And certainly what Melville did for whaling Austen does for marriage--tracing the intricacies (not to mention the economics) of 19th-century British mating rituals with a sure hand and an unblinking eye. As usual, Austen trains her sights on a country village and a few families--in this case, the Bennets, the Philips, and the Lucases. Into their midst comes Mr. Bingley, a single man of good fortune, and his friend, Mr. Darcy, who is even richer. Mrs. Bennet, who married above her station, sees their arrival as an opportunity to marry off at least one of her five daughters. Bingley is complaisant and easily charmed by the eldest Bennet girl, Jane; Darcy, however, is harder to please. Put off by Mrs. Bennet's vulgarity and the untoward behavior of the three younger daughters, he is unable to see the true worth of the older girls, Jane and Elizabeth. His excessive pride offends Lizzy, who is more than willing to believe the worst that other people have to say of him; when George Wickham, a soldier stationed in the village, does indeed have a discreditable tale to tell, his words fall on fertile ground. Having set up the central misunderstanding of the novel, Austen then brings in her cast of fascinating secondary characters: Mr. Collins, the sycophantic clergyman who aspires to Lizzy's hand but settles for her best friend, Charlotte, instead; Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. Darcy's insufferably snobbish aunt; and the Gardiners, Jane and Elizabeth's low-born but noble-hearted aunt and uncle. Some of Austen's best comedy comes from mixing and matching these representatives of different classes and economic strata, demonstrating the hypocrisy at the heart of so many social interactions. And though the novel is rife with romantic misunderstandings, rejected proposals, disastrous elopements, and a requisite happy ending for those who deserve one, Austen never gets so carried away with the romance that she loses sight of the hard economic realities of 19th-century matrimonial maneuvering. Good marriages for penniless girls such as the Bennets are hard to come by, and even Lizzy, who comes to sincerely value Mr. Darcy, remarks when asked when she first began to love him: "It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began. But I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley." She may be joking, but there's more than a little truth to her sentiment, as well. Jane Austen considered Elizabeth Bennet "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print". Readers of Pride and Prejudice would be hard-pressed to disagree. --Alix Wilber

    She lives in a planation home that’s been in the family for generations with her overprotective father and Ham, the family guard dog. She dates, but keeps her broken heart under lock and key. Nobody will ever hurt her again like Ian Elliot did. Ian “Hawkeye” Elliot lives his lifelong dream of being a Navy Fighter pilot until a busted eardrum clips his wings forever as a pilot. Brotherhood Protectors, Inc. throws him a lifeline working with other retired veterans offering valuable skills honed by military service. Until his latest assignment, nothing shakes him, but this job threatens not only the life of the woman he loves, but also his heart. Using a visit to his mother as cover, Hawkeye arrives back in town to provide bodyguard services to Piper’s father. His challenge is to keep his charge alive while avoiding the glares and hostility from the girl he left behind. Complicating his job is Ham-the-guard-dog, who hates him. The question is which is more deadly? Bullets, a mean dog, or emotions? Only time will tell.

    She explored her creativity, lived her life on the edge, and never apologized for it.Needless to say, she made enemies along the way, and now one of them wants her dead. Eric “Hawk” Standing can’t get the screams out his ears, or visions of what he’s done out of his head. When a string of missions hits too close to home, he loses the thin hold he had on his spiraling PTSD. Under Medical Review, and faced with losing his military career, he’s offered a job by Brotherhood Protection to get away and relax. But a rich socialite isn’t what he finds in Lana, nor the easy mission he originally thought it’d be. Instead, he finds a temptress with the heart of an eagle, and a blazing love that singes away the pain. He just has to keep her alive long enough to keep what he’s found.

     When a terrorist plot results in the detonation of several nuclear devices across the West Coast, the Frasers are thrown into disarray and their strained familial relationships are tested as they watch society collapse around them. Tens of millions of people are killed, injured and driven away from their homes as the result of a sinister plot that the government and its citizens are struggling to understand. With their older daughter lost in the chaos, the Frasers must somehow pull together to support each other and fight to reunite their family. Darkness Rising is a thrilling post-apocalyptic series that follows the survivors of a massive terrorist attack that isn't quite what it seems. As you learn more about the Fraser family and a few brave government agents who are attempting to unravel the horror and mystery behind the attacks, you'll soon discover that not everything in the apocalypse is as it appears to be. Written as a collaboration between Justin Bell and #1 bestselling post-apocalyptic author Mike Kraus, Darkness Rising is a gripping, unique and timely take on the post-apocalyptic genre, and is one that will leave you breathless with every turn of the page. This complete edition of Darkness Rising features all six books in the series, each one full of action, suspense and drama as the Fraser family struggles to survive the end of days.

    Her grandfather died in a suspicious accident, she nearly lost the ranch to foreclosure, and now mysterious mutilations are killing her cattle. She suspects her supremacist neighbor is behind the crimes, but can’t prove it. When Ghost arrives on her land, offering to get justice, she’s hard-pressed to refuse his help. He’s sexy as sin and a former Army Ranger, his talents as a sniper unequaled. The way he looks at her unmatched. Ghost can’t help himself. He’s never met a more determined woman, her courage and intelligence captivating him. As a Blackfoot, he’s always called Montana home. With Nic here, he’s not going anywhere. Good thing as the attacks escalate. Facing insurmountable odds to save her land, Nic and Ghost form a formidable defense, while also surrendering to passion neither can resist.

    To Kill a MockingbirdThe Shoes of the FishermanSeven Days in MayTo Catch an Angel

    Man and beast have one goal in mind—protect their mate from the enemies chasing her tail. A LONE WOMAN ON THE RUN… Lauren Reilly is exceptional at her job as a historical archivist at the Pentagon. Except her mad skills lead to discovering files so top secret that her life is now forfeit. That old joke “If I tell you, I have to kill you”? Yeah, turns out it’s not so funny when it’s real. After an attempt on her life, she reaches out to a friend of a friend for help. When assistance arrives in the form of a hot bodyguard from the Brotherhood Protectors, Lauren is so far out of her comfort zone she wants to turn tail and run. DISCOVER THEY AREN'T ALONE AFTER ALL. Under a Montana Moon, a moonstruck Wolf can depend on friends old and new to help rescue the woman he loves. Even if they have to burn down the world saving her from their enemies.

    And the tattoo on her skin and under her skin, which read “property of Z”, had to go. At the Three C’s ranch, she was determined to learn how to fight hard and how to step into a new life. She’d go to the required classes and otherwise keep to herself. The last thing she was looking for was a new man. She was too busy hiding from her violent ex and his motorcycle club, for if Z found her; she knew he would kill her. Sergeant Tim “Timbers” Watson USMC opted not to re-enlist in order to stay home when he learned his dad had six months to live. After his father’s death, when an offer came in from the Brotherhood Protectors, he stepped up. Providing security would be a breeze compared to his time in Iraq. Little did she know that when she met Timbers, her walls would start coming down. He wasn’t put off by Red’s attitude or the walls she’d put up. He’d take those logs down slowly and show her the difference between her controlling, violent ex and this Marine who fought for his country and his women to be independent.

    A great story with lots of twists! I was literally spellbound." "I love J. M. Klaire's stories. They are hot, sexy, sexy stories of finding your true mate." Get every story in the Alpha Hunted series, all in one huge bundle collection of shifter goodness! BEFORE THE HUNT: PREQUEL When a wolf shifter with commitment issues teams up with a runaway bride to find her a new groom- the claws come out and the fur flies! Meet Sandra, a runaway bride looking to provide for her widowed mother, and Naythan, a wolf shifter determined never to settle down. This prequel to the Alpha Hunted series takes place about nine months before Alpha Hunted: Keelyn & Bane. ALPHA HUNTED: KEELYN & BANE Fate’s dark design brings them together... in a mating neither is ready for. Five years after witnessing her father's death, Keelyn has become what she never wanted to be: a were-hunter. Surprisingly good at the career she'd had thrust upon her that fateful day, she heads to the yearly gathering to pay her farm's rent with money earned from hunting werewolf hearts and pelts. Bane and his wolf pack are also headed to the yearly gathering when Bane, the pack's Alpha, finally scents the female his wolf says is to be their forever mate. There's only one problem- she also scents of death and wet wolf hide. When Bane follows Keelyn into the woods, neither are prepared for the passion, or the truths, they're each about to face. Can they survive the revelations that lie ahead? Or has fate doomed them to an impossible love? ALPHA HUNTED 2: BELLA & MAC Feeling desperate and alone, pregnant with a baby left behind during a rape, the last thing Bella needs is for her were-hunter sister to bring strange men home. Mac, a bear shifter traveling with his adopted wolf pack, scents pregnant Bella as his mate. Mac's first instinct is to provide for and protect Bella, but Bella's first instinct is to aim a shovel at his head. Secrets and shifters being welcomed into a house of were-hunters, who each hold secrets of their own. What could possibly go wrong? ALPHA HUNTED 3: IVY, DAVID & RYKER When two wolf-pack enforcers show up right in the middle of some serious family drama, Ivy is almost too busy with her own personal crisis to notice how hot the tattooed bad boys are. With secrets being revealed left and right, her family being hunted, and her own hidden identity a key to the whole thing, the last thing she needs is two lone wolves claiming that she, and only she, can complete their triad and become their mate. Not sure she even believes in fated mates, and needing to keep her family together while getting to the bottom of a mystery three generations in the making, she tells the men no. And no isn't a word they are used to hearing. ALPHA HUNTED 4: ENID & THE KING Enid raised her three young daughters to hate, and hunt, shifters. So, of course one mated a werewolf, the other a bear, and the third mated not one but two of the rag-tag pack's wolf enforcers. When Enid finds herself entwined in the lives of her girls, their mates, and their king, who just happens to be a sexy-as-sin dragon shifter, her first thought is, "FML.

    The ex-recon marine believes Retribution, Arizona is the perfect place to hide out, but he quickly learns how very wrong he is. Underneath the old, crusty surface of the dying town, hides the Montoya Cartel.DEA Agent Luis Ferrero has expressed to his bosses for a long time the need for a task force to fight the cartels on their own ground. He’s about to get his wish, and to head up his team, he wants the Reaper.From then on, Team Reaper is born – finding themselves in bloody battles, crusades of vengeance and threats of terrorist attacks, the action is relentless and never lets up.They’re coming.Team Reaper Series: Volume One includes – Retribution, Deadly Intent, Termination Order, Blood Rush, Kill Count, Relentless, Lethal Tender and Empty Quiver.

    Finally, all the years of law school and countless hours dedicated to studying are over and she’s working the case she hoped she’d get. This could make or break her career. She’s ready for it. What she doesn’t expect is the ominous threats and the very real possibility she could lose her life because of it.Cairo sacrificed everything for his career. Now it’s time to say goodbye and walk away with his head held high. That is, it will be after one final case, but this is no ordinary case and the attorney is no ordinary woman. She’s smart, sexy, and naïve about the danger she’s in.Notorious mob kingpin Moses Giovanni never loses. People are expendable to him. And the hot young attorney with a chip on her shoulder is next on his list of people who need to be erased.Find out how one case brings Bria, Cairo, and Moses face-to-face. The fight is on. Will Cairo’s last case end in disaster? Can he keep Bria safe from harm or is he in over his head?

     A Texas Ranger, relegated to deskwork due to past recklessness, petitions to regain custody of his five-year-old daughter, and his case is assigned to a family court judge who is as attractive as she is ambitious. When a masked gunman barges in during the custody hearing with his sights on the judge, the Ranger reacts instinctually and goes after him. But authorities apprehend the wrong man, and the real gunman remains unknown, at large, and a threat. Will this take-charge lawman jeopardize his chances of custody by going after the would-be assassin? And will this unlikely pair be able to deny the forbidden attraction building between them?

    Benny isn’t interested in the family business, but he reluctantly agrees to train as a zombie killer with his big brother Tom. He expects a dull job, whacking zoms for cash. What he discovers is a vocation that will teach him what it really means to be human. This boxed set contains the complete series: Rot & Ruin, Dust & Decay, Flesh & Bone, and Fire & Ash.

    Their hard won victory came from the aid of an alliance of aliens long at war with an aggressive force. With the aid of advanced technology, humanity retrofitted their surviving vessel. The Behemoth became a shield against any future incursions. Now a strange ship has arrived, heading straight toward Earth. As it is not answering hails, the Behemoth heads out to intercept. The operation is interrupted by other visitors from beyond the solar system. Outnumbered the Behemoth must fend off the invaders once again but this time, the stakes are much higher. Warfare: Rise Of Mankind Book 2 Barely recovered from a battle against an alien incursion, the Behemoth waits to see how the alliance wishes to leverage their discovery, the weapon code named Protocol Seven. When two warships arrive from their allies with an offer difficult to refuse, they find themselves leant out to travel outside the solar system to a secret research facility. But what was promised to be a milk run turns into something completely different. With limited resources and a new commander on board their companion ship, they must stay alive. Combined with a potential threat from within, the odds are stacked high against them. Only their ingenuity and the perseverance of the human spirit may keep them alive. Raid: Rise Of Mankind Book 3 Earth has nearly completed a second ship, a sister vessel to the Behemoth. This crowning achievement is hampered by a lack of a necessary element called Ulem, mined in deep space spread throughout Alliance space. The closest such station failed to deliver their goods. A lone security guard managed to deploy a simple message: PIRATES HAVE TAKEN THE STATION Turning to the Earth military council, the Alliance asks them to send the Behemoth to take back the station. In return, they will provide them with all the Ulem they need for two vessels and stay on to complete the construction of the ships. But the Behemoth has just finished a nasty engagement at a research facility and has not even returned home yet. Conflict: Rise Of Mankind Book 4 Disaster strikes The Behemoth, en route home after a successful mission liberating a mining facility from pirates, finds itself drifting in an uncharted sector of space. As the crew comes to, made ill by this jump drive malfunction, they spring into action to restore the ship to operational status so they can get home. However, they quickly find they are not alone. Surrounded by a native fleet of warships, they are viewed with suspicion as an alien force infringing on another culture’s space. They attempt to communicate but find themselves moving toward a conflict they do not want. The Behemoth may find themselves stuck in the far reaches of space with no hope of getting home. Pursuit: Rise Of Mankind Book 5 The Behemoth, has been selected to receive the honor of formally joining the alliance. As they prepare for the voyage and ceremony to come, not all are easy aboard the battleship. Clea An’Tufal, liaison aboard The Behemoth, wakes from a revelatory dream. Her first assignment ended in tragedy, the ship she served on was destroyed in a massive battle. Just before the final shot forced them to evacuate, she discovered a signal, an enemy secret that could change the tide of the war.

    1-4 is now available as a box set! ** Glen Carter had it all: a wife, a family, a thriving medical practice … until tragedy struck and the life he once adored was nothing more than a heartbreaking memory. With few resources and little knowledge of how to survive without the conveniences of modern life, he dissolves into the woods, where he finds forgiveness and embraces life off the grid. Then, once again, his life is upended … An impending solar storm threatens the earth, but governing bodies have opted to keep that information close to the vest. But their attempts fail. The storm devastates the electrical grids and leaves the world in chaos. That is, everyone except Glen … for now.