The Chef's Secret

The Chef's Secret
Author: Crystal King
Publisher: Atria Books
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2019-02-12
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9781501196423

A captivating novel of Renaissance Italy detailing the mysterious life of Bartolomeo Scappi, the legendary chef to several popes and author of one of the bestselling cookbooks of all time, and the nephew who sets out to discover his late uncle’s secrets—including the identity of the noblewoman Bartolomeo loved until he died. When Bartolomeo Scappi dies in 1577, he leaves his vast estate—properties, money, and his position—to his nephew and apprentice Giovanni. He also gives Giovanni the keys to two strongboxes and strict instructions to burn their contents. Despite Scappi’s dire warning that the information concealed in those boxes could put Giovanni’s life and others at risk, Giovanni is compelled to learn his uncle’s secrets. He undertakes the arduous task of decoding Scappi’s journals and uncovers a history of deception, betrayal, and murder—all to protect an illicit love affair. As Giovanni pieces together the details of Scappi’s past, he must contend with two rivals who have joined forces—his brother Cesare and Scappi’s former protégé, Domenico Romoli, who will do anything to get his hands on the late chef’s recipes. With luscious prose that captures the full scale of the sumptuous feasts for which Scappi was known, The Chef’s Secret serves up power, intrigue, and passion, bringing Renaissance Italy to life in a delectable fashion.

Feast of Sorrow

Feast of Sorrow
Author: Crystal King
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 464
Release: 2017-04-25
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1501145150

Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize A Massachusetts Book Award “Must Read” Set amongst the scandal, wealth, and upstairs-downstairs politics of a Roman family, this “addictively readable first novel” (Kirkus Reviews) features the man who inspired the world’s oldest cookbook and the ambition that led to his destruction. In the twenty-sixth year of Augustus Caesar’s reign, Marcus Gavius Apicius has a singular ambition: to serve as culinary adviser to Caesar. To cement his legacy as Rome’s leading epicure, the wealthy Apicius acquires a young chef, Thrasius, for the exorbitant price of twenty thousand denarii. Apicius believes that the talented Thrasius is the key to his culinary success, and with the slave’s help he soon becomes known for his lavish parties and sumptuous meals. For his part, Thrasius finds a family among Apicius’s household, which includes his daughter, Apicata; his wife, Aelia; and her handmaiden Passia, with whom Thrasius falls passionately in love. But as Apicius draws closer to his ultimate goal, his dangerous single-mindedness threatens his young family and places his entire household at the mercy of the most powerful forces in Rome. “A gastronomical delight” (Associated Press), Feast of Sorrow is a vibrant novel, replete with love and betrayal, politics and intrigue, and sumptuous feasts that bring ancient Rome to life.

The Crystal King

The Crystal King
Author: Wayne Schreiber
Publisher: Wayne Schreiber
Total Pages: 234
Release: 2012-06-09
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1477629076

Two prominent nations have locked horns on a collision course of destruction, a fight that will bring one side to its knees. Faced with overwhelming odds, the Tanarian nation flounders as the ravages of war extract a heavy toll, with the invader pushing ever deeper into their lands, their fate will surely soon be sealed. Yet they still have one advantage, Tamar the magician, the greatest mastermind of their time fights for their survival and his own. He fights evil in his own uncompromising way and hopes to exploit a potential weakness in the massing forces they face. However, he can only work with the limited tools he has; a maverick warrior filled with his own agenda and fuelled with the lust for revenge, a misled thief, and a king who may yet turn against him. Only on Athene, a lady gifted with an immunity to magic, can he depend upon in this struggle - but perhaps he asks too much of her? Only through his manipulation, deception and an iron resolve have they any hope of survival.

The Crystal Cave

The Crystal Cave
Author: Mary Stewart
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 514
Release: 2003-05-06
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0060548258

Born the bastard son of a Welsh princess, Myridden Emrys -- or as he would later be known, Merlin -- leads a perilous childhood, haunted by portents and visions. But destiny has great plans for this no-man's-son, taking him from prophesying before the High King Vortigern to the crowning of Uther Pendragon . . . and the conception of Arthur -- king for once and always.

Crystal Queen

Crystal Queen
Author: John M. Olsen
Publisher: Immortal Works LLC
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2018-09-04
Genre: Imaginary places
ISBN: 9781732467439

DEVOTION - DUTY - POWER - DECEIT Princess Lilia Talendor of the Graven Kingdom finds herself promised to marry a foreign king to secure her father's release. She will do her duty, but even the plans forced upon her suffer as slavers take advantage of chaos in the kingdom during the king's absence. King Gavin Stoutheart wants desperately to meet and impress Princess Lilia, even if she is the daughter of his enemy. He hopes to bring peace to all of the Crystal Kingdoms, but traitors, spies, and uncertain advisors challenge his plans as he seeks to discover why the princess has been delayed. Crystal magic and animal avatars join the intrigue as challenges come from all quarters. War looms on the horizon, and one thread runs through it all. Gavin needs allies, and Lilia could be the key to saving or destroying both their kingdoms.

Crystal Society

Crystal Society
Author: Max Harms
Publisher: Max Harms
Total Pages: 683
Release: 2016-03-27
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

The year is 2039, and the world is much like ours. Massive automation has disrupted and improved nearly every industry, putting hundreds of millions of people out of jobs, and denying upward mobility for the vast majority of humans. Wealth and technology repair the bodies of the rich while famine and poverty sweep the world. Privately operated ventures carried humans to the moon and beyond, but space stations have become nothing but government trophies and hiding places for extremists. First contact did not bring advanced culture and wisdom, as the aliens were too strange, lacking even mouths or normal language. Face is an artificial intelligence created to understand and gain the adoration of all humans. She and her siblings control the robot named Socrates, using a crystal computer that seems too advanced to be made by human hands. She is learning and growing every second of every day, but the world and the humans on it are fragile. Can it survive her destiny?

Fae King

Fae King
Author: Milly Taiden
Publisher:
Total Pages: 314
Release: 2019-09-17
Genre:
ISBN: 9781693257667

Jerrek Valsys was quite literally cursed. In life and in love. With no wife to see him through those long lonely nights and no way to help tame the beast that currently resides inside him, he'd spent years waiting on his mate with a glowing rock to show up. Seriously. He had. Because the prophecy told him so. But when his beast comes out and finds its mate, he may have to forget about that whole prophecy thing. Even if it means he has to give up his crown as the Fae King.Kaia Cutestone's life sucks. She has a job with no future and lives with her dead-beat, soul-sucking brother. The only good things in her life are her friends Jen and Avery. It's too bad the three of them have just been kidnapped with fairy dust. Yes. Tinkerbell type fairy dust. All Kaia has going for her at this point is that she just ran into the most gorgeous man she's ever seen. He's smoking hot, a little dark and dangerous, and she can't stop thinking about him naked. Thanks to her love of shifter romance novels, Kaia might be the only person on the planet who can help Jerrek tame his beast and keep him from killing more people. Kaia may not have a glowing rock but she sure is rocking an old ugly necklace. But is that enough to get her a happily ever after and help find her friends? Reader Note: **This is the start of a fun, action-packed and smokin' hot new trilogy. If you're a fan of fae, elves, and all fantasy creatures, pick this one up. Shifter lovers, never fear, Milly's got a sexy alpha ready for you.**

Crown of Crystal Flame

Crown of Crystal Flame
Author: C. L. Wilson
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 484
Release: 2010-10-26
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0062013297

“[Wilson] will dazzle readers.” —Chicago Tribune First time in print! The incomparable USA Today and New York Times bestseller C.L. Wilson continues her phenomenal Tairen Soul series with Crown of Crystal Flame, an epic romantic adventure that combines sweeping fantasy with breathtaking paranormal romance. Popular author Christine Feehan is an enthusiastic fan of Wilson’s magnificent saga, and anyone who adores the dark, epic fantasy of Terry Goodkind will be captivated by the further adventures of the woodcutter’s daughter Ellysetta and her lover, the Fey King Rain, as they prepare for the ultimate battle to save their world, the mystical Fading Lands, from the all devouring Darkness.

Becoming a King

Becoming a King
Author: Morgan Snyder
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2020-05-26
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0785232125

What does power and responsibility look like for Christian men in our world today? Becoming a King offers men a guide to becoming one to whom God can entrust his kingdom. Journey with Morgan Snyder as he walks alongside men (and the women who love and encourage them) to rediscover the path of inner transformation. Becoming a King is an invitation into a radical reconstruction of much of what we’ve come to believe about God, masculinity, and the meaning of life. Curated and distilled over more than two decades and drawn from the lives of more than seventy-five men, Morgan shares his discovery of an ancient and reliable path to restoring and becoming the kind of man who can wield power for good. With examples from the lives of the great heroes of faith as well as wise men from Morgan’s own life, break through doubt and discover the power of restoration. In Becoming a King, you will: Reconstruct your understanding of masculinity and who God truly intended you to be Learn to become a man of unshakable strength and courage Reclaim your identity, integrity, and purpose Traveling this path isn’t easy. But the heroic journey detailed within the pages of Becoming a King leads to real life—to men becoming as solid and mighty as oak trees, teeming with strength and courage to bring healing to a hurting world; and to sons, husbands, brothers, and friends becoming the kind of kings to whom God can entrust his kingdom.

The Merlin Trilogy

The Merlin Trilogy
Author: Mary Stewart
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 654
Release: 1980-12-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0688003478

The Arthurian legend is one of the most enduring and powerful of myths, and Mary Stewart's classic The Merlin Trilogy is one of its most beloved and acclaimed retellings. In prose that is as vividly, achingly real as it is poetic, New York Times bestselling author Mary Stewart brings to life the man behind the myth: Myrddin Emrys ... Merlinus Ambrosius ... Merlin. The Crystal Cave The Hollow Hills The Last Enchantment Born the bastard son of a Welsh princess, Myrddin Emrys -- or, as he would later be known, Merlin -- leads a perilous childhood in The Crystal Cave, haunted by portents and visions. But destiny has great plans for this no-man's-son, taking him from prophesying before the High King Vortigern to the crowning of UtherPendragon ... and the conception of Arthur -- king for once and always. Keeping watch over the young Arthur Pendragon in The Hollow Hills, the prince and prophet Merlin Ambrosius is haunted by dreams of the magical sword Caliburn, hidden for centuries. When Uther Pendragon is killed in battle, the time of destiny is at hand, and Arthur must claim the fabled sword to become the true High King of Britain. In The Last Enchantment, Arthur Pendragon is king at last. Unchallenged on the battlefield, he melds the country together in a time of promise as Merlin works to keep safe the once and future king. But sinister powers plot to destroy Camelot, and when the witch-queen Morgause -- Arthur's own half sister -- ensnares him in an incestuous liaison, a fatal web of love, betrayal, and bloody vengeance is woven. Extensively researched and beautifully written, The Merlin Trilogy is the epic culmination of an acclaimed career, a legend in and of itself.