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The eleven stories in this Gaskell collection illustrate the author’s mastery in capturing the innate drama that is present even in the most mundane situations.

Jane "CK" Monterrey is visited by a Catholic priest, seeking her help in his sibling’s murder. Reluctant at first, she feels pity for the priest who believes it is a catholic cover up. The next day, the priest is struck by a car downtown. Jane becomes involved whether she likes it or not. Gene Mahoney, now superstar of the local theater, is busy in his own pursuits of play writing. Things begin to sizzle with her boyfriend, Officer Brad Hyatt, but their chance for alone time is cut short when Jane’s grandpa moves in with her.

Inara fought for and nearly died for her freedom. But she won a chance at a normal life. Turns out, she hates it. She yearns to move. To do…something.

As the generating force of its plot, Twelfth Night uses a device which has since become a staple in comedy: gender confusion. Viola and her twin brother Sebastian, are shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria, a country ruled by the melancholy Duke Orsino. The twins are separated and Viola is led to believe that her brother has perished. She disguises herself as a male under the name of Cesario and makes her way to the ducal court, where Orsino employs her as a messenger, to communicate his love to the reclusive lady, Olivia—who is not willing to return his affection.

It’s bad enough an unseasonal blizzard means I’m stuck with my PA’s annoying cat, but to make matters worse, Mia Samson and her poison pen are in my house too. The renowned reviewer has tanked enough books with her dreaded DNF and I need to teach her a lesson. But my enemy is not what I expect and if I’m not careful, I’m in danger of revealing my secret to the one person who can use it against me.

As a young girl, Donna Thomas tragically lost her mother and sibling. Her wealthy father has been emotionally absent ever since. As an adult, he refused to help, insisting she had to find her own way in life. When he dies, Donna’s convinced this is her chance to get what she deserves. After all, there is no other family. But then, his will deals her an unexpected blow.

Years of hiding taught Jessa to trust no one. Left to fend for herself after a violent attack a decade earlier killed her family, she’s resorted to working highly illegal hacking contracts. But when she is captured by the man she thought had vanished, Jessa fears her former ally may have betrayed her.

Stella's invited to a Halloween party but soon discovers her spiteful co-worker Delores has been invited, too. Delores has her sights set on Harry Dunlop, Stella’s dream man, but events are about to unfold that will teach Delores a valuable lesson and allow Stella to get to grips with far more than just her broomstick.

The dark side of genetic engineering is a harsh reality. Humans are being hunted. They don’t stand a chance. No one seemed to notice that they weren’t acting as hospitable as they once had. They should have. They didn’t have weaknesses like we did, and, they were capable of clever, unimaginable cruelty. Those that have survived call the rogue bio-synthetic humanoids "simps" because the company that started the mess had a cheesy marketing campaign that said they made life "Simple". They couldn't have been more wrong.

Detective Rebecca Watson is tracking a vicious serial killer in Eugene Falls, Florida. As a distraction, she's dragged back into court for the retrial of a man convicted of murdering his girlfriend five years earlier. His defense attorney will use any means to get his client freed, including uncovering old wounds from Watson's past. As the case takes a few hard turns, nothing can prepare her for the world she's about to encounter, the past that haunts her, and the truth behind the serial killer's motive.

Much Ado About Nothing appears to have been written about 1599, shortly before As You Like It and Twelfth Night. The action combines two narrative threads: the spirited comedy of the courtship of Benedick and Beatrice, and the somber tale of confused love between Hero and Claudio. The first is a creation by Shakespeare and the second appears to have been drawn from an Italian source, either by Bandello or Ariosto. The action takes place in Messina. Eponymous lovers Hero and Claudio seem to be ideally matched and nearly everyone is looking forward to their impending marriage.

Caroline Marcum thought she'd put the great mistake of her life behind her when she left Wellfleet, but is forced to face it when she returns to her childhood home on the bay to care for her dying mother. Ridley Neal thought he'd put his past--and his prison term--behind him when he returned home to take over his father's oyster and clam farm in the harbor. Casual acquaintances long ago, they connect again during a fierce nor'easter.

Ripped of her neuroenhancements and left to die, Anne Demming has lost her skills and her memory. The med center where she wakes up is succumbing to violence in the city outside, and the planet is in chaos. It is a crisis she may have caused on the most valuable planet in the star system. Q-7 is the only known source of a rare element expected to power a new world of advanced technology. And while the people of Q-7 starve, Trade Council allies are coming to take the prize...at any cost.

Halfmoon Ridge is a tale of when the one you love is right before your eyes and they still cannot see the real you. Not until the family makes some business changes to the dude ranch do the couple really get to know one another. The couple have been working side by side for years, but now, as two grown adults, feelings develop between them. Are they practical with an entire family surrounding them and with them already running a business together? The family gets tired of staying behind the scenes waiting for the couple to figure out their feelings for one another.

As a serial killer terrorizes the city, Detective Danny Roberts finds himself facing a nightmare of his own when he is thrown into a secret, macabre world of vampires and dark forces. Awakening with an unquenchable thirst, Detective Roberts turns to the bottle, but discovers that now only blood will satisfy him. When a mysterious text message arrives, Danny finds himself face-to-face with Mistress, a vampire investigator known as a Wolf Hunter.

Viv risks her life to fix the trouble she caused. Her new powers are blossoming, and she's beginning to understand what it means to live with magick. It's unclear, however, whether the benefit outweighs the cost. The secrets she uncovers have sharp edges. Can Viv divert a war, or does her very existence herald the end of an era?

Wyrdwood is unlike any other town in America. Home sweet home, mom, baseball, and apple pie take on whole new dimensions when Viviane, her mother, and her cohort Corona arrive just in time to become embroiled in a nasty struggle between the guardians of Purgatory and the residents of King Arthur's mythic isle. Viviane's enemies will stop at nothing to wrench open the gates of Apfallon, and Viviane is their chosen crowbar.

Buried in grief, Jane "CK" Monterrey holds vigil over her comatose fiancé Brad Hyatt. Jane’s mom is holding down the fort at the office and picks up a case. A penguin is stolen from the zoo. Eventually, Grandpa George brings Jane out of her funk. But just as everything starts to become routine, JC decides to taunt her. She whole heartedly believes he is the reason for Brad’s condition, but proof is lacking, making it all the more frustrating.

Involuntary Immortals is the story of a woman who finds herself outliving her lovers and the incredible peril she faces when she sets out to discover the source of her involuntary immortality. Helen Ranston discovers her own daughter Agnes thinks she is a witch or vampire. Agnes is 40, but still looks 20 and has never aged throughout her daughter's entire life.

MayVee Baker has lived by the rules that shaped the edges and sharpened the corners of her existence since the earliest days of her childhood. Common courtesies, pleasantries, etiquette, and smooth manners formed her behavior and served as her compass. Even if it meant silencing her voice and sacrificing her own needs. She lost herself along the way. Now she will need to challenge everything she knows to find herself, live the life she deserves, and raise her daughter to know how to slay her own dragons.