Monsters, real and imagined, external and internal, are the subject. They are us and we are them and Ballingrud's intense focus makes these stories incredibly intense and irresistible.These are love stories. And also monster stories. Sometimes these are monsters in their traditional guises, sometimes they wear the faces of parents, lovers, or ourselves. The often working-class people in these stories are driven to extremes by love. Sometimes, they are ruined; sometimes redeemed. All are faced with the loneliest corners of themselves and strive to find an escape.Nathan Ballingrud was born in Massachusetts but has spent most of his life in the South. He worked as a bartender in New Orleans and New York City and a cook on offshore oil rigs. His story "The Monsters of Heaven" won the inaugural Shirley Jackson Award. He lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with his daughter.

    Jace Dooley is hotter than ever, and their friendship picks up along with massive doses of grown-up chemistry.The very scent of Katie sharpens Jace's canines, makes the wolf within him stir. There's nothing more alluring to a Pack Alpha than a sexy female who is so very in charge. She won't be coddled, but if he plays his hand just right she might be convinced to become his.Katie presents a challenge to Jace's wolf nature, whose chief instinct is to protect. Especially now that she's coming into the magic that is her birthright - and suddenly Jace isn't the only one who's interested in Katie, or the raw power she's just learning to use.

    Originally published as Saved by the Dragon, Mated by the Dragon, and Taming the Dragon. Chloe's weekend getaway doesn't go according to plan when she's trapped in a cave with a gorgeous, golden-eyed rescuer named Saul. His fiery secret and a hot, one-night stand will set in motion events able to change her life forever -- but all dragons aren't ready to accept mortalkind. As shadowy forces in the draconic world object to their new union, Chloe must find the strength to fight for a future with the man she holds dear. When Marceline Vargas agrees to join her friend Chloe for an island vacation in Mexico, she's ready for fun in the sun and an escape from her hectic career. After crossing paths with the resort's owner, she soon discovers the billionaire dragon shifter is a charismatic enigma -- sexist but kind-hearted, intimidating yet generous. Can his chauvinistic patterns be tamed? Marcy intends to find out.

    His task is to punish the Fallen-angels who have become vampires-and command a restless pack of indentured lycans. But Adrian has suffered his own punishment for becoming involved with mortals- losing the woman he loves again and again. Now, after nearly two hundred years, he has found her-Shadoe-her soul once more inhabiting a new body, with no memory of him. And this time, he won't let her go.

    If she can control him...Desperate to save her demon-abducted sister, witch Merle MacKenna breaks the law when she summons Rhun, another demon, from the magical prison of the Shadows. Rhun might be a demon, but he'll be able to help her, and then she'll bind him when she's through – at least, that's the plan. But Merle finds it's easier said than done when her new demon is hellbent on charming his way into her pants – and her heart.After twenty years in the Shadows, bound for a crime he didn't commit, Rhun is past caring about anyone but himself. The plan: seduce the sexy witch, steal her powers, and be on his merry way. But when a heinous betrayal in the ranks of the witches forces Merle and Rhun to work even closer together, Rhun's plan backfires – and the witch gets under his skin. With his unbidden feelings for Merle vying with his need for freedom, he struggles with a new torment: Being a selfish jerk is a lot harder when love is involved.Warning: Includes lots of witty banter and snarky humor, as well as a charmingly disrespectful demon hero who's hot enough to melt panties with a look.***This book was previously published as Blood, Pain, and Pleasure.***

    Ruthless and unrestrained, Kerrigan has long ceased to be human.In the heart of London...A spirited peasant mired in drudgery, Seren dreams of becoming her own woman, but never expects that by fleeing her fate, she will meet her destiny.Their worlds are forever changed...Kerrigan's goal is simple: barter or kill Seren to claim Arthur's Round Table. Yet she is the one person who holds no fear of him. More than that, her nobility sparks something foreign inside him. In his nether realm, kindness is weakness and a king who harbors any sort of compassion loses his throne.For countless centuries, Kerrigan has lived alone in the shadows. Now Seren's courage has forced him into the light that will bring either salvation to both of them...or death.