When Kim and David go house hunting, they’re hoping for a Once in a Lifetime Opportunity. But is their relationship strong enough to survive the rigours of house hunting in the gentrified suburbs of Wellington?Local pub owner Jemima Jane Ericson is living a lie. She’s been in love with her best friend Ethan since forever. But he fell in love with another woman, married her, and despite their tempestuous relationship and decade old divorce, JJ knows Ethan’s heart is still down for the count. And friendship is better than nothing, right?Single dad and Jumbuck Springs chief of police, Ethan Weston, hits the pub the night his ex-wife remarries and announces she wants custody of their daughter. When he wakes the next morning to find himself in JJ’s bed he’s mortified that they’d crossed a line they should never have crossed. Until JJ’s abusive ex, Shane, shows up at her door and Ethan claims he and JJ are engaged to protect her.Both are stunned by the unravelling of their normally sane lives but suddenly it makes sense – JJ gets a deterrent and Ethan gets the respectability of a wife for any custody claims. But when JJ’s life is threatened, Ethan is forced to confront feelings that may just run much deeper than convenience…

Earth has been ravaged by some catastrophe. But strange happenings and communities are emerging in these three tales - Gift of Green Fire, The Water Watchers and The Sun Steps of Shunai. People have fled, been overwhelmed or are reappearing bizarrely transformed. What future will unfold? These are ventures into fantasy, but also food for thought.Gift of Green Fire and Other Strange Encounters are futuristic fantasies after some cataclysm on Earth has caused chaos.In Gift of Green Fire, inspired by a notion of the late astronomer Carl Sagan, scientists settle on Khaeros, a comet with a city built in the ice and the seeds of extraordinary trees, engineered on earth planted in the snow!Simultaneously, on Khaeros, there is a megalomaniac scientist breeding a subservient yet telepathic race of beings who will help him dominate the comet and beyond. And there is another perverted scientist on Earth with similar aims and the idea of combining the qualities of man with those of trees!Meanwhile, how will Hal, the son of one of the scientists on Khaeros, who was accidentally left behind on Earth, survive?The trees on Khaeros, unable to control their roots through lack of gravity, run riot, while others, whose seeds escaped on Earth, prove more promising. With the rogue scientists overcome, can man's relationship with nature be restored?In The Water Watchers, Earth is magically transformed after some disaster affects the elements of water, fire, air and earth. The narrator is a bewildered survivor who wanders through the new world meeting the beings who have emerged from the upheaval and uncannily absorbed aspects of each element.The theme of the story is fear, from within and without. Why, for instance, are the people afraid to look at water? And there are refugees from earth attempting to live on another planet, who directly affect what happens on Earth. How can equilibrium be established?In The Sun Steps of Shunai, another world emerges from catastrophe - possibly a nuclear explosion. The people have uncanny intimations of what happened but wear masks for fear of what they will see in each other's eyes. They suffer the outlandishness of Shunai, an ardent worshipper of the sun as it reappears from within a pall of cloud. Balancing his delusions of grandeur is the newly sprung tree of regeneration, which some venerate and sense holds the key to survival. And there are centaurs!Man and beast are destined to merge. Will the tyranny of Shunai be averted?

Rediscover the classic Spider-Man Venom trilogy by Diane Duane, now as a brand-new omnibus collecting all three novels. Collecting all three of Diane Duane's fan-favorite Spider-Man novels in a brand-new omnibus, featuring The Venom Factor, The Lizard Sanction, and The Octopus Agenda. Venom is out of control, seemingly murdering one of the innocents he swore to protect. Has Venom lost his mind, or is there another suspect?The Lizard is rampaging through the Everglades in search of a cure. While Spider-Man tries to stop him causing any more destruction, Venom appears hell-bent on killing the Lizard. What do these two have in common, and does it have something to do with the mysterious group of mercenaries in the area?Doctor Octopus is stockpiling nuclear bombs and has masterminded a plan to rain havoc down across the globe. Spider-Man and Venom must put aside their differences and team up to defeat Doc Ock before...

In a Manhattan warehouse, an innocent man has been murdered during a mysterious crime. Evidence points to the involvement of Venom - the alien symbiote who is obsessed with Spider-Man's destruction. Yet Venom has always safeguarded innocent lives. Has Venom gone completely around the bend, or is there another suspect? Spider-Man thinks there is more to the crime than meets the eye. The spectre of the Hobgoblin, one of Spider-Man's nastiest villains, falls on a series of thefts, and leads the web-slinger to a deadly secret that may cause New York's destruction. Spider-Man must outsmart two of his deadliest enemies to save the city - but even more danger awaits him! Diane Duane, the New York Times best-selling author, launches an epic trio of Spider-Man novels with The Venom Factor; featuring all-new illustrations by popular comics artist Ron Lim.

Space mining is big business and corporations compete fiercely to exploit our solar system’s rich minerals. Spacial Alloy, a dominant firm on world markets, ruthlessly leads the pack on all fronts: exploration, exploitation, and production. Unfortunately, in space, incriminating evidence can drift around for a long, long time.Space mining is big business and corporations compete fiercely to exploit our solar system’s rich minerals. Spacial Alloy, a dominant firm on world markets, ruthlessly leads the pack on all fronts: exploration, exploitation, and production. Unfortunately, in space, incriminating evidence can drift around for a long, long time.A free novella of roughly 17 000 words, offered as a marketing freebie to convince readers that Steve S. Grant can spin an interesting yarn.

When the Colonial Marines set out after their deadliest prey, the Xenomorphs, it’s what Corporal Hicks calls a bug hunt—kill or be killed. Here are fifteen all-new stories of such “close encounters,” written by many of today’s most extraordinary authors. Set during the events of all four Alien™ films, sending the Marines to alien worlds, to derelict space settlements, and into the nests of the universe’s most dangerous monsters, these adventures are guaranteed to send the blood racing— One way or another. CHANCE ENCOUNTER by Paul Kupperberg REAPER by Dan Abnett BROKEN by Rachel Caine RECLAMATION by Yvonne Navarro BLOWBACK by Christopher Golden EXTERMINATORS by Matt Forbeck NO GOOD DEED by Ray Garton ZERO TO HERO by Weston Ochse DARK MOTHER by David Farland EPISODE 22 by Larry Correia DEEP BACKGROUND by Keith R.A. DeCandido EMPTY NEST by Brian Keene DARKNESS FALLS by Heather Graham HUGS TO DIE FOR by Mike Resnick and Marina J. Lostetter DEEP BLACK by Jonathan Maberry DISTRESSED by James A. Moore DANGEROUS PREY by Scott Sigler SPITE by Tim Lebbon

Fans of fluffy romance novels and that all-too-familiar, over-hyped, edge-of-the-seat crap should steer clear. This is life at its most jaded. Offense Mechanisms is proud to present Bleach | Blackout by David S. Grant, two novels about drugs, sex, revenge, the corporate crunch, and the inevitable unpleasantness of life and death.Caroline's life is on track. She's about to get her nursing degree and she's engaged to rich, handsome Trevor. But, before they get married, Trevor wants Caroline to spend the summer in Louisiana, getting to know her father, who's never been in her life. She reluctantly agrees and heads south, deep into bayou country where she meets Cade. Charming and handsome, he's pulling out all the stops to convince her that he's the man for her, not Trevor. As she becomes frightened by a series of strange accidents that began after her arrival, she learns that the woman haunting her dreams is actually a long-dead family member come to warn her about the men in her life. Caroline soon realizes that if she doesn't solve the mysteries from the past, they could permanently alter her future.

Larco, a scientist on the planet Snub, continues his quest for knowledge and is determined to visit the planet Plop Plop.Larco, a scientist on the planet Snub, continues his quest for knowledge and is determined to visit the planet Plop Plop. The Snub grand council has gone, and Snub Nubbins turn to Larco for guidance. From the darkest depths of the dark side, comes a Wobbly, Larco is shocked. The Wobbly had been watching through the wall of light for thousands of palliums. Larco has problems believing his stories, but he likes them. The Wobbly is a Wizard, and Larco builds his first Bok Bok under the watchful eyes of experience.

From the television event of the year, Steven Spielberg's seaQuest. The year is 2018, and the world's oceans are the last frontiers on Earth. The last hope for peace is the largest, most powerful submarine ever built, the seaQuest--an undersea research ship. But there are unknown dangers on the ocean floor. . . .

It’s five days till Christmas, and the day before the Winter Solstice. The biggest pre-Christmas blizzard seen for decades is heading straight for the New York metropolitan area. But in one small corner of the Town of Hempstead, everyone’s attention is on other business. That’s because there’s a party tonight at Juan and Marina Rodriguez’s house… and the guest of honor is a being from four hundred lightyears away who looks a whole lot like a Christmas tree. As so often happens, the motive force behind the festivities is the redoubtable Carmela Rodriguez, intent on fulfilling her longtime intention to fulfill one of the great wishes of the wizard known as Filif — specifically, to finally get him into a full set of Christmas decorations. The two-day party that ensues (with an epic sleepover in the middle) brings together a cast of old and new friends to eat, drink, exchange presents, and see a few things the likes of which this world has never seen before… This 35,000 word novelette is a canonical work in the Young Wizards universe and takes place between the events of A Wizard of Mars and the forthcoming Games Wizards Play.

Complete set of four 10th anniversary editions of the #1 Bestselling The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches, including Winds of Change, Seeds of Dissent, Pawn of Dragons, and Tower of Destiny. "A breathtaking world and an excellent epic fantasy series! This wonderful adventure reminds me of a cross between J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, Tad Williams, and C. S. Lewis." "Clear and simple prose. Swift, action-oriented scenes. Solidly built." —Foreword Magazine "This guarantees fans, and those fans will be ready to wield their swords against the Dark Lord in Stanek's next installment." — VOYA, the leading magazine for YA librarians "Word of mouth turned it into a bestseller. Very satisfying." — The Fantasy Guide. Bestselling Series! Over 1,000,000 Ruin Mist books sold! #1 Fiction Bestseller.

The gripping conclusion to Robert Stanek's The Cards in the Deck! Finally available for order, this thriller written by a former military intelligence analyst who worked with the NSA tells the all-too-real story of a former NSA operative. In the heart of the Middle East, former NSA agent, Scott Evers, is drawn deep into an explosive terrorist plot. Two ships in the Mediterranean were destroyed, a Navy helicopter has been shot down, and two SEAL teams are missing in action. As he races to find answers, Scott is being hunted by a rogue operative that wants him dead no matter what it takes. When the dust clears, Scott's world will never be the same again.