Book picks similar to
Before the Harvest by Kimberly A. Bettes
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Reckoning of Dragons: Dragon Killer, Roll the Bones & Sirensbane
Rob May - 2015
In a world fearfully awaiting the return of the dormant dragon god, a triumvirate of evil villains rises up to take advantage of the chaos. Reluctantly pitted against them is Kal Moonheart, an adventurer and gambler, marked for a life of danger at a young age. But Kal has friends to stand with her—honest thief Will Straightarrow, smuggler and pirate Lula Pearl, knight-errant Rafe Firehand, and wily policitian Benedict Godsword. There will be blood. There will be a reckoning …In DRAGON KILLER, a mysterious threat puts Kal on a collision course with terrors she thought she had left buried in her past. Teaming up with a young guard captain, aspiring knight Rafe Firehand, she travels to a dragon-haunted island to hunt down a murderous beast. Once there, Kal soon discovers there are worse things in the world than dragons, and when an unexpected sequence of events leaves her in an impossible situation, she must summon every ounce of skill, cunning and strength in order to survive.In ROLL THE BONES, the fate of a city rests in Kal's hands. An immortal killer stalks the streets of Amaranthium, leaving a trail of mutilated corpses in its wake. A week before the summer elections, Kal is called before a clandestine gathering of the city's elite, and charged with ending the murders before a terrible secret can come to light—one that threatens to shake the Republic by its very foundations. As Kal hunts the killer, her courage, loyalties and heart are put to the test, and she must decide if she can trust even her closest friends.In SIRENSBANE, Kal faces her greatest challenge yet. On a freezing winter night, Kal is dragged from her bed by a friend in need. Renowned pirate and smuggler Lula Pearl has been struck with a fearsome curse, and Kal must join her and set sail on a dangerous voyage. On the other side of the world, the Auspice Islands have been overrun by a horde of zombies, led by a man whose terrifying schemes threaten all life both under and above the waves—the almighty sorcerer known as Corus Sirensbane.NOW INCLUDES TWO BONUS SHORT STORIES!In FIRST CUT, a young Kal Moonheart yearns for adventure. But will her first mission make her … or break her?In THE FATEFUL FLAME, discover what became of Kal's young love, Deros, on the day the dragon destroyed their future.
Fallon
Valerie Zambito - 2012
The hallowed world of Emperica is everything she had ever hoped for as a mortal—immeasurable beauty, unconditional love and light. But, with affection for humankind still burning within her, she joins the Knight Caste to train as an angel warrior. As a Knight, she will give up her wings and return to the place that killed her to use her unique powers to search out and destroy the evil Kjin that roam the earth. As a Knight, she will stop at nothing to protect the mortals in her care.The elders warn her that the path she chose will be a solitary one. That she will not have the same bond with humans as she once did. But, as far as she knows, the elders had never met Kade Royce. When her duties place her in the path of the handsome former cop, emotions buried long ago rise to the surface and she is powerless to ignore the depth of her feelings for this young man. She knows instinctively that she has found what most people search their entire lives for. Ignoring the risks, she invites him into her world of danger, but soon their lives collide with explosive consequence. As a result, Fallon realizes with heartbreaking despair that she can no longer hide from the painful truth. In order for Kade to live, she must destroy him.
Blood Money: A Lucky Dey Thriller
Doug Richardson - 2013
Yet even the most deliberate plans can go sideways. On his campaign south, the Marine’s “inner idiot” takes charge, leaving a smattering of dead bodies in his wake.In the dark before dawn, a telephone rings. Kern County Sheriff’s detective Lucas “Lucky” Dey, no stranger to being awakened with bad news, answers the call. But this time, the voice on the phone tells Lucky that his ill-fated younger brother has been gunned down on a blackened desolate highway.As Lucky chases the former Marine and his black semi-rig into the bowels of Los Angeles, he’s thrust into a landscape of competing agendas. Conrad Ellis, the multi-millionaire entertainment mogul, demands justice for the murder of his starlet daughter. Ambitious federal attorney Lilly Zoller is determined to turn any opportunity into her personal spotlight. Rey Palomino, the morally challenged contractor, colludes with the former Marine hoping to crawl out from under a crushing debt. LAPD detective and dedicated single mom Lydia "Gonzo" Gonzales, reluctantly accepts her assignment to "babysit" the unrestrained Kern County detective hell-bent on avenging his brother's death at any cost.A knee-breaking private detective, some unwitting feds, and a coterie of gang-busting L.A. Sheriffs deputies further complicate the scenario and round out the cast of characters in this explosive and unpredictable thrill ride.
The Descent Series: Vol.1
S.M. Reine - 2012
(Approx. 200,000 words total.)Books included:1. Death's Hand2. The Darkest Gate3. Dark UnionDEATH'S HANDElise Kavanagh doesn't want to hunt demons anymore. It's been five years since she killed her last enemy, and life has been quiet since then. She went to college. Got a job, and then lost it. Made a friend or two. Lived a normal life. Now her former partner, a powerful witch named James Faulkner, wants Elise to fight one more time. The daughter of a coven member has been possessed, and Elise is the only exorcist nearby.Becoming a hero again would mean risking discovery by old enemies. But digging into the case reveals that it might already be too late--bodies are disappearing, demons slither through the night, and the cogs of apocalypse are beginning to turn. Some enemies aren't willing to let the secrets of the past stay dead...THE DARKEST GATEWhen Elise Kavanagh retired from demon hunting, she swore it would be permanent. But an attack from a powerful necromancer forced her back into the business, and now she's trying to balance her normal boyfriend and normal job with everything supernatural.Mr. Black is a demon hunter gone rogue. He's enslaving angels and stealing ethereal artifacts in pursuit of forbidden immortality, and an old grudge drives him to make his final stand in Elise's territory. Destroying her life and killing her friends isn't the goal, but it's a definite perk.A demonic overlord offers to join against Mr. Black and protect Elise's loved ones. All she needs to do is ally with the demons she's sworn to kill, at the cost of her morals--and maybe her immortal soul. But once she crosses that line, there's no turning back.Nothing is sacred when Heaven and Hell collide on Earth...DARK UNIONEvery fifty years, the most powerful ethereal and infernal beings convene on Earth to resolve conflicts with mediation by kopides--humans born to police relations between Heaven and Hell. They're meeting in Elise Kavanagh's territory this year, and she used to be the greatest kopis in the world. But she's not invited.An old friend, Lucas McIntyre, asks her to attend the summit in his place. But when she arrives, she discovers that a human faction called The Union has taken charge of the summit, and they're not playing nice. Worse yet, someone has killed a prominent Union member... and now they're demanding blood.
Anywhere But Here
Jason D. Morrow - 2014
But what she finds is a place wrought with mystery, shady dealings, and more instability than she anticipates. The Starborn Ascension takes place 57 years before The Starborn Uprising, and can be read independently.
Murder on the Mind
L.L. Bartlett - 2005
But after suffering a fractured skull in a vicious mugging, he reluctantly accepts the fact that he has a long and brutal recovery to face—and his closest of kin can provide him with the time and place to do it. Now, Jeff is haunted by unexplained visions of a heinous crime—a banker, stalked, killed, and eviscerated like a ten-point buck. When Matt Sumner’s murder is discovered, a still-recovering Jeff realizes this was what he had seen. Jeff must not only convince himself of his new-found psychic ability, but also his skeptical brother Richard Alpert. Since Sumner was Richard’s banker, both brothers have a stake in finding out what happened. With Richard’s reluctant help, Jeff’s investigation leads him to Sumner’s belligerent family and hard-nosed business associates, none of whom want him snooping around. When Jeff discovers a second victim, he knows he must relentlessly chase his quarry even if it means risking his brother’s life.
Bloody Little Secrets
Karly Kirkpatrick - 2011
She's dead. Or not quite. After discovering she's been turned into a vampire, she tries to settle into a quiet suburb of Chicago and return to a normal life. If only she could stop wanting to bite her boyfriend. Not to mention she is dying to find out who turned her, and why. She doesn't have to wait long before they come to her.
The Death Series; Boxed Set
Tamara Rose Blodgett - 2012
When teens receive a government-sanctioned pharmaceutical cocktail during school, paranormal abilities begin manifesting... making the teens more powerful than the adults.After Caleb discovers he has the rare, Affinity for the Dead, he must do whatever it takes to hide it from a super-secret government agency whose goal is exploitation. Caleb seeks refuge in his new girlfriend, Jade, until he realizes that she needs as much protection from her family, as he does from the government.Suddenly, Caleb finds that hiding his ability while protecting Jade and his friends is a full time job; can he escape the government, protect Jade and lose the bullies that are making him miserable? (App. 119,000 word count.)DEATH SPEAKS:Caleb's in high school now and thinks the chaos of last year is behind him. Unfortunately, a serial killer is on the loose and children are his victims. Caleb agrees to help the police apprehend the murderer...until the killer takes notice of Caleb and his paranormal friends.Carson and Brett remain the bullies they always were and their posse continues to grow. How long can the two groups stay out of each others' way before there's a firestorm of retribution...The Government Graysheets continue to keep tabs on Caleb's every move while Jade's family threatens their relationship. Can they still be together even when events threaten to tear them apart? (App. 92,000 word count.)DEATH INCEPTION:Kyle Ulysses Hart and his team of scientists mapped the human genome in the year 2010. As Brain Impulse Technology came online... so did the long arm of the United States government. A covert, military-driven regime was born with genetic manipulation the key to future widespread control. When pharmaceutical laboratories, funded by the Graysheets, discover a way to unlock paranormal potential through compulsive inoculation, their exploitative dream is realized.Clyde and Caleb's lives are predestined to intertwine as they cross paths, his history becoming Caleb's future.A lone teenager named Jeffrey Parker, falls prey when he manifests the rare, Affinity for the Dead. The Graysheets abandon all pretense of stewardship, ripping him from his family for their nefarious purposes. Can Jeffrey remain who he was destined to be in an environment exclusively built for mass control? (App. 24,000 word count._
Chips of Red Paint
K. Martin Beckner - 2013
Following a frightening premonition from a mysterious neighbor, Brian, believing he has inadvertently contributed to the death of his grandmother's housekeeper, runs away from home with his best friend, Charlie. Aided by their friend Stephanie, the two friends find refuge with an old man living a hermit's life on a nearby knob. The old man teaches the boys the virtues of living a simple life and teaches them even more about letting go of the past and never taking things for granted. It all comes to a terrifying climax one day when Charlie climbs inside an abandoned, rusty truck, a truck that still has a few chips of red paint, and closes the door. Here begins a struggle between life and death. Chips of Red Paint is a modern Southern Gothic novel that weaves the past with the present into a colorful quilt that touches every emotion.
Escape: The First Omnibus WTF I-III
W.J. Lundy - 2014
Brad and his comrades realize the war for humanity has only just begun. And there's no guarantee any of them will survive the long journey home...Escaping The Dead:Alone in a foreign land. The radio goesquiet while on convoy in Afghanistan, a lost patrol alone in the desert. Withhis unit and his home base destroyed, Staff Sergeant Brad Thompson suddenlyfinds himself isolated and in command of a small group of men trying to survivein the Afghan wasteland.Every turn leads to danger. The local populationhas been afflicted with an illness that turns them into rabid animals. Theypursue him and his men at every corner and stop. Struggling to hold his teamtogether and unite survivors, he must fight and evade his way to safety.Tales Of The Forgotten:The world is at war with the PrimalVirus. Military forces across the globe have been recalled to defend thehomelands as the virus spreads and decimates populations.Out on patrol and assigned to a remote base inAfghanistan, Staff Sergeant Brad Thompson's unit was abandoned and left behind,alone and without contact.They survived and have built a refuge, but nowthey are forgotten. No contact with their families or commands.Brad makes a tough decision to leave the safety ofhis compound to try and make contact with the States, desperate to find rescuefor his men.What he finds is worse than he could have everpredicted.Only The Dead Live Forever:The escape from Afghanistan was only thebeginning.The Trio survived the initial fall, and built arefuge, they thought they had reached safety, but only to find themselves onceagain abandoned and surrounded by the primals. No contact with their familiesor commands, no relief from the rabid enemy. The fight continues as Brad andhis men struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic world where the enemy is farmore dangerous than anything they had been trained for.Over land sea and air they will do anything to reach home.
Parched
Z.L. Arkadie - 2011
I nod stiffly to give no indication I know exactly, who that is. I’m shocked to hear that name in this setting, at this stage of my life, the one far away from Cambridge, Massachusetts over five years later.”Advertising Exec, Clarity Parker thought she’d never see Baron Ford again. Five years ago, they shared the date of her life and then he literally vanished into thin air. Now he’s back and has asked that she, exclusively, be assigned to his multi-million dollar account.On the day the fog rolls in, not only can she no longer avoid him but she can no longer avoid herself. See, Clarity has an ability that she’s run away from her entire life. She’s learning an ability like hers doesn’t come for free, and something or someone is trying to make her pay for it with her life.Her world is soon turned upside down after she escapes to a place called Enu. It’s here Clarity learns who and what she truly is. She also learns that Baron Ford is Baron Ze Feldis; he’s a vampire, and what bonds them runs deeper than anything she can ever imagine. Their bond is further tested when they end up not only battling Baron’s psycho ex-vampire girlfriend, who wants Clarity dead but also “the evil” as they journey in search of the book which holds the Prophecy of the Seven Seeds. One thing’s for sure, from this point on, their lives will never be the same.**Edited on 10/24/2011 – If you have the previous version, please email Customer Service to request the most updated version. If you purchased the Ebook on Smashwords, you can simply download the most up-to-date version.
Life Blood
V.M. Black - 2014
He needed her blood.Cora Shaw will do anything to live. Diagnosed with terminal cancer in her senior year of college, she is given a choice: Call hospice, or seek out a mysterious man who promises an impossible—and insanely dangerous—cure.She knows him only as Mr. Thorne, a reclusive billionaire who seems full of contradictions. A man with strange, impossible powers over her.A man, she discovers, who is not a man at all.In the first book of the Aethereal Bonds series, Cora makes a deal with a devil—and gets more than she bargained for.
The Privateer Clause
Ken Rossignol - 2010
Marsha and Danny Jones retired from law enforcement and thought it would be just the thing to break the boredom of retirement to be security consultants to protect the Seven Seas Company's finest ship from trouble. Terrorists, killers and sinister crewmen all plan,plot and purvey their own special brands of crime & death and the only roadblock in their chosen course is the special resilience of this pair of sea cops.Like all cruise ships, the Sea Empress sails year round, providing thrilling new mysteries and suspense for both passengers and crew alike. Your voyage here will last more than one cruise. Pour your favorite drink, suspend your disbelief, prop up your feet and enjoy.The question remains: will Marsha and Danny be able to save the ship from harm?Boarding now and be sure to bring your life jacket to muster stations as the Sea Empress leaves for the Caribbean in this first in the series of great sea adventures.
The Disembodied
John Grover - 2011
In the mist.An apprentice mortician moves his family to the small town of Sotherton to provide them with a better life. Little did he know the dark secret the town and its people harbored. The town sat on the edge of a mist-shrouded forest with a deadly secret. Something lives in the trees, in the mist and it’s jealous. Jealous of all those who have flesh.Disembodied is a preview story from the author’s upcoming collection Creatures and Crypts due out in late 2011. Creatures of the living and the dead gather in a volume of over 70,000 words to stalk their prey…humans. 20 stories set the scene for a cast ranging from the Grim Reaper, shambling zombies and restless spirits, to unimaginable monsters that only inhabit the shapeless darkness and the author’s imagination. Join them as they wreak havoc on their unsuspecting victims and celebrate with a victory dance on hollowed bones.
Clouds Gathering
David Beers - 2016
His corner office looks out on Dallas’s beautiful skyline. His amazing wife and children love him. His father and sister adore him. John has it all. Except every few years, when Harry shows back up. Harry wants John to kill people. Harry wants to watch the world burn. Murderous thoughts take hold of John, and as flames ignite across his life, the sky doesn’t send cool rain water, but blood to feed their hunger. If you love taut, psychological thrillers, grab Red Rain today and prepare to sleep with the lights on!