Heroes and villains are not always on the opposite ends of the spectrum of good and evil. Sometimes, all that separates them is a fine line. The stories within "Parallel Worlds" explore the lives of such heroes and what drives them -- and what keeps them from crossing over to the other side.

This anthology features nineteen stories from bestselling, award-winning, and emerging authors, and includes brand new, never-before seen stories from Jim Butcher's, "Dresden Files," Robert Asprin's "The Myth-Adventures" by Jody Lynn Nye, and Neo Edmund's "Red Riding Alpha Huntress Chronicles."

“Fast paced and intricately plotted, A Devilish Slumber spins a tale of lost love, cold-blooded murder, and heartless betrayal. A page turner!”—Award-winning author, Gail Whitiker

“. . . the mystery and suspense of ghosts and murders will keep you on the edge of your seat and have you guessing to the very end.”—Black Lilac Kitty review of A Beastly Scandal

Since dealing with the death of her sister, and her abandonment by Sir Phillip Jones—the man who professed to love her—Lady Roselyn Ravenstock has lived as if sleepwalking. Mired in grief, she sequestered herself in her home, avoiding all callers. Then she meets Mrs. Helen Beaumont, and Rose starts to come to life . . . until Helen is murdered. But this time, Rose isn’t going back to sleep. Vowing to avenge her friend, Rose dons a costume and goes out into the night looking for a killer.

Sir Phillip, the Regent’s favored spy, returns from war determined to win back the woman he was forced to leave three years ago. But when he witnesses Rose covered in blood, racing from a brutal scene while gripping the murder weapon, he goes on a desperate mission to unravel what he hopes is a case of mistaken identity.

The investigation leads Rose into a world of enchantment, where people can reshape their features, fires are begun with a snap of fingers, and objects move of their own accord. But the real magic is the blazing attraction that is re-awakened between her and Phillip.

Will Rose ever get her happily ever after? Possibly. But first, she’ll have to convince Phillip of her innocence—
before the killer strikes again. . . .

Once upon a time, Shereen Vedam read fantasy and romance novels to entertain herself. Now she writes heartwarming tales braided with threads of magic and love and mystery elements woven in for good measure. She’s a fan of resourceful women, intriguing men, and happily-ever-after endings. If her stories whisk you away to a different realm for a few hours, then Shereen will have achieved one of her life goals.

Lydia Kalila, the Princess Royal of Mishnah, is forced into marriage with the son of her country's mortal enemy for the sole purpose of producing an heir. Duty comes before personal choice for a princess, especially when her country has been at war for more than a thousand years. Lydia's pregnancy removes her brother and new husband from their respective lines of succession, placing her yet unborn infant at the head of both queues. No one is happy about this, especially Lydia who dies during childbirth from wounds caused by the talon-like toenails of her very strange newborn son.

Grief stricken at the loss of his daughter, the Mishnese King hastily sends Senya, his infant grandson off to a decrepit inner city orphanage with the intent to retrieve him much later when things got sorted out. At the orphanage, Senya is protected by the invalid Sister Meri who instantly falls in love with the little fellow. She's not bothered at all by his strange telekinetic and telepathic powers, flickering pupil-less silver eyes, or wicked clawed toenails. The House Father takes a shine to the lad too, and when Senya is six years old, he is summoned to the Father's chamber. The Father ends up in flames, forcing Meri and Senya out into a snow storm running for their lives.

Thus begins the tale of Senya, a prince created to be king of a planet but tossed aside until his twelfth birthday when Lt. Taner, a Royal Guard detective is sent to retrieve him. It is unclear to all whether Senya is the product of something good or something evil, but in either case, it is very apparent that he is something more than just Lydia Kalila's son.

New York Times bestselling mystery series.

Grace Ashby wakes to the sound of a horrifying scream.

She races down the hallway, finding her mother's lifeless body on the floor in a pool of blood. Her mother's boyfriend Hugh is hunched over her. At first glance it seems Hugh is to blame, but is Hugh really her mother's killer?

As revelations about Caroline Ashby's secret life unfold, private detective Sloane Monroe takes the case, but it won't take long to find the killer. He's been watching, carefully tracking her every move. And now Sloane's own life is in grave danger.

If you're a fan of Sue Grafton and Mary Higgins Clark, you'll enjoy the Sloane Monroe series.

Praise for the Sloane Monroe Series:

"While I've found most mystery/thrillers to be rehashes of the same old plot line, this was refreshingly new/original." - Jack Murphy, New York Times bestselling author of Reflexive Fire

"I can officially declare that I am now a Cheryl Bradshaw fan and look forward to reading the other books in the series over the summer." - Mel Comley, New York Times bestselling author of the Justice series

"Bradshaw writes a great thriller, with likeable characters, and a taunt timeline that keeps you reading way past lights-out." - Amazon Vine Voice Top 500 Reviewer

"Only once in a while do you come upon a novel that sweeps you literally off your feet. The pot-boiling tension in this story is out of this world. Cheryl Bradshaw can write like the pros did at the turn of the 20th century." - Glen Cantrell, Author of The Resume

Genre: Adult Contemporary Steamy Romance

Down on her luck, nursing student and full-time waitress Kara Foster gets a massive blow to her already desperate financial situation that will surely find her living on the streets. Needing nothing less than a miracle to save her, Kara gets rescue from an unknown, unlikely and overwhelming source. Billionaire Simon Hudson makes her an offer that is impossible to refuse, but terrifying to accept from a man that she's never met. Will the handsome, alpha billionaire really be a solution to her problems, or will he end up being a major complication and a danger to her emotional sanity?

Reclusive billionaire Simon Hudson would rather be behind a computer creating computer games than rubbing elbows with the elite and he knows exactly what he wants...until he meets Kara Foster. Something about Kara touches Simon in ways he's never experienced and definitely doesn't like. For over a year, Simon watches over Kara, but stubbornly refuses to admit his desire to possess her, not even to himself. But when she ends up in a situation that could very well be her destruction, Simon steps up to help her, not realizing that in saving Kara, he might very well be salvaging his own soul.

This is a steamy romance and is not intended for YA readers. It contains steamy love scenes, explicit language and adult emotion not appropriate for YA readers.

A plane carrying a Russian biochemist crashes in the Alaskan wilderness with no survivors.

A dying billionaire launches a final fight against death amid whispers of a now defunct military bioweapon: Project Snowcap.

The world's leading CRISPR virologist, Doctor Elijah Vance, hovers on the edge of a breakthrough that will alter humanity at its most fundamental level.

And in a remote village in Mexico, an unknown disease is spreading.

Following the death of his missionary parents to an ebola outbreak when he was a young child, Eli has dedicated his life to finding a cure for all viruses. Drafted onto the WHO Fast Response Team sent to lock down a possible outbreak in Mexico, he realizes that this is the big one they've been waiting for. Disease X: the unknown pathogen with the potential to destroy mankind.

It's a battle of man against virus. And we're losing. As the deaths mount and civilization breaks down, the team must race against the clock to connect the clues and uncover patient zero. But Eli is unprepared for the shocking secrets he exposes when the truth is finally revealed.

Welcome to George Washington Township, home to the tenacious Detective Claire Goodnite. From kidnappings to murders, she's hell bent on solving cases and uncovering the truth—and keeping sexy FBI Special Agent Wesley O'Connell away from her cases... and her heart.

GRAND PRIZE WINNER of the 2017 WRITER'S DIGEST BOOK AWARDS

September 11, 1973: Eleven-year-old Alejandro Penda watches from his apartment window as Santiago, Chile falls to a military coup, destroying his family and his childhood. Arriving alone in America, he's taken in by the Larks: a prominent family in the town of Guelisten. Though burdened by unresolved grief for his disappeared parents, he becomes fiercely loyal to the Larks, eventually marrying one of their daughters, Valerie.

September 11, 2001: Javier Landes watches from his apartment window as New York City falls to terrorism. As one of Manhattan's top-paid male escorts, this professional lover has never lacked for company and is loyal only to himself. But in the wake of 9/11, Jav is named guardian for an orphaned nephew in Guelisten and must open his carefully-guarded heart to pain he's long suppressed.

Alex, Valerie and Jav meet first in their twenties, with a sudden attraction each finds strange and compelling. When they meet again in their forties, they discover not only is their bond still strong, but their life experiences are strangely similar. Each was shaped by a 9/11, and their unfinished business from the past will change everything they know about love, loyalty and friendship.

"Life has rules. You cannot come in the middle of the night and take what we agreed isn't yours."

Across three decades and two continents, Suanne Laqueur's fifth novel explores the unpredictability of sexual attraction, how family ties are forged, torn and mended, and how love's downfall can turn to exaltation.

A missing man, a new police chief and an unexpected New England town mystery.

When Sean Dermott, the newly appointed police chief, sees the report that a popular local high school coach is missing, his growing fascination with the alluring Vanessa Strauss, who reported the disappearance, makes him determined to solve the case.

The investigation leads him and his team deep into Quarry Head Park, a local scenic preserve with nature trails and expansive views. There is no sign of the missing man, but what he does find terrifies him to the core.

From the depths of the park, a deadly prehistoric looking creature emerges, attacks swiftly and silently, leaving devastation in its wake. In the chaos which follows, it is up to Chief Dermott and a team of scientists to fight for balance by ensuring the safety of his town and preserving this remarkable discovery.

He will risk his career, his reputation and even his own life to stand by what he believes to be right. The question is, will he succeed, or will all be lost?

A New York Times bestseller!

"Has everything you'd want in a retelling of a classic fairy tale." - Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of A Spark of Light and Small Great Things

"Absolutely spellbinding." - Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Caraval and Legendary

In a lush, contemporary fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Brigid Kemmerer gives readers another compulsively readable romance perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer.

Fall in love, break the curse.

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she's instead somehow sucked into Rhen's cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett encounters bad behavior on his own turf--only to have the FBI and the DOJ ask him to stand down--in the thrilling new novel from #1 New York Times-bestselling author C.J. Box.

The good news is that Joe Pickett has his job back, after his last adventure in The Disappeared. The bad news is that he's come to learn that a drone is killing wildlife--and the drone belongs to a mysterious and wealthy man whose son is dating Joe's own daughter, Lucy.

When Joe tries to lay down the rules for the drone operator, he's asked by the FBI and the DOJ to stand down, which only makes him more suspicious. Meanwhile, bodies are piling up in and around Joe's district in shocking numbers. He begins to fear that a pack of four vicious killers working on behalf of the Sinaloa cartel known as the Wolf Pack has arrived. Their target seems to be the mystery man and everyone--including Joe, Nate, and others--who is associated with him.

Teaming up with a female game warden (based on a real person, one of the few female game wardens at work in Wyoming today) to confront these assassins, Joe finds himself in the most violent and dangerous predicament he's ever faced.

She's running from her past - and running out of time.

Claire Wiche is an ordinary woman, running her Wicca shop in an ordinary California beach town.

But Claire wasn't always ordinary, and she isn't quite human. She hides a secret, and a past she thought she had put behind her.

A past that is about to explode into her present.

When it does, and everyone she loves is in danger, Claire must face up to her past - and become what she left behind in order to save them.

The Claire Wiche Chronicles:
Prequel - More Than A Feeling
Book 1 - Rest For The Wicked
Book 2 - A Gathering of Angels
Book 3 - Carry On Wayward Son
Book 4 - Annie's Song
Book 5 - What Doesn't Kill You

Box sets:
The Claire Wiche Chronicles Volumes 1-3
The Claire Wiche Chronicles Volumes 4-5

Now a Netflix original series!

Geralt the Witcher -- revered and hated -- holds the line against the monsters plaguing humanity in this collection of adventures in the NYT bestselling series that inspired the blockbuster video games.

Geralt is a Witcher, a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent.
But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good...and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.

Andrzej Sapkowski, winner of the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement award, started an international phenomenon with his Witcher series. The Last Wish short story collection is the perfect introduction to this one of a kind fantasy world.

Witcher collectionsThe Last WishSword of Destiny
Witcher novelsBlood of Elves
The Time of Contempt
Baptism of Fire The Tower of SwallowsLady of the LakeSeason of Storms
The Malady and Other Stories: An Andrzej Sapkowski Sampler (e-only)

Translated from original Polish by Danusia Stok

► LIMITED TIME OFFER ◄

THERE ARE PLENTY OF WAYS TO DIE in the Grand Canyon.

Forensic geologists Cassie Oldfield and Walter Shaws investigate one way: trouble on the canyon's Colorado River. Stranded raft. Life vests unused. Rafters missing.

The only clue to the fate of the rafters is a bag of pebbles caught in the bowline. Following that clue, the geologists uncover a hellish scheme. Not only are the rafters in peril, but the river itself is under attack.

The race to stop it takes Cassie and Walter deep into the canyon, and onto the mighty river, putting their own survival at stake.

>> All books in the series are standalone novels and can be enjoyed in any order.

Luke Skywalker dreamed of adventures out among the stars and alien worlds. But when he intercepted a message from a beautiful captive princess, he got more than he had bargained for—and that was how the adventure of his life began. . . .

Two reader-favorite tales about hidden depths, temptation and danger!

TREASURES LOST, TREASURES FOUND

Kate Hardesty has inherited a pile of mysterious ocean charts. Her father had a dream—sunken treasure—and he’d left a map leading to a gold-laden ship. To complete her father’s explorations, she must turn to Ky Silver, the man she swore she’d never trust again. It’s a treacherous dive into the depths of the ocean, and Ky is the only one willing to help. But working with Ky means more than searching for gold—it means finding a priceless treasure Kate hadn’t known she’d lost…

RISKY BUSINESS

Dive shop owner Liz Palmer has made an idyllic life for herself in Cozumel. But everything changes when her employee is murdered and his grieving twin brother storms into Liz’s life with revenge in his heart. Suddenly Liz is plunged into the dangerous world of drug smugglers, and she discovers how impossible it is to resist both the mystery…and the passionate man trying to solve it.

Previously Published.

A New York Times Bestseller

“Fraught with danger, filled with mystery, and meticulously researched, The Lost Girls of Paris is a fascinating tale of the hidden women who helped to win the war.” —Lisa Wingate, New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours

From the author of the runaway bestseller The Orphan’s Tale comes a remarkable story of friendship and courage centered around three women and a ring of female secret agents during World War II.

1946, Manhattan

One morning while passing through Grand Central Terminal on her way to work, Grace Healey finds an abandoned suitcase tucked beneath a bench. Unable to resist her own curiosity, Grace opens the suitcase, where she discovers a dozen photographs—each of a different woman. In a moment of impulse, Grace takes the photographs and quickly leaves the station.

Grace soon learns that the suitcase belonged to a woman named Eleanor Trigg, leader of a network of female secret agents who were deployed out of London during the war. Twelve of these women were sent to Occupied Europe as couriers and radio operators to aid the resistance, but they never returned home, their fates a mystery. Setting out to learn the truth behind the women in the photographs, Grace finds herself drawn to a young mother turned agent named Marie, whose daring mission overseas reveals a remarkable story of friendship, valor and betrayal.

Vividly rendered and inspired by true events, New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff shines a light on the incredible heroics of the brave women of the war and weaves a mesmerizing tale of courage, sisterhood and the great strength of women to survive in the hardest of circumstances.

A Cosmopolitan Best Book Club Book, PopSugar Must-Read, and Glamour Best of 2019

“An intriguing mystery and a captivating heroine make The Lost Girls of Paris a read to savor!” —Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network

A #1 New York Times bestseller by Kim Edwards, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter is a brilliantly crafted novel of parallel lives, familial secrets, and the redemptive power of love

Kim Edwards’s stunning novel begins on a winter night in 1964 in Lexington, Kentucky, when a blizzard forces Dr. David Henry to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy, but the doctor immediately recognizes that his daughter has Down syndrome. Rationalizing it as a need to protect Norah, his wife, he makes a split second decision that will alter all of their lives forever. He asks his nurse, Caroline, to take the baby away to an institution and never to reveal the secret. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child herself. So begins this beautifully told story that unfolds over a quarter of a century—in which these two families, ignorant of each other, are yet bound by the fateful decision made that winter night long ago.

A family drama, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter explores every mother's silent fear: What would happen if you lost your child and she grew up without you? It is also an astonishing tale of love and how the mysterious ties that hold a family together help us survive the heartache that occurs when long-buried secrets are finally uncovered.

‘Addictive! A twisty page-turner that had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.’ Roz Watkins

‘Rose. Rose. Pick up, please. I know who killed her. I know who killed my real mum. I’ve worked it out.’
 
When Rose’s flighty stepsister Willow disappears to Cornwall, she can’t help but roll her eyes. Willow is always taking off and there is always some kind of emergency.
 
But after Willow discovers that she was adopted and her birth mother died in tragic circumstances, her trip to the coast sparks a search into her past.
 
Two days later, when a package arrives at Rose’s house containing a series of four polaroids of four different men, Rose knows that Willow is in trouble. Each photograph a possible murder suspect, their family life begins to unravel, leaving one crucial question unanswered…
 
Who killed Willow’s mother and where is Willow now?

* * * * * * *

Readers LOVE Traces of Her!

‘What a ride, more twists and turns than a Formula 1 race track’ A.M. Castle

‘A whirlwind of a read. Just brilliant!’ Diane Jeffrey

'Addictive and fast-paced. Amanda Brittany is a name to keep your eye on. A brilliant thriller' Phoebe Morgan

‘An emotional thriller with a broad cast of characters who come alive on the pages of this addictive mystery.’ Naomi Joy

‘Gripped me from start to finish… Definitely did not see the twist at the end coming!’ NetGalley reviewer

‘This was an amazing page turner. So many twists and turns and I was completely surprised by the ending.’ Netgalley reviewer

‘A real page turner. This book had me hooked.’ Netgalley reviewer

A poignant, sexy and heartwarming love story set against the stark beauty of Alaska. After a few years away, Hannah Gray returns home to Diamond Creek, Alaska. Once wild and impulsive, she shut her heart off to love and adventure after her parents died. Hannah hopes to rebuild her life and find joy again.

Burned once before, Luke Winters has committed himself to nothing but casual dalliances with women. Rugged and sexy, Luke finds no shortage of women happy to oblige.

When Hannah and Luke meet, their attraction is instant. Both fight the depth of their feelings—love is not part of the plan.

Hannah’s sense of identity is shaken when she unearths a surprising truth about her family. Meanwhile, Luke’s interfering family and complications from his past challenge Hannah and Luke to face their true feelings for each other.

Can two people who don’t believe love is worth the risk find the courage to face their fears and open their hearts?