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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NADINE’S CHAMPION (ICEHOME BOOK 8) by Ruby Dixon
Of all the men on the Icehome beach, Thrand’s the most competitive and most aggravating. He’s cocky. Arrogant. Turns everything into a rivalry. He’s a pain in the you know what.
He also keeps insisting that I kiss him. After all, I’m the one that told him a kiss didn’t mean anything. It shouldn’t. A kiss is just a kiss as far as humans are concerned. But Thrand’s a clone, a race of people called a’ani, and he’s been brought up to play hard and to win. And he wants to win me. But does Thrand want me for the right reasons? Or am I just another conquest?
AURORA BLAZING (THE CONSORTIUM REBELLION BOOK 2) by Jesse Mihalik
As the dutiful daughter of High House von Hasenberg, Bianca set aside her personal feelings and agreed to a political match arranged by her family, only to end up trapped in a loveless, miserable marriage. When her husband unexpectedly dies, Bianca vows never to wed again. Newly independent, she secretly uses her wealth and influence to save other women stuck in dire circumstances. Information is power and Bianca has a network of allies and spies that would be the envy of the ’verse—if anyone knew about it.
When her family’s House is mysteriously attacked, Bianca’s oldest brother, the heir to House von Hasenberg, disappears. Fearful for her brother’s life, the headstrong Bianca defies her father and leaves Earth to save him. Ian Bishop, the director of House von Hasenberg security—and Bianca’s first love—is ordered to find and retrieve the rebellious woman.
Ian is the last man Bianca wants to see. To evade capture, she leads him on a merry chase across the universe. But when their paths finally collide, she knows she must persuade him to help her. Bianca will do anything to save her sibling, even if it means spending time alone on a small ship with the handsome, infuriating man who once broke her heart.
As the search takes them deep into rival House Rockhurst territory, Bianca must decide if she can trust Ian with the one piece of information that could destroy her completely.
MAELSTROM: INTERGALACTIC DATING AGENCY (MERMAIDS OF MONTANA BOOK 1) by Elsa Jade
As an ocean-dwelling Tritonyri warrior, Maelstrom Amyth sacrificed everything he loved in the centuries-long battle against the cruel and careless land-dwellers. So when he and his pod-brothers are sent to Earth to gently woo Intergalactic Dating Agency brides for his world’s survival, he’s definitely a fish-man out of water.
Ridley Blake grew up in landlocked Iowa dreaming only of the ocean, but she washed out of Navy SEAL training after nearly drowning during a panic attack that left her with thalassophobia—the fear of deep water. She figures she’ll never dive again, until she is summoned to the middle of Montana under mysterious circumstances.
But the troubles they both left behind have bigger teeth than they knew, and now Mael and Ridley have to sink or swim together.
TIME TO HEAL: A KINDRED TALES NOVEL: BRIDES OF THE KINDRED by Evangeline Anderson
VS Note: Author has a trigger warning re the heroine’s past…
Emmeline is a young, single mother all alone in the world. After being attacked, she was cast out by her family and is having a hard time making her way in the world, Desperate to assure her son’s future, she gave him up to her mother to raise–only to have him stolen away from her completely. Now he is sick and she must find a way to heal him–but how?
Enter Skahr, a Kindred warrior from another world who needs some healing of his own. A prophesy has foretold that Emmeline is the one he seeks but he must promise to help her find and heal her baby first. As the two go on a quest together, Emmeline finds herself drawn to the big, scarred warrior with his surprising strength and quiet ways. But will the two of them get back her baby before it’s too late? And will they have…Time to Heal
RANSOMED (TRIBUTE BRIDES OF THE DREXIAN WARRIORS BOOK 4) by Tana Stone
She’s already been abducted from Earth to be a tribute bride for the Drexian warriors, and Trista has finally gotten used to the idea of marrying a brawny alien warrior. Sort of. He has to be better than the awful guys from home she’s been trying so hard to forget.
Not only is Torven a Drexian warrior, but he’s also a member of Inferno Force. That means he’s bigger, tougher, and more dangerous. When he’s falsely accused of treason, he knows his only hope is to escape and give his fellow warriors time to prove his innocence.
Taking the pretty blonde tribute bride as a hostage wasn’t his plan, but Torven considers it a stroke of good luck. Until she shoots him and causes them to be marooned on a frozen planet. Between running from vicious ice creatures and avoiding alien pursuers, will she become more than his captive?
BANE (THE LADYSHIPS BOOK 2) by Bex McLynn
Maude never considered herself weak-minded, not until she woke up hearing a voice inside her head. Now she’s dealing with alien captors, a bio-mechanical organism infecting her body, and two brutal suns frying her skin. Oh, and time is not on her side. Her sole ally is a towering Teras alien who steals her breath with his brilliant smiles and heated gazes. She desperately needs to get home, yet her savior is stealing her heart.
Therion Borac is many things. His mother’s darling. His father’s hellion. His house’s bane. Never an honorable man. When his house calls upon him to rescue an abducted human woman, he’ll eagerly save the lady but won’t hope for anything more. With crime lords and powerful Teras organizations threatening Maude, he knows she’ll need a scoundrel at her back more than she’ll need an honorable man at her side. For Maude, he will gladly remain the Bane.
ROZAR: VAXXLIAN ALIEN MAIL ORDER BRIDES #1 (INTERGALACTIC DATING AGENCY) by Sue Mercury
Nadia knows if she stays on Earth, her mob boss ex-husband’s goons will eventually find her. When the opportunity to become a Vaxxlian Mail Order Bride arises, she can’t sign up fast enough. She’s soon matched with a huge, fierce-looking alien warrior named Rozar who wants to mate with her upon their very first meeting. Whoa there. Slow down. She’s desperate to escape Earth, but she also wants to be sure Rozar is a kind, decent alien before she commits to spending her life with him. She rushed into her first marriage and look what that got her–a one-way ticket into the Witness Protection Program. But the clock is ticking. The ship that brought Rozar to Earth departs in two weeks. Should she take a chance on the handsome otherworldly stranger whose kisses make her melt? Or should she rush back to her hideaway and hope for the best?
One glance at the little human called Nadia and Rozar knows she’s the female meant to become his. Her bottomless blue eyes mesmerize him and her sweet demeanor calls up his protective side. He wants nothing more than to claim her and bring her back to New Vaxx. But the dark-haired beauty is reluctant to mate with him, despite his promises to always keep her safe and provide for her and their future offspring. Before he can convince her of his devotion, the little human disappears without a trace. Word of her dangerous past reaches him and he’s more determined than ever to protect her, even if vanquishing her enemies means she no longer has a need to leave Earth. But he’s just as determined to claim her as his, and Rozar will do whatever it takes to convince Nadia she’s meant to be his female for all time.
ARCAV COMMANDER’S HUMAN (ARCAV ALIEN INVASION BOOK 3) by Hope Hart
As Commander of the Arcav forces, Jaret is ice-cold and remote. So one is more surprised than Jaret, when he insists on leading the mission to rescue the humans kidnapped for slavery. The mission is well below his pay grade, and humans are little more than savages. But every bone in his body compels him to take the trip.
Jaret has been completely dedicated to the Arcav race for centuries. He has one goal: Destroy the Grivath and avenge his parent’s deaths. The problem? One small, terrified human with defiance written all over her face.
When Amanda wakes up on an alien space ship she’ll do anything to get back to Earth. Her sister could be dying while these giant grey beasts talk about selling her and the other human women as slaves. Fortunately, a menacing Arcav commander agrees to reunite with her sister. He’s completely unapproachable, with his dark scowl, cold voice, and dead eyes. But she can see glimpses of the kind male beneath his gruff exterior.
Jaret has been fighting for vengeance for centuries. But now he must make a choice: Revenge for his ruined childhood, or the woman who may just be his mate.
GAMECHANGER by L X Beckett
VS Note: listed as LGBTQ scifi and cyberpunk, sounded intriguing to me.
First there was the Setback. Then came the Clawback. Now we thrive.
Rubi Whiting is a member of the Bounceback Generation. The first to be raised free of the troubles of the late twenty-first century. Now she works as a public defender to help troubled individuals with anti-social behavior. That’s how she met Luciano Pox.
Luce is a firebrand and has made a name for himself as a naysayer. But there’s more to him than being a lightning rod for controversy. Rubi has to find out why the governments of the world want to bring Luce into custody, and why Luce is hell bent on stopping the recovery of the planet.
BROKEN FLYGHT (THE FLYGHT SERIES BOOK 2) by S J Pajonas
With her ship secure and her old boyfriend back in good graces, Vivian Kawabata only needs one thing to move forward: money. Money, though, is hard to come by when you’re an infamous disgraced heiress. Vivian’s only move is to enlist the help of her matchmaker, Marcelo, and find another wealthy man to add to her relationship network. He not only has to be a master in the bedroom, but he must be a pro with ships, too. Her ship needs a mechanic before they start taking on real clients for Flyght, the lucrative ship-sharing startup.
On their way to Rio to follow the trail of Vivian’s deceitful brother, Marcelo presents Vivian with two eligible bachelors, Sean and Jinzo. The vetting process is rocky from the start; Sean is stand-offish and distant, and Jinzo doesn’t make a good first impression. Despite this setback, Vivian is determined to make something work because if she’s doesn’t, she’s dead in the water.
After their first romantic escape, Vivian is knocked backwards by her feelings for Jinzo (first impressions aren’t everything). But he’s not as eligible as he first seemed to be, and the realization throws her whole world into chaos and a new possible scandal. Every decision Vivian makes puts not only her own future on the line, but that of her crew and her family. Will she play it safe, or risk everything – including her heart?
ILLICIT SENSES (ILLICIT MINDS BOOK 1) by Rebecca Royce
VS Note: Author states: “…previously published under another name. and another series name. It has been extensively re-edited and much of the story has changed. “
Anomalies. Abnormals. Curiosities. Freaks. Threats. The Conditioned bear many labels, heavy restrictions, intolerable scorn, and unforgiving laws. For thirty years they have been consigned to regulation behind the walls of safe houses and camps. The Conditioned have no rights. They are not people. They are the damned.
The heir apparent to the Wade Corporation, Addison Wade has lived her life wary of the institutions incarcerating the Conditioned and all they represent. A woman of secrets, she turns to Safe Dawn, and the Conditioned it houses, in a desperate hour. Her nephew has been kidnapped and she is desperate and out of options. She will do anything, even risk her secrets, to get him back.
Spencer Lewis is well-known as a locator, there is no one he can’t find and he has a soft spot for missing children—even children with the despised last name of Wade. Following the death of his partner and anchor, tackling this case threatens more than Spencer’s sanity and safety—it threatens his heart.
In a world where nothing is as it seems and threats lurk around every corner, Addison and Spencer must learn to trust each other. Does their relationship stand a chance in a world that wants them dead for just being born?
SUPERNOVA (LIGHT YEARS BOOK 2) by Kass Morgan
VS Note: Not a romance but with space opera with romantic elements. From the author of ‘The 100’.
Tensions are rising between the Quatrans and the Specters, and the Quatra Fleet is gearing up for an epic fight. With a galaxy on the brink of war and loyalties divided, the friendship of four cadets will be tested.
Oreliahas been arrested for espionage, and her future is looking bleak . . . until the Quatrans make her a surprising offer that could save her life–and the lives of everyone in the galaxy.
Reeling from his breakup, Arran finds comfort in a sympathetic boy from Loos, someone who understands how hard it can be to fit in. But is it enough for Arran to forget his heartbreak?
Cormak’s position at the Academy is finally secure. But when someone discovers his treasonous secret, it jeopardizes everything he’s fought for, including his relationship with the person he cares about most.
And Vesper is ready to become a superstar officer . . . until she uncovers a conspiracy that shakes her faith in the Quatra Fleet to its core.
As secret machinations come to light, these cadets will be forced to overcome their differences and band together to restore peace to their worlds.
RUNNING FROM THE CYBORG (TERRA FIVE 5 ) by Ann Kane
Caitlyn: Gorgeous. Feisty. Human. A survivor in an unforgiving galaxy. Running from an enemy she can’t see for reasons she doesn’t understand. Whoever he is, he’s trying to kill her.
Jakob: Large. Mouthwateringly sexy. Loyal. Cyborg. Determined to find the female who seduced him, gave him a night he’d never forget, then disappeared before he woke. When he finally manages to catch up to her, he intends to do whatever it takes to keep her at his side.
AXEL REX (CYBORG AWAKENINGS 4) by Clarissa Lake
Axel Rex was one among thousands of cyborgs produce for the interstellar war with the Mesaarkans who remained in stasis throughout the war.He is in charge of demolishing several square kilometers of ruins in Farringay to make way for a new interstellar starport. During his virtual life in stasis,he was educated and trained for war. He was also prepared for love in case he found the one genetically compatible female with whom he could breed and make offspring. The chance for a family of his own and freedom at the end of service was their motivation to serve.
It’s not something Axel is counting on. He is too busy supervising 500 cyborgs at the demolition site to daydream about finding love. Then one stubborn female refuses to leave a building set for demolition.
Layne Rose lived with her cat Sammy in the ruins of Farringay and had claimed a ruined apartment building at home. No cyborg goon is going to make her give up her home until Axel pulls her out kicking and screaming…(more blurb on ebook seller page…)
ALIEN ROGUE’S CAPTIVE (KENORIAN WARRIORS BOOK 1) by Viki Storm
BROOKE – What. The. Hell. I’ve just been arrested on the streets of LA by a huge muscled alien warrior. For murder—that I’m supposed to commit next month. On another planet. And let’s just say these alien bastards have a sick idea how a human female is supposed to pay her debt to society. But my captor isn’t like the rest, he’s from a nearly-extinct warrior race. He protects me. He helps me escape. No wait, he is just like the rest. He’s taken me for his own. He says I’m his fated mate… And we all know what that means. I’ll play along if it means I can get back to Earth. Except it’s not that long before I realize that if this is a game, I’m about to lose my heart…
ANAX – My role in society is to find, arrest and capture criminals across the galaxy.
I have a hard time believing that this little human female is dangerous, but she is. She’s a murderer and it’s my job to bring her to justice. ..(more blurb on ebook seller page…)
APOKALYPSIS BOOK 3 by Kate Morris
VS note (or mini review): I really enjoyed book 1, although it skewed a bit YA for me but GOOD. I LOVED book 2, which was more NA. I’ve reread that one several times already, really a favorite end of the world as we know it book for me now. (And can be read as a standalone.) So well done! Had this one on pre-order and read it right away. It’s back to the YA age of two new lead characters and there’s a romantic suspense-type subplot that I didn’t resonate with. But, having said that, I did enjoy it because I like the way she develops the apocalypse around the characters and the reader, and she’s tying the threads together for all 3 books subtly. I can’t WAIT for the fourth book where all the characters come together.
Life was precious. People used to say things like that all the time, but none of them realized how true that saying would turn out to be. Life was precious, indeed. Each person in the room had lost someone or everyone…Wren Foster was a girl with a lot of secrets. Unable to make friends and having to move to a new city every few months made her an outcast in high school by default. However, she never questioned the motives and instructions of her uncle when they had to move because what he did, he did for her. Securing that football scholarship to Ohio State was the only thing on star quarterback Elijah Brannon’s mind until he met the allusive new girl in school, who was strange and enigmatic, yet also distant and unfriendly with a menacing attitude to match her black eyeliner. One traumatic event after the other throws them together as his world falls apart, her secrets are revealed, and they are left riding out a worldwide apocalyptic event in the form of a viral flu that makes people insane and violent. Plans and dreams of the future are put on hold as they simply fight for existence in: Apokalypsis.
HIS TO KEEP by Taylor Vaughn, Theodora Taylor and Eve Vaughn
All of us girls growing up on New Terrhan know that when we becoe of age, we must submit to our overlords in a special ceremony. To my surprise, though, the alien warrior who hunts me down gifts me with hours of bliss…and a beautiful little girl who becomes my only happiness in life after he’s gone.
I’ve never forgotten him, even after surviving an abusive relationship. But when we meet again, he’s different. An unrecognizable beast. So I run. Of course, I run. There’s no way I’m letting another violent male near me or our daughter. But…My alien overlord is green, feral, and determined to keep me. And if you think you know what’s coming next, believe me, you have no clue. This is the kind of epic story, that has to be read to be believed.
SPACE RACE by Laurel Richards
VS Note: I’ve always enjoyed her books. On my TBR list.
The race is on! Maxton and his family are entered to compete in the big land rush on planet Caerus. This is the opportunity of a lifetime. The problem? Everything seems to go wrong. Their secondhand ship keeps breaking down, their cousin goes missing, and someone steals half their funds. They have to turn to a staffing agency to get somebody to take a look at their shipboard computers.
When Clara accepts a temp job aboard the Merit, she figures she’ll only be on the ship for about an hour. That’s all the time she needs to run a diagnostic on the computers, but then Max shocks her with an invitation to join his team. The man is handsome and single, and participating in the competition could change her whole life. But can they win?
Although this ragtag group may not look impressive from the outside, they have strength, determination, and smarts. They’ll need all those qualities if they want to win this amazing space race.
THE FORWARD COLLECTION by Various
VS note: Science fiction, not romance, but 6 short releases of note set in the near or far future by 6 excellent authors. Also available as audiobooks with amazing narrators who are actors in notable scifi TV shows.
– RANDOMIZE by Andy Weir
In the near future, if Vegas games are ingeniously scam-proof, then the heists have to be too, in this imaginative and whip-smart story by the New York Times bestselling author of The Martian. An IT whiz at the Babylon Casino is enlisted to upgrade security for the game of keno and its random-number generator. The new quantum computer system is foolproof. But someone on the inside is no fool. For once the odds may not favor the house—unless human ingenuity isn’t entirely a thing of the past.
– ARK by Veronica Roth
On the eve of Earth’s destruction, a young scientist discovers something too precious to lose, in a story of cataclysm and hope by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Divergent trilogy. It’s only two weeks before an asteroid turns home to dust. Though most of Earth has already been evacuated, it’s Samantha’s job to catalog plant samples for the survivors’ unknowable journey beyond. Preparing to stay behind and watch the world end, she makes a final human connection. As certain doom hurtles nearer, the unexpected and beautiful potential for the future begins to flower.
– SUMMER FROST by Blake Crouch
A video game developer becomes obsessed with a willful character in her new project, in a mind-bending exploration of what it means to be human by the New York Times bestselling author of Recursion. Maxine was made to do one thing: die. Except the minor non-player character in the world Riley is building makes her own impossible decision—veering wildly off course and exploring the boundaries of the map. When the curious Riley extracts her code for closer examination, an emotional relationship develops between them. Soon Riley has all new plans for her spontaneous AI, including bringing Max into the real world. But what if Max has real-world plans of her own?
– EMERGENCY SKIN by N K Jemison
What will become of our self-destructed planet? The answer shatters all expectations in this subversive speculation from the Hugo Award–winning author of the Broken Earth trilogy. An explorer returns to gather information from a climate-ravaged Earth that his ancestors, and others among the planet’s finest, fled centuries ago. The mission comes with a warning: a graveyard world awaits him. But so do those left behind—hopeless and unbeautiful wastes of humanity who should have died out ages ago. After all this time, there’s no telling how they’ve devolved. Steel yourself, soldier. Get in. Get out. And try not to stare.
– YOU HAVE ARRIVED AT YOUR DESTINATION by Amor Towles
Nature or nurture? Neither. Discover a bold new way to raise a child in this unsettling story of the near future by the New York Times bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow. When Sam’s wife first tells him about Vitek, a twenty-first-century fertility lab, he sees it as the natural next step in trying to help their future child get a “leg up” in a competitive world. But the more Sam considers the lives that his child could lead, the more he begins to question his own relationships and the choices he has made in his life.
– THE LAST CONVERSATION by Paul Tremblay
What’s more frightening: Not knowing who you are? Or finding out? A Bram Stoker Award–winning author explores the answer in a chilling story about identity and human consciousness. Imagine you’ve woken up in an unfamiliar room with no memory of who you are, how you got there, or where you were before. All you have is the disconnected voice of an attentive caretaker. Dr. Kuhn is there to help you—physically, emotionally, and psychologically. She’ll help you remember everything. She’ll make sure you reclaim your lost identity. Now answer one question: Are you sure you want to?
EXPERIMENT by Marina Simcoe
It took them less than 12 hours to conquer Earth, and then 9 more years to finally demand what they’ve come here for—me. Whatever dreams I have about my future are crushed within hours. The control I have over my life and my body is taken away.
I don’t get to plan my wedding.
I don’t even get to choose my husband.
I am stripped of my rights and my free will, and reduced to being nothing but the subject of their experiment.
The last thing I expect is to find love among the enemy. Tairan seems to be the only one who sees a person in me, although he appears to be keeping secrets from me, too. When everything I hold dear is threatened, the only choice I have is to fight back. With no weapons or any combat skills, I will have to find a way to defend my love, my family, and our future from the evil that is in charge of our lives…“I’ll live, love, and die at your side. Always.”
OF WARS AND MEMORIES, AND STARLIGHT by Aliette de Bodard
VS Note: Not romance. A mix of scifi and fantasy. A release of note and I saw Michelle Lovretta, the creator of “Killjoys” mention on twitter that she “will read” this.
From a writer fast becoming one of the stars of the genre, Aliette de Bodard, multiple award winner and author of The Tea Master and the Detective, now brings readers fourteen dazzling tales that showcase the richly textured worldbuilding and beloved characters that have brought her so much acclaim.
In de Bodard’s first collection come discover the breadth and endless invention of her universes, ranging from a dark Gothic Paris devastated by a magical war; to the multiple award-winning Xuya, a far-future space opera inspired by Vietnamese culture where scholars administrate planets and sentient spaceships are part of families.
In the Nebula award and Locus award winning “Immersion”, a young girl working in a restaurant on a colonized space station crosses paths with an older woman who has cast off her own identity. In the novelette “Children of Thorns, Children of Water”, a shapeshifting dragon infiltrating a ruined mansion finds more than he’s bargained for when his partner is snatched by eerie, child-like creatures. And in the award-winning “Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight”, three very different people—a scholar, an engineer, and a spaceship—all must deal with the loss of a woman who was the cornerstone of their world.
This collection includes a never-before-seen 20,000-word novella, “Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness”, set in Bodard’s alternative dark Paris.
TAMED BY THE ALIEN (REBELS OF SIDYTH BOOK 9) by Sabrina Kade
She’s so cold they call her robot…… but he’s got the hardware to make her core overheat.Alaska’s detached complacency is shattered when her unmated friend is nearly abducted by renegade aliens. To stay safe, she accepts a mating proposal from Taylis, her grumpy, sexy alien booty call – a proposal in name only. As they grow closer to keep up appearances, Alaska wonders how long their arrangement can last without getting more complicated.
As renegade Sidyths grow ever bolder with the human females, Taylis immediately ‘Chooses’ Alaska as his mate to keep her safe. Her demeanor starts as icy as ever, but a recent thaw has him wondering if she wants more. He wants to protect her, but can he figure out what he really wants before the aggressive unmated males discover their secret?
DEVIANT BETRAYAL (THE CONTROLLERS BOOK 5) by L V Lane
Before the Copper virus came along, we were ordinary people. Developed in a lab, the virus was hailed as the next stage of evolution. Little did we know how it would change us, physically and physiologically. It divided us. There were still ordinary people among us, those for whom the virus did not latch. And then there were the dynamics—Alpha through to Mu.
And Omega, the lowliest dynamic. Part 3 of Lilly’s story – Lilly had experienced one perfect moment of acceptance. For the first time since she revealed as an Omega, she could see a future with her two Alphas that did not fill her with dread. So, with a measure of mischief and independence, she went to meet Tsing alone without telling her Controllers. Erison Tsing doesn’t want Lilly to stay, and he doesn’t want to help her to run. He’s not her friend, nor does he harbor latent regrets about their past moment of intimacy. Tsing has an agenda, and Lilly is about to become collateral damage.
MATED TO THE ALIEN SLAVE (DAVARIAN HERTOES BOOK 2) by Juno Wells
Mia – After spending decades in stasis aboard Eden Twelve, Mia wakes to a new reality. Humans are under attack from a war-like species desperate for resources and women. Their only hope of survival hinges upon an alliance with the Davarians, the most powerful aliens in the sector.
Fascinated with alien tech and culture, Mia decides to give some of it a test drive. The next thing she knows, she’s accidentally landed an alien husband and doesn’t know quite what to with him. He’s the whole package, handsome, ripped and so sweet on her that it’s hard to refuse him anything.
The problem is, she’s been keeping a secret and once he finds out, he’s going to beat a hasty retreat. Letting him into her heart is stupid if he’s not going to stay. It would be like asking the man to break her heart. Not a good idea when she’s barely hanging on as it is.
Jakar – Jakar grew up in the Davarian tri-world cluster. His moon was lush, temperate, and filled with a large and loving family. Striking out on his own was simply what males did. Unfortunately, his ship ended up getting attacked. He was abducted and kept as a slave. During all those years he kept his faith and never let them break his spirit.
When things are starting to get dangerous his prayers are answered. The gods send him a beautiful mate. Mia is the most beautiful human female and she’s attracted to him. But as soon as they begin to get close, she is ripped from his arms by alien-hating humans. If they figure out she’s carrying his child, things will end badly for her. Desperate, Jakar will do anything to save the woman he loves. Is this is the one time that his best might not be good enough?
LUNA TOUCHED (BRIDES OF THE AASHI BOOK 1) by Belle Harper
My name is Luna. I applied to a job ad that sounded too good to be true.
It was! I’m being sent to an Alien Planet to marry an Alien guy with four-arms.
But now I’m here, I just found out I’m getting FIVE Alien husbands not one.
This was not what I applied for. But one of the Alien guys broke my Translator and things are about to get messy.
BEAUTY AND THE ALIEN BEAST (GALAXY ALIEN WARRIORS BOOK 1) by Sedona Venez
After being abducted from Earth by alien slavers, Ella is rescued by a hot alien warrior who flees with her into the hostile wilderness of his home planet. While he seems to want to protect her, the inability to communicate with her savior leaves Ella uncertain about where they stand and how she will manage to get home.
Teken, an alpha wolf-shifter from the Gladiator Wulfaen race, was on a mission to find evidence against the alien slavers to shut them down for good when he saw Ella and realized she was his one true mate.
With a language barrier and with slavers chasing them across the planet, the pair must survive not only their enemies but also the sizzling attraction between them.
COLD ATTRACTION (ICE PLANET RENDU BOOK 1) by Zoe Ashwood
She’s hot for an alien…Adriana is the first human to walk the icy planet Rendu as part of an exploration mission from Earth. An extraterrestrial anthropologist, she’s charged with observing the alien culture and finding out what makes them tick. One particularly gruff male makes her heart race and sends her professional judgment out the window…
… but he’s cold as ice. Taron ad Naals brought an expedition of humans to his planet, only to find his home in political turmoil. The King is dead, and unscrupulous enemies threaten the young Queen’s life. On top of that, a certain voluptuous, warm-blooded scientist is set on uncovering secrets that should remain buried. One warm touch, and he’s hers: she brings him pleasure he never imagined existed. Her love will melt his defenses. As Adriana’s curiosity triggers a dangerous mess of galactic proportions, Taron must race to save her life. Yet she is the one who will rescue him – and his entire nation.
SURVIVOR (DROP OF DEATH BOOK 1) by B C Morgan
My name is Zara King, and I’m trying my hardest to stay alive.
I live in Isolone, which is supposed to be a sanctuary. Where we are judged by the colour of our banding. Mine is Red, I am one above the worst colour imaginable Grey.
I’m forever being punished for not fitting in with the ‘perfect people.’ When I’m suddenly put onto an Elixir to make me more desirable in the leaders’ eyes, I am thrust into more danger. Being a Red is unthinkable, being immune to the incu247 is a death sentence.
I don’t know whom I can trust or even count on anymore, and all I really want to do, is escape. Even if it would prove to be certain death, I would still be happy, knowing that I died free.
With things growing riskier by the day, I will need to keep my wits about me and convince everyone, I am just like them.
With my allies growing, I could fool myself into believing I’m safe, but I have very dangerous enemies and I’m not sure I can win.
THE HEIR (CLAN OF THE WOODLANDS BOOK 0) by V K Ludwig
Assigned as a mediator during negotiations with the Clan of the Woodlands, Ayanna wants to be anything but helpful. Sure, that guy was the heir to a chieftain and tolerably handsome for a clansman, but that doesn’t stop her from calling him out as what he is: a savage.
After all, everyone knows how the Clans struggle to keep their few women safe after a chemical accident has wiped out most of the female population. Ayanna has no doubt Nix is as dangerous as the rest of them, no matter how protective he might act around her.
Nix knows he can’t trust himself around that female the council of the Districts has assigned him. Being close to something as rare as a woman required honor and a functioning set of morals – he was doomed from birth to have neither.
But the young clansman has a mission: bring about a merge between the Districts and his Clan. That water the Districts are drinking to suppress immoral needs in men and women alike? Yeah, that had to go. But negotiating with the council won’t be the hardest part of this mission. He has to ignore whatever Ayanna stirs inside him, or risk finding out just how deep that darkness inside him reaches.
TIT FOR TAT by R Cooper
Tat never expected a future. A lower-caste Luudi who left her planet and made a new home with a group of idealistic humans, she spends her time looking out for new family and working in secret to rescue refugees from a neighboring country. She is content with what she has, if sometimes lonely.
Then a Pros arrives their tense little border town. Although mostly human, the Pros were genetically engineered to look perfect and to offer pleasure, both physically and psychically. Beautiful, sophisticated Cin is no exception, which is why when she approaches Tat, Tat knows it can’t be personal. Luudi are big, strong, purple, and impervious to psychic influence—making Tat the safest outlet for someone like Cin. Tat says yes with no expectation that Cin would ever want more, while convinced the danger will eventually drive Cin away.
But the Pros can take care of themselves, as well as any quietly heroic Luudi who catches their eye—if only that Luudi would let them. Tat has spent so long helping others find a future, it doesn’t occur to her to seek out her own even when her silence might cost her the one she wants.
DESERT WORLD SAVAGES by Lisa Lace
I didn’t feel safe on Earth. I wanted to get away. An alien abduction wasn’t what I had in mind. I can’t escape them by myself. I’m going to need help. But can my savior be an alien? The last thing on my mind is hooking up with an arrogant space cop, no matter how gorgeous he is. Why would I want to let him conquer me? There’s something he’s not saying. Have I met him before?
IT STARTS WITH A KISS by J L Peridot
Celeste is a talented engineer who doesn’t realize her job’s going nowhere fast. She’s a little naïve. She’ll cut code and solder cables forever as long as Owen’s around. Owen, on the other hand, knows exactly how badly things suck—he just doesn’t care. Sure, his skills aren’t what they used to be, but they’re still better than what Halcyon Aries deserves.
Then it happens. The company’s toxic management team finally crosses the line. As both techies race to upgrade the station and to free the team from their oppressive contracts, they come to learn that life—and love—can only ever be what you make it.
WHISPERS OF SHADOW AND FLAME: EARTHSINGER CHRONICLES BOOK 2 by L Penelope
The Mantle that separates the kingdoms of Elsira and Lagrimar is about to fall. And life will drastically change for both kingdoms.
Born with a deadly magic she cannot control, Kyara is forced to become an assassin. Known as the Poison Flame in the kingdom of Lagrimar, she is notorious and lethal, but secretly seeks freedom from both her untamed power and the blood spell that commands her. She is tasked with capturing the legendary rebel called the Shadowfox, but everything changes when she learns her target’s true identity.
Darvyn ol-Tahlyro may be the most powerful Earthsinger in generations, but guilt over those he couldn’t save tortures him daily. He isn’t sure he can trust the mysterious young woman who claims to need his help, but when he discovers Kyara can unlock the secrets of his past, he can’t stay away.
Kyara and Darvyn grapple with betrayal, old promises, and older prophecies—all while trying to stop a war. And when a new threat emerges, they must beat the odds to save both kingdoms.
MAY IN ATLANTIS: POSEIDON’S WARRIORS by Alyssa Day
Poet-turned-warrior Gabriel has sworn a blood oath to kill every Fae he encounters, after one of the worst of the Dark Fae lords killed his brother while Gabe was frivolously wasting his time reading poetry to adoring fans. When the battle-scarred woman tumbles out of the demon dimension into Atlantis, he’s inexplicably drawn to her … until he learns she’s a Fae princess.
Erielle barely escaped the Summerlands with her life when one of the High Lords set his sights on making her his captive. After a dangerous year that felt like eternity trapped in the demon dimension, she’s finally managed to find her way home–except the demon she forced to enter the portal deceived her, and she landed in the middle of Atlantis … in the reach of a beautiful but feral warrior who immediately tries to kill her.
When Erielle learns that her little brother followed her into the demon dimension and may be a prisoner of the very Fae lord who she has sworn to kill, she knows she must return. When Gabe discovers that the villain who tortured and nearly enslaved Erielle is the same one who killed his brother, he knows he must go with her.
SPEAK OF THE DEVILS by Bethany Jaden
It’s just a little party, they said. One night on Earth will be fine, they said. We’re angels, what’s the worst that could happen?
Mm-hmm. That was before the fire, the thing with the tigers, and the naked shenanigans with the humans. And cross my heart, I swear I didn’t mean to use a blowup doll as a pool float.
Now, I’ve fallen from grace and landed myself in the Lost Souls program — the last chance for rebellious angels to get their act together. If I fail? I’ll be permanently expelled from Heaven and stripped of my wings.
We’re supposed to be making amends for our bad deeds by saving wayward humans from deadly sins. But Lost Souls is the cream of the crop when it comes to misfits and troublemakers. Especially those three sexy a-holes who won’t stop eye-banging me.
Xander, Malakai, and Raziel. They’re devilishly handsome, wickedly charming, and absolutely up to no good. They’re definitely going straight back to Hell. And they’re trying their damnedest to take me with them.
FELINE THE HEAT (THE FIREHOUSE FELINE BOOK 1) by L A Boruff, Laura Greenwood and Lacey Carter Anderson
How to be a Firehouse Cat:
1. Wake up naked in a fireman’s bed
2. Stare at equally naked firemen
3. Find the local witches
4. Get lots of fuss and attention
5. Don’t let them figure out you’re the cat
And oh, yeah, find the person responsible for your curse and killing your parents. Before they find you. No pressure.
RUTHLESS AS HELL (THE DEMON ACADEMY BOOK 2) by G Bailey
My name is Lexi Cameron, and I really need some help in the form of two sexy demons, a wayward alpha’s son and an angel who is worse than the fallen.
The only (tiny) problem?
They’d rather kill me than help me get out of here.
Welcome to Demon Academy where the students might do more than just trying to kill you.
They might give your soul to hell and smile as they wave you goodbye.
Funny enough, I think mine belongs there anyway.
That is if Lucifer has anything to do with it.
DESTRUCTION OF TWO (ORIGINS OF THE SIX BOOK 3) by A K Koonce and Aleera Anaya Ceres
Welcome to Hell. Gym class, the academy, my tormentors, they have nothing on this place. It thrives on unimaginable power. Consuming magic pulses all around me. It owns me. I have to escape. I have to be stronger than the evil that’s all around me. And I have to remind myself that this isn’t where I belong. I belong in that prison of a school with my friends. With my men. Even if the Devil does make me a deal I can’t refuse.
ONLY THE LOST ( A DEATH GATE GRIM REAPERS THRILLER BOOK 3) by Amanda M Lee
Izzy Sage is settling into her new job, enjoying her new romance, and only has one thing on her mind: Choosing a new assistant to help her at Belle Isle’s death gate. All of that changes when the gate malfunctions. Instead of dragging someone over, though, it sends five people back.
Years ago, a group of trainees disappeared while on a tour of the facility. There was no rhyme or reason to what happened and the higher-ups assumed they died during the malfunction. Five of them have returned though, and they haven’t aged a day.
Naturally, the reaper world is buzzing with the news. Izzy, however, thinks something bigger might be going on. Her belief only becomes stronger when another creature shows up in the middle of the night and attacks.
The malfunctioning gate is hiding a sinister secret, and it might just have something to do with what happened to Izzy’s parents so many years ago. Oliver has ties to the initial incident, too, and even though he knew the men way back then, he’s discombobulated by what’s happening now. ..(more blurb on ebook seller page…)
MYSTIC DESIRE by Various
Mystic Desire is a collection of short paranormal romance stories. This is a chance to read and discover the work of a diverse group of very talented authors.
The themes in this book are varied, as are the collection of characters and artifacts, including Native American dream catchers, mystical jewelry, and characters such as lustful vampires, hot warlocks, a grumpy leprechaun, a ghostly terrier, a zombie apocalypse and things that go bump in the night.
From soft and tender love to hot passionate, kinky sex, there is something for everyone in this anthology.
HUNTER: IMMORTALS OF NEW ORLEANS BOOK 10 by Kym Grosso
Hunter Livingston’s trip to Hell had been a calculated risk. Best case scenario, the Alpha would save a friend and come out unscathed; at worst, he’d burn in flames for eternity. But finding the high priestess had never been part of his plan, nor was rescuing the near-dead stranger he’d found lying by her side. Drawn to the mysterious woman, he’d sworn to protect her from the rogue pack who sold her into Hell and the demon who sought her soul.
With royal blood flowing through her veins, Dr. Willa Jacobs had long hidden her Lycan heritage. Deep within the rainforest, she’d unearthed a discovery that drew the attention of both humans and the forces of evil. Rescued by the charismatic Alpha, she’d known her kidnappers would never give up looking for her or her research. As the dominant Alpha stirred her beast to rise, her emotions warred, and she was more determined than ever to see her adversaries burn in Hell…(more blurb on ebook seller page…)
HARLEY MERLIN 12: FINCH MERLIN AND THE DJINN’S CURSE by Bella Forrest
VS Note: YA, not romance
Now a map-maker extraordinaire, Finch must find the place Erebus so desperately seeks—although the “how” and “why” remain unclear. And a certain vengeful Necromancer is bent on beating Erebus to the punch, and he’d be more than happy to make Finch collateral damage.
With his friends’ lives on the line, Finch will fall back on his old trickster ways to get his hands on the gateway’s key. In secret, he plans to uncover a loophole, a way to end his servitude for good. The answer might lie in Erebus’s past servants and their storied history with the djinn…The djinn have lost their connection to Erebus, and Raffe doesn’t know how much longer he can cope before his alter ego goes insane. That’s the only reason he agrees to travel halfway across the world to find answers for Finch. Raffe aches to end the djinn curse that threatens his future with Santana, but he’d have to achieve the impossible: separate himself from the demon within.
SILVER/STEEL (ARCATA BOOK 2 ) by Belinda McBride
When dream hunter Dylan Ryve spots a beautiful shapeshifter raising hell in a bar, he knows he wants the wild young man. But Travis Feris is more to Dylan than a few hot minutes outside in the snow; he’s the assassin’s ticket into the magical town of Arcada. He didn’t plan to rescue the kid, but when he found the shifter being attacked, the opportunity to play hero was too good to pass up.
Through the solitude of a long winter night, Dylan walks in Travis’s fevered dreams, learning about Arcada and the pack, and showing the shifter the man he’d been so very long ago. When morning comes, both men know their lives will be forever entwined.
From Dylan, Travis learns that he is a strong, valued member of the pack. The dreamwalker sees his own worth reflected back at him in the dark blue eyes of the wolf. Yet when Dylan has the chance to free himself from centuries of enslavement, can he betray the man he has come to love?
THE VINE WITCH by Luanne G Smith
For centuries, the vineyards at Château Renard have depended on the talent of their vine witches, whose spells help create the world-renowned wine of the Chanceaux Valley. Then the skill of divining harvests fell into ruin when sorcière Elena Boureanu was blindsided by a curse. Now, after breaking the spell that confined her to the shallows of a marshland and weakened her magic, Elena is struggling to return to her former life. And the vineyard she was destined to inherit is now in the possession of a handsome stranger.
Vigneron Jean-Paul Martel naively favors science over superstition, and he certainly doesn’t endorse the locals’ belief in witches. But Elena knows a hex when she sees one, and the vineyard is covered in them. To stay on and help the vines recover, she’ll have to hide her true identity, along with her plans for revenge against whoever stole seven winters of her life. And she won’t rest until she can defy the evil powers that are still a threat to herself, Jean-Paul, and the ancient vine-witch legacy in the rolling hills of the Chanceaux Valley.
BLOOD OATH OF BLACKBRIAR ACADEMY by Olivia Ash
he’s always wanted to dig her claws into Milo, and when he starts acting — well, odd — I can only assume her shiny new necklace has something to do with it. It reeks of enchantment, and as Milo gets lost in the depths of her spell, only I can save him.
Messing with me is one thing. But messing with my men? That’s unforgivable.
One by one, my men are being removed from my life.
First Milo. Then, Gideon. Powerful people are behind this, pulling the strings on my life in an effort to take everything I love away. Which means Soren and Jesse are next on this deadly hit list. You mess with my men, you mess with me. What the people hunting us don’t realize is you don’t want to mess with me. The people after us want war. Well, I can give them that. Ready or not, here I come.
SOMETHING WICKED ANTHOLOGY by Various
VS Note: From the reviews, these are a collection of 13 Dark Fantasy stories, didn’t sound like romance at all, but unexpected twists on various villains maybe?
HAPPILY EVER CROWNED (UNDERWORLD ROYALS BOOK 1) by Lexi C Foss and Anna Edwards
“I do.” Two words that signed over my soul to a monster, all to save a kingdom I knew little about. This isn’t a fairy tale. No knights in shining armor, only kings fighting for power. And my heart is the key.
A game designed to shatter even the harshest of resolves. My husband wants to debase me. To break me. To destroy my spirit. To possess every inch of my soul through acts so heinous, I can hardly breathe. And he’s using six men to do it. Including him. Adrik, Prince of Noxia…(more blurb on ebook seller page…)
WINDWARD by S Kaeth
VS Note: Doesn’t seem to a romance but…dragons!
In nests high in the mountains, dragons and dragonbonded share their lives, thoughts, feelings, and ambitions.
Palon and her partner, the dragon Windward, are renowned among their nest for their flying skill. Their days are filled with everything she loves, especially riding the wind. Even being tasked with teaching their way of life to Tebah, a rebellious newly bonded teenager, can’t bring her down too much.
But when treasures from the dragons’ hoards are found in Palon’s collection, her idyllic life comes crashing down. She battles to prove her innocence, while her every move is cast as further evidence against her. Tebah’s suspicion, homesickness, and defiance would be frustrating even in easy times. With Palon in the spotlight while her rivals smear her name at every turn and stir up plots of revenge, her teenage charge’s behavior proves dangerous. Dragon tempers shorten, and challenges and disputes shake the ground. Palon will have to trust more than just herself if she hopes to once more own the sky.
RIPPLES AND WAVES: A QUEER RETELLING OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN’S LITTLE MERMAID by L A Witt
Colin Everroad should be dead, but after his lobster boat founders during a violent storm off the Maine coast, he wakes up on a beach. He’s cold, but unscathed… with strange memories of a face he can’t conjure and a voice he doesn’t recognize.
No one can explain it, but a friend suggests Colin was saved by one of the mer. Except the mer don’t exist. Do they? But… that face. That voice. Someone was in the water with him. Someone saved him. If not a mer, then who? And whoever it was, Colin wants to see his face.
Lir broke protocol by rescuing a land person, but he couldn’t just let the man drown. When he disobediently resurfaces to see his beautiful land man, he knows it’s only a matter of time before he’s forbidden to leave the depths again.
One clandestine visit turns into more. Soon, Colin and Lir are meeting at the shore as often as possible, and the connection between them deepens. The only problem is that neither can live in the other’s world. Or can they?
Then Lir finds a way for them to be together, but only for a little while… and at a cost. As time grows short, they have to choose: does Lir return to the sea and never see Colin again, or stay forever with the man he loves in a world that will never love them?
ENCHANTED (FAE MAGIC BOOK 3) by Jessica Aspen
Caught in her enemy’s spell, Cassie believes she’s a faery princess—but in reality, her fairy tale existence is nothing but a beautiful prison.
Bosco’s never revealed his true self to anyone. Until the day he’s sent to steal the queen’s pet psychic.
When an undercover spy kisses a faery princess and their worlds collapse, only true love and true hearts can bring about happy ever after.
QUEEN OF MONSTERS (THE DANK COURTS BOOK 4) by Dagmar Avery, K Margaret and Stella Price
The battle may be over, but the war is far from won. Poseidon has emerged, and things are about to get crazy. With some new problems on the horizon for the entire Nightmare Courts, Gogo and Cetus are in a precarious position with their own Courts…and where they sit in the mess of all of it. The Hobgoblin queen is making a play for inclusion, the Light Courts are on the rise and the animosity between two gods, one dark, one ‘light,’ is overwhelming.
But surprises are cropping up, in the form of mythical treasure, and it’s up to the Nightmare Courts to find it, to help bring their respective houses to a glory they should have had since the beginning—because the light Courts are working against them overtime. And with Poseidon still working behind the scenes, nothing is easy. Gobeth, Cetus and her guard have their work cut out for them, because by the end of this ordeal, gods will be dead, secrets will be revealed, and a queen will rise, along with her monsters.
UNINTENTIONAL OBSSESSION (LOTUS ADAAMAS SERIES BOOK 2) by Layla Stone
Nara made a deal with the wrong Demon and now he’s forcing her to do something she can’t do without getting sick. When she can’t deliver, she’s given over to another Demon for safe keeping. She shouldn’t hate Shine as much as she does. It wasn’t his fault the Demon planet is run by a horrible person who refuses to listen to her when she says she’s not a doctor.
Shine shouldn’t hate the female that was thrown at his feet and told to keep an eye on her. It wasn’t her fault a black hearted Demon runs the planet and thinks he can do whatever he wants to whoever he wants, but there’s something about her that gets under his skin.
Two people who couldn’t be more different find out they have more in common then they expected. When the time runs out, will Nara be able to do what it takes to keep Shine alive?
STAND OUT (ASSASSIN’S CLAWS BOOK 2) by Susi Hawke
Gifflet “Gib” Moreno is a paid killer, just like his four brothers. It’s the family business—they fight together, they die together. Whether they’re working as a group or alone, they are a tight unit who protect their own.
As the introverted brother who’s known for watching from the shadows and listening more than he talks, Gib is the one sent on a discrete assignment. His mission: follow a blackmarket importer, learn what he knows about the plot afoot to reveal the secret existence of shifters… then kill him.
HRH Darius Aurea, prince of the island nation of Aurelia is in town to do what he does best: party. The last thing he expects is to have a blast from his past show up with claims that he has a son. And that his alleged son has been kidnapped.
A bungled rescue attempt finds Darius also imprisoned and it falls on Gib to save the day. Not only the day, but also his… mate? The stealthy assassin is far from thrilled to find his true mate is someone as loud and well-known as HRH Prince Partypants.
THE TWISTED ONES by T Kingfisher (who is also Ursula Vernon)
VS note: Horror or occult, not romance but a release of note. I rarely read horror but put this on my TBR list after seeing Chuck Wendig recommend it on twitter.
When Mouse’s dad asks her to clean out her dead grandmother’s house, she says yes. After all, how bad could it be?
Answer: pretty bad. Grandma was a hoarder, and her house is stuffed with useless rubbish. That would be horrific enough, but there’s more—Mouse stumbles across her step-grandfather’s journal, which at first seems to be filled with nonsensical rants…until Mouse encounters some of the terrifying things he described for herself.
Alone in the woods with her dog, Mouse finds herself face to face with a series of impossible terrors—because sometimes the things that go bump in the night are real, and they’re looking for you. And if she doesn’t face them head on, she might not survive to tell the tale.
GHOST TRAPPED (VALLEY GHOSTS BOOK 2) by BL Maxwell
Wade and Jason are back. They’re settling into their new relationship, from friends to lovers, and trying to navigate the paranormal business they now find themselves in. And Jimbo has joined the team too.
It seems Sacramento has a wealth of restless spirits needing a nudge to move on their way. Taking a job in Old Sacramento, they soon realize there’s a more than average haunting at The Hitching Post restaurant. Built over the old tunnels and hidden under many of the businesses, they find a world of spirits that have been forgotten. Until now.
Jason is excited to take on one of their first big jobs as an official paranormal research group. Running Scared Paranormal is open for business, but this case is different than anything they’ve encountered before. He reaches out for help from someone connected to the spirit realm who has first-hand knowledge on what it’ll take to ensure their safety and complete the job, but will it be enough?
Wade is thrust into a world he’s tried to stay on the edges of. He’s been to haunted houses with Jason in the past, but he doesn’t consider himself an expert. His newfound abilities will be tested in ways he never imagined, and only he knows how much he can handle, both physically and mentally. After being injured, he once again faces the fact that the spirits he’s always feared have the ability to hurt them. In this situation, the person who can help the most, may not be a person at all.
LEAVING EDEN: A REVERSE HAREM COLLECTION by Various
Seven Sins – Seven Women – Seven Stories
From the authors who brought you Saving Setora, Slivered, Echoes and Entanglements, Chaos, Pieces of Her Soul, and Memphis, comes an anthology like no other. Meet the new Seven Deadly Sins
CAGED (BLOOD TRAILS BOOK 6) by Jennifer Blackstream
When a murder investigation starts with a mutilated corpse and a savage, newly-turned werewolf, it’s normal to hope things improve from there. But in Shade’s experience, it’s more likely things will get worse. Much worse.
A mutiny is brewing in the local werewolf pack, and a homicide involving a close ally of the alpha—Detective Sergeant Liam Osbourne—is exactly the crack in his armor his enemies have been waiting for. Together with Liam and her FBI partner, Agent Andrew Bradford, Shade will need to stretch her powers to dangerous limits to find the conspirator—not only to prevent another grisly killing, but to halt a campaign of terror reaching far beyond the blood-stained crime scene. Can they solve the case before treason rips Liam’s pack in two?
THE DRAGON’S CLAIM (BLACKWING DRAGONS BOOK 1) by Victoria Wright
After the death of her elderly guardian, Sophia Starling is chosen by her village as the tribute they must pay to the dragon clan that rules their land. But even if she’s going to be eaten by a dragon, she has no intention of going down without a fight. Fortunately for a lass down on her luck, Riva Blackwing has entirely different ideas in mind.
Taken from her home and all she’s ever known, Sophia is thrust into a strange new world where she must adapt or die. Torn between the desire to regain her freedom and the attraction she feels for Riva, one thing is certain: if she isn’t careful, the choices she makes could get them both killed.
DEVIL WITH BENEFITS by Penelope Woods
When a devil shows up to kill me, I run. But when a god emerges from the shadows to defend me, I stay for all the benefits. I’m an ordinary girl, but the world around me is changing. Dark magic threatens the health of our planet, and I’m pretty sure it’s my fault. I’ve got no one on my side. No one, except for him. I’ll admit it – Ash Crowley is the hottest god I’ver met, but his powers are yet to be earned. As evil competes for absolute control of the world, a dangerous truth lurks in the shadows. I should have paid more attention in church. When the devil calls, hang up the phone.
OF DRAGONS AND CRUELTY (WINGS OF VENGEANCE BOOK 1) by Catherine Banks
She’s no avenging angel; she’s a Vengeance. Fighting, sex, comradery, food, and drink; these are the things that the warrior women known as Vengeances enjoy. While locked away for a minor crime, Jenecca’s kin are attacked and slaughtered before she can break free to rescue them. The only Vengeance who remains is herself. The only thing on her mind – and DNA – is revenge on the man who murdered her sisters, but to enact her plan, she must travel to an entirely different dimension. Turns out, she’s not so great at landings and finds herself right in the middle of a dragon shifter den.
An elf, two dragon shifters, and a minotaur, all know of what she is, having been with one of her sisters. When the fate of her sister in this new dimension is revealed, Jenecca’s desire to avenge her joins her need for justice. Now, Jenecca must battle not only against the slayer of her kin, but against her heart and the ticking clock on her revenge.
Can she maintain her sanity? Or will it be too late for the last Vengeance?
DARK QUEEN’S QUEST (CHILDREN OF THE GODS SERIES BOOK ) by I T Lucas
A former beauty queen, a retired undercover agent, and a successful model, Mey is not the typical damsel in distress. But when her sister drops off the radar and then someone starts following her around, she panics. Following a vague clue that Kalugal might be in New York, Kian sends a team headed by Yamanu to search for him. As Mey and Yamanu’s paths cross, he offers her his help and protection, but will that be all?
THE LIBRARY OF THE UNWRITTEN (A NOVEL FROM HELL’S LIBRARY BOOK 1) by A J Hackwith
VS Note: Not a romance (not sure if there are romantic elements). What author could resist the idea of a library where their unwritten (or unfinished) books reside??? THe ‘look inside’ excerpt captivated me and I one-clicked. A release of note.
Many years ago, Claire was named Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing– a neutral space in Hell where all the stories unfinished by their authors reside. Her job consists mainly of repairing and organizing books, but also of keeping an eye on restless stories that risk materializing as characters and escaping the library. When a Hero escapes from his book and goes in search of his author, Claire must track and capture him with the help of former muse and current assistant Brevity and nervous demon courier Leto.
But what should have been a simple retrieval goes horrifyingly wrong when the terrifyingly angelic Ramiel attacks them, convinced that they hold the Devil’s Bible. The text of the Devil’s Bible is a powerful weapon in the power struggle between Heaven and Hell, so it falls to the librarians to find a book with the power to reshape the boundaries between Heaven, Hell….and Earth.
TWISTED IS THE CROWN (DARK MAJI BOOK 3) by Kel Carpenter and Lucinda Dark
Quinn Darkova made a vow from the very beginning. And now she’s home. For revenge . . .Except N’skara isn’t the same as it was ten years ago, and the person she came for is nowhere to be found. After being taken ashore by armed guards of the same Council they came to sway, Quinn knows it’s up to her to uncover the truth about what really happened, while seeking the retribution owed to her.
Lazarus knew she was hiding something. He knew she had unfinished business in N’skara. But never could he have known this. He hadn’t predicted how set in their ways the people were. He hadn’t listened to the warnings when Quinn spoke of secrets and lies. He hadn’t realized that the woman he couldn’t stay away from was forged as much by blood as she was by darkness.
MINT FREEZE: HARET CHRONICLES QILIN: A FANTASY ROMANCE (SUGAR BITES BOOK 1) by Laurel Chase
Talk about rags to riches. Cinderella had nothing on me. I have a sparkly new crown, a remodeled ancient castle, and I’m mated to six of the most delectable princes a girl could conjure. But my happily-ever-after honeymoon still seems a long way off. There are plenty of magical creatures in Haret and Earth who would kill to see me dethroned – literally – and we can’t let our guard down yet. Still, my men promised me a break and a bucket list, and my mates always deliver their goods. We’ll just have to get our sugar in small bites. I’m Carlyle Licorne, and I’m ready for my next sugar fix.
THE GOOD LUCK GIRLS by Charlotte Nicole Davis
VS Note: Not a romance although it sounds as if there might be a romantic element. A dystopian fantasy adventure. YA. A release of note.
The country of Arketta calls them Good Luck Girls—they know their luck is anything but. Sold to a “welcome house” as children and branded with cursed markings. Trapped in a life they would never have chosen.
When Clementine accidentally kills a man, the girls risk a dangerous escape and harrowing journey to find freedom, justice, and revenge in a country that wants them to have none of those things. Pursued by Arketta’s most vicious and powerful forces, both human and inhuman, their only hope lies in a bedtime story passed from one Good Luck Girl to another, a story that only the youngest or most desperate would ever believe.
It’s going to take more than luck for them all to survive.
MIMICS AND MAYHEM: A STALLION RIDGE NOVEL by Maz Maddox
My name is Scarlet, and I’m a Mimic. While I can shape shift into whatever man you want, that’s not what makes me unique. My mismatched eyes, beautiful red hair, love for women’s fashion and my big endowment are simply some of my shining qualities. I’m also fabulous, love sex, and I look fantastic in a corset. Did I get your attention? Good.
Then let me tell you my story.
WAR OF HEARTS: A TRUE IMMORTALITY NOVEL by S Young
Thea Quinn has no idea what she is. All she knows is that her abilities have been a plague upon her life since she was a child. After years of suffering at the hands of a megalomaniac, Thea escaped and has been on the run ever since.
The leadership and protection of his pack are of the utmost importance to Conall MacLennan, Alpha and Chief of Clan MacLennan, the last werewolf pack in Scotland. Which is why watching his sister slowly die of a lycanthropic disease is emotional torture. When Conall is approached by a businessman who offers a cure for his sister in exchange for the use of Conall’s rare tracking ability, Conall forges an unbreakable contract with him. He has to find and retrieve the key to the cure: dangerous murderer, Thea Quinn.
Thea’s attempts to evade the ruthless werewolf are not only thwarted by the Alpha, but by outside dangers. With no choice but to rely on one another for survival, truths are revealed, intensifying a passionate connection they both fight to resist. At war with themselves and each other, Conall and Thea’s journey to Scotland forces them to face a heartrending choice between love and betrayal.
GLOW OF THE FIREFLIES by Lindsey Duga
Briony never planned to go back to the place she lost everything. Firefly Valley, nestled deep within the Smoky Mountains, is better kept in her past. It’s been six years since an unexplained fire gave Briony amnesia, her mother disappeared, and her dad moved them away. But now her grandmother needs a caretaker, and Briony’s dad insists she be the one to help. The moment she returns, she feels a magical connection to the valley, as if it’s a part of her somehow.
And when she meets a hot guy named Alder who claims he was her childhood friend but now mysteriously keeps his distance, Briony starts piecing together her missing past…and discovers her mother didn’t leave to start a new life somewhere. She’s trapped in the hidden world within the valley.
Now, Briony will do whatever it takes to rescue her, even if it means standing up against dangerously powerful gods. But when saving her mother comes with the ultimate sacrifice–Alder’s death–how can she choose?
LOST MOON (VAMPIRE FOR HIRE BOOK 18) by J R Rain and Matthew S Cox
Samantha Moon spent the past thirteen years fighting the evil trying to consume her, but at least she knew where it lurked.
With the dark masters unleashed, her life has become one of constant vigilance and sleepless nights. One upside, though: she’s on speaking terms with the sun again.
Allison’s vision of a ticking supernatural time bomb wiping out civilization sends them racing out to the Arizona desert. After hastily gathering reinforcements, they confront the harbinger of the end times before it can strike.
When the dust settles, Sam finds herself in a desolate alien wasteland, her dragon friend mortally wounded beside her and no obvious way back to her world. Her body can withstand the upper-dimensional energies for only a few hours. She needs to find a way home as well as figure out how to stop Talos from dying.
She doesn’t have time to do both. She might not be able to do either.
SAVED BY THE WOLF by Mirajane
I used to be Alpha wolf of my pack.
Now, all I long for is a perfect mate.
Rose is the woman for me.
She’s my client but I don’t care about breaking the rules just this once.
Her gorgeous eyes and luscious lips drive me crazy.
But she’s been bitten by another wolf who’s eyeing her.
The bite is turning her into one of us.
It’s my job to keep her safe.
To keep our family together.
…and there’s no force in world that could snatch her away from me.
FAELING FOR THEM (AN EIGHT WINGS ACADEMY NOVEL BOOK 1) by Serena Akeroyd
Gabriella is a bad witch. Well, she’s not evil, she just sucks at magic, and when she turns eighteen, the unthinkable happens: she grows a pair of wings. Human born Fae are nothing new. An oddity to be sure, but witch born Fae? They’re a whole other ball of wax.
When she’s summoned to the Eight Wings Academy at twenty-five, the doo-dah hits the fan as harsh truths are revealed to her about the Fae. But no matter how hard Gabriella tries to flunk, to escape a society forged on lies, she can’t do it. And it isn’t because she’s a brilliant student, either. She sucks. Hard. Something, or someone, is making sure she passes, keeping her at the Academy against her will, ensuring she heads straight into the warrior caste and into a troupe with three other Fae. Except her troupe? They just happen to be her Virgo—her fated mates. And where Virgo are concerned, they have the final say on whether she claims them or not.
She’s FAELING FOR THEM, but can she convince them she’s a good catch? When she knows, point blank, she isn’t…?
WILDFIRE SEA DRAGON (FIRE AND RESCUE SHIFTERS: WILDFIRE CREW BOOK 3) by Zoe Chant
Noble. Dutiful. Serious. All words that no one would ever use to describe sea dragon shifter Joe, the Crown Prince of Atlantis.
As the Heir to the Pearl Throne, he’s supposed to be preparing to rule a vast underwater empire…which is exactly why he’s on a fire crew in the ass-end of Montana. Battling raging infernos with his bros is infinitely preferable to wearing a crown. Even with the demons and weird monsters. Okay, so the forces of evil are getting a little personal. He can handle it on his own, like he always has. The last thing he needs is a bodyguard. Especially her. The woman of his dreams…
Her only name is Seventh Novice. Everything else, she left behind long ago. If she’s to achieve her dream of becoming a Knight of Atlantis—the first and only one who isn’t a sea dragon—she has to be perfect. Perfectly honorable. Perfectly dutiful. Perfectly in control of the mindless monster who shares her soul.
Which would be a lot easier if she hadn’t been assigned to protect a man with the honor of an alley cat and the common sense of a stunned herring…and a body that drives her beast into a blind frenzy of desire at first sniff.
He’s her fated mate. But Joe’s good at thwarting fate. After all, he’s had a lot of practice…Because the man that everyone thinks is carefree and careless has a secret. Joe can see the future. And if he claims his mate, she’ll die.
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VS Note: In honor of Pets In Space® 4 coming out next week, here are my stories from PISA 1, 2 and 3, now they’re sold separately!
Star Cruise A Novella: Stowaway: With Star Cruise Rescue and Golden Token Short Stories
Star Cruise: Songbird:
Star Cruise: Mystery Dancer:
PETS IN SPACE® 4 pre order links: Amazon Apple Books Kobo Nook Google
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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. And I may mention ‘special items’.
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 by hand 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 EG Manetti and commented:
There’s something for everyone in this week’s SFR and PNR releases including new books from S J Pajonas, Elsa Jade, and Clarissa Lake.