Shannon explores one of the most harrowing episodes in pioneer history--the ill-fated journey of the Donner Party--in a mesmerizing novel of resilience and survival. Mrs. Jacob Klein has a husband, children, and a warm and comfortable home in California. No one--not even her family--knows how she came to be out West thirteen years ago. Jacob, a kind and patient man, has promised not to ask. But if she were to tell her story, she would recount a tale of tragedy, mishaps, and unthinkable choices--yet also sacrifice, courage, and a powerful, unexpected love . . .1846: On the outskirts of Cincinnati, wagons gather by the hundreds, readying to head west to California. Among the throng is a fifteen-year-old girl eager to escape her abusive family. With just a few stolen dollars to her name, she enlists as helpmate to a married couple with a young daughter. Their group stays optimistic in the face of the journey's hazards and delays. Then comes a decision that she is powerless to prevent: Instead of following the wagon train's established route, the Donner Party will take a shortcut over the Sierras, aiming to clear the mountains before the first snows descend.In the years since that infamous winter, other survivors have sold their accounts for notoriety and money, lurid tales often filled with half-truths or blatant, gory lies. Now, Mrs. Klein must decide whether to keep those bitter memories secret, or risk destroying the life she has endured so much to build . . .

    But when she takes a month-long leave of absence to go on an African vacation, she ends up facing unexpected consequences. After she falls ill and spends six months trapped in a remote village thanks to a devastating earthquake, Emma returns home to discover that her friends, boyfriend, and colleagues thought she was dead--and that her life has moved on without her.As she struggles to re-create her old life, throwing herself into solving a big case for a client and trying to reclaim her beloved apartment from the handsome photographer who assumed her lease, everyone around her thinks she should take the opportunity to change. But is she willing to sacrifice her job, her relationships, and everything else she worked so hard to build?In "Forgotten," Catherine McKenzie tweaks a classic tale of discovering who we really are when everything that brings meaning to our lives is lost.

    Everyone follows the Rule of One. But Ava Goodwin, daughter of the head of the Texas Family Planning Division, has a secret—one her mother died to keep and her father has helped to hide for her entire life.She has an identical twin sister, Mira.For eighteen years Ava and Mira have lived as one, trading places day after day, maintaining an interchangeable existence down to the most telling detail. But when their charade is exposed, their worst nightmare begins. Now they must leave behind the father they love and fight for their lives.Branded as traitors, hunted as fugitives, and pushed to discover just how far they’ll go in order to stay alive, Ava and Mira rush headlong into a terrifying unknown.

    It's a world of danger and excitement, and Mazik Kil'Raeus is . . . a door-to-door salesman. Though a skilled spellcaster, Mazik couldn't get a good job out of college, and now he's stuck in a dead-end one he hates. Along with his friends, Gavi Ven'Kalil (waiter at a local bar) and Raedren Ian'Moro (apprentice healer . . . it's not as glamorous as it sounds), Mazik is not happy with the way his life is going. Frustrated with boring work, selfish bosses, and wasting their lives for meager pay, the three friends decide to do something crazy—they're going to become monster-slaying adventurers. Not that it will be easy. With a consortium of powerful guilds determined to keep people like them out, they'll have to wow everyone to make it. That's when they set their eyes on a difficult quest: stopping a group of kidnappers who have been terrorizing their city for months. But when the kidnappers turn out to be acolytes of a power-hungry god, the quest transforms into an explosive battle that rampages across the city. The three friends are in over their heads, and nobody expects them to come out on top. That's an adventure they relish. After all, it's better to risk uncertainty and death now, than to accept mediocrity and die without ever having lived. WAGE SLAVE REBELLION combines the fantasy adventure of The Hobbit with the pulse-pounding combat of a Marvel action movie. It's medieval sword & sorcery meets urban high fantasy, in a tale about refusing to accept limits and living life to its fullest, no matter what anyone else has to say. WHO SHOULDN'T READ THIS BOOK: Anyone who doesn't like stories with drinking, cussing, fighting, or killing likely won't enjoy this book. The main characters are adults, and they live in a dangerous world; they act accordingly. Anyone who prefers their books serious or grimdark may be disappointed. This book has adult themes and situations, but above all else it's intended to be fun. If that doesn't sound like something you would enjoy, this book may not be for you. WHO SHOULD READ WITH BOOK: Anyone looking for an action-packed, fun-filled fantasy adventure. If you enjoy friendly banter, thrilling heroics, and tons of explosions, this book is for you. If you like stories with a certain lightness of tone which eschew angst in favor of punching problems in the face, this book is definitely for you. And if you've ever loathed your job or dreamed about going on adventures with your best friends, this book was written with you in mind. Want behind-the-scenes info, sneak peeks, and to be the first to learn about sequel announcements? Sign up for the author’s email list at www.stephenwgee.com. You’ll get a free prequel short story when you sign up. NOW AVAILABLE: The exciting sequel to WAGE SLAVE REBELLION and the second book in the FIRESIGN series. Join Mazik, Gavi, and Raedren as they continue their adventures in FREELANCE HEROICS.

    He and his family live there peacefully for ten years, and then tragedy strikes. His wife and daughter are killed in a confrontation with bank robbers, and he blames himself. He quits the police force and begins a wandering, aimless life around town, walking wherever he goes—silent, brooding, filthy. He exists like this for five years. The majority of people in town see him as a man who is mentally disabled. Few people dare bother him. Then one day, John Slaughter, the man who was responsible for the death of Joaquin’s family, comes back to this town. After robbing the bank with his fellow criminals, he kidnaps a young girl as he gets away. Joaquin recognizes the man, and gives chase. Thus, the tale begins.

    Money. Glory.These were all the things that you would expect from being famous. The bait that the producers of the industry would tempt you with to get you on their side.What they don't tell you though are all the inner tragedies that come along just as quickly. They don't tell you about the heartache that occurs when you realize that this wasn't what you wanted at all.They don't tell you about the pressure that's always on the verge of crushing you when you're forced to do everything that the public demands for and not what you truly desire.They don't tell you about the self-hatred that would soon take over your entire being at the thought that you will never be good enough.No - they don't tell you these things at all.But, Lilith Rose will.When Lilith Rose, lead singer to one of the most famous rock bands around gets tired of all the lies and secrets that comes with being famous.She decides that it's time for all of it to stop and ends up revealing everything on a Facebook live stream.The result..."Part of me wants to die tonight, part of me wants it to be an accident,and part of me wants someone to notice and save me." - Lilith Rose.

    Blood will be his redemption.Forced to slay his father to prevent a massacre, Masolon and his name will be cursed until the end of days. To escape the shame of kinslaying and the justice of his clansmen, the young warrior braves the haunted desert to reach the fabled lands of Gorania. A journey he survives with his body, but not with his mind.Tormented by the guilt of his sin, Masolon seeks redemption through the war he wages against the armed gangs that infest every corner of his new home. But Masolon has to be careful; the war he has started might grow bigger than he can handle. The lords of Gorania do not take vigilantes so lightly.Now enemies and false friends close in from all sides. And Masolon, betrayed and outnumbered, must win one decisive battle to earn the peace he has been pursuing. But in the brutal world of Gorania, peace could just be a delusion. Masolon's path to redemption could be a lie after all.THE WARRIOR'S PATH is the first book in Tales of Gorania: a series for epic fantasy fans who are ready to immerse themselves in a world of flawed heroes and false legends, a world of political games and battles to the death.

    Adultery. Betrayal. Murder. Hattie Durham committed some Unthinkable Sins in her lifetime, but now she’s gone, leaving her three sons and their wives behind to deal with the fallout. THE SONS… Junior – wants to escape his past as he learns the truth about how his mother died. But will his need for revenge and his own past sins come between him and the family he loves? Carl – has been carrying a terrible secret alone all these years and can’t bear the weight anymore. Can he keep it together with his family’s help or will the burden break him? Jerome – is blessed with everything a man could want – influence, power and a destiny to fulfill. But when life deals him an unexpected blow, will the family have his back or will they fall apart around him? …AND THEIR WIVES Donetta – finds her self-confidence growing along with her doubts about her husband’s fidelity. Are their marriage vows enough to keep her in the family now that she has what it takes to make it on her own? Trudy – senses the strain on the family in the wake of her mother-in-law’s death. Will she able to help keep the ones she loves from self-destructing or is her own life in danger? Susan – managed to escape an uncertain past, leaving behind a few bodies in her wake. Will her dreams of love and success finally come true or ultimately be overshadowed by Hattie Durham’s death? Find out now in UNTHINKABLE SINS 2: The Family

    Of endless weekdays, working weekends, making presentations, working with complicated Excel sheets, handling a boss with time-management issues and the general politics of the workplace. Sigh! After eight years of this life, her only personal insight is that she's terribly unambitious and constantly struggling to be an average performer in the competitive corporate world. When a colleague flashes the glint of a golden sabbatical she catapults into it headfirst. After all, one has to find one's calling at some point in one's life. So will the sabbatical miraculously change her life forever? Or will she go rushing back to her pocket money-generating job?

    Raven. Wolf. Ram.Four clans. One destiny.Seventeen-year-old Zo is a Wolf and a Healer who volunteers to infiltrate the Ram as a spy on behalf of the allied clans. She offers herself as a Ram slave, joining the people who are called the “Nameless.” Hers is a suicide mission thought to enable her to seek revenge for the death of her parents and an end to her own misery.But after Zo’s younger sister follows her into Rams Gate, Zo must find a way to survive and keep her safe.When Zo finds unexpected friendship in a young Ram whose life she saves, growing feelings for a Ram soldier, and an underground Nameless insurrection, she learns that revenge, loyalty and love are more complicated than she ever imagined in the first installment of this electrifying fantasy series.

    As the wait for his father stretches unforgivably into months, a local girl, whose own mother died a brutal death, captures his heart and imagination, reminding Wes that hope always floats to the surface.When buried truths come to light in the spring thaw, wounds are exposed and violence erupts, forcing Wes to embark on a search for his missing father, the truth about his mother, and a future he must claim for himself—a quest that begins back at that frozen lake.A powerful, page-turning coming-of-age story, Winter Loon captures the resilience of a boy determined to become a worthy man by confronting family demons, clawing his way out of the darkness, and forging a life from the shambles of a broken past.

    Plucked from their ordinary lives and given extraordinary powers, they're the only thing standing between us and destruction.In Episode One, Sarah is living the life every high school student dreams of: she works hard, does well, and has her whole life laid out before her. Until she ends up in detention and mysteriously falls asleep, along with everyone else in the room. Waking up, Sarah finds herself in another world—and another life, one more fantastic and more dangerous than she could ever have imagined.This is the first episode of Realm Keepers. Each volume consists of six regular episodes, and a Finale that is three times the length (and price) of a single episode, told from the perspective of all six kids. Your adventure in Midrealm begins here. Scroll up and add it to your cart NOW.

    Maggie Tanner's first recollection of life within the Victorian slums of London is at the age of six years, witnessing the death of her grandmother shortly followed by the tragic birth of her mother's stillborn twins.Born to an impoverished family who face the daily threat of disease, starvation and the cruel work-houses, she is forced at the age of twelve to seek work and is taken into service within an upper class family. But in an effort to escape the tribulations of her class Maggie only begins to discover an even worse fate than death itself - the shocking moral ostracization by society towards bastardy and the heartbreaking underworld business of baby-farming.'The Last Gift' exposes the gripping realities of the harsh and brutal facts of life for the poor, during the greatest class divide that British history has ever known.

     Serving as the Master of Spirit leaves Tolan with little time for anything beyond teaching. There’s no time for the research he enjoys, no time to explore ancient ruins, and no time to search for strange elementals in the land beyond the bleak waste where no magic can exist. During a Selection of new students, Tolan uncovers a strange village where the elementals are worshipped, along with power he didn’t believe possible within his homeland. When a threat all thought long ago defeated returns, Tolan finds his service to the Academy will require more than a Master of Spirit. Stopping this threat will need a master of all the elements—and the elementals, but can he still be that person?

    Sarah Wakefield, the wife of a physician, is taken captive with her two babies. Their fate falls into the hands of the warrior Ćaske, with whom she has slim acquaintance. As war rages, little does she know how entwined their lives will become.Beneath the Same Stars is the gripping story of two people, caught between worlds, who are willing to do almost anything to defend those they care about—including each other. But the drama is bigger than themselves. Tragic forces have been set in motion....Inspired by actual events surrounding the U.S. Dakota War.