Her happiness is shattered when her lover-the dragonslayer-disappears without a trace, and the life that she knows and loves implodes without warning. Astrid lives in a world of shapeshifters whose thoughts have the power to change not only themselves but others. Everything Astrid knows to be true is called into question when she learns the truth about her past and the mysterious family from which she was separated as a child. Reality turns inside out as Astrid gradually learns the truth about the people she loves as well as those she disdains. With the fate of dragons, ghosts, and slaves in foreign lands resting on her shoulders, Astrid faces the challenge of deciding who she is and how she will stand up inside her own skin. Will she withdraw and hide from the world that has disappointed her so much... or will she rise to lead others to freedom and peace? AUTHOR'S NOTE: This series is written for adults but appropriate for ages 14 and up.

    It’s been four years since Rudy’s brother Edgar went missing in war-torn France. Still deep in mourning and grappling with unanswered questions, Rudy and his mother struggle to move on. When the enigmatic Mariette arrives unexpectedly at the family’s manor claiming to be Edgar’s widow, and the mother of his child, Rudy urges her to stay, hoping she’ll shed light on the missing pieces.Captivated by Mariette, Rudy finds that their mutual loss and grief bind them…as does the possibility of new love. But Mariette’s revelations bring more questions than answers about Edgar’s death. Suspicions threaten to divide Rudy’s already fractured family, setting him on a quest for the truth that takes him from England to France and beyond.In his search, Rudy is forced to confront the tragedies of war and the realities of the brother he’s lost and the woman he’s found. Will the truth set him free to find peace, or will it forever shadow his future?

    Treasonous and oath-breaking, they were deservedly condemned; unbelievers and faithless, they were justly punished.” Orphaned as a child by a blood-feud, and sold as a slave to an exiled chieftain in Ireland, the boy Hasting had little hope of surviving to adulthood. The gods had other plans. A ship arrived at his master's longphort carrying a man who would alter the course of his destiny, and take him under his wing to teach him the ways of the Vikings. His is a story of a boy who was a slave, who became a warlord, and who helped topple an empire. A supposed son of Ragnar Lodbrok, and referred to in the Gesta Normanorum as the Scourge of the Somme and Loire, his life exemplified the qualities of the ideal Viking. Join author and historian C.J. Adrien on an adventure that explores the coming of age of the Viking Hasting, his first love, his first great trials, and his first betrayal.

    But he has no choice other than to say farewell to the sea and accept the title of Baron Ridlington—which includes the almost-ruined estate, and his five resident siblings. He is going to need some help, and soon. It comes in the unexpected form of a nasty crack on the head, a ministering hand and a woman who has hidden herself away in the countryside. Rosaline Henry finds the unconscious Baron strangely appealing, and when he makes an unexpected but practical suggestion - she agrees, as much for him as for herself. Thus begins a voyage of discovery which takes them to new heights of familial creativity, private passion and risky adventure. The sea is in Edmund’s veins, so of course there are ships, spies, fogs and storms, not to mention flirtatious Hussars, a mustache of unsurpassed magnificence, a chicken with unusual preferences…and a fortuitous attack of mal-de-mer! Can Edmund take the helm of a different kind of ship and steer Ridlington back into the calmer waters of the countryside? Of course, but he needs the right woman’s hand on the wheel…

    But she soon learns that there is another path she can follow.In nearly a thousand years, only a few have seen the outside world, and virtually everyone inside is terrified of it. When Hillary is offered the chance to see it herself, she can’t help but want to jump into the adventure.But it isn’t just a matter of opening a door. Hillary must endure a rigorous education and brutal physical training to get outside. Can she pass through the grueling gauntlet to get outside? And what does she risk if she makes it?Part coming-of-age adventure, part survival horror, and part science fiction, REPATRIATE PROTOCOL is the gripping first installment in THE REPATRIATE PROTOCOL series by Kelli Kimble.

    When a mysterious accident transports Simon and his assistant, Elizabeth West, back in time, Simon finally finds both the proof that he's been looking for, and the romance that he hasn't.Simon and Elizabeth's developing relationship is tested by demons real and imagined. In 1920s Manhattan, there are more than mobsters vying for power in the city's speakeasies. When the local kingpin with a dark secret sets his sights on Elizabeth, day to day struggles become a fight for their very lives.When the Walls Fell (Book #2)Professor Simon Cross and his assistant Elizabeth West have returned from their accidental journey into the past and are adjusting to their new life together as a couple. But an unwanted visit from the Council for Temporal Studies could change everything.A murder in the past is changing the future, and if the killing isn't stopped, Simon Cross might never be born.When they arrive in 1906 San Francisco, Elizabeth and Simon have no idea who wants Victor Graham dead or how it will happen. With the earthquake that leveled most of the city just days away, the race to save Graham thrusts them into a complex mystery of jealousy and revenge where murder might be the least of their worries.Fragments (Book #3)Simon & Elizabeth are back in book #3 of the Out of Time Series! Professor Simon Cross and his assistant, Elizabeth West, thought their time traveling days were over. That's before they stumble across a World War II photograph -- with missing time traveler, Evan Eldridge, injured and in desperate need of help.They find Evan in 1942 London, ill and not quite sure what's happened. He remembers only one thing with crystal clarity -- the whereabouts of an artifact Hitler believes can win the war. That's information every Nazi spy in the country would kill to know.As if saving Evan and surviving war-torn England weren't enough, the outcome of the war hinges on Simon and Elizabeth finding Evan's artifact before the Nazis do. But time is running out: for them, for London, for the world.Be sure not to miss the rest of the Out of Time Series!

    He promised, after she completed her task, she’d be free. He didn’t promise her that he wouldn’t capture her heart before he released her. For Sarah, captive of the Highland laird, that these promises are kept is paramount. Phillip never expected to fall in love with the woman who was supposed to save his brother’s life. He also never expected to break a promise. But some promises are hard to keep, especially when he finds out the secrets she’s keeping.

    But on V-J Day, her worst fear is realized. As celebrating crowds gather in Times Square, a soldier appears on her doorstep to claim Mary, the baby abandoned to Gwen one year earlier. Suddenly Gwen is on the verge of losing the child she has nurtured and loves dearly.With no legal claim to Mary, Gwen begins to teach Lieutenant John McKee how to care for his child, knowing that he will ultimately take Mary away. What starts as a contentious relationship, however, turns into something more, and Gwen must open her heart to learn that love means taking chances.While You Were Mine paints a vivid portrait of 1940s New York and tells an enchanting tale of the nature of love and trust.

    Romance will run deep as these men find lasting love with strong, passionate women. This limited edition bundle includes: Word of Honor: A knight vanishes for years after his wedding night then returns without revealing where he has been. Can he recapture his wife’s love? Marked by Honor: A knight rescues a noblewoman from a band of highwaymen, but her white lie to protect herself drives a wedge between them. Code of Honor: A betrothed woman falls in love with a dashing knight while they deliver a foal less than a day before her wedding.

    Friends and neighbours have died, been evicted or given up what little land they have in search of alms. Michael Flynn is one of the lucky ones. His landlord has offered support. Michael and his family have done all they can to help their immediate household, but as the famine and its aftermath continue, have their efforts been enough? With the weakening brought about by hunger, there are some things he is powerless to protect his family from. Is it time for the great Michael Flynn to take his family in search of a better life? Download now to find out

    But after a duel with a jealous duke leaves him disfigured, Julian is ostracized by those who once celebrated him. Though his life is irrevocably changed, Trev is still loyal to his friends. When Willy Gilbert is accused of murder and Lady Vawdrey’s diamond necklace is stolen, he jumps at the chance to help them. As the two cases merge, however, Trev finds an unlikely ally in Miss Desdemona Woodmansey. She’s the only young lady who doesn’t seem put off by his scar and the scandal of the duel. But as their investigation into the murder reveals just how treacherous the mask of polite society can be, both Trev and Desdemona are placed in grave danger. Trev has already lived through the disgrace of a scandal, but can he survive a murderer who will do anything to protect a sinister secret?(Please note that the events of The Devil in Beauty take place eight years prior to the events of The Lord Who Sneered.)

    Their plan for this summer is to have as much fun in the sun as they can before they head off for their first year of college at the U in the fall. Everything changes when Duncan’s father announces he’s been promoted and the family will be moving to Florida. Secretly, both Mel and Duncan are harboring feelings for each other, but both are holding back. With only one week before the life-long friends are separated by two thousand miles, can the budding romance find a way to blossom? The Summer We Believed is the first installment of Denim Days, a friends-to-lovers series by Shel Delisle.

    After losing her adoptive parents as a teenager, she found solace in a relative’s home. Her aunt helped shape her formative years and inspired her to reach for her dreams, no matter how unimaginable they may seem. Now, Remi is young woman trying to make a name for herself in the fashion industry, but finds herself distracted by one her aunt’s many suitors. Soon a torrid love affair with him begins to chip away at the wall that separates her love and devotion for the woman who raised her and the man she can’t help but fall in love with. Kaiden has never had to worry that he’d spend a night alone. Independently wealthy and dangerously handsome, his mere presence makes women for miles around swoon, but when he meets his girlfriend’s niece, he finds himself caught up in trouble. Love, lies, and scandal! Find out what happens in part one of What She Don’t Know!

    The life of a freight-hopping, banjo-strumming hobo appeals to him more than he wants to admit. But he insists he's not a bum - he's a family man looking for work; a down-and-out victim of the Depression, whose war flashbacks and guilt for leaving his family accompany him through the hills of Missouri. Compassionate, humorous, and warm, despite the economic hardships of the era, Face the Winter Naked will appeal to readers who enjoy tales of survival in the Great Depression. Stories of desperate men who couldn't handle the realities of war or financial ruin. Men who dearly loved their families but hadn't the courage to stay and accept responsibility. The story pulls the reader back to a tragic period in history, where people either learned to cope with poverty - or perished.

    But when the groom is murdered on the way to his wedding, the bride’s brother tasks his two best detectives—Gareth, a knight, and Gwen, the daughter of the court bard—with bringing the killer to justice. And once blame for the murder falls on Gareth himself, Gwen must continue her search for the truth alone, finding unlikely allies in foreign lands, and ultimately uncovering a conspiracy that will shake the political foundations of Wales.