse the two narratives converge, bringing all of the characters together and eliciting the most damning revelation about the identity of the Inquisitor. Set amidst the religious and courtly spectacles of sixteenth-century Spain, The Inquisitor’s Tongue is linguistically adventurous, richly philosophical, deeply visceral, tantalizingly sensuous, and wickedly comic. It is a Goyaesque capricho on the follies of the will to identity.

    One, she told him he was dull. Two, she is the niece of an important client. Three, she just hired him to find the man she doesn't remember marrying.As Will unravels this peculiar case, he makes a shocking discovery about Mae's childhood, one that shifts the investigation to the place of her birth--Ireland.But on the voyage overseas, circumstances become increasingly bizarre. Mae is taunted by ghost-like visions, and Will is pursued by a beautiful stranger who might be trying to kill him. When Mae suddenly vanishes, Will is forced to enter a thin place, an ancient monastic ruin leading to Ireland's Celtic otherworld, in what becomes a race against time to find her. But are Will's war-honed instincts any match for the alluring forces of Irish legend? Can he protect Mae from the apparitions of her past? And how far beyond the breaking point can secret love be tested?A captivating tale of mystery and self-discovery, Cliff of the Ruin escorts the reader into a mythical world to explore the ever-hazy lines between romanticism and love, regret and repentance, wishful thinking and hope.

    Their Manchester supporters will use any means to raise support for the Jacobite Cause, but those loyal to the current monarchy are determined to stop them. As opposing forces gather, the fates of both sides will lie in the hands of one man.