A boy, greatness. A girl, nothingness…In 1345, China lies under harsh Mongol rule. For the starving peasants of the Central Plains, greatness is something found only in stories. When the Zhu family’s eighth-born son, Zhu Chongba, is given a fate of greatness, everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass. The fate of nothingness received by the family’s clever and capable second daughter, on the other hand, is only as expected.When a bandit attack orphans the two children, though, it is Zhu Chongba who succumbs to despair and dies. Desperate to escape her own fated death, the girl uses her brother's identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice. There, propelled by her burning desire to survive, Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes, no matter how callous, to stay hidden from her fate.After her sanctuary is destroyed for supporting the rebellion against Mongol rule, Zhu takes the chance to claim another future altogether: her brother's abandoned greatness.

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    Whether you enjoy celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or New Year's there's something here for everyone. So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy. You have twelve reasons this season to stay indoors and fall in love.

    She is happy to be an anonymous drudge, so long as it keeps anyone from guessing the dangerous secret she hides.But when Malini accidentally bears witness to Priya’s true nature, their destinies become irrevocably tangled. One is a vengeful princess seeking to depose her brother from his throne. The other is a priestess seeking to find her family. Together, they will change the fate of an empire.

    Out in the permanent twilight of the Dusklands, her guardians called her power to create illusions a curse. But Sylvie knows it gives her a place in Coeur d'Or, the palais of the Amber Empress and her highborn legacies. So Sylvie sets off toward the Amber City, a glittering jewel under a sun that never sets, to take what is hers.But her hope for a better life is quickly dimmed. The empress invites her in only as part of a wicked wager among her powerful courtiers. Sylvie must assume a new name, Mirage, and begin to navigate secretive social circles and deadly games of intrigue in order to claim her spot. Soon it becomes apparent that nothing is as it appears and no one, including her cruel yet captivating sponsor, Sunder, will answer her questions. As Mirage strives to assume what should be her rightful place, she'll have to consider whether it is worth the price she must pay.

    This volume is compiled from free works on my website, stories written for various challenges and prompts, and other straggling tales. Some of these are my spins on familiar tales, like Cinderella and Ivan and the Wolf, others are simply based on well-known types of fairytales. Stories included in this volume: True Chivalry If the Shoe Fits Deeds Great & Small Challenge of Quests The Shining Knight The Prince's Champion The King's Challenges Knight of the Rose Three Questions The Witch in the Woods Ivan the Heartless Blood in the Water The Stable Boy Three Goats The Gardner The Good Son Play Me a Song 100 Words

    Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?

    There's flirting and romance from Rachael Lippincott, a tale of a determined girl with a mask-making business from Erin Hahn, and a music-inspired love connection from Sajni Patel. Brittney Morris turns enemies to lovers with the help of a balcony herb garden, Jennifer Yen writes an unconventional romance that starts outside a hospital, and Natasha Preston's teens discover each other--and their love story--in a storybook oak tree.Romantic, realistic, sweet and uplifting, TOGETHER, APART is a collection of finding love in unexpected places during an unprecedented time . . . each with the one thing we all want: a guaranteed happy ending.

    Smoking hot, game warden, Wyatt McCloud isn’t a homicide detective, but that’s exactly what he has to be when a shifter turns up dead in the forest he patrols... Bearly Believing (Bear Wardens #2) An infuriatingly sexy man... When research scientist and ardent environmentalist Summer Madison finds a dead grizzly in the forest, she's certain a nearby copper mine is to blame. Game warden Chance Baker isn't convinced, however. Summer's sure she can make him see reason... if he'll just stop melting her circuits for two seconds! His To Bear (Bear Wardens #3) A grieving grizzly... Bear shifter Brody Oberon is stunned to find his best friend near death, the victim of foul play. Filled with rage, the last thing Brody expects is to meet his fated mate at the hospital. The curvy doctor is everything he's ever wanted... at the worst possible time! Unbearably Stranded (Mystic Harbor #1) In her quest to find the last ingredient to her summoning spell, Vivian meets Laurence, the broody grizzly bear fisherman. Laurence has no interest in helping a witch with her magic, but Vivian convinces him to take her out to a small island out at sea. Caught in a magical storm, Vivian and Laurence are shipwrecked. Coming together to survive in spite of their differences, Laurence and Vivian heat up the cold nights while stranded on the island! Her Two Alphas (Mystic Harbor #2) Curvy Lucy Zimmer is having trouble at the office. Her boss can't seem to keep his hands off. Confused and frightened, Lucy decides to take a day trip to the coast to clear her head. While hiking an unfamiliar trail, she gets lost. Just when she thinks she'll be eaten by wolves, two gorgeous men walk out from between the trees! Cat Scratch Fever (Mystic Harbor #3) After curvy magazine editor Makayla Phillips is run off an icy road, she is caught in the snow storm of the century. With a head wound and a badly sprained ankle, Makayla is lucky that mountain man Ronan Harding found her. They are from worlds so far apart, being together is impossible. Will they meet in the middle or will they lose what they want most? His Lion Blood (Mystic Harbor #4) When curvy hafling vampire, Isabella Amador, saunters into mountain lion shifter Ashton Harding's tattoo shop, he can't get enough of her sexy scent. Unfortunately, there's a taboo against fraternizing with vampires, making Isabella strictly off limits! Dragon Princes Of Endor; Complete Collection; Parts #1 To #4 (Dragon Princes Of Endor #1) After leaving everything behind, Dani Storm takes to the road in an RV. When she steps into a cave, deep in the forest, her life is changed forever. Conyac and Trav are dragon shifter princes with a problem. There are no female dragons left in their world. Without a queen, neither can become king! Bear His Love (Midnight Sun Shifters #1) In the wilds of Alaska, anything is possible. Even happily ever after. Ginger Allen has come to Alaska to scatter her father’s ashes - and follow a treasure map he drew for her on his deathbed. First, though, she has to hire an experienced backcountry guide to take her to her father’s remote property... Bear His Baby (Midnight Sun Shifters #2) Ella May is coming home to Juneau for the first time in a year and a half. With a baby in tow and running for her life, pride is not an option. When Tate’s fated mate left him a year and a half ago, he didn’t believe he’d ever recover. Maybe it had been a mistake to keep the truth from her for so long, but he’d only been trying to protect her! Warrior Witch And Raven (West Coast Witches #1) Everyone has a talent. Mine is death. I'm Olivia Fanning. It's been five years since I got my father killed. My family hates me. And Raven? I can't even think about facing him again! Spirit Moon; Complete Collection; Parts #1 To #3 (Spirit Moon #1) Jane is a recent college grad with a strange gift- she sees things in her dreams. After she wakes up from a dream of her boyfriend cheating, she realises she's in need of a change...

    Guet Imm, a young votary of the Order of the Pure Moon, joins up with an eclectic group of thieves (whether they like it or not) in order to protect a sacred object, and finds herself in a far more complicated situation than she could have ever imagined.

    King Karolje claimed it was an assassination by a neighboring king, but everyone knew it was a lie. He had Disappeared her himself.But after finding the missing queen’s diary, Anza—impassioned by her father’s unjust execution and inspired by Mirantha’s words—joins the resistance group to overthrow the king. When an encounter with Prince Esvar thrusts her into a dangerous game of court politics, one misstep could lead to a fate worse than death.Esvar is the second son to an evil king. Trapped under his thumb and desperate for a way out, a chance meeting with Anza gives him the opportunity to join the resistance. Together, they might have the leverage to move against the king—but if they fail, their deaths could mean a total loss of freedom for generations to follow.

    From unhappy historical marriages to covert teenage romances, there's something for everyone in FRESH ROMANCE."

    Due to a series of lies and coincidences, 14-year-old Lottie finds herself pretending to be the princess so that Ellie can live a more normal teenage life.Lottie is thrust into the real world of royalty - a world filled with secrets, intrigue and betrayal. She must do everything she can to help Ellie keep her secret, but with school, the looming Maradovian ball and the mysterious new boy Jamie, she'll soon discover that reality doesn't always have the happily ever after you'd expect...A thrilling world of parties, politics and bad ass princesses, this is the first book in the brand new series THE ROSEWOOD CHRONICLES.

    For Dani, dragon slaying takes a back seat to normal high school life, while Eden prioritizes training above everything else. Yet they both agree on one thing: it’s kill or be killed where dragons are concerned.Until Dani comes face-to-face with one and forges a rare and magical bond with him. As she gets to know Nox, she realizes that everything she thought she knew about dragons is wrong. With Dani lost to the dragons, Eden turns to the mysterious and alluring sorcerers to help save her sister. Now on opposite sides of the conflict, the sisters will do whatever it takes to save the other. But the two are playing with magic that is more dangerous than they know, and there is another, more powerful enemy waiting for them both in the shadows.

    This was published as a Clarkesworld audiobook podcast in 2020.