VS: I always wanted to write a fantasy romance series. I have so many plot ideas! So far I’ve written three books (a novel and two novellas) but I’ve prioritized my science fiction romance novels and then then ancient Egyptian paranormal romances ahead of these. I do expect to write more stories set in Claddare, because the characters are really important to me and I want to continue to tell of their adventures. The books can be read as standalones. Winter Solstice Dream is also a bit of a Cinderella tale…and of course The Swan and Her Wolf is a reimagining of the Swan Princess fairy tale.
THE CAPTIVE SHIFTER
The story:
Concealing her own considerable magical powers, Caitlyn enters the service of the northern Witch Queen masquerading as a simple healer. Under order from her goddess, she’s searching for a magical gem stolen long ago from her own people, believed to be hidden in the massive castle. The task is daunting but Caitlyn is sure she can locate the gem and escape, bringing the prize back to the temple where it belongs. Until she meets the captive shifter and her loyalties become dangerously divided.
In payment for her past services to his people, Kyler the leopard shifter has entered into a life of servitude far from his forest home, allowing the Witch Queen to tap his magic to power her ever darker spells. Factions at Court are threatening to turn the Queen to the Shadow. Her increasing demands for magic will cut short his nearly immortal lifespan. Kyler’s resigned to his fate until the day he crosses paths with the new arrival, whose secrets and magic entice and attract both man and leopard. Has he met his mate at last?
The Queen will never willingly release him from captivity. Caitlyn’s goddess refuses to grant her any delay in accomplishing her own task. Can they locate the magical gem, fight the Shadow and win free of the Witch Queen to earn the right to be together?
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WINTER SOLSTICE DREAM: A MAGIC OF CLADDARE NOVELLA
Torn from her home in the Dales as a child, Nadelma has made a place for herself as the head cook in the Witch Queen of Azrimar’s castle. She stays in the background of the busy court and uses her gentle magic gifts sparingly to help others. More or less content, she’s made peace with the hard facts of her life. Romance, marriage, a family – all beyond her dreams any longer.
Then Halvor, an ambitious Dales lord rides into the city, bringing his mercenaries to serve the king, with the promise of a rich reward, including a title and an estate. The only catch? He has to marry a highborn Azrimaran noblewoman to seal the treaty.
Fate conspires to throw Nadelma and Halvor into each other’s company and the attraction is instant and deep but both resist the attraction. She knows she can never have him for herself. He must fulfill the treaty to secure a safe place for his people to live, since their holding in the Dales was destroyed by the black magic of the Shadow. Marriage to a noble damsel of the king’s choice is his fate.
Until he met Nadelma he thought his heart was frozen by the loss of all he cared for, back in the Dales. Now he knows better but his people must come first.
The situation is hopeless…or is it? For the king declares the city will celebrate Winter Solstice and hold a ball, where wishes and dreams just might come true.
WINTER SOLSTICE DREAM is a novella in the Magic of Claddare world, which began with THE CAPTIVE SHIFTER. This book is a standalone story, featuring Nadelma, who readers met briefly in the first book.
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THE SWAN PRINCESS REIMAGINED by Veronica Scott and Eli Donovan
~Two fantasy romance tales by USA Today bestselling author Veronica Scott and Eli Donovan~
***The Swan and Her Wolf by Veronica Scott
An exciting new novella from USA Today Bestselling author Veronica Scott!
Princess Mairi has been cursed by an unknown enemy, forced to turn into a swan at random times of the day and night. Desperate to be free of her affliction, she goes to the Witch Queen’s court to beg for help. An all important marriage of state is pending for Mairi, and her family is counting on the rich suitor’s bride price to fill their coffers. But the would-be groom would never marry her if he knew of the curse.
Wolf Shifter Cade senses something uncanny about Mairi when they meet at Court, and he’s fascinated by the charming princess. His attempts to learn her secret and then to help Mairi with her troubles bring the two of them dangerously close together. His wolf insists she’s his fated mate, and Mairi finds him irresistible…but her duties as princess stand in the way of any true happiness. Will the curse be lifted? And will the couple be able to achieve their Happy Ever After?
This is a Magic of Claddare novella and can be read as a standalone.
***The Swan’s Prince by Eli Donovan
An irresistible new short novel in the beloved fairy tale world of Eli Donovan…
On a remote island, the swan-shifter Odette grapples with her father’s dark schemes as he forces her to use her magic for his own ends. When he steals her power to sink a ship and kill almost all hands onboard, she resolves to thwart his future plans by any means necessary.
Meanwhile, Tristan, a nobleman from a neighboring country, survives the uncanny shipwreck and soon finds himself entangled in Odette’s world of mystery and danger. Odette is irresistibly drawn to Tristan, but she’s cursed to be a swan by day and a human only by night. How can they possibly be together if she’s living only a half-life as a human? As their bond deepens, they must confront their pasts, trust each other with their secrets and, hopefully, find their way toward a future together.
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