Showing results by publisher "Recorded Books" in Dark Fantasy

Sandu Berdardi continues to exist only to protect his people. An ancient Carpathian, his entire long life has been dedicated to honor above all else. He knows his time has passed, especially since he has not been able to find his lifemate - the anchor to keep him sane in a world he no longer understands. But just as he truly starts to give up hope, a voice reaches out to him in the night and his world explodes into color.

Raum is the quiet one who rarely smiles. He’s felt numb since Heaven erased his memory as punishment for crimes he can’t recall. His only relief comes from his penchant for theft and his unusual connection with animals. Until, that is, he crosses paths with a beautiful angel . . . A loyal servant of Heaven, Sunshine is fighting to regain her rank and redeem herself for her shameful past. Tasked with retrieving a grimoire from Hell, she binds Raum into her service with an unbreakable contract.

In a city beset by monsters, three brothers must find out who is controlling the abominations. The city-state of Ravenwood is wealthy, powerful, and corrupt. Merchant princes and guild masters wager fortunes to outmaneuver League rivals for the king's favor and advantageous trading terms. Lord Mayor Ellor Machison wields assassins, blood witches, and forbidden magic to assure that his powerful patrons get what they want, no matter the cost.

It is the year 1537. The great winged lion stares over a Venice where magic thrives. The rich Venetian Republic is a bastion of independence and tolerance. Perhaps for that reason, it is also corrupt, and rotten with intrigue. But for the young brothers, Marco and Benito Valdosta, vagabond and thief, Venice is simply home. They have no idea that they stand at the center of the city's coming struggle for its very life. They know nothing of the powerful forces moving in the background. They have barely heard of Chernobog, demon lord of the north, who is shifting his pawns to attack.

Casement Rise is a dusty town at the end of days, a harsh world of grit and arcane dangers. While Jean’s stern, overprotective Nan has always kept Casement Rise safe from monsters, she may have waited too long to teach Jean how to face them on her own. On Jean’s twelfth birthday, a mysterious graceful man appears, an ethereal and terrifying being tied to her family’s secrets. Now, Nan must rush Jean’s education in monsters, magic, and the breaking of the world in ages past.

After the loss of her entire family, Lorraine Peters heads to the woods searching for peace of mind and anything to quell her anger. Instead, she stumbles upon a scene of horrific violence, as one man lies helpless in the face of three attackers. Andor Katona's existence has been a harsh one, living for centuries as a monk in the Carpathian Mountains. Unable to find his lifemate, he almost welcomes his release from a colorless and unfeeling world at the hands of the vampire hunters who have mistaken him for their prey. That is, until a whirling ball of fury bursts onto the scene.

For five years, Cason Cole has been a chew toy for a god. He walked away from his wife and son and devoted his life to a predator who holds nothing and no-one dear. Now, as the man he loves and hates lies dying at his feet, the explosion still ringing in his ears, Cason is finally free. For centuries, the swarming gods of the Earth were content to lounge in Heaven, forgetting the mortals they left behind; but 30 years ago, the all-powerful "Usurper" ejected them all. Now it's back to the bad old days: cults and sycophants, and the terrible retribution of the gods.

Thrown into a desolate land of sickness and unnatural beasts, Kai wakes in the woods with no idea who she is or how she got there. All she knows is that if she cannot reach the Sea of Devour, even this hellscape will get worse. But when she sees the village blacksmith fight invaders with unspeakable skill, she decides to accept his offer of help. Too bad he’s as skilled at annoying her as he is at fighting. As she searches for answers, Kai only finds more questions, especially regarding the blacksmith who can ignite her body like a flame, then douse it with ice in the next breath.

The new Carpathian audiobook from the number one New York Times best-selling "queen of paranormal romance" (J. R. Ward). The victim of a terrible vampire experiment, Emeline Sanchez fears she will never be free of their taint. But can an ancient Carpathian heal her heart, body, and soul, or will she always be caught between the vampire and Carpathian worlds?

As the only female vampire ever born, and the heir to two powerful immortal families, Hope Kayrs-Kyllwood has always felt the weight of fate and destiny. Now her heart is torn between two men and two different futures. It’s a choice between duty and love, peace and war, with the fate of everyone she loves hanging in the balance. As the leader of the Kurjan nation, Drake has always known that mating Hope is the best path to avoiding war. He’s counting on her to know the same...Paxton has been Hope’s best friend and protector since they were children.

At any other time, Julija Brennan would find solace in the quiet of the Sierra Mountains, but now the mage is in the race of her life. Having broken free from her controlling family, Julija's attempt to warn the Carpathians of the coming threat has failed and put a target on her back - and those who are hunting her are close behind....

At the heart of a trackless swamp, a murdered thief claws his way back from the abyss. Who he was is lost to the grave, but not his need for vengeance. Death has not claimed him; instead it's unlocked a darker destiny. This isn't a heroic tale; it's the antithesis. This is a dark fantasy where evil is as much a place as a person. In Tenebroum, our villainous protagonist, the Lich, strives for a godhood fueled by the souls of its enemies, and the world trembles, ignorant of its impending doom.

Banding together with the remnants of the Ghoul’s Tooth gang, Garrett finds himself thrust into a power struggle he wants nothing to do with. The city is filled with warring factions, each bent on using every means possible to come out on top, and they all seem to think Garrett is the perfect tool to achieve that.

In Darkover’s dim past, before the tumultuous Ages of Chaos, small kingdoms still vied for power. But with the rise of psychic abilities called laran, unscrupulous leaders turned to half-trained sorcerers for an advantage. One such struggle arose between the realms of Hastur and its ambitious neighbor, Carcosse. Leora Hastur is still a child when her laran awakens, and the resulting crisis almost claims her life. Her beloved older sister, Neave, and her father’s small circle of telepathic workers manage to save her, but nothing can shield her from the horrors of the impending war.

LONDON, 1891. Elizabeth Whittle and William Grant enjoy scalping London’s bourgeoisie, taking on the personas of grand spiritist Cerulia Trent and her agent to connect the living and the dead. When a detective arrives, sniffing out fraud with a scientifically minded spiritualist society, the duo decides to take one last job before escaping to the continent. However, their final séance ends horrifically … and soon Lizzie isn’t Lizzie anymore.

Masks, the first novel in a mesmerizing new fantasy series, draws readers into a world in which cataclysmic events have left the Autarchy of Aygrima - the one land blessed with magical resources - cut off from its former trading partners across the waters, not knowing if any of those distant peoples still live. Yet under the rule of the Autarch, Aygrima survives. And thanks to the creation of the Masks and the vigilance of the Autarch’s Watchers, no one can threaten the security of the empire.

Nesi is desperate to earn the patronage of one of the Ninety-Nine Pillars of Heaven. As a child with godly blood in her, if she cannot earn a divine chaperone, she will never be allowed to leave her temple home. But with ninety-six failed auditions and few options left, Nesi makes a risky prayer to T’sidaan, the Fox of Tricks. In folk tales, the Fox is a lovable prankster. But despite their humor and charm, T’sidaan, and their audition, is no joke. They throw Nesi back in time three hundred years, when her homeland is occupied by the brutal Wolfhounds of Zemin.

Noah and his allies continue to grow stronger, but so do their enemies. Inquisitors are hot on Lee’s tail. Though she managed to defeat the latest one, victory came at the cost of Azel’s life… and the inquisitors are far from their greatest threat. Wizen continues his advance toward Arbitage. His goals are still unknown, but he’s powerful enough that even Renewal and Decras acknowledge his strength—and the threat he poses Noah’s group. Ancient plans are coming to fruition, and they're centered around the last person anybody would have suspected.

Nothing is certain in Araxes. Not even death. Stolen from the widow's clutches, master thief and ghost Caltro Basalt must learn new ways to survive the cutthroat society of the Arctian Empire. His one hope for freedom and justice? A gift from the dead gods, who continue to beg for a saviour.

The battle for the emperor's throne grows ever fiercer. The City of Countless Souls cowers behind locked doors as the whims of the downtrodden and the powerful bring the great game of Araxes to its chaotic conclusion. With the soulblade at his hip and magic in his soul, Caltro's freedom is almost within reach. But as Temsa reign of murder clashes with Widow Horix's plans, the locksmith's fate becomes all the more entwined with the needs of dead gods, the Cult, and vengeful royals.