"Dead folk are poppin' up like a whack-a-mole . . .
It's my fault. Sort of. Who would have thought that helping a friend bring back a few folks he'd accidentally murdered could mean the end of the world?
Here's what happened . . . when I raised a few folk, the veil between life and death was torn. Not a big deal. I mean, death sucks, you know?
But the dead aren't coming back right. They're on a murderous rampage.
And come to find out, there's an ancient god who wants to see it through . . .
The Book of the Dead says that the world will end when the dead rise to rule the earth. Well, that's a shizz-show that this hedge witch won't buy tickets to see.
It's up to me to end this. But will I lose myself in the process?"
"A strange woman has risen from the lake . . .
There's something familiar about her. Is she a friend, or a foe? How the hell did she end up in the Lake of the Ozarks, anyway?
There's a dark warlock on the loose . . .
The Grand Coven has shown up to stop him. Among them, the witches who killed my parents . . .
Is there a connection between the Grand Coven, my parent's death, and this strange lady of the lake?
All I know is that when she saw me, she knew me . . . Is this strange creature the key to finally understanding the truth?
Who am I? Where did I come from? Why are so many high falutin' witches obsessed with me? This lady might be dangerous. But if she has the answers I've been looking for, it's worth the risk."
"Some witches don't need a coven . . .
Can a girl who sees animal spirits ever fit in? Especially in a place like the Ozarks.
Everyone knows about witches, now. Once relegated to the shadows, the craft has become mainstream. But most folks aren't too thrilled about the new coven in town.
I never thought that I could be a witch. I don't cast spells, or anything like that. But when that warlock showed up, everything changed.
There's something about him that's drawing me in. He's dark. He's mysterious. He's sexy as hell. But there's something else about him. Something he's not telling me.
What is his secret? He isn't the only witch in town interested in me. What does the coven want? Why are they so interested in me?
Witch of the Woods is the first book in the Hedge Witch Diaries. This is an action-packed adventure, with a heavy dose of paranormal romance. It is sure to appeal to fans of True Blood, or the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Briar isn't your run-of-the-mill witch. She doesn't play well with others, but when working from the hedge, she's beholden to no one and she'll do whatever she takes to stop those who'd hurt her friends or family."
"Every vice has a face.
You've probably heard of the seven deadly sins: Pride, Greed, Wrath, Envy, Lust, Gluttony, and Sloth.
There's a bit of each of these in everyone.
When the Seven Deadlies emerged from Hades, everything changed.
A single touch by the Deadly and you're infected . . . consumed with his vice.
Every vice kills in its own way. These vices are deadlier than I ever imagined. I have the power to stop them . . . but there's just one problem. Each one I kill with my powers empowers an ancient Akkadian god with designs on usurping every other pantheon and taking over the world.
I might need the help of an old friend if I stand a chance to stop these things.
Can Zoey and I stop the Seven Deadlies before the world is overwhelmed with vice?"
"What do you call a vampire by day, a human by night?
Confused? That makes two of us!
Sunlight is a little problematic for me. Will I be able to handle it?
By night I am a normal girl. I like computers, ice cream, and guys. When the sun rises, I'm stronger. I also get an insatiable craving for you-know-what.
The weird sisters stole Dracula's power.
As masters of the Scholomance, they are recruiting new vampires. A recipe for disaster? Whatever they are planning, it can't be good.
There's only one way to deal with vampires, especially those meddling in the dark arts.
Can I bring them to light before they unleash their nightmare on the world? We shall see."
"The ghost of the greatest vampire hunter in history is coming for us.
Along with his children . . .
How do you beat a ghost who also wields the magic of the Scholomance?
Can you even kill something that's already dead?
In our attempt to figure it out, we pissed off another ghost. This time—the spirit of a demented doctor who used to run an asylum.
The spirits are coming at us from every direction.
If we can't put them to rest . . . then we'll join them in death before long."
"Dare take on a dad? Prepare to get schooled!
The enemy is building an army of Axis mages. It's the Arcane War—Part Deux.
There's just one problem—the enemy warded Berlin against our magic. Only a small group of us can cast there. Can we stop the next world-ending war before it begins?
Why is my gut telling me we're walking into a trap? Trap or not. We have no choice. Once the enemy gets a foothold, we won't have the numbers to stop her. What is her end game, exactly?
We're probably outnumbered. We're certainly out skilled.
What the enemy doesn't realize is this: as a father of three, I'm always outnumbered. When it comes to shenanigans, I'm often out skilled.
My family is my secret weapon."
"How do you defeat a necromancer?
It's hard to make any progress when she can raise the dead to fight at her side. She isn't raising random corpses. She's bringing back some of the most powerful Axis mages who died during the Arcane Wars. She's always one step ahead. What is she planning?
How can I stop her if I can't even find her?
A secret society of mages is also tracking her. They want me to join their alliance. Something's not right about these mages.
Are they friends, or are they foes?
They tell me they don't like my 'attitude.' Fair enough. I don't like them much, either.
If we can't work together, what are my chances against the necromancer?"
"Saving the world was hard. That was nothing compared to raising three kids . . .
They said I was gifted. The most powerful mage born to our bloodline in more than a century. The dark sorcerer didn't stand a chance. I was a hero. I was famous. I was bad ass. But that was twenty years ago.
Now, I'm married with three kids. I have the best lawn in our suburban neighborhood. I have a little more around the mid-section than I used to, but I've still got it.
There's been a disturbance in the ether. Strange creatures are terrorizing my community.
Has the dark sorcerer escaped his arcane prison? Do I still have what it takes? Can I stop him a second time?
I might not be as strong as I used to be. But this time, I'm not fighting to save the world.
I'm fighting for my family."
"The legends didn't do Dracula justice. Bat shifting is one thing. The ability to connect his mind to any he'd sired was an ability severely understated in the stories.
His horde is like a bloodsucking Borg collective. Add to that his abilities to travel the astral plane and hypnotize his victims with a glance and his butt-load of money . . . There's a creek, and a paddle, and I've lost my paddle.
I've defeated a god or two in my day. I've never faced an enemy like this. It may be my biggest challenge yet, but we have one advantage.
All of Dracula's victims show up on the Grim Reaper's schedule.
Can we harvest the souls he's gathering before he gets to them to turn them?
The more vampires he turns, the stronger he gets. If I don't take him down soon, his vampires will overrun the city. After that, the continent.
Maybe even the world."
"Can you choose your own god?
There's a power vacuum on Olympus. That's the thing about a civil war.
Everyone's weaker in the end than when the war began.
If the gods don't stop attacking each other, none of them will have the strength to rule.
Anarchy can be worse than tyranny.
You can assassinate a tyrant. You can't eliminate everyone under anarchy. Why does everyone seem to think I'm the answer to the problem? Sure, I can reap gods. I'm the only mortal the Olympians fear.
All the gods have their flaws. Some of them worse than others. I have to choose between the lesser of multiple nincompoops. How can I possibly decide which poor excuse for a god to support? If I make the wrong choice, departed human souls will pay the price."
"The gods might be crazy . . . Some of them are pissed!
I couldn't blame them. How was I supposed to know that all the supernatural nasties I'd reaped were going to overrun Olympus?
Most of these gods hadn't been on earth for thousands of years.
Some of them are enjoying themselves . . . a bit too much . . .
Others are looking for revenge. They're coming for me.
It's one thing to wonder whether I can possibly survive the wrath of the gods. Now that they're targeting innocent people to draw me out, I have to ask . . .
Is it possible to reap a god?"
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