Em Petrova--Spicy Romance Author: "Rich worldbuilding that will transport you " Deep within the heart of an ancient city ruled by a powerful empire, a young orphan named Baltor struggles daily to survive, having to drink from animal troughs and steal food. Pursuant to imperial law, the minimum penalty for thievery means the loss of a hand...the maximum penalty is death As what happens to most thieves, the day inevitably comes when Baltor gets caught stealing-this time, a link of sausage. Thankfully he is not caught by a guard, but by a beautiful and exotic woman named Lady Lydia. She not only graciously offers the boy some breakfast, yet a surprising proposition--become "a master thief" like herself. Having no other choices in life, he agrees to both offers. After breakfast, Lydia leads the boy to a magnificent "top secret" underground labyrinth located beneath the city, where expert thief-training grounds were built five centuries earlier. Instead of training him however, she unexpectedly hands him off to a man she introduces as Drill Instructor Humonus before disappearing into the labyrinth. Right away, this cold-and-cruel man's hardcore training proves to be hellish and dangerous for the boy...will he even survive DAY 1? And what in the world do the pictured swords have to do with Baltor's past and future? Read BOOK I OF III to find out these "mysterious answers..".as well many, many more **Hint-hint--There's a vampire somewhere in this book, waiting for the right time to strike against my hero, Baltor Elysian **

WARNING--INTENDED FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY. Living a life of poverty and headed for nowhere, Jeb Maruso, a.k.a. "The Solstice Slayer" chances upon a mysterious book that changes his life forever-one that promises him not only the secrets to self-transformation, but also the very secrets of the universe. The promises seem to hold true, as Jeb gains heightened intelligence and powers that motivate him to write a fantasy story, which rapidly becomes a #1 best-seller. While traveling abroad and enjoying his fame and fortune, however, he learns of a series of ritualistic murders in and around his hometown-and the killings mirror those committed by the villain in Jeb's novel As Jeb tries to track down the brutal killer, he unwittingly becomes his own worst enemy. The plot twists and turns until we find Jeb facing his biggest challenge yet: convincing his jurors, and his readers, that he is not the killer himself. Through an astounding array of colorful characters and scenarios, both human and metaphysical, author J. Eric Booker takes his readers on a most thrilling ride. THE Making... is a spell-binding mystery of transforming proportions