As always, I rcommend 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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HAVEN 4: AVOW by Sandra R Neeley
General Lo’San is second in command on Command Warship 1. Refusing the matriarchal ways of his home planet, he broke all ties and left for Cruestace in the hopes of joining their military and building a better life for himself. He’s kept his singular focus pinpoint sharp. One’s integrity, one’s honor, one’s duty is all that matters. Warriors aboard his warship have found and claimed their females. He however, has no interest in such emotional matters of the heart… they dim one’s focus. Then a human female with eyes of blue and sparkling, silver highlights in her hair catches his eye. She’s reserved, beautiful and smart. He made it clear he’d be receptive to her advances, and now he waits. Unable to understand why the hell she won’t claim him!
Synclare was one of multiple females rescued from a slaver’s ship by the Cruestaci people. Those not claimed by their mates were anxious to get back to Earth. But not Synclare. She had nothing to go back to. Raised a trust-fund baby, she’s never had people that cared for her instead of her wealth. Even her own family were more interested in her money and what it could do for them, than in Synclare. As she waits with her friends for their transport back home to Earth, she notices a strong, stoic, beautiful male. His white hair, silver skin and gray eyes captivate her. He’s quiet and serious, commanding and sure, but makes every effort to let her know he sees her, and he’s interested. She begins to believe that he may be her future, and she lets him know she’s interested. Yet no matter how often she puts herself in his path, he just won’t claim her!
Among General Lo’San’s customs and people, it is the place of the female to claim and mate her male. He cannot imagine doing it any other way. Synclare’s customs indicate that the male should claim and mate his female, and she won’t do it differently. It is not her place to tell an Alien General that he is hers — it’s all on him to take that stance. While they try to find their way through their confusing clash of customs, a manipulative danger lingers on the horizon disguised as family. This danger could cost Synclare her life if they aren’t careful. Will Lo’San recognize the danger to his beloved Synclare before it can steal her away from him, or will he continue to fall under the plan of deception that’s been woven for him?
FAITHLESS IN DEATH: AN EVE DALLAS NOVEL by J D Robb
The scene in the West Village studio appears to be classic crime-of-passion: two wineglasses by the bed, music playing, and a young sculptor named Ariel Byrd with the back of her head bashed in. But when Dallas tracks down the wealthy Upper East Side woman who called 911, the details don’t add up. Gwen Huffman is wealthy, elegant, comforted by her handsome fiancé as she sheds tears over the trauma of finding the body—but why did it take an hour to report it? And why is she lying about little things?
As Eve and her team look into Gwen, her past, and the people around her, they find that the lies are about more than murder. As with sculpture, they need to chip away at the layers of deception to find the shape within—and soon they’re getting the FBI involved in a case that involves a sinister, fanatical group and a stunning criminal conspiracy.
DEKON (MATED TO THE ALIEN BOOK 10) by Kate Rudolph and Starr Huntress
She’s sick of waiting. Manda knows she has a mate out there. Somewhere. But Deke took off four years ago, afraid to face the potential connection between them. What was supposed to be a short trip has turned into a multi-year voyage. She’s done waiting. Her mate is out there somewhere and she’s ready to find him. He found his mate, but he can’t have her. Four years ago the denya bond ignited and Dekon found his mate. But Manda was too young, too traumatized, and nowhere near ready for the kind of bond a Detyen male could offer. Something has been keeping him from returning to Earth. What will his denya say when she sees the man he’s become?
UNCROSSED (HAREM STATION BOOK 7) by J A Huss
Princess Corla was supposed to be my soulmate. But we were star crossed. Two ships passing in the dark. Meant to be together, but never able to be together. At least that’s what I thought. But it turns out—my life is a lie, evil forces are out to get us, Harem Station is spinning chaos, and the soulmate bond won’t protect us. Sounds pretty bad, right? But here’s the best part. I can change it. I can change all of it. If I can just find a way to get myself uncrossed.
FORBIDDEN FLAME (RUTHLESS WARLORDS) by Alison Aimes
He’s out for revenge. She’s out to escape. Neither intends to fall in love. His instructions are simple: do not open the bag. To escape exile and enact revenge, crime boss Magnus Avitus agrees to play the part of errand boy. But when the volatile package he’s been tasked with delivering begins to squirm, he has to take a peek. He never expects to come face-to-face with her. Or to have everything inside him roar “mine.” Her plans are simple: escape the bag and those intent on using her. But when omega Amora Rose’s prison is unpacked before she can free herself, she is claimed by ferocious, scarred warlord who makes her heart whisper “mine.” Except she has a secret that’s about to send all their simple plans up in flames.
2021 SCIFI ANTHOLOGY by Various including Kayelle Allen
VS Note: Not romance…
For SCIFI Lovers! This anthology is a collection of twenty new science fiction stories written by fourteen authors in four countries. All are members of the Science Fiction Novelists Facebook group, as are the two professional
editors. Be prepared for adventurous wonder. *Bits of terror, *Aliens, *Twisted reality, *Dystopian dust, * Whispers of fantasy, and *Hard science. Gun play? Yes, there’s some of that too.
MY ALIEN VALENTINE by Various
Alien barbarians seeking love across the galaxies. Women seeking Mr. Right, or at least Mr. Sexy to share the most romantic holiday. Whether it’s an intergalactic matchmaking agency, Starflix and chill, or brutes here to claim their brides, sparks fly when aliens and humans fall in love. With new steamy stories from your favorite science fiction romance authors Helena Novak, Diane Jones, Zelda Knight, Mira Kane, Lucee Joie, Natalia Prim, and Lashe’ Lacroix.
STARWHAL IN FLIGHT (ENTANGLED UNIVERSE BOOK 3) by Mary E Lowd
VS Note: Not a romance…but a scifi release of note.
The cyborg starwhal who Clarity and her crew inhabit has become more than a spaceship or home to them. She’s their friend. But while Clarity and crew are filling their starwhal’s belly with a gengineered garden, the rest of the pod is still held captive by the Aether Gaia scientists who tinker with and experiment upon them like lab animals. The all-powerful AI, Wisper, who stretches across star-systems — inhabiting computers on every space station Clarity has visited — promised to free the other starwhals. But either she’s broken her promise, or something worse has gone wrong. Clarity and her crew must rescue the starwhals, hoping it will it cure their own beloved starwhal, who has grown sick with worry. Or is she sick with something else?
AMID THE CROWD OF STARS by Stephen Leigh
VS Note: Not a romance but a scifi release of note…sounds thought provoking.
Amid the Crowd of Stars is a grand scale science fiction novel examining the ethical implications of interstellar travel, a topic rarely addressed in science fiction novels. What responsibilities do we have to isolate ourselves from the bacteria, viruses, and other life of another world, and to prevent any of that alien biome from being brought back to Earth? What happens when a group of humans are stranded for centuries on another world with no choice but to expose themselves to that world? After such long exposure, are they still Homo sapiens or have they become another species entirely? These questions are at the heart of this intriguing novel, explored through the complicated lives and the viewpoints of the people who have come to rescue the stranded colony, the members of that colony, and the sentient alien life that dwells on the planet. Difficult life and death choices will be made by all involved.
THE ELECTRIC KINGDOM by David Arnold
VS Note: Scifi not romance (but romantic elements perhaps)…you know me and Dystopian SF! I pre-ordered this. It’s being compared to Station Eleven...
When a deadly Fly Flu sweeps the globe, it leaves a shell of the world that once was. Among the survivors are eighteen-year-old Nico and her dog, on a voyage devised by Nico’s father to find a mythical portal; a young artist named Kit, raised in an old abandoned cinema; and the enigmatic Deliverer, who lives Life after Life in an attempt to put the world back together. As swarms of infected Flies roam the earth, these few survivors navigate the woods of post-apocalyptic New England, meeting others along the way, each on their own quest to find life and love in a world gone dark. The Electric Kingdom is a sweeping exploration of art, storytelling, eternal life, and above all, a testament to the notion that even in an exterminated world, one person might find beauty in another.
ENGINES OF OBLIVION (THE MEMORY WAR BOOK 2) by Karen Osborne
VS Note: A scifi release of note.
Natalie Chan gained her corporate citizenship, but barely survived the battle for Tribulation. Now corporate has big plans for Natalie. Horrible plans. Locked away in Natalie’s missing memory is salvation for the last of an alien civilization and the humans they tried to exterminate. The corporation wants total control of both—or their deletion.
THE FUTURE IS YOURS: A NOVEL by Dan Frey
VS Note: Not a romance but a scifi release of note…scary concept! I pre-ordered but I sure wouldn’t look at my twitter or FB of the future LOL. I’d rather be surprised.
For Ben Boyce and Adhi Chaudry, the answer is unequivocally yes. And they’re betting everything that you’ll say yes, too. Welcome to The Future: a computer that connects to the internet one year from now, so you can see who you’ll be dating, where you’ll be working, even whether or not you’ll be alive in the year to come. By forming a startup to deliver this revolutionary technology to the world, Ben and Adhi have made their wildest, most impossible dream a reality. Once Silicon Valley outsiders, they’re now its hottest commodity. The device can predict everything perfectly—from stock market spikes and sports scores to political scandals and corporate takeovers—allowing them to chase down success and fame while staying one step ahead of the competition. But the future their device foretells is not the bright one they imagined. Ambition. Greed. Jealousy. And, perhaps, an apocalypse. The question is . . . can they stop it? Told through emails, texts, transcripts, and blog posts, this bleeding-edge tech thriller chronicles the costs of innovation and asks how far you’d go to protect the ones you love—even from themselves.
A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY: A SUPERHERO REVERSE HAREM ROMANCE (THEN SPECTRA SERIES BOOK 9) by Amy Sumida
Spectra’s life is nearly perfect. She’s just moved into an incredible mansion, has four amazing men to love, and gets to hunt bad guys for the U.S. Government. Even her foster father is happy, reunited with his lost love, and Braxis, the Bleiten chief who helped Amara save Danu, is on his way back to Earth after executing one of the men who murdered her parents. But when F.E.A.R. learns about the black market auctioning of supernatural magic, Spectra is sent in undercover and her near-perfect happiness is threatened by old and new enemies alike. The destiny she once glimpsed draws closer, but Amara can’t remember what it entailed. Is this a golden opportunity to seize perfection or the tragic end of everything she loves?
GAME CHANGER by Neal Shusterman
VS Note: Not a romance but a scifi release of note. Big week for hard scifi that interests me apparently. I pre-ordered this.
All it takes is one hit on the football field, and suddenly Ash’s life doesn’t look quite the way he remembers it. Impossible though it seems, he’s been hit into another dimension—and keeps on bouncing through worlds that are almost-but-not-really his own. The changes start small, but they quickly spiral out of control as Ash slides into universes where he has everything he’s ever wanted, universes where society is stuck in the past…universes where he finds himself looking at life through entirely different eyes. And if he isn’t careful, the world he’s learning to see more clearly could blink out of existence.
BORROWER QUEEN (THE SIXER SERIES BOOK 1) by Ravyn Fyre
VS Note: From JAN 8
Panthers, elementals, and vampires. Oh my! When Jade Cordel wakes to find herself on a spaceship, she feels like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Only this isn’t the movies, and she’s far from home. Her life is the definition of abnormal. Born with the power to temporarily use other’s abilities, she expects nothing less. But being kidnapped by aliens called the Strix, and forced to compete in the selection trials for a position in their army is pushing it. So when she finds true love, thwarts a coup, and battles against evil little grey men, she begins to understand normal is what you make of it.
THE BEGINNING (ABNORMAL VARIANT BOOK 3) by M Rose Flores
VS Note: Not listed as a romance; LGBTQIA per Queer SciFi….
One of their own is stranded in San Francisco, a city long since claimed by the undead. When the rescue mission goes sideways and someone else is taken hostage by Abnormal zombies, Cate and the Alcatraz survivors find themselves pulled in two directions: Do they enlist the help of a doctor who claims to know the origin of the hyper-intelligent infected, or do they trust a mysterious group called the Organization, who have ties to one of Cate’s people from before? In the Abnormal zombie camp, it’s clear to Melody that her people are missing some crucial information about her captors. Can she get back to the island in time to tell them before they do something irreversible? With the island on the verge of chaos and the lives of their loved ones in the balance, the Alcatraz group clashes over who can be trusted, if anyone, and what to do about the Abnormals. To save her family, Cate must pick a side and confront the thing she fears most—before it’s too late. In this twisting conclusion to the Abnormal/Variant trilogy, the survivors must reevaluate their ideas of family and humanity and finally answer the question that has been on everyone’s mind since The End: What does Cate’s immunity really mean?
ALIEN MONSTER (ALIEN ABDUCTORS BOOK 3) by Calista Skye
I’ve abducted an alien. Normally, it’s the other way around: aliens abduct Earth girls and sell them at auctions for the buyer to impregnate. But I’ve been there, done that, got the PTSD to show for it. It’s not that I wanted to abduct this bright green, eight feet tall guy with eyes as red as stoplights. It was an accident, despite what he thinks. Because he’s the scariest thing I’ve seen. And I happen to know that he’s a criminal, the nightmarish leader of a notorious gang of pirates. He’s trembling with rage, alien eyes piercing me. The force field holding him could fail at any moment. When it does, he’ll definitely murder me. And the way his pants are bulging, I can only hope that’s all he’ll do.
LIBERATED BY THE WARRIOR (GUARDIANS OF THE UNIVERSE BOOK 2) by Veronica Dean
I thought my life was over, until he showed up. After Avi’s mysterious disappearance 3 years ago, things took a turn for the worse. The evil Nepharan overlords tightened their grip on the subjugated humans. Those who are not in prison camps have died long ago. Mya is one of these unlucky souls. She has lost everything: her family, her job, her spark for life. It is not until a mighty alien warrior comes crashing into her world that she begins to find it again.
Qroko, one of the fiercest warriors in the Zahothian military, is committed to liberating the subjugated humans from their icy hell. He knows that without their fertile women, his planet may face extinction. He knew his mission would take him across the universe, but the one thing he did not expect was to fall in love in the process. She needs a savior. He needs to breed.
A CAPTIVE FOR KEAN (TALLIAN MERCENARIES BOOK 6) by Lynnea Lee
SARA – I’ve made a huge mistake! When the handsome and charming alien offers to steal me away from my abusive owner, I jump at the chance for a better life. But appearances are deceiving, and now I find myself owned by a cold-blooded killer. Kean’s sinful growls and possessive words make me crave things I know I shouldn’t. But I can’t fall for the ruthless murderer who ends lives with a smile on his face. It’s wrong! I need to get away before it’s too late. KEAN – Sarah is mine! I’ve done many horrible things in my life to get to where I am now. And I will do many more to protect what is mine. And Sarah is MINE! She’s terrified of me, but I know she wants me. I scent her arousal. I didn’t expect her to run. But there’s nowhere for her to hide; I own all of Vosthea. And when I find her, I’m going to claim her as my mate!
THE RINGS OF GRISSOM: TALES OF A FORMER SPACE JANITOR by Julia Huni
VS Note: Not listed as a romance…
Triana Moore lost her job as a maintenance technician when her boss discovered her true identity. But decluttering the galaxy isn’t just for janitors. When she visits the ringed planet Grissom with security agent Ty O’Neill for his sister’s wedding, Triana discovers just how messy life can get. Deported before she can finish her coffee, Triana barely misses an exploding shuttle. But in true space janitor fashion, she decides to investigate. With the help of a pair of mischievous twins, a hard-drinking grandma, and her old frenemy Vanti, will Triana save the wedding?
CLAIMED BY THE ALIEN (FATED MATES OF THE TITAN EMPIRE BOOK 6) by Tammy Walsh
I’m broken after losing my throne and getting burnt half to death. I was careless, reckless. I don’t deserve to be the emperor. I should curl up and die. But Hazel won’t let me. She’s a talented healer who nurses me back to health.
She teaches me kindness, friendship, and love. She’s everything I wanted, but never knew I needed. She’s my fated mate and I can never let her go. But when the Changelings threaten to wipe out the entire empire, I know the resistance needs a symbol to rally around. Am I the fearless emperor I once was? And can I risk losing Hazel when she’s the only thing I’ve ever truly wanted?
THE LOVE PROOF: A NOVEL by Madeleine Henry
Sophie Jones is a physics prodigy on track to unlock the secrets of the universe. But when she meets Jake Kristopher during their first week at Yale they instantly feel a deep connection, as if they’ve known each other before. Quickly, they become a couple. Slowly, their love lures Sophie away from school. When a shocking development forces Sophie into a new reality, she returns to physics to make sense of her world. She grapples with life’s big questions, including how to cope with unexpected change and loss. Inspired by her connection with Jake, Sophie throws herself into her studies, determined to prove that true loves belong together in all realities.
DECEIVED (ALIENS OF MALUM BOOK 1) by Sophie Stern
I never should have flown this close to Malum. If I had stayed away, maybe it wouldn’t have come to this. Maybe I wouldn’t have crashed into the planet’s ocean and maybe I wouldn’t have climbed right into the cliff-side home of a creature so big, so wild, and so terrifying that I’m both horrified and aroused at our close proximity. Now that I’m deep in the heart of Malum, a planet both forbidden and feared by the people of mine, but something is wrong. Malum is nothing like I was promised. It’s not the horror-filled wasteland I was told that it was. In fact, it’s not nearly as scary as it should be, and the realization that my father lied to me is horrifying. There’s a big problem on Malum. It’s bigger than the ship I crashed. It’s bigger than the dreams I threw away. It’s bigger than the hopelessly handsome alien who is trying to guide me home. And I’m the only one who might be able to save everything.
TAKEN BY THE TIGER (ALPHA CLAIMED BOOK 2) by Milly Taiden
Parker Nolan is home to attend her cousin’s wedding after years of living abroad representing her family’s nonprofit foundation. She’s caught off guard when she has a fling with the best man. Ryan is smoking hot, super sweet, and so alpha he makes her toes curl. She might want to stick around a while to see where things go with him. Other than the bedroom, that is.
Ryan Wade, alpha tiger of the Pine Pride, found his mate in Parker. But Parker isn’t ready to be tied down. Fortunately, he needs her expertise to help him get the youths of his pride under control if he wants to unite the different generations. Parker’s bonding activities for the pride gives both of them time together, allowing her to see how good they are as a couple. It would all be perfect if someone didn’t want Parker out of the picture. Ryan’s hold on his pride is falling apart and his mate’s life is on the line. But Parker isn’t one to go down without a fight. She’s faced danger before and she’s ready to do it again. But can she take on a pride of lions?
SECRETS OF THE SWORD III (DEATH BEFORE DRAGONS BOOK 9) by Lindsay Buroker
I’m Val Thorvald, tough butt-kicking assassin and soon-to-be wife of Lord Zavryd’nokquetal. He’s a dragon from another world, and he’s haughty, arrogant, and has horrible taste in footwear, but I love him. Our wedding is going to be amazing. At least… I’d like to think so. But when the coffee shop I’m a co-owner of gets bombed, our youngest employee goes missing, and the entire elven family I didn’t know I had shows up for a visit, my wedding preparations take an alarming turn. Oh, and did I mention that Zav’s clan is coming to the wedding? Dozens of dragons flying into the Seattle area. What could possibly go wrong?
FIREHEART TIGER by Aliette de Bodard
Fire burns bright and has a long memory….Quiet, thoughtful princess Thanh was sent away as a hostage to the powerful faraway country of Ephteria as a child. Now she’s returned to her mother’s imperial court, haunted not only by memories of her first romance, but by worrying magical echoes of a fire that devastated Ephteria’s royal palace.
Thanh’s new role as a diplomat places her once again in the path of her first love, the powerful and magnetic Eldris of Ephteria, who knows exactly what she wants: romance from Thanh and much more from Thanh’s home. Eldris won’t take no for an answer, on either front. But the fire that burned down one palace is tempting Thanh with the possibility of making her own dangerous decisions. Can Thanh find the freedom to shape her country’s fate—and her own?
THE DRAGON’S CHOICE (BLUEWATER DRAGONS BOOK 3) by Roxie Ray
There’s more magic in this world than I ever thought possible. Money means everything when you grow up with nothing. Posting risqué videos online may not be everyone’s ideal career, but it’s given me everything I need. I’m free. The hotshot lawyer Porter may not get it, but I don’t care. He can think anything he wants to… Until the jerk tries to steal my house. Sort of. I may not own the place yet, but I’m determined to make it mine. But Porter is more than just a smokin’ hot house-stealer, and as I get to know him, I like him more and more. And freaking more. I have to resist. Feelings ruin everything. But then I find out Porter’s secret and feelings are the least of my worries. He’s a dragon. And he thinks I’m his fated mate! I’m not sure how an online streaming star and a fire breathing lawyer can make it work. Especially when we uncover the impossible truth about me.
RAFAEL (ANITA BLAKE, VAMPIRE HUNTER BOOK 28) by Laurel K Hamilton
Rafael, king of the wererats, must fight to the death to defend his crown. He wants Anita Blake, one of his closest allies, with him as he faces an opponent unlike any he’s faced before. He will ask Anita to risk everything to be at his side.…
But some of the wererats fear that Rafael depends too much on Anita and her ties to the vampires. They believe that there is only room in America for one supernatural king, and Rafael will turn them into nothing more than food for the bloodsuckers. Among his enemies, a new challenger has arisen who is younger, hungrier, and has dark secrets that could destroy both the wererats and the vampires. Rafael will go into the magical heart of his people to find the power and violence that he needs to save them all, or die trying.
THE GILDED ONES by Namina Forna
Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs. But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity–and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death. Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki–near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire’s greatest threat. Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she’s ever known. But as she journeys to the capital to train for the biggest battle of her life, she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be–not even Deka herself.
RECKLESS ROAD (TORPEDO INK BOOK 5) by Christine Feehan
While Gedeon “Player” Lazaroff is one of Torpedo Ink motorcycle club’s roughest members, he’s also one of the calmest. Little rattles Player, except for the times his gift gets the better of him. When that happens, he has to just lie down in the dark and hope for the best. But on a night when he’s on the verge of losing it, he meets a woman who manages to soothe his fractured mind. Zyah is a striking, ethereal beauty who seduces him with every word and move. Their night together is one of pure, exquisite bliss. But when Player gets confused and thinks their intimate encounter was nothing more than a dream, his careless dismissal leaves her humiliated and angry. Now, Player will have to devote his every breath to convincing Zyah to give him a second chance. Because she might be the only one who can save him from himself.
SKELETON KEY: A XANTH NOVEL (THE XANTH NOVELS BOOK 44) by Piers Anthony
Squid, the alien cuttlefish, is getting an upgrade: a boost to her shape-changing talent so she can lead a mission against a foreign Demon who’s stirring up trouble in Xanth. At Squid’s side are her rescued siblings and one very special child—Larry, a girl in a boy’s body, who will act as a secret host for their adoptive mother, the Demoness Fornax. Aboard the Fire Boat, they form a plan to disguise themselves as a traveling dance troupe. Each child is paired up with a native Xanthian. But it’s the friendship that blossoms between Squid and Larry that will power their quest, and they’ll have to do some fancy footwork to avoid the trials and tribulations that await them.
REIGN: A ROMANCE ANTHOLOGY by Various
VS Note: I believe at least one is a paranormal romance…
They say that power corrupts. But love heals all wounds. Long may they reign…You find them in the boardroom. The throne room. The bedroom. They burn brighter than the rest. They wield power as easily as they breathe. They stop at nothing to get what they want. Royalty, CEOs, mafia kings, demons, and more. When love conquers, will they fall to their knees for the person they can’t live without? Reign is a collection of thirteen brand new romance novellas featuring men and women who rule their empires but not their hearts.
OUTFOXING THE WOLF by Chris Storm
It ain’t easy being a lone fox in a criminal underworld run by wolves. Finn O’Malley’s battle for top position in the underground fight circuits is almost over. Only one match stands between him and a big enough payday to support his young daughter. But when the predatory stares of the bloodthirsty crowds who swarm Seattle’s infamous Fight or Fright Club give way to the piercing blue eyes of his opponent, and he scents his fated mate, he knows all bets are off—and his target may be aiming for his heart. It ain’t easy being the bodyguard of the most feared Mafia Werewolf in the world. Jericho “The Wall” Lupogrigio lives for the fight, for the glory of victory. It’s all he has, the only legacy the lonely wolf can bestow upon his impressionable young son. When another challenger emerges, hungry for his title as the most vicious shifter brawler in the world, Jericho gladly steps up. The problem? His fated mate is standing across from him inside the Iron Circle, and now he’s not so sure if he wants to lose his heart—or win the fight. It ain’t going to be easy outfoxing the wolf, but if Finn wants to save his daughter, he has no choice.
STORMBREAK (SEAFIRE BOOK 3) by Natalie C Parker
Aric Athair is dead. But the fight for the Bullet Seas is far from over. Caledonia’s nemesis, Lir–the one responsible for destroying her family–has seized control of the warlord’s army. Caledonia and her crew have fled to Cloudbreak to prepare for an all-out war. And they are not the only ones. Rogue ships and even a few defecting Bullets show up to join their fight. But Lir always seems to be one step ahead of Caledonia, anticipating her every more as he secures the seas for himself. With the fight growing desperate, Caledonia is forced to make an unlikely and unsteady alliance with a new enemy. It’s a gamble that could cost her everything, but with the fate of the seas in her hands, Caledonia will do whatever it takes to win the war.
THRALL OF THE VAMPIRE KING (BLOOD SAGA BOOK 4) by Bella Klaus
Valentine is a man with two personalities. One of them is a tyrant and the other is missing. We’re both trapped in a stronghold of enemies, but the biggest threat to my life comes from Valentine. He’s feral and out of control, making me hunger for his bite. He’s awakening something in me that’s dark and decadent and utterly beguiling. If I don’t break free from his thrall, I could lose everything—my sanity, my freedom, and my life. I must resist his wicked power and escape, even if I have to bargain with the devil.
A NOT SO HALLOWED EVE (A PEACHTREE POINT MYSTERY BOOK 4) by J A Whiting and Amanda Diamond
It is October and Halloween is fast approaching in the seaside town of Peachtree Point, New Hampshire.
A new store has opened in town with the owner doing Tarot card readings and counseling people about their love lives. Peachtree Point’s librarian, Heather Redding, is in the store when she overhears two people arguing and learns that the shop owner is blackmailing someone from town. When a murder is linked to the new shop, it will take Heather, her friends and family, Booker the cat, and the library’s murder posse to figure out what’s going on. Will they find the killer before he or she strikes again?
WILD LANDS (SAVAGE LANDS BOOK 2) by Stacey Marie Brown
Brexley has endured starvation and survived torture and even Warwick Farkas, the brutal legend who still haunts her like a ghost, spilling into her thoughts and life. His betrayal made her a prisoner of Killian, the gorgeous Fae Lord of Budapest. There her life takes another unforeseen twist, something that will change the fragile alliance between the humans and the fae, and Brexley finds herself in the middle. As weeks go by, Brexley also discovers Killian isn’t the malicious leader she was told about. As they spend more time together, their relationship begins to shift. However, when an old acquaintance turns up, she is given the chance to escape the sexy fae leader, and her entire world explodes. Brexley is thrown into a nefarious web of politics, desire, betrayal, lies, and truths that will shatter her foundation and who she is, what she believes, and who can be trusted. No longer is there a clear line between good and bad. Hunted by both sides, Brexley is on the run and must untangle all the lies, deceit, and deceptions, before she becomes another victim in the wild lands.
SEDUCED BY THE PEACOCK’S BEAUTY (COSMIC GUARDIANS BOOK 2) by Aria Winter and Jade Waltz
Ever since I learned that my dreams are based on reality, I now have the fate of two worlds in my hands. I’m destined to defeat an ancient evil and restore the balance between worlds. But to do this, I need to find the five guards who are destined to aid me. Aris has been my secret crush for a long time. Something about his emerald eyes and charismatic personality draws me in. He was once my guard and I was his queen. When we touch, memories flood my mind of our previous life together. Something deep in my soul tells me we were more than just guard and queen to each other. Now that we have found one another again, I don’t know what to do. I have already bound myself to Cael, but the prophecy says the queen must take five mates. One of them is destined to betray me, but I do not know which it is. Now, I have to choose. If I take Aris as my mate, can I trust him with both my life and my heart?
DEVILISH CHARM (A FARMER’S MARKET WITCH MYSTERY SERIES BOOK 4) by Constance Barker
A murder occurs close to the Farmer’s Market when another vendor bites the dust. Ernest sold antiques and obtained his wares from estate sales. A few items in particular weren’t supposed to be a part of one sale and the daughter, Jill, wants those items back, but Ernest says he didn’t buy the toiletry set, but sales records say otherwise. She doesn’t believe him and the next thing you know he’s in the morgue. Ernest’s wants a divorce from his spendy wife before she bankrupts him. Did she decide he’s worth more dead than alive? And Tabitha, the dark witch is back. Could she have planned Ernest’s demise because she wanted the toiletry set, which is said to contain a magical element?
SUNKEN SOULS (SIRENS OF THE DEEP BOOK 1) by Erin Hayes
VS Note: From JAN 1
Our deepest, darkest fears don’t just live in our nightmares. They’re under the sea. And they want me. Growing up, my parents just had one rule: stay out of the ocean. Which was pretty easy when the closest beach was a thousand miles away. My days are spent at swim meets and hanging out with my only friend Dylan who I may or may not have a crush on. All that changes when I go off to college in Hawaii and my plane falls out of the sky and into the Pacific Ocean. I should have been fish food. Instead, I wake up to a world I never knew existed. Mermaids and kelpies and krakens and more — they’re real and more deadly than you can ever imagine. And then there are the exiled sirens of the deep. They’ve been planning a war since the moment I was born. And it looks like I’ll have to be dragged further and further to their depths to stop them. If I even want to, once I learn the truth.
DREAM HUNTER (BAILEY SPADE BOOK 2) by Dima Zales and Anna Zaires
What was missing from my life? A crazy cult that worships the ancient god of nightmares, that’s what. When I break my most sacred vow and invade my mom’s dreams, things get complicated, fast. With Valerian’s help, I’m on a quest to boost my powers and learn to forgive myself—all while saving my home world from complete annihilation at the hands of deranged cultists. In other words, a regular Wednesday.
CITY OF THE UNCOMMON THIEF by Lynne Bertrand
“Guilders work. Foundlings scrub the bogs. Needles bind. Swords tear. And men leave. There is nothing uncommon in this city. I hope Errol Thebes is dead. We both know he is safer that way.” In a walled city of a mile-high iron guild towers, many things are common knowledge: No book in any of the city’s libraries reveals its place on a calendar or a map. No living beasts can be found within the city’s walls. And no good comes to the guilder or foundling who trespasses too far from their labors. Even on the tower rooftops, where Errol Thebes and the rest of the city’s teenagers pass a few short years under an open sky, no one truly believes anything uncommon is possible within the city walls. But one guildmaster has broken tradition to protect her child, and now the whole city faces an uncommon threat: a pair of black iron spikes that has the power of both sword and needle on the rib cages of men has gone missing, but the mayhem they cause rises everywhere. If the spikes are not found, no wall will be high enough to protect the city—or the world beyond it. And Errol Thebes? He’s not dead and he’s certainly not safe.
A WINTER TAIL OF WOE (COUNTRY COTTAGE MYSTERIES BOOK 14) by Addison Moore and Bellamy Bloom
My name is Bizzy Baker, and I can read minds—not every mind, not every time but most of the time and believe me when I say it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. It’s a snowy winter in Cider Cove and a show called Mayhem, Baking, and Murder is taping an episode at the inn with me as the guest host. But before we could dive into the deep end of all things homicide, the host drops dead and I have a feeling I’m watching a homicide play out in real time. I’m not wrong. But a shocking twist lands this case on its ear and suddenly it becomes the most dangerous homicide I’ve investigated to date. It’s winter in Cider Cove. A chill is in the air and so is murder.Bizzy Baker runs the Country Cottage Inn, has the ability to pry into the darkest recesses of both the human and animal mind, and has just stumbled upon a body. With the help of her kitten, Fish, a mutt named Sherlock Bones and an ornery yet dangerously good looking homicide detective, Bizzy is determined to find the killer.
WHAT BIG TEETH by Rose Szabo
VS Note: I found the cover too spooky for me!
Eleanor Zarrin has been estranged from her wild family for years. When she flees boarding school after a horrifying incident, she goes to the only place she thinks is safe: the home she left behind. But when she gets there, she struggles to fit in with her monstrous relatives, who prowl the woods around the family estate and read fortunes in the guts of birds. Eleanor finds herself desperately trying to hold the family together—in order to save them all, Eleanor must learn to embrace her family of monsters and tame the darkness inside her. Exquisitely terrifying, beautiful, and strange, this fierce gothic fantasy will sink its teeth into you and never let go.
CAN’T REMEMBER DICK: AN ELEMENTAL MYTHICALS PARANORMAL ROMANCE by Candice Gilmer
I, unfortunately, can’t remember anything about my life before three years ago. Especially not these big men, like this guy Richard, who seems to know me very well. (And ho-boy does he make my motor run). I might have stayed away and avoided him. At least, until me and my sister needed help. Now the past I can’t remember may be the only way I have to save her. Because if what they’re saying is true, then I’m a time traveler, and I may have to figure it out if I’m going to save my sister.
THE STORM GLASS (THE GLASS SKY SERIES BOOK 1) by Alexia Purdy
Against my family’s wishes, I’ve refused every suitor lined up for my hand at the annual coupling ball. How could I have known the government would be overthrown during the ball? Luckily, I’m rescued by a handsome stranger named Clyde. Running from the enemy, we escape to the underground city known as the Glass Sky.
My life is far from what I thought as I discover I’m just a pawn in a delusional society. Secrets and lies show me the hard truth of a dying human race where females are scarce and controlled with an iron fist. I have to find my parents but sneaking back home is a precarious trek. All I find is the city overrun and deep under the control of a ruthless ruler. Obsessive vendettas seal my fate, haunting me with my own defiance. Alone and defeated, an unlikely ally offers to help me, but at what cost?
FLUKE AND THE FAITHLESS FATHER (THE FANTASTIC FLUKE BOOK 2) by Sam Burns
After escaping a murderer and resurrecting his boyfriend, Sage figures he deserves a little time to recover. Unfortunately, life is rarely fair. So instead of a break, he gets to deal with a magical law enforcement rookie asking uncomfortable questions about his brush with death. The quaesitor is acting downright suspicious. Or is it suspiciously? Things go from awkward to dangerous when the man who murdered Sage’s mother is released from prison, and soon after there’s a break-in at the bookstore. The situation escalates so fast that Sage is afraid he’s going to end up with whiplash. Or worse, end up dead. He wanted a break, but not a permanent one. Fluke and the Faithless Father is a direct sequel to The Fantastic Fluke, and should not be read first. It is an ~85k word novel that follows the continuing adventures of Sage, Fluke, Gideon, and their whole family, found and otherwise.
HELL HOUNDS DON’T HEEL (VALKYRIE BESTIARY BOOK 3) by Kim McDougall
Critter wrangler rule 7: Some monsters just have to die. Someone is plotting to put all gargoyles in jail…or six feet in the ground. For decades gargoyles have patrolled the night in Montreal Ward. They are dubbed Guardians by the humans and fae who live on the fringes of society, those who survive in neighborhoods the police don’t care about. But when a Guardian is accused of murder, their reputation blackens. Mason promised to return from France with the one weapon capable of killing the formidable witch who was reborn from the bloodstone, but no one has heard from him in months. Now Polina gathers forces. Without Mason or the Guardians, Kyra has no backup as she tries to solve a murder and face off against new and terrifying monsters…all while caring for her growing menagerie of extraordinary critters.
HER HAUNTED VALENTINE by Tricia Schneider
When Wendy Miller’s best friend sets her up on a blind date for Valentine’s Day, she’s hopeful this guy will be Mr. Right Now if not Mr. Right Forever. Imagine her disappointment when he doesn’t show. Instead, a man named Magnus appears, saving her from a lonely evening. He’s charming, he’s handsome, and he’s single. But there’s one thing Wendy doesn’t know…He’s a ghost. Magnus was murdered on Valentine’s Day over two hundred years ago. Now, his spirit haunts the inn where he died, searching for the one who can save him from this ghostly existence. The one who will hold his heart forever.
MONKEY KING: JOURNEY TO THE WEST by Wu Cheng’en
VS Note: I include this Penguin re-release because it’s known as the Chinese Lord of the Rings-type fantasy and is always mentioned as such a classic tale.
A shape-shifting trickster on a kung-fu quest for eternal life, Monkey King is one of the most memorable superheroes in world literature. High-spirited and omni-talented, he amasses dazzling weapons and skills on his journey to immortality: a gold-hooped staff that can grow as tall as the sky and shrink to the size of a needle; the ability to travel 108,000 miles in a single somersault. A master of subterfuge, he can transform himself into whomever or whatever he chooses and turn each of his body’s 84,000 hairs into an army of clones. But his penchant for mischief repeatedly gets him into trouble, and when he raids Heaven’s Orchard of Immortal Peaches and gorges himself on the elixirs of the gods, the Buddha pins him beneath a mountain, freeing him only five hundred years later for a chance to redeem himself: He is to protect the pious monk Tripitaka on his fourteen-year journey to India in search of precious Buddhist sutras that will bring enlightenment to the Chinese empire.
Joined by two other fallen immortals–Pigsy, a rice-loving pig able to fly with its ears, and Sandy, a depressive man-eating river-sand monster–Monkey King undergoes eighty-one trials, doing battle with Red Boy, Princess Jade-Face, the Monstress Dowager, and all manner of dragons, ogres, wizards, and femmes fatales, navigating the perils of Fire-Cloud Cave, the River of Flowing Sand, the Water-Crystal Palace, and Casserole Mountain, and being serially captured, lacquered, sautéed, steamed, and liquefied, but always hatching an ingenious plan to get himself and his fellow pilgrims out of their latest jam.
A WITCH NAMED HAZEL (CRAFTY WITCH MYSYERIES BOOK 1) by Sara Bourgeois
A surprising call from a rather crabby lawyer was an unpleasant interruption to Hazel Holloway’s otherwise blissful day off. She’s baffled at the news that a great uncle she’s never even heard of before has left her his old funeral home. Stranger still, the mortuary is in an unfamiliar small town. Fullmourn is less than thirty minutes away, but the place is a complete mystery. Things get even weirder, though… More shocking than a surprise Great Uncle and a peculiar small town is the “gift” she receives from a ghost. The gift is the craft. Witchcraft, to be exact. The spirit of an old witch has to pass her magic onto someone before crossing the veil to the afterlife. Since no one shows up for her memorial, Hazel was the “lucky” recipient of her strange and unusual powers. But, the whole witchcraft thing might have to wait… When Hazel gets into an argument with grouchy Fullmourn resident, George Cadell, she knows her reputation is about to bite the big one. Of course, George appears to be innocent in the squabble, so when he’s found dead in front of the funeral home Hazel just inherited, she becomes the prime suspect. Hazel is one toadstool short of an alibi, and the hunky town Sheriff, Nicodemus “Nico,” Quillen doesn’t entirely believe in her innocence. But Hazel isn’t the only one in Fullmourn who might have wanted George – an unrepentant jerk – on the other side of the grass. Hazel needs all the help she can get exhuming the real culprit. With her new familiar, Loftus, the cursed mouse, and her cousin, Rook, the mortician, at her side, Hazel’s prepared to harness her unique abilities and summon any spirit, to catch the real killer. She’s desperate to clear her name before the funeral home goes belly up, but will her mission lead her right into a killer’s snare?
BULLETPROOF DAMSEL by Amelia Hutchins
VS Note: A re-release…
One sassy female weapons master…who doesn’t get out much. One alpha-hole who lays claim to her the moment he sets eyes on her. She’s a weapon in the hands of her enemies, and Rhys intends to use her. An ancient family feud between the legendary Van Helsing’s and Silversmith’s who once made their legendary weapons…What can possibly go wrong? When Remington comes face to face with Rhys Van Helsing, the world will never be the same again.
For Remington Silversmith? Apparently everything.
THE WITCH’S HEART by Genvieve Gornichec
When a banished witch falls in love with the legendary trickster Loki, she risks the wrath of the gods in this moving, subversive debut novel that reimagines Norse mythology. Angrboda’s story begins where most witches’ tales end: with a burning. A punishment from Odin for refusing to provide him with knowledge of the future, the fire leaves Angrboda injured and powerless, and she flees into the farthest reaches of a remote forest. There she is found by a man who reveals himself to be Loki, and her initial distrust of him transforms into a deep and abiding love.
Their union produces three unusual children, each with a secret destiny, who Angrboda is keen to raise at the edge of the world, safely hidden from Odin’s all-seeing eye. But as Angrboda slowly recovers her prophetic powers, she learns that her blissful life—and possibly all of existence—is in danger. With help from the fierce huntress Skadi, with whom she shares a growing bond, Angrboda must choose whether she’ll accept the fate that she’s foreseen for her beloved family…or rise to remake their future. From the most ancient of tales this novel forges a story of love, loss, and hope for the modern age.
FREAKY MAGE (A MYSTIC CARAVAN MYSTERY BOOK 11) by Amanda M Lee
The members Mystic Caravan have Georgia on their minds as they land in Savannah … and immediately find trouble.
In a city full of ghosts, Poet Parker expects a few magical things to happen, but when an evil cult sacrifices a young woman on the beach next to their camp, things take a turn nobody was expecting. Thankfully, she’s not alone for this fight. Zoe Lake-Winters is considered the most powerful mage in existence. She’s brash, full of herself, and ready for a brawl. When she and her husband bring their daughter to the circus, Poet is immediately intrigued. She can feel the power rippling off Zoe, and it’s the sort of power that can force a reckoning. The cult has magic, but it’s not enough to frighten Poet. It’s what they’re protecting that has everybody in a tizzy. It seems there’s a door to another plane, and the enemy trying to cross over to a world they were driven from is significant. With Zoe and her mouthy daughter Sami on the prowl, Mystic Caravan is in a tumultuous state. On top of her normal worries, Poet also has to contend with her boyfriend Kade Denton, who is delighted to have another mage to learn from even as he struggles to trust his new abilities. Magic is might, and there’s magic bubbling at every corner of Mystic Caravan. That’s a good thing because for the final fight they’re going to need every ounce of it they can muster. Worlds are about to collide, and nobody will ever be the same again.
REBEL QUEEN (LOST FAE BOOK 3) by May Dawson
To escape a curse, I married four cocky Fae kings. The arrogant sea king who would pursue me to the ends of the world. The brothers of autumn, who have loved me, and hated me, and can’t quite make their minds where they fall now. The winter king, who betrayed me to save his own court. The five of us are bound together, even if we’re not sure now if we’re enemies or lovers or both. My father, the High King of all four kingdoms, is still alive—and he’ll stop at nothing to make sure I die instead of reclaiming my throne. But I’m the rebel queen, and at my side are four impossible Fae knights. If I can get them all to stop trying to knock each other senseless, we can rule the four Kingdoms–and save them. And if we can’t, we’ll die.
DAUGHTER OF THE SALT KING by A S Thornton
A girl of the desert and a jinni born long ago by the sea, both enslaved to the Salt King—but with this capricious magic, only one can be set free. As a daughter of the Salt King, Emel ought to be among the most powerful women in the desert. Instead, she and her sisters have less freedom than even her father’s slaves … for the Salt King uses his own daughters to seduce visiting noblemen into becoming powerful allies by marriage. Escape from her father’s court seems impossible, and Emel dreams of a life where she can choose her fate. When members of a secret rebellion attack, Emel stumbles upon an alluring escape route: her father’s best-kept secret—a wish-granting jinni, Saalim.
But in the land of the Salt King, wishes are never what they seem. Saalim’s magic is volatile. Emel could lose everything with a wish for her freedom as the rebellion intensifies around her. She soon finds herself playing a dangerous game that pits dreams against responsibility and love against the promise of freedom. As she finds herself drawn to the jinni for more than his magic, captivated by both him and the world he shows her outside her desert village, she has to decide if freedom is worth the loss of her family, her home and Saalim, the only man she’s ever loved.
PRIMAL HUNGER (PROWLERS BOOK 4) by Ally Parker
A shifter desperate to survive his beast… A starving vampire who hungers for blood…
Cade is a wolf chained to darkness. Ruled by instincts he can’t control. He’s broken. Damaged. And that makes him dangerous. Now the shifter council is breathing down his neck demanding answers. Answers that could cost him his life. All he needs is one tiny female’s help to set the record straight. When he discovers she’s been turned into a vampire, he offers his protection…in exchange for her skills. Now his wolf wants her. Needs her. Won’t stop until he has her. She’s forbidden and he’ll break every damn law to keep her. Fleeing from a vampire attack, Hannah found out firsthand you can’t outrun monsters. Not when they can hunt you down. When all hope was lost, she’s saved by a wolf. A creature that should fill her with terror. So why isn’t she afraid? Maybe it’s the way he carried her to safety? Maybe it’s the shadows in his gaze, or the loneliness that radiates right to her soul? As fangs fill her mouth, urges claim her body. Urges only Cade can satisfy. In a world she doesn’t understand the rules to, she needs a crash course in order to survive. When Cade offers to keep her safe, and teach her how to be a vampire, it seemed like a good idea…until she hungered for more than his touch.
BEWITCHING THE BAKER: A PARANORMAL CHICK LIT NOVEL (WITCHY IS THE NEW FORTY BOOK 1) by Elizabeth Kirke
Twenty years ago, Violet Amandine and her two best friends cast a love spell that went horribly awry. Since then, she’s led a chronically single life filled with awkward first dates and botched attempts at romance. After all this time, she’s afraid to get her hopes up that things could change… yet, the spell should kick in at any moment. Thankfully, a delicious distraction has come to town. Violet’s favorite baking show is filming at the bakery where she works, giving her the opportunity to learn from impossibly attractive celebrity baker, Sorrel Glaze. Somewhere between flour and frosting, she finds her feelings for him have grown beyond a simple crush. What’s even more scrumptious? The attraction is mutual. Just when Violet thinks her luck with love could finally be improving, she discovers a career-ending secret Sorrel has been keeping from his viewers. Will this added heat burn their budding relationship to a crisp? Or have they found the perfect recipe for a happily ever after?
OUBLIETTE LOST (QUEEN’S BLADE BOOK 3) by A W Exley
There is more to being free than removing a chain…Allie has served her sentence and been released from servitude, but she disappears into the London crowd. Jared is frantic to find the woman he loves, and when he does, the spark of life is missing from her eyes. Meanwhile…Eloise and Zeb are called upon by Drina to use all their skills to save her future reign. Duncan encounters an unusual assassin who laughs often and makes his stomach churn. Jared must work with a rival to bring down the Consortium. The friends must pull together, each using their own skills, to find the missing piece of Allie’s soul before she is lost to them forever.
NOT QUITE WHOLE (NOT QUITE SERIES BOOK 6) by Kaye Draper
The phoenix sovereign of Westhold might not want Sam for anything more than their hunter skills, but that won’t stop the sabertoothed hunter from defending their unclaimed mate—and the stupid utopian city of equality that Theo insists on building. Things heat up in the last installment of the Not Quite series…and someone might just get burned. Author’s Note: I love reverse harem, but I got sick of reading the same old tropes. In my books you will find atypical characters and varied sexuality. In general, you probably won’t find many alpha males or fainting females, and relationships may have a more poly feel. The Not Quite series is a harem/reverse harem urban fantasy series of novellas (between 35,000-45,000 words) …(more blurb on ebook seller page…)
THE HAWK SOUL (THE SOUL STONES BOOK 1) by Amy Sumida
VS Note: From DEC 22.
My name is Ravyn. I’m a human soldier in a Fae army of shapeshifters run by a warlord. I’m a simple man; I like the three Fs—Feasting, Fighting, and Fu- well, you know the last one. I don’t have many expectations for my life beyond those things and that’s just fine by me. But when two fae amulets are stolen and only a human can retrieve them, my warlord asks me to help. He is the Hawk Lord—honorable, brave, terrifyingly powerful, and hot enough to set my pants on fire with a single look. That look was all it took to get me to agree to one of the most dangerous missions of my life. What I didn’t know was that he’d be accompanying me, watching my back as we crept through the continent of Alantri—land of the monstrous Farungal. Nor did I know that our mission would bring us together in the most unexpected ways. The Hawk Lord is so much more than I thought. Stronger and more heroic, with a soul more beautiful than his face But he also has a darkness inside him, one that could bind us together forever or tear us viciously apart. To survive his love, I’ll need the heart and soul of a hawk.
THE LYNX SOUL (THE SOUL STONES BOOK 2) by Amy Sumida
VS Note: From JAN 15. Catching up on the author!
After being captured and tortured by the Farungal Queen, I vowed that I wouldn’t let her win, even if it meant my death. But when I jumped from her battlements, taking my own life instead of allowing her to turn me into a monster, I caught the attention of a goddess, a group of magical beasts, and a fae warlord. Thorne Callenaer, the Lynx Lord, was so moved by my sacrifice that he saved my life by giving me a piece of his soul. Now, we’re bound by magic and drawn together by the beauty we glimpsed in each other’s souls. But up until the moment he saved me, Thorne had never desired another man. While the war with the monstrous Farungal rages on, I’m left to fight a different kind of battle, one of lust and love and pride. To survive, I’ll need the soul of a lynx and the strength to win the heart of the Lynx Lord.
NEW REAPER IN TOWN (HELLSGATE SERIES BOOK 1) by Mina Carter
She’s death incarnate. Love and romance aren’t on the cards. Are they? The latest in a long line of Reapers, Laney arrives in small-town Liberty expecting the usual ‘reap and run’ type of job. However, the small town holds far more secrets than she expects, plus a sexy as hell cop who blind-sides her reaper instincts big-time. When a lone lycan turns out to be a scout for a full-scale invasion, she can’t leave. Someone has to defend the town from the things that go bump in the night. It’s got nothing to do with the sexy cop. Honest…She’s not human. He doesn’t care…Burned out after working in the big city, Troy moved back home to Liberty to claw back a little of his soul. But the sleepy town has problems of the paranormal kind and the department has gone from calls about lost cats to boggarts in the basement. That was before the seriously nasty stuff moved in…When Laney shows up he’s not sure what she is, but he doesn’t care. She’s tiny, delicate, and gorgeous. When he finds a werewolf looming over her in an alley, all his protective instincts flare up. He needs to get her home, keep her safe… Make her his.But is she the answer he’s been looking for to fill the empty spot in his heart or the most dangerous creature he’s ever met?
REAPER AWAKENED (HELLSGATE SERIES BOOK 2) by Mina Carter
Death’s big business. For Laney, it’s a full-time job. Reaper extraordinaire, Laney Larson, is stuck in small-town Liberty. One, there’s way more paranormal activity going on than normal for a little town like Liberty. And two, a sexy as hell cop called Troy. When the proverbial hits the fan and they get wind of a demon break-out from the third hell, a prison even the demon king himself won’t set foot in, what’s a reaper to do but strap on her blades and help track the escapee down? But when said demon takes her man, all bets are off. She’ll get him back or… death will happen. Underage witches and a new Hellgate… What else could go wrong? Troy had thought a warehouse full of werewolves was bad enough, but apparently, that was just Tuesday. Between convincing his girlfriend, Laney, to stick around, and tracking down an underage coven, he’s got an escaped demon on the loose. But forces are at work behind the scenes. Troy’s job lands him in the most dangerous situation of his life and proves just how different he and Laney really are.
HEART’S STORM (FALLING UNDERHILL BOOK 4) by Viola Grace
Audra has been working for the family business forever. Having it sold to an elf partnership is surprising, but she has met one of them before. Audra is working on spring prep for the greenhouse her family owns when one of the boxes contained something that was definitely not seeds. The ceramic sends her to another dimension in less time than it takes to blink an eye. She is told to find the storm king to send her home, and she does, but he won’t. She asks him to return her to the mortal realm, and he offers her a tour of Underhill instead. The tour brings them closer, and with neither of them agreeing to a time to part, Puck has to step in and draw a curtain over their frolics. Back at home, Audra learns that not only have her parents put the greenhouse up for sale, it is a done deal. Her life begins to spin away from her, and the only thing that is steady is the hand of one of the purchasers who seems terribly familiar.
When her memories come back in a rush, she is mortified and fascinated. He is offering her an extensive future and her hopes and dreams. Should she jump at the chance or risk more than her heart in the embrace of the storm?
Amazon Note: Her other books are on Apple Books so perhaps this one will be too at some point Kobo
FORGOTTEN HART (VAKTARE OF ALL REALMAS BOOK 3) by Maggie Lynn Heron-Heidel
With secret enemies lurking in the shadows, there is no safe haven to run to. As Brin seemingly abandons her and a new forbidden attraction flares, she must decide whether to believe what her fractured mind is telling her or to follow her traitorous heart. Xydon’s son may desire to claim the Herald Väktare for himself, but evil’s secret weapon has risen from its grave. While Shira Hart must stop the consuming tide of darkness from rising, the only enemy standing in her way is the worst adversary of them all: herself.
TALA RIDGE STORM (TALA RIDGE SHIFTERS BOOK 2) by Lynn Nodima
The Black Forest Huntsmen are back…Just when Terrell thinks everything is calming down, a white-out blizzard arrives hours before expected, stranding a bus load of second-graders in the middle of nowhere.Can the shifters of Tala Ridge arrive in time to prevent disaster? And if they do, can they face what’s coming?
RETURN TO TOMORROW (THE TIME BUBBLE BOOK 11) by Jason Ayres
Thomas Scott has lived his life twice before. At night he dreams about his wife-to-be and resolves to preserve the timeline so they can meet in the right place at the right time. Ben Lewis was a middle-aged failure in 2020 before he was cast back into his eighteen-year-old body. Given a second chance, he intends to exploit it for his own selfish ends. When the two meet in Oxford in 1988, they soon clash. The more Thomas tries to prevent Ben from disrupting the timeline, the more he delights in doing the opposite. A decade later, the scene is set for a final confrontation in the blazing heat of Ibiza at the height of the clubbing scene. This story is the eleventh part of an epic series exploring the time travel genre in original and innovative ways. The novels follow the main characters from youth to middle age as they jump forwards, backwards, and sideways into alternate worlds.
THINGS THAT GO BUMP AND THE KNIGHT (AVALON CAFE) by Hermione Moon and Serenity Woods
VS Note: A re-release…
When cakes and pies start going missing in the Avalon Café, kitchen witch Gwen Young is convinced someone is breaking into the shop. But why did the security camera only capture static, and how did the thief circumvent the magic ward she placed on the doors? The answer has an unusual festive twist in this heartwarming cozy witch mystery.
KNOT AFRAID (KNOTTED PATHS BOOK 2) by Susi Hawke and Crista Crown
Evan Nilsen’s Ideal Omega:• funny • gentle • just as awkward as Evan – I always imagined I’d end up with someone kind of like me. Maybe even a nurse so we could open our own practice, saving the world one omega or baby at a time. But then Luis Alfaro walks in, scared, dark, and dangerous—and I freeze like the rabbit I am. I would happily let him devour me—literally-but he has other, more delicious plans to destroy me. It’s so easy for him to see into my soul, but he has walls so thick it feels like it would take a full assault team to take them down. I know how to heal a body… but how can I heal his soul?
LUCIFER’S BRIDE (MARRIED TO THE DEVIL BOOK 1) by Roxie Ray and Skye Wilson
The devil’s in the details, and I shouldn’t be surprised to find Hell in Las Vegas. Luke doesn’t care that I can’t remember a thing about the deal we made on the night of my bachelorette party. All he cares is that I promised my love, my life, and my obedience to him for all eternity. Obedience? Not my style. I’m not looking to be owned by any man. To make matters worse, I was supposed to be marrying another. But Adam can’t stand against Luke’s strength. I’m Luke’s prisoner. And his lover, the Persephone to his Hades. And I can’t resist his wicked charms and sinful good looks. With the mark of the beast on me and an army of Versace-clad demons knocking down my door, my options for freedom aren’t just running out, they’re long gone. Only Luke can keep me safe. And only if I play by his rules.
The King of Sin needs a queen. If I want to survive, I don’t have any choice but to give the Devil his due.
BEAR NEXT DOOR (MIDLIFE SHIFTERS BOOK 1) by J L Wilder
It’s been twenty years since I’ve been home, and I accidentally just slept with the bear next door…Welcome to my midlife shifter crisis. I’m fleeing a failed marriage with a wolf. I just slept with my childhood bestie, And didn’t even realize it was him. He’s hot and gruff, and gives me more pleasure than I’ve ever known. But he’s got a chip on his shoulder, cause he’s supposed to be our den’s alpha. Oh, and I moved back in with my parents. My consolation prize: A little werebear growing in my belly that we have to keep a secret.
RISING FATE (WOLF MOON ACADEMY BOOK 3) by Jen L Grey
The past several months changed so much. Liam and I were fated mates and we’ve seen how awful the packs were being treated. Finally all four heirs were on the same page, and we knew something had to change. As the heirs and I joined the rebellion, more things came to light, and we learned the council has a secret they’ve been hiding– one larger than my own. Now everything was at stake, and there could only be one clear winner. Either way, nothing would remain the same.
ARROW STRUCK (ELVENSWOOD TALES BOOK 2) by Alexa Piper
Laurette is the luckiest Elf in all of New Elvenswood. His longtime friend the vampire Hugo and the human non-witch Charlie are both in love with Laurette, and he’s in love with them. Everything would be perfect if only those two would finally decide to move in with Laurette, quit their jobs, and spend all their time with him. And Laurette has plans to sway his lovers’ minds on Valentine’s Day. Charlie finds herself tightly suspended between the attentions of one hot Elf and one hot vampire, and there is no place she would rather be. And then, a colleague decides he wants to claim Charlie, whether she’s in a relationship or not. Enter Cupid, mistress of arrows and bringer of love, because loving the right person is especially important with spring warming hungry hearts… except not everyone agrees with the accuracy of Cupid’s aim.
A SONG WITH TEETH: A LOS NEFILIM NOVEL by T Frohock
As the Allied forces battle to defeat the Nazis, a shadow war rages between angels and daimons fighting for the soul of humanity in this thrilling conclusion to the critically acclaimed Los Nefilim historical fantasy series. The year is 1944, and the daimons are rising. With the Inner Guard thrown into disarray by the German blitzkrieg, the daimon-born nefilim of the Scorpion Court gather in Paris, scheming to restore their rule over the mortal realm. Working as a double-agent, Diago Alvarez infiltrates his family’s daimonic court, but soon finds himself overwhelmed by his kin’s multiple deceits. Meanwhile, Ysabel Ramírez hunts a Psalm that will assist Operation Overlord, the Allies’ invasion of Normandy. Her objective takes her to Paris—into the heart of territories controlled by Die Nephilim and her power-hungry uncle, Jordi Abelló, who seeks the same Psalm in his quest to wrest control of Los Nefilim from her father. When their paths cross, he abducts her and leaves her to the mercy of his Nazi followers. But Ysabel is as cunning and bold as Jordi. She knows only one of them can survive to one day rule Los Nefilim, and she’s determined to be the one to succeed her father as queen. Trapped in her uncle’s château hidden deep within the Fontainebleau forest, Ysabel discovers the truth behind her uncle’s lust for dominance: those that wear the signet of the Thrones are not blessed . . . they are cursed. And it may take a miracle to end this war once and for all.
THE STONE MERMAID by Aisha Urooj
He will give up everything for love. The Stone Mermaid is a mythical tale of mermaids and other legendary sea creatures. This is an epic story of love and betrayal, involving Ariana, the sea king’s daughter, Ivan, a human prince, and Victor, the sea witch’s son. Love is a force capable of moving the unlikeliest of hearts. Let The Stone Mermaid show you how.
DARK HORSE (A DEMON’S GUIDE TO THE AFTERLIFE BOOK 1) by Kel Carpenter and Aurelia Jane
My husband killed me. Instead of spending my immortal Afterlife pissed off and angry, I moved on. I became someone.Sure, that someone was a demon with the highest track record of reform, AKA punishment, in Hell. But who’s bragging? I’m right on my way to retirement behind the pearly gates. Everything was going fine . . . until the Risk Witches saw a terrible vision. Three men. Each scarred in their own way, born with powers that haven’t been seen in eons. Upper Management sent the best to correct their path. Angels. Poltergeists. Nothing worked. These men were too stubborn. Too bad. Too untamed…So they sent me. Roman. Ezra. Dorian. Combined, they have enough power to end the world—and they will. Unless I find a way to stop them first. Breaking people is my job. But this time…my job might break me.
THE STRAY PRINCE (ROYALS BOOK 2) by Ella Fields
Though my arranged marriage to the king resulted in heartache, the continent of Rosinthe continued to heal.
It was my duty to ensure the stains my father left in his wake were wiped clean. If that meant remaining married to a male who’d betrayed me, then so be it. With peace flourishing and my lover, the lord of the east, at my side, the sticky web we’d found ourselves in became easier to navigate. Until a faerie king stole into my dreams, marring harmony with uncertainty. Before I could make sense of what was happening, I was lured and captured, taken to a realm across the sea. To a land unlike any other that had been locked unto itself for years. Beldine. I’d broken my father’s curse, erasing the block that had kept its creatures contained, and in doing so, had almost lost my life.
Now their high king wants more than answers. He and his realm are in need of something else, and he’ll stop at nothing to retrieve it. Hearts will break. Blood will spill. Desire will destroy. When two worlds collide, can love endure when vengeance must reign?
SECOND GLANCES (HEMLOCK ACADEMY BOOK 2) by Kelsey Soliz
I thought having six mate marks was more than I could handle. And then Cyrus and Dar came along and told me that I was theirs, too. Male conduits, looking for their mate for over a hundred years. No pressure, right? I thought that being someone else’s fated meant everything would be easy, that our connection would be instant. But that theory doesn’t take into account the life they’ve led before finding me. Am I really enough? Then there’s the mystery guy I’ve been chatting to online- I don’t know who he is but he seems perfect for me. My other mates are encouraging me to finish my circuit so that I’m safe from the monsters that want my magic, but I have to walk that fine line between finding who I’m meant for and making sure we have a connection and that they respect me. And that being with them won’t alter the respect I hold for myself. Things are getting crazy. Can we make it through?
KYLAN: PRINCE OF TIGERS by Kathi S Barton
Emmie Rankin didn’t trust men. She had been brutally raped at fourteen and now had her daughter, Olivia, as a result. Olivia was now a teen herself. Although an attorney by trade, Emmie had had to give up her practice to stay at home and take care of her father and her child. Kylan Prince was a black tiger shifter. He had been waiting a long time for his mate to come into his life. Now that she was finally here, he was determined to do everything he could to convince her that he was what she and her daughter needed in their lives.
Amazon Note:Her other books are on Apple Books so perhaps this one will be there some day Kobo
ALPHA DRAGON’S NANNY (BILLIONAIRE DRAGON SHIFTERS’ NANNY MATES) by Alicia Banks
Josselin – My life sucked with my family. My parents died when I was young, and I was left with my evil uncle.
I needed to get away and one day I came across an ad for a nanny position. I liked kids and I liked the room and board that would come with it. I really liked the chance to finally escape. Once I got the job, everything turned strange. The little girl ran around pretending to be a dragon, burning up and starting fires. Her father was handsome, making me forget it all. A kiss changed my mind about possibilities. A book full of journal entries told me the truth.
Antonio wasn’t just a regular man. He was something else, something dangerous.
Antonio – Josselin was my assistant’s idea. He was convinced that she was perfect. And she was. Possibly, she was a little too perfect. Short, sassy, with an angelic face and a mind that turned me on instead of annoying me. She was unlike anyone I’d ever met. But Josselin was human. Off-limits. I knew better. So, why was it so hard to deny myself the pleasure? And what pleasure it was…The council finds out about Josselin. Antonio will have to keep Josselin safe from the council bent on killing her, as well as herself. Nothing will make him give her up. Nothing. Antonio would fight the world for her.
TETHERED MAGICK (THE VEIL KEEPER BOOK 3) by Harper Wylde
With the bloodletting on the horizon and a meeting with the elders that goes horribly awry, the supernatural world is descending upon me like a hoard of hungry vampires—and each one of their leaders wants something from me in return for their fealty. As my world unravels one secret at a time, it’s hard to know who to believe, or who to trust. The only thing I know is that I need to save my father, and I’ll go to any lengths to do just that. Together, my mates and I fend off betrayals, enemies, shades, and the darkness that threatens to drag me under with each trip to the veil I make. One by one they claim me, tethering me to the mortal realm and strengthening my magick, making me a weapon aimed straight at the heart of the one who dares to cross us. But my mates aren’t the only creatures with sharp fangs haunting the night, and as I navigate the twists and turns around every corner, I find it hard not to get bitten. You see, there’s this saying, once bitten, twice shy, but whoever wrote that must not know me, because I’m no coward, and I’m not afraid. I have fangs of my own. And I bite back.
DARKEST MOON (SHADOW GUILD: WOLF QUEEN BOOK 1) by Linsey Hall
Since I was born, I was destined to be one thing—the Alpha’s Mate. It should be every girl’s dream. Not mine, though. He’s too dark and damaged, and I’ve got a secret he can never know: I’m not a true wolf. Instead of waiting for him to figure out I’m an abomination, I left on my fifteenth birthday. But I didn’t go far. No way in hell would I let fate drive me from the town I love. Ten years later, I’m still hiding in plain sight. When I occasionally see him on the street—deadly, sexy, powerful–I just walk by. Keep my head down. Until that night. Wrong place, wrong time, and suddenly I’m accused of murdering someone from my old pack. And he’s there. Blaming me. I’ve got one chance to prove my innocence and find the real killer, or I’m dead by shifter law. Fortunately, the Alpha doesn’t recognize me because I’m no longer the same ugly duckling. He senses I’m special though, and he won’t stop until he figures out the truth. But when he does, I’ll be in danger from more than just the murderer.
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VS: Next on my Badari Backlist is IVOKK. This is the book I wrote to ‘do right’ by Sandara the chef, who had the misunderstanding with Jadrian in his book. Readers had asked me to give Sandara her happy for now (it’s an HEA for her personally but the series arc continues) and I thought long and hard about what the challenge could be that would allow her to shine and find the right Badari. I went back to the South Seas pack and had so much fun with the details, the food, and everything else that went into the adventure.
The blurb:
IVOKK
Proud enforcer of the Badari South Seas pack, Ivokk undertakes a secret mission back to their former home, in search of a cure for a mysterious illness affecting his soldiers, now in exile in the north. He’s ready to make any sacrifice to find the answer and help his pack brothers stay strong. He’s even willing to accept responsibility for the human woman assigned to the mission, although she’s a headstrong civilian, difficult and rumored to dislike his kind.
Sandara DiFerria was once a three star chef in the Sectors, but that was before the alien enemy kidnapped the entire adult population of her colony to use for experimentation. Rescued from the labs by the Badari, she does her part to support the rebellion now by running the vast commissary operation in Sanctuary Valley. All she asks is to be left alone until she can get back to the Sectors and pick up her old life again. Her one previous romantic brush with a Badari soldier turned out badly, ending in public humiliation. Add to that post-traumatic stress from her life before moving to the colony and she’s the last person to pick for a top secret mission. Or so she believes.
The Alpha running the pack disagrees and sends her to do the job under Ivokk’s watchful eye. Thrown together by the nature of the task they must undertake, the undeniable attraction they both feel grows. Will the dark secrets of Sandara’s hidden past create an insurmountable barrier between them? Can Ivokk and the tempestuous human chef find the answer to the Badari illness in time? Or will the elements and the enemy bring disaster?
Amazon Apple Books Kobo Nook GooglePlay
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LINKS TO RECENT NEW RELEASES POSTS from Veronica:
“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…
Some authors aren’t in KU but still don’t list books with Apple or other platforms. This report is very time consuming to prepare so I’ve always had to limit myself and cannot go and look up every book on all the platforms. If an author gives me their other buy links, I include them here but generally I develop the post on my own, not from author-supplied information. I curate and prepare this post individually every week to help connect readers/books/authors and I have to be very careful not to give it so much time as an activity that I don’t write my own novels! Thanks for the feedback and happy reading!
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.
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