Hardiguards are two-legged creatures, covered by layers of scales to protect them against severe conditions on the planet. To obey the Holy Mountain, they need to make the region green and grow their population. Ace is a young Hardiguard bound to his own vices causing a tragic accident and fails to gain his community's trust. He is the first person who receives the most severe punishment for his fault, leading him to leave his people and seek refuge near the Holy Mountain. Living near a mysterious mountain with absolute power not only influences Ace but also requires the residents to obey its commands. Ace's life takes a turn from the harsh experiences he encounters, overcoming his fears and doubts. He dares to unravel the mysteries of the mountain, only to discover his own disillusionment and save the one he loves. Hardiguards find that the summit is now a source of chaos and contradiction, as they meet their sophisticated creators face to face and discover the truth behind their creation...

A two-hundred-year-old curse. A tangled thread of mental illness. A growing list of Ross family women dying young. The house where it all began, Desolate Ridge, holds all the secrets. Nothing Hidden Ever Stays is HR Mason's debut gothic suspense.

Silver Medalist, 2020 Wishing Shelf Book Awards: Books for 6–8 Year Olds Winner, 2020 American Fiction Awards for Best Cover Design: Children's Books Finalist, 2020 American Fiction Awards for Children's Fiction The first day of school is coming... and I'm going to be in the noisy class. Any class but the noisy class will do! A young girl is about to enter the third grade, but this year she's put into Ms. Johnson's noisy class. Everything about the noisy class is odd. While all the other classes are quiet, Ms. Johnson sings and the kids chatter all day. The door is always closed, yet sounds from it can be heard in the hallway. With summer coming to an end and school starting, the girl realizes that soon she'll be going to the noisy class. What will school be like now? Featuring the honest and delightful humor of debut author Angela Shanté and the bold, graphic imagery of debut illustrator Alison Hawkins, The Noisy Classroom encourages those with first-day jitters to reevaluate a scary situation by looking at it from a different angle and to embrace how fun school can be, even in nontraditional ways.

A girl is dead. A boy is locked up. Can Debbie Bradley discover the truth before more lives are lost?maybe even her own?A series of deadly shootings. An outbreak of stolen cars. When journalist Debbie Bradley returns home to St. Louis, the summer crime wave has started. And she's in the center: A witness, a reporter, a target. Debbie's reasons for leaving behind her promising career in Washington D.C. were complicated. Her mother, a prominent lawyer, was diagnosed with cancer. Her engagement was cooling. When she got offered a job in St. Louis that she hadn't been looking for, Debbie recognized an opportunity. Or an escape. But she didn't expect to come home and see a girl die. Debbie never planned to investigate a boy behind bars. And she didn't anticipate colliding with hostile cops and wary politicians.As her work gains attention, Debbie gathers enemies. Will her assignment to cover the St. Louis crime beat be her last?

In the desolate middle of the largest ocean on earth, two great navies met, one bent on conclusive battle, the other lying in ambush.Six months after Pearl Harbor, Yamamoto again crossed the Pacific with the most powerful naval armada the world had ever seen, this time to finish the job. Nimitz waited for him with what he had, placed exactly where he needed it.Striking first meant decisive victory.This is the story of the men who fought the Battle of Midway over three momentous days in June, 1942. Men uncertain, determined, fearful and courageous. Their story is one of daring, of unfathomable loss, of survival inside rickety airplanes and burning ships. What happened off Midway is a story of reckless pride, and cold realization."The Silver Waterfall" is an unforgettable historical fiction account of the battle told by today's master of carrier aviation fiction.If you've wondered what more could be written about the Battle of Midway, here's the answer: Kevin Miller has delivered the perfect amalgam of vivid military history and unforgettable fiction. Through the viewpoints of the combatants on both sides - pilots, gunners, sailors, fleet commanders - The Silver Waterfall evokes the drama and raw terror of the battle that changed the course of the war. Historical fiction at its best.- Robert Gandt, author of Angels in the Sky and The Twilight Warriors.With his meticulously researched historical foundation, Kevin Miller masterfully writes of an environment one can know only through personal experience. He adroitly transports us from the deckplates to the flight deck to the cockpit, while exploring the spectrum of wartime human conditions. The Silver Waterfall is destined to take a rightful place beside Michener's Toko-Ri for Miller's vivid portrayal of the intensity of combat aboard and from aircraft carriers.- RADM Robert Besal, USN (ret.)Captain Kevin Miller follows his three carrier aviation thrillers with an absolutely riveting work of historical fiction. His novel, The Silver Waterfall, brings the Battle of Midway to life in a narrative that puts the reader in the battle with the warriors on both sides. Put this one on your must-read list.- CAPT George Galdorisi, USN (ret.) author of Op Center and The Coronado ConspiracyThe Silver Waterfall brings the Midway story to life like no other book. Masterfully written with the amazing accuracy he's known for, Kevin Miller puts the reader on ships' bridges, in aircraft cockpits, and into the hearts and minds of the brave men who fought the battle. A must read.- Vincent Aiello, host of The Fighter Pilot PodcastA great new take on the most famous and dramatic sea battle of World War II. Captain Kevin Miller tells the story of Midway in the voices of the participants and does a marvelous job of tying all of the actions together. As usual he uses his carrier aviation experience to put you in the cockpits. Fasten your seat belts - it's a great ride.- RADM Paul Tobin, USN (ret.), past Director of Naval HistoryA terrific read for anyone who wants to learn about the greatest naval victory of the United States Navy. Put this on your shelf of must-reads on Midway, right next to Shattered Sword and Pacific Payback. Highly recommended!- ADM Bill Gortney, USN (ret.)Exhaustively researched and beautifully written, The Silver Waterfall reveals the inside story of Midway. Told from the perspective of those who fought it, this seminal battle of American carrier aviation comes vibrantly alive in this heart pounding historical fiction.- Paco Chierici, Bestselling author of Lions of the Sky, and Creator/Producer of the award-wining documentary Speed and AngelsMasterful. Kevin Miller's first foray into historical fiction is an epic read. He delivers a remarkable accounting of the Battle of Midway. Not since Herman Wouk's War and Remembrance has this seminal moment been told with such allure.- Peter Fey, author of Bloody Sixteen

Once a promising young concert pianist, Camille Childs retreated to her mother’s Santa Barbara estate after an injury to her hand destroyed her hopes for a musical career. She now leads a solitary life teaching piano, and she has a star student: Graciela, the daughter of her mother’s Mexican housekeeper. Camille has been grooming the young Graciela for the career that she herself lost out on, and now Graciela, newly turned eighteen, has just won the grand prize in a piano competition, which means she gets to perform with the LA Philharmonic. Camille is ecstatic; if she can’t play herself, at least as Graciela’s teacher, she will finally get the recognition she deserves. But there are only two weeks left before the concert, and Graciela has disappeared—gone back to her family’s village in the mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico. Desperate to bring Graciela back in time for the concert, Camille goes after her, but on the way there, a bus accident leaves her without any of her possessions. Alone and unable to speak the language, Camille is befriended by Alejandro, a Zapotec man who lives in LA but is from the same village as Graciela. Despite a contentious first meeting, Alejandro helps Camille navigate the rugged terrain and unfamiliar culture of Oaxaca, allowing her the opportunity to view the world in a different light—and perhaps find love in the process.

From her elegant atelier office, Nadia Demidova discreetly monitors the arrival of her latest guests. Legendary doyenne of the fabled Palm Springs getaway, she can always tell from the moment the women arrive, which ones will be problems. This group will not disappoint: a burned-out Fifth Avenue retail executive...a striking former model and Chicago socialite… an overweight Texas housewife on the brink of her second divorce and her beautiful, teenage daughter...and a CEO who, unhappy with recent plastic surgery, is secluded in her room. Fortunately, Madame Demidova can rely on her Assistant Director to help manage the herd, not knowing that this valued employee is poised to make an audacious move. Lust, ambition, secrets, betrayal, competition for the ownership of the world’s premier spa and a chance to snag the uber-eligible man who unexpectedly arrives on the scene are all on the menu at The Spa at Lavender Lane.