After a boy is eaten alive by a crocodile, his family begins a descent into madness and terror in this odyssey of modern horror.Part of a series of interconnected horror novels that can be read in any order. Each book serves as a stand alone story, yet builds a greater picture behind a sinister mystery in Chicago.

    My confident.Right up until the day she stabbed me in the back and cost me everything.My family. My fortune. My legacy.Now my father's been murdered and his will might be the death of me.It wasn’t enough to banish me fifteen years ago. Even dead, he cant resist twisting the knife.He’ll give me back everything I lost, everything he stole … if I marry Hope.To make matters worse, the fate of the town rests in my hands.My siblings hate me, that family estate is falling apart, and my father’s murderer is still out there.My only ally is Hope, the one person I know I can’t trust.Except this Hope is different from the girl I knew. For one thing, she’s not a girl any more. She’s a woman.I want to hate her. I absolutely don’t want to want her. But I do.

    Wine. Secrets. You'll find them all at The Telephone Box Library, an uplifting story about fresh starts and new beginnings, set in a picturesque Cotswold village, by bestselling author Rachael Lucas.The Cotswolds: the perfect retreat for a stressed-out teacher. And Lucy has found just the right cottage for a bargain rent. All she has to do is keep an eye on Bunty, her extremely feisty ninety-something neighbour...With her West Highland terrier Hamish at her side, Lucy plans to relax and read up on the women of nearby Bletchley Park. But the villagers of Little Maudley have other ideas, and she finds herself caught up in the campaign to turn a dilapidated telephone box into a volunteer-run library.Along the way, she makes friends with treehouse designer Sam, and finds herself falling for the charms of village life. And it seems Bunty has a special connection to Bletchley and the telephone box, one that she's kept secret for decades...

    They should be enjoying their golden years in the idyllic English village where they live. But when their two grown daughters, Daisy and Suze, move back into the family home, both mother and father must learn how to deal with the upheaval. Meanwhile, as Daisy and Suze soak in the familiar comforts of home, they soon discover that their mother isn’t quite the same woman she was a few years ago. Sure, she is still kind-hearted and always willing to help, but something about their mom is different, and it’s becoming harder and harder for the family to ignore. For the first time in their lives, Dennis and his daughters find themselves caring for Marigold rather than the other way around.

    The sharp-witted Cassia quickly lands him a post as a bodyguard, escorting a retired senator to Ostia.The trip soon turns deadly, as Leonidas and Cassia find themselves squarely in the middle of intrigue that reaches from the slums of the Subura to the Palatine Hill and the emperor Nero himself.Book 1 of the Leonidas the Gladiator Mysteries. Events in this book take place before the novella, Blood Debts.

    E. Schwab’s genre-defying tour de force. Download a FREE sneak peek today!A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever—and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

    Neighbours look out for neighbours, and few things trouble the serene surface of the community. But when residents start to receive anonymous letters containing secret information about their pasts - secrets that no one else is meant to know - life in Melstead St Mary is about to change, possibly forever...

    In theEast, where Rome still thrives, the enemy lurks within the mighty walls of the Great City.Ragnar is forced to choose loyalties when the Huns breach the borders, and soon he finds himself apawn in the struggle for ultimate power.But in his veins flows the blood of the Great Khan, and he is no one’s plaything.

    But when he's assigned the Hope Row street, he realises there are a lot of lonely people out there - and for some, he's their only interaction.The supermarket boss tells Charlie he's a driver, not a social worker - but Charlie can't abandon the Hope Row residents and he sets about trying to draw them out of their shells and back into the world. But will his helping hand make everything worse?

    Johnson boasts to Wulf of his battles against demonic creatures, and even seems to imprisons local witches, though Wulf is sceptical - not least because the church has taught him that Spooks are a force for evil, and not to be trusted. But then the monsters Johnson claims to fight turn out to be very real indeed, and soon Wulf is forced to seek help from another young Spook, Tom Ward, who terrifies and charms him in equal measure.But the forces of the dark are many, and it's not long until Wulf and Tom realise they've bitten off far more than they can chew. A horrifying new enemy is rising - and only Wulf can stop it.

    He stands looking forward at what is to come with one face and with the other contemplates what has already been. He stands at the point where past becomes future. He is the God of meetings and partings, crossroads, fords and bridges. Imperial Prefect Otto Longius, Son of Badurad of the Suevi and Knight of Rome, falls under the influence of Janus as unlooked for news drags him back into a world he thought he had left forever, then forward, reunited with old friends to carry out the Emperor’s will.

    

    . . 145BC - CALABRIA, ANCIENT ROME. After years of spilling blood for Rome, Gaius Furius Paullus has returned home to spend his remaining days working quietly on the family farm.But it seems death has stalked Paullus from the battlefield. Just days after his arrival, bodies start appearing - murdered and mutilated. And as the deaths stack up, and panic spreads, the war hero becomes the prime suspect. After all, Paullus has killed countless enemies on the battlefield - could he have brought his habit home with him?With the psychological effects of combat clouding every thought, Paullus must use all his soldier's instincts to hunt the real killer. Because if they are not brought to justice soon, he may become the next victim.THE RETURN is the breathless, epic new thriller from one of the world's best historical novelists - for fans of Simon Scarrow, Conn Iggulden, Ben Kane and Bernard Cornwell.____________________________ Praise for Harry Sidebottom's historical thrillers: 'A storming triumph' - DAILY TELEGRAPH 'An extraordinarily vivid take on the ancient world' - EVENING STANDARD 'Absorbing, rich in detail and brilliant' - THE TIMES 'Relentless, brutal, brilliant' - BEN KANE________________________*** GET READY FOR THE RETURN IN 2020 - HARRY SIDEBOTTOM'S BREAKOUT HISTORICAL THRILLER IS NOW AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER IN HARDBACK, EBOOK & AUDIOBOOK ***

    I have a big house. We’ll hardly see each other. Don't worry, I'm not interested in being your first.”When billionaire CEO Asher Davis speaks these words to me, I’m stunned.He’s rich as sin, and breathtakingly gorgeous.A tyrant by day, a playboy by night.I hate his triumphant grin, but his seductive gaze makes me shiver at the same time.And now he owns me.I’m a journalist and I’ve faked my identity to get access to the most exquisite parties often before -but he of all people has to be the one who catches me.My blessing in disguise: Asher needs a fake wife to close the biggest business deal of his career with a candidate who is running for president.So here’s my choice: Get sued, ruin my career, and go to jail…Or marry him for one year and pocket 5 Million Dollars. Easy, right?Well, so I thought. Because what starts as a fake, suddenly gets really intense.Not only do we spend a passionate night and I make him the gift of being my first -Even worse, I forget that I swore to myself to never fall in love with the enemy.As if that isn't enough, my morning sickness tells me that an unexpected surprise is on its way!When I discover Asher’s business partner’s horrifying secret I need to choose which to give up: my love for Asher and our unborn baby, $5,000,000, or my integrity...

    As she tries to navigate her new body through the world, she develops a deep fascination with the local octopuses, and in doing so finds herself drawn towards the friendship of an old woman and her son. As the story unfolds, the octopuses come to shape Lucy's body and her sense of self in ways even she can't quite understand.The Octopus and I is a stunning debut novel that explores the wild, beating heart at the intersection of human and animal, love and loss, fear and hope.

    A surprising inheritance. A summer that changes everything.As children, half-sisters Cassie and Julie were nearly inseparable, bonded through happy, lazy summers playing barefoot in the surf and sleeping out on the porch of their grandmother’s Hamptons beach house. Though from wildly different backgrounds, each magical summer the girls were as close as only best friends, accomplices, sisters can be. But they haven’t spoken in nearly fifteen years—not since the funeral of Cassie’s mother—and now there is only resentment and painful memories between them.Successful and self-contained, Cassie is shocked to learn the requirements of their nana’s will—that she and Julie spend one final summer together in the Hamptons house in order to inherit. Cassie agrees reluctantly, she needs an excuse to leave Boston and give the growing rumors about her personal life a chance to die down.And for Julie, who is discovering too late the cracks in her marriage, it is the chance to repair at least one damaged relationship. But for the two sisters to regain what they had, they will have to finally confront what happened the night Cassie lost her mother. With their Nana’s wisdom guiding the way, could this summer bring painful discoveries, and a new direction, for both sisters?An emotional and absorbing novel full of family drama and dark secrets. Perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand, Emily Giffin and Mary Kay Andrews.

    . . but will it ever be the right time?Perfect for fans of One Day and Me Before You, this is a tragic love story spanning three decades that starts and ends on a bench. The most heartbreaking novel to date by the Richard & Judy Book Club bestselling author Saskia Sarginson.It begins at the end.It begins on a bench, on a heath, where a woman waits for a man.Ten years ago, they made a pact:On this bench, on this day, they will end a love affair that's spanned three decades, or start again.They should never have met. They should never have fallen in love.But they did, until a lie separated them for a lifetime.Can they fix the mistake, forgive the lie, erase the years in-between?Can what was lost ever truly be found?

    He’s become a single father to eleven-year-old Will—who hasn’t spoken since the death of his mother in a car crash a year earlier—and Danny has just been fired from his construction job. To make matters worse, he’s behind on the rent and his nasty landlord is threatening to break his legs if he doesn’t pay soon. Danny needs money, and fast. After observing local street performers in a nearby park, Danny spends his last few dollars on a tattered panda costume, impulsively deciding to become a dancing bear. While performing one day, Danny spots his son in the park, and chases off the older boys who are taunting him. Will opens up for the first time since his mother’s death, unaware that the man in the panda costume is his father. Afraid of disclosing his true identity, Danny comforts his son. But will Danny lose Will’s trust once he reveals who he is? And will he be able to dance his way out of debt, or be beaten up before he has a chance? Filled with a colorful cast of characters, Bear Necessity is a refreshingly unpretentious and ultimately uplifting story of a father and son reconnecting in the most unlikely of circumstances.

    From medieval pontiffs who acted like princes to a modern pope whose every casual statement sets off a social-media firestorm, there has been plenty for non-Catholics to criticize and for the faithful to feel anxious about.We profess that Jesus made St. Peter the visible head of his Church on earth and that his successors throughout the ages are guided by the Holy Spirit to govern, teach, and sanctify it. How can we strengthen this belief in the papacy in the face of challenges (both outside the Church and within it) and so strengthen our faith in the One who instituted it?In Pope Peter, Joe Heschmeyer says that papal flaws are an opportunity to understand what the papacy really means, not to abandon it (or the Church). Drawing deeply on the scriptural and historical witness, he offers a thorough but accessible defense of the papal office and an edifying picture of the extent—and limits—of its authority.Jesus made Peter the Rock of the Church and promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against it. Pope Peter will confirm your faith in that promise and help you proclaim its truth to others.

    She’s running from her life in shame. Neither expected to fall in love 35,000 feet in the air. With my heart and reputation in ruins, I can’t afford to make another mistake. Boarding a flight to Seattle is supposed to give me a fresh start, but from the moment Cash Montgomery slides into the seat next to mine, I’m captivated by his steel eyes that see too much. I ache for this stranger in a way I’ve never ached for anyone. But I didn’t know he was married, and I sure as hell didn’t see the curveball fate had in store for me, because my new boss in Seattle is the one man I can’t get out of my head. And he’s absolutely forbidden to me. NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: The Trashy Affair Duet includes Trashy Foreplay and Trashy Conquest. Though the subject matter deals with adultery, there are no innocent parties here. For mature audiences only.

    And then the handsome but poor Alex Faraday walks through the front doors.In 2019, Oxford-educated Josie Minton never dreamt of living in a house as grand as Veronica Gardens, but the nanny’s quarters are a perfect fit for a young woman in need of a job. Wealthy financier James Cavendish and his twin girls quickly find her indispensable to their happiness, but Josie is still searching for her future.Then the great house reveals the first of its secrets, and the tragedy and romance of one era are brought into sharp relief with another.

    BADD MOTHERF*CKER—the book that started it all. A fiery redhead and a wedding gone wrong, a burly, tattooed, grumpy bartender, his seven wild brothers, and the bar you know and love…Badd’s Bar and Grille. BADD ASS—the former Navy SEAL with a gruff exterior and a soft heart, and the gorgeous combat medic with a commitment phobia.And, of course, BADD TO THE BONE. The Hollywood-handsome stunt pilot, and the blond pixie with a razor-sharp tongue, biting wit, and tragic past.Dive into the world of the Badd Brothers and the fiercely spirited women who fall for them. Fall in love with the first three brothers, and stay for the hilarious hijinks, the unforgettable steam, and the heart-melting romance.

    He hopes to find a safe refuge in the south-west near Durnovaria, where he believes his dead mother’s kinfolk might be found. Arriving in the area, Ambrosius finds a small, abandoned settlement where his company can take shelter for the night before moving on to the town of Vindocladia – just north of Durnovaria. But Vortigern has put the word out: a high blood price will be paid to anyone who captures Ambrosius; and there are many who would take up the challenge… This story was first written in March and April 2020 as a contribution to Authors Without Borders, set up by distinguished author Ben Kane, as a means of providing some free stories online in first ‘lockdown’ during the Coronavirus Pandemic. It was written in 25 daily instalments, but has now been assembled and re-edited into a complete narrative.

    

    Now living alone in her small flat, there is a knock at the door and her bee, her Lily, is standing in front of her.Reuniting means the world to them both, but Lily has questions. Lots of them. Questions that Helen is unwilling to answer. In turn Helen watches helplessly as her headstrong daughter launches from relationship to relationship, from kind Andrew, the father of her daughter, to violent Kingsley who fathers her son.When it’s clear her grandbees are in danger, tangled up in her daughter’s damaging relationship, Helen must find the courage to step in, confronting the fears that haunt her the most.Told in Helen’s quirky voice Helen and the Grandbees addresses matters of identity, race and mental illness.'Breathtaking and moving, Helen and the Grandbees is a novel that bravely explores themes of familial discord, race and love in modern Britain. It is a book that immediately gripped me, compelling me to keep turning the pages well into the night. Morrall writes with confidence, poise, and a sense of humour to match. At times heartbreaking and heartwarming, this is a novel readers won't soon forget. A riveting debut.' Awais Khan, author of In the Company of Strangers'Alex can write; she has a way, a bit like playwright Mike Leigh, of zooming into the tiniest, seemingly mundane physical details of a situation, and in so doing, conveying the complexity, circularity and pattern of relationship and emotion. There is a humanity and a realism about her writing that Is far from commonplace despite the fact that when you read about the people and situations in her storytelling, they are instantly recognisable. Helen and the Grandbees is unbearably sad but because Alex manages the seemingly impossible feat of introducing hope right from the start it is possible to read and read on, with curiosity and enjoyment.' Dr Kairen Cullen, Writer and Psychologist

    There are very few of my kind left, but I refuse to completely succumb to what I am. When I spot her at the Apothecary Tea House, I'm captivated. There's a sensual charge between us, an irresistible, electric pull. She feels it too. The way she sees through me, like she understands me already, like we know each other …When tragedy suddenly strikes her life, she needs me to alleviate her painful emotions as much as I need to consume them.And there are other needs pounding through us both, stealing our breath every moment we share together.The sustenance I can take from her is like my perfect drug, and my craving is strong. Too strong.She's delicious. Exquisite.But she's so vulnerable now, and I feel for her.I feel a lot.Can I do this? Can I be the man she needs and help her when she needs me most? Or will the temptation be too much to resist taking more, and more, until she’s as cursed as I am?

    A master without a future. A journey of discovery that will forever change the lives of both men. The ancient world comes alive in this vivid and engaging trilogy by an expert on Roman social history. ***********************What if you suddenly discovered that you were not who you thought you were—that your true family history had been hidden from you since birth? What if the truth about your origins would cause others to despise you? What if the man who had arranged the deception was seriously ill and needed your help? What if you were a slave and that man held your life in his hands—and you his? These are some of the questions explored in the first two volumes of the new historical trilogy, A Slave’s Story.The story centers on a slave named Marcus who manages the business affairs of a wealthy Roman citizen in central Asia Minor in the first century AD. The first volume, A Rooster for Asklepios, narrates his eventful journey to a famous healing center in western Turkey in response to a dream in which the god Asklepios appears to promise that his master will be cured there of a nagging illness. The second volume, A Bull for Pluto, relates the aftermath of this journey as Marcus struggles with newly revealed secrets about his ancestry and his master comes to terms with his mortality.Along the way, both men encounter people and ideas that undermine everything that they have ever believed about themselves, one another, and the world around them. Societal norms are challenged, personal loyalties tested, and identities transformed in this engaging story that brings to life a unique corner of the Roman world that has been neglected by previous storytellers.Who Will Like This Book?*Readers who enjoy complex stories about flawed characters, epic journeys, and characters who struggle with their identities and commitments, including their views of religion*Readers who appreciate richly detailed and historically accurate accounts of daily life in the past*Readers who want to know more about the social and religious world of early Judaism and Christianity (including Roman religion and anti-semitism); how Greeks and Romans dealt with sickness and healing (medicine, miracle, and magic); and what life was like at specific Roman archaeological sites in Turkey (Ephesus, Pergamum, Hierapolis, Antioch, etc.).

    She and her beloved sister Sarah were brought up by their father, radical thinker James Cameron. After adventurer Henry Vincent arrives on the scene, the sisters' lives are changed forever. Sarah, the beauty of the family, marries Henry and embarks on a voyage to Australia. Harriet, intensely missing Sarah, must decide whether to help her father with his life's work or devote herself to painting.When James Cameron dies unexpectedly, Harriet is overwhelmed by grief. Seeking distraction, she follows Sarah to Australia, and afterwards into the Northern Territory outback, where she is alienated by the casual violence and great injustices of outback life.Her rejuvenation begins with her friendship with an Aboriginal stockman and her growing love for the landscape. But this fragile happiness is soon threatened by murders at a nearby cattle station and by a menacing station hand seeking revenge.

    Away from the magical freedom of his grandfather’s farm, a world of unfathomable rules and arbitrary punishment awaits. But so too does the companionship of a close-knit group of classmates.Later, as Max and his friends face down adulthood, a dark secret from their schooldays is revealed, drawing them together in unforeseen ways. Who knew what, and when? And who is now willing to see justice done, regardless of the cost to themselves?Spanning several decades, English Monsters is a story of bonds between men - some nurturing, others devastating. It explores what happens when care is outsourced in the name of building resilience and character, and presents a beautiful and moving portrait of friendship.

    

    Peter’s Basilica, and the Trevi Fountain. Yet this ancient city’s allure is due as much to its rich, unbroken history as to its extraordinary array of landmarks. Countless incarnations and eras merge in the Roman cityscape. With a history spanning nearly three millennia, no other place can quite match the resilience and reinventions of the aptly nicknamed Eternal City. In this unique and visually engaging book, Jessica Maier considers Rome through the eyes of mapmakers and artists who have managed to capture something of its essence over the centuries. Viewing the city as not one but ten “Romes,” she explores how the varying maps and art reflect each era’s key themes. Ranging from modest to magnificent, the images comprise singular aesthetic monuments like paintings and grand prints as well as more popular and practical items like mass-produced tourist plans, archaeological surveys, and digitizations. The most iconic and important images of the city appear alongside relatively obscure, unassuming items that have just as much to teach us about Rome’s past. Through 140 full-color images and thoughtful overviews of each era, Maier provides an accessible, comprehensive look at Rome’s many overlapping layers of history in this landmark volume. The first English-language book to tell Rome’s rich story through its maps, The Eternal City beautifully captures the past, present, and future of one of the most famous and enduring places on the planet.

    She would live a fine life, and inherit a fortune, but would meet a cruel, untimely death.Years later, strange dreams plague Katya Nemcová, a teenager burdened with a rare and curious gift. Memories come to Katya in her dreams - images and stories from a past that isn't her own. Are these ghosts real? And what of the memory she seems to have of Heloise's treasures, two centuries old?A novel that spans the history of Europe - from revolutionary France to the world wars, the Prague Spring, post Brexit Britain, and beyond - this is the irresistible, adventurous and affectionate story of a quite extraordinary woman, her exceptionally talented ancestors and the curious memories they share.

    William the Conqueror and his successors brought novelties to England such as castles and cavalry.The last phase of Medieval England started with the great Famine and Black Death in the 14th century, when millions of lives were lost, resulting in England losing half of its population.In this book, you'll get insights into all of the above events and many more. Prepare to discover England in one of its most interesting times.Some of the topics covered in part 1 of this book include:Roman ProvinceThe Anglo-Saxon InvasionChristianity in Anglo-Saxon EnglandViking AttacksNorman InvasionThe Consequences of Norman ConquestRace for PowerHenry IIRichard and JohnLate Middle Ages and the Black DeathThe Hundred Years WarWar of the Roses, the End of an AgeAnd much, much more!Some of the topics covered in part 2 of this book include:King JohnThe Path to RunnymedeThe Magna CartaThe Failure of the Magna CartaThe WarThe Regent and the End of the First Barons’ WarHenry III and the Magna CartaSecond Barons’ War and Edward IThe Late Medieval Period and the TudorsThe Revival of the Magna CartaThe New World and the Magna Carta

    

    

    She sees herself through your eyes and what she sees changes who she is. Sometimes Zee is the precocious daughter of her four grown-ups. Other times, she’s a rough boy from Brooklyn, New York, playing basketball and getting into trouble.Zee’s grown-ups are worried. They test Zee’s special powers and conspire to keep them secret. Zee figures out what they’re up to and fights back. Zee just wants to fit in, to meet the confusing expectations coming at her from all directions, but will losing sight of who she is put Zee in even greater danger?