Short Stories

My family has run Sugarville’s one and only B&B for years. Sure, it's a little rundown and the gardens are overgrown, but it’s still got what I like to call rustic charm. If things go my way, it’ll become a cozy shelter for Hellhounds, Alicorns, Kobolds, and more! Yup – I’ve just become the manager of a government-run home for monster girls. Not only will I need to patch the roof, fix the barn, and master my burgeoning magic, but I’ll also need to help our guests adapt to living on Earth! However, unscrupulous forces are prowling about, trying to exploit monster girls for their arcane power.

Leave your preconceived notions at home as you embark on a mind-bending journey with six of today’s most visionary authors. Brimming with humor and heartache, this collection of short stories maps the roads we took to get here and the paths that lie ahead. The present may be a gift, but the future and the past both come with a price.

After years of waiting, wolf shifter Luc Breaux finally claimed his Blue Moon bride. He expected happily-ever-after — not an ultimatum. Gianna Lynn gave him seven nights to convince her to accept him as her Alpha and mate. Seven nights in which he taught her the joys of surrender...before she promised his rival an equal shot at claiming her.

From the award-winning author of Chemistry comes a sharp and poignant short story that follows a young medical student working in clinical research and grappling with the realities of a future in her chosen field.

For the five rock gods of Sole Regret, finding love is easy, keeping it is hard. This anthology contains the first three novellas in the One Night with Sole Regret series. In Try Me, Sole Regret's crafty drummer, Gabe "Force" Banner, seduces a straight-laced accountant before she realizes she's talking to a rock star.

These stories tell tales of witches, dragons, princesses, angels, wolf shifters and more. Some stories feature sweet romance, while others are more passionate in nature. These stories are exclusive to this collection and cannot be found anywhere else. Featuring emotional romance, shocking romance and captivating storytelling, this collection is a short listen that can be enjoyed in an afternoon or less, perfect for breaking out of a listening slump.

You’d think I was already there, but when three alphas pulled me from a brothel, they sealed my fate in hell. Fighting for re-entry into the elite Echelon secret society, they need a noble omega to survive the Trial’s five deadly tests. Instead, they get me. I’ve never manifested and–as far as they know–don’t have a drop of noble blood. As we're trapped together in the clutches of the dark and dangerous Echeloln, my very presence is an insult. One they never hesitate to remind me of. Even when I manifest as the omega they need, their hatred only grows stronger. But so does mine.

In March 1987, Mercedes Lackey, a young author from Oklahoma, published her first novel, Arrows of the Queen. No one could have envisioned that this modest book about a magical land called Valdemar would be the beginning of a fantasy masterwork series that would span decades and include more than two dozen titles.

In the bizarre world of Franz Kafka, salesmen turn into giant bugs, apes give lectures at college academies, and nightmares probe the mysteries of modern humanity’s unhappiness. More than any other modern writer in world literature, Kafka captures the loneliness and misery that fill the lives of 20th-century humanity.

Like many well-to-do Upper East Siders over the age of 65, esteemed art appraiser Percival Skinner had planned to spend his retirement living off his savings. But a market correction has left him living below his prior means. One day he’s visited by a dapper fixer in search of a famous work by a Renaissance master. Skinner knows the work well: The original was owned by his ancestor, and was passed down through his family over the generations. If, as an intermediary, he can coordinate a sale, a small fortune awaits. Problem is, he might not be the only one on the make.

Celebrate the season of miracles with this collection of short stories about the lives of ordinary people and the lessons they learn during an extraordinary time of year. You’ll meet a young boy who reevaluates his perceptions after he’s forced to spend Christmas with his stern grandfather, an attorney who seemingly has everything but really has very little; a burned-out homecoming queen who grows weary of her own excuses for failure; and many other memorable characters.

This drive through the dark streets of the Motor City “is one of the best in Akashic Books’ noir series. You cannot go wrong with this anthology.”—Reviewing the Evidence From cri….

In this festive anthology, you’ll find 12 original short stories to start getting your kids excited for Christmas morning. Some stories are fun, and some are silly, but all will bring the magic of Christmas into your child’s life.

Avec la parution de la trilogie de La Bête, David Goudreault a ébranlé le paysage littéraire québécois. Repoussant les limites de l'humour grinçant, il a offert un regard à la fois dur et tendre sur les oubliés de la résilience, grâce à un protagoniste qui, en dépit de sa violence, est touchant de naïveté.

AN HBO ORIGINAL SERIES, COMING JANUARY 2026 Taking place nearly a century before the events of A Game of Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms compiles the three official prequel novellas to George R. R. Martin's ongoing masterwork, A Song of Ice and Fire. NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NAMED...

In this short tale for fans of Cinderella and Bridgerton, Pearl’s ball gown may carry the whiff of mothballs, but her dance card for the duke’s ball is full…until she loses a shoe. In her enthusiasm, Pearl’s foot slides out of her too-big damask slipper in the middle of a dance and gets kicked around the ballroom to the amusement of the sophisticated guests. What is a spirited but clumsy heroine to do? Can her composure and good humor save her social dignity?

A ghost decides to help the shy young woman living in her former house. Kyra dreams of becoming an artist, and she flourishes under the guidance of her ghostly mentor. This short, supernatural tale will appeal to fans of friendly ghost stories and family reconciliation.

Layla strives and sacrifices to keep a potted plant alive in a gray, post-climate-change dystopia. For fans of Nina LaCour, this short tale asks: can hope bloom from a single seed?

When a loose dog narrowly avoids getting hit by a car on busy city streets, two drivers pull over and coordinate its quick rescue. What has all the appearance of a kismet connection between heroic dog lovers turns out to be a meet-cute "tail" of a different breed.

A 300-year-old tree has plenty to do: repairing the damage to her bark from people who have carved their initials, drinking from her roots, and, lately, tolerating two lonely bookworms who visit separately. Playing matchmaker might solve everyone’s problems. Rebecca Sky is an award-winning writer best known for the Love Curse series with more than 20 million reads online; most recently her work can be found in the Every Body Shines body-positivity anthology with Bloomsbury.