Peaches

Mercedes Lackey - The ​Fire Rose
Accepting ​a governess position in San Francisco after her father's death, Rosalind Hawkins is disturbed when her only contact with her new employer is through a speaking tube but finds joy in her assignment--to read wonderful literature to him.

Jennifer Bassett - Shirley ​Homes and the Lithuanian Case (Oxford Bookworms)
Shirley ​Homes is a private investigator. She is clever with computers, and knows London like the back of her hand. She laughs when people say, 'Was Sherlock Holmes your grandfather?' Sherlock Holmes, of course, was not a real person, but, like Sherlock, Shirley has good eyes, and good ears. And she knows the right questions to ask. And in the Lithuanian Case, the right questions are important. Because Shirley must find a missing person - Carrie Williams, aged fifteen. Where is she? Who is she with?

Mercedes Lackey - Beauty ​and the Werewolf
The ​eldest daughter is often doomed in fairy tales. But Bella—Isabella Beauchamps, daughter of a wealthy merchant—vows to escape the usual pitfalls. Anxious to avoid the traditional path, Bella dons a red cloak and ventures into the forbidden forest to consult with "Granny," the local wisewoman. But on the way home she's attacked by a wolf—who turns out to be a cursed nobleman. Secluded in his castle, Bella is torn between her family and this strange man who creates marvelous inventions and makes her laugh—when he isn't howling at the moon. Bella knows all too well that breaking spells is never easy. But a determined beauty, a wizard (after all, he's only an occasional werewolf) and a little Godmotherly interference might just be able to bring about a happy ending.

Mercedes Lackey - Take ​a thief
Mercedes ​Lackey's triumphant return to the best-selling world of Valdemar, Take a Thief reveals the untold story of Skif--a popular character from Lackey's first published novel, Arrows of the Queen.Skif was an orphan who would have died from malnutrition and exposure if he had never met Deke the pickpocket. By the time he was twelve, Skif was an accomplished cat burglar. But it wasn't until he decided to steal a finely tacked-out white horse, which was, oddly enough, standing unattended in the street, that this young thief discovered that the tables could turn on him--and that he himself could be stolen!

Mercedes Lackey - The ​Serpent's Shadow
From ​the magical mysteries of India to the gaslit streets of Victorian London, Mercedes Lackey's unique departure from her Valdemar series follows a young woman doctor as she searches for the secret behind the sorcery in her blood.

Mercedes Lackey - The ​Gates of Sleep
Marina ​is the cherished daughter of the wealthy Saverson family, practitioners of Elemental Magic. But all is not well in this elegant, aristocratic household. Evil portents have warned her father that Marina will be killed before her eighteenth birthday—by the hand of her own aunt. And no one is sure id the family magic is powerful enough to overturn the prophesy.

Mercedes Lackey - Phoenix ​and Ashes
Following ​her acclaimed novels The Serpent's Shadow and The Gates of Sleep, Mercedes Lackey reinvents a classic fairy tale-and gives it a new twist. In a dark and atmospheric retelling of Cinderella, she sets her story in London during the first World War.

Mercedes Lackey - The ​Wizard of London
The ​letter that introduced twelve-year-old Sarah Jane Lyon-White to Isabelle Harton, who ran the Harton School in central London, seemed quite simple and straightforward. But it was what was not written in the letter that resonated to Isabelle's own finely turned 'extra' senses - 'Sarah has gifts we cannot train,' the letter whispered to her, 'nor can anyone we know. Those we trust tell us that you can...'. And it was true, for the Harton School was far from ordinary. It was Isabelle's job to train children who possessed the odd types of magic that could not be trained by London's powerful Elemental Masters - clairvoyants, telepaths, those with the ability to sense hidden danger, the vision to see into the past, and even that rarest of all talents - the ability to see and communicate with the dead. But Isabelle was uneasy, for though she knew that Sarah Jane had a touch of telepathy, there seemed to be something else about the girl - something that had not yet manifested. And Isabelle was right to be worried, for as soon as Sarah's full talents became evident, there was an attempt made on her life. For Sarah was that rarest of magicians - a true medium, and for some reason, a powerful Elemental Master wanted her dead. Isabelle knew that to protect her ward she would have to seek help from the Elemental Masters of the city. That meant she would also see Lord David Alderscroft, the man she had once loved, but who had inexplicably chilled toward her and broken her heart long ago - for he was the leader of the city's Elemental Masters, the man who was now called the Wizard of London.

Mercedes Lackey - Reserved ​for the Cat
Based ​loosely on the tale of Puss in Boots, Reserved for the Cat takes place in 1910 in an alternate London. A young dancer, penniless and desperate, is sure she is going mad when a cat begins talking to her mind-to-mind. But her feline guide, actually an Elemental Earth Spirit, helps her to impersonate a famous Russian ballerina and achieve the success she's been dreaming of. Unfortunately she also attracts the attention of another Elemental Spirit? - a far more threatening one - and the young dancer must once again turn to her mysteriously powerful four-legged furry friend.

Mercedes Lackey - Unnatural ​Issue
Richard ​Whitestone is an Elemental Earth Master. Blaming himself for the death of his beloved wife in childbirth, he has sworn never to set eyes on his daughter, Suzanne. But when he finally sees her, a dark plan takes shape in his twisted mind--to use his daughter's body to bring back the spirit of his long-dead wife.

Peter Marshall - The ​Magic Circle of Rudolf II
udolf ​II-Habsburg heir, Holy Roman Emperor, king of Hungary, Germany, and the Romans-is one of history's great characters, and yet he remains largely an unknown figure. Via the lens of Renaissance Prague, Peter Marshall skillfully brings alive both Rudolf and his larger-than-life court in The Magic Circle of Rudolf II. Rudolf's reign (1576-1612) roughly mirrored that of Queen Elizabeth I of England, and while her famous court is widely recognized as a sixteenth century Who's Who, his collection of mathematicians, alchemists, artists, philosophers and astronomers-among them the greatest and most subversive minds of the time-was no less prestigious and perhaps even more influential. The revolutionary and sometimes heretical ideas of Rudolf's Magic Circle were the basis for monumental advances in the arts and sciences that would emerge in the coming decades. Driven to understand the deepest secrets of nature and the riddle of existence, Rudolf invited to his court an endless stream of genius without regard to faith or ethnicity-Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, German mathematician Johannes Kepler, English magus John Dee and mannerist painter Giuseppe Archimboldo among many others. This collection of great minds was brought together in full view of the Inquisition and even for a Holy Roman Emperor, that was very dangerous ground. Rudolf believed himself to be exempt from these restrictions, however, and flaunted his Magic Circle in front of the Inquisition. Uninterested in the sectarian differences between Catholics and Protestants, he sought a universal cosmology based on truth, beauty and knowledge. No work, no language, no culture was considered out of bounds if Rudolf thought it would assist in his unending search for enlightenment. Prague, where Rudolf based his court, became the artistic and scientific center of the known world-an island of intellectual tolerance between Catholicism, Protestantism, and Islam. Combining the wonders and architectural beauty of sixteenth century Prague with the larger-than-life characters of Rudolf's court, Peter Marshall provides an exciting new perspective on the pivotal moment of transition between medieval and modern, when the foundation was laid for the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment.

Isao Miura - The ​Sacred Blacksmith 1.
Like ​her father and grandfather before her, Cecily Campbell has entered the knighthood and joined the ranks of the Knight Guards of Houseman. Eager to do her heritage proud and defend her city, Cecily rushes to the marketplace to stop a madman from terrorizing the populace. She quickly realizes, however, that she is hopelessly outmatched and ill-prepared for an actual fight. A lone figure named Luke Ainsworth swoops to the rescue, a swordsman and blacksmith of much renown, who will repair the broken sword Cecily has inherited from her father and take her down a road of perilous adventure beyond her wildest dreams.

Isao Miura - The ​Sacred Blacksmith 2.
The ​Market Festival has come to the city of Housman, where a fabulous blade known as the "Demon Sword" is put up for auction. Recently knighted Cecily Campbell's newest mission is to guard the sword at all costs. There's just one problem: the sword has the mysterious ability to transform into a beautiful woman known as Aria. Still, it's all fun and games at the festival, and Cecily and Aria become fast friends--until a huge fire demon appears! The demon will stop at nothing to steal Aria, even if it means reducing the entire city to ashes. Can Cecily and her companion Luke--the Sacred Blacksmith--save the citizens of Housman from a rampaging demon and its master plans?

Isao Miura - The ​Sacred Blacksmith 3.
This ​manga is the third book in an ongoing series that features stunning artwork and color inserts in each volume. After the vicious demon attack at the Market's auction, life in Housman has finally returned to normal. However, when an imperious girl named Charlotte E. Firobisher shows up and starts making unreasonable demands of master blacksmith Luke Ainsworth, things take a dark turn. Charlotte's true purpose and the nature of her three companions are shrouded in mystery. Cecily Campbell will have to hold her own against three Demon Blade-wielders in order to save Luke and Aria from certain doom. But is she up to the task?

Isao Miura - The ​Sacred Blacksmith 4.
This ​manga is the fourth book in an ongoing series that features stunning artwork and color inserts in each volume. Like her father and grandfather before her, Cecily Campbell has entered the noble ranks of the Knight Guard, sworn to protect the Independent Trade City of Housman. Now the time has come for Cecily to prove herself in battle. A veteran of the great Valbanill War goes berserk in the marketplace. Cecily confronts him with the prized sword she inherited from her father—and it shatters to pieces! All seems lost, when a lone figure swoops to the rescue, an expert swordsman with a sword unlike any Cecily has ever seen. His name is Luke Ainsworth, a blacksmith of much renown, who will forge a new sword for Cecily and join her down a path of magical adventure beyond her wildest dreams.

Isao Miura - The ​Sacred Blacksmith 6.
This ​manga is the sixth book in an ongoing series that features stunning artwork and color inserts in each volume. Like her father and grandfather before her, Cecily Campbell has entered the noble ranks of the Knight Guard, sworn to protect the Independent Trade City of Housman. Now the time has come for Cecily to prove herself in battle. A veteran of the great Valbanill War goes berserk in the marketplace. Cecily confronts him with the prized sword she inherited from her father—and it shatters to pieces! All seems lost, when a lone figure swoops to the rescue, an expert swordsman with a sword unlike any Cecily has ever seen. His name is Luke Ainsworth, a blacksmith of much renown, who will forge a new sword for Cecily and join her down a path of magical adventure beyond her wildest dreams.

Isao Miura - The ​Sacred Blacksmith 5.
THE ​SACRED BLADE Powerful advisors from all over the Continent gather in Housman for the top secret “Valbanill Meetings.” The inhuman Valbanill will soon break free from its prison, unless the Sacred Blade can be forged anew. All eyes are on Luke, as he is the only blacksmith who knows the secret technique of forging a katana, passed down through the centuries from father to son. Meanwhile, Cecily battles her own feelings for Luke, as she learns more about his tragic past and the cause of his unwavering duty. Can Luke overcome his grief and finally become the Sacred Blacksmith he is destined to be?

Charlaine Harris - Night ​Shift
From ​the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels—“the Mark Twain of things that live under your bed”*—comes a new novel of Midnight, Texas, the town where some secrets will never see the light of day... At Midnight’s local pawnshop, weapons are flying off the shelves—only to be used in sudden and dramatic suicides right at the main crossroads in town. Who better to figure out why blood is being spilled than the vampire Lemuel, who, while translating mysterious texts, discovers what makes Midnight the town it is. There’s a reason why witches and werewolves, killers and psychics, have been drawn to this place. And now they must come together to stop the bloodshed in the heart of Midnight. For if all hell breaks loose—which just might happen—it will put the secretive town on the map, where no one wants it to be...

Charlaine Harris - Poppy ​Done to Death
On ​the way to a lunch meeting of her local book discussion group, the Uppity Women, small-town Southern librarian Aurora "Roe" Teagarden is shocked and dismayed to find her sister-in-law, Poppy, lying bloody and dead right outside her own back door. Poppy had her flaws, certainly - she and her husband were having trouble staying faithful to each other - but she didn't deserve to be so brutally murdered." Investigating a case like this is never easy, of course, given the gossipy atmosphere of any small town, what with Poppy and her husband's extramarital affairs, the local police detective, who also happens to be a former boyfriend of Roe's, and his seemingly unresolved feelings of Poppy, and the need to protect Poppy's family. But Roe is also coping with a burgeoning romantic relationship as well as the sudden appearance of her teenaged half brother. All in all, it's a lot for one woman to have on her plate, even one as together as Roe.

Robin Hobb - Fool's ​Assassin
Robin ​Hobb returns to her best loved characters in a brand new series. Tom Badgerlock has been living peaceably in the manor house at Withywoods with his beloved wife Molly these many years, the estate a reward to his family for loyal service to the crown. But behind the facade of respectable middle-age lies a turbulent and violent past. For Tom Badgerlock is actually FitzChivalry Farseer, bastard scion of the Farseer line, convicted user of Beast-magic, and assassin. A man who has risked much for his king and lost more...On a shelf in his den sits a triptych carved in memory stone of a man, a wolf and a fool. Once, these three were inseparable friends: Fitz, Nighteyes and the Fool. But one is long dead, and one long-missing. Then one Winterfest night a messenger arrives to seek out Fitz, but mysteriously disappears, leaving nothing but a blood-trail. What was the message? Who was the sender? And what has happened to the messenger? Suddenly Fitz's violent old life erupts into the peace of his new world, and nothing and no one is safe.