Chuck and Mongo find themselves face to face with visitors of the third kind in a place that no one would ever suspect them. Serpent Con in Atlanta. The boys are there for a little fun and relaxation among the science fiction and fantasy world. Only trouble could come of this when these two are turned loose together. Enjoy this short tale ripped from the headlines of Comic cons everywhere.

    For almost three years, the Federation and the Klingon Empire, allied under the Khitomer Accords, have contended with the nascent coalition on a predominantly cold-war footing. But as Starfleet rebuilds itself, factions within the Typhon Pact grow restive, concerned about their own inability to develop a quantum slipstream drive to match that of the Federation. Will leaders such as UFP President Bacco and RSE Praetor Kamemor bring about a lasting peace across the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, or will the cold war between the two alliances deepen, and perhaps even lead to an all-out shooting war? Raise the Dawn After the disastrous events in the Bajoran system, Captain Benjamin Sisko must confront the consequences of the recent choices he has made in his life. At the same time, the United Federation of Planets and its Khitomer Accords allies have come to the brink of war with the Typhon Pact. While factions within the Pact unsuccessfully used the recent gestures of goodwill—the opening of borders and a joint Federation-Romulan exploratory mission—to develop quantum-slipstream drive, they have not given up their goals. Employing a broad range of assets, from Romulus to Cardassia, from Ab-Tzenketh to Bajor, they embark on a dangerous new plan to acquire the technology they need to take control of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. While UFP President Bacco and Romulan Praetor Kamemor work feverishly to reestablish peace, Captains Sisko, Jean-Luc Picard, and Ro Laren stand on the front lines of the conflict...even as a new danger threatens the Bajoran wormhole as it once more becomes a flashpoint of galactic history. Brinkmanship The Venette Convention has always remained independent, but it is about to become the flashpoint for a tense military standoff between the two power blocs now dominating interstellar space—the United Federation of Planets and the recently formed Typhon Pact. The Venetan government turns to the Typhon Pact’s Tzenkethi Coalition for protection in the new order, and has agreed to allow three of their supply bases for Tzenkethi use. But these bases—if militarized—would put Tzenkethi weapons unacceptably close to Federation, Cardassian, and Ferengi space. While Captain Ezri Dax and the crew of the U.S.S. Aventine are sent to investigate exactly what is happening at one of the Venette bases, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the U.S.S. Enterprise are assigned to a diplomatic mission sent to the Venette homeworld in order to broker a mutually acceptable resolution. But the Cardassian delegates don’t seem particularly keen on using diplomacy to resolve the situation, which soon spirals out of control toward all-out war. . .

    A sacred relic. A religious belief under siege. Silas Grey—ex-Army Ranger, professor of religious studies, and leading relics expert—is on the verge of rocking the religious and nonreligious alike with scientific proof of the Church’s central belief: Jesus Christ’s resurrection. Proof he believes has been hidden all along within the Shroud of Turin, the Christian relic purported to be the burial cloth of Jesus.But a series of suspicious deaths and devastating attacks not only threaten Silas’s shocking announcement and those close to him. They are a sign of an even greater threat reemerging from the shadows of history.Coming to his aid is the Order of Thaddeus, a religious order that has been battling for the very survival of the Church since its birth. Soon it becomes clear that an ancient cultic enemy has risen to once again wage war against the Church and destroy the Christian faith—beginning with its most sacred relic and teaching. Spanning the globe from Washington to Paris to Jerusalem, Silas and the Order combine forces to plunge into a desperate mission for the very survival of the Church and all it holds dear. Can they preserve the memory of its central belief before its archenemy erases it forever? Holy Shroud is the first book in the inventive bestselling Order of Thaddeus action-adventure thriller series leveraging the familiar conspiracy suspense and special-ops thrill of James Rollins, wrapped in the historical insight of Steve Berry and inspiration of Ted Dekker.Embark on this new action-packed adventure by emerging author J. A. Bouma that combines faith, fact, and fiction like few religious writers—delivering a “highly entertaining” and “compelling” page-turner people have all agreed “you won't want to put it down!”

    But he isn’t just a grouch extraordinaire, he’s been through hell and has the invisible scars to prove it. She knows the situation is delicate but she has a reputation for stomping in like a hurricane. Somehow, she’ll have to help him heal from his past, even if they can never have a future. Hearts have to break before they can be fixed… Adam lost everything, and now he’s a man lost. There’s no coming back from what he experienced. He knows you can’t have a perfect life twice. But one spunky vixen shifter is determined to test that theory… and his very last nerve. He can’t deny that Barb makes him feel like a man again, makes him remember what life was like before it all fell apart. But risking another heartbreak is something he can’t bring himself to do. Not when he has his daughter to think about. She’s all he has left of his old life, and he’s not about to risk hurting her. Limits are tested, boundaries are drawn, hearts get cracked, but it will all come out in the wash. Nothing a little dirty, messy, hope can’t fix

    She knows how to maximize her investments and cut her losses - in both her career and her personal life. So when she discovers that Jack Fairfax has deceived her, she's determined to end their relationship. Putting a stop to their budding romance is easy, but breaking up their business deal will be more difficult. Despite all her efforts, she has no luck disentangling herself from Jack's client company, Excalibur. But the situation becomes even more strained when a lethal act of sabotage threatens to put both their companies out of business for good.Lost and Found(Sandra Burr, Joyce Bean, Melissa Coates)Cady Briggs is very useful to Mack Easton - her expertise in art and antiques helps his shadowy, low-profile company, Lost and Found, find missing treasures for high-paying clients. But as Cady's beloved Aunt Vesta warns her, being useful to a client is one thing - being used is another. Still, Cady finds it hard to resist the magnetic pull Mack exerts, an attraction she felt from the first time she heard his voice on the phone. And as their work together puts them in an explosive situation, Cady wonders just how much she'd risk for the thrill of being with this man.Smoke in Mirrors(Aasne Vigesaa/James Daniels; Laura Grafton)A con artist and seductress, Meredith Spooner lived fast - and died young. Now it seems Meredith's last scam - embezzling more than a million dollars from a college endowment fund - is coming back to haunt Leonora Hutton. An email just arrived in which Meredith - in fear for her life - explains that the money is waiting for Leonora in an offshore account ... and a safe-deposit key is on the way. Leonora wants nothing to do with the tainted money. She's already been accused of being in on the theft by Thomas Walker - who, it seems, was a victim of Meredith's knack for both scams and seductions. Eager to prove him wrong, Leonora sets out to collect the cash and hand it over. But she discovers two other items in the safe-deposit box. One is a book about Mirror House - a mansion filled with antique mirrors, where Meredith engineered her final deception. The other is a set of newspaper stories about a thirty-year-old murder that occurred there - unsolved to this day.

    Here in remotest Wyoming, where elk roam the pine forests and cougars prowl the mountains, everyone owns a gun. But when Joe Pickett hears two sharp cracks ring out months before hunting season, it's his job to investigate the first murder he's ever encountered. Battling grudge-holding neighbours, corrupt officials and out-of-town activists, Joe begins to unravel a mystery that threatens the life and the family he loves.Savage Run:Game warden Joe Pickett is called to a bizarre crime scene deep within the forests of Twelve Sleep County, Wyoming. The case is wrapped up too quickly, and Joe's search for the truth leads him ever deeper into the wilderness of the Bighorn Mountains. With two unlikely allies at his side, and two hired killers on his heels, Joe can't avoid the legendary Savage Run - a treacherous, isolated canyon with no crossing...Winterkill:It's an hour away from darkness, a bitter winter storm is raging, and Joe Pickett is deep in the forest edging Battle Mountain, shotgun in his left hand, his truck's steering wheel handcuffed to his right - and Lamar Gardiner's arrow-riddled corpse splayed against the tree in front of him. Lamar's murder and the sudden onslaught of the snowstorm warn: Get off the mountain. But Joe knows this episode is far from over. Somewhere in the dense timber, a killer draws his bowstring - with Joe as his prey...

    The Hands of Time: When a young American woman vanishes without a trace from a quaint fishing village on the coast of England only one person knows the truth, but he remains silent, safe in the knowledge that she will never be found. Meanwhile, Valerie Crane finds herself transported to the year 1605. Terrified and confused, she turns for help to the Whitfield brothers, who take her in and offer her a home. Both Alexander and Finlay Whitfield fall in love with the mysterious woman who shows up on their doorstep, creating a love triangle that threatens to consume them all. Valerie must make her choice, deciding between the brother who will lead her down the path of destruction and one who will give her the love she couldn’t find in her own time. A Leap of Faith: Alone and bereft, Valerie’s sister, Louisa, makes the fateful decision to follow her sister into the seventeenth century. But, the best laid plans often go awry, and she finds herself on the wrong continent, and in the wrong year. Louisa must cross the Atlantic to get to Virginia, hoping that Valerie is still there in 1620, and face the uncertainty of her situation as she makes the dangerous journey to the New World. Will the two sisters reunite, or will they pass like ships in the night, never knowing how close they came to finding each other? A World Apart: Reunited with her sister at last, Louisa settles in colonial Virginia, but an unexpected visitor throws life into turmoil once again by offering Valerie and Louisa an opportunity to return to the future. Before the sisters have a chance to make a decision, the unthinkable happens; ripping the family apart, and scattering them over continents and time itself. No one is spared as child is torn from parents, sister is parted from sister, and a devastating famine threatens the colony. The Whitfields and Sheridans must fight for survival and face challenges they never imagined as they are cast a world apart. A Game of Shadows: It’s 1624, and the Whitfields finally arrive in England, eager to spend time with Louisa and Kit, but their visit is not the happy reunion they’d hoped for. In the meantime in 1777, Abbie and Finn go behind enemy lines to spy for the Revolution, putting themselves in grave danger. The slightest mistake can mean the difference between life and death, and tear them apart forever. Even Finn’s knowledge of what’s to come is not enough to keep them safe from their own carelessness. Unexpected revelations, long-buried secrets, and unforeseen reunions threaten to destroy everything the Whitfields and Sheridans hold dear, throwing their lives into turmoil once again. Shattered Moments: Murder, blackmail, long buried secrets, and a tender new romance take center stage in Shattered Moments, the final installment of The Hands of Time Series as the Whitfields and Sheridans face their toughest challenges yet.

    Of course, nicking what doesn’t belong to you is a whole lot easier when you possess a magic jewelry box with the power to make anything disappear.When a supernatural being with mysterious powers and suspect motives comes calling, however, it turns out Jen’s once dull, ordinary life is actually just window dressing—and that behind the curtain lies a whimsical world rife with wizards, wereskunks, and pot-smoking garden gnomes.In time and with the “aid” of her newfound acquaintance, Jen will find answers to questions she never thought to ask. Questions like “why can’t my mother talk about my father?” or “why is my rocker boyfriend never around when the full moon is out?” or “how suicidal do you have to be to rip off a wizard cabal on a dare?”The answer? Very.But then you know what they say...ask not what magic can do for you, but what you can do for magic.

    I'm a half-orc, a bodyguard, and a fair hand with a rifle. Back in the day, I fought in two wars. One was in uniform for good ole Uncle Sam. The other was under the banner of The Erlking - Iron Lord of goblins, half-bloods, and orcs.Being a vet two times over never bothered me until one hell of a job dragged me out of the mortal world, and back to the land of Faerie. Now I've got to get my client over the US-Mexico border before the next best thing to a fairy goddess finds, enslaves, and kills us - though maybe not in that order.Think I can make it past the elves, gunmen, and magical forces of nature standing in my way?

    Bite Me is a book that will have you laughing out loud, will have you crying until your nose runs, and will have you wondering out loud, “Am I really reading the autobiography of a cat?”Yes. Yes, you are.This is the book Max’s readers have been asking for–from the moment the Younger Human brought him home, through the tortures of the M-Word, living with a dog, and then with Basement Kitty Buddah–this is Max Thompson’s memoirs, in his own words.Sort of.

    A mage cop on his first assignment learns the world isn't as black and white as hopedA jump mage and a starship with matching needs turn out to be a magnet for troubleDigging in 1940s New York City awakens a monster--and brings in the elite of the FaeThe protected heir of an interstellar dictatorship is called to a battle no one expected him to fightAn explosive collection of four novellas from science fiction and fantasy author Glynn Stewart, spanning his ONSET, Starship's Mage, Changeling Blood and Exile universes, including two brand new urban fantasy novellas.  Includes:ONSET: Murder by MagicStarship's Mage: Episode 1Fae, Flames and FedorasAshen Stars

    Elrod's picked 15 of her favorite short works for this multi-genre collection spanning 15 years of publication.Also included is a never before published VAMPIRE FILES story, featuring her urban fantasy vampire PI, Jack Fleming!Each story has been polished afresh for this anthology, with pages of new material added.More information -- and previews of the stories! -- may be found at her website vampwriter-dot-com.Titles:1. A Night at the (Horse) Opera (Vampire Files, Fleming)2. The Breath of Bast (Vampire Files), Ecsott)3. Bossman (Original mystery, no vamps)4. Slaughter (Vampire Files, Fleming & Gordy)5. The Devil's Mark (Original historical vampire)6. You'll Catch Your Death (Vampire Files)7. Izzy's Shoe-In (Historical mystery introducing Izzy DeLeon, fearless girl reporter)8. The Quick Way Down (Vampire Files, Fleming and Gordy)9. The Scottish Ploy (Original romance/mystery)10. Grave-Robbed (Vampire Files, Fleming)11. The Company You Keep (Vampire Files, Gabriel Kroun)12. Death in Dover (Jonathan Barrett before he got vamped, historical mystery)13. Drawing Dead (ALL NEW VAMPIRE FILES, Fleming)14. King of Shreds and Patches (Hamlet from a different point of view, mystery)15. Fugitive (Science fiction/space opera)16. BONUS STORY! The Wind Breathes Cold (Quincey Morris: Vampire)

    He strikes in broad daylight, yet no one ever sees him.His target?Garden gnomes ...

    Sage Tanton is her BFF with a psychic sense for trouble.Protective of her family and friends, Rose is confident she can handle any situation without Sage's supernatural intervention. But then the unthinkable happens. Rose's action triggers one of Sage's visions about a child in danger. And once again, her life is turned upside down. Getting the police involved throws Rose an unexpected romantic curveball. So, she does what she does best - jumps in feet first and finds herself out of the proverbial herbal teapot and into the flames. Liar, liar, pants on fire, Detective Nathan Bryant knows that gorgeous woman he just met is not only deceitful but could be entirely insane. Now he can’t stop lusting after her. Can a determined police detective help Rose achieve her long sought-after redemption or will they both retreat behind their yellow tape and lose out on love? Trust is a gift either has yet to give.

    She seeks help from her intriguing upstairs tenant, former cop Jed Skimmerhorn. True Betrayals Kelsey Byden grew up believing her mother had died when she was three. Now twenty-six, she receives a letter from her mother explaining that she is alive. But there are more secrets to be found out and Kelsey decides to stay at her mother's splendid horse farm, where she falls in love with handsome gambler Gabe Slater. Homeport Dr. Miranda Jones welcomed the distraction offered by a summons to Italy to verify the authenticity of a Renaissance bronze. However, her professional judgment is called into question when the bronze is declared a hoax. Miranda turns to Ryan Boldari, a seductive—and supposedly reformed—art thief. The Reef Tate Beaumont and Matthew Lassiter share the dream of finding Anguelique's Curse, a jeweled amulet surrounded by legend. Tate soon learns that her arrogant but attractive fellow diver holds as many secrets as the sea itself.