Showing results by narrator "Marni Penning" in All Categories

Cristin de Monaham is a powerful and respected warlord. Her family and the planet of ice she rules are all that matters. When she hears about how Prometheus freed the slaves, she grows worried. Would he come for her next? On a barren world of freezing wind and snow, one doesn’t get second chances. It is better to kill and survive than risk diplomacy. Rather than wait on this conqueror, she’ll go to him - with her allies in tow, she’ll crush him.

Make a deal with the fae at your own risk... Tricked into a slippery alliance, Georjie has no choice but to trust the only being with enough power to stop the black witch. All she has to do is lure Daracha to the right place at the right time using herself as bait, and the formidable queen will do the rest. Georjie gets a surprise visit she hopes will help her uncover why her father left all those years ago, but uprooting the truth is easier said than done.

Each night, the world is overrun by bloodthirsty demons. For centuries, humanity survived only by hiding behind defensive wards - magical symbols with the power to repel the demons. Now, the rediscovery of long-forgotten combat wards has given them the magic they need to fight back. In Tibbet’s Brook, the fighting wards have brought change, but the factions and grudges of a troubled past remain. Selia Square, the woman they call Barren, has long been the force that holds the Brook together. As a terrifying new threat emerges, she rallies her people once again.

Police Chief Delaney Reed can handle supernatural disasters. With gods vacationing in her little town of Ordinary, Oregon, and monsters living alongside humans, she’s had plenty of practice. But trying to handle something so normal, so average, so very ordinary as planning her own wedding to the man she loves? Delaney is totally out of her depth. When a car falls out of the sky and lands on the beach, Delaney is more than happy to push guest lists and venue dates out of her mind. The car appears empty, but someone has slipped into Ordinary with stolen weapons from the gods.

Amanda and Abigail Brooks didn’t even want a ranch. They should be pleased the secondary beneficiary is trying to take it away. But now they’ve been in Birch Creek for a while, and they’ve started to put down roots. They won’t give up without a fight—even if the odds of winning are bleak. Donna Ellingson started on the wrong side of things, but she’s eager to rectify past mistakes. But when helping one widow harms the other, none of the choices she’s presented with are clear.

A vengeful ghost trapped in a goblin's ear...a flaming spider who must help stop a goddess from conquering a science-fiction convention...a goblin nursery worker who finds herself trapped in the middle of a war. This collection features six humorous short stories that explore the fantasy realm from the perspective of the lowest of the low, the unlikeliest of unheroes: the goblins.

Old ways and new clash in head-on confrontation: When journeyman hit man Ray Dylan agrees to look in on Sami Bloom, former mistress of a deceased Canadian crime financier, he realizes he must keep his profession a secret. What he doesn’t realize is how difficult that is now that he has fallen for this warm-hearted beauty. While he struggles with the idea of confiding to her about his secret past, Dylan learns that Sami Bloom has some secrets of her own—and her secrets reach into the upper echelons of the very organization he works for.

After narrowly escaping the devolved prison community of Ispville, the companions make their way on foot for the arduous 200-mile trek to the ruins of Chicago and the redoubt that holds the nearest known gateway, as winter sets in. This is only the first stage in their journey to the intended refuge of Ryan’s home ville of Front Royal, and hopefully a safe haven for the birth of Krysty’s child. To make matters worse, they’re the reluctant guardians of fellow former prisoners, a mother and three young daughters, none of whom possess the companions’ survival skills.

What could be more serious than her supernatural power coming between her and the man she loves? A power struggle between Arcturus Academy and Firethorne Collegiate. The stakes? The entire Chaplin estate and all of its assets. Does Saxony have what it takes to save the future of her school while her relationship is in turmoil? Listen to Fire Games and watch the sparks fly!

Abigail made a sacred vow before her husband passed, a vow she could never, would never, break. But life hasn't been easy without him by her side, and her children grow and change more with every passing day. Sometimes it feels like the world is passing her by, like she'll be lonely forever. Amanda thinks Abigail's husband, as perfect as he may have been, was wrong to ask what he did. She thinks it's time for Abigail to move on, but Amanda has problems of her own to tackle that make it hard to preach. Her business is flailing and her daughters are spinning out of control.

Ryan Cawdor awakens from a mat-trans jump to inexplicably find himself in a version of his past (just after the events of Deathlands 45: Starfall). Ryan's son Dean is back, Krysty isn’t pregnant yet, and Ryan, who is the only one who feels the pull of the timeline split, is trying to keep it together. The companions are in immediate need of medical supplies and get caught up in a clash between warring barons and a traveling gypsy caravan and circus. Someone ambushes and is sabotaging the gypsies and the companions decide to help.

Blackmouth, Scotland. After managing to bury a vicious witch with her elemental magic, Georjie is horrified to learn entombing the spellcaster in soil has enabled the dark woman to rise again…and time is running out. Their romance blossoming in spite of the threat, Georjie and Lachlan travel to Dundee for clues to the fiend’s power. Learning that the ashes of three Wise will increase Daracha's power, and the ultimate goal is the destruction of the veil between worlds, Georjie realizes she's in way over her head.

Gina, a mermaid haunted by her mysterious past, embarks on a quest for answers about her identity and the chilling dreams that hint at a life she can’t remember. Drawn to New York City, the place that seems to hold the key to her memories, Gina begins to uncover the truth.

In the 10th year of the Change, the survivors in Western Oregon live in a world without technology. Michael Havel’s Bearkillers hold the lands west of Salem in peace and order. To the east, the Clan Mackenzie flourishes under the leadership of Juniper Mackenzie, bard and high priestess. Together, they have held Norman Arminger - the warlord of Portland - at bay.

On the cusp of womanhood, Georjie longs to unlock the full force of her fae-given powers. So when she’s invited to Scotland, she’s eager to explore the Highlands’ famed fairy realm hoping to find a mentor. But instead of unearthing a teacher, she discovers a mummified body within the walls of a 17th-century ruin. Teaming up with a handsome amateur historian, she uses her earth-elemental gift to overturn the secrets hidden deep in the soil. But never far from the trail of clues lurks a shadowy creature on the hunt for prey.

In love with one twin, bonded by fire to the other. Welcome back to Arcturus Academy. I survived my first semester, but it's not getting easier. I adore Gage, so why do I share a mage-bond with Ryan, a bully who keeps trying to blackmail me and might get both of us killed? He's like a hydra. Whenever I diffuse one plot, another springs up in its place. How long can this go on before he gets what he wants?

When children go missing, and the Humans have no leads, I'm the one they call. I am their last hope in bringing home the lost ones. I salvage what they cannot. The FBI wants me on their team. Bad enough that they are dangling bait they know I can't resist. The catch? It’s on the other side of the ocean. And if I want what they’re offering, I have to help them with a salvage gone terribly, terribly wrong. But this time, I have no back up. I have no Plan B. And I have no O’Shea.

War is coming, and she must decide how badly she wants the vampires on her side. Or as a thorn in her side. When children go missing, and the Humans have no leads, I'm the one they call. I am their last hope in bringing home the lost ones. I salvage what they cannot. Bringing my allies together as war approaches is my number one concern. But that means I have to play nice with a vampire who is blackmailing me. If I don’t, I’m screwed and my family is dead. But I don't play nice. And I have a backup plan. Kinda.

Ninety-eight percent of fire magi who attempt the agonizing forbidden ritual known as The Burning don’t survive. Those who do...level up in ways undreamt of by the Unburned. I survived. Now I've got other problems. Headmaster Chaplin charges me with tutoring struggling student April, but when a bully targets April, I feel my control slipping. It doesn't help that he is my crush's evil twin, who - for reasons no one can explain - I share a powerful mage-bond with. It might be enough to push me into darkness. Will I emerge a hero or a fiend? Even I cannot say.

Determined to end the dreaded mermaid mating cycle between land and sea, Targa and Mira scour rare fragments of mosaic art from deep in the ocean for clues. On the hunt for the ancient spell’s source, all signs point to the ruins of Atlantis. Before the legend’s final chapter can unfold, Targa learns that only she has the strength to break the curse...the cost of which may be her life. Can Targa find the courage to face her destiny and liberate an ocean of chained hearts?