This collection contains three unconnected short stories.The Devil You Know - 10,341 words - a Nona story that sits between Red Sister and Grey Sister - an extension of Red Sister.The Hero of Aral Pass - 4,493 words - a Jalan story that sits after The Red Queen's War trilogy.A Thousand Years - 9,321 words - a Snorri story that occurs before The Red Queen's War trilogy.

    Two hundred years later, he?s found her...Ivar Graycloak is a brave warrior, a man known for his strength and integrity. He is also a man with a terrible secret. Long ago he was part of a Viking crew cursed by an evil sorceress to live for eternity as were-creatures. An eagle by day and a man by night, Ivar has lived a solitary existence for over two centuries. Then the king orders him to marry.Lady Alaida is everything a man could want in a bride?intelligent, spirited, and beautiful--and their wedding night is a balm to Ivar's lonely spirit. Then a seer brings him word of a dark vision, one that makes Ivar vow to stay away from his lovely wife forever. But now that Ivar has sampled Alaida?s passion, her humor and warmth, he is enthralled. His traitorous body?his very heart?longs for that which he can never possess.Lady Alaida may surprise him yet, though, for she has a power of her own?a power that will either destroy everything they hold dear or ultimately set them free?

    This is the first time both novels have appeared together.Sea Siege: The nuclear war had come at last and the research team on an island in the West Indies thought they had been lucky to survive. But survival was going to require more than luck, when they found themselves under attack by sea creatures out of darkest legend, directed by a malevolent intelligence from the depths of the sea.Star Gate: Long ago, the Star Lords had come from a dying Earth to Gorth, where they helped the inhabitants build a civilization. Now some of the Lords have resumed wandering among the stars, but others have decided to travel through an interdimensional gate to another Gorth in a parallel universe. And when they find that in this universe the Star Lords from Earth conquered and enslaved the people of Gorth, their course is clear. They must battle their counterparts to free Gorth--even if it means their own destruction.At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (DRM Rights Management).

    A number of wonderful fantasy novels, including Stardust by Neil Gaiman, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke, and The Prestige by Christopher Priest, owe their inspiration to works by nineteenth-century writers ranging from Jane Austen, the Brontës, and George Meredith to Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, and William Morris. And, of course, the entire steampunk genre and subculture owes more than a little to literature inspired by this period.Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells is an anthology for everyone who loves these works of neo-Victorian fiction, and wishes to explore the wide variety of ways that modern fantasists are using nineteenth-century settings, characters, and themes. These approaches stretch from steampunk fiction to the Austen-and-Trollope inspired works that some critics call Fantasy of Manners, all of which fit under the larger umbrella of Gaslamp Fantasy. The result is eighteen stories by experts from the fantasy, horror, mainstream, and young adult fields, including both bestselling writers and exciting new talents such as Elizabeth Bear, James Blaylock, Jeffrey Ford, Ellen Kushner, Tanith Lee, Gregory Maguire, Delia Sherman, and Catherynne M. Valente, who present a bewitching vision of a nineteenth century invested (or cursed!) with magic.The Line-up:“Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells” by Delia Sherman“The Fairy Enterprise” by Jeffrey Ford“From the Catalogue of the Pavilion of the Uncanny and Marvelous, Scheduled for Premiere at the Great Exhibition (Before the Fire)” by Genevieve Valentine“The Memory Book” by Maureen McHugh“La Reine D’Enfer” by Kathe Koja“Briar Rose” by Elizabeth Wein“The Governess” by Elizabeth Bear“Smithfield” by James P. Blaylock“The Unwanted Women of Surrey” by Kaaron Warren“Charged” by Leanna Renee Hieber“Mr. Splitfoot” by Dale Bailey“Phosphorus” by Veronica Schanoes“We Without Us Were Shadows” by Catherynne M. Valente“The Vital Importance of the Superficial” by Ellen Kushner and Caroline Stevermer“The Jewel in the Toad Queen’s Crown” by Jane Yolen“A Few Twigs He Left Behind” by Gregory Maguire“Their Monstrous Minds” by Tanith Lee“Estella Saves the Village” by Theodora Goss

    This realistic retelling of the legend shows Arthur severing the bonds of bastardy, vanquishing the Saxons, and loving one woman. As the daring teenage warrior prepares for the throne, he discovers true love with Morgan of Avalon, the youngest of Merlin’s daughters, but fate cruelly thwarts their hopes for a future together. Never before has a telling of the Arthur story made the breathtaking drama of this charismatic king more real or moving.

    A collection of more than twenty-five stories of myth and magic includes the works of such notable authors as Marion Zimmer Bradley, Charles de Lint, Diana Gabaldon, Mercedes Lackey, and Eric Lustbader.

    . . Two honorable men . . . One important choice . . . An unforgettable Midsummer Night's Festival. ** This novella is approximately 35,600 words and part of the A Midsummer Night's Anthology with authors Lacey Weatherford and Kamery Solomon **Blurb: How do you choose between mere moments and a lifetime?Aithne was raised on fairytales, spending hours daydreaming about meeting one of the elusive Fae. Little did she know, hidden in the shadows, a Fae Prince stood watching. All it took was one glance and Hadrian became enchanted, unable to stay away. Revealing his presence, Aithne's life was forever changed as her childhood fantasies of magic became a reality.With each encounter, Aithne fell deeper in love and even though she knew Hadrian couldn't offer her the future she craved, it was enough. That was until William, the local blacksmith's son and friend, stepped forward. Wearing his own heart on his sleeve, and eager to claim Aithne as his wife, there was nothing William wouldn't do for the girl he loved. Even if it meant risking it all at the Midsummer Night's festival.

    So, it is fair to say that his heart isn't really in it. Conrad is also clever, charming, entirely self-serving, self-absorbed and almost completely without scruple — but in Anglo-Saxon England, when the Danish invaders come calling, those are very helpful attributes to have. And so it comes to pass that Conrad finds himself constantly dodging death by various means, some reasonable, some... less so. His tricks include selling his brother monks into slavery, witnessing the death of a king, juggling his loyalties between his own people and the Danes, robbing corpses and impersonating a bishop. By his side throughout is the gentle and honourable Brother Odo, a man so naturally and completely good that even animals sense it. He is no match of wits for the cunning Conrad but can he, perhaps, at least encourage the wayward monk to behave a little better? Conrad Monk and the Great Heathen Army takes the reader on a hugely entertaining and highly informative trip through the Anglo-Saxon world, in the company of a persuasive and likeable — if frequently despicable — tour guide. It is a story that combines painstakingly accurate depictions of history with a fast-moving and often hilarious plot, and as such is bound to appeal to lovers of history, historical fiction and character-driven fiction alike. Edoardo Albert is a writer of Sri Lankan and Italian descent based in London. He has written a number of full length novels, as well as shorter stories for publications ranging from Daily Science Fiction to Ancient Paths. He has written features for papers and magazines including Time Out, Sunday Times and History Today. 'I loved this book as a total immersion historical adventure. Conrad – the hero - is selfish, opportunistic, amoral, and he made me laugh over and over again.' - John Drake, bestselling author of the Fletcher series 'The pagans are coming...but Conrad is one shameless con man who will keep one step ahead of them, and charm you while he does it. He lies—he cheats—and I loved every minute of it.' - Wendy Bertsch, author of Once More, from the Beginning

    There is nothing so complicated as a human being and sometimes nothing so horrific!

    While the political landscape for this new world is yet to form, intrigues, conspiracy, daring raids, and sabotage are the main weapons of the Hounds, and his evaluation has just begun. To complete it successfully and become a full-fledged member of the clan, Stan will have to adapt to working side-by-side with the most unique people with shady backgrounds — even if he is not a team player by nature and has already failed at the very beginning by choosing the least suitable class for teamwork: Battle Monk. Stan is rebellious, free-spirited, and daring. He risks his life every day just to avoid getting bored of the daily grind. Normally, an expelled student has no hope of entering the virtual world of Artar, an expensive online VR project, but when a suspicious organization offers to pay all expenses to let Stan in for a special purpose, Mongoose gets his chance to become one of the select few. However, to successfully complete his trial, Stan will have to face his main enemy — himself, while finding peace and mastering all five styles of the Battle Monks of Artar. *** The Steel Hounds is the first book of the highly popular Russian LitRPG series The Chronicles of Artar by Vladimir Vasilenko. The brightest representative of a new wave of gamelit writers, Vladimir has created the story of Mongoose, a reckless teenager kicked out of college, who has to struggle with following strict discipline and finding inner harmony while traversing the difficult path of a Battle Monk.

    Although shifters have integrated into human society, there's been a lot of issues with them. She shortly discovers one of those issues when she's unceremoniously kidnapped, tossed into a vehicle, and wakes up stuck in a cage, with a bunch of other women in identical prisons. Bronnen notices two things. All the women are pretty – and there's a line of shifters ready to come and inspect them, with the intent of buying them. Two shifters are drawn in by her beauty, and her personality. Two princes from distance clans, with the rare bloodline of dragon shifters. Two princes that start a bidding war to try and win her for their own. She has another idea on the cards, however... AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is a stand-alone story with an HEA, so no cliff-hangers! This story contains explicit love scenes and is intended for 18+ readers only. CONTENT NOTE: This is a short story that may be read in under 2 hours. This book also includes an extra 5+ hours of bonus stories for your enjoyment.

    Like Emily Dickinson, she lived in self-imposed isolation, writing of God and lost love with a sensuality and passion that seemed to emanate from the soul.This edition of 53 works combines a number of her best-known sonnets, ballads, and shorter lyrics with her long masterpiece, the narrative fable Goblin Market. A haunting fairy tale in verse, Goblin Market was once labeled a children's poem, yet its intricate symbolism and themes of temptation, sin, and redemption mark it for an adult audience. Among other works included in this choice collection are "The Convent Threshold," "Up-hill," "Cousin Kate," "Winter: My Secret," "Maude Clare," "No, Thank You, John," and "After Death."

     FANG CHRONICLES: MANDY’S STORY by D’Elen McClain- Every beastkind knows you don’t mess with a Kodiak bear—everyone that is except Mandy, the wolf-pack Alpha’s sister. When Mandy hears whispers that the bad attitude bear, Honey, has chosen a mate, she takes matters into her own hands because her wolf decided months before that Honey was hers. BIG BAD BEAST by Skhye Moncrief- Each wants the other, but neither can stand to be in the same room together…And each has secretly lusted for the other like a dark explosive sin. Stand back and watch the fireworks light up the Minnesota Territory’s post-apocalyptic sky because the BIG BAD BEAST can’t help but to huff and to puff and to blow Josie’s house in… FERAL FASCINATIONS by Skhye Moncrief- Their blood lust flares hotter than a solar storm…She seduced an earthling to create their were-assassin blood bond. Shanghaied to fight a war between vampires and werewolves, his gut shouts escape. But humanity needs a hero. Colliding in a universe of psychic mind-reading games, each realizes trusting the other is as dangerous as buying into their FERAL FASCINATIONS. THE GEORGIAN EMBRACE by Sky Purington- Everything changes for eighteenth century Isabel when Devin, a mysterious stranger claiming to be from the future, appears on her Georgian's worksite. Even as smoldering, unavoidable desire ignites between them they must struggle to stay one step ahead of the time-warping house caught in Calum's Curse. Better yet, the rival werewolf determined to finish the legacy it began. CARNAL THIRST by Celeste Anwar- When Danior found the woman being drained of life by one of his clan, for some unfathomable reason, he knew he could not allow her to die. Against the ruling of the council, Danior secrets her away, taking her through the change from human into vampire and forever changing life as she knows it. But the move ensures they will be outcasts--hunted to the death by his people. THE PROTECTORS DAMON by Teresa Gabelman- The Vampire Council Warriors have been ordered to train social workers how to protect themselves against vampire attacks. VC Warrior Damon DeMaster’s and social worker Nicole Callahan clash at their first meeting. Even as sparks fly and tensions mount, Nicole and Damon depend on each other to protect the children of both races against the new drug hitting the streets, Crimson Rush.

    Every day the cynical, cigar-chomping, hard-drinking monkey climbs into his Spitfire to do battle with the waves of German ninjas parachuting over the gentle fields of Kent. But life is not all the joyous rattle of machine guns and the roar of the engine, as Ack-Ack is about to find out… Because it is not 1944. It is the 21st century, in a world where France and Germany merged in the late 1950s, where nuclear-powered Zeppelins circle the globe, where technology is rapidly changing humanity, and Ack-Ack has lived his whole life in a videogame. Ex-journalist Victoria Valois finds herself drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the man who butchered her husband and stole his electronic soul. The heir to the British throne is on the run after an illegal break-in at a research laboratory, and Ack-Ack has been rudely awakened from his game world to find the doomsday clock ticking towards Armageddon… Two unlikely heroes and one mightily pissed-off monkey come together in a sci-fi trilogy full of action, adventure, bananas and bottles of rum. Includes the original Ack-Ack Macaque short story and a brand new epilogue, The Last Macaque.

    Among his effects: a bloodstained business card bearing the name of a master wizard and a curious pocket watch that doesn’t seem to tell time. To retrieve his lost memories, Ian demands answers from Edwina and Mary Blackwood, sister witches with a murky past. But as their secret is slowly unveiled, a dangerous mystery emerges on the darkened streets of London.To help piece together Ian’s lost time, he and Edwina embark on a journey that will take them from the river foreshore to an East End music hall, and on to a safe house for witches in need of sanctuary from angry mortals. The clues they find suggest a link between a series of gruesome murders, a missing person’s case, and a dreadful suspicion that threatens to tear apart the bonds of sisterhood. As the investigation deepens, could Ian and Edwina be the next to die?