Patricia Bray – författare

Devlin of Duncaer is the Chosen One, champion of the Kingdom of Jorsk. A simple metalsmith and farmer turned warrior, he has become the most unlikely of heroes to the conquerors of his own people, the Caerfolk. Yet there is a growing faction of Jorskians who believe that if he were truly anointed as Chosen One by the Gods, then the immortals would have given him the Sword of Light as proof of his calling.Missing for generations, the sword is more myth than reality. But Devlin knows where to find it. Lost in battle after the Jorskians’ brutal massacre of Caerfolk, it has remained in Duncaer, a souvenir of one of the land’s darkest days.Feeling more than ever a pawn of fate—and a plaything of the Gods who drive him—Devlin must return to the land of his birth, back to the people who have denounced him. For he is bound by an oath he has no choice but to obey...a promise he may have to die to keep.From the Paperback edition.

The once mighty kingdom of Jorsk is in decline, its borders beset by enemies, both worldly and otherworldly. The king has retreated to the capital, abandoning the far-flung provinces. The only hope of the people lies in their Chosen One, blessed by the gods as defender of the realm. But of late every Chosen One has died, targeted by the harshest of the enemy attacks. Only the most desperate of men now seek that post. Devlin Stonehand is a desperate man. Overwhelmed by grief at the death of his family, he has lost the will to live. But he has vowed to provide for his brother’s widow and children, and the post of the Chosen One carries with it a substantial reward. For Devlin, a farmer and metalsmith, it is the answer to his prayers—prayers that include a yearning for the oblivion of death. After he has won the post, though, Devlin discovers that sometimes the hardest goal to achieve is that which had once seemed the simplest. For unlike the other Chosen Ones, he persists in surviving. Are the gods just tormenting him further, or does he have a greater destiny than he imagined? Can a man who courts death ever truly come to embrace life?From the Paperback edition.

Devlin of Duncaer has done the impossible. Desperate for death in the wake of his family''s slaughter, he agreed to become the Chosen One of the neighboring Kingdom of Jorsk—the kingdom which conquered and enslaved his own native land of Duncaer. The job involved magically binding himself to Jorsk and its needs by a powerfu Geas spell, and used to come with about a three months survival time—until Devlin. Miraculously surviving attack after attack, he comes to learn once again the value of life, honor and friendship.But just when he is reconciled to his new life, he finds he must go off seeking the Chosen One''s sword of legend—which he knows for a fact was lost in conquered Duncaer. So now Devlin—once exiled from his homeland and hoping never to go back—must again face the land of his birth and the people who once trusted him. Only now he comes to them wearing the garb of their conquerors.But when Devlin returns from that mission, it is only to discover that things in Jorsk have been getting worse in his absence. The unknown enemy''s magical attacks on the kingdom are getting worse, and the king''s policy of non-involvement is throwing his kingdom into chaos. As more and more borders are threatened, the nobles can do nothing but squabble and debate. It seems that Devlin is the only one who can stem the tide. But can he discover the enemy''s true identity and put a stop to his or her predations before the entire kindgom collapses, taking its Chosen One down with it??From the Paperback edition.

Sometimes the magic inside us isn''t meant to be discovered....Orphan, exile, priest, Josan has been posted to a lighthouse on the farthest edge of the kingdom. As a member of the collegium, he once dreamed of making a real contribution to the Learned Brethren, but those dreams died after a mysterious fever shattered him, body and mind. At least that’s the story he’s been told to explain a past he can’t remember. But that past has returned…with a vengeance.When Lady Ysobel Flordelis is shipwrecked on Josan’s island, this sets in motion an explosive destiny. The Seddonian trade liaison is traveling to Ikaria on official business, but her secret purpose is to revive the revolution brutally crushed years before. Neither Ysobel nor Josan can foresee the significance of their brief meeting. But as Ysobel navigates the elaborate court intrigues in Ikaria, Josan will be forced to leave his island exile and embark on a treacherous journey to unlock the secrets that bind his past–an act that could lead him to glory...or doom.From the Paperback edition.

Between a mysterious past and a treacherous future lies one lost man–and a magic that has changed the world forever….After years of exile, shattered dreams, and confusion, Josan has finally discovered he is not the simple monk he appeared to be. Nor is he the victim of a mysterious fever, as he was led to believe. Instead his soul had been magically shifted into the body of the condemned Prince Lucius, leader of a failed rebellion against the rightful monarchs of the kingdom of Ikaria. And though Josan is the dominant personality in that body, the remnants of Lucius’s mind grow stronger each day.When the Ikarian royal family is slaughtered in a bloody assassination, Josan/Lucius is not only the prime suspect but the sole remaining legitimate heir to the throne. With Ikaria in chaos, can Josan clear himself from suspicion in time to keep the wolves from the door? And can he ever integrate the two souls that now inhabit a single body?From the Paperback edition.

In one man, two souls fight for survival—and for mastery of an outlaw magic that could save a kingdom.It was a fate Josan once considered preferable to death. Cast by dark sorcery into the body of Emperor Lucius of Ikaria, the scholar-monk struggled to make peace with a mind that regarded him as a hostile intruder. But now, as simmering rivalries threaten to plunge the kingdom into a bloody civil war, Josan is faced with the most difficult choice of all. For the uneasy truce between him and Lucius is unraveling in a form of madness that is destroying the body they share. There’s only one hope for a cure. Disguised, stowing away as a common traveler, Josan/Lucius will make the hazardous journey to Xandropol. There in the great library of the Learned Brethren, Josan hopes to find the forbidden magic that will counter the spell that yokes him and Lucius. But an old antagonist is already on their trail: the Lady Ysobel follows them to what she realizes is the scene of her and Josan’s fateful first meeting. But not even she divines the reason for this final pilgrimage: that Josan has returned to sacrifice his life.From the Paperback edition.

Her identity is false, but her love for the earl is all too real—and so is the danger that engulfs them both . . .   Gypsy fortune-teller Mademoiselle Magda has taken London by storm with her uncanny predictions—and only Lord Kerrigan suspects that she is not what she claims to be. And he is right, for poverty has led seamstress Magda Beaumont, the child of a French physician and a Russian gypsy princess, to pass herself off as a tarot reader to the ton. But lacking her mother’s powers, Magda drew the wrong card and made an enemy of the earl, who causes her pulse to race whenever he’s near. He sets out to expose her, only to find himself captivated by the beautiful young woman.   But when Magda’s predictions threaten to expose a villainous plot, she finds herself in mortal danger. Now Magda and Lord Kerrigan must join forces to solve a decade-old murder, and Magda fervently wishes she could indeed predict the future—to see if her deception will cost her a love that promises bliss . . .  

With this Regency romance, the author of Devlin’s Luck again “keeps readers in eager anticipation as she skillfully unwinds her cleverly conceived plot” (RT Book Reviews).   Marcus Heywood, the new Duke of Torringford, must take a wife in three weeks or lose the country estate he’s unexpectedly inherited. His brother, Reginald, suggests placing an advertisement for a bride in the papers, which Marcus considers ridiculous—until a wine-fueled evening inspires him to write an ad in jest. Now, the notice has been printed, and Marcus is mortified.   At all of twenty-one years, Penelope’s spinsterhood seems confirmed; she’ll never find a man she can marry. But her half-brother thinks otherwise. Without her knowledge, he answers the Duke of Torringford’s advertisement on her behalf. When an announcement of her upcoming wedding to the Duke appears in the papers, Penelope knows she must take her place as his wife, or her honor will be ruined.   But it will be a marriage in name only, of that she’s sure—until the handsome looks and warm smile of her new husband make her heart race in a most unsettling way . . .

The award-winning author of Devlin’s Luck once again “keeps readers in eager anticipation” with a ribald Regency romance about the search for true love (RT Book Reviews).   Rich and beautiful, Lady Felicity Winterbourne has traveled the world in search of a place she can call home. And while there are many gentlemen eager to oblige her every wish, she knows that their ardor has more to do with her lavish dowry than true affection.   When she meets the roguish Gerald FitzDesmond, Earl of Kilgarvan, tales of his ramshackle Irish estate seize her imagination. Abandoning decorum, Felicity proposes a marriage of convenience, with the proviso—lest Gerald prove to be yet another fortune-hunter—that she holds the purse strings.   His dark looks and undeniable charm, however, soon complicate Felicity’s practical arrangement with the dizziest of desires. Meanwhile, the hard-headed Gerald finds himself becoming enchanted with his insubordinate new bride. But will either of these strong-willed souls be able to yield enough to hold on to their unlikely love?

A viscount is enraptured—but gossips might get in the way of romance—in this Regency tale by an author acclaimed for “absorbing storytelling” (Booklist).   Despite having proposed to more than a dozen women, Viscount Frederick remains one of London’s most eligible bachelors. The debutantes simply don’t find him dashing enough for their tastes. His pride stinging from his latest rejection, Freddie leaves London for his country estate.   After six years abroad, Anne Webster has returned to New Biddeford with a child at her side—a child whose unruly red hair and mischievous green eyes leave society gossips quite sure of the identity of his mother. Though five-year-old Ian is really Anne’s nephew, nothing could quiet the scandal or erase the stigma once the ton started talking. Anne’s childhood companion, Viscount Frederick, was the only person to offer friendship—and then, a rapturous love. But how could Anne allow Freddie to destroy his life by marrying a woman with a tarnished reputation such as hers?  

A tale of a rake, an impoverished country girl, and a miraculous makeover—by an author praised for her “richly realized characters” (RT Book Reviews).   Caring for eight siblings and burdened by a bankrupt estate, Jane Sedgwick happily accepts her aunt’s invitation to the festive London season. This could be her chance to find a wealthy husband and get the entire family out of debt . . .   But the upper crust of London bristles at Jane’s blunt country ways—with one exception: Lord Glendale. The handsome lord, not in the market for a wife, finds himself amused by Jane’s frank manner and he wagers that—within the month—even provincial Jane can be brought into fashion.   His plan succeeds only too well, as Jane blossoms into the most popular young lady of the season. Now will Lord Glendale relinquish Jane to her newfound admirers? Or will he take the biggest gamble of all—and risk his heart in a challenging game of love?

It’s frustrating when a gadget stops working. But what if the gadget is working fine, it’s just “temporally” out of order? What would you do if you discovered your cell phone linked you to a different time? Or that your camera took pictures of the past?In this collection, seventeen leading science fiction authors share their take on what happens when gadgets run temporally amok. From past to future, humor to horror, there’s something for everyone.Join Seanan McGuire, Elektra Hammond, David B. Coe, Chuck Rothman, Faith Hunter, Edmund R. Schubert, Steve Ruskin, Sofie Bird, Laura Resnick, Amy Griswold, Laura Anne Gilman, Susan Jett, Gini Koch, Christopher Barili, Stephen Leigh, Juliet E. McKenna, and Jeremy Sim as they investigate how ordinary objects behaving temporally out of order can change our everyday lives.