When Scott moves in with his best friend, Dan, things change in ways he never imagined. Surrounded by Dan's friends, he lives a life of glorious drunken creativity, quite unlike anything he's known before. The problem is that when Dan leaves unexpectedly he finds himself falling for Dan's girlfriend Rebecca.When Scott moves in with his best friend, Dan, things change in ways he never imagined. Surrounded by Dan's friends, he lives a life of glorious drunken creativity, quite unlike anything he's known before. The problem is that he also finds himself falling for Rebecca, Dan's girlfriend. Then Dan leaves unexpectedly and the little mysteries of his life are revealed, heightening their feelings for each other and sowing the seeds of tragedy, guilt and sadness.'Bonfire Blues' is the third part of the Diamonds collection of Short Stories. A prequel to both 'Bewilder' and 'Heart over Head over Heels', it is one man's love story to his twenties, a love story to friends loved and lost, and, above all to the woman he didn't dare love.

This is not your Young Adult "Twilight." The Belfry is a kind of club, inhabited by those who have been introduced into the world of vampirism—often not by choice. These are the stories of Gordon, Carrie, Stephen, "Doc", Harvey, Gus and Von Somogyi, unwilling members of an exclusive, immortal club. Gordon's story is first, to be followed by the others in a few weeks.It stands between a Latino record store on one side and an adult bookstore on the other. You've passed it by a thousand times; there's one in every city. The barber pole is broken. No red-white-and-blue spiral identifies this establishment.Few people get their hair cut there. The few who do don't linger long; something about the place bothers them. It's not obvious until you go to another barber shop down the street and notice how much bigger it seems. Then it hits you: there are no mirrors in Gus's place. No wall mirrors, no vanity mirrors in the restrooms. Gus has the only one, and it's a hand mirror that he holds for the customers. He likes it better that way, and he's sure the customers would too.You can't see Gus in a mirror.There's a back room at the place, with couches, a few chairs and a TV. It looks a little like a college dorm lounge, with some exceptions. There are no vending machines, no coffeemakers, no snack shelves. Those who congregate there don't eat.For all that, it's a comfortable room, as rooms go. It has a kind of homey feel that those whom Gus invites to share its ambience prefer. It's a kind of club, really. Every month they get together to play cards, BS a bit, and talk about life, such as it is. There are no mirrors in the back room as well, but it doesn't matter. You wouldn't be able to see any of them either.Gus calls it "The Belfry," and these are the stories of the bats in it.

A high-ranking DIA operative has been kidnapped in Iraq by the Islamic State, and with her, secrets that could bring about the collapse of major intelligence-gathering networks throughout the region. Can Ethan Galaal find her before it's too late? Samantha Rond, head of an ultra-secretive branch of the DIA's Defense Clandestine Service in the Middle East, has gone missing during a key operation. Her last known location: the occupied city of Mosul, the war-ravaged heart of the Islamic State in Iraq. Ethan Galaal and his elite team of undercover operatives are dispatched to rescue Samantha. Officially, he and his men don't exist. Unofficially, Sam is their boss, however in her absence the team reports directly to the Secretary of Defense. Their years of experience in operating incognito in the region make them the ideal candidates for the rescue mission. But first they have to find Sam. Setbacks exist at every turn. Surrounded by enemies and unsure of whom to trust, Ethan soon begins to suspect that a rogue non-state actor has been advising the Islamic State in Mosul. Will he find her before the interrogators extract everything of value and destroy Sam's mind? Or will elements of the rogue faction hunt down Ethan and his team first, bringing the rescue mission to a spectacularly premature end? **

A Magazine Celebrating Romance:Love romance? Love discovering the best new writers with bite-sized stories? Or maybe you prefer to treat yourself by escaping into a sure-to-please favorite author's world now and again, but don't have the time to read a full-length novel. Heart's Kiss magazine offers delicious variety and more.Each issue has at least 60,000 plus words of fiction from names readers will recognize, to newly discovered writers, including interviews and articles talking about what romance readers love most—the books they love, why romance is important in today's world, their love of the genre and what to enjoy next.Heart's Kiss is filled with a sweet-spicy-erotic mix of historical, contemporary, paranormal, suspense and futuristic romance stories that will be sure to make you yearn for more.IN THIS ISSUE:OPENING EDITORIAL by Tina SmithONE NIGHT IN PARIS by Kayla PerrinIN TUSCAN TWILIGHT by Tonya D. PriceTHE...

Emotionally scarred from the war, Aiden Wainwright joins with his old companions and attempts to force a peaceful solution to the conflict, all the while convinced the king and his wizard have taken the ancient armour of power and seek to use it to bring a new era of tyranny to the realm. When the truth is finally revealed, events take an unexpected turn that may bring devastation to both realms.

Ylara had a lovely time at Vallu's wedding. She caught the bouquet, danced the night away, and only then noticed that her dance partners followed her every move. She panics and tries to make a break for it, but they block her path.She does what any sensible woman would do; she hides in a broom closet and calls for help from every friend or family member she can think of.When her troops arrive, they offer support and a plan. Sabine urges her to choose her alpha to help deal with her heat. They all know what a torture it is to leave it unanswered, so leave her to make up her mind.Picking the guy with the giant scorpion tail might not have been the most sensible thing, but it feels right. When he holds her close and promises to take care of her, she believes him.Whether she trusts him is another matter entirely.

"Where did you find the dress! Tell me! Where did you buy this?""A tailor, in the woods. Let go of me, woman. What is with you? What is this about?""What was the name of the shop! You must tell me, Gregory!"He tried to undo her claw-like grasp on his arms but to no avail. She was digging her fingers in for dear life."Tell me!""The Verdant Egress! Why?"(Read long description for more...)"Where did you find the dress! Tell me! Where did you buy this?""A tailor, in the woods. Let go of me, woman. What is with you? What is this about?""What was the name of the shop! You must tell me, Gregory!"He tried to undo her claw-like grasp on his arms but to no avail. She was digging her fingers in for dear life."Tell me!""The Verdant Egress! Why?"Caralynne turned to flee the room, meaning to head for the door once more, but Gregory was quicker. His hand shot out, drunk or not, and he turned her back towards him."You can't go out at this hour alone! It's unheard of!""Let go of me!" Caralynne squealed, pushing at him."Caralynne, I can't let you leave…not like this!"For a moment, she paused and looked up at him. In his cups or no, he was stronger than her. This wouldn’t be easy for her to say, but there was much at stake. And she would give anything to leave the house in this very moment. There was no time to spare."If you…if you let me leave, I shall return…"Her hands were gentle as she pressed them lightly to his velvety vest and pushed him away from her. She saw him swallow at the merest hint of heat in her touch, but still he didn't let go of her arms."When I return, I shall…I shall find you. In your…bedroom…"Lord Esteban's eyes widened at the suggestion. Caralynne nodded, knowing he had made the connection she intended. Whether she would keep that soft agreement she had just made or not, she didn't care. But she needed to leave. Now."When you return," Gregory said carefully, "I'll be in my bedroom. Attend me there. Like a wife should…"Caralynne nodded this time and slowly, Lord Esteban let her go. Then she turned and left the room, running for the door that a servant was already opening for her. With barely enough time to draw her cloak hood up over her head, she ran out into the rain and into the night.

Tycoon Connor Brodie has just apprehended an intruder! One clad in lacy satin underwear...and not a trespasser at all, but his feisty neighbor Daisy Dean. The red-hot encounter leaves him aching for more--could the luscious Ms. Dean be the answer to his prayers in more ways than one?Connor needs to close a business deal, and he fully intends to finish what they've started. Unable to resist his lethal charm, Daisy finds herself agreeing to two hedonistic weeks in New York--as Connor's fake fiancée!

Itsy’s principles are put to the test and she decides they are more important than her current job. Not believing in coincidence, when she gets the opportunity to work at a detective agency she is hoping that she will find her mother’s killer who she has been searching for 25 years, Unable to further the search alone, she is aided by her new friends at the agency in resolving her cold case.For those readers of "The Cat's Dowry" that might have wondered what happened to Gabby and Dolly after their adventures the answer is within the pages of this story. Their lives intertwine to complete the story and move on.[Since she had some free time before her appointment, the idea of working on her mother's file crossed her mind. She picked up the file. The file was now over an inch thick. She opened the cover and spread out the top sheets to review her progress. She quickly put the pages back, closed the cover and put the file back in the drawer in her nightstand. Whenever she worked on the case, she would get horribly depressed. She couldn't afford to let that happen today. She had to keep positive and upbeat. There would be another time it just isn't today. Even if she had someone else to share, the task with it wasn't so bad. However, if she was alone, it tore her up. ]

Aiden Wainwright was the son of a wagon maker in a small country town where nothing interesting ever happened, until a chance encounter with a strange relic changed him forever. His resourcefulness and courage are put to the test when he travels to a nearby town and finds the place on the brink of disaster. Aiden must marshal his limited resources to aid the town and uncover the villains.Aiden Wainwright was the son of a wagon maker in a small country town where nothing interesting ever happened, until a chance encounter with a strange relic changed him forever. Obsessed with unravelling the mystery of his experience, Aiden turns from his friends and family and studies the arcane arts, discovering within himself a spark of intellect he never imagined. But his resourcefulness and courage are put to the test when he travels to a nearby town in pursuit of answers, and finds the place on the brink of disaster. An ordinary young man with an extraordinary talent, Aiden must marshal his limited resources and ally himself with the desperate locals to thwart a dire plot which threatens the lives of thousands.