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Voted the favorite stories of readers around the world! Frontier Tales is an online ezine dedicated to bringing new Western short stories into view. Each month, readers vote on their favorite Tale for that month. At the end of the year, there are 12 stories they have selected as the best. The editor then picks one more to make a total of thirteen, a baker's dozen. These are the winners from the fourth year of the ezine's production. Enjoy!

Defined by borders both physical and conceptual, the Roman city stood apart as a concentration of life and activity that was legally, economically, and ritually divided from its rural surroundings. Death was a key area of control, and tombs were relegated outside city walls from the Republican period through Late Antiquity. Given this separation, an unexpected phenomenon marked the Augustan and early Imperial periods: Roman cities developed suburbs, built-up areas beyond their boundaries, where the living and the dead came together in densely urban environments.

Secrets are a dragon’s best friend. Deception is a close second. Both provide a sturdy armor, allowing half-dragon shape-shifter Dahlia Nite to live undetected among the humans. Walking in two worlds, belonging in neither, she wraps herself in a shroud of lies to hide in plain sight. But nothing stays hidden forever. When dismembered bodies of multiple species are dumped on the riverbank, the case falls to Dahlia and Detective Alex Creed. Backed by Sentinel City’s new task force, the pair finds themselves urged along by clues that seem too good to be true.

Scotland 1862. A murder, a terrifying creature, and a battle for his affections were not what Midnight Gunn expected when he journeyed to Scotland for the summer. Bodies are mysteriously disappearing from the city morgue, Midnight’s growing household is in turmoil, and someone or something lurks in the shadows, watching.

An instalove romance ignites when a city slicker executive is rescued by a rugged mountain man, stranding them in his remote cabin and awakening their wildest desires. Emma I'm a high-powered executive with the perfect life—or so I thought. Stressed to the breaking point, I escape to the mountains for a reluctant hiking trip. But when I injure myself on the treacherous trail, my world shatters. That's when Caleb appears—a rugged mountain man with rough hands and piercing eyes. He rescues me, taking me to his remote cabin to recover. Now I'm stranded with this gruff, irresistible ...

Late one night, investigative journalist Jack Logan receives a surprise visit from US Senator Malcolm Phillips at his New York apartment. Disheveled and in a panic, the senator swears that he’s about to be murdered and pleads with Jack to protect his wife Taylor, who happens to be the only woman Jack has ever truly loved.

Tallie Brown’s life has never made sense. Raised in isolation by her mother, Julia, Tallie was dragged suddenly and without explanation from one third-world outpost to another, until life normalized seven years ago when Julia took a position on a mountaintop in the Pacific northwest. But when Julia unexpectedly dies, Tallie uncovers clues suggesting that Julia had a secret life.

She’s forbidden. Too young, too pure, and not mine. I’ll break all the rules to be with her. She belongs to me, even if she doesn't know it yet. He’s taboo. Too old, too experienced, and my stepfather. I’ll cross every line to be with him. He's not mine and never will be. It’s not about the danger of what's forbidden, it’s about the pleasure we get from it. All consequences be damned.

She had been in heaven for sixteen years and expected to remain there for the rest of eternity. When she fell, returned to Earth as an earthbound angel, a chance at living like a human being again, she couldn't believe how much she embraced the life. Now, December in New York City, Christmas in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, she had a mission that will determine the fate of the world someday.

For Julia, the stakes have never been higher. An idyllic vacation to the Florida Keys turns into a high-seas adventure of a lost will, murder, and perhaps even kidnapping. During Christmas break, Julia and her daughter, Becky, head down to the Florida Keys for a month of birdwatching, snorkeling, boating, and fun with Julia’s two friends and fellow RV nomads Dottie and Penelope. The day after Julia and Becky arrive, a rival birding club, the dreaded Tampa Tanagers, show up. They’ve come for the prestigious annual Florida Keys birding competition, which the Tanagers have won for several ...

In this book, Ruth C. Forde, Nina L. Hayden, and Mary J. Ottmann-Bass open their hearts to share their most intimate prayers, which will move and inspire you. As you listen to this book, they encourage you to engage with the heavenly beings in the Kingdom Realms to discover the blueprint and destiny scroll Yahweh has for your life.

Wandering a shattered, dying Earth, Roam despises the loneliness. Alien vessels he must avoid circle overhead. When he collides with a Tonan deep in the heart of a jungle, Roam engages in a brutal battle. To his surprise, a human female comes to the Tonan's aid. The Tonan, Taz, has six females under his protection, including his mate and child. Jinx hates Castians and Tonans alike. The handsome man Taz brings home is breathtaking. He's also the only male besides Taz she has seen in four years.

If anyone can tell the difference between monsters and humans, it's Dahlia Nite. For nearly a century, she's hunted one to protect the other. Safeguarding humanity from the creatures that slip through the torn veil between the worlds. Creatures like her. But the lines are blurring. As people begin mutating and combusting on the streets, Dahlia realizes a strange affliction has descended upon Sentinel City. The mysterious ailment strikes all walks of life, from the posh high-end nightclub district to the homeless community.

One year has passed since Zoë Delante's last big case, and everyone's favorite Wiccan has managed to carve a normal-ish life for herself and her boyfriends, Jacob and Daniel. Then she gets the call that someone has discarded dead babies like empty soda cans off I-295 in the Baltimore/D.C. area, leaving strange scales all over the crime scenes. Another serial killer? Zoë dives into the case when her one-year-old niece comes up missing, and she discovers that the guy running the Church of Holy Light knows magick, and lies about it....

St. Mary's Marsh Campground, where the fun never stops... Except for that time in 1979, where the bullied young boy came back for revenge. Or when they tried to reopen the camp six years ago, and the murderer had returned. Oh, or the time after that, when the hikers went missing. Or the hunters that were mauled by what the authorities said was a bear. A bear that used a bladed weapon...For Ellie Cartwright and her friends, it's just a campfire story. But if the story turns out to be true...has a lifetime of watching horror been enough?

High Praise for the Julia Lives in a Van Cozy Mystery Series! Loved These Books There are many cozy mysteries available, but many just aren’t captivating and I quickly lose interest. These books, however were very good and I can’t wait until the next one is available! Cabinfever: Verified Purchaser Great read I am really enjoying this series with its quirky characters and totally different settings. I’ve never read about people who were nomads in retirement. Interesting! Verified Purchaser Wonderful Can’t wait to read more Julia and the gangs adventures! More Please. CJ Curley: ...

Leonie Simoneaud was once one of the elusive Lake People - Acadian descendants in Louisiana with odd psychic powers. As a 13-year-old, she rescued an outsider child, Douglas Trent, from a maniacal pedophile named Monroe Whitechapel. Consequently, she was shunned by most of the Lake People for exposing them to the external world. As an adult, she lives elsewhere, an owner of an antique store in a quaint Texas town: Buffalo Creek.

When a running back falls for his teammate’s little sister, can he prove to them both that he’s in it for the long run? Chloe I’m ready for a new start in life. Moving to Oakwood City and opening my own gallery seems like just what I need. What I don’t need is to fall for my brother’s best friend. Dane Rios is sexy, athletic, and has a reputation of being a player. He says he’s ready for the real thing, but can I trust him with my heart? Join the 'Curvy Catch' series for heart-racing tales where gridiron glory meets curvy romance, scoring touchdowns in love and life.

Murder was never something Zoe Delante enjoyed, but solving the cases - she does that rather well, and has the track record to prove it. Yet when she's called in on a new case with the Baltimore PD as their go-to clairvoyant, she's unprepared for the heinous nature of the crimes.

Six months after the devastating end of her last case as police clairvoyant, Zoë Delante sifts through the remains of her life, and gets an unexpected call. But the naga Seth Northman brings only ill-tidings: He has been apprehended in the murder of her father and needs her help.