************************************************************************************** An outcast rogue must break a curse put on his fate, or die on his nineteenth birthday. To survive, he'll need the sword of a maiden, the aid of an immortal, and the power of forbidden magic that could cost him the only girl he ever loved. ************************************************************************************ *** THE JACK OF SOULS won a Silver IPPY this year! *** THE JACK OF SOULS won 1st place in the PNWA Competition in Fantasy! * *** THE JACK OF SOULS won 1st place in the Southwest Writers competition! * *** A "Featured Book" on Wattpad! * *** Now a "Staff Pick" on Kickstarter! * *** Available on Amazon in paper, hardback, and ebook ! * *** My contract with Kindle Select won't allow me to post more than 3 chapters here, but... *** Sign up for my newsletter on stephenmerlino.com for alerts when it's free on Amazon! * MY INSPIRATION I wrote this out of pure love of trickster rogues; I love the wit over brawn motif -- Odysseus over Achilles, Raven over Eagle -- so I like to play with it in my stories. In JOS I set the rogue and con-artist Harric against a foil of warriors in a land threatened by magic and civil war. Whenever possible I turn familiar tropes on their heads: instead of a handsome young Lancelot, I cast a broken-down ex-champion addicted to pain-killing herbs; instead of a dashing Squire Brian, the old knight reluctantly takes an ambitious young woman as squire. Similarly, I re-imagine the standard medieval milieu by infusing aspects of two of my favorite historical periods, Elizabethan England, and The American Frontier. Both eras boast a kind of nationalistic arrogance that borders on hubris, and a magnificent spirit of resourcefulness and re-invention that is fun to play with. SERIES The Jack of Souls is first in a series. I am posting parts of the sequel here now (The Knave of Souls), to help me refine the story.

Thirteen years ago, she fell in love with him. Because she was young and shy, she didn't dare confess her love. Thirteen years later, she was still in love with him. She loved him so much she tried her hardest to conceal it. The furthest distance on Earth was the distance between them - so close, and yet he didn't realize that she loved him. She stood before him, and yet she didn't dare to let him know that she loved him. But he did. *** OFFICIAL BRINGING THE NATION'S HUSBAND HOME'S ENGLISH VERSION ON Wattpad ☆ MINT(10 TO 9.9) GRADE CHINESE/MANGA NOVEL THIS WILL BE THE SEQUEL TO BRINGING THE NATION'S HUSBAND HOME. If you haven't read the first one, this one will make ABSOLUTELY ZERO SENSE as this is a continuation of Bringing the Nation's Husband Home.

Rachel fell madly in love with Ares Niarchos when she was eighteen. She thought he was her future... her forever. Despite others saying Ares would never even notice a low-class girl like her, she refused to listen. For her, Ares was different. He was a real prince charming, a perfect guy with a beautiful heart. What happened when Ares noticed her and she realized that he was not a prince charming material at all - but a COLDBLOODED BEAST.

Silent. Cold. Chiselled perfection. That is Rikkard Ambrose, the most powerful business mogul in Great Britain. Free-spirited. Fiery. Definitely NOT attracted to the aforementioned business mogul. That is Lilly Linton, his personal secretary and secret weapon. The two have been playing a cat and mouse game for months. So far, Lilly has been able to fight down and deny her attraction to Mr Ambrose. But what happens when suddenly, the dark secrets of his past begin to surface and they are forced to go on a perilous journey into the South-American jungle? A journey they can only survive if they band together? Book 3 in the Watty-Award-winning "Storm and Silence" series.

British business mogul Rikkard Ambrose has departed London to face his arch-rival in a deadly game of espionage and intrigue at the Royal Court of France, leaving his lady love behind to knit socks and twiddle her thumbs. Left behind alone? That is not something Lilly Linton is willing to put up with! Determined to show her boss who's boss, she embarks on her most dangerous adventure yet, armed with the most powerful weapon of all: love-and, just in case, her trusted revolver. The 5th volume of Robert Thier's award-winning Storm and Silence series.

Family - the most important thing in the world, right? If it's your own, maybe. But if it's the family of the incredibly powerful, incredibly alluring businessman with whom you've been conducting a secret office affair, and they don't yet know about the affair, things are a little bit different. Life is about to get real for Lilly Linton. All those stolen moments behind closed doors, those secret kisses and whispered words are about to catch up with her. As she and her boss, business-magnate Rikkard Ambrose, travel north to his parents' palatial estate, she is about to discover whether she has the strength to step out of the shadows and change her fate forever. Volume four of the award-winning "Storm and Silence" series.

Never do what you're told, never boil your own head in vinegar and, most important of all, never ever marry a man-those have always been Lilly Linton's principles for a happy, carefree life. So, how the heck did she end up engaged to multinational industrial magnate Rikkard Ambrose? Right now she's too happy to care. But what happens when she discovers the dark secrets of her fiance's past? Can she still love him if she finds out the truth? The sixth volume of the award-winning "Storm and Silence" series.

This was NOT how Lilly had expected her honeymoon to go. Ever since their ship left the shore, she has been feeling dizzy, irritable and nauseous...and what the heck are these strange cravings she keeps having? Her brand-new husband is no help either. Suddenly, stoic, icy billionaire Mr Rikkard Ambrose has turned into a moody, overprotective caveman. Oh well, there's no bad mood that can't be cured by an action-packed adventure in the Wild West, right? Volume 7 of the Storm and Silence series.

Four allies; one mission. Take down the tyrant. This should be easy considering they're the Chosen Wolves. They're inherently powerful. United, they'd be a force of nature. Unfortunately for the werewolf community, they face two minor setbacks: One, this tyrant just so happens to be a thousand year old immortal hybrid... with psychopathic tendencies. Two, these so called allies are barely out of their teens and have more issues than Vogue. It's going to be a roller coaster ride when Kiara and Karma come to town and Aden better be ready for it. Things are either going to go rolling downhill or rocket into the sky. With heartbreak and death threats lurking at every corner, does reconciliation even stand a chance? Join the wolves as sacrifices are made. Secrets are exposed. And some lessons in life are learnt the hard way... _____________________ (Sequel of REGRET THE REJECTION.) Peak Position : WW-05 | PN-11p