intelligence agencies wracked by internal power struggles and paralyzed by bureaucracy, the president has been forced to establish his own clandestine group--Covert-One. It's activated only as a last resort, when the threat is on a global scale and time is running out.THE UTOPIA EXPERIMENTWhen Dresner Industries unveils the Merge, a device that is destined to revolutionize the world and make the personal computer and smartphone obsolete, Covert-One operative Colonel Jon Smith is assigned to assess its military potential. He discovers that enhanced vision, real-time battlefield displays, unbreakable security, and near-perfect marksmanship are only the beginning of a technology that will change the face of warfare forever--and one that must be kept out of the hands of America's enemies at all costs.Meanwhile, in the mountains of Afghanistan, CIA operative Randi Russell encounters an entire village of murdered Afghans--all equipped with enhanced Merge technology that even the Agency didn't know existed. As Smith and Russell delve into the circumstances surrounding the Afghans' deaths, they're quickly blocked by someone who seems to have access to the highest levels of the military--a person that even the president knows nothing about.Is the Merge really as secure as its creator claims? And what secrets about its development is the Pentagon so desperate to hide? Smith and Russell are determined to learn the truth. But they may pay for it with their lives . . .

    The only witness is disabled vet Adam Lee—wounded in a Special Forces mission to Cuba to destroy Fidel Castro's secret Brilliant academy. Though wheelchair-bound and trapped in his seventh-story apartment, Adam Lee has a special skill, his ability as a Brilliant, that allows him to use hints and reflections to see around corners and through the smallest cracks. If he pushes his ability, he may be able to identify the murderer...but that also makes him a target.

    The armies of North and South stand on the brink of America’s civil war. Nathanial Starbuck arrives in the capital of the Confederate South, where he enlists in an elite regiment. He is a northern boy fighting for the southern cause. But nothing can prepare him for the shocking violence to follow in the war which broke America in two.COPPERHEADNathanial Starbuck is a Copperhead: a northerner fighting for the rebel South in America’s Civil War. Expelled from the Faulconer Legion, Starbuck must travel a hard road before he can rejoin his comrades. His journey will take him through the savage prisons of Richmond, across the blood-sodden battlefields of Virginia, and into the deadly high command of the northern army.BATTLE FLAGThe epic battle for control of the Confederate capital continues through the hot summer of 1862. It’s a battle that Captain Nate Starbuck, a Yankee fighting for the Southern cause, has to survive and win.THE BLOODY GROUNDIt is late summer 1862 and the Confederacy is invading the United States of America.Nate Starbuck, a northern preacher’s son fighting for the rebel South, is given command of a punishment battalion – a despised unit of shirkers and cowards. His enemies expect it to be his downfall, as Starbuck must lead this ramshackle unit into a battle that will prove to be the bloodiest of the Civil War.

    

    When the cyborg arrives, she senses a worthy and dangerous opponent--one that's been dead for 800 years...

    Sweeping us back to the enigmatic and elusive land of his best-selling Shogun, he weaves an extraordinary tale of Japan, now newly open to gai-jin - foreigners - and teeming with contradictions as the ancient and the modern meet in a clash of cultures, of nations, of generations. It is 1862, and in Japan's Foreign Settlement of Yokohama, reverberations from an explosive act of violence will forever alter - and connect - the lives of the major characters. Malcolm Struan, at twenty, is heir to the title of tai-pan of the most powerful and bitterly contested English trading company in the Orient, the Noble House. Malcolm's fate, and that of his family's legacy, become inextricably intertwined with that of a beautiful young French woman, Angelique Richaud. Desired by many, loved purely and passionately by Malcolm, Angelique will hold the future of the Noble House in her hands. Intricately interwoven into the story of the struggle for control of the Noble House is a powerful parallel story of the Land of the Gods, Japan, a country ripped apart by greed, idealism, and terrorism as groups of young xenophobic revolutionaries, ronin, attempt to seize the Shogunate and expel the hated gai-jin from Japan. One man, Lord Toranaga Yoshi, a direct descendant of the first Toranaga Shogun, attempts not only to protect the Shogunate, but to usher it, and Japan, into the modern age. Amid the brutality and heroism, the betrayals and the stunning romance, a multilayered, complex story unfolds. Here the dark and erotic world of the pleasure houses - the Ladies of the Willow World, spies, and terrorists - meets the world of pageantry and power - monarchs and diplomats. And here East meets West in an inevitable collision of two equally powerful cultures as James Clavell creates a vibrant and authentic

    The private, sexy bar owner was content in his life and excited to move forward with his new business project. There was just one problem--he'd never been able to forget about that kiss...or about her. For her, everything had fallen apart...Shelby Kellan was once confident in knowing who she was and what she wanted. But recent events caused the gorgeous, blue-eyed beauty to barely recognize the woman she saw when she looked in the mirror. She knew she needed a fresh start. Could she do it with his kiss still lingering on her lips?Eighteen months ago, Levi and Shelby shared the perfect kiss. Now, he wanted more, but would she be able to give that to him after already losing so much?Secret KissAdam Dorsey was used to living a life of deceit and falsehood both professionally and personally. The former CIA operative—with an extremely high IQ—was ready for a quieter, more authentic life. Enter Jane, a gorgeous and adorable hazel eyed beauty that complicated his plan. No matter what she made him feel, he knew that he had to stay away from her for fear of damaging more than just her innocence…Jane Marshall always believed in the power of positive thinking and all that could create. She felt accomplished in her career, and was blessed with great friends and family. And yet, she questioned whether or not there existed a man that would be able to unleash and explore her inexperienced heart…until she laid eyes on Adam.Will Adam be able to let go of his past and accept Jane for the genuine soul she truly is? Will Jane be able to navigate through never before had feelings? Are there some things that are even beyond the control of two highly intelligent people? Discover the truth in …Secret KissMagic KissHe’d lost his best friend…Logan Dorsey left the military and his job as an undercover detective, but he still couldn’t shake the nightmares that haunted him. The only thing that had ever silenced the horrors for the chiseled former Marine was the one woman that was untouchable for so many reason…She’d lost her husband…Emma Locke wrote romantic stories for a living despite the fact that her happily-ever-after had been taken away years ago. The gorgeous, blue-eyed, twenty-six year old widow and single mom had nothing in her life to connect her with the love and heat she needed to write about. Nothing to inspire that kind of passion...except the one man that was off limits.They say time heals all wounds, but can it also be enough to grow new love?Lucky KissLucas “Lucky” Dorsey was at the top of his game in the world of MMA, and his nickname…well, let’s just say the ladies couldn’t get enough of the tattooed bad boy. But then…he met her…As the first female firefighter in the Hope Falls Fire Department, Deanna Bishop was focused on making a fresh start in her new town. She was ready to put out fires with the rest of the boys, but the beauty with emerald eyes was never ready for the fire he’d started in her heart… She brought him back to life, and he wanted more. He filled her with passion, and she wanted to run. Will Deanna be able to open her heart and let someone fight for her? Will Lucky be able to prove that a Lucky Kiss could lead to more than just that…Christmas Wish - NovellaBright lights…Fame…Wealth…Kyle Austen Reed had it all, and his devilishly handsome good looks were known to steal hearts on and off the screen…Fired…Evicted…Caring for a special needs child…Aurora Rose&rsq

    She’s surfed the net to learn everything she can about being a monster. She’s ready. She’s even practicing on her sister. Inside her fractured mind, her imaginary mentor, Doctor Nine, promises that he is coming for her. To take her with him and his strange friends; to help her become all that she can be. Is Doctor Nine only a figment of her imagination, or has her madness opened a doorway to something –else? Jonathan Maberry the New York Times bestseller and multiple Bram Stoker award-winning author of Patient Zero, the King of Plagues, and Dead of Night takes you along for a ride through the darkest landscapes of the human soul.

    When Owen Deathstalker, unwilling head of his clan, seeks to avoid the perils of the Empire's warring factions, he unexpectedly finds a price on his head. He flees to Mistworld, where he begins to build an unlikely force to topple the throne. With the help of his crew, Deathstalker takes the first step on a far more dangerous journey to claim the role for which he has been destined since before his birth.

    An ambitious plan is devised to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere. But unforeseen dangers threaten the intrepid pioneers, until only a handful of survivors remain…Five thousand years later, their progeny – seven distinct races now three billion strong – embark on yet another audacious journey into the unknown, to an alien world utterly transformed by cataclysm and time: Earth.A writer of dazzling genius and imaginative vision, Neal Stephenson combines science, philosophy, technology, psychology, and literature in a magnificent work of speculative fiction that offers a portrait of a future that is at once extraordinary and eerily recognizable. He explores some of our biggest ideas and perplexing challenges in a breathtaking saga that is daring, engrossing, and altogether brilliant.

    

     Carl Ramsey is the head of his own criminal Syndicate. With a hundred men and women and the resources of a tiny jungle moon at his disposal, life should have gotten easier, not harder. Infighting, politics, and a lack of income to pay everyone begin to tear the syndicate apart from the inside. And the last thing Carl needs is his father stepping in to try to help. Mission 9: Adventure Capital Carl sets out with some new recruits to earn some startup funds for his new syndicate. But when he discovers that his criminal enterprise doesn't have enough criminals to run it, he goes to recruit some old friends. Mission 10: Collusion Course While Carl and the Mobius are stranded, dead in space, Chuck Ramsey steps in to handle the day-to-day operations of the syndicate. Can Carl get his ship repaired and get home while he still has a syndicate left? Mission 11: You, Robot Wizards are all convinced that any thinking robot would be a threat to life as we know it. Robots are paranoid that wizards are out to get them. When the Mobius comes across a robot claiming to be a wizard, they don't know quite what to do with him. But there's a wizard who does, and he's not planning to play nice. Mission 12: Stowaway to Heaven With the aid of some inside information, the Mobius crew are ready to take on an old nemesis. Their goal: to infiltrate and hijack the Harmony Bay ship Bradbury. Bonus Short Story: Voice of Reason With Carl off being treated like a VIP, a job comes in for the Mobius. Roddy, Archie, and Yomin take on the assignment, but they have to manufacture a convincing impostor of Carl to do it.

    It's November 2001 and Shepherd is sent on a dangerous mission to a Taliban stronghold on the trail of the most wanted man in the world - Osama Bin Laden.Friendly Fire is just under 14,000 words, about thirty pages, perfect if you have half an hour to spare.

    With every voyage taking exactly five hours, whether the distance is one light-year or a thousand, the drive allowed humanity to finally escape Earth and reach for the stars.But while the aliens owned the technology, they needed humans to make it practical. Specifically, humans who could temporarily leave their bodies and guide the tunnelships through the void of space.Nathan Skoda is one such navigator. After hundreds of trips, and with hundreds yet to go, all he wants is to finish out his indenture before he succumbs to burnout. So when he’s approached with a plan that might free the navigators from the Meerian chokehold, he decides to check it out.But when the Meerians move to protect their monopoly, Skoda realizes he’s let himself in for more than he bargained for.And he discovers that, dark though his life may be, there’s an even deeper darkness lying beneath the surface.

    And the Republic commandos are the best of the best. As the Clone Wars rage, victory or defeat lies in the hands of these elite squads, stone-cold soldiers who go where no one else will, and do what no one else can....Hard Contact: It is three months after the Battle of Geonosis. On the backwater planet Qiilura, a Separatist scientist has created a nanovirus designed to kill clone soldiers, and it will be up to four Republic commandosthe Omega Squadto apprehend her and sabotage her research. When Darman, the squad's demolitions expert, gets cut off from the others during planetfall, he meets up with Etain, a stranded Jedi Padawan who has lost her Master. He expects her to be a competent commander, but that hope vanishes once she admits to her woeful inexperience. A long dangerous journey lies ahead, through hostile territory brimming with Trandoshan slavers, Separatists and suspicious natives. A single misstep could mean discovery...and death. Triple Zero: A year after Geonosis, the Republic commandos are being deployed on missions that take them beyond the battlefield and further into sabotage and intelligence operations in Separatist territory. Now, after a close brush with death, the Omega Squad is sent to the toughest terrain in the galaxy: Coruscant. Teaming up with Etain, now a Jedi General, and their legendary training sergeant Kal Skirata and his Null commandosa secret force even the Kaminoan cloners deem too dangerous to unleashthey pursue Separatist terrorists in the treacherous skylanes and labyrinthine underlevels of the world city. It's a critical mission unlike any they've ever tackledand it will test their courage and their friendship to the limit.