Clara Lawson is torn from her life in an instant. Without warning, her home is invaded by armed men, and she finds herself separated from her beloved husband and daughters. The last thing her husband yells to her is to say nothing. In chapters that alternate between past and present, the novel slowly unpeels the layers of Clara's fractured life. We see her growing up, raised with her sisters by the stern Mama and Papa G, becoming a poised and educated young woman, falling desperately in love with the forbidden son of her adoptive parents.

When deep-space pirates capture Vassily's mother, he's left to the mercy of his cruel, amoral stepfather. Fighting addiction and his physical shortcomings, he's forced to seek out the criminal mastermind Baba Yaga for a crucial piece of equipment. While she agrees to deal with him if he beats his Exoticus addiction, paranoia and mysterious intentions infuse her household. Drawn to her youngest son, and certain that his actions are all carefully observed, Vassily must find the courage to face both his fears and his desires if he expects to survive.

A detective who refuses to modify her body teams up with her cyborg rival to track down a burglar who is putting toys into homes. A solitary ice miner finds love and friendship while stranded on the surface of Galileo. And two hardheaded negotiators put their differences aside to evade an assassin and save their planets. Enjoy these visions of Christmases yet to come with three science-fiction novellas from Carina Press.

Command Assassin Nykyrian Quikiades once turned his back on the League—and has been hunted by them ever since. Though many have tried, none can kill him or stop him from completing his current mission: to protect Kiara Zamir, a woman whose father's political alliance has made her a target. As her world becomes even deadlier, Kiara must entrust her life to the same kind of beast who once killed her mother and left her for dead. Old enemies and new threaten them both and the only way they can survive is to overcome their suspicions and learn to trust in the very ones who threaten them the most.

All Blythe Sol ever wanted was to be a normal girl. Yet, her dreams of following in her father's footsteps by joining the military after graduation are crushed when nuclear war comes to the United States in the year 4006. Tens of thousands are killed in a series of attacks on many major cities, while thousands more are left injured from the devastation of the blasts, or terminally ill from the effects of radiation.

Neurotic tech Zagarat Cole had no choice but to steal 432,985 credits from the Deus Syndicate. It was the only way to pay for his mother's medical treatments. So, when a Deus executive called Zag into his office, he knew the jig was up. Or down. Or however it was you danced a jig. Yet to Zag's astonishment, the executive didn't excoriate, eviscerate, or "ate" him at all. He offered him a job.

The people of planet Earth have suffered the tides of war for six long years, but it's not their war. Earth is the battleground for the thousand-year conflict between the invading Hahnshin and the Godan warriors of the Galactic Confederation. Mira Donazetto's only concern is for her family's survival, so when she's offered work as a translator for the Godan, she jumps at the chance and right into the arms of the new First Commander, Roark.

Stella Ainsley leaves poverty behind when she quits her engineering job aboard the Stalwart to become a governess on a private ship. On the Rochester, there’s no water ration, more books than one person could devour in a lifetime, and an AI who seems more friend than robot. But no one warned Stella that the ship seems to be haunted, nor that it may be involved in a conspiracy that could topple the entire interstellar fleet.

This is the complete set of the Vemreaux Trilogy, including The Way, The Truth, and The Lie. In a world not divided by race, creed, or color but by blood type, Blue Anders finds herself on the wrong end of fortune's mercy. Born with a lesser blood type, Blue is raised in The Way, a work camp for A-bloods.

As captain of the merchant ship Marada, Sebastian has only one goal: keep his family and his crew safe while they deliver a curious parcel to the ruthless pirate Ethanule. But when a bewitching woman mysteriously appears on his ship, he finds it impossible to focus on the job and to keep his hands off her. Could she be his long-awaited mate? Analia has known only one life: servitude and enslavement. In a bid for freedom, she escapes onto a craft led by a fearsome demon captain. If she is to maintain her freedom, she must gain Sebastian's trust while concealing her true nature.

Candace Bristol has always been obsessed with comic books, but in a world where the nightly news often mirrors these inked stories, her dreams of becoming a real superhero could actually come true. After being rescued by members of the government's AdvaNced Genetic EvoLution (ANGEL) Project four years ago, getting recruited for this elite team is all she's wanted. Now 18, she's finally reached her goal after years of study and physical training, but little could have prepared her for life as a genetic experiment.

Solara Brooks needs a fresh start, someplace where nobody cares about the engine grease beneath her fingernails or the felony tattoos across her knuckles. The outer realm may be lawless, but it's not like the law has ever been on her side. Still, off-world travel doesn't come cheap; Solara is left with no choice but to indenture herself in exchange for passage to the outer realm.

Senator Rylos bought me. But he'll never make me his. I'll admit those are strong words for a woman who trembles at his touch. But I can't help it. His kind are as beautiful as they are cruel. We crashed on his planet ten years after we fled Earth. Instead of helping us, they imprisoned us, then sold us off to the highest bidder. I was the last human sold. Too much bad behavior. Yet Rylos dared to buy me and call me his pet. He might be genetically engineered perfection on the outside, but I won't let him have me, no matter how hard it is to resist him. Because my goal is to escape. I keep telling myself it'll be easy. Why does it feel like I'm lying?

Amy Marguiles is a curvy, confident woman with nothing to lose. As an ex-Marine and a member of an elite clean-up squad for The Firm, she's used to dealing with big egos on even bigger men. It has never bothered her before. Only when two maddening werewolf twins blow into her life do the winds start changing. And when she discovers she's pregnant with their babies and sent off to another mission that could take all their lives, Amy needs to take quick stock of her life. Where do her loyalties lie?

Since the moment I was ripped from my mother's womb, I've been an outcast among my own kind. The Sidhe might possess magical Gifts, unbelievable wealth, and unfathomable power, but I don't want a thing to do with them. I ran away from their lands in the Highlands of Scotland when I was 11 years old, and I've never looked back. I don't need a clan. I've got my own family of highly skilled thieves who mean more to me than any Sidhe ever could.