Anya was tough. She was a security expert, an ex-marine familiar with working in a war zone, under fire, whether in a combat role or, as was more common for her these days, protecting or rescuing civilians who had had the misfortune to become embroiled in the conflict. And she was very good at it.Surely what she saw in the company's laboratory was some sort of simulation, a test for her? All she had to do was to dive through the glowing metallic ring in the middle of the room into ...

Kirian was a former warrior, a mercenary. She agreed to impersonate Lord Hardor's wife and suffer public punishment for adultery, with the promise of help to free her sister who had been condemned to serve as a rower on a cargo galley.But it was far from simple. Slowly recovering from the punishments, Kirian would have to seek assistance for the task that lay ahead of her, and those that might help would have an agenda of their own.In uncompromising, horrific detail, Clare S...

Elenna was a mercenary, one of the best. Her days as a prisoner in the Riverwake Tower were long behind her, and yet still the horrific memories came back to her. Now, some of those memories returned more vividly than ever, as she took on a seemingly impossible assignment from the Duke of Pylar. Was it really possible for her to free one of the women on a slave galley? She would have to become a prisoner on the galley, her only advantage over any other prisoner being that she could free he...

Still trapped on the strange world of Zirith, Anya remains chained and is now compelled to work on a desert sandship as one of the women pushing the spokes of wheels on deck, driving the massive gears that connect to the huge wheels below. Worse, in the heat of the desert sun, as a punishment for trying to escape she is forced to wear a steel helmet covering her whole head, except for a tiny grille that could be opened to allow her to eat or drink.Would she remain as a work-slave f...

When out-of-work athlete Justine Laing agrees to row on a modern reconstruction of a wooden slave galley – for one million dollars – even the knowledge that she will be naked, chained and forced to work under an overseer's whip can't prepare her for what she will face.The mysterious man known only as Joshua sees her saved from dire punishment at first, even as he delights in the suffering of the convicts and volunteers around her. Soon, however, she shares their suffering and hard ...

Reena Valeris was a warrior, a Captain in the forces of Irulan despite her chequered past, and she was one of the best. But not even she could get away with striking a magistrate, much as she had good reason for her action. Taken to the dungeons of the Riverwake Tower in chains, her future did not look good.Fortunately for her, Lord Gorus intervened and exiled her instead, to avoid any likelihood that other warriors, mostly mercenaries like Reena, would cause trouble.Unfort...

The Riverwake Tower is a wicked prison in the City of Irulan, where women are incarcerated and punished for their crimes, real or imagined, languishing in chains day after day, week after week, month after month.Yet in that evil place there are both heroes and villains, among the guards as well as among the prisoners. There may be pleasure, even romance, although all too often the pleasure is one sided.* Horror and romance for adults only.

Volume forty-eight in the saga of Dray Prescot of Earth and of Kregen, and the fifth book of the Balintol Cycle.Born in 1775, Dray Prescot joined the Royal Navy as a boy when his father died from the sting of a scorpion, and his mother followed soon after. The life in Nelson's Navy, harsh, intolerant, formed and molded him. He has been consistently passed over for promotion, even though he has fought his way from the lower deck through the hawsehole to the quarterdeck. Now, togethe...

Experience the incredible adventure and heart-stopping romance of the Iron Seas in this thrilling steampunk tale from New York Times bestselling author Meljean Brook.The Kraken King, Part IThe Kraken King and the Scribbling SpinsterA former smuggler and thief, Ariq—better known as the Kraken King—doesn’t know what to make of the clever, mysterious woman he rescues from an airship besieged by marauders. Unsure if sh...

PREORDER THE THRILLING NEW MATTHEW HARFFY NOVEL, DOMINION OF DUST - AVAILABLE NOW!**Anglo-Saxon warlord Beobrand marches to war in this epic historical adventure.AD 636.** Warlord Beobrand has won renown and riches. He should be content, but he cannot find peace: not until his enemies are food for the ravens.Before Beobrand can embark on his bloodfeud, King Oswald of Northumbria orders him south, to escort holy men bearing sacred relics.

Experience the incredible adventure and heart-stopping romance of the Iron Seas in this thrilling steampunk tale from New York Times bestselling author Meljean Brook.The Kraken King, Part IIThe Kraken King and the Abominable WormAs they continue their expedition across Australia, Ariq is determined to stay close to Zenobia and figure out what kind of game she’s playing—even as his admiration for the enigmatic woman...

The novels of Iain M. Banks have forever changed the face of modern science fiction. His Culture books combine breathtaking imagination with exceptional storytelling, and have secured his reputation as one of the most extraordinary and influential writers in the genre.'Banks is a phenomenon' William GibsonIn the winter palace, the King's new physician has more enemies than she realises. But then she also has more defences than even her most...