American detective Sam Holt has a knack for finding people who shouldn't be found. When his last case almost killed an innocent woman, he swore off detective work forever. But when this same woman asks him for one last investigation--to find her husband's long lost mother--Sam cannot refuse. Clairvoyant Irish artist Glenna McClure will do anything to stop Sam, even if it means teaming up with a powerful sorceress who she knows she cannot trust. But when the petals of a mysterious night-blooming rose begin to turn black, Glenna realizes that an even darker force is at work. To protect the people she loves, Glenna will have to face a terrible curse that has haunted her all her life before the final petal fades to ash.
"American doctor Tara Moore wants to disappear. On the run from an abusive husband, she seeks shelter on a windswept Irish island and dismisses the villagers' speculation that she is descended from a selkie-a magical creature who is bewitching the island. But when a ghostly woman appears to her with a warning, Tara realizes it was more than chance that brought her to this island. Desperate to escape a dark and dangerous past, she struggles against a passionate attraction to handsome islander, Dominic O'Sullivan. But the enchantment of the island soon overpowers her and she falls helpless under its spell. Caught between magic and reality, Tara must find a way to wield both when a dangerous stranger from her past arrives, threatening to destroy the lives of everyone on the island."--page [4] of cover.
Irish islander Caitlin Conner has been in love with professor of Irish folklore Liam O'Sullivan for as long as she can remember. But just when he is starting to look at her as more than a friend, a mysterious woman arrives on Seal Island and captures his heart. As Caitlin discovers the truth behind the woman's lies, she realizes Liam is trapped in a dangerous enchantment and the only way to break the spell is to uncover a secret Irish fairy tale that has remained hidden for hundreds of years. But when the petals of a white rose grown in winter start to fall, the legend is set in motion, and Caitlin must find a way to change the ending before the last petal falls.
Cythera, a sea pixie, needs help in saving her kinds' island home from sinking and letting loose a horrible beast that would terrorize the seas of the Crystal Realm. This story takes place right after "The Apprentice, The Swordsman, and The Impossible Mission", and Falina the Sorceress and her friends - Adriel the Druid and Kilian the Timewalker - set out on another great adventure that takes them from the hidden nooks of their world and across the unknown seas; encountering the forgotten past; sea monsters; pirates; mermaids; mysterious spirits; and much more!
The bonds of love... The bonds of matrimony... The bonds between husband and wife... Let's face it-some bonds are made to be broken. Here, for the first time ever, are four stories from today's most provocative authors that take the classic idea of the "faerie tale wedding" and give it a swift kick in the bustle.
The New York Times bestselling series! “Maximum suspense, unusual magic—a whole new, thrilling approach to fantasy!” —Tamora Pierce, #1 New York Times bestselling author Powerful magic. A deadly legacy. A world at the edge of war. Prepare to be spellbound by fantasy series, The Black Witch Chronicles. Elloren Gardner is the spitting image of her grandmother, who drove back the enemy forces in the last Realm War. But while her people believe she will follow in her grandmother's footsteps and become the next Black Witch of prophecy, Elloren is devoid of power in a society that prizes magical ability above all else. When she is granted the opportunity to pursue her dream of becoming an apothecary, Elloren joins her brothers at Verpax University. But she soon realizes that the university may be the most treacherous place of all for the granddaughter of the Black Witch. As evil looms and the pressure to live up to her heritage builds, Elloren's best hope of survival may be among a secret band of rebels…if only she can find the courage to trust those she’s been taught to fear. Critics are raving about Laurie Forest’s incredible debut, The Black Witch: “Forest uses a richly imagined magical world to offer an uncompromising condemnation of prejudice and injustice.” —Booklist, starred review “A noteworthy debut.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review “Briskly paced, tightly plotted.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review Books in The Black Witch Chronicles: The Black Witch The Iron Flower The Shadow Wand The Demon Tide The Dryad Storm Wandfasted (ebook novella)* Light Mage (ebook novella)* * Also available in print in The Rebel Mages anthology
Journey to the magical world of Erthia in this exciting collection of stories from The Black Witch Chronicles by critically acclaimed author Laurie Forest. THE BLACK WITCH Though Elloren Gardner is the spitting image of her famous grandmother, the last prophesied Black Witch, she is utterly devoid of power in a society that prizes magical ability above all else. But as evil looms on the horizon and the pressure to live up to her heritage builds, Elloren’s best hope of survival may be among the most unlikely band of misfits…if only she can find the courage to trust those she’s been taught to hate and fear. WANDFASTED Twenty years before The Black Witch, Erthia was rent asunder during the devastating Realm War. When Tessla Harrow is driven from her home by the fighting, she discovers a depth of power she never knew she had…and an irresistible draw toward Vale Gardner, the son of the Black Witch who is destined to save their people. LIGHT MAGE Before Elloren Gardner came to possess the White Wand of myth, the Wand was drawn to another bearer: Sagellyn Gaffney, the first female Light Mage born in decades. When Sage discovers that the fastmate her parents chose for her is not the charming young man he appears to be, she is forced to abandon everything she once knew and forge a new path for herself…and find a way to protect the Wand from the dark forces hunting for it. Titles originally published in 2017 and 2018.
Get lost in the world of four different epic tales full of rebels, witches, and queens by Laurie Forest, Sasha Alsberg, Lindsay Cummings, Amanda Foody, and Kaitlyn Sage Patterson! THE BLACK WITCH Carnissa Gardner, the last prophesied Black Witch, drove back the enemy forces and saved her people during the Realm War. Now a new evil is on the horizon, and her granddaughter, Elloren, is believed to be Carnissa’s heir—but while she is the absolute image of her famous grandmother, Elloren is utterly devoid of power in a society that prizes magical ability above nearly all else. When she is granted the opportunity to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an apothecary, Elloren is eager to join her brothers at the prestigious Verpax University and finally embrace a destiny of her own, free from the shadow of her grandmother’s legacy. But she soon realizes that the university is an even more treacherous place for the granddaughter of the Black Witch. ZENITH Known across the galaxy as the Bloody Baroness, Captain Androma Racella and her motley crew of space-bound privateers roam the Mirabel galaxy on the glass starship Marauder, taking what mercenary work they can find to stay alive. When a routine job goes awry, the Marauder’s crew find themselves placed at the mercy of a dangerous bounty hunter from Andi’s past. Coerced into a life-threatening mission, and straight into the path of a shadowy ruler bent on revenge, Andi and her crew will either restore order to the ship—or start a war that will devour worlds. ACE OF SHADES Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit the City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted. Frightened and alone, Enne has only one lead: the name Levi Glaisyer. Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless Mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi’s enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne will need to surrender herself to the city. THE DIMINISHED In the Alskad Empire, nearly all are born with a twin, two halves to form one whole. A rare few are singleborn in each generation, and therefore given the right to rule by the gods and goddesses. Bo Trousillion is one of these few, born into the royal line and destined to rule. But when one twin dies, the other usually follows, unable to face the world without their other half. Those who survive are considered diminished, doomed to succumb to the violent grief that inevitably destroys everyone whose twin has died. Such is the fate of Vi Abernathy, whose twin sister died in infancy. Bo and Vi face very different futures—one a life of luxury as the heir to the throne, the other years of backbreaking work as a temple servant. But a long-held secret and the fate of the empire are destined to bring them together in a way they never could have imagined. Titles originally published in 2017, and 2018.
The young poet Ashley Dioses has already established herself as a leading voice in contemporary weird poetry. Known for her meticulous use of rhyme and meter, her deft melding of the strange and the erotic, and her novel treatments of such age-old themes as the vampire, the witch, and the ghoul, Dioses now gathers the best of her recent poetry into her first collection--a scintillating assemblage of nearly 100 poems short and long, published and unpublished. With this single volume, Ashley Dioses takes her place as a worthy successor to the long line of California Romantics, beginning with Ambrose Bierce, Clark Ashton Smith, and Nora May French, and carrying on with Donald Sidney-Fryer and K. A. Opperman (The Crimson Tome), with whom she has worked closely. Ashley Dioses is a poet from Southern California whose work has appeared widely in print and online venues, including Spectral Realms, Weirdbook, Weird Fiction Review, and HWA Poetry Showcase.
