Nine years ago, my sister died at Firestone Academy.​At least, that's what they claim. I don't believe their lies about a tragic accident.​Now I've come to face the trials myself - tests that will determine which Quarter I'll serve for the rest of my days. But I have other plans. Behind these ancient walls, dark magic pulses through every stone, and three elite shadow weavers rule absolute - The Princes: Beaufort Lincoln commands shadows like breathing, his charm masking deadly intent. Dray Eros weaves darkness into deadly art, violence wrapped in seductive smiles. Thorne Cadieux's silent power makes even teachers tremble. They've marked me as theirs, offering protection through the brutal trials in exchange for complete submission. Students break here, crushed by the trials. Most return changed. Others never return at all. The Princes may control these...

When Daniel MacLean pins the lone star of a Texas Ranger on his chest, he's looking to avenge the woman he'd planned a life and family with. His pursuit takes him to the border town of Uvalde where he finds a power hungry man hellbent on overrunning the entire territory. As he works to keep the peace along the border, he continues to cross paths with a Mexican woman, Lucia Tarrango, who is trapped in the middle of it all. Will hard riding and straight shooting be enough to settle the score or is he charging headlong into an all out war?

She remembers the boy I used to be. She's about to meet the man who'll claim and ruin her for anyone else. ArcherI like my life quiet and predictable. Work in the lumber yard, cool beer after, solo hikes on the weekends. Then Fern moves back to Timber Peak Valley to run a new yoga studio. She's all grown-up, with curves that make my blood burn and a smile that rattles me to my core. The moment our eyes meet, I know I'm done for. Too bad Fern is off-limits. She's my sister's best friend, so I tell myself to walk away. But I've never cared much for rules. I want every smile, every gasp, every sweet sound I know she'll make once I have her in my arms. I'll fight for her, even if it means breaking every rule in the book. Because the only future I want is the one where she's mine—every delicious, forbidden inch of her. Desired by the Off-Limits Mountain...

Quincy has spent the last few months caring for her aging grandmother. When she finally decides to take a night for herself, she learns her boyfriend isnʼt all heʼs cracked up to be. Luckily, Ridge comes to her rescue and sparks fly. Only reality catches up all too quickly the next morning. Quincy goes back to her life, picking up the pieces and staying busy by working at Hartley’s family restaurant. It’s certainly no hardship, considering her boss is a handsome former pro-quarterback. One of her regulars might rub everyone else the wrong way with his icy demeanor, but Quincy finds his honesty to be endearing. Only, no matter how hard she searches, she can’t find her protective one-night stand. Little does she know, there are reasons he’s been scrubbed from the internet. When one of those reasons shows up, Hart, Trigg, and Ridge must learn to put their differences aside to protect the very pregnant Quincy. Otherwise, the consequences could prove to be disastrous. With a Little Luck is written in first person Multi-POV. It's a standalone set in the same world as No Escape/One Way Out. You don't need to have read those to enjoy WALL, but it will give you a fuller backstory on Ridge. There is no cheating, no choosing, and no cliffhanger.

"[R]ichly evocative...a brilliant and beautiful volume." —Booklist, starred review"A lavish, eye-catching rethinking of ages-old stories." —Kirkus Reviews, starred reviewFrom the acclaimed fine artist Harmonia Rosales, a sweeping retelling of African myth illustrated throughout with Rosales's spectacular paintings.In Chronicles of Ori, her debut book, Harmonia Rosales retells the African myths she has long treasured, crafting an enthralling epic that spans the birth of the universe to the modern world of colonialism and resistance. She writes of the powerful, temperamental deities called the Orishas; of the founding of Yorubaland by the shrewd leader Oduduwa; of the young heroine Eve, born in a time of violence and despair, who would help her people regain their past splendor; and of shimmering serpents and monstrous shadows who stalk the lands of mortals. At the center of these linked tales is the bond, sometimes fraying,...

'Remarkable' New York Times'No one is better than Simenon at showing how banal domestic conflict can lead to murderous catastrophe' Financial TimesAn acerbic tale of marital warfare and emotional estrangement, in a brilliant new translationIn the oppressive silence of the sitting room, the woman finally smoothed out the paper and, without putting on her glasses, read the two words her husband had written:The cat.Amidst the din of their Parisian neighbourhood, Émile and Marguerite live in total silence. After a hasty marriage in their sixties, their uneasy peace was shattered when Émile's beloved cat mysteriously disappeared and was later found dead. Branding his wife the culprit, Émile's retaliation against Marguerite's cherished parrot sparked a silent battle of wills. Now they live parallel lives, communicating only through spiteful notes, mocking glances and mute accusations. As their suspicion and resentment mount,...

LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.Welcome to issue 187 of LIGHTSPEED! We're starting off this month's science fiction with "Reality Check," a new short story from Nancy Kress that asks whether our love affair with technology is whittling down our very humanity. For something a little more lighthearted, we're happy to bring you a new short by Oyedotun Damilola Muees: "The Hub Living Among the Stars." It's imaginative SF at its most enjoyable. We also have two terrific flash pieces: "Us, in Another Universe" from A.C. Wise and "The Space Between Us" by P.A. Cornell. Jonathan Olfert returns to our pages with a new fantasy story, "Crickets in Lost Light," which follows Ander Carmora after the...

The epic naval fantasy trilogy concludes, as Sam, Mary and Benedict play a deadly game of war and espionage on the high-seas. Perfect for fans of pirate-infested waters, magical bestiaries and battling empires, by authors such as Adrienne Young, L. J. Andrews and Naomi Novik.In the wake of the events of Black Tide Son, Hart flees into pirate-infested waters to shelter on the island where former rogue James Demery and the Fleetbreaker, Anne Firth, now rule. Reeling from their discoveries about the truths of the Mereish-Aeadine war, Mary and Samuel hover on the precipice of a terrible, world-altering choice – they can stay silent and maintain their good names, or they can speak out and risk igniting total war across the Winter Sea. Meanwhile, Benedict captains The Red Tempest, a lawless ship of deserters and corrupted mages in search of an Usti spy with incendiary stolen documents. Benedict is determined to make the truth...