It's significantly less heartwarming than most holiday specials.

    She hasn't seen her family in almost two decades, not since she and her mother were killed by rebel soldiers. Now Tatiana has inexplicably returned, a lost orphan with no place to call home.As the world dives deeper into uncertainty and chaos, Heather is determined to save Tatiana and help her find her way back to her family. But how much is she willing to lose to protect a girl she doesn't even know?Learn how the mysterious reappearances begin in The First, and don't miss Jason Mott's unforgettable debut novel, The Returned, from Harlequin MIRA, a moving tale of a family navigating...

    Anything. Even marry a mysterious prince she knows nothing about in order to rally the strength to arrange a rescue. During her journey to Torian's foreign castle, Emariya comes face to face with her mother's killers--and a deadly secret.Not only does Emariya possess a powerful but unexpected magical gift passed down through each of her families, the prince she's promised to marry possesses a third, and an ominous prophecy has warned the three gifts must never be combined.If she breaks her promise to marry Torian, she won't be able to save her father and if she keeps it, she may bring a curse upon everything she holds dear. Determining which choice is best won't be easy, but when she meets the gorgeous prince who may desire more than just her heart, she realizes she will have to fight just to have a choice at all.Her heart wants him desperately. Her head begs her to run. If she doesn't want to share her mother's fate, she'll have to find a way to untangle the truth from the lies in time to save herself.Discover the heartbreaking betrayals, fascinating magic and fated love of Cornerstone.

    He goes to school, works his after-hours job hard, and does what he can to keep his family above water. So after a mysterious girl tells him he's a prince from another world, he laughs the story off as fiction. But when his family is kidnapped by very-real attackers, Jacob has no choice but to team up with the girl to get them back… In just 48 hours, Jacob must cross worlds to retrieve a magical key and rescue his family. With only the girl's misfit band of traveling companions and his own untested abilities at hand, the quest seems doomed to fail. But this is one job he can't bear to lose. To save his family and the kingdom, he'll have to live up to his princely legacy… Kilenya Chronicles Books 1-3 is the first three books in a series of teen epic fantasy. If you like original magic systems, imaginative monsters, and fast-paced action, then you'll love Andrea Pearson's series. Buy Kilenya Chronicles Books 1-3 today to join an epic quest fit for a prince.

    J. Squires: In this action-packed, suspense-filled novel, E. J. Squires takes us through a wild ride that explores how far one would go to gain one’s freedom. With narrow escapes, heart-aching losses, and an unexpected romance, you are in for a read you won’t be able to put down.17-yr. old slave Laborer, Heidi Cruise, will do anything to escape a future of servitude to a master she will be powerless to—even disguise herself as a guy and register for the government funded “Savage Run,” a grueling, male-only, three-phase obstacle course program in which the survivors are granted their freedom. But the second she instigates her plan, things start to unravel and she quickly learns that not only are the obstacles dangerous—they’re deadly. Not only that: while fending for her life, one exhausting round after another, Heidi must keep her gender a secret and ward off other participants who are out to get her. Before long, Nicholas, an intriguing young registrar, discovers that Heidi is a girl. Nicholas has his own secrets, and being a rebel in his own right, he lets Heidi continue without revealing her gender. Soon, Heidi starts to develop feelings for Nicholas, but she’s terrified of exploring them; he is a Master, she a Laborer, and in this hierarchical society, one can never be too careful. However, with a sudden turn of events, everything is jeopardized, and Heidi is forced to choose between her own safety, her freedom, and the ones she loves.

    A mysterious community, bound to protect the realms, promises to help him on his quest if he aids in a desperate search for the lost relics of the realms. Each magical relic is bestowed with the mysteries of all realms, giving their owner unimaginable power. Strange abilities soon manifest within Killian, that catch the deadly attention of a dangerous secret-society also seeking the relics, but only to destroy his home realm they view as an abomination. Killian must find the relics before the society or countless innocent lives will be lost. He soon learns sometimes the closest allies are the most devious enemies. The Lost Relic Series is an epic fantasy adventure full of alternate realms, powerful magic, inspiring lessons of love and trust, and wrenching betrayal. The series will take fantasy fans on an unforgettable journey they will read again and again.

    The ABNA contest is operated on Amazon.com only. Visit this entry on Amazon.com to leave customer feedback. To vote for the Grand Prize winner starting July 8, visit www.amazon.com/ABNA. Nobody asks to be chosen. The world ended long before Caroline Mathers was born, but that doesn't mean life stops for the fourteen-year-old army scout for the People's Republic of Virginia. Abandoned by her parents, raised by her grandfather, she slinks through the forests surrounding her decrepit encampment, monitoring the woods for nomadic bands of criminals known as Republicons, all while keeping a watchful eye on her northern enemies from the Democratic Alliance. It's a hard life, but a simple one, at least until the day Caroline hears the sound that everyone dreads: distant drums echoing throughout their quiet valley, pounding to the beat of the war rhythm. With some help from two unlikely allies, Caroline leads her people in a breathtaking retreat, praying they'll find salvation in their capitol city. Along the way, Caroline begins a noticeable transformation; she can run and jump with superhuman strength, she can bend time and catch bullets with her bare hands. Terrified of what's happening to her, seven puzzling words from her grandfather may hold a clue: "She gave you strength for a reason." Will her haunting dreams reveal a look into the mystery of her past? The first book of the Warchild series is a powerful, coming of age, dystopian thriller full of fast-paced action, tragic choices, and the undeniable strength of the human bond.

    Almost twenty years ago, he brought home the woman who would be his wife, the mother of his children, and his partner in the endless quest to protect the cryptids of the world. The time has come for Fabulous Fran, the Flower of Arizona, the Star of New Mexico, to take the stage for the final time, and take her final bow.Fran touched a lot of lives in her time in Buckley, and the people who loved her are coming to say goodbye. It's not going to be easy. The things that are most important so very rarely are.They say she never missed a shot; she was the darling of the west. But now she's gone, and the ones she's left behind must figure out what this means for them.

    But is the paranormal investigator prepared to duel a full-fledged demon on a Hell-bent mission to create chaos and catastrophe throughout the earth, a fiend determined to wreak more death and destruction than his even more ominous Master?This is the first volume of a series of Gothic horror adventures where Jason Dark, a fearless and resourceful ghost hunter, sets out to solve a supernatural mystery. Doing so he follows in the mold of a Sherlock Holmes combined with elements of the occult and paranormal detective genre.Written by Guido Henkel, the designer who brought Germany's famed "Das Schwarze Auge" series to computer screens, this supernatural series is filled with enough mystery, drama, suspenseful action and Gothic dread to transport you to the sinister, fog-shrouded streets of Victorian England.Your encounter with the extraordinary awaits.

     Hsissh is a member of The One. There are some newcomers to The One's homeplanet. They call themselves "humans," and they are, frankly, mentally deficient--they can't warp the quantum world with their minds. However, Hsissh is becoming attached to one of them, a Miss Noa Sato. When The One decide they will wipe out the humans and Noa's life is on the line, Hsissh is forced to take sides ... he might find intelligent life where The One least expect it.

    She is a bad blood, and in the city of Vendona, bad bloods are executed. In the last moments before she faces imminent death, a prison guard aids her escape and sparks a revolt. Back on the streets determined to destroy her kind, Serena is spared by a fellow bad blood named Daniel. His past tragedies are as equally mysterious as her connection to them.Unbeknownst to the two, this connection is the key to winning the election for bad bloods’ rights to be seen as human again. But Serena is the only one who can secure Vendona’s vote. Now, Daniel must unite with her before all hope is lost and bad bloods are eradicated, even if it means exposing secrets worse than death itself. United or not, a city will fight, rain will fall, and all will be threatened by star-crossed love and political corruption.

    They are joined by two other survivors, Gus and Emilie. Infected, Zoe must also face the realization that she has developed a telepathic link to the living dead that fills her mind with darkness and evil. Facing unimaginable horrors and unthinkable tragedies, the group must fight both the living and the dead. Zoe and Boggs manage to fall in love while surrounded by death and despair. Before long, it becomes clear that the living dead do not play by usual zombie rules.

    Then her car breaks down and she’s faced with a choice. Give up, or accept a ride from redneck brothers, Angus and Axl. Vivian knows the offer has more to do with her double D’s than kindness, but she’s prepared to do whatever it takes to reach her daughter.The virus is spreading, and by the time the group makes it to California, most of the population has been wiped out. When the dead start coming back, Vivian and the others realize that no electricity or running water are the least of their concerns. Now Vivian has to figure out how to be a mother under the most frightening circumstances, cope with Angus’s aggressive mood swings, and sort out her growing attraction to his brooding younger brother, Axl. While searching for a safe place to go, they pick up a pompous billionaire who may be the answer to all their problems. Trusting him means going into the middle of the Mojave Desert and possibly risking their lives, but with the streets overrun and nowhere else to turn, it seems he might be their only chance for survival.

    When the breakup of her family forces Grae White’s mother to move her two children from their privileged city life to her hometown in the mountains of Virginia, all Grae wants is to be invisible in her new life. But that’s rather hard when everyone knows that her father is the latest headline-grabbing white collar criminal, the most popular boy in school wants to take Grae to the prom, and then there’s that she lives in a haunted mansion. It would make anyone want to get away. Grae soon learns that a simple wish can reveal an unknown ability. Something more than curiosity spirals Grae back in time to seek the truth in the tragedy of a 200 -year-old murder. Along the way, she learns about history, happiness, and heartache in the lives of those who have lived on the property, including her own family. Her first journey reveals secrets that will lead Grae to further explore the legends of Graham Mansion. REDEMPTION is Book One in the Legends of Graham Mansion series. Look for the second story in the series, AMBITION, in spring 2013.Show More Show Less

    A cynical, wise-cracking vampire charged with protecting the Balance between vampires and humans, he is part cop, part spy, and part commando—a James Bond with fangs. Lawson mixes shrewd cunning with unmatched lethality to get his job done. He tries his best to dismantle conspiracies, dispatch bad guys, and live long enough to get home.This time, Lawson has been given an easy assignment, a "dead drop." That is until an old enemy returns.