Showing results by author "C.A.L." in All Categories

It’s that time of year again. In the shadows, otherworldly creatures lurk, under the gravestones, the dead begin to rise, and in that old house down the lane, ghosts rattle their chains. For once more, Trick or Treat Thrillers brings you our pick of the best Indie-paranormal short stories for 2020! Before you begin listening to our selection of 13 stories, however, we recommend you first check under your bed, in your closet, and outside of your window. You never know what may be coming your way.

Meet Vincent Steele. Successful lawyer, devoted husband, and loving father. On the surface, he has it all. But if you dig deeper, nothing is as it seems. Meet Shelby Hunter. Coming from a different walk of life, she faces her own struggles. Flirtation turns into lust. Lust turns into longing, and longing breaks boundaries. She makes him come alive. He makes her feel treasured.

Adam Foreman was a pig farmer... until one mistake cost him everything. In a brutal dark fantasy world sealed inside an immense mountain basin known as The Bottoms, Adam watches his parents dragged toward execution for a crime he committed. When a desperate escape ends in bloodshed and loss, Adam flees into the forbidden caves of the Rim of the World, where he awakens an ancient, forbidden magic never meant for mankind.

Daniel had been a mercenary longer than his soul could take. On that final job, looking down at the face of an angel whose death he'd been responsible for, he knew he was done. And although he hadn't pulled the trigger on the bullets that took her life, he felt like he had. He'd buried her in a hidden grave in the Canadian woods so no one would desecrate her lovely body.

Seit Jahrhunderten herrscht Krieg zwischen den stolzen Elfen und den unversöhnlichen Zwergen. Nach vielen großen Schlachten und erbitterten Belagerungen, vielen gescheiterten Friedensgesprächen und blutigen Gemetzeln sind der Hochkönig der Zwerge, Gotrek Sternenbrecher, und der Phönixkönig der Elben, Caledor II., des Krieges müde und versuchen den Konflikt zu beenden – aber keiner von beiden will kapitulieren. Als sich die letzte Schlacht des Krieges abzeichnet, treffen die beiden Herrscher im Zweikampf aufeinander, um den wahren Herrn der Alten Welt zu bestimmen.

What does a gentlemen's club, mysterious men in black, a dead body, a broken down car with a lady in dire need, a heavily pregnant beauteous sheriff's deputy, and Miz Demetrice trying to unionize exotic dancers have in common? Why, it's Bubba Snoddy and the day things went south, yet again. Quite naturally, or unnaturally, there is a humdinger of a mystery, and Bubba is right in the middle of it.

Using the Bible as the foundational source and guide, while also bringing contemporary sociological data to the conversation, seven biblical scholars and theologians construct a powerful dialogue about gun violence in America, concluding that guns are incompatible with the God of Christian Scripture. God and Guns is the first book to argue against gun culture from a biblical studies perspective.

Fourteen long years have passed since Rain Dang's sister vanished without a trace. Now a seasoned detective, Rain is unexpectedly called back to the small town she once called home — not just to solve a murder, but to confront her past. As she delves into the investigation, the cold case of her sister's disappearance begins to heat up, intertwining with sinister secrets the town has long buried. But in a place where the waters run deep and the currents are treacherous, not everyone wants the truth to surface.

When a deadly woman from a clan that tortures eagles into submission captures Morlen's dear companion, Roftome, he embarks on a quest more terrifying than any he has yet undertaken.

Someone is targeting Toledo's single women when they turn 40, tucking them into bed, and turning birthday greetings into obituaries. Newly-assigned Toledo Homicide Detective Veronica Jadzinski vows to prevent the body count from increasing and to prove her transfer from Narcotics wasn't a fluke-departmental regulations, disparaging lieutenants, and a rigid new partner be damned. Jadz learns to trust a new partner while balancing the unwanted attentions of an almost-ex-husband, a needy widowed mother, and a drama queen sister as the detectives fight to unravel the bizarre murders.

If anyone can tell the difference between monsters and humans, it's Dahlia Nite. For nearly a century, she's hunted one to protect the other. Safeguarding humanity from the creatures that slip through the torn veil between the worlds. Creatures like her. But the lines are blurring. As people begin mutating and combusting on the streets, Dahlia realizes a strange affliction has descended upon Sentinel City. The mysterious ailment strikes all walks of life, from the posh high-end nightclub district to the homeless community.

Slated for execution, shape-shifting assassin Dahlia Nite flees her world to hide in the human realm. As payment for the shelter they unknowingly provide, Dahlia dedicates herself to protecting humans from what truly lives in the shadows. Moving from town to town, she hunts the creatures that threaten an unsuspecting human race, burying the truth that could destroy them all. But the shadows are shifting. The lies are adding up. When Sentinel City is threatened by a series of bizarre brutal murders, light is shed on what should never be seen.

This novella is a prequel to the Vampire Series "The Firsts" and tells the story of the troubled childhood of that book's heroine. It is a dark tale that details some of what she went through with her mother, addicted to drugs and alcohol, and made a living providing sex for men. It is harsh at times, but true to her journey that begins, as a successful woman, in the first book of the series, Forbidden Days.

The summer before my senior year of college, I made the biggest mistake of my life. It wasn't falling for my best friend's little sister when I knew she was off-limits… it was leaving her behind thinking what we had was nothing more than a fling. Her pained cries as I walked away have played on a loop in my nightmares since that day. In the years that have passed, there hasn't been a single achievement I've celebrated that wasn't tainted by her absence. Now, it's time. I'm going to get my girl back… no matter what it takes.

A group of unlikely heroes are all that stand in the way of humanity's demise as the zombie apocalypse engulfs the kingdom in this high fantasy adventure set in the world of Zombicide: Black Plague.

Time may heal all wounds, but time stands still for the dead. Twenty years have passed since the horrific night in the Whispering House. Now, Abigail lives a relatively normal life as an independent bookstore owner while her sister, Constance, struggles to navigate crippling physical and psychological damage. But when Abigail inherits the house, old memories and childhood traumas are awoken.

From the moment I met Stella Wilder on the first day of kindergarten, I knew she'd be a part of me forever. We were inseparable, slowly falling for one another more with each passing year. The summer before we went to college on opposite sides of the country, she made me the happiest man alive by agreeing to be my wife. But it wasn't long before it all fell apart. It's been over seven years, and just when I think I've finally found my place with Cleveland's brand-new football team, she crashes back into my life and turns everything upside down.

You CAN overcome the shadows of toxic relationships and *breathe* again, even if you've felt trapped for years! Are you replaying painful memories, feeling manipulated, or stuck in toxic patterns? Do you fear new relationships or long to reclaim your peace and happiness? If any of this sounds familiar, know you're not alone, and this is not the end of your story.

Pirates and kraken, boats and submarines, deadly sirens, mermaids, and the women who face them all. These are our heroes. High seas adventure, fantasy, and magic weave together in this sapphic anthology focusing on the joy of the unbounded oceans.

On a stormy night, by a violent sea, Donovan meets a stunning woman who touches something in him he would have sworn died a long time ago. One night of incredible sex leaves him wanting more. But she's disappeared, and he has no idea who she is or how to find her.