The last thing she needs after running from one monster is to land in the lair of the Devil. Twenty-one year old Ember flees her past with soot on her face, ash in her hair, and a promise. She'll never let another man take away her freedom and treat her like she means nothing. But that is exactly what Maverick Gunn, leader of the notorious Harbingers of Chaos motorcycle club seeks to do from the moment his lethal gaze locks on her. He burns her with every look. Every touch. Every word. Ember's only hope is to convince him she's nothing like the woman who blackened his soul before he drags her down into the darkness with him. WARNING: For Mature Audience 18+ Contains Adult Sexual Situations & Language
"I'll wait for you." "You'll have to wait a lifetime--" "I'd wait two." Emberlith (Ember) Huang is given no time to grieve when one of her childhood friends is suddenly killed. Still shaken by tragedy, she finds herself swept up in a violently spreading fire, a turbulent natural disaster. But what if... it isn't so natural? Ember's construct of reality shatters in an instant, taking everything she believed with it. The simple world she enjoyed was merely a mask, concealing a traumatic past of war, loss, and entanglement. Her normal college life is flipped upside down as she runs for her life and fights for survival. Forced to learn things about her hidden past and the truths of the system she lives in, Ember finds herself intertwined in a journey that offers no path of return. She could have never imagined that everything she knew about herself and her family was shrouded in secrets. She could have never known how much her life would change, and how much responsibility would fall upon her. Will Ember succeed in bringing harmony back to her country of Belcoscordia? And at what cost?
The book details how and when cigars where first noted in history all the way to today and how they have changed. It includes what one needs to smoke cigars and cigar play i.e., humidors, lighters and such with all the different types talked about. The majority of the book is on how to play with a submissive using smoke, ash, and embers doing everything from simple smoke play kiss to burning a nipple. It also covers things like play with gas masks using smoke. It has first aid and safety information to consider when you play with smoke. The final chapter is on how to clean your leathers when they have the smell of cigar smoke embedded into the leathers. A well rounded book for anyone who smokes cigars and is into the BDSM lifestyle! This book is for everyone with an interest in Cigar Play from the beginner to the most experienced.
A history of the four decades leading up to the Vietnam War offers insights into how the U.S. became involved, identifying commonalities between the campaigns of French and American forces while discussing relevant political factors.
The fate of the Lithonian people is balanced on the edge of a knife. Lenathaina Morthan Coden is the rightful Queen of Lithonia but an ocean and her bastard cousin, Garrett Morlette, stand between her and the throne. On the eve of former king's murder, Garrett proclaimed himself his half-brother's heir and stole the throne from his cousin, Lenathaina. In order to keep the nobles from rising up against him, Garrett has taken hostages from every house, great and small, and has imprisoned them in a mountain fortress. The high lords and lords of Lithonia are also trapped in the mountain city, unable to leave until they swear oaths of fealty to the Usurper King. The Goddess Incarnate, the Mystic of Hathor, is beginning to move out of the shadows. No longer content to influence events unseen, She is ordering Her agents to make bold and deadly moves. How many lives will be claimed by the Goddess before her true purpose is revealed?Lenathaina is still recovering from the trauma of being kidnapped and the loss of her uncle and friend. Her aunt and cousin are missing. To avoid dealing with her emotional pain she has thrown herself into her plans to return to Lithonia and her training as a warrior. As Lenathaina prepares for war, the various factions of the Lithonian court take sides. Battle lines are being drawn. Soldiers are called to arms. Can Lenathaina save her throne and her people?
THE UNFORGETTABLE ROMANCE THAT'S TAKING TIKTOK BY STORM In the aftermath of tragedy, it's strange what you remember. The deafening boom as the house exploded. The paralyzing fear as I searched for my wife. The smoke blinding me as I carried her out. But the woman in my arms was not my wife. Bree and Eason survive the fire that takes their partners - but neither of them are truly living after that fateful night. As a single dad with nowhere to turn, Eason moves in with Bree despite the old tensions and the new grief they share. Eason may have carried Bree out of the fire, but she just might be the one to save him. Yet as they both start to heal, and romance flickers to life, secrets from the past threaten to ignite. Their love was born from the embers, and together they could go up in flames. 'Totally ripped my heart out - I was blown away by the twist' ***** Reader Review 'Stunning. Tears and laughter all the way through' ***** Reader Review 'Reignited my love of reading' ***** Reader Review 'Will shatter your heart with a wrecking ball' ***** Reader Review 'Aly Martinez rips your heart from your chest, just to make it beat faster' ***** Reader Review 'Kept me captive until the final page' ***** Reader Review
A modern-day classic. This highly acclaimed adventure series about two friends desperate to save their doomed city has captivated kids and teachers alike for almost fifteen years and has sold over 3.5 MILLION copies! Lina and Doon have led the citizens of Ember to an exciting new world. When they discover a village called Sparks, they are welcomed, fed, and given places to sleep. But the town’s resources are limited and it isn’t long before resentment begins to grow between the two groups. When mysterious acts of vandalism cause tempers to erupt, putting everyone’s lives in danger, it’s up to our two heroes to find the courage to stop the conflict and bring peace. Praise for the City of Ember books: Nominated to 28 State Award Lists! An American Library Association Notable Children’s Book A New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing Selection A Kirkus Reviews Editors’ Choice A Child Magazine Best Children’s Book A Mark Twain Award Winner A William Allen White Children’s Book Award Winner “A realistic post-apocalyptic world. DuPrau’s book leaves Doon and Lina on the verge of undiscovered country and readers wanting more.” —USA Today “An electric debut.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred “While Ember is colorless and dark, the book itself is rich with description.” —VOYA, Starred
#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout returns with book one of the all-new, compelling Flesh and Fire series—set in the beloved Blood and Ash world. Born shrouded in the veil of the Primals, a Maiden as the Fates promised, Seraphena Mierel’s future has never been hers. Chosen before birth to uphold the desperate deal her ancestor struck to save his people, Sera must leave behind her life and offer herself to the Primal of Death as his Consort. However, Sera’s real destiny is the most closely guarded secret in all of Lasania—she’s not the well protected Maiden but an assassin with one mission—one target. Make the Primal of Death fall in love, become his weakness, and then…end him. If she fails, she dooms her kingdom to a slow demise at the hands of the Rot. Sera has always known what she is. Chosen. Consort. Assassin. Weapon. A specter never fully formed yet drenched in blood. A monster. Until him. Until the Primal of Death’s unexpected words and deeds chase away the darkness gathering inside her. And his seductive touch ignites a passion she’s never allowed herself to feel and cannot feel for him. But Sera has never had a choice. Either way, her life is forfeit—it always has been, as she has been forever touched by Life and Death.
A bold and ghostly stand-alone from New York Times bestselling author Colleen Houck, with all the moodiness of Sleepy Hollow and all the romance her fans love. Welcome to a world where nightmarish creatures reign supreme. Five hundred years ago, Jack made a deal with the devil. It's difficult for him to remember much about his mortal days. So he focuses on fulfilling his sentence as a Lantern--one of the watchmen who guard the portals to the Otherworld, a realm crawling with every nightmarish creature imaginable. Jack has spent centuries jumping from town to town, ensuring that nary a mortal--or not-so-mortal--soul slips past him. That is, until he meets beautiful Ember O'Dare. Seventeen, stubborn, and a natural-born witch, Ember feels a strong pull to the Otherworld. Undeterred by Jack's warnings, she crosses into the forbidden plane with the help of a mysterious and debonair vampire--and the chase through a dazzling, dangerous world is on. Jack must do everything in his power to get Ember back where she belongs before both the earthly and unearthly worlds descend into chaos. Colleen Houck, the New York Times bestselling author of the Tiger's Curse series and the Reawakened series, breathes new life into classic folklore in this wild, twisting adventure propelled by the spirit of Halloween. "[Houck] offers a fresh spin on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." --Kirkus Reviews "A wild and seductive adventure. . . . A must-have for YA collections." --SLJ "The Lantern's Ember has something for everyone. From an old-timey village to ghost stories to pirates to steampunk influences, nobody is left unsatisfied." --TeenReads.com
THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER One of Time Magazine’s 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time Book two in the New York Times bestselling series A USA Today bestseller A Wall Street Journal bestseller “Spectacular.”—Entertainment Weekly “Fresh and exciting...Tahir has shown a remarkable talent for penning complex villains.”—A.V. Club "Even higher stakes than its predecessor… thrilling." —Publishers Weekly, starred review “[An] action-packed, breathlessly paced story.” —Booklist, starred review Set in a rich, high-fantasy world inspired by ancient Rome, Sabaa Tahir's AN EMBER IN THE ASHES told the story of Laia, a slave fighting for her family, and Elias, a young soldier fighting for his freedom. Now, in A TORCH AGAINST THE NIGHT, Elias and Laia are running for their lives. After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt the two fugitives as they flee the city of Serra and undertake a perilous journey through the heart of the Empire. Laia is determined to break into Kauf—the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison—to save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars' survival. And Elias is determined to help Laia succeed, even if it means giving up his last chance at freedom. But dark forces, human and otherworldly, work against Laia and Elias. The pair must fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene—Elias’s former friend and the Empire’s newest Blood Shrike. Bound to Marcus's will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her own—one that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape...and kill them both.