Short Stories

Guy de Maupassant is widely regarded as the father of the modern short story. As his 13 volumes of short stories attest, he was a prolific writer of this form. He had a simple, efficient style of writing and, like Anton Chekhov, found inspiration for his stories in the day-to-day lives of characters, in which their hidden natures are often revealed. Many of his works also centered on the Franco-Prussian War, in which he served.

Two estranged sisters, Lillian and Adelia, struggle to come to terms after the mother they've believed to be dead for the past 15 years actually passes away. Confused and in shock, they travel together to the isolated village of their childhood to claim the farm that was passed on to them. There’s comfort in returning to this place of their birth, where a simpler, rustic life feels possible - but the sisters quickly realize that something is very wrong with the village and that their mother was hiding more than they could have ever imagined.

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.

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.

From Brad Thor, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Code of Conduct, comes a lightning-paced short story, pitting Scot Harvath against a threat unlike any he’s faced before… A deadly betrayal is at the center of The Athens Solution. When a game-changing weapon falls into the wrong...

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.

Claire Keegan continues her outstanding work with this new collection of quietly wrenching stories of despair and desire in modern-day Ireland. A writer awarded a stay to work in Heinrich Böll's old cottage has her peace interrupted by an unwelcome intruder whose ulterior motives emerge as the night progresses. A priest waits at the altar to perform a marriage—and battles his memories of a love affair that led him to question all to which he has dedicated his life. And a man seeks solace at the bottom of a bottle as he mourns both his empty life and his lost love.

Short Stories in English for Beginners has been written especially for students from beginner to intermediate level, designed to give a sense of achievement, a feeling of progress and most importantly - enjoyment! Mapped to A2-B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference, these eight captivating stories are designed to give you a sense of achievement and a feeling of progress when listening. From science fiction to fantasy, to crime and thrillers, Short Stories in English for Beginners will make learning English easy and enjoyable.

You may have found the best teacher in town or the most incredible learning app around, but if you don’t put all of that knowledge to practice, you’ll soon forget everything you’ve obtained. This is why being engaged with interesting learning material can be so essential for somebody wishing to learn a new language. Therefore, in this book we have compiled 20 easy-to-follow, compelling, and fun stories that will allow you to expand your vocabulary and give you the tools to improve your grasp of the wonderful Japanese language.

Looking for something quick, dirty, and deliciously explicit? If your nights crave heat, tension, and wickedly forbidden fantasies, this collection was made for you. Sexy Short Stories by Tessa Quinn delivers 25 raw, unfiltered tales crafted to get under your skin and between your legs. From secret encounters and taboo lust to dominant hands and trembling bodies—each story is a fast, filthy fix of erotic escape. Steamy quick listens for busy women who want the good parts fast Perfect for bedtime…

Picture yourself gliding down a Venice canal on a gondola, chatting effortlessly with the gondolier about hidden spots...or haggling for leather bags in Milan like a local, no English crutch needed. Laughter flows, connections spark, and you finally FEEL the magic of Italy–not just visit it. This 12+ hour audiobook is the effortless shortcut English speakers rave about to unlock real Italian–faster than any app or class.

A seventeen-year-old boy, bullied and heartbroken, hangs himself. And although he felt terribly alone, his suicide changes everyone around him. His parents are devastated.

Before he was the feared black ops government assassin Orphan X, operating in the shadows and spoken about in whispers, Evan Smoak was a teenager, undergoing the most rigorous of training. At 17, Evan is sent off by his handler, ex-CIA station agent Jack Johns, to take the most intense U.S. military training course. But that is only part of the challenge before him—Evan has to get there and back, safely and quietly, maintaining operational security.

One Good Story, That One is a collection steeped in native oral tradition and shot through with Thomas King's special brand of wit and comic imagination. These highly acclaimed stories conjure up Native and Judeo-Christian myths, present-day pop culture, and literature while mixing in just the right amount of perception and experience.

Most French courses are boring as hell. Robotic voices. Endless grammar drills. Zero personality. No wonder you quit after a week. Your brain learns faster when you're actually enjoying yourself. When learning feels good, it sticks better than when you're forcing yourself through mind-numbing lessons that make you want to throw your headphones across the room. This 10-in-1 collection flips everything on its head. Instead of dry, sterile lessons that put you to sleep, you get engaging stories and real conversations paired with chill study music that actually makes you want to keep going.

Jesus was a skilled storyteller and perceptive teacher who used parables from everyday life to effectively convey his message and meaning. Life in first-century Palestine was very different from our world today, and many traditional interpretations of Jesus' stories ignore this disparity and have often allowed anti-Semitism and misogyny to color their perspectives. In this wise, entertaining, and educational book, Amy-Jill Levine offers a fresh, timely reinterpretation of Jesus' narratives.

Now available in print for the first time with author's notes on each story, this short fiction addition to the Hugo Award-winning Expanse series includes a brand-new novella set after the events of Leviathan Falls. On Mars, a scientist experiments with a new engine that will one day become the...

From science fiction to fantasy, to crime and thrillers, Short Stories in French for Intermediate Learners uses listening as the perfect tool to not only delight in learning French, but to accelerate your journey towards fluency.

Anne is barely keeping it together. A frazzled ghostwriter and aspiring novelist, she juggles nine-year-old twins and a listless marriage from an overcrowded Manhattan apartment, spreading herself thinner each day. Just as Anne is about to give up on her dreams, she lands her biggest client yet: Melody Wells. Melody paints a picture of serenity and empowerment in the lavender haze of her visualization workshops—however, the one thing she can’t manifest are the pages her publisher is demanding for her new motivational book. Enter Anne.

Featuring a diverse range of characters, sexualities and scenarios, these steamy stories revel in erotic adventure, from the sparks between strangers to the knowing caresses of longtime lovers. Gangbangs, threesomes, lesbian sex, domination fantasies, seduction, femdom and much more. Lucy James has gathered the hottest sexy stories for women, full of love, passion and lust. Many different stories will take your mind on an erotic journey and arouse your deepest desires. Your body and mind will tingle with delight and your toes will curl as you find that you lose yourself in every story.