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Solving Problems with Nature - Naturally
Certified Wildlife Biologist
Wildlife Author - Wildlife Lecturer -
Wildlife Photographer
Non-Lethal Control of Bats since 1983
NH Nature
New Hampshire Nature Notes by Eric Orff
Wednesday 03/14/2007 Thank you Rokon and spring robins roaming.
It's spring, it's spring, it really is spring.
I actually had two clear signs today, besides all afternoon a 70 plus degree breeze bathed my face. I saw and heard my first red-winged blackbird this morning. I poked my head out on my deck early, but heard none here in Epsom, but my trip to the office in Durham provided my first red-wing of the year. The fields have sloughed off their snow in Durham this week. It looks so sweet there. This afternoon in my travels I saw several flocks of restless robins. Not the wintering robins that have been staying in NH the last decade or more. These robins sit about and usually are foraging flitting this way and that. These were restless roaming robins today. The flit about with a purpose, usually from tree to ground, and mostly in the same direction. Not always north but they have a determined look about them. I bet they are migrants in any case.
I was later than I had planned getting out to do my annual wood duck nest boxes well into the bowls of Bear Brook State Park. I switched out the four-wheeler in the back of my Fish and Game truck for the old Rokon two-wheel drive bike I keep handy. I was a bit nervous about the ice conditions and figured I had a much better chance of fishing the Rokon out of the marsh if I should drop in. Plus the big wheels are supposed to make it float. I nearly tested them a few times today.
It was kind of weird heading down Podunk Road from the cross-county sky parking area. It had to be in the 70's by mid afternoon. Of coarse the road down was packed snow and ice with a river of water flowing on the top on all the hills. Ever tried riding a bike on ice? Let alone wet ice. But for the most part the Rokon hung on straight and true. I used my legs as outriggers to keep from spilling much of the trip. That worked great until I actually was on the ice way down at Hall Mountain Marsh. It wasn't long before my out riggers were filled with an icy slush mixture. My feet were numb in minutes. There was 6 to 8 inches of slushy ice on top of pretty good ice. Still my heart was in my throat most of the afternoon. Hall Mountain ice always has holes from springs or something and the water melting on top of the ice was creating big holes where it poured down through holes and cracks. It definitely was a scary place today.
I can tell you I was on the throttle the whole time and had the duck boxes checked there in a splash. Yes a splash. It seemed more like I was in a motor boat not a bike as both tires through out a wake of slushy water as I sped across the ice. By the time I got off Hall Mountain Marsh my mouth was pasty from nerves. I took a few good slugs of water to gain my confidence again as I headed down the hill to Hayes Marsh.
Hayes Marsh had less slush, but there are several channels of current with open water, or very black looking ice, that had me zigzagging about trying not to drop in. Actually when I was heading off the ice, back tracking my trail, I saw where I had actually broke through pretty good on my way out but it must have broke just as I got across the weak spot and I hadn't noticed. The boxes as usual had about half successful use by either wood ducks or hooded mergansers. There also was a mud daubers wasp nest and larvae in one box. Here was a bunch of insects surviving the extremely cold winter all snug in a duck box. I put them back as best I could. There is one real old duck box at Hayes. It has been there the 20 or so years I have been checking them at Hayes. It is a small one, the size that Fish and Game put up in the 1950's. I couldn't help but snap a picture of this duck box nearly as old as me, with my wonderful Rokon in the foreground. I can tell you one thing, that Rokon had me skimming over some pretty thin ice today and brought me back out with just some frozen feet. My heart rate sure dropped a bit when I finally got off the ice around 5:30 and headed back to my truck. That's an awful long ways out into 10,000 acres of wilderness to be taking a swim alone, polar bear style. But I survived it another year. Life on the edge is a very interesting place at times. It sure does make you appreciate mud dauber wasps and spring robins!
Previous Note
2007-03-08 BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, record freezing temps!
Next Note
2007-03-21 Spring break, NOT, a break from spring though.
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H.R.1896 - International Child Support Recovery Improvement Act of 2013113th Congress (2013-2014)
BillHide Overview
|Rep. Reichert, David G. [R-WA-8] (Introduced 05/08/2013)
|House - Ways and Means; Budget; Judiciary | Senate - Finance
|Latest Action:
|Senate - 06/19/2013 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (All Actions)
|Roll Call Votes:
|There has been 1 roll call vote
|For further action, see H.R.4980, which became Public Law 113-183 on 9/29/2014.
This bill has the status Passed House
Here are the steps for Status of Legislation:
- Introduced
- Passed House
Subject — Policy Area:
- Families
- View subjects
Summary: H.R.1896 — 113th Congress (2013-2014)All Information (Except Text)
Shown Here:
Passed House without amendment (05/08/2013)
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)
International Child Support Recovery Improvement Act of 2013 - (Sec. 2) Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to use the authorities otherwise provided by law to ensure U.S. compliance with any multilateral child support convention to which the United States is a party.
Authorizes access to the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS) by an entity designated as a Central Authority for child support enforcement in a foreign reciprocating country or a foreign treaty country (for which the 2007 Family Maintenance Convention is in force) so that foreign reciprocating countries will be notified of the state of residence of individuals sought for support enforcement.
Gives the state the option to require individuals applying for services relating to establishment of paternity or child support obligations who reside in a foreign reciprocating country or foreign treaty country to apply for such services with respect to a child through the Central Authority for child support enforcement in the foreign country. Allows the state to accept or reject the application of any individual residing in a foreign country that is not a foreign reciprocating country or a foreign treaty country.
(Sec. 3) Directs the Secretary of HHS to designate: (1) a nonproprietary and interoperable data exchange standard for any category of information required to be reported under SSA title IV part D, and (2) data exchange standards to govern reporting of such data.
(Sec. 4) Increases from 24 to 48 months the length of time information entered into the data base maintained by the National Directory of New Hires shall remain before being deleted.
Revises the authority of the Secretary of HHS to provide access to data in each component of the FPLS and to information reported by employers for certain research purposes. Limits such research to any undertaken by a state or federal agency for purposes likely to contribute to achieving the purposes of SSA title IV part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) or in SSA title IV part D. Authorizes the Secretary to provide access also for an evaluation or statistical analysis to assess the effectiveness of a federal program in achieving positive labor market outcomes (including through grant or contract) by specified federal departments and entities. Reverses the current prohibition against personal identifiers in such research to allow them if certain requirements are met.

subset: commoncrawl


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Minister: China wants nuclear weapons eliminated in Korea
The reason for Kim's arrest was unclear but was "not connected in any way with the work of PUST", the school said in a statement . "North Korea's unlawful weapons programs represent a clear, grave threat to U.S. But an end goal of Korea's reunification as a militarily denuclearized and strategically neutral state is key because of Korea's historical centrality to Asian security and its rising standing as a regional and even global player.
Global News - All News
French election: Emmanuel Macron beats Marine Le PenMr Macron, who quit current president Francois Hollande's Socialists only past year ago to launch a new party, led the way with 23.7% of the first round vote, according to an exit poll by Ipsos and Sopra Steria. France's legislative election in June now takes on a vital importance, with huge questions about whether Le Pen and even the more moderate Macron will be able to rally sufficient lawmakers to their causes.
Vijay Mallya Arrested By The Scotland Yard In LondonMallya, who is accused of defaulting on loans worth thousands of crores, was arrested by the Metropolitan Police in London. "Vijay Mallya, 61, was arrested on behalf of the Indian authorities in relation to accusations of fraud ", the police said in a statement .
USA carrier group heads for Korean waters, China calls for restraintTensions are again flaring up between the United States and North Korea as concerns grow that the communist state will celebrate another important national holiday with a nuclear test or an intercontinental ballistic missile. Australia and New Zealand stiffened their rhetoric against North Korea yesterday, after the isolated state threatened Canberra with a nuclear strike, urging it to think twice before "blindly and zealously toeing the United States line".
Takes on the #AustralianValues in Turnbull's new citizenship testAustralia's citizenship test is getting a shake-up, and the changes are expected to make it more hard to become an Australian. The Prime Minister said the focus is to ensure that Australian jobs are "given to Australians first". "Any conduct that is inconsistent with Australian values will be considered as part of this process", he said. "The high and increasing numbers of IT professionals are being granted 457 visas".
Trump, Abe reaffirm united front against PyongyangMeanwhile, two Japanese destroyers joined a military exercise with the USS Carl carrier strike group that is en route to the Korean peninsula region. Kim Jong-un appears determined to achieve nuclear armament posing a threat to mainland US. 'The US seeks to occupy the DPRK by the concerted efforts of Japan and south Korea, intentionally provoking the latter and driving the situation on the Korean Peninsula to the brink of a war'.
US, Mexico & Canada confirm joint bid to host the 2026 World CupUS Soccer Federation chief Sunil Gulati , who announced the bid in NY with his Canadian and Mexican counterparts, insisted they had the full backing of President Donald Trump, despite the US leader's rocky relations with Mexico . "We have very specifically addressed this with the president", Gulati said of the Trump controversies. All three countries involved can all deliver several stadiums capable of hosting matches immediately, with the Americans featuring a slew of National ...
Macron vows to unite FranceMartin Schulz has also viced his support for Emmanuel Macron, appearing to shun Ms Le Pen. With 90 percent of votes counted, the Interior Ministry said Macron had almost 24 percent, giving him a slight cushion over Le Pen's 22 percent. She says European Union membership has stripped France of its autonomy, on topics including immigration, monetary, and fiscal policy. Media in several countries pointed to the historic defeat suffered by the mainstream left and right, with the Wall Street ...
North Korea warns of 'great war' as U.S. tensions escalateTwo Japanese destroyers have joined the carrier group for exercises in the western Pacific, and South Korea said on Monday it was also in talks about holding joint naval exercises. "I told him that we highly appraise USA words and actions that show all options are on the table", Abe told reporters following the call. "We will maintain close contact with the United States, keep a high level of vigilance and respond firmly", he said.
Iran's FM says United States not living up to nuke dealBash referred to Trump's joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni on Thursday, where the U.S. president stated while Iran may formally be complying with the nuclear deal, "they are not living up to the spirit of the agreement".
Egypt president in Saudi Arabia to reaffirm tiesSubsequently, the two leaders discussed a range of issues including "regional and worldwide issues of common interest", according to the office of the Egyptian president. Moscow is a staunch supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad while Riyadh is a key backer of the rebels who are fighting his government. RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) Saudi Arabia's King Salman issued a decree late Saturday naming one of his sons, an air force pilot who has taken part in coalition strikes against the ...
North Korea 'detains US citizen trying to leave Pyongyang'According to South Korean news agency Yonhap , Mr Kim had also been involved in an aid programme for children in rural parts of North Korea. He was previously employed as a professor at Yanbian University in China. Mr Kim's detention takes the number of USA citizens stuck in the secretive state to three. "Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment", the official said.


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Mr Chin's Hot Sauce is an East Bay band that plays blues, soul, and rock n' roll covers that never fail to get the crowd on their feet! Muddy, Mark and Chris have been playing together for years in various bands and are now joined by "newcomer " Steve as they propel their musical shenanigans across the bows of the unsuspecting that flock to their shows. Not to be missed!
Check out their website:


text: Students Roots Student Ministry Roots Message Notes LIV (Living It Verbatim) Roots Communication Roots Communication Home > Students > Roots Communication If you would like to receive texts from Pastor Kevin regarding Roots please register your phone number. If you'd like to receive weekly Roots email updates select your email preferences by clicking on the Login icon and following the prompts. Your Name: Your Cell Phone Number:


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New Arrivals: KF 2850 - KF 4769.9999
Showing 1 - 2 of 2 new items.
© 2016,With an Introduction by Justice Alito, this Comparative Constitutional Law casebook stands apart from other casebooks. It focuses on the 15 constitutional democracies in the G-20 Nations: 1) the United States, 2) the United Kingdom, 3) France, 4) Germany, 5) Japan, 6) Italy, 7) India, 8) Canada, 9) Australia, 10) Brazil, 11) South Korea, 12) South Africa, 13) Indonesia, 14) Mexico, and 15) the European Union. The G-20 Nations together comprise 85% of the worldâe(tm)s GDP and two-thirds of the worldâe(tm)s population. Thus, this casebook maintains a better sense of relevance than similar books, which often focus heavily on esoteric jurisdictions. It is also less Euro-centric than competing books; most chapters include cases from Brazil, Mexico, and India. Substantively, this casebook compares the constitutional law of the selected countries with respect to fourteen topics: 1) constitutionalism - constitutional history, constitution-making, amendment, and secession rules; 2) the emergence and nature of judicial review; 3) the separation of powers, bicameralism, and comparative administrative law; 4) federalism; 5) bills of rights, birthright freedom and equality, and human dignity; 6) equal protection of the laws; 7) freedom of expression; 8) freedom of religion; 9) civil, criminal, and appellate procedure; 10) protection of economic liberties; 11) positive social entitlements and state action; and, finally, 12) constitutional guarantees of democracy. It concludes with ideas that are of particular relevance to U.S. constitutional law. Pedagogically, this casebook contains more cases and fewer law review articles than competing books, making it teacher-friendly. It can be taught in a three-day weekly format, in a two-day weekly format, or in a once-a-week seminar format. It is accompanied by a comprehensive teacherâe(tm)s manual and suggested syllabi.
© 2016,This comparative constitutional law casebook offers a comprehensive and paradigmatic approach to the subject: it examines how the vast increase in international movements of people, capital, goods, ideas, and information affect politics in and beyond nation-states and how this influx affects the rule of law, separation of powers, and fundamental rights. Indeed, this casebook stands apart as it represents an international collaboration of legal scholars and allows for diversity of perspectives. Utilizing case excerpts from at least 40 countries across every continent, students will examine the assumptions, choices and trade-offs, strategies, and effects from decisions by constitutional courts and human rights tribunals throughout various legal systems and political contexts. Moreover, this book examines the different theories of constitutionalism and analyzes how constitutional democracies address similar issues in different institutional settings. This third edition includes new material that speaks to current issues of pressing importance: citizenship, transnational constitutionalism, authoritarian and illiberal constitutions, collective rights and minorities, Internet censorship, religion in the public space, mass surveillance, and targeted killings. Both teachers and students will appreciate the complete coverage of complex topics within a manageable size and format. A comprehensive teacher's manual accompanies the casebook.


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You're here because you need help so that's what we want to do, help you! If you haven't already done so check out our FAQ's page here, this might help to answer your question. If the FAQ's still don't help you please just get in touch and we will sort out your issue asap!
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David Henty's blog
MSc in HPC update: new hardware & scholarship deadline approaching!Author: David Henty
Posted: 1 May 2018 | 16:21
The closing date for our Highly Skilled Workforce scholarships, open to Scottish and EU students, has been extended to May 28th. Scholarship applications should be made after completion of an MSc application. See https://www.ed.ac.uk/studying/postgraduate/applying/.
We also have a scholarship for the MSc in HPC with Data Science programme that is provided by the Registers of Scotland. The closing date is May 21st - see https://www.ed.ac.uk/student-funding/postgraduate/uk-eu/science-engineering/informatics/registers-of-scotland
Both the above have nationality restrictions - our own John Fisher scholarships are open to all. See https://www.ed.ac.uk/student-funding/postgraduate/uk-eu/science-engineering/informatics/masters-hpc
You can see details of both HPC Masters courses at the Computing and Informatics web page.
Scholarships available for 2018/19 MSc in HPC programmesAuthor: David Henty
Posted: 5 Mar 2018 | 16:38
This is a very exciting time for the MSc in HPC programmes. Our current students are halfway through their second semester of courses and are already starting work on developing their dissertation projects, while EPCC staff are looking forward to our summer move into the new Bayes Building. Located in the University's central area, this move will strengthen our existing collaborations with the School of Informatics.
Supercomputing MOOC: it's massive!Author: David Henty
Posted: 15 Nov 2017 | 11:20
Our Supercomputing MOOC is for anyone interested in leading-edge computing technology, supercomputers or the role that computer simulation takes in science and engineering. There is no requirement to write computer programmes. The next 5-week run will begin on January 15 2018.
EPCC hosts three supercomputers in the world's top 50!Author: David Henty
Posted: 21 Nov 2013 | 09:31
The most recent top500 list has just been released at SC13 in Denver, and I'm pleased to say that 3 EPCC-hosted systems appear in the top 50:
PRACE Summer of HPCAuthor: David Henty
Posted: 2 Jul 2013 | 16:12
Twenty four students from all over Europe are just embarking on the PRACE Summer of HPC. Before splitting up and heading off to 10 different European HPC centres to spend two months working on their HPC projects, they are all gathered together here at EPCC to do an intensive week's HPC training as part of the PRACE Advanced Training Centre programme.
Here they are resplendent in their SoHPC T-shirts ...
Advanced OpenMP PATC courseAuthor: David Henty
Posted: 28 Jun 2013 | 11:17
17-18 July 2013
EPCC, The University of Edinburgh
OpenMP is the industry standard for shared-memory programming, which enables serial programs to be parallelised using compiler directives.
This two-day course is aimed at programmers seeking to deepen their understanding of OpenMP and explore some of its more recent and advanced features.
HECToR/Cray XC30 courses next weekAuthor: David Henty
Posted: 19 Jun 2013 | 12:13
Cray Advanced Tools Workshop
As part of our PRACE Advanced Training Centre (PATC) programme, EPCC is hosting a "Cray Advanced Tools Workshop" in JCMB on 26-27 June using HECToR as the platform. If you are interested in attending see the event page on the PRACE website.


text: He mentioned he is now suffering from COPD, and he never even smoked. Now I could have said, "Oh yea, I just had a very good friend who died from that." I didn't though. When anyone tells me of a sickness they have I just say I hope everything will be OK. It may go through my mind I know of some people who died from what they have, but I sure don't tell them! Anyway, I'm just venting is all. Does anyone else have to go through with people telling you how they know of someone who died from breast cancer? Yes, we know there are those who do, but I like to focus on how there are so many survivors who live into their old age & die from something else. As we know none of us are going to get out of here alive, so eventually we will all die of something.


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We have all passed through that stage. We didn't understand why our parents wouldn't let us sleep over at a friend's house, or why we had to brush our teeth, or eat our vegetables and make our beds. All our confused and pained "whys" were quickly silenced by mum's firm "Because I said so". Of course, now that we are older and we understand about neighborhood feuds, cavities, good diet and grooming, we can appreciate these formerly oppressive commands. Hindsight is always 20-20.
In retrospect, we can see that our parents had nothing but our good in mind. Even though we were too young to understand the "whys", our parents were old enough, and that was enough for the time being. No, we did not enjoy the pain and darkness surrounding those commands. Deep down in our hearts, we were convinced that our parents were just plain mean, sometimes.
While a similar case can be made for why God gives us certain commands and instructions, the parallels do not always fit. Analogies are helpful, but analogies can only go so far. Even so, there is something to be said about some seemingly "pointless", "oppressive" and "irrelevant" commands in the Bible.
I would like to zoom in on what I can only describe (for lack of a better description) as official commands in the Bible. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the adjective official as "of or relating to an office, position, or trust." To say that someone is official is to say that he or she is to be recognized and treated in reference to the authority or office they claim to represent.
Whether that person has the intrinsic talents and abilities to carry out that official role is irrelevant to the fact that they already have that role. This is why Christians are commanded to submit to all earthly authorities (Romans 13), even those that are oppressive and definitely fail to qualify for that office. We are not commanded to submit only to good leaders or qualified leaders, only to people in leadership, their CVs and character notwithstanding.
At the risk of belabouring this point, consider two friends working in the same office. One friend is the supervisor or manager of the other. If one day the subordinate friend came to work late, the supervisor friend may have to deal with her in her "official capacity" and dish out the required discipline. This is fairly easy to understand in our various "official" interactions with friends and family in life. However, we are not so quick to recognize similar rules when it comes to the Bible and the different "Biblical offices."
Consider this controversial passage:
"I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. [1 Tim 2:12-14]
I say that this verse is controversial beforehand because it speaks to an issue that is quite divisive and hotly contested in the church today — the issue of women as pastors and elders in the church.
Some of the arguments raised against having women as pastors include the claim that Paul was speaking to a specific cultural problem and context, and that the command is not universally applicable to today's society. This is probably right, but there are passages in other parts of the Bible that make it difficult to use this line of argument as the conclusive proof that the issue of women in church leadership was only a cultural one. Even so,
I will not be dealing with that argument today. What I am concerned about is a different line of thought. A line of thought that may actually render the whole "this was a cultural issue" debate irrelevant to the bigger picture. As already revealed in the beginning of this post, I am here dealing with the argument of "equal worth" and "equal capacity/giftedness" in men and women. This is what is commonly referred to as egalitarianism.
Basically, the argument states that "since women are equally capable and equally gifted to teach and lead, then there is no reason why they should not be pastors." Here is my contention. Are women able to teach? Yes. Are women able to lead? Yes, of course! Are women, more often than not, better teachers than men? Definitely! Are women arguably more intuitive and better able to multitask than men? Yes. So, should they be pastors and teach the church congregation on an official capacity based on their abilities? No. Why? Because God says so, or as Paul says in 1 Corinthians, because the LAW says so:
"The women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says." [1 Corinthians 14:34]
As a child, I was perfectly able to go over to my friend's and spend the night. I was perfectly able to skip eating my veggies and brushing my teeth. But my parents knew better. They had reasons that my childish reasoning capacity could comprehend, let alone accept. So I obeyed them. Yet, this is also where my analogy fails.
As an adult, I am now able to perceive the direct evil consequences that could have resulted from disobeying my parents' instructions. A visit to the dentist is one very effective way of driving home the message. However, it is still more difficult to think of any good reason why a woman being a pastor would lead negative consequences. This is probably because many of us are wired to be consequentialists: We only categorise some actions as bad when we can clearly see the negative consequences of doing them.
This is why the reasons Paul often gives for why women should not teach seem strange, offensive even, to many of us. However, if our understanding of sin and morality is guided by the Bible, then we should be able to acknowledge that sin is not bad primarily because it hurts people, sin is bad because it is against God's order and commands. In other words, sin hurts people because it is bad (and even when we cannot see how it hurts people, it is still bad because God said so). This is why some actions like my parents not letting me sleep at a friend's house on a school night is good, even though it hurts me at the time.
Pain is a poor determinant of right and wrong.
So, when Paul, in 1 Timothy, says a woman should not assume authority over a man because "Adam was formed first, then Eve", we are tempted to find another special reason for this command. It just doesn't sit well with us. It just doesn't seem like a strong enough justification for forbidding women to lead a congregation since "we can see all of the benefits and none of the losses" if they did.
In conclusion, let us briefly look at the offices that men are commanded to hold and how qualified they are to do it. Consider this verse:
"I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God." [1 Corinthians 11:3]
Keeping in mind the case laid out above, is there anything in the man that makes him intrinsically more capable and more fit to be the head of the house or the head of the woman? No. Then why don't we oppose this passage using the same argument of consequentialism? Perhaps this argument sounds less offensive because it appeals to the headship of God over Christ, and the headship of Christ over man.
Please, do not misunderstand me. I have sat under many a female "pastor" and gained truths about God that many male pastors could probably not have taught me better. I have listened to many sermons by women "pastors" that were solid and biblical and I gleaned treasures worth an eternal spot in my heart. Many of these women pastors are good friends of mine. Women indeed do make excellent teachers.
Yet, consider this: Can Christ do what God (the Father) can do? Yes. Does Christ know what God knows? Yes. Does Christ have all the attributes that God, the Father, has? Yes. So, should Christ play the role or serve in the office of the Father? No. Why? Because God says so. Because God has ordered (arranged) and ordered (commanded) it so!
May we learn to rest in God's sovereign wisdom, even when we don't get it.


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For SFF releases for March, check out Mark Chitty's excellent Walker of Worlds sci-fi blog and also the detailed fantasy lists over at Fantasy Book Critic. For news and release information on Science Fiction Romance (SFR) visit The Galaxy Express.
Included are a long novella from the world of Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, a new tale of Lord John by Diana Gabaldon, and an epic of humanity at bay by David Weber. Also present are original tales by David Ball, Peter S. Beagle, Lawrence Block, Gardner Dozois, Joe Haldeman, Robin Hobb, Cecelia Holland, Joe R. Lansdale, David Morrell, Naomi Novik, James Rollins, Steven Saylor, Robert Silverberg, S.M. Stirling, Carrie Vaughn, Howard Waldrop, and Tad Williams. Many of these writers are bestsellers. All of them are storytellers of the highest quality. Together they make a volume of unforgettable reading.
DANGER LURKS IN THE HEART OF THE CITY . . . BUT NOT ALWAYS WHERE YOU EXPECT IT. From New York to Los Angeles to Bucharest, fifteen never-before-published tales by some of the world's finest fantasy and horror writers celebrate the newest incarnations of an age-old terror that strikes when the moon is full . . . the werewolf. No longer confined to the forests, these modern monsters can be found in places you frequent every day—and never before thought to fear.CARRIE VAUGHN's popular werewolf radio host Kitty Norville is drawn into a controversy as to whether it's fair to ban lycanthropy from professional sports. New York's famous Plaza Hotel is the setting for ESTHER M. FRIESNER's tale of one very grisly little girl, while Beverly Hills may never quite recover from RON GOULART's middle-aged Hollywood screenwriter who falls prey to a most unusual problem. Celebrated fantasy author PETER S. BEAGLE tells a chillingly lyrical story of three Louisiana loup garoux locked into a deadly dance of death. Plus many more biting tales from award-winning authors:HOLLY BLACK • P.D. CACEK • GREGORY FROST • TANITH LEE HOLLY PHILLIPS • MIKE RESNICK • DARRELL SCHWEITZER • LISA TUTTLE IAN WATSON • GENE WOLFE • CHELSEA QUINN YARBRONOVELS and SERIES:
Publishers Weekly - The fifth adventure of vampire PI Felix Gomez (following 2009's Jailbait Zombie) finds him caught between alpha werewolves battling for supremacy in sunny Charleston, S.C. When high-powered werewolf attorney Eric Bourbon tries to hire Gomez to kill his rival, Randolph Calhoun, Gomez refuses. The last thing he wants is to be the guy responsible for breaking the "uneasy truce" that exists among supernatural entities. But as soon as Gomez dodges that metaphorical bullet, someone tries to put a real one through him. Finding the answers will bring Gomez up against an estranged old lover and an old enemy, and just might get him killed. Characters include the usual roster of hoodlums and femmes fatales, who engage in a plethora of double-crosses and violent action scenes. Plenty of cliffhangers keep the story moving in this horror fan's perfect vacation read.
Eric Thompson has always lived in the shadow of his older brother, the Alpha of the Canadian werewolf pack. While he has strength and speed and a howl that can truly make his pack whole, he doesn't have his brother's viciousness—and the pack wasn't worth either of them dying. To Eric, a leader should lead wisely and well, and his brother has done neither. So he left to become a lone wolf. Holly Sanchez has likewise lived in the shadows. A full human born to the Omega of the Boulder pack, she was attacked and turned into the very thing she had come to hate. Worse still, she became an alphic healer—except that as a wolf, she now terrifies the very animals she'd hoped to one day treat as a veterinarian. But as the world goes mad and species begins to attack species, Holly and Eric learn that they may only have their special gifts, and each other, to rely on to hold together the fragments of what was once a mighty shapeshifter population. For She has finally come, and the world will never again be the same.
A Sariel guard, Kit has spent centuries fulfilling his people's oath to protect the Trueblood Clan. Not Vampire, not Were, and certainly not human, Kit is something altogether…different. And when he is called back home to honor his obligations one last time, he can do none other than obey. Jesse experiences life behind the lens of a camera. The only time she truly lives is in her dreams. For years she's imagined a world filled with werewolves, vampires, magic. And him. When she realizes that not only is her dream world real, but the giant of her fantasies is in danger, she'll have to jump in with both feet, and trust her heart. In Kit's arms, she learns love is as infinite as time. But so is a bitter god's thirst for vengeance. After a thousand years of duty, Jesse's love is a gift from the Goddess. But for Kit, it might have come too late…
The last fight between the werewolf clans spilled onto the streets of New Orleans—and now the whole city's on red alert. Martial law has gone into effect. Mediums, ghost hunters, and other supernatural pundits have taken over the media, swarming the Big Easy to expose the hard truth about lycanthropes. And to make matters worse, a beastly killer is clawing up humans… Secret government operative Sasha Trudeau doesn't like what she's seeing—a series of brutal and bloody slayings that appear to be wolf-like attacks. It might be the work of a copy cat killer—vampire or Unseelie or some other enemy of the Seelie clan. But while Sasha races to find suspects and motives, the panic level is rising—and the city's human population is clamoring for an all-out wolf hunt…
FBI profiler Jace Valchek was pulled into this parallel realm to hunt for Aristotle Stoker, a human serial killer who preys on vampires and werewolves. Now she works for the National Security Agency of the Unnatural States of America—and her boss is a vampire. At a bizarre crime scene, Jace finds a bloodsucker murdered by magic, fried to the bone and dressed in the costume of the comic book hero the Flash—a character who isn't supposed to exist here. Comic books have been outlawed for their powers, including crossover spells like the one that transported Jace to this world. Soon, she's following a trail of dead bodies into the sinister underworld of black-market comics—where a deranged madman gives new meaning to the term "super-villain"…
ONE UNLUCKY THIEF. ONE UNLIKELY GENIE. ONE VERY ODD COUPLE.Gavyn Donatti is the world's unluckiest thief. Just ask all the partners he's lost over the years. And when he misplaces an irreplaceable item he was hired to steal for his ruthless employer, Trevor—well, his latest bungle just might be his last. But then his luck finally turns: right when Trevor's thugs have him cornered, a djinn, otherwise known as a genie, appears to save him.Unfortunately, this genie—who goes by the very non-magical name of "Ian"—is more Hellboy than dream girl. An overgrown and extremely surly man who seems to hate Donatti on the spot, he may call Donatti master, but he isn't interested in granting three wishes. He informs Donatti that he is bound to help the thief fulfill his life's purpose, and then he will be free. The problem is that neither Donatti nor Ian has any idea what exactly that purpose is.At first Donatti's too concerned with his own survival to look a gift genie in the mouth, but when his ex-girlfriend Jazz and her young son get drawn into the crossfire, the stakes skyrocket. And when Ian reveals that he has an agenda of his own—with both Donatti and the murderous Trevor at the center of it—Donatti will have to become the man he never knew he could be, or the entire world could pay the price. . . .
Publishers Weekly - Bickle's dark, dramatic urban fantasy debut introduces Lt. Anya Kalinczyk of the Detroit Fire Department, who investigates arson by day and hunts ghosts at night. As a unique type of medium, a Lantern or "human bug zapper," Anya can simply inhale and destroy spirits while accompanied by her familiar, a five-foot-long salamander named Sparky. In an unusual turn of events, Anya learns that the arsonist is a Lantern like herself, a man who simultaneously attracts and repulses her. Though she's a far cry from the usual hip, cheeky urban fantasy heroine, Anya's stoic determination is completely apropos for a crime-solving loner, and Bickle provides plenty of suspense as the arsonist tries to raise a powerful elemental being, and Anya accidentally absorbs a demon that threatens to possess her. Readers will look forward to Anya's future supernatural investigations.
Morgan Kingsley, a kick-ass exorcist, can deal with Lugh, the supersexy demon living inside her, but does he have to moan softly during her intimate moments with her mortal lover? Understandably, Brian is reluctant to share the pleasures of Morgan's flesh with a gorgeous rogue from the Demon Realm. But personal matters will have to wait when the opportunistic owner of the Seven Deadlies demon club in Philadelphia enlists Morgan's help in heading off a crisis: It seems that demons have started showing up at the hot spot in alarming numbers and in the unwilling bodies of rough trade club-goers. Morgan is sure that Dougal, Lugh's sworn enemy, is behind this, but why? To find out, Morgan must summon every ounce of power at her command—or risk becoming just another casualty in an all-out demon war.
When mechanic and shapeshifter Mercy Thompson attempts to return a powerful Fae book she'd previously borrowed in an act of desperation, she finds the bookstore locked up and closed down. It seems the book contains secret knowledge-and the Fae will do just about anything to keep it out of the wrong hands. And if that doesn't take enough of Mercy's attention, her friend Samuel is struggling with his wolf side-leaving Mercy to cover for him, lest his own father declare Sam's life forfeit. All in all, Mercy has had better days. And if she isn't careful, she might not have many more to live...
On the streets of Indianapolis, the ancient Arthurian cycle is replaying in the lives of rival street gangs. Told through the eyes of King, as he gathers like-minded friends and warriors around him to venture into the fastness of Dred, the notorious crime lord, this is a stunning mix of myth and harsh reality. A truly remarkable novel.
Born of an ancient family of clairvoyants, Marley Millet finds that her psychic gift is both unsettling and incredibly dangerous. She never wants to "travel" again—but the choice is not hers to make. After glimpsing the fates of two missing New Orleans jazz singers, Marley knows she has no choice and must speak up before more women disappear. Flinty cop-turned-writer Gray Fisher, who interviewed both chanteuses before they vanished, takes a special interest in Marley's incredible story—and in Marley. Scouring the wild clubs of the French Quarter, Marley and Gray make an unlikely and uneasy team. But their determination is matched only by the heat between them…and the evil they have uncovered.
Alexia Tarabotti, now Lady Maccon, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears - leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria. But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her into the backwaters of ugly waistcoats, Scotland, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only A soulless can. She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it.
The exceptional skill to heal supernatural beings is Doctor Benjamin Davison's gift—and his curse. His profession demands secrecy. A secrecy that once cost him his marriage because his wife, Paige, refused to accept his covert life. But even she can't deny the potent passion that continues to draw them together… The last thing Paige Culver wants in her life is a fresh web of lies. But that's what she finds herself trapped in once she agrees to run the popular nightclub Club Underground. Her quest for the truth reveals that no one in her life is who they seem—not her customers, her ex-husband…not even herself. But when an evil is unleashed, Paige gets more answers than she bargained for. Now she and Benjamin must reunite to save themselves and their hopes for the future….
JUSTINE KNOWS SHE'S GOING TO DIE. ANY SECOND NOW. Justine Jones has a secret. A hardcore hypochondriac, she's convinced a blood vessel is about to burst in her brain. Then, out of the blue, a startlingly handsome man named Packard peers into Justine's soul and invites her to join his private crime-fighting team. It's a once-in-a-lifetime deal. With a little of Packard's hands-on training, Justine can weaponize her neurosis, turning it outward on Midcity's worst criminals, and finally get the freedom from fear she's always craved. End of problem. Or is it? In Midcity, a dashing police chief is fighting a unique breed of outlaw with more than human powers. And while Justine's first missions, including one against a nymphomaniac husband-killer, are thrilling successes, there is more to Packard than meets the eye. Soon, while battling her attraction to two very different men, Justine is plunging deeper into a world of wizardry, eroticism, and cosmic secrets. With Packard's help, Justine has freed herself from her madness—only to discover a reality more frightening than anyone's worst fears.
"I fell into this job quite by accident, when I discovered that I possessed the ability to see the preternatural world. There are a handful of people with similar abilities, and part of my job is to locate them, since Government Services and Infrastructure Canada likes to keep track of these things. Don't ask me why." There's a malevolent force in town, and it's quite literally Valerie Stevens' job to determine who's behind it and why they want to destroy the world, starting with Calgary. She'll have help, in the form of her best friend (now more or less a zombie, unfortunately), a powerful dwarf troll, and the ghost of former Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King (but he goes by 'Bill' these days). But that's not all - Valerie has some tricks up her sleeve and, she hopes, luck on her side. Oh, and her boyfriend, Dave. He drives a dump truck.
Thrills, chills, and a smoldering sexy hero combine to unforgettable effect in Bianca D'Arc's irresistible new novel of paranormal romance... When police officer Sarah Petit investigates a disturbance in an abandoned building, she expects to find a few underage drinkers. Instead, she's attacked by creatures straight out of a horror movie. Waking a week later in a hospital, Sarah is visited by Special Forces soldier Captain Xavier Beauvoir. The zombies who attacked Sarah are the result of military research gone terrifyingly wrong, and Sarah's immunity to the virus makes her the perfect person to help Xavier eradicate them. But his smooth Cajun accent, whiskey-colored eyes, and dizzying kiss are risky to her in a very different way. Sarah attracts danger like a magnet—and the smart, fearless cop attracts Xavier too, instilling a bone-deep need that's undermining his steady façade. Enlisting her aid is a necessary gamble, but vicious undead creatures are not the only enemy they face. And the only way to keep each other safe is to trust in an instant connection that could be their greatest strength—or the perfect way to destroy them both...
Poseidon's warriors have learned that the battle to protect humanity produces unexpected enemies--and alliances. But none more unexpected than the bond between a cursed Atlantean warrior and a woman whose sight surpasses any lie… A warrior with no emotion … Doomed by Poseidon millennia ago to live life bereft of feelings, Atlantean warrior Brennan's curse is shattered when he meets Tiernan--a human with the ancient Gift of Truth Telling. Attraction turns deadly when the woman he could never forget becomes the woman he can never remember. With the fate of Atlantis on the line, will a warrior's uncontrollable desire destroy the world? A woman with an eye for the truth… Tiernan's job as an investigative reporter is perfectly suited to her unique ability to see through any falsehood. But when she discovers human scientists conducting hideous experiments on humans and shape-shifters alike, only a wildly sexy Atlantean can help protect her from the those determined to see her fail—and die. When the future of the world is at stake, can she overcome death itself so together they can protect mankind? When truth and passion collide…Atlantis is redeemed.
Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers. Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat left for her. But now that a serial killer is terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, Violet realizes she might be the only person who can stop him. Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved by her hope that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself.
Newspaper reported Eddy Marks thinks she knows everything about her quite hometown. She couldn't be more wrong. Turns out Evergreen, California, is the site of a vortex that allows demons to cross over to Earth, and the only one who can stop them is an unbelievably sexy fallen demon named Dax who has just crashed into Eddy's life.
When Abraham Lincoln was nine years old, his mother died from an ailment called the "milk sickness." Only later did he learn that his mother's deadly affliction was actually the work of a local vampire, seeking to collect on Abe's father's unfortunate debts. When the truth became known to the young Abraham Lincoln, he wrote in his journal: henceforth my life shall be one of rigorous study and devotion. I shall become learned in all things—a master of mind and body. And this mastery shall have but one purpose." While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for reuniting the North with the South and abolishing slavery from our country, no one has ever understood his valiant fight for what it really was. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years. Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time—all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War, and uncovering the massive role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation.
Bianca will risk everything to be with Lucas. After escaping from Evernight Academy, the vampire boarding school where they met, Bianca and Lucas take refuge with Black Cross, a fanatical group of vampire hunters. Bianca must hide her supernatural heritage or risk certain death at their hands. But when Black Cross captures her friend—the vampire Balthazar—hiding is no longer an option. Soon, Bianca and Lucas are on the run again, pursued not only by Black Cross, but by the powerful leaders of Evernight. Yet no matter how far they travel, Bianca can't escape her destiny. Bianca has always believed their love could survive anything . . . but can it survive what's to come?
With the female master of the London Underground in her hands, stuntwoman-turned vampire hunter Dawn Madison must fight off her followers, a vicious pack of undead teenage girls who put the vamps Dawn had to deal with in Hollywood to shame. But Dawn must wring all the information she can out of her captive. For Costin her boss and sometime lover has disappeared into the labyrinth under the girls school to pursue the male master of the nest. Every moment counts as Dawn and her team race to save him, not only from the threat of death but from the more terrible danger that he might succumb to his own vampiric nature and be lost to them all forever.
Psychologist to the paranormal Gillian Key has a new patient. He is a vampire who calls himself Csangal, but he is also a creature hiding his true motives-and his true identity: Dracula.
An invisible, uncrossable physical barrier encloses the Unified States. The Line is the part of the border that lopped off part of the country, dooming the inhabitants to an unknown fate when the enemy used a banned weapon. It's said that bizarre creatures and superhumans live on the other side, in Away. Nobody except tough old Ms. Moore would ever live next to the Line. Nobody but Rachel and her mother, who went to live there after Rachel's dad died in the last war. It's a safe, quiet life. Until Rachel finds a mysterious recorded message that can only have come from Away. The voice is asking for help. Who sent the message? Why is her mother so protective? And to what lengths is Rachel willing to go in order to do what she thinks is right?
Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father-an elusive European warlock-only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters. By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect. As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.
I can feel every Shifter's emotions except Daniel's—the only one whose heart I long to know. hayden was born a werewolf, a Dark Guardian. But her ability to sense the feelings of fellow werewolves has made her life unbearable. She runs away, only to be tracked by charming, mysterious Daniel, a newcomer to the pack and the one Shifter immune to her powers. As she reluctantly follows him home, Hayden finds herself falling dangerously in love. . . But even as her feelings for Daniel deepen, Hayden begins to wonder if he is who he claims to be. Where did he come from and why has no one ever seen him transform? When they stumble upon the body of a Shifter still in wolf form, her worries grow. Someone is killing her kind. Is her handsome tracker really a hunter? And is Hayden now his prey?
Publishers Weekly - This engaging sequel to 2009's Shadowfae weaves rich sensual imagery and dark eroticism into a breathless thriller plot. Thieving fairies, vampire gangsters, powerful demon lords, and creepy earth-bound angels all compete in a frenetic, bloody race to gain possession of a powerful magical artifact, a tiny mirror from Hell that destroys inhibitions. Light-fingered party girl Ice, a strawberry-scented water fairy, finds herself brazenly indulging in both lust and brave anger after she steals the mirror from Kane, demon lord of decadent Melbourne. When she loses it, sexy metal fairy Indigo, attracted to Ice but fearful of connection, offers to betray alliances and help her regain the item, but his own mirror-taint makes him mercurial and impossible to trust. Hayes's characters have distinct and delightful voices, and she's developed considerable skill at blending the gritty and the supernatural.
Just because you don't have a pulse doesn't mean you can't be perky. One second, freshman Karen Vera's on top of the most fabulous cheer pyramid ever. The next, she's lying on the pavement with seriously unflattering cranial damage. Freakishly alive without a pulse, Karen learns that she's a genetically undead zombie. Suddenly, Karen's non-life is an epic disaster. She's forced to attend a boarding school for the "death-challenged," her roommate is a hateful wannabe-Goth weirdo, and she's chowing down on animal brains every day to prevent rot (um, ew?). Even worse, someone is attacking students and harvesting their brains for a forbidden dark ritual. And it might be the hottest guy at DEAD High, the one who makes Karen's non-beating heart flutter! Armed with a perky smile and killer fashion sense, it's up to Karen to track down the brain snatcher and save her fellow students from certain zombie death.
Giada Shepherd is a Maja – an immortal witch of the Mageverse. When vampire knight King Arthur asks her to protect his mortal son from an assassin, she's willing to do anything she must to keep Logan MacRoy alive. But Logan is no ordinary mortal – he's a handsome seductive cop, intent on a romance with his beautiful new partner. Trouble is, Arthur has ordered Giada to keep her distance from Logan. But that's a lot easier said than done....
Rachel Lyndon yearns to escape her scandalous past, but her dreams for a better life seem ruined after she buries her fiancé on the Texas plains. Heath Renier has been evading the law by the skin of his teeth for years. Now he's found a new identity as Holden Renshaw, foreman of Dog Creek Ranch. But the arrival of his boss's mail-order bride, now a widow, upsets his fragile peace and threatens to expose his deadly secrets. Rachel knows that the mysterious and savagely handsome Holden is the last man she should trust—especially once she's seen glimpses of his true nature. When he's suspected of killing his employer, she has a terrible choice to make. But the heat of his gaze ignites something seductive and irresistible within her. No matter how dangerous the road ahead, she's determined to give him the one thing he's never truly believed he deserves: her undying love.
Psychic M.J. Holliday finds herself in a witchy situation... When M.J. and her friends travel to a small town near Edinburgh, Scotland, to film the first installment of their new cable TV show Ghoul Getters, they find plenty of spooky action in a series of supposedly haunted caverns. But when they discover the body of a maintenance worker, the cause of death is reminiscent of an old legend involving a witch's wrath...
Get an east Texas girl good and mad,and there's going to be hell to pay!Rachel Farnsworth doesn't believe in the paranormal - she can find plenty of evil forces right in Dogwood County, like the Mega-Mart that's driving her family's hardware store into the ground. Then there's her own little hell-raiser - a rowdy toddler who can turn his birthday candles into a blazing inferno with just one breath. But when her marriage goes up in smoke, Rachel discovers her husband, Kevin, isn't just a deadbeat, he's also a demon (a sloth demon, no less, which explains why he never helped around the house) with a renegade bounty hunter - a fallen angel named Sam - chasing down a powerful secret Kevin has kept for a millennium or two. Sam's downfall was a beautiful mortal woman . . . and now, the heavenly attraction zinging between them has down-to-earth Rachel believing in celestial magic. But will it be enough to save her and her son from the dark forces Kevin has unwittingly unleashed on Dogwood County?
Publishers Weekly - From the quick-cut narrative to the vividly visual descriptions, debut author Maguire's first book in the Beautiful Dead series reads like a novelization of a TV show. It's an accessible if shallow style, and the love-after-death theme has popular appeal. High school senior Phoenix, knifed to death in a street fight, returns as a zombie, and his grieving girlfriend, Darina, is a hidden witness to his resurrection. Defying the eerie zombie master, Hunter, Darina claims Phoenix, risking mind erasure or worse. The zombies have a goal—to solve the mysteries surrounding their deaths—and Darina offers to "play detective" for them. Hunter accepts, on the condition that Darina focus on Jonas, one of four newly undead "revenants" from Darina's high school. From there, the story becomes a series of emotional confrontations, sweet interludes between the lovers, and adrenaline-surging moments of physical threat. Despite all the drama, the characters' emotions seldom feel genuine (romantic sentiments are especially corny), but fans of the Twilight franchise and shows like Supernatural should be an eager audience.
A hot chick. A golden blade. Dead bodies. It's enough to make a cop crazy. Keely Montgomery doesn't spend much time thinking about death. She's too busy working toward a Ph.D. in social work—her ticket out of a low-rent apartment in a New Jersey urban center. Until an angelic courier delivers a scroll from the Office of Death and Dismemberment that could take her career down a new path—as one of Heaven's Holy Assassins. Her? Become a Scythe? No thanks, not interested. But she underestimates how persistent Heaven can be. Detective Josiah Adler has seen a lot of weird things during his time on the force. A hot blonde wielding a golden blade, standing over a string of dead bodies? That's a new one. So is the fact that her grisly deeds leave no blood or marks on the bodies. The woman's effect on his libido is another new development. One that leaves him no choice but to nail her before she kills again. And before his heart no longer stands a chance…
When Mary Alice Brannigan comes home to Ohio to restore the Dreamland amusement park, she doesn't expect to fall in love with a clown. Nor does she expect to find that she's the newest recruit in the Guardia, an elite team of demon fighters formed centuries before to guard the five Untouchables, the most powerful demons in the history of the world, now imprisoned right there in Dreamland. That would be bad enough, but there's that clown she's falling hard for, and there's something about him that's not quite right... Then there's Ethan Wayne, a former Green Beret who's come home to Dreamland to die. Ethan has his own problems including a bullet in his chest inching closer to his heart, a true love who shoots him on sight, and a mother who drags him into the Guardia after he's possessed by a crazed killer mermaid demon. Between ducking his mother's attempts to reform him and dodging the bullets of a secret government agent he's pretty sure is his soulmate, Ethan really doesn't have time for demons, touchable or not. But rocky romances and demented demons aren't Mab and Ethan's only problems, and they're about to find out what everybody who's ever been to an amusement park knows: the end of the ride is the wildest.
Toby Daye-a half-human, half-fae changeling-has been an outsider from birth. After getting burned by both sides of her heritage, Toby has denied the fae world, retreating to a "normal" life. Unfortunately for her, the Faerie world had other ideas... Now her liege, the Duke of the Shadowed Hills, has asked Toby to go to the Country of Tamed Lightening to make sure all is well with his niece, Countess January O'Leary. It seems like a simple enough assignment-until Toby discovers that someone has begun murdering people close to January, and that if the killer isn't stopped, January may be the next victim.
Georgina Kincaid has formidable powers. Immortality, seduction, shape-shifting into any human form she desires, walking in heels that would cripple mere mortals-all child's play to a succubus like her. Helping to plan her ex-boyfriend's wedding is a different story. Georgina isn't sure which is worse-that Seth is marrying another woman, or that Georgina has to run all over Seattle trying on bridesmaid dresses. Still, there are distractions. Georgina's roommate, Roman, is cluttering her apartment with sexual tension. Then there's Simone, the new succubus in town, who's intent on corrupting Seth. But the real danger lies in the mysterious force that's visiting her thoughts, trying to draw her into a dark, otherworldly realm. Sooner or later, Georgina knows she'll be too weak to resist. And when that happens, she'll discover who she can trust, who she can't-and that Hell is far from the worst place to spend eternity...
Dark secrets abound in the town of Bayou Gavotte, Louisiana, from blackmail to fetish clubs to murder, and when blood-and-love starved vampire Ophelia Beliveau calls in the police to scare away whoever is desecrating her garden, Detective Gideon O'Toole unearths more than he ever dreamed...
One by one practitioners of magic are dying in violence, as if fired from within. And the last words of a dead mage identify Grace Armatrading as the next victim. Adam Zolton is the last person in the world Grace wants to trust. Once before, he brought her to a fever pitch of need, then sacrificed her to pursue his own agenda. Now she has no choice but to team up with the darkly dangerous enigma. Drawn into a twisting maze of fiery danger and desire, Grace fights off a deadly computer virus, violent thugs and her own uncontrollable blackouts. But with Adam to balance her frightening paranormal gift, she will see the Dragon Unmasked.
Publishers Weekly - O'Shea's fourth Light Warriors romance is a riveting thrill ride that will keep her readers enthralled. The story picks up where 2009's Edge of Dawn left off, with novice mage Farran hiding in Seattle from her Tàireil kin and the Gineal who hunt them. After Seth, a demon, nearly destroys her, Farran decides she's desperate enough to ask Kel, an estranged Gineal for protection. Kel is battling PTSD after being tortured as a hostage, and he sees a kindred spirit in Farran, whose abusive father left her with her own set of emotional scars. Soon Kel and Farran are caught up in a whirlwind of battles, lovemaking, pop culture references, and terrifying flashbacks and nightmares. The fast-paced story stands alone and will easily draw new fans to the series.
Max and the Flock are flying high over Africa, but this time they're not alone. A sky full of cargo planes accompanies the team as they bring much-needed aid to the continent's poverty stricken regions. Among the volunteers is the mission's benefactor—the mysterious billionaire, Dr. Hans Gunther-Hagen. Max is intrigued by his generosity, but there's also something about him—and his intense scrutiny of the Flock—that makes her nervous. But Dr. Hans isn't the only puzzling thing about their trip. The Flock also receives a cryptic message from a young girl, who tells them, "The sky will fall." Max and the Flock are ready to return home, still unable to make sense of her statement. But the surprises don't end with their departure, and something unbelievably momentous shakes up the Flock—pushing Max and Fang closer than ever. Will the team be able to stick together through the chaos?
Animal attraction is only half of the problem... Olivia Felan has a wild side, all right. Even ignoring the fact that she turns furry and feral once a month, her natural style is take-no-prisoners, full-speed-ahead, come-what-may. But when it comes to her little girl, she doesn't take chances. So when a big bad werewolf alpha steals her daughter, Olivia will do whatever it takes to get her baby back. And in this case, that means killing Rory Sullivan. The trouble is, killing him would mean wasting one sexy beast. Sully is all man, all cop, and as of late, half wolf. When he meets Olivia, Sully's a little glad he stuck his nose into his friends' business and came out with animal senses—until he gets a whiff of the chaos following her around. Now he has to decide whether he can't take his eyes off Olivia because she's too beautiful—or because she's too dangerous...
The first in a fantastic new paranormal series about a messenger from the supernatural underworld. Melina Markowitz is a Messenger, a go-between for paranormal forces and supernatural creatures. Problem is, when a girl's a go-between, it's hard not to get caught in the middle... When ninjas steal an envelope from Melina, her search leads her to a Taoist temple in Old Sacramento, where the priests seem to practice Zen and the art of mayhem. Melina learns from the handsome ER doctor (and vampire) who gave her the envelope that it contained talismans created by the priests to control Chinese vampires, who are attacking gang members to spark a street war. Although he may look more like a surfer than a cop, Ted Goodnight is dead serious about investigating the surge in gang violence. At every turn he runs into Melina, a very attractive-and very mysterious-young woman. Can Melina enlist his help to battle something he doesn't even believe in without blowing her cover?
The first in a brand new series about a world of shapeshifters, from the author of Hot in Here. Hidden from mortals for eternity, Annwyn, the Otherworld, is home to shapeshifters, wraiths and dragons. On the border with the mortal realm stands a nightclub called Velvet Haven. The shapeshifter king of Sidhe, Bran, comes there searching for his brother, Carden, who's ensnared in a centuries-old curse. He looks to Mairi, a mortal woman with an unusual aura, for help. He usually just uses humans for sexual pleasure in order to restore his magic energy, but Mairi's lush curves and teasing caresses inflame him like no Sidhe ever has. He has no idea that the woman he's falling for holds the key to his destruction-or his salvation.
Gabry lives a quiet life. As safe a life as is possible in a town trapped between a forest and the ocean, in a world teeming with the dead, who constantly hunger for those still living. She's content on her side of the Barrier, happy to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. But there are threats the Barrier cannot hold back. Threats like the secrets Gabry's mother thought she left behind when she escaped from the Sisterhood and the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Like the cult of religious zealots who worship the dead. Like the stranger from the forest who seems to know Gabry. And suddenly, everything is changing. One reckless moment, and half of Gabry's generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. Now Gabry only knows one thing: she must face the forest of her mother's past in order to save herself and the one she loves.
Seduction is his only chance for freedom…and love is a death sentence. Even among shifters, Ethan is a rare breed. So rare, he's spent the last eight years in hiding from the werewolves who once captured and tortured him. Now a tranq dart has cut short his feral existence. Waking in human form in a locked room is more than a living nightmare…it's reliving his worst one. Yet in the troubled eyes of one of his captors, he senses a weak link. One he can use to escape—by seducing his jailer. Bram's life as pack omega isn't easy. As long as he obeys his alpha he is protected. However, there are some things he just can't bring himself to do. Keeping a precious cougar shifter prisoner is one of them, especially one who has somehow managed to capture his heart. Setting Ethan free could be a death sentence for both of them, for Bram's pack doesn't take betrayal lightly. And the alpha is set on revenge.
Six year-old Zoe York has been taken and her mother has come to Remy for help. She shows him crude, childlike drawings that she claims are Zoe's visions of the future, everything leading up to her abduction, and some beyond. Like the picture of a man with wings who would come and save her-a man who is an angel. Zoe's preternatural gifts have made her a target for those who wish to exploit her power to their own destructive ends. The search will take Remy to dark places he would rather avoid. But to save an innocent, Remy will ally himself with a variety of lesser evils-and his soul may pay the price...
Olivia's packing list:
1. Sunscreen
2. Bathing suit
3. Flip-flops
FBI psychologist Olivia Sotiris was looking for a cool ocean breeze, sand between her toes, and a break from her crazy, chaotic, and sometimes all-too-dangerous life. But when she escaped to the small Greek island of Patmos, all she got were meddling grandmothers trying to marry her off. Can't they see that none of the men around interests her—except Robby MacKay?
Robby's packing list:
1. Synthetic blood
2. More synthetic blood
3. Jogging clothes
(even vamps have to stay in shape!) Robby needs to cool off, too, since all he can think about is revenge on the Malcontent bloodsuckers who once held him captive—but then he meets Olivia, the beauty with wild curls and a tempting smile. When a deadly criminal from a case back home tracks her down, Robby will have to save her life—along with giving her a first time she'll never forget . . .
Sultry Miami nights are about to get even hotter as Linda Thomas-Sundstrom continues her Wolf Moons series. A hunt for a rogue werewolf stirs passion in the hearts of two rebels…. When a full moon awakens the beast within Dr. Parker Madison, he is hell-bent on finding explanations for his new Otherworld form and his insatiable lust. On the prowl one night, he discovers a woman in trouble—one who stirs his darker desires and may hold the answers to all that he has searched for. After a sexy stranger rescues her from a brutal attack, Chloe Tyler can't stop dreaming about him. Especially when something deep inside his electric-blue eyes calls to her, and his touch fills her with the most intense desire she's ever known. But her nightmares are all too real. A rogue werewolf's bite has changed her life forever, and the one who turned her hunts her still. Unless her dream man comes to her rescue yet again, the danger remains….
Lily Revere is free-spirited and fun-loving-two dangerous qualities in a witch. Lily needs a date for her sister Anica's engagement party, and she's determined to bring hot Griffin Taylor. But the jaded divorce lawyer claims his job has warned him off romance. Slipping a love elixir into Griffin's drink may not be the noble thing to do-but it sure works! There's just one problem: Are Griffin's feelings the result of some truly good witchcraft-or could he really be in love?
It's time to lock, load, and hit the road... Once, while half-human Cal Leandros and his brother Niko were working on a case, an ancient gypsy queen gave them a good old-fashioned backstabbing. Now, just as their P.I. business hits a slow patch, the old crone shows up with a job. She wants them to find a stolen coffin that contains a blight that makes the Black Death seem like a fond memory. But the thief has already left town, so the Leandros brothers are going on the road. And if they're very, very lucky, there might even be a return trip...
Sister Evangeline was just a girl when her father entrusted her to the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in upstate New York. Now, at twenty-three, her discovery of a 1943 letter from the famous philanthropist Abigail Rockefeller to the late mother superior of Saint Rose Convent plunges Evangeline into a secret history that stretches back a thousand years: an ancient conflict between the Society of Angelologists and the monstrously beautiful descendants of angels and humans, the Nephilim. For the secrets these letters guard are desperately coveted by the once-powerful Nephilim, who aim to perpetuate war, subvert the good in humanity, and dominate mankind. Generations of angelologists have devoted their lives to stopping them, and their shared mission, which Evangeline has long been destined to join, reaches from her bucolic abbey on the Hudson to the apex of insular wealth in New York, to the Montparnasse cemetery in Paris and the mountains of Bulgaria. Rich in history, full of mesmerizing characters, and wondrously conceived, Angelology blends biblical lore, the myth of Orpheus and the Miltonic visions of Paradise Lost into a riveting tale of ordinary people engaged in a battle that will determine the fate of the world.
On one side of the border lies the modern world: the internet, homecoming dances, cell phones. On the other side dwell the ancient monsters who spark humanity's deepest fears: dragons. Seventeen-year-old Kay Wyatt knows she's breaking the law by rock climbing near the border, but she'd rather have an adventure than follow the rules. When the dragon Artegal unexpectedly saves her life, the rules are abruptly shattered, and a secret friendship grows between them. But suspicion and terror are the legacy of human and dragon interactions, and the fragile truce that has maintained peace between the species is unraveling. As tensions mount and battles begin, Kay and Artegal are caught in the middle. Can their friendship change the course of a war? In her young-adult debut, New York Times bestselling author Carrie Vaughn presents a distinctly twenty-first-century tale of myths and machines, and an alliance that crosses a seemingly unbridgeable divide.
Being the first female werecat enforcer isn't easy. Scars accumulate, but I'm stronger in so many ways. As for my personal life? It's complicated. Choices worth making always are. Ever since my brother's death and my father's impeachment, it's all I can do to prevent more blood from spilling. Now our Pride is under attack by a flight of vicious thunderbirds. And making peace with our new enemies may be the only way to get the best of our old foe. With the body count rising and treachery everywhere, my instincts tell me to look before I leap. But sometimes a leap of faith is the only real option…
His mean streets are the city of the dead, the shadowy realm known as Nekropolis. In book one of the series, Richter battled werewolves, vampire lords and gigantic silverfish! That was nothing to the trouble waiting for him on Nekropolis' Dead Streets…
Josie Barrett brings out the animal in men. Literally. As the local veterinarian in a town that's approximately seventy percent Others—mostly shapeshifters—Josie deals with beastly situations all the time. It's practically part of her job description. But when the werewolves of Stone Creek, Oregon, start turning downright feral, Josie smells a rat—among other, more dangerous critter. Teaming up with the ferociously sexy Eli Pace, a full-time sheriff and part-time were-lion, Josie tries to contain the shapeshifting problem before it spreads like a virus. But when more shifters get infected—and stuck in their animal forms—the fur really begins to fly. Josie and Eli have to find the cause, fast, before the whole town goes to the dogs. But first, they have to wrestle with a few animal urges of their own.
Sabina Kane doesn't have the best track record when it comes to family. After all, her own grandmother, the leader of the vampire race, just tried to kill her. When she arrives in New York to meet the mage side of her family, the reunion takes the fun out of dysfunctional. On top of that, the Hekate Council wants to use her as a pawn in the brewing war against the vampires. Her mission will take her into the bowels of New York's Black Light district, entangles her in mage politics, and challenges her beliefs about the race she was raised to distrust. And Sabina thought vampires were blood thirsty.
In a dark and seedy underground of burned-out rock stars and angels- turned-vampires, a revolutionary neuroscientist and a fallen angel must pit medicine against mythology in an attempt to erase their tortured pasts...but at what cost? Olivia, vampire and fallen angel of desire, is hopeless...and damned. Since the fall from Eden, she has hungered for love, but fed only on desire. Dominic O'Shaughnessy is a neuroscientist plagued by impossible visions. When his research and her despair collide at L'OtelMathillide- a subterranean hell of beauty, demons, and dreams-rationalist and angel unite in a clash of desire and damnation that threatens to destroy them both.
It's been two years since Devin Guthrie last saw Captain Makaiden Griggs. But time has done little to dampen his ardor for the beautiful take-charge pilot who used to fly yachts for his wealthy family. While Devin's soul still burns for Kaidee, she isn't the kind of woman a Guthrie is allowed to marry—especially in a time of intergalactic upheaval, with the family's political position made precarious by Devin's brother Philip, now in open revolt against the Empire. And when Devin's nineteen-year-old nephew, Trip, inexplicably goes missing after his bodyguard is murdered, this most dutiful of Guthrie sons finds every ounce of family loyalty put to the test. Only by joining forces with Kaidee can Devin complete the mission to bring Trip back alive. And only by breaking every rule can these two renegades redeem the promise of a passion they were never permitted to explore. At risk? A political empire, a personal fortune, and both their hearts and lives.
An expert inn Leonardo da Vinci's works, Lucy Rossano recorgnizes the centuries—old time machine the moment she sees it in a Stanford lab. Fascinated in spite of the danger, she uses her knowledge to briefly go back in time landing in the middle of a fierce battle in ninith century Britian. And when she returns to modern—day San Francisco, she brings something back with her: a seductive, fiercely intelligent Viking name Galen... The presence of this enigmatic, devastatingly sexy stranger is just one of the new complications in Lucy's life. There are others who want to harness the time machine's power for treacherous ends, and they need Lucy to do it. Galen becomes first her protector, then the lover she's always dreamed of. But danger is drawing closer, and time is running out. For Galen and Lucy, its now... or forever.
Library Journal - In Embrace the Night Eternal, the world as we know it has been destroyed by malicious human intent—continents have been rearranged, Las Vegas (Envy) is now on the ocean, immortal Strangers have taken control, zombies and others walk the night, and people try to survive as best as they can. But five men from the past have miraculously survived and emerged with enhanced paranormal powers 50 years later into a postapocalyptic world they could never have imagined. Continuing "The Envy Chronicles" series begun with Beyond the Night (January), this installment takes former hit-man Simon Japp and cult escapee Sage Corrigan, both of whom would like to forget their pasts, on a harrowing journey for the truth (in this case Remington Truth) that leads them back to the community where Sage grew up—with dangerously arousing results.
Dark magic is afoot in the City of Jackals... Eighty years Bijou the Artificer has been a Wizard of Messaline, building her servants from precious scraps, living with the memory of a great love that betrayed her. She is ready to rest. But now her former apprentice, Brazen the Enchanter, has brought her a speechless feral child poisoned by a sorcerous infection. Now, Messaline is swept by a mysterious plague. Now the seeping corpses of the dead stalk the streets. Now, finally, Bijou's old nemesis--Bijou's old love--Kaulas the Necromancer is unleashing a reeking half-death on Bijou's people. And only Bijou and her creatures wrought of bone and jewels can save the City of Jackals from his final revenge.
For years the Shalador people suffered the cruelties of the corrupt Queens who ruled them, forbidding their traditions, punishing those who dared show defiance, and forcing many more into hiding. Now that their land has been cleansed of tainted Blood, the Rose-Jeweled Queen, Lady Cassidy, makes it her duty to restore it and prove her ability to rule. But even if Lady Cassidy succeeds, other dangers await. For the Black Widows see visions within their tangled webs that something is coming that will change the land-and Lady Cassidy-forever...
Publishers Weekly - Debut novelist Charlton creates a complex world in which magical abilities depend on the ability to handle words. Apprentice wizard Nicodemus Weal was once thought to be the prophesied Halcyon, but his inability to control spells sends him to the bottom of the pecking order. When murders and strange activities coincide with the Convocation at Starhaven, visiting wizards and druids begin to wonder whether Nicodemus might in fact be the anti-Halcyon. While the magic system is intriguing and carefully described, the setting is never fully realized, and Nicodemus's interactions with other teachers and students seem to take place in a world bereft of supporting characters. Charlton's baroque prose perfectly mirrors the central role of language and the byzantine politics surrounding the Convocation and the potential prophecy, and the innovative spell craft will please fantasy readers weary of more traditional magics.
Booklist - Take heed: the feminist possibilities of the Arthurian legendary cycle were not exhausted by Marion Zimmer Bradley's best-selling Mists of Avalon. In that book's manner, Crompton retells the Matter of Britain from the point of view of the Lady of the Lake, here called Niviene. From her perspective, the well-known legends become a real fairy story, for the main characters are all fairies or, in the book's term, Fey (Niviene, her mother, Merlin, even Sir Mell), and human changelings raised in a fairy Avalon (Lancelot, the Lady of Shallot). Although the resulting novel satisfies all the primal needs for narrative intensity and firm characterization, its strengths really lie in its poetic language and its finely wrought spiritual sense. The Fey philosophy is offered as an antidote to human failings as Crompton's pagan rather than Christian, womanist rather than patriarchal fairies live in unsentimental harmony with nature and with the elemental forces. A riveting good read.
Rejoin the Librarian and the Chinese submarine captain, the British sailor, the clockwork man, and the young sorceress who has gone south of the great equatorial wall. This adventure in Lake's Clockwork Earth continues the tale begun in Escapement.
At the edge of the known world, an ancient nomadic tribe faces a new enemy-an Empire fueled by technology and war. A young spiritwalker of the Aniw and a captain in the Ciracusan army find themselves unexpectedly thrown together. The Aniw girl, taken prisoner from her people, must teach the reluctant soldier a forbidden talent - one that may turn the tide of the war and will surely forever brand him an outcast. From the rippling curtains of light in an Arctic sky, to the gaslit cobbled streets of the city, war is coming to the frozen north. Two people have a choice that will decide the fates of nations - and may cast them into a darkness that threatens to bring destruction to both their peoples.
The world's most famous reporter, the intrepid Nellie Bly, teams up with science fiction genius Jules Verne, the notorious wit and outrageous rogue Oscar Wilde, and the greatest microbe-hunter in history, Louis Pasteur. Together, they must solve the crime of the century. They are all in Paris—the capital of Europe and center of world culture—for the 1889 World's Fair. A spectacular extravaganza dedicated to new industries, scientific discoveries, and global exploration, its gateway is the soaring Eiffel Tower. But an enigmatic killer stalks the streets and a virulent plague is striking down Parisians by the thousands. Convinced that the killings are connected to the pandemic, Nellie is determined to stop them both... no matter what the risks.
Years after Eferem and the battle on the Cliffs, Ril is a free Sylph, living with the man he still calls his master in Sylph Valley. Only Ril doesn't care about his freedom. Instead he's a broken creature, crippled in that final battle and, in his own mind, useless. However, when Leon's oldest daughter Lizzy is kidnapped by slavers and taken halfway across the world, Ril is the only one who can track her. Together, he and Leon follow to a world alien to both of them, following a bond Ril's not willing to admit to, even in the depths of his own heart.
In the original trilogy starring Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter, headstrong daughter of a farmer on the north edge of the kingdom, Paks follows her dream of becoming a hero out of legend by running away to join the army. Military life and warfare aren't anything like she imagined . . . yet she holds to both her duty and her dreams. Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Divided Allegiance, and Oath of Gold tell of her rise to become the paladin who saves a kingdom. In this new trilogy, Paks's former comrades in Duke Phelan's Company assume new roles and the story turns to follow their adventures. Thanks to Paks's courage and sacrifice, the long-vanished heir to the half-elven kingdom of Lyonya has been revealed as Kieri Phelan, a formidable mercenary captain who earned a title--and enemies--in the neighboring kingdom of Tsaia. Now, as Kieri ascends a throne he never sought, he must come to terms with his own half-elven heritage while protecting his new kingdom from his old enemies--and those he has not yet discovered. Meanwhile, in Tsaia, Prince Mikeli prepares for his own coronation. But when an assassination attempt nearly succeeds, Mikeli suddenly faces the threat of a coup. Acting swiftly, Mikeli strikes at the powerful family behind the attack: the Verrakaien, magelords possessing ancient sorcery, steeped in death and evil. Mikeli's survival--and that of Tsaia--depend on the only Verrakai whose magery is not tainted with innocent blood. Two kings stand at a pivotal point in the history of their world. For dark forces are gathering against them, knit in a secret conspiracy more sinister--and far more ancient--than they can imagine.
Book two in the quartet A Trial of Blood & Steel picks up the story of the brave and independent heroine, Sasha, now living in the port city of Petrodor. Away from the hills of her Lenayin homeland, Sasha is making a new life in the dark alleys and wealthy houses of Petrodor. An influential trading centre, Petrodor holds the key to preventing the coming war between Lenayin and the mighty Bacosh. Together with her old mentor Kessligh, Sasha attempts to navigate the political intrigues of the port city and find a way to stop the war. It is the serrin, the beautiful but dangerous people from beyond the Bacosh, who will be the pivotal point in this struggle. How much can Sasha trust her old serrin friend Errollyn? And how much can she trust herself?
New gods are challenging the old high god, Torval, for rulership of the world. The only way to stop these brash interlopers lies with the five Bones of the Vektia Dragons—the five primal dragons hidden away by the dragon goddess, Vindrash, during the creation of the world. Without these dragons, one of the new gods, Aelon, cannot seize power. The only hope of the Vindrasi lies in finding the dragon bones before the followers of Aelon can use them to destroy the old gods. But the Vindrasi gods have a traitor in their midst… In the land of mortals, Raegar, a Vindraisi turned Aelon warrior-priest, searches for the spirit bones. The gods have a champion of their own—Skylan Ivorson, sea-raider and high chief of the Vindrasi clans, and sworn enemy to Raegar. But Skylan is a prisoner on his own ship. The ship's dragon, Kahg, has vanished and some believe he is dead. Skylan and his people are taken as captives to Sinaria, where they must fight in a game known as the Para Dix. The fates of men and gods and are dragons are rushing headlong to destruction. Skylan can stop the calamity, but only if he discovers the secret of the dragon.
With King Olin imprisoned and Prince Kendrick slain, the royal twins Barrick and Briony have been forced to flee their homeland. But both families and nations can hide dark and terrible secrets, and even if Barrick and Briony survive learning the astonishing truths at the heart of their own family and of Southmarch itself, they must still find a way to reclaim their kingdom and rescue their home- from traitors, tyrants, a god-king, and even the angry gods themselves.


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Libby Porto provides inspirational voice & piano lessons as well as professional singing & piano accompaniment for local Madison weddings and events.
I would love to meet you! Call or e-mail me to schedule a visit to see the studio and talk about lessons. Maybe even sing a little! I'd love to show you how I can help you reach your musical goals.


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Thanks to Bastet at MindLoveMisery's Menagerie for hosting Saturday Mix this week. Today's prompt is a 100 Word story on a spring photograph using descriptive writing.
At this early hour the sky is grey and misty. Fog creeps across the water hiding its blue-green brilliance. The mist veils all, yet in the distance, luminous rays of sunlight glance across the sky. I can see the mist disappate as the eastern sunlight envelopes the gray with golden rays, paint strokes of orange and pink.
The robins tweet joyfully and the trees are bursting with green buds, the promise of white blossoms soon. I'm enthralled by the dawn and the once dank becoming intensly vivid. Something inside me relaxes as morning awakes. It feels as if I'm in the middle of an impressionist sunrise.
©Mandibelle16. (2017) All Rights Reserved


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One of the most prominent landmarks in Missouri is the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. The state is also notable for its long expanses of grassy plains and the Ozark Mountains. The Medicare Supplement Plans for 2019 in Missouri give Medicare subscribers the coverage that they require to take care of their medical expenses.
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