Her father’s will bequeathed the land to whichever of his offspring would put in a crop and stake a claim to it. Olivia insists, “I’m sprung off him just as much as Avis or Tobey.”The problem: she’s seventeen, female, and it’s 1841.She has a friend who would make a perfect partner for this endeavor. Mourning Free knows how to run a farm, having worked many years for local farmers. More importantly, Olivia has complete trust in him and no fear of a romantic entanglement developing between them. Mourning will put in the crop for her and she will then help him buy land of his own.The problem: Mourning is black, the orphaned son of runaway slaves, and reluctant to travel and work with a white girl. He especially fears the private agents from the south who patrol the free states, hunting fugitive slaves.Olivia believes she and Mourning can make their partnership work and they set off together. All goes well, despite the drudgery of survival in an isolated log cabin. Incapable of acknowledging her feelings for Mourning, Olivia thinks her biggest problem is her unrequited romantic interest in their young, single neighbor. Then she is betrayed and violated and her world falls apart.Strong-willed, vulnerable, and compassionate, Olivia is a compelling protagonist on a journey to find a way to do the right thing in a world in which so much is wrong.Awards2010 YWO Book of the Year2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, Quarter-Finalist

    Not Everest. She wants answers. She wants to know more about Slade, her mother, her father, not to mention being a First Descendant.Why is being a teenager so complicated when you’re a witch that dragons fear?

    Things will never be the same again, they said. Isn't it wonderful, they said. But no one knows what to say now. My husband wants to take the kids. My husband thinks the accident was my fault. My husband thinks I need help. But I think he wants rid of me.

    But dangerous omens brand her an Outcast, and the Elders name her Iluna.As Iluna comes of age, dark magic, war, and treachery soon jeopardize the life of every clan member; many suspect Iluna and her gift. Is she to blame? Or is she salvation?Iluna must decide: save the clan, or save herself. 'The Secret Chronicles of Lost Magic' is a collection of standalone epic fantasy novels rather than a series. Each novel is a complete story that invites readers to fully immerse into a rich fantasy world. Each ‘Chronicle’ is set in a different era within the same world and can be read in any order, but here’s the chronology for interested readers:#1 The Raven – a ‘prehistoric’ era#2 Dragonshade – a ‘Bronze Age’ era BONUS CONTENT If you enjoy The Raven and would like to read a follow-up short story trilogy, you can sign up to Aderyn's monthly newsletter to get your free copy of the first story, The Doom of Arlg-Teg. Visit aderynwood(dot)com to learn more.

    (Best Thrillers)  Two years after an anonymous tip helps reporter Levi Cole break one of the biggest political scandals in recent memory, the same unknown conspirators expose him for fabricating parts of his stories. After resigning from his cushy job in Dallas, Levi returns to his rural Texas Panhandle hometown to regroup and win over Kat Hallaway - the married woman and fellow reporter he left behind - by helping her cover a grisly murder. But, as Levi and Kat get close to unraveling the mystery, she is kidnapped by the killer. When Levi finally finds Kat, he learns the identity of his tormentors and how they connect to the murder. Faced with the truth, Levi must decide how far he will go to rescue the woman he loves and regain control of his life.

    But the truth can’t stay hidden for long.Emma is a loving wife, a devoted mother…and an involuntary killer. For years she’s been hiding the dead body of the teacher who seduced her as a teen.It’s a secret that might have stayed buried if only her life had been less perfect. A promotion for Emma’s husband, Alex, means they can finally move to a bigger home with their young son. But with a buyer lined up for their old house, Emma can’t leave without destroying every last trace of her final revenge…Returning to the shallow grave in the garden, she finds it empty. The body is gone.Panicked, Emma confesses to her husband. But this is only the beginning. Soon, Alex will discover things about her he’ll wish he’d learned sooner. And others he’ll long to forget.

    Now though, she is desperate to track down the stranger who saved her life. DCI Tony Morgan thought he had escaped his old career, but when he receives a call from his ex-boss to tell him that there’s been a hit and run in the area, leaving a young woman trapped in a burning car and left to die, he knows that he must return and help to investigate. Meanwhile, Megan sets out to track down the man who pulled her from the car that night, and in doing so, develops a strange infatuation for him. As secrets are revealed, and the truth starts to emerge, it soon becomes clear that Megan is still in danger, and the life-saving hero may not be everything that she wants him to be. A twisty, psychological drama combining crime, mystery and romance.

    Will Lou be the next victim? Find out in Motion to Kill.

    But she’s safe now. She lives in a gated community, protected from danger. When teenager Elle knocks at her door looking for shelter during a particularly severe storm, the woman can’t help but think how lucky Elle’s been to have found someone as friendly as her. Except Elle chose her door on purpose…She knows all about Charlotte’s secrets because they ruined her family and her life. And it is time that everyone else knew. But Charlotte’s past has left a dark void in her life, so she is concocting her own vicious plan, convinced that Elle can help fill that void.As events unfold, the truth unravels and pulls both women into a dangerous game that will leave you wondering, Who’s the villain?

    Sustaining severe injuries, he reluctantly takes early retirement fromthe police force. Estranged from his ex-wife and young son, but desperate to return to their affections, Crow tries to rebuild his life. In a struggle to regain his former independence, strength and purpose, he starts a private investigation practice. ​ ​ ​To bring some muscle to the operation, Crow teams up with his old school friend and former college football player, Don Hanson. Don’s colorful personality contrasts with Crow’s no-nonsense approach to make a unique team. Like most new companies, business starts slowly but then quickly takes flight when a public figure hires him to find a missing person. Find a missing person? Simple enough, especially with his experience, but it soon becomes apparent that they're out of their depth.​Tony Crow pits his small team against a formidable opposition, as he becomes aware of dark secrets and hidden agendas that could bring them down without a trace, and affect the future of America.

    Driven on by the discovery of a methane release that could alter the world's sea-level, with catastrophic consequences, they will stop at nothing to secure their wealth and fortunes. Will their actions help the world to preserve the remaining resources, or are their motives more sinister?Sergeant Kyle Gibbs is a disgruntled Scotsman, who after serving as an SAS team leader for a now disintegrating British Government, jumps at the opportunity to become a mercenary for this secret Billionaires Club. After a failed incursion into an oil-rich country, Gibbs, and his team are left at the mercy of the African Continent as they scramble to get back to England and find out which one of their paymasters set them up to fail.With the initial signs of climate change affecting London, they race through the poverty-stricken city streets, trying to expose the traitor.Book 1 in the Kyle Gibbs Series.

    Amant has been crowned Rex, King of Carnival. But his day of glory comes to an abrupt and bloody end when a parade-goer dressed as Dolly Parton guns him down. Is the killer his aimless, promiscuous daughter Marcelle? Homosexual, mistreated son Henry? Helpless, alcoholic wife Bitty? Or some unknown player? Turns out the king had enemies...AXEMAN'S JAZZWhat's the perfect killing field for a murderer? A place where he (or maybe she) can learn your secrets from your own mouth and then make friends over coffee. A supposedly "safe" place where anonymity is the norm. The horror who calls himself The Axeman has figured it out and claimed his territory—he's cherry-picking his victims in the 12-Step programs of New Orleans.JAZZ FUNERALSkip Langdon just happens to be on hand when Ham Brocato, director of New Orleans Jazzfest, is discovered dead on the kitchen floor in the middle of his own party the evening before the Fest. To complicate the already murky case, the victim's sixteen-year-old blues musician sister has disappeared, and Skip suspects that if the young woman isn't the murderer, she's in mortal danger from the person who is. Melody's dangerous yet exhilarating journey tugs at the heart and raises the pulse rate.DEATH BEFORE FACEBOOKIt’s a chilly November in 1994, and thirty-one-year-old Geoff Kavanagh surreptitiously splits his time between science fiction novels and cyberspace in his parents’ dilapidated, overgrown, uptown New Orleans mansion. Until his mother finds him dead from a suspicious fall off a ladder. Maybe he should never have posted about seeing his father murdered …HOUSE OF BLUESSugar Hebert arrives home from a ten-minute errand to find her husband shot to death and the rest of her family missing—including her daughter Reed, heir apparent to the Hebert restaurant dynasty, and Reed's eleven-month-old daughter.

     Detective Sydney Valentine is more than willing to sacrifice a normal life to put ruthless killers behind bars. But even the seasoned detective can't quite shake the image of Scrabble letters stuffed into a dead social worker’s mouth. With a puzzling crime scene and no immediate suspects, Valentine's trail threatens to turn cold…When another suspicious death hints at a shadowy past, Valentine suspects she has a clever serial killer on her hands. As the investigative noose tightens and the body count rises, will the determined detective piece together the clues in time, or will she become the next victim of the murderer's deadly game?The Protector is a gripping police procedural novel. If you like stories with complex twists and gutsy heroines, then you'll love Danielle L. Davis's captivating book. Buy The Protector to scrabble for killer clues today!

    He’s all dressed up with nowhere to spy. Josh Sulenski is an Internet prodigy with some serious James Bond fantasies and more money than 37 countries. Together, they’re out to save the world…in style. John Crane bursts onto the espionage scene in Rope on Fire. On only his second mission for the top secret Hurricane Group, the U.S. Government suddenly shuts Hurricane down, leaving Crane an agent without an agency. Adrift in Key West, he's approached by Internet billionaire Josh Sulenski, who asks him to find out why one of his charitable projects is under attack deep in Puerto Rico's rain forest. Crane finds himself battling corrupt police officers and drug smugglers with no authority and no backup. For the first time, he's on his own. Branislav Skala is an aging gangster whose ruthlessness and ambition helped him claw his way up from the gutters of communist Czechslovakia to rule a criminal empire. Skala thinks he’s reached the top of the heap and is ready to retire to his palatial country estate—until he discovers a whole new game of transnational power blocs, capital networks, and vicious battles among competing factions. Skala wants a seat at this new table, and he has a plan to get one. It’s a plan that puts him squarely in John Crane’s sights. When their destinies collide, Branislav Skala will learn that this new game doesn’t follow the same rules he’s used to. And John Crane will find a broken laptop with the power to change his life forever. So join John Crane for freewheeling adventure in a world of glamour, intrigue, and action. Because spy stories are supposed to be fun!

    Meanwhile his wife, English expat Paula, is distraught. Her pursuit of answers is deflected when her neighbor, troublesome retiree Shirley Mobad, co-opts Paula on her escapades around the Canary Islands.Paula’s search for her husband quickly descends into mayhem, danger and intrigue. Before long, she realizes she’s being followed. She needs answers, and fast.But where is Celestino, and will he ever make it back alive? "A Matter of Latitude simmers with danger, betrayal and treachery, drawing the reader into the island’s history of shady dealings and uneasy relationships between natives, tourists and expats... Isobel Blackthorn has crafted an atmospheric and setting-rich novel with alluring lyrical style."  – Sandi Wallace, award-winning crime fiction author