Books published by Literary Wanderlust

Veterinarian Piper is pragmatic enough to know her marriage wasn't working, which is why she left Dylan a year ago and pretends it hasn't hurt like hell every day since. Then Dylan calls out of the blue and tells her to come right away for an animal emergency. Piper arrives on the ranch that used to be her home to find her horse savagely killed. She can't fathom what could have done it. One thing, however, is obvious. Piper still loves Dylan.Dylan isn't over Piper, not by a long shot. After her horse was ripped apart by something he's pretty sure wasn't a bear, it feels so good to hold Piper in his arms again. If only they could find a way to undo the mess that drove them apart.An epic blizzard hits, trapping Piper and Dylan on the ranch for what just might be their one chance at reuniting. But as things get a whole lot scarier, it's clear something evil has brought them together.Hunted by the supernatural, they must fight for their lives, but can they also fight for their love?

After the 2nd Civil War tears America into three separate territories, Case Tappan, a devout pacifist, discovers his vision of a perfect society is under threat from the President of the United States and his deadly Reclamation movement.Unfortunately, Case's attempts at peaceful negotiation lands him in a prison destined to be decimated by US bombs. He is dependent on a young and beautiful, yet conflicted US Army Private, Renna Jensen, to secure his freedom and ultimately the legacy of his movement.The survival of Case and his precious territory, hinges on his ability to show a world bent on corruption and greed, that a better future is already here.

All is fair in love and war. Will the fire of passion in this comedy of errors bring Sam and Reid together, or will it leave them burned?Sam Valentine is the definition of a boss bitch. She is one promotion away from becoming president of her elite brokerage firm, and has a string of lovers along Chicago's Miracle Mile. The one thing that could shake up her world is the Adonis in Armani standing in her boss's office. The last time she saw him, he was naked under a waterfall in Barbados!Reid Gallagher never imagined he would see his vacation tryst standing in his father's office. He certainly never imagined they would be competing for the same job. Ever since she left the Caribbean, he has fantasized about getting closer to the hot-as-sin Sam--in and out of the bedroom. The war that ensues is nothing short of outrageous. The weapons of choice are vibrators, whips, and drag queens. The combat zones include the conference room, a mud wrestling pit, and a strip club. No one ever said war wasn't messy. In the battlefield of love, to the victor go the spoils, unless this couple can learn to set aside their differences, and surrender to passion.

The second chapter of Lord Ankhwenefer's story is one of love, betrayal, and death. The world needs to know this forgotten king's tale so that the ghosts of the past may finally rest.Prince Ankhmakis has left his beloved Natasa for war and treacherous obstacles block his path to becoming Egypt's last native king. He is the warrior that the men revere, and his orders are followed without question. He is strong and powerful with Natasa on his side, and the fear that breeds in those around him is more dangerous to Ankhmakis than the swords of the Greeks. Natasa has risen higher in the mystic arts than any priestess before her-and she is in more peril because of it. All she desires is to assist her lover, Ankhmakis, in his quest to take back Egypt from the Macedonians once and for all, but his jealous queen, his plotting brother, and the truest evil in the world want nothing more than to be rid of her.Natasa and Ankhmakis fight not only against the Greeks but also those at court who will do anything to see them both dead. Together, Ankhmakis would become a great general and Natasa the mystic healer who saves him. Apart, they may not survive.

Throughout the kingdoms of Gylem, one rule stands above all others: Beware the Bardenwood!Stableboy and town menace, Arden Ford, probably wouldn't have lived to see his teenage years if not for his grandmother, the beloved village innkeeper. Though he was considered a pest to most, he could always count on her to get him out of trouble. That was until his seventeenth birthday.Ard always doubted the tales of witches, ghouls, and hungry spirits that lurk within the piney shroud of the Bardenwood, but he never dared to step foot past its edge. Everything changes when he finds himself summoned into the forest by a strange girl and a trail of toadstools.Deep in the forbidden Bardenwood, whose edge sits just beyond his home, Ard learns that a world of magic exists, but only by a thread. Magic is dying. Once it does, the balance of nature will tip and mankind will follow closely behind. What's worse, the kingdoms of Gylem face a threat from within that could upheave the entire realm if the disappearance of magic doesn't accomplish it first.To save the Bardenwood and the kingdoms of Gylem, Ard must perform a ritual and free a magical king from imprisonment. A king that, if freed, can restore the balance of nature and bring magic back to the lifeless Bardenwood. The ritual, however, requires the use of blackstone… a rare gem widely regarded as myth.As Ard sets out on a quest to find blackstone and free the mysterious king from imprisonment, he finds the superstitious tales of the Bardenwood he heard all his life were told to him for a reason- a reason he may discover too late.Some trails need never be trodden.

Sometimes all it takes is murder to discover who you truly are.Myrtle Coldron shared her parents’ practical view of the world, so when she was orphaned as a teenager and sent to live with an aunt with more than a few Wiccan leanings, her worlds clashed. Intent on escaping from all things witchy and an aunt with a decided idea of who should be given her magical lineage, Myrtle settles herself in academia, far from the small medieval village of Avebury.But when she receives a call about her aunt’s mysterious death from a fall from the attic, Myrtle’s carefully constructed world falls apart. Guilt-laden from ignoring her aunt’s pleas for help as simply more of her witchy ramblings, Myrtle returns to Avebury to bury her aunt, sell the Witch’s Retreat—her aunt’s witch-themed inn—and put this part of her life behind her forever.Yet the sleepy, historic village will not let her be: at turns met by cryptic folks and strange happenings, including threatening notes, footsteps in the attic in the middle of the night, and a plant with a mind—and legs—of its own, Myrtle determines she owes it to her aunt to find out what happened. Distraught and hounded by a selfish cousin, two daft but well-meaning sisters, and two equally handsome—and equally suspicious—boarders, Myrtle soon discovers that taking a practical approach to things otherworldly isn’t the best plan and that denying her lineage—and her powers—may just cost her her life.

In the year 205 B.C., after centuries of Persian and Macedonian occupation, a rebel king rises from the south to take ancient Egypt back unto native hands. He will battle the Ptolemy line for twenty years, and rule almost eighty percent of Egypt, yet in the end, history will never mention his name.Born Prince Ankhmakis, the last in a line of native Egyptian kings, he is raised with one purpose-to help his father reclaim Egypt from the Macedonian occupiers and return their country to dynastic greatness. Fate, however, has its own plans. For lies and deceit live in the hearts of all involved, from his family to the priesthood, and the Greeks aren't the only ones who seek to destroy him.Natasa is in training to become the High Priestess of the temple of Isis. Her task is to strengthen the royal family with the magic of the goddess through love and pleasure. She never thought the connection between her and Ankhmakis could be so strong, or carry a power coveted by those lurking in the shadows. Nor did she know that the child they would create would have her own great destiny to fulfill.Together, Ankhmakis and Natasa must defend the potential of their love from those who would seek to use it for their own gain. Theirs is a world of magic, power, riches, and lust, and there are those within the court who would do anything to keep Ankhmakis and Natasa apart. Between mystical forces, murder, and illicit schemes--only the gods know if they'll survive.

Their love could set the kitchen on fire.Melanie is a broken-hearted chef who has a passion for fine food, but without any other job prospects, she's stuck at the Jivin’ Diner, where grease is the main ingredient on the menu. She’s desperate to get a new job so she can start cooking the food of her dreams, and when her best friend calls her about an opportunity as a live-in chef, Melanie jumps at the chance. Not once did she consider that her boss would be hotter than her oven.Growing up in foster care, Erik had a rough start. He escaped to Arizona to save himself and his foster brother from their abusive foster father. Now the owner of a successful app development company, Erik has more money than he knows what to do with. He has a huge home, fast cars, and even faster relationships. His life seemed perfect, but something was missing. That is…until he hires Melanie. This little chef makes Erik’s blood sizzle more than the oil in her frying pan.The fire between them burns hot, and though they try to resist the delicious temptation, the attraction proves to be too much. Emotions flare up, but the past hangs around like the smell of burnt popcorn, and neither can fully trust the other. Will Melanie and Erik overcome their past fears and embrace what is bubbling up between them? Or will their romance flop like a ruined soufflé?

When Los Angeles news photographer Lucy Vega’s uncle, a formidable Hispanic businessman, is killed in a car accident in Malibu during a violent El Niño storm, Lucy and reporter-colleague Beatrice Middleton are out to prove murder.Lucy discovers secret underworld involvement by Mexican cartel members, and bent on finding answers, she travels to Mexico, where she meets a handsome but burned out CNN war correspondent. Trailing the cartel deep into their own territory, they soon find that corruption and brutality are rampant, and Lucy must risk all to find the truth behind her uncle’s murder.

Hannah wants to relocate herself and her cat, Jimi, to the countryside of Calgary. So, when she finds a turn-of-the-century home in a small town at a good price she jumps at the opportunity.Shortly after she moves in, strange noises, disturbances, and slamming doors hamper her efforts to make any changes in the house. Jimi starts acting odd, and the disturbances only increase in intensity. But, Hannah is no quitter, and by talking with long-time residents of her town, and with the help of a psychic, Hannah pieces together the tragic story of her resident ghost. By understanding why the ghost is unable to let go, Hannah comes to terms with her inability to let go of her own heartbreaking past.Will this new home and its non-corporeal occupant be exactly what Hannah needs to move on and find new love?

A failed suicide, a failed writer, and a failed husband, Ches is tragically depressed-that is, until he finds his muse in punk rocker/ militia-marketer/ free-spirited Thalia. Ches is haunted by Thalia's ghost-or perhaps a hallucination-and grows obsessed with writing her story...but due to his increasingly erratic behavior, he is quickly self-destructing. The pressures of public school IT work, a middle school revolution, an ex-wife, a crazed father, and an emotional crime spree culminate in a fantastic meta twist, creating a surprising end to this fabulously witty dark comedy.

NO ONERobin Fox, peace-loving professor of world religions, wants only to leave his dark past as a military interrogator behind him. But when an unknown suspect tries to disperse a deadly virus in downtown Washington, Fox is unwillingly drawn back into the shadowy world of intelligence.WHO BELIEVESThe FBI and CIA automatically suspect Islamic terrorists, but Fox digs deeper to discover the far more frightening truth: a global conspiracy to eradicate all religion from the face of the earth.IS SAFEFrom Washington to Jerusalem, from Rome to London, Fox must use all his wits in a perilous race to stop a psychopathic mastermind from unleashing worldwide devastation.* * *WINNERRocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold AwardFINALISTClive Cussler Grandmaster AwardKiller Nashville Claymore AwardPacific Northwest Writers Association Literary AwardREVIEWS“Charles Kowalski takes a frightening idea to its logical (and terrifying) conclusion. The kind of pulse-pounding adrenaline-pumping adventure tale that I associate with the best of Clive Cussler, Frederick Forsyth, and Ken Follett. If this book doesn’t have you flipping pages long into the night, see your doctor. You may already be dead.”—Jeff Edwards, bestselling author of SEA OF SHADOWS and STEEL WIND RISING "A fast-paced thriller that will keep you breathless and wanting more. Robin Fox is one of the best heroes to come along in quite a while."—Leo Maloney, author of TERMINATION ORDERS and ARCH ENEMY "A fiendishly clever stew of mind games, bioterror, and a new breed of extremist malice. Mind Virus is one heck of a ride." - Barry Lancet, award-winning author of THE SPY ACROSS THE TABLE