Thorn Queen

(The second book in the Dark Swan series)


A novel by

Richelle Mead



Eugenie Markham is a shaman for hire, paid to bind and banish creatures from the Otherworld. But after her last battle, she s also become queen of the Thorn Land. It s hardly an envious life, not with her kingdom in tatters, her love life in chaos, and Eugenie eager to avoid the prophecy about her firstborn destroying mankind. And now young girls are disappearing from the Otherworld, and no one--except Eugenie--seems willing to find out why.

Eugenie has spilled plenty of fey blood in her time, but this enemy is shrewd, subtle, and nursing a very personal grudge. And the men in her life aren t making things any easier. Her boyfriend Kiyo is preoccupied with his pregnant ex, and sexy fey king Dorian always poses a dangerous distraction. With or without their help, Eugenie must venture deep into the Otherworld and trust in an unpredictable power she can barely control. Reluctant queen or not, Eugenie has sworn to do her duty--even if it means facing the darkest--and deadliest--side of her nature...

Sweet Chance by Carole Howey


Paris Delaney was out to make his fortune, and he figured cattle ranching was as good a way as any. But the former Texas Ranger hadn't even set foot in Chance, Wyoming, before his partner became smitten with the local schoolmarm. Determined to discourage the match, he enlisted the help of a sharp-tongued widow --- and soon found himself her reluctant suitor.

Pretty, reserved, and thoroughly independent, Cressida Harding had loved and lost one husband, and that was enough for her. She didn't need any man to stand up for her rights or protect her from harm, even if dumb luck had brought virile Paris Delaney to her doorstep. But the longer he was in town, the more Cress found herself savoring the joys of...Sweet Chance

A Tryst in Time by Eugenia Riley



THE DREAM
Belle Fontaine was a relic of Louisiana's gracious past, a crumbling Civil War plantation house, where shadowy images seemed to flit between the shifting pools of sunlight, and haunting melodies echoed through the empty rooms. For Sarah Jennings it was a refuge from the inconsolable sorrow of her brother's death in the Vietnam War, a place where she could lose herself in swirling dreams of a dark-eyed lover who called to her across the years . . .

THE FULFILLMENT
Damien, too, had lost a brother to war --- the War Between the States --- but in Sarah's soft embrace he found a sweet ecstasy that made life worth living again. If only he could fathom the mystery surrounding her arrival at Belle Fontaine, if only he knew whether they were to share more than a brief tryst in time.

Tempest in Time by Eugenia Riley


1990'S CAREER GIRL
An assertive, independent business woman, Missy Monroe was having second thoughts about marrying gentle, gallant Jeff Dalton. What kind of a marriage could she have with a man who left her feeling so blah?

1840'S BLUSHING BRIDE
A shy, timid Victorian virgin, Melissa Montgomery was terrified at the thought of her arranged marriage to arrogant, domineering Fabian Fontenot. How could she survive a wedding night with a man whose animal magnetism had her quaking in her boots?

WRINKLE IN TIME
Accidentally trading places and partners on their wedding day, Missy and her long-ago namesake each found herself in a bewildering new time, married to a husband she didn't know. And each would have to discover for herself whether she was part of an odd couple or a match made in heaven.

The Marsh King's Daughter by Elizabeth Chadwick


ENGLAND 1216: DISSATISFACTION WITH KING JOHN HAS BRED A CIVIL WAR WHICH THREATENS THE SOCIAL ORDER.

Unwanted and unloved, rebellious Miriel Weaver is forced to a convent by her violent stepfather. Her plan to escape from the harsh life of a novice nun crystallises with the arrival of recuperating soldier of fortune Nicholas de Caen. Miriel sees in his pride and self-sufficiency a kindred spirit and, once he is well enough to leave, a way out.

The two part in Nottingham on bad terms which are to blight both their lives. When they meet again by chance, they agree to call a truce -- but the truce becomes first friendship and then a dangerous passion. Almost too late, Nicholas and Miriel realise that the chain of events triggered by their first meeting could now ensure they never know the pleasure of living ...