Showing results by narrator "Nick Cracknell" in All Categories

In 1558, during the reign of Bloody Queen Mary, Earth is visited by extraterrestrials who initiate first contact. Their mission is to gather samples of life on Earth and observe but not interact with humanity. After witnessing a brutal execution, their patience is tested beyond breaking point... First Contact is a series of standalone novels that explore humanity's first interaction with extraterrestrial life.

An economic partnership between Japan and Russia dissolves into chaos with a punitive Russian sneak attack on the home islands. The timing is perfect—for the Russians. Rising public hostility has forced Americans to shutter their bases in Japan, putting the Mutual Defense Treaty at risk. Admiral Robert Bondurant, Commander of the US Seventh Fleet, now based in Guam, scrambles to generate a measured response to the Russian aggression when he learns his wife and daughters have vanished from their Yokosuka family residence during the chaos of the Russian attack.

Sam hates his office job, but at least every night he can delve into Alterwhere and forget about stupid teamwork for a while. The world’s hottest new cerebral reality game is a fully immersive mash-up of the retro fantasy RPGs he used to play on his dad’s steam account back in the early 2030s—the kind where you can eat a bowl of stew in the middle of a battle, fire crossbows underwater, and steal all the plates from an NPC’s kitchen as long as they’re looking away at the time.

Aspiring rock star Annika Brisby thinks she knows where her life is going until she steps through a broken portal that leaves her stranded in a fae-filled realm of fairies, shapeshifter druids, psychic vampires, and other mythical beings. Unable to return until it's repaired, she's rescued by wood nymphs who believe her sudden arrival is no accident. After being taken in by a prominent family of elves, Annika finds herself struggling to resist the seductive spell of their youngest son, Talvi.

Annika is a fiery flame-haired rocker chick from Portland. All she wants is to find success with her band. Talvi's an arrogant fae bad boy with an ego as big as his bow. When the snarky, sassy guitarist steps through a portal into the faerie realm, he vows to help her get back home by whatever means necessary.

I was abducted by aliens and auctioned to a positively lovely, bleak place called the Underwater Pleasure Dome. An amphibious alien with hands like bug zappers helped spring me, and if you've followed my friends' adventures, you know Dohrein and I teamed up because we're both equally stellar, and awesome attracts awesome. This is the story of what happened after abduction life. The good part. The part where we settle in and build brand-new lives on this brand-new planet. I just need to have tea with my alien-in-law and convince her to set her pet humans free. No biggie.

Terrorist leaders are not benevolent men inclined to make peace but vicious bullies. The IRA was the Islamic State of its day. Northern Ireland, Iraq, and Afghanistan are similar wars. In these, an insurgency like the IRA/Sinn Fein mix is the main problem. A proven solution is the rule of law, where police intelligence dominates because investigative practices fail. The approach - widely misrepresented and commonly misunderstood - devastated the IRA. Some terrorists were killed, most were in prison, and many were on the run.

Hi. I’m Gwen. I’m a single mom to two growing boys - and now I’m the brand new owner of an alien whose greatest wish in life is to become a live-in nanny. It’s been kind of a weird day. I wholeheartedly recommend adding an alien to your household though. He cooks, he cleans - and the kids love him. But three things you should know if you’re going to keep a seven-foot-tall alien in your basement? You might want to invest in flameproof cookware. He will think of you as his planet’s equivalent of a princess. And my alien is totally stealing my underwear.

Ruling as king does not suit a man like Mute. The boredom. The monotony. The permanent stagnation… Until he arrived. The one with the Gift of Silence. The one wielding a dagger. The one who would mold Balewind into a temple to the Silent Almighty. Lord Deaf intends to be the scream that replaced a whisper, offering one final message to the realm before it never hears again: Bestow upon me your pain, your illness, your sorrow. Silence will absolve them all.

A decorated knight for Richard the Lionheart and an ally of the House of de Lohr, Sir Garret de Moray was a man described as cold, intimidating, foreboding. A man with eyes as black as night. Receiving a royal appointment as Captain of the Household Guard, there was no man more qualified or prepared for the role because on the sands of the Holy Land where Garret went on Richard’s great quest, the Christian armies whispered of a knight whose wisdom was ancient. Some wondered if he was the walking dead, an immortal soul who had lived many lifetimes over, because his skill and power exceeded earthly restraints. Kronos, they called him. The father of the gods. Then came a lady without hope…

Scandal. Blackmail. Obsession. It's just another day if you're a Marinossian. When Annika disappears without a trace, Talvi launches the hunt for his most infuriating rival yet. His only clues are from a government he's increasingly at odds with. In exchange for access to their resources, he does the unthinkable and reveals Annika's true nature. Time is short, but the list of names Talvi can trust keeps getting shorter.

Talvi Marinossian has slain maenads and fought off vampire attacks, but nothing has prepared him for getting involved with one of these forbidden "modern girls". When he finally tracks down Annika it's obvious that she's changed since her recent adventure in his homeland. It's also clear that she's not ready to embrace the next chapter in her life. He tries to persuade her to open up to him, but she finds it difficult since he won't even explain how he earns a living.

Lando’s romantic evening isn’t going to plan. During it, he’s received exclusive access to a secret update of his favorite virtual reality game. So now he has to slip away from his hot date and install the new version directly to his neuralink before the offer expires. However, while he’s uploading, the aliens obliterate Earth, and when he wakes, the world has changed. There’s a cultivation system in his mind that’s like he’s online, but not, at the same time. Earth is a wreck, the sky’s turned green, and every animal is out to kill him.

I can't believe Logan's been my partner for over a year. Actually, he's been more than that for half as long. I know he'll always have my back. But when a routine monster eviction goes horribly wrong, he's furious that I didn't run when I had the chance.

It’s been 30 years since Dellerin fell to the Dark One's rule. Magical Weavers have been hunted to extinction, and demonic attacks are frequent. With the kingdom’s remaining armies fighting an unwinnable war, the survival of small towns rely on whatever mercenaries they can afford. The Crimson Hunters are the most affordable around. With few victories and a trail of failed plans in their wake, they are the only hope the village of Treystone have at fending off the demon hordes.

From the author of The Things Our Fathers Saw in the World War II eyewitness history series comes this book, offering the true story behind an iconic photograph taken at the liberation of a death train, deep in the heart of Nazi Germany. It's brought to life by the history teacher who discovered it and went on to reunite hundreds of Holocaust survivors with the actual American soldiers who saved them.

Darkness has fallen on the Marinossian family, leaving ruined lives in its blood-stained wake and leaving Annika to pick up the pieces. With a deadly doppelgänger still loose and most likely in deadly pursuit, she's escorted back home to wait out the storm and heal her broken heart...however long that may be. But when she makes a shocking discovery, she'll do whatever it takes to make things right. A world away, Talvi has been dragged to the desolate prison on Bleakmoor Island where he awaits trial for murder.

My alien keeper rescued me from a man I should have been able to trust: my father. Raised by an alien, I never really learned how to interact with human people.

Having barely survived the dark god Xanos's devastating attack on the Empire, Grand Weaver Kalibar knows all too well that another assault is coming...and that this time, the Empire will not survive. Now he is forced to make a terrible decision...does he surrender to Xanos, enslaving his people to the will of the dark god? Or will he fight one last time, risking the annihilation of his people...and the death of his children?

My name is Jonohkada. I have been to many places on many planets. I have arrived on Earth, not for the first time, in search of my mate. This time I find her. Unfortunately, her roommate shrewdly suspects my otherness and orders me to reveal that I am an alien. As my mate is about to learn, I have to obey the order. I have to obey every order any female gives me. It has caused—and will cause even more—trouble for me. This is why I've begun employing a terrible defensive tactic to protect myself.