A number-one New York Times bestseller when it was originally published, THE SILMARILLION is the core of J.R.R. Tolkien's imaginative writing, a work whose origins stretch back to a time long before THE HOBBIT. Tolkien considered THE SILMARILLION his most important work, and, though it was published last and posthumously, this great collection of tales and legends clearly sets the stage for all his other writing. The story of the creation of the world and of the the First Age, this is the ancient drama to which the characters in THE LORD OF THE RINGS look back and in whose events some of them, such as Elrond and Galadriel, took part. The three Silmarils were jewels created by Feanor, most gifted of the Elves. Within them was imprisoned the Light of the Two Trees of Valinor before the Trees themselves were destroyed by Morgoth, the first Dark Lord. Thereafter, the unsullied Light of Valinor lived on only in the Silmarils, but they were seized by Morgoth and set in his crown, which was guarded in the impenetrable fortress of Angband in the north of Middle-earth. THE SILMARILLION is the history of the rebellion of Feanor and his kindred against the gods, their exile from Valinor and return to Middle-earth, and their war, hopeless despite all their heroism, against the great Enemy. This second edition features a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien describing his intentions for the book, which serves as a brilliant exposition of his conception of the earlier Ages of Middle-earth.

When a struggling young single mother saves the life of an elderly woman, she sets into motion a series of events that will test her strength, loyalty, and determination, all the while setting her on the path to finding true love. Christine Eisley is the mother of seven-year-old Zach and five-year-old Haley. Her ex-husband provides little, if any, child support and makes life difficult for Christine by using the children as pawns. She works long hours as a waitress to make ends meet, but her job is in jeopardy because she's often late to work due to the unreliable teenaged sitters she's forced to use. When Christine saves the life of a woman who works in Wilson's department store, the owner of Wilson's wants to find her, to thank her, but Christine has disappeared, losing another job once again. He sets his grandson, Jason, to the task of finding the mysterious "Christy." Jason, an accountant by trade who has lost his job to downsizing, thinks he is "above" working at...

In her acclaimed debut Blind Run, Patricia Lewin proved her brilliant command of heart-stopping tales of suspense—and the staggering human emotions that go with them. Now in Out of Reach, Lewin returns with a gripping new thriller—a beguiling story of a man and a woman entering a battle against an unseen evil . . . the kind that targets the most innocent among us.A rising star in the CIA, Erin Baker is driven by a tragedy from her past. When she was a child, her eight-year-old sister, Claire, was kidnapped. Though Claire was miraculously found, she was changed forever. As was Erin, who now just might get what she’s always wanted most: the chance to make a difference in someone’s life. But she must be willing to risk everything she holds dear.A covert officer overseas, Erin now works stateside in the world’s most sophisticated intelligence-gathering organization. But her life takes an unexpected turn when she spots an ice cream vendor performing magic tricks for kids. She has seen this man before—the day her sister disappeared. Obtaining access to records few are allowed to see, Erin pries open her sister’s cold kidnapping case. With her arsenal of data banks and espionage techniques, Erin hopes to finally bring the criminal to justice. When a boy disappears near her home, Erin is certain there is a link between the two cases. She meets Alec Donovan, an FBI agent on the hunt to find the missing child, whose record for locating missing children is unquestioned. Suddenly Alec and Erin find themselves on a desperate pursuit—from the streets of America’s most peaceful neighborhoods to a horrifying underworld where children are stolen and trafficked. And as they get closer to the truth, they make their own lives, and the lives of everyone they love, into perfect targets for a killer.With its deeply-drawn characters, relentless pace, and powerful depiction of human courage in the face of danger, Out of Reach is a gritty, terrifying novel of a nerve-wracking race against time. With echoes of today’s most shocking headlines, this is fiction at its most passionate and suspenseful.From the Hardcover edition.From Publishers WeeklySpunky kids at the mercy of bad guys are once again the focus of this second suspense novel by Lewin (Blind Run), in which a covert CIA operative and martial arts expert goes up against a child kidnapping ring. Erin Baker is on assignment in D.C., keeping an eye on the city's embassies, when she spots a magician she saw the day her seven-year-old sister, Claire, was snatched 19 years before. Convinced that she can help find a boy who was recently kidnapped, Erin joins FBI agent Alec Donovan, working with him to dismantle an international child-slavery ring operating under diplomatic immunity. Meanwhile, the story shifts focus to follow the kidnapper as he dons disguises to match wits with his pursuers, and describes abuse through the eyes of Ryan, a boy imprisoned on a German diplomat's Middleburg, Va., estate. Tension builds as Erin confronts the kidnapper on a jogging path and the evil German at an embassy ball, coming to a head when Alec's team storms the Virginia mansion. There is no shortage of twists and surprises, but the fast-paced plot can't make up for the cardboard-cutout characters (pretty Erin is a single parent and demonstrates martial arts to CIA recruits in her spare time; tough yet sensitive Alec falls for her right away; the evil German loves his guard dogs) or the uninspired prose ("The following ten days were particularly intense"). An action movie in print, this thriller offers recognizable characters, a few surprises, a little romance and the chance for the heroine to wear a variety of outfits to face down the villains. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistErin Baker's life changed drastically the day her sister Claire was kidnapped. Even though her sister was found four years later, Erin has always blamed herself for not looking after her. Now, years later, Erin has become a CIA agent, and cares for Claire, who has been committed to a mental institution, and Claire's young daughter. Working in Washington, D.C., Erin reads about a child's abduction in Baltimore, and all her painful memories resurface, especially after she sees an ice cream seller performing magic for children in the park. She then realizes that she saw the same man before her sister disappeared, and contacts the FBI. Special agent Alec Donovan believes Erin's far-fetched theory because he's heard rumors about a magician who kidnaps children. The two become rogue agents searching for a kidnapping ring that leads them to a high-ranking diplomat. Fans of Lewin's first book, Blind Run [BKL Ja 1&15 03], will find this white-knuckle chase through a murky world where children are the prey of adult monsters a worthy successor. Patty EngelmannCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Andy Buckland is determined that nothing will interrupt her first Christmas with Malcolm Jones and her last holiday spent in her childhood home. When the family recipe book disappears from the Bowtie Angel, and Aunt Cecily threatens to put “The Eye” on the entire population of Beaverton if it isn’t returned, Andy and Jones decide to put the eggnog on hold for a little old fashioned sleuthing.

Why did investigative journalist Jamie Maxden have to die? Did someone need to stop him revealing the scandalous secrets of the food industry?In the sixth Trish Maguire novel, the coroner says Jamie's death was suicide. His family agree. The case is closed. Only one man fights to re-open it, but he's known as a conspiracy theorist and he can't make anyone believe him until he turns to Trish.Felled by food poisoning in the middle of a big trial, she is ready to believe almost any story about the adulteration of meat on sale in London. Even though she has more than enough to do with her work as a barrister, the fight to protect a child in terrible danger, and plenty of emotional complications of her own, she agrees to help. The investigation takes her deep into the countryside, showing that cruelty and intimidation can flourish in a ravishing landscape just as they do in the grimmest of inner-city housing estates.Moving between the two, trying to save lives and sanity, inexhaustible Trish is driven into a crusade that combines excitement, drama and agonising human tragedy.

HOW COULD SHE FALL IN LOVE WITH A YANKEE?Julia Chandler was a true daughter of the Confederacy, believing any man who wore Union blue was no man at all. But the magic of a costume ball transformed her, and she looked beyond his mask and saw in the eyes of Major Robert Montgomery the mirror of her very soul!Major Rob Montgomery had good reason to hate Southerners. Hadn't Rebel gunfire shattered his dreams along with his hand? And yet he yearned for even a moonlit glimpse of Miss Julia, a sheltered Virginia belle, forbidden him by war and politics, but destined for him by heart's true love!

WARNING: This book is short, funny, and sexy. Might cause the reader to break out into uncontrollable fits of laughter while taking his / her shirt off because the room just got too hot. You might also cry. I lost my virginity while thinking of an algorithm. How to learn about love when all you've ever thought about is computer-code?

The discovery of thousands of empty abalone shells and two murdered divers sends Lieutenant John Marquez's poaching investigation in a newand very riskydirection. Former DEA agent and now head of a special operations unit of the California Department of Fish and Game, Marquez learns he himself has been targeted as the next victim. Stalking him is Kline, a vicious drug smuggler turned abalone poacher who has a vendetta against Marquez. John Marquez is supposed to protect wildlife, not solve murders, but the only way he can break the multi-million-dollar abalone-smuggling ring, as well as save his own life, is to find and stop Kline. A fast-paced crime novel set along the majestic Northern California coastline, Shell Games introduces a tough, complex, and appealing hero and a masterful new series.

RESCUE AND PROTECT... Mike Bishop's latest assignment should have been simple -- rescue a woman and the young boy in her care. But there was nothing simple about beautiful Ann Hamilton. Suddenly, Mike was thinking more and more about ways to mix business with pleasure. Lots of pleasure... Mike was a hazel-eyed, walking hunk of testosterone -- and the last thing Ann needed. She wanted only to start a peaceful new life with her adopted son, but Mike had a way of inflaming much more than just her temper. He would protect her life, but what about her heart?

Book One: A Necklace of SoulsDana wishes she wasn’t a princess. She’s always being told how to behave, what to wear. The collier’s cart seems the perfect escape, only she didn’t realize she’d become so dirty, or so lost. Fortunately this boy, Will, has a sense of direction. And next to the forbidding stranger, N’tombe, he seems reassuringly normal.Book Two: A Skillful WarriorDana and Will must find the weapon to defeat the Emperor. But his army is close behind and the Kingdom and its Guardian have vanished. They must learn to overcome despair and to fight on, despite the darkness. For a warrior must adapt, or die.Book Three: A Memory of FireHeld captive in a strange city, Dana dreams of fire and flight. There is something she must find, but she does not know what it is, or why it is important. Half a world away, Will studies a new, exciting...

Blue Moon Lorie O'Clare Sandy Parks accepts her widow status in the pack. Her daughter's success and status as queen bitch give Sandy the status she needs to lead a good life. Only one thing is missing: the touch of a werewolf, the companionship of a mate. Ralph Hipp is tired of simply protecting Sandy from a distance. Too many strays chance upon her, hoping for a nibble from the youthful-looking widow. It's time to make his move, show her this old werewolf still has a few tricks up his sleeve. Together they prove life and love can be hotter second time around. Shadow Hunter J.C. Wilder Retired Shadow Hunter and were-cat, Ulrik the Fair, is forced out of retirement when a rogue werewolf calls for his blood. It's Halloween in New Orleans, and the last thing the Council needs is open warfare between the were-cats and the wolves. Just when he thought things were under control, a beautiful complication by the name of Charlene arrives on the scene. As the full moon rises, the cat begins stalking its prey... Twofold Desires Ashleigh Raine A few days before Halloween, and flower shop owner Jill Evan's biggest excitement is carving pumpkins and spraying gladiolus orange and black. She attends a Halloween singles bash, looking to add a little fun to her boring life. Leo and Arden have searched eighteen years for a woman to break their cursed existence. With only a few nights remaining until death claims them, Jill dances into their lives, pure and sweet and exactly what they're looking for. Only love can break the curse, but then everything about them changes… Although loosely connected to the Talisman Bay series, Twofold Desires can be read as a stand-alone.

A freelance intelligence agent with a deadly gift goes after a gang of terrorists in New York Times–bestselling author Gerald A. Browne's stylish, action-packed thriller The train slips across the horizon, its serial numbers painted over, its cars empty save for the soldiers who guard the cargo. Its mission is classified, but there are four men waiting in the night, keeping a close eye on the mysterious train. They know it carries something far more dangerous than a nuclear bomb, and they will do anything to get their hands on it. Unlocking the train's secrets requires a daring crime, and victory seems within their reach. But they did not count on Hazard. A hard-drinking gambler with a taste for beautiful women and no love for authority, freelance intelligent operative Hazard is an unlikely hero. But when a corpse washes up in the Hudson River, he vows revenge. The victim was an idealist whose sense of honor got him killed, and Hazard will...

He taught her passion.She taught him love ... and broke the spell that had seemed destined to torment him forever.Bronwyn's father had always forbidden her to go anywhere near the gypsies, but when a beautiful mare catches her eye at the fair, she can't resist having a better look at the horse ... and then taking a short ride, just to take her through her paces.But she quickly learns her mistake when the mare carries her off to the demon castle in the Dread Woods.Published: 12/2015Length: NovellaWord Count: 15,158Genre: Dark Fantasy RomanceRating: Spicy/Erotic-spanking