A new LitRPG world has arrived! It's Ruwen's Ascension Day, and he finally dies for the first time. His newly revived body can learn Spells and Abilities for the Class given him by the Goddess Uru, and dying is no longer permanent. Ruwen's high intelligence makes becoming a Mage inevitable. With his new powers, he will locate his parents and clear their family name. But nothing goes as Ruwen imagined, and when a rival God tries to kill Ruwen shortly after his disastrous Ascension, his focus turns from his future to just surviving. His choices place him in the middle of an ancient war, and he must overcome the limitations of his unexpected Class to reach level five. Only then will he have the tools needed to survive. But dying now comes with a terrible penalty, and failing Uru might not only cost him his life and loved ones but his entire world. It turns out dying on your Ascension Day is the easy part. ***** Hey, LitRPG readers! I've created an FAQ for Shade's First Rule to answer some of the common questions and to help you decide if this book is for you. It can be found at: afkauthor.com/faq

"Steele has given eloquent voice to painful truths that are almost always left unspoken in the nation's circumscribed public discourse on race." —New York Times From the author of the award-winning bestseller The Content of Our Character and White Guilt comes an essay collection that tells the untold story behind the polarized racial politics in America today. In A Dream Deferred Shelby Steele argues that a second betrayal of black freedom in the United States—the first one being segregation—emerged from the civil rights era when the country was overtaken by a powerful impulse to redeem itself from racial shame. According to Steele, 1960s liberalism had as its first and all-consuming goal the expiation of American guilt rather than the careful development of true equality between the races. In four densely argued essays, Steele takes on the familiar questions of affirmative action, multiculturalism, diversity, Afro-centrism, group preferences, victimization—and what he deems to be the atavistic powers of race, ethnicity, and gender, the original causes of oppression. A Dream Deferred is an honest, courageous look at the perplexing dilemma of race and democracy in the United States—and what we might do to resolve it.

As an undercover agent for the NSA's Recovery Enforcement Division, Alexi Steele is no stranger to the ways and means of the country's most notorious sex criminals. Still, she's never seen anything quite like this. Girls from across the globe are being recruited for a modeling competition in New York City, only to end up as enslaved prostitutes. Now it's up to Lexi and her partner—and lover—Nicholas Donovan to infiltrate the operation. Finding the mastermind behind the sex trafficking is only one half of the challenge. The other is Nick. Even though she has always trusted him, Lexi can't help but wonder whether he's keeping something from her—a shocking secret from his past on the Special Forces unit. Meanwhile, time is running out for the victims...and Lexi may be forced to do the unthinkable to see that the job is done.

I thought I had a lot of questions before. Finding myself back in Besmet with the demon from my dreams, I'm finding it hard to deny the connection I feel toward him, despite the fact that he's certifiably insane. When did my life get so chaotic? My green magic isn't stable. My moods aren't stable. My ex isn't stable. Gran's not stable... oh who am I kidding? She's never been stable, so at least one of us is consistent. Luckily, I still have my guys; Cam, Fischer, Kai, and maybe Sloane. Honestly, I'm not sure that Sloane is capable of letting someone claim him, but he certainly makes my heart race. Secrets, lies, and prophecies are coming to light. Hopefully I put my trust in the right people because betrayal on it's own is terrible, but to be betrayed by those who swore to protect you? That would be devastating... This is a full-length RH romance, intended for adults 18 and over, which includes MMFMMM content. It ends on a cliffhanger and contains domestic violence including physical, mental, and sexual abuse and other themes that readers may find triggering. *This is the second book in a paranormal RH series.*

As an undercover agent for the NSA's Recovery Enforcement Division, Alexi Steele is no stranger to the ways and means of the country's most notorious sex criminals. Still, she's never seen anything quite like this. Girls from across the globe are being recruited for a modeling competition in New York City, only to end up as enslaved prostitutes. Now it's up to Lexi and her partner—and lover—Nicholas Donovan to infiltrate the operation. Finding the mastermind behind the sex trafficking is only one half of the challenge. The other is Nick. Even though she has always trusted him, Lexi can't help but wonder whether he's keeping something from her—a shocking secret from his past on the Special Forces unit. Meanwhile, time is running out for the victims...and Lexi may be forced to do the unthinkable to see that the job is done.

Held captive in the barbarian kingdom of Venda, Princess Lia and Rafe have little chance of escape--and even less of being together--as the foundations of Lia's deeply-held beliefs crumble beneath her while she wrestles with her upbringing, her gift, and her very sense of self to make powerful choices that affect her country, her people, and her own destiny.

Daniel Abraham delighted fantasy readers with his brilliant, original, and engaging first novel, A Shadow in Summer. Now he has produced an even more powerful sequel, a tragedy as darkly personal and violent as Shakespeare's Macbeth. As a boy, Otah Machi was exiled from his family, Machi's ruling house. Decades later, he has witnessed and been part of world-changing events. Yet he has never returned to Machi. Now his father--the Khai, or ruler, of Machi--is dying and his eldest brother Biitrah has been assassinated, Otah realizes that he must return to Machi, for reasons not even he understands. Tradition dictates that the sons of a dying Khai fall upon each other until only one remains to succeed his father. But something even worse is occurring in Machi. The Galts, an expansive empire, has allied with someone in Machi to bring down the ruling house. Otah is accused, the long-missing brother with an all-too-obvious motive for murder. With the subtlety and wonderful storytelling skill of his first novel, Abraham has created a masterful drama filled with a unique magic, a suspenseful thriller of sexual betrayal, and Machiavellian politics. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.