Includes an Introduction by Stephen Baxter
and an Afterword by Walter James Miller
The perfect small town beach romance brimming with forbidden love, secret desires, and one irresistible virgin hero-from bestselling and award winning author, Lydia Michaels.
Colin McCullough has always been a man of devotion, and at summer's end he will finally receive his Holy Orders. Samantha Dougherty never intended to cause trouble, but when she's invited to stay at McCullough Mountain for summer break, she proves to be an irresistible temptation.
Hot summer nights lead to secret moments of seduction neither Colin or Samantha can resist. No vow of celibacy is without sin. Colin's thoughts are far from pure, but his intentions to become a priest remain. What should have been a relaxing holiday with his family has turned into a trial of loyalty, lust, courage, sacrifice, and possibly love.
Bestselling author, Lydia Michaels, has created an unforgettable family saga bursting with sizzling secrets and scandalous moments in this award winning series, McCullough Mountain, where each story can be read as a stand alone!
When Tia accidentally overhears a whispered conversation between her mother--terminally ill and lying in a hospital bed in Port Harcourt, Nigeria--and her aunt, the repercussions will send her on a desperate quest to uncover a secret her mother has been hiding for nearly two decades. Back home in Lagos a few days later, Adunni, a plucky fourteen-year-old runaway, is lying awake in Tia's guest room. Having escaped from her rural village in a desperate bid to seek a better future, she's finally found refuge with Tia, who has helped her enroll in school. It's always been Adunni's dream to get an education, and she's bursting with excitement. Suddenly, there's a horrible knocking at the front gate. . . . It's only the beginning of a harrowing ordeal that will see Tia forced to make a terrible choice between protecting Adunni or finally learning the truth behind the secret her mother has hidden from her. And Adunni will learn that her "louding voice," as she calls it, is more important than ever, as she must advocate to save not only herself but all the young women of her home village, Ikati. If she succeeds, she may transform Ikati into a place where girls are allowed to claim the bright futures they deserve--and shout their stories to the world.
The holiday film A Christmas Story, first released in 1983, has become a bona fide Christmas perennial, gaining in stature and fame with each succeeding year. Its affectionate, wacky, and wryly realistic portrayal of an American family's typical Christmas joys and travails in small-town Depression-era Indiana has entered our imagination and our hearts with a force equal to It's a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street. This edition of A Christmas Story gathers together in one hilarious volume the gems of autobiographical humor that Jean Shepherd drew upon to create this enduring film. Here is young Ralphie Parker's shocking discovery that his decoder ring is really a device to promote Ovaltine; his mother and father's pitched battle over the fate of a lascivious leg lamp; the unleashed and unnerving savagery of Ralphie's duel in the show with the odious bullies Scut Farkas and Grover Dill; and, most crucially, Ralphie's unstoppable campaign to get Santa--or anyone else--to give him a Red Ryder carbine action 200-shot range model air rifle. Who cares that the whole adult world is telling him, "You'll shoot your eye out, kid"? The pieces that comprise A Christmas Story, previously published in the larger collections In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash and Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories, coalesce in a magical fashion to become an irresistible piece of Americana, quite the equal of the film in its ability to warm the heart and tickle the funny bone.
Sarah Morgenthaler is back with a heart-mending contemporary romance featuring a single dad you'll fall for; a satisfying slow burn love affair; found family you'll root for; small town holiday magic; and all the quirky animals and snowy rustic scenes your heart desires.
Sienna Naples's family has taken care of their wild Idaho land for generations and Sienna can't imagine any other life. But at Christmastime, with her parents gone and her painful marriage finally over, it's full of memories...and incredibly lonely. Until a tall, handsome stranger and a little girl walk into her life and suddenly the holidays are alive again.
When single father Guy Maple shows up as the result of an ad meant to be a joke, the handsome Montana construction worker isn't joking. Money is tight this Christmas, and Guy's four-year-old daughter Emma has stage-five chronic kidney disease. She needs a kidney transplant, but if Guy can't prove that he can afford Emma's anti-rejection medications, his daughter isn't going to stay on the transplant list. Guy's willing to do anything, including marrying a stranger, to keep her safe. It's an impulsive marriage of convenience, and Sienna knows this isn't real, no matter how much she adores Emma, how well Guy fits in to the ranching life--or how much light and laughter is coming into their lives as a result. But the more time she spends with her new family, the more she fears losing the fragile, feisty little girl and the kind, devoted, hard-working, incredibly attractive man who is her husband--but is it only in name?
New York Times Bestseller
Following the epic, ambitious, instant New York Times bestseller City on Fire, "The Godfather for our generation" (Adrian McKinty), comes the dramatic second novel in an epic crime trilogy from Don Winslow, #1 internationally bestselling author of the Cartel trilogy (The Power of the Dog, The Cartel and The Border).
Hollywood.
The city where dreams are made.
On the losing side of a bloody East Coast crime war, Danny Ryan is now on the run. The Mafia, the cops, the FBI all want him dead or in prison. With his little boy, his elderly father and the tattered remnants of his loyal crew of soldiers, he makes the classic American migration to California to start a new life.
A quiet, peaceful existence.
But the Feds track him down and want Danny to do them a favor that could make him a fortune or kill him.
And when Hollywood starts shooting a film based on his former life, Danny demands a piece of the action and begins to rebuild his criminal empire.
Then he falls in love.
With a beautiful movie star who has a dark past of her own.
As their worlds collide in an explosion that could destroy them both, Danny Ryan has to fight for his life in a city where dreams are born.
Or where they go to die.
From the shores of Rhode Island to the deserts of California where bodies disappear, from the power corridors of Washington where the real criminals operate to the fabled movie studios of Hollywood where the real money is made, City of Dreams is a sweeping saga of family, love, revenge, survival and the fierce reality behind the dream.
"50 Most Impactful Black Books of the Last 50 Years." --Essence
Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read The instant classic from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Life After Death brings the streets of New York to life in a powerful and utterly unforgettable novel. I came busting into the world during one of New York's worst snowstorms, so my mother named me Winter. Ghetto-born, Winter is the young, wealthy daughter of a prominent Brooklyn drug-dealing family. Quick-witted, sexy, and business-minded, she knows and loves the streets like the curves of her own body. But when a cold Winter wind blows her life in a direction she doesn't want to go, her street smarts and seductive skills are put to the test of a lifetime. Unwilling to lose, this ghetto girl will do anything to stay on top. Twenty-five years and over one million copies later, The Coldest Winter Ever is a bestseller and a national treasure, a classic handed down from one reading generation to the next. Whether you are reading it for the first time or have cherished it for years, you will never forget this Winter's tale.
And an Afterword by Edmund Reiss
Another thrilling domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Not a Happy Family
"The twists come as fast [as] you can turn the pages." --People
"I read this novel at one sitting, absolutely riveted by the storyline. The suspense was beautifully rendered and unrelenting!" --Sue Grafton
It all started at a dinner party. . . A domestic suspense debut about a young couple and their apparently friendly neighbors--a twisty, rollercoaster ride of lies, betrayal, and the secrets between husbands and wives. . . Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all--a loving relationship, a wonderful home, and their beautiful baby, Cora. But one night, when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately lands on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story. Inside the curtained house, an unsettling account of what actually happened unfolds. Detective Rasbach knows that the panicked couple is hiding something. Both Anne and Marco soon discover that the other is keeping secrets, secrets they've kept for years. What follows is the nerve-racking unraveling of a family--a chilling tale of deception, duplicity, and unfaithfulness that will keep you breathless until the final shocking twist.
From bestselling author, Lydia Michaels, comes another darkly compelling, heart-pounding, paranormal, vampire romance!
Larissa Hostetler is on the run after an arranged marriage to Silus, her abusive, immortal husband. As Silus hunts his disobedient wife, he plots her painful atonement. But Bishop King, the most powerful and eldest immortal in The Order, finds Larissa first, and he has plans of his own.
A deadly vampire is slaughtering mortal women in the woods, drawing unwanted attention from the media that threatens to expose their species. The Council is hard-pressed to hunt and destroy the creature, but another upheaval is at play.
Immortals on the farm are keeping secrets. Vows will be broken and lives eternally changed as appetites for vengeance grow.
Nothing is as it seems when an immortal seeks revenge...
--John Brunner
THE INSPIRATION FOR BLADERUNNER. . .
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was published in 1968. Grim and foreboding, even today it is a masterpiece ahead of its time.
By 2021, the World War had killed millions, driving entire species into extinction and sending mankind off-planet. Those who remained coveted any living creature, and for people who couldn't afford one, companies built incredibly realistic simulacrae: horses, birds, cats, sheep. . .
They even built humans.
Emigrees to Mars received androids so sophisticated it was impossible to tell them from true men or women. Fearful of the havoc these artificial humans could wreak, the government banned them from Earth. But when androids didn't want to be identified, they just blended in.
Rick Deckard was an officially sanctioned bounty hunter whose job was to find rogue androids, and to retire them. But cornered, androids tended to fight back, with deadly results.
"[Dick] sees all the sparkling and terrifying possibilities. . . that other authors shy away from".
--Paul Williams
Rolling Stone
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
Named Most Anticipated by: Town & Country ・ Marie Claire ・ Goodreads ・ Zibby Magazine・BookBub ・ and moreShe has everything to live for--and everything to hide. Nine years ago, with the world's eyes on her, Charlie Colbert fled. The press and the police called Charlie a "witness" to the nightmarish events at her elite graduate school on Christmas Eve--events known to the public as "Scarlet Christmas"--though Charlie knows she was much more than that. Now, Charlie has meticulously rebuilt her life: She's the editor-in-chief of a major magazine, engaged to the golden child of the publishing industry, and hell-bent on never, ever letting her guard down again. But when a buzzy film made by one of Charlie's former classmates threatens to shatter everything she's worked for, Charlie realizes how much she's changed in nine years. Now, she's not going to let anything--not even the people she once loved most--get in her way.
"Irresistible...Filled with surprise, poignancy, and excitement, this is a surefire winner." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)
A brilliant and witty drama about two brave female World War II veterans who survived the unthinkable without ever losing their killer instinct...or their joie de vivre.
Meet the Williamson sisters, Britain's most treasured World War II veterans. Now in their late nineties, Josephine and Penny are in huge demand, popping up at commemorative events and history festivals all over the country. Despite their age, they're still in great form--perfectly put together, sprightly and sparky, and always in search of their next "excitement."
This time it's a trip to Paris to receive the Légion d'honneur for their part in the liberation of France. And as always, they will be accompanied by their devoted great-nephew, Archie.
Keen historian Archie has always been given to understand that his great aunts had relatively minor roles in the Women's Royal Navy and the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, but that's only half the story. Both sisters are hiding far more than the usual "official secrets". There's a reason sweet Auntie Penny can dispatch a would-be mugger with an umbrella.
This trip to Paris is not what it seems either. Scandal and crime have always quietly trailed the Williamson sisters, even in the decades after the war. Now armed with new information about an old adversary, these much decorated (but admittedly ancient) veterans variously intend to settle scores, avenge lost friends, and pull off one last, daring heist before the curtain finally comes down on their illustrious careers.
A New York Times Bestseller
A USA Today Bestseller
September IndieNext Pick
A new door opens...
● Grey London, thriving but barely able to remember its magical heritage
● Red London, ruled lately by the Maresh family, flourishing and powerful
● White London, left to brutality and decay Now the worlds are going to collide anew--brought to a dangerous precipice by the discoveries of three remarkable magicians. There's Kosika, the child queen of White London, who has nourished her city on blood and dreams--and whose growing devotion to both is leading her down a dangerous path. Then there's Delilah Bard, born a thief in Grey London, who crossed the worlds to become a legend far from there. She's an infamous magician, a devious heroine, and a risk-taking rogue, all rolled into one unforgettable package. Having disappeared to seek new adventure, an old favor now calls Lila back to a dangerous port, to join some old friends who need more help than they realize. Last there is Tes, a young runaway with an unusual and powerful ability, hiding out in Red London while trying to stay out of the limelight. Tes is the only one who can keep all the worlds from unraveling--if she manages to stay alive first. From #1 New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab comes a new adventure set in a beloved world--where old friends and foes alike are faced with a dangerous new threat. PopSugar, This Year's Best New Fantasy
Paste Magazine, Most Anticipated Fantasy Books of Fall
The Washington Post, 10 Noteworthy Books for September
Goodreads, Readers' Most Anticipated Books of Fall
Polygon, Best New SFF for the Fall
EW.com, Fall Book Must-Reads
**THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER**
"Alex Michaelides hits the trifecta with his third novel, The Fury. The highly original story presents the reader with the king of all unreliable narrators, enough twists and turns to power two novels, and a host of characters that bleed right on the page. " --David BaldacciA masterfully paced thriller about a reclusive ex-movie star and her famous friends whose spontaneous trip to a private Greek island is upended by a murder -- from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient This is a tale of murder. Or maybe that's not quite true. At its heart, it's a love story, isn't it? Lana Farrar is a reclusive ex-movie star and one of the most famous women in the world. Every year, she invites her closest friends to escape the English weather and spend Easter on her idyllic private Greek island. I tell you this because you may think you know this story. You probably read about it at the time ― it caused a real stir in the tabloids, if you remember. It had all the necessary ingredients for a press sensation: a celebrity; a private island cut off by the wind...and a murder. We found ourselves trapped there overnight. Our old friendships concealed hatred and a desire for revenge. What followed was a game of cat and mouse ― a battle of wits, full of twists and turns, building to an unforgettable climax. The night ended in violence and death, as one of us was found murdered. But who am I? My name is Elliot Chase, and I'm going to tell you a story unlike any you've ever heard.
THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
"This story is my latest obsession." --USA Today bestselling author, Devney PerryThe gods love to play with us mere mortals. And every hundred years, we let them... I have never been favored by the gods. Far from it, thanks to Zeus. Living as a cursed office clerk for the Order of Thieves, I just keep my head down and hope the capricious beings who rule from Olympus won't notice me. Not an easy feat, given San Francisco is Zeus' patron city, but I make do. I survive. Until the night I tangle with a different god. The worst god. Hades. For the first time ever, the ruthless, mercurial King of the Underworld has entered the Crucible--the deadly contest the gods hold to determine a new ruler to sit on the throne of Olympus. But instead of fighting their own battles, the gods name mortals to compete in their stead. So why in the Underworld did Hades choose me--a sarcastic nobody with a curse on her shoulders--as his champion? And why does my heart trip every time he says I'm his? I don't know if I'm a pawn, bait, or something else entirely to this dangerously tempting god. How can I, when he has more secrets than stars in the sky? Because Hades is playing by his own rules...and Death will win at any cost.
First published in 1939, Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning epic of the Great Depression chronicles the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s and tells the story of one Oklahoma farm family, the Joads, driven from their homestead and forced to travel west to the promised land of California. Out of their trials and their repeated collisions against the hard realities of an America divided into haves and have-nots evolves a drama that is intensely human yet majestic in its scale and moral vision, elemental yet plainspoken, tragic but ultimately stirring in its human dignity.
A portrait of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless, of one man's fierce reaction to injustice, and of one woman's stoical strength, the novel captures the horrors of the Great Depression and probes the very nature of equality and justice in America. As Don DeLillo has claimed, Steinbeck "shaped a geography of conscience" with this novel where "there is something at stake in every sentence." Beyond that--for emotional urgency, evocative power, sustained impact, prophetic reach, and continued controversy--The Grapes of Wrath is perhaps the most American of American classics. To commemorate the book's 75th anniversary, this volume is modeled on the first edition, featuring the original cover illustration by Elmer Hader and specially designed endpapers by Michael Schwab.