Happy New Year! Wishing you all the best in 2018! Including many new books to read…
As always, I recommend sampling before you buy! I have not read most of the new releases listed (although I always end up one-clicking a bunch as I prepare these posts LOL).
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CRASHED ON AN ICE WORLD: A PHOENIX ADVENTURES SCIFI ROMANCE by Anna Hackett
VS Note: I love this series – well, I love all her series actually! One clicked.
Elana Korra loves her security job as a medic on the convoy ship, the Sky Nomad…except for the fact that she’s in love with her boss. Rynan is tough, loyal, and protective, and she knows he will never cross the line with her despite her deepest fantasies. But one scorching kiss sets up a smoldering tension, and as they head off into uncharted space on a treasure hunt to find an invaluable old Earth treasure, Elana knows it is time to make a change–get Ry to admit how he feels about her or leave. But a deadly attack leaves Ry and Elana on a damaged, out-of-control ship hurtling toward an unforgiving ice world.
Rynan Phoenix lives for his job of keeping the Phoenix Deep-Space Convoy safe. The nightmare of his childhood has taught him to steer well clear of romantic relationships, and he’s forced himself to ignore Elana’s compact body and gorgeous face. But when they find themselves stranded on an ice world with passengers to protect and space pirates hunting them down, Ry is forced to confront just how he feels about the most important woman in his life.
Ry and Elana will need all of their training in order to keep themselves alive. As they find hints to the old Earth treasure, their desire turns hotter and deeper…but then they discover that far more dangerous things call this ice planet home.
ABDUCT MY HEART (LOST SOULS SERIES BOOK 1) by Alexa Winters
Ruby Collins was only trying to make it through the day…She certainly hadn’t planned on getting abducted by a sinister alien race and forced into a fight-to-the-death match. But defeating the beast is just the beginning of her problems. It turns out she has a soul mate in desperate need of her help.
Drake is on the run…Consumed by revenge for so long, he wasn’t expecting a soul mate. Can he choose between vengeance and love, or can he find a way to have both?
BEG FOR MERCY (FATE’S VULTURES) by Jami Gray
The world didn’t end in fire and explosions, instead it collapsed slowly, like falling dominoes, an intensifying panic of disease, food shortages, wild weather and collapsing economies, until what remains of humanity battles for survival in a harsh new reality.
An assassin by trade, a loner by nature, Mercy is sent to infiltrate the Cartels and unmask the identity of their new silent partner. Instead, she discovers a darker plan threatening to crumble the entire Southwest and ends up with a hefty bounty on her head. Still, she’s determined to stop the impending attack at any cost, even if it means partnering up with a member of the notorious Fate’s Vultures.
After enduring a brutal, blood-soaked lesson on the savagery of civilisation’s scavengers, Havoc is well acquainted with the consequences of battling predators. But as a member of the nomadic band of arbitrators known as Fate’s Vultures, he’s determined to cement the necessary alliances to oust the biggest threat looming on the horizon. When an enigmatic woman crosses his path, her secrets and troubling loyalty light the fuse on an unexpected craving and his insatiable curiosity.
In order to trap a common foe and derail an impending threat, Havoc and Mercy must turn the tables to hunt a predator. Can an assassin and a mercenary find their balance on the thin line of loyalty, or will it snap under the weight of their wary hearts?
RAID (KIDNAPPED BRIDES BOOK 1) by Jenny Schwartz
No Nomad can ignore a summons from the Oracle. Their culture demands that they submit to a raiding party to find and mate their one true love.
Imprisoned and mistreated by the infamous information broker Fagan, Alexa Maven lives a life that makes the thought of love a painful lie. If she dared to dream, she’d wish for freedom and anonymity; to be alone forever.
Mikal Fforde is a captain in the United Space Marine Corps. Love is a distraction he definitely doesn’t need right now. He’s a tough fighter, a survivor, and he can’t afford the vulnerability that love brings.
But the Oracle has spoken, and two mismatched strangers are about to find their unlikely perfect match – if they survive Fagan!
WICKED WAYS (HORSE CLAN CHRONICLES 1) by Clarissa Lake
VS Note: The author says it’s very steamy. Listed in erotica.
Wicked Ways is based on the Aledan Series novel Oltarin: The Horse Clans Colony by Christine Myers. Wicked Ways is set on Oltarin, 300 years prior to the events portrayed in Oltarin. The preface and introduction are written by Christine Myers
Darwick “Wick” McKell is looking for revenge for the murder of his brother Camron by Vargan Rode. He slips into the Lake Clans village of Diamond Bay but Vargan is nowhere to be found. Wick finds Vargan’s betrothed Lora Sandgren and decides to kill her instead. However his instant attraction to her quickly changes to lust for her instead of revenge…(more)…
DRAGON LORD’S HOPE (DRAGONS OF MARS BOOK 4) by Juno Wells and Leslie Chase
Gillian Willis isn’t having an easy time running an ice farm at the Martian north pole. Her father’s missing, the bank is breathing down her neck, and now dragons are attacking! If it wasn’t for one gorgeous dragon shifter who puts himself between her and harm, she’d be in real trouble.
He’s the sexiest man she’s ever met, and the bravest. That’s the good news. The bad news is that he claims to own the land her family’s farm is built on. Even though he nearly got himself killed saving her from the other dragons, Gillian isn’t sure she can trust him. But does she have a choice?
Zardan, Dragon Lord of Herendar, has nothing left to live for. All his lands, his family, everything he knew and loved was buried a thousand years ago when the Dragon Empire fell. It’s almost too much to bear – until Gillian drags him off the ice and he realizes that she is his mate.
It should be impossible, it defies his understanding, but it’s true. The feisty human female is his and he won’t allow any harm to come to her. Will that be enough to rekindle the fire in his heart? Can he convince Gillian that they belong together? Or will the gulf between human and dragon shifter be too large for any sacrifice to bridge?
SOLD TO THE ALIEN KING (ALIEN AUCTION HOUSE BOOK 1) by Starr Huntress and Zara Zenia
Betty is a nerd, but trying to break out of her shell. She is studying astronomy, and is fascinated by possible life beyond the galaxy.
Barsork is an alien alpha shifter king but is against the idea of abducting humans, put forth by his brother.
But when Barsork takes Betty from Earth, Betty is repulsed by what his kind are doing. Selling humans off at an auction house is too much for her to take in, and she wants to get back home. Barsork tells her he will help her as he takes a liking to her and doesn’t want her sold off.
Barsork will need to first gain Betty’s trust. It won’t be easy, especially considering he was the one who tricked her and took her away in the first place.
Will Betty get back to Earth? Or will Barsork succumb to his brother’s demands and change his mind?
DANGEROUS PROMISE by Megan Hart
Nina Bronson used to be all human — until the experimental surgeries and internal technology that saved her life and enhanced her as a soldier also forced her to leave the army for private service. Now she and her peers are facing slow, painful deaths unless their technology is upgraded, and the one man keeping those upgrades illegal and unavailable is an obnoxious billionaire. A man too gorgeous for his own good.
A man she’s supposed to guard with her life.
Ewan Donahue is the public voice speaking out against the enhancement procedures of injured soldiers. But when his lobbying leads to death threats, he needs someone to protect him around the clock. He doesn’t want to rely on an enhanced soldier—Nina’s tech goes against everything he stands for. But he really doesn’t want her to be beautiful like she is. Doesn’t want her to suffer like she will.
Doesn’t want to succumb to the searing desire he feels for her.
As a series of attacks on his life send them to a remote cabin, their close proximity brings them together in ways they never imagined. They know they must prevent the need simmering between them, resist each other at all costs. But when tensions are high and danger is close, passion burns hottest of all.
BARRICADE by Lindsey Black
The Barricade is all that separates the Northern Russian Empire from what remains of the world’s plague-decimated population. Snaking 8921 kilometres across Eurasia, the Barricade is crafted from the New World’s nanotechnologies. Breathing, thinking, constantly regenerating, it sustains those charged with defending its districts from those desperate to find refuge in the north.
Atop the battlements of District 666, Sasha Stepanova and his team ruthlessly suppress heavy insurgencies, but at a cost. With the loss of one of his men, Sasha feels isolated and adrift. The bitter snows are a harbinger of winter’s early arrival and the town on his southern perimeter is swelling with foreboding shadows.
Transferred from a black operations testing facility, Jett Ioane is not the replacement Sasha is expecting. He’s short, sheltered and untested in battle—a poor replacement for the friend Sasha has lost. But Sasha finds him impossibly alluring. A lifetime of alienation and scrutiny has hardened Jett to the friendship and camaraderie necessary for survival. Struggling to find his feet while Sasha sweeps them out from under him, Jett hesitates to entrust the team with his truth.
Will Jett’s secrets be the key to their salvation, or annihilation?
RAX (RATHIER WARRIORS) by Stella Sky
Dr. Zina Smith is fearless. She has been on her own on a horrifying prison planet for
longer than she can count. Her survival depends on staying out of sight, but one mistake
lands her under the oppressive claim of a cruel-spirited alien. When another Raither
suddenly intervenes, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to the sexy alien, confused by
her desires.
Commander Rax Veda is powerful and wise, and has been given the task of rescuing his
fellow Raithers from the prison planet. The son of the Emperor, Keldon Marcsu, is his
primary concern, so when he finds that the Raither is safe, and has found a female to claim,he is relieved. That is, until he finds himself experiencing an unexpected desire to claim the human for himself.
When Zina is abducted right out from in front of him, Rax has to make a choice. Zina technically belongs to Keldon Marcsu, and this act is grounds for war. Is he willing to fight for his love, to the death, and reform his planet?
DRAGON BLOOD (A NOVEL OF THE LUPI) by Eileen Wilks
VS note: I always enjoyed this series. This is book #14, so you might want to start at the beginning if you haven’t been reading along. I kind of lost track of the series a few books ago, so now I need to catch up!
When a mission to rescue five children stolen by an Old One falls apart under the assault of a demon prince, Lily wakes up in a strange reality—and is immediately taken captive by the dragon spawn who rule there. Jumping worlds has fractured her party, and Cynna is her only companion.
Although the clock is ticking, time works differently, and Lily has miraculously gained a week. That means seven days to free herself, find Rule and the others, rescue the children, and make it home alive. All before the dragon spawn holding her hostage trade her to the Old One. It would almost be doable if this weren’t Lóng Jia—also known as Dragonhome: the birthplace of dragons.
TO SEIZE A WAYWARD SPIRIT (DJINN HAVEN) by R L Naquin
Sometimes monsters like to pretend to be humans dressing up as monsters…After a major goof turned their last mission into chaos, Hidden Government chaser Kam and her friends must hunt and recapture a crapton of souls. Seventeen, to be precise. But by the time they chase down the first one—a goblin en route back home to Oklahoma—a banshee ups and gets assassinated, leaving their progress at exactly negative one.
The connection between Kam’s goblin and her banshee? A cosplay club, natch. Because sometimes monsters like to pretend to be humans dressing up as monsters.
As the body count rises and the Hidden cosplayers point fingers at each other, it’s up to Kam and her team to stop the insanity. One costumed faction has a secret they’re not sharing—even with each other—and if the bad seed isn’t found soon, the others are likely to be murdered…or worse.
DAMON’S ENCHANTRESS (CARDINAL WITCHES BOOK 3) by Alyssa Day
When lion shifter and FBI Paranormal Ops Division agent Damon Jones gets sent to Garden City, Ohio, to investigate a garden witch family’s ties to an international drug smuggler, he’s not happy about it. After all, garden witches are fragile and delicate, and he’s more of the lion in the china shop type.
But then he meets fire mage Lily Cardinal, and from the first moment her parrots tell him to “Get to the Chopper” he knows his life will never be the same…
Lily Cardinal is done with interesting men. The last one she dated turned out to be an infamous criminal with control-freak, sociopathic tendencies. She had to set his house on fire — literally — to escape.
Now deliciously sexy and Very Special Agent Damon Jones is moving into her house, and she can’t do anything to stop him. The problem is…she’s not sure she even wants to try.
CRIMSON ILLUSION by Rae B Lake
VS Note: Apparently about vampires.
Kate – I should have known, I was told not to trust the Palaens, but still I did. Now even after the broken bones and the bruises have healed, I am still left in pieces. No matter how hard I try to erase him from my memory, my heart always reminds me of one fact. I am in love with a killer.
Lucas – She is gone…just gone. Right when I thought maybe we would start a life together, she leaves me, or at least I hope she did. There was so much blood, and explanations why. I need to find her, even if its just to let her go.
Crimson Illusion is part 2 of the 7 Kingdoms Novels, Join Kate and Lucas as they find out just how much havoc the Phantoms can do to the Wolfe and Fields families. Will they be able to move past what happened in New Hampshire and fight this new demon together or will they have to admit defeat.
CROWN OF DEATH: BLOOD DESCENDANTS UNIVERSE by Keary Taylor
Years of bad luck have made Logan Pierce a little bitter, but it all goes from bad to worse the night she witnesses two immortal beings rip a man’s head off with their bare hands.
Her life is wrecked overnight by a single man—Cyrus, who seems to think she’s someone important in his bloody world. But they won’t know the truth until she’s dead, and he’s very anxious to help her get there.
But Logan isn’t going down without a fight. She makes him a deal. She will die, but first he must spend a month getting to know her, a month to change his mind. What she doesn’t expect is a month filled with displays of incredible wealth, spontaneous trips across the country, and unbelievable acts of immortal power. And as Logan spends her last days with Cyrus, she stops seeing the monster and begins to see a lonely, broken man she can’t walk away from. If she isn’t careful, it won’t just be her life she loses at the end of the month, but her heart as well.
WILD CARD (WILDCATS BOOK 3) by Rachel Vincent
Kaci Dillon is a man-eater.
She’s grown up on the fringes of shifter society, hearing the whispers. One desperate act as a starving, terrified child has made her the first tabby in history with no romantic prospects. But whatever. Eighteen is too young to get married anyway. Still, when she stumbles upon an opportunity to get away for a few days, who could blame her for seizing it?
Justus Alexander is screwed.
Confined to the South-Central territory, awaiting trial for crimes he committed as a traumatized, newly infected stray, Justus has discovered that the tribunal already intends to vote for the death penalty. He has no choice but to run. Too young to touch the trust fund that could finance his escape, he’s betting on a big win at the poker tables—until Kaci, his secret crush, catches him sneaking out and demands that he take her with him to Las Vegas…
After a wild night she can’t remember, Kaci wakes up with a ring on her finger, next to a young billionaire who can’t access his fortune until he turns twenty-five—or ties the knot. If she can keep her hands off her hot, charismatic new groom, she can have their unconsummated marriage annulled. But can she really abandon Justus to his death sentence, just to undo her own mistake?
CALLED BY THE VAMPIRE PART 7 by V Vaughn
Maggie was supposed to be dead. But Sebastian stepped in at the last minute to change her life forever, and now Maggie has to face instincts and handle evils she never wanted. Sebastian thought he was saving her, but the reality may be that he’s thrust her into a world she feels is worse than hell.
Lyndsey publicly steps into her role as a Princess and discovers it’s no fairy tale. She’s faced with a challenge that defies all the rules she used to know. In an instant, her moral compass has to change because her first act as Princess sets the course for centuries as the future Queen of the O’Kelly kingdom.
HEART ON FIRE (THE KINGMAKER CHRONICLES BOOK 3) by Amanda Bouchet
GODS. I’M AN IDIOT.
Without Griffin—and apparently a few meddling Gods—to push me along, I’d still be telling fortunes at the circus, lying about my past, ignoring my future, and living as far away from my tyrant mother as humanly possible.
True understanding thuds into place. Hope isn’t just an abstract concept; it’s me. Flesh and blood me. Griffin knew it all along. Probably everyone did. I’m an idea in human form.
SAVING RED (A NAUGHTY BEASTS AND FILTHY PRINCES ROMANCE BOOK 1) by Carter Blake
Ella Redmond is sweet, innocent, and completely off limits.
She belongs to a different world. One that I’ll never be a part of.
I’m a Hunter – Ash Hunter. I’m everything her grandmother warned her about. I’m fierce. Dominant. A beast of a man.
But there are far more dangerous animals than me.
Jared Wolfe lurks in the shadows. And I know what he wants. The same thing I do – to devour her.
I may not be the Prince Charming she’s been waiting for, but I will protect her. And in the end, she will be mine.
ELIZABETH AND THE CALL OF DRAGONS (Reverse Harem Fated Alpha Book 2) by Ava Mason
Elizabeth is finally safe, tucked away in the lair of her four dragon protectors. Now, she must learn to cope with the grief of losing her parents, her home, and the Southeastern White Tooth Pack, including a wolf her heart still yearns for.
Her four dragon protectors might keep their distance while she mourns, but they make it clear they desire her completely. Body, heart and soul. Despite her grief and the guilt clawing at her heart, Elizabeth’s feelings for the four men grow. She can see the future they are offering her. A fresh start… with them.
But a new challenge arises when the Shifter Authority forbids their relationship. The Authority claims wolves can’t mate with dragons, and certainly can’t conceive dragon babies.
Refusing to give Elizabeth up, each man is prepared to fight any battle to keep her and to prove that she’s their fated mate. ..(more)..
IVORY’S FAMILIARS by Montana Ash
Ronan, Vaughn, and Seth are witches’ familiars – sharing their souls with the black panther. The three of them are predators, born to be companion and protector to their witches. Over the generations, their coven’s numbers have dwindled to the brink of extinction. With no witch left to serve, they now work as bodyguards. None of them are prepared for the powerful connection they have with their newest client. She isn’t a witch – they sense no magic in her. But could she be something else entirely? Something none of them believed was even possible? Their mate.
Ivory is used to taking care of herself – she’s been alone for a long time. But when gifts from a secret admirer take a sinister turn, she admits she may need a little help. She isn’t counting on a trio of sexy men showing up on her doorstep after hiring private security. And she definitely isn’t expecting the instantaneous attraction she has to not just one, but all three of them. Her instincts urge her to trust, even as her head warns her to be cautious. For one tiny slip could expose her for what she truly is; a witch.
FREEING HIS MATE by Nancy Corrigan
I swore I’d never rejoin Shifter Affairs. I was done with the bureaucracy and the rules that stopped me from exacting my own brand of justice. Then a promise to solve a cold murder pulls me right back in.
I shouldn’t complain. The case leads me to a skittish female who triggers every primitive instinct I possess. We click. Instantly. Just like it’s supposed to be between true mates.
The only problem? Mya’s already taken. She’s also already a mother. And she’s pregnant again.
I’m too late.
I should walk away. Getting involved with Mya could cost me my head. My instincts won’t let me. Mya’s in trouble, forced into an abusive relationship for the babies she can conceive.
Not any longer. My true mate has a choice, even if the law says she doesn’t. And if it takes my death to free Mya, so be it.
PULSE by Danielle Koste
VS Note: Evidently this was a much enjoyed Wattpad story.
Rowan Platts is addicted to success.
When she’s presented with the chance to work on a top secret project fronted by her idol, renowned virologist Dr. Margot Miller, Rowan signs her life away without second thought. The realization she’s gotten in over her head comes only after the subject of their study is revealed: a boy with a bad attitude and an uninhibited taste for human blood.
He’s a medical anomaly. Having the ability to crush metal with his bare hands and hear a heartbeat from across the room, it would make Rowan’s career if she was the one to discover what made him so unusual.
Easier said than done, with a subject who prefers snapping necks over answering questions.
THE FORGOTTEN BOOK by Mechthild Glaser
VS Note: Teen and YA but sounded interesting. Translated from the German.
Emma is used to things going her way. Her father is headmaster of her prestigious boarding school, her friends take her advice as gospel, and she’s convinced that a relationship with her long-time crush is on the horizon.
As it turns out, Emma hasn’t seen anything yet. When she finds an old book in an abandoned library, things really start going Emma’s way: anything she writes in the book comes true.
But the power of the book is not without consequences, and Emma soon realizes that she isn’t the only one who knows about it. Someone is determined to take it from her—and they’ll stop at nothing to succeed.
A new boy in school—the arrogant, aloof, and irritatingly handsome Darcy de Winter—becomes Emma’s unlikely ally as secrets are revealed and danger creeps ever closer.
SOMETHING TO HOWL ABOUT (AN ALPHAVILLE STORY) by Christine Warren
Dr. Annie Cryer has been called many things: Genius. Child prodigy. Scientific wonder.
Wolf Shifter.
Banished from her pack years ago, Annie’s lone wolf wandering has brought her to Alpha, Washington, home to all shifters who don’t quite fit in in the “normal” shifter word. Now Annie has the chance to go back home…if only she can make good on a favor her alpha owes the mayor of “Alphaville.” But it’s not much of a favor when you’re helping the hottest shifter in town…
Grizzly shifter Jonas Browning has a clan in trouble. They haven’t had a child born in over a hundred years…and their clan faces going completely extinct. Genetic scientist Anne Cryer has been sent to help save them. But what Jonas doesn’t count on is being irresistibly drawn to the small wolf shifter, and his bear isn’t about to let her go.
ALL THE WORLD’S AN UNDEAD STAGE (OFFBEAT CRIMES BOOK 6) by Angel Martinez
Carrington Loveless III, skim-blood vampire and senior officer of Philly’s paranormal police department, has long suspected that someone’s targeting his squad. The increasingly bizarre and dangerous entities invading their city can’t be a coincidence. So when a walking corpse spouting Oscar Wilde attacks one of his officers, Carrington’s determined to uncover the evil mind behind it all.
DON’T COSPLAY WITH MY HEART by Cecil Castellucci
VS Note: OK, teen and maybe not even a romance but who can resist that title?
When Edan Kupferman dresses up like her favorite character, Gargantua, she feels tall and powerful. That’s important right now, because her family is a mess, her best friend is gone for the summer, her crush is confusing, and Edan’s feeling small and not sure which end is up. When Edan’s cosplaying, she can be angry, loud, and not the good girl everyone thinks she is. And when she’s at conventions, she feels like she’s found her own Team Tomorrow. But when her personal life starts to spiral out of control, Edan has to figure out whether she needs a sidekick, or if she has the strength to be the hero of her own story.
ELIZABETH’S WOLF (A NOVEL OF THE BREEDS) by Lora Leigh
VS Note: Normally I don’t cover re-releases here but this is my all time favorite of the Breeds’ series and I decided to buy this revised version to compare it to my original favorite. I know she’s also planning to (finally) release a new book in September with Cassie’s mate revealed after all these years of the series going on…
Special-Forces solider Dash has all but given up his will to live until an innocent letter from a little girl brings him back to life. Cassie writes to him every week, strengthening his resolve to recover from the devastating loss of his unit. But when the letters suddenly stop arriving, Dash instinctively knows Cassie and her mother are in critical danger.
Elizabeth and her daughter are on the run from a dark and bloody past that refuses to let them go. The stakes are too high for her to fall for this dangerous man who’s just walked into her life, but now more than ever she needs help.
Saving his mate and her daughter calls Dash’s beast to the forefront and transforms the lone wolf into an alpha protector—he becomes Elizabeth’s wolf.
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A snippet from AYDARR, my most recent release, which I’m proud to say is holding steady on the Amazon SFR Hot New releases list! Thanks, everyone, for the support!!!
As this snippet begins, Jill is speaking…
Buy Links: Amazon B&N Google Kobo iBooks
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LINKS TO RECENT NEW RELEASES POSTS from Veronica:
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My standard Notes and Caveats:
The term “new” is generally plus or minus a week or two. I try to catch up on ones I missed in recent months.
I don’t ordinarily list re-releases…
Also, I may include only the beginning of the book blurb…
The year is off to a bang!
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