Myrrens Gift

A gift of life, or a curse beyond death? Bestselling author Fiona McIntosh's most popular fantasy title -- discover the world of the Quickening. Life for Myrren should be good - she's a beautiful young woman with bewitching eyes; one grey, the other green. But those entrancing colours are likely to be her downfall, for many believe only a witch could have mismatched eyes. Wyl Thirsk possesses the good habits and wise judgment that have helped the Thirsk family remain leaders for generations. These virtues will serve him well as he finds himself companion to the king's wayward son and though the prince is arrogant and cruel, Wyl is duty-bound to protect him. When Myrren crosses paths with Wyl, she is grateful for his compassion and decides to give him an extraordinary gift. It is both powerful and astonishing - but also devastating. Bestselling author Fiona McIntosh weaves a gripping story of action and intrigue in this magnificent opening to the much-loved Quickening series. 'Fiona McIntosh is a seductress. I have not moved from the sofa for three days, beguiled by Myrren's Gift' Sydney Morning Herald 'Fantasy fans will welcome Australian author McIntosh's gripping first installment in her Quickening trilogy, a tale of the eternal struggle between good and evil filled with magic, blood and jealousy ... delightful and fast-moving story' Publishers Weekly 'Excellent' Bookseller & Publisher

When Wyl Thirsk, General of the Morgravian Legion, is forced to watch the torture of Myrren, a young woman accused of witchcraft, it seems little enough comfort to speed her passing. But Myrren is grateful for even this small mercy and promises Wyl a gift. He thanks her but dismisses the notion - what could this poor, doomed girl have to give him? It is only years later that Wyl, shorn of his friends and allies, betrayed by his king, and forced to make an impossible choice, remembers the dying words of the young woman about to burn for the crime of witchcraft. As his enemy's sword draws closer, Wyl finally understands the meaning of Myrren's dying words, and he wonders: had he known what that one act of kindness would bring, would he have behaved otherwise? Gripping the reader from the very first page, Myrren's Gift marks Fiona McIntosh as one of fantasy fiction's most gifted storytellers.

The gripping second novel in the Quickening trilogy, following the bestselling MYRREN'S GIFT. 'The fast pace, deft touches of humour and the characterisation are as strong as ever' - Robin Hobb Wyl Thirsk has seen his best friend murdered and his sister imprisoned by King Celimus of Morgravia. Now the king has turned his attention to the neighbouring realm of Briavel - and the woman Wyl loves. Wyl is desperate to return to Valentyna and prevent her marriage to Celimus, but fate has other plans. Trapped by a magical enchantment, Wyl must first track down the elusive Manwitch - the only person who can help him break the Quickening.

Once a captive of merciless desert slave traders, Lazar fought his way to freedom—and to an exalted role as Spur of Percheron, guardian of his adopted city, and confidant and protector of the Zar, Joreb. But now the Zar is dead and his fifteen-year-old heir, Boaz, must assume the mantle of leadership—guided by trusted advisor Lazar, the "mad" dwarf jester Pez . . . and Boaz's cruel, ambitious mother, who truly holds the reins of power. In the midst of roiling court intrigue, a young girl arrives to fill a space in Boaz's harem—and inflames unexpectedly strong feelings in both Boaz and Lazar. But the odalisque, Ana, will not be satisfied by the closeted, stifling world of the harem. And, unbeknownst to all, the gods themselves are rising up in cyclical battle—as the struggle begins within and beyond the palace walls for the imperiled soul of Percheron.

Wyl Thirsk, former general of the Morgravian army and bearer of the curse known as Myrren's gift, is running out of time. Marriage between his beloved Queen Valentyna and his sworn enemy, the despotic King Celimus, is imminent; yet, despite the impending nuptials, war looms between the two nations, while the threat from the Mountain Kingdom grows stronger. Trapped in a body not his own, with his friends and supporters scattered throughout the realm, Wyl is as desperate to prevent the wedding as he is to end Myrren's "gift" -- a magic that will cease only when he assumes the throne of Morgravia. Clinging to an ominous suggestion from his young friend Fynch, an increasingly powerful mage, Wyl must walk his most dangerous path yet -- straight into the brutal clutches of Celimus in a desperate attempt to save his nation, his love, and himself.

Her sanctuary turns into a nightmare after sunset. On the run from her abusive mother, inexperienced Liv was very lucky to find honest employment as a scullery maid in the household of Dr. Findlay Lennox. Unfortunately, her luck runs out at nightfall, when the ghosts that only Liv can see steal away any hope of sleep, leaving her clumsy with exhaustion. Her employer offers her the most personal of services. Dr. Lennox is well versed in a very special treatment for female complaints. His experiments on prostitutes have given him intimate knowledge of the female anatomy, allowing him to manipulate it as an effective treatment for hysteria, melancholy, and as he assures Liv, sleeplessness. Liv reluctantly agrees to be his patient, but cannot pretend that the touch of his hand hasn't sparked something more than medicinal. It isn't long before she is seeking his expert attention more often - but how long can either of them pretend it isn't more? A growing threat far greater than forbidden love As Dr. Lennox's patients begin to go missing, his colleague, Dr. Knox, draws crowds in the hundreds to his dissection classes. Soon the ghostly crowd in the Lennox household expands to include the prostitutes that had served as Dr. Lennox's volunteer subjects. Liv begins to suspect that these missing women have met an ill fate, but can she convince Dr. Lennox in time to stop the darkness spreading through Edinburgh's streets, or will she be the next one to find herself on Dr. Knox's slab?

MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR DCI Jack Hawksworth is back, working on a high-profile case breaking in London. A calculating serial killer is on the loose, committing the most gruesome of murders as he ‘trophies’ the faces of his victims. With each new atrocity, the public and police force are getting more desperate for results. Hawk pulls together a strong and experienced taskforce, who soon find themselves caught up in a murky world of illegal immigrants and human organ trading. As he struggles to find any sort of link between the victims, Jack identifies something unique about the most recent corpse, and things suddenly get very personal. From the seedy underbelly of London’s back streets and New Scotland Yard to the dangerous frontiers of modern medicine, this is a gripping crime thriller from a powerhouse Australian author. "A master of her craft." Better Reading ______________________________ Discover more thrilling cases with DCI Jack Hawksworth in this unmissable series: Bye Bye Baby Beautiful Death Mirror Man Dead Tide

While enemy ships threaten Percheron's harbor, heroic Lazar lies afflicted with the drezden illness and cannot rise. And Zaradine Ana has been taken prisoner by the mysterious Arafanz and his warriors, and is believed to be with child—carrying the heir to the throne, the unborn son of Zar Boaz. Torn by an inner conflict raging between heart and head, Zar Boaz can think only of Ana, even as his land sits poised on the brink of devastating war. Launching a daring, desperate plan, he calls for his country's strongest to make one more foray into the desert . . . even as the Goddess reaches the crest of her ascent, throwing mortal and divine alike into chaotic battle for the soul of Percheron.

From out of the East they came riding like a merciless plague—destroying kingdom after kingdom and the sovereigns who had previously mocked the warlord Loethar and his barbarian horde. Now only one land remains unconquered—the largest, richest, and most powerful realm of the Denova Set . . . Penraven. The Valisar royals of Penraven face certain death, for the savage tyrant Loethar covets what they alone possess: the fabled Valisar Enchantment, an irresistible power to coerce, which will belong to Loethar once every Valisar has been slain. But the last hope of the besieged kingdom is being sent in secret from his doomed home, in the company of a single warrior. The future of Penraven now rests on the shoulders of the young Crown Prince Leonel who, though untried and untested in the ways of war, must survive brutality and treachery in order to claim the Valisar throne.

MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR Police are baffled by several deaths, each unique and bizarre in their own way – and shockingly brutal. Scotland Yard sends in its crack DCI, the enigmatic Jack Hawksworth, who wastes no time in setting up Operation Mirror. His chief wants him to dismiss any plausibility of a serial killer before the media gets on the trail. With his best investigative team around him, Jack resorts to some unconventional methods to disprove or find a link between the gruesome deaths. One involves a notorious serial killer from his past, and the other, a smart and seductive young journalist who’ll do anything to catch her big break. Discovering he’s following the footsteps of a vigilante and in a race against time, Jack will do everything it takes to stop another killing – but at what personal cost for those he holds nearest and dearest? By the bestselling author of Bye Bye Baby and Beautiful Death comes this heart-stopping new thriller that questions whether one life is worth more than another. 'Mirror Man is a gritty, action-packed and heart-stopping thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end....a seriously addictive page-turner, and yet another standout read from the very talented Fiona McIntosh.' Better Reading ______________________________ Complete your Fiona McIntosh collection today! Bye Bye Baby: DCI Jack Hawksworth 1 Beautiful Death: DCI Jack Hawksworth 2 Mirror Man: DCI Jack Hawksworth 3 Dead Tide: DCI Jack Hawksworth 4 The Sugar Palace (preorder now!) Fields of Gold Nightingale The Champagne War The Chocolate Tin The Diamond Hunter The French Promise The Last Dance The Lavender Keeper The Orphans The Pearl Thief The Perfumer's Secret The Spy’s Wife The Tailor's Girl The Tea Gardens