Visitors come to Charity\'s friendly little inn to escape their ordinary lives. But FBI Agent Roman DeWinter knows something ugly is going on beneath the cozy surface. His mission is to expose the dangerous criminal gang operating out of the inn. Going undercover, Roman begins his investigation - which puts Charity\'s life on the line. A hit-and-run attack leaves her shaken and bruised, but only Roman knows how close she came to death. And with the gang under pressure and about to be exposed, they\'re both in terrible danger... 

When Navy SEAL Jacob Hunter is sent to Syria on a mission to eliminate a terrorist cell, his team discovers a mysterious artifact instead. Later, in the furor of battle, its ancient power is activated and the team is hurled through time & space to the age of Ancient Rome, where their first priority is to find a way home. But Rome's duplicitous elite have other plans for these powerful newcomers...As war consumes the nations of our world in the year 2021, Navy SEAL Jacob Hunter is sent on a mission to Syria to apprehend a crazed terrorist leader armed with dangerous biological weapons. It’s a routine mission for a man who has spent the entirety of his military career fighting in what many have dubbed World War III, but his life is about to become everything but predictable.As their mission unravels around them, Hunter discovers a curious trinket that belies all rationality and our understanding of the universe, but he is drawn to it nonetheless, bewildered by its uniqueness. Unable to control his urges, Hunter touches it, and in a flash of brilliant light and intense pain, the team is no longer in contemporary Syria – but in Ancient Rome during the reign of the emperor Caligula.They stand dumbfounded, unable to comprehend the paradox they’ve created, but the bleak truth of reality soon overtakes their disbelief. The fact that they should not be there becomes obvious almost immediately, as does the thought that with every breath they take, everything history has worked so hard to achieve is at risk of unraveling. Staying alive suddenly becomes a secondary objective, superseded by the theory that their mere presence in Ancient Rome has caused irreparable damage to the timeline.This won't be an easy task for Hunter and his friends as they will quickly encounter numerous Roman figures straight from his old history books, each with their own agendas, schemes and machinations, including the Caesar himself, who history remembers as little more than an insane tyrant who once tried to appoint his horse as the head of state…

Having a good family friend as your headmaster might sound ideal, but for Luke Brownlow it just makes life even more complicated...In with the wrong crowd at school, Luke is falling behind in his work. His parents take drastic action: banning him from seeing his friends and making him go to a new school.Luke avoids his family over the summer by spending time with their neighbour, Ned Kelly. He decides to get expelled from his new school but changes his mind when he discovers that his new headmaster is none other than the neighbour he has been getting to know and respect.An enemy within the school and a runaway girl outside it make it harder for Luke to stay out of trouble with Ned than he'd hoped: by the end of the school year it looks like he'll be expelled after all.

New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett steams up the ice all over again as the Carolina Cold Fury hockey team’s hottest bad boy gets his first taste of something good. In a league full of troublemakers, Cold Fury defenseman Roman Sýkora stands out—at least when it comes to negative publicity. When he’s not chilling in the penalty box, the sizzling Czech skate demon is racking up tabloid headlines for his scandalous behavior with the ladies. But now Roman’s feeling the burn from management to clean up his act, or else. Luckily he’s got an enticing distraction: a fun-loving barista who plays the ukulele and brings out a side of Roman he didn’t know he had. Lexi Robertson came to Raleigh, North Carolina, to finally meet her father, Brian Brannon, and her half sister, Gray, both of whom work in the Cold Fury’s front office. That’s where she first meets sexy, intimidating Roman—who’s really a big softie at heart. As one relationship takes off, another begins: Brian seems to be clicking with Lexi’s boss at the coffee shop. But when the friction between Roman and her new family heats up, Lexi wonders whether she’s a pawn in their game. Feeling hurt and foolish, Lexi’s ready to quit while she’s ahead. Trouble is, Roman’s not ready to quit on her.

From the New York Times and international bestselling author of Gabriel's Inferno comes the thrilling conclusion to the dark and sexy paranormal romance series, following a young art restorer and the vampyre prince she loves as they fight against a mysterious figure who holds the fate of Italy's vampyre population-and their souls-in the balance.

"Have we met?"He laughs again and turns to look at me. "Every day of our lives," he says. His face is familiar. I've seen him before, the stubble and the angles of his jaw. "Where have I seen you? I’m usually good with faces."He smiles and turns back to his coffee. "Oh, just about everywhere," he says."There's a diner at the wrong end of the highway. I've seen it before, but I don't know where."Frank pulls into a diner parking lot to get something to eat. The service is terrible, the cook is rude, and the food leaves something to be desired. But who is that man at the other end of the counter, and why is he so familiar? Something about him is wrong. He's a phantom, haunting the depths of Frank's peripheral vision. Has this all happened before? Is this guy a ghost from his past?From THE BODY DOUBLE:"Have we met?"He laughs again and turns to look at me. "Every day of our lives," he says. His face is familiar. I've seen him before, the stubble and the angles of his jaw. "Where have I seen you? I’m usually good with faces."He smiles and turns back to his coffee. "Oh, just about everywhere," he says.I take a bite of my hamburger, and it's about like every other diner hamburger I've ever had."We come here every day," he says.I look over at him, and he's stirring his coffee. "I've never been here," I tell him.He looks over, raising one eyebrow at me. "Sure you have. You were here yesterday. We had this conversation, only you asked me how old I was.""I wasn't even in the state. You're thinking of someone else.""No," he says. "It was you."

It's Sam's thirteenth birthday and without any warning, his life,and what he believes life is, is going to change.It's a distant time in the future and life is being preserved in a Utopian-like environment designed to imitate what life was like.But through this Adorned reality, things are not what they seem.Sam upon reaching his thirteenth year, is released from his isolated chamber and granted access to this perfected reality.Embark with Sam and see how his life inside this Adorned reality is like, see through his eyes, see him grow, and throughout all these experiences, see his perspective mold itself to the man he will become.

Midnight at the Bowling Alley is the story of Oscar, who attends his partner's mother's bizarre late night birthday party at a remote bowling alley and wants nothing more than to go home. But will he find that he's doomed to be stuck with Zeke's family forever? Is this possibly the last night on Earth? Was anything ever real?(Note: this is the revised text, posted 07/30/2014)Midnight at the Bowling Alley is the story of Oscar, who attends his partner's mother's bizarre late night birthday party at a remote bowling alley and wants nothing more than to go home. But will he find that he's doomed to be stuck with Zeke's family forever? Is this possibly the last night on Earth? Was anything ever real? This ebook began as a live story, meaning it was posted online and made available as it was written, uploaded again with each revision. It became the most successful of my live stories, with an average of at least 10 reads per day, and sometimes as high as 100. Now, in final form, it's available for free from Smashwords! Let's welcome back the most popular story I have ever written, and the story that earned over half of the readership I have to this date.*TRIGGER WARNING* Contains references to violence and sexual abuse.

Master carpenter Blaze Carter has upheld her family legacy for honesty and excellence and honed a reputation to match. Her greatest desire is to pass her knowledge on to her children. All she has to do is find her perfect partner who wants the same things—a full life and a family of their own. Trinity Greene grew up poor and has risen above the stigma of believing she’ll never amount to anything. She’s worked hard and is well on her way to becoming a head nurse in the ED. Her dream is within reach and the last thing she needs is an oh-so-attractive distraction. When a devastating injury threatens to derail her future, Blaze struggles with the possibility of giving up on her dream. Trinity knows all too well the odds are against Blaze but isn’t willing to let her stop believing. Not when she’s beginning to care for Blaze’s heart as well as her recovery. Together, they must decide if love and a future is a possibility worth fighting for.

A man receives a bus ticket in the mail from his dead mother. The ticket says Route Zero: Home. Everything in his life from his mother's death up to this point has been as dull as cinder blocks and just as dirty. Should he take the Zero bus? What waits for him at the end of the line?The calls only come when I’m at work. They start as vibrations in telephone wires, igniting under bird feet perched high above the freeway, metal boxes sending electric spider webs into the ground, crackling beneath dead bodies rotting six feet under corn fields, faster and faster into the dark abyss of sewer pipe acid trips and up into my fifth floor apartment, jangling in the handset of my telephone, waking the crack heads next door. I imagine the phone ringing once, twice, a million times before my answering machine picks it up with a click, recording silence for five long seconds before clicking to a stop and rewinding in the dark of my living room. Lights come on in the apartments around mine, but I’m not home. I’m never home anymore. I haven’t been home in years.

Oh look, Half-finished stories :) these will have to do until I can finish something substantial. Soon! I promise. These aren't meant to be taken seriously.Quartet OverviewThe Earth Woman Tree Woman Quartet is a near future fantasy with a progressive political bent, a diverse set of characters, and links to recordings of many original songs.Ninas Twei is the mystical place where all of Earth’s species dance and sing together to ensure the continuance of life on Earth – all, that is, except Homo sapiens. Greed and the lust for power has barred them from the dance.Giselle, an activist school teacher, finds herself called to a small rural community to join a group of people who, becoming their Tla Twein (mythical animals or gods), are able to travel to Ninas Twei.Gathering an increasingly diverse group of people from the city, the country, and the world, the Tla Twein engage in a life and death struggle to heal the rift in the natural order and defeat the forces of greed.Giselle, the Earth Woman Tree Woman, joins with the Wolfwind, and together they become all things – earth, air, and water; flora and fauna – a compassionate force for the well-being of the earth.Book One: Journey to Ninas TweiA stray cat struts into Giselle’s apartment bringing an elusive melody? A majestic homeless woman sings her a prophesy and a red-tailed hawk silently urges her to travel north from the city to a rural farming community on the north coast, where she finds an ocean-side house next to a hilly forest, and a new job.Three people in Arundel have been waiting for Giselle, believing that she, and two children, Enid and Jésus, are missing pieces in their attempt to bring humans back to the dance of life. Yameno, 30, the last member of the Tuwillian nation living in Arundel, is guardian of the sacred spring. His nation has a tradition of transforming into their Tla Twein and traveling to Ninas Twei to watch and guard the dance. Yameno’s Tla Twei is a large grey wolf. Dan, 50, a black gardener and scholar, is the hawk. Hazel, 47, a librarian, becomes the cougar. With subtle, often musical encounters, Giselle and the children are drawn into the group. Yameno, carves a sculpture of Giselle’s Tla Twei, the Earth Woman Tree Woman and transform to their Tla Twein and join, becoming all things – wolf and tree, earth, water, and air.But Enid’s grandfather, Gunther, who learned the secrets of the Tla Twein when married to Hazel’s sister, blames Hazel and the others for his wife’s death. When he stumbles on an encounter between Enid and the cougar he knows is Hazel, he arouses the town and a cougar hunt is planned.Ninas Twei is in imminent danger. Hunt or no hunt, the Tla Twein must travel there. On the day of the cougar hunt they meet in a forest clearing where, singing their songs, they transform to their Tla Twein, journeying to Ninas Twei through a vortex splashed with color – and sometimes pierced by tremors and sharp pain. In Arundel Jésus and Enid are reported missing and the townspeople’s hunt for the cougar turns to one for the children.In Ninas Twei they watch the incredible dance of life and find the Weaving Tree where Giselle can trace people’s stories and see the relationship between the problems on earth and the absence of humans from the dance. The source of the tremors and pain is somewhere beneath this tree and it is dying.Suddenly the ground shakes and a gapping crevice opens up swallowing the screaming children. The others are tossed back to earth in their human form just as the hunters come down the path into the clearing. Obsessed with anger, Gunther raises his gun accusing Hazel of being “the devil”. Hazel and Dan have only a moment to transform to their Tla Twein as he shoots. Hazel and Dan disappear, leaving behind the bodies of a cougar and a hawk.The children are missing. Giselle and Yameno are accused of kidnapping them. They walk back down the hill back of Giselle’s house in the custody of the sheriff.Hazel and Dan call to each other, their voices growing fainter and fainter as they float away from each other in a gray empty place.

A beautifully designed guidebook to the unnoticed yet essential elements of our cities, from the creators of the wildly popular 99% Invisible podcast Have you ever wondered what those bright, squiggly graffiti marks on the sidewalk mean? Or stopped to ponder who gets to name the streets we walk along? Or what the story is behind those dancing inflatable figures in car dealerships?99% Invisible is a big-ideas podcast about small-seeming things, revealing stories baked into the buildings we inhabit, the streets we drive, and the sidewalks we traverse. The show celebrates design and architecture in all of its functional glory and accidental absurdity, with intriguing tales of both designers and the people impacted by their designs. Now, in The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to Hidden World of Everyday Design, host Roman Mars and coauthor Kurt Kohlstedt zoom in on the various elements that make our cities work,...

Samantha Dunmore would be thrilled to live quietly with her dog. However, working as a social worker for vampires makes life anything but. When an ancient vampire brings trouble right to Samantha's doorstep she must step out of her quiet life and into a world of villainous vampires, werewolves with hero complexes, and witches out to make mischief.Samantha Dunmore would be thrilled to live quietly with her dog. However, working as a social worker for vampires makes life anything but. When an ancient vampire brings trouble right to Samantha's doorstep she must step out of her quiet life and into a world of villainous vampires, werewolves with hero complexes, and witches out to make mischief. Armed with attitude and a blessed baseball bat Samantha decides to get her life back to normal, or as normal as she can.

Exiled and shamed Grace rises above her new station in life to become a hero.Branded a witch and exiled after a dishonorable display at the king’s annual tournament, quiet Grace Hilren is forced to uproot her life of luxury as a lord’s daughter and move to the slums of the port city, Glenbard. But Grace carries a secret. Though trained to be a fine lady, she also learned to handle a sword and has made it her mission to eradicate evil and injustice where she finds it. Even in exile, Grace continues her work under the given name of Death Dealer. Her nightly deeds bring her to the notice of the self-proclaimed King of Thieves, Marcus. When the king’s power is threatened by a rival named Mac, the Death Dealer unwittingly becomes a pawn in the struggle between thieves for control of the lower city. The game becomes dangerous as Grace realizes she may not be able to best this usurper.

Avery Bardot steps off the plane in Rome, looking for a fresh start. She’s left behind a soon-to-be ex-husband in Boston and plans to spend the summer with her best friend Daisy, licking her wounds—and perhaps a gelato or two. But when her American-expat friend throws her a welcome party on her first night, Avery’s thrown for a loop when she sees a man she never thought she’d see again: Italian architect Marcello Bianchi. Marcello was the man—the one who got away. And now her past is colliding with her present, a present where she should be mourning the loss of her marriage and—hey, that fettuccine is delicious! And so is Marcello… Slipping easily into the good life of summertime in Rome, Avery spends her days exploring a city that makes art historians swoon, and her nights swooning over her unexpected what was old is new again romance. It’s heady, it’s fevered, it’s wanton, and it’s crazy. But could this really be her new life? Or is it just a temporary reprieve before returning to the land of twin-set cardigans and crustless sandwiches? A celebration of great friendship, passionate romance, and wonderful food, Roman Crazy is a lighthearted story of second chances and living life to the fullest.

Throughout the Roman Empire Cities held public speeches and lectures, had libraries, and teachers and professors in the sciences and the humanities, some subsidized by the state. There even existed something equivalent to universities, and medical and engineering schools. What were they like? What did they teach? Who got to attend them? In the first treatment of this subject ever published, Dr. Richard Carrier answers all these questions and more, describing the entire education system of the early Roman Empire, with a unique emphasis on the quality and quantity of its science content. He also compares pagan attitudes toward the Roman system of education with the very different attitudes of ancient Jews and Christians, finding stark contrasts that would set the stage for the coming Dark Ages.

'Whoever wishes to hear about, and to know about, kings and heirs, about who first ruled England and which kings it had, Master Wace, who is telling the truth about this, has translated this.' Wace's Roman de Brut (1155) can be seen as the gateway to the history of the Britons for both French and English speakers of the time, and thus to Arthurian history, as the first complete Old French adaptation of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Latin History of the Kings of Britain (late 1130s), in which Arthur appears for the first time as king of the Britons. The Roman de Brut was a foundational work, an inspiration for a series of anonymous verse Bruts of the late twelfth and thirteenth centuries and for the Anglo-Norman Prose Brut — the most widely read French vernacular text on this material in medieval England — as well as a forerunner of the Middle English Brut tradition, including Layamon's Brut (c. 1200). Wace's poem thus inaugurates and shapes Brut traditions, including...

From the poet-authors H.B. Barstrum and Roman O’Rhory, comes the fourth and final book of their haiku anthology series titled Simple Truths About Women and Men. Along with a variety of colorful photographs accompanying these haiku poems, you will laugh while being entertained with basic truths about guys and girls.Simple Truths About Women and Men: Haiku Poetry Collection Book #4From the poet-authors H.B. Barstrum and Roman O’Rhory, comes the fourth and final book of their haiku anthology series titled Simple Truths About Women and Men.This haiku handbook offers relevant and light-hearted observations and advice about the opposing genders in a fun and quick 17 syllables format. Along with a variety of colorful photographs accompanying these haiku poems, you will laugh while being entertained with basic truths about guys and girls.From titles such as Look Good And Speak Kind, Ode To A Rough Draft, Appearances, Clean Up Duty, Value Him and Ladies Who Speak Plainly, be prepared to learn the little and big secrets about the sexes and share them with your family and friends.Check out some haiku writing examples below:Look Good And Speak KindBy: H.B. BarstrumWomen like what theyHear. Men like what they see. SoLook good and speak kind.Ode To A Rough DraftBy: Roman O’RhoryAll great works of artStart with a rough draft. Thank GodFor making men first.Ingredients To Conquer The WorldBy: H.B. BarstrumAll a girl needs isA good pair of shoes and smileTo conquer the world.Girls Are SupernaturalBy: Roman O’RhoryWe can bleed for daysAnd not miss a beat. Girls areSupernatural.He’s Not That Into You (2014)By: Roman O’RhoryIf you haven't metA man's family or friends,You're not his girlfriend.A Man’s SilenceBy: Roman O’RhoryWhen a man's quiet,He is ignoring you or Planning his escape.The Guy CodeBy: Roman O’RhoryNever take a man’sLast beer or date his sister.It’s against guy code.Ladies Who Speak PlainlyBy: H.B. BarstrumGuys appreciateA woman who speaks plainlyTo them; not in code.

Some scars never fade...In the quiet backwater town of Hawthorne, a series of chilling murders rock the community, each victim bearing the sinister trademark of a rogue vampire. Char, a former lawyer turned skilled private investigator, takes on the case at the request of a grieving spouse who seeks justice for his wife's untimely demise. Little does Char know that her pursuit of the truth will lead her down a treacherous path, dangerously close to a malevolent force she never expected. During a once in a lifetime photo shoot amidst the breathtaking landscapes of Ireland, Georgia Tyler's life takes an unexpected turn when she stumbles upon an occult bookstore tucked away in a cobblestone alley. Possessed by a cunning and relentless demon named Mara, Georgia finds herself caught in a web of darkness and deceit. Driven by a sinister agenda to claim three soul stones of immense power, Mara uses Georgia's body to pay an unwelcome visit to the...

From Publishers WeeklySet during an uneasy, second-century alliance between the marauding, scalp-taking Slavic Samartians and the Roman empire, Bradshaw's fifth historical novel (after Horses of Heaven) is a vivid, atmospheric work that follows the Samartian prince Ariantes and his cavalry troops to Britain, where they are to serve under Roman command. When Ariantes discovers that some of the Samartians plan to support a Druidical uprising against the provincial government by the British queen Bodica, he forms an alliance with the newly emergent Christian sect in order to foil the plot?while saving his life and the lives of his loyal troops. Fluidly written, well researched and luxuriant with colorful authentic detail, this fact-based chronicle of a proud tribe of legendary horsemen and their gradual assimilation by the empire will engage readers with an interest in the history either of Rome or of its most exotic outposts. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. From School Library JournalYA-Making good use of the classic storytelling elements of fantasy and legend, Bradshaw creates a believable ancient world populated by compelling characters. Cultural diversity poses some serious operational challenges for the Roman Empire. Picts raid the northern borders while outlawed Druid sects (even as they feud among themselves) forge subversive alliances with the Picts and with the (also outlawed) Christians. Roman administrators have married into local families of questionable loyalty, and the occupying army itself consists of units drawn from some of the Empire's farthest reaches-and they don't get along with one another. Into this volatile situation, the Empire sends 8000 fierce and unpredictable barbarians. Proud and independent, these Sarmatian horse soldiers have pledged their service and loyalty to the Empire in a recent peace settlement, but they have no idea what it actually means to submit to Roman military discipline. It falls upon a prince named Ariantes to find a route through this treacherous political territory and bring his troops to safety in their new lives as Roman soldiers in a strange land. The tale of how noble and clever Ariantes becomes "Romanized" while remaining true to his Sarmatian values is fascinating while the background story of warfare, treachery, and romance in the brutal and distant lands should appeal to fans of swashbuckling adventure. In writing about Sarmatians, about whom little is known, the author has much latitude in creating fictional history while, as a classics scholar, she commands a richness of detail that brings the known facts vividly to life.Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VACopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A Column of Ash is the story of two brothers, one away at college and the other stuck at home, and the small but game-changing betrayal between them. Jim has been away at college for over a year, visiting on holidays. Jeremy has been stuck at home with their verbally and emotionally abusive mom, but his time to leave home is coming. When Jim is invited home for dinner, the family secrets come out.Jim kicks my bunk in the middle of the night to wake me up, and it scares the shit out of me. I sigh and try to get comfortable again."Jeremy, you awake?" he wants to know."What?""I'm sorry I didn't take you with me," he says from somewhere below me.The ceiling is starting to come back into focus above me, and I look over at the window, then the closet where some of Jim's stuff still takes up the top shelf. "Yeah, well," I tell him. "You never do."

Be careful what you wish for...When ten-year-old Angelina Smith has a bad day, she wishes she could turn into a unicorn, thus avoiding the annoyance of homework and chores. But when her wish comes true, the experience isn't at all what she hoped for. To start with, none of her clothes fit, and she can't even brush her teeth! She is definitely going to be late for school. Worse yet, her troubles have only just begun. Snitched on by a nosy neighbor, Angelina soon has the authorities hot on her trail. She escapes into the woods, where both help and danger await. With the help of a wizard, a wren, and three queens, Angelina hopes to gather the ingredients for a spell that will change her back into a human girl. Unfortunately, secrets and betrayal abound in this epic romp through a magical realm where unicorns can run on almost anything, and banshee tears are the key to transformation. Hidden motives and unexpected...

"Magick can be expensive."When Charlotte Knox was twelve, a dark witch murdered Delia, the only mother she'd ever known. Ten years later, Charlotte thinks she is safe because she's already had her share of heartache. Nothing could be worse than losing her mother. Could it?At a family reunion, she meets Cole Delaney. The attraction is instant, the heat intense. Taking a chance on love suddenly seems like an adventure instead of a risk.But before Char can get to their first kiss, her great grandmother brings a message from beyond the grave. Delia is not in the Summerlands. As tragedy piles upon tragedy, Char realizes that her mother's killer is back, determined to complete a blood-magick ritual that will grant him unimaginable power and eternal life. As Char races against time to rescue her younger sister, Lena, from the dark mage whose evil ambition threatens everyone she...

Happy Fourth of July! Welcome to Milltown, Co, population 15,000, where the only things hotter than the annual fireworks show are the men in uniform looking for love and the women who want to light their fuses. Join the authors of Flirt Club with The Fireworks Series of stories that celebrate summertime, bbqs, and all things that end with a bang!Where will you be when the fireworks go off?-------He's too hot to handle... almost.Poppy Blaze:After discovering my almost-fiancé had not one, but two "other women" with engagement rings on their fingers, I have decided to give the whole romance thing a break and spend the summer with my granny. Getting back in touch with my childhood summers full of small-town memories—bonfires at the lake, ice cream on Mainstreet, and of course, the biggest fireworks show in the state–sounds like the perfect way to disconnect and reset. That is, until I meet Roman Chandler, one of the newest residents of this tiny town who is about as hot in his uniform as his name suggests.Too bad I've sworn off anything with a wick, right?

Until the Knots of Avalon break. Brye, Lenna, and Tara have lived their entire lives on an island surrounded by mists and protected by magical bonds. Nothing could be more perfect. Until one night, when magic begins to fray at the seams, and their lives change forever. The Healer – Brye's healing abilities are her pride, making her the best match of the season. If only someone were interesting enough for her. Until she catches the eye of Prince Gareth, the least interesting one of all. The Mist Maiden – Lenna has lived her life in the shadow of her sisters. Until Beltane, when her magic explodes.. Now, she has been chosen to be a Mist Maiden, protector of Avalon. A role she was never destined to play. The Warrior – Tara knows that she is meant to be more than being someone's mate. A warrior through and through, Tara strives for the extraordinary. No matter the cost. Even if that means she might have to...

In the small town of Dabbleton, adventures are hard to come by. But ten-year-old Anthony has a problem only magic can solve. When he hears about his cousin's thrilling adventure, he's inspired to seek one of his own.Determined to find a way to defeat the bully at his school, Anthony packs up and ventures into Heartsinger Wood. There, he meets a wizard who agrees to brew him a dragon potion, but only if Anthony can find four magical items for him.With his list in hand and accompanied by Draggol, a talking rat with a pack on his back, Anthony sets out on his quest. But Heartsinger Wood is a mysterious place, full of surprises and secrets where monarchs rule, and even the animals have the power of speech.As Anthony and Draggol journey deeper into the wood, they encounter challenges and obstacles they never could have anticipated. The wizard's true intentions come to light, and Anthony is forced to confront the truth about himself. Will he continue on his...

Michael has always been there, waiting outside windows and watching from the mirror, pulling me out of my college mistakes. I spent whole years trying to figure out how to get rid of him. Adults aren't supposed to have imaginary friends. Sometimes, though, I think he's the only thing that's real.We hurt one another, but in the end, the wounds are all mine.Michael has always been there, waiting outside windows and watching from the mirror, pulling me out of my college mistakes. I spent whole years trying to figure out how to get rid of him. Adults aren't supposed to have imaginary friends. Sometimes, though, I think he's the only thing that's real.We hurt one another, but in the end, the wounds are all mine.FROM MICHAEL:My vision went out and I heard my own voice echoing in my head. I remember glimpses of dark hallways, and then being taken into the showers inside my building. Michael pulled my sweater over my head, and I almost slid down the wall behind me, but he grabbed me. Then, I was naked in the shower, water stinging my eyes. I heard Michael’s voice behind me. “Turn around. You’re puking on the wall.”I turned to face him, and I looked into his eyes. Suddenly, the water slowed, falling around me in slow-motion, glistening pearls of all the things I had ever learned half-asleep in class, math equations and philosophical arguments colliding across our bodies and swirling down the drain at our feet.“Do you believe I’m real now?” He asked me.I stumbled backwards, and the water began to fall again from the showerhead, crashing into his chest as I crumpled against the wall behind me, my heart pounding. This time, he didn’t try to help me as I went down. “I’m sorry,” I said again, and I still had no idea why I was sorry. Maybe I was sorry for being drunk, or for being naked, or for vomiting.I sat staring up at him, tears forming in my eyes, combining with the water from the showerhead. He looked so sad. “Stand up,” he said finally, and he knelt and tried to pull me up, sending another wave of sickness through me. I painted his stomach and his underwear with vomit, and I forget the rest.

Young Aulus Spurinna's homeland, Etruria, has fallen prey to a rebel league of soldiers lead by Manlius, an experienced and dangerous Roman warrior. When his uncle dies under a cloud of mystery, Spurinna must take his uncle's place as the landowner of all Etruria. In order to save his homeland from Manlius, Spurinna travels to Rome to seek help from a Consul, Cicero. On his journey, Spurinna teams up with Cicero's daughter, Tullia, and together they unravel a conspiracy that could overthrow the Roman Empire. Spurinna soon finds himself thrust into the midst of a deadly battle -- and a fight to save his life, his home, and Rome.This first novel by classical scholar Jack Mitchell is a gripping tale that vaults over the centuries to bring ancient Rome to thrilling life.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Drawing on the greatest writers of its civilization, Hamilton vividly depicts the life and spirit of Rome.In this informal history of Roman civilization, Edith Hamilton vividly depicts the Roman life and spirit as they are revealed in the greatest writers of the time. Among these literary guides are Cicero, who left an incomparable collection of letters; Catullus, the quintessential poet of love; Horace, the chronicler of a cruel and materialistic Rome; and the Romantics Virgil, Livy, and Seneca. The story concludes with the stark contrast between high-minded Stoicism and the collapse of values witnessed by Tacitus and Juvenal."No one in modern times has shown us more vividly . . . 'the grandeur that was Rome.' Filtering the golden essence from the mass of classical literature, she proved how applicable to our daily lives are the humor and wisdom of more than 2,000 years ago."— New York Times

When Sarah Peters hires a private investigator to find the twin brother she's just discovered exists, she's unprepared for the cocky, self-assured Camdyn Stark. Finding missing persons is Cam's specialty and she knows she can get the job done, even if she's not too keen to delve into the system she blames for her abusive childhood. There's no denying her attraction to the quietly beautiful Sarah, but when she uncovers the truth, Cam's torn between keeping Sarah safe and doing the job she was hired to do.As Cam gets closer to solving the case and revealing the danger threatening them both, will her own dark secrets and the lies she's buried jeopardize her future with Sarah?

However, this Kingdom of the Vandals and Alans soon came under intense pressure from Rome’s Visigothic allies. In 429, under their new king, Gaiseric, they crossed the straits of Gibraltar to North Africa. They quickly overran this rich Roman province and established a stable kingdom. Taking to the seas they soon dominated the Western Mediterranean and raided Italy, famously sacking Rome itself in 455. Eventually, however, they were utterly conquered by Belisarius in 533 and vanished from history. Simon MacDowall narrates and analyses these events, with particular focus on the evolution of Vandal armies and warfare.

Rick Montoya, eager to experience more of his Italian mother's culture, heads to Rome to start his own translation business. He's armed with curiosity and an appetite for local food and wine.Rick's maternal uncle is a Roman cop with one eye to his nephew's welfare and another to how Rick might be useful, perhaps widen his career choices. So Commissario Piero Fontana pulls Rick into an investigation: the murder of Count Umberto Zimbardi.The wealthy count enjoyed indulging a circle of convivial friends and a hobby collecting oral histories by interviewing residents in the city's centro storico. After heading home from such an afternoon, he was found dead on a bridge over the Tiber.As a newcomer and an investigator, Rick makes rookie mistakes. He's learning the ropes as an amateur sleuth and that living in Rome is different from visiting. Plus he's distracted by a woman pressing him into service as a tour guide and the arrival of a college friend on a mission...

Are you looking for a night to remember? The Agency is your premium choice for sensual female companions who will always leave you satisfied.Dani Brown has the kind of fantasies she can't share with just anyone, let alone trust someone enough to make them come true. The Agency is a perfect solution—safe, secret, and best of all, no strings attached.As the CEO of the Agency, Ryan Lewis has dashing good looks, a lucrative business, and as much kinky sex as she wants. She has it all, right? Everything except the one thing she most desires—true love.Intrigued by Dani's fantasies, Ryan takes her on as a client. Ryan is more than capable of giving Dani exactly what she craves, but when the tables turn and her control slips, will she be able to stay away from the woman of her fantasies?

There's no such thing as a coincidence in York... As Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year approach, the ancient city of York is busier than ever and so is Detective Chief Inspector John Shadow. First he has the theft of valuable Roman artifacts from a museum, then a Chinese tourist is reported missing. During his investigations, he encounters jewellers, chocolatiers, museum curators and Roman soldiers—all pieces to a puzzle he must solve. After discovering a series of coincidences, he begins to suspect there may be a link between the two cases. John Shadow is a man of contradictions. A solitary figure who notices the smallest details about other people, but endeavours to avoid their company. A lover of good food, but whose fridge is almost always empty. Although he would prefer to work alone, he is ably assisted by his eager partner Sergeant Jimmy Chang. Shadow suspects he knows who the culprit is, but he needs proof. And then...

From a fascinating corner of history, comes a thrilling story of England in the time of the Romans. Quintus Tullius, a young standard bearer for the Ninth Roman legion, vows to properly bury his grandfather who had been killed by the Druids. In the strange foreign country of the Britons, Quintus meets lovely Regan, the mysterious foster daughter of the Warrior Queen of the Iceanians. Once, he saves her, and then in a daring scene, she rescues him. They are at once bound into history in a time of magic and mystery.

Every tale has a beginning and an end.   Cat’s story is no exception. The Seven Keys have been collected, and the world created solely to entertain has come alive. The one who gains control over them will rule Sphere. Who will it be—The Demon King, the digitized players, the corporations, or the people hiding under the masks of the Seven Brothers? The stakes are higher than ever, and the merchant’s life is once again at risk—after all, he holds one of the Keys that grant the power to create and destroy worlds at will.   Together with Weldy, who has become a Lord of Libros in her own right, Cat will have to brave the most dangerous place in all of Sphere—the Cloud of Bones. His smarts, his cunning, his luck, and the Law of Balance are on his side.   And behind him is the might of the Starlight Fleet.

Mika James is handsome, so what's the problem if she uses her attributes to seduce rich women? There are worse ways to keep a roof over her head. After her latest lover calls it quits for a better offer and shows her the door by telling her she'll never do anything of importance with her life anyway, Mika has a choice to make: keep searching for validation between the sheets or go back to college and prove she's capable of more.Professor Jennifer Long loves her job and she's really good at it. Unfortunately, it's the only thing she has under control. Her unrewarding yo-yo dieting and her mom's unending suggestion that she lose weight because no one will want her the way she is has killed not only her confidence, but any belief she's sexy.Mika's struggling with her coursework, but she isn't keen on admitting she needs help, even if it's from the beautiful Professor Long. When Mika realizes Jennifer could also use some tutoring—of the hands-on erotic...

Mom always told us to stay out of the woods behind the house. There was something final about the way she said it, like she had been there her whole life. She didn't always say a lot to us growing up. Sure, sometimes you couldn't shut her up, but she spent a lot of time just standing at one window or another, staring out at the woods behind the house.I made friends at college; stupid, lost boys who were always drunk. Bearded artists and philosophers, retching their dreams on the side of the road like magic shows, calling out for an audience to help them clean up. I might even have become one of those boys, sad and dark and twisted into spaces I didn't fit into. Kill me, I said to the walls. Kill me, floor. Drown me in my own vomit.There was a forest along two sides of the school, dark and silent, watching us destroy our immune systems in the light of the street lamps. I watched it follow me home, out every window up the stairs of my residence hall, out my room window at the end of the hallway. I remembered Reed saying, "The woods are all the same." Because they were.The first night I went out to that tree line, shaking and scared, was the last time I ever hoped to be normal. I watched my fingers reaching for the bark, trembling fingernails pulling back to reveal the nail beds, pulsing red, blood blisters boiling on the backs of my hands. I closed my eyes and smiled at the pain.

Cleveland was darker without him. They shut the subway down when he left. I remember his voice in my ear, whispering. "Don't let it consume you." Well, I guess I did. I guess it happened, because here I am.He always said he'd come back.He told me to transform, and so I did. I became a satellite burning up in the atmosphere. Even when we were apart, I left my lungs in his room so I could smell him. Never mind all that.I listened to the sounds of the train, passing and passing, my skin cells dividing, peeling back in the dark, balls of white hot gas and debris, veins unwinding and untangling into a single line, leading from me to Wyatt, red light fibers connecting his aorta to my superior vena cava.We rotated, umbilical tether twisting in the vacuum of space, tumbling toward each other in the dark with the stars around us already dead.

Humorous and with dark twists, this Fitzgerald Family Saga will be sure to entertain! A tale of crime, sex, passion and family heritage, read on . . . The Eternal City, Rome does more than call to Caro Fitzgerald, not to mention her son, Toby. Unearthing a past long buried, the future brings about many unexpected, unnerving changes. But her real reason for being in Rome is about to unhinge her. Not the sort of news she wants to hear when trying to locate her son’s father after all these years – her main reason for being back. She might be giddy with excitement about her return to Rome after fourteen years, but at the back of her mind are her worries about raining down a whole heap of secrets on the poor kid’s head. And back then, Caro was different – even Rome was different. Family relationships might differ from household to household, but theirs was as odd or as normal as the next. Responsible for a family empire of hotels and a magnet for females, Caro intrigues the hell out of Nick Sullivan. Never get accustomed to a woman – that was his rule, his motto. He’d tried it – it hadn’t worked. But stepping back into her path does nothing to save him . . . A kick to the belly! But what is Caro’s natural when it comes to men? With new, unfathomed territory to be explored, her skin pebbles in response whenever she sees Nick, sending shock waves to her core. Can she own the moment and run with it? Or will it lead to the morning walk of shame, all bets off? The sixty-four million-dollar question! Game on . . . decision made!

No-nonsense operations manager Kell Murphy wants to let loose and have some fun. Moonlighting as a bartender provides just enough adventure with strangers who don't expect anything more than a well-made cocktail.Business owner Taylor Simpson wants ultimate control. She might be at the bar every week to check out the sexy bartender, but she only ever orders one drink. Longing for a D/s dynamic that satisfies her need for dominance and her sexual desires, Taylor hopes to find her perfect power exchange in Kell.As their attraction intensifies, Kell must decide if she's willing to surrender to Taylor's control while Taylor struggles to trust her real-life fantasy come true. Neither went looking for love, but as they explore their desires unleashed, their hearts lead them on an unexpected journey.

9CE Germania Battle weary and fearless Centurion Drusus Tuscus has only three more years in the Roman Legions and then he can return home to the mother and young brother he was forced to leave behind seventeen summers ago. Drusus has suffered much during his years in the Legions: defeats, fallen comrades and excruciating wounds, but this time the stakes are so much higher. As he prepares to lead his warriors from the safety of their winter base, across the Rhine into the wilds of Germania, he awaits the arrival of new recruits to bolster his century. With these men he will face the ferocious barbarian tribes, many still chafing under the yoke of Roman subjugation. When his friend and Optio returns with the new men, two faces in the crowd change everything for Drusus. His brother, long lost to him and now a man, stands before him and he brings with him a friend, a man named Caius. A man who stirs the long dead fires of Drusus's heart. Two men,...

Two young men join the legions of Rome just before the invasion of Britannia in 43ad. This story follows their journey from Rome as young wide eyed recruits to the shores of Britannia as trained and merciless killers. A journey that culminates in an astonishing and brutal climax, tearing not just flesh and bone but loyalties and friendships as a devastating secret is revealed.

Rome is crumbling. The child-emperor, Heliogabalus, diverts the Roman populace with parties, circuses, and celebrations, while his mother and grandmother jockey for power behind the scenes. The government is riddled with scandal and no business is conducted without bribes which grow ever larger. Religions joust for prominence, with factions of Christians seeking to overthrow the ancient Roman pantheon. Courtesans, once honored for their skills and protected by special guards, have become targets of opprobrium. The vampire Ragoczy Germanius Sanct\' Franciscus, already subject to extra taxes and regulations because he is a foreigner, falls under the maleficent eye of Telemachus Batsho, a minor functionary who dreams of power and wealth. When Franciscus thwarts his attempts to extort ever-increasing sums from a young Roman of good birth, Batsho swears revenge. Franciscus finds his activities closely monitored and is accused of treason and conspiracy. His friends, threatened with similar scrutiny, abandon him to Batsho\'s mercies or urge him to leave the Eternal City.But Franciscus has many ties to Rome. He has taken under his protection a beautiful courtesan who was brutally beaten by the very men who should have been protecting her. She has been the vampire\'s sustenance for many months. Franciscus is also held in the city by the plight of the family Laelius. The Domina\'s health is failing despite the vampire\'s great medical skills; her son has converted to Christianity and rails against his mother\'s beliefs; her daughter Ignatia, who has sacrified her own life to care for her mother, realizes that when her mother dies, her fate will rest in the hands of her increasingly fanatical brother. Determined to claim pleasure for herself, Ignatia invites Franciscus\'s attentions, inflaming him with the power of her untapped sexuality. Unfortunately, they are not unobserved, and their simple yet powerful act of love sparks a conflagration that destroys Ignatia\'s family and nearly brings about the vampire\'s True Death.

Roman Roulette: Murder in the Catacombs, the Second Daria Vinci Investigation.For Commissioner Daria Vinci, it was supposed to be a night off, attending a benefit concert for the Institute of America in Rome. But little did the wealthy, distinguished guests know that beneath their feet, in the ancient catacombs, a very different kind of gathering was being held. One that would end in murder. In Roman Roulette, the second Daria Vinci investigation, the glamorous and high-principled police commissioner of DIGOS, Italy' s FBI, must investigate what at first seems a simple case of suicide. In doing so, she attracts the attention of her boss, the Questor of the Province of Rome, who has his own reasons for wanting her off the case. Now, Daria Vinci must solve the murder in 36 hours, while risking her career and, possibly, her life.

Wade was a lonely grocery store clerk in a small town, a young man stuck in a world of numbered aisles and checkout lanes, parking lot wastelands and movies repeating in a theater below his apartment. Then, a stranger appeared in the cereal aisle, his eyes the color of the night sky, changing everything.“Turn around,” he said. “Please.” When I turned to look at him, his eyes were the color of the night sky again and full of constellations. “I have come back for you.”“I live here, now,” I told him.He smiled, his eyes deepening into black holes in his face, an inescapable force. I felt myself pulled toward him, stumbling forward.“No one lives here,” he whispered, “Come here,” and I took a step toward him, and then another, until finally I was pressed against him, our body heat combining, a single radioactive mass. Somewhere, in the theater, credits were beginning to roll. His breath was warm against my neck, and my eyes spilled over, wet and hot and lonely. Somewhere inside me, something dark and cold thawed and beat again for the first time in years, a single, burning thump inside my chest. I remembered every star, every constellation inside him, because they were our constellations.

My dad is a ghost. My life is in ruins. There's nothing more to tell.He comes back to stand in my closet sometimes, a shadow in the open door. He tells me stories. There was a boy. He lived at the lake, and he was Dad's friend."What was his name?" I ask him.Dad doesn't look at me. He looks anywhere else, and finally he says, "Franklin.""What happened to him?"Dad looks down at me and smiles, his eyes the color of the lake at night, dark and bottomless. "I don’t know.""Come on, Dad. I want to know.""No you don't," he tells me, and he tucks me in. But this time, he doesn’t go away."Dad, why did you go away?""You're tired," he says, and I can't stay awake anymore. I wake up a couple times, and he's still sitting there, holding down the corner of my mattress.

6 months ago my best friend since college suddenly vanished. Val was investigating the mysterious disappearance of her father and her Uncle Reese who was a successful memorabilia merchant. I need your help in trying to find my friend.A few months ago my assistant called and told me that a large package from Val was waiting for me back at my office. I returned and found letters, journals, scrapbooks, stacks of sketches, and more. There was a short note to me that said not to bother contacting the police or F.B.I. or any other areas of law enforcement. She said they did not believe her and they would likely not believe me. She asked me to publish what she sent me. She said that others were going to be delivered in sporadic intervals, and she asked that I publish those, too. She said she had confidence that some of the readers could decipher what was going on. I need to help my friend out. She needs me. She needs us.

They serve two different masters in two different worlds. The day Sariah transitions into a life of temple service, she becomes part of a treacherous scheme to overthrow the provincial Roman government. When Titus takes her as a concubine, she leverages her knowledge for her freedom. She sees a way out of slavery. He sees a way to redeem his family and career. As the city burns in rebellion, will their tenuous bond of trust be enough to keep them together forever?