Hearts Desires and Dark Embraces


Book Description

When Margaret L. Carter first read Dracula at the age of twelve, her spontaneous reaction was to wonder how the undead Count saw the events in which he was portrayed as the villain. She's always been fascinated with the "monster's" viewpoint and relationships between human and nonhuman beings. Most of the stories in this collection can be described as romances, and all involve love and passion in some form. Here you'll encounter vampires, elves, ghosts, and at least one human-monster hybrid. The vampire stories in the first half of the book are part of an ongoing series in which the creatures we know as vampires belong to a naturally evolved, nonhuman species secretly living among us. Readers can get better acquainted with them in Crimson Dreams, Sealed in Blood, and Passion in the Blood.




Finley Embraces Heart And Home


Book Description

MUM is the love of his life. Until he meets his STEP-BROTHER. For years it's been just Finley and Mum. Now she's getting married, and they're moving into a flash mansion and his step-dad is lording it over him. He's clearly a homophobe, and doesn't want him rubbing off (so to speak) on his son. Like that would ever happen. Even if Ethan and his dad don't look anything alike. Even if Ethan and his dad don't act anything alike. Even if . . . This can't happen. They're whānau now, family, there are boundaries. Secret. Forbidden. Irresistible. A reimagining of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park. *** TAGS: Heart-throbbing slow burn, a bit of pretty prose, Ethan is his step-brother, Finley wasn't supposed to see him naked, step-dad is a homophobe, Finley has naughty thoughts, Austen might roll over in her grave, secrets and confessions under sparkly stars, mutual pining, the world is unfair, pining-pining-and-more-pining, Finley turns naughty thoughts to actions, so what there are rules?, maybe they shouldn't have done that, jealousy is an ugly green beast, Austen might like this now, forgetting is impossible, more impossible is choosing between heart and home.




Different Blood: The Vampire as Alien


Book Description

Different blood flows in their veins--but our blood quenches their thirst. From Bram Stoker's 1897 creation of Count Dracula, portrayed as a foreign invader bent on the conquest of England, the literary vampire has symbolized the Other, whether his or her otherness arises from racial, ethnic, sexual, or species difference. Even before the bloodsucking Martians of H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, however, popular fiction contained a few vampires who were members of alien species rather than supernatural undead. Even more intriguing than interplanetary invaders are humanoid and quasi-humanoid beings who have evolved to live on Earth among us, often camouflaged as our own kind. The boom in vampire fiction that began in the 1970s engendered a variety of "alien" vampires, many of them portrayed as sympathetic characters. The science fiction vampire is especially suited to the presentation of vampirism as morally neutral rather than inherently evil. Different Blood surveys the literary vampire as alien, whether extra-terrestrial or a different species evolved on Earth, from the mid-1800s to the 1990s, and analyzes the many uses to which science fiction and fantasy authors have put this theme. Their works explore issues of species, race, ecological responsibility, gender, eroticism, xenophobia, parasitism, symbiosis, intimacy, and the bridging of differences. An extensive bibliography lists dozens of novels and short stories on the "vampire as alien" theme, many of which are still in print.




Legacy of Magic


Book Description

In a world where hostile nations wield magic in combat, twin sorceresses separated at birth and brought up on opposing sides of the war find each other. Together, they face persecution for using wild magic, fight against traitors and assassins, explore family secrets, and discover the hidden origins of magic itself. Above all, to protect their world, they must deal with ancient, powerful dragons that most people don't even believe exist. Most people in the country of Saphradea admire sorcerers and dream of having magical powers. Not Merina, a young woman who detests magic because she thinks it ruined the life of her mother, a failed sorceress candidate who abandoned her in infancy. When Merina's fiance, Trinames, announces he's decided to go for training as a Healer sorcerer, her personal world turns upside down. Merina is heiress to a tract of rich farmland, and she wants only to manage her own property and bring up a family in peace--a dream she thought Trinames shared. Yet events conspire to force her into a realm of magic and intrigue she never wanted. When Trinames is kidnapped and she strikes out across the wilderness to rescue him, in company with a wandering trader who turns out to be more than he appears, she runs into a crisis that awakens magical powers she shouldn't even possess.




Dark Embrace


Book Description

A time travelling Highlander on a dark quest for vengeance cannot resist protecting a modern-day woman in need in this paranormal romance. As a Master of Time, Aidan once used his abilities to protect the Innocent across the ages. But he has long since abandoned the Brotherhood and forsaken his vows. Feared by all and trusted by none, he hunts alone, seeking vengeance against the evil that destroyed his son. He has not saved an Innocent in sixty-six years—until he hears Brianna Rose’s scream of terror, and leaps to modern-day Manhattan to rescue her . . . Brie is a gifted empath who spends her time fighting evil from the safety of her laptop—and fantasizing about the medieval Highlander she met just once. Her quiet life is upended the night she awakens consumed with Aidan’s pain and rage. When Aidan suddenly appears and takes her hostage, Brie cannot believe how dark and dangerous he has become. She knows she should be afraid, but instead, she will fight across time for his redemption . . . and his love.




Destiny's Promise


Book Description

Four diverse, romantic stories in one volume! The Imminent Future: In the year 2193, Sylver Dreeming, a leading geo-thermal expert for CosmoTeck, endeavors to find a solution to the problem of Earth's overpopulation. Daughter's Destiny: Is a daughter's healing strength enough to save her mother from the evil that's stalked her across an entire mountain range? Can love change the nature of a beast that only wishes to do harm? Maxwell's Promise: In Los Lunas, New Mexico, the City of the Moon, the power of love takes on the curse of a werewolf. Which is greater? Midnight Mist: Every night at midnight, a magical fog creeps into the corner of Selene's parlor. One pivotal evening, the haze brings with it an immortal creature who rides the mists of time as easily as a hawk rides the wind.




Embrace the Desire


Book Description

Payne, a Destroyer with a tormented past, has a vendetta against his father, Damon, Lord of the Underworld. Forced to put his revenge aside, he is ordered to take Chanta Timbers through her transition from human to half-goddess. She’s the hottest thing he’s ever seen or touched, and his desire for her threatens to burn him alive. With the odds stacking against him, he must relive his past, conquer his inner demons, and see past the pain that has controlled his every action in life. As a member of the One Race, Chanta must allow Payne to take her through the transformation or die. Even though she refuses to acknowledge the desire she is feeling, she is powerless against her body’s reaction to his. No stranger to the terror of the supernatural world around her, she is scared of the beast that lurks under his skin and of the darkness that peers out of his shadowy eyes. But with each passing hour, her hunger refuses to be denied and threatens to devour them both. The gods, meddling and always interfering with destinies, stand between Payne and Chanta, each one with their own agenda. Payne must defy the gods, endure torments and pains, and see past the revenge and bitterness that has dwelled in his heart. Chanta must see past the beast, accept him as he is, and open her future to a life with the devil’s son. With so much against them, including an impending war in the Heavens and the Underworld, can they defy the odds and accept the love and desire that is screaming both their names? Sensuality Level: Sensual




Embracing the Darkness


Book Description

As dusk fell on a misty evening in 1521, Martin Luther - hiding from his enemies at Wartburg Castle - found himself seemingly tormented by demons hurling walnuts at his bedroom window. In a fit of rage, the great reformer threw at the Devil the inkwell from which he was preparing his colossal translation of the Bible. A belief - like Luther's - in the supernatural, and in black magic, has been central to European cultural life for 3000 years. From the Salem witch trials to the macabre novels of Dennis Wheatley; from the sadistic persecution of eccentric village women to the seductive sorceresses of TV's Charmed; and from Derek Jarman's punk film Jubilee to Ken Russell's The Devils, John Callow brings the twilight world of the witch, mage and necromancer to vivid and fascinating life. He takes us into a shadowy landscape where, in an age before modern drugs, the onset of sudden illness was readily explained by malevolent spellcasting. And where dark, winding country lanes could terrify by night, as the hoot of an owl or shriek of a fox became the desolate cries of unseen spirits.Witchcraft has profoundly shaped the western imagination, and endures in the forms of modern-day Wicca and paganism. Embracing the Darkness is an enthralling account of this fascinating aspect of the western cultural experience.




Dark Embrace


Book Description

Deep within the Dark Forest surrounded by shadows that pulse with power, resides a Dark Castle. No one dares to enter this forbidden place. For those who foolishly tred there are never seen again. There are tales of ungodly creatures who roam those woods. Of a Black Lord who wields immense power. A creature of darkness who is feared by all. No one dares to enter his domain. No one but she . . . Mia She lures him with her grace. Fascinates him with the gentleness of her soul. Tempts him with her immense beauty. Arousing a hunger that cannot be denied.




Embracing Her Heart (The Bradens & Montgomerys #1) Love in Bloom Contemporary Romance


Book Description

Discover the magic of New York Times bestseller Melissa Foster's writing, and see why millions of readers have fallen in love with the fiercely loyal and sassily sexy characters in the Love in Bloom big-family romance families. Welcome to Oak Falls, Virginia, home to horse farms, midnight rodeos, bookstores, coffee shops, and quaint restaurants where you're greeted like family and treated like treasured guests. Buckle up for a wild ride. Like any Southern girls worth their salt, the sweet-talking, sharp-tongued Montgomery sisters can take men to their knees with one seductive glance or a single sugarcoated sentence. A second chance at their first love... Leaving New York City and returning to her hometown to teach a screenplay writing class seems like just the break Grace Montgomery needs. Until her sisters wake her at four thirty in the morning to watch the hottest guys in town train wild horses and she realizes that escaping her sisters' drama-filled lives was a lot easier from hundreds of miles away. To make matters worse, she spots the one man she never wanted to see again ruggedly handsome Reed Cross. Reed was one of Michigan's leading historical preservation experts, but on the heels of catching his girlfriend in bed with his business partner, his uncle suffers a heart attack. Reed cuts all ties and returns home to Oak Falls to run his uncle's business. A chance encounter with Grace, his first love, brings back memories he's spent years trying to escape. Grace is bound and determined not to fall under Reed's spell again and Reed wants more than another taste of the woman he's never forgotten. When a midnight party brings them together, passion ignites and old wounds are opened. Grace sets down the ground rules for the next three weeks. No touching, no kissing, and if she has it her way, no breathing, because every breath he takes steals her ability to think. But Reed has other ideas. ~ The Bradens & Montgomerys are part of Melissa's Love in Bloom big-family romance collection. All Love in Bloom novels are written to stand alone and may also be enjoyed as part of the larger series, so dive right into this fun, sexy romance. MORE BRADENS & MONTGOMERYS (Pleasant Hill - Oak Falls) coming soon! Order of future books is subject to change. Embracing Her Heart Anything For Love Trails of Love Wild Crazy Hearts Making You Mine Searching for Love Hot For Love Sweet Sexy Hearts Then Came Love Rocked by Love Wicked Bad Hearts Claiming Her Heart **Please note that future books in the original Montgomery series are crossing over to the Bradens at Pleasant Hill, and for this reason I have combined the series into THE BRADENS & MONTGOMERYS (Pleasant Hill - Oak Falls). ** "When it comes to contemporary romances with realistic characters, an emotional love story and smokin' hot sex, author Melissa Foster always delivers!" The Romance Reviews "You can always rely on Melissa Foster to deliver a story that's fresh, emotional and entertaining. Make sure you have all night, because once you start you won't want to stop reading. Every book's a winner!" New York Times Bestselling Author Brenda Novak "With her wonderful characters and resonating emotions, Melissa Foster is a must-read author!" New York Times Bestseller J. Kenner "Melissa Foster is synonymous with sexy, swoony, heartfelt romance!" New York TimesBestseller Lauren Blakely "Melissa Foster writes her romance novels similarly to my favorite adult romance author, Danielle Steel: the perfect blend of drama, romance, friendship, love and passion."- Andrea Buginsky, author "I highly recommend this book to fans of Nora Roberts (one of my personal faves) and fans of a sweet story filled with heat and heart." - Tia Bach, author "Melissa Foster is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Fated For Love was amazing. It kind of reminds me of Jill Shalvis' books and they are my benchmark for contemporary romance awesomeness." --Books Like Breathing (on Fated for Love) "I highly recommend the Snow Sisters all the Braden and Remington books....I am sure there are going to be other family's that intertwine and that is what I love most about these books. They remind me of the McCarthy of Gansett series and The Green Mountain series. I am a huge fan of Marie Force. And now Melissa Foster has joined her ranks...." - I Love NY, Reviewer *** The Bradens & Montgomerys are part of Melissa's Love in Bloom big-family romance collection. All Love in Bloom novels are written to stand alone without any unresolved issues or cliffhangers. Love in Bloom features alpha male heroes and sexy, empowered women. They're flawed, funny, passionate, and relatable to readers who enjoy contemporary romance and women's fiction. Characters from each sub-series appear in future books. Love In Bloom Series Snow Sisters The Bradens at Weston The Bradens at Trusty The Bradens at Peaceful Harbor The Bradens & The Montgomerys (Pleasant Hill - Oak Falls) The Remingtons The Ryders Seaside Summers Bayside Summers Wild Billionaires After Dark Bad Billionaires After Dark Harborside Nights The Whiskeys & Tru Blue "Melissa Foster is synonymous with sexy, swoony, heartfelt romance!" New York Times Bestseller Lauren Blakely NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance, new adult romance, and women's fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Melissa's emotional journeys are lovingly erotic and always family oriented. Melissa loves to chat with book clubs and readers, invite her to your next event. Foster's love stories are perfect steamy romance beach reads for fans of big-family, small-town romance. The characters are romantic and loyal, some are billionaires, others are not, and you're always guaranteed a happily ever after. 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