Best Selling Books by Melissa Marr

Five powerhouse authors of fantasy and urban fantasy bring you a feast of romantic midwinter holiday adventures. These heartwarming and pulse-pounding tales celebrate Hanukah, Christmas, the solstice, Yule - and holidays from worlds beyond our own. With fancy-dress balls, faery bargains, time travel, blood sacrifice, and festive cocktails, these stories will delight lovers of fantasy and romance, with a dash of seasonal joy. Ballgowns & Butterflies by Kelley Armstrong The North Yorkshire moors are always a magical place, but they''re particularly enchanting at the holidays...especially if one gets to travel back in time to a Victorian Christmas. For Bronwyn Dale, it is the stuff of dreams. Fancy-dress balls, quirky small-town traditions, even that classic one-horse open sleigh, complete with jingle bells. There''s just the tiny problem of the Butterfly Effect. How does a time-traveler make a difference without disrupting the future forever? The Long Night of the Crystalline Moon, a prequel novella to Heirs of Magic, by Jeffe Kennedy Shapeshifter Prince Rhyian doesn''t especially want to spend the Feast of Moranu at Castle Ordnung. First of all, it''s literally freezing there, an uncomfortable change from the tropical paradise of his home. Secondly, it''s a mossback castle which means thick walls and too many rules. Thirdly, his childhood playmate and current nemesis, Lena, will be there. Not exactly a cause for celebration. Princess Salena Nakoa KauPo nearly wriggled out of traveling to Ordnung with her parents, but her mother put her foot down declaring that, since everyone who ever mattered to her was going to be there to celebrate the 25th year of High Queen Ursula''s reign, Lena can suffer through a feast and a ball for one night. Of course, "everyone" includes the sons and daughters of her parents'' friends, and it also means that Rhyian, insufferable Prince of the Tala, will attend. But on this special anniversary year, Moranu''s sacred feast falls on the long night of the crystalline moon-and Rhy and Lena discover there''s more than a bit of magic in the air. Blood Martinis & Mistletoe by Melissa Marr Half-dead witch Geneviève Crowe makes her living beheading the dead--and spends her free time trying not to get too attached to her business partner, Eli Stonecroft, a faery in self-imposed exile in New Orleans. With a killer at her throat and a blood martini in her hand, Gen accepts what seems like a straight-forward faery bargain, but soon realizes that if she can''t figure out a way out of this faery bargain, she''ll be planning a wedding after the holidays. Echoes of Ash & Tears, an Earthsinger Chronicles Novella, by L. Penelope Brought to live among the Cavefolk as an infant, Mooriah has long sought to secure her place in the clan and lose her outsider status. She''s a powerful blood mage, and when the chieftain''s son asks for help securing the safety of the clan, she agrees. But though she''s long been drawn to the warrior, any relationship between the two is forbidden. The arrival of a mysterious stranger with a tempting offer tests her loyalties, and when betrayal looms, will Mooriah''s secrets and hidden power put the future she''s dreamed of-and her adopted home-in jeopardy. A Memory of Summer, a Wraith Kings Novelette, by Grace Draven Spinsterhood has never bothered or embarrassed the independent Emerence Ipsan, and the winter festival of Delyalda keeps her far too busy managing her father''s shops to worry about matters as trivial as marriage. Until the arrival of a young Quereci warrior with old eyes and an admiring gaze makes her question that notion.

Seit Seth endlich mit seiner geliebten Ashlyn zusammen ist, will er nur eins: für immer bei ihr sein. Doch Ashlyn, die Sommerkönigin der Elfen, ist unsterblich - und die Ewigkeit wird sie nicht mit Seth, sondern mit dem schönen Elfenkönig Keenan verbringen. Es sei denn, es gelingt Seth, ebenfalls Unsterblichkeit zu erlangen. Wild entschlossen sucht er sich Verbündete unter den unheimlichen, zum Teil bösartigen Elfen. Als er erfährt, dass nur die Königin des Lichts ihm seinen Wunsch erfüllen kann, macht er sich auf den Weg an ihren Hof. Doch weiß er noch nicht, welches Opfer von ihm erwartet wird ...

Sommerlicht auf ihrer Haut, der Duft von wilden Blumen: Wann immer der junge Mann in Ashs Nähe ist, spürt sie seine Gegenwart bis in jede Faser ihres Körpers und ist verzaubert von seiner überirdischen Schönheit. Wäre da nicht dieses wachsende Gefühl von Bedrohung – wer ist er, und warum folgt er ihr, wohin auch immer sie geht? Ashs alter Freund Seth wird ihr wichtigster Vertrauter, sein ausrangierter Eisenbahnwaggon ihre Zuflucht. Und er ist der einzige Mensch, vor dem sie ihr Geheimnis lüftet: Von klein auf kann sie Elfen sehen, menschengroß, unheimlich, manchmal zudringlich, - und von klein auf ist sie daran gewöhnt, diese Gabe geheim zu halten. Gemeinsam entdecken Seth und sie eine Welt voller seltsamer Regeln und Gefahren: Ash ist von ihrem Verfolger, dem schönen Elfenkönig Keenan, auserwählt und wird sich einer Prüfung unterziehen müssen. Sie beginnt, um eine Zukunft mit Seth zu kämpfen – denn auch ihre Gefühle für ihn haben sich verändert ...

Rebekkah Barrow n’a jamais oublié l’étrange rituel fait par sa grand-mère lorsque quelqu’un mourait. Quelques gouttes tirées d’un flacon d’argent et ces mots murmurés à l’oreille des défunts : « Dors bien et reste là où je t’ai mis, à jamais. » A la mort de sa grand-mère, Rebekkah revient sur les lieux de son adolescence. Une plongée dans le passé qui lui fait aussi retrouver l’homme qu’elle aimait, dix ans plus tôt La jeune femme découvre bientôt que le décès de sa grand-mère n’a rien de naturel. Et que l’étonnant rituel fait pour les morts possède un réel pouvoir. Car dans la petite ville, les mondes des vivants et des défunts sont dangereusement connectés. Au point que les morts peuvent se relever de leurs tombes... Suspense et univers gothique : le nouveau best-seller de Melissa Marr.

Enter a new faery world written by the author of the internationally bestselling Wicked Lovely series..Half witch, half killer, wholly unpreparedly for a Faery Bargain...Geneviève Crowe makes her living beheading the dead in near-future New Orleans. Draugr, again-walkers, are faster and stronger than most humans, but not venomous until they are a century old. Until then, they shamble and bite. Geneviève''s magic has gone sideways, and the only person strong enough to help her is the one man who could tempt her to think about picket fences: Eli Stonecroft, a faery who chose to be a bar-owner in New Orleans rather than live in Elphame.When human businessmen start turning up as draugar, the queen of the again-walkers and the wealthy son of one of the victims, both hire Geneviève to figure it out. Neither her heart nor her life are safe now that she''s juggling a man, murder, and magic."I loved The Wicked and The Dead! A sassy, ass-kicking heroine, a deliciously mysterious fae hero, and a wonderful mix of action and romance. Add that to Melissa''s usual great world-building, and I''m already looking forward to book 2!" - Jeaniene Frost, NYT Bestselling Author

"Hidden away from the concerns of the faery and mortal worlds, Rika has treasured the solitude of the desert. But now a threat imperils her desert home ... and as a new romance blossoms, so does Rika''s determination to face that threat head-on. The time for hiding is over."--Page 4 of cover.