The Hobs Bargain

#1 New York Times bestselling author Patrica Briggs presents a tale of beauty meets beast in this romantic fantasy novel. Hated and feared, magic was banished from the land. But now, freed from the spells of the wicked bloodmages, magic-both good and evil-returns. And Aren of Fallbrook feels her own power of sight strengthen and grow... Overcome by visions of mayhem and murder, Aren vows to save her village from the ruthless raiders who have descended upon it-and killed her family. With the return of wildlings to the hills and forests, she strikes a bargain with the Hob, a magical, human-like creature imbued with the power of the mountains. But the Hob is the last of his kind. And he will exact a heavy price to defend the village-a price Aren herself must pay...

Romayne Smithfield knows she is acting out of hand when she agrees to elope with her admirer, Bradley Montcrief. But how could she have guessed their carriage would be attacked as soon as they crossed the Scottish border? Sure Bradley is dead, she is shocked to be rescued from the highwaymen by Major James MacKinnon, who has his own reasons for being out on a moonless night. He is pursuing a traitor who has sold out Britain to the French. He turns his attention to Romayne and takes her to where she can be safe—his home. When her maid arrives to take Romayne home, she insists that a duke’s granddaughter cannot return from an elopement without a husband. James must marry her. After all, they spent a night together when he rescued her. When he agrees, Romayne is astounded . . . until he tells her that he has arranged for a fake ceremony. He needs to go to England to catch his prey, and taking her home to her grandfather gives him the excuse he needs. Now it is her turn to agree, but nothing goes as they plan. Neither of them guessed someone wants Romayne dead in a plot that began when she was only a baby . . . or that a marriage of convenience can become very inconvenient when true love gets in the way.

Conquer age nine with the earth-shattering secrets and must-know tips they won’t teach you in school—from the New York Times-bestselling author. Nine is an awesome age. One of the best! You finally start to get the respect you deserve, but you still get to enjoy being a kid. Before kids are ready for more independence, there’s a lot they need to know. This handbook brings together the hilarious (How to Disguise Your Appearance), the helpful (How to Keep Your Head Bug-Free) and the potentially lifesaving (How to Save Someone Who’s Choking) to help kids enjoy every second of year number nine! “These books are the best. Every kid should have them.” —Jason Segel, actor and coauthor of the Nightmares! series

Deep in trouble, Deep in the canyons Fourteen-year-old Dylan Sands has come all the way from North Carolina to Big Bend National Park, on the Texas/Mexico border, to paddle the fabled Rio Grande. His partner in adventure is a local river rat, his cousin Rio. As the two are packing their boats for ten days in the canyons, six Black Hawk helicopters appear overhead and race across the river into Mexico. The army won't tell the boys what's happening, but they are given a weather advisory: A hurricane is approaching the Gulf of Mexico. Dylan and Rio have their hearts set on their trip and can't give it up. Rio believes that their chances of running into border troubles or a major storm are slim to none. By canoe and raft, Dylan and Rio venture into the most rugged and remote reaches of the U.S./Mexico border. You may well not see another human being during the duration of your trip, the guidebook tells them. They don't, until a man stumbles into camp with a seven-year-old boy. A storm is brewing as the man who calls himself Carlos begs for help . . . and the boy is trembling with fear.