Born in the underground prison beneath Nox, Ember was sent to live in the Demon District where she would be among her own kind. Kept in a cage her entire life, the demoness burns to get revenge on the demon lord who is responsible for her slavery. After her master is assassinated, she gains her freedom and begins to hunt Raum down. Raum’s search for a suitable partner isn’t going well. A hideous hell spawn keeps slaughtering the women he approaches. The Demon Guild Master will need to find a way to eliminate the wily minion before he will be able to become bonded to a powerful and dangerous female. As she stalks her target, Ember becomes aware of the intrigues and powerplays that are going on within the City of Night. She already knows the Immortal Triumvirate are lousy rulers, but they could very well be just as malevolent as her own kind. Raum might not be the only one who needs to be eradicated, but taking down the creators of Nox is a task that’s beyond her abilities. If she had more power, she would stand a better chance, but that would entail joining forces with the evilest being in the entire city.

In the great tradition of the American almanac, The Areas of My Expertise is a brilliant and hilarious compendium of handy reference tables, fascinating trivia, and sage wisdom on all topics large and small. Although bestsellers such as Poor Richard’s Almanack and The Book of Lists were certainly valuable, they also were largely true. Here is a different kind of handy desk reference, one in which all of the historical oddities and amazing true facts are sifted through the singular, illuminating imagination of John Hodgman—which is the nice way of saying: He made it all up. John Hodgman brings his considerable expertise to bear in answering all of the questions book buyers have been asking: -What are the mottoes of the 51 United States? THE ANSWER IS PROVIDED -Who were the U.S. presidents who had hooks for hands? THE ANSWER IS PROVIDED -What role does the Yale secret society “Skull and Bones” play in the secret world government? THERE IS NO SECRET WORLD GOVERNMENT -What was the menu at the first Thanksgiving, and did it include eels? Technically, that is two questions, but do not apologize, for John Hodgman shall answer them both . . . LATER. -Aside from a compendium of fake trivia, what is the best kind of book to write? A SIMPLE TABLE OF THE 55 MOST DRAMATIC LITERARY SITUATIONS PROVIDES THE ANSWER, and John Hodgman is the author of that table. Imagine if The Book of Lists had been rewritten by Peter Cook and Jorge Luis Borges under the pseudonym of “John Hodgman” and then renamed The Areas of My Expertise, and you will only begin to have a sense of the dizzying, uproarious, sublimely weird, and strangely wise journey that is contained within this book (along with all the pages and words). Perfect for anyone who thirsts for knowledge, and especially for collectors of books of fake trivia, The Areas of My Expertise offers through absurdity a better understanding of the world we share—and recognizes that while the truth may be stranger than fiction, it is never as strange as lies . . . or as true. Look out for John Hodgman's latest book, Vacationland, available from Viking in Fall 2017.

After a terrifying stunt gone wrong leaves her plummeting into the tops of forest trees, a shaken Darcy Lott is dispatched by her Zen master to a remote monastery in California's redwood forest to face her worst fear — but also to deliver a message. This monastery has its own secrets. A student has disappeared and is feared dead. The leader of the monastery, Leo, Garson-roshi, is soon to leave under mysterious circumstances, and Darcy fears that trusting the likeable Leo will lead her into further danger. Yet, as Darcy struggles with her phobia, she becomes drawn further into this mystery, one she learns she must solve it in order to get out alive.

Working two jobs and not getting enough sleep is making Saige Sterling a very cranky bounty hunter. As if that isn’t bad enough, Lord Gilden has found another way to punish her for quitting. He’s forcing her to watch him pay her colleagues their bounties. Saige knew right from the start that this arrangement wasn’t going to end well. Things take a turn for the worse when someone starts pranking her. She knows who is responsible for her torment, but there’s little she can do about it. Drake is aware that Saige has a temper at times. He discovers exactly how hot her rage can flare when her control finally snaps. He’ll be stuck with the job of fixing the problem he created when he’d chosen his method to punish for her for walking out on him.

This bundle contains books one to three of the Saige Sterling: Badass Bounty Hunter series. Nexus: Saige Sterling is a curvy, confident hunter who has been training to kill monsters for a decade. She intends to become the premier bounty hunter in Nexus. First, she needs to make a name for herself so she will come to the attention of the boss of the hunters. All manner of creatures have come through gates from the underworld over the millennia. The supernatural creatures are forever stepping over the line and killing innocent humans. She won’t have a shortage of rogues to hunt down. During her quest to gain a job doing what she loves best, Saige witnesses a vampire murdering a human. She follows her target to a nightclub for supernatural beings where he thinks he’ll be safe. The brand-new bounty hunter won’t let anyone stop her from fulfilling her destiny. Not even a mob of angry monsters can slow her down for long. Unfortunately, Saige’s plans go awry and her target isn’t who he seems to be. His boss is a sexy weredragon who won’t be pleased if she turns his minion to ash. The dragon offers her a deal, but first she needs to prove herself to him. Accepting his bargain will be the first step in achieving her dreams, but it will throw her life into turmoil that she couldn’t possibly foresee. Conflux: Saige Sterling has been working as a bounty hunter for her weredragon boss for six months now. Drake Gilden is a sexy enigma that she isn’t sure she’ll ever be able to figure out. They have undeniable chemistry, but she’s so far beneath him in the supernatural hierarchy that she knows he’s out of her league. When Saige and Ruen, her reluctant vampire partner, came back from the first realm of the underworld, they didn’t return alone. Saige now has a new roommate. Aurora is still learning about the new dimension she’s been drawn to. Her powers have the habit of leaking out onto Saige. It’s something she’s going to have to learn how to control, before it drives the bounty hunter crazy. Stealing one of the mysterious scroll fragments from the rulers of the underworld should have been enough to stop the coming apocalypse. Lord Gilden is determined to have them all in his grasp. He sends the unlikely trio to the second realm in search of the next piece of the enchantment. With Saige’s mixed genes, she has no idea if she’ll be the same type of monster that she was in the first realm, or if she’ll turn into something completely different. Vortex: Saige is still adjusting to having a sex demon for a roommate, but it’s getting easier now that Aurora has her own bed to sleep in. She wished her strange relationship with Drake Gilden would run as smoothly. Unfortunately, it just keeps getting more complicated. For the first time, all of Lord Gilden’s bounty hunters will be called on to work together on a job. Saige will finally get to see why he hired the two puny humans who are on their team. She will also get a chance to shine and show them exactly why the weredragon hired her. Saige’s fame as a bounty hunter is growing with each new mission she accomplishes. Few in the supernatural community in Nexus are aware that she has a secret task in the underworld. So far, the huntress, her vampire sidekick and best friend have retrieved two fragments of a magical scroll. The monsters and beasts are becoming more dangerous with each realm they visit. So are the guardians who are guarding the spells.

Now that Raum has finally found his match, he will have to do whatever it takes to convince Ember to become bound to him. The demoness won’t be easy to win over. Especially after the unfortunate incident when he’d tortured her. The Demon Guild Master isn’t going to give up on what he wants. He’s determined to make Ember his, so they can face the Immortal Triumvirate together. Ember trusts Raum about as far as she can throw him. Deep down, she knows she can’t take the rulers of Nox on alone. The Immortal Triumvirate need to be eradicated and the rebels have the best chance of pulling it off. That doesn’t mean she’s going to make things easy for the demon lord. He’ll have to prove he’s trustworthy first, which will be difficult for him to achieve. Halloween is only a few months away now. If Raum doesn’t manage to convince Ember to become his mate, the rebels’ plans will fail. Another triumvirate is also scheming to rule Nox. Guild Master Onvier, Nilanthy and their demonic third, Azazel, are slowly growing in power. The rebels now have two trinities to fight if they wish to save the City of Night from its perilous fate.

This bundle contains books four to six of the Saige Sterling: Badass Bounty Hunter series. Toxic: Saige should know better by now, but she can’t seem to stop making dubious deals with sketchy beings. It always seems like a good idea at the time, but inevitably ends up biting her on the butt later. The badass bounty hunter finds herself in a situation where she needs to call on backup outside of her job. Her mom will need to come out of retirement to assist her with a private mission. They won’t be alone during their dangerous endeavor, since Aurora will also be getting in on the act. Saige’s love life is as rocky as ever and Lord Gilden keeps distancing himself from her. Something will have to give, because she can’t keep putting herself through the emotional turmoil. The dragon needs to make up his mind whether to man up and admit his feelings for her, or to end the rollercoaster ride they’re stuck on. Redux: Being the best bounty hunter in Nexus is awesome, but it comes with a price. Saige Sterling’s fame is growing and her services are in increasingly high demand. When one of Lord Gilden’s allies requests her assistance, she has no choice but to accept. If she messes this job up, Saige could end up making a powerful enemy. Drake has a mission for his entire team and they’ll have to work together again. The evil fairy they’ve been hunting is gunning for the weredragon. She has a grudge against him and she won’t stop until one of them is dead. Saige’s romance with her boss becomes even more precarious when a secret he’s been hiding comes to light. She’ll need to come to terms with what she’s learned when she, Aurora and Ruen are sent to the fifth realm of the underworld. They’re at the halfway mark of retrieving all nine fragments of the spell, but stealing them from the guardians is never easy. Apex: Working two jobs and not getting enough sleep is making Saige Sterling a very cranky bounty hunter. As if that isn’t bad enough, Lord Gilden has found another way to punish her for quitting. He’s forcing her to watch him pay her colleagues their bounties. Saige knew right from the start that this arrangement wasn’t going to end well. Things take a turn for the worse when someone starts pranking her. She knows who is responsible for her torment, but there’s little she can do about it. Drake is aware that Saige has a temper at times. He discovers exactly how hot her rage can flare when her control finally snaps. He’ll be stuck with the job of fixing the problem he created when he’d chosen his method to punish for her for walking out on him.