Since the death of her mother, Nikita Azarova has been traveling with her father, who is an archaeologist. On one research trip, her father brings her to an ancient city of Angkor, where she hopes to get a sense of connection with her mother's birthplace. Instead, something happens when they arrive at the Lost City. Soon, Nikita discovers the secret that leads her to activate the Lunar Gate and plunge herself into another realm where gods and demons exist. There are quests to prove courage and friendship tie, the love interests that test the young girl's naive heart. Everything that happens to Nikita is out of this world -literally. Author: Svetlana Ivanova Publisher: EasyReading
On a hot August day, my father plucked me up like a weed and took all our belongings and went all the way from America to an ancient city called Angkor. He had landed a research job there.
I was shocked. I didn't want to spend my summer vacation in a remote area digging dirt. It was like going to a faraway land in a jungle.
Of course, I had no say in that. It was a blistering hot afternoon when our plane landed. The glaring sun hung high in the perfect blue sky. A few cottony clouds drifted over our heads. My dad and I gathered our luggage and loaded it onto a cart. We had packed almost everything we owned, and it made me a bit worried that we might actually plan to live here.
"Nikita, don't galumph around like that. You're in your mother's homeland at last! Isn't it great? Come on, smile!" Dad tried to cheer me up as we walked down the aisle together. My mom was born a native of South East Asia while my father was an American-born Russian descendant. My dad met her during a school trip to Cambodia over seventeen years ago. And this was the first time I get to see her homeland.
"Dad, give me a break." I gave him a bored look. "I think my brain has turned into a mash."
It was a long flight, and it felt like we were in a blender for hours. I hadn't recovered from the turbulence yet.
"Aw, don't be a little goose! Hurry up, the adventure awaits us!"
"I don't see how digging up dirt is an adventure," I murmured.
"Hey, archaeology is important, gooseberry," he told me. "It helps us understand who we are and where we come from. We may stumble through a tomb or any valuable thing from the past. You may see the great monument from a long distance blocking your vision. You may chance upon a lost sunken city in the ocean. We shall dig into the past to find how it all began and how it was done. Then we may see how our future is going to be. Without people like me, how would you know someone had founded a city starting with a single stone or a dead log?"
In case it wasn't clear, my father was one of the head archaeologists specialized in Asian Heritage Studies.
"Come on, dad," I groaned. "I'm not in the mood to learn a history lesson right now."
My father pouted at me. Don't get me wrong, we usually got along like a pair of oars. He was the only family I had in the whole wide world. When my mother was pregnant with me, he thought I would be a boy since I started kicking way too early. They thought I would grow up to be a kickboxer. Then my dad named me Nikita, which was supposed to be a boy name. It means 'unconquerable'. You couldn't find any girl named Nikita in Russia though. My mom wanted to name me Chandra, 'the light-bringer', which comes from a Hindu god of the moon since I was born on Monday. The two nouns ended up being my first and middle name respectively.
Instead, I was born a girl, and my mother died. My dad still didn't change a single thing. He didn't change my boy name or replace his broken heart. I knew he still loved my mother although a lot of single ladies had expressed their willingness to be his life partner. He was handsome even in his early forties, always clean-shaven. He loved wearing his old fedora hat and knee-high boots like his favorite American movie star in Indiana Jones. Even though I was born a girl, it didn't stop him from including me in all sorts of adventures, most of which were considered 'unlady-like'.
Unfortunately, there was no more project funding for his future research, so we both settled into a dull existence in America. Dad worked at a small museum. He didn't mind it though and always quoted Bukowski's words, 'Find what you love and let it kill you.'
Then just out of the blue, my father got a phone call from his old friend, who sent him some documents on a rare find from a medieval city �� famously known as Angkor City. Before I knew it, we ended up at the Phnom Penh International Airport three days later.
The air was hot and humid outside. I could grow crops with my sweat. As I stumbled along with my heavy luggage, my dad was frowning over the map.
"Dad, you're not helping me!" I huffed, trying to push our rickety cart.
"I'm holding a bag of your coloring books, darling," he reminded me, jerking the brown satchel on his shoulder, and let me tell you�� that was literally the only bag he was carrying.
"They're my art supplies, not coloring books, and you're still not helping me," I replied. "So where are we going to stay?"
"My colleague has booked us a hotel room," he said over his broad shoulder. "It's about half an hour drive from here. We're going to be in the city for a couple days before I head straight to work."
"I'm in need of some nice cold lemonade," I said, pushing my blonde hair out of my face and fanning myself by plucking my collar shirt.
"Don't be a little goose, Nikita, come on!" he said. "We're almost there."
He raised his hand to a taxi driver on the other side of the parking lot. The taxi driver drove his beat-up Toyota towards us. A small man in a white dress shirt and Khaki pants jumped out.
"Where are you going, sir?" the man spoke in accented English. Dad unfolded his map of the modern city and squinted over it for what seemed like forever. He was an archaeologist who could read ancient maps like the back of his hand, but he was hopeless with the current cities. I used to tease him that his mind belonged in the ruins and not the modern world.
"Just give it to me, Dad," I said and grabbed the map from him. I found the location in a blink of an eye then showed the address to the taxi driver. His face lit up in recognition.
"Oh, yes!" the driver said. "Nice hotel and nice view! I can show you around the city if you like. Are you here on a vacation?"
"No, thank you, sir," Dad said. "We're not here on a holiday or anything."
"Oh so you're not visiting the temples then?" the driver asked again while he was loading our belongings into the trunk.
"Actually, I'm doing an archaeological research project here."
"A research project? Oh, I see! A lot of people seem to flock into the country after the latest discovery at Angkor last month," the man said. "They did this airborne laser scan thing and found some traces of alien activities..."
"Er...maybe we should get moving, sir," my dad said to change the subject.
"Oh, right!" the driver hurried to open the door for us.
We got inside the car. The engine roared to life then we left the airport. But along the way, I couldn't stop thinking about what the taxi driver had said.
"Dad," I asked him in a whisper. He looked at me. "What was it about the alien thing?"
"That's just some whacky hypotheses about an ancient spiral near the old city, Nikita," he told me in a low voice. "Don't pay it any mind."
"An ancient spiral?"
"Well, it's some kind of an old stone discus we've found," he added with a shrug. "We still don't know what that spiral is exactly. That's why I'm here. But don't worry; I'm sure it doesn't have anything to do with aliens. I just have to work out what the object is with my team."
I didn't expect much from this trip, but this started to get real interesting. Yet the main reason I came here was buried deep under a pile of unsaid things, I want to see my mother's homeland. It was where she was born and raised as a young girl.
For some reason, I had a feeling that this adventure was going to turn my ordinary life on its head.
The whole world has changed. In the year 2054, the human race is no longer the largest population on earth. The global invasion of a new yet not quite new species has forced the remaining people to hide in fear. Just like the other war survivors, Avery Pierce tries to escape death by hiding from them. But when she reaches seventeen, her life is doomed. She is sold as a slave to an old powerful family. Living in a beautiful mansion, she has to serve her owner, the mistress of the house. Will she be treated as a mere slave or maybe something more? Author: Svetlana Ivanova Publisher: EasyReading
Hades was well-cast to rule over the land of the dead. But what if Hades, the fearsome monarch of the Underworld was, in fact, a goddess? Everyone called her, 'Lord of the Dead' out of mockery since she prefers the company of women. She was considered an isolated and violent immortal, who loathed change and was easily given to a slow black rage like no others. But then everything changed when the dark goddess met the daughter of Demeter, Persephone. Now the tale of Hades and Persephone will be retold with a sprinkle of twists and turns. Author: Svetlana Ivanova Publisher: EasyReading
Once there was a king and a queen with three lovely daughters. The youngest, Psyche, was so beautiful, so fair of face and form that she was revered throughout the land, and the people of her kingdom reached out to touch her as she passed. No suitors dared to cross her doorstep. So highly was she worshiped that Psyche was deeply lonely. Her beauty became legend, far and wide, and it was not long before words reached the ears of Venus. Tales of the young princess enraged the jealous goddess, and she made plans to dispose of her. Venus called upon her own daughter, Cupid to do her bidding. It was meant to be a quick mission except Cupid did not expect to find herself entranced by the same passion she inflicted on others. Author: Svetlana Ivanova Publisher: EasyReading
Artemis, the beloved daughter of sovereign Zeus and rich-haired Leto, was born through passion and blessed with gifts. She was also the most beautiful among the Olympians. Her whims and desires could change the course of human destiny. No goddess had more freedom and intriguing life than the immortal huntress. With the rest of her chosen Nymphai, though all are lovely, there is no mistaking which one she is. Artemis with her flowing golden hair and golden limbs is alike her twin brother Apollo, a delighter in arrows and the silver bow. She, too, enjoys the company of beautiful maidens. Though her life was full of adventures and thrills, there were also tragedies. Author: Svetlana Ivanova Publisher: EasyReading
Becky endured three years of marriage to the cold-hearted Rory. In all that time, she naively reasoned that one day, he'd gradually come to like her. But the second he forced her to kneel down and humiliate herself, she knew she had been wrong about him. This man had no feelings for her at all. So why should she still love him? When Rory gave her the choice between kneeling down and divorcing, she didn't miss a beat and chose the latter. After all, why should she waste her youth on this scumbag? Wouldn't it be nicer for her to just have fun every day with her billion-dollar family fortune?
Kaelyn devoted three years tending to her husband after a terrible accident. But once he was fully recovered, he cast her aside and brought his first love back from abroad. Devastated, Kaelyn decided on a divorce as people mocked her for being discarded. She went on to reinvent herself, becoming a highly sought-after doctor, a champion racer, and an internationally renowned architectural designer. Even then, the traitors sneered in disdain, believing Kaelyn would never find someone. But then the ex-husband’s uncle, a powerful warlord, returned with his army to ask for Kaelyn’s hand in marriage.
The day Raina gave birth should have been the happiest of her life. Instead, it became her worst nightmare. Moments after delivering their twins, Alexander shattered her heart-divorcing her and forcing her to sign away custody of their son, Liam. With nothing but betrayal and heartbreak to her name, Raina disappeared, raising their daughter, Ava, on her own.Years later, fate comes knocking when Liam falls gravely ill. Desperate to save his son, Alexander is forced to seek out the one person he once cast aside. Alexander finds himself face to face with the woman he underestimated, pleading for a second chance-not just for himself, but for their son. But Raina is no longer the same broken woman who once loved him.No longer the woman he left behind. She has carved out a new life-one built on strength, wealth, and a long-buried legacy she expected to uncover.Raina has spent years learning to live without him.The question is... Will she risk reopening old wounds to save the son she never got to love? or has Alexander lost her forever?
"Ahh!" She was in a moaning mess. She did not want to feel anything for this man. She hated him. His hands began to move all over her body. She gasped when he pulled down the back chain of her dress. The chain stopped at her lower waist, so when he zipped it off, her upper back and waist were exposed. "D-Don't touch m-ummm!" His fingers rolled around her bare back, and she pressed her head against the pillow. His touches were giving her goosebumps all over her body. With a deep angry voice, he whispered in her ear, "I am going to make you forget his touches, kisses, and everything. Every time you touch another man, you will only think of me." - - - Ava Adler was a nerdy omega. People bullied her because they thought she was ugly and unattractive. But Ava secretly loved the bad boy, Ian Dawson. He was the future Alpha of the Mystic Shadow Pack. However, he doesn't give a damn about rules and laws, as he only likes to play around with girls. Ava was unaware of Ian's arrogance until her fate intertwined with his. He neglected her and hurt her deeply. What would happen when Ava turned out to be a beautiful girl who could win over any boy, and Ian looked back and regretted his decisions? What if she had a secret identity that she had yet to discover? What if the tables turned and Ian begged her not to leave him?
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
Rumors claimed that Fernanda, newly back with her family, was nothing more than a violent country bumpkin. Fernanda just flashed a casual, dismissive grin in response. Another rumor suggested that the usually rational Cristian had lost all sense, madly in love with Fernanda. This frustrated her. She could tolerate gossip about herself, but slander against her beloved crossed the line! Gradually, as Fernanda's multiple identities as a celebrated designer, a savvy gamer, an acclaimed painter, and a successful business magnate came to light, everyone realized they were the ones who had been fooled.