Starla Huchton

Once upon a time, a dark evil crept into my kingdom, stealing my loved ones and the happy life I knew. The world turned against me, and I swore to become stronger, to keep myself safe. Once upon a time, there was a handsome prince, hair dark as ebony, skin as pure as the freshly driven snow, and I became the only one who stood between him and death. Once upon a time, our stories intertwined, and now, healing my heart may be the only way to save us all from the evil that threatens to destroy what little we have left.

A Flipped Fairy Tale

Shadows on Snow

Once upon a time, I made a promise to a stranger. Though I'd never seen her face, I cared for her above all others. Once upon a time, I broke my vow. In trying to save the one I loved, I condemned her to a cursed life and stripped her of all freedom in a single, misguided step. Once upon a time, I set out on a journey. Though it might never earn me forgiveness, I would set her free or die trying.

Ride the Wind

Once upon a time, my life was certain: it was insignificant, and it was cruel. But I refused to let it define me, no matter how great the cost. Once upon a time, I made a wish. The world I knew grew wider than the sky and higher than the stars, and I listened to the voice within me, reaching out for freedom. Once upon a time, my wish became my fate, and my destiny the hardest lesson to learn: kindness may be the most difficult path, but it can save entire kingdoms.

The Stillness of the Sky

Once upon a time, I wandered between worlds. Part of both, but all of none, my heart longed to find its place, and I turned my back on those I loved. Once upon a time, I spoke my greatest wish aloud. I found the peace I longed for, but the cost was too high, the price no less than everything I was. Once upon a time, I chased down myths and legends. In a land as wild as I was, a lesson in love and friendship called to me, asking a single question: what did it truly mean to be human?

Wild at Heart

Once upon a time, I was dust. I haunted the shadows, my survival tied to what little I could steal. Once upon a time, I refused the darkness. I traded my life to save another, sparing him the cruel fate that was rightly mine. Once upon a time, I was sent to my death. There, my destiny found me, and the world I knew changed forever with a secret long-buried by the sands.

Dust in the Desert

Keserédes nyár

Margaret Walsh worked for six years to overcome the trauma she endured at the hands of bullies as a kid, and graduation promises the chance to start over in college and leave the past behind her for good. What was supposed to be her last summer of fun before moving to Paris turns into a nightmare as her parents announce they're taking over management of a restaurant in the New England beach town where she spent her childhood. For them, it's an amazing possibility. For her, it means confronting memories- and people- she'd rather forget. Margie's all grown up now, but some things never change. When Zach Robinson insists he's not the bully she remembers, it's all she can do not to laugh. Still, if she's learned anything over years, it's that everyone deserves an opportunity to be better. Even lost causes need second chances, but with her heart on the line, asking her to bet on a long shot might take more faith than she's willing to give.

My Bittersweet Summer

The war against corrupted monsters from the Void may have ended, but much remains broken in Valentia, including its reluctant monarch. To save the kingdom from the destruction of civil war, Darius Marillion had to sacrifice his heart, agreeing to a marriage of convenience over one of love. Lady Arden Tanarian was born to wealth, bred to be a fine wife to a high lord. Despite her mother's best efforts, however, her passion for the decidedly unladylike fields of chemistry and elvish culture marks her as a different breed of woman. Though she's always been able to see the bright side of things, Arden's hopes for her life with the dashing, but sullen prince crumble around her in learning where his heart truly lies. Dubbed The Light of Valentia, Arden has a mystifying effect on the world around her. She inspires something in people- including Darius- that he thought he'd never feel again: Hope. Bonds of the heart forged in battle are strong, but time changes much. When the flames of war fade to low embers, peace in a kingdom can reveal love in the most unexpected places.

Tempered Hearts

Captain Rachel Sterling commands the ship that rules the sea and air, but when a chance encounter ends with a strange ring in her possession and a secretive order known only as The Brotherhood out for her blood, gone are her simple days of dodging the law to make a profit. Armed with a loyal crew, an enamored inventor, and an intellect as deadly as her aim, she must fight against an ancient power and those who would command it. What is the purpose of this mysterious ring and what dangerous magic will she face? Join the crew of the Antigone's Wrath as they sail the waters and navigate the skies to find the information they desperately need before it's too late.

Master of Myth

The crew of the Antigone's Wrath returns for more adventures around the world! Two years after the devastating events on Yonaguni island, the consequences are still rippling through Captain Rachel Sterling's life. Unable to bring herself to replace what she lost in that tragic affair, both she and Danton DuSalle are stretched thin. When the master-at-arms is crippled by his spreading "condition," Rachel has little recourse but to turn to the only man who might be able to help. Silas Jensen never expected to return to the Antigone's Wrath, but has an utter inability to say no when Rachel comes crashing back into his life. Between explosions and being shot at, he didn't think it was possible for things to get worse, but the never-ending mysteries of Rachel's heritage make every step more difficult than the last. In a race against time, Rachel and Silas chase a legend across the globe, but are their new allies as benevolent as they seem? Even millennia can't keep some secrets buried.

Master of Machines

Everyone Dreams.But what would you do if you suddenly found out that you were one of the few who creates dreams for the whole world? Would you use your power to harness the light and weave it into beautiful tapestries of magic and wonder, or would you fall prey to the seductive siren song of darkness and nightmares?For tattoo artist Aura Mayville, this becomes a reality as she is ripped from her life of art and music and thrust into a realm where good and evil struggle for control over the minds and hearts of men.With a sarcastic sorcerer, a mercenary, and her Spirit Guide as her only companions, Aura must journey through the dream realm to discover both her power and where her heart truly lies. In a place where anything is possible, can she find the strength to hold on to herself, or will she be lost to the shadows forever?

The Dreamer's Thread

"In my head, I saw myself zipping down the road, checking the map and matching it up with the mile markers I expected. One, two, three, four, five... I had a good idea of what lay ahead."But life put up a little detour in the form of one beautiful boy with a smile I couldn't get enough of. That side road wound away, and I couldn't see beyond the first turn."Katrina Crawford has a plan for herself, and the first step is getting the heck out of Highland, Iowa. Unfortunately, she still has one year left of high school before she can pursue her dreams of costume design at the college she's set her heart on.The problem with plans, though, is that life has its own ideas.Ethan Clark is king of Rockford Community High School, and is so far out of her league it would be a fantastic joke if she could bring herself to tell it. A triple threat in music and the son of a Christian minister? Yeah, not even in Trina's dreams would he have a reason to speak to her. Ethan, however, seems to see things a little differently.And he sees her differently, too.That's gotta be her imagination, though, right?Life certainly loves a detour, but once you step off the road, how do you get back on?

Love Songs, Detours, Et Cetera

From Paris, with Regret

"Soldiers need wars, doctors need patients, and the Nanshe needs trouble. That's just kinda how it is."The galaxy ain't a friendly place, but it's a good sight better when you've got friends at your back. And when the crew of the Nanshe stumbles into larger-than-your-average trouble, they'll need all the help they can get.What starts off as a simple retrieval of stolen goods turns deadly when Leena Espinoza discovers a girl stashed in a cellar, her guardian murdered. The crew has a soft spot for hard cases, and despite Delilah's odd behavior, offers help instead of turning her over to the authorities.But what they don't know might kill them.No good deed goes unpunished, and the crew winds up on the radar in the worst possible way. Merc squads, shadowy coalitions, plus the usual criminal element are all on their tails, so it's fight or flight.As a plot to unbalance the entire civilized universe unfolds around them, the ladies of the SS Nanshe gear up for battle. Through blood and fire, they'll do everything they can to protect what little they have. In the vast blackness of space, taking matters into your own hands isn't an option.... It's a matter of survival.

Make Bright the Arrows

Heartbroken over Lydia's unexplained departure, Daniel Brewer is barely functional. When she left the Endure, she took everything important with her: his purpose, his heart, his reason for breathing. Daniel's convinced Nick Miller has the answers to his questions, but Dr. Gorgeous isn't talking. A world away, Dr. Lydia Ashley struggles with her choices and mistakes. With one small discovery, everything she thought was true is shattered in an instant. The buried secrets of the Maven Initiative surface. No one is safe. And Daniel and Lydia must both decide exactly how far they'll go for love.

The Endure Series

Progeny

Rule #1: Don't tell the demons you can see them. Rule #2: Don't let a demon think you're useful. Rule #3: Don't ever owe a demon anything. Aren't there exceptions to every rule? Kendra Abbot is learning the hard way that once you bend them, you can never go back. She's seen demons every day of her life, but it was never a problem until she caught the eye of Nicholas Grant. A yokai older than Jesus is a dangerous thing, and even more so when he wields the power of desire. Whatever Nick wants, Nick gets, but Kendra has a secret weapon. There's power in knowledge, and she's determined to know her enemy. When a single debt for a friend backfires in the worst way, and favors change hands, it's Kendra caught in the middle, forcing her to create a new rule. Rule #4: never, ever sleep with your boss.

The Devil You Know

*** This is the first in the follow-on to the Evolution series. Readers are advised to experience that trilogy before beginning SPARK.*** A shadow looms over every day of Phoebe Lawrence's life. The child of two of the most powerful superheroes on the planet, she's never had the choice to be anything less than perfect. Making mistakes isn't an option, and being normal is definitely off the table. Being a Superkid is far from easy, and controlling her newly awakened ability feels nearly impossible. Fear finds her around every corner, her potential for absolute destruction a demon that not only haunts her nightmares, but chars the edges of her waking moments at the slightest lapse of control. When the Supers of ISLE start getting sick one by one, it falls to Phoebe to step up and take her parents' place. With her world crumbling around her, it's up to her to uncover the source of the disaster, and with her parents out of commission, a boy she barely knows might be her best, and only, hope. All she has to fear is herself, but can love truly conquer any demon?

Spark

Meri Klaus has one job: choose the next Santa. The problem? No one in the northern climes is suitable for the title. As the daughter of Santa Claus, it's up to her to keep the family business going. When Dad comes down with a case of polar flu, the whole world needs a stand-in, or Christmas won't be coming this year. So what's a gal to do? Brett Dunning lost his holiday spirit seven years ago when childbirth took his wife on Christmas Eve. His daughter Holly might light up his life, but no amount of begging will get him to deck the halls. With three short weeks to go, Meri doesn't have much time to find a Mr. Claus, but when an old college friend requires a helping hand, she meets a man who needs a dose of holiday hope as much as she does. Meri finds herself set on Brett, but how much mistletoe will it take to thaw his frozen heart?

For the Love of Christmas

Pip Ballantine

Val Griswold-Ford

Helen Madden

Tales from the Archives are short stories set in the world of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. They explore events mentioned in the novels, characters seen and unseen and may include novel teasers of things to come. This volume includes: From Paris with Regret by Starla Huchton- On assignment in the City of Light, Ministry agents Eliza D. Braun and Harrison Thorne chase down a murderer condemning descendants of a royal bloodline to a horrific death. Hanuman's Gift by Helen E H Madden- Deep in the Archives, Augustus Whitby toils through his duties in the Archives, dreaming up romantic stories far more plausible than the supposed “investigations” of the field agents. A story from Agent Harrison Thorne and an unassuming artifact from his recent case, however, proves much to Whitby’s chagrin that there are some truths that are far stranger than fiction. The Sun Never Sets by Val Griswold-Ford- Agent Isaac Martin receives a note, imploring him to investigate the nearly completed clock tower at the Palace at Westminster. He and his partner, Agent Andrew Kensington, start looking into the construction and uncover unanswered questions concerning this new landmark’s creators. The Precarious Child by Pip Ballantine- The street urchins that will one day be called the Ministry Seven, have a task from Agent Harrison Thorne. It seems simple enough, however their leader Miss Verity Fitzroy discovers that a surprise from her past is tangled up with this mysterious man which leads to a very precarious situation.

Starla Huchton

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