Bøger af Barb Hendee

Homeward contains six connected stories set in the world of the Noble Dead Saga as taken from the "Homeward" collection in T-N-D-S: Tales from the world of the Noble Dead Saga. Follow the adventures and budding romance of Jan, a half-gypsy peasant turned vassal, and Julianna, the strong-willed young woman taken in by Jan's family.In "The Keepers," Jan and his parents arrive at the keep above the village of Chemestúk, where Jan's father must become the vassal lord of the fiefdom. Determined to prevail, despite the place's dark reputation, they find the ugly rumors concerning the keep are all too true."The Reluctant Guardian" and "Captives" follow the terrors of civil war as Jan, Julianna, and those they love are faced with everything from military conscriptions to roaming gangs of violent deserters."Claws," "The Sleeping Curse," and "Silent Bells" take Jan and Julianna out on the open road with Jan's extended family of traveling gypsies. Amid encounters with shape-shifters, magic, curses, and intrigue, their feelings for each other deepen but grow more confusing. Will either one of them ever confess such feelings to the other?

Grace McMillan is alone, living in an isolated farmhouse at the base of the Cascade Mountains. Lost in grief, she tries to recover from the death of her father. Sean Watson is running after suddenly finding himself an accessory to robbery and murder. Driving north in blind panic, on impulse, he heads towards the mountains. In a forested area, he abandons his car and travels on foot, until he comes across a seemingly abandoned farmhouse, a place to hide. In the night, Grace is awakened by a sound. She finds herself facing a desperate man surprised at the sight of her, and he instantly takes control. Days and nights pass with two strangers trapped together. As she comes to learn his situation is more complicated than it seems, he finds that hers is more tragic than his. Can they risk trusting each other? Grace's instincts are torn between fear and need as she finds herself alone with a thief.

Includes excerpt from A choice of secrets.

Olivia Geroux knew her king was reluctant to marry her, whatever the negotiations had arranged. But she never expected to find handsome, arrogant King Rowan obsessed with his stepsister instead. And before she can determine what course to take, she overhears her greatest ally plotting to murder the princess. Olivia must act quickly--and live with whatever chaos results. As the assassin hunts his prey, a magic mirror appears to show Olivia the three paths that open before her: If she hesitates only a moment, the princess will die--and she will become queen; If she calls for help, she will gain great power--but she must also thrust away her own happiness; If she runs to stop the murder herself, she will know love and contentment--but her whole country will suffer. As she lives out each path, her wits and courage will be tested as she fights to protect her people, her friends, and her heart. And deciding which to follow will be far from easy.

A series of killings in England point to a new-and feral-vampire. Vampires Eleisha and Philip and their human companion travel to London to make contact with the terrified creature, to offer him sanctuary and stop the bloodshed. But the vampire they find is not what they expected...

Ever since raiders from the north began attacking villages, Lady Nicole Montagna has known that defending her people would came at a cost. The betrothal of her sister Chloe to a neighboring lord seems the perfect solution, forging a powerful alliance. But shortly before the wedding, Nicole is shocked to discover that her sister is with child, and not by her husband to be. Now she must make a choice.

Young journeyer Wynn Hygeorht sets out with her companions, the vampire Chane Andraso and Shade, an elven wolf, in search of a dwarven stronghold that may well be the last resting place of a mythical orb- one of five such mysterious devices from the war of Forgotten History. And now, a direct descendant of that war's infamous mass murderer-the Lord of Slaughter-is tracking Wynn. If only that were all she had to worry about...

National bestselling author Barb Hendee presents a dark, fascinating new world and the story of two sisters who will discover they have far more power than they ever envisioned…. In a small village in the nation of Droevinka, orphaned sisters Céline and Amelie Fawe scrape out a living selling herbal medicines in their apothecary shop. Céline earns additional money by posing as a seer and pretending to read people's futures. But they exist in a land of great noble houses, all vying for power, and when the sisters refuse the orders of a warlord prince, they must flee and are forced to depend on the warlord prince's brother, Anton, for a temporary haven. A series of bizarre deaths of pretty young girls is plaguing the village surrounding Prince Anton's castle. He offers Céline and Amelie permanent protection if they can use their "skills" to find the killer. With little choice, the sisters enter a world unknown to them-of fine gowns and banquets and advances from powerful men. Their survival depends on catching a murderer who appears to walk through walls and vanish without a trace-and the danger grows with each passing night.

Magiere the dhampir and her partner, the half-elf Leesil, are on a journey to uncover the secrets of their mysterious pasts. But first their expertise as vampire hunters is required on behalf of a small village being tormented by a creature of unlimited and unimaginable power.

Magiere the dhampir thought that her nights of hunting vampires were over. Settling down in her newly adopted village of Miiska-now vampire-free thanks to her and her half-elf partner, Leesil-she looked forward to quiet days tending to her tavern. But far away in the capital city of Bela, a prominent councilman's daughter has been found dead on her own doorstep-and all signs point to a vampire. Bela's town council offers a generous bounty to the dhampir if she will slay their vampire, knowing that the battered and burned village of Miiska could use the infusion of cash. Magiere resists, wanting nothing more than to forget her past-and ignore her half-vampire nature. Only Leesil, her partner and confidant, can persuade Magiere to follow her destiny-before more innocents are claimed by darkness… Praise for Dhampir "Take Anita Blake, vampire hunter, and drop her into a standard fantasy world and you might end up with something like this exciting first novel." -Chronicle "A mix of The Lord of the Rings and Buffy the Vampire Slayer…an engaging adventure."-New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson

On her seventeenth birthday, Megan of Chaumont discovers she''ll be sold as a bride to the brutish Volodane family-within hours. Her father grants only that she may choose which one of the ruthless, grasping lord''s three sons she weds: Rolf, the eldest: stern, ambitious, and loyal? Sebastian, the second son: sympathetic, sly, and rebellious? Or Kai, the youngest: bitter, brooding, and proud? As shy, horrified Megan flees the welcome dinner for her in-laws-to-be, she finds an enchanted mirror that will display how her life unrolls with each man, as if she were living it out in a breath. But there is no smooth "happily ever after" in her choices. Deaths and honors, joys and agonies, intrigues and escapes await her in a remote, ramshackle keep, where these rough but complex men reveal one side and then another of their jagged characters-and bring forth new aspects of Megan, too. But the decisions of one teenaged marriage-pawn reverberate much farther than any of them have guessed . . . Through A Dark GlassNew York Times bestselling author Barb Hendee spins a tale of castles and assassins, ambition and envy, toil and desire, as one woman lives out three very different lives . . .

The Noble Dead Saga continues...In her quest to find the orb of Spirit, Wynn Hygeorht is torn between two men who hate each other—her vampire protector, Chane Andraso, and the elf Osha, who has feelings for her.Now a strange series of clues leads them to a remote keep built on the dark cliffs of the coast of Witeny—where an old enemy lurks, ready to destroy her. At the same time, dhampir Magiere, Leesil, and Chap continue their desperate search for the orb of Air. Still hunted by a team of assassins, they escape on the first available ship, only to find themselves under the power of a sadistic captain.Yet even if they manage to survive this voyage, what waits for them at the journey's end is beyond anything they can imagine....

Born a half-breed to an elven mother and human father, Leesil was raised in the Warlands as an assassin, spy, and slave for Lord Darmouth, ruler of an independent province. But Leesil's mother trained him well, and he used his skills to escape, leaving his parents to suffer Darmouth's wrath for all such traitors and their kin. Now with newfound purpose in the company of his beloved Magiere, Leesil returns to confront the sins of his past and uncover his parents' fate.Unable to turn him from this dangerous course, Magiere follows Leesil into the darkness of his past in the Warlands. Knowing what may happen should Darmouth learn of Leesil's return, she is prepared to slaughter any who try to take him from her. But Magiere's own past may well pose a more deadly threat. Two creatures of unfathomable power continue to stalk her - one who believes she's the key to his salvation, and one who seeks to destroy her ... and all those she loves.

Magiere has cultivated a reputation as the most formidable vampire slayer in the land. Villagers everywhere welcome her with both awe and dismay, grateful to her for removing the undead menace, but finding themselves poorer for their salvation. Magiere has never had a problem with exploiting superstition for profit. Now, tired of this game, Magiere and her half-elf partner are ready to retire. But Magiere has attracted the attention of vampires who recognize her true identity - even if she does not - and who fear her birthright and latent power. They will do anything to stop Magiere from realising her true potential.