The Apprentice

With sparkling wit and occasional pathos, Pepin tells the captivating story of his rise from a terrified 13-year-old toiling in an Old World French kitchen to an American culinary superstar.

Arianwyn fluffs her witch's assessment - instead of qualifying, she's declared an apprentice and sent to remote Lull in disgrace. Then her arch-enemy, mean girl Gimma, arrives on holiday determined to make her life a misery. But as a mysterious darkness begins to haunt her spells, Arianwyn realizes there's much more than her pride at stake ...

The Apprentice by Lewis Libby takes place in a remote mountain inn in northernmost Japan, where a raging blizzard has brought together wayfarers who share only fear and suspicion of one another. It is the winter of 1903, the country is beset with smallpox and war is brewing with Russia. In the flickering shadows of the crowded room, the apprentice, charged with running the inn during the owner's absence, finds himself strongly attracted to one of the performers lodged there. His involvement with the mysterious travelers plunges him headlong into murder, passion and heart-stopping chases through the snow.

From two-time Pulitzer Prize–winning Washington Post national security reporter Greg Miller, the truth about Vladimir Putin’s covert attempt to destroy Hillary Clinton and help Donald Trump win the presidency, its possible connections to the Trump campaign, Robert Mueller’s ensuing investigation of the president and those close to him, and the mystery of Trump’s steadfast allegiance to Putin. It has been called the political crime of the century: a foreign government, led by a brutal authoritarian leader, secretly interfering with the American presidential election to help elect the candidate of its choice. Now two-time Pulitzer Prize–winning Washington Post national security reporter Greg Miller investigates the truth about the Kremlin’s covert attempt to destroy Hillary Clinton and help Donald Trump win the presidency, Trump’s steadfast allegiance to Vladimir Putin, and Robert Mueller’s ensuing investigation of the president and those close to him. Based on interviews with hundreds of people in Trump’s inner circle, current and former government officials, individuals with close ties to the White House, members of the law enforcement and intelligence communities, foreign officials, and confidential documents, The Apprentice offers striking new information about: the hacking of the Democrats by Russian intelligence; Russian hijacking of Facebook and Twitter; National Security Adviser Michael Flynn’s hidden communications with the Russians; the attempt by Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, to create a secret back channel to Moscow using Russian diplomatic facilities; Trump’s disclosure to Russian officials of highly classified information about Israeli intelligence operations; Trump’s battles with the CIA and the FBI and fierce clashes within the West Wing; Trump’s efforts to enlist the director of national intelligence and the director of the National Security Agency to push back against the FBI’s investigation of his campaign; the mysterious Trump Tower meeting; the firing of FBI Director James Comey; the appointment of Mueller and the investigation that has followed; the tumultuous skirmishing within Trump’s legal camp; and Trump’s jaw-dropping behavior in Helsinki. Deeply reported and masterfully told, The Apprentice is essential reading for anyone trying to understand Vladimir Putin’s secret operation, its catastrophic impact, and the nature of betrayal.

In a world where magic and technology have merged, those who control Runes control everything.

Destiny is a Double-Edged Sword Breyik has made it this far in the Devicing world on the strength of his parents' legacy, but now he has to live up to it. In the Irongate Kingdom, Devicing is everything, just don't call it magic. Selected apprentices go on to futures of glory, creating new and powerful artifacts for the wealth and future of the isolated, underground lands. Breyik's parents were the greatest Devicers in history - the King said so, himself. Made apprentice underage by Master Takkri, his parents' own teacher, Apprentice Breyik must earn promotion to Journeyman, the first true step to becoming a Master in his own right. Now is his moment. He has studied the Journeyman Projects of the past. He has secretly researched skills beyond what any apprentice ought to know. He has put it all on display for Master Takkri's judgement and left nothing to change. But there's one thing he forgot to research: The Master, himself. When Master Takkri flips Breyik's understanding of Devicing on its head, his promotion and his family legacy are at stake. The outcome will shape the future of not just a single apprentice, but all of Tal Deorai. Lose Yourself, but Not Your Family Breyik the Apprentice is an epic fantasy novelette. That means rich but tight world-building, a unique magic (no, wait, can't use that word: Devicing) system and characters whose actions and decisions could shatter or shape societies. But it's also relatively short. If you're like me, you can get lost in a story for hours at a time. You might forget to sleep, eat, or acknowledge the existence of other human beings (or kobi). Well, with Breyik the Apprentice, you can do that safely. It's a short read that will introduce you to Breyik and the Irongate Kingdom of Tal Deorai, but also let you finish by dinner time, or the end of your flight. And this is just a beginning. The next Breyik novel - a full-length novel that may just put your relationships at risk - is already in progress. If you join the reader's club at the end, you'll be the first to know when it's ready. Are you still reading this? I promise the book is more interesting than this description. Download it now to start reading!

Dana Bedwen never wanted to be a dark mage. It's in her blood. It's her destiny. But what is that, compared to a young woman's desire to be an Alchemist? So she is looking for a job as an Alchemist, despite the suspicion and discrimination she faces as a dark arall. She wants to build steam trains and make money, not spend time on silly, antiquated rituals. But the Universe is conspiring against her. In order to save her own life, she'll have to accept the fate she fought so hard to avoid. On the path to her destiny, she'll regain longlost family, a boyfriend, and uncover some secrets about herself. Book one of the Alchemist series, which will take you through Dana's personal growth story, as she accepts her destiny and matures to become the great woman she will become. Without forgetting alchemy, of course.