Seven of our country’s most gifted teens will become Nobels, hosts for the implantation of brilliant Mentor minds, in an effort to accelerate human progress.
But as the line between what’s possible and what’s right draws ever blurrier, the teens discover everything has a cost.
Scientists have created an evolved form of living known as Merged Consciousness, and sixteen-year-old Lake finds herself unable to merge with her Mentor.
Lake, the Nobel for Chemistry and Orfyn, the Nobel for Art, are two from among the inaugural class of Nobels, and with the best intent and motivation. But when Stryker, the Nobel for Peace, makes them question the motivation of the scientists behind the program, their world begins to unravel.
As the Nobels work to uncover the dark secrets of the program’s origins, everyone's a suspect and no one can be trusted, not even the other Nobels.
As the Mentors begin to take over the bodies and minds of the Nobels, Lake and Orfyn must find a way to regain control before they lose all semblance or memory of their former selves.
Jim and Stephanie Kroepfl are a husband-and-wife team who write stories of mystery and adventure from their cabin in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. When they aren’t dodging moose, their story ideas appear during their walks with their dog, who far prefers chasing balls to plotting novels. Jim and Stephanie are world travelers who seek out crop circles, obscure historical sites and mysterious ruins.
Do you want to plan a Halloween party but you have no idea where to start?
Are you in the midst of planning a party but can't stay organized?
The Ultimate Halloween Party Planner is exactly what you need.
Filled with Halloween party tips and ideas, a party planning timeline and checklist, a budget sheet, a guest list chart, to do lists, monthly calendars, weekly to do lists, lined notebook pages, blank sketch pages, recipe pages, craft pages, costume planning pages, and more- this planner has everything you need to plan a Halloween party your guests will never forget.
Roxanne Rhoads is an author, book publicist, mixed media crafter, and lover of all things spooky.
Roxanne is the owner of Bewitching Book Tours, a virtual book tour and social media marketing company, she operates Fang-tastic Books, a book blog dedicated to paranormal and urban fantasy books, and she runs the blog, A Bewitching Guide to All Things Halloween, which is dedicated to everything Halloween related. Roxanne’s sells handcrafted jewelry, art and home decor through Bewitching Creations.
When not reading or writing, Roxanne loves to craft, plan Halloween adventures, and search for unique vintage finds.
Tagline: An alpha Viking dragon shifter and his fated mate face their demons in a scorching medieval romance about second chances.
Book Description:
Tormented by her past, Tess hits the open road, and never looks back until she’s forced through time to medieval Scandinavia. Caught in an unraveling prophecy, the only way she can defeat the enemy is to take a mate. But first, she must work through heart-wrenching memories. What she doesn't expect is navigating her rocky history alongside a man as broken as her. A Viking who offers not just solace but sparks untouchable desire.
Though determined to end his rival without becoming mated, Viking Rokar Sigdir begins thinking differently when Tess joins him on his quest and awakens feelings he thought long dormant. Yet with passion and a chance to start anew come dark flashbacks of losing his kin and the unimaginable pain it caused. A misery he fears repeating.
Will Rokar and Tess be able to let their pasts go and work together to end their nemesis so they can share a future? Or are some things just too hard to overcome? Find out as they journey through time and turbulent memories on a fast-paced, otherworldly adventure that becomes not just a conquest of their enemy but of their grief-stricken souls.
“How did you and
Helga meet, anyway?” Tess began walking again. “Or did you grow up together?”
He seemed
relieved to speak of lighter things as he joined her. “I met Helga when
visiting an allied tribe.” The corner of his mouth inched up. “She was dancing
the first time I saw her.”
How ironic. “Do
you like dancing then?”
“I did after I
met her.” His crooked grin grew a little. “I was very clumsy, but she didn’t
seem to mind.”
“Clumsy?” She
chuckled. “But you’re a dragon! We’re the epitome of grace.”
“In dragon
form,” he agreed. “But I was not so graceful in human form.”
She arched her
brows and eyed him. “So you dance well now?”
“I dance…less
poorly.”
She chuckled
again, detecting a bit of humor lurking beneath all his baggage. “So you saw
Helga dancing. Then what?”
“I waited until
she was done dancing then approached her.” His gaze went to the trees swaying
in the wind. “She continually tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, but the
wind kept blowing it across her face as she smiled at me for the first time.”
He absently rubbed his fingers together as though he remembered what her hair
felt like. “Eventually, I tucked it back for her.”
“Funny the
things we remember,” Tess murmured, rubbing her fingers together as well. “I
recall the feel of Axle’s leather jacket, the scent of cigar smoke clinging to
it. That was my first thought when we finally started chatting. He smoked
cigars, and I smoked cigarettes back then…bad combo…mostly cuz I hate the smell
of cigars.” She shook her head and spoke without thinking. “I should’ve known
then we were a match made in Hell.”
“I don’t smoke
anything,” he divulged, wonderfully frank. “But I enjoy drinking.”
“Me too,” she
echoed then relented. “Though I might’ve leaned on it a little too heavily
lately.” She shrugged a shoulder, not about to apologize. “Or not. Who knows.”
“We all cope
with things how we will.” He sounded unapologetic. “I have barely spoken to my
kin over the past two years and as you know, shut them out entirely
telepathically…until recently.”
“Right,” she said.
“Because of me?”
“So it seems,”
he conceded. “Yours was the first voice I’ve heard in my head in a long time.
Once that happened, it seemed natural to allow my kin back in.”
“Well, I’m glad
to hear that,” she said. “And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry I busted into your
mind without permission.” She met his eyes, guilty though she had no choice. “I
had no control over it.”
He nodded and
looked at her with hesitation, clearly wondering if he should say what he was
thinking.
“What is it,
Rokar?” she asked. When he started to shake his head, she urged him on. “You’re
the one who said we needed to start somewhere so don’t hold back.”
He hesitated
another moment before he relented. “I did not mind.”
“Didn’t mind
what?” she prompted when he didn’t go on.
Struggling, he
finally said, “You…”
She almost
grinned. Was he being bashful? “Me?”
“Yes, you,” he
stated bluntly.
She couldn’t
help another chuckle as she tried to draw him out. “Me, what, Rokar?”
“You.” He sighed
and looked at her like she should know what he was talking about. “I was glad
you entered my mind without permission.”
He went to say
more but snapped his mouth shut, evidently finished sharing. At least in this
regard.
“I’m glad too,”
she revealed and meant it. “I like the feel of you within my mind.”
The minute she
said it she regretted it mostly because it sounded like she was undermining
Helga and she hadn’t meant to do that.
“You do?”
His question
caught her off guard. “Of course.”
Had Helga
rattled his confidence that badly? While typically she’d find that unattractive
in a man, preferring a tough-as-nails sort, she knew deep down Rokar was plenty
tough. He was just wounded and vulnerable in a way she understood. So she
stopped and told him something a woman should have told him long before her.
She gave it to him straight.
In fact, her
dragon gave it to him even straighter.
“You sound
amazing in a woman’s mind, Rokar,” she said. “Your inner voice is
wanna-spread-my-thighs-for-you sexy, and your essence is wrap-around-the soul
warm fuzzies, all ‘the feels,’ protective. Not to mention—”
That’s all she
got out before he proved he did, in fact, possess a good deal of confidence.
He yanked her
close and kissed her hard.
About the Author:
Sky Purington is the bestselling author of over forty novels and novellas. A New Englander born and bred who recently moved to Virginia, Purington married her hero, has an amazing son who inspires her daily and two ultra-lovable shepherd husky mixes. Passionate for variety, Sky's vivid imagination spans several romance genres including historical, time travel, paranormal, and fantasy. Expect steamy stories teeming with protective alpha heroes and strong-minded heroines.
Purington loves to hear from readers and can be contacted at Sky@SkyPurington. Interested in keeping up with Sky’s latest news and releases? Either visit Sky’s website, www.SkyPurington.com, subscribe to her quarterly newsletter or sign up for personalized text message alerts. Simply text 'skypurington' (no quotes, one word, all lowercase) to 74121 or visit Sky’s Sign-up Page. Texts will ONLY be sent when there is a new book release. Readers can easily opt out at any time.
Love social networking? Find Sky on Facebook and Twitter.
Imperium Academy Book One Rebecca Bosevski Genre: YA Superhero Fiction
Publisher: Silver Crown Books
Date of Publication:July 2nd 2019
ASIN: B07QJV6KZQ
Number of pages: 205
Word Count: 75170
Cover Artist: Story Styling Cover Designs
Tagline: Superheroes aren’t born, they’re molded by government academies.
Book Description:
A genetic leap gave her powers, but before she can take up the cape, Ellen will have to brave Imperium Academy.
Ellen doesn't remember much about her parents, they died when she was four. Raised by her aunt she's envied for years the homo-magis children called on to be tested and subsequently enrolled in one of the five academy’s for heroes.
Ellen isn't a homo-magis.
Or so she thought.
Her parents were two of the first Superheroes, their lives sacrificed to stop Novaside and save their only child.
Ecstatic, yet a little nervous to finally be a part of the world she'd dreamed of, Ellen is off to Imperium Academy.
But her classing doesn't go as expected.
Instead of joining the ranks of the illustrious Star Heroes, Ellen is regulated to the role of Sidekick, after all, night vision is barely a superpower.
Many have begun to question the need for Sidekicks, some teachers even suggesting they would be better suited to other employment.
But with Novaside getting bolder, and her latest attack hitting too close to home, Ellen is determined to stay at the academy and prove them wrong.
After all, where better to learn to be a hero than a school full of supers?
Her classroom
had seating for thirty-four students but a third of them sat empty now. It was
an inevitable outcome. Of course they would leave—she would have. Had she had
that option. Had she been born a magis instead of a regular plain old sapien.
Ellen propped
her head on her hand, staring at the orange and red leaf flicking at the window
pane as she tried to recall their names. The names of the ones now living the
life she dreamed of.
When she started
middle school, she made a point not to befriend the magis children. They would
all be gone soon enough, once they received their green and gold technote
inviting them to be tested.
And though she
knew her invitation would never come, it did nothing to stay the dreams—each
night she saw herself presenting to a Safe Haven Clinic to have her gene blocker
reversed, freeing her enhancements from their suppression.
And each night a
different gift emerged. Flight, strength, speed. Each gift, each power, as
incredible as the last. Ellen dreamed of using her awakened enhancements to
defeat the rebels in the streets of New State, New York, until her aunt would
break through her illusions with a call for breakfast, sending the scent of
bacon to awaken her mind.
For three years
she watched the magis children while they prepared for what was to come, a
future in the spotlight of the world. A future protecting the ones like her,
the normals. The weak. The homo-sapiens. Even the class fives, the ones who
would become sidekicks, didn’t come back.
Now, on her
fourteenth birthday, Ellen found herself in her first week of high school,
staring mindlessly at the empty chairs they would have occupied while her
teacher regaled what was left of her students with a tale of heroes lost.
A rumble
vibrated through the classroom floor, pulling Ellen from her daze. Her
teacher’s monotonous voice was interrupted by the shrill siren of the city’s
emergency system. Ellen’s heart raced as she pushed aside the notebook covering
her desk’s inbuilt screen, just as the first image appeared.
Red bolded font
scrolled beneath the alternating pictures and videos of the aftermath of
another attack. The rebels had leveled a Safe Haven Clinic, the feed showed a
dust cloud billowing through the streets filled with people stumbling from the
darkness, hugging their bloodied arms against their chests as if that would
keep them safe.
SEVENTEEN
HOMO-SAPIENS CONFIRMED DEAD IN ANOTHER REBEL ATTACK … HOMO-MAGIS SILVERLIGHT
FREES CHILD FROM DEBRIS … “THESE BRUTAL ATTACKS ON THE HELPLESS MUST BE
STOPPED,” COMMANDER CUMMINGS SAYS DURING PRESS CONFERENCE …
About the Author:
REBECCA BOSEVSKI is a speculative fiction author living on the east coast of Australia. Now that the Enchanting the Fey series is complete, Rebecca has plans to rapid release her Imperium Academy six book series over the next 18 months - that is if she can stop binge watching every Neflix movie made staring Noah Centineo.
James Stonewoll is an Elite Assassin for the Under Realm Syndicate—an expert hunter and merciless killer. As a former pirate, he thrives on danger, the more perilous the mission, the better and he can't resist his newest contract: eliminate a rebel shape-shifting magic thief that stalks the border of the Under Realm kidnapping and murdering innocent Others. But never did the centuries old vampire anticipate playing hero to a mythical temptress with luscious curves, tantalizing lips, and hypnotic eyes.
Captured and held prisoner, Katya Moro was trapped in a seemingly endless loop of unimaginable agony as her magic was slowly being torn from her soul. A gasp away from death, she is rescued by a sinful kiss and awakens in the strong arms of a powerful warrior whose roguish smile, sharp fangs, and intense strength unlock dormant instincts within her, an all-consuming madness that demands complete surrender.
Gazing down at her, James knew he had to kill her. Dark Magic Wielders, like the beautiful female he’d found, were a grave threat to human society and were not permitted to roam the mortal world. But Katya’s smoky voice and sweet kisses stir a fierce hunger inside him. She is unpredictable, uncontrollable and wickedly seductive—his perfect kind of dangerous. To keep her safe, James will protect her from the magic thieves that hunt her and his fellow assassins until he can find a way to return Katya to her home in the Under Realm.
Can Katya’s passion conquer the darkness within his soul?
He was too
strong, too tantalizing. Forbidden. She could find another source. One not so
threatening, tame. Surely, he could take her to a city where she could steal
bits of energy from others. Happiness, laughter, contentment, love, she could
leech off any positive aura. She’d survived doing just that within her tribe.
None dared to touch her, or directly interact with her unless they required her
healing gifts, so she’d been left to feed off scraps of emotion and energy.
She flattened
her palms against his chest and tried in vain to push him away. Her cheeks
heated in embarrassment, she was pathetically weak. “I—”
“Need me.” His
rich voice was roughened with passion.
Katya trembled
with yearning. Oh, yes, she needed. But would he demand she surrender? Could
she? He was a vampire, an immortal immune to magic, invincible. Perhaps with
him, she could let go. She could find pleasure. She could be herself,
completely, like never before. He wasn’t like anyone else. He could withstand
her darkness. He could match her cravings.
As if reading
her thoughts, his hard bronze gaze swirled with challenge, hunger, and
untamable lust. “Kiss me as if you want to live.”
“I do.” Her
claws sharpened, the tips sliced his shirt and pricked his flesh. “I will.”
She claimed his
mouth possessively, her tongue twining his until he groaned for more and took
it. His hand clamped on the back of her nape, his grip tightened, holding her
still as he slanted his head and deepened the kiss.
Long forgotten
sensation rocked her. This powerful male was the embodiment of temptation and
danger—irresistibly addictive.
He shifted as if
to move away and dread lanced her. A harsh growl escaped her lips. Did he
intend to end the kiss? No! She needed this. Needed him.
Katya wound her
arms around his waist. Holding him captive, she arched against him, pressing
her breasts to his solid chest, the contact delicious, perfect—right.
His mental
shields lowered even more and lust battered her senses. Katya unleashed her
magic and pleasure slammed into her. His. Hers. She didn’t know where one ended
and the other began. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. His origins and her
past of no consequence.
The first draw
of his power hit her like a cannon, devastating her weakened body, leaving her
a trembling mess of tingles and shivers. Good Lady, she’d never known anything
like this. Never tasted so much strength. Her body hummed, her blood sizzled,
her magic burned and her soul soared. On and on, intense vitality coursed
through her, consuming, dizzying. She never wanted this connection to end.
Brazenly,
seeking, demanding more of his desire, she stroked her tongue across one of his
fangs. He stilled. Was he waiting for her to do it again? Did he want her to
draw blood? The idea made her head spin.
Katya caressed
his other fang. He groaned into her mouth and his large frame shook—from
pleasure or restraint?
About the Author:
Amanda J. Greene is the author of the captivating Rulers of Darkness and the enticing Under Realm Assassins series. Fans of Nalini Singh’s, Gena Showalter, and J.R. Ward will fall in love with Ms. Greene’s dangerously sexy heroes and strong, kick your teeth in heroines.
She lives in Southern California with her supportive military husband and their two fur babies—a sweet cocker spaniel and a rambunctious black mouth cur mix. Between working full time in higher education and family life, she finds time to write and create detailed worlds with exciting characters for her ravenous readers.
"Amanda's vampires are seriously sexy and I can't get enough!" - Kristina's Books & More
“Fans of Nalini Singh’s Psy/Changeling series, Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld, and J.R. Wards’ BD are in for a treat…” – That’s What I’m Talking About
Tagline:Douglas needed a miracle. What he got was a
genie...
Book Description:
Veterinarian Douglas McCandliss
considered himself an ordinary kinda guy with an ordinary kinda life. He had no
idea why he'd bought the old silver teapot, and when a young woman appeared
before him claiming to be a genie, he almost wished he hadn't. If only she
wasn't so damned cute.
Ebullient and cheerful, Jacinth
loved granting wishes and helping people. So she was thrilled when her teapot's
new owner, a single father with custody of two young children, asked her to
stay until he could find a nanny. The problem was, the longer she stayed, the
more she was attracted to Douglas, and she was certainly not willing to turn
over care of Ben and little Molly to just anybody. But she was a 900 year old
genie, and had no intention of falling in love with a mortal man. None
whatsoever.
It wasn’t going
to be all that easy, after all, he thought as he looked at Benny’s scared,
apprehensive face a few hours later.
“Benny.” He
squatted down to the boy’s level, holding his gaze reassuringly. “It’s very
safe. Planes don’t usually crash, or fly into buildings, I promise. Those were
accidents.”
“Mom said they
did,” Benny told him, fear in his voice. “She was always watching plane crashes
on the news. She watched them over and over.”
Was that how
Lilian had planned to keep him from taking the kids if he found them? Douglas
had to wonder. Certainly, she’d always had a taste for the morbid and the
sensational, but to deliberately implant a fear of flying in a young child when
she had taken the children the width of the continent away from him, was going
too far. Molly looked scared too, even abandoning Jacinth to cling to her brother’s
hand. Tears welled up in those bottomless blue eyes, and her lower lip trembled
ominously. If he was going to put these two on the plane, it was going to have
to be by brute force.
Exchanging a
glance with Jacinth, he saw his opinion mirrored in her face. They had two
choices. They could find another mode of travel to New York, or carry two
screaming, terrified children onto the airplane. Douglas had never considered
himself lacking in courage, but his nerves quailed at the graphic image that
conjured up.
“Okay, okay,
don’t panic,” he told them. “Give me a couple of minutes here and I’ll think of
something.”
He moved a few
feet away from the car where they all stood, still in the parking lot at the
zoo. Jacinth followed, and he lowered his voice to consult with her.
“What am I
supposed to do? Dammit, we’re three thousand miles from home! Did Lilian do
this on purpose?”
Jacinth gnawed
on her lower lip, feeling her brows pull together as she pondered.
“Probably,” she
agreed. “I think you’re going to have to rent the car all the way to New York,
Douglas.”
His grimace was
rueful. “That distressing possibility occurred to me. At least that would be
better than taking the bus or the train, which are our only other options. Four
days in a car with two young children, though, is my idea of a nightmare.
They’re so little, and it’s been so long since we’ve been together, we’re
complete strangers to each other. This is definitely not how I’d choose to get
to know each other again.”
Jacinth twinkled
at him. “You have a nanny,” she reminded him. “And once you’re home, you have
your job to go to. This might turn out for the best for both you and the
children. By the time we get to New York you’ll have established a rapport with
them.
Enthusiasm fired
in her, and she felt a burst of excitement. “It’ll be fun, Douglas. We can play
car games, and I can read them stories, and we’ll buy some of those children’s
sing-along CD’s. We can eat at truck stops and roadside diners along the way,
then stop at motels in the afternoon. The children can nap, then we can go to
dinner, and maybe swim in the motel pool in the evening. We can buy postcards
and a camera and take lots of pictures.”
She watched
Douglas hopefully as he thought this over. Driving across America wasn't
something she'd ever have thought of doing, or even wanting to do, but now she
was seized with a great longing. Perhaps it was because of the presence of
Douglas and the children, having someone to share this great new adventure
with.
“It doesn’t
sound like such a bad idea, when you put it that way,” Douglas admitted. “Maybe
this could work after all.”
Hope sprang up
in her breast as another thought occurred to her. “If we’re not going to fly
out from here tonight, could we stay one more day and go to Disneyland
tomorrow?”
Douglas broke
into laughter. “Okay, yes, we’ll go to Disneyland.”
Hearing him,
Benny let out a whoop of excitement, and Molly’s eyes shone like stars. Douglas
held up a hand for silence.
“But we’re not
staying late,” he warned them. “I’m not fighting this kind of traffic on a
Monday morning. We’ll leave Disneyland before it gets dark so we'll be well out
of the city before we find a motel for the night. No arguments when I say it's
time to leave. Agreed?”
He noted with
amusement that Jacinth joined in with Benny in assuring him that was fine,
while Molly nodded her head vigorously, the curly blond bangs flopping in her
eyes. She was so adorable, he wanted to scoop her in his arms and hold her
tight. His chest constricted, and his eyes stung a little as he looked at his
kids. He loved them both so much.
“I owe you,” he
told Jacinth, his voice hoarse with the emotion he couldn’t suppress. “I owe
you a lot. There’s nothing in the world that means as much as my kids.”
About
the Author:
A former career medical
transcriptionist and disabled Veteran, Allie McCormack is now writing from home
full-time. Allie has traveled quite a bit and lived many places all over the
U.S., and also a year in Cairo, Egypt as an exchange student, and a year in
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia under contract to a hospital there, plus a short stint
with NATO while she was in the Army. As a single mom, she raised a wonderful
daughter who's recently married and there are plans afoot for grandchildren.
Allie now lives in the beautiful Sorona Desert in southern Arizona with her two
rescue cats and writes full-time.
Allie says: "A writer is who
and what I am... a romance writer. I write what I know, and what I know is
romance. Dozens of story lines and literally hundreds of characters live and
breathe within the not-so-narrow confines of my imagination, and it is my joy
and privilege to bring them to life, to share them with others by writing their
stories."
