After the funeral, Natsumi reluctantly agrees to date her sister’s fiancé Togo. But as their relationship develops with the passing seasons, Haru’s memory lingers over them like a curse. Asuka Konishi’s English-language debut is a nuanced and affecting portrait of the conflict between romantic and familial love, and of the hard choices that face us all in making our lives our own.
The Curse-Maker is the sequel to he award-winning Nox Dormienda, the first book of the Roman noir series created by Kelli Stanley (City of Dragons). Wedding impeccably researched history to prose and themes reminiscent of classic hard-boiled writers, The Curse-Maker is a thrilling and suspenseful journey into a dark corner of Roman Britain you've never seen before. When Roman physician Arcturus and his stunning wife, Gwyna, arrive at Bath for a holiday, a dead body is floating in the sacred spring. It turns out that the murdered man is a curse-maker whose invocations actually come true, and as murder follows murder, it looks like there's now a curse on Arcturus. This is an exciting and exotic story of a spa town where people go to heal...only to wind up dead. And it takes the doctor-investigator on a dark road -- into Roman cemeteries, silver mines, and underground water tunnels -- to comprehend the twisted mind of a killer bent on revenge.
Theodosia Throckmorton has her hands full at the Museum of Legends and Antiquities in London. Her father may be head curator, but it is Theo--and only Theo--who is able to see all the black magic and ancient curses that still cling to the artifacts in the museum. When Theo’s mother returns from her latest archaeological dig bearing the Heart of Egypt--a legendary amulet belonging to an ancient tomb--Theo learns that it comes inscribed with a curse so black and vile that it threatens to crumble the British Empire from within and start a war too terrible to imagine. Intent on returning the malevolent artifact to its rightful place, Theo devises a daring plan to put things right. But even with the help of her younger brother, a wily street urchin, and the secret society known as the Brotherhood of the Chosen Keepers, it won’t be easy . . . she quickly finds herself pursued down dark alleys, across an ocean, through the bustling crowds of Cairo, and straight into the heart of an ancient mystery. Theo will have to call upon everything she’s ever learned in order to prevent the rising chaos from destroying her country--and herself!
This book is a critical analysis of religion in general and Islam in particular. It covers some common misconceptions about Islam that both Muslims and non-Muslims have. The book starts with a little introduction of the author—how and why he became an ex-Muslim—and it is followed up with the importance of writing the book. The first chapter covers the importance of critical sense over common sense and how we should always invoke critical thinking when it comes to looking at the world around us. The book also covers some arguments for God and some counterarguments against God’s existence. It discusses the importance of God in keeping the morality of the society and the mental well-being of the human species. It also discusses the baggage that comes with religion, leaving our only lives here on planet earth devoid of pleasure and enjoyment. Moreover, it discusses the scientific flaws in the Quran and argues how it looks like a book written by a seventh century Arab warlord rather than the creator of the billions of galaxies. It discusses the critical and sensitive topic of the character of Allah (Muslim God) and Muhammad in light of the Quran, Hadith (collection of Muhammad’s quotes), and the biography of Muhammad. It gives a detailed account of Muhammad’s wives and violence in his life. In the last part of the book, the author discusses the rise of Islamism in the western world and its dangers. Finally, it educates its readers on how to debate with a religious apologist and some common arguments and techniques employed by them. It is a very interesting read into Islam from an ex-Muslim’s point of view and the best guide to learning Islam.
[Webnovel provides the latest update of Ma'am You Have Been Uncovered novels] [Two-faced Languid Rich Male Lead vs. Deeply Hidden Beautiful Female Lead] Qin Ran had grown up in the countryside. She disappears in the third year of high school and ends up suspended for a year. One year later, she is brought to Yun Cheng by her mother to attend First Middle School. Her mother tells her: "Your stepfather is from a prestigious family, your brother is a genius, and your younger sister is a top student. Don't be an embarrassment to them." Anybody who is anybody in Beijing all receives a warning from Master Juan of the Cheng family: Master Juan's wife is from the countryside and doesn't know how to socialize nor make connections... her temper is also really bad, so please be tolerant of her. One day, when Master Juan is investigating a certain big shot, his subordinate stares at the sockpuppet—an online identity used for purposes of deception—he had accidentally revealed. It's from the wife that supposedly doesn't know anything... He falls into silence. The two bigshots has probably been hiding their sockpuppets from each other in order not to make the other party feel inferior.
Enjoy this epic fantasy romance where two enemies must fight for each other and a world where magic is no longer a death sentence. A warrior with nothing left to lose. A prince trying to hold his kingdom together. As a child, Etta ran from the palace for her life. Now, she must find a way back in. The kingdom of Gaule is a dangerous place for those with magic. To be found is a death sentence, forcing magic wielders into the forests to hide from the crown. Etta Basile has spent years among the trees, training for the day she’ll take up the curse of her ancestors, a curse tying her life to that of her greatest enemy, the Prince of Gaule. Prince Alexandre was once a childhood friend, but now, Etta must keep her identity a secret as she enters a tournament to become his champion. Her goals are simple. Protect the prince. Break the curse. Kill the prince. What her training never prepared her for? Falling in love. But love is for the weak, and Etta can’t forget the reason she’s there. Her people are counting on her. Get lost in an epic fantasy where romance crosses enemy lines and nothing is ever black and white. Golden Curse is the first book in the completed seven-book Fantasy and Fairytales series. Are you ready? ... KEYWORDS: Free books, free fantasy books, Rapunzel, fairytale fantasy, fantasy romance, romantic fantasy, free full length fantasy, young adult, Books for free, Young Adult free, free fantasy, free books, free books to download, free full novel, slow burn romance, enemies to lovers, prophecy, supernatural powers, magic, come into powers, free ya fantasy romance, free dark fantasy romance, free clean ya fantasy, free contemporary fantasy, free ya contemporary fantasy, free teen fantasy, free teen fantasy romance, Free Royal, Raven Kennedy, Kelly St. Clare, Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti, C.N Crawford, Elise Kova, Robin D. Mahle, Elle Madison, D.K. Holmberg, Cordelia Castel, Kay L Moody, and Alisha Klapheke. Free to read and download
Under the curse of Orochi, the great demon serpent reborn every 300 years, Japan has been shrouded in clouds for as long as anyone can remember... The era of the samurai is at an end, and carrying swords has been outlawed. To combat the rising crime rates, an inescapable prison was built in the middle of Lake Biwa. When brothers Tenka, Soramaru and Chutaro Kumo are hired to capture and transport offenders to their final lodgings in this prison, they unexpectedly find themselves faced with a greater destiny than any of them could have imagined.
Seizing the opportunity to become a resident of the infamous Spinster House, Isabelle Catherine Hutting must first deal with her attraction to her prospective landlord, Marcus, Duke of Hart, who is plagued by a centuries-old curse.
One sleepless night, Ko slips out to walk the streets. Life after dark is a revelation! When flirtatious Nazuna invites Ko to spend the night at her place in an abandoned building, he’s stoked! But then he awakens to kisses on his neck with a little too much bite to them... Is it just the delicious taste of his blood that makes her meet him night after night for late-night adventures, conversation and...naps? Or something else? Then, when a cute girl from Ko’s past shows up and competes for his attention, his budding relationship with the undead is put to the test! -- VIZ Media
I was happier than any mere mortal has a right to be and I should have known better. The entire body of received mythology and every last Greek tragedy ever written have made one inescapable truth utterly clear: If you are supremely happy, the gods have it in for you. They don't like for mortals to be happy, and they will make you pay. In his extensive series featuring the detecting feats of Decius Caecilius Metellus the younger, set in the Rome of 70 BC, Roberts achieves a very believable modern feeling with his well-researched description of the stories' background. This seventh episode, however, combines a familiar view of the demands office-seeking makes on a candidate with a situation that is impossibly bizarre to us today. An entire city, versed in literature, music, and the other arts, ruled democratically, for its time, is thrown into panic by an enraged man's curse. The Consul Crassus, the wealthiest man in Rome, frustrated by the Senate's vote against his leading Rome in a war against Parthia, plans to march his private army to invade the country himself. Almost all of Rome turns out to watch him carry out his threat and lead his troops out of the city. But before he can, a t powerful tribune called Ateius leaps to the top of the city's gate and invokes all the gods to put a curse on Crassus and his army. Rome is terrified. Ateius has called down a forbidden curse -- the worst and most frightening blasphemy ever perpetrated. It seriously threatens the entire populace, and drastic steps to propitiate the gods must be taken immediately. Worse even, someone kills Ateius - perhaps in the vain hope that this will lighten the curse? It will not. After joining the other men of the city in a daylong cleansing ritual that left every able-bodied male citizen, Decius included, in a state of half-collapse, Decius learns that he has been chosen to uncover the person responsible for the murder. The culprit must be found in order to complete the cleansing, and there is no one better equipped to do that than Decius. Roberts skillfully blends the playboy and the serious sleuth in Decius just as he combines what we see as contradictions in the Rome of 80 BC. He spices his story with humor and suspense, with characters charming and wise and foolish and very much like we are today. And he presents readers with a look into another world that has them eagerly awaiting more.visits.
