Crown Prince Xavier of Aucelon is in search of a bride to be the next Queen. After invoking the tradition of the Choosing Rite, the king and queen are requiring their son to choose a bride within the coming year. Ten daughters of the nobility are invited to the Vergläis Palace to participate in the Choosing Rite. His parents want him to choose the lady with the most influence, but his younger sister has other plans. Princess Isabella does not like the idea of the Choosing Rite. There is only one girl who she deems worthy to be Queen and that is her personal maid and best friend Skylar Black. With a dash of manipulation and a hint of blackmail, she manages to secure Skylar a spot in the Choosing Rite. But with all of Isabella's hard work, will Skylar manage to catch Xavier's attention. Most of all, does she have what it takes to be a princess?

**A Blue Beard retelling** Based on Charles Perrault's fairytale, this YA Historical Fantasy short story set in Victorian England mixes romance, magic and mystery. After agreeing to an arranged marriage to escape her greedy relatives, 18-year-old heiress Amelia moves into her husband's manor determined to start a new life. But the gothic mansion's forbidding surroundings, the servants' strange demeanour and her husband's mysterious past soon awaken her suspicions. If Amelia truly wants to become the lady of the house, she'll have to discover what secrets lie beyond closed doors and unravel the mystery of the old house's forbidden room. But sometimes secrets are kept for a good reason... HIGHEST RANKING IN HISTORICAL FICTION # 44 Copyright © 2017. All works posted here are the property of EM Castellan. Please do not use without permission. Any duplication or reproduction of all or part of the work without explicit permission by the author is illegal. Cover artist: @seventhstar

When Avery is pulled away from the life she had grown accustomed to following her parents divorce the last thing she expects is to be pulled into a world of heroes and villains. In the small town of Bantfell big things are happening. The life Avery thought she knew is exchanged for that of heroes, villains and all the drama of a comic book series and Avery quickly learns that in Bantfell no one is safe. In a world where everyone seems to be wearing a mask who can she trust and who is looking to destroy her and those she loves?