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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BOND PROOF: THE APPRENTICE VOLUME 7 (THE TWELVE SYSTEMS CHRONICLES) by E G Manetti
In defiance of the odds, Lilian is within a month of proving her bond, driving desperate Odds Managers to ever increasing bounties on her life—every step beyond the security of the cartel is perilous. Within the cartel, she must put aside her fear, giving all her attention to her duty and the decorum demanded of an apprentice.
The success of the Nightingale launch has brought Lucius and Serengeti into the center of Twelve Systems commerce. As the Nightingale Command Crew is gathers on Metricelli Prime to prepare for the dangerous voyage to the Thirteenth System, whispers of pirates emerge from the Eleventh and Twelfth Systems. A decade before, pirates almost to toppled Serengeti, their reemergence so close to the Nightingale launch endangers all Lucius has achieved. When a group of free-traders arrive from those distant systems, they threaten to resurrect an ancient Mercio scandal that could undermine the honor of Blooded Dagger and Serengeti, and imperil all Lucius’ values.
In the final days of Lilian’s apprenticeship, danger lurks in every shadow. It will require all Lucius’ power and Lilian’s courage to achieve her bond proof.
THE CYBORG NEXT DOOR: IN THE STARS by Bianca D’arc
Chiron is a cyborg – a man who has been turned into a machine after tragedy. Common wisdom says he’s just a robot now, with no feelings and no memory of his past life, but his next-door neighbor, Roxy, is starting to suspect that’s not exactly true. He looks at her with desire in his eyes, and she knows there’s a man inside that muscular frame, who feels a very mutual attraction.
She’s trying to earn enough as a mechanic for passage back to Earth, but it’s a long way home and war is on the horizon. When aliens attack the station, the leadership flees, leaving the cyborgs and a bunch of women and children to the not-so-tender mercies of the alien warriors. But the cyborgs have a crazy plan and they won’t leave the innocent behind.
With Roxy’s help, they’ll try to fix the last viable ship and head out for parts unknown. Their journey is fraught with hazards, but if they work together, the humans and cyborgs might just find a way home. Roxy and Chiron will have to put it all on the line to save the others—their safety, their lives…and their hearts.
HEART OF STONE (KHARGALS OF DURAS) by Regine Abel
When death nearly claims Brianna at the tender age of eight, a being that shouldn’t exist saves her. Twenty years later, she becomes an architect specialized in historic buildings, still searching for evidence that the one who saved her—the one who haunts her increasingly wild dreams—truly exists. When a mystery man hires her for a major project in the catacombs of an old church turned exclusive, gothic nightclub, Brianna believes she may have her chance at long last.
Alkor has grown weary of this era. Forced to hide in plain sight, forbidden from ever claiming the only woman to have stirred his mating instincts, he considers going back into hibernation rather than pining for her from afar. But the sudden activation of the beacon changes everything. Rescue is on the way! With his only means of reaching the rendezvous point trapped in the catacombs, Alkor hires Brianna to help recover his treasure. However, his lost sigil isn’t the only thing he intends to take back home with him.
Time is running out, and the evil forces conspiring to capture him will stop at nothing to achieve their goal, even using Brianna. Did Alkor save his true mate only to lose her now that they might have a chance at a future together?———-
Heart of Stone is a standalone novel part of the collaborative series the Khargals of Duras.
A thousand years ago, a Khargal scouting party left Duras, only to crash on a planet called Earth…(more explanation on ebook seller page…)
GRAVEL AND GRIT: KHARGALS OF DURAS by Stacy Jones
Zaek is losing hope after waiting centuries for rescue, but the time has finally arrived. The lost emergency beacon has fallen from orbit and gone active. All he needs to do to get off this damn planet named Earth is find it and get to the pick up location in time. The problem? The beacon comes with an addictively confounding, Earthian female who makes his mating gland swell, marking her as his true mate. Zaek hasn’t been around a human who didn’t run away screaming monster in a millennium, so how the hell is he supposed to convince this smart, beautiful, sarcastic female to give him the opportunity to win her heart before he loses his chance forever?
Mira has always been obsessed with all things alien, but when one breaks into her lab at Area 51, first contact doesn’t go how she planned. Kidnapped and running for her life with a gruff gargoyle that definitely isn’t made of stone and has more than his share of quirks, Mira learns that sometimes plans are made to be thrown out the window.
With a black ops team hot on their heels, determined to kill or capture them both, time is running out and their fumbling romance isn’t the only thing standing in their way to happiness.
HARD AS ROCK: KHARGALS OF DURAS by Stephanie West
After the loss of her parents, Meline scrapes together the cash to take a once-in-a-lifetime trip. Armed with her great-grandfather’s journal, retracing her heritage should be exciting, yet she can’t shake the frightening feeling someone’s been watching her from the moment she arrived in the old city. Then Roc shows up just when she needs him, offering to help. He’s sexy-as-sin, wealthy, and well-connected, but there’s something he’s hiding.
Roc needs to locate his Khargal sire’s lost sigil before all hell breaks loose, and Meline holds a journal with the answers. After centuries of “liberating” art, he’s never thought twice about lying or stealing, but when the captivating woman appears at the site where his father’s buried, he hesitates. Something about her has gotten underneath his stoney exterior, and he doesn’t know what to do.
When a clandestine group hunting the sigil emerges, Roc and Meline must face them together before the sigil turns everything to ash. Yet the challenge may not be finding the sigil so much as breaking down the wall guarding Roc’s heart.
STICKS AND STONES: KHARGALS OF DURAS BOOK 4 by Tamsin Ley
Angie’s made it her mission to hold onto the home that is last piece of her heritage. But when a mysterious man makes an offer on the life-sized gargoyle in her garden, she quickly discovers her property holds more than sentimental heirlooms. Beneath its stony facade hides a world where legends are more than mythology, and ancient stories have roots from beyond the stars. The stone sentinel that’s guarded her family for generations is not only alive—
He’s a sexy-as-hell alien who can’t leave well enough alone.
Sten’s ship crashed on Earth centuries ago, and he has watched Angie’s family for generations, sworn to protect his deceased friend’s bloodline. He never understood what could drive a Khargal to break the Prime Directive and fall in love with a human, let alone procreate, but Angie makes Sten consider things beyond mere duty…(more blurb on ebook seller page…)
ETCHED IN STONE KHARGALS OF DURAS by Abigail Myst
Frelinray knows duty. He’s been protecting the same family for over 80 years. Now the call home has finally arrived. He must choose between serving his people, the Khargals, or the human woman he desires above all others. Which promise should he break?
Jesse has the hots for a stone statue. Ridiculous, but true. She is an artist, and he’s her muse, but a girl has to draw a line somewhere. Or so she thinks, until he swoops in to rescue her. Can a relationship between a girl and a gargoyle really work, especially when forces beyond their control are finally calling him home?
TAKEN FOR GRANITE (KHARGALS OF DURAS) by Nancey Cummings
Captured, starved and blinded, Tas hates humans. For eighty agonizing years, he’s plotted all the gruesome ways to exact his vengeance. Then one day his captors to make a fatal mistake. When the door to his cage opens, he’s ready to destroy the human on the other side.But a different instinct takes over when he scents the female. His mouth waters and his fangs ache, demanding he make the fearless female his.A single mom, desperate to save her kid.Juniper owes a lot of money to a very bad man and unless she does what he wants, he’ll hurt her kid.To clear her debt, all she has to do is drive a van and not ask questions. But when she hears a voice in the back, she realizes she may not only be a thief but also a kidnapper, and that’s where she draws the line.
What she finds in the back isn’t the loot she expected, but it also isn’t a person.It’s a gargoyle… who intends to claim her as his mate.
ROCK MY WORLD (KHARGALS OF DURAS) by Zara Zenia
The gargoyles who fell to Earth have perched and secretly observed humans, but the Rose Syndicate’s threat to use garg technology to create super weapons means the gargs must act before humans pays the price.
Mogul has suffered for years, both at the hands of his fellow gargs and with the losses of the humans he has let into his heart. Never again. With the help of his only two friends, Mogul is determined to take down the Rose Syndicate and get off this planet. The last thing he needs is emotional entanglements, and his injured wings prevent him from injecting the mating serum even if he wanted to.
Kira is determined to unravel the mystery surrounding the objects found at the archeological dig near her childhood home…(more blurb on ebook seller page…)
HONOR BOUND (HONORS BOOK 2) by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre
Zara Cole was a thief back on Earth, but she’s been recently upgraded to intergalactic fugitive. On the run after a bloody battle in a covert war that she never expected to be fighting, Zara, her co-pilot Beatriz, and their Leviathan ship Nadim barely escaped the carnage with their lives.
Now Zara and her crew of Honors need a safe haven, far from the creatures who want to annihilate them. But they’ll have to settle for the Sliver: a wild, dangerous warren of alien criminals. The secrets of the Sliver may have the power to turn the tide of the war they left behind—but in the wrong direction.
Soon Zara will have to make a choice: run from the ultimate evil—or stand and fight.
ESCAPE FROM IXILTA (ALIEN OUTLAWS BOOK 1) by Kate Rudolph
Six years after being abducted from Earth, Andie Munster has carved out a life for herself on her new home planet of Ixilta. Not the life she wanted, not the life she’d choose, but it’s better than being sold into slavery. Or so she tells herself every day. But when a dashing purple alien named Xandr smashes her carefully constructed existence to pieces, she’ll need to make a choice: remain trapped on a planet where freedom is little more than an illusion, or reach for something greater and risk everything.
ITHANI (THE OBERON CYCLE BOOK 3) by J Scott Coatsworth
After saving the world twice, Xander, Jameson, and friends plunge headlong into a new crisis. The ithani—the aliens who broke the world—have reawakened from their hundred millennia-long slumber. When Xander and Jameson disappear in a flash, an already fractured world is thrown into chaos.
The ithani plans, laid a hundred thousand years before, are finally coming to pass, and they threaten all life on Erro. Venin and Alix go on a desperate search for their missing friend and find more than they bargained for. And Quince, Robin, and Jessa discover a secret as old as the skythane themselves.
Will alien technology, unexpected help from the distant past, destiny, and some good old-fashioned firepower be enough to defeat an enemy with the ability to split a world? The final battle of the epic science fiction adventure that began in Skythane will decide the fate of lander and skythane alike. And in the north, the ithani rise.
BAD PANTHER (ALIEN GUARDIANS OF EARTH BOOK 1) by Donna McDonald
Dr. Sugar Jennings is an Archaeologist and an Ancient Earth Historian. She’s also the host of a very old, very ancient artifact of enormous power. Everyone wants Sugar dead because of it. They want the power she possesses, but she can’t let them get it. Desperation drives her to seek help but no one is willing to risk their own life in the job of protecting hers. Or no one did until a mercenary Panther Shifter decided she might be worth the trouble. Now all she has to do is convince the ancient artifact she carries not to kill Axel for trying to help her.
Axel Rodu is a rogue Panther Shifter and heir to Lyran throne on Earth. His work for the agency is special contract only but even their toughest problems barely keep his boredom at bay. Has he earned the name Bad Panther? Depends on who you ask so long as you don’t ask his newest client. Ironically though, Axel has no intentions of using Dr. Sugar Jennings to worsen his reputation. He has one job to do concerning the archaeologist and one job only. By order of his queen, whatever it takes, he must make sure Dr. Jennings stays alive until the artifact is done with her.
REVOLUTION (THE ELEMENTAL PALADINS SERIES BOOK 6) by Montana Ash
With the battle against the chades over, and the evil at the centre of their world eliminated, balance has finally been restored to nature. Too bad the same can’t be said for their society.
Beyden is trying to support his fellow paladins as they work to restore order after the upheaval caused by the Revolution. But with his leg injured beyond repair and pain his constant companion, Beyden is struggling with his new reality. Max, the one person in the world who could possibly help him, is drowning in her own problems. So Beyden turns to someone he never thought he would need; a human.
Jasminka is used to being the odd one out. The only child of wealthy, stoic parents who demanded nothing short of perfection, she never really fit in anywhere. But being the only human in a magical society of elemental beings and modern-day knights is perhaps taking things a little too far. So why does she feel so at home? Could it be the crazy self-made family, filled with love, laughter, and strays? Or perhaps it’s the gentle giant with the pain-filled, amber eyes? Either way, as a doctor, Jasminka is determined to heal all their hurts … and just maybe, be healed in return.
SCI-REGENCY 4: DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS by J L Langley
Dalton Fairfax, Lord Ashbourne, has always flaunted the rules of Regelence high society. Despite being the heir to the Marquess of Ravensburg and cousin to the Townsend princes, Dalton found his calling in the military, first in the Intergalactic Navy and now the Regelence Special Regiment. Finally home, in the same city as the parents he seeks to avoid along with a painful past, Dalton jumps at the chance to help his planet by taking on the role of bodyguard to the heir of the Duke of Eversleigh.
Blaise Thompson, Viscount Redding, strives to prove himself worthy of carrying on the Eversleigh legacy as the next Regelence IN council member. Maintaining his stellar reputation isn’t easy for Blaise, especially while keeping his outrageous younger brother in line and foiling his rival’s personal attacks. Ever conscious of living up to his responsibilities, Blaise has no time for romance, not even with a lusty special forces soldier.
But opposites don’t just attract… they sizzle. And when the only way to stop a scandal that threatens them both is to compromise their principles, Blaise and Dalton are forced to confront the risk of losing everything… even each other.
HAVOC: AFTER THE FEVER by Miranda Bailey
VS Note: From January. A re-release.
Jess knows the world has ended, she’s had to endure unbearable losses that prove that, but she has one final wish, if this is the end for humanity. She just wants to see Savannah one more time, to smell the ocean, and to die in a place she used to dream of living in. She hadn’t counted on meeting a woman named Havoc, or the way the woman lives up to her name.
In the old world, Jess wasn’t supposed to find Havoc so interesting. She wasn’t supposed to want her either, but this is a new world, and the old rules don’t apply. Right?
TALEN by Shay Savage
In a world plagued by constant earthquakes and volcanic debris, people in the valley struggle to survive while those on top of the hill want for nothing.
This is where I come in.
I spend my nights plundering supplies in the walled city of Hilltop, and I trade them to the valley people below. I’m not a thief. I prefer to be known as the head of Lost and Found.
When I discover a beautiful but dangerous competitor in my territory, I also learn she knows more about me than she should. Is she a spy sent by my father, or is she a rebel like me? I don’t trust her, but together we’ll discover secrets that may destroy what’s left of our world.
There have always been those with wealth and those without.
My name is Talen, and I’m here to even the score.
DANGER’S FATE (HOLLY DANGER BOOK 6) by Amanda Carlson
VS Note: Not a romance, might have romantic elements. Most of the reviews state the series should be read in order.
The floating city exists…
Upon receiving the urgent missive, confirming the existence of the Flotilla, there’s nothing left for Holly to do but rush to their aid. Hundreds, if not thousands, of lives are at stake. But the government, now run by her crew, are holding back their efforts. Betraying them could mean the start of a bitter feud, just when the dark city has a chance to regain its lost resources.
Alaria Bancroft is in the fight of her life—against her father and his trusted followers. After cutting the hydro-farms loose, they’re in jeopardy of being lost at sea. To complicate matters, the biospheres are broken beyond repair and food stores are rapidly dwindling. If help doesn’t arrive soon, they all die.
Ari’s only option is to sneak back into the floating city, in one last attempt to save as many as she can. When Holly arrives, the two have to work together, but it might be too late.
OSTAKIS by Angelica Primm
The Human Planets Collective sent young Ambassador Kaj Deder to the former colony planet Ostakis to establish relations. But in the twenty-five hundred years since Earth lost contact with Ostakis, the people of that colony have dramatically changed. Kaj is tasked with finding the reason for these changes while he forges trade links between the HPC and Ostakis. Without trade with the HPC, the dwindling resources of Ostakis will ultimately end human life on the planet. But his mission faces a huge obstacle in the form of Most Reverend Thyenn Sharr, the head of the Faith Progressive Church, who sees the arrival of Kaj as the beginning of the end of the Church. Kaj’s powerful attraction to Trademaster Klath’s son, Arlan does not smooth relations.
Arlan Klath, the son of the Trademaster of Ostakis, bears the secret that the pious people of his planet want to hide from the homeworld and the HPC…(more blurb on ebook seller page…)
KAIN SEDUCTION (HER ALIEN SCOUTS BOOK 2) by E M Moore
Ready for more otherworldly experiences?
Lia certainly is. Who wouldn’t be with three sexy aliens by her side to fulfill her every whim and wanting nothing more than to protect her?
Unfortunately, Lia may be getting too many experiences to handle. If it isn’t Kain itself, it’s Lia’s government, and now? Now they encounter the worst threat of all: the Mordrons.
This warrior alien race is trying to take everything they have away from them. The Mordrons are bigger, stronger, and skilled in ways the peaceful Kains never thought necessary. However, the Kains have one thing the Mordrons don’t have: a reason to fight.
But will the Kains’ determination to fight be enough? Or will the Mordrons obliterate everything they now hold dear?
ALIEN INVADER’S PREY: A DARK SCIFI ROMANCE by Calista Skye
Althea – He’s a giant alien who just invaded my colony on Mars. And then he hunted me down and put a collar around my neck. Okay, so maybe I shot him first. But he’s too shimmering blue and too heart-stoppingly gorgeous to miss. He’s an overbearing jerk with some kind of superiority complex. He demands obedience. And still he turns me on like nobody has ever done. But he wants to know my secret.And that’s a secret that I’d rather die than tell him.
Brox – She shot me, and I must punish her for it. She’s small and soft and has a defiant spark in her dark eyes. That is very dangerous for her. The galaxy can be ruthless to small, disobedient females. I can, too. She tempts me with her scandalous shape. She brings out the worst in me. I want all of her. But I also want her secret.And I always get my way.
BREATH OF CHAOS by Merry Ravenell
Civil engineer Helena didn’t intend to get mixed up with her smoldering-hot ex, Auryn. But an expired passport, a typhoon, and some corrupt government officials (and maybe the cosmos itself) had something to say about that.
She especially did not intend to get mixed up with dying alien space dragons living under the sea.
They’re a nice enough bunch. Except they want her dead.
To survive, she’ll have to prove that she’s destined to be there… by spinning water into air.
This is gonna call for more duct tape.
RAGNAR (CLAIMED BY THE ALIEN VIKING) by Molly Rowland
As a member of a prestigious security team on Earth, joining a warrior Viking clan isn’t as scary for me as it is for some. I have a solid set of skills and I can handle myself. But ultimately, I can’t afford to turn this opportunity down.
I meet Ragnar by chance, thrown together by fate and chaos. From the moment his eyes lock onto mine, an inevitable connection is formed. He doesn’t follow the rules and I know I should stay far away from him…but he has other ideas.
We find ourselves setting sail across the sea with orders to put an end to the conflict that follows Ragnar and his crew and threatens the peace of the Isle. In the end, we get more than we bargained for.
Even if we make it out alive, our future together is uncertain. Are the lies and deceit too much to over come? Is a life together possible or are our demons too strong?
ALIEN PRINCE’S BLOODMATE (ALIEN WARRIOR BRIDES BOOK 8) by Taylor Neptune
Andar is the deposed Adesran prince and head of a small clan of royalists; he is also one of the last honorable vampires on the planet. He has mastered his blood hunger, in stark contrast to the usurper Valock. Without a throne, he and his clan try to fight against Valock’s cruelty. But when Valock hears a prophecy, he begins to steal Mashek moon daughters. Andar must unseat Valock once and for all.
He doesn’t expect one of the moon daughters to be his fated blood mate. Now they’re on a journey to defeat Valock and restore the planet to the way that it should be.
Kana lived in a hidden valley with her Mashek family until the day that the Rippers came and stole her from her home. Now she must fight to survive Valock’s plans for her to be the mother of the first hybrid Adesran-Mashek baby, the child prophesied to bring peace to the planet at last.
LUNA: THE CELESTION CHRONICLES 2 by Miranda Masey
After an ancient pyramid is discovered on the distant planet Osara, Dr. Lux Tiefer joins her colleague and nemesis, Alon Takalis, on an expedition to catalogue the remains of an extinct alien race. When a powerful alien warrior demands that she leave the blacklisted planet immediately, Lux digs in her heels. She doesn’t know who this seven-foot-tall musclebound Celestion thinks he is, but there is one thing she knows for certain: she’s not going anywhere before she unravels the ancient mystery, even if the surly warrior does claim to be destined for her. It shouldn’t be that difficult to resist him… but Ven has a way of breaking down her resolve.
Celestion Ven has intercepted a broadcast from Osara, and it falls on him to roust a team of Sovereign University scientists from the restricted quadrant. Unfortunately the stubborn lead archaeologist not only rejects the mate bond between them, but refuses to leave her discovery behind. He agrees to protect her for six days, determined to win Lux over, but she’s ready to resist the power of the bond with every fiber of her being.
The secrets contained in the ancient pyramid only grow more sinister as the team digs into the past, and a deadly secret hidden for millennia threatens to come to light and devour them all.
THE CONCORD COALITION (CONCLAVE WORLDS BOOK 2) by Kenley Davidson
As heir to Earth’s most powerful corporation, Phillip Linden had the world—and most of explored space—under the heel of his very expensive boot. But that was before his ambitions and a handful of determined rebels rose up and kicked him in the teeth. Now, after a galactic-sized screw up, he’s been branded a failure and kicked out—of his family, his home, his job…even his planet.
Living under an assumed name on the fringes of human civilization, Phillip is adrift, drowning in his bitterness and loss until he stumbles over a discovery so monumental, it could change the course of humanity’s future. For Phillip, it could be the key to regaining what he’s lost. Or it could be the new beginning he never knew he needed.
Persephone is running away—from her family, their expectations, and the destruction of her hopes for a new life on Daragh. Trouble is, she has no idea what she really wants, except her freedom. Now homeless and jobless, she’s stuck on Concord Five, the busiest space station in a rapidly expanding galaxy, hoping to find work. What she finds instead is a bitter, compelling man in search of redemption, and a mystery that could be their undoing—or their salvation.
SKYLINE: THE CAPTAIN, THE BILLIONAIRE BOAT AND THE DRAGON CRUSADER by Kennedy King
Dawn Redding. An Admiral of the World Crisis Committee, she stands on the threshold of the life she gave everything for. She only needs to bring in the galaxy’s first outerworld outlaw.
Howard Carver. The legacy left behind by his family holds the key to facing humanity’s greatest threat, the far-flung lifeforms known as Dragons.
Rick Miller. A retired Captain with the ship to take them both to the outerworlds, where the outlaw Drogan lurks.
These three come together aboard the ageing Arcadia, a ship equipped with an AI named Alice, who is capable of self-piloting. Dawn, naturally feels useless. With or without the use of her greatest skill, she discovers her purpose as a leader when the group comes face-to-face with the being between man and Dragon himself. Drogan.
The astral road to him, the SkyLine, launches Dawn and the crew of the Arcadia from Mars to Neptune, and past the edge. Companions in loathing and love, they fight to level the cosmic scales. Through it all watches Alice, inside the Billionaire Boat, the Arcadia. More closely than anyone, she watches Dawn.
PRINCE OF ICE (FROZEN DRAGONS BOOK 3) by Terry Bolryder
Luka, the last unmated ice dragon, knows exactly how to win over the sassy, sweet scientist he fell for at first sight. He’s going to take it slow, let her warm up, and show her how hot an ice dragon’s kiss can be. All while hiding his identity. But when someone breaks into Iris’s lab, Luka’s careful plans are ruined, and it’ll take all his strength just to keep the dragon in him from unleashing on whoever is threatening his mate.
Iris Jensen has worked hard to become a renowned scientist in her field. Now that she’s about to get tenure, and the financial security she’s always longed for, nothing can distract her. Except maybe a man with beautiful, icy eyes that seem to stare into her soul and hands that are just perfect for holding her. But with someone threatening everything she’s worked for, she can’t let herself fall into Luka’s arms just yet.
Even though Luka wants to take things slow with his mate, the dragon in him knows he has to hurry if he wants to protect her from outside forces. Because Iris may be close to losing everything, and in the modern world there are some things even ice dragons have to fear.
WRITTEN IN WATER (HEIR TO THE FIRST BORN BOOK 1) by Elizabeth Schechter
Out of the dreams of the Mother Goddess came the four tribes of Adavar, each born from of the elements. And since the beginning, the tribes of Adavar have been ruled by the Firstborn, the descendants of Axia, the firstborn daughter of the Mother Goddess. And as Axia had her four companions by her side throughout her life, so to does the Firstborn have their Companions, chosen one from each tribe, so that each tribe has a voice. On the day that the Firstborn takes the throne, their Heir is chosen by the Mother Goddess herself, and no one would dare to challenge that divine choice
Until the usurper Mannon turns on Firstborn Tirine, her Council, and Milon, her Heir, stealing the throne of Adavar and throwing the world into chaos.
Twenty-five years later, Waterborn Aleia and her mate, Earthborn Jehan, survive alone far out at sea, maintaining little contact with the Water tribe. It is the only life their son, Aven, has ever known.
Then the storm comes, driving a storm-damaged ship into the deep waters. The only survivor on the deserted ship? A girl with wings, who Jehan and Aven discover unconscious and imprisoned in the hold. When she wakes, she knows Aleia and Jehan on sight, and what she tells them turns Aven’s life upside down.
Her name is Aria.
She is Milon’s daughter.
She is the Heir to the Firstborn, charged by the Goddess to take back what was stolen.
And Aven is her first Companion.
SEA OF FLAMES (STAR CROSSED ACADEMY BOOK 1) by Wendy Knight
He’s loved her since he was five years old. And he will never feel her touch.
Adara is literally fire, and Beck is ice. Even the barest hint of touch burns them both.
He loves her with everything he has. Which is why he has to let her go.
Beck and Adara were raised together at Vitolas Academy, an elite boarding school for elementals. They learned to add, subtract, read, and harness the powers flowing through them.
They learned to fight.
To become soldiers.
Warriors.
Hunters.
But never lovers. It would hurt too much.
It takes everything Beck has to keep Adara at arms’ length. She deserves a life with physical affection, and that’s a life he can’t give her. Not without a miracle.
A miracle that might come from the last source he expects–the monsters that he’s spent his whole life learning to fight. The monsters that threaten his whole world.
The monsters that hold the key to Adara’s heart and soul.
A SORCERER’S NIGHT (THE ORDER OF THE BLACK OAK – WARLOCKS BOOK 2) by Marie Claude Bourquet
THE SORCERESS: Celeste Stanford is determined to reclaim her independence, despite her protective family—modern-day warlocks drawing powers from an ancient legacy—and her overbearing panther shifter boyfriend. She will no longer hide from the aftermath of her horrific abduction by a rogue dark mage and will fight anyone preventing her from true recovery.
THE PANTHER SHIFTER: Even though the mage who kidnapped his girlfriend has been defeated, powerful sorcerer and shifter Sinclair Clarke is still haunted by the memory of his mother’s murder at the hand of the very same evil spell-caster, and has vowed to protect his soul mate from darkness at all cost. Even if it means going against her will.
A GRAVE PERIL (BODIES OF EVIDENCE BOOK 3) by Wendy Roberts
VS Note: From January. Heroine uses dousing rods.
Julie Hall’s job is to find bodies. For the sake of her sanity, she’s taking a much-needed break—but the dead don’t wait. With bodies piling up alongside her guilt, she knows she has to dive back in, despite pushback from her FBI boyfriend, Garrett Pierce. But Garrett is working a troubling case of his own and no longer seems like the man she fell in love with.
Despite his warnings—or maybe because of them—when Garrett goes missing, Julie has no choice but to use her skills to find where the cartel buries their victims…before he becomes part of the body count.
CALAMITY’S CURSE: COWBOYS AND MAGES by Shaye Marlow
Rory the Crazy, Rory the Cunning… Rory the Cowardly. I fear many things, not the least of which is one little old lady: Dotty, who is much more than she appears.
One thing I don’t shrink from? Brainstorming with my smut-writing sister. Tentacle monsters, ruthless Amazon women, trolls, fairies, honey-trap witches. But what if… some of these things actually exist? Not just in my imagination, and not here, in this universe, but in one Dotty has access to.
One she shoves me into.
Hypothetically, if this were to happen, and I were to meet a vertically-challenged cursed woman named Calamity… If we were to brave monsters and settle feuds and destroy towns… If I were to find out I had a grand fate, that I was the prophesized one, the one who’d change everything…
And assuming you’re strangely attracted to hypotheticals, and crave fun and fire and fantasy, and romantic tales of heroism that bards will sing about for ages, then…
Dude, hold my beer, and let me tell you a story.
BLOOD LUST by L E Royal
For Rayne Kennedy, the only Hybrid in Vires, a walled Vampire city in Vermont, life is almost over. Despite the new family and temporary happiness she’s found, her vampire girlfriend, Scarlett Pearce, has been given ninety days by the mysterious city government to turn her into a vampire. She’s sure her days as a human are numbered.
Scarlett fights to find a way to avoid Rayne’s death when her father and society have decreed it must happen. Between new relationships formed, old ones reshaped, and a bloody romp through the city’s darkness, Rayne must decide if she trusts Scarlett not to give in to her blood lust. Thrown into the center of an unexpected revolution, Rayne tries to save herself and Scarlett, unsure if her days as a human, and their time being blood bound, are truly coming to an end.
ASSASSIN’S BOND (CHAINS OF HONOR BOOK 3) by Lindsay Buroker
Yanko and his friends must escape a Turgonian prison and find passage back home before their enemies claim an advantage that could change the world. And not for the good of the Nurian people.
But even more trouble awaits at home. Civil war has broken out, Yanko’s family is in danger, and the man who sent him on his mission has disappeared.
If Yanko can’t find Prince Zirabo, he’ll forever remain a criminal and be hunted down by his own people. Worse, his only chance to survive and redeem his honor may be to rely on the one person who’s been trying to kill him since his adventure began.
DUSK’S REVENGE (SILENT WINGS BOOK 3) by A W Exley
THE BEAST’S HEART: A NOVEL OF BEAUTY AND THE BEAST by Leife ShallcrossHe is a broken, wild thing, his heart’s nature exposed by his beastly form. Long ago cursed with a wretched existence, the Beast prowls the dusty hallways of his ruined château with only magical, unseen servants to keep him company—until a weary traveler disturbs his isolation.
Bewitched by the man’s dreams of his beautiful daughter, the Beast devises a plan to lure her to the château. There, Isabeau courageously exchanges her father’s life for her own and agrees to remain with the Beast for a year. But even as their time together weaves its own spell, the Beast finds winning Isabeau’s love is only the first impossible step in breaking free from the curse.
PEONY LANTERNS: A NOVELLA by Patricia CorrellMitsu has been Shiro’s personal servant and best friend since they were both six years old, and he’s been in love with him for nearly that long. While Shiro takes lovers of both sexes, the gulf between their social classes is so vast that Mitsu has never spoken his feelings aloud.
When Shiro meets the beautiful Lady Keiko, he’s instantly infatuated. His affection soon turns to obsession, and Mitsu resigns himself to a life of unrequited love.
But as Mitsu looks deeper into Keiko and her motives, he realizes that Shiro is in grave danger. He will need all his courage– and some help from a master of the occult– to save the life of the man he loves.
POTIONS, POPSTARS & MURDER (LITTLE SHOP OF SPELLS BOOK 3) by Janni NellWhen small-town witch Maddie Goodcharm attends the opening of a new nightclub, she doesn’t expect to find the body of a famous singer. Maddie suspects foul play, but the authorities are convinced the death is accidental. Case closed.
Maddie decides to follow her instincts and dig deeper, but life doesn’t stop simply because she has a murder to solve. She also has to run her shop, mix potions, and rehabilitate Jason, who is suffering the aftereffects of a spell gone wrong.
Keeping all those balls in the air won’t be easy. Especially when her investigation uncovers old secrets and lies that put her life in danger. Can she catch the killer before the killer catches her?
WOLF ON THE JOB: A COVENANT COLLEGE SHORT by Amanda M LeeThat is until things come to a head in his professional and personal lives and things threaten to careen out of control.
As a shifter, Aric has certain responsibilities in the wolf hierarchy. His father makes that clear when he brings a bigwig for a visit and expects Aric to entertain him. Unfortunately for Aric, his daughter Sami is out of school for the day so he has to take her along for the ride.
Sami is special, of course. She’s more than a wolf thanks to her mother’s mage background. That power is put on display when a member of the wolf council goes missing and Sami is expected to track him through the woods.
Instead of finding a living wolf, though, Aric finds a dead one … and it’s not the one he’s looking for. What follows is a race against the clock to find a murderer and keep his family safe.
Is Aric up to the task? He’s the top wolf on the job, and he’s about to find out.
UNLEASHED VALKYRIE (VALHALLA’S CURSE BOOK 5) by Stacy ClaflinSoleil wants nothing more than to live with her family, free from the rules governing her kind. But with Valhalla on the brink of civil war, even retired valkyries are called back to service. Even though she’s a master at skirting the rules, there’s no avoiding her destiny this time. Especially since she’s accidentally volunteered to lead Valhalla’s opposition on Earth—and with two of her least favorite valkyries, no less.
As though a war with traditional valkyries isn’t enough, there’s been a resurgence of hunters. Even the help of the supernaturals on Earth may not be enough to assure victory. Not when she’s fighting a war on two fronts. There’s one supernatural who might be strong enough to turn the tide, but she’d never ask. She’s also not strong enough to keep him from entering the fray.
The fate of two worlds hang in the balance. Soleil wants nothing more than to flee with her family, but she’s honor-bound to stay and fight. The question is, how will the war end? With her people free? With two worlds destroyed? Or will she even survive to witness the outcome?
QUEEN OF SWORDS (THE BANISHED GODS SERIES BOOK 1) by L A McGinnisMorgane Burke is a survivor. Returning to Chicago to fight the monsters who killed her family might not bring them back, but it would go a long way in balancing the scales. Finally, those scales are beginning to tip in her favor. But a far bigger war is brewing on the shores of Lake Michigan, a war poised to sweep her up in its deadly grasp. Can she find the strength she needs to battle the demons within her, as well as the ones coming to claim her soul?
FIRE BREATHING REMY (DRAGONS OF THE BAYOU BOOK 4) by Candace AyersThe most exciting day of her life, right?
Why is she envisioning the steel bars of a cage slamming shut?
When a huge, red creature crashes to the ground a few feet away, she’s the only witness.
When it transforms into a hot, naked guy, she’s still the only witness.
Remy swears he and Lennox belong together.
And, boy, does she want to believe him.
But he’s clearly drunk and delusional.
Besides, she can’t get out of the wedding now.
Not with guests in town and the entire event paid for.
Can she?
BOUNTY HUNTER MACK (THE CLAYTON ROCK BOUNTY HUNTERS OF REDEMPTION CREEK BOOK 4) by Kim FoxKara Griffin has just escaped from a military facility that has been keeping her prisoner, but instead of fleeing as far away as she can get, she wants to return to save the rest of her family who are still trapped inside.
When the two unlikely pair connect, sparks fly and Mack will have to make an impossible choice between vengeance or his new love. But when old enemies come back to settle the score, there might not be a choice left to make.
LET ME BE YOUR BEAR (TALL, DARK AND SHIFTER BOOK 1) by Amber BelmontWhen three sorority sisters make a pact not to settle down unless he’s tall, dark, and shifter, you just know sparks are going to fly!
Alyssa has everything a woman could want. Money, a promising career, and friends who’d do anything for her. The only thing missing is a good man, but she’s not sure if she’s interested in dating, let alone settling down. So when her sorority sister and best friend Brianna suggests they agree not to date anyone who isn’t tall, dark, and shifter, Alyssa is more than happy to make a pact to do just that.
Despite her vow, when Sean walks into her life, all Alyssa’s promises are forgotten. He might not be a shifter, but he’s the sexiest man she’s ever met. Two out of three can’t be bad, right?
But when Alyssa is caught up in an attempted kidnapping, secrets come to light, secrets that could change everything. As more lies are uncovered, Alyssa wonders whether she can trust anyone or if she’s better off alone.
What was meant to be a fun way of finding the man of her dreams threatens to become a nightmare. Are shifters really the way to go or should Alyssa give up on men altogether?
TROPICAL LEOPARD’S LONGING (SHIFTING SANDS RESORT BOOK 8) by Zoe Chant
Snow leopard shifter and heiress Darla Grant thought that marrying her best friend would be the solution to all of her problems: it would shelter her from a persistent and unwelcome suitor, unlock her inheritance to save the bankrupt shifter retirement home where she volunteers, and free her from her controlling society mother.
Then she meets her fated mate at the tropical luxury resort reserved for her wedding, and her perfect plan turns into perfect torture.
Leopard shifter and waiter Breck is everything her mother despises: poor, common, and openly bisexual. No matter that he’s also charming, funny, and kind—even if Darla could switch grooms, her mother would never give her blessing to the match and the suitor she was trying to escape isn’t going to give up her fortune without a fight.
But there’s more to Breck than a ready smile and thoughtful service.
And he’s always been up for a challenge.
HOUNDED (FAE HELLHOUNDS OF THE NORTH SHORE) by A S Green
For over fifteen centuries, St. Patrick’s disciples have hunted the faerie kingdoms of Ireland nearly to extinction. Cormac MacConall—a cú sídhe, or “hell hound” from the faerie realm—escaped with his family and found refuge on the north shore of Lake Superior.
But when the enemy tracked them there, killing his parents, the hell hound reclaimed his nature, turning vicious hunter, seeking blood and vengeance.
Enter Meghan Walsh. Beautiful. Sexy. But human. An untouchable. And yet…he can’t help but touch her. She’s small. Naive. And yet…formidable. And worst of all: his anamachara. His fated mate.
Could she be the key to what he seeks? Or could she be the enemy’s most lethal weapon yet?
QUEEN OF THE VAMPS (FOURWINDS SERIES BOOK 1) by Serena Akeroyd
LYSSA COULDN’T be normal if she tried, and when she met billionaire businessman Nikolai, he embraced her quirks and made her fall for him.
But Niko is no regular entrepreneur. He has secrets, secrets that are tied up with his partner, Dmitry.
Lyssa never wanted to be the Queen of the Vamps, but the King had other ideas.
She didn’t want two husbands, either, but the King and his Alpha mate were bound to her in ways her human sensibilities could never understand.
In less than a day, Lyssa’s whole world shifts.
Literally.
With her life in flux, and suddenly in danger, Lyssa clings to the two males who brought the chaos to her, but who are the only ones who can keep her safe.
Or so she believes.
A third male is waiting in the wings, ready to embrace his new mates, his new life, his new world order.
MY ALPHA MR DARCY: A DARK PRIDE AND PREJUDICE VARIATION by Caitlin Marie Carrington
VS Note: If you aren’t familiar with the Omegaverse romance niche, and the alpha/beta/omega setup, these romances tend to go quite dark. Nothing wrong with that if it’s your cup of tea. “A savage sensual variation,” as the author says. As always, I recommend sampling the Look Inside and decide for yourself. I have not read this book.
Once upon a time, Elizabeth Bennet read a fairy tale that broke down the world into three kinds of people: the normal, everyday Betas; the proud and arrogant Alphas; and the meek, submissive Omegas, whose only goal in life was to please their growling Alpha mates.
Lizzy never forgot that tale—even though it wasn’t real.
Or was it?
When terrible pains overcome Elizabeth while tending to her sister Jane, Lizzy knows she must escape Netherfield—and Mr. Darcy. Because he tells her that he is an Alpha, she is an Omega, and that her body will be his.
But she knows she will never submit to any man, especially one as proud, demanding—and tempting—as Mr. Darcy.
But what if Mr. Darcy is telling the truth? What if she is an Omega and—should she run from him—she risks letting any Alpha who finds her, conquer and take her? (…more blurb on ebook seller page…)
AWAKENING (RETURN OF THE ELVES BOOK 6) by Bethany Adams
For three hundred years, Princess Dria has avoided the drama of the royal court by training as a battle mage. When her father summons her back to court just as she begins to rise up the ranks, she’s furious. Even worse, she must work with her estranged brother Ralan on a mission to Earth. But as soon as Dria arrives at Moranaia’s new outpost, her brother drops the leadership of the entire place into her hands. Now she’s in charge of fortifying a new outpost on a planet she’s never even visited.
An abhorrent task – Prince Vek of the Unseelie has spent millennia as his father’s enforcer, working in the shadows to eliminate evil, but after sparing his nephew Fen from the king’s judgement, Vek must tread carefully. One false move, and he will lose the king’s trust—and Fen’s life. But when the king gives Vek a new, more sinister task, Fen becomes the least of his worries. The Moranaians have a new colony on Earth, and King Torek wants the energy source that’s contained within. Vek must retrieve that power—even if he has to kill the Moranaian leader to get it.
A threat unknown – From the moment she catches Vek sneaking into the cavern, Dria knows the truth—the dark and mysterious prince is her soulbonded. But she’s certain he’s up to no good, and although she’s drawn to him, there is no way she can trust him. His reputation, and that of the Unseelie in general, precedes him. Unfortunately, more than desire is awakening. As they dance around their budding attraction, Dria and Vek uncover a deathly illness lurking among the fae—and a sinister plot that will damage both their worlds.
THE APPLE BOY (THE QUIET WORK BOOK 1) by Isobel Starling
After a traumatic event, Winter Aeling finds himself destitute and penniless in the backwater town of Mallowick. He needs to travel to the city of Serein and impart grave news that will bring war to the Empire, but without a horse, money, and with not a soul willing to help him, he has no choice but to line up with the common folk seeking paid work on the harvest.
As wagons roll into the market square and farmers choose day laborers, Winter is singled out for abuse by a brute of a farmer. The only man who stands up for him is the farmer’s beguiling son, Adam, and on locking eyes with the swarthy young man Winter feels the immediate spark of attraction.
Winter soon realizes there is a reason he has been drawn to Blackdown Farm. The farmer possesses a precious item that was stolen long ago from Winter’s family, and he determines to retrieve it. He also cannot take his eyes off Adam, and as the young man opens up Winter can’t help wondering if Adam is just kind or his kind!
TOBIE (FINDING THE WARRIOR’S HEART BOOK 1) by Trinity Blacio
Sometimes to win the battle, you have to put your heart on the line.
Tobie Wareson had a special gift that felt anything but special.
Wolf Carf knew something was missing in his life.
A single book, a psychic vampire, and two hearts that are at stake of being broken are on the line. Can Tobie and Wolf survive the upcoming battle?
DRAGONS AND MAYHEM (DRAGON’S DEN CASINO BOOK 2) by Blair Babylon and Poppy Wolfe
Arawn, Duke Tiamat, absolutely, positively, definitely isn’t falling into a mating fever, and that’s the problem. A year ago, Arawn met the most bewitching woman, Willow Sage, and they hit it off. Within six months, they’d moved in together.
And six months after that, Arawn still was showing no signs of mating fever.
He didn’t tell her he was a dragon shifter, of course. Natural people have such strong reactions to learning about the hidden supernatural world, so supernatural people don’t admit anything unless they’re engaged.
And they weren’t engaged because, obviously, Willow wasn’t Arawn’s fated mate.
So, on the advice of everyone, Arawn broke it off and broke both their hearts. His fated mate was waiting for him somewhere, and when she walked into his life, he would be helpless to resist the mating fever anyway.
But now, Arawn has been blackmailed into returning to Las Vegas to take over the soft opening of the Dragon’s Den Casino. When he walks into the Human Resources division to meet the new witch who’s going to take care of the sickly sea serpents in the fountain out in front of the casino, it’s Willow Sage.
Willow Sage, the love of his life but not his fated mate, and she’s a witch.
They try to work together to care for the sickly serpents, but their attraction and lingering love is just too strong. Within hours, he wants to spend time with her. Within weeks, he’s hopelessly in love with her again.
TAROT by Marissa Kennerson
VS Note: I find the concept of living in a tarot deck kind of fascinating!
Born of a forbidden union between the Queen and the tyrannical King’s archnemesis, Anna is forced to live out her days isolated in the Tower, with only her mentors and friends the Hermit, the Fool, and the Magician to keep her company. To pass the time, Anna imagines unique worlds populated by creatives and dreamers–the exact opposite of the King’s land of fixed fates and rigid rules–and weaves them into four glorious tapestries.
But on the eve of her sixteenth birthday and her promised release from the Tower, Anna discovers her true lineage: She’s the daughter of Marco, a powerful magician, and the King is worried that his magical gifts are starting to surface in Anna. Fearing for her life, Anna flees the Tower and finds herself in Cups, a lush, tropical land full of all the adventure, free-spiritedness, and creativity she imagined while weaving.
Anna thinks she’s found paradise in this world of beachside parties, endless food and drink, and exhilarating romance. But when the fabric of Cups begins to unravel, Anna discovers that her tapestries are more than just forbidden expression. They’re the foundation for a new world that she is destined to create–as long as the terrors from the old world don’t catch up with her first.
BEWITCHED DRAGON MATES: A ZODIAC SHIFTERS PARANORMAL ROMANCE (CAPRICORN HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON MATE) by Melissa Thomas
Witch BJ MacClamity signed on to bake enchanted cupcakes, only to wind up stranded on an alien world with her skunk familiar. Born under the Capricorn sign, this curvy woman is an overachiever with a control complex a mile wide. Things can’t get any whackier… or can they? Horny dragon-shifters are fighting over her. These misguided males must be nuts!
Dragon-shifters Jael and Asher have been without their fated mate too long. For centuries these warriors yearned for the queen who will complete their trinity… a dragon rider in the truest sense. Discovering a voluptuous goddess alone in the woods is a dream come true. They combat an ancient rival to claim her for themselves.
Between dodging lightning bolts and tripping off cliffs, who has time to tutor a pair of kilt-clad virgins in the finer points of the art de l’amour?
Life is so very hard… and so are they.
COURT OF LIES (FORBIDDEN QUEEN BOOK 3) by Dyan Chick
Queen’s Trial begins, and the competition turns deadly fast. There’s danger behind every turn, and it’s not just the competition that wants Cassia dead.
To make matters worse, Tristan, the Winter Prince, has a plan of his own. He takes Cassia to the Winter Court where she’ll have to compete without the Princes she’s come to depend on. Will things stay ice-cold in the Winter Court or will she succumb to the steamy bad boy Prince with his own agenda?
Things aren’t always what they seem, though. Cassia might have the magic to become Queen, and the love of her Princes. But with that target on her back, will she survive to get the chance?
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VS Note: this week I’m featuring my alien empath series. I had a great time writing romantic suspense type plots set in my scifi romance universe:
My books are available wide on all the ebook platforms – here’s my Amazon Author Page, if you want a quick look at all my backlist titles in one spot!
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LINKS TO RECENT NEW RELEASES POSTS from Veronica:
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 do NOT cover every single new release in SFR/FantasyR/PNR. I never have. That would be an impossible task for any human! I assemble my list every week based on various informal inputs, and I do curate the list to some extent…
I check and verify all the buy links at the time I create the post but after that I’m not responsible.
Reblogged this on and commented:
This weeks new SFR releases including BOND PROOF!
Reblogged this on Pauline Baird Jones and commented:
Check out these Science Fiction and Fantasy New Releases!
Well, I clicked reblog and it went somewhere! Oh dear.
So many great books!!
Pingback: New Releases in #SciFi #Fantasy and Paranormal Romance for Wednesday March 13 | Veronica Scott