Books with title The Dagger: A Keeper Novel

The New York Times best-selling author of The Girl Who Chased the Moon welcomes you to her newest locale: Walls of Water, North Carolina, where the secrets are thicker than the fog from the town's famous waterfalls, and the stuff of superstition is just as real as you want it to be. It's the dubious distinction of 30-year-old Willa Jackson to hail from a fine old Southern family of means that met with financial ruin generations ago. The Blue Ridge Madam-built by Willa's great-great-grandfather during Walls of Water's heyday, and once the town's grandest home-has stood for years as a lonely monument to misfortune and scandal. And Willa herself has long strived to build a life beyond the brooding Jackson family shadow-no easy task in a town shaped by years of tradition and the well-marked boundaries of the haves and have-nots. But Willa has lately learned that an old classmate-socialite do-gooder Paxton Osgood-of the very prominent Osgood family has restored the Blue Ridge Madam to her former glory, with plans to open a top-flight inn. Maybe, at last, the troubled past can be laid to rest while something new and wonderful rises from its ashes. But what rises instead is a skeleton, found buried beneath the property's lone peach tree, and certain to drag up dire consequences along with it. For the bones-those of charismatic traveling salesman Tucker Devlin, who worked his dark charms on Walls of Water 75 years ago-are not all that lay hidden out of sight and mind. Long-kept secrets surrounding the troubling remains have also come to light, seemingly heralded by a spate of sudden strange occurrences throughout the town. Now, thrust together in an unlikely friendship, united by a full-blooded mystery, Willa and Paxton must confront the dangerous passions and tragic betrayals that once bound their families-and uncover truths of the long-dead that have transcended time and defied the grave to touch the hearts and souls of the living. Resonant with insight into the deep and lasting power of friendship, love, and tradition, The Peach Keeper is a portrait of the unshakable bonds that-in good times and bad, from one generation to the next-endure forever.

Samina had finally found her place in the world. She was the Keeper. A Warrior Princess. Her life was balanced with family, friends, and the occasional demon-slaying--all of her questions were answered. Until he appeared.William, a boyfriend from her past life as Adaya. He's cocky, conceited and bossy, and she can't keep her eyes off him.But William is the least of her problems. An old threat is back to challenge Samina and she will once again have to learn who to trust.Sometimes the past doesn't stay buried.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “[Sarah Addison Allen] juggles small-town history and mystical thriller, character development and eerie magical realism in a fine Southern gothic drama.”—Publishers WeeklyIt’s the dubious distinction of thirty-year-old Willa Jackson to hail from a fine old Southern family of means that met with financial ruin generations ago. The Blue Ridge Madam—built by Willa’s great-great-grandfather and once the finest home in Walls of Water, North Carolina—has stood for years as a monument to misfortune and scandal. Willa has lately learned that an old classmate—socialite Paxton Osgood—has restored the house to its former glory, with plans to turn it into a top-flight inn. But when a skeleton is found buried beneath the property’s lone peach tree, long-kept secrets come to light, accompanied by a spate of strange occurrences throughout the town. Thrust together in an unlikely friendship, united by a full-blooded mystery, Willa and Paxton must confront the passions and betrayals that once bound their families—and uncover the truths that have transcended time to touch the hearts of the living.Praise for The Peach Keeper“Secrets are ready to be uncovered. . . . Allen masterfully weaves a Southern world of believable characters and keeps readers flipping pages with this dreamy one-nighter.”—Southern Literary Review “In this delectable, read-in-one-sitting treasure, Allen once again demonstrates her astonishing ability to believably blur the lines between the magical and the mundane.”—Booklist “Peppered with Allen’s trademark Southern charm . . . a must-read for fans of Alice Hoffman.”—Library Journal “Immensely readable . . . pulses with sensual details.”—The Denver Post“Sarah Addison Allen writes the kind of books I love best: rich, magical, irresistible.”—New York Times bestselling author Susan Elizabeth Phillips

As far back as I can remember, I've been a bit different.When I was four, my parents plucked me from an orphanage that has no record of my biological family and no idea where I came from. They brought home a weak and shy little girl, and I soon blossomed into a chronically ill teenager by day and a screaming tormented dreamer by night. With few friends and fewer prospects, I'm hardly a social butterfly.However, this year is going to be better, or so I thought.My new history teacher thinks I'm a reincarnated warrior princess with a duty to retrieve an ancient scroll and decipher a prophecy before vampires, witches, lycans, and demons do.But, in order to go from zero to hero I must befriend a demon, trust and angel, and try not to look stupid in front of the hot new guy, that just so happens to be the first boy that has ever paid attention to me. Who said being sixteen was easy?

Keeper of the House is an unforgettable novel narrated by the lively Minyon Manigault, a young black woman from a coastal South Carolina Gullah community. In 1929, due to mysterious family circumstances, Minyon is given up by her grandmother to the employment of Ariadne Fleming, a white madam in the famously elegant brothel called Hazelhedge. At the age of fourteen, she becomes a pair of eyes and hands, watching and working almost invisibly in a world where men and women leave their inhibition, and their pasts, at the door. As Minyon grows up in the household with other black people who provide behind-the-scenes support of Hazelhedge, she cannot escape her haunting childhood memories. Even while bearing witness to the events unfolding around her, Minyon seeks to find her place in the world, and her pace within herself.

"This is a thriller of the rarest form—one that touches both the mind and the heart. A wonderful read."—Mary Logue, author of the Claire Watkins mysteries"A well-drawn love story, an ecological fable, and a suspenseful thriller… [a] fine and riveting novel."—Mary Francois Rockcastle, author of In Caddis Wood and Rainy LakeA zookeeper fights to save the animal she loves, even as her own life crumbles around her…Meg Yancy knows she may be overly attached to Jata, the Komodo dragon that has been in her care since it arrived at the zoo from Indonesia. Jata brings the exotic to Meg’s Minnesotan life: an ancient, predatory history and stories of escaping to freedom. A species that became endangered soon after being discovered, Komodos have a legacy of independence, something that Meg understands all too well. Meg has always been better able to relate to reptiles than to people, from her estranged father to her live-in boyfriend to the veterinarian who is more concerned with his career than with the animals’ lives.Then one day, Meg makes an amazing discovery. Jata has produced viable eggs—without ever having had a mate. Faced with this rare phenomenon, Meg must now defend Jata’s hatchlings from the scientific, religious, and media forces that converge on the zoo to claim the miracle as their own.Finally forced to deal with the very people she has avoided for so long, Meg discovers that opening herself up comes with its own complications. And as she fights to save the animal she loves from the consequences of its own miracle, she must learn to accept that in nature, as in life, not everything can be controlled.Mindy Mejia’s gripping debut novel highlights the perils of captivity and the astonishing ways in which animals evolve.For book group questions, a sample chapter, and more about Mindy and all things dragon, visit Mindy's website.

A zookeeper fights to save the animal she loves, even as her own life crumbles around her... Meg Yancy knows she may be overly attached to Jata, the Komodo dragon that has been in her care since it arrived at the zoo from Indonesia. Jata brings the exotic to Meg's Minnesotan life: an ancient, predatory history and stories of escaping to freedom. A species that became endangered soon after being discovered, Komodos have a legacy of independence, something that Meg understands all too well. Meg has always been better able to relate to reptiles than to people, from her estranged father to her live-in boyfriend to the veterinarian who is more concerned with his career than with the animals' lives. Then one day, Meg makes an amazing discovery. Jata has produced viable eggs-without ever having had a mate. Faced with this rare phenomenon, Meg must now defend Jata's hatchlings from the scientific, religious, and media forces that converge on the zoo to claim the miracle as their own. Finally forced to deal with the very people she has avoided for so long, Meg discovers that opening herself up comes with its own complications. And as she fights to save the animal she loves from the consequences of its own miracle, she must learn to accept that in nature, as in life, not everything can be controlled. Mindy Mejia's gripping debut novel highlights the perils of captivity and the astonishing ways in which animals evolve.

Keeper of the House is an unforgettable novel narrated by the lively Minyon Manigault, a young black woman from a coastal South Carolina Gullah community. In 1929, due to mysterious family circumstances, Minyon is given up by her grandmother to the employment of Ariadne Fleming, a white madam in the famously elegant brothel called Hazelhedge. At the age of fourteen, she becomes a pair of eyes and hands, watching and working almost invisibly in a world where men and women leave their inhibition, and their pasts, at the door. As Minyon grows up in the household with other black people who provide behind-the-scenes support of Hazelhedge, she cannot escape her haunting childhood memories. Even while bearing witness to the events unfolding around her, Minyon seeks to find her place in the world, and her pace within herself.

The Sword and the Dagger is an epic YA historical adventure by debut novelist Robert Cochran, the Emmy Award-winning executive producer and co-creator of the hit TV series 24.When empires clash,a Princess, a Knight, and an Assassinembark on the quest of a lifetimeDuring the time of the Crusades, an unlikely trio—a Christian princess, her affianced prince, and a Muslim assassin—embarks on a quest to the court of the most fearsome warrior the world has ever known, Genghis Khan. A rousing tale of adventure and romance about three young people who must grapple with fundamental issues of loyalty, friendship, faith, honor, and courage against the backdrop of conflicts that still resonate today.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Chased the Moon welcomes you to her newest locale: Walls of Water, North Carolina, where the secrets are thicker than the fog from the town’s famous waterfalls, and the stuff of superstition is just as real as you want it to be. It’s the dubious distinction of thirty-year-old Willa Jackson to hail from a fine old Southern family of means that met with financial ruin generations ago. The Blue Ridge Madam—built by Willa’s great-great-grandfather during Walls of Water’s heyday, and once the town’s grandest home—has stood for years as a lonely monument to misfortune and scandal. And Willa herself has long strived to build a life beyond the brooding Jackson family shadow. No easy task in a town shaped by years of tradition and the well-marked boundaries of the haves and have-nots. But Willa has lately learned that an old classmate—socialite do-gooder Paxton Osgood—of the very prominent Osgood family, has restored the Blue Ridge Madam to her former glory, with plans to open a top-flight inn. Maybe, at last, the troubled past can be laid to rest while something new and wonderful rises from its ashes. But what rises instead is a skeleton, found buried beneath the property’s lone peach tree, and certain to drag up dire consequences along with it. For the bones—those of charismatic traveling salesman Tucker Devlin, who worked his dark charms on Walls of Water seventy-five years ago—are not all that lay hidden out of sight and mind. Long-kept secrets surrounding the troubling remains have also come to light, seemingly heralded by a spate of sudden strange occurrences throughout the town. Now, thrust together in an unlikely friendship, united by a full-blooded mystery, Willa and Paxton must confront the dangerous passions and tragic betrayals that once bound their families—and uncover truths of the long-dead that have transcended time and defied the grave to touch the hearts and souls of the living. Resonant with insight into the deep and lasting power of friendship, love, and tradition, The Peach Keeper is a portrait of the unshakable bonds that—in good times and bad, from one generation to the next—endure forever.

Samina had finally found her place in the world. She was the Keeper. A Warrior Princess. Her life was balanced with family, friends, and the occasional demon-slaying--all of her questions were answered. Until he appeared. William, a boyfriend from her past life as Adaya. He's cocky, conceited and bossy, and she can't keep her eyes off him. But William is the least of her problems. An old threat is back to challenge Samina and she will once again have to learn who to trust. Sometimes the past doesn't stay buried.

The Sword and the Dagger is an epic YA historical adventure by debut novelist Robert Cochran, the Emmy Award-winning executive producer and co-creator of the hit TV series 24.When empires clash,a Princess, a Knight, and an Assassinembark on the quest of a lifetimeDuring the time of the Crusades, an unlikely trio―a Christian princess, her affianced prince, and a Muslim assassin―embarks on a quest to the court of the most fearsome warrior the world has ever known, Genghis Khan. A rousing tale of adventure and romance about three young people who must grapple with fundamental issues of loyalty, friendship, faith, honor, and courage against the backdrop of conflicts that still resonate today.