It’s the beginning of summer break, and high school English teacher Shannon Parker is ready to relax poolside with some red wine and a good book. She’s friggin’ earned it! But first—a little shopping, a la fancy estate auction. Surrounded by old folks and even older artifacts, Shannon never expects to find something that shocks her down to her very core: an ancient vase, complete with a beautiful painting of a goddess that looks just like her. And just as she’s stealing away with her seriously suspicious purchase, she’s magically thrown into the world of Partholon, where not only has she taken the place of Rhiannon, Goddess Incarnate and Epona’s Chosen, but she’s due to be married to a surly (but oh-so-handsome) High Shaman centaur, ClanFintan. But serving as Epona’s Chosen isn’t just luxury baths and buff horse-guys. A dark power grows in the wastelands to the north, and Rhiannon will need much more than just the favor of Epona to protect the land—and the man—she’s grown to love.

Finally settled into her new world and role as the Goddess Epona’s Chosen, Shannon finds herself loving her life of luxury and service more and more each day. Her handsome husband is due to return from his travels soon, and the temple and its people have recovered from the terrible war months before. Even though the evil has been banished from the land and all is calm, Shannon can’t seem to shake the cloud of uneasiness (and nausea) she’s been feeling, even after she receives the wonderful news of her forthcoming bundle of joy. But when a routine ride through the countryside turns dangerous, Shannon is once again pulled across the divide—back to the rolling green of Oklahoma. Sensing the darkness growing in her former world and driven by Epona’s steady hand, she must rely on the tempting and sexy Clint Freeman to help her defeat the all-too-familiar evil that lurks in the shadows before she can return to her real home—Partholon.

Eighteen-year-old Morrigan has always felt different, like she didn’t belong in small-town Oklahoma where she grew up. But on an outing with her friends to the deep, gem-filled Alabaster caves, Morrigan discovers that she’s much more than just different, she’s magical. When she learns the dark truth about her ancestry from her grandparents, a devastating accident transports grief-stricken Morrigan to Partholon and into the keep of the Sidetha, where she is regarded as the Light Bringer, the Goddess Adsagsona’s Chosen One. Luckily for her, many strangely familiar priestesses and otherworldly beings are there to offer her guidance in her new world, including a brazen, handsome centaur High Shaman named Kegan. As she tries to make sense of the powers swirling inside her—and confront her growing feelings for Kegan—she must fight against the lurking darkness that threatens to permeate her very soul.

This fresh study from an internationally respected scholar of the Reformation and post-Reformation eras shows how the Reformers and their successors analyzed and reconciled the concepts of divine sovereignty and human freedom. Richard Muller argues that traditional Reformed theology supported a robust theory of an omnipotent divine will and human free choice and drew on a tradition of Western theological and philosophical discussion. The book provides historical perspective on a topic of current interest and debate and offers a corrective to recent discussions.

In Divine Causality and Human Free Choice, R.J. Matava explains the idea of physical premotion defended by Domingo Báñez, whose position in the Controversy de Auxiliis has been typically ignored in contemporary discussions of providence and freewill. Through a close engagement with untranslated primary texts, Matava shows Báñez’s relevance to recent debates about middle knowledge. Finding the mutual critiques of Báñez and Molina convincing, Matava argues that common presuppositions led both parties into an insoluble dilemma. However, Matava also challenges the informal consensus that Lonergan definitively resolved the controversy. Developing a position independently advanced by several recent scholars, Matava explains how the doctrine of creation entails a position that is more satisfactory both philosophically and as a reading of Aquinas.

DIVINE BEGINNINGS Rediscover the origins of the Partholon stories in this prequel novella by #1 New York Times bestselling fantasy author P.C. Cast. Something isn’t right at Guardian Castle, and Aine can’t figure out what. As Healer, she’s supposed to be making things better, but there’s a darkness that can’t be brightened. And then Aine finds an injured Fomorian—winged, dark, blood-thirsty and inherently evil. Or is he? Because there’s something about Tegan that Aine can’t resist...and once they’ve shared blood, Aine realizes that everything she’s always believed is going to be cast aside... Originally published in 2009

USA TODAY BESTSELLER Truth of the Divine is the latest alternate-history first-contact novel in the Noumena series from the instant New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times bestselling author Lindsay Ellis. The human race is at a crossroads; we know that we are not alone, but details about the alien presence on Earth are still being withheld from the public. As the political climate grows more unstable, the world is forced to consider the ramifications of granting human rights to nonhuman persons. How do you define “person” in the first place? Cora Sabino not only serves as the full-time communication intermediary between the alien entity Ampersand and his government chaperones but also shares a mysterious bond with him that is both painful and intimate in ways neither of them could have anticipated. Despite this, Ampersand is still keen on keeping secrets, even from Cora, which backfires on them both when investigative journalist Kaveh Mazandarani, a close colleague of Cora’s unscrupulous estranged father, witnesses far more of Ampersand’s machinations than anyone was meant to see. Since Cora has no choice but to trust Kaveh, the two must work together to prove to a fearful world that intelligent, conscious beings should be considered persons, no matter how horrifying, powerful, or malicious they may seem. Making this case is hard enough when the public doesn’t know what it’s dealing with—and it will only become harder when a mysterious flash illuminates the sky, marking the arrival of an agent of chaos that will light an already-unstable world on fire. With a voice completely her own, Lindsay Ellis deepens her realistic exploration of the reality of a planet faced with the presence of extraterrestrial intelligence, probing the essential questions of humanity and decency, and the boundaries of the human mind. While asking the question of what constitutes a “person,” Ellis also examines what makes a monster.

All her life, Elphame never felt like she belonged. From birth she was always set apart, infinitely different from her family and the people of Partholon, because she had so obviously been touched by the great Goddess Epona. When she feels the call of the ancient and crumbling MacCallan Castle, deserted since the Formorian war over a century ago, Elphame knows that she belongs to its impressive walls, fated to be its keeper. With the help of many others seeking a new home and fresh start to life, Elphame and her newfound clan begin to rebuild the great halls of the castle. But after she is rescued in the surrounding forest by a mysterious, extraordinary, and uniquely handsome man whose painful origin threatens the safety of her people, she must choose between the life she fought to create—and the love for him that grows within.

A MAP TO A PLACE THEY EACH DESIRE.A DESTINY THEY DIDN'T EXPECT. The Shadow demon nearly took everything from Dynalya Astron, and it would soon return for more. When she discovers a way to fight back, she must go on a perilous journey and risk it all for those she holds dear. Along the way, she meets Cassiel, a Celestial Prince with magic blood and wings as black as his heart. He wants nothing to do with Dyna until he learns she could lead him to a place he has been searching for all his life. But reaching their destination is not as easy as they thought, nor are they the only ones who search for it. With danger at every turn and harrowing secrets between them, the quest will require much more than determination. They must fight for what they desire-or die trying. For fans of The Cruel Prince, and The Lord of the Rings comes Beck Michael's debut novel with remarkable characters, a budding romance, and gripping action. Divine Blood is the first book of an Epic Dark Fantasy series that explores the depths of loss, acceptance, and the true meaning of courage.

"Madness can afford the individual certain resources and abilities that are not available to others. The fantasy life, free flight of ideas, distortions of reality, and heightened senses . . . offer a unique perspective on the world." —From the Introduction Why do some extraordinary individuals overcome mental anguish and produce brilliant creative artistry that is often enhanced by their madness? New York Times best-selling author and noted psychologist Jeffrey Kottler explores this fascinating question in Divine Madness. His book is filled with the compelling stories of emotional turmoil that many great artists have undergone as they struggle for success and survival. Jeffrey Kottler writes about the dramatic and tragic lives of cultural icons Sylvia Plath, Judy Garland, Mark Rothko, Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf, Charles Mingus, Vaslav Nijinsky, Marilyn Monroe, Lenny Bruce, and Brian Wilson. In this riveting book, Kottler highlights the personal story of each of these extraordinary individuals and analyzes how they struggled to overcome their emotional hardships. Divine Madness clearly differentiates between those who surrendered to their illness, often taking their own lives, and those who managed to endure and even recover. Kottler details how their profound psychological issues affected their lives and work, their great productivity and success, and how they strove to achieve some kind of personal stability. The fascinating and brilliantly told stories in Divine Madness help us to find meaning in the incredible lives of these artists. They also serve as an inspiration for those who are grappling to rise above their own challenges and limitations and express themselves more productively and creatively.