Books published by Melange Books - Fire and Ice YA

Changing places doesn't always help you see things differently.Cassie Miller, a 21st century teenager and Lady Cassandra, a young heiress from 1714 mysteriously switch lives. Until they can solve the conundrum surrounding the Miller family, they are stuck in the wrong century. Cassie must navigate a society of etiquette, exclusion and intrigue while Cassandra has to learn to tough it out as an unchaperoned female in the year 2014.

Aimee killed a man. Worse yet, she enjoyed it. Aimee has survived a bombing, a killer's torture chamber, countless evils harbored deep within the minds of psychopaths and killers, and even death. But now, the greatest threat is the evil barely contained within. With her ascension, Aimee gained great power. She no longer needs to touch a person for their every memory and thoughts to be divulged. With that power, she now feels the pull to become judge, jury, and executioner to those who commit evil in this world. But she inadvertently causes harm to those she loves the most. Aimee is forced to seek out the only other person in this world that can help her: Brett. Together, they explore the world as ascended beings, reveling in the intoxication of mind control, as flames of love ignite between them. With each new emotion explored, the reasons behind the origin of her powers are slowly revealed.

Champion show rider, Dani Wilkerson loves her Quarter Horse mare, Lady and wants to ride Western or 'cowgirl' style with her friends at Shamrock Stable. However, her glory-seeking parents have other plans for Dani that include three-day eventing and an ev

It's been months since the destruction of Sapere's village forced the survivors to flee into the Wild, where her secret was discovered and her Council struggles to keep the remains of her tribe alive. Surviving the attack, the flood, the Wild itself is proof that they have grown stronger as a people. Even in their new campsite they feel safe and comfortable... too comfortable.

Rove, Roam and Rune Gustavo are back with their best friend Maya Stewart, in the second book of the Dark As Night Trilogy; A Day Without A Night. The Evil Sorceress Kya wants entrance into the Enchanted Realm, but in order to do that she needs a magical book and key. Can the Gustavo brothers save Merlin from her clutches before finding what she wants, or will girls distract them from what must be done?

Juniper Sawfeather seems to have a talent for finding mythological creatures. Or maybe the creatures are finding her. The mermaids she saved from the oil spill are long gone. There's no evidence of them, and she's been branded as a liar and a fake in the media and at school. Her environmental activist parents have moved on to a protest to save Old Growth trees from being chopped down. June isn't particularly concerned with this cause, but that changes when she falls asleep at the base of a giant tree and wakes to find herself 40 feet in the air on one of its branches! From this point on she becomes obsessed with the tree, and it appears the tree is becoming obsessed with her, too. Soon, she is trapped 170 feet above the ground, and the magical spirit that resides in the tree isn't interested in letting her go free or allowing anyone else to save her. Is the tree spirit good or evil? Will Juniper's feet ever touch the ground again?

In her tribe, select families are blessed with a gift that is passed through the generations from father to son. But something went wrong when Sapere was born, because she has her family's gift and she shouldn't. When Sapere's village is attacked the night of her wedding, the survivors flee to the Wild in hope of finding refuge in a dangerous place filled with deadly predators. Out here, Sapere feels like an outsider on the precipice of two worlds, unable to fit into the old way, unaccepted by the new, and terrified of being shunned by both. Through the survivors' fight for survival, Sapere learns that she can be a victim of circumstance or master of fate. Can she rise above the nature of her birth and mold her own future? Can she be herself and earn the villagers' respect in their new world? Or will she forever be shackled by the anomaly that makes her different?

When twelve-year-old Charity Bullock's parents die in Galveston's yellow fever epidemic in 1853, she and her fifteen year-old sister, Hope, must travel across the Texas frontier by ox wagon to live with their great-uncle, Richard Bullock, whom they have never met. Their only living relative, Great-Uncle Bullock owns a large hotel in Austin, the new capitol of the Republic of Texas, where his incessant swigging from a jug of corn liquor threatens his business and the Bullock sisters' tenuous security.

The Sea Side Strangler is on the loose in Beach Point, where fifteen-year-old Cathy Banks is spending the summer with her aunt (who happens to be mystery writer Roberta McCabe.) Although thrilled to be away from her psychotic, divorcing parents, with no cell phone or internet access, Cathy is positive that her summer is going to be wretched. Just when she begins to make friends, and even finds a crush to drool over, her new friend Lauren vanishes. When a body surfaces in Beach Point Bay, Cathy is forced to face the question: has the Sea Side Strangler struck again?

Does she stay and possibly get shot by her crazed father or run into the storm of the century, Hurricane Katrina? Marguerite Aucoin has no choice but to run! Like the fiction heroine she writes about, a teen named Toots Gentry, Marguerite must be brave, despite the fact she's lost both hearing aids and is virtually deaf. Amand rescues Marguerite from the swirling bayou waters. At his home, she awakes but doesn't speak, writing her name, Toots Gentry. With time, he learns her secrets, and discovers someone's trying to kill her. But's he's fallen in love with Marguerite and is determined to protect her.

Galena has recovered the Sword of Lumina and now she has to race to find her brother, the leader of the elf army, to aide him in battle against Rau's forces. Together, they push the enemy back until they find themselves facing Blackwell and every dark creature imaginable, including Rau himself. Galena uses all the magic she possesses battling creatures never before seen until she finds herself face to face with the one who has ruled the elven nation for far too long. In a battle of light versus dark, Galena proves why she is Mira's Last.

Being normal isn't always a good thing, especially if it ends up killing you. 16 year old Aimee can see your every memory with just one touch. After surviving a killer, she tries her best to find a new normal at school, but for those who are cursed, happiness and normality aren't easy to obtain. A bizarre illness spreads like wildfire through the school causing those around Aimee to lose their sanity, before falling into a coma. Slowly, all the people she loves succumb to this strange disease. Alone and terrified, she must use her curse to find a way to save her family and friends. As she delves deeper and deeper into their memories, she realizes David, a delusional person from her childhood, is the bigger threat that could destroy her. Despite the danger that surrounds her, she struggles to solve the puzzle before it's too late to help those she cares for the most. But as David moves closer to eliminating her, one puzzle still remains. Will she be able to save herself?

An otherworldly man, an unexpected romance, and a deadly twist of fate will change Sarafina's life forever...Fresh out of high school, Sarafina's whole life changes during a chance meeting with a man from another world, and it's love at first sight. For the first time, she's taking risks to chase a fantastic adventure and incredible romance halfway around the world. In her journey to find an unimaginable love and transition from girl to woman, she discovers her own strength as she sheds the skin of youth to reveal a mighty inner beast she never even knew existed.

Justin MacArthur hopes to impress his ninth grade classmates with his outdoor skills on a long-anticipated school field trip to the famous YO Ranch in south Texas. Reserved and self-conscious at school, Justin's expert horsemanship and knowledge of the outdoors-skills he learned from his father, a Texas Parks and Wildlife game warden-provide an opportunity to improve his status as a fringe member of the cool group. But a secretive Korean boy with a chip on his shoulder and a terrifying thunderstorm during a trail ride undermine Justin's well-laid plans and change his life in ways he never imagined.

Jude Sprocket has been a pirate her whole life. Taken in by a man who found her alone on a distant planet at the age of seven, all she has to remember of her past life is the loss her hand - the vague memory of a race through the woods and a bloody aftermath. Now, her father recently dead, seventeen-year old Jude has inherited his spaceship - Hourglass. Determined to get off Earth and continue her father's legacy of piracy, she assembles a crew and takes to the stars. But more than abandoned ships and hidden treasure await Jude in the vast void of space. She's haunted by dreams of a distant land, children hiding in the shadows, and a little girl she somehow feels the need to find. When Jude and her crew stumble across an uncharted planet, curiosity gets the better of them and they land, unaware of the dangers that wait. Suddenly, Jude's worst nightmares are coming true as she lands on the planet she was never meant to leave. ________________________________________

Rove, Roam and Rune Gustavo are back with their girls at their sides in the third and final book of the Dark as Night Trilogy; A Day Yet to Come. Powers surge, enemies switch sides and one is sworn to secrecy to save another. Can the brothers unite with the destined Sisters of the Realm and beat back the worst evil imaginable and restore magic, or will evil take over and rule the Enchanted Realm?

Two friends... Blood sisters till the end... Until they're not. One cold night in a boarding school dorm, two fourteen-year-old girls make a blood sister pact. Friends forever. As young schoolgirls, they're determined to find true love, learning the hits and misses along the way. As graduation nears, the girls have different outlooks for the future. Lucinda longs for adventure. Anna chooses city life and marriage. Finding their way back together, the girls head west for an experience of a lifetime until a handsome cowboy bursts into their lives, changing the course of their friendship forever.

Thirteen-year-old Anna's passionate dream is to go to high school, the first girl from her tiny farm community back in 1910 to do so. She is determined not to stay at home like her older sister, Mary Ellen, helping their mother and waiting to marry a local farmer. But there is no money to send her to River Heights, seven miles away, and anyway, her mother needs her. When sixteen-year-old Mary Ellen is sexually assaulted by a local boy, the situation gets worse. No one suspects Mary Ellen is pregnant until she gives birth to the illegitimate baby. The surprise birth threatens to ruin the family's standing in the community and Mary Ellen's reputation. Anna wrestles with helping her parents and sister while still striving to make her burning desire to go to high school a reality. Meanwhile she becomes involved in solving the mystery of a missing ring, and in stopping another attack by the boy who assaulted her sister. But how will that help her realize her dream?

Twell's life is complicated. Her world has been attacked for precious water resources, and loved ones have died. Thrown into the Army Of Powers, Twell is forced to continue training her telekinetic gifts for the looming war. As if that wasn't stressful enough, she's in love with a boy who was not chosen for her, and her genetic match believes in obeying the Governing Body's laws, and fighting for Twell, whether she likes it or not. When Twell begins to question her rights, she manages to invoke a rebellion against the Governing Body she never could have imagined. Twell finds herself in more danger than ever, both from the enemy planet who want to destroy her world, and her own people, who will punish her for fighting for love and free will.To save the ones she loves, Twell must choose what's worth fighting for, despite the consequences.

Sixteen-year-old Aimee doesn't like to touch people. One touch and she sees their past. One graze over her skin and she can see all the good and bad deeds a person has ever done. It isn't until a bomb explodes during lunch that she realizes exactly how many dirty secrets the students in her school harbors-or exactly how far one of them would go to keep his secrets safe.

Twell thinks her biggest drama in life is being genetically partnered with a boy she doesn't know or love by her next birthday. But then Twell's requested to train her telekinetic skills for the protection of her world Como, alongside other gifted teens. When Como's attacked, Twell risks her life to protect those she loves. Will she survive, and if so will she be matched to a stranger when the boy she's growing to love is destined to another?

Hidden in the trees is a boy with a mysterious past and powerful ability- will the team that found him have to watch him die?15-year-old Joaquin can sharpen his senses to an amazing degree, but then he needs to heal from the pain. His ability harms him but can help everyone else. He joins a mission team that works for the king and they travel south into danger. But entwining his life with his team moves Joaquin towards the inevitable choice he must make for them. Will his ability be a curse or the gift that saves his friends?

In a world ruled by the dark, what would you do to see the light again? Galena is just like every other elf, enslaved by the powerful Rau. Once a beautiful and powerful race, the elves have been reduced to slave labor in the mines of Rau. Galena grew up hearing the stories of old about a sword, when wielded by the right elf, ending Rau's tyranny. Unsure if she believes these stories, she finds herself plunged into a world unfamiliar to her, hunted by Rau for her unnatural magical abilities. Will she find the sword promised to her people? Or will she fall prey to the idea of a sword that doesn't exist?

The Penny PonyPiper Jones has always loved horses, but little did she know what would happen when she and a friend tried to help a neglected pony. They must find a safe haven for the pony and protect it from its cruel owner. But as the girls try to solve a mystery involving the suspicious owner, will they be forced into crime themselves in order to save their new-found pony friend?Nickel-BredPiper and Addie find the perfect horse, Nickel, but discover the owner is part of a gang of criminals. Nickel's life is in danger. Can the girls save him from the slaughterhouse? Turn on a DimePiper's friend, Miss Julie, rents rooms to Cassie and her stepson, Jeff. Cassie has been given the responsibility of checking on Cassie's pregnant mare. Piper doesn't like boys, but as she gets to know and accept Jeff, he is accused of theft, so Piper and her best friend defend him. What will happen when Cassie steals, then leaves the country as her mare goes into labor with no one but the girls and Jeff to help?

Something's Wrong in the Birthplace of Baseball... In life, he was one of the all-time greats, a trailblazing icon who played the game with unmatched passion and style. In death, his mystique only grew, the circumstances of his demise shrouded in controversy and myth. When he passed into legend it was believed his like would never be seen again. But now he's come back. And it's up to T.J., LouAnne and Bortnicker to solve the riddle of Roberto's Return

Phoenix, Elora Gannon is on the brink of her seventeenth birthday and life renewal with no solution in sight- she must kill to live. With her heart wrenching and no obvious alternative, she chooses to side with ancient Ruhk, Isaac for answers. But will siding with the enemy ultimately be her death as an impending war brews between the blood-born Ruhk and those of abhorrent creation? Driven by the desire to be normal and to change the lives of those she's wronged, Elora delves into a primitive side of herself she never knew existed, hell bent on taking those who would harm her loved ones down with her once and for all.

Sixteen year old Gus Woodard is about to live the best summer of his life. Then something goes terribly wrong. Ajar is a coming of age story about sixteen year old Gus Woodard and his schizophrenic brother. Set during the 1970s in a small town in upstate New York, Gus must suffer the undeserved consequences when his delusional brother kills the local sweetheart and the high school's popular football coach. Gus blunders his way through life as the town turns against his family. He is forced to experience betrayal from those closest to him. Gus's only hope is Lindy a fifteen year old girl suffering from anorexia nervosa. The two become inseparable but the love and acceptance Gus feels with Lindy is soon shattered.

Galena, finding herself restored to full health, heads out on the second part of her journey to recover the Sword of Lumina from a cave Mira designed to protect the famous blade. Heading toward the Western woods, she discovers how to use her magical powers now that she has no restraints. Galena has to re-learn how to fight and live on a daily basis, using magic that she has had very little access to before now. Together with Elenio and Tark, they meet new friends and visit new villages, until Tark decides to stay behind and train an army of elves for the upcoming war against Rau. Will Galena be able to face the fears she didn't know she had and retrieve the sword? Or will she die in the cave that was designed to be the greatest challenge for Mira's only hope?

If the going gets tough, wanta-be cowboys exit stage left, according to Sierra McElroy. Because her family owns the local riding stable, her old life was nothing but horses. Now, Sierra has a new car (new to her), a new puppy, a new school, a new coach, and a new basketball team. However, she's brought her same old patterns into this new life. She still doesn't have any patience for stupid people who are a waste of time, space and oxygen. In order to take over Shamrock Stable someday, does Sierra need to learn to tolerate these people who make her crazy?

When Emma Dean's parents buy a plain sorrel mare with slightly crooked knees at a prestigious horse sale, Emma isn't sure whether to be elated or disappointed. Cranky and irascible, the mare refuses to warm up to people or other horses. After she dumps Emma in the dirt on her first ride, Emma's dad loads the mare in a trailer and takes her to a trainer to protect his daughter from the bumps, bruises and broken bones that can result from riding a cantankerous 2 year-old. At first the mare seems like an outlaw, but beneath her plain red coat and independent attitude, the trainer slowly uncovers a surprising streak of hidden talent and an unexpected natural balance and athletic ability. When a well-known cutting horse trainer approaches Emma's parents about training the mare for the NCHA Futurity, the family must make a difficult decision. Should they stretch their already strained budget to pay for training and futurity nomination fees? Could such a hardheaded little mare become a champion cutting horse?