Kingdom of Tomorrow (Book of Arden, #1)

by Gena Showalter

A multitude of people, and yet a solitude. —Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

Fear isn’t an emotion but a force; it starts with a spark and grows until it torches your entire life.

he smelled like sandalwood, a man musk that should be classified as a mind-altering drug.

“Have a food with me and tell me more. Tell me everything.” “A food?” I laughed outright. “Any food. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert. Or a drink. Coffee. Water. All of it at the same time.”

Be bold enough to let go of your past so you can grab hold of your future.

There will always be someone who can’t see your worth. That’s a fact of life. Don’t let that someone be you.

the younger guy was too rough and intense to be labeled handsome, but it didn’t matter. He was something far better: Interesting.

Some solutions cannot be worked out in your mind: they must come from an enlightened heart.

I believe excuses are merely lipstick on fear.

“Fear doesn’t forge good leaders, Miss Roosa. It destroys them.” Drumming his fingers over the arm of his chair, he watched me, silent. Though he was in his late twenties, his harsh features contained a century’s worth of tenacity. Caged aggression glittered in his eyes. “If you’ll let me teach you, you will survive longer than originally anticipated. That’s my guarantee.”

When you know the world around you and its rules, you don’t have to be the biggest and the strongest to thrive during a mission.”

Words spoken are planted in the garden of your heart to feed your life; choose wisely.

If you heed correction, you will always return to the right path.

When you are teachable, you gain understanding, but those who despise instruction lose what understanding they have.

“I want to go home. I can’t do this.” “We do not say can’t, soldier.” “Fine.” I sniffled, and there was no stopping the humiliating action. “I’m currently unable to can.”

If you do not ask for what you need, how can you receive it?

oh, their ferociousness wowed.

“No matter how many times you fall, you rise. That takes an incredible amount of bravery and resilience.”

With a hoarse groan, I clasped his cheeks and lifted my head. He lowered his. Our mouths met in a heated tangle, his tongue thrusting against mine. He kissed me as if he couldn’t breathe without me. As if no other woman existed. As if he’d found a treasure he’d waited his entire life to obtain.

Never ignore a possibility.”