You are cordially invited to visit the new Black Hills Manor Writing Retreat.

That's how it all begins-with a simple invitation.

For five authors, it's meant to be the start of a restful week, filled with free food, drinks, and likeminded company.

But shortly after their arrival, things take an unsettling turn.

Broken property, missing items, and strange noises are just some of the odd occurrences that have each member questioning their companions. As suspicions mount, the authors are pitted against each other.

Whom can they trust in a house full of strangers?

With tensions rising, the writers find themselves in the middle of their own mystery. Death, terror, and despair are common elements in their books, but at Black Hills Manor, the murders being plotted are their own.

With a name like Isabelle Valentine, one would think I was destined to find true love and believe in the ridiculous notion of soul mates. Don't get me wrong: I'm all about love. I even own an inn with my sister where each room is named after our favorite romantic couples. But soul mates? It seems highly implausible there is that one person, your person, meant only for you. My sister, of course, would tell me I'm dead wrong and that the very inn we own calls to such lovers. So, what if she did find her own unlikely happily ever after here with one of the most famous men alive? That doesn't mean I'm meant for such a destiny.

But what happens when the implausible happens? When a man I thought I would never see again walks into my inn. The man who twenty years ago administered the kiss of all kisses. The kind of kiss that whispered to my soul and told me things I wasn't ready to hear. But this time Dr. Patrick Abbott isn't alone-he comes with two beautiful kids and the memory of his dead wife, who seems to haunt all their lives. So much so, Patrick would just as soon skip Christmas. At least that's his plan, until he finds himself playing hero trying to help me save my sister's secret Christmas Eve wedding. By hero, I mean pretending it's our wedding. Now here we are, fake engaged, except the feelings between us are all too real. Perhaps, in the chaos, there is room for my own Christmas dreams to come true. Maybe, just maybe, I was wrong about soul mates? Either way, I'm hanging up more mistletoe. Because hello, the man can kiss.

USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Peel presents a swoony, laugh-out-loud story full of holiday magic and charm.

"Endearing and casual, like an old friend sitting down for a drink with you to tell you of their exploits..." —Readers' Favorite

Fans of Cory Mortensen’s The Buddha and the Bee and Paul Stutzman’s Biking Across America will enjoy Forty to Finish!

Embark on a cross-country cycling adventure in this exciting sequel that finds author Larry Walsh on yet another solo trek across America. Here, Walsh brings readers along for the ride of a lifetime: 4,200 miles, cutting across ten states, from Oregon to Virginia. The Trans Am Bike Race is so grueling that less than 300 solo riders in the last decade have crossed the finish line. But Walsh did just that. Reaching the Yorktown Victory Monument, however, is just a small part of this tale.

In this inspiring follow-up to Suit to Saddle, we find Walsh a year removed from his fortuitous layoff that spurred his first cross-country voyage of self-discovery. This time we join the Army veteran on another exhilarating pilgrimage that's sure to reawaken that long-dormant sense of adventure, broaden horizons, and challenge the default notions of the American people. All the while, Walsh inspires readers to reconnect with their own goals and ambitions, proving that even the most daunting journey is possible with determination and faith.

Meet colorful folks from across the country as Walsh cycles through over 300 towns, and experience the ever-changing countryside, from scaling mountains to pedaling through sacred Native lands. This love letter to the American road is sure to light a fire and set readers on the course for their own unforgettable journey. For anyone feeling obsolete or past their prime, Walsh proves it's never too late to start the race of a lifetime.

More Reviews:

"Bicycling enthusiasts will find here an enjoyable depiction of the sport and its devotees’ yearnings...well-observed and engrossing account of competitive bicycling and its spiritual overtones." —Kirkus

"Lovers of sports stories and tales of endurance will appreciate this memoir of cycling across the United States." —BookLife

"Forty to Finish is a must-read...a remarkably profound and healthy book that redirects one's focus from materialistic concerns and social media content to the wonderful natural environment around us." —Manhattan Book Review

"Larry Walsh’s Forty to Finish is a straightforward, quietly dramatic memoir of a 4,192-mile bike race from Oregon to Virginia, a love letter to America, and a story of hard-won victory." —IndieReader

Author Bio:

Larry Walsh, US Army veteran, family man, and author of Suit to Saddle, left the corporate world after thirty years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. He needed a change. Wanted a change. So he set out on a 3,120-mile bike ride from California to Florida. A wise man one said, "If you dig it, do it. If you dig it a lot, do it again"—Jim Croce. So that's what he did. He entered the 4,200-mile TransAmerica Bike Race, finishing the grueling ride from Oregon to Virginia in thirty-eight days.

He found it difficult to share his experiences in quick conversations with family and friends, so he wrote about his adventures pedaling through 528 towns, covering 7,300-miles and crossing 17 states. His uplifting stories from his travels encompasses two books, Suit to Saddle (available now) and Forty to Finish (coming soon).

He finds inspiration writing at the family cabin in Torch Lake, Michigan. When he's not in Michigan, he resides in Morris County, New Jersey with his wife and son. A proud father of two daughters, a son, a basketball enthusiast, he enjoys spending time with family.

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It's November 1941. Siblings Jennifer and John, ages seven and five, huddle in a cement culvert near Kunming, China, while Japanese Zeros fly overhead. Jennifer pretends to ignore the screech of gunfire. Where are Daddy and Mummy? she thinks.

Lost in China is the true story of two Anglo-American children separated from their parents in China during World War II, and their unforgettable journey to America a year later. The Dobbs family lived in Shanghai in the late 1930s, where the children spoke Mandarin and Jennifer rode to school in a rickshaw. As war progresses, the family travels to heavily bombed Chungking, through mountains harboring bandits, and on the dangerous Burma Road. When their mother and father fly to Hong Kong on a short trip and get caught up in the Japanese attack, the Dobbs children are left parentless, with no idea when their parents will return-or if they are even still alive.

For a year, the children remain in Western China, and the two are separated when John is taken to stay with another family, where he survives a near-drowning incident. Finally, after spending a month traveling three-quarters of the way around the world via the US military's World War II ferry routes, they reunite with their mother in a rain-swept, deserted airfield in Washington, DC-and face a shocking discovery about their father. Lost in China is both a riveting firsthand account of a family broken apart in World War II China and a daughter's tribute to her beloved father.

Are you a professional who is on a spiritual path but doesn't have much time for philosophical inquiry? An executive who gets things done at work but seeks higher joy? An entrepreneur who wants to make a dent not just in business but in the universe? Modern Wisdom, Ancient Roots is for you! In it, unconventional and highly successful coach Dr. Srikumar Rao distills and condenses valuable life lessons, from ancient sources, literature, and his own experience, into quick-to-read, easily digestible chapters.

Through Dr. Rao's compelling parables, you will learn how to:

• Achieve great success while remaining as serene as a Zen monk
• Feel radiantly alive every day and bursting with gratitude
• Bounce back from disaster so quickly that others didn't even notice you were down
• Jettison dysfunctional mental models that prevent you from soaring
• Banish the incessant mental chatter that is sapping your energy
• Bring joy into your life and annihilate your fears
• Help others reach heights they never dreamed possible

And this just scratches the surface. As a bonus, the book includes a self-assessment to help you implement the chapters' lessons. If you apply the concepts in it, Modern Wisdom, Ancient Roots will make you prosper in all areas of your life.

"[An] epic tale of love, betrayal and political intrigue." -InD'tale Magazine

"The requisite fantasy elements of magic and mystery abound...Tanner also does an admirable job weaving in the politics and mythology of a bygone people." -Kirkus

"Part fantasy, part historical fiction, Linnea Tanner has woven together a wonderful tale of romance, intrigue, mystery, and legend to create an entertaining and complex story." -The International Review of Books

"[A] captivating tale of triangles; love, lust and espionage, friend, foe, and spies., barbarians, civilized Rome and spiritual-supernatural beings." -2019 Pencraft Book of the Year Award

A Celtic warrior queen must do the impossible-defeat her sorcerer half-brother and claim the throne. But to do so, she must learn how to strike vengeance from her father's skull.

​​AS FORETOLD BY HER FATHER in a vision, Catrin has become a battle-hardened warrior after her trials in the Roman legion and gladiatorial games. She must return to Britannia and pull the cursed dagger out of the serpent's stone to fulfill her destiny. Only then can she unleash the vengeance from the ancient druids to destroy her evil half-brother, the powerful sorcerer, King Marrock. Always two steps ahead and seemingly unstoppable, Marrock can summon destructive natural forces to crush any rival trying to stop him and has charged his deadliest assassin to bring back Catrin's head.

To have the slightest chance of beating Marrock, Catrin must forge alliances with former enemies, but she needs someone she can trust. Her only option is to seek military aid from Marcellus-her secret Roman husband. They rekindle their burning passion, but he is playing a deadly game in the political firestorm of the Julio-Claudian dynasty to support Catrin's cause.

Ultimately, in order to defeat Marrock, Catrin must align herself with a dark druidess and learn how to summon forces from skulls to exact vengeance. But can she and Marcellus outmaneuver political enemies from Rome and Britannia in their quest to vanquish Marrock?

She says that she’s his daughter. Could the shocking claim be true?

Beatrice is speechless. It’s something she never expected—a secret daughter. She and Aiden have only just renewed their romance, after decades apart, and he never mentioned a child. Did he know she existed?

Their budding relationship may not survive a scandal this big.

Penny’s brother comes back into her life along with her high school nemesis, his best friend. There’s one rule her brother has always held his friends to—no dating his sister. But she’s an adult now, does the rule still stand?

Plus the friend has information about the photos that were found hidden inside the cottage walls. However, his revelation may uncover more questions than answers.

Taya’s coming to terms with the new competition in town, an upscale resort built by her very own father. It could mean the end for the Blue Shoal Inn.

Then Beatrice’s ex-husband comes back into the picture and throws a spanner into the works with a shocking announcement. 

Author Bio:

Lilly Mirren is a USA Today bestselling author. She lives in Brisbane, Australia with her husband and three children. She always dreamed of being a writer​ and is now living that dream. When she's not writing, she's chasing her children, doing housework or spending time with friends.

Her books combine heartwarming storylines with achingly realistic characters readers can't get enough of. Her debut series, The Waratah Inn, set in the delightful Cabarita Beach, hit the USA Today Bestseller list and since then, has touched the hearts of hundreds of thousands of readers across the globe.

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Set among the glaciers and thermal lagoons of Iceland, and framed by the magical art of glassblowing, The Color of Ice is the breathtaking story of a woman's awakening to passion, beauty, and the redemptive power of unconditional love.

The stunning new novel by the author of award-winning novels Queen of the Owls and The Sound Between the Notes . . .

“Mahkovec weaves charm and originality into the fairy tales” —Kirkus

Not a love story—and yet a story of love. Love for a city, the artist’s way, and dreams.

When the indomitable, though introverted, Honora Gorman moves to New York City to pursue the writer’s path, she is both awed and overwhelmed by the city’s beauty and energy. Yet she’s convinced that this is the place where her true self will finally emerge. Her beloved notebooks will chronicle her at-long-last journey.

Over the course of several decades, her path often veers and detours as she stumbles over the obstacles of jobs, love, places to live, growing older, and the sense that time is running out. Yet pushing her ever forward is the exuberant persistence of storytelling—her “conversation with life”—and her do-or-die determination to stay true to her dreams. Will she triumph in the end? Are such dreams attainable?

The result is the fanciful story of Honora’s writing life woven together with fairytales, whimsy, and wonder.

Author Bio:

Linda Mahkovec is the author of World War II historical fiction, short stories, and contemporary novels.

Themes of love, family, and home dominate her stories, and though they may be set against the backdrop of war or deal with the disappointments in life, the overarching feel is uplifting and hopeful. Threads that run through her work are the search for beauty and meaning, and the artistic female character—whether she is a painter, a gardener, or simply someone who lives creatively and seeks connection.

Mahkovec was born and raised in a small town in Illinois. She then spent several years in the San Francisco Bay area and Seattle, and for the past thirty years has lived in New York City. She has a PhD in English, specializing in Victorian literature. She has previously published as Agnes Irene.

They are the best. The brightest. The hope of humanity.

And they might destroy us all...

The future. Climate change has rendered much of the world desolate. Crops are failing. Rising seas have flooded coastal communities. The earth is dying, and humanity careens toward extinction.

Enter the Olympus Project-a plan to colonise the moon, building on the fledgling Artemis base, led by three of humankind's best and brightest: Troy Bruin, Xavier Consus, and Xanthe Waters.

But even the best and brightest can fall prey to humanity's failing. Soon Xavier, Troy, and Xanthe are at war-with the arduous process of creating a new home on a hostile moon, with meddling corporations jockeying for control, with the new recruits battling for open positions on their team...and with themselves.

The future looks grim-and it's about to get worse. Because even as the crew searches for a way to reconcile their differences and work together, a secret organisation is planning to destroy what they've accomplished, and finish off what Mother Nature has begun.

The Earth is dying. The end draws near. Only the Olympus Project can save us-if they can just figure out how to save themselves...

Fans of Margaret Atwood and Emily St. John Mandel will love the first book in the most thrilling dystopian science fiction series to come along in years.

Dark secrets exposed on a lonely fen

An archaeological dig site of a crashed WWII fighter plane reveals an unexpected find-the body of a murder victim, only hours old.

DI Holt and DS Fiske get on the case, but the victim's identity is a mystery, potential witnesses are suspiciously silent, and vital information is missing.

As they search for the killer, they uncover a web of intrigue spreading across the world and decades back in time. They become entangled in its threads, and suddenly Holt discovers she's both the hunter and the hunted.

When Blood Burns is book two in the edge-of-your-seat British crime thriller series, Holt and Fiske.