A Hired Blade

A sellsword’s bargain. A burgeoning desire. A future balanced on the point of a blade. Sellsword Des is travelling alone in a dry and dusty southern land, after a spectacular bust up with her best friend. She’s running low on coin, so when former client Karina offers her a job leading her caravan’s security through brigand country, it feels like a gift. Des has done the route before, but she isn’t sure about leading solo. She recommends Karina hire Cap, a rugged old mercenary, to head up the crew. Maybe she’ll even learn a thing or two about how to lead, in between the delightful distraction of Karina’s flirtations and keeping the marauders at bay. As they head off on their long trip across Rescalin, though, the wheels start to come off Des’s plan. The crew is drinking too much, even on duty, and Cap is dismissive of the dangers she identifies. Des worries she’s made the wrong call by putting Cap as the lead, and Karina is in her ear, wanting her to take over. As brigands close in, will Des back the merc she put in charge? Or will she take over — and risk the caravan’s safety resting on her blade alone? If you enjoy sapphic fantasy, badass women wielding swords, an Australian-inspired setting, and a sellsword struggling for a place in the world, pick up A Hired Blade today, and join Des on her journey.

Pilet Whydah dreams of joining the "Hired Blades Association", the world's premier Mercenary organization. The brash, young high school drop-out would soon find his prayers answered; when "Faxion of the Deadeye", a notorious member of the famed group passes through his mountain village. Before long, Pilet finds himself on a perilous crash course with this new friend and mentor, as he struggles to train for the deadly "Hired Blades Exam". Meeting a trio of fearsome friends along the way; swordsman Max Quinn, and the aura-casting, arcane sisters Faith and Yuuna Sierro, the group sets forth in their quest to become revered Licensed Hired Blades. But under the surface lies traces of a force far more sinister than what anyone had imagined. A parasitic entity called "The Wurm" begins to mysteriously grip the creatures of this world, and only The Hired Blades have the power to stop them.

The agents of the Fort have no name, they have call signs. Wildcat earned hers by being hot-headed and wild. When an assignment takes her to Easy Port, she eagerly awaits it to be over so she can meet her friends for a night out. After a few drinks they convince her to sign up for an easy gig, just for old times’ sake. The job soon turns out to be riskier than advertised, and the attacks on their lives make little sense. Amidst chaos and confusion, Wildcat tries to figure out the reasons behind everyone’s actions, including her own.

From the New York Times bestselling author and co-author of The Expanse comes an "atmospheric and fascinating" novel that unfolds within the walls of a single great city, over the course of one tumultuous year (Joe Abercrombie, author of A Little Hatred). Kithamar is a center of trade and wealth, an ancient city with a long, bloody history where countless thousands live and their stories endure. This is Garreth’s. Garreth Left is heir to one of Kithamar’s most prominent merchant families. The path of his life was paved long before he was born. Learn the family trade, marry to secure wealthy in-laws, and inherit the business when the time is right. But to Garreth, a life chosen for him is no life at all. In one night, a chance meeting with an enigmatic stranger changes everything. He falls in love with a woman whose name he doesn’t even know, and he will do anything to find her again. His search leads him down corridors and alleys that are best left unexplored, where ancient gods hide in the shadows, and every deal made has a dangerous edge. The path that Garreth chooses will change the course of not only those he loves, but the entire future of Kithamar’s citizens. In Kithamar, every story matters -- and the fate of the city is woven from them all.

It came from the heavens and brought disaster. Callum’s life was a hard one, toiling day after day as an unskilled labourer deep in the countryside. Never looking beyond the next winter, his lot was unremarkable and one with little hope of improvement. When an opportunity to earn easy coin falls into Callum’s lap, he readily accepts without thinking of the risk. Wolves and brigands turn out to be the least of his problems, however, for a chance encounter with an old weathered sword puts him at the centre of mysterious events, earns him the attention of a suspicious knight and gains him some unlikely allies. Their journey for answers — one Callum has little choice but to go on — leads him to learn of the terrible responsibilities that come with wielding the sword and of an enemy whose goals will change his world forever. Pulling inspiration from the science fiction and fantasy media of his youth and the lessons learned throughout his life about overcoming adversity, Errant Hope is Damien Jennison's first novel and the first steps in an epic adventure that will sweep you away.

In a world ruled by sin, love is a dangerous game. Tech prodigy Eva is resigned to life in the Commonwealth, as long as she's behind a computer screen. To her horror, the Priests Choose her to train as a bellator, one of the Commonwealth's enforcers. She's eerily good at it. If only she weren't taunted at every turn by her deadly mentor, Ari, to whom she's bound by a blood oath. She's falling for the magnetic Ari, but in the Commonwealth, love is punishable by death. Thrown into the life of a bellator, Eva is no longer a sheep of the Commonwealth, but a wolf, learning to patrol and kill. Her inexplicable strengths make her a top bellator, drawing unwanted attention. Meanwhile, as she and Ari train together, their antagonism becomes grudging respect. But the more time they spend together, the harder it is for Eva to resist the lure of his green eyes, his grace and power with a sword, and the charm beneath the sarcastic front he shows the world. Things take a treacherous turn when a heated night in the woods reveals a dangerous secret—Ari has loved Eva for years. Their feelings put their lives at risk, but their love is too powerful to deny. Meanwhile, Eva's mysterious physical gifts heighten to a terrifying degree. Soon, Ari uncovers a secret that could take down the Commonwealth itself. Will Eva set aside her fears and fight for freedom with the boy she loves, knowing it might destroy them both? Author's Note If you love fierce girls with swords, infuriating guys with hearts of gold, forbidden love between a mentor and apprentice who can’t keep their hands off each other, and star-crossed lovers who fight to the death by each other’s sides, then this is the book for you. WINNER of the 2021 North Carolina Indie Author Award in Young Adult Fiction FINALIST for the 2020 Foreword INDIES Award in Young Adult Fiction SHORTLISTED for the The Manly Wade Wellman Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy WINNER of the 2022 Gold Moonbeam Award for Best Book Series With the propulsive action and addictive romance of Shatter Me, the high-stakes twists-and-turns of The Hunger Games, and the fantastical world-building of From Blood and Ash, this first book in the award-winning, slow-burn, romantic dystopian fantasy Seven Sins series will pull you in, break your heart, and never let you go. “I couldn’t stop reading. This is the best book I’ve read in a long time.” —Michelle MacQueen, author of We Thought We Were Invincible, for YA Books Central “Powerful, hopeful, sexy, and unsettling.” —Heidi Ayarbe, award-winning author of Freeze Frame “Sizzling hot and exploding with tension.”—Lisa Amowitz, award-winning author of Breaking Glass “An absolutely mind-blowing, spine-tingling, action-packed extravaganza…an electrifying, imaginative, phenomenally well-written book.” —Emerald Book Reviews

The Book of Deacon Saga is the epic tale of a world besieged by war and at the mercy of dark forces who would see the land and its people wither and die. First Published in 2010, the story has grown significantly, expanding the story into earlier and later eras, exploring the lives of characters both minor and major. The Book of Deacon Anthology is a collection of all currently published stories in the setting: The Book of Deacon - The tale of Myranda Celeste, a young woman orphaned by a century long war, and her chance discovery of a fallen soldier's priceless cargo. The find will change her life, sending her on an adventure of soldiers and rebels, wizards and warriors, and beasts both noble and monstrous. Each step will bring her closer to the truth of her potential, of the war, and of the fate of her world. The Great Convergence - The second in the Book of Deacon series, The Great Convergence continues the tale of young Myranda Celeste. With fresh knowledge of magic and steadfast resolve to see the end of the war that plagues her land, Myranda sets out to find and unite the five fated heroes, the Chosen. Each new warrior brings her world a step closer to peace, but does she have the strength to survive the trials ahead? The Battle of Verril - In this, the finale of the Book of Deacon Trilogy, Myranda and the Chosen face their greatest challenges yet. Time is running out, and the Generals are growing desperate. Through victory and defeat, reunion and betrayal, neither the heroes nor their foes will rest until they have seen their task through to the end. The only question is, will it be the end of a war, or the end of times? Jade - This short novel, set after the events of The Book of Deacon, follows the blessed and cursed life of Jade Rinton. Stripped of her family and kept in a tall tower by a fierce dragon due to the scheming of a mysterious stranger, Jade seems to be living in a twisted fairy tale. She soon learns, though, that fate has its own ideas of who should play each part, and that family is where you find it. The Rise of the Red Shadow - Before he was a legendary assassin and mythic hero, the creature known as Lain was just a simple malthrope, frightened and alone. The Rise of the Red Shadow tells the story of his tragic youth, beginning with his days on a plantation in Tressor and following him through the painful tragedies and thrilling trials that would one day lead him to greatness in the pages of The Book of Deacon. Entwell Origins: Ayna - AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME. The story of Ayna, a young fairy who is cruelly taken from her family, yet finds that this tragedy may have given her the opportunity to become more than she'd ever dreamed. The Stump and the Spire - Previously only available as part of the Neverland's Library anthology, The Stump and the Spire is the story of two children who gain a dark glimpse into the long forgotten past of their world. --- For fans of the series looking to fill in the gaps, or for new readers hoping to gather the whole series, The Book of Deacon Anthology is a great way to catch up on the whole saga. Each book is updated with improved formatting, as well as a brief foreword by Joseph R. Lallo, and even a message from the mysterious curator who collected the stories. Read it now and be ready for The D'Karon Apprentice, a new Book of Deacon story releasing November 12th, 2015.