The king's magnificent palace was built in a matter of weeks. No one saw the builders, no villagers are allowed beyond the gilded gate, and only one servant has ever left. The haunted look in her eyes as she was recaptured by the palace guards is something Josie, daughter of the village doctor, has never forgotten. For Josie, the palace is a mystery that grows more intriguing after she meets the captain of the guards, a man known only as Hammer, as mysterious and captivating as the palace itself. Whispers of magic fuel Josie's desire to uncover the truth, but an ordinary girl like her can only dream of ever being invited inside. When the king decides to take a wife from among the eligible daughters of the noble families, the palace gates are finally thrown open and the kingdom's elite pour in. In a court where old rivalries and new jealousies collide, the king's favorite is poisoned and the doctor is summoned. As her father's assistant, Josie finally sees inside the lavish walls, but she soon learns the palace won't surrender its secrets easily, for not a single resident, from the lowest servant to the king himself, has a memory from before the palace existed. In the search for the truth, Josie is drawn deeper into danger, and the answers she seeks might shake the very foundations of the kingdom.

A Beast stalks the night... but Beauty hunts him. A reimagining of the story you thought you knew. Rell grew up hearing stories of the Human Realm, a fantastic world with light at the flick of a finger, metal boxes that fly through the sky; a fantastic, faraway fairytale that she knows is too good to be true. Because Rell lives in the Dark Realm: a world full of magical creatures and a low-hanging sky, all protected by The Blood Rose. Until the day the Blood Rose is stolen away and taken to the Human Realm. Without it, the two realms will meet with disastrous consequences, the human sun bleaching all the magic from the Dark Realm. And so Rell leaves everything she knows to bring it back. There's only one problem: the Human Realm- especially high school- is nothing like the stories. There's some sort of code with words like "twerking" and "Instagram" she can't understand, and then there's Bastien, the boy who hates Rell for reasons she can't explain. But when Rell realizes Bastien is keeping just as many secrets as she is, the two become an unlikely team in the search for the Blood Rose. Time is ticking, and more than just The Dark Realm is at stake. Whoever stole the rose is now cursed to turn into a Beast every full moon, and is hidden among them. Students are going missing, and dark creatures are slipping into the Human Realm. Rell needs to find the Blood Rose, slay the Beast, survive high school, and sort out these new, confusing feelings for Bastien--all before the night of the full moon. To fail could mean the end of The Dark Realm and every magical creature within, but to succeed means she'll lose the boy she's falling for, and a Realm more beautiful than she ever imagined. A modern-day reimaging of Beauty and the Beast.

M E R E D I T H is a princess without a country. Her family, formerly the royal family of Borgavia, has been exiled from their home, forced to live under the rule of the Empire of Astoria. A N T O N Y is a prince who doesn't want a crown. Soon to be king of Astoria, he will inherit the empire his family built before him. Though glorious, it has become an empire built on blood. Antony has his work cut out for him to restore trust among the empire's citizens and to rebuild the parts that have fallen to disrepair in the wake of former kings' desires only for conquests. A R E B E L L I O N is rising. In the midst of the gathering tide, Meredith will swallow her pride and go to King's City for a job in the palace, all in the name of supporting her family. N O O N E in the king's palace is aware that their newest servant is more than a servant, and Meredith plans on keeping it that way. H O W E V E R, the best laid plans are often upset. *** copyright sovthampton | micah good all rights reserved; completed 2014 highest: 65 in fantasy Featured by Hidden Gems: Fantasy

[This story is now FREE] Florette moves to Versailles, only to discover a group of Fae are destroying France. Allying with the battled-scarred Destan, she has to save the kingdom. ***** Florette, a painter's apprentice, is finally welcomed to the palace of Versailles. Ready to work, she notices that several of the courtiers are too beautiful to be human. Soon a battle-scarred warrior, Destan, tells her the truth: a faction of Fae have left the faerie and are slowly destroying the French monarchy. Determined that France must not fall, Florette is forced to use her skill to smuggle messages about the Fae inside her own paintings. Can she trust the rugged warrior at her side? And can Florette save France from creatures beyond mortal control?