Bøger udgivet af H. L. Burke

To save her life, he must forfeit his own.Prince Kajik of Frorheim has known all his life that he was a mistake. The second, unwanted son of a cold and calculating king, Kay's birth was accompanied by a dire prophecy, that he would bring about the return of the dreaded sorcerer Athan and therefore cause his kingdom's destruction.When Kay falls in love with the intended bride of his beloved brother, Olyn, his father finally has cause to be rid of him. Banishing Kay from their home upon pain of death, the king proclaims that the Princess Arynne will marry Olyn and unite the kingdom against Athan.Kay is determined to accept his lonely fate to protect those he loves from Athan's dark magic. However, when he learns that Arynne is in danger, everything within him yearns to save her ... even if such an action will cost his life.

To save a kingdom, she must lose her heart.Born a princess in a land where the sun never sets, Arynne longs for the freedom to use her inborn magic. When an emissary from the dark side of the world requests an alliance sealed by marriage, Arynne jumps at a chance to escape the rules of her homeland, even if it means marrying a prince she's never met and never seeing the sun again. The starlit kingdom of Frorheim believes that only a marriage of a Solean Sun Princess to their Star Prince will thwart the return of a feared sorcerer. Arynne meets the qualifications, but the journey is perilous. Even more dangerous to Arynne, however, is her growing attraction to the roguish Frorian soldier, Kajik. In the throes of true love, Arynne rues her betrothal to the unknown prince. Can she follow her heart knowing that if she forsakes her vow, Frorheim is doomed, and herself along with it?

Having abandoned his friends and family and taken to the skies, Ewan hides himself in the Wilderlands, away from humans. However, an unexpected attempt on his life and a warning from another dragon lead him to suspect that not all is right in Regone. Ewan returns to his homeland to attend his brother's wedding and discover the source of the bounty on his head. Once there the dragon prince finds that Ryan of Westshire has been using his absence to court the Lady Shannon. With unknown forces working to undermine his brother's throne and his own heart torn between his love for Shannon and the desire to see her happy, Ewan must choose once and for all. Is he a dragon or a man?

Scholar Shannon Macaulay and the Dragon-Prince Ewan have been traveling together for a year when their blissful companionship is interrupted by a cryptic message from their friend Martin."Come to Westshire. Edmond needs you."Drawn to his brother's aid, Ewan finds himself hunting an elusive monster: a winged beast kidnapping young women and stealing their memories. Its latest victim is the Princess Brighid of Westshire, the very girl Edmond has recently fallen for, to the disapproval of her temperamental father, King Riley, and stoic brother, Prince Ryan. Ewan is determined to rescue his brother's beloved, no matter what the cost. But when Ryan's eyes fall upon Shannon, the dragon realizes the cost might be greater than he is willing to pay.

Dragon's CurseThe Dragon and the Scholar Saga, Book OneFantasy/RomanceOn her first assignment out of the Academy, young healer and scholar, Shannon Macaulay is summoned to the struggling kingdom of Regone to see to the wounds of a young but crippled king. When the unwanted attentions of an aggressive knight and the sudden appearance of a hated dragon turn her world upside down, she decides to take matters into her own hands even if doing so proves dangerous.Finding herself strangely drawn to the company of the dragon, Gnaw, Shannon must force herself out of her safe world of books and botany to come to the aid of her unexpected ally in a strange kingdom, cursed by a fateful encounter with a dragon and the loss of a beloved prince. Can she learn to put aside her fears, and perhaps sacrifice her deepest desires, to help a friend and restore a family?

Dragon Prince Ewan has promised his beloved, Shannon, that he will become a man again or die in the attempt. Now he will do anything to make good on that promise.With the aid of his scholarly friend, Martin, Ewan consults the great Dragon Queen Harviss, who offers him a unique solution: return to the past to find Ewan's Fey ancestor and beg for her help. Leaving Shannon behind, Ewan and Martin travel to a dangerous past and fall into the clutches of a powerful Fey queen. Meanwhile, Shannon finds herself alone and with child. Unable to sit still with her husband absent, she joins with Ryan of Westshire in the prince's desperate search for his young son. King Riley, however, will see Ryan dead before allowing him to find the lost child. Can Shannon find a way to unite Ryan with his son? Or will the attempt cost her not only her life but the life of her unborn baby? Will Martin and Ewan ever find the cure they seek or will they remain trapped in the past and Ewan separated from his bride forever?

Stuck in a humiliating position as the Royal Kennel Guard, Sir Percy sees little hope for anything other than an obscure fate. After all, in the Kingdom of Ithelia, you need a fairy to guide you to greatness, and fairies just don't bother with knights like him. However, when Percy catches the eyes of the sheltered Princess Matilda, his world expands in new and frightening ways. A victim of an ill-planned Christening, Matty has spent her life in a locked tower, hiding from pixie attacks. Now she'll do anything to escape. And if that means dragging Percy along for a cross country search for Prince Charming, so be it. But not all Prince Charmings are what they seem, and as Matty's plight grows more desperate, Percy finds himself losing his heart. Does a lowly knight have what it takes to uncurse a princess?

Bryce and Kitrin defied kings and magic to be together.On the eve of happiness, an act of dark magic creates a barrier between them. One too strong even for love to overcome.A sprung trap separates Bryce from his friends and beloved Kit. Assumed dead by his allies in the flora magi rebellion, he finds himself at the mercy of his closest relative-and greatest enemy-Fire King Langstyn. With foul powers, the heartless king turns Bryce into a weapon against Kit.Pregnant, alone, and believing her beloved lost forever, vengeance burns within Kit's heart. Langstyn stole the only man she'll ever love. Kit won't rest until he's paid for his crimes.When the truth of Bryce's captivity reaches her, Kit's torn between standing with the rebel army and sacrificing everything to save her beloved. The flora magi need her as their leader. Her unborn child needs her care. But Bryce is her heart.What good is victory if it means heartbreak?

Joined by magic. Separated by kings. United in love.Two years ago, Kit's blossoming plant magic put a target on her back and forced her to flee for her life, leaving her beloved Prince Bryce behind. Now established as the leader of the rebel flora magi, she clings to hope that they can be reunited. However, the arrival of the charming and persistent Regyn, heir to the supposedly extinct quickened magi, challenges her fidelity.The events surrounding Kit's flight broke Bryce's heart and damaged his faith in his family. Now he buries himself in his work as a Keeper, hunting bandits in the wilds. He longs to find Kit again, though his uncle's magic prevents him from seeking her. Then his manipulative cousin, Crown Prince Langstyn, offers him a chance at a truce, but only if Bryce agrees to a political marriage. Angering Langstyn could cost Bryce everything, but how can he betray the vows he made to Kit?As powers within the kingdom fight for dominance, Kit and Bryce are caught in the currents of schemes not of their making. Schemes that could bring them together, or tear them apart forever.

Book One in the Green Princess TrilogyWhen love blooms, beware the thorns.Kitrin has longed for freedom from her parents' secluded manor. However, one day her emotions trigger flowers to bloom, roots to grasp, and trees to bend. Unable to control her unexplained abilities, she finds an anchor in a young man with sad eyes and his own secrets. A man who sends sparks through her, but who might be tied to her destruction.Palace outcast and nephew of the king, Prince Bryce lives under the shadow of his father's execution for treason. To escape the oppressive court, he takes comfort in the company of the kindhearted Kitrin. However, as the mysteries in both their pasts are revealed, he realizes the girl he loves is someone his family wants dead.Can love flourish in the shadow of tyranny?

When a sick child's hero is a villain, can dreams still come true?Fighting crime is great, but superheroine Nixie's dream job is helping sick kids meet or even become superheroes through her work with the Dream Granter Foundation. However, when a young boy requests to meet not a superhero, but the notorious villain Switch, this may be one dream that turns into a nightmare. On the run since high school, Switch is now at the top of his supervillain game. Between shaking down crime bosses for their ill-gotten wealth and playing cat-and-mouse with the local superhero team, life is exactly what he wants it to be ... Until his favorite heroine to fight comes to him with an unusual offer. How can he say no to a sick kid? After all, he's a villain, not a monster. Switch's enemies on both sides of the hero/villain divide make a simple meet and greet hazardous to both his and Nixie's health. To his chagrin, Switch finds himself admiring his new hero partner, even if her faith in the system is mind-bogglingly unwavering. As they work together, dodging villain attacks and angry phone calls from Nixie's boss, she's surprised by how "human" this particular villain is. Just when she's beginning to think this dream could come true after all, a secret from Switch's past casts a shadow over their plans. Can Switch free himself from his demons long enough to make a kid's wish come true?

When dragons are factory-farmed, one gutsy girl is willing to take on a ruthless corporation to save the creatures she loves.Twelve-year-old Cora's life obsession is dragons. In her world, dragon eggs are sold like common trading cards by the Dragon Emporium-a ruthless company that holds the monopoly on the creatures. Despite always getting short-lived mayflies dragons, her love for them compels her to purchase egg packs in the hopes of hatching a new, rare pet.Her luck takes a drastic turn when she finds an egg that hatches a dragon Cora has never seen before-a special one with the ability to influence other eggs. With her dragon and her best friend by her side, she takes on the Dragon Emporium and the Dragon Regulatory Agency.However, even with their help, Cora may be in over her head.

Once a slacker, now a superhero, but will his ex buy the change? Eleven years ago, Brayden Water's high school sweetheart slammed the door in his face. Floundering, he found purpose first in the military, then by volunteering for genetic enhancements and joining the Department of Super-Abled as a full-time hero. Just when everything's looking up, a family emergency summons him back to the hometown he gleefully put in his rearview. And guess who else is back in town? Rachel Blum has had it with men in general. A single mom who managed to scratch her way through medical school, she's accepted that she can't depend on anyone ... especially not her sometimes criminal baby daddy, and definitely not her high school ex who has popped up out of nowhere after a decade of radio silence. Dang, though, Brayden's even hotter than she remembered, and there's ... something different about him now, though she can't quite put her finger on what. Could he really have finally gotten his act together? Can she take the risk? Brayden's bitterness over Rachel's rejection slowly turns to admiration and begrudging affection. But even if he drops the fact that he can now fly and shoot lasers out of his eyes, will she ever see him as anything but a small-town loser? When her son's father starts causing trouble, though, Brayden realizes, she might just need a hero in her life after all.

Devin doesn't want to get married, but he wants to be a frog even less.Knight errant Devin takes a shortcut through the woods, only to be captured by fairy forces. The fairy queen has run out of breathing males to fight for her hand, and Devin, while not ideal fairy stock, is breathing-for now.Telling a vain fairy queen you'd rather not be her one true love is a ticket to life on a lilypad, so the knight agrees to face three challenges to win Queen Agalea's hand. When a clever servant girl offers to help him navigate the trials in order to stop the constant bloodshed of the courtship ritual, Devin jumps at the chance.Cat-Elf Sevaine's only goal in life is to stop Agalea from killing off every male she gets her hands on. When cocky but quick-on-his-feet Devin stumbles into her world, she may finally have a champion who can beat Agalea's cruel games-if she can resist falling in love with him herself.With Sevaine's help, Devin balances "flirting" with his "beloved" and overcoming tasks specifically designed to kill him. But even if he defeats Agalea's challenges, will happily ever after be possible if he's fallen for his new partner in survival?

Tomorrow will be the happiest day of Glint's life-if he can just get out of today's time loop to actually live it.Never stronger in his superhero game and engaged to his beloved Lara, Glint is ready to take on the next stage of his life. However, when he wakes up in the bed and breakfast venue they've booked for their nuptials the day before the wedding for the second time, the sense of deja vu is undeniable. No one else, not the quirky innkeepers, his future-in-laws, or even his usually savvy bride seems aware of what's going on. Glint doesn't buy into the idea of time loops, but as one repeated day turns to two then three, Glint begins to wonder if he'll ever actually see his wedding day. Something's holding him in place, and in his experience when something goes wrong, it's usually supervillains. Could they be lurking within his own wedding party? And what will Lara say if he power blasts her maid of honor through the roof?

The secret lies with the Heart.Born with a magical knack for manipulating emotions, Leodora's only dream is to ensure her talented little sister dances on the biggest, brightest stage in the Republic: The Curiosity, a grand old theater of tradition and innovation. After escaping a cruel carnival, Leo secures her sister a place in The Curiosity's chorus line and herself a job as a professional audience member, swaying the crowd's mood with her magic. The girls have a home for the first time in their lives.Then, a tragic accident darkens the theater. A greedy businessman begins blackmailing Leo, and financial woes threaten to close the show forever. The Curiosity's sole hope lies in a mythical power source hidden beneath the maze-like passages and trapdoors of the theater - the Heart. And Leo's only friend Paxton, nephew of the theater's stagemistress, is the key to finding it.While Leo and Paxton hunt for the Heart, the blackmailer's threats loom larger. Mysterious figures, cryptic clues, and deadly traps hinder the search at every turn. If the friends cannot recover the Heart in time, Leo and her sister will be cast out of the only home they've ever known, and the final curtain will fall on The Curiosity.Enter a world reminiscent of The Greatest Showman, with a puzzle worthy of Sherlock Holmes and National Treasure, in this new steampunk fantasy from H. L. Burke.

A healing touch. A hideous face. A looming curse.As the ugly twin to a perfect sister, Princess Laidra lives her life in the shadows - until her parents offer her as bait for a giant serpent.Her escape attempt leaves her shipwrecked on a secluded island with only one inhabitant: Prince Calen, who lives under a curse. If anyone looks upon him, he turns into a giant serpent. Speaking to him in the darkness, Laidra sees past the monster to Calen's lonely soul, and she determines to free him from the magic's hold.But if Laidra can't break the curse in time, Calen will become a mindless creature of scales and fangs forever.A YA mythology/romance that retells the myth of Eros and Psyche with adventure, magic, and true love.

Stealer of warmth, bringer of death. What if Cinderella had a secret that kept her locked away? Unable to make her own body heat, foundling Lizbete survives in the tavern kitchen, drawing warmth from the fires, the sun - and sometimes, other living beings. Her days are spent cooking alongside the tavern owner and avoiding the suspicious gazes of the villagers in her small northern town. While she quietly longs for the handsome Brynar, she knows she has no chance with the mayor's son, even if he invites her to the First Frost festival.When sudden earthquakes strike Brumehome, blame falls upon Lizbete, and not even her friendship with Brynar can protect her. She finds shelter in the dangerous caverns of nearby Ash Mountain. There, she discovers mysterious people with her same ability to draw heat - and a fiery doom in the mountain that slowly awakens with every quake. Now, the festival Lizbete thought to avoid is her only chance to warn the villagers. Yet, even with Brynar at her side, can the strange girl dubbed the Ash Lizard hope to save the town that fears her?A rugged YA Cinderella retelling set in a fantasy world with light steampunk elements.

Jake's family ties have turned to cuffs. Born with the ability to fragment his body at a molecular level, Jake Lucas has devoted his life to his uncle's supervillain gang. When he's captured by superheroes, he's certain his life is over at only sixteen.To Jake's surprise, he doesn't end up in prison but at Camp Sable: an intervention project for at-risk super powered teens. Jake's not interested in rehabilitation. As far as he's concerned, the camp mentors are just a barrier between him and his true family, the Sand Fox gang.Forced to work alongside the likewise screwed up duo of fire-powered Marco and electricity manipulator Laleh, Jake waits for the perfect escape opportunity. Having friends and the chance at a real family is more appealing than Jake originally thought, but going soft can cost a supervillain his life. Jake soon finds the forces fighting to control his life threatening to tear him apart. Will Jake choose to remain the villain his uncle made him, or become the hero his new friends think he can be?A Young Adult Superhero series featuring found family, friendship, and one superpowered ferret.

It's dangerous to go alone. Even for superheroes.Laleh Ashe has found her first real friends at Camp Sable, a refuge for at-risk superpowered teens, but her politically ambitious mother has other plans. Mrs. Ashe is determined to send Laleh to a fancy, overseas boarding school--far from her friends and the life she's come to love. To drown her sorrows, Laleh initiates a table top role playing game with her friends, Marco and Jake, as well as the new girl at camp, shy, withdrawn Rian. Too bad no one warned her about Rian's reality bending superpowers. Sucked into a fantasy world created by Rian's imagination, Laleh and her friends must scramble to master their magical new surroundings and complete their quest if they are to have any hope of getting home again.This magical world is less fun than it sounds, but as Laleh and her friends face the various challenges, Laleh can't help but remember that all that waits for her in the real world is separation from her friends and a life under the thumb of her overbearing mom. Maybe going home is seriously overrated. Superheroes meet Portal Fantasy in this second book of the Supervillain Rescue Project Young Adult Series.

Superpowered teen Jake escaped from his Uncle Vic's supervillain gang to find a family, friends, and future. Now, on the cusp of adulthood, he'd rather die than go back to that old life ... but if the cost to stay on the hero side of the law isn't to him, but the man who gave him the second chance, what will he choose?When a trafficking ring targeting superpowered youths goes after Jake, his adopted father, Fade Powell, helps him escape but is himself captured in the process. Fade's friends and family scramble to find him, but with time running out and no leads, Jake receives an offer of help from an unlikely source, the uncle who tried to kill him. Vic Lucas says he can get Fade home alive. All he wants in return? Jake's promise to return to the Sand Fox gang permanently. Jake can't be the reason his father dies, but can he throw away the life Fade sacrificed everything to give him? Is being a villain ever the heroic choice?

When family's involved, the line between hero and villain can get blurry.15-year-old Marco Reyes has spent a year at a camp for at-risk superpowered teens, learning to control his fire throwing abilities in hopes of being a superhero someday. With his powers mastered, he wants nothing more than to return to his mother. His mother, though, may not be ready to care for him.When Marco's Mom blows off their meeting in San Diego, Marco's guardians take it as a sign the woman isn't responsible enough to care for her superpowered son. Marco, though, knows that this time something's different from his mother's other absences. He's convinced someone's taken her.Slipping away from the safety of his camp family, Marco follows a clue that leads to a supervillain recruiting agency and allies with a supervillain who is after the same agency for her own reasons. Marco's camp friends are on his trail, but will he find his mom before they bring him in? Or is his mother simply a pawn in a much deadlier scheme?

Superpowers are a super pain.The non-powered middle child of a superhero family, Abigail Park has always taken pride in being "the normal one." No flying and throwing power blasts for her, thank you. Just a safe, steady office job, evenings in with her cat, and weekly hot yoga when she's feeling adventurous. Genetics can be cruel.When Abigail finds herself in the line of fire during a superhero and supervillain standoff, her latent abilities literally explode-blasting the HERO unconscious and catching the eye of sound-manipulating villain Thunderstruck. Threatening to send proof of her "aiding" him to the authorities, he blackmails her into helping him in his next big heist-against her own boss.Abigail wants out, but as her antagonistic banter with Thunderstruck turns to something weirdly resembling flirting, the smirking villain hints that his intended target isn't as innocent as Abigail believes him to be. Can Abigail get Thunderstruck to trust her with his secrets or is it all a cover for a more malevolent plan?If Abigail can't figure this out, she's never going to hear the end of it at family dinners ... if she even manages to make it out alive at all.

Can a former supervillain escape his sins?Years on a grueling, deep-cover mission left young superhero Jake Powell world-weary and broken. With his past behind him, he just wants to focus on getting his life back together to prepare for a future with his girlfriend-and hopefully soon-to-be fiance-Juliet. Well, and maybe having his future brother-in-law not hate his guts would be a bonus. When a lapse in judgment leaves Jake and Juliet as expectant parents, Juliet's brother, Shawn, is even less inclined to accept Jake. Life is further complicated by a vigilante determined to avenge the victims of the Black Fox Supervillain Gang, the very gang Jake just spent years embedded in. As bodies pile up, Jake fears he's the next target. Hunted by a vigilante and haunted by his own mistakes, Jake struggles to keep the life he's fought so hard for from falling apart. When the enemy comes calling, Jake's only hope may lie in the one person who does not want to forgive him.

Saving her past could cost him his future.Trauma has left telepath and former superhero Aiden Powell burned out. Now retired, he wants to focus on his new civilian career as an EMT and his budding romance with former colleague, Tanvi. He has no interest in the dangerous work that cost him both his parents and almost his life.However, on the anniversary of his mother's death, a strange woman approaches him. A woman who thinks Aiden is his father ... and also that it's 1998. Aiden's mother is alive but flung over two decades out of her proper place in time.Of course, nothing involving superpowers is easy. Aiden and his mother have just hours until the supervillain who took her away from her family the first time arrives in present-day Escondido for a contentious reunion.With time running out, Aiden must race to save his mother while trying to avoid shattering the timeline that contains everyone he loves.2022 Realm Award Winner in the Novella Category