Caragh M. O'Brien

"Rosie has escaped Forge School but finds herself trapped in the body of another girl"--

First Book in the Mirage Trilogy A gay “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” Mirage is the story of two men on the primitive tribal planet Ki, the impulsive hunter Greeland and his younger partner Enkidu, who have been promised to each other in the ancient ways of the tiny planet for a lifetime. But a brutal murder and the events that unfold after it have made both of them seek asylum on Earth, the planet they will use in the bodies of two lovers, Alan Kostenbaum and Wright Smith, two men whose identities and souls Greeland and Enkidu will occupy and who will be sacrificed to their needs. Mirage combines relentless action, adventure, suspense, and political savvy—published in 1991, during the height of the AIDS epidemic in the U.S., and all the paranoia and hostility around the spread of this “gay disease,” as so many homophobes called it—and the newly open and expressed romantic feelings among gay men. It is a precursor to many gay romantic novels that came after it, that deal with issues of gay fidelity and same-sex marriage, even though it is in the form of a gay science fiction novel. As Enkidu, the young man from the planet Ki learns in the body of Alan Kostenbaum: “As they said here on Earth, money made the world go round. But I knew that only love could change things.” In truth, Mirage is a deeper psychological novel than most science fiction, and its theme of four men occupying two bodies is beautifully realized with all the conflicts and romantic energy natural to this kind of tale. Whether you read Mirage for its exciting plot, or for its candor about gay sexuality or its warm romanticism, you will find that this book more than rewards your time with its intense beauty and mystery.

In a future world baked dry by the sun and divided into those who live inside the wall and those who live outside it, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone is forced into a difficult choice when her parents are arrested and taken into the city.

Every page more fierce than the last! Enjoy a good monster love story? Or a dark, Russian-style folktale? How about a flashback to the secrets of a cyborg's past, a post-apocalyptic romance, or a conversation between a boy and Death's dead assistant, while both sit in a diner and eat waffles? Whether you're already a Fierce Reads fan or you're a fan-to-be, this short story collection will satisfy your every bookish craving! Featuring multi-genre tales from some of the hottest YA authors around, this anthology includes Ann Aguirre, Courtney Alameda, Gennifer Albin, Anna Banks, Leigh Bardugo, Jessica Brody, Katie Finn, Nikki Kelly, Jennifer Mathieu, Lish McBride, Marissa Meyer, Caragh O'Brien, Marie Rutkoski, and Lindsay Smith. By turns uplifting and sad, light-hearted and powerful, startling and laugh-out-loud, these bite-sized gems have one thing in common: You won't be able to put them down!

Rosie Sinclair, who attends an elite arts school where students are contestants on a high stakes reality show, skips her sleeping pill one night and discovers that the school is really a cover-up for the lucrative and sinister practice of dream harvesting.

An expert in seduction, his tantalizing caresses claimed her body and soul... . With his every touch, he bewitched her and captivated her, but Milo Dansforth wanted more from Therese Carroll than a passionate interlude! The worldly art dealer needed her talent to restore a long-lost painting, but the secrets hidden beneath its layers of history were his own. Unable to resist the wanton desire he awakened in her soul, Therese thrilled to his embrace, but could she trust this charming rogue with her heart? In a tale brimming with secrets and sensuality, Caragh O'Brien weaves a stunning tapestry of tender emotion and breath-stealing eroticism into an exquisite journey of love. He'd challenged her to uncover his mysteries, dared her to surrender to unspoken pleasures, but would the temptations he offered be her destiny ... or her downfall?

Determined to expose Dean Berg's dream mining operation to the world, and desperate to find her suddenly missing family, Rosie follows a series of clues across the country, where she discovers an abandoned, horror-themed amusement park hiding a labyrinth of tunnels beneath its grounds. There, Rosie uncovers the vault, where her sister sleeps among the dreamers she is determined to set free. Meanwhile, nefarious subliminal messaging embedded within the Forge Show poses a danger to all who watch. And Rosie discovers the terrifying implications of mining and unlocking the consciousness of countless victims.

Striking out into the wasteland with nothing but her baby sister, a handful of supplies, and a rumor to guide her, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone survives, only to be captured by the people of Sylum, a dystopian society where women rule the men who drastically outnumber them, and a kiss is a crime. In order to see her sister again, Gaia must submit to their strict social code and the oppressive rules of Matrarc Olivia. Meanwhile, two brothers claim her attention as they attempt to understand the environmental trap that keeps the people of Sylum captive, and suddenly Gaia must contend with the exciting, uncomfortable, and altogether new feeling of being desired. But when someone from her past shows up, Gaia discovers that survival alone is not enough and that justice requires sacrifice.

Gaia succeeds in leading her people to Wharfton and the Enclave, but rebellion there threatens them all just when everything they have dreamed of seems to be at hand.