Monarchs often face the consequences of a predecessor’s actions—but death is asking too much. Kitlyn and Oona never wanted power, only to love each other… a potentially deadly desire in a kingdom obsessed with a twisted notion of purity. After years hiding the truth, even from themselves, they sit on the throne together as queens. It only took bringing an end to a horrible war—and the direct intervention of a goddess—for the citizens to accept a marriage between two young women. Earning the respect of two kingdoms affords them the opportunity of learning how to lead, but goodwill won’t last forever in the face of complacency. Their resolve is tested as beasts long thought mythical are spotted around the kingdom, threatening the citizens. The sightings take an ominous turn when a stranger wielding unknown powers strolls into the throne room. Worse , the ancient curse still stalks Kitlyn. A cryptic message from a ghost offers her only chance to survive… if she dares risk the safety of the kingdom to spare her own life.

In The Blue Sapphire of the Mind, Douglas E.

Valentina, an artificial intelligence program come to life, and her creator, Celeste Hackett, a shy college student and computer genius, are menaced by an unscrupulous lawyer and two computer wizards hired to destroy Valentina

: A little magic. A little love, sex. A little religion, philosophy, mysticism. And if I can remember, only one explicit word though. So scratch the third thing I said—a lot of love and sex. And the thing about the explicit, the sex is kind of explicit, kind of implied, but oftentimes very explicit all without the use of an explicit word such as . . . (well, they probably wouldn’t want me to write an explicit word on the cover). It’s poetry. Erotic poetry, I suppose. But that’s my favorite genre of poetry, when you read something after or during a bath and start to massage your nape and dream and still feel clean afterward. Two comedic poems, if you can call them funny or maybe you might find different ones funny, so . . . This is a lovely world we live in. You just have to see it that way. The first few poems are in Spanish, so don’t feel bad to turn the page. There is plenty in store for everyone. Having dreamt often in the past of writing narratively but never being able to get myself to do so in a non-poetic style, there are also plenty of plots for your indulgences and my triumph over narratives. We have to learn to treat sex and other venues of life like they are new, like they have just come into the world, that virgin wonder and fantasy, as opposed to old and calculable. Breathe and take it slow and breathe in every vapor of love. That is why I go under the alias of The Virgin Poet.

David Eddings returns to The Elenium, the splendid fantasy series that began with the thrilling novels Diamond Throne and Ruby Knight. Finally the knight Sparhawk had come to possess Bhelliom, legendary jewel of magic that alone could save Queen Ehlana from the deadly poison that had felled her father. Sparhawk and Sephrenia, ageless instructor in Styric magics, made haste to free Ehlana from the crystalline cocoon that had preserved her life while they desperately sought a cure. But Bhellion carried dangers of its own. Once the stone came into his hands, Sparhawk found himself stalked by a dark, lurking menace. Whether the foul Zemoch God Azash was behind this threat, or some other enemy, even Sephrenia could not say—only that the sapphire rose held powers too dangerous for any mortal to bear. Restoring Queen Ehlana would be only the beginning of Sparhawk’s mission. With the aid of four stalwart knights, one from each Militant Order, he must thwart Ehlana’s prisoner, the Primate Annias, in his plot to assume the throne of the Church. For as Archprelate, Annias would serve his secret master, Azash, and deliver up to the dread God the one thing Azash thirsted for—Bhelliom itself!

A deadly treasure awaits in the world's worst place ... The Sapphire Sea

A dragon and her rider put to the test. Betrayal among allies. With Kartania's fate in the balance, who will take control? Anders knows the war to stop Merglan from reclaiming his grip on the world is just beginning. With no certainty about where or when Merglan will attack next, Anders and his companions must take action to stay one step ahead of the cruel sorcerer and his evil dragon.As he searches for ways to stop Merglan's domination of their world, Anders discovers more than he expected. With several nations of Kartania on the brink of collapse, he must make a difficult decision. Is the young rider ready to deal with the consequences he's facing? Can Anders overcome the odds and unravel the secrets of the sapphire soul? Bond of a Dragon: Secrets of the Sapphire Soul is the second novel in an adventure fantasy series. If you like gripping suspense, bold dragonriders, and page-turning action, then you'll love A J Walker's latest installment in the Bond of a Dragon series. DiscoverSecrets of the Sapphire Soul by picking up a copy today!

The debut of a major new talent, SAPPHIRE'S GRAVE tells the stories of several generations of African-American women, bringing their spirit and their sorrow to life with a power, sensitivity, and immediacy. In 1749 in Sierra Leone, a woman of fierce dignity is captured and forced onto a slave ship. On the harrowing voyage to the Americas, she is beaten for her unrelenting will and staunch pride. When she arrives, she gives birth to a daughter who is called Sapphire because of the "black-blue-black" complexion she shares with her mother. Sapphire has also inherited her mother's strength and defiant spirit, and despite a life of poverty and opression, she grows up to mother several daughters of her own. Even when tragedy strikes and part of Sapphire dies, her strength gives rise to a legend that will sustain the women who follow her, "each carrying something of her mother, her grandmother, her aunts; each passing on to her own daughters blessing and cursing, the consequences of her own choosing. Through the lives of Sapphire and her descendants, Hilda Gurley-Highgate not only creates a poignant and engrossing saga of black women in America, she brilliantly illuminates the meaning of roots and the links between women and their female ancestors, a tie that often appears tenuous, undefined, and distant, but is strong, palpable, and much closer than we imagine. Written in luminous prose, SAPPHIRE'S GRAVE is an astonishing work by an author poised to take the literary world by storm.

A sweeping, breathtaking story of love and betrayal from the internationally bestselling author of The Tea Planter's Wife Ceylon, 1935. Louisa Reeve, the daughter of a successful British gem trader, and her husband Elliot, a charming, thrill-seeking businessman, seem like the couple who have it all. Except what they long for more than anything: a child. While Louisa struggles with miscarriages, Elliot is increasingly absent, spending much of his time at a nearby cinnamon plantation, overlooking the Indian ocean. After his sudden death, Louisa is left alone to solve the mystery he left behind. Revisiting the plantation at Cinnamon Hills, she finds herself unexpectedly drawn towards the owner, Leo, a rugged outdoors man with a checkered past. The plantation casts a spell, but all is not as it seems. And when Elliot's shocking betrayal is revealed, Louisa has only Leo to turn to . . .