Best of
Modern

2021

Run and Hide (An Eva Driscoll Thriller #1)


Alan McDermott - 2021
    Please check your downloaded Kindle books before purchasing.There’s only so long you can run for your life.Eva Driscoll is used to chasing down bad guys, but now the bad guys are chasing her. She knows they won’t stop until she’s dead.After her brother is killed in a faked suicide, Driscoll teams up with ex-soldier Rees Colback, the one person who can help her find answers. Together they’re determined to uncover why members of his Special Forces squad are dying in mysterious circumstances.But with every agency in the country in hot pursuit, their only choice is to flee.The clock is ticking. They can’t run forever. It’s time to make a choice: kill or be killed…

Age of Stone


Jez Cajiao - 2021
    In all the games Matt has played, Dungeons are places to raid, places you dream of conquering, but when the world is stripped of electricity, and the first mana-twisted beasts start to prowl, the games all come to an end...Matt's just an ordinary guy, but when he’s beaten, robbed, and left for dead, bleeding out at the bottom of a gully, it all has to change as he grasps frantically at his only chance for survival, coming as it does in the form of a glowing, dangerously pulsing light.With his reality forever altered, Matt must quickly find a suitable place to deploy the Dungeon Core, fighting his way through the hundreds of people between him and safety, because if he doesn’t do it soon, a Core Detonation will solve all of his problems for him… permanently.Welcome to the New World.

Burned


Greta Rose West - 2021
    He doesn’t have time for a woman, and he doesn’t trust them, not since his real mama left when he was a boy. But when Everlea Donovan falls into his life—literally—he can’t stop fantasizing about her.Wanting herBut Everlea’s hiding something, always looking over her shoulder, ready to run at any moment. She can’t risk putting Jack and his family in danger, but she’s never wanted anything—anyone—the way she wants him.When she starts feeling at home at Cade Ranch with its wide open meadows and breathtaking mountain views, she begins to let down her guard—to both her heart and her safety—and that’s just asking for trouble…The first book in the Cade Ranch series, BURNED is a steamy romance about learning to trust and letting love guide you home…

Enter System


Tom Larcombe - 2021
    When a message appears in his line of sight, blocking out absolutely everything else, he nearly freaks out. The message warns that the world has been in a variant Natural Laws beta test for millennia and that it's about to revert to the norms.Deciding that even if he is insane, it's not going to hurt anything to try to prepare, he settles in to do so. Despite the atrocious lack of skill the System has with the English language, he manages to work his way through enough help files to get a clue of what's coming. After sharing his discovery with a few friends, they all start to prepare together.Once the change begins, the small group races to create a Safe Zone, an area where monsters will not spawn and where they can gather other survivors in an attempt to rescue as much of the town as possible. Along the way they discover that the new System can award classes that resemble those of the games the group has played, as well as magic for those capable of grasping it.With monsters spawning throughout the town, everyday animals being mutated into dangerous creatures, and a System that desperately needs English language lessons, they'll do their best to save as many of the local residents as they can.This story is approximately 155,000 words long and DRM free.

Backyard Dungeon


Logan Jacobs - 2021
    It wasn’t a sinkhole, or a bunker, or a mineshaft…It was a dungeon. Full of crazy caverns, unbelievable monsters, and sexy, fantastical women in distress.Oh, and loot. Lots and lots of loot that was just ripe for the taking.So, what am I going to do with it all?And how do I keep everyone else from finding out about it?

Relative Justice


Gregory Ashe - 2021
    An impossible murder. The honeymoon is definitely over. When Emery Hazard and his husband, John-Henry Somerset, arrive home from their honeymoon, they’re shocked (understatement of the year) to find a boy waiting for them on their doorstep. Colt, fifteen and eager to pick a fight, claims to be Hazard’s son. It’s almost a relief, then, for Hazard and Somers to be called out to assist the Dore County Sheriff’s Department with what seems to be an impossible murder: a man has been found stabbed to death in a stretch of woods, and the only set of footprints in the soft ground belong to the victim. The more Hazard and Somers learn about the dead man, the more confusing the case becomes. While searching his home, they discover a secure room from which several high-end computers have been stolen. A woman makes a daring theft as the house is being secured and escapes with valuable documents. The dead man’s neighbor, who found the body, is obviously lying about how she discovered him. And something very strange is going on with the victim’s sons, who are isolated at school and seem to have found their few friends through the youth group at a local church--and in a close relationship with the hip, young, attractive pastor. An attempt on Colt’s life leaves Hazard’s (possible) son in the hospital. When Hazard and Somers learn that the attack came after Colt tried to investigate the murder on his own, they realize he is now in the killer’s crosshairs, and Hazard and Somers must race to uncover the truth. The results from the paternity test aren’t back yet, but father or not, Emery Hazard isn’t going to let anyone harm a child.

Normal People: The Scripts


Sally Rooney - 2021
    And afterwards but I dunno maybe that's normal.""It's not."Connell and Marianne grow up in the same small town in the west of Ireland, but the similarities end there. In school, Connell is popular. Marianne is a loner. But when the two strike up a conversation, something life-changing begins.With an introduction by director Lenny Abrahamson and featuring iconic images from the show, Normal People: The Scripts contains the complete screenplays of the acclaimed Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated television drama that The New York Times called "an unusually thoughtful and moving depiction of young people's emotional lives."

Cuffing Season


Monica McCallan - 2021
    Ten years ago, she moved from Kingsford with no intention of returning. But home came calling, in the form of her mother's unexpected death. The least thing Maeve wants is to make friends—she's only back in Kingsford to help her father keep the family business, Murph's, afloat.Bianca Rossi, whose father is the chef at Murph’s, moved to Kingsford four years ago from the hustle and bustle of New York City. She loves everything about the charming little river town, and her positive attitude and willingness to engage is usually reciprocated by the Kingsford locals.Maeve’s been resistant to Bianca’s attempts to strike up a friendship so far, but a little holiday magic may be just the thing they need to push them both in the right direction.Cuffing Season is a 65k full-length standalone romance novel set in the world of Back in Your Arms.

The Alpha: Protect. Procreate. Prevail.


Eric Vall - 2021
    A college student just doing his best to survive.I can’t be a werewolf. I have midterms next week.But apparently fate has plans for me, because one day I was just Jesse Rafe, and the next day I’m The Alpha, the legendary were shifter who is meant to impregnate every possible shifter species omega female and rule the world.If I don’t get killed by another alpha first, of course.

Rich Fake Witch


Weston Parker - 2021
    He’s got a killer reputation, social status, unfathomable wealth, fast cars, and all the women he wants. Hell, he even has a video game character made in his likeness. Brother…But, he’s willing to pay the big bucks for my high-end escort services. If the boy needs a monster to prance around his annual Halloween Crawl of Horrors experience, then I’m his ghoul. The only real problem is that I’m terrified of things that go bump in the night. Halloween is NOT my holiday. But, I can swallow my fear for a month and play Barbie to his Ken. The main thing to keep in mind is that the man is a client. None of this is real. Not the wealth, the heat, the steamy moments where I want to give up all of my candies and stop being a trick… all fake. And he is completely off limits. The fact that he keeps making me feel so safe in the swirls of horror around us isn’t helping anything.He might be looking for a rich fake witch, but I’m starting to feel forever. Maybe I’ll just put a spell on him. ‘Cause then he’s mine… right?

Ace of Spades Sneak Peek


Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé - 2021
    All you need to know is . . . I’m here to divide and conquer. Like all great tyrants do. —Aces When two Niveus Private Academy students, Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo, are selected to be part of the elite school’s senior class prefects, it looks like their year is off to an amazing start. After all, not only does it look great on college applications, but it officially puts each of them in the running for valedictorian, too. Shortly after the announcement is made, though, someone who goes by Aces begins using anonymous text messages to reveal secrets about the two of them that turn their lives upside down and threaten every aspect of their carefully planned futures. As Aces shows no sign of stopping, what seemed like a sick prank quickly turns into a dangerous game, with all the cards stacked against them. Can Devon and Chiamaka stop Aces before things become incredibly deadly? With heart-pounding suspense and relevant social commentary comes a high-octane thriller from debut author Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.

Love, Laughter and Happily Ever After


Ellie HallCami Checketts - 2021
    Ho – Head Over StilettosMeg Easton – Looking for Love (sort of)Rachael Eliker – Lassoed into LoveSophie-Leigh Robbins – Take a HikeRachel John – Worst Neighbor EverJennifer Griffith – Elevator PitchCami Checketts – The Sassy OneSarah Gay – Once Upon a Midnight SwimJennifer Youngblood – Cold FeetKimberly Krey – Five Days With My (Super Hot) ExEllen Jacobson – Smitten with Candy CanesCindy Roland Anderson – Breaking All the RulesTaylor Hart – Secret Matchmaker Wedding DateCarina Taylor – Jude and the Matchmaking LlamaGigi Blume – Baby You Can Drive My CarAmy Sparling – Julie and the Fixer-UpperJohanna Evelyn – I Think Maybe I LiedLAUGH OUT LOUD NOW!

Rock My Heart


Emma Nichols - 2021
    Completely burnt out, Maddison Hernandez is close to making a tragic mistake that could end her career and cost someone their life. With her sanity on the line, the extended vacation she’d reluctantly booked to the sleepy town of Austin, Nevada, can’t come soon enough. But when Maddie meets Devin at the Wild Horse n’ Retreat, she will need to come to terms with more than she anticipated.Devin’s life couldn’t be more different than Maddie’s. It’s simple, wholesome, and she’s surrounded by nature and those she loves. She has an affinity with horses and works with them to help emotionally troubled kids. Alice is one of those kids. But having had her heartbroken by her ex and abandoned the idea of adopting a child, Devin has vowed never to get too attached to anyone ever again. Can she stop her heart from breaking twice as Alice grows closer to her and her feelings for Maddie deepen?

Nine Ladies: A Pride and Prejudice Variation


Heather Moll - 2021
    Fitzwilliam Darcy is forced to contend with this secret when a young woman from the future appears at Pemberley. Until the opinionated stranger can return to when she belongs, Darcy is responsible not only for her safety, but also for ensuring that nothing she does threatens Pemberley’s well-being. Elizabeth Bennet has returned to England to take care of her estranged father, and her life was off track long before she walked into that stone circle at sunset. She quickly discovers that, as a poor and single woman, she’ll have to rely on the arrogant Mr. Darcy. She tries her best to survive in the nineteenth-century until she can return home but, as she and Darcy grow closer, the truth she knows about his and Pemberley’s bleak future becomes harder to keep.Will their love prove timeless as centuries and cultures collide in this time travel Pride and Prejudice variation?

Delicacy


Katy Wix - 2021
    A memory of cake.The sickly royal icing marked the moment Katy found her voice. The madeira cake was the sun her group therapy sessions orbited. The 'missing cake' from a lost holiday has never let go. The Bara brith eaten in hospital after a life-altering car crash was as tough as the metal that hit her. The supermarket rock cake was where she 'practised wanting'.Shocking, raw, darkly funny and deeply humane, Katy Wix's exploration of trauma, grief, addiction, love, loss, memory and hope is truly unforgettable.

Redemption (The Salvation Society)


Laura Lee - 2021
    He was my first kiss. My first love. My entire world. We promised each other forever, and we meant it wholeheartedly. But unfortunately, when tragedy struck, love wasn’t nearly enough to save us. Little did we know... it would only get worse from there.Twelve years later, Beckett and I wear our scars like finely crafted armor. We’ve been in survival mode for so long, we’ve forgotten how to live. After everything we’ve endured, can we move beyond the pain to forge a future together? Or are we destined to repeat the mistakes of our past?  *REDEMPTION contains graphic scenes that some readers may find triggering.

The Judgment of Persephone


Giulia Calligola - 2021
    Mortals don't worship her, Gods don't invite her to their mundane events, and all in all it would be fine for her. Or at least that is what she thinks.Everything changes when at a conference she meets Hades, God of the dead and old-fashioned gentleman. He too has a heavy burden: three hundred thousand years of age, seven feet tall, at least twenty titles on his name. But he's also the only one who understands Persephone's passion for law subjects, as well as the only one who seems uncomfortable among the other deities as much as her. How couldn't they get along?They find themselves intertwining their destinies and working together to issue a controversial judgment, collaborating in a trial of souls in the court of the Underworld. And so, halfway between irony and seriousness, fairness and rigor, life and death, this is the (semi) modern reinterpretation of a myth that has never stopped being told.

Red Tide at Heron Bay


Gerri Hill - 2021
    Three years removed from a break-up that left her ex―and her life―behind in San Diego, she’s adjusted to the slow pace in Rockport, seeking out neither new friends nor lovers. Vandalism at the resort’s clubhouse―and a cryptic message written in blood―brings Detective Harley Shepherd, with her obnoxious Hawaiian shirts, into her life.A tragedy sent Harley Shepherd running to the sleepy fishing village of Rockport, where violent crime is rare. So different from her life as a homicide detective in a large city, she embraced the quiet and easy-going attitude of the town, determined to put her past behind her.Was it luck or fate that had her catch a case of simple vandalism? The lovely Lauren Voss made no attempt to hide her dislike of both her―she reminded Lauren of her ex―and her Hawaiian shirts.Was the vandalism a prank, as Lauren suspects? When a body is found floating near the resort’s pier, Harley is convinced it’s related. As the formality and animosity between them changes and a friendship forms, the women find themselves growing closer as a killer terrorizes the peaceful town they both now call home.

Gotta Have Fate


Max Monroe - 2021
    They’re nothing but trouble.”That’s what everyone used to say when Remy, Flynn, Ty, and Jude were kids.But now that those wild boys are all grown up, it’s time for the four, larger-than-life men to settle down—and find love.If only it were that easy.Going to a fortune-teller was supposed to be a joke. Something to laugh about later.But instead, this is where fate decided to deal her first hand.Four life-changing fortunes.Four charming and sexy brothers.Four different paths to love.

Fallen Wolf


Belle Harper - 2021
    Well for me, living in a small community where everyone knows everyone. And everyone knew me as the "annoying" girl, it was hard for me to get even one of those wishes.But when new girl Lexi Turner strolled into English class and sat next to me. My wish finally came true.For the first time, in eighteen years. Me. Ada Stephens, had a best friend.Lexi wasn’t a regular new girl who blended into the background. No, she was turning every male head in the high school, especially the Kiba boys. Ugh… they were so hot and knew it. But they didn’t hold a flame to Saint Wood. He graduated last year and I never stopped crushing… how could you. He was Saint-freaking-Wood. Now I had the bestie, I was just missing the one other thing I wished for. Only… I think I wished a little too hard.But not everything is what it seems. The Kiba boys held secrets… ones I shouldn’t have known.

Black Dawn


Nathan Ameye - 2021
    But when a solar storm reconnects Earth to the Fae Nexus, the world is engulfed in magical energy, altering the laws of nature… violently. Fuel, ammunition, and electronics explode, leaving the world in a dark apocalypse.As the flames die down, demons emerge through the Fae Nexus, swarming Gage’s hometown and enslaving the survivors.To fight back, Gage and his reunited friends harness Fae powers, becoming the Wizard, Ranger, and Fighter they’ve always played in their favorite roleplaying game.With the help of a pair of moonshiners turned Alchemists and the ghost of a long-dead gunslinger, Gage and his friends have to level up fast to free their families and defend their home against the demonic horde.He may have walked away once, but this time the only thing Gage is leaving behind are his regrets and a pile of dead demons.

Son for the Alien Dictator


Skye Castel - 2021
    Great.Insanely powerful and ridiculously rich, President Vahadr Tzelik II is a man used to getting what he wants. Once he sets his eyes on me and demands I work for him, I literally can't refuse…He is a merciless dictator. With sharp teeth, pointed ears and perfect silver hair, this man can ruin my life with a single flick of his black-clawed fingers. I should be horrified, but instead I'm gazing at his strong, muscled shoulders and intense blue eyes. And the heated looks he gives me send shivers down my spine.I should never have agreed to go near Vahadr’s son, a cute 4-year-old with one hell of a bad attitude. And when I find out the truth about the boy's surrogacy? Let's just say I'm afraid to tell the President.And that secret might just be the biggest mistake of my life.

Panenka


Ronan Hession - 2021
    Panenka has spent 25 years living with the disastrous mistakes of his past, which have made him an exile in his home town and cost him his dearest relationships. Now aged 50, Panenka begins to rebuild an improvised family life with his estranged daughter and her seven year old son.But at night, Panenka suffers crippling headaches that he calls his Iron Mask. Faced with losing everything, he meets Esther, a woman who has come to live in the town to escape her own disappointments. Together, they find resonance in each other’s experiences and learn new ways to let love into their broken lives.

The Anniversary


Laura Marshall - 2021
    . .It has been twenty-five years since a local man raged through the small town of Hartstead, shooting eleven people dead at random. Cassie Colman was only four when Travis Green killed his last victim: the father she never knew.Cassie has spent her life trying to escape her past, but she is forced to return home when her mother starts forgetting even the basic details of hers.Then a strange discovery amongst her mother's possessions calls into question everything Cassie thought she knew about the eleven murders all those years ago. And on her quest for answers, Cassie realizes the past is a complicated thing. Some can't remember it, some don't want to.And some will do anything to ensure it stays buried . . .

Mama's Boy


Avery Flynn - 2021
    That’s why he’ll do anything to win a bet to be the last single man standing by Christmas.He’s got a plan, too. Create the most no-good, horrible, very bad dating profile in existence. Only someone actually responds to his ad...The rules say he has to go on six dates with the first (or in his case, only) person who answers—even if that person is Fiona Hartigan: Hater of dogs, non-lover of any delicious food, and zero sense of humor.But something feels off about this pariah. In fact, Dixon is almost positive Fiona is just pretending to be awful. Pretending to be the most horrible date in existence. And she’s most definitely pretending to not be as interested in him as he is in her.The more Dixon Beckett starts to unravel the mystery of why Fiona answered his ad in the first place, the more he starts considering the most vile, awful, terrible idea ever…falling in love.

I Like Me Better


Susan Renee - 2021
    Stabilize the family bakery business following the death of my father, and then get back to the city. It would have gone flawlessly had I not run smack dab into Hadley Hutton on my first night back. That spit-fire competitive girl was my college nemesis, always one-upping me, until she mysteriously didn’t return for our senior year.So, imagine my surprise when I’m introduced to the bakery’s newest manager and it’s her! Now I have to work closely with her nearly everyday. Words fly and tempers flare between us, just like they did in college, except something is different about her now. There’s more to Hadley Hutton than her sweet looks and salty attitude.Maybe if I can figure her out, she’ll see I’m not the jerk she thinks I am.Or maybe I’m just creating a recipe for disaster.This book is a full-length interconnected standalone! The books in the Bardstown series can be read in any order as each one features a different brother in the Fox family. These books are adult in nature and should only be read by those 18+ years old.

Corpse Candle


Jaycee Wolfe - 2021
    Fight for survival, fight for my family, fight for those who can’t fight for themselves. What happens when family stops fighting for you? What do you do when they just give you away, handing you over to the devil himself? I guess this is where all that training takes hold. This is where the test begins. I was born and bred to win. There is no other option in my mind. Sometimes, though, you have to know when to stand and fight and when to lie low and bide your time. Lying low wasn’t easy, but in doing so, I found something else, something new. Someone else worth fighting for. Now the fight of my life is not only for me but for the man I’ve fallen for. Some people are worth the risk of losing it all.Swift:Being the President of a motorcycle club isn’t easy. I knew that going in, but knowing every one of my brothers is counting on me, trusting me, that’s a weight on my shoulders I’ve become too comfortable with. When someone finds a weakness in MY security, sneaks into MY compound, and fools MY men, I know this is a job I need to handle personally. I will take on hell itself to keep my brothers safe. Hell, however, comes in the form of a small, blonde wildcat with claws as thick and long as her thighs. She knocks me off my feet, keeps me reeling, and never backs down. She’s knocked my world off its axis and stolen my heart. And she’s done it all with her fist held high, and feet firmly planted in the future I want us to build. Together.

Just The Way I Am


Jo Watson - 2021
    As if getting trapped in a faulty elevator wasn't bad enough, losing her memory has made it much worse. If there's one piece of luck, it's that the paramedic on the scene, Noah, is both kind and a handsome distraction...Now a completely blank canvas, with the help of Noah, 'Zoe' is excited to fill her world with colour, creativity and sweet and spicy food. She just knows from the tips of her toes, right to her fleek brows, that these things were all part of her make-up.But when her identity is traced, the life 'Zoe' was living before the accident bears no resemblance to that of the person she's convinced she is. What happened to make her world so narrow and colourless?And now she has the chance to start over, is it time to let the real Zoe out?

Fallen


Rebecca Barber - 2021
    Bromberg’s Everyday Heroes World full of heart-wrenching and emotional moments, punctuated by sizzling chemistry.When Zach Higgins rolled out of bed to go start his shift at the firehouse this morning, he never thought he’d end his day falling in love.All it took was one flutter of her tiny eyelashes and Zach was wrapped around her chubby little finger.The last thing Zach wanted to do was hand her over to a stranger. That was until the woman of his dreams turned up in her petticoat and pearls to take the baby home.---Lily Evans always wanted to be a mother. She’s dreamt of the day she got to hold her baby in her arms and sing lullabies as they drifted off to sleep.But the world had other plans for Lily and her motherhood dreams.When an opportunity to foster an abandoned baby arises, she jumps at the chance.What Lily doesn't expect is to find her in the arms of a shirtless, sexy as sin, tattooed firefighter with an accent.This Aussie firefighter sets her on fire in ways she’d rather not admit to. Lily was not prepared for Zach to turn her world upside down but was he everything she’d been waiting for?

Jem and Tean: Guys Gone Wild


Gregory Ashe - 2021
    It includes the following:“First Dates”A prequel to The Lamb and the Lion books, this short story shows Jem and Tean as they are set up on blind dates—with disastrous results.“Cheap Seats”Jem and Tean go to the movies. Jem insists it’s an epic bromance date. Tean insists they’re just casual acquaintances. When their movie is sold out, Jem tries to score tickets another way, while Tean insists that he does so without lying or breaking the law.“Supertrope: The Birthday Episode”In an homage to the television supertrope of a birthday episode, this short story features Tean trying to plan the perfect birthday party for Jem after learning that Jem has never had one.“Jem + Tean: Guys Gone Wild”A collection of six vignettes from Jem and Tean’s weekend at a cabin in the Wasatch Mountains.Please note that the first three stories have distributed previously to mailing list subscribers.“Jem + Tean: Guys Gone Wild” is exclusively available in this collection.

The Trapped Wife


Samantha Hayes - 2021
    I’ve put on a dress and lit candles, and there’s a wonderful aroma coming from the dinner you’ve so lovingly prepared. I feel your hand squeeze mine as you top up my glass and ask about my day as a doctor in our small town. It’s the perfect domestic scene, except for one tiny fact: I think my husband is dead, and you are just another patient of mine…I had no choice but to let you in. If I laugh at your jokes and run my fingers through your hair, maybe I can delete the photos on your phone and find the truth about the night I can’t remember, just before my husband left on the trip he never returned from. Perhaps my son and I will have a chance at a normal life again.But as I carefully piece together the shards of what really happened that fateful night, only one thing can possibly be true: everyone is lying, even me…

Her Forbidden Billionaire


Liz Fox - 2021
    He’s a known playboy… and he’s her boss. Will they overcome their differences to find love?Forbidden Billionaire is a steamy, short romance with a curvy woman and a handsome hero. It is the first book in the Bad Boy Billionaires series.NoraI'm an artist at heart.I never expected to be assisting the world's most notorious bad boy on his business trip to Paris.Once there, I learn that Asher is more than he seems.He's sexy, vulnerable, and makes me want to savor his croissant.But can I trust that his bad boy days are behind him?AsherBusiness has always been my priority.If my reputation with the ladies helps my business, it's well worth it.Until I spend time with Nora and realize I want more.She's curvy, sassy, and makes me want to shower her with gifts.Now I just have to convince her that she's the one for me.This is a Sweet, Steamy Short Story Romance. No Cliffhangers. This is the first in the Bad Boy Billionaire series, but it can also be read as a standalone. If you love short romances with steamy sex scenes and a sweet love story, then you’ll love this book.Don’t miss the rest of the series:Her Secret Billionairemore coming soon...

Yogasm


Jane Henry - 2021
    He’s also handsome as sin, a world-class a*hole, and thanks to the fickle real estate gods? My new neighbor.When my BFFs and I opened Yogasm right next to his restaurant, we had no idea he wanted the space. Nothing personal, big guy.Now that we’re here, we’re not leaving, no matter what kind of Epic Playboy Tantrum he throws. The best way to handle a bully is to ignore them, right? So that’s exactly what I plan to do.His smoldery dark eyes? Pfft. I barely notice them.His broad, muscled shoulders? Samesies.The way he smiles that slow, crooked smile like he wants to show me exactly how he earned that spot on the Notorious List? So. Super. Ignorable.But when his feisty little niece comes to me for help locating her mother… well, that’s the kind of thing a girl like me can’t ignore, even if it forces me to get right up close and way-too-personal with the force of nature next door.If Mr. Notorious wants a battle of the wills, he’d better buckle up, because this girl plays to win…

Courage


Jesse J. Thoma - 2021
    She charges into danger without a gun or badge to de-escalate crises. She’s quick on her feet and confident in her opinions. If only she could convince her by-the-book, humorless partner that she’s an asset, not the enemy.Being a cop is in Tommy Finch’s blood. She comes from a long line of cops and grew up learning how to protect and serve with honor and integrity. Getting saddled with a shrink who’s reckless and brash isn’t something Tommy signed up for. How can she do her job when she’s responsible for the safety of an unarmed civilian?No matter how often they clash on the job, an undeniable attraction simmers just beneath the surface. Can they find the courage to change so love has room to grow?

The Big Cheat: How Donald Trump Fleeced America and Enriched Himself and His Family


David Cay Johnston - 2021
    Less than forty minutes after taking the oath of office, Trump began turning the White House into a money machine for himself, his family, and his courtiers. More than $1.7 billion flowed into Donald Trump’s bank accounts during his four years as president. Foreign governments rented out whole floors of his hotel five blocks from the White House while lobbyists conducted business in the hotel’s restaurants. Payday lenders and other trade groups moved their annual conventions to Trump golf resorts. And individual favor seekers joined his private Mar-a-Lago club with its $200,000 admission fee in hopes of getting a few minutes with the President. Despite earning more than $1 million every day he was in office, Trump left the White House as he arrived—hard up for cash. More than $400 million in debt comes due by 2024, and Trump still lacks the resources to pay it back. “Few people are as well positioned to write an exposé of the former president as Johnston” (The Washington Post), and The Big Cheat offers a guided tour of how money flowed in and out of Trump’s hundreds of enterprises, showing in simple terms how a corrupt president used our government for his benefit, even putting national security at risk. Johnston details the four most recent years of the corruption that has defined the Trump family since 1885 and reveals the costs of Trump’s extravagant lifestyle for American taxpayers.

Begin Again


Val Sims - 2021
    But when her fiancé dumps her one month before the wedding, and she suddenly finds herself with nothing to show for all the love, time and energy she invested in her four-year relationship, Eden is done following the rules.

A Flicker of Light


Katie Powner - 2021
    She insists the stay at her dad's is only temporary, until she can get back on her feet. But the truth is, she has no idea what to do now.Mitch Jensen is thrilled to have a full house again, though he's unimpressed by Bea's greenhorn of a husband. Mitch hopes to convince Bea to return to school, but she's changed since her mom died. Everything has changed. How will he take care of everyone all by himself?Grandma June is good at telling stories . . . and keeping secrets. But she can't hide that her mind is going much longer. If she doesn't tell the truth about her past before her memories fade away, someone she loves will suffer. But if she does, the lives of three generations of the Jensen family will never be the same.

An Unexpected Harvest: A Modern Pride and Prejudice Variation


Cat Andrews - 2021
    She’s built a great life in Boston and loves everything about the city—especially her dream job as creative director at an advertising agency.Will Darcy has never lived anywhere but in rural Stockbridge, Massachusetts. He lives a small-town life and loves everything about the country—especially his family’s farm, which he’s doing his best to modernize and return to prosperity.When her older sister moves back to New England, Elizabeth reluctantly pays a visit to the hometown she left behind. Soon enough, the city girl meets the country boy and the insults and misunderstandings fly—but so do the sparks.No one is more surprised than Elizabeth and Will when those sparks turn into a brilliant flame, and the 300 miles between them that once felt far too close suddenly turns into an unbearable distance.The city girl and the country boy know a good thing when they see it—even if they don’t see it nearly enough. Can they overcome their greatest challenge and find common ground—and their happily ever after?***This novel is a modern variation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, but with a different take on the usual cast of characters. It contains adult content and is meant for mature readers.

Collared (Masters of Desires Book 1)


Paula Dickson - 2021
    It is the perfect place to meet the Greek God that is Preston Trice.He's ruthless, robust, arrogant, and believes he can walk on water. Most of all he's willing to fulfill all of Abigail's fantasies as long as she gives him total control.Drawn to a life she only read about in books and fantasied about in her dreams, Abigail is taken on a sexual awakening that enlightens her entire being.

The V Games


Ker Dukey - 2021
    Villainous. Victorious.VLAD. VEN. VAS.Power comes from money and fear and the men of The V Games have both in abundance.They rule with an iron fist and do it well.Their empires are built on blood and brutality and no one is immune to their wrath… or so they thought.When love intervenes on their path to the top, it alters everything.The rules have changed.Let the games begin…**The V Games series is a dark, crime steamy mafia romance series that might be triggering to some. It's a complete fast-paced and page-flipping romantic suspense series that'll keep you guessing at every turn. This series includes Vlad, Ven, and Vas.**

Meeting Sang: Luke


C.L. Stone - 2021
    They’re like night and day: North is rigid and intense where Luke is playful and a dreamer, his head often in the clouds. Being around each other too long can be difficult. The Academy and Luke’s friends helped to bring them together, and Luke will be forever grateful, but North is just no fun sometimes. Luke can’t wait for the new job at the high school this year. He’s eager to expand his friendship circle…and maybe having a project to focus on will help North blow off some steam.When the Academy hires the team on a small side job, Luke and North are forced to stick together. The brothers are on the job, but they struggle to communicate and work together.The rest of the team are reluctant and dragging their feet on their current mission. Something about a girl having trouble at home. Who is this Sang Sorenson and how can one shy, mysterious girl turn a dedicated Academy team upside down nearly overnight? The brothers need to find out. But if they can’t come together, they not only risk losing her but their differences might just tear the entire team apart.

The Wind May Blow


Sasha Quinton - 2021
    Sometimes, our life experiences will not be smooth; there will be times when fierce winds blow, storms rage, and rain falls, making the situation feel hopeless. Through lyrical text and inviting illustrations, children are reminded that they are strong and smart and can figure out a solution to every tricky situation that they may face. Features peek-through pages throughout.

The Piece That Fits


N.J. Gray - 2021
    With good grades, a future career in medicine, and a boyfriend ready to take the next step, it seems like she has everything she could ever want. But soon, the facade of her flawless life fades, and she questions every decision she’s made. With nowhere else to turn, Avery is forced to move in with her brother and his bandmates of A Quiet Peril—the band they started in high school that is now touring across the nation and selling out everywhere they go.Following her head is a lot easier said than done before Liam Lockwood enters her life again. Because when deep-rooted anger and hatred for her brother’s best friend turn to growing affection and burning desire, she wants nothing more than to follow her heart. But there’s a reason she’s always made the controlled choice, and when her heart takes the lead, the secret of what really caused that accident all those years ago is revealed, threatening to shatter her life to pieces.And there’s only one person who can put her back together.

Up For Air


Christina Berry - 2021
    Mired in a relationship that’s gone stale, she approaches her husband Greg about opening their marriage. To her shock, he agrees.Ari throws herself headlong into an adventure through the bars and bedrooms of Austin. For the first time in her life she’s living in the moment – sex and kink, karaoke and drink – new friends, new lovers, new boundaries to cross. It’s all just innocent, no-strings fun…until she meets Alex.Alex changes everything. While Ari and Greg grapple with their changing relationship, Ari struggles to control her heart. During hedonistic self-discovery, has she stumbled across love?Book one of the Lost In Austin series, Up for Air was a 2021 Good Sex Awards Winner for "Sexiest Consent," won the Readers' Favorite Gold Medal for Romance - Sizzle, and won the 2021 Independent Press Award for Romance.

Chasing Alexander: A Marine's Journey Across Iraq and Afghanistan


Christopher Martin - 2021
    From his difficulty at boot camp to his disappointing deployment to Iraq, Martin fears he may never follow in Alexander's footsteps.Then, after a strategy change, Martin and his unit arrive in Marjah, "the bleeding ulcer" of Afghanistan. There he faces heat, fleas, and a hidden enemy. As the casualties mount, Martin struggles to control his emotions and his newfound sense of power. Chasing Alexander looks unflinchingly at the seductive side of war, and its awful consequences.

Stellar


Jade Thorn - 2021
    As if she didn’t have enough things on her plate already.Raised by a cult, malnourished and ripped from the first place she'd ever felt safe, Jacinta's world had been turned on its head.To make matters worse, there was the Pure Human movement who saw all Portals as mutants who should be destroyed. At least her protective detail was on her side. They weren’t friends, but they seemed to have her best interests at heart.As for the rest? Well, who knew if she'd live long enough to even think about it.Jacinta was in a race against time to manage her ability before it tore her apart - mind, body and soul. Could her team protect her from not only the unseen dangers around her, but from her own ability?This is a slow burn Reverse Harem series where the female lead will have more than one love interest and will not be required to choose.Stellar is a book, packed with action and tension and contains scenes that may cause distress to some viewers, including but not limited to gun violence, assault and mentions of severe family dysfunction. This book is not suitable for readers under the age of 18 years.

Little Pieces of Hope: Happy-Making Things in a Difficult World


Todd Doughty - 2021
    So he wrote down a list of things that make him happy: The musical intro to "All Things Considered." Someone forgiving you. Someone believing in you. Your foot sticking out from under a blanket in order to find the cool spot. Freshly cut yellow tulips. A really good burger.Many, many lists later, Little Pieces of Hope pulls together the best of Doughty's lists along with never-before-seen entries, essays, musings, prompts, quotes, and playlists that offer solace, connection, and a daily touchstone of joy in a difficult world.A beautiful keepsafe full of glorious illustrations, Little Pieces of Hope is brimming with the pleasures of life, inspiring readers to look for and celebrate the good things that surround us.

Silent Fool (Brandon Mattson Mysteries Book 3)


R.L. Ryker - 2021
    But just a few days into the month-long event, he learns the festival attracts more than brawling knights and ladies-in-waiting.When the fair’s infamous jester is found brutally murdered in his motorhome, it is up to Brandon and his team to catch the killer. But the list of those who might want the jester dead keeps growing.As the investigation unfolds, a visit from Brandon’s ex-wife lasts longer than expected, giving Brandon and Tori a chance to work the case together—at the risk of rekindling their romance.Brandon and his team soon learn many of the fair’s cast members harbor long-held secrets. When the murderer targets Brandon through a series cryptic messages, they make it clear they are willing to kill again.

Tolkien's Modern Reading: Middle-earth Beyond the Middle Ages


Holly Ordway - 2021
    This claim, made by one of his first biographers, has led to the widely accepted view that Tolkien was dismissive of modern culture, and that The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are fundamentally medieval and nostalgic in their inspiration. In fact, as Holly Ordway demonstrates in this major corrective, Tolkien enjoyed a broad range of contemporary works, engaged with them in detail and depth, and even named specific titles as sources for and influences upon his creation of Middle-earth. Drawing on meticulous archival research, Ordway shows how Tolkien appreciated authors as diverse as James Joyce and Beatrix Potter, Rider Haggard and Edith Nesbit, William Morris and Kenneth Grahame. She surveys the work of figures such as S.R. Crockett and J.H. Shorthouse, who are forgotten now but made a significant impression on Tolkien. He even read Americans like Longfellow and Sinclair Lewis, assimilating what he read in characteristically complex ways, both as positive example and as influence-by-opposition. Tolkien's Modern Reading not only enables a clearer understanding of Tolkien's epic, it also illuminates his views on topics such as technology, women, empire, and race. For Tolkien's genius was not simply backward-looking: it was intimately connected with the literature of his own time and concerned with the issues and crises of modernity. Ordway's ground-breaking study reveals that Tolkien brought to the workings of his fantastic imagination a deep knowledge of both the facts and the fictions of the modern world.

C+nto and Othered Poems


Joelle Taylor - 2021
    Eliot Prize 2021.The female body is a political space. C+nto enters the private lives of characters from the butch counterculture, telling the inside story of the protests these women led to reclaim their bodies as their own - for self-expression and against hatred. History, magic, rebellion, party and sermon vibrate through Joelle Taylor's cantos, which celebrate these underground communities throughout the '90s.

Meeting Sang: North


C.L. Stone - 2021
    Letting anyone else close would require North’s approval, which hardly ever happens.Until this girl crashes into their lives–and literally–into North’s arms. Sang is sweet and pretty, and seems nice enough. But for some reason, the team have been keeping her a secret. And they want North to do the same.The whole team has turned their focus to be around this one girl. Why hasn’t the Academy been informed? Why is Mr. Blackbourne being kept in the dark about her? This isn’t protocol.But then North learns about Sang’s terrible home life. How her family treats her is unimaginable. No wonder she needs them. And it might just take their entire team, a team who, through their own tragedies understands such things, to handle this one girl who needs them the most.

Hate Me Under the Mistletoe


Kelly Jamieson - 2021
    So she takes off to a friend’s secluded mountain cabin. Ho fu*king ho.Ryder’s workaholic tendencies have made him super successful in his business, but he hasn’t spent time with family for years. That’s all he wants this Christmas, plus a little down time at a cabin in the mountains. He loves Christmas and can’t wait for the family ugly sweater contest!When Ryder walks in on Amy at an “awkward” moment, she can’t believe the man she’s hated since she was sixteen has shown up here. He has to leave. But Mother Nature has other ideas when a blizzard shuts down the entire region...Amy thinks a good place for Ryder’s Christmas cheer is up his ass. Ryder thinks Amy’s grown up into a smokin’ hot babe. Christmas is all about giving, and he’s got a really big package for Amy. Maybe naughty is the new nice...

One Flew Over the Chow-Chow's Nest (The Marcia Banks and Buddy Mysteries #11)


Kassandra Lamb - 2021
    But when she calls to set things up, she discovers the veteran has been in a private psychiatric hospital for months, with no one allowed to visit.Marcia puts out feelers to find out what is going on, and suddenly he is discharged…only to have his private plane crash in a fiery ball two days later. Convinced this is no coincidence, Marcia attempts to find out how her veteran client became the target of a murderer.What she uncovers looks suspiciously like a scheme to defraud the Veterans’ Administration. But who’s behind it, and did they sabotage her client’s plane? Or did the saboteur have a more personal motive? And just how determined are they to silence Marcia?(Note: This story occurs during the end of the Covid pandemic, but it focuses on the optimism and relief of the spring of 2021 in the U.S.)

A Frog in the Fjord: One Year in Norway


Lorelou Desjardins - 2021
    She suddenly gets a job offer in Oslo and decides to move to Norway despite her limited knowledge of the country and its customs. Her friends think she has lost her mind. "Do you know what Norwegians do to have fun? They go on skiing trips in the middle of the night!". During one year she will try to understand Norwegians, learn their language and adopt their traditions. She will try adapting to Norwegian working culture from Norwegian meeting habits at work to the famous Julebord or Christmas party. From Easter holidays at the cabin, to 17th of May celebrations with bunad, and adapting to making things koselig and eating traditional Norwegian food like sheep heads from Voss (smalahove), Lorelou sails through this journey with candour, trying to make Norwegian friends, dating a Scandinavian and cycling all over the country to discover this wonderful land. She falls slowly in love with this country nothing destined her to love. A Frog in the Fjord was a national bestseller in Norway in 2017 and is now available in English, edited for an international audience.

Bringing Up Race: How to Raise a Kind Child in a Prejudiced World


Uju Asika - 2021
    In the looks Black kids get in certain spaces, the manner in which some people speak to them, the stuff that goes over their heads. Stuff that makes them cry even when they don't know why. How do you bring up your kids to be kind and happy when there is so much out there trying to break them down? Bringing Up Race is an important book, for all families whatever their race or ethnicity. It's for everyone who wants to instil a sense of open-minded inclusivity in their kids, and those who want to discuss difference instead of shying away from tough questions. Uju Asika draws on often shocking personal stories of prejudice along with opinions of experts, influencers, and fellow parents to give prescriptive advice in this invaluable guide. Bringing Up Race explores: When children start noticing ethnic differences (hint: much earlier than you think)What to do if your child says something racist (try not to freak out)How to have open, honest, age-appropriate conversations about raceHow children and parents can handle racial bullyingHow to recognize and challenge everyday racism, aka microaggressionsBringing Up Race is a call to arms for all parents as our society works to combat white supremacy and dismantle the systemic racism that has existed for hundreds of years.

Leashed (Masters of Desires Book 2)


Paula Dickson - 2021
    

Under Her Spell : A Shifter Romance Short Story


Laura Greenwood - 2021
    Ever since seeing a photo of the pretty brunette witch, Jesse's known that she was meant to be his. And when Dana tells her best friend and her brother to stay away from one another, sparks will fly... Under Her Spell is a Paranormal Council spin-off short story.

Wolf Country


Mar Delaney - 2021
    Now Laney is nursing her back to health in her isolated cabin in the gorgeous Alaskan wilderness, while the two women dance around the magnetic attraction drawing them together.In Dasha's sparkling eyes and beautiful smile, Laney might have found the piece she's been missing—if she can learn to let someone else in, after years of being alone. And Dasha has always taken her cues from her pack ... but when mate bond and pack bond collide, she has to trust her own heart and instincts to tell her what's right.With Dasha's pack determined to separate them and a dangerous, armed poacher on the loose, Laney and Dasha must decide what they want and fight for what's theirs, in a remote winter wilderness where the greatest unexplored country is the wilds of a human heart.An HEA lesbian werewolf romance, with sizzling sex and true love conquering all, set in the sweeping scenery of Alaska's wild backcountry. One-click to get away from it all today!

A History of the Universe in 100 Stars


Florian Freistetter - 2021
    Some are bright and famous, some shine so feebly you need a huge telescope. There are big stars, small stars, nearby stars and faraway stars. Some died a while ago, others have not even yet come into being. Collectively they tell the story of the whole world, according to Freistetter. There is Algol, for example, the Demon Star, whose strange behaviour has long caused people sleepless nights. And Gamma Draconis, from which we know that the earth rotates around its own axis. There is also the star sequence 61 Cygni, which revealed the size of the cosmos to us.Then there are certain stars used by astronomers to search for extra-terrestrial life, to explore interstellar space travel, or to explain why the dinosaurs became extinct.In 100 short, fascinating and entertaining chapters, Freistetter not only reveals the past and future of the cosmos, but also the story of the people who have tried to understand the world in which we live.

The Casserole Dish


Amey Zeigler - 2021
    One broken house. One broken neighborhood. And one casserole dish to fix them all. After a painful divorce that left her house rehabbing business in shreds, Lisa Bennigan seeks to rebuild her life with her three children. When she inherits a house with lots of sweat equity, she throws herself into the renovation to avoid her pain and loss. While she attempts to rehab the house, she discovers the neighborhood also needs a little TLC. Backbiting and gossip have torn their cul-de-sac apart. Lisa hopes she can establish harmony by baking love into slightly magic casserole dishes shared with her neighbors and maybe even save her own heart as well.

Stolen by Her Bear


Felicity Heaton - 2021
    He just wants to sleep the winter away, but his rowdy neighbours in the remote Rocky Mountains valley have other plans. When the cougar shifter brothers refuse to keep the noise down, he reacts on instinct, kidnapping a beautiful female who smells like sweet berries and tempts him like no other—a female who happens to be mated to one of the brothers.Holly’s first taste of freedom isn’t going as planned. Escaping her family to join in the winter wedding celebrations at Cougar Creek with her friend Ember sounded fantastic, until a grouchy bear shifter grabs her—a gorgeous male who rouses instincts in her that are startling and powerful, igniting a fierce need to growl and stake a claim on him. A gorgeous bear who might be her fated mate.Can Holly resist the hungers Saint awakens in her? And when Saint realises his mistake about her identity, can he convince the stunning Holly to give him a second chance?

Phantompains


Therese Estacion - 2021
    Phantompains is a visceral, imaginative collection exploring disability, grief and life by interweaving stark memories with magic surrealism.Taking inspiration from Filipino horror and folk tales, Estacion incorporates some Visayan language into her work, telling stories of mermen, gnomes and ogres that haunt childhood stories of the Philippines and, then, imaginings in her hospital room, where she spent months after her operations, recovering.There is a dreamlike quality to these pieces, rivaled by depictions of pain, of amputation, of hysterectomy, of disability, and the realization of catastrophic change.Estacion says she wrote these poems out of necessity: an essential task to deal with the trauma of hospitalization and what followed. Now, they are demonstrations of the power of our imaginations to provide catharsis, preserve memory, rebel and even to find self-love.

Persuaded: Sweet Suspense in Austen Falls Book One


Emily LeVault - 2021
    

Just A Bet


Jenessa Fayeth - 2021
    They constantly make bets against me and I’m sick of it.They don’t think I’ll have the guts to bring a guy to the work Christmas party, but I’m not just bringing a date. I’m bringing a fake fiancé.The jokes on them. At least, it was supposed to be.GrantI’ve been in love with Lennox for years, but I’ve done absolutely nothing to show her that. Her brothers don’t make it any easier. They’re always roping me into their little bets, and I’m not a fan of the latest one.I don’t want to pay the girl of my dreams to date another man.But when she shows up with a fiancé, I realize I've lost either way.

Stolen Fate


V.T. Do - 2021
    Or coincidence.My meeting Jace isn’t a coincidence, nor is it at fate’s hand.It was him.I became defenseless in his eyes. I became someone I hadn’t been in six long years, someone I was happy to be once more.I showed him all of my soft parts, thinking he was strong enough to protect it—protect me from the world.Am I wrong?

Self-Portrait with Cephalopod


Kathryn Smith - 2021
    The betrayals and alliances of the animal world. A father who works in a timber mill. The celebrities in our feeds, the stories we tell ourselves. Loss, never-ending loss. Self-Portrait with Cephalopod--selected by francine j. harris as winner of the Jake Adam York Prize--is an account of being a girl, and then a woman, in the world; of being a living creature on a doomed planet; of being someone who aspires to do better but is torn between attention and distraction.Here, Kathryn Smith offers observations and anxieties, prophecies and prayers, darkness and light--but never false hope. Instead, she incises our vanities and our hypocrisies, "the bloody hand holding back / the skin," revealing "the world's inner workings, / rubbery and caught between the teeth." These are the poems of someone who feels her and our failings in the viscera, in the bones, and who bears witness to that pain on the page.Self-Portrait with Cephalopod is an urgent and necessary collection about living in this precarious moment, meditative and resolutely unsentimental.

The Boy With The Sharp Teeth


Katerina Winters - 2021
    But he could see from the nervous way she bit her lip, or how the thrash of her pulse reached his sensitive ears--that she remembered. This time things were different. With no protective family standing in the way to whisk her to safety--she was all his.Something had called her back.Back to the small coastal town where it all began. Doing her best to ignore the rush of memories, Sana Bhatt moved into her grandmother's house ready to change her dull life. With a new career already lined up and more time for her passion project, she was off to a great start. Now all she had to do was suppress the shock of seeing the boy-turned very much-man who had once turned her life upside down and ignore his ever watchful golden eyes.But Zach wasn't the only one waiting. The past was catching up with them and secrets are coming out. Secrets with golden eyes and sharp teeth.Get it now.♥♥From the Author: This is a second chance, monster romance, stand alone book, featuring a salacious werewolf scene. (You have been warned.) No cheating, no cliffhangers, and Happily Ever After guaranteed.♥♥

It's Just You


R. Phoenix - 2021
    I am who I am: flamboyant, androgynous, comfortable in my own skin — well, there’s that one thing, but generally I am me, and I love it that way. It’s easy to ignore scars from the past, especially when they can be covered up and forgotten. What I don’t love is having to spend time in my hometown after having escaped the bullies there years ago. The only plus side is meeting up with one of my best friends again… and his brother Kane.Who the heck expected him to end up as a hunk of a guy, tattooed and sexy and all that? It’s just a pity he’s straight. Or maybe not interested in anyone at all? Or…?I can’t figure him out. But I never back down from a challenge, that’s for sure, and I want to see what’s really going on behind those beautiful, troubled eyes.This 74k slow burn romance features a sexy guy who’s never really been attracted to anyone before (let alone another man) and a man who needs to accept that he can be loved despite for who he is beneath the makeup and lingerie as well as in it.

Autonomous Sun On The Platypus River: Thoughts For Walks


Miller McKenzie - 2021
    At all.

The Ice Prince: A Sexy Romantic Comedy (The Princes of Manhattan Book 2)


Edwina Darke - 2021
    Living in Manhattan while working long hours as an intern veterinarian by day and waiting tables at night to make ends meet has knocked the fairy dust out of her eyes. But on her way home from working an Upper East Side cocktail party Cyn meets Cameron. Prince Charming might not exist, but allowing herself one night with a charming personal trainer couldn’t hurt anything.Cameron Prince, CEO of Prince Enterprises, has always been skeptical about happily ever after. His father is on his eleventh divorce and if there’s one thing that has taught Cameron it’s that being a billionaire brings a world of opportunities but it makes love doubly hard to find. But one night he comes to the aid of a beautiful woman who mistakes him for a down-on-his-luck personal trainer. It seems harmless to let the fantasy play out, it’s only for one night and after all there’s no such thing as forever.But neither Cyn nor Cameron are satisfied with just one night. For the first time he gets to be himself with a woman without all his family baggage and she’s finally found a man she can trust with her wounded heart. But as Cyn opens up and Cameron starts to think about forever, what began as an innocent case of mistaken identity becomes a guilty weight around his neck. Will Cameron be able to convince Cyn he’s still worthy of her love and trust once she learns of his lies?Author's Note: Recipe for THE ICE PRINCE - Take a secret billionaire hero. Add an everyday girl heroine. A pinch of mistaken identity. A dash of one night stand. Season with a couple of quirky cats, a bunch of nosy family members, and a singing strip-o-gram with a memorable confetti climax. Finished with a heavy sprinkle of snarky, snarky banter. Steam Level: Sizzling. Shenanigan Level: Extreme. Feels: Big time.THE ICE PRINCE is part of Edwina Darke’s family saga The Princes of Manhattan series. While it can easily be read as a stand-alone story, you'll likely enjoy reading the other books too.

Calista


Laura Rahme - 2021
    When French Inspector, Maurice Leroux, arrives at Alexandra Hall to investigate two grisly murders, he finds superstition and fear rife among the servants and the new master of the house. And what of the mysterious man who once owned this isolated Berkshire mansion? A decade ago, Aaron Nightingale returned from the Greek islands with his bride-to-be — the gifted village girl, Calista. Now husband and wife lie dead and two other occupants of the house have since been murdered. Faced with a series of chilling and unexplained events, Maurice becomes convinced that a supernatural presence, perhaps Calista’s vengeful spirit, haunts Alexandra Hall.But the Nightingales harboured dark secrets and Alexandra Hall has witnessed more horror than Maurice Leroux can imagine. As the French Inspector methodically unearths an inhuman evil, it will edge him closer to the terrors of his past and lead to an unforgettable discovery.A Victorian gothic mystery at the frontier of the fantastique, CALISTA is a novel for lovers of the unknown.

Fire Control


Elva Birch - 2021
    When she accidentally drops a bucket of swampwater on a firefighter, she isn’t expecting to discover that the hapless victim is actually her fated mate. This definitely wasn’t the first impression she was hoping to make.Hot-tempered and foul-mouthed, Leona has no patience for fumble-fingered pilots and no time for a relationship...until a gorgeous woman with an unbelievable story makes her reconsider everything she thought she knew about magic and love.Fire Control is a short, steamy lesbian paranormal romance romp, originally published in Her Wild Soulmate charity anthology and later included in Shape Shifters Vol 1 (both out of print). This version has been revised and expanded.

Madness


Paityn Parque - 2021
    As she was dying, she expects to wake up in the afterworld.She was wrong.She loses consciousness and awakens into a horrific game of kill or be killed. Players can be killed an infinite number of times, but the only permanent way out of the game is their actual death by suicide.Players in the game ruthlessly hunt each other for points, while others kill for fun. Most players have given up on finding an escape from the game and spiral into insanity, killing without reason. It’s mayhem.Ezra soon learns who to trust and who to hunt down. But as she falls deeper into the game, she starts to lose herself as the bodies pile up. The line blurs between what she’s always known to be right and wrong. Metal will clash. Blood will spill. Minds will break. And before it’s too late, Ezra must find an escape from the game before she becomes the real enemy.

Fear of Falling: A Steamy Modern Pride and Prejudice Variation


Aleda Zane - 2021
    After a night of passion, the reclusive billionaire leaves Lizzy with a second impression she will not likely soon forget. Now he must convince her there is more than lust between them. Journey with them as they confront her fears and face the darkness in his past in this modern Pride and Prejudice adaptation.18+ Explicit Content, not suitable for younger readers.While this book has its own satisfying romantic HEA, readers should be aware this is the beginning of a series. The next installment to be released in Spring 2022.An earlier version of this title was published as Fear of Falling: Second Impressions Book One.

Imperial Nostalgia: How the British Conquered Themselves


Peter Mitchell - 2021
    In recent years, that memory has become a battleground in a long-drawn ideological war, inflecting debates on race, class, gender, culture, the UK's future and its place in the world. This provocative and passionate book surveys the scene of the imperial memory wars in contemporary Britain, exploring how the myths that structure our views of empire came to be, and how they inform the present. Taking in such diverse subjects as Rory Stewart and inter-war adventure fiction, man's facial hair and Kipling, the Alt-right and the Red Wall, Imperial Nostalgia asks how our relationship with our national past has gone wrong, and how it might be improved.

Castles from Cobwebs


J.A. Mensah - 2021
    Black was different though; it came announced. Black came with expectations, of rhythm and other things that might trip me up.' Imani is a foundling. Rescued as a baby and raised by nuns on a remote Northumbrian island, she grows up with an ever-increasing feeling of displacement. Full of questions, Imani turns to her shadow, Amarie, and her friend, Harold. When Harold can't find the answers, she puts it down to what the nuns call her "greater purpose". At nineteen, Imani answers a phone call that will change her life: she is being called to Accra after the sudden death of her biological mother. Past, present, faith and reality are spun together in this enthralling debut. Following her transition from innocence to understanding, Imani's experience illuminates the stories we all tell to make ourselves whole.

Big Witch Energy


Kelly Jamieson - 2021
    Now I know why “who’s your daddy” is a dangerous question. Dad’s a witch, with a whole magical family I knew nothing about.Discovering I have magic isn’t the only shock (though it explains a lot). There’s a familiar face among the noisy, joyful Candler clan. A fostered son named Trace—the only other time in my play-it-safe life I did something crazy. A night of madcap fun and sizzling kisses. Trace Holcomb For years, I’ve been trying in vain to find a spell to bring my family back after they died. I’ve given up on magic. What good is it if I can’t do the one thing I want so much?I mistook Romy for my blind date, and it was the best mistake I ever made. Or maybe it’s the worst. When the other shoe—more like the hammer—drops, I learn she’s part of the Candler family, who opened their big hearts to me when my family died.Now it’s up to me to run Romy through a crash course in remedial magic before she loses it forever. That’s the last thing I want to do. As the smoke clears from her first disastrous spells, something else becomes clearer. Our attraction wasn’t a fluke. And she could be the key to making my impossible dream come true…

Mutiny


Phillip B. Williams - 2021
    In poems that rebuke classical mythos and western canonical figures, and embrace Afro-Diasporanfolk and spiritual imagery, Phillip B. Williams conjures the hell of being erased, exploited, and ill-imagined and then, through a force and generosity of vision, propels himself into life, selfhood, and a path forward. Intimate, bold, and sonically mesmerizing, Mutiny addresses loneliness, desire, doubt, memory, and the borderline between beauty and tragedy. With a ferocity that belies the tenderness and vulnerability at the heart of this remarkable collection, Williams honors the transformative power of anger, and the clarity that comes from allowing that anger to burn clean.

Tenderness


Derrick Austin - 2021
    From the bedroom to the dance floor, from the natural world to The Frick, from the Midwest to Florida to Mexico City, the poems range across interior and exterior landscapes. They look to movies, fine art, childhood memory, history, and mental health with melancholy, anger, and playfulness.Even amidst sorrow and pain, Tenderness uplifts communal spaces as sites of resistance and healing, wonders at the restorative powers of art and erotic love, and celebrates the capaciousness of friendship.

Chocolate Raspberry Magic


Tena Stetler - 2021
    She hasn't had much luck in the boyfriend department, but the new employee Paul is different. Deep and brooding she sees something special hidden below the surface. Besides she has secrets of her own.Paul Thorp is a wounded Special Forces veteran now working in security and computer support. He's fought hard to keep his demons in check and for the first time feels he is ready for a real relationship.When a fire breaks out at Puffin Cove Rescue, they are called in to help with the recovery and ice cream social fundraiser. Sometimes things are not what they seem, and neither are people. When magic is unleashed, will what they learn bring them closer together or push them apart?

The Sound of Violet


Allen Wolf - 2021
    He starts dating her, but his autism keeps him from realizing that she’s actually a prostitute. Shawn thinks he’s found a possible wife while Violet thinks she’s discovered her ticket to a brand new life. This hilarious and dramatic award-winning story takes all kinds of twists and turns and has been adapted into a major motion picture.

Her Eternal Mr. Right


Unknown - 2021
    My husband said he would love me no matter what. It turns out that was a lie. He send me packing without anything, not even the jewelry he bought me. Three years later, I came back for revenge, with another man...

Make it Happen: How to be an Activist


Amika George - 2021
    From finding allies to setting goals, everyone who wants to contribute to a better future can learn from Amika's book.’ Malala YousafzaiGET UP. SPEAK UP. DON’T GIVE UP.The world is waking up to the fact that society is arranged tobenefit some more than others. There is much that needs changing. And you can be the one to do it. Anyone can make history, including a teenager launching a global campaign from their bedroom. And Amika will show you how, in this essential and inspirational step-by-step guide to being an activist.Are your favourite brands making little effort to be diverse?Are the people who’ve been hardest hit by COVID-19 not getting the support they need?Is the environment being overlooked in favour of driving profits?Amika George succeeded in campaigning to get the government to fund free period products in every school across England. Make It Happen is her guide to being an effective activist. With chapters on finding your crowd and creating allies, how to get those in positions of power and influence to listen, how to use social media effectively and how to look after your mental health while protesting. Amika will you show you how you can make real and lasting changes in your world.Featuring candid interviews with award-winning campaignerCaroline Criado-Perez, host of The Guilty Feminist podcast, Deborah Frances-White, founder of the Gurls Talk network and podcast Adwoa Aboah, and founder of The Pink Protest Scarlett Curtis, Make It Happen is the go-to handbook for the changemaker in you.

Hopscotch and the Case of the Missing Memories


Kara Mugleston - 2021
    No one had told him that becoming a private detective would be so dangerous- or exciting!This humorous and adventurous book contains:FriendshipsTwins and Family LoveA Suspect or TwoA Witty Pooch to Save the DayIf your child loves dogs (especially golden retrievers!), an intriguing mystery, or jokes that make you laugh out loud, they will not be disappointed with this one.Give the gift of loving to read today!

The Wolf’s Nanny


Layla Silver - 2021
    Usually.Still, I can’t stop imagining my hands on her hips.To feel them move with the rhythm of her step.I know what this means.It’s more than the cliché of the single dad and the nanny.But if I give in, I might lose everything.So I’ll have to be a gentleman. I know I can be.The question is how much longer my wolf will obey…The task of the Shifter Nanny Agency is simple: Find good nannies for devastatingly handsome shifters who are also the best single daddies in the world. Because like it or not, the fathers are almost as cute as their kids. Which can unfortunately be quite a distraction. Application forms, anyone?

The Perfect Distance


Hannah Conrad - 2021
    You count the strides, make sure your horse is lined up correctly, ask, and then complete the jump. But college is full of new kinds of distances. When Lucy joins the university's equestrian team and has to navigate not only courses but interacting with senior girl Elise, she learns that measuring distances may apply to more than just riding horses.The Perfect Distance is a series set in the Akiyama Quest Universe and can be enjoyed with no previous books from this universe being read.

Sphinxes & Obelisks


Mark Valentine - 2021
    As in his previous well-received collections, you will also be offered suggestions for recondite reading in overlooked books that ought to be better known: an interplanetary fantasy by a Welsh squire; a timeslip into a mysterious England by a priest once called the original of Dorian Gray; an avant-garde novel about a tea-party and the Holy Grail.Whether he is discussing old inn signs, Cornish tin mine ruins, how to play Cat-at-the-Window, or the joys of book-collecting expeditions, the author shares with us an array of enthusiasms and explorations, told in an enquiring and engaging way.Contents:‘Introduction’, ‘“Change Here for the Dark Age”: Edward Shanks’ The People of the Ruins’, ‘The Interplanetary Jacobite: H.M. Vaughan’, ‘Sombre Gloom: The Macabre Thrillers of Riccardo Stephens’, ‘The Magician and the Book: E. Temple Thurston’s Man in a Black Hat’, ‘The Cry of the Curlew: Anne Douglas Sedgwick’s The Third Window’, ‘A Visit to Old Haunts: Cynthia Asquith’s Ghost Book’, ‘Brushed by Moth Wings: The Fleeting Fame of Francis Bourdillon’, ‘Apocalypse and Marrow Jam: Pilgrim from Paddington by Naomi Royde-Smith’, ‘Phoenician Rites and Chaldee Roots’, ‘A Map of Old Dunwich, and Egypt in England’, ‘The Summoner of the Sphinx’, ‘Cricket in Babylon’, ‘The Atlantean Angel in Nightingale Lane’, ‘Racing Cheetahs: Kenneth Gandar-Dower, Explorer and Eccentric’, ‘The “Wonder Unlimited”: Hope Hodgson’s Tales of Captain Gault’, ‘“A Strange and Striking Fragment”: Gerald Warre Cornish’s Beneath the Surface’, ‘The First Master Villain: Guy Boothby’s Dr Nikola’, ‘An Experiment in the Sensational: Gerald Cumberland’s The Cypress Chest’, ‘Three Regency Fantasias’, ‘Cat-at-the-Window: A Note on a Late Victorian Game’, ‘Three Literary Mysteries of the 1930s’, ‘A Dry Patrician Wine: John Gray’s Park, A Fantastic Story’, ‘The Fall of a Cup: Philip Toynbee’s Tea with Mrs Goodman’, ‘Twinned Destinies: Helen Simpson’s Cups Wands and Swords’, ‘Tarot in the 1950s: A Note on Bernard Bromage’, ‘Three Strange Novels of the Sixties’, ‘Tin Mine Gothic (& others also lost)’, ‘The Road to Caermaen: Arthur Machen in the 1980s’, ‘“A Fashion in Shrouds”: What Do Ghosts Wear?’, ‘Stuck in a Book’, ‘The Saracen’s Head’, ‘Passages in the West’, ‘Acknowledgements’.

Shootout: The Battle for North Hollywood


Grant Anderson, Peter McDonnell - 2021
    News choppers overhead aired the North Hollywood shootout live on television, while down on the ground, a neighborhood of strangers converged to stop the carnage and save lives. Many of them are telling their incredible stories for the first time.©2021 XG Productions, LLC (P)2021 Audible Originals, LLC

The Facts and Legends of Callie Catwell


Sophia DeRise - 2021
    Things suddenly take a strange turn when she sees a monster in the Lost Lake one morning. Finding that monster soon becomes an obsession, one that distracts her from the anxieties in her life. While she initially welcomes the distraction, Callie soon has to decide if she is ready to face her struggles or ruin her relationships with her family and friends—and the monster’s strange magic—forever.

An Accidental Love Story


Ellie Hall - 2021
    Guy comes to her rescue.Guy happens to be Cutie McCute Stuff and has a medical degree.To say I’m accident prone is an understatement. More like unlucky in life, love, and Labradors—and I have the scar to prove it. In fact, my coworkers call me Luckless-Lottie.Dr. Russel Koenig is out of my league, off-limits. Not an option. End of story.Only, through a cruel twist of my bad luck, the good (looking) doctor purchases his ailing grandmother a dog—the kind my parents breed. They want me to work as the liaison even though I limped away from the family business long ago.When Russel’s Oma mistakes me for his girlfriend, he doesn’t correct her. Maybe my luck has changed. Our first kiss certainly doesn’t seem like CPR practice.Is my latest accident the beginning of a new chapter or will rotten luck reign, leaving me forever lonely?

Pit Stop


Cassie Mint - 2021
    My honey has barely sold, and the bills are piling up. How hard can it be to take care of a guest?I just need to feed him. Clean his room and keep up the ruse until his fancy car is fixed and he can drive into the sunset.My guest is difficult, though. He’s stern, impossible to please, and distractingly handsome. Worst of all, he’s starting to suspect.A few more days. That’s all I need to last.A few more days in his good graces—and out of his bed. Pit Stop is a short and steamy instalove rom com, starring a grumpy billionaire and the plucky beekeeper trying her luck.

He's Always Been the One (Wedding Planners Book 4)


L.L. Diamond - 2021
    

Dare to Love My Grumpy Boss


Ellie Hall - 2021
    Right. Too bad he worked for a rival company on the other side of the country. And saying we’d met is a bit of a stretch. More like we had a string of flirty email exchanges. However, I can’t say no to a dare...or our digital chats.When our companies merge, thankfully, I don’t lose my job. The remaining (un)lucky employees are sent on a corporate wilderness survival retreat. When the bus leaves me behind with Mr. Wrong, it’s certain disaster until I discover his identity.No way.Shaw Dawson worked hard to get to the top. Wronged by business partners and in relationships, he’s cautious about who enters his trust triangle. He’s the kind of guy to play it safe even though he feels a connection to me that’s stronger than Wi-Fi.Yes way.Flirting with a guy from another company seems innocent enough until I learn he’s my new (and very grumpy boss), making dating off-limits.Despite our proximity, distance grows between us. Will he redeem himself and prove that he’s Mr. Right after all?

Blood and Ruins: The Great Imperial War, 1931-1945


Richard Overy - 2021
    It puts all previous single-volume works of the conflict in the shade' Saul David, The TimesA bold new approach to the Second World War from one of Britain's foremost military historiansRichard Overy sets out in Blood and Ruins to recast the way in which we view the Second World War and its origins and aftermath. He argues that this was the 'great imperial war', a violent end to almost a century of global imperial expansion which reached its peak in the ambitions of Italy, Germany and Japan in the 1930s and early 1940s, before descending into the largest and costliest war in human history and the end, after 1945, of all territorial empires.How war on a huge scale was fought, supplied, paid for, supported by mass mobilization and morally justified forms the heart of this new account. Above all, Overy explains the bitter cost for those involved in fighting, and the exceptional level of crime and atrocity that marked these imperial projects, the war and its aftermath. This war was as deadly for civilians as it was for the military, a war to the death over the future of the global order.Blood and Ruins is a masterpiece from of one of the most renowned historians of the Second World War, which will compel us to view the war in novel and unfamiliar ways. Thought-provoking, original and challenging, Blood and Ruins sets out to understand the war anew.

AGAINST WORLDBUILDING, AND OTHER PROVOCATIONS: Essays on History, Narrative, and Game Design


Alexis Kennedy - 2021
    And for most of that time, he's been writing *about* games as well.Here for the first time in one place are the best of his essays and columns - from hard-won lessons about game development to reviews of unreviewable games, from narrative design principles to writing masterclasses, from historical discursions on labyrinths to the notorious 'Against Worldbuilding'.

Filthy Headlines


Cassie Mint - 2021
    I’m an undercover reporter. Grant Keller isn’t just a billionaire. He’s a well-known grade A jerk. And there’s no one Grant hates more than the press…Too bad. Because he’s hiding something.One month into my new job as a reporter, my boss sends me undercover. I’ll work for Grant, find the secrets of his business—and expose him, once and for all.But Grant’s not what he seems.And now I’m tangled up in these lies. Filthy Headlines is a steamy instalove novella, with a grumpy billionaire and a fierce young reporter with the world’s worst-timed crush.

Butcher Pen Road (The Bill Maytubby and Hannah Bond Mysteries, #3)


Kris Lackey - 2021
    Johnston County Deputy Hannah Bond and Chickasaw Lighthorse Police Sergeant Bill Maytubby find a crime scene where nothing seems to fit -- from the dead angler's oversize waders to the kind of fish in his creel. They scour the creekside brush, then hit the road for Texas in a widening search for the killer.On the Big Rock, a towering bearded man is building a limestone replica of Roman Jerusalem for a Christian passion play. His cronies, who are in league with an interstate fraud ring, want the boy to disappear now.Flying an ancient rented Cessna, Maytubby takes fire from a suspect he is tailing, while Bond combs river trails for traces of the killer.While Maytubby and Bond try to protect the deaf boy and his mother from the crime ring, an improbable ally materializes from the prairie oak thickets, wielding a monstrous shotgun.

The Tell-Tale Bark (Marcia Banks and Buddy Cozy Mysery Series, #0.5)


Kassandra Lamb - 2021
    This Prequel to the Marcia Banks and Buddy Cozy Mystery Series is currently only available to the author's newsletter subscribers.

Ward of the South


Cem Bilici - 2021
    Taken from their Melbourne flat by the Umbra … dark shape-shifting creatures from another world who are supposed to be nothing but vermin, at least according to the strange man she finds in their home in her lovers' place.Barely escaping death with the help of that mysterious man, who looks like a beach bum and calls himself a Ward, Stacey vows to find her missing lovers. Despite the impossible odds of finding Paul and Jasper alive, Stacey joins the secretive Wards in their battle against the Umbra.But the Umbra are changing, and a dark figure is leading both their evolution, and their war against Earth and the other four realms of the Wards. To have any hope of finding her lovers and surviving, Stacey Trampler will need to fight the Umbra tooth and nail. 'Ward of the South' is the rollercoaster debut novel from Cem Bilici and the first action-packed story in The Ward Series.

Craving Pumpkin Spice


Lucy Lemke - 2021
    Almost. Abigail is perfectly happy with her life. She works with her best friend and manages a coffee shop, it's fall, and she's always got a Pumpkin Spice Coffee in her hand. The only thing missing is someone to keep her warm - and moaning - on those chilly fall nights. When a coworker gives Abi a spell candle and tells her to wish for a bedmate, she doesn't think much of it, but her surprise, sometimes the best things happen when you set your intentions and sent them out into the universe...This is a short, sweet, steamy romance with a HEA!