Wings of Fury


Emily R. King - 2021
    Among his possessions: women, imprisoned and fated to serve. The strong-minded Althea Lambros controls her own fate and lives to honor her dying mother’s plea to protect her two sisters at all costs. Althea’s journey toward crushing the tyranny has begun. It is a destiny foretold by the Fates. And she is following their visions.On the southern isle of Crete, hidden among mortal women who have fled the Titans, is the Boy God, son of Cronus and believed dead. He shares Althea’s destiny to vanquish the Almighty—fate willing. Because Cronus has caught wind of the plot. He’s amassing his own forces against Althea’s righteous rebellion and all those who will no longer surrender or run. There will be war. If she’s to survive to write their history, the indomitable Althea must soar higher than any god.

Bhima


Vikas Singh - 2015
    I am the mightiest warrior of mytime. I have violated my dharma and murdered a man in cold blood.I have, single-handed, wiped out a whole generation of my kinsmen.I have committed acts of unspeakable brutality on the battlefield.I have done it all for the love of one woman. A woman who lovesmy brother.I am Bhima, the second Pandava. This is my story.Possessed of amazing strength, fierce loyalty and greattenderness, Bhima as a character is almost always eclipsedby Yudhishtira and Arjuna. In spite of his many virtues,he is destined to be remembered as all brawn and biceps.Now, in Vikas Singh’s retelling of the Mahabharata,India’s greatest epic is narrated through the eyes of ahero who has never got his due. A fascinating accountof a fascinating character—his extraordinary courage,his obsessive love for Draupadi, his deeply conflictedemotions about his brother, Arjun—this stunning work,written in a racy, entertaining style, provides the definitiveanswer to the question: What was it like to be Bhima?

The Darkening Dream


Andy Gavin - 2011
    God, demon, monster, and sorcerer alike plot to regain what was theirs.1913, Salem, Massachusetts – Sarah Engelmann’s life is full of friends, books, and avoiding the pressure to choose a husband, until an ominous vision and the haunting call of an otherworldly trumpet shake her. When she stumbles across a gruesome corpse, she fears that her vision was more of a premonition. And when she sees the murdered boy moving through the crowd at an amusement park, Sarah is thrust into a dark battle she does not understand. With the help of Alex, an attractive Greek immigrant who knows a startling amount about the undead, Sarah sets out to uncover the truth. Their quest takes them to the factory mills of Salem, on a midnight boat ride to spy on an eerie coastal lair, and back, unexpectedly, to their own homes. What can Alex’s elderly, vampire-hunting grandfather and Sarah’s own rabbi father tell them? And what do Sarah’s continuing visions reveal?No less than Gabriel’s Trumpet, the tool that will announce the End of Days, is at stake, and the forces that have banded to recover it include a 900 year-old vampire, a trio of disgruntled Egyptian gods, and a demon-loving Puritan minister. At the center of this swirling cast is Sarah, who must fight a millennia-old battle against unspeakable forces, knowing the ultimate prize might be herself.

The Going Back Portal


Connie Lacy - 2019
    So when her grandmother claims a Cherokee Indian woman is living on a neighboring farm, she dismisses it as early Alzheimer's. Because, obviously, there is no farm nearby. Not in the present anyway. But when she follows Nana's lead, Kathryn is transported back in time to the year 1840 where she finds a young Cherokee woman left behind when her family marched west on the Trail of Tears. Forest Water is ensnared in a perilous struggle to keep her ancestral lands against a violent white man who claims the farm, and then claims her as well. Desperate to help her new friend, Kathryn becomes entangled in a battle between good and evil with much higher stakes than she imagines.Each of these young women falls in love with a man from her own time, but there are threats, both seen and unseen, that could cost them their lives.

Into the Wind: A Love Story


Jaclyn M. Hawkes - 2018
    And deadly. Born into the finest of Danish aristocracy, lovely Brekka Toft is drawn to the untamed wilderness of the American West. After being told it is perfectly safe, she travels to see the legendary red rocks of the Utah Territory only to find that the glorious scenery comes with bandits, hostile Indians, fearsome animals, magnificent storms, and a terrifying wildfire. Even her trusted escort from home now feels threatening. Can she trust her life to a seemingly capable, well-respected local rancher? After all, he is dangerously handsome.

Phoenixville Rising


Robb Cadigan - 2013
    In a novel spanning centuries, and centering on three hard-luck kids, Sketch and Tara and the unforgettable Boo -- clear-eyed and reckless and insanely-loyal Boo -- Robb Cadigan gives us a timeless story of the enduring legacies of love and friendship. Noir and romantic and richly emotional, PHOENIXVILLE RISING is superb.”- William Lashner, New York Times bestselling author of the Victor Carl series and THE BARKEEPNOTHING EVER HAPPENS HERE. This is what he told himself, back when he was just a punk kid, wasting time with petty crimes and the Furnace Boys down at the abandoned steel mill. A dead-end life, sure, but he had an escape plan.UNTIL ONE FATEFUL WEEK CHANGED EVERYTHING FOREVERNow, after thirty years, he's finally coming home. To the phantoms of his own past ... and the hometown history he tried to leave behind.PHOENIXVILLE RISING: a tale of rebirth and redemption in small-town AmericaTHE PAST IS ALWAYS PRESENT IN THE TOWN CALLED PHOENIXVILLE

Through Castle Windows (Horstberg Saga #5)


Elizabeth D. Michaels - 2015
    Following her mother’s death she is guided to Horstberg in search of answers and contentment. When her path repeatedly crosses with the brooding Stefan Heinrich, she is drawn to him by feelings too profound to ignore. The love they share is intense and undeniable, but Ericha’s ignorance of Stefan’s circumstances puts her on a scale in his life opposite to the country he rules, and the wife he loathes.While Stefan questions daily what kind of madness drove him to marry the deceptive and tawdry Johanna Von Bindorf, a princess from the neighboring country of Kohenswald, he is torn between his commitment to do what is right, and his love for a woman that he cannot have; a woman who fills his aching soul. Years of spiraling downward in hopelessness finally drive him to make Ericha a part of his life as far as it is possible, while deep inside he knows that eventually a price for his happiness will have to be paid.As Ericha develops a deep bond with the legendary Abbi du Woernig, she unknowingly breathes life back into the heart and soul of Horstberg. But happiness and peace for the entire family are fleeting and fragile. Both Stefan and Ericha quickly realize the price for their choices is higher than either of them ever could have imagined. When Horstberg’s freedom is bargained for with the life of its ruler, Stefan knows that he must sacrifice everything to once again prove himself worthy to serve the people of his country with dignity and to live his life with the woman he loves.

The Mermaid's Sister


Carrie Anne Noble - 2015
    By day, they gather herbs for Auntie’s healing potions; by night, Auntie spins tales of faraway lands and wicked fairies. Clara’s favorite story tells of three orphan infants—Clara, who was brought to Auntie by a stork; Maren, who arrived in a seashell; and their best friend, O’Neill, who was found beneath an apple tree.One day, Clara discovers shimmering scales just beneath her sister’s skin: Maren is becoming a mermaid and must be taken to the sea or she will die. So Clara, O’Neill, and the mermaid-girl set out for the shore. But the trio encounters trouble around every bend. Ensnared by an evil troupe of traveling performers, Clara and O’Neill must find a way to save themselves and the ever-weakening Maren.And always in the back of her mind, Clara wonders, if my sister is a mermaid, then what am I?

The Curse of Brahma


Jagmohan S. Bhanver - 2015
    Mortally wounded, and anguished at Brahma's unfair punishment, his pupil struggles to survive in Tamastamah Prabha, the hell of hells. In time, he becomes the Dark Lord, the most feared figure in Pataal Lok, who swears to destroy Brahma.The power of the Dark Lord soon begins to make its presence felt in the mortal world. Vasudev, the brave prince of Bateshwar, becomes the hunter of Asura assassins; his closest friend, Kansa, almost dies while trying to save his sister from a group of deadly monsters; and the most valiant kings in Mrityulok turn over to the dark side, driven by forces beyond their control.Only one person threatens the Dark Lord's well-laid plans - Devki, the beautiful princess of Madhuvan, who is destined to give birth to the warrior Krishna.Will the Dark Lord allow Krishna - the person who has been prophesied to destroy him - to be born?

Rune Kingdom: Uncommon World: Northern Isles


Alisha Klapheke - 2018
    A power-hungry mage. A magical bestiary. When the ruling mage of Snowfallen chooses Bryn’s mother as the next sacrifice, Bryn decides she’s had enough. With her own burgeoning magic, Bryn claims a forbidden grimoire and brings a host of dangerous—and potentially evil—creatures to life. But will her new power save her mother or turn Bryn into a mage far more vicious than her enemy? REVIEWS "Wow! Loved it! Captivated from the first page I couldn’t put this book down. The author has an amazing ability to weave these new original fantasy worlds that pull you in. Not to mention the unique strong will characters who you can’t help but root for. I really enjoyed them. The story itself was fast paced full of twists and turns that leave me guessing. I definitely look forward to more!" -Ashley, Goodreads "A wondrous novel full of magic and magic lore which kept me completely enthralled and wanting to read on till the last line. The world building in this Uncommon World Series is highly imaginative and very clearly portrayed down to the last detail!" -Lana, Goodreads “Klapheke has quite the talent to get you absorbed in the setting she creates so descriptively and artfully!" -Suzanne, Goodreads

Where Butterflies Dream (Exit Unicorns, #5)


Cindy Brandner - 2020
    The map is worn at the folds--sometimes right through--and so place names are missing first letters or last or have a hole through the middle. We carry those maps with us always, and this map is mine--an island on the edge of the world and beyond it a place of dragons and sunken cities with bells that still ring a thousand years on... So begins Where Butterflies Dream, the fifth book in the award-winning Exit Unicorns series. The story opens in the winter of 1978 when Casey Riordan returns from three years in exile to find the world he left behind has changed. With little knowledge of his past, he fears the secrets which might well bring danger to his family, and the question he must answer for himself--whether a man can ever truly return home when he is no longer the man he once was. Pamela Riordan has grieved her lost husband for three long years but has forged a new life for herself in his absence. Still scarred from the violence which has so recently visited her, she wants only to keep her family safe and to find an oasis of peace in which to raise them. But in Northern Ireland peace always comes at a price. Jamie Kirkpatrick is forced to deal with the ghosts of his past in order to save his present, and the fragile happiness he has only just found. Casey's return forces all three to confront the ideas of what love means, what makes a family and how one copes with a history that weighs heavily upon the future. Even as they navigate the new territory of their personal lives, history keeps moving onward and all will be drawn into the the political maelstrom of the Irish Troubles. The storm will spread beyond the boundary of family to a new generation caught up in the tides of history, their fates rushing toward a merciless shore. Where Butterflies Dream is the story of a family, a people, a country and of that most mysterious territory of all--the geography of the human soul.

Samurai's Apprentice


David Walters - 2011
    All this seems far removed from Kami, a boy who quietly goes about his everyday life in his farm village until one day he trips over the unconsious body of a warrior hidden in the long grass.That discovery will lead him on an adventure across the warring kingdoms, facing assassins and enemy soldiers as he journeys to the capital to face the new Shogun. Through his travels he aspires to become a samurai, and in his many challenges he eventually comes to understand what it means to be one.

Jazeera: Legend of the Fort Island


Yash Pawaskar - 2019
    Bharatvarsh’s political landscape is in turmoil. The Northern Sultanate has moved its capital back to Delhi from Daulatabad and is bleeding from economic losses. The southern states, coming together as the Sujaynagar Empire, have pushed back the Northern Sultanate. Amidst this chaos, Jazeera, a fort island on Bharatvasrh’s west coast and a vassal state under the Sultanate, is tormented by a mysterious Shadow, who is kidnapping Jazeera’s children. Whispers suggest that there’s black magic at play to invoke the mighty Timingila. Jazeera’s ambitious Sultan and the pragmatic Wazir summon an Officer from the Sultanate to solve this mystery. Meanwhile, tribes in the dense forest near the fort island are feeling the ripple effects of Jazeera’s troubles, and are seeking alliances and formulating secret plans. The island has a haunting past, a turbulent present, and a prophetic future. Jazeera: Legend of the Fort Island unravels it all in a thrilling manner.

Time's Convert


Deborah Harkness - 2018
     On the battlefields of the American Revolution, Matthew de Clermont meets Marcus MacNeil, a young surgeon from Massachusetts, during a moment of political awakening when it seems that the world is on the brink of a brighter future. When Matthew offers him a chance at immortality and a new life free from the restraints of his puritanical upbringing, Marcus seizes the opportunity to become a vampire. But his transformation is not an easy one and the ancient traditions and responsibilities of the de Clermont family clash with Marcus's deeply held beliefs in liberty, equality, and brotherhood.Fast-forward to contemporary Paris, where Phoebe Taylor--the young employee at Sotheby's whom Marcus has fallen for--is about to embark on her own journey to immortality. Though the modernized version of the process at first seems uncomplicated, the couple discovers that the challenges facing a human who wishes to be a vampire are no less formidable than they were in the eighteenth century. The shadows that Marcus believed he'd escaped centuries ago may return to haunt them both--forever.A passionate love story and a fascinating exploration of the power of tradition and the possibilities not just for change but for revolution, Time's Convert channels the supernatural world-building and slow-burning romance that made the All Souls Trilogy instant bestsellers to illuminate a new and vital moment in history, and a love affair that will bridge centuries.

Lady of Devices


Shelley Adina - 2011
    Victoria is Queen. Charles Darwin’s son is Prime Minister. And steam is the power that runs the world. At 17, Claire Trevelyan, daughter of Viscount St. Ives, was expected to do nothing more than pour an elegant cup of tea, sew a fine seam, and catch a rich husband. Unfortunately, Claire’s talents lie not in the ballroom, but in the chemistry lab, where things have a regrettable habit of blowing up. When her father gambles the estate on the combustion engine and loses, Claire finds herself down and out on the mean streets of London. But being a young woman of resources and intellect, she turns fortune on its head. It’s not long before a new leader rises in the underworld, known only as the Lady of Devices . . . When she meets Andrew Malvern, a member of the Royal Society of Engineers, she realizes her talents may encompass more than the invention of explosive devices. They may help her realize her dreams and his . . . if they can both stay alive long enough to see that sometimes the closest friendships can trigger the greatest betrayals . . .