Showing titles in Literature & Fiction

Take a man and strip him of his ability to feel compassion, empathy, remorse, or any of the emotions that make him human, but leave the ones that ignite rage and aggression and you have the perfect killing machine - now imagine two of them. Code names Ex and Meridian are synonymous for "guaranteed death" to international terrorists. Two broken men from the same crooked streets, recruited into an unsanctioned government program that few know about. Trained to operate most efficiently - lethally - together.

There's nothing like being blackmailed by a dead man to really bring a group of cons together. And what a group we are: a hacker, a thief, a con artist, a thug, and a Federal agent with an ax to grind. The deal is simple: We do the jobs, and Charlie's lawyer wipes the slate clean for each of us, one at a time. Since job number one calls for some muscle, it looks like I'm up first.

An explorer at heart, former university professor Phillip Singleton's adventures have only taken place in his imagination - until recently. Exploring the Cornish coast to research a travel book, he encounters a living example of a pirate archetype. Dark-haired, black-bearded Carne Treleaven might have been hewn from the very rock his name describes, and Phillip is eager to discover more. As personalities clash, secrets unfold, and riches are revealed, the two polar opposites find the point where their similarities lay.

What is that supposed to mean? Those are the words Lucas Daniels hears before stumbling through the brass doors of the elegant Club Dyavol, a club that seems to appear out of nowhere. The club is his last hope of getting a job to escape his predatory stepfather’s home. Who would dare enter a vampire’s sanctuary uninvited? Count Konstantin “The Wolf” Volk may be weakened by a curse, but he is still a primal predator. And when he sees a young man venture into his club, bypassing all of his magical and physical protections, more than just his curiosity is aroused.

Frank O'Hara was a pioneering modern American poet and playwright - an art critic, a musician, and a curator at the Museum of Modern Art - who defined New York City in its post-WWII heyday. For many these poems defined the city's midcentury zeitgeist.

Beautiful and brutally honest, Mary Lambert's poetry is a beacon to anyone who's ever been knocked down - and picked themselves up again. In verse that deals with sexual assault, mental illness, and body acceptance, Ms. Lambert emerges as an important new voice in poetry, providing strength and resilience even in the darkest of times.

Leopold Gideon spent his childhood as the poor kid in a rich school until he met an older man who took him under his wing and into his bed, teaching him to not only survive but thrive among the elite and to never submit to anybody…except him. For 15 years, Gideon had everything, but then tragedy strikes, leaving him alone once again.   

When it comes to her career, Cade Elgin has it all figured out. Only “professional talk” has become her default mode, relationships are nonexistent, and don’t even mention the word “orgasm”. All work and no play makes Cade a dull human. But when she inherits a sex toy store, Cade is caught between business and a store filled with every imaginable kind of pleasure - including her infuriatingly irresponsible and deliciously sexy new co-owner.

Nearly a year ago, blinded by grief and betrayal, Sam of Wilds made a desperate decision to follow the Great White into the Dark Woods. Now, he emerges to a world changed. The City of Lockes is a prison. The King has been locked away in the dungeons. The Kingdom of Verania has fallen, and the Dark wizard Myrin sits on the throne. But soon after his return, Sam learns of a resistance fighting in his name, led by a courageous knight, a defiant prince, a pissed-off unicorn, and a half-giant who wants to smash everything in sight.

Honor Wrenley is ready to explore, but she’s hesitant. When she comes across an ad for an art installation unlike any other, she resists before finally giving in. The exhibit is one about the freedom to be oneself, along with exploring inner desires, and Honor can’t stop herself from going back for more.

Two years after riding off into the sunset with ranch owner Rand Holloway, Stefan Joss has made a tentative peace with his new life, teaching at a community college. But the course of true love never does run smooth. Rand wants him home on the ranch; Stef wants an exit strategy in case Rand ever decides to throw him out. Finally, after recognizing how unfair he's being, Stef makes a commitment, and Rand is over the moon.

Three years ago, Bear McKenna’s mother took off for parts unknown with her new boyfriend, leaving Bear to raise his six-year-old brother Tyson, aka the Kid. Somehow they’ve muddled through, but since he’s totally devoted to the Kid, Bear isn’t actually doing much living. With a few exceptions, he’s retreated from the world, and he’s mostly okay with that - until Otter comes home. Otter is Bear’s best friend’s older brother, and as they’ve done for their whole lives, Bear and Otter crash and collide in ways neither expect.

Back Lands magazine for outdoor enthusiasts has featured Robin Hawke and her outfitting business several times. When her friend, Josie Whittle, the editor-in-chief of the magazine, asks Robin to take a group of writers and photographers out for a week Robin is happy to do it until she finds out that one of the writers going on the trip has never even been camping, let alone gone on a multi-day hike. The only hiking Marianne Jones does is at the mall, so she is not happy about this trip. Marianne makes Robin mad before the hike even starts.

A military veteran from a good Irish Catholic family; blonde-haired, blue-eyed Connor has had the same beautiful girlfriend since high school. But Connor has a secret. He lives a second life as a closeted gay man, jumping from one sexual partner to another. To avoid judgment from his family, Connor's best friend Afia plays along with the elaborate ruse of their romantic relationship. But now, Connor's safety net is falling for someone else.

When Aleksey lived in the shadows at the heart of the British Royal Family, he assumed he was the cuckoo in the nest, the one living a double life. He had no idea that he was surrounded by deceits even more deadly than his own. But now, buying Light Island has unearthed a long-buried secret so important that people are willing to kill for it.

I don’t know what it is about Cage Rucker that makes my wolf howl. Yeah, he has a body that’s been chiseled from marble, and a smile that melts my heart, but it’s more than that. There’s something about the way he smells. My wolf knows. Does that mean that this boy is going to fall all over himself to find out? No way. Cage has a girlfriend. I don’t fall for straight boy… anymore. I wouldn’t even have talked to him again if he hadn’t offered me an exchange I couldn’t refuse.

Love. The most powerful force in existence, but also the most ruthless. Cunning and deceptive. Man’s greatest Achilles heel. Leaving all who embrace it weak and vulnerable. At least that’s how Dom-for-hire Max Kelley sees it, after the love of his life knocked him on his ass. A brutal blow that not only stole his breath, but decimated his ability to trust. Turning him cold and cynical. The TKO he never saw coming. Love. A mistake Max won’t ever make again.

Innocent civilians are caught in the crossfire and although the THIRDS round up more and more members of the Order in the hopes of keeping the volatile group from reorganizing, the members of the Coalition continue to escape and wreak havoc in the name of vigilante justice.

Wealthy playboy Brett Sheridan thinks he knows the score when he hires tough guy private eye Neil Patrick Rafferty to find a priceless stolen folio of Shakespeare's The Tempest. Brett's convinced his partner-in-crime sister is behind the theft - a theft that's liable to bring more scandal to their eccentric family, and cost Brett his marriage to society heiress Juliet Lennox. What Brett doesn't count on is the instant and powerful attraction that flares between him and Rafferty.

When Samantha Monteiro launched Perfect Match, Inc. a few years ago, she never imagined her matchmaking business would be booming while her own love life floundered. When her business partner drags her out of hiding to attend the wedding of one of their successful client matches, she meets a dancer with a dark past and a penchant for secrecy who excites her in a way she hadn't thought possible.