Short Game

This fast-paced collection of novellas and short stories from leading Russian LitRPG authors sheds new light on their signature worlds. You're in Game! features works by Vasily Mahanenko, Andrei Livadny, Alexey Osadchuk, Michael Atamanov, Pavel Kornev, and Andrew Novak. Expect your favorite heroes to play second fiddle to an array of new main characters, once-minor plot lines to lead you in unexpected directions, and familiar story events to take surprising new turns.

Previously published as Deadly Secrets: Hidden Game by Madalena Melchior. SECRET GAME In the absence of Sherlock Holmes, his brother Mycroft helps to solve a deadly mystery – while sitting on a sofa in Holmes and Watson's apartment at 221B Baker Street. There's another mystery besides the crime – and Mycroft Holmes will solve that one, too.

On the island of Avalon, everyone has magical abilities. Except Selena Pearce. As if being the only nonmagical person on the island isn’t bad enough, her parents happen to be the king and queen of Avalon - and the most magical people alive. She’s never felt like she fit in on Avalon, but that all changes when she leaves the island and meets Julian - a mesmerizing, mysterious human.

Wayne Sharp newer expected his life to turn like that... Dishonorably discharged, he tries to build his life from the beginning in Clayton, New Mexico. He never expected to be attracted so deeply to the woman in trouble, in trouble beyond hope... Trying to help her, he becomes involved in the dark secrets of the town. The deeper Wayne got, the crazier it became. Can he eventually free up himself and start to live a normal life? Book 5 of the Dishonorably Discharged Series.

Intergalactic civilization emerges from its war-torn ruins for the first time in generations to explore the galaxy, in this stunning new anthology from the bestselling world of Twilight Imperium.

Con man Nick Fox is after Garson Klepper’s golden Peruvian relics. For Fox, convincing Klepper to hire him as security for the relocation of the relics to the Getty museum in L.A. was easy. Problem is, Fox wasn’t planning on Klepper also enlisting the help of the FBI. Fox also wasn’t planning on being paired up with rookie special agent Kate O’Hare. She’s smart, she’s tenacious, and when she’s conned, she holds a grudge. Life for Fox and O’Hare will never be the same again.

Bryce’s fellow attorney and partner in their firm, Tom Middleton, experience the death of his son who is found out to be a mule for a drug cartel trading arms for drugs. The boy is killed in a violent way, and Middleton finds out that one of the firm’s biggest clients is involved. Middleton confronts the owner and later is accused of his murder. Tom asks Bryce to be a part of his legal team. Bryce begins to investigate the murder. As he investigates, he discovers that lots of other people had the motivation to kill the deceased. Bryce finds out that Mrs. Juarez was more involved than ...

The one that got away is back in Frosty Crest. There are just two problems: he believes I’m my identical sister… and he has no idea we have a son.Six years ago, my sister Winnie bribed me to attend an event in her place. Sebastian was just passing through town before moving overseas. We only shared one night together, but he’s seared into my memory like a cattle brand. And not just because our son has his eyes. Now that he’s here, I have a chance to set things right. Will he let me? Playing Games on the Mountain is a short & steamy, single mom, secret baby, mistaken identity, small-...

Are you a crime show junkie? A law and order fanatic? A real-life who done did it grand master who uncovers the clues and solves the case before any of your family or friends?Then take the challenge and solve each case before the end of every chapter. Become one of the elite and earn the title of a professional couch detective.

“Everything you think you know about what’s happening in this story gets turned upside down… What seems like a supernatural ‘vampire’ romp with a comic edge flips into a dazzling concept piece about the nature of reality… But if you’re after a formulaic vampire story, this might not be for you.” In a desolate wasteland of ruined cities and rusted droids, Ethan and his team hunt the last remnants of vampiric terror. Or do they? In this post-apocalyptic world, the lines between truth and illusion blur, leaving one question chillingly unanswered: Are you sure you know what's ...

Investing in short-term rentals can seriously boost your cash flow and accelerate your path to financial freedom. In this book, I'll take you through a step-by-step process to find and set up profitable properties in top markets. No matter what your budget looks like starting out, you'll find a strategy that works for you. We're diving deep into each approach to get your short-term rental business up and running successfully.

I'm in trouble. My dad owes Dr. Ashworth a lot of money but he can not pay it back. When Dr. Ashworth meets me, he offers me the option to work off my fathers' dept. But what I must do is scary and humiliating. I have no choice but to submit to a very intimate exam and medical treatment trial to keep my father out of trouble. When the medication I was administered leaves me needy and unable to take care of it myself. Dr. Ashworth and 3 of his associates help me out. How many of them do I need to take on before I am finally satisfied?

Author’s note: Drinking Games contains three sweet and sinful novellas, filled with all the best parts of a romance. No triggers or cliffhangers and guaranteed happily ever afters. Suck: This mob boss always gets what he wants - even if she belongs to someone else. Reece Diavolo. They call him The Devil behind his back, and when the vicious mobster sees the bride at his cousin’s wedding he decides there won’t be a marriage after all that day…because now she belongs to him. Macy Shaw. They call her The Mouse to her face, and when the goodest of good girls learns her blackmailing ...

It is my first night at the new job and I wake up in the middle of the night, not being able to go back to sleep I decide to find my way downstairs to the kitchen but soon get distracted by noises and an open door. I can't help myself but peek into the room and I'm amazed and turned on by what I see. A movie of a woman restrained and being examined and enjoying the rough humiliating treatment. Before I can even think about leaving, Lord Ashmore catches me at the door. He notices my excitement and lets me take a look at his special room. I want what I saw. I want Lord Ashmore to be the one ...

The flyer catches my eye. The words “Earn Easy Money – take part in Medical Study", stare at me. I feel a tiny little bit of hope. I know it won't be pleasant and most likely humiliating, but I need the money. Sitting here on this cold synthetic material of the gynecological chair, I feel entirely exposed in the short paper gown. I’m just waiting for the doctors to arrive. The room is chilly, and my slender form shivers a bit. But even though I’m excited about the money, the thought of being examined by two strangers keeps my nerves on edge. The money is extremely generous, I'm ...

When the President of the United States is caught with his pants down while playing a virtual reality game in the White House, his cabinet is thrown into complete disarray. With the State of the Union address only hours away, Parker Smalls, White House Chief of Staff, scrambles to have the president freed. Nona Norak, the game’s main adversary, has other plans. She’s an avatar created to be unbeatable, leaving Parker Smalls with one question. How does he free the president from a VR avatar that can’t be stopped? An Amazon one-hour read.

After a fight with my boyfriend Mark, I still need to leave to speak at a conference. When I see my idol Dr. Eric Young, I can't help but forget about Mark and only have eyes for Dr. Young. He is just a little bit older than me, but he is incredibly good-looking in his tailored suit. Fit and dark and just a little mysterious. I never thought I would get close to him, but when he ends up in my hotel room by accident finding me in a rather compromising position I can not resist his charm or his offer to give me a hand and more. Much, much more.

In a world of criminals, thugs, con artists, cheats, and swindlers, there must be a man to stand against the powers of darkness and corruption. A man not afraid to walk the mean streets—whether they be those of 1930s Los Angeles, an ancient fantasy realm, or some far-flung planet of a future star empire. He is a man who knows that a “good man” is not always a “nice guy”. But when the chips are down, he understands that a hero does the right thing, even if it means losing everything.

Nick Antosca's The Girlfriend Game is a tumble through the looking glass into a vortex of violence and desire. The 12 stories in the newest collection by the Shirley Jackson Award-winning author are brutal, urgent and unforgettable. In "Predator Bait", a decoy in a sex-sting news show questions her job and the man who shares her bed. An undependable son watches his mother become a creature he hardly recognizes in "Amphibian". A young man plots the death of his girlfriend's killer in "Winter Was Hard".

For over a month, he's been counting down, anticipating the promise circled in red Sharpie on their calendar. In a marriage that's evolved from vanilla beginnings into something far more complex, Ben has learned to serve, to watch, and most painfully, to wait. Dana enjoys her freedom, her rotating cast of impressive lovers, and—most of all—her husband's unwavering devotion through it all. She rewards his patience just once a year, on his birthday, with the ultimate gift: herself. But first, she makes him earn it. When Dana's favorite lover arrives unexpectedly on Ben's special night, ...