New Releases by Marie Rutkoski

A page-turning, irresistible novel of class, ambition, and bisexuality, this is the breathtaking story of a woman risking everything for a second chance at her first love. Emily has, by all appearances, a beautiful life: a townhouse on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, two healthy children, and a husband who showers her with attention. But the truth is more complicated: Emily’s marriage is in trouble, her relationship with her parents is fraught, and she is still nursing a heartbreak from long ago. When Emily runs into her high school best friend, Gen, at a cocktail party, that heartbreak comes roaring back. But Gen Hall is no longer the lanky, hungry kid with holes in her shoes who Emily loved in her youth. Instead, Gen is now a prominent Olympic athlete with sponsorship deals and a string of high-profile ex-girlfriends. Emily and Gen circle one another cautiously, both drawn together by a magnetic attraction and scarred by their shared history. Once upon a time, Gen knew everything about Emily. And yet, she still abandoned her. Can Emily trust Gen again? Can they forgive each other for mistakes they made in their youth? Can Emily risk her children, her privacy, and the fragile peace she has found with her family just to be with a woman she loved long ago? A sweeping queer romance, Ordinary Love is the beautiful, wrenching, completely seductive story of two people trying to forge a path through fear, bound by a love they discovered when they were too young to understand its power.

Bringing to mind Gillian Flynn and Tana French but completely unique, Marie Rutkoski''s Real Easy is a compulsive, tenacious, and unexpectedly hopeful thriller. "[R]iveting...An adrenaline ride filled with grit and compassion." —People, Book of the Week It’s 1999 and Samantha has danced for years at the Lovely Lady strip club. She’s not used to mixing work and friendship—after all, between her jealous boyfriend and his young daughter, she has enough on her plate. But the newest dancer is so clueless that Samantha feels compelled to help her learn the hustle and drama of the club: how to sweet-talk the boss, fit in with the other women, and make good money. One night, when the new girl needs a ride home, Samantha agrees to drive: a simple decision that turns deadly. Georgia, another dancer drawn into the ensuing murder and missing person investigation, gathers information for Holly, a grieving detective determined to solve the case. Georgia just wants to help, but her involvement makes her a target. As Holly and Georgia round up their suspects, the story’s point of view shifts between dancers, detectives, children, club patrons—and the killer. Drawing on her experience as a former dancer, Marie Rutkoski immerses us in the captivating world of the club, which comes alive with complicated people trying their best to protect themselves and those they love. Character-driven and masterfully plotted, Real Easy gets to the heart of the timeless question: How do women live their lives knowing that men can hurt them?

Intrigue, romance, and magic abound in The Hollow Heart, the heart-stopping conclusion to Marie Rutkoski’s Forgotten Gods duology. At the end of The Midnight Lie, Nirrim offered up her heart to the god of thieves in order to restore her people’s memories of their city’s history. The Half Kith who once lived imprisoned behind the city’s wall now realize that many among them are powerful. Meanwhile, the person Nirrim once loved most, Sid, has returned to her home country of Herran, where she must navigate the politics of being a rogue princess who has finally agreed to do her duty. In the Herrani court, rumors begin to grow of a new threat rising across the sea, of magic unleashed on the world, and of a cruel, black-haired queen who can push false memories into your mind, so that you believe your dearest friends to be your enemies. Sid doesn’t know that this queen is Nirrim, who seeks her revenge against a world that has wronged her. Can Sid save Nirrim from herself? Does Nirrim even want to be saved? As blood is shed and war begins, Sid and Nirrim find that it might not matter what they want...for the gods have their own plans.

The Winner''s Trilogy begins with a choice: Kestral, a general''s daughter, must decide between two life paths, join the army or get married. However, her rigid fate begins to unravel when she meets the young slave Arin, who carries, unbeknownst to her, a dangerous secret. Their burgeoning kinship, and his secret, will change Kestral''s life forever. Kestral and Arin''s growing love will take them on an irresistible journey of forbidden romance, class warfare and revolution that you won''t want to miss. This eBook bundle contains all three books of the trilogy: The Winner''s Curse The Winner''s Crime The Winner''s Kiss

FIlle du général le plus titré de l''Empire, Kestrel a eu la faiblesse, alors quelle réprouve l''esclavage, d''acheter dans une vente aux enchères un jeune homme du nom d''Arin. Pire encore, elle a eu la bêtise de lui permettre de devenir son ami... et de laisser la ville entière s''en émouvoir. Elle n''a compris qu''au dernier moment son erreur, en découvrant l''impensable : espion aux ordres de son peuple oppressé, les Herranis, le jeune homme était là depuis le début pour la trahir, pour renverser le pouvoir. A présent, tout a changé. Kestrel a été contrainte de lutter pour sa survie. Elle a vu ses amis tomber autour d''elle et a dû supporter la douleur de la trahison d''Arin - elle dont l''éducation entière lui souffle de tout faire pour se venger. Mais, quand il a fallu choisir son camp, elle a préféré, à son tour, l''impensable : sacrifier son bonheur pour celui des Herranis, céder à un terrible chantage qui la force à tourner le dos à Arin une bonne fois pour toutes. Elle est désormais la fiancée du fils de l''Empereur. S''ouvre, à la cour, un terrible jeu d''échec où Kestrel doit mentir à tout le monde, depuis le monarque - un homme sans pitié qui se délecte de la souffrance d''autrui - jusqu''à Arin lui-même, en passant par la masse des courtisans qui n''espèrent que sa chute. Gagner sera-t-il pour elle la pire des malédictions ? Jeux de pouvoir, coups de bluff et pièges insidieux : dans un monde nouveau, né de l''imagination d''une auteure unanimement saluée pour son talent, deux jeunes gens que tout oppose se livrent à une partie de poker menteur qui pourrait bien décider de la destinée de tout un peuple !

War has begun. Arin is in the thick of it with untrustworthy new allies and the empire as his enemy. Though he has convinced himself that he no longer loves Kestrel, Arin hasn''t forgotten her, or how she became exactly the kind of person he has always despised. She cared more for the empire than she did for the lives of innocent people--and certainly more than she did for him. At least, that''s what he thinks. In the frozen north, Kestrel is a prisoner in a brutal work camp. As she searches desperately for a way to escape, she wishes Arin could know what she sacrificed for him. She wishes she could make the empire pay for what they''ve done to her. But no one gets what they want just by wishing. As the war intensifies, both Kestrel and Arin discover that the world is changing. The East is pitted against the West, and they are caught in between. With so much to lose, can anybody really win?

THE FIRST BOOK IN THE HEART-STOPPING WINNER''S TRILOGY: an irresistible story of forbidden romance and class warfare ''Every line in The Winner''s Curse is beautifully written. The story is masterfully plotted. The characters'' dilemmas fascinated me and tore at my heart... I loved it. I want more.'' Kristin Cashore, author of the Graceling Realm books Winning what you want may cost you everything you love. As a general''s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. Kestrel has other ideas. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in Arin, a young slave up for auction. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him - and for a sensational price that sets the society gossips talking. It''s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for him is much higher than she ever could have imagined. The first novel in a stunning trilogy, The Winner''s Curse is a story of romance, rumours and rebellion, where dirty secrets and careless alliances can be deadly – and everything is at stake.

Few know that the Great Chicago Fire was started deliberately, as a genocide of deadly creatures called Shades. Fewer still know that they didn''t die, not quite...but one human will confront the truth when an ominous beauty makes him gamble for his life. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

When Prince Rodolfo''s monsters attack her, Petra Kronos is spirited away to London. As she struggles to escape, Neel and Tomik sail the high seas, in search of her. Though separated by many miles, the three friends draw closer together in this sequel to The Cabinet of Wonders, called "astonishingly accomplished" by Publishers Weekly. Readers will not be disappointed in this adventure-filled novel that includes man-made monsters, the unraveling of a murder mystery, and the hunt for the Celestial Globe, which the prince of Bohemia will do anything to own.

Fourteen-year-old Petra, her tin spider Astrophil, and their friends become entangled in the competition for the Roma crown, then set out for Prague in hopes of finally finding a cure for Petra''s father.