Addy and her mother undertake one last, desperate act to try and keep their land: calling down the devil. Trigger warning for animal violence, cursing, and a lot of blood. This story is also included in my collection Rare Birds, and was an Honorable Mention in The Best Horror of the Year Vol. 10.

A chance encounter between two people changes the trajectories of their lives forever. Cassian Kensington was a poverty stricken man, on the brink of starvation, before a chance encounter with a mysterious woman changes everything. Leaving him with only her name - Faith - and a purse full of coins, she tells him to make something of himself. But years later, fate is not finished with Cassian and Faith, and brings them together again ...

In 1558 clan MacGregor had killed eighteen MacLaren families and seized their lands. This story follows Greer, a young Scottish woman who reflects on her life after her family's death while being led to the gallows on false charges of witchcraft.

🔸️ ONC 2021 Shortlist & Honorable Mention 🔸️ In 1884, an accusation of witchcraft sent Cade Pellar running to Wyoming. A decade later, he's accused again by his own mail-order bride. The problem for Cade is that the accusations are only false because of a technicality: His magic's not witchcraft. It's Cunning. But either way, semantics are the least of Cade's concerns. Problem #1 is Mrs. Nora Pellar and the magic in her touch. Problem #2 is the Pinkerton that's been resurrected from his past. Problem #3 is that to solve the first two, Cade needs to embrace his magic. Which leads to Problem #4: He'd sooner die than become a Cunning Man. || Primary Prompt: #22 || Secondary Prompt: #63 ||

A 2019 Watty Winner. For fans of Allison Pataki and Philippa Gregory, THE NYMPH OF VERSAILLES is based on the true story of Madame Montespan's rise and fall at the court of King Louis XIV. Being the Sun King's mistress is a coveted position in a court full of greedy courtiers vying for power and Athénaïs de Montespan won't let anything stand in the way of her stealing the king's heart-not even poison. When the king's interest in his mistress Louise begins to wane, Montespan sees the position as a possible escape from her husband's mounting debts and loveless marriage. Her strained friendship with Louise doesn't stop her from charming the king. However keeping his heart is tricky in a court full of plotting beauties eager to have him for themselves, especially with her jealous husband bent on ending her seduction. Then her children's governess becomes an unexpected rival for the king's heart and the only woman who can contend with Montespan. With the court swirling with rumors of poison, Montespan finds herself caught in the web of accusations. Her position with the king begins to crumble as she fights to hold on to the life she's built. Without the king's love, she fears she will lose everything as she falls from grace.

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.

TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIOBOOK OF THE LAST NECROMANCER FOR FREE check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@cjarcherauthor For five years, Charlotte (Charlie) Holloway has lived as a boy in the slums. But when one theft too many gets her arrested, her only means of escape lies with a dead man. Charlie hasn't raised a spirit since she first discovered she could do so five years ago. That time, her father banished her. This time, she brings even more trouble upon herself. People are now hunting Charlie all over London, but only one man succeeds in capturing her. Lincoln Fitzroy is the mysterious head of a secret organization on the trail of a madman who needs a necromancer to control his newly "made" creatures. There was only one known necromancer in the world - Charlotte - but now there appears to be two. Lincoln captures the willful Charlie in the hopes the boy will lead him to Charlotte. But what happens when he discovers the boy is in fact the young woman he's been searching for all along? And will she agree to work for the man who held her against her will, and for an organization she doesn't trust? Because Lincoln and his ministry might be just as dangerous as the madman they're hunting.

The rich. The powerful. Those are the men Amy has always despised, because the only thing they've ever done is use her. So...what is she doing with HIM? Lord Patrick Day, descendant of a noble line, with enough arrogance for ten kings and the looks to go with it, is exactly the kind of man Amy hates the most. And yet, now he is the only hope she has. A sinister conspiracy. A young woman, hurt and broken. And a powerful man, who was never, ever meant to be with the likes of her. Together, can they take on the darkest depths of the London underworld?

**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