. . and they lived happily ever after.” Remember the fairy tales you put away after you found that no princess is as beautiful as common sense and happy endings are just the beginning?Well, the old tales are back, and they’ve grown up! Black Pearls brings you the stories of your childhood, told in a way you’ve never heard before. Instead of lulling you to sleep, they’ll wake you up—to the haunting sadness that waits just inside the windows of a gingerbread cottage, the passion that fuels a witch’s flight, and the heartache that comes, again and again, at the stroke of midnight.Make no mistake: these stories are as dark as human nature itself. But they shine, too, lit with the fire of our dreams and our hunger for magic.

    Now, in their third critically acclaimed collection of original fairy tales for adults, World Fantasy Award-winning editors Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling bring us twenty-one new stories by some of the top names in literature today. Joyce Carol Oates, Gahan Wilson, Gene Wolfe, Tanith Lee, Neil Gaiman -- these are but a few of the accomplished literary sorcerers who have gathered here to remold our timeless myths into more sensuous and disturbing forms. Like the fabled ruby slippers, there is powerful magic here. Rich witches in trendy resorts cast evil spells ... beautiful princesses age and wither in sleeping worlds ... terrible beasts reside beneath flawless skin.Dark, disturbing, delightful, each story was written expressly for this superb collection of distinctly grown-up fantasy -- a brilliant companion volume to Datlow and Windling's acclaimed anthologies, "Snow White, Blood Red and "Black Thorn, White Rose. The "Snow White, Blood Red" Collection #1. Snow White, Blood Red #2. Black Thorn, White Rose #3. Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears #4. Black Swan, White Raven #5. Silver Birch, Blood Moon #6. Black Heart, Ivory Bones

     Five novels retell the classic story of Beauty and the Beast, each with its own twist. Meet a dark-elf prince, a dragonian princess, a brooding vigilante, mighty superheroes, and futuristic guards, and watch as Beast meets Beauty, falling in love across fantasy, science fiction, and romantic suspense. Each of these novels is only available as part of this set, so don't miss them: enter the enchanted castle and break the spell today!

    Brilliant dreams and dazzling nightmares with meaning for today and tomorrow...“The Giant In Repose” Nathan Ballingrud.“Eat Me, Drink Me, Love Me” Christopher Barzak.“Tales That Fairies Tell” Richard Bowes.“Warrior Dreams” Cinda Williams Chima.“Blanchefleur” Theodora Goss.“The Road of Needles” Caitlín R. Kiernan.“Below the Sun Beneath” by Tanith Lee.“The Coin of Heart’s Desire” Yoon Ha Lee.“Sleeping Beauty of Elista” Ekaterina Sedia.“Egg” Priya Sharma.“Lupine” Nisi Shawl.“Castle of Masks” by Cory Skerry: this version © 2013 Cory Skerry.(An earlier version appeared in Fairy Tales in Split Vision, ed. Cindy Lynn Speer, Drollerie Press, 2009).“Flight” © 2013 Angela Slatter.“The Lenten Rose” Genevieve Valentine.“The Hush of Feathers, the Clamour of Wings” A. C. Wise.“Born and Bread” Kaaron Warren.“The Mirror Tells All” Erzebet YellowBoy.“The Spinning Wheel’s Tale” Jane Yolen.

    Not all fairy tales are as they appear.Was it actually Red who hunted the wolf? What if the prince was the one in distress? Did the straw really get spun into gold? How well did those glass slippers truly fit?Where princesses do their own rescuing, princes aren’t who they first appear to be, and beasts are friends, not foe—and maybe something more…With stories spanning from true love’s kiss to reverse harem, skyscrapers to ancient castles, sweet romance to steamy nights, these alluring tales will satisfy readers of fantasy and romance alike.Grab your copy of ONCE UPON ANOTHER WORLD and discover 22 twisted fairy tales with a happily ever after unlike anything you’ve ever read before.

    But in the Five Hundred Kingdoms, nothing's ever simple—and the wrong blonde goddess is stolen by mistake, leaving Prince Leopold without his new bride. At least until he braves the realm of the dead to get her back….Cast in Moonlight by New York Times bestselling author Michelle SagaraBarely a teenager, Kaylin Neya is a thief, a fugitive and an attempted assassin. She also has a smart mouth, sharp wits and mysterious markings on her skin. All of which make her perfect bait for a child prostitution sting in the city of Elantra—if she survives her first meeting with the Hawks!Retribution by Cameron HaleyIn the underworld, there are tricks to killing. Like executing rivals at crossroads so ghosts won't follow you home. But sometimes retribution is hard to avoid—and now a supernatural hit man has a contract on Domino Riley's life. Luckily she knows a thing or two about death….

    Yet after a month at the Rainshadow Lodge, people begin to change --- and fall in love. How else can you account for what happens to the most mismatched, unlikely couples? There's Beth, who's stuck sharing the lodge with a complete stranger --- and a difficult one at that. And Mitch, a workaholic on a deadline who has to depend on free-spirited Rosie, who functions on "island time." Not to mention Catherine, who's falling in love with Michael, the lodge's handyman --- for the second time!

    Seven years later, all she wants is a normal life, but shape-shifting shadows plague her dreams and turn her life into a waking nightmare. When the shadows attack at a football game and a boy disappears right in front of her, she realizes these wraith-like shadows are real. They’re not just haunting—they’re hunting.A mysterious boy named Peter, his foul-mouthed sidekick, and a band of misfit boys intervene before Wendy faces a similar fate. But can they trust Wendy enough to take her to Neverwood Academy and reveal all of their hidden secrets when she's hiding a secret of her own, or will the dreaded Red Skulls find her and drag her back to Neverland?

    Prepare for a wild ride, whether you're looking for nail-biting drama, mystery, intense action, humor, new breeds of paranormals, or passionate romance. Indulge in this amazing boxed set from 6 bestselling urban fantasy authors:SM Reine - Sacrificed in ShadowMarie Hall - Crimson Night, DarkDeanna Chase - Influential MagicDanielle Monsch - Fairy Tales and Ever AftersKate Danley - Maggie for HireDannika Dark - SterlingSACRIFICED IN SHADOW (Ascension #1) by SM ReineLincoln Marshall is a small-town deputy with a very big problem. Six members of his church have been found dead, killed by a rogue werewolf. He'll have to make a deal with the Devil to save victims that have gone missing -- maybe literally. Elise Kavanagh, preternatural investigator and exorcist, is the expert when it comes to violent deaths at the jaws of evil. She's also among the most powerful demons that Hell has spawned. Elise jumps at Lincoln's case, and it's not just because of his down-home charm. Someone's laid a trap for her in Northgate, and she wants to find out who.... CRIMSON NIGHT by Marie Hall Welcome one and all to Carnival Diabolique- my name is Pandora, and I'm a Nephilim. What does that mean? I'm half demon, what's my other name? Lust. But I'm not all bad. I fight for light, for goodness and truth. But people are starting to disappear and lately I've felt a dark presence lurking around me. I think it might be a death priest and that's really bad. This should have been easy, me killing fanged freaks, getting rid of my pesky priest problem, but I'm about to be betrayed by the one person I thought I could trust with my life and before the night is through I'll be covered in crimson... -Dark Urban FantasyINFLUENTIAL MAGIC by Deanna Chase Welcome to the Crescent City, the home of Willow Rhoswen, faery and magical baker extraordinaire. While fighting for her life, Willow is caught between two gorgeous men as she navigates the corruption of a powerful vampire organization and her own supernatural government agency.FAIRY TALES AND EVER AFTERS by Danielle MonschIf you like your fairy tales just a little twisted, this is the series for you! Three tales follow our fairy godmothers as they figure out ways to help the damsels - and mansels - in distress, all the while making sure every couple gets their happily ever after. MAGGIE FOR HIRE by Kate Danley When monsters appear on earth, Maggie MacKay is on the job. No one is better at hauling the creepy crawlies back where they belong… no one except her dad, who disappeared mysteriously in the middle of an assignment. When an elf named Killian shows up with a gig, Maggie finds herself at the center of a plot to turn the earth into a vampire playground. The only hope for survival is tracking down two missing statues and a secret that disappeared with Maggie's father.Warning: This book contains cussing, brawling, and unladylike behavior. Proceed with caution. STERLING (Mageri #1) by Dannika Dark Follow the journey of a young woman's claim to immortality and her own identity. Zoë Merrick's human life ends when she is brutally attacked by a Mage who gives her the gift of immortality. She soon discovers they are not magicians, but powerful beings who can manipulate energy. Justus De Gradi steps forward to act as her Ghuardian, teaching her how to fight to protect the light within her. Will she learn to accept her fate and trust those around her? Urban Fantasy Romance Series.

    over one million words of divinely (and diabolically) inspired fantasy, adventure, and romance.Join the freshest voices in urban fantasy and paranormal, New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon bestselling authors, on unique journeys to heaven, hell, and worlds beyond.

    Fierce and independent, she drifts from place to place with her mother’s rock band until an ominous attack forces Kaye back to her childhood home. There, amid the blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient and violent power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms—a struggle that could very well mean her death. In Valiant, the companion to Tithe, seventeen-year-old Valerie runs away to New York City, trying to escape a life that has utterly betrayed her. Sporting a new identity, she takes up with a gang of squatters who live in the city’s labyrinthine subway system. But there’s something eerily beguiling about Val’s new friends. When one talks Val into tracking down the lair of a mysterious creature, Val finds herself torn between her affection for an honorable monster and her fear of what her new friends are becoming. In Ironside, the sequel to Tithe, the time has come for Roiben’s coronation. Uneasy in the midst of the malevolent Unseelie Court, pixie Kaye is sure of only one thing—her love for Roiben. But when Kaye drunkenly declares herself to Roiben, he sends her on a seemingly impossible quest to find a faerie who can tell a lie. Unable to see Roiben until she has fulfilled his quest, Kaye finds herself in the center of the battle of wits and weapons being waged over his throne.This omnibus combines all three books into one.

    From Sir Edmund Spenser's "The Faerie Queene" to E. M. Forster's "The Machine Stops", literature is filled with sexy, deadly, and downright twisted tales. In this collection, today's most acclaimed award-winning and bestselling authors reimagine their favorite classic stories and use their own unique styles to rebuild these timeless stories, the ones that have inspired, awed, and enraged them, the ones that have become ingrained in modern culture, and the ones that have been too long overlooked. They take these twelve stories and boil them down to their bones, and reassemble them for a new generation of readers. Written from a twenty-first century perspective and set within the realms of science fiction, dystopian fiction, fantasy, and realistic fiction, these short stories are as moving and thought provoking as their originators. They pay homage to groundbreaking literary achievements of the past while celebrating each author's unique perception and innovative style.Contents:Introduction: Rags & Bones: New Twists on Timeless Tales (2013) • essay by Tim Pratt and Melissa MarrThat the Machine May Progress Eternally (2013) / shortfiction by Carrie Ryan, inspired by E.M. Forster's The Machine StopsThe King of Elfland's Daughter (2013) • interior artwork by Charles VessLosing Her Divinity [Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz] (2013) / shortfiction by Garth Nix, inspired by The Man Who Would Be KingThe Sleeper and the Spindle (2013) / novelette by Neil Gaiman, inspired by Sleeping BeautyKai Lung's Golden Hours (2013) • interior artwork by Charles VessThe Cold Corner (2013) / shortfiction by Tim Pratt, inspired by Henry James' The Jolly CornerMillcara (2013) / shortfiction by Holly Black, inspired by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's CarmillaFigures of Earth (2013) • interior artwork by Charles VessWhen First We Were Gods (2013) / shortfiction by Rick Yancey, inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne's The BirthmarkSirocco (2013) / shortfiction by Margaret Stohl, inspired by Horace Walpole's The Castle of OtrantoThe Shaving of Shagpat (2013) • interior artwork by Charles VessAwakened (2013) / shortfiction by Melissa Marr, inspired by Kate Chopin's The AwakeningNew Chicago (2013) / shortfiction by Kelley Armstrong, inspired by W. W. Jacob's The Monkey's PawThe Wood Beyond the World (2013) • interior artwork by Charles VessThe Soul Collector (2013) / shortfiction by Kami Garcia, inspired by the Brothers Grimm's RumpelstiltskinWithout Faith, Without Law, Without Joy (2013) / shortfiction by Saladin Ahmed, inspired by Sir Edmund Spenser's Faerie QueeneGoblin Market (2013) • interior artwork by Charles VessUncaged (2013) / shortfiction by Gene Wolf, inspired by William Seabrook's The Caged White Werewolf..

    Will your favorite have a happily-ever-after?Get ready to meet some sexy, not-so-valiant princes, punk-rock princesses, villains turned heroes, and truly vile monsters wreaking havoc within our favorite tales.Read about Dancing Princesses getting their groove on in a disco club, a seriously sexy Rumpelstiltskin, and one alluring Puss-in-Boots, plus many, many more captivating characters in these fourteen all new short-stories.(This collection and its authors are being featured at the Twisted Fairy Tale Mixer at RT 2016 in Vegas, hosted by Sarah J. Pepper and Tish Thawer. Be sure to get your copy and stop by if you're attending the event.)

    But when the prince falls asleep as his lips touch the fair maiden's, it is clear that this fairy tale is far from over.With a desperate fairy's last curse controlling her mind, Princess Aurora must escape from a different castle of thorns and navigate a dangerously magical landscape--created from her very own dreams. Aurora isn't alone--a charming prince is eager to join her quest, and old friends offer their help. But as Maleficent's agents follow her every move, Aurora struggles to discover who her true allies are and, moreover, who she truly is. Time is running out. Will the sleeping beauty be able to wake herself up?

    After all, everyone in town knows about the mysterious happenings at the mansion on the hill—including the sudden disappearance of the Baldwin’s eldest son, Tate. The former football star and Golden Boy of Wellhollow Springs became a hermit at the age of sixteen, and no one has seen or heard from him since. Rumors abound as to why, with whisperings about a strange illness that has caused deformity…turned him into a real-life monster. Bellamy wants to dismiss these rumors as gossip, but when she’s told that if she takes the job she must promise to never, ever visit the 3rd floor of the mansion, she begins to wonder if there really is some dark truth being hidden there.Tate’s condition may not be the only secret being kept at Baldwin House. There are gaps in the family’s financial history that don’t add up, and surprising connections with unscrupulous characters. At night there are strange noises, unexplained cold drafts, and the electricity cuts out. And then there are the rose petals on the staircase. The rose petals that no one but Bellamy seems to be able to see. The rose petals that form a trail leading right up to the 3rd floor, past the portrait of a handsome young man, and down a dark hallway where she promised she would never, ever go…As Bellamy works to unravel the mysteries of Baldwin House and uncover the truth about Tate, she realizes that she is in way over her head, in more ways than one. Can her bravery and determination help to right the wrongs of the past and free the young man whose story has captured her heart?