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by Robert Truss Peacock
5.0 stars – 1 reviews
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
Here’s the set-up:
The sixteenth century was rife with turmoil throughout Europe. The Topkapi Palace in Istanbul (Konstantiniyye), the seat of the Ottoman Empire, was not immune to the strife and chaos. The imperial court of Suleyman the Magnificent was a focal point for recondite, multilayered mysteries, and a breeding ground for plots Topkapi officials who may be conflicit. Suleyman summons Conte Vincenzo Lupo de Venezia (II Lupo the Wolf) to assist in the resolution of the proliferating intrigues and thwart assassination attempts against the sultan and his favored harem concubine, Roxelana. II Lupo is renowned as a master swordsman and for his remarkable investigation skills and acumen, having foiled recent plots against the French king, Francis I, and Albert, Duke of Prussia. II Lupo established a martial arts academy in Venice where the finest fighters from around the world seek his expert tutelage, including his seventeen-year-old daughter, Francesca. Having lost his wife during childbirth, II Lupo has raised Francesca as a single father. A master of the martial arts and disguise, Francesca travels with her father disguised as a boy. Arriving in Istanbul, they are escorted by Kemal, Suleymans personal bodyguard and captain of the palace guard, the Elite Beyliks. Born a Palestine Jew, Kemal was torn from his home at age eleven, enslaved by the Ottomans, and educated in the palace school as a janissary. He rose to his esteemed status at the age of twenty-six. His public persona of a handsome and fearsome warrior is juxtaposed against that of a brilliant, sensitive poet with deeply suppressed longings for his homeland. A romance between Francesca and Kemal blossoms as they join forces with II Lupo and Aziz, Roxelanas formidable and favored black eunuch, to quash assassination attempts and solve mysteries surroundings the theft of sacred relics of Muhammad from their Topkapi respository. Theft masterminded by a seemingly supernatural Shaitan are accompanied by gruesome murders committed by a demonic jinn, dwelling in labyrinthine secret passagewaysa subterranean maze running through the ancient Byzantine acropolis upon which the Topkapi Palace was built. Although filled with intrigue, action, and suspense as its heart, the book is a story of love, yearning, awakening and beneficence that touches the human spirit. This verisimilar story is presented with a visual richness evocative of the times and the tale and artistry reminiscent of the illuminated manuscripts and calligraphy of the era.
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by C. Gockel
4.2 stars – 646 reviews
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
Here’s the set-up:
In the middle of America, Amy Lewis is on her way to her grandma’s house. She’s being chased by a very bad wolf. Galaxies away Loki is waking up in a prison cell, strangely without a hangover, and with no idea what he’s done wrong — this time anyway. But he does know Thor is hiding something, Odin is up to something wicked, and there seems to be something he’s forgotten… In this urban fantasy tale that is equal parts “Dresden Files” and “American Gods,” a very nice midwestern girl and a jaded, mischievous Loki must join forces to outwit gods, elves, magic sniffing cats, and nosy neighbors. If Loki can remember exactly what he’s forgotten and Amy can convince him not to be too distracted by Earthly gadgets, Earthly pleasures, or three day benders, they just might pull it off… This first installment of “I Bring the Fire” is for anyone who suspects chaos and mischief makers might have their own redeeming qualities, and anyone who just wants a good fantasy romp through modern Earth, ancient Asgard, and beyond!
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by Michael Stott
4.2 stars – 12 reviews
Text-to-Speech and Lending: Enabled
Here’s the set-up:
The planets Tareh and Earth, connected by a wormhole, share many similar plants, animals, and civilizations. However, just because something is extinct on one, does not mean it has disappeared on the other. Sam, the King’s second son, after escaping into the wilds across the mighty White River, falls ill and is unable to fend for himself. Lal, a poor girl from the village, runs away from home to avoid an arranged marriage to an old man. Drawn by the smoke from Sam’s smoldering fire, she finds him weak and near death. The two new friends set about surviving in the unforgiving wilderness. Unfortunately, young and inexperienced Human children are not equipped for life outside. Aid comes in the form of a family of Neanderthals, still in existence on Tareh, and well adapted to living in the forest. Together they discover a shared history of a time long ago, when Neanderthals helped Humans, and a King made a promise to his Neanderthal friends. Can the two learn from each other now? And can Sam fulfill the ancient promise of his family line?
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by Louisa M Bauman
4.7 stars – 37 reviews
Text-to-Speech and Lending: Enabled
Here’s the set-up:
Will she betray her best friend to save her own life? Anna, a spinster at twenty, has lost her family to persecution, and moves to peaceful Amsterdam to escape the violence of the German Reformation. But then, Charles V arrives on the scene on a quest to rid his empire of this ‘nest of heretics’ in the Netherlands. Must Anna lose her loved ones all over again? After uncovering Maeyken’s dangerous secret, Anna must decide whether to turn in her friend as Charles’ decree demands or do nothing and risk execution herself. Anna wants to do the right thing, but what is right? How can she tell who is a True Soldier of Christ? Is it the Spanish soldiers who hunt human beings for going to the wrong church, or the hunted ones who soldier on in their faith despite persecution? Adriaen, a recent widower and a leader of the radical new faith, is unlikely to survive the purging of heretics. Anna rejects her growing love for him, realizing his life might soon be over. And why would he forgive her for what she has done to his family?
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by Kira Saito
5.0 stars – 1 reviews
Text-to-Speech and Lending: Enabled
Here’s the set-up:
A hardnosed journalist. A missing daughter. A deadly betrayal. And a discovery that will turn the world on its head…Kate Givens is a spunky, successful journalist at a major New York City newspaper with a nose for a good story… or was. When her teenage daughter went missing three years ago, the ground was pulled from under her and her life came crashing down. Now a shadow of her former self, Kate spends too much time in the past, trying to find out what happened to her missing daughter. When she isn’t obsessing over the endless possibilities of the fate of her daughter, she is popping pills to cope with the pain.She seems doomed to live a life of paranoia, pain and regret. But things change… in ways she’d never have dreamed of.When she is sent to cover a story about another missing teenage girl from a prominent New Orleans family, it strikes a little too close to home, and she balks, but finally accepts the assignment.
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by A. D. Davies
4.3 stars – 108 reviews
Text-to-Speech and Lending: Enabled
Here’s the set-up:
A brutal international underworld. A kidnapped girl. A PI determined to burn it all. When Adam Park’s former mentor recruits him to locate a vulnerable loved one, he learns very quickly that the girl is either the victim of an ex-con’s manipulation or the brains behind the robbery of a major criminal enterprise. Whatever the truth may be, she is in mortal danger. Tracking the pair from the UK to Paris, then Paris to Asia, Adam delves into the murky and violent world of human trafficking and extortion, where he must draw upon the darkest corners of his psyche to survive. But these are facets of himself he has long denied exist. Bubbling just beneath the surface, Adam has kept his anger and violence caged all his life. Because he’s a good person.
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by Em Brown
4.3 stars – 28 reviews
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
Here’s the set-up:
Reader Advisory: This erotic Regency-set historical contains dubious consent.How hard can it be to seduce one’s own wife?Leopold Spencer is shocked to learn his shy and awkward wife is secretly headed to Chateau Follet, where the most wicked, wanton forms of debauchery take place.Though he has not touched Trudie in over a year—not since their disastrous wedding night—he is not willing to be made a cuckold. Furious, he heads to Chateau Follet to retrieve her before she is in over her head. But shortly after arriving, he discovers a unique—and provocative—opportunity to test the fidelity of his wife. Under guise, he decides what he wants to do is seduce his wife.Commanding her submission, however, is not as easy as he expects…
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