In his powerful debut, Christopher Nelson examines the progenitors and forms of violence in the twenty-first century, from Cain and Abel to the damming of rivers. We see glimpses of the speaker's quest to find and know God, seeking answers everywhere, from Spanish cathedrals filled with holy relics to withered winter fields.

From a very young age, Aria has lived among the shadows, treated as a slave and subjected to multiple abuses. She hoped that upon reaching the age of majority, she could escape from that terrible place, a pack that was not welcoming to her. Following the demands of her pack's Luna, Aria eagerly awaits the day she can finally escape from that place, but unexpectedly discovers who her mate is. But he, not willing to continue with this eternal union, rejects Aria as his mate. With those painful and heartbreaking words, an unbearable pain took hold of her chest, which was enough to make Aria decide to definitely run away from the pack, fleeing towards the territory of the vampires and facing new changes. Will Aria be able to fulfill what is predestined?

Born into one of the leading Mob families in Chicago, Aria Scuderi struggles to find her own path in a world where no choices are given. Aria was only fifteen when her parents betrothed her to Luca - The Vice - Vitiello, the oldest son of the head of the New York Cosa Nostra to ensure peace between the two families. Now with eighteen, the day Aria has been dreading for years is looming dangerously: her wedding to Luca. Aria is terrified of marrying a man she hardly knows, especially someone like Luca who got his nickname 'the Vice' for crushing a man's throat with his bare hands. Luca might be one of the most sought after men in New York thanks to his good looks, wealth and predator-like charisma that radiates power, but the society girls throwing themselves at him don't know what Aria does: that the bad boy aura isn't just a game; blood and death lurk beneath Luca's striking gray eyes and arrogant smile.In her world a handsome exterior often hides the monster within; a monster who can just as easily kill as kiss you.The only way to escape the marriage to Luca would be to run away and leave everything she's ever known behind but Aria can't bear the thought of never seeing her family again. Despite her fear, she decides to go through with the marriage; Aria has grown up among predators like Luca and knows that even most cold-hearted bastards have a heart and she has every intention of working her way into Luca's.!Mature content!Books in the Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles:Bound By Honor Bound By DutyBound By Hatred

The Blood Revelation Prophecy: Vampires, witches, and shifters will band together to stop the darkness from winning, until one warrior is born to save the world from Satan's wrath. When Aria Michaels sets out to find the vampire who took her mother's life, she's stunned when she instead finds Rialto Renaldi, the vampire who has been haunting her dreams. She hadn't believed he was real, and she knows she should run from Rialto as fast as she can. But who better to help her find her mother's killer? Rialto is reluctant to help the mortal woman who has invaded his dreams, even though he's curious about who she is and why she has this strange connection to him. He isn't, however, about to satisfy his curiosity. The last time he became involved with a mortal, he ended up destroying her. But he knows that if Aria searches for the killer on her own, she'll join her mother in death. Finally, Rialto agrees to help Aria, but the pair soon learns that fate brought them together for a much larger purpose, and fate has every intention of destroying them if they don't fulfill their roles in the Blood Revelation Prophecy . . . Crystal-Rain Love resides in the South with her three children and enough pets to host a petting zoo. When she's not writing, she can usually be found creating unique 3D cakes, hiking, reading, or spending way too much time on Facebook. You can find her at crystalrainlove.com or facebook.com/crystalrainloveauthor "Crystal-Rain Love has created a fantastic world filled with mystery, magic, blood, passion, and love. I cannot wait to dive into the next volume in this series."--Cassie, Bitten by Books "Crystal-Rain Love has built a dark and brooding world, one where evil is determined to win out."--Long and Short Reviews

These new essays comprise a critical analysis of present-day crime fiction and nonfiction works set in Italy (all of which are available in English). The writers discussed range from Donna Leon and Michael Dibdin to Leonardo Sciascia and Andrea Camilleri. Essays also deal with nonfiction by Roberto Saviano and Douglas Preston. An emerging theme is the corruption of Italian police and judiciary officials and the frustration of officers and politicians trying to work ethically within a flawed system. Many of the works discussed show the struggle of the honest characters to find at least a limited justice for the victims.

I was born a monster. Cruelty ran in my veins like poison. It ran in the veins of every Vitiello man, passed on from father to son, an endless spiral of monstrosity. A born monster shaped into an even worse monster by my father's blade and fists and harsh words. I was raised to become Capo, to rule without mercy, to dish out brutality without a second thought.Raised to break others. When Aria was given to me in marriage, everyone waited with baited breath to see how fast I'd break her like my father broke his women. How I'd crush her innocence and kindness with the force of my cruelty.Breaking her would have taken little effort. It came naturally to me.I was gladly the monster everyone feared. Until her.Author's note: Bound By Honor in Luca's POV.

Milo Knox rocked Grace Morrison's world. Now he's going to rock yours. Sexy, charismatic rock star Milo Knox is known for several things—his music, his excesses and not taking no for an answer. So when beautiful blonde college grad Grace Morrison steps into his life, only to tell him she's not interested, he offers her the one thing she can't refuse. Her dream job. Working as a publicist for her favorite band, which also happens to be his own, the Waywards. The Waywards were the darlings of the '90s, before Milo's substance abuse issues and personal demons drove them into obscurity. Now clean and sober, he's determined to make a new start. Both with the band and with Grace, if she'll just let him—and let herself live her own life, free of the shadows of her past. But old sins cast long shadows and the past rarely stays buried. In their case, it threatens to tear them apart.