Paste Magazine Pick for Best New YA Books of August 2022 “An addictive, action-packed, scorcher of a read!” —#1 New York Times bestselling author Alyson Noël Some shadows protect you...others will kill you in this dazzling new fantasy series from award-winning author Abigail Owen. Everything about my life is a lie. As a hidden twin princess, born second, I have only one purpose—to sacrifice my life for my sister if death comes for her. I’ve been living under the guise of a poor, obscure girl of no standing, slipping into the palace and into the role of the true princess when danger is present. Now the queen is dead and the ageless King Eidolon has sent my sister a gift—an eerily familiar gift—and a proposal to wed. I don’t trust him, so I do what I was born to do and secretly take her place on the eve of the coronation. Which is why, when a figure made of shadow kidnaps the new queen, he gets me by mistake. As I try to escape, all the lies start to unravel. And not just my lies. The Shadowraith who took me has secrets of his own. He struggles to contain the shadows he wields—other faces, identities that threaten my very life. Winter is at the walls. Darkness is looming. And the only way to save my sister and our dominion is to kill Eidolon...and the Shadowraith who has stolen my heart. The Dominions series is best enjoyed in order. Reading Order: Book #1 The Liar’s Crown Book #2 The Stolen Throne

An award-winning writer reimagines the life of Jesus, from the points of view of four people closest to him before his death. This is the story of Yehoshuah, who wandered Roman-occupied Judea giving sermons and healing the sick. Now, a year after his death, four people tell their stories. His mother grieves, his friend Iehuda loses his faith, the High Priest of the Temple tries to keep the peace, and a rebel named Bar-Avo strives to bring that peace tumbling down. It was a time of political power plays and brutal tyranny. Men and women took to the streets to protest. Dictators put them down with iron force. In the midst of it all, one inconsequential preacher died. And either something miraculous happened, or someone lied. Viscerally powerful in its depictions of the period -- massacres and riots, animal sacrifice and human betrayal -- The Liars' Gospel makes the oldest story entirely new.

My father comes into focus for me on a Liars' Club afternoon. He sits at a wobbly card table weighed down by a bottle. Even now the scene seems so real to me that I can't but write it in the present tense. Mary Karr grew up in a swampy East Texas refinery town in a volatile and defiantly loving family. In this funny, devastating, haunting memoir and with a raw and often painful honesty, she looks back at life with a painter mother, seven times married, whose outlaw spirit could tip over into psychosis, and a hard-drinking, fist-swinging father who liked nothing better than to spin tales with his cronies at the Liars' Club. When it was published in 1995, The Liars' Club raised the art of memoir to a new level and brought about a dramatic revival of the form. It is a classic that paints a harsh world redeemed by Karr's warmth, intelligent humour and finely spun prose; The Liars' Club is both heart-stopping and heart-felt.

Although Scripture cannot be reduced to a mere piece of human writing, there is much to gain by paying careful attention to the historical, literary, and theological dimensions of the biblical text. For this reason, The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown is offered to the serious New Testament student who seeks to better understand and share God’s “word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Across nearly one thousand pages, it thoroughly introduces all twenty-seven New Testament books and closely examines Christ’s incarnation and virgin birth, the heart of His ministry shown so vividly in the Gospels’ Passion Narratives, and the triumphant return of Jesus and our eternal reign with Him as depicted in Revelation. "Simply an outstanding work. Its up-to-date research alone makes The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown an invaluable resource. Add to this its comprehensive survey of the crucial issues related to New Testament studies, and you have a textbook well suited for the college or seminary classroom." --Daniel L. Akin, president, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC "Among the finest such studies of recent decades in classic matters of New Testament introduction. What sets it apart includes: (1) attention to theology and the history of interpretation; (2) extended presentation of the history of New Testament times and the rise of the canon; (3) appropriate rigor; (4) frequently creative layout features; and (5) conceptual clarity. Beyond an impressive digest of scholarship, it is an appeal to faithful appropriation of the New Testament's message." --Robert W. Yarbrough, professor of New Testament and department chair, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, IL "Clear, thorough, up to date, and engaging all the contemporary alternatives people are putting forward . . . discerning and judicious. Well done and highly recommended." --Darrell L. Bock, research professor of New Testament, Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, TX "The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown sets a new standard for excellence among textbooks dealing with New Testament introduction (and) offers a veritable gold mine of information often found only in several texts. A distinctively unique textbook that displays not only careful and balanced scholarship, but is lucidly written and Òuser friendly." --Richard D. Patterson, emeritus professor, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA

Riley Halterfield is a shy teenager, scared to take risks and push outside of her comfort zone. However, when her two best friends Ashley and Brenda challenge Riley to enter a beauty pageant sponsored by What Not to Wear, their favorite TV show, Riley's life is turned upside down. Suddenly she is in the spotlight, a place she fears, and all eyes are on her as she prepares to strut her stuff For The first round of pageant auditions. When she is separated from Ashley and Brenda at the auditions, Riley panics and doubts herself and her abilities until help comes from an unlikely source—a new friend. Rachel Trenton's one dream is to win a pageant before cancer takes her life. After losing several years in a row, she is back, and more determined than ever to win. She is closed off and hesitant to trust others until she meets Riley. Even though they're in competition, Riley and Rachel hit it off, but will their friendship be threatened by Rachel's cancer, or Rachel's charming and attractive brother, Randy? Join new author Audra Kriauciunas in Crown of Dreams—a coming of age tale about the role friendships play in achieving your dreams.

'A gripping read from start to finish' Reviewer, 5 stars ***** Eighteen years ago Martha said goodbye to best friend Juliet on a moonlit London towpath. The next morning Juliet's bike was found abandoned at the waterside. She was never seen again. Nearly two decades later Martha is a TV celebrity, preparing to host a new crime show... and the first case will be that of missing student Juliet Sherman. After all these years Martha must reach out to old friends and try to piece together the final moments of Juliet's life. But what happens when your perfect friends turn out to be perfect strangers...? If you like Clare Mackintosh, Fiona Barton, Teresa Driscoll, Jenny Blackhurst, Rachel Abbott, Laura Marshall, Joy Ellis, Cara Hunter, Mel Sherratt, Angela Marsons or Lisa Jewell then you will be utterly gripped by this psychological drama about toxic friendships and bitter betrayal. ***** WHY READERS ARE GIVING BEAUTIFUL LIARS *FIVE STARS*: 'An excellent read, surprisingly moving in parts.' 'Brilliant!' 'Wow, wow, wowsers!' 'ABSOLUTLEY LOVED IT' 'I couldn't put it down.' 'A chilling read' 'From the very first page I was gripped' 'What a superb book' 'This book really gripped me from the first page' 'An excellent read' 'Brilliant plot will keep you gripped to the end' 'I read it until 1am on a school night to get to the ending!' 'Couldn't put it down' 'A gripping read from start to finish' 'The storyline had me gripped from the start and kept me guessing throughout!'

When Nick O'Flaherty arrives at the scene of a double homicide to find he has a witness to the crime, he thinks it's his lucky day. But when he realizes his witness is suffering from amnesia and can't even remember his own name, Nick wishes he'd gone with his gut and put in for vacation time. Then Nick's boyfriend and former Recon teammate, Kelly Abbott, joins him in Boston, and Nick finds his hands a little too full as the case and his personal life collide. The witness he's dubbed "JD" is being tailed by Julian Cross, a retired CIA hitman. To complicate matters further, JD forms an attachment to Nick that Nick struggles not to respond to as they search for the key to JD's identity. Trying to determine whether JD is friend or foe as they investigate the crime puts them on the trail of a much older mystery. When multiple attempts are made on their lives, Nick is forced to turn to old enemies and new allies to solve a centuries-old crime before he and Kelly get added to the history books.

Details the role of sports in the classical world from early Greece through the late Roman and early Byzantine empires.

The land of Calamere has lost its ruler. Torn apart by war and hatred, the Old Magic begins to fade away, and the Lineage of the Goddess abandons the world to torment and death. But there is a prophecy. From the land of Calamere, the One Sovereign will arise, conquering the darkness and bringing salvation to all. It was this ancient promise that led Oliver to join the Crownseekers, an order devoted to finding the One Sovereign. But when he realizes that his idolized order is not at all what he thought it would be, he is faced with the most difficult choice of his life. Does he do his duty and kill the love of his life before she can become the Tyrant whom all Crownseekers fear? Or does he believe that she is the One Sovereign that all of Calamere has been waiting for? Torn between honor and prophecy, Oliver must sacrifice everything to bring peace to the land. Crown Seeker is created by Alexander Harrington, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.