Part memoir, part travelogue, Drinking from the Dragon’s Well is a vivid and warmly personal account of a year spent teaching English in Wuhan, China, and later in Taiwan. One of the drove of foreign teachers to descend upon the once inaccessible People’s Republic of China, Alex Smith arrives filled with great expectations. She proceeds to negotiate a city, and a country, for which no amount of reading could prepare her. Her eagerness to learn the language, make friends and explore the culture often turns to bewilderment as she copes with unglamorous daily life – and with the loneliness of a stranger in a strange land. This is not pre-packaged, tourist China. A keen-eyed and sensitive observer, Smith attempts to plumb the soul of an ancient country that is beginning both to open up to the outside world, and to have a startling impact on it. Her fresh, highly readable narrative draws the reader into the mayhem, mystery and magic of modern-day China with remarkable deftness.
Everything I know is a lie. I'm an ordinary mortal girl. Lord Irrik is a depraved dragon shifter. King Irdelron is an immortal tyrant. In the disease ridden land of Verald, life is mapped out much like the established rings of our kingdom. Everyone has a role... Me? I'll be uselessly serving potato stew for the rest of my life because I can't make anything grow. But starvation brews rebellion. When the king strikes, I'm captured by Lord Irrik. Instantly, I'm embroiled in a deadly game. One where I'm desperate to understand the rules. Because nothing makes sense anymore. Now, I'm not only fighting for my life . . . but a love that could be the key to my freedom. What if the truth means you're not who -- or what -- you thought you were?
One pint sized human female who’s had too much to drink, not enough sleep, and absolutely no patience meets one stubborn dragon shifter with an attitude. Bastian claims Acasia, his unwilling bride, after she spends the night carousing with friends. She’s not happy, he’s pissed off, and with a curse from a goddess thrown in, you’ll see Bastian breathe fire. Add secrets, treasure, and unimaginable heartbreak for an emotionally humorous read and discover why Dragons Don’t Cry. A fairy tale for adults - 17+readers
Winner of the 2015 RT Magazine Reviewers' Choice Award!After barely escaping the machinations of his terrifying mother, two all-knowing seers, and countless bloodthirsty siblings, the last thing Julius wants to see is another dragon. Unfortunately for him, the only thing more dangerous than being a useless Heartstriker is being a useful one.Now that he's got an in with the Three Sisters, Julius has become a key pawn in Bethesda the Heartstriker's gamble to put her clan on top. Refusal to play along with his mother's plans means death, but there's more going on than even Bethesda knows. Heartstriker futures are disappearing, and Algonquin's dragon hunter is closing in. With his most powerful relatives dropping like flies, it's up to Julius to save the family that never respected him and prove once and for all that the world's worst dragon is the best one to have on your side.(One Good Dragon is book #2 of an urban fantasy set 90 years in the future - featuring a kind protagonist, a kick-ass female mage, her ghostly magical cat, and even more dragons than book 1!)
Return to the dark fantasy world created for the award-winning, triple platinum game, Dragon AgeTM: Origins in this third tie-in novel. The destruction of Kirkwall’s Circle of Magi has brought chaos to the lives of the mages and templars throughout Thedas. Some mages teeter on the brink of rebellion against their templar watchers, while others struggle to maintain order and stability amid the tides of change. In the majestic White Spire, at the heart of templar power in Val Royeaux, tensions have reached the boiling point. The actions of a few radicals draw the attention of the seekers, a powerful and secret segment of the templars, who arrive to take command and restore order no matter the cost. To make matters worse, a mystical killer stalks the White Spire’s halls, invisible to all save one lone mage. As Rhys is the only one who can see the killer, all eyes turn to him as the prime suspect in the murder investigation. With little hope of proving his innocence, Rhys’s future looks to be short and grim. But his skill with spirit magic earns him a reprieve, as he is drafted into an expedition traveling deep into the western wastelands of Orlais. There, his fate will become entwined with that of a beautiful templar, a tormented soul, and Wynne—heroine of the Blight. Together they will uncover a secret far greater than they imagined. One that will forever change the fate of mages in Thedas forever.
New York Times bestselling author Rainbow Rowell's epic fantasy, the Simon Snow trilogy, concludes with Any Way the Wind Blows. In Carry On, Simon Snow and his friends realized that everything they thought they understood about the world might be wrong. And in Wayward Son, they wondered whether everything they understood about themselves might be wrong. Now, Simon and Baz and Penelope and Agatha must decide how to move forward. For Simon, that means choosing whether he still wants to be part of the World of Mages — and if he doesn't, what does that mean for his relationship with Baz? Meanwhile Baz is bouncing between two family crises and not finding any time to talk to anyone about his newfound vampire knowledge. Penelope would love to help, but she's smuggled an American Normal into London, and now she isn't sure what to do with him. And Agatha? Well, Agatha Wellbelove has had enough. Any Way the Wind Blows takes the gang back to England, back to Watford, and back to their families for their longest and most emotionally wrenching adventure yet. This book is a finale. It tells secrets and answers questions and lays ghosts to rest. The Simon Snow Trilogy was conceived as a book about Chosen One stories; Any Way the Wind Blows is an ending about endings—about catharsis and closure, and how we choose to move on from the traumas and triumphs that try to define us.
"This is the remarkable story of America's personal and instituional responses to alcoholism and other addictions. It is the story of mutual aid societies: the Washingtonians, the Blue Ribbon Reform Clubs, the Ollapod Club, the United Order of Ex-Boozers, the Jacoby Club, Alcoholics Anonymous and Women for Sobriety. It is a story of addiction treatment institutions from the inebriate asylums and Keeley Institutes to Hazelden and Parkside. It is the story of evolving treatment interventions that range from water cures and mandatory sterilization to aversion therapies and methadone maintenance. William White has provided a sweeping and engaging history of one of America's most enduring problems and the profession that was birthed to respond to it" -- BACK COVER.
Empress Celene of Orlais rose to the throne of the most powerful nation in Thedas through wisdom, wit, and ruthless manipulation. Now the empire she has guided into an age of enlightenment is threatened from within by imminent war between the templars and the mages, even as rebellion stirs among the downtrodden elves. To save Orlais, Celene must keep her hold on the throne by any means necessary. At her heels are Grand Duke Gaspard, an Orlesian chevalier who believes the kingdom deserves a new, stronger leader; and Briala, Celene's handmaid, spymaster, and lover, who wants nothing more than to fight for her people--the elves. Alliances are forged and promises broken as Celene and Gaspard battle for the throne. In the end, however, the elves, hidden and starving, may decide the fate of the masked empire themselves. This deluxe edition features twenty-four brand new illustrations by Stefano Martino, Álvaro Sarraseca, Andres Ponce, and German Ponce in an intricately designed, foil stamped hardcover!
“True Detective meets Swamp Thing in the Artemis Fowl author’s neo-noirish thriller about a curmudgeonly dragon in Louisiana.” —Guardian From the New York Times bestselling author of the Artemis Fowl series comes a hilarious and high-octane adult novel about a vodka-drinking, Flashdance-loving dragon who lives an isolated life in the bayous of Louisiana—and the raucous adventures that ensue when he crosses paths with a fifteen-year-old troublemaker on the run from a crooked sheriff. In the days of yore, he flew the skies and scorched angry mobs—now he hides from swamp tour boats and rises only with the greatest reluctance from his Laz-Z-Boy recliner. Laying low in the bayou, this once-magnificent fire breather has been reduced to lighting Marlboros with nose sparks, swilling Absolut in a Flashdance T-shirt, and binging Netflix in a fishing shack. For centuries, he struck fear in hearts far and wide as Wyvern, Lord Highfire of the Highfire Eyrie—now he goes by Vern. However...he has survived, unlike the rest. He is the last of his kind, the last dragon. Still, no amount of vodka can drown the loneliness in his molten core. Vern’s glory days are long gone. Or are they? A canny Cajun swamp rat, young Everett “Squib” Moreau does what he can to survive, trying not to break the heart of his saintly single mother. He’s finally decided to work for a shady smuggler—but on his first night, he witnesses his boss murdered by a crooked constable. Regence Hooke is not just a dirty cop, he’s a despicable human being—who happens to want Squib’s momma in the worst way. When Hooke goes after his hidden witness with a grenade launcher, Squib finds himself airlifted from certain death by…a dragon? The swamp can make strange bedfellows, and rather than be fried alive so the dragon can keep his secret, Squib strikes a deal with the scaly apex predator. He can act as his go-between (aka familiar)—fetch his vodka, keep him company, etc.—in exchange for protection from Hooke. Soon the three of them are careening headlong toward a combustible confrontation. There’s about to be a fiery reckoning, in which either dragons finally go extinct—or Vern’s glory days are back. A triumphant return to the genre-bending fantasy that Eoin Colfer is so well known for, Highfire is an effortlessly clever and relentlessly funny tour-de-force of comedy and action.
A steamy dragon shifter romance filled with humor, second chances, and naughty, dragon-sex shenanigans. Susannah Men cheat and lie. They take more than they give. Promise the world and deliver dusty pocket lint. They’re no good for the long haul of life. But sex? Sure, men are good for steamy romps and spicy hookups. I’m ready to accept that dating’s for dummies, but I’m not giving up sex. No way. And look who just stopped to offer me a lift: a sexy mechanic with all sorts of skills. He’s no knight in shining armor, and he’s not offering a fairy-tale happily ever after. He’s all about the here, the now, and the f*cking. I’m one hundred percent ready for that ride. Archer I’m a liar. My friends think I’m screwing women left and right. The truth? I’ve been celibate for over a hundred years. The woman I picked up on the side of the road thinks I’m a mechanic. I’m not. I just happened to live through the invention of the horseless carriage and have a knack for repairs. She thinks I’m broke. Wrong again. Centuries of living lends itself to a fat bank account. I thought I gave away my heart years ago, but evidence suggests otherwise. That sad, disused organ beats faster for a foul-mouthed history professor who drives an unreliable, shiny red Volkswagen Bug. I want to be honest, but I’m sitting on so many secrets I’m not sure where to start. Worse, I don’t think she wants the truth: I’m a dragon, she’s a witch, and I might be falling in love with her. A woman who’s been let down by life and love meets a dragon who’s ready to shine up his tarnished scales for her, but they’ve got one hell of a past to overcome if they’re going to find their long-haul, forever love.
