Jan and Julianna, along with all of Jan’s Móndyalítko family, return to Chemestúk keep to prepare for a joyous day--their wedding. Julianna could not be happier, for Jan has altered completely; no longer the shallow “breaker of hearts,” he now belongs solely to her. Yet even as flowers are arranged and the wedding feast is prepared, Jan’s past catches up to him.The night before the wedding, another woman unexpectedly arrives at the keep and brings devastating repercussions that rapidly spin out of control. To Julianna’s shock, she is soon fighting not only for Jan’s life but her certainty that she can trust him with her heart. Is he really the man she believed him to be?Not only does his life hang in the balance but their future life together as well.About "Tales from the world of the Noble Dead Saga"...No knowledge of the Noble Dead Saga or related works is necessary to read and enjoy these stories. They are written for fantasy enthusiasts in general and not just our established readership. Readers new to this world can step into it through any of these short works.Tales are organized into “collections” where all stories therein share a theme and/or premise. When one or more link together, subsequent stories will mention “sequel to…” on their covers to guide you. Even so, each is self-contained enough to be your first adventure into this world.—Barb & J.C. Hendee **

On her seventeenth birthday, Megan of Chaumont discovers she'll be sold as a bride to the brutish Volodane family—within hours. Her father grants only that she may choose which one of the ruthless, grasping lord's three sons she weds: ~ Rolf, the eldest: stern, ambitious, and loyal? ~ Sebastian, the second son: sympathetic, sly, and rebellious? ~ Or Kai, the youngest: bitter, brooding, and proud? As shy, horrified Megan flees the welcome dinner for her in-laws-to-be, she finds an enchanted mirror that will display how her life unrolls with each man, as if she were living it out in a breath. But there is no smooth "happily ever after" in her choices. Deaths and honors, joys and agonies, intrigues and escapes await her in a remote, ramshackle keep, where these rough but complex men reveal one side and then another of their jagged characters—and bring forth new aspects of Megan, too. But the decisions of one teenaged marriage-pawn reverberate much...

A classic story by New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak, nominated for a RITA Award for Best Romantic Suspense Romain Fornier lost his reason for living when his daughter was kidnapped and murdered. He used a cop's gun to mete out his own justice and spent the next few years in prison. Once he was freed, he returned to his Cajun roots in small-town Louisiana. But now he learns that he might have killed the wrong man. Jasmine Stratford, a psychological profiler, is convinced his daughter's killer is still alive-and that she and Romain have something in common. She believes the same man kidnapped her sister, Kimberly, sixteen years ago. Jasmine is determined to track him down when she receives an anonymous package, postmarked New Orleans-the bracelet she gave Kimberly for her eighth birthday. She approaches Romain because she knows he can help her… if he chooses. But searching for the man who irrevocably changed both their...

In his youth, Loni never felt that he fit in anywhere, even among his family or his people, the Lhoin’na, or the elves of the central continent. As he dwells on tales told to him by a doting grandmother, he begins to believe he might have been born in the wrong time.One scant tale of a past age hints that the legendary Sorhkafâré led some of Loni’s people to the east at the end of the great mythical war. Loni dreams of those forgotten Departed ones, wondering if their descendants still exist. The answer may be more and less than he hoped in his quest to find where he belongs. [Short story, ~14k words.]About "Tales from the world of the Noble Dead Saga"...No knowledge of the Noble Dead Saga or related works is necessary to read and enjoy these stories. They are written for fantasy enthusiasts in general and not just our established readership. Readers new to this world can step into it through any of these short works.Tales are organized into “collections” where all stories therein share a theme and/or premise. When one or more link together, subsequent stories will mention “sequel to…” on their covers to guide you. Even so, each is self-contained enough to be your first adventure into this world.—Barb & J.C. Hendee **

First love. Second chance? As the daughter of a hoarder, Phoenix Fuller had a tough childhood. So when the handsome, popular Riley Stinson became her boyfriend in high school, she finally felt as though she had something to be proud of. Phoenix was desperate not to lose him—especially once she found out she was pregnant. Yes, she might have acted a bit obsessive when he broke up with her. But she did not run down the girl he started dating next! Unfortunately, there was no way to prove her innocence. Now, after serving her time in prison, Phoenix has been released. All she wants to do is return to Whiskey Creek and get to know her son. But Jacob's father isn't exactly welcoming. Riley doesn't trust Phoenix, doesn't want her in Jacob's life. He is, however, ready to find someone to love. And he wants a good mother for his son. He has no idea that he's about to find both—if they can forgive the mistakes in their past…

New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak returns to Silver Springs Sometimes starting over means finding everything you've been missing... After catching her fiancé cheating—with another man—usually straitlaced, workaholic scientist Ellie Fisher liberates her wild side just long enough to indulge in a passionate one-night stand with a tall, dark stranger she meets at a trendy Miami bar. Embarrassed by her recklessness, she ducks out the following morning without learning the guy's full name, something that shouldn't have been a problem...until a pregnancy test turns positive. Being a professional football player, Hudson King has always been cautious around women. But this one had been different—so disinterested in his celebrity, so convincingly into him. When Ellie tracks him down, claiming she's carrying his baby, he's stunned. And more than a little betrayed. But after growing up as an orphan, he'll...

FromThe ninth book of the Hendees’ Noble Dead saga continues the adventures of Wynn, of the Guild of Sagecraft; Chane, an undead; and Shade, an elven wolf. The texts of the Forgotten History Wynn obtained at the end of Through Stone and Sea (2010) have been taken from her, and the guild has sent her on a mission obviously meant to keep her out of the way while the guildmasters quarrel over the meaning of the texts. Instead, Wynn goes in search of the Orb of Spirit, a powerful device dating from the war of Forgotten History. But she’s being tracked by a descendent of the Lord of Slaughter, an infamous killer in that war. There’s plenty of action, but the story is carried by the internal struggles of the main characters, which slows the pace. The climax brings Wynn to a bitter choice between the principles she was raised with and the facts on the ground. Fans of the Noble Dead will enjoy the book, but newcomers should start with In Shade and Shadow (2009), the beginning of this subseries, if not the beginning itself, Dhampir (2003). --Frieda Murray Product DescriptionNew in the national bestselling Noble Dead series, known for "incredible world-building and intriguing characters" (SciFi Chick). In each of its novels, The Noble Dead Saga has swept readers into a world of "Tolkienesque fantasy [and] vampire-infused horror."* (_Publishers Weekly_) Now, young Journeyor Wynn Hygeorht finds herself cast into the wilds on a dangerous quest for knowledge that may instead lead to her doom...

Jan, son of Nadia and Cadell, is conscripted along with every able male in Chemestúk by one faction in a rising civil war. Soon after, another faction burns the village to the ground, leaving Jan’s parents and other survivors to seek refuge in an aging keep.Inside the worn and crumbling stronghold, young and long-ago orphaned Julianna hides away with the survivors and Jan’s parents. Left to wonder if he or any others of their men will survive to return home, all she can do is help those around her.When armed deserters come to raid the keep, Julianna is lost in how to best help Nadia and Cadell, the village elders, keep everyone alive. Soon, she faces choices and actions she never would have even considered in better days.Meanwhile, Jan has only his wit and trickery, his charming appeal to women and his violin, all of which he has leaned upon too often in a lazy life. To his shock, he realizes these limited skills are not enough to save him as he is pressed into a forced march toward the front line of a battle.Neither Jan nor Julianna had ever given serious thought to their feelings for each other. Now separated, they both realize they’ve lost someone important. How far are they willing to go and what can they live with, to stay alive and find each other again? About "Tales from the world of the Noble Dead Saga"...No knowledge of the Noble Dead Saga or related works is necessary to read and enjoy these stories. They are written for fantasy enthusiasts in general and not just our established readership. Readers new to this world can step into it through any of these short works.Tales are organized into “collections” where all stories therein share a theme and/or premise. When one or more link together, subsequent stories will mention “sequel to…” on their covers to guide you. Even so, each is self-contained enough to be your first adventure into this world.—Barb & J.C. Hendee **

The Seattle police suspect Madison Lieberman's father was the serial killer they call the "Sandpoint Strangler." Madison refuses to believe it. Her father is now dead, and all she wants is the chance to create a new life for herself and her six-year-old child. Then she discovers something in the crawl space beneath her parents' house. Something that makes her question her father's innocence. Or the innocence of someone else who's equally close to her... When another woman turns up dead, crime writer Caleb Trovato wonders whether they're dealing with a copycat killer. Or is the real Sandpoint Strangler still alive? Caleb's sure Madison knows more than she's telling, and he's determined to find out what. But he doesn't expect to fall in love--or to lead Madison and her child into danger....

Magiere has earned a reputation as the most formidable vampire slayer in the land. Villagers far and wide welcome her with both awe and disdain, grateful to her for ridding their towns of the undead menace, but finding themselves made poorer for their salvation. Magiere has always known she’s dealing with simple folk who only wish to have their superstitions silenced, and she’s never seen anything wrong with exploiting them for profit. Now, tired of the game, Magiere and her partner, the half-elf Leesil, are ready to hang up their weapons and settle down in a place they can finally call home. But their newfound peace will not last. For Magiere has come to the attention of a trio of powerful and dangerous vampires who recognize her true identity-and who fear the birthright that flows through her veins. And they will stop at nothing to keep Magiere from fulfilling her destiny…