Lots of New Release goodness this week!
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).
HIERAX: STAR GUARDIANS BOOK 4 by Ruby Lionsdrake
VS Note: I’ve been waiting for this one! Oh yes….
As a database programmer from Arizona and a fan of sedate, indoor activities, Indi Smith doesn’t belong in outer space. Certainly not in a star system with a broken wormhole gate and no way home. But through no fault of her own, that’s where she’s landed, and nobody on the ship, not even the genius chief engineer Hierax, knows how to repair the gate. The only clue that could help is an untranslatable transmission coming from an uninhabitable planet with no atmosphere.
Though she’s a fish out of water, Indi is determined to use her knack for analysis and recognizing patterns to decode the transmission and help Hierax fix the gate, whether he wants the assistance of some civilian woman or not. She refuses to die in the middle of nowhere, even if it means she has to prove her worth to an arrogant, know-it-all engineer. She’s had experience dealing with geeks, albeit not ones with such big, sexy muscles, but that doesn’t mean working with him will be easy.
Chief Hierax is used to being in charge of all things mechanical, and he’s used to being the smartest person on the ship. Few of his burly Star Guardian colleagues were recruited for their brains. So when Indi shows up with a clever way of looking at the alien transmission, one he hadn’t thought of, he’s not sure what to make of it—or her.
His focus should be on fixing the gate, but he finds himself speculating about romantic endeavors. Would she be interested in seeing his hobby projects or maybe his favorite tools? It’s hard to tell. He has a hard time understanding women—and people in general, for that matter—so charming her may be tougher than finding a way home.
LAST SHIP OFF POLARIS-G (A CENTRAL GALACTIC CONCORDANCE NOVELLA) by Carol Van Natta
VS Note: And I’ve been waiting for THIS one. Yup, the book budget is taking a hit today LOL.
A bureaucrat and an interstellar trader must overcome treachery and their broken past to save the last inhabitants of a dying planet. Frontier planet Polaris-Gamma is dying, afflicted by a suspiciously-timed blight that destroys all crops. Worse, the whole system is now under military quarantine by the Central Galactic Concordance to prevent the catastrophic blight from spreading. The settlers must escape—or perish.
Caught behind the blockade, independent trader Gavril Danilovich finds his interstellar trading ship commandeered in the desperate plan to escape. He tells himself that’s the only reason he stays, and not because he’s worried about the woman he walked out on two years ago—who still lives on Pol-G.
Government supply depot manager Anitra Helden races to gather the last of Pol-G’s assets. Her plan to launch a mothballed freighter off Pol-G may be crazy—but it can work, if she can talk Gavril into helping. Their precious cargo? Four thousand stranded colonists.
Can Anitra and Gavril, and their ragtag crew get past the deadly military blockade?
DURATION OF STAY (THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMEWORLD SECURITY BOOK 6) by Cassandra Chandler
Zemanni has been called many things—shapeshifter, bounty hunter, assassin, Gray. But since being ripped apart by an angry Lyrian and barely managing to piece himself back together, the only word he can think of is “trapped”. Trapped in the form of Eric Peterson, and saddled with the biological needs and urges of a human—urges that center around the aggressively helpful woman giving him shelter.
Brooke knows her unhealthy need to rescue people is reaching a new level when she takes the wounded alien she finds hiding in her car back to her apartment. He’s gorgeous and rude and has glowing streaks of silver all over his body—a body he doesn’t seem to know what to do with. But she has some ideas…
Keeping him safe—primarily from himself—leads to the most intense “close encounters” either has ever had. Add in coffee and video games, and Zemanni starts to think Earth might be the perfect place to retire. If only he can convince his many enemies that he’s truly out of the game.
VICIOUS (HAUNTED STARS BOOK 2) by Lindsey R Loucks
Absidy Jones, a fugitive ghost magnet on the run for two murders she didn’t commit, desperately needs to warn the human race. The Saelis aliens are coming to finish a two-hundred-year-old war and decimate the rest of humanity.
No small feat for Absidy, especially since she and her spaceship’s crew are stuck in deep space.
Pasts collide on the once-haunted ship she now calls home, leaving the crew stranded with no outside communication. Murder, secrets, and betrayal lurk around every corner, more vicious than anyone thought possible.
Startling discoveries force Absidy to risk the lives of those she loves to save all humans, even as her special ghostly gift seems to be…evolving.
BLIND FATE (VEREDIAN CHRONICLES BOOK 2) by Regine Abel
Born in a breeding compound, Valena has never known a day of freedom. As a child, her master burned her retinas to prevent her from mind-controlling those who meet her gaze. But she still controls people’s thoughts with a touch. Sold to the Xelix Prime Blood Houses, she is forced to use her ability to keep the other slaves compliant. When Fate places a powerful Counselor in her path, she plots and schemes to use him to escape, until her feelings for him complicate matters.
As her master’s plans take on a darker turn, lies, betrayal, and tragedy threaten any hope she ever held of a better future.
THRALL (DERIDA BOOK 3) by Catherine Miller
VS Note: Recommended by Reader Barbara T
Ness had always tried to do as the masters told her, tried to fulfil her expected purpose within the time allowed. She was a thrall and nothing more. Every pain was a lesson, every hurt was for her betterment. And someday, perhaps, she could earn honour enough to serve the Narada in a household.
But when the masters tire of her repeated failures to produce the allotment required of her, she is chosen, not for the death she expects, but to serve as payment to a people she has never seen, whose ways are strange and utterly impossible for her to accept.
Taken in by a man who claims that he is not her new master, she is troubled when he does not comprehend the defective nature of the thrall he has been given, and how unworthy she is to be in his service.
And, perhaps even more concerning, his persistent belief that she is no slave at all.
GUNDAR (MATE THE STARS BOOK 1) by Loretta Johns
The Mylos came for genetic trade, offering a chance for the women of Earth to meet and marry their perfect other half as well as advances in technology and education for all. Darla Levin isn’t looking for a husband. She is, however, looking for money for college. Falling short of her needs using financial aid, she decides to take a gamble and apply for the Bride Registry Scholarship.It seems simple. You don’t get matched unless you’re a perfect genetic and psychological fit, and for the scholarship, the pool is limited to Mylos currently in orbit. Matches are so rare, she’s never known anyone who has known anyone else who has been matched. After her best friend Angie registers and received her scholarship funds immediately, Darla takes the plunge. Only the unthinkable happens, and she finds she is now the mate to Gundar, the Commander of the Bride Fleet itself.
DEACON (GIDEON’S RIDERS BOOK 2) by Kit Rocha
Ana has trained most of her life to achieve one goal: to prove that anything men can do, she can do better. Now she’s Sector One’s first female Rider, and being the best is the only way to ensure she won’t be its last. Distractions aren’t allowed–especially not her painful attraction to the reserved but demanding leader whose stern, grumpy demeanor has already gotten into her head.
Deacon has spent the last twenty years trying to atone for his past, but the blood he spilled as a mercenary and assassin will never wash away entirely. If his riders knew the extent of his sins, he’d lose their trust and respect. It’s easier to keep them all at arm’s length, especially Ana. But his newest recruit’s stubbornness is starting to crack his defenses.
And their sparring matches are driving him wild.
The passion sparking between them can’t be denied, but neither can the vengeance barreling toward Deacon. When his old squad comes back to punish him for his betrayal, Ana and the Riders are squarely in the line of fire. The only way to save his people may be to make the ultimate sacrifice.
But first, he has to convince Ana not to follow him straight into hell.
THE MERCENARY (THE WAR CHRONICLES BOOK 1) by Petra Landon
In a distant corner of the galaxy, Quadrant Five burns in the flames of a deadly war. The Budheya people are one of the worst affected.
Saakshi: Imprisoned by the Ketaari Imperial Forces, a young Budheya rebel is sent to a distant space station to work in an alehouse. For a girl who has known only hardship in her short life, things could be worse. Until an old foe walks into the alehouse.
Zoran: Zoran is Hadari’Kor – notoriously fierce mercenaries who only fight for hire. Drawn to a weary-eyed server girl, Zoran is forced to confront age-old traditions and question his role in the war.
Alone, friendless and far from home, Saakshi makes a desperate gamble to trust an enigmatic stranger whose hot gaze haunts her dreams. ..(more)…
IN THE SHADOWS (METAHUMAN FILES BOOK 3) by Hailey Turner
Staff Sergeant Alexei Dvorkin doesn’t trust easily, and he most certainly doesn’t trust spies. He’ll work with them if ordered to, but that doesn’t mean he has to like it. Except Agent Sean Delaney is proving to be the exception to the rule. There’s something about Sean that gets under Alexei’s skin and won’t let go. Alexei would be lying if he said he wasn’t interested in what lay beneath the agent’s mask. When they’re assigned together for a mission, Alexei vows to keep Sean safe all while trying to coax the hot agent into his bed.
Hold onto hope.
Agent Sean Delaney has spent his entire adult life living a lie for his country. When the MDF tasks him with finding evidence of criminal wrong-doing against the owner of a private military company, Sean knows exactly how to play the game to get what he wants. He just doesn’t know how to handle Alexei’s advances, nor his own attraction to the younger soldier. Being a spy is lonely work, and Sean knows he should keep his distance, but saying no to Alexei is impossible from the moment they first kiss.
In a world of lies, the truth can be deadly.
When the mission takes a turn for the worse, the only thing left to do is run. In the wake of betrayal, and in the path of danger, can their fragile trust survive the battle?
A CHANGE OF SCENERY by Debra Parmley
Belly dancer Clarrisa Heat is headed from Memphis to the Caribbean for a vacation after a horrible divorce. A change of scenery is just what she needs to forget her troubles. At the Atlanta shuttle station she’s handed a letter, which states she cannot board the Zuilund Super Shuttle until she receives a Sendot injection, a new drug that claims to prevent a new deadly gastrointestinal illness. She stops in a shuttle lounge on her way to check in and gets locked inside the wrecked deserted room with no one to hear her calling and no cell phone service.
Navy SEAL Warren West finds Clarissa locked in the lounge. Soon they’re on the run because she missed her injection and shuttle, which lands her on the militia’s watch list. The heirloom herbs she grows in her bedroom will mark her a terrorist on Benjamin Innovative Genetics Corporation’s most wanted list if they’re discovered.
THE SHIFT OF THE TIDE (UNCHARTED REALMS BOOK 3) BY Jeffe Kennedy
VS Note: I LOVED this book. I’ve been a big fan of her Twelve Kingdoms series and the Uncharted Realms series, which has continued the story..I relished the heroine’s growth in this book and wow, I really loved the hero….PAGES OF THE MIND, which just won the RWA RITA, is still my favorite but this one is a very close second. Interviewed Jeffe this week for USA Today/HEA and did receive an ARC.
Free from the hand of a tyrant, the Twelve Kingdoms have thrown all that touch them into chaos. New allies appear–and enemies encroach–from all sides. To survive, they must adapt to this new reality without a moment of doubt…
Growing up in a country where magic was common as dust, Zynda never had to worry about her enchantments upsetting the balance of nature. But the land beyond the borders of the thirteenth kingdom calls to her. It may be foreign and ugly, but the strangeness is laced with an excitement she has never known. Outside her homeland, Zynda’s shapeshifting and sorcery are a potent advantage to nations grasping for dominance–and the thrill of power lures her even as she recognizes the threat she poses to these magic-buffeted realms.
A ruthless enemy stalks them, promising destruction if she does not fight with all her strength–but if she upsets the equilibrium of the land, all will pay, the common people most of all. And a man of this outside world fascinates her, a mossback with no scrap of magic in him. He knows nothing of the fears and temptations pulling at her. But in his steady embrace she learns she must choose well–for the consequences may reach farther than she ever imagined.
MATING BITE by Cynthia Eden
Werewolf Carter Sinclair is on the hunt. He’s tracking a newly turned vamp, a beauty with bite named Lauren McIntosh. Hunting her is the easy part. After all, no one can hide from a wolf. But once Carter gets the vamp in his arms, his easy mission suddenly goes straight to hell.
One taste, one bite that should never have happened…and Carter is hooked—mind, body, soul. Nature has plans for him and Lauren. They’re to be mates, but there is a vicious vamp waiting in the dark—a killer who has already claimed Lauren as his.
Now Carter has a new mission—keep Lauren safe at all costs. Make her fall for him. And hide all of the very dark and dangerous secrets that fill his closet.(more…
CREED (VLG BOOK 8) by Laurann Dohner
Angel was whisked away from a life of abuse as a child when a guardian angel flew her in his arms and gave her to a Lycan couple to raise and love as their own. It was inevitable that she developed feelings for her elusive savior, the GarLycan who protects her pack. As she matured, those feelings deepened to something more once after spending time with him, only to be rebuffed by her hero. Dejected, Angel left the pack, moving away to distance herself from the pain. Now, years later, her mother has called her home. Their pack guardian is in need…
Creed is emotionally distant and cold. He’s had to become that way to survive his harsh life. His one weakness is Angel. She deserves a happy life, something that he can’t give her. He was born into servitude and isn’t allowed to take a mate. But, every thirty years he goes into one night of heat. The ravage is upon him, and Angel is determined to be there for him. He’ll take her to his lair, chain her down, and finally be able to touch her…
Creed and Angel soon discover their one night of bliss has dangerous consequences.
PREDATOR OF THE PINES (SUBWOOFERS BOOK 4) by Linda Mooney
Alligator, Bear, Cougar, Deer, Eagle
They found each other by accident. They became a team for life.
While preparing for a hurricane that’s heading straight for the Bag It and Tag It lodge, William “Brew” Estes makes a last-minute run to grab supplies. While there, he heads off a robbery and saves the day…all in a day’s work for the former Marine.
Celeste Hart is exactly where she never wanted to be. When the robbery goes wrong, she knows this could be her only chance to get away. She runs, despite the storm that’s on the way, knowing that if they catch her again, they could break her this time.
The moment Brew laid eyes on the blonde, he knew something was up. Later, when he sees her walking down the road, he can’t leave her without cover, so he offers her a place to stay, if only through the storm. But neither can deny the connection they feel for one another.
When the truth comes out, will Brew and his partners turn her in to the police for her part in the robbery? Or will they help her escape the grasps of her stepbrother and his cronies?
BUD (ROLLING THUNDER MOTORCYCLE CLUB BOOK 10) by Candace Blevins
VS Note: Paranormal…he’s a werewolf.
Nickie’s an investigative journalist who recently faced some of the worst men she’s ever confronted — which would’ve been fine if the FBI hadn’t lost them when she’d practically handed them over on a silver platter.
She vacations in Cancun to get away from the horrors she saw while probing into the human trafficking organization, and doesn’t expect they’ll be able to find her while she travels under another of her pen names.
Bud is in Mexico on club business, staying in a Cancun resort dressed as an American businessman. He meets the beautiful Nicole and gets caught up protecting her when he discovers she’s all alone in Mexico with human traffickers after her. ..(more)…
RANGER by Montana Ash
After a miserable childhood, Lark has finally found the family he always wanted. There isn’t much he wouldn’t do for his new liege, Max, including undertaking a secret and dangerous mission to save the most hated creatures in their society – the chades. He only wishes his partner wasn’t a lethal, stoic ranger with a mouth he yearned to make smile.
Ivy is a ranger. She is judge, jury, and executioner to any who break the strict laws of their world. So, how has she become the trusted operative of a legitimate goddess who wants her to save the chades instead of beheading them? To make matters worse, she is partnered with a fresh-faced earth paladin with green eyes, a body that won’t quit, and a perky attitude in direct opposition to her hostile one.
But as their mission evolves, Lark and Ivy discover pieces of a convoluted and terrible plot buried within the very foundations of their society. The secrets they uncover run deeper and are deadlier than any of them could have imagined. In order to save the chades and prevent a civil war, the two must reconcile their differences … and their hearts.
THE MASTER SHARK’S MATE by Zoe Chant
VS Note: I loved the blurb. On my TBR list.
Hated and mistrusted. Feared and misunderstood. For decades, the Master Shark has protected the underwater city of Atlantis. Now, his Empress has set him his most difficult mission yet:
A relaxing beach vacation.
Coyote shifter Martha Hernandez doesn’t want to take a vacation. She doesn’t want to sit around in some fancy all-shifter resort when her pack could be getting up to who-knows-what mischief in her absence. And she definitely doesn’t want to bang this mysterious scarred, silent stranger like a screen door in a hurricane.
Nope nope nope. No matter that he’s her one true mate. She’s a respectable widow with no call to be having such fool notions at her time of life. What would her family think?
But he is the Master Shark. And he has never failed in the hunt. He’ll capture his mate’s heart… even if it means learning to salsa.
BRING THE HEAT (DRAGON KIN) by G A Aiken
HE SAYS . . .I, Aidan the Divine, am, well divine. My name was given to me by the Dragon Queen herself! I’m a delight! Cheerful. Charming. And a mighty warrior who is extremely handsome with a very large and well-hidden hoard of gold. I am also royal born, despite the fact that most in my family are horrendous beings that don’t deserve to live. And yet, Branwen the Awful—a low-born, no less—either tells me to shut up or, worse, ignores me completely.
SHE SAYS . . .
I’ll admit, I ignore Aidan the Divine because it annoys him. A lot. But, we have so much to do right now, I can’t worry about why he keeps staring at me, or why he always sits so close, or why he keeps looking at me like he’s thinking about kissing me. We have our nations to save…(more)…
FURY OF SHADOWS (DRAGONFURY SERIES SCOTLAND #2) by Coreene Callahan
Commander of the Scottish pack, dragon warrior Cyprus harbors a terrible secret. A brutal truth he has long kept hidden. But when a powerful foe resurfaces, he steps from the shadows and returns to the hunt, vowing to protect his pack along with the woman his enemy seeks to use against him.
Brilliant, broke, and working two jobs, book conservator Elise Woodward has always struggled to make ends meet. When she lands the middle of a secret war, she becomes the target of a rogue pack of Dragonkind and the unwitting guest of a warrior who refuses to let her go—and despite the danger, makes her want to stay.
With the rise of a new enemy, Cyprus is forced to face his demons. But will defeating them be enough? Or will the past return to haunt him, taking the only woman he will ever love?
TEMPEST (WARRIORS OF THE WIND BOOK 1) by Anna Hackett
VS Note: Yes, this is a re-release, which I don’t usually cover but I love Anna H books. From July.
One of five brothers granted the power of the wind, Lorenzo Venti is Keeper of the Winds. A loner at heart, he’s fine that his duty to keep the evil Tempest Winds trapped on their island prison, keeps him isolated and alone. After seeing his father murdered by the Winds, he’s made an oath to keep them locked away. Besides, he prefers his work with his horses to annoying people anyway. But his powerful foes are rising, and when one infuriating, tempting woman arrives on his island, she threatens everything…
Bright, vivacious horse trainer Riley Donovan is drawn to big, brooding loner Lorenzo, and she’s planning to chase down the stubborn man once and for all. ..(more…
LOUISIANA LAGNIAPPE (THE BIG UNEASY) by Pauline Baird jones
VS Note: Also not SFR. but a murder mystery by an SFR author I really enjoy. PBJ captures the feel of New Orleans…
Becca Smith Poole should have known her forty-fifth high school reunion would be anything but normal – especially when a dead body turns up! Renowned for her problem-solving skills, Becca is determined to discover who the murderer is – and if her former high school crush is still as handsome as he was in their younger days. The first will take some time to solve, the second one took her breath away.
Retired detective Zach Baker has been lonely since the last of his Baker’s dozen moved out. When he sees Becca Smith’s picture in the “where are they now” brochure, he wonders if this might be a first chance for him with the gal he could never connect with in high school. But before he can ask her out, a murder breaks up the party.
Lucky for him, his son’s upcoming wedding is full of problems requiring Becca’s professional problem-solving touch. Can a retired cop and a mystery reading problem solver unmask a killer before the wedding? Even more challenging, can Zach convince Becca that there is no end date for falling in love?
LAST BUT NOT LEAST A COUPLE OF AMAZING SALES EVENTS FOR YOU! SE SMITH IS PUTTING ALL HER BOOKS ON SALE FOR 99 CENTS FOR A LIMITED TIME at all major eBook sellers…
AND I HAVE A BOOK ON SALE FOR $.99! STAR CRUISE: OUTBREAK. Apple iBooks Amazon Kobo Barnes & Noble
IT’S ALSO IN THIS TWO DAY SALE EVENT with 99 other terrific books FROM PATTY JANSEN (see banner below).
LINKS TO RECENT NEW RELEASES POSTS from Veronica:
**************************************************************
My standard Notes and Caveats:
The term “new” is generally plus or minus a week or two. I try to catch up on ones I missed in recent months.
(NOTE: If the author provides me with buy links I insert those; otherwise I default to Amazon and iBooks. Pricing and availability are current as of the day I prepare the post – things can change fast in the ebook world LOL.)
Also, I often include only the beginning of the book blurb…