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At first her goal was winning. Now it’s surviving . . . .“A stylish tale [that] addresses both fantasy gaming and censorship.” —TheNew York Times Book Review The Edgar Award–winning author presents a rollicking story that puts a high-tech twist on the classic medieval fantasy-adventure . . . Giannine has made it through the crowd of demonstrators outside the arcade to use the gift certificate from her dad. In the virtual reality game Heir Apparent, there are way too many ways to get killed—and Giannine seems to be finding them all. Which is a shame, because unless she can get the magic ring, locate the stolen treasure, answer the dwarf’s dumb riddles, impress the head-chopping statue, charm the army of ghosts, fend off the barbarians, and defeat the man-eating dragon, she’ll never win. And she has to, because the protesters have broken into the system, and losing means she’ll die—for real this time . . . “Consistently entertaining.” —Publishers Weekly “Thrilling sf drama [and] a tough girl protagonist.” —Booklist “Suspenseful. . . . hilarious. . . . riveting reading for experienced gamers and tyros alike.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) A Junior Library Guild Selection and a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW AND THE BOSTON GLOBE This richly entertaining biography chronicles the eventful life of Queen Victoria’s firstborn son, the quintessential black sheep of Buckingham Palace, who matured into as wise and effective a monarch as Britain has ever seen. Granted unprecedented access to the royal archives, noted scholar Jane Ridley draws on numerous primary sources to paint a vivid portrait of the man and the age to which he gave his name. Born Prince Albert Edward, and known to familiars as “Bertie,” the future King Edward VII had a well-earned reputation for debauchery. A notorious gambler, glutton, and womanizer, he preferred the company of wastrels and courtesans to the dreary life of the Victorian court. His own mother considered him a lazy halfwit, temperamentally unfit to succeed her. When he ascended to the throne in 1901, at age fifty-nine, expectations were low. Yet by the time he died nine years later, he had proven himself a deft diplomat, hardworking head of state, and the architect of Britain’s modern constitutional monarchy. Jane Ridley’s colorful biography rescues the man once derided as “Edward the Caresser” from the clutches of his historical detractors. Excerpts from letters and diaries shed new light on Bertie’s long power struggle with Queen Victoria, illuminating one of the most emotionally fraught mother-son relationships in history. Considerable attention is paid to King Edward’s campaign of personal diplomacy abroad and his valiant efforts to reform the political system at home. Separating truth from legend, Ridley also explores Bertie’s relationships with the women in his life. Their ranks comprised his wife, the stunning Danish princess Alexandra, along with some of the great beauties of the era: the actress Lillie Langtry, longtime “royal mistress” Alice Keppel (the great-grandmother of Camilla Parker Bowles), and Lady Randolph Churchill, mother of Winston. Edward VII waited nearly six decades for his chance to rule, then did so with considerable panache and aplomb. A magnificent life of an unexpectedly impressive king, The Heir Apparent documents the remarkable transformation of a man—and a monarchy—at the dawn of a new century. Praise for The Heir Apparent “If [The Heir Apparent] isn’t the definitive life story of this fascinating figure of British history, then nothing ever will be.”—The Christian Science Monitor “The Heir Apparent is smart, it’s fascinating, it’s sometimes funny, it’s well-documented and it reads like a novel, with Bertie so vivid he nearly leaps from the page, cigars and all.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune “I closed The Heir Apparent with admiration and a kind of wry exhilaration.”—The Wall Street Journal “Ridley is a serious scholar and historian, who keeps Bertie’s flaws and virtues in a fine balance.”—The Boston Globe “Brilliantly entertaining . . . a landmark royal biography.”—The Sunday Telegraph “Superb.”—The New York Times Book Review

Paris, 1708. Eraste, a worthy though penniless young man, is in love with the fair Isabelle, but her forbidding mother, Madame Argante, will only let the two marry if Eraste can show he will inherit the estate of his rich but miserly Uncle Geronte. Unfortunately, old Geronte has also fallen for the fair Isabelle, and plans to marry her this very day and leave her everything in his will—separating the two young lovers forever. Eraste's wily servant Crispin jumps in, getting a couple of meddling relatives disinherited by impersonating them (one, a brash American, the other a French female country cousin)—only to have the old man kick off before his will is made! In a brilliant stroke, Crispin then impersonates the old man, dictating a will favorable to his master (and Crispin himself, of course)—only to find that rich Uncle Geronte isn't dead at all and is more than ever ready to marry Isabelle! The multiple strands of the plot are unraveled to great comic effect in the streaming rhyming couplets of French classical comedy, and everyone lives happily, and richly, ever after.

Perfect for fans of Robert Beatty and Shannon Hale comes a magical new middle grade fantasy series about a young shapeshifter trying to save her family. Deep within an enchanted forest lies a castle where a set of triplets and their sorceress mother have lived for years--safe from the decades-long war for the Raven Throne that rages in the kingdom. Cordelia, one of the triplets, has the power to become any animal with just a thought, and she yearns to discover more about the world outside her castle. But one day, the world comes to her, when the eldest of the triplets becomes the newest heir to the throne. Knowing that being named heir means certain death, Cordelia's mother hid the truth about which child is the eldest when she hid them in the forest. When her family is captured, it's up to Cordelia to use her powers to keep her siblings hidden and discover the truth about the Raven Heir--before it's too late. From the author of The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart comes a thrilling new fantasy full of magic, adventure, and the power of family. Acclaim for The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart A Kids' Indie Next List Pick An Amazon Best Book of the Month A Mighty Girl Best Book of the Year A Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year A VOYA Top Shelf Pick

When stonemasons find the decomposed remains of a pregnant, unidentified mistress of King Henry VIII inside a crumbling window seat at Hampton Court Palace, curator and historian Kaitlyn Rose gets the shock of her life. Sparked by the exciting discovery, a chain of events unfolds that sends Kaitlyn's life veering wildly off course. First, she discovers that Colin Wycliffe, her best friend of seven years and the man she loves, isn't who he's claimed to be. Then, when Colin's misogynistic half-brother, Brighton Jones, turns up after a fifteen-year absence, things become even more bizarre. Brighton, an arrogant but brilliant physicist for British Intelligence, dazzles the pair with his latest top-secret project on time teleportation and sets their course spinning into the sixteenth century. After teleporting to the dangerous court of King Henry VIII, Colin and Kaitlyn make a daring attempt to save the twenty-first century monarchy from absolute extinction. Intrigue and sexual blackmail unfold when the scheming King Henry VIII-desperate for a male heir-sets his sights on the beautiful Kaitlyn. Will Kaitlyn provide an heir for King Henry VIII or will her love for Colin keep her faithful?

The Carradignes. A family of wealth and honor... But amidst this world of privilege and passion, an unforeseen peril lurks. From USA TODAY bestselling author Kasey Michaels, a compelling contemporary tale. A new queen is to be crowned. And a mysterious assassin is hell-bent on stopping it. But Captain Devon Montcalm will see Princess Kelly Carradigne ascend to her throne as queen, even if it means throwing himself in front of a bullet. From critically acclaimed author Carolyn Davidson, a heart-stopping historical prequel. A long-lost king has been discovered. And the false ruler will never let "Alex Carr" claim his birthright. But Alex has sharply honed skills from his dangerous past...and sweet Rebecca Hale to give him the strength to claim a destiny too long denied.

When the Kronides—the six children of Kronos—disappear, so too does the peace between the realms. Poseidon, the Olympian God of the Sea, and one of the three kings of the divine world has disappeared. All that remains of his legacy is an empty throne with no named successor. Although he is the first born child of Poseidon and the one that has taken his place amongst the Twelve Great Olympians, Proteus has no interest in the throne. His sights are set on only one thing—finding his father and all the other Olympians that disappeared. However, he may not have a say in the matter. The threat of war looms ever closer, and the truth is hidden by beings beyond his understanding. With his prophetic abilities in disarray and the divine world observing his every move, the Prince of the Sea will have to rise to the challenge. His journey begins now. Fate favours the eldest!

In the fourth in the Guardians of the Flame series, hero Karl Cullinane has gained an empire and all its deadly enemies. Now, what price must he pay to assure its future? Advertised in several science fiction magazines.

Making it up the aisle was the easy part: Rebecca "Bex" Porter must survive her own scandals and adjust to royal British life in this "positively delicious" follow-up to The Royal We that's "just as fun, charming, and delightful as the first" (Taylor Jenkins Reid). After a scandalous secret turns their fairy-tale wedding into a nightmare, Rebecca "Bex" Porter and her husband Prince Nicholas are in self-imposed exile. The public is angry. The Queen is even angrier. And the press is salivating. Cutting themselves off from friends and family, and escaping the world's judgmental eyes, feels like the best way to protect their fragile, all-consuming romance. But when a crisis forces the new Duke and Duchess back to London, the Band-Aid they'd placed over their problems starts to peel at the edges. Now, as old family secrets and new ones threaten to derail her new royal life, Bex has to face the emotional wreckage she and Nick left behind: with the Queen, with the world, and with Nick's brother Freddie, whose sins may not be so easily forgotten—nor forgiven.