Showing results by author "H.L" in All Categories

A Baker’s Dozen - A collection of 13 classic Christmas stories.

Small-town veterinarian, Nathan Daniels never opted to become rich. Yet, wealthy women seem to fall right out of the sky and onto his lap—all but one, that is...cattle heiress Margaret Wainwright. She’s the only woman he has ever loved, and the only one who got away. Margaret is above his station—way out of his league. It takes him years to get her out of his system; and many a woman pay the price trying to fight against Margaret’s lingering shadow. The heiress wants back into Nathan’s life. But in the 1920s Victorian South, marriage is sacred, and there are just too many social obstacles to climb.

A preacher's daughter's excessive appetite for the dark side compromises her relationship with a young atheist; his desperation to save her catapults him into a strange world that is literally about to blow up in his face; and a theology professor turned demon hunter tries to save our world by battling a creature from the River Styx. In a hidden place where demons float in and out of earth's realm through a swirling mystical hole, what can save us?

In a futuristic, dystopian America plagued by unrest and growing distrust in science, Dr. Nicholas Cyrus, a renowned scientist, finds himself at the center of what he believes could be a breakthrough in his career. However, the assignment takes a sharp turn when he realizes things aren’t what they seem. He is partnered with a loyal workaholic recovering from a difficult breakup, someone he connects with almost instantly. Together, the duo work to uncover why a young boy has Modified, unaware that what they discover could change everyone’s lives.

Being an avid online gamer, Afric O’ Connor loves a challenge. Helping Neil Durant reveal himself to the girl he’s been catfishing makes for the perfect sidequest. Besides, it’s not like she isn’t getting something in return. Neil has a head for numbers, and Afric’s finances are a mess. It’s the perfect exchange. She assists him with his love life, and he sorts out her accounts.

Pregnant and running for her life, Nora flees for the sanctuary known as Morala, an all-female asylum. Instead, she finds herself on Kilton, a sanctuary for criminals running from their sentencing. Now Nora must adapt to her new home, and do so quickly before her baby arrives, and deal with the ever-present reality that if she's found, her fate could be worse than what she ran away from.

I was a city girl with humble dreams. Then Dylan O’Dea broke into my flat, held me against the wall, and told me to stay quiet. It was like in the movies, where the universe zeros in on a single scene. I looked into his eyes and knew he was going to change me. For Dylan, the sky was always falling. He showed me how our world is a contradiction of beauty and ugliness. How we choose to ignore the awful and gloss over it with the palatable. How you need just a tiny drop of something unsavoury to create every great scent.

On her first assignment out of the Academy, young healer and scholar Shannon Macaulay is summoned to the struggling kingdom of Regone to see to the wounds of a young but crippled king. When the unwanted attentions of an aggressive knight and the sudden appearance of a hated dragon turn her world upside down, she decides to take matters into her own hands even if doing so proves dangerous.

A deadly disease. A vanishing remedy. A breathless journey. All her life, Niya's known she will die young from the fatal rasp. She survives only with the aid of vitrisar spice and a magical, curmudgeonly fire salamander named Alk. Then an ambitious princess burns down the vitrisar grove in an effort to steal Alk so she can claim her rightful throne. Joined by Jayesh, a disgraced monk, Niya and Alk must flee to the faraway Hidden Temple with the last vitrisar plant, or all who suffer from the rasp will perish.

Adored fairy tales as a kid and never quite grew out of them? Love your fantasies written with hard-working heroines, snarky heroes, and a dash of romance? Look no further! The Chronicles of Curses omnibus compiles together the first three fairy tale retellings in this twisted, imaginative series by H. L. Macfarlane into one all new package!

He came back to me 16 minutes and 59 seconds into Beethoven’s Symphony no. 7. We parted amid tragedy, so it seemed poetic. Dylan O’Dea, my childhood sweetheart, once meant everything to me. Now we were strangers, and honestly, after 11 years I never thought I’d see him again. I lived in the world of the average, of getting paid by the hour and budgeting to make ends meet. But Dylan, he lived in the world of wealth and success. He’d achieved the great things I always suspected he would. The dissatisfaction he’d felt as a teenager had obviously been an excellent motivator.

Unable to make her own body heat, foundling Lizbete survives in the tavern kitchen, drawing warmth from the fires, the sun - and sometimes, other living beings. Her days are spent cooking alongside the tavern owner and avoiding the suspicious gazes of the villagers in her small northern town. While she quietly longs for the handsome Brynar, she knows she has no chance with the mayor’s son, even if he invites her to the First Frost festival.

When Scarlett Duke discovers the truth about her birthright, she’s whisked away to live with her grandmother in the dark depths of the woods. Desperately trying to reconnect with her estranged family, Scarlett soon finds herself increasingly drawn to the mysterious wandering merchant who saved her life two years prior. Adrian Wolfe is a merchant and con man with a dark secret. Cursed by Scarlett’s grandmother for one of his tricks, he’s determined to do whatever it takes to rid himself of the spell. And when he lays eyes on Scarlett, he knows he’s found his chance.

Stuck in a humiliating position as the Royal Kennel Guard, Sir Percy sees little hope for anything other than an obscure fate. After all, in the Kingdom of Ithelia, you need a fairy to guide you to greatness, and fairies just don't bother with knights like him. However, when Percy catches the eyes of the sheltered Princess Matilda, his world expands in new and frightening ways.

Prince Kajik of Frorheim has known all his life that he was a mistake. The second, unwanted son of a cold and calculating king, Kay's birth was accompanied by a dire prophecy - that he would bring about the return of the dreaded sorcerer Athan and therefore cause his kingdom's destruction. When Kay falls in love with the intended bride of his beloved brother Olyn, his father finally has cause to be rid of him. Banishing Kay from their home upon pain of death, the king proclaims that Princess Arynne will marry Olyn and unite the kingdom against Athan.

Dragon Prince Ewan has promised his beloved, Shannon, that he will become a man again or die in the attempt. Now he will do anything to make good on that promise. With the aid of his scholarly friend, Martin, Ewan consults the great Dragon Queen Harviss, who offers him a unique solution: return to the past to find Ewan's Fey ancestor and beg for her help. Leaving Shannon behind, Ewan and Martin travel to a dangerous past and fall into the clutches of a powerful Fey queen. Will Martin and Ewan ever find the cure they seek?

Having abandoned his friends and family and taken to the skies, Ewan hides himself in the Wilderlands, away from humans. However, an unexpected attempt on his life and a warning from another dragon lead him to suspect that not all is right in Regone. Ewan returns to his homeland to attend his brother's wedding and discover the source of the bounty on his head. Once there, the dragon prince finds that Ryan of Westshire has been using his absence to court the Lady Shannon.

Golan is pillaging the galaxy, harvesting planets for their Synthnic, and destroying entire civilizations. The Renegade, a loose-knit band of thieves, warriors, and refugees, are the only force standing in his way. Lily is a commander in the Renegade and leads a small team that focuses on relocating civilizations before their planets are destroyed. During an ambush Lily comes face to face with Ulrick, one of Golan's strongest generals, and a fire ignites inside her that threatens to consume her.

Dr. Meiling Chen, a brilliant young virologist from the Hong Kong Medical School, is on the verge of a major breakthrough for manipulating the entire class of RNA viruses that would make gain of function hardly more than child’s play. She is offered an attractive postdoctoral fellowship at the Wuhan Institute of Virology to complete her work, and she accepts.

Eventually, talking to yourself gets a little boring. After being locked away for 12 years in an enchanted tower, Princess Genevieve finally decides that enough is enough. She’ll climb out of the window of the tower and...that’s where her plan ends. For Genevieve knows nothing of the world - not even the way back to the royal palace and her beloved mother. But, when a tired and angry wizard magically appears in the tower just as Genevieve is trying to escape it, she is provided with a very reluctant guide back home.