Set during the Renaissance in 1588, this sweeping historical novel takes readers back to the home of Ariane, the Lady of Faire Isle, who must choose a successor to her throne as Carroll's Dark Queen series comes to a stunning conclusion.

Features the court of Britain's longest-reigning monarch Royalty and the Victorian era, with coverage of the people, pageantry, and power of Queen Victoria's court. Beginning with the Queen's 1897 Diamond Jubilee, this book describes her long reign. It paints a portrait of a unique ruler at the height of empire.

“I am Princess Meredith, heir to a throne—if I can stay alive long enough to claim it.” After eluding relentless assassination attempts by Prince Cel, her cousin and rival for the Faerie crown, Meredith Gentry, Los Angeles private eye, has a whole new set of problems. To become queen, she must bear a child before Cel can father one of his own. But havoc lies on the horizon: people are dying in mysterious, frightening ways, and suddenly the very existence of the place known as Faerie is at grave risk. So now, while she enjoys the greatest pleasures of her life attempting to conceive a baby with the warriors of her royal guard, she must fend off an ancient evil that could destroy the very fabric of reality. And that’s just her day job. . . .

From Brittany’s misty shores to the decadent splendor of Paris’s royal court, one woman must fulfill her destiny–while facing the treacherous designs of Catherine de Medici, the dark queen. She is Ariane, the Lady of Faire Isle, one of the Cheney sisters, renowned for their mystical skills and for keeping the isle secure and prosperous. But this is a time when women of ability are deemed sorceresses, when Renaissance France is torn by ruthless political intrigues, and all are held in thrall to the sinister ambitions of Queen Catherine de Medici. Then a wounded stranger arrives on Faire Isle, bearing a secret the Dark Queen will do everything in her power to possess. The only person Ariane can turn to is the comte de Renard, a nobleman with fiery determination and a past as mysterious as his own unusual gifts. Riveting, vibrant, and breathtaking, The Dark Queen follows Ariane and Renard as they risk everything to prevent the fulfillment of a dreadful prophecy–even if they must tempt fate and their own passions.

Book One in the Twilight of Avalon Trilogy She is a healer, a storyteller, a warrior, and a queen without a throne. In the shadow of King Arthur's Britain, one woman knows the truth that could save a kingdom from the hands of a tyrant... Ancient grudges, old wounds, and the quest for power rule in the newly widowed Queen Isolde's court. Hardly a generation after the downfall of Camelot, Isolde grieves for her slain husband, King Constantine, a man she secretly knows to have been murdered by the scheming Lord Marche -- the man who has just assumed his title as High King. Though her skills as a healer are renowned throughout the kingdom, in the wake of Con's death, accusations of witchcraft and sorcery threaten her freedom and her ability to bring Marche to justice. Burdened by their suspicion and her own grief, Isolde must conquer the court's distrust and superstition to protect her throne and the future of Britain. One of her few allies is Trystan, a prisoner with a lonely and troubled past. Neither Saxon nor Briton, he is unmoved by the political scheming, rumors, and accusations swirling around the fair queen. Together they escape, and as their companionship turns from friendship to love, they must find a way to prove what they know to be true -- that Marche's deceptions threaten not only their lives but the sovereignty of the British kingdom. In Twilight of Avalon, Anna Elliott returns to the roots of the legend of Trystan and Isolde to shape a very different story -- one based in the earliest written versions of the Arthurian tales -- a captivating epic brimming with historic authenticity, sweeping romance, and the powerful magic of legend.

Abducted from Earth and dropped on an alien planet, Inoxia finds herself the accidental guardian of a six year old girl. As a single woman in her thirties whose only worries are the plants in her greenhouse this is a monumental challenge. The two of them aren't alone for long when two hulking, neon aliens with quills on their heads and color changing eyes happen upon them. As a Darkborn Dauur, Aquilian has spent his life being seen as a curse by his people. The fact that he is also a twin doesn't help matters at all. With the deck stacked against him, he spends most of his time in the forest where there are no judgemental eyes. While on the hunt for a rare medicinal bloom, Aquilian finds himself trapped within a dome with some of the ugliest creatures he has ever met. Even worse is the fact that one of them happens to be his mate. Although Ettrian is a Lightborn Dauur, he hasn't always lived an easy life. Growing up as a twin in a society that believes them to be unlucky, the male has had his share of stares and gossip. When he is abducted from the forest and taken to an alien lab to be tested on, Ettrian is told to do something unthinkable. After being reunited with his twin, the male is shocked to find that Aquilian has located their mate. The only problem? She is the most hideous creature he has ever laid eyes on. With everything around them coming undone, can this unconventional family pull together to create their own happily ever after? This is a M/F/M romance. This is rated for those who are 18+ years old. This book may contain some triggers, and may not be suitable for all readers.This book comes after Ecstasy from the Deep that was published in From the Depths anthology. It is not important to read Ecstasy from the Deep before this book, but they share the same world. Humans in this world have already been invaded and dealt with the aftermath of that invasion. You will be able to read more about that in our extended version of Ecstasy from the Deep that comes out in May!

The enchanting true story of Stephenie Meyer, the Queen of Twilight.

In this trilogy set in the Deathstalker universe, the New York Times–bestselling author delivers “lots of action” and “exotic dangers” (Science Fiction Chronicle). Gathered here into a single volume, the novels in Simon R. Green’s Twilight of the Empire series take place before Owen Deathstalker’s rebellion in the same universe. An empire that once peacefully united galaxies in harmony is now rotten with corruption and ruled by a mad empress, threatened by outside alien invasion and violent internal rebellion. Against this background, “Green moves his plot at top speed” and delivers action-packed adventures set on three different worlds (Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine). Mistworld: A rebel planet, cut off from the fruits of the Empire by a punishing blockade, Mistworld is a refuge for criminals, traitors, and exiles. Under a harsh medieval order, the strong rule, the weak perish, and everyone steals. A legendary Siren, possessed of terrible mental powers, Investigator Topaz is one of the few honest ones left. And when the Empire attempts to attack the psionic shield that protects Mistworld, she is the only one who can save them, whether they deserve it or not . . . Ghostworld: Ten years ago, the indigenous people of Unseeli rose up in rebellion against the Empire. Captain John Silence led the massacre that left the natives extinct and the planet uninhabited, except for the engineers who mine its invaluable metals. But when communication is abruptly cut off from the mining settlement, Captain Silence must return to find out what’s gone wrong—and confront the ghosts that still haunt his nightmares . . . Hellworld: Disgraced naval officer Scott Hunter is given a choice: get drummed out of the Imperial starfleet or join a suicide mission with the Hell Squad. One-way planetary scouts, the Hell Squad is made up of outcasts who explore new worlds for colonization. They survive or they die, but they never come back. Hunter leads a motley team of hard-nosed rebels to the volcano planet of Wolf IV, where they discover an ancient city and awaken a race of aliens. And now it’s kill or be killed . . .

Just married and returning to live in her new husband's native land, a young Austrian woman arrived with her Burmese husband by passenger ship in Rangoon in 1953. They were met at dockside by hundreds of well-wishers displaying colorful banners, playing music on homemade instruments, and carrying giant bouquets of flowers. She was puzzled by this unusual welcome until her embarrassed husband explained that he was something more than a recently graduated mining engineer - he was the Prince of Hsipaw, the ruler of an autonomous state in Burma's Shan mountains. And these people were his subjects! She immersed herself in the Shan lifestyle, eagerly learning the language, the culture, and the history of the Shan hill people. The Princess of Hsipaw fell in love with this remote, exotic land and its warm and friendly people. She worked at her husband's side to bring change and modernization to their primitive country. Her efforts to improve the education and health care of the country, and her husband's commitment to improve the economic well-being of the people made them one of the most popular ruling couples in Southeast Asia. Then the violent military coup of 1962 shattered the idyllic existence of the previous ten years. Her life irrevocably changed. Inge Sargent tells a story of a life most of us can only dream about. She vividly describes the social, religious, and political events she experienced. She details the day-to-day living as a "reluctant ruler" and her role as her husband's equal - a role that perplexed the males in Hsipaw and created awe in the females. And then she describes the military events that threatened her life and that of her children. Twilight over Burma is a story of a great happiness destroyed by evil, of one woman's determination and bravery against a ruthless military regime, and of the truth behind the overthrow of one of Burma's most popular local leaders.

From Brittany’s fog-shrouded forests to the elegant dark heart of Paris’s royal court, one woman must challenge a country’s destiny–and her own dangerous fate. France, 1585. She is the youngest and most powerful of the “Sisters of Faire Isle,” women known far and wide for their extraordinary mystical abilities. Skilled in healing and able to forecast the future of those around her, Miri Cheney has returned to her ancestral home to take refuge from a land devastated by civil war–and to grieve for her family, driven to exile. But she cannot hide from the formidable new power threatening to seize control of France from the dread “Dark Queen,” Catherine de Medici–a diabolical woman known only as the Silver Rose. Miri has no choice but to turn to the one man she distrusts as much as she desires: Simon Aristide, the charismatic witch-finder who is now himself the hunted, and who has reluctantly made an unholy pact with Catherine. Miri must defy throne and family to save all that she loves most–and command a future greater than she could ever imagine. Vibrant with stunning historical detail, alive with characters as richly passionate as they are compelling, The Silver Rose is a sweeping, exquisitely wrought tale from a mesmerizing storyteller.