Monthly Archives: October 2020

Oct 8 2020

Pets in Space 5 Authors Talk #SciFi Romance Story Sparks

VS Note: This post first appeared on the AMAZING STORIES MAGAZINE blog…

For the fifth year in a row we’re having fun in the science fiction romance world with the Pets In Space® 5 anthology, in which my co-founder Pauline B. Jones and I invite other authors to take that story prompt and run with it. I often explain the concept as being something like “Lassie in space”, where the pet in question can be any kind of animal or creature but needs to be integral to the plot. We donate part of the proceeds to Hero-Dogs, Inc., which provides service animals to veterans and forst responders in need. Since we first started the project in 2016, thanks to our readers, we’ve been able to donate over $15,000 to the nonprofit organization.

I asked my fellow authors to share a little about what inspired their story for this year’s anthology, as well as giving us a peek at their To Be Read List and what they’ll be up to next, now that the anthology has been released. My answers are included below as well.

Here’s the blurb for the anthology itself: It’s time for an escape! Pets in Space® 5 is back for the fifth amazing year! Escape to new worlds with twelve of today’s top Science Fiction Romance authors. They have written 12 original, never-before-released stories filled with action, adventure, suspense, humor, and romance that will take you out of this world. The giving doesn’t stop there. For the fifth year, Pets in Space® will be donating a portion of the first month proceeds to Hero-Dogs, Inc., a non-profit charity that supports our veterans and First Responders. If you are ready to forget the world around you and make a difference while you are having fun, grab your copy before it’s gone!

New York Times and USA Today Best Selling Author S. E. Smith, The King’s Quest (Dragon Lords of Valdier Series Short Story):

A playful trick leads to love for a Goddess, but will the King she falls in love with accept her for who she really is?

Story inspiration: I love stories that capture my heart and my imagination. My PiSA5 story definitely does both. This story can be read as a stand-alone, but it does fit into a larger universe—my Dragon Lords of Valdier. The story is about Tamblin, King of the Kingdom of Glitter. Tamblin rules over a beautiful world on a remote moon where his species and others like him are no larger than a doll. Don’t be fool by their diminutive size, though. They have a huge heart and a fierce spirit. This spirit comes alive in The King’s Quest. The moon is under threat again as off-world traders, wanting to capitalize on the small creatures that live and thrive there, hope to make a fortune on the furry rodents that are considered a special treat to the Dragons of Valdier.

I’ve always loved the stories of Thumbelina, Darby O’Gill and the Little People, Gulliver’s Travels, and the Borrowers. When I first wrote about the characters in Ambushing Ariel: Dragon Lords of Valdier Book 4, I was so impressed by their strength. I ended up writing Tia’s story which is now an animated film, and always knew that I would write Tamblin’s story. This is a story with heart, compassion, friendship, adventure, and the special magical power of an emotion called love.

Be prepared for some laughs, some tears, and to cheer on the amazing people who live on a small moon in a galaxy far, far away.

Next for her: I’m excited to finally be writing The Dark Prince’s Prize: Curizan Warrior Book 2. This story has been a long time coming but is turning out amazing. There is nothing sweeter than when a story takes me by surprise—and gives me characters I love to love and love to hate. LOL. This one has plenty of both! After The Dark Prince’s Price, readers have requested Jarmen’s Jane Doe from my Lords of Kassis series and then Rorrak’s Revenge: Zion Warriors Book 3. This is a powerful line up of stories and I’m excited to share them with readers.

On her TBR List: As usually, my TBR list is a mixture of fun and self-improvement. I have a few Peggy Henderson, Pauline Baird Jones, Veronica Scott, and Carol Van Natta stories in my Library that are screaming for me to stop everything and read! On top of that, I have several self-help/improvement books to help me grow as a person and keep my mind here on Earth for a bit. I love getting lost in another world, don’t you?

Michelle Diener, Dark Ambitions (A Class Five Novella):

When a planetary exploration trip takes a dangerous turn, a human woman and her powerful AI friend will need all their skills to come to the rescue.

Story inspiration: I have been thinking of going back to the main characters in my novel Dark Horse for a while, and so it was the first thing that came to mind while planning my Pets in Space® novella. It was a lot of fun to revisit the characters, but I’ve written it in a way I hope readers who haven’t read Dark Horse can still enjoy it. I’m guessing readers who are huge fans of the series will love to have a peek into Rose, Sazo and Dav’s lives again.

Next for her: I am currently busy writing a novella for a fantasy romance anthology, Warlords, Witches & Wolves: A Fantasy Realms Anthology. I wrote fantasy before I wrote science fiction romance, and it has been hugely enjoyable to go back to another beloved genre for me.

On her TBR List: I often pre-order autobuy authors’ books well in advance and then sort of forget about them, and I’m thrilled the latest in Faith Hunter’s Soulwood Series, Spells for the Dead, is now waiting for me on my Kindle as soon as I’ve made my current deadline

USA Today Best Selling Author Veronica Scott, Star Cruise: Return Voyage (The Sectors SF Romance Series):

She survived the worst interstellar shipping disaster in history as a child but can she survive the RETURN VOYAGE as an adult?

Pet sketch by ADRIAN

Story inspiration: I like to make my PISA story into my annual entry in my STAR CRUISE series as well, located on the interstellar luxury liner Nebula Zephyr. I enjoy revisiting some of my characters from previous STAR CRUISE stories and I feel the concept of a huge cruise ship gives me plenty of latitude for telling a variety of stories. I actually started with the concept of a service animal, based in part on the appearance of an afghan hound, but made more alien of course. My next challenge was what would bring such a sizable animal onto the ship as a pet? In early 2020 there had been so many true stories about people bringing odd animals onto airplanes as service animals and I read about someone who had a miniature horse they wanted to travel with! Since I visualize Verlaine as being about the size of a very small horse that seemed perfect to me. So he became a genuine service animal of the far future.

But who would need such an animal to support them on a trip on a big luxury liner?

Enter Gianna Nadenoft, who survived the wreck of the interstellar cruise liner Nebula Dream in my very first published scifi romance novel. She was a (precocious) child of three at the time of the events in Wreck of the Nebula Dream so I felt it was a safe assumption she’d have had post-traumatic stress symptoms of various kinds and might have needed a service animal to help her cope with life after the wreck. And the story spun itself out for me from there.

Next for her: I’m working on Jamokan, the next novel in my award winning Badari Warriors series about genetically engineered soldiers of the far future. After that I plan to write book two in my Colony series.

On her TBR List:  Looking forward to The Ippos King from Grace Draven, the next book in the Bioluminescence series by Auryn Hadley, Apokalypsis Book Five by Kate Morris, The Solstice Kings by Kim Fielding, Under a Winter Sky including a Jeffe Kennedy story, Spenser by Tasha Black (well really all the upcoming releases in the Intergalactic Dating Agency series by authors like Cara Bristol, Lea Kirk, Susan Grant and more)…

USA Today Best Selling Author Pauline B. Jones, General’s Holiday (Project Enterprise Series):

A lady, a frog, and the General that wanted to be Picard…

Story inspiration: For me, the story always starts with a pet, what kind of person is likely to own that pet, then I try to find the one person in my Project Enterprise universe who will be the most annoyed or flummoxed by that pet. It was pretty easy to figure out the pet, the heroine and the hero, but picking a general who is leading the expedition? That made it truly hard. But even general’s need holidays…

Next for her: I am currently at work on my ninth Project Enterprise book. I’m a little amazed about that. It was only ever meant to be one book.

On her TBR List: I have been waiting for the last book in Lindsay Buroker’s Star Kingdom series, Layers of Force. I kind of cleaned up my TBR this year, but I always looking for books by SE Smith, Carol Van Natta, Veronica Scott, Michelle Diener, and Martha Wells (MurderBot!)—to name just a few!

USA Today Best Selling Author Laurie A Green, Juggernaut (The Inherited Stars Series):

A security commander must decide if she can trust a mysterious stranger and his bioengineered StarDog when the secret underground site she protects is threatened.

Story inspiration: When I signed on to pen a new story for Pets in Space® 5, I wasn’t even sure if I’d be writing another StarDog story or one involving a completely different pet. I started brainstorming on plot and character ideas, and what began to unfold in my head was not the usual science fiction romance story set on a star ship or a space station, but in an ancient underground lava tube! Juggernaut soon became that story—the one that would deliver a huge twist in my Inherited Stars universe that I’d been planning to unveil in a later book. The secrets buried in that ancient cave turn out to be galaxy-shaking and it ultimately requires a StarDog to unravel the mystery.

Next for her: I plan to have two or more books in my series published yet in 2020, and then take a step back into history to explore the Legend of Katrina, which has been mentioned often in the unfolding of the Inherited Stars saga.

Her TBR List: I have several books I’m eager to read because of enthusiastic referrals, but Susan Grant’s Hawk: Sky Mates (think Top Gun with space aliens) will be out in October and Auryn Hadley’s

Bioluminescent (The Mimics Book 1) are two at the top of the stack. Well, and all of the Pets in  Space® 5 stories, of course! I also hope to soon read The Fringe Series Omnibus (books 1-5) by Rachel Aukes and Star Trek: Picard – The Last Best Hope, which is supposed to be a prequel to the ‘Star Trek: Picard’ CBS All Access series.

USA Today Best Selling Author Carol Van Natta, Galactic Search and Rescue (Galactic Concordance Series):

Rescuers Taz and Rylando can’t let their forbidden attraction get in the way of saving lives. When a planetary disaster turns deadly, can they save an entire town… and each other?

Story inspiration: My story in Pets in Space® 5 is Galactic Search and Rescue, a novella in my Central Galactic Concordance space opera universe. The story’s inspiration came from three sources that my muse pulled together into a fast-paced adventure plot with romance. Plus pets, of course!

First, I read an article about the amazing giant pouched rats that are trained to seek out and help humans disarm landmines. These rats are very appropriately named “Hero Rats.” I even included one in my story. Second, news footage of the rescuers in several major disasters riveted me to the screen. Whether it’s wildfires, earthquakes, or devastating explosions, first-responders are there to help. The bravery of these folks is staggering and humbling. Third, Pets in Space® supports the Hero-Dogs.org charity, which trains and places service dogs with disabled veterans and first-responders. The team of trained rescue animals in Galactic Search and Rescue is my tribute to service animals everywhere, from the conventional to the decidedly unusual. I think partnering with animals makes us better humans.

Next for her: I’ll be deep in the editing cave with the next novel in my space opera series, Spark Transform. It’s book 5 in the big damn story arc that’s going on. It’s the same universe as Galactic Search and Rescue. After that, I’ll be working on the next book in my paranormal romance series, plus a super-secret project that ought to keep me off the streets and out of the socially-distanced karaoke bars for a while.

On her TBR List: My not-secret, not-at-all-guilty pleasures are paranormal romance, science fiction romance, and space opera. Convenient, considering that’s also what I write. My jam is multicultural characters who find love and destiny in hidden worlds or the stars.

USA Today Best Selling Author Regine Abel, Reaper (Xian Warrior Series):

With time running out, a woman accepts her fate only to find hope in the genetically engineered warrior created by her captors.

Story inspiration: After wrapping up the overarching story in my Xian Warriors series, many fans asked for the stories of a few of the other Warriors and especially for a HEA for Stran. Stran is a Creckel, a warrior beast that resembles a pangolin with a dragon head. He was my pet in PISA 4, and he makes recurring appearances throughout the Xian Warriors series. In the final book, Varnog, we learned the locations of multiple secret bases where terrible experiments had been performed on innocent victims. It only mentioned that the Xian Warriors would go check out those bases to rescue any possible survivors. I had not planned on actually writing books about those rescues. But I realized doing so in this instance would give me the opportunity to address both of those requests. On top of writing Reaper’s story, I loved the idea of Doom and Stran reuniting once more for another Pets in Space® anthology. Except this time, we also meet the badass Brees, a modified Creckel with a bit of sass.

Next for her: I have finally taken a dive into the world of audiobooks. In fact, Doom, my PISA 4 story, will be the first audiobook I’ll be releasing in November. I’m also starting to look at possibly dabbling insome Italian translations of my books, but that still in early exploration. In the short-term, my goal is to wrap up my Veredian Chronicles series with the final book Defying Fate so that I can launch into the Titans spin-off series, where the children as young adults face their destiny.

On her TBR List: It’s ridiculously long. But my top priority is the entire Venys Needs Men series by the fabulous Amanda Milo, Tiffany Roberts, Poppy Rhys and Naomi Lucas.

USA Today Best Selling Author Alexis Glynn Latner, Pastfinders (Star Ways Series):

A woman’s psychic gift might be the catalyst needed to save the life of the man she loves—in an ancient archaeological site that contains a stupendous discovery.

Story inspiration: What sparked my story in PISA 5 isn’t obvious in hindsight.  I definitely wanted to write a PISA story with a trauma service animal.  But some elements of the story have existed in my imagination for a long time. Mercury’s psychic gift to change the laws of probability around her and so change her luck, and that of her friends and enemies—her psychalchemy—was in my idea notes from twenty years ago.  Even then, she was one of a team of xenoarchaeologists studying alien ruins. Her love interest was supposed to be somebody else. He’ll be a good hero when his time comes but he’ll have to find another heroine.  Mercury is taken!

My hero Haze is completely original to Pastfinders. He had to have a reason to be at the ancient archaeological site, so it became an official visit in his capacity as a biologist with the planetary government. He also had to have PTSD that crashes down on him.  Haze evolved from there. And Rusty, the alien trauma service creature, evolved to be what Haze needed.

What put everyone and everything together was the title. It’s what the xenoarchaeologists call themselves after their starship, Pastfinder.  On the barren planet Tellus, under ancient alien ruins, there is a buried, eroded past to be discovered. Haze has his own buried past—the trauma that left him with PTSD and in dire need of a sympathetic service animal. The planet itself has a lost geological history that the colonists want to recreate, by making a long-dry river flow anew. How could these lost and found pasts intersect? I think that was the real spark of the story.

Next for her: Next up for me is the final revision of the second book in my Starways series.  In the first book, Witherspin, the Pastfinders’ leader Svetlana Tai surprised me by demanding some stage time.  In the second book, Starmaze, she and her merry crew of archaeologist-adventurers turn out to play a major (and swashbuckling!) role.

Her TBR List: In the next weeks, I’ll be reading something, but I don’t know what. During the first COVID shut-down, I worked my way through a stack of unread Library books. Then I started investigating the books in my Kindle that I haven’t read.  I’m still at it!

USA Today Best Selling Author J. C. Hay, Mittens Not Included (TriSystems: Smugglers Series):

Three little kittens have lost their way…

Story inspiration: I’ve been itching (because I’m allergic, see?) to introduce cats to the TriSystems for a while now, and knew that my smugglers would be the best place to bring these very rare, very expensive little creatures into the world. Rare and expensive, I hear you ask? Yes—Because every bit of weight was needed for human cargo as the colonists fled earth, Cats (and Dogs) came only as genetic stock, rather than as living animals. Because of the expense of reconstituting from DNA, Cats and Dogs are the companions of the extremely wealthy. Somehow it seems appropriate that creatures who were once worshipped as divine should be cherished and a treasure in their own right.  As for what inspired the story specifically, I had only to look at my heroine. Someone brilliant and sensitive deserved the most good-hearted member of the Sentinel’s crew, and that meant the quiet, reclusive ship’s medic, Layth.

Next for him: I have several irons in the fire at the moment. People who’ve finished Mittens Not Included should expect to see more of the enigmatic Mr. Pierce, and more TriSystem Racing in the future. But I’ve also been trying my hand at something completely different—I’m going to keep those details under my hat at the moment, but rest assured, it’s still Sci-Fi, and it’s still Romance. I wouldn’t stray too far afield.

On his TBR List: I’ve been re-reading Cassandra Chandler’s Homeworld Security books, and ripping through Bec McMasters’s London Steampunk books as well. I just started The Mech Who Loved Me, and am enjoying it tremendously.

USA Today Best Selling Author Kyndra Hatch, Finding Mogha (Before the Fall Series):

A human’s effort to save a sentient being takes her straight into the path of a Korthan warrior.

Story inspiration: The California poppies inspired much of the world-building for the paradise world Dani and her companions crash on in Finding Mogha. They were so numerous this year and I spend a lot of time watching and photographing them. And clearly crashes on other worlds are a thing for me, as all three stories I’ve written in The Fall universe (Before The Fall series and After The Fall series) have involved some sort of shipwreck on an alien planet, lol.

Next for her: I’m looking ahead in the Before The Fall and After The Fall series universe. What all started with After The Fall in Pets In Space® 3 has turned into an expanded cosmos. It’s very exciting!

On her TBR List: Anything by Honey Phillips and Tiffany Roberts is on my TBR list these days. That is some inspirational alien romance writing right there, especially if you like your aliens to be very ‘alien!’

USA Today Best Selling Author Cassandra Chandler, Rate of Return (The Department of Homeworld Security Series):

Falling for an Earthling sends an alien and his adorable, six-legged pet in a tailspin.

Story inspiration: The universe of The Department of Homeworld Security is huge. Even after thirteenbooks, we’ve barely scratched the surface of everything that’s been building in my mind. I want to share more of all that with my readers. When I sat down to write my story for the Pets in Space® 5 anthology, I started thinking about the villain. I decided to make him be from a particular group of sentients that are causing problems for The Department of Homeworld Security and their allies. The more I learned about him, though, the more I realized he wasn’t this story’s villain…he was the hero! Serac is definitely the most complicated character in the series, and I loved learning more about him and seeing his struggles and triumphs. I also had so much fun learning about his people and their secrets and gifts. Rate of Return taught me even more about this universe, and I can’t wait to share it!

Next for her: I’ll be branching out even more in this universe, with several spin-off series in the works, starting with a deeper look at the Cygnians. Before I get to that, I’ve promised readers the third novel in my dark Sci-fi/Urban Fantasy Romance Blades of Janus series, which I hope to have out this year!

On her TBR List: My TBR list is always growing! I’ve been saving Varnog, the latest book in Regine Abel’s Xian Warriors series and plan to read that next, and I’m having a lot of fun reading Annette Marie’s The Guild Codex Spellbound Series.

Leslie Chase, Glitch (Crashland Colony Series):

An alien pirate and a human find love in the shadow of disaster.

Story inspiration: A lot of my books have pets in them, and in the Crashland Colony Romances, every human amongst the crashed colonists has a holographic companion animal. So when I got the chance to write a story for PISA5 I knew instantly that it would be a Crashland story, exploring those holographic pets. For a while now, I wanted to see what would happen if one got damaged, and that was the inspiration for Glitch, a hologram cat that doesn’t quite work right, but whose human still loves and cherishes him.That was the story seed, and everything grew from there. So I guess I was inspired by all those people who care for their pets even if they aren’t perfect, and look after the animals others reject. Wonderful people, all of them .

Next for her: I’m finishing up another Crashland book right now, the fifth novel in that setting. It ought to be out by the end of October, with any luck. After that I’ll move onto book three in my Salvaged Hearts series, or possibly a Christmas novella. I’ll have to see if the seasonal spirits grabbed me!

On her TBR List: So many books! I read fast, but not fast enough to keep up! Right now I’m looking forward to burying myself in Her Alien Captor by Zara Zenia and Juno Wells, and I’m also keen to read Soul Keeper by Tegan Maher.

Buy Links:

Amazon      Apple Books      Nook      Kobo      Google Play

 

Oct 7 2020

New Releases in #SciFi #Fantasy and Paranormal Romance for Wednesday OCT 7

SO EXCITED! PETS IN SPACE 5 releases this week! I have a 50K word novel included in the anthology…read on for more details…

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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PETS IN SPACE 5

VS Note: As the co-founder of this anthology, with Pauline B. Jones, I’m VERY excited to report the release! We’ve got great stories for you this year, as always…

It’s time for an escape! Pets in Space® 5 is back for the fifth amazing year! Escape to new worlds with twelve of today’s top Science Fiction Romance authors. They have written 12 original, never-before-released stories filled with action, adventure, suspense, humor, and romance that will take you out of this world. The giving doesn’t stop there. For the fifth year, Pets in Space® will be donating a portion of the first month proceeds to Hero-Dogs.org, a non-profit charity that supports our veterans and First Responders. If you are ready to forget the world around you and make a difference while you are having fun, grab your copy before it’s gone!

My full length novel in the anthology: STAR CRUISE RETURN VOYAGE: Gianna Nadenoft is a reclusive survivor of one of the worst interstellar cruise ship disasters in the history of the Sectors. Now a renowned artist, she hasn’t left her home planet in decades, not since returning there after the wreck as a traumatized three-year-old. With her service animal at her side, she’s going to attempt to travel across the star systems to attend her brother’s wedding and reunite with her fellow survivors.

Trevor Hanson is a security officer aboard the cruise liner Nebula Zephyr with his own traumatic past as a former Special Forces soldier and prisoner of war. He’s assigned to provide personal protection to Gianna during her time aboard the ship but soon finds his interest turning from professional to romantic.

Onboard the Nebula Zephyr, powerful enemies are watching Gianna and making plans to seize this rare opportunity to gain access to her and the secrets they believe she’s still keeping about the wreck. Can Trevor overcome his personal demons and rise to the occasion to save Gianna from the danger waiting on his ship, or will she slip through his fingers and suffer a terrible fate deferred from her last disastrous voyage?

Amazon      Apple Books      Nook      Kobo      Google Play

WINGMAN: ALIEN CASTAWAYS (INTERGALACTIC DATING AGENCY) by Cara Bristol

He has wings, but this alien is no angel…Traumatized by the deaths of his family and the destruction of his planet, Wingman lands on Earth in search of a haven and the solitude to nurse his emotional wounds. When a chance decision foils a kidnapping, he’s drawn into the life of a young widow and her daughter. He’s shocked to discover the human woman is his genmate, the one he’s genetically bonded to. To escape a stalker, Delia and her imaginative, impressionable daughter flee to a small town where nobody can find them. She’s concerned, but not overly so, when her daughter says she’s invited an angel to her birthday party. Until the winged alien actually shows up. After a rocky start, Delia begins to see Wingman for what he really is—one of the kindest, most protective, sexiest men she’s ever met. But just as passion deepens their bond, dangers resurface to threaten Delia and her child. Will Wingman be able to confront the demons of his past to make the sacrifice necessary to protect them?

Amazon      Apple Books      Author’s Books2Read Link

WHEN SHE DANCES (A RISDAVERSE TALE) by Ruby Dixon

VS Note: I am seriously BEHIND on my TBR List, haven’t gotten into this series yet so I’d better hurry up and get to my reading!

I never expected to spend my days as a dancing girl…but it beats the alternative. In the window of a filthy space station cantina, I gyrate my hips and hope for better days. When I’m bought by the most intimidating alien on Three Nebulas Station, those better days are on their way. Zakoar of the Broken Back is a cyborg who deals in black market prosthetics. He’s terrifying to look at, with a metal jaw and a fearsome demeanor. He intimidates everyone in the galaxy…except me. Zakoar doesn’t want my name. In fact, he doesn’t want anything from me…except a little bed sport. In exchange for my willingness, he’ll take me to a human-friendly planet where I can live unafraid. Love isn’t part of the bargain, but every moment that I spend with him, I learn more about the male beneath the metal…
…and I’m suddenly dreaming of a very different happy ever after for myself.

Amazon

WARD OF HOUSE REGA (RENASCENCE ALLIANCE BOOK 7) by Alma Nilsson

Ellie watched her mother’s execution shortly after she arrived in the Alliance Empire. Now she is the Ward of House Rega. The Ward to her deceased mother’s lover and murderer. This last year has gone by in a flurry of confusion and sadness. But things are changing in the Empire, humans are finding loopholes and essentially making the Empire work for them, providing humans with better lives than they could have ever had on Earth. Ellie, taken up with this Lost People Renaissance is no exception. She wants to marry an Outcast, a man whose only crime is that his father is human. Inspired by Jade’s recent invoking of an ancient law, Ellie and her lover devise a plan a plan to marry. However, it is not easy fooling the most powerful man in the galaxy and the Admiral of the Fleet, especially when she is constantly being watched in House Rega.

Amazon

BRIGHT AND DANGEROUS OBJECTS by Annaliese Mackintosh

VS Note: Not a romance…

Commercial deep-sea diver Solvig has a secret. She wants to be one of the first human beings to colonize Mars, and she’s one of a hundred people shortlisted by the Mars Project to do just that. But to fulfil her ambition, she’ll have to leave behind everything she’s ever known—for the rest of her life. As the prospect of heading to space becomes more real, thirty-seven-year-old Solvig is forced to define who she really is. Will she come clean to James, her partner, about her plans? Or will she turn her back on the project, and commit to her life on Earth? Maybe even try for a baby, like James is hoping? Is there any way she can start a family and go to Mars? Does she even want both things?

Amazon      Apple Books

UNLEASHING THE BEAST (DARK MOON PRISONERS BOOK 2) by Aline Ash

Kidnapped by alien outlaws and locked in a private zoo exhibition, Eva’s only hope of freedom lies with the broken hunk of a warrior who shares her enclosure…Collared and chained with my bare body on display, I’m poked, prodded and beaten at the amusement of my Gargolian masters and their guests at this freakish petting zoo…and I can’t take it any more. I’m getting out of here, and I think I know how. The only problem is that my plan rests on the help of my brutish cell-mate. Once the most feared Tabian war chieftain, Tulo has a savage reputation for violence – or at least he did. Now, he doesn’t seem to care about escaping what passes for life here at this petting-zoo anymore. But I can see, just underneath his gruff, angry surface lies a deadly predator that’s ready to rip the world to shreds, and I’m surprised by the responding fire it lights within me.  I just need to get past his barriers to unleash the sleeping beast within. Because once he awakens… he will make them pay in blood.

Amazon

TINY AND FIERCE (HER ALIEN CREW BOOK 1) by Margo Bond Collins and Eli Constant

When Lise Klein took over her family’s deep-space salvage company, she never expected to stumble through a wormhole into a whole other galaxy full of strange alien races ruled by a cruel empress. She learns she’s not the first human to wind up there—but the others were captured and sold as slaves. She’ll have to fight to survive. All she wants is to find a way home. But when she takes on a crew of alien conmen, she finds something truly worth fighting for. Now, to stay alive, they may have to free the entire system. Luckily for all of them, Lise may be little, but she’s tough.

Amazon

MACHINE: A WHITE SPACE NOVEL by Elizabeth Bear

VS Note: not a romance. I pre-ordered this.

Meet Doctor Jens. She hasn’t had a decent cup of coffee in fifteen years. Her workday begins when she jumps out of perfectly good space ships and continues with developing treatments for sick alien species she’s never seen before. She loves her life. Even without the coffee. But Dr. Jens is about to discover an astonishing mystery: two ships, one ancient and one new, locked in a deadly embrace. The crew is suffering from an unknown ailment and the shipmind is trapped in an inadequate body, much of her memory pared away. Unfortunately, Dr. Jens can’t resist a mystery and she begins doing some digging. She has no idea that she’s about to discover horrifying and life-changing truths.

Amazon      Apple Books

XYRON (GLADIATORS OF KRIX BOOK ONE) by Miranda Martin and James D Horton

Cora – The generational ship is humanity’s hope for a future. Travelling to a destination Cora never plans to see, but maybe her grandchildren will. Those dreams are dashed when the ship is attacked by space pirates. She and a handful of other women end up on the Gladiatorial Planet of Krix and sold into slavery. Cora is the weird girl. The last picked. The unpopular one. When one of the gladiatorial warriors says she’s his, she thinks it’s the same old game. One she’s fallen for before. But she’s going to find out there’s nothing this red-skinned, powerfully built alien competitor won’t do to win her heart.
Xyron – The moment I see her I feel it. The Xi. I didn’t believe it was real. A fable among my people, a legend. Xi, when a man finds his Xi, his fate is called. It is the secret gift of the Grey Widow, the Crone’s blessing.
There is no doubting it. My Cora is the softest, curviest and lushest of the new females called humans. I must hold her beautiful body in my arms. Show her the pleasures of being my mate. But we are slaves and our lives are not our own.

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CENTAURI STORM (CENTAURI CAPTIVES BOOK 9) by Kallista Dane and Kate Richards

The dark clouds gather – Our mates will be furious. They’ll punish us severely. If, gods willing, we survive. But we have no choice. Jess, Trina, Carla, Xia and me. I’m Skye. We’re all going back to Earth. We can no longer stand by while Ravensworth, Earth’s corrupt ruler, treats humans like chattel. Imprisoning dissidents. Selling them into slavery. Giving women of our world away to aliens as though he owns them, body and soul. The way he did with us.
We know our mates will object. They’d never willingly let us put our lives at risk. They live by the Arythian warrior’s code. A code of honor, of valor, where the fate of the many matters more than the fate of one.
The winds of change howl. Our mates have no idea what they’re going to face. But we know. Battle-weary warriors, we’ve seen the carnage aliens wreak upon other species. And in all the galaxy, humans are the worst. For they wage war on each other. Not all humans are cruel. Our Terran mates are kind and loving. But to our surprise, we’ve discovered they have the souls of warriors. They have earned our respect and we will not stand in their way.
It is written in the ancient scrolls: The warrior does not go into battle because he hates the enemy. He fights because he loves those he is fighting for. So we will go and fight by the side of our warrior mates. Fight to protect the ones we love. We will unleash the storm. Together.

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BEAST: BOOK 9 IN THE GALAXY GLADIATORS ALIEN ABDUCTION ROMANCE SERIES by Alana Khan

The Beast of Tramachor is one of only ten Pinnacle Gladiators in the galaxy. Having pissed off his owner, he’s being transported to the auction house when newly-abducted Aerie Evans is tossed into his cell in the middle of an epic space battle. Although neither of them is looking for love, what happens when it comes hurtling at them at warp speed? Beast – Born a slave, I learned early to trust no one, and that includes the little Earther who finds me attractive. Sharing lusty bed-play with the determined rebel is on the menu. Sharing more? Not interested. Aerie – Since I can’t return to Earth, I have to use my skills to be accepted by the band of escaped gladiators who’ve offered me safe passage. I never dreamed I’d wind up being thrown together with the gorgeous Beast of Tramachor while I watch him perform the galaxy’s sexiest lap dance, accompany him on the most dangerous fight of his life, or be the one to negotiate his freedom with an evil owner bent on keeping us both prisoner. Will Beast win his dangerous match against six well-armed gladiators? Will he and Aerie survive a ride through the perilous tail of a comet in an escape pod no bigger than a smart car? And will they discover how to complete the journey from enemies to lovers?

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ECHOES (AETHER CHRONICLES BOOK 2) by Abi Barden

A country house retreat with friends like Benjamin Maker should be exactly the relaxation Amethyst Forester needs.
But this country house comes with unbearable snobbery and a missing person. Needing support, Amethyst calls Inspector Jenson to come and investigate. As jealousies and hatred threaten both Maker and Amethyst, Jenson becomes their greatest ally. Amethyst’s inventions are increasing her fortunes, both good and bad, making her a target. Already off-kilter after an unexpected proposal, Amethyst finds something she believed lost forever. When Jenson uncovers a conspiracy against the monarchy, can he and Amethyst work together to lay ghosts to rest and keep the Queen alive?

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THE MINISTRY FOR THE FUTURE: A NOVEL by Kim Stanley Robinson

VS: Put this on my TBR List. Not a romance…

The Ministry for the Future is a masterpiece of the imagination, using fictional eyewitness accounts to tell the story of how climate change will affect us all. Its setting is not a desolate, postapocalyptic world, but a future that is almost upon us — and in which we might just overcome the extraordinary challenges we face. It is a novel both immediate and impactful, desperate and hopeful in equal measure, and it is one of the most powerful and original books on climate change ever written.

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TALL, DARK AND HANDSOME: CELESTRIAL MATES (TAIL AND CLAW BOOK 3) by Nancey Cummings

Mari has terrible taste in men. Her ex-fiance? Left her at the altar and ran off with her money. And now she’s mixed up with the reclusive mega-rich, mega-hot alien, Winter Cayne. That doesn’t sound so bad. Only rumor claims Winter murdered his first wife. Mari can’t reconcile the stories of a possessive, jealous man and the protective single dad that she met on a tropical planet. He wants to bring her home and claim her as his mate. With the mystery surrounding the death of his first wife, can Mari risk being wife #2? Winter lives with shadows and secrets until a human female who is relentless optimism and pure sunshine crashes into his life. His kit needs a mother and he needs a mate to rehabilitate his public image. She needs to pay off a notorious money lender. One year and he’ll let her leave. He lied.

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POSSESSED (RAIDER WARRIORS OF THE VANDAR BOOK 1) by Tana Stone

I sacrificed myself to save my sister’s ship. Now the raider warlord owns me. It was my own fault. I was the navigator of our ship, and I’m the one who led us straight into Vandar territory. We’d heard rumors about the Vandar raiders—everyone in the galaxy had. Terrifying and ruthless, they were a scourge on the Zagrath empire and destroyed everything in their path. Few had actually laid eyes on the Vandar or the notorious warlords who led their fleets of warships—and survived to talk about it. So, when the ruthless aliens boarded our ship intent on destroying it and killing the crew, I did the only thing I could do. I gave myself to the dark and menacing warlord. In exchange for allowing my sister’s ship passage out of the Vandar territory, I must share his bed and travel with his crew of deadly raiders. Even though the sight of the huge, battle-scarred alien terrifies me. But as I adjust to my new life on a savage warship, I discover that the dominant alien warrior wants more than just my body. He wants to possess my soul. And he’ll make a new deal with me to get it.

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GARDEN OF EDEN (THE ELYSIAN CHRONICLES BOOK 1) by Hellie Heat

Micah Vehyl considers himself an “opportunist.” Living in the underground city of Tartarus, he’s not misguided by the ideals of the esteemed and noble government, nor by the promise of rehoming and freedom on the surface. In a world where homosexuality is considered punishable by death, and only the rich and healthy are able to see the light of day, Micah has made a living for himself – among his older brother’s band of criminals and assassins. Armed with a complex power he barely understands, Micah lives only for himself, removed from the fight of the so-called Resistance movement and the impending war against President Axel Tovar and the esteemed and noble government.
But a chance and erotic encounter with a deeply enigmatic Eden Voss awakens a passion within Micah…one that he thought to have vanished for good. A dangerous passion: one that could just get him killed. Meanwhile, Eden Voss has secrets of his own: An officer in the Elysian Police Force, Eden risks more than just his career to maintain contact with Micah. But the connection between them cannot be denied and Eden is willing to throw it all away for the chance to spend more time in Micah’s presence. Caught between passionate desire and the forces that strive to keep them apart, Eden and Micah must navigate treachery, politics, but worst of all – themselves, to find each other. And when injustice threatens all they hold dear, they must make decide if what they’ve started is worth fighting for. And if they’re willing to risk it all to be together in a world where their love is forbidden.

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BROKEN (FATED MATES OF THE KALIXIAN WARRIORS BOOK 5) by Presley Hall

All I wanted to do was find my missing best friend. I never planned on getting kidnapped by aliens. These ugly brutes claim I’m meant to be some sort of tribute bride, but there’s no way I’m letting that happen. Unfortunately, my escape attempt ends with me crashing onto a planet called Kalix. Alone in the dangerous wilderness, my only hope of survival may be a darkly handsome alien with bronze skin, horns, and penetrating eyes. He seems to want to help me. Hell, he seems to want to do a lot more than that to me. But I’ve been burned enough times back on Earth that trust doesn’t come easily…Especially when I find out that my alien protector is harboring some dark secrets of his own.

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BRASS CARRIAGES AND GLASS HEARTS (PROPER ROMANCE) by Nancy Campbell Allen

A steampunk retelling of Cinderella. Emmeline O’Shea has been an outspoken advocate for the shapeshifter community, which has come under unjust attack from a political body known as the PSRC (Predatory Shifter Regulations Committee), and her robust efforts have landed her a prestigious position as the spokesperson for the International Shifter Rights Organization. She has been selected to give the final address in Scotland before they vote on legislation that will grant protective rights to the shifter community. Because she is fundamentally changing the laws, she is also receiving death threats.  Oliver Reed is a by-the-book detective-inspector who has dealt with Emme’s borderline-illegal activism in the past, and there is little love lost between the two. When his superior tasks Oliver with guarding Emme around the clock to keep her safe until the summit is over, he is frustrated. He has several open cases requiring his attention, and his spare time is occupied with chasing down leads about the whereabouts of his brother, Vincent, a rogue vampire bent on causing trouble in Scotland. When their airship is hijacked, Emme and Oliver are forced to parachute away before they exit British soil. They take refuge in Emme’s family’s hunting lodge where Oliver is introduced to her abusive stepsisters. Together the pair must make their way to Edinburgh so as not to miss the summit meeting where Emme will be key in helping to pass legislation that will disband the corrupt PSRC. But between her vindictive sisters and Oliver’s rogue vampire brother, they face danger at every turn, not to mention dealing with their growing attraction for each other. When Emme is kidnapped – leaving behind only one shoe as evidence – Oliver must find her before it’s too late – and the summit ends at midnight.

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THE BREEDING GAMES by Aya Morningstar

Four alien warriors. One fertile prize…the human woman in a cage. The Breeding Games have begun, and the aliens must fight each other for the chance to breed her. Veli is the only one of them who looks at Michelle like she is more than a piece of meat. The horned, blue-skinned alien fights like an animal possessed to protect her from the others.
He gets her to safety, but just for one night. The others will come for her. She can wait for them to take her, or she can submit to Veli. If she mates with him, the Games will end.

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PRINCE CLAIMED (THE MATES LOTTERY SERIES BOOK 1) by Vivian Star

When most people win a lottery, they get money. I got a big green alien warrior who wants to claim my body. 
Lucky me. Entering The Mates Lottery, a contest set up by five alien races to find human brides to breed with, was the only way to get the money I needed to save my youngest sister. I never expected to win. And while I may have won the lottery, Prince Khirrox is dead set on winning my heart…
˜

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REBEL MATE (INTERSTELLAR BRIDES PROGRAM BOOK 20) by Grace Goodwin

A rebel alien roaming the far reaches of the galaxy. An Interstellar Bride on the run for her life. When her life crash lands into his on a remote planet, they’ll need each other to survive. The Interstellar Brides Program guarantees it can match any female on Earth, even a cynical, street-wise, and very jaded Zara, who just wants to start over. But when she arrives on her new home planet… she gets more than promised: Murder? Check. Smugglers? Check. A sexy as hell pirate who demands she follow his orders? Um, what?  Zara didn’t volunteer for this mess, but she’s a fighter. A survivor. She’ll work with a sexy–did I say bossy?–rebel to bring down the bad guys and take on a Rogue 5 legion in order to obtain what she wants, a white picket fence kind of life in outer space… if she can live long enough to get it.

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SO BRIGHT THE STARS (SHADOW OF MARS BOOK 2) by Cidney Swanson

VS Note: Not listed as a romance so…

Penny Wanjiru learns that the red planet is no idyllic paradise when the colony’s first serious crime investigation gets underway on the day she arrives. Penny immediately finds herself the target of anti-tourism sentiment, but it gets worse when a letter to her grandmother is intercepted and misinterpreted. Now Penny has to figure out who is framing her for a crime she didn’t commit.

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THE NUT JOB (IMP UNIVERSE) by Freddy Mackay

VS note: Saw this mentioned in Author Echo Ishii’s Smart Girls Love SFR Facebook timeline and it sounds good…

All Captain Spencer had to do was drop off a new recruit to their OIL contact on Earth and gather a new supply of walnuts for the council on Mithuana for the yearly Coming of Age celebration. Simple, right? One slight problem. Spencer and his crew look less than human, which has caused problems when they’ve visited the backwater Sol planet before. ​When two of his crew get caught unaware by a human hunter hell-bent on proving the Sasquatch’s existence, they are suddenly on the run for their lives—wounded crew and all. All Raijin wanted was a weekend away from all the crazy around town and his work at the library. With the anniversary of his dad’s death looming, Raijin needs some alone time hiking through the forest where he and his dad used to spend time together. What could possibly interrupt him in the middle of nowhere? But Raijin should know better than anyone life does not go according to plan. A talking demon squirrel was the last thing he expected to fall in his lap.

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VYCE (ALIEN GLADIATORS OF SIKODA BOOK 3) by Madison Savage

Abducted and sent to a cold, grim alien prison, Ashley isn’t prepared for the harsh realities she’s forced to face. She’s also not prepared for the tortured gladiator named Vyce to whom she’s given. With a hatred of small spaces and full of a nearly uncontainable energy, there are two things that can take Vyce’s mind off his torment. Singing, and sex.
And Ashley can’t sing worth a damn.

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CLAIMED BY A ROYAL ALIEN WARRIOR by Vanessa Mars and Starr Huntress

I am a desert warrior charged with bringing this untouched human bride to my king. I am not supposed to fall in love. I am not supposed to make her mine.

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SCORCHED (THE LEGION: SAVAGE LANDS SECTOR BOOK 1) by Eva Priest

Talus – Legion command has sent me to an outpost slum in the ass end of The Savage Lands. Cloaked operation. Purely recon. Whatever intel they need to find isn’t for me to judge. I’m all for finishing my job quickly so I can find a willing female to warm my den. Should have been simple, until I see my fate-mate being traded for the very thing I’m sent to find.  CALLIE: I stumbled onto my bed after a night of partying, only to wake up in a human menagerie light years away. I’m about to be sold for a briefcase and a taco, when a seven-foot, tiger-striped alien claims I’m his mate, flings me over his shoulder, and runs. Now I have to figure out a way to evade two alien gangs I somehow insulted, while convincing a beast–and my traitorous body–that I’m not anyone’s mate, fated or otherwise.

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TOY FOR THE PRIMAL (MATES OF THE PRECURSORS BOOK 2) by Athena Storm

The only thing standing between me and death is a giant, horned, caveman alien. He’s promised to protect me from the evil Skuut. He told me so before he bashed in the skull of a bunch of them that were trying to eat me. I’ve always been rather shy, so it’s been sorta surreal. We were never supposed to be on this planet. We crash landed and there was no way to get help. This warrior race of cave aliens have been our protectors. In return, sometimes one of us catches their eye. Something happens in their brains and they start calling one of us their jalshagar. It means that woman is that alien’s fated mate. Let me tell you, that woman’s life changes forever. All of a sudden, they protect you. They don’t let you carry anything. Hell, they may even carry you! They hunt for you and feed you. Then they love you for a looooong time. By the time they’re done with all that, forget getting rescued. You’ll wanna stay here forever!

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THE BARONY BET: AN IMPERIAL SPACE REGENCY NOVEL by Kai Butler

A wager he can’t lose…Lord Deva lives a charmed life. As the son and heir of one of the Empire’s wealthiest lords, Deva’s biggest problem is protecting his younger siblings from their father’s wrath. But when Deva’s actions place him on the verge of disinheritance, his only hope is an insurmountable task.  Dragging his best friend, Asta, into the fray, Deva agrees to revitalize his father’s newest acquisition – a barony on the verge of ruin. Little does he know that undertaking this task will put more than his inheritance on the line, but his heart as well. A gamble he can’t win…Asta is about to depart on a two year deep space trading expedition with one purpose: to fall out of love with his closest friend. Deva has no knowledge of the depths of Asta’s feelings and Asta hopes the distance will allow him to move on from the desire for more than friendship. Agreeing to one last adventure to help Deva win his impossible task, Asta finds himself thrown into the role of protector and fake fiancé of his best friend. With an estate in ruin at the hands of a corrupt mistress, Asta and Deva must become even closer to win their bet and place their friendship at risk in the process.

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ON THE WAY TO MY WEDDING by Naomi Sparks and Starr Huntress

On earth, I was nothing. Born and raised on a farm, I vowed to do anything to escape my mundane life. Winning an all-expenses-paid vacation from Supernova Escapes was my ticket out. But there’s more to this contest than meets the eye, and I didn’t read the fine print before signing on. It turns out I’m supposed to marry a prince! Well, alright. Things could be worse. The prince is hot, kind, and eager to woo me. So why can’t I keep my eyes off the rugged, handsome alien who saved me in the desert?

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HEART SONG (FORBIDDEN MATES BOOK 3) by Heather Guerre

They’re both prisoners of the same man. Desperate to free herself from the cruel hands of the husband she never wanted, Theyma Ruan strikes a deal with one of his prisoners—if you promise not to kill me, I’ll help you escape. Rakhnar of the Tai’Sif Ljark accepts. But when their plan goes awry, he has no choice but to take her with him. In the violence and wreckage of their escape, Rakhnar accidentally initiates the soulbond with Theyma. The Ljark aren’t supposed to soulbond with humans. Rakhnar is the leader of his people and sworn to a bond with another woman. As long as he and Theyma don’t consummate their soulbond, it will eventually dissolve, and he will be free to pursue his rightful future. But the longer he spends with Theyma, the more he realizes she’s everything he could ever want. His duty to his people forbids their love, but his heart is not so easily ruled. Torn between loyalty and love, and pursued by evil, Theyma and Rakhnar must fight to choose their own fate—before the choice is taken from them.

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ALIEN PRINCE’S CURVY FATED QUEEN (QUEENS OF YELANIA BOOK 1) by Sara Nebula and Juno Wells

VS Note: A re-release…

Emily: Abducted by aliens, brought to their planet, and saved by HIM–the muscle bound Alien Prince who tells me his Goddess chose me just for him. I have to get back to Earth, but my Alien Prince has other plans, and he’s the one making all the decisions. And now, what am I gonna do with our alien babies? Vekshi: The curvy human female is my chosen one, and though the Goddess’ choice seems strange to me at first, she could not have picked a  better Queen for me. And now that Emily is here, I’m going to enjoy every second. I will keep her close and claim her over and over again. We will become one before the Goddess, and with her at my side, I will unite the people of my  planet.

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ACROSS STARS AND BLOOD (THE MALAKI SERIES BOOK ONE) by L A Marie

A desperate woman. An escaped criminal. Two worlds thrown together. Emori is determined to steal the rumored healing device to save her sister. Thwarted in her plans, she hides in an abandoned Malaki ship . . . only to discover it isn’t abandoned at all. When she realizes it’s being piloted by Thane, one of the most vile criminals she’s heard of, her fear knows no bounds. But she slowly begins to wonder if Thane is as bad as he seems, and if the Malakus aren’t quite the saviors they appear. Thane curses every god he can think of when he finds a human stowaway on his escape ship. It’s bad enough that she fights him every step of the way, but he must also fight the feelings he’s beginning to have for her. On their flight across the galaxy, and as Thane and Emori battle back and forth, Emori catches glimpses of the real Thane and realizes he’s not the bad criminal everyone says he is. And Thane knows he’d do anything to protect Emori, the one human he’s learned to care for.

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THE IPPOS KING (WRAITH KINGS BOOK 3) by Grace Draven

VS Note: I love, love, love this world, starting with the incomparable RADIANCE. Had this pre-ordered…

The WRAITH KINGS saga continues. The demonic horde that threatened to devour the world has been defeated, but at great cost. Plagued by guilt and nightmares, Serovek Pangion sets out to deliver the soulless body of the monk Megiddo to the heretical Jeden Order for safekeeping. Accompanying him is sha-Anhuset, the Kai woman he admires and desires most–a woman barely tolerant of him. Devoted to her regent, Anhuset reluctantly agrees to act as a Kai ambassador on the trip, even though the bold margrave known as the Beladine Stallion gets under her skin like no other, and Anhuset fears he’ll worm his way into her armored heart as well. But guilt and unwelcome attraction are the least of their problems. The demons thought vanquished are stirring again, and a warlord with blood-soaked ambition turns a journey of compassion into a fight for survival. When the Beladine king brands Serovek a traitor, Anhuset must choose between sacrificing the life of a man she’s grown to love and abandoning lifelong fealty to the Kai people. A tale of loyalty and acceptance.

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THE SOLSTICE KINGS by Kim Fielding

VS Note: I. Love. Her. Books. Pre-ordered this.

Miles Thorsen’s adopted family is… unusual. But that’s not why he fled after graduating from college. Now, after ten years of restless wandering, he returns home for the winter holiday celebration. The solstice is a time of change, and perhaps it’s time for Miles to face who he is, who he loves… and who he’ll become.

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BISHOP’S GAMBIT (REDCLAW ORIGINS BOOK 2) by McKenna Dean

Bake a cake for the Ladies Association meeting? Give her a cold, hard killer to apprehend any day…Newly-minted secret agent Rhett Bishop would rather face down a horde of angry wolf shifters or her father’s former mob contacts than accept her current assignment: pose undercover as a suburban housewife, complete with a husband, slippers, and pipe. But after the debacle of her previous mission, Rhett has a lot to prove. To redeem herself in the eyes of Redclaw Security, and to carry out her mission without distractions, she must table her budding relationship with Peter Knight while the two of them uncover the secrets of Forest Grove. Armed with her trusty ray gun, her unique little dog, and Knight’s brains, Rhett is confident she can handle whatever the suburbs can throw at her. Until they lob a curveball.

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HOUSE IN HIDING (UNCERTAIN SANCTUARY BOOK 2) by Jenny Schwartz

Just when Kira thinks she is getting a handle on what it means to be a sorcerer, the Emperor calls and drops a bundle of trouble in her lap. And he’s not the only one. For a woman intent on protecting her privacy, a whole lot of people seem to know how to contact Kira to draw her into their problems. But when one of those problems involves saving children’s lives, how can Kira refuse to help? Magic is misbehaving across Reality and Kira sets out to discover why. Her allies stand ready to help—and hinder—as she traverses the paths of Reality in a House which is developing its own quirky personality.

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A SAVAGE SPELL (THE NIX SERIES BOOK 4) by Shannon Mayer

As the boogeyman to the underworld, Nix isn’t afraid of dying. Yet this time, it’s not about dying. It’s about escaping with her mind intact. I thought I’d finally stepped away from the madness of the underworld, away from the Abnormals, away from all those who would do me and those I love harm. The world though had different plans. And now I’m trapped, not only physically, but inside my head. Those who have me caged say none of it was real. That I’m not a highly trained assassin of Abnormals. That I have no family. My children do not exist. That there is nothing supernatural about this world. If they are right, then I’ve been crazy all along. I’ve been stuck inside of my head all these years, living a fantasy. If they are right I am not the legendary Phoenix. If they are wrong . . .then that means there is a new game afoot. Then there will be hell to pay and the fires that burn within me will consume them all.

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HALLOWED GROUND (LEGION BOOK 5) by AD Starling

There are only two things Artemus Steele and his friends want after their latest battle with Ba’al in Rome. Some R&R and zero encounters with demonic entities trying to kill them. Unfortunately for the angel and his allies, Ba’al is headed to Chicago in search of the slumbering Guardian they know to be there.  Detective Jeremiah Chase does not believe in monsters. But when his partner is attacked by one, he can no longer deny the evidence of his own eyes, nor the suspicions he has always harboured about Artemus Steele and the incident he once investigated at Elton LeBlanc’s auction house.  Leah Chase knows that lying to her father about her secret meetings with her estranged grandmother will come and bite her in the ass some day. When she receives a mysterious pendant from her grandmother, Leah wonders whether her father had done the right thing keeping her from seeing her mother’s family after all. Because strange things are starting to happen around her. And she can feel the presence of an otherworldly being growing within her soul. When Haruki Kuroda saves Leah from a newborn demon, his actions trigger her awakening and set off a chain of events that no one could ever have imagined. With Ba’al intent on laying a trap to lure out the new Guardian and use her to open another gate of Hell, Artemus and the others must hunt down the divine beast who continues to elude them.  The question is, who will find her first?

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ONCE UPON ANOTHER WORLD: A TWISTED FAIRY TALE BOX SET by Various

Not all fairy tales are as they appear. Was it actually Red who hunted the wolf? What if the prince was the one in distress? Did the straw really get spun into gold? How well did those glass slippers truly fit? Where princesses do their own rescuing, princes aren’t who they first appear to be, and beasts are friends, not foe—and maybe something more…With stories spanning from true love’s kiss to reverse harem, skyscrapers to ancient castles, sweet romance to steamy nights, these alluring tales will satisfy readers of fantasy and romance alike.

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THE FORTUNE TELLER (A CLAIRE ROLLINS MYSTERY BOOK 9) by J A Whiting

It is September and Claire, Nicole, and Robby have just begun shooting the new cooking show for their local television station. Each episode showcases a location around Massachusetts and highlights a recipe related to the location. They are in the seaside town of Hamlet scouting attractions there when Nicole sees a psychic’s shop and decides she’d like to have her fortune told. Claire is against it, but goes along with her friend. During the reading, the psychic tells the young women something unexpected and cuts the session short, hurrying Claire and Nicole from the shop. Later in the day, when they’re walking around the main street, they see police investigators and an ambulance right outside the psychic’s shop. Will Claire and her friends be able to figure out what’s going on before someone else loses their life?

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BRUTAL: A PARANORMAL REVERSE HAREM ROMANCE NOVEL (CIRCLE OF THE STARS BOOK 3) by Sadie Jacks

VS note: Not much blurb LOL so I’ve added part of the blurb from book one to help out…

Total blurb for this book: “Book Three of Hollyn’s Story”

Book One blurb (partial): Hollyn Parker is running for her freedom. For her life. Born and raised in a community that subjects her to the worst kinds of horrors, she must escape, or she will die. Thrust into a world that is so unlike her own, she finds herself in another prison. At least this one has a set of sexy triplets willing to help her. But the haven they offer isn’t without its own perils. When her old life catches up to her, she must make a choice. Save the men who have sheltered her. Or trust them when they say they can handle her past.

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COLD CASES AND HAUNTED PLACES: A HALLOWEEN ANTHOLOGY OF PARANORMAL COZY MYSTERY SHORTS by Various

Sometimes you have to dig up the past, even if it’s six-feet under. Solve cold cases, visit haunted locations, and investigate ancient legends in this spooktacular collection of paranormal cozy mystery short stories from your favorite witchy authors. And just in time for Halloween!

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E.V.I.E.: 13 SLAYERS, 13 MISSIONS by Various

Welcome to the world of E.V.I.E. A place where vampires come to die. These Slayers don’t play. They’re fierce, badass, and court the creatures of the night. Some protect our existing reality, while others venture to realms far away to hunt down bloodsucker bounties. Each plot and twist comes at a price. There will be blood. There will be death. There will be forbidden affairs. These stories have bite and feature passion and kickass heroines. Enter if you dare.
And don’t forget your stake. This is a limited edition charity anthology. All proceeds benefit Best Friends Animal Society, and each story includes a Happily Ever After/Happily For Now ending.

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CADENCE IN TIME: ONLY TIME WILL TELL (WOMEN OF TIME COLLECTION BOOK 9) by Mercy DeSimone

As portals, and Gods, black cats have always had a “purr”pose…Feared and reviled through the ages, they retreated back to their home planet, making portals through time scarce. But, a portal is about to open on Earth, taking Cadence on an unexpected  journey into the future. Hang on… it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

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MIDNIGHT CIRCUS by Jane Yolen

Welcome to the Midnight Circus—and watch your step. The dark imaginings of fantasy icon Jane Yolen are not for the faint of heart. In these sixteen brilliantly unnerving tales and poems, Central Park becomes a carnival where you can—but probably shouldn’t—transform into a wild beast. The Red Sea will be deadly to cross due to a plague of voracious angels. Meanwhile, the South Pole is no place for even a good man, regardless of whether he is living or dead. Wicked, solemn, and chilling, the circus is ready for your visit—just don’t arrive late.

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BLADEBONE: BOOK FOUR OF THE KHORASAN ARCHIVES by  Ausma Zehanat Khan

Armed with the powerful sorcery of the Bloodprint and supported by the Talisman, the oppressive One-Eyed Preacher is on the verge of conquering Ashfall, the Black Khan’s capital in the west. Yet not all is lost for Arian, Sinnia and the Council of Hira. If these brave female warriors can uncover the secrets of an ancient magic weapon known as the Bladebone, they can defeat the Preacher and crush his cruel regime.

Neither Arian and Sinnia, nor their allies, the Mages of Khorasan, know the Bladebone’s whereabouts, and not all may survive the search to uncover it. Pursued by a nefarious enemy aligned with the Preacher, they become separated, each following a different path. Then, in their darkest hour, unexpected help appears. But is the Khanum of Black Aura a friend or foe? Arian may discover the answer too late.

When the secret of the Bladebone is finally revealed, the knowledge comes at a devastating price for Arian. As the capital falls, only Hira, home of the Companions, stands in the way of the Preacher’s victory. While the Companions rise to defend their Citadel from enemies outside and within, Arian must face off in a cataclysmic battle with the Preacher that pits the powers of the Bloodprint against the Sana Codex.  For those who survive, Khorasan will never be the same.

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THE DEVIL AND THE DARK WATER by Stuart Turton

It’s 1634 and Samuel Pipps, the world’s greatest detective, is being transported to Amsterdam to be executed for a crime he may, or may not, have committed. Travelling with him is his loyal bodyguard, Arent Hayes, who is determined to prove his friend innocent. But no sooner are they out to sea than devilry begins to blight the voyage. A twice-dead leper stalks the decks. Strange symbols appear on the sails. Livestock is slaughtered. Anyone could be to blame. Even a demon. And then three passengers are marked for death, including Samuel. With Pipps imprisoned, only Arent can solve a mystery that connects every passenger. A mystery that stretches back into their past and now threatens to sink the ship, killing everybody on board. For fans of Steven King, The Devil and the Dark Water brings a chilling new spin to the Sherlock Holmes detective duo in a thriller of supernatural horror, occult suspicion, and paranormal mystery on the high seas.

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ELSEWHERE by Dean Koontz

VS note: I often enjoy his books…

Since his wife, Michelle, left seven years ago, Jeffy Coltrane has worked to maintain a normal life for himself and his eleven-year-old daughter, Amity, in Suavidad Beach. It’s a quiet life, until a local eccentric known as Spooky Ed shows up on their doorstep. Ed entrusts Jeffy with hiding a strange and dangerous object—something he calls “the key to everything”—and tells Jeffy that he must never use the device. But after a visit from a group of ominous men, Jeffy and Amity find themselves accidentally activating the key and discovering an extraordinary truth. The device allows them to jump between parallel planes at once familiar and bizarre, wondrous and terrifying. And Jeffy and Amity can’t help but wonder, could Michelle be just a click away? Jeffy and Amity aren’t the only ones interested in the device. A man with a dark purpose is in pursuit, determined to use its grand potential for profound evil. Unless Amity and Jeffy can outwit him, the place they call home may never be safe again.

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THE HOLLOW PLACES: A NOVEL by T Kingfisher

Pray they are hungry. Kara finds the words in the mysterious bunker that she’s discovered behind a hole in the wall of her uncle’s house. Freshly divorced and living back at home, Kara now becomes obsessed with these cryptic words and starts exploring this peculiar area—only to discover that it holds portals to countless alternate realities. But these places are haunted by creatures that seem to hear thoughts…and the more one fears them, the stronger they become.

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IN A HOLIDAZE by Christina Lauren

VS: Ooh, I love these ‘Groundhog Day type stories! Pre-ordered.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions. But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy. The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe.

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HUSH: A NOVEL by Dylan Farrow

Seventeen-year-old Shae has led a seemingly quiet life, joking with her best friend Fiona, and chatting with Mads, the neighborhood boy who always knows how to make her smile. All while secretly keeping her fears at bay… Of the disease that took her brother’s life. Of how her dreams seem to bleed into reality around her. Of a group of justice seekers called the Bards who claim to use the magic of Telling to keep her community safe. When her mother is murdered, she can no longer pretend. Not knowing who to trust, Shae journeys to unlock the truth, instead finding a new enemy keen to destroy her, a brooding boy with dark secrets, and an untold power she never thought possible.

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INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE by V E Schwab

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever—and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world. But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

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MAGIC LESSONS: THE PREQUEL TO PRACTICAL MAGIC by Alice Hoffman

VS note: I loved that movie, don’t remember being as fond of the novel but maybe I should go back and re-read it…

Where does the story of the Owens bloodline begin? With Maria Owens, in the 1600s, when she’s abandoned in a snowy field in rural England as a baby. Under the care of Hannah Owens, Maria learns about the “Unnamed Arts.” Hannah recognizes that Maria has a gift and she teaches the girl all she knows. It is here that she learns her first important lesson: Always love someone who will love you back. When Maria is abandoned by the man who has declared his love for her, she follows him to Salem, Massachusetts. Here she invokes the curse that will haunt her family. And it’s here that she learns the rules of magic and the lesson that she will carry with her for the rest of her life. Love is the only thing that matters.

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WHICH WITCH IS WILLING (THE WITCHES OF PORT TOWNSEND BOOK 4) by Various

So the world is ending…Tierra: Having bested the Devil by springing Death out of Hell, Tierra now isn’t so sure she wants to keep him. He bonded her to him, turning her immortal without even asking. For an earth witch who embraces the changing seasons, this is a nightmare. With the Devil on her heels, the world in peril, and their baby due around All Hollow’s Eve, what’s a witch willing to do? Just about anything.
Moira: Moira de Moray has decided that prophecy should be a four-letter word. When they learn that the only way to keep the world from becoming a galactic grease stain is for another of the de Morays to get knocked up, Moira is just dumb enough to volunteer. Trouble is, in order to conceive this magical force-balancing fetus, she first has to bond herself to arrogant, infuriating, and, okay—hot enough to singe the Devil’s ass cheeks—Nick Kingswood. With the final seal looming and the fate of the world hanging in the balance, Moira must decide whether she’s willing to learn what to expect when she’s expecting…The Dark One.
Claire: Wouldn’t you know it? Claire finally finds the love of her life, and the devil wants to ruin everything. Chaos reigns as the world struggles to balance dark with light, and Claire fears her future with War may burn to ashes far too soon. Still, with her savage and sexy horseman by her side, Claire’s willing fight to the death to protect what is hers. As the household plots against the she-devil, one question burns in Claire’s mind. Now that she’s bonded with Dru, does immortal blood flow through her veins? The answer could make all the difference to her, her family, and the world.
Aerin: Nothing like a sabotaged hillbilly wedding to make a girl wish for a speedy Armageddon. Luckily for Aerin, it is nigh. Thing is, Julian Roarke, the elegant, brilliant, sexy-as-sin immortal is sizing Aerin up for a ring as if there’s a chance in hell they’ve a future together. But how can they? The Devil—that body-snatching bimbo—is more powerful than ever with an army of evil witches in her arsenal. Pigs are flying. The moon is blood. Everything is on fire. Hell is frozen over. And as the final battle approaches, the fate of the world depends on which witch is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.

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DANCES WITH WITCHES (A HANNAH HANCOCK WITCHY MYSTERY BOOK 5) by Lily Harper Hart

Hannah Hickok is struggling. After the death of one of her workers, a woman who had been making life difficult, Hannah finds she is awash in a myriad of feelings she can’t quite put a name to. Things don’t get better when, following a romantic dinner with her boyfriend Cooper Wyatt, magic and mechanics collide in a multi-vehicle accident that looks to have been caused by a dark shadow. One of the survivors, a young teenager, could be shuffled into the system if someone doesn’t step up.
Sheriff Boone is the one who swoops in and brings the girl home, but all is not well. It seems something dark is chasing the girl, and it’s not of the human variety. Hannah doesn’t know much – her knowledge as a witch is still growing – but she’s certain she needs to help the girl. It won’t be as easy as she hopes, though, because dark clouds are brewing and more than one storm is about to descend. Hannah couldn’t save her employee and she’s haunted. She vows this girl will be different, even if she has to sacrifice herself to keep her safe. Casper Creek has a long and storied past and old players are about to become new threats. Saddle up, because it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

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SATISFYING LOST DREAMS (BROKEN SOUL KINGDOM BOOK 1) by Samantha Rose

Escaping from his problems on a new strange world seemed like the best choice but starting over is never easy.
When Eros runs into an Earthen female named Dani during a hunting accident, he tries to avoid her at all costs, but sometimes fate has a funny way of turning the tables. Challenged by the unexpected emotions she brings forth inside him, Eros begins to learn that his only chance at safely keeping his heart intact is making sure Dani stays by his side. What happens to him is unexpected, and astounding—an encounter that started off as a craving for a forbidden being turns into something more… a new hope for finding someone special, to embrace the mate that he never dreamed would appear in his lifetime, much less on a world not of his own.

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RETURN OF THE THIEF: QUEEN’S THIEF BOOK 6 by Margaret Whalen Turner

This beloved and award-winning series began with the acclaimed novel The Thief. It and four more stand-alone volumes bring to life a world of epics, myths, and legends, and feature one of the most charismatic and incorrigible characters of fiction, Eugenides the thief. Now more powerful and cunning than ever before, Eugenides must navigate a perilous future in this sweeping conclusion. Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Marie Lu, Patrick Rothfuss, and Sarah J. Maas. Neither accepted nor beloved, Eugenides is the uneasy linchpin of a truce on the Lesser Peninsula, where he has risen to be high king of Attolia, Eddis, and Sounis. As the treacherous Baron Erondites schemes anew and a prophecy appears to foretell the death of the king, the ruthless Mede empire prepares to strike.

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A WILD WINTER SWAN: A NOVEL by Gregory Maguire

VS: Magical realism...described as a reimagining of Hans Christian Anderson’s “the Wild Swans”…

Following her brother’s death and her mother’s emotional breakdown, Laura now lives on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, in a lonely townhouse she shares with her old-world, strict, often querulous grandparents. But the arrangement may be temporary. The quiet, awkward teenager has been getting into trouble at home and has been expelled from her high school for throwing a record album at a popular girl who bullied her. When Christmas is over and the new year begins, Laura may find herself at boarding school in Montreal.  Nearly unmoored from reality through her panic and submerged grief, Laura is startled when a handsome swan boy with only one wing lands on her roof. Hiding him from her ever-bickering grandparents, Laura tries to build the swan boy a wing so he can fly home. But the task is too difficult to accomplish herself. Little does Laura know that her struggle to find help for her new friend parallels that of her grandparents, who are desperate for a distant relative’s financial aid to save the family store.

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ONLY THE STRONG (A DEATH GATE GRIM REAPERS THRILLER BOOK 5) by Amanda M Lee

The Death Gate is down and Izzy Sage is at a crossroads. What will happen when they throw the switch and bring it back? She’s all atwitter on the big day … and then things only get more twisted when Zoe Lake-Winters, a powerful mage, walks through the door with her husband and daughter in tow. Zoe is an enigma, one Izzy is drawn to, but before they can get to know one another a revenant crosses the newly-opened gate and a magical explosion from Zoe’s daughter Sami causes more mayhem … and an additional coverup. Two very different worlds are colliding, and Izzy and Zoe are at the center of it. The mystery of the other side is dark and deep and Zoe finds she’s intrigued … even if her methods are a bit extreme for the Grimlocks. There’s a conspiracy afoot, and it’s anybody’s guess who at the reaper council has been compromised. Sheer grit and determination will bring a mage and a bruja together, but it’s loyalty that will ultimately guide them. It seems someone is erecting gates in various locations around the city, but why? What do they hope to accomplish? Is a full-scale revenant attack imminent? Only time will tell, and when the battle comes, two powerful beings will have to come together to protect what they love most.

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EVENTIDE by Sarah Goodman

Wheeler, Arkansas, 1907 – When their father descends into madness after the death of their mother, Verity Pruitt and her little sister Lilah find themselves on an orphan train to rural Arkansas. In Wheeler, eleven-year-old Lilah is quickly adopted, but seventeen-year-old Verity is not. Desperate to stay close to her sister, Verity indentures herself as a farmhand. But even charming farm boy Abel Atchley can’t completely distract her from the sense that something is not quite right in this little town. Strange local superstitions abound, especially about the eerie old well at the center of the forest. The woods play tricks, unleashing heavy fog and bone-chilling cold…and sometimes visions of things that aren’t there. But for Verity, perhaps most unsettling of all is the revelation that her own parents have a scandalous history in this very town. And as she tries to unearth the past, sinister secrets come with it—secrets that someone will go to violent lengths to protect.

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MAJID (BLOODLINES OF FATE BOOK 2) by A G Carothers

Majid’s best friend, Talos, has found his mate and finally recognized his lover of the past several hundred years as his other mate. The mate Majid had spent the last eleven hundred years trying to forgive was back in his life. Will Majid rescue one mate only to lose the other? Or will the fierce polar bear, Siku, give him a chance to redeem himself?
Will Odin forgive himself for the actions that tore Majid from his life? And will the not so little bear find him to be a worthy mate? Or is he doomed to die on a quest for redemption? Will Siku find his place not only within the relationship his mates clearly already have but also the entirely different world that is city life? Or is he just fooling himself that he can get over the wall between him and his mates? Bloodlines of Fate is an urban fantasy series set in a world destroyed by humans and resurrected by supernatural beings. This book contains depictions of omega polar bears who will eat you in self-defense, sturdy hairbrushes that break naughty butts, timeouts for coloring and painting toes, and a family reunion for the history books.

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HER DRAGON REBEL (BLACK CLAW DRAGONS BOOK 6) by Roxie Ray

I need people in this town to take me seriously. I’m the only female handyman—er, handywoman—around, and my business depends on it. But the town’s men just won’t listen. Enter Rico. He’s a troublemaker, but he needs a job. Nobody else wants to work for me. It’s perfect. There’s no way I’m falling for the playboy.  She’s my only hope. Get a job or lose everything. That’s the deal my family gave me. Kara’s the only one who will hire me. I can’t screw it up.
Especially since she’s my fated mate. My inner dragon is roaring for me to claim her. I need to prove to her she’s mine. But will she still want me when she finds out what I really am?

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FATED FAEKER (FAE PRISON TRILOGY BOOK 1) by Piper Maki

Welcome to Ynys Gwales, home to hundreds of imprisoned Fae and one human just trying to survive. After spending my entire life thinking I was just a normal spoiled rich girl, finding out that I’m so much more really freaking sucks.
In my second year of college, I’m in a sorority I love, with friends I adore. Well, okay, we’re mostly fake about our relationships, but hey, they get me. We understand the difficulties of being the poor little rich girl who has to make those hard decisions, like which Prada bag goes with those amazing Jimmy Choos. And with too many guys to choose from, life is good. Until it isn’t. After a really bad night of sex, I find out I’m an Oracle. Foreseer of the future. Super rare, one born every thousand years. It might be cool, if it wasn’t a death sentence. To keep me safe, I’m sent to Ynys Gwales, an island heavily guarded by magic. Problem is, the island is a prison, home to the worst of the Fae, those who committed such horrible crimes that even their fellow magical beings can’t deal with them. And to make matters worse, my cell mates are four of the most gorgeous creatures I’ve ever seen… or even imagined. But they won’t even look at me, because I remind them of everything they’ve lost and everything they can never have. The Fae despise humans, and I’m about to pay the price for all mankind.My life just went from a fairytale to a fairy nightmare.

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TAMING TALYN (NORTHERN ROCKIES PACK 3) by Anne Kane

Taelyn: Abandoned by her parents and raised in the uncaring foster system, Taelyn finds out she isn’t truly human when fear triggers her first shift. She finds a temporary home with a pack of gray wolves, but she knows she isn’t truly one of them, either. When she feels the pull of the mate-bond, her world changes forever. Dylan: Dylan is more at home in the woods than the city. Working for the Forestry Services, he sets out to catalog the endangered grizzly bear population in the Interior of British Columbia. What he didn’t expect was to find his bond-mate running wild with a pack of gray wolves. Taming Taelyn is a challenge Dylan is determined to win.

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ROMANCED THROUGH TIME (SPELLED PORTALS AND CURSED MORTALS BOOK 3) by Rae Stapleton

Just over a year ago, a psychic revealed a startling truth to Sophia Marcil that she was cursed to be murdered in every life thanks to a family heirloom. With this knowledge Sophia embarks on a quest to India to return the magical artifacts that cursed her. Thankfully, she has help–her hunky fiancé, an Irish castle architect and her best friend, a like-minded librarian. On the way, they visit the Glens of Antrim in Northern Ireland where her fiancé is hired to restore a castle. She’s not prepared for what happens next as she flees the altar and winds up in the bedchambers of a 16th century clansman.
Northern Ireland, November 1551. Conal Ó Catháin is about to marry his truest love, Sive McQuillan when a witch intervenes convincing Sive’s father that the Warrior Chieftain of the MacDonnell Clan will make for a better match. Tempers rise and sparks fly as the wedding day approaches. As magic intervenes, forcing the star-crossed lovers together, Sophia jilts her suitor at the altar and starts a war barely escaping the 16th century where the three men in kilts are fighting over her. But did her hasty retreat have consequences. As Sophia and Cullen’s wedding day approaches, she discovers something she did in the past may have just ruined her future. For the trip through time has seemingly vanished her fiancé from her life. Sophia struggles to uncover what went wrong. Should she attempt a timeline reset by returning to the 16th century? And just how many times has she tried before? Can Sophia get to Cullen in time? Or is her beloved dead to her once and for all.

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HEALING AIDEN (LORDS OF DISCORD BOOK 5) by Jocelynn Drake

Aiden Varik has had two great loves in his very long life. And he lost them both too soon. His only wish is to protect his four vampire sons and their mates. But someone from Aiden’s distant past has returned to break down the walls erected around his wounded heart. Temptation never tasted so sweet. Can Aiden find the strength to risk his heart yet again? Especially when this man is accompanied by Aiden’s enemies.

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WITCH FOR HIRE: A LAUGH-OUT-LOUD COZY MYSTERY IN WHICH THE CAT IS BOSS (PARANORMAL TEMP AGENCY BOOK 1) by Molly Fitz

My name is Tawny Bigford. I’m 35, single, and I love hot showers. Seriously, all I wanted was a hot shower to start my day off right, but when I went to confront my landlady about the broken plumbing, I wound up talking to her corpse instead. 
Now everyone thinks I’m to blame for her murder—not the best way to make an impression on the new neighbors, let me tell you. But how can I prove I’m innocent when I know practically nothing about the woman I supposedly killed? 
Especially not the fact that she was the official Beech Grove Town Witch. Her former boss—a snarky black cat named Mr. Fluffikins—says I have to fill her vacated role until the real killer can be caught and brought to justice. 
So, whether I like it or not, I’ve just been recruited to the Paranormal Temp Agency. Now I need to solve my landlady’s murder, figure out how to wield my newly granted powers, and maybe even find a way to fit in around here. 
Yup. All in a day’s work for this novice witch.

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A LITTLE UNSTEADY (WINGSPAN BOOK 4) by April Kelley

Nigel wouldn’t mind if Asher called him Daddy if the age gap didn’t bother him. Nigel Blackburn has lived a full life as a private investigator. His job means he travels solo, which is something he enjoys. He’s a grouchy, stubborn dragon shifter who is better off alone. The last thing he wants is a mate and certainly not one so young. It doesn’t matter that he finds little bobcat shifter Asher Burkhart sexy. But all Nigel’s dragon wants to do is protect, which is good because danger drives into town.

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THE NIGHT’S CHOSEN (THE CURSED QUEENS BOOK 1) by E E Hornburg

For the past five years Princess Eira has run from her impending wedding.  As much as she loves her goddess and kingdom, she’s searched the kingdoms for another way to rule as queen someday while also choosing her own husband. Yet, Eira’s claim to the crown falls into jeopardy when her father, King Brennus, is poisoned and fated to a sleep of living death and Eira is next on the assassin’s hit list – who happens to be her stepmother, Queen Amelia. After Eira escapes Queen Amelia’s clutches she journeys to the northern Paravian mountains in search of an enchanted cup to save her father. Her quest is more than she anticipated with evading Queen Amelia’s guards, traveling with the one man she shouldn’t be with, and having to bargain with the ancient dragon guarding the enchanted cup. She’ll have to decide how to save her family and kingdom, even if it means sacrificing her heart and all she’s wanted her whole life.

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HOLDING HANS (EVER AFTER BOOK 2) by Tara Lain

How much evil can you cook up in one small town? When your father gets wonky, marries a weird woman, and runs off to Europe, leaving you and your twin holding the bag for the bills, what else can you do but –Sleep a night in the forest, Follow a trail of pebbles to a strange mansion, And succumb to the attraction of cinnamon rolls, the world’s most beautiful piano, and Madame, the strange woman who gives you your dreams for next to nothing. But fairy tales teach one lesson ––when things are too good to be true – run! Hans Meyer finds that out the hard way, when he wakes up tied to a bed in the dark. Even Rune, the cute guy who buys him root beer floats, isn’t who he seems.
Can piano power, twin power, and a healthy dose of love power overcome the darkness and finally make Hans happy in Ever After? HOLDING HANS is a coming-of-age, hidden identity, dysfunctional family, fairy-tale-retelling, contemporary fantasy romance – with really good food.

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SUBVERSIVE (CLANDESTINE MAGIC BOOK 1) by Colleen Cowley

VS Note: Saw this book on the excellent Whiskey With My Book blog…

A wizard. An unwilling assistant. An explosive secret. In an America controlled by wizards and 100 years behind on women’s rights, Beatrix Harper counts herself among the resistance—the Women’s League for the Prohibition of Magic. Then Peter Blackwell, the only wizard her town has ever produced, unexpectedly returns home and presses her into service as his assistant. Beatrix fears he wants to undermine the League. His real purpose is far more dangerous for them both. Subversive is the first novel in the Clandestine Magic trilogy, set in a warped 21st century that will appeal to fans of gaslamp fantasy, strong female characters, slow-burn romance and intrigue. All three books will be released in the fall of 2020.

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THE KILGARIN’S GIFT (BOOK 1) by Shay Rucker

A curse upon the cursed is perhaps the Goddess’s most calculated gift.
~ Tacura of The Indomitus Witch Trinity
Cillian Kilgarin. He is wolf-shifter—Indomitus—Clan leader of the cursed Kilgarin’s… and he is losing himself to the madness of his Nocturnal Transition. Morgan Neale is a gun-for-hire. And she is his Rí, his Soul-Bearer, the one destined to save him from darkness and balance his existence. She does not. This human is a bloody curse. Stomping through his world with threats, violence, and foul-mouthed derision. She is the first weapon launched in an unprecedented attack against his clan, and if left unsolved, her mysteries may very well be their undoing. The Kilgarin and his Rí share a union the world has never seen, but with unrelenting changes and unknown dangers, will their fledgling bond be strong enough to survive the most insidious enemy Clan Kilgarin has ever encountered?

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LORD OF SHADOWS (DAUGHTERS OF AVALON BOOK 5) by Tanya Anne Crosby

VS Note: Another find from the Whiskey With My Book blog…she reviews a wide variety of genres…

Rhiannon’s destiny is fated from the moment of her birth. She and her dewine sisters must defeat an ancient evil, or Britain itself will go the way of Avalon. Her sisters and their champions have set the stage for a final, epic battle against the Witch Goddess Cerridwen, but Rhiannon can only fulfill her destiny if she can win the heart of the Lord of Shadows, the man who holds her prisoner.  Fueled by vengeance, Cael d’Lucy’s ambition has raised him to the pinnacle of power. Concealing an ancient secret, he’s close to achieving his desires, and once the dust of battle settles, he stands to rule again as Duke of Wales. All he must do is vanquish a slip of a girl—Morwen Pendragon’s daughter. Trouble is… Rhiannon is Cael’s match, mind, body and soul. Winning her means losing Blackwood; losing her means winning Wales, but what shall it profit a man if he gain the entire world, and lose his very soul?

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NIGHT CAPTIVE (WICKED MONSTERS BOOK 1) by Marissa Farrar and Skye jones

One girl, five monsters, one hell of a ride.  Taken from the Pit where she was raised, Aisha believes all vampires are horrifying…  Then she finds herself in Dashiell’s possession. Powerful, handsome, and charismatic, Dashiell is not what she thought her master would be. His dark desires draw her into his world, and things heat up between them. But with a demon gargoyle scratching at her window, and wolves sniffing at the door, Aisha might not stay in the vampire’s grasp for long. Danger and temptation surround her on all sides, but Aisha is determined to fight them all.

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THE LADY OF THE BOG: A GOTHIC PARANORMAL ROMANCE (READ BY CANDLELIGHT BOOK 11) by Gillian St Kevern

VS Note: From early September…

An ancient queen refuses to stay in the past. One day Florence Skelton is risking her father’s wrath by reading Jane Eyre and befriending Rosemary, the neighbourhood rebel. The next, a woman she doesn’t know is trying to drown her. To escape her would-be murderer, Florence takes a job as secretary companion to an archeologist and his beautiful, distant wife. But excavating Aylesport bog brings ancient—and deadly—secrets to the surface. Florence can write about heroines, but navigating the bog’s treacherous waters requires courage she doesn’t possess. Her only hope of survival is Rosemary—and Rosemary doesn’t even know she’s in trouble. Can Florence find her inner heroine before she becomes part of Aylesport’s chilling history?

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THE DEAD LETTER OFFICE: A GOTHIC PARANORMAL ROMANCE (READ BY CANDLELIGHT BOOK 12) by Gillian St Kevern

Look what the mailman dragged in…Jasper Carruthers has turned deciphering smudged addresses and avoiding conflict into a fine art. A crate from Egypt contains a problem he cannot return to sender: a mummified cat sought by a desperate thief. Failure to deliver the cat will give the Postmaster General—Jasper’s vengeful son—the excuse he needs to oust Jasper from the postal service. Jasper’s attempts to deliver the package attract the interest of Captain Candy, an insufferable bore under the mistaken impression that Jasper tolerates him. Even worse: the cat does not seem to realise she’s dead. Jasper’s not sure if he needs an Egyptologist or an exorcist. There’s only one thing he’s certain of: he needs help. Forced to trust Candy with his secret, Jasper may at last have found something worth fighting for—but can he deliver the package before the cat lets herself out of the bag?

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OFFBEAT: AN LGBTQ+ ANTHOLOGY by Various

Seven authors bring you works of love, loss, and triumph in this anthology. Featuring everything from poetry to expressive prose, drama and tragedy to contemporary romances to retellings of ancient tales, Offbeat casts a light on the many experiences of the LGBTQ+ community.

Amazon

GUARDIANS OF THE GARDEN by Theresa Pocock

One bite of an apple…That’s all it takes. Miriam is so done with protecting immortality. Rejected by her family and the other Guardians, Miriam wants nothing more than to turn her back on Edenia and forsake her strange, invasive magic. In the outside world she could be free from the garden, free to lead her own life, and free to forget that she is a freak. When Seth Johnson’s sister starts losing her battle with cancer, their family moves to the USA with hopes of saving her. Only that’s not what happens at all. Seth finds himself in the tiny town of Edenia, with parents that seem to have given up. Seth vows to go to whatever lengths he must to save his sister; even if that means stealing secrets, betraying parents, or risking his own heart. Neither Seth nor Miriam want to be caught up in the tide of fate and feelings destined for them, but with such harshly opposing goals their worlds are bound to collide.

Amazon

MUST LOVE CHARMS: A PARANORMAL WOMEN’S FICTION NOVEL (WITCHING HOUR BOOK 3) by Christine Zane Thomas

Guilt-ridden, her magic waning, Constance Campbell must defeat her greatest foe yet. When the Faction shows up in Creel Creek, it may mean Constance will finally find out the truth about her mother’s disappearance. But the secretive magical organization has a long history of covering up the facts. She won’t get them so easily. When murders begin popping up all over the country with ties to the supernatural, a hunter sets his sights on the small town. He kills three shifters with his sword. And he’s not the only thing that’s putting the paranormal community in danger. The Creel Creek After Dark podcast convention has its own surprise in store. It’s up to Constance to protect those she loves and help catch this killer. The question is can she do both?

Amazon

HER DRAGON SOULMATE (DRAGONS OF MOUNT VALEN BOOK 3) by Riley Storm

Change can be scary, but it’s exactly what she needs…

As if being fired for not sleeping with her boss wasn’t enough, Stephanie Lopes just walked in on her boyfriend with another woman. She kicked his sorry behind out, but now nobody is responding to her calls. The last thing Stephanie needs right now is to be alone. Desperate to talk to someone, she texts her handsome but mysterious neighbor. That single text will lead her in a direction she could never have expected…
When Nico bought his house in the small town of Five Peaks, it was part of a dragon outreach program to spend more time around the humans they are charged with protecting. He never planned to fall in love with his neighbor, it just sort of happened. He’s had to let her be with another man while keeping his distance. Until now. The jerk of a boyfriend is gone, and Nico can finally try to give his heart—and his dragon—what they truly desire. Her. Unfortunately for Nico, the Shadow Agency that has been preying on his clan has come to Five Peaks at exactly the wrong time. A blockade has gone up around town with teams of agents patrolling the streets, hunting down the dragons or anyone associated with them. With time running out before he’s discovered, Nico knows he must tell Stephanie the fiery truth if he wants to win her over. However, doing so will put her in danger, and make her a target. Nico will do whatever it takes to protect his mate though, even if it means risking his own life. After all, without her, he would be nothing.

Amazon

MIDNIGHT KISSES (SHIFTER ISLAND BOOK 1) by Leia Stone and Raye Wagner

Nai expected the summons to Alpha Academy…but not this year. She’s trained her entire life to lead her pack, and the elite school is where she’ll receive the elemental magic that distinguishes her as an alpha heir. But the four sexy guards sent to escort Nai are not only early—they’re her sworn enemies. Then when she arrives at Alpha Academy, the Alpha King is not happy to see her. And if that isn’t enough…Mysterious magical marks pop up on her skin, outcast shifters keep attacking the school, and someone is trying to kill her. There is no way things could get worse. No way. Until she meets her fated mate at a masquerade party…He’s sexy as sin. An Alpha Heir. And completely and totally forbidden.

Amazon

FANGED LOVE by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff and Kylie Gilmore

WANTED: MODERN WOMAN WHO APPRECIATES TRADITIONAL COURTSHIP WITH FANGS. Greetings. My name is Prince Bozhidar, and I am an eight-hundred-year-old vampire. Correction. I am an eight-hundred-year-old, virile, confident, and very sexy vampire—so I’m told. I have wealth, looks, and everything an immortal man could ever want. Well, except love. But no matter. I am not a one-neck sort of man. Yet the virginal woman across the road sets my senses afire. And she needs my help with her family’s failing winery. My own is quite successful. My honor demands I help this enchanting female, and when I do, my heart begins beating anew. She is my mate. Strangely, my gifts of seduction do not seem to work on her. Perhaps I need to fit in with modern dating customs to win this modern woman. And then there’s the small matter that she doesn’t believe in vampires. There is no fighting destiny, sweet Stella. You will be mine.

Amazon      Apple Books

STANLEY: DALTON’S KISS BOOK 2 by Kathi S Barton

Elizabeth Strickland, Lizzy, to her friends, found herself in a predicament. The last thing she remembered was attending her own bachelorette party, then waking up in a cave with six other women. They all had wounds, just like hers, only they were dead. Lizzy had awakened as a newborn vampire. She had no idea why they died, and she had lived, but she had wished every day that she had died with them. Stanley Remy, better known as just Remy, was an old vampire and close friends with Bancroft, their leader. He had his own issues. He was being falsely charged with making baby vamps and leaving them to fend for themselves. Lizzy just wanted the bodies of the other women found. Once they were, she had every intention of meeting the sun. What she didn’t need were two overbearing old vampires dictating to her what she could and couldn’t do. She had killed her maker, she wouldn’t hesitate to take them out if they didn’t let her be. But then Remy gifted her with something she never thought she’d have again. To feel the sun without burning. She could have her life back. Maybe this mate thing wouldn’t be so bad after all. If only it were that simple.

Amazon

THE WARRIOR GOD (THE ARES TRIALS BOOK 1) by Eliza Raine and Rose Wilson

Anger management isn’t so bad when your shrink is gorgeous. It’s less great when you turn up to find him dead on the floor, and an armored giant dressed like a freaking ancient warrior standing over his body though.   Ares, the God of War, has lost his power and the only way for him to get it back? Me. Apparently, I’m a goddess. One with the power of war. I mean, it does explain a lot. To my relief, Joshua, my shrink and only friend, isn’t really dead. He’s been kidnapped and taken to Olympus—the world where I’m supposed to belong. I vow to do whatever it takes to find him. But Ares has other plans for me. He wants my power, and the easiest way for him to get it is to kill me. When Hades suggests a compromise, I’m forced to work side-by-side with a giant, murderous warrior god. One with far too many secrets. Ares might be the brute everyone thinks he is, but I’m no angel. He awakens a power within me that I’ve failed to control my whole life.  And I soon discover that Joshua isn’t the only one that needs saving.

Amazon

TIGER TRIPLETS (TRIPLETS HAREMS BOOK 5) by JL Wilder

Red Fang Brothers – We weren’t looking for a job But sometimes the job finds you. We’ve been hired to be bodyguards
Of the states most wanted omega A big pay day. Only one problem. We want her more than anyone else. And Tigers always take what they want. Julianna – I’m the last omega of my pack, But I refuse to be just a baby maker. When I ran away, Three triplet brothers saved my life. Now they’re using me to make money. But the more they protect me The more I want them. Slade understands my desires. Jason watches my every move. And Ash commands me to obey.

Amazon

THE WITCH AND THE WOLF (VIKING MATES BOOK 1) by Juniper Hart

I have a secret I can never share. Hidden Cove is the perfect place to hide and allow the world to forget me.
It’s just better that way. I’m different than other women. Actually, I am different from everybody I’ve ever met.
Everything changes when I meet Erik. The broken pieces of my life are starting to make sense. But nothing lasts forever, right? Erik’s mysterious history upon a Viking longship is about to catch up with him. We’re going to need a special kind of magic to save us from an ancient Berserker bear shifter with a score to settle. It’s up to me to ensure that magic doesn’t fail like it always does. Can true love really exist? Or, will everything be shattered beyond repair?

Amazon

FATED GODDESS (GAMES OF THE GODS BOOK 3) by Nikki Kardnov and Cadence Price

The mortal world isn’t so bad, except it’s lacking in one thing: the sinfully-sexy Haven Knightfall, the victor of the God Games (thanks to me!), Prince of Hades House and my sworn enemy. I’m trying not to miss his stupid handsome face or the way he fights me one minute and kisses me the next. Just when I’ve resigned myself to this new life, one of the Fates shows up at my door on the verge of death. Cronus, King of the Titans, attacked them and now they have a message for me: return to Olympus, stop Cronus, and save the world. As if it were that easy? But the truth is, as an unwanted orphan most of my life, I always wondered if my destiny might be bigger than I realized. And my fate? It might just be intertwined with Haven’s after all. The only way to find out is to return to Olympus and face off against the King of the Titans to save the only home I’ve ever known alongside the only man I’ve ever loved.

Amazon

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VS: If you want to read the original story where my STAR CRUISE RETURN VOYAGE (just released in the Pets in Space 5 anthology) heroine Gianna Nadenoft first appeared and the sequel, here they are! WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM (“Titanic in space…”) and STAR SURVIVOR, picking up the tale of Twilka and Khevan, which my readers demanded!

WRECK: Amazon  Barnes & Noble  Apple Books    Google Play   Kobo

STAR SURVIVOR:  Apple Books      Amazon    Kobo       Barnes & Noble       Google Play

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LINKS TO RECENT NEW RELEASES POSTS from Veronica:

September 30

September 23

September 16

September 9 

September 2 

“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.

Required Statement: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifiying purchases.

Required Statement: As an Apple Books Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Oct 3 2020

Nothing Bad Just New Orders Weekend Writing Warriors

Here’s the link to the Weekend Writing Warriors central page, so you can visit all the participants sharing excerpts today…a fun way to sample new books and find new authors! (Also welcome to the Sunday Snippet visitors!)

May be edited a bit from published version.

Beginning the excerpts from STAR CRUISE: RETURN VOYAGE, my full length novel in the Pets In Space 5 anthology for 2020, up for pre-sale now. Releases OCT 6th!

The excerpt, which is the beginning of the story:

Trevor Hanson paused at the threshold of his cabin on board the Nebula Zephyr as he did every time he was ready to leave, taking a moment to center himself mentally, remind himself he was years away from the events that had scarred him forever and prepare to be an efficient security officer on this luxury cruise ship. He owed the captain and his chief loyalty in return for them giving him a chance at a normal life. The CLC Line was supportive of veterans but his case was a special one. He wasn’t your ordinary veteran of the interstellar wars and his case of post-traumatic stress disorder wasn’t garden variety either.

Take a deep breath. There is no threat out there.

“Ready?” the ship asked him. Maeve the Artificial Intelligence, who ran the Nebula Zephyr, knew his secrets and protected him.

Nodding, he practiced a smile. “Open the door.”

The door slid open soundlessly and Trevor walked into the corridor, acknowledging greetings from fellow crew members as he headed for the gravlift. There were no passengers allowed on this level but he’d be among them soon enough. His regular patrol route was Level A, being visible in the vicinity of the expensive gift shops, the swanky restaurants and the casino, so the guests would feel safe and well protected.

Which they were. Jake Dilon, the head of ship’s security and his boss was a badass former Special Forces operator and he ran a well-disciplined team.

As Trevor arrived at Level A, ready to start his patrol, Maeve sent him a message over the private communication link. “A change in orders. You’re to report to the captain on the bridge. Gayla will take over your patrol this morning.”

“Do we know what’s going on?” He headed for the gravlift giving access to the bridge and the captain’s wardroom.

“Not my place to tell you but nothing bad.” Maeve closed the link with a click.

PETS IN SPACE® 5 ANTHOLOGY BLURB:

It’s time for an escape! Pets in Space® 5 is back for the fifth amazing year! Escape to new worlds with twelve of today’s top Science Fiction Romance authors. They have written 12 original, never-before-released stories filled with action, adventure, suspense, humor, and romance that will take you out of this world. The giving doesn’t stop there. For the fifth year, Pets in Space® will be donating a portion of the first month proceeds to Hero-Dogs.org, a non-profit charity that supports our veterans and First Responders. If you are ready to forget the world around you and make a difference while you are having fun, grab your copy before it’s gone!

STAR CRUISE RETURN VOYAGE blurb: Gianna Nadenoft is a reclusive survivor of one of the worst interstellar cruise ship disasters in the history of the Sectors. Now a renowned artist, she hasn’t left her home planet in decades, not since returning there after the wreck as a traumatized three-year-old. With her service animal at her side, she’s going to attempt to travel across the star systems to attend her brother’s wedding and reunite with her fellow survivors.

Trevor Hanson is a security officer aboard the cruise liner Nebula Zephyr with his own traumatic past as a former Special Forces soldier and prisoner of war. He’s assigned to provide personal protection to Gianna during her time aboard the ship but soon finds his interest turning from professional to romantic.

Onboard the Nebula Zephyr, powerful enemies are watching Gianna and making plans to seize this rare opportunity to gain access to her and the secrets they believe she’s still keeping about the wreck. Can Trevor overcome his personal demons and rise to the occasion to save Gianna from the danger waiting on his ship, or will she slip through his fingers and suffer a terrible fate deferred from her last disastrous voyage?

Amazon      Apple Books      Nook      Kobo      Google Play

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The award winning first book, known as “Titanic in space…” and the first sequel about Twilka and Khevan, are also available at all major ebook sellers…

 

Oct 2 2020

Why I Wrote STAR CRUISE RETURN VOYAGE

From the Archive…

How does life proceed for you if as a child you survived the worst disaster in interstellar cruise liner history (“Titanic in space”)?

But first, about the pet in the book! Every year  for quite a while it was a fun challenge for me to figure out my alien pet for the annual Pets In Space® anthology. Some years the choice of a pet was driven by a plot I already had in mind and other years the plot arose from the development of the pet and its attributes.

One year I went into the whole process fascinated by the Afghan hound. I’d seen snippets of the big national kennel show on the news and watched an Afghan hound prance by the camera. No offense to the aficionados of this dog breed but I find them to appear a bit alien just the way they are, so the animal made a good jumping off point for a PISA pet. I decided Verlaine the Tajikka Hound would have some vaguely equine characteristics as well, like black hooves and a somewhat horselike face. Our artist did his usual fabulous job in creating Verlaine for me. (The animal just seemed to require an aristocratic name, doesn’t he?!).

The PISA story was my annual entry in my STAR CRUISE series as well, located on the interstellar luxury liner Nebula Zephyr. I enjoy revisiting some of my characters from previous STAR CRUISE stories and I feel the concept of a huge cruise ship gives me plenty of latitude for telling a variety of stories. My next challenge for 2020 was what would bring such a sizable animal onto the ship as a pet? There had been so many true stories about people bringing odd animals onto airplanes as service animals and I read about someone who had a miniature horse they wanted to travel with! Since I visualize Verlaine as being about the size of a very small horse that seemed perfect to me. So he became a genuine service animal of the far future.

But who would need such an animal to support them on a trip on a big luxury liner?

Enter Gianna Nadenoft, who survived the wreck of the interstellar cruise liner Nebula Dream in my very first published scifi romance novel. She was a (precocious) child of three at the time of the events in Wreck of the Nebula Dream so I felt it was a safe assumption she’d have had post-traumatic stress symptoms of various kinds and might have needed a service animal to help her cope with life after the wreck. Now she’s determined to travel the stars to her brother’s wedding and reunite with old friends but hasn’t left her own planet in the twenty or so years since the wreck. So of course she travels with Verlaine on my new cruise ship, Nebula Zephyr.

It was a fun opportunity for me to revisit the original story and to ‘see’ the events through the eyes of a child, and then to figure out what her private agenda might be in forcing herself to travel on the Nebula Zephyr as an adult. And oh WOW, did I have to check myself to make sure I typed the correct ship name every time! I’d previously established that the two vessels were sister ships in overall design, hence the similar names.  Dream was destroyed, Zephyr sails on…

Wreck of the Nebula Dream was loosely based on the 1912 sinking of the Titanic and Titanic inspired some of the futuristic conspiracy theories about the Dream and the Zephyr which are a minor plot point in the current novel. There actually is a theory that instead of the Titanic sinking on that icy cold night, her sister ship the Olympic sank and that everyone from the builders to the owners was covering up the fact. Why anyone would do that, I’m not entirely sure but I came up with a justification for my novel. After all, the essence of a conspiracy theory is whispers about a sort of plausible explanation, right? No matter how thin!

Over the years I’ve received some snarky comments about my original book’s title, basically to the effect it isn’t a true “wreck” because it happened in space yadda yadda yadda. I greatly enjoyed having Gianna speak to that very point early in this book! (And I picked the title for the first book because it was based on an actual wreck. Plus it’s a dramatic, evocative title…)

I also enjoyed dropping in a few references to other things in my Sectors universe throughout this story, not enough to annoy anyone who hasn’t read my other books, I hope, but…for example there’s a nod to the Khagrish, who are the evil alien scientists in my Badari Warrior series.

The PISA authors traditionally try to make the pets an integral part of the story, not just “and she had a dog” walk-ons, so I had to really think through the events that would occur to make sure I gave Verlaine enough to do to be a substantive supporting character. Hopefully I succeeded!

He did make an immediate connection point between Gianna and Lt. Trevor Hanson, the Main Male Character, who has PTSD issues of his own, stemming from his prior military service. Now Trevor’s a security officer aboard the Nebula Zephyr, charged by his captain to make sure Gianna reaches her destination with a minimum of stress.

Here’s an excerpt, with Captain Fleming giving Trevor his unusual assignment.

A yeoman was waiting for him. “Captain Fleming wants to see you in the wardroom. This way.”

Trevor followed the other through the short corridor and was left outside the conference room to key the arrival button and receive permission to enter. Stepping across the threshold, he saluted. “Lt. Trevor Hanson reporting as ordered, sir.”

The captain was seated at the head of the table, drinking real Terran coffee from the battered mug which bore the crest of his last battleship command. “At ease, Hanson. Get yourself some coffee and come sit down. I have a special assignment for you on this leg of the cruise.”

He wasn’t thirsty but no one refused the captain’s invitation and especially not when the beverage on offer was the rare and costly real coffee. Trevor picked up a Nebula Zephyr mug, filled it, spurned the sugar and cinna spice, preferring to drink it black, and joined the captain. His curiosity coiled in his gut. Highly unusual for Fleming himself to skip protocol and give orders directly to any crew member. He was a firm believer in the chain of command and military protocol, even now, commanding a cruise ship.

The captain was staring at the big vid screens which showed the planetary system the ship was fast approaching, a series of reddish tinted jewels scattered across the black velvet of the galaxy, circling the yellow sun in the eternal rhythm decreed by astrophysics and the laws of the universe.

Trevor sipped the strong coffee and waited.

“What do you know about the wreck of the Nebula Dream?” Fleming asked, still watching the planets.

Pop quiz time I guess. “Worst passenger ship disaster in the history of the Sectors, thousands of lives lost, heroics by a Special Forces officer who happened to be aboard and saved hundreds. We had a module on it when I was in training, sir, mostly regarding the decisions made by the soldier. One of those ‘what would you do in his place’ type classes.”

“Nick Jameson,” Fleming said, supplying the name of the officer under discussion. “His decisions in what regard?”

“At each point, I guess. To stay on the ship, to use what is politely called classified means to contact rescue ships, and to fight the enemy when they boarded.” Remembering more details as he talked, Trevor added, “Guy was gutsy, smart and lucky. Oh and the cruise liner was way off course, in enemy territory. May I ask why the interest, sir?”

“We’re a sister ship, did you know that? Not the exact design but close, and of course we have different engines. No one uses the Yeatter unstable technology nowadays, not if the shipbuilders are sane.” Fleming sat upright. “What do you know about the survivors? The ones specifically who were with Jameson?”

Suspecting the discussion was getting closer to whatever point Fleming was driving at, Trevor shook his head. “Two women, a D’nvannae Brother, couple of kids…oh and a Mellurean Mind but I believe she died on board.”

“The main reason we’re in this system is to pick up a woman named Gianna Nadenoft,” Fleming said. “She was a very little girl when Nick Jameson saved her life on the Nebula Dream and she hasn’t flown in space since her father brought her home after the rescue.”

Trevor absorbed the information and asked the obvious question. “May I ask why she’s traveling now then, sir?”

“Her brother is getting married on Xcelon Four and she’s agreed to attend and be a bridesmaid.”

Obviously the lady would be a celebrity passenger. The Sectors’ fascination with the tragedy of the Nebula Dream never went away. But what was his role in this? Maybe the Cruise Director should be here, not him. Trevor abhorred being unclear on mission parameters and right now he didn’t see his role in this discussion or the woman’s travel plans.

The captain stared at him over the lip of his mug. “Ms. Nadenoft apparently has PTSD resulting from the events on board the Nebula Dream and this trip is going to be a huge challenge for her. She does have a service animal.”

Now Trevor had a sinking feeling and the captain’s next words confirmed his suspicion.

STAR CRUISE RETURN VOYAGE: Gianna Nadenoft is a reclusive survivor of one of the worst interstellar cruise ship disasters in the history of the Sectors. Now a renowned artist, she hasn’t left her home planet in decades, not since returning there after the wreck as a traumatized three-year-old. With her service animal at her side, she’s going to attempt to travel across the star systems to attend her brother’s wedding and reunite with her fellow survivors.

Trevor Hanson is a security officer aboard the cruise liner Nebula Zephyr with his own traumatic past as a former Special Forces soldier and prisoner of war. He’s assigned to provide personal protection to Gianna during her time aboard the ship but soon finds his interest turning from professional to romantic.

Onboard the Nebula Zephyr, powerful enemies are watching Gianna and making plans to seize this rare opportunity to gain access to her and the secrets they believe she’s still keeping about the wreck. Can Trevor overcome his personal demons and rise to the occasion to save Gianna from the danger waiting on his ship, or will she slip through his fingers and suffer a terrible fate deferred from her last disastrous voyage?

Amazon     Apple Books     Kobo     Nook     Google Play

VS: The three books are also available as a box set!

Amazon     Apple Books     Kobo     Nook     Google Play

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Read the original story and the first sequel, featuring Khevan and Twilka…