"A supernatural thriller told in first person by three main characters over the course of eleven years, Eternal Beauty explores the lives of Bridget Higgins, a young girl grappling with grief, Claire Foster, a woman seeking physical perfection while battling her own inner demons, and Barbara O’Malley, a charismatic wellness influencer.
Fueled by her trauma of mysteriously losing her loved ones, Bridget connects deeply with Barbara as she devours her online videos looking for her own place in the world.
Claire, Barbara’s assistant, obsessed with physical beauty, seeks revenge for past tragedies, and her misguided actions affect the lives of others in unexpected ways.
The story explores the masks people wear, both online and in real life, blurring the lines between truth and illusion, and the lies we tell ourselves to justify wrong choices. Claire’s pursuit of beauty masks her inner turmoil. Bridget copes with her pain by creating an online alter ego. Barbara’s carefully crafted public persona hides the excruciating pain of past traumatic events.
Elements of Celtic mythology and folklore abound, adding a layer of mystery and otherworldly danger and creating a sense of uneasiness and impending doom, leading to a chilling climax that will leave listeners breathless."
"Eager fans around the world played Operation Red Helmet for years, making it the highest-grossing virtual reality game ever sold, and the designers, The Talladav Group, are the richest company on earth.
After an oppressive, unrelenting worldwide heatwave hits, daily life grinds to a halt around the globe. People retreat to their homes, afraid to go out as violence and chaos erupt in the streets. The game temporarily shuts down as the world grapples with the fallout of civil unrest and critical infrastructure breakdowns, forever altering society.
When governments take over control and infrastructures are replaced and back online, the top players of the previous version receive a mysterious box marked “Operation Jade Helmet.” The new version is the first-ever total immersion VR experience and inside each box is a free headset and personal code to play a week before release to the general public. The lucky winners don their newest obsession and impatiently wait for the game to begin. Unfortunately, they are about to discover Operation Jade Helmet is unlike any other game, and when the game begins, everything changes."
"My name is Roxy Davenport—the epitome of a suburban housewife.
For over twenty-five years, I have based my entire life off the ancient, mental code of ethics passed down from previous generations that I secretly nicknamed The Suburbia Handbook.
High school sweethearts must marry and the wife is to stay at home and raise the children while the husband brings home the bacon. All married couples must procreate and raise, at a minimum, two and a half children, preferably staggered in ages by three years. A woman’s job as housewife is to maintain a pleasant, always spotless home for her family. Check. Housewives must service their husband’s needs when the man’s urges overtake him, no matter how tired, sick, in pain, or stressed the wife feels.
For over twenty years, I adhered to the strict rules—until now.
After a series of traumatic events, my life spirals out of control, destroying each and every archaic, foundational rule.
Except Rule Number Eleven: One must defend their family, no matter what. This rule trumps everything else, even if the defense comes in the form of bodily harm to another.
Or until death do us part."
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