She has twelve days to find and feed the nutcracker the magical nut Crackatook. If she fails, her soul will be trapped inside the toy for all eternity and her body will turn to wood.Instead of relying on her suitors or the king’s men to find the cure, Clara saddles her unicorn and sneaks out of the palace. Her childhood friend Philip notices her leaving and makes her choose between returning to the castle or allowing him to come along.Reluctantly, Clara agrees to him joining her, and soon, they are off to lands filled with mythical creatures.Will they survive all trials and find the Crackatook in time? Or will Clara’s soul become trapped in the nutcracker and her body turn to wood?

    He and his wife raised the girl, Pearl, as their own daughter, never allowing themselves to wonder long about where she came from — or notice her silver hair, usually pale skin, and wide, dark blue eyes.Pearl grows from a mysterious child into an unusual young woman, not always welcomed in the village. As all the other girls her age find husbands, she has only one friend to ease her loneliness. One very special, secret companion: Prince James.But their friendship is shaken when trouble erupts in the kingdom — a conspiracy against the royal family combines with an evil enchantment from beneath the sea. Now, just when Pearl and James need each other most, bewitching magic and hints about Pearl's past threaten to tear them apart...forever.

    . .The world has completely lost its mind. Not only is Briella Mae trying to pick up the pieces of her life, but she suddenly finds herself falling into some sort of nightmare named Oz while hanging out at Bullfrog Creek. She only wanted a new start. . . she didn’t realize she’d literally have to start anew.Gillikin City seemed like the safest place to go in Oz but Breilla Mae soon learns why everyone fears the fluorescent metropolis. The Tin Man rules Gillikin with an iron axe, and he doesn’t take kindly to newcomers, especially when they look him in the eyes without fear. But Briella Mae has seen the devil, and the Tin Man ain’t him.With worlds merging, chaos reigning, and true villains breaking loose, Briella finds herself with no option but to team up with the heartless Tin Man. Will she survive the coming storm without adding her heart to his collection?If only the Tin Man had a heart of his own. . .

    A kingdom in danger. A fight to the death for the throne. Princess Aurora never thought she’d have to rule Ryferia. That was her brother’s job, until his brutal murder at the hands of their uncle. She knows the law. A marriage is her only chance to take the throne. Aurora gambles for her kingdom, invoking the right for a deadly marriage trial. As the most gifted--and ruthless--princes and lords battle to the death for her hand, the forces of evil conspire to snatch Aurora’s throne. But the princess has allies, as well as a secret power long outlawed in her kingdom… Will Aurora find true love and save Ryferia or will the trial’s winner destroy them all? Queen of Extinction is a fresh take on the classic Sleeping Beauty tale. If you like magic, steampunk, and romance, then you’ll love the first book in a new trilogy by Gwynn White and Erin St. Pierre.

    He desires to be anywhere else.In a world where uncommon powers are feared by ordinary people, seventeen-year-old Aria must hide who she is or risk being shipped off to a detention facility for people with abilities—for aberrations like her.Enrique Martinez is tired of having every moment of his life live-streamed to eager viewers. When he learns the cameras will go dark for forty-eight hours, he vows to break the rules and have the adventure of a lifetime—if even for only a day.When Aria’s ability to breathe underwater is discovered, her life collides with Enrique’s, entangling their fates. Swept up in a global deception, Aria must choose between her safety and her desires, between her family and the life she’s always wanted.From USA Today-bestselling author Madeline Freeman comes a futuristic spin on The Little Mermaid, full of adventure, romance, and out-of-this-world excitement. Fans of Marissa Meyer will love this pulse-pounding retelling!If you love twisted fairytale retellings, fast-paced action, and forbidden romance, buy now to start thrilling new series today!

    She never expected to meet a goddess there. Yet she is granted a remarkable gift: Flowers and precious jewels drop from her lips whenever she speaks.It seems only right to Tana that the goddess judged her kind, lovely stepsister worthy of such riches. And when she encounters the goddess, she is not surprised to find herself speaking snakes and toads as a reward.Blessings and curses are never so clear as they might seem, however. Diribani's newfound wealth brings her a prince—and an attempt on her life. Tana is chased out of the village because the province's governor fears snakes, yet thousands are dying of a plague spread by rats. As the sisters' fates hang in the balance, each struggles to understand her gift. Will it bring her wisdom, good fortune, love . . . or death?Toads and Diamonds is a 2011 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

    Fleeing for her life, Snow runs to the Silver Forest, a place as dangerous as it is enchanting, and begins an adventure she could never have dreamed.With no one at her side but a rowdy band of carnivorous dwarves and an arrogant, rogue prince who’s too handsome for his own good, Snow must confront the challenge that’s been laid before her: Kill the Queen, and take back the kingdom that should have been hers.But if she is to succeed, Snow will have to tap into a powerful, ancient form of magic, one that may have been sleeping inside her all along.

    Vivian Vande Velde has wondered too, and she’s come up with these six alternative versions of the old legend. A bevy of miller’s daughters confront their perilous situation in very different ways — sometimes comic, sometimes scary. Most of the time, it’s the daughter who gets off safely, but sometimes, amazingly, Rumpelstiltskin himself wins the day. And in one tale, it is the king who cleverly escapes a quite unexpected fate.

    In this magical holiday collection, fight Yuletide monsters, take on a jealous Snow Queen, ride the skies in an airship, and tinker some magical gnomes. Join Clemeny, Elyse, Lily, and Scarlette in these winter wonderlands.This collection includes re-imagined classic fairytales such as Red Riding Hood, the Snow Queen, the Elves and the Shoemaker, and a new classic from Melanie Karsak's award-winning steampunk universe.INCLUDED IN THIS COLLECTIONPeppermint and Pentacles: A Red Riding Hood RetellingIce and Embers: A Snow Queen RetellingChasing Christmas Past: A Steampunk Christmas NovellaGoblins and Snowflakes: An Elves and the Shoemaker Retelling

    She is a fantastic shot, and doesn’t flinch at the blood and guts of her kills. Never once did she consider she could be the missing Princess of Tyrone. All her life, she has heard the story of the Princess, cursed to sleep for eternity, unless her betrothed, the Prince of Oran, gave her true love’s kiss. Although Apolline knows she is betrothed, she thinks her fairy guardians arranged it out of ignorance of human ways. The thought she could be a princess is inconceivable.Then Allard appears. Handsome, charming—but he’s not hers to have. He’s betrothed, too. Her guardians warn her against her new found friendship, but she and Allard meet in secret anyway. Despite her rough exterior, he sees beyond her gun-slinging bravado, and their love blossoms.But the deadline for the sleeping curse is approaching. If Apolline falls in love with the wrong person, she could end up sleeping forever. A quirky, adventurous retelling of Sleeping Beauty, with a less than princess-ly princess!

    Characters are enchanted, they transgress, they yearn, they hunger, they hate, and, sometimes, they kill. Some of the stories inhabit a traditional fairytale world, while others are set in the distant future. Some are set in the present and some in an alternative present. The stories offer no prescription for living or moral advice and none belong in a nursery. Open the covers and submit to their enchantment.

    Now fantasy's finest indulge themselves and offer us some wonderful new versions of these treasured tales. Maybe the wolf should get to eat at least one little pig. Perhaps Cinderella was really a master schemer in her own right. Could Sleeping Beauty have had a problem with narcolepsy? Whatever readers' favorite story is, they're bound to find it in this treasure trove of carefully fractured fairy tales.

    An abbey looms as the final defense between mortals and ghouls of the underworld. In the stillness of a throne room, statues stand forever frozen in a moment of terror. Monsters and men stalk their prey deep in the jungle’s shadows. A rose blooms in the dead of winter, sheltered in the ruins of an ancient Scottish castle.And only true love can free the Beast from his prison.ESPRIT DE LA ROSE ~ WITHER ~ STONE CURSE ~ ROSARA AND THE JUNGLE KING ~ THE WULVER'S ROSE

    When she’s forced to confess her faked orgasms to her fiancé on the eve of their wedding, she finds herself alone, abandoned and suicidal—until her aunt gives her a business card with the name of a special clinic. Rose has undergone all sorts of physical and mental examinations in the past, but her aunt assures her that this place is “different.” Desperate for a solution, Rose decides to give it one last try, and finds that Dr. Matt, as he insists she call him, is indeed very different from any other person she’s ever met, and he’s determined to get to the bottom of her problem—one way or another. ------EXCERPT: “Rose?” He put down his baggage, she could hear it clatter and thud on the floor. She knew he was probably carrying the portable massage table he had brought the other night and a bag she knew was full of scented oils. She felt more than heard him approach, and she knew exactly how she looked, because there was a mirror on the ceiling and she had seen herself, long blonde hair spread out like a golden field of wheat beneath her shoulders, lips red and swollen and aching to be kissed, the pink nubs of her nipples hard with excitement.“Oh god,” he whispered and she felt his weight shifting the bed, his knee pushing down on the mattress. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. His hand moved through her hair, his fingers trailing over her cheek. She felt the heat of his breath on her shoulder, felt the press of his lips against her collarbone, her throat. A soft moan caught in her throat, her eyelids fluttering, her stomach tight with anticipation. Please, oh Matt, please, please… And then he was kissing her, his mouth soft and open, exploring hers. This time she did moan, meeting his growing urgency, her limbs tingling with feeling as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him fully onto the bed. She gasped when he pressed the full weight of his clothed body against hers, feeling the bite of his belt buckle against her navel. Thank god, Matt had given up his white coats for these meetings, coming in jeans and a button-down shirt. “Oh Matt, please,” she whispered, giving voice to her pleas. “I want you so much. I can’t stand it. Please, please, please…” She punctuated each please with a kiss along his throat, her hands already working the buttons of his shirt. “How did you get in here?” he asked again as she peeled off his shirt, delighting in the sight and feel of his bare skin. “Magic,” she whispered, giggling, working on his belt—and he let her. He let her! Not only that, he helped, unzipping his jeans and sliding them down his slim hips. The feel of his cock against her hip—already so hard for her—was all the reassurance she needed. “I want you, Matt. Every bit of you.” He groaned when her hand reached into the flap of his boxers to caress his growing length, dropping his forehead and resting it against her shoulder, letting her touch him. She was already so wet, so ready. She’d skipped dinner and had been here for hours, waiting, anticipating his arrival. “I want your hands, your mouth, your cock.” She slipped her tongue along the shell of his ear, feeling him shiver. Matt cleared his throat, looking at her. “Well, I guess the communication lesson was effective.”“Yes,” she agreed, slipping her hand lower, cupping his balls. “I know exactly what I want.”“Then tell me.” His eyes were bright, his mouth curled into a soft smile.

    Sometimes they don’t get it right.Ugly Stepsister Anna has wrongly been accused of being mean and evil. Now it is time she got the opportunity to tell her side of the story.With Cinderella so perfect and wonderful, it is no wonder Anna feels ugly in comparison. Dealing with bullies, a grumpy mother and the death of her step-father, Anna is at her wits end.When the Prince’s ball approaches, Anna is told she must find a husband to save the family fortune. Attending with her sisters, the sulky Prince Charming only has eyes for Cinderella.With the burden of being the only one to unite her step-sister with the Prince, will Anna act as cupid? Or will she protect Cinderella from the arrogant Charming?A charming twist to the story of Cinderella, told completely from the point of view of the Ugly Step-Sister.