Colonel Ridge Zirkander isn’t the model of military professionalism—he has a tendency to say exactly what’s on his mind, and his record has enough demerits to wallpaper the hull of an airship—but as the best fighter pilot in the Iskandian army, he’s used to a little leniency from his superiors. Until he punches the wrong diplomat in the nose and finds himself issued new orders: take command of a remote prison mine in the inhospitable Ice Blades Mountains. Ridge has never been in charge of anything larger than a flier squadron—what’s he supposed to do with a frozen fortress full of murderers and rapists? Not to mention the strange woman who shows up right before he arrives… Sardelle Terushan wakes from three hundred years in a mage stasis shelter, only to realize that she is the last of the Referatu, the sorcerers who once helped protect Iskandia from conquerors. Their subterranean mountain community was blown up in a treacherous sneak attack by soldiers who feared their power. Everyone Sardelle ever knew is dead, and the sentient soulblade she has been bonded to since her youth is buried in the core of the mountain. Further, what remains of her home has been infested by bloodthirsty miners commanded by the descendants of the very soldiers who destroyed her people. Sardelle needs help to reach her soulblade—her only link to her past and her last friend in the world. Her only hope is to pretend she’s one of the prisoners while trying to gain the commander’s trust. But lying isn’t her specialty, especially when the world has changed so much in the intervening centuries, and if Colonel Zirkander figures out who she truly is, he’ll be duty-bound to sentence her to the only acceptable punishment for sorcerers: death.

Rowan Summerwaite is no ordinary woman. Raised at the knee of The First and honed into a weapon by the Hunter Corporation, she wields ancient knowledge from the Goddess Brigid…and is newly married to a powerful Vampire scion. Though she'd hoped the deadly events in Venice would end the threat to The Treaty she is sworn to protect, Rowan found evidence of a grander conspiracy to destroy the fragile peace that holds humans, Vampires and those with magic back from war. A war that would only hurt the weakest and destabilize the world as we know it. It's not so much that someone ordered her assassination that makes her angry—people try to kill her all the time—as it is the risks those she cares for, especially her new husband, now face. Clive Stewart has never tried to pen Rowan in or control her choices. He has his own fires to put out now that he's married to the most powerful non-Vampire in their world, and Rowan knows it's a challenge to support her the way she needs while not being too much or not enough. The organization that gave her a purpose, a home, roots and a path when she'd run from The Keep at seventeen has betrayed her. Now, instead of on a much-anticipated honeymoon, Rowan is in London gathering her allies and the evidence necessary to drive out the rot within Hunter Corp. and expose whoever is at the top. Rowan is a predator and this threat is prey. She'll burn it down and salt the earth afterward. On her terms. See how Rowan's fight began in Goddess with a Blade, available now!

The epic first installment in New York Times bestselling author Lauren Dane’s Goddess with a Blade series. Rowan Summerwaite is no ordinary woman. Physical vessel to the Celtic Goddess Brigid and raised by the leader of the Vampire Nation, she’s a supercharged hunter with the power to slay any vampire who violates the age-old treaty. A recent string of murders has her at odds with Las Vegas’s new Scion, the arrogant and powerful Clive Stewart. The killings have the mark of Vampire all over them, and Rowan warns Clive to keep his people in line—or she’ll mete out her own brand of justice. Though her dealings with Clive are adversarial to say the least, Rowan is intensely aware of her attraction to him. But she can’t let it distract her from her duty—to find and battle the killer before more women die. “Fans of exciting and sexy urban fantasy have hit the jackpot with the Goddess with a Blade series.” —RT Book Reviews Rowan’s journey continues in Blade to the Keep, Blade on the Hunt, and At Blade’s Edge, available now! This book is approximately 73,000 words Edited by Angela James Originally published in 2011

Sharp Tools Work Better! If you've never experienced the pleasure of using a really sharp tool, you're missing one of the real pleasures of woodworking. In The Perfect Edge, the mystery of the elusive sharp edge is solved by long-time sharpening expert and tool maker Ron Hock. You'll soon find how easy and safe hand tools are to use. This book covers all the different sharpening methods so you can either improve your sharpening techniques using your existing set-up, or determine which one will best suit you needs and budget. Ron shows you the tricks and offers expert advice to sharpen all your woodworking tools, plus a few around-the-house tools that also deserve a perfect edge.

In the heart of Vandar, as dark forces close in, Elyon, a gifted Bladeborn, fights for his family's survival.In the war-torn northlands of Tukor, a servant girl with a mysterious past is forced on the run, propelling her on a journey that will change her world forever.From the Shadowfort, a secret power is unleashed, one that will set into motion a series of events that will bring the world to its knees.With the world on the verge of chaos and countless lives at stake, a new First Blade must be selected, but obstacles stand in the way. Alliances are broken. Enemies are born. Only the strong will survive.Follow this epic tale as the battle for power, land, and the divine gifts of the Fallen Gods determine who lives and dies and who possesses ultimate control.

A fling with a prince forces a headstrong guard out of her comfort zone—and kingdom—in this fantasy romance by the author of The Pages of The Mind. Jepp has been the heart of the queen’s elite guard, her Hawks, since long before war split her homeland. But the ease and grace that come to her naturally in fighting leathers disappears when battles turn to politics. When a scouting party arrives from far-away Dasnaria, bearing veiled threats and subtle bluffs, Jepp is happy to let her queen puzzle them out while she samples the pleasures of their prince’s bed. But the cultural norms allow that a Dasnarian woman may be wife or bed-slave, never her own leader—and Jepp’s light use of Prince Kral has sparked a diplomatic crisis. Banished from court, she soon becomes the only envoy to Kral’s strange and dangerous country, with little to rely on but her wits, her knives—and the smolder of anger and attraction that burns between her and the prince . . . Perfect for Game of Thrones fans looking for more romance. Praise for The Edge of the Blade “A wonderful fantasy with tons of action, adventure, and heart. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time flipping through the pages to find out what was going to happen next!... This was a great novel that I absolutely recommend.” —Night Owl Reviews “The sparring between Jepp, formerly of the High Queen’s guard and Prince Kral of Dasnaria, brings to mind Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas in Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile.” —Heroes and Heartbreakers

Ridge, Sardelle, and their comrades may have rescued Tolemek’s sister and freed the dragon, but trouble awaits at home. The king is missing, a secret organization is hunting sorcerers, and the capital is more vulnerable than ever to enemy attack. Worst of all, at least from Ridge's point of view, someone put that jackass Colonel Therrik in charge of the flier battalion. Ridge and his allies have a lot of problems to fix, but they can’t show their faces in the capital without being arrested or shot. This time, it’s going to take a lot more than magic to save the country. The Blade’s Memory is the fifth installment in the Dragon Blood series.

“Technology infrastructure decisions always carry some degree of uncertainty- from large corporations down to small and medium businesses. Straight to the Point will help companies to understand more about Blade Servers and assist them in determining if Blade Servers are right for their organization. This book is definitely a must read for any IT Manager thinking about Blade Servers.” —Chris Perrine, COO & EVP of Sales & Marketing, Springboard Research “Blade server computing combined with virtualization technology introduces a new data center paradigm where the potential values to the enterprise are limitless, and fear not; Straight to the Point’ is here to get you started on a journey you won’t look back!” —William Wu, Asia Pacific Server Manager, Intel Corporation “Searching for right technology to suit your business, while being fully aware of technology's dynamic and rapid evolution, is much like a search for the Holy Grail. ‘Straight to the Point’ illuminates your path. However, you will still need the courage to make your own decisions.” —Alok Ohrie, Managing Director, AMD India “IDC believes that blades will become the next big battleground for server vendors, which means more innovation and better value for end-users. It is a platform that is focused on addressing tomorrow's problem for the endusers. This book provides great commentary in a simple language to illustrate the benefits of deploying blades. The real life customer examples further helps to communicate the value-proposition of this innovative form factor.” —Avneesh Saxena, Vice President, Asia/Pacific Systems,Storage and Software Research IDC "With processors getting more and more powerful, the importance of leveraging the available computing power to get more out of it has become essential for every business. Blade servers with its amazing ability to onsolidate and virtualise is just the thing that many a CIO is looking for. Straight to the point on Blade Servers is a wealth of simple yet important information that will help entreprenuers make a business decision with their IT infrastructure" —Mike Clayville, Vice-President, Asia Pacific and Japan VMware

Märit Laurens is a young woman of British descent who comes to live with her husband, Ben, on their newly purchased farm along the border of South Africa. Shortly after her arrival, violence strikes at the heart of Märit's world. Devastated and confused but determined to run the farm on her own, Märit finds herself in a simmering tug of war between the local Afrikaner community and the black workers who live on the farm, both vying for control over the land in the wake of tragedy. Märit's only supporter is her black housekeeper, Tembi, who, like Märit, is alone in the world. Together, the women struggle to hold on to the farm, but the quietly encroaching civil war brings out conflicting loyalties that turn the fight for the farm into a fight for their lives. Thrilling to read, A Blade of Grass is a wrenching story of friendship and betrayal and of the trauma of the land that has shaped post-colonial Africa.

What is a curved blade? Why would I want to carry one? What are the differences between a curved blade and a straight edge? Why carry a curved edge over a straight edge? Where did curved blades originate? Are they legal to own? How are they carried? How are they used? Although its origin can be traced to before the-middle ages, the production curved blade is a recent arrival to the modern knife community. What makes this type of knife so special? Join subject matter expert Steve Tarani as he takes you through the history, features and usage of the unique curved blade. In this volume, scope of study includes: Brief history, features, grips, stances, carry, deployment and usage of the curved blade in personal safety and defense. If you already own one or are thinking about owning a curved blade knife then this study guide is for you!