Showing results by author "Melanie Karsak" in All Categories

The rebellion of the Northern Iceni under King Caturix results in dire consequences for Boudica. Without Aulus Plautius’ protection, Boudica must face the new, more severe Roman Governor Scapula. Struggling to make their way in a war-torn landscape, Boudica and Prasutagus persevere, but fate has a way of undoing our best intentions. Catastrophic events take place, undermining everything Boudica worked so hard to achieve. As the eagle betrays, the queen of ash and iron rises to protect all that she loves.

Scotland, 1026 - Gruoch, descendant of the line of MacAlpin, should have been born into a life of ease. But fate is fickle. Her father's untimely death, rumored to have been plotted by King Malcolm, leaves her future uncertain and stained by the prophecy that she will avenge her family line. Escaping to one of the last strongholds of the old Celtic gods, Gruoch becomes an adept in arcane craft. Her encounters with the otherworld, however, suggest that magic runs stronger in Scotland than she ever imagined.

When Aurora and her twin brother Aubrey were born, a dark mage cursed them: before their eighteenth birthday, the twins would suffer the torment of eternal sleep. Aurora and Aubrey's parents, being sensible wizards, eviscerated the mage. Unfortunately, dark magic doesn't go quietly. Aurora and Aubrey were left orphans. Raised by three half-faerie guardians, the twins' lives pass unremarkably. Attractive, witty, and in possession of a large fortune, they are the toast of polite society.

In my dreams, Odin whispers to me. He tells me I'm destined to wield a legendary sword. He tells me my road will bring me to Valhalla. But when I wake, I'm only Hervor. Fatherless. Unloved. Unwanted. Jarl Bjartmar, my grandfather, calls me cursed. My mother, her memories stolen by the gods, has forgotten me. Everyone tells me I should have been left to the wolves, but no one will tell me why. None but Eydis, a thrall with völva magic, believes I'm meant for a greater destiny. Yet who can believe a devotee of Loki?

My name may be Alice, but Wonderland Academy is everything my real life isn't. Who wouldn't want to learn how to ride a jabberwocky, train with a vorpal sword, cast spells using a teacup, or shapeshift into a fairy? As long as no one figures out my real name, I should be fine. The only problem? Aden, the Queen of Hearts' son, is quickly becoming my best friend. And then there's Corbin. Brooding, surly, tattooed, and definitely not my type, I can't stop thinking about him. But Corbin has secrets of his own, and Wonderland and secrets don't mix.

After years of working for my family's business, I'm finally back in college and ready to chase my dream of becoming a perfumer. It seems like the stars are all aligning when Chancellor College invites a preeminent French fragrance expert to speak at a symposium. Everything is working out just right, as long as I can continue to ignore my growing feelings for a certain hippie beekeeper. That, it seems, is turning out to be easier said than done.

When the gods play in mortals’ lives, the only certain outcome is uncertainty. Especially when that god is Loki. In the course of a night, I found out my entire life was a lie. Now, Yrsa, Eydis, and I will set off to recover Tyrfing. I must leave Dalr - and the dream I’d shared with Hofund - behind. Eydis is sure the gods have plans for me. I hope she’s right. For on the distant island of Bolmsö, the last of my father’s line is besieged by enemies, and only the blood of a berserker can make things right again.

The king is dead. Long live the queen. With Duncan defeated, Gruoch becomes Queen of Scotland. Now, she must rule at Macbeth's side, a difficult prospect as the new King of Scots grows increasingly unstable. To keep her son, her love, and her country safe, Gruoch must call upon the raven. Dive into the final installment of Gruoch's epic tale in Highland Queen, a Scottish historical fantasy, book four in The Celtic Blood Series by New York Times bestselling author Melanie Karsak.

When Isabelle Hawking and her papa set out from London on a sea voyage, Isabelle is thrilled. Visiting foreign courts, learning from master tinkerers, and studying mechanicals is her dream. But Isabelle never arrives. Swept up in a tempest, her ship is lost. Isabelle survives the storm only to be shipwrecked on a seemingly deserted island. The magical place, dotted with standing stones, faerie mounds, and a crumbling castle, hints of an ancient past. Isabelle may be an unwilling guest, but her arrival marks a new beginning for the beastly residents of this forgotten land.

With the dark days in Dalr behind them, Hervor and Hofund journey to Grund. Hervor’s focus turns to tracking down the sea kings and taking vengeance, but she soon finds that life in Grund is convoluted. Family grudges, secret alliances, and shady friendships abound in the capital. Everyone has their own agenda, and for some, Hervor is in the way. Hervor will find that surviving Grund is far more complicated than the bloody fields. But a blood moon is rising. Soon, Odin’s shield-maiden must clear the path to her promised future...no matter who must meet Tyrfing to ensure that fate.

Under the thunder moon, the war-horn will sound, and Odin’s Valkyrie will rise. Reunited with Hofund, and with Bolmsö safe from its enemies, Hervor takes her place as jarl. But the All-Father has bigger plans for his favorite shield-maiden. When Hervor learns that Jarl Bjartmar has vowed vengeance on Leif, she knows she must stand by her cousin. To free Dalr, they must enlist the help of old allies, former enemies, and a warrior-priest called the Reindeer King. Together, they will fight to free Dalr.

When actress Elyse McKenna fell in love with Lord John Waldegrave, she was prepared to keep their liaison secret. What she wasn't ready for was how her newfound love would rock her relationship with her dearest friend, Doctor Kai Murray. With the 1814 London Frost Fair in full swing, Elyse and her troupe at the Ice House Theatre find themselves at the heart of the excitement on the frozen Thames. But when an exotic ship captain, whose vessel is trapped in the ice, turns her attention to Kai, everything Elyse thought she knew about her feelings for her old friend gets flipped upside down.

While Layla Petrovich returns home to rural Hamletville after a desperate call from her psychic grandmother, she never could have anticipated the horror of what Grandma Petrovich has foreseen. The residents of Hamletville will need Layla's cool head, fast blade, and itchy trigger finger to survive the undead apocalypse that's upon them. But even that may not be enough. With mankind silenced, it soon becomes apparent that we were never alone.

With the 1824 British airship qualifying race only weeks away, Lily Stargazer is at the top of her game. She's racing like a pro, truly in love, and living clean. But on one ill-omened day, everything changes.

It all begins on one of the worst days of Lily's life. She just lost the London leg of the 1823 Airship Grand Prix. To top it off, a harlequin fleeing from constables shoved a kaleidoscope down her pants, told her to fly to Venice, then threw himself from her airship tower. What's a girl to do? For Lily, the answer is easy: Drink absinthe and smoke opium.

People think being haunted is a bad thing. That’s because they’ve never visited The Curiosity Curio. The spirits who linger in my store dance the jitterbug, look after the plants, and gossip about long-dead relatives. Even though no one believes me about my mediumistic gifts, it’s my job to aid these lost souls. I can help them, even if I gave up hoping to find someone who understood me long ago.

A mermaid princess destined to wed a handsome king.... It sounds like a fairy tale, but the reality is far murkier. Ink, Princess of the Florida Atlantic mers, is slated to wed the ancient enemy of her tribe, the King of the Gulfs. After years of war that led to countless mer deaths, as well as the genocide of aquatic shapeshifters and the freshwater mers of Florida, Ink's marriage will bring lasting peace.

With the undead walking, vampires hunting, and kitsune closing in, everything seems lost. Layla and the others will need help if there is any hope of survival. But how can you endure in the dying world? Join Layla, Cricket, Amelia, and the other survivors for the final chapter of The Harvesting Series in The Torn World.

In the little town of Brighton, Amelia's practice of Wicca has always marked her as odd. But Amelia can't change what she is. Knowing how to see auras, heal, and create spells comes naturally to her. Only Madame Knightly, the ancient matriarch and owner of Witch Wood Estate to whom Amelia plays caretaker, doesn't seem to mind her conjoining. In fact, the crumbling old mansion is full oddities.

Layla and the other survivors now find themselves caught in a war for our world, the unwitting victims of a grudge seething for eons. Surviving the zombie apocalypse has become the least of their worries as they come up against vampires, shapeshifters, and fae. When she uncovers an unspeakable horror, whom can Layla trust? The carnie girl? The doctor searching for a cure? The tarot reader? The stranger with alluring gold eyes? Or the man she loves?