It is a place of contradictions—the bright lights mask the peeling paint; a carnie in greasy overalls slinks away from the direction of the Barker’s seductive call. It is a place of illusion—is that woman’s beard real? How can she live locked in that watery box?And while many are tricked by sleight of hand, there are hints of something truly magical going on. One must remain alert and learn quickly the unwritten rules of this dark show. To beat the carnival, one had better have either a whole lot of luck or a whole lot of guns—or maybe some magic of one’s own.Featuring stories grotesque and comical, outrageous and action-packed, Carniepunk is the first anthology to channel the energy and attitude of urban fantasy into the bizarre world of creaking machinery, twisted myths, and vivid new magic.RACHEL CAINE’s vampires aren’t child’s play, as a naïve teen discovers when her heart leads her far, far astray in “The Cold Girl.” With “Parlor Tricks,” JENNIFER ESTEP pits Gin Blanco, the Elemental Assassin, against the Wheel of Death and some dangerously creepy clowns. SEANAN McGUIRE narrates a poignant, ethereal tale of a mysterious carnival that returns to a dangerous town after twenty years in “Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid, and the Open, Lonely Sea.” KEVIN HEARNE’s Iron Druid and his wisecracking Irish wolfhound discover in “The Demon Barker of Wheat Street” that the impossibly wholesome sounding Kansas Wheat Festival is actually not a healthy place to hang out. With an eerie, unpredictable twist, ROB THURMAN reveals the fate of a psychopath stalking two young carnies in “Painted Love.”

    

    The skies have gone rogue. Space can't be tamed. And magic is a law unto itself. Transport yourself to new worlds where dark magic clashes with witty witches, diabolic demons, feisty fae, and sexy shifters. Or travel through time and space with cosmic spies, space thieves, and telepathic pirates. Add in a dash of Victorian heroes and inhuman soldiers, and you have a one-of-a-kind science fiction and fantasy collection of intoxicating proportions. Fans of Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Neil Gaiman, Anne McCaffrey, John Scalzi or Sarah J. Maas, Leigh Bardugo, Tamora Pierce, Lois Lowry, and Maria V. Snyder will find themselves transported to weird realms and epic otherworlds in this reality-optional boxset. Rogues and Rebels, Magic and Mayhem, Futures and Fantasy—there's no limit to the excitement that awaits when you turn the pages of this collection of spellbinding adventures from some of today's best-selling Science Fiction and Fantasy authors. 1-click ROGUE SKIES today! With stories by... Missy De Graff Bella Andrews Ashlee Nicole Bye Emma Jane Holloway Candace Sams Melinda Kucsera Jennifer Ellision Mirren Hogan USA Today bestselling author Suzanne Jenkins Brantwijn Serrah USA Today bestselling author Shereen Vedam C.L. Cannon S.A. McClure Karen M. Bryson & Candace Segar Rae Hendricks & Lianne Willowmoon Lee French Tamsin Baker Joynell Schultz Tracy Korn Shannon Pemrick Suzanne Hagelin Nadine Travers Cecilia Dominic Bill Hargenrader Jason J. Nugent

     Just when correctional nurse October Grace has a handle on her stressful job and taking care of her mentally ill mother, a shapeshifting warrior and a half-vampire plunge her into a foreign land that’s on the brink of starvation. Now, with a ticking clock and a target on her back, October takes up the mantle of becoming one of the rare Omens who can bring hope to a dying world. Mason and Von remain by her side to shield the national treasure while she sacrifices herself to reap the souls that will feed the nations of Terraway. As the death toll rises daily, October finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat world where fairytale creatures run wild… and every day is a new bloody battle. Taste is book one in an 8-part fantasy romance series.

    Click on the inside feature to view covers, read blurbs, and see book trailers. 1. (YA horror) The Zombie Chronicles 2. (Adult Paranormal Romance) Eternal Vows 3. (YA Vampire series) Crush 4. (YA Paranormal) Enchanted Castle 5. (YA Fantasy & Sci fi) Castaway

    They know just the right spell to kill a man with one kiss—or raise him back again. And they’re not afraid to exact sweet revenge on those who dare to cross them. But what if you’re the unlucky soul who falls victim to a conjurer’s curse? And if you had the power to cast a magic spell of your own, would you use it?In this bewitching collection, nine of today’s hottest paranormal authors tell all-new, otherworldly tales.  Spellbinding stories featuring bigfoot, albino vampires, professional wizards, resurrected boyfriends and even a sex droid from the twenty-third century named Silicon Lily.  But as our conjurers are about to discover, it’s all fun and games until someone gets hexed.  And sometimes, even the best spun spells can lead to complete and utter mayhem. Includes:Retribution Clause by Ilona AndrewsBigfoot on Campus by Jim ButcherHolly’s Balm by Rachel CaineSnow Job by Carole Nelson DouglasOutside The Box by P. N. ElrodHow Do You Feel? by Simon R. GreenThere Will Be Demons by Lori HandelandCherry Kisses by Erica HayesThe Arcane Art of Misdirection by Carrie VaughnLength: 13 hours and 8 minutes

    Banks, Kelley Armstrong, and many more! Horror fiction explores the dark side of human nature, often pushing the limits of violence, graphic gore, and extreme emotions. But with the popularity of shows and movies, such as "The Walking Dead," "True Blood," "Twilight," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," audiences have demonstrated their love for the genre--especially accompanied with a dose of humor to tone down the terror."Blood Lite III: Aftertaste" continues to put the fun back into dark fiction, featuring a wide range of humorous and highly entertaining horror-filled tales. Edited by Horror Writers Association founding member and award-winning author Kevin J. Anderson, the stories vary in tone from wry to downright laugh-out-loud funny. Featuring such well-known horror writers as Jim Butcher, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Christopher Golden, and many others, this collection of tales is perfect for anyone who enjoys being entertained as much as they love a good scare.Contents:I was a teenage Bigfoot / Jim Butcher --Blood-red greens / Joel A. Sutherland --V plates / Kelley Armstong --Put on a happy face / Christopher Golden --Devil's contract / E.S. Magill --Nine-tenths of the law / Eric James Stone --Scrumptious bone bread / Jeff Strand --Let that be a lesson to you / Mark Onspaugh --Mint in box / Mike Baron --Great zombie invasion of 1979 / J.G. Faherty --Dating after the apocalypse / Stephen Dorato --Typecast / Jeff Ryan --Making the cut / Mike Resnick, Lezli Robyn --Acknowledgments / Will Ludwigsen --Mannequin / Heather Graham --Short term / Daniel Pyle --Distressed travelers / Nina Kiriki Hoffman --Bayou brawl / L.A. Banks --Steeple people / John Alfred Taylor --For sale / David Sakmyster --Man who could not be bothered to die / Norman Prentiss --Last demon / Don D'Ammassa --Misadventure to call your own / Adrian Ludens --Smoke and mirrorballs / Chris Abbey --Brians!!! / D.L. Snell --Still life / Ken Lilli-Paetz --Day in the life / Sherrilyn

    Angels’ Judgment: Seek out a traitor in the midst of a guild of nonlethal vampire trackers, one that intends to eradicate the entire species of bloodsuckers. Magic Mourns: Find out why the giant, three-headed dog that guards the gates of Hades has left the underworld for the real world—and whose scent he’s following. Blind Spot: Join a vampire’s butler in the perilous search for her employer’s niece, aided by a blind—and damn sexy—companion and a hellhound. Today’s hottest paranormal authors deliver four all-new adventures starring man’s worst friend…

    But can beautiful Myst the Coveted accept an enemy vampire as her own? Tehya has spent the last twelve years as an accidental wolf, but is truly a vampire at heart. When she gets injured, Lobo sneaks her inside MoonBound’s headquarters and nurses her back to health…with potentially deadly consequences. Desire collides with danger in “Forsaken by Night,” a MoonBound Clan novella from Larissa Ione! In Gena Showalter’s Otherworld Assassins novella, Dark Swan, Lilica Swan isn’t quite human or otherworlder; she is the best—and worst—of both. She is willing to do whatever proves necessary to save her sister from the seductive and deadly Alien Investigation and Removal agent, Dallas Gutierrez, even bond her life to his…effectively wedding him. But without consummation, the bond will fade. Can Dallas resist his insatiable desire for the powerful beauty? Or will she lead to his ultimate downfall?

    J. Coakley is the spellbinding novel that reveals that the deepest love need not be confined to the trappings of one world.The first in a series of paranormal romances, Kairos swirls in mankind, magic, and mythology as it chronicles the first blush of yearning between Sulwen Macgregor, a shy and sheltered college senior, and Logan Thatcher, a mesmerizing former playboy with arresting good looks, an offbeat sense of humor, and an ironclad moral code. When the two meet, Sulwen has no inkling that she soon will embark on an odyssey that not only exposes Logan as other than mortal, but uncovers astonishing aspects of her own being as well.As Logan saves Sulwen from fast-approaching peril, the two must discover if their love is truly without bounds and strong enough to fend off adversaries far more craven than they ever could fathom. With wild imagination, otherworldly passion, and heart-pumping action, Kairos goes where no human being has dared, all in the name of love.

    Literally. Pepper has one job. It’s a pity she can’t remember what it is! Waking up in a strange cabin, well everything is strange when you’ve lost your memory, she learns to trust Bas, even if he is a lawyer! Things get stranger when she learns what she was wearing when Bas found her. Something is amok! Join Bas and Pepper, as they put the pieces back together in this fun-filled, holiday romp. Warning, includes two flying reindeer, a sleigh, a sexy bear shifter, Krampus and maybe a Christmas Elf or two. Unsuitable for those who do not believe in Christmas Magic! You have been warned! Claused Bear shifter Kain, who also happens to be a lawyer, has just met his mate. There’s just one problem, she’s crazy. Like, two sandwiches short of a picnic crazy. Why? Because his mate, a wonderfully curvy woman, named Marraine Le Fey, thinks someone has stolen her magic wand. That’s right. Her. Magic. Wand. And why does she have a magic wand? Because she’s a fairy godmother of course! None of this alters the fact that she’s his bonded mate, so he’s going to get Marra out of jail, and find her some help. Only she doesn’t want psychiatric help, that would be too easy. Instead, Marra wants Kain to assist her in her role, as a wandless fairy godmother. For Marraine Le Fey has a Cinderella, who needs her help. If you want to know who gets to go to the ball—Well, it’s not really a ball, more of a business presentation. This is the twenty-first century, after all— Come join the fun, in Claused. Because once you make a fairy godmother a promise, there’s no getting out of it. Wrapped Asher has taken on numerous roles while working undercover, but this might be his most difficult yet, because it involves family. Not his family, he never knew his own mom, and spent his early years in foster homes—until he ran away, knowing he was different, and afraid of how bad that different was. One man saved him, one man took him in and taught him what it was to be a shifter. One man, Carlisle, who accepted him, even though he is a wolf, and Asher is a bear. Now, Carlisle, the man who became his adoptive father, wants him to help figure out what happened to Jeremiah, the alpha of his old pack in Timber Rest, who is lying in a coma. But Carlisle hasn’t been back there for years, and things change. Will they be welcomed, or run out of town? Especially when the pack find out that Asher is a bear shifter. Kelli has been asked by her aunt to help figure out what happened to her uncle, the pack leader, Jeremiah. She travels to the pack home of Timber Rest immediately, no one can ignore the call, even if she was supposed to be lying on a hot beach somewhere with her girlfriends. When Asher and Kelli meet, their attraction is intense, and their true mate bond can’t be ignored. But they have work to do, and together the aim to work out what happened to Jeremiah, and how to get him out of his mysterious coma. However, neither of them are prepared for what is revealed in a cave, high up in the Mistletoe Mountains. A leprechaun, and a fairy, no less. This is Wrapped, after all, you didn’t expect normal, did you?

     The strong alpha heroes in our anthology are determined to claim their mates—but their women are anything but submissive. They'll have to work twice as hard to get what they want. It'll be a power struggle as the alphas and their women learn that the volatile energy between them is the beginning of something wonderful. These nine hand-picked stories are hot enough to curl your toes. Get ready to fall in love with an alpha.

    It will take every bit of magic simmering beneath her skin for the Stormwalker to survive being “Double Hexed.”From national bestselling author Jeanne C. Stein comes “Blood Debt,” in which bounty-hunter-turned-vampire Anna Strong is visited by three witches who ask her to right an old magical wrong. Anna will have to live up to her last name to make it through alive.

    A finely wrought filigree of stars, vines, flowers, butterflies, ancient symbols and words ran from her feet, up her legs, over her narrow waist, spanned her chest and finished down her arms to the tips of her fingers.Born into a life of secrets and service, Chrysabelle's body bears the telltale marks of a comarré—a special race of humans bred to feed vampire nobility. When her patron is murdered, she becomes the prime suspect, which sends her running into the mortal world...and into the arms of Malkolm, an outcast vampire cursed to kill every being from whom he drinks.Now, Chrysabelle and Malkolm must work together to stop a plot to merge the mortal and supernatural worlds. If they fail, a chaos unlike anything anyone has ever seen will threaten to reign.

    Previously published in the print anthology Unbound.A nightwalker is slain, and suspicion falls on Mira—Fire Starter—the last hope of her immortal race, in Jocelynn Drake's The Dead, the Damned, and the Forgotten.