Fiction Realism

When the windshield of his Chevy Impala shatters in a dark diner parking lot in Alabama, Melvin moves without thinking. A split-second reaction marrows in his bones from the days of war, but this time it is the safety of his fiancé, Bernadette, at stake. Impulse keeps them alive, and yet they flee with blood on their hands. What is life like now that they are fugitives? Pack passports. Empty bank accounts. Set their old life on fire. The couple disguise themselves as a pastor and a reluctant pastor’s wife who’s hiding a secret from her fiancé.

CHRISTIAN KNIGHTS AND MEDIEVAL CHIVALRY MEET THE MAGICAL PAGAN REALMS. Feisty Catherine defies every Christian doctrine, prayer, and curtsy expected from a daughter of a duke, as her connection to the mystical world fades. When Crown Prince Philip arrives to wed her sister as arranged, their hearts ignite, but the intense attraction is soon smothered by his knightly devotion to the church. For he is sworn to God and throne. Seeking guidance from her missing mentor—the Druidic elder who taught her the Old Ways of alchemical magic—Catherine learns of an ancient prophesy foretelling her ...

In a mysterious town that lies hidden in our collective subconscious, there's a quaint little store where all kinds of dreams are sold. Day and night, visitors both human and animal from all over the world shuffle in sleepily in their pyjamas, lining up to purchase their latest adventure. Each floor in the department store sells a special kind of dream, including nostalgic dreams about your childhood, trips you've taken, and delicious food you've eaten, as well as nightmares and more mysterious dreams.

To Dance with the White Dog is Terry Kay's stunning fourth novel, a moving story about an old man's final rite of passage, about family ties and the universal experience of grieving for a lost love. At the heart of the book is a mysterious white dog that appears after Sam Peek's beloved wife has died, and that remains with him until just before his own death. Stray dog or ghost dog? To Sam Peek, the dog is a guardian angel who brings to him the healing power of comfort.

A cryptic note leads the Blackmoore sisters to a haunted island in the Atlantic Ocean. Many have looked for the treasures reported to be buried there by pirates decades ago, but precious few treasures have been found. And certainly not the powerful energy-infused jewel the Blackmoores are looking for. Abandoned for decades following several mysterious fatal accidents, the sisters have the island to themselves...or so they think.

Growing up in Alaska, young David Winkler is crippled by his dreams. At nine he dreams a man is decapitated by a passing truck on the path outside his family's home. The next day, unable to prevent it, he witnesses an exact replay of his dream in real life. The premonitions keep coming, unstoppably. He sleepwalks during them, bringing catastrophe into his reach. Then, as unstoppable as a vision, he falls in love at the supermarket (exactly as he already dreamed) with Sandy.

Best-selling author Carlos Ruiz Zafón conceived of this collection of stories as an appreciation to the countless admirers who joined him on the extraordinary journey that began with The Shadow of the Wind. Comprising 11 stories, most of them never before published in English, The City of Mist offers the listener compelling characters, unique situations, and a gothic atmosphere reminiscent of his beloved Cemetery of Forgotten Books quartet.

Janet Williams is practically invisible. If only she had the pluck to speak up at work, flirt with the handsome barista she sees every day, and realize how special she is. When a magical wig offers Janet a chance to shake things up, will she dare to try a bold new style? The voice in her head - flashy and fierce, with an unbridled southern drawl - tells her to go for it. And once she does, there’s no turning back.

On the evening of July 4th, Sylviane Rochas scatters her mother's ashes in New York and lets the changing wind blow her to the French seaside town of Marseille. For the first time in her life, Vianne holds the future in her own hands. Charming her way into a job as a waitress in a local bistrot, she knows that she is not here to stay - by the time her child is born in a few months' time, she must be gone.

Nothing unusual had ever happened to her. Her life was ordinary and predictable until that day. Now, she has a secret, a secret both terrifying and compelling. “…the storyline is brilliant, and the characters are strong, fearless, caring, and vibrant…”-Amazon review “…a love story like no other: life in contemporary Britain meets life in the prehistoric Bronze Age, and what evolves is an amazing, timeless love connection…”-Amazon review “…a great love story along with a journey through the past interwoven with the present day…”-Amazon review “…I flew through this...

When the story opens, the eponymous hero of Rudolfo Anaya's novel is in an ambulance en route to a hospital for crippled children in the New Mexican desert. A poor boy from Albuquerque, 16-year-old Tortuga takes his name from the odd, turtle-shaped mountain that is rumored to possess miraculous curative powers. Tortuga is paralyzed, and not even his mother's fervent prayers can heal him. But under the mountain's watchful gaze, with the support of fellow patients, he begins the Herculean task of breaking out of his shell and becoming whole again.

Ren Ishida is nearly finished with graduate school when he receives news of his sister Keiko's sudden death. She was viciously stabbed one rainy night on her way home, and there are no leads. Ren heads to Akakawa to conclude his sister's affairs, still failing to understand why she chose to abandon the family and Tokyo for this desolate town years ago. Haunted in his dreams by a young girl who is desperately trying to tell him something, Ren struggles to find solace in the void his sister has left behind.

Ava Dove—the sixth of the seven famed Dove sisters and owner of Ava Dove’s Landscaping and Specialty Teas—is frantic. Just as her new tearoom is about to open, her herbal teas have gone haywire. Suddenly, her sleep-inducing tea is startling her clients awake with vivid dreams, her romance-kindling tea is causing people to blurt out their darkest secrets, and her anti-anxiety tea is making them spend hours staring into mirrors. Ava is desperate for a remedy, but her search leads her into dangerous territory, as she is forced to face a dark secret she’s been hiding for over a decade.

At one point or another, we’ve all been asked to name five people, living or dead, with whom we’d like to have dinner. Why do we choose the people we do? And what if that dinner was to actually happen? These are the questions Rebecca Serle contends with in The Dinner List. When Sabrina arrives at her 30th birthday dinner she finds at the table not just her best friend, but also three significant people from her past, and well, Audrey Hepburn. As the dinner table conversation begins, it becomes clear that there’s a reason these six people have been gathered together.

Fiona Farrow is ignoring her destiny. She has no interest in guarding the Sacred Scrolls from the evil Shadow Order; not after the same job took her parents away. But when a powerful demon mage from the Shadow Order steals one of the Sacred Scrolls and starts hunting down Protectors of Light, Fiona will have to put on her magical suit of armor and face her fears. If she doesn't, the Shadow Order will destroy humanity and banish Fiona to an obscure dimension for the rest of her nightmarish eternity.

Henry and Jason somehow survived being kidnapped to Ludus, a monster-filled, sword and sorcery world. They managed to make friends, pay their rent, and they even founded their own adventuring business, Delvers LLC. Unfortunately, by overcoming the odds and creating a reputation for themselves in such short time, monarchs and nobles have taken notice of the two men from Earth. Foreign, deadly struggles may be unavoidable for Delvers LLC.

Family, friends, an unexpected sisterhood, the magic of new beginnings...mothers, daughters, brothers and sisters, sons and cousins...all finding their inner strength, facing life’s unexpected challenges, and sometimes starting over after tragedy and heartbreak, and every once in a while...finding the one true love of a lifetime. Everyone has a story... Amanda’s legacy was simple and unbelievably complicated...her sons were determined to make it happen exactly as she wanted. Hannah was distraught and in a downward spiral after her father’s death...her cousin Patricia understood but ...

The House of Rust is an enchanting novel about a Hadrami girl in Mombasa. When her fisherman father goes missing, Aisha takes to the sea on a magical boat made of a skeleton to rescue him. She is guided by a talking scholar’s cat (and soon crows, goats, and other animals all have their say, too). On this journey Aisha meets three terrifying sea monsters. After she survives a final confrontation with Baba wa Papa, the father of all sharks, she rescues her own father and hopes that life will return to normal. But at home, things only grow stranger.

The shadows of the past come alive. After twenty years of silence, Dina returns, driven by an insatiable hunger for power and revenge. Her eyes are fixed on the legendary scarab, the key to an ancient power that can reduce the world to ashes. Lillian and Roy Sawyer are the only ones who know Dina's true intentions. But as the swinging sixties are in full swing, Dina's next move remains a mystery. Will they uncover her plans before it's too late, or will Dina finally triumph and plunge the world into a new era of darkness?

When Nathan goes to visit his grandma, Nali, at her mobile summer home on the Navajo reservation, he knows he’s in for a pretty uneventful summer, with no electricity or cell service. Still, he loves spending time with Nali and with his uncle Jet, though it’s clear when Jet arrives that he brings his problems with him. One night, while lost in the nearby desert, Nathan finds someone extraordinary: a Holy Being from the Navajo Creation Story - a Water Monster - in need of help.