Between fake fire charms and his impenetrable confidence, everyone believes he’s the phoenix he claims to be. The lie is a necessary part of his branding. He’s determined to become a Hero, blessed by the Oracles and venerated by legions of followers. For now, he’s just one more thief slinging magical artifacts on the black market, hoping for infamy to strike like lightning. But he’s never going to become canonized if Gutterman, demon and loan shark, gets his pound of flesh from Cage first. A job offer from the biggest Hero cult in America lights a path to fame—and enough money to repay Gutterman. Unfortunately, Cage’s ex-girlfriend, Brigid Byrne, wants the job as bad as he does. Whoever steals an artifact named Nábrók will be hired. And Brigid doesn’t mind kidnapping, poisoning, and back-stabbing Cage to win… The race of thieves is on. And Cage is bent on scoring Nábrók before all his bad decisions catch up with him.

    Ralph Greyhoof, the owner of the Heart’s Desire Inn, doesn’t like to share. The conflict heats up when Maddy finds a local witch dead in the rose garden. The woman looks a lot like Maudlin and suspicion falls on Ralph. But Maddy knows that as competitive as Ralph is, he wouldn’t resort to murder. Maudlin and Aegis set out to find the killer, even as their own relationship is put to the test. Aegis’s old flame has returned, determined to win him back, no matter what it takes.

     Gingerbread houses, caroling carolers, brightly trimmed trees, big family dinners, pristine snowfalls-the familiar pleasures of the season. But what better pleasure is there than a good holiday story? So open this winter solstice sampler and indulge in fully festive fantasies, nightmares before Christmas, and stunning space-age celebrations. These stories will warm hearts and minds like a blazing Yule log. Fantastic Holiday Stories by Kevin J. Anderson, Mercedes Lackey, Mike Resnick, Kristine Rusch, Jonathan Maberry, Eric James Stone, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Quincy J. Allen, Ken Scholes, Sam Knight, David Boop, Heather Graham, Brad R. Torgersen, and Patricia Briggs.

    But is he mortal? Or is he an ancient god, a sorcerer, or a mythical beast who can possess a woman's heart...and her very soul?Four of romance's most popular authors have created this spellbinding collection of stores filled with dark passion and desire. Under the cover of darkness, their heroes inhabit worlds haunted by ageless hungers and deadly forces stronger than any seen by day...and vanquished only by the power of love.Now travel into realms where dazzling wonders roam the night, where magic replaces reason, and where a kiss unleashes a raging fire in the blood. And here, if you dare, discover the seduction that begins at the bewitching hour when a man and woman partake in...Midnight Pleasures.Darkfest by Amanda AshleyThe price of saving her dying mother is Channa's promise to spend a year at the castle of tormented nobleman, Lord Darkfest...to obey him as his servant or, as his secrets are revealed, to become his salvation. And her own.Phantom Lover by Sherrilyn KenyonHaunted by recurring nightmares of terrifying beasts, Erin McDaniels is afraid to sleep-until a hero arrives in her dreams to save her...and makes erotic, incredible love to her. But can she find him again when she is awake?NOTE: This story has been re-released in the Dark Bites anthologyUnder Her Spell by Maggie ShayneA consultant for a TV series about one gorgeous witch, "white witch" Melissa St. Cloud plans to make the show authentic. But once on the set she is pulled into the arms of a man who opens up a doorway to the darkside and chilling peril.A Wulf's Curse by Ronda ThompsonRunning away from an arranged marriage, Elise steals aboard a wagon in a traveling circus and finds herself in the bed of the Beast Master, Sterling Wulf, who is something other than he seems...and suddenly all Elise desires.

    BUTCHER * LUCIENNE DIVER * CHRIS MARIE GREEN * CHRISTINA HENRY New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine has modern-day potions witches Holly and Andrew facing off against a firebrand politician who wears literally killer boots in a Texas-sized rodeo of trouble. Boot-loving Cadogan vampire Lindsey must team up with off-again, on-again vampire partner Luc when a woman from her past is targeted by supernaturals in New York Times bestselling author Chloe Neill’s all-new adventure. And New York Times bestselling author Rob Thurman features Trixa Iktomi from her Trickster series dealing with magical vengeance and magical footwear. Taking kick-ass urban fantasy literally, USA Today bestselling authors Kalayna Price and Faith Hunter bring together the best of the genre to once again prove when you’re fighting supernatural forces, it helps to keep your feet on the ground.

    Green, Patricia Briggs, and more. A massive, monumental volume of paranormal crime fiction by bestselling authors. Gripping tales of mayhem include both novellas and short stories like "Stalked by," by Kelley Armstrong, "The Judgment" by worldwide bestselling author Anne Perry, "Appetite for Murder" by Simon R. Green, "Road Dogs" by Norman Partridge, "The Hex Is In" by Mike Resnick, "Doppelgangster" by Laura Resnick, the chilling "If Vanity Doesn't Kill Me" by Michael A. Stackpole, and many, many, more.Compiled and edited by the world's most prolific anthologist-the award-winning Martin H. Greenberg-this is the biggest paranormal crime book on the market and the ultimate collection for ghost hunters and thrill seekers everywhere. Also included are multiple stories by New York Times bestselling authors. The Best Paranormal Crime Stories Ever Told is a new book in the series, which includes The Best Hunting Stories Ever Told and The Best Fishing Stories Ever Told.

    In "Seeing Eye" by Patricia Briggs, a blind witch helps sexy werewolf Tom Franklin find his missing brother—and helps him in more ways than either of them ever suspected. And in Jim Butcher's "Last Call," wizard Harry Dresden takes on the darkest of dark powers—the ones who dare to mess with this favorite beer.For anyone who's ever wondered what lies beyond the limits of reality, who's imagined the secret spaces where witches wield fearsome magic, come and drink deep. Let yourself fall under the spell of this bewitching collection of short stories!

    Too bad the guy she finds happens to be a vampire.Nate Glover isn’t the right type of guy to be a vampire. He’s not a thousand year old Viking or an ancient Roman or a veteran of the Civil War. Even worse, he’s sexually straight and financially stable–the vampire equivalent of a Republican. Having been ‘brought over’ in 1955, he couldn’t handle being a vampire in the age of McCarthyism and Leave it to Beaver and decided to take a fifty-five year nap. Now he finds himself unable to connect with the women of the twenty-first century on any level more meaningful than a gastronomic one–that is until he meets Sam.Sam and Nate hit it off, but it isn’t long before they have trouble. Sam’s ex doesn’t want to let her go and it turns out that the Mistress who turned Nate undead in the first place, feels the same way. When Nate’s scheming friend finds out there’s something special about Sam, namely that a taste of her blood increases vampiric power, the new couple are summoned to the capital of Vampire-kind. No, not Transylvania--Miami. Murder, mayhem, and a fight to the un-death ensue as Nate struggles to accept his powers, Sam learns to live with a man who’s a permanent night person, and they both try to bridge the generation gap and find true love in Blind Date with a Vampire.

    Celebrate the turn of the year with all the creatures that go bump in the night!

    Only the rebels will survive...Unparalleled worlds await you inside this collection packed with magical, arcane, and nefarious stories from today's New York Times, USA Today and award-winning authors!Embark on adventure with rebel angels being hunted by witches, djinns striving to break the chains of slavery, and guardians and dragons navigating mythological underworlds when you download your copy of REBELS AND REALMS!Grab a copy of this urban fantasy collection to escape into the adventure of your choosing today!Including Stories From...USA Today bestselling author Heather Marie Adkins USA Today bestselling author RJ Blain USA Today bestselling author J.A. CulicanUSA Today bestselling author Christine Ashworth Award-Winning author E.J. StevensAward-Winning author Heather ReneeAward-Winning author Rosemary A Johns Amanda Booloodian Beata Blitz Chrishaun Keller-Hanna Amir Lane Caroline A. Gill Christina Walker

    As king, it's up to Dante Raintree to protect his clan, but when Lorna Clay walks into his life, suddenly fire, always his to control, defeats him, leaving him wondering whether Lorna is to blame. Will Dante's strength be enough to win the fight of his life?Sanctuary by New York Times bestselling author Beverly BartonFor Mercy Raintree, war with the evil Ansara clan means she must assume her position as guardian of the Sanctuary—the sacred Raintree home deep in the Smoky Mountains. But doing so threatens to disclose her most precious secret. Dranir Judah Ansara wants to kill Mercy, personally. Then he comes face-to-face with her—and with her daughter, Eve.Will Mercy's closely guarded secret change not only the outcome of the battle…but also Judah's own bitter heart?Haunted by RITA® Award winner Linda Winstead JonesHomicide detective Gideon Raintree can harness electricity and talk to ghosts. To solve his newest case—a relentless serial killer unleashed by the dark Ansara wizards—he will need to wield gifts he's kept hidden. With evil lurking at every turn, Gideon and his alluring new partner, Hope Mallory, are in a race against time to save their love, their family…and their newly conceived child.

    Anderson, and Rob Thurman—nothing is as simple as black and white, light and dark, good and evil..Unfortunately, that’s exactly what makes it so easy to cross the line.In #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher’s Cold Case, Molly Carpenter—Harry Dresden’s apprentice-turned-Winter Lady—must collect a tribute from a remote Fae colony and discovers that even if you’re a good girl, sometimes you have to be bad...New York Times bestselling author Seanan McGuire’s Sleepover finds half-succubus Elsie Harrington kidnapped by a group of desperate teenage boys. Not for anything “weird.” They just need her to rescue a little girl from the boogeyman. No biggie.In New York Times bestselling Kevin J. Anderson’s Eye of Newt, Zombie P.I. Dan Shamble’s latest client is a panicky lizard missing an eye who thinks someone wants him dead. But the truth is that someone only wants him for a very special dinner...And New York Times bestselling author Rob Thurman’s infernally heroic Caliban Leandros takes a trip down memory lane as he deals wih some overdue—and nightmarish—vengeance involving some quite nasty Impossible Monsters .ALSO INCLUDES STORIES BYTanya Huff * Kat Richardson * Jim C. Hines * Anton Strout * Lucy A. Snyder * Kristine Kathryn Rusch * Erik Scott de Bie *From the Trade Paperback edition.

    Attacked by a group of demon hunters, Adeline tries to flee her rescuer, vampire Lachann MacNachton. But escaping Lachann proves useless - as does denying the primal hunger he stirs deep within her...Alexandra Ivy - Taken By Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #7.5)The daughter of a witch, Juliet Lawrence has inherited magical powers - powers that could be quite useful to Victor, Marquess DeRosa, London's most powerful vampire. But that's not all Victor desires of Juliet. He wants the unpredictable beauty in his bed - and he is accustomed to getting what he wants...Kaitlin O'Riley - Immortal DreamsBeautiful widow Grace Sutton is haunted by recurring dreams of a past life and a mysterious, handsome stranger. When Grace meets Stuart Phillips, Lord Radcliffe - the vampire who has been searching for her for over a century - her sensual dreams soon come true in the most unforgettable way...

    All stories can be read on their own. This collection contains the following A Real Man books: Blacksmith, Brutal, and Kilt Me. BLACKSMITH: Steel isn’t the only thing that’s hard. MADDIE Deacon was older than me, but I wanted him regardless. He had this raw edge to him, this primal aura surrounding him that made me feel wholly feminine. He was the epitome of a man…a real man. Even his profession was masculine: a blacksmith. I had no doubt he knew how to work for his hands over a woman, how to use them to make her feel the soft and hard sides of him. What I wanted was for him to be my first…my only. DEACON She thought I didn’t see her watching me, that I didn’t know she wanted me. I knew, and I wanted her with a fierceness that rivaled anything else. What Maddie didn’t know was I’d already claimed her. There was no other woman for me but her. I was a possessive bastard, territorial when it came to her. The time had finally come to make her mine. I’d show her how primal I really was, how rough I liked it, how much I wanted to make her scream my name. I’d show her how a man took care of his woman in all the ways that counted. She’d be mine. Only mine. BRUTAL: He’s loved her his entire life. AXEL She’s my best friend, my everything. She’s been the girl I’ve loved since I knew what that meant. I box—fight bloody—for a living, and at every fight she’s there, cheering me on, being mine whether she knows it or not. I’ve never been with a woman because for me she’s it. Roxie is the only one I’ll ever want. Enough time has passed. It’s time I told Roxie how I feel, because there’s no way I can hold in my feelings any longer. ROXIE I want to think the looks, the possessiveness that comes from him means he wants me the same way I want him. He’s been in my life for longer than I can remember, and I never want that to change. I’ll be with him until the end. My love for him runs so deep, so strong I can’t breathe at times. I watch as he pushes other girls away, his gaze locked on mine as if he’s trying to tell me there isn’t anyone else for him. But I’m afraid to turn our relationship from friends to lovers. I’m afraid of crossing that line that could ruin what we have. KILT ME: He’ll show her exactly what’s under his kilt. MOLLY The first time I saw Mr. McGowan, he was walking into our class wearing a kilt. Our substitute professor, was big and brooding, masculine, and had a sexy Scottish brogue going on. Maybe I didn’t need that extra tutoring, but I sure as hell wanted it. ALASTAIR I noticed Molly the moment I stepped into the classroom. She was the wee lass with the fire-colored hair, the intense green eyes, and a body that had me burning alive. I didn’t want to look away from her because I knew she was mine. Maybe there was a rule about staff not fraternizing with students. But given that I’m just the substitute professor, and that I wanted her like a fiend, I was about to cross some lines and break some rules.

    Now, tormented half-vampire Declan Reese wants her blood to destroy the undead kingdom. Unfortunately, the serum has also made her blood irresistible to all vampires-including Declan, whose desire for Jillian is more than mere hunger.