(Chapter 1 only) In the winter of 1941-1942, Leningrad is under siege, and Karen Hamilton, a seventeen-year-old American musician, finds herself trapped and struggling to survive. Throughout the city, people are dying of starvation and frostbite, and Karen knows that if she doesn't escape immediately, she will share their fate. If she has any hope of leaving Russia and reuniting with her fiancé, Bobby, in New York, she must do the impossible: cross enemy lines and then stow away. On her harrowing journey, Karen encounters Petr, a young conscripted Russian soldier. She isn't sure she can trust him-he is equally wary of her. But as the two join forces in order to stay alive, an unexpected romance takes root. Now, as Karen gets closer to the reality of escape, she has a choice to make: Will she return to a safe life in America with Bobby, or remain in war-torn Russia with Petr? This is a sample chapter of the book that will be available October 18 from Lake Union Publishing.

Nearly two decades have passed since Krista and her band of gladiators won their freedom, but the empire is far from peaceful. The Colosseum still remains and with their escape scarring Rome's history, the emperor's hunger for power has never been greater. Extinguishing all attempts at rebellion, it is only a matter of time before the enslaved people of Gallia take a stand against their tormentors. Fearing another slave rebellion, the Emperor Trajan orders the legions of Rome to march on Gallia. * * * Born to two gladiator parents, Lazarus's dreams are filled with following in their footsteps and fighting upon the sands of the arena. With his trusted friend by his side, Lazarus will make the journey to Rome only to find his future of glory thrown into turmoil. The arrival of his parents in Rome has set off a chain of events that will test Lazarus's bravery and skills to the limit. With a new young commander threatening his loved ones, Lazarus must choose between a life of glory and a life of freedom. And with everything not being what it seems, can Lazarus make his parents proud or will he die trying? _________________________________________________________ Non est ad astra mollis e terris via. There is no easy way from the earth to the stars. __________________________________________________________ Book 3 of the Gladiator series. All Rights Reserved. Photos belong to their original owners.

What can a slave girl do when she's but a pawn in a game of kings? Sent to infiltrate the enemy kingdom as the new bride of the King of Palandyre, Cinclair has only one goal in mind: the prize is her freedom, the price is his life, and the task is murder. But the man she must kill ignites in her a fire she cannot quench, sends her blood racing with the first flash of his grin and the tilt of his brow, and it feels like a dagger in her gut to see him falling for a mask she wears and the lies she's spun, because one more day his passion grows means one less day that he may live. As stakes climb higher and the war drums pound louder outside the castle walls, the hour of his death draws unforgivably near. But the heart cannot kill what the heart beats for... and her heart beats for his. [ cover by @VaineLuchia ]